#this is actually a surprising number of jedi in the rebellion

[endwithajadestrick]

Who Is Fucking In Star Wars? A Non-Comprehensive List

So in honor(?) of the DDoS attack on Ao3 preventing us all from mainlining slash fic, I've decided to go horny on main and list off my opinion about 3 traits of all Star Wars characters. Our beloved Galaxy Far Far Away is a usually (tragically) chaste place, which may lead us to ponder about our faves:

Do they even know what sex is?

Have they ever actually HAD sex?

Are they any good at it?

We will not be including characters who are minors in this list. Obviously. Judgements are based somewhat on the lore, but really more on vibes. Perhaps it goes without saying, this will be lightly NSFW.

This is probably gonna take a while and stop feeling like a good idea halfway through. Which of your exes does that describe? Let's Go!!!

Starting with the big three:

Han Solo

Always begin with an easy one.

Does he even know what sex is? Yes, unlike a surprising number of people in this galaxy, Han knows how to do the do.

Has he ever had sex before? Sure (but not as often as he wants you to think). Do you, uh . . . maybe wanna get out of here and come back to his ship? She's called the Millenium Falcon.

Is he good at sex? Look. It's not going to be good the first time. He's gonna keep insisting that he "knows what he's doing," but you wish he would just let you explain what you like. He needs to be girlbossed around a little bit. And it is mostly girls for him, though the occasional guy and non-binary being has mounted that loading ramp too. His bedroom does smell kind of funny.

Luke Skywalker

This one may be controversial for some people.

Does he know what sex is? Nope. Farm boy didn't go to schmool. Skool? Am I saying that right? There were no copies of Our Bodies, Our Selves lying around the rebellion base, and you better believe the Sacred Jedi Texts did not include some kind of version of the Space Kama Sutra. Han wasn't gonna draw him a diagram either; that would be too embarrassing. This man is not learned in the pleasures of the flesh.

Has he ever had sex? Also no. He got into some light over-the-clothes action with Biggs Darklighter when they were teens, but nothing ever went any farther than that.

Is he good at sex? I'm sure a real earnest effort would be made, but we'll never know, will we. Because he DOES NOT KNOW what sex is.

Princess/General Leia Organa

Does she even know what sex is? Oh, absolutely. This woman was treated to an actual formal education. She probably even got a nice, progressive version of SexEd that talked about pleasure and consent and not just all the weird diseases you could get--assuming the Empire didn't nix that sort of thing on Alderaan, which, honestly, they might have.

Has she ever had sex? Of course. And despite being a princess, she's not that precious about courtship either. Casual flings are totally fine and normal.

Is she good at sex? Leia is mature but, like her hairstyles, can be a little tightly wound. Once you get over any initial awkwardness, though, it's sure to be a fun flirty time.

And this is Star Wars, so sooner or later we have to address--

Chewbacca

--the aliens of it all. Welcome, monster fuckers! It's not even weird in this universe!

Does he know what sex is? Chewy is canonically 234 years old as of TLJ, so I'm going to give this a definite yes. Also, he hangs out with Han Solo and all the doors in this universe appear to be panel-controlled. There are no door knobs to stick a sock on; he's SEEN some things.

Has he ever had sex? Again, 234 years old, and Chewy has never seemed like a wallflower. This is also a yes.

Is he good at it? Maz Kanata seems to think so? I don't pretend I have the predilections/imagination to get the appeal (though I honor those that do), but I'm gonna take a swing and say, yes, Chewbacca is a good lover. Solid stamina, surprisingly tender after-care.

Lando Calrissian

Does he know what sex is? Yes, and not just on a mechanical level. If anyone in this universe HAS read the Space Kama Sutra, it's Lando.

Has he ever had sex? He has. And he doesn't keep a list of all his past sexual partners because that would be crass. But he COULD tell you about each of them, names, dates, locations. But he won't. But he could.

Is he good at it? Surprisingly, yes! He may come across as a guy who is all talk, but Lando is an artist at heart and the democratically elected President of Consent. He has mood lighting set up and a tastefully curated playlist. The atmosphere is fun, the oral is enthusiastic. When you're done--wow!--there's a mini bar right near the bed. And would you like to borrow a silk robe?

Your magical evening will not prevent him from cheating you at cards later, though.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Does he know what sex is? No. He learned once, but has since memory-holed the information. Otherwise he might accidentally experience some pleasure from the stick up his bum.

Has he ever had sex? Many beings have made valiant efforts to claim this beautiful man as a conquest. All have failed, but there was much exquisite yearning along the way.

Is he good at it? Hypothetically? Alas, my heart wants to say yes, but my head says no.

Padmé Amidala

Does she know what sex is? Look at this dress. This dress is a CHOICE, a ruthless tactical decision made by someone who definitely knows what sex is.

Has she ever had sex? Yes, but her taste in men--oh, honey.

Is she good at it? A pillow princess if there ever was one. You will be doing all the work.

Anakin Skywalker

Does he know what sex is? No.

Has he ever had sex? Yes.

Is he good at it? . . . and I know those answers seem contradictory, but it's true. This is a man who has had normal, consensual adult sex. However, baby boy's brain is full of more holes than a colander. He is dummy thick actually in the head region. He is incapable of retaining complex thoughts such as the nuances of sexuality.

That said, he is a creature of pure instinct and, like, yeah, the lovemaking is pretty hot.

Mace Windu

Does he know what sex is? Yes.

Has he ever had sex? No.

Is he good at it? If it ever happened, which it won't? No, and Mace is possibly the only Sammy J character for whom this holds true. It would be strictly procreative missionary. No fun allowed.

Yoda

Does he know what sex is? Yes, he is aware. Knowledge is this little frog man's burden; Yoda is too in touch with the Force, the life energy of the universe, not to know. He WOULD not know if he could, but he has had to settle for just ignoring the information.

Has he ever had sex? You know I am genuinely stumped on this one. On one hand, he is the perfect ascetic Jedi sage. On the other hand, a nine hundred year lifespan is a long time . . . anything could have happened to this lilliputian enigma.

Is he good at it? Size matters not.

The Mandalorian

Yeah I know his name is "Din Djarin." Shush.

Does he know what sex is? I'm pretty sure this guy thinks that babies are found, not made. He does not know what sex is.

Has he ever had sex? I don't care what season one implied about Mando and that toothsome twi'lek, it's never happened. The helmet doesn't come off and the trousers don't drop.

Is he good at it? And here's the tragedy of it all, right? Because we know that underneath that impenetrable layer of beskar lies such a man. I don't even care if he's an ace, as seems plausible. Just the chance to look him in the eye would mean worlds.

Finn

Does he know what sex is? Negative, Ghost Rider. It's not something the First Order teaches their child soldiers, and the Resistance, like the rebellion of old, has bigger fish to fry. Poe wants to explain it to him, but feels like he has a dog in that race and it wouldn't be right.

Has he ever had sex? Men, women, and other beings are lining up around the corner for a shot at this man, but he only has eyes for one woman, and she in turn may be legitimately the only person in the galaxy who does not pine for him. Hang in there, Finn! Maybe one day she'll become emotionally available.

Is he good at it? While we have seen Finn makes some selfish moves along his journey--mainly because of, y'know, all the trauma--he has done a lot of growing and is an essentially generous spirit. This gets a yes.

Rey Skywalker

Does she know what sex is? Not in either The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, but before Rise of Skywalker Leia explained it to her. She's the future of the Jedi after all, and this is basic stuff, goddammit Luke!

Has she ever had sex? Hmm, what's that? Sorry, she's super busy right now with, like, destiny and stuff.

Is she good at it? Rey seems to pick most things up fairly quickly, so you have to imagine that would hold true for l'amour as well, except that she'll also be a bit of a try-hard. Do less, sweety. Really, it's fine.

Lightning Round

Asajj Ventress

Yes, yes, and it depends on the answer to one question: do you enjoy pain?

L3-37

It Works.

Cinta Kaz

Yes, yes, and not just good but so good it will politically radicalize you.

Karis Nemik

No, which is a shame because you know that he would have made sex-positive feminism and queer theory a huge part of his manifesto.

Count Dooku

Gay, and pulled legendary numbers of exquisite vintage ass across the galaxy. It's the real reason Sidious traded him in for simple, pussy-whipped Anakin. He just couldn't take it anymore.

Luthen Rael

Hope you like role-play.

Armitage Hux

Yes, it's true; this man has no dick.

Qi'ra

Yes, yes, and good but maybe in a dangerous way? Like drugs, it's possible that you--maybe even most people--could have a healthy, well-adjusted relationship to it. But there's a chance also that it will alter your brain chemistry, fundamentally shift your priorities, and ruin your life. The only way for sure to be safe is not to try it, not even once!

The Bendu

The One in the Middle. So in this case, would that be, like, the taint?

Reva Sevander

I mean, do you like it freaky? How freaky do you like it? There are levels to this sort of thing, and you, through no fault of your own, may not be ready for this ride.

Cassian Andor

Cassian Andor fucks.

The Armorer

I tried to get a read on this one, and all I picked up was radio static. We'll never know. We'll just never know.

Rose Tico

Rose appears naive at first, but she's actually quite worldly and will rock yours.

Bo-Katan Kryze

I daresay more than 2% of us want her to sit on our face. Ms. Sackoff was really lowballing it. Bo does not know what sex is, however, and is rarely in listening-mode, so that's a hurdle we'll have to overcome.

But it's more than 2%.

Poe Dameron

Yes, yes, and does it even matter? It would be an honor just to be considered, sir.

Hera Syndulla

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. Apparently what Lola wants is an inexperienced, sexually repressed Jedi hotty. In this way, she is the true queen of Star Wars fandom. Captain our ship, Hera!

And Finally:

Kylo Ren

I do not understand the hold this man has on some of you--which is fine; you don't need me to understand it. He does not know what sex is, he is so horny and angry all the time. And sure, maybe you CAN fix him by completing his education. Blessings, angels. Live your fantasy.

Just promise me you'll use protection? And I don't mean a condom, I mean body armor.

[even-stars-burn-out]

A (Probably Complete?) List of Jedi that Survive Order 66 in WTPD

and either join the rebellion, or run into Caedus or Offee first

Jedi that survive the Temple:

Anakin Skywalker (gives up Sith title, escapes before Sidious realizes his change of heart)

Jocasta Nu (escapes with a set of Younglings, original rebellion member)

Maris Brood (escaped the Temple, hid on Felucia, killed by Darth Caedus)

Kazdan Paratus (escaped Temple, hid on Raxus Prime, killed by either Caedus or Offee)

Arligan Zey (escaped with help of an ARC that’s chip failed, joined Clan Skirata temporarily before being booted off Mandalore during the uprising and eventually killed by either Caedus or Offee)

Younglings that fully join the rebellion:

Shuya (leads Bail’s group)

Shia Letap (part of Mon Mothma’s group)

Jeswi Ele (part of Garm bel Iblis’s group)

Aris Irana (leader of Chuchi’s group)

Tsorr Kreg (part of Tills’ group)

Jedi that survive other planets

Obi-Wan Kenobi (escapes 212th on Utapau, original rebellion member)

Yoda (escapes GAR on Kashyyyk, original rebellion member)

Roan Shryne (escapes GAR on Murkahna, ends up dying on Kashyyyk to Offee)

Olee Starstone (escapes GAR on Murkahna, meets with Fulcrum Prime and joins the rebellion)

Kento Marek (escapes GAR on [somewhere populated], ends up dying on Kashyyk to Offee)

Ahsoka Tano (escapes 501st on Mandalore with help from the few clones that knew what was happening, original rebellion member)

Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus (escape GAR on Kaller, eventually meets Specter One and joins the rebellion)

Nejaa Halcyon (escapes GAR due to being on Praesitlyn, original rebellion member)

Rahm Kota (escapes GAR due to not working with them. Blinded by Caedus early in her career, eventually meets up with Fulcrum Prime or Negotiator)

Bardan Jusik (resigned, hid on Mandalore with Clan Skirata)

Jedi born after Order 66

Luke Skywalker (born on Empire Day, joins the rebellion with parents)

Leia Skywalker (born on Empire Day, joins the rebellion with parents)

Ezra Bridger (born on Empire Day, meets Specter One and joins the rebellion)

Galen Organa [Marek] (born just before Order 66, lived on Kashyyyk until taken with Starstone to Fulcrum Prime, adopted by Organas)

Venku Skirata (informally trained by Jusik)

Mara Jade (raised as a Sith, eventually dueled Fearless/Vader but was spared, ends up joining him and giving up Sith title)

Corran Horn (eventually joins the rebellion after Valin “Hal” Horn’s death and is trained by his grandfather)

[spell-cleaver]

Considering vaders obsession with Luke, I'm surprised that the rebellion didn't attempt a plan to trap Vader using Luke as bait (I mean it would probably end up with at least 99% of all rebels there dying, but it's worth a shot)

When the bombs went off, Luke felt it. Through his shaky grasp on the Force, yes, but mainly because the bunker the Rebels had stashed him in wasn’t enough to block the bone-deep vibrations that shuddered across the entire surface of the moon.

Han and Chewie, sitting opposite him, looked up when they felt it too. “There we go,” Han said, satisfied. “Ain’t no one surviving that.”

“I think no one did,” Luke said softly. The stench of death was thick around them. He’d been familiar with that metaphysical stench long before Ben had told him he had the Force; he’d always assumed it was something primal in him that knew about it. Smells, sounds and silences, patterns he was no longer able to consciously spot, but his instincts would never miss.

Chewie seemed to feel what he did as well—and he likely did know it from practical instinct, rather than some energy field. He mewled mournfully.

Han shook his head and gave a nervous smile. “C’mon, you two, lighten up!” he said. “Vader’s dead. That was what this was for!”

“I’ll be glad if it worked,” Luke agreed, “but how many of our people died taking him out? Those bombs must have been cataclysmic.”

“They knew the risks, kid.” Han’s tone softened. “They knew what they were signing up for. The fact that Vader came here for you? Doesn’t make it your fault. Right, Chewie?” Chewie roared his agreement.

Luke grimaced. “How can we know he’s actually dead, though? He’s survived everything before! Can we contact Leia—”

“We don’t have comms, remember? No signal tracing us to here, nothing to tell Vader you’re here instead of at the ambush site. We gotta wait for Leia to come and get us.”

“And if Leia—” He broke himself off.

Han looked jittery now, too. “Leia’s fine, alright? Everything is fine. If you don’t stop worrying like that you’re gonna make me sick and scared…”

“Sorry.” Luke tried for a watery smile, but it dropped immediately. Nothing about this situation, from the moment Madine had hatched this plan and muscled him into going along with it, warranted a smile. “What do you think Vader wants me alive for anyway, Han? That was a lot of money in the bounty.”

“Hate to admit it, but General Syndulla’s idea makes a lot of sense.” Han grimaced and waggled his fingers. “That energy field stuff?”

Luke swallowed. Hera had been the Rebellion general most opposed to this plan—she’d tried so hard to get him out of it. Every time she was on base, she was a rock to him, even though he knew memories of her Jedi were painful. “You think he wants an Inquisitor, like she said the Empire went after Ezra Bridger? Or an apprentice, like Maul?”

Despite himself, Han chuckled. “Maul,” he repeated. “Whoever named that guy—”

“Han.”

“I think it’s not impossible! If he believes in this poodoo like you do I’m sure he sees the benefits of having a magical guy like you at his disposal, working for him.”

“I’ll never join him,” Luke swore. Chewie voiced his solidarity. “He’s killed so many people! Biggs, my aunt and uncle, my father—”

“Well, you won’t need to!” Han kicked up his feet onto Luke’s bench and leaned back against his own, the permacrete wall of the bunker not looking comfortable to lounge against. But Han could lounge against anything. “Because he’s dead.”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t jinx it, kid! Didn’t you feel that explosion? There’s no way he survived that. Leia’s gonna come down here any minute, key in the code to get in, and—” He broke off as there was a grinding sound. “There. There’s her coming through the first door. Get ready to open the second one for her.”

“We have to wait for her to key in the all-clear code, first,” Luke said.

“All-clear? Why wouldn’t it be all-clear? She—” But Han cut himself off when the chimes rang out, and Luke ran to check the numbers on the monitor. “That’s… not the all-clear code.”

“I told you!” Luke was shaking slightly as he glanced it over and referenced the codes they’d established for this mission. “That’s Leia, alright, but she’s compromised. Something’s wrong.”

“What does that mean?”

“I think…” Something dark swept over him, and he shivered. He looked towards the door and felt an eye the colour of acid searing through the three solid feet of durasteel that separated them. “I think Vader has her. Came here with her.”

“What?” Han leapt up, his hand on his blaster. “We need to—”

“I’m going to open the door.”

“Yes, but—” Chewie groaned and Han nodded. “You said it, buddy. We need to save her, but how’re we gonna take on Vader? Should we?”

“Will he leave until we do?”

Han went quiet. Chewie said something else.

“You’re right, pal,” Han agreed softly. “Luke’s not the bait anymore.”

Luke finished the thought: “Leia is.”

Han glanced around. “We’ve just got our blasters? Against Vader?”

Luke hoisted his. “Maybe we’ll get as lucky as he did.”

“I thought your old man Kenobi said there’s no such thing as luck,” Han fired back.

Despite himself, Luke smiled. He reached for the controls to release the door and hit them, each beep a shriek, one by one.

His index finger hovered over the last one.

Hera had said that dark siders were tricky. The dark side was tricky. Ezra Bridger had been tempted down that path by his need to protect the Ghost crew.

What would Luke do, if he was captured?

What was Luke about to do, now that Leia was the bait leading him forward?

He pressed the last digit. The monitor flashed green. The durasteel door, creaking and groaning, began to slide aside.

Vader’s rasping breaths echoed against the permacrete walls. Leia’s face hung like a moon against the night sky, pale and tense and terrified as she clapped eyes on Luke. A lightsaber was held against her temple.

“Drop your weapons, Skywalker.” Vader’s voice boomed.

How far down this path was Luke willing to be baited? Leia had no bunker. Leia had no blaster.

“You drop yours first,” he said.

“All your Rebel friends are dead. She is the only survivor.” Leia pursed her lips. “Do you want her dead as well?”

Leia had no blaster, but Luke did. And Luke could still use what Vader had come here for.

He held his own weapon to his temple. Leia’s eyes went wide.

“I said,” Luke enunciated, “drop yours first.”

Vader stared at him. Luke hardly dared to breathe. If he didn’t cooperate—if he called Luke’s bluff…

The lightsaber clattered to the ground. Luke lowered his blaster. He hadn’t expected that to work.

But Vader had caved. Just as Luke would for Leia. And that begged another, vital question, that Luke was ready to pursue in the negotiations about to unfold:

How far down this path would Luke walk, for his friends?

And how far down this path would Vader walk, for Luke?

[kat-lamp]

Today I went through my google docs and found many beginnings of sw fan fictions I attempted to write and never finished. Some I remember, and others were just like “wtf is that”

Imprisoned (Abandoned 3.01.21)

I actually posted on here about this Maulsoka fic and wrote roughly 2 chapters of before stopping. The premise was post twilight of the apprentice, Vader knows Ahsoka and Maul are alive and puts out a bounty to capture them alive. Maul and Ahsoka would bond in their imprisonment. Eventually them and Vader would team up to kill Palps because he put them all through suffering. My writing stopped after they were captured by Vader for reference. What would happen after they killed Palp? Who knows, not me.

Broken Promises (Abandoned 7.20.21)

This one I had planned and wrote, once again, 2 chapters of before moving on lol. It was set as if Padme reached out to Ahsoka after Anakin was deployed post the wrong Jedi, keeping an eye on her in the underbelly of Coruscant. Ahsoka is one of the few who knows of their marriage, so she becomes a confidant to Padme. Eventually learning of the pregnancy. Padme confesses her worries over Anakin, the war, and the pregnancy. She asks Ahsoka to promise her if anything were to happen to her and Anakin, that she would raise the twins. Spoiler alert, she breaks her promise and doesn’t get to raise them, but she helps Leia with her shielding without knowing who she is. It then jumps to the battle of yavin, in which Ahsoka rejoins the rebellion after deserting post malachor. She reunited with Rex and never got to meet the twins in the first draft smh. Pretty sure the plan was that she would train them I think, and go on to help them both confront Vader and defeat the empire.

5 Times Ahsoka dies + 1 time Maul does (Abandoned 4.17.21)

Who knows I may actually finish this oneshot one day. Basically it follows my Mortis theory that Ahsoka is immortal and can only die by the sword that killed the mortis gods. It tells the tale of each time she dies, then she becomes aware of what’s happening after being shot in the chest during order 66. I only wrote the first 3 times she died, but I’m pretty sure Vader was gonna be number 5 during Malachor. I think this was meant to be Maulsoka as well, judging by the title. I assume since he hadn’t appeared yet, except a brief mention in death 3, that their relationship would develop ‘off screen’ post order 66. In the +1, Ahsoka would feel Maul be killed by Obi Wan and come to accept that her immortality will cause her to be alone forever, something angsty like that.

Unnamed one page (Abandoned 7.20.21)

I think this was a crack fic. I hope it was. Basically Ahsoka and Rex reunited after Endor and have a huge screaming match about why she abandoned him, until they’re interrupted by Luke and Leia. What happens after they’re interrupted? Only me (checks version history) A YEAR AGO TODAY KNOWS. Okay that’s a weird coincidence. Really weird.

Unnamed Fencing/HS Au (Abandoned 6.13.21)

The only fic I properly planned out, only to give up after planning and never write a chapter. I was really digging modern AUs last June, what can I say? Anyway, good High School vs Evil High School had competitive fencing teams and debate teams. Forbidden love because Obi and Maul have beef Maulsoka with all the cliches and a surprise betrayal from Barriss and everyone lives happily except for her!!! Rereading the random plot points made me laugh because it’s just so… For example, Palps was the principle at the good school and Sidious was at the bad school. Did he split his time 50/50? I literally wrote the words “Honda is the campus dealer” like wtfffff. I think I need a whole post dedicated to deciphering that story.

I don’t love any of these plots anymore so if I ever get around to posting a full fic, it won’t be one of these. But it’s nice to look back and reflect and see how my writing has gotten better.

[gwaean]

The Rescuers  

Part One: “Old acquaintances meet again"

 Summary: You are a mandalorian rebel friends with Captain Rex so you are well aware of the entire "clone situation" going on. And of course you want to help as much as you can. You then go to Ryloth trying to help the Syndulla's and maybe find your old friend Cody. 

 Pairing: None. Yet. But will be a Crosshair x Reader.

 Gender: There'll be no mentions of gender or pronouns on this part yet. Though further in the story it might have she/they pronouns used.

 Word count: 1.6k

 Tags: Injury recover, post-clone wars story, rescuing clones/friends, a bit of melancholy?

 Warning: Brief description of injury.

 Notes: So, I literally dreamed most parts of this story (I know, crazy Star Wars obsession here). I filled up some parts as I was writing of course. And it turned out a bit like a beautiful sad tragic. I might even do a playlist for this fanfic actually. Hope u enjoy it :) 

 The war, the republic, the jedi all have ended. Literally on the same day. And what it seemed like a fresh start, finally a moment of peace in the chaos turned into nightmares. You weren’t there when it happened, you just heard the news of Obi-Wan saying the jedi order and the republic had fallen and you also heard the now Emperor Palpatine telling everyone that the clone wars has ended and the jedi were traitor, they’ve tried to assassinate him according to well… himself. And now he’s forming this new galactic empire, giving people numbers like the ones clones used to have and killing off any resistance against this new order. Everyone seemed to believe him, you gotta give him that he was a pretty damn’ good  liar indeed. But you knew better than that. You are mandalorian after all and were friends with no one less than Duchess Satine and Senator Padmé. You helped them countless times in their diplomatics and you even fought with the jedi and the clones at times. They were good people, yes, the order might have messed up at lot but traitors? Murders? They sure didn’t deserve to die like that and I guess… No one does.

  You quickly then joined the rebellion. There you found many of former politics like Senator Organa and even a clone… Captain Rex (or is it Commander now?). You’ve met him once before and he seemed like a good person and looks like he’s really a great man just like you thought. You soon became friends. But sadly, the other clones you knew before like Cody were still with the empire. Though both you and Rex were very determinate to help others like him. And also, obviously, protect your allies against the empire.

  Well, as expected trouble begins. There’s been rumors about what’s going in Ryloth with the Syndulla’s and the empire occupation. Worried about them and their people, you go there to help as you can. And if there’s need, you’d call more rebels to help too though you didn’t want to envolve more people yet because you’re afraid of the reaction it could cause ( and what that would cost for ryloth and its people). You also have a tiny tiny hope that maybe just maybe Cody could be there.

  Arriving in Ryloth, you discover the Syndulla family have indeed oppose agains the empire occupation and they’ve went into a lot of trouble because of that but apparently a group of mercenaries (?) have already rescued them from the prison they were sent to. One less problem for you to fix I guess. You were glad for them but you still want to spy a little on the empire and see what you could find out after all, the trip couldn’t be for nothing.

  You find your way and get to a particular high hill with a great view of one imperial base. You pick up your binoculars and the only person you see in a sort of balcony is a very depressive-looking Crosshair. You remember him from that one time clone force 99 saved your butt from the mess you’ve yourself in. He was… quite unfriendly, let’s say. But he did get the job done and made sure you were okay so you just ignored his behavior. Looking at him now it was looking at a shadow of him. 

   It made you remember what Rex told you once: 

“We clones were all created with this chip thing in our my minds. We were made for the war and the war only but apparently someone thought it would be great if they let us think we've got free will. That we could be anything we wanted to be after the war. So we made friends, some of us found a family with our jedi. They let we hope. Just so we have all of that taken away from us with order 66. The war had ended for everyone except for us. We had our will taken from us, our minds controlled by this chip and we had to follow orders. While we're still there conscious of what we were doing we had to kill the people we fought together the entire war. I remember her face... I'm so glad she didn't see my face. I couldn't bare.” 

 Thinking about what all the clones been through, you can’t just leave him like this. He did save you once and this was your chance to repay that. Rex keeps saying we can’t save everyone (more to himself than to you) but one person is better than nobody, right?  At the time you improvise a plan: neither the empire nor Cross can’t know yet that you’re a rebel. You haven’t done anything yet incriminating (at least not that they were aware of). So you can just jump in there where he was standing and talk to him. Worst case scenario he ignores you. However you sure knew how to annoy him enough that at least he would call you out and when that happens you act. Ok, that you still have to figure out exactly how you would act. Well, half of a plan is better than no plan.

  You just jump in behind his back and of course he points his gun at you as expected. But he apparently recognizes who it’s standing in front of him and put his riffle down. 

   “ Hello there.”  You say.

   “What do you think you’re doing?”  He replies.

   “Oh, please, don’t act like you aren’t happy to see me.” 

     He gives you a faint of a smile. “Don’t flatter yourself.” 

     You smiled back. “But seriously, what you’re doing here all alone? And why- You finally noticed the burn mark on his now bald head. - are you like this? Doesn’t the empire takes care of its soldiers? Nor your squad? The bad batch, right? That’s what you called yourselves?” 

     His face closes again. “You have nothing to do with that. I’m-” 

     “By yourself?” You pause for a moment. “Alright, I get it. You’ve probably been through a lot. We all have. Not sure why you’re like this but it doesn’t matter right now. I just wonder… Don’t you want to get out of all of this?” 

     Cross pauses for a moment. It seems like he's considering the possibility. “I… I can’t.” 

     “But…”  You then think. You remind yourself of how protective he was that one time you were saved by them. Maybe this instinct was still there, you had to try. You saw a pointed rock close to where you were standing and decided that you would accidentally cut yourself. “Ouch!” 

    “What’s up?” 

    “Oh! Nothing! Just might have cut myself here.” You show your hand now with a bit bigger than you expected cut and some blood.

     He almost laughs at it. “What a little clumsy one you are, eh?” 

     His mocking at you, that’s something, right? “Yeah, I guess….” 

     “Well, let’s go?”  He points to the door.

     “Go where?” 

     “Don’t you wanna take care of that, sweetheart?” 

     “Right, medical bay then?” 

     “Obviously.”  Perfect. He would be right where you needed him to be.

  The both of you enter the facility and walk directly to the medical bay. The empire base is pretty much a bland dark and boring military base with some troopers walking around, some commanders (you think) yelling at the soldiers and some droids doing whatever they have to do. You knew only that they were “r - unities” but droids weren’t exactly your area of expertise. However you do notice that the troopers walking around still wear the same clone armor from back the war. And you feel guilty. Because as much as you’d like you won’t be able to help them all. They’ll stay there with their chips on being controlled by the empire…. By the force, that was a hole guilty trip you knew you shouldn’t take. It wasn’t your fault. No, no. They did this. Palpatine and his men were the monsters. Not you. And certainly not these poor clones. One day, yes, one day maybe you could come back and save them?

 “Hmmm…. You wanna me to do this?”  Cross says. You were so distracted in your thoughts you don’t even realized you were already in the medical bay.

 “Oh. You don’t have to.” 

 “It's fine. I’m used to do this anyway.” 

  “Ok. Be my guest then?” 

  “Wow, you’re so funny.” He jokes.

  “Whatever. Just do your thing.” 

  “Give me your hand.”  

 You give him your hand and he takes it. And to your surprise he’s very gentle while taking care of your wound. He applies some alcohol pads to clean the wound. And as he presses the wound to stop the bleeding you reach for your gun and keep looking at his face. His very concentrated. It’s almost like the rest of the galaxy doesn’t matter. He’s only there at the moment focused on helping you. And you’re trying to plan how you’re gonna knock him out to take his chip off.

 “Now I’m gonna get some stuff to make a bandage for ya, ok?” He says and turns his back. Now is you chance. You turn your blaster to stun only and shoots. He falls. 

 “I’m sorry. But there’s no other way.” You whisper as if he’s actually listening. 

 It takes some effort (seriously, Crosshair's heavier than he looks) but you manage to put him on one these surgical stretchers. You also have to learn super quick how to use the pad control to see where the chip’s in and take it off. But it’s done. And you wait and wait… For what it seemed like hours though it was only like 15 minutes.

And he wakes up very confused.

[hoodedguitarist]

Think you can Hide from Me? Part 3

Once again, Gif aint mine I just REALLY LOVE IT. It’s one of my favorite scenes of him.

Pairing: Boba Fett x Reader

Summary: You infiltrated, the plan fell into chaos, Boba is mad at you, you’re catching feels, lots of time skips and some ANGST.

Warnings? None... Really not yet at least. Slight DinxReader if you squint. This just got a lot more feelsy and I got a whole lot more invested in this than I expected to. Which honestly seems to happen a lot to me. NO SHAME.

I really want to thank everyone who has liked, favorited, reblogged, and followed! You’re all amazing and make me feel amazing too. It means a lot to me that everyone is enjoying my writing. My inbox is open and I’ll even make a Tag List if anyone is interested!

Part 1: The Infiltrator

Part 2: The Distraction

Part 4: The Reunion

--

Part 3: The Regret

You should have known that plan was going to go off the rails. What you didn’t know, however, was that Boba was going to end up being a casualty of it all as well, and by complete accident.

Sure, you’d been caught with the others, sure you’d been sentenced to death with the others… And oh yes Boba was pissed… Very pissed. You didn’t need to see his face to tell that he was because instead of riding in the barge, he was there to personally bind you and hold you on the way to the Sarlaac pit.

Standing next to Han and Luke was going to make this conversation very awkward, but it needed to be said.

“Ok… So you’re mad at me, right?” You said out loud. Both of them glanced over at you, but you felt Boba’s hand tighten around your shoulder and yank you backwards into him. “Ah!”

“Mad is an understatement, sweetheart,” his modulated voice hissed.

“Ok, that’s fair… I’m sorry I lied to you about the whole work thing. Really, I am.”

“Uh… (Y/N)?” Han questioned.

“Stay out of it Han,” you snapped quickly. “You too, Luke. Mind your business, both of you.”

The two backed off and tried their best not to pay attention to whatever you could possibly be talking about with the bounty hunter, someone they considered an enemy.

“Was fucking me a distraction too?” Boba growled. Now the boys were really trying not to pay attention.

“No, actually, that part was real,” you turned your head to look at him over your shoulder. “I was telling the truth when I said I’d wanted to do that ever since I saw you, and still do, if you’ll have me.”

“I think that was your last roll in the sheets, princess. If you manage to make it out of this alive somehow, I’ll know and I’ll find you,” he threatened.

“Hm, sounds fun,” you couldn’t stop yourself from grinning. “If you make it out of this alive, I’ll come back and find you too. Do we have a deal?”

Boba scoffed and you figured he felt pretty confident that this was it and you were going to die some horrible death inside the belly of this beast.

“Deal,” he finally answered. 

Han and Luke both cut their eyes over at you and you shrugged. “I told you two to mind your own business.”

~*~

Things had happened so fast. One minute you were about to be shoved into the pit, the next Luke is jumping around doing Jedi stuff and mildly impressing you. You didn’t have time to admire, though, because you were struggling with one of Jabba’s guards while Han and Chewie were getting into it with Boba.

Somehow, you were trying to manage not getting killed but also trying to watch Han’s back because he was still blind, and now Chewie who had been shot… But also Boba because you really didn’t want him dying on you either. It was a weird situation all around.

You struggled with the guard and managed to land a hit, but then a blaster fired out of nowhere and hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards and into the pit. You were startled and turned to look where the shot came from, and sure enough you saw Boba’s blaster smoking. Your heart jumped into your throat and he simply nodded to you… Until he turned his sights on Luke.

You heard Chewie howl something out, heard Han get jumpy.

“Boba Fett?? Where??” He whipped around and smacked the bounty hunter right in his jetpack, which malfunctioned and sent him flying.

“Han what the hell??” You yelled over the chaos.

“I didn’t know he was right there! I can’t see!” He yelled back. You looked over the railing rather desperately, just in time to see the bounty hunter roll into the Sarlaac pit.

Well… That was a damn shame...

~*~

Five years had passed, and the Empire was defeated. Ghosts and whispers still lingered, but the Rebellion no longer needed you. It was now the New Republic and you didn’t really have any interest in politics. You said your goodbyes to your friends, the true heroes, and went back to being on your own.

You weren’t on your own for long, however, seeing as how you got caught up in chaos with another Mandalorian. This one was different, however. He had a kid with him. You didn’t mind babysitting during the really dangerous stuff but at the same time you sort of missed the chaos. After a while, the kid wanted to be everywhere his dad was so you were able to tag along.

Being with them led you back to Tatooine, to a small place known as Mos Pelgo. You wanted to help Din get the kid back with his own kind and when they spoke of another Mandalorian in Mos Pelgo, you couldn’t help it as your heart jumped and your hopes spiked…

Especially when a ghost appeared in the doorway wearing Boba Fett’s armor.

You tensed beside Din, and he glanced at you briefly. 

“Boba…?” You questioned carefully, letting your eyes run down the person in front of you. He was tall, much more thin. There was no way…

“ ‘Fraid not, darlin’,” the ghost answered. 

First, you felt the icy cold stab of regret and loss all over again, then you felt the heat of anger bloom in you. Both you and Din were ready to throw down with the Marshal for entirely different reasons.

“Take it off,” Din ordered.

“Or I will,” your voice was a low warning, surprising all parties involved.

“I think I wouldn’t mind that,” the ghost now known as Cobb Vanth smirked at you.

“Yeah you say that now until you’ve got a knife in your back. Where the hell did you get that? And don’t say Jawas. That armor belonged to someone. Someone I knew!” You snapped. 

“I don’t know what to tell you, honey. Anything else would be a lie. I did get it from the Jawas.”

A growl slipped your lips and you took a step forward, but Din grabbed you first. In the end, everything worked out in your favor. Cobb gave up the armor in exchange for help against the Dragon that plagued Mos Pelgo. When the two of you and the child were back safely on the Razor Crest, there were several times when Din would catch you gazing at the old armor, running your fingers across it, leaning your head against the empty helm.

He even thought he saw tears…

Finally, one night, he managed to carefully edge the story out of you. It was a little difficult, but you managed well enough.

“It was just supposed to be a fling, you know? No strings attached, just to say I did it. But there was just something about him, something else that drew me to him. I wanted him to live, I tried to protect him but so many things happened that day, and so many things went wrong way too quickly…” Your voice caught in your throat, but you laughed despite yourself. “I ended up catching feelings for this fucking bounty hunter after he supposedly died.”

“It’s possible those feelings grew from guilt,” Din said calmly. “Thank you for telling me and trusting me with this. I’m sorry this is bringing you so much pain.”

“Oh they most definitely grew from guilt, but then when I saw his armor, hope grew. He had to have come out of it. He’s got to be somewhere, I just don’t know where… And I don’t know if he’ll kill me on sight, so you might want to get ready for that too.”

“(Y/N) when are we not almost killed on sight?” There was a hint of amusement to his voice, and it made you smile. “I think we can manage,” he assured you.

“Yeah… Let’s hope…”

~*~

Seeing the armor hit you hard, but being on top of that mountain with Din and Grogu and seeing Slave 1 come out of the atmosphere and into the sky really did a number on you.

“Oh shit… Oh shit…”  You muttered.

“What? Who is that?” Din looked over at you.

“I… I don’t know. It used to be Boba’s ship but there’s no damn telling now. I haven’t seen that thing in years. Somebody could have scavenged it or something.”

“Well we need to figure it out, come on,” he waved for you to follow, and you did so, trying your best not to seem too eager.

Unfortunately, that eagerness faded with the blaster fire, and the both of you took cover behind a rock.

“I’ve been tracking you, Mandalorian.”

That voice… It made your heart thunder in your chest. Masked by a modulator or not, you could tell it was him. You tensed and Din noticed. He looked over at you and you looked at him, eyes wide and lips parted. You gave a quick nod.

“It’s him… It’s Boba…”

“So not a Jedi… Great,” he whispered. The both of you eased out from behind the rock and you got your first good look at him. He was dressed in black robes, the hood thrown over his head, weapons strapped to his back.

“Boba??” You couldn’t stop yourself as you called out to him. He reached up and pushed his hood back, revealing a scarred face. It did nothing to deter you, however. He was older, but you were still just as attracted to him as you had been years ago. He stepped forward and moved closer, his eyes never leaving your face. It made you a little nervous. “If you’re going to kill me then ok, just do it, but I want you to know that I’m sorry first,” you said quickly holding your hands up. “I’m sorry for what happened that day.”

“Surprised to see me alive?” It was a simple question. No dark tone or anger.

“Relieved is more like,” you admitted. “I looked for you, for any sign of you after the war was over, but I never found anything. I knew somehow, though. I knew you’d survived, but I didn’t know if you’d want to kill me or not.”

“You know me well enough, girl. If I’d wanted to kill you, I would have done it right after I crawled out of that pit,” his eyes roved down you and you felt that old familiar rush, that feeling of playing with fire again. “It’s good to see you, princess, and we’ll talk later. For now, we need to talk about my armor that your man made off with.”

@pinkiemme @chadillacboseman​ If you need me I’ll be in the trash compactor thanks.

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Five)

Summary: (Y/N) and Mando join forces with Cobb Vanth to kill a krayt dragon, and they attempt to get the townsfolk and the Tuskens to peacefully work together. What could possibly go wrong?

Pairing: Din Djarin X Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Five The Dragon (Previous Chapter)

When she made the decision to join the Mandalorian’s crew and help him fulfill his quest, (Y/N) knew that they’d frequently be encountering dangerous situations. However, she didn’t foresee one of them involving her and Mando having to help kill a krayt dragon to protect a settlement in the middle of the Dune Sea. Cobb Vanth, the Marshal of Mos Pelgo, had offered Mando a deal: if they helped him kill the krayt dragon, he’d give them the Mandalorian armor he’d been using for years to protect his people.

“Deal. (Y/N) can ride back to the ship and blow it out of the sand from the sky; we’ll stay and use the bantha as bait.”

Cobb looked away from Mando to shoot her an astounded smirk, to which she responded by raising a brow, daring him to challenge her piloting skills. Silently conceding, the marshal looked back at Mando with a grimace. “Not so simple. The ship passes above, it senses the vibrations and stays underground. But I know where it lives.”

“How far?”

“Not far.”

So, she and Mando had wrangled up the child before getting onto the speeder bike and following Cobb further into the desert. Sensing that the Mandalorian was still agitated about the marshal’s blatant disrespect of his people’s Creed, (Y/N) had allowed him to drive and resigned herself to sitting behind him on the bike. I suppose there’s worse ways to travel, she thought to herself with a faint blush as her arms tightened slightly around her partner’s waist, like on the back of a bantha or dewback.

“You two don’t understand what it was like,” Cobb interjected after about a half an hour of driving. “The town was on its last legs; it started after we got news of the Death Star blowin’ up…the second one, that is.” (Y/N) smiled to herself, a little pleased that someone else had realized just how idiotic the Empire had been to build two of those things, then turned her attention back to the marshal’s tale. “The Empire was blown out of Tatooine and there was blaster fire over Mos Eisley; the occupation was over. We didn’t even have time to celebrate. That very night, the mining collective moved in; power hates a vacuum and Mos Pelgo became a slave camp overnight…”

(Y/N) listened as the marshal detailed his escape from Mos Pelgo, how he’d stolen a camtono of silicax crystals and wandered the desert for days until being rescued by the Jawas. She felt Mando’s body stiffen as Cobb explained that he’d traded the crystals for the Mandalorian armor and returned to the town, ridding it of its enslavers and establishing himself as its marshal. Based on what he’d told them, (Y/N) decided that he was an honorable man just doing everything to keep his people safe; however, she knew that the silent Mandalorian sitting in front of her would take more time to win over.

That’s what Cobb Vanth must’ve thought as well; once he’d finished his story, he turned his attention to her instead of Mando. “So, what’s your story? How’d a smuggler end up workin’ with a Mandalorian?”

“How’d you know-?”

“Livin’ on Tatooine, I’ve met my fair share of hot-shot pilots.” His mouth stretched into a lopsided grin. “None as pretty as you, though.”

Feeling her face warm at his flirtatious tone, (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, Mando here asked me to join his crew after seeing my piloting skills firsthand. And I’m actually a former smuggler; I worked for the Rebellion but I retired from that life just after the New Republic was established.”

The two speeder bikes had just reached a rocky canyon and they reduced their speed in the narrowing ravine. It was then that Cobb glanced over at her with a raised brow. “I didn’t know they had smugglers workin’ in the Rebellion. What’d you smuggle for ‘em?”

(Y/N) hesitated for a moment, acutely aware that there was more than one person waiting to hear her reply. “I, um-”

Cobb signaled for them to halt right when a loud growling noise began echoing through the canyon; both speeder bikes came to a stop and all three took cover behind them as they drew their weapons. Not knowing what to expect, (Y/N) pulled the plaster rifle off her back and propped it up alongside Mando’s pulse rifle on the top of their speeder, furrowing her brow when the howling grew louder. Moments later, a massiff emerged from behind an outcropping of rock and was soon joined by several others. Instead of firing, Mando lowered his pulse rifle and let out a familiar-sounding growl of his own before walking around the bike and towards the creatures.

“What the hell’s he doin’?” Cobb whispered loudly, his look of surprise growing when (Y/N) got up from her crouch and slung her rifle back onto her shoulders. “What the-?”

She and Mando both raised a hand to calm the marshal down, and (Y/N) watched with an impressed smile as her partner knelt down and began petting the now-happy massiff. I guess Mando’s got a way with pets, she thought to herself, her smile widening when she noticed several Tuskens emerge from behind the rocks. (Y/N) had enjoyed sharing camp with the Tuskens the night before; they’d been pleasant hosts, and she’d truly loved learning more about their culture while teaching them a little of her own.

(Y/N) glanced over at Cobb while Mando conversed with the Tuskens, her smile faltering a little as she took in his hardened expression; and when Mando informed them that the Tuskens also wanted to kill the krayt dragon, a feeling of foreboding settled in the pit of her stomach.

As night was beginning to fall, the Tuskens led the three of them to their settlement and allowed them to stay in two of their tents. (Y/N) thanked them for their hospitality using the hand gestures she’d picked up from Mando, pleased that she was still able to remember them but before she could make her way over to the Tusken’s campfire, Mando stopped her.

“Word travels fast on the Dune Sea; they already know about your peaceful encounter with the other clan of Tuskens yesterday. It’s Vanth who needs to earn their trust tonight.” Mando explained, his voice becoming a little gruffer when he mentioned the marshal’s name before quietly continuing. “Why don’t you and the child get some rest, alor’ad? I know it’s early but we’ll be traveling to the lair at first light and you’ll need your strength if you’re gonna help us kill a krayt dragon…”

(Y/N) relented, taking the child from Mando and crouching into their tent as she stifled tired yawns behind her hand; settling down in her bedroll, she drifted in and out of sleep, glancing over where the child was soundly sleeping every once in a while to see if he was all right. The little guy must be growing on you, she thought with a small smile, closing her eyes and rolling over to face the tent entrance.

A sudden sound caused (Y/N)’s eyes to snap open and in an instant, her blaster was in her hand and pointed directly at the Mandalorian’s head; realizing it was only her partner, she lowered her blaster with widened eyes. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Mando, I thought that-!”

“It’s okay, you shouldn’t apologize for having a quick reflex.” Mando replied, entering the tent and sitting down on top of his bedroll. “It’s good that you’re up; the Tuskens are going to take us to the lair tomorrow, but they’re insisting we travel in a small number and only scout the area. Will you be all right staying here with the kid while we go?”

She smiled, tucking her blaster back under her pillow. “Sure, that sounds okay. I guess that means you’ll be traveling with Vanth by yourself, huh?”

Nodding, Mando glanced over at the sleeping child before looking back at her. “I don’t trust him. He picked a fight with the Tuskens earlier, and he was asking a lot of questions about your Rebellion days.”

“Well, he was born and raised on Tatooine; he’s probably been told all his life that the Tuskens are the monsters. And as for the questions…well, most people don’t know that the Rebels recruited smugglers to their cause and then once they learn, they always assume that I was only working with the Alliance for monetary reasons. But I don’t mind.” Shrugging, (Y/N) laid back down on her bedroll, resting her hands on her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling of the tent. “Better to let them assume than to re-open any old wounds by explaining. Does that make any sense?”

The Mandalorian was silent for a moment and when he answered, his voice sounded softer than usual. “Yeah…yeah, it does.”

“So, um, what’s the story with the little guy?” (Y/N) asked, eager to change the subject but also curious about the child’s background. “When you say we’re returning him to his kind, do you mean his species or maybe his family…?”

She heard Mando lay down on his own bedroll. “The child is…special. He has many abilities, and he belongs with a race of sorcerers called Jedi.”

“Jedi?” (Y/N)’s sleepy eyes widened and she rolled over to look at the Mandalorian. “I thought that they were just myths!”

“You’ve heard of the Jedi before?”

“My mother used to tell me stories about them when I was a child on Naboo, but I didn’t…” She trailed off, feeling his gaze from behind the visor of his helmet. “I always thought they were fairytales.”

Mando nodded eagerly. “Do you remember anything about your mother’s stories? Anything at all?”

“All I remember is that the Jedi were supposed to have been the guardians of the peace but if that were true, then the Empire never would’ve happened.” (Y/N) snorted, laying back down and frowning a little as she sensed her partner’s disappointment. “That doesn’t really help us, though.”

“Well, it’s one thing I didn’t know before, so I’d say it was a little helpful.” The Mandalorian offered. “We should get some rest; we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, it quickly became apparent that they were in for more than what they’d originally bargained for. (Y/N) stayed at the Tusken settlement with the child while Mando, Cobb and a handful of Tuskens traveled by bantha the short distance to the krayt dragon’s lair. To pass the time, she’d mended some of their clothing and cleaned her borrowed blaster rifle, knowing that she would soon be needing it.

When the others returned, Mando explained their plan to recruit the villagers of Mos Pelgo to aid in the attack against the creature before they headed back to the town. (Y/N) hadn’t said anything out loud, but she was wary of their new plan; it essentially hinged on the ability of two warring peoples to set aside their differences in order to defeat a common enemy, and while (Y/N) had no problem working alongside the Tuskens, she knew that the villagers would have a very different opinion than her. Now I definitely have a bad feeling about all this, she thought as she parked the speeder alongside Cobb’s in front of the cantina.

“They attacked us less than a year ago, killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp. I’d say I took down about twice as many Tuskens.” Cobb got up from his speeder, a fresh look of guilt on his face.

“The town respects you.” Mando pointed out as (Y/N) hopped off their speeder and dusted off her clothes. “My guess is they’ll listen to reason.”

(Y/N) nodded and offered the marshal a brief smile. “If the Tuskens are willing to put the past aside, then I don’t see why your people can’t find it within themselves to do the same.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

A doubtful-looking Cobb quickly gathered the town into the cantina and it went about as well as she’d feared it would; after explaining the entire situation to the villagers they reluctantly agreed to the deal the Tuskens had offered, that in exchange for their help and the carcass of the creature, they would unite with them in battle and never attack Mos Pelgo until a villager breaks the peace. Tension filled the air as the Tuskens arrived to help with the preparations and it went fairly quickly, save for one brief moment of unrest between a Tusken and a villager. But in no time, they were slowly on their way to the krayt dragon’s lair with the villagers and explosives in tow.

With the suns high in the sky, (Y/N) stood between Mando and Cobb as they carefully watched a lone Tusken make his way to the large cave entrance and place his hands on the ground before it; after several terse moments, the Tusken straightened and signed a message with his hands.

“What did he say?” (Y/N) quietly asked, the hand holding the blaster rifle’s strap tightening with anticipation.

“He says it’s sleeping. If we listen carefully, we can hear it breathing.”

(Y/N) glanced over at Cobb beside her, shrugging and watching as another Tusken offered him a familiar-looking green object; she gave the marshal an expectant smile that widened when he lifted the object and drank the sour liquid, finally accepting the Tusken’s gesture of peace and good faith.

After receiving their instructions from the Mandalorian, they got to work as quietly as they could. (Y/N) removed her cowl before grabbing a shovel and helping the others dig the shallow hole that they’d bury the explosives in; the muscles in her arms were aching in protest by the time the hole was finished, but she hid her pain as she walked up to Mando and Cobb with a smile.

“Ready when you are, fellas.”

Mando nodded and moved forward to watch the Tuskens approach the mouth of the cave, leaving Cobb to walk alongside her as he flashed her a lopsided grin. “How ‘bout a kiss for luck from a pretty lady?”

(Y/N) only rolled her eyes and raised a brow in amusement at his flirting attempt. “How about we focus on killing a krayt dragon and not dying instead, Marshal?”

“Worth a shot.” Cobb shrugged as they stood alongside Mando on the rocky ridge overlooking the villagers and Tuskens. They watched as three Tuskens slowly made their way to the cave and stopped, hesitating a brief moment before loudly calling out; their grunts and growls echoed throughout the rocky canyon and just as they had begun to fade, the growling of a large creature called back. All three Tuskens turned and ran, and the krayt dragon burst out of the cave in an explosion of sand; its roar shook the ground, and (Y/N)’s jaw nearly dropped when she realized just how massive the creature was.

Beside her, Mando pulled out his scope and all three of them watched the Tuskens and the villagers enact their plan; they fired the harpoons they’d built to pull the creature from its cave, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t working when the krayt dragon reared its head back and tried tugging itself loose from its captors. “Dank farrik, it’s going back in; it’s retreating.”

Cobb gripped the detonator in his hand, his thumb hovering over the button. “I’m gonna hit it.”

“No, wait. We only have one shot; we’ve gotta get it out.”

Following the others lead, (Y/N) slung the blaster rifle off her shoulder and quickly aimed before firing at the creature, her precise shots joining the blaster bolts and small explosives hitting its thick hide. Their actions enraged the krayt dragon, which charged forward and forced the others to run for cover.

“Now?” Cobb asked, his jaw tightening as he watched his village continue its assault on the creature.

Mando shook his head. “Not yet. It’s gotta come out further.”

But as he spoke, the krayt dragon finally pulled itself free of the harpoons with a deafening roar, throwing Tuskens high into the air before opening its mouth and spewing acid onto a group of retreating Tuskens and villagers.

Both Mando and Cobb stiffened at the sight, and (Y/N) heard herself breathe out, “Oh, Maker.”

The creature continued forward after its attackers, and Mando held up a tense hand. “Almost, almost…now!”

The marshal’s thumb smashed down on the button and the explosives went off, sending a massive cloud of dust up with a blast of air as the creature roared and vanished from view. (Y/N) lowered her blaster to shield her face from the sand-filled wind, looking up as the dust began to settle and frowning when she noticed the empty patch of ground.

“I don’t think it’s dead.”

“Me either.”

(Y/N) merely bit her lip and watched as the Tuskens and villagers looked around in confusion, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, the krayt dragon exploded out of the rocky ridge high above the entrance of the cave with an ear-splitting growl and began spewing more acid onto the panicked crowd below.

Cobb’s face twisted in fury. “It’s pickin’ us off like womp rats.” He suddenly turned and grabbed his blaster rifle off his speeder. “Let’s get after it!”

Mando turned to look at her and she nodded, already knowing exactly what the two of them had in mind; he hurried over and grabbed his pulse rifle, rushing back to her and wrapping his free arm tightly around her waist. He barely gave her enough time to latch onto him before activating his jetpack and shooting up into the air, flying fast towards where the creature was emerging from the rocks. Yeah, I think I prefer flying in an actual ship, (Y/N) barely had time to think, landing roughly beside Mando and Cobb on the side of the ridge and immediately joining them as they fired their weapons at the side of the creature’s head.

“This ain’t doin’ a thing!”

“Yeah, I have to agree with the marshal on this one!” (Y/N) yelled, watching as their shots bounced off its thick hide.

Reloading his pulse rifle, Mando loudly replied, “Just keep shooting!”

The three of them continued firing their weapons and after a few moments, the krayt dragon seemed to finally notice their presence; it let out another roar and moved its head towards them, but the Mandalorian grabbed her around the waist again and they flew out of the way just as it bit down on the rocky ridge. They flew down to the ground in front of the cave entrance and spun around, their weapons at the ready, but the creature had disappeared once again.

“Dank farrik…” (Y/N) murmured under her breath, her grip on her blaster rifle tightening as she waited for the krayt dragon to re-emerge; she didn’t have very long to wait. They quickly turned as the creature appeared from the sand dunes behind them and lunged forward, narrowly missing a cluster of escaping Tuskens and villagers.

“There he is.” Mando spoke under his breath, his modulated voice steady despite the dire situation. He glanced past (Y/N) to Cobb with a nod. “I’ve got an idea. Get it’s attention.”

Without hesitation, the marshal leaned forward and activated the missile strapped to his back; it hit the creature with a fiery explosion, causing it to shriek in anger and change its course, charging through the sand in their direction. “I got its attention! Now what?”

“You still have that detonator?”

Cobb unclipped it from his belt and reached past (Y/N) to hand it over. “Take it!”

“Wait, what’s the plan, Mando?” (Y/N) frowned, trying in vain to piece together what her partner was planning on doing.

Mando turned his head to look at her. “You’re gonna take care of the child.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know but wish me luck!” Before (Y/N) could realize what was happening, Mando pushed her into Cobb’s arms and as she instinctively brought her arms up around the marshal’s shoulders, he slammed the butt of his pulse rifle into his jetpack and they shot high up into the air. Clutching tightly to Cobb as they zigzagged through the sky, (Y/N) had just enough time to glance over and see the krayt dragon swallow Mando and a bantha whole before they landed hard on the ground.

Quickly sitting up, (Y/N) stared at the spot the Mandalorian had been with her jaw dropped in horror. She couldn’t move or speak and beside her, Cobb ripped off his helmet to reveal an equally-stunned face; before either of them could say anything, the ground began to rumble beneath them once again. (Y/N) grabbed her blaster rifle just as the krayt dragon re-emerged from the ground, its jaw widening to release a mighty roar, but just as she was preparing to fire on it, a familiar beskar-clad figure flew out of its mouth and was followed by the electric-blue shockwaves of a pulse rifle.

“That son of a mud-scuffer…” (Y/N) breathed out, watching through her rifle’s scope in amazement as the Mandalorian pressed down on the detonator and set off the explosives within the creature. With one last ear-splitting scream, the krayt dragon collapsed to the ground in a cloud of sand and dust, finally defeated.

She and Cobb shielded their faces as a strong gust of wind blasted them, looking up in time to watch Mando land on the ground in front of the creature’s carcass. (Y/N) glanced over at the marshal and they shared a disbelieving grin, clambering to their feet while the cheers of Tuskens and villagers filled the air.

(Y/N)’s leg twinged in protest when she stood but she ignored the pain as she and Cobb hurried over to where Mando stood; his armor was dripping with the creature’s green stomach acid and his chest was heaving with labored breaths, but to her he looked incredible.

“You’ve gotta be the craziest kriffing man I’ve ever met!” (Y/N) exclaimed, looking over her partner for any serious signs of injury and grinning when he merely shrugged his shoulders. “Keep pulling stunts like that and you might just change my low opinion of ex-bounty hunters.”

Mando chuckled between breaths, the sound causing her heart to warm in her chest. “I’ll keep that in mind, alor’ad.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading!

Mando'a Translations: Alor'ad-Captain

Chapter Six

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty​ @sinon36​ @seninjakitey​ @thatonedindjarinfan​ @ginger-swag-rapunzel​ @mostclevermiss​ @momc95​ @welcometothepedroverse​ @sarahjkl82-blog​ @zukoyonce​ @itsnottilly​

[minniethemoocherda]

The Life and Times of Hondo Ohnaka

AO3

FF.net

When Ezra first got the invitation, he thought it was a joke. The legendary Hondo Ohnaka couldn’t be dead. It didn’t make any sense. The pirate had survived the clone wars, the rebellion and two Sith lords if his tales were to be believed. Honda had often bragged to Ezra about his plans to go out in a blaze of glory. Losing him to old age had seemed out of character for the infamous weequay. Yet the piece of flimsy in Ezra’s hand told him otherwise.

Ezra noticed that wasn’t he the only one who clutched to their piece of flismi with an expression of disbelief, as he arrived at the remains of old camp on the planet Florrum. Honda had often claimed to know everyone and their mother in the galaxy. Still Ezra was surprised to see the amount of people who had congregated there. He was even more surprised when he discovered that he recognised quite a few of the faces.

“Luke!” Ezra cried, when he spotted the blonde haired young man. Luke motioned for him to come over with a wave his dark cloak. Recently, Ezra had been avoiding the fellow jedi as every time they spoke, Luke tried to convince him to become a teacher at his new school. But Ezra wasn’t ready. Responsibility had never been his strongest attribute and he barely had any formal training to teach in the first place. Plus the fate of his mentor all those years ago, still haunted him. He did not want any protégé to go through what he once had. However, Ezra knew that Luke was too kind souled to ask anything of him at a funeral, so he wasted no time in heading over to ho him. There he also found Han and Chewie, the former dressed in the nicest suit Ezra had ever seen him in.

“I’m assuming you guys knew Hondo as well then?” Ezra asked.

“Did I know him?” Han scoffed. “That nerfhearder stole my ship!”

But Ezra could see the sadness in the former smuggler’s eyes that revealed he wasn’t as angry at the as he claimed to be.

“What about you? Ezra asked, turning to Luke.

Luke shook his head. “No but Old Ben did. He wanted me to come in his place so that he could pay his respects through me. And to claim the fifty credits Hondo owed him.”

Before Ezra could ask how Obi-Wan could ask Luke to come when he was dead, an old serving droid appeared from within the cavern of the camp.

“Welcome to the funeral of the greatest pirate to ever grace the galaxy. Please walk this way.”

Ezra followed the droid deeper into the cavern with a roll of his eyes. Luke, Han and the others weren’t far behind him. Eventually they came to a large opening where holes in the roof illuminated the room. An ornate coffin bedazzled with an almost tacky number of jewels, was at the centre on top of a mound of treasure. A grand painting of the pirate when he was in his prime stood in a gold casting to the left and a small stage was positioned at the right.

Ezra almost expected Hondo to jump out of the coffin with a laugh, holding his gun high as he announced he had tricked them all into coming here so that he could hold them for ransom. But as the minutes passed while the guests pilled into the room, there were no such surprises. And Ezra was suddenly hit with an almost overwhelming weight of acceptance that Honda was actually dead.

Once all the guests were inside, a woman walked onto the stage. She was short with bright orange skin and round eyes that bulged with all the wisdom held inside them,

“Hondo, you gave the best lay out of any being I’ve ever been with.” The woman stated.  

Beside Ezra, Han started choking on air. As Chewie smacked his friend on the back, Ezra continued to listen.

“I remember when you first came into my tavern, a scrapy young thing of nineteen who had just escaped enslavement of the Hutts. The first time I laid eyes on you, I knew that there was something special underneath that leathery yet silky skin.”

Ezra heard Han choke again.

“So, I directed you to a group of weequays from similar situation, leant you a ship, and sent you on your way. I lost track of the number of times we ended up crossing paths over the years. And for every time I wanted to give you a kick in the arse, there was another that I wanted to hold you close against my heart. In my thousands of years, I have seen many loved ones pass, but you Hondo, were the only one I though I could spend eternity with.”

The woman took a long look at the coffin, no doubt imagining what could have been before walking off the stage. Another woman soon took her place. This time, she was a Tholothian, whose dark mottled skin was covered by a strikingly red coat. At her presence, the force seemed to wrap around her, as though she was a black hole. Ezra shared a look with Luke and knew that the fellow jedi had felt it too. Whoever this woman was, she had blocked out the force. And only someone who was once a force wielder would have the power to do that.

“Hondo,” She started, staring out into the crowd with a hardened gaze. “You might not have been a good person. But you were good to me. You gave me the closest thing to a family that I ever had. Even before I lost everything. You took me in when I had nowhere else to go. You might not have taught me how to be good, but you did teach me how to survive. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive right now. I owe you everything. Which you already knew because you used to remind me every day. Now you will never know how truly grateful I am for that. And I know you told me never to call you father. But you also told me never to listen to anyone with authority. So, I am going to call you, my father. Because you were. You were my dad and I loved you so much!”

By the end of her speech, tears had begun to spill out of those once hardened eyes. It was as though decades of built-up walls had crumbled before them. The empty void surrounding her suddenly filled. Ezra was nearly stumbled over at the intensity of emotions flooded out of her back into the force. It was only Luke’s hand pressed against the small of his back in a grounding presence that kept him from falling over. After exchanging a thankful nod, Ezra turned his attention back to the stage to see that the woman had gone.

In her place, stood a man with a face so similar to Rex’s that it hurt to look at him, walked onto the stage. Besides the fact that he was obviously a clone, Ezra didn’t know who the man was. It was rare to find any clones still alive now, let alone one looking that young. Although Han and Luke seemed to be aware of who he was if the way the pair stiffened was anything to go by.

“Hondo, you taught me what it meant to be honourable. Which was ironic considering you were the least honourable person in the galaxy. You were the only person I refused to kill.”  

With that, the man walked off without another word. Apparently that last line was all he needed to say. Judging by the looks of shocked respect on his friends’ faces, Ezra guessed it was.

No one immediately took over his place on the stage. Whilst Ezra wondered who would be next, or if that had been the final speech, the droid from earlier appeared next to him.

“Hondo Ohnaka wished for you to be the last to speak.” The droid told him.

“Me?” Ezra asked in shock. “Why?”

“Because you were his favourite.”

Ezra couldn’t deny that he felt touched. Especially after seeing how many people the pirate had cared for.

“But I haven’t prepared anything.” He told the droid.

“Hondo assured me that as a Jedi you would be more than capable of making up speeches on the fly.”

Unable to argue with that, Ezra slowly made his way to the stage. Looking out at the sea of faces, Ezra could see tears in all of them. He even spotted them in the corner of Han’s. Although the pirate was gone, Ezra could feel his presence in the people in the crowd, in the way had had shaped each of them into the people they were today. Ezra took a deep breathe, controlling is voice before his sorrow threatened to take his voice away. “I’m not sure why Hondo asked me to be the last to talk at his funeral. I didn’t know him as well as a lot of you did. But I could have. If I had met him even just a year earlier, I probably would have joined his crew.”

Ezra glanced at the painting beside him. Even though the picture was old and captured a younger version of the pirate, that gleam for adventure in those painted eyes was instantly recognisable. It reminded Ezra that despite what the pirate may have claimed, he wasn’t always in it for the money. Most of the time, he acted out of a thrill of living.

“I sometimes wonder what kind of person I would have become if I had followed you down that path. I thought I might have become bad but now listening to the tales of the people who you loved and who loved you in return, I know now that I would have become a good person. Not perfect but good. The galaxy will be a dimmer place without the light you brought to it.”  

Ezra walked back over to the others, wiping away the tears he hadn’t been able to hold back. Han clasped him on the shoulder and Chewie gave his hair a comforting pet. As soon as the pair released him, Luke didn’t hesitate to hold him in a hug, wrapping the surrounding force with a wave of comfort.

“You did great.” Luke assured him. Ezra gave a squeeze of thanks before pulling back so that he could look the man in his round blue eyes.

“I’ve been thinking about your offer.” Ezra said cautiously, unable to stop the words now that they were out of his mouth. “And I’ve decided that I would like to come teach at your school. If you’ll still have me that is?”

“Of course! This is perfect! I just picked up a new student who you can teach! You are going to love this kid’s Dad. You still have a thing for Mandalorians right?” Luke exclaimed, beaming like the ray of sunshine he was. “What changed your mind?”

“Hondo.” Ezra told him. “Seeing all the people he had impacted. I want to be able to help those that need someone too look out for them, like he did for me. Plus if Hondo can be a good mentor, then anyone can.”

“He would have been proud of you.” Luke told him. Ezra allowed himself to believe those words.

Around them, guests started to mill out or reclaim their debts that the droid was distributing. Once Luke had collected his credits and they had dragged Han away from a potential altercation with the clone, the group headed out of the carven into the brightness of the planets’ sun, Ezra looked back at the painting of the former pirate. In the glint of the sun, Ezra would later swear he thought he saw the picture smirk in a line of bright blue light.

[intergalactic-padawan]

For emergencies - Ezra Bridger

Requested: no, but i've had this idea for a while and decided to give it a go.

Warnings: none

A/N: I created this O/C, Astra, and she's probably going to be in more ezra fics in the future, who knows. I have no idea who she is yet, but i'll wait for her to come to life as i go!

Pronouns of O/C: she/her

*ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE! I make mistakes just like everybody else 😉*

AU where Ezra never went away and they have a cerimony in Lothal like at the end of a new hope. Astra is a rebel who has never met Ezra before, but has heard of him.

At the cerimony, Ezra couldn't focus on anything else other than his crew, the other spectres.

They had been by his side through thick and thin, and even when loosing one of the most important members of their family, they stood together to help liberate his home world Lothal and bring an end to the Empire's control over its citizens.

Now, they proudly looked at him while he walked down the Lothal Senate building's main corridor, ready to recieve a medal of honor and bravery for being, as the governor said, "an outstanding citizen and a beacon of hope for better days". Other rebels and sympathizers also got their medals while he stood on the side, misty-eyed as Hera tried her best not to burst out tears of joy; a dynamic that lasted for the rest of the afternoon.

At the party that came after, on the other hand, he quickly got separated form the group. Many higher ranking officers offering congratulations, a few friends from Chopper Base comparing the size of their medals and the invites for dancing to the sound of the cultural music of his homewolrd were exciting, but beginning to get very draining.

That's when he notices her. A familiar tug of the force indicating the way guided him to the drinks table on the corner of the big atrium where he was dancing just moments ago; and that's where she stood, drink in hand, watching the celebrations while he approached curiously. He was still coming up with the courage to say something when she notices him:

-"oh, hello there" - she smiles kindly, not turning from her privileged position but nodding at him in acklowledgement.

-"hey" - he squeaks out of surprise, clrearing his throat and trying again - "I mean, huhh- Hey. Hey. I-I'm Ezra" - he smiled, a little embarassed.

-"Nice to meet you Ezra. That's one shiny medal you've got there"

-"uh, thanks, it's...' he took it in his hand to examine the details - "it's kinda heavy, actually"

-"still, a nice medal" - she chuckled

Ezra took that moment to look at her a little closer. She appeared to be fully human, hopefully about his age. Her hair was tied up in a braid that crossed her head like a tiara, a look that fit her very well, he thought. Under her worn leather jacket, marked with the insignia of the rebellion, she wore a simple and elegant black jumpsuit: an uncommon look on Lothal, that made her stand out as someone whod never been there before.

She looked beautiful. So beautiful, in fact that Ezra got distracted and didn't get to brace for the impact of Zeb slapping his big hand on his back to congratulate him once more:

-"hey kid, there you are! Hera's been looking for you all over!"

Ezra smiled awkwardly; obviously Zeb didn't see the situation playing out, or worse: he did, and wanted to embarass Ezra in front of her.

-"yeah, hmm" he coughed and indicated the girl with a tilk of his head "I was... kind of in the middle of something here, Zeb"

She looked down, not able to hold back a smile as Zeb raised his eyebrow.

-"Well, If I know General Syndulla, it's best not to keep her waiting" - the girl offered him a smile and a warm cup of the same beverage she was been drinking earlier.

-"I believe this is what you came over here for, Lieutenant Bridger" - she raised an eyebrow, giving him a playful smirk when Zeb turned the other way to talk to Kallus for a moment.

-"Yes, this too" - he accepted the drink "thank you, miss...-"

-"captain, actually" - she moved her jacket to the side to reveal a shiny rank badge with two blue spots - "recently promoted, right before you entered the room to get your heavy medal".

-"oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see" - he panicked. Was he supposed to salute her now? Was it too late for that?

He took a quick sip of the drink to buy some time while he figured out what to do.

-"hey kid, we really need to go now, hera's waiting"

-"On my way zeb" - he midlessly acknowledged the Lasaat and looked at her once again, searching for words to correct himself, settling for sincere congratulations instead:

-"Well, the rebellion is lucky to have you" - he offerd a hand for her to shake, whick she hapilly took. Ezra would never tell, but the way they fit together gave him a comfortable warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.

-"I don't know about that, Lieutenant." - she laughed - "But my team certainly is, though. You can call me Astra, by the way"

"Well, then you can call me Ezra" he winked as he finally felt himself take control of the situation, bringing her hand to his lips while mantaining eye contact. That gesture visibly caught her by surprise, but she played it off with another light chuckle.

"It has been a pleasure, Ezra. But you really shouldn't leave your general waiting" Astra squeezed his hand lightly, with a twinkle in her eyes that was going to be a constant memory in Ezra's mind. He could swear everyone in there was hearing his drumming heartbeat match the drums that played, but that was the least of his worries now: he needed to be sure he could see her again after this.

She seemed to think the same thing (hopefully), as he watched her do something to her comlink for a moment. When Ezra heard a blip from his own device, she explained:

-"there, my comlink number. It's always good to share these kinds of information with fellow rebels, make sure we can contact each other in case of an emergency, wouldn't you agree, lieutenant?" - Ezra quickly understood her idea, playing into her game with a boysh grin.

-"Of course, captain. In case of an emergency"

She hummed, placing her hand in a pocket of the jumpsuit. It may have looked like an ordinary and quick interaction to literally anyone else, but Ezra could feel it also meant something a little more exctiting to her. Maybe it was their relaxed minds after a significant victory, maybe it was the euphoria of a hard battle, or maybe the fun of interacting with an interesting person after years of tension; whatever the reason was, you didn't have to be a force sensitive being to see a connection had started to form between them.

But, lucky for him, Ezra was a jedi. He was the padawan of Kanan Jarrus, one of the bravest and most powerful Jedi Knights to ever exist. That thought alone brought him the confidence boost he needed to overcome the nervousness of something like talking to a beautiful girl at a party, and even more than that, flirting with said girl.

-"well, i guess i should be leaving then" - he snapped back to reality, feeling Zeb's towering and annoyed presence along with Chopper, who had been called as reinforcement at some point to hopefully drag him away from the spell he was currently in.

-"I hope we'll be seeing each other again?"

-"I don't plan on leaving so soon, Ezra. This drink is delicious" - he was now being pushed back by the droid, but refused to tear his gaze away from Astra.

-"And if i'm not here when you come back" - she added, pointing to his wrist - "You know how to reach me"

-"in case of an emergency" he stated, pretending seriousness

-"of course" - she saluted him lightheartedly - "in case of an emergency".

[findswoman]

2020 Creator’s Self-Love Extravaganza/Creator Tag Meme/8 Favorite Works

I was tagged by three awesome mutuals— @sassygirl579, @runrundoyourstuff, and @daughterofluthien —in a few slightly different versions of this game. So, first of all, I am going thank all three of them for so kindly thinking of me and tagging with me! I have been enjoying reading all three of your lists and learning a bit more about how this year has gone for you, creativity-wise.

So, I’m going to try now, too! Since each version of the game sent to me had a different title, I’m putting all three of them here. Also, I think some versions called for 5 favorite works and some called for 8—but if it’s all right, I’m going to splurge and do 8, because that way I have more choices. :)

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 8 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

A few points, to begin with:

1. To narrow things down, I am only going to include stories I actually wrote in 2020—not ones written in other years that I didn’t put on AO3 until 2020.

2. I only (!) wrote 12 stories in 2020 (actually, for me, that’s a pretty respectable number), and part of why it took me so long to respond to these tags was my usual —it seemed arbitrary to choose 8 and leave 4 out. BUT! I have a loophole! Because 5 of the stories are part of the same series, I am going to count them as a single entry in this list. 😁

So, here goes:

1. New additions to the Lasan Series: A Private Place, You Must Be Garazeb; or, Dinner with the Trilashas, Blumfruit and Queen’s Heart, Our Big Fat Lasat Wedding, and Long, Lonely Time (Star Wars: Rebels-ish, total of 23,353 new words). It probably comes as no surprise that I am partial to the stories I write for this series—it has become my playground for both fanon worldbuilding and romance writing. I am particularly proud of writing and finishing Our Big Fat Lasat Wedding (15,880 words), both because of the milestone it describes within the series but also because it was my largest-scale story this year.

2. Gem of My Beaches (Star Wars: Rogue One, 577 words). A very short, almost prose poem-type post-Rogue One vignette. I feel like I packed a lot into this one: it’s my second time writing Rebelcaptain (who seemed like a perfect fit for the prompt “beach” I was working with), and it is told from the viewpoint of the Force.

3. “I saw the wolf…” (Star Wars: Rebels, 1833 words). This is the result of a songfic bunny I had been wanting to write for a while: the old French folksong “J’ai vu le loup” seemed a fitting anthem for a certain young boy from Lothal with beastwarden powers. It’s got Loth-wolves, of course, but also pocket hares (established) and Loth-foxes (my creation). Because, why not?

4. The Drabatan Lady Downstairs (Star Wars: Rogue One-ish, 696 words). Because when you’re Finds and you write a Mother’s Day story, it has to be about the mother of a semi-obscure, background-ish alien character! In this story, Paodok’Draba’Takat (Pao) of Rogue One visits his mother before heading off to Yavin IV to join the Rebellion.

5. The Sisterhood of the Rose Evergreen (Star Wars: various, 2500 words). An OC-centered drabble collection I started in June in response to the JCF Fanfic forums’ Ultimate Drabble Challenge IX. It’s far from done—there are twenty 5-prompt groups in all, and I’ve only written five of them—but I’m hoping to continue, bit by bit, in the new year. The OCs in question are the five denizens of the scout ship Rose Evergreen, who are all female and all different species (including one droid). This one isn’t on AO3 yet, and posting it there as well is one thing I have to do in the coming year. 

6. Righteous Indignation of a Hutt Betrayed (Star Wars, 1069 words). This one was a lot of fun, because in it I got to revisit an OC I hadn’t written in a few years: the arty, mahvelous Bonvika the Hutt! But what can I say, she was a perfect fit for the prompt I received (it was one of those “first sentence” things).

7. Jedi Is as Jedi Does (Star Wars sequel trilogy, 1784 words). I wrote this one for a gift exchange, and given that involved a Sequel Trilogy scenario and characters (Finn and Rey), it was a bit outside my usual wheelhouse—but still a lot of fun, and that’s one fun thing about gift exchanges—they do you give you that fun chance to branch out sometimes! (Incidentally, @runrundoyourstuff , this is the one I was planning out when I asked you about Talmudic debate stories. I ended up going a slightly different direction and incorporated instead what one might call a modern midrash borrowed from one of Sandy Eisenberg Sasso’s children’s books, but it’s still got the theme of learning and discussing together in quasi-Talmudic fashion, and the two characters are essentially chevrutas of sorts in the story.)

8. Sixth Time’s the Charm (Star Wars: Rebels, 3008 words). Another story I wrote as a gift for a friend, and another one that was new for me: my first Kanera story and my first 5+1! To be precise, it’s “Five gifts Kanan almost got Hera, and one he finally did,” and it was super fun to come up with all the crazy shops, products, and service employees Kanan encountered in his search for the perfect gift.

And now, onto the tagging: @jadelotusflower @jadesphera @thatginchygal @tarisilmarwen @redrikki @independence1776 @rendar-writes @fontainebleau22 @gondalsqueen @roninreverie @apollonkondric and, of course, anyone else who would like to give this a try!

[jasontoddiefor]

Title: burn bright until we’re not Fandom: Star Wars Ship: Biggs/Luke AN: Remember how I complained about the lack of fanfic? Yeah.

Read on AO3!

— first

Luke Skywalker was not the first person Biggs had a crush on, but perhaps he was the first he fell in love with. The day he realized how much he adored his best friend wasn’t really different from any other day on Tatooine. There wasn’t much to do on their homeworld but to laze around, work on the farm, get drunk, repair a speeder and go racing. They had been done with their chores already.

Well, Biggs who had many siblings and less to do in general had been finished.

He’d gone over to the Skywalker homestead after to help Luke so that they could go racing after. Luke had been busy repairing droids, grease smeared over his clothes and face while he frowned at five different wires, only to lighten up as soon as he spotted his best friend. Biggs fell in love with the way Luke smiled at him.

— kiss

More often than not, kissing Luke meant tasting dust and oil. Biggs didn’t mind too much, even made fun of his boyfriend for being made out of storms and machines. Luke tackled him in retribution, they fell down into the sand, complained and laughed. They kissed the day Biggs left for the Academy, for the Rebellion, and there was nothing sweet about it. They clung to each other in desperation, torn between dreams and hopes and promises of coming back.

— final

The fighting stopped, the second Death Star had been taken out and with it the Emperor. But still, there was no sign of Luke. Biggs hadn’t been there when he decided to leave, surrender to Darth Vader so they wouldn’t have to deal with a Sith Lord killing their already few numbers. This was the final day of an era of tyranny, and Luke might be-

— numb

No, I am your father.

Luke had been desperate at first, then panicked and scared and finally angry. Now he only felt numb. When his world had been falling apart, the stories about his father had been something to cling to. He had been a good man, a hero, and Luke had wanted to be just like him.

He didn’t know who was supposed to be now.

— broken

When Luke returned from Bespin, he wasn’t the same. He was missing his friend, his lightsaber and his right hand, but something in him had broken and Biggs didn’t know how to fix it.

“He survived Vader,” Wedge assured him. “He will pull through.”

— wings

“So, uh, does everything around Commander Skywalker usually grow wings?”

Rogue Squadron’s newest recruit was short, and she doesn’t look like much, but her turns were so sharp that Luke wanted to hand her his lightsaber just to see if she’d know what to do.

“You get used to it,” Wedge sighed. “Our dear leader usually goes outside to meditate, but Biggs forbid him after he caught a cold last time.”

Luke dropped one of the floating tools on Wedge’s head.

— melody

Luke was humming. Biggs was fairly sure he didn’t even notice it, but since they had taken off, flying in the direction of the Death Star, Luke had been humming. He only really stopped when he was calling in and giving a status update. Biggs knew the song from Luke. It wasn’t a nursery rhyme, but Aunt Beru used to sing it as one. Luke always muttered it when he was trying to calm down, except for that one time he had shouted it when they’d been flying away from Tuskens in Beggar’s Canyon.

“Oh, You're never gonna be closer to the Great Water,” Biggs whispered to himself. “Than when the Master sends you into the desert, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

They’d make it out. They would survive this suicide run against the Empire and utterly destroy their weapon of mass destruction.

— rules

Luke watched Biggs leave, the japor snippet he’d been given burning warmly in his hand. Biggs had promised that he’d return in three years time, come pick Luke up and they’d be free to travel wherever they wanted. It was a nice dream and Luke wanted to chase after it, but nobody who had made it off Tatooine ever came back, such were the rules of their life. Luke felt like everything inside him was screaming at him to tell him he’d see Biggs again. Well, that could only mean that it would be Luke chasing after Biggs, so that for once in their lives their roles were reversed.

—     chocolate

Introducing his new wingman to sweets was Wedge’s new hobby. Biggs Darklighter, Outer Rim pilot, was a terror on the field. You almost wouldn’t assume he was nineteen, looking and acting much older. Right now though, his face utterly stuffed with fine Alderaanian chocolate, he actually seemed like the inexperienced young man he was.

“I have to show Luke this,” Biggs muttered.

“Who’s Luke?” Wedge asked.

Biggs smiled softly and oh- well, if that wasn’t a love-struck expression.

—     nostalgia

“I missed this,” Han said. “You, me, people shooting at us while we’re saving the day.”

“This is not the right place for nostalgia, Han!” Leia shouted at him and leaped over their cover, her lightsaber ignited.

“You’re right,” Han agreed, watching her tear her way through their attackers like an angry war goddess. This was way better.

—     heartbeat

“We’re losing him! I need a medic over here, now!”

This wasn’t their childhood adventure, this was war. It meant burying and burning their dead, staining their dirty flight suits with the blood of the people they couldn’t help, those they reached too late.

“Quick, someone, his heartbeat is weak, hurry up-“

“He’s gone, Biggs,” Luke said, his voice sounded far away. “We have to keep moving. C’mon, the imps aren’t far behind us.”

—     stranger

They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Luke had been tracking down Jedi artifacts on his own and Biggs had been busy flying transports.

“Hey, there stranger,” Biggs greeted Luke from behind.

Luke didn’t even twitch, it was getting near impossible to surprise him nowadays. He turned around quickly and pulled at Biggs’ collar so he could kiss him. Around them, their friends shout and whistle.

“Idiots, all of them,” Biggs laughed and went in for a second kiss. He tangled his fingers in Luke’s hair. It was darker than it had ever been on Tatooine, and longer too.

“You need a haircut.”

“I need a shower,” Luke replied. “Care to join me?”

—     confusion

Han didn’t know what he was supposed to make of the kid, the old man, and the two droids. Chewie liked them, especially the old man. He’d introduced himself as Ben Kenobi and the kid as Luke Skywalker. Han had been a brat himself during the Clone Wars, but even he recognized those two last names. The Jedi magic business he was less sold on – it made no sense and it was confusing as hell, alright? – but back in the war, the Jedi had been Generals. Military titles Han could work with. Either way, the kid and the old man didn’t look like much, but perhaps they’d prove him wrong.

— bitter

The alcohol tasted bitter on Luke’s tongue, but it wasn’t the worst drink he'd ever had.

“Passable,” he judged and handed his bottle over to Wes who promptly choked on it.

“The heck, Skywalker! This tastes like the stuff I put in my tanks! This isn’t drinkable.”

Luke frowned and took back the bottle to hand it to Biggs, who also had no problems drinking it. They shared a look, then grinned.

“You should taste the stuff we drunk back home.”

“No, thank you.”

—     afterlife

Biggs stared at Luke, then at the empty space beside Luke where apparently Anakin Skywalker’s ghost was lurking, and finally back again at Luke.

“No,” he said, pulled their blanket over his head again and dropped back on their bed. “It’s too early for funky Jedi business. I can meet him later when I’m awake and coherent enough to understand dead people coming back. The world of the living is closed for any afterlife dwellers until I’ve had my kaf.”

Biggs slowly fell asleep again to the sound of twin laughter.

—     daybreak

Biggs had spent the whole day over at the Lars homestead until it had been so dark, Aunt Beru hadn’t wanted him to go home by himself. Luke and he had squeezed together in Luke’s bed, which was much too small for two teenagers, even if Luke was short for his age. They stayed up way to too late and got up before the first sun rose.

“C’mon,” Luke whispered and dragged Biggs with him outside. They climbed up the dome of the homestead and huddled together, watched the sunrise. At daybreak, Biggs decided he’d follow Luke everywhere, he’d only need to ask.

—     audience

They had an audience.

“Didn’t you say he was your boyfriend?” Wes asked. Next to him, the pilot Luke had arrived with – Han Solo or so? – looked just as flabbergasted as the rest of the team. He kept looking at Luke, as if to check that they weren’t playing a prank on them.

“You talked about me?”

Now Luke was looking up at Biggs with his big blue eyes flickering mischievously and Biggs could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Well, yes. I mean, it’s not like this is Tatooine, but I figured I should still, ah, stick to the oath, so boyfriend-“

Luke finally had enough torturing Biggs. “Yes, you did fine. And yes, we are married.”

“When did that happen?” Solo asked, throwing his hands in the air. “We arrived not even a week ago!”

Now it was Luke’s turn to blush, rightly so. “Uh, before Biggs left Tatooine, so three years ago…?”

— endless

Sometimes it felt like the fighting never stopped. They came back from patrol, someone slapped a few bacta patches on them if they could afford any, they ate if they could keep the ration bars down, went to sleep if they didn’t wake up screaming and got sent off for another run. There were moments where Biggs thought it didn’t get any better, the Alliance just tried to avoid the worst of the punches. He hated this endless fighting, the thought that this might be it for the rest of his life.

He always got back up again either way.

—     fireworks

The first time they kiss, it wasn't so much a kiss as Biggs being stupid and getting lost in his thoughts. Luke couldn’t sit still and he was always making sounds, whether he was humming or talking. Luke had turned to Biggs, asking him to hand him a tool and all Biggs could think of at that moment, was how nice it would be to kiss Luke.

So he did.

As soon as his lips touched Luke’s, he realized what he was doing and pulled back. He expected Luke to start shouting maybe, not to flush bright red, stammer and abandon all attempts at communication to dive in for a second, clumsy and awkward kiss. They made up inexperience with enthusiasm and nothing, not even the drought season fireworks, could compare.

— wishing

“So you what? Rub a lamp and get three wishes?” Leia asked skeptically.

Han groaned. “Yes, it’s an old Corellian story. Can I go on now?”

“But, Dad, aren’t there any rules about the wishes?”

“Yes, Han. There must be rules.”

There probably were, but Han couldn’t recall them. He only vaguely remembered the story from his childhood. Maybe his mother had told it to him or he had just put it together from the many stories the fellow orphans used to tell at night, he wouldn’t know.

He did know that his wife and son shared the same inquiring look that looked utterly adorable on Ben’s small round face.

“You make up some rules then,” Han decided and as expected, Ben and Leia immediately began discussion.

So much for bedtime stories.

—     birthday

Leia’s birthdays had always been overshadowed by the much more important Empire Day, a festive no planet of the Empire could escape. Her parents used to sit down with her for an hour at least, both making time in their busy schedules to have sweets with her and give Leia their presents. After Alderaan’s destruction, Leia had never stopped to think about her birthdays. She’d forgotten it twice and only remembered it when Luke mentioned offhandedly that it was his birthday while they were stuck together hiding from bounty hunters.

The war wasn’t over now, far from it, but a year after the Emperor’s death, Leia could celebrate, wanted to celebrate her birth and that of her twin’s. She’d missed enough years with him, she didn't want to miss another.

—     tomorrow

Today they partied. They cheered and danced and got so blackout drunk they wouldn’t be able to hear the desperate screams of their friends’ dying breaths. Tomorrow they would burn flags for their dead. They would pack up their base and rush to a new system to hide in.

—     oppression

Biggs could have had a comfortable life on Tatooine. His family was well-established and he’d earn enough money to live a good life, but Biggs had always dreamed of the stars. But even more than that, he’d yearned for a free galaxy. The Darklighters had kept their last name when they became free, Biggs great-grandmother hadn’t ever wanted to pretend she came from somewhere that was not oppression, but the people around them had forgotten it more and more with each year that passed.

Skywalker, on the other hand, was so glaringly a slave name, people took notice.

Tatooine bred two kinds of people, those who resisted and those who sought to establish their cruel system.  If they had just one or two pilots more, a chance to get off this planet, the rebels would be overrun with help from the Hutt space.

— agony

Leia stared at the people in front of her, wondering whether they were serious pilots or a bunch of teenagers.

“You don’t understand,” Hobbie insisted. “It’s agony. You’re our only hope, Senator.”

“I’m busy,” Leia said and walked past them. Honestly, Luke and Biggs were adults, they could solve their fight on their own. Interfering would only make it worse.

“Please! They won’t even talk to each other!”

Leia rolled her eyes. If they already weren’t talking anymore, they were already done fighting and just trying to figure out who needed to apologize first.

“Busy!”

— return

Luke wondered what it said about himself that he’d been so reluctant to return to Tatooine, even when he knew that Han was here and they had to free him. Perhaps it was because he could still smell the ashes of his burned childhood home. Or maybe because he could hear the desert scream at him, beg him to save their children.

But he couldn’t. Not today.

He’d be back again, he knew then. Free the remaining slaves as the Jedi had ought to do decades ago, teardown the makeshift grave he’d made for his parents, and maybe watch in amusement as Biggs’ mother would be forced to treat him politely as her son-in-law.

—     protection

“Don’t forget to use protection!” Wedge shouted, as always the loudest of the Rogues.

Right beside him, Hobbie laughed. “And close the doors if you’re busy!”

Wes, the last remaining member of the original Death Star Red Squadron only snorted and shook his head.  “They’re going on a mission, guys.”

“Undercover!”

“Without supervision!”

“Left alone for the first time in- uck.”

Biggs had thrown a pillow at Wedge, while Luke hadn’t even bothered to turn around. No, he had a husband to protect his honor.

— boxes

They exchanged gifts near midnight while the party showed no sign of ending, but the day was almost over.

“What is this?” Luke asked and for a split-second, Leia was angry at her parents. How could her father let them be split up? Luke should have grown up together with her on Alderaan, known their customs as well as she did.

“They’re marriage cords,” Leia explained. “Siblings make them for each other when they get married. I’m…” Leia quickly counted the years. “Nine years late, but I wanted you to have one. We usually put them in our hair during the wedding and keep them as necklaces or bracelets after.”

“Oh.” Luke examined the sky blue cords Leia had spent weeks fussing over. “Can you help me put them in? I don’t know how exactly.”

“Of course. Do I get to open my present before?”

“Yes!”

Luke eagerly pushed a small box into her hands. Leia opened it carefully and took out the bright purple crystal out of the box. Her brother looked a little sheepish, but there was an edge to his expression of which Leia knew that it meant that this was important to him.

“I know you said you prefer blasters and would leave the Jedi-ing to me, but the galaxy’s better off when we’re together.”

She grinned and elbowed Luke. “Don’t start complaining when I kick your ass, little brother.”

“I have it on good authority that I’m actually the older one-“

— hope

When Biggs finally returned to Yavin IV, he was exhausted. It was daytime on the moon, everyone seemed to be outside, running around, but all he really wanted to do was drop in his bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours.

“Good morning, Commander Darklighter!”

The young boy who had greeted Biggs was dressed in loose tonics, looking much happier and comfortable than he had half a year ago when they’d found him and another two dozen children in an imperial training facility. He hadn’t gotten out of his habit of calling people by their titles yet, but his night terrors had lessened considerably and Biggs counted it as a win.

“Morning, Finn,” Biggs greeted. “And who is this little lady?”

The little girl hiding behind Finn mustered him curiously. She couldn’t be much older than four if Biggs were to guess.

“This is Rey Skywalker,” Finn said. “She’s new. Master Luke found her on Jakku. He’s training with the Padawans right now, do you want me to take you?”

Skywalker, she was another one of their many nameless and abandoned children then.

“I’d like that,” Biggs said and crouched down. “It’s nice to meet you Rey. My name is Biggs. I’m usually in charge of making sure our Jedi Master is behaving.”

He held out his hand and little Rey, new hope for a new age, took it.

—     preparation

There were four of them, five if you counted Luke. Out of thirty, five had made it back from the Death Star. The other squadrons weren’t faring much better, there was a lot of reshuffling to be done.

“We need a name,” Hobbie decided, the oldest of them all at twenty-six. It seemed a little bit like a macabre joke.

“Five rogue pilots? We’re not gonna be a new squadron. They’ll split us up,” Wes tossed in, anger coloring his voice. He’d been with the Red Squadron the longest, lost the most friends. Despite his words, he had marched with the rest of them to the first empty room near the hangers, not awaiting room assignment. None of them were really preparing to be split up.

“So we tell them we’re a team,” Luke said, shrugging. “They can’t do anything about it then.”

Biggs wanted to protest. That really wasn’t how the Alliance worked, and yet when he opened his mouth, the words were lost to him. Luke got this air about him sometimes, like he knew whatever was saying was the truth and nothing but the truth.

“Rogue Squadron,” Wedge decided. “We should be the Rogue Squadron. We made the Death Star shot, we finished what they started, we’ll take their name. I’ll be Rogue Two.”

Wedge hadn’t been at Scarif, he’d been in medical at the time, but Tellem had been and they had died there. Biggs had never known what exactly their relationship was, and now it was too late.

“Rogue Three,” Biggs said instead.

“Four,” Wes added, while Hobbie claimed Rogue Five for himself.

That only left Luke and it seemed obvious now where he belonged.

—     beautiful

“You’re beautiful.”

Biggs snorted.

“I’m old and gray and no, I’m not going to go pick up the Padawans in the jungle with you. Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Skywalker.”

Luke laughed and sat up. “Oh, I’m pretty sure it’ll get me everywhere.”

After all these years, Biggs still felt like that clumsy sixteen-year-old with a crush on the loveliest person he knew. He’d thought of himself as so grown up then already, but looking back, he knew they had been children still, much too young for the decisions they would make.

“If we pick the kids up with a ship, how much longer can we stay in bed?”

Going by the speed at which Luke made himself comfortable next to Biggs again, he assumed they could stay like this at least another hour.

— lies

“He’s my father!” Luke finally shouted, cut off from the rest of their squadron, stuck in a jungle on some Force-forsaken planet in the middle of nowhere.

In the desert, you learned how to be silent, least of all you attract womp rats or raiders or even more dangerous beings. Luke rarely raised his voice but now, admitting the truth, he was shouting at the storm inside his mind.

“Darth Vader is your father,” Biggs repeated.

He wanted to tell him to stop lying, except it made terribly sense. Luke’s wanted posters never named him as the Death Star Shot, and they demanded that he was to be brought in not only alive, but unharmed.

“But you’re still Luke Skywalker,” Biggs continued.

He pulled Luke back into his arms and, as so often in the last months, hoped they’d get a break from fighting the Empire, fighting for Justice.

—     underneath

Han opened the secret compartment of the Falcon, hoping everybody would be alright. Three bright-eyed kids looked back up at him and not for the first time, did Han wonder why he of all people always ended up smuggling Jedi brats through the galaxy. He was married to Leia, Senator of New Alderaan and Jedi Knight, and he was a pretty well-known figure as well. He really shouldn’t be cut out for undercover work still after so many years.

“Thank you, General Organa,” the oldest of the brats said and climbed out of the hatch.

“Don’t sweat it.”

— hide

Watching the tiny Skywalker and Darklighter interact was one of Rex’s favorite past times. They were so much like General Skywalker and Senator Amidala, it was almost funny. Always searching for the other when they were in the same room, making eye-contact, the cheesy flirting toned down to keep an air of professionalism – Rex could go on and on.

The only difference was that they didn’t have to hide.

Commander Skywalker rushed past Darklighter and gave him a quick peck on the lips before chasing after some new recruits. Rex wondered if perhaps his parents would be here now too, fighting alongside them, if they hadn’t been forced to keep their relationship a secret.

— diary

“He knew, you know,” Luke told Leia. “Ben- Obi-Wan. He knew about our parents’ relationship, but he kept it a secret anyway because Father would have been thrown out of the Order and Mother would have lost her seat in the Senate. He wrote about it in his journal.”

Leia had wanted to get her hands on Obi-Wan Kenobi’s journal ever since her brother had given her the purple kyber crystal that accompanied Leia everywhere. It was difficult to figure out how to construct a lightsaber without any reference texts, but Luke had been busy.

“So all of this could have been avoided with a few changed laws?” Leia asked, already knowing the answer.

Of course, it wasn’t this easy. Tracking down how deep Palpatine’s machinations had ran took up most of her time. Leia still resented Vader and she didn’t think she’d ever care for him the way Luke did, but there was something horrifying about reading through a Sith Lord’s observations of a bright twelve-year-old child meant for greatness. Leia could never mourn Vader, but in the quiet presence of her brother she allowed herself to mourn Anakin Skywalker.

—     unforeseen

Biggs didn’t believe it when he saw a tuft of blonde hair, the color of spun gold, during the meeting. Wedge had mentioned that the princess had been returned by a farm boy and a smuggler, but he didn’t think of Luke. He was still back on Tatooine, waiting for Biggs to come pick him up. He’d been meaning to go a few weeks ago, but the Alliance had needed him more. Now Luke was within reach, and yet, even when Biggs could clearly see his face, just across the hall, he couldn’t believe it.

—     conditional

“These terms are non-negotiable, Skywalker,” Fett said.

His blaster was still pointed at Biggs’ temple. The bounty hunter would kill him before either could move.

“Fine.” Luke threw away his lightsaber. “I come with you, but he stays alive. Those are my conditions.”

Fett agreed and tossed a pair of handcuffs at Luke, shooting Biggs’ leg in the same motion. Biggs shouted and dropped to his knees.

“He’s alive, now come on, Jedi.”

— gone

He had missed twenty years, two decades, too much time his son should have been at his side. Padmé was gone, Vader had returned to Naboo to examine her grave, to ensure that this hadn’t been yet another trick played on him, that she hadn’t betrayed him once more.

Vader had always thought their child would be a girl with Padmé’s coloring and maybe his blue eyes. She had been fond of them. He wondered what Luke looked like beyond the red haze of Vader’s vision.

— clear

“Are you threatening me?” Biggs asked, trying to figure out why Han Solo was metaphorically waving his blaster in Biggs’ face.

Han nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest. The two of them were almost the same height, but Biggs was tired and slouching while Han was standing with his back straight.

“Yes, it’s tradition. Luke is my friend. I figured nobody else had done it on his behalf. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Biggs replied.

—     heartache

“He’s stupid!” Leia ranted. “And ignorant and arrogant and petulant and-“

“Important to you?” Luke interrupted her.

Leia glared at him, then dropped face-first onto her bed and groaned. It was strange seeing her so childish. Around everyone else, she acted much more serious, never said a word about how she was feeling. Luke thought it might be because everyone called her “Princess” first and by her rank second, making it easier for themselves to talk over her.

But the two of them clicked well. Sometimes it surprised Luke that they hadn’t been friends since childhood, teasing each other about their crushes and heartache.

“One day I’m going to kiss Han to shut him up,” Leia vowed.

— wired

There were always a lot of droids on their bases, especially around the hanger where most of the repairs took place and the pilots kept their astromechs, except Luke’s of course. Artoo always followed his Master or, in his absence, his Master’s companion.

“Your droid has some loose wiring,” one of their mechanics said.

Artoo had left one Master once, he wouldn’t leave a second.

—     insanity

Watching Luke train was fascinating. He was right in his element, all the habits that made Luke a little strange fit so suddenly. You couldn’t spent half your life in love with Luke Skywalker and end up thinking he was normal. Biggs recalled the stories the Clone Wars’ veterans on base told of the leaders they always called their Jedi, loyal to the end. They sounded like ethereal warriors with too bright eyes, always a little too aware of their surroundings. It was almost too easy to picture Luke as one of them. It wasn’t insane to imagine him bringing back the Order he belonged to now.

Biggs wouldn’t mind. Hell, he’d be right out there with him helping. If Luke set his mind on something, he could do it.

— foolish

“Marry me,” Biggs said.

“What?” Luke thought he had misheard Biggs.

“Let’s get married,” his boyfriend repeated, grinning like a love-sick fool. “So you’ll always know I’m going to come back for you.”

“We can’t. My uncle-“

“So we’ll do it in secret,” Biggs argued. “No one but us has to know.”

Marrying in secret was nothing unusual on Tatooine. It was often enough that couples couldn’t be together openly, Hutt rule prevented that kind of freedom. Luke had always thought his wedding would be different.

“We’re not slaves,” Luke said stubbornly. They shouldn’t have to do anything in secret, they were free people and few things had ever been as important to Luke as reminding others of it.

“I know. I know Luke Skywalker, freeborn child of Anakin, child of Shmi, child of the desert. I know you and I want to marry you.”

Luke stared at him in disbelief, giving Biggs a chance to take back his words, but his best friend was still serious, unwilling to budge. Luke was strong, stubborn too, but not enough to deny himself this.

“We don’t have any water!” He finally blurted out. “We need water. And japor pieces.”

“Is that a yes?”

Luke leaned forward until his forehead was resting against Biggs’. “Of course, I’m saying yes.”

— words

He was silent at his father’s funeral. He could hear the people celebrating in the distance, but right in front of the funeral pyre where Anakin Skywalker’s prison laid burning, Luke couldn’t say a word.

— study

“Master Yoda told me to pass on what I’ve learned,” Luke said and dropped the datapads in frustration. “But there’s so much I don’t know! How am I supposed to bring back the Jedi if I don’t even know half of what their Padawans had to know?”

He’d spent hours upon hours reading through his Father’s archive. He barely managed to get through one text without having to look up another and another- A lot of it didn’t make sense to him and half of it he didn’t even understand.

Whenever he told one of the others, they just said he’d manage with some more studying, but Luke was starting to lose faith. Where did one start to study without a teacher?

Master Yoda had called him a Jedi Knight, Luke wasn’t so sure about that anymore.

— love

Luke didn’t know how to love gradually. Unlike his Father, as he’d later learn, Luke’s love wasn’t all-consuming, going further than it should. He cared for his pilots, for his friends, his sister, and his father. Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader, but Darth Vader was also Anakin Skywalker or he wouldn’t have chased after his son for years. Once that knowledge settled in his mind, Luke loved his father. It gave him the strength to throw away his lightsaber, to come in peace instead of war. He’d never excuse Vader’s actions and he’d never give more than he could, but Luke loved and the galaxy was a better place for it.

— skies

“Rogue Squadron reporting for duty, Sir,” Luke said.

He knew that the rest of High Command didn’t really know what to make of him. He was young, he was short and he had a lightsaber he was only just now figuring out how to use. The sky, though? That Luke knew. He didn’t know how to be a Jedi, but he knew how to fly and soar through the sky.

He could be a pilot.

He would be.

— stars

“I want to see the stars, all of them,” Luke said, proud that his voice didn’t crack even once. It had started breaking a while ago, much to everyone’s amusement.

“All of them? That will take a while.” Biggs was teasing him, but Luke knew his friend yearned for the stars just as much as he did.

“A whole lifetime!”

Luke couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do.

— lucky

Luke closed his eyes. He had to make this shot. Failure was not an option. What was, was.

Back on Tatooine, people always said Luke was a lucky one. He may not have had the most money, but he always managed to pick the best droids and ship parts for the few credits he did have. Shooting womp rats half-blind with sand making his eyes tear wasn’t more difficult than this.

He just had to focus.

— shake

“This is Rogue Three, I’ve picked up some annoying imps and I can’t shake them.”

“Rogue Twelve here. I’m helping you out. Where’s your wingman?”

“Busy getting shot at- I just got that wing repaired, don’t aim at it, you stupid-“

“Rogue Six, has anybody got their eyes on our fearless leader?”

“Rogue Two, I’m still following Luke- kriff, shit, oh, no, no-“

“What’s going on there? Wedge, what the heck’s going on?”

“TIE fighters, three of them- fuck, that’s Death Squadron! Everybody retreat! Get out! Hail command and tell them we need back up! Now!”

—     punctual

Biggs pulled up, just in time to avoid the shot from the TIE fighter behind him and spun, just like he used to back home, causing the enemy pilot to crash into the wall. Biggs resumed his position as Luke’s guard, sure that once more he wouldn’t be able to make it. Instead of falling into a panic, remembering the names and faces of the decimated Red Squadron, Biggs forced himself to look ahead. They’d make it, he told himself. There was no fear. The winds of Tatooine carried them forward and Biggs watched as Luke made his shot. Even before the hit landed, he was already pulling up, ready to give Luke cover so they could escape in time before the Death Star blew them up as well.

Biggs knew Luke had done the impossible.

They escaped the Death Star as fast as they could, passing the wreckage of a bloodless battlefield.

“Red three, are you with me?” Luke’s voice echoed over the comms.

“Yeah,” Biggs replied. “Like I’d ever leave you alone. I promised, remember?”

They were both laughing and crying when they got out of their ships. Biggs pulled Luke into a hug, desperation and utter joy overwhelming him, so very similar to that last night on Tatooine.

They had survived.

[treenahasthaal]

Do you have any headcanons about Luke skywalker? (Just him in general, how he was affected by the OT events, and whatever else you want to share?) I love your take on Luke in all your writings!

Hi, and thanks for the ask and my apologies for not answering earlier. 

Firstly, thank you very much for your kind words and I’m thrilled that you like my take on Luke. It means a lot when people like my scribbles. 

Do I have any headcanons on Luke? 

I’ve been pondering this since this ask appeared and I did actually have to look up what exactly headcanon was - yes, I know it, and yes I understood it, but I never really considered that I had headcanon. That seems a little daft, doesn’t it? Of course I have headcanon.

In no particular order - (and I do believe that some of these are also canon-Luke)

Luke is loyal to a fault. He absolutely will not betray his friends or family or want to let them down. He would prefer to die himself than see them hurt. It’s why he went back to the farm on Tatooine when he and Kenobi found the burned out Sand Crawler despite the danger, it’s also why he left Dagobah and one of the reasons he left the strike squad on Endor (to distract Vader and Palpatine - or so he thought, bless him).

(Therefore, I cannot, ever, accept Rian Johnson’s bitter-Luke, although there are similarities his Luke and my Luke share. However…)

Luke is not a coward. Ever.

Luke would NOT confront (that was the word used by Luke in The Last Jedi) a young Ben Solo in the middle of the night while the boy slept (which to me is cowardly). Luke would go to Ben in daylight and TALK with him. If Ben turned on him, Luke would defend himself, but he would NOT try to kill the boy. That is Han and Leia’s child!  (I have a half written scene of this…)

Luke would not run away from issues – no, Luke always runs TO issues. “I can fix this! I can save him!”

I have no issue with Luke being on the Island – not just to hide and die. Luke would have a PURPOSE for being there. A reason, and when his sister called Luke absolutely would respond.

Anyway…

Luke’s good with his hands - like his father. He has an affinity with machines and can fix the unfixable. 

He is generally a humble person - although he knows he’s a good pilot. He knows he’s a bloody good pilot and will brag of his exploits when he gets the chance. (I used to bullseye womprats in my T-16 back home…).

He doubts his own skills and abilities – apart from the above. Again a product of a childhood on Tatooine and with an uncle who dampened any aspirations he may have and who gave little praise. (Owen did not mean to be mean – he wanted to protect Luke). Owen loved Luke.

Luke and Beru were close. She let him away with things his Uncle would not have been pleased about.

He didn’t excel at school, although he is very intelligent. He’s a dreamer – remember.

He’s a killer. He knows he’s a killer. He was raised on a ruthless desert planet that takes no prisoners and Luke will not hesitate to kill to defend. He will also kill to eat. (Take note of the shooting of the detention centre guards - Luke seems to be the one to kill first.) I’m not saying he’s blood thirsty – but he can be ruthless.

He vomited after the Battle of Yavin. The enormity of what he did on the Death Star, and too the Death Star, hit and he was as sick as pig. He partied hard and pretended he was fine, but the enormity of what he did and the number he killed hit him hard. It stayed with him his entire life.

Luke is not a virgin by ANH. There was a brief dalliance with a friend of friend in his landspeeder not long after his 18th birthday.

Luke is straight - (although I agree with Mark Hamill that Luke can be whatever fans want him to be. This fan sees him as straight). Luke is a young, hot blooded, male who knows nothing of the Jedi’s tenants of “no attachments.” He attaches a lot after Yavin. (Often to forget what he did and how many died). My head canon also has him having child(ren) from his sowing of wild oats when he was younger. Although it’s not something I’ve ever really written about in my fanfic.

There is a darkness in Luke. A deep darkness. He knows it himself. It’s always been there; when he killed womprats, when he beat Fixer to thread the stone needle in beggars canyon, when he callously grabbed the body of the dead Imperial off the console (ANH) to allow Han in. It was there in ESB (the cave – he being his own worst enemy), it was definitely there in Return of the Jedi and look how glad he was, how satisfied he was, that Jabba didn’t bargain. The Dark side of the Force really, really wants Luke.

If he was to turn, he would be insatiable in ways that Vader is not.

He’s quick to anger, has little patience, and wants everything done yesterday. 

Luke mopes. Is prone to thinking too much in quiet moments. He will take responsibility for things that were not his fault. He is prone to depressive feelings – although not enough that it would overcome his sense of loyalty and duty.

Luke doesn’t like to be idle – although his uncle would disagree! Luke needs to be doing something.

He takes on too much. Says “yes,” too often and this is a throwback to having too few friends on Tatooine, to being bullied. He wants to be liked.

Luke likes a good drink – hence the “partied hard,” after Yavin. But he is not predisposed to a dependency.

He grieves hard for his family, for his friends who were killed. 

He has his mother’s heart and her sense of justice.

Luke is contradiction – after all he is a Skywalker!

He has an absolutely filthy sense of humour.

He blushes easily.

He loves food…. I mean, OMG LOOK AT THAT STEAK! He eats quickly, stuffs his mouth, and his aunt used to despair at his manners.

He almost died when he was younger after being bitten by a viper.

Joining the Rebellion, climbing the ranks, did give him disciple and helped temper many of his impulses – especially when he had to command men under him and make decisions that would result in deaths – that’s why, like Anakin, he lead from the front. He gained the loyalty of many.

Luke would like (would have liked) a family of his own.

Luke did not stick to the beliefs of the Jedi (or their dress sense – another thing I didn’t like about the ST. Coming from a place where clothing had to be practical I could not understand why Luke would chose to dress in the long robes of the Jedi, and was happy he ditched them when going about his day).

 I have probably not covered everything and may come back and add to this list. It’s really funny that in all my years of writing that I have never considered what my own headcanon for Luke is. I just write him. If I can see him, I mean if I can literally see him and hear him in my head, then I can write him. If I don’t see it or hear it then it’s not Luke and I have to re-think things. Does that make sense? I am a visual writer. I describe what I see and sometimes I get a surprise when Luke flips things on me.

I hope I have answered the question.

[chubbyooo]

Blurred Lines: Cursed Past Chapter 76 - Birth of a Revolution

hey all my block is bad at the mo but here’s a chapter I finally got round to

Risha discusses her plans for Dubrillion with Ash and Gacen

Ash sat on the grass not quite sure what to do, Gacen had been in there for a while and by the sounds of things he was rather occupied. She couldn’t say she could really relate to whatever animalistic lust came over them but knew it was best to give them some space. She smiled still, it could’ve gone a lot worse, they seemed to have reconnected positively, it felt kinda good but not as good as she’d hoped. She thought it might make her lack of direction go away but nope it was still there, there was word from Guss that Risha was planning something so maybe she could help with that. She sighed, nothing ever really filled that lack of direction feeling but Havoc Squad had been the best example of something that gave her direction but even then she was fighting for a corrupt government. 

She looked around the jungle and the base set up, Risha certainly had been busy and productive, there were little droids building all over the jungle. She chuckled and she’d also been rich enough, Ash turned to see Guss sitting down next to her he was poking at the ground seeming like he wanted to say something “so how long do you reckon we’re gonna have to wait?” someone had to break the silence

Guss looked to her flustered “oh um maybe a while they hopefully will be done soon” Ash nodded knowing Gacen it could be a while “so uh you were travelling with Gacen?” Ash could sense the jealousy even if it wasn’t warranted

Ash looked away “yeah I mean I helped him out of prison and then I thought it best someone look after him” she sighed “and I really didn’t have anything else to do” Guss nodded rubbing his chin

He turned to her “well I’m glad he’s back he was probably missing his Jedi Best Friend” Ash just nodded ignoring the obvious implication

Ash folded her arms “yeah I’m sure he missed his sidekick he told me about it when i was piloting the ship” Guss’ eyes widened 

He responded in a huff “I’m not a sidekic… he lets you pilot the ship” Ash let herself grin a little bit  

Ash nodded “well yes I’m copilot after all and we’re equals so there wouldn’t be any reason not to” Guss breathed out heavily frowning

Guss sulked “well yes I suppose so… I’m glad he managed to find Risha as a result of me that was quite well placed of me” Ash had to admit messing with him was a little fun

Ash responded “yeah it’s a good thing I found that footage of you I’m happy to have helped” Guss frowned a little more before looking away

He mumbled “no one likes a show off” and then continued “I managed to get all these droids here by the way, well before M4-SK was here” he paused “not too shabby if you ask me” Ash nodded just ignoring him now

From behind they heard a voice “that was pretty good of you buddy” Ash turned to see Gacen above them, he jumped down off the ridge “alright we’re all done so you guys can come in” Ash sighed not wanting to know what that entailed 

Ash asked “so how did it go? Is everything good?” Gacen had a noticeable smile which cause Ash to let out a very genuine smile 

Gacen raised his eyebrow “woah what is this are you genuinely smiling” he teased as Ash’s signature frown returned “anyway yeah it went awesome you were right no awkwardness but not only that, Risha has some plans of her own if you wanna get involved” It was either this or boring smuggler jobs so Ash nodded

Gacen led them towards the house and as he did Guss jogged up to him “so um about Ash how serious is uh this um friendship” Ash lagged behind but couldn’t help but roll her eyes

Gacen shook his head “Guss don’t do this to yourself you’re both equally good I’m allowed more than one friend, I could never replace you” Guss looked both satisfied and unsatisfied at the same time

He nodded “right right yes equally good friends right” he slinked back “cool cool cool cool” as he passed Ash he mumbled “irreplaceable” Ash had to stifle a laugh due to how little she cared about this weird rivalry Guss had created for himself

Gacen led them into the base and to a large war room where Risha stood waiting for them at a holotable, Ash had to admit as soon as she saw a war room she got a little rush of excitement this could be good. 

Risha looked sternly at Ash she wondered if she was still mad at Ash for taking Gacen away on that mission “good to see you again Ash how have you been” she had never heard anything said sterner in her life

Ash looked away awkwardly “uh hi um Risha I uh well I want to apolag-” Risha cut her off

She waved it off “relax Ash, you may have taken Gacen from me and gotten him captured separating us for 8 years” she paused for a scary amount of time “but you brought him back so I forgive you” Ash gave an awkward smile nodding

Gacen chuckled “dude she’s messing with you” Risha face turned into a smirk as she gestured to the Holotable, upon it was the planet of Dubrillion spinning as they gathered around it

Risha began “As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now I am trying to retake Dubrillion from this man” a stern Bald man appeared on the table his face long and old, Ash had seen his face once before on a Holo that a terrible scientist had talked to. “This is King Actavarus III of Dubrillion the current ruler of Dubrillion, a Tyrant and more than that a coward” Ash had gotten that impression from him he seemed like the worst type of noble

Gacen chimed in “also a massive Asshole” Risha nodded agreeing with Gacen’s comment

Risha sighed “he is the sort of ruler that when he sees a revolution brewing he will destroy cities to stop it” she paused “that’s not a metaphor he actually did that, to get at me” Ash could see the hurt in her face as she talked “he and the other nobles surrendered the planet during the eternal empires reign almost immediately but now that has been dissolved it remains unaligned” Ash nodded considering the options

Ash spoke up “it seems if we were to take on this we’d need allies, ones that are powerful and could outsmart such cowardly tactics” Risha nodded sliding a crest across the table to her

Risha continued “absolutely correct but I think we have just gained the first one, if you will be one of the commanders Ash?” Ash looked at the crest of a crown sitting above a factory; she felt an immense sense of pride as she held it.

She let herself smile again “of course I will Risha I’ve looked into what Actavarus has been doing and if anywhere needs liberating it’s Dubrillion” Risha nodded with a smile

Gacen joked “oh wow two times in one day she’s doing it she’s having emotions” Ash got the knife from her belt and gestured with it to shut Gacen up

Risha shook her head “anyway I can’t form any sort of open rebellion as he will sacrifice the people for control and I can’t allow that” she brought up a set of plans that each looked complex “so instead I will need operatives to do theses jobs for me, these are a number of plans I have come up with to minimize civilian casualties but allow us the control and foothold we would need” Ash looked at the many plans on the screen Risha certainly had a lot of time on her hands many of these had contingencies and everything but she did worry considering she wasn’t a military mind. Risha continued “but for now we have limited options so we will merely be doing scouting and recruitment” she looked to Gacen “Gacen will be handling recruitment of allies due to his certain charms” Gacen looked very full of himself for a second, Risha turned back to Ash “and I wanted you to handle early missions, first you and Guss should head to Dubrillion to check on the scientists inventions” the face of that terrible scientist appeared on the screen

Ash frowned “are you sure Guss would be the best choice for this mission he may slow me down” Risha frowned at her

Guss responded “I don’t mind working with her but she does have a point I may slow her down a bit” wow talk about low confidence

She folded her arms “you’re a lot more resourceful than you may look” she paused “but more importantly I don’t want anyone going in without backup we’re stretched thin enough as it is we need to stick together” Ash conceded that was a very good point

Gacen smiled “she’s right though I’m sure by the end of the trip you guys will be best mates” they both looked at each other not convinced

Risha continued “nonetheless Armande is the one thing I can’t really predict, he has a habit for trying to make inventions and getting something that has an other more dangerous function and as a result it’s pretty hard to predict” Ash nodded that at least explained the terrible truth serum

Ash looked at the plans “right so have a look around his base find out what dangerous inventions he has here and report back” Risha nodded Ash was very surprised they were getting on so well

Risha frowned “and if anything goes wrong do NOT mention me or anything about these plans we need this looking like a break in, if you get caught keep the act up until you can escape got it’ she was very firm making it abundantly clear how hush hush this had to be

Ash nodded “Understood you can count on me” Ash was surprised she honestly couldn’t wait to go, her first proper mission in years she better ace it

Risha smiled turning to Gacen “In the meantime we have to decide what allies we may want to and if any faction would take us” she pressed a button on the table and a red togrutas face appeared on the screen “first of all I’d like to get some of my most trusted allies so Gacen I need you to find Master Sumalee” Gacen let out and audible groan

Gacen sighed “whaaat we have to work with the by the rules Jedi cmonnnnn what can she offer us” Ash could think of so many things

Risha put her hands on her hips “you think Sumalee is by the book? She’s one of the better jedi and regardless we could use her strategic mind on this matter and you know she owes me” Gacen conceded nodding “now you better play nice and get her for me” Gacen nodded

He frowned “fine I may not like her but you have a point” he paused “and to be honest you probably have so much more of an idea of how to take a planet” he was only half joking but Risha did still smile

Risha continued “Intel suggests she’s on a planet called Wayland I have some possible coordinates but it may take a bit of searching so take M4-SK with you” she gestured to the corner where Ash hadn’t even noticed M4-SK leaning against the wall

They stood up and walked towards them “A new part eh Pard” they paused as their voice became a lot higher pitched “sounds perfect I’ll start workin on my character when we have some time Master Zandar” Gacen looked at them a bit bewildered

He responded “I um guess just be a protocol droid for this one” M4-SK nodded as Gacen frowned at them

M4-SK responded “ah yes sounds perfect next time you see me I will be a protocol droid” with that they walked out of the chamber

Gacen frowned “isn’t it already a protocol droid?” Risha just shook her head

“Just go with it it’s a lot easier than arguing” Guss nodded they clearly were used to it

Ash still was curious about a few things “so in terms of a bigger ally what were you thinking?” Risha brought up what looked like pros and cons lists

Risha gestured to them “Well there are two options either we go with the Republic or the Alliance, the Republic is a little more of a sure thing but also liable to corruption. Whereas the Alliance tends to be volatile so I’m looking for further input hopefully from Sumalee and you two” Ash pretty much had the same opinion of both it was a rather good assessment

Gacen chuckled “don’t ask me I have no idea who’s running what or the morales of any of them” Ash could back that up he really had no idea what was going on.

Risha frowned “really? Well I guess I’ll have to talk to Sumalee and Ash then but I’m leaning towards the Alliance” Ash nodded in agreement, the republic had burned her too many times. Risha shook her head “anyway for now those are the plans I’d advise we leave soon but feel free to at least take a break before we spring into action” Ash nodded she was raring to go but Gacen probably wasn’t

Gacen shook his head “I think I’ll stay a couple days and make sure to get a perma comm set up with you before I go” Risha smiled as she chucked a commlink at him

She chuckled “already done, you best keep that on” Gacen quickly put it on

Gacen smiled “perfect I like the way you think babe” Ash scoffed as they began to flirt and left to plan the mission

A day or two had passed since the briefing and Ash had been bogged down preparing for the mission but finally she was ready as they prepared the small vessel Risha and Guss had escaped in for a trip to Dubrillion. She smiled, they were all ready, she was gonna get everything she needed, come back and plan a revolution, she hadn’t felt this excited in weeks. 

She turned to Guss as he packed the ship “ok are you ready? Got all the stealth equipment and the fake credentials” Guss nodded as he carried a box to the ship

He smiled “I checked them all with Risha before I left the base and I think that everything is correct and in order” Ash smiled Guss had proved surprisingly capable when being bossed around he certainly didn’t question authority like someone

Ash nodded “sounds good get everything prepped” she glanced past him to see Gacen standing waiting to say goodbye “I gotta say my goodbyes I assume you already have?” he nodded as Ash strode over to Gacen

Gacen smiled a her “look at you two days and already going off on another mission” Ash chuckled he had a point

She looked away “I uh was never one to stay in a place too long, I completed my mission with you now it’s on to the next one and all that” she paused “but I’m not going anywhere I’ll be back in a couple days ready for your arrival with Sumalee” Ash assumed Gacen felt weird since they hadn’t been apart for two years and to be fair it was a little weird

Gacen held his neck “yeah I know but I haven’t been away from you since escaping just uh guess I’m just a sentimental fool” Ash nodded he was definitely that

She responded “well don’t worry I”m sure Risha can look after you and believe me when I get back we are having a checkup, you can handle this mate I believe in you” Gacen nodded he knew the nature of their friendship at this point

Gacen smiled “thanks for getting me here, I never could’ve done this without you” he chuckled “there I go getting sentimental again I think i get that from my mom” Ash laughed before she remembered something she’d been meaning to ask him. She was about to speak up but she paused looking at him for a second, he looked happy, maybe she could give him a few days before asking about his family.

She looked to the ship “Well I best not keep Guss waiting don’t want him to crash the ship” Gacen laughed clearly relating “I’ll see ya soon have fun with your wife” Gacen nodded waving goodbye to her as she walked onto the ship. Here we go she thought another adventure let’s hope this ones a good one...

[its-captain-sir]

A Record of Memories

For the 3/27 Writing Wednesday prompt: Long Forgotten Origins.

I procrastinated a ton on writing this, but it’s done now! Enjoy!

*****

Leia is purchasing supplies for the Rebellion when she stumbles upon it. It's an old medpack, from the time of the Republic if she had to guess, probably scavenged from one of the many ships on this junkyard of a planet.

She picks it up. Medical supplies are always good to find, no matter how old they may be.

All the typical things are in there, and then some. Hypos, syringes, a few rolls of bandages, some bacta patches that may or may not still be good, a couple old stims, and even a few pieces of actual flimsy. But what surprises her is the comm resting at the bottom.

She pulls it out, throwing the medpack in with all the other supplies she'll be purchasing today. The comm's clearly been modified. A small holoprojector is attached to its side, as well as a few other things she doesn't know the names of.

It takes a while to find the switch, but she manages to get it turned on. It still works, even after all these years.

A list is the first thing that pops up. Each line of text is a string of numbers, coupled with a date. They're recorded entries, she realizes, though of what she has no idea.

There's no one else around, so she scrolls to the top and clicks on the first one.

The holoprojector flickers, and in place of the list, there is now a person. Human, for sure. Probably a male by the looks of it.

He's got the start of a goatee on his chin and a tattooed 5 at his temple. Maybe a few years older than her if she had to guess.

"Hey there!" he says, speaking directly to the comm. "Just got this back today! Cable's rigged everything up for me, but I figured that before I actually start using it, I should do an introduction."

"The name's Fives," he says, and that tattoo he has suddenly makes a lot more sense now. "I had this comm modified so I can use it to record things." Fives grins. "You wouldn't believe the stuff that happens around here. Echo said-"

"I said absolutely nothing about any of this, Fives, this was all your idea," another voice says. Fives' grin gets wider and the recording shakes as Fives moves to sit by the other person. Fives slings an arm around their shoulders and pulls them in frame. Their faces are identical.

"This is my batchmate, Echo," he says.

Leia nearly drops the comm.

"He's sort of a stick in the mud, but I love him anyways," Fives continues, laughing when Echo tries to elbow him in the ribs.

"Nobody," Echo grumbles "Nobody would know. What's that? Fives is missing? Oh, wow, what a shame, I'll miss him so much."

"Ah, c'mon, Echo, you know the only way the 501st wouldn't assume you killed me is if it was an accident!"

"That's how I'm going to make it look-"

Leia shuts off the comm.

Clones.

They were clones.

Her father would tell her stories about the clones sometimes. How he worked relief efforts with them during the war, how they came to his rescue more than a few times. How they suddenly turned against the Republic they fought for and helped instate the new Empire across the galaxy.

The clones were nothing more than traitors. They blindly followed whatever orders they were given, no better than unthinking droids. She should just throw this comm away.

There's something telling her to hold on to it though. Some little voice inside her head wants her to keep it, despite all the reasons she has to toss it back in with all the junk and let it stay there forgotten.

That little voice has never steered her wrong before.

She pockets the comm and moves on.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is back on her ship, and she realizes she still has the comm.

She pulls it out of her pocket and plays the recording from before. She pays more attention to it this time around, watches it through all the way. And once it's over, she plays the next.

And the next.

And the next.

She doesn't know why she's watching these. She doesn't like the clones, not with everything they've done. There's no reason for her to watch these recordings.

She keeps watching them anyway.

~~~~~~~~~

Leia is on the 5th recording, and suddenly, everything she knows changes.

In these recordings, or at least in all the ones she's seen, there's joking, teasing, lots of laughter involved.

This though. This is different.

Fives is the only person in this recording. The room he's in is completely empty, save him.

He runs his hand through his hair. It seems like a nervous tick almost.

"I know this isn't normally what happens in these vids I've been taking," he says, "but I just-"

He trails off, looking away from the comm for a moment, but Leia could have swore she saw tears shining in his eyes for a second.

He looks back up, and there is definitely unshed tears there. "I just don't know what else to do," he whispers, and Leia jerks back a bit because he sounds broken.

"I- I need to talk about all this, get it all out. But... I can't. I can't just go up to someone and talk about everything, it just- it doesn't work like that. Not in the GAR." He swallows, closes his eyes. "This is the only other thing I can think of to try. To- to cope with everything."

"The Separatists attacked Kamino," he says. "It's the closest thing we clones have to a home. And they attacked it." Leia's heart clenches at his words, visions of Alderaan being destroyed running through her mind.

"There were so many droids," he murmurs. His gaze has that far-away look she's seen become more and more common in the members of the Rebellion. "Everyone fought as hard as they could. Our lives, our future was at stake. We were all willing to lay down our lives for that, and so many of us did."

"The droids made it into the barracks despite all our efforts. We- we did everything we could but-" The tears finally spill over and Fives doesn't bother trying to stop them from falling down his face. "One of the cadets... He didn't make it."

"Gods, they- they're just kids," he says, burying his head in his hands. "They're just little kids, they shouldn't have had to fight for their lives!" He's shouting by the end, but Leia hardly notices it. All she can do is stare in horror at the comm.

"I should have done something more," Fives says. He's quieter again. "I should have pushed myself harder, should have come up with better plans, paid more attention to droid movements-"

Leia shuts off the comm.

How, she wonders. How could no one have known this? How could they not see that these clones were people? These were living, breathing, beings, not heartless droids. They had a home, they were children at one point, they mourned, they grieved, they beat themselves up about things over and over just like everyone else and no one ever saw it.

Or if they had, they've forgotten it now.

She vows right then and there to watch all of the recordings on the comm. The rest of the galaxy has forgotten what the clones were like, but she won't. It isn't much, she knows, she's only one person. But it's still one more person than before who knows the truth.

She turns the comm back on and keeps watching.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is back from a mission, and she goes to seek out Luke.

"What is it?" he asks when she shows him the comm.

"Something I think you'll want to see," she replies, and turns on the comm. It opens up to the recording she found during some downtime on her mission.

It starts in the middle of a conversation.

"-an't believe I've never told it to you before." The speaker is a young man, a Jedi if the lightsaber at his hip is any clue. The man eyes the comm in confusion. "You're recording this, Fives?"

"Well, this is a General Skywalker story," the clone in question says. Luke's eyes widen at the name. "I reckon it's gonna get pretty interesting."

Skywalker laughs. "Would you expect anything less from me at this point?"

Fives grins. "Never, sir."

Skywalker launches into some story about how he destroyed a Trade Federation control ship as a kid, complete with vivid descriptions and sound effects. Leia doesn't pay much attention to it, having already listened to it before. She watches Luke instead as he listens to the story his father tells.

The recording finishes, and she clicks off the comm.

"Thank you for showing me this," Luke says. He wraps his arms around her in a tight hug.

She's surprised at first, but then she squeezes back just as hard.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is watching as the fleet jumps to hyperspace, away from the Empire.

From the viewport in her quarters, she can see what's left of their forces. There's not even half of them left.

She looks away, tries to ignore the prick of tears in her eyes.

Her gaze falls on the comm. She was watching a recording before the Imperials attacked. It was another of the ones with just Fives in it. The ones he made to cope.

She doesn't think he's ever needed it more.

Because Echo, Fives' closest brother and partner in everything, was gone.

Leia's heart breaks as she watches it, and underneath all the pain, she is angry. Angry that Echo was gone, and Fives is left alone. Angry that he died in a meaningless battle that didn't even matter in the end. Angry that war reduces these deaths to nothing.

But that's just how it is. War is long and hard, and it takes and takes and takes.

She wishes it wasn't that way. She knows Fives does too.

~~~~~~~

Leia is in an escape pod and clutching Fives' comm in her hand.

She barely had time to grab it before jumping in the pod and launching away from the crippled ship that the Imperials are now ripping to shreds.

It makes her realize something. There is no place she can leave the comm where it would be safe. Bases could be raided, ships could be destroyed, and unlike this time, she might not be able to go back for it.

She couldn't lose it. Fives didn't deserve to have his memory be lost again.

She gets picked up, heads back to their most recent base. It's easy to find a short leather cord once she's there, and easier still to securely attach it to the comm.

She slides the cord around her neck and tucks the comm beneath her shirt. As long as she lives, Fives' memory will be safe.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is alone in her quarters when she hears about Umbara.

She's grateful for that fact. No one will ever see the way her eyes water with unshed tears in the same way Fives' does as he recounts horror after horror.

The galaxy has no idea what these men went through. She wishes they did.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon when Han asks her about the comm.

"Must be important," he says, "for you to keep it on you at all times."

"It is," she replies. And then she shows him exactly how important it is. She pulls up a recording. It's one of her favorites.

"We've been stuck up in this ship for week," Fives says, holding the comm in front of him. "Can't go planet-side, everyone's restless, and I am bored out of my kriffing mind."

He holds up a ruler, grinning. "So, I'm gonna go poke some people."

The holo shifts as Fives approaches another clone. "That's Jesse," she says.

"How can you tell?" Han asks. Only the back of his head and armor can be seen, but even if she hadn't already seen this recording before, she'd know it was Jesse. The clones were identical, but only in looks. They each had their own differences, subtle though some of them may be, and not one of them was the same as another. Once you understood that, it was easy to tell them apart.

But Han does not understand that, so she just shrugs.

Fives pokes Jesse with the ruler once and the other clone is already turning around. "Fives, what are you doing?" Jesse asks, his face a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

Fives pokes him again. "Isn't it obvious? I'm measuring your patience."

Jesse groans as Fives laughs, but he's smiling too. "You kidding me? My patience is limitless!"

"That's a lie," Fives says, going to poke Jesse again. Jesse bats the ruler away.

"Nuh uh," he says, "it's completely true!" Fives pokes him again and Jesse makes a grab for the ruler. Fives moves it out of his reach and takes off running.

He stops in the medbay. There's another clone in there, a medic based off the markings on his armor. Fives gets within four feet of him before he's stopped.

"Fives, what the kriff are you up to now?" The medic's voice holds a long-suffering tone that Leia knows is reserved specifically for Fives.

"Aw, come on, Kix!" Fives pokes him a few times with the ruler, but Kix never looks up from his work. "I'm only measuring your patience."

"Patience?" Kix says. "Oh, I have quite a few of those. I wonder how many. Say, Fives, how about you put your measuring skills to good use and-"

Fives is already leaving the room, but it's just long enough for a smirk to be seen on Kix's face.

Jesse is in the hall behind him, grinning. "So. That went well."

"Shut up, Jesse," Fives says, poking him once again with the ruler. "Let's go find someone else to bother."

They walk into the mess next. It's empty, save a few people. They scan the small crowd, until Fives smirks and elbows the clone next to him. "Hey Jesse, the Captain's over there, how much patience do you think-"

"Fives, I swear if you poke me with that ruler, I will personally throw you out the airlock," the man in question says, sipping from a cup of caf as he walks past them.

Fives and Jesse are silent as the Captain leaves. As soon as he's out of earshot, Fives turns to Jesse.

"You know, I don't think the Captain has any patience at all."

Jesse bursts into laughs, and the recording ends.

Leia shuts off the comm, putting it back on the cord around her neck.

"I didn't know that's what the clones were like," Han says after a few moments of silence.

"I didn't either," she says.

Han looks from her to the comm. Then he nods and leaves the cockpit.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is on Endor, and the Empire is finally dead.

The Rebellion has won. After years of fighting, they've won. Leia's happy, of course, who wouldn't be after such a victory?

But there is still much to be done. There's reports to be filled out, death counts to be confirmed, messages to be sent out across the galaxy explaining their victory here today, remaining Imperial holdouts to be dealt with, an entire government to be set up, the list could go on forever.

Now, however, is not the time for all that, Leia thinks, fingering the comm around her neck. Now is the time for celebration. It's not every day you take down a tyrannical government after all.

She sits down in front of one of the many fires being started, Luke on one side and Han on the other, and lets herself enjoy the party.

It isn't until much later, after the party has been in full swing for a few hours already, that she hears it. One voice amidst all the other cheers and shouts of the Rebels. It sounds familiar. A bit older than she's used to, maybe a bit more subdued, but familiar all the same.

She turns to Luke, who has a better view of everyone from his spot, and asks him if he knows the person the voice belongs to.

"That's Commander Rex," he says after shifting in his seat to get a better look at the man's face. She's heard of him a few times over the years, known enough about him to be glad when she saw his name on the list of members of the strike team to destroy the shield generator. She's never had a chance to meet him though, not with everything that had been going on.

Hearing his voice, coupled with his name, she wonders why she never put two and two together until now.

She goes to talk to him later that evening.

"Commander Rex," she says, holding out a hand. He takes it, grip firm and strong.

"Princess Leia," he greets. "Don't believe we've ever met before."

"No," she says, smiling, "Not in person.

"But I recognize you from somewhere else, Captain."

[anghraine]

“the jedi and the sith lord” - chapter seventeen

Last chapter:

“I won’t help you fight the Rebellion!” said Lucy.

“I had no expectation that you would,” Vader replied. “But I have many enemies.”

Understanding—hopefully the right understanding—crept over her.

“Like Varti and Jerjerrod?”

This chapter:

“Your master does have a certain reputation,” Lepha began.

Gathon kicked him again. 

“I don’t have a master,” said Lucy, softening her voice by sheer force of will. “But Lord Vader would never harm you, I’m sure—not if you are truly loyal to the Empire.”

chapters: chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five, chapter six, chapter seven, chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter ten, chapter eleven, chapter twelve, chapter thirteen, chapter fourteen, chapter fifteen, chapter sixteen

-

Janos Varti seriously considered rejecting Darth Vader’s invitation to “consult” over recent matters in person. On the one hand, rejecting anything Lord Vader asked you to do was rarely a good idea. On the other, he liked his head right where it was, and though Vader would suffer the Emperor’s wrath at harm to him, he’d rather be alive than avenged. 

If this had anything to do with that business of Jerjerrod’s—damn that, anyway. Jerjerrod was a good man, a loyal man, but sometimes he got an idea in his head that was completely idiotic. Testing their ships against Darth Vader’s stronghold and throwing away their men in the process had to be one of them. But it wasn’t Varti’s fault.

On the other hand, this could come down to any number of things. It might be, however improbably, an opportunity for further advancement. And refusing would look indisputably suspicious and turn Vader’s loyalists against him. 

Fine. He’d never lacked for nerve, anyway. Varti made sure those around him knew that he was meeting with Vader, as well as the Emperor, just in case. Then he accepted the invitation and the escort to Vjun. 

He’d never actually seen the stronghold, so he looked around with some interest once they landed and he was handed a device that generated a small force field around him. Did they expect any danger from locals? But no, apparently it was simply a matter of air. Of course Vader would establish himself in a literally poisonous atmosphere.

Two jagged cliffs reared up on either side of what was, unmistakably, a fortress. It didn’t look like Imperial architecture at all. Or the Republic’s, for that matter. Probably some relic of that nonsense religion of his. 

Varti, followed by two of his most trusted officers, marched through the hangar bay after a group of Vader’s men, noting the greenish sky all but bristling with ships and the lines of soldiers outside the massive front gates. Jerjerrod really had been an idiot, throwing away even a small portion of their fleet on this place. Their entire fleet couldn’t take it.

He had a minor squabble at the gates with a commander who insisted that only Varti had been allowed entrance, not his men. Varti insisted, in turn, that he never went anywhere without them (not true). Finally, the commander walked some distance away and muttered into his comlink, then returned and begrudgingly allowed Gathon and Lepha to enter along with Varti. 

Frankly relieved, but suspecting he shouldn’t be, Varti strode through the gates and into a large entry of stone braced by Imperial metal. It made for a bizarre and not at all welcoming mixture. 

Droids were everywhere. Varti couldn’t identify them all—he hadn’t exactly made a practice of studying droid manufacture—but at least some were his size, and one by the door stood some seven feet tall, was at least a meter across, and had four blasters attached to its arms.

The officers who’d escorted him inside cleared their respective throats, and one said,

“LX-3? This is him.”

The enormous droid turned to examine Varti, its red eyes flashing. A rather nasty piece of work, if you asked him. 

“You are Admiral Janos Varti?” it demanded.

“I am,” said Varti, deciding against antagonizing Vader’s giant armed droid. 

“And these are?”

“Captain Gathon and Lieutenant Lepha,” he said. “They are my assistants.”

The droid scrutinized them.

“Very well. Lord Vader will see you. Follow me.”

Hoping he hadn’t made the stupidest decision of his life, Varti gestured for Gathon and Lepha to follow and stalked after the droid. LX-3, he guessed, though the names of droids didn’t usually concern him. 

They made their way through a labyrinthine set of stark walls, all of which looked more or less like the sort of foyer he’d passed through—rough stone mixed with smooth Imperial metals. Bright lights had been embedded into the walls, so at least the place wasn’t actively ominous. Rather surprising, considering its principal inhabitant.

On the way, he saw any number of droids moving about and no people. Okay, that was a little ominous. But he could easily believe that Vader, who was practically a droid himself, might prefer them. 

LX-3 led him into a good-sized room that looked considerably more Imperial than the halls, though the window that filled the room with sickly green light seemed an innovation. But it had various metal chairs scattered about, and about two thirds of the way in, an enormous black one turned away from the door. Vader’s, presumably, though Varti didn’t recall if he’d ever actually seen the man—cyborg—sit down. 

He hesitated. Was Vader in the chair? He couldn’t see anyone, but he had the distinct impression that someone was there. 

“They’re here,” the droid said abruptly, and ducked its head to march out, doors sliding closed behind it. Varti, seasoned admiral though he was, nearly jumped. 

“Lord Vader?” he said.

Slowly, the chair wheeled around, revealing—

A girl.

Varti stared at her, utterly baffled by this turn of events. She wasn’t a child but a young woman, at least. Very young and very small. Incongruously, she wore a cheerful yellow dress with flowers on it. Flowers. Varti’s confused gaze passed from the flowers to her bare shoulders to the dark blonde plait over her shoulder, tied with a pink ribbon. She had a book open in her lap—the old kind, made of leather and paper, though he couldn’t make out any words on the pages, just bizarre designs and what looked like a map of a human body. He glanced back at her shoulders and then made it to her face.

The girl was considering him with large blue eyes. 

“Ah … miss,” said Varti at last, “we’re here to see Darth Vader. Did the droid lead us to the correct location?”

Whatever else he might have suspected Vader of keeping here, a blonde was not one of them.

“Yes,” she said, her voice rather lower than he expected. Then she tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. In a slightly lilting voice, she said something like, “Valee!”

She must have a comlink on her somewhere, though he could hardly imagine where. 

She said something again, so garbled that he couldn’t understand anything beyond his own name and the droid’s. Was she all right in the head? Maybe this was some sort of test.

Then she opened her eyes and said,

“I’m Lucy. Lucy Alsara.” She glanced from Varti to Gathon and Lepha, and gestured at some of the chairs. “Please sit down. Lord Vader will be here in a moment.”

Cautiously, Varti led the way over to the largest of the available chairs and sat down. 

“Would you like … ah, tea?” she asked. “Or something?”

She didn’t look especially intelligent, but something about her pleasant face made Varti uneasy. If he was going to be here for several days, however, he’d have to eat eventually. It might as well be now.

“If it isn’t too much trouble,” he said.

“And what about your friends?”

Friends? Varti looked over at Gathon and Lepha, who were sitting stick-straight, very obviously uncomfortable. 

“They would also like tea,” he said firmly.

“How nice,” said Alsara.

She closed her book with a decided thwap, hopped off her chair (a considerable hop, for her), and strode over to the door. That surprised him a little—not her destination, but the stride. It didn’t at all suit her dainty appearance. 

When the doors opened, she said,

“Ellex, could you have someone ask RN-7 for three cups of tea? I’m sure he’ll be happy to do it.”

As if droids were happy to do anything. What a strange girl. 

If this particular droid responded, he didn’t hear it, but he did hear a few metallic clanks before the doors closed again and Alsara returned to her chair. With every appearance of grace, she managed to launch herself back into it. 

“So, what brings you here?” she asked.

“I’m afraid that is a matter between us and Lord Vader. Military business, you understand.”

“Oh, that’s right,” said Alsara. “You’re an admiral, aren’t you?”

“I am,” he replied. 

She stared at him, to the point that he started to wonder if he had something on his face. 

“That must be very nice,” she said at last. 

“It has its upsides,” said Varti. “And downsides, of course.”

Like his presence here.

“However, Miss Alsara,” he said, “I’m not familiar with your position. Do you serve Lord Vader?”

Belatedly, he thought that he might not want to know.

Alsara frowned, the simple question apparently taking a moment to percolate through her brain. His uneasiness dwindled a bit.

“After a manner of speaking,” she said. “I do various things.”

Varti allowed himself a faint smile. “Like sending for tea?”

“Well, that was my first time at that,” she told him brightly. “We don’t really get guests.” 

He imagined not.

“Well, not often,” she went on. “I hear.” 

“You hear?” he repeated.

“I’ve only been here for a few months,” said Alsara. “I think it’s been a few months? It’s hard to know. Oh. I forgot to ask if you take it black? I always do.”

Varti’s sister used to joke that he liked tea in his sugar. 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said politely.

As if summoned by the thought, the doors slid open and a tall, slim droid entered, balancing on its hand a tray with an actual teapot, cups, and thankfully, what looked like pots of cream and sugar. 

Alsara clapped her hands. “It’s all right! Arren remembered.”

“Arren remembers everything, miss,” said the droid, passing out cups and pouring out the tea. “Cream or sugar, gentlemen?”

“Both,” Varti ordered. “For all of us.”

For no reason, Lepha gave a noticeable exhalation. 

Once the droid had finished and turned about, Alsara called out, “Thank you!”

“You are welcome. There was no difficulty in this task,” the droid said flatly, and continued on its way. 

Varti waited for Gathon and Lepha to take several sips of their tea. Neither dropped dead or started convulsing, so he took the risk and began drinking his own.

“I hope it’s good,” said Alsara.

“Delicious,” he replied. 

Unexpectedly, it was true. He’d never imagined Vader as a patron of culinary artists. Could he even eat? Varti hadn’t really thought about it before. It was easy to believe that Vader subsisted on oil and malice. 

“Well,” she said, “if you don’t mind, I have a … task to do, so I’ll leave you now. Lord Vader should be with you very soon.”

“I look forward to seeing him,” lied Varti.

Alsara just gave a friendly sort of nod and headed out with the same decided steps as before. In another moment, she vanished through the door.

-

It had been, Lucy thought, a day.

There was the Jedi library, full of more information than she could absorb in a lifetime. There was her agreement to continue her Jedi training, under Vader—her father, but also Vader. Then he’d gotten summoned away and left her to her own devices in the library, which felt both wonderful and very daunting. She’d finally pulled out an old book at random, vaguely hoping the Force would guide her choice, but struggled to understand its series of diagrams. 

And then Ellex had gotten summoned in turn and actually left Lucy alone, for the first time in forever. Lucy had thought about it, and reluctantly decided that her father probably wouldn’t want her to wander around unsupervised. She didn’t want to start off her apprenticeship on the wrong foot, so she headed off to Vader’s receiving chamber, assuming he’d find her there at some point. She’d scarcely arrived and taken up her book again, though, when she heard his voice in her head telling her that Varti’s ship had arrived, and if she encountered him, she should do her best to make him comfortable.

Lucy didn’t exactly specialize in making people feel comfortable. But she could understand why Vader would want the man off his guard, even if she was hardly the person to manage it. She’d played her part as well as she could—which was maybe not very well—

He seems confused, she thought.

Sure enough, Anakin’s voice—lighter and clearer than in life—sounded in her mind.

About what?

Me, I think, thought Lucy. He asked some questions, but I was pretty vague. Then I asked him if he wanted tea.

Tea?

He actually drank it, she told him, still rather surprised by that. He was cautious, but he’s not really afraid, I don’t think. And he wasn’t impatient.

He knows better than to be, replied Vader, but he seemed startled, too. Very well. Stay on your guard, Lucy.

I will, she promised, and his presence in her mind receded into the distance, where he must actually be. 

She was still getting used to that. 

Lucy stayed uncertainly in place outside the door, conscious that if Varti or his flunkies tried to leave, they’d find her there rather than accomplishing whatever her task was supposed to be. But still less did she want Ellex or Vader to find her gone; her adventure on the cliff was now several weeks ago, but it had to make any disappearance suspect. And that would interfere with whatever Vader’s plans were for managing Varti, so—

Nevertheless, her father seemed surprised all over again when he showed up in person. 

“Lucy,” he said, “what are you doing?”

“Waiting,” said Lucy.

“For what?”

“Ellex,” she replied. 

The mask looked down at her. Then understanding seemed to touch him.

“Ellex is busy with other duties at the moment,” he said. “You may go.”

“Where?” said Lucy.

“Wherever you wish,” he said. “As long as you remain inside the castle.”

“Right. Well, I wasn’t planning on dying any time soon,” she replied, and glanced at the door behind her. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” said Anakin dryly. 

After a moment’s consideration, she decided to go back to the archives, and cocked her head to the side as she walked. Then she smiled—sure enough, he’d waited until she turned the corner and disappeared from his enemies’ sight before opening the doors. 

It came as a small relief, but an important one, that he thought of such things. Not everyone did, and Lucy, for all that everyone seemed to consider her a wild-eyed idealist, knew that she’d always had a streak of pragmatism in her. Apparently he had a bit of one, too.

Good, she thought, and continued on her way.

-

The next few days, for Lucy, were decidedly strange. She had full run of the castle, as far as she could tell, even as her father spent hours cooped up with Admiral Varti. While it made a certain sense that Lucy wouldn’t be invited to eavesdrop on Imperial business, and that Vader wouldn’t tell her all about it, it left her floating around to act as she saw fit.

Now and then, though, Varti’s two men were also sent off to cool their feet in the halls. Vader didn’t have to tell her to keep an eye on them; even when she didn’t physically join them, she imagined a mental circle around them and followed them in the Force. They were definitely snooping around, she decided, and after a moment’s uncertainty, told Ellex.

Predictably, she said, “Did you expect they would do anything else?”

“I expected they’d stick to their posts,” said Lucy. “Imperials usually follow orders, don’t they?”

“Undoubtedly they are,” said Ellex.

Oh. Right. Well, she had orders, too: to be observant. Her father had probably just been thinking about the formal occasions when Lucy had some cause for joining them—most often, the petrifyingly dull dinners. And there were plenty of droids around, keeping their sensors peeled (okay, not peeled) as they completed their primary functions, largely ignored by the other Imperials. The droids probably notice more than she would.

Still, she couldn’t just wander off and do nothing. Instead, she walked straight up to them, her friendliest smile on her face.

“Hello!”

The two men, busy scrutinizing a stretch of wall (that, as far as Lucy could sense, consisted entirely of stone), jumped. 

“Oh,” said Captain Gathon, “Miss … Miss El …?”

“Alsara,” supplied Lucy. “I hope nothing’s wrong? Lord Vader does want your stay here to be as pleasant as possible.”

“Ah,” said Lieutenant Lepha. “Yes, our treatment has been very civil. It’s quite a relief.”

Gathon kicked him as Lucy widened her eyes.

“A relief? I hope you wouldn’t think that the droids or I would do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. Oh, have we?”

“Not at all,” Lepha said quickly.

“Good,” said Lucy, smiling again. “You needn’t be concerned about them—the droids, I mean. Lord Vader keeps them in the best condition and routinely checks their codes for problems.”

She assumed he did, anyway.

“We weren’t,” said Gathon.

“They’re quite safe,” she went on, as if he hadn’t spoken. “Well, except LX-3. She’s the giant battle droid at the front gate. The one with the blasters. Did you notice her?”

“Uh,” Lepha said. “Yes.”

“It’s difficult not to,” added Gathon, seeming to give up on investigation under Lucy’s cheerful attention. “I trust her restraining bolt is firmly in place?”

None of the droids here had restraining bolts.

“Oh, I don’t know about things like that,” Lucy said. “I just thought that you should know to be careful around her. She takes offense at nearly everything and, well, she does have those blasters. Not that she should have them, if you ask me.”

She sent a silent apology to Ellex.

“We’ll, ah, keep our distance,” said Gathon. 

“I don’t mean to interfere,” she said hurriedly, “it’s just that I would feel dreadful if anything happened to you.”

“Thank you,” Lepha said.

Gathon gave him a withering look.

“Don’t worry. We’re not your responsibility, Miss Elsarah.”

“I feel responsible for the welfare of everyone in the castle,” she replied, “and guests most of all! Especially since you seemed to have expected—that is, if you were relieved—unless you meant …” Her brow furrowed.

“Are you a sort of housekeeper?” asked Gathon. 

“I’m Lord Vader’s assistant,” she said. “It’s not a formal title—but that’s what I do. Just like you do for Admiral Varti, I imagine.” Then she widened her eyes again. “Oh! Did you mean that you expected something worse from Lord Vader?”

“He didn’t mean anything,” Gathon told her. 

“Your master does have a certain reputation,” Lepha began.

Gathon kicked him again. 

“I don’t have a master,” said Lucy, softening her voice by sheer force of will. “But Lord Vader would never harm you, I’m sure—not if you are truly loyal to the Empire.” She paused. “You’re guests, after all! But we must not speak of such things. We should … oh, I know. Shall I show you around the castle?”

Gathon and Lepha looked at each other, then at her. Lepha opened his mouth.

“We must stay at our posts, unfortunately,” said Gathon.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were posted at … this bit of wall,” she said. “Well, I’m sorry for distracting you, then. I’ll make sure Lord Vader knows, so he doesn’t suspect anything untoward.”

“That’s not necessary—”

“Goodbye!” she said.

Lucy turned on her heel, her skirts making a satisfying swirl around her ankles, and did her best to look as if she were wandering aimlessly off. Once she knew she was well out of sight, she stopped and exhaled. She liked things to be straightforward, and so few things seemed to be. A lightsaber, now, was straightforward. Already, she missed practicing with Anakin’s, and with Anakin himself. But it would be too suspicious right now. 

At least, Lucy told herself, it’d be over soon.

[irinapaleolog]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a number of extremely divisive elements - but arguably its biggest mistake was mishandling Kylo Ren's redemption.

The Skywalker Saga concluded with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - but amid several divisive elements, the botched redemption of Kylo Ren was arguably the film's most egregious. Abrams previously helmed the opening installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He then passed the torch ahead of the follow-up, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In the wake of that middle chapter's highly divisive reception, however, Abrams seemed like the perfect choice to steer the franchise back on course.

Unfortunately, the film was widely panned by critics - making The Rise of Skywalker the lowest rated Star Wars film on Rotten Tomatoes. The response from fans also proved extremely mixed. While some praised how the film seemed to retcon some of The Last Jedi's creative decisions, others lamented its desire to cling so strongly to the past. That desire even resulted in the surprising return of Emperor Palpatine - despite the fact that Lucas himself stated that Palpatine died in his original trilogy.

Played by Adam Driver, Kylo Ren made his debut in The Force Awakens. Ostensibly serving the function in the sequel trilogy as Darth Vader did in the original films, Kylo initially served as the primary antagonist in the service of a tyrannical overlord. It soon emerged, however, that there was more to Kylo than met the eye. First, it was revealed that he was actually Ben Solo, the son of original trilogy heroes Han Solo and Princess Leia. As such, it was widely expected, as with Vader before him, that Kylo Ren wouldn't remain a villain for the entirety of the new trilogy. That belief was only exacerbated by the events of The Last Jedi -  when new facets of his character were unveiled and he actively turned against Supreme Leader Snoke. Despite that, things remained firmly up in the air whether or not Kylo Ren would (or should) turn back to the light. Unfortunately, now that debate has been finally put to rest, the way with which it was handled has been met with understandable backlash.

Why Kylo Ren Had To Be Redeemed

As was famously offered in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, rebellions are built on hope. Equal to that is the fact that Star Wars is built on the fight between good and evil. That's true for the intergalactic scale of The Rebellion or The Resistance versus The Empire or The First Order. It's just as true for the internal struggles of individual characters. It's widely established that from the moment their powers are awakened, force-sensitive people are often pulled between the light and the dark. It's a struggle that both manifests in and often exacerbated by a struggle between the two. Most recently, that conflict was embodied by Kylo Ren in the final three chapters of The Skywalker Saga.

As established in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the warrior formerly known as Ben Solo was desperately trying to dedicate himself to The Dark Side. Despite that, he repeatedly felt such a pull to The Light as to cause him deep emotional pain. His efforts to finally vanquish any goodness within him saw him murder his own father. While that might seem like enough to condemn Kylo Ren forever, he was repeatedly shown to be struggling to reconcile who he wants to be with who he actually is. Those feelings were exemplified with his inability to similarly kill his mother and through his connection to Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Not to mention the tragic aspects of his encounter with Luke Skywalker seen in flashbacks. As such, he was humanized to such a degree that the redemption of Kylo Ren had to be inevitable, no matter how far he fell in the interim.

Obviously, the moral decay of a once good man can make for an enthralling journey - as evidenced by the journey of Walter White on Breaking Bad. Even Vince Gilligan's modern classic had Walter end his life in a heroic act. Returning to Albuquerque, he decided to save the life of Jesse Pinkman as he took murderous vengeance on Jack and the neo-Nazi gang that stole his empire. Even if Walt hadn't, however, it makes no real difference. After all, Breaking Bad is not Star Wars. Though both featured divisive installments directed, coincidentally, by Rian Johnson, the latter is a much more family-orientated affair. As such, the struggle (whether broad or internal) will always inevitably end with good winning out over evil. That being said, while Kylo Ren ultimately achieving some manner of redemption was always going to be the case, the method through which Abrams and co-writer writer Chris Terrio pursued this end was almost certainly the wrong one.

Why Redemption Through Sacrifice Worked For Darth Vader

Darth Vader previously achieved redemption through sacrifice in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. Having returned to the light and brought balance to the force, his destiny had been fully achieved. As such, there was nowhere left, really, for the character to go. Except to become one with The Force and reconnect with what loved ones he still could.

It also made sense given the fact that, in the wake of Lucas' prequel Star Wars trilogy, Anakin's body was irreparably damaged. Burnt, scarred, and crippled beyond measure, there was no true coming back from it. The best Anakin had been afforded was the chance to cling desperately to life via the aforementioned armor. As such, though there might have been away for him to continue his journey, he would be forever tied to the image that had come to be feared throughout the galaxy. In the wake of his heroic deed, Darth Vader had given himself the opportunity to die as a good man, removing his mask (and life support) to see Luke with his own eyes, so he took it willingly. That fact was emphasized by the later visual retcon of him returning to the visage of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), implying that his soul, if not his body, had been restored.

Why Repeating The Same Idea Was Wrong For Kylo Ren

Abrams is known for trafficking heavily in nostalgia, to varying degrees of success. As such, for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, he borrowed heavily from Lucas' original films and various elements of the extended canon. That decision has largely provoked a mixed reaction from fans and even Lucas himself taking issue with The Force Awakens. Arguably, the most poorly received recycling of past arcs would be in relation to Kylo Ren's redemption. As evidenced by the ongoing "Save Ben Solo" social media campaign, many took issue with the decision to kill the character off towards the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

After being healed by Rey, spiritually as well as physically, he returned the favor by bringing her back from seeming death. Unfortunately, the act ended up costing the newly restored Ben Solo his own life. It certainly made for a dramatic moment to which Driver customarily gave his all. However, it also felt like something of a narrative shortcut and very much a missed opportunity. After all, Ben Solo was fighting fit - having previously bested the Knights of Ren in their entirety and even survived a seemingly fatal fall. Unlike Vader, it felt as though Ben Solo still had much more to offer to the galaxy far, far away.

Redemption through sacrifice has become a common trope for a reason - and carries great impact if and when it's used effectively. In the case of Ben Solo, however, it felt entirely too easy. It's not clear just how widely known Kylo Ren's true identity is. In any case, whether recognized or not, the sight of a redeemed Ben Solo living on to actively atone for his past mistakes and heinous actions would have arguably have been even more impactful. The conceit of Ben Solo actively seeking to undo the devastation he caused and restore the legacy that his family actively tried to put in place would have been likely more meaningful and emotionally resonant. Even more than that, it could have been something altogether inspiring - to not only see that even villains can sometimes change their ways but offer a more constructive way of achieving that.

Keeping Ben Solo Alive Would've Improved Rise Of Skywalker's Ending

The ripple effect of keeping Ben Solo alive would have been substantial. In actual fact, it could have had the added bonus of improving The Rise of Skywalker's final sequence. Many have questioned why Ben Solo's force ghost wasn't present in the closing moments of the film. In truth, Ben Solo's force ghost was never planned for any portion of the movie. While that is assuredly a shame, it's arguably a larger missed opportunity to not have an alive and somewhat well Ben Solo there. For starters, it makes very little sense for Rey to venture to Tatooine beyond Abrams wanting to bring both Rey's own personal journey and the entire Skywalker saga full circle. The inclusion of Ben Solo could have actually have not only offset the flaws but also would have served to make the moment more emotionally impactful.

After all, Tattooine is where the Skywalker saga began, with both Anakin and then Luke venturing away from the planet to pursue their respective destinies. As such, having the last actual member of the Skywalker lineage willingly returning there would have had a kind of thematic poetry. That is especially true if it was where Ben Solo chose to begin a more active pursuit of redemption - be that training new Jedi or something else. Even the idea that Rey was the Skywalker destined to rise, as per the film's title, carries more weight with Ben's presence. By him choosing to forgo it until he's earned it and Rey opting to take it on as her own in the wake of defeating Palpatine, it serves to more aptly conclude Rey and Ben's Force Dyad connection without simply retreading past arcs.

In terms of the dynamic between Rey and Ben, there is, of course, a vocal section of fans that wanted them to end up together. Keeping Ben Solo alive in this context would have appeased those both for and against such a relationship. It would have allowed the eventual outcome to remain ambiguous, with them not officially together but the door left open for fans to endlessly speculate regarding their future. It also would have given at least one of the Skywalker bloodline something more than a miserable, ill-fated life. More importantly, however, it would have allowed Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to venture in a bold, new direction without sacrificing any of the franchise's core concepts.