#alderaanian temple

[lightsaberlinguist]

Jedi Headcanon #1

While the Room of a Thousand Fountains and the rooftop gardens are the most well-known green spaces of the Jedi Temple, dozens of other smaller gardens and greenhouses can be found throughout, preserving and recreating the landscapes of some of the hundreds of home worlds of the Jedi. These gardens are used for meditation, education and study in equal parts, preparing young Jedi to survive in a variety of planetary conditions.

[vodika-vibes]

CONGRATS ON 500!!

Long time lurker, I am here every morning around work, and have reread most of your fics at least 3 times. Your writing is amazing!

Okay I'll stop gushing 🙈

For the follower event, I was thinking Kix, Emerald, and late night.

Thank you, and congrats again!! 😊

I'll Wait Forever

Summary: When an emergency makes Kix late to pick you up for your date he’s incredibly apologetic. What he doesn’t know, and what you need him to understand, is that you’d wait forever for him.

Pairing: Post-Stasis Kix x F!Reader

Word Count: 830

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Thank you for your nice comment! I'm so glad that you like my stories enough to come back to them! I hope this is close to what you wanted, you didn't specify, so I chose to go with Post-Stasis Kix rather than TCW era Kix. Both are swoon-worthy. My goal is to keep all of these under 1000 words. I wonder how I'll do, lol.

The fall of the Empire, and the rise of the New Republic, has made you a very wealthy person. Wealthy enough that you, and a group of your friends, were able to repurpose a Lucrehulk Class droid control ship into something a little more useful. 

As of now, and with the permission of the New Republic, the ship is home to over two million displaced individuals (many of Alderaanian descent), it’s also home to a massive shopping center, and is the home point for this sector's Bounty Hunters Guild.

It is a point of some pride, yes.

And, at this point, it basically runs itself. Which means that you only have to do a little bit of work to make sure it stays running smoothly. Which, for you, means that you have to play nice with the politicians in the New Republic.

But that only happens every so often.

Which means you’re able to focus on more important things.

Like writing your novel…and spending time with your boyfriend.

Both are very important to you, though you’re not ashamed to admit that Kix, your boyfriend, is far more important to you than anything else that you own. Including the ship that you currently call home.

He travels a lot, and you don’t mind, because in the end he always comes back to you. 

Speaking of said boyfriend, he said that he was going to take you on a date tonight.

You tilt your head back to catch a glimpse of the chrono on the wall, and you release a sigh, though there’s a smile on your face. It is well past closing time for all but the seediest of restaurants, which means no going out tonight.

Ah well. Such is life.

You flick your gaze back to the first draft of your novel, and you make sure to save your work before you set it to the side.

Time to make dinner, and if you’re lucky, Kix will join you for dinner. 

You meander into your kitchen and you put some water on the stove for the pasta, before you dig around your pantry. Might as well make a proper meal.

You’re about to put the pasta in the boiling water when the door to your suite slides open. Absently you pour the whole box into the water, before leaning back to look into the main part of your suite, and a bright smile crosses your face.

Kix is gorgeous. 

Tall and broad, with thick curly hair and an equally thick beard. The tattoo under his hair just barely peeks out at his temple.

You’d quite happily follow him into hell, if he asked.

Not that he ever would.

“Welcome home,” You chirp from the kitchen, “I started pasta for dinner, do you want cheesy bread or garlic. I have both because I have no self control when it comes to bread. It’s a problem.” You check the water and then leave your posting in the kitchen to walk over to him. 

He sets his helmet on the table next to the door, and then casts his gaze to you, something akin to guilt crosses his face when he takes you in, “I’m late.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You got all dressed up for me.” Kix says, his lips turning down.

“I got dressed up for myself. The fact that you also appreciate it is just a bonus.” You grin at him, and slide into his arms, your arms twining around his neck, “Now. Garlic bread or cheesy bread. This is a super important decision, Kix.”

His arms tightens around your hips, “I’m sorry, love.”

“It’s just bread, Kix. It’s not really that important. I can make both.”

He laughs softly, but there’s something almost broken in his voice, “I’m sorry for missing our date. Again.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not. It’s really, really not. You deserve better than…this.” He vaguely gestures to himself.

“I don’t want better. I want you.”

“Even though I neglect you?”

You slide your hands to his face, and you lightly brush your fingers under his eyes, “Hold on there, mister. You don’t neglect me. I have never once felt neglected.”

He tilts your head back, “How can you say that?”

“Kix,” You grin at him, “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

You stand on your toes to brush your lips against his, “I’d wait forever for you. You’re worth it. I’d follow you into hell if you asked.”

He exhales sharply, his breath washing across your face, “I love you.”

You beam at him, “I know, I’m very lovable.”

Kix arches a single brow, and he moves his fingers to your sides, lightly tickling you, pulling a startled giggle from your lips, “Is that all you have to say?” He asks, a smile playing on his lips now.

You hop into his arms, his arms sliding securely around your waist to support you, as you kiss him deeply, “I love you too. Always. Forever.”

[tsotf-fic]

♚ chapter 1 - when stars collide ♛

iii. the ward

As they approached the party, Y/N gasped. The palace itself matched the over-extravagance of the partygoers: hundred-foot-long velvet tapestries depicting the glory of the Empire decorated the front of the former Jedi Temple in a way seemingly designed to mock its ancient history. The statues of ancient Jedi sages had long been torn down, replaced by a single statue of the Emperor looming over the center of the stairway. Stormtroopers flanked the sides of the building, stony and unmoving, threatening any onlookers who would dare to step a toe out of line.

"Are there normally this many stormtroopers stationed outside of the Imperial Palace?" Leia asked, careful to sound as innocent as possible. It wasn't entirely fake; stormtroopers were nonexistent on Alderaan, so any eavesdropper would assume she was purely unaccustomed to their presence.

"It is standard protocol," Her father responded, and then he lowered his voice. "Although... something about this doesn't feel quite right to me, either."

Y/N shivered. Without saying anything, Leia intertwined their fingers, not quite grasping her hand but still holding on to her as they ascended the palace steps.

A crimson-plated protocol droid stood off to the side of the massive doors at the palace entrance. The palace guards had their staffs crossed, blocking entry to anyone who dared to enter uninvited. Not that anyone would–palace security had a reputation for being both impenetrable and merciless, and although there hadn’t been any incidents as of late, no one dared to find out just what the repercussions would be. There were rumors, however. It was best not to think of them. 

The droid straightened up as they approached, greeting them in a posh, mellifluous voice. “Greetings, loyal citizens of the Empire. I am L-3PO, official Imperial liaison between organics and robotics, tasked tonight with welcoming guests to this most wonderful event. I’ll have to check to see that you’re on the guest list and verify your identities–this will only take a moment!” 

Datapad in hand, the droid scrolled through with their stylus, and Y/N could only begin to imagine how long the list was; just how many planets, and people…

"Presenting the Alderaanian Delegation,” L-3PO said, reading from the illuminated screen. “Her Majesty, Queen Breha Organa, and His Highness, Viceroy Bail Organa.” 

The royal couple bowed and made their way through the doors, pausing just behind the entrance to wait for the girls.

L-3PO spoke again. “Her Highness, Princess Leia Organa, and…?” The droid looked over at Y/N skeptically, mechanical eyes glinting, and she froze. Leia’s eyes flicked between Y/N and her parents nervously, silently begging for their help as Y/N stood unresponsive.

Breha looked over at the frightened girl and stepped in. "Lady Y/N Alde, our ward."

"Oh–my deepest apologies, Your Highness, it took a moment for my database to recognize her face! Forgive my slight malfunction," L-3PO apologized, and the guards backed away, lowering their staffs. "Her Grace, Lady Y/N Alde."

A flame rose to Y/N’s cheeks as she stepped forward, praying her makeup would hide her humiliation as she went to join her party. A few sympathetic glances were thrown her way, but she chose to ignore them, save for the eyes of the princess–eyes that held no patronizing pity. Only anger.

fanfiction by @kaleidoscope1967eyes

[casp1an-sea]

Gen Mentel Jenis

I know the drawing says Jedi master, HE IS NOT A JEDI MASTER! That was old, he is only a knight.

Again kinda an old drawing lol still kinda happy with this one

other characters to know for his story: Pical (Brother), Jin (Best Friend), Zac (Padwan friend)

Birth Year: 48 BBY

Age at beginning: 25

Species: Human, Alderaanian

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Occupation: Jedi Knight (at the start)

Force Alignment: Neutral, Light

—————————————————————————

Personality: Gen is chill and humorous. He shares many beliefs about the Jedi with his childhood friend Jin. He loves his brother and tries his best to be nice to him but they often get into fights so they are somewhat distant. He isn’t very serious and knows his job is important but he remains light hearted. He has quite “radical” views on the Jedi and has little respect for the council. He has no qualms about directly disobeying them as long as his actions don’t harm others. While he is willing to fight for the greater good he shares many of Jin’s pacifist views and wants to have a normal family rather than live his life alone as a jedi. (Disclaimer even though he has radical beliefs does not mean he has dark side temptations)

Appearance: He has dark brown hair cut short with neatly combed bangs, very pale skin, and ice blue eyes. He’s thought to be very handsome. They aren’t interested in each other but Jin and him will often jokingly flirt with one other making fun of the fact that Gen is known as handsome. He wears brown robes slightly darker than standard and often wears them in a loose unneat way.

Weapons: A Single Bladed Purple lightsaber with a wood hilt and gold accents. Later he has a double bladed purple saber with a black metal hilt (stole the hilt from a sith), and then a single bladed dual action purple saber with a hilt inspired by his first hilt. After he leaves the order he also gets a blaster.

—————————————————————————

Backstory: (This is very depressing read at your own risk)

A Jedi scout found out that Gen was force sensitive when he was basically a new born. The scout had come to take Gen’s 5 year old brother, Pical, to be a Jedi. The scout returned 3 years later to get Gen as well. Gen trained as a youngling with Pical and Jin. He was a lot closer to Pical as a child. He doesn’t remember anything about his family and Pical won’t tell him the few things he remembers because they aren’t supposed to form attachments. As Youngling, he was taught mostly by Yoda and as a Padawan, his master was Mace Windu. While being a padwan, whenever he was left alone at the temple, he would often go into Youngling’s classes and chat with them. Other padwans his own age were often too busy. This is how he met Zac and they became friends, despite the age gap. Gen was ready to be knighted around the same time that Zac was becoming a padwan. He thought it would be cool for Zac to be his Padawan but the council said as a New knight he would not be ready. He understands that now and Jin got to be Zac’s master so Gen still often worked with him due to his closeness with Jin.

As Gen grew older his relationship with his brother grew more temperamental. It was difficult for them to have a conversation that did not end an argument, despite them both caring a great deal about each other. They simply had different ideals and views of the Jedi, causing them to often butt heads with Jin being the mediator.

About Two years before the clone wars Gen actually married someone in secret (he changed his last name from Mentel to Mentel Jenis). Only Jin knew. A year later him and his Spouse had a daughter. Excited, he mustered up the courage to introduce them to his brother. Who promptly snitched on him to the council and got him kicked out. After this Gen disowned him as a brother, and became a mercenary out of necessity, because Most law abiding citizens didn’t want to hire an ex Jedi. He had no intention of working with The Jedi again, but his moral code made taking mercenary jobs limited, and he ended up excepting an offer to help train clones during the clone wars. This is where he was reunited with his brother but they never completely made up. When he was kicked from the order, he also secretly kept his Kyber crystal and made a new hilt for himself after he left.

after order 66 Gen went into hiding and never knew what became of Pical. Pical had actually survived but the two of them never met up again as Gen was killed by an imperial airstrike during the galactic Civil War and Pical didn’t find out his brother had survived order 66 until after he had already died.

—————————————————————————

MORE GEN ART (and also Pical)

These are moments from their story

—————————————————————————

@xen-blank, @thehollowwriter, @l7k-a, @ferris-the-wheel, @keii-starz

@krenenbaker @elenauaurs @the-banana-0verlord @edith-is-a-cat @dove-da-birb

@theosb0rnway @fizzydreamz @ravenwing0110

@diabollicallyangelic @xentari94 @tomatette

@dragonflies-draw-flame @sunshinechildskywalker

[jvliaxox]

Some cool concepts for future Star Wars stories because I’m so bored right now

A Jedi accidentally stumbles across the World Between Worlds and ends up witnessing/living through major historical events from different eras.

A group of High Republic Jedi, or non-Force sensitive archaeologists, exploring the temple on Yavin 4 (the eventual Rebel base) and finding out it’s haunted by ancient Sith, so like a horror story or whatever.

The ancient Jed’aii have a large civil war that ends in the creation of the Jedi on Ahch-To.

Rey trying to rebuild the Jedi Order, post-TROS.

A group of (former) Jedi Padawans and clones whose chips malfunctioned band together to survive a post-Order 66 world.

Just a comedic parody of whatever the hell Ezra and Thrawn were doing after the events on Lothal.

Rebels hunting down Imperial remnants after the destruction of the second Death Star. (this is me begging for the Aftermath series being put into a show or trilogy)

Just anything from the Old Republic era from before the Rule of Two because the Sith were cooler when there were more of them.

Tarre Viszla, a Mandalorian, becoming a Jedi.

Leia and Luke meeting their cousins, because yes, they actually do have cousins and nobody says anything about this.

Ahsoka exploring Tython because why not.

A group of Jedi leaving the Order and creating what eventually becomes the Sith Order.

Anything about Revan because he’s cool and he’s canon so...

The Chiss involvement during the war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire (because this is canon).

An irrelevant Republic solider/officer goes on a mission and ends up investigating Palpatine’s Contingency plan.

Whatever Inferno Squad was doing after the Battle of Jakku.

The Delegation of 2000. Just anything about them please.

A Sith and a Jedi are siblings but also sworn enemies. (Old Republic era)

The undervalued Padawan of the Jedi librarian discovers that someone is stealing relics and writings on Sith teachings and discovers that the Sith are infiltrating the Jedi Order.

Rae Sloane rebuilding the Empire in the Unknown Regions.

A Rebel spy infiltrates the Empire disguised as an officer but ends up going down the Star Wars equivalent of the alt-right pipeline.

A group of grieving Alderaanians seek revenge on the Empire, post-Death Star.

[batman777333]

Here are two of my SWOCs: Willow and Aylin

Willow:

Aylin:

Picrew I used for them: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1378711

I may make more Star Wars OC posts but if anyone has a picrew/creator that lets you make nonhuman (specifically Twi’lek) Mandos link me.

Their backstories are under this read more:

Willow Vao is a Twi’lek Jedi during the time of the Empire. She perceives the force as music. She survived Anakin’s assault on the temple when she was 5 years old and witnessed him murder her classmates. In a panic she accidentally discovered she had the ability to Force Cloak herself, which allowed her to hide from both Anakin and the brainwashed Clones. While escaping, she ran into Mace Windu, heavily injured but alive, and the two escaped and went to Ryloth, her birth planet. Mace wanted to give her back to her birth parents, only to find out they died when Order 66 happened and the clones started attacking. Eventually a covert of Mandalorians found their way to Ryloth and she was reunited with her twin sister Iris. Iris joined the covert and all parties hid on Ryloth despite the Empire’s presence. When she was around 8 years old she found out she had a connection with a human Alderaanian boy named Asher. With time she came to view him as a brother. Mace tried to cut it when they were 13 as such bonds were dangerous but it came back at 16. It is unknown why the Force connected them but they uncovered several strange powers including the ability to read each others minds with ease and switch bodies. She spends the era of the Empire a part of the rebellion where her Force Cloaking abilities were invaluable.

Slavery Tw for Aylin’s section:

Aylin is an Iridonian Zabrak born a few years before the fall of the Empire. Born a slave under a strict master she found she was proficient in mechanics, and was taught mostly by her father. Despite her circumstances she took comfort in the fact her parents loved her. When she was 9 her father was killed after misplacing a piece of equipment. When she was 10 years old her master enslaved Willow, Asher and a Sith/Darksider. After a year the Darksider convinced their master to kill her mother and Willow begins to take care of her. 4 years after that they finally manage to escape and free the other slaves but their master escaped.

[tarisilmarwen]

8, 11, and 14 for the AO3 writer's wrapped ask game!

8. What’s your favorite work you posted this past year?

Probably Starmaps And Hyperspace Eyes, I did love a lot of the work I did for Whumptober but everything just came together so nicely on this one back in June, I struck all the Vibes I was going for, the imagery evoked exactly what I wanted, it fit the song that was its inspiration, it was beautiful and heartwarming, and I even still managed to sneak in some little juicy bits of Ezra peril.

11. Do you have playlists for any of your fics/wips?

Unsurprisingly Little Wooden Lightsaber Boy was written while listening to the Nutcracker Ballet so several cues from it fit certain scenes perfectly lol.

14. Give us a sneak peek of one of your upcoming works!

Okay so this is from the crack!fic that's been giving me headaches (finally made it past the trouble chapter so hopefully things'll be downhill from here) where the Falcon, the Ghost, and the Mantis all descend at once on the same Imperial facility. I'm mostly happy with this section so it's probably not gonna change much when it's eventually published:

Yavin IV - Massassi Temple - Office of Mon Mothma - Mission Debriefing 8.4 hours after "The Incident" There was a dull pressure pulling at the undersides of Senator Mon Mothma's forehead, as she carefully set her freshly-brewed cup of hot Chandrillan herbal tea on the desk in front of her. (Extra strength tension tamer, an expensive blend.) She sank into her seat with a weary, kind of bone-tired exhaustion. The kind of exhaustion she used to get back in her Senate days when Palpatine called them all into the chamber for one of his long dramatic speeches to "motivate" them to vote for his latest pet tyranny measure. (By the galaxies could that shriveled prune drone on and on!) The kind of exhaustion she'd felt after laboring twenty-six hours (by herself, with no medication thank you so much, Perrin, you were a big help) giving birth to Leida. That kind of exhaustion. Exhaling heavily, she spoke. "All right," she said. "Let's go over everything again, just to be sure we have it all straight." She glanced up at the three sheepish-looking women seated across from her: a green-skinned Twi'lek pilot, a young, composed Alderaanian princess, and a lady in plainclothes of varying browns and tans--who all seemed in that moment much less like the brave and competent Rebel leaders they were and much more like juvenille delinquents having a conference with the principal to discuss the terms of their detention. The three exchanged chagrined glances.

Ao3 Writer's Wrapped Ask Game

[jessicas-pi]

2, 8, 11, 13 and 14 for the ao3 wrapped asks!

2 and 11 are answered here!

8. What's your favorite work you posted this past year?

Probably Time Heals Old Hate, but Commit To The Bit is a close second!

13. What fic are you most excited to post in the upcoming year?

Definitely Time Heals book three! I have a lot of exciting stuff planned and i can't WAIT to get to it!

14. Give us a sneak peek of one of your upcoming works!

I already did this here, but that was technically from an update to an existing fic, so here's something new from the next fic in my Teenage Rebellion AU!

“It’s outrageous! It’s unfair! It’s—it’s downright rude! It—” “Leia,” Mother said, giving her a gently chiding look from across the dinner table. “Mind your manners.” Leia stabbed at her dinner, trying to ignore the cheerful Alderaanian birdsong drifting through the windows. “I did. I smiled and nodded and said I would be pleased to have him at my ball, which was a steaming pile of bantha—” “Leia,” repeated Father. She sighed, dropping her silverware and leaning back in her seat, massaging her temples. “I just don’t think it’s right that Lord Vader should butt in and make me invite that snotty brat to my party.”

[polgarawolf1]

Barriss Day fanart collages

As I can no longer access/post on my original Tumblr account (under Polgarawolf), due to a dead computer during home rennovations and issues with the internet that resulted in losing the email attached to the account (and the apparent inability of Tumblr to do anything to help me), I have made a new account, Polgarawolf1. I'm the same person, though, and I'm still a big SW fan, though I generally lean more towards the old EU than the new DISNEY!SW version of SW canon. I tend to have elaborate headcanons for the things that I write or otherwise create in fandoms like this but I'm also an AU girl at heart, so I can and sometimes do entertain multiple possible headcanons for certain characters. I'm hoping to get something written for BarrissDay before the deadline, but that might or might not happen, due to real life issues. I'm not a techy person, so I hope that the person (or people) who has (or have) organized BarrissDay and the Barriss Offee Appreciation blog will know how to find this, based on the BarrissDay tag!

Please be aware that my version of Barriss Offee is based largely on the original version of the character, as she appears in cut scenes, etc., from AotC and RotS (and therefore has very little to do with Filoni's Star Wars: The Clone Wars nonsense, except for what I've modified to fit with my headcanon version of Barriss. Apologies, though, for the one image of Barriss with her hair loose/uncovered - it's how they drew her for the cover art of one of the MedStar books, during an unexpected attack, and unfortunately I'm just not artistically talented enough to believably alter it to try to cover her head/hair!), and as she was originally written in EU books such as The Approaching Storm and the MedStar duology. My Barriss is closer in age to Anakin Skywalker than Ahsoka Tano and is most emphatically not a terrorist who willingly helped bomb one of the hangars in the Coruscanti Jedi Temple, just in case anyone is wondering!

In any case, the collages are behind the cut! There are some just for Barriss, some for Barriss and Luminara as Padawan and Master, and a few based specifically on the MedStar books, with Barriss and Kornell "Uli" Divini (I have filled in for him as best I can, since there aren't any good images of him online. For those who are unfamiliar with the character, Uli is from Tatooine, attended Coruscant Medical, did his internship at "Big Zoo" or Galactic Polysapient Medical Center on Alderaan, and is something of a wonderkid, as he's already a fully qualified surgeon when either still eighteen or just nineteen, during the events of MedStar II: Jedi Healer, and is maybe barely 20 when the Clone Wars ends. Uli has something of a baby face but is extremely good at sabacc, which the various Healers - Jedi and otherwise - and surgeons and nurses of Republic Mobile Surgical Unit 7 often play with their friends during downtime. Uli's mother, renowned mudopterist Elana  Divini, is known for collecting "Alderaanian flare-wings" and one of his first meetings with Barriss happens when she's out doing a lightsaber kata and accidentally injures herself while he's in the swamps of Drongar looking at the local insects, sees her, and helps deal with her injury), who were at the very least written as good friends with the potential for more (if not for Order 66, etc.).

Apologies in advance for repetitiveness - I figured more would be better, even if it meant that I basically had to keep using the same scant handful of official images for Barriss from the films over and over, plus a few from the various animated shows. I'm aware that hex signs are a form of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, but I've had it in my head for years (since long before Star Wars: The Clone Wars was made) that Mirialan art and particularly their folk art involve very similar motifs and also often the use of colorful stained glass and tiles, which is why I've used several of them here along with images meant to evoke stained glass artwork. No disrespect is meant to anyone and if anything bothers anyone, please let me know about it and why, so I can try to fix it or offer an alternative!

[transitranger327]

Chapter 2: A Voyage to Mandalore

Summary: Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 visit these mysterious “Mandalorian Jedi”, and learn more about themselves than they bargained for.

Notes: There is Stormpilot content I swear. The fic is mostly trio-centric, but I promise Finn/Poe fans will be getting gay content (it’s me I’m Finn/Poe fans). More notes and a Mando’a glossary at the end.

Twenty-six years after the Ignition

As they dropped out of hyperspace, Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 took in the sights of the planet before them. The surface was partly obscured by large electrical storms, and the rest of the surface were various shades of tan and green. There appeared to be several cities, the dark grey of metal standing out against the lighter surface. Many of the cities had patches of bright green around them, suggesting some form of agriculture. One city on the night side shimmered with the pale yellow of streetlights. From what Poe could remember of Mandalorian history, this was the best the planet had looked in centuries. 

“All right, BB-8, transmit the clearance codes,” said Rey, “we don’t want them shooting down an unidentified vessel right after a war.” BB-8 dutifully broadcasted the codes along with their transponder signature. A high voice spoke from the Falcon’s comms, “Welcome to Mandalore, friends of Jacen Syndulla.” A Mandalorian starfighter approached them. With a slight defensive tone, Rey replied, “He said we were supposed to meet with him or someone from the Way.” The Mandalorian voice responded, “Yes, he told us we should expect you. Please follow the Sundari Beacon to landing zone 327. This is the way.” The fighter returned to a patrol pattern as the Falcon began descending. “Landing beacons?” Finn asked, “Aren’t those synthetic radar, ancient tech?” Poe chuckled a bit, “They’re the only thing that can cut thru ion storms. Most other communications gets caught in the interference.” 

—

As the quartet stepped off the Millennium Falcon’s landing ramp, they were greeted by Jacen Syndulla. He was wearing the exact same flight suit & armor combo he had been wearing the day he dropped into their lives on Ajan Kloss. As he walked them inside a what appeared to be a formerly domed city, he gave them the 10-cred tour. “Sundari isn’t just the political capital of Mandalore, it’s an important cultural center. The lower levels,” he pointed to a grand staircase, “house the Great Forge and the Mines of Mandalore.” “What are you mining?” quizzed Finn. “Well the Mines are no longer active, but thousands of years ago they were the first sources of beskar. Today the Mines are filled with the Living Waters.” Jacen’s enthusiasm for this world was infectious. “The western portion of the city is the Alderaanian quarter, which has the best wine bars in the city and the School of Restorative Agriculture. But we’re headed towards the southern district, where the Temple and Archives live.”

“Why do some of these people wear helmets inside?” Rey was curious about a clearly romantic pair, arm-in-arm wearing helmets. “Ah yes, the Children of the Watch. They walk an older form of the way, where you never remove your helmet while in the company of another. They’re also responsible for guarding and maintaining the Great Forge.” Finn was shocked, remembering his time as a stormtrooper, “you mean they choose to always wear their armor?” “Yes, some wear it as a sign of devotion, some wear it as a comfort, and some wear it as personal expression.” Finn asked, “personal expression?” Jacen then realized he was talking to a former stormtrooper, “Does any of the armor look identical to you? Everything is a choice. And Beskar’gam is incredibly comfortable, it legit feels like a second skin. I’ve slept in it on accident more than once, without feeling sore or stiff the next day. But logistically, yes you can remove it when you eat or freshen up, if alone. That’s why the restaurants all have trays for takeout, and why we don’t have communal refreshers. And since technically the rule is ‘you cannot show your face to another’, some couples choose to sleep in complete darkness instead.” 

—

The Temple that Jacen was guiding the others to was an enormous block of building pressed up against the rim of the former dome. It was vaguely pyramidal structure, with large rooms on the façade. Finn noted that, while the other windows of the building were made of trinitite glass, the rooms they were walking past had transparisteel windows, suggesting their purpose to train. Several library reading rooms occupied the lower floors containing one or two people each, while a large assembly of stained glass lined the fourth floor, which Poe suspected implied a large central sanctuary. The top levels split into multiple towers, but only a few small floors on the central tower peaked over Sundari’s old dome. To Rey, it looked reminiscent of Jedi temples of old, while still blending in with its Mandalorian surroundings. As the five of them entered, they were greeted by a young woman with bright yellow hair and armor to match. “Jaina, you’re on guard duty today?” “Yeah cousin, I told mom I’d rather greet living people out here than catalog dead ones in the stacks with her” “Well you might regret that today specifically, these living people have brought some of the sacred texts for Aunt Shin to read. Can you call your moms and tell them to meet us in the library’s conference room?” “Sure thing.”

As they left the entrance hallway and entered the temple’s narthex, Poe asked what he thought was an obvious question, “Why do you have a teenager on guard duty?” Jacen smiled, “We’re Mandalorian, we’re ready to guard buildings once we’re old enough to fire a blaster. But she’s not really guarding anything, the temple is open to anyone who wants to learn. She’s more a guide and communicator.” As they turned left, Jacen continued the tour. “The large doors we just passed were the entrance to the Sanctum of All. This way is to the Archives. If you had turned left, you’d have found the administrative wing: offices, conference rooms, and dormitories for travelers and Jedi alike.” “So Jedi live here?” asked Rey, thinking about how this compared to the First Temple at Ahch-To. “Yes and no. This isn’t like the old temples. Mandalorians have strong allegiances to our clans, and so many of us live near our families. Some people live here for stretches of time, for both practical and spiritual reasons. Non-members too, usually if they’re studying texts in our library and don’t want to commute.” Finn marveled at the idea of a group of warriors so dedicated to both freedom and knowledge. 

“Here at the archives, we have both a library of texts and a collection of artifacts from across the galaxy.” Poe watched as dozens of pages of his history books jumped out at him as antiquities sitting in display cases, “So is there a particular focus or is this general galactic history?” “We try to have copies of as much knowledge as possible. Holos of every text we can find, physical texts where possible. We want to rival the old Jedi Temple archives in terms of completeness,” Jacen answered, “But we want as much knowledge as possible to be available to the public. There are, of course, some texts that require…special care and attention. But any member of the public is allowed to ask for access.” The implication of Dark Side teachings went unsaid. “And the artifacts?” Finn asked, thinking about some of the artifact destruction he had to do in his past life. “Right, so, the artifacts here are specifically related to Jedi and Mandalorian history.” Jacen continued, clearly having guided people thru the museum before. “If they weren’t Jedi- or Mandalorian-made, they’re either modern replicas or on loan from their owners. Some of the Jedi-made artifacts are replicas too, and we’re currently loaning them out to another museum in the galaxy.” He gestured to a small wooden item with charms hanging off the side, “this was my mother’s Kalikori, showing the Syndulla family history. The Ryloth History museum has a replica, but for special occasions I fly this one out there and give talks about her and my grandfather.” After a beat, he continued “Or they might be Sith artifacts. We’re not quite sure what to do with Sith artifacts, but we have them.”

“Well here you are, the Library conference room,” Jacen said as he opened a door at the end of their 16th hallway. An older woman, with short teal hair and wearing purple armor, was sitting at a conference table opposite the door the rest had entered. “Olarom, fellow Jedi and companions. I see Jacen has enthusiastically explained how the temple works. Please, have a seat. I’m Sabine Wren, Grand Master of Jetii Mando’ayust. My wife, Chief Librarian Shin Hati will be joining us shortly.” “Yes, Jacen was very helpfully explaining all the galactic history I didn’t learn as a child,” Rey answered, realizing that Sabine expected her to be the leader. Jacen slipped out of the room as she continued, “I’m Rey, these are my friends Finn, Poe Dameron, and BB-8.” “Pleased to meet you, Master Wren,” Poe said as he shook Sabine’s…arm? “No, the pleasure’s all mine,” Sabine replied, shaking everyone else’s arms, “I’ve been trying to get you four out here ever since I heard one of you was a Jedi.” Another woman about Sabine’s age, with chin-length white hair, entered the conference room from a previously unnoticed door. “Come in riduur, these are the people Jacen was telling you about.” After a kiss, Sabine continued, “Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8.” “Ah yes, the Jedi who learned from both Skywalkers, the former stormtrooper finding himself, the hotshot pilot who’s perhaps a bit wiser after the war, and their trusty astromech.” Shin took a seat and clasped her beloved’s non-writing hand. “I hear you have some ancient books for me to indulge in.”

Poe slipped out, trying to see if he could follow Jacen. He wasn’t needed in the conference room, he wasn’t Jedi material. Not like Finn and Rey were. He knew they had a different connection to each other, and while at first he was jealous of their bond, Finn had reminded him that their bond was different too. The kidnapping-rescuer-to-lover pipeline was real, he laughed to himself. He caught sight of green braids. “Hey Syndulla!” Jacen turned around, “I thought you’d be in the conference room.” 

“Well I’m not really Jedi material. Thought I’d see if we could talk. You know…pilot-to-pilot.”  “Dameron, are you trying to get a tour of the Ghost?”  “…mmmaaayyybee…”  “Alright, come on, I’ll show you. I’ll even throw in a Phantom tour for free!”

The two men laughed as they strolled off to the ship farm.

—

“Yes! The Sacred Texts!” Rey started laying the eight volumes she had brought from the Falcon. “We’ve got both volumes of the Aionomica, the Rammahgon, the Chronicles of Brus-bu, Poetics of a Jedi, and a few others I won’t even try to pronounce.” Shin began browsing the pages of the ancient tomes. “They’re in remarkable condition for being tens of millennia old. All original language too.” BB-8 whistled cheerfully, prompting Rey, “BB-8 and R2 did scans on the material when I brought it back to the Resistance base. Apparently the pages are made from Uneti wood.” “That would explain the longevity,” Shin continued, “Uneti trees are connected to the Force. More than most trees, I mean. If a Jedi wrote in them, the Force connection would keep the text from deteriorating.” Rey and Finn were beginning to understand why she was the chief librarian. Sabine started flipping thru another books, one whose title translated to Meditations on Malachor. “Hey, this one has text in Mando’a! Looks like it’s a transcript of some graffiti.” BB-8 helpfully informed her that it was the newest of the texts they brought. “About four thousand years old? Huh, that’s around the time of the first Mandalorian-Jedi wars.”

Finn found himself opening Aionomicum II without realizing he was doing it. He started to hear whispers coming from one of the middle pages. “Hey, uh, does anyone else hear that?” The others went quiet. “It’s getting louder,” said Finn as he turned the pages, with a little more concern in his voice. But the others shook their heads, unable to hear anything. As he found the page, the protobesh he could barely read otherwise suddenly became clear. The words enthralled him. As the whispers quieted, the emotions of the other people in the room started flowing into his mind. He slammed the book shut and slid his chair back against the wall. “What. The. HELL‽‽‽” Rey’s compassion grabbed a hold of him, “hey, hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re safe.” Shin’s curiosity remarked, “It seems there was a vergence in the pages you read.” Sabine’s smugness laughed, “Kid got his first drink from the firehose of the Force.” “What do you mean, first drink of the Force?” Finn’s terror at his own power had only started to subside. “Up until now, your connections to the force have been instinctual. Maybe a few lucky shots here and there. A feeling that something has changed and you somehow know what it changed to.” Rey’s comfort interjected Sabine’s teaching, “Reaching out on Exegol trying to keep me alive.” “Exactly. But now you’ve learned something about the Force. Your conscious mind starts putting the pieces together, and suddenly the well you were tapping into transforms into a geyser.” Sabine’s pride was followed by Rey’s reassurance, “It’s okay Finn, the more you use it, the more you train, the less terrifying the power becomes.” “Wait, how do you all know what I’m feeling?” Shin’s interest answered, “If you’re not careful, sensing emotions goes both ways.” Finn’s impulse to run away surfaced, “Uh, I need to breathe for a second, I’ll just be outside.”

Sabine watched as Finn dashed out the door of the conference room. “Does he do that often?” Rey thought back on their many adventures together, “Not as much these days, which does have me concerned.” She paused for a moment. “Do you agree with Jacen, do you really think he has potential?” Shin was the first to answer, “He’s hardly the worst candidate we’ve had.” What appeared to be a coin made a plonk against Shin’s armor. “Hey I thought we agreed to not make fun of each other in front of non-family.” Sabine’s tone was only mostly joking. “No, riduur, I was referring to me. Ahsoka almost didn’t agree to finish my training, remember?” Shin smiled, then turned to the orange astromech patiently waiting in the corner, “Come with me, little one. I have something to show you.” As the librarian began picking up the books to catalog, BB-8 beeped pensively at Rey. “It’s okay, you can trust her.” With that approval, he dutifully rolled after Shin into the stacks. 

—

Finn was searching for an escape. He didn’t want to completely leave, but he needed a space larger than a conference room. He spotted a door to the Sanctum of All, and entered. “Thank the stars, it’s empty,” he sighed, taking a seat on one of the short benches. He had always liked tall rooms, and this one was almost as tall as a star destroyer hangar. All around the upper walls were stained glass, featuring scenes of history. Jedi history, probably. Putting his head in his hands, he thought “What am I even doing here? I’m not cut out to be a Jedi. I don’t even know what’s obvious to real Jedi.” As he wallowed in his own thoughts, a suit of yellow armor took a seat next to him. 

 “You look like you need company.”   “I wanted to get away from people.”  “I said you need company, not that you want it.”  “It’s Jaina, right?”  “Jaina Wren, born of two mothers and of two worlds, Sword of the Jedi.”  “Wren? So that means…”  “Yes, you just met my mothers.”  “I thought I escaped them.”  “You did. I’m not them. They have expectations and knowledge of you. I don’t. What’s your name?”  “Finn.”  “Just Finn? No clan name?”  “I didn’t even have a name until a year ago.”  “Ex-storm, huh?”  “Yep. Is it obvious?”  “Only if you know what you’re looking for. So you’re worried about not being Jedi material?”  “How’d you guess?”  “The way you stare at the stained glass. Every single worried Jedi candidate stares at them the same way. Like you’re not gonna measure up to them.”  “I don’t even know what I’m looking at.”  “Would you like a walk-thru of our history?”  “Please.”

Jaina began walking thru Jedi and Mandalorian history: the Prime Jedi, the Mandalorian Crusades, the Hundred-Year Darkness, the Sith Wars, the Mandalorian Wars, Malachor V, Tarre Vizla, the Fall of the Old Republic, the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the Mandalorian Civil Wars, the Clone and Shadow Wars, the Tano Reformation, Order 66, the Saxon Crisis, the Night of a Thousand Tears, the Ignition. She finished her retelling with “It can be your history too. You don’t have to know it all to know it’s yours.”

—

“How long have you known him?” Rey realized Sabine probably knew very little about her and Finn beyond the basic facts Jacen had relayed to her. “He met me on Jakku about a year and a half ago. We’ve been running together ever since.” Sabine asked, “Running away from something, or running to something else?” Rey pondered the armor-piercing question. “I think I’ve been running to the Jedi, and he’s been running away from the First Order.” Sabine looked Rey directly in the eyes. “Then give him something to run to.”

As Jaina got up to leave Finn with his thoughts, Rey slid next to him. A minute of silence passed. “I can’t promise you won’t be scared. I can’t promise you won’t be overwhelmed. But I promise there’s a joy in connection. In connecting to the life-force of the universe itself.” After another stretch of silence, Rey continued, “That is, of course, if you join me.” “I think I want to. But I need to talk to Poe first.” Rey was not surprised at Finn’s response. “We kinda have a thing at the moment and I assume joining you would mean less time with him.” Rey replied, “You assume correctly. But he’s my friend too, and I’ve hated my time away from both of you.” The two friends continued to sit in silence for some time

—

Finn pressed himself against Poe’s bare chest, listening for his heartbeat. One of the few things he could always count on. “So you’re not gonna be mad at me if I start training with Rey?” Poe took a deep breath and kissed his lover’s forehead. “Look, Finn, I want you to be your best self. I think this Jedi stuff is for you, and I don’t wanna stop you.” They breathed together, basking in each other’s auras. “But you gotta promise me you’ll take some breaks and come see me.” Finn smiled, “I will Poe, I promise.” Poe continued, “And not just because you need breaks, I’ll also need breaks. I think Rose is mad we left her as the highest-ranking Resistance officer trying to sort out the new government.” Finn laughed, “yeah, two generals just running off probably isn’t the best for the Resistance.” They stared into each other’s brown eyes. They whispered a simultaneous “I love you” before drifting off to sleep.

—

End Notes: We have a Jacen in the new canon as a child of the Ghost, why not have a Jaina too? Jaina calls Shin “mom” and Sabine “mother” (like what Sabine calls Ursa). And yes, her birth will happen in the WolfWren fic in the series. Star Wars is a fantasy, so I might as well get to indulge my fantasy about how museums should work. Shoutout to Team Sanctum of All for putting 2 people in the top 8 of the Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour

Mandalorian history: Tarre Vizla was the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order. He built the Darksaber. The Shadow War is my name for the Darth Maul (Shadow Collective) vs the Kryzes war (I’m not calling it the Mandalorian Civil War 19 BBY) Same goes for the Saxon crisis (Gar & Tiber Saxon vs the other clans as seen in Rebels) The Tano Reformation is Ahsoka joining the Mandalorian cause, seen as the beginning of Jetii Mando’ayust

Mando’a (Mandalorian Language) Glossary: Beskar’gam: Mandalorian armor Olarom: welcome Jetii Mando’ayust: Jedi in the way of Mandalore Riduur: spouse, partner

[kbirbpods]

Original Fic: the family amidala by @ink-splotch (dirgewithoutmusic) on ao3

Characters: Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Isabel Organa, Bail Organa

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Major Character Death

Tags: Padmé Amidala Lives. Uncle Obi-Wan Kenobi, Post-Order 66 (Star Wars), Alderaanian Hair Braiding (Star Wars), Destruction of Alderaan (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Naboo Royal Handmaidens (Star Wars)

Audio Length: 48 minutes, 11 seconds

Summary: 

Padme lives. She runs. -- Leia is growing in fits and spurts, eating greedily and crying loudly. She stays in a sling on Padme’s chest when they move, Luke held snug in a sling around Obi Wan’s. Luke gets a whole head of thick brown hair while Leia’s is still patchy and bald, but he never matches his sister’s powerful lungs. When Padme had been sitting in her high senatorial apartment on Corsucant, holding Anakin’s sweaty hand, she had never imagined she’d be murmuring desperately soothing noises to her fussy daughter while she shot around a corner at stormtroopers, while R2D2 meddles with a ship’s blast doors behind her. Luke starts teething on a hot jungle planet where they hunker down for three weeks, sleeping in an abandoned old temple and catching the local wildlife for dinner. Leia takes her first steps in the belly of a Corellian freighter they’ve stowed away on. She wobbles between Padme’s outstretched hands and Obi Wan’s knees and boxes of smuggled luxuries. When she falls down, Obi Wan surges forward, heart in his throat, but Leia laughs.

Notes: Literally one of my top podfics I have ever recorded. 10/10, made me sob.

[vodika-vibes]

Clone Creche checklist:

-Do Jedi Temple inventory - in progress

-Let the Baby Arcs have a bit of fun - yes 🙌

The Baby ARCS deserve to have some fun. Cody doesn't mind in the least, lol.

"Hey, what's this?" Vali asks as she digs through a crate and pulls out, what looks like, an actual crown. Unlike the little tiara that she's currently wearing, this looks like a proper crown. "Huh. It looks Alderaanian," River says as he leans over Vali's shoulder and pulls it out of her hands, before dropping it on his head. "How would you know?" Eri asks from where he's unrolling a massive carpet. "Because I'm smarter than all of you." River says with a sniff, only to yelp when he gets pelted with soft stuff from around the room, "Okay! Okay! Ba'buir Mace likes talking about history." "Ba'buir, really?" "Just because you're not close to your parents jedi-" River says with a sniff. "My dad doesn't have a jedi," Eri interjects. "My dad's jedi is in jedi jail...or actual jail. I'm not sure." Vali adds. "Well. Either way, it's hardly my fault that you don't have a ba'buir." River says, "Which means that I get to wear the crown, because I'm better than you all." "Yeah, well..." Vali kicks his legs out from under him and grabs the crown, "I'm older, so it automatically comes to me." "Only by a few months, that's hardly anything!" River sputters as he catches himself before he hits the ground. Vali laughs and moves out of reach, holding the crown with one and grinning at him tauntingly, "You want it? Come and get it~"

[takadasaiko]

A Flicker of Light Chapter Nine (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: Ahsoka looks for answers, Mara digs deeper into her case, and Luke finds their rebels in a way even Vader doesn't foresee.

FFN II AO3

---

There was a constant buzz of activity throughout the lower levels of Coruscant. Flashing, neon lights buzzed and people moved through increasingly cramped pathways the further down one traveled. She knew it was a good place to get lost in the crowd, and as long as they could both reach the destination without attracting attention, it was as safe of a meeting place as they could find on the capital planet.

Ahsoka Tano took a seat at the back of a tapcaf and ordered a drink. The others in the cantina were more interested in their own anonymity than they were in her, which suited her purpose nicely. She waited and waited, eventually pulling on a calming technique she'd learned as a youngling in the Jedi Temple. These meetings rarely went exactly as planned and certainly not on the timetable they preferred. Care was always prioritized over timeliness or it could put them both at risk.

But the crew of the Ghost were sitting on Lothal, possibly exposed and being hunted by a Sith Lord. She'd told them to stay because she knew she needed their help if her suspicion was confirmed, but as minutes ticked by she couldn't help but wonder if she was allowing her emotions to get the better of her.

Just as she'd been on the cusp of deciding he wouldn't make it, a hooded figure entered the tapcaf. He spotted her and made his way through the crowds of patrons to take a seat with her, finally removing his hood. "Sorry I'm late," Bail Organa murmured. "They've tightened security again."

Ahsoka took a sip from her drink. "Thank you for coming."

"What was so delicate that you couldn't risk an encrypted channel?"

Blue eyes darted quickly around the room as she let the Force reach out, verifying as best she could that no one was eavesdropping, before turning to meet brown. "You were with Padme in the end, weren't you?"

He blinked hard, the surprise at the question clear in his expression. It faded slowly into sadness and he gave the smallest nod. "Yes."

"And her child…. he died with her?"

There was a flicker of conflict in Bail as he nodded again. "Yes."

Ahsoka drew a steadying breath and reached out, her fingers touching his arm. "This is important," she stressed. "If I'm right, more important than you could know. I need the truth, Bail. Is Padme's son - Anakin's son - dead?"

"You knew Anakin was the father?" Bail asked, his voice deadly quiet and the Togruta woman snorted.

"He wasn't that subtle."

A soft, sad smile tilted his lips. "Neither of them were." The Senator pushed a breath out through his nose, dark gaze falling on her hand still clutching his arm. "Why are you asking about this, Ahsoka?"

"The crew that leads Phoenix Squadron - the crew of the Ghost - are on Lothal. They came across a teen that would be just about the right age. Look." She reached into the bag she had with her and pulled a tablet out.

Bail took the tablet and the screen lit up with the image that Hera's droid had captured. Some of the colour drained from the Alderaanian man's face as he stared at the image. "He looks just like…"

"Doesn't he? I could have sworn I was staring at a younger Anakin."

A sorrow took over, drawing at every inch of his features. "She named him Luke. Padme named him Luke," he managed, his voice cracking a little at the boy's name. "Obi-Wan took him. He'd planned to deliver him to Anakin's family on Tatooine, but I'd heard that something prevented him from doing so. He raised the boy himself, but I lost contact about ten years ago. Nothing from him and no way to find him without raising suspicions."

"Obi-Wan wasn't there," Ahsoka said quietly. "He was with the Sith that they call Vader. He called him father. I'm afraid the Empire got to him and has been…. What?" She hadn't thought he could find a way to look more surprised than before.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"About Anakin. How he died."

She shook her head. "With the others. I'd heard he was killed in Order 66."

Bail gave a quick glance around to the crowd, reaffirming their privacy. "My understanding was that he died on Mustafar. Obi-Wan certainly thought so, but he….. He was involved in Order 66. He… Obi-Wan said that he'd discovered that Anakin had pledged himself to the Sith Lord."

A chill ran through her. "Anakin wouldn't have. He—"

"Obi-Wan saw it with his own eyes. He…" Bail clenched his jaw, shaking his head a little as if he were shaking terrible memories away. "If Luke is alive and he's with Vader, I fear the worst has happened."

Ahsoka tried to breathe through all of the tangled emotions raging inside of her, each one clambering for a prominent place in her chest. If all of this was true, Anakin was alive and he'd been turned to the Dark Side, just as Maul had predicted a decade and a half before. The Sith Lord had turned him and he'd become the monster that was raining terror down in the galaxy, spreading fear everywhere he went. But why? She had no doubt that Sidious was powerful - persuasive - but she knew Anakin. Her former Master was one of the most stubborn beings she'd ever met. Stubborn, determined, and so very kind. Yes, he had moments that he often pushed the boundaries of the Code, but to become Vader made no sense. To burn the galaxy without reason… no. She was missing something. A key. A reason. The Anakin she had known could be a force to be reckoned with, but it was always to protect the people he loved. Obi-Wan, his troops, her, Padme….

Perhaps even his child.

She pushed a breath out though her nose. "Thank you," she said quietly as she stood.

"Where are you going?"

"To get answers." She pulled her hood up and set some credits on the table to cover her drink.

"You can't save him, Ahsoka. Even if he was Anakin, the man you knew is gone."

"Maybe, but I have to know for sure. I'll be in touch."

She felt his concern follow her out, nipping at her heels and all the way to the lift. She couldn't blame him, but she couldn't just abandon them. Not again. Not with so much on the line.

—

Mara woke in the earliest hours of the morning, a soft knock at the door of the quarters she'd been provided with pulling her out of a light sleep. She glanced at the clock next to the bed. Just past four local time. Great.

The second knock drew a frustrated groan from her and she rolled out of bed, her tired senses catching wisps of a familiar presence. She trudged her way to the door and unlocked it so that it slid open to reveal Luke holding a data cylinder. "I come bearing a gift," he offered.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You sure your dad is in a sharing mood?"

"Didn't ask. Mind if I come in?"

Mara stood there for a long moment, letting him question if his charm would win out or not. She shouldn't let it, but she knew she would. She plucked the cylinder from his fingers and turned to pad her way back into the room. She could practically feel his grin from behind as he followed, the doors sliding shut behind him. "I'm going to guess this isn't your work?" she asked, holding up the peace offering in reference.

"I've been a little tied up, but when I heard you had switched focus on your investigation, I had Lieutenant List pull the full report we have on the Visra brother."

She wondered, by the way he said that, if certain information hadn't been made readily available to her. It wasn't beyond the ISB to play politics, even with her. It was all a power game. "I'm sure he loved being woken up for that."

Luke shrugged, taking an uninvited seat on the edge of her bed. "It's his job."

"How's your impromptu assignment go?"

He snorted as he fell back against the bed. Mara turned to the console and inserted the cylinder. "That good, huh?"

"They've gone to ground. Father thinks they're still on the planet, and maybe they are, but he hasn't been in a sharing mood on what he needs me for."

Mara risked a glance behind her as the intel booted up on the screen. "You know what he wants."

"What's that?"

"You, jumping at his every whim."

Luke sighed heavily from his place on her bed and she heard him shift, but he didn't sit up. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked, the words echoed from earlier that night at Visra's party.

A smile tilted her lips. "As well as you."

"I'm serious. This has to stay between you and me."

She turned, finding him on his side so he could look at her and Mara moved to the bed. She took a seat, slowly lying down so that she was facing him. "On my life."

There was a beat of silence between them before Luke nodded. "He's afraid. Afraid of losing me."

"And he thinks I'm going to steal you away?" she chuckled.

"For him, yes."

"Him?"

"Palpatine."

Mara watched him closely. It wasn't the first time he'd spoken like this, but it had been a long while. "We're on the same side, aren't we?" she asked carefully.

"Yes. Father pledged his loyalty to Palpatine, but there are only two. Someday, that's going to mean something."

She let the words sit between them for a moment before offering a quiet response. "Palpatine won't live forever, you know. Vader is his heir for a reason. You're Vader's heir."

"Is that how everyone sees it?"

"That's the way it is."

He heaved a breath and offered a tired smile. "Peaceful transfer of power isn't exactly the Sith way, but maybe. I hope so."

His eyes slipped closed and Mara continued to watch him. Strange, how she'd always assumed that Palpatine was resigned to Vader's eventual ascension. As if once he was old and frail the Sith Apprentice would do away with him as perhaps he'd done to his own Master, but never a day before. Maybe it was a lie she told herself. Maybe she'd just never let herself linger on the question too long, because if she did she would have to recall the order that had never been rescinded: Vader should not have an absolute ally in his son.

But he did, and Mara knew that. Palpatine likely knew it too, which would eventually lead to the question of what that would mean someday.

Thankfully that someday wasn't that day. Or night. Or morning. Whatever it was.

Mara hadn't realized that her own eyes had fluttered closed against the swirling thoughts, but as she opened them she saw Luke's remained shut. His breathing had evened out and she inched a little closer to him. "Luke?"

"Hmm?" he answered sleepily.

"Promise me something?"

He eased a little closer to her as well so that their foreheads were almost touching. She tilted forward so they were. "No matter what happens, I don't want us to be enemies," she murmured, the confession feeling much louder than it really was in the room.

Luke's arm snaked around her waist, fingers toying at the fabric of her shirt as it settled at the small of her back. "Never," he swore.

—

Getting into Lothal was easier than getting off with a blockade settled around the planet, and Ahsoka proved that three days after she'd told them to sit tight and wait for her. And they had. Through the burning of Tarkintown that had clearly been meant to drive them out of hiding and the two relocations to avoid stormtroopers. By the time Ahsoka finally arrived, even Hera had been ready to call it. It wasn't just them that was taking a risk by staying, but Lando - who had been helping to shield them - and the people of the planet that were being used as bait by the Sith.

With Ahsoka came a few answers, but those bred more questions. She told them a story - or at least the highlights, as Hera couldn't help but feel so many details were being left out - about her Master and a child that they had all believed was dead. The child that she believed was the teen that had attacked them along with Vader.

"Let me get this straight," Kanan managed, looking almost ill as he spoke. "You think that Anakin Skywalker - hero of the Clone Wars and rumoured Chosen One of the old prophecies - had a kid that has been raised as a Sith?"

Ahsoka nodded. "You see why I needed to come here. If that boy is Luke Skywalker…."

"And what?" Sabine demanded. "Do you want to take him with you? We'd need an army to get to him and likely all we'd end up doing is bringing Vader down on us. That's a huge risk for someone that doesn't want to leave the Empire."

Hera sighed. "I know how important this boy must be to you, Ahsoka, but Sabine's right about the risk."

The Togruta woman gave her a soft, sad smile. "Kanan knows the prophecy, but I wouldn't expect the rest of you to. The Chosen One was said to bring balance to the Force. Obviously things didn't… work out that way, but—"

"You think maybe his son can?" Kanan asked. "Kid's definitely powerful, and he's young. I don't want to know what he'd be if he finishes his training under Vader."

Hera turned to look at her lover. "You're usually the skeptic."

"This is huge."

"Yeah, and impossible," Zeb grumbled from the outskirts of the conversation.

"Isn't that what your crew specializes in?" Ahsoka asked. "The impossible?"

Hera sighed. They did have a habit of pulling off jobs no one would be crazy enough to even attempt, but she didn't have time to answer. Kanan answered for them all.

"What do you need from us?"

—-

The intel Luke had brought her had been surprisingly thorough. He may not have gathered it all himself, but he'd focused laser precision on what she would need and had had List obtain it for him. One of the pieces of intel led her to a particular hangout for Doman Visra and she found him surrounded by people that the Empire didn't have on their radar yet. And one of those people turned out to be very useful in making her way into his trusted circle.

Aurous Fyr hadn't been at the meeting in the Visra home a few days prior, but he was close with Doman and after a few drinks had been willing to provide an introduction. Mara had given him the name Salina, a cover that placed her as a displaced farmer-turned-factory-worker. A perfectly crafted cover to endear her to the budding rebels, and it had. None of them had spotted her at the party and while they weren't sharing their deepest secrets with her from the start, they also weren't as tight lipped as they should have been around a newcomer.

Especially Aurous. He was the weak link, at least for Mara. He could go on for hours and hours about his idealistic views, how the Empire got everything wrong but they - in all of their infinite wisdom - could get it right. She wasn't sure if he was sad or irritating or both, but at least he was useful. Sometimes more useful than others.

"Every move is small until its not," he said as Mara sat with him outside of the empty warehouse they were meeting in that evening. "A thorn in their side until real change can be made."

"What does real change look like?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, the corners of his mouth tipping up before he turned back towards the stars. "Like making a splash they can't ignore."

Mara forced a laugh. "You just said the same thing with different words."

Aurous chuckled at that and glanced back to the others who were out of range to hear his lowered voice. He leaned in closer. "There are sects, you know, all over the galaxy. Some people are boots on the ground, some are the pockets that fund them."

"I've seen how you look at the tab at the tapcaf," she laughed at him. "You're not funding much of anything."

"I'm not, no, but others are." He glanced back towards Doman Visra.

"Like what?"

"All kinds of things all over the galaxy."

Unlikely. Doman might be inflating his own importance to his followers, but the intel she had showed his finding was mostly local. Granted, local could cause a sizable problem on a planet like Lothal.

"But here, now…. Retribution."

"For what?"

"What do you mean, for what? Didn't you hear? Vader burned Tarkintown to the ground."

"Sure, but it's Vader," Mara answered, a strange knot starting to form in the pit of her stomach. "Going up against him is a quick way to end up dead."

"Directly, maybe, but Seyda knew a guy who knows a woman and she's the real deal. She can hit Vader where it hurts: his son."

Mara schooled her expression carefully. "You really think she'll pull it off?"

"We'll know soon, I guess."

"It's happening now?"

For the first time, Aurous shot her a curious look and Mara knew she'd pushed too hard on one subject. She looked out at the sky and let a frown tug her lips down. "What time is it?"

"Twenty-one-hundred, give or take."

"I should get going. Morning comes early." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, using his distraction to snag a small bug to the fabric of his shirt. "See you tomorrow after work."

He mumbled a reply as she slipped off of the stack of crates they'd been sitting on and started back towards town. The moment she was out of their range, she quickened her pace. She needed to find Luke.

—

Six days. It had been six days since the rebels had escaped from the shipyard and six days since they'd gone to ground. Luke knew he wasn't the only one questioning at this point if, perhaps, they'd managed to sneak past the blockade, but Father was convinced they were still there. Convinced that they could be found and that Luke's attention needed to be focused entirely on the situation at hand. So while Mara had the more exciting task of worming her way into Doman Visra's inner circle to figure out who he was helping to fund with the rebellion, Luke was stuck with orders to meditate and seek out their prey. He was talented, but no one was good at everything, and the patience that it took to intentionally reach into the future had never been his strong suite.

One blue eye cracked open at a noise from outside in the hallway. He closed it, pulling a deep breath in through his nose and then back out, reaching through the Force. He saw… a bird. Small, a little bit round. A Morai. He'd read about them as a child, but had never seen one. Luke reached deeper, following the bird, and saw a figure standing in the distance. The person was cloaked, possibly alien, but as he tried to get a better look, a set of voices from the hallway outside dragged him out of the vision, the figure gone before he could discover anything else.

Luke gave a frustrated grunt as he unfolded himself from the floor. This was pointless. The base was too loud. Too distracting at all the wrong moments. He either needed utter silence or a steady stream of noise to work as a backdrop. He wasn't going to get either there.

He made his way out of the compound, none of the officers or stormtroopers daring to stop him. The cool night air caught the hem of his dark cloak he'd wrapped around his shoulders and he pulled the hood up to shadow his face as he made his way into the city. It was late, most of the vendors having turned in for the night and only a handful of people milling around the streets. The quiet wrapped around him, easing his mind and his frustrations.

After a while, he found himself moving aimlessly, thoughts resettling on the Morai and the being in the distance. Slender, dressed in a hooded, brown cloak, the person hadn't looked like any of their rebels. Possibly the pilot - Syndulla, he recalled from the file - but that didn't feel right. It was someone else. Someone that the Force had been trying to show him. Someone —

A sense of warning washed over him and he spun, finding the street mostly empty save a stormtrooper escorting a cadet. He blinked hard, hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, and let his gaze sweep the area. There was something here. There had to be.

The stormtroopers passed on the opposite side of the street and Luke continued to look, finding nothing. He turned, ready to reluctantly call it a fluke, and found the troopers had crossed to his side, the older one raising a blaster that wasn't regulation and aiming right at him.

The stormtrooper fired and with a speed that had been built through years of training, Luke's lightsaber leapt to life in his hand in time to deflect what turned out to be an attempt to stun him.

Another blast came from off to his left from the cadet, and Luke didn't have time to fully bat that one away. Part of the blast struck his shoulder and a numbness spread. The cadet seemed to realize he was in trouble the moment Luke didn't go down at the sneak attack and Luke jumped forward, still blocking the occasional blast that came near him from the older man as he chased down the now fleeing cadet.

Frustration built as he chased him through an alley and rounded a corner. Enough frustration that he didn't sense the trap. He realized the mistake too late as he slammed into a giant Lasat who grinned toothily at him. "Sorry 'bout this, kid," he offered as he took Luke by the cloak.

The teen didn't have a chance to react as a stun ray hit him. He felt the numbness spread and desperately tried to push back against it. Another hit him, and with the third, he was dragged into darkness.

---

TBC

Notes: Bail Organa is one of my very favourite of the "minor" characters in Star Wars. I put quotes around minor because of just how much of an impact the man has on everything that happens in the rebellion. I knew from the beginning that he'd have a place in this story, but I didn't really plan for him to pop up this early. I sat down to start this chapter and bam, there he is lol. I really didn't feel like it would have done the weight of the topic justice if the conversation was simply discussed rather than shown. That, and Ahsoka and Bail can be a bit more honest than she can be even with the Ghost crew when it comes to Anakin. Anyone notice what Bail did hold back on though? ;)  

Next Time: Luke comes face-to-face with his father's former Padawan while Mara Jade and Darth Vader are forced to put aside their differences to try to find him. 

[volatilekyber]

When you'd exhausted all other possibilities and all that remained was the impossible, one was forced to reconsider what impossible meant. There were only a few things Ben was certain of. One was that somehow, he'd been transported to another place, in another time, by the means of some kind of archaic magic he didn't understand. Second, he was alone. Rey had not come with him. He would have to rely on himself and the Jedi skills be had acquired and hope that he could somehow get back. Third, he needed help. Who did he know? He'd been to Coruscant before but in another time. His knowledge wouldn't help him now.

He needed someone he could trust, someone who might believe him. He considered the Jedi temple, but what reason would they have to take him as his word? He was no one. His own mother had not even been born. But he did remember Leia telling him stories of her father. Bail Organa. A senator, during the Clone Wars. And that seemed like the next best thing. If his mother couldn't help him, perhaps her father could. Getting into the Senate had been difficult. It had taken all of his skills to breach their defenses, to blend in. He used the force more than once to get the information he needed, such as the floor of the Alderaanian senator's suite of offices. Luckily, when he arrived, no one was there. Inside, he could hide.

And wait.

And hope that his grandfather was the man his mother had painted him to be. He kept out of the direct line of sight from the door, and resisted the urge to pull his saber. He wasn't in danger. Well, he didn't think he was in danger. When the door slid open and Bail's assistant appeared, the lights went on and Ben sucked in his breath and stood, hoping not to scare them into immediately calling security. "Senator Organa? Please, I'm not here to hurt you. I need to speak with you."

@alderaconsort

[bensolosjourney]

Some of my Stupid Reylo Head canons

These are just head canons. What Disney / LF does with the GFFA is distinct from what I imagine regarding their IP.

* We are receiving the story via transmission from the gffa. It is being translated for us by protocol droids. Oftentimes, they will substitute words that are common in our language for items in their galaxy. So, it’s the Millennium Falcon. Are there Earth falcons in the gffa? Probably not, but this is the closest translation the droid can come up with.

* Rey’s mom was Alderaanian and Rey’s full name is Tonirey. It’s like calling your kid Brandy.

* Rey never wore a dress that she remembers. Maybe her Mom put her in a dress when she was really small but she’s only worn slacks since she was dropped off at Jakku.

* Leia never intended to send Ben to Luke’s Academy but he accidentally read another senator’s mind and Leia had to get him away from Chandrila until he learned how to manage his powers. She wanted him back. Luke saw how powerful Ben was and expected that he would eventually lead the new temple. Luke & Leia disagreed on this part but she trusted that Luke would do the right thing for her son.

* It wasn’t Luke in TRoS on Ahch-To. This is why he didn’t mention the dyad, why he said that both he and Leia knew she was the granddaughter of Palpatine. Why he looked unusual. It was Palps, doing to Rey what he’d done to Ben, but since  Ahch-To is on a vergence he had the power to create visions instead of just voices.

* Leia, Han and Luke weren’t horrible parents/ uncle but they didn’t realize that Palps was talking to Ben - the greatest Sith manipulator of all time can certainly influence a little boy to believe that his parents didn’t care.

* Luke was also affected by Palp’s manipulations - I believe that Palps created a subtle series of events - like contacting Ben while he was training so Luke sensed the dark around Ben and ending with a full out vision that turned our hero into a hermit.

(In other words, it was Palpatine all along.)

[sithskywalkerr]

really, we just need to scream something; only pretend to believe something.

Summary: While staying in Alderaan, Anakin is faced with another Imperial attack while the chip is engaged by Sidious. Chaos ensues in the Royal Palace causing the Skywalkers and their allies to flee to Malastare for medical support. Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, Bail Organa, Yoda (mentioned), Original Sith Character, Original Imperial Character, Original Inquisitor Characters Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, minor character death, sorry bail... Ships: Anidala Word Count: 8.6k read on ao3!

The large form of Vader lingered between two, massive marble columns covered in snaking ivy while thunder cracked above. Ice blue eyes bore down at Bail and Leia down on the range as he moved closer to the railing, gloved hands bracing at the marble railing. A shift of the winds had carried Bail’s cologne towards him, catching his attention before he heard the shots from his daughter, and he lingered while observing Leia tuck the blaster into the dark brown holster as she spoke with Bail. Occasionally, he could make out a few words from her lips: Rebellion, Alderaan, Emperor, and a momentary hum escaped him while debating momentarily. He could give her a reason to fear him - for everyone to remember who he is and to remember to never forget it.

He couldn’t.

Not with the vows he had made to his wife. The Raiders, the Temple, the fall of the Order, and the Empire rising to power from swings of his lightsaber caused his mind had doubts lurking into the edges. Mix in being infected, well, he didn’t want to think about what could happen if he took a misstep. 

Besides, she was his daughter, and for a half a breath, a pang of guilt sharply hit his chest. His daughter. Whom he hoped would be their child for so long, only to find out that there was another. Twins - like the scalding trick of the sun in Tatooine from the high heat, giving the illusion of suns forever locked in a binary relationship. For a moment, there was another ache. Realizing that the twins could never meet his mother and see her kindness and love. He didn’t know if he could ever be the parent he wanted to be like how Shmi was. 

Scaring Leia (or Luke for that matter) would only further the wedge between Padmé and himself, and he didn’t want to give them reason to turn him away. Lightning flashed over his frame as he looked up to the heavens, able to see the dark, heavy clouds while rain continued to pour down. His gaze returned back to the familiar figures, watching Bail motion to the palace, trying to coax her back inside as Leia only continued to argue. Padmé was right. The teenager had every ounce of his personality — including his stubbornness while silence fell between them. 

Leia’s brows tightly wound together as she shook her head,“ He doesn’t know us. He was ready to torture me for information.”

A soft nod came from Bail as he carefully thought over his reply. “We could stand here for hours going back and forth, but he is the person you need to speak with. Not me, Leia.”

Brown eyes lit by fury and hatred only glanced back to the Alderaanian Viceroy before stepping to head to the palace. Speak with him? The fire in her eyes burned brighter while she noticed her father’s haunting figure between the columns before looking back to him as she spoke loud enough for her voice to carry. “I would rather have you as my father.”

Lifting his own eyes to the large silhouette, Bail watched as Vader lingered for a heartbeat while removing his hands from the railing, straightening up as broad shoulders squared. He could feel his gaze boring into them before watching Vader turn, moving down the corridor to enter the center. Movement from Leia only diverted his attention back to her while she walked down the canopy until she could dart back to an entrance corridor. He followed after her, keeping a slower pace in case she slipped from the rain,” You should go speak with him. He’s going into the art center.”

Taking a slow breath as he got inside with her, shutting the doors, her nose scrunched with the damp fabric sticking to her skin. “No. There’s something … off.” She murmured while wiping off the rain from her arms and face, glancing to Bail briefly. “I don’t want to experience what happened at Inquisitorius again … and don’t tell Mom that I snuck out either.”

“Oh, she might already be aware from the target practice. Just return to your room, Leia. Get some rest - please.” His brows softly scrunched in worry as he watched her nod, heading past the large, detailed portraits of the Organas to her room. 

Through a few, she was painted in, proud and defiant in her Alderaanian clothes, standing tall beside to Bail and Breha. She glanced up to one, looking over her features that only gave her the haunted reminder of her father’s features before tearing her eyes away as she returned to her room. Slipping back inside, she let out a soft exhale, tucking her blaster into the nightstand before letting herself flop back onto the bed as she stared at the ceiling that had the constellations charted in gold.

Padmé had been asking around, trying to find her husband’s former Master as she watched the skies only darken more. Her brows momentarily furrow as she scanned over the sky, glancing to a clock. Only the afternoon and it’s already dark? She was redirected to Keyti’s room, following 3PO as she looked over to the golden droid as he carried a tray of food. “3PO, when was the sun supposed to set today?”

“With this time of year, it should set at 1930 hours.” He turned his shoulder slightly to look at her better before looking out the window himself. “Oh. That is unusual. Well, I shall inform Lady Selus and Master Kenobi you wish to speak with him.” He got the door opened, shuffling in as Padmé lingered outside, moving to the windows to peer outside.

A figure soon joined her, a calloused hand softly resting on her shoulder as Obi-Wan watched her in worry,” 3PO said you wanted to speak with me?” 

Her eyes stared ahead at the sprawling city below as he pulled his hand back, nodding while glancing to him. “Tell me about Geonosis.”

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, searching his memories while staring at his reflection in the mirror,” We were separated when the Diseased in the compound began their attack. I headed for the dock, Ahsoka was in the tunnels, but Anakin hadn’t given any communication. His end was silent even after Ahsoka said that she made it. We had no idea where he was, or what happened. You would have to ask him.”

Briefly shaking her head, she looked back to the skies as lightning darted across it. Was it blue tinted? She took a slow, deep breath while glancing over to him. “Sidious has tainted his memory. There is nothing I can learn from him.”

The coldness surprised Obi-Wan, but he only softened as he turned his gaze back to her,” Where is he now?”

She motioned to the circular building to the left,“ He went to the art center according to the staff after finishing cleaning up the lower levels.”

Turning his attention to the building, his brows furrowed as he could sense that familiar cold,” He was always talented when it came to drawing. Though, I believe he got that from building 3PO and making plans for racers - or perhaps even from Shmi.”

Lips briefly pursed at the mention of the kind woman, and a flash of a memory came back to Shmi as she watched her speak to her son as Anakin was torn between staying as a freed child or becoming a Jedi. She was so soft with him, reminding him there was nothing for him back in Tatooine. Before she was freed herself and found Cliegg. “I wish she was here,” Padmé softly murmured, lowering her head while her chest deeply ached before moving to walk down the hall. “She would know what to do.”

Following her, he briefly shook his head,“ She might not have. These are new times and new problems, especially with the virus. She would just be as lost as we are with him.”

“She would have known how to bring him down at least. To bring him back, but … if she was alive, I don’t believe he would have gone down this path.”

“He would have been easier to handle without the loss,” Obi-Wan nodded, glancing back to her,” I know he would have visited more often if he could. He tried to for years and years. I tried to always find time, but it was one thing after another with the Order and his training. There was no way we could have returned to Tatooine.” 

She paused beside the library doors, knowing he was right. If the variables were different, and so many other what ifs and questions that could have kept Anakin there without doubts of hesitation. She remembered the Raiders and the conflict in him as he confessed to her. “I want my husband back.”

“He won’t return the same, Padmé. No matter how much you wish it. Though, it is concerning to sense that darkness again once it had started to ebb away.”

“I noticed it too,” she murmured,” but I can’t run to his aid every time.”

“No, you can’t,” he confirmed, motioning towards the center. “He needs to learn that if he’s to stay here with you and the twins, then he needs to behave. We cannot risk him harming anyone here for the sake of wanting to save him, nor can we give up on him.”

She nodded, leaning against the wall as her shoulders slumped with a slow sigh,” I told him that he’s free to roam around, but ‘I’ll be waiting for Anakin to come back.’ We got into … something - not really a fight, but maybe it was.”

Obi-Wan watched her curl into herself for a moment before straightening up to brush loose strands of her hair back with a slow breath. He waited a few heartbeats before he asked softly,” What was it about?”

“Everything. Sidious, being infected, him not being able to sense me, and I couldn’t sense him. Though, he couldn’t sense the twins being born.”

He nodded, shoulders loosening with the news as he exhaled softly,” good. Then Sidious is unaware.”

“For now, at least,” she murmured, straightening up as she moved away from the wall. “Thank you for listening. I just … needed someone to talk to about it.”

“Of course, Padmé. This situation has been stressful for everyone. The both of you deserve better than what has been given, but unfortunately, it will take time and patience to reach that. We can hope that he will get better.”

“I am.” She murmured, getting a tall, bronze door open to the library while Obi-Wan patted at her shoulder softly.

“I’ll be with Yoda if you need anything else.” 

“Thank you, again, Obi-Wan. For everything,” she said louder, looking up to him with a small nod of her head while her brows furrowed slightly. 

Giving a soft squeeze to her shoulder, he nodded before pulling back,” we’ve survived worse odds.” He gave a small bow of his head before turning to head towards the gardens where he knew Yoda meditated most of the time. Perhaps some meditation would bring some clarity to himself as well. 

Padmé watched him for a moment before heading into the expansive library, looking around the thousands of spines and scrolls carefully kept as she pursed her lips. She made her way close to the spherical hearth of copper and stone, warming her hands as she glanced to the windows to see the candlewick flowers softly glowing in the gardens. Glancing around, she moved to one of the computers, sitting down as she let out a slow sigh. While it hadn’t even been a full day from Anakin returning to them, she knew that reports had to be trickling out already of the missing Sith Lord — even if carefully constructed to be something other than the truth.

Ahsoka exhaled slowly as she let the training droid power down, blue eyes fixed on the machinery as it slid back into the spot into the wall while her lips purse for a moment. To say the least, today had been … a mess. While her former Master had returned, she was unsure of how she could even feel about it at seeing what he had become - who he had let himself turn into. It would haunt her, interrupt her dreams, and cause a new fear that she didn’t want to experience. There was still more to her than this new fear, and she knew, there was more to him than this anger.

Instead of the past, she hoped the future would be better but to still adapt. One day at a time, even if the progress was only a step with new experiences, new horrors, and new, unexpected events like this happening.

Deactivating her sabers, she clipped them onto her belt once again, drawing in a slow, steady breath as she blinked rapidly. Yet, as she exhaled, she could feel the tears running along her vitiligo-marked cheeks while her brows furrowed deeply. What if the horrors never ended? What if the Empire continued to win? She couldn’t have an answer for that, but she could still mourn the friend she had lost along the way and the friends that were so radically changed by the virus and the Empire rising into power. Even Padmé had been changed by the loss of her husband and the threat of the virus overwhelming the odds of defeating the Empire. 

Lifting her hands, she wiped the tears away, lashes clumped and damp as she made her way to the doors, exiting out of the training room while her thoughts only went back to the earlier meeting. How could Lady Keyti be so candid despite her reputation as being one of the most notorious killers of the Empire? Perhaps she did have some leash from Vader that kept her more docile, but there was still an uneasiness to the surrender of information. There was too much uncertainty. The constant edge she - and others - were on with the duo’s arrival, she wasn’t sure if it would ever go away.

She paused a moment before spotting Obi-Wan further down the corridor, straightening before making her decision. Jogging after him, she softly called out his name, slowing once he turned. Slightly arching his brow in response, he straightened at noticing her reddened eyes. 

“Everything alright, Ahsoka?”

“No. Nothing has been alright since he vanished. Do you think we can trust them?”

“I believe that we can give trust to Keyti since she does seem loyal to him. As for Anakin, I do not know. I believe this will only last as long as the birds sing, and with the new threats of the Diseased and the Empire, we must be cautious.”

Slowly exhaling, she nodded while her shoulders softly fell as she lowered her head. “I know he won’t return to us the same, and I should be grateful for his return…”

A hand lifted to softly squeeze her shoulder as Obi-Wan gave a soft smile,” we can still mourn who he could have been if we hadn’t gotten separated, but you cannot linger on those feelings.”

“I know.” She murmured, feeling more than simple loss of what could have been. Guilt. That stung her heart the most as she had been closer to Anakin and she should have stayed beside him. Though, she knew not to linger on the what if, there was nothing good to come from it. Her muscles tensed as the power suddenly cut off from the hall, an eerie silence blanketing the corridor as she looked over to Obi-Wan while her brows furrowed in worry. Between the sun’s lowering position and the rain, they were plunged into an uneasy darkness as lightning cracked again across the sky.

Moving closer towards the windows, she peered outside to see Aldera below was darkened along with the palace,” failed generator?”

“No … Alderaan is far too prepared for the storms that come from the mountains.” Obi-Wan’s eyes scanned around to the various guards stationed around that seemed to be checking their com-links and datapads for information.

Luke paused as his room suddenly darkened, lifting his head up from the speeder model he was constructing. Placing the pieces down, he stood up from the small table in his room, making his way to the balcony to peek outside to see the whole palace had blacked out. His brows furrowed while Leia came to his room with a light in one hand and her blaster in the other. “Yours is out too.”

“Aldra is blacking out.” He looked back to her briefly,” we’ve had worse storms and still had power. It makes no sense for everything to be dark.”

“I don’t think this is from the storm.” Moving closer, she soon stood beside him while letting her free hand brace the balcony. “We should find Mom.”

“Yeah … let’s go.” He nodded as he looked at her, pausing a moment. “Hey, Leia?” Facing him again, she let out a soft sound from her throat as he continued,” I’m sorry for calling you a brax. I shouldn’t have, even when I’m angry.”

“I was being one, and I’m sorry. Let’s go find Mom, this is … weird.” And hope that this isn’t by their father’s design.

Lights from the city began to falter, shutting down while residents only believed that it was the storm. In the new darkness, black cloaked figures began to spill into the streets, one pausing as a child stopped in front of them. Taking a step back, the eyes widened as a red blade was ignited, other spectators watching in horror as the body collapsed, head rolling before paled hands grasped it as the Diseased follow the Inquisitors that had survived.

Malx looked around, spotting another killing more residents that began to try to stop their approach through Aldera with troopers close behind. The quiet, steady assault began, slowly trickling closer towards the palace as more bodies began to litter the streets. An alarm was sounded not long after, echoing in the city as Padmé paused her studying. She blinked as the twins soon rushed into the library after Luke followed her signature through the Force, his blue eyes wide. 

“It’s the Empire!” 

Her heart sank, and voices echoed in the hall soon to initiate evacuation as Bail began to delegate. Moving out with the twins close, she rushed over,” what’s going on?”

Turning to her, he relaxed at seeing the twins with her,” the Empire decided to do a second attempt. We don’t have enough soldiers after the last battle. We’ll have to evacuate.”

She nodded, grabbing onto the twins’s arms before beginning to haul them away as chaos erupted in the palace with the abrupt evacuation. Weaving through bodies, they soon nearly bumped into 3PO and R2 as Keyti used the taller for support. 

“What’s happening, Senator?”

“Imperial attack. You’ll have to come with us,” Padmé breathed out, looking around to find an easier path for Keyti to take. 

Watching her straighten, she moved from 3PO carefully,” I’ll be alright. Thank you for your help, 3PO.”

“Of course, My Lady. Though, thanks are not needed. I am always glad to assist.” He gave a small bow of his head before turning as shouting was heard down the halls. 

Padmé still pressed on, working on getting them closer to the art center. They would be safe with Anakin and could evacuate. Leia began to hesitate more when they got outside as the storm continued, hearing blasters below while she noticed dark figures moving closer. Raising her own to fire, Padmé stopped her, shaking her head,” not yet. Don’t reveal our location by firing.”

Leia looked up, nodding as the building rocked, the passage between the center and palace trembling beneath their feet. Padmé froze as she heard screaming from the center, eyes wide as she saw blaster fire through the windows, and Keyti slowly moved her way in front of them once again when the screaming stopped. 

Padmé stood beside her as Keyti ignited her sabers, the red blades steadily humming as she glanced towards the twins. “Get ready to run.”

Padmé tensed as she saw the flowers beginning to form around the bronze door’s base, eyes wide as it opened with a bloody cybernetic as Vader came into view. His chest heaved beneath his black robes as they were drenched in blood with spatter on his face. A blaster wound on his arm slowly mended itself visible from his sleeve being torn off while his black and yellow gaze fixated on his family and Keyti.

Vitiligo-marked fingers grasped onto her saber hilts tighter, straightening up as she spoke quietly,” Stay still.”

The twins looked up at her like she was insane, but still opted to obey - out of everyone, she knew what this was like the most. His gaze lingered on them, visible by their dim illumination as his nose worked at the familiar scents. Padmé watched as he took a step closer, feeling the twins take a step back from her as she kept her gaze locked on her husband. He stared at them, familiar, familiar. He tried to place the scent in the haze of the chip being engaged, body rigid as the palace rocked again from a missile being launched at the front door. His gaze broke when he noticed guards making their way up to protect Padmé, Keyti, and the twins, watching them before moving to begin his own assault.

Keyti was tense as she watched, eyes wide as she watched him dart towards the palace guards. Her blood ran cold as a familiar bark of laughter escaped while horrified screams came from the guards, and she slowly turned with Padmé, looking back to see two Inquisitors behind them. The Imperial seal shined brightly on both of their shoulders as her eyes bore into Ilian and Malx.

“That’s where Vader’s brax went. Sidious would be pleased about this,” Malx grinned, her eyes empty even with the smile as her taller counterpart kept his blade steady. 

Ilian looked over the twins, brows starting to furrow as their signatures were familiar before glancing to Malx. “Remember to not harm our Dark Lord.”

Padmé’s jaw tightened as she pulled her own blaster as he eyed her children,” Leia, use your blaster. Luke, stay close by.” She turned her head back to Vader as a guard let out a scream of pain, her eyes widening in horror. Gloved fingers grasped at their jaw, and a sickening crack came from his strength before the flesh began to tear and blood splattered over him as he ripped their jaw off. Thunder crackled overhead as he ripped the head from the body afterwards while his other hand reached to grab the ribcage to split it open. Fingers grasp at the bone, ripping the flesh open more to expose the organs and the other guards finally started to begin their assualt, holding kyber-based blasters as they started to fire at him. 

Grunts of pain escaped as his back was hit, ripping out the liver before turning to face the others as they kept firing. Their blasts suddenly stopped as he blocked it with the Force, faces paling as he stared at them while dropping the liver with a splat! to the ground. 

Padmé paled as she hid the twins behind herself and Keyti, trying to keep them from seeing the carnage as Keyti used a saber to ward Malx back. 

The small Inquisitor grinned as her yellow eyes bore into Keyti, making a soft tsk as she gave a fake pout while avoiding an attack. “Poor Keyti. Lord Vader will never love you.”

Keyti let out a grunt of her own while trying to push her back towards the palace. If they could get them back through the threshold, then she could help Padmé and the twins escape. She tried to ignore the screams and sounds behind her, jerking to the side as two bodies slammed into the pillar near the door. The white and black trooper gear was starting to bleed, the sheer force of Vader throwing them causing their bodies to break.

Ilian was distracted by Padmé, easily deflecting her blasts while seeming bored, gaze occasionally moving back to see Vader grabbing a trooper by the skull. His cybernetic whirred before the skull shattered, eyes nearly popping out as Luke and Leia watched in shock as their breath became visible in front of them. Oh no. Glancing to Padmé, she looked back, paling as she witnessed her husband punch a hand through the sternum and ribs of another, cracking them open while dragging them down to get to the heart. Ripping it out, blood squirted against his features, coating his skin while his sharp teeth soon sunk into the flesh.

Even Malx’s eyes widened at the brutality, taking a step back hesitantly as Keyti took the opportunity to serve a barrage of attacks to further drive the orange haired woman back. The confidence wavered only momentarily before she began to fight again, driving Keyti closer and closer back towards Vader as the twins attempted to aid only to be grabbed by troopers. 

One roughly grabbed Leia’s wrist, squeeze harshly as she cried out, twisting her wrist to fire a blast into the helmet as she collapsed to the ground. Her cry caught her father’s attention, and he soon darted forwards as Leia stumbled back at his advancement, screaming,” Dad, no! It’s me!”

Keyti moved away from Malx, making her way in front of Leia with a weaker sounding snarl of her own that didn’t faze him as he only started to try to attack her to get her away from Leia. “Padmé, run!”

Ilian paused as his brown eyes watched Keyti struggle to hold him off, debating for a moment before he moved to let the twins pass, making a small gesture with his hand when the other Inquisitor wasn’t looking. Leia had darted closer to her brother, noticing Ilian’s hand with a weak nod, making her way back into the palace with Luke as he tried to struggle to get back to their mother. 

“She can handle herself! We can’t.”

Keyti moved out of a swipe from a red blade, eyes wide before searing pain shot up her right leg as Vader grasped her ankle. Her eyes widened as the bone crushed beneath his grip while falling to the marble floor, crying out as he tore her leg off. She put the sabers between them as tears started to fall from the pain searing her hip and side, shaking her head,” Don’t do this!” 

A blast to his shoulder caused his head to lift, spotting Padmé holding the blaster steadily with both hands. His nose twitched at the blood pooling beneath Keyti as she tried to keep the sabers up, flinching as a flash of blue abruptly caused him to move from her. 

Obi-Wan stood in the entrance, using the Force to boomerang his saber back to himself with a grimace. He may have disapproved of Anakin using it while in the Clone Wars, but he had to admit… it did save her. 

A low, guttural snarl escaped Vader before he watched the infected Sith begin to crawl his way closer like a feral cat as Padmé fired more shots to ward him off, aiming at the ground to try to avoid huring him more. “Get Keyti out of here,” she called, dodging another attack from Malx in annoyance. 

Obi-Wan didn’t hesitated to use the Force to drag the wounded aristocrat across the marble, picking her up as he instructed the twins to follow as her blood dripped on the marble floor. Blue-grey eyes looked over her with worry, horrified at the wound as his throat felt tight and dry. “Lady Keyti, stay awake.” Luke couldn’t tear his gaze from the wound, stopping to vomit in the corridor as the Imperial assault only worsened through the palace’s halls. 

“I wanted to watch her be consumed!” Malx screamed, her anger bursting into the Force as she tried to make her way towards Padmé.

The Senator stepped back, eyes widening as the Inquisitor stilled and stiffened, starting to be dragged back as she screamed expletives while Vader dragged her closer towards himself. Her nails scratched at the marble flooring of the passageway while Ilian only watched, shaking his head and looking away when their Lord pounce on her. 

Padmé watched with wide eyes as he grabbed the orange strands, yanking roughly to throw her head and spine to the side. Fingers continued to break apart her corpse, stuffing flesh and blood into his mouth while the opening in his cheek dripped crimson.

“Anakin, stop,” Padmé didn’t recognize her own voice, hands trembling while she held the blaster up as his attention was brought to her. “Don’t make me do this. I can’t lose you again.”

Lightning cracked, illuminating the gore on his features and the bodies scattered around as low chuff escaped him while watching her. She could see his nostrils flare, gaze focused on her while he tried to place her. Ilian stayed to the side, still while his eyes lingered on what remained of Malx. Looking back up, he saw Vader stand, flowers beginning to bloom and wither again beneath him while spreading rapidly towards Padmé while she exhaled a visible breath. She stepped back, eyes widening as she kept the blaster up. She noticed troopers starting to come up the steps behind him again, shaking her head,” don’t! You’ll only set him off again!”

His attention was diverted, turning to see the guards as Padmé and Ilian both had a shudder race up their spines at the low sounds he emitted. Padmé watched in shock as all of the helmets of the troopers suddenly crushed as the air was knocked out of her chest. 

Ilian grabbed her from falling back, supporting her easily as he whispered softly,” Go. Save your family.”

Padmé looked up to him, searching his features as she slowly nodded,” thank you. What’s your name?”

“I do not deserve glory or honor. Go, Senator.” He motioned in the palace, turning his attention back to Vader once she had run past him, straightening up. “I know I cannot win against you, My Lord. The greatest weapon the Empire has seen.”

 Looking over the Inquisitor, the black and yellow eyes watched his wife’s form vanish into the palace, growling lowly as the Force gave a nudge. Your wife needs you. Gentle, a whisper through the dark haze in his mind as he darted forwards while Ilian braced himself before pausing as the dark cloaked figure darted past him without a thought. Turning, he watched Vader trail after Padmé, only to be stopped by more troopers starting to fire at anything that moved before another massacre began.

Padmé ran to Luke who had become sick again, lifting him up and supporting him up with his arm around her shoulders while trailing Obi-Wan into the med bay. “We need to just cauterize the wound before we leave. We don’t have time for full medical attention.”

Keyti lifted a hand to stop them, shaking as she was set on a table by Obi-Wan,” no, just leave me. I’ll be fine here.”

“This is no time for heroics, the Empire will kill you.”

Ahsoka made her way into the room, relaxing at seeing everyone okay. Almost everyone. Her eyes widened as she took in the damage, looking between them. “What happened?”

Keyti grit her teeth at the pain while Obi-Wan moved his hand over the wound to use the Force to mend what he could,” Vader. We must evacuate, he’s not stable.”

“Where would we go?” Padmé said, brows furrowing,” I will not leave him behind. Not again. Ahsoka, help Obi-Wan with Keyti to transport with the twins. We’ll meet you close to the western dock.” 

“That’s too much of a risk for my own comfort, Padmé,” Obi-Wan interjected. “We don’t know if he’ll willingly come with us.” 

Padmé had started to leave, looking back to him as she held her head up more. “Last time we argued about this, we lost him for fifteen years. I will not lose my husband for fifteen more. Get them out.” She snapped, brown eyes hardening as she turned again, looking back after Keyti said her name. 

She grabbed one of her sabers with a bloody hand, holding the hilt out towards her. “It will keep him at a distance until it’s over.” 

Padmé grabbed the gunmetal hilt wrapped in black leather, giving a small nod of her head before running out again with her heels clicking rapidly on the stone flooring. She glanced over the sabers, noting the curved, small blade above where the lightsaber’s blade came from. She froze as she spotted Bail’s clothing in the carnage, running closer to see his eyes torn out and skin peeled back from across his eye to his cheek with his chest ripped open. Covering her mouth, she repressed the dinner threatening to come up, letting his body face back down as the tears started to fall. I am so sorry, Bail. Wiping her face, she took a few breaths to center herself again, reaching down to softly grab the wedding ring and wooden bracelet from his body. She put the bracelet on, but tucked the ring into her bra, lips pursing. Breha, please be safe … please forgive me for saving my husband. She lifted her gaze to see lights down the corridor flickering before burning out, a slow shudder climbing her spine as she realized she would have to make her way down the hall to find Anakin. Shakily standing, she cursed herself for wearing heels, slowly moving her way down into the steadily growing darkness.

Her eyes struggled to adjust as she entered into the southern corridors, holding her breath as she heard shuffling and low snarls further ahead. She stiffened when she saw eyes staring at her through the pitch black, burning as bright as the sun in Tatooine. Shaking hands held onto the lightsaber, noticing the eyes slowly moving closer as she began to tremble. Igniting the blade, she watched as it illuminated his features again, the light dancing off of the crimson that coated his features.

Moving closer, his movements were slow as he crept along the ground, calculated as he approached her. Yet, there was a soft whisper to him in the haze, wife. Safe. He paused, head slightly turning to see the source of the voice before looking back to her as she trembled. Strands of her hair fell over her cheeks, eyes wide as he watched him slowly stand up fully with a soft chuff escaping his throat.

The sound surprised her, pausing while she held a hand out to him slowly, moving the saber away to try to stay as calm as she could. Her shoulders stiffened as he made his way closer to her, watching the way he seemed to try to place her before his head slightly turned again. Her brows furrowed, looking around, yet she saw nothing - but something or someone was close to him that she couldn’t see or hear. Maybe this is part of him being infected. Maybe, she feared, he walked closer with Death than she anticipated.

Fearing a new kind of darkness threatening her husband, she kept the blade on, illuminating her while she watched him stand and approach her. His eyes steadily moved over her, low chitters escaping as he lifted a hand to slowly grasp onto hers. The cybernetics gently curled around hers beneath the gloves, and he only followed as she began to tug him carefully out of the corridor to head towards the dock.

Weaving between pillars and hiding them when necessary, she eventually got them past the door, motioning for him to use his strength to pry it open. He stared at her blankly for a moment before looking to the door, trying to understand through the haze that still blanketed his senses.

“Open the door,” Padmé motioned to it while her brows furrow, watching him look at the door leading to the dock before looking back to her. He looked past her after, letting out a curious sound at the approaching droids.

“Oh, thank the heavens! It’s Senator Padmé and Master Ani,” 3PO’s voice came, relieved beeps escaping R2 while they neared the dock. 

Padmé slowly relaxed, looking to them with relief as she pointed to the door.  “R2, do you think you can override this door for us? He can’t understand me.”

Beeps escaped the mech as he rolled to the low controls, beginning to work on unlocking it as 3PO straightened. “Of course he won’t, My Lady. It seems like he has become more … primitive like the other infected people. He’s most likely only interested in finding food and hunting for it. Though, it’s curious to see him so docile. Unfortunately, I am unable to replicate the sounds they make. If I attempt to mimic his voice, I fear I might be torn apart into scrap metal.” Another string of beeps escaped R2 before 3PO turned to him abruptly. “How rude. I was simply trying to help. I did not realize I had said—””3PO,” Padmé softly interrupted as the door clicked open. “We don’t have time for this. Just … help me get him to the transport.” She motioned to the craft as Obi-Wan spotted them making their way back from the cargo ship as he absently circled, giving another glance to her husband as he watched her with blue eyes against the black sclera. Even if it was unnerving, his eyes were still beautiful. 

Getting low enough for them to get on, Padmé first got the droids on with help from Ahsoka before troopers had spotted them. Blasts started to hit the back of the ramp as Padmé vanished inside, and Obi-Wan didn’t waste time to begin leaving as she cried out for Anakin to follow. Pointing at the ramp, he made a soft annoyed sound in his throat, lifting up a crate to launch at the troopers before starting to run along the landing strip.

Her eyes widened as the troopers were harshly slammed into the doorway and wall, bones shattering as she slowly returned her gaze to Anakin as he trailed along before using the Force to jump to grasp onto the ramp. He dangled pathetically from the ramp before clawing his way in, grunting as a blast from a trooper on one of the higher levels of the palace hit his back before he made it inside. 

The ramp shut securely and Obi-Wan initiated auto-pilot towards Tatooine, settling back. Everyone turned around to look at Anakin as his breath heaved, a soft snort escaping him before glancing between everyone. Finally registering the pain in his back, he blinked as the haze blanketing his senses began to lessen, clarity returning as he blinked rapidly. His gaze lowered as he slowly dragged himself to the back seat, getting up to at least get strapped in. Peeking at the blaster mark on his arm and shoulder, he let his head fall back, eyes shutting as he focused on controlling his breath. 

Padmé moved closer to Keyti, gently placing the saber’s hilt beside her as her gaze scanned over her sleeping form. She motioned to her leg to Ahsoka, and she gave a small nod,” healed mostly by the Force. We’ll need to get her fitted for a cybernetic soon.”

“When she’s ready. She needs time to recover, but thank you. I only escaped by the Inquisitor helping me. Strange that we’ve been blessed by help from those close to him,” she motioned back to Anakin, looking over as he wiped his face absently.

Noticing the attention back onto him, he glanced between his family and Ahsoka. The fullness in his belly was more than enough to let him know what happened, and he continued to wipe the blood off his cheeks. “I warned you.”

Padmé watched him, stiffening as she watched him. “It’s inconsistent. I want you looked at.”

He looked over the blast mark in his arm that was still mending, the pain dulled. “Where are we going?”

“Tatooine.”

“Their medical equipment won’t be advanced enough.” He murmured, shaking his head while Obi-Wan’s jaw tightened. “Malastare would be wiser. We might even be able to catch a podrace.”

Luke brightened up then from his seat across Keyti’s makeshift cot, grinning brightly. “Really?!”

“After your father receives aid, I don’t see why not. Their medical facilities must be ready to help various podracing accidents and industrial ones. If anyone can do it before we reach Tatooine, they’re our best hope.”

Padmé was relieved to see him perk up again, offering him some crackers to soothe his stomach more. Luke didn’t hesitate to grab some, munching on them while settling back again as he watched between his parents. She gave a brief nod,” They are. We need to help you, Ani. I don’t think this is you. If it was, you would have been like this from the beginning of infection.”

“Leave speculation out of this. I will be looked at.” He straightened up, leaning back against the seat as he slowly closed his eyes. The craft shuddered as more blasts came as heavier Imperial forces arrived, shooting large canons towards the escaping craft. He made a low, annoyed sound in his throat, looking over to the twins,” Strap in.” Standing, he made his way past everyone to sit beside Obi-Wan as he checked over the controls.

Luke and Leia tightened their restraints, glancing at each other before looking to their mother as she got herself in beside Leia. “This should be fun.”

“Oh yes,” Obi-Wan said as Anakin took over the controls,” Another Skywalker landing to mark in the books.”

“If we can get out of their fire,” he grumbled, weaving through Imperial crafts. “Is this equipped with weapons?”

“No, you’ll have to just escape this time.”

Nodding, he glanced around as he used the Force to sense other crafts, tuning into the movements and expectations. Luke was in awe while Leia grasped onto her seat at the jerking, still not used to being airborne as he gave a grin while Anakin moved out of time to get two Imperial ships to collide into each other. Padmé was grasping at her seat while 3PO observed outside. “We’re doomed.”

“3PO, power down if you’re not going to at least be a little optimistic in front of the kids,” Anakin grumbled, taking a sharp left to dart the cargo craft behind the mountains. “Obi-Wan, take the controls again, open the ramp.”

A confused sound escaped from Obi-Wan as he watched him stand, moving between everyone to make sure they were strapped down tightly as the alarm blared while the ramp opened. A gust of wind sucked out of the craft while the droids stayed magnetized in place, and Padmé’s eyes widened as Anakin moved to the ramp, looking to the Imperial TIEs trailing them while attempting to shoot them down.

Blue eyes track their movements while a hand unclipped his saber while his family and Ahsoka watched while he moved down the ramp more to draw attention to himself. He blocked a few of the strong blasters towards himself or the ship by the Force, feeling the electricity thrumming in his veins. His heart beat in his ears, a stillness coming over him while he watched a TIE attempt to swoop in closer. He ignored the rain while the winds whipped his robes around, thunder crackling overhead as eyes watched him lift a hand to focus on the TIE as he deflected more blasts.

One managed to graze his thigh, a hiss of pain escaping as his eyes bore into the pilot’s dark helmet while he clenched his fist suddenly, metal screeching as the craft collapsed from the strength of the Force crumpling it.

Leia’s eyes widened behind him, watching the TIE drop from the air to only crash below into a lake. Luke flinched at the sound of the impact, glancing over everyone else who just seemed to ignore the show of power. Anakin’s attention went to the other, moving as another barrage of blasts was sent his way. Sweeping his pale blade around to deflect, he moved closer down the ramp, ignoring the black robes beginning to stick to his skin. Deflecting another shot, it ricocheted back to the craft, shattering the glass and hitting the pilot. His gaze moved to see if there were any others, satisfied that there weren’t before he made his way up the ramp.

Luke’s gaze still stayed on him, glancing out of the ramp,” How did it not suck you out?”

“Magnetized,” he simply said, deactivating the saber while his free hand pointed to his scuffed boots before hitting the button to pull the ramp back up. Padmé’s gaze followed him move past the group to the controls again, settling down with a brief glance over to Keyti.

Ahsoka checked the bandages carefully to avoid waking her before catching Padmé’s gaze, offering a small nod of reassurance to her. Her eyes slowly moved to Anakin, watching as he regained the controls and sped them off while Leia watched Alderaan fade behind them.

Padmé hesitated, looking over between Obi-Wan and Anakin,” Bail has died. I am unsure about Breha, but considering the damage … it’s unlikely she survived as well.” She pulled the bracelet off her wrist and got the ring, offering them to Leia. 

Her daughter’s eyes widened as they welled with tears, softly grabbing the items with a small nod as Luke looked to her in worry. She couldn’t hold back the tears as she covered her mouth, leaning into her brother as he pulled her closer for a gun.  

Obi-Wan’s eyes shut, lips pursing with the pain only growing in his chest,” They served the Rebellion well, and we will mourn them.”

“They did. I just wish that they could have seen the fall of the Empire. Are you two okay?” She looked between the twins, and the both of them nodded.

Wiping her eyes as she straightened up, tucking the jewelry into a pocket on her belt for the holster. “Luke nearly got taken by someone infected, but I saved him,” she leaned back, giving a small shrug while her heart only felt heavier before warily glancing to the back of her father’s chair. “We saw him before he headed back in to try to find Breha. He was relieved we were okay, but worried about her.” She motioned to Keyti’s sleeping form,” We don’t know where Master Yoda is.”

“Yoda can take care of himself. We’ll regroup eventually, but first we need to make it to Malastare for recovery,” Obi-Wan glanced back to her, offering a soft smile. “I know you were close to Bail, Leia. I’m sorry.”

“Was it Imperial troopers?” She looked to her mother, and Padmé hesitated for a moment as she paled at remembering the gore.

“No. Infected.”

Leia slowly looked back to the back of Anakin’s chair, silent as she nodded. She could find a way to get the security footage remotely - if she had access to a computer.

Luke glanced over to their father, looking back to their mother. “At least … he won’t be in pain anymore.”

“He deserves a proper burial, not to be feasted on or burned in a mass grave,” Leia snapped, brows furrowing tightly as she clenched her jaw.

“We cannot go back, Leia.” Obi-Wan softly said, turning to face her better while Anakin glanced over out of the corner of his eye to him.

A heartbeat passed before he softly spoke,“ He was a good friend and ally to all of us. We’ll mourn him, Leia.”

“What if you caused it?”

Taking a slow breath, Anakin turned his head to look at her, bits of gore still embedded in his cheek with his skin streaked with blood. “We’ll never know.”

“What about Alderaan?”

“We’ll reclaim it when we can get enough to have ground forces.”

“I think all we need is you losing your sanity.” She retorted, looking out one of the small windows across from her. 

It might as well be gone already. Turning back around, he set coordinates for Malastare, slowly exhaling. “Keyti is the priority. When we arrive, she will be take care of first. Padmé and I will get supplies and attempt to contact my brother … if he’s alive.”

“Owen is alive,” Obi-Wan murmured, glancing to him. “Padmé and I knew it was a possibility to return to Tatooine if the situation was dire enough. Beru and he are anticipating our arrival after Malastare.”

“He knows about the twins?”

“Yes. Padmé insisted they know about your side of the family.”

His wife was observing their exchange, offering a weak smile when Anakin glanced back to her. “They deserve to know where they come from, even if they learned Alderaanian traditions. Owen is excited to meet them … and to see you.”

“Until he realizes that I’ve been infected.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, glancing to him,” he’s aware already, and though cautious, he still is willing to open up his home to us.”

“There won’t be enough rooms.”

“We’ll make it work,” Padmé murmured softly, letting her head rest in her hand while she closed her eyes. “All that matters is that we’re together.”