M'tendere

**M'tendere** was a weapons designer whose inventions helped end the Galactic Civil War for the Solar system.

## Early Life

At a young age, M'tendere realized they had a knack for engineering and began trying to build something that would end the centuries-long Galactic Civil War between the Outer Rim and the Solar System.

Some time in the heart of their career, they were sent the Ruby Seven to study, and they discovered that the car was incredibly good at getting away (but only if you turn it on). Later, Jet Sikuliaq robbed them of the car, an object called the Iris of Jupiter, and an experimental bomb they had been working on. Jet used the bomb to kill fifteen innocent people on his way out, and this was the first time M'tendere ever saw their weapons used on humans.

They would go on to indeed end the Galactic Civil War with their weapons. The Solar government honored them for their role in the victory, but almost immediately, they turned on them for reasons unknown. M'tendere escaped into Dark Matters custody and was hidden away in the Neptunian city of Le Verrier.

## History

The Aurinko Crime Family seeks M'tendere in Le Verrier in order to discover the key for a lockbox they invented, which now holds the team's target, the Curemother Prime. Peter Ransom, Juno Steel, and Vespa Ilkay are sent on the case, as their captain Buddy Aurinko knows Jet is deeply uncomfortable with the idea of seeing M'tendere again. The mission team discovers that M'tendere has removed their Dark Matters tracking chip and is seemingly on the run, and as they search the inventor's apartment, Dark Matters arrives, demanding M'tendere reveal themself.

In the market square of Le Verrier, where they have been shopping, Jet and Rita spot M'tendere playing guitar for the crowds and are forced to pursue them, as the others are too occupied evading Dark Matters. The duo follows M'tendere into the park, and Jet incapacitates a Dark Matters agent who had been about to kill M'tendere. They are very surprised to see him, but let him and Rita into their underground laboratory because, as Jet surmised, they both needed something from the other.

M'tendere shows Jet their Bottomless Battery, an unfinished invention that they hope to use to bring power to the ravaged Outer Rim. They ask Jet to use his skills as a smuggler to get them the parts they need to finish it. Jet tells M'tendere that he needs a key to their lockbox, but they tell him no key exists. Jet asks if there is a way to destroy the box entirely, but in the end neither gives a proper answer to the other's request.

Dark Matters fires on M'tendere's laboratory. M'tendere is trapped behind some rubble and tells Jet to leave them, declaring they deserve to die after everything they had done during the war. Jet responds by echoing the words Buddy Aurinko told him the day he met her, telling M'tendere that though they neither of them will be forgiven, that is not a reason to die, not when there is still good to be done. Jet assures M'tendere that they will be able to build a new battery or teach someone else to do it, and they finally agree to come along.

The Ruby Seven, unmanned, arrives to save the three of them from Dark Matters agents. Jet demands M'tendere fix the car, but they insist it is not broken and tells him that even if it was, they couldn't change it, as M'tendere did not build it. Jet is shocked by this, but finally gets into the car, and the three of them depart. As they drive, the Ruby Seven 3D-prints another bomb to use in order to lose Dark Matters, but Jet refuses to use it and instead makes use of a technically-impossible flying maneuver called the Pelican Bootleg. The three lose Dark Matters, but M'tendere is shot in the escape. Jet does everything in his power to save them, but M'tendere is resigned to their oncoming death. At this point, they tell Jet how to successfully open the lockbox: if the correct musical key is played around any of M'tendere's weapons, it will cause it to self-destruct. Jet insists that M'tendere will not die, promising that after his family obtain the Cure Mother Prime, he will return to Le Verrier and help M'tendere finish their battery. M'tendere continues humming the key for Jet to memorize, while Rita informs them both that Dark Matters is catching up and they all need to lose them again before getting to safety.

M'tendere dies before the Ruby Seven reaches Buddy's ship, the Carte Blanche.

## Relationships

### Jet Sikuliaq

M'tendere had a dark history with Jet, making their meeting on Le Verrier initially shaky - but as Jet opened up about his worldview, M'tendere began to see their common traits and even revealed their battery to him, an invention they were very protective and proud of.

## Episode Appearances

* Juno Steel and the Tools of Rust (Part 2)

## Trivia

* The Key is "Any Day Now," written and performed by M'tendere's VA, Anjimile.