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theewokingdead · 3 years ago

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Alorir

Chapter 17 of “Another Way” - A Mandalorian x Fem!Reader story

gif by @pedropascalsx

{Chapter List}

Alorir – [ah-LOR-eer] - lead Pairing: Din Djarin x Fem!Reader Summary: Din comes into his role as Mand’alor while you try to cope on Nevarro. Rating: Mature Words: 8.8k Warnings: Language, canon-typical violence. A/N: Happy Mando Monday! Thanks for bearing with me. It seems I cannot stop writing, so the final chapter needed to be split up, meaning this is the penultimate chapter. Be sure to thank Cristina (@pedropascalsx) for keeping me motivated to write this. There are some fun Easter eggs for those who have watched The Clone Wars and Rebels. I used The Book of Boba Fett as major inspiration for this.

Shortly after takeoff, Din retreats to the hull of the ship, in search of some solitude before meeting the other Mandalorians. The door to the cockpit seals behind him, leaving him alone in the dimly lit void. He removes his helmet with a hiss, and a deathly silence fills his ears, broken only by his heavy breaths. He is no stranger to silence, but in this moment, he feels how incredibly lonely it is.

Looking around the room, the troop cabin, his eyes are immediately drawn to markings etched onto the ship’s interior walls. Hundreds upon hundreds on markings - letters and numbers that he quickly identifies as operating numbers, likely scratched by bored troopers of days passed. He runs his hands across them while reading. TK-331, TK-421, LS-489… The higher the number, the lower the rank - countless nameless, faceless pawns in an excruciating game of geopolitical chess.

How many died under the illusion that they were fighting for peace and stability? Or worse – how many died for a cause, a leader, they truly didn’t believe in?

The silence is suddenly filled with a noise inside his head, a voice that seems to taunt him, coming from his insecurities, his sadness, his loneliness, his aching heart.

How could you do this to them? They don’t want to fight. How could you do this to her? To your child?

Din promised you peace, stability – the same things the Emperor promised all his followers – but would it ever be possible for you to know those things? Especially if he died? And a daughter, growing without a father – what would this do to her?

He wishes you were here, to calm his wandering mind. What would you even say?

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he images you’d prod, coming behind him and wrapping your arms around him, holding him close.

“I’m afraid,” he’d admit, words he could only speak to you, his secret safe.

“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid.”

He’d chuckle, looking down as he remembers the words he heard as a young man. “My buir once said something very similar.”

“Then it must be true.”

“And yet it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Hm.” You’d unwrap yourself. “Then I must not be doing my job right.” You’d walk away, thinking of something to say, and he’d watch, waiting for your words. You always know what to say. Turning back to him, you’d ask, “Tell me, Din, which weapon in your arsenal do you think is the most powerful?”

A laugh would escape his lips, knowing it’s a question without a true answer. It would depend on the situation, the target, a multitude of other factors. “It’s impossible to say.”

You’d slowly approach him, your lips pursed, a sly look on your face. “Perhaps it’s the one you don’t even know is there.”

Unsurprisingly, he would be confused. He knows the weapons locker better than the back of his hand. What weapon are you talking about? “I…don’t follow.”

“Your fear, riduur. When you accept and embrace your fear, you can turn it into a weapon that no one else can use. Overcome it. Use it to blast through all your insecurities and be the Mand’alor I know you can be.”

Fear…sometimes it can save your life.

The words of his buir echo loudly, so much so that he turns around, expecting to see him standing there. Instead, he is met with nothing. Not him, not you. Nothing but empty seats. Yet he feels your presence, and it stokes a fire in him.

Pushing his shoulders back, he stands proudly, deciding that he won’t let fear consume him. He also decides how he wants to be remembered: not as the man who failed to take down the Imperials, not even as the reluctant ruler who sacrificed his life to restore Mandalore. No… He’ll be remembered as the Mand’alor Din Djarin, the one who reunited his people, the one who stood face to face with Death and said, “Not today, vod,” before raining hell down on the Empire once and for all.

Life is a gift that he doesn’t intend on returning today or tomorrow or the next day. And death…death is not an option.

“I won’t let you down,” he says aloud confidently, the words reverberating off the walls.

Hours later, the Lambda shuttle lands somewhere in the northern hemisphere of Lothal, where natural stone spirals punctuate the skyline of the barren, snow-covered fields. As the ship approaches, Din takes a brief moment to admire the beauty, so different from the southern hemisphere you two had seen a little more than a week earlier.

He wonders what you’d think, how you’d react. One of his favorite things about you is your reaction to new worlds, the way your eyes sparkle with childlike wonder and curiosity. If Maldo Kreis was any indication, you wouldn’t fair well in the cold, but it wouldn’t stop you from wanting to explore the fields. Maybe you’d make a joke about his allergies to loth-cats. Under different circumstances, you’d probably even dare to throw a snowball at him, trying to hide giggles while watching his reaction.

Maybe there’s still a chance he’ll bring you here one day…when this is all over.

The growing silence as Bo-Katan powers down the ship’s engines brings Din back to the present. He looks down at the helmet in his hands, the T-shaped visor staring back at him. He contemplates putting it on, both to hide behind the mask and to appease the followers of The Way who forbid making their face known. Beskar is sacred to his people, and he earned his armor piece by piece, just as every other Mandalorian warrior had.

But does it make him who he is?

A warrior is more than his armor.

He had uttered the proverb to you once before. He is no less of a warrior without it, just as he is no more a warrior with it. It makes sense to wear his armor, to be seen as the leader he is, but to hide his face behind metal? It’s not what he wants to be as a leader - closed off, disconnected, afraid to show his face – and it’s not the leader Mandalore needs.

As he rises from his seat, he tucks the helmet under his left arm then turns to Bo-Katan. She looks at him and gestures toward the lowered ramp.

“After you,” she insists.

Din nods then he moves forward, hypervigilant, not knowing what awaits him at the bottom of the ramp. As he walks, the fingers of his right hand involuntarily twitch near his blaster, prepared to shoot if necessary.

As prepared as he is, he is surprised by what he actually finds: dozens of Mandalorians returning his gaze.

Who are these people?

Strangers, but also his ade, his sons and daughters - men and women who are willing to fight and die under his leadership. Though some are unmasked, many others don their helmets. A variety of colors, shapes and sizes define their armors, showcasing their personality and telling stories Din hasn't yet heard.

What is most striking is the number. Bo-Katan said one hundred soldiers, but there are easily double that. Behind them rests a fleet of ships, an Imperial lightcrusier looking anomalous among the various starfighters.

Bo-Katan, sensing Din’s awe and confusion as she takes her place near him, informs him, “We managed to grab additional recruits, as I said we would.”

While Din nods, acknowledging her words, he does not respond as he feels the shock sink in and catch in his throat. As he looks at her, Fennec and Boba, having landed next to the shuttle, join Din on the other side of him.

“You think this is another spice dream or are you finally convinced that we’re not wasting our time?” Fennec questions Boba, giving him a look that says “I told you so.” He merely grumbles and looks away.

“Din Djarin,” a familiar voice calls, making him turn his head back to the crowd. A figure with red armor and a golden horned helmet approaches him.

The Armorer. His once leader and spiritual guide, whose final word had always been law to the Tribe. He didn’t think he’d ever see her again.

Din tenses, falling on old habits, feeling as though he’s about to receive a scolding, as he’s received from her many times before.

The Armorer stops in front of Din, standing stoically before him. “You have removed your helmet,” she states, speaking slowly, deliberately.

He straightens himself, gazing at her directly. He can’t really argue when she’s looking on his face for the first time since taking the vow.

“I have.”

“According to Creed, you are Mandalorian no more.”

The tone in her voice causes shivers to run up his spine. Still, he doesn’t falter.

“I ask that you forgive me for my transgressions.”

“Redemption can only be found in the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore.”

Knowing there isn't time for a ceremonial bath or anything else for rededication, he doubles down. “Then I ask that you trust me.”

The Armorer doesn’t move, remaining silent for several moments. Finally, she questions, “You possess the Darksaber, do you not?”

“I do.”

Figuring she’s subtly demanding proof, Din reaches back and unhooks the blade of the Darksaber from its place on his belt. He holds it out for her to take.

The Armorer accepts the hilt then carefully examines it in her hand from every angle. She then grasps it with both hands, her torso slightly jumping back as she ignites it, taken aback by both the loud sound and the weight of it.

Slowly raising the blade, she probes, “What do you know of the significance of the blade?”

Din watches her as she inspects the glowing blade. “Whoever wields it can lead all of Mandalore.”

“If it is won by Creed in battle, as you have claimed to have done,” she responds emotionlessly, teaching him as she carefully moves the sword in front of her. “It is said that one warrior will defeat twenty, and the multitudes will fall before it. If, however, it falls into the hands of the undeserving, it will curse unto the nation. Mandalore will be laid to waste and its people scattered to the four winds.”

“I defeated Moff Gideon and won the blade,” Din adamantly replies.

“Yet he continues to live - with the blood of millions of our kind on his hands.”

The subtle jab at Din's decision doesn’t faze him. He shouldn’t have to justify why he granted him mercy, yet he explains, “I thought the New Republic would deliver justice for his crimes after interrogating him.”

“It seems you were gravely mistaken.”

The Armorer retracts the blade then hands the hilt back to Din, who hooks it back on his belt.

“The songs of eons past foretold of the Mythosaur rising up to herald a new age of Mandalore,” she continues. “Sadly, it exists only in legends. Would you have us believe that the prophecy is false?”

Din stands his ground. “I would have you believe that it is wrong to take everything literally.”

As the pair stare at one another, a large Mandalorian clad in blue armor steps up, standing beside the Armorer.

“Perhaps it was referring to someone donning the Mythosaur signet,” the deep, modulate voice states.

Din turns his head as the man gestures to his left pauldron, immediately recognizing him as Paz Vizsla, another survivor of his tribe.

“You and how many of your vode claim the same symbol?” Din questions gesturing to the men and women behind him, his brothers and sisters by Creed. “Maybe it refers to the pendant given to me by my buir, which is now in the care of my foundling.”

Behind Din, Boba huffs and grumbles, “The fate of Mandlore rests in the hands of a little green baby.”

“Or, better yet,” Din continues, “maybe the rise of the mythosaur is a metaphor for the rise of the Mandalorian people.”

“Maybe the Darksaber belongs in someone else’s hands,” Paz threateningly suggests.

“Maybe,” he responds, staring into Paz’s T-shaped visor, unthreatened by the fact he still hides behind his mask.

“It was forged by my ancestor, founder of House Vizsla,” Paz suggests bluntly.

There’s no sense in arguing it’s history. All that matters to Din right now is the present. “And now, it belongs to me.”

“Because you won it in combat,” Paz leads.

Din is fully aware of where this is going. “That’s right.”

“Now, I will win it from you, and restore the blade back to my clan where it belongs. They will not suffer further shame of seeing it wielded by an apostate.”

Anger thrums in his veins. It’s senseless to be fighting right now. Time is of the essence, and if they further divide themselves, they have no chance of stopping the Empire.

“Din Djarin, you have been challenged to a duel,” the Armorer speaks, making it clear there is no other way out of this. “Do you accept?”

Din swallows his frustration, knowing he can’t back down. It would make him look weak, and cause people to question the legitimacy of his rule. He has no choice but to say, “I do.”

The Armorer moves away from Paz, joining the other Mandalorians as they back away to make more room for a duel.

Paz moves to remove his jetpack.

Din dons his helmet before following suit. Taking the jetpack in his hands, he turns toward Bo-Katan. They stare at one another for a moment before she takes his jetpack in her hands, nodding her head once as a seal of approval. He turns and takes steps away before turning back toward Paz, eyeing him down from several feet across the field.

Reaching behind, Din unhooks the Darksaber from his utility belt before bringing it around in front of him. Grasping the hilt firmly with both hands, he ignites the blade, glowing and humming as it’s always done. In his focus on Paz, patiently awaiting his move, he doesn't notice how light the weight is.

Paz draws a vibroblade from his utility belt before activating a Personal Combat Shield from his left gauntlet. Although many spectators scoff at his decision to bring a knife to the swordfight, Din does not underestimate him. Years of fighting him as a young man, he is fully aware of his potential and the fact that he is much bigger than him.

The Darksaber hums in front of Din as he takes the first step forward. Paz mirrors him, moving to meet his opponent. When they meet halfway, Din quickly slashes the saber and hits his opponent’s shield, sending sparks as they clash. Paz takes the opportunity to stab his vibroblade toward Din, aiming for a gap in his armor between his chest and shoulder, and finding it. Stunned by the blow, Din drops his guard and grunts in pain, allowing him to be pushed backwards by the force of Paz digging his blade further into his skin.

Paz doesn’t back off, reminding Din that this isn’t a childish game they’re playing or even a testosterone-fueled challenge. This is real, and Paz will kill him if given the opportunity.

Pushing the pain out of his mind, Din lifts the saber up toward Paz’s right arm, but the latter swipes his shield down, meeting the blade with a shower of more sparks as he pushes the tip away from him and toward the floor. This gives Paz the opportunity to thrust his shield upward, hitting Din’s helmet and knocking him back.

Din quickly recovers, tearing the saber down onto Paz’s shield, pushing his foe’s arm down until he has no choice but to disengage the shield, causing the saber to bounce off his vambrace. Din cuts from the other side, but Paz deflects the blade with the armor on his arm, hitting with such intensity that the sword bounces backwards.

Paz lunges the vibroblade toward Din's side, but Din bends just enough so the knife catches metal, forcing Paz to punch him with his left arm before raising the vibroblade above his head, ready to stab. Din holds the saber up in defense and when Paz thrusts down, the blade of the Darksaber cuts his in two. He stares at the useless hilt in shock before dropping it to the ground, leaving him vulnerable to Din, who elbows him right in the visor, stunning him once more.

Din moves to swing the saber, but Paz stops him by grabbing ahold of the hilt, and the two struggle to take sole possession of it, the glowing blade separating them. Paz tries to push it toward Din. Unable to overcome his opponent’s strength, Din is at least able to push the saber sideways. With the light no longer between them, Din takes advantage of the moment and headbutts Paz before twisting his body and elbowing him, sending him backwards.

Din, whose hands alone are on the saber, swings up at Paz, hitting his chestplate, the blow sending him further back. When he swings the blade once more, Paz ducks just in time, causing him to miss. Finally, Din hacks at Paz, who catches the blade with his gauntlets, his knees bending to a squatting position as Din pushes him down. Unfortunately, though, Paz is far stronger than Din.

Grunting, Paz begins to overpower him, slowly rising as he pushes the Darksaber back.

Din sees an opportunity. He swings a leg, kicking Paz’s feet out from under him, causing him to fall to his knees. In a flash, he spins behind the larger man, wraps his left arm to grab his chestplate, then brings the Darksaber’s blade to his neck and holds it there, keeping him mere inches from death.

“Enough!” Bo-Katan bellows.

Din’s chest heaves as he struggles to catch his breath, exhausted by the exertion. Though he doesn’t immediately remove the weapon from Paz’s neck, he can feel the man relax in his hold, knowing he has been spared.

“If we waste all our energy fighting amongst ourselves, then we’ll have no chance of getting our homeworld back,” Bo-Katan continues, looking at The Armorer. “Is that what we want? To leave here and return to living like animals, fearing being hunted down for slaughter? Is that how warriors should live?”

The Armorer steps forward, looking at the two men. After a moment, she nods. “It is done. The blade has deemed him worthy.”

Deactivating the saber, Din releases Paz, who falls forward on his hands and knees. Returning the saber to its place on his belt, he steps in front of his former foe.

Paz pushes himself up to his knees and looks at the man spared his life, watching as Din holds out his hand. After a moment, he grasps it and is pulled to his feet.

“N’eparavu takisit,” the larger man extends, words Din was no stranger to but had never heard from his mouth before. I eat my insult.

Din nods in response, a sign of acceptance, then releases the man’s hand. His heart in his mouth, he turns toward the other Mandalorians, their eyes glued to him as he looks across them.

“Mando’ade,” he addresses the crowd, and they stand at attention. The moment the word slips out of his mouth, he starts to regret it. All those words he had planned to say to them on the flight to Lothal have long since faded from his memory. He looks behind him, seeing Bo-Katan, Fennec, and Boba. They each encourage him to continue in their own subtle ways, but none of them can offer the support he’s looking for. None of them are you. But he knows you believe in him, and for now, that’s enough.

Din returns his attention to the crowd. “I am no stranger to the fact that the rule of the last Mand’alor ended in tragedy,” he begins. “But we did not lose our planet because anyone lost their way. We lost our planet because of the Empire, and we allowed them to triumph over us because we allowed our clans to be divided. We allowed differences to tear us apart when they should’ve been used to make us stronger. Our strength once lied in our numbers. But now, it must lie with our unity.”

He takes a deep breath, knowing what he says next might be controversial. “Having the belief that one way of life is better than another is the highest form of arrogance and will no longer be tolerated. At the end of the day, no matter one’s beliefs, all must bow before the true master of the universe: death.”

To his surprise, he isn’t met with dissent, only silence as they continue to listen.

“We are born to die. We live to be remembered. How can we truly live if all we do is hide in the shadows? Our way of life is spoken of as if it no longer exists. In the eyes of the aruetisse, we were exterminated by the Empire. But we cannot be exterminated – because we are more than just a people or an army. We are a culture. We are an idea. You can kill a few people, but you cannot kill an idea.”

“Should we continue to hide in fear? To permit our enemy to go unpunished for their atrocities? To allow the deaths of our fallen to go unavenged?” Din asks rhetorically. “No. We cannot. We will not. We will go into battle, accompanied by the spirits of millions of warriors - our murdered fathers and mothers, our slain brothers and sisters, our slaughtered children and friends. We will snuff out what remains of the Empire, bring salvation to our people, and teach the galaxy that the true secret of power isn’t strength, but resilience. Mandalorians are resilient. In the same way that the imperfections and weaknesses of beskar are hammered out and forged into indestructibility, so have we been hammered, pierced, and battered, only to become stronger.”

“I am aware that this is a big ask. No one should feel obligated to follow, and anyone who does not wish to do so will be no less honorable. With that, I ask: are you with me?”

At first, the question is met with silence. Taking a slow look at the crowd, Din looks for any sorts of reaction, waiting with baited breath.

After several moments, someone clad in green and orange trimmed armor steps forward, standing at the very front of the crowd.

“Clan Eldar is with you,” the man speaks before taking a knee.

Din is stunned yet relieved, quietly releasing the breath he had been holding.

A woman in red and gold armor follows suit. “Clan Awaud is with you.”

From Clan Bralot to Clan Reeves, Clan Rook to Clan Sharratt, numerous clans pledge their allegiance, filling Din with pride and relief. Is this really happening? Are the clans finally willing to reunite?

Paz is one of the final few to speak, pledging the allegiance of Clan Vizsla, leaving the Armorer standing beside him. She looks at him, seeming to carefully choose her words.

“For too long we have lived in the shadow of fear cast by our enemies,” she states. “Many of which we created ourselves.” Her head subtly turns to Bo-Katan then back to Din. “Clan Kast is with you.” She kneels before him, the once-leader now a follower.

Finally, a woman steps forward, passing all of her kneeling brethren to meet the new leader. Her gray and pale-yellow helmet sits tucked in her arm, displaying the wing-like design on the top prominently, the obviously avian-inspired visor angled like Bo-Katan’s. Her armor is weathered, lacking both a signet and iron heart – the small lozenge-shaped piece of armor at the juncture of the breastplates. Her age is apparent by the wrinkles beneath her brown eyes and hints of grays streaking her dark hair.

The woman holds herself proudly as she looks at Din and says, “Clan Wren is with you.”

She moves to kneel, but Din stops her, questioning in confusion, “Clan Wren?”

Looking up at Din, she seems unsurprised that he doubted her. “I am Ursa Wren. Your confusion is undoubtedly a result of my daughter. You’ll recall meeting her here, on this very planet.”

“Sabine,” he breaths.

Ursa nods. “She has a good heart filled with good intentions, but she does not speak for the clan. I do…and we always protect our own. I once said that Mandalore needs chaos if it’s to become strong once again, and so that we may find a leader worthy of our people. What happened wasn’t exactly the chaos I meant, but I trust you are the leader the planet and its people have always needed. This will be the war to end all wars, so what’s one more?”

“The data and intel provided by Dr. Pershing, a scientist serving the Imperials, pinpoints the exact location of Gideon’s holdout,” Bo-Katan announces. A holographic model of the planet they’ll soon invade glows in front of the still-gathered group of Mandalorians. “The security squad is held up here, near the dome that holds Sundari. Coordinates have been uploaded to your helmet targeting systems”

Her news is accompanied by a mixture of concerned and excited murmurs. Sundari. The bio-cube city that once housed the capital of Mandalore. While many had merely heard the stories of its splendor, others once called it home.

“We have been divided into several units,” she continues, gently reminding the army that there is a job to be done. “A team led by Woves and Reeves will fly in with the lambda shuttle disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, will land on the planet and immediately engage. They will rush ahead and clear a path for when the rest of us land. Ursa Wren has volunteered to command the stolen lightcruiser. Those of you with flight experience will be assigned to fly TIE Fighters and hit them high while providing covering fire for the troops on the ground. Meanwhile, those of us with ships will be led by Din, Fett, and myself as we first handle the fighter attacks.”

Din stands with his hands on his hips, listening as Bo-Katan lays out the rest of the plans. His eyes wander to a ship sitting across the field along with the others – an N-1 starfighter. It was the craft Bo-Katan had offered him while finalizing plans before presenting them.

“It’s the fastest ship in the fleet,” she insisted.

“I don’t know, Kryze.” He had been hesitant, unsure if war was the right to time to try out a new ship.

“You’re a fair pilot,” she insisted.

“Depends who you ask.”

In the end, he agreed to fly the ship.

Now, he stares at the starfighter, a sleek single-pilot craft that demonstrates the marriage of art and function known to Naboo technology and culture. It’s buffed chromium finish glints in the sun.

For some reason, Din instantly despised the ship, knowing it belonged to the Royal Naboo Security Forces. Those ships could protect their queen, yet they couldn’t protect their citizens. At least not those of Aq Vetina, and certainly not the day the Seperatists attacked. Would things have been different had someone saved them that day? Certainly, he wouldn’t be here now, waging a war for a people he once didn’t belong to, a people who orchestrated the aforementioned attack. However, he never would’ve met you either…

“Once we are on the ships, do not break transceiver silence unless absolutely necessary,” Bo-Katan warns, bringing Din back to the present. “We cannot risk alerting the Imperials to our locations.”

“You are only as strong as the warrior standing beside you. Keep an eye on your ammunition and each other,” Din advises. “Everybody goes home.” Wherever that may be once this is over…

Din closes the briefing with one final word of encouragement. “Ib’turry jatne tuur ash’ad kyr’amur.” It’s a good day for someone else to die.

He is met with cheers, the others filled with a fire to fight.

You are sweltering in the scorching sun of Nevarro. The only thing shielding you from its harsh rays is the dark brown fibers of Din's flightsuit, one of the few garments that hasn't grown uncomfortably tight in one place or another. The smell of metal, leather, and smoke push past the smells of sulfur and fuel in the air, blending together with the ghost of a simple cologne, condensing into a warm, woodsy, sensual, sweet, and wild aroma - one that is uniquely Din.

It’s difficult not to think of him. Kneeling on the hot metal of Slave II, trying to remove and replace worn screws on the port side stabilizer, you can almost feel his presence. You imagine him leaning with his arm against the door frame of the ship, one hand on his hip, his eyes hidden behind his helmet but obviously locked on you, watching your every move. With a sigh, he’d ask, “What are you going to say I broke this time?”

“You didn’t break anything…yet,” you’d reply, mentally creating the scenario. “However, your negligence could've cost the ship one of its maneuvering thrusters, and given your proclivity for aerial gymnastics when flying, you wouldn't want to be without one.”

“Just negligent today? Sounds like I’m making progress.”

You wouldn’t be able to contain your smile, but would try to keep him from seeing it. “Says the man who recently handed Peli – what did she call it – an absolute mess?”

“You know she exaggerates.”

“And you know I’m not blind. If it was up to you, this ship would be held together with duratape and wishes.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have the parsec’s best mechanic with me to make sure-”

“Dank farrik!”

The words practically subconsciously escape your lips, snapping you back to reality. During your daydreaming, you applied too much torque while trying to remove a seized screw, causing the screw extractor to break. This simple mistake will make it more difficult to remove the screw you’re working on. Frustrated, you hurl the broken tool, hearing it thump as it lands somewhere in the sand beneath Slave II.

“Ugh!” you growl, falling back to sit on your heels. Closing your eyes, you pinch the bridge of your nose, willing yourself to not cry out of frustration and disappointment. It was a simple mistake, you remind yourself, one that even the most experienced mechanics make.

Reaching for another extractor from the toolbox beside you, you notice Greef heading your way, though you choose to ignore him, not really in the mood to socialize. Burying yourself in your work, you pretend that you don’t see him.

“You know,” Greef begins as he approaches you, “when I said to keep yourself busy, this isn’t exactly what I meant.”

The sound of his voice makes you grit your teeth for some reason, as if sandpaper is rubbing against your brain. “What did you mean then?” you question, unable to hide the annoyance in your voice. “That I should be off knitting a sweater?”

“No. No, of course not,” Greef immediately defends. “What I meant was… Well, I thought… Hell, I don’t know. I just don’t want you to work too hard.”

Before responding, you swipe the inside of your cheek with your tongue in annoyance. “Meaning, don’t overexert myself.”

“Yeah,” he responds cautiously. “Something like that.”

Rolling your eyes, which he is unable to see from his position, you indulge him with a single, hollow laugh. “I see.”

“Why don’t you let me help you take a load off? I can get my best people to take over while you rest for a spell.”

“I’m fine,” you reply without looking from your task. “Thanks.”

“You could go to the healing baths,” Greef suggests, showing he isn’t going to relent. He approaches the stabilizer, laying a hand on it. “It could help you relax.”

“What makes you think I’m not relaxed?”

The question catches him off guard. Instead of responding, he fires back with another question. “How about a bite to eat? It’s on me. I insist.”

Anger rises in you like a tide, but you try to keep it in check. “I’ve already eaten.”

“Can I at least offer you a drink?”

“I can’t drink, Greef.”

“I know that. I meant water.”

You gesture to the canteen propped against the ship. “My canteen is full.”

He finally falls silent, but you sense that he is frustrated, supported by the exasperated sigh and the sound of a foot shifting in the sand.

“Look, I know that you’ve got a lot going on right now. You didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter, and I’m sorry for that… But beating yourself up won’t change anything.”

You pause briefly, reflecting on his words, but immediately resume working on the screw that is giving you nothing but trouble. “I’m not beating myself up,” you contend.

“Oh, really?” he questions rhetorically, feigning surprise. “What do you call this?”

You don’t respond. What do you call this?

“You’re angry and afraid, and you have every right to be,” Greef points out, causing you to laugh to yourself at the insanity. “But it doesn’t make sense for you to be out here working yourself to the bone. You’re tearing yourself down like you’re paying some sort of penance.”

“Maybe I am,” you reply, putting the tool in your hand down. Rising to your feet, you turn and look down at him. “Din is fighting a war, putting his life on the line, for me. I didn’t stop him. I encouraged him. He left while I stayed. That is my sin…and this is my penance. To remain here, with a constant reminder of him and his sacrifices.”

Greef looks up at you from the ground below, softening as he realizes that you are, in fact, hurting. “It isn’t your fault, sweetheart. Din is waging a war because, whether he believes it or not, he’s a leader, and his people – hell, the entire galaxy – are in danger. The New Republic has turned a blind eye to the Imps for far too long. Din has taken on a big risk, knowing he might fall, but that is the burden he bears as ruler of a planet.”

A mixture of emotions spread through you, and you can no longer contain them. “And what about me? Am I supposed to just sit around and wait?” You shake your head. “I-I can’t. I cannot. I will not. I have to do something, anything to keep busy. Every hour, every minute that goes by with no news feels like an eternity. You’re right: I’m scared, I’m angry, but mostly I feel so kriffing helpless. There is nothing I can do right now to help, but if I’m still for even a moment, my thoughts consume me. So please, I’m begging you, leave me alone and let me do the one damn thing I know I can do.”

He seems taken aback by your sudden outburst, so much so he doesn’t immediately respond. Wanting to go back to ignoring everything, you kneel back down on the stabilizer and grab the extractor.

“You know…that husband of yours told me you’re an excellent sabacc player.”

With a weary sigh, you begin, “Greef-”

“Life is like a game of sabacc, don’t you think?” he asks, leaving you confused. “You cannot change the cards you are dealt, just how you play the hand. Just because you’ve been dealt a crappy hand doesn’t mean you can’t bluff your way into winning the pot. Despite the odds, Din has gone all-in. That’s how he is: he never backs down from a challenge.”

Staring out into the rolling black sea of Nevarro's desert, you remain silent, unable to argue his point. He’s right. Din doesn’t let odds scare him.

“What about you?” Greef prompts. "I didn’t peg you as the type that would fold at the slightest possibility of defeat.”

“That’s my secret,” you reply quietly, a hint of a smile on your face as you look at him. “I never fold.”

Greef chuckles, completely unsurprised, having seen your tenacity before.

“But I also never bet more than I can stand to lose.”

“I understand,” he responds. “I’m not much of a gambling man – not anymore at least - but if there’s one thing I’m willing to put my credits on, it’s Din. He’s never let me down – not once. Yeah, he comes back with a few dings and a busted ship from time to time, but he always comes back. He will never let you down either, and worrying…well, it’s just betting against him.”

You smile, but it fades just as quickly as it appeared. “I know he’s capable. But I also know what the Empire is capable of.”

The man shrugs. “The Empire isn’t what it used to be.”

“I know. That’s the hope I’m holding onto.” Sighing, your gaze falls to the ground. “I know everything will work out. I’m just not ready to accept the possibility that it may not work out the way I want it to.”

“There's no need to accept anything right now, but you also shouldn't let it weigh you down."

“Maker knows I have enough weighing me down right now,” you mutter, gesturing to your growing abdomen.

“Oh, hush,” Greef utters, causing you to smile. “If you really want me to leave you to it, then I will.”

“Leave me to it?” you question. “I thought food is on you?”

Greef laughs, holding out his hand to help you down from the stabilizer. “The offer still stands.”

“Thank you.” You grab his hand then delicately hop to the ground. “Let me just grab something.”

Carefully, you sink to your knees then edge under Slave II, ignoring Greef’s protests that you shouldn’t be crawling around.

“Honestly, Greef, if I had a credit for every time-” you begin, but immediately fall silent.

Your eyes catch sight of an object fixed to the underside of the ship. Narrowing your eyes both in confusion and to hone in your vision, you realize that it’s something not meant to be there. The metal object is round and small, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. You’ve seen ones like it before, even removed them from numerous of ships to their crew’s surprise. But it couldn’t be…could it?

Oh, shit…

The homing beacon doesn’t seem to be activated at the moment, its red lights not currently blinking, but who’s to say it’s never been on? How long has it been here, and who could want to track the ship?

“What is it?” Greef asks, obviously concerned by your suddenly silence. He peeks beneath the ship. “Is something wrong?”

Stunned, you don’t immediately respond, fear gripping your throat and tightening it. Swallowing, you say, “I think someone just accidentally revealed their hand.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Anxiously pacing Greef’s office, there are thousands of questions flying around in your head, each bookended by another string of fucks as you realize you don’t have any answers. Meanwhile, Greef stands with his hands on his hips, staring puzzledly at the tracking device on his desk, listening as you ramble on between asking him questions that he couldn’t answer even if he tried.

Who could’ve done this? What do they know? How long have they been tracking the ship? Had the Crest been bugged too? Is that how the Empire found Grogu on Tython?

“I mean, what if it’s the Imps?” you ask aloud, but give Greef no time to answer. “It has to be the Imps, right? What if Gideon knows exactly where Din is right now, knows exactly when the Mandalorians are going to strike? What if they stop their ships before they even get to Mandalore?”

“Now, calm down,” Greef suggests, finally able to get words in. “You’re jumping-”

You whip around faster than a ship jumping into hyperspace, and in that moment, Greef knew he messed up. “Calm down? Calm down?! It was bad enough that the Imps knew we were planning an attack, but for them to know Din’s location? No. I-I can’t ignore this. I have to do something.” You place a hand on your head as you walk away, trying to think. “I-I have to call him. He needs to know what’s going on.”

Greef is, somehow, able to remain levelheaded. “Sending him a signal could give away their position and bring the Empire right to them.”

Slower this time, you turn back to him. “You keep assuming they don’t already have it.”

“It’s still a risk,” Greef sternly reminds you. “If you’re wrong about this…”

“I’m not wrong,” you reply adamantly. “We came straight here from Tatooine, where the ship had been inspected and repaired by someone I trust with my life. She would’ve mentioned if there was a homing beacon on the ship. So, unless the tracker was floating around freely in space and magically stuck to the underside of the ship while traveling in hyperspace, someone on Nevarro installed that device. Someone wanted to track Din leaving this planet and flying to Mandalore.”

“But who?”

“My first thought was Bo-Katan,” you reply, knowing it doesn’t make sense even as you say it. “Maybe Din was right. Maybe she’s betraying him. But she knew he would be leaving the planet with her. Why would she put it on a ship that wasn’t going with them?”

“So, it has to be someone else,” Greef speculates aloud.

“Yes. Someone is also feeding information to Gideon. It’s how he found out about our plans, about…everything. It has to be the same person, right? In which case, this person likely has been following us ever since we landed. It has to be someone who’s been here the whole time.”

“Damn,” Greef utters. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really thought I had turned this place around.”

Shaking your head, you don’t accept this apology. “It’s not your fault.”

“Still. I promised you protection. I promised Din that you would be safe here. And you’re telling me we have some sort of spy among us?” He shakes his head, then walks over to the window looking out to the market. “How do we know this person isn’t following you now? Isn’t listening in on us this very moment?”

“I don’t know,” you reply bluntly. The thought that this very room isn’t safe is one you’d already thought of, but didn’t dare speak, knowing the implications. “But if your office is bugged, then Din and every person with him is as good as dead. Gideon will know everything. Every strategy that was discussed…he’ll know.”

Greef slowly turns to you, his face filled with horror. “Well, what are you waiting for?” he asks. “I’ll get on my subspace radio. You get on the Mythrol’s computer station. Make every damn attempt you can think of to contact him before it’s too late.”

“Anything?” you question Greef, staring at the computer station in front of you while playing with the pendant around your neck, anxiously running it back and forth along the chain.

“Nothing.”

“From anyone?”

“No one.”

“Dank farrik!” you swear. “Why is no one answering?” The two of you had sent a mixture of messages and holograms to both the lambda shuttle and Boba’s ship. You’ve been fighting a rising panic as each passing moment gave you nothing but silence, but it’s starting to come to a head.

“You and I both know that messages can be delayed for hours,” Greef gently reminds you from across the room. “And that’s if their communications haven’t been jammed in some way. We just don’t know.” “We don’t have hours, Greef,” you reply sharply, your voice edged with fear. “Every minute, every second counts.” The elder man places his hands on his hips, then looks down, as if he’s trying to think. A second later, he shakes his head. “I’m out of ideas.” You take one last look at the computer system, your eyes quickly scanning the screen. Nothing. Then, you push yourself away from the Mithrol’s work station. “I can’t just sit here and wait.”

Greef move from behind his desk, following you as you heard toward the door. “Where are you going?

You turn to him, lifting your head and standing tall, though you’re trembling on the inside. “Mandalore.”

Greef’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “Are you crazy?”

“Probably. But this may be the only way to get my husband home safely.”

His fists return to his hips. “At least tell me you have a plan.”

“No,” you reply honestly, haven’t had to time to even think this through. “If I’m lucky, I’ll run across Din along the way. Otherwise…” You shrug. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m good at thinking on my feet.”

Greef shakes his head. “I don’t think you should go. Din left you here for a reason. He doesn’t want you hurt.”

You’re taken aback, and look at him as you smelled something putrid. “What am I supposed to do? Let him die?”

“No. Let him do his job,” Greef replies. “He can handle it.”

“It’s a job he didn’t even want!” you exclaim, defending your decision. “I accepted that Din is putting his life at risk, that he may not come back from this. But I cannot and will not be able to live with myself if he dies and I did nothing to try to save him. I need to know that I tried.”

“You did try,” he assures you.

“Not hard enough,” you contend. “I don’t care what it takes, but I will find him.” There is determination in your eyes as you glare at him, the strength in your heart far outweighing any fear. “I have to go. I’m wasting valuable time.”

You turn to leave, but Greef is quick to place himself between you and the door. Huffing, you stop.

“I can’t let you go,” he says.

Throwing daggers from your narrowed eyes, you warn, “Don’t make me stun you, Greef.”

Breath held without thinking, the suspended air caught at the top of your throat, you exchange glares. Your heart races against your chest, a mixture of rage, fear, and frustration stirring within you.

After a moment, Greef lowers his head and lets out a puff of air that sounds like laughter. “He warned me you’d say that.”

Confusion washes over you. “What do you mean?”

“When Din made me promise that I’d keep you safe, he also warned me that once your mind is made up, it’s damn near impossible to stop you,” Greef reveals. “He fully expected you to try to leave, and I am supposed to do whatever I can to stop you, but we all know there is no keeping you two apart.”

Hanging your head, you try to hide the small smile stretching across your face. “Unbelievable,” you utter.

“Your armor is in the cargo hold of the ship,” he adds, but is met with silence, you trying to process everything. “Are you sure about this?”

Looking up, you nod. “I am.”

Greef stands still, seeming at war with himself. Although he doesn't want you to go, for the same reasons Din didn't want you to go, he knows that it’s settled, and that you are right: if something happens, there’s no way you could live with yourself. And Greef would hate himself for not letting you go.

“Take care of yourself,” he offers.

Confidently, you reply, “I will.”

“You know what they say: buy’ce olar, kar’ta ogir.” Helmet on, heart gone.They were the final words Boba spoke to Din before donning his helmet and disappearing inside Slave I. Words, no doubt, he learned from his Mandalorian father.

From the moment Din put on his own helmet, his mind focuses only on flying the N1-Starfighter, needing to learn and understand the ship before entering the anticipated firefight. The ride is a bit bumpy at first, but soon smooths out as he becomes more familiar with the snappy controls. Adrenaline surges through his veins, and for a moment the excitement of being in control of something so fast and agile makes him forget everything.

Wizard, he thinks with boyish delight. I can’t wait to tell-

His heart drops, remembering that he wasn’t immediately returning to you.

Sighing, he engages the autopilot, leaving it to navigate through hyperspace, allowing him to release his hold on the controls. It’s very clear that no matter how hard he tries, no matter how many lightyears away you may be, you’ll always find a way to sneak into his brain.

He removes his right vambrace, allowing it to fall into his lap, then folds up his glove, giving him an unobstructed view of the bracelet that you had wrapped around his wrist.

“You can give it back to me when I see you again. Deal?”

He thinks of you, remembering how beautiful you looked the night you gave it to him. How your voice cracked with unspilt tears when you spoke. How you smelled of sweat and sex with a hint of vanilla. How your taste remained on your lips – salty yet sweet. How warm your body and how soft your lips felt pressed against his own.

He feels, once more, incredibly lonely. For a moment, he even dares to regret leaving you behind, wondering if you will, somehow, provide more of a distraction apart than if you were here. He spent so long in the mindset that love is a weakness, that his feelings cloud his mind and makes him less of a warrior, but he has come to see that it’s wrong. Love makes him stronger. It drives him forward not just as a better man, but a better soldier. A better Mandalorian.

You are here, Din thinks. In a way he’s right; you’d never left him. The bracelet. His mind. His heart. His soul. He can feel you there with him, and the thought makes him smile.

But the thought is fleeting, replaced with a sneaking suspicious that something isn’t right. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but his stomach lurches, telling him something is off.

May this is how you feel as you lead hundreds to war?

A beep from the autopilot alerts him to prepare to drop out of hyperspace. He rolls up his glove, tucking the bracelet beneath in for safekeeping. Then he repositions his vambrace and locks it into place. Moments later, he drops from hyperspace, entering the Mandalore system, mentally reciting, Helmet on, heart gone.

She is safe.

Leaving Greef behind in his office, you rush to the outskirts of town,your mind swirling as you command the ramp of Slave II to drop from your wrist comm.

Am I really doing this? Am I really this kriffing crazy?

As you seal the ship and impatiently wait for the lifttube doors to open, hitting the button multiple times, you don’t notice anything amiss. Your mind is still running with a mixture of fear and excitement, trying to think of everything you need to do to prepare on the flight to Mandalore.

Finally gaining access to the next level, you move to the second lifttube. Hitting the button for access up to the bridge, you’re frustrated when it doesn’t immediately open, just like the other door.

“Oh, come on!” you exclaim, irritated.

You hear the liftube moving down, and are immediately suspicious as you realize there’s no reason for it to already be at the bridge level since there’s no exit up there. There’s no reason the lift should be up there…unless…

Something isn’t right…

Taking a step into the tube, you begin to feel like you’re not alone on the ship. Reach for your blaster, your index finger naturally extends along the outside of the holster, in perfect position to find the trigger if necessary.

Your heart beats rapidly against your chest, telling you to run, but you ignore it, pressing the button to take you up to the bridge. Milliseconds before the door opens, you draw your weapon, finding yourself staring down the barrel of a blaster held by a Mimbanese man.

The mechanic.

Realization shoots across your face. Everything adds up. The numerous times you caught this same man watching you and Din. Always feeling like a pair of eyes were on you. Gideon having information only you and Din knew and discussed only amongst yourselves.

The Mimbanese are experts in camouflage. How easy was it for him to hide and listen in on your conversations? How easy was it for him to hide in plain sight? As a mechanic, no one would bat an eye if he was lurking around the ship, seeming like he was making repairs.

“It’s you,” you utter, shaking your head in disbelief. How did you not put the pieces together sooner? “You’re the Imperial spy.”

{Next}

A/N:

There are theories that the Armorer is Rook Kast, the leader of the Mandalorian Super Commandos - Mandalorian soldiers who served the Sith Lord Maul during the Clone Wars. She was last seen being captured by Bo-Katan. If Rook somehow escaped, it would make sense for her to run away to Concordia, where Mandalorian warriors had been exiled, and live in hiding. Hence, I hint that she is Rook Kast in this story because why not? I figured it would be a fun little Easter Egg.

It was also fun to include Ursa Wren as well. She was a member of Death Watch but deserted and allied with the Nite Owls under Bo-Katan. She helped take down Maul and the Shadow Collective's Super Commandos. During the Imperial Era, she sided with the Empire, but she was betrayed by Gar Saxon, who wanted to exterminate Clan Wren and even tried to kill Ursa with the Darksaber. Sabine won the Darksaber from Gar Saxon, then Ursa killed him, reconciled with her daughter, and agreed to help find a worthy leader for Mandalore. She pledged allegiance to Bo-Katan.

{Next}

#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian #pedro pascal #din djarin #the mandalorian x female reader #the mandalorian fandom #another way #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x f!reader #the mandalorian x you #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro stories

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thesims4blogger · 8 years ago

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The Sims 4: New Game Patch (January 12th. 2017)

Remove all MODS and Custom Content before updating your game!

Update: 01/12/2017 – PC Version 1.26.96.1010 / Mac Version 1.26.96.1210

Hey Simmers and Simmodlers,

What’s New?

Toddlers.

Wait you skipped right to the what’s ne… what the whaaat?! Toddlers? Toddler toddlers… toddlers? Um, did you just say toddlers?

Perhaps. But the long standing ‘no talk’ of toddlers talk may be toddler blocking me. And, as such I can neither confirm nor deny their tiny toddler toddling presence in this release. I can however, say that any resemblance to a toddler in this toddler release is purely todd-idental… ler.

I am also required by the Toddler Coalition for the Betterment and Care of Toddlerhood to provide a few disclaimers:

For you and your toddler’s safety, please keep all toddlers at least 5 feet from all toddler messaging about toddlers.

In case of fire do not break glass, but grab the nearest toddler and exit the building in an orderly fashion.

Also, for a toddler lasting more than 9 days, turn aging on.

Batteries not included, so feed your toddler.

For identification purposes, this is a toddler: o>-<

Once safe, please take a moment to find the toddlers parents if the toddler was not yours.

Not actual size

Well whew! We’ve just had 24 toddlers already born in these release notes (make that 25). I feel there may be more toddlers on the way… so Woohoo*!

*Woohoo will not directly produce a toddler, but provide for the groundwork for a future toddler.

Argh! So… TELL ME ABOUT TODDLERS already!!!

Ok, ok alright. All things Toddlers…

Let’s start with

“How do you get a Toddler”?

Add your toddler in Create a Sim!

You can add them to a new or existing household through Create a Sim. And customize them as you would any other Sim:

Ok, now that the Caregiver bit is over with… let’s get into the other customization options.

Select their voice, gender, and ASSIGN A RELATIONSHIP

Sorry for the caps, but this is kind of important. Toddlers have a special relationship with caregivers.

Mothers, brothers, fathers, sisters, or anyone you choose via the in game interaction Adopt as Caregiver (found under the toddlers Help… interaction menu) are caregivers.

Being a Caregiver will ensure that the caregiver Sim cares for the toddler, while other Sims may be less inclined to answer the crying calls of your average toddler.

8 new traits to pick from!

Presets for the various toddler body and head parts to assist in your customization, as well as the same ability to modify the body and face parts that other Sims have.

All the same skin tones as adults (yes, Aliens too!)

Plenty of Styled Looks to choose from.

And of course all the usual stuff…

Angelic, Fussy, Silly, Charmer, Independent, Wild, Clingy, and Inquisitive

Does it make sense that that toddler wears an alien sized diaper?

No, no it doesn’t. But, it’s really cute!

Full body outfits, tops, bottoms, socks, leggings, and shoes.

Glasses, hats, hairs (and hair colors), freckles, and teeth.

Did we talk about the new teeth yet?

Yes, teeth for all ages! Head in to Create a Sim, click on your Sims head, click the Face category, and then Teeth to customize your Sims smile.

I like the braces.

Adopt your toddler!

Choose the Household… Adopt option on the computer, to adopt your very own toddler!

They come fully toddler-ized, ready for your snuggles.

Or, if you want to do things the old fashioned way, age up your baby!

It starts with… look it’s a birds and bees thing. There’s a flower, some pollen, and the bee… um, go ask your mom.

So, now you have a toddler…

How do you care for them?

Bathe, and Bubble Bathe them. Be aware of the possible splash back.

With a Potty Chair they can Go Potty, and Ask for Potty Help… or just use their diaper.

Sleep, Nap, Ask to be Read to Sleep or Tucked in, Sit and Chat all on a Toddler Bed.

Toddlers prefer the high chair where they can Ask for Food or Drink, and of course Eat.

Be hugged, snuggled, talked or played with, or listened to.

And of course, non-toddlers will have to Clean the Potty, and Change the Diaper.

But they may find their food more fun than edible.

And as they do ‘things’ they learn skills like communication, movement, thinking, imagination, and potty.

And their caregivers can be available to mentor and help them along.

But they want to have fun to, right?

Of course, and there are many ways for toddlers to have fun, or… not.

They can cry, laugh, yell, and throw a tantrum. Or babble in the mirror, tell stories, talk about dinosaurs, princesses, superheroes, parties, art, the day, their favorite animals, or just Ask Why… over and over and over.

Or play in things, find out what that is, splash in the toilet (hopefully you are a neat Sim), ask to be picked up, or talk to strangers (stranger danger).

Maybe they want to watch toddler videos, play Simshape or Blicblock Baby, draw with llama on the Wabbit Tablet. Or build a tower, study shapes, or ask others to help them build and study with the Nesting Blocks.

They can hit, hug, or talk to their giant stuffed animals.

Read or ask to be read a toddler book.

Look at flash cards, and learn animals, basic needs, letters, or objects.

Play with the toybox toys, and the dollhouse. Dance and listen to music (including the new Lullaby and Kids radio station).

Just to name a few…

Woah, ok… um, I hate to ask but can toddlers…

No, toddlers do not die. They are fireproof.

No, no... NO! I wasn’t… look, I just wanted to know can toddlers…

Yes, they can climb stairs, run and walk – but you’ll have to improve their movement skill.

Stop that, I just wanted to know can toddlers do anything else?

Yes, toddlers can…

…be your little sister or brother, son or daughter. Try your patience. Be loving but a handful. They can take all your time, or be ignored. They can travel with you, or go to daycare. Or you can stay at home, and hire a nanny. They can provide special moments for you and your Sims. And they can grow and learn, as they age up into children, teens, young adults, adults, and eventually elders. They can’t die, but they can be taken away. And ultimately, they can be part of your Sims family, and your stories.

Anything else?

Yes, in addition to toddlers, and I strongly suggest you pick up a couple of these if you intend to have a toddler, you can find the following items in Build Mode under the Kids Room sort (just click on the 3 blocks in the image):

2 Toddler Beds

3 High Chairs

Wabbit Tablet

Nesting Blocks

Chomper the Devourer toy box

A toddler sized Dollhouse

A Bookshelf and 12 toddler books

2 Potty Chairs

6 new toy box toys (bus, kitty, bear, ducky, butterfly, and Tentacle Tom)

And…

2 Curtains, 5 wall decals, a light for floors and a light for ceilings, a dresser, a rug, a wall shelf, an end table, a wall sculpture, a living chair, 4 decorated toddler doors, AND 7 walls and 2 floors.

That sure is a lot. Did you address any issues?

Just a couple, er some, er what is five in the verbal shorthand? And is couple really short for two? It has three extra letters. I’m so confused…

You can now use the Design Tool on a bassinet containing a baby, because sometimes your baby just doesn’t match your room.

Walls can now be built along all four edges of penthouse lots, rather than just three.

We addressed an issue that could cause the game to freeze while playing the Doctor Career or when hiring a Nanny in some languages.

Confident children will no longer get a whim to practice pick-up lines.

We addressed an issue that could cause doors to be stuck ajar.

And you can’t change the baby. Put down the baby safe paint and brush, and just back away.

*childish moment* Playing doctor, hehe.

Your door is ajar.

No, it’s a door.

And on that toddler’ish joke, that’s the update folks. In the time it took you to read these release notes, the following toddlers came to be in the Sims…

Abigail a toddler, Aidan a toddler, Alex a toddler, Alexander a toddler, Allison a toddler, Alyssa a toddler, Andrew a toddler, Anna a toddler, Anthony a toddler, Archer a hog of war, Ariana a venti-toddler, Ashley a toddler, Austin a toddler, Ava a toddler, Avery a toddler, Benjamin a toddler button, Brandon a toddler, Brayden a toddler, Brianna a toddler, Brian not a toddler because he turned aging off and stayed a baby, Caden a toddler, Caleb a toddler, Cameron a toddler, Chloe a toddler danced the tables, Christian a toddler, Christopher a toddler, Connor a toddler, Cruz a toddler, Daniel a toddler, David vs toddler-iath, Dylan a toddler, Elijah would a toddler?, Elizabeth a toddler, Ella a toddler, Emily a toddler, Emma a toddler, Ethan a toddler, Etta at last a toddler, Evan a toddler, Gabriel a toddler, Gavin a toddler, Grace a toddler, Hailey a toddler, Hannah a toddler and her sisters, Hunter a toddler, India a toddler, Isabella-watcha-doin-toddler, Isabelle a toddler, Jack o’toddler, Jackson a toddler, Jacob a climber, James a toddler, Jasmine a toddler, Jayden a toddler, John a toddler, Jonathan a toddler, Jordan a toddler, Joseph a toddler, Joshua a toddler, Julia a toddler, Kaitlyn a toddler, Katherine a toddler, Kayla a toddler, Kaylee a toddler, Kylie a toddler, Kyra a toddler, Lauren a toddler, Lily a toddler, Logan a toddler also known as James, Lucas a toddler, Luke – use the toddler, Mackenzie a toddler, Madeline a toddler made with flour, eggs, lemon, sugar, and vanilla, Madison a toddler and an avenue in a popular board game, Makayla a toddler, Mason a free-toddler, Matthew a toddler, Maya a toddler, Megan a toddler, Mia a toddler, Michael a toddler, Morgan a toddler, Natalie a toddler, Nathan an uncharted toddler, Nicolas a toddler, Noah a toddler on an ark, Olivia a toddler-newton-john, Owen a toddler, Plum a toddler, Rachel we miss you a toddler, Riley a toddler, Rosemary’s toddler, Ryan a toddler, Samantha b toddler, Samuel a toddler on snakes, Sarah a toddler, Savanna a plain toddler, Sean a toddler, Sophia a toddler, Sydney a toddler-mate, Taylor a toddler, Thomas a toddler, TK-421 a trooper, Toddler a toddler, Tyler a toddler, William a tell-toddler, Zachary a toddler, and Zoe a toddler.

We look forward to your stories, and we wonder who your toddler will be?

-SimGuruGnome’dler

#news #the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 #update #toddlers

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ecotone99 · 6 years ago

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[SF] My husband wrote a short story / play about a stormtrooper out of Star Wars and gave him a whole storyline. I think it’s incredible; but he’s too scared to share. So, enjoy!

Behind the Helmet

“You grew up wanting so bad to be Luke Skywalker, but you realize that you were basically a Stormtrooper, a faceless, nameless rifleman, carrying a spear for empire, and you start to accept the startlingly obvious truth that these are people like you.”

Daniel Crimmins from U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division

Author’s note:

Behind the Helmet was inspired by this quote by Daniel Crimmins, who is in the U.S. Army and is a Iraq War veteran. This quote was about how they had their 9/11 patriotism crushed & replaced with something that made them feel disgusting and hate themselves. So I started thinking: What about the Stormtrooper that started out wanting to do good, and found out that they were a part of something horrible? No one really ever focuses on the nameless Stormtroopers who die by the “good guys”. I found my focus drawn to one that appears in Star Wars: Episode IV, whose designation is TK-421, and is one of the only ones you hear in the movie. The only information about him is that he wasn’t at his post in the movie. I just wanted to give him a story, and also our own country’s people who serve, so that they aren’t just a number or a helmet. That they have their own dreams and ambitions and lives.

ACT ONE Scene One

Lights come on to a Clone Stormtrooper with the designation TK-421 standing center stage. He addresses the audience directly.

TK-421: I was born a clone, whose purpose was to fight, to be a soldier. All I’ve ever wanted was to be the best at what I did. To be the perfect soldier who makes a difference for the better. That’s how most soldiers start out, until they find out that they are just pawns in an evil man’s game of chess and that there is no such thing as killing for good. This is where I started in my mission to be the perfect soldier, right when I graduated from training and was about to go out into the real world. Oh, how young and naïve I was to think that I could make a difference by going to war.

Lights go dark.

Lights turn on to an open room with rows of seats that are filled with Clone troopers whose attention is on a podium in the front of the room. The room is filled with nervous chatter from all the newly graduated recruits. Among them is a young TK-421, at the age of twenty, who talks to his friends sitting near him.

TK-421: I can’t believe it’s finally here, after all these years, we’re finally done with training.

TK-422: Yeah, and you still can’t hit a target with your blaster.

TK-421: Well at least I know how to turn on my headset transmitter before a drill so I don’t end up by myself hiding in a bathroom stall.

TK-422: Hey, I told you, my transmitter was broken… and I was holding it all day.

(The small group of friends chuckle as the two poke fun at each other.)

An officer of the rank of Captain walks in to the room, to where all the Clone troopers come to attention. The officer walks to the podium and addresses the room.

Captain: Take your seats. I know this is a proud and exciting day for you all, but I want you all to remember that you are now going out into real battle zones and situations with real enemies that can, and will, kill you. This is where all your years of training will aid you and keep you alive if you keep it as instinct for you when you don’t know what to do. Now you all should be receiving your orders on where you will be stationed for your first command on your personal communicators momentarily. After you receive them, they will include information on what shuttles you are to board to the system you are stationed at. You will go straight there from here and all of your belongings will already be on the shuttle waiting for you. Now I wish you all luck with wherever you get stationed and with what you end up doing in your military careers and hope to see you all in the Fleet someday. Congratulations.

The room comes to attention as the Captain walks out of the room. Within seconds, the graduates’ personal communicators start beeping to inform them of their new orders. Everyone starts chatting and asking questions about each other’s orders and where they got stationed.

(TK-421 looks over at TK-422 as his personal communicator beeps.)

TK-421: So what did you get?

TK-422: Someone better be playing a joke on me, I’m not going to a planet where I have to talk to walking carpets.

TK-421: Does that mean Kashyyk or Endor?

TK-422: Kashyyk, if it was Endor, I would’ve said walking floor mats.

(TK-421 chuckles just as his personal communicator beeps.)

TK-422: I hope you got stuck with Hoth, so you have to freeze your butt off for 5 years.

TK-421: No, even worse, this armor is going to be a sweat suit with how humid it’s going to be.

TK-422: Ah, good ole’ Felucia. Not to mention the giant bugs and plants you have to deal with. That’s not that bad though.

(They start to argue about whose orders are worse when another graduate, who is wearing the designation TK-435, walks over to them.)

TK-435: So where did you two butt knuckles get stationed?

TK-422: What’s it to you 435? Need to know where to send us flowers?

(TK-421 chuckles at this and draws a glare from TK-435.)

TK-435: No, I just need to know where to send some extra blasters so that they can use them to finally shut you two up.

TK-422: Oh, is that because you can’t do it yourself?

TK-435: Shut up, just because you two got the top scores of the class doesn’t mean I can’t shoot you like anything else.

TK-421: Maybe, but that would mean that you’d have to figure out how to use the blaster first.

(TK-421 and TK-422 burst into laughter as TK-435 storms off.)

TK-422: I’m going to miss messing with 435.

TK-421: Yeah, same here. I think I’ll mainly miss just having you here to be my partner in crime though.

TK-422: Hey, it doesn’t mean we can’t still be stationed together later, or visit each other when we have leave.

TK-421: I know, it’s just that things are going to change so much after today, and I’m not sure that I want them to.

TK-422: Don’t worry, you’re going to do great in whatever comes, you always do. Just like how you got top of the class all these years. I’m sure you’ll probably tame all the giant dragonflies by the time you’re done there or something crazy like that.

TK-421: And I’m sure you’ll still have at least one of your arms left when you leave Kashyyk.

(They both chuckle a bit. Then an announcement goes out over the speakers that it’s now time to board the shuttles to their assigned systems.)

TK-422: Well I guess this is it.

TK-421: Yup, I guess so.

TK-422: Don’t be a stranger now and make sure to keep in contact.

TK-421: Oh please, I don’t think I’m the one we have to worry about with that here.

TK-422: That’s true, you are always on top of things like that. Well I guess I’ll see you around then.

TK-421: Yeah, see you. And good luck out there. They both walk away from each other and head towards opposite doors. Just as they’re about to exit the room, they turn and look at each other and give a little salute, then walk out.

The lights go dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: Little did I know that that would be the last time I see or hear from him for 15 years.

Scene Two

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: When you’re in training and you have to memorize all these orders, just in case you have to execute them for crazy situations; And you memorize one that states: Kill all Jedi, you don’t actually think you’re going to have to do it. Why would you kill the peace keepers of the galaxy? But, we aren’t allowed to question what we do, we just do it.

Lights come up to what appears as being outside in a world that has giant plants and forms a type of jungle. On the right side of the stage is a small group of Clone troopers, and a Jedi Twilek, whose name is Aayla Secura, appears to be scouting to the left. The Clone troopers, with TK-421 among them, are in a circle talking when the commander’s personal holocommunicator beeps and he sees it’s the supreme chancellor.

Commander: Quiet up lads, it’s the Chancellor.

(The group falls silent as the Commander answers.)

Chancellor: Commander, it’s time, execute Order 66.

Commander: Yes, my lord.

(The call then hangs up and the Commander looks at his troops.)

TK-421: He can’t be serious can he?

Commander: If there’s anything the chancellor is, it’s serious.

TK-421: But why? Why would we have to do this? We can’t.

Commander: It doesn’t matter, we have to. We follow orders, and don’t question them. It’s what we were born to do.

(The group moves off over to the Jedi while TK-421 stands there, appearing to be too stunned to move.)

Commander: Miss Secura, we picked up movement on our radars east of here.

Aayla: Very well, let us head that way then.

(The group walks offstage with TK-421 still standing there. Then the noise of blasters and a thud like a body dropping is heard and TK-421 falls to his knees.)

The lights go dark. You hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: What could they have done to deserve this?

Scene Three

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice. TK-421: Three years it took before I finally felt human again after that day. I was reminded of who I was, by a girl I just happened to meet after I got stationed on Corruscant. The world that is one big city. A city of life. But even in a city of life, you can come very close to death. The lights come on to a hospital room. Nurses wheel in a gurney with an unconscious Stormtrooper on it and bring it to the middle of the room where they stop. A female doctor walks in to the room.

Doctor: What happened here?

Nurse: Blaster fire to abdomen.

Doctor: Some people just don’t know how to duck.

Nurse: Actually, they said that he jumped in front of it to save another soldier.

Doctor: Oh, now why would he do that? What’s his name?

Nurse: Doesn’t have one, he’s a clone. Guess they just call him TK-421.

(TK-421 starts to stir and groan on the gurney.) Doctor: TK-421, can you hear me?

TK-421: What happened? What happened to him, is he okay?

Doctor: Is who okay?

TK-421: The new kid, I told him to get down but he was in shock and wouldn’t listen. I had no other choice.

Nurse: He’s fine, he’s one of the guys that brought you in.

Doctor: Why would you jump in front of him like that?

TK-421: Guess I just wanted to do something that I could finally be proud of.

Doctor: Well that was very brave of you, stupid, but brave. You saved his life.

(TK-421 turns his head and looks at the Doctor.)

TK-421: You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

(The Doctor turns to the nurse.)

Doctor: Did they say if he hit his head?

Nurse: No, I don’t think so.

TK-421: Are you an angel?

Doctor: Must be the blood loss.

TK-421: I must know your name.

Doctor: If it will make you be quiet, it’s Kahlan. Please save your energy now.

TK-421: Kahlan, that’s beautif—

(TK-421 passes out midsentence.)

Kahlan: Okay, we need to hurry up and operate before he loses anymore blood.

(They wheel the gurney out of the scene.) Lights go dark.

Scene Four

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: That day that I almost died, I was reminded of what it was like to help someone. When I woke up from the surgery, I still thought the doctor was an angel. Maybe a guardian angel. Someone who helped people for a living. I had to see more of her. So that’s what I did, almost every day during my recovery, I would go back and find her and wait for her to get off her shift. Then we would just hang out and talk. I would learn more about her and what drives her to do what she does. She made me feel alive and like who I was meant to be. I didn’t want to lose her when I healed and had to leave. So we did what any two people in love and scared of being apart do.

The lights come on to a small wedding chapel with TK-421 standing at the front next to a minister. He’s looking down the aisle as Kahlan walks up to the two.

Kahlan: Did you really have to wear your uniform?

TK-421: It’s a tradition when we get married.

Kahlan: But why does it have to be white?

TK-421: Sorry, we don’t get to choose it.

Kahlan: Well I’m going to have to talk to them about it.

TK-421: Good luck with that. In the meantime, you ready to get married?

Kahlan: Absolutely.

(Smiling, they turn to the minister as he goes through the ceremony and comes to the end.)

Minister: TK-421, do you take Kahlan to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?

TK-421: I do.

Minister: Kahlan, do you take TK-421 to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?

Kahlan: I do.

The lights go dark.

Scene Five

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: I always thought that when my mandatory 10 years would come that I would get out and know what I’d want to do. When it came though, I thought I could still do good and help by being a soldier. Kahlan thought I should get out and find what to do on my own. I wish I would’ve listened to her.

The lights come on to a small, nicely furnished room with some high ranking officers sitting at a desk. TK-421 enters the room and comes to attention before the officers. A Captain walks out in front of TK-421.

Captain: You know, I couldn’t believe it when I heard that it was you. I remember you from your training days, one of the best I’ve ever had. Glad to see you want to continue doing great things for the Empire for another 10 years. You’re one hell of a soldier.

TK-421: Thank you, I’m honored to, sir.

Captain: Now then, let’s get on with it.

(The Captain and TK-421 go through the re-enlistment ceremony.)

The lights slowly fade until it’s black.

Scene Six

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: When you marry a doctor, there’s this feeling that nothing will happen to them and that they’ll never get sick. Silly, I know. The lights come on to a hospital room. Kahlan is laying in the bed hooked up to machines with TK-421 next to her. A doctor walks in to the room.

Doctor: I’m sorry, Kahlan.

Kahlan: Just tell me, I can handle it.

Doctor: It’s just like you said…

Kahlan: Lung cancer…

Doctor: Yes, I don’t know how we didn’t catch it sooner. It’s already grown past the first stages of containment. I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

TK-421: But how can this happen? How can it be lung cancer?

Kahlan: It must have been from when I went to Nal Hutta for that trip to help the locals with medical treatment.

Doctor: I also think that’s it. We don’t know what kind of chemicals and toxins those Hutts are pumping out of their factories. I’ve never seen it grow so fast.

TK-421: I told you I didn’t want you to go there, it was too dangerous. I shouldn’t have allowed it. Kahlan: I would’ve gone anyways, and you know it. Those poor people needed help, who am I to deny them it?

TK-421: You can deny them when it causes your own death.

Kahlan: I can’t put my life above someone else’s. If I can help somebody and am able to then I will.

TK-421: I know, I just don’t want to lose you. Do you know how long she has doctor?

Doctor: I’m afraid that at this rate, she may only have a month or possibly two left. I’m so sorry Kahlan. We will do whatever we can to help you through it.

Kahlan: Thank you, doctor.

(The doctor leaves the room)

TK-421: I can’t let this happen. We can find something, we can fight it.

Kahlan: Honey, it’s okay. If it’s my time to go, then it’s my time. There is no fighting this one, I’m sorry.

TK-421: That’s the only thing i know to do.

Kahlan: I know, but all we can do now is spend what time we have left together. I will love you until I’m not able to anymore. And when I’m gone, my love will still be with you.

TK-421: But you’re all I have. I don’t know what I’m going to do, you’re what reminds me of my purpose. I’ll be lost without you. You’re my guardian angel.

Kahlan: No, you won’t. I will still be with you in your heart. And you’re still going to live on and do what you know is in your heart. You will make me proud with how you live your life. And I will be watching you, smiling.

TK-421: I will, after I retire, I will live how you lived. I will make a difference and I will help anyone who needs it. I will do this for you.

The lights go dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: She passed 5 weeks later, in her sleep while holding my hand. She left a note on the table that read “You don’t have to wait to start making a difference.”

Scene Seven

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: After Kahlan passed, it’s like my mind was turned off and I was a robot. Just going through the motions. I always would just tell myself that I just needed to make it to retirement. Then I could be happy again and start doing good. I got a little surprise though when I got to my new and last duty station. The Death Star.

The lights come on to a docking bay hangar. A small shuttle is on the right. The door to the shuttle opens and out walks TK-421. As he reaches the bottom of the ramp, he hears someone call to him.

TK-422: 421! Is that really you?

TK-421: 422? What are you doing here?

TK-422: I just got here a couple days ago, can you believe the size of this station? It’s like a small moon!

TK-421: It is pretty incredible, just a shame its purpose is to destroy planets.

TK-422: Always so positive 421, just like I remember you! We have a lot of catching up to do.

TK-421: That we do. You’re the first person I’ve seen again since training.

TK-422: Speaking of that, you remember that empty-headed of a trooper TK-435?

TK-421: Of course.

TK-422: Well did you hear what happened to him?

TK-421: No, did he eat a whole bantha by himself or something?

TK-422: No, they executed him!

TK-421: What?!

TK-422: Yeah, when he was on Tattooine, I guess they were looking for these two droids that were involved with the rebellion somehow.

TK-421: Droids? Like battle droids?

TK-422: No, that’s the thing. It was just some protocol droid and a little astro droid. Apparently they were carrying information to the rebellion. Anyways, it turns out that he let those two droids, an old man, and some kid that was with them, get away and escape the planet!

TK-421: Why would he do that?

TK-422: He said that he doesn’t remember letting them go and claims that he was forced to. Ha! Like some old hermit on Tattooine is secretly going to be a Jedi who got away all these years. So, of course they didn’t believe him and Darth Vader himself executed him.

TK-421: Wow, I wasn’t fond of the guy, but I didn’t want him dead.

TK-422: Guess some people just can’t handle the stress of being a trooper and it messes with their head.

TK-421: Guess so.

TK-422: Anyways, I’ll show you where the barracks are at so you can put your stuff away, then we can head to the galley and catch up.

The two walk offstage as the lights fade to black. TK-421’s voice is heard.

TK-421: It took me a few years after Kahlan passed to finally start to be able to be happy about things, and 422 definitely sped that up and helped me through it. But I still always felt like a part of myself couldn’t truly be happy again until I could get out and do what I promised her.

Scene Eight

The stage is dark and you hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: It’s a happy day when it’s your last day before retirement. Serving for 20 years gives you a nice little paycheck every month. And knowing that after that day, you can finally be free to do what you want and be your own person, well, it’s a great feeling. To finally be able to move onto something that would make Kahlan proud.

The lights come on to what looks like a galley. TK-421 and TK-422 are sitting at the table in the middle eating and conversing.

TK-422: So this is it, the last half of your last day. Don’t forget to enjoy this lovely looking sludge they call food here.

TK-421: Oh yes, I’m sure that’s what I’ll be missing most when I’m grilling my own bantha steaks.

(TK-422 laughs then groans.)

TK-422: Sounds nice man.

TK-421: Then why didn’t you get out as well?

TK-422: I thought I could, but… I don’t know anything else besides being a soldier, it’s what I am. I don’t know what I would do with myself. You don’t feel that way?

TK-421: No, I know now, I know what I’ve always really wanted this whole time but was too blind. Kahlan reminded me of who I was, of what I wanted to do with my life. I want to finally help others, not hurt or scare them. I want to make a difference, if not for myself, for Kahlan.

(An alarm sounds and a voice comes on the intercom.)

Intercom: Attention all available Troopers, we have intercepted an incoming vessel in our tractor beam. It is going to be docked in docking bay 327. We need to all available Troops to docking bay 327 for a vessel search and apprehension of the crew.

TK-422: Ooo sounds like some action. TK-421: That I don’t need on my last day.

TK-422: Well we don’t have much of a choice. We have to go.

TK-421: Okay, okay. Let’s go then. Let me just finish the last sludge I’ll ever eat here. They both walk out of the scene as the lights go dark.

The lights come on to a scene that looks to be a big hangar with the ship, the Millennium Falcon, on the right and Stormtroopers in a formation with an officer in front of them giving them orders on the left. TK-421 and TK-422 are seen walking up late to the group. The officer, a lieutenant, turns towards them and speaks.

Lieutenant: Well how nice of you two to join us. You know, just cause it’s your last day here doesn’t mean you can slack off, TK-421.

TK-422: Calm down son, he was just enjoying his last fine meal upon this lovely station.

Lieutenant: That’s Lieutenant to you, TK-422. I’d be sure to remember that if I were you, as you’re not the one that’s retiring tomorrow and can still be thrown in the brig.

TK-422: Why, I oughta call your mothe--

TK-421: Yes sir, Lieutenant. He’ll make sure to heed your advice and sorry for being late.

(The Lieutenant gives them a look, then faces the formation again.)

Lieutenant: Very well, just get into formation.

TK-421: Yes sir.

(The two move around towards the back of the formation and TK-422 whispers to TK-421.)

TK-422: Why’d you cut me off for? I was about to put him in his place.

TK-421: Which would have embarrassed him and caused him to do something rash and punish both of us. It’s my last day here, I’d really not like to spend it cleaning toilets.

TK-422: Very well, I just wanted to have some fun. I’m going to miss messing with the young guns with you. Just like old times.

TK-421: I know, me too.

(They go quiet as the Lieutenant starts talking to the formation.)

Lieutenant: We just found this vessel coming out of hyperspace right where Alderaan used to be, before we destroyed it. The markings match those of a ship that blasted its way out of Mos Eisley. So be careful when you board, they could be armed and dangerous. Now go on in.

(The formation breaks up and starts to enter the ship. The Lieutenant stops TK-421 and TK-422 from going in.)

Lieutenant: Except you two. I need someone to watch the entrance to the ship.

TK-422: Aw, come on. No one’s going to sneak out from there and you know it.

Lieutenant: Well maybe you’ll be on time to where you need to be next time.

(The Lieutenant walks away. TK-421 and TK-422 walk to the loading ramp of the ship and stand guard.)

TK-421: It’s fine, I wouldn’t want to get shot on my last day anyways.

TK-422: Yeah, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a little going away firefight? For old time’s sake.

TK-421: Sorry 422, I just don’t really have much of a desire to kill anyone anymore. Not after Kahlan.

TK-422: I guess it does get tiring.

(The Stormtroopers that went into the ship earlier come out and report that there’s no one in the ship and the logs show that the crew abandoned ship right after takeoff. Darth Vader comes in to the scene and the Lieutenant walks over to him and gives the report.)

Darth Vader: Were there any droids on board?

Lieutenant: No, sir. If there were any, they must have also jettisoned.

Darth Vader: Send a scanning crew aboard. I want every part of this ship checked.

Lieutenant: Yes, sir.

Darth Vader: I sense something… A presence I have not felt since—

(Darth Vader walks out of the scene. The Lieutenant turns to the Stormtroopers.)

Lieutenant: Get me a scanning crew in here. I want every part of this ship checked.

(The Stormtroopers start running around and searching the ship. After a little while the Troopers come back out and state that there’s no one on it.)

TK-421: They’re putting in a lot of effort for this little freighter.

TK-422: Well you know how it is, Darth Vader feels something with his magic then it has to be true.

TK-421: Better not let him hear you talking about the force like that.

TK-422: Or what? He’ll use it to choke me when he’s not her—

(TK-422 grabs his throat and starts acting like he’s being choked. They both start laughing.)

TK-421: Oh, look out. Here comes the scanning crew.

(A scanning crew of two people walk past TK-421 and TK-422 and into the ship. After a few seconds there is a loud thump and someone calls down to them.)

Voice: Hey, down there.

(TK-421 and TK-422 look at each other then move to the front of the ramp.)

Voice: Could you give us a hand with this?

(TK-421 motions with his head to go up, and they walk up the ramp out of sight.)

Lights go dark. You hear TK-421’s voice.

TK-421: I only saw the smuggler pointing the blaster at me an instant before he fired. I guess an instant is all you need for your life to flash before your eyes, and for you to realize that you never got to live the life you wanted. To wish, that you just would have followed what you really wanted to do. That you would have listened and not waited for the “right time” to start making a difference. That you will never be able to fulfill your promise you made. The noise of a few blaster shots fire and you hear thuds from bodies dropping to the floor.

End of Play

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