A Sister's Ghost (Silas Mantis)

[Ginnie Dib]

8.8 Years Prior





Preliat went under a cocktail of analgesics and barbiturates, while the droid worked on his stump. For the prosthetic leg to function, Preliat’s wound needed clipping, the cybernetic components implanted. Aditya rubbed at her forehead, sipping a cup of tea, which was supposed to be healthy for the baby. She skewed her face, and nearly spat the hot drink out.





“Bleck… Grass. I'd rather eat grass. Rotten grass” Aditya frowned and rubbed at her slightly protruding belly. “Six more months of this, and our family’s one bigger... wish it were two bigger. Attaching a prosthetic leg is one thing. Reattaching Eli to Silas? Brother to, aw gawsh what's the word? Vad? Vlad? Voodeboo?”





"Vod, mi'lady."





"Vod!" Aditya snapped her fingers. "Vod. That kid needs us, Baiko. Preliat needs him more, not that he'd admit it. When'd men get so dang stubborn? Hah! When the first one came about... I'm not drinking that. I'd rather drink dirt."





Baiko, Aditya’s Atrisian assistant bowed her head and took the cup, pouring more tea into it. “The future Fitz-Kierke-Mantis heir must grow intelligent and strong, mi’lady. The tea is not for your mouth, but hers.”





Frowning and rolling her eyes, Aditya drank the new mug of tea like a shot. She coughed and turned away from her future husband, pressing the back of her hand on her mouth. Baiko took the cup and bowed.





"The Emperor favoured you with this tea. It would be a shame for you to deny his plea to the ancestors for the strength of your child." Baiko put the tea away, turning to the schematics splayed out on the table. "Mi'lady, your intended lost his leg, not his arm."





"YSure felt like his leg when he was leaning on me." Aditya quirked her eyebrow and eased herself into her work stool. "Might come a time when he loses an arm. He's Mando'abe... ade. Ad? Already designed the leg, might as well work on the arm now and have one on hand, in case... make the hand interlocking... could use the base model then sell a lower end version of the schematics to hospitals and veterans. Solid engineering, but lower the costs by adding external power... hey, hand me that holopad, please? Thanks."





So it was that the holo-recording of Aditya Mantis began. Baiko folded her hands over the lid of a box, her eyes down and level with [member="Silas Mantis"]' shoulders. The years had greyed her hair at the temples, strands of silver peppering in with her raven locks. The Atrisian stood in the very laboratory where Aditya worked on the original prosthesis. The Myrmadinas, Aditya's ship hadn't been on Manda'yaim during the cataclysm, and the moment she could, Baiko sent out a call.





"My Lady left a series of recorded messages for you, Silas. Some for you, others for her Riduur. Would you like to begin?"

 

[Silas Mantis]

His heart wrenched and his gut twisted as the message played. She'd always written, and while sometimes he'd written back, he'd never obliged her and came home. Except once, when Yasha was born. The small child had been so sweet, and seeing her had made Silas hopeful for their clan's future among the Mandalorians. Then it all vanished, not once but twice. If he'd at least done her the courtesy of being there when she asked, maybe [member="Aditya Mantis"] would still be here today.

Engulfed Silas like an ocean, leaving him unsure of if he would drown in it or be crushed by the pressure. He could've stopped this, he could've protected them. Preliat would've been happier, Yasha would be in a stable home, and Aditya would be here now, fixing his arm rather than him being here with her assistant, wondering what could've been.

He remembered how his mother had begged him not to go, she'd lost one son to the Mandalorian's already, she couldn't bear them taking her baby too, but he went anyway. "You'll get hurt! You could die and never even find him! I'd never know what happened to you, he wouldn't know, don't do this Silas. He'll come home one day, please!" Silas could still see the tears on streaming down her face as he embraced her one last time before walking out that door. He'd been so angry then, how could the brother he'd idolized just abandon them? Not be there when they needed him? It had torn Silas apart, yet he'd done the same to Preliat in the end.

Silas felt nothing but shame, but when it came to having his arm replaced this was his best choice. "I would." The one-armed wolf responded quickly, his expression solemn as he steeled himself for the tide of emotion that was sure to follow.

 

[Ginnie Dib]

Baiko craned her head, her face a passive mask refusing to betray her own inner turmoil. Aditya had been the best Master Baiko had, little more than a girl trying to find her footing in a new place. She placed a holo projector on the floor, kneeling with her knees perfectly together, then rising up and leaving the long box on the work table.





The holo projector whirred to life.





"Hi sweetie pie, how've you been?" Aditya whirred to a holographic half-life, standing before [member="Silas Mantis"] with the posture and mannerisms of Preliat's wife, and the sheen of the hologram. "Saw about your arm. Thank you for taking care of Yasha. I know she feels invincible when her Buir and Ba'vodu are around... well, she's heard plenty about you to feel invincible about."





Aditya rose up on her tip toes, then rolled back down, clapping her hands together with the half-smile she wore, when she needed to consider something. "I'm dead. Only reason my programming got switched on is the death of Aditya Mantis. So! I am neither ghost, nor miraculously bunkered down somewhere in Manda'yaim. Aditya knew our lives were short. She knew our little family would live through more tragedy before the untimely end. So! She planned ahead. All her memories, her personality quirks, based around algorithms and the endless data I download from your buy'ces. It's how I could help Yasha cauterize your arm, honey. Think of me as... a limited AI based around the idea of Aditya. I'm not her, but... for now? I'll do. How's the pain? Do you need something for it? Has Yasha been trying to hug it better? She's a good kid, you know. All this war... I'm afraid for her. She always took to killing in the Netherworld. Where I raised her... damn, it rained blood. Chaos, running, fighting? Like breathing to her."





The hologram smacked her lips, walking through the table to a set of shelves. "Can you open this for me, please? Top shelf, there's a data chit. I need you to put it in the synth table... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't make you visit more often. I'm sorry I let the family drama run us off so bad. I'm sorry it took so long to get back from Hell. Silas? You're a good man. You're the best brother Preliat could ask for, and I know he never could say it, but he loves you something fierce. Hated that you fell into the same pattern he did, but damn... his love is something rare and fierce. He's going to need you, and he's going to reject you. All in, Eli's going to go through the gamut, but can you please... over my dead body," The hologram laughed mirthlessly, shaking her head.

"Please don't abandon our family. Please help him with Yasha and... help him, even if he keeps biting for your jugular... but! I'm guessing in order to help him you need an arm. So! Luckily, Aditya came prepared. Stand on the black floor mat when you're ready and I'll upload a 3D projection of your body for fabrication... you know you might feel better if you talk about it, sweetie. C'mon now, you could always talk to me, my ears are perpetually open, now."





How wonderful and how cruel for Aditya to have created this gjenganger, this computational ghost of herself. How terrible a gift to be able to see and speak to the woman who was lost.

 

[Silas Mantis]

His stomach twisted inside him when she spoke directly to him, Silas had been concussed and suffering from major blood-loss the last time this AI, or whatever it was had said a word to him. Listening to it speak now he found no words to say, it felt wrong, like a chance he didn't deserve. That said he couldn't help but smile when asked if his niece had tried to hug his arm better. She had, several times.

Grabbing the chit and placing it on the table he found his resolve faltering. "It was never your fault I didn't come back, wasn't his either. Just me and my own arrogance to blame for that." Silas sighed, looking over to Baiko for some sort of affirmation that he wasn't crazy for talking to the synthetic ghost. No matter what the woman did he was fairly sure he wasn't going to stop talking.

Stepping onto the mat he let his eyes wander as he questioned himself. Was this right? Should he really even be speaking to [member="Aditya Mantis"]' AI hologram? "I'm not going anywhere, they need me here." He responded, looking up towards the projection with a soft smile. Silas hadn't so much as thought about leaving, all that mattered was justice for his family, and ensuring that those left alive stayed that way. He couldn't drift off to the rim now, not ever in all likliehood, his place was here among his vod.

"It's my fault," He began solemnly, his head drooping as the guilt consumed him once again. "If I'd been there maybe I could've made sure you got out too, we could've sorted all this out as a family. We'd have gotten Monroe ourselves, Yasha would have bother her parents, but instead we're here, because of me." Silas balled a fist as his contempt for himself only grew.

"I'm sorry Aditya."

 

[Ginnie Dib]

"You're a Mantis, alright. Arrogance? Check. Stubbornness? Definite check." Aditya grinned at [member="Silas Mantis"], "I did fall in love with one. Your brother's tenacity was the best part. Also got us into some trouble, but Silas? The only regret I have is the time spent away from you and Preliat."





Baiko did nothing but nod, folding her hands in the reverence of a woman who spent her life in service. The crown she served was dead. The planet she knew overrun with Sith, until all the elder woman had was the Myrmadinas, and the family of Aditya to tend.





"Darn straight they do! Eli's a lot of things, but a self-caring man isn't one of them. He'll eat himself to death from the inside. We had a love the universe wishes it knew... and losing that? Twice? I'm surprised he's still living. I'm surprised his heart didn't fall out in a splintered mess. Memories of Eli were all I had. That, and being Epicanthix. The mental tortures of the Netherworld had no mental wall to stick to, I think it's why Yasha didn't go karkers. Not like I did." Images frothed around them, Aditya back from the Netherworld. She jittered and shrieked at every creak and shadow, grabbing her beskad. Aditya screamed and shoved her back against the wall, sliding down in a frenetic pile when it was just Yasha playing. Preliat scooped Aditya up, diligent and silent. Neither calm nor sweet, the Aditya who returned from Hell was as damaged as her riduur. The hologram fluctuated, far from a perfect creation of an calm mind.





"Yeah, you know what? It is partly your fault. You karked up. You put your pride before your aliit and went searching for a piece of your soul, which was waiting for you in your vod-damned bedroom I kept clean on the off chance you came home. Yes, Silas. You are not the blameless brother." The hologram cocked her head to the side, jittering in the motion before a light passed over Silas' body, scanning him. A holographic model appeared on the synth table, focussing in on his shoulder and stump of an arm. Flowing calculations began to render as the hologram of Aditya sputtered back to life.





"You could have saved us. Rescued Yasha and I from the Netherworld. Could have stopped [member="Mia Monroe"] from killing half of Manda'yaim. You could, you could, you could. Guess what, honey pie? You didn't. Universe is full of folk who live with what they didn't do. I'm going to tell you something your brother never understood, and I'm going to expect you to soak it in. Accept it. Accept what you've done. It's done, that part's over. Accept what you didn't do. It's done, that part's over, too. You have the chance I don't, honey. You get to fix it from here on, you get to live intentionally, and you're going to do amazing. The only stumbling block between you and the right choices are your own alor-damned feet." Hard logic from the mother of the Mando'ade's little wolf.





"Yasha'd have her little brother, too. I was pregnant, Silas. Things between Preliat and I weren't perfect. Tried to find a way to tell him that would make Eli come home. I hope Yasha doesn't tell Eli he was going to be twice a father. Break what's left of his already broken heart." Aditya sighed and brushed her hair away from her forehead.





"Here's the next part. You're forgiven, Silas. I forgive you for all you did and didn't do. It's over and done. Let it lie in the dust of Manda'yaim and concentrate on what comes next. Like your arm, and Yasha. She might be one tough kid, but she's as fragile as a Vendaxan flutter-fly. Please don't let her grow up too fast. I don't want her thinking she's got to be an adult by 13. Turn to your left and stand like you normally do. I need one more scan. Do you have any control of your stump? Wiggle and move it if you can, honey pie."

 

[Silas Mantis]

At first he was taken aback by her words, [member="Aditya Mantis"]' AI phantom laid into him. The talk of the Netherworld was something he fought to understand, and while he wasn't sure he could've stopped the mad god from taking his sister-in-law and niece to hell, but he could've gotten them out of the ashes, killed Monroe (still planned on doing that), or just come the hell home.

The mention of a pregnancy did no favors for him, he'd heard Yasha mention it before she jumped out of his arms mid-flight, but it hadn't registered until now. While the computerized incarnation of Aditya was correct in saying the knowledge of such a pregnancy, Silas was sure they both knew that the Wolf deserved the truth. That said, he had a feeling that the AI would do that herself, as hard as it would be.

Then, suddenly she forgave him. It was a strange notion to him, he and Preliat had never really forgiven one another. Sure on Concord Dawn Preliat had said something along the lines of that, and that was more than Silas had expected, but he'd never really forgiven his elder brother for his transgressions. Perhaps it was about time he got to that. Maybe he wasn't as good a man as Aditya or Yasha or even Preliat thought, but he was going to try to be.

Shifting to his left and wiggling the stump as asked Silas thought on the words of his sister by law. "I'll watch out for her, I promise. And thank you." He managed to say, still pondering what to say in regards to Mand'alor the Small's well being. "Did you see her challenge Ra Vizla for the title of Mand'alor?" Silas asked, a smile on his face at the memory of his niece's boldness.

 

[Ginnie Dib]

Forgiveness was the hardest pain the Mantis family had to bear. Hate, monstrous abilities in war, a predilection for violence were as breathing. Forgiveness? Aditya's ghost asked for the hardest thing.





"You're welcome. Them burdens of yours? Give them the duracrete pavement, honey. You don't need them and they don't need you. Take care of my babies, my husband and my girl. My precocious little killer girl."





The synth table concluded its' calculations, making a modification list and itemizing the routes. A set of droid arms rose from spots in the table, opening the black box Baiko had set down and picking out a half-built prosthetic arm. "I figured you'd need a limb, back when Eli lost his. Wanted to take care of my boys, even if you were young and running away from me."





Aditya's avatar laughed, shaking her head and putting her hand on her forehead. "I saw it. She'd do it, too. Yasha would challenge a grown man to battle. To her, grown men in armour are smaller versions of the demons and monsters we fought every day. What does she have to be afraid of, you know? Gawd in the Nethers, what the heck're you going to do with that girl? Next time [member="Ra Vizsla"] might take her up on her challenge. Made me think, when we got back, what a Verd'goten would look like for the girl who survived the Netherworld. 'Sit down and knit'. Or 'conquer a planet'. Terrifying." Aditya kept shaking her head, as the droid arms behind Silas worked on the arm.





"Wonder what Eli'd expect for her Verd'goten, come to think. What would be a fitting rite of passage? Become Mand'alor?" [member="Preliat Mantis"] surely had an idea of what he wanted his daughter to be. The AI sighed as the arms behind her got to work.

 

[Silas Mantis]

"Well, I suppose I owe you another thank you then. Should've known losing a limb was a genetic thing." Silas remarked coyly, allowing himself to let go of the sullen exterior he'd kept up for so long.

Sometimes Silas forgot just what all his niece had been through, in Hell it had not been Hut'uun Dar'jetti they had to worry about, the monsters they faced were far less cowardly and far more brutal in their attacks. They didn't need nukes when they could swallow their prey whole. Yasha might one day surpass her father as a fighter, Silas had no doubts she would surpass him. "I'd say her upbringing was enough of a verd'goten, but she isn't my daughter so who am I to say?" The Young Wolf mused with a laugh. Laughs were a rare thing with the Mantis' pack, he'd laughed when he'd found Yasha, hell he'd nearly shed a tear, and before that?

You look...like me.

That bad?

Silas wasn't sure if that laugh counted, but it was one of the first times he could remember laughing with his brother since he'd been a little boy, so it stuck with him. That and the pain in Preliat's eyes when he'd forced out the words. He'd never wanted to see Silas turn out this way, he'd wanted him to stay safe on Ordo, to grow up happy and one day raise a family of his own. But it was too late for that now he supposed.

[member="Aditya Mantis"] was right, it was time for Silas to let the guilt go, it was only slowing him down now. He couldn't kill himself for how he'd hurt his mother, Preliat, Aditya, or Yasha, he could only do everything in his power to earn their forgiveness. "Do you want me to talk him into coming to say goodbye, or will you handle that yourself?" Silas asked, looking up at the projection as the droids worked on his new limb.

 

[Ginnie Dib]

"Prepare for the inevitable, and in a Mando'ad, what could be more inevitable than battle damage?" Aditya smirked, "My wolves. What'm I going to do with you? Oh... that was an Aditya sentiment. She won't do anything with you anymore. She's dead."





The hologram flickered, as sounds of whirring tools and the smell of solder hit the air. "She needs a rite of passage. A goal to work towards. Even if her Ba'vodu and [member="Strider Garon"] think she's already proven herself in battle, and let her tag along with the Tal'Rekr." The hologram chuckled, looking up at Silas' face.





"You and Preliat need to make as many memories with her as you can. She'll only remember so little of me, Silas. A few years. She's her father's daughter and if Yasha's going to grow, she needs him to teach her more than the feel of a blade in her hand. Needs her Ba'vodu, too. Otherwise she'll keep trying to challenge the karking Mand'alor! Or... jumping into mid-air? Might not want to tell Eli about that maneuver." Shaking her head, Aditya's hologram rolled its' artificial eyes at [member="Silas Mantis"].





"If I tried to get him here, you and I both know he'd trot down the insanity road looking for the rest of his mind. Eli needs the reassurance that all this is real, doesn't he?" It hadn't taken more than a few seconds of seeing [member="Yasha Mantis"] alive for Preliat to doubt himself. Couldn't be true. Wasn't what he saw.





"Bring him here. Bring him to me, even if he gives you trouble. There's a stool on the left, set it down beside my worktable. You see that medkit? You're going to want to inject that localized anaesthetic. I had Baiko set it for your biosig. It'll numb your stump up to your shoulder and pectoral. Give me the chance to embed the neuro-links and start installation. Eli's prosthetic leg has the power of a speeder crash. I'm assuming you want something comparable for your new arm? Won't be as strong as the leg, but I can give you a worthy bang."

 

[Silas Mantis]

For a minute Silas had nearly forgotten he wasn't talking to his sister-in-law in the flesh, the Sons of the Wolf were destined to suffer wear and tear, it came with the career path, and she'd grown used to it. A smile was on his face, and then she reminded him she was gone, and he felt the smile fade away as the harsh reality surfaced once again.

"Don't worry I won't be mentioning that fiasco for a while." Silas joked uneasily in reference to his niece forcing herself out of his arms mid-air, listening intently to the projection. She, or rather it, had no reason to worry, he'd be keeping a close eye on his niece come hell or high water, and in doing so he'd likely make plenty of memories with the youngest of their pack.

Then came the answer he was rather hoping to avoid, no matter how likely he had known it to be. "I was afraid you were going to say that." He mumbled, unsure of how he'd even go about approaching such a sensitive topic with a man as prone to outburst as his elder brother. But if anyone could drag Preliat to such a meeting, it was him, and he knew that.

Injecting the anesthetic he looked at the projection with a smirk. "Think you can give me enough power to crush a man's arm?"

[member="Aditya Mantis"]

 

[Ginnie Dib]

"Better never tell him. Aide in the longevity of Clan Mantis. You anywhere further on that front? Need to find you a girl, Si. A pretty little baby maker, with the aim of a sniper and ferocity of a nexu. I want to be an auntie." Aditya's hologram fragmented in a blur of static. The machines whirred and buzzed, soldering components as the arm began to jolt on the table. Securing arms collected the prosthetic, turning it to solder components on the other side.





"Did you think he'd come if he wasn't brought? It's my last wish that doesn't involve Yasha, honey pie. You can do that for me, can't you? Make him listen to just one little old thing?" The hologram seemed to sigh, 'sitting' on the edge of the synth table.





"I miss him. I know he may not want to listen to me at all. Wouldn't put it past him to smash the computer to pieces, but this is important." The hologram flickered again, a renewed and tired emotion pouring to her face. "Eli, you'd tell me you're a monster. One of the bad guys. We never could talk about what I went through to keep Yasha alive and I need to... I did my best and I was neither pretty, nor passive. There wasn't an act of violence or infamy I didn't commit to keep our ad'ika alive. You looked at me that night I couldn't sleep, damn. Which one, right? We never could sleep soundly... when I said I wanted to go home and didn't mean Mandalore and I knew you were preparing for the Netherworld... I saw how it haunted you. Your fingers jittered on my skin. Yasha came in and I never got to tell you the most important thing... C'yare..."





The hologram wiped tears streaking down its' face, a recording rather than an algorithm. "Love, I spent nigh on a decade learning how to survive in the Netherworld, and every minute of it I knew I could get Yasha out, but I'd be coming back. So when you fall in battle, when you die well like we both know you're gonna... I will find you on the edge of the Blood Plains. 'Cause I'm there, c'yare. Your Aditya's waiting for you and we're gonna conquer hell together. I won't leave you, I would never leave you alone in hell... make sure Yasha's taken care of before you come."





Nothing but the whirring of mechanical arms remained in the engineer's tomb. The hologram flickered out, as a machine arm reached and took hold of Silas' stump, securing it in place as the first of several cybornetic implants rotated and took position.





"Crush a man's arm, his head, I can give you that level of strength, I can't sustain it like Eli's leg. [member="Preliat Mantis"]' leg is powered by Sith Alchemy, courtesy of [member="Ordo"]'s daughter [member="Ginnie Ordo"]. You're going to have to make due with an internal rechargeable power source. Great acts of strength, much expenditure of charge. Don't let any of the others know about Preliat's leg. You, Preliat, Ginnie and I are the only ones who know the truth, and I took the secret to my grave. Eli's anger and aggression power that leg, and heavens to betsy he's got a lot of it. Hope you don't mind yours is more conventional. Look over here, honey pie. Yeah, you give Aditya your attention, now."





The hologram smiled, reaching for Silas' face but never touching it. The machines began to drill and whirr, holding him steady as they installed the cybernetic implants. "Any girls you found? I might be dead, but I do love gossip. There must be some Mando'ad with ravishing beskar'gam and a happy trigger finger that fits your fancy."

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The ship.


The ship led him there.

His footsteps were quiet, as he stood without armor. Baiko's eyes went wide as he walked past her, into the bowels of his wife's ship. Part of him had hope that she was on it. But- only the crew remained. And they all knew him. They were terrified, pitying him with their eyes. Their gazes of sadness, aversion marked him as he walked past. Baiko told him where he could find his brother. He hadn't been there for him, but he needed to be with his brother. He knew the pain of losing a limb. He imagined he was here to see if there was something Aditya's workshop that would help him. Designs, sketches, or even ideas.

However- Preliat came upon the site he did not want to see. Aditya herself. He did not believe it. Perhaps he finally went insane. He stood in the doorway, not letting his body cross the threshold yet. Silas was probably too occupied with the...whatever this incarnation of Aditya was. It switched- perhaps a recording, or a memory coming flooding back to him. He tensed when she mentioned hell. He was going there too. It was happening sooner rather than later. She was waiting for him there. Then, the apparition mentioned being dead.

Did- did his wife plan for this? Did she create a hologram, an AI to compliment her work- or perhaps, help him deal with her passing? Or was this a cruel trick of some kind. Preliat curled his fist by the door, but silently stood, not crossing the threshold. He did not know what to do, and there was no easy answer. He wished Aditya was here. He wished Yasha didn't have to deal with the fury of his life. He wished Silas did not have to lose a limb in the defense of his people.

There were so many things to discuss- and Preliat felt crushed by it all.

[member="Silas Mantis"] l [member="Aditya Mantis"]

 

[Silas Mantis]

"He might, he does not always say it but he misses yo-" He paused, catching himself, unsure of what to say..

​"You. I think he may well come of his own volition, but I'll bring him regardless." Silas finished quickly, doing his best to divert from the uncomfortable subject of if what was before him could truly be considered [member="Aditya Mantis"]. When she spoke of hell his mind wondered, was she, or any of those in their family truly destined for such a place? Mandalorian's were warriors, and horrible things had to be done in wars, but Silas had never deemed many of them evil or cruel, including his brother despite how Preliat would protest the idea, but perhaps the afterlife only saw in black in white. It didn't much matter at this point, but a time would come when it did.

As the synthetic ghost finished its message, Silas felt a knot in his stomach at the thought of delivering the message to [member="Preliat Mantis"]. He had no wish to see his brother in any more pain, but he held hope that some sort of closure might ease his suffering.

As the procedure began to on his arm and the details of his kin's prosthetic were revealed he simply nodded, well satisfied with his replacements potential for destruction, and content to keep his brother's secret to the grave. Then came the more uncomfortable question he'd been avoiding with pretty much everyone; was there a girl?

"There is no one as of yet, but perhaps one day. I have taken in a child, a friend of Yasha's orphaned by Monroe, just to allow him a place to stay." Silas answered, diverting the topic away from his nonexistent love life. Truth be told Silas hadn't really ever been in love, or in any sort of relationship, sure he'd been attracted to girls and when he was an adolescent there had been teenage crushes, but nothing serious had ever occurred. He'd never had time for it he supposed.

Glancing at the stub of his arm the Mantis felt no doubt in his mind that he'd lose it a thousand times over to protect Yasha, or anyone of his clan for that matter. He'd have sacrificed much more than arm if need be, and he'd do so with a smile.

 

[Ginnie Dib]

"Thank you. I miss him... Aditya misses him. His son misses him. You'll find her, you'll be going on a simple protection mission and bam! Some Epicanthix beauty'll knock you to your ass... I'd say you have time, but none of us seem to have enough of it."





The hologram stuttered and fluctuated. [member="Silas Mantis"] was faced away from the door, his shoulder locked in place by the med droids and their bindings. The machinery whirred, medical supplies and bacta patches laid out as the surgery continued.





"Eli."





A lifetime's worth of pain and joy swelled in the two syllables it took the composite of Aditya Mantis' memories to speak it. Two syllables couldn't contain the man, both tragic and euphoric, father of her children. If love could be contained in a computer, the hologram gave it a good test. A true composite of every time Aditya said his name, it was a whisper. A gasp. The breath of Yasha's mother and the exhausted mumble of the engineer, who reached for him to pick her up as she was exhausted.





"Eli!" A plea. Stay. She wore the face of the woman who curled into his arms at night, regardless of the night terrors, or the amount of times he got up for a smoke. The hologram flickered off, reappearing in front of [member="Preliat Mantis"] and for one slim moment, it tried to take his hand. To touch his cheek. An electric buzz was all which remained of his wife.





"You're not hallucinating, c'yare. I'm a computer program built by Aditya, she uploaded her memories and algorithms based on her personality to my matrix. She... baby I knew the likelihood of us both making it out of anything alive was slimmer than my stomach, before Yasha came into it." Each facial expression came direct from a memory, as if the algorithmic matrix was playing back emotions which fit. The blue cast of the hologram left an otherworldly glow to Aditya's face.





"I'm here to help you cope. [member="Yasha Mantis"] engaged my programming, and didn't know it. The second her goggles caught sight of Silas' injury, I booted... good gods, Silas tell him I'm real. C'yare, Silas can't move to see you, you're going to have to walk in this door." In some way, the Aditya AI knew the monumental nature of her request. To walk in the door, to enter Aditya's sacred space, her own personal lab was to enter the tomb which stood in artificial activity. This was memory and loss, it was a funeral done for the Mantis brothers, one more in a series of last acts Aditya could conduct beyond the grave.





To walk past the threshold was to accept one unendurable pain: Preliat's wife was dead, and she was yelling in the dark for one last chance of his to listen.





"Please, Preliat."

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Preliat's eyes hardened. This was a false idol, a monument to all of his sins personified. It had her voice, had her words, had her personality. But it was not her. It would never be her. Because she was dead. She died at the hands of a murderer. But she already planned for it to happen. Preliat crossed the threshold of the door, into the tomb in which the three of them were located. He turned his head to Silas, but said nothing for a short while. He was not sure what to say.

"Do not use I as if you are her." He looked around the room. He spent some time in here, not a lot- this was her space, her workshop. He only came in every so often. "As if you are able to come even remotely close as to what she was." He spoke to the hologram in the same voice he used with everyone else, not the softened tone he used with his family.

"What would you ask of me, machine?"

The way he said machine- venomous. Hateful. Angry.

[member="Silas Mantis"] l [member="Aditya Mantis"]

 

[Silas Mantis]

As he stood between the two, the younger of the two Mantis brothers couldn’t find the words to say anything. Nothing he said would make whatever pain the synthetic ghost of his sister-in-law any less intense, nor would it quell the anger the boiled in the blood of his brother. Preliat had always had a temper from what he recalled, but fighting for as long as he had only made things worse, but there was something else.

His eyes darted to his brother’s leg, the one made of metal rather than flesh, much like his arm soon would be. He wondered if whatever Sith Alchemy had gone into it, that which fed off his anger, was partially responsible. Silas said nothing however, simply letting his curiosity sit next to the guilt which twisted in his stomach.

If he’d been there, [member="Aditya Mantis"] would be here overseeing the construction of his new limb, his little nephew close by no doubt, instead Baiko was here alone, the two wolves her only company that wasn’t made from circuitry. Or, perhaps he’d have died there too, leaving his brother all the more broken, his niece with one less person to love her, and his ward still alone.

He couldn’t simply forgive himself for his absence, but he could admit that the fact he was not also dead amongst the ash had some merit. [member="Preliat Mantis"] needed all the family he had, and Silas had no plans of abandoning his brother ever again. The two had left the other behind enough, from then on they stood together.

The strength of the wolf was the strength of the pack, and Silas would ensure they were mighty.

 

[Ginnie Dib]

Hostile Principle Target...

Recalculating.

The hologram flickered, shifted. A recorded image of Aditya, life sized, sitting on the work table as Aditya always did. Her knees were shoulder length apart, draped in her favourite black trousers. A black knee length dress settled on her body, loose.

"Eli... damn it these things never get easier... Baiko, you think we can..." She looked off toward the door, listening to a voice that didn't make it into the holorecording. Aditya's face fell, lips parting. She rubbed her black eyes with a handkerchief.

"Eli, Yasha keeps asking for her Daddy. I can tell she's crying at night and I hate it. Got her parents' gift for nightmares and I... I know we haven't been great and I'm sorry for my part in it. I know you're dealing with the clones and... You were right. Yasha's like you. She'll always be like you... but this little guy... might turn out like his Mama. You're going to be a Daddy again, Eli and I need you... and that makes what comes next harder than ever…”

Aditya gulped and took a breath. “… If you're watching this I'm dead, and you don't like my AI. Fine. Hate it all you want, our lives aren't about us, Preliat. They're about Yasha, and Eli. Yes. I named our son Eli, and he will hopefully bring all of us a break. Won't be much of one if you're watching this and the widowed single father of two Epicanthix kids." She pulled at her hair, ungloved hands shivering as she talked.

“I say this in love, sweetheart. Get over your anger at bringing [member="Silas Mantis"] into the Mando’ade and let him help you. If I’m gone, our kids’re going to need their Daddy and their Uncle Silas. Rianna and Jasper can take the kids for a while if you need to figure things out. Baiko no Kaho is the executor of my estate, so she’ll deal with the responsibilities Yasha inherits on Atrisia and Panatha, when she turns 19. She’s kept the Atrisian Estate going, it’s worth a quiet life while you acclimatize. I… I sent a copy of my will to Tristan and [member="Malika Mantis"]… I know you didn’t want me to bring your siblings into this, but… I did it for our kids.“ The will continued, until Aditya looked up at the projector and sighed.

"Baiko helped me plan the AI… it’s for Yasha as much as it’s for you. Ultimately, whether the AI stays or goes is your decision, but please, love… make the right decision. I love you… and when you do die… I’ll see you in Hell… ‘cause I ain’t crossing over until I know you’re settled… if you ever need to repair your leg, [member="Ginnie Ordo"] has the supplies and the plans. I stashed a few cases of your favourite Correlian Whiskey in our suite on the Myrmadinas… I love you, and I… I hope you never see this… Yasha, honey pie, get your ballet slippers on… no! No playing war, child! Ballet! Practice! Now!”

A muffled child’s voice rushed in the holo-recorded moment, Yasha stomping in and growling aloud. “I don’t want to dance! I want to practice my aim like Daddy! Where’s Daddy!? Why ain’t he here!? Why've we got to be on your stupid ship!? I wanna go home, Mama! Back to Bubbie and Daddy on Mandalore!”

“Don’t you start, get your dance shoes on! Look at y-oh, did you cut your clothes again!? Yasha!” Aditya grabbed Yasha by the arm, sitting her down to look at the hole in her shirt’s side. The mother yanked her beskad from Yasha’s hand, “The hell, child! Daddy ain’t coming and you know it!”

“I want my Dad! You scared Daddy away!” Yasha threw her arms across her chest. “I hate you… I hate y—“

The holo-recording stopped, and the Aditya AI flickered back on, kicking her feet back and forth as she ‘sat’ on the worktable. “What do you say, [member="Preliat Mantis"]? Can I stay?”

 

[Preliat Mantis]

His eyes watched the hologram, and it's subsequent recording, with a glare that many had not seen. It was a softened expression. It was one of regret, of loss, of yearning. As the light flickered across Preliat's face, or what remained of it, rather. His eyes looked between the image of his daughter and the hologram of his late beloved. There was a long, sullen silence as he looked between his brother, and the AI. He crossed further into the tomb, memories flooding his mind.

Meeting her for the first time, on a frozen planet. Saving her from the pirates.​

​

Their first date- where he took her free falling.​

​

The way she held him during the long nights.​

​

Her dark eyes, peering into his at their wedding.​

​

Building their home together.​

​

Her actually decorating his home.​

​

Feeding Yasha when she was just a baby.​

​

All those wars and battles, to keep the darkness away from Mandalore. To keep Yasha safe.​

​

All the things he did in the name of Mandalore and in the sake of protecting Yasha.​

​

Each footstep closer to the AI was heavier than the last. Each footstep was a shovelful of dirt on his wife's coffin. There would be no more Aditya after this. There would be no more anything. Aditya was dead. Nothing was going to change that. Preliat had to move on. Preliat had a life, had their daughter's life, his brothers, his sister's- he had to care for them all. And he couldn't do it with the ghost of Adtiya hanging over him. It would only make things worse. Who knew before the AI went rampant- or faded away completely. He could not bear to lose Aditya again. He had a responsibility to move on, to become the man he needed to be for his daughter and for his family- and his clan.

"Of all the things I have done."

A hand ran across the counter, full of tools still.

"Of all the wars, of all the battles."

He stopped just short of the AI's control box.

"Of all the fights and all the pain I suffered-"

A hand reached out to grasp the AI's box.

"Losing you was the worst pain I had ever felt. I cannot bear to live that pain every day with a ghost, Aditya."

He tightened his grip on the box and looked at his brother, briefly.

"I will never forget anything you ever said to me, anything we ever did. But I have to move on."

He finally looked at the AI in the eyes.

"And I can't do that with a phantom of my past remaining."

A crushgaunt adorned hand squeezed tightly on the AI's control mechanism, slowly.

"I need to let you go."


[member="Silas Mantis"] l [member="Aditya Mantis"]

 

[Silas Mantis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FywSzjRq0e4​

​

Words didn't come, just as before. Pain and guilt wracked Silas as the machines finished their work on his new arm, and he watched his brother seemingly be open about his own feelings. As Silas had already known, the feelings that engulfed the Wolf were that of suffering and agony. It had been that since [member="Aditya Mantis"] was taken from him, and something in Silas made him suspect it the wound of her loss would never fully heal. Even with Yasha back, the loss of his love, and of his unborn son would wrack [member="Preliat Mantis"] with anger and agony for a long time to come.

Unconsciously he balled the hand of his prosthetic into a fist and relaxed it, repeating the cycle of movement over and over again, and while feeling the sensation of movement in the arm once again was certainly something of note, he had other things to worry about. Stepping away from the workstation he walked over to the man standing with the crushed AI matrix in his hands and wordlessly placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

He said nothing, and he doubted Baiko would either, she could snap at him for walking away from that station later, they could calibrate the limb later, it could all wait. Silas simply stood there in silent support he'd spent half his life trying to be and the other half trying to be anything but. The past was done, the wounds between them healed, and with a single squeeze, Silas simply ensured that his brother knew that he stood by him no matter the cost.

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Eli… Preliat! Eli, please! Yasha Y-y-y-ya-ya-yaaa… sha… ya-sh-a-a-ah nnne-eed-ds m-m-m-me… I lllllo-lloo-ve yy-yy.. … … . “ The hologram flickered, spastically appearing in several places around the room as the robotic arms working on Silas Mantis’ arm whirred to a stop. Silence reigned. The AI module crushed by [member="Preliat Mantis"]’ own hand.

Baiko slipped out of the room while [member="Aditya Mantis"] spoke her will. A chime on her wrist comp heralded the proximity of the most dangerous being on the ship. An eight year old girl.

“Baiko. Fix it, fix it! Please, Baiko! She was talking to me and she went all blitzy and static and and she stuttered and…” Yasha held up the goggles her mother made for her little girl, to eradicate the brightness of the light. She sniffled and blinked up at [member="Baiko no Kaho"] with [member="Preliat Mantis"]’ deep eyes.

“Please fix her, Mama was talking to me. She was, I’m not crazy, she was talking to me just like when Uncle [member="Silas Mantis"] needed his arm catermalized.”

“Cauterized.” Baiko knelt in front of the little girl and put her hand on Yasha’s cheek, rubbing the tears away with her thumb.

“Please? Fix it?” Yasha rubbed her face and peered up at the aging Atrisian. Baiko shut her eyes, stood and settled her shoulders in the perfect posture to which she was known. She held out her hand for Yasha, and Yasha took it.

“Go speak with your father. I will wait outside.”

“Why? Why can’t you come with me?”

“Yasha, go.” Baiko whispered solemnly, keying the door and handing Yasha her multicoloured goggles. The girl clutched them to her chest and rubbed her eyes again, sniffling to make sure Daddy didn’t see she was crying. Crying was for wimps and weaklings. Crying was for people who weren’t already brave like Daddy and Uncle Silas.

“Daddy?” Preliat was holding a crushed box, components withered and crushed. The girl winced at the light in the room, noticing for the first time that the ship had stopped automatically dimming the lights as she walked through her mother’s pride and joy. Uncle Silas stood with his hand on Daddy’s shoulder, a pressure in the room cast her eyes down to thick leather boots. Yasha shuffled toward the towering brothers, her goggles still pressed against her ribcage.

“Daddy, my goggles are broken. They’re not… Mama… she helped me save Uncle Silas, she talked to me… and… Daddy?” Yasha’s voice ended up a whisper as she stood in the room. There were times in all children’s lives, where they realized the fragility of their own parents. To Yasha, Preliat Mantis was fifteen feet tall, a monolithic force of nature and yet the man looked terrifyingly frail.

Putting her goggles on the work table, Yasha pushed a stool over to Preliat, stood upon it, and put her bare hands on his shoulders. “It’s okay, Daddy. I’ll make it better if you tell me what’s wrong.”