Chapter Text
The second time Jango came through the force anomaly was far worse on him than the first. The first time all light had gone out, as if Jango’s eyes lost the ability to see the light the exact same second all the light in the galaxy went out. His ability to feel anything at all was gone. He couldn’t so much as feel his own breathing let alone the feelings of his hands on the yoke, or his clothes touching his body. Every emotion had been stripped away until all he could feel was his own heartbeat and the knowledge that he did exist, though he had no concept of Jango Fett as a person or as himself. Between one blink of his eyes and the next it was all over, and they had been in front of Tatooine when before they were in front of open space, and Jango was entirely himself and entirely normal if confused and rather scared.
This second time, in that moment between one blink and another, it wasn’t just like Jango had been disconnected from himself, but when he reconnected, it was like all of his memories had been ripped from his mind and then shoved back inside his head in a random order.
When he came to, he was sitting on the floor of Slave 1 and Omega was holding him tight and crying all over again when he’d just gotten her to stop only a few minutes before they hit the anomaly.
“What? Where?” He asked weakly.
“We’re through the anomaly,” Jon Antilles said. The frustrating Jetii was sitting in Jango’s pilot seat. Jango clenched his teeth and shook his head, willing all of his memories to sort themselves out faster.
“Buir, are you okay?” Omega said.
“I’m fine,” Jango said. “I lost a few memories when I went to the past and the Force apparently didn’t know how to put them back correctly.”
“That’s logical,” Jon said. “In a Force kind of way.”
“Right,” Jango grumbled. “Why are you in my seat? Why am I on the floor?”
“You started to seize,” Omega said. “And I don’t know how to pilot.”
“Alright,” Jango groaned. “We’ll have to fix that. Doesn’t explain why Jon’s piloting.”
“The other Jedi didn’t handle the shift very well,” Jon said. “I’m used to the Force throwing me around and being quite loud. It cleared through Omega first, then me. You’ve been out of it for about ten minutes. I suspect the other Masters and archivists are going to be out for another ten still.”
“So, it worked,” Jango said, not like he didn’t know. He had his memories back. He remembered all of it, meeting his adult son, and his adult son’s beloved who was also the Manda’lor. It wasn’t just something he knew from vids. He knew them.
Fuck, his head hurt. It was going to be a while before everything felt right again. The memories he had from this future physically came to him before the memories made since he arrived in the past, but his memories of the past were formed without these future memories, so getting these memories was recoloring everything. On top of that, his mind didn’t know how to deal with the issue of what memories came first, because while his body may have formed the future memories first, those memories still happened after everything that happened in the past.
It was going to take him some time. No wonder the other Jedi were down for the count.
“The Palace contacted us,” Jon said. “Shortly after we arrived. They sent coordinates. Whoever I spoke to seemed very unhappy to hear my voice and not yours.”
“Yeah, they would,” Jango said. “Whether it’s Boba or Djarin or Shand or even Skywalker.”
“The voice was masculine,” Jon added.
“Yeah, that doesn’t narrow it down at all,” Jango said. He gave Omega a tight hug. “Are you okay, Omega?”
“I’ll be okay,” she said. She crawled into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and just leaned back against the ship wall. He knew he was going soft, because he was going to allow Jon Antilles to land his ship and he wasn’t even going to care.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t say anything about now,” he said.
“Jon said you’d be okay,” Omega said. “But I didn’t know what I’d do if you weren’t okay. I was afraid I’d lose you too. And then I’d be here with no way back.”
“And then you’d be alone all over again,” Jango said. He could see it the way she would see it. If Jango died, she didn’t know the Bobas yet. She knew Jon, but he wasn’t her family. She could have had family if she’d stayed back with Hunter, but she’d chosen to come with him. Of course, she would be afraid that she gave up the rest of her family and then Jango would die.
Jango hugged onto Omega even harder. He knew what losing him had done to his older son, and the way his younger son had clung to him when he’d left to go to the past. It seemed like he was always leaving the people he loved behind. It was funny to think that, since it had always seemed before now that the people he loved were always leaving him behind. Now he was the one leaving and he didn’t like it any more than he liked being left.
“I am okay,” Jango said. “I just have a headache, but I have all of my memories back now, and most of my questions answered.”
“Most?” she asked.
“Boba never mentioned you, the older one. He doesn’t know about you. I need to know what happened to you in this time too.”
“Oh,” Omega said. She rubbed her eyes. “So, we’ll find me. And we’ll find Hunter and the others, right?”
“Right,” Jango said. He ran his hand through her hair. “We’ll find them. I promise.”
“Thank you, buir,” she said.
“You’re welcome, Omega.” Jango tucked her head against his chest and let her lay there.
They stayed on the floor for the rest of the trip to the palace, even when Jon had to turn the ship so they could land. It just meant he and Omega had to lay against the wall as Jon very smoothly landed Slave 1 on Boba’s landing pad.
“Okay, kid, let me up,” Jango said. Omega crawled out of his arms and Jango got up to get to his helmet.
“The others are aware and awake,” Jon said as if Jango hadn’t heard the rest of them call in when they’d gotten their brains back. “Awaiting orders.”
“I’m going out first,” Jango said. “I’m going to introduce them to Omega before I let a bunch of Jetii pile out into my son’s palace.”
“So, we’ll wait for your signal,” Jon said.
“Yes,” Jango said flatly. He turned a looked to Omega. “Will you wait with Jon?”
“No,” she said. “I won’t come out until I’m supposed to, but I’m not just going to sit in the cockpit.”
“Yeah, didn’t think so,” Jango said. He headed down the ladder. “Okay, you can wait inside by the ramp. Just stay out of sight, got it? We don’t need to give anyone a heart attack.”
“Alright, buir,” Omega said with a cheerful smile. Jango smiled in return. His heart just filled when he looked at her. He loved her so, so much. He hadn’t thought he could love anyone more than Boba, but Boba had been created to be his legacy and that had complicated Jango’s feelings. Omega was just his child. The love he felt for her was simple, clean. There was nothing weighing it down except some grief at lost years, but even that held none of the baggage that came with his feelings for his sons.
He made certain Omega was settled out of sight before he headed down the ramp. At the foot of the ramp stood Boba, his older Boba. Jango realized he’d left his helmet inside the cockpit. He didn’t even care except that it was easier to see his son with his own two eyes.
“I’m surprised your Manda’lor isn’t out here with you,” Jango said, striding down the ramp and stopping in front of Boba.
Boba chuckled and pulled his helmet off. The scaring was just the same as when Jango had left. It made him ache to see it again. With his memories jumbled, it felt both like he was seeing the scars for the first time, and like he’d seen them a million times before.
“Well, someone had to keep little Boba from running out until I could be certain it was you,” Boba said.
Jango glanced around, seeing no one out there at all. “Not even Shand, huh?”
“I was fairly certain it was you. Though it did not make me happy to hear a stranger answering your comm system. And bringing four ships instead of one. What in hell happened?”
“A lot,” Jango said. “How… long have I been gone?”
“About a year,” Boba said. “A bit less.”
“It was more like three on my end,” Jango said.
“What, the information we sent wasn’t enough cut the Clone Wars short?” Boba didn’t sound impressed.
“It was, but then we were asked to stay longer so everyone could get all their gifts together.” Jango turned to look at the other ships. “And our departure got delayed because it came to my attention that Dred Priest needed to be tended to.”
“Oh, that old bastard,” Boba said. “I’d forgotten about him.”
“So had I. And then I was informed of some of the things he’d done. That wasn’t something I could let go without having a hand in addressing it.”
“Well, that would take time,” Boba said. “I’m more impress that you managed to be older than me again.”
“I’ve always been older than you, even the last time we met.”
“Only a few months older is hardly older,” Boba argued. There was a smirk on his face. He was enjoying this. There was an easier manner about him than the last time Jango saw him. He wasn’t nearly as bitter or angry.
“Don’t worry, we can still say you’re my father. I think people would believe it.” It turned out that Boba wasn’t the only one who wasn’t as bitter or angry.
Boba snorted loudly at Jango’s joke. “So, buir, are all of these tug ships gifts?”
“Eh, sort of,” Jango explained. He regarded his son carefully. “I didn’t come alone. It turned out that the Jedi managed to figure out who they could send with me and not force the anomaly again. They felt Skywalker could use the help.”
“Oh, I feel a headache coming on,” Boba said, rubbing his forehead. “I can’t tell if this is going to torture Skywalker or make him happy.”
“Are you both on speaking terms?”
“He comes by more often, brings the podlings with him. There are few enough kids that the Jedi Temple is mobile. If I have to deal with Solo’s spawn one more time…” He trailed off into a grumble. Then he let out a sigh. “Okay, that’s a lie. Little Boba likes the brat. And he’s not bad. He’s just Solo’s kid. I really thought Skywalker’s sister had better taste.”
“Clearly not,” Jango said. “Boba- there’s something I found out while I was gone.”
“Bad?”
“To some degree,” Jango said. “Boba, you weren’t the only unaltered clone they made.”
That caused Boba to freeze. He was silent and still. After a few seconds he blinked as if he was coming back online. “What?” he croaked out.
“You have a little sister,” Jango said. “Omega’s the other one I brought back with me.”
“Omega? Sister?” Boba asked. “But… I’ve never heard of a female clone.”
“She looks like Arla. A lot,” Jango said. “I suspect that the fucking Kaminoans thought she was a weird failure at first. They hadn’t realized I was a twin.”
“Shit,” Boba said. He rubbed his face, looking exhausted. “Okay, okay… well, can I assume she’s waiting to be introduced.”
“Omega!” Jango called.
“Yes, buir,” Omega said. She came jogging down the ramp and settled herself right against Jango’s side. Jango lay a hand on her shoulder, holding her to him.
It didn’t escape him the way Boba was looking at this interaction. Despite the way he’d clung to little Boba before he left, Jango had never been this affectionate with his sons so easily before. That was a mistake he was going to have to try and fix.
“You’re Boba?” Omega asked, sounding nervous.
Boba slowly lowered himself to kneel in front of Omega. “One of them,” Boba said, offering a warm smile. He really had gotten good with kids, better than Jango ever was. “You’re Omega.”
“That’s me,” she said. “Boba, sir- um.”
“Just Boba, or vod,” Boba said with a laugh. “Force knows that’s what little Boba calls me.”
“Vod,” Omega said, her shoulders and smile relaxing. “Well, there’s people I’m looking for. They’re clones too, but they’re sort of not right.”
“No right, hmm?” Boba asked. He continued to project warmth, but Jango could see the uncomfortable pull in his eyes. Boba had hunted and put down many clones. Talking about the others made him anxious. It also occurred to Jango that Boba may have actually killed Hunter in the others. Jango had to shove that thought aside or risk being visibly ill.
“Yes,” Omega continued. “They were engineered to be different on purpose.”
“Huh,” Boba murmured. “Well, I know where a few clones are. Tell me their names and I can put our feelers.”
“Okay,” Omega said cheerfully. Her eyes were still red from all the crying she’d done that day, and her smile still had that tug of sadness, but he could read the hope on her features. She hoped she’d find Hunter and the others.
“There’s Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, and oh yeah, I have to find Echo too. I have a message for him from Fives.”
“Fives… Okay, I’ll talk to Rex,” Boba said, but his voice had a faraway quality. “Wait, Crosshair? Son of a bitch!”
“You know him,” Jango said. Crosshair was a prickly bastard who Jango couldn’t stand. He hated Hunter because Jango had never been truly certain that Omega wouldn’t choose him, but Crosshair Jango actually just hated. It was like the longnecks and had taken every bad quality Jango had and stuffed it into a body which looked like they’d taken his body and stretched it on a candy puller.
“You remember me mentioning a clone who was an imperial sniper? The one who isn’t allowed on my planet?”
“Yeah,” Jango said weakly. That memory rose to the front of his brain. Shand was the best sniper Boba ever met, except for maybe a clone sniper. Crosshair.
“Figures.”
“So, does that mean you know where he is?” Omega asked hopefully.
“I’ll ask Rex,” Boba said. He pushed himself up. Jango watched him take a few deep breaths to try and still his temper. “For you, kid, for you I’ll let him come visit once.”
“Thank you, vod!” Omega said, then threw her arms around Boba’s legs like she would Hunter or Jango. It threw Boba off balanced a little bit, emotionally, but then he dropped his hand on her head and he began to stroke her hair with a warm affection. It was a relief. She’d have someone here who would love her too. Boba wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
“You’re welcome. Just be careful with the tackle-hugs. I got a bad knee from the sarlaac. I don’t want to end up falling on my ass from a hug.”
That made Omega giggle, which was truly one of the greatest sounds in the galaxy. Jango couldn’t help the softness he felt seeing her so happy.
“Okay, I’m going to call Fennec and have her get the other boys up here,” Boba said. He carefully nudged Omega off him and pulled his helmet back on.
Boba must have turned the external comm system off, because Jango could hear the sound of voices, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. It was probably for the best. He tugged Omega back to his side, holding her to him.
He was grateful to see older Boba, but he wasn’t the one Jango ached the most to see. He loved his older son different than his other children, though not more or less. Jango just didn’t have as much time with him as he had his younger son. But most of all, older Boba was an adult. His younger son was a child, one who’d been missing his father for a whole year. Jango ached deep, deep in his bones. He needed to see Boba.
“Buir!”
There he was.
Younger Boba came sprinting out of the palace. Jango found himself running over to his son. He grabbed his son right off the ground and hugged him tight to his chest. It was Boba. It was his little boy, taller now than he had been when Jango left him, probably full of changes that Jango had missed. Jango’s eyes ached. He might end up crying. He didn’t care.
Boba was squeezing his neck so hard that Jango thought his head might burst. His own heart felt like it would explode.
“Boba,” Jango murmured. “Boba, I missed you so much.”
“Buir, you came back,” Boba cried into his shoulder.
“I said I would,” Jango said. “I’ve thought of you every day. I’ve been trying to come home to you for so long.”
“Home?” Boba asked, pulling away from his shoulder. He was older than the last time Jango had seen him, but he looked even younger than Jango remembered with his eyes red with tears.
“Yeah,” Jango said. “You and your older brother are here. So, it’s home. Where else would I want to be?”
Boba smiled, shaky and tentative, but very really. “Home.” Then his eyes seemed to drift past Jango. “Who’s that?”