#he loves Padme and I could get behind that ship in the right circumstances

[civilizedage]

padmé or sabé

@bellassan | make Obi-Wan choose who to date (accepting)

“A difficult decision, in theory. Certainly neither would be appropriate.”

“However, if I must choose, I will choose Padmé. I have no doubt in the quality of Sabé’s character, but I am fond of Padmé and consider her a dear friend.

“I can only hope that Anakin would forgive me.”

[ladyvader23]

Darth Vader’s Unplanned Conversation

Thanks to @kittandchips for the prompt idea: How would Vader handle the twins thinking one of them was unplanned and therefore unwanted? Such delicious angst and fluff put this immediately on the list to write! 

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It was so rare that Vader arrived home before the twins did. But today, he’d managed to sneak away early, and he was home, having just dismissed Miss Laena for the day, waiting for his children’s arrival. He was not a traditional father, by any means, but he still enjoyed family time with his young ones. He didn’t know what they’d do; perhaps he’d take them on a ride in one of his newest ships. Luke would love that, and Leia might even, too, though she wasn’t usually as vocal about it. 

Then again, it was a school night. If he was being a good father, he’d sit with them and help with their homework. 

The possibilities were endless. He just hoped his Master continued to leave him alone for the evening. 

He sensed the twins arriving long before they even arrived on property. Their chauffeur would arrive in the hangar soon, drop them off, and they’d be heading up. He’d surprise them in the hallway, he decided, moving into position. He doubted he’d really surprise them; even untrained, Luke and Leia had a habit of being able to at least know when he was home. 

He continued to keep tabs on them until they were in the lift heading for the apartment. He tried to make himself less intimidating, not wishing them to think they were in trouble, and he’d managed what he assumed was a comfortable pose by the time the lift doors opened and in walked Luke and Leia. 

They immediately paused, looking at him with...admittedly, odd looks. Then, to his confusion, Leia glared, throwing her bag aside. He was about to remind her to put it away in the designated spot when she stormed up to him and crossed her arms. “So. Which one of us did you not want?!” 

Vader blinked down at his little girl, just seven years old, completely surprised by the accusation. Then, he looked up at Luke, reaching out through their bond to try to get more information, only to be flooded with feelings of hurt and sadness. Luke, at least, tried to hide it as he put his bag away in the appropriate cubby. 

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” He replied, finally, looking back at his daughter. “Explain.” 

But Leia huffed, and instead of explaining anything, stormed around him and off towards her room. “Fine! Don’t answer, then!” 

And before he had a chance to react, she’d entered her room, the door swishing closed behind her. 

Vader stared after her, even more confused than before, and turned back to Luke. “Explain.” he demanded. Usually his son was more willing to offer more information--or at least, he was easier to coerce. 

But Luke didn’t reply with anything but a shrug. “Nothing. Just girl stuff, I guess.” 

“Do not lie to me!” He snapped, instantly sensing the lie. “You may not be yelling at me, but I know I have apparently done something to upset the both of you. Now explain.” 

He expected Luke to cave, especially as he pressed along their bond...but Luke shook his head, and he too, walked past him. “I don’t want to know.” Was all he mumbled. 

It was a good thing Vader didn’t have any hair left. He might have started pulling it out. He’d learned long ago that bullying his children into answering him like they were some kind of rebel wasn’t the answer, nor was using the Force on them. Parenting books didn’t exactly say using the Force on children was bad, but based on their guidelines, he’d made the assumption himself. 

Still. It was too bad, especially as Luke too, shut himself in his room. 

Vader stood glaring at the doors, wondering how the fun night he’d had planned for them had turned so randomly...angsty. He tried to wrack his brain for anything he might have done to make Leia think he didn’t want one of them. Nothing came to mind--as far as he was concerned, he’d shown far more affection to them than he had anyone else. In fact, using a rare free evening to want to spend time with them was proof enough that he more than wanted both of his children. But children weren’t logical beings; there was plenty of evidence of that. 

He squared his shoulders, deciding which twin to face. Usually the answer was Luke...but this time, the Force seemed to pull him in the direction of Leia’s room. 

Leia it was, then. 

Yet he paused before entering, taking a moment to make sure he was as calm as a Sith Lord could be. Leia, as much as he cared for her, had a talent for making him angry in the blink of an eye. That never ended well when he was attempting to get something out of her, be it information or cooperation on her chores. As soon as he felt like he could handle anything she would throw at him, he entered the room. 

Surprisingly, the room was dark. She hadn’t bothered turning on the lights. He didn’t need infrared sensors in his eye plates to know she was stretched out face-first on her bed, head buried in her pillow. He could very clearly sense that himself, and the emotion coming from her was no longer anger, but...intense sadness. 

Again he tried to think of anything he might have done or said and honestly could think of nothing. So, tentatively, careful of the toys left on the floor, he made his way over to her bed. Though he usually preferred to stand, he winced as he sat down on the small child-size bed, his joints groaning in pain. 

Something else he’d noticed since becoming a father: children liked it when you got down on their level to talk to them. He rarely did it, but this seemed like the appropriate moment for it, though he still didn’t know why. 

“Leia.” 

He wished his vococorder allowed for him to speak gently to her. 

She didn’t stir. The only response was a muffled, “Go away.” 

“I will not. Not until you tell me what is wrong.” Silence. Wishing he could sigh, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to maintain control of his impatience. “I cannot help unless you tell me what the problem is.” 

Suddenly Leia sat upright, whirling to face him, and he was startled to find tears running down her face as she shouted, “I know you only wanted one of us, okay!” 

That statement did nothing to clear up Vader’s confusion, but her tears...Force, he hated it when she cried. He was reduced to feeling helpless, like anything he did would just make it worse. He doubted she knew the effect her tears had on him, and he hoped she never figured it out or he was doomed. 

Hell, he hoped the Emperor never figured it out. 

“I do not understand what you mean by that. You...can you explain?” 

It was so rare that he asked for information instead of demanded it. It seemed to be the right choice of words, however, because though she glared and looked away from him, she elaborated. 

“Kenny asked which one of us you didn’t want because mommy’s and daddy’s only plan for one baby.” 

Vader frowned, still trying to figure out the logic, then when he did, hot fury flashed through him, fury that he had to clamp down on to keep from scaring his daughter, or worse, giving her the wrong impression. 

“Kenny who?!” 

“Kenny Albrecht.” Leia replied glumly. “Is it Luke? He likes more of the same stuff you do.” 

He...had murdered children before, but he was far less likely to do so now that he had his own. As soon as he was done fixing this mess, he’d definitely be giving Kenny’s parents a surprise call. The thought of their faces when they realized who was calling was almost enough to cheer him up. 

Almost. 

“Come.” He stood, again wincing at the strain on his joints the movement caused. “It would appear this is a conversation for the both of you.” 

He expected Leia to resist, but she thankfully followed, her head hung as if she were somehow in trouble. He did not miss her sniffles, and each one was like a knife to his chest. 

Yes. He would definitely make sure Kenny Albrecht knew never to bother his children again. 

They entered Luke’s room. Luke, at least, had turned on the light, and he was building a toy ship model, though not very enthusiastically. He looked up when they entered, and Vader felt the normally cheery attitude of his son plummet further. 

Vader crossed over to the bed and again sat down, facing both of them. “Come here.” He pointed at the spot in front of him. They were so small, even sitting down he towered over them. 

They thankfully complied, though Luke shot Leia a look. “I don’t want to--” 

“You will listen carefully. Both of you. Am I clear?” He waited until they nodded, though Luke did so reluctantly. To even think his children had been so affected by stupid Kenny who was far beneath them--

“It is true that your...your mother and I did not know we were expecting twins.” He didn’t want to talk about Padme, not ever, but he found his children forced the subject more often than not. He would never get used to the pain it caused him, but if it helped them… “We...wanted to be surprised when you were born. I did not know…” he hadn’t yet told them the circumstances surrounding their birth and how he’d almost lost them. He wasn’t about to tell them now. “I did not know until you were born. But not for one moment did I ever consider not wanting either of you. In fact, the moment I laid eyes on both of you, I knew you were meant to be mine.” 

He couldn’t help the fierce possessiveness in his voice. They were his. How dare anyone suggest he’d ever want otherwise?! 

“While our interests may be different, you and I do share many similarities in our personalities.” He told Leia specifically. “I do not need nor want you to like everything I like. You are perfect the way you are.” 

Leia’s lower lip trembled, but she nodded and he sensed her calming down. 

“You do not need to know who it was I didn’t want because there is no such thing. I want and need both of you.” He told Luke. Luke let out a breath, his shoulders slumping in relief. 

“This Kenny Albrecht is an idiot...and yes, I know that is not a nice word, but it is true!” He had to be careful what language he use around the twins because otherwise they’d use it at school and he’d get phone calls from their teacher. It was stupid, and he doubted the teacher liked calling him, but there must have been some rule at the school requiring it. 

Carefully, he opened up his bond with both of them so they could feel his sincerity and the genuine fatherly affection he had for both of them. He paused, marveling at how bright and innocent they were as they clumsily probed the emotions he allowed them to see. It was clear they didn’t understand all of them, being so young, so he bit back his pride, and said, “There is nothing and no one else in this galaxy that I love more than the two of you. Do not ever let anyone make you forget that.” 

He very rarely ever said the “L” word. It was not in the nature of the Sith to do so. If the Emperor ever found out, there would be trouble. But when there were important moments when he needed his children to understand the severity of what he was saying, he would say what was necessary. 

Tonight, it was necessary. 

Immediately, the twins launched themselves into his arms, and he held them close as they grasped onto him for dear life, as if they had genuinely been afraid that somehow Kenny’s idiotic comment would make him remember he didn’t want one of them and give them away. The thought made him clench his teeth, and absently he ruffled both of their hair to calm himself down. 

“Now. I am home early. I wished to do something fun with the both of you.” 

Luke perked up, looking hopeful. “Like fly?” 

He couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, son. Like fly. Maybe we can pick up some treats on the way home.” 

The thought of him walking into a treat shop with his wide-eyed children was a bit ridiculous, but if it meant making his children forget about Kenny and his stupidity, he’d make it happen. 

“Okay!” Leia grinned. “I want Jogan ice cream!” 

“It will be done.” He stood. “Now go and get ready. I have a call to make.” 

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I take prompts! <3 

[monamourbladie-mb]

Only Mine - Anakin Skywalker x Reader (smut)

Warnings: Smut, slight sexual harassment but not from Anakin, oral (reader recieves), piv sex, finger fucking, unprotected sex

Words: 2.8k

Summary: Y/n is sent on a mission to seduce one of General Grievous workers, which gets Anakin completely and undeniably jealous.

*~*

Y/n knew from the start that this mission would be dangerous in many ways. First of all, she was asked to go undercover to seduce one of the captains under General Grievous’ rule in order to capture him.

Under any normal circumstance, this would be fine. Sure, it would be nerve wracking - the man was infamously known for taking any chance he got with a woman, going farther than a true gentleman would. Not only that, but Y/n was married. In secret, of course, so nobody could’ve guessed she wasn’t the right woman for the job.

But she wasn’t just secretly married to any random man - she was secretly married to the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, who was always quick to tell someone when he didn’t agree with their judgement.

Of course, even before Y/n tried, Anakin was the first one to try and convince Windu that this was a bad idea. But no matter how desperate his pleads were, Y/n was still required to go through with the mission.

Hours before, Y/n stood in one of the bathrooms on the ship, dressing in a particularly showy outfit that she certainly felt self conscious in. If it was for Anakin, that would be a different story. But she had to look sexual specifically to seduce Zentah, no matter how uncomfortable it made her.

“You look beautiful, Y/n,” Anakin spoke softly, sneaking into the bathroom. Y/n let out a small squeal and turned around, clutching her necklace and sighing. “Ani, you scared me!”

“I’m sorry, my love,” he frowned. “I had to find a way to see you in secret before the mission. Are you... feeling okay?” He tried to keep his eyes firmly fixed on her face, but they couldn’t help but wander down her exposed body as a faint smirk toyed with his lips.

“My eyes are up here, Skywalker,” she smirked, pecking his lips very faintly to tease him.

“Come here,” he let out a low growl, gripping her hips to pull her close to his chest. She giggled softly and pressed her hands on his chest, pushing herself back, “Ah ah. Hands off.”

“You just look so irresistible,” he spoke lowly, pulling her back and mumbling in her ear in faint tones, “too bad I can’t take you right here.”

She closed her eyes and fought back a soft whimper at his words, mustering all her self control to keep her emotions in check and focus on the task at hand. No matter how alluring her husband was being, she couldn’t risk getting caught doing - never mind.

She shook her head softly and pecked his lips gently, cupping his cheek with her hand, “As much as I want you too, I have a job to do, sweetheart.”

Anakin tried to play off his disappointment with a single nod, but she recognized the pouty lips instantly and hit his arm playfully, “Don’t even try and use your pouty face on me!”

Anakin laughed and kissed her forehead softly, “Worth a shot. Just please, PLEASE don’t do anything too sexual with him. The fact I have to be on the same ship while you work your magic already frustrates me,” he grumbled, his cheeks reddening softly from embarrassment over his jealousy.

“Anakin, you are my husband and only you are. Anything I do today is for the good of the Republic, and for the war to be won in our favor. If we can sack him, that’s one less goon of Grievous’ to worry about,” Y/n assured him, running her hands up his biceps slowly. Though hidden under his general attire, she still felt them tense under her touch.

“Good.” Anakin leaned down and captured her lips in a tender and soft, yet meaningful kiss. “I’ll see you when we finally catch the bastard.”

~*~ time skip ~*~

Y/n was completely uncomfortable with how far they were getting. She knew she was walking on thin ice with him - and that was made perfectly clear when he brought her to his bedroom. This was the plan of course - that was where Anakin’s brigade would capture him. But she hadn’t expected this.

“You were just so beautiful, I couldn’t resist,” Zentah spoke lowly, walking towards her as Y/n instinctively backed up slowly. “We shouldn’t jump into anything too quickly,” Y/n replied softly, trying to play off her nervousness with a smile.

“But where’s the fun in that, little girl?” he stroked her cheek and she closed her eyes, leaning away from his touch as his other hand trailed up her body and squeezed her ass.


“Please get here soon, Anakin,” she thought to herself, afraid she bit off more than she could chew here. How could she get out of this if Anakin’s squadron was late?

“I-I don’t think-“

“Now, now. As much as I love that sexy voice, let me do all the talking...” he began to kiss her cheek, and trail it down her jawline slowly. Y/n let out a soft whimper, a gentle plea for him to stop but he didn’t.

Instead, he gripped her hips and began to lay her down on the bed, his lips getting dangerously close to hers. She tilted her head away and tried pushing him off, but his grip was too strong on her body.

“S-stop-“

“Let me help you with this,” he smirked, trailing his hands to unzip the back of her dress.

“N-no-!” Y/n gasped, trying to grab at his arms to get him to stop. But he already worked her upper half out of the dress. The deep valley of her breasts were showing, threatening to spill out from the tightness of her push-up bra. To say that Padme went a little too far with her outfit was to say the least.

“I don’t want this! Not yet, Zentah,” she corrected herself, her voice quavering from nerves.

It wasn’t like she’s never had sex before - she had been with Anakin many, many times. But this was a total stranger who she secretly loathed... the circumstances were completely different.

She kept eyeing the door, hoping and praying that her savior would walk through any second and save her from the embarrassment and shame.

“I don’t care, doll,” he stroked her jawline lowly and started to kiss down her neck, moving dangerously close to her breasts, “you’re mine now.”

Her breathing picked up and she tried to squirm away - right as his door opened and in came a brigade of Clones, lead by non-other than her husband, Anakin.

She turned and faced him and her heart leapt in her chest at the sight of him coming to save her.

Zentah jumped off of her and raised his hands up as a few of the clones surrounded him.

“Zentah Brithe, you are under arrest and being brought in for investigation for working with the enemy,” General Skywalker flicked his lightsaber on to taunt him, the brilliant blue reflecting in Zentah’s scared eyes as he was handcuffed. “You are no friend to the Republic anymore, you coward.”

“And as for you,” Anakin mumbled lowly, turning to the bed to look at his wife nearly half naked. Y/n averted her gaze once she realized how dark it had become, how angry and hurt he looked.

She had a bad feeling about this - this wasn’t going to end well.

~*~

Anakin speed walked them to his room, and making sure no one was around, pulled her into his room. He slammed the door shut with the Force which frightened Y/n, jumping slightly.

“What the hell?” he suddenly snapped, turning on his heel to face her.

Y/n gulped, “Why are you angry Anakin?”

“Why do you think!” he shouted, gripping his fingers into a tight fist, “You told me you wouldn’t do anything!”

“And I didn’t!” Y/n replied, stunned he was even angry over this, “he came onto me! He tried to kiss me, not the other way around!”

“That’s not what it looked like to me,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “You were half naked, looking up at him like you were about to kiss him.”

“Anakin, he was going to rape me!” she shouted, hurt that he didn’t trust her, “he started kissing ME when I told him I didn’t want this. He undressed ME and I tried to grab his hands to stop, and he didn’t let me. He-“

Y/n was cut off by a deep, hurried kiss from Anakin. Her eyes fluttered close as he caressed her cheeks with his large hands, making the kiss more heated the longer it went on.

“Anakin-“ Y/n spoke out of breath, before being cut off by a short, hurried kiss, “Don’t talk,” Anakin spoke lowly, trailing his hands down her cheek to her arms, “Let me do this.”

Though she was still on edge from Zentah, she relaxed from his kisses and gripped his biceps to keep her upright.

He held her close to him and tapped her hipbone twice gently, their own little sign to signal her to jump so he didn’t have to stop kissing her. She obliged snd jumped up, and he quickly grabbed her ass to keep her upright.

Swiftly, he moved them to his bed, pressing her down onto it softly as laid on top of her.

He trailed his kisses down from her lips to her jawline, and then her sweet spot.

She let out a soft moan in response, trailing her hands up his back slowly.

He smirked at the noise and trailed his kisses down her body slowly, starting to strip off her usual Jedi clothes slowly.

She blushes softly and watches him, moving her hands up to slide off his cloak.

Once he had pulled her robes down, he smiled softly and pressed soft kisses to her chest, trailing his hands very softly down her body.


She shivered from his touch, biting her lip as he moves his hands behind her back, unhooking her bra.

He slid it off and, because of what happened earlier that day, she moved her arms to cover her breasts, blushing lightly and turning away.

He frowned, kissing her lips softly to make her look at him. “You’re beautiful,” he mumbled against her lips, moving his hand down her body again. He pressed his lips onto the valley of her breasts, making her ache for his touch. “Anakin,” she mumbled softly, her eyes closed, reveling in the feeling of his soft lips against her skin.

She had to bite down on her lip to suppress a moan when he moved his mouth down to take her right nipple into his mouth. She gasped softly and tried to grab at his back as he sucked gently on it. He moved to her other nipple and sucked it and licked it, moving his other finger to stroke her other one.

She closed her eyes and moans very softly, knowing she can’t be loud in case someone heard them.

Quickly, he moved down to her underwear and toyed with it for a moment, causing her to squirm to try and get him to take it off quicker.

He chuckled and slid it off slowly, moving down her body slowly as he kissed from her belly down to her thighs. She shivered in anticipation and watched him with big, lusty eyes as he slowly moved his lips to her aching core.

He finally moved her thighs apart a little more and moved his head down and pressed a soft kiss to her core, causing her to gasp and throw her head back in response.

“A-Ani,” she stammered, taken by surprise with his actions in the best way. Anakin smirked and moved her thighs apart further, kissing up and down her folds slowly.

Her eyes rolled back and she whimpered, unintentionally bucking her hips closer to his mouth. He chuckled and pulled her even closer to him, pumping his tongue into her slowly as her hand flew to her mouth to keep herself quiet.

She whimpered in pleasure as his thumb moved up to her clit, stroking it slowly as her breathing picked up more and more, making it increasingly difficult to keep quiet.

His tongue was working magic to her, doing things to her that she didn’t know were possible. She moved her hand up his back and tugged roughly on his long curls, causing him to let out a groan into her which sent more shivers up her spine.

“O-oh god... A-Anakin-!” she gasped, slowly starting to feel her high build. He smirked and moved his head to suck and lick on her clit, as he pressed his fingers into her slowly, teasingly.

“That feel good, sweetheart?” he spoke lowly and breathily, too focused on pleasuring her to move his lips away, sending more vibrations through her. She nodded and whimpered more, tugging on his hair again, “y-yes...! please, don’t stop...”

“Never, darling,” he mumbled into her, sucking more and pumping his fingers faster, curling his fingers deep inside her.

She squealed and covered her mouth, moaning louder as she fell to the edge, “A-Anakin-!” she squealed, “I’m s-so close...” she stammered, her breathing growing erratic.

He smirked and licked and sucked on her clit more and more, pumping her faster, “Let go, darling... let go...”

Almost instantly her eyes rolled back and her body jolted, finally finding her release and she moaned loudly into her hand, squirming around in pleasure, “Anakin!” she moaned into her hand, her breathing out of control.

Anakin helped her ride it through, removing his fingers slowly and kissing up her body again.

As she recovered from her high, she looked up at him through half lidded eyes, still yearning for more, and she could tell he was desperate for a release, too.

“I need you, sweetheart,” Anakin played with her hair gently, kissing her deeply as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her closer.

She felt his length press firmly against her core and she whimpered again, throwing her head back, “I need you too, please...” she gasped, feeling him press more against her.

He sat up straight and positioned himself, rubbing her hipbone softly to calm her down, “You ready?”

She nodded, pushing her hips up cause she was so desperate for friction. He chuckled and pressed her hips down, smirking, “So desperate...” he slowly pressed himself in, letting out a low growl of relief.

“So wet for me...” he mumbled, resting his head in her neck as he kissed it gently, beginning to thrust in and out slowly.

She whimpered and her eyes rolled back gently from his hips, holding onto his back tightly, “F-fuck, Ani... you feel so good,” she moaned.

“You feel better...” his hands roamed her body as he sped up his hips, thrusting into her at a quick pace, going deep into her, stretching her out.

She felt him everywhere, which sent her mind into a dizzy haze. Her senses were on high alert - her entire body burning with desire and pleasure, trying to get closer to him.

He moved his head to kiss her heatedly, cupping her cheeks with both hands as he thrust deeper, causing her to moan into his mouth. He growled in response and went faster, he absolutely loved the power he had over her.

“J-Just like that,” she moaned softly, blushing deeply as she trailed her eyes across his body. From his gorgeous face to his large biceps and toned chest, she was completely in awe at over how lucky she got.

“That feel good, baby? Hmm?” he smirked against her lips, taking her bottom lip between his teeth. She whimpered into his mouth and nodded slowly, burning with euphoria.

Soon, they both had reached their climaxes and came down at the same time, both of them panting heavily with Anakin directly on top of her.

He breathed lowly and kissed her hurriedly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling them to their side, laying down.

“You’re mine, Y/n. My beautiful angel...” he mumbled into her hair, kissing it softly and hugging her tightly.

“I’m all yours...” she mumbled sleepily, resting her head on his chest as she looked up at his gorgeous blue eyes, full of lust and love. “I love you, Anakin.”

“I love you more, my Y/n,” he kissed her again, before holding her until they both fell asleep.

[stardustkenobi]

A Former Confidante

Darth Vader x Reader

Request: @dcrthbaeder “Would u be able to write a one shot with darth vader?? Xx”

Warnings: Angst, canon typical violence, unrequited love, pining

A/N: Hiii everyone! I’m so sorry for the lull in posts— it’s been a crazy few weeks but I’m trying to settle into a routine that will (hopefully) allow me to get on a regular posting schedule. As always, thank you so much for reading!

You had been fairly young when you first met Anakin Skywalker. A few days shy of your fifteenth birthday, in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. A budding Jedi with promise, you and your master had been on your way back to your quarters after a long morning of training.

The eye contact you made lasted no more than a millisecond, but it was enough to be seared into your brain forever. You had heard the whispers amongst your peers- he was the Chosen One, supposedly. Destined to end the Sith, bring about the balance that you all desperately ached for. The war raging with the Separatists had kept you from ever laying eyes on him yourself.

Mentally scolding yourself for the blush that rose to your cheeks when he passed, giving your master a nod and you a smile, you drew in a sharp breath and immediately reminded yourself of why you absolutely could not allow your mind toward that place that continuously got you into trouble with your master. You refused to allow your mind to convince you that you were in love with yet another man at first glance. Not again.

But you couldn’t help yourself as you sat meditating on one of the quieter balconies facing the skyline of the city later that evening, flinching a little when the doors open with a mechanical whoosh.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you, my apologies.” A steady voice came from behind you, followed by quiet footsteps. “Do you mind sharing the space for a little bit?”

You turned, glancing over your shoulder, mouth immediately going dry at the sight of Anakin Skywalker standing just over you. “Not at all.” You whispered, trying to keep your voice even.

A little bit turned to a whole evening as the two of you talked quietly, meditation long forgotten after sitting in silence for less than thirty seconds. He told you stories of adventures he had been on with his own master, how he had received word that he would be serving as a personal guard to Queen Amidala, an old friend of his. He asked why he had never seen you before, how your training was going, question after question that made your heart race a little bit faster with each moment.

It was one conversation, one night. But, again, you were always one to fall easily. It took everything in your power to clear your head to make sure Anakin was none the wiser as you sat next to him, wishing that the two of you had met in some other life time under different circumstances.

Your relationship in the following years was friendly, never actually professional. He became your biggest confidant and you became his, so you thought. You weren’t aware of budding romances, conflicting feelings, the subtle toeing of the line between light and dark on his behalf. All that mattered to you was that you had a friend and he sometimes brushed your hair from your face while you sat in the gardens, eating fruit and making each other laugh.

He told you about Padme just weeks before everything changed and your world came crashing down. Your time together had been dwindling over the past few months, what with you getting ready to take the trials and his…You weren’t necessarily sure what he had been up to that had suddenly taken up all of his time, but when he showed up in your quarters late one night you didn’t care. You couldn’t be angry because you loved him and try as you might to push it away, you couldn’t.

After settling down on your bed, sitting across from each other, you decided that you would tell him the truth. That it only made sense to before you attempted to complete your training because you would give it all up and run away with him if he asked you. “Can I tell you something?” You whispered, glancing up into his face.

“You can tell me anything.” He whispered back.

As you opened your mouth to speak, you caught what seemed to be the smallest hint of fear emanating from him. Your eyebrows furrowed as you caught his gaze- it was somewhat hardened, his whole face was. “What…Are you all right, Anakin?”

And then the flood gates opened. He told you every single detail of his secret life, eyes filling with tears as he held your hands shakily. He told you about the horrible dreams he had been having- that was why he had come to you that night. He couldn’t tell Obi Wan and he didn’t have it in him to wake Padme for the fourth night in a row, especially when he knew she would tell him it was only a dream.

Like the good confidant you were, you nodded, listened, buried your emotions as best you could. It took all that you had not to scream at him to get out of your room and to never speak to you again because how could he not know how you felt? Did he really have no idea how it was wrenching you apart to hear that everything you had wanted with him from the moment you set eyes on him five years prior could never happen, not because of the rules of your profession, but because he had it already with someone else?

Reassuring him that while dreams sometimes foretold of the future, he still had control of the situation, of his emotions and his actions, you ushered him back to his own bed, desperately needing the opportunity to let go of your own frustrating and anger. He thanked you and, not uncharacteristically, pulled you to his chest, hugging you tight. Your lack of reciprocation was left unnoticed by his own self absorption.

“Oh, I forgot.” He said quietly just before he turned to go. “What was it that you wanted to tell me, Y/N?”

Your head snapped up as your hand hovered over the button to close the door. Without hesitation, your lie spilled from your lips as smooth as the mechanical whoosh your door made after he left just a moment later. “Just wanted to tell you that I think I’m finally ready to take my trials.”

Ten years had gone bye and you had left those fleeting moments far behind you. None of that longing seemed to matter anymore, not after what he did. Not after he had taken so many friends away from you.

After nine years of wandering on your own, trying to figure out where you had gone wrong and whether or not you could have stopped the monster that was Darth Vader from rising up, you decided to do something with your life. You found the rebellion and in turn found a home and a purpose. All of your energy was channeled into bringing down the Empire and bringing down the people that had destroyed the only family you had ever known. You hadn’t planned on ever having anything close to what you knew at the temple you grew up in, but you quickly found a close second in the rowdy bunch of freedom fighters you now shared close quarters with each night.

Rubbing elbows with them on missions where you barely made it out alive by the skin of your teeth was your new favorite past time- gone were the days of carefully planned out schedules, hours of silence, subduing of emotions that just felt so right regardless of what the Jedi Code was telling you. You had quickly traded your lightsaber for a blaster, let your hair grow long, and traded late night conversations with the fallen Chosen One for stolen kisses from your new lover between briefings and meals and training and missions and sheets.

Needless to say, you were happy.

Three weeks into your latest mission with your crew found your small, inconspicuous transport ship being pulled into the tractor beam of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Though this had happened to many other groups of rebels over the past few months or so and prisoners were rarely ever taken, you couldn’t help the rise of nervous energy in your chest as you prepared to be boarded. The people who typically interrogated the crews of the small transports typically bought the story each crew had been taught to spin. Before embarking on a mission of this nature, one had to be familiar with the ins and outs of their alias and the alias of the group as a whole- if the story wasn’t second nature, you weren’t getting on it.

“Don’t sweat it.” Your pilot said as she came out to join the rest of the crew standing just outside the cockpit. “We’re prepared for this.”  

Prepared. The word repeated like a prayer in your head as your fingers flexed in the pockets of your pants. Up until this point, not one person in the rebellion was aware of the fact that you were force sensitive. Nobody had ever seen the hilt of your lightsaber, nor did you practice the force in any other space other than in the privacy of the woods just a little ways from your bunker back on the base. Despite this, you wouldn’t hesitate if a mind trick or two got your crew of ten out of this situation alive. Attribute it to the force or just plain old intuition, for some reason you couldn’t shake the fear that continued to grow as the group of Imperial officers inevitably approached the ship after you had finally been brought into the docking bay of the destroyer.

Blasters drawn and faces stoic, four officers stepped on board- you hardly heard the conversation that ensued because the feeling that continued to nag at you only grew stronger. It set you on edge, made you squirm in your spot and tug at the collar of your shirt as you waited for them to get get out of your hair already.

Your fingers began to twitch just as the officer who had been received a transmission on his comm link. “You’re being taken on board for further questioning.” He said after a moment, glancing at your pilot.

Heart racing, your hands flew to your blaster, ready to put up a fight. However, there wasn’t much you could do, as two of the officers were on you already…The only one not to comply with their orders.

Needless to say, you had flagged your whole group with that simple action. A normal civilian transport would have no problem joining the officers on board for further questioning because they had nothing to hide. You had just damned the whole group to at least a day of detainment and the struggle of a life time to keep your story straight, as you only had been given enough information to cover basic questions. To stave off any further questioning.

The plan had always worked, what was different this time?

With a blaster pressed to the small of your back, you followed the rest of your crew, led by the two remaining officers that weren’t sandwiching you. Weapons were confiscated at one checkpoint, personal belongings at the next. You were divided up into pairs and tossed into detainment cells a little while after.

“This is bullshit!” You called after the guard that had locked you away while you slammed your fist into the door of the cell.

Your companion, the co-pilot of your crew, shook her head. “That’s not going to do us any good, you know.”

Turning on your heel, you raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I’m getting us out of here. All of us.” Your confidence emulated from the words as they rose from your chest. Sure, it was dangerous to reveal your abilities, but at that moment it was a hell of a lot better than being trapped on an Imperial Star Destroyer for an indefinite amount of time.

The co-pilot scoffed. “Oh yeah? And how do you expect to do that, blaster brain?” She rolled her eyes, propping her feet up on the wall across from where she sat. “You don’t have any weapon or a key or anything else to get us out. What would you even do after you got us all out, stare a bunch of stormtroopers down and hop they just back off because you look intimidating?”

Mirroring her expression, you moved your hand effortlessly. The door slid open and so did her mouth, in complete and utter shock. Offering her a hand, then moving toward the exit, you quipped, “I think that I’ll check around for some blasters, but I’m also willing to take my chances on your idea.”

She stayed rooted to the spot, in total shock at the fact that you had opened the door with a simple wave of your hand. With a frustrated sigh, you pulled her out of the room, starting to creep down the sterile looking hallway. You made it to the end, feeling somewhat victorious, and then waved your hand once more, opening the second door with as much ease as the first time.

“Your senses aren’t what they used to be.” A modulated voice rang out through the silent hallway just as the two of you began to step through the doorway.

Freezing up, you refused to turn around as footsteps echoed menacingly through the hallway. They sounded eerily familiar. So did the voice, despite its distorted echo.

“I sensed that it was you as soon as your ship landed in the launch bay.” The voice continued as you finally turned around. Eyes widened as you were faced with the face of a monster— Darth Vader. “But you seem to be out of practice.”

Try as you might, you couldn’t bring yourself to fight back as he continued toward you. “I don’t know you. You don’t know me.” You spat, trying hard as you could to keep your lip from trembling. The man you once loved was dead— the man in front of you had sought to that.

“I demand that you take us back to our cell for questioning.” The co-pilot began, clearly not realizing the gravity of the situation.

“Stand down.” You hissed to her as he got even closer. You averted your eyes, refusing to look at him straight in the face.

He tilted his head as he watched you both— one woman refusing to look him in the the eye, the other staring him down defiantly.  “But apparently not that out of practice if you were able to escape your holding cell.” With a flick of his wrist, your co-pilot was on the ground writhing in pain.

“Stop.” You said sternly, voice wavering as you finally glanced up to face the mask. The metal glistened in the bright lights of the hallway and try as you may, you were unable to get a read on him. You tried desperately to reach out to him, clinging to to the force as if it was the last thing anchoring you to the floor of the ship. It wouldn’t be a lie if you said it was. Your eyebrows furrowed as you struggled, trying to break in and understand what was going on in his head.

The tsk that left his lips was as artificial as it was superficial; his voice was mechanic and the sound was almost patronizing. He didn’t care that you were trying as hard as you could muster and he certainly didn’t plan on entertaining your attempts for much longer. “I tried to find you that day, you know.” He began to say, walking even closer. “Tried to reach out to you and tell you it was okay, that you were safe with me.”

You spat at the ground, then glared up at him through your eyelashes. “You would have killed me, too. Just like you killed every single damn person in that temple.”

“Not you.” He said immediately, refusing to let you continue. “You never had doubt in your head when it came to me. No.” You could practically see the smug smile on his face as his head tilted menacingly. “You were so fixed in your affection and would have turned immediately had I asked you.”

Despite all of the time that had passed since the last time the two of you stood face to face, your cheeks burnt like the surface of Mustafar, reminding Darth Vader of the heat that had licked his skin and distorted the face you had loved from the moment you laid eyes on him. “You don’t know me.” You replied, trying to keep your voice from betraying the emotions that threatened to bubble up. Not that it would make a difference, you knew he was well aware of the affect that he had on you. That this encounter was having on you. “You never knew me.”

The laugh that left his lips was low and grainy. “I know you very well.” He finally stopped just a mere few feet away from you. “I know that you love me, as hard as you tried to push it away.”

Your eyes widened as you shook your head in disgust. “I don’t love you. I can’t even stand to look at you right now.” You hissed, eyes narrowing. “You took everything from me, okay? Just let us all go. We haven’t done—“

“Stop groveling.” He snapped, flicking his wrist again. The strangled sounds coming from the woman next to you ceased and you refused to look down at your feet, knowing all too well that she was far gone. “I’m going to offer you what I would have offered you had I found you that day.” He began.

“Don’t do this.” You tried to stop him, shaking your head once more as tears pricked at your eyes. “You know what my answer’s going to be.”

He stepped forward, touching your chin and glancing down at you. “Join me.” He said simply. “You were once a powerful Jedi— I see the power in you still. You could be great.” He continued, tilting his head once again. “You could finally have what you always wanted.”

Your jaw dropped at this assertion; the fact that he still continued to believe that your love would have lasted through the horrors that he had put you through and the atrocities that he had committed would have made you laugh had you been in a different situation. Somewhere safe and far away, wrapped in the arms of your lover in your shared bunk. Laughing at this dumb story and talking about how what you had trumped any “love” that the lonely shell of a man wrapped in metal could have attempted to give you had you said yes.

Swallowing the lump threatening to rise in your throat, you spit once more and hit his helmet dead center. “Read my lips, Vader.” You said, voice cold and calculated. “Strike me down if you want, but I will never, ever join you. I have what I always wanted, and—“

Darth Vader didn’t give you another moment to continue speaking. His hand rose up, using the force to apply just enough pressure around your throat to push you into unconsciousness. A trooper finally emerged from the door behind you after you had fallen to the floor beside your comrade, now stiff and lifeless.

“Sir, what should we do with the Jedi?” She asked, tilting her head as her studied the two bodies laying at her feet.

Vader was already turning, unwilling to look at you for another second. “Bring her to the holding cell and dispose of the other one.” With a mechanic whoosh, the door at the opposite end of the hallway closed and he was gone. Despite your protests, he would have you on his side some day. He wouldn’t lose you again.

[benthelastskywalker]

Romance in The Sequel Trilogy (And Why It Was Always Going to be Reylo)

(Warning: Long post ahead!)

Despite the claims that have popped up in recent years that “romance doesn’t belong in Star Wars,” romance has always been a big part of the saga. Han and Leia’s romance was a big part of the original trilogy and Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side in the prequels came from his love for Padme. In Rogue One, it was Lyra’s love for her husband and her desire to keep him out of the Empires hands that forced her to act as she did and ultimately ended in her death. Jyn and Cassian clearly develop feelings for each other across the course of the film, even if those feelings are never spoken aloud. And in Solo, it is Han’s love for Qi’Ra and his desire to get back to her that drives the plot. So, of course a romance in the sequel trilogy is expected.

But expected from where? In the previous two trilogies, the lead romance comes from inside the main trio of characters; the lone woman in the group falls for one of the two men. So, it is hardly surprising that after the release of The Force Awakens a good number of fans expected Rey and Finn to end up in a romantic relationship and why some would have even been happy to see Rey end up with Poe. But with Kylo Ren/Ben Solo? That seemed to be out of the question and those of us who shipped it were called “delusional.” In their minds, saying Rey would fall for Kylo/Ben would be like saying Leia would have fallen for Vader (if he hadn’t turned out to be her father) or Padme would have fallen for Darth Maul.

Yet, all the three movies in the sequel trilogy show us exactly why a romantic relationship between Rey and the two men of the trio would not work and why exactly she does fall for Ben Solo.

Let’s start with Finn. As others have already pointed out, Finn constantly treats Rey like she needs his protection. That it is his sworn duty to keep her safe. We see this very early one right after they first meet and he keeps grabbing her hand and Rey keeps protesting. He then spends a majority of the movie, trying to run from the First Order and it isn’t until Rey gets taken captive that he joins forces with the Resistance, BUT (and this is made pretty clear in The Last Jedi) that he only does so to rescue Rey and not because he truly wants to join their cause. 

And speaking of TLJ, he spends 90% of that movie doing what he does simply to keep Rey safe and not because he wants to join or help the Resistance. It’s not until the end of the movie that he truly commits. Yet even after that, he spends a good portion of The Rise of Skywalker screaming her name and even going to rush after her during her last lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren.

Now, it’s not a bad thing to want to protect someone you care about (in fact it is expected), but Finn seems to view Rey as a damsel in distress, someone who cannot defend or protect herself and who needs him to protect her. And that is what many of us find off putting.

Contrast that with Kylo/Ben who knows exactly how powerful Rey is and is in awe of it. The way he looks at her when she uses the Force to grab the legacy lightsaber in TFA. Kylo doesn’t view her as a damsel in distress and never does he treat her as one. He treats her as his equal in the Force (which is fitting since they turn out to be a Dyad), someone who can defend and protect herself. The only times that he comes to Rey’s protection is when she truly needs it. When Snoke want him to kill her and then on Exegol when she is facing off against Palpatine and is terrified.The times Rey truly needed someone there, Kylo/Ben was there for her.

Now, there is another issue I’ve only recently came to have with the idea of a romance between Finn and Rey and that is an issue of honesty. The first time Finn and Rey meet, he flat out lies to her and tells her that he is a part of the Resistance. It is a lie that he maintains until it becomes clear that Rey wants him to stand and fight after the First Order instead of running away. He only comes clean because he realizes that it is the only way to keep her safe, to convince her to go with him. Yes, Rey doesn’t hold the lie against him and readily accepts the truth and him for who he is, but it doesn’t change the fact that Finn was dishonest and would have kept up lying for who knows how long if circumstances hadn’t forced him to reveal the truth.

Kylo/Ben on the other hand, never lied to Rey. He was always open and honest with her, even when he knew the truth isn’t what she wanted to hear. And it would have been so easy for him to lie and tell her what she wanted to hear. Remember when she asked him why he hated his father? He could have so easily lied in that moment. He could have made up some story about how awful a person Han was and to get Rey to sympathize with him. But he doesn’t. He honestly tells her that he didn’t hate Han. Yes, he changes the subject around to her own parents when she wants to know why he killed Han if he didn’t hate him, but avoiding a topic one would rather not discuss is not the same as lying.

I can already hear antis screaming, “But he lied to her about her parentage in TLJ!” So let’s get this out of the way. When Rian Johnson wrote that scene in TLJ, Kylo was being honest with her because that was what he (Rian) intended to be the truth, that her parents really where nobodies. It’s not his fault JJ came back and retconned it. I actually posted about this before. So, because of this, I’m choosing to view it as he was telling her the truth about her parents in TLJ and that is the hill I will die on.

Okay, so what about Poe? Rey and Poe don’t even meet until the end of the second movie of the trilogy (yes, I know they meet at the end of the TFA novelization, but since most people don’t read the novels, I’m going with them not meeting until the end of TLJ). By the end of the second movie of the original trilogy, Han and Leia have already kissed (twice!) and Leia has told Han she loved him. By the end of the second movie of the prequel trilogy, Anakin and Padme are married. If Poe and Rey were ever intended to be canon, The Rise of Skywalker would have had to do a lot to build up the romance between them, but it did nothing of the kind. The first scene we get of the two of them together has them yelling at each other. After that, they seem to just tolerate each other, they certainly never act like two characters falling in love.

But Reylo has been building up since TFA. Even before the characters ever meet. After Rey’s force vision and she’s talking to Maz and Maz says “The belonging you seek is not behind you. It is ahead.” Rey (incorrectly) assumes Maz is talking about Luke. Now here’s where it gets interesting. I recently stubbled across a video where the audio following that moment is enhanced. After Maz says “take the saber”, you  can here Rey’s voice whispering the words “It’s Ben,” showing that Ben is the belonging Rey seeks. And this before she ever lays eyes on him. 

JJ has always called Kylo “half of the protagonist with Rey.” Protagnist. Not antagonist. And certainly not “villain.” Neither Adam Driver nor JJ Abrams have ever called Kylo/Ben the villain of the trilogy. Instead he’s the leading man. The character we’re all meant to route for and hope to see redeemed. He was always going to be the one Rey fell for.

[ryder-s-block]

Jaig Eyes (Ch 68)

Jaig Eyes (68/?)

Summary:

Kida, a former slave who now thrives as a bounty hunter, finds herself sucked into the war she advised Jango Fett against. Now that she’s involved, she has to finally mourn the loss of Jango, seeing his face in the clones that man the GAR. What happens when she allows herself to get attached to one, not for his resemblance to her former mentor, but for his heart?

————————-

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Peace Talks

Despite having been on Mandalore before, I’d never actually been inside the domed capital city of Sundari. Obi-wan had talked of it often, in the many times he’d told stories to the clones on late nights during campaigns. He told epic tales of his time protecting the young Duchess Satine. His men saw them as morale-boosting war stories. But I knew better. I knew the true allure that laid within those memories for Obi-wan. He was telling love stories.

And what a better setting for them? The city was beautiful, reminding me of what Coruscant’s lower levels would look like if they were well-maintained.

And cared about art.

Having rejected the old Mandalorian way, the new pacifist government didn’t even let me wear my beskar in. I had to leave it, along with all of our weapons, back on the shuttle. Knowing this would happen, I’d asked Padme why she wanted me along.

We’d been sitting in her apartment on Coruscant when she’s suggested it. I’d told myself, while guiding my speeder through the air towards her, that I was going there to look for Anakin. He had to be told about what happened...right?

But deep down, I felt that he already knew. And that he was at the Jedi Temple, trying to sort this all out. 

And the truth was that I was going to Padme’s apartment for her and the comfort she provided to me. I’d exited my speeder and entered her apartment without issue, her security system still recognizing me. I hadn’t even bothered to change after leaving the transport that brought me back from Umbara.

When the senator saw me, she only held out her arms to me, her face sad. Anakin must have told her. Or maybe she saw the entire story etched into the lines of my face.

I ran to her, letting the kind woman take me under her wing as she had with her younger sisters when they were young. She listened. Consoled. Forced me to clean up and then fed me. 

The Coruscant skyline was bathed in the golden light of the sunset when Padme finally suggested a new mission. She saw it as a leave of absence without actually asking for one. I’d go with her to some rather uncertain attempt at peace talks, as I had once been her personal security, and be able to escape the battlefield for a bit.

She claimed Anakin needed it sometimes, too. It made sense. After all, I’d given it to the clones when Echo died. 

I felt overcome with guilt as I stood beside Padme’s chair, my hands folded behind my back. Here I was, taking on an easy mission without even thinking about looking after the clones. Of course, I’d tried to see them, but they were all on lock-down, more or less.

Considering all that had happened, there was a lot of briefing to be done. Even Rex, who had snuck away for a moment to comm me on our private channel, told me that he’d likely not be able to see me for a while...until all the protocol and scrutiny was gone.

I had a fair share of my own, of course, considering I raged out on a Jedi. Still, Dogma took the brute of it all, willingly. I wanted to defend him. To leap forward into the Chancellor’s office and explain that I was every bit as willing as Dogma to shoot Krell. I’d chopped two of the Jedi’s arms off, for Ka’ra’s sake. 

But in the end, what use would that be? I’d just get more of us tried for treason. And Dogma’s mind screamed that. This was his redemption. So I let him.

That didn’t mean I’d ever stop feeling the guilt, though.

My attention was dragged back to the room when I felt a spike of frustration ripple from the representatives across from us. Beside me, sitting in a simple chair, was Senator Amidala. Beside her were Senators Organa and Mothma. Behind us were a line of Republic Senatorial Guards.

To my far left, overseeing the meeting, was Duchess Satine. She’d remembered me well. I felt the confused emotions towards me when I’d first entered the room. I’d kept her and Obi-wan’s secret. But I’d also murdered a guy. Which was bad to her, even if it was to save an entire ship of people. But whatever.

On the other side of the throne room were Seperatist representatives. There was a Gossam, named Amita Fonti. A Siniteen I knew to be called Bec Lawise. And finally, Voe Atell, who was glaring rather darkly at Padme as she spoke.

I forced myself to tune back in. “The Republic recognized the tragedy of war, but there is nothing we can change that has already occurred.” I swallowed thickly past the frown that wanted to climb to my lips. In the end, Padme was right that there was no way to alter the past.

Still, that didn’t mean we should ignore it. The past was there to learn from it. And even though she didn’t mean it that way, I felt it came across as….dismissive?

Unfortunately, the Separatists didn’t know Padme’s heart like I did. Nor could they feel her genuine emotions when she spoke.

Thus….

“Say it aloud before this gathering,” Voe Atell demanded, “As representative of Chancellor Palpatine, that you declare, without reservation, the Seperatist State legitimate.”

I cut my eyes sideways to see Padme frown in the following silence. We both knew she didn’t have the authority to do that. Nor would she, under the circumstances that the Separatists are being led by a Sith. Of course, it’s not like we could tell them that and they’d believe us.

When I became worried that I’d die from the tense pressure building in the room, a voice finally spoke. “I have something to say about the legitimacy of the Separatists.” I leaned my head forward slightly, peering around Padme’s chair to see a young man who looked no older than myself. He was handsome, his hair swept to the side and his dress proper.

A senator, I assumed, but not one I recognized on sight. And then it made a bit more sense.

“It’s Lux Bonteri,” Bec Lawise whispered, seeming alarmed. 

“Why is Lux Bonteri here?” Voe asked at the same time, her gaze casting worriedly across the Republic Senators.

“What could he possibly have to say?” Lawise spoke again, this time louder and intending to mock the young man. Still, Bonteri didn’t seem bothered as he walked between the opposing groups to approach the Mandalorian throne.

My brow arched, my arms crossing before my chest to try and smother my amusement. I’d had the absolute pleasure of interacting with his mother once. Since then, I found it good fun to watch her absolutely decimate people with her ability to argue. She was a damned good politician, and she cared for her people. It was a shame her people lost her so early.

It seemed her son inherited her tendency to piss people off. I smirked when I heard Voe hiss, “He was not invited.” As if this was a fancy dinner party. Please. If I could get an invitation to this stupid thing, I wasn’t surprised the son of a senator got in.

I leaned down to Padme’s side as Bonteri passed, his gaze passing over us. For a moment, I saw a flash of disappointment. Huh. I’d investigate that later. But for now….

“Was this planned in any way? Cause if so, I’d like to be filled in next time,” I whispered in Padme’s ear.

She glanced at me, shaking her head. Usually she at least had a glimmer in her eye when I joked. But this time, there was only worry. I sobered immediately, looking back as Lux bowed to the duchess.

“I don’t know what he’s doing,” she whispered back. Her tension was distracting. Damn my emotional connections to people. 

With a small sigh, I touched Padme’s shoulder gently, resting my hand there. She eased slightly, letting me smooth over some of her anxieties with the Force. Bonteri turned back to us, having received permission to speak from Satine.

“I stand before you,” he began steadily, “Son of Mina Bonteri, loyal Separatist, a patriot, a friend.” He cast his eyes towards Padme briefly, that spark of disappointment igniting in him again when he saw me beside her. I tilted my head, curious. 

There was a wide range of emotions I was used to feeling when people laid eyes on me. Disappointment, weirdly...wasn’t one of them. Fear was usually more likely. 

“It has come to my attention that my mother was murdered by Count Dooku in cold blood!” 

My jaw dropped open as the boy spoke, my hand tightening on Padme’s shoulder when she tensed in fear. Bec Lawise leapt from his chair immediately. “That is a lie! Remove this traitor immediately.” 

On pure instinct, I moved to step forward as two commandos grabbed Bonteri. Padme’s hand quickly grabbed mine, keeping me glued to her shoulder. I tugged at her for a second, but a firm look stilled my movements.

“I will not be silenced!” Bonteri cried as he was dragged away from the throne. 

Duchess Satine rose angrily. “Stop this!”

Voe Atell got up from her seat as well, her voice terribly respectful. My nose crinkled at her. “We would ask you to respect that we deal with this matter ourselves.”

“No,” Lux cried, his hands bound as he was led from the room. “Dooku is deceiving you! You will all be betrayed, just like my mother!” My jaw set as the doors snapped closed behind him and his captors. What if that were true? Did Dooku murder Mina?

If so….

“I apologize for such a rude interruption,” Lawise announced to the room. “Please let us continue.”

The representatives all settled back into their chairs, the room filling with a low mumble as they reorganized themselves. I took the opportunity to lean down again, my hand still held against Padme’s shoulder.

“Senator, we can’t just let them take him. He could be killed for what he said. And if it’s true…”

Padme looked at me over her shoulder, nodding slightly, her brows furrowed. “Do what you can. But be discreet.”

I smirked. “If I’m not, you can just blame the bounty hunter.”

“Not funny.” 

Still, despite the words that left her mouth, the slight glimmer of humor was back as I turned and slipped from the room before the discussions could continue. I guess that meant she trusted me to save Mina’s son.

I only hoped she was placing that trust correctly.

A quick shuttle back to the landing platforms revealed Bonteri to me again. The Separatist platform was crawling with commandos--and these ones were armed, since they were outside the city.

Osik.

Ducking between crates, I made my way to the right edge of the platform, watching Bonteri be led up the ramp past two guards. Apart from those two, I counted another patrolling the walkway and a fourth at the front of the ship.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I slipped along the side of the walkway, staying out of sight. I stopped, pressing myself to the metal wall, listening to the droid walking on the platform above. My eyes closed, my hand opening at my side, palm facing the sky. The Force moved at my gentle nudging, closing around the commando walking its patrol route.

My fingers clenched quickly, my fist dragging backwards. With the movement, I pulled the droid with the Force, sending it hurtling past me and towards the desolate surface of the planet far below.

Of course, this drew the attention of the other droids. But not enough for them to call for help. I leapt from the ledge, knowing three commandos would be looking over it any moment. Thankfully, while the Mandalorians had taken my weapons, they didn’t take my grapple.

I aimed it up, the tether securing against the underside of the platform and swinging me to the opposite side. A little help from the Force and a whole lot of practice…. And I was up on the left side of the platform, the droids all searching frantically off the other side.

I couldn’t help but smirk as my grapple detached and I raced aboard after the Bonteri boy. The Force moved darkly, and while I knew he wasn’t aboard, I knew someone was conversing with Dooku. It was freaky, how powerful his presence could be, even when he wasn’t fully there.

The Force whispered as I hurried after Lux’s signature; He was in trouble. I stopped at a door, a familiar pompous voice speaking, “I think it is time we reacquaint the young senator with his mother. Kill him.”

Nope. 

The door hissed open under my touch, revealing a kneeling Bonteri before a hologram of Dooku. Two commandos stood on either side of the young man. With a confident smirk to Dooku, I thrust out my hands, the first droid rocketing backwards and into the hologram projector. The count’s image disappeared as I vaulted off the wall, slamming my feet into the faceplate of the second commando. They fell together in a sizzling heep, their mechanics whirring.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Do you care?,” I replied, waving his curiosity away. We’d have time for that after we were gone. “I’m not currently trying to murder you, so I’d say that I’m a step up.” I gestured to the fallen droids, my hand on my hip.

Admittedly, I probably didn’t look like much. The only tough-looking thing about me was the scars that marred my face. I didn’t even have my beskar to make me look intimidating. I was in more civilian-typical clothes--gray pants with a black leather jacket. It’s not like I looked like a bounty hunter. Or someone who could Force-push a droid into a wall.

Thankfully, Lux shrugged in agreement, following me into the elevator. As we descended, I tapped my comms, wishing the Mandalorians had let me keep my advanced communications system. And by that, I mean that I wished I could call to Apex for help.

Still, R2 wasn’t a poor substitute by any means. “R2,” I said into my comms, waiting for the door to hiss open again. “Prep the shuttle. We’ve gotta go.” The astromech beeped back dutifully, but with a touch of snark.

I smirked, thankful Anakin had loaned R2 to Padme. He did that a lot, actually, which made me even more sure that they were the worst kept secret of the Jedi Order. I mean….her protocol droid was literally Anakin’s creation.

I shook that thought away, focusing on now. Leading Lux from the elevator when the doors snapped open. The commandos that had been searching for me earlier had returned to their posts beside the ramp. I raced down the gangway, leaping onto the back of the first commando. Locking my legs around its hips, I swung my weight sideways, pulling us both to look at the other droid.

The other guard was aiming at us, but not firing since the commando was in my way. I wrestled with my captive quickly, firing off two shots from the commando’s weapon to take out the other. I finally wrenched my arms sideways, ripping off my captor’s faceplate.

Landing deftly on my feet, I glanced at Lux, who just seemed shocked. “Come on,” I growled, leading us away as the final guard at the ship chased after the sound of blaster fire. We hurried across the landing pads, more commandos converging on our position and opening fire without hesitation.

I still didn’t have my weapons, so there wasn’t much I could do but run faster and hope the young senator had kept his cardio up. I ducked into the gorgeously decorated halls that threaded through the landing pads. I was surprised to see the senator right on my heels as we rounded a corner.

“You were with Senator Amidala,” he panted as we ran, ducking blaster fire. “Listen, I appreciate the help but--”

I grabbed his collar, dragging him around a corner as four shots rocketed past where he had just been standing. Glass shattered to the floor around us when the shots decimated the glass walls. He breathed slowly, moving to thank me, but I ran off. “Run now, talk later,” I called.

Thankfully, he seemed to agree, following me through the winding paths I’d memorized on the flight here. Padme had been busy with the other senators attempting to develop a plan for their peace negotiations. So, being who I was, I planned for the worst and memorized the layout of the landing pads….especially the areas occupied by the Republic and Separatist forces.

I rounded the corner onto the platform manned by the Republic. The ship we’d arrived on--a Senatorial shuttle called ‘Phoenix’-- was well-guarded by Senatorial Guards. “Captain Taggart,” I called to the leader I recognized, having met him many times when I worked for Padme, “I’ve made some friends.”

He dropped his gun from his shoulder as I stopped beside him, Lux racing out of the hallway after me. The sound of the droids approaching echoed towards us. “Friends?” the captain repeated, slowly turning his weapon towards the hall entrance.

“Care to say hi?” I asked sarcastically, grabbing Lux’s shoulder when he was close enough, only to throw him behind me and towards the shuttle. 

“We’ll cover you, sir,” Taggart yelled dutifully as his men opened fire on the incoming droids. I turned and ran after Lux, following him up the gangway and into the shuttle. 

I tapped my wrist comm swiftly. “Go, R2,” I called, hearing the engines engage. The droid dutifully navigated us away from the platforms outside Sundari before we even made it to the cockpit. The moment we did, he beeped happily, notifying me of an incoming message.

I sat in the seat closest to the console, patting the astromech’s head as he rolled past and out of the room. “Kida,” Anakin’s voice greeted through the hologram as he shimmered into existence, “Padme just contacted me.” I flinched slightly at his informal reference to the senator. He didn’t know Lux was with me. “She told me the peace negotiations have all but collapsed.” That was unfortunate. As much as I never expected them to succeed, I still held some small hope that my pessimism wouldn’t be right for once. “Where are you?” the Jedi finally asked.

“Senator Amidala,” I said with a blatant clear of my throat to tell Anakin I wasn’t alone, “Sent me after Lux Bonteri after the Separatists threatened his life. We’re on our way to Coruscant now.” I didn’t worry about whether Padme could get back. She was more than safe on Mandalore until an alternative transport could be found.

“Master Jedi,” Bonteri interrupted over my shoulder, earning a raised brow from me, “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble.”

“It’s fine,” I dismissed, sensing Anakin’s interested expression. “The Republic can keep you safe from Dooku.” Strangely, I felt some disappointment from the boy. What was I missing? I wanted to root into his mind a bit more, but I had to be careful. He was a clever one, and I wouldn’t go unnoticed if I didn’t take my time. And right now, Skywalker was talking again.

“Alright,” he conceded, “Bring Bonteri to Coruscant immediately and we’ll discuss giving him amnesty.”

“Got it.” I tapped the projector, cutting off the connection with Anakin. When I rose to calculate our jump, though, a darkness moved in the cockpit. I turned around abruptly, seeing Lux aim a pistol at me. “What the shab are you doing?” I growled, my muscles coiling in apprehension.

“I can’t go with you,” he said, holding me at gunpoint. “I don’t even know who you are. You work for the Republic and wield the Force, but you’re not Jedi.”

I popped my hip, my arms crossing grumpily. “A thank you, would be nice,” I mocked him, acting unbothered by the weapon in my face. “And no, I’m not a Jedi. But clearly I work for them.” In a flash, I reached out and ripped the gun from his inexperienced grip, turning it back on him. 

Lux raised his hands to his side, his eyes wide with shock. “Don’t.”

“Relax, pretty boy,�� I chuckled, taking the aim off him and examining the weapon. “Where did you even get one of these? You’re a senator’s kid, not a fighter.”

The boy frowned at me. “My mother was.” I glanced away as he continued, the gun dropping to be held at my side. “And I’m no longer a Seperatist, either. I won’t join the Republic.”

I crossed my arms. “I never said you had to. But if you want protection, the Republic is your best bet. Especially since you’re running around accusing Dooku of murder.”

“There is a different way.” The way he said that scared me. His voice deepened, the energy around him darkening ominously. 

“Oh? Enlighten me.”

His anger flared slightly as he sighed at me. “I’ve already made contact with a group on Carlac who are noble and are allied with my cause.”

“Your cause?” My brow lifted suspiciously. Anytime anyone said they were aligning with a group that shared their goal….oftentimes led to me finding out that someone was associating with a very dangerous group. “And what might that be?”

The Force darkened around the young Bonteri boy. “To kill Dooku.”

I couldn’t help the snort of laughter that burst from my nose. I crossed my arms again over my leather jacket, giving the kid a smirk. “I’ve tried that. Trust me, the only one you’ll succeed in killing is yourself.” I cast him a sideways glance as I approached the console again, beginning to type in the coordinates for Coruscant. “Besides, your plan doesn’t seem to be well thought out, Bonteri. If it weren’t for me, how would you even be alive right now?”

I felt him move before her did, making me pivot in my stance beside the pilot’s chair. “Like this!” the young senator grunted as he lunged forward with a taser. I grabbed his wrist, but was surprised by his strength. Both of his hands slammed down over mine, shoving the taser down and into my chest.

“You--” I would have cussed him out in every language I knew, but my blood felt like it was boiling in my veins from the electricity. I blacked out, my legs buckling.

The boy was kind enough to catch me as I fell, cradling me against him. “I’m sorry,” I heard him whisper. It sounded genuine.

Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to punch his lights out the second I woke up. 

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

MANDO’A

Ka’ra-- stars; ruling council of fallen kings

Shab-- fuck

[callioope]

Happy birthday my friend!!! I am #TheWorst at prompting, so let me use the words of someone else, namely, Ovid: "My love will not injure you: it brings no ships to punish you, it conceives no wars." This is possibly less a prompt and more a challenge, so feel free to straight up Not Do It!!!! But have a happy birthday anyway.

First of all, thank you very much for the birthday wishes from one year ago! And I would say that this was a very good prompt. Yes, it was also a challenge, but I’ll get to that in a moment. 

Second, yes, as you can see, this prompt is officially one year old, as it is now my next birthday. I do apologize for the long wait. Admittedly, this one kinda stumped me because the first people I thought of when I read this was Leia and Ben. YES I did look up the origin of the quote and I know it’s supposed to be romantic since it’s from Oenone, Paris’ first wife, but I thought I could use it for familial love instead.

At any rate, as many of you may know, I’m…. really not the biggest fan of one of those characters in particular. *coughs* But I found a different idea that uses a similar tack AND actually keep it in the theme of romantic love.

I am not sure of your thoughts on this pairing, but I hope you appreciate it. Thanks again for the prompt!

And now without further ado…

Words streak through Padme’s head like the streaks of hyperspace before her. 

What will she say to him?

What could she possibly say to him?

She’s Padme Amidala Naberrie, damn it, the words, the right words, should well be within her grasp and mastery. 

But she can’t even think. Is this how Anakin feels? Emotions and worry and concern boiling within him, blocking out all rational thought?

No — no — if she thinks like that, she believes what Obi-Wan told her, and she won’t allow those thoughts, she won’t. There’s some missing piece of the puzzle and as soon as she finds Anakin, she’ll understand. 

But she should be prepared. She should know what to say, in every circumstance.

And it strikes her. The way to appeal to Anakin. There’s one way that should — that would help him, no matter what. Their bond. Their love. He always wanted that from her, more than anything she could give. The galaxy was falling apart, but they were going to have children. Children. The screening had confirmed, and she hadn’t even had a chance to tell him yet. 

The galaxy was falling apart, but they could build something now. Just them. Just their love. 

She would leave her role in the galaxy — there wasn’t much left of that role, or wouldn’t be, at any rate. She would focus on her family and their love. 

(Deep in her heart, she knew that could never be permanent, but at the prospect of raising two children, she could justify stepping aside for a few years. Let the dust settle in the meantime. Let her and Bail and Mothma figure out their place, continue the foundation they’d already begun. And when the children were old enough—)

But it would only work if Anakin would do the same. Leave behind the war. Whatever had been done — she gulped — whatever had been done. She wouldn’t — they’d start with new slates. Run off to somewhere safe in the Outer Rim, some uncharted planet. He’d be safe from Palpatine and the Separatists. Let him recover from his trauma.

Yes, his trauma. For all their focus on self care, meditation, the Jedi sure could use better counseling for mental health. The war had taken its toll in more than casualties and limbs. All that pressure of being the Chosen One and the politics of the Jedi Council. 

Come away with me, she thinks. We deserve a reprieve.

(Temporarily.)

A reprieve. Forgiveness. Family and love. Their own space in a galaxy falling apart around them. 

Ever since Ahsoka left, Anakin’s been waiting for permission to do the same. She couldn’t give that to him, not when she couldn’t give it to herself. Not when she’d believed in the greater good he was fighting for.

But what good was he in defending that greater good if he couldn’t truly take care of himself? 

This was right. This was how she could plead with him. Come away with me. 

This strategy would not fail. If Anakin was to someday bring balance to the Force, well — she would help balance him.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Shall We Dance: Part 1

(Not My Gif)

Poe Dameron x Reader (eventually), Female Reader

Based loosely off of two requests by Anonymous

Hi!! I absolutely love your writing and was wondering if I could request something like Poe being super embarrassed that he can't dance after a large party with the rebellion  and the reader being super embarrassed that she can't pilot, so they come to an agreement that they help each other.   

omg i love your writing so much!! i’m glad someone loves Poe as much as i do lol. anyway, just a really fluffy Poe x reader where idk the reader’s personality is kind of like Padme and Poe just treats her like a princess all the  time and just lots of fluff like him bringing her stuff back from his missions. thank you so much you’re wonderful!       

A/N: Because why wouldn’t I start another story when I have two WIP.  Sorry guys, I had to get this out of my system.  I promise I’m still working on Shey, I’m just hitting a bit of writers block.  In the meantime, PLEASE COMMENT AND REBLOG IF YOU LIKE THIS!!!

Word Count: 1.7 K

         Poe stood awkwardly at the edge of the party, shifting his foot from one to the other. He took a long sip of his drink as he thought about just how much he hated this part of the job. 

          Most of the time his duties as Commander were relatively easy; lead his squad members into battle, shoot down as many Tie-fighters as he can and try to get all his people back alive.  Yes, there was paper work, and maintenance on his X-Wing, but those were things he could deal with.  Having to play dress up among the elite of the Republic as a kind of prop while Leia went around the room trying to negotiate ships and funds to the Resistance, not so much.

          He understood why of course.  He was the best pilot in the Republic Fleet, and proud of it, but this politics stuff always left him feeling agitated.  It was too two-faced, too under the table for him to feel comfortable.  He preferred his battles to be fought out in the open, with the rules clearly established so it was be easy to tell if the other was cheating.  But, it was necessary and for the time being he would have to suck it up and do his job.

          He finished off his drink and went to go for another one when a young looking Togruta girl walked up to him.  She was the daughter of one of the senators if he remembered correctly, but he couldn’t remember her name.  

          “Excuse me, Commander,” she asked, in a soft shy voice.  “I was wondering, that is, if it isn’t much trouble, I mean, if you want to, would you possibly dance with me?”

          If he was still holding his drink, he might had spat it out.  A mild panic took over him as he tried desperately to think of some excuse.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to dance with the girl, she seemed nice enough, but he knew exactly what kind of embarrassment he’d bring, not to just himself, but to General Organa as soon as he stepped out on the dance floor.

          He then started to realize he hadn’t said anything.  He had just been staring at the girl in stunned silence, and a look of embarrassment and disappointment was starting to show on her face.

          He covered up with a fake gulp as if he just finished off his drink before slipping on an easy smile.

          “I’m honored you asked me,” he said, kindly. “But you see…”

          “Dameron,” a voice cut in.

          Poe turned, surprised to see you standing right behind him.

           “Leia needs to see you,” you said, in a clipped professional tone.

           He glanced between you and the Torgruta girl and back again.

           “Like, right now, right now,” he asked.

           “Yes, she’s waiting on you,” you said, before turning your attention to the girl behind him, smiling kindly.  “I’m sorry to take him away from you Cesha.”

           Cesha shook her head as if it wasn’t any trouble at all.

           “I understand,” she said.  She then gave Poe one last smile, before turning away and back to a group of other girls huddled in the corner.

           Poe felt a stab of guilt as he noticed her shoulders slump a little once she reached her friends.  One of the girls put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Cesha covered her disappointment in a small smile.

           “You better start following me or she’ll get suspicious,” you said in a low voice, snapping him back to reality.  His brows furrowed in confusion, but before he could say anything you and turned and made your way out of the main ballroom.  Poe followed after you, coming to a mostly empty hallway. You paid little mind to the people around you as you found a comfortable place against the wall, giving your feet some much needed relief.  You turned to him, nodding to the place beside you.

           “Join me Commander?”

           Poe looked at you completely lost, but then, suddenly, he understood.  

           “Leia doesn’t need me right now, does she.”

           “No,” you said honestly.  “Although, she will be finishing soon.  We can make our exit then.”

           Poe couldn’t help but wince slightly at the implication.  It was no secret he wasn’t a dancer, but having to have you swoop in to cover for him was a definite low point of the evening.  He breathed out a sigh and took a spot next to you on the wall.

           “Guess I should thank you,” he said begrudgingly.

           “It’s my job to make Senator Organa look good,” you said. “I was saving us both the embarrassment.”

           Poe felt like he should had been insulted, but the irony in your voice only made him smile.

           He didn’t know under what other circumstances he would had met you.  He had spent his entire life either in the jungles of Yavin Four or on a military base, while you came from a prominent family on Naboo; every single member of which seemed to have a hand in government. Your mother had even been queen for a time, and a beloved one by all accounts.  You had been groomed to follow in her footsteps, but, you took a different path. One which lead you to the senate, Leia, and finally the Resistance. Yet, despite the comparatively low ambition of your station, you still retained the poise and cool confidence of royalty.  Poe had never seen anything like it and, in some ways, it intimidated him. But there was always a smile there, a small glint in your eye to break the façade if only for a moment and he would once again feel at ease.

           “Although I will say, you really should learn,” you continued carefully. “I can’t always come in to rescue you.”

           Poe gave a non-committal shrug.

           “I’ve had other things on my mind.”

           “Understandable,” you conceded, “but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn.  I could teach you, if you’d like.”

           This surprised Poe causing his raise an eyebrow as he looked at you.

           “You? Teach me how to dance?”

           “Is that so strange?”

           “Yeah, actually it is.”

           He folded his arms, looking at you intently. He was getting better at spotting the different masks you wore, and something told him you weren’t offering out of altruism.  

           “What do you get out of it?” he asked.

           You pursed your lips meeting his challenge with a hard gaze.

           “It makes my job easier if members of the high command can actually be sociable on these occasions,” you stated. “That is rather their purpose.”

           Poe waved you off, not buying it for a second.

           “Fine, I get that, but why would you teach me?”

           You considered him carefully with that perfect mask, but it didn’t last. Eventually, you let out a sigh, shifting your stance as if what you had to say next was physically painful.

           “I thought we could come to a mutually beneficial agreement. I find myself in need of a teacher as well.  It is becoming clear that I will need to familiarize myself with Starships sooner rather than later, and I believe you would be the best man to help me.”

           Poe looked at you in astonishment a small smile spreading across his face.

           “You don’t know how to fly.”

           “I know how to fly,” you said, a little defensive, “but a cruiser is a far cry from X-Wing and that’s not even taking into account combat situations.”

           Poe thought about it for a moment.  You were right of course.  Starships were completely different from civilian ships. He also had to admire your willingness to get into the fight, even if your image of you behind the controls of the X-Wing seemed almost comedic.

           “So, I teach you how to fly, you teach me how to dance.  Is that it?” he asked.

           “Essentially.”

           His smile grew a little wider, giving you a sideways glance.

           “You know, princess, you could had just said that.”

           He could spot just the lightest touch of a blush on your cheeks as you met his gaze, smiling a bit yourself.

           “Well I do have my pride, Commander,” you said lightly, “as do you.”

           Poe felt like he should argument the point but decided against it.  After all, you weren’t wrong.  

           “So, do we have an agreement?” you said, offering your hand to shake.

           Poe took it, unable to keep the laugh from escaping his lips.

           “Not sure how much good it would do,” he said, dropping his grip. “I doubt I’m going to need to dance for much longer.”

           The smile on your face fell, your eyes growing suddenly distant.

           “For both our sakes I hope you’re wrong,” you said quietly.

           Poe frowned, as the whole weight of the implication came down on him. But before he could say anything, Leia came down the hallway.

           “Please tell me, you’re just as ready to leave as I am,” she said briskly. “There is only so much of Senator Tarr’s monologuing I can handle.”

           The smile on your face returned as you nodded in agreement.

           “You’ll hear no complaints from me,” you said.

           Leia then turned to Poe, meeting him with a half-smile.

           “You can go ahead and loosen that collar Dameron, we’re getting out of here.”

           “Yes ma’am,” he said, gladly unbuttoning the first few buttons of his uniform, finally giving himself room to breathe.

           “C’mon Y/N, I need your ear while we walk.”

           You nodded in compliance and quickly took a place beside the general, walking in step.

           Poe followed behind only catching bits and pieces of the conversation talking about which senators were or were not on her side, supply chains and all the other behind the scenes mechanics that made the whole Resistance run. However, his mind wasn’t on the conversation in front of him.  Instead, he found himself thinking about what you had said.  

          War was coming, you both knew it.  But, you had still offered to teach him.  You still had hope. He had to admire that.

          You stole a glance behind you, catching his eye and offering a small eye roll as Leia continued to prattle on.  He gave you a smile in return, feeling his heart beat just a little faster in his chest.

          Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Permanent Tag: @sassy-satanunicorns, @roseslovedreams, @stargeek727, @kaliforniacoastalteens

Poe Tag: @readytourie, @poedameronandothertrash, @starwrite-er, @xenwayy, @whymak, @thefirebreather00, @cobalt-one, @aroseamongthestars, @tlittlet, @bobateaandchocolatepudding, @mrsdaamneron

[crystal-siren]

Dark Horizon (Obi-Wan x Reader) Pt.2

@dovies666  @stuck-as-me  @attorneyl :) <3

Part 1

A recent scientific study found that the hearts of lovers really do beat in sync, that after just a few moments of close proximity each begins to follow the other’s lead until they beat as one. As though our very hearts have leapt out of our chests, and asked one another to dance. ~ Beau Taplin // The Slow Dance

Skywalker, Kenobi and Y/L/N.  If there were three names that the General hated more, he had yet to find them. Utter contempt flickered in his reptilian eyes. Yet, their lightsabers would make valuable additions to his growing collection.

“So,” the young woman spoke up. “You’re the one that’s responsible for this mess?” Her e/c eyes sparkled defiantly as she looked up at him. Y/N Y/L/N, a thorn in the General’s side and a formidable fighter. A compassionate leader and a fearless warrior. No wonder the Republic loved her.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Grievous rasped and looked down at her. “It is time we met.”

“Really?” She questioned, obviously favouring her right arm. “I wasn’t under that impression.”

“Y/N,” Kenobi spoke up from beside her, his tone cautionary. “Do be careful.”

Grievous turned away from her before she could say anything else. “Oh yes. General Kenobi, the Negotiator. We’ve been waiting for you. This wasn’t much of a rescue.”

Y/N watched in helpless annoyance as the droids around them took their lightsabers.

“Well,” Obi-Wan replied, “that depends on your point of view.”

“And,” Grievous turned to the young man beside him. “Anakin Skywalker...I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little...older.” 

“General Grievous,” Skywalker acknowledged, “Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies. You’re shorter than I expected.”

Behind him, Y/L/N snorted.

Grievous snarled, “Jedi scum,” and turned away from the trio.

“Anakin,” Kenobi addressed his friend in the same tone as before. “We have a job to do. Try not to upset him.”

Taking the lightsabers from the droids, Grievous made a show of adding them to the one that hung inside his cloak already. “Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection.”

“Not this time,” Kenobi challenged, “and this time, you won’t escape.” Beside him, Y/L/N smiled nastily.

“Artoo!” Skywalker suddenly addressed the astromech in front of him, thus causing the little droid to shoot off sparks and electrical pulses in every direction.

Taking advantage of the General’s momentary distraction, Y/L/N reached out with her left hand and called her lightsaber to her. In one fluid movement, she had ignited her weapon and freed the other two Jedi, their hands suddenly gripping their respective weapons.

Furious, Grievous backed away and let his bodyguards advance on them. “Crush them. Make them suffer.” His eyes flickered to Y/L/N who held her injured right arm to her chest while fending off droids with the other. It seemed as though not even a substantial injury to her preferred limb dampened her fighting skills.

Kenobi and Skywalker sliced through the droids with such ease that the General began to see red. Even his own bodyguards were cut down before his eyes.

Snatching up a fallen electro-staff, Grievous stood as though to fight, drawing the three Jedi to him.

“You lose, General Kenobi,” he snarled before throwing the staff directly at the glass-panes of the view port.

The glass shatters on impact. Those that did not find something to hold on to were sucked out into space, while the General managed to escape once more.

Only when the blast shields close over where the windows used to be, do they let go.

Straightening her robes and hair, Y/N adjusted her hold on her arm and made her way over to her friends and the Chancellor.

“The hull is burning up!” The Chancellor’s urgent tone had Y/N looking out the remaining windows.

Turning back to the others, she sighed and nodded. “He’s right. The ship’s falling apart.”

Turning to the navigation panels, Anakin spoke up. “All of the escape pods have been launched.”

Y/N ground her teeth in frustration. The General’s work no doubt.

“Grievous,” Obi-Wan confirmed her suspicions. Turning to Anakin, he asked a little hopefully, “can you fly a cruiser like this?”

“You mean, do I know how to land what’s left of this thing?” Anakin shot Y/N an encouraging smile before sitting himself in the pilot’s seat.

“Well?” Obi-Wan questioned, desperately in need of an answer.

“Under the circumstances, I’d say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant, strap yourselves in.” Within moments Anakin’s fingers were flying over the instrument panels and Y/N seated herself behind Obi-Wan. 

“Steady,” Obi-Wan warned Anakin, who was struggling with the ship’s controls. “Our attitude is eighteen degrees.”

“The pressure is rising, we need to slow this wreck down.” Anakin was in pilot mode, turning to Obi-Wan, he further instructed. ”Open all hatches, extend all flaps and drag fins.”

Y/N knew what he was doing, a desperate attempt to grant them a smooth landing, or at least one that they would survive.

“The temperature is steady,” Obi-Wan informed Anakin, to Y/N’s relief. “Hatches open, flaps extended, drag fins-” he was cut off when a grating sound shudders the vessel.

The three Jedi exchange worried looks. Y/N began to feel a little faint.

“We lost something,” Anakin stated and Y/N struggled to keep her increasing heart rate under control.

“Not to worry,” Obi-Wan said cheerfully, “we are still flying half a ship.” Making Y/N laugh, albeit a little nervously.

The ship continued it’s nose-dive. “Now we’re really picking up speed,” if Y/N didn’t know any better, she’d say Anakin sounded excited.

“Careful,” Obi-Wan cautioned, “we’re heating up twelve thousand...thirteen thousand.”

“What’s our current speed?” Anakin asked over his shoulder.

“Eight plus sixty,” Obi-Wan tell him, “our temperature is sitting at ten thousand, nine thousand, we’re in the atmosphere.”

Y/N clutched desperately onto her seat with her good hand, her breath caught in her throat.

“Grab that,” Anakin pointed to one of the controls and nodded to Y/N. “Keep us level.”

Grabbing hold of the control with her good hand, Y/N focused on the task at hand.

“Steady, steady,” Obi-Wan murmured to her as they neared the planet’s air-traffic.

“Hang on,” Anakin announced, “this may get a little rough. We lost our heat shields.”

Y/N was thankful she had a task to focus on, lest she should begin to panic.

“Five thousand, three thousand,” Obi-Wan’s countdown did nothing for her nerves. “Two thousand. Fireships on the left and the right.”

Y/N sighed with relief when she saw them.

“We’ll take you in,” the fireship’s pilot informed them.

“Copy that,” Obi-Wan responded. To Anakin and Y/N, he pointed right ahead, “landing strip’s straight ahead.”

Anakin, however seemed far from pleased. “We’re coming in too hot.” His words were accompanied by the ship slamming onto the landing strip and destroying almost every building in close proximity as it skidded to a stop.

The sigh of relief was unanimous.

“Another happy landing,” Obi-Wan announced happily, making Y/N smile.

Her legs were nothing short of shaky as she exited the ship. With her right hand clutched to her chest, she made to follow her friends.

“I am sending my new apprentice Darth Vader. He will..take care of you.”

Y/N froze. That voice, she knew that voice. It seemed so familiar yet she could not place who it belonged to. A new apprentice? There was to be another?

“Y/N?”

The sound of her name brought her crashing back to the present. Looking up, her e/c eyes met sea-shaded ones. “Obi-Wan.”

“Is everything alright?” He asked, the concern in his voice was thinly veiled.

She wanted to reply, to nod and say ‘yes’. But she found herself unable to do so. Instead she simply stared at him, the fear she felt coloured her eyes a deeper shade.

Realisation dawn on him. He knew that look. “You heard them again?”

Y/N nodded wordlessly and bit her lip.

“What did they say?” Obi-Wan spoke a little quieter, as though he did not want anyone else to hear.

“I know the voice,” her voice trembled as she spoke, “but I do not have a face. He spoke of another.” Her eyes searched his, begging him to understand.

“Another?” Obi-Wan was confused, “who spoke of another?”

“The Sith” Y/N whispered, as though the name itself would summon him. “He spoke of another apprentice. A new one.”

The Sith. That dark presence had haunted the edges of Y/N’s periphery ever since she first heard of their resurgence more than ten years before. Obi-Wan could clearly see the toll this information was taking on her. He knew what they should do, but he remembered all too well what happened the last time she approached the Council on this matter. He could not do that to her.

“We have to tell them.” Y/N’s slightly stronger voice brought him from his thoughts. “We have to warn the Council.”

“Are you sure?” Obi-Wan asked, wondering if she had somehow guessed the direction of his thoughts. “Remember what happened last time?”

“I know,” she shrugged and bit her lip, “but with everything that’s happened since,” she paused and took a deep breath. “They may well believe me.” They had to. 

“For what it’s worth, I believe you,” Obi-Wan said, repeating the same words he had spoken to her when she had first told him about the Sith’s reappearance.

Y/N smiled. “It’s worth more than you could imagine. Besides, having one Council member on my side now is more than I had then.”

‘Very true,” he conceded and nodded in Anakin’s direction. “I think he is getting a little impatient. We should go.”

Y/N agreed, “and we all know what happens when he gets like that, don’t we.”

Joining Anakin and the Chancellor, they boarded the transport that would take them to the Senate.

~ ~ ~

Padme watched and waited anxiously in the shadows. Ever since the Chancellor’s abduction, her world had been turned upside-down. Now as she watched him leave the transport, she felt her world set itself right again.

She had heard rumors that Y/N Y/L/N had been one of the three sent to retrieve the head of the Republic. She admired the young woman and the sibling-like relationship she had with Anakin, she knew he needed that.

Padme watched as Y/N stayed on the transport with Obi-Wan and laughed at something Anakin was saying. Despite the war, Padme was glad that Anakin and Y/N had not lost the spark that made them who they were.

As the transport took off, the group of Senators surrounding the Chancellor began moving in her direction. Retreating further into the shadows, Padme waited for him to come just that little bit closer.

Her wish was soon granted. Anakin seemed to sense her presence and broke off from the group. Within moments she was swept into the safety of his arms and welcomed the kiss he gave her.

“Oh Anakin!” She could not keep the relief from her voice. “Thank goodness you’re back.”

“I’ve missed you Padme,” he whispered into her hair, “I’ve missed you so.”

“There were whispers...that you’d been killed,” Padme voiced the fear she’d been living with for months now. “I’ve been living with unbearable dread.

I’m back, I’m alright,” Anakin reassured her. “It feels like we’ve been apart for a lifetime. And it might have been....If the Chancellor hadn’t been kidnapped. I don’t think they would have ever brought us back from the Outer Rim Sieges.”

Moving forward to kiss her again, he became confused when she pulled back.

“Wait,” she help up a hand, “not here.” Her deep brown eyes quickly scanned their surroundings.

“Yes, here!” Anakin takes hold of her again, “I’m tired of all this deception. I don’t care if they know we’re married.”

Padme looks up at him in shock. “Anakin! Don’t say things like that.” With those words, she pulls him into an embrace and smiled when he reciprocated.

Anakin, however, sensed something was amiss. Pulling slight away from his wife, he looked her in the eye and asked, “are you alright? You’re trembling.”

Padme took a deep breath and considered how she was going to tell him. Smiling, she looked up at him, “something wonderful has happened.”

Anakin looked at her and tried to figure out what she meant.

“Annie,” her warm brown eyes met his blue ones. “I’m pregnant.”

To say that Anakin was shaken by this new would have been an understatement. Upon realising how his reaction must have seemed to her, he smiled down at her, happiness like no other flooded his system. “Thats, thats wonderful.”

“What are we going to do?” It was evident that she had made no plans prior to telling him. Worry was etched into every word.

“We’re not going to worry about anything right now,” Anakin told her gently. “This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life.” And he meant every word.

~ ~ ~

The sun shone bright on Utapau as a small Neimiodian shuttle landed in one of it’s many sink-hole cities.

Once the boarding ramp had been lowered, General Grievous stalked out and made his way to a large conference room, his bodyguards following close behind.

Activating the holo-reader in the room’s centre, Grievous bowed to the figure that appeared. “Greetings Lord Sidious.”

“General Grievous,” the Sith Lord addressed him, “I suggest you move the Separatist leaders to Mustafar.”

“It will be done My Lord.”

“The end of the war is near General,” Sidious spoke from the holo. “And I promise you, victory is assured.”

Lifting his head, Grievous dared look the Sith Lord in the eye. “But the loss of Count Dooku?”

“His death was a necessary loss, soon I will have a new apprentice,” Sidious spoke in an ominous tone. “One far younger and more powerful.”

~ ~ ~

“Are you certain that this is what you heard?” Mace Windu asked, his dark eyes trained on the young woman before him.

Struggling to stay calm, Y/N nodded. “Yes, Master. I am sure of it.”

“We will meditate on all you have told us,” Master Windu said, earning a surprised look from her. “These are indeed troubling times.”

“That is putting it mildly,” Y/N murmured to herself.

“What was that?” Mace Windu inquired, her expression of surprise had shifted to one of mild disbelief.

“What good will meditating do when we know he is out there, looking for someone else to become like him!” Y/N’s voice rose as she became more passionate, her e/c gaze swept over the assembled Council members, pleading with them to understand.

“Calm yourself young Y/L/N.” Saesee Tiin’s voice drew her attention to him.

“Only when this Council truly understands the danger that not only we face, but the whole galaxy as well.” She looked him in the eye before turning on her heel and leaving the chamber.

Watching the evening air traffic helped Y/N gain some sense of composure. She had been wrong to take the matter to them. Obi-Wan had been right.

“There you are,” his soft tone drew her from her thoughts.

“Here I am,” she smiled and sighed. “You were right.”

“Oh?” He moved closer until they stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

“I should have kept my mouth shut and not brought the matter to them.”

“You trusted you instincts,” he reassured her and laid a gentle hand on top of hers that rested on the railing. “You cannot be blamed for that.”

“No,” Y/N paused, looking down at their hands. “I suppose not.”

“You are strong and determined. Please do not let their disapproval or misjudgement make you think otherwise.”

Y/N took a deep shuddering breath before looking up and meeting his kind eyes. “Why Obi-Wan? Why do you believe me when no one else does?”

He did not answer right away, but when he did, his voice was a whisper. “Master Qui-Gon knew of your ‘gift’, as I do. He asked me to make sure that you do not carry this weight alone.”

Y/N smiled sadly at the mention of the deceased Master. “You always were the good student Obi-Wan,” she murmured, half to herself and half to him.

“Not as good as some might think,” his response was so quiet, she almost believed she had imagined it.

To be continued....

Part 3

[senator-mon-mothma]

(Long) rambling thoughts from my pre-TLJ Phantom Menace rewatch under the cut

Naboo’s security will be no match for the “battle-hardened Federation army” - super curious what other wars the Trade Federation has been involved in (and what does it even mean for droids to be “battle-hardened”?)

“We should not have made this bargain” - could’ve been interesting to explore this angle more in PT, with Sidious’s Separatist buddies having more and more second thoughts about agreeing to work with him

Shmi is the literal greatest. 

she’s raised such a selfless kid under such awful circumstances, and it’s not just talk; when he wants to help Qui-Gon she lets him do it because it’s important to her not just that he believes that people should help each other but that he actually lives by those principles

“You have brought hope to those who have none” - she would be so proud of her grandkids

just the whole sending Anakin, the only good thing she has in her life, away from her because she knows it’s best for him is probably the most selfless thing anyone does in the saga

and that shot while he walks away and she is hugging herself and looks so alone... I know we don’t see anything of her relationship with Cliegg onscreen but I will cling to the idea that she found a little bit of peace and family before her death

Kitster is also the literal greatest. I love that he stays behind with Anakin when he’s working on the pod when all the other kids leave. I especially love the way he says “finish the race, of course” like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Like, that might be my favorite delivery of any line in the whole movie

Qui-Gon definitely knows that Padme’s really the queen and is messing with her - “The Queen trusts my judgment, you should too”. Either that, or he and Obi-Wan have a bet about whether she’s the queen and he’s trying to get her to admit it so he can win

When Padme and Anakin are talking on the ship about how he misses his mother, it hit me for the first time that she has also left her family behind in danger

So, Palpatine’s plan definitely changes over the course of the movie. 

At first he seems to legit want Padme to sign the treaty, but then when she says she’s going back he looks honestly surprised which makes me think her signing the treaty is no longer his plan. (And why was it his plan in the first place?)

He was also probably not planning the vote of no confidence before Padme unexpectedly came to Coruscant. Was he not planning to become Chancellor so early? Did Padme coming to Coruscant actually accelerate his plans? Or did it put him in power before he was ready and ultimately delay his next steps?

Maybe his goal here was to start the Galactic Civil War 10 years earlier but with Naboo as the Separatists

Also super curious who nominated him for Chancellor. The invasion of Naboo definitely makes him sympathetic but that’s not an automatic nomination. Was he manipulating someone else? Did he have to move very fast to put things in place once Padme called for the vote of no confidence?

I’ve never caught this before, but Qui-Gons says “I will do what I must” in reference to the council not wanting to train Anakin. And then Obi-Wan says the same thing right before the Mustafar duel. :’(

Artoo totally brought Anakin to the space battle on purpose, I bet there was never any autopilot

Imagine if Shmi knew that just days after she made this sacrifice to give her son a better life he was right in the middle of a huge battle

“Viceroy, your occupation here has ended” - I don’t think Sabe’s team showing up right then was specifically part of the plan, I think Sabe’s just really good at her job and everyone got really lucky

The cut from the Gungans celebrating the droids turning off to Obi-Wan hanging there with Maul standing above him menacingly while Qui-Gon dies is really jarring in the best way

It’d be fun if taking back Naboo didn’t actually mean winning. The Trade Federation has really good PR, I bet they could pin all the violence on the Jedi and the Naboo and get away with it

I think Yoda was testing Obi-Wan when he said he didn’t agree with Obi-Wan training Anakin before saying that the Council did agree. Not sure if Obi passed

Ick Palpatine at Qui-Gon’s funeral; I bet he was thinking about how this was just the first of many Jedi to die as part of his plan

And some AUs I thought up:

Possibly explaining Sidious’s weird behavior: Jar Jar is evil a la Darth Jar Jar theory, but he’s not in cahoots with Palpatine. They’re rivals. Palpatine orders the invasion of Naboo to track him down, wants Padme to sign the treaty to give the TF time to find him, and is the source of the rumors about the underwater villages that the TF plan to investigate. Jar Jar tags along with the Jedi to get off planet and when he shows up on Coruscant, Palpatine things “well, this sure isn’t going according to plan”

Another secret Sith Lord theory: Valorum’s a Sith. Every chancellor from the last 1000 years is a Sith. The Sith never went extinct, they just got bored of overtly fighting the Jedi and decided to infiltrate the government instead. Instead of the apprentices killing their masters when they become more powerful, they usurp their position as Chancellor. Bonus points for Mace saying “I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing” and they’ve been right in front of them for not just Palpatine’s decades (?) in politics, but literally centuries.

Or: the Clone Wars is not Palpatine playing both sides, but rather two Sith Lords each leading one side. The Jedi still have no idea that they’re being used as pawns in a Sith feud.

On a more serious note, while I think this movie is great for Padme, I kind of wish she had been the Queen’s daughter instead of the Queen, and a few years younger. You could have all sorts of shenanigans with two nine year olds running around in the middle of this crisis, and it would potentially move the AOTC relationship from “vaguely uncomfortable” to “cute” territory in my mind.