#He and Artoo deserve medals

[marvelstars]

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Novel

"He knew enough of life to know there were two sides to every story and mostly only one being told" Anakin Skywalker - TPM

In this novel, a young Anakin happens upon an injured Tusken Raider trapped under a boulder while traveling through the desert. Having heard stories about the dangerous Sand People, Anakin is unsure if he should help, and ruminates over how Watto or his mother would advise him to act. After sensing the Tusken’s pain, Anakin ultimately has his droids help him free the Tusken Raider. After checking the Tusken for injuries and setting his leg in a splint, Anakin sets up camp to watch the Tusken overnight. He also has C-3PO translate to the Tusken that he isn’t going to harm him and wants him to recover. When Anakin wakes up later that night, he’s surrounded by a whole group of Tusken Raiders, who immediately retreat once the Tusken Anakin helped appeals to them.

[rbeljedi]

in conclusion: arto.o dee.too decided to experience entire system shut down in the cold void of infinite space, continuously rolling across an asteroid, because his boy is inside and maybe he could help. 

[hecckyeah]

In which Luke Skywalker discovers a true relic of the Old Republic . . .

( @3friesshortofahappymeal made me do it 😁) If I should continue this, tell me!! I have ideas, but I know next to nothing about Rebels. BUT I’ll do my research and by golly, I need some happy Rex, Ahsoka, Luke, and Leia interactions. And if I have to write them myself then I gosh darn it, I will. Anyway, here. Have some fluff. <3 

Part 2

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Luke Skywalker had never been one to take his men for granted, and he wasn’t about to start now.

He knew he, himself, didn’t deserve a medal, but the valiant Rebels on Endor did. Every single man that had signed up for Han Solo’s uncharacteristically crazy jaunt deep into enemy territory deserved ten medals and a year of paid leave. And if Leia wouldn’t grant these awards, then Luke might have had to consider pulling rank and doing it himself.

But that wouldn’t prove necessary. There was a ceremony, and five ceremonies after that. There were nights out at cantinas and long hugs. There were fireworks and back-slaps and joyrides on Imperial shuttles.

No Rebel went without recognition. No funeral was left unplanned.

And for the first time in a long, long time, Luke was happy.

He settled himself next to Han in the darkest corner of the cantina that he could find and leaned back with a sigh to observe the rest of the party.

A few members of Rogue squadron leaned precariously against the edge of the bar, flirting vigorously with two Twi-lek ladies. Chewbacca sat sprawled out in the middle of the room, his feet kicked up on a chair, seven empty glasses in front of him. He roared, and Artoo chirped back sporadically, doing laps around the table like a crazed toddler. A very tipsy Lando had his arm slung around Leia’s shoulders, who looked about ready to court martial the newly-appointed general.

“Should we go rescue her?” Luke wondered idly.

Han waved a hand dismissively. “She can handle herself.”

“General Solo!” a voice came out of nowhere, and a man appeared, letting a heavy hand fall onto Han’s shoulder. Luke glanced up and instantly recognized the face: the full, white beard and kind, piercing eyes. The man had a distinctive air of professionalism that had fallen by the wayside during the stealth mission that was the Battle of Endor, but now he noticed how he held himself, tall and unapologetic even in the presence of his general.

Han grasped the man’s hand and shook it vigorously. “Captain,” he greeted in kind. “Or should I say Commander, now?”

The man’s eyes sparkled, and he gave one short nod of his head. His gaze flicked to Luke’s dark figure in the corner of the booth, and he extended his hand, which Luke shook gladly. “Commander Skywalker,” he said, and his deep, accented voice took on a different tone—more somber, if Luke had to describe it. “Good to see you again, sir.”

“Commander . . .” Luke fumbled for his name.

“Rex, sir,” he provided, sliding into the booth across from Han and Luke. “Just Rex.”

Luke smiled.

“I wanted to thank you for your service, General,” Rex continued, addressing Han. “Not many people would have taken on a mission like that and made it out the other side. It was an honor to fight beside you.”

“Thank you,” Han said, and Luke could hear the sincere gratitude and rare humility in his voice.

The pair exchanged anecdotes and bits of memories about the recent battle, and Luke’s attention slowly drifted from the words being spoken, to the gentle tugging at his consciousness that was becoming more familiar with each passing day. Without closing his eyes or feigning disinterest in the conversation, he focused his attention inward, where he could feel the Force swirling around him and through him, speaking to him in its own way.

After a moment, Han had to excuse himself from the table to attend to a slight wookiee-related mishap, and Luke pulled himself out of his introspection to meet the calculating gaze that stared him down from across the booth.

“When did you join the Rebellion, Commander?” Luke asked. It was always a good conversation-starter among the Rebels, and after all: he found himself sincerely wanting to hear this strange man’s story.

“Oh,” Rex sighed, glancing up at the ceiling, as if to jog his memory. “I guess you could say on the very first day.” He glanced back down at Luke’s confused face and gave a slight smirk. “But if we’re being specific, I joined Phoenix Squadron about eight standard years ago.”

“Under General Syndulla, then?” Luke tilted his head, his interest thoroughly piqued by now.

Rex nodded. “You knew her, sir?”

“I knew of her,” he amended. “I never met anyone from Phoenix, but Leia’s always kept tabs on them.”

“They’re good people. And great warriors.”

“When you said you’ve been fighting from the beginning . . .” Luke said after a beat, and Rex’s eyebrows instantly drew together, furrowed in wary concentration.

“I fought in the Clone Wars,” the Commander explained, confirming Luke’s suspicions. “I was Captain of the five-hundred and first clone battalion under General Skywalker and Commander Tano.” At that, he gave Luke a quizzical side-eye, but just for a split second, and it faded. “I’ve always been loyal to the Republic, and so—when it fell . . .” He trailed off.

Luke nodded his understanding.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He leaned forward, hands moving to grip the edge of the table. “Did you say . . . Who’s General Skywalker?”

Rex paused. “How much do you know about the Clone Wars?”

Luke’s eyes fell. “Not much. I grew up in the Outer Rim. Schools out there aren’t exactly—” he waved a hand in a vague gesture, “—comprehensive. And the Empire hid a lot of history from the public.”

“Well, it might be time for you to catch up.” Rex caught himself. “That is, with all due respect—sir.”

With a smile, Luke shook his head. “We’re both Commanders, Rex. And to be honest with you, I’ve never understood ranks. In my opinion, experience outranks anything.”

“Well—” Rex seemed to choke up just a bit, but maybe Luke was imagining things, “—I’ve always said the exact same thing. But it’s — habit, I guess. I have a lot of respect for the Jedi. I’m honored to be serving under one again.”

Luke inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement, and let the statement hang over the table for just a moment, ringing through his mind, chock full of questions.

“This . . . Skywalker,” he ventured again. “He was a Jedi too?”

“He was.” Rex’s eyes became distant and glazed over with memory. “Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. I knew him as one of the greatest generals in the entire Grand Army of the Republic. He almost never lost a battle . . . And I would have followed him into the jaws of death if he asked me to.”

A bolt of lightning struck Luke dead center in his chest. “He . . .”

Rex tilted his head, waiting.

Luke swallowed. “He was my father.”

His jaw dropped, and Luke knew he suddenly had Rex’s full attention. “General Skywalker was your father?” He fumbled for words. “H-how? That is—I mean . . . How?”

“I don’t—” Luke started, but was thoroughly interrupted by the most explosive bout of laughter he’d heard in a while.

Rex’s eyes lit up, and his grin stretched from ear to ear as he chortled, his mirth overflowing all the way into the Force, which swirled and laughed along with him. “That old son of a bantha hunter,” he cackled. “I knew he and the senator were hiding something else.”

Luke’s eyebrows raised in amusement, and he couldn’t help but smile too.

“Of course—I should have guessed you have that same Skywalker blood,” Rex continued, this time directed toward Luke himself, instead of in the general direction of the universe. “From what I can tell, sir, you’re just like him. But a lot less crazy.”

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[icsek]

Obikin Equestrian AU Part 5/? aka Pursuit

Or read here on AO3 as ‘Pursuit’

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Anakin had made sure to text Ben when he’d arrived at home, snapping a quick picture of him in front of the large home with a thumbs up and sending it along with a simple message of ‘here :)’. The drive had been quiet, mostly straight up I-95 until turning off to catch State Road 40 across back home to Ocala. Breha had walked out not long after he’d pulled his truck in the driveway, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? Bail won’t be here and I would’ve fixed dinner!” She let him go only to slap his arm lightly, “You should’ve at least called me when you were on your way.”

Smiling, he pulled her into another hug, “I wanted to surprise you with a visit.”

She relented, hugging him tightly once again, “It’s so good to have you home. Come on, I’m pretty sure I might have a box of Captain Crunch in the pantry.”

It was their thing that had started when he’d been just an eleven year old boy in a large home with two people he only sorta knew. He’d been trying so hard to be on his best behavior, using the table manners he’d been taught at the group home, being seen and not heard. Keeping it up had been so difficult and stressful, but they had given him so many things he didn’t deserve and hadn’t earned.

Breha was a volunteer at the group home he’d been at since becoming an orphan at the age of five. He was old enough to remember his mother yet too young to really understand what had happened. The counselor at the home had tried to explain it all to him, but it had taken several years for him to truly understand that his mother wasn’t coming back for him. It was the horses at the group home that kept him going through it all. They were mostly older retired lesson horses and ponies, but he knew each and every one by name, spending most of his free time in the ragged barn brushing and petting them or helping with whatever chores he was able to do.

Breha had been the one to ask if he wanted to ride one instead of just petting and brushing them. He’d seen the older kids in the bi-weekly lessons she gave and watched them, but had never joined in. Anakin had nodded and Breha had saddled up his favorite pony, Snowball, a gray pony of an undeterminable breed or age. When she would tell the story, she’d always smile and tell everyone, ‘The minute he sat on that pony, I knew he was going to make quite the rider. As you know, some people just have it and Anakin has it in spades.’ She’d been right, he’d spent all his spare time on a horse, reading about horses, or cleaning the worn down donated tack while daydreaming about his big show debut.

The big show debut had happened only a year later, a small fun show with the normal flat classes but also egg and spoon races, trail course, and gymkhana events. Breha had been given some clothing from one of her friends who’s son had outgrown them and put a fancy velvet cover over his battered helmet. Snowball had even cooperated to canter a few times during their classes and brought him a blue ribbon.

“Anakin?” Breha waved her hand in front of his face, apparently trying to get his attention while he’d been reminiscing. A bowl of Captain Crunch with only a splash of milk sat in front of him on the bar and he smiled in gratitude before digging in.

“I know that expression, what are you thinking about?” She sat next to him at the bar, eating her own bowl drowned in milk.

“Nothing much, just remembering my first show with Snowball way back when.”

Her laughter was one of his favorite things about her, “I’m surprised you even remember that! You couldn’t have been more than eight? A scrawny little boy on the most ornery little pony I’ve ever met. I still have that picture hanging in the barn office of your big smile with that blue ribbon. You’d worked so hard for that little show.”

“Snowball was an angel to put up with me, I’m surprised I didn’t ride the hair off that poor old pony.” He smiled, polishing off the rest of his bowl and slurping the little bit of milk left in the bottom of the bowl.

“I will give him that, you’ve certainly ridden through several horses. When you moved in with us, Winston hadn’t been ridden that hard or much in years. You’d get up early before school to have time to ride then you’d be right back in the barn once you got home from school. Now look at where you are, Anakin,” she laid a gentle, small hand on his forearm, “riding under an Olympic gold medalist, working towards your own Olympics in Eventing. We couldn’t be prouder of you.”

Tears threatened to fall when she pulled him into a tight hug, ignoring any pain it caused to take comfort in her arms. Anakin could never consider her his mother, he had one of those already, but Breha was the most important woman in his life hands down. “Thanks, Breha.”

“You’re welcome, darling. Now, come tell me about how things have been with Ben? Is he treating you well? Are you learning anything?” She drew him towards the couch, patting the space next to her.

“He’s a really good teacher, I don’t think my equitation has ever been this good. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard and he’s not the easiest to ride under when you aren’t a paying client, but I get a lot more one on one attention than I was with Don. I’m riding three to five client horses a day for him and doing hour and a half lessons five days a week. Plus he’s letting me lease this really nice gray Hano gelding that I think could really make it as an eventer. He’s far too forward moving to just be a dressage horse. I think I have a video, you have to see the scope this horse has over fences.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and searched through his videos.

When he found the right video of him taking Artoo through a one meter jump course, he pressed play and handed the phone to her, watching from her shoulder, “See? Look at how much tuck he has in his front end, how tight he pulls his feet to his belly. And he’s so brave, his first time through a water obstacle and he didn’t balk one bit. Though he’s stubborn, I don’t think I’ve fallen off one horse so much since I got Twilight off the track.” He pulled up another video, one Ben had taken for him that was filmed completely at the wrong angle, but it was the most recent one he had of taking Artoo through their meager cross country course.

“You’re right, he’s a very nice horse. I can see how much your equitation has improved. Five you said?” She handed his phone back to him.

“He’s coming six, I’m hoping to do a Novice young horse this fall if Ben agrees. I wish you could watch him ride, he’s amazing, Breha.” He sighed wistfully.

“I’ve seen him ride, Anakin, you made me watch his gold medal go at least fifty times the year he won and easily twice that since then. He’s a very talented man. So he’s treating you well?”

He ducked his head to hide the blush that suddenly appeared on his cheeks, “Yes, very well. He’s a really good cook. I get Sundays off entirely too.”

Breha grabbed his chin and pulled his head up to meet her warm brown eyes, “I know that look. He is a rather handsome man, you’d be a good match.”

Anakin’s blush deepened, spreading down his neck in embarrassment, “It’s not like that. Trust me, I’ve tried, he’s not interested.”

“Darling, then he’s missing out on an outstanding and talented young man with so much to give. Someone I love very much.” Breha kissed his cheek, “You look tired, why don’t you go ahead and get a shower and turn in for the night? Bail should be home tomorrow around dinner from a meeting at Hialeah tomorrow.”

Nodding, he kissed her on the cheek and grabbed his bag he’d left by the front door before heading upstairs to his old room. Other than being dust free and freshly vacuumed, his room looked much the same as it did before he left. Pictures, ribbons and plaques filled the walls from the time he’d been adopted at twelve by the Organas. His dresser was full of trophies as were several shelves, ranging from small pony clubber participating trophies to series grand champion trophies.

Pictures on the walls showed a much younger Anakin on various ponies until he graduated from his jodphurs to tall boots and much larger horses. The most recent one had been two years back and his biggest Grand Prix win so far. A picture of him as a teenager and a very racey looking Twilight made him smile. He’d barely known what he was doing at fourteen, but he’d seen the big gelding fresh from the claiming races and had fallen in love instantly. There’d been another mare he’d been saving up for, but he just knew Twilight was the one for him.

Bail had tried talking him out of it, he’d only taken Anakin to Hialeah with him because he’d wanted to watch the races while Bail handled some paperwork and clients he had at the track, but Anakin had been convinced. Company at Twilight had actually been one of Bail’s client’s horses who’d been more than happy to arrange for shipping back to their farm, patting Anakin on the back with a word of encouragement and best wishes with the gelding.

Twilight had been far more horse than Anakin needed, but his coach at the time made sure he took his time and did all the slow work to transition the gelding from the track to life as a pampered show jumper. It was hard, frustrating, and plenty of tears had been shed during their training, but he’d never felt more proud than he had on his self-made horse. From there, it only got better, the jumps got higher, the competition became tougher, but Twilight never let him down.

Anakin hoped it would be the same with Artoo, even if he was technically Ben’s horse. He hadn’t been gone even a day and he already missed the man, though he doubted Ben missed him. He was probably grateful for the break from Anakin's constant chatter and awkward seduction attempts. If he hadn't broken at this point, then Anakin should just give up.

In fact, that's exactly what he would do when he got back. There was no point in continuing to throw himself at Ben and jeopardize the amazing opportunity he had. It was time for Operation Seduction to end.