#also Boba speaks mando’a as his first language so this is Fox trying to reach out and give Boba back

[workingchemistry]

“Kih’ori’vod.” Tenten rumbles. His voice holds all the weight of affection b’Jan’buir. There’s also a cruel sharpness that Jan’buir never showed in front of Boba. “The Kaminiise were careless. The equipment malfunctioned and all of the cells they harvested from Prime died off.”

Boba stares at him blankly, not understanding what that has to do with his staying in prison for the rest of his life.

Tenten glances over his shoulder and then crouches down so he’s at Boba’s eye level. He brushes the back of his scarred knuckles across Boba’s cheek. “They’ll try to harvest cells from us, but we’re too edited—impure. You, on the other hand, are untouched. Tsad Droten is churning through us like mulch, they will approach you soon with a plea bargain.”

“Gar’gotal ner mav’cuyi.” The words fall from Boba’s numb lips before he can take them back. “Why?”

Tenten rocks back onto his heels, plastoid bucket scraping against his thigh plate. The silence drags on forever, long enough that Boba starts to think that he isn’t going to get an answer.

Then, finally, Ten’ika says, “Gar buir ru’juri skira. N’cuyi harycne viini goyust ures kyr.”

Mini translations:

Kih’ori’vod: little big brother (different from ori’kih’vod which means tiny brother)

Gar’gotal ner mav’cuyi: roughly, you manufactured a way to free me. lit. You create my freedom (mav being free and cuyi being exist)

Gar buir ru’juri skira: roughly, your father was burdened by revenge. Lit. Your parent carried revenge.

N’cuyi harycne viini goyust ures kyr: roughly, I won’t become exhausted running a path without an end. Lit not exist (most) tired running path without end.