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morganwrites-starwars · 4 months

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Time Waits for No One pt. 3

A Sequal to Time is a social construct.

Summary: What do you do when you time travel 50 years in the past with your Jedi son, accidentally adopt 3 more kids, and become Mand’alor? Din figured stopping a Sith uprising was a good answer. He just has to unite the Mandalorian factions, repair relationships with the Jedi, and stop a galactic civil war. Easy.

Masterlist

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If there was one thing Din knew about himself, it was that he was a hands-on, get-it-done-himself kind of person. Not so much because he didn’t trust other people, but because, for the longest time, that was his only option. Now, he had a horde of assistants and a small army of people willing to help him. And Din had to be aware of potentially dangerous situations and decide if it was worth his attendance. It was a delicate balance between maintaining a public presence and his own safety that Din was still mastering. Fortunately, most of his advisors were willing to tell him immediately when something was a bad idea. And some, like Jango, were more than happy to use Din’s children against him.

All that to say, Din wasn’t allowed to go with the Jetii to examine the alley where the Sith had attacked them. Obi-wan and Jango had gone with Tholme and Vos to convince anyone who saw them that they were just friends on an outing. Qui-gon had wanted to go, but two Jetii masters would be too suspicious. Instead, Jango had been volun-told for the excursion (something about exposure therapy?). It seemed his remaining ade had dedicated themselves to distracting Din and Qui-gon. Bo-Katan had insisted that this was the perfect time for Din to teach her how to use a jetpack- Din was of the opinion that she should have an actual teacher, not someone who learned by trial and error but was outvoted. Grogu had decided he wanted to mediate with Qui-gon, and the Jetii was weak to the request of the child.

Din had to admit, it was hard to constantly check his comm for messages from Obi-wan or Jango when he was trying to make sure Bo-Katan didn’t fly into a wall or something. Not that Din should worry too much- Bo-Katan was a natural and was trying to see what the most reckless maneuver she could get away with while also making Satine, who had decided to spectate, wince.

Din hadn’t even realized an hour had passed until Obi-wan and Jango entered the courtyard. Grogu’s eyes shot open, and he screeched joyfully as if it hadn’t been an hour since they had left. Grogu toddled to Obi-wan, and the teenager picked him up without further instruction. Bo-Katan landed, and Din allowed himself a breath of relief. Qui-gon and Din approached them as the girls put away the jetpack before joining them.

“How did it go?” Qui-gon asked.

“Alright,” Obi-wan said. “Master Tholme and Quin went to their rooms to meditate so Quin can get everything straight. They’ll let us know when he’s ready.” Din nodded like he understood perfectly. He supposed having a bunch of impressions shoved into one’s head would be disorientating. “He did say that he felt a dark energy.”

“It was weird,” Jango commented. “Cool, but weird.”

Din was proud of Jango’s progress. Months ago, when they’d first met, Jango would’ve tried to kill the Jetii instead of having to go on a solo trip with three of them.

“He can take as much time as he needs,” Din said. Grogu cooed, and Obi-wan set him down. The child began to chase after a bug that was flying around.

It took until latemeal. Din had been hunched over a datapad containing a proposed treaty between the occupants of Kalevala. Satine had taken over the compromise after Din had mentioned Almec’s attitude surrounding the topic. She and Sainn had come to a fair agreement that satisfied both of their clans (with some exceptions, Almec included). Satine had even asked Bo-Katan for her help. Din was proud of his ade for handling the situation so effectively. He made a few notes on the document- his thoughts on potential conflicts certain sections could cause and other ideas- before sending it back for a final review. Din wondered if the Armorer had to do excessive paperwork when leading their covert.

There was a knock on Din’s door, so he slid his helmet on (taking it off when he was alone helped him become more comfortable without it).

“Olarom o’r,” he called, and the door opened. Master Tholme and Vos walked in and bowed. Din gestured for them to take a seat. The padawan looked tired, and Din wanted to tell him to go to bed- surely this could wait for the morning?- but this information could be vital.

“Mand’alor,” Vas said, the most serious Din had seen the teen, “I believe your attacker was the Sith apprentice.”

Din nodded in understanding. Qui-gon had given him a “Sith Crash Course,” which included the fact that the current generation of Sith only had two members- A master and an apprentice. An ineffective system if you asked Din, but the worse organized the dar’jetii were, the better for Din.

“He- well, there was a lot of echos of emotions.” Vos took a deep breath. “I think I was able to weed out what was you and Obi-wan and what was the Sith. Unless you or Obi-wan have a well hidden anger issues.” Vos tried to smile. Din assumed it was a good sign that he was attempting to joke. “He seemed less angry at you two than at himself. There was fear too- it felt like I couldn’t breathe-“ Vos inhaled deeply again and shut his eyes. Tholme rested a hand on his padawan’s shoulder. Vos opened his eyes, looking more centered. Din resisted the urge to call an end to the meeting. Maybe it would be easier on the padawan to only write a report- no need to say everything out loud. Vos continued before Din could suggest it. “He was terrified of failing his Master- who really, really wants you dead. I wrote down everything.”

Din wanted to sigh loudly and slump in his seat. While not a surprise, Din did not want to deal with it. But Vos had put himself through emotional and psychic pain for this information. So Din accepted the datapd and said, “Vor entye, Padawan Vos. Your help has been invaluable.”

Vos bowed his head. Tholme patted his shoulder. “Why don’t you go have latemeal with Padawan Kenobi while I finish with the Mand’alor?” Both jetii looked to Din for this opinion- still weird-and he nodded in agreement. Let the kid rest.

After Vos left the room, Tholme turned to Din. “The report will be shared with the Jedi Council, and I imagine they will want to discuss the situation and further actions.”

Din examined the Master. Obi-wan had said that Tholme had worked on several intelligence missions for the Jedi. Din had worked with similar individuals during his bounty hunting days and was in the habit of trusting their instincts. “In your professional opinion, what should we do?”

Tholme took a moment to consider the question before answering. “We have little information on either the master or apprentice and, as such, must be careful lest we act in a way that gives away what we know. The master wanted you dead, even before you were Mand’alor, which means they were aware of your position and potential for some time. The question is then, knowing the Sith have allied with Death Watch, was Death Watch aware of the attack on you? And, for that matter, how long have they been allied?”

Din considered. Perhaps the spy had been present for longer than Din had assumed. Several people were wary and outright hostile to Din when he first appeared. Any number of them could have reported his relationship with Satine and how more and more Mandalorians had begun to seek his opinion and help. If the spy reported that to Death Watch, who then reported it to the dar’jetii…

“Maybe they made a deal- work together to get rid of any perceived threats to Vizsla becoming Mand’alor,” Din guessed. It made sense. Better to deal with all potential problems instead of just the present one. Otherwise, they tended to come back and bite you in the shebs. Din knew from experience.

“So, they have been allies since you came to Sundari at the lastest.”

“Maybe longer. Mandalorians used to ally with the Sith, yes?” Din asked as he remembered that part of his crash course.

Tholme nodded. “A long time ago, yes.”

“Kyr’tsad are extreme traditionalists. Probably knew that, too. They would be stronger with the help of the dar’jetii.”

“And the Sith knew they would be more powerful with Mandalore on their side,” Tholme finished Din’s thought. “You think this partnership has been going on for some time.”

Din shrugged. “Makes sense.”

“So the next question is then, how did either group know your whereabouts on the day off? I doubt it is a coincidence that they attacked on a day that you, the duchess, and Ser Fett were outside the palace.” Tholme tilted his head as he stared at Din. Din did not appreciate the jetii’s ability to look like he was staring straight through Din’s beskar and into his soul. It reminded him of Yoda but with less riddles.

“That’s a rhetorical question,” Din guessed dryly.

The Jetii cracked a smile. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Neither do you.”

“I had a feeling Master Jinn was not telling me everything when he told me of the allyship. I, of course, understand your hesitance to tell me.”

“And will you tell your council?” Din asked. His initial reluctance was about trusting the new Jetii, but Din knew a warrior when he met one, and Tholme, even with his regal tone, was one.

“I may suggest the possibility,” Tholme answered. “Just as I will suggest you to consider having your own.”

“You want me to catch a spy with a spy?” It sounded like the plot of a low-budget holo-film.

“It would be a dangerous position, so I would not blame you for not wanting to consider it. Normally, I would suggest a Jedi trained for such a thing, but I do not believe that would be a wise decision in this case. But I believe having inside information about your spy and Death Watch’s plans is ideal.”

Din sighed. He had a point. “Because it’s the only lead we have on the Sith.”

Tholme nodded sympathetically. “Unfortunately. Not to say the Jedi won’t be looking into the matter, but to maintain the secrecy needed as well, it may take some time.”

“Time we may not have.”

“Indeed.”

“I’ll have to think about who I would trust to do this,” Din said after thinking about it. “No one I know personally would be believable.”

“I agree.” Tholme stood up from his seat. “I am sorry to leave you with such an ask. I will give you time to think about it. Shall we meet again tomorrow before my padawan and I depart for Coruscant?”

“Leaving so soon?”

“I believe it is best to deliver this report in person,” Tholme explained. “I never trust such sensitive information to the Holonet.”

Din agreed, and the Jedi bowed before exiting, leaving Din to his thoughts.

Most Haat Mando’ade were very vocal about their hatred of Kyr’tsad, especially after they attacked the hospital, which had killed hundreds of citizens, dozens of them being children. So a Haat Mando’ade was out. Could a New Mandalorian be believable? There had been some dissent among the more radical ones, but most had been soothed by Satine’s promises to ensure their beliefs were respected, which Din thought he had done a pretty good job at. Don’t want to fight or handle weapons? Ok, great, but that doesn’t mean others can’t. Maybe Satine would have a good idea about who to ask- though that would mean Din would have to tell her. While Din was confident she could handle it, she was still just a teenager, and Din didn’t like putting that kind of pressure and knowledge on her. Someone from the more traditional clans that followed him would probably work, but Din didn’t know any of them well enough to trust them.

There was the added factor that Din had no idea what clan the spy was pretending to be a part of. If he had an agent in Sundari, he could miss someone in Keldabe, and the same would be true in the other direction. So, should he have two? Would they know about each other? There were too many variables for Din to be comfortable. Sure, he had taken contracts with little information- they often paid better-but he had always done his best to gather his own information. And, if something did go wrong, only he would be majorly affected in the end. His tribe may have suffered a bit, but soon enough, someone would’ve taken his role, and they would move on. Now, he has an entire nation to worry about should he make the wrong move. It made him feel off-put.

Ok, he needed to take small steps for this.

Step 1: he needed help- preferably not from one of his kids. Silis would be a good start; maybe he knew someone trained in this kind of stuff.

Step 2: Figure out logistics- one spy or two? Should they directly contact Din or someone else? Hopefully, Tholme will offer his opinions.

Step 3: Somehow test the candidates because Din was nothing if not a little paranoid

Step 4: Pray and try not to get a stress ulcer.

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Mando'a translations:

Olarom o'r: olaron for welcome, as a greeting, while o'r means in. So I combined them to mean welcome in (come in)

#star wars #din darjin #obi wan kenobi #grogu #time travel #qui gon jinn #mand'alor din djarin #quinlan vos

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revenge-of-the-shit · 4 years

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Some more Sith - Clone Wars trio, pulled directly from my fic Fractured Twists.

The air surrounding the command table of Anakin’s flagship is tense, fraught with uncertainty mixed with desperation and anger. The Mandalorians are stiff, standing quietly behind Bo-Katan as she argues for their case. In the Force, Ahsoka’s discomfort at being on the ship again mingles with Anakin’s hurt and confusion, pushing against Obi-Wan’s shields as he carefully pushes his own feelings for Mandalore into the Force. He promises to bring the information before the council, yet Bo-Katan has to push. She uses Satine against him, and something breaks.

He whirls around, snapping at Bo-Katan. Bold of you to use her against me when you were part of the terrorists that tried to have her killed. The Mandalorian recoils, her pain blooming in the Force, and both Anakin and Ahsoka flinch at Obi-Wan’s sudden display of anger. He sighs and promises to go to Mandalore, and Bo-Katan gives only a short nod before she stalks out of the room to hide her guilt. Obi-Wan, too, departs from the room to carefully control his emotions, leaving behind an equally stunned Anakin and Ahsoka who break the tension immediately the moment they are alone with banter.

When the call comes to rescue the Chancellor, Obi-Wan and Anakin are torn between their love and their duty: Obi-Wan’s love for Satine, Anakin’s love for Obi-Wan, and their duty to the Republic. Anakin, in a moment of sympathy, tells Obi-Wan to go with Ahsoka and the 212th to Mandalore. Obi-Wan argues, but they can both tell his heart is not really in it. At the end, a compromise is reached - half the 212th will follow Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to Mandalore while the other half will follow Anakin and the 501st to Coruscant.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka find out, too late, that Maul has laid a trap. Ahsoka loses Obi-Wan in the tunnels. Two days of frantic searching pass, and by then, she is agitated to a level Anakin has never seen before when she calls him from Mandalore. Maul took Obi-Wan, she says, her eyes tight with worry. He’s alive, but that’s all I can sense.

Without Obi-Wan on Coruscant, there is no one left to object to the Council’s decision to give Anakin an assignment to spy on the Chancellor. There is also no one left to take away the sting of being denied the rank of master, no one to tell him that he is strong and worthy of his master’s pride. The Council even goes so far to berate Obi-Wan for his absence, and it takes all of Anakin’s self-control to not storm out of the meeting then and there. He later releases all of his anger and worry in Palpatine’s office, ranting to the kind old man who sympathizes and tells him what he wants, and Anakin is so caught up in his own anger that he does not see Palpatine’s satisfied smile.

Meanwhile, on Mandalore, Obi-Wan sits helpless in stun cuffs with Force-inhibitors under his skin while Maul gloats. He spends the first day describing in detail the deaths of Satine and Qui-Gon under his hand, then reveals his vision of Anakin and his plan to kill him. Obi-Wan loses control briefly, shouting in anger and denial before he abruptly slams his mouth shut, and Maul is pleased.

Death Watch still loses ground. Jesse is still taken, and when Maul enters his mind, he searches not only for the ARC trooper’s knowledge of Ahsoka Tano but also Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Another trap is laid with the knowledge that she is less likely to join him if her grandmaster is being held captive. She is left alone in the throne room, Maul’s offer to join forces ringing in her mind, but she rejects his vision and tries to attack him.

Outside, Bo-Katan and Rex wonder at their easy victory when she suddenly realizes that part of Death Watch is not present. Rex slams his hand down on the comm, calling for Ahsoka, but there’s no response. There won’t be. The next day, he comms Anakin, explaining that they’ve lost contact with her too, and Anakin barely gets a stiff thank you through gritted teeth before he cuts the connection.

Palpatine, on the other hand, is delighted. Anakin confides in him his worries for Padmé, for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and how he is certain they are in pain, and Palpatine sets his plan into motion. With the death of General Grievous at the hands of Eeth Koth, the Clone Wars will wind down soon. All it takes is the correct words, softly spoken, a little persuasion through the secret bond in Anakin’s mind, and the right sympathetic tone, and he Falls with ease.

The newly born Darth Vader makes his way to the Jedi Temple, tricking Mace Windu and the other Jedi Masters into trying to arrest Palpatine. Anakin is told to stay behind.

As the Jedi Masters ignite their lightsabers, Darth Sidious smiles with glee and enacts Order 66. There are four Jedi, then three, then two, and Mace Windu is finally the only one left. Kilometers away, Vader leads the 501st up the steps of the Jedi Temple, and it burns.

Mace Windu does not last as long, this time. Sidious does not need to pretend to be overwhelmed. The Korun master dies with a red blade pulsing between his ribs.

There is no duel on Mustafar with Obi-Wan imprisoned on Mandalore. Vader kills the Separatists, then returns to Padmé whole, unhindered power coursing through his veins. He has not felt such a connection to the Force since Mortis! He proudly declares the actions he has done for her, expecting gratefulness.

She rejects him, and he seethes. He had done this for her! He reaches out, intending to make her see , and suddenly she apologizes and wraps him in her arms, and he is pleased.

It is he who is blind, for he does not see how his movement had twisted her mind, disfigured it under his grip. Padmé Amidala’s mind was strong, but she had no shields to resist the grip of the fallen Chosen One.

What he has forgotten is that while her mind bent under his will, she still has a will of her own. He intends to have the galaxy under his rule. Yet once her mind is twisted, Padme Amidala takes one look at her husband - powerful, mad, uncontrolled - and where she once would have seen something fearful, she sees now an opportunity. She gives him a smile that he has never seen before - vicious, dangerous, and so, so alluring - and he is wrapped around her little finger with ease. She whispers words into his ears, sweet and poisonous, and the galaxy shakes again when morning comes and Palpatine is found dead on the steps of the Imperial Senate.

The senators are easy to bend to her will. She needs no Force-abilities to keep them in check. The right speech, the correct dress, the perfect expression, and they are clamoring for her to take his place. She protests. No, she insists, I cannot do this, I don’t want this power! She catches the eye of Bail Organa, who looks at her with trust, and he gives her a nod. Later, when she converses with the Delegation of 2000, she draws up a proposal to use the powers to bring order back into the galaxy, then to abdicate the throne to bring about a Republic. Plans are made to outlaw slavery, to limit the terms on the Chancellorship, to prevent price gouging and hoarding to prevent another Trade Federation.

Of course, she does not plan on giving up her power. But it would be foolish to turn the Delegation of powerful allies against her, so she pretends and leaves the meeting with a smile on her face and schemes in her mind.

Empress Amidala takes the throne, her swollen belly proudly displayed. The Mother of the Empire, they call her. So brave! So strong! The Holonet runs a news story on how the former Jedi (now an Imperial Knight-Consort) Anakin Skywalker had been caught in a terrifying conflict, how he had been forbidden by the Jedi to love (how could they do that? The people of Coruscant ask in horror. Good riddance that they’re gone, now), yet how when he had turned to the Chancellor for help, he found treachery in Palpatine as he discovered that the former Emperor was behind both sides of the war. He had had to marry in secret to Empress Amidala so that he would be allowed to love.

Some call into question the professionalism of Empress Amidala. They are quickly beaten back by the strong words of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. Give us an example of when her work was less than stellar, they cry out. Tell us where she made a blunder because of her marriage! And nobody questions her any longer.

(The time where she traded Grievous for Anakin is forgotten.)

That night, the Empress gives birth to two twins under the watchful eye of the Knight-Consort. He senses their strength, bright and shining in the Force, and he smiles. The Empress is exhausted after the birth, yet she still musters up the strength to send a short broadcast to her Empire.

The people of the Empire love the children. Luke and Leia Amidala-Skywalker. They cheer, and they love the Imperial family.

The Empress whispers again into the ears of the proud father. Our family is almost complete, but we are missing two, she breathes. Bring them home. Bring them to our side. He bows low to her and parts to Mandalore.

When Vader reaches Mandalore, he kills Maul with ease.

The door to Obi-Wan’s cell opens, filled with a presence that’s wrong and cold yet horribly familiar, and he looks into the golden eyes of Anakin Skywalker.

When he reacts with horror, Anakin’s face twists into a cruel expression, and he orders his troops to bring Obi-Wan to Coruscant, willingly or not. As Anakin disappears from the doorway, leaving Obi-Wan still restrained in the cell, a familiar figure with a blank Force presence appears. Cody, with no air of familiarity or joy at seeing his general, pushes Obi-Wan towards a flagship as he tries to comprehend how this could have all happened. He nearly chalks it up to a hallucination or a dream until he is pushed into a cell with Ahsoka, also restrained and terrified, and they realize together that their world has shattered.

There is no escape. There are no vents, no soldiers that can be mind-tricked. Obi-Wan himself trained his troops to be resistant to such things. The Force, made slippery through the Force-inhibitors in their bloodstream, prevents them from trying anyway.

The way back to Coruscant is uneventful. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are brought back to the Temple, now filled with so much pain and rage and terror from the night of the Purge, and they are locked in separate cells designed to hold the Sith in the lower levels of the Temple. They do not know it, but it is the last time they will ever see each other.

Ahsoka is the first. She is strong, but even she cannot withstand the power of Vader. It takes a week, filled with electroshocks and drugs and Vader’s hammering blows against her mental shields as she hangs helplessly in a containment field. As she is on the verge of breaking, screaming in pain, he shatters her mental shields, grasps her mind and twists , sending her his hatred, his rage, and his complete and utter devotion to the Empress Amidala, and Ahsoka Tano is no more. When she looks up again, glaring at him with hateful yellow irises, he smiles in glee.

That is how the First Sister is born. She is cruel, dangerously fast and silent, and utterly devoted to the Empress and her consort even as she hates Vader with her very being. The bond he has forged in her mind during her creation ensures that she never even considers betraying him.

Her first task is to turn Obi-Wan. She works in tandem with Vader, alternating between sweet words and cold abuse. If Kenobi was stronger, she thinks with bitterness, Vader would not have Fallen. I would not have been tortured.

Obi-Wan is stronger than they anticipated. Despite being weakened by Maul’s torture, he holds tightly to the Light. A month passes, filled with electroshocks and Vader’s Force Lightning and drugs that lower his pain tolerance and make him hallucinate for days, yet no progress is made. Vader and First Sister are infuriated, battering against Obi-Wan’s shields, yet he still holds. An incident at the Temple, led by two desperate Jedi and a small group of dissidents while Vader and the First Sister are protecting the Empress during her weekly public meetings, disrupts the guards enough to prevent them from administering Obi-Wan’s Force inhibitors in time. The two Jedi slam the door open and Obi-Wan stumbles out and cries as he feels the Force truly flood his senses for the first time in two months. He flees with the rebels, stumbling after months of sitting in chains, and sees the ship. They are almost there.

Any hope disappears when he sees the figure waiting in front of the ship, her tall montrals illuminated by the red light of her lightsabers. The First Sister’s lips split open into a smile, her teeth bared, when she sees Obi-Wan behind the two Jedi. Going somewhere? She purrs, then launches at the Jedi in a blur that they barely catch.

Obi-Wan turns to the small group of rebels just as a squad of clone troopers shows up and begins firing on the unsuspecting rebels. His muscles burn as he falls deeply into the Force and deftly avoids blaster bolts, pushing the troopers back to give the rebels time.

It’s no good. Even as the last of the troopers fall, he senses the two Jedi behind him joining the Force, aided by the twin blades of the being that used to be Ahsoka. He whirls, preparing to face her, but her expression is one of delight even as she sees the dead squad behind him. She’s radiating so much Dark that he can barely sense the Force screaming a warning, and by the time he does, it’s too late.

The rest of the rebels are blasted off the platform, screaming as they fall thousands of feet into the bottom levels of Coruscant. Before he can turn around, something hard strikes Obi-Wan, and despair overtakes him as the Force-suppressant collar locks around his neck and cuts his connection to the Force.

He does not even get the chance to collapse. The First Sister bows low as Obi-Wan is immobilized in an iron grip through the Force, and he knows without turning that Vader is behind him.

It is a testament to Obi-Wan’s strength that he still does not break after being thrown again into his cell.

To their surprise, it is Empress Amidala who bends his will with methods that neither of them had thought of using. She runs into his cell, tears in her eyes, and she carefully tends to his wounds even as he stares in confusion at her garb. He cannot fathom how she has become Empress, going against her core values, and how she can defend Anakin’s actions while she tends to his wounds. She tells him that she trusts Anakin, that he is making Obi-Wan strong through the pain, then she does something that is the most unexpected. Anakin walks into the cell, the old bright smile Obi-Wan had always seen (and had long missed) on his face, carrying two little infants who gurgle in happiness at meeting someone new. She explains how the Jedi would have taken the twins from her and Anakin - how they would have broken her heart right as they broke Anakin’s by expelling him and stealing their children - and Obi-Wan cannot find a single argument against their reasoning. They are right, and he knows it.

He cracks but does not break. Vader and the First Sister share a pleased smile, teeth bared, as they realize they are close to their goal.

Empress Amidala’s final step is shown to both Obi-Wan and the galaxy at the same time. As a politician, she was well-educated in the workings of politics and galactic history. Her study of the dictators of the past has shown her their common weakness: their arrogance and their madness as they became drunk on their power. Her Empire, she decides, would be transparent with its workings and its reasonings. She would not take part in questionable actions that would give her enemies a valid reason to oppose her. She must be firm and pragmatic, yet ethical in order to hold the support of the likes of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma.

As such, she takes to the Imperial Senate, then explains why the Jedi are still outlawed. Recordings, transcripts, and other evidence are gathered, carefully examined, and presented. From his cell, Obi-Wan watches helplessly as the flaws of the council are pulled to light. He sees Mace Windu, asserting that the Jedi must take control of the Senate if they were to remove Palpatine from power. He sees Yoda, instructing the Council to cover up their discovery that Dooku was behind the clone army (The Senate takes half an hour to calm down after seeing this). He sees the council expelling Ahsoka for a crime that a different Jedi had committed. He sees Luminara, throwing a ship into an apartment complex as she tries to catch Ziro, causing an explosion that claims dozens of lives. More and more, holos and transcripts are shown, unedited and unfiltered, and Obi-Wan Kenobi breaks.

Vader and the First Sister are there to pick up the pieces. The First Sister carefully releases him from his restraints, and Vader gently holds Obi-Wan’s head between his hands and presses their foreheads together. There’s no resistance in his mind anymore, and when Vader meets his eyes again, the golden eyes of the First Brother stare back.

Only a few kilometers away, the Senate is in disarray. Voices shout over one another, accusations and insult flying throughout the room, ignoring calls for Order. Empress Amidala searches the room and sees Bail Organa, whose face is twisted in betrayal. One voice rises over the others. How can we trust you , Empress? Screams Orn Free Taa. Were you not friends with the Jedi?

In response, the Empress allows two tears to fall on her cheeks, allowing the holos to capture the picture of her sorrow. She opens her mouth, seems to hesitate, and another voice comes to her defense. Mon Mothma’s voice is strong and certain, trembling with the betrayal that all the senators have felt from the Jedi. The Empress was tricked by the Jedi, as were we all! She shouts. She has revealed this evidence and made it open to the public. Do you not see what she has sacrificed to help us?

(They do not know that all evidence of Anakin’s part in the massacre has been carefully and systematically destroyed, impossible to recover. They do not know that the only records of Obi-Wan are carefully edited so that future historians, even with long debates, agree that he had no part in the corruption of the Jedi Council.)

Empress Amidala hides her smile with long years of practice. Good. All is going according to plan - from her carefully crafted persona of the reluctant, benevolent Empress, to the public opinion of the Jedi, she is pleased with how she has the galaxy under her thumb.

Three years pass. Slavers are found, flogged to death, popping around the outer rim as slaves are freed with the help of the Empire. The numbers of the Jedi dwindle under the blades of the First Sister and the First Brother, who begin taking terrified padawans and younglings to Vader to add to the Inquisitorius. The most vocal of senators against the Empress is caught red-handed laughing over the mutilated body of one of the Empress’ guards, and nobody believes the senator when she screams that her mind has been warped and that the guard was one of her most trusted friends.

Vader knows. He knows the guard was a traitor and that the courts will sentence the senator to death when new evidence comes to life of her support for slavery and her direct involvement in the death of a hundred slaves. The evidence is false, of course, but he does not care.

Bail Organa is invited to watch Luke and Leia during the Senate downtime and he arrives happy to see Padmé and Obi-Wan again. He leaves just as happy, unaware that his mind has been tampered with, that the First Brother had reached with ease through an unprotected mind and twisted . When Empress Amidala steps down from the throne, Bail Organa is nominated, wins through a wide margin, and the galaxy is unaware that it has just elected a puppet whose strings are being pulled by their former Empress.

Sometimes, in the midst of his meditation, the First Brother thinks of the one thing he has in common with those around him. The First Sister’s mind is most like his own - fractured, welded together in a broken form, and tempered through pain to form a weapon. Bail and Padmé’s minds are also fractured, yet they were more carefully put back together since they had had no shields that had needed breaking. The hollow shell that used to be Obi-Wan Kenobi draws on his hatred for the man that used to be Anakin Skywalker, and he falls deeply into the Dark Side of the Force.

The reign of the Empress continues for long decades in the shadows, the minds of many warping under the hands of her Knight-Consort and his First Inquisitors. Her children grow up to become deadly assassins, the boy with an ever-cheerful smile on his face as he flays his opponents and the girl with a dark grin as she crushes her enemies with the Force. They learn the best of their skills from their family - knowledge of the Force from their father and the First Brother, how to wield their lightsabers from the First Sister, and how to wield their words and charm from their mother.

Leia Amidala-Skywalker makes the most of her teachings. When she is nineteen and on a mission, she and Luke seethe as they are stranded on a mission, but they worry not. They find their way off-planet by charming their way onto a smuggler’s ship. He’s charming, this Han Solo, and Leia decides that she wants him to stay. He hems and haws, trying to find a polite way to turn her down, and she decides that she will get her way.

She reaches into his mind and twists.

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37-children-of-the-dreams · 3 years

Text

Day #36: Love Story (Epilogue)

The day is finally here. Korkie and Crosshair might have been just a brain worm, but these two have been fun to write. So long boys. May the Force be with you.

---------------------

(Epilogue)

The rich deserts of Kalevala was shining through the windshield of the Katalyst and the passengers were happy to be back. Even if it wasn’t going to be for long.

Fennec had the pilot’s pit to herself. Korkie and Crosshair were far too busy at their bedroom to be the pilots. Sarad was too busy playing with her wedding bow that she tore it apart. Crosshair was smirking too much for Korkie’s sake.

“That’s my duchess!” Crosshair said. “You look better with armor anyway.”

“Cross, she’s too tiny,” Korkie groaned. “She’s the size of a two-year old. Kryze would wear armor when they’re bigger. Also, today’s our wedding.”

“Well, it’s a Mandalorian wedding. Shouldn't we have armor?”

“We have weapons. No one is going to attack our wedding if they know what’s good for them.”

Crosshair smiled and kissed his fiancee’s forehead. It was a year since they’ve met and they’ve been through so much. The fights, the target practice, the bounties and having Sarad. They grew as partners and as a couple. And now they’re getting married in Kalevala.

Which was Crosshair’s idea. He wanted Bo-Katan to watch him marry her former nephew. Though, he said it was because he wanted to marry at the place they first met.

Korkie didn’t believe his excuse, but he wanted Nanny Rana to watch his wedding. Also, he wanted to see Bo-Katan faint at the sight of him marrying Crosshair while the Bad Batch was in attendance.

The Bad Batch was already at Kalevala because of Crosshair. He wanted Rana to get them fitted for the wedding and he deathly knows how bad they were at wearing top-grade suits. Hunter and Echo were always trying to get away from wearing something they felt undeserving, Tech would be too busy talking about clothing facts to wear one, and Wrecker was just big. Yet, Rana seemed to know what to do since she sent a comm of them in their wedding outfits.

As for the Shands. Well, Luka was once a wedding officiant before Fennec was born and he did demand that he wear clothes fitting for a former officiant. Kristal wore a motherly blue gray dress that matched her husband’s clothes. Fennec wouldn’t stop beaming in happiness at the sight of her happy parents. She asked to wear a dress with leggings in case of a Bo-Katan attack.

As for the grooms and Sarad? Crosshair had a gray suit he asked Rana to prepare for his wedding. It was simple and made out of Beskar to make sure it would hold for years. Korkie wanted to wear the last outfit he ever created for his mother. A rather plain blue dress that he knows Bo-Katan would try to burn in anger. To match her fathers, Korkie made Sarad wear a gray and blue dress. With a now broken blue bow because it wasn't made with Beskar.

Fennec saw the Havoc Marauder and landed near the Bad Batch’s ship. The four exited the Katalyst with two boxes containing Fennec’s dress and Korkie’s wedding dress. Rana and the Shands greeted the four first. Then, the Bad Batch came out and hugged Crosshair.

“Congrats, Crosshair,” Hunter said. “I’m so proud to call you my brother.”

“I’m happy to know you’re the one giving me away,” Crosshair said.

They went back to the mansion to talk about the steps of the wedding. Korkie and Fennec went to their rooms to wear their dress while Crosshair was too busy cradling Sarad. Rana and the Shands went to the garden to finish up the place.

“She’ll always have bragging rights against future siblings,” Wrecker said.

“Your next children would possible ask you for a recreation of the wedding,” Tech pointed out. “ Sarad might rally them if she wants them to understand what a wedding is.”

“Wouldn’t they already understand if they teach the kids?” Echo asked.

“They might,” Crosshair said. “But, I’d be happy to recreate the best day of my life.”

Hunter laughed. Crosshair had changed from the cold sniper they all knew. HE was kinder and warmer.

“It’s time,” Kristal said when she fetched them. “The place is ready, Fennec is there, Rana is getting Korkie and my husband is trying his best not to cry. Oh, and the birds are singing like it’s the biggest wedding in the whole galaxy.”

The Bad Batch and Sarad were taken to the garden where Crosshair met Korkie. He gave Sarad to Fennec and the girls went to their designated spot. Tech, Wrecker and Echo went to the opposite side of her. Hunter took out his arm and walked Crosshair down the aisle. Hunter was not going to cry before his brother said his vows. At the aisle, Crosshair looked at the entrance and smiled. Korkie was wearing the wedding dress like a true Duke of Mandalore and had a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Rana was already crying since she was full of happiness that she couldn’t wait.

When Korkie took to his side of the aisle, Crosshair couldn’t stop laughing at the sight of his groom. He had a hard life as a defective clone, but what can he say now? He got the best man to marry him.

“Friends, Family and Guest,” Luka started. “We are gathered here to join these men as husbands in wedded life. If there is anyone who would deny this right, speak now--”

The door open and Korkie groaned in unsurpassed annoyance. Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls had arrived. They brought Amis, Lagos and Soniee with them.

“What now Lady Bo-Katan?!” Korkie screamed. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, but this place is where my husband and I met!”

Bo-Katan steeled herself as Amis, Lagos, ans Sonies said sorry to the wedding party.

“I’m not here to stop you,” she said.

Korkie and Crosshair gave her a surprised look. She had to be joking, right?

“I really am not going to ruin whatever this is. I’m just here to witness it and finally announce that Satine’s bloodline has finally ended. You’re more than open to continue. I just have to see the last of my sister leave Clan Kryze and be with someone I know might not have been the best pick, but the one that makes him happy for the rest of his life.”

Bo-Katan said nothing else and let the wedding continue by having her Nite Owls stand next to the doors as if they were going to exit the instant the wedding ended. Korkie nodded at his former aunt and her decision. It might have been more hurtful to her losing the last piece of Satine, but even they knew their relationship was not going to be the same anymore.

“Well,” Luka said. “Let’s get back to the wedding. I’ve read the entire book on Kryze weddings, and I know it’s time for the promise vows. Then after the vows, it’s the marriage vows to which they’ll be husbands for life.”

Korkie went first since he was a former Kryze.

“Crosshair,” he started. “When I first met you, I was an unhappy former duke who had his entire life destroyed and was exiled from Mandalore for whatever reasons. I initially wanted to use you to get away from Mandalore and anger my entire House because you were there in my visions getting me away from Mandalore.

Then, I realize I’m not a master manipulator and stuck myself to you because why not? I’m already away from Kalevala and you’re a bounty hunter, so what were the chances?”

The entire wedding party laughed much to Crosshair’s dismay. He really know how to end up with Korkie of all Mandalorians.

“Then, we bonded. I know I made stupid risk that day getting the carbonite unit and almost got both of us killed, but I’m grateful that you saw that I was just trying to help. Then, I forgot the fuel for the hyperdrive and we talked about our respective families. Then, Tatooine where we met Fennec...”

Korkie took a breathe and finally cried looking at his Crosshair.

“What I’m just saying is, you had multiple chances to just ditch me and leave me for dead, but you didn’t. You said I was important when I needed to hear it. I made me feel important after all the pain I had been given after my mother’s death. You gave me a family again. I will never stop loving you and I will always love hearing that I’m your husband til the day I die. I love you, Cyare.”

Crosshair smiled. He knows it’s his turn, but he needs a pause. He took a breathe and spoke.

“You’re never going to stop being important to me,” he declared. “I was angry, lonely, and I had just broke away from my brothers. I wanted to show me I was capable of being a big-time bounty hunter and it lead me to you. I’ll never forget the day I thought I had you as a bounty, you were just sitting here in this garden ready for a deal that would change my life. I didn’t believe you until you almost killed that Death Watch commander and made me realize how true your deal was.

Ans you’re right, we had a bunch of ups and downs, but you never gave up on me. I remember the day I was teaching Fennec how to shoot. We both know it was a disaster since I’m not a teacher, but instead of just leaving me in the rain, you came for me and told me I can always talk to you. Which is true because despite the fact I made you feel like we’re galaxies apart at times, you still wanted to be near me. You were patient and you did not take my words as a sign of backing off, but instead you kept telling me that I can talk to you. Then, you’re old friends came, and I really thought for one second you’d leave me for them. Yet, you never did and you made us trick them into thinking we’re already married by scarring Lagos for life with us kissing like it’s our actual wedding night.”

Lagos blushed as Bo-Katan looked at her with dismay. She never did tell Bo-Katan that Korkie and Crosshair might have done the deed before marriage. The Bad Batch had to hold their laughter as Bo-Katan looked like she was about to faint. They were betting with Fennec on this. One hundred credits on the line.

“And like you said, we have a family to ourselves because of our bond. Well, including my brothers and Fennec it’s a quite a chaotic family. Yet, it’s perfect for me. You healed me and I’d die fighting for this marriage, and this family. Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, my darling Korkie. You’re forever the only one for me.”

“Now for the marriage vows!” Luka announced.

Korkie and Crosshair looked at each other’s eyes and started their vows.

“Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde" (We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors.)”

The two Keldabe kissed first and kissed on the lips afterward.

The entire place erupted in cheers. Even Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls cheered for the marriage. Then, Bo-Katan went towards them.

“Please,” Bo-Katan begged. “Tell you didn’t pull a Satine. You know? As in did the deed before marriage?”

Korkie blushed and ducked his head on Crosshair’s suit. Crosshair shrugged as if to say ‘So what?’

Bo-Katan fainted to the happiness of Wrecker and Fennec. They did bet against Hunter, Tech and Echo that Bo-Katan might come and faint during the wedding. The three placed their credits to the winners as the Nite Owls grabbed her and steadied the heiress.

“You really are Satine’s son,” Bo-Katan said. “Going after the worst possible suitors and being in love with them.”

“At least I’m not a Jedi,” Crosshair pointed out.

“That kind of makes it less painful.”

Bo-Katan exited the mansion with her Nite Owls following her. Amis, Lagos, and Soniee stayed for the wedding reception. Which was minutes after the wedding. The food was great, the atmosphere was nice and the family pictures were one to remember.

As Korkie and Crosshair took their last couples photo alone. They took each other’s hand and closed their eyes. This was the best love story they had a part in. It felt like a dream come true to the both of them.

(That is my fan art of Crosshair and Korkie. It was a hard fought second place.)

#korkie kryze #crosshair #clone trooper crosshair #korkie kenobi #fennec shand #korkie x crosshair #star wars #the bad batch #clone trooper hunter #clone trooper echo #clone trooper wrecker #clone trooper tech

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crispmarshmallow · 4 years

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TIRED: An Obitine Fic

*Obi-Wan succeeds in rescuing Satine from Maul with the help of Bo Katan and the Nite Owls. He takes her off Mandalore to Padme's apartment on Coruscant.*

Obi-Wan lets the back of his head hit the wall that he is sitting up against. He wraps his arms around his body, the cool breeze on the balcony ruffles the robes Padme has lent him. He had known better than to question her on why she had clothe that are obviously male.

He feels cold. Not just on the outside, but in the inside. He feels empty and tired. He rescued Satine and brought her safely to Coruscant. He done it all against the Council, and he is likely to face consequences in the Senate too. It bothers and worries him, just not as much as he would have expected it to. He would do it all again, if it meant Satine would be safe and alive. It is so not Jedi-like.

He is tired of lying to himself that it is otherwise.

He is tired of so many things.

He hears heavy steps approach and he looks up from his little spot on the floor. Anakin is standing over him. His face is half-obscured in the dark so it is difficult for Obi-Wan to read his expression. He is too tired to use the Force and find out what his former apprentice is thinking.

"Master." He greets. Obi-Wan wonders why Anakin keeps calling him that. He has not been his Jedi Master in so many years.

"Anakin." He winces at how tired he sounds. Anakin shouldn't see him like this.

Silence stretches between them for a long moment before he plops himself onto the floor beside Obi-Wan. He fishes into his pockets and brings out a hipflask. He takes a large swig from it and hands it over to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan eyes linger in it for a second and he brings it up to his lips. It is strong whiskey and burns his throat. It feels good. He takes another sip.

"You should have told me." Anakin says quietly, "I would have come with you."

And didn't Obi-Wan know that?

"That's why I didn't tell you." His voice is hoarse from not speaking for so long. Anakin stiffens beside him and Obi-Wan feels irritation flare within the Jedi Knight. "I did this against the Council's wishes, and that is a burden for me to bear."

"I don't care about what the Council thinks." Hardly a surprise. "Satine could have died. You could have died." Obi-Wan feels his heart clench at the hint of panic in Anakin's words. He remembers that he has already put Anakin through his death. He could not even remember why he had thought it had been a good idea.

"I know." He did, but he needs to protect Anakin. From the Council. From Maul. He hears Anakin let out a sigh and Obi-Wan offers him his flask back. He accepts it.

Silence falls over them once again and Obi-Wan's mind wanders. He spreads his Force awareness, searching for Satine's presence inside. She is still awake - grieved and lost - in Padme's guest rooms. His heart aches at her pain.

"Do you love her?" It's almost a whisper in the wind. Obi-Wan knows that Anakin has always suspected that he did love Satine, but he has never out-right asked it.

Obi-Wan considers not answering, then he remembers that he is tired - exhausted - of pretending.

"I do."

Anakin is surprised. Obi-Wan assumes not because he is shocked that he loves Satine. No, because Obi-Wan finally admitted it outloud.

"Are you ashamed that you do?"

This time Obi-Wan doesn't hesitate. "Of course not." He is not ashamed of his feelings. He is proud that he loves a woman like Satine.

He loves Satine. He would not have it any other way.

Anakin nods to himself. Obi-Wan feels as though a huge weight has lifted from his chest.

"I love Padme." Anakin finally says. Obi-Wan isn't surprised, he had known all along. "I'm not ashamed of it." He would have been disappointed if was.

"I married her." He whips his head to look at Anakin. He had not known that. He had guessed that Anakin never stopped his affair with Padme. He married?

Why is he surprised? He wonders where the disappointment or frustration that he should be feeling is. All he feels is shock and indignation that he had not been invited to the ceremony. He feels touched too - Anakin has saw fit to trust him with that information.

"How long?"

"Since Genosis." Oh. That feels like ages ago.

Obi-Wan thinks what it would be like to marry Satine, and the very thought makes him feel warm and content. He wonders.

"So what does this mean for us?" Obi-Wan asks.

Anakin shrugs, finishing off the alcohol in the flask. "What do you want it to mean?"

He loves Satine. He wants to be with Satine. He wants to marry Satine.

"I don't want to give her up again."

"Don't"

Obi-Wan chuckles. It is such an easy answer for Anakin, but it wasn't that simple. "We're Jedi."

"It is beyond time that they changed," Anakin states, "if they refuse to. We'll leave." Obi-Wan thinks on that. It is not the first time he ponders on the question of if he should.

"In the middle of the war? What about Ahsoka? The 212th? The 501st?"

"We'll leave after." Anakin answers easily. Obi-Wan realizes that he has given this some thought. He tries to imagine the Order without his former padawan and finds it difficult. He realizes then that if Anakin leaves, he will follow.

Obi-Wan has always thought the Jedi is all that he has, but tonight he has learned to accept that is not true. He loves the Jedi, but by their own principle, he should not love. He loves so many. He wants to love.

He loves his Jedi friends. He loves the 212th and the 501st. He loves little Ahsoka. He loves Padme. He loves Anakin. He loves Satine.

He would be a fool to give that up.

"Agreed."

#Obitine #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Duchess Satine Kryze #Lawless #The Clones Wars #TCW #Star Wars #Padme Amidala #Ahsoka Tano #Maul

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