#✧ *.･ﾟ☽ starlight ; shine on my heart

[kedsandtubesocks]

Jedi Master!Gojo x Mandalorian!Reader for the wonderful jjk star wars au collab, thank you my dear starlight @strawberrystepmom for crafting up this galaxy of a dream collab 🩶

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.: :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.: :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

The ancient Jedi texts and archives painted the mandalorians as brute callous monsters. Though the Jedi respect their skills as warriors and trained fighters, mandalorians were seen as the oldest enemy of his kind for a reason.

The Jedi prided themselves in elegant finesse and civility that sanctified them as the elite protectors of the galaxy. It’s why, in comparison, Mandalorians were seen as wild reckless horrifying fighters and why the Jedi looked down upon them.

It was all bantha shit to him though.

Satoru is so thankful he doesn’t care much about what dusty old weak past Jedi or even current his current Jedi comrades had to say.

You’re all the tangible proof Satoru needs to shove those histories and perceptions up the council’s ass.

You’re elegant in your own way. Clad in your people’s ancient armor, you walk with a grace knowing you wear it.

“It’s a sacred honor,” you once told him and he sees that sacred holiness residing in you.

The beskar forged by your people, by your ancestors, carves you into a warrior. But you are not a monster in beskar the text painted your kind to be.

“Must be sad, to not know someone or see their face.” Shoko had once mused with a quiet sadness over a comlink chat on evening.

“Nah… not really,” was the answer Satoru had told his oldest friend.

He’s heard your giggle through the moderated helmet you wear. He knows when you roll your eyes at him by the way your helmet tilts in annoyance. The way your voice fluctuates so easily, how brightly it can feel just hearing it, how fervent you sound when talking about something you care deeply about, Satoru sees you, knows you.

But he wishes to still see you in a way that is too dangerous even for him.

He vowed to forgo all attachments, the one true honor he tries living within the code. But it’s so hard when you’ve become like a magnet pulling him in.

His mind is infested by you.

Questions rage in his head like wild rancors. What is your most precious childhood memory? What haunts you most? Do you have a favorite creature? He takes you as a lover of loth cats.

He wants to know you, wants to keep your secrets and your unarmored soul safe within his grasp. It dangerously dances the line of possession, of wanting to possess and love you in a way that’s damning not just to him, but to you.

You and your loyal beautiful heart.

You and your shining honor gilded existence.

“Well,” he grins bright and so alive that the force pulsates through his chest with a rapid wildness. “Good morning to you, shiny!”

The planet of Geonosis is a wasteland, an actual stretch of deserted danger. Yet under the warm amber glow of the planet’s sun you gleam. You shine brighter than anything in this whole damn galaxy as you emerge from the ship.

Through your helmet he knows you’re scowling at him because the exhausted sigh leaving you holds a prickly annoyance.

“Let’s get this damn day over with, di’kut.” You huff out already so exhausted with him and he grins wide.

Your nickname for him is way less cuter than the one has for you. But, he adores it.

The term literally translates to ‘one who forgot to put their pants on.’ Colloquially it's slang for an idiot, a useless fool.

He sees it as your very own beskar slice reminding him of how human he is. Strongest Jedi or not, you’re unimpressed by him. You maybe see through him more than anyone else has.

“Aw, come on. Let’s start today off on a good foot, yeah verd’ika?”

He calls you little warrior, another cute nickname he adores using for you. Your shoulders stiffen and your fist clench. Satoru still loves that he can pull this reaction out of you even though you know he understands and even lightly speaks mando’a.

“Shut up.” You snap out swift and already storm off from him to head into the ghastly trek among the jagged mountains. Satoru follows you without hesitation.

Recently more than ever he thinks about why his kind and yours are fated enemies. Now Satoru believes he understands why mandalorians are seen as such a danger to the Jedi. You’re a pure beautiful beskar spear piercing through even his strongest barrier, launched right through his heart and leaving him raw. No one but you has ever done that.

Because even as the strongest Jedi Master, the savior of the Galaxy and consecration of the Jedi prophecy, he is weakened by you.

Now Satoru truly wonders if he will be strong enough to win against you - his strong little mandalorian warrior, the one who might truly be his downfall.

And he finds he’s not upset over that possibility at all.

[morganwrites-starwars]

Search for the Son

Summary: It was supposed to be a typical, boring Empire Day in which Darth Vader could wallow in his self-pity and anger. But instead, his son is abducted by the Rebel Alliance, leaving Vader to rush against the clock to find his son before Luke is injured, killed, or worse.

*set after chapter 13 in I Stand Here Right Beside You*

Masterlist

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  

           The room was silent, and he could feel eyes on him, watching his every move. Vader didn’t care about them, about their worries. He knew he had a temper, but if they were smart enough, they would be able to deal with it.

            The only thing Vader cared about at that moment was Luke. His beloved son, the last remaining piece of Padmé that Vader had. Luke was Vader’s piece of starlight, the only warm and unchanging thing in Vader’s world.

            And he was gone, stolen away by those Force-forsaken Rebels. Apparently, Vader had made a mistake when he assigned Commander Cody as Luke’s protector all those years ago. He had made a mistake in biting his tongue at their growing relationship. Vader wasn’t an idiot. He knew he wasn’t a good father, a good person. It was half the reason he had the clone watch, Luke. Vader had nightmares about accidentally hurting Luke in a fit of rage, his blue eyes shining with tears as he begged Vader to let go, pleading and saying you're breaking my heart, Ani-

            No. Luke had been safer with the clone. But now he was gone. And Vader would burn the galaxy to the ground to find him. The commander would pay for his failure, and the Rebellion would be crushed. And Luke would be returned home safely and stay at Vader’s side where he should have been all along.

            People hurried out of his way, and Vader had the faint impression of prey scattering at the sight of a predator. Only one person did not move out of his way. A vice-admiral according to his uniform. The fear was rolling off the man in waves, and Vader could see his hands shaking around the datapad he was holding. Vader stopped in front of the man, towering over him.

            “Lord Vader, sir,” the man all but squeaked, giving a salute that only highlighted his shakiness.

            “Speak,” Vader commanded, not having the patience to deal with nervous officers. The man would need to grow a backbone if he intended to move up in rank.

            “We have the security videos from the time of the Prince’s abduction,” the man said, managing not to stumble over the words.

            “You will send it to me immediately,” Vader demanded. He barely let the man get a confirmation out before storming past him. He felt his datapad ping from its place on his belt and entered the first free room he came upon.

            He pulled his pad out and projected the video onto an empty portion of the wall. It was from a video camera in the hall outside Luke’s room. Vader watched as the clone opened the door to the hidden passages and stepped into the hallway, scanning for rebels. The clone then gestured behind him. Luke and another person came out- Princess Leia, if Vader recalled correctly- and went to the doorway. They entered the room, and the hallway was empty. After a silent few minutes, a figure came down the hallway and stopped in front of Luke’s door. The video paused and zoomed in on the figure’s face. A pop-up identified them as one Ossea Pavvael, Luke’s personal tailor. Daughter of one Dr. Ren Pavvael- a known traitor to the Empire

            Vader immediately planned to find whoever hired Pavvael after Luke was safe. Depending on Luke’s condition and how much Vader believed their reasoning, they may or may not make it out of their encounter alive.

            Pavvael would definitely die, painfully if Vader had his way. It seemed being a traitor ran in the Pavvael blood.

            The video continued, switching to the camera embedded in the doorframe. Pavvael knocked on the door once, paused, and after a few moments, knocked again.

            “Luke? Cody? Are you there? It’s Ossea.” The sound of the woman’s voice fanned the flames of rage in Vader. He watched as the door slid open and Pavvael slipped into the room. The video ended, and Vader searched for more videos. He growled when he read the note, “Cameras within the prince’s room were disabled from before he entered the room and after the room was secured.”

            Perhaps that vice-admiral was smarter than he first appeared. He seemed to understand that Vader would not react well to such a blatant breach in security. With the lack of incompetent personnel to take his anger out on, Vader had to make do with the things in the room.

            His rage was becoming larger and larger, and he felt that he would soon burst from it. So, he released a fraction of the rage into the Force with barely a thought. Enough to keep himself from burning from the inside out, but not enough that he didn’t have enough to power himself. The furniture in the room shook, and Vader listened with satisfaction as chairs crumpled into balls. He felt fear radiating from outside the room and took a deep breath. It would do no good to accidentally kill the first annoyance he encountered. Especially considering they may have vital information.

            There was a tentative knock on the door, accompanied by a wave of fear. “Uh, Lord Vader, sir? We have more information on the Prince’s abduction.”

            “Enter.” Vader crossed his arms and watched as the door slid open after a wave of disappointment came from the speaker. When Vader saw the terrified admiral, he said, “What is it?”

            The admiral cleared his throat. “The ship used to abduct the prince was registered as the Leviathan to one Corrine Karm. She um, ah, was a member of the Free Ryloth movement, my lord.”

            “Why is it now I am just learning of the horrible security screening here?” Vader gritted it out, the crumped chairs vibrating behind him. The admiral’s eyes jumped to the wrecked chains, and he visibly gulped. Vader added the office for regulating ship energy to the Imperial center as a place he would be visiting.

            “It uh, it had not been exposed until this moment,” the admiral stuttered. “Those involved with letting Karm onto the planet have been placed into custody, my lord, and are currently being interrogated. Along with those who conducted Pavvael’s background checks.”

            Vader hummed. “It seems you are not all as incompetent as I first thought.”

            “Ah, thank you-“ Vader pushed past the man. The man sputtered for a moment before falling silent.

            Vader made his way deep into the Imperial Palace, stewing in his thoughts. He was barely keeping himself from running because every moment that passed was a moment that Luke could get hurt, killed, or worse. Vader’s breath stuttered as he imagined his son listening to the rebel’s propaganda and lies. He imaged Luke’s initial denial and potential rage at hearing the rebel’s lies. But Luke had never undergone training to resist any type of brainwashing. The mind tended to believe things it heard frequently. So, if Vader didn’t hurry, he still may find his son alive but turned against him- just as Padmé had been. And Vader didn’t think he could handle seeing his son look at him with hatred, seeing him as a monster. Yes, it was definitely a fate worse than death. Luke may just die anyway if the Emperor decided it wasn’t worth the effort to bring Luke back to his senses.

            Would Vader kill his son if the Emperor ordered it? His gut instinct was no; he would never hurt Luke, his darling son. Sidious could get karked. But then visions of younglings, relief transforming to terror, flashed in his mind. Vader had already committed atrocities at Sidious’ word, so who's to say he wouldn’t again?

            As Vader reached the holding cells, he decided it would never get to that point. He would find Luke before the rebels had a chance to infect and turn him. Then they would return to the Executer, and Vader will ensure that Luke will be able to protect himself from all types of mental manipulation. Luke would learn and grow into an impressive Prince, and Vader would finally, finally¸ kill Sidious. Luke would become Emperor and do better than Sidious could have ever dreamed, for Luke was his mother’s son. And Vader would stand proudly at his son’s side, protecting him and helping him turn the page to a better galaxy.

            The troopers guarding the doors to the holding cells saluted. Vader briefly prodded their minds. They weren’t clones, which was no surprise but still annoying. The clones had always been viciously competent, even before the chips made them little more than droids. Their competency, and lack of fear at Vader’s presence, meant Vader didn’t get a headache from being near them for more than a few minutes.

            Vader stormed past them and followed the Force to where the planetary security officer who let Karm on the planet was being held. Apparently, someone had warned the interrogators that he was coming as the door to the cell opened. The officer stepped out and saluted. Vader stared at him and ignored the blood on the officer’s gloves. He was apparently one of the ones who was passionate about his job.

            “Lord Vader,” the interrogator greeted, his hand falling to his side.

            “Report,” Vader demanded.

            “Gath Ato, human male, age 37. Originally from Corellia and joined the Empire in 8AFE. He was assigned to planetary defense but failed air force entrance exams. So he was assigned to ground control. He excelled and was reassigned to the Imperial Center one standard year ago. At this point, he claims innocence and no prior knowledge of the rebel’s plans. His record indicates no previous associated with anything relating to the rebels.”

            Vader pondered this information for a moment before dismissing the officer. Vader knew Ato was guilty and had already decided his fate. But first, he needed Ato’s information on the rebels.

            Vader entered the small room, consisting of a table with two chairs on either side. Ato was occupying the one opposite the door. He was unassuming, not worth a second look on an average day. His face was beginning to bruise on the left side, and his lip had been split. Ato looked up in fear at the sound of Vader’s breathing. Ato jerked his hands in his bonds, and he began to tremble.

            Vader relished in the fear. It was good. This man had aided the rebels in taking Luke, so he was right to be afraid.

            Vader heavily set one of his hands on the table. He leaned down so he was face to face with Ato. “Where is my son?”

            “I-I don’t, I didn’t,” Ato stammered, tears falling down his face. “I’m not, not, a, uh, a rebel-  I swear!”

            Vader slammed his hand on the table, leaving a dent. “Lies!” he yelled. Vader was silent as he regained control of his breathing. It had the bonus of unnerving Ato. In a quieter tone, Vader leaned back down and said, “I know you were involved in the rebel’s plan. And, if you wish to make it out of this room alive, you will tell me what you know.”

            Ato was crying audibly now, and Vader counted the moments to his following action. When Ato just began to shake his head, Vader held out his free hand and used the force to close off Ato’s windpipe. The man’s crying was cut off-a relief to Vader’s ears- and he tried to grasp his throat. But the cuffs on his wrists were magnetized to the table, and he couldn’t reach.

            Ato’s mouth moved with wordless pleads, but Vader ignored them in favor of perusing through the man’s mind. It took a second to make it past the wall of fearplelasedon’thelp, but Vader quickly found what he was looking for once he did. But, he was disappointed to see that Ato, in fact, knew nothing about the rebel’s plans. He had just accepted a bribe from an unknown woman (Pavvael, Vader identified) to let the Leviathan onto the planet.

            “Pathetic,” Vader growled before clenching his hand into a fist, snapping Ato’s neck. Vader let himself take a deep breath, as much as he could with his regulated breathing system, and bask in the quietness of the Force.

            But it did not last long. Because he still didn’t know where Luke was. But there was one more prisoner to meet. So Vader left the room with Ato’s cooling body and made his way to the room containing the personnel officer who okayed Pavvael’s background check.

            Any patience Vader had had was gone, so he swept into the room and immediately demanded, “If you wish to continue breathing, you will tell me where my son is.”

            The prisoner, a young-looking human female, looked at him in fear. The interrogator had a hand full of the woman’s hair, pulling her head back at an uncomfortable angle.

            “My Lord-“ the interrogator said, startled. He let go of the woman’s hair, her head slumping forward in relief.

            “I said,” Vader said, ignoring the interrogator, leaning close to the woman and pushing at the woman with the Force in time with his words, “you will tell me where my son is.”

            The woman was quiet, her head hanging. The interrogator likely had cracked ribs, her breathing was labored, and some blood slowly dripped from her mouth to her lap. Eventually, right before Vader reached his limit, she looked up and smiled, blood staining her teeth. Vader felt a thrill of satisfaction, for that is not an innocent person's face.

            “You will never find him. The prince and the commander are safe from you and the Emperor’s slimly hands.” The woman laughed, but it turned into a scream as Vader reached out and used the Force to break a few more of her ribs.

            Vader's burning rage had turned into an inferno. The woman was still alive because she was currently Vader’s best shot at information on his son’s whereabouts. But Vader was done with asking and beating around the bush, so he grasped the woman’s head in his hands. He dug into her mind and demanded, “Tell me what you know.”

            The woman clenched her jaw, but the words came out regardless. “The plan-it was never about- it was never about the Prince. The commander was the focus. They’re saving him- and as many clones as possible.”

            Vader pressed deeper, not believing the woman. There was no way that the rebellion cared more about the clones than the Imperial Prince. It would be like caring about a flimsi-clip compared to a credit chip. But everything in the Force was ringing true. So Vader decided to move past it and focus on the where. Where was the rebellion hiding? He pushed the question into the woman’s mind and watched her eyes squeeze shut as she fought desperately against the command.

            “Gonda,” the name of the planet slipped from the woman. There was truth in the Force, but Vader was suspicious. He knew rebels on infiltration missions were trained extensively in over-coming and working around force manipulation. And the planet’s name came too quickly.

            “Where is the current rebel base?” Vader pushed. The woman jerked and folded in on herself. Her breathing picked up, and Vader felt the pain radiating from the woman.

            “No,” she gasped. Vader pushed one last time before releasing the pressure on her mind. It would do no good to accidentally destroy the woman’s mind at this point. She still had valuable intel.

            “Alright,” Vader allowed the subject to drop. The woman was slumped in the chair, blood leaking from her nose. “Perhaps you are more willing to share the name of your contact.”

            The woman sneered. Vader didn’t bother to let her respond and just pushed back into her mind. The shock from the movement weakened the woman’s defenses. Vader was able to glimpse an image of an Iktotchian and the name ‘Mumda Hilul.’ The name wasn’t familiar, but it was a starting place.

            Vader left the woman’s mind again. He turned to the interrogator, who had moved to the side of the room. “I want details of the rebels' plan as soon as possible. And a full report about the Iktochian named Mumda Hilul.”

            “Yes, my Lord.”

            Vader left the cell as the interrogator approached the woman again. Vader tried to remember if any inquisitor was nearby in the galaxy. They would undoubtedly be able to get the information out of the woman more efficiently. Well, some of them could. Vader grabbed his pad and sent a message to the Grand Inquisitor, telling him to immediately send a nearby inquisitor with good interrogation skills to Imperial Center.

            Vader didn’t bother to wait for a response because he got a message from Sidious’ assistant. The Emperor was demanding an update on the investigation into the rebel attack and Luke’s abduction. Vader sent a confirmation and clenched his hand. Unintentionally, he crushed the light overhead. Vader knew Sidious would not be pleased with the progress made thus far, and Vader didn’t need the Force to see the lightning in his near future.

            But Vader deserved such a punishment. For failing the Emperor, but more importantly, for failing Luke and Padmé. Yes, Vader would accept his punishment and use it as further fuel for the search for his son. And once the search is over and the rebels dead, Vader will deal with Sidious once and for all. No one was ever going to hurt Luke again.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  

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