#her BSE is indomitable

[oftenlyshitposting]

"how old did you say your professor droid was?"

shin grunted when sabine had narrowly evaded her strike, the wooden bokken saber barely grazed sabine's nose. that's the second time sabine had to be grateful that they are not sparring with real lightsabers at the moment.

sabine strikes. "i don't know for certain, but i kinda remember him mentioning somewhere around..." the mandalorian jumped backwards when shin striked with aim towards her torso, huffing harshly. "uh, i think more than a few thousand years old."

shin halted in the middle of a strike, bokken raised mid-air. her eyes remains focused, but sabine deciphered the slight widening of her eyes indicates shock and/or confusion. sabine wants to bet its both.

"a few thousand years old." shin repeated, slowly.

sabine nodded. "yeah. he's as old as the jedi order itself, if not more."

shin drops her stance, her bokken slowly returning to her side in a manner of ending the sparring. she huffs, curt and sharp. "i suppose that explains it..."

sabine quirked a brow, leaning onto her bokken. "explains what?"

"how he knows of my master."

"oh," was all sabine managed to say in response. "i guess he taught your master how to build a lightsaber too, back in the days. huyang said his design is pretty unique." sabine then nods at the wall of lightsabers in the training floor, specifically at shin's old lightsaber. "just like yours."

"i was not taught in the temple," shin reminds sabine.

sabine laughs, nodding. "yeah, i know. it doesn't mean you don't carry the same unique lightsaber. yours even had a little more personality."

shin tilts her head, muttering, "i crafted it myself."

"i know." sabine reached at shin's lightsaber, the hilt flying gently into her palm. she studies the well crafted hilt; shin's first weapon. "it's still beautiful."

"even when i used it to stab you?" shin's voice is level, but her tone was teasing.

sabine laughed, shaking her head. she returned the lightsaber back to the wall, next to her old one. her padawan lightsaber, the gift from ezra. both shin and sabine had retired their old lightsabers when ahsoka concurred their apprenticeship. it was only a few cycles ago when ahsoka had knighted them as jedi knights and cut off their padawan braids.

shin crafted her own new lightsaber, finding an appropriately bonded kyber crystal in huyang's collections, much unlike her first lightsaber's crystal of kohlen. both her and sabine held their breaths as shin ignited her new lightsaber, and gasped when the blade emits a brilliant yellow hue; almost golden.

sabine focused on building her new lightsaber the next day, only slightly nervous under ahsoka's eyes. she felt a particular crystal in huyang's collections calling to her, and ahsoka encouraged her to bond with the crystal. she never really thought anything when she ignited it the first time, expecting a bright blue hue like ezra's, or even the same green as her old lightsaber. her eyes widen when it emits a striking violet, the blade humming confidently.

ahsoka nods proudly at her padawan, congratulating the two newly knighted jedi knights. shin thanked ahsoka with a grateful smile, while sabine was beyond ecstatic and was jumping around with her new (and a pretty one, at that) lightsaber.

ahsoka's voice crackles through the comms, earning their attentions. "sabine. shin. hera's on comms."

"c'mon," sabine nods at the cockpit, "sounds to me like there's gonna be a new mission."

shin nods, following closely behind sabine as they entered the cockpit. hera's hologram projection stands in their comms, while ahsoka and huyang are sat on the seats. hera nods at the two young jedi knights with a smile.

"hera! what do you got for us?" sabine asked as she leans between ahsoka's and huyang's seats, shin peeking from behind her shoulders.

"ezra had new intel on rogue imperial remnants activity, and we're going to investigate it further," hera briefs carefully, continuing with, "i hear whispers of shady clonings ongoing on that base, some kind of ambitious project to imbue the force into these clones. from ezra's intel, this group is continuing moff gideon's works."

"moff gideon." sabine repeats the warlord's name with a distasteful hiss.

hera nodded, almost understandingly. "we should assume there will be hefty and nasty resistance from them, so gear up. we'll rendezvous at home one, i'll be taking the ghost and my fleet with you."

"a joint operation?" shin spoke from behind sabine, inquisitive.

"yes. senator organa had just approved the mission. we're clear to go."

"i love that woman," sabine remarks excitedly, earning a questioning head tilt from shin, and a collective amused look from both ahsoka and hera. "uh, i mean, she's just so... y'know..." the mandalorian flustered instantly, backtracking awkwardly.

ahsoka laughs, shaking her head amusedly whereas hera merely sighed visibly from the holo. sabine groans as she facepalms herself from embarrassment. shin doesn't say anything, but sabine didn't even need her to, because she can sense her amusement in the force.

"anyways," sabine drags with a final exhale, mitigating her embarrassment, "go on, hera?"

ahsoka jumps in instead, "you two should get ready. we're already en route to home one's coordinates."

shin tilts her head, confused, and was about to offer some kind of input, when sabine grabs her hand and drags her out of the cockpit. the mandalorian had a faint knowing smirk on her face but didn't tell shin anything until they returned to the bunks to prepare.

sabine tossed shin's new vambraces, at the blonde. "you wanted to say something?"

shin hums, observing sabine. "yes, actually. why did you pull me out?"

"vambrace check. adjust shields?" sabine calls instead, adjusting her own as she waits for shin to copy, amused when shin sighs and began setting up her vambraces.

"shields adjusted." two pairs of energy field shields emits from shin's and sabine's vambraces. shin also checks the weaponries inside her vambraces, making sure everything is in top shape. "what is your rocket count? mine is on three."

sabine taps on the little screen on her right vambrace, replying, "i'm on five. if we need to use 'em, i'll shoot first."

shin nods, before shifting her weight on one leg. "okay. now, will you tell me why you dragged me out of the cockpit?"

sabine grins, mischevious. "well, if you missed it, ahsoka kicked us out to chat with hera."

"okay...?" shin doesn't quite get it; doesn't ahsoka chat with hera all the time? sabine shoots her a look, which doesn't really help shin understand anything.

"you're so adorable when you're confused like this," sabine said with a laugh as she clasp shin's new pauldrons on her shoulders. "ahsoka looks at hera like she wants to raise jacen together."

shin tilts her head, processing. sabine lets out a silent chuckle, amused by the blonde's clueless face. the mandalorian had to hold back a laugh when the gears in shin's mind appear to finally click, the same time she finished clasping on shin's custom-made beskar alloy breastplate.

"oh," shin muttered, the exposed tips of her ears dusted in soft pink, "that... made sense."

sabine shakes her head softly, landing a small kiss on shin's temple. she adds, "you are so endearing, cyar'ika," that made shin's eartips grew pinker, as the mandalorian made her way to the cockpit after ahsoka's voice crackles through the comms to summon them back.

if sabine had missed it, shin was thankful.

ahsoka and sabine were getting ready to punch in the coordinates for the hyperdrive jump, shin and huyang were sat behind to re-check everything else to ensure all are well. once sabine had cleared to jump, ahsoka initiates the hyperdrive sequence to home one's point. they arrived in a short count of leaps, as the fulcrum's position was not that far beyond from home one's system.

once ahsoka and sabine landed the t-6 ship in the landing bay, shin and ssbine descended the ramp not too far behind the togrutan jedi master. up ahead, the general of the new republic's fleet stood, a welcoming smile adorning her battle-hardened face.

"general syndulla," ahsoka greets, tone slightly teasing in contrast to the formal salutations, "always good to see you again."

hera sighs, shooting ahsoka a look (sabine dubs it THE look, which shin never really understood what it means but plays along anyways), "you too, 'soka." she turns her gaze to the younger jedi knights, "sabine, shin. great to see you two as well."

sabine goes in for a hug, full-bodied and warm. she then cheekily quips, "it's been a while, hera. don't you miss us?"

"well, i've already got ezra and jacen tag-teaming with chaos in this ship," hera laughs, "so, i wouldn't say i miss your shenanigans by that much, 'bine."

"oh, i'm wounded! woe becomes me!" sabine dramatically returned, placing a mock-distressed hand on her temple as she leans against shin's shoulder. ahsoka merely shakes her head at her antics, while hera chuckles in amusement.

shin, partially playing along, pushes sabine in faux disgust as she mutters, "you are too dramatic, even for a mandalorian."

"woe! woe! backstabbed by own comrade!"

"i stabbed you once, on your stomach."

hera and ahsoka laughed at shin's dry humour, recalling their first meet, while sabine pouted as she mumbles, "that's supposed to be my card to use."

the general brought the fulcrum crew to a meeting room to go over their plans and to contact ezra, as he was still commandeering his own recon unit at their target location. they were set to dispatch two five-pilot x-wing squads under the ghost and the fulcrum as the respective leaders.

hera and ahsoka are to command the ghost, while sabine and shin are in charge of the fulcrum. sabine flashes a smirk at shin, which was responded with an exasperated sigh. shin takes out ten credits out of her pocket to hand over towards sabine.

"told you."

"i cannot believe you bet for this."

sabine shrugs. "you played too, cyar'ika."

"what are you two up to?" ahsoka questions, arms crossed in front of her.

"just a lil' bet," sabine pockets the credits, mischevious, "on how the teams are split."

hera eyes ahsoka, an inquisitive kink of her brow was responded with a shrug. she asks, "what bet?"

"ten creds i say you and ahsoka are teaming up together." sabine shot the older women a knowing look, smirking when ahsoka returned with an exasperated face. she points her thumb back at shin, "this one wasn't buying it."

"for the record, i did not participate willingly."

"you are ridiculous," ahsoka sighed.

"i don't get it?" hera was still lost, not quite understanding the bubble they are in.

sabine laughs, while the togrutan jedi master shakes her head to dissolve the atmosphere. "ignore her."

shin blurts out, "sabine says ahsoka and you act like you would raise jacen together."

hera's eyes widen, as ahsoka slow turns towards a cackling sabine and a flustered shin, incredulous. "you two are unbelievable."

to her credit, shin did appear guilty as she shifts her eyes down and mutters, "i am sorry."

sabine ceases her laugh, wiping a tear from her eye, "oh, gosh. that was peak entertainment for me. sorry, guys. it just had to be said; you two are horrible at hiding your pinings for each other."

shin might be hallucinating, but she swears ahsoka's and hera's face grew a shade darker as they avoid each other's eyes.

"to be fair, ahsoka did better than sabine back then. she used to look at me like she would leave the jedi order and devote herself to me instead."

hera's eyes widen for the second time, ahsoka mirrors the general's reaction as well upon hearing the blonde's admission. sabine had stopped laughing, frozen in her stand while seemingly all the blood in her circulation spreads slowly on her face.

ahsoka, after regaining the room from sabine, turns to sabine with an amused expression, teasing, "devoted to a fellow padawan, are you?"

sabine sputters, losing brain to mouth coordination as her face is almost as red as her pilot jacket.

"at least, that was what huyang told me," shin added, her voice deceivingly innocent, though the thin smirk ghosting her lips tells otherwise.

"my, my, sabine," hera joins, arms crossed in a delighted manner, "you've come a long way from your planet-skipping womanizing tour, huh?"

"womanizing tour?" shin parroted, intrigued.

"okay, that is our cue to leave!" at that, sabine suddenly regained her motor functions as she grabs shin by the arms and drags her back towards the landing bay. she shouts back, "see you in ten, guys!!"

shin was amused the whole trek back to the fulcrum, watching sabine distractedly sets up the ship. the mandalorian's face was still pinkish and her energy remained flustered.

shin teases softly, "you are very antsy, commander."

sabine's ears grew red at the nickname, and shin was looking forward to seeing that reaction.

"we are not having this conversation."

shin steps in front of sabine, tilting her face to meet hers by the chin. "not now, we won't. but, we will."

sabine swallows, eyes crotchety, yet nodding anyway. she managed to rasp out, "yeah… okay…"

"that's my girl."