#loyal Noghri

[jedidryad]

I used to dream of his presence disappearing from the galaxy like that. Lifeless body on a slab. Dreamed it and laughed.

Just in time for the holidays, here are the final 2 chapters of Lightsabers Are Always Loaded. Mara returns to the academy just in time to play a minor role in defeating Exar Kun - and to question her choices once again.

Lightsabers Are Always Loaded: Chapter 32

Lightsabers Are Always Loaded: Chapter 33

Thanks for reading and supporting this story. Part 3 will be awhile but it is in the works!

[roninreverie]

Why Ahsoka's Thrawn isn't actually the real Thrawn

A theory by me, which I am going to be so annoying about for the foreseeable future, so let me just try to get most of it out of my system right here and now. 😅

---

So we all know by now that Thrawn is revving up to be the BIG BAD for the live action Star Wars series tying The Mandalorian into Ahsoka and working off of the Rebels finale.

I also remember hearing old rumors that they were going to be pulling a lot from legends lore for this show, and that Timothy Zahn was not really involved at all with the show itself. (Feel free to update me otherwise though.)

Now, the fact that they're calling him the "Heir to the Empire" in the teaser trailer is already a pretty decent confirmation that the legends lore nods are in full swing. So this raises red flags for Thrawn's character, who, as we know from the newer novels, has a bit more motivation to him than his legends counterpart, and while the two are not wholly dissimilar, there have been a few important updates to his character since the early 90's.

Not to mention, I've heard a lot of people saying "If Zahn isn't involved, it wouldn't really BE Thrawn, right?"

EXACTLY!

I have a very strong gut feeling that this Thrawn isn't actually going to be the Mitth'raw'nuruodo that we expect him to be, and here's why:

Evidence #1: The Beskar Spear

In Chapter 13 of Mando, we're introduced to Morgan Elsbeth who was apparently working so closely with Thrawn that Ahsoka Tano shows up to battle her and demand information on his wearabouts.

Do you really believe Grand Admiral Thrawn would think very highly of a woman who had tarnished the artistic craftsmanship and history of Mandalorian armor just to forge it into a spear?

Lest we forget how upset he got at Captain Slavin just for badmouthing Hera's kalikori in Rebels?

But Thrawn is a big-picture kind of guy, so swallowing his opinions on the dismissal to the value of art isn't necessarily out of character for him, and I'm not sure if they ever specified it was Elsbeth who had done the re-forging in the first place.

Moving on!

---

Evidence #2 Legends Lore and Fake Thrawns

There have been many versions of Thrawn since his creation in Zahn’s original trilogy/duology series, but did you know that there have also been multiple Thrawns existing in the Star Wars Legends universe?

I won't go into too much detail, but considering the Empire tried to keep Thrawn at arms reach up until he earned his Admiral status, and then some… they had quite a few backup plans to make sure the Chiss stuck around even after his “supposed” death.

Between Moff Vilim Disra hiring a con-artist actor named Flim, to fake the role and trick the galaxy... or the literal clone(s) who were set on backup timers and programmed with all of Thrawn's memories just in case of the Admiral’s untimely demise... it’s not as wild an assumption as you might think that there could be a few faux Thrawn’s roaming about in new canon. 

And we have been getting a lot of interesting nods to clones lately in the Bad Batch, especially concerning Mount Tantiss and the planet Wayland/Weyland.

Just some food for thought.

---

Evidence #3: Thrawn’s Death and Continuity

Though Legends and Canon Thrawn do have some similarities and ways to tie together their two universes, there have been updates to his story that cannot be ignored in the new canon, such as his inevitable death.

In legends, Thrawn was killed at the hands of his own Noghri bodyguard, Rukh, who was formally loyal to the Chiss until he learned that Thrawn had not been helping with the ecological disasters of his home planet as he'd promised, but instead had been purposefully keeping them present so that the Noghri people would remain indebted to the Empire. Discovering Thrawn's lies, Rukh stabs him through the chest in the ever-popular “it was so artistically done” scene, thus ending the deceitful Grand Admiral’s life in the old trilogy. 

Unfortunately for the latest iteration of Rukh, Garazeb Orrelios made sure that his new canon self's death was probably not the sort he would be able to get back up and brush off in a surprising twist down the road. 

This left the new-canon Thrawn without an assassin destined to carry out his death, and what many newer fans hoped would mean some sort of redemption arc, given the changes to the character since his reintroduction in Rebels.

I think it can also be stated that the newer version of Thrawn is a bit "kinder" for lack of a better word than his legend's self. Not enough to negate his antagonistic nature in Rebels of course, but maybe just not to the sinister degree as his past counterpart.

---

So in closing, I am going to be watching and taking notes, excited to see where this new "Thrawn" in the Ahsoka series, Mando, and heck... maybe even Bad Batch-- will play out.

I am going to be constantly thinking he's a fake until absolutely proven otherwise, hoping that the Thrawn I've spent all these years building up in my head is off saving the Chiss-Ascendancy with Ezra Bridger and Eli Vanto... and getting something of a redemption arc now that he's apart from the Empire.

Newer Thrawn never struck me as an irredeemable villain, especially in the novels, but I guess that's up to time to tell for sure?

I'm not going to let this theory ruin my expectations for the show and the character, of course, but I'll be super hype if this is the direction they've chosen to go with him.

Thanks for reading, if you did, and feel free to keep the discussion going in the replies/reblogs if you have anything to add!

[anchanted-one]

Thrawn's Downfall Theory

This is speculation, but it does have spoilers for Ahsoka S1 and Clone Wars.

Beware, this is speculation, and there is a fantastic chance I'm quite wrong.

I was just thinking... what if the Nightsisters take the Noghri's role in Thrawn's defeat?

In the Thrawn trilogy, the Admiral's most loyal supporters are the Noghri, who serve him without question because they've been tricked by the Empire. They thought the Empire was their savior, when in fact, they are the ones who caused all the problems currently plaguing Honoghr.

When Leia lays bare the deception, the whole of Honoghr turns against the Admiral, and are instrumental in his final defeat. He's executed by Rukh, who was killed in the Rebels story.

Now the Nightsisters... their kin on Dathomir were killed by Sidious' minions, but they might not know that yet. If they do discover it, they might turn against the Empire--which is Palpatine's ultimate creation. For starters, they won't be as loyal as the Noghri were, but Thrawn won't have reason to see their betrayal coming. This might be what causes his death.

Bonus points if it is Leia who tells them the truth.

[mayxthexforce]

2 & 7 for the mun questions:)

Questions Often Left Unanswered: Mun Edition

2. Are there any plot tropes you are sick of/refuse to RP? If so, what are they and why?

Yeah. First one to come to mind is Modern verses. As in, grabbing the characters and putting them in a Our Time setting. Not really sick of it because I enjoy it in other fandoms, but I just have no interest in grabbing Star Was characters and using them for that kind of verse. I feel the Star Wars universe is already developed enough to fit a college au or coffee shop au or any like that without having to put them in boring 2020s you know.

I'll also say Fantasy verses when it comes to Star Wars just because I've never seen someone do it in a way I enjoyed.

7. List three honest flaws your favorite character has and talk about how those flaws make them problematic.

I don't really have one I can say This Is My Favorite because every character here has a very special place in my heart. So I'll do Leia cause people rarely do Leia. This list also works as a "Vader tried to turn the wrong twin" list 😂

Left her first boyfriend (Kier Domadi) because of his pacifist views, refusing to see beyond their disagreement in how the empire and its sympathizers should be dealt with despite the fact they're both Alderaanian, a strictly pacifist culture.

When the Noghri smelled her and realized she was Vader's child, they began calling her "Mal'ary'ush", Lady Vader, which made them drop their attempts on her life cause they were loyal to/terrified of Vader, and Leia used this to boss them around.

I don't keep this in my portrayal, but: the way she refused to pick up the inheritance her parents had left her (which is what led to people finding out who her bio father was). Basically, she was resentful about what was done to her planet but she also didn't want what was possibly the last objects left from Alderaan and, more specifically, from her parents.

[cienie-isengardu]

Another thing I wanted to do that again they wouldn’t let me do was make Vader’s mask a stylized version of the Noghri faces, that he adopted that armor in part as a gesture to them being so useful to him as the undercover death commandos [Timothy Zahn for Star Wars Adventure Journal, 1994]

[spell-cleaver]

Vader was interrupted from his meditation by a distinct feeling of panic--and it wasn't his. It was Luke. He was out of the meditation chamber almost before he could think, moving as fast as he could to Luke's room...but when he entered, the boy was asleep. He was tossing and turning, murmuring to himself; he was having a nightmare, Vader realized.

Previous parts on the masterpost here!

Vader was interrupted from his meditation by a distinct feeling of panic—and it wasn't his. It was Luke. He was out of the meditation chamber almost before he could think, moving as fast as he could to Luke's room...but when he entered, the boy was asleep. He was tossing and turning, murmuring to himself; he was having a nightmare, Vader realised.

When he opened his eyes, it became clear he was half awake already, and Ulk'harim retracted her hand when Vader stormed in, all the Noghri who'd mobilised at the threat scattering. Vader was on his knees and murmuring to Luke, responding where he could, for minutes on end until something floored him, like he'd crashed his pod in Beggar's Canyon and the wind and fire had stolen all the breath from his lungs and sound from his ears.

"—I don't want to be here!"

Vader jerked back.

That upset Luke further, and tugged at nonexistent strings on Vader's nonexistent heart. He returned his hand, gently, to press Luke's head to his chest in what he hoped was something resembling soothing. He searched for words, but found none: they crumbled in the abyss between emotions, his bridges burnt long ago.

"You..." he repeated instead, dully. "You do not want to be here?"

"This place is hell." Vader knew that. He hated the Imperial Palace as well, because it was the Jedi Temple, because it held memories, but it also held Luke; he knew that his son must hate it just as powerfully, but it had Vader, and Sabé, and Ahsoka, and all his pathetic little friends, so he had hoped— "And I don't— I don't want you—"

Oh.

Oh.

His son... No wonder the place was so distasteful to him if his son hated him, if, "You don't want..."

"I don't want you to serve me."

The words confirmed it. They struck like a saber to the gut, burning fiercer than Mustafar. He had displeased Luke, he had failed him, the way he had promised not to the moment he saw his injured son lying in that medbay bed after he'd killed Palpatine. He had sworn to protect the boy, to serve him as the most loyal of advisors, the most dedicated of underlings, to be the rock Luke would need in the closest position he could get when the boy would never accept him as his father...

"What?" he found himself uttering anyway. Luke was his little angel. He... It was unbearable to fathom that he had failed the only task he had left, after he had done so much wrong.

Did the Force truly have no mercy?

Or was Vader just... was he fated to fail, in every matter of import, at every task that included the people he loved?

"Have I... displeased you, little angel?" he continued, unable to keep the pleading tone from his voice. What had he done wrong? How had he failed? Why did Luke resent him so? How could he ever atone? "I— I know that—"

"No," Luke snarled, almost, and Vader was glad for the mask and how it hid his flinch. Stars, did this boy realise how much power he held in the palm of his hand? How he could shatter Vader with a single word?

"Ahsoka—" Luke continued. "Ahsoka and Ben told me— That you were a slave."

Oh.

Oh.

Obi-Wan had spoken to him again. Ahsoka must have contacted him. They had laid bare Vader's inadequacies, used something from his past to turn his son against him, to make him realise how unworthy Vader was of his attention, and before he knew it his durasteel hands were shaking, the cuddly toys on Luke's bed behind him were shaking, he was shaking with the Force of his sandstorm of thick, black rage.

Obi-Wan had turned Luke against him, and for that he would pay—

And then Luke flinched.

He could sense that.

He could sense that it was not aimed at him, he stayed stoic and brave, clinging to Vader's arms...

But he was afraid.

Vader had had enough of seeing his son afraid.

He calmed his anger. For Luke, he told himself; anger could come later, when he was alone, when he could allow the weight of all his rage and suffering to crush and crack upon him, but for now he had sworn to serve Luke in any way he needed.

Even if his son no longer wanted him to.

"I was, my son," he said carefully. He couldn't gauge what, exactly, had upset Luke about this revelation, so he hastened to ask, "Why—"

"Palpatine treated you like one. You're my father, I—"

Oh.

Vader had gone through a number of realisations in this conversation, with his tearful son clutched in his arms. This was the final one—the most heartbreaking and heart-warming of all.

Luke...

"Luke..." He murmured the name, letting his full adoration for this small, strong, superb son shine through. He was so good. He was so sweet, and kind, and good...

He brushed his hair back from his face, letting his fingers linger affectionately, doing his utmost to be gentle. He was strong, his hands brutish, and he would not hurt his angel. "You will not. I assure you. I serve you because I love you," he savoured the words, and saying them, "and not because I feel obliged, or because it is my duty—"

"I don't want you to serve me. I want my father, not obedience."

"Has anything I have done for you resembled obedience?" Vader shot back, the stirrings of guilt in his chest. If Luke had decided that his service was unsatisfactory, he would have deserved it. "I informed you it was not my strong suit, long ago."

Luke laughed, as Vader had hoped. He smiled slightly behind the mask. "No... No, I guess... If you promise that... it's not..."

"It is not, Luke. Believe me. I am intimately aware of the difference."

"Alright." Luke sniffled. "I believe you."

Vader's heart melted.

"Good," Vader said firmly. But when he went to wipe away Luke's tears, the boy only cried more.

"I don't want to be that person to anyone," he insisted.

Vader sighed sharply. Did he not understand!? Was Luke totally ignorant of the absolute honour it was to be in his presence?! Did he not know how worthy a cause he was, how anyone in their right mind would willingly dedicate themselves to him without question?

"You will not be," he said, perhaps a little shorter than necessary. "You are good. You are so much like your mother."

"I don't want to bind anyone with duty. I don't want to be served by anyone."

"You are like your mother," he pushed, his patience running thin. "People serve you because they love you. Because you can change things, so no one will serve and unkind master. Your reign as Emperor will be a grand one, and people will be honoured to serve you, their duty will be a privilege—"

"I don't want to be bound by duty either."

...what?

"I'm fourteen. I—" More tears, now, and Vader wanted to shatter the galaxy for ever hurting his sweet boy. "I can't be that person. I want to be normal."

"Do not underestimate yourself. Your mother was Queen of Naboo at fourteen, and she could certainly handle being Empress. You will be able to handle it, far better than any other candidates—"

"She had a choice."

The implications dropped between them, like a stone.

"I don't want anything Palpatine set me up for. I don't want this, and I don't have the choice. Father," Vader's heart, as always, did a flop, "I don't want this. I'm scared."

Vader reached for Luke's face again. "Luke... of course you have the choice."

"Alright." Luke lifted his chin, the way Padmé did whenever she was about to win the argument, and Vader knew what was coming. "Then I choose to abdicate."

It came.

"You..." he tried, then stopped.

No.

No. No. No.

"You cannot, little angel," he tried again, "the Empire needs you, your duty..."

"Then I don't have a choice, do I?" He hated Luke's glare, bright in the night.

So he had to confess: "...I need you."

He needed his little angel.

He needed him so badly.

"You... this nightmare has left you rattled," Vader decided. He... he had to hold this together, at least for now.

Nightmares were potent things. They could change the galaxy, if they came at the right time. Vader knew that. He knew better than to live like this, worried about ghosts that did not exist.

He wanted to make sure Luke knew it too.

"I don't know what Palpatine told you, so I cannot combat it, but know this, Luke: you are nothing like him."

He needed to make sure Luke knew... so much. There was so much to say. So much to assure.

He lifted him back into bed, carefully, cradling him into his chest like he was the most precious treasure in all the galaxy.

"Nothing. You will be great, my son—I swear this to you. You already are great... and good... and..."

And he wanted to make sure he knew, most of all:

"I am so proud of you."

He whispered it, beatifically, hoping that Luke would smile again.

Luke didn't. Not really—Vader had been blessed with a great many of Luke's smiles in recent weeks, and this one did not count at all.

And he knew that Luke was still lying there, awake, as he pretended to sleep, but even so—he only stayed for a short while before he left the room again to go and find Sabé.

Loathe as he was to admit it, he needed her advice on this.

Beginning | Previous | Next

[wisegirlandseaweedbrainforever]

Legends Han: you know I've no idea why the Noghri get on my nerves so bad, I mean they're just Leia's loyal body guards, not having to worry about her should be a good thing right? I mean yeah they protect the rest of us and try and keep us out of trouble too, but out of everyone in this kriffed up family I'm the least likely to go looking for trouble right kid?!

Khabarakh: already moving to sit on Han to keep him from attacking a random bunch of Imperial soldiers some grand admiral has dug up from somewhere because Han's already bored.

Luke underneath his own noghri and Mara Jade: sure Han whatever you say.

[zoryany]

His father had been meditating for hours now, just sitting there unmoving, so this was his best chance to quickly slip past him and - “Where do you think you’re going?” Vader inquired mildly.

Luke froze in his tracks, plastered his most innocent expression over his features, and turned to face his father. “Why, Father, I’m not going anywhere of importance, really – you know I know better than to stray beyond the walls of the Palace.”

Vader hummed, sending a rumble echoing through the chamber. “Do not lie to me, my son,” he replied, decidedly less mildly. “If that were truly the case, you would not feel the need to sneak about.”

Wincing, Luke sighed and allowed the innocence on his face to morph into contrition. “I wasn’t lying, Father, not really. Just… not exactly telling the whole truth.” His father had risen, at this point, and was… looming in that way of his, the way that emanated less of a paternal air and more of a ruler of the known universe air. No words were necessary to spur the boy into speaking again, just the folding of armoured arms across his chest. “Okay, fine, I was headed out into the Palace gardens. And before you say anything, yes, I know there are people there – that’s why I like going. The most fascinating people spend time in the gardens, and sometimes I just like to… watch them – while hidden, of course.” 

Physically and in the Force, he meant, drawing on the first technique his father had trained him in. It was essential for the child to be hidden, he’d explained, because for the galaxy to discover its Emperor had offspring, they would be exploited for political gain or used as leverage against him. Vader had only ever wanted Luke to be safe, so that meant remaining concealed. He could use the Force to go unnoticed by those around him, which allowed him to accompany his father to important Senate meetings, in order to learn about the inner workings of their Empire.

But, stubborn and overprotective as he was, Vader was not fond of his son using this technique outside of his presence. He stood still, for a long moment, seemingly considering the request and any consequences it might have. As much as he wanted his son to be safe, Luke was sixteen years old. Denying him too many freedoms would push him to rebellion, no matter how loyal the boy truly was.

Finally lowering his arms, Vader sighed in acquiescence. “Very well. I am trusting you to remain hidden. You have one hour, while I complete my meditations, then I expect you to return so we can continue your training.”

Elation welled in Luke’s chest, and he grinned, wide and radiant, at his father. “Yes, sir!” he chirped, shooting off a mock salute before bounding towards the door. Through the Force, he sent a quiet Thank you, Father, and slipped down the corridor towards the gardens.

Despite his joy at his limited freedom, Luke suppressed a pang of guilt. He still hadn’t quite told his father the truth about his trip to the gardens. Yes, plenty of fascinating people spent time there,  yes, he enjoyed watching them, thoroughly, and yes, he would keep himself hidden. The catch was, there was a single soul he could never quite seem to keep himself hidden from, a girl he’d met when he was twelve years old and slipped out of his rooms to explore while his father ran the Senate – Princess Leia Organa.

So, yes, Luke had still concealed his true intentions from his father, but – from a certain point of view – he had told him the truth.

Since their first meeting, when the Princess had detected him even through his impeccable shields, they would meet up every so often, when she was on Coruscant for either her father’s or her own duties. These meetings were the only secret Luke kept from his father. They were the only things in his life that were his and his alone, the only interactions he had beyond droids, Noghri and his father, and Vader’s distaste for Organa would certainly lead to him cutting off contact, should he ever find out.

 All children had secrets from their parents; Luke’s parent just so happened to be the most powerful man in the galaxy, with whom he shared a bond that made keeping secrets incredibly difficult. But he felt entitled to this one. He was loyal and obedient in everything else, and he would have been in this, too, if not for the simple fact that he felt drawn to Leia and could not bring himself to let her go.

Send me the first sentence of a fic and I’ll write the next five (ish) sentences

[emperorsfoot]

abandoned Star Wars fic #2

This one is so rough my notes are still there in the document. When you see the brackets [ ] that is me talking to myself as I write. 

Another AU, again based off the Star Wars EU that existed pre-Disney Buyout. Vader manages to intercept Obi-Wan before he can get Luke to the Lars, but Vader can’t raise him on Corescant. Palpatine would ask too many questions. So, Vader takes Luke to be raised by an alien race loyal to him on planet Honoghr.

...

[title]

Chapter One:

Sand and dust was kicked up in the wake of two speeders racing across the dessert night. One furiously gaining, the other desperate to shake and lose its tail. 

One arm wrapped protectively around the bundle clutched to his chest, the other trying its best to steer the small one-man speeder. Keep it steady. While simultaneously trying to shake off and lose his pursuer. But it was a tall order to fill. His hunter knew these sands far better than he did, had grown up here, was shaped by the sands and the winds. And he was driven. Driven by a a raging tumultuous storm of feelings to wild and varying to interpret fully. But Kenobi would have to say that rage was definitely at the forefront of that emotional storm. Rage and pain.

Pain over the death of Padme and rage at the one he credited with responsibility for her premature passing. 

Because goodness forbid Anakin Skywalker ever take responsibility for his own actions or their resultant tragedies. 

Kenobi clutched baby Luke tighter as he banked hard to the right. Taking them down a labyrinthine formation of shallow canyons and jagged rocks. For the majority of the journey, the baby had remained blissfully quiet. Something the Jedi master was sure was uncommon for new borns and infants. It might have given him cause to worry if he didn't currently have a much greater and more pressing concern tearing between rocks and sand behind them. 

But now, being rocked and jostled by the chase, and perhaps also sensing the violent storm of feelings behind them, Luke uttered his first loud, unhappy cries since slipping from the warmth of his mothers womb into the cold and uncaring world they lived in. 

Perhaps he was spurred on by the sound of his son's crying, or perhaps he'd just gotten close enough for the weapon to be useful, but from behind, Kenobi heard the unmistakable snap-hiss of a lightsaber.  Unable to simultaneously draw his own blade while still steering the speeder and holding Luke, Kenobi did the only other option open to him. He leapt from his own speeder just in time to miss being split in two by a jumping swing of the crimson-white blade. 

The red hot saber slashed the speeder in two instead. Each half banging and ricocheting off rocks and canyon before they came to skidding, crumbling halts. A few seconds later, Anakin's own abandoned speeder followed the Jedi's speeder into oblivion by crashing into the canyon wall. The spectacular explosion lighting up the night enough for Kenobi to see flames illyminate the new black armor and helmet in brilliant shades of orange and red. 

Lowering the red saber only slightly, Anakin -no, he wasn't Anakin anymore, Anakin had died on Mustafar, this man was a Sith Lord- Darth Vader extended his free hand. With a new voice, deep and baritone, nothing like Anakin's at all, uttered a single command. "Give him to me."

Shaking his head, Kenobi drew his own lightsaber. Ready to defend the innocent life in his other arm with his last breath if necessary. "Don't do this, Anakin. Let him live his life without the burden of your legacy."

There was a beat of silence filled only by the sound of the respirator, carefully counting breaths. Then, "You have taken to much from me. You'll not take my son as well."

With that, the sinister figure closed the distance. Dark cape trailing behind him. Kenobi just managed to bring his own blade up in time to block the blow. With only one hand holding the saber, he had less strength to hold the red-white blade at bay. The Jedi hoped that Vader would regulate his strength enough so as to not injure the baby he carried -it was, after all, the baby he was after- but remembering his actions towards Padme, Kenobi just couldn't be sure of anything anymore. Vader wanted the baby. But he also wanted the Jedi master dead. 

Pulling a bit of the Force to him, Kenobi pushed Vader off them. Taking advantage of the younger man's imbalance to swing an offense of his own, Kenobi aimed for that shiny and new black helmet. But the blow was only glancing, just melting a scratch on the surface, not even penetrating to the head beneath. Both men to a step back to regain themselves. Luke resumed his wails. The cries seeming all the louder for the echo off the canyon walls. 

"This is what Padme would have wanted for him!" Kenobi tried to reason with him. "To grow up with a family and love. Not be used as a tool for your ambition or the Emperor's power!"

"He will be with his family." Vader snarled. "I am his father!"

"You killed his mother!" Kenobi reminded him. 

"Because of you!" The other snarled. 

He swung his lightsaber at the man. The spinning blade arching towards his head. Kenobi jumped to the side, drawing on the force to help cushion his fall, not for himself but to ease the discomfort to the baby. The swinging blade came flying back to its wielder's hand and he slashed down at Kenobi's prone form. The Jedi struggling to regain his footing was quick enough to evade a death blow, but not quick enough to come away unscathed. He screamed as the red-white blade sliced through his ankled with a burning ferocity. Kenobi's scream of pain, adding to the chorus of Luke's. 

"She was my wife!" Vader roared. "And you used her. Turned us against each other. I might have been the instrument, but it was you who killed her! Its your fault! Your fault!" The dark shoulders shook with unchannelled emotion. It sent reverberations through the Force, washing other both of them. Causing the Jedi to forget the pain in his leg for a moment and the baby's sobs degraded into hiccups, having already cried himself hoarse. "You took my wife from me, Obi-wan. I will not let you take my son from me as well."

The Sith Lord bent down over them. Black gloved hands reaching… and with unexpected care, plucked the hiccuping child from the Jedi's arms. He held the baby for a moment or two. The only sound apart from Luke's nervous hiccups and grumbles, the mechanical breathing of the respirator. Vader -or perhaps in that moment he was Anakin again- looked down at the child in his arms who squirmed uncomfortably against the cold leather pulled over unfeeling bionics. There could be no warmth in that hold. No physical warmth. But perhaps there was some emotional warmth from the father for his son. For Luke seemed to calm ever so slightly. His child in his arms, Vader's own raging storm of feelings also subsided to what Kenobi decided must be the new baseline for the Dark Lord. 

The relative serenity of the scene was broken by an errant breeze whistling through the canyon. The soft sound string them from their brief moment of peace. Kenobi called his lightsaber back to his hand. But Vader was quicker on the draw. The Jedi froze with the glowing crimson tip a few centimeters from singeing distance of his beard. 

[I cannot yet decide if Ben would serve the story better alive of dead. So I'll leave this scene here for now. Perhaps you can think of a suitable way to close this little skirmish. ]

And so he had his son. Padme's son. The last living remnant of the woman he'd loved. 

But what to do with him. 

Taking him back to Corescant was out of the question. Loath though he was to admit it, Obi-wan did have a valid point. Padme would not want her son to be used as a tool for Palpatine's power. Not to mention that there was that tiny matter of the rule of two. It was possible that the old man might not even allow the boy to live. Either that, or order the father's death and take the boy as a new apprentice. Young, and malleable, and still whole. But if he was gone, then who would protect the boy while he grew?

Vader unconsciously tightened his grip on the boy, wrapping him in an invisible cloak of dark and territorial feelings. A gesture protecting him both physically and psychically. He needed to keep his son safe. That was priority one. Everything else was detail. It could be sorted out later. First thing first, he needed to get Luke to a secure location. After that he could figure out what to do. Corescant was out. But Naboo didn't sound to appealing either. While he was sure Padme's family would be more than happy to take in her motherless child, it would be to easy to find him there. 

Briefly, he considered Tatooine. They were already here, after all. And it was where he grew up. But no. The environment was too harsh. Both ecologically and culturally. Slavery was to prevalent and to many households were just a few credits difference away from selling their own children into bond to feed themselves. He would not risk his son becoming a slave. He would not allow his son to grow up believing slavery to be a common and acceptable practice. Slowly, he ran through the list until he finally thought of one that might just be perfect. 

Remote. Out of common knowledge. Honor-based culture. And most important of all, completely dedicated to him. 

Vader didn't know why he didn't think of it first!

Now with a destination, they set course for Honoghr.

…

[And then I realized Anakin/Vader wouldn't have had time to construct a new lightsaber. Between "NOOOOOOOO!" and Obi-wan taking Luke to the Lars' there just isn't the opportunity to make one. So the fight between Kenobi and Vader couldn't have gone like that. I'll have to re-write the scene. ]

Kabarakh braced one arm against the speeder's dashboard, his other hand gripping the side panel so tightly his gray knuckles threatened to turn white. He was a Noghri warrior, trained to remain calm and composed even under great strain. …But none of his mentors had ever had the 'honor' of riding passenger in a speeder piloted by the Son of Vader. 

"Wha-hoooo!" The young human whooped as they banked a hard turn just in time to save them from plummeting down a rather steep ravine cut by the rushing waters of the Vas'ser river. Kabarakh let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. If the fall hadn't killed them, the waters surly would have. They sped off over the short scrubby kolm-grass of the wastes. 

...

THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE

I’m not even sure I had an end-game for this. Just a vague idea of a premise. Like, was I gonna have Luke leave Honoghr at some point? Was the whole fic gonna be him growing up steeped in the culture? Some combination of the two?

Who the fuck knows?

I certainly don’t!

[chrisabraham]

But What Happens When A Beat Russian Dog Putin Bites Back?

When you rule by fear, your greatest weakness is one who's no longer afraid.— Magic: The Gathering: Finale Of Eternity

So never kick a dog because it's just a pup. We'll fight like twenty armies and we won't give up, So you'd better run for cover when the pup grows up!— Little People, Les Miserables

"For the treachery of the Empire against the Noghri people. We were betrayed. We have been avenged."— Rukh, after stabbing Thrawn, The Last Command

[It] is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. [...] Nevertheless a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred.— Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

Even a stray has pride.— Gabranth, Final Fantasy XII

"Last night I took an L, but tonight I bounce back."—Big Sean, "Bounce Back"

"First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you."—Nicholas Klein, frequently misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi or Arthur Schopenhauer

Vayne: The hound strays? Treason bears a price! Gabranth: One I gladly pay!— Final Fantasy XII

Ramsay: Ah. Sansa. Hello, Sansa. Is this where I'll be staying now? No. Our time together is about to come to an end. That's all right. You can't kill me. I'm part of you now. Sansa: Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear. [whistles] Ramsay: [hearing his hound dogs come to him] My hounds will never harm me. Sansa: You haven't fed them in seven days. You said it yourself. Ramsay: They're loyal beasts. Sansa: They were. Now they're starving. Ramsay: Sit. Down! Down! Down! Down! Down!— Sansa, Game of Thrones

Meg: First question. Who's the biggest, toughest guy in this house? Peter: Well, I don't like to toot my own horn, but I believe I hold the distinction— (Meg breaks a lamp on his head and then proceeds to give him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, culminating in smashing his teeth against the staircase) Meg: My house now, bitch! Now, who's the funniest? Peter: (lifting his hand up) I know my way around a joke. (Meg continues her beatdown on Peter) Chris: For God's sake, Dad! Have some humility! It'll save your life! Meg: There better be beer in the fridge.— Dial Meg for Murder, Family Guy

Scar: Ah, my friends... Shenzi: Friends? I thought he said we were the enemy. Banzai: That's what I heard. Shenzi and Banzai: Ed? Ed: [evil laugh]— The Lion King (1994)

Woody: Reach for the sky! Sid: Huh? Woody: This town ain't big enough for the two of us. Sid: What? Woody: Somebody's poisoned the water hole! Sid: It's busted. Woody: [still as if through his speaker] Who are you calling "busted", buster? [as Sid turns him around to discover that his drawstring was never drawn] That's right, I'm talking to you, Sid Phillips. Sid: [shocked yelp] Woody: We don't like being blown up, Sid. Or smashed. Or ripped apart. Sid: We? Woody: That's right, your toys. [All the toys Sid has mutilated rise from various places and approach Sid, terrifying him] Woody: From now on, you must take good care of your toys, because if you don't, we'll find out, Sid. [turning his head 360 degrees] We toys can see eeeeeeveryyyyyyyyyythingggggggg. [actual voice] So play nice. [Sid throws Woody onto the ground screaming before running back into the house]— Toy Story

[Woody throws Daisy's tag over to Big Baby after calling out Lotso on his lies and selfishness] Big Baby: [picks up the tag] *sobs* Mama? Lotso: [snatches the tag away while rolling his eyes] What? You want your mommy back!? She never loved you! Don't be such a BABY! [Lotso smashes the tag with his mallet, causing Big Baby to cry] Push 'em in! All of 'em! [Stretch reluctantly and slowly does so] This is what happens when you DUMMIES try to think! [Lotso violently pokes Big Baby with his mallet, an act that visibly shocks Twitch and Sparks] WE'RE ALL JUST TRASH, WAITING TO BE THROWN AWAY! THAT'S ALL A TOY IS! [Cue Big Baby picking up Lotso] Hey! Stop it! Put me down, you idiot! [Big Baby throws a screaming Lotso into the dumpster] No, wait a minute... Big Baby wait— [Big Baby closes the dumpster, ignoring Lotso's pleas, while everyone stares at the dumpster in Stunned Silence] Rex: He's gone. Mr. Potato Head: Holy cow. [Big Baby blows a raspberry]—Toy Story 3

"Turns out, mess with someone's head enough, you can turn a scared little kid into an all powerful bitch."— Jack, Mass Effect 2

"One thing you could count on: you push a man too far, and sooner or later, he'd start pushing back."— Max Payne

"Listen, Crow thinks fear is power, but he's wrong. A beaten dog may fear you, but the second you turn your back, he's gonna strike."— D-Mob, Def Jam: Fight for NY

"You have a dog. You beat the dog. You keep beating the dog. And you beat the dog and you beat the dog and you beat the fucking dog. And it cowers and it gets submissive. But there is going to be that day where it turns around and bites your face off. [...] You kick the dog enough times and you break it. You kick the dog one more time beyond that, and it fucking kills you."— Emilie Autumn, The Opheliac Companion.

William Hamleigh: Betrayed! By my own wife! Bishop Waleran: You kick a dog and some day it may bite you.— The Pillars of the Earth

That's it! I've had it! I hate to be dramatic But it's time for me to fly the coop Terrific! Fine! I'm drawing the line before I wind up in a parrot's soup I was a fool to let you run the show I'm cutting you loose, pal! Look out below! Arrivederci! C'est la vie! Hope all goes well! I'm looking out for me!— Iago, Aladdin: The Return of Jafar

Cartman: I say again: Fuck Jesus! Token: Good going, you lost us the whole audience! Cartman: Oh, fuck off, Token, ya black asshole! (Token delivers a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown and walks off, leaving Cartman on the floor) Butters: ... (farts on Eric and gives him the finger) Fuck you, Eric. (leaves)— Christian Rock Hard, South Park

Cartman: Huh?! Go ahead, Mom! Fuck me! Fuck me right here in the Best Buy! You wanna fuck your son so bad?! Go on Mom! Fuck me! Fuck me! (Gilligan Cut to Cartman crying in the car while his mom angrily drives him home) Mrs. Cartman: Stop crying, Eric! I told you if you kept acting up, you weren't getting anything!— HumancentiPad, South Park

Stephen: There you are, mister! Just what do you think you're doing? Butters: Hello, dad! It's me, Butters! Stephen: I know that. Why do you— Butters: This is for all the times I got grounded! (punches Stephen in the nuts and the latter starts moaning in pain) Ha! I could almost feel his balls on my fist!— Grounded Vindaloop, South Park

Saddam Hussein: What are you waiting for, bitch? Destroy him! Come on, you weak, stupid cumbucket, save me! Satan: THAT'S! IT! I have had enough of you!— South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

Sarah: ED! You listen to me, mister! You can't kick me out! I LIVE HERE TOO!! Ed: SO MOVE!!— Little Ed Blue, Ed, Edd n Eddy

Secretary Delacourt: You idiot! Do you realize what you've done? You crashed an unlicensed vehicle into a suburban area. Your orders were to keep this covert. Do you even remember what that means?! [Kruger punches a mirror] Have you completely lost your mind?! You're useless to me! If the administration realized what we're doing, they'll hang us both for treason! [Kruger chuckles] For God's sake, Kruger, are you listening to me?

Agent Kruger: Yes... yes, I'm listening. I'm sorry that we crashed the vehicle and ruined someone's lawn. But no one's going to hang us for treason. We do the hanging... [stabs Delacourt in the throat with a mirror shard]— Elysium

You were scanning me, weren't you? You were trying to make my head explode, you freaked-out maniac!— TV's Frank, Mystery Science Theater 3000 S05 E11: Gunslinger

"Well well well, looks like the church mouse finally roared."—Elliot Stabler, Law & Order: SVU, "Bully"

"She was mad and that was true, however, someone can only put up with abuse for so long".—Satsuki "Dove" Kiryuuin, Kiryuuin Chronicles, chapter 9

"My death is near. Let us go together!"—Raging Dragon Belial to the wizard Uzur, Odin Sphere

Are corpses afraid? They should be. The people on the outside, the people that they let in only when they feel like it, are pounding very hard on the glass. I hear them striking at the glass. I heard the glass crack. I think they're coming in.

The Giovanni should be afraid. The glass is cracking... and the people on the other side hate them.—Vampire: The Masquerade — Clanbook: Malkavian (Revised)

"When you treat people like animals, you're gonna get bit."— Biddle "B.C." Coleridge, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Past Tense: Part II"

Lobo: Your men would still be breathin' if you'd only been polite when I walked in. Still, I showed you mercy. I just hope you showed your dancers more courtesy... (hands gun over to dancer) Crimelord: N-now, Suchin, let's not be hasty...! If I ever hurt any of you girls, it was only because— (shooting noises)—Red Daughter of Krypton

You humiliated me in school. You attacked my friends! You took me from my family!! I have all the power you ever dreamed of! My Kryptonian cells are supercharged with the light of a million billion suns! And I'm not going to let you destroy the 3rd dimension!— Supergirl, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade

[gaynarutodude]

No offense to Star Wars Rebels but Rukh was a loyal noghri who helped avenge his people, not an exotic bodyguard to be killed off by dollar store Chewbacca

[letslipthehounds]

Noghri in the Original Trilogy

I’ve been re-reading the Thrawn Trilogy, and I had a few thoughts.  Knowing what we now know about Vader, there’s no way he wouldn’t have used the Noghri in his attempt to get Luke.  Come on!  He knows they’ll be able to tell if Luke Skywalker is actually Luke Skywalker.  He knows they’re loyal to him, and they’ll want to help him find his son. 

So, now I have this ridiculously silly idea in my head of a group of Noghri commandos with orders to find Luke Skywalker, and bring him to Darth Vader- alive and as unharmed as possible. Do they know Luke is Vader’s son? Maybe they’re not told it, but as soon as they smell him, they’ll know.  That means their absolute priority is getting the Son of Vader to Vader.  Of course, Luke foils so many plots, and doesn’t even realize it. 

And then… Leia and Han. They had only marked Leia and Han as friends of Luke, until one of them gets close enough to Leia to realize exactly who she is.  So their mission expands- bring both rebellious children back to Vader.  Except Han keeps getting in the way.  Most of them are frustrated with him, but they see how he and Leia are acting- and they mostly think it’s a courtship.  Plus, he is obviously willing to do anything to protect Leia.

So the mission ends with Vader being presented with his son, unknown daughter, and potential son-in-law, all of them drugged up to their eyebrows.  (Speaking of eyebrows, if he had any, his would be raised incredulously.)

Now he just has to convince them to join him.  (And maybe he should look into “losing” Solo on some moon filled with carnivorous plants. No, his daughter wouldn’t like that. She might protest, but Vader could tell she loved Solo.)

Of course, this ends with the Emperor dead, and Leia and Vader arguing over how the galaxy could be run. (Luke’s managed to find popcorn. Han is just glad Leia is arguing with someone who isn’t him for once.)

[spell-cleaver]

Luke Palpatine Zev and Leia were giving him that look again, like it was beginning to occur to them how he hadn’t grown up with... normalcy. “Don’t...” Luke rasped, quickly shoving his sleeve back down so they didn’t see the scars riddled down his arm, Leia and Zev began to study other parts of him, making him beginning to sweat and the black shadow of Vader in his mind rear up to protect him at any provocation

Previous parts on the masterpost here!

Zev and Leia were giving him that look again, like it was beginning to occur to them how he hadn’t grown up with... normalcy.

“Don’t...” Luke rasped, quickly shoving his sleeve back down so they didn’t see the scars riddled down his arm. Leia and Zev began to study other parts of him, making him beginning to sweat and the black shadow of Vader in his mind rear up to protect him at any provocation.

Luke did his best to send out clumsy waves of reassurance, of safety, and relaxed as he sensed Vader back down. "Don't..." he repeated, giving them both a wary look.

Leia and Zev exchanged a look and finally backed down, turning back to the holoscreen. but Luke didn't miss the way that Leia was unnecessarily gentle when she passed him the pillow.

They'd resumed their binge-watching of Crown of Stars—they'd even started watching the spinoff series Heart of Stars—the week he'd got back to Coruscant after his tour. Leia had taken one look at him, opened her mouth to ask about the... revelation about Luke's parentage—or lack thereof—they'd all seen on the news, then promptly shut it again. They'd operated on an unspoken agreement to not mention politics in these sessions.

It was pretty clear that Luke was having a rough time of it.

But still. Watching holodramas with these two was great for distracting him from... court intrigue, from assassinations, from plans to steal his body and crush his soul—

Leia paused the show. "I'm sorry, Luke," she said, "but I have to ask..." Her eyes traced the scars she'd seen when he'd rolled up his sleeve, even if his sleeve was now rolled down. "Who did those?"

Luke swallowed.

"Was it— was it Vader?" Leia dared to ask. "Does he still..."

He winced, but said, "It was... my f— Palpatine."

There were... two very different reactions to that. Zev, who'd been raised as a loyal Imperial youth for most of his life, shifted uncomfortably, and Luke grimaced at the thought that maybe he didn't want to think about his benevolent god-like Emperor as the rancid bag of shavit that he had been.

Leia, meanwhile... didn't look all that surprised.

She took Luke's arm and traced the fabric of his sleeve, as if she could see the scars underneath. "Do they still hurt?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No—he made sure the pain was never permanent."  Some scars were alright, but no permanent disfigurations, no lasting pain, nothing that could irk him or hold him back when he took Luke's body for his own.

Leia frowned deeply, then turned back to the holoprojector. "Well, he's dead now," she declared. Zev, despite his apparent reluctance to speak ill of a deceased emperor, nodded in agreement. His face twisted into something unpleasant when he glanced at Luke's arms, then he glanced back at his face and gave him a reassuring smile.

Luke warmed, slightly, as he shuffled closer and put an arm around his shoulders, and he leaned into him in response.

"He's dead," Leia continued, "and we're here. Vader doesn't hurt you, right?"

Her piercing look was impossible to lie to, but she still didn't accept his quiet, "No, he doesn't," for a good few moments before she finally lowered her gaze. She wrapped her arm around him as well; Luke felt like his stuffed bantha, and decided it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

"We're here now," she insisted. Zev grunted his agreement and Luke laughed, surprised to find himself fiercely blinking back tears. A smile curved his mouth.

"You..." Leia started, then forged on: "You definitely trust Vader? If he was your f— Palpatine's henchman, are you sure—"

"He... wasn't kind to me as a child," Luke admitted. It was the first time he'd admitted to someone that since Nova had arrived, and he didn't meet Leia's gaze as he said it. "But I trust him now."

"Are you sure? What do you mean unkind—"

"Leia," Zev said firmly. "Leave him alone."

Leia did not leave him alone. "Do you trust Vader?"

Luke thought of the shattered office—of the man who kept dropping stuffed toys on his bed, because he'd realised that it was a pleasure Palpatine had denied him.

"Yes," he said. Almost unconsciously, he reached out to brush that dark presence he could still sense hovering at the back of his mind. It jerked, surprised and momentarily panicked on his behalf, but when it sensed his... affection, almost, it warmed in confusion. "I do."

Vader would not hurt him. He would not let anyone hurt him. He believed that, he realised.

"Can we get back to watching?" Zev complained, though Luke was pretty sure it was for his benefit.

Leia just rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'd have thought an army brat would have more patience."

"Oh, you would know all about brattiness, wouldn't you, Princess..." he shot right back.

Luke rolled his eyes as Heart of Stars started playing again but he could barely hear the drama over their bickering.

He lay his head against Zev's arm. He felt, he realised for the first time, safe.

*

That feeling of safety continued, later, even after they'd both left his quarters and he was half-daydreaming , half-dozing on the sofa. He distantly heard the door open, his Noghri guards bristle to attention and Vader enter, his breathing loud. But he just closed his eyes and smiled.

Vader sat down next to him. "Are you alright, little angel?"

Luke smiled at the name. "Yes," he whispered. "Can— could you sit with me, for a little while?" He blindly sought out Vader's hand and took it; every scar that wound up his arm seemed to burn for a second, but it faded when he breathed out, and Vader curled his fingers delicately around his.

"Of course, Majesty," he whispered, and Luke closed his eyes, and lay back, and just... drifted.

Send me the first sentence of a scene from this AU and I’ll continue it!

Beginning | Previous | Next

[zoryany]

send me ficlet prompts – optionally include characters 73.  You’re putting an awful lot of trust in them.

Her boots were planted firmly on the ground just below her shoulders, arms folded across her chest in a way that maintained a delicate quality without diminishing her strength. Everything about her seemed to grow tight as her jaw clenched, her brow knit – ever so slightly – and the air in her lungs could be released as either a sigh or a growl.

The twins were in disagreement.

Luke hated when they didn’t see eye to eye. It made him feel distant from his sister in a way he hadn’t even felt during his first days as a member of the Alliance. It wasn’t often that they disagreed, but when they did, the Force itself seemed unsettled, as though the galaxy was out of alignment. somehow. These days in particular, it took significant matters to divide the Skywalkers, but if there was one surefire way to sunder their partnership, if only temporarily, it was to broach the subject of Vader. No greater source of contention existed between them than their own father.

Leia would never forgive him. Hell, she’d hardly forgiven Luke for forgiving him. But this wasn’t a matter of forgiveness – this was a matter of trust. Leia trusted him implicitly, the same way he trusted her, and he sincerely hoped he wasn’t taking advantage of that by asking this of her.

“I know you don’t like this.” He was stating the obvious, but he felt it only fair to her for him to acknowledge it.

“You have a talent for understatement, Luke.” It wasn’t malice in her voice, but a vein of irony wove its way through her words that teetered dangerously close to disdain. “I absolutely despise this. You’re putting an awful lot of trust in them. Especially considering they only respect us in the first place because of Vader.” If her voice wasn’t malicious before, it was positively dripping with venom as she spat out their father’s name.

Luke winced at her tone, making it a point to choose his words carefully. If he was going to convince Leia to see his point, he would have to appeal to her sense of reason. His sister was intelligent – smarter than him, he would gladly admit – and her sharp mind allowed her to carefully construct her arguments and decisions. She was, however, still human, and as subject to her emotions as any other human.

“I know how you feel about this – about him. But I’m not asking you to change that. I’m only asking you to consider the strategic possibilities that this could open up for us.”

“Luke, don’t,” she snapped, but she’d lost a bit of her previous acidity. “I’m fully aware of the strategic advantages an alliance with the Noghri could give us, but I do not trust a species that’s been loyal to the Empire for over two decades.”

“But they weren’t loyal to the Empire.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“They weren’t loyal to the Empire, Leia, they were loyal to Vader,” he insisted.

“That’s even worse.”

He could sense her anger building back up, her voice growing colder and her eyes growing harder, and he knew he had to act quickly. During the war, Leia had been known as the ‘Angel of Mercy.’ It was her sense of mercy for beings who were suffering that he was banking on, now, and he could only hope for that sense to override her hatred for their father.

“I’ve been to their homeworld, Leia,” he said, speaking slowly and putting weight into his words. “It was ravaged at the end of the Clone Wars. The planet is desolate, and only very little of it is habitable. The reason they were loyal to Vader -- want to be loyal to us -- is because he discovered them and worked to restore their world.” She knew this already, and the impatience grew on Leia’s face as he spoke, but he had to say it again, had to reiterate it to make the impact of what he was about to say next hit with the right amount of weight. “I’ve been looking into it, though, and after this long, they should have made more progress. So why is so much of the planet still suffering?”

Leia’s brows knit in thought, the wheels turning in her head and shining through her eyes. Confusion and thought replaced anger and irritation on her face. “What are you trying to say, Luke?”

“I believe the Empire’s been poisoning the crops in order to keep the Noghri loyal to them.”

“What?” Leia gasped.

Chewing his lip for a moment, Luke considered his words carefully. Leia would agree with his point, but how he presented it could very well make all the difference. “Vader discovered the devastation and set the restoration in motion. That’s why they consider him a saviour. But it doesn’t add up. After this long, why is only a sliver of land habitable? I got my hands on one of those probes and… Well. It confirmed my suspicions.”

After a moment, the words sunk in, and Leia’s eyes grew wide with horror. “Of course. Why offer genuine assistance to a world in need when you can enslave its inhabitants instead,” she spat, her lips curling in disgust.

“Exactly,” he said, nodding. “Think about it, though. That has Palpatine written all over it. That’s what he did with Vader. Saved him, gave him the means to survive, gave him power and strength, but kept him from recovering fully so that he’d have to rely on his master for the rest of his life.”

The look on Leia’s face suggested she knew exactly where he was going with this, and he could see her searching for arguments to counter Luke’s points. He decided to jump back in before she had the chance to find them.

“Father, if he was aware, would not have agreed with The Emperor,” he insisted, refusing to flinch at the fire that flared in Leia’s eyes when he said Father instead of Vader. “He was a slave his whole life, and while there’s no denying that he was complicit in the continued existence of slavery under The Empire, he would not actively participate in it.”

“You don’t know that,” she countered, but it was clear that, reluctant as she was, he was winning her over. “But… maybe you do. And if that’s the case, then… Luke. Thrawn’s been using them.”

“I know.”

“He’s been lying to them!”

“I know!”

Her brows furrowed in that way they did when she was on the verge of an epiphany. “We have to tell them the truth.” There was fire in her eyes, a righteous determination that told Luke that she’d come to the same conclusion he had. “We can liberate them and Thrawn will lose his personal assassins!” She paused, a moment, pressing her lips together and drawing in a deep breath through her nose. “I still don’t… like how they came to trust us. But… I am glad you trusted them. Because I trust you, Luke, and I think this gives us an opportunity to earn their trust based on our own merits.”

Admittedly, Luke agreed with Leia in that regard. He was not ashamed to be associated with their father, but he didn’t want his life to be defined by him, either. Being Vader’s children had gotten the Noghri to listen to them, but it would be their own actions and intentions that would win and maintain their loyalty.

“You’re right, as always,” Luke said. If he’d learned one thing about Leia in the time he’s known her, it’s that she’s much more likely to be persuaded into something she’s initially against if she ends up thinking the whole thing was her idea all along.

The gears in her head were turning as she formulated a plan. Now that she’d been convinced of the value of allying with the Noghri, she would not rest until she knew precisely how they were going to go about it. “I think, since you’ve visited the planet and made more direct contact, you should return and propose the alliance.” She did not mention Luke’s relative willingness to play up their relationship to Vader, but they both knew it was part of it.

As much as it made sense, he was hesitant to agree to it, however. “You’re putting a lot of trust into my limited diplomatic abilities.”

Raising a brow, Leia breathed out a soft, short laugh. “You really aren’t giving yourself enough credit. You’re a Jedi, Luke. More than that, you’re kind and charming and don’t talk down to people. You inspire people, and they listen to you.” She smiled at him in that way that conveyed her complete and utter faith in him, and he felt his cheeks warm as he turned his gaze towards the floor. She reached for his face and tilted his chin back up, her brown eyes deep and warm. “You can do this, Luke. I can’t think of anyone better suited for this mission than you.”

Part of him wanted to protest that she was somewhat biased in that regard, being his twin sister and all, but the sincerity in her expression told him that she wholly believed what she was saying. “Alright. I’ll start making preparations and then head to Honoghr. The sooner we cut their ties with the Empire, the better.”

“Agreed. Take care, and may the Force be with you.” She touched his cheek once more and turned to leave, but paused in the doorway and smirked at him over her shoulder. “Oh, and Luke? Don’t think I don’t know what you were doing. You’re not as subtle as you think.”

Well. She’d figured him out. But, that she agreed anyways meant that he’d done something right, and that was good enough for him.

[cienie-isengardu]

One of the things that never sit well with me is the whole “Vader deliberately deceived the Noghri to make them his loyal subordinates”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s less about thinking he couldn’t do such horrible thing, but more... why Vader would bother to manipulate Noghri in such way, when it could so easily turn against him? I mean, Anakin - be it a Jedi or Sith - was widely recognised as a great warrior. The moment when Noghri stood against Vader and his imperial troopers, he was impressed by their skills and decided to spare the alien warriors.

Providing Noghri with real help would only strengthen the bond between Sith Lord and the alien warrior race. Hell, even one of Noghri leader told Leia once that her clan members would serve Vader because everyone of them were so impressed with such warrior and the chance to “go between stars” was so appealing to many. They would go with him, even without any promise of help from Empire. They decided to serve him, and therefor Empire. Vader used Noghri warriors as his own personal bodyguards, sent them on the most dangerous but at the same, the most important missions. He had them (and their skills) in high regard. Not many human imperials was even close to such honor. If anything, taking care of basic needs (keeping Honoghr from total ecology destruction) wasn’t even that big problem for Darth Vader. The Sith Lord once promised to keep Empire from a planet Aridus just to ensure that Wrenga Jixton will be his agent. So providing care for destroyed Honoghr wasn’t even that big deal.

That’s why I’m still not buying why Vader would allow such ill treatment when the truth could turn Noghri against him. Like, if Palpatine found that his disciple had become too powerful, he could use that info againt him, thus deprive Vader of the faithful and lethal servants. There was no benefit for Vader from such deception. And despite his fierce nature, Anakin always was pragmatic person.

So I believe it was either 1) Thrawn’s idea to ensure Noghri’s loyalty after Vader “gave them” to him in their mutual exchange of favors or 2) the situation was somehow forced by Darth Sidious who wouldn’t let his apprentice to have a whole race of dangerous AND fanatic loyal ONLY to him warriors.

[cienie-isengardu]

Okay, so there's something I've always wanted to know, and that's if the information that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were the same person in the Legends Universe? With Disney's sequels that knowledge seems to be out in the public. Anakin was so respected and admired during the Clone Wars and after that I don't know how anyone in universe would process that information (that isn't his own son).

The short asnwer is yes, there were informations about Anakin and Vader being the same person and depending on period of time, it was known to small group of people or it was common knowledge.

Like, during Empire/Rebellion era, there were plenty rumors and assumptionsabout Vader. That he was a fallen Jedi or machine/cyborg and so on. There were few people who knew for sure (Palpatine, Kenobi & Yoda). Some people figured it out on their own or had at least a really strong suspicion(Tarkin, prince Xizor, some Jedi who survived Order 66 (albeit most of them did not live long) or clone(s)) while some were told (Luke, Leia). But in general, during that time, Vader was seen as Emperor’s most loyal servant (monster) while Anakin Skywalker - if at all - wasassociatedwith late hero of Clone War.

After overthrowing the Empire, Luke and Leia weren’t to keen to tell everyone about their family relationship to Vader but both knew sooner than later the truth will come out (for example like here). In Legends, one of the first people to learn the truth about Vader, beside Luke & Leia’s the closest friends / family, were Luke’s new students/the next generation of Jedi. Mainly, because Luke did not want people to think/praise him he killed Emperor and for them to acknowledge that Anakin helped destroy Empire/Sith and he did return from Dark Side:

Brakiss’ head came up. “I thought you killed the Emperor?” Luke shook his head. “I caused the Emperor to be destroyed by reaching out to the good in Darth Vader and making him change his heart. I was just the instrument of change that allowed Darth Vader to redeem himself.”

I dimly recalled Luke having said that he had been turned back from the dark side by the love of his sister and friends. “You must have made a powerful appeal to him.”

“I did. Love is a powerful tool to employ against the dark side. My sister’s love saved me.” Luke hesitated for a moment. “And the love of a son for his father is what saved Darth Vader.” [I, Jedi]

Soon other people learned about Luke & Leia’s true father - both in New Republic and Empire (or what was left of it). During one of (new) crises, Senator Perimis did point out Leia and Luke’s connection to Vader:

“What I’ve learned in the months since I took my Council oath, what I’ve heard and seen today, alarms me profoundly. If I could, I would speak of this in the well of the Senate, before the eyes of the entire Republic. You have not bought security-you have built the machinery of oppression, and are about to hand it over to the progeny of the most brutal oppressor in history’s memory.

"I am deeply, unalterably opposed to arming the New Republic against its own members-”

“You are mistaken-” Admiral Ackbar began.

“That is what you’ve done! ” Senator Peramis said angrily. “The Fifth Fleet is a weapon of conquest and tyranny, nothing less and nothing more. And once a weapon is forged, it tantalizes, and tempts, and transfixes, until someone finds a reason to use it. You’ve given the son of Darth Vader a glittering temptation to follow his father’s path. You’ve given the daughter of Darth Vader a gift-wrapped invitation to secure her power by force of arms. [Before Storm]

And because of family connection to Vader, Leia’s children (Jaina, Jacen & Anakin) were in constant threat from the Empire from the moment they were born, since they were the grandchildren of Darth Vader.

That said, there were still plenty rumors and even holomovies like Luke Skywalker and the Jedi’s Revenge that actually made it hard to tell for sure was Anakin and Vader the same person or not. Also, people who actually knew Anakin not always believed he could became such cruel man (like Wald, a rodian childhood of Skywalker and Kitster seen in TPM).

And let’s not forget Leia who struggled with the truth about Vader for very long and decided to forgive him after she read Shmi’s journay that allowed Leia to see her father as something else than just a monster.

So, yeah, not all people believed that Anakin and Vader were the same person. There were also plenty people who wanted to use Vader’s children and grandchildren for their own schemes. Some actually wanted serve Skywalker-Solo family due to their connection to Vader (Noghri) and were proud to meet Vader’s descendents (Jori Lekauf). In short, In Legends there were awide range of acceptance (or not) of truth about Vader being once Anakin Skywalker.