Triple Zero (Star Wars: Republic Commando, #2)

by Karen Traviss

“Okay. Try…ni kar’tayli gar darasuum.” She repeated it under her breath a few times. “Got it.” “It’s the same word as ‘to know,’ ‘to hold in the heart,’ kar’taylir. But you add darasuum, forever, and it becomes something rather different.” “That tells me a great deal about the Mandalorian view of relationships.” “They believe that complete knowledge of someone is the key to loving them. They don’t like surprises and hidden facets. Warriors tend not to.”

“And you’d tell the Jedi Order. You hate me.” “No, I actually like you, ad’ika. I just despise Jedi. You Force-users never question your right to shape the galaxy. And ordinary people never realize they have the chance to.”

“There’s two ways you can think of females in wartime, son. One is to get obsessed and let them take your mind off your work, and that gets you killed. The other is to focus on them as what you’re really fighting for, and draw strength from knowing they’re going to be there for you when you get home.” He tapped Darman’s cheek a few times with the flat of his hand, firm but paternal. “You know which you’re going to choose, don’t you, Dar?”