#What we left behind :: Canon-Divergent :: Luke Skywalker :: | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vanishedangels · 2 years

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Castles on the sand

Blame it on the storm Sequel

Summary: After the storm that brought them together ended, rebel pilot Luke Skywalker and bounty hunter Din Djarin started a long-distance relationship. It gets more and more complicated when they realize they're developing deep feelings for each other.

Pairing: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker

Characters: Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Wedge Antilles, Xi'an (Star Wars), R2-D2, Paz Vizsla.

Rating: Mature (+18)

Tags: Canon Divergence (AU), Long-distance Relationship, Post A New Hope (Star Wars), Fluff and Angst, Protective Din Djarin, Tumblr Prompts.

Chapters: 2/3

Navigation: <- Previous Chapter • Next Chapter ->

Part 2 of Wonderwall series

Excerpt:

"I wish you can stay a little longer." He absentmindedly said.

"You know I can't." Din answered soothing his hand on his back. "Maybe we can meet somewhere else next month."

Luke hummed.

"Since it's my birthday." Din casually added, making Luke sit up swiftly on the floor.

"What?" He was blushing sightly, realizing that he didn't know Din's birth date.

"Or maybe not." The mandalorian stated and he sounded a little disappointed.

Chapter 2: Without labels doesn't mean no strings attached

The Razor Crest was slowly holding a special place in Luke's heart, his blue eyes were roaming the ceiling while he was resting his head on Din's chest plate. He moved, slowly, to push up onto his elbow, Din's visor followed his moves, until it was fixed on Luke's face.

"Din?" He asked leaning his head on his knuckles.

Din hummed.

"Nothing." He shrugged looking down with a frown on his face.

"Luke, I know what's on your mind." He sighed "Ask me about her."

Damn! Din was always a step ahead of Luke, in some ways, he reminded him of Leia, they were both very smart and their intuitive understanding of Luke's feelings made him so vulnerable around them.

The blonde nodded pressing his lips together "Did you have a relationship with the twi'lek, Din?" He asked under his breath, afraid of Din's answer but he needed to know, desperately.

"Yes."

Luke's heart sank and he swallowed around the lump in his throat.

"But it was years ago. It's in the past now, Luke." Din added tilting his head like if he was trying to ease Luke's visible discomfort.

"How did you two meet?" He tried to sound not affected at all but he was hating the woman a little more, he didn't know it could be possible until Din's confirmation.

"Twi'lek healing baths."

Luke's eyes widened pulling back a little and Din propped himself up on his elbows "It's not what you think." He said leaning in close to Luke "I was there for a job, she helped me localize the target, then she introduced me to her brother and we kinda started working together. I did things, uh, jobs that you will find questionable."

Luke's stomach turned, again, this was a part of Din's life that he wanted to ignore but he needed to love every aspect of him. Love? That word again. He bored into Din's visor and put a brave face on it, trying to ignore that Din had a troubled past that he didn't know about "What happened to her brother?"

Din shrugged "I left him behind and saved my skin. We were involved in pretty bad things but I drew the line when he started hurting innocent people only because he could. I wanted to stop him, so I did it."

The air returned to Luke's lungs, he was now feeling relieved, he always thought that Din was indeed a man with a kind heart, the fact that he put an end to the twi'lek's cruelty only reinforced the good concept he already had of Din. Or maybe he was just idealizing him.

"What about you, cyar'ika?" Din asked him stroking his cheek "Have you been in a relationship before?"

Before. That word coming from Din's lips made Luke's heart run fast, even when Din asked him not to label whatever was going on between them he used the word relationship to refer to them indirectly. His eyes glistened, a shy smile appearing on his face.

"No, never." He licked his bottom lip and Din ran his thumb over it afterwards making him sigh out of delight "I had crushes on people though." Din nodded encouraging him to keep talking about it. "Biggs. He was my best friend when I was growing up on Tatooine." He didn't look away from Din trying to find any sign of distress, deep down he was aching for any display of jealousy and possessiveness coming from Din, but the mandalorian didn't make a move and didn't say a word, he kept cupping Luke's face tenderly. "And, uh, Leia..." He added and Din withdrew his hand from him.

"Organa?" He asked in a high-pitched tone making Luke startle.

"Yes!" Luke answered defensively with a scowl on his face "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing it's just-" Din chuckled "I don't know, when I saw you together, the day I met you, you two gave me these siblings vibes." He laughed softly behind his helmet "I'm sorry, but that's what I felt." He soothed his hand on Luke's arm.

Luke frowned "That's weird, siblings?"

Din nodded "Now that you mention Organa, how much longer we have, mesh'la?"

Their time together was coming to and end again and Luke's heart was breaking in two "A couple of hours." He sighed.

"What do you want to do?"

Luke's eyes traveled him from helmet to boots, he smiled thinking that Din looked always breathtaking lying next to him, even with all that beskar on him. Then the idea of running his hands all over Din's naked chest popped into his mind "Kiss me?"

Din groaned.

"But first..." He said as his trembling fingers found Din's chest plate unfastening the straps and Din clutched his hands, Luke looked up at his visor as confusion crossed his features.

"No." The mandalorian uttered "Please don't, cyar'ika."

"No?" Luke asked under his breath.

"No sweetheart, I can't." He answered caressing his knuckles.

Luke sighed deeply, feeling stupid and thoughtless "Your creed, right, I'm sorry." He apologized but he couldn't help feeling rejected.

"No, it's not that." Din moved to hover over him, his knees at both sides of Luke's hips, leaning himself on his hands, staring at Luke's eyes "Putting these on again will take a lot of time, if something happened, if someone broke into my ship, well, it's a risk I won't take, it's different when it comes to the helmet, I can put it back on in a second and I'm ready to protect you, cyar'ika. I won't put you in danger, not even when I'm dying to feel you against me."

"Din..." Luke sighed as a flutter of electricity ran all over his body, he stroked his man's arms choking with emotion, he tried to control himself, since the idea of Din putting him before his own needs was overwhelming and enticing. "I can protect myself, you know?" He managed to say avoiding the real subject, was Din telling him that he loved him between the lines?

Din hummed "Yeah, but beskar deflects blaster shots better than flesh, Luke." He laughed. Oh his laugh, Luke was taken aback by Din's beautiful, alluring, deep voice, and hearing him happy was something else entirely.

I think I love you too.

With every encounter Luke became more fond of wearing their blindfold, he loved the way it intensified his other sensations, heightening the experience of giving himself to Din. He was breathing heavily listening to the beat of his own heart, so clear and overwhelming as Din was unbuttoning his black shirt, he sighed feeling how the mandalorian brushed his fingers against his shoulders, exposing the skin burning under his touch. The lips of his man on his chest while he was finally peeling off the shirt, Luke was digging his fingers into Din's scalp, stroking his curls, gently bringing him close to his face, breathing deeply, he smiled, he could smell Din's skin, spicy and warm, as his mouth found his neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses, trembling beneath his lover's body. Two hours, two hours to live a thousand lives, two hours to love Din without restriction.

Luke's mouth fell open as he was feeling Din's lips around him, his lover head's between his thighs, the patched beard chafing the skin of his inner thighs deliciously, his fingers finding Din's hair, twisting and pulling a little. The mandalorian's name falling from his lips when the vision of Din emerged through the purple haze catching him off guard. Luke frowned as his hand tensed up against Din's hair, he thought that the visions had stopped, he never suspected that not only they would return but also clearer and more complete than ever.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed slapping his hand over his mouth, covering it completely. The vision was definitely spellbinding. He could see Din's arms wrapped around his legs, then the vision vanished.

He felt Din's lips retreating from him then he heard him clearing his throat.

"What is it cyar'ika? Should I stop?" His hoarse voice and his hand, curled around his thigh, squeezing a little, making Luke shudder.

Then the vision popped into his mind again, Din's brown eyes boring into his soul, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, with his bottom lip glistening, the skin of his arms and shoulders glowing in sweat and Luke was repeating to himself as a mantra You can't control this is, Luke. You can't control this. You're not breaking his creed.

Luke swallowed, drawing his hands down to caress Din's shoulders only to feel the hard beskar of his pauldrons under his hands, still in his mental image he saw the way Din's bare upper body reacted to his touch, his muscles flexing and relaxing under the soft tanned skin, so inviting, and Luke couldn't help but give himself to the tingling warmth building in his lower belly. He withdrew his hands from Din slowly.

Although he had no control over the force, he was certain that his desire to feel Din's skin against his own was triggering the visions.

"No." The blonde said out of breath "Don't stop Din, please." He ran his hands through his own hair now, overwhelmed and even with his eyes shut behind the blindfold he could still see the image of his lover, the way a lopsided grin crossed his face before bowing his head as his mouth returned to Luke.

"Din..." He moaned, shamelessly basking in everything his man was giving him.

After he returned to Hoth, Luke was feeling more relaxed and easygoing, he was spending more time with his mates again, just the way he used to before meeting Din.

"Did he dump you, Luke?" Brando asked from the other side of the table, he nodded laughing.

The blonde took a sip of his spotchka, then put the glass down, licking his lips, smiling "You wish, Brando." He retorted making the rest of the pilots laugh.

Killian slapped Brando's shoulder mockingly.

"Yeah, yeah, right." Brando grunted "Have you even seen his face?"

Silence.

Luke looked around.

"Oh, man, that sucks. I heard that he's a weird mandalorian, the kind of mandalorian that can't take off his helmet ever. I thought they were a myth, children's stories." He chuckled.

Luke pressed his lips together, shaking his head "Why do you ask? Are you trying to get one for your own?"

"He got you, Brando!" Wedge exclaimed, the complete squad bursting with laughter.

Brando narrowed his eyes tilting his head, arms crossed over his chest "Yeah, laugh, but think about this, what if the day comes and you're kissing him for the first time and he's not only terrible kisser, but also he can't make you feel a thing."

If only Brando knew. Luke looked down thinking that he wouldn't say a word about the big concession Din made by allowing Luke to kiss him, therefore he remained silent. "I'll tell you what-" He finally said "If that happens I would definitely give you a chance." He mocked "Till then, I'm still out of limits for you." He chuckled.

Brando nodded, raising his glass at him "That hurts, Skywalker, but thank you anyway."

Luke breathed in and out relieved, satisfied, knowing that he could manage Brando's advances now, without Din's help, he smiled thinking that Din would be so proud of him.

When he was walking towards the showers he put his hand in his pocket to pull out his com and realized its light was flickering.

"Shit." He muttered looking around. He was alone, so he considered that it was safe to play the message, he was sure it was Din's.

"Cyar'ika, I'm traveling now, please, com me when you get this."

Luke's eyes widened, he ran to the hangar, dodging people in his way.

"Watch out, kid!" He heard Han yelling but he didn't stop, his heart was in his throat, he was blinking back tears. This was the first time Din asked him to com him, Din was definitely in danger, a sharp sense of dread invading his whole being.

He climbed into his X-Wing and closed the transparisteel canopy, his breath coming uneven as he hit Din's comlink.

Please, Din. Please, Din. Please, Din.

Din answered.

"Luke?"

"Din?"

Silence.

The blonde leaned forward clutching his com device "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Where are you?" He could feel a fat drop of cold sweat running down his back.

"I'm, ah, I'm alright."

"What happened?"

Din hummed "I just wanted to talk to you."

Luke frowned "Why?" He sputtered still thinking that something terrible was happening to Din, maybe someone captured him and now a knife was pointing at his throat while they were talking, maybe some imps got him.

"I'm sorry, if this is not a good time-"

"Wait." Luke cut him off, he scratched the back of his head with his free hand "What? So you are okay?"

"Well... Yes."

Realization hit Luke hard "And you wanted to talk with me..." He said under his breath feeling a little stupid as a goofy smile appeared on his face.

"Yes." Din insisted.

Luke leaned back in the seat not believing his luck "Hi Din." He chuckled.

"Hi cyar'ika."

He wouldn't miss the chance "So you commed me because you were missing me or-"

Din chuckled deliciously "Right." He said making Luke sigh. "You're gonna love this, I dreamt about you, Luke. It was a little weird though."

"Really?" He arched one eyebrow "Tell me about it, Din."

"We were in the Hoth base, you were sitting on my lap, we were sitting across from your squad mates at that large table. You were wearing that black shirt and those brown pants you wore when we met on Nevarro the last time."

Din was killing him.

"From one moment to the next I wasn't wearing my chest plate somehow, and I unzipped the upper part of my flight suit, then I untucked your shirt from your pants, exposing your small back a little, carefully, so nobody around us could notice. Then I brought you close to me, pressing our bodies together, skin-to-skin. You were sighing with every move of my chest and I was groaning as your warmth drove me crazy. The thing is the guys around us kept talking not even realizing we were starting our foreplay, that had me going so badly. That's all I remember."

Luke's eyes were fixed on the com device, he was gaping, utterly dumbfounded.

"Luke? Are you there?" Din waited patiently for his answer.

"I think I need a moment, Din."

The escapades were surely exhilarating, but nothing compared to what Din coming back to Hoth made Luke feel. Every time Leia hired Din, Luke pretended that his man was coming home. Hoth, where everything started.

As many times before, Din was sitting on the floor of the Razor Crest leaning his back against the wall. Luke was sitting cross-legged beside him.

"Luke, I brought you something." The mandalorian said resting his forearm on his knee.

"Power converters?" Luke narrowed his eyes smiling "I mean, since you promised that like ten months ago." He chuckled.

"I said that maybe I could bring some power converters, that's not a promise, Luke." He sighed.

"I know." He said shrugging one shoulder "I know you keep your promises. I was joking."

The mandalorian nodded reaching a hand behind himself, pulling a vibro-knife from his utility belt, Luke frowned smiling.

"Din, is this a vibro-knife?" Luke beamed taking the blade from Din's gloved hand.

"Yeah, I hope you like it."

"Thank you, Din! I love it! Was this yours? Please don't tell me you spent a lot of credits on this." Although Luke didn't want to sound as if he was rebuffing his gift, he knew how hard Din worked in order to provide to his tribe.

"Wasn't mine. My tribe leader forged it. I asked her to forge it for you." He shrugged "Is not beskar though, but it can cut a droid in half."

Luke's heart skipped a beat as he was staring at Din astonished "Your tribe leader? For me?" He was babbling.

"Yeah, I didn't tell her it was for you, she only knew it was a gift, she didn't need to know." Din said as he rose to his feet "Come on Luke, I'm gonna show you some moves." He insisted tilting his head. Luke craned his neck to look at Din, his blue eyes glistening.

Din was a strict trainer, Luke was peeling off his waistcoat as he started sweating exhausted, but he was totally committed to the task, learning how to use his new blade properly.

"Remember, your hand firm and away from your body." The mandalorian said standing beside him. "This is not a blaster, this is a close range weapon, your body and your mind need to understand that."

"Like this?" Luke asked focused on his stance and the way he was wielding the blade.

Din nodded with his visor on Luke's outstretched arm, hands on his own hips "Good lunge." He encouraged Luke making him smile.

That evening Luke was curling up on their blankets facing Din, resting his head on the mandalorian's arm. Eyes half lidded, he yawned stroking Din's chest plate.

"I wish you can stay a little longer." He absentmindedly said.

"You know I can't." Din answered soothing his hand on his back. "Maybe we can meet somewhere else next month."

Luke hummed.

"Since it's my birthday." Din casually added, making Luke sit up swiftly on the floor.

"What?" He was blushing sightly, realizing that he didn't know Din's birth date.

"Or maybe not." The mandalorian stated and he sounded a little disappointed.

Luke licked his lips, crossing his legs, shifting a little to look at Din's face "No, no, I mean, I didn't know it was your birthday. I'm such a mess, kriff, I never asked you about it, oh, Din." He was feeling guilty.

"Don't worry cyar'ika, now that I think about it I don't know yours either."

"But I should have known that, that's something a bo-" He trailed off blinking. That's something a boyfriend should know, he nibbled on his bottom lip, looking at Din through his eyelashes, hoping he would overlook what he almost said. He closed his eyes when Din caressed his cheek softly.

"Well, are you coming next month?" Din asked and the blonde sighed relieved, luckily he missed the way he trailed off, or maybe he was making both a favour by not saying a word about Luke's slip.

Luke leaned into his touch "I wouldn't miss it for the world." He kissed the hill of Din's hand, lips curling up into a smile "Nevarro?"

"No, a better place this time." He said making Luke look at him and raise his eyebrows "Some place that would make your black shirt and brown pants justice." He chuckled and Luke shook his head slowly, with a knowing smile on his face.

The days between Din's last visit to Hoth and Luke's next escapade found the blonde traveling through the galaxy alongside his good friend Wedge. He returned to the rebel base a cicle earlier. When his X-Wing entered the hangar he spotted Leia by the Millennium Falcon, by the time he jumped off his ship he cast a glance at her, the princess was staring at him, arms crossed over her chest, with a scowl on her face. He started closing the distance between them.

"Where's Antilles?" She asked arching her eyebrows.

That was a fair question, Luke didn't want to worry her therefore he answered as fast as he could "He's totally fine! He's just patrolling the end section of our route." He forced a smile at her.

"And why are you here and not with him, Luke?" She tilted her head, her eyes on the X-Wing "Is your ship damaged?"

Embarrassment was taking Luke over "It's, um, it's not that, I needed to come back earlier." He could notice the way impatience crossed his friend's features "I'm meeting Din, it's his birthday."

His words made Leia's eyes widen, her lips parted, she looked astonished and Luke needed to look down in order to avoid her gaze "And you left your partner alone? Gods, Luke! I understand that this is important to you but we're risking our necks here, how could you leave him alone?"

She was right. Was Luke being selfish and reckless? Since Din came to his life his priorities had changed and, what for? Even when he was sure about his feelings about Din he only kept finding that he was dancing to the mandalorian's rhythm. He thought back to Din's words over the last year.

"Don't label this, it wasn't fake then and it's not real now, and you know that."

"My people are waiting for these credits, they depend on me to survive, Luke."

"We should take one step at a time."

Was Luke investing in their relationship more than Din? Was Luke putting his goals and beliefs aside while Din was doing the right thing, respecting his commitment to his people? And here he was, standing before Leia, realizing that maybe he was throwing away his work, the rebel alliance's work.

"I know, I'm sorry, I put Wedge in danger. I know you're right." He said shrugging.

"I don't want to be right, I want to be wrong, Luke." Leia said shaking her head "I want Antilles to come back safe and sound." She clicked her tongue "Where are you going this time?" She asked and her expression softened.

Luke hesitated for a moment and then he thought that this was Leia, she should know about his whereabouts if something happened "Glavis Ringworld."

Leia narrowed her eyes "Weird."

Although Luke had never heard about Glavis Ringworld, he searched for information about it. It wasn't a planet nor a moon, he was surprised to learn that it was actually, a space station.

"Have you been there, Leia?"

The princess shook her head and pressed her lips together "No, but I know is just a place of transit, where you also could find entertainment." She looked at one side as Han was walking towards them with a smirk on his face "But here's the man that surely knows that place like the back of his hand." She snorted and turned around walking away as Han was shrugging staring at Luke.

"What place?" He asked Luke.

"Glavis Ringworld." The blonde said under his breath as if he was sharing a secret.

"Oh!" Han straightened his back and raised his eyebrows "Good place to do naughty things." His lips curling up.

"Naughty things?" Luke frowned.

"Yeah, there're night clubs and motels, I met some nice ladies there." He chuckled resting his hands on his hips "So, why were you guys talking about that love nest? Is Leia going there?" His face contorted.

"She's not-she's not going there." Luke sighed as his cheeks were now flushing.

"So? Who's going?" He insisted but Luke ignored his question walking towards the barracks "Hey! Kid! Who's going there? Who's gonna be pounded like there's no tomorrow? Huh?"

The elevator was taking him to the top level of the space station, just like Din specified the last time they chatted. Luke looked down straightening the cuff of his yellow jacket, his heart was pounding against his ribcage, Glavis Ringworld was something else entirely, people of different species walking up and down, just like back on Tatooine, but, unlike on Tatooine, they were having fun here, he relished in the sound of music and chattering at the distance. Luke was still dumbfounded by the sight of the space station, he couldn't wrap his head around that he was walking and standing on his own feet on an open-looped ring artificial world.

When he left the elevator he could feel all eyes on him, he kept walking avoiding their gaze, looking down and quickening his pace. He chose a table, with a booth, and sat down smiling a little thinking that Din would appreciate it.

He was enjoying his spotchka when two men approached him, his blue eyes switching between them. His lips parted slowly when he realized one of them looked like Din, but this one couldn't be Din, besides his eyes were a little different, not as kind and pure as Din's, still his forehead furrowed staring at the tall man who was now leaning forward to look straight into the blonde's eyes.

"I've been looking at you for a while now and I think you look a little lonely, mind if we join you?" The man said with a charming smile.

While the man was really good looking and interesting, Luke smiled shaking his head "Thank you but I'm waiting for someone."

"Of course you are, but we can keep you occupied till then if you want to, pretty boy." The man chuckled leaning back making Luke feel uneasy.

"I'm not interested." He retorted sipping his spotchka, he put his glass down "I told you I'm waiting for someone."

The men looked at each other and shared a nasty smile, the Din lookalike leaned his hand on the table "We're not leaving, sweetheart." He deadpanned.

"He told you he's waiting for someone." Din's voice making Luke flinch, his blue eyes sparked with happiness when he could finally see his helmet between the two men's heads.

They turned around facing Din "And who's this, pretty boy?" The man asked casting a glance at Luke over his shoulder "Your bodyguard?" He laughed.

Din didn't make a move, his visor was fixed on the man's face. Luke stood up slowly.

"Don't worry, mandalorian, we didn't touch one hair on his pretty head." He laughed tilting his head to one side and his friend followed him while they were walking away "Poor man, just imagine being in his shoes, being paid to witness how some random guy enjoys fucking that pretty little thing."

Luke could notice the way Din's chest heaved, he closed the distance between them and put his hand on his chest plate "Poor them." He said purring with a playful smile on his face, looking up at Din's visor, his face so close to his helmet "Just imagine being in their shoes and witnessing how my mandalorian dance with me all night long."

The rumble inside Din's chest came out as a chuckle that weakened Luke's knees effortlessly "What if you make out with your mandalorian as well?" Luke nodded with sincere eyes, not looking away, he shivered when he felt Din's gloved hand against the back of his head and the cold beskar against his forehead.

"Hi Din." He sighed encircling Din's waist with his arms "I missed you."

Din hummed running his fingers through his hair "I missed you more, cyar'ika."

"Happy birthday, babe." He whispered and Din's fingers stopped, Luke frowned pulling back a little not understanding what was going on "Din?"

"You called me babe?" The mandalorian asked in a low voice, making Luke swallow hard and squeeze his eyes shut.

Fuck! He overstepped.

"I-I'm, I don't know why I called you that, I'm sorry." He managed to say as he opened his eyes.

Din groaned pressing their foreheads together again "Don't be sorry, call me that. Please cyar'ika, I want to hear you saying it again, over and over."

Luke's heart fluttered, he sighed deeply "Babe." Din chuckled. "Babe." He said moving his head a little to press a kiss on his visor "Babe..." Din drew his hands down and squeezed his waist.

Happy birthday, love.

Din was staring at him while Luke was savouring a batuu-bon, his plump lips covered in white chocolate mousse while his blue eyes were glistening. He licked his upper lip clean, resting his bare forearms on the table, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the ends of his blonde hair curling up graciously, he looked like an angel under the warmth lights. He looked at Din sideways smiling, holding a fork between his fingers "What is it, Din?" He smiled as the corner of his eyes crinkled.

The mandalorian looked around and then at him again "Look at you, Luke. Everyone is looking at you."

Luke leaned back leaving the fork on the table.

"I think I'm the lucky one here, huh?" Din added chuckling.

Luke's hand found Din's and he squeezed it gently, reassuringly "Oh, no, I'm the lucky one, Din." He said as fast as he could, Din looked down at their joined hands on the table.

Din shrugged one arm and looked at his face again "Come on, cyar'ika, since day one people think I'm your hired gun, your bodyguard." He chuckled "This is just a fluke, and no matter what, I'm okay with that."

The words coming from Din made Luke's heart sink, he caressed Din's helmet tenderly, reverently. A fluke? How could Din be so clueless, so wrong? He realized that Din was being self-conscious for the first time since they started their relationship and while he was desperate to see Din jealous, this was heart-rending. He considered telling Din how he was feeling about him but he knew that it wasn't the right time to do so, therefore he smiled and leaned in closer to him to nuzzle his neck "We're tied to each other Din, I'm not going anywhere, this is not a fluke, I choose to be with you, you're the one I need." He chuckled trying to hide the way his voice was breaking since it took all his strength not to tell him that he was falling for him, he couldn't say the word love but at least he could show him how much he wanted him.

Din tilted his head down when Luke rested his cheek on his pauldron, he hummed "Wanna dance, Skywalker?" Luke's lips curled into a smile.

They danced to the music holding each other, Din's arm on his small back as Luke was running his fingers across his shoulders and nape, Luke was sparkling, laughing graciously, spinning around smiling, the artificial light playing with his hair, making his eyes sparkle, Din encircled his waist with his arms and rested his helmeted chin on his shoulder, sending shivers down his spine "This is the first time I celebrate my birthday since I was a little kid." Din said and Luke froze. His stomach clenched as he thought back to the day Din told him about his parents' fate, knowing for sure that he hasn't celebrated his birthday in decades, presumably since he lost his parents and now, he's celebrating his birthday with me... Realization hit him as Din sighed bringing him out of his thoughts. "I'm-I'm so glad you're here, and I'm so glad you're the person I'm sharing this day with, Luke."

His heart was running faster as he kissed Din's helmet wrapping his arms around his shoulders, he couldn't help but feel that Din was telling him that he loved him for a second time "Me too, Din, me too." He sighed, yes, I love you too.

Nevarro seemed as serene as the last time he visited the planet a year earlier, he didn't know why but Din wasn't inviting him over anymore, they kept seeing each other on Hoth or any other world, but not Nevarro, not anymore. That was why he came to the conclusion that this was indeed Din's home.

He commed Wedge "Changed your clothes, is not safe walking around in our flight suits." He shed his suit carefully inside the small cockpit of his X-Wing and put some civilian clothes on.

They roamed around the city for a while until Luke found the cantina where Din and him spend that evening so long ago. He nodded at Wedge, his friend nodded back at him and when they were stepping inside he caught a glimpse of a blue helmet out of the corner of his eye, Luke's eyes widened realizing that he found another mandalorian, but this mandalorian was already out of sight, disappearing between the people on the street. Luke touched his friend's upper arm absentmindedly and walked down the street in order to find the mandalorian.

They reached a crossroad "This way." Said Wedge tilting his head towards an alley, they were almost approaching the end of the passageway when a punch landed on Luke's back squeezing the air out of his lungs, making him fall on his knees coughing, his hands on the ground as he looked heavenward, everything became blurry. When he looked over his shoulder he found the mandalorian grabbing Wedge from behind pointing at his neck with a knife.

Luke, as reckless as he was, threw himself at them and the mandalorian let go of Wedge clutching Luke by his upper arms and hit his forehead with his helmet, Luke stumbled as the man was hitting a button in his vambrace and the blonde knew what that meant, he was almost dead, Wedge was still on the floor but he managed to sweep the mandalorian's leg making him fall against Luke, when the mandalorian pulled back the blonde was already pressing the tip of his vibro-knife against the man's neck.

"Move and you're dead." He said through gritted teeth. He was straddling the mandalorian now, he looked down at him realizing the man was huge, broad, even thicc. He swallowed through the lump in his throat not sure if he could walk out of this alive.

"Where did you get this?" He asked and Luke frowned.

"I need information about Din Djarin." Luke said instead.

The mandalorian grunted hitting Luke's back with his knee and clutched his arms as he rolled them over, now Luke was beneath him "What did you do to him? What did you do to him?" He kept asking "This is his vibro-knife!" He said trying to control Luke's hand as the young man was still trying to point the blade at him "What did you do to him?"

Luke was clenching his jaw, struggling to get rid of the massive man crushing him when Wedge pointed at the mandalorian's ribs with his blaster. The mandalorian froze.

"We need your help, I'm Wedge and this is Luke, please, we know Din, we're not here to hurt anyone."

The mandalorian stayed hovering over Luke for a while and then he fixed his visor on the blonde's face "You are Luke?"

Luke arched his eyebrows and then nodded, still shaken by their confrontation.

"Din's Luke?" He asked as he was withdrawing his hands from Luke's wrists.

Even as railed up as he was, his heart leapt in his chest when he heard the mandalorian calling him Din's Luke.

"Uh-huh." He managed to say sitting up on the floor, he narrowed his eyes "He told you about me?" He couldn't help but ask.

The mandalorian rose to his feet offering him a hand, Luke grabbed it and he stood up slowly, feeling a sharp pain when he breathed in, he took his free hand to his ribcage. "I only know your name, that's all he told me, well, that and that he's seeing you." The mandalorian said letting his hand go.

Luke's expression softened thinking about Din telling his friends that he was seeing him and he couldn't be more proud "And you are?"

"I'm Paz Vizsla."

Luke's eyes went round. The Paz Vizsla? The same that broke Din's heart when he was a teenager? Luke didn't know Din was still in contact with this man, his blood was boiling but he couldn't say a word, besides he was there only to know about Din's whereabouts. He wouldn't lose focus.

He nodded instead "Is he here?"

"Din? No." Paz shook his head.

"Do you know where he is?" He closed the distance between them staring at the man's visor.

"What is this all about?"

Luke looked down "I think something happened to him, it's been three weeks since he commed me and I sent him tons of messages, he never answered."

Vizsla shrugged "He tends to disappear from time to time, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

"No, you don't understand, this never happened before." Luke insisted "Please, anything, I need to know where he was going."

"Tatooine." The mandalorian sputtered.

Luke drew in a sharp inhale "Tatooine? Are you sure?"

"Listen pretty boy, you're pushing here, yes, I'm sure, I was the one who told him about that job, so yes, he was going to Tatooine." He said towering over Luke and he understood that he shouldn't push his luck, he had a lead and that was more than enough.

"Luke, this was a detour but we need to go back now, we can't go to Tatooine." Wedge said when they were approaching their X-Wings.

The blonde clutched his upper arm with a feeble smile on his face "You're right, we can't go to Tatooine, that's why I'm going there alone."

His friend shook his head slowly not breaking eye contact with him. Luke nodded.

While he was traveling through the galaxy Luke rubbed his fist against his eyes fighting the tears threatening to fall. Two days earlier he sensed through the force that Din was in pain, he couldn't understand the nature of those feelings until he came to the conclusion that this was another manifestation of their deep connection, he thought that the force has yet to fail him and that made his heart ache, he squeezed his eyes shut and the tears finally rolled down his cheeks "Hold on, love." He said under his breath "I'm coming."

#dinluke #din djarin #luke skywalker #dinluke fanfiction #castles on the sand fanfic #skydalorian

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takadasaiko · 2 years

Text

A Flicker of Light Chapter Eleven (a Star Wars fic)

Story Summary: A canon divergent AU in which Luke Skywalker is raised within the Empire to be either his father's heir as a Sith Lord… or his replacement.

Chapter Summary: Luke and Vader's assignment takes them to Alderaan.

FFN II AO3

---

When the order had come through for the Executioner to reroute to handle an insurgency, it had seemed like overkill. A small, backwater world made up of farmers and millworkers was hardly a threat, even if they were pushing back. It didn't take the 501st to quiet a budding rebellion on a planet like that, much less a Sith Lord and his son. It wasn't until they touched down that Luke was let in on their real goal: they were after a Jedi.

Not that his father would tell him anything more than that.

"You know I could be more help if you'd share," he grumbled once they were out of earshot of the troopers that had gone to the surface with them.

He felt his father's glare, even if he couldn't see it from behind the tinted lenses. "You were made aware when it was necessary."

And not a moment sooner, which had become the frustrating reality after he'd been taken by Ahsoka Tano, or perhaps after she had supposedly betrayed his father, which even all these months later Luke had trouble settling within his own mind. Her determination and her offer to help had felt genuine while his father's excuse had not. And perhaps it was that conflict that had kept his father from sharing. Luke could feel all the aggravation with none of the explanation and it was becoming infuriating.

"Your focus must remain on the goal."

The teen looked over, his simmering temper boiling at the flat command. "I am focused."

Darth Vader came to an abrupt halt and turned, the 501st continuing ahead. "Your thoughts betray you and they remain scattered. With each new distraction, you open yourself up to dangers you have not foreseen."

"But you have?" Luke popped back. "Then tell me. If you keep secrets from me, what good does that do?"

His father studied him for a long moment and Luke fought the urge to squirm, to fill the relative silence with further arguments, but as quickly as Father had stopped, he pivoted around and began walking again. "The goal is all that matters," he grunted as Luke had to scurry to catch up.

It is what will keep us alive.

Luke startled at the first words over their bond in weeks, and with them came the well-guarded fear. He wasn't referring to the goal of their mission. He meant the end goal. The one that would displace Palpatine and give them both the chance they needed to survive.

Are we close?

No response came as they caught up with the stormtrooper that had made their way ahead of them, the one Luke had nicknamed Barrix waiting to accept orders in regards to the village they were closing in on. "Lord Vader, readings show life forms hiding throughout the village. Some firepower, though they don't appear eager to surrender."

"Then we shall make them, Sergeant," Vader answered.

There was a nudge over their bond and Luke steadied himself. If the villagers fought, they wouldn't stand a chance, and they were going to fight. He watched his father stride forward and Luke's lightsaber hilt snapped off his belt and was pulled into his hand, thumb at the ready to flick it on if needed.

Not that Father needed his protection.

A flick of a black glove sent a pile of crates jolting to the left, revealing a young man with what looked like an old blaster rifle. He didn't have time to level the weapon as he was pulled off the ground, boots dragging in the dust and fingers losing their grip as both hands struggled to untie the invisible knot around his throat.

"You have among you an enemy of the Empire," Vader boomed. "Hand the Jedi over or you will all meet his fate."

Luke heard the snap of the man's neck and he fell to the ground, eyes staring hollowly. There was a sharp cry, then another. One villager - a woman with fiery hair the colour of Mara's - led what they thought was an attack. After her came dozens more, and one by one they fell by blaster fire and two red lightsabers. They didn't stand a chance.

But they weren't meant to. They were a distraction. A sacrifice. Luke heard the distant roar of the craft's engines beyond the screams of the dying and he focused through it, pinpointing the source. "Barrix!" he yelled, and the stormtrooper that had accepted the name ages ago now took off with him without a hint of hesitation.

Luke dodged and sidestepped as blaster fire filled the air around him, the number of villagers rushing to their slaughter for one Jedi to escape not lost to him. The craft was already in the air by the time they reached it. Too far for blaster fire to stop it and he reared back to throw his lightsaber with all his might.

"Sir," Barrix said sharply and Luke turned, seeing that he had a very different type of weapon in his hand than he usually carried. This one was capable of launching a tracking device, but it'd need help to reach the ship speeding towards the atmosphere

Barrix fired and Luke reached out, pushing the device as hard as he could with one hand and pulling with the Force against the ship to slow it down with the other. He felt his boots start to slide against the dirt as the ship pulled hard, but the combination worked as the tracker latched on. Luke released his hold, stumbling forward as he did. Barrix reached out to steady him. "We have them, sir," he acknowledged as the ship broke through the atmosphere to what the Jedi inside surely thought was his escape.

"Good," Luke huffed, his gaze sweeping the carnage that had been a village before their arrival. At least it hadn't been in vain.

"Sir?"

Barrix's voice cut through a fog Luke hadn't realized he was wading through, his tone suggesting it wasn't his first attempt to gain his attention. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was. How much trying to hold onto the ship had taken it out of him. He'd seen his father pluck them from the sky before. Not often, but it had happened, and Darth Vader never swayed.

"Lord Natus!"

The shout sounded distantly as everything went dark around him.

—-

He came back to consciousness in stages. The first thing he truly became aware of was a distant, heavy ache that he couldn't quite identify the source of. Then the sounds followed after that. The low, steady rumble of the hyperspace engines and air being forced through the vents of the ship. And the steady, rhythmic breathing that had become both familiar and sometimes even comforting since his childhood. Father.

Luke pried his eyes open to find himself flat on his back in his own bed, staring at the ceiling in his quarters on the Executioner. He swallowed hard and found his throat strangely dry as he tried to focus and piece together what had happened. There'd been a battle, a fleeing Jedi, and a tracker. That's right. He'd tried to hold the ship in place for Barrix to have a better chance to tag it. He just couldn't quite remember if they'd gotten it or not….

"Yes," his father stated the answer out loud, drawing Luke's attention to the right side of the room. The Sith Lord stood at the large viewing window, watching stars streaking by as they sped through hyperspace. He turned as Luke started to shift, feeling a strange pull along his left side. "Were you not aware you had been struck?"

It took a moment for him to sort through his thoughts enough for the question to make sense and he reached around to where he'd felt the pull of a healing wound. "I was focused on the goal," he tossed his father's earlier words back to him.

Conflicting emotions battled within his father before they were cut off from their bond, leaving Luke in the silence that had dominated it recently. He forced himself to a sitting position and caught a glimpse of his father's gold eyes behind the lenses of his mask. Neither flinched away in a silent battle of wills, but after a long moment Luke's shoulders slumped and he loosed a long breath. He knew his father was angry with him. Or disappointed. Irritated. Something along those lines. Every time he got close to figuring it out, he was shut off. If it was the fact that he'd entertained Tano's offer or his budding relationship with Mara - if it could even be called that with as little as they saw each other - or both, he wasn't sure, and he couldn't fix it if he couldn't find the broken piece.

A small sigh sounded from the black mask, drawing Luke's attention. "You did well, my son," he spoke the first bit of praise Luke had heard in ages. "It was your strength that kept the Jedi from escaping."

"Then the tracker worked? Do we know where he's going?"

"We are in pursuit to the planet Alderaan."

"Commander Renz's home planet?"

"He will accompany me to the surface."

Luke frowned, carefully kicking the covers from his legs so that he could swing his feet to the floor. "I'll be dressed and ready to—"

"You will remain here."

"I'm fine."

"Your injuries have not healed."

"Close enough. Bacta tanks work wonders." He stood, proving that he was steady and crossed his arms over his chest. "Would you sit by, if it were you?" His father didn't answer and Luke pushed a frustrated breath from his nose. "How can I earn your forgiveness if I'm never allowed the chance?"

"There is nothing to forgive," his father answered automatically.

"Then why did you shut me out after Lothal?"

And there it was: the question finally spoken out loud. For better or worse, there was no taking it back now.

Darth Vader turned, aiming for the door, but stopped before he triggered the sensor. "We will depart in an hour."

He left Luke standing in the room alone with what he hoped was at least a begrudging approval.

—-

There had been little warning sent ahead of Darth Vader's arrival, but as Imperial subjects, Alderaan was obliged to receive the Dark Lord and anyone he deemed to bring with him. It left Bail Organa with an uneasy feeling and the stark reminder of his last conversation with Ashoka Tano. Even more so when he saw Padme and Anakin's son trailing Vader with his head held high and his gaze sharp. He looked like his father, no question about it. From the dark blond hair to those bright blue eyes. The younger Skywalker was shorter than Bail had imagined, his mother's petite stature tempering some of his father's height in him.

The two black-clad figures strode towards them from their landing shuttle, accompanied by a ranking officer and a collection of stormtroopers. At Bail's side, Breha brushed her fingers against his, though it was less a small gesture of support than catching him as she turned, hissing under her breath. "Leia."

A cold chill swept through Bail as he turned to find his sixteen year old daughter approaching. She offered her parents a shrug, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "What? As Father's aid, I should be here to shadow him and learn."

There wasn't time to argue and Breha sighed under her breath before steeling her composure. Bail could only hope he'd done half as well with his own as Vader approached and he offered a bow that made his stomach churn. "Lord Vader, my apologies for the delay in docking. The —"

"You may dispense with your excuses, Senator," Vader snarled as he came to a stop in front of the small welcoming party. "I require only your cooperation."

"Of course," Bail answered, careful to keep his tone neutral. It was difficult to believe that this monster standing before him might have once been the Jedi hero of the Clone Wars. Whatever had happened to turn him into this had hardened him, leaving him unrecognizable in more than just his appearance.

"A fugitive was tracked to your planet. A Jedi." The pause he took weighed heavily in the air between them and Bail couldn't help but feel that he was being studied from behind that black mask.

"I haven't heard of a Jedi coming to Alderaan," the senator answered honestly, "but, of course, anything you need is at your disposal."

There was another uncomfortable stretch of silence that was filled only by Vader's steady breathing and the occasional gust of wind on the landing pad. "You will provide my son Natus with the reports of ships that have landed in the last five standard hours and any that have departed with or without passengers. Commander Renz and I will take my stormtroopers into the city to begin the search."

The Dark Lord's attention broke from Bail for just a moment, seemingly redirecting to the teenager he was calling Natus. Bail watched, feeling like an outsider in what looked like a silent conversation. Not one that was going in the teen's favour.

"Organa's aid will accompany you in your research," Vader directed at his son before he turned towards Leia.

The chill froze in the pit of Bail's gut. Innocent as the assignment might have been if given by anyone else, from Vader's lips it sounded like the worst kind of threat. "I'd be happy to offer my help if you—"

"She will do, as you will accompany me in the search."

Leia, for her part, had squared her shoulders, meeting Vader's son's gaze with ease. "Don't worry. I'll make sure our guest gets what he needs."

Bail gave a small nod of acknowledgment. There was no stopping it now, only praying that Vader never caught a hint of who their adopted daughter really was.

—

His father hadn't wanted him on-planet for this assignment, even after he'd been the reason they'd found their rogue Jedi in the first place. Luke had thought he'd convinced him, but Darth Vader had made it abundantly clear by saddling him with Organa's aid, ensuring that his son would stay out of the search and oversee the grunt work than any trooper with even half his competency intact could have handled. No matter how hard Luke fought to win back his father's respect, there was no opening. No trust. It was infuriating. It was insulting. He'd come too far for this, and exactly who did his father think would take up his side when it all came crashing down if not for his own flesh and blood?

"My lord?" Organa's aid called, pulling Luke out of his thoughts. Her tone was sharp and forced, and her polite mask did little to conceal the utter disdain she felt in using the title. "Will that be sufficient?"

"We need the data from both major and minor ports," Luke tried, hoping it was vague enough to answer and yet not give away that he hadn't actually heard the question.

The aid frowned a little, her dark eyes narrowing. "Yes, that is what I said," she answered tightly, motioning to the guard that had been sent along with them and they moved through a set of doors into a control room. "We'll expedite the requests from here."

She looked to her guard and he gave a deeper bow than Luke might have expected before moving to the controls. There was a nagging feeling now that Luke was willing to pay attention. Growing and persistent, and it dug deeper into his mind the longer he studied her. She reminded him of someone, though he wasn't sure who. Those dark eyes and something about her features. There was something there…

"I'm not unaware that your father doesn't trust mine," she stated plainly, turning to one of the monitors, "and that you're essentially here to babysit me, but I'd appreciate it if you'd at least pretend to listen. Unlike the Sith, I can't read minds."

Her father? Well, he'd terribly misread his father's intentions on this one. Interesting.

"I'm not a Sith yet, Princess," Luke answered, seeing her now watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"But that's something they can do."

He let the corners of his lips twitch up, the amused expression not entirely put on. "There are techniques, sure. The Inquisitors use that, but I usually can get a pretty good sense off of feeling."

She quirked an unimpressed eyebrow. "Just that good, huh?"

His smile turned a little more real and he let his eyes flutter closed, reaching out with the Force and letting it speak back to him. "Definitely distrust," he offered, hearing her snort, "but also a little curiosity mixed in. And fear."

Leia Organa finally turned to look at him, crossing her arms and sizing him up. "I'm not afraid of you."

"I know. It's not yours, just…. surrounding you." Blue eyes opened again. "My guess would be your father. He didn't want you in here very much,"

"And yours didn't want you out there searching with him," she shot back.

Looked like she wasn't half bad at reading the room either. Impressive, even if he didn't dare confirm her suspicion. Better to change the subject.

Luke glanced over towards her guard and followed an empty path towards the door. "If you were a fugitive on the run and you landed here, where would you go?"

She tilted her head a little at that and he could practically see her trying to decide if she should be honest with him or not. "Your father indicated that we should stay here."

"Father indicated that he wanted the reports. Your man can handle that, can't he?"

Her guard looked over, startled at the conversation he'd clearly been listening to. "My apologies, my lord, but I've been tasked with the princess' safety. I can't—"

"She'll be safe with me. You don't need to worry about her."

His eyes glazed over a little. "I don't need to worry about her."

Leia's arms dropped out of their defensive position as she stared in surprise. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. Well, just a little persuasion. He's fine."

She didn't look convinced. "So you don't read minds, but you can force people to do what they don't want to do."

Luke gave a small shrug. "Some people. It doesn't work on everyone. You still haven't answered my question."

Leia pursed her lips together. "If I tell you and we find him, can you promise me you'll treat him fairly?"

There was something so earnest in her request that Luke surprised himself by offering a small nod.

"And you'll tell your father you used that trick on me to convince me to leave our post?"

Luke barked a laugh at that. "I don't think anyone's going to believe it'd work on you, Princess."

She flashed him a knowing smile and strode past him, leaving him to follow with that strange, growing feeling that there was something about her that he should know, but didn't. He shook his head and followed the headstrong princess out. Sooner or later, he'd figure out what it was. He just had to try to be patient.

—

In the days that led up to and surrounded Palpatine's grab for power that had turned the admittedly flawed Republic into a nightmare of an Empire, there had been no question between right and wrong. Master Yoda's escape, going to try to help Padme, taking Leia in…. There had been no question. No hesitation. But things had changed when Leia had come to live on Alderaan and become an Organa rather than a Skywalker or an Amidala. While the personal risks certainly hadn't diminished as Bail helped to form up and push forward their kernels of rebellion, it did not - it could not - follow him home. While Breha would have fiercely stood with him to take on the entire corrupt Empire, it wasn't just about them. It wasn't even just about their world and protecting their people. It was about a beautiful, passionate girl that was quickly growing into a woman. It was about protecting Padme's daughter. It was about protecting their daughter.

If there was a Jedi on Alderaan - and Vader was convinced there was - Leia's safety had to come first. It wasn't easy and he wasn't sure he could sleep soundly on the decision, but it was the only one he was capable of making. Right and wrong had been so much simpler before he'd become a father.

Vader had split his troops up to scour the capital city, though the way he stayed on Bail left the older man wondering just what Vader thought he knew. There had been a few times over the years in which the Empire had come close to discovering his involvement, but even if the Dark Lord were suspicious, there was nothing to discover this time. There'd been no warning, no contact, and the royal house was providing the Empire with any resources requested. Even their daughter.

"You once worked closely with the Jedi," Vader boomed suddenly, his altered voice sending chills down Bail's spine. "Perhaps this one thinks he has found refuge here."

"I have had no contact with the Jedi since their betrayal," Bail lied, rattling off the propaganda accepted as truth across the galaxy that had been provided to explain the downfall of the defenders of the Republic. Even now, all these years later, so few knew the truth. Even fewer cared.

"So you have said." He whirled, the motion so abrupt that Bail nearly collided with him. "Mark my words, Senator. If I find that you have hidden this traitor away and are providing sanctuary to him, it is not just you who will pay your price."

The threat was clear. His world, his wife, his daughter…. Bail surprised a shudder. "My loyalty remains with the Empire."

"See that it does," Vader snarled, and continued on his path through the city.

—

Darth Vader was everything Leia might have expected. A towering mountain of darkness that left a chill in the air wherever he went. He was vicious and focused, using her to control her father by assigning her to his son. She dreaded to think what would happen if he found the Jedi he was after. There were stories that were passed around about him and what he'd done when the Empire had replaced the Republic. How he'd appeared from the wreckage like a monster born from the pain and had hunted down any of those that had escaped the slaughter. She had thought some of those stories must have been exaggerations until she saw him herself. Even in their brief and indirect encounter, she could practically feel the evil that leaked off of him. She was a quick study of new people she met, and it didn't take any more than those few moments to know who and what Vader was.

His son was different than she had expected, though. While Vader seemed to suck all the joy from the air, Natus was… lighter, somehow. Perhaps he just wasn't as far gone yet or hadn't been given quite the opportunity to take the plunge into utter darkness, but there was something different about him that felt more human than his father. Maybe he'd stand by his promise to make sure that the Jedi was treated fairly.

"Credit for your thoughts?"

Natus's voice pulled Leia back to the moment and she looked over, weighing exactly how much she wanted to say. There was no question he was there to keep an eye on her, but that didn't mean she couldn't find out a little bit about the Dark Lord and his son. It might come in useful someday.

"Just… thinking. What's it like? To have grown up under him, I mean."

The question seemed to catch him off guard and he thought about it for a moment as they walked. "I'm going to guess probably not very normal, but all I know is how I was raised."

There was a twinge of guilt in her and she pursed her lips together, trying to hold it in.

"I imagine you know something about that?"

Leia turned at that. "Our fathers are very different."

"Really? Two men with the weight of responsibility pressing down and trying to do what they can to make the galaxy a safer place?" He offered her a small smile. "My upbringing wasn't conventional, but it's what I needed. I'm stronger for it. Aren't you for yours?"

Everything about the question felt real. Leia let the words hang between them for a long moment before nodding solemnly. "I think so." She pulled in a breath, letting it calm her. "I didn't have a conventional childhood either. Between growing up a princess and then junior senate… becoming my father's aid… But I wouldn't change it either. Maybe I didn't get to live a simple childhood, but working so closely with my father has taught me more than most my age." She stopped, watching him from the corner of her eye. "Our age, I suppose. You're younger than I expected."

"Sixteen."

"Me too." Leia felt a strangely real smile tug at her lips. No, he was nothing like she'd expected.

"I hope, for both your sakes, that your father isn't involved with this Jedi," Natus murmured.

"He's not."

"How do you know?"

"Because my father trusts me. If the Jedi had contacted him, I would know and he hasn't."

Natus gave her a strange look at that one, like she'd struck a chord. " And he wouldn't keep that from you? Even when he's afraid for you?"

"Especially then."

He opened his mouth, but the response didn't come. Instead his head snapped to the side, his focus absolute on something unseen in the distance. His fingers twitched at his side and a cylinder that had been fastened to his belt popped off its latch and into his waiting hand. They waited in silence for a long moment, then another, only the sounds of the forest surrounding them. She watched Natus's sharp gaze take in every shadowed corner surrounding them and had the distinct feeling that he was reaching out with something more than what he could see.

But there was nothing. If there'd been something there, the surrounding wildlife would have been the first to know, not them. Leia pushed a frustrated breath out through her nose and took a step towards him.

Without warning his left hand flashed out towards her and Leia was shoved back. She hit the forest floor hard enough that it knocked the breath out of her, leaving her wincing and struggling to replenish it even as she rolled to her side. She saw Natus had thrown himself in the opposite direction and was in the process of pulling himself into a knelt position, his lips twitching downard in a grimace even as his red lightsaber snap-hissed into existence. She was about ready to lay into him for throwing her when another volley of blaster bolts sped through the air, only to be met with the saber in his hand. They struck, ricocheting off of the laser blade and burning leaves in the trees as they flew upward. Natus straightened and reached out with his free hand, dragging a figure from the thick branches of a tree.

Leia watched as their attacker hit the forest floor hard, his blaster landing a few yards away. He howled in pain, right hand reaching to grab at his left that was bent at a painfully awkward angle.

"Serves you right," Natus told him icily. "You could have hit her." He reached out and called what must have been the Jedi's own lightsaber from his belt and into his hand, inspecting it.

"What do you care?" their attacker growled back.

"Typical Jedi. Ready to burn anybody in your path."

Leia watching the downed man carefully. This was the Jedi that Vader was chasing? He was barely older than either she or Natus, and hadn't all the Jedi died out before she'd even been born? That was what she had heard. There was no way that he was old enough to have been knighted by then.

"Isn't that how you handle things, Sith?"

Natus smirked at that and took a menacing step forward, but even before Leia could find her voice to bark an order at him, he stopped, inexplicably still until his boots began to drag across the soft dirt. They lifted slowly yet fully off of it and his right hand, finger by finger, came unclenched from his lightsaber and it shut off as it fell to the ground, Natus' head tilting back and he made a struggling, choking sound.

Leia turned to the injured man. "Put him down!"

For the first time, his pale green eyes turned towards her. "No."

"I'm Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan and daughter of Queen Breha and Senator Bail Organa. You will release him."

"You don't get told no very often, do you, Princess?" the Jedi demanded through clenched teeth. "You're no different than any of the others cowering to the Sith."

"I am different. My father is in the senate. He can -"

"I don't trust you!"

Natus gave a strangled yelp from where he was suspended, fingers clawing at his throat. He twisted and turned like whatever was holding him up had him by the neck, the rest of his body loose in the air, and he finally forced one hand away, reaching out towards the woods, and closed his fingers around the open air before pulling hard towards him.

"No!" the Jedi shouted and there was a small, terrified sound as a little creature was pulled feet over head from the brush. It hit a root hard on its way out and Natus came crashing to the ground, gasping and sputtering as his hand went to his side. He remained knelt there for a moment, the creature crying softly where it had landed, the Jedi clutching his arm and terrified, and Natus struggling to pull in fresh breath. He tried to stand once, losing his footing, but seemed to push through the pain to get to his feet. He grabbed his lightsaber from where it had fallen as he did.

"You're not the one that was doing that. You're not Force-sensitive," he rasped, blue gaze flickering from the Human to the little green creature that was finally straightening. It looked like a baby, small enough to fit in Leia's hands, and it stared up at Natus with big, dark eyes and cooed. Natus nodded at it. "He is."

"That's not possible," Leia managed, the reality of what that could mean for the child flooding through her. She'd heard the stories. No one in the Temple had survived. Not even the children.

Natus shrugged, the motion stiff and causing him to wince again. "Maybe he just ages slower than most, but he's definitely the one that just tried to choke me."

The little guy cooed again, his long ears twitching.

Natus turned back to the Human. "Which begs the question: who are you?"

Leia moved towards the child slowly and carefully, not wanting to spark up anyone's notice. The little one looked directly at her, curiosity in every blink of his dark eyes. He needed help. She couldn't let Vader get ahold of him.

She wasn't sure what the fake-Jedi had said, but it had clearly set Natus off. The Sith-in-training snarled a curse under his breath and with a twitch of his fingers, used his powers to tug on the injured man's broken arm. At her feet the little creature made a startled sound, but Leia instantly scooped him up. "It's okay, you're not going to hurt him, are you, Natus?"

He turned a glare on her that seemed to freeze the air around her and the creature burrowed closer as Natus spoke. "Did you forget that he shot at you too?" His gaze fell to the little one and softened very slightly. He pushed a frustrated breath out and turned towards the captive. "Don't make this harder on yourself."

There was a long moment where Leia thought he was going to do just that. Finally, he spoke. "My father worked in the Temple. He was killed when the Clones executed the Jedi. I escaped, and I took him with me."

The baby cooed again and Leia held him close, comforting him as best as she could. She should be looking for an out, some way to escape, but something inside of her kept her rooted in place as she watched the other teen call the discarded lightsaber he'd taken from the injured man. "And this?"

"Helps if people see him using the Force."

"So you're the distraction, huh? The protector?"

It was like all the fight rushed out of him and it showed in the way that he slumped forward. "I was supposed to be."

The baby made a small sound, tired and strangely calm, drawing Natus' attention. He studied it for a long moment and Leia would have given anything to have known what he was thinking in that moment.

"Do you have somewhere you can take him?" he asked, and it took Leia a moment to realize the question had been directed at her.

"You're letting him go?"

"That depends how far his protector is willing to go. The Empire is only looking for a single Jedi."

The injured man looked at the little one and back to Natus. "If you let him go, I'll do it."

"We can let them both go," Leia argued, knowing how unlikely it was.

"The Empire is looking for a single Jedi," Natus pressed. "They'll find one, but I'm willing to give them him."

"Why?" The word left her without permission. It was a terrible decision, but still better than she would have expected from an Imperial. More than she would have expected from Vader's son, even with his earlier promise.

"He's just a kid. Even if he was there, he didn't have anything to do with what happened with the Jedi. You wanted him treated fairly and this is the only way I see how to do that."

Leia nodded slowly. As far as she could tell, he was telling her the truth. She glanced over to the still-nameless-protector and he gave a nod of agreement. "And him?"

"I'll do what I can for him," Natus promised softly and looked towards the hills. There was a sound in the distance - something he picked up on quicker than she had - and it was clear someone was coming towards them. "You want to get him out of here? Now's the time. I'll tell them I slipped you."

Leia shot him a look of disagreement before turning with the little one in her arms. She didn't have much choice other than to trust him in this. She just hoped that the trust wasn't misplaced.

----

The adrenaline rush from the quick skirmishes and the looming reality of a child - a baby - that would be put down for the crimes of those that had come before him was finally wearing off as Luke stood listening to the princess of Alderaan's retreating steps in one direction and what sounded like a troop of stormtroopers incoming from the other. With the waning rush came the ache, both in his throat from where the child had tried to choke the life out of him to save his friend and from where the blaster bolt had ripped through him when they'd first found them. He was tired - no, exhausted - and utterly uninterested in facing what he had to do next.

But it had to be done. Both he and the Jedi-pretender knew that.

"They'll know, won't they?" he asked and Luke pressed his lips together in a thin grimace.

"Yeah. They could find out after you were dead too, but it'd take a whole lot more. They'll take my word."

"And how do I know you'll keep it? Your word."

Luke offered a shrug, regretting it as he felt a painful tug at his side. "Because you're not a big enough threat to warrant all of this show if I was just going to kill the kid anyway."

The protector seemed to think about that for half a moment before nodding. "I've always been willing to die to protect him, but I…"

"I told the princess I'd do what I could for you. I'll make it quick." He handed over the lightsaber he'd taken from him. "They're coming."

He nodded, struggling to his feet with his broken arm and flicking the lightsaber on. It hummed green.

It was all for show and they both knew it, but as the Stormtroopers drew closer the protector took a swing at Luke and Luke dodged before moving for the quick kill. The body of a man that couldn't even use the Force but had chosen to protect a child that could with his last breath fell to the forest floor and Luke stood over him. Father had always said the coldness that accompanied death would go away, but it never had.

"Lord Natus!"

Luke turned, something even beyond exhaustion taking hold and he stumbled a little as he did. Commander Renz picked up his pace with his troop behind him just in time to reach a steadying hand out. Luke shook his head. "I'm fine."

There was a moment when Renz looked like he might argue, but redirected his attention to the body laid out on the ground. "That was the Jedi?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"Yes." Luke grimaced and his hand went reflexively to his side. "I'm sure your men can handle the cleanup. If you'll tell my father… I'll see him on the Executioner."

There was an order and a stormtrooper appeared on either side of him. He must have looked about as bad as he felt. Pity, because the last thing he wanted at that moment was company.

----

His son had lied to him. Vader knew the moment that Renz had appeared with Luke's message and the body of what they had been told was their Jedi fugitive. Who he really was did not matter, only that his son had fought him and would have known beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not Force-sensitive. He had lied to the commander, then he had asked that lie to be passed on to his father, and by including others in it he had bound his father's hands. A mistake such as that would not be tolerated by the Emperor, even if they could pass it off as such. That left Vader with two options: reveal that they did not have their Jedi yet and put his own son in danger or back Luke's lie publically and allow the true Jedi to escape.

Rage boiled inside of him as he stormed through the halls of the Executioner towards his son's quarters. He blew through the doors without so much as a warning over their bond, though it would have been impossible for Luke not to have felt the anger.

The lights were turned down, the stars streaking by highlighting his son's face where he lay curled on his bed. One arm was wrapped around his middle, hand protectively over the injury that Vader had warned him hadn't finished healing. He should have left him on the ship. He should have ordered him to stay.

"Do you understand what you have done?" he snarled, drawing Luke's attention sluggishly to him.

"What?"

"Do not play ignorant. You knew the body you sent back with Renz was not the Jedi we sought."

"I made a judgment call."

"You allowed weakness to sway your judgment and then lied to me."

Luke pulled himself up in the bed, his eyes sharp even in the dim light. "Then I guess we're even."

From behind his mask, Vader blinked in surprise at the cutting, angry words. He mentally shook the surprise, grateful that the voice modulator would help cover it. "Explain."

"Now who's playing ignorant?" Luke groused and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing and moving closer to speak quietly, even if forcefully. "Ahsoka Tano, Father."

"What of her?"

"You said she betrayed you - betrayed us - and that's why you killed her. I understand that she may not have fit into what has to happen and maybe she did need to die, but you lied to me about it because you didn't trust me with the truth. And then you pushed me away."

Vader's temper flashed dangerously at the accusation and he took an aggressive step towards the teen, gloved hand clenched at his side and he could feel the Dark Side awaiting his command to strike out. Silence the boy. Put him in his place. Hurt him.

No.

Not Luke. Not his son.

Slowly and with great effort, he reeled his rage back in. As the air between them eased, he saw Luke's shoulders slump a little, energy spent with the outburst and the subsequent reaction. The teen loosed a breath. "I'm not wrong. I've played it over and over again, and that's the only answer that feels right."

"You have put us both in danger," Vader said tightly. "To prove you knew?"

"No." The word rode out on a tired breath. "I did find him, but he wasn't a Jedi. It was a child. A Youngling. He wasn't a part of what the Jedi had done, so I made the best judgment call I could."

Flashes of memories from what often felt like another life swept through his kind. Children. Younglings. Innocent and terrified and looking to him for protection as Order 66 rained down around them. He had done it to save Padme, hadn't he? For what little good that did. They were sacrificed and she died anyway, but even at risk of putting them both in danger her son had spared a child. He'd made a choice different than his father, and Vader only felt conflicted in that knowledge.

"Where did the child go?" he asked at last.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. Better that way."

"Then the Organa girl helped you in this. She knows."

"And doing anything to her would just raise questions as to why," Luke pointed out and his father snorted.

"You are protecting her."

"I suppose I am."

"Why?"

Luke seemed to think on that for a long moment before turning to gaze at the passing stars. "I don't know yet," he answered honestly, a weight pressing against him that caused a strange tightness in his father's own chest. Blue eyes turned back on him. They were softer this time. "I don't want to lie to you, Father. I don't…"

"There will be no more lies between us," Vader said softly. "Now go. You will remain in the medical bay until we reach Coruscant."

"We're going back?"

"We have been recalled. Pray that news of your trick has not reached the Emperor."

Luke nodded solemnly and started towards the door.

—

Bail felt sick as he thought about the body that Darth Vader had ordered the destruction of before returning to his ship as if he hadn't just upended their lives by his appearance. The Jedi they'd pursued had been young enough to have still been considered a Youngling in the Jedi Temple when Order 66 had been enacted. And just like that, his life had been snuffed out by Padme's son. The boy hadn't even bothered to return with the Commander, nor had he seemed to care about Leia who was missing from the group. No one could give him an answer that was both straightforward and believable, so after the Imperials had departed, he and Breha were left with only the fear that they'd failed their daughter as company.

The search teams were scouring the woods, looking for signs of where their clever princess could have disappeared to, and at his side, his wife clutched his hand. "You don't think he knows who she is, do you? That he would have taken her?"

"Which one?"

"Does it matter?"

No. Luke Skywalker certainly seemed to be gone, leaving the much darker Natus behind. Padme would be sickened by it. Obi-Wan would be saddened, and Bail…. Bail had done everything he could to protect Leia and yet she'd still been put in danger. She was still nowhere to be found. He had failed her.

There was no warning as the doors to the private room opened, emptying Leia Organa into it. The guards that had escorted her in took their leave immediately as Breha leapt to her feet and nearly took Leia off of hers. Bail watched as his wife pressed a kiss to dark hair, her arms wrapped around the teen as if she might never let go. He let himself soak the moment in so that it could set permanently in reality.

"Are they gone?" Leia demanded around her mother's grip. "I didn't see the Star Destroyer orbiting."

"They're gone," Bail breathed and finally gave himself permission to join. He came up on Leia's other side, pulling his family into an embrace.

"And the man that Natus brought in?"

Despite the relief, another wave of sadness hit him. "The Jedi is dead. Natus killed him."

The colour slowly drained from his daughter's face as she stared at him. "He said he'd be treated fairly."

In that moment, Bail saw how young she was. Despite everything, how naive. "Leia," he breathed, "I'm afraid he said what needed to be said to get to the end that he wanted."

She shook her head. "No… he let the little one go. Why would he -?"

"The little one?" Breha asked, drawing Leia out of her spiral.

"The man wasn't the Jedi. He was just protecting the Force-sensitive child. He was so tiny, so young…. Natus let me take him to get him to safety."

It was Bail's turn to stare now. The Skywalker boy had let a Force-sensitive child go, sacrificing the elder. Why, he wasn't sure. If it was a hint of his mother left in him - and even then, corrupted by his father - or some long game that would come back to destroy them, there was no way to know yet. Instead, he pulled them both closer. Whatever had happened was done, and for now - even if just for that moment - she was safe.

—-

The Red Guard moved out of Vader's way as he strode into the Emperor's throne room. He didn't want to be there, not with Luke being seen to by the medics. But when the Master summoned, the Apprentice appeared. It was the way of things.

Sidious sat on his throne, yellow gaze fixed on Vader as the younger man made his way in and took a heavy knee with his head bent. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

"I understand that young Natus was useful in capturing and killing a Jedi."

"He was," Vader answered, shoving the fear he felt in the lie deep.

"Yet you are troubled, my old friend. Why is that?"

Vader weighed his response carefully before speaking. "He was injured in the battle."

Palpatine waved one bony hand in the air dismissively. "So I had heard. Difficult lessons are learned through strife, are they not? Your own have all been that way."

"He is strong."

"Yes. And he has learned well. Soon it will be time for him to move to the next phase of his training."

Despite the lack of permission, Vader found himself looking up, surprise weighing on him. "He is still young, my Master."

"As were you. War makes men of us all, and you have taught him well. Rise, Lord Vader, and take pride in it. You have taught him to hone his strength and he has made himself invaluable to our cause."

Vader stood slowly, as commanded, and Palpatine also rose. He moved down the steps slowly until he came to stand in front of his apprentice. So small, and he appeared so frail. It was not yet time to end him though.

"Soon he will be awarded a flagship of his own and these sparks of rebellion will have no choice but to smother under your boots. You have done well."

For all the praise, Vader hated the idea of being separated from Luke again. Just another chance for Palpatine to find a way to force a wedge between them. He had no choice though, and despite Sidious having vastly different motives than his own, this was the next step of his training. This would lead them to victory. "As you wish, my Master."

---

It was becoming more and more rare that Mara returned to Coruscant at all these days, much less at the same time that the Executioner could be found orbiting the planet. It wasn't until after what felt like a longer-than-usual debrief that she found out that Luke had been brought back for medical attention.

She found him in the medical wing, well on his way to health. He was out of the bacta tank and even out of bed by the time she was able to sneak away long enough to see him. His back was to her when she entered the private room, slipping a black tunic over his head and shoulders. He didn't turn, and while she would have liked confirmation that she'd been able to hide her presence even from him, the sliding door would have given her away. No, he knew exactly who was there.

"Enjoying the view?" he teased, finally turning just enough that she could see him watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Been a while since I've seen it."

He chuckled softly as he reached over to where his belt lay, fasting it into place to hold the dark layers in check. "We've both been busy."

"Really, because I thought your father was intentionally keeping you away." She took a step towards him, her smirk playful, and she caught him as he turned. Luke flashed a grin as she wrapped her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, tugging him closer and he bent to meet her there. She could feel that broad smile through the kiss - a little longer in the wake of so much time apart and the exploration of what this new chapter meant for them both - before he pulled back.

He held her gaze for a long moment. "Walk with me?"

Mara's small smile didn't fade as he breezed past her and she followed, wondering what he had up his sleeve. They moved through the medical wing without conflict and out into the outer halls. Instead of taking a right towards where they might find a quieter room, he took a left, leading Mara out into the garden. All theories were quickly dissipating as Luke came to a stop in front of the old Jedi Uneti tree. "What —?"

He turned to face her, all playful teasing gone from his expression. "I need a favour."

"Okay…"

"I need you to research someone for me and I need it done quietly."

Mara frowned at that. "You have the same access I do."

"Yes, but if I look, Father will know."

A ginger eyebrow quirked upward. "You're lying to your father now?"

"No…. I'm just…" Luke looked away, stress pulling at every muscle. "He'll think I'm unfocused. I'd rather have the answers before he catches wind."

"Answers to what?"

"I can't tell you either."

The frown deepened. "I'm not sure I'm interested in helping if you don't trust me."

"I do, but I'm not even entirely sure what I'm looking for. It's just… a feeling. Like the Force is leading me somewhere. It's vague… clouded."

Mara pulled in a deep breath and loosed it in the form of a sigh. "What would I be looking for?"

Blue eyes snapped to meet her own green. "You can't tell anyone but me."

"I won't tell your father," she promised.

"Or the Emperor. Or anyone."

Slowly, Mara nodded her agreement. "What am I looking for?"

"A woman. A senator from the old Republic. I need to know what she looks like."

"Do I get a name?"

He paused, the conflict pulling at him, and when he spoke again his voice was almost too quiet to hear. "Padme Amidala."

---

TBC

Notes: Well this chapter was a beast to write, but there was so much that needed to be covered when it comes to Luke and Leia meeting. So, apologies for the delay, but I do hope it was worth the wait! I'd love to hear your thoughts <3

Next Time: Luke takes command of his own flagship.

#star wars fanfiction #star wars #luke skywalker #leia organa #darth vader #bail organa #breha organa #sheev palpatine #mara jade #grogu

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ao3feed-obikin · 1 year

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What We Left Behind

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/46972267 by chaotic_mind_of_dreams Anakin watched Obi-wan go, with his heart feeling like it was shattering to a million pieces. Obi-wan had actually moved on. Without him. From him. Words: 5571, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of What Do Our Hearts Say? Fandoms: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker Leaves the Jedi Order, Possessive Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Anakin Skywalker, Child Luke Skywalker, Child Leia Organa, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Unhappy Ending, Mild Sexual Content, Anakin Skywalker Has Issues, Established Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Infidelity, Jealous Anakin Skywalker read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/46972267

#IFTTT #Obikin #AO3feed #Star Wars

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siennahrobek · 3 years

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Fic Idea Masterlist

Who He Is – Qui-Gon Jinn, right before the Naboo mission, is tossed forward in time where he meets a young Togruta padawan right off the coast of a battle. As she brings him to the base to meet with the High General, he talks a bit about his own padawan. (Time Travel)

Bending Jedi – The Jedi can bend the four main elements they have been keeping these specific abilities hidden away from the populous when they can, as people tend to fear them with what they can already do, the discovery of bending in Jedi would breed more distrust and fear. But the war has made that too difficult, as the Jedi are desperate to protect, and the clones are the first to discover the Jedi’s abilities, more than what they were told in their training. (Bending Jedi Avatar-Style)

Together Twins – An attack on Polis Massa forces Obi-Wan Kenobi to flee with both Luke and Leia Skywalker.

Chances – Trading their silence and obedience for the clones’ freedom at the end of the war, the Jedi find themselves nearly shunned and hated with the intense anti-Jedi sentiments that run rampant due to Palpatine’s influence. The clones refuse to accept this.

Order & Academy – After being rejected by Qui-Gon Jinn, initiate Obi-Wan Kenobi finds himself forward in time during that of the height of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy. (Time Travel)

Third Systems Unprepared – During the explosion where he received his iconic scar, Commander Cody’s chip was knocked around to the point of disuse. When the Chancellor calls on Utapau to Execute Order 66, Cody has no idea what it means, therefore unable to send the orders to the rest of the 212th Attack Battalion and much of the Open Circle Fleet. It changes a lot.

Reverse Psychometry – After coming back from his stint with the Dark Side, Quinlan Vos spends some time with Obi-Wan Kenobi and touches his cloak with an ungloved hand. Instead of his psychometry giving him flashes of the past, he’s fairly certain it gives him a flash of the future. One where Obi-Wan’s grief is overwhelming, everyone is dead, and Anakin Skywalker burns without his limbs. (Reverse psychometry)

Kamino Investigation – Instead of chasing Jango Fett off Kamino, Obi-Wan Kenobi stays on planet, giving the tracker to another nearby knight, while he investigates the clones and the events surrounding them.

Space Survival – An explosion goes off on the Negotiator, which is in low orbit over the Republic world for repairs. Obi-Wan Kenobi is aboard and holding as much of the ship together as he can for the evacuation of the wounded.

Bracca Detour – Upon an accidental detour to Bracca after being sent to Tatooine for exile with Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi finds Cal Kestis.

Lothal AU – Owen Lar’s disbelief and mistrust of Obi-Wan chases him away and the Jedi leaves with Luke (or Leia), eventually finding himself on Lothal where he befriends the Bridgers.

Bit Age Swap – Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker has no intention on taking a padawan just as the war is starting, despite being a knight for nearing a decade until his master, Mace Windu, comes to him with an orphaned padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose Master died on Geonosis and is determined to fight in this war, whether the Order likes it or not. Skywalker quickly discovers there is more to padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi than first meets the eye. (Smidge of Age-Swapping)

Din Djarin Au – With the Sith and Separatists defeated, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the 212th are finishing the last of the battles against the droids and stubborn Separatist leaders. It is on a planet, during one of these battles, where the droids are invading a city, that General Kenobi rescues newly orphaned and force-sensitive Din Djarin.

Stay Out of it – Obi-Wan and the 212thare in bound to Coruscant for a few days’ rest, refuel and new orders when Anakin and Padme’s marriage comes to light. And then, Obi-Wan can’t get back to the front quick enough.

This is Different – Coming back from Melida-Daan has proven more difficult than anticipated for Obi-Wan Kenobi and it only gets worse when he wakes up, decades later, only to be found – and accepted – by a monstrous Sith Lord, who seems to have some odd soft spot for him. (Time Travel)

Lineage Reconnection – Obi-Wan brings it upon himself to contact Qui-Gon’s lineage and friends to inform them of the news of his death. Yoda does what he does best and meddles. At least, it appears this time, it worked for the better of everyone involved.

Back with Hope – Obi-Wan Kenobi, a while after Order 66 finds himself back in time, reliving events. He doesn’t entirely know where to start with changing things until something changes for him. The Jedi receive a call from an unknown source – it is tiny clone children calling for their only hope – Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Time Travel)

Undying – It is on Bandomeer when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn discover that the former cannot die, and it is used to their advantage. Obi-Wan keeps his secret, even after Qui-Gon’s death, until he can’t anymore. It is the revelation of the Chosen One prophecy that his purpose is revealed – as a Guardian, Obi-Wan Kenobi cannot die until the Chosen One has brought balance to the Force.

Lineage Last – Anakin and Ahsoka both leave the Jedi Order after she is accused – and proven innocent – and although Obi-Wan understands, the fact that he they left, and he is the last of his lineage doesn’t hurt any less.

Amor – Obi-Wan has been to war before; no one needed to convince him to wear at least some armor. Now how much, that is a different story.

Canon Switch – Anakin Style – After saying something he would come to regret; Anakin Skywalker finds himself in a universe where Obi-Wan had died on Naboo... and Qui-Gon had lived. It is not nearly as he dreamed it would be. (Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence – Time Travel)

Canon Switch – QuiGon Style – A heartbroken Qui-Gon survived Naboo while his padawan did not. Barely surviving for the next ten years, Qui-Gon finds himself in a universe where the opposite is true. (Time Travel)

Dooku Set Up – Tired of Palpatine’s schemes, Count Dooku thinks of defecting when the master Sith Lord is killed. Someone is setting him up and Dooku reaches out to the only person he desperately hopes can help - his grand padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Extra Weird Jedi – The Jedi end up being different than the clones had expected. More odd, dangerous, intriguing. The Kaminoans had told them one thing, the populace’s view of the Jedi. But up close, working with them? It’s so much different.

Baby Counselor – Obi-Wan Kenobi is the youngest member of the Council and is known a bit as the Council baby – at least with other masters – and those on it, are not afraid to treat him that way. It just a tad changes things.

Crechemaster Obi-Wan – When the war comes to an end, Obi-Wan Kenobi decides to become a creche master while Anakin and Padme expect their first child. But when the Senator dies of a cause that is no one’s fault, Anakin is left bereft and leaves his children behind. Obi-Wan takes Luke and Leia into his creche clan.

To be Chosen – Jedi Luke Skywalker is thrown back in time to that where the Order still exists. Finding he cannot go back; he constructs a new life and home into the Temple. Several years later, even though Master Yoda tries to keep a specific initiate away from his sight, Luke encounters him anyways and thinks, perhaps he and Obi-Wan were linked, always meant to be. Perhaps it was Luke’s turn to give back to his master. To be Chosen. (Time Travel)

Kamino Defense – Peace is restored after the war, although the work isn’t done. In response to the controversy surrounding his padawans marriage to Senator Amidala, Obi-Wan accepts a post to protect the clones and their young from power hungry warlords and greedy businessmen on Kamino while the Senate debates what to do with them.

Burned Deep – A thousand years ago, the Jedi chained themselves to the Senate and Republic and dismantled their military as a show of good faith. Now the Senate controls the Jed strictly to keep them from taking over. The Temple becomes a beautiful cage, their stringent parameters for missions a leash. In this world, when the war begins, Jedi are let loose as more of attack dogs than Generals. (Alternate Universe – Canon History Divergence)

Jumping Ages – In an attempt to use what she thinks is a Sith weapon, Ventress just ends up causing some chaos for Obi-Wan and the crew as he ends up popping in at different ages and stages of his life over the course of an unknown amount of time. The only one who doesn’t seem to be rattled is Cody. (De-Aging/Age Regression)

Padme Lives – After surviving Order 66, Padme is forced to hide away with her children, leaving Obi-Wan free to find surviving Jedi and learn about the clones’ predicament.

We Are Burning Stars - Instead of on a faraway planet, fighting the last battles of the war, Obi-Wan Kenobi is walking aside his Commander in the Jedi Temple when Order 66 hits.

Revolving Suns - Raised by Obi-Wan Kenobi, teenaged Luke Skywalker finds himself back into the Clone Wars while General Kenobi falls into an unexplainable coma.

#fic ideas #star wars fic #star wars #obi-wan kenobi #star wars prequels #i don't know if i will write any of these #but i've been writing a lot lately #so maybe #inspo drawn from several sources #cause I pick up a lot with looking and reading and thinking #these aren't the nice summaries that I usually write #however #i usually have more of a grasp on the idea when i write those #i have this really weird vaguely sort of talent that involves writing those summaries you see on book backs #if anyone has any ideas #feel free #suggest #use #whatever #i should really try thinking a bit more about Anakin's padawan days #my mind is generally stuck in the clone war era #or fix-its afterwards #time travel is fun sometimes #although not always a huge fix-it #because changing a few things or knowing a few things #doesn't always fix people #or events #obligatory de-aging #man i talk too much in the tags sometimes #okay im done now

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dindyke · 3 years

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Three Ways A Clan Is Torn Apart : 1301 words, din djarin/luke skywalker, canon compliant, major character death

The attack on Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy by the newly formed Kylo Ren diverges at three points, three ways in which Din Djarin and Grogu lose and are reunited with the final member of their Clan of Three.

Midnight finds the Mand'alor still in conference, with no clear end in sight. His advisors argue amongst themselves, and Din shifts in his seat, waiting for them to finish. His throat is coated with an acid he cannot seem to swallow down, and he can’t focus on the blabber.

When Grogu pushes the heavy doors open, guards flat on their asses behind his small body, the chatter is forgotten completely. Grogu speaks to them all through the Force.

Buir, we must leave. There is a disturbance on Yavin IV. I cannot sense the Children, he says.

He hears the end of a protest from Bo Katan and leaves the room in a hurry, hoping they will come to understand that if his family is in jeopardy, he must go. That is his Way.

“Your father? Can you sense him?” Din asks as they quickly make their way to their ship.

Faint. He is faint, is all Grogu says in return.

The trip to Yavin IV is silent, spare for their breathing. When they land, amongst the rubble and the smell of death, it suffocates them. Grogu places his small hands on every cold body, pushing energy through the Force until he sways and can no longer stand.

They didn’t find Luke. However, his X-Wing was missing, and neither his robes nor his corpse were anywhere to be found. Hope. That was their hope.

The two of them put out the fires and cleaned the dead as they waited for Leia and the families to arrive. To bury them here would be presumptuous. Many of the students had parents, siblings, who had come to visit frequently as Din had with Grogu in the earliest years.

When nothing was left to busy his hands with, Din sat at the edge of the smoldering temple, weeping into his knees. He couldn’t bear to think of what may have happened should Grogu not have traveled with him to Mandalore.

His exchange with Leia was brief, conveying what he’d seen, what he hadn’t. Her son was missing from the bodies as well… they could understand what this meant. She told him she’d felt it when he turned. She looked more devoid of joy than he had ever seen her.

As he and Grogu sped away to find her brother, he knew she gave a politician’s performance to the arriving families of the victims. Stoic and just warm enough to be inspiring, she could handle this in a way he never could, for his covert nor his citizens.

Tracking down a Jedi Master had been hard enough when Luke was a cocky young man, only barely caring to stay under the radar. A Jedi Master who didn’t want to be found would be even harder.

However, if Luke wanted to go missing, he had married the wrong man. Din was the Mand’alor, but he was a Bounty Hunter first, and he would never forget.

Determination in his heart, he set off, his son at his side, to regain their lost Clan Member.

“We’ll bring you home, cyar’ika.”

II.

Din Djarin wakes to an empty bed, the sheets cold although the air outside is scorching. He smells smoke. He dons his armor as quickly as he may have 30 years ago and rushes from his hut, finding Luke nowhere.

Children are screaming.

He runs through the stone and brick plaza, and when he sees the first body, he chokes on his breath. She’s already dead, a perfectly cauterized slice torn through her abdomen. She was one of their youngest.

He flings open each house, screaming for Luke and losing his hope with every child he sees slaughtered in their beds.

When he feels Grogu call to him through the Force, he nearly collapses. He’s at the temple. Din can’t run fast enough. More of the padawans lay motionless in the road, and he hopes to the Gods that someone better than him will protect them in the next world, as he has failed in this one.

The temple is aflame when he reaches it, two meek figures boldly lit in the dark night. Grogu, posed with his saber, and… and Ben.

It was Ben. Ben did this.

If he cares that Din is there, he doesn’t show it. He makes a move to approach Grogu (the kid must have got him good, he’s got a limp), but Din is there first.

He may no longer be Mand’alor, but Din has always been a fighter, a protector. And he’d damn himself a million times over before he lets a Sith touch his son.

As he had all his life, Din Djarin fights valiantly, with every tool in his arsenal and his family at the forefront of his mind.

When Luke wakes up, disoriented and bruised beneath the ruins of Ben’s hut, he finds everything he worked for gone. His students, his school, his legacy, and his order. In front of the ashes of the Jedi temple, lie his son and his husband. Even if he could have healed them from the brink of death, it was far too late.

III.

There were several points between Bo Katan finally mercy-challenging Din for the title of Mand’alor and the six years he had now spent with Luke in his self-inflicted exile where Din really believed he could change his husband’s mind.

He understands this shame. He’d failed to protect their students too. Some of those padawans had come from Mandalore. And they’d lost most of them. The few who survived were left in the hands of the Republic, now, or with their families.

Luke had called Leia and left immediately, with Din and Grogu hot on his trail. He hadn’t wanted them to come with him. He was undeserving, he was dangerous, he’d said. He had lost himself in his trauma and nearly destroyed one member of his family, what would stop him from destroying them? He’d holed himself away within a mountain, bringing down the cave opening to keep them out.

Din and Grogu sat outside, calling to him every once and a while. Grogu occasionally shifted a rock, but he didn’t open it. They both knew Luke needed to do that on his own. After a few days of punishing himself in the stale darkness, he came back out.

That first week on Ahch-To was hard. Luke didn’t talk much. He mostly paced, up and down the winding dirt pathways of the first Jedi temple. He talked to himself, cursed at the skies, and cried against the Seeing Stone.

By the second week, Luke allowed himself to sleep at his husband’s side. It was fitful and sparse, but it was familiar.

Din respected Luke’s wishes of anonymity. He sent brief messages to the others, keeping his location hidden but assuring them that he would bring Luke home soon.

A year passed, and those messages grew few and far between. By the third, they had stopped completely.

As he had learned from Luke and the ways of the Jedi how to embrace possibility, peace, the Force around all things, he had hoped that Luke learned some things from the Mandalorians too. How to get back up, even after you’ve been kicked. After you’ve failed. How to maintain your honor and your beliefs in spite of intense pain and loss.

Six years later, maybe that was a foolish thought. Luke was more than capable of pulling himself out of his pain, Din knew this. He’d seen him recover time and time again from his traumas and tribulations.

But six years later, Din finally understands that it was not a problem of ability, but a problem of will.

The only one punishing Luke was himself, and until he decides he no longer deserves to be guilty, no one was going to change his mind.

#ive been thinking about this for WEEKS.#star wars fic #dinluke fic #dinluke #grogu #the mandalorian #star wars #baby yoda #skydalorian #luke skywalker #din djarin #fic #fanfiction #txt

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lifblogs · 3 years

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Whumpay 2021: Day 20 - Reflection / Darkness

A Scavenger

read on ao3 1027 words star wars, sequels, kylo ren, pre-reylo, force ghost!anakin, angst, the force awakens, au - canon divergence, abuse mention, child abuse mention

“I will finish what you started,” Kylo Ren promised the mask, promised his grandfather.

He jumped as suddenly a voice sounded from behind him, a soft voice with an outer rim accent:

“And what was that?”

He turned, and he faced a tall man, only a few inches shorter than himself. He wore robes of deep brown and black. A scar slashed over his face, but it seemed to add to the good qualities that were already there. Kylo Ren continued studying him, noticing the near-shoulder length curls, the easy way in which he held himself.

“Who are you?”

The man smiled, and began to circle the compartment, going around to the front. He put a hand down on the ruined mask lying in ashes of the dead. A deep sigh left him, and he bowed his head.

Realization struck Kylo, and he fell to his knees.

“Darth Vader,” he breathed.

“Please, there’s no need for that. Besides, I’m not him anymore.”

Confused, Kylo lifted up his head, face furrowed.

“Then why are you here?”

“I was hoping to help you, to rid you of the fallacies in your mind.”

“But I’m following your path,” Kylo argued, getting to his feet. Force, it felt good to be taller than this supposed “Darth Vader.” “I’m learning the ways of the dark side, as you did!” he insisted.

“I did learn the ways of the dark side. But they are wrong.”

“No, no. The light--the light is wrong. I’ve felt it. I’ve seen it.”

“Have you?”

Kylo tilted his head up, proud at what he was about to announce, feeling arrogant, knowing he was right. “In your son, Luke Skywalker. He tried to kill me.”

“A reckless mistake.” He opened his mouth to speak, but “Darth Vader” went on, “It runs in the family. Comes from me, I suppose. Master Obi-Wan always told me I was too reckless, always tried to get me to slow down. And I… I didn’t. I didn’t stop or think or reach out for help. So I Fell.”

“As you were meant to.”

“Darth Vader” glared at him. “No one’s meant to.”

“But there must be balance in the Force!”

“And can you bring that balance, Ben?”

“Don’t call me that! Ben Solo is dead.”

He was ignored: “Can you bring balance through subjugation and death?”

“Where there is life, there must also be death.”

“And you’re the one with the right to bring it into this universe?”

“You did!”

“I was wrong. I brought balance. After pain, and suffering, and loss. I killed the Emperor, Darth Sidious. I saved my son. This man that you pray to, he is not there anymore. Darth Vader is dead. I am Anakin Skywalker, as I always should’ve been.”

He reached out a hand to him, and Kylo gave a slight start as it touched his shoulder. All of this was… too much to take in. This Force ghost had to be lying, had to be a trick, certainly. His grandfather had never been this weak. It couldn’t be true!

“And now you must be Ben Solo again.”

Kylo drew back. “I was never him. What you think you see in me is gone. It’s a lie. As are you.”

To his surprise, Anakin gave an amused smile, and it infuriated him. He almost reached for his lightsaber, wishing to slash him to pieces, but he knew that would never work.

“Oh? And what am I lying about?”

“You’re not him!” Kylo raged, pointing at the ruined mask. “You’re not him, you can’t be him! Darth Vader, my grandfather, was a dark, and powerful man!”

“And what do you think happened to that man!” Anakin cried, stepping forward and blocking Kylo’s view of the mask. “He burned! He lost his wife! He killed his master! He tried to kill his son! Is that what you want? Pain and loss? Are you so ignorant that you think that’s all you’ll know or deserve? Ben--”

“Don’t--”

“Ben,” he insisted, “I know what Snoke did to you, what he’s been doing since before you were even born. You can break free of it, as I did. Where there is dark, there is also light. And it’s out there, right now. It’s in you. Let it pull you out of the dark.”

By now, he felt tears building up in his eyes, and he sat, legs too weak to stand.

“How? How do I escape this?”

“I’ll help you.”

“What can you do?” he asked. “You’re not really here.”

“I am, and I live in you, as Luke does, as Han Solo and Leia do. You’re part of this lineage. You are not alone.”

“What must I do?”

“Very soon you will find a girl, a scavenger. Help her. Listen to her. She is strong in the Force.”

“An adversary,” Kylo muttered, unthinkingly.

“No. A friend. Snoke has cut you off from all you need, and all you once knew. But he is not all there is. With help, with me, and this girl, you can reach your family.”

“I don’t want my family.”

Anakin just gave him a sad smile. “I know, Ben. I know.”

This time, he didn’t have the energy to argue with him about his name. His head was spinning, chest aching. Too much. It was all too much! But he felt what Anakin spoke of: the light. It was there, in that very compartment amongst all the black.

“Let go of the dark side. Become yourself,” Anakin told him.

Kylo had no answer, could only sit there with his fists clenched, breaths coming in near-sobs.

When he looked up, the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker was gone.

His comlink beeped, but it barely drew him away from all the pain. Still, he had to answer. He took it from his belt, and pressed the button. “Yes?”

“Lord Ren, we found the droid. It’s with a girl.”

A girl.

Kylo raced from the compartment, barely able to contain his wild and savage energy. He made his way for the hangar, ordering on his way there, “Prepare my ship.”

He was going to Jakku.

#star wars #sequels #the force awakens #kylo ren #anakin skywalker #force ghost!anakin #angst #star wars sequel fanfiction #the force awakens fanfiction #kylo ren fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #tw: child abuse mention #tw: abuse mention #fanfiction #writing #my writing

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bexterbex · 4 years

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A Soul to Mend His Own | Ch. 62

pamgWarning, PLEASE CHECK TAGS IF YOU SEE SOMETHING YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THEN DON’T READ. | Tag lists are closed | INBOX OPEN

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Will tag as I go along, Will update tags, Slow Burn, Influenced by Star Trek and other Sci-Fi themes, References to We Happy Few, Tons of References and quotes to George Orwells 1984 see if you can find them all, The First Order is the new Big Brother, but who is really surprised, Blatant Nazi Symbolism, Interrogation Themes, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Really just drawn out Slow Burn, Don’t repost without permission, Torture themes, Suggestive Themes, Execution themes, Disturbing Themes, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Controlling Kylo Ren, Physical Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Possessive Kylo Ren, A character shamelessly based on Zelda

A Kylo Ren x Modern! Reader in a soulmate au with canon divergence. —————————————SLOWBURN————————————–

He is already the Supreme leader, searching the universe to find you, his Empress. Your name on his wrist has been the only constant in his life, while you have doubts about his existence and his acceptance of you. He isn’t in the database and why did the name Kylo Ren cover Ben Solo?

MASTERLIST

Chapter 62: Dreams Again

A/N: If you haven’t seen it go check out this awesome cover art @pamgkrthart made for this story: LINK

You were in the house that the young boy was left all alone in; you assume it was Kylo’s childhood home.

She didn’t speak at first. The older woman, she invited you to sit with her. She silently offered you tea, which you accepted. You watched each other.

“You are probably wondering why I brought you here. Why we are speaking now.” Her voice had a feminine leathery sort of sound, calm but aged in a way that you know she has been through a lot.

You simply nodded, not knowing if your voice was going to work or not.

“I fear for my son, Ben. You know him as Kylo, a creature of his own construction. I know of his plans, his plans to kill Ben, to kill the light within him, and thus the need to kill me. This I know to be my fate.” She looked down into her own cup of tea, not meeting your eyes before continuing. “Ben was once a happy boy, before Kylo, before everything went wrong. His father and I may not have been the best parents, but know that we loved him, that I still love him.”

She was quiet for a while, staring into her cup. You could feel the emotions coming off of her in soft waves.

You attempted to speak, putting in a bit of effort, “What is your name?” You had yet to learn of either of Kylo’s parents. You now had a face, but you wanted a name.

“Leia,” she then looked at you in the eyes. Which were filled with grief, “Your name has always brought him comfort. Since he was old enough to understand what was on his wrist. Something his father and I could never do after sending him away.” She paused for a moment. You could see her holding back tears. “We thought we were doing what was best. Now I know we were wrong. His father was afraid there was too much of my father in him, but I know better now. Ben is good, but Kylo is not. You need to believe me.”

You were confused by her words. “You sent your only son away? Why?” If Kylo wasn’t going to give you answers, you were going to try to get them from her.

“My brother, Luke was a Jedi. He was taught the ways of the Force, he taught me. Once the Empire had fallen, we felt it was safe enough to start the Jedi Order again. So Luke opened up a temple. To train those who are strong in the Force to be able to use it. Ben was one of them. He was unstable at times, I couldn’t teach him, so we sent him to train with my brother. He was young, too young, I know that now. He felt that we had abandoned him, but that was never my intention.”

Before she could continue you interjected, “But it wasn’t the first time you had abandoned him, was it?” You recalled the dream that you had. The one that also took place in this house, the one with the boy.

She looked shocked. Probably wondering how you knew such a thing. “We never meant to. His father and I loved each other, but we weren’t good for each other, not in the long run. We were matches, but we worked better as separates together than we did as a couple. We were the people who worked out better as platonic soulmates versus romantic. That doesn’t mean I didn’t love him, I did, but we were healthier apart.”

You wondered if this was an omen for your own relationship, would Kylo and you ever work out? Or would you bring a child into existence and not realize where your fates lied until it was too late.“So you sent him away, then what?”

“He was trained by his uncle but influenced by another. Influenced by Snoke who turned him to the dark side, like my father before him. He tormented him into thinking that we were the ones that were wrong.”

“But weren’t you? You said it yourself, you sent him away. You abandoned him. You raised him in an unhealthy household. I have felt some of his pain. Things you have caused. Things that I now must fix, must mend to make him whole again.” You were fighting back both tears and anger now. She may be his mother, one who loves him, but she has caused him so much pain, pain you doubted that you could heal.

“I just want my son to come home. I want him to know I still love him. That I forgive him for what he has done. I just want him home.”

You stared at her, the anger now starting to take control. “So tell me. Just what has he done?”

“He has killed both his father Han Solo and his uncle Luke Skywalker. He has killed a great many other people too. All in the name of power and the First Order. He will kill me too, in order to finally end Ben Solo.”

Her words hit you like a bus. So she was his final task. Killing his mother was part of his plan to kill Ben Solo--to protect you. You tried to not let this faze you as you asked, “And what of Rey? What is she in all this?”

Her face eclipsed with confusion as she answered, “They are connected somehow through the Force, I do not know why. Luke did not know why. She has been helping me bring him home.”

Tears fully spilling from your eyes, the anger and heartbreak taking over your rational. Venom filling your mouth, “So you both want me gone? You both want me to step away from him? Because why? So you can attempt to fix what you have broken? To take my soulmate away from me just so you can be a happy family again? When he has explicitly said that isn’t what he wants? I don’t think so.” You stood up from the table. Ready to march out the door of this dream.

She stopped you, “Wait. I never told Rey to try to get him to abandon you. That is her agenda. I just want my son. Please let him know I would like to see him. That I want him to come home.”

You faced her now, “Why don’t you visit his dreams instead, I’m sure that would be more effective,” you spat.

“I can’t, he is too strong in the Force. Your mind is weaker. And he will listen to you. Please, I want my son home.” You could tell that she could also feel the dream world shake around her. Whatever she was doing to make this happen was starting to fail now.

You coldly met her eyes, “No, you need to listen to him. If he doesn’t want to come home, then you need to listen. You obviously didn’t respect his wishes when he was a young boy. But you need to do so now. You’ve harmed him enough. Ben wasn’t strong enough, but Kylo is.” You stormed out of the house. As the door slammed behind you the dream world dissipated. And you woke up in a cold sweat.

Kylo was awake next to you, sitting up in a hurry, “Kitten what’s wrong?” You could hear the worry in his voice.

“I’ve just met your mother. And let’s just say things didn’t go well.” Really, the other women in his life, other than anyone in the First Order, had a real knack for pissing you off.

He shifted next to you, “Show me.” It wasn’t a question, but a simple command.

You both held eye contact for a moment before shutting your eyes and leaning into him. You felt his hand caress your face as you replayed the dream if you could call it that.

His voice was stern, “Kitten?”

You hummed in response. Wondering what he was angry about.

“I will have to be in your mind. You are too weak to be able to protect yourself from them. I must do it, you leave me no other choice.”

Before you could respond you felt the tendrils come back in full force. This time they were no longer politely inhabiting your brain. They took up every square inch. Leaving no memory or thought untouched. You blacked out from the force of it all.

You dreamed again, but this time it was a variation of the throne dream. You were once again sitting on a throne with the black shaggy dog. Except this time you were watching your own reflection, instead of encountering another version of yourself.

You looked the same in the reflection, but the dog didn’t. The dog was Kylo, still with a chain around his neck, and his head in your lap. You watched as the Kylo in the reflection seemed to bask under the pets that were given to him.

You watched as in his hand out of nowhere appeared his lightsaber. He ignited it. In one quick slash, he cut his chain. You quickly looked over at the dog that was next to you, his chain still intact. You then returned your attention back to Kylo. He had removed the collar that was around his neck and disabled the lightsaber and placed it on his belt.

You then watched as he came closer to the edge of the reflection, inspecting it. He then stepped forward through the threshold of your side. The reflection shattering behind him, like broken glass. As if he was actually trapped in a mirror. He approached you.

“Kitten, you look wonderful as an Empress.” He knelt down on one knee, taking your hand in his, kissing it. “I am unworthy to bask in your radiance. To grovel at your feet.”

You grabbed his face in your hands and brought your face to his, “Thank you Kylo, but that simply isn’t true.” You then kissed him deeply. This time you took dominance over the kiss, he submitted to your actions.

He moaned and broke the kiss for a moment. “Kitten,” his voice purred.

But before the dream could continue, you felt pressure behind your ear.

“Kitten, it’s time to wake up,” called the Kylo that was based in reality.

Your head felt as if it weighed a million pounds as you attempted to wake up. You could feel the tendrils shift as you did so. “Mmm, I don’t feel good.”

His hand carded through your hair, you felt the weight lessen, but not completely dissipate. “You can’t stay in bed all day.”

“Why not?” You turned on your side so your back was facing him.

“Because if you stay in bed, I’ll want to stay in bed. And then no progress gets done. And then we are that much father from you becoming Empress.”

“You mostly want me to become Empress so I’ll have sex with you,” you huffed.

“That isn’t the only reason. I think you would make a great Empress and that the galaxy isn’t worthy to have you rule over it.” His hands caressed down your sides, just as the tendrils caressed your mind.

“Fine, but I want to lay in bed until Adlez and Olivia-Rose get here.” He seemed content with this answer as he got up to get ready. Leaving you alone.

Even though you weren’t fully awake, and you felt the tendrils moving about you tried to process what you learned through the night. Your mind came up short as the tendrils kept shifting. You weren’t able to complete a stable thought.

#kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #kylo x reader #kylo ren imagine #kylo x you #a soul to mend his own #star wars #first order #star wars imagine #Star wars soulmate au #sw first order imagine #star wars first order

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kittystargen3 · 4 years

Link

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13523059/1/The-Skywalker-Tale-A-Legacy-Restored

Summary: AU-Canon Divergence where Anakin is not such a deadbeat grandfather. Pun definitely intended. Begins before the events of The Force Awakens when Force Ghost Anakin drags Han Solo back to Leia and tells them what's what. He's got a plan on how to save Ben, and this time, nothing is going to stop him. Hint it involves a certain desert scavenger. Han Solo lives! Series rewrite.

I’ve added chapter 36 to The Skywalker Tale: A Legacy Restored. Below is a small selection. Please click a link to read more.

Chapter 36 - The Doorway

Every face peered out the viewscreen beside Luke when they finally exited hyperspace. Following behind them was the New Republic’s fleet, and the Resistance’s fleet, all prepared for battle.

“As I feared. The First Order is already here,” said Leia, noting the armada of ships that awaited theirs.

“The Resistance is prepared for this,” Luke reminded her. “This is their fight now. Ours is below.”

“Yes, we should go down now. Han,” Leia spoke up so the comm could hear her.

“I’ve got you covered,” came the voice of Han.

“Graaaaaaaaaaah,” came the voice of Chewy.

Tears came to Leia’s face. “Yes, I’ll be careful. The force wills it, I’ll see you again.”

Luke pushed the controls to steer their ship down towards the planet below. As he knew they would, the Millenium Falcon provided cover and guarded their descent. All went smoothly. Not a single shot got through.

As Luke flew over the arid landscape he noticed a large, partially ruined tower or fortress, and a few scattered sets of ruins dotting the landscape. Given Palpatine’s incredible ego, he’d bet the largest ruins, i.e. the tower, to be his stronghold. Still, Luke reckoned it was unwise to land so close. He picked one of the sets of ruins on the outskirts to land beside. They were still within walking distance, but their ship would hopefully remain unnoticed. The force seemed to agree with his decision, as none of his companions voiced any objections.

They took the next moments to prepare their bodies for whatever lay ahead. Finn and Hux stretched their limbs. Rey and Leia made sure their lightsabers were attached. Phasma put on her helmet and made sure her armor was all secure. And Ben… Ben practiced his scowling. When everyone was ready, Luke opened the ship and they all climbed out.

“Which way do we want to go?” Rey asked.

“The tower is that way.” Finn said.

“And we’ll find him in the tower, most likely,” Armitage added.

“Yes, but do we want to go straight there, or take a side route?” Rey asked.

“We go straight there, get to him faster, hopefully while he’s distracted by the battle up above,” said Finn

“No, she’s right,” Armitage pointed out. “The second he sees us, it’s going to get very difficult for us. The longer we can go unseen, the better. What do you think?”

Luke turned his attention with Armitage’s question towards Phasma, who kept eyeing the nearby ruins.

“I think we should go through there,” she said. “It’s an instinct. I feel it in my bones.”

“Hmm?” Luke looked inward as well. “Yes, I can feel it too. The force wants us to go in there.”

Luke and Phasma started to step towards the first ruined building on their left. Rey, Ben, and Leia started to follow them too.

Finn and Armitage eyed each other. “So what? We just go off without a plan whenever the force gives us a funny feeling?” Finn asked.

“Apparently yes,” Armitage sighed, as he too began to follow.

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msfangirlgonewild · 4 years

Text

Indubitable - TROS fic /It’s Like Poetry, Sort Of. They Rhymes series (finale)

Chapter 5 - Not This Time...

Fandom - TROS/DOTF (Canon backstory/canon divergence AU)

Pairings - Poe Dameron/Rey Skywalker

Ratings - T for romantic fluff

Chapter Summary - As the final battle looms — and fear of losing his certain Jedi, will the general be rekindled her again. And united with the Force, the intensity of emotions that it will change their lives and the galaxy forever?

Prompt - ‘May The Force Be With You’ from DamereyDaily2020 no. 4

Read from the beginning on AO3

“I want you and Finn to go along with Rey, Commander Dameron.” said Leia. “She’s our last hope and I don’t want to endanger her life because of Ben or Palpatine.”

“General, what about the briefing? And should I be in command?”

“Let me handle this,” she answered easily. “From now on, just go and do it for me and for Rey’s sake.”

“What are you going to do with Ben?” asked Poe, afraid that this maybe, would be, the last time to see his superior officer alive.

Leia sighed wisely and smiled, holding his hand in hers. “Trust me, kid. I know what I’m doing,” she answered, giving him a simple wink. “And do tell Rey that I’ll be with her always.”

Ajan Kloss Base after the return from Kef Bir:

So beyond the shadow of a doubt, she finally took her last breath of solitude, knowing that her care and love for someone were essential to the powers of the Force. Leia Organa passed away, and with her went the spark that would burn to bring the Final Order down.

For Poe, he had also lost a spark. He remembered, when he was six, his grief from losing Shara, who had brushed with death and not survived. Now as an adult, he had lost Leia, who had been swept into saving her apprentice from her anger-driven son.

Poe was alone, and no one was there to guided him.

Even worse, after Leia’s passing, Palpatine and his fleet had already begun their plan. One Star Destroyer obliterated Kijimi, yet another shock from the news of Commander D’Acy and Beaumont Kin.

“I gotta tell you,” he told her, sitting beside his Leia’s shrouded body at her opened tent. “I don’t know how to do this.”

He had also lost Rey. She’d abandoned him or disobeyed his orders without saying a word. What the kriff was she’s thinking, going alone to the Death Star ruins on Kef Bir without letting anyone lend a hand? He wanted to tell her something very important at the tent before they were going to the ruins, that he would guide her and keep her safe. He understood who she was without telling anyone, especially Finn. He was afraid of what would ever happen if Rey has fallen from the light because of her Sith bloodline. It was too late to defend her.

“I’ve lost Rey, Leia. I have failed to hold her, and I’m lost,” he said in a bleak tone, lowering his head. “I let her down.” Poe was lost for words as he breathed slowly and wondered. “Is there’s hope? Where shall I begin or what if there’s hope without Rey, Aunt Leia? Well, in that case, D’Acy told me to stick by your words...” He chuckled to himself sadly and sniffed as he was wiping a single tear from his eye. “Oh, what the hell. Gods know that I depend on myself as a leader.”

After a few moments, as Poe stood up from his chair, he leaned over, planted a soft kiss on the general’s forehead, and gave her a salute. “Thank you, Your Highness,” he told of the former royalty. “Thank you for everything, for letting be by your side. You’re my second mom, after my mom. And I hope everyone is welcoming to you, especially Luke and even Han, waiting for you with open arms. I promise I won’t let you down and will let the spark proceeds until the end.”

He took another breath and gave a somber smile one final time, imagining that she was alive and well, fulfilled to bring one last chance of bringing peace by passing her rank to her loyal operative. Respectively, Poe understood what D’Acy had told him after their general’s death, and he was their only hope right now as Leia had made him as acting general.

But for the love of the gods, if there’s a chance between hope and the spark, until someone is the only one is to bring balance to the galaxy...

“Poe.”

A soft feminine voice called to him, and Poe recognized it. He stood up and gazed at the clearing of the forest.

To his relief, the last Jedi had come back: Rey was the true enigma that Poe revered, and she was dressed in her white hooded garments. She was more beautiful and radiant in white, and Poe pictured of her as the same space goddess once again. The showering sun rays were breaking through the branches and vines that accurately here at the jungles of the Klosslands.

“Rey!” he cried as he got out from Leia’s tent. He quickly ran towards her. “Thank goodness you’re back! Finn and I were worried abou—”

“Poe, hold it!” warned Rey as Poe ignored and began to embrace her.

Unsuccessfully, he ran through her and stumbled him down on the grass.

“Are you okay?”

“Kriff, what in the...” he grunted as he got up, but he turned to his back to the perturbed Rey, who was still standing without walking towards him or helping him to stand up. Poe mocked himself simplemindedly. “Oh, I see,” he said, looking down, and he shook his head. He was reminded of the time somewhere in Crait where Luke had ‘visited’ his sister and faced Ren.

Later, as Rey moved closer in front of the opened tent, unaware, she felt sick to her stomach. She moved towards at Leia’s shrouded body and dropped to her knees. Poe was behind her, unable to hold her up and cling to her because the Force projected her.

“I’m terribly sorry, Poe,” Rey said in a low tone, her breath shuddering from sobbing.

“Yeah, me too,” he replied in a somber tone.

They were surrounded by silence as both of them grieved over losing one important person whom they had admired.

“It was my fault,” she said, breaking the silence without looking back at him.

“No, Rey,” he amended. “Leia saved you. You don’t have to blame yourself for defeating her son.”

“All of it is because of me and who I am—worse than a nobody.”

“I know everything about you,” Poe said, moving toward her as Rey was startled and faced him. “She told me from the beginning when we left. No one else but me. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

She closed her eyes and sighed comprehensively. Ben had also revealed her and her true lineage, which included her father, who had disowned himself to keep little Rey safe from his fear-mongering father, the Dark Lord, who wanted her to come to him so she might complete her fateful journey towards to the dark side and ensure the rebirth of the Sith.

Rey looked back to the glimpse at her teacher, and went on with a whisper. “I have come back and know who I am, Master Leia. Your brother told me everything...” She lowered her head.

Poe moved backward, exited from the tent, and waited as he listened to Rey’s words. And after a minute Rey walked out and stood beside him.

“Where were you?” he asked dryly.

“Ahch-To,” she answered, looking up at the clearing.

“And did you find the thing you’ve been looking for at the ruins?” he wondered.

Rey said nothing as Poe stepped closer to her. “Finn and Jannah told me what happened.”

“Ben ambushed me,” she said with a revolted look, feeling that she was losing hope. “He destroyed the Wayfinder in an attempt to stoke my anger.“

“Kriff.” The acting general cursed himself, turning away from her. “That bastard.” If he visits her again, I swear I’ll kill him.

“I had no choice, Poe,” she demeaned.

“He forced me to control my responsibility. I have failed to obtain the Wayfinder.”

He sighed in despair, burying his face in his hands. “Terrific. We’re lost: Our general is dead, I’m still unprepared, and I don’t know what to do, and now your grandfather’s followers has destroyed Kijimi after we left.”

“I know, Poe.”

“You know! Oh, Force,” he snapped as he turned to her and scoffed quickly. “Why don’t you do something else besides find the Wayfinder, and is there a way to get there?” Then anxiously, he paced back and forth and faced her. “Why don’t you come back for real and to settle things out than get yourself stuck there to be a hermit-like as Luke? Is that what you decided, to stay there forever as the Final Order embarks?”

“Yes,” she revolted. “But that’s not what I’m planning!” Then there was a pause as the young Jedi felt remorseful and confused. She couldn’t bear to abandoned them again and remaining there at Ahch-To for the rest of her life. “I shouldn’t have come here,” she said as she looked away from him and walked to the grassy clearing of the forest where she had come.

“You’re here now, Rey,” he demanded, walking away from the base as he followed her to the clearing just before into the forest. “Please don’t leave…I need you, Rey. We need you right here, not there!”

Rey has stopped and took a breath. Then she looked back at him over her shoulder. “I was planning on giving up…I got out of my mind after I defeated Ben because of my anger, and as I felt more suffering than ever before because of Leia’s fate. Then I never faced him again after I had healed him. And I would never put you, Finn and the Resistance in danger because I was born with Sith blood.” she said sadly, nearly in tears from her eyes, and she stepped toward him. “This is why my parents had left me there at Jakku—to be safe and sound, away from him. That is why I will never confronting Palpatine. My grandfather is to turn me to the dark side and place me on his throne. Then Master Luke came as I told him everything, as I choose to remain there for good. I felt lost, afraid, and isolated, Poe. I’m sorry.”

”I know, Sunshine. We don’t want to be a failures, and there's nothing we can do,” Poe inferred calmly, and desperately of wanted to touch her. “Then let’s help each other as we prepared to battle. Besides Exegol, we need to fight this against the fleet. They've already been launched and are spreading to every planet. And they’re too powerful. What did you really think? Just a one single Star Destroyer destroyed a planet like Kijimi. Then they’ll destroyed the next as they urge us to surrender or continued. You’re the last Jedi is to fight against them, and you’re the only hope we have, Rey. Come back, and let's do this along with Finn, Chewie, and the rest, Rey. We’re doing this is for Leia, and everyone feels lost.”

“I’m not coming with you, General,” she rejected solemnly as she shook her head. “I’m doing this on my own.”

“What? Are you out of your kriffing mind?” He paused. “Don’t you know what the emperor is capable of? He’s forcing you to be at his side, you know that? Do you?”

“Yes, I know that.”

“Without the Wayfinder, have you figured it out how to reaching Exegol?”

Rey didn’t answer as the general paused in dismay. He suspiciously found out that she’s already had the second one from Ren’s wrecked TIE fighter, which she had flown from Kef Bir, and Master Luke, in a Force apparition, had come to help her by providing everything that she needed.

“Rey, you…” His voice suddenly broke. From the look on his face, Rey knew that he felt betrayed and deceived

“I have to do this on my own. You'll do it yourself.” she declared. “I’m going to Exegol, alone. And I need to face him and destroy him. I am a Jedi who can tolerate this.”

The last Jedi was finally lifted from her pain and suffering, and as she promised herself to confront her unhinged grandfather, who had murdered her parents for keeping her safe.

As Rey walked towards him, her eyes have softened. The reaction of the general looked stunned and agitated.

Then she sighed and gave him a passive smile. “I’ll be fine, Poe. And I’m not afraid anymore. Trust me and…” she answered him sincerely until she was piqued in annoyance. “Oh, kriff, would you please wipe the grim look off your face and stop acting like Finn?”

“You can’t do this, sweetheart,” he urged her as he shook his head. “And this is not your goddamned family reunion.”

”Leia bestowed this promise while she was still training me until I completed it and learned to put myself besides my anger, and Luke taught me the value of patience, I’m ready for my confrontation while he is still lecturing me. I owned them a lot. I’ve already set myself on this path and I am never turning back. This is my fight, and I’m the only hope, Poe. It’s my destiny.”

”Destiny my ass,” he rasped. “Well, in that case...” Then he took a breath with a simple smirk and a cocky remark. “Let me come with you, and you don’t have to do this alone.” He was satisfied.

“Are you barking mad?” Her eyes widened.

“Do you really have to answer that?” He said.

She shook her head. “You’re crazy!”

“Not as crazy as you think, Sunshine.” he retorted with a playful, impish look on his face.

“No, Poe,” she blurted out, glaring at him. “Stay out of this.”

“I’m not letting you go there alone against that old fossil Sith scum.” He glared her back at her.

“This is my quarrel!” she exclaimed. “Not yours!”

“I don’t kriffing care!” he disregarded, raising both arms.

“I’ll kick your ass!”

“Try me, baby!”

It was like they were quarreling again since their blunder regarding Beebee-Ate and the Falcon. Then afterward...

“It’s too dangerous. Don’t you understand? You’d rather be killed when I’m with you,” she snapped back. “The Resistance needs you here as their leader, which Leia made you. You need to be safe here with Finn and do your job. Haven’t you done enough to protecting me?”

“Look, Desert Rat! I can’t let the last Jedi to be fallen by the hands of the Sith Lord!” he vexed, using his finger at her. “You can’t dare to leave me like this again, and I don’t want another burden of losing you!”

“Poe, please—”

“Listen, sweetheart.” he cuts her off as he stepped closer to her, cursing himself helplessly, wanting to touch her, kiss her, and hold her in his arms. “How about this—and we can figure it out, okay? I promise I’ll take you there to show a Force tree at Yavin after the war. You can meet my dad. He's a good man. He talks a lot about you, and he’d love to invite you someday. You can borrow my buddy Beebe-Ate as long as you like, he missed you a lot. Cone Head misses you, too, and he’d like to spend time with you as a company along with Beebee.” Poe pleaded absurdity with a stammer, and he was willing to find a way to settle the whole predicament than lose his mind.

“Then, I’ll show you how to lightspeed skip. You’ve been interested in it, and I swear I won’t ever hurt put a single scratch on your Falcon. A-and I’ll show you where we're going as we fly together, just you and me…or I want you to show you the most beautiful places you’ve ever seen across the galaxy, or we could....we....oh, shit.”

He paused as his voice hitched, giving up from talking too much. As his head was bowed and he was keeping himself from looking at her, Poe’s dashing, cocky, and bravado-filled persona had dissolved into one that was heartbroken, despondent, and emotionally crushed.

He hated losing another important person after General Organa, and nothing could stop this...like saying farewell and never coming back. He felt more pain and suffering that Rey’s fateful plight was to plummet away from the light. Then he’s started to choke back the tears, realizing that he felt crying.

“Poe,” she called to him with a whisper and stepped closer to him.

Poe’s head rose as he looked at her, a single tear running down his left cheek.

“You don’t have to protect me anymore,” she noted softly. “I promise I’ll be all right.”

They stood in silence in the middle of the clearing as their foreheads were leaned only inches apart.

“I love you, Rey. I want you to come back in my life with me,” he whispered back as his breath shuddered sadly. “I would never find and love another woman to be with. But you—the only one I have and always will be. Think about Finn, Chewie, Rose, and the rest. Everybody else loves you. They all need you. I need you too because I love you. I can’t let you go by yourself out there to face your grandfather. That would become a trap to turn you to the dark side. Don’t do this to me, my darling Rey. I’m begging you. Please don’t go there.”

“Poe, I...” She was lost for words, looking up at him. “You are the most difficult but passionate man I’ve ever met, and I will always be with you. Now’s not the time, and by the time it’s all over or not—”

“Definitely not the time….but it would never be ‘it’s all over,’ Rey,” he answered, gritting his teeth in pain and desperation. “Not yet.”

Rey had no choice, not wanting to waste time out of desperation in persuading Poe. She couldn’t let him accompany her where her Sith grandfather was waiting for her. It was too risky and dangerous with him, and she had no way to take Poe’s advantage so seriously.

Poe, exasperated—his cocky and devil-may-care manner had returned—informed Rey. “You know what? I’ll demoted myself, and I’ll have to promote Finn and Snap to take over for me,” he admitted quickly.

“Damn you, Poe.” The Jedi was provoked, and displeasingly shook her head. I had no choice, so…

“Just tell me where you are and wait for me,” he went on while keep pleading and talking so foolishly, as he spun toward the distance base. “Let’s fight together, Rey. No matter what—”

Without warning, Rey approached him after he had turned his back to her. Using her Jedi mind tricks, she waved one hand in front of the general’s face while cutting off his words. His body stood still, and he stared blankly back at her, his dilated eyes controlled by hers like he was benumbed, and his mind went completely blank.

“You don’t need to protect me anymore,” she began, with a firm and quiet voice. “And you will leave this to me.”

“I don’t need to protect you anymore, and I'll leave this to you.” he echoed, his face blank as his voice was composed and he followed her lead.

“You’re the general of the Resistance, and you’re in charge of persisting here to support your comrades to be initiated in battle.”

“I’m the general of the Resistance, and I’m in charge of persisting here to support my comrades to be initiated in battle.”

“Leia depends on you. And the spark will burn to overthrow the Final Order and to win this war.”

“Leia depends on me. And the spark will burn to overthrow the Final Order and to win this war.”

She sighed somberly, whilst focusing the unique powers of the Force on Poe. “Tell Finn and Uncle Chewie to forgive me, and I promise someday that I will be with them together as a family.”

“I’ll tell Finn and Chewie to forgive you. And you promise someday that we’ll be together as a family.”

“And when if I sacrificed myself to save the galaxy….” Her voice broke as her breath shuddered convulsively, but she was still controlling and concentrating on her inner mind and the Force. “You must tell stories about me.”

“And when if you sacrifice yourself to save the galaxy, I will tell a story about you.”

She looked up at him, a tear sliding down her cheek. “You’ll survive, live your life in peace...” Her soft whimpers were buried as she took one last glimpse at the man she truly loved. “And be happy.”

“I’ll survive, live my life in peace and be happy,” Poe echoed finally, softly and slowly.

Rey was prepared to answer with something precious only for him, as she lowered her head, not getting closer to him. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you.”

Ultimately, she’d given him a vital word to change the galaxy forever. “May the Force be with you,” she said.

“And may the Force be with you,” Poe remarked back and paused afterward.

Then it was sealed.

Rey stepped back, away from Poe as he was still under the spell, and her hand fluttered in front of his face from her last bidding.

“Goodbye, Poe Dameron.” She sighed and smiled serenely but sadly after that final moment. Then she was ready to leave, and her Force projection began to vanish herself.

However, she was startled when her hand was clasped in his. She was still projected through the power of the Force, but this...She felt warm from the palm of his hand and more real, and alive…

No! Rey thought in disbelief, stunned. How could this be? How the hell can he touch me all of a sudden? It cannot be…

“I think you’ve missed something, buttercup.” He spoke in a low husky tone, uttering her latest moniker, while he was staring or even, not even smiling back at her. He pulled her to him gently and slowly, while he stepped closer to her, brushed her soft cheek with his free hand. His eyes tenderly stared at her and began to move his head closer to hers.

As Rey was able to speak his name, her mouth was silenced by his. Poe kissed her softly, slowly, and longingly, with his tongue stroking her lower lip and then entering to meet hers. He moved his hand from her face as he was sliding it and then kneading behind the third chignon of her hair, and the soft fabric of the hood has fallen from her head. His other hand released her hand he fastened her body to his, pulling her close against him while profoundly kissing her.

The young Jedi’s body and soul were enlivened, and the Force enlightened her once again. Poe loved her, and she certainly understood as she replied to him with more kisses. She welcomed him back as had her arms around his neck and his waist, invitingly him closer.

He was afraid of losing her again. He was afraid of her fighting herself independently on her bold confrontation against the most dangerous dark emperor of the Sith. Soon, in the middle of the never-ending battlefield, he would die in his cockpit as he cried her name, this brave, beautiful, and passionate girl from Jakku. Poe didn’t even give a damn about her Sith heritage. She would bring balance to the Force, and peace and freedom across the universe.

At a distance, by a large tree, sighed Beebee-Ate, who stood beside the trunk, awestricken with light chirps and moans as he watched his maker-pilot and his hero-protector in the middle of the clearing, sharing passionate kisses. From the droid’s point of view, it was a beautiful and romantic sight. The embracing the warm sun rays were bore down through the branches and upon the meadows below.

They broke away after the kiss. They leaned gently against their foreheads as their eyes close for a moment, and they wishing that they would see each other again.

“How?” Rey was puzzled, her breath shuddering. “That’s impossible…”

“Impossible? No, it’s indubitable,” Poe answered truthfully. “Your emotions were awakened because of me. And as I felt a strong presence inside me, it’s because of you.”

She smiled lightly with tears in her eyes and placed both hands against Poe’s cheeks. “Space Porg.” She sobbed with a light chuckle.

Poe was pulling her back as he embraced her hard. He buried his face in the crook between her neck and her shoulder, and his strong arms still gripped her tightly, like he was afraid of losing her again.

The time had come for battle. Their friends and comrades were consummated in the act of courage and sacrifice. Someday, by the presence of the Force, their desire would be rekindled, and they would be reunited again.

“Promise me, my Lady Jedi,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers without opening his eyes. “Promise me to stay alive.”

“Then promise me, General,” she replies as she reflected his voice. “that you’ll do the same.”

He sighed peacefully, with tears flowing from one of his eyes. “No matter what happens to you down there…I will find you.”

She nodded slowly. “And while you’re still out of the sky...I’ll fly and find you.”

He smiles sadly, and eventually, he moved closer to hers and before he returned to touch her soft lips one last time. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I know…” she whispered back.

They shared another unhurriedly and passionately kiss, and their fates have finally sealed—until the hastened beeping sounds of Beebee-Ate interrupts them. Poe eventually blinked at his reaction, and his face was befuddled when gazing across the clearing, looking for her. She'd quickly disappeared into thin air. Rey's Force projection had vanished.

”B...buddy, did you just see us?” he stammered with an unfastened voice to his droid, who was standing before him.

Of course, Master-Poe, his beeped in response. What did you expect?

Poe stood out in the clearing, and his reaction said nothing as Beebee slowly rolled closer to him.

Hey, don’t worry, sir. I won’t say a word to anyone about the two of you.

He smiled sadly to his droid. “Thanks, pal,” he acknowledged warmly.

I miss her...the spherical droid moaned sadly, as his dome head was lowered.

“Hey, don’t look sad, buddy.” he responded with a light shudder, wiping his tears from his face. “Rey is doing fine on her own. She’ll be fine, and so will we.”

Is Hero-Rey coming back to us? Beebee asked with a sad tone.

Poe stood on the clearing for a while as he exhaled in the disheartening state instead of his cocky mood. Rey was gone, and the worst has yet to come if he’d ever see her again. She was prepared to die, or she was already falling to the dark side and being placed her on the emperor’s throne as the New Republic would crumble down. He couldn’t kriffing bear to think about it, and what would he had to think of how to notifying everyone before he was prepared to win against the Final Order. The rest of the fleet had already ventured across the galaxy.

“General Dameron!” Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix called to him out at the clearing as Poe turned at her. “You’d better come to the control room. Finn and Rose are needed you right away.”

“What is it?” He was puzzled.

“D-O has something to tell you about Exegol,” she explained as the general approached and Beebee followed. “And he has a trove of data on its destination.”

“Has he already found out why he’s was heading back with Ochi?”

She shook her head. “Perhaps he’ll tell us everything when he’s uploaded the information it’s detailed, sir.”

Poe’s heart quickened in relief on finding something important and thanked goodness for Dio’s most transparent explanations as he looked down at Beebee. “Buddy, go down there to assists Cone Head, and I’ll follow you.”

Affirmative! Beebee beeped, and he rolled out from the clearing as he followed Kaydel, who was heading back to the base.

As Poe proceeded, his hand reached down to pull at the necklace chain from under his shirt. However, he stopped abruptly as he was unexpectedly dabbing inside against his bare skin, and then he impatiently looked down at his shirt. His reaction was alarm. The necklace with his mother’s ring had gone missing. Then he looked down at the grass when he had accidentally stumbled over when he was reunited with Rey on Force projection.

Poe cursed himself across the clearing, but he paused for a second. His mind went back to Rey, who, out of habit, was on holding Shara’s band while they had shared their last kiss before she disappeared. He was stunned in stupefaction, and it finally found out that she had his necklace.

He didn’t worry about wearing his necklace as a source of luck anymore because he had a luck from eventually finding his right partner.

Sir, you're still here. Are you all right? The droid returned to see his maker-pilot, who was still standing there in the clearing.

Poe turned as he looked back at the area where his beloved goddess had appeared, and he was smiling to himself, finally in a good mood.

“Nothing, Beebee. I'm fine,” he answered impressively with a real smile, and he hurried back to the base. “C’mon let’s go, buddy!” he called out as his droid followed him. “Everyone’s waiting for us, and we have a lot of work to do. Now let’s get things out that our new buddy is telling out.”

#damereydaily2020 #damerey #poe dameron #rey skywalker #poe x rey #star wars #star wars nothing but star wars #star wars: the rise of skywalker #star wars: duel of the fates #star wars episode ix #star wars fanfiction #damerey fic #4. may the force be with you #headcanon #canon divergent au #may the queue be with you #may the force be with you

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scavengered · 5 years

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IMPORTANT TROS ( canon divergent ) NOTES THAT influence my portrayal in all of my TROS threads:

this is not a full framework (yet), but rather a couple of important moments I felt I needed to clearly write out & present on my blog. Once the film is properly released, I may consider writing out a full framework, or leave it like it is, if it solely concerns a few scenes ! Should you want to write with me, but would like to see a few things adjusted, do not hesitate to contact me ! please keep in mind that these notes are my own headcanons and ideas based on what happened and/or how I would have liked scenes to be played out. I ask that you respect them and do not steal. I consider these notes to be my canon.

ALLEGIANCE TO THE RESISTANCE

As stated in my rewritten TLJ verse, Rey struggled with her allegiance to the Resistance after delivering the droid back to its master. She had not signed up to be part of it, nor the war, as her sole intention was to return a droid to its master. The more time she spent with the Resistance, the more she came in contact with the loving and caring qualities of others. Having been isolated from interactions on the desert planet where she grew up on, she initially watched as she saw Resistance members enjoy and appreciate every day that they were still out there fighting the good fight. Hope was strong within them, and it was fuelled by love. Others cared for her and in return, she started to care for them. She had formed relationships and some grew to be more than simply friends. Witnessing it all, General Organa had decided to tell her about family; how it it was not always by blood, but sometimes by choice. The words needed time to sink in, but eventually the realisation hit that she had found family of her own, in members of the Resistance.

COMPASSION

Like we have seen in previous materials, Rey’s compassion goes a long way, but it certainly has its limits.

her compassion is for two scavengers she knew not to trust, who saw an opportunity and got away with a ship she had restored to its former glory, along with a bit of their help. her compassion is for the droid with a bend antennae, looking for its master, whom she freed from the clutches of a Teedo. her compassion is for a defected stormtrooper who told her a lie she believed, was the first to ask her if she was okay, and was not someone she wanted to lose when he wanted to run. her compassion is for a pilot who might bicker with her, but they both know their lines and the base on which they bicker: love and friendship. her compassion is for a Wookiee who lost his best friend, and entrusted her with the millennium falcon. her compassion does not forgive and forget. her compassion does not forgive her abuser.

DOUBTS

Rey, in my rewritten TLJ verse, had been trained in the Force by Jedi master Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To. Her skills in using the Force developed through this training, though she still felt vulnerable and somewhat insecure in using them. Especially with the threat of the Dark Side rising, there was much more at stake than before. Her insecurities increased, and eventually it led her to ask General Organa for extra training, once they had found a new and secure base for the Resistance. Her extra training caused her to be on the ground much more than in the air where she could have used her flying skills and aided the Resistance in what was familiar territory for her, doing what she could do best much to the annoyance of some Resistance members. This annoyance, along with the threat of the Dark Side, Rey sensed that expectations were high, and she felt the pressure from everyone, which she struggled to deal with, as well as her new surroundings that encouraged team work. Team work was encouraged amongst Resistance members, as they believed it would pull them out of the darker moments and made victories no matter how small or big feel that much greater. Rey, however, had sworn off team work back on Jakku, where she had initially been in service of others. After a few years, when realising that she knew the tricks of the trade and did not need others to survive, she became aware that she could do the same work on her own. This independence allowed her to keep whatever she got out of a trade, all to herself. Another reason for working alone was distrust; she could not trust anyone on the desert planet, nor see through someone’s genuine intentions. From that moment onwards, she had vowed to work alone, a belief that had worked its way into her mind. Over the years, she had convinced herself that she was someone who did not work well with others. To Resistance members who survived off the strength and support of each other, this vow seemed to be foreign. The gap between the two beliefs where Rey found herself and what the Resistance expected of her had to be crossed, in order to earn her spot in the Resistance. How else could they trust her, if she did not trust them? In essence, the thought of trusting others was an uncomfortable and daunting one, and the fear of letting them down, exactly when they needed her most, scared her. Rey found herself in a position that was the stark opposite of when she was back on Jakku, where she knew herself and her skills, and relied on them. It was a dangerous place to be in to not be able to rely on oneself and knew this was the sort of thing that could mean death on a planet as harsh as Jakku. As a consequence, Rey felt uneasy and did whatever she could to strengthen herself in the use of the Force, even if that meant sitting out on missions.

FINN’S FORCE SENSITIVITY

In an ideal story/trilogy, I would have liked to see Finn realising and coming to terms with his force sensitivity around the time TLJ took place. In my opinion, and the way I write and portray Rey, she would not push him to come forward to her about this. Instead, she would allow him to do so when he felt ready to share this discovery. I believe Rey would have sensed his force sensitivity somewhere along the way, and would respond with a simple “ I know ” , before handing him her lightsaber to practice with. for more finn and rey dynamic, see ‘that lightsaber scene’ at the bottom of the post.

FIGHTING STYLE

Once six-year-old Rey decided to stop working for others, she was no longer able to enjoy the protection of a group. Others saw her as an easy target, and to survive on Jakku, she had to defend her salvage, as well as herself. It took time, but eventually the young scavenger started to win more fights than she lost. Rey would use whatever was available to her, whether that be random items lying around, her staff or her fists to punch with and legs to kick there were no rules to take into consideration: all was fair in a fight that resulted in either survival or death. Her reputation grew, and over time others knew to stay out of her way and leave her be. When leaving Jakku, Rey did not leave her rough and scrappy fighting skills. Even in a lightsaber combat, she would use what she could to get the upper hand, rather than solely relying on striking with her lightsaber.

PARENTAGE

In my main verse for episode IX, Rey will remain a nobody. The power she wields is entirely her own. There is no one who can answer questions about her parents and there is no hidden mystery behind it. Rey was abandoned on Jakku as a five-year-old and has had to fend for herself, believing her family would one day return for her. Instead of them returning for her, she was taken on an adventure when encountering, defending and taking care of a Resistance droid. Any parallels between other Legacy characters would be coincidental in this AU, not hinting to anything more. This darling desert flower child has gone through and survived so much, and she deserves her power to be hers, not something she owes someone / a certain lineage. Alongside of this reinvented canon for my Rey, I have added an AU that follows most events ( as they happen in my own canon ) but in which she is a Skywalker. Way back in 2016, I was inspired by these gifsets [x] & [x] and started to plot extensively with a specific Luke because come on... that IS the Skywalker strut, and you cannot deny that resemblance ( both physically and in background ) ! Not wanting to force this parentage onto another mun/muse else, I kept it between the person I plotted with. We spoke how Rey was his daughter, but he had to get her to a safe place due to the looming threat of the Dark Side. As mentioned, I kept this between the person I plotted it with, until now. Though her parentage has been revealed in The Rise of Skywalker, it is not necessarily one that makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. So, here’s my own headcanon on this matter, that will influence my TROS/post TROS verse: For my Rey’s lineage, she is Luke’s daughter and Anakin’s grandchild, given the name Kira upon her birth. Luke gave his daughter to the “parents” she still remembers leaving her on Jakku. The reason for this was that he needed someone to take care of young Kira, as his attention would be on training the new Jedi order. Luke had not entrusted Kira to just anyone, he made sure to select a couple who he had known from the rebellion, people he knew and trusted with his own life. Eventually, years later, training young Jedis went horribly wrong. Luke might have managed to get a message out to Kira’s caretakers, mentioning them to be careful, that something was about to happen and to keep Rey safe no matter what. Given Kira’s caretakers’ ties to the rebellion, they possessed the mentality that, even if tortured, they would not reveal Kira’s location or give her up any other way. They fought for her survival to the point of them paying the price for it. Sacrificing themselves for the safety of the five-year-old left Luke and Kira on different places in the universe, with no way for either of them to contact each other. Young Kira who over time forgot her name and aptly named herself Rey when inspired by finding a rebellion helmet with the name Raeh on it still held out for the return of those she believed to be her parents, whilst Luke searched everywhere for his young daughter. Not having any luck in finding her, he expected the worst and turned his objective to seeking out and destroying the Sith. Skipping forward to the end of The Rise of Skywalker, in my headcanon-y verse, Rey is told the surname of her caretakers those she believed to have been her true parents as well as discovering that she is Luke’s kid. The choice of the surname is hers, and she takes everything into consideration. She cannot verbally express what her caretakers have meant to her; they have kept her save and protected her, knowing it would lead to their demise. She considers what Leia and Luke have meant to her, and what her life, stepping into their legacy means she is given the choice to choose her family. Her family is the Resistance, and she chooses to attach the name Skywalker to it once and for all. To sum it up, the lineage for Rey in this AU will therefore be: Strong force sensitive Shmi > Anakin Skywalker > Luke Skywalker → entrusted caretakers > Rey Skywalker small disclaimer: as seen in the background story I have come up with for Rey, I am using other characters. Should you want to write with me, but do not necessarily agree with what I mentioned, please contact me so we can look at the possibilities that could work for us both.

KYLO USING HIS LIFE FORCE ON REY

First and foremost, this is, and always will be, an ani-r*ylo blog, as I do not ship someone with her abuser. Still, my paths crossed with this quote from a pro-r*ylo blog in one of my tracked tags: “he used his life-force to resurrect rey because he loves her and he can't live without her.” .. .. . . f u ck no.

If I am being completely honest, I think that Kylo opted to save Rey from a selfish, weak and cowardly point of view. Let us not forget that Kylo has committed genocide, emotionlessly ordered and committed murders, tortured others to gain information and patricide. He is responsible for the death of millions and time and time again, he has shown no remorse. I believe, which in this topic goes hand-in-hand in regards to Rey’s beliefs, Kylo saw this as his escape from his responsibilities ( to own up to his crimes ) and took it. In doing so, he did a small good thing to be fair, he could have stabbed himself with a lightsaber but he chose to give his life force to Rey. Still, I believe it came from a selfish place, as this action allowed him to escape all the crimes he had committed. Important note: I do not believe Rey actually died in this scene, but rather that she was unconscious. It is a sickening thought that she should owe her life to her abuser, and I will not allow that to be my canon.

REY STABBING KYLO & THE AFTERMATH

The scene in which Rey stabbed Kylo with the lightsaber, went a little differently in my head, which is the canon I accept. During the lightsaber fight, Rey managed to get the upper hand and stab Kylo, just before Leia sought contact with her son one last time. Rey felt this, too, and did not decide to heal her abuser. Instead, she told him to live with the damage he had done and the horrors he had caused. Rey took Kylo’s ship, which realistically is the only transport off the Death Star, assuming the dangerous waves did their damage to the Skimmer by then. To clarify, Rey has stabbed and left her abuser with no way to escape off the Death Star. Rey would still take off, but sent out an emotional message to Poe and Finn ( most likely to the Millennium Falcon ) before she would be out of reach, in which she explained her reasoning for doing this. Despite having worked together really well and having faced danger together, that she saw no other way but to set out on her own to finish what others before her had started to end the Sith. Rey continued the message by apologising for leaving them behind like this, but revealed not to know of another way to keep them, the family she chose, safe ( in her mind, she acknowledged the fact that she, too, had once been left behind on a planet for safekeeping, ouch ) . Upon hearing this message, Finn and Poe decided not to accept this, and they head back to base to try and find out where she could have gone. Once back on Resistance Base, Poe sought out the ones in charge of tactics and comms, and Finn headed straight for the Jedi books Rey had been reading up on, remembering her talking about the topics the books covered and what Luke had been up to. In accordance to the film, Poe would catch word of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing showing up on their tactical screen, and it would become clear that it was Rey sending her signal to them. I reckon that Rey realised, with some guidance from Luke, that she could not complete this task alone. “ You’re stronger when you work together, Rey. ” The Jedi master had told her, which caused her to turn on her signal transmitter, which she made sure was sent to the Resistance receivers, so that they could track her. Finn and Poe immediately realised Rey’s intention by doing this. Convinced team work is the way to take down the Sith, Rey’s actions make my ‘doubts’ topic on Rey and team work come full circle.

THAT LIGHTSABER SCENE

Given the topic above and my thoughts on it, removing Kylo from the narrative would provide the perfect ability for Finn to put his Jedi training to the test, along with his lightsaber skills he possesses, and take out the Sith side by side with Rey. Should the scene have happened with Finn and Rey, it could have shown their growth from when they faced Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens, and now stood opposite of the entire Sith together, to bring it down. A scavenger and a defected stormtrooper, side by side, with lightsabers that previously belonged to Luke and Leia. We deserved this, and even more so, Finn and Rey deserved this.

SPICE RUNNER... POE...

Lastly... although this is the one note/thought that does not have any sort of connection to Rey, I still wanted to express my thoughts on this. no . it is stereotypical and racist. The only way this would be slightly possible, would be if Poe used this as a sort of undercover job to gain the trust of a group he had to join to gain intel or something else of value, via which he could have met Zorii ( who I personally think is definitely nothing more than a friend to him ) .

#tros spoilers #sw spoilers #{ . .. little to none drafts have been done these past few days because I have been writing up this bad boii since I saw the film ! }#✧･ﾟ * ｡ﾟ.* 「 meta 」#✧･ﾟ * ｡ﾟ.* 「 headcanon 」#{ I will be writing up my official verse over the next few days – especially after wednesday when I will have seen the film again ! }

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takadasaiko · 1 year

Text

A Flicker of Light Chapter Seventeen

Story Summary: A canon divergent AU in which Luke Skywalker is raised within the Empire to be either his father's heir as a Sith Lord… or his replacement.

Chapter Summary: Luke learns more about the Emperor's Death Star and has to decide what to do with that information.

FFN II AO3

---

While sleep was a necessity, restful sleep was often a luxury in her line of work. Mara jumped from one side of the galaxy to the other, investigating rumours and dispensing the Emperor's justice as his personal Hand. Small shuttles and tight turnaround times didn't leave her with leisure time, so Luke's cabin on the Aeres should have been a welcome change with the oversized bed and the soft sounds of the engine room below them. Should have.

Mara sighed, turning over in the bed to look at Luke who was sound asleep next to her. I sleep better when you're here, he'd said once, and she wished it went both ways. Usually it did, but lying next to him with only his quiet breathing and the engines to fill the room around them, her own thoughts were deafening.

He hadn't asked her for guidance as the Emperor said he would. Not yet, at any rate, and despite all her training, she wasn't sure she knew how to guide him away from his father. She had to, she truly understood that now. Luke was clever and determined, but he had a blind spot when it came to Vader. Despite the loyalty that he'd gained from his own men, none of them could or even would be able to protect him from that blind spot, but perhaps Mara could. She had to. He trusted her and she couldn't lose him.

Luke shifted a little in his sleep and Mara inched closer, reaching out under the sheets. Her fingers found his arm, elbow bent with his hand tucked under his pillow. She kept her touch light as she traced up to his shoulder and he stirred again, arm straightening to wrap around her waist as he pulled her closer. She let him and her fingers traced scars life had left behind.

"Morning," came the drowsy voice and Mara looked up to see those clear blue eyes watching her.

"Morning. I think."

"Haven't looked?"

"No."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. He lingered there a moment and she could feel the light probing of her mind. "Stop."

"Something bothering you?"

"No."

"Liar."

She snorted. "I could ask you the same thing. You were pretty determined not to think about something last night."

Luke's lips curled in a wry smile. "Or maybe I was just focused on you."

Mara hummed softly and he chuckled.

"Okay. Fair enough."

There was a long moment of silence from him and Mara's fingers continued to dance along his back. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

"You're on my side," he acknowledged the old promise softly, almost as if reminding himself.

And she was. More than he knew. "And you're on mine."

He nodded, pursing his lips together softly, and she could feel the struggle before he decided to speak. "Have you ever thought of what life would be like if we left?"

"Left what?"

"The Empire."

Her fingers stilled. "To do what?"

He shrugged a little. "It doesn't matter. Just…. Find a planet and live."

"Sounds boring."

"Nothing could be boring with you," he murmured. "Do you think he'd let us?"

"Your father?"

"Palpatine."

That hadn't been the answer she'd expected. It would solve the question of apprenticeship. Vader might not be his first choice between father and son, but he'd done the job for what? Eighteen years? All of her and Luke's lives. Maybe….

A soft, mirthless chuckle escaped Luke even as she knew the maybe was futile. "No, I didn't think so."

"We're vital to the Empire."

"We serve it, if we want to or not."

She shifted, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look down at him. "Do you not want to?"

"I want to freely choose."

He held her gaze and she leaned down, her lips pressed against his. "We are free," she murmured. "Free to move about, free to be together. We pledged our loyalty to the Emperor. That was a choice."

"We were children. Do you even remember your life before?"

"My life before doesn't matter," Mara stressed. "I chose this. This life, this loyalty. We are the Empire. Yes, we serve it, but we are it." She stopped, searching for the right word that also felt true. "We're making the galaxy better. Safer. I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but we are making a difference."

Luke's fingers skimmed her cheek as he tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. His fingers crept lower, hand going to the base of her neck and guiding her back down into a kiss. With each passing second it grew a little more desperate and she wasn't sure of it was him or if it was her. All she knew is that she felt like they were standing on the edge of something dangerous and that she couldn't let him fall over the edge. She wouldn't let him. She had to protect him.

Mara shifted, never breaking the kiss and she leaned over him, her hair falling loose and both of his hands settled against her face as if he were afraid she'd pull back at any moment. But it was her breathless voice that begged, "Don't go."

"I'm not."

She broke, looking down at him and her voice was raw as she spoke. "No. I mean… don't go somewhere I can't follow. Promise me that?"

His lips quirked up a little. "Never," he swore, and she believed him. She really believed him.

—

Something told him that Mara needed to go to the Mustafar system less than she wanted to catch a ride on the Aeres as an excuse to steal some extra time. She'd been focused on his mood, as if she were looking for something in particular. Probing and searching, but for what exactly, she hadn't said.

We're making the galaxy better.

Her words battered around his mind the rest of the trip and even through his inspection of Fortress Inquisatorious that had been the goal of his trip. She believed the sentiment, that much he knew, but as he searched his own feelings through the Force, he found that he didn't believe them. He wasn't sure she would either if she had seen what he had. Mara was capable of taking out an enemy of the Empire's with dangerous precision, but she didn't believe in harming innocents. It was the reason she'd helped him on Naboo and the reason he doubted that she even knew of the Death Star's existence. Sure, it would deter Palpatine's enemies of all sorts, but if used, it had the potential to wipe out everyone with them. If even he couldn't shake that from his mind, he couldn't imagine a galaxy where Mara would blindly accept that.

The fortress was secluded and was a relatively safe place to conduct an investigation if one didn't want to set off alarm bells. Luke would have preferred having someone else dig into it and report back, adding a layer of protection from Palpatine's dangerous foresight, but unknown variables weren't an option. He needed to control the situation closely or he'd put more than himself at risk. For that reason, the research was slow-going, gathering pieces where he could between his various missions and building his own secret file on what he found.

There was little direct information about the Death Star itself, which didn't come as a surprise. If the Imperial Senate were to discover that the Emperor was building his own planet-killing weapon, it wouldn't go over well. Not that Luke really thought they'd be able to do much about it, but it would be a hassle that Palpatine wouldn't put up with. Secrecy was his way. It always had been.

There was one name that crept up in his research: Orson Krennic. A ranking science officer that worked in advanced weaponry research. He had quite the resume, starting his career as so many did in the Old Republic. He studied in an advanced placement program before being recruited into the military. He shifted seamlessly as the Republic became the Empire, but that's where the data trail ran thin. He was working, clearly being funded, but it wasn't until Luke pinpointed his last base of operations as Geonosis that he felt the shift that signaled he was following the correct path. This was the man heading up the Death Star project. He was the one that could get him the information he needed. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as they appeared.

Luke had never dealt with him directly, but he answered to Moff Tarkin who has filed some scathing reports on the man over the years. He would be looking for someone to take up his side. Someone with power. So, months after seeing the Death Star for the first time, Luke summoned Krennic to his father's castle on Mustafar. He felt the shuttle's approach. Rather, he felt the fear, the anticipation from inside the shuttle. Good. He could use that.

Luke unfolded himself from the seat he'd taken on the hard fortress floor, intentionally pulling the image of the monstrous battle station to his mind's eye. He focused on it, on the nightmares that followed in which he'd been driven to his knees, sharpening his own fear to use it rather than be used by it. A chill settled in around him as he moved through the halls and, instead of pushing it away as he so often wished to do, he took hold of it. He used it to help nudge at and grow the seeds of fear and anxiety emanating from the shuttle. The Force obeyed his command, and by the time he made his way onto the landing pad, Krennic was antsy with nerves.

"My Lord…. Natus," he greeted, choking a bit on his own surprise.

"Director Krennic," Luke answered, his tone even and he tilted his head slightly, studying him.

The older man stood straightened just a little more, but Luke could feel the fear festering in him. "Forgive me, my lord. When the summons came, I anticipated speaking with Lord Vader."

"You have been trying to reach him for some time now," Luke acknowledged.

"Yes, I'd hoped —"

"To go above your superior's head and set a meet with the Emperor."

The seed of fear blossomed into barely contained terror and the director took a physical step back. "I only wish to speak to the Emperor, to show him that I…" He trailed off, clearly uncertain if Luke was privy to the details of his project.

"That his faith placed in you in the construction of his Death Star isn't in vain. And that's what I'm here for: confirmation." Without releasing his influence through the Force, Luke let a knowing smile touch his lips. "I've worked with Tarkin before, Director. He has his own goals in mind. His own endgame, and he'll use you and throw you away once he thinks he has a hold on the project. I believe - if your battle station does what you say it does - the Empire will need you for additional projects after this one is complete."

And then he released the hold, allowing for a more natural relief to flood Krennic's mind with more intensity than it might have otherwise. He saw the trust being built. The lifeline the director was looking for.

"Of course, my lord. I look forward to proving to you that our Emperor's time and faith has not been wasted."

He had him.

Luke gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "Then let's not waste any of both yours and my valuable time."

—-

The closest thing he had found to peace was when he was working with his hands. Nimble fingers fitting pieces together, mind focused on the mechanics, and, in the end, a finished piece. He'd started with droids, then he'd built a lightsaber. As he grew up he'd learned all the intricate details of Lambda shuttles and TIE fighters to be able to make adjustments where he saw fit. The Force guided him in battle, but knowing every bolt and every piece of weaponry helped. There weren't any surprises when blaster bolts flew in every direction and he didn't have to second guess his own firepower. Knowledge and preparedness instilled confidence. In the same way, Luke had hoped learning more about the Death Star would quell some of his nerves about the unknown.

And it had. It had taken time, but Luke had gained enough leeway with Krennic that he had gotten pieces of technical information. Like so much within the Empire, the details were kept siloed to prevent them from being leaked out to anyone who might try to stop the project. The Senate, individual people, the Rebellion… the more he learned, the more he was relatively sure that Palpatine himself was the only person that could truly benefit from the weapon. Still, a weapon of this magnitude was only for show if it didn't have the power needed behind it, and the more he learned, the more he failed to see just where that power was coming from.

"As a battle station, we've never seen anything like it," Luke admitted as he walked along the decking of the partially completed structure, "but as a weapon, I've yet to see anything that convinced me of the firepower you've predicted." He glanced back at Krennic. "Even half a dozen Star Destroyers can't decimate a planet down to its core."

"It's the power behind it that governs the destructive capability," the director agreed. "The Emperor is… aware of the research that is backing the power structure. He has been since the beginning."

The hint of hesitation pulled at the corners of Luke's lips. He was walking a fine line and, if he wasn't careful, he'd tip his hand that he was acting outside of his actual authority. "Of course, but there's been no proof that the research is sound in it's execution on this scale."

"The stability of a kyber crystal of this magnitude certainly requires care, but…." He tapered off, his discomfort saturating the deck they'd paused on. He cleared his throat. "While I'm certain we'll have the weaponry online by the deadline the Emperor has set, perhaps a small scale demonstration of what a kyber crystal can do when used in this way would help alleviate concerns?"

"It'd go a long way," Luke managed, squaring his shoulders intentionally and pulling on the Force to help him stoke the rising fear in the science officer. "You have two standard weeks. Make sure you don't disappoint." He turned on his heel and left Krennic with the unreasonable expectation hanging on her his head. He needed him focused on that, otherwise he might realize that Luke was struggling to keep his own composure. Of all of the possible power sources he'd considered, the same crystals that powered his and his father's lightsabers had never crossed his mind. As far as he knew they were small, which limited what they could power. If Krennic had found a way to combine crystals or found one naturally large enough for his purposes, Luke's original fear became very real: the new battle station could turn an entire planet into a meteor field.

Fear welled up within him and he shoved it down hard, even as he boarded the shuttle that he had intended to take him back to the Aeres. That would have to wait. For better or worse, he'd learned the secrets he'd sought there, and if he wanted to make sure he and the people he cared for came out on the other side of it, he had to make sure that the Death Star never saw completion.

—

It was hard to say if business was just slow, or if there was a certain reason for it to be slow. Han Solo didn't think he was a particularly paranoid man, but he was skeptical when life called for it. Skeptical of the fact that old clients were steering clear, that new clients were few and far between, and that the timing of it all lined right up with that girl and her friend that had put him in the Empire's crosshairs on Naboo. The Falcon had got away, sure, but the repercussions seemed to follow behind like shadows on a planet with three suns barreling down, and he was living in borrowed credits.

Han let his dark blue gaze sweep the crowded cantina, falling on where Chewie was negotiating with a Bith that was trying to get his hands on some kind of tech that the Empire had limited. Supposedly he had the coordinates for pickup, but it had turned into a hard sale.

"You're not going to get that job."

The voice sent chills up Han's spine and he turned to find the kid that had helped cause all of this trouble. He frowned deeply. "Listen, I did what you and your friend paid me to do. We're even."

"Sure, but I'd like to pay you to do more. Possibly a lot more."

"I don't think you get it, kid. I don't want anything to do with you."

Chewie lumbered back over to the table Han was waiting at, casting a brief look at the kid before rumbling the bad news in Han's direction.

The Human's frown deepened. "What'dya mean he's 'goin' in a different direction'? What the hell did you say?" he snapped and Chewbacca howled in his own defense.

"Looks like you're free then," the kid said, leaning against the wall the table backed up to.

Han glared at him. He looked a little older, a little more determined than last time, but even if they'd paid well before it was more trouble than it was worth in the long run.

Chewie grumbled a counterpoint to what must have been clearly displayed across Han's face and the Human rolled his eyes. "Yeah, me too," he answered gruffly and looked back. "What are you looking for?"

"Passage to Alderaan."

"Avoiding Imperials?"

"Yes, but there's no reason to believe Vader will be there this time."

"Didn't see him last time, just a bunch of stormtroopers that boarded my ship." He looked the kid up and down. "Just to Alderaan?"

"To and from. I'll pay each way at the time we leave. Keeps us both honest."

"And your friend? Jade?"

"It's just me this time." He tilted his head a little, almost like he was studying him. Maybe he was. "You can say no and I'll find another ride, but you looked like you could use the work."

"And you would know anything about that, huh?"

"Not a thing."

Han snorted and pushed himself to his feet. "Dock fifty-six. Two standard hours."

"One."

He quirked an eyebrow at the kid. "Gotta get her ready."

"Something tells me there's a price that'll have her ready in an hour."

Chewie rumbled lowly and Han snorted. "An hour then."

The kid gave a sharp nod and then was gone. Chewie growled and Han glanced back. "I don't trust him either, but we're backed into a corner, pal."

They really didn't have any other choice.

—-

Leia had promised herself that when she became Senator - well, if, because even if all the polls showed her ahead in the race by more than the competition likely could make up, she knew that her birthright to the crown didn't guarantee her the senatorial seat - that she wouldn't spend more time than was absolutely needed on Coruscant. She would attend the meetings when the Senate was in session, but unlike many of her father's - and soon to be her - colleagues, she had no interest in making a full life for herself there. The other Senators made homes of their government apartments and raised families far away from the people that they supposedly represented, but her father had set a new tone even as far back as the Republic that she intended to follow. She would listen to her people directly and fight for them in the Senate. Someone had to.

And, as much as she enjoyed her adventures across the galaxy, Alderaan was home, and she loved it here. The people and the culture. They had made her who she was.

The day had been non stop appointments, as had the one before and likely the one that would follow. She'd spoken to two groups already and would speak over the holonet to her people that evening. The few hours between certainly weren't free, but had been slated to take care of other duties pushed aside for the campaign. "I don't want to lose track of our humanitarian mission planned for the people on Lothal," Leia reminded Winter, her childhood friend-turned-aid as they made their way through the halls of the palace.

"Even with the newly opened shipping routes, the government has that planet locked out."

"It appears as if the Grand Admiral would prefer to see the people starve than give them even a sliver of hope," the princess said with a deep frown. "There has to be something we can do. Reach out to Governor Pryce directly. Let her know that if she doesn't allow for aid to the people that my first point of order will be against her in the Senate."

"In those exact words?" Winter asked, but the hint of amusement was clear.

"Those words exactly. They rely on routes through our lanes to ship Force-knows-what kind of weaponry they're building there. We have the leverage, and I intend to use it." Her dark gaze flickered down the hall, catching sight of a robed figure speaking to a guard. She watched as one hand extended from the dark robe, waving in front of the other slightly, and the guard's stance eased.

"My lady?"

Leia startled, turning to find Winter following her gaze. "Just lost in thought for a second. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

Winter nodded slowly, but accepted the clear dismissal, leaving Leia to turn back to the robed figure that had spotted her. He moved forward, and once Winter was around the corner and away, he reached up to pull back his hood. Leia lifted a dark eyebrow. "Natus, this is a surprise."

The smile he gave her was small and strained. "Princess. I hear your trade routes have opened up."

"They have. I suppose I have you to thank for that."

He shrugged and she let her gaze sweep him up and down. He looked tired and tense.

"This isn't the first time you've come here without warning, but something tells me you don't want anyone to know you're here."

"You have good instincts." He took a step closer, his blue gaze locking with her own darker one and she could feel it. Whispers in her mind that we're nudging. Directing. Influencing. "Go about your business, Leia. I was never here."

She pulled in a shaky breath. He told her once that he didn't think this trick would work on her, but something was making him desperate enough to try. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from her mind. "Natus, I can't —"

"It's okay," he promised. "I'm not here to hurt your family."

She believed him, but that didn't mean she was going to willingly let him manipulate her memories like he was trying to do. If she kept visibly fighting him, though, he was going to double down, and maybe he would succeed. No, there were other ways to get answers.

"Go about your business," he instructed.

"I will go about my business," she repeated, letting her eyelids hang heavy.

It seemed to do the trick. He gave her one more almost apologetic look and swept past her towards her father's offices. She started forward, but instead of hanging a left towards her own temporary nook she'd been conducting business out of, she followed her instincts right towards the hangar bay.

—

Unlike the trip before with the redhead that had called her Jade and the teen she'd called Luke, the visit to Alderaan had been smooth sailing. The kid had spent most of the journey in the back of the Falcon on the floor with his legs crossed and his eyes closed in some sort of attempted meditation. Han had his theories about the two of them, especially after this one's announcement of the infamous Darth Vader's presence on Naboo with no proof whatsoever. While the man himself hadn't shown, they'd gotten boarded and Luke had seen it coming. Between that and the weapon Han had caught glimpses of on his belt, he wondered if the kid fancied himself some kind of Jedi. Not that Han believed in the Force or any other part of that hokey old religion, but he'd heard stories. Enough to know he didn't want to get mixed up too deeply in all of this. He'd been paid well to bring him to Alderaan and he'd be paid equally as well to get him off planet, but that was it. It had to be. No reason to put even more of a target on his and Chewie's back than was already there.

The kid had said he'd be gone for several hours, so Han and his co-pilot had gone into the market to grab a bite to eat. Chewie had gotten distracted by a vendor and left Han to saunter back by himself in case whatever Luke was doing was cut short.

The spaceport was nice. Clean and safe. He hadn't even had to pay a protection fee for the ground crews to keep scavengers away, but as he approached the Millennium Falcon, he spotted a slim, feminine figure in a white dress and dark hair piled up on her head in an intricate fashion staring up at his ship. "Can I help you?"

She turned, all big brown eyes and round, porcelain face. She blinked in surprise and Han felt the corner of his lips stretch up without permission. Apparently his charming smile wasn't to her liking. "Are you the owner of this….ship?"

Despite her frown, Han's own smile broadened. "Sure am. If you're looking for a fast ship, she made the Kessel Run in less than —"

The young woman held up her hand. Small and dainty and uncalloused. High class. "I'll stop you right there. I don't want to know about illicit dealings —"

"Illicit dealings?" Han echoed, feigning offense.

"— or your junky ship."

"Hey!" Now he really was offended. "Listen, sweetheart. I —

"But I do want to know about your passenger."

Han snorted. "I don't know who you think you are, but we're done here." He turned to stalk back into the Falcon, but a voice that wasn't directed at him stopped him in his tracks.

"Princess, everything alright here?"

Princess? Han spun to see what looked like the platform director making his way over to the petite, pushy woman.

"Thank you, Erroll," she answered him with a sharp look back at Han. "I was just speaking to Captain —"

"Solo," he grumbled. No reason to lie. They had his name.

"Captain Solo here about his cargo. What did he say it was, Erroll?"

Han pushed a long breath out that was half grunt, half sigh. "I'd be happy to discuss anything you'd like to know about my cargo, your highness. No need to get your director involved." And cause him to take a closer look at the credentials provided. No, Han thought the safer bet was the princess, but not by much.

"Perfect," she answered in a falsely sweet tone and started forward as if she fully intended to board his ship.

Apparently she did. Han scurried after her and slipped in front of her. "Let's save both of us some time, huh? I don't think I brought in whatever you're looking for."

"Natus."

Han shrugged. "What's a Natus?"

"A young man around nineteen. Average build, slim, sandy hair and blue eyes. He usually wears dark clothes and he likely would have left your ship in a hooded robe that hid his face."

Han schooled his expression. "What makes you think I brought him in?"

The princess sighed impatiently. "Yours is the only ship that didn't give notice prior to coming out of hyperspace today. I didn't have to ask Erroll about the cargo, because I checked myself. A delivery of carpentry droids. Cargo that wouldn't cause question in our region which would lower the chance that they'd scan your ship or board it."

"You're questioning it."

"Because someone smuggled him in."

"Sorry to disappoint, your eminence, but I didn't bring a Nagus in."

"Natus," she corrected.

"Not that either."

"And the description?"

She was determined, wasn't she? Han gave a noncommittal shrug. "Could describe a trillion Humans in the galaxy."

"What name did he give you?"

Han rolled his eyes. She wasn't going to let this go. "Luke."

Surprise flickered across her pretty face, but she didn't seem to feel the need to tell him why. Instead she stormed back down the ramp, flagging down the lingering director. "Erroll, hold this ship here. It doesn't leave, nor does any of its crew or passengers until you hear from me directly."

"Of course, my lady."

Han balked for a moment before chasing her down the ramp. "Exactly what do you think you're doing?"

"Getting to the bottom of this."

"And what am I supposed to do?"

She turned, fixing her dark gaze on him in a way that made him stop in his tracks. "You're coming with me, Captain Solo. If you can see Natus and convince me he's not this Luke you brought in, you're free to go."

"All I gotta do is convince you?" Sounded easy enough, but there was something in her confidence that didn't set well with those predicted odds. "Okay, your eminence. Lead the way."

"Stop calling me that," she groused as she started forward.

Despite the situation, Han couldn't stop the smirk that touched his lips. "Whatever you say, Princess."

—

One would think an outgoing Senator who had trained his replacement for the past five years would have less paperwork on his way out than he had on his way in, but that certainly wasn't proving to be the case. Bail Organa found himself swamped these days, but when the transition of power was complete, he still wouldn't have time to stop to breathe. No. That's when the real work would truly begin. Up until now he'd had to walk a delicate line between the Empire and the Rebellion so as not to tip the former off to the latter. He'd still be under scrutiny, but far less than he had been for the last several years. Perhaps he would be able to find a few moments to breathe.

The door to his office opened without warning and Bail's head jerked up from his notes. "Kier," he greeted his personal guard. "What's wrong?"

The young man wore a vague expression, his eyes slightly glassed over even as he mumbled something unintelligible and bowed his way out of the office. In his place stood a familiar figure and the door slid shut behind him. He held up a hand, signaling silence, and Darth Vader's son pulled a small device from his robes, flipped it on, and a soft humming noise emanated from it. He set it on Bail's desk.

"What…?"

"It blocks outgoing transmission, including listening devices."

The Senator's brows drew together. "Forgive me, Lord Natus… you startled me. I was not made aware of your visit to Alderaan."

"No one was. No one will be. We don't have time to waste. The Emperor is constructing a weapon like nothing we've ever seen. They refer to it as the Death Star. I believe that, once completed, it will have the ability to wipe out an entire planet."

Bail took a heavy seat in his chair, shock washing over him. Unannounced visits from Imperial officers was nothing new, even Siths. That he could wrap his mind around with ease, but not the fact that Natus had barged in, indicated that there were listening devices planted in his home office, and dropped something that - if true - was likely a treasonous offense to share. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because if it's completed, there'll be no stopping him. No one can tell him no."

"You serve him," Bail managed, confusion refusing to dissipate.

Anakin Skywalker's son bristled at that. "I'm not his slave. I'm making my own choice."

This could be a trap. A way to catch him and subjugate Alderaan further, but there was something so raw in the young man's expression that he couldn't help but let in the hope that he was being honest. "Okay. Let's say this is true," he said carefully, "why are you coming to me with it?"

Natus seemed to think on that for a moment. "I would have taken this to Tano, but I think she may really be dead."

Bail tried not to startle visibly at Ashoka's name. "I don't know —"

"Yes you do. There are too many links between you and my mother and…." He shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed. When he reopened them, Bail could have sworn he was looking at Anakin Skywalker when he was still the celebrated hero of the Clone Wars. Young, brash, and utterly determined. "My mother trusted you."

"We worked together is all."

"It's more than that. I didn't tell you who she was, but you know anyway. You were her friend. Close enough that she trusted you with her."

Dread crept in. "I don't know—"

"Leia," the young Imperial bit out desperately. "She trusted you with my sister."

---

TBC

Notes: Everyone's starting to come together! I'm insanely excited to get into this part of the story. Funny enough, when I first started playing with the idea of the story on whole, I was planning to start it shortly before this period, but I decided I wanted to give us the chance to really get to know Luke as an Imperial, watch him grow up and change and learn, and I'm so glad I did. Seventeen chapters and just over 90K words later, here we are! Luke's taking his first steps towards the Rebellion. This is where the fun begins ;)

Next Time: Nothing comes for free, especially dangerous intel.

#Star Wars Fanfiction #Luke skywalker #Mara Jade #Leia Organa #Han Solo #Chewbacca #Bail Organa #Orson Krennic

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mskinkykitty · 5 years

Text

Stranded

Chapter 1

Pairing: Hux/OC Reader, Kylo/OC Reader

Takes place right after Episode VIII The Last Jedi

Rating: None for now

Word Count: 7526

Warnings: Swearing, lots of silliness, OOC characters, canon divergent

Summary: Hux & Kylo, having just lost the Battle on Crait, leaving the planet, the encounter some kind of anomaly, the more power they used to try to escape it, the more of a hold it seems to have on the command shuttle. Giving the order to fly into the anomaly, Kylo finds himself waking up in a very unfamiliar bedroom, with a young woman, sitting atop him.

A/N: There aren’t enough Hux stories out there, so, of course, I had to write one! This is meant to be silly and fun!

I’m also testing the waters with this chapter, if there is more interest, I will gladly post future chapters! Also, sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors, there’s only so many times I can proof read my fics,

“Mr. Solo! Mr. Solo, wake up! Come on, you were supposed to be getting ready, not napping.”

Kylo woke up to a woman straddling his waist, her hands on his chest supporting her and a bright smile across her face. He was confused and disoriented. Looking around, he didn't recognize his surroundings. There was light filtering in through a window, he could hear birds outside and feel a breeze rolling over him.

“Morning sunshine.” she said, the smile on her face getting even bigger.

“Come on, get up. We have to leave soon and you,” she said, poking his chest, “need to get dressed.” he watched her get off him, stand up, and offer her hand, that same smile on her lips.

“What did you do to me?” Kylo felt like he was waking up from some kind of drug induced sleep

“You did that all to yourself, Mr. Solo. I'm just doing my job and making sure you stay on schedule. But, if you don't hurry and get dressed, I'm sure Mr. Hux will have plenty to say and I know how you hate his monologing Now, come on, seriously, you need to get up, your fanboys await.” She laughed as she left the room.

Kylo sat up and looked around the room. He recognized nothing, not even the view out the window. Of course, the sun peeking in through said window was the biggest surprise.

“Where am I?” he groaned, swinging his legs off to the side so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“Dude, seriously! You gotta get your lazy ass up, Mr. Hux will be here soon to pick you up and if I don't have you ready in time, it's my ass that's gonna get chewed out, not yours.” The woman said, a little more urgently as she came back in and started going through the drawers of the dresser sitting against the wall and pulling out various articles of clothing.

“What's going on? Who are you and where have you brought me?” Kylo asked, getting up to his full height and standing in front of the woman, trying to look as menacing as possible.

“Shit, are you serious right now? Jesus, Mr. Solo, exactly how much did you drink last night?” she asked, rushing over to him and holding his face in her hands, looking him in the eye, a look of pure concern on her face. “You're not running a fever. Oh god! Please don't tell me some crazed fangirl slipped you something last night. The last thing you need right now, is another possible baby scandal! Especially after last weeks incident. I swear Mr. Solo, you act more like a Hollywood celebrity than a New York Times best seller.” the woman sighed, setting his clothes in his attached bathroom.

Kylo was even more confused, but before he could question the young woman further, an all too familiar voice sounded from behind him.

“Is everything all right in here?” Kylo turned to see General Hux enter the room.

“Thank the stars you're here, Mr. Hux! Mr. Solo is claiming to not know where he is or who I am. I'm worried someone slipped him something last night.” Her worried look going from Hux to Kylo, back to Hux again.

“I'm sure it's nothing, my dear.” Hux said, leaning over and giving the woman a kiss on the cheek. Kylo noticed how it lingered just a little longer than was appropriate for acquaintances and how the girls face turned bright red at the attention. “Now, why don't you let me see if I can't refresh his memory.” Hux smiled down at the young woman. Before she left, he added, “and Jade, dear, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? Please, call me Armitage, or Hux, at the very least.” she nodded, embarrassed that he had to keep reminding her to be more familiar with him, then gave one last concerning look to Kylo and left the room, closing the door behind her.

“I was wondering when you'd finally pop in.” Hux sighed, running a finger along the top of the dresser, as if he was inspecting for dirt.

“Hux, what's going on? Where are we? Who is that girl? Is she the one responsible for us being here?” Kylo demanded, surprised at how calm Hux was over their current situation.

“Calm down, she's no threat, no one here is. We're on some planet called Earth and as ridiculous as it sounds, we seem to be in a different reality.” he sighed.

“A different reality?” Kylo scoffs, clearly not believing Hux.

“Yes, like I said, ridiculous, but it's the only thing that makes sense. What's the last thing you remember, before waking up here?” Hux asks, turning to Kylo, his hands behind his back in his standard general pose.

“We had the last of the rebels trapped in an abandoned base on Crait, but they managed to escape. Something happened on the flight back to the fleet.” Kylo struggles to remember, he knows there's something else, but can't recall what it was.

“There's was some kind of anomaly and it seemed to have a hold on the command shuttle. The more power we used, trying to escape, the stronger the pull seemed to be, then you gave the order to turn around and fly into. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a much too comfortable bed, a cat curled at my side and the sun shining in my room.”

“And you managed to stay calm and collected the entire time?” Kylo asked, skeptical the general was as calm about it as he says he was.

“Of course. It's not the first time I've woken up, somewhere I don't belong. I assumed I had been captured, but once I surveyed my surroundings and took in all the information around me, I realized that wasn't the case. My step-mother, had come over to visit, and after feigning a bout of amnesia after a heavy night of drinking, I was able to find out the basics. She claimed I was drugged at one of your parties, suggested I press charges against you, for,” and Hux couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, “reckless endangerment.”

Kylo was more than suspicious of Hux's oddly friendly behavior. It wasn't like him, they've never had a civil conversation in the entire time they've known each other. He's wasn't sure if he'd ever seen Hux give a genuine smile, let alone laugh at something.

“You're acting...... strange.” Kylo said cautiously, not sure what to make of Hux's odd behavior.

“I've been here for nine months, there's no war to bring order to the galaxy. No Snoke. My father is dead, and my step-mother here is more pleasant then the one from my childhood, though they are the same woman. I'm not in charge of an entire fleet of battle cruisers, I have no expectations to live up to. Making sure your books are released on time, is really my only responsibility. Compared to being General of the First Order, it's virtually stress free, so of course I'm going to be different.” Hux huffed, irritated that he had to explain his behavior.

“Then, what about me?” Kylo asked, a little enticed by the idea of a virtually stress free life.

“You are Ben Solo, a science-fiction writer and I'm Armitage Hux, your publicist and public relations manager. That lovely, young woman is Jade Dameron, your personal assistant and quite the little spitfire, I might add, though she can be quite shy and timid at times.” Hux smirked, looking towards the door, where the woman had left. “You're personality is pretty much the same. The public refers to you as a male diva of sorts. You throw lavish parties, you've been in rehab twice for alcoholism. The party you threw last night was, ironically, to celebrate your successful release from rehab, which, to no surprise, you got drunk at. Honestly, I'm not sure which version of you I like better. The alcoholic party boy, or the tantrum throwing Force wielder.” Hux sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Why can't I feel the Force?” Kylo asked, realizing, as Hux mentioned it, he hadn't felt it since he woke up. He sat back on the bed and stared at his hands, waiting for Hux to answer, while trying to digest everything he'd just been told.

“Because, the Force doesn't exist here, only in the books you and your mother have written. Which, are quite interesting and all too familiar. It's a series called Star Wars and is quite popular. There's movies, toys, cartoons, graphic novels and quite the impressive fan following. Which reminds me, your adoring public awaits, so please, get dressed and I will explain everything I know so far.” Hux said, walking around the room, looking at the photos that were placed on a book shelf along one of the walls.

Kylo did as Hux asked with no argument, much to Hux's surprise and relief. Hux did tell him more about his lifestyle and the Star Wars series, which his mother was responsible for starting, and he was now continuing. When asked about the books he had written, Hux said he would explain it all after the book signing, and to remember to sign his name as Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren.

“I will also warn you, people who used to be your enemy, are now some of your closest friends and family members. Most notably, the scavenger girl, Rey, she's your cousin, Luke Skywalker's adopted daughter, apparently.”

“Did you say that girl's last name was Dameron?” Kylo asked, the familiarity of her name, finally sinking in, Hux couldn't suppress a chuckle.

“Yes, younger sister to Poe Dameron and Rey's best friend. Dameron works for your father and your mother convinced you to hire his little sister to help keep your schedule straight. From what I've gathered, hiring her is the second best thing you've done since writing your first novel.” Hux sighed, turning around to look at Kylo as he walked out of his bathroom.

“What's my relationship like with my parents?” Kylo couldn't help but ask after the mention of his father and since Hux didn't say anything about them while explaining his current lifestyle.

“Normal, though you are some what of a mama's boy, as they say.” Hux smirked at Kylo when he glared. “You're close with your mother, though not as close as you were before your first stint in rehab, but you do still try have lunch at least once a week with her.”

“And my father?”

“You get along, again, it was better before rehab, you've never been as close to him as you are with your mother. Apparently, he wanted you to follow in his footsteps and become a pilot, but, you followed in your mother's footsteps, and became a writer instead. You also have a healthy relationship with Skywalker and the scavenger girl. All in all, a relatively normal family, who get along and like each other. So, I suggest you try not to act too much like yourself.”

“What about my assistant?” Kylo asked, choosing to ignore that snide, little comment.

“What about her?” Hux almost growled, it was like he remembered not to sound to accusatory in his reply, while he was answering. Hux was quickly growing fond of the woman, had even taken her out to lunch a few times, just the two of them.

“How is my relationship with her?” Kylo smirked, seeing the irritation on Hux's face and all to eager to irritate Hux.

“Professional, for the most part. You don't seem to like or dislike her, for that matter. You barely give her the time of day and more often than not, are quite short with her. You only listen when she's telling you about your schedule, or something else relating to your work. You only hired her as a favor to your mother, which you constantly remind her of when she does something not up to your ridiculous standards. I don't know how many times I've had to stop you from trying to fire her over the most ridiculous of things.” Hux huffed, he was trying not to grow agitated with Kylo's questions about her, but, he couldn't deny his attachment to the woman, and wanted to discourage Kylo from trying to get to know her as subtly as possible.

“She seems to like me.” Hux did not like the Cheshire grin, Kylo was giving him.

“That's because she likes everybody.” Hux scoffed.

“She seemed to really like my body this morning when she was straddling it.” Hux scoffed, knowing exactly what Kylo was trying to do.

“You seem to be handling this all a little too well.” Hux glared suspiciously, as he deflected their conversation away from Jade. He had expected Kylo to throw one of his tantrums and start destroying the room, which is why he sent Jade away.

“I handle everything well.” Kylo hisses back, to which Hux just scoffs.

“If you consider destroying control panels, handling things well.”

Kylo was about to retort, but was stopped by a knock on his door, before Jade entered.

“Mr. Hux, Mrs. Solo is here.” she said, her tone still tinged with worry. Then she looked at Kylo and groaned, apparently forgetting she was worried about him in the first place. “Mr. Hux, you were supposed to make sure he finished getting ready, not just dressed.” Hux couldn't stop the affectionate smile he gave her.

“Sorry, I was questioning him about what happened last night.”

“No possible baby scandal?” She asked, looking at Hux, eyebrows raised as she bit her bottom lip.

“No possible baby scandal. For once, he kept it in his pants and returned alone.” Hux chuckled, never taking his eyes off her.

“Thank the stars.” She sighed in relief. “I'll make sure he finishes getting ready, but Mrs. Solo is asking for you.” She entered the room and held the door open for Hux, as he made his way to exit.

“Thank you, Ms. Jade, we'll meet you both downstairs.” Hux stopped next next to her before completely exiting and bent down to whisper in her ear, “I'll save you a seat, right next to me.” Seeing the intense blush bloom across her face, gave Hux the biggest smile, flustering her had quickly become his favorite thing to do.

Jade was pulled back to her senses when she heard the door click behind her. Then she looked at Kylo and groaned again.

“Mr. Solo, you are not wearing the shirt you partied then slept in last night to this book signing.” she said as she walked over to him, then leaned in and smelled him. “And you really need to put on some deodorant and cologne, you reek of alcohol! Come on, into the bathroom with you.” Kylo tried to protest when she got behind him and started pushing him into the bathroom.

“I can walk myself!” he barked, jerking away and glaring down at her.

“Then do it, and I won't have to push you.” she bit back, again, pushing him towards the bathroom. “I'm sorry Mr. Solo, but we don't have time for me to put up with your diva shit this morning. Now pee.” She ordered, turning and busying herself with things at the sink.

“I can't go with you in here!” he snapped.

“It's never stopped you before, why so shy now?” she said, not even bothering to look at him, finished with what she was doing, she turned back to him and looked at the toilet, expectantly.

“For fuck's sake, Mr. Solo, either you go now, or you go in a bottle in the car. You haven't been late to a single thing since you hired me, and we sure as hell aren't going to start today! Now either piss, or get over here and brush your teeth, so I can brush your hair!” she ordered and Kylo was starting to understand why Hux liked her. He was also starting to think something had possessed her after Hux left the room, since this was the complete opposite of the girl that woke him up and definitely, not the girl who had just been blushing over what Hux whispered to her.

“Fine.” Kylo growled, walking to stand at the sink, and started brushing his teeth. Jade pulled out her little step ladder and set it up, grabbed the brush that was on the counter, climbed up, so she was just a few inches taller than Kylo and proceeded to brush the knots out of his hair.

“OW!” he snapped, when the brush snagged a knot and she tried to pull it through.

“Shut up and brush your damn teeth.” she snapped back. “We're running short on time.”

Kylo finished his brushing the same time she did, with only a few more uncomfortable tugs. He then, washed his face, after being told, while she put the stool away.

“Now take that damn shirt off, put your deodorant on and come out when you're done.” she said, walking out to the bedroom.

Angry and humiliated, Kylo slammed the door and locked it. He took the opportunity to urinate, before doing what he was told.

“I hope you washed your hands after touching that dirty thing!” she yelled, from somewhere in the room, when he opened the bathroom door. He was beginning to understand why he would want to fire her.

After washing his hands, he walked into the bedroom, seeing her standing by his bed, holding a shirt up, with that same smile she woke up him up with.

“I thought about it a little more and I think this shirt over this t shirt,” she said, holding up said shirt with her other hand, “will be a much more appropriate combo for the signing. This is just a small signing at Luke's bookstore, I think it's best if we do a more casual look. Besides the ladies love a casually dressed Ben Solo.” she teased, then pushed the two articles of clothing in his hands and went through another door, which he assumed was his closet.

He looked at the t-shirt, which said, “Join the dark side, we have cookies”, he was quite offended and was about to yell at her and refuse to wear it, when she walked out of the closet and saw him just standing there. He was frozen in place by the glare she was giving him and he had never been more thankful that looks couldn't kill, in his entire life. Her calm and level voice gave him chills when she spoke to him.

“Mr. Solo. If you do not put those on, right now, we are going to have a problem.”

Kylo could have sworn he saw her eyes flash yellow, for just a second. Not wanting to test Hux's theory, of the Force not existing in this reality, he swallowed the lump in his throat and got dressed. Then quickly put on his socks and shoes while she busied herself gathering, what Kylo assumed, were random items and placing them in a bag. Once she was done, she turned to him and smiled, seeing him ready to go.

“Alright, lets go! Mr. Hux and Mrs. Solo are waiting for us downstairs, with the car.”

Kylo followed her out of the room, into what looked like his living room, then into a hallway and to an elevator.

“Now remember, you're not allowed to answer any questions about the film adaptation of your first book and no hints about the third book. The publishing company doesn't want you to risk someone stealing any of your ideas and claiming that you copied them. You're having lunch with your mom after the signing, I've already made reservations at the usual place under your usual pseudo-name. Then after lunch, you have a conference call with the publishing firm about a few international book signings they want you to do. Then you have a dinner date with some unknown actress, you met at last night's party. I don't remember her name, I'll have to check the schedule to see what it is.” Kylo just stared at her like she had two heads. He had no idea what she was talking about. He would have to find out from Hux later.

They exited the elevator and walked through the lobby in silence. His mind still reeling with everything that was going on, and how did Hux expect him to get through this book signing? He'd never done anything like that before, and he hated crowds. They made him nervous, especially without being able to use the Force to scan the crowd for possible rebel threats. Then he had to remind himself, that there were no rebel threats here. Hux gave him the impression that they led a peaceful life, no warring, no fighting. No purpose.

“See, Armitage, I told you she'd have him down here on time.” Leia said, seeing Kylo and Jade exit the building and walk over to the car.

“You're right, Mrs. Solo, I never should have doubted her.” Hux smiled at Jade.

“Armitage, you've been friends with my son for how many years now? You're practically family, now please, call me Leia. Mrs. Solo always makes me feel so old.” She laughed.

Kylo was frozen to the spot, it had been years since he'd seen his mother and he wasn't sure he'd ever seen her smile like that. He didn't want to move, didn't want to look away. He was afraid if he did, he'd wake up back on the Finnalizer or some other star destroyer and realize this had all been a dream.

“I've missed you, Ben.” She beamed, walking over to him with open arms and embracing him. “Let me get a good look at you.” she said, stepping back and placing her hands on his cheeks, then to his shoulders as she looked him over.

“I've missed you too. I'm so sorry, mom!” he couldn't help himself, he wrapped his arms around her and held her as tight as he could. Hux and Jade just looked at each other with wide eyes, surprise, not being a strong enough word to describe what they were seeing.

Kylo was overwhelmed with his emotions. Without Snoke and the Force to guide him, he didn't know how to resolve what he was feeling. Without Snoke, his chest felt lighter, he didn't feel all the hate and anger that usually flowed through him with the Force. It was oddly freeing.

Leia returned Kylo's embrace, one hand wrapped around his back, the other on his head.

“I'm glad you're home.” Leia said said, releasing Kylo and creating some distance between them.

“I'm sorry to interrupt,” Jade said in gentle tone.

“Then don't!” Kylo snapped, causing Jade to flinch back and stare at the ground.

“Ben!” Leia chastised, “You don't need to snap at her like that. She's only doing her job and trying to keep you on schedule.”

“Let's just go.” Kylo grumbled, refusing to apologize to his bossy assistant.

***

It didn't take them long to reach Luke's bookstore and Kylo couldn't believe the line of people standing outside of it.

“They're all here to see you.” Hux said, seeing Kylo stare at all the people.

“Finn, can you pull around back and let us off there? I think it's best if we go in through the back.” Jade said.

“You got it!” Kylo looked up to see Finn smiling back at them from the rear view mirror. “Good to see you again, Ben.” he nodded, Kylo mirrored the greeting.

Finn pulled around to the backside of the building, glad there weren't any fans lurking about.

“Looks like Rey was able to keep the fans from lurking behind the store. Speaking of the devil.” Finn laughed when he saw Rey come running towards them.

Jade was the first one out, she didn't even give Finn a chance to get out of his seat before she was opening the door and running over to greet Rey.

“Rey!” she yelled, running to her friend.

“Jade!” Rey laughed, as they embraced.

“I've missed you! We don't get to hang out nearly as much as we should.” Jade said, giving her friend a fake pout.

“That's because your boss is an incapable asshole, who can't comb his own hair without you.” Rey teased, loud enough to make sure Kylo heard as he stepped out of the car.

“Well, you're not wrong there.” Jade giggled in a whisper to her friend.

“Rey, always nice to see you.” Hux smiled, walking up to the pair. He had only recently started to warm up to the woman he had known as the scavenger girl, the Jedi of the resistance and a thorn in the side of the First Order. But here, she was simply Rey Skywalker, future owner of Skywalker books.

It was only within the last few weeks that he was starting to let his guard down and warm up to the group of people who had once been his mortal enemies. He was finding his new life, much more to his liking, than he would have, originally thought. Without the war, he found, they were all very likable.

“Hey Hux, still as stuffy as always, I see.” Rey teased, giving his arm a playful slap. “You should find someone to take that stick out of your ass, you might find you don't stand quite so stiff.” she laughed, before running off to greet her aunt and cousin.

“I think she's been spending too much time with your brother and her uncle.” Hux sighed, even though he was getting used to her occasional crude teasing, it never failed to embarrass him in front of Jade. Which he was almost positive, is the reason she did it.

“Aunty!” Rey yelled, greeting Leia before embracing her in a hug.

“Hello, Rey.” Leia chuckled, returning the hug. “Dad didn't tell me you were gonna be here. OH!” she gasped, “Is this a double signing!? OHMYGAWD! The fans are going to freak!”

“It is. I talked to him a few weeks ago about it, we agreed to keep it a surprise, since his store can't handle all the people that would likely show up for that.” Leia chuckled, not surprised at all, that her niece had come to the conclusion so quickly.

“I was wondering why you picked us up today.” Jade smirked as she and Hux walked over to Leia and Rey.

“I wish I would have known, I would have made sure we extra copies of your book as well.” Hux sighed.

“Don't worry, I took care of it.” Leia said.

“Hey Ben, nice to see you back with the land of the sober. You gonna stay this time or should we just go ahead and tell them to keep your room ready?” Rey said, crossing her arms across her chest, giving her cousin, a less then warm welcome.

“Rey!” Jade hissed. “Cut him some slack, he just got back the other day.

“Give me a break! He threw a huge party last night to 'celebrate' his recovery. Judging by the pictures I saw on Instagram this morning, he was tossing them back like he was a thirsty man in a desert.”

“I think you're being a little to hard on him, Rey.” Leia said, putting her arm around the woman's shoulder and guiding her back towards the bookstore.

“I don't think it's hard enough. Aunt Leia, he needs a wake up call.” Rey argued.

“That may be, but you can't force one on him.” Rey just sighed, knowing Leia was right, to which, Leia whispered, “Though, I think he may have gotten it this time. He was different this morning, less stand offish. He didn't try to push me away, in fact, he gave me a hug. He hasn't hugged me like that since he was a child.”

Rey just looked at her as if her head had just popped off, then took a quick glance back at Kylo, to see him following Jade and Hux, his hands in his pockets and the same scowl as always. She decided she would have to keep a closer eye on him and judge for herself.

The group walked into the back room of the book store and were greeted by Luke.

“What in the world are you wearing, Mr. Skywalker!” Jade laughed when she saw him. Kylo had to fight the urge to attack him, the memories of the night he was almost murdered, flooding back to him.

“They're Jedi robes. Rey take Jade, so you can both go put yours on.” Luke smiled, turning to his daughter.

“You got me my own Jedi robes!?” she squealed, throwing herself at Luke and practically choking him with her hug. “You're the best, Mr. Skywalker!” Luke laughed as he watched the pair run off.

“I think you spoil them a little too much.” Leia laughed.

“No such thing, when it comes to those two.” Once the girls had left, he turned to the trio left behind. “Hux, I got an extra set, just in case you wanted to join in the fun.”

“That's quite all right, but thank you, Mr. Skywalker.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, call Me Luke. Mr. Skywalker was my dad.” Luke winked.

“You'll probably have to remind me a few more times.” he said, giving Luke a polite smile.

Kylo was practically disgusted with the way Hux was interacting with his uncle. Like they were friends, and he hadn't spent the last, almost decade, hunting him down under Snoke's orders. Kylo was finding it harder and harder to control the anger and hatred he felt for his uncle. He wanted to reach out with the Force and strangle him, or better yet, strangle him with his bare hands, so he could feel the life draining from him.

“Thanks for doing this Ben. It means a lot to Rey and me, especially after the way I handled things.” Luke said, his attention on Kylo, seeing him practically seething in anger.

“Luke, you don't....”

“No Leia, I do.” Luke said, not letting his sister interrupt him. “Ben, I owe you an apology. Not for calling the cops and turning you in, I don't regret that at all. But for the way I handled the situation.”

“I think this might be better talked about after the signing.” Hux said, seeing Kylo's rage and not wanting to escalate the situation any further. He then pulled Kylo to the side and whispered, “Remember, he isn't the same as the Skywalker you know. You need to calm down before you cause a scene and make things more difficult. Just remember, they may have their faces, but these are not the people we know. These are not members of the resistance and he is not the Jedi Master you knew.”

Before Kylo could say anything, his attention went to Rey and Jade, laughing and swinging, what looked like, light sabers.

“Dad, you didn't tell me you got us light sabers!”

“That's because it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you.” he laughed, walking over to the pair.

“Thank you so much, dad!” Rey said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Yes, thank you Mr. Skywalker, you didn't have to.”

“Nonsense! Of course I did, you can't be Jedi without light sabers, can you.” He smiled. He loved spoiling the two girls more than anything and always found that he could never tell them no.

“No, but, who are the extra set of robes for?” Jade asked.

“I got them, hoping Hux would join in the fun.” He said, flashing a mischievous smile over at Hux.

“Really!?” Jade was giddy at the thought of having another person dress up with them. Hux felt like a deer caught in the headlights, when she turned and smiled at him.

“Oh, um, no, it's alright. I think I'll just stick with my suit.” He said, trying to sound as calm and collected as he always was.

“What? No! Come on, please!” Jade whined. “It's more fun with more people.”

“Yea, Hux! Come on, don't make dad the only guy Jedi.” Rey begged.

“Come on, Hux, you're not gonna leave Padawan Jade without a master, are you?” Luke teased.

“That's perfect, dad! I can be your Padawan and Jade can be Hux's!”

“I think Ben, would suit the role better.” Hux said, giving a nervous chuckle and not seeing the glare Kylo shot at him.

“He'll be too busy signing, plus, he doesn't like to do stuff like that. Please Mr. Hux!” Jade knew she sounded like a child, but she didn't care. She had always loved the Star Wars series and any chance she had to fangirl, she took it and she was always happy to take others with her.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Hux knew he had been defeated. After all, how could he tell her no, she was just too adorable when she looked up at him with those big doe eyes, and pouty lips.

“Alright, alright, you win, on one condition.” He said, quickly silencing whatever happy noise her and Rey were about to make. “You are not allowed to call me Mr. Hux for the rest of the day.

“Of course not, Master Armitage.” Oh, the things that did to him! He was suddenly, very glad he would be wearing loose fitting robes.

“Come on, I'll show you where you can change and Jade, we can put Padawan braids in our hair, while he's changing.” Rey said, leading Hux and Jade back to Luke's office, where the extra set of robes were.

This left Luke, Leia and Kylo, standing alone in the stock room. All of them feeling suddenly very awkward and Kylo, trying to control his anger.

“We've cleared a spot for the signing, the books are already set up. By the time they get to you, they will have already paid. Leia, I know you love to talk with your fans, but, there's gonna be a lot of people here and we want to try to get through as many of them as possible. And Ben,” Luke said, turning to his nephew, a teasing smile crossing his lips, “don't be afraid to smile at more than just the ones with a pretty face.” Kylo just rolled his eyes, and followed them to where he would be signing this book Ben Solo had written.

“Ben, I know you don't like crowds and large groups of people and Jade was very adamant that we accommodate that.” He said, stopping in front of a table with a Star Wars backdrop. It was near the front door, on the other side of the cash register.

“Meaning, she wouldn't agree to the signing unless, you did it.” Leia chuckled, shaking her head. She knew Ben hiring her would make his life a lot easier, and she was grateful the young woman was looking out for her son.

“Needless to say, even though the store will be overcrowded with your devoted fans, we've blocked off a nice open section, so you don't feel overwhelmed, and it has easy access to my office if you do start to feel overwhelmed and need a minute to breath.” Luke smiled.

Kylo wasn't sure how to feel about their consideration for his dislike of large groups. He looked at the boxes full of books, then at the line standing outside the store. He was starting to feel nervous. He didn't know who this Ben Solo was, or what these Star Wars books were about, so how could he interact with these people and be convincing. His anger was starting to feel more like panic.

* * *

“I look ridiculous.” Hux groaned as they joined the others. He thought it rather ironic, that he loathed the Jedi and tried to eliminate them, but, here he was, willing to dress up as one, for a pretty face. He was not thrilled to think about what Kylo would say about it later.

“No you don't, you look great! Doesn't he look great, Mr. Solo.” Jade said, her smile quickly fading when she saw the look of panic on Kylo's face. “Mr. Solo? Are you feeling ok?” She asked.

“I need to talk to you!” Kylo said, quickly grabbing Hux's arm and rushing off to the store room.

“Stay here, we'll be right back.” Hux said quickly, when he saw Jade try to follow them. He gave her a reassuring smile, when she stopped and nodded.

“I can't do this, Hux! I'm not this Ben Solo, I didn't write these stupid books!”

“You need to pull yourself together!” Hux snapped. “Do you know what will happen to you if you start spouting off that you're really Kylo Ren, that you killed Ben Solo to follow in your grandfather, Darth Vader's footsteps. To conquer the galaxy and bring peace and order, alongside with the First Order?” Hux gave Kylo a minute to absorb his words before continuing. “They'll think you've finally lost it and have you committed!” Staring at Kylo, not sure if what he was saying was sinking in, he sighed, then opened one of the nearby boxes and pulled out a book.

“Read the back of it.” he said, handing the book to Kylo.

“I don't see how this is going to help.” Kylo tried to argue, but Hux just shoved the book against his chest.

“Read the back of the damn book!” Hux hissed.

Reluctantly, Kylo did, his eyes only getting wider as he read the synopsis. The confused look on his face, said it all.

“In this world, our lives are a story. You're mother started them, she wrote the first six books, then passed the mantle to Ben Solo, you, to continue. Ben Solo based all the characters after people he knew, even gave them their names. This is the first book, the second book details everything that happened until you and I wake up here, minus the space anomaly that brought us here. So, yes, you are Ben Solo and you know exactly what these, damned books are about. We will get through this signing, and I will have Jade clear your schedule for the rest of the day.”

“I can't do this!”

“You can and you will! I have worked too hard the last nine months to fit in and to be prepared if you ever showed up and I will NOT! Let you ruin everything I have done!” Hux was letting his anger get the better of him, but he wasn't about to let Kylo invalidate everything he's endured since he woke up on this world. There was no way he was going to let Kylo ruin the lives they had.

“Now, you are going to stop acting like a spoiled child! You are going to suck it up! And you are going to go out there, smile at your fans and sign those BLOODY BOOKS!” Hux was panting now, he was so angry with Kylo, and with no Force or Snoke for Kylo to fall back on, Hux felt free to let loose his anger loose. And, damn! Did it feel good!

“Is everything ok, back here?” Jade asked, poking her head through the door. “I heard yelling.”

“Everything is fine.” Hux said, taking a deep breath, before straightening out his robes and fixing his hair.

“Are you sure?” she asked, looking between Hux and Kylo.

“He said, it's fine!” Kylo snapped, then stormed out of the backroom.

“Ben was just having second thoughts about today, that's all. He thought it might be too soon after his release from rehab.”

“But, he had that huge party last night, and he was ok with it yesterday.”

“I know, it doesn't make much sense to me either. In the mean time, I'd like you to clear his schedule for the rest of the day, including his date tonight. In fact, cancel all his dates this week, move the consultation about the book tour to tomorrow afternoon. Does he have anything important on his schedule for tomorrow?” Hux asked.

Jade pulled out her phone and began to check Kylo's schedule for the rest of the week.

“No, in fact, everything this week can be rescheduled or canceled.” She said.

“Then do it, but keep the the luncheons with his mother and add a family dinner night. Schedule the family dinner on a night when you'll be able to join us.”

“Of course! Is there any night that doesn't work for you?” she asked, waiting as Hux pulled out his phone and checked his own schedule.

“I will start having Mitaka forward my schedules to you. I have a feeling Ben is going to be taking up a lot more of my time.” he sighed, looking over his weekly schedule. “My evenings are free all this week. Let me know which night it is and forward it to Mitaka as well.” Hux pinched the bridge of his nose, now that Kylo was here, he knew his life was going to get a lot more complicated. With as stubborn as Kylo is, he knows he's going to be reluctant to accept this life and make things as difficult as possible.

“Hey, we could really use your guys' help out there.” Rey said.

“We'll be there in a minute.” Jade said, nodding to her friend, then turning back to Hux. “I'll talk to Mrs. Solo and see when a good night is, but I'm pretty sure she'll try to insist on every night.” she giggled. With the added stress of Kylo's appearance, Hux found himself even more thankful for her presence.

“Once the signing is done, why don't you take the rest of the day off, spend it with Luke and Rey.”

“What! No! Mr. Hux....”

“Ah, ah, ah, what did I say about calling me Mr. Hux, today.”

“Right, sorry. But...... Armitage.......” she hesitated, his name sounding odd coming from her lips. “I'm his assistant, I should be there to help him.”

“Nonsense. I think what Ben needs, is a good one-on-one with an old friend. I can always meet up with you later and fill you in, if you'd like.” Hux couldn't help but offer to meet up with her, he loved any alone time he got to spend with her.

“Are you sure?” She asked, clearly concerned oabout taking the rest of the day off.

“Absolutely. I know it's been a while since you and Rey have spent time together and we're already here. The both of you are all dressed up and I know how much you love the books.” He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Yea.” Hux loved her sheepish smiles, especially when he knew she was pretending to not be embarrassed.

“Then it's settled, I will take Ben back to his apartment and you will spend the rest of the day here, what is it you say?”

“Amongst my own people.” she giggled.

“Yes, then I will meet with you later, fill you in on Ben's situation.”

“I don't know. I still feel like I'm pawning him off on you.”

“Nonsense.” Then, remembering the way they were both dressed, he got an idea. “Your Jedi Master, commands that you take the rest of the day off and spend it with your friends. I'm sure Master Luke won't mind having you under his tutelage for one day.” Hux had never felt more like a fool, than he did right then. But, if it made her smile, he'd play the fool everyday.

“Thank you, Armitage, you're the best!” she said, wrapping her arms around Hux's chest and giving him a hug.

“Yes, yes, young Padawan. Now, come, they require our help.” Kriff, He was such an idiot!

#star wars fan fiction #armitage hux #kylo ren #hux/reader #kylo/reader

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wakingbetweenworlds · 5 years

Text

Chapter Two - Philíā

φιλία Virtuous love, expressed as loyalty to friends, family, and community.

Rating: Explicit Warnings: Canon Divergence | Canon Violence | TLJ Spoilers | Mental Health Issues

Read on AO3

Upon returning to D’Qar after the attack on Starkiller Base, Rey was immediately recruited into meetings with ranking Resistance officers. Despite their victory, there was little time for rest. Battle tactics and logistics were discussed at length. It felt as if everyone involved had a different strategy for combating the First Order. Eventually it was decided that she, as the only Force user, would be sent to train with Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To. She and Luke would be the last hope for the Resistance.

Days after her return to D’Qar, General Organ summoned her to her private office. Han and Leia were both waiting for her. The pair of war heroes showed their age, looking nothing like the austere general and rogue smuggler she had come to know. It was in that moment when she understood that everything she knew would change.

“Rey, please sit. We have much to discuss.”

The tension in the room was palpable. General Organa sat behind her desk as Han stood at her side, his hand resting against her shoulder. An act of reassurance, but Rey couldn’t decide who needed it more.

“Before you travel to Ahch-To, there are things you must know. Tell me, what do you know of Kylo Ren?”

Rey tensed. Of course, he had been discussed at length during the meetings, but she heavily edited what she shared. Han knew the truth. And now, it seemed, so did Leia. However, she wasn’t sure what all the general knew. She would need to tread carefully.

“Not much. I only know what I witnessed on Starkiller.”

She glanced at Han for guidance and took a deep breath.

“I know I wasn’t completely transparent with the other officers, but I didn’t withhold any pertinent information. I promise!”

Leia heaved a heavy sigh and raised a hand to halt Rey’s ramblings.

“This has nothing to do with strategy meetings and what you left unsaid. This has everything to do with what you know. It is imperative that you are completely honest.”

“I understand. Anything you ask, I will tell you.”

Leia nodded in assent.

“Given your recent contact with him, what is your impression of Kylo Ren?”

“My impression?”

“Yes. What did you sense from him?”

Rey took a moment to ponder the thought. She sensed many things from him. Rage and loneliness were the most prominent emotions. But there was more to him than that. She couldn’t place exactly what it was, but there was something else. He had released her after all.

“He’s complicated. When I was in his mind, I could feel his anger and his loneliness. He’s insecure. He forced me out before I could see much more. But, in our connection, I can feel something else.”

General Organa’s expression reflected her confusion.

“Connection? What connection?”

Rey’s anxiety increased with every passing moment under Leia’s scrutiny.

“I … I can’t really explain it. Thinking back, I felt it the moment I saw him. When he pushed me to focus on the Force, the feeling was amplified. I could feel him in my mind … “

Rey was shocked it was Han interrupting her.

“You could feel him? Like when he searched your memories?”

“Not like that at all! It’s more like there’s this spot in my mind that’s his. He’s just there. I … I can pick up on … feelings. Like physical sensation and emotions. They have to be strong, but I can feel it.”

“And now? Can you feel anything now?”

She was puzzled at Leia’s question. Since her return to D’Qar, she hadn’t attempted pressing toward his corner of her mind. There had been too many things going on. But now, as she focused on that dark part of her mind, she pressed against him. It was only a moment before she felt him nudge back. Her eyes snapped open and focused on Leia.

“I can feel him. He’s curious. It’s like he wants to know why I’m reaching out.”

Rey pressed more firmly against him in her mind. It took heavy concentration, but she could feel him responding to her. The connection between them felt muted at their distance, but she could feel it. Under the curiosity, there was that warm thing she felt before. She gasped.

“His conflict! I can feel it. There’s light in him.”

Tears gathered in the general’s eyes. Her voice was shaky.

“Rey. I’m not speaking to you as General Organa. I’m speaking to you as Leia, the mother of Benjamin Solo.”

At Rey’s puzzled expression, Leia continued.

“You know him as Kylo Ren.”

Rey’s gasp seemed to echo in the silent room. To say that she was shocked by the revelation would be an understatement. How had the child of two of the galaxy’s most decorated heroes, and the prodigy of Luke Skywalker, descend so deeply to the dark side?

“Your son?”

“Yes, Rey. I want my son to come home.”

Anxiety was rapidly replaced by pity. All the tiny, disjointed pieces of information slowly fell into place.

“I understand.”

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur. Both Leia and Han expressed regrets for their actions that led to the fall of Ben Solo. Despite their love for their son, neither had been able to save him. But now, both wanted nothing more than for their only child to return.

Rey wished that she could give them the hope they so fiercely wanted. They had become the parents that she never had. She would give them anything. She told them of her capture and interrogation, including him setting her free. Leia’s hope was a tangible thing and Han sagged with relief.

It was with a heavy heart that Rey told of their battle. The last thing she wanted was to further upset the parents grieving for their missing son, but they needed to know the truth. She was pleasantly surprised when both spoke their gratitude for sparing his life.

------------------------------------------------------

When she had arrived on Ahch-To, Master Luke was hesitant to train her. He sensed darkness within her, and she understood his fear. Leia had told her of Ben’s fall in great detail. She knew he had destroyed the temple and murdered the other Padawans. And while she would never admit it to Leia and Han, she wanted to hate him even for the pain he caused.

Several months had passed as she trained on Ahch-To. Months since she had last seen him in the flesh. Months since they fought in the snow on Starkiller. Months since she carved his face in two and left him bleeding in the snow. And over those months, their connection through the bond grew stronger with each passing day.

It started slowly. During meditation, she could feel a tingle of him against her mind. She didn’t ignore it, but she didn’t press toward the sensation either. It was just there, a tickle against her consciousness. A press of his mind against hers, as if testing her, and then it would fade.

She kept the feelings hidden from Master Luke, knowing he would not approve. But as time passed, the instances of contact grew more frequent. Instead of a press against her mind during meditation, she would feel emotional sensations. It would occur randomly. A bout of inexplicable rage while practicing her forms. Unbearable loneliness as she prepared her dinner. Then came physical sensations. Phantom pain as Luke taught her the ways of the Jedi. It was like a never-ending barrage of sensation.

The first time the bond flared fully to life could only be described as an out of body experience. Sitting in her lonely stone hut, the Force began to vibrate around her like static white noise. Everything seemed to fade as her senses focused on something. Suddenly, there he was, sitting across from her in the small space. Fear and instinct warred within her as she reached for the blaster and shot him through the abdomen.

Only, he was uninjured, sitting shocked before her as the hole in the wall of her hut smoldered. She rushed outside to investigate her surroundings, only to turn and see him standing before her once more.

“You will bring Luke Skywalker to me.”

She stared at him in angry confusion as he stretched his hand toward her, attempting the mind trick. He appeared to be as confused as she felt as his hand dropped back to his side and his jaw worked in thought.

“You’re not doing this. The effort would kill you. Can you see my surroundings?”

He was so casual, standing there before her looking around. He turned back to face her. She raged.

“You’re going to pay for what you did.”

She spat the words at him in anger, only growing more frustrated by his stoicism. He didn’t seem bothered by her presence at all. It only fueled her fire. His voice was too calm as he spoke.

“I can’t see yours. Just you. No. This is something else.”

At that moment Luke appeared in the doorway of his hut, staring at her in confusion. She was standing in the middle of the settlement when she turned to regard Luke.The bond between she and Kylo Ren began to fade. Before he vanished completely, she heard his whispered question.

“Luke?”

The single word hung in her ears as the world around her snapped back in focus. Their connection had certainly changed. She was willing to bet that it was growing in strength along with her. Shaking herself back to reality, she made a pitiful excuse to Luke about her blaster misfiring during cleaning and retreated back to her hut.

Several nights later, the bond opened again. She was crossing the craggy peaks of the island in search of the chasm that had been calling to her when the familiar static of the Force surrounded her. She paused her steps, but did not turn, hoping he would simply vanish.

“I’d rather not do this now.”

Her voice shook slightly as she spoke. She spent a significant amount of time thinking and meditating on the bond between them. It puzzled her. And more than that, she was puzzled by her feelings about him. She desperately wanted to hate him, but being able to sense him so keenly made that significantly more difficult.

“Yea, me too.”

Despite his quiet voice, her hackles were raised. Questions she was dying to ask plagued her mind. As she learned more about the man he once was, she only grew more confused. She resolved herself to the conversation before turning slowly to face him.

“Why did you hate your parents?”

She trailed off as she took in the broad expanse of his bare chest in the pale moonlight. She turned her head slightly, trying to hide her reddened cheeks.

“Do you have something … a cowl or something you can put on?”

He didn’t seem to acknowledge her discomfort as he stood before her. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her so flustered, she did her best to gather her wits and begin again.

“Why do you hate your parents? Give me an honest answer. You had parents who loved you, who gave a damn about you.”

“I didn’t hate them.”

She was almost frenzied in her questions as she rushed out of her and his calm answer fell over her like the icy waves that surrounded the island. She didn’t understand. A choked sob escaped her as she tried to speak.

“Then why?”

“Why what? Why what? Say it.”

She was agitated that he was making her put words to her thoughts. He forced her to lay her insecurities bare before him. This was his inquisition, not hers. She hated how exposed she felt.

“Why did you abandon them? I don’t understand.”

“No. Your parents threw you away like garbage.”

Although his voice was calm, his words tore through her like a knife. She tried to argue that they didn’t as hot tears rolled down her cheeks, but the words sounded hollow.

“They did, but you can’t stop needing them. It’s your greatest weakness, looking for them everywhere. In Leia and Han, now in Skywalker. Did he tell you what happened that night?”

She listened carefully to the words he wasn’t saying. While everything he spoke was true, she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt like he needed his own parents. Is that where his rage had come from? But, his question about Luke caught her off guard. Of course, both Leia and Luke told her about the destruction of the temple, and she confirmed as much to him.

“No. He had sensed my power, as he senses yours, and he feared it.”

She could see the memories, his memories, dance before her like a holofilm. She could see the rage in Luke’s eyes and feel Ben’s fear. But she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. It’s the only way to become what you were meant to be.”

The connection between them dropped just as quickly as it had begun. His words hung in her ears. What could he possibly have meant? She shook herself free of the feeling and continued on her way toward the chasm. She only hoped that she would find more answers there.

It was only when she had returned to her hut, cold and wet, that the bond opened once more. It echoed around her as he came into focus, sitting across the fire. In her emotionally exhausted state, she poured her soul out to him. Tears streaked their way down her cheeks as she told him about the cave she discovered.

“I should have felt trapped or panicked, but I didn’t. It didn’t go on forever. I knew it was leading somewhere. That at the end, it would show me what I came to see. I thought I’d find answers there. I was wrong. I’d never felt so alone.”

“You’re not alone.”

“Neither are you.”

The words tumbled out of her and she was powerless to stop them. The fire did little to warm her as she dried beneath the blanket she pulled around her shoulders. Even though she had done most of the talking, she couldn’t help feeling like they had both laid themselves bare. Raw nerves were flayed open for the other to plainly see.

“It’s not too late.”

She stared into his dark eyes with fiery intensity as she leaned forward and offered him her hand across the fire. She watched him hesitate for a moment before he slowly pulled the black leather from his hand. He kept his eyes focused on her as he reached across the fire.

The moment their fingers met, galaxies exploded around them and visions flashed before their eyes. She saw it so clearly. They stood side by side. Their combined strength was unmatched. She knew he would turn away from the darkness. She just had to give him the right push. She searched his face as their fingers caressed and she looked for the right words.

But everything came crashing down. Master Luke burst through the door of her hut bellowing for them to stop. Before she could process the scene, the stone walls crashed around her. Ben was gone. She and Luke stood in the sheets of rain among the ruins.

“Is it true? Did you try to murder him?”

Luke’s rage was unlike anything she had ever seen. He tried to deny it, but she shared Ben’s vision. She knew what happened and she lashed out. She struck her master with a heavy blow.

“Rey, please! Let me explain.”

She didn’t want to hear him. It was all his fault. She saw it. Ben hadn’t turned before Luke tried to kill him. It was Luke’s betrayal that pushed him over the edge. Ben Solo could have been saved if only Luke Skywalker tried. She rained furious blows against the old Jedi as he struggled to defend himself.

“Listen please!”

He used the Force to still her hand, mid strike. Doing his best to maintain his composure and keep Rey from lashing out further, he told his story. He admitted that his original intention was to kill Ben, but it was a moment of weakness. He resolved himself to help Ben when he woke. Things only escalated too quickly to disarm the situation.

Rey was still enraged by Luke’s actions. The truth behind his words did little to change the fact that it was him who forced Ben to the dark side. She could hear the regret in his words and see the pain in his eyes.

“He’s not gone, Luke. Ben is still there. It’s not too late. I can turn him.”

“Rey, you don’t understand. He’s too far gone. Ben Solo is dead.”

“You’re wrong. He’s still there. I’ve seen him. I’ve felt him!”

“You’re willing to be seduced to the dark side by a pair of pretty eyes.”

His words stung like a slap to the face. Straightening her posture, she attached her saber to her belt before turning toward the cliffs where Chewie was staying with the Falcon.

“I’m going to bring Ben Solo home. You won’t stop me.”

“I won’t, Rey. I hope you know what you’re doing. May the Force be with you.”

She heard the resignation in his voice as she walked away. She wouldn’t turn around. She refused to show him how afraid she was. She steeled her resolve and, with Chewie’s help, left the atmosphere of Ahch-To and launched into hyperspace.

------------------------------------------------------

Everything happened so fast. They reached the Supremacy more quickly than she would have liked. The plan was sketchy at best, but she placed her faith in him and the visions they shared. But, when her transport pod opened, he stood waiting with a platoon of stormtroopers and restraints. She wondered if she made a mistake.

She knew where he was taking her, and her apprehension was getting the best of her. She tried to reason with him. She tried to get him to turn, but he was resolute. And now, here she was.

All she could see in her peripheral vision was red. Her body ached from Snoke’s attacks and her knees were sore from kneeling. Snoke’s voice taunted from somewhere behind her, but the words felt like white noise. The sensations were similar to the Force-Bond moments she shared with Ben on Ahch-To.

But that shouldn’t have been possible. They were here. Together. She was on her knees staring up at him with fear in her eyes. He glared down at her wearing the face of Kylo Ren. If the situation wasn’t so dire, she would laugh at how easily she could tell the two apart. They were different people in her eyes.

But, no. Now, Ben Solo was hidden away and Kylo Ren towered above her. She should have been more afraid than she was. She knew her death was imminent. But the eyes of Ben Solo stared at her from the face of Kylo Ren. It was the first time she really saw them merged as one.

The tickle in the back of her mind started again. The bond was slowly coming to life. But, not really. This didn’t take over her surroundings like the bond did. This was contained to that little part of her mind that she had labeled ‘his’. It was his voice, not Snoke’s, that filled her ears.

“Trust me. Everything is going to be ok.”

She placed more faith in those words than anything else in her entire life. She forced herself to remain calm. Even if she was to die, she would greet death with bravery. She wouldn’t cower before Snoke.

The bond gave her tunnel vision. All she could see was him. All she could focus on was the stoic mask that fell over his features, revealing only Ben Solo’s eyes. Eyes that screamed at her to trust him. All she could hear was his voice repeating in her ears. ‘Trust me.’ All she could feel was the flow of the Force around her. And suddenly, everything snapped into focus with startling clarity.

“... and kills his true enemy!”

Snoke’s voice bellowed from behind her. Between one instant and another, she dropped to the durasteel floor as Snoke’s force hold on her faded with his death. Her hand shot out to catch the glowing blue saber that ended the Supreme Leader of the First Order. She rose. Her eyes met those of Ben Solo. And then, all was quiet except for the hum of their lightsabers.

For a brief moment, the entire galaxy paused. They held each other’s fierce gaze as the Force hummed around them and their bond flared to life. There was no need for words. The only way for either of them to survive would be to join forces. Failure was not an option.

The battle began in a flurry of movement. Six of Snoke’s Praetorian Guards fell heavily upon them. Glowing sabers pierced red armor and crackling vibro weapons swung through the air. In the commotion of the fight, a calm settled over them. Rey and Ben fought as one, completely in sync with each other.

Their bond swirled around them, connecting them as they fought. The Force allowed them to sense each other’s movements and know when the other needed assistance. They both knew that in the moment, each would willingly sacrifice themselves for the other. And, in the end, when the final foe fell, and weapons were thrown aside, he approached her.

“The fleet! Order them to stop firing! There’s still time to save the fleet!”

Rey turned to him with panic in her eyes as she watched him draw nearer. Through the view ports of Snoke’s throne room, she watched the slow decimation of the Resistance. After everything, she couldn’t bear their loss.

“Ben?”

Tears gathered in her eyes as she watched him. He was nearly upon her now. His face, the face of Ben Solo, was unsure as he held a black gloved hand out toward her. He swallowed heavily, voice calm as he spoke.

“It’s time to let old things die. Snoke. Skywalker. The Sith. The Jedi. The Rebels. Let it all die. Rey, I want you to join me. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy.”

And while his words were confident, his voice shook with nerves. Through her own anxiety and sadness, she knew how afraid he was. She could feel how deeply he feared her rejection.

“Don’t do this, Ben. Please, don’t go this way.”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be at all. He was supposed to join her! She saw it in her vision. She saw them standing together, united as one. They were supposed to be together. This wasn’t what she saw. But, then again, Luke tried to warn her. Visions weren’t always what they appeared to be.

“No. No. You’re still holding on! Let go!”

His chest heaved with his shouts. His fury was building, along with his fear. She could feel his doubt rising. The darkness was creeping in. She couldn’t let him do this.

“Do you want to know the truth about your parents, or have you always known? Have you just hidden it away? You know the truth. Say it.”

She choked on the sob threatening to rip its way from her throat. She knew what he was trying to do. And she wouldn’t let him. She wouldn’t allow him to drag her into that darkness with him. If their vision was shared, as they both believed, she knew she couldn’t allow herself to fall.

“They were nobody.”

“They were filthy junk traders. They sold you off for drinking money.”

His words stung, but she did nothing to stop him. She couldn’t. Her brain scrambled for any way to turn the tide of this confrontation. She needed to. But his voice just kept on speaking, clouding her mind and her judgement.

“They’re dead in a pauper’s grave in the Jakku desert. You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You’re nothing. But not to me.”

And that was the crux of it. That was what everything boiled down to. He wanted her by his side, but his fear that she would leave for something better gnawed at him. It ate him alive like some great monster in the darkness. But slowly, his hand rose toward her again as his dark eyes pleaded with her.

“Join me. Please.”

It was spoken like a command, but his voice begged. She was so torn. She wanted him. She wanted to stand by his side. Her vision showed her what they could be. She could feel it in her core, that little sensation that told her exactly what she needed to do. But could she do it? She took a steading breath, locking her fists at her side.

“Ben, please. Let the fleet go. Let the fleet go and I’ll take your hand. They’re useless now. There’s no more than a few dozen left. Please, let them go.”

He shook with rage while his jaw ticked in thought. The hand extended toward her clenched into a fist. She cringed at how quickly the conversation deteriorated. Acting on impulse, her hands shot out and wrapped securely around his.

“Yes, Ben. Yes. I’ll join you. All I need for you to do is to let them go. Please.”

He stared at their joined hands for several long moments, considering her request. Even through the leather of his gloves, she could feel the warmth of his skin. Through their bond, she could feel his resignation to her request. And the Force sang with their decision.

“If I let them go, you’ll stay?”

She nodded, and he moved quickly to give the order. Their shared vision was correct after all. She saw it more clearly now. They would each have to sacrifice to achieve their full potential. This was the beginning.

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