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leia-organa-fics · 4 years

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aftermath (part II)

You can find part I here.

***

The next day, two days since their argument, Han was on his shift in the cockpit. He watched the stars pass by as white beams of light. Even after all these years, the sight still enthralled him. As a kid, he´d always dreamed about flying to the stars. Back then, it had been nothing more than a wistful dream – so out of reach that people had laughed at him when he had uttered it out loud. His mother had been the only one who hadn´t laughed. More than that, she had encouraged him. She had told him that one day, he would get out of Corellia´s slums, that he was meant for more than the hopeless existence there. Then, she had died.

In the years that Han had spent as a smuggler, he had always felt like he had betrayed her somehow. She had thought he was meant for something more, but he wasted his life as a criminal … not even an all that good one, as the incident with Jabba´s spice showed. No. That was his bad mood talking. That hadn´t been his fault. But he had to deal with the consequences. By now, the bounty on his head was astronomically high, and he had no way of paying it.

He had given the reward money for rescuing Leia back. It hadn´t felt right to take it. No one should suffer what Vader and Tarkin had put her through. He had the feeling that she would have welcomed death … taking money for rescuing her wouldn´t have felt right in any case, but it especially didn´t because he had only arrived after her torture and Alderaan´s destruction. Had it even been a rescue or a sentence to a life filled with vengeance? He didn´t know, didn´t want to know.

In any case, the result was that he didn´t have the money to pay Jabba back. Maybe the reward for their little trip to the remains of Alderaan would be enough, he thought sardonically.

Ironically, that was the moment that the princess chose to interrupt his thoughts. He knew it was her the minute the doors opened. Chewie had gone to bed only two hours ago, there was no chance that he was already up again after his long shift in the cockpit.

She stood in the door for a couple of seconds, long enough to irritate Han. What did she want? Why did she have to search him out in the one place he felt absolutely free?

After several seconds in which none of them uttered a sound, she finally demanded, “What is your problem?”

Han was taken aback by the aggression in her voice. He turned around to face her. “What is my problem?”

“Yes. What is your problem? Ever since we changed our course to Alderaan you´ve been sulking.” She threw her hands up in frustration. “If you really didn´t want to take me there, I could have found someone else.”

He glared at her. “That is not what this is about.”

“What is it about then? Why are you being so difficult?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because we´re stuck on this tiny freighter of yours for at least another week and you´re being insufferable.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart,” Han answered sarcastically, “but there´s no board service included in the price.”

Realisation dawned on her face. “You´re offended because I offered to pay you for taking me to Alderaan?” When he didn´t answer and only gritted his teeth, she continued, “Really? You´re a smuggler, I thought this is what you do. Transport things for money. Certainly, the Rebellion is paying you for taking me to Kowak.”

Han turned away. “You should leave. I need to concentrate on flying if you don´t want us to end up as stardust.” It was a cheap excuse, but he hoped that she would get the hint. Of course, she didn´t. Or she just didn´t care.

“We´re in hyperspace. There´s nothing you need to do.”

When Han continued to stubbornly face away from her, she added, “It wasn´t my intention to offend you. You´ve been a huge asset to the Rebellion and I am grateful.”

At that, Han turned around. “An asset?” he spat. “Can you tune that princess talk down for even a second or is that impossible for you? I´m not a kriffing asset.”

“What are you then?”

“I thought I was on the way to being your friend, but you made it pretty clear that for you, a guy like me can be nothing more than an asset.”

The princess looked downright stunned. “I … ,” she started.

Han shook his head and faced the controls again. For him, the conversation was over. He had already said more than he had wanted to and Leia´s silence didn´t need any explanation. Yet another pang of hurt shot through his chest when he heard the door close behind her. He had allowed himself to get too close and made a complete fool out of himself in the process. He should have known that something like this would happen.

A day later, Leia searched him out again in the cockpit.

This time, she didn´t directly speak but just stared at him. The intensity of her gaze made Han uncomfortable. He felt like she was looking right through all of his defences and was afraid he wouldn´t live up to what she hoped to see. He shifted around but didn´t want to be the one to break the silence. She had come to him, so it should be her who spoke first.

“I´m sorry,” she suddenly said. For a moment, Han thought he had imagined it. The sincerity in her eyes and the way she worried her bottom lip told him otherwise.

“What for?”

“You were right yesterday. We are friends. I shouldn´t have insinuated that the only thing you care about is money.”

“Okay,” he said and meant it. “I forgive you.”

“Just like that?” She looked at him incredulously.

“Just like that.” Han threw her a lopsided grin. “I dunno if you noticed, sweetheart, but I don´t exactly have enough friends to be choosy.”

She smiled back. “Neither do I.”

“Lucky me.”

At that, her expression turned – for lack of a better, more princess-y word – cheeky. “You really are. Lucky, that is. Not everyone gets the privilege of befriending royalty, I´ll have you know.”

Han just snorted. “I´ll try to remember that, princess.”

“Can I join you?” she suddenly asked and nodded to Chewie´s chair.

Outwardly Han just shrugged, but inwardly he was pleased by her request. “Sure,” he said. “The chair might be a lil´ big for you though.”

“I´m used to it.” With those words, she sat down next to him.

“You are rather small.”

“We can´t all be freakishly tall.”

Han smirked. “There´s nothing freakish about me.”

“I beg to differ,” Leia answered.

“Never thought I´d see you beg.”

She threw him an exasperated look. “You know what I meant.”

“Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart, but not everyone had a private tutor for semantics as a child.”

“Actually, it was a course, and it was called ‘Oratory and Rhetoric’”.

Han laughed at that. “Of course, it was.”

A comfortable silence fell over them, as they both stared out at the stars. Han couldn´t help feeling glad that Leia was there. Even though he had grown used to hours of solitude in the cockpit and found peace in them, it often was stifling to be all alone with his thoughts. Besides, there was a strange intimacy about spending time with someone in silence. Talking was easy. Han was good at it – especially when he wanted to infuriate people. Silence though was harder. It meant basking in the physical presence of someone without the distraction of words.

With Leia, somehow it seemed almost easy.

The next day, they arrived at the asteroid field that had once been Alderaan. Han watched as Leia stared out of the window wide-eyed. She didn´t seem able to comprehend what was happening, what it was that she saw just now.

Han and Chewie shared a look over her head. Should they leave her alone or stay with her? On the one hand, it was a deeply private moment that neither of them wanted to intrude on. On the other hand, though, Leia might need people with her to show her that she wasn´t alone … After some more seconds, Chewie patted Leia on the head and softly roared something before leaving the cockpit. Han wasn´t even sure if she realized it. Her thoughts seemed to be miles away.

Still, he translated, “He said that he´s sorry for your loss and that he will wait in the lounge to give you some privacy. Call if you need anything.”

She nodded absentmindedly.

Han studied her. He could only see her side profile, but he was pretty sure that there were tears glistening in her eyes. “Would you like me to go, too?” he asked hesitantly.

At that, Leia tore her gaze from the sight outside and looked at him. She seemed to ponder his question. Finally, she bit her lip and said, “Would you stay? Please?”

Han nodded. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” She shot him a grateful look before returning to staring at the destroyed planet in front of her.

Han followed her lead. The asteroids around them were moving slowly. Now and again, the ship shuddered as one of them collided with it. Without the shields, they would have already been crushed numerous times. There was no way, anyone in the atmosphere could have survived. The extent of destruction was humbling and terrifying all at the same time. Was life even worth anything if it could be wiped out so easily? So careless? One man had given a command and now billions of beings were just gone. Han couldn´t wrap his head around it. How could anyone be that evil?

He wasn´t big on ethics or philosophy, and he certainly wasn´t religious, but the one ethical concept he had always sympathised with was the Reverence for Life which, ironically, had been coined by an Alderaanian ethicist. Yes, sometimes killing was necessary, and Han had even done it a few times when in retrospect it might not have been, but that didn´t change his inner belief that all life was precious and of the same value. The Imperial discrimination of non-human species had never sat right with him – even before meeting and starting to love Chewie. Now, it seemed the Empire didn´t even care for humans anymore. If they didn´t care for anyone, what did they care about? What did Palpatine care about?

Power, probably. And his own life. That was it.

Han had seen a lot of death and tragedy in his life. He had seen a lot of evil. Still, nothing came close to this one act of destruction, and he couldn´t comprehend how anyone could be that evil.

The Alderaani had been known for their peaceful way of living. They had never openly defied the Empire. Most of its citizens had probably never even done it in secret. They had been innocent, oblivious even. In addition, Alderaan had been a prosperous Core World, an exporter of many treasured goods. None of it, neither the moral nor the economic reasons, had stopped the Empire from destroying it.

Han felt anger bloom in his chest. He was angry about their absolute disregard for life and the pointlessness of the whole act, but mostly he was angry because in the face of sorrow on such a large scale he felt helpless. There was nothing he – or anyone – could do to make this better or even just to lessen Leia´s pain.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was openly crying now. It was probably a good thing that she finally let her feelings out instead of repressing them, but the sight of her so shattered still tucked at Han´s heartstrings. No one should have reason to be that devastated.

Somehow, she seemed to sense his thoughts. “I think I´m ready to be alone for a little while,” she said. Her voice was so steady; if Han hadn´t seen her tears, he would have never guessed that she was crying.

“Alright,” he replied. “Me ´n Chewie will be in the lounge if you need anything.”

With those words, he left the cockpit and joined Chewie at the darjik table. He was greeted with an accusing roar.

“She wanted to be alone,” he defended himself. “I told her, we´d be right there in case she needed anything.”

Chewie made an approving sound, before suggesting a match of darjik. Han declined. He didn´t particularly fancy having his arms pulled off and more importantly, his thoughts were still racing.

Seeing the remains of Alderaan made him think of the Death Star. He, Han Solo, had played a part in destroying it. He´d done the right thing, for the first time since rescuing Chewie, he´d done the right thing and come back for Luke. Maybe that was a sign. Maybe his mother hadn´t been wrong after all.

But keeping it that way would mean staying with the Rebellion … Was he ready to take that risk? Compared to the Empire, the Rebels had never been a big military force, but from what he´d heard, they had lost almost three-fourths of their ships in the last two weeks – first in the Battle of Scarif and then in the Battle of Yavin. And as if that wasn´t enough, they didn´t even have a base anymore. Kowak was merely a remote planet that they could – hopefully – orbit without the Empire finding them. All in all, the Rebellion didn´t even stand the ghost of a chance against the Empire. What was the point of fighting against those odds?

At a loss for an answer, he voiced that question out loud.

Chewie´s reply came promptly and decisively. Hope. People like Luke and Leia kept on fighting because they had hope. Chewie held on to his family and friends on Kashyyk because he had hope. The answer was as disappointing as it was simple. Han was many things, full of hope wasn´t one of them. He was willing to take huge risks, used to it even, but that had nothing to do with hope and everything with his devil-may-care attitude. In his life there had been so many times when a tomorrow had seemed out of reach that he had simply stopped worrying about the future. What good was it to agonize about something one might never have?

Just because he didn´t expect a frilly, happy future without the Empire to happen anytime soon, didn´t mean he couldn´t stick around a little longer though, did it? Hope might not be something that could be learned, but it could be inspired. And who was better for that job than their two bright-eyed companions from the Death Star? After all, Leia had already lit that spark in him once when he had decided to come back and help. And it had been a good feeling. Warm and connecting, it had felt a lot like purpose. Han could use some more of that. Maybe …

“What do you say to sticking around a lil´ longer?” he asked.

Chewie´s answering roar could definitely be called enthusiastic. Even though Chewie hadn´t said anything before, Han should have expected it. Defeating the Empire was the only way to free Lumpy and Malla …

“Alright, pal. Then let´s stay a little longer and hope it doesn´t get us killed.” Especially, the last part. Staying with the Rebellion was one thing, dying for it a completely different one.

Before he could get lost in his thoughts again, Leia hectically entered the lounge. “The proximity alarm just went off,” she stated.

***

You can find part III here.

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fallen420 · 4 years

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Rebel Spy - Chapter 9: A Clan of Three

Description: Auroras life becomes lonely after the war ends but when a familiar Mandalorain needs her help who is she to refuse.

prologue chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 chapter 7 chapter 8

"Is there another way out?" Cara asks.

"No, that's it," Greef answers.

"What about the sewers?" Din asks.

"Sewers?

"The Mandalorians have a covert down in the sewers. If we can get down there, they can help us escape."

"Yeah, I like sewers," I say.

"Checking for access points," he used his vambrace and his helmet to scan the room.

"Hold up," Cara says, "They're setting up an E-web."

"It's over," Greef says.

"Think you can search faster," I whisper to Din.

"I'm trying. There found it."

"Lets go then."

Din, Cara, and I stay low as we run over there throwing the booth seats out of the way to revel the vent. Cara and Din both try to pull it off but it's sealed shut.

"Its assembled! How long until that things cleared?" Greef asks.

"Blow it," I say.

"I'm out of charges."

Cara tries to shoot at it but nothing.

"Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation. I would prefer to avoid any further violence, as I'm sure you would too Commander Aurora," Dins head turns and looks at me, "and encourage a moment of consideration."

"Do you know him?"

I just shake my head, no not wanting to bring up things I blocked out.

"Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan."

Alderaan? I didn't know anyone else survived besides my friend from the rebellion.

Din and I look at each other than at Cara.

"Will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model. Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin, has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore. When gunships with similar ordinates laid waste to the field to the Mandalorian in the Night of a Thousand Tears." Din tenses.

"Or maybe my favorite one of them all, Aurora Janren. The Commander and they spy. Aurora, tell me do you remember when you spent five months on my base spying on me and another five months paying for invading my base?"

I feel everyone's eyes burning on me, Din's the most. I get flashes of everything that happened. My screams of pain fill my head. My breathing becomes shallow. My face becomes hot. The room becomes smaller and smaller. I remember the pain of what he did to me trying to get information out of me. My hands start to shake as I fight back the tears making their way to my eyes.

"Of course you never did break, did you? How many of my men did you kill using the e-web? 20? 30? 50? If it wasn't my men it might of been impressive."

Please shut up.

"I advise the disgrace Magistrate Greef Karag to search the wisdom of his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside. The structure you are trapped in will be razed in short order and your storied lives will come to an unceremonious end."

"What do you propose?" Greef asks him.

"Reasonable negotiation."

"What assurance do you offer?"

"If you're asking if you can trust me, you cannot. Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand. The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit. I will give you until nightfall, and then I will have the e-web cannon open fire."

"I say we hear him out."

"The minute we open that door, we're dead."

"We're dead if we don't, at least out there, we've got a shot."

They argue some more but I don't really hear too lost in my own thoughts.

"It's Moff Gideon," I say answering Caras earlier question.

"No," Cara says, "Moff Gideon was executed for war crimes."

"I will never forget his face. Five months for five months he-"

Din places his hand on my shoulder, "It's him. He knew my name. Before I told Aurora I haven't heard that name spoken since I was a child." Much to my disappointment, he removes his hand.

"On Mandalore?" Greef asks.

"I wasn't born on Mandalore."

"But you're a Mandalorian."

"Mandalorians aren't a race," I remind him.

"I was a foundling. They raised me in the fighting corps. I was treated as one of their own. When I came of age, I was sworn to the creed. The only record of my family name was in the registers of Mandalore. Moff Gideon was an ISB Officer during the purge. That's how I know it's him."

"It's how he knows who I am," Cara says.

"He says he needs us, which means the child got away safely. I was worried when Kuiil didn't respond but if they'd captured the kid, we'd already be dead."

"Ask for him again," I tell Din.

"Kuiil?" Kuiil?"

"They might of jammed the link."

The coms beeps and we hear a child cooing on the other end. Then we hear IG-11's voice.

"Kuiil has been terminated "

"What did you do?" Mando asks.

"I am fulfilling my base function."

"Which is?"

"To nurse and protect."

Outside we watch as the IG jumps off its pod causing an explosion and he starts to shoots down the stormtroopers.

I guess its time for battle.

Cara covers us as Din kicks the door open shooting the stormtroopers. Greef and I follow shooting every trooper we see.

Din grabs the e web off its holder and starts shooting.

I shoot too not letting anything get near me. It seems like we might actually win but when Din stops shooting I look up to see what happened. Moff Gideon is standing across from him. Moff is about to shoot Din before he lowers his gun and shoots what powers the web.

I hide my face from the hot flames when I look back up Din is laying on the floor and he's not moving.

And my whole world comes crashing down in an instant. Cara and I make it to him at the same time. With her being stronger than me she drags him inside.

I follow her not caring about the people shooting at me. Greef closes the door and we're safe for now. Cara lays Mando down and he doesn't move. I don't pay attention to anything else around me the only thing on my mind is Din.

I kneel beside him resting my hand beside his head, "Stay with me Din," I beg as tears flood my eyes.

"I'm not gonna make it. Go." I can hear the pain in his voice and I know he's hurt bad.

"Don't say that." Tears fall freely down my face, "You're gonna be fine."

"Leave me."

"I can't." I feel something warm on my hand. I look to see the blood from Din's head. "No, no."

"We need to take it off," Cara says.

He looks at Cara, "No." Then back at me grabbing my hands, " You leave me. You make sure the child is safe. Make sure you are safe," Stars, I can't breathe it feels like I'm dying, "Here." he reaches and pulls a necklace off his neck. "When you get to the Mandalorian covert, you show them that." he puts a necklace with the Mandalorian symbol in my hand.

"I"m not leaving you."

"You tell them it's from Din Djarin. They'll help you."

"Din, we can make it."

"Cyar'ika."

I can't do it I can lose another person I-

"Let's go Din please," I beg the desperation in my voice.

"I'm not gonna make it and you know it." Fire comes through the front window. They're trying to burn us out, "You protect the child. I can hold them back long enough for you to escape. Let me have a warrior's death."

"I won't leave you." my voice breaks.

"This is the way."

Fire comes through the side door but before it can burn us the kid puts both his hands up stopping it. The fire gets pushed back and the stormtrooper goes with it.

The IG unit gets the vent open.

"It's open let's go!" Greef says.

I look back at Din, "Go. Go."

I lean my head against his helmet. These words are for Din's ears and Din's ear's only. Words I haven't spoken since Alderaan, "I love you."

He places his hand on my face, "I know cyar'ika, I love you too. Now go."

More tears fall down my eyes as Cara pulls on my hand getting me up. The IG unit hands me the kid and says, "Escape and protect this child and I will stay with the Mandalorian."

"Promise you'll bring him back to me."

"You have my word."

I look at Din one last time before going through the vent

We walk through the dark sewers. Greef and Cara walk in front holding up a flashlight while I trail behind a little hoping, praying Din walks up behind me. I refuse to lose another person I love.

Behind us, there's a muffled explosion and then footsteps. The steps get closer and we see the IG unit and Din.

It takes everything in me not to run into his arms. To hold him and never let him go.

He looks at me and feels like I can breathe again and my muscles relax as the kid coos at the sight of his father and the man I love.

I walk over to them handing the kid to the IG unit. Din looks out of it I throw his arm over my shoulder, "I got you."

"Cyar'ika."

"It's me Din I'm here."

Cara puts Din's other arm over her shoulder and we continue walking through the sewers.

We get to a crossroads, "Do you know which way to go?" Greefs asks Din.

"No. I don't know these tunnels. I've only entered from the bazaar." We decide to take a right. We only come across another crossroads.

"This place is a maze," Cara says.

"Stop," Din says taking his arm off my shoulder, "I can stand."

"The bacta infusion is working," IG-11 says.

"I'll try to find tracks." He looks around, "We're close." Then he starts walking down another tunnel and we follow. "Turn here."

As we turn unto a room there's a pile of Mandalorian helmets and armor on the ground. Din walks up to it slowly before kneeling down in front of it.

He holds up a broken helmet. I place my hands on his shoulder at first he tenses but then he relaxes at my touch.

"Din we should go."

"Did you know about this?" Mando asks Greef, "Is this the work of your bounty hunters."

"No. When you left the system and took the prize, the fighting ended and the hunter just melted away. You know how it is. They're mercenaries. They're not zealots."

Mando drops the helmet as he runs up to Greef and gets inches from his face, "Did you do this! Did you!" I've never heard Mando yell like this before.

"No!"

"It was not his fault," there's a woman's voice. She walks out of a nearby room. I go back to stand with Din, "We revealed ourselves. We knew what could happen if we left the covert." She takes a piece of armor from the pile, "The Imperials arrived shortly thereafter. This is what resulted."

"Did any survive?" Din asks.

"I hope so. Some may have escaped off-world."

"Come with us."

"No. I will not abandon this place." She pushes a floating cart of armor into a room. Din follows her to the rest of us do.

Inside is a room where I'm guessing she forges armor. She starts melting the armor, "Show me the one whose safety deemed such destruction." The IG carries the child is a bag that rests on his chest.

"This is the one," Din says,

"This is the one you hunted then saved?"

"Yes. The one that saved me as well."

"From the mudhorn?"

"Yes."

"I assume this is the girl who you were going to ask for help? I assume she accepted." She says referring to me

"Yes. Shes my- shes my riduur now."

I look at him having no idea what it means. I'm guessing its more Mando'a.

She nods her head before looking back at the kid, "That saved you? It looks helpless."

"It's not helpless. Its species can move things with its mind."

"I've heard of such things. The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore The Great, and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers."

"I told you," I whisper to Din.

"I never said you were wrong," he whispers to me. Then he asks her "It is an enemy?"

"No. Its kind were enemies but this individual is not."

A jedi helped us take down the empire they're not enemies.

"What is it?"

"It is a foundling." She opens a cupboard with tools in it, "By creed, it is in your care." And starts working on something.

"You wish me to train this thing?"

"It is too weak. It would die. You have no choice. You must reunite it with its own kind."

"Where?"

"This, you must determine."

"You expect us to search the galaxy for the home of this creature and deliver it to a race of enemy sorcerers?"

"This is the way." She starts banging her hammer. Cara suggest that we come up with an escape plane, "If you follow the descending tunnel, it will lead you to the underground river. It flows down stream to the lava flats."

"I think we should go," Greef says.

"He's right you must go," she armorer says, "A foundling is in your care. By creed, until is it of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father. And she will be its mother. This is the Way. You have earned your signet." First, she hands me a necklace with the signet of a mudhorn on it. Then she puts it on Dins shoulder pad., "You are a clan of three."

I put the necklace over my head moving my hair out of the way as it settles on my neck.

"Thank you," Din says, "I will wear this with honor." I nod agreeing.

We hear explosions from outside, "They found us," I say, "We need to go."

The armorer tells the IG to guard the hallway. He hands the baby to me before doing so.

"I have one more gift for you're journey. Have you trained in the rising phoenix?"

"When I was a boy. Yes."

"Then this will make you complete." She turns around with a jet pack in her hand."

"Thank you."

"When you have healed, you will begin your drills. Until you know it, it will not listen to your commands."

"I understand."

There's blaster firing and an explosion outside. We wait for stormtroopers to walk in but it's just the IG, "You are protected."

"More will come. You must go." Din takes the jet pack, "Restock your ammunition." She gives the IG until the jet pack to carry for Din. "Now go be safe on your journey."

"Thank you," Din says before we leave.

We walk down the hallway and eventually we get to the lava river.

There's a metal boat with a droid sitting on the river bed.

"Ferry droid is fried," I point out.

"Yea but if we push the boat out," Greef says, "We can get it to float downstream."

"Looks old. Will it take the heat?" Din asks.

"You got any better ideas?"

"Guess not."

Din and Greef push the boat but it doesn't budge due to the boat be fried in. Din kicks the boat in frustration. They try again but nothing.

"You guys mind getting out of the way?" Cara asks. They move and Cara shoots where the boat is stuck and it works.

Everyone climbs into the boat. Din puts his hand out to help me in and I grab his hand while keeping the kid close to my chest. We settle into the boat and it starts to slowly move downstream.

Behind us, we hear beeping. Din takes out his blaster only to see that its the droid powering on.

It slowly stands up all the rocks that were covering it fall to the ground.

Din and Cara keep their blasters on it, "I don't suppose anybody here speaks droid?" Din says. Probably the IG Din.

"I believe he's asking where we want to go," the IG says.

"Downriver. To the lava flat," Greef answers.

The droid chirps and starts rowing us down the river.

Eventually, there's light at the end of the tunnel, "That's it we're free!" Greef says.

"No," Din says, "No, we're not. Stormtroopers. They're flanking the mouth of the tunnel."

"Shit," I curse under my breath.

"It looks like an entire platoon. They must know we're coming."

"Stop the boat," Cara says, "Hey, droid, I said stop the boat." But he doesn't he just keeps going. She tries shooting it in the head but the boat is still going.

"We're still moving," Greef points out.

"Looks like we fight."

"There's too many," Din says.

"Then what do we do?" I ask.

"They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child," The IG says, "This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape."

"You don't have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn't even get to daylight," Din points out.

"That is not my objective. I still have the security protocols from my manufacture. If my designs are compromised I must self destruct."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed. I can no longer carry this for you." The droid places the jetpack down

"Wait. You can't self-destruct. Your base command is to watch the child. The supersedes your manufacture's protocol, right?"

Add Din telling asking a droid not to self destruct to top ten things I never thought I'd see.

"That is correct."

"Good. Now, grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out."

"Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The child will be lost. Sadly, there is no scenario, where the child is saved, in which I survive."

"Din he's right, he has too," I try to convince. I don't wanna see the droid that saved Din go either but we have no other option.

"No, you're not going anywhere."

"Please tell me the child will be safe in your care," The IG asks Din. "If you do so, I can default to my secondary command."

"But you'll be destroyed." There's desperation and pain in his voice.

"And you will live and I will have served my purpose."

"No. We need you."

"There is nothing to be sad about I have never been alive."

"I'm not sad."

"You are I'm a nurse droid I analyzed your voice."

The IG pets the kids ear before stepping into the lava. He walks down to the end of the tunnel the lava having no effect on him.

When he gets outside he stands there for a moment and then there's a huge explosion. I grab Din's arm on reaction.

The flames die down I put the kid down next to my feet. When the boat reaches the end we have our blasters ready but there's not any stormtroopers insight.

But before things could be too good we see a tie-fighter in the air.

"Its Gideon," I say

His shots miss us and ours miss him. The fighter gets close to the boat and we have to bend down to dodge it.

He flies back around the hill.

"He missed!" Greef says.

"He won't next time," I say, "These blasters are useless against him."

"Hey, let's make the baby do the magic hand thing. Come on, baby! Do the magic hand thing." The kid just waves his hand and giggles. "I'm out of ideas."

"I'm not," Din simply states.

"What are you doing?" I ask. He starts to put the jet pack on, "Din!"

"That man has hurt you before Aurora and now he wants to do it again. I won't let him."

"Here he comes!" Cara warns us. Din turns on the jetpack.

The tie fighter comes back around. The thing is right in front of us. Before anything can hit us Din shoots up into the air and uses his grappling hook to hang onto the tie fighter. We climb out of the boat watching Din and the fighter closely.

The tie fighter flies around and Din hangs on and he looks like a rag doll up there. My anxiety is through the roof.

I hard to keep track of what's happening. I can tell that Din is now on top of the fighter and I can see the explosion in the air when he drops one of his charges, "Come on Din," I whisper to no one in particular.

Then Din lets go and is falling in the air while the burning tie fighter falls in the ground spinning in circles. It crashes somewhere off in the distance. I feel the relief wash over me knowing that Moff Gideon is dead.

Din lands safely in front of us. I ran up to him with the kid in my hands to make sure he's okay. "I'm okay cyar'ika," he assures me.

"Good."

Cara tells us that she's going to stay here to make sure the imps don't come back to Navarro. Greef assures Din that when we are finished with getting the kid home safely that he will be welcomed back into the Guild with open arms. We bid our goodbyes and Din and I make our way back to the ship.

Back on the ship, I place the kid in my cot and I turn back around to Din who, like always, is just starring.

"You were gonna leave me." I feel more tears fill my eyes as I remember.

"Cyar'ika-"

"Din I've lost everything I've ever known or loved and when I thought I was gonna lose you. I almost died."

He steps closer to me, "I know but, you and the kid are the most important things to me I had to make sure you were gonna be okay."

"So by that, you were gonna leave me."

He steps even closer and places his hand on the side of my face, "You're my priority okay? Making sure you and the kid were safe was all I was thinking about." He pulls me to his chest, my face presses against his cold beskar as he wraps his arms around me and I wrap mine around him, "I love you cyar'ika." Din isn't a man of many words but boy is he good at using them.

"I love you too."

He pulls away, "Wait here for a moment." I nod as he disappears into his room only to come out a moment later with a piece of cloth.

"What are you-"

"A loophole," I look at him confused, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

He wraps the piece of cloth around my eyes and everything becomes pitch black, "Can you see anything?"

"Nope."

"Okay," I hear a hiss and metal clanking. He took his helmet off.

Before I can even process he presses his soft lips against mine. His names wrap around my waist pulling me closer. I stand on my the tip of my toes wrapping my arms around his neck. Both of us get lost in the kiss only pulling away when we need air.

My hands find their way to the side of his face and I feel the scruffy patchy beard. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Stars, I love this voice without the modulator.

"That you'd be too lazy to shave."

He chuckles before saying again, "I love you cyar'ika."

END OF SEASON 1

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x oc #din djarin #din djarin x reader #din djarin x oc #paz vizla #mando #mando x reader #mando x oc #agent whiskey #agent whiskey x reader #oberyn martell #oberyn martell x reader

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bedlamsbard · 4 years

Text

Part 4 of the other side AU concept! This will probably be six parts in total. The AU is Backbone-based and uses Backbone backstory up until the present day.

Previous: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

About 5.8K below the break.

***

The air was hot and humid, making both Twi’lek women wince as the Ghost’s ramp opened. Hera looked automatically at Kanan, anticipating his indulgent grin, but he was looking straight ahead. There was nothing of her Kanan in him now – nothing of Kanan at all, just the Imperial Inquisitor left, the lethal sword hand of the Force clad in human raiment.

The sea was visible through the trees just to their left. The Imperial base here on Scarif was made up of an archipelago of small islands, connected via transit tubes. The salt tang of the water made her nose tickle; Hera half-expected it to be overlaid with the scent of blood. So many people had died here. So many good people, so many bad people, so many who had just been doing what they thought was right, both Rebel and Imperial. She had known and liked Cassian Andor, and a few of the other commandos who had gone with him to Scarif against orders. Chopper had actually gotten along with Cassian’s droid K-2SO, which had been a minor miracle.

Cassian should have lived to see the Rebellion succeed. So should Jyn Erso and Bodhi Rook and Admiral Raddus, everyone who had died at Scarif, at Yavin and Hoth and Endor and the hundreds of other engagements between the death the of the Republic and today. Bail and Breha Organa. Saw Gerrera. Her mother. Ezra and Kanan. They should all have lived.

The Death Star plans are here, Hera thought with shocked realization. Right here, right now. The battle station wouldn’t be complete for another six years, but most of the plans would still be accurate. And it would prove it existed.

She dragged her attention back to the present. There were stormtroopers standing guard on the vault-like entrance to the landing pad’s transit tube, eyeing them with clear distrust and a little fear. Kanan and the other Hera ignored them, striding forward in perfect step. Hera and Chopper followed, suspecting that she probably should have fallen in on Kanan’s other side for symmetry’s sake but knowing that she couldn’t manage it now.

The stormtroopers fell back before Kanan’s approach, one of them hitting the door control. The other Hera nodded a little to them as the four stepped inside; the doors closed with a frighteningly final sound before the transit car began to move.

“How are you planning to get into the vault?” Hera asked in a low voice.

The other woman tapped the code cylinders next to her rank badge. “ISB has access. So does the Inquisition. It will drop a flag, but I overwrote my access level with Agent Beneke’s so with any luck that won’t be immediate.” She glanced at Hera. “There aren’t a lot of nonhumans in the service. I’ve never actually met one of them, but I know there’s at least one woman in the ISB, a Togruta. That’s who your creds will read as if you have to use them.”

“I’m not a Togruta,” Hera pointed out.

“I know, I changed it in the system to read as a Twi’lek and replaced her image with yours. It shouldn’t end up mattering unless someone here has met her. Most people don’t bother checking creds when there’s an Inquisitor in the room.” She smiled at Kanan, who tilted his head a little in acknowledgment but didn’t speak. “Besides, most humans can’t tell nonhumans apart.”

“Twi’leks and Togruta are very different,” Hera said, startled.

“Most humans are stupid,” the other Hera said. “Present company excluded.”

Kanan snorted softly.

Hera held back her automatic response, which was something along the lines of, You spend too much time with Imperials. It wasn’t that she hadn’t run into that problem within the Alliance or among civilians, but it hadn’t happened more than a dozen times since she had left Ryloth.

The other woman flicked a sideways glance at her, but didn’t say anything else. They stood in silence until the transit car deposited them at the Citadel Tower, the doors sliding open to reveal wide gray corridors filled with more Imperials than Hera was, frankly, comfortable being near – stormtroopers and shoretroopers moving in formation, officers and technicians, security droids and a few astromechs –

She squared her shoulders and reminded herself that as far as anyone was concerned, her borrowed uniform was hers and she was as much an Imperial officer as any of them. She followed Kanan and the other Hera out of the transit car, Chopper rolling along beside her. She was interested to note that Kanan’s mere presence cleared their way without him having to do anything more – a few officers actually jumped out of the way when they saw him coming. If he noticed, he didn’t show it.

Gone, Hera’s mind gibbered silently as they made their way down the long corridors. All gone. Kanan had been one thing; but this part of Scarif was simply gone, vaporized by the Death Star. She would have had the same reaction had she gone to Jedha or Alderaan – she had been expecting to have to do the latter.

No one stopped them. They arrived at the entrance to the data vault to find a single technical officer at the data station outside the vault’s heavy doors. She looked up at their approach, then did a double-take. “Sir – ah – Inquisitor –”

Kanan tipped his head a little. The other Hera stepped forward, her expression cool, and slid her code cylinder out of its pocket. “We require access to the vault,” she said. “ISB-327, ISB-398, INQ-065. Authorization, ISB Five Nine Seven Eight Aurek Senth Isk Three Nine Two.”

The technical officer’s eyes were still fixed on Kanan as she took the code cylinder with shaking hands. It took her three tries to get it inserted. Hera held her breath, watching and wishing that she had a blaster just in case, but at last the data station chirped approval. The technical officer handed back the code cylinder and touched a control on the console, opening the massive vault door behind her. “You’re – you’re cleared, ma’am – ah – Inquisitor. What files are you –”

“We’ll recover them,” the other Hera said, sliding the code cylinder back into her uniform pocket. “Take a caf break, Lieutenant.”

“I – I’m not supposed to –”

Kanan met her gaze. She squeaked and almost tripped stepping out from behind the data station.

“We’ll be done in fifteen minutes,” the other Hera said. “Come back then.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the technical officer said faintly. She gave them a wide berth, skating the wall until she reached the exit.

The other Hera let out her breath. “Chop, plug in. Find us that file – Cluster Prism, you said?”

“Cluster Prism,” Hera confirmed. “And Stardust.”

Kanan gave her a sharp look, and the force of that pale glare over the black mask staggered her for an instant. “You only said Cluster Prism before.”

“I – I’ll explain later. Just – let’s get those files.”

The other woman’s mouth compressed into a thin line, but she nodded to Kanan. “You get the files. Chop and I will stay here and locate them for you and head off anyone who comes calling.”

“Why you?” Hera said, a little surprised.

“An Inquisitor can’t stay out here,” she explained. “It looks bad. And my creds are real; yours aren’t.”

Hera nodded. As Chopper rolled over to the data station and plugged in, she and Kanan turned down the long, dark corridor to the data vault. The corridor let out into a harshly lit platform with a window that revealed the data vault itself – long columns that stretched out of sight up and down, each closely stacked with thousands of data files.

What the Rebellion wouldn’t do for all of this, Hera thought, looking up at them as Kanan bent over the computer station. Some of it – maybe most of it – wouldn’t be relevant anymore, but others would be. All the Emperor’s surviving projects that the Alliance knew about had been spread out between his successors, but Hera had no doubt that more of them were lurking out there, waiting to take the Alliance by surprise when they were least prepared for it. It would take months to retrieve and copy all the files here, though, and she didn’t have that kind of time.

Kanan was speaking quietly into the comlink on his left gauntlet. As Hera was looking up at the data vault, she saw a green light flash to her right and a little below her line of sight. “That’s Cluster Prism,” Kanan said, removing his mask and hooking it to his belt. “You’ll have to use the handles.”

Hera supposed that with the sheer mass of data here there wasn’t really a more efficient method. She stepped up to the window and grasped the handles, turning them this way and that until she got the hang of their movement. It wasn’t too different from flying a starfighter, actually, if less exciting; she supposed the adrenaline rush of stealing data from the Empire made up for it. She was able to retrieve the Cluster Prism file from its location and bring it over to the window, where it slid into the drawer at the base.

“I’ll get the Stardust file while you copy that,” Kanan said.

Hera nodded and took it over to the computer set into the wall, pulling a blank datacard out of her jacket. Modern datacards could store almost twice as much as they had been able to a decade earlier, so with any luck it would transfer without difficulty as long as the computer could still read it. She held her breath as she inserted the card, then let out a relieved sigh as it slid into the slot. The bulky data file took a big more finagling, but after a moment it beeped confirmation as Hera set the computer to copy it over.

Kanan came up behind her, another data file in his hand. “What is this one?” he asked.

“It’s the plans for something called the Death Star,” Hera said.

His eyebrows shot up. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Hera grimaced. “No. And it’s not for the Alliance; we already have those plans. I want to give that to someone in this universe, to prevent what happened in mine from happening here. If you and Hera don’t mind making a stop after we leave here –”

“What’s the Death Star?”

“It’s a battle station,” Hera said, wincing at the memory. “A massive battle station the size of a small moon, capable of destroying a planet.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It is,” Hera said. “I’ve seen it.” She glanced back at him. “That’s what happened to Scarif. The Empire destroyed their own base in an attempt to keep the Alliance from getting the plans, but the commando team here had already transmitted them to the Rebel fleet.” She didn’t bother going into the details between the Death Star at full planet-destroying capacity and the lesser havoc it had wrought on Jedha and Scarif. With any luck, this universe would never have to know.

“And who do you want to give the plans to?” Kanan asked. “There’s nothing like a – a rebel alliance, not right now, anyway. Just a lot of partisan groups that operate in different systems and sometimes share information.”

“There will be,” Hera said with certainty. “There’s someone I can give them to. I have a message for him anyway. It’s who I would have gone to if you hadn’t agreed to help me.”

He didn’t ask why she wasn’t naming her contact here, not in the middle of an Imperial base.

The computer beeped as it finished copying the Cluster Prism file and spat out both the original file and the data card. Hera switched over to a new data card and exchanged the Cluster Prism file for the Stardust one while Kanan went to return it to its original location.

“What will you do?” she asked Kanan as he came back over. “Once we’ve left here, I mean. You can’t go back to the Empire.”

He shook his head, though his eyes were shadowed. “Hera wants to see her family,” he said. “And we do know where Free Ryloth is right now – the ISB keeps track of the fleet’s location, even if they usually don’t do anything with that.” He glanced sideways at her and added carefully, “She doesn’t talk about her family, but she was upset when you said your mother was dead.”

“If it’s any help,” Hera said, “my father liked Kanan. More than he liked me sometimes, to be honest.”

The corner of his mouth curled up. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“I left home when I was eighteen,” Hera said. “My father has never really understood why, even today. He thinks I should have stayed on Ryloth. Not that he was trying to keep me safe, but he thinks I should have been fighting the Empire back home instead of somewhere else. It’s not that I don’t know that he loves me, but he’s always resented that I decided to prioritize fighting the Empire over fighting for Ryloth. He does love Jacen, though,” she added, and Kanan’s face did something complicated.

“What is he like?” he asked. “Your son, I mean.”

Hera glanced down, smiling. “He’s smart. He likes animals – every time we’re back on Lothal, half a dozen Loth-cats and sometimes a Loth-wolf turn up at the Ghost to say hello, and the blurrgs on Ryloth love him. I think he’ll be a good pilot, too, he’s already got the reflexes. He’s – he’s a very happy child. I just don’t see him enough.” She looked up at Kanan again. “Ah – a friend of mine says he’s Force-sensitive, but it might not last.”

“It doesn’t always at that age,” Kanan said. “You can usually tell, but not always.” He frowned a little, as if in memory, but didn’t explain further. “He sounds like a good kid.”

“He is,” Hera said. “I wish –” She didn’t go on, relieved when the computer beeped it conclusion. She retrieved the data card, handed the file to Kanan to return, and made sure both data cards were clearly labeled. The last thing she needed to do was turn up back in her own timeline with outdated Death Star plans instead of the Cluster Prism ones.

He had his mask back on by the time she turned around. They left the vault to join the other Hera, who was standing next to the data station with Chopper. “Got them?” she asked.

Hera nodded.

“Then let’s get out of here.”

“Do you normally get this reaction?” Hera asked after the Ghost had left Scarif behind and was ascending upwards towards the shield gate. The traffic control officer had been ecstatic to see them go, in a subdued, Imperial kind of way. “They practically threw us offworld.”

“Imperials hate Inquisitors as much as everyone else does,” Kanan said, his hands on the co-pilot’s controls and his gaze fixed straight ahead. “They especially don’t like having me around; I scare the blazes out of them.”

“Why?” Hera said, startled. She had never seen any Inquisitors other than from a distance, but she didn’t think that Kanan was worse than the ones her crew had intercepted.

“Because I’m human,” Kanan said, his voice even. “There were one or two others when the Inquisition started out, but these days I’m the only one. Everyone else is a nonhuman, and that’s the way the Emperor likes it, since it keeps the rest of the service on their toes. As far as they’re concerned, the aliens can do what they want to each other, but once a human’s in the mix –” He stopped abruptly, a muscle working in his jaw.

His Hera shot a sideways glance at him, a little grief in her eyes. Kanan’s gaze cut towards her briefly and he went on, “Most Imperials don’t like the reminder that they’re just vulnerable as all the alien rebels out there. And they take orders from a nonhuman Inquisitor easier than they do from me. And when I was in the field with my master –” He stopped abruptly.

He was silent as they slipped through the shield gate and began to move past the star destroyers. The other Hera had a short exchange with the traffic control officer onboard the gate, then they proceeded past the star destroyers and went to hyperspace as soon as they were out of range of the planet’s gravity well. The girl got to her feet and said, “I’m going to change,” leaving Kanan and Hera alone in the cockpit.

He started to strip off his armor without looking at her. Hera unfastened the top of her jacket, but said, “If you want to tell me what happened – she doesn’t know, does she?”

“No.” He put his fingers to his forehead, looking weary. “A lot of junior officers are around the same age as me,” he said finally. “Stormtroopers too. My master –” He touched his notched ear, but it was clear that the injury wasn’t what he was thinking about. “By most standards,” he said haltingly, “my master didn’t treat me – well, I guess. And I’m human, and except for the uniform look pretty much the same as most of them. And I’ve got the right accent,” he added, this last in such pure upper-class Coruscanti that it made Hera’s back teeth ache. The first time she had heard her Kanan use it she had almost jumped out of her own skin.

“My master hurt me pretty badly,” Kanan went on, not looking at her. “And he didn’t really care who saw him do it. Imperials really don’t like seeing a Pau’an do – that – to a nice human boy. And even in uniform I look right, and I sound right, and – there was nothing they could do about how he treated me, though if they were high-ranking enough they could at least tell him to take it to his own tent or cabin or whatever.”

“Which didn’t make it any easier for you,” Hera said gently.

Kanan rubbed his knuckles across his scarred jaw. “No. But I was never paying much attention to anything besides him at the time, unless he told me to. And he didn’t do that when we were in camp – on base – whatever. ��I didn’t really realize any of that had been going on until the first time Hera and I were on an op with someone who had seen me with him.”

“How did that go?”

“He was a friend of Hera’s. He was scared out of his mind for her. That was three months ago, by the way.” He touched his fingers to his forehead, looking unspeakably weary. “My master didn’t think he was being cruel. And I didn’t – I didn’t really realize it either, not by the point when they were letting me out in the field with him.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” Hera asked, tentative.

“Last week.” He shot a sideways glance at her. “I had to go back to the Crucible to check in. The Whip won’t let us be in the same room alone together anymore – which is not on my behalf by any means. He just doesn’t like the Hunter.” He looked down at his hands. “She doesn’t know and she’s not going to.”

“Who’s the Whip?”

“He’s the head of the training facility at the Crucible – Inquisition headquarters, I mean.” Kanan ran a weary hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you all that.”

“I asked,” Hera said.

He shook his head. “She doesn’t know. She can’t know. She can’t. She can’t.”

“Kanan –” Hera began uncertainly. The helpless grief on his face was utterly unfamiliar. Hera had seen it before on Alliance soldiers who had seen too much combat, Imperial deserters who had finally hit their breaking point, freed prisoners finally seeing the outside of an Imperial prison – but not on Kanan.

The door slid open behind her. The other Hera came past her in a rush, putting her arms around Kanan as he buried his face in her shoulder. After a moment he raised his head and looked at her, anguished; she cupped her hands around his face and tipped her forehead against his, murmuring to him.

Hera got to her feet, fighting down her wave of irrational hurt. “Can I use your comm unit?” she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb them.

“There’s one in my room,” the other Hera said without looking up. Kanan’s hands came up to grip her upper arms, tears streaming silently down his face.

Hera slipped out of the cockpit.

Later she sat by the comm unit in the other Hera’s cabin – her cabin – with her head tipped back against the wall. She was balancing her holoprojector on her knee, looking at the old hologram of Kanan.

He should have been here.

Hera sighed and dragged her gaze out of the past, looking around the room. It was scrupulously neat, with uniforms hung on a hook on the wall. Unlike Hera’s own cabin, there were no Twi’leki designs painted on the walls; the only real sign of personality was a discarded silk robe draped over the back of a chair. Hera recognized it; her Kanan had given her the same one the year after they had met.

The comm unit beeped. Hera leaned over to read the transmission, then sent back the correct code. There was a chance this wouldn’t work – but the response came almost immediately. Hera noted the coordinates and got up.

She found the other Hera alone in the cockpit, her head in her hands. She looked up as Hera came in, tear streaks on her face. “What?”

“Can you go to these coordinates?”

“Yeah.” She sat back as Hera leaned over her to input them in the navicomputer. “Kanan said you wanted to meet with someone else while you were here. Is it –”

“It’s probably better if I take the Phantom,” Hera said. “I don’t think it will take long.”

The other woman looked like she was too tired to argue. “Take Chopper with you.” She glanced at the coordinates. “I’ll let you know when we’re there.”

Hera didn’t want to push her. She started to leave, but the girl said suddenly, “He thought I didn’t know.”

Hera stopped, then went back to her.

“He was so badly hurt,” the girl whispered. “And I did notice when Cado found out about him being with me. And I saw him with that – that Pau’an. He doesn’t know I saw them.” She looked at her hands, helpless. “How could he think I didn’t know?”

Hera put a hand on her shoulder. For a moment the other woman resisted, then her face crumpled and she leaned forward, crying silently as Hera took her in her arms.

They came out of hyperspace in an unoccupied system. The star was a distant gleam just visible through the Phantom’s viewport, with a handful of planets unable to support life doing their slow dance around it. The other ship in the system was too far away to make out with the naked eye, its running lights blending in with the star field behind it.

“Detaching now,” Hera said, hitting the control on the dash.

“Acknowledged.” The other Hera’s voice was clear and calm, as if having something to do was helping her grief. Hera suspected it did. “We’ll be here waiting, Phantom.”

Hera gripped the control yoke and eased the Phantom forward out of the dock. It gave her an uneasy feeling of déjà vu; she had forgotten that it would be the original Phantom and not the Phantom II until she had walked onboard.

Chopper muttering to himself was a familiar background sound as she brought the Phantom out of the Ghost’s dock and set her course for the ship showing up on her nav console. She flew by instrument until she was close enough to see it through the viewport, then transmitted the code she had been given. A voice on the other end of the comm, fuzzy with encryption, told her what to do.

The corvette’s dock was only meant for speeders and skiffs, not a shuttle the size of the Phantom. Hera docked at the airlock she was instructed to and shut down the Phantom except for the magnetic clamp. She was met at the airlock by three crewmembers in familiar blue-and-gray uniforms; the female crewperson patted her down and came up with Hera’s holoprojector and the datacard with the Stardust file on it. After inspecting both, she handed them back to Hera. Chopper got scanned by another crewmember and complained the whole time.

They led Hera and Chopper through the familiar corridors of the corvette to a room that she knew very well. It was something she had expected but wasn’t prepared for, aware of places where there should have been dents or repairs made that were still spotless, or, in one case, where a hatch had been entirely replaced in her own time. The man sitting behind the table in the room stood up as she entered, and Hera fought back another wave of disorienting grief. She hadn’t known him well, hadn’t met him more than a handful of times, but she had known him.

“Senator Organa,” she said, resisting the urge to salute. “Thank you for seeing me. I’m Hera Syndulla.”

“A relative of Cham Syndulla, I presume?” he said. “Not the missing daughter.”

“Actually,” Hera said, “the answer to that is a little complicated. I am Hera Syndulla, but I’m not that Hera Syndulla. I’m from an alternate timeline, some years from now.”

Bail Organa’s eyebrows went up. “That’s a rather bold claim.”

“I have a message that might convince you,” Hera said. She took the holoprojector out of her pocket and slid it down the table towards him; she had switched out the datadisk inside before coming over.

Senator Organa took the holoprojector, inspected it briefly, and then set it back down on the table before activating it.

Leia Organa’s image sprang up between them. “Hello, Father,” she said. “If you’re seeing this, it’s because General Syndulla was able to reach you. I wish I could have come myself, but the method we used made that impossible. I know that what General Syndulla has told you will seem very unlikely, but I swear to you that it’s the truth. Please help her for the good of the Rebellion.” Leia’s voice and expression had been calm through all of this, but for an instant that cracked, and she added, “Father – Mother – I miss you,” in a voice that trembled a little. “There are some other holos on this datadisk. I don’t know if you’ll want to watch them or not, but they’re for you, both of you.” She took a deep breath. “I love you.”

Senator Organa paused the holo as it began to repeat. He looked at Hera through Leia’s transparent image as Hera tried to remember how old Leia would be now. Ten or eleven, she thought.

“General Syndulla?” he said.

“Of the Alliance to Restore the Republic,” Hera said. “Or the Rebel Alliance, as it’s more commonly known. The vote on the ratification of the New Republic will be held within a week, in my time. Emperor Palpatine has been dead for almost a year.” She met Senator Organa’s gaze and added, “Luke Skywalker was the one who sent me here.”

Senator Organa’s reaction was so slight that if Hera hadn’t been looking for it, she would have missed it.

“I assume I was executed by the Empire for treason,” he said.

“After a manner of speaking,” Hera said. She took the datacard out of her pocket and laid it on the table. “I don’t need your help. I was able to accomplish my mission with – um – local aid. But these are the plans that the Empire in my timeline to destroy Alderaan, a battle station called the Death Star.”

“To destroy –” He went as pale as his complexion allowed, which, like Kanan’s, wasn’t very.

“I think it won’t happen here,” Hera said.

“Leia,” Senator Organa said, his gaze on the hologram. “She was offworld?”

“Yes.” Unless he asked, Hera wasn’t going to tell him that she had been onboard the Death Star when Alderaan had been destroyed.

“I’m glad.” His voice was low, distracted. He looked at her suddenly. “Do you know what else is on this disk?”

Hera shook her head, though she could guess. If she had had any idea that there was a possibility of seeing her mother here, she would have brought more holos too.

Senator Organa activated the holoprojector again, switching it to the next hologram. In it, Leia sat at this same table in the other version of the Tantive IV, holding her young son in her lap. She looked a little tired, but then again not only were they still in the midst of the war but she had an infant only a few months old. Hera remembered how those days had been for her, though not terribly well since she had spent the entire time sleep-deprived.

“Hello, Father, Mother,” Leia said. “If you’re seeing this, then either you believe Hera or you’re looking for evidence one way or another. This isn’t meant to be evidence, but maybe it will be.” She swallowed. “Hera has probably told you what happened to Alderaan – what happened to you. I know that you can stop what’s coming and that your daughter will never have to feel the way I do.” She stopped as her son made a gurgling sound and waved one chubby fist; he was clutching a soft stuffed model of the Millennium Falcon in it that Chewbacca had made for him.

Leia lifted him up so that he faced the holoprojector. “Ben, can you say hello to Grandpapa and Grandmama?”

Senator Organa made a low, stunned sound; he looked like he had been poleaxed. Ben waved the Millennium Falcon vaguely in the direction of the holoprojector with Leia’s help, then she settled him back in her lap. “I wanted you to see some things,” Leia said. “I thought – Ben will have them when he’s older. But I wanted you to see them too, because my parents never had the chance.” She smiled, a little shaky. “I love you, Papa, Mama, and I miss you. I wish you were here.”

Senator Organa put his hand down on the holoprojector, pausing it. “Can you wait?” he asked Hera, sounding like he was suddenly having a hard time breathing. “I’ll have refreshments sent up.”

“I can wait as long as you need,” Hera said. She hesitated, then said, “I – can take something back. If you want.”

He nodded distractedly and left the room without saying anything else. Hera sat down in one of the empty chairs at the table and looked at Chopper. “That could have gone worse.”

He told her that it still could, sounding so exactly like her own Chopper that for a few moments Hera could have been back on the Tantive IV in her own timeline, waiting for Leia to finish feeding her infant son before she joined Hera for the most recent reports from the front.

Kanan was sunk so deep in meditation that the world had frayed apart at the edges, leaving him with only the breathtaking clarity of the Force. He didn’t like going that deep; it had left him uneasy even when he had been a child back in the safety and security of the Jedi Temple. At the moment he wanted that clarity; nothing had been clear to him since he had gone to the Crucible, except at those times when the drugs the Inquisition sometimes used had sent him this deep into the Force. He hadn’t liked what he had seen then.

He could sense Hera sitting in the cockpit, fiddling listlessly with her datapad. Her grief stained the Force; Kanan fought down the urge to go to her and let himself sink deeper into the Force instead. Emotion bled away; he was aware of his tie to the Hunter stretching out from him, connecting him to the other Inquisitor. He didn’t know how to break that bond save by killing the Hunter, and he didn’t know if he could do that without dying himself; the Hunter had bound them together so tightly that back at the Crucible, they had breathed in unison, heartbeats matching each other; he had turned his head and Kanan had done the same without even thinking about it. Kanan hadn’t had to speak to him by the end; the Hunter already knew what he was going to say.

He sank further into the Force; if he lingered too long at this level the Hunter might well sense his attention and yank on that tie like Kanan was an anooba on a leash. Kanan didn’t want to deal with that until he absolutely had to.

The Jedi taught that they were the Force. Kanan felt it now; his physical body was a fading memory, the old agony of injuries nothing more than a shimmer someone else had felt. They weren’t just his injuries, either; he felt a lightsaber burn slash across his eyes, a vibroblade take off his hand at the wrist, flames roar up around him. He was back in his body now, but not his own body. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing but darkness. Shut them again, and was alone with the Force.

No, not alone.

Somewhere in the dark, a wolf howled.

Hera returned to the Ghost feeling more exhausted than the excursion should have left her. She was carrying a shoulder bag with a small box in it; she hadn’t asked what was in the box and Bail Organa hadn’t offered that information.

Kanan met her at the foot of the ladder in the common room. “Did you get what you needed?” he asked.

“I think so,” Hera said. She frowned at him; he looked tired, but also somehow triumphant, and there was something uneasily familiar about it that she couldn’t identify.

His Hera was standing near the door; she knelt down to smile at Chopper as Hera stepped out of the way so that he could descend. He rolled over to her and began a diatribe about how rude the senator’s people had been. They hadn’t been; he just didn’t like being scanned.

Kanan bit his lip, then said carefully, “Hera – I think I can get Kanan, your Kanan. Do you want me to try?”

#cut scenes and concept writing #other side au tag #as always comments are appreciated

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bkbricks · 4 years

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The Extent of Luke’s Jedi Training with Obi-Wan

After learning that Imperials murdered his aunt and uncle and burned his home, Luke Skywalker pledged to Obi-Wan Kenobi that he wished to learn the ways of the Jedi. Luke knew that his father was a Jedi before him, and he too could learn the ways of the force. Obi-Wan had been expecting this moment, for 19 years actually. He was ready to show Luke the path to becoming a Jedi Knight. Luke's Jedi Training with Obi-Wan had officially begun.

Unfortunately for Luke (so he thought), Obi-Wan died on the First Death Star shortly after he began teaching Luke. Luke thought that all hope had been lost. But he would soon learn that Obi-Wan's passing made him even more powerful. Yet Obi-Wan could not be there to show Luke the physical aspects of being a Jedi, such as using the force and even lightsaber combat. Also, his force ghost was not always available to the young Skywalker. So how did Luke learn so much from Obi-Wan? Even Darth Vader tells Luke that Obi-Wan trained him well. How is this? Let's take a look.

Training Begins With Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan understood that he must watch over Luke while he grows up on Tatooine as a simple farm boy. This was actually a great place for Luke to grow up to groom him to become a Jedi. Farming is simple living with little attachment, compared to the political life that Leia received. Obi-Wan would stick to the sidelines and make sure that no harm came toward Luke, until he was ready to begin his training.

Obi-Wan figured Luke to be ready when the Rebel Alliance was searching for his help. Luke was now 19, and still living the simple farm boy lifestyle (though he didn't want to). When R2-D2 showed Obi-Wan the recording of Princess Leia asking for his help, Obi-Wan told Luke that he must come with him and learn the ways of the Jedi, like his father before him. Kenobi also gave Luke his father's lightsaber, and Luke ignited it for the first time in many years. Luke initially refused to join Obi-Wan since he needed to continue aiding his step-parents on the farm. However, he soon found out that they had been killed and their farm burned by Imperials. Luke then agreed to join Kenobi.

On Board The Falcon

Luke's Jedi Training with Obi-Wan continued when he received a few lessons on the force from Kenobi on their way to Mos Eisley. The young boy witnessed the old master use a Jedi mind trick on an Imperial stormtrooper, as well as use his lightsaber to cut off Ponda Baba's arm. Once they hired Han Solo and Chewbacca to fly them to Alderaan, Luke received more training aboard the Millennium Falcon.

Aboard the ship, Luke received the most training from the physical Obi-Wan than ever before (or after). On the ride to Alderaan, Luke learned basic lightsaber combat while deflecting blaster fire from a training remote. He even learned to use the force to deflect the blaster fire, as Obi-Wan instructed him to put on a helmet that completed covered his eyes. Despite not being able to see, Luke still deflected the blaster fire using the force. He told Kenobi that he could almost see the training remote through the force.

Once they reached Alderaan, the crew learned that it had been destroyed by the Death Star, which was also pulling them in by tractor beam. The crew needed to escape, and Obi-Wan was sent to disable the tractor beam. After doing so, he ran into Darth Vader and began to duel him. Once the rest of the crew reached the Millennium Falcon to leave, Luke saw Obi-Wan, and it was then that Kenobi passed on and became one with the force. Kenobi smiled shortly before passing, as he knew that Luke and Leia (who had been saved on the battlestation) were the children and future undoing of Vader.

Kenobi’s Spirit At First

After Kenobi's passing, Luke believed that his chance of becoming a Jedi was lost, as was Obi-Wan. However, Obi-Wan reached out to Luke just before he escaped the Death Star, telling Luke to "run" to escape. Young Skywalker was confused at first from hearing his dead master's voice, but nevertheless he listened and ran onto the Falcon as it narrowly escaped the Death Star and headed for the rebel base. Luke's Jedi Training with Obi-Wan was not over.

Related: Vader Didn’t Kill Obi-Wan, Here’s Why...

At the Yavin 4 Rebel Base, Luke joined the rebels in an attack on the Death Star. Luke became a pilot and flew an x-wing into the Battle of Yavin. Once in orbit, Obi-Wan's force ghost guided Luke to win the battle. Twice did Luke attempt to hit the very small exhaust port that would destroy the battlestation. On the first try, he did not use the force and missed (as with the other rebel pilots who tried). The second time around, Obi-Wan told Luke to use the force instead, and the young pilot listened. Skywalker disabled his targeting computer, and used the force to guide his missiles into the Death Star's thermal exhaust port, blowing up the battlestation once and for all. After this, Luke began to trust in the force more.

Searching Kenobi’s Hut

Throughout Luke's life as a rebel, Kenobi reached out to Luke a few times to aid him on some of his various missions for the Rebellion. After a few of these missions, Luke decided to take one of his own with R2-D2. Skywalker and his droid returned to Tatooine, where Luke hoped to connect with Obi-Wan and gain some guidance. At Kenobi's abandoned hut, Luke found the place to have been raided by Tusken Raiders, who fled as Skywalker ignited his lightsaber.

The two then searched the hut for anything that would help Luke. R2 found a box that was addressed to Luke, but before he could read it he was hit with a flash grenade. Boba Fett had showed up to capture the young Jedi. Luke fought back and narrowly escaped when R2 threw the box at Boba Fett. Luke, still blinded and using the force to see, quickly grabbed the box and fled with R2. They boarded his X-Wing and took off, allowing Luke to finally read some of Kenobi's old passages. It was this event that Fett learned of Skywalker's name and told it to Darth Vader, who then realized he had a son.

Meetings On Dagobah

Three years after the Battle of Yavin, Luke was stationed at the Rebel Echo Base on Hoth. On one incident, Luke was attacked and captured by a Wampa. At the Wampa's cave, Luke used the force to grab his lightsaber and escape, cutting off the Wampa's arm in the process. Near death outside of the cave, Luke saw a vision of Obi-Wan, where he told Skywalker to learn the ways of the force from Yoda on Dagobah. After fleeing Hoth from an Imperial attack, Luke and R2 headed for Dagobah in search of Master Yoda.

Related: How TIE Fighters Helped The Empire Lose

On Dagobah, Obi-Wan insisted to Yoda that he train Luke, even when Yoda believed him to be too impatient and short-tempered, much like his father. After training with Yoda for awhile, Luke had a vision of Han and Leia suffering on Bespin. He believed that they would die if he did not help, and decided to end his training early to save them. Both Yoda and Obi-Wan advised against it. Kenobi's spirit reminded Luke that he would not be able to help him fight Vader, but Luke left anyways and promised to return. After discovering Vader to be his father, Luke reached out to Obi-Wan and asked why he never told him. But he got not response from Kenobi.

Around a year later, Luke returned to Dagobah to complete his training and keep his promise to Yoda. Here, he ran into Obi-Wan's force ghost again. Kenobi spoke about his true father, and how "from a certain point of view" he was right about Vader killing Anakin.

Anakin’s Redemption

Luke told him that he sensed the good in his father, but Obi-Wan insisted that there was no hope for Anakin to return. Then, Obi-Wan told Luke that he had a sister, and told him why they had to be separated. Luke immediately sensed that it was Leia, and Obi-Wan confirmed this. Luke then left to face his father.

While Luke was aboard the Second Death Star with his father and the Emperor, Obi-Wan's force spirit had been watching. He watched as the duel between Luke and Vader began. As Luke disarmed his father then tossed his lightsaber aside, Obi-Wan believed all hope to be lost. The Emperor then began to shock Luke with force lightning, and Obi-Wan thought this to be the end. Then, by surprise, Anakin returned to the light and killed the Emperor, saving his son. Obi-Wan was completely astonished by this act, but also proud of his old padawan.

At the celebration for the victory of the Battle of Endor, the force spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin all visited Luke, and he was the only one who could see them. After this, Luke's Jedi Training with Obi-Wan may have ended, but Kenobi would continue to reach out to Luke and guide him in his life as a Jedi Knight.

This was the extent of Luke's Jedi Training with Obi-Wan. Hope you enjoyed! There were other instances where he reached out to Luke, but they were so short/minor I decided not to include them. Should I do a Part 2 of Luke's training, all that he did with Yoda? Let me know, and if you enjoyed this post please share it with others. Thanks for reading!

#star wars #obi wan kenobi #luke skywalker #a new hope #the empire strikes back #return of the jedi #jedi

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disregardcanon · 4 years

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tangled star wars au!

to set the scene: zhan tiri is palpatine. she’s an evil sith who has been manipulating things behind the scenes for years in order to bring forth an empire. mother gothel was her first apprentice, a darth maul type figure, and she decided to leave zhan tiri after getting pregnant and starting to catch force visions of how her daughter would eventually replace her as zhan tiri’s apprentice.

which, of course, means that she dies if she stays. which gothel is NOT down for. she starts catching more and more force visions concerning her child, but mainly about the chosen one- an incredibly force sensitive baby who was due to be born to the queen of alderaan in a few years. she bides her time with her own, semi-force sensitive child who she ignores and then she goes to kidnap Super Baby to make her into the perfect apprentice to use to take down zhan tiri.

she steals the baby and ends up abandoning her own. cass is temporarily adopted by the captain of the palace guards before being given to the jedi order.

cass is a good jedi student, but part of that is because she just. repress repress represses so well and pushes down her own feelings and desires to try to conform to the group. she feels unappreciated, and really- senator zhan tiri from naboo seems to be the only one who thinks that she’s good for anything.

she’s placed with a jedi master who is very The Code Is The Most Important Thing and does not show affection, like, ever. cass gets through to knighthood early because she’s a great fighter but her emotional health is bad. it’s just bad.

rapunzel is an abused sith apprentice. while her first instinct is to try to help, she’s also been raised by gothel forever- and this time as a weapon instead of as a healing machine. she is an adept duelist who, despite her instincts reaches out with a force choke or force lighting before she reaches out a helping hand.

gothel can, and does, hurt her a lot. the model that i’m thinking of here is kinda barriss offee and luminara unduli in mirror, mirror. i know that doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t read the fic but it helps me. so.

gothel keeps her eye on galactic politics to see where she can shove a wrench in palpatine’s plans, and it seems that something something trade federation something something naboo. she dispatches an 18 year old rapunzel to kill nute gunray and end the invasion because she’s worked out that this is important to zhan tiri’s plans. (she follows because she still doesn’t trust her unwilling apprentice to get the job done, but that’s not important until later)

with naboo, comes eugene and lance, thieving orphan pair that they always are. eugene is twenty whatever he is. i don’t remember. lance is off doing space crimes and eugene is currently working theed as a pickpocket.

he’s been hired by the trade federation to draw up plans for the castle with pitfalls and to serve as a guide in and out since he’s robbed the place so many times, and he’s initially pretty chill about it until they like. start threatening the life of the young queen and they take her hostage.

eugene is very much not on board for this, and so he goes to the bathroom and holos space 9-11.

“uh? need? jedi?” and recently made a jedi knight 22 year old cassandra travels from halfway across the world where she was for *hand waves*

eugene sends her the castle plans so that she can come in and rescue the queen, and through a series of mishaps he temporarily convinces the trade federation that HE wasn’t the one who brought the jedi here and lost them their hostage. but then they realize they’ve been duped and take HIM hostage.

cue rapunzel going planetside on her gunray assassination attempt, and cassandra sighing as she realizes that she has to go back in to save this guy.

she runs into the cagey sith apprentice, and they realize that both of them want to fight the trade federation so they’ll have a truce. for now. there’s also some cute banter but i’m going at lightspeed right now.

they get to the room, save eugene, and then rapunzel is like OKAY ASSASSINATION TIME! and cass is like. uh. no. not the jedi way. and it becomes a very mobile lightsaber battle that ends with them in the room with a big pit that goes down for some reason all over again. eugene follows, because ho ho holy shit this is scary but also kind of the coolest thing that he’s ever seen?

rapunzel and cass go back and forth about what the right thing is and yadda yadda, and raps finds that she actually LIKES this girl.. so she doesn’t kill her. she just knocks her out. she bends down to check the pulse, just to be sure, then heaves a visible sigh of relief as she puts her saber away. she starts to walk to Assassinate and then eugene blocks her path.

some good quality “hey so you seem nice, i really don’t think that you want to commit murder” “well i have to” “do you really? i think you’re being forced” “well yeah my master will kill me if i don’t” “well what if we talked to someone. i think the jedi order could help. you’ve got the forcey power things” and then rapunzel stares at him.

“you really think that they’d help a sith like me?” eugene glances at cass’s unconscious form.

“once she vouches for you, yeah. i do.” eugene has no idea how that would work, but it has to be worth a try, right? rapunzel nods hesitantly and agrees to come with him and cass.

then gothel comes. dun dun dun. there’s a terrifying duel with some very cruel dialogue from gothel, until cassandra comes up behind her and joins the duel. rapunzel is able to get in a slice in half shot and send gothel hurting her to ACTUAL death.

after eugene’s valiant efforts trying to protect the queen, he’s called in as an advisor for a time on local politics, particularly serving as a voice for the lower classes, and then becoming senator.

rapunzel is inducted into the order as a padawan because they feel like there’s literally no other choice here. this former sith wants to get better, and they can’t exactly unleash her on the world. she’s assigned to cassandra as padawan partially with and partially without cassandra’s consent.

attack of the clones happens only a year and a half later, and involves a lot of rapunzel guarding senator fitzherbert and some feelings flaring up, and then her image getting blasted across the holos and the monarchs of alderaan realizing that their daughter is alive. rapunzel is knighted after geonosis (the youngest knight ever! how impressive!)

as the clone wars rage, rapunzel’s parents keep reaching out to her and trying to get her leave the order while she’s romancing eugene (he pulled me away from the dark! he believed in me!) and getting lots of accolades for being an amazing jedi after turning away from being raised by the sith. as she’s also praised for being a literal princess and having lots of people who obviously love her outside of the order really serves to propel cass’s feelings of jealousy both from not being as good as rapunzel and not feeling loved by her or like one of her most important people.

the clone wars rages for a long time, rapunzel gaining more and more renown as cassandra keeps being overlooked for a promotion to master or a slot on the council, and zhan tiri keeps whispering in her ear about how no one appreciates her properly.

“everyone knows that former padawan of yours is involved with that senator from naboo, but she hasn’t gotten the slightest reprimand as they praise her. meanwhile you, the greatest jedi in the order, have nothing to show for your hard work” the seed of jealousy grows and grows, and then nearer to the end of the war zhan tiri reveals that the sith lord that stole rapunzel as a child was cassandra’s mom who abandoned her.

that seed of rage grows, but it’s not the catalyst, even after killing count dooku. the catalyst is that after years of feeling unappreciated and simultaneously loving and despising rapunzel, her best friend announces that she is leaving the jedi order to be with her family on alderaan and marry senator fitzherbert.

the end of the war is in sight, right? the perfect time to leave will be once it’s all over. and that’s when zhan tiri twists the knife in the deepest it’s ever been and asks cassandra if she’d like to finally get what she’s owed.

no one dies on mustafar but cassandra’s ability to not be in a vader suit. rapunzel goes into hiding and eugene tries to do the most that he can as he remains a senator for naboo, glaring daggers in zhan tiri’s back as he does his best to undermine her at every turn.

rapunzel and eugene keep up their relationship when they can manage, but it’s not often as a rebellion leader and something resembling a spy. he works his magic in the imperial senate for as long as he can before zhan tiri sends inquisitors after him and he goes on the run with lance, forming a rebellion cell that will eventually merge into the rebel alliance that rapunzel helps run.

cassandra will come back to the light eventually, but it’s a long time coming, and it doesn’t immediately bring the empire tumbling down. that takes a lot more work and working alongside rapunzel. they eventually work out some of their issues and things move in a v shaped ot3 direction, the way that would have prevented a lot of heartbreak.

you get to decide whether or not they nuke alderaan/corona in this one. i haven’t decided if i want to pull that trigger yet.

#tangled sw au #cassunzel #rapunzel tangled #cassandra tangled #eugene fitzherbert #zhan tiri #tangled aus

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smallblueandloud · 4 years

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ooooooh i'd love to hear about the fsk twitter au and/or she survives!

YOU HIT ON THE TWO I’M PROBABLY MOST EXCITED ABOUT.

well like. okay i was excited about she survives and now i’m not sure about it so i’m just gonna let it flounder in my wips folder until one day i develop enough confidence to post it lmao.

anyway, the fsk twitter au is literally just an excuse for me to write the wish fulfillment of my dreams, which is queer people being queer and domestic online. i am stalking a lot of people on twitter right now and while i know it’s not healthy to overshare on the internet, and therefore i don’t necessarily think they should, it doesn’t mean that i am not craving it. therefore, fsk are celebrities (as are the rest of the SHIELD people) and they’re poly and out and everything is wonderful. i love them.

i haven’t written a lot of this story but it’s mostly because i haven’t had any ideas about the plot yet. but i’m enjoying just writing like... outsider pov fluff. it’s really healing.

Jemma Simmons (@jsimmons) tweeted: Fitz and Daisy have taken over the living room to watch Amok Time. I’m taking applications for new spouses.

Lance Hunter, Actor (@hunterhunter) retweeted and added: my time has come

daisy “that actor who doesn’t shut up about data harvesting” johnson (@daisyquake) retweeted and added: hey hold on hunter i thought you were gonna go for ME once jemma hit her final straw

Fitz (@justfitz) retweeted and added: stop texting during amok time

Fitz (@justfitz) retweeted and added: anyway, everyone knows @hunterhunter and i are getting married once you two drive me away with your disLIKE OF STAR TREK

also there’s some mackelena in there that i’m really happy about!

Mack (@a.mackenzie) tweeted: I love Elena so much but also this is the third time she’s chosen Manos: The Hands of Fate for movie night

Elena Rodriguez | Seven Cents S2 Streaming On Netflix Now! (@yoyorodriguez) retweeted and added: IT’S A WORK OF ART

Mack (@a.mackenzie) tweeted: [Screenshot of a Wikipedia quote reading “Manos remained obscure until 1993, when the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), a show based on the premise of comedically mocking B movies, featured the film in an episode, helping it develop a cult reputation as one of the worst films ever made.”] .@yoyorodriguez Babe I’m begging you

(can you tell i don’t use twitter lmao)

and she survives is actually a star wars fic!! featuring wedge antilles and a random rebellion oc!! because i am nothing if not COMMITTED to my terrible ideas.

basically i was just thinking about how leia must be so symbolic, being the princess of a dead planet and the heir of the founder of the rebellion and the sister of the last jedi. and then i thought about how she withstands torture in episode iv, at age NINETEEN, and how she’s always angry all the time and how that must clash with the fact that she’s clearly a leader slash commander, even in the original trilogy (canon can whine all it wants), which means she’d be unable to go and actually physically fight most of the time. she’s too important of a strategic mind and a symbol to go and risk her own life.

and all of those feelings kind of meshed into the headcanon that the rebellion loves leia dearly and wants to protect her, and also they don’t want her to fall into enemy hands again, because she’d withstand torture and come out a martyr and the empire knows it. so instead they’d kill her and therefore kill half of the rebellion’s hope in a single strike. which means. in essence. several rebels have died to make sure leia doesn’t fall into enemy hands again.

i’ve cried about this multiple times if you can’t tell.

so i wrote like 1k of wedge antilles going up to a random rebel and warning them that leia’s personal guard needed to be made up of people who would be willing to die to keep her out of enemy hands and telling them that it was no problem, he understood if they couldn’t do it, but he was going to have to transfer them somewhere else.

i’m having Doubts about this because tbh i’m not sure if leia’s that much of a symbol in the ot? maybe in the st. but also i don’t want to write anything about the st lmao.

ANYWAY i’m still emo about this so i hold the eternal hope that i’ll finally get enough confidence to post this fic. here is a snippet. please validate me.

“No, it’s okay,” you say, remarkably calm for someone who just accepted death. “I can handle it. Keep me on the mission.”

Wedge stares into your eyes. “You’re sure?”

No judgement. Just confirmation.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” you say. “It’s okay. She’s the princess.”

You’re not from Alderaan, but that doesn’t matter. A few days ago you heard someone whisper that the death of Alderaan just untethered Leia from her singular planet, made her everyone’s princess. You kinda like that theory.

Leia Organa is twenty two and people whisper that she walks with the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. Not just everyone’s hope for defeating the Empire - but for what she’ll do after the Rebellion wins. The one who will rebuild the Republic than most Rebels don’t even remember.

You can do this for her.

#thank you for this!! i had lots of fun answering it lmao #paperairplanesopenwindows #star wars #sw headcanons #leia organa #sb and l rambles #sb and l is writing #sb and l watches sw #fsk twitter au #she survives #fitzskimmons #ot3: you can't imagine your life without them #leia organa (last of alderaan)

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inqorporeal · 6 years

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That’s Not How Hyperspace Works

I’m gonna rant for a bit. Can I rant? Nevermind, gonna rant anyway.

I hate How current Star Wars creators have handled hyperspace.

Well, I hate how it’s handled in general, because in the years since the Prequel Trilogy (PT) came out, they’ve been breaking their own rules.

Let’s take a step back.

I’m not ranting about infeasibility and unrealistic science. Fictional worlds are 100% allowed to make up their own physics rules. The trick is that those rules need to remain consistent. If there is one thing George Lucas did right, it was expressing how hyperspace worked in the media he had a direct hand in creating: the Original Trilogy (OT) and the PT are absolutely consistent about it. All films and shows produced since the PT have repeatedly fucked things up. (Yes, Rogue One, I love you but you’re massively guilty of this.)

This is kinda long, so hit the cut for more.

Here are the established rules of hyperspace travel, as understood from the OT and PT material:

Standard Real World laws of physics apply -- light-speed travel is not possible by conventional means. E=mC² and you’re a pancake in space.

Hyperspace travel bypasses the limitations of conventional physics

Hyperspace is affected by gravitational fields

Hyperspace travel happens in Real Time (meaning the time a traveler perceives as passing whilst in Hyperspace is identical to the time someone in Realspace perceives the traveler spending in transit)

It still takes time to travel from Point A to Point B

Hyperspace travel rarely happens in a straight line from Point A to Point B due to the presence of subspace anomalies and gravity wells.

The presence of hyperspace obstructions is more concentrated the closer one gets to the Core, and less concentrated towards the Rim, meaning hyperspace travel between outlying systems can theoretically be somewhat faster due to more direct hyperspace routes

In the OT, there’s no indication of how much time is spent traveling in hyperspace. However, the time spent IN hyperspace is not crucial to the plot, and as such, there’s little point in actively showing life onboard the starships whilst in transit.

In A New Hope, we don’t know how much time passes between the Millennium Falcon departing Tatooine on the Outer Rim and reaching Alderaan in the Core, but it’s intimated that there’s at least a couple days of travel: long enough that Ben doesn’t have to talk Luke through the few simple training exercises and Han doesn’t express outright shock at walking into the lounge to see a lit lightsaber. In the system I use for gauging travel time in FtRP -- which I will happily acknowledge is not canon* -- the fastest they could get there is roughly two and a half days, making use of the known hyperlane routes and some fancy flying by Han and Chewbacca to evade Imperial patrols at the points where they would have to drop out and course-correct. We know that Alderaan is destroyed during the last few hours of their journey, because that’s when Ben feels it. Later, the Death Star arrives in the Yavin system a comparable time after the Millennium Falcon does, and a bit further toward the system’s outer reaches (for a number of reasons up to and including the mass of the Death Star making it more subject to stellar gravity wells and thus requiring greater caution). Again, there’s no indication of how long the trip takes (my calculations say a bit shy of two days, but again, it’s not important to the plot).

A notable point where distance between worlds is actually rather important is in Attack of the Clones where Obi-Wan tries to send a message back to the Temple from Geonosis -- but without access to a signal-booster, his message doesn’t get much further than Tatooine (this is discussed in greater detail in The Droids Have Ears). If you look up any Star Wars galaxy map, the two systems are practically on top of each other -- still light years apart, but space is 3-dimensional in a manner the 2-D maps can’t properly express. It still takes a rescue team almost three days to get to Geonosis from Coruscant, and that’s with Yoda already having a head start on his way to Kamino after Obi-Wan’s previous communication. It might seem a long time to wait to hold a public execution, but if one wants to make a political statement of it -- as the Separatists under Dooku intended to -- there are certain preparations to be made, and a three-day delay isn't unfeasible.

And then the Clone Wars series and later films just throw all concept of how hyperspace works out the window. The Clone Wars makes a big deal over the hyperlanes and access to them; the later films either ignore travel time (Rogue One, ignoring a full day of travel between Yavin and Scarif), express a complete ignorance of physics by the creators (The Force Awakens), or just make a complete hash out of everything (The Last Jedi). Additionally, I was playing through the Shadow of Revan story in SWTOR and nearly tore my mohawk out over the assertion that hyperlane routes were being “changed” by heavy amounts of starship traffic.

Let’s start with the hyperlanes. What is a hyperlane, exactly? If you look up the resources online, most of which come from the old tabletop RPG, hyperlanes snake across the galaxy map seemingly at random, like highways on a map. They look pretty immutable, right?

A hyperlane is not a highway.

A hyperlane is not a fixed tunnel in hyperspace.

It is not possible to blockade a hyperlane.

It is not possible to change the path of a hyperlane via artificially inflating the traffic concentration

What a hyperlane is, is a well-mapped, established route that takes the shortest path between one point and another while avoiding obstructions.

A hyperlane is space!parkour. And just like regular parkour, a skilled navigator can plan their own routes, which might actually be faster, if a bit more risky. See, things in space aren't static: every object in space is continuously in motion, and thanks to gravity and inertia, everything is largely moving at the same rate in the same direction. But there are shifts, and by necessity there would be survey teams constantly updating the safest paths around objects in space, uploading the data to the HoloNet so that ships don't accidentally hit something unpleasant. If you're making up entirely new routes, you're playing with chance, but a good navigator takes those survey teams’ results into account.

When a ship enters hyperspace, it slides from the realspace dimension into a coterminate alternate dimension where matter reacts differently, enabling transit at speeds far outstripping that of light. Anything that falls off or is ejected from a ship in hyperspace falls back into realspace immediately. A ship may leave hyperspace at any time, although to do so without having reached a pre-set coordinate is risky. A ship my enter hyperspace from any point which is not being affected by a localised gravity well. A surprise localised gravity well such as that produced by an interdiction field or unanticipated stellar event will interrupt a ship’s transit in hyperspace, and prevent the ship from re-entering hyperspace until the ship has moved beyond the gravity well’s affect zone.

Communication is slightly different: the hyperspace beacons that enable HoloNet and other communications are set in a hyper-spatial state but in a fixed location. As has been established, ships in hyperspace cannot send or receive communications, but the beacons function by opening a tunnel -- effectively a tiny wormhole -- between two beacons and sending the information as a string of pulses between the fixed points. Because this method of transfer differs from physical hyperspace transit, it is possible to experience only the shortest of delays in communication with even the furthest-flung locations, while one still requires several days to cross the same distance physically.

Now that that’s established, let’s discuss the feasibility of a blockade.

Space

Vast

You have no idea how vast it is.

To get a sense of perspective, let’s look at a smaller blockade first: the invasion of Naboo. Naboo’s diameter is 12,120 km. For reference, Earth’s diameter is 12,756km. So it’s about Earth-sized, a bit smaller. If you want to prevent a ship from getting onto a planet and you don’t have the benefit of a planetary defense shield, you need ships. Lots of ships. More than that. A bit more.

See, Star Wars weapons have a range limit. In theory, a weapon's discharge in null-gravity vacuum will continue off into nothingness at exactly the same power as it had when it left the weapon, but sci-fi!physics doesn’t address this because then you’d have to take into account what the advanced effects of where, like, several zillion free-flying blaster bolts fired over the course of millennia eventually hit, and that just gets a bit silly. So we fudge it and assume things are designed to dissipate. So you want to position your largest ships in such a way that their firing range overlaps. Then you fill the space between with smaller ships to intercept anyone trying to get through. You want to do this within range of the planet’s gravity well, so that anyone trying to get through the net can’t simply jump to hyperspace and escape. The whole point is to prevent people from getting in or out, so you want more ships -- faster ships -- on patrol beyond the gravity well’s influence to shoot down anyone who gets out past the blockade net.

Now, Naboo’s surface area is 461,482,000km². Turbolasers are often used in planetary bombardment, so we’ll estimate that their outside range before they start losing energy is 300km. Maybe 500km at most. You want these ships to have a good overlap, so say you park them 500km apart from each other, evenly spaced. In order to park enough Lucrehulk-class battleships over Naboo to make an effective blockade, you need 922,964 ships. That’s just the battleships, not including the smaller ships needed to complete the net.

That’s ludicrous.

In the film, they only show a few ships in one location, as if all incoming vessels will only approach from one place. This is also ludicrous, for the reasons stated earlier. Space is a 3-D environment and you have to account for this.

That being established, let’s talk about hyperlane access.

Hyperlanes are subject to gravity wells, and using gravity wells to slingshot past or around a star or anomaly will reduce some of the fuel demand. It is often completely unnecessary to drop out of hyperspace at every system a route passes. The only times it would truly matter are if the route changes direction from one established hyperlane to another or if the system one needs to reach is nowhere near an established route. Again, space is three-dimensional, and such a shift might require some travel via subspace to another point in the system before the ship can enter hyperspace in the new direction.

For safety’s sake, most systems would have predesignated coordinates for ships dropping out of hyperspace on approach; these coordinates will be rather far from the populated planets, likely above or below the orbital plane so as to avoid the orbital paths of other planets, and in such places where space debris and asteroid belts do not pose a hazard. The further out from the high-traffic areas you enter, the less chance there is of accidentally colliding with another inbound ship. Again: Space is Vast. These are merely advised coordinates, of course: a ship can drop out of hyperspace anywhere. Ships departing a planet will often enter hyperspace shortly after escaping the planet’s gravity well, and this is actually a good thing: it clears the local subspace area quickly. Systems with exceptionally high traffic will have a traffic-control system to prevent collisions.

Without the aid of an interdiction device -- creating an artificial gravity well at the place where ships are most likely to pass through on their approach or journey past -- there is no way to actually stop ships entering a system or traveling past in hyperspace. A blockade might lurk in the predesignated entry coordinates and hope they can tractor a ship in, or they might lie in wait along the subspace approach route to the inner system, but their efficacy fails if the target ships’ pilots know what they’re doing and use custom coordinates.

During the Clone Wars, nobody is using interdiction devices. They did exist, but the energy demands were prohibitive. The Republic started funding research into making them more feasible, but only the Empire benefited, and they still couldn’t devise them such that an entire system might become impassible.

The stress during the Clone Wars about not being able to move ships and supplies along the trade lanes/hyperlanes is genuinely pointless, because there is literally nothing that can stop them from using the established routes or calculating new ones.

What they should have been concerned about regarding the trade lanes, were planets that had provided staple goods to much of the galaxy either seceding or being invaded, thus harming more vulnerable worlds which relied on those goods and cutting off the entire army off from essentials needed to extend the war.

But nobody likes discussing politics in Star Wars, right?

And then the new films have come out and just… made an absolute shitfest of the established world physics. Throwing the old EU/Legends/canon out seems to also extend to how the hyperphysics function.

The explanation given by Pablo Hidalgo for the way Starkiller Base’s weapons discharge is shown -- “What they're seeing is some weird hand-wavy hyperspace rip. Side-effect of the Starkiller." -- is utter bullshit. Light still travels the same way in Star Wars as it does in the Real World; given the locations of Takodana (J-16), the SKB (G-7), and the Hosnian system (M-12), nobody on Takodana would see anything for thousands of years. A “hyperspace rip” cannot account for realspace physics. Never mind that the SKB superlaser would have to contend with the massive cluster of black holes in the galactic center on its way to Hosnian, which would play merry hell with their targeting.

Also, you cannot convince me that Starkiller Base is not actually Ilum. (Edit: It’s since been confirmed in Jedi: Fallen Order that the SKB is Ilum. I feel vindicated.)

Crait and Cantonica are on opposite ends of the galaxy from each other. Even supposing Finn and Rose found a straight-shot route between them, it would take days to travel one-way. The least the creators could have done is hand-wavied some highly experimental ship for it, but all they proved is that they have no fucking idea how Star Wars’ physics work. There's a massive difference between fictional science technobabble and effectively saying, “we just didn't want to admit that the established setup was inconvenient, so just assume it works.”

Hand-waves only work if you have actual intent behind them.

Han and Chewbacca couldn't have simply shown up as soon as the Falcon left Jakku; not unless they were already in that part of space (I dunno, could have been the Force, because that really is how it works). But that, coupled with the pirate gangs also appearing right then, is completely improbable. If a ship can be tracked and jumped to as easily as Han’s ship was tracked by some asshole pirates, then the entire pursuit plot of The Last Jedi is completely pointless. Regardless of how Kylo feels about Han, he wouldn’t have given the First Order’s secret weapon away.

Likewise, there's no way reinforcements from Yavin could have reached Scarif in time. The main story of R1 should have taken at least a month, considering Jedha is way the fuck out in the middle of nowhere without a mapped hyperlane at all.

It's exciting science fiction, but the way the recent media have depicted hyperspace is just bad writing, which is shocking and disappointing coming from creators who have an established background in sci-fi.

The only reason hyperspace travel in the games is instantaneous is because players would get bored waiting.

*When I gauge hyperspace travel in FtRP, I make heavy use of the SWCombine nav map (which is intended for use with the SW tabletop RPG) in conjunction with the Star Wars Galaxy Map. It’s not perfect by any means, but it keeps things consistent.

Star Wars images courtesy of https://starwars.fandom.com/ Andromeda image courtesy of https://www.sciencenews.org/

#star wars #star wars meta #sci-fi!physics

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padawansuggest · 5 years

Note

Could you tell us more about your Mandalorian temple au? Maybe specifically the temple, and how living there differs from the Corusant?

This ones got a bit to it so hold with me a moment.

Okay so general fandom (? I think it’s fanon but at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be canon, because places like Jedha exist and that’s TECHNICALLY a Jedi temple too so 🤷🏼‍♀️) that I tend to follow, is the idea that there are like 50+ Jedi temples scattered all over the galaxy (if it is canon that there are multiple in use, I doubt there are that many, and I also follow the idea that there are other non-Jedi related force schools out there, but that ones pretty much squashed by the canon that Jedi are evil child stealers and so what’s the point of having non-Jedi force schools if the Jedi are just gonna steal your kids anyways 😒) and so tbh, to start with, the Mandalorian temple is one of MANY in the galaxy.

In this AU, they DID start off with Coruscant as the main temple. But in this AU, Palpatine takes over the galaxy around ten years earlier, so, when that happens, the Jedi leave Coruscant (they aren’t killed because the clones aren’t around, and there was never a war going on... maybe... tbh idk the exact details on how the Empire came to exist yet, but I know that Order 66 never happened) and scramble quick to find a place that’s not Empire related to touch down on and eatablish a new place.

It was actually Qui-Gon that suggested it. When the Empire came down on them, the council told her to become a council member and for once, she didn’t argue it, because shit just hit the fan hard and she needs a higher position in the order to keep them from doing something stupid. For once, the council isn’t trying to get rid of her, because she IS the most experienced in battle combat in basically the entire order, and they need her help.

So, in this AU, two important things have already happened: Obi-Wan (left the order when she was 19, so about 10-11 years ago) is already dating Satine Kryze, and she also had to leave Alderaan (just like in canon, I agree with Alderaan’s decision to pretend to be Imperial, simply because of their specific place in the galaxy meaning that they’re very likely a target if they step out of line,) because force sensitives and former Jedi, are also being hunted down. So of course, her first thought was to go to Mandalore, who’s not Imperial and with a very strong government in this series, and the second thing that’s already happened in this AU; Qui-Gon has already adopted Obi-Wan.

So, Qui-Gon’s first thought when they’re looking for somewhere to land the order is the exact same thing as Obi-Wan. To see if she’s okay and also that Mandalore/Concord Dawn (in this AU their governments are basically combined) is anti-imperial and would POSSIBLY harbor them. So they land there and start setting up shop in their rarely used Mandalorian temple.

So, thats backstory for why they’re there. Now, since the temple there is rarely used (I headcanon that it IS used no matter what, but mainly by Mandalorian Jedi and support staff and corps staff that wanted to be a part of the Jedi order, but still wanted to stay on their planets, and tbh that sounds hella fun) that means that culturally, it doesn’t end up being much different from the Coruscant temple.

Differences include being pulled into the outside-of-temple Mandalorian culture itself (ceremonies and events, because I imagine that Mandalorian are kinda showy people who tend to drag anyone they like into their fun) but also, being a general pain to the actual Mandalorian government, which mainly consists of Jaster Mereel and his 5000 children and grandchildren and also like 3000 True Mandalorians and people like that.

Also, sidenote, lol, Death Watch AND New Mandalorians are basically the Nazi parties lol they can choke and rot, and no one in the royal fam is associated with them, and their meetings are broken up regularly because that shit is whack and I hate it.

Anyways. While living there, the Jedi make friends with the True Mandalorians (aka: people who like blowing things up hon) and they do regular raids on imperials near their systems and plan an entire fucking resistance.

An idea that came to me a week or two ago: Obi-Wan has DEF slept with Breha Organa. Like, abaolutely def. She was Breha’s favorite dancer back on Alderaan. Anyways, so, Satine met her once, and she just immediately KNEW, and so now Satine (Very Possessive) just absolutely hates her. So, one of the most hilarious moments of Alderaan saving face and pretending to be imperial, is when Breha travels to Mandalore to join an Alliance meeting (this is the last time they sent HER instead of Bail) and the imperials question her about it when she gets back and Breha doesn’t know what else to say so she’s all ‘well, you’re men are hunting force sensitives for sport, so my latest consort had to move to another star system, and I get So Lonely sometimes, so I paid her a visit’ and honestly???? Satine will kill that woman if she ever comes back to Mandalore, it’s hilarious.

Jaster nearly had a heart attack when he heard that one. But like. From laughing. Satine knocked over a statue. It was great. Mandalore used to be so peaceful before all these renegade assholes showed up to ruin the peace.

Anakin is only like 13-14 when this all starts, so Padme is going to be finishing her first term as queen in a year or two, but then after her second term is finished, she’ll be headed out to start her own secret alliance meetings, and then things will get REALLY gay like hon, she’s a top and Anakin is gonna love her instantly. She’s like. Prime lesbian material. Do y’all KNOW how rare tops are?????? Hon.

Ahsoka is smol bb who got rescued from the crèche with all the other kids but she’s adorable and probably makes friends with some of the Fett children.

#obi wan kenobi #star wars #anakin skywalker #qui gon jinn #fem!qui gon #fem!obi wan #fem!anakin #anidala #obitine #satine kryze #jaster mereel #the mandalorian temple

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ariainstars · 5 years

Text

The Sins of the Fathers

Does anyone wonder why the Skywalkers never knew how to be a happy, united family?

I did, a few days ago.

Obi-Wan taught Anakin the ways of the Force, but he did not make him feel loved and appreciated. He did not encourage him to develop his uniqueness.

The Jedi took Force-sensitive children away from their families when they were still small, and educated them to emotional detachment. Anakin was a passionate, enquiring nature, someone who would urgently have needed a father figure; which is why in the end he fell prey to Palpatine’s lures.

How should Obi-Wan had known how to be a good father, when he most probably had been separated from his own family as an infant?

Luke never got to be a father; he was an uncle, although not always an understanding one.

Surprising? No. He never knew his parents and had no role model for a father. He was raised by Owen, his uncle, who protected him but did not really understand his nature, so dissimilar from his own.

Also, like his father figures Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke spent the last years of his life as a hermit.

Anakin didn’t have a father. He wished to be one, but he never got to. His fall to the Dark Side happened at the same time that Padmé gave birth; “Vader”, the dark, the evil father, was associated with his new identity right from the start.

Did he ever realize that the girl he had referred to as “your sister”, talking to Luke, was actually the one he had imprisoned and tortured on the Death Star?

Vader prevented his son from patricide and opened his eyes on the self-righteous ways of the Jedi, and later he saved his life by committing murder before his eyes. Idealistic and heroic to the end, but not exactly a fatherly attitude.

It was parental neglect that pushed Ben Solo to the Dark Side. And Leia’s words on seeing her husband again were not of accusation, only of regret of having sent her son away from home.

Again: how should his parents have known how to be good parents?

Leia was a loving but often absent mother due to her political duties. Being the adopted daughter of the Queen of Alderaan, she probably hadn’t learned to be another kind of mother. Breha loved Leia, but she had a lot of responsibilities and probably not much time for her daughter.

The only ones who were always close to Leia were the droids, 3PO and R2.

Han never knew his parents, so he had no role model for being a father either. He had to allow his son to commit the terrible deed of patricide to make Ben feel at last that his father did love him.

We do not know what kind of father he was as long as he was around, but Ben made it clear that he felt abandoned by him.

Again: where should Han have learned how to be a father, i.e. to give his son the emotional support he would have needed to become a strong and mature person, someone who would use the Force in a responsible way?

The gentle, wise, protective and patient Qui-Gon was a natural father figure, and Anakin quickly learned to trust him. It was a sad blow for him to lose him, and one that had many bad consequences.

How had Qui-Gon learned his attitude? We do not know. Maybe he simply had a natural talent for fatherhood. Differently from the other Jedi, he was compassionate. He was also somewhat rebellious, not always agreeing with the ways of the Jedi, although he never left the Order the way Count Dooku did.

The role of Darth Maul as Qui-Gon’s murderer cannot be stressed enough; he had obviously been hired by Palpatine for no other end. Qui-Gon was the only Jedi who believed in Anakin and the importance of his role for the Force.

Palpatine’s act as the mild-mannered elderly guy who calls him “son” won Anakin’s trust and eventually drove him to his doom.

I am positive that if the tormented galaxy is ever to find lasting peace and the Force to come to balance, it can only be through the good father.

There is only one scion of the Skywalker family left. And he is now in the position where Palpatine used to be - the Supreme Leader.

Despite their good intentions, Ben’s family had made a great mistake: they tried to rebuild the past. They wanted the Republic and the Jedi Order back in place as they were. But having seen the prequels, we know that it wasn’t all as good as Obi-Wan had told Luke. To enhance this, Luke gives Rey a short synopsis of that world when they talk in the temple on Ahch-To.

Shortly after that, Rey gets to know Ben Solo’s view of his experience with his uncle. Appalled, Rey has to realize that a Jedi is not necessarily a supernatural being the way she thought; that even a powerful, wise and well-meaning Jedi can get it wrong.

Why Ben’s cryptical words to Rey, “Let the past die”? He probably was announcing his intention to kill Snoke, but I believe there is more to that.

Ben’s family hadn’t let the past die. They had not looked squarely at the truth, keeping the good parts and rejecting the bad ones. It was up to their son and nephew to get the skeleton out of the closet (see his talk to Vader’s mask, which looks like an old skull).

To Ben, it represents power; it also stands for is unimaginable pain and sorrow.

Ben Solo’s family always had compassion at its core, but something always got in their way.

Anakin became a cold, murdering villain.

Leia and Luke were both idealistic but not introspective.

Han was good at heart but not at showing his feelings.

Why is their son, nephew, grandson and heir the oversensitive, doubtful, rebellious Ben? At the end of The Last Jedi he is neither hero nor villain. But he is free at last from every father figure, personal influence or controlling power from the outside at last.

What will he choose to be?

Who will he want to be?

According to his mother, he was born with a rebellious nature but a kind heart, much like Anakin.

Had he not been stifled by the Jedi Code, I believe Anakin would have been a creative person, someone who could have influenced the Jedi and the Old Republic in a positive way and contributed to build something new and better. The ruthless Vader who knows nothing but violence and destruction is a perversion of the man he should have been.

But his grandson promised he would finish what Vader had started. I believe Ben to be a creative person, too, someone who could indeed “let the past die” to start something new and better. He needs someone to show him the way to his and his grandfather’s final redemption.

And there are Force-sensitive persons in the galaxy who need a teacher, a protector and a loving presence in their lives.

They need the Good Father.

#star wars #episode IX #ben solo #palpatine #darth vader #anakin skywalker #leia organa #han solo #luke skywalker #obi wan kenobi #uncle owen #qui-gon jinn #bendemption #read more

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lajulie24 · 6 years

Text

Quiet Storm

This one goes out to @organanation, who rightly pointed out that there are few, if any, fics in which Han and Leia are actually secretly dating (not fake dating or just sleeping together). She also offered to grovel in exchange for fic, but it didn’t take much convincing. Title is a lyric from Sade’s “The Sweetest Taboo.”

Luke strode through the hangar toward the Falcon’s berth, glad to finally be back on base after three days of scouting missions with the Rogues. Not only was he eager to see his friends, but the mess was featuring ration bars again, and chances were pretty good Han had something better on hand than that.

But as he got closer, he approached more cautiously. Jizz music was playing from the Falcon’s sound system, which normally meant one thing: Han had a date, or was preparing for one.

Luke checked his chrono. It was relatively early, so perhaps Han’s date was making their appearance later. He could knock, and if Han answered, that meant they were yet to arrive. Luke could at least say hello, give him a little friendly ribbing, maybe nab a decent snack or drink before he left. Heck, Han might be willing to part with more just to get Luke out of the way; as casual and open as Han tended to be, he was pretty protective of his privacy when it came to his love life. Even Luke and Leia had no idea whom Han was seeing at the moment, though rumors abounded. Chewie claimed not to know either, though Luke suspected he knew something.

“Luke?” asked a familiar voice behind him.

“Leia!” He turned around, delighted to see her again. She hadn’t been in the command center when he’d dropped by earlier.

She ran up and hugged him. “When did you get back?” she asked, evidently happy to see him as well, judging from her smile. Luke loved that smile of hers, especially since it seemed like he, Han, and Chewie were the only ones who got to see it. Most people got a much more subdued version. This was the real one.

“Just about an hour ago,” he said. “Was on my way to see Han, but he might, ah, have company.”

Leia raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

“The jizz music. He plays it when he’s getting ready for a date.”

“Hmph. Guess this assignment—” she gestured to the datapad in her hand— “can keep till after he’s done entertaining.” She rolled her eyes. “So how was the scouting mission?” she asked, leading Luke away from the Falcon.

Han’s comm buzzed, and he groaned as he read the terse text message that came through.

Sunshine’s back early. Close call. Be there when I can.

It’s not like she was never late; their dates were constantly getting delayed by something coming up at the Command Center, or a briefing she couldn’t get out of. They’d had close calls before, too, but usually that was because of the Rogues showing up looking for a sabacc game and a bit of decent whiskey. “Sorry, boys,” Han would say with a wink, “expectin’ someone.” Then he’d close the hatch and send her an urgent comm (usually just “Rogues”) and she’d know to stay away until later in the evening.

But the Kid was the whole reason they were being secret about this in the first place. And the last thing either of them wanted to do was hurt his feelings. Which was sure to happen if Luke discovered that Han and Leia had been dating on the sly for the last six months.

Han poured himself a glass of whiskey, poured another for Leia, and sat down to wait.

He had to chuckle at himself a bit; this was like something out of a bad holodrama. The princess and the smuggler dating was preposterous enough. Different worlds, all that. The princess who also was a revolutionary dating a smuggler who had somehow also gotten roped into becoming a revolutionary was another thing entirely. And that they were secretly dating so that their best friend with otherworldly powers (who had a crush on at least one and probably both of them) didn’t feel left out was—damn ludicrous. If they weren’t careful, someone was probably going to get amnesia or have a secret love child or a long-lost twin or something.

Not to mention the price on all their heads, and the gangster Han still owed money to. That was the other reason they were keeping it quiet; if Han waited long enough, eventually someone else would cross Jabba and the money Han owed him would be old news. But if Jabba got wind of him dating one of the Empire’s most wanted, the Last Princess of Alderaan, both he and Leia would be even more attractive targets for bounty hunters.

Han took another sip of whiskey. Yep. Bad holodrama for sure. But so far, it had been worth it.

Thankfully, it hadn’t taken Leia long to get Luke off the trail; not long after Han had finally finished his glass of whiskey, he’d gotten a knock at the hatch.

He opened it to find her looking stern, datapad in hand. She’s a little too good at this, he thought as he greeted her, throwing in a stray “Your Worship” for good measure, in case anyone outside was listening.

As soon as they were safely alone, the stern look dropped, replaced by a wry, teasing smile. “Jizz music? Really?”

“I thought you liked jizz music.”

“Apparently it’s what you play for all your dates.” She was still scolding him, but there was no heat in it. Her eyes were twinkling, her smile fond.

He approached her, a grin spreading slowly across his face. “All my dates. You’re the only date that matters,” he said, winding an arm around her waist to pull her close to him.

She laughed softly. “Smooth,” she said, but tipped her head back to meet his kiss.

This never got old, their banter silenced with a slow, luxurious kiss. Plenty of time to enjoy the feeling of her lips on his, her arms around him. This was a habit he could get used to. Had gotten used to.

“Mmm,” Leia said as they finally pulled apart. “You taste like whiskey.”

He smiled, quirking an eyebrow at her. “Got a glass of Whyren’s with your name on it,” he said. “Dinner’s still warm, too. Go sit down.” He headed to the galley to get the food.

Leia laughed again when he revealed their meal: grilled nerf cheese sandwiches with starfruit on the side.

“’S not much,” he said apologetically, “but we were all out of nerf steaks and malla petals, so y’know—had to make do.”

Despite her laughter, Leia was already digging in greedily. “Oh, I’m not complaining,” she said between bites. “Had so many ration bars lately, I forgot food could actually have taste.”

Han was eating his meal at a slightly more leisurely pace, and watched her for a moment. “How’s your day?” he asked. “You forget to eat lunch again?”

She looked up, a little self-conscious, and put her sandwich down for a minute. “Sorry. I’m just wolfing this down, aren’t I? How was your day?”

He noticed her attempt to change the subject, and played along, to a point. “Fine. Fixed the forward thrusters. Gearin’ up for another supply run,” he answered casually, before narrowing his eyes and giving her a serious look. “You skipped lunch again, didn’t you.”

It wasn’t really a question. Leia did this all the time, ran herself ragged for the Rebellion as if they gave out medals for food and sleep deprivation. And he knew she still felt like she wasn’t doing enough.

“I was busy,” she retorted. “And sick of ration bars.”

He rolled his eyes lightly, shaking his head. Stubborn as all hells. He’d learned already that he couldn’t argue Leia Organa out of anything when she was convinced she was right. Not that it necessarily stopped him from trying.

Enough about this. “Got a new holo,” he said, turning the conversation to the evening’s entertainment “One Night on Akahista.”

Leia smiled and nodded her approval, picking up her sandwich again.

Leia had to admit, Han had created quite the cozy little den out of the rarely-used third cargo bay of the ship. It had been filled with what he and Chewie agreed was junk—random smuggled goods of various types that they’d been stuck with after someone refused to pay, or the job had gone south. Han had draped blankets and gathered cushions to create a warm little sitting area amid the stored treasures, tacked up a white sheet onto which he projected holos for them to watch. And since Chewie had all but written off this cargo area, they never had to worry about him discovering them. It was like their own little world.

Sometimes the pleasures Leia missed most were innocent ones like this: watching a heist movie and sharing a bowl of bang-corn as you cuddled up to your date. Or boyfriend, or whatever the hell Han was to her. They had both sort of avoided defining that too precisely. They had established that they were dating, and that neither of them were interested in dating other people, but everything felt far too ephemeral to specify beyond that.

Besides, those kinds of discussions took valuable time away from kissing.

And Goddess, how Han Solo could kiss. It made her weak in the knees, made her forget everything but the taste of him, the feel of his lips on hers. He didn’t so much claim her mouth as invite her in, like they were dancing together. And it never got boring, either. Sometimes it was languid and tender, taking the limited time they had together and stretching it out with each pass of their lips. Other times, it was fervent, breathless, leaving them panting and pleading with each other, shakily breathing the other’s name.

They had to be careful, of course, particularly Leia. She’d noted with some bitterness that while Han was expected to be playing the field, having a being in every port, that sort of thing, she was apparently supposed to be guarding her purity even more closely than the Death Star plans. So Han didn’t have to hide that he was preparing for a date; he just let people assume it was with one of several potential people on base, and no one would question him if a bit of lipstick stained his cheek or he showed up to a briefing with bedhead or a mark on his neck. Leia, on the other hand, couldn’t leave with so much as a hair out of place, and certainly could not be seen leaving the Falcon in the middle of the night. So their dates tended to end early, with Han resorting to various shenanigans to sneak her into her office in the Command Center or a briefing room close to the hangar.

Sometimes he would even go back to the Command Center and ask people if they’d seen her, pretending either to be concerned about her lack of sleep or looking to chastise her for interrupting his date earlier.

“What I do on my own time is my business, Sweetheart. Just ‘cause you’re jealous, you don’t have to come knocking all hours with business could wait till morning,” he’d say, and she’d meet him with the coldest reply she could muster.

They were getting a little too good at this little play, but Leia tried not to think about that. She had a Rebellion to run, he had a gangster to avoid. They couldn’t afford to let this little diversion get in the way of their friendship, or their priorities. And neither of them could afford to get attached.

A few weeks later, Leia was in the midst of an argument that was making her want very much to punch Jan Dodonna in the face. And she was a pacifist.

She took another deep breath and turned back to him, channeling all the diplomatic tricks she’d learned over her years of study. “With all due respect, General, I fail to see the issue,” she began again. “We either move on this now, or miss our chance.”

Carlist Rieekan, bless him, was quick to back her up. “She’s right,” he said. “He knows the sector, they’ve run plenty of missions together before, and he’s the best we’ve got for the job.”

“Best for the job?” Jan sputtered, stubbornly refusing to cede the point. “To—to pose as her—her—“

“I appreciate the attempt to defend my honor,” Leia said patiently, trying a new tack. “And while Captain Solo might not have been my choice, and certainly is a little rougher around the edges than I might like, he’s effective in the field. And he’s a friend,” she added. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’ll be fine.”

“But Skywalker—Antilles—“

“—Are not here, and time is of the essence,” Leia pointed out. “It’s Captain Solo, or nothing. Assuming he’s even willing to do the mission.”

General Dodonna grumbled something unintelligible, then finally nodded.

“I don’t know how you managed this, Sweetheart,” Han said after they hit hyperspace, “but I like it. Just the two of us for four days. Pretending we’re newlyweds. No sneakin’ around.”

Leia grinned. “Some sneaking around. We’re here for a mission, not a vacation,” she reminded him.

“Yeah, I know. But maybe you could let yourself have a little fun for once?”

“Maybe,” Leia allowed, raising her eyebrow coyly.

Han leaned over and caught her lips with his, and she sank into the kiss. Maybe a little bit like a vacation, she thought.

It felt even more like a vacation when they reached the resort where they’d be staying, a massive hotel on a beach with snow-white sands and clear blue water. Despite her commitment to the Rebellion, Leia had to admit that a tiny part of her wanted to ditch the mission entirely in favor of lying on that beach, diving into that water, kissing Han in the surf—

She was definitely getting ahead of herself.

She stepped off the elevator on their floor. Han had gone upstairs earlier to check the room for bugs or cameras, and Leia had distracted the concierge with a barrage of questions about snorkeling excursions and pool hours while she evaluated the hotel’s security situation.

At their room, Han greeted her with a rather serious look on his face. “All clear,” he assured her, preventing her from drawing her blaster. “But Sweetheart, there is something I have to tell you about the conditions for this mission.”

He led her into the suite’s bedroom, still with that serious look on his face. “There’s only one bed.”

“Oh, no,” Leia said with a smile. “Whatever will we do?”

“I have a few ideas,” he said, and kissed her.

#scoundressaturdays #han x leia #hanleia #star wars #han solo #leia organa #luke skywalker #jan dodonna #carlist rieekan #secret dating AU #pre-ESB kissing #myfic #organanation #this is was a lot of fun to write

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trifoliate-undergrowth · 6 years

Text

Episode 4.2: Steve: The Intergalactic Kevin

DM: By popular demand, one night only, a largely improv emergency meeting. If you drive me to alcoholism I’m billing you for therapy.

T: M, if you get sued for therapy bills, it’s coming out of the wedding budget. (T and M got engaged over Christmas break)

Everyone: OOOOOOO

DM: Corellia is one of the major core worlds, in a system with 4 others, but it’s the largest and closest to the main star; part of the Republic but maintains its own navy. Its main specialty is shipping and transportation.

Grif: OK, here’s the thing. I’ve been thinking about what you said, Rralwarr; the ship is a death trap, what if we turn it on them? Like, booby-trap it with bombs, set it to fly off somewhere on autopilot, and when they board the ship it’ll blow up with them in it hopefully. Now, there’s a couple more things you guys will hate.

Taveau: Oh I’m liking it so far.

Grif: You won’t. We’ll need to leave some things behind to make it look like we died. Your armor for one.

Taveau: Ex-CUSE me

Grif: ...and three bodies off the black market. Also a wookiee pelt.

Rralwarr: HOLD UP NOW. If I see someone with a wookiee pelt, I’m going to rip their arms off.

Taveau: Grif? You... seem to be taking this well. Uh, more or less. So, uh. I’ve got some stuff to mention.

Grif: Go ahead.

Taveau: Here’s what I noticed... First, we assist in killing a member of Death Watch; they’re killed with a blast to the throat. A short amount of time passes, and in that time, two things happen: we get a message from Death Watch, showing that they know who we are. And someone kills your mother with a blast to the throat, which is exactly the way that we killed the Death Watch guy down on Hypori. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me. It seems like they’re trying to send you a message. And if I’m right, that means there’s already someone on Alderaan, and they know where to find your family. I still think we should change ships, because if there’s anyone following us, it might throw them off, and we’ll have fewer of these guys waiting for us when we get to Alderaan. But we should do it fast.

Rralwarr: Right. Here’s my concern, Grif; I think these guys are smarter than you think. I don’t think your dad is safe, and I think he said what he did at gunpoint. Your dad isn’t that stupid. There’s something else going on here.

H, OOC: Rralwarr feels torn that he cannot uphold all of his duties at once. He legit thinks Grif’s idea is mildly OK, aside from the wookiee pelt, but no matter what they do they’re going to end up fighting the Mandalorians.

Grif: Right. So, any way we can get back at them now is a good start. We need to lose the ship that they’re tracking, and we need to get back there as quickly as possible. This idea seems the best for doing that without getting anyone else in danger. If we just leave the ship on Corellia, we could be implicating the people who end up with it.

Rralwarr still doesn’t like the idea of wookiee pelts. He leaves the cockpit.

Taveau spins around in his pilot chair. “So. Uh, he’s upset. How much family do you have on... Alderaan, is it?”

Grif: Yes. My dad and uh.. a bunch of siblings.

Taveau: Oh, that’s not good. If it was just your dad they’d be more likely to keep him alive to use against you. If you’ve got multiple family members they could start killing them off at any time.

No one questions Taveau’s knowledge of Death Watch, to my surprise; apparently they just assume it’s cultural knowledge and accept it. Taveau is very relieved about this.

We land on Corellia, and Grif’s current plan involves selling the ship to someone, because “we need the credits”, but setting the autopilot so it flies away before they can claim it, and hopefully getting off the planet before we’re arrested for this little scam. Taveau doesn’t like it but doesn’t have a better idea. Rralwarr really, really doesn’t like it but is in a similar position.

Taveau leaves his helmet in the cockpit, so he can have an excuse to run back into the ship after it’s officially been sold and grab it (and also set the autopilot at the same time). Additionally, with his poncho covering most of his armor, he can walk around town looking like your average shady individual, and not a distinctly Mandalorian brand of shady. Upon us asking what the chances of being attacked around here are:

DM: There is pretty heavy police presence here, CorSec does not take kindly to disruptions. ...(repeats, pointing at M/Grif): CorSec does not take kindly to disruptions...

M: That’s why we need to get out of here fast after we set the autopilot :)

DM: ...It’s not likely that Death Watch would prefer to start a firefight here. You’re heading into the Corellian Engineering Corp. headquarters, yes? You are immediately accosted by at least 3 dealers, complimenting your hair, your robes, and waving information pamphlets at you.

Grif: Thank you! Lovely! I’ll consider it. One moment. (OOC: can I roll perception to see who has the best deal?)

DM: yeah go ahead. (he rolls high) You notice this one guy standing back a bit, close to the wall--

M: I GO OVER TO HIM

DM: What do you say?

Grif: Ah! Interesting tactic, not rushing me~

DM: ...Roll charisma. (fail) Yeah he just kinda... gives you a slightly offended look, says “I’m busy” and walks away.

M: Oh.

Meanwhile, Rralwarr is hanging out in the courtyard near our ship, trying to keep an eye on our surroundings. He rolls a 9 on perception.

DM: ...Yeah, you don’t see anything unusual. You do notice a very fascinating fountain. You stare at that for a while.

Grif, meanwhile, heads for the table marked “sales and trade-ins” and identifies his ship type to the droid attendant. He’s sent out with a scanner team to check the condition of the ship.

Taveau, who’d started off to check out one of the other dealers, hears that Grif has it handled and, relieved that he doesn’t have to talk to anyone, rejoins Rralwarr. Taveau also manages to roll a 9 on perception (2, originally, with modifiers). He, too, becomes enamored with the fountain. He stands by Rralwarr and contemplates his place in the universe. While Grif accomplishes things, the two of them gaze at the fountain together.

Grif chats up the scanner team foreman while the rest of the dudes set up the scanner. Eventually they call him inside to look at something and Grif waits outside, tucking his hands inside his sleeves and gripping the tiny concealed blaster he keeps up one of his sleeves (which I only heard about very recently, and this makes me wonder if Taveau has noticed it. Possibly, as it seems like something he’d notice. But possibly not, because as we all know, he’s kind of clueless.)

M: Grif feels edgy.

DM: Do you mean he feels On Edge or is he just... intentionally acting as edgy as possible

H: Oh it’s definitely that

M: Edgy, probably. I mean it’s not like he’s actually going to shoot anyone, he’s just gripping his gun and feeling edgy for the sake of edginess.

There’s muffled conversation from inside. oh, really?...huh...well, that’s... interesting...

The foreman reappears, carrying a small device in his hand, and tells Grif that the ship seems to be in pretty good reselling condition, but the scan found a hyperspace tracker on the bottom of the engine. He’s guessing that they bought it from a secondhand dealer, as some of the less-scrupulous of those will often attach a tracker to a ship so they can track it down if payments aren’t met. He also volunteers that it only transmits when in hyperspace, and gives it to Grif when he asks.

(Lore-wise this tracker bugs me a bit because hyperspace technology was considered brand new in The Last Jedi, which is considerably later than the time period we’re playing in. I then consider the fact that we’re playing a game for fun and not accuracy and that it’s a cool concept and I tell myself to take a chill pill.)

Foreman: Also, you have excellent taste in rum.

Grif: Oh, yes! Why don’t we get it down, actually, to celebrate the sale?

Foreman: That’s not a bad idea. I’ll send the boys back early.

The Rest of the Party: * C O N C E R N *

M: guys I’m gonna be fine don’t worry.

And in fact Grif did not die. Grif didn’t even drink (rum). He had water, and he gave the rest of the bottle to the foreman as a gift, considering he couldn’t let Rralwarr see it with him anyway. The foreman, for his part, left in an excellent mood and promised to give his ship a really good report.

I think this may have been the first time Grif succeeded with charisma. M comments that, thanks to the character change, he’s more focused than usual.

We reunite and discuss an alternate plan, now that we have the tracker: take it with us on the new ship, hyperspace-jump to the middle of absolutely nowhere, fling the tracker off the ship and then hightail it to Alderaan. Taveau grabs his helmet and, taking the tracker along, we trade in our old ship for a shiny new one.

DM asks if we’d like to name the ship. H/Rralwarr don’t have ideas. M goes “yeah I don’t think Grif really cares right now.” So it’s up to me.

“...Steve?” (laughter. The DM is going to accept it) “No wait. The.... The Intergalactic Kevin.” (H really likes that one but I feel like I should come up with a name that isn’t a joke) “Wait, I’ve got it: Blindsider.”

A good name, as Taveau sincerely hopes that they’ll be able to reach Alderaan undetected in this ship. Everyone likes the name, the DM okays it, and we have a newly-christened ship (with two sonic showers).

Someone suggests that we get a party pet, some kind of space dog, and name it Steve: The Intergalactic Kevin.

Rralwarr, a little calmed down now that we’ve found a plan that doesn’t involve massive amounts of deception, swindling, and disrespecting the remains of the dead, goes to talk to Grif as Taveau is starting it up.

Grif: I’m gonna be fine, it’s just.. this entire day all I’ve been able to think about has been Alderaan. I wanna go home, but also I wanna stay away as much as possible. And when I think of Alderaan I think of mom, but she won’t be there...it’ll just be a house, it won’t be the same. And I still kinda wanna get back at those Mandalorians. But I know we don’t have the power to do that, and it just frustrates me.

The two share a moment. The moment is interrupted:

Taveau: HEY GUYS ARE WE TAKING OFF?

Grif: ..YeS

Rralwarr: Grif, I know you’re under a lot of stress, and I don’t blame you for your suggestions, and while your suggestion regarding the wookie pelts deeply offends me, I know you were more concerned with getting us off here safely than with how you did it, and I understand. Don’t do that again, though. You know very well how wookies treat their dead.

Grif: I know, trust me, humans are the same way. I’m sorry, I know that was out of place, and... I wish I could say that I wouldn’t have done it.

Rr: We’re at war, things happen... I didn’t have a better idea at the time.

Grif: also I’m still not certain that people won’t get hurt because of our ship.

Rr: there’s no perfect way to handle this. Let’s think of it this way: we’re going back to protect the rest of your family, they’re all targets; we’re all in danger now, we need to make sure they’re safe.

We take off, make the jump, and stop to dispose of the tracker. Taveau rolls really well on piloting and I decide that this ship has really easy controls. Here’s where Mistakes Happen.

Me: Can I do the honors of yeeting the tracker into space?

DM: Absolutely. There’s, like, a waste disposal hatch, and you--

H: You should roll dex for that!

Me: What? For shoving something down a garbage chute?

H: Yes. Because it’d be really funny if you failed.

Me:...ok

DM: Excellent! Roll!

Me:

Me: a 1

H: HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Me: WHAT. WHAT HAPPENS TO ME.

DM: ....which hand are you using?

Me, recognizing that this is an opportunity for mercy and deciding not to take it: I mean realistically probably my dominant hand, which is my right.

DM: It’s stuck.

Rralwarr: I grab your arm and pull you out!

DM: And now your wrist is broken.

Me: GREAT. THAT WAS MY SHOOTING HAND.

Rralwarr treats me with his medic skills and fixes me up with a wrist brace. I’m told that I’ll be alright in a few days (presumably Rralwarr inflicted some sort of rapid-heal treatment upon me?), but I should, in the meantime, avoid stressing my hand. Specifically, I shouldn’t fire any weapons with recoil.

Yeah, good luck with that.

As we end the session, I ask H if Rralwarr has any painkillers. H says gleefully that he does indeed, and that he’s looking forward to seeing a high Taveau.

masterpost

#WELL THEN #star wars RPG #Taveau #YEP #slowly catching up to the present #this isn't the Taveau thing I was writing yesterday that's still coming

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friskynotebook · 6 years

Text

I Will Lay Me Down: A Han/Leia Fanfiction

With the warmer weather comes new Han/Leia fanfic from me!

After a long H/L hiatus (I haven’t written them since Christmas!), I managed to get my writing mojo back thanks to all the lovely ladies in the Discord server. I’m sure I’m forgetting people, but special thanks to @erindarroch, @jhgraham, @jainadurron, @corellian-smuggler, @jediofgrace, @galactic-starlight, @knightedrogue, @swimmergirl71, @zyra, FranAnubis81, and @jennycbs!

This is a pre-ESB fic set on Hoth: the cold’s getting to Leia’s nose, but she isn’t doing anything about it. Han decides to take action.

Special shout-out to @hansoloorgana and my space twin @fisherford40 for the beta work! Thank you for making this fic the best it can possibly be—love you both!

The title comes from “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. You can listen to my favourite version here.

With all that said, on with the show!

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

Leia gritted her teeth as she worked at her data station. Why did we have to pick the coldest planet in the galaxy to set up our base? When other beings talked about the hells freezing over, she was now convinced they were talking about Hoth. Since they’d been here, the temperature had never gotten above -20 C—without the protective gear High Command scraped together in short order, the rebels would have surely froze to death.

Which is certainly what my nose is doing right now.

Leia sniffled again as she worked out coordinates on her datapad. She looked up, her eyes darting from side to side. I don’t think anyone heard me . . . She sighed. It seemed so minor, but the constant stream of mucus threatening to run down her face at any given moment annoyed her to no end. But it wasn’t just the actual sniffling—it was the sound. She was a reserved person—the Alderaani are, were, are reserved people. Combine that with a lifetime in the public eye as both a princess and a senator, and it’s safe to say she didn’t like drawing attention to herself with noises that, well, she couldn’t control.

Sniff. Leia thought back to her “princess lessons” when she was still in kindergarten with her father’s sisters. Her aunt Rouge in particular hated anything related to bodily fluids—during a particularly bad cold, she’d gently slapped Leia’s wrist whenever she sniffled or wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “Leia, that’s unbecoming of a princess!”

After that disastrous lesson, her mother had given her a silk handkerchief embroidered with her initials. “For when you need to clean yourself up and can’t escape to a ‘fresher.” Breha had smiled at her sick daughter and used the hankie to wipe her face.

Leia had still carried it with her, though she rarely used it. No matter what she was doing or who she was with, it was something that reminded her of her parents and her heritage—their everlasting faith and love in her, and the support of her people. That was what carried her through.

The day she left Alderaan to deliver the stolen Death Star plans, she was in a rush to pack a bag. As she hastily shoved the necessities in her small nerf leather suitcase, her silk handkerchief fell on the ground. Only noticing it as she headed for her bedroom door, she sighed. I’ll just grab it when I come back—

Leia gasped a little, the thought taking her aback. She swallowed and composed herself, focusing on her screen. Hoping her aunt Rouge wouldn’t strike her down for such an act, she wiped her nose delicately on the back of her hand.

______________________________________________________________

Leia threw the latest mysterious handkerchief on top of the ever-growing pile on the single chair in her quarters. How in the seven hells do they keep showing up? She shook her head at the language she had used. Too much time with scoundrels.

She sat on her bed, wracking her brain with any reason as to why these presents started showing up at her door. The majority of the rebels either respected her too much or were too afraid of her to play pranks on her. The Rogues, maybe? No, this was far too easy and therefore unsatisfactory for that wild bunch.

Which left her with two options: Luke or Han. She turned over to the hankie pile and picked up a few—two were cotton, the other silk. Though Han definitely had a softer side she’d been seeing more and more of over the past year, the quality of the fabrics led her to believe Luke was the one with the special deliveries.

She tossed them back on the pile and laid down on the bed, determined to talk to him in the morning.

______________________________________________________________

“Luke?” Leia slid into the seat in front of Luke’s in the mess hall. As always, he was the first person in the mess, drinking his blue milk and eating his Vakiir eggs and Panna cakes.

“Morning Leia!” He grinned and took a sip of caf. “Sleep alright?”

“I did,” she replied, absently tapping the pads of her fingers on the table. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, you can ask me anything!” He pushed his tray over to her, wanting to share his food with her.

Leia pushed it back. “Have you been . . . leaving me things? Outside my quarters?”

He looked taken aback. “No, not at all!”

“Are you sure? You haven’t left presents for me from time to time?”

“No!” he said, squaring his shoulders slightly. “What kind of presents have you been getting? Why would someone leave things outside your quarters?”

Leia smiled at his protectiveness. “It’s nothing bad,” she reassured him. “Whoever it is, they’ve been leaving me handkerchiefs. Nice ones, actually.” She started picking at her shirtsleeve. “Last night, they left me two cotton ones and a silk one.”

Luke relaxed his shoulders and raised an eyebrow, looking a little like Leia herself. “Sounds like whoever’s leaving those presents really cares.”

She allowed herself a small smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. “That doesn’t matter. At least not now. I just want to know who it is.”

He turned back to his lukewarm breakfast. “I can put out some feelers, ask the Rogues?”

“No, don’t ask them! It’ll be halfway around the base by lunch,” she replied, looking over her shoulder. “Just . . . keep your ears open for me?”

“Sure, Leia,” he grinned, taking a bite of Panna cake.

______________________________________________________________________

Leia was plaiting her dark hair for bed when a loud knock interrupted her.

“Your Worshipfulness?”

She huffed, a long strand of hair floating up in the air with her breath. Even with just two words, she could already feel her defenses rising up. Grabbing a robe and throwing it on, she went to the door and opened it, crossing her arms in the doorframe.

“Yes, Captain?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her half-plaited hair. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Does it matter?” she retorted, matching his eyebrow. “What can I help you with?”

He nodded towards her quarters. “Can I come in for a sec?”

She looked at him with her large brown eyes, narrowing them slightly. What does he want? After a beat, she decided he had good intentions and moved aside.

Han sauntered in, shutting the door behind him. “So a little Lantern bird told me that someone’s been leavin’ you presents outside your quarters.”

Luke . . . Leia sighed, her back towards Han. I swear I’m going to kill him. She turned around, her mouth open to deflect, when she saw him holding a purple cotton handkerchief.

Her mouth was agape for a moment before she recovered. “Where . . . Where did you get that?”

“This particular one? Or the others? Because I got this one during my last mission on Trogan.”

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did it have to be him? Although . . . Is it really all that bad? I mean, he has been thinking of you, bringing you things—stop it, Organa! He’s leaving, he’s going away, don’t get too close . . .

Leia opened her eyes. “Why?” she finally asked.

“Because you need them,” he replied simply.

Her heart sunk deeper in her chest. Gods, why does he have to say things like that? “Han . . .”

“But clearly you haven’t been making use of them.”

His retort snapped her brain back into focus. “I didn’t ask you to bring me anything.”

“I know—”

“So why do you care if I use them or not?”

He gave her a look of disbelief. “Because they’re something you need and for some unknown reason you aren’t using any of them. I’m tryna help and something’s stopping you from taking the help, and I just wanna know why, your Highnessness!”

Leia huffed through her nose, biting back a remark that rested on the tip of her tongue. He’s pushing your buttons, Organa. “Because . . . it’s not . . . princess-like!”

He gaped at her. “Not princess-like? Sweetheart, we’re in the middle of a war, on a kriffing cold—”

“It’s not like that! You wouldn’t understand,” she sighed, plopping down on her stool and plaiting her hair again.

“Try me,” he challenged, placing himself where he knew she could still see him.

She set her brush down on the counter and leaned back in her chair. “I can’t—It’s not—” Leia clenched her teeth, annoyed with herself. “It’s not that simple.”

“What isn’t?”

“This!” she exclaimed, waving her arms around. She let out a breath and placed her hands on her thighs, trying to put her sentences together. “You’re in the cold, your nose runs, you wipe it or blow it, right?”

He frowned. “Right.”

“When you’re Alderaani, especially when you’re Alderaani royalty, it’s . . . not what you do. We’re a reserved people, we don’t like drawing attention to ourselves with bodily fluids or anything like that. With royalty, it’s even worse. We don’t show things like that to the public—not because we’re ashamed, but because it’s just protocol. It’s in line with our culture.”

Han nodded, letting her words sink in. “But Leia, we aren’t on Alderaan, things are different,” he replied.

She winced a little. “That’s the problem. I know things are different now, but I can’t—It’s ingrained—It’s not something we do.”

He leaned against the desk in front of her. “You’re afraid of letting go of Alderaan,” he rumbled.

Leia’s palms started sweating. “They are—were—my people,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “I owe it to them to try, to not forget.”

“Adapting isn’t forgetting,” he murmured. “No one here will think less of you for doing what you have to do.”

She swallowed. “I know it seems silly—”

“It isn’t,” he replied automatically.

Leia glanced at the handkerchief still in his hand. “My mother gave me a silk handkerchief when I was a girl. I had a cold and my Aunt Rouge kept getting mad when I wiped my nose on my hand.”

Han’s eyes widened for a moment, but didn’t say anything.

“It was like keeping my parents close—no matter what I was doing, how hard it was, I always had them. I knew who I was, what I represented, and I could always go back to them.”

She looked up at him with her large brown eyes. “I don’t know how to live without Alderaan,” she confided.

His hand twitched on his thigh. “I know,” he whispered.

Even though he didn’t truly know what it was like to lose a planet, Leia knew he was sincere—he did know how hard this was for her. She curled up into her seat. “I almost don’t want to move on, because that means . . . acknowledging it’s gone.”

“Leia,” he murmured. “Blowing your nose won’t make you forget Alderaan.”

She almost smirked at the absurdity of the sentence. “You think so?”

“The planet might be gone, but Alderaan still lives in you and all the other survivors. And adapting to the cold won’t take away from your culture.”

She rested her forehead on her knees as she listened to him. “In my head, I know you’re right, but all of it still feels gone.”

“Nothing’s ever really gone.”

She looked up at him.

“Not in your heart, at least.”

He straightened up and placed the purple cotton handkerchief in her hand, quietly leaving her quarters.

______________________________________________________________________

The next day on base, the temperature seemed to have dropped ten degrees—certainly not the best weather for sitting at a data desk doing data analysis. After spending the last half hour staring at the same coordinates while shivering, Leia decided it was high time for a short walk around the base.

Taking the time to stretch her legs for a moment, she started at a brisk pace, finding herself walking towards the hangar. But just before she made it there, her nose started running at the same pace as her legs.

She stopped for a moment, trying to sniffle it back. Unfortunately for her, it had a mind of its own and kept going. A few more sniffles later, she realized it wasn’t stopping any time soon. Leia felt around her pocket, finding the handkerchief Han had left in her hand the night before.

She felt the material for a moment, taking a deep breath. Folding it over and holding it up to her nose, she blew into the cotton softly, not caring who was around her or watching.

Meanwhile, hanging around outside the Falcon, a certain rogue smuggler spotted her out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

#han x leia #star wars #my fic #Star Wars fanfiction #scoundress #han solo x leia organa

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ashlynncoy-blog · 6 years

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Misfire: Critical Condition: Part II

If you haven’t been following along with the Misfire-verse, you can read the PROLOGUE which sets up the entire universe or just understand that the Death Star misfired at Alderaan and pretty much everything else is Star Wars with a heaping helping of surviving Organa parents.

The first installment of CRITICAL CONDITION is HERE.

And the second is below the cut:

The ride from the spaceport to the stop outside the hospital had been brief, and yet interminable. Leia felt a measure of relief as she stepped from the train onto the platform at her destination. Two others departed the vehicle as well, a fact for which Leia was grateful—the more she could blend in today the better. The human woman who’d stepped off behind Leia had turned to head in the direction of a connecting train platform, and the broad-shouldered Gungan man who’d been just beside her bounded past has and disappeared through the hospital door ahead of her.

Leia carefully measured her steps as she approached. She removed her hood and strode into the receiving area with the same authority she’d present when addressing the Senate. She knew where she was going and she’d be damned if any security measures kept her from getting there.

Her father had given her all the information she’d needed. She had called him as soon as the tender was away from Song of War. She knew that, although secure transmissions to and from Hapan fleet assets could not be recorded or monitored, those with proper clearance were able to access what codes had been entered. Since Leia’s cover story for visiting the surface had been a longing to see her father, it only made sense that she’d have called to tell him she was inbound.

But more than that, she knew her father would know the latest about Han.

Bail Organa had decided he was fond of Han Solo before he’d left Yavin 4 the first time. Bail knew, as very few others had, how little reward Han had taken with him for the recovery of the Death Star plans and the princess who was ferrying them. He’d been impressed by the scruples of a man who’d made his living among the galaxy’s most unscrupulous. And after Han returned to Yavin 4, the two had formed something of an anomalous friendship.

Han’s relationship to Leia aside, Bail had always liked him. He’d paid off Han’s debt to a Hutt cartel just to keep him around the Alliance. Then when that Hutt had kidnapped Han and had him frozen in carbonite, Bail had gone to the crime lord himself in order to get him back. Leia couldn’t know how her father’s relationship with Han had been in the months since their relationship had ended, but she’d never known her father to stop caring about a person once they mattered to him. She knew Bail would have the information she’d need.

And her father had not disappointed her.

He’d been getting morning and evening updates on Han’s condition since he’d been brought back to Coruscant from the battlefield. He’d been able to tell her which wing, which floor, and which room she’d be looking for when she arrived.

And he’d also told her to hurry. Any moment now could be a moment too late.

Over her years as both a diplomatic and a revolutionary functionary, Leia had developed considerable skill at moving fast while still maintaining the illusion of calmness. Moving with intent, with alacrity, without the frenzied energy of breaking into a run, had been a necessary skill when carrying information through the Senate halls to a contact on a tight schedule. It was a skill that served her well as she made her way through the hallways and lifts, the skybridges and rotundas of Imperial Army Hospital.

She knew she was almost there when she recognized Wedge Antilles leaning against a wall. He looked rough, like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, and his hair was a tousled mess of black sticking out in all directions. He was speaking into a commlink when she saw him, but as soon as he recognized her, he ended the call and stood up straight to greet her.

“Leia,” he said, striding forward to intercept her path and placing his hands on her shoulders. He hugged her briefly, an embrace she gladly accepted. He was the first old friend she’d seen in months. It felt good to be with people who knew her. Wedge stepped back then, his hands still on her shoulders, and shook his head. “Leia, you shouldn’t be here,” he said.

Leia understood—at least she partly understood. She and Han weren’t together. She’d hurt him terribly and then gone off for months, maybe forever, to a new life and new people, and left him to fight and die in her war. She was sure there were people close to Han who hated her for that. She wondered if maybe Han himself hated her for that. But that didn’t deter her resolve to see him one last time.

“I just want to see him, Wedge,” she said, “just for a minute. I heard about what happened, and….”

“I’m sure you do,” Wedge said sternly, “but he doesn’t want to see you.”

“Why would you say that?” she asked. She knew the probable answer, of course, but she wanted to know what Wedge knew. She wanted to know how Han felt about her now—even if the truth was going to hurt

“Because he was awake for a minute,” Wedge replied, “a couple of days ago. And it was right after the news reported your ship was due this week. So I told him—I told him you were coming. I wasn’t sure you’d actually show up here, but I thought it might—I don’t know—give him heart to hear that. But what he said back to was, ‘don’t let her in here, and don’t let her talk at my funeral.”

“Wow,” Leia said, her lower lip beginning to tremble. “It’s been more than six months and he’s still mad.” It wasn’t so much a surprise, but it was still painful to hear.

“No, Leia,” Wedge said back, “he’s not mad. I’ve see him mad—we both have. We’ve seen him blood-boiling furious. But when you left… he was never like that. He’s not mad, Leia. He’s just… he’s just broken. He hasn’t been himself. It’s been one crazy, stupid, heroic-to-the-point-of-suicidal thing after another. He just doesn’t care anymore—about anything.”

“Is that what happened here?” she asked. Details of the incident at Wyrzrndir had been sketchy. Intelligence briefings having never been big on specifics. She had no idea the exact series of events that had landed Han in his current condition.

“Yeah.” Wedge took Leia by her elbow and led her to sit on a bench just down the hall. “We’d been up against this dreadnaught—we’d been engaging it and falling back for days. It was huge, Leia, the biggest thing I’ve ever seen. And it was getting the best of us. Han had this idea—you know how he does. He had this idea to punch through their shields at near lightspeed and drop a payload down their reactor exhaust.”

“Like how Luke blew up the first Death Star?”

“That may be where he got the idea,” Wedge allowed, “but this was a hell of a lot more complicated. We were in the middle of a giant space battle, and he was counting on speed to get him through the dreadnaught’s shields. Plus, it wasn’t like that thing was standing still. He had to calculate that into the jump, too—to find a place where it was more likely or not he’d come out between the ship and the shield and not smack dab in the middle of either one.”

“Sounds like Han,” Leia commented, a sad smile coming to her face as she looked across the hallway toward the closed door to the room where he was being treated.

“Yeah, well,” Wedge began again. “Let’s not forget the Falcon doesn’t have torpedoes aboard. All he had were some Ewok-rigged concussion bombs he’d stuffed in an old escape pod hatch.”

“All right,” Leia conceded, “that sounds reckless even for him.”

“It was reckless,” Wedge agreed. “It was the craziest thing I’d ever heard. But what could we do? Short of outright mutiny, there was nothing any of us could do to stop him—especially not when we were all out catching hell in our fighters. So Solo does this thing, and it works. Don’t ask me how, but he got through their shields and he managed to drop his payload. But he’d counted on being able to jump right back out to avoid the wash. What he hadn’t counted on was jumping right into the line of fire of one of the dreadnaught’s deck cannons. The Falcon’s motivator was shot. I think he knew that, but he dropped the payload anyway. The blast blew the Falcon to pieces. The cockpit went one way, the rest of the hull in three others.”

“Where was Chewie when this all happened?” Leia asked, wiping her damp cheek with the cuff of her sleeve and her palm.

“On the bridge of the Mon Remonda screaming like a madman because Han took off without him.”

“Sounds about right,” Leia said. It hadn’t been hard to imagine Han doing something so reckless and dangerous, but he wasn’t the type to put his loved ones in danger when he could avoid it. “Is he here now?” she asked. Wedge shook his head.

“He comes and goes,” he replied. “He doesn’t like hospitals. He’s mostly been trying to get that ship back in one piece.”

“Were you able to salvage it?”

“Sort of,” Wedge replied. “I don’t know if you knew about this, but, on the Zsinj campaign we got hold of a decoy YT.”

“No,” Leia said, “I didn’t.” Han had come home from the Zsinj campaign the same day the Hapans had arrived. That had been the beginning of the end for them. He hadn’t told her anything at all about his time on that deployment.

“Called her The Millennium Falsehood,” Wedge shared. “Han mostly hated the thing—said it made him sad. Made him think of his real ship, and of the person he left it with. But anyway… we’ve got that one and it’s got all its parts, so Chewie’s been stripping it and using the pieces along with what parts we were able to salvage from the Falcon to try and get it at least looking like a spaceship again. He said if Han survives, he’ll want his ship back—and if he doesn’t they should be buried together.”

“Do you know which one’s more likely at this point?” Leia asked, not bothering to wipe her wet cheeks again.

“The last I heard it could go either way,” Wedge replied. “I couldn’t believe we found him alive in the first place,” he said, “Chewie’s the one who saved him—got hold of the cockpit module with Mon Remonda’s tractor beam and brought it aboard. When the team got to him, he was alive, but barely. They rushed him up to medical and put him in a bacta tank. That’s how we got him back to Coruscant. But the doctors here say he’s not really stable enough for bacta right now. If he codes, they can’t resuscitate him in the tank, and the amount of time it takes to get him out and get access could make the difference between life and death. So they’ve got him on heavy life support, trying to get him stabilized enough he can go back in the tank.”

“Wedge, I really need to see him,” Leia said. Her lower lip was trembling again and she was having a hard time getting words out. “I understand he said he doesn’t want to see me. I even understand why. But if there’s a chance we could lose him….”

“Leia…”

“Just for a minute,” she implored. “He’ll never know I was there. Just a minute, please. Then I’ll go.”

Wedge shook his head as he stood up, but then gestured for Leia to follow him. He crossed the hall quickly and paused in the doorway to Han’s room. He held up his hand, indicating Leia should pause; which she did, clasping her hands together at her waist in a futile attempt to get their shaking to stop. As the door slid open, Wedge peered inside before turning back to Leia.

“All right,” he said. “He’s out cold, so you can have a minute. But you’ve got to be quick. And if he shows even the slightest sign that he may be waking up, you have to leave, do you understand me? I know it might be tempting to stay and let him see you but I promise you it will do more harm than good. We can’t get him riled up; it could kill him.”

“I understand,” Leia agreed. “And I promise,” she added, “he’ll never know I was here.”

#misfire verse #ashlynn's fic #angsty angst with angst sauce #I'm not crying you're crying #no wait that's me #maybe it's all of us #more coming soon #sad Leia is sad

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 4 Easter Eggs Explained

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This STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN article contains spoilers.

“The Siege” evokes A New Hope in its star fighter battles and brings back some season one characters to The Mandalorian. The episode is heavy on the Original Trilogy overall, with some shots taken directly from iconic scenes.

Mando returns to Nevarro for some repairs to his ship but ends up mopping up the last Imperial holdout there. But the Imperial base isn’t all that it seems on the outside, and the gang now has another clue as to what Baby Yoda actually is and what Moff Gideon is planning.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

Here are all of the Star Wars easter eggs and references we’ve found so far:

Dark Troopers

We learn in the very last scene of the episode that Moff Gideon is working on something big for the Empire. Possibly combining intimidating black stormtrooper armor with midi-chlorian experiments evokes, the Empire might be developing its very own canon batch of dark troopers, the Force-sensitive Imperial commandos introduced in the Dark Empire comics from Dark Horse — or the half-man half-machine hybrid soldiers from the Dark Forces video games. We speculated much more on what these dark troopers might be here.

Nevarro and Other Locations

– We return to Nevarro, home of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild and the former base of operations for Mando’s tribe. This particular settlement on Nevarro has become a much more peaceful place now that Cara Dune has become the marshal

– At one point, as Mando, Greef Karga, and Cara walk to the school, you can see a statue of IG-11 in the background. This a monument to the assassin droid who sacrificed itself to help the heroes escape the Empire in the season one finale. The droid was voiced by Taika Waititi throughout the season.

– One of the children in the school has three topknots like Rey. This hairdo follows a long tradition of iconic and gravity-defying Star Wars hair styles, include Leia’s side buns and Padmé Amidala’s elaborate senatorial coifs.

– The teacher droid mentions many previously established galactic locations during her lesson. The kids are learning geography: major hyperspace trade routes like the Corellian Run and Hydian Way will be familiar to Expanded Universe fans, while the Akkadese Maelstrom around Kessel is from Solo: A Star Wars Story. (It’s a re-skin of the Maw, also a web of black holes around Kessel, from Legends canon.) The teacher also mentions Coruscant, the former capital of the Old Republic, and Chandrila, the capital of the New Republic.

– Also mentioned at the end of the episode is Alderaan, the planet that was destroyed by the Death Star in A New Hope. Alderaan is the home planet of both Princess Leia Organa and Cara Dune.

The Empire

– The Aurebesh language text on the control pale the Mythrol uses says “core temp.” The aesthetic is very similar to that on the Death Star tractor beam Obi-Wan Kenobi shuts off in A New Hope. (To be precise, the in-universe language text was added in the Special Edition; the original was in English.)

– The transport our heroes escape in is identified as a Trexler Marauder, a repulsorcraft (the Star Wars term for hover craft). It’s a brand new design for The Mandalorian, but the transport does evoke the ones introduced in Rogue One.

– The escape from the Imperial facility evokes several shots from A New Hope, including Luke Skywalker’s first turn at the Millennium Falcon’s laser cannons during the escape from the Death Star as well as the trench run in the film’s climactic third act. The shot of the TIE fighter pilot adjusting his instruments and the surrounding action are particularly similar.

– The Imperial lab seems to contain strand-casts, not clones exactly but bio-engineered organisms. This technology was used to make Supreme Leader Snoke, the decaying body through which Emperor Palpatine manipulated Kylo Ren and ruled the First Order in the Sequel Trilogy. We know strand-casts aren’t as easy to work with as clones, and it sounds like Dr. Pershing’s experiment is as precarious as the one that created Snoke. But there’s no direct connection between the two as far as we know.

– When the doctor refers to “M-count” he’s shortening the word “midi-chlorians,” the cell that enables some beings to sense the Force. The concept of midi-chlorians was introduced in The Phantom Menace to near-universal disappointment, as the addition of a biological explanation for the mystical Force didn’t please nearly anyone except George Lucas himself. But it is canon. Mentioning it here means these Imperial experiments definitely have something to do with the Force.

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– The Imperial ship at the very end of the episode is an Imperial Arquitens-class command cruiser, which has appeared several times in Star Wars Rebels and other tie-in media. Its introduction is a mirror of the famous Star Destroyer looming overhead in the opening shot of A New Hope.

Alien Species

– The aquatic Aqualish return. Originally appearing in A New Hope and hailing from the water planet of Andor, the Aqualish are often cast as scoundrels or criminals. You undoubtedly remember Ponda Baba from the infamous Mos Eisley sequence.

– The one-eyed Mimbanese thief also belongs to a classic species. First appearing in the 1978 Legends novel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, they were re-canonized and introduced to film at the same time as the Mimbanese in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Technically, the aliens in the novel were called Coway and lived on the planet Mimban.

– The Mythrol from the show’s very first episode returns and demonstrates his species’ musk. (Or at least, I think that’s what the fear reaction was there.) Like many characters on The Mandalorian, he doesn’t have a full name yet and just goes by “Mythrol.” This particular character is played by Horatio Sanz (Saturday Night Live).

At one point, the Mythrol mentions how being frozen in carbonite has seemingly left him blind in his left eye. This is a callback to how Han Solo couldn’t see hours after he’d been pulled out of carbon freezing in Return of the Jedi.

– Other alien races in the episode include Jawas, Kyuzo, Melbu, and a species first introduced in The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story currently known as “Silvasu Fi’s species.” Silvasu Fi was a Cloud-Rider in the latter movie.

The post Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 4 Easter Eggs Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.

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thebastardofgloucester · 7 years

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Okay, so. Thoughts on the mess that was Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi.

- I can see why a lot of people had a big problem with Poe’s arc – mostly that it started him from such an obnoxious place that wasn’t entirely in keeping with his portrayal in Before the Awakening or the comics (honestly I think his character in TFA is sufficiently thin that it wasn’t really out of the realm of possibility). There’s also the component of the Angry Latino Man racist trope with his aggression towards Holdo and Leia. Leia slapping him was unnecessary. Leia stunning him so he flew back into a wall(?!) was really unnecessary, and combined with brutalization of the other characters of color was a Problem.

- But nonetheless I loved where it ended up. I did love Poe learning the brutal lessons of command, putting him in a place to be Leia’s successor as the leader of the Resistance. He is a hotshot pilot. Going from that to general, with all the need for long-term thinking that requires, is not an easy leap. So while I understand where people who hate it are coming from, I think that Poe’s journey to becoming Leia’s heir to the role of leader is the most compelling part of the film.

- God Luke was a mess. His grumpy old man act was funny but it hurt so much to see Luke, the beating heart of the OT, reduced to a bitter version of Obi-Wan, minus the hope of believing in the future. TFA and TLJ utterly broke Luke in a way that was just…too much. And god, he would never draw a weapon on his fucking nephew, no matter how scared he was. He might aggressively confront Ben, trying to get him to give Snoke up, go after the source, but killing his nephew out of fear? What? W H A T ?

- that said, that was the most meaty material Mark Hamill has ever been given and he fucking killed it, so props to him.

- What was Rey even doing through most of this movie. All the clarity and dynamism of her character was just sucked away and outside of some moments on Ahch-To she was either a prop in Kyle Ben’s narrative or a walking deus ex machina. She technically becomes the Last Jedi and turns her back on Ron but like…we didn’t see any of that? Does she even want to be a Jedi?

- look…I have been on the Rey Skywalker train forever. I am not happy with her being from unremarkable origins (assuming Kyle is telling the truth, and given that he is a manipulative abusive asshole he may not be) in part because it actually feeds the unfair idea that she’s somehow unrealistic (whatever that means in a space wizards franchise) or a Mary Sue character. She shows a level of skill, instinct, and power that has previously only been manifested by…Anakin Skywalker. That needs an explanation. Either she’s a Skywalker, or a vessel or champion of the Light Side of the Force, or some other shit, but there does need to be a reason. Luke and Anakin have a reason – they are Skywalkers, one Space Jesus and the other the son of Space Jesus.

- I have no idea what motivated Rey for so much of the film. Her quasi-Bespin going to Kyle thing was a fucking mess and required a lot of idiot balling. Rey is smarter than that. Rey saw Kyle murder his father – she would not just trust him enough to go alone. Basically Rian either did not get Rey as JJ Abrams made her or he didn’t care. Either one is utter bullshit. Some cool action sequences mean nothing without the character dynamics to back them up.

- God, Finn…Rian took the problematic aspects of Finn’s comic relief role from TFA and just…ran with them. I didn’t object to him trying to run off to find Rey – he has no real attachment to the Resistance. But his whole mission is just…pointless. There’s no follow up on his being a Stormtrooper who overcame his programming. We get some interesting stuff with Rose about his being a legend when he’s not comfortable in that role, and I kind of liked the way his self-sacrificing behavior was called out by Rose so he knew that besides Rey people actually cared about him, but…there were so many missed opportunities, and so many unnecessary injuries and physical jokes.

- I love Rose. I do. I don’t know that there was really a place for her in this story. Her ‘eat the rich’ working class background was cool, she’s a huge sweetheart, Kelly Marie Tran gave a great performance. Her romance with Finn was a rushed mess. A crush I can believe, fine. Love after like two days max? No. They didn’t earn that. Honestly if you are going to introduce your first significant woc you have to find more to do with her. It was nice that (unlike Leia and Luke) she got a chance to grieve her losses

- Kyle Ben’s eventually becoming the irredeemable supreme leader actually works pretty well, but how it got there…on the other hand…Kyle shows his true colors when he turns on Snoke…in order to take his place in the finest traditions of the Sith. He’s the full-fledged villain for episode IX. As it should be.

- What the fuck was Snoke. Why did the film bring him and Rey and Kylo together in an awkward and forced series of developments and then just cut him in half. We have no idea where he came from, his relationship to the Empire, his goals, his plan with Kyle and Rey and Luke…it’s just an enormous blank and we’ll never get an answer because Rian got bored and just decided to off him. It’s not like I care about him as a character, obviously. His death hardly upset me other than the fact that it was pretty bad writing.

- why the everliving fuck did we have to have YODA show up, basically to give a non-chalannt mea culpa and say ‘actually the Jedi were kind of shit.’ Like ANAKIN? Why the fuck would you not use the person the Order failed the most. Also Yoda looked fucking terrible I have no idea why they used a puppet AND CGI.

- On the plus side, Leia did a truly spectacular Force Thing (though that was some cheap shit by Rian spacing her like that). Then she was unconscious. She never got to mourn Han at all. She passed the torch to Poe, but I can’t help but be disappointed when so much was promised. Also…no one came to her aid? I know that in Bloodline her parentage being revealed ruins her reputation and strips her of her influence…but no one? What the fuck?

- DJ was just a useless character. Maybe they’ll be a payoff in episode ix, but he serves no purpose but to set up an inconsequential betrayal, unless you count Phasma dying (also a cheapening of her character as laid out in her novel) as a tremendously important moment. All the damage was done by Holto’s sacrifice. Finn and Rose and BB-8 were pretty incidental.

- the Porgs were stupid space puffins and despite myself I’m kind of fond of the stupid things. The crystal foxes were much cooler, of course.

- R2D2 and C3PO were props in this film. Chewbacca too.

- Luke…weirdly his facing his fears and sacrificing himself was one of the best parts of the mostly-okay third act? I liked the new, less flashy but still impressive Force power of projection, and he got some chance to say goodbye to Leia at least, and he got to lay down the law to Kyle Ron. But…he died alone. That’s not fucking okay. That’s a betrayal of Luke, the heart of the original trilogy. It’s just…wrong. And it’s sad and heartbreaking but not really in a satisfying way. And he never really passes the torch to Rey – he sacrifices himself to fix his fuck-up with Kyle. He deserved more than that. All the Skywalkers did.

- the space battles were pretty great, the whole tracking thing and the slow race was very Battlestar-y, even if the mechanics of the plot were a bit questionable.

- I need to read Leia Princess of Alderaan to get the backstory on Holdo. Her character was interesting (though we could have used more backstory or elaboration on how she became so respected a military leader) and her relationship with Leia was tantalising but there just wasn’t enough. Her heroic sacrifice was fucking awesome though. If she had to go out she picked a good way to do it.

- Billie Lourd got a character and lines and that was pretty great.

- Okay, minor nitpick that actually REALLY BOTHERED ME. Among the casualties in the opening battle appeared to be Temmin ‘Snap’ Wexley, one of the protagonists of the Aftermath books, and the son of the delightful Norra Wexley. Like, first, Mister Bones would fucking swim through space and stab Kyle Ben with his vibroknives because he is Norra’s motherly love incarnate in a psychotic droid. And second, Norra deserved better. She’s probably dead now and that is bullshit in itself.

- Or it might have been another bearded guy, in which case like Jessica Pava his absence bothered me. Like…where did these people go?

- blowing up the bridge to kill Ackbar et al was just cheap bullshit honestly

- the war profiteering and moral ambiguity was not elaborated enough to justify its inclusion, honestly. I’m not averse to that sort of moral ambiguity but you have to earn it to stick it into a Star Wars film. They didn’t. And again, DJ was just useless.

So, yeah, to review – this is not a movie I was ever going to like. I got almost nothing I wanted out of it, it fucked over the Skywalkers royally in a way that left me feeling bitter and betrayed, it misused or wasted Finn and Rose, Rey’s character was inconsistent at best with little to no on-screen development. The opening was strong. The second act was an epic dumpster fire, particularly everything with Kyle and Rey and Snoke and everything that led there. The third more or less pulled the majority of story threads out and left them in an interesting place for JJ Abrams in episode ix to maybe do some interesting things, but the path it took to get there had…problems.

Rian doesn’t love Star Wars like I love Star Wars, and he really doesn’t like the Skywalkers. I guess that’s what some people wanted – for an end to the Skywalker-centric narrative. Personally I think that is utterly missing the point of literally everything about this series, but whatever, people will disagree.

The writing was overall clumsy to outright bad, with bursts of inspired storytelling but mostly buried under Kyle apologism.

Corvus fairly points out that The Empire Strikes Back is not nearly as good as movie as it is without the events of Return of the Jedi, so to an extent it’s hard to fairly judge the film when you don’t know where it is in the overarching story. But equally this film had so many opportunities to develop the characters and build the world and it just. Did not.

As for a rating, it depends when you ask me. I’d rate it somewhere between a 5 and 6/10. Maybe a 4 in some aspects. It’s not Attack of the Clones bad, but it’s worse than Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, A New Hope, ESB…I mean, I liked Rogue One more. Frankly Revenge of the Sith was more emotionally satisfying, especially in the context of the Clone Wars series. I’m never really sure where to rate The Phantom Menace. This might be better. I’m not entirely sure, and that’s pretty damning,

I’m just…so disappointed and frustrated and have basically decided to treat the new canon post RotJ as more of alternate universe than anything else. Which is kind of sad, honestly.

tldr; Anakin Skywalker Did Not Die For This Shit

#martinus watches the last jedi #the last jedi spoilers #tlj spoilers #a new hope for a new generation #rian does not love star wars like i love star wars

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