#Imperial Vacation On Scarif

[nika6q]

Summer in Scarif Undisclosed Imperial Retreat

Imperial Wrecker is enjoying a Scarif Slush unidentified beverage while fishing during a well-earned vacation.

[rebelkallus]

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away…

IMPERIAL VACATION ON SCARIF

“Grief, loss and fear sweep through the galaxy in the late aftermath of the CLONE WARS. Many systems remain unstable as power has fallen into the hands of those who seek to rule with terror.

For most it is a lawless time of turmoil. For those of IMPERIAL IMPORTANCE, it is a time of rebirth. Rebel factions are rare and weak and for a short while, the galaxy is nothing but a peaceful playground for the EMPIRE.

Admiral THRAWN and his fiancée translator, Lieutenant Commander ELI VANTO, are aboard a shuttle destined for imperial occupied SCARIF. As a ploy to keep the Chiss in his good graces, the EMPEROR has granted them leave to enjoy the planet’s private vacation islands…”

NEW FIC: Predominately a fluffy thranto beach fic, but with a whole ‘mystery’ side plot that includes other thrawn and friends adjacent characters - its crack treated seriously, essentially. Originally, I wrote this back in April 2019 leading up to the release of Thrawn: Treason, but took it down for reasons. Was inspired to re-upload a newly edited version, because if Lego Star Wars can be silly with a Scarif vacation, then so can I !!

Read on AO3

Twitter thread

[juicyspacesecrets]

i keep saying i would start early but i never do... Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bonus:

this was originally for halloween

[kyberphilosopher]

Eunoia

The Mantis crew decides to take a well deserved break.  Word Count: 2422

Warning(s): straight fluff, short Requested: yep This can be read for a female, male, non binary, or any other reader.

Eunoia is the shortest English word containing all five main vowel graphemes. It comes from the Greek word εὔνοια, meaning "well mind" or "beautiful thinking”. It is also a rarely used medical term referring to a state of normal mental health. In rhetoric, eunoia is the goodwill a speaker cultivates between himself and his audience, a condition of receptivity. In book eight of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle uses the term to refer to the kind and benevolent feelings of goodwill a spouse has which form the basis for the ethical foundation of human life.

* ✭ ˚ ･ﾟ ✧ *･ﾟ * ✭˚･ﾟ ✧* ･  *

Cal is actually not as observant as people think he is. You know because you’ve been leaning against his doorway, watching him, for about two minutes now and he hasn’t noticed a thing. 

Maybe if you were in his position you’d be the same. That seems about right. He’s hunched over his desk with the lamp on bright, tinkering with something that you can only assume is for BD-1. He’s probably lost in thought. Maybe he’s dreaming of better days. Or maybe he’s just trying to figure out which wires and bolts connect to which. There’s no way to be certain from your position. He’s the mechanic, you are not. 

So why have you been watching the redhead from his doorway for three minutes now? A simple answer. He is your friend, and you enjoy his company. Even when he’s not giving you attention, completely unaware to your presence in moments like this one, lost in his own world, it’s his warmth that really counts. Cal is such a relaxing bout of fresh air compared to everything else in the galaxy, in your life. It’s like being at a great party, but whether you enjoy it or not, stepping outside and tasting the air and the smell of something wonderful. Even if you had a day full of talking to people and had become burned out, talking to Cal would have been no problem at all. Maybe in a way that makes him your favorite person. 

Yeah, maybe. 

BD-1 jumps onto Cal’s desk. His head looks at the boys hands, cocking about as if observing. Then he meets your gaze, only to find a smile. One index finger raises to your lips, prompting the little droid to stay quiet about this, before you turn away and head towards the main part of the ship. 

“Where’s Cal?” Greez gruffs upon seeing you. He’s shaking spice onto a steaming brown plate, which puts a pep in your step. Greez’s cooking always makes life better. 

“In his room,” you answer. You turn from the doorway to the counter, where something hot does cause stringy, swirly puffs of air to waft upwards from a large metal container. With your back to Greez, you pull a plate for yourself and begin hulling it full of food. Some sort of rice or grain?  

“Hmph, that reminds me,” the Latero begins mid-chew. “Me and Cere was talking about taking a vacation.”

“Vacation?” you scrunch your eyebrows and put the lid back on the container. “Where to?”

“The beach maybe?”

You scoff as you turn around and lean on the counter. One hand holds the plate while the other uses your index finger to prod at the mush. It smells alluring. The individual pieces of it stick to your skin. They burn and sting, but it’s so small it doesn’t bring much of a reaction. “I don’t know a lot of beaches.”

“Well, ya know,” Greez shrugs. “Just a thought.”

* ✭ ˚ ･ﾟ ✧ *･ﾟ * ✭˚･ﾟ ✧* ･  *

It was more than just a thought. Six days later, the Mantis touches down on Scarif. But first there’s the issue of landing. 

“Watch that tree,” you point, leaning over Cal’s shoulder as he co-pilots beside Greez. A second later, the ship gives a great rock and the palm tree crunches beneath it. “You weren’t watching the tree.”

“Sorry,” Cal offers sheepishly. 

“What?” Greez says. He’s the one in main control of the ship. He’d never let Cal take over the whole thing. “What he do?”

“Ran over a tree,” you snort. 

“Cal!” Cere scolds, turning around in her chair. 

“I said I was sorry!” Cal defends. 

“I’m telling the wookies what you did,” you whisper.

“Don’t,” Cal whispers back, though it’s still desperate. 

The Mantis parks itself in a field of tropical emerald on the cuff of a beach. The sand is white, the waves cyan and royal blue and sloshing. There’s several beaches on the planet. All of which are very beautiful. Would be a true shame if anything were to ever happen to Scarif. It’s so different compared to so many other planets in the galaxy- not occupied by Imperial forces or scumbags. 

Greez waves everybody off. Cere exits first. Cal is ahead of you, but he steps to the side and rather gentlemanly insists, “You first.”

You hum and move past him. The Scarif air hits your face with a warm breeze. It smells of salt and water and some kind of flower. The horizon goes orange and pink and salmon with the setting sun. It is... serene. It nearly knocks you off your feet. It takes his voice to realize Cal is beside you at the bottom of the ramp. 

“Woah,” he offers simply, in as much awe as yourself. 

“Woah,” you repeat in agreement. It’s still for a second. “Come on. Let’s join them. Or else I’ll have to cast a Jedi mind trick on you.” Your fingers wiggle up and down by Cal’s face for dramatic effect. 

Cal rolls his eyes. “Shut up,” he utters with a push on your elbow, urging you forward into the sand. 

Okay, so maybe you like Cal more than just a friend. But who can blame you? Things had been feeling different between you two lately. You’d always gotten along pretty smoothly. You made up for skills that Cal seemed to lack himself, and his abilities- human and nonhuman- never ceased to amaze you. He was a friend. And then, when you tended to the stab wound he’d gotten from Vader, there was a moment where you held each others eyes. After that, the joking became more constant. The little touches on the shoulders and elbows and forehead taps happened more often. And you started watching him from his doorway sometimes and... and at some point you just caught feelings. 

Cal Kestis seemed to feel the same, but who could really say? No use poking that bear right now. 

The sand is soft, even beneath your boots. Cere stands in front of the water, just breathing in the air. The light breeze makes her vest ripple. It’s tempting to just join her. 

“Gotta say,” you hear a familiar voice say from your left and below. “We picked a nice place.”

“Maybe we should stay a while,” you joke, though you secretly hope for it, to Greez. 

“Yeah,” Greez rolls his eyes. “Until this moron gets us into trouble again!”

Cal perks up. “What did I do?”

“Anybody who can lift things with their mind is gonna attract some attention, kid. You just brought it on us.”

“So true,” you jump on with a smirk to Cal. 

“Alright,” Cal turns away towards the beach. You position yourself so you’re closer to him, and Greez takes the opportunity to waddle away further ahead to waves.

“Sorry for bursting your bubble, Cal,” you continue with a smug grin. “Maybe in the next life, don’t be born with force powers? Just a suggestion.”

“You think you’re so funny,” Cal tells you, though he’s smiling too. His pale green eyes spare a glance at you, thick lashes dancing on his boyish face. 

Your knees bend until you collapse on your bottom in the sand. It’s so soft, it doesn’t even resist your weight. It makes way for you easily, like a blanket. “I do.”

Cal joins you in the sand quickly enough. You’re both face to face, the wind in your hair and the water at your side. It crashes every few seconds, but it’s peaceful. Some kind of bird flies overhead, and butterflies are in the forested area behind you. The light of the sunset illuminates Cal’s hair more than usual. The brightest points of his eyes are highlighted. 

“He loves you,” you offer. 

“You think so?”

“I am one hundred percent certain... Just don’t touch the ship.”

Cal raises his hands as if surrendering. “Understood. Hands off.”

You turn your head to the water. Greez and Cere are standing ahead, most likely having a conversation of their own. The tide carries so much of the stress your shoulders hold away from you. Everything with the holocron, the empire- it was ridiculous what living in hiding could do to a person. It’s hard to imagine how Cal did it for so long. How painful that must’ve been for him. How painful it is to imagine him in pain. 

“How’s your stomach?” you decide to ask at last. 

Cal tilts his head for a second. “Better.”

“Perfect?” you raise your knees to your chest and rest your arms on them. 

Just then, a little whirring noise pulls both of your attentions away. BD-1 bounds down the ramp of the ship, twirling around in observance as if excited. “Hey, BD,” Cal greets. “I know, buddy. I know.” The droid places itself in Cal’s lap, still looking around at the change in scenery. 

“We’ve never been able to do this before,” you tell him. “I mean, I wasn’t here for the whole adventure. But I was here after and before and... and just... we’ve never done this.”

Cal is quiet. “I haven’t either.”

You look at him. 

“Taken a break. I guess time on Bracca was the closest thing.”

You smile softly. “I’m sure it was really nice.”

Cal rolls his eyes along with his head, though the corner of his chapped pink lips turn upwards. “As nice as it could be with the Empire.”

“That’s pretty nice.”

Cal and you huff a humorous puff of air in unison. 

“What were you doing before the Mantis?” Cal suddenly asked. 

“Oh,” you roll your eyes and wave your hand. “Not important. Don’t even worry about it.”

“Come on!” Cal shifts. 

“I’m serious!” you defend. “It’s boring stuff. You wouldn’t want to hear about it. Not as interesting as the force.”

“Well anything related to you is interesting,” Cal says casually, one of his palms lifting in the air for effect as he shifts again. 

Well that makes your face feel hot. Anything related to you is interesting. How often do people get to hear that? And how casually it comes out of Cal’s mouth, the shrug of his shoulders that you tie so easily to him, that’s how you know it’s honest. Not only have you heard something intimate that not many people will in their whole lives, but it was also heartfelt. 

“Yeah,” you mutter, though it sounds distant and far away as you watch Cal’s eyes. He doesn’t seem to mind. Then you snap back to reality. “This is gonna be good.”

Cal watches you pop to life, standing up entirely and running towards the water. BD-1 perks up as well to watch you just in time to see your much bigger form nearly knock the Latero over. And, much to Cal’s surprise, the little droid jumps from his lap and bounds after you. The red head decides he’s next to follow. 

“BD-1,” he rasps, also nearly pushing Greez to the ground. “Don’t touch the water!”

But it’s too late. However, nothing happens. BD-1 stands in the shallow waves, unelectrocuted and unbroken. He doesn’t spark a bit, only cocking his head in wonder at his friend. 

“Think fast!” a voice calls. 

A splash of warm and salty water slaps against Cal’s face. He cringes, turning his shoulders away on impact with a little gasp that makes his throat burn. “Hey!”

Another splash. 

Cal turns to you. You’re standing with your hands on either side of yourself, open and matching your smug and proud face. Your boots are still on, which can’t be comfortable given that they’re now submerged in water. BD-1 is on the back of your shoulders- something Cal thought was only between him and the droid. Apparently not. 

“What’s wrong, Cal? Can’t handle the current?”

Cal stills himself. Then he bends down himself and flicks water upwards. 

“Hey! No!”

He does it once more. 

“No!”

So you too repeat your original actions and begin forcing salty liquid up into the air in Cal’s direction as well. BD-1 grips onto your collar for stability while you both go to town, careful to not open your mouths too wide and taste the saltiness. 

“Be careful you two!” Cere calls from the shore. Neither Cal nor yourself heed her words, continuing on in disrupting the tide. 

“They’re fine,” Greez assures with the wave of one of his many arms. 

“Are you sure about that?” Cere responds with a hand on her hip as she watches you tackle the Jedi to the sandy terrain below the shallow water. 

“Completely fine.”

You push both of Cal’s shoulders down jokingly, careful not to subdue his head under the water. He cranes his neck to keep it above the waves. Through his soft lashes, Cal can just see your smiling, evil intentioned face with BD-1 on your shoulder gazing at him. 

Honestly, it feels just how it did last week- the last time you had watched Cal in his room. Gazing at him, admiring him. Just now you get to touch him, relax with him, splash water at him, even. You wish you could capture this moment if not forever, then for a while, and Cal wishes the same. 

* ✭ ˚ ･ﾟ ✧ *･ﾟ * ✭˚･ﾟ ✧* ･  *

Sorry it’s short. Idk if it’s my best work certainly but I haven’t written for Cal or Star Wars in a while. But I didn’t kill the reader in this fic or have someone sick or in danger! So it might be my first ever straight fluff? I don’t know. But what a good character to do it with. I’m glad to give Cal a break. And i hope the requester enjoys. 

[laughingphoenixleader]

🌌 fanfiction masterlist 🌌

Phoenix Leader: Hera deals with the loss of many fellow Rebels after the an hour or two after the end of Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Episode 7: Wings of the Master, with the help of a certain Jedi.

Look At Me: Set the night of Season 3, Episode 3: The Holocrons of Fate. Kanan has finally returned from his self-imposed exile, but he and Hera aren’t where they were before Malachor happened. But when a trauma-induced nightmare strikes, Hera can’t just leave him alone, even though tension between them still runs high.

✨Kanera Week 2021 ✨

Moonbeam: A Masterpiece: - Sabine Wren adds a little something to Hera Syndulla's new A-Wing. Hera and Kanan's reactions differ greatly. Prompt: Trouble.

More Than Ever Before: Kanan and Hera are making it official. (Hint: Kanera marriage!) Prompt: Connection.

It Would Be You: Kanan and Hera's relationship deepens to a new level as they enjoy a night together on the Ghost. Set in between Season 1 and Season 2. Prompt: Ultimate OTP moment.

It’s Been a Long, Long Time: Hera and her crew join the Battle of Exegol...which leads to an unexpected yet welcome reunion. Prompt: Reunion.

Shenanigans With Spectre Seven: Jacen Syndulla is running for his life. Prompt: Found family.

Longing to Linger Til’ Dawn: Kanan and Hera recently admitted to having feelings for each other. Okay...Hera was the only one who really needed to. They've been so busy, though, that Kanan's starting to be frustrated by the fact that she's constantly working. Prompt: Song Lyrics.

Moons of Rion | Part One: Kanan Jarrus has finally reopened himself to the Force, but this comes with unintended consequences. These consequences concern Hera Syndulla, and she desperately wants to help him...if he'll only let her. Prompt: Free Day.

Moons of Rion | Part Two: Kanan and Hera meet up with a mysterious contact, who seems strangely nervous about something…(featuring an OC!!)

Moons of Rion | Part Three: Kanan, Hera, and Nakoa have a meeting in the common room…which might lead to somebody “doing some backstory”, to quote Eugene Fitzherbert.

Moons of Rion | Part Four: Kanan does backstory at last.

Moons of Rion | Finale: Kanan and Hera are unceremoniously awakened to an unexpected message.

Please Come Home for Life Day: Kanan Jarrus desperately wants his wife to spend Life Day with him and the rest of their family. Will she or won’t she? (If you know my writing, you probably know the answer to this.)

Space Married?: (Chapters Posted: 3/?)

Takes place three months after my Moons of Rion series! Kanan and Hera’s newest mission: pose as a married couple on a popular honeymoon destination to uncover what might be a looming Imperial plot. But neither of them could have ever expected where the mission ends up going…

Hera Syndulla Was Fine. : The Battle of Scarif affects General Syndulla in many ways; some good, some...undesired. She keeps claiming to be fine, but her crewmates on the Ghost think otherwise.

The Most Chaotic Family on Earth: (Chapters Posted: 2/?) The Ghost Crew + DisneyWorld = absolute chaos. But it's fun absolute chaos. Kanan has the idea to take a family vacation, and the expected shenanakins ensue. And maybe some unexpected ones. Prompt idea sent by LadyWren7!

Anakin’s New Apprentice: (Chapters Posted: 1/?) Months ago, Ahsoka Tano left the Jedi Order, leaving her beloved master heartbroken at what feels like the loss of his only sister. The months haven't healed the ache, and nothing has come along to fill the void that Ahsoka's absence leaves behind within him. Well. Nothing has come along until now.

Spectre 01 to Spectre 02: (Chapters Posted: 4/4) After the destruction of the TIE Defender Factory, Hera gives daily reports on a frequency that she knows she'll never hear a reply from, a hopeful, desperate piece of her heart aching every time her expectations are proved right.

Here is one of those daily reports.

More coming soon!

[rockcandyshrike]

After the Rebellion wins, Rogue One goes on a “leisure trip” across the galaxy, hunting down high rank Imperials who’ve fled to the Outer Rim, interspersed with actual vacationing. They find themselves on a beach far more pleasant than Scarif and decide to have some fun. If they weren’t surrounded by family, Chirrut and Baze would be having a little too much fun.

–

A “Baze and Chirrut make out on a beach hidden by Baze’s giant floppy hat” fic because I am DESPERATE to go to the beach with my friends right now ;n;

[skywalkerthrawn]

illustration for my friend @generalgriev0us fic An Imperial Vacation On Scarif because it’s one of the most delightful thranto fics i’ve ever read. please go check it out!

[purewhitepages]

Mobile-friendly Master Post

Links with posts seem to be ok now, but I’m leaving this up because I think its going to be easier. So here’s a masterlist of all my fics and their chapters. the “æ” indicates a link in that line to either the whole fic if its a one-shot or to the individual chapters.

Outlander

æ Comparative Romantic Literature Pairing: Jamie/Claire Rating: M Type: One-shot 2k Summary: Jamie discovers the Romance section of the local bookshop, and Claire finds the idea of a kilt irresistible. Modern AU, married life in Boston with our favorite Frasers.

Desert Heat æ Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pairing: Jamie/Claire Rating: M Type: Multi-chapter; In-progress, currently at 10k Summary: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. After the death of her beloved Uncle, Claire Beauchamp takes up his work to discover secrets hidden under the Egyptian sand. Egyptology AU set in the early 1920s.

La Retour de Foi æ Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pairings: Non-pairing-centric, Faith&the Frasers, Jamie/Claire, Ian/Jenny, Bree/Roger Type: Multi-chapter; Complete 14k Summary: Nothing is ever lost, only changed. Its been 27 years since Claire and Jamie’s daughter was put up for adoption, and their family has never felt truly whole since. At least they have the Fraser Family Reunion at Lallybroch to look forward to. Claire sends an email, Young Ian crashes a car, and a familiar stranger walks the streets of Broch Mordha. Faith lives modern au in Scotland. “There are separations, reunions, secrets, and close calls galore in this Modern AU!...I’ve been on the edge of my seat in every chapter!”- @thelallybrochlibrary​‘s Librarian Julia

æ Dreaming of You Pairing: Young Ian/Rachel Rating: M Type: One-shot 2k Summary: It’s been 3 days since Ian and Rachel have seen each other. And the heat on the Ridge is one for the record books. PWP

Star Wars

After My Father’s Funeral æ Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 Pairing: Han/Leia Rating: M Type: Multi-chapter; Complete 25k Summary: Funerals can be stressful, but so can weddings–especially with a family as effed up as theirs. Unfortunately for Leia, she has both to attend in one go. So much for repression. Modern AU

Dusty Skirmishes æ Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pairings: Han/Leia Rating: G Type: Multi-chapter; Complete 17k Summary: In the WEST more territory means more power. The REPUBLIC sent settlers with promises of provisions, hoping to expand their land. As the Civil War broke out, The IMPERIAL COMPANY promised to double those provisions to anyone willing to give over the rights to their land. But as the years go by, what was the Wild West is shrinking as civilization bleeds from the east. In the new state of ALDERAAN, the city of SCARIF has annexed several small towns and villages nearby, most recently the small village of JAKKU. In the nearby TATOOINE, Sheriff LUKE SKYWALKER and Mayor ACKBAR worry their dusty town is next.

Game of Thrones

æ Hood Ornament Pairings: Arya/Gendry Rating: M Type: One-shot 8k Summary: One-shot. When Arya comes home for summer vacation, she’d planned on hanging out with Jon, going to the beach, and working on their family’s old car, Ice. What she got was the Waters boy invading (and possibly changing) her life. Engine grease and trips to the zoo may cinch her heart, but love is tough when neither of you wants to admit your feelings. Gendrya, mentions of past Jaquen/Arya. Mentions of sex and cars, but no smut.

Amelia Peabody

æ The Last Time I Saw Enid Pairings: Enid/Donald | Nemo Rating: G Type: One-shot 1.2k Summary: One-shot. Before he was Nemo, he was Donald. And before she was Miss Debenham, she was Enid. The last exchange between them was short, sweet even, and not nearly satisfactory.

Miraculous Ladybug

I’m Here to Dance Pairings: Love Square, Nino/Alya Rating: T Type: Multi-chapter, complete 54k æ Chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pairings: Marinette/Adrien, Chat Noir/Ladybug, Alya/Nino, others Summary: Alya drags Marinette to the hot new club “Miraculous” where it’s winner take all on the dance floor. After an embarrassing first encounter, Marinette dons a costume and challenges the champ, Chat Noir, as Ladybug. Marinette embraces the Paris break dancing scene, but times are getting tougher and competition even more so. Author’s Note: inspired by @starrycove‘s break dance au and this picture by @jen-iii posted with their permission and I hope they enjoy. Please check out the Ao3 and FFN versions for full author’s notes

[pianopadawan]

Reylo, GingerPilot and FinnRose “Us” AU

Spoilers for Jordan Peele’s “Us” (2019) ahead. Warning for character death and violence (though this is just a plot summary and hence not too graphic).

In 18 ABY, Ben Solo goes on a vacation with his family to a beachside boardwalk on Scarif, full of games, rides and other cheerful things that don’t amuse him. Eventually, Ben wanders off after getting “permission” from his dad (who’s too busy trying to beat his uncle at a blaster game to pay attention to what his son is saying) to go to a rundown, deserted fun house. In the hall of mirrors, he encounters a doppelganger of himself.

Years later, Ben is now Supreme Leader of the First Order, caught in a fragile truce with the Resistance. In a desperate attempt to mend his relationship with his girlfriend, Rey, he decides to take her for vacation, dragging Hux along with him (to keep him from staging a coup while he’s gone). Poe tags along, hoping to mend his relationship with Hux. And if Rey and Poe are going, Finn and Rose are going for protection (but also because they deserve a beach vacation).

Hoping to get Ben (who recently switched back to being called “Ben Solo” but hasn’t made many changes other than that) back to his roots, Rey suggests they go to the part of Scarif he visited as a child, unaware of the creepy experience with the doppelganger. Going by his “kill the past” mantra, Ben concedes. While they’re there, Ben begins to experience strange coincidences that remain him of his childhood vacation. His paranoia prompts him to tell Rey about the time he saw his doppelganger in the fun house, which she dismisses as him imagining things.

Meanwhile, Poe and Hux get into an argument about who’s side to join after the war (and also because Poe called Hux “Hugsy” one too many times). Hux storms off; he eventually wanders to the beach and stumbles upon the abandoned fun house where he too sees his doppelganger, “Techie”, standing at the entrance, who begins to chase him. As Hux runs back to the encampment, he is pursued by several other doppelgangers of members of the First Order and Resistance: Bastila, Rey’s doppelganger; Eight-Seven, Finn’s doppelganger; Cobalt, Rose’s doppelganger; Nathan, Poe’s doppelganger; and their leader, Ben’s doppelganger, who is of course, Kylo Ren.

With the help of Poe, who’s gone out in search of his boyfriend, Hux is able to evade all of them and the couple returns safely to the vacation home which has state-of-the-art security courtesy of Hux. Unfortunately, Techie is able to break through the security codes due to his connection to Hux. The doppelgangers, known as the Tethered, corner their counterparts, and Kylo begins to tell a story about a boy who lives a sheltered life, “weak and foolish”, and his shadow who lives a harsh life and eventually overcomes the boy.

Ben and Rey are able to buy the group some time with the Force, but soon find that Kylo and Bastila have equal power as well as the added advantage of anticipating the formers’ actions in battle. The rest of the group is scattered during the struggle, pursued by their respective Tethered. After an intense fight, Rey decapitates Bastila, distracting Kylo long enough for her and Ben to escape on the Millennium Falcon.

Finn and Rose are initially knocked unconscious by Cobalt’s electro-shock pod. They then find themselves in their bedroom closet, temporarily paralyzed while Eight-Seven and Cobalt rifle through their belongings, meaninglessly mimicking their real-world counterparts’ evening routine. The dopppelganger’s behavior leads Finn and Rose to realize that the Tethered mirror the actions of those in the real-world, a trait that could be manipulated. Once the paralysis effects wear off, the Tethered are alerted to the movement and, realizing that Finn and Rose are not dead, try to kill them again. Taking advantage of the Tethered’s mindless mimicry, Finn and Rose are able to trick both of their doppelgangers into falling into a bathtub of water as Cobalt activates the electo-shock pod, killing both Cobalt and Eight-Seven.

Poe and Hux are locked out of the building by Techie and escape on one of the First Order treadspeeders. They are pursued by Nathan, who is able to hijack another treadspeeder with Techie’s help. Despite several risky maneuvers, Poe is unable to lose Nathan. As the latter closes in on the couple, Hux seizes the controls and crashes their speeder into Nathan’s, activating the emergency safety controls in time to eject Poe and himself before the collision. Nathan is killed in the crash (he is unable to activate the same emergency controls as he is tethered to Poe, who does not know himself how to operate the latest First Order technology). As Poe and Hux escape, they hear Techie wailing over Nathan’s corpse at the crash site.

On their way to regroup with Rey and Ben, Finn and Rose encounter Kylo. They are nearly caught, but Kylo is distracted just in time by Techie’s cries, allowing them to regroup with Rey and Ben.

Hux sends an SOS to the rest of the First Order and is able to pressure a very reluctant Captain Peavey and several other officers and troopers to come to their aid. Soon after landing on the planet, the rescue team is attacked and killed by their own Tethered doppelgangers. Upon arriving at the rescue shuttle, Poe and Hux are attacked by the new doppelgangers whom they are able to kill. (Poe remarks that Hux seemed to be a bit too happy to brutally attack the clones of his rivals.)

The couple prepares to escape on the shuttle, only to find themselves locked out of the controls. Hux goes outside to investigate where he is ambushed by an even more vengeful Techie, who has hijacked the shuttle and damaged its engine. Techie locks Poe inside the ship before the latter can come to the general’s aid, leaving Hux to fight off his doppelganger. Techie severely wounds Hux with the latter’s own monomolecular blade but is distracted by the arrival of the Millennium Falcon (the rest of the group having been attracted by the commotion with the rescue shuttle) just long enough for Hux to gain the upper hand and kill him.

The group reunites, tending to their injuries using the medical supplies in the rescue shuttle. Hux explains that years ago, the Empire attempted a new method of cloning using the genetic diversity of the existing population, hoping to overcome the genetically identical cones’ vulnerability to biochemical warfare and create a larger army to control dissidents. The experiments were deemed a failure after which the clones were presumably liquidated. However, there have been rumors that some of the clones were left to die in the underground research facilities, potentially one of Scarif, but were able to live on for generations, unbeknownst to the Empire. According to these rumors, the Tethered are the products of these experiments who have grown vengeful against the world above ground for abandoning them.

The group prepares to leave on the Millennium Falcon. Uncertain whether they have enough fuel for the journey back to the main fleet, Rey decides to take some fuel from the rescue shuttle. While attempting to do so, Rey is captured by Kylo, the last surviving doppelganger. Ben chases after them, leaving the rest of the group to recuperate. Tapping into his connection to Kylo, Ben is able to follow the trail through the dense jungles of Scarif, eventually arriving at the same boardwalk fun house he wandered into as a boy.

Ben enters the fun house and finds a passageway leading down to an underground facility. He confronts Kylo, who recalls their first meeting years ago. Kylo laments how Ben left his shadow to suffer due to childish and selfish desires rather than taking both of them back to the light when they met that day; he then recounts how his bitterness against Ben led him to organize the other Tethered to seize their places in the world above by killing their counterparts. Ben and Kylo fight. They are able to seriously wound each other, but neither can kill the other. Just as Kylo is able to disarm Ben, Rey, who had escaped from Kylo earlier, comes out from her hiding spot and intervenes, allowing Ben to kill his doppelganger by impaling him with Rey’s lightsaber.

Rey and Ben embrace, admitting that they make a pretty good team. They leave the facility, regrouping with the rest of the gang, who have replenished the Millennium Falcon’s fuel stores with the shuttle’s supplies. While the others discuss plans to investigate further into the Imperial cloning experiments, Ben reminisces about the time he met Kylo as a child. His flashback reveals that the young Ben Solo was choked unconscious by his doppelganger in the fun house, who locked him in the underground world and took his place in the world above. Thus, the surviving Ben Solo is the true clone and the now-deceased Kylo was in fact the “real” Ben.

Rey notes that Ben is looking “out of it”, drawing him away from his thoughts. He dismisses the comment, saying that he “just can’t believe they got out”. He senses that Rey suspects something but she chooses to remain silent.  

Disclaimer: I do not own either “Star Wars” or “Us (2019)”. All copyrighted names, themes and other material are intended for critique and transformative purposes.

[spell-cleaver]

#19 Summer Camp au with Luke and Leia or Luke and Anakin? Please and thanks!

I chose Luke and Leia for this one. And because my brain is apparently opposed to coming up with fluff in all its forms, I wrote it out as an in-universe AU where Vader raised the twins and sent them to summer camp within the Empire, from the POV of an Imperial agent Palpatine assigned to keep an eye on them. It was heavily inspired by Skywalker Family Values by Ariel_Sojourner on AO3, which by now is honestly the first thing I think of when someone says “Star Wars Summer Camp AU” :D

Prompts from this post.

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Formalreport on subject: FUTURE ASSETS, also referred to as ASSET 1 (human male,juvenile) and ASSET 2 (human female, juvenile; ASSET 1’s twin sibling).Submitted to HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR on this day, 17.2.12, twelve years afterthe foundation of the great Galactic Empire, long may it reign, at 2312 hours.

I am well aware I have been charged to watchFUTURE ASSETS closely for any sign of burgeoning rebellion in collusion withCURRENT ASSET/FUTURE RISK, and to only report events or concerns concurrentwith these aims; this is, in my professional opinion, undeniably one such event. If you do not share my view, Your Majesty,I will of course submit myself to whatever punishment you see fit and only hopeyou graciously allow me the chance to make it up to you. However, on this day,FUTURE ASSETS showed behaviour which I consider may be dangerous for the Empireat large, and yourself in particular. 

As you know, FUTURE ASSETS were sent to theBEACHSIDE SUMMER CAMP AND RESORT on Scarif by CURRENT ASSET/FUTURE RISK, as apart of their training to become functioning and fully integrated members ofthe Imperial Court. In this, neither has had any notable success. ASSET 1spends too much time talking to ASSET 2, the various unpaid, alien servants whoclean and cook, and himself; ASSET 2, meanwhile, only speaks kindly to herbrother and has indeed caused grave insult to many Moffs’ sons and daughters. Iam certain of the opinion that therewill be no potential political alliances forthcoming, especially after theevents of today—or rather, as I write this, three days ago. This isolation is aminor note, one I know I have been assured to expect, but it felt prudent tohighlight that what happened was their doing and theirs alone.

Twelve days into this “vacation”FUTURE ASSETS were supposedly taking, they appeared for lunch at 1300 hours andinvoked the by-now customary chaos (here, taken in the form of sausages andmashed potatoes being used as impromptu missiles) which led to them beingbanished to their respective cabins to, as the warden responsible for the campput it, “think about what they had done.” After this, neither of themwere sighted until dinner at 1800 hours. This was not considered unusual—theyhad no compulsory team activities to attend, and had been banned from“golden time” after their food fiasco—but perhaps in hindsight thesight of smoke emerging from ASSET 1’s cabin should have appeared somewhatsuspicious.

When they did appear again, they seemedpacified. ASSET 2 even smiled at the great-niece of the honourable Grand MoffTarkin, which caused veritable waves of confusion throughout the mess hall.Warden Kallea even looked excited, if only for a moment. It was directly after that moment, in the midst of theconfusion cunningly perpetrated by ASSET 2, that ASSET 1’s“tinkering” came to fruition.

The precise sequence of events is as follows:While Warden Kallea was caught off guard, and made to usher her into a seatnear to the girl she’d smiled at—no doubt in an ill-advised attempt to actuallyhave one of the FUTURE ASSETS make friends—ASSET 1 found himself under littleenough surveillance (save by myself) that he managed to pull what appeared tobe a makeshift detonator out of his pocket. When he pressed it, the lights wentout. As a repurposed military bunker for the nearby Imperial facility, the messhall is the only building situated entirely underground (or rather, was: it isnow the only building in the camp); therefore, it became pitch black. I confessto having lost track of events myself from then on amid the darkness, but Iproceeded to locate and detain FUTURE ASSETS under my guise as one of thewardens, and did my best to keep an eye on them. I make sure to report mymomentary lapse of competency in anticipation of the fact that, seeing asFUTURE ASSETS had perhaps five minutes of chaos when they were not beingwatched, they will have used that to inflict more chaos in the coming days, despite being under constant,careful, current surveillance byCURRENT ASSET/FUTURE RISK. I remain vigilant about it.

As it turned out, ASSET 1 and his tinkeringhad not simply switched the lights off; it had cut the power entirely. Theautomatic doors would not open. Nor did the warden, as essentially a glorified babysitter,have the body strength to open them by hand; I, of course, attempted it, butafter an initial failure and the realisation that it was distracting me frommonitoring the situation with FUTURE ASSETS, I desisted.

Perhaps two children had glowrods. They wereable to cast some light on the situation, but it remained negligible, andFUTURE ASSETS had vanished. It is my firm belief that they remained somewherein the darkness and anonymity of the crowd of shorter-than-average children, aslater reconnaissance revealed that there was simply no way for them to havepossible left the room, but it was approximately two hours before either myselfor Warden Kallea (who remained distracted by the sealed-off doors and thescores of wailing children afraid of the dark) managed to locate and questionthem fully on what they had done.

During those two hours, however, occurred anevent I am sure you have heard of, if only because it was so cataclysmic in theentire history of (y)our glorious Empire. The Rebels bombed Scarif.

The information and communications tower wasnaturally their primary target, but (as I am sure you have already read reportson) the damage to the surrounding hundred kilometres or so was catastrophic.The buildings of BEACHSIDE SUMMER CAMP AND RESORT were entirely destroyed, andit is a miracle that because of FUTURE ASSETS’ actions in trapping us all belowground in a repurposed bunker, none of the children, myself or Warden Kallea, were harmed.

The bombing run of the Rebels—rumour has itthat it was Saw Gerrera’s Partisans who carried out this senseless attack onthe Empire’s primary information base, but I will of course leave suchinvestigations to the capable hands of my betters—occurred at approximately1912 hours. At 2000 hours, the lights in the bunker came back on. Upon intensequestioning and scolding by Warden Kallea, ASSET 1 admitted that the power cut he’dorchestrated had been on a timer for just under two hours. Upon further intensequestioning and scolding, it appeared that neither ASSET 1 nor ASSET 2 had anyidea of the Rebel attack in advance, citing instead that they had decided tostage their “harmless prank” (their words, not mine) this evening, atthis time, because “it felt right.” They also cited some mysterious“Force” as a possible source of these feelings; I will, of course,leave this to the judgement of greater man than myself, also.

Once the power returned, things ran more orless smoothly. Warden Kallea, though clearly in a barely-coherent state ofpanic, resolved not to allow the children outside of the bunker until helpcame, and a signal was sent out to the Imperial Starfleet, addressing CURRENTASSET/FUTURE RISK in particular. He came forthwith, but we remained in thatbunker for eighteen hours total before he arrived, and when he did he onlystayed longer enough to escort FUTURE ASSETS out of there, leaving the childrenof all other prominent politicians, officers and noblemen to be escorted bystormtroopers. I write this report while we are en route to Coruscant; I havealready fielded dozens of angry, threatening message from these prominentpoliticians, officers and noblemen, and it is my belief that Warden Kallea hasreceived a great any more. Needless to say, BEACHSIDE SUMMER CAMP AND RESORTwill not be open for business next year.

And it is needless to say as well that FUTUREASSETS are not currently in favour with their peers, the future denizens of theImperial Court. I can assure you that no alliances have been made here, YourHighness; I have succeeded in that task, though I have clearly failed in agreat many others, and I (of course) submit myself to your mercy and duepunishment.

To conclude, FUTURE ASSETS have been returnedto CURRENT ASSET/FUTURE RISK’s care, and it is my firm belief that he will notbe allowing them to leave it for a long, long time.

Long live the almighty Emperor.

Agent Marnel.

ADDITIONALNOTES FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE: Agent Marnel vanished en route to Coruscant, oneday before arrival. It is the belief of Lord Vader and his staff that the manunexpectedly took a shuttle to try and escape the imminent punishment, however,nothing can be confirmed. Long live the Empire.

[gondalsqueen]

Chapters: 18/18 Fandom: Star Wars: Rebels Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla, Ketsu Onyo/Sabine Wren, Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios Characters: Hera Syndulla, C1-10P | Chopper, Original Characters, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, Alexsandr Kallus, CT-7567 | Rex, Mart Mattin, Wedge Antilles, Ketsu Onyo, Jacen Syndulla, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Ackbar (Star Wars), Lando Calrissian, Jan Dodonna, Ahsoka Tano Additional Tags: Pregnancy, vague mentions of abortion, future character death in the background, Season/Series 04, Established Relationship, Oral Sex, Chair Sex, Table Sex, sex during pregnancy, chapter 2 has lots of sex, Secrets, the best pilot in the galaxy, flying combat, character injury, canon torture, flight of the defender, rebel assault, Jedi Night, Major character death - Freeform, Grief, Morning Sickness, Counseling, Masturbation, Dreams, Traditions, Space family, Inappropriate bets, Lothal, Shopping, down time, Space Combat, Battle of Scarif, Rogue One - Freeform, hammerhead corvette!, Yavin 4, Stardust - Freeform, Alderaan, Death Star, labor, Childbirth, domestic life, Lothwolves, Dogfight - Freeform, Hoth, did i mention babies yet?, Babies!, One baby, Work/Life Balance, Advice, Bounty Hunters, Capture, this story has it all apparently, Return of the Jedi, Second Death Star, Existential Anxiety, parenting, Breakups, wine and cheesecake, wine and cheesecake needs its own tag, battle of endor, Battle for Coruscant, forces of destiny: an imperial feast, The New Republic - Freeform, Quests, letting go, Travel, ask me no questions i'll tell you no lies, but one of these days you'll get a surprise Summary: The end. Kind of. 

...

Something had happened to Ezra out there, something he wasn’t ready to talk about until after this vacation was over. None of them pried. He was...different, in a lot of ways. Grown up. He finally believed in his own adequacy. With that confidence came an edge of brooding that reminded her of Kanan, though. Hera hoped he stuck around where they could support him, whatever he was facing.

In other ways he was still their Ezra—surprisingly predictable given all the time that had passed, and still the baby of the crew until they adjusted their thinking and changed the way they treated him accordingly.

To no one’s surprise, he and Jacen got along well. Their bonding mostly consisted of wrestling, with some sword fighting and a little chase for variety. Hera could have done without the just-before-bed play that infallibly kept Jacen awake and hyper. She didn’t say anything, though, because the two of them had a lot of time to make up for.  

Tonight Jacen was trying to push Ezra into Alexsandr’s small fishpond. Since Ezra vastly outweighed him he was failing, but he made up for it by practically strangling his opponent in the process — by accident, Hera was pretty sure. Really, Ezra had bought this when he picked Jacen up off the ground and threw him over his shoulder.

Oh, and that was a knee in the face.

“Ow!” Ezra protested. “Kid, you are deadly!” He twisted out from under Jacen and somehow they both ended up on their feet, facing each other. Quick as a flash, Ezra tapped Jacen’s shoulder.

“Hey!”

“Block me, then. Like this.” He showed Jacen how to bring his hands up in front of him and deflect the blows. Then he tapped Jace’s knee. “Got you! This is how you block with your feet. Try to tap my knees.”

“Your shoulders, too!”

“Sure, if you can reach.”

Hera watched her son eye a nearby boulder. She hoped he was planning to climb on it and not throw it at Ezra.

Then they both went at each other, jumping towards a shoulder or knee and dashing out again, blocking on one side and darting in on the other. Ezra went easy on Jacen, but he sped up as they played and Jace kept pace with him.

The whole thing ended when Jacen got sick of it, yelled “ATTACK!” and somersaulted across the ground towards his target. He bumped harmlessly against Ezra’s legs, but in the attempt not to step on him Ezra backpedalled and, with a whirling of arms, ended up in the water.

Hmm. Somehow they had both ended up in the water.

“Bathtime!” Hera called.

“It’s not!”

“It is, in fact, a solid hour past BEDtime.”

Ezra hit the shower in Zeb’s place while Hera scrubbed the slime off of Jacen in the Ghost’s fresher. Forty-five minutes later they’d finished showering, cleaning teeth, a snack that he didn’t ask permission to get, and teeth a second time, and they were cuddled together on Jacen’s bunk reading their nightly chapter of whatever novel Jace had picked. Since he’d gotten old enough to understand them, he’d mostly chosen from a children’s series of adventure stories about — guess what? — Jedi. Hera, remembering her own childhood, couldn’t blame him.

She read: “Shuyen closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching out to the Force as she fell. She could feel the air rushing past her. The wind whipped at her face roughly, but it wasn’t enough to hold her up…”

Sabine passed by the door and stopped to listen for a minute. “Are you reading Knights of the Old Republic to him?”

“Yes.”

“That’s sending mixed messages, don’t you think?”

“He likes it,” Hera told her, aware of how defensive she sounded. “It’s a good story. Who am I to tell him what to like?”

Sabine held her hands up. “Fair enough. Carry on.”

Hera finished the chapter, the Jedi who had fallen off the cliff while being chased by Sith warriors arriving unscathed back at the temple. “That’s a good stopping place for tonight,” she told Jacen, smoothing his hair back. He’d started to grow it out and they were both learning how to manage the tangles that was causing, but right now it was clean and brushed and smelled like shampoo, and she breathed in the scent gratefully.

He nestled into to her side. “Mama?”

“Yes?”

“Is Rex going to come back?”

“No, baby, Rex isn’t going to come back.”

“But Ezra came back.”

“Ezra wasn’t dead, love,” she told him gently. “Nobody comes back from the dead.” She paused for a moment to let that sink in, then continued, “I know it’s hard. It hurts for me, too.”

“I like Ezra.” He was trying to think something out. Hera waited. “But...I’d rather have Rex.”

“I can understand that.”

“But that’s mean of me, right?”

“Well…” she answered as honestly as she could. “You don’t want someone to die. You just miss the person you love. I think it’s very normal. Probably not the best idea to mention it to Ezra, though. It might hurt his feelings.”

He nodded and she tucked him into bed with a song and a kiss. “Sleep,” she told him. “You are exhausted. Go to sleep.”

“Okay,” Jacen said around a big yawn.

Sneaking out of the room a moment later she passed by the open doorway of Ezra’s bunk and caught a snatch of conversation. “...her turn for a while,” Sabine was saying. Then Ezra: “Coruscant is good place to stay, anyway. We’re going to need to talk about defenses. Maybe exploratory missions, but that might be a bad idea. IF they even decide to believe me.”

Keep moving, Hera, she told herself. She went to the cockpit to give the monitors one last check for the evening and tried to remember that Sabine and Ezra were adults and it was perfectly reasonable for them to live on whatever planet they wanted to. But maybe, maybe, maybe she’d get them back for a while. It was worth hoping.

Ezra joined her a few minutes later, a mug of warm hubba juice in each hand. “Best place to watch the sunset,” he explained. The summer sunsets on Lira San were amazing, oranges and purples breaking through the thick cloud cover. Hera swung the copilot’s seat around for him and he passed her a cup.

“Two more days and then Lothal, right?” he asked.

“If that’s still what you want.”

“Yeah. Sabine says it’s changed a lot. I can’t even remember before the Empire came anymore.”

Hera smiled. “It’s a good place. Not perfect, but Azadi made it pretty welcoming even before the Emperor fell.”

“You guys were there a lot.”

“Second home, but it will be better with you back.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged, looking like his teenage self for the moment of the gesture. “Everything’s different, but it’s really good BEING back. I’m still trying to...fit in, I guess.”  

“Hey. You do fit in,” Hera told him, giving the chair a little kick to spin him towards her. “You’re one of ours. And Jace loves having you around. Chop and I are too busy to play with him as much as he’d like, and it’s been a while since we’ve had anyone else on the Ghost.”

“Yeah, Ezra Bridger, Jedi Knight, hero to six-year-olds everywhere.” He rolled his eyes.

Hera laughed. “At first that was the draw, sure. But he had a lot of...anxiety, too. He’d heard stories about you his whole life and he knew how important you were to all of us, and to have you standing before him in the flesh…” She shrugged. “But now I don’t think you’re Ezra Bridger, Jedi Knight. I think you’re his friend.”

“He’s really great, Hera. Thinks he can do anything. He...reminds me of you that way.”

She sighed. “He didn’t know you were a Jedi.”

“Okay.”

“He doesn’t know Kanan was a Jedi.”

A pause. “Okay.” Ezra didn’t push. Once he would have pushed.

“The hand game — those were forms,” Hera said. “Lightsaber forms. I’ve seen you practice them with Kanan.”

“Yeah, well…” Ezra ran his hand over the back of his hair awkwardly. “They’re kind of drilled into me, so I guess I just go there automatically when it comes to fighting. Is...that all right?”

“It’s all right,” she said, picking at the fraying edge of the seat cushion. “It’s good. There are so many things I’ve wanted to ask you about that.”

“About lightsaber forms?”  

She shook her head. “Ezra, I know this seems like a subject change, but...were you happy as a child? Or were you...confused?”

“What do you mean? I had kind of a rotten childhood.”

“Before that. When you were small, with your parents, and you could do things that nobody could explain. Did it confuse you or upset you?”

He considered her words carefully. “Let me think.” After a solid minute of silence, he said, “No. I heard things sometimes that I knew were true, and my mom said they were only my imagination. I think that’s not rare for kids, though. It’s just that in my case, they actually WERE true. The rest of the time, it was just fun to run and jump off of things without worrying about how I was going to land, or to know that people were probably going to believe whatever outrageous lie I told. Stuff like that. Hera… Jacen’s definitely Force sensitive. Does he use any of those abilities?”

“Oh…” she laughed to cover her worry. “Yes.” She’d watched for signs all of his life and could give a detailed list of ‘yes’es ‘no’s and ‘maybe’s. “He’s always been good at picking up moods, but I think he’s just a smart, social kid. Sometimes he knows things that haven’t happened yet, but only in a vague way — he has a feeling that someone’s coming to visit, or he knows we’ll find something around the next corner. He can climb and jump off of anything and he somehow hasn’t broken a bone yet. I don’t mean normal child risk-taking. You saw him take a dive off the Ghost the other day. And then there are the animals that seem to follow him around like he’s some kind of magnet.”

Ezra laughed.

“...which I blame you for,” she added.

“How is that my fault?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet, but the similarity is striking.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“I don’t want him to be a Jedi,” she said more seriously. “I don’t even want him to be a half-Jedi, partially trained. The Force asks...too much. We know how that ends and I won’t give him up that way. But… if I refuse to let him train when it’s available to him, he’s just going to do it anyway, and he’ll end up doing it behind my back, without my support. Or running off.” She thought of her own childhood. “It’s not my place to hold him back if that’s what he wants.”

“Well...does he WANT to be a Jedi?”

“He’s six years old. Every six-year-old wants to be a Jedi.”

“He’d be good at it. Kind. Flexible. Reminds me of someone else I knew.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “That scares me.”

“Hmm.” Ezra thought about that. “There’s not exactly a trade school for Jedi Knights. The few of us left with any ability have no idea what we’re doing. He’ll probably end up using those talents, but using them in some other field.”

“Maybe. But I don’t want to keep him locked away from the world — locked away from himself — because I’m afraid.”

“Hera, you’re not afraid of anything.”

She sighed and stopped picking at the worn corner of the pilot’s chair so he could see her hands shaking. “That’s not true, and I have changed.”

Ezra frowned. “You want me to train him?” he asked. “Is that what this conversation is about?”

“Not...yet. Not now. But I don’t want anybody else to train him.”

“Luke Skywalker is talking about starting a school.”

“NO. I like Luke. He’s a good kid. But he doesn’t understand the dangers… He hasn’t walked that path, and he doesn’t know what it takes to guide your student safely instead of just following the rules.”

“Hera, I don’t know either.”

“That’s okay. Falling is fine as long as there’s someone to catch you. You would never let anything bad happen to him.”

“Hmph.” Ezra crossed his arms and looked out at the clouds, that stone expression on his face. “I wish I could promise that.”

...

From Lira San they traveled to Lothal. Hera let Sabine show Ezra the sights because she had something else to show Jacen.

The bombed-out Imperial hangar wasn’t hard to reach, despite being perched on one of the dolmens at the edge of Capital City. If you took a shuttle, that is. Hera parked the Phantom halfway up the mountain and made them walk the rest of the way because “it will be fun!” Forty minutes into the uphill hike, Jacen wasn’t finding it particularly fun.

“Why couldn’t we just FLY up there?” he asked, perilously close to a whine.

“Because we’re taking a nice hike together and it’s going to be more enjoyable to see if you make it there yourself than if you just fly up and park.”

Poor kid — his hair was a sweaty wreck. “To be clear,” he said. “I AM getting a real birthday party tomorrow, with friends and cake and stuff, right?”

“Padawan’s honor. Sabine even made you guys those robes and staffs so you could dress up as High Jedi. Though I still don’t know what a High Jedi is.”

“It’s like a really wise, powerful Jedi,” Jacen explained. “Kind of like a wizard.”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“It’s from Rangers of the Force.”

“I didn’t know you could read books that hard.”

“I listened to it.”

“Oh. Okay. Look, we made it.” Hera climbed the short flight of steps and crawled over the rubble blocking what had once been the workers’ entrance. Then she waited for Jacen to do the same.

“Whew!”

“It’s cooler up here.” Jacen spread himself dramatically on the floor.

“Yeah, we’re out of the sun.” She handed him the canteen and waited for him to take a long drink. “You recovered?” He nodded. “Good. Come see what Sabine did.”

He saw the mural as soon as he looked up, and his reaction was everything Hera had hoped for. A shout, and he rushed up to get a closer look. “It’s you guys!”

“Yeah.”

“You look like heroes! Like you’re from a holoshow.”

“Sabine makes good art.”

His brow creased in that thinking look. “Were you heroes?”

“Yes,” Hera admitted. “We were.”

“Sabine,” he pointed. “Ezra. His head looks small in this picture. Zeb and Chop. Hey, look at these lothcats! There’s you. Where am I?”

Hera touched her mid-section in the picture, right on the buttons of her flight suit. “Here.”

“So I came with you when you were heroes?”

“Sure.”

“So I helped save Lothal?”

“Let’s say you were along for the ride.”

But now he was pointing above mural-Hera’s shoulder. “That’s Dad.”

“Yeah,” she said softly.

“I don’t think I look very much like him.”

“Well, you’re shorter.”

“Hey!”

She grinned at him, but he shook his head and said, “Uh-uh. You’re sad.”

“Only a little sad.”

“You miss him.”

“Yes,” Hera said honestly, “but that’s not why I brought you here today. I need to show you something else, something… kind of secret.”

“Okay.”

Hera took a portable projector from her bag and placed it on the floor. “Come sit by me. Seven years old is big enough to see this.” They sat cross-legged on the ground and Hera switched on the projector.

“That’s Dad!”

“Yes.”

“What’s he got?”

Kanan was fitting together two metal tubes. He gave them a practiced twist, then ignited the lightsaber.

Jacen lost it. “WHAT?! Where did he GET that?”

“Hi, kid,” Kanan said to the recorder. “Thought I’d go through a few practice drills here, in case you ever need to see them when I’m not around.” He was talking to Ezra, but Jacen didn’t know that. Hera skipped past the part where he demonstrated the basic techniques and on to the segment where he showed the moves in practice by fighting ten combat remotes, leaping into the air, twisting, deflecting shots… He was using the Ghost’s hold as his staging area, which had irritated Hera to no end at the time because those remotes were firing live blaster bolts. The flip from the ground to the platform four meters above his head was awfully impressive, though, she had to admit.

“How did he DO that?”

Another of him and Ezra training together, both blindfolded, going through forms. Hera watched Kanan’s shoulder rotate as the blade spun, the twist of hips as he altered his stance. It was so familiar and so long ago, all at the same time.

“Mama, tell me.” He knew, but he didn’t want to say it.

“He’s a Jedi, Jace. He was raised in the temple on Coruscant and sent out to fight during the Clone Wars. One of the last Jedi Knights.”

“But...” he trailed off.

“I know it’s a lot to take in. Do you want to see a little more?”

“Yes!”

She’d edited this compilation carefully so they got no footage of actual battles. Next Kanan was tossing Sabine in the air over and over, a little Sabine — she couldn’t have been more than fifteen. He’d throw her impossibly high, and then she’d twist in mid-air, draw her blasters, and fire at a target. Jacen laughed. “Ah-ha, they’re good!” Another of that terrible competition he’d had with Zeb, where Zeb picked up Imperial speeder bikes and threw them at Kanan, who caught every one in mid-air. Okay, that probably wasn’t the best thing to include. One of Hera herself cradled in Kanan’s arms, the laughter near the microphone indicating that Ezra was recording.

“Ready?” Kanan asked.

“Go,” Ezra told him.

Kanan jumped up the Ghost’s ladder one rung at a time, tilted impossibly backwards, holding her. Hera from long ago shrieked in laughter. “I get five credits when I do this, right?” Kanan asked.

“Cheating,” said Ezra’s voice.

“I did TELL you I could do it.” Thunk, up another ring. Thunk, up the next. “See, what you want to do is bend your knees…” Kanan explained, annoyingly pedantic. “Then you absorb most of the shock, especially when you have to land rough.” He rolled at the last moment, still holding Hera, and came up on his feet on the upper platform, neither of them worse for the wear.

“Hey!” Hera-from-the-vid protested. “Warn me!”

“Okay,” Kanan said. “Roll up in a ball, I’m going to toss you to Ezra now so he can practice.”

“No, no, wait!” Ezra yelled. “Wait, let me put the recorder down!” The image went sideways and the recorder died abruptly on the sound of their laughter.

Jacen was watching with a wistful, half-jealous expression. “Nobody ever told me he was a Jedi.”

“Well…” Hera considered. “What DID they tell you?”

“Zeb says he could drink a whole gallon of milk in five minutes without throwing up.”

“Yeah, only part of that is true. And don’t try it.”

“Sabine said he loved you the very most, and he’d never let anything in the whole galaxy hurt you.”

She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm. “That is true.”

“And that he was a really good dad and he understood when people got upset or lost their temper and he wouldn’t yell at them.”

“That’s true too.”

“But he wasn’t really Sabine’s or Ezra’s dad, right?”

“No, but he...took care of them when they were kids. Big kids. And he taught them a lot of things.”

Jacen’s eyes lit with realization. “He taught Ezra how to be a Jedi! That’s why they were doing those slow moves with the lightsabers.”

Her kid was too smart.

But now he was mulling over something else. “...He was my dad.”

“Yes.”

“He never met me.”

“Technically, no, but he knew you were on the way.”

“How?”

“You know how you can tell where animals are, even the small ones? You found Alexsandr’s baby chicks when the rest of us were looking in the wrong place.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the Force, Jacen. He felt you like that before you were born. I’ll bet you guys had whole secret conversations, what do you think?”

Jacen shrugged, clearly pleased by the idea. “So how come you never told me he was a Jedi? And you COULD have told me, lots of times.”

There was the question she’d been waiting for. “Because it wasn’t safe, Jace. The Emperor killed all the Jedi, even the little kids. Only a few of them got away, and then they had to survive by hiding because the Emperor was still hunting.”

“But he died when I was little.”

“Yes, but being a Jedi is still not exactly safe.”

“You mean people are still hunting them?”

“No, I mean they’re still...heroes. Which is good, but it also means that bad guys don’t like them much. You have to learn to keep yourself safe when you’re a hero, and that takes time. I wanted to wait until you were big enough to understand that a little.”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t want to be a Jedi.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. If you want to learn to be a Jedi when you get older, I’ll be right there with you. But I want you to understand that there’s always more to these stories than what you hear. And I don’t want you to think that fighting makes you a good person. I didn’t love your dad because he was a Jedi. I loved him because he was kind and funny and understanding, and he couldn’t bear to see anybody in pain without trying to help. And because he never gave up on people. I see a lot of those qualities in you already. You don’t need a lightsaber to be a good person.” Oh, great, now she was sad again.

And Jacen had picked up on it. “Were you scared when he died?”

“So scared. But what do we say?”

“Be afraid,” he said quietly, “but do it anyway.”

“Right.”

A wolf howled nearby, in the middle of the day.

“That’s a lothwolf?” Jacen asked.

Hera nodded. “I think they’re coming to see you. I don’t know why, though.”

“I do.”

“You do? Why?”

“They say goodbyes are over. It’s time for hellos.”  

[rebelkallus]

An Imperial Vacation - Thranto

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

“Grief, loss and fear sweep through the galaxy in the late aftermath of the CLONE WARS. Many systems remain unstable as power has fallen into the hands of those who seek to rule with terror.

For most it is a lawless time of turmoil. For those of IMPERIAL IMPORTANCE, it is a time of rebirth. Rebel factions are rare and weak and for a short while, the galaxy is nothing but a peaceful playground for the EMPIRE.

Admiral THRAWN and his fiancée translator, Lieutenant Commander ELI VANTO, are aboard a shuttle destined for imperial occupied SCARIF. As a ploy to keep the Chiss in his good graces, the EMPEROR has granted them leave to enjoy the planet’s private vacation islands…”

[this is predominately a fluffy thranto beach fic but theres five parts, this is the first, it has a whole side plot including director krennic among lots of other cameos and references, full tags etc are on my a03 page i hope whoever reads this enjoys it as much as i enjoyed writing it!]

A03 LINK HERE

TWITTER LINK HERE

[21st-century-flapper]

4,6,11,17? :)

(already did 4)

6. what planet would you most like to live on?

Scarif. Have you seen those beaches? Those palm trees, that clear blue ocean? It’s the ideal vacation planet. Also, I could work at the Imperial Archives. I’d like that kind of job.

11. who is the most underrated character?

Bodhi. He’s so brave and selfless, and barely gets any credit.

17. what is your favorite line?

“You’re nothing, but not to me”. Yes, I love it, and I think it’s romantic. Come at me, broskis.

[keldae]

"marry me" for you favs :D

So I had this one half-written for months, and then this prompt came about so I had to finish it! This one kinda ran away on me for a bit, but FLUFF.

One would think that with the war being over, Valkorion being destroyed (for real this time!), and the Eternal Throne finally under control, the most stress that Xaja Taerich had to endure was morning sickness and constantly telling Indo that no, she was not going to be crowned as Empress because that would defeat the entire purpose of introducing democracy to Zakuul.

To be entirely fair, both of those were plenty stressful enough. But with the threat of other groups in the splintered and weakened galaxy threatening revolt against the Alliance and resumed tensions between the Republic and Empire, Xaja more frequently found herself in long diplomatic talks or giving military commands over the holo to her ground forces, usually being lead by Jorgan or Torian (considering she’d been expressedly forbidden from even thinking about going into a battle zone herself with a baby in her womb). But even without being on the front lines herself, the pretty former Jedi still sported grey in her hair and bags under her eyes from sleepless nights spent poring over reports, no matter how much Theron and Lana tried to do everything without disturbing her.

Theron leaned against a pillar as he watched Xaja on the other side of what had been unofficially designated as ‘command staff’s lounge’ in the Odessen cantina. The petite redhead was flipping through another datapad’s contents, although judging by how slowly her hand was moving, Theron suspected she was only a little bit away from falling asleep on the couch she’d claimed as hers. The spy frowned in concern and silently shook his head, then turned when he heard a footstep behind him. Reanden Taerich appeared at his side, darker eyes scanning the lounge and resting on the head of bright red hair. “Has she done anything else but stare at reports all day?” the older spy whispered.

Theron shook his head. “At least she’s here and not standing in the command centre all day again,” he murmured. “It’s got to be more comfortable for her.”

“Mmm.” Reanden’s brow furrowed to match Theron’s. “That stress isn’t good for her or the baby though. Poor thing’s barely caught a break since…”

“… Since she was thawed,” Theron finished with a heavy sigh. “You’re right, she’s been running or fighting or planning ops constantly ever since.”

“And there’s only room for one workaholic in your relationship, which you’ve got covered,” Reanden added, ignoring the look Theron shot him. “Maybe if we clone her…”

“Alliance and Zakuulan budget combined don’t have any allowances for fast-growing a clone. I looked.” Theron sighed as Reanden softly chuckled. “If we can stabilize the galaxy enough to give her a vacation, maybe…”

“Even two weeks would be better than nothing,” Reanden agreed. “But she won’t go on one willingly when she knows there’s work to do.”

“Maybe if we come up with a convincing ruse…” Theron mused, an idea beginning to percolate in his mind.

Reanden glanced over and raised an eyebrow. “Got something in mind?”

“Something I’d been thinking about for a while, just have to find a way to make it happen.” Theron reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny box he’d been carrying with him for weeks now, waiting for the opportune moment to ask a question. “I mean… combining mandatory rest with this?…”

“Is that…” Reanden snatched the box and cracked it open to peek inside, then closed it again and fixed Theron with an unreadable expression. “Huh.”

Theron suddenly felt the strange urge to back out of knife range. Force only knew how many blades Reanden kept on him at once. “I love her, more than anyone else in this galaxy,” he said, glancing over to make sure Xaja wasn’t listening. “She’s worth more to me than my own life is, and if she’ll have me, I’m her’s forever. I’d sooner die than bring her to harm.”

Reanden didn’t move for long moments, still boring holes into Theron with his gaze before a slow smile finally appeared on his lips. “I always believed that no man would ever be good enough for my daughter… but you seem dead set to prove me wrong. You’re a good man, Theron.” He replaced the box in Theron’s jacket pocket and affectionately clapped the younger man’s shoulder. “Xaja is a lucky woman to have you. And if anyone asks, I never said any of that.”

A weight that Theron hadn’t known was sitting in his chest suddenly lifted as he sighed in relief. “Thank you, sir. I’ll take care of her.”

“See that you do. That promise I made to skin you alive if you ever hurt her still stands.” Reanden’s smile softened the threat. “Have a plan in place yet for how you’re going to ask her?”

“A vague one, yeah. I just don’t have a location yet.” Theron looked back at Xaja, who appeared to be asleep on the couch. “If you don’t mind me asking… how did you ask your wife?”

“It, uhh…” Reanden looked somewhat embarrassed. “We’d survived a gong-show of a mission together, my first introduction to the SIS, with some remote tribal group who believed in celebrating everything with the local moonshine, and uhh… I woke up the next morning an apparently married man.” He paused long enough to give Theron a dark glare. “And if so much as a whisper gets out about that, I’ll feed you to Scritchy.”

Theron raised his hands innocently, knowing full well Reanden could and would follow through with that threat. “So much as a whisper gets about about what?”

“That’s right.” Reanden nodded firmly. “And don’t you forget it.” He turned to leave the lounge entry, but paused. “I hear Scarif’s nice this time of year. Quiet, fairly cut off from the rest of the galaxy, and the beaches are second to none.” He winked at Theron and continued walking out, leaving the younger spy alone with his thoughts.

“Commander, we’ve got a situation.” Theron marched into the command centre, Reanden at his side. The two spies came to a halt beside the petite Commander as she turned away from her discussion with Arcann and Lana, instinctively resting one hand on her stomach. She was only three months along, not quite far enough to be showing her pregnancy yet, but Theron’s heart still stuttered every time he remembered their baby growing inside her womb. “There’s a small tribe of Force-users who’ve just made contact with Alliance forces. I think they want to join us, but their traditions require they only speak to our official leader.”

Xaja frowned in confusion. “That’s odd. They won’t listen to a delegate?”

“We tried that,” Reanden said with a shrug. “Apparently the official leader’s father or her second-in-command aren’t adequate substitutes.”

“Hmm. Bring them up on a holo so I can speak with them.”

“Unfortunately, they’re a fairly low-tech civilization,” Theron apologetically said. “The holo signal’s sketchy enough out here. This would require going out in-person to meet them.”

“I checked the planet out,” Reanden added as Xaja frowned and Lana opened her mouth to protest. “It’s safe enough- quiet, off the major hyperlanes, no known presence of Imperial or Republic personnel on-world. You should be okay to travel with Theron and Tee-Seven.”

The little astromech excitedly beeped at the idea of travelling with his favourite Jedi companion, but was interrupted by Lana. “Are you sure about this? If they don’t have a physical description of you, I could probably pass myself off as you, Commander. It would be less risky for you.”

“And have them turn against us when they realize they’ve been deceived?” Xaja turned to look at Lana, giving Theron ample opportunity to scowl at the Sith and move his fingers across his closed lips in the universal zip it! gesture. “If my dad and Theron both agree that it’s safe enough for me to travel, I’ll take the risk.”

“Yeah, wait, go back to the part where they’re agreeing on something,” Koth added with a grin.

“Don’t get used to it.” Reanden idly cuffed Theron up the back of the head, earning a growl from the younger spy. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“I’d believe that more if you weren’t smirking like a smarmy git,” Theron retorted.

“Oh, for pity’s sake-” Xaja grabbed Theron’s arm and tugged him closer to her as Reanden’s glare darkened. “Come on, before I have to resolve a crisis here with you two. How far out is this tribe?”

“Forty-six hours in hyperspace, give or take. My shuttle’s already good to go.” Theron slipped his arm around Xaja’s shoulders and started walking with her to the military hangar. “You coming, Tee-Seven?”

>> The little droid whistled as he followed the pair of humans out of the command centre.

The moment they were out of sight, Lana whirled on Reanden with a scowl. “What are you thinking? If spies from the Republic or the Empire find out about her pregnancy, she’ll be even more of a target! Odessen is the safest place for her!”

“Maybe the safest, but not the best.” Reanden sat down in a chair and softly smiled. “There is no tribe she’s making contact with, and the only crisis she’s going to be dealing with is getting some R&R while she can.”

“Wait…” Arcann blinked. “You mean that was all a ruse to get her to take a vacation?”

“It’s the only way we could get her to agree.” The old spy’s smile turned bittersweet, much to everyone else’s confusion (and Lana’s growing suspicions). “And she’s safe with Theron. They’ll be fine.”

Xaja unstrapped herself from the co-pilot’s seat as the shuttle launched into hyperspace, setting her lightsabers in a locker. She wouldn’t need them in transit. “So, what planet is this again?”

“Scarif. It’s not too well-known to the rest of the galaxy. Mostly tropical climate, beaches for days, a few scattered settlements. So far, only the wealthy and sneaky have been using it for a luxury retreat.” Theron started digging around in another locker after he’d set his own weapons to the side. “I’ve got a preliminary report on the planet somewhere in here…”

“Need a hand?”

“Should be- aha!” Theron triumphantly stood up with a sheaf of papers in his hand- not flimsi, but real, actual paper. He caught her stare and shrugged. “I have no idea why your dad insists on writing reports on paper.”

“He’s old, he’s trying to retire, let him have his eccentricities.” Xaja grinned.

“Hey, you’re allowed to poke fun at him and I can’t?” Theron’s frown was softened by his grin, although that disappeared when he tripped and went crashing down on the deck, catching his chin hard on the back of a chair as the papers went flying. “Dammit!”

“Are you okay? Sit down, I’ll get the medkit once I grab these.” Xaja carefully knelt and started gathering the papers together. Most of them appeared blank, until she turned one over and blinked when she saw the one word written on the back. YOU.

The next page was a question mark. Then she saw another marked ME, and another as WILL. “Theron, what is this?” she asked as she picked up the one remaining page, and gasped when she saw the word written on the other side. “… Theron?”

She stood up and turned around to see that Theron was still on his knees where he’d fallen. One of his hands was stuffed in his jacket pocket and appeared to be fumbling with something; the other was gingerly rubbing his chin. “I’ve wanted to ask this for a while,” he admitted, sounding more nervous than Xaja could remember him being before. “I’ve been around the galaxy a few times, met more people than I can count, and none of them could compare to you. You are someone that… You’re perfect. You’re strong, and brilliant, and beautiful, and I realized how in love with you I was when I couldn’t hold you for five kriffing years. Ever since you were freed… I’ve fallen more in love with you every single day. You might be the Alliance Commander, a Jedi Master, technically an Empress even though you refused the title, but I would love you even if you were none of that.”

“Theron…” Xaja covered her mouth with her hand, dropping the papers again to land on the deck under their feet. She ignored it, so focused was she on Theron, trying to gaze at him despite the sudden blurriness of her vision.

“I love you, Xaja Taerich. I have from the moment I first saw you, and I will until my dying breath. I want to be able to wake up beside you every morning, have a family with you, be beside you every step of the way.” Theron pulled a box out of his pocket, taking a shaky breath. “Marry me?”

Xaja didn’t even look at the ring in the box- it could have been an expensive heirloom from some Alderaanian house, or it could have been a plastic toy. She was barely aware of flying forward into Theron’s arms and burying her face in his neck- her focus was on her emphatic nodding. “Yes- yes, of course. I love you, Theron Shan.”

Theron pulled her back to look her in the eyes. He had the widest, most joyful smile on his lips that Xaja had ever seen, a smile that she knew was only for her. The spy seemed to be trying to say something, but finally gave up and just caught Xaja up for the deepest, sweetest kiss he could give her. It said far more than words could, anyway.

Scarif, as it turned out, had no hidden tribes of Force-users. What it had were beaches and warm blue water and a small, luxury resort that Theron had apparently called in a few favours for a two-week stay. The second best part, as far as Xaja was concerned, was that the planet was so far out of the way that the Zakuulan war hadn’t really affected anything here, and very few people either recognized her as the Alliance Commander or really cared.

The best part was standing on one of the beaches before a glorious sunset with a middle-aged Twi’lek officiant to her left and Theron before her. Thin bands of silver encircled their fingers on their left hands, hidden under the ceremonial robe that bound their hands together- and if the officiant had noticed how Theron held Xaja’s hands to shield her wrists from the sensation of being bound, she didn’t comment on it.

“By the power vested in me by the Galactic Republic, the government of Scarif, and the will of the Force, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The Twi’lek stepped back and smiled. “You may kiss your bride.”

Theron smiled and leaned in over their joined hands, brushing the top of his nose against hers. “I love you,” he whispered, his smile softening his hazel eyes.

“I love you too.” Xaja stretched up and pressed her lips against Theron’s in a soft, sweet kiss. “I’m the luckiest woman in the galaxy to have you.”

“Mmm… you’ve just made me the happiest man alive.” Theron tilted his head down to kiss her again, both of them unaware of the officiant discretely excusing herself. “I love you more than life itself.”

[yourdailyteedotcom]

Shirt of the day for November 14, 2017: Imperial Scarif Garrison by Firepower Design found at Snappy Kid from $14.95

The Galactic Empire would like to invite all loyal  Storm Trooper to kick back for a vacation on sunny Imperial Scarif Garrison. Stressed out from hunting down rebel scum? Just enjoy some cocktails empire style while you recharge for duty.

Other discoveries for November 14, 2017:

Design by Humans: Open Workspace -black/white Version ($24) ==== RIPT Apparel: 

D'oh D'oh D'oh Santa Edition ($13) Flaming Moe ($13) Merry Senshi ($13) ==== Shirtpunch: 

Breaking Out ($10) Dwarf Warrior ($10) The Great Retro Game Battle ($10) Winner Winner ($10) ==== Teefury: 

Making Of A Soldier ($14) Widow's Reflection ($14)

#starwars #rogueone #astarwarsstory #scarif #galacticempire #stormtrooper #snappyki

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Look I really need a show about Imperials. Not a dark angsty show. One like "the office" where the ensigns look into the camera when Krennic tries to get promoted The way the technicians complain about that stupid exhaust pipe in the most inconvenient spot. Who designed this thing? What do they talk about during morning Caf? That one kiss up who gets made fun of for organizing Thrawns art collection. Playing truth or dare, but getting serious when Tarkin shows up. Getting visits from the Emperor and everything goes to crap so they have to pretend that "of course this is working fine." Facial hair mimicry of Kallus sideburns that get people written up "We gotta take a trip somewhere. I just need a vacation." "Alderaans pretty nice this time of cycle." "Nah." Hearing about Scarif and groaning because today's gonna be hell Imitating Yularen behind his back The empire is a well oiled military oppressive force that kills people I get it. But it is also a governmental beauracracy that has low level people filing papers on why Vadars palace budget needs a ceiling. (real estate on Mustafar ain't cheap)