#Large Skywalker Clan

[a-k-a-l-i]

The Skywalker Invasion

The Arrival

Got this on all the popular websites, check me out there!

Palpatine believes he will win when he gathers a grand army of various Sith, though unbeknownst to him, the Force gathers an army of their own. The descendants of Anakin Skywalker travel through time to aid the patriarch of the powerful clan. Through family chaos, will the Force ever be balanced?

~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 1

Aayla Secura

“General Secura! There are more battle droids southwest from here!” Commander Bly found his way to his general’s side. Aayla blocked a blaster bolt that was aimed at his head.

“Thank you, General.”

“No need to thank me, Commander, just be sure to keep up,” she teased slightly.

The 327th yelled, blasting their way through the battle droids. Many clones fell, but that didn’t stop them. Force jumping over an Octuptarra droid, Aayla sliced off the legs and cut the body in half.

She whipped her head around gauging the battlefield, she will need backup, and she needs it fast. 

I could always use another Jedi to help, she thought wryly.

Activating her commlink, she sent a message to her commander, “we need backup, contact the Jedi Temple for assistan–” Aayla dodged a missile that was headed for her. It blew up, sending her flying a few hundred feet from her original spot.

She picked herself up when a powerful tremor through the Force knocked her off balance. She knew that such raw power could be felt from all over the galaxy. The only time she felt power like this is when Anakin Skywalker tended to unleash a powerful Force ability. 

“–neral, General! Come in, Aayla!”

Groaning, the blue Twi’lek held her head, trying to stop the oncoming headache. 

“I’m here, Commander, just getting myself into trouble is all,” she blinked rapidly.

“Hopefully not too much trouble, we need you here, there…has been an anomaly, someone just appeared out of nowhere.”

“Of course, I will be there shortly, Secura out,” using the Force, she ran towards the Republic base. 

Clone troopers saluted the minute she arrived. Nodding in acknowledgement, she headed to the comm room where she saw Commander Bly, a few clones, and an unknown blonde man wearing a lightsaber clipped to his belt.

“General Secura,” Bly and the other clones said respectively. The mysterious man looked at her, his brown eyes scanning her from head to toe.

“These…troopers tell me you’re the general?” He asked gruffly. Aayla nodded.

“And you are?”

“Cade, Cade Skywalker.”

Aayla and Bly shared a look of unadulterated surprise.

“I’m sorry, but did you say Skywalker?” 

The man sighed, “yes, Skywalker, I know what you’re thinking and I do mean the legendary name Skywalker.”

“I must admit, Cade…there has only been one Skywalker and we would’ve known if there was another, especially with your abilities.”

Cade narrowed his eyes, “there are plenty of Skywalkers roaming the galaxy, and if not by name then by blood. What I want to know, General, is why there are clones fighting a sithload of battle droids!”

Bly coughed in his hand, “you mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“We’re in the Clone Wars, Cade,” Aayla said, watching his face lose color.

“W-what.”

~~~~~~~~

Adi Gallia

Just having won the battle, many clones headed to the aircraft where they will be transported back to the base.

Crossing her arms in concentration, Adi tried to find the source of the Force tremor that happened moments ago, when a cry of shock from her troopers caused her to open her eyes. She brought out her lightsaber, but did not ignite it. 

A woman fell through a blueish portal above the base. Adi used the Force to bring her down gently. The woman’s brown hair covered her face, but her breathing was steady.

“We need a medic!” Cried Adi. 

Coming to her aid, a clone medic removed the woman’s hair from her face to check her pulse, “she is fine, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.”

Adi searched the woman and noticed a lightsaber hanging from her belt, along with a blaster. Just as she was moving to retrieve it, the woman’s right hand grabbed hers. Recoiling in shock, Adi removed her hand, watching the brown haired woman’s eyes snap open.

“Who are you?” Came the remark.

“I am Jedi Master Adi Gallia, and you are?”

Sitting up, the woman glared at the Jedi Master, “I’m Ania Solo, and I don’t remember you being part of the Jedi Order.”

The Tholothian gave her a kind smile, “I could say the same to you, young one, I don’t remember a Solo ever being administered in the Jedi Temple.”

The clone medic gave Ania a hand, which she gladly took.

“I’m not really a Jedi, I left a long time ago, I just rebuilt a new lightsaber.”

Adi nodded in approval, “which you have done a fine job constructing, if you don’t mind why don’t we head to my base? There we can talk in a little more comfort than here.”

Ania mulled over the offer for a slight minute, “I don’t see why not.”

A Republic Cruiser flew over their heads as they were walking inside. 

“You claimed you did not remember me being part of the Jedi Order when you said you left a long time ago. How do you know I wasn’t at the Temple when you left?” Adi questioned, folding her arms in front of her. 

Ania’s brown eyes took in the base, watching the officers all have the same face.

“How about I do the talking here?” She suddenly said, after a moment of silence, “What’s with everyone looking the same? Are they clones?”

Master Gallia gave a sigh, “they are as a matter in fact, but since I hold the higher title, I believe you should answer.”

Ania snorted, “Of course, master, I would’ve remembered you being there, I know most of the Jedi Masters there. Either way, I was a Jedi Knight when I decided to leave, the family legacy was getting to me.”

“What legacy?” Now looking intrigued, Adi had a thoughtful look on her face.

“Why, the Skywalker legacy, even though I’m not one by name, I am a Skywalker by blood. It was either being a Jedi or being a political figure, it doesn't matter if you’re a senator or part of some royal family.”

“Skywalker!? That’s impossible.”

“Hey now, I get it, that’s why I don’t talk about my family, makes everyone go bug-eyed and star-struck,” she rolled her eyes as she said this, it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Of course, why don’t you stay here and rest? I will be back shortly for some answers.”

Ania nodded and followed a clone, muttering to herself.

The Jedi Master closed her eyes once again, if what the newcomer said was true, then Anakin Skywalker would have a lot of explaining to do.

Walking to the communication room, the door shut behind her.

~~~~~~~~

Jedi Temple

Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade knew the Force was up to no good again when they found themselves at the Jedi Temple, looking as if it hadn't been destroyed over twenty years ago.

“Well, Farmboy, what have you gotten us into this time?” her red hair swished as she took in her surroundings, Luke only shook his head.

“I feel presences I haven’t felt since…I was nineteen,” he muttered. Green eyes looked at him in sympathy.

“...I heard voices over here…”

Two pairs of eyes snapped to the door.

“We’re gonna get caught..”

“Sithspit, Skywalker, let’s go.”

They exited the room and made their way around several corridors, trying to avoid as many Jedi as they could. They made a left turn and ran into a dark-skinned bald man and a small, green troll.

Luke’s jaw went slack with surprise while Mara groaned in annoyance.

“Great, just great, here comes the interrogation.”

~~~~~~~~

Senate Rotunda

Senator Mon Mothma’s office

“The Chancellor may be on to us, we have to vote him out of here, he has been in this position way too long,” Bail exclaimed, his hand stroking his beard.

“As long as this war is going on, we can’t do anything,” Padmé  said, her fingers typing quickly on her datacomputer, “we must end this war, it’s the only way.”

“If I might make a suggestion, none of us is close with Chancellor Palpatine, maybe we could get someone to give him the notion, surely–” Mon was cut off when a loud noise was heard.

Onaconda Farr was quick to walk over to the closet that was in Mon Mothma’s office.

“Be careful, Senator Farr, it could be a spy,” Mon warned.

The Rodian senator placed his hand on the button, the door opened and out tumbled a small young girl with brown hair holding a nexu.

Many senators who were present gasped.

“Who is she?”

“How did she get here?”

“Is that a nexu?”

Padmé  rushed over, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of seeing a nexu again. She brushed the girl’s hair away, and noticed a striking resemblance between them.

“Who is this Padmé? She looks like you,” Bail noted with surprise. The young female senator only shrugged in response.

“I-I’m not sure, Bail, Uncle Ono, help me move her to the couch.” The two male senators complied, lifting the girl gently as possible. Just as her back hit the plush couch, her eyes snapped open.

“Who are you!? Where am I!?” she gasped out, the nexu was still unconscious so the young girl brought the beast closer to her chest.

“You’re at the Senate Rotunda, may we ask for your name?” Mon asked warmly, giving the brunette a small, comforting smile.

“M-my name is Allana Solo…and you are?” Allana blinked, watching the different beings, all dressed in extravagance and perfection, in the room.

“I am Senator Mon Mothma, this is Senator Onaconda Farr, Senator Bail Organa, and Senator Padmé Amidala,” the red headed senator listed off the names of the other senators in the room, but she noticed that young Allana eyes widened at the names Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala.

“B-But…you’re supposed to be dead. You’re all supposed to be dead!” 

~~~~~~~~

Senate Rotunda

Chancellor’s office

Leia didn’t know what to do, which was surprising, but not impossible. When she opened her eyes and saw the Supreme Chancellor’s office, she became confused. This room was drenched in darkness, darkness that she hasn’t felt in a long while. 

“Great. Just when I thought all this Force mambo-jumbo was all dealt with!” Han grumbled out, stretching his neck. 

“Han!” Leia wrapped her arms around him.

“Woah, it’s always good to know you missed me, Princess, any idea what’s happening?”

“No, I don’t,” she shook her head, releasing him,“let’s go, we need to make a plan…hopefully we come across someone we recognize.”

“What do you mean? Are we not in our galaxy?” shouted Han, Leia covered his mouth with her hand.

“Shh! And I think we are, but…it feels different, there’s darkness here, everywhere.”

“Right…” he mumbled.

They left the room, she was grateful they weren’t seen. Walking through the corridor, Leia thanked the Force she hadn’t changed from her senatorial wear, she blended in perfectly. 

We need to find a way out of here and fast, she thought, her eyes dashing around, spotting every door on this floor.

Han muttered talking about stuffy senators and confusing rooms. She elbowed him, though she didn’t allow him to see the smile that appeared on her face.

She opened a door that led to the Galactic Senate Chamber where they witnessed the room erupting in applause. Leia gasped out and covered her mouth not wanting to draw attention to herself. 

“What is it?” Han asked, confused. Leia pointed to the center of the room, his face paled slightly.

There in the Chancellor’s seat was none other than Sheev Palpatine.

Her mind raced a mile a minute, what happened? How could this happen? Darth Vader killed him, Luke said so. Yet here he was, smiling as if he had never died in the first place. Smiling as the Galactic Senate continued to eat out of his palm. Smiling as he knew, he had the galaxy under his fingers.

Leia was about to run off when a bright light surrounded the room, the Force once again bursted with power. A woman, dressed in clothes fit only for royalty with a single gold band around her head, fell through and landed, quite painfully, on the chancellor’s seat. 

Her groan could be heard throughout the room.

“W-where am I? Who are you?”

Chancellor Palpatine smiled a grandfatherly smile, “you’re in the Galactic Senate Chamber, my dear, and who are you?”

The woman looked confused, gazing around the room, “I am Empress Marasiah Fel, of the Fel Empire.”

Han furrowed his eyebrows, “another empire?”

A senate pod drew closer, “where is this empire located? We have never heard of it,” A dark skinned man spoke, an Alderaanian accent present.

“The galaxy is the Fel Empire,” the woman’s delicate hand went up to her head, “I am the empress of the galaxy,” her voice now set firm with authority.

Leia, who was quiet during the exchange, let out a startled gasp, along with thousands of other voices.

~~~~~~~~

Anakin Skywalker

“Come on, Snips, keep up, we have a score to settle,” the Jedi Knight laughed, slicing battle droids left and right. Said girl scowled, leaping from her spot, twirled in the air, and landed a final strike on a droideka.

“Master, you’re cheating, we said no Force powers,” Ahsoka pressed, blocking a blaster bolt five inches from her face.

“Nothing is fair in war, and besides, a little cheating is fun here and there,” Anakin smirked once again leading the way. Ahsoka groaned.

“Cheer up, kid, you might catch the general in surprise,” Rex said, appearing at her side.

“Hardly anything catches him by surprise, Rex,” she rolled her eyes.

“Retreat! Retreat!” Battle droids turned around, fleeing the battlefield. Cheers became louder as the clones chased the last of the clankers away.

The togruta padawan’s grin fell from her face as she felt a warning through the Force.

“What’s–oof!” 

A boy landed on her, muttering strings of apologies.

“I’m really sorry, I don’t know how I got here,” he helped her up and bowed slightly. 

Ahsoka’s cheeks were dusted a light pink, “it’s alright…” she coughed and regained her bearings, “just who are you anyway?”

“Ah,” the red headed boy scratched his neck, “I’m Ben Skywalker.”

Her eyes nearly bugged from her head, “w-what.”

“I know, son of the famous Luke Skywalker, it’s no big deal. But what’s with the…clone army?”

“Ahsoka, who’s your new friend?” Anakin came from behind her, assessing the newcomer. 

“Master…meet…Ben Skywalker…”

Many clones stopped their conversation, now turning their attention to the newly revealed Skywalker. Anakin’s face was written with sheer surprise.

“Skywalker? I don’t remember any Skywalkers with red hair,” coughed Anakin, his hands on his hips.

Ben chuckled, “I got my hair from my mom, but I have the Skywalker blue eyes though, at least, that’s what my mom calls it.”

And he was right, Ben’s eyes were nearly identical to Anakin’s.

“We need to contact the Jedi Temple.”

The boy winced, “Er, I highly doubt my parents will be pleased, just tell them it was a mistake.”

“Are you not a Jedi? Why do you think we would contact your parents? ”Ahsoka looked confused, glancing at the lightsaber on his belt.

It was Ben’s turn to be confused, “my parents are on the council, my dad is the grandmaster…what’s going on?” he demanded. Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Grandmaster?” Squeaked Ahsoka.

“This just got a whole lot weirder.  Snips, take him to the cafeteria in the Republic Cruiser, I need to send in a report. Rex, watch these two for me, will ya?” 

The clone captain took off his helmet and saluted, “sir, yes sir.” Anakin nodded and joined a few clones in a Low Altitude Assault Transport.

“Meet me when you’re finished, Ahsoka.”

The door snapped shut and flew off.

“Your name’s Ahsoka?” Ben wondered.

“Yeah, Ahsoka Tano. That was my master, Anakin Skywalker.”

The boy laughed as the trio entered their own transport.

“What’s so funny, kid?” A clone trooper asked.

“Ahsoka said her master was Anakin Skywalker.”

She looked unimpressed, “well he is, and you just saw him, what’s so hard to believe? You two share the same name, so what’s the big idea?”

Other clones nodded in agreement.

“Oh, you misunderstood me,” Ben said, collecting himself, “The reason why I’m laughing is because if he really is Anakin Skywalker then he would be my grandfather, who died over twenty years ago.”

The silence was loud in the transport.

“He’s your WHAT!?”

~~~~~~~~

Obi-wan Kenobi

“This is disturbing,” the older man said, stroking his beard.

Three children rocked back and forth on their heels.

“Well it’s true!” The youngest boy exclaimed, “I’m Anakin Solo!”

“And you were named after who?” Obi-wan questioned. The female sighed as the older boy explained.

“Anakin is named after our grandfather, Anakin Skywalker.”

“He must be getting old, Jacen,” the girl whispered, “I think he needs those hearing specials.”

Jacen nodded, “you’re right, Jaina.”

Obi-wan’s eye twitched, if these children were claiming to be the offspring…or rather great offspring of Anakin, then they inherited the talent of poking jabs at people.

“Cody, set course to Coruscant, I have a feeling this galaxy will either be doomed or saved, depending on how one looks at it.” 

Cody saluted.

“Let’s go, children, we’re heading to the Jedi Temple,” Obi-wan said. The Solo kids cheered, chatting words like “Uncle Luke…training…pranks…”

Force help him, he hopes this was nothing but a prank and Anakin did not reproduce…and that his offspring didn’t reproduce, for this galaxy will truly need help.

The clone commander smirked under his helmet, chuckling silently. 

Oh, this was pure comedy.

Obi-wan commanded the ship with full authority. Left and right, men ran in all directions.

The battle may be over, but with this new anomaly, it required his full attention. Nothing can go wrong.

Anakin walked to the bridge holding multiple parts that Obi-wan’s face paled.

“Anakin, what is this!?”

The young boy gazed at the older Jedi, his face turning into a pout.

“I noticed that this was wired wrong so I decided to come here and educate whoever was in charge,” he grinned, “ this would’ve blown everyone up in pieces.”

Jacen and Jaina nodded in agreement.

“He’s right, Uncle Obi, I’m disappointed,” Jaina tsked.

Uncle Obi? A small sigh left his lips, he will demand a day’s full rest and another day full of meditation. Anakin’s great offspring is just as tiring and troublesome as he was .

What about his offspring? He buried the thought the moment it came, he refused to even think about it. The Force bursted again, Obi-wan lowered his head, this has been going on all day, whatever could it be now?

“Jacen! Jaina! No playing with lightsabers inside the ship!”

Anakin whined with disappointment when an officer took away the ship’s parts.

“You need me to fix this disaster!” 

~~~~~~~~

Plo Koon

The Wolf Troopers surrounded two older men, though they held their fire.

One of the men, with white hair, lit his lightsaber, a yellow color illuminated his face, while the other man, slightly younger than the first, ignited his blue lightsaber.

Commander Wolffe raised his gun higher, his team following his lead.

“Hold your fire,” Plo Koon walked to the circle, “state your names, we are not enemies.”

Sharing a look, the men defused their lightsabers, but still held them in their palms.

“I am Bantha Rawk–”

“Oh, enough with that bantha poodoo of a name,” the younger man drawled, “I’m Jedi Master Kol Skywalker, and this is my older brother, Jedi Master Nat Skywalker. Forgive us, we mean no harm.”

Nat glared at his younger brother, “I don’t want attention drawn to me.” Kol waved him off.

Commander Wolffe faltered slightly, “did you say Skywalker?”

“Great, now our location is known, who knows who will come and try to kidnap us.”

“I was unaware Anakin Skywalker had any other relatives in the Order, General Koon,” a clone trooper commented.

“He doesn’t, much less is related to anyone who is a Jedi Master,” Plo brought a hand to his chin, deep in thought.

“Anakin Skywalker?” Nat interjected. Plo Koon looked in his direction.

“He’s dead, it must be another one then,” Kol mused.

“No one in this family has named any of their children after Anakin Skywalker, besides the Solos,” insisted Nat.

“Please enlighten me, why would you believe Anakin Skywalker is dead?” 

Kol raised an eyebrow, “because, we’re his descendants, and he’s been dead for over ninety years.”

Shocked with the newly found revelation, the clones completely dropped their arms. Though highly unprofessional, they knew the elder Skywalkers would not harm them.

“We must head to the Jedi Temple at once,” Plo Koon turned around suddenly, leading the way.

The two brothers shrugged and followed him.

~~~~~~~~

The Force seemed to laugh jovially, there will be balance at last. Their son needs all the help he can get, especially after the Sith Lord almost cheated his way to victory, but it wouldn’t happen on their watch.

[whitejays-galaxy]

Designing the entire disaster lineage as cats🐱(Reupload)

I accidentally made some design errors, so I had to redo them... To make up for my mistake, there's a small surprise in the end ^^

This is one of my oldest Aus that I'm working on; it's a mix of my two favorite fandoms: StarWars and Warriors(cats)

Honestly, I never thought I would be posting this here on Tumblr.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this👍

The disaster lineage:

This is their actual size chart

My favorite trio:

Dooky and Quiggs becuz they deserve more love:

Ref sheets:

Horizonstar/step(Yoda): 

Name Meaning:

"Horizon" carried the meaning of him being the leader of his clan, a beacon of light in the distance, "Step" meant he was always one step ahead of his clanmates, thus using his knowledge and power to help his cats.

Frostshard(Dooku): 

Name Meaning:

I chose "Frost" because of his cold, collected, haughty demeanor, and "Shard", his presence being able to hurt others, like when you touch a broken shard of glass. It also represents his sharpness.

Sagepelt(Qui-Gon-Jinn):

Name Meaning:

"Sage" symbolizes his wisdom of the living Force, spiritual sanctity, vice, and virtue, which some knights thought he was delusional, while others respected his high moral standards.

If you look at a sage plant, the leaves are fuzzy, and they often grow in large swishing bushels, hence the suffix "Pelt"

Hazeldusk(Obi-Wan-Kenobi):

Pls ignore his traumatized face

Anyway

Name Meaning:

I chose "Hazel" because of his pelt color and warm/comforting personality. "Dusk" has a deeper meaning; Hazel trains Skyfire, who turns to the dark side and brings Dawnclan's legacy to an end; therefore, Hazel teaches the one who brought the "Dusk" of Dawnclan's era.

Skyfire(Anakin Skywalker): 

Name Meaning:

I chose "Sky" because of his godlike abilities, for in many countries and religions, the sky was where the gods lived, "Fire" because of him being ferocious yet warm/loving like a small bit of flame in a hearth. It also foreshadows how he would fall, consumed into flames.

Tawnyrain(Ahsoka-Tano):

Name Meaning:

I chose "Tawny" because of her pelt color, and "Rain", symbolizes her abandoning the teachings of Dawnclan when she goes into exile, like the rain washing over dust and grime, the corruption of Dawnclan ways, coated over her innocence and pure heart. 

Long yap incoming...

<Lore>

<Dawnclan/ The Jedi Order>

Dawnclan was created over a thousand years ago by four Force-sensitive cats: Sunspirit(Cala Brin), Tigerblaze(Rajivari), Valorsoul(Garon Jard), and Eclipseshadow(Ters Sendon). 

"True justice cannot be driven by emotion. We knights can set our passions aside, and seek the truth without fear or favor." - Sunspirit

"When Dawnclan's order began, I saw we must be dedicated to peace. To calm our emotions, and end war across the galaxy. If we fought, it should only be in self-defense. That is the founding principle of civilization." - Valorsoul

"So much is fleeting. But I remain. And I remain the cat I was." - Tigerblaze

"I am Eclipseshadow, keeper of the histories. A founder, and chronicler, of Dawnclan." - Eclipseshadow

<About Dawnclan>

-They walk the dreams of their ancestors in Starclan, a clan created by the light side of the Force.

-A Force-Sensitive kit is taken to the temple at a very young age, training in the basic forms of dueling.

-Padawans(apprentices) train for approximately two years with their assigned Master, the names usually ending with a 'Paw'(a universal suffix meaning apprentice or student)

-Knights must at least have trained an apprentice before they can be selected for the Dawnclan Council, a group of the most talented cats.

-A Dawnclan knight is forbidden to take a mate or have kits.

<The Dawnclan Code>

There is no Emotion, there is Peace

There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge

There is no Passion, there is Serenity

There is no Chaos, there is Harmony

There is no Death, there is the Force

<Darkhaven/ The Sith Order>

It is hard to know the birth of Darkhaven, yet one thing is for sure, evil has lurked since no beginning nor end.

The official name of these dark warriors was created by Hellfire, a soulless she-cat whom many say was the embodiment of evil itself.

The Fate Wars, the first great war in the Galaxy, led to the victory of the knights of Dawnclan, who built their main camp on the ruins of Darkhaven.

After the events of the Fate Wars, two more happened during the history of the Galaxy: 

The first was the Cold War: in which former Darkhavener Corvidheart(Darth Revan) challenged the Emperor Vortexvoid(Emperor Vitalle) to reclaim balance on both sides.

The second was the Grey Wars: Darkhaven leader Stormcutter(Darth Malgus) brought the Dawnclan order to its knees and took over for a long time. This caused a rebellion act against the Darkhaven Empire by normal citizens, and as a result, the Republic was born - an invisible group that consisted of various clans and tribes to discuss peace and to help each other in crisis.

Many years passed after the Grey Wars, and one by one, the warriors of Darkhaven were hunted down by the knights of Dawnclan.

Nightshade(Darth Bane), the last known leader of Darkhaven, and the maker of the Rule of Two, swore revenge. They will always lurk in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

Her apprentice Plagueshadow(Darth Plagueis) continued her work in silence, training the dreaded Lightningstrike(Darth Sidious), who would create the most feared and powerful Darkhavener of all time: Lord Deadsoul(Darth Vader)

<About Darkhaveners>

When a Dawnclan knight falls to the Dark side, their features grow haughty and sharp because of the Dark Forest water.

Only Darkhaveners have orange eyes.

They usually have red crystals on their foreheads but in rare circumstances, purple or black could be seen also.

They communicate with the Dark Forest, an everlasting place of the Dark side of the Force, with murky water and wizened trees.

They have the Rule of Two, only allowing a Master and an Apprentice to live.

<The Darkhaven Code>

Peace is a lie, there is only Passion

Through Passion, I gain Strength

Through Strength, I gain Power

Through Power, I gain Victory

Through Victory, My Chains Are Broken

The Force shall set me Free

About Kyberclaws:

They glow red hot at the tip when unsheathed at battle mode. But they can't use them for long, or the heat would kill them(Yoda/Horizonstar has a record of using them for a full thirty minutes)

They are functioned by the Kyber Crystals on their foreheads and could cut through anything except Beskar Wood( a tree known for its silvery wood and toughness, used by the Mandalorian cats)

A Dawnclan cat develops this ability once they are 6 moons old, as their bodies mature enough to withstand the claw tip's deadly heat.

About crystals on foreheads:

The Crystals are the main source of the Kyberclaw's power, and when forcefully taken, it would cripple the owner for eternity(like a bird without wings)

When a Dawnclan cat dies, the Crystals turn a dead-looking grey, devoid of all power.

About Droids in the Au:

They are animals that are neither living nor dead(such as rats, foxes, shrews, badgers...etc)

Their commander controls them with the Smoke Crystals(used like comlinks)

About Starships in the Au: 

They are huge birds of prey tamed by the cats.

Alright... the surprise... I'm actually astonished you scrolled all the way down here.

Cuddle Pile!!!

[yoitsjay]

Hi!! I ador your writing, Especially your male reader ones! There's not enough clone x male reader fanfics out there. So im requesting a Commander Fox x male reader with no specifications. You can do whatever you want with this. And if you don't feel comfortable or you just don't want to, that's fine too I hope you have an amazing day!

Thank you! I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with this so- I hope this is okay!

New and Relieving

Pairings: Fox x male senator! Reader

Summary: You were an up and coming senator within the republic, from a planet nobody has even heard of until now. Fox is tasked in protecting you along with the rest of his squad, and though it's a reprieve from the chancellor he can't stand you. You're snarky, kind to others but blunt to those who oppose you. Your kind to Fox and his brothers but he just can't understand why... well, he will soon find out.

Warnings: some fluff, not many warnings.

Word count: 1,559

After a vicious battle on the planet of Cryt,

General’s Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi are tasked with bringing the Senator of Cryt to Coruscant for added protection against separatist assassins trying to take his life.

The Republic Senate places Senator Y/n under the protection of the Coruscant guard until further notice.

Now Senator Y/n must face the harsh realities of true politics in wartime, as well as battling the growing tension between him and his protector, Commander Fox…

Will the Senator persevere?

-

Two days, half a current rotation. One large celebratory dinner, half eaten rations. You kept track of the number of hours you had been on Coruscant, you tried to eat more than just one dinner and some rations, but the near loss of your home planet had been a lot to carry on your shoulders.

So many good soldiers lost their lives to save your little back water trade route, but they assured you it was essential for the Republic to set up a care center and base of operations there.

You didn’t argue back.

You now had to face the threat of hundred’s, maybe even thousand’s of Senators, arguing on whether or not you- or your contribution is worth having within the senate.

You quickly realized that there were two sides in the Senate, the vindictive, cruel, money driven senators who often side with the banking clan, and the kind hearted, caring senators who always try to fight for the right thing.

You picked your side pretty quickly.

Senator Organa, Amidala, and Chuchi all became good friends of yours, helping you with some of that burden you carried on your shoulders, offering help and advice which definitely had lightened your load a bit.

You were currently sitting in your office, one hand in your hair as the other was scribbling on paper, writing signatures on bills for your friends in the Senate. You heard the door to your office open but you didn’t even bat an eye to who entered, just giving them a curt wave as you moved onto the next stack of papers.

You had a small guard squad assigned to you, but you had been so busy these last couple of days so you just didn’t have the time to greet them or ask for their names. “I need an assistant.” You muttered to yourself as you pushed the stack of papers away, leaning back to look at the ceiling.

“Anything I can help with? Senator?” A voice called up, and you jolted in your seat, turning your head in the direction of the voice, seeing one of the guards standing beside your desk. You let out a sigh of relief, offering the armored man a gentle smile. “perhaps… thank you for the offer…” You trailed off, silently asking for the clone's name.

“I’m Commander Thorn.” He introduced, and you smiled a bit brighter, standing as you offered a handshake to him, which he took politely. “Y/n L/n- though- i guess you already knew that.” You chuckled, placing your hands on your hips.

“I apologize if I've seemed unfriendly to you and your brothers, I've just had so much on my plate.” You sighed, glancing at your work before shaking your head.

“It’s no problem at all, Senator. We understand.” Thorn stated, giving you some consolation on your quiet behavior. “Right, well I think it’s time I get to know your squad some more, hm?” You suggested, grabbing your commlink and your jacket, walking out of your office with Thorn right behind you.

There were a few clones guarding your door, and as you walked the hallways beside the commander, they stayed guarding your office. Thorn took you to the main mess hall in the GAR, knowing that it would be where his Marshall Commander and other brothers would be.

He also gave you a small tour around the GAR per your request, and you had some friendly short chats with a couple other clones before entering the mess hall.

It was packed with hundreds of clones, the room went silent when they noticed you, a fancily dressed Senator, but regardless Thorn helped you get some food from the line up. He told you to skip the line but you were adamant on waiting your turn.

Once you had your tray of food Thorn led you over to one of the tables already filled with clones wearing red armor. One of them caught your eye, he had dark short hair, but there was a silver streak running through the left side of his hair. He stared at you before standing in greeting.

“Senator. I didn’t know you’d be joining us.” The man stated, and you offered a light smile. “I decided I needed to get to know the men protecting me. Thorn has been very helpful so far but I'd like to know the rest of you too.” You explained as you sat down at the table, Thorn sitting beside you.

“Right… Well these are Commanders Thire and Stone. Beside Stone is Sergeant Hound.” The clone introduced, and each clone waved or saluted. You waved in response, turning your head to look at the man who was already staring at you.

“So you must be Marshall Commander Fox.” You mused, and the man nodded. “Well it’s wonderful to meet you all, I hope you don’t mind me joining you.” You stated, readying your meal to be eaten.

“Not at all, Senator. You're welcome to join us.” Commander Thire spoke up, and you sent him a thankful look before biting into your sandwich.

Fox narrowed his eyes at you slightly, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched you talk with his brothers. Eventually you felt your commlink going off and you started cursing as you fumbled to get up an answer. “Shit! i forgot I had a stupid meeting.” You hissed, grabbing your tray as you smiled at the men.

“Excuse me, I must go. It was very nice meeting you all.” You expressed, throwing out the food from your tray before setting the tray to the side. Fox then stood up, it being his turn to escort you places, following you out in a brisk walk as you hurried from the GAR back to the senate building to get there in time for your meeting.

When you got to the room you turned to Fox, offering him a smile. “Thank you for escorting me, you are free to do as you please.” You started quickly before entering the room.

However Fox didn’t leave. Even as your meeting went on for hours he stood outside until you were the last to leave. He noticed how exhausted you looked, and sighed. “To your quarters?” He asked, however you shook your head.

“No, I am done for the day, I will return back to my apartment.” You stated. Fox nodded and led you to the building where many senator’s resided, already knowing your apartment number even if you didn’t.

Once you got to the door that led to your chambers you turned to Fox, and spoke.

“I’m sorry if I've offended you in the past couple of days. Being a Senator of such a small planet- it's hard work that I'm not used to.” You breathed out, running your hand through your hair as you stared up at him. He noticed something shining in your eyes, and he wouldn’t lie…

You’ve piqued his interest, more than anyone else ever has.

“I was raised on a farm, I led my community since I was a teenager… They voted for me to become Senator when we sided with the republic. If I'm honest I should have said no.” You joked, opening your apartment door before turning to Fox again, biting your bottom lip.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” You asked, and Fox thought for a moment before he nodded. “Yes, I'll be here in the morning. You’ll have guards stationed outside if you need anything however. Keep your Com on.” He instructed, and you nodded, giving him another look before finally shutting the door.

After that, little walk breaks with Fox became a regular thing, along with the fact that he always brought you home, and was always there in the morning to pick you up. You didn’t see him much in the afternoon, so you looked forward to the evening’s with the Commander.

You and Fox grew closer, and to think he despised you at first- or at least was very untrusting. But now he trusted you alot, he learned all about you, personality wise and… otherwise. Though even as the Republic… rebranded… Fox stayed by your side, permanently transferring as your bodyguard, giving orders when he needed too.

But you helped him lose faith in the republic he had worked so hard to keep peaceful. You resigned as Senator, and withdrew your planet’s support from the Empire, despite their resistance. However you had the backing of millions of people on your home planet…

You and Fox started a rebel alliance cell on your planet, and explored the feelings that had bloomed between you. Fox was gay as fuck, that he found out pretty fast after leaving the Empire with you.

And you were… open to anything he threw your way.

You were perfect for him.

And you knew it.

➺

Tag lists:

Fox

Tcw:

All:

@moomoog017

[thewriterowl]

Chief Editor Luke Skywalker makes a foolish lie to help protect his employee, basically a secretary, Din Djarin from losing his job. Both hoped to brush it off with some minor inconvenience but, instead, find themselves going to Din's home to "celebrate" their engagement with the very large Djarin clan.

Trapped in a quaint village where everyone knows everything, sharing a bedroom, and needing to pretend they are happily in love when Din hates his boss with a passion, and said boss being a bit more soft and odd than he realized, it feels like a disaster is waiting to happen. Only, in a strange turn of events, rather than things unraveling, it feels like pieces are falling into place a little too naturally.

(Or, AKA: The Proposal AU)

--

So there will be one more chapter after this! I found it would be best to finish it all up. So next chapter is the last!

Din's daddy ways are really trying to take over here lol

I hope the update is enjoyed!! :D

[dream-beyond-the-fantasy]

Book recommendations?

I'm looking to read more in two of my main fandoms, Star Wars and Doctor Who.

Pre-2014, I had a large collection of Star Wars books (somewhere between 170 to 200). But after the Disney acquisition and continuity reboot, I sadly and stupidly got rid of most of them, keeping only my favorite books, series, and/or those by my favorite authors. I'm slowly trying to restart my collection.

But I'm also interested in reading some Disney canon Star Wars books or Expanded Universe/Legends that I never got to read. Characters that I love or am interested in reading more about: Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Skywalker-Solo clan (male or female), Qui-Gon Jinn, Thrawn, the Jedi Order (mainly Prequel Era but also some New Jedi Order), Boba Fett, the Mandalorians, Palpatine, and high-ranking Imperials.

As for Doctor Who, I only started reading a few books around the time of the 50th anniversary. And more since the 60th anniversary. I'm trying to start a collection, buying them where and when I can. Mostly, it's just been novelizations, but I've read some Past Adventure books and spinoff pieces.

I'm willing to read anything to read anything (books or comics) I can find. But I'm really interested in reading anything that has UNIT (Brigadier, Benton, Yates, Jo, Liz, Harry), Sarah Jane, the Master, the Time Lords, Sisterhood of Karn, Rose, Martha, Donna, Jack, Torchwood, Clara, Romana, Leela, Bill, Susan, Jamie, and Zoe.

If you have any recs, please let me know.

[midnightcreator12]

The Portal Home is Built with Roadblock - Chapter 27 - Welcome Home, It's Changed Since You Left

AO3 Link

Chula is back in her original reality. She had been expecting things to be different but...not this different.

Chula had prepared herself for a number of things upon her return.

Maybe the Republic had won. Maybe the Separatist had won. Maybe the war was still in full force and she really would have to kidnap Astra and the battalion. Maybe the Clone War ended and a new one had started up.

Dozens upon dozens of possible things could be waiting for her. So, naturally, the moment she got a good signal on the other side of the gateway she pulled up the holonet and started catching up.

And was completely unprepared for what she found.

She stared in horror at the first article she’d found in relation to the war’s end. And bold, flickering blue text stared back at her.

JEDI DECLARED TRAITORS TO THE REPUBLIC.

And that…that could not be right. There was no way that was what had ended the war. She could see a few Jedi turning on the Republic, a name or two even came to mind, but…all of them? The faces of the entire damned war, Kenobi and Skywalker? The high counsel?

Astra?

No, definitely not her, not in a hundred years. Astra, for as much as Chula loved her, had a blind faith in the Republic that would never let her betray it.

And even if she did…the article said that the clones had had orders to open fire on any and all Jedi and she knew not one person in the two-forty-fourth would ever turn their weapons on Astra. 

And the more she poked around, the worse it got.

There were kill on site orders for any and all Jedi, Canoculer Papatine had declared himself the Emperor of the Republic and subsequently changed it into ‘The Empire’. The Clone War was over but small conflicts were all over the place, people protesting against the Empire's new rules and regulations.

And subsequently being labeled terrorists that needed to be taken care of by the Imperial forces.

Her blood ran cold when she spotted a small press release on ‘The Siege of Lasan’.

There was so little actually written about what had happened but if it was anything like what the Empire had done to the Jedi…what they were still doing to the Jedi.

Chula closed out everything, heart pounding in her ears and breath coming in small, panicked gasps. She knew, deep in the back of her mind, that she needed to calm down but that first headline was blaring at the forefront of her mind, crowding out any other thoughts except for one.

What the hell had happened over the last six years?

—------------

Lasan was a beautiful planet.

The surface jumped between searing heat and pleasant warmth almost year round, covered in grasslands and forests and towering mountains. The cities and villages were always teeming with life and color, Lasat’s trading, working, laughing, living.

It was Chula’s second home, especially after the New Mandalorians won the Clan War. It was where she’d reforged herself after her Buir died, where she heard stories of her mother. Where both her parents had been cremated and their ashes scattered.

It was a warm but fierce world, in both its environment and in its people.

Now it was dead.

Chula stood where the capital had once been, the crown jewel of Lasan. The towering trees and buildings, the markets, the homes, the royal family’s fortress of a palace…gone. Reduced to nothing but ash.

Chula had been expecting a lot of things upon her return but this…this had never once crossed her mind.

Because she’d never imagined the Empire.

She’d never thought that the Jedi would be wiped out, the Clone’s largely dubbed obsolete, for the Force-damned Chancellor of the Republic to turn out to be a power hungry dictator who had the entire Inner Rim wrapped around his finger and was slowly suffocating everything else.

She still couldn’t fully wrap her mind around it, despite all the articles and reports she’d managed to dig up on the public holonet, even after seeing just how far this new government's ruthlessness would go.

She stood on the crumbling remains of the castle entry, body feeling numb but also wanting to explode with….something.

Anger, sorrow, rage, grief, dozens of feelings all fighting for which was the most important one.

It all bubbled out of her mouth in a loud, screeching roar, filled with agony for the people that had once lived on Lasan. Her scream echoed back from the empty, desolate streets before slowly fading away, unheard by anyone but her own ears. Tears streamed down Chula's face as she started storming her way up to the remains of the fortress.

The surface structure may be gone but she prayed to every deity she knew that the surface had been the only thing the Empire had been interested in.

Years of not being on planet and the lack of walls to guide her made her search difficult but she eventually found where the armory had once been. There weren’t any weapons or armor left, likely all picked over by the Empire and by scavengers looking to sell the now unreplicatable weapons.

The thought made another enraged roar burst out of her mouth.

She redirected the anger, the hurt, the pain, she used it to help drive her in her task. She clawed and dug through the remains of stone and metal and wood, vision blurred by dust and tears as she uncovered what remained of the flooring. She felt along the cracked and broken boards, searching until her claws finally scrapped what she’d been looking for.

A lesser known aspect of Lasats was their habit of squirreling away the most prized items among their people. Secret cupboards, hidden chambers, hidden away from outsiders in order to protect what was most valued to their people.

And very few items were more valued among the Lasat than the Honor Guards Bo-Rifles.

Chula strained as she pried the hidden entrance open, the hinges groaning in protest as she forced them to move. The heavy durasteel finally gave up its fight, slamming to the ground with a loud crash, letting light filter down into the underground chamber.

Chula had never been so thankful to step into a room clogged with dust and cobwebs. Because it meant no one had been down there in years.

The chamber wasn’t very large but it didn’t need to be. When collapsed, Bo-Rifles didn’t take up much room and very few were stowed away under the armory. Tradition dictated that if a Bo-Rifle was not won in a Boosahn Keeraw it was to be stored away until it could be passed to an Honor Guard decedent who had claimed the same title. And it was not uncommon for children of Honor Guard members to follow in their parents footsteps. Thus, less than a dozen Bo-Riles were in limbo.

Chula had never even entertained the idea of being an Honor Guard, so she had never expected to hold her mothers weapon in her lifetime.

Any other circumstance, she wouldn’t have. Lasan may not have been her first home but she respected it’s traditions and customs.

But circumstances had changed more than they ever had before and she wasn’t going to leave it here to rot with the remains of Lasan. Or for a lucky scavenger to dig up.

Each rifle was contained in a box and each box had the names of their former wielders engraved on the front. Chula’s fingertips skimmed over the names, some vaguely familiar but most completely unknown to her.

Except one.

Mara Tane.

Chula removed the simple wooden box reverently, running her palm over the top to remove the layer of dust before opening it.

Despite the grim surrounding it, the inside of the box remained pristine, safely holding the hybrid of wood and metal that made up Mara Tane’s Bo-Rifle.

Chula had never seen it before. The weapon had been placed in storage when Chula had still been an infant. She only knew about it because of Garazeb.

She hoped he’d made it out of the massacre…somehow.

Chula inhaled, choking down another cry as she shut the box and resealed the hidden chamber, even replacing some of the rubble to hide it.

She could justify taking her mother’s Bo-Rifle but she couldn’t bring the rest. Hopefully, no one would disturb them. Or a Lasat with the proper authority would come move them to another location or pass them to a new Honor Guard.

The sun beat down on Chula’s back as she trudged back to the Tortuga, rifle case clutched to her chest as her thoughts and heart rate finally started to calm.

She didn’t want to stay, she wanted to go home and cry until she was numb, curl up with Leo and his brother and let the sound of their breathing sooth her aching chest.

But she had to make sure she didn’t leave anyone behind. Because once she left this reality, she was never coming back.

There wasn’t anything left for her in this galaxy.

—-----------

It would take time to find somewhere she could discreetly get into a secure records database.

And in the inbetween, she looked up her other homeworld.

What she found made her feel sick and enraged all over again.

Because apparently, Death Watch had been largely dissipated during the transition from the Republic to the Empire and at some point, Clan Saxon had moved into the power vacuum created. Gar Saxon had plenty of interviews where he very publicly supported the Empire, and since Saxon was the most powerful clan on Mandalore now, she definitely couldn’t risk going anywhere near that system.

There wasn’t much beyond that but Chula knew Mandalorians, especially the ones left in the wake of the Clan War. And she would bet the Tortuga that all the smaller Clans were too busy fighting among themselves to form any kind of rebellion against Clan Saxon or the Empire occupation. 

Chula inhaled sharply and closed the net browser. Public databases could only give her so much, she needed to find an outpost that she could easily get in and out of.

—----------------

She found an outpost station, far in the Outer Rim, with very few guards. Taking them down quickly and quietly wasn’t a problem, but she did bare her teeth under her helmet when she saw the armor they wore. It was clearly a new version of the clone armor, probably rolled out right after the war ended.

Not one of these skanah's deserved to wear it.

She’d admit slicing wasn’t her strongest suit but…well, very few were brave enough or foolish enough to deny a six and a half foot Mandalorian towering over them and demanding to be let into the system.

The database the trooper had access to was limited but…there was almost nothing. It confused Chula, how little information there was about pretty much anything pre-Empire. Most of it was almost exactly like the public Nets, only adding some names and places, but largely, it was all surface level placations and all detailed reports were made after something called Order Sixty-Six.

The only somewhat useful thing she managed to dig up was a database on Jedi that had not been accounted for after Order Sixty-Six.

But there was no mention of Astra or the two-forty-fourth battalion in it.

Chula growled and slammed her hands into the console, hard enough to leave a large dent and make the screen go dark, before storming away. 

Looked like she was relying on word of mouth to figure out what had happened to her clan.

—----------------

Chula must be distracted, that was the only reasonable explanation she could come up with when a blaster clicked right behind her and she was actually surprised by it.

Someone had managed to sneak up behind her on a Lothal sidestreet and she’d been too wrapped up in her own head to notice.

Damn, she was getting old. Or she’d gotten used to how much safer the turtle’s dimensions were.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve wearing that armor,” the owner of the blaster growled.

And…oh, that was why Chula hadn’t heard her coming.

Very few people could sneak up on her, even few were still alive to do it twice. And she was so, so happy to hear one of those few after so long. Right when she had been starting to feel hopeless again.

She inhaled shakily, trying to keep her voice steady as she answered, “Why would you care?”

“Just because you slapped a new paint job on it doesn’t make it yours,” the woman snarled, voice much more gravely than Chula remembered but undoubtedly the same person. “That armor belongs to Clan Verd.”

“So it does,” Chula turned, slowly raising her hands to remove her helmet.

Seena Ader, in her full mercenary kit, face bare, the scar along her cheek a few shades more faded, stared at Chula in shock, all the color draining from under her dusty blue fur, “What…what the hells?”

“Gotta say, didn’t know you cared so much about the sanctity of my armor.”

“What…how…”

Chula tilted her head as Seena spluttered, jaw opening and shutting with nothing of substance coming out. It was almost funny to watch and Chula couldn’t help but cheekily ask, “Do you need a minute Miss. Ader?”

“Do I need a minute?!” Finally, Seena seemed to find her voice. Very loudly. “Do I need-? You kriffing asshole! I thought you kriffing died! Where the kriff have you been?”

“Oh, now that’s a story,” Chula let out a shaky huff, leaning back until she hit a sun-warmed stone building. “How much do you know about the Yaotl guy we were chasing down?”

Seena shrugged, “I may have…dug into him a little after you…from what I found, he was a nutcase.”

“Well, that nutcase's theories on multi-dimensional travel actually had some merit. I’ve been stuck in an alternate reality for the last six years.”

Seena blinked.

Her mouth went through another cycle of opening and shutting.

Chula waited.

Finally, Seena shook her head and mirrored Chula’s leaning position on the opposite building of the sidestreet, “The weird part of that is that I actually believe you.”

“I’ll prove it later,” Chula straightened. “Right now, we need to get Astra. I’ve been diggin’ for intel on where she and the kids are but I haven’t found anythin’. And I know all that osik about treason and the Clones turnin’ on the Jedi is propaganda nonsense from Palpatine. We both know the two-four-four wouldn’t do that in a million years but I can’t…why are you looking at me like that?”

Seena’s expression had become pinched and when Chula pointed it out, she quickly looked down. Her arms moved up to cross over her chest, “Verd….the two-forty-fourth disappeared during the Clone War.”

The good cheer building in Chula was gone in an instant, snuffed out like a candle, “...what?”

“The Paragon disappeared a little over a year before the Clone War ended, same time you did. And the Empire has erased pretty much every record from before that damn order went out. Palpatine has been scrubbing anything that doesn’t feed into the image he’s trying to build of himself and that includes Jedi who actually gave a damn like Astra. But…by gods, I’m almost glad their gone, Astra would have hated all of this mess. There are small rebellions here and there but….have you seen what happened on Lasan? That’s…that pretty standard whenever anyone gets too noisy for Palpatine's liking.”

She had, she had seen Lasan and she didn’t want to think about that or Mandalore or anything except Astra and her kids, because they disappeared…

They disappeared…

“When did you say the Paragon disappeared?”

“The same time you did,” Seena shrugged. “Only report I could dig up was some kind of massive energy spike in that area but it was out in the middle of no-mans-space so the only thing they had to work of was random sensors floating around and The Paragons-”

“Forget about that, we gotta move!” Chula sprung forward, grabbing Seena’s wrist and tugging her back towards the main streets.

“Wait, wait, Verd,” Seena tugged, nowhere close to stopping Chula but managing to slow her down. “What in the hells are you all excited about?”

“I got launched into another dimension because Yaotl’s ship basically opened a wormhole in space and time and dragged the ship in. And right before everything went dark, The Paragon had dropped out of hyperspace, I remember getting a communication from Astra before I hit my head which means the Paragon got pulled in too!”

“Do you have any idea how insane you sound right now? I just told you, the entire ship vanished-”

“And so did I,” Chula stopped, turning to face Seena. “I disappeared into another reality but I made it. I shabbin’ lived for six years in another reality. And I have seen so much and I’ve learned so much and I met these kids, brilliant kids, amazing kids, who helped me get here and they can help us find the rest of our clan and we can finally…we can finally have an actual home.”

Seena’s eyes narrowed again, head tilting.

Chula pressed on, emotions spinning wildly in her blood again and making her babble, “We have a multiverse to pick from. We can stop doin’ all of this, fightin’ other peoples wars, running for our lives every damn second. There was barely anythin’ keeping us here and now we can just…just leave it all. You won’t have to run from you father anymore-”

“Oh, I took care of that ages ago.”

Chula paused, ears flicking forward, “Pardon?”

“Yeeeah, that’s also a story. Short version, dear ol’ dad caught up with me, tried to have me executed in the same way he murdered Tarsi. Turns out, being a merc for most of my life and training with you worked well for not getting ripped apart by starving beasts and I burned his precious little fortress to the ground with him in it.”

Chula blinked.

Than huffed a laugh, releasing Seena’s arm to clap her shoulder, “You’ve been busy.”

“Had to,” Seena muttered. “I was the only one of us left.”

“Not for long,” Chula started moving again, slower now so that they could walk side by side. “Trust me, we’re gonna go back to Donnie and we’ll start a plan to look for Astra and the battalion. We’re goin’ to find them and…and things will be perfect for once.”

“Well, you’ve certainly become more optimistic in your sabbatical.”

“Yeah, well, like I said, I met some amazing kids. I think you’ll get along great with them.”

------------------

Translations:

Skanah's - Fuckers (very hated person(s))

Kriff - Fuck

Osik - shit

------------

.....guess who's writing a third arc for this series?

Also, new Boss Bitch, check out Seena's Profile here!

[panther-os]

I can't remember where or to whom I infodumped about this before, but.

I don't think balance in the Force is about equal amounts of light and dark, I think light/dark and balance/imbalance are two different metaphors for the same thing.

And since one of my two heritage cultures holds that balance cannot be achieved without justice (or vice versa), I think they're a metaphor for justice/injustice.

Jedi haters will say what they'll say, I'm not looking to convince anyone, just to share my thoughts with similar-minded people.

The Jedi are a religious order focused on light, balance, and restoring the galaxy. We see them brought in as diplomats, mediators, and righteous defenders. We also see them restricted by the largest galactic political body, which is rife with corruption and would have reason to be very concerned if the Jedi had the authority or ability to correct their injustices.

The Jedi do have multiple denominations with different codes governing how to avoid injustice in day-to-day life, but ultimately they are all in pursuit of the same goal. Denominations other than the one based in the Coruscant Temple include the Green Jedi and the Altisian Jedi.

The Sith are a religious order focused on dark, pain, suffering, and subjugating the galaxy. We see them torture people for fun, destroy lives and livelihoods, and become tyrants and dictators. We also see them take advantage of the Senate - both of their corruption and of their fear of the Jedi.

We are shown many times that the Sith and the dark side of the Force are inherently unjust, and therefore unbalanced. We see the Gray Jedi denomination who use the dark side, but while their end goal is still balance and justice, as a means, injustice inherently cannot create justice.

And then we see Jedi of all kinds constantly in the pursuit of peace and justice and helping people, refusing to compromise and use unjust means to arrive at a just end, except in the cases of such Jedi as Anakin Skywalker. They make mistakes, they are not infallible and I never see them claim to be, but the good Jedi own up to them, make restitution, and do better.

Other things that support my thoughts include the existence of non-Jedi, non-Sith orders of Force users who don't use balance or light or dark as metaphors and whose goals are neither justice nor domination. These include the Guardians of the Whills, the Baran-Do Sages, and the Witches of Dathomir (excluding the Nightsister Clan, who are shunned by other clans for largely adopting Sith teachings). Most of them simply aid and advise their people.

They (things that support) also include the repeated use of the concept of "restoring balance into the light" which only makes sense within this kind of framework.

In the end, a balance of justice and injustice would still be unjust, but a balance that is justice would necessitate there being no injustice. Thus, a balance of "light" and "dark" would still be "dark", but a balance that is "light" would necessitate there being no "dark".

But without understanding Jedi philosophy this way, by stripping the words of context and meaning, you get a contradictory statement that gray Jedi, most fallen Jedi, and most non-Jedi take at face value rather than asking for clarification or seeking to learn. And, of course, the Sith only encourage this lack of comprehension - especially from other Jedi - because it furthers their own goals.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

SSTW Ask:

I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about this, but if you have it would mean the world to me if you told me about whatever you have thought about, even if it’s just tiny snippets.

Basically, I’m curious about the younger Kryzes and if they ever choose to get married (if they weren’t already in a relationship) and have kids. By “younger Kyrzes” I mean Korkie, Ahsoka, Lily, Avi, Eli, and Edi, as well as the Skywalker children, and of course special mention goes to Sabine and Tristan.

If they ever have kids, how many do each of them have? What are their genders? What about their names? Do any of them marry a different species and have hybrid children? What about adoption?

If you’ve thought this far ahead, what are the kids like, that is, their personality?

BTW it’s totally okay if you’ve never thought about this and have no answers, but if you do I’d absolutely LOVE to hear your thoughts.

Thanks in advance! You’re the greatest.

Oh wow! These are great questions. I know some of this, but not all of it, and I am happy to share because I don't know/highly doubt I will ever write this far into the family's future (save one story, which I will point out when I get to it).

Korkie and Aled get married at the end of MTB (last chapter....it's glossed over, but that's why the whole family is there). They will eventually adopt a child, probably a little girl (why I get Cam and Mitch vibes from Modern Family, I will never know).

Ahsoka has always ready pretty ace to me in canon (her weird jealousy over Lux and Steela Gerrera in the Onderon arc of TCW felt very forced and I have beef with EKJ about....well, TONS of things, but she doesn't even read her own writing well...the interactions between Ahsoka- wait. You know what. This isn't the place to rant about EKJ). ANYWAY, my Ahsoka is ace and aromantic and goes on to live a very happy life helping the galaxy through the RHI and other means.

Lily has yet to tell me what she wants in this department. I have a little storyline in my head about her meeting someone, but it hasn't really formed into anything meaningful yet.

Avi definitely gets married. To a boy from Alderaan that she meets at uni on Coruscant. He has no idea she's royalty for a good while, and is far more excited that she's cousins with the famous singer, Eli Kryze.

Edi and Eli I don't know yet.

The twins, well, I have a whole scenario that gets Han, Luke, and Leia meeting up, so Leia and Han will marry (this is the story I want to write, because the idea of Han marrying into this clan is hysterical to me). Luke will somehow meet Mara Jade as he goes about the galaxy being some sort of lay-Jedi.

Past this generation, I have no real clue! Avi will have children, for sure, and Leia and Han will have some variation of the twins and Anakin Solo from Legends/EU.

But, just know, that in THIS galaxy, they Kryzes are a large and growing and happy clan, unlike in canon *sob*

[michi-beans]

My possessed brain at 4:00 AM coming up with a Star Wars OC:

☆ Lore down below:

》 Juno, force sensitive human mandalorian. Born in 14 BBY on Mandalore, 5 years before the start of the Empire. His buir took him out of the planet when the heat between the New Mandalorians and Death Watch got too dangerous for her to raise him considering not much of the True Mandalorians were left after the Battle of Korda Six. They lived fine for a year until until the Empire fully began. One thing led to another, his buir was killed, Vader and Nasty Man got their hands on him. They decided to keep him as Vader's apprentice in secret in order to have someone to use and keep Mandalore in their hands later on. Although, this didn't really last because the Night of a Thousand Years happened that very same year. So they didn't really need him anymore, but still kept him anyways. Palpatine didn't have much patience for him due to the boy being stubborn and refusing to be something other than a Mandalorian. Which is why he never truly fell to the dark side and doesn't have the yellow eyes. He's Mandalorain before anything else. So you know, trauma ensues, scars were made after the years from punishment. As much as he fought it, he ended up learning well from being forcibly trained by Vader. I want to say he escaped two or three years before the events of the original trilogy. For some reason they allowed him to keep his buir's armor so he had something to take, plus a large amount of beskar ingots he stole. Unfortunately, Vader caught up to him and the two had one last duel. The Sith Lord decided to "test" him and see if Juno deserved to be free. Like true Skywalker fashion, Vader cut off both his arms and left him for dead. Surprise, he didn't die and fortunately the planet he was on had a mod-parlor, so he got himself some cybernetics. Later he would use the beskar he stole to create neskar versions complete with the gauntlets. Years would pass, kept to himself in order to avoid being caught again by the Empire, which luckily not many knew of his existence anyways. He would later come to save Naro and Kesh from a slavers mines. They wouldn't leave him be so he has companions now. Empire fell, time went on and next thing he know he not only got adopted by the togruta and zabrack he saved, but also by the tried old man that is apparently Tatooine's Daimyo.

》 Yes essentially this is just my excuse for Boba to also have a force sensitive ad and Din to be omg we have two now so now Clan Fett-Djarin has two children and grogu has a big bro who wouldn't hesitate to murder anyone who dares to hurt him just like mama Din and papa Boba, probably a little more murderous considering he was trained by a Sith but shhhhhh we don't talk about that.

》 He used to wear a force nulling collar but came to terms with being force sensitive thanks to Naro and Kesh and later from his new aliit. Not used as often but still on occasions. He may be like eww no I don't want to be a Jedi/Sith, yet he still kept his lightsabers. He will probably end up building one for his vod, Grogu deserves one too. He was also really proud when he learned Grogu chose Din over training with Luke. Kriffing jetii and their attachment issues.

[all-the-things-2020]

Finding His Way - Chapter Nine

Summary: Din makes a momentous decision.

Rating: PG-13

Note: Some Mando’a words are translated within the narrative; others are defined here.

cyar’ika = darling, sweetheart

riddurok = love bond, specifically between spouses - marriage agreement

riddur = partner, spouse, husband, wife

Din never came to bed that night. After Skywalker’s announcement, he’d scrambled to his feet, reattached all of his armor and disappeared with the Jedi, leaving her and the kid alone. Mariana finally dozed off some time in the wee hours of the morning after lying awake with Ad’ika snuggled against her blissfully unaware as her thoughts raced wildly in circles.

She woke with a start, unsure for a moment where she was. Soft light crept through the chinks in the walls, but she couldn’t tell what time it was. Ad’ika was sound asleep, curled around Froggy. She got up and got dressed as carefully as possible so as not to disturb him. Outside the sun was just rising over the rim of the valley, and the air was chilly. She thought about going back for her jacket but didn’t want to risk waking the child.

A drift of smoke rose from Skywalker’s building. When she opened the door, R2 beeped a greeting and Skywalker looked up from the workbench. “You just missed him,” he said. Mariana felt a rush of fear and it must have shown on her face because the Jedi went on quickly. “He just went to get something from his ship. He’ll be back soon.” He cleared off a stool and offered it to her.

“I managed to talk him out of haring off after Gideon,” Skywalker continued, going back to work on a small piece of equipment. “All Master Yoda could tell me was that Gideon has the Darksaber; we don’t know where he is, what kind of manpower he has … we need intel before we can make any plans.”

“We?” she asked.

Skywalker shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll want to do this alone, but I’m willing to help him prepare.” He raised the object in his hand. “For instance, I’m building him a lightsaber to practice with while I wait for Leia to get some info back to us. The best way to learn how to counter a weapon is to learn how to use it yourself.”

“What is this Darksaber? Why is Din so upset about Gideon having it?”

“It’s a unique lightsaber with a dark blade, as the name implies. It was created by Tarre Vizla, the first Mandalorian Jedi. Many of his clan members wielded it over the years, and eventually it passed to Sabine Wren, and then Bo-Katan Kryze. It is traditionally held by the leader of the Mando’ade, known as the Mand’alor. It disappeared during the Great Purge.”

Mariana understood. To Din, Gideon owning such a weapon was blasphemy. It was his duty as a Mandalorian to get it away from him … or die trying. “I’d better get back in case Ad’ika wakes up,” she said. “Let Din know I was looking for him when he gets back.”

Skywalker gave her a gentle smile. “I don’t think he meant to exclude you. He’s in warrior mode right now.”

Mariana smiled back. “I know. I’m not much use at fighting, so he doesn’t need me right now. He needs you.”

“He does need you, though. Every warrior needs someone or something to keep him human, to keep him from turning into a heartless killing machine. You and the child are what he’s fighting to protect. You are his light. Don’t forget that.”

***************

Din returned to the ruined village with a heavy load of weaponry. If Skywalker was willing to teach him how to fight against a Jedi weapon, he wanted to practice with as many of his own weapons as possible. He hesitated over where to store them; obviously, he wanted them close at hand but it was out of the question to keep them in the same room as the kid, and even though he was certain he could trust the Jedi, he did not feel comfortable storing the weapons in the larger building. He finally settled on the ruin closest to his own campsite. It had a large hole in the roof, but as long as it didn’t rain heavily, his weapons cache shouldn’t be adversely affected.

As he was stacking the last item in the most protected corner, he felt someone approach. His hand strayed to his blaster, even though he knew it could only be Skywalker or Mariana.

“Good thing it’s me,” said the Jedi. He nodded at Din’s hand, hovering over the holster. “She’s upset enough at you already.”

Din sighed. He did not have time for this. “Is the lightsaber ready?,” he asked.

“Not yet. A few more hours. It’s delicate work.” Skywalker leaned casually against the doorframe. He was not going to let it go.

“Then you should get back to it,” Din said, harshly.

“Nope. I was up all night, if you recall. I think we both need some rest. Moff Gideon will still be there.”

Din scoffed. “And every moment he holds the Darksaber is another moment he desecrates the memory of the people of Mandalore. I don’t need rest; I need something to do.”

“Talk to Mariana,” Skywalker said. “Spend time with your son. Take a nap. Heck, take a walk and look for wildflowers. Anything but dwell on this.” He shook his head. “Anger leads to the Dark Side …”

Din cut him off. “Spare me your Jedi platitudes. I am a Mandalorian. We are warriors, not philosophers.”

Suddenly, Skywalker was in his face, his expression still calm, but with a hint of fire in his eyes. “They aren’t platitudes,” he said quietly. “And the Jedi have always been warriors. I’ve seen what happens to even the best of men when they let themselves be tempted by anger, fear … hate. The Dark Side destroyed my father and every friendship he ever had.”

Din tried to walk past the Jedi, but Skywalker stood firm. “You don’t know who my father is, do you?” he asked.

“I don’t care.”

“You should. My father was Darth Vader.”

That gave Din pause. Vader had been the Emperor’s right hand man. And Skywalker … “You killed your own father.”

“No,” Skywalker said firmly. “Palpatine killed my father. Or rather, Palpatine killed Darth Vader. The man who died in my arms was my father, Anakin Skywalker. He redeemed himself in the end, rather than turn me over to the Emperor.” His gaze searched Din’s visor and for a moment he could have sworn the Jedi was looking directly into his eyes. “Don’t make the mistake my father did. Don’t let your anger consume you. He … he lost his wife, he lost his chance to be a father to me and Leia, he lost so much. Don’t lose your family, Mr. Djarin. Don’t lose your soul.”

He turned and walked away, leaving Din alone in the darkened room.

************

Mariana was feeding Ad’ika some breakfast when she heard a tap at the door. Skywalker poked his head in. “He’s back. I’m going to take a break, catch some sleep.” He stifled a yawn. “Don’t let him bother me for at least three hours. Sit on him if you have to, but keep him out of my hair, okay?”

“I’ll try. No promises, though. He can be a bit stubborn.”

Skywalker laughed. “I’ve noticed that. And Mariana … don’t be too hard on him.”

“No promises, Master Skywalker.”

“My friends call me Luke,” he said with a smile as he disappeared from the doorway.

She finished feeding Ad’ika, taking a few nibbles herself. She didn’t have much appetite today. When she heard footsteps approaching, her stomach fluttered and she regretted eating even that much. Confrontation had never been her strong suit. “Let’s hope Daddy’s in a good mood,” she whispered. Ad’ika nodded solemnly. “Da,” he agreed.

Din stepped inside. “Good morning,” he said flatly.

“Good morning,” she said carefully. “Have you eaten?”

“Not hungry.”

He sat down at the table, pulled out his blaster, and started cleaning it. Mariana shared a look with Ad’ika, took a deep breath, and pulled out the other chair. She reached out and slid the blaster away from him. His helmet tilted up sharply and she braced herself for a rebuke, but he simply said, “What?”

“I should be asking you that. Or rather, you should have told me without me having to ask. But no, you just took off without a word and I had to ask Luke what the hell is going on.” She shook her head and reached out to place a hand on his glove. “I was worried. You can’t just … it’s not just you anymore, Din.”

“I know,” he said quietly, laying his other hand on top of hers, sandwiching her fingers between warm leather. “Skywalker already told me off. I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I have to do this, Mar’ika. Please understand.”

“I do,” she said, biting on her lower lip to keep it from trembling. He’d never used that form of her name before; she knew enough Mando’a to know it was an intimate term of endearment. “I really do. I wouldn’t try to stop you. But I would appreciate being kept in the loop.”

He nodded, squeezing her hand gently. “I promise I won’t do anything without telling you first.”

“That’s all I ask,” she whispered. It was all she would ask of him, but it wasn’t all she wanted.

****************

The lightsaber felt strange in Din’s hand. He knew how to use a sword — Mandalorians knew how to use just about every weapon ever conceived — but because the blade wasn’t physically there, it felt off. There was no weight to it, so it was impossible to feel the blade. Every other weapon he’d ever used felt like an extension of his hand, of his body, but this … this was different.

“Try to feel the blade,” Skywalker said.

“I can’t. I can see it but I can’t feel it. There’s no balance.”

The Jedi smiled. “Don’t feel the weight of the blade, feel the essence of it.”

Din scoffed. “I’m not a Jedi.”

“You don’t have to be. Everyone can sense the Force to some degree. When someone walks into a room, even though you can’t see them, you know they’re there.”

“Because I hear their footsteps, I sense a change in the light level as they block the doorway, I feel the air currents shift … those are all physical things.”

“But you don’t think about them, you just feel them. The Force exists all around us, within us. Sometimes it manifests in physical ways. Sometimes it doesn’t.”

Din lifted the hilt again. He could see the vibrating pulse of the blue laser in front of him, but it felt no different with the saber switched on than it had when it was off. He moved the blade through the air and heard its hum, but he couldn’t feel it moving through the air. If he had to keep his eye on his weapon every second to keep from chopping off his own toes, it was worse than useless. He was used to using weapons without thinking, as easy as breathing. This was clunky and awkward and …

Skywalker swung his own blade and Din parried automatically. The two beams of light vibrated against each other, shearing sparks into the air. “See,” the Jedi said with a grin. “Don’t think about it. Let the Force guide you.”

He lowered his weapon. Din took a step back, nodding. “Yes. It’s like when I was little, before … before I became a Mandalorian. I had … friends … and we played pretend. We didn’t have swords or blasters, just our imagination.”

Skywalker nodded eagerly. “Exactly! And even though none of you could see the weapons, you knew when they clashed, or when you got a direct hit, or when you missed entirely. You felt it.”

Din took a moment to absorb the lesson. It went against everything he had been taught, but it felt right. It wasn’t just about physics and leverage and strike angles and velocity; it wasn’t about practicing endlessly until muscle memory took over. It was about being aware of everything around him, not narrowing his focus to the task at hand.

“How do you do it?” He asked.

“Do what?”

“Feel so much, all the time.” Din had learned to suppress feelings, to shove them aside until a more convenient time, or to lock them away entirely. Life was easier without distractions.

“What’s the point of living if you don’t feel the life around you?” Skywalker waved his hand around, indicating the landscape around them. They were further down the valley from the village, in a clearing beside the small stream that had carved the valley long ago. Trees and shrubs grew along the water and there were a few bright yellow flowers growing among the grasses. Birds and insects swooped around the meadow. Just a moment ago, it had simply been a convenient spot to spar. Now it was a world unto itself.

“I see your point,” Din conceded. “But how do you keep from being distracted? How do you keep your focus?”

“Choice. Each and every moment, you choose what to focus on. If I need to fight, I focus on my opponent, his weapon, anything in the area that can be used to my advantage or to his. But if I don’t need to fight at that precise moment, I can relax my focus, take in the bigger picture, remember why I’m fighting. And if I’m safe, with friends or allies, I can relax even further and meditate, let the Force itself lead my thoughts.” He laughed. “It’s not always profound, Mr. Djarin. I’ve spent plenty of time daydreaming about what I’m going to do the next time I see my sister, what we’re going to eat, what gift I should bring for Ben, wondering if Han’s gotten a hold of any of that Corellian reserve that we’ve all learned not to ask questions about …”

Din took the not so subtle hint. “You think I’m obsessing about Gideon. You think I should be spending more time with Mariana and Ad’ika. And I’m trying. I am.”

“But …”

“But I need to do this, Skywalker. I can’t explain it. I want to get it over with, finish it one way or the other. I can’t move forward, I can’t go back …”

The Jedi clapped a hand on Din’s armored shoulder. “Be patient. We’ll be able to move forward with a plan soon enough. It’s entirely possible you won’t survive this fight, Din. We do our best but sometimes it’s not enough, sometimes the Dark Side wins. It’s temporary, in the grand scheme of things, but that’s no consolation to those we leave behind. Cherish this moment of peace, my friend. And don’t be afraid to move forward.”

He clipped his lightsaber to his belt and walked away, pausing to pick a flower before he disappeared into the trees.

I liked you better when you were the enemy, Din thought ruefully. He clipped his own lightsaber to his belt and took a moment to soak in the beauty of the meadow. Then he followed the Jedi into the trees, heading back toward his family.

**************

Mariana tried to concentrate on her data pad, but she knew Luke had gotten a message from his sister and she was afraid of what that meant. Din had been sparring with the Jedi for several hours each day, and even though he’d made a point to spend the same amount of time with her and Ad’ika, she knew he was itching to go after Gideon.

Ad’ika was singing a little nonsense song to Froggy in the corner, but he suddenly stopped and pricked his ears toward the door. Mariana put down her pad and swallowed hard.

Din appeared in the doorway and she instantly knew from his posture what he was going to say. “Gideon is on Bardos. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can get the Crest ready.”

She closed her eyes briefly, then looked back up at him. “Okay.” She’d hoped he’d give her more warning that this, but she understood why he wanted to leave immediately.

“The sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll be back,” he said quietly as he crossed the room to sit across from her at the table.

“I know.” Ad’ika toddled over and Din picked him up, cuddling him in his lap.

“I will come back,” Din insisted.

“You don’t know that.” She hated herself for saying it but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to support him so badly, but she was terrified that they were going to lose him.

“True enough,” he admitted. He pulled off his gloves and reached out to take her hand in his, cradling Ad’ika against his chest with the other. “But I still have to go.”

She sighed. “I know. I don’t like it but I know.” She lifted his hand to her lips, pressing a kiss against his wrist, like that very first kiss that seemed simultaneously to have happened only yesterday and a thousand years ago. “Can’t we come with you?”

He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. If I fail … Gideon can not get his hands on our son. I can’t risk bringing him.”

It was stupid, but she said it anyway. “Then leave him here with Luke. Let me come with you. I know I’m no good in a fight, but … if you fail … at least we’ll have had that much more time together.” She tried to hold back the tears but there were too many.

“Mar’ika,” he said, wiping her tears away with his thumb. “I can’t leave him without the protection of his clan.”

“You’re going to do that anyway,” she retorted. “You’re a clan of two, remember?” It was petty and mean, but she couldn’t help it.

“Clan of three,” he said quietly.

“What?”

He sat Ad’ika down on the ground beside his feet. “We haven’t said the riduurok out loud, but we said it in our hearts long ago, cyar'ika.” He reached up to undo the locks that held his helmet in place. Her heart began to pound. “I think a wife has the right to see her husband’s face,” he went on a bit unsteadily as he pulled the helmet off and placed it carefully on the table.

She couldn’t speak. She knew this face, she’d felt it a thousand times in the dark, knew the shape of his lips, his nose, that mustache that tickled when he kissed her, but stars! To finally see his eyes. To see the emotion that welled in their warm brown depths. She would never have asked for this, never pushed him for this, but it was what she’d hoped and dreamed for.

“I will come home to you,” he said firmly. “I have to do this, for the Mando’ade who saved me, but I promise you, when I am done, my life will have one meaning only: to cherish you, riddur. Aliit ori'shya tal'din.”

Family is more than blood. The words rang in her ears. “I’ll hold you to that promise, riddur,” she whispered, leaning forward to kiss him gently. “And we’re having a proper wedding when you get back. Rings and everything.”

“Whatever you want, cyar’ika,” he murmured against her cheek. He kissed her softly, then pulled away. “But now, I have to go.” He picked up his helmet, but hesitated before putting it back on. She picked up Ad’ika and held him up.

“Kiss Daddy goodbye,” she said. The child leaned forward, touching Din’s face gently. “Buir,” he said. Then he reached out for Mariana’s face. “Buir,” he said again, touching her with his other tiny hand. “Ad,” he said finally, touching himself on the chest.

“That’s right,” she said shakily. “Father. Mother. Son.”

“Aliit,” the child said firmly. Family.

Din crushed them both in a fierce embrace, gave her one last exquisite kiss and slipped his helmet back on. Then he was gone.

Mariana sat down on the bed with Ad’ika. There was so much to say and no words to say it, so she just held him close and stroked his fuzzy ears. He snuggled against her, finally falling asleep. After a while, she heard a tap at the door.

“How are you doing?” Luke asked.

“About as well as you can expect considering my husband just flew off to almost certain death,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Husband?”

“Yeah, apparently we’ve been married for a while. Of course, I can’t complain too much about not being told; I have the feeling he just found out, too.”

“Mandalorian culture is weird,” Luke chuckled. “But seriously, are you okay with this?”

“Yes,” she said. “I am. I’m not happy about it, but I’m okay with it. Don’t worry about me. Worry about him.”

Luke shook his head. “I’m not worried about him. He’s ready for this. I think this may be what he was always meant to do.”

[a-k-a-l-i]

The Skywalker Invasion

In Hiding

After the much needed break, Yoda gathered everyone back into the large room. He observed everyone, watching their body language. 

Anakin orbited wherever Senator Amidala was. Luke was with his twin, Leia. The Solo children were with their new found cousin Ben Skywalker. Ania, Cade, and Marasiah were catching up. Nat and Kol conversed with Plo Koon and Kit Fisto. Mara Jade and Han Solo looked extremely uncomfortable with the many Skywalkers present. His council, minus the two that were with Nat and Kol, were discussing furiously about this new phenomenon. 

Yoda lowered his head, an action that was missed by many but his great-grand padawan, Obi-wan. Why were the Skywalkers here? What was their importance? They were no doubt powerful, that much was clear. But what was their purpose? Why is it only the Skywalkers? Minus Han Solo and Mara Jade, but they too were part of the huge destiny that this clan seems to be tied to. All the questions almost made Yoda’s head dizzy.

Never an easy time, it is, with a Skywalker, thought the wisened Jedi Master. He chuckled lowly, his glimmer stick tapping the floor softly. His small frame walked past the crowd, hopping up to a cushioned seat, closed his eyes and cleared his throat. The occupants in the room stopped their chatter and diverted their attention to the old but wise Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.

“Meditate, I did. Found answers through the Force, I did not. Confused…lost…disappointed, I am,” Yoda’s eyes were downcast, he heaved a great big sigh, one that had everyone worried. What does this mean for them?

Ania’s face scrunched, her brows furrowing, and reminded the senators of Alderaan and Chandrila of Padmé when she tended to think hard.

“I…this is what we call the Skywalker chaos, isn’t it?”

Laughter bubbled out of everyone at Ania’s question, diffusing the heavy tension.

“Yes? Why?” Aayla Secura asked, tugging down on the hem of her top. Ania shrugged, grinning.

“Let’s just say this is the first Skywalker Family Reunion in…decades, and there hasn't been this much chaos in one room in a long while.” After the hearty laugh, everyone went back to their solemn mood. 

The Jedi created a large circle, attempting to meditate and find answers. Hopefully a solution as well, but many did not hold onto that wishful thinking, the Force loves cryptic answers as much as Yoda. At least, according to the Jedi Council.

Black…

…Mist…

…Cackling…

…Darkness…

…A temple…

…Red lightsabers.

Pairs of eyes reopened, gasps were torn, many were confused. Yoda felt weak, what was that? What happened? Glancing at Mace, he noticed that the Korun Master was silently fuming, but also sad. This new vision was not reassuring.

Finding his wife’s eyes easily, Anakin gave her a small smile, shaking his head silently promising her he will tell her soon.

“Well, there is no doubt that the Sith have gotten stronger,” Nat grumbled, standing up using the Force to pour him a glass of water. The rest of the Skywalkers looked perturbed.

“Surely you must know who the identity of this Sith Lord you keep talking about,” Bail spoke up, not liking the mood of the room. 

“The Force doesn’t want us to reveal him just yet…I’m not sure why though,” Luke trailed off. “But I’m sure all will be revealed in time.”

Leia had enough of this and marched over to the senators, “in the future, I’m a senator and I believe it’s time for us to take a more political route. I noticed that Palpatine is still in power, yes?” At the nod that they had given her, the young girl nodded and delved into a very deep, but insightful conversation, something that the senators of the past were very much looking forward to. And Padmé had to try very hard to keep the proud smile off her face.

The mention of Palpatine made many Skywalkers stiffen at the name, but it was too quick to be noticed. Although the Jedi still felt a hateful emotion towards the chancellor coming from the clan through the Force, a feeling that the Jedi Council didn’t dare ask after they took a fleeting look at the Skywalker’s faces, one full of contempt.

Bail and Mon started to speak with the Jedi Council, both old and new, figuring that the New Order would help give useful suggestions.

Walking over to her Jedi husband, Padmé rubbed her fingers over Anakin’s arm, soothing his nerves. They spoke in hushed whispers together, not paying any mind to the others.

“Their our children, Angel,” he laughed out in a breathy sigh, “I know this isn’t the place to be–to be talking about, especially here, but–”

Padmé lifted her pointer finger and planted it upon her stuttering husband’s lips. She gave him a smile, one that only Anakin has the privilege to see, “I know, it’s wonderful…isn’t it? Luke and Leia, they look so much like us. Their kids,” she huffed out a disbelieving laugh, “grandkids, great grandkids. Ani, we hold a small legion of Jedi and politicians here, just think about all the ones who haven’t had the chance to time travel. The galaxy would be in trouble from your charming, powerful Skywalker genes and my stubborn, trouble-attracting Naberrie genes, ”  Once again the young senator laughed and her husband joined her. Padmé connected her forehead with Anakin’s, they allowed a small, but brief, moment to pass through them, enjoying the idea that they created wonderful beings.

The moment was unfortunately interrupted by Mace Windu, who gave a frown at the scene. “Let’s not display such inappropriate acts, Knight Skywalker, you are still under much scrutiny after blatantly disobeying the Code.”

Sighing, Anakin removed himself from the comfort of his wife and followed the Jedi Master. When he looked to his right, he saw his son–looking like him when he was a padawan–mouth gaping wide open and his daughter, who looks just like her mother, glaring at him, for reasons unknown to him. What’s with the reactions?

He had no time to dwell on the matter when his attention was forced elsewhere.

“We need to know more about the future, if we are to discover this problem. I suggest you start talking.” 

“And just who do you think you are?”

Small gasps were heard. Did Marasiah just object to a revered Jedi Master? Yes, yes she did. But not only that, she sassed Mace Windu. 

The dark-skinned man had a noticeable frown and glare, he was miffed at the audacity this woman had. Did she not know that he was a Jedi Master? He really hoped he could change the future enough to where possibly all these Skywalkers wouldn’t be running around, one was plenty.

“I am Jedi Master Mace Windu. I suggest more respect from now on, your Order isn’t even valid.”

At this, many future Skywalkers shouted in outrage, the Force could be felt trembling with indignation and that made the old Jedi Council freeze in fear. The temperature of the room dropped, making many shiver and goosebumps appear.

Blue eyes found brown. Marasiah glared as well, not backing down from this imposing man. She shifted her crown making it straight, smoothing the creases in her dress, straightened her posture, and proceeded to move forward, stopping just before the older man. 

“It is very valid, considering yours has been destroyed. I am part of the new Jedi Order, one that Uncle Luke had to rebuild everything from scratch. He’s as much of a Jedi as his father is. Surely you wouldn’t desert a group of people who need the Jedi’s help?” A single eyebrow raised, she folded her arms and lifted her chin, a small quirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. 

This was a challenge, many realized, Marasiah Fel would not back down to pressure.

“I agree with her,” Kol spoke up, “we cannot destroy the future anymore than we already have done. By revealing more than we should, we could potentially shatter the fragile timestream and send everyone in this timeline to a much more dangerous and hostile future.”

Allana slowly backed away from the group, disliking the ever growing tension and walked over to a window. She felt a great darkness brewing somewhere over the large mass of buildings, while she didn't realize the Force signature, she knew it was a dangerous one.

Yoda nodded slowly, “agree, I must, believe them, I do. Find a suitable home for them, we need,” he turned to the senators, “trust you , I can, mhm? To keep this a secret from the senate?”

Glancing among themselves, Mon sighed, “that may be hard to do, Master Yoda, everyone in the senate saw Miss Marasiah fall through a portal, we may need to take them away from Coruscant for now.”

“The only problem is where?” Plo Koon placed a hand under his chin. He watched the young Solo girl, Allana he remembered, wondering what she felt. This young girl might be the answer to their questions about the Force.

Padmé casted her eyes downward, deep in thought, she then got an idea. “What if,” many looked at her, all in hope for a solution. “They stay at the Varykino Lake House? It’s located on Naboo, and is known for its privacy furthermore, no one can get access to it unless they ask the owners.”

“That seems reasonable, but this only begs the question, who are the owners?” Leia settled her hands firmly on her hips, her stance showed confidence.

Chuckling Padmé could only look at her future daughter, her own confidence mirrored Leia’s, “I do.”

~S~

The J-327 Nubian Ship soared through space, coordinates were placed before the jump to hyperspace was initialized. Stars become nothing more than a blue blur, giving everyone the sense of nostalgia when the ship entered the faster-than-light method of interstellar travel. 

The tension within the ship was awkward, there were few whispers here and there, each Skywalker grouped together with those in their timeline.  

Anakin and Padmé were sitting in the main bedroom of the ship, mulling over the fact that their descendants were here, with them, alive and breathing, not just some random wish or thought the patriarch and matriarch had, but actual people. It was both thrilling and terrifying.

“What are we going to do?”

Well, that question certainly broke the silence, Anakin thought wryly. His flesh hand grasped his wife’s, squeezing it to offer her some level of comfort. He chuckled slowly, his own mind still not yet able to comprehend the situation. Those were his –their– children! His twin children. His grandchildren. His great grandchildren. His descendants. He has always wanted a family, and now, he achieved it. This is so much more preferable, so much more satisfying, so much more rewarding, than ever obtaining the title of Mastery within the Jedi Order. 

Seeing how most of the Skywalkers followed in their footsteps made it somewhat scary, or really unbelievable. They had to be one of the most powerful Jedi in the Order, they come from a family of them!

Some are Jedi and some are senators.

Then there are the others who are both.

Yes, definitely scary.

Jedi are respected for their power, their kindness.

Senators are respected for their way of speech and thought, and the ability to sway a million minds.

The Skywalker clan has both power and influence. Now he can see why some Masters were wary of his future family. A Jedi who possesses both certainly is a force to be reckoned with.

Just like Obi-wan, he thought.

Padmé tucked herself into her husband’s side, her head finding a comfortable place to rest. As her mind thought of her future family, one thing came to mind was; they all reminded her of them. The attitude, the courage, the leadership, the kindness, the playfulness, the passion, the confidence, all the separate attributes that made up of her and Anakin were now rolled into one, really one of many, and it was beautiful. She couldn’t wait for the future, she couldn’t wait to raise them. Her eyes widened, a thought forming and dreaded filled her.

“Ani…”

“Mhm?”

“They didn’t know who I was.”

“What?” Anakin now looked at her, her eyes glassy from unshed tears. “What do you mean?”

Padmé’s lip trembled and she knew Anakin could feel her sorrow through the Force, “when the Jedi wanted to know who the mother was, they couldn’t answer it! What happened? And-and, they all looked at you like you were a historical figure who had died way before his time.”

At this, Anakin Skywalker now looked back at expressions the time travelers had made regarding him. Nat, Kol, Cade, Marasiah, Ania, he understood, they were decades if not centuries ahead of this timeline, Yoda probably wasn’t even alive anymore in their time. Allana, possibly does or does not know, depending on when she was born. Ben, Jacen, Jaina, Anakin 2.0, as Anakin likes to refer to his namesake as, they should know him unless his children had them much older and he and Padmé just died from old age. But Luke and Leia? They should know them, they should remember them. Why didn’t they? Why couldn’t they? Why did their children look at them like they were nothing but strangers?

He, too, felt worried. His own thoughts became filled with a desperate need to march right to the other Skywalkers and ask –really demand– what happened to them, to Padmé.

“I’m sure everything will be revealed within time, Angel.”

Padmé giggled despite herself. “Really? I thought you would want to storm in there and demand answers,” her lips quirked at the thought.

“Believe me,” Anakin laughed, head bumping his wife’s gently. “I really do, but at this moment, I’m content with knowing that our family is safe.”

For now, they would just focus on the present.

~S~

“Your son looks familiar.”

Luke was startled from his thoughts, he glanced at Mara whose arms were crossed. Biting her lip, Mara felt a growing negative feeling rising from her stomach. It felt like bile, yet she didn’t feel the need to vomit.

What’s happening to me?

“Well…he is my son, he should hold some resemblance to me,” the blond boy laughed quietly, his blue eyes lit up at the thought of having a son. He was more than convinced that the mother of his child was sitting right next to him, who else did he know on a daily basis that has red hair? The only problem is that he doesn’t know how Mara would take the news, he’s not even sure if she likes him romantically.

Mara Jade took a stolen glance at Luke, her heart was heavy, she hoped with every fiber being in her that she could have a chance with the son of Anakin Skywalker.

“I don’t know, Farmboy, he looks more like his mother to me…you sure he’s your son?” A smirk appeared on her face which forced Luke to make a noise between a laugh, chuckle, and a cough.

“Don’t die on me Luke,” interjected Leia who was seated a few feet from them, her attention was still turned to Han, but a noticeable smirk was present in her voice.

Fighting the urge to pinch his sister, Luke resorted to verbally attacking her, which probably wasn’t smart on his part considering she’s a politician…like their mother. “Sure, lil sis, whatever you say.”

“Lukie,” Leia now turned fully to her brother, a grin full of mischief was present. “I’m 100% sure that I am the eldest.”

Luke made a gagging noise. “And what makes you think that?”

“I’m smarter and know way more things than you do,” the way she said it made the conversation finalize and it had no longer held room for arguments.

Luke and Leia stared at one another, giving an identical smile and turned to their future partners. Not that Mara knew it, but Luke won’t tell her that just yet.

“If you had to guess who the mother is…who do you think it would be?” Luke asked her, suddenly feeling very shy.

Mara shrugged. She knew that Skywalker hasn’t interacted with any redheads recently, besides her, so he could have possibly met her in the future.

“No clue, but who knows, knowing you, you probably conceived him by yourself.”

“Mara!” Luke whined, which made the red headed girl cackle. They deviated from the conversation of one Ben Skywalker, choosing more appropriate topics.

~S~

Nat Skywalker had seen better days, and he certainly has been in better situations. He doesn’t know where to put this newfound anomaly in his “Places and Situations I have been in” list. He sighed, resting his head against the headrest of the seat. Kol sat next to him, his eyes were trained on the HoloNet in his hands. 

Nat has partial thoughts on his last name, part of him doesn’t enjoy the fame it brings, another part of him does, especially when it comes to gathering information that others might not be able to extract. A powerful, well known name is always helpful.

But, here, being with other Skywalkers, even though most of them are from the past, he feels the little boy from years ago rise up in him again. The child who used to stare starry-eyed into the galaxy when his father used to tell him stories, famous and exciting stories, of his grandfather, great grandfather, his ancestors. Nat knew that due to these stories, Kol was more accepting of their last name than he is.

“What are you thinking about, brother?” Kol murmured, his eyes hadn’t left the screen.

“Our last name,” Nat answered, making his brother sigh.

“Again? Don’t you think you’ve been blaming them for far too long?”

Nat snorted, which made Kol shift his eyes to the elder of the two. Kol shot him an unamused grin, he shook his head.

“Anakin Skywalker became a Sith Lord–”

“Luke Skywalker didn’t,” Kol pointed out, which was a good point, but that didn’t soothe Nat’s worries.

“Fine, Luke didn’t, but he married a Dark Sider, a sith assassin. Ben Skywalker,” at this, Nat lowered his voice, not wanting to disrupt the timestream if his ancestor got word of this. He wouldn’t be held accountable if the future got destroyed because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Married a sith apprentice! Ben followed his father’s footsteps, we already have two well known Skywalkers marry people who used the Dark Side.”

There have been a long line of Skywalkers marrying Sith and Nat couldn’t help but feel wary and afraid, he’s seen first hand how the Dark Side twists and corrupts people, people you’ve loved, people you’ve known, into people you no longer recognize.

“Let’s not forget the Solos, Jacen Solo turned into Darth Caedus.”

Kol closed his eyes, the evidence against the Skywalker name was too great to ignore. “But they turned back, they resisted the Dark Side and became part of the light once more,” and that was what gave Kol Skywalker hope. Hope that no matter how torn, how twisted, their family tree was, the Skywalkers would always return to the Light Side.

~S~

Marasiah stood behind the pilots of the ship, letting the blue of the stars blur past them, calming the eye of her storm.

“Is everything alright, milady?” Asked one of the pilots. The young woman turned her head and let her gaze fall to the nametag pinned to his chest.

Smiling, Marasiah nodded once, “I am, thank you…Azmir Olleen.”

Azmir grinned wide, obviously preening with praise. He returned to the control board of the ship, ignoring the snickering of his friend next to him.

The Skywalkers of old, as she called them, were quite a group. She saw many attributes and personalities that were present in Anakin, Padmé, Luke, and Leia reflect in her. No doubt the tempting call to the senate came from Padmé Amidala.

Jedi.

Politician.

Those are the Skywalker genes.

Jedi.

Politician.

Smuggler.

Those are the Solo genes.

She was never one to use her Skywalker or Solo blood to demand something, but she never forgot her roots. She studied them, relentlessly, and she made sure to make her ancestors proud. Padmé Amidala was her idol, and knowing that she was the matriarch of the Skywalker Clan had driven Marasiah even further into her passion.

Anakin Skywalker’s legendary victories during the Clone Wars lit a fire in her to become a great Jedi Knight.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t meet Shmi Skywalker. That would’ve been thrilling. Her bloodline came from a humble background. One that she feels she shouldn’t ignore.

Marasiah Fel honored her traditions, honored her roots, honored her ancestors. She felt honored that she had the opportunity to gaze and stand in the same room as the famed heroes of the Old Republic. 

And there was no way in all the Nine Corellian Hells that she would allow Palpatine to destroy this. Even if she was arrested for his murder. She would kill him, slaughter him, if it was the last thing she did.

Revenge might not be the Jedi way, but it sure as hell was hers.

~S~

Ben laughed jovially. Who knew that his cousins could be such a trouble magnet? Judging by how young Anakin Junior is, no doubt it was before he died in the Yuuzhan Vong War. At the brief memory of the war, his heart felt heavy, and in a way, Ben felt as if he had abandoned his father. Seeing his mother young and somewhat carefree, nearly brought tears to his eyes. He remembered when his father brought him the devastating news that his mom had been killed, by his cousin of all people. Luke had mourned for weeks, Leia never felt more guilty, and he felt the Force tremor with such devastation he was nearly worried for all the Force sensitives of the galaxy.

He may be young, 17 isn’t that young, but he will do anything to stop the Dark Side from winning and taking hold over his family.

“Ben, come on! Jaina is gonna show us a magic trick!” The red headed boy was shaken from his mourning thoughts and glanced down at little Ani. Anakin Solo’s bright blue eyes sparkled with life, enjoying the idea of having an older cousin.

“I’m coming, Junior,” Ben laughed, causing Anakin to pout.

Anakin stuck out his tongue.“I refuse to be named junior.” 

Ben smirked, “sorry, sorry, but we already have an Anakin, so it'll be very confusing if we both called you Anakin,” he ruffled his younger cousin who bit his tongue who was thinking extremely hard. R2-D2 beeped a few times, his cylinder body swaying from side to side as he got excited.

“Then call me 2.0! Now I sound like a droid,” Anakin giggled, Ben sighed in mock exasperation.

“Artoo, it was Little Ani’s choice,” Ben tsked, but he silently agreed it was a good nickname.

Following the younger Anakin, Ben was now surrounded by a younger version of Jacen and Jaina. 

“Come on, Jaina, I bet I could beat you any day,” Jacen’s face morphed into one of mischievousness, his sister only scoffed at him.

“Please, Uncle Luke said I was on my way to becoming one of the best sword fighters in the Jedi Order!”

Ben coughed immediately stopping the oncoming lightsaber fight, “I think Jacen has what it takes. Who knows, you two are pretty powerful, maybe wait until you both are older then we’ll actually see who’s the best.”

Anakin Junior laughed when Jaina fell on her bottom, gasping out in surprise.

“You Nerfherder!”

Yeah, Ben is gonna cherish this moment.

~S~

“Well?”

“I have a feeling Sia is going to do something drastic.”

“What makes you say that?”

Ania looked at Cade, her brown eyes rolling slightly, “you know how she is, she’ll do anything to stop oncoming threats. Especially when it comes to our family,” shuddering a breath, the brunette crossed her arms. “What do you think about this situation?”

Cade snorted. “Besides the fact that the Force loves to meddle in our family business?” He shrugged. “I just want to get back home…to my timeline. I could care less what happens here in the past.”

“Mhm, yeah,” Ania nodded in agreement. “But what about your…”she waved her hands. “Jedi instincts or something, don’t you want to change the timeline?”

“Do you?”

“Absolutely not,” her voice was laced with contempt, “I left the Jedi and became a smuggler for a reason. I don’t want to do anything with the Skywalkers.”

Two pairs of brown eyes locked together. One with compassion the other with denial.

“You can’t leave your destiny behind…” Cade came over and grasped her arms. “Don’t you at least want to try? To know that you could do everything in your power to–to change the past and live the life we all deserve?” His voice was pleading, making his cousin waver slightly in her decision.

“Of course I do. Darth Vader’s choice impacted us all, looming over us with this–this–this shadow!” Ania cried out, burying her head in her hands. “Seeing Anakin Skywalker acting like a normal man, someone who clearly loves his wife despite the secrecy. He was happy to know us, and that’s what scares me.”

She turned away from her male cousin, her brown hair hitting his face slightly.

“Knowing Sia,” Cade started, his voice growing soft with each word. “She would try to change the past, even if it means that she could potentially lose her empire and possibly herself. She would do it, because she would want the best for everyone who came before her.”

“And the Jedi Council?” Ania looked at the closed door, her thoughts slowly forming into an answer.

“Kriff the Jedi Council, if they won’t help us, then we’ll help ourselves. They’re the reason Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side”

“It was still Grandpa’s choice…”

Cade nodded. “It was. But the Jedi should’ve known that Palpatine was the Sith Lord, we could feel it, and we’re star systems away from Coruscant.” He argued, but he knew she wasn’t listening.

Ania knew her choice. Whether or not Cade, Marasiah, or anyone else would agree with her, she knew it and she was going to stick with it. 

~S~

Landing on the landing pad, the Naboo Starship had descended gracefully, making the kids of the Skywalker Clan hop with giddy.

The boat ride there was unusually silent, the tension was still there, but not as potent as it was before.

Padmé smiled softly, watching her descendants gape in awe at the house.

“Why in the whole galaxy would you ever want to leave here?” Nat huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

“That’s a question I ask myself everyday,” Anakin grumbles, he was barely able to dodge the swift pinch his wife was about to attack him with. Her glare sent her grandchildren into heaps of giggles.

Now entering the abode, Padmé had shown everyone to their respective rooms, one that everyone had trouble keeping their mouths closed.

Leia shook her head. “Mom sure was rich, imagine living here, Luke, everyday.”

Her brother sat on her bed, staring out at the clear water. “Would it be possible to change the future?”

“What?” Leia whipped her head so fast she had to stretch her neck. “What are you talking about? In order to do that, we would have to change the past, and that’s impossible.”

The blond boy only hummed, silently agreeing with her.

~S~

Anakin was playing with his Solo grandchildren, when their supposed father walked in the room.

“Ah…I-I’ll just leave…”

“Hold it.”

Han gulped, he froze and cursed himself in his head, why did he have to fall in love and associate with a girl who had the most terrifying father in the galaxy?

“I don’t think I caught your name,” Anakin was in front of him now, the three children ignoring the tense exchange.

“Uh, Han. Han Solo–sir!” Han gulped silently, electric blue eyes stared him down. Luke’s blue eyes were more soft, so this was a totally new experience.

“You apparently are in love with my daughter, what is your…” Anakin paused for a moment, trying to form the right words. “Profession?”

Oh kriff, I’m so gonna be dead. It was one thing to go up against Vader in a ship, but it’s a whole ‘nother thing when this man doesn’t have his suit on and you can see his every expression.

“I’m well, was, a smuggler, now I’m a general in the Rebel Alliance and I’m also the best pilot in the galaxy,” his smirk was apparent and that made Anakin arch his brow.

“I doubt it,” Anakin Skywalker laughed, which made Han frown irritably.

“Oh yeah? I bet I could beat you!” Han couldn’t believe he was sassing his idol, his girlfriend’s father, the hero of the Old Republic. Oh he was in some trouble now.

The man crossed his arms, a smirk placed on his lips. “You and me, tonight, we race,” he extended his hand which Han took.

“It’s a deal.”

~S~

Marasiah was on the balcony, taking in the sweet air, when she turned her head, hearing a soft cough that dispelled her thoughts away.

“Yes?”

“We know you’re going to try to change the future,” Cade’s eyes hardened, his arms crossed with a frown tugging at his mouth.

Ania smirked, her left hand firmly placed on her jutted out hips with her right hand expertly twirling her lightsaber in the air. “And we want in.”

With a disbelieving laugh, Marasiah could only shake her head. “I could never keep secrets from you.” She held out her hand, her two cousins grasping it. 

“Welcome to the club.”

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

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[tragedybunny]

A Fate Written in Indifferent Stars - Chapter 3

The Republic has fallen and the Empire has risen. Obi-Wan lives in exile on Tatooine, the distant guardian of Luke Skywalker. Amidst the desperation and desolation, the mysterious appearance of a Nightsister draws his curiosity. As he tries to piece together her true intentions, he finds himself more deeply entangled with her than he ever intended.

I'm back at it with another chapter. If you're reading and supporting know that I love you. I'm hoping I can keep working on this story and really build it into something great. As usual, comments and reblogs are appreciated.

Zelena had made good on her promise, continuing to see him whenever she could persuade him to meet up with her. Not that it was much work, but not wanting to seem too over eager though, he’d turn her down every so often. Every encounter was an excuse to study her, to poke and prod as much as possible without making her too suspicious. For several weeks they continued in what he thought of as a game she was playing, going for drinks after her shift, accompanying her through the marketplace, simply wandering the city and talking. Every time she seemed delighted to see him, as though she were surprised he kept turning back up. Over time, she’d opened up about her past a little bit more, but remained careful never to mention Dathomir. That coupled with the fact that she would always say goodbye just outside her door and never invited him kept Obi-Wan’s suspicions primed. 

Seeing what lay beyond that door felt like the key to unraveling the whole plot. And currently, it was close enough that he could feasibly be in and out before anyone noticed. If he got caught though, the whole plan would be spoiled. Acting impetuously was tempting, but he had developed better control than his Padawan days, no matter how eager he was to see this settled. 

Today he’d shown up on a whim, there were no shifts running at the mine due to equipment malfunctions. When he’d arrived, he’d found her just walking out of her door, leaving earlier than he would have thought with her late hours. “Ben, this is unexpected.” Shifting her weight while stationary, she’d adjusted a large satchel that hung from her shoulder across her torso to lay against her hip. Around them, the courtyard of the apartment complex had just begun coming to life, and the din cut through the morning air. 

“Sorry Zel, I didn’t realize you were busy.” It had been worth the attempt, but the waste of his time internally frustrated him, a lesson to not try the surprise route again. 

“Eh, a small health problem with one of Nagla’s brood.” Nagla, whom he’d only recently been officially introduced to, was the matriarch of the Rodian family that were Zelena’s neighbors. To date, he’d counted at least half a dozen children that belonged to the household, although it was hard to tell as several apartments were occupied by what seemed to be an extended clan. “I was going to stop by and see if I could be of any help.” It wasn’t the first time he’d been witness to her serving as a healer for the small community. Doctors weren’t always plentiful on Tatooine and even when there was one, many didn’t have the credits to get care. Natural remedies and very basic procedures were the best some could hope for. Her skills in these matters were one part of her past that Zelena had been slightly open about, claiming she’d learned them from her people’s elders and perfected them exploring her planet’s wilderness. He’d noted, as she had spoken of it while bandaging one of the local children who’d had a nasty fall, that again she avoided naming the planet. “And hide out from Kyrsta for a while.” 

He’d followed her gaze to the sight of a speeder bike, tipped over on its side, engine exposed, clearly having seen better days. Stunned for a moment, he hesitated before quietly asking, “Zel, what did you do?” 

“They ran into me.” For emphasis, she flung her hands in the air, seemingly exasperated at having to go into the subject yet another time. “Something got knocked loose, and I’m not much of a mechanic, so when I tried to mess with it, well.” She gestured back to the unfortunate machine. “Kyrsta might be considering my murder at this point.” 

Her expression was sullen, and her distress about the incident was evident. “Perhaps I could take a look?” He offered, the opportunity to be her savior could be pivotal, he told himself, even as she brightened a bit at his words. 

“You can try if you want.” She replied, shrugging, even as she smiled slightly. “Don’t worry about it too much though.” 

“Best of luck with the little one.” He watched as she walked across the well-trod sand that served as the path through the courtyard, not for the first time noticing her moving with an almost ethereal grace that was otherworldly and hypnotic. The red of her cloak made her easy to follow as weaved through the rising crowd, and his eyes remained on her until she was knocking at Nagla’s door. Only then did he turn his attention to the abused speeder, which brought him to this moment, where he realized the possibilities in how close it lay to her door. 

“What have I gotten myself into?” Muttering, he dropped down to his knees to study it. If nothing else, it would make a decent distraction while he waited for her to return. 

Though he was a competent tinkerer, he’d never quite had the genius for it that Anakin had. No doubt he’d torment him right now for attempting this before thinking it though, the thought made him feel as though he could both sob and cackle madly. But the ghosts of the past needed to remain there, and he put away the thoughts of how Anakin’s eyes lit up when he laughed. 

A small box of tools had been left open near the speeder, and he rifled through it, quickly taking stock of what he had to work with, seeing precious few that would do any good on this current case. Further evaluation of the damage revealed a panel had been removed and the evidence of someone blindly poking around was clear. “Really Zel?” He fussed out loud to himself. Clearly, she had been right, no matter what her other talents were, this was not among them. 

Exploring the engine, he tried to parse what was still in its proper place and found a power conduit that seemed to be hooked up in entirely the wrong spot. It was running a feedback loop instead of carrying power anywhere. Simple enough, he thought, pulling a spanner from the toolbox, just disconnect and reconnect. Only moments were needed to right its position, easy as he thought. When he attempted to power it on however he was met with a mocking silence. The power conduit was assuredly in the right place, there must have been something else he was missing, and so he pressed on. 

Time drifted away from him over the next several hours as he sat beneath the blazing light of the twin suns, pursuing every fix he could come up with and implement with what he had at his disposal. The heat weighed down on him, sweat covered his brow and his muscles began to ache. The residents of the complex passed by as they went about their daily lives, some gave him a curious glance, a whisper or two following in their wake. Idly, he wondered what they thought of him. 

The engine of the speeder eventually ceased to make sense to him. He’d tried everything, but nothing looked right anymore. There was a throbbing in his head and his thoughts had become muddled. Attempting to power it on one last time, the same frustrating nothingness was all that occurred. Sitting back, he sighed, a feeling of being unwell at last overcoming him. 

“Ben, you’re still out here!” Zelena’s voice wavered uncharacteristically, as though she were concerned about something. 

“I couldn’t quite get it to go.” The whole thing had seemed so important while he was working on it. Now he wasn’t sure why. Was it because it had her so troubled? That was foolishness, he owed her nothing. Whatever she thought she was to Ben Kenobi, he didn’t exist. Obi-Wan did, and he was alone in the galaxy. He was lost in the morass of all those thoughts he’d nearly forgotten about Zelena, who was now hovering directly over him. 

“It’s not that important. You’ve gone and made yourself sun sick being out here for too long.” Reaching down, she helped him to his feet, watching as he stood on unstable legs. 

“I’ll be fine, I swear.” The way she was fussing over him filled him with awful unease, and his instinct was to get away from it as quickly as he could. 

Turning in the direction of her door, she looked torn for a moment before finally resigning herself to whatever it was she was contemplating. “No way, you’re coming inside to cool off where I can keep an eye on you.” 

Unintentionally, he’d achieved exactly what he wanted, if only he could concentrate on it. But everything was so blurry, and he was so weary. Giving in, he placidly let her lead him forward, past the threshold, and into the dimly lit apartment. Hurriedly, he glanced around, taking in what details he could, unsure if he would ever see this chance again. A small living area was the first thing he encountered, a couch and a couple of chairs, all well-used were scattered around a low table, an old holo-projector in front of them. In one corner rested a shelf full of paper books, various jars, and assorted plant bits. A kitchen was to his right, small and not much more than functional, to his left was an open door he could see a lone bed through. 

Guiding him to the couch, Zelena helped him get settled on it. Following an irresistible urge, he sunk down to lay on his side, his body grateful for the relief of the relative coolness around him. Reappearing before he noticed she was gone, she handed him a glass which he took in a shaky hand. “Drink.” She ordered and he didn’t even think of resisting. The liquid was cool and tart, and it vaguely occurred to him that she could have given him something nefarious. But his eyes were heavy and the couch was astonishingly quite comfortable. Somehow, the glass had disappeared from his hand. “It’s alright, get some rest.” Gently, her fingers were running through his hair, adding to his already bewildered state, and reawakening some of those misgivings from that first night he went out with her. Heavy eyelids finally shut and he drifted off into slumber. 

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In that space between dream and reality, he heard something. A faint voice, singing or chanting, in a language unfamiliar to him, though he could guess what it was. Remarkably, an uncanny sense of comfort took hold of his spirit, and the voice kept on until he sunk into the darkest depths of sleep. 

The ship entered the docking bay at Ord Mantell City smoothly and without incident. Most of the passengers, save a few,  paid no heed and continued on with whatever it was that was occupying them, clearly bound for the freighter’s next destination. Ord Mantell, it would seem, remained a place few would choose to end up in. Poverty had completely overtaken it as corruption soared, and criminal elements ruled what little there was that was desirable. 

Discreetly, he moved amongst the crew as they off-loaded cargo, from the fringes carefully observing as the customs agents appeared to process them. One sleepy-looking Imperial Officer and two guards, a token unit more for the show of it than anything else. The Empire couldn’t appear to be disinterested in a world that for so long had been a trade hub and still saw much traffic, but they likely preferred to influence by means other than force. 

The Officer was more concerned with the crates that moved from the ship than with any of the passengers that were making their way planetside. Obi-Wan followed the small group, keeping close and his head down, and made as quickly as possible for the exit of the docking bay. Bail had ensured that he had enough fraudulent documentation to move around the galaxy as long as he stayed inconspicuous; he'd thought it prudent after the last incident. At the moment, he found himself extremely thankful for the forethought as it saved him the trouble of explaining what he’d needed to come all the way here for. The rescue of someone with whom he’d had a thoroughly complicated relationship, a relationship he still didn’t like to speak of in his innermost thoughts, let alone to anyone else. 

A droid scanned their ID Chips, uncaring and unknowing, pulling his hood down to cover his face, he followed the natural procession out into the street. The day was just dawning on Ord Mantell, and sunlight cut through fog and fumes alike, making the city almost shine like a newly constructed metropolis. Their little group began to disperse, some going along with parties that had been waiting for them, and others like him going on their own solitary way. Into the streets he headed, with little more guidance than a trust that the Force would lead him to where he needed to be.  

Built between the rise of the planet’s mountains, like many of the other metropolises, the city had seen better days. Once legitimate trade and industry had flourished here, but now years of abuse by the gangs and the Empire had taken their toll on it physically along with the populace. It reminded him of the lower levels of Coruscant in a way. The pervasive darkness was missing, but the crowds of those who were destitute and dangerous, the endless noise, and the glare of neon lights, still shining in the rising sun. 

Instinctually, he wanted to quicken his pace, to achieve what he’d set out to do and get off planet as soon as possible. The longer he stayed, the greater the risk. Now he needed to slow down, open himself, listen to the Force. The coordinates Zelena had sent him had been the general location for Ord Mantell City. Her time had been short and she hadn’t been able to give anything more, and it wasn’t as though he could wander the streets asking where the Black Sun was likely to hold those they had forced into their service. But perhaps looking to hire them could provide an in, a prospective smuggling job could do the trick. 

Cantinas, casinos, technically illegal fighting dens, they were everywhere, the culture of Ord Mantell that existed behind walls and closed doors. He’d find a contact somewhere who would get him where he needed to be, of that he was sure. Though thought of having to wade through the masses of scum and villainy gave him a slight pause and a sense, once again like that at his departure from Tatooine, that he was getting too old for these exploits. Once he saw that Zelena was safe, he was resolved that he wouldn’t be having another grand adventure. “Hey old man.” A rough voice from behind shook him from his thoughts, it promised violence, and he knew he’d found what he was looking for. The Force once again his steady guide. 

Turning to face the newcomer, his hands raised to the air, feigning shock. “I don’t want any trouble.” 

“There’s a fee to enter Ord Mantell City, you gotta give Black Sun their due.” There was nothing remarkable about the man he found himself speaking to. Gang tattoos, and a bit of muscle, but nothing that would mark him out as noteworthy or particularly dangerous. But no doubt he would prove himself useful for the task he required of him. Obi-Wan let him close the distance between the two of them.

Rather dramatically, he fumbled at a pouch on his belt, playing up his supposed feebleness. “I don’t have much.” The man’s own greed and eagerness were really the only disguise he needed as he moved in, inpatient for the easy mark. 

One hand revealed a blaster under his coat, and another reached for Obi-Wan. “Is it worth your life?” 

Before he realized the grave error he had made, Obi-Wan had squeezed his wrist in a vice-like grip and used the momentum of his own steps to send him colliding toward the wall of the building at his back. Tentatively, he glanced around, seeing no one had paid the encounter any heed. Still, best not to risk it too much. With another sharp motion he tugged the dazed and breathless man into a small alley between buildings. “Wh-Who are you?” He gasped, looking around frantically for an out. 

Obi-Wan held up a hand and let the Force flow through him. “I have an important cargo and I need it smuggled. You’ve seen the proof, you’ll get your cut.” 

The man’s eyes glazed over as the words took root in his mind. “You have an important cargo that you need to be smuggled, I’ve seen the proof, I’ll get a cut.” 

The mind trick had taken hold with ease, setting up the next step in the plan he’d been quickly formulating. “You should take me to someone who can arrange that.” 

A vacant voice echoed him for a second time. “I should take you to someone who can arrange that.” 

Releasing the wrist he’d been holding and stepping away, he let his new companion lead the way. “I know where we need to go.” He mumbled, as though half in a dream. Now it all depended on him actually having connections to be exploited. 

Exiting the alley, they began a route through the city, the man leading him on steps that started out jerky and uneven, perhaps he was fighting what had been done to his mind. Obi-Wan let his focus remain on him, searching for any more signs he would break free. It only needed to last long enough for the next contact. Through crowded streets and aging buildings, they trekked, stopping at a simple box of steel marked by an unassuming sign that read: “Ranack’s Outpost”.  “We’ll find someone inside,” he gestured as he opened the door, and Obi-Wan followed him in. 

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Chanting filled his thoughts, and his senses were overpowered with a scent like incense and spices from worlds he couldn’t name. They converged and melded, and the only clear thought was of Zelena and her hand softly brushing through his hair. Moving fitfully about where he lay, he faded in and out of consciousness until he no longer knew what was real and what was a dream. 

When his eyes groggily began to open, he realized at least parts of it had been very real. He was, in fact, laying across Zelena’s couch and her apartment looked very much like the hazy memories he had of walking inside. A quick assessment told him that she herself was not in the immediate vicinity. Head still foggy, he pushed up to a sitting position and further investigated his situation. The sparse apartment was like so many other homes on Tatooine, a place to survive in. “Zel”, he called, wondering where she’d gone off to. 

Taking a moment to get his unsteady legs under him, he began to idly explore her little space a bit more than the impressions he’d gotten upon entering. The kitchen was tidy and orderly, the living area sparse of much ornamentation except a rug on the ground that made it a little less austere. The shelf in the corner drew his eye again and he resolved to figure out some of what all that was at some point. Zelena still hadn’t made an appearance so he pressed on with the expedition.

Cautiously, he passed through the open doorway into her bedroom,a jumble of personal objects spread over a bureau and the bed vied for his attention, all bearing possible clues. A quick glance revealed another door on the side of the bed. The fresher, he surmised, hearing noise from within, the puzzle of where she had gone now solved. Likely, he should return to the less private part of her home before she emerged, seeing him here might make her suspicious. As he turned to go, something in the far corner caught his eye, a small statue on a table. 

Curiosity got the better of him, but it was the only indication he’d ever seen of her true past, and maybe the reason she had been hesitant to invite him inside. Just a quick glance, then he’d go back. A small sculpture of a woman stood on a low, simple table, in her hand was a bowl which held a few drops of a greenish liquid. Scattered around it were a curious collection of items; a small sharpened rock, a crystal almost as green as the liquid, bits of dried herbs, and a small skull of some sort. Below the table was a simple chest, that he knelt down to get a better look at. Looking as though it were an artifact from antiquity, he found it locked and couldn’t discern the mechanism to open it. Running a hand over it though, he was surprised he could feel it thrumming with power that made him recall his meeting with Mother Talzin. 

“Momentos from home.” A voice behind him spoke and he inhaled sharply, shocked she’d manage to not alert him before now. Could his head still be that foggy or was it some foul trick of hers? 

On guard, he stood slowly and turned to face her, trying to keep his expression from betraying him. For a moment today he’d forgotten himself, and wound up weakened and at her mercy, he needed to navigate this more carefully. Barely clad in her work uniform, she stood with a brush in her hand, and red curls, freshly cleaned by the sonic shower, tumbling around her shoulders. Thoughts frustratingly went hazy again as he cast around for how to respond. “There you are, I was just …” 

Her expression was as cold as an ancient grave. “You were snooping, Ben.” 

“Sorry, it’s just, I hadn’t ever seen anything like it and only intended to take a quick glance at it.” A little of the truth might give enough sincerity to his words that it would pacify her. Thus far he’d never known her to act violently, but the small shrine was an embodiment of the fact that she was, besides anything else, a Nightsister, and he didn’t know her capabilities. 

“Noted. If you’re feeling better, I think it’s time you leave. I need to get to work.” Her manner hadn’t warmed at all. 

“Right. Really, I am sorry about this.” There was a sinking feeling in his stomach, he’d been so close and now the one chance he had to do something useful, to prevent some evil from flourishing was possibly ruined. Like he ruined so much else, a voice inside insidiously whispered. Surrendering to her request, he turned and exited back to the living area. Zelena followed, ushering him from her secrets, all the while he remained wary she would do more in retaliation for the transgression.

“I have precious little left from my home, and I guard it above all things. Rarely do I show hospitality for that reason.” The chilly wrath was dissipating, leaving behind a melancholy he’d seen before when she spoke of what became of her family. “As you are my friend, I will try to let this go.” 

Despite all the thoughts of the malicious witch of moments ago, the words managed to sting him. He’d genuinely hurt her with his very intentional actions, something that he normally thought of as outside his character. Desperately he clung to the notion that it was a farce, this was all for show on her part, for reasons he didn’t understand. But the doubt was creeping back in, she could be like so many others, just a refugee trying to live after the horrors of war. And he was the monster, lying to and manipulating her. Turning to face her, he took one of her hands in his and held it gently, grateful she didn’t snatch it away. No matter the truth, he needed to fix what had been done. “Zelena, I promise I will make this up to you.” 

For the second time since he’d met her, he found himself in an unexpected embrace. This time he returned it quickly, if still a bit awkwardly, feeling the press of her outline through the thin uniform. Face resting against her curls, that exotic scent from his dream overtook him once more. While he breathed it in, trying to form some distinct conclusion from everything that had occurred today, he swore he heard her sniffle, and his mind reeled, scattering his thoughts again. He’d made her cry, what noble and Jedi-like behavior on his part. Sorrow beat against his mind, once again she pierced through whatever it was that blocked his connection to the Force, and he felt her raw emotions, tearing apart the last of his confidence in the rightness of his plot. Perhaps he’d been so caught up in having a mission and purpose again, that he’d been blind to the truth. He’d wanted an enemy he could fight, a wrong he could conquer, to feel useful. 

He let her linger there, head resting against his shoulder, far longer than he really should, until she sighed softly. “I should get going, if I’m late Malk will cut my hours.” Letting go, she backed away, emotions pushed aside it would seem. “We can worry about this later, just give me some time for now.” 

“Absolutely.” Time was what he needed himself, time to clear his head, evaluate everything, even going back to the start of all this. “I’ll be back, I promise.” 

The cloak that had been discarded when she’d brought him in waited for him near the door, and he bent to retrieve it, overwhelmed still by how quickly events had unfolded. With one last look back at her to see unease still written across her features, he exited back out into the dying day, exiled for the time being. 

In the weeks that followed, he resolved to stay a distant from Mos Eisley as possible, only going so far from the cave as Anchorhead for work, falling back into the routine he’d had before she disembarked the transport that had brought her to Tatooine. Strictly avoiding any place he could possibly encounter her was the goal. The two images he had of Zelena warred in his mind; Nightsisters wove magic that was steeped in the dark side, and allied themselves with the Sith when it was convenient, not to mention the slavery of the Nightbrothers, but Zelena was a healer who had been nothing but kind, and kept mostly to herself, not seemingly interested in anything beyond the life she was building. She had been on Tatooine for months, couldn’t she have tried something by now? Would she not have used his acquaintance, knowing he was familiar with traversing the planet, to look for Luke, if that's what she wanted? To combat the turmoil in his mind, he tried mediating several times, looking to discern the truth. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing to guide him, the Force seemingly having totally rejected him. Perhaps it was the final toll for his failures. Whatever the cause, all it gave him were more nightmares, with even more old memories dredged to the surface. 

The shifts in the mine were a trial unto themselves, grueling and intense. Companies often extracted what they could from the planet as quickly as possible, with little thought to the workers that made it possible. Already he’d lost a few comrades down in the depths, and they still couldn’t extract enough metal to make it profitable. Likely soon it would end up like most other mining ventures, a dead site with equipment being claimed by the sand and him having to find new employment to keep fed. The idea crossed his mind to look for something closer to the Lars homestead if he could, easier to keep an eye on things. Luke was growing faster than he could believe, already keen on trying to explore by himself as Owen and Beru chased after him. 

It was while he observed this spectacle, one evening from a distance that kept Owen from spotting him, that he finally felt his mind had settled enough that he would be comfortable seeing Zelena again. The time had come to decide if she really was a threat at all, and he had a bit of a plan to both appease her for his transgression and hopefully gwt her talking as much as possible. To that end, he planned his departure for early the next morning, before the sun rose. Both he and Akkani would be more comfortable the further they got before dawn. By some miracle, that night as he slept, there was only darkness to be had in his dreams. 

When he set out, leaving the cave with a couple days worth of supplies, he found Akkani, waiting with eagerness, as though to encourage him on. The path he took now seemed unavoidable to him, and likely the decision was long overdue, whatever had been holding him back. His patient friend took him across the sands and to the edge of the lively metropolis, the long ride giving him even more time to ponder, though he knew he’d find the answer when he spoke to her again. When they reached the outskirts, he stabled the Eopie and walked the rest of the distance to Zelena’s apartment. 

The first thing he noticed when he arrived was that Kyrsta’s speeder was gone and he wondered if she’d had to pay to have it fixed. Once she had mentioned to him saving up to move out of the crowded tenements, and his inability to fix the speeder had probably set her back considerably. It caused him a pang of guilt that he fended off by reminding himself he hadn’t made up his mind about her yet. That recollection was another piece of the puzzle though, he thought as he recalled that particular conversation. “I’ll get a nice place, marry some handsome, roguish pilot and settle down. Maybe even have a couple of children.” Walking beside him, she described the scene with a lighthearted tone and a smile, and he’d stared at her for a moment. “Don’t tell me you're jealous of my plan Ben.” 

At the time, he’d been trying to decide if she was sincere, the same question that haunted him still. “No just trying to picture you chasing around a brood the size of Nagla’s.” He teased to deflect her scrutiny. 

Now, less sure even than that day, he needed to press forward. Reaching Zelena’s door he hesitated only a moment before pressing the button for the buzzer. As he waited, he began to feel a dread that he hadn’t bothered rehearsing what he was going to say. After a nervous moment the door remained shut and he rang again,just wanting to get to it. Dejectedly he concluded it was possible he’d already missed her and he would have to try again later. As he was halfway set on leaving and doing just that, the door slid open.

Zelena stood there in a nightgown of undyed, plain cloth, eyes still heavy with sleep and posture guarded. “Ben?” She asked groggily. 

“Zel.” The word had hardly left his mouth and stinging pain bloomed on his cheek. Before he could react to dodge, she’d fiercely slapped him, leaving him speechless for a few seconds. “Ow.” 

“Weeks! You’ve been gone for weeks!” She was no longer quite so sleepy sounding. 

“You said give you space.” Rubbing his now sore cheek, he tried to defend himself. 

“That didn’t mean disappear for a ridiculous amount of time. Are you simple minded Ben Kenobi?” She raged, drawing the attention of some of her neighbors. 

“I didn’t think so before this but now…” It looked as though he’d be making penance for this as well, though her concern was leaving a warmth in his chest.

“I’ve had everyone asking around about you. I was worried, I-” Pulling her into his arms, her words were cut off as she wrapped herself around him. “I’m glad you’re not dead out in the dunes somewhere.”

“I missed you too, Zel.” Letting go, he backed up a pace, putting a little distance between them, it seemed a necessity to pull away from the emotions at play. “And I’m sorry for waking you up.” 

“Nevermind that, come inside.” Taking his hand, she nearly began to drag him behind her. It wasn’t lost on him that she’d essentially seemed to have forgiven his earlier transgression and was as warm as ever with him. “You can tell me how you plan to make everything up to me.” 

Forgiven but not forgotten it would seem. “I might have something in mind.”

[jcmarchi]

Star Wars Outlaws Preview - Exclusive Details About The Ashiga Clan - Game Informer

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/star-wars-outlaws-preview-exclusive-details-about-the-ashiga-clan-game-informer/

Star Wars Outlaws Preview - Exclusive Details About The Ashiga Clan - Game Informer

In Star Wars Outlaws, protagonists Kay Vess and Nix must navigate the criminal underworld by interacting with the various crime syndicates thriving in this period between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Kay’s standing with these syndicates is primarily represented by the Reputation System, an ambitious mechanic that tracks her relationship with these criminal organizations. In the recently released story trailer, we hear the names of three of the syndicates present in Star Wars Outlaws: the Hutt Cartel, the Pyke Syndicate, and Crimson Dawn. During our trip to Massive Entertainment, I was able to learn more about the fourth syndicate with which Kay will have to balance her reputation: the Ashiga Clan. 

Massive created the Ashiga Clan in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, just like other original elements like Kay, Nix, their ship, the Trailblazer, and the new moon, Toshara. “Every week, we have several calls with them where we share what we’d like to do, the intentions, and they challenge us; we do a back and forth like that over several weeks to be able to get the shape language right, to get the lore right, to make sure it becomes part of Star Wars canon,” creative director Julian Gerighty says. “The Ashiga Clan is part of Star Wars canon now. Toshara is part of Star Wars canon now. And that’s super gratifying when you help design a creature that’s as lovable and fierce as Nix and it becomes part of one of the most storied IPs in the world.”

An Ashiga hive

The Ashiga Clan, which has a large presence on Kijimi (a planet most famous for its role in The Rise of Skywalker), finds itself at a crossroads as it pushes to expand beyond Kijimi. “They have a long tradition and certain events in the recent history put them at a fork in the road where there are different ways they could go forward, and they’re not necessarily in agreement with what the best path forward is,” associate narrative director John Björling says.

It operates as a hive of the Melitto species (first introduced in The Force Awakens with Sarco Plank) with an emphasis on function and survival. “You have these insectoid, humanoid, kind of very ant-like species and it’s taking that principle of, ‘What would a crime syndicate that is essentially operating like an anthill – what is that like?’ Björling says. “It’s a syndicate with a long tradition, they have a strong hierarchy, and there’s a lot about putting the hive before yourself. I think those aspects make it stand out as a unique kind of crime syndicate.”

To learn more about how you’ll be interacting with the Ashiga Clan and its leader, Ashiga, head to our feature about how the Reputation System within the game works. Star Wars Outlaws comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 30. Be sure to visit our exclusive coverage hub through the banner below.

[thewriterowl]

Chapter Four: The Unfortunate Regret

Chief Editor Luke Skywalker makes a foolish lie to help protect his employee, basically a secretary, Din Djarin from losing his job. Both hoped to brush it off with some minor inconvenience but, instead, find themselves going to Din's home to "celebrate" their engagement with the very large Djarin clan. Trapped in a quaint village where everyone knows everything, sharing a bedroom, and needing to pretend they are happily in love when Din hates his boss with a passion, and said boss being a bit more soft and odd than he realized, it feels like a disaster is waiting to happen. Only, in a strange turn of events, rather than things unraveling, it feels like pieces are falling into place a little too naturally. (Or, AKA: The Proposal AU)

--

Update time! Ho[pe you all enjoy! This will have some answers for you on Luke's past and some of his thinking!

Hope you all enjoy! Let em know what you think!

[reconstructwriter]

Palpatine laughed as Darth Vader, as Anakin Skywalker, made the same choice he has for over twenty years.

The Dark choice.

Luke Skywalker's head rolls. Palpatine demonstrates the power of his new Death Star on the rising Rebellion.

Like Skywalkers always have, they fall.

Palpatine wins. Palpatine finally has it all. He detonates the Imperial Palace with the announcement that he has a new Palace. One finally worthy of him. For good measure he finishes off the Senate building - a decrepit relic from a more disgusting time. Then, because he has the power, he adds all of Coruscant to the list.

No one stops him. No one can stop him. All the galaxy is his. All the universe is his.

Except...that becomes a problem.

Wars are expensive - armies and great air forces to ferry them and fight them. The Clone Wars deliberately designed to be so, the GAR as the finest army on one side, only the best for the Republic. The droid army as easily mass-produced and replaceable, until years stretched on and it wasn't. All this better broke the power of the Republic and the Separatists alike into easily-digestible bits for one man. Because in his Sith Empire, there was only room for one mega-corporation, one banking clan, one power:

Palpatine.

Then with the destruction of the Jedi, the end of the war, Palpatine had to do away with the war toys. A last political gesture to keep people from regretting his ascension to Emperor. A pithy gesture when he could absolve the debt of the Separatists and Republic alike - after all, he owned government and debt so why not forgive himself? And add all the more to work on his Death Star.

Until the day he stood on the second and superior version of such, above the last pitiful planet left to conquer, and strangled the fool who brought him an expense report. "I am the Emperor. I am the bank and the government. I declare my debt wiped away!"

"Yes...sir...Emperor, but that's not enou-arkk!"

It was not enough, for now the debt of money translated to a debt of food. All across his great empire ruined fields couldn't produce enough to feed everyone and ruined towns couldn't manufacture the crops and animals into food.

Palpatine did not need the Force to show him what would happen next. The poorest would starve first - the farmers and the factory workers, the cashiers and the cleaners. All those billions and trillions of oh so unimportant people who, nonetheless, were indispensable to keep society working. Once the food producers died, the rest would starve. Once the servants fell, the castle would fall. The King was always the last to die.

He was the Emperor. An absolute monarch. A total ruler as the Galaxy had never seen before. Things were bad, yes, but not irreversible. A word from him could yet turn this around. The smallest gesture could yet save his Empire.

But not without sacrifice. Of power.

From him.

"Let them starve!" he screeched.

Palpatine had spent his entire life hoarding power. He had sacrificed everything on the alter of power and spent a lifetime destroying every limitation - every chain - between himself and absolute power. He would survive this too. A dying Empire's misery and horror strengthened him. He was too powerful to die.

But no one can destroy consequences.

The Death Star was as massive a ship as had ever been built. Large enough to be its own planet, its own ecosystem, as independent as he could make it.

Which is not the same as fully independent. When one person goes into space, a thousand people must stay on the planet to ensure that one person lives. The Death Star very nearly flipped that equation around.

Nearly.

Long range communications went off-line first. Palpatine still ruled his Death Star but had no more connection to the rest of his Empire beyond the dark grey smog of hopelessness and desperation. Then the little things began breaking down. Several of those little things being the electronics running the water recycling system.

And the person maintaining that system had been the inconsequential fool ordered to bring him the expense report.

Putrid water backed up into the clean water. A good third of the Death Star fell ill. They had to land, but where could they? Even with the Dark Side, Palpatine saw no refuge, no place they could repair anything.

He had escape pods but nowhere to land. His new palace, his crowning achievement, had become a trap.

His tomb.

Palpatine was wrong about one thing. The king isn't always the last to die, to starve.

Those desperate enough who survived Sith Lightning and Vader's blade feasted one last time.

it's fucking crazy to me how high-ranking obi-wan is during tcw. letting this guy spearhead an ATTACK BATTALION is like handing dwight d eisenhower a rifle and a bangalore and letting him storm the beaches of normandy himself. absolutely batshit INSANE

[starwarsoutcast]

Chapter 2

Ghyff was not his home. Deklan Mau had no home.

He was sixteen--a man grown for his people, or so he had been told--but he had never known the comfort of a star's warmth, or dirt and gravity beneath his boots. He had been born in space, hundreds of parsecs from Kiffex. When asked, he'd insist it didn't bother him. Life was simpler when you only had yourself, and your work. But a Kiffar without a clan was a tragic thing, or so he had been told by the older salvagers.

A strand of his thick black hair fell out onto his forehead from where he had tied it back, but he could do nothing about it now. Sealed in a spacesuit, a tether clipped to his waist leading back behind him and another anchored down on the surface he stood on, he stretched his arms out and let them float slack in the vacuum of space. Spread out beyond him, the desolate star clusters lacking in habitable planets burned faintly all the way out to the wilds of Unknown Space, a thousand places to hide far away or to seek out something undiscovered. Sometimes, a home planet is overrated.

"Dek? How many was it?" The voice crackled through the static of a two-decade old comm.

He sighed. "It was three. Three of the big walkers. I don't know how many of the little ones were there." Veeda never stopped asking the same inconsequential questions, over and over. He didn't mind answering them...the first time. After that, it was irritating.

"Skywalker took out three of these things? That's so kriffing mad!"

Deklan couldn't be seen by the little Roonan, but he rolled his eyes anyway. "No, Veeda. He took out one. The other Rogue pilots took out two more." He looked up from the durasteel plating under his magnetic boots. Or rather, his head was looking up, but he oriented upside down and looking toward the sickly yellow gas giant. Ghyff. The only light the galaxy could spare for them.

Veeda tinkered under a panel some five meters away, but both were careful to keep their little personal shields engaged and--if possible--keep a large bit of metal between themselves and the planet. Ghyff's sorry excuse for an irridiated atmosphere would strip the hides right off them otherwise. Not many of the space station's rubbish workers would take such a small being on as a partner, but Veeda had a lot going on under the surface. His brain worked much faster than his body, and he was eager to keep busy, unlike a lot of his peers.

"Tow cables," Veeda chatted away. "What a concept." His raspy little laugh came through the comm. "I bet if the Empire had any brains about weapons design, they would have ended the Alliance that very day. Of course, it's hard to predict what a Jedi will do in a battle. I was reading about this armored battle droid column this one time, absolutely decimated on Dantooine-," he stopped for a moment and addressed the panel, "Oh, hold on now, this isn't accepting my code for some reason."

Not wanting to encourage the grey-skinned whelp any further in the history discussion, Deklan just growled and peered around the big conical piece of space trash they were latched to. It was, best he could tell, the left-rear 'foot' of an Imperial walker, with only perhaps half of the stilt still attached. How the planetary assault transport ended up floating in pieces in the void of space, there was no way of knowing. It was a rarity, and the Fetcher wanted it. Fetcher got what he wanted, always.

"Well," Veeda said with another hollow chuckle, "The data tapes are fried, nothing particularly interesting in the tactical relays anyhow. I guess yet another tow cable is going to take one last piece of this big guy out." He straightened up, only a meter tall or so even in his bulky space suit, and punched commands into his wrist cuff. At his behest, the three monolithic droids approached from their position above, where they had parked. Each would tether the walker wreckage and pull it out of the scrap heap toward the Reclaimer.

Deklan focused on the junkscape on the other side of the walker foot. He could spy more Imperial tech floating, mostly burned out keels of Star Destroyers missing their armored hulls after already being picked clean. But dotted throughout their bigger pits were some flimsy shuttle pieces. Also, half a ring section of a droid control ship burned to a cinder by Ghyff's radiation over decades. Even the oblong silhouette of an Old Republic cruiser dating back at least a few centuries. Everything withered and dissipated, eventually. History separated into atoms, like grains of sand in a wind.

The droids' tow lines snaked out to the walker foot, reeled out slowly and magnetized much in the same way the two scrappers were by their boot soles. "What would you have done in the rebellion?" Veeda asked as he watched them approach. "I think I could have been one of the Pathfinders. I could slice you into an Imperial blockhouse faster than any droid, you know that."

"You're not a fighter," Deklan said instantly. It was another old conversation, rehashed just to pass the time. He never took his eyes off the twisted hulks. He thought he had spotted something, but wanted to be sure. Any Ghyff salvager worth his air supply kept eyes peeled for something valuable among the detritus. 

Veeda continued to give him grief. "Most of the Rebels weren't fighters, you know. But at a desperate hour, any one of them would pick up a blaster."

"We don't have any blasters."

The Roonan snorted ruefully. "Doesn't matter. Anyone can turn the tide of a battle."

But his partner wasn't listening. A Kiffar's eyes were nothing special; he couldn't see multiple spectrums or telescopically. But Deklan Mau had focus. That made a lot of difference. He saw a ship that did not appear often in the Ghyff Station holoscreen records, where young scrappers were schooled in which bits of plating were the most favored and which were garbage. "That's a Munificent-class frigate."

"I don't know that one," Veeda said nonchalantly.

"Confederate warship, built by the Banking Clan," Dek explained. "Flimsy little things. Flew in packs."

Veeda turned to him then. His tone never changed. "Muunilist design? Pfft. What did they know about spacefaring?" But while he said it, he made a deliberate gesture with his stubby hands. A question.

Deklan returned the signal with one of his own. A positive answer. "Not a lot. That's probably why it's here, turning black." He then reached up and flipped his comm switch on the helmet.

Once both of them were on a different channel--one not monitored by Fetcher's command center aboard the space station looming over them from high orbit--Veeda let his excitement be known. "Munificent-class?! That had a full combat array. Think it's still intact?"

"Can't tell from here. It's blocked."

The droids had connected with the walker scrap, but they would sit stationary until given the command to reel it in. Veeda bounced as much as the spacesuit and the shield system would allow him. "I could disconnect, and we could go check it before anyone notices."

Deklan was excited, too. But he didn't want to get his hopes up. "It's far. Might not be worth the trip. Now this," he rapped his fist on the plating of the walker piece, "this is a sure thing. Never give up a done deal to go chasing an Idiot's Array."

"You've never played sabacc a day in your life," Veeda shot back.

He nodded. "That's right. Once I've got something, it's mine. I don't play around with it."

The kid shrugged and hit the command for the droids to finish capturing. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

Flipping back to the monitored channel, Dek was only barely able to release the grip on his chest that came with the find. It was a slim chance that any of the old Clone Wars frigate was still operational, but they didn’t need a ship. They didn't even need a working gun platform. They merely needed one intact piece. A simple arc relay actuator from an ion cannon turbine, no bigger than his hand. No sooner had he flipped back than Veeda went right back to a casual conversation about AT-AT struts, but then even the relative calm of that was breached.

"Eight-Tee-Four-Seven, meh gooda chu packa jeer-ut!" a casually intense whine came over the comm. It was Zurf, one of the Fetcher's men aboard Ghyff Station. He was supervising all the junk prospectors from the comfy chair in the command center.

The two youths looked to each other and shrugged. "Oh, we had a little static," Deklan explained. "Had to cycle our comms to clear it. Can't be too careful once we start moving this big hunka."

"Communications," Veeda agreed. "It's just another safety tether." When the Kiffar teen threw up his hands incredulously at this, he added "Uh, my trainer said that once I think."

Zurf was not a former Imperial. If he had been, it was likely he would have pulled a much more prestigious duty among the Fetcher's loyalist crew. Instead, he was stuck with traffic control, and though it was an assignment he plainly loathed, he took it seriously. "Chupaaano wid roahoho, naresto bah." It was a warning. Not a friendly one, but very explicit.

"Veeda, let's go." Deklan didn't want to lose out on the salvage. With a little luck, they might use the unusual find to get on Fetcher's good side for a change. While Ghyff wreckers didn't exactly get paid, they could find their quarters exchanged for a something larger, or closer to the station's warmer nacelles. One tough Bith girl he knew had found a neat stack of rations in her bunk after bringing the old pirate a true treasure, an intact Sienar-brand hyperdrive core. "Veeda?"

The droids had winched in the walker foot and were awaiting the command to return to the station. But it never came, and they floated patiently.

"Sorry, Dek. I'll just be a few ticks."

He spun as fast as zero gravity would allow, and sure enough he saw the little grey lunatic was out in the open, using his suit thrusters to dive toward Ghyff's oppressive rays. "Get back here, you damned fool."

"Can't now!" Veeda called back. He sounded strained, but he was nearly half a klick away already, so there was no way to gauge how hard he was trying to maintain course. "Just let me take a quick look at something!"

Deklan reached for his own wrist cuff and tried to bring up their suit readouts. The Roonan used much less oxygen than his bigger partner, but he was more susceptible to the radiation. His suit would fail quickly. "Leave it. We can come back tomorrow."

"No! Come on, Dek. No more tomorrows."

The further the kid got toward the old frigate, the more Zurf's howls of disbelief and rage amplified in Deklan's ear. They were going to catch hell for this. But Veeda couldn't be slowed. He twisted around to put his boots first into the dive, and in the processed threaded himself through the hollowed out ring of an old Alderaanian booster. The Banking Clan ship was half-buried between a flat T-shaped capital ship bridge that was aged at least three decades in the yellow, corrosive glow, and the formidable back section of a Rebellion medical transport.

Turning the comm channel off to cease the noise from Zurf, Deklan punched in a command for one of the tug droids. It released the AT-AT piece immediately and fired out the magnetic tether once again. Only this time, the youth unhooked his safety line from the salvage and dove out into the blackness. It was a race he was destined to lose, but the magnet in his boot heel snagged onto the droid's tether and evened the odds in no time. He punched in the command to reel himself back in. "Tow cables," he groaned. "What a concept." Using the droid's propulsion instead of his suit's, he could possibly catch up.

Veeda either wasn't hearing him because he hadn't changed to their private channel, or else he was just trying to focus as much as possible as his thrusters sputtered trying to wrap him around a decrepit chunk of durasteel before he could splat against it. Just as soon as he had escaped that, his vector carried him way too close toward a sea of jagged, broken TIE solar panels that had been all dumped out together into orbit like so many shards of a broken bottle.

"Veeda, look out!" Dek couldn't do anything more than yell, his tug droid only capable of racing toward the flying grey spec using small repulsorlift engines. And without any substantial gravity well to slow his friend, the chasm between them widened.

His thrusters no longer responding, the Roonan wailed in terror and covered his helmet with both hands out of instinct. As he bounced off the flat surface of one black and grey panel, his scream was cut short, but he grunted into the comm once, twice, three times. Once for every angular titanium foe that pummeled him. In the vacuum, his shield's splash of energy made no sound at each impact. It just silently pulsed and absorbed only a fraction of the force of the blows.

Deklan reached for his wrist and hit another sequence. The droid, having reeled him in already, protested the normally nonsensical instructions. The bot couldn't speak, it was very sparsely designed and assembled, but it could protest what he was planning due to its basic safety protocols. He entered an override code, and without another moment of delay the droid fired the tow cable out toward Ghyff, and toward the sea of broken TIE wings. Deklan Mau was still attached, and had transformed himself into a crude torpedo on a string.

The keel of an Imperial Raider loomed up from his right, but one instant of rearing up his tethered leg and kicking away helped avoid collision. It wasn't exactly a steering yoke, but it would do. The lack of substantial gravity allowed him to alter his course with little exertion, but it also made it nearly impossible to slow down. Dek shot through a cluster of molten starfighters whose shapes had all eroded into vague craggy lumps of black. One came near enough he could make out a row of five enemy fighter silhouettes etched across the fuselage, a testament to the kills made by a pilot also long ago perished.

Veeda breathed raggedly into the comm.

Unable to answer, for fear he would lose his concentration and splatter himself, Deklan aimed for the TIE panels and took a deep, calming breath of his own. Once he entered the gauntlet of reinforced titanium and durasteel, he used his free foot to batter away at every piece that came near enough. Any puncture of his suit, any breach of his shield, and the radiation would cook him. He reared up and planted his free foot on the flat edge of an angular wing that likely had belonged to an Interceptor. He stepped into it, pushing off and using the momentum.

That did it. He reached the other side of the flotsam and turned around to see the tug droid carefully navigating around every panel it could, occasionally taking one impact in order to avoid five more. Dek wasn't worried. The droids were reinforced for just such a situation, and if need be, they would automatically return to the station if not given new orders after a certain amount of time floating in the black. He needed to find Veeda.

Beyond the TIE components, most everything was blackened with decades of corrosion. But against the backdrop of a tube-shaped transit ship, there shown a lone spot of grey. After the droid had exited the fray, Dek took a moment to allow the machine to reel in the cable. Then he fired himself again, aiming directly for where his partner cowered in the shadow of the starliner.

Veeda was not completely conscious, his big eyes dull and unseeing through the visor of his helmet. But his breathing was stable, and his suit was intact.

"You dummy," Deklan said, and hauled the smaller being onto his shoulder. "Feel free to die. Even if you don't, Fetcher might actually kill us for this."

Once they were back aboard the station, with artificial gravity and radiation filters, Deklan finally allowed himself to crack under the weight of his limp friend, and the dread that filled him. Ghyff Station was small, given its population and number of functions, and word of Veeda's stunt was bound to travel quickly among the denizens. No doubt Zurf had also alerted the rest of the pirates from his console in the command chamber.

There were no medical droids aboard, no bacta either. Not much more than a basic aid cache. The pirates may have had something more robust, but they certainly weren't going to share it with their laborers. Fetcher had, according to the stories, taken command of the Imperial corvette he was stationed on and fled during one of the last big battles of the war. There was nothing military or disciplined about his crew anymore--it had been more than twenty years--but if one Imperial praxis was destined to stay with them for life, it was the instinct to instantly use up every resource available and save nothing in reserve. And Deklan had grown up identifying himself and the other Ghyff wreckers as one such resource.

A handful of worried, unwashed youths rushed up to meet them when the airlock opened, and they flooded Dek with questions.

"What happened?"

"What was he doing unsecured?"

"Did his suit breach?"

"How long did he spend in the glow?"

"Did he find it?"

This last question came from a human female, perhaps a year or two older than Deklan Mau. She had very big green eyes, and her skin seemed impossibly pale to him. Rhinn. She was always acting as taskmaster, assuming command whenever a crowd brewed on the station. Though there were nearly three thousand of them aboard, half of them scrappers who saw danger like this every day, Rhinn seemed determined to paint Dek as some class of reckless dolt who wasn't worth trusting with important tasks. He hated her for thinking that of him.

He handed Veeda over to several of the older scrappers. "He didn't get near enough."

"This is not going to go…unnoticed." She removed the Roonan's helmet and placed her hand along the back of his neck, looking for signs of life and glancing gravely up at the Kiffar. "You think he'll make it through a stint?"

Deklan shrugged. In truth, it depended heavily on who Fetcher blamed for the accident, and which of his pirates would be tasked with doling out the punishments. Some of them took pity upon younglings and beings of smaller size. Hopefully one of them would see the injuries on Veeda's form and conclude he would learn enough of a lesson from it. As for Dek himself, he knew deep in his stomach that he would catch an electro-baton, even though he had still managed to bring in the AT-AT strut.

After Rhinn devoted all of her attention to Veeda, and began calling out instructions to the others for steering the salvage around to the appropriate berth, Deklan took everyone ignoring him as permission to step away and look for a place to rest. He wound around the circumference of the oblong station, trying his best to keep calm.

Stupid little worm, he thought. He was just as excited as Veeda had been, and yet he had managed to wait for a more opportune moment. But all the scrappers had been looking for months now for the appropriate piece of wreckage. Any ship, blackened to hell or otherwise, that had an intact ion turbine with the compatible actuator. He guessed that Veeda just couldn't pass up being the hero to every scrumrat on Ghyff Station. The kid had a sickness for wanting his name remembered.

"Deklan!" he heard echo down the corridor, the boom of indignation sending the smaller children scurrying behind wall panels. Rhinn had been following him the entire way. When she got close enough to whisper she said, "Did you see it for sure?"

He chuckled. "I guess Veeda's fine," he shot back. "You stopped worrying real quick. Or is your big rebellion just more important than his sorry hide?"

Remorse broke out across her face, and she looked down at her worn and faded boots. "I know you care for him, as much as you crow otherwise. But he was trying to help all of us. Without that actuator, there is no way we will last five minutes against Fetcher and the Forgotten."

Dek sniffed. Everyone had a part to play in Rhinn's grand scheme. His was to lead a squad of fighters onto the Razor-class corvette and commandeer it by lethal force, if necessary. It was a job he had inherited from the last being with a large enough frame for fighting. And that poor sprog had been beaten to death by Zurf. Veeda was too proud of his role in building the arc relay that would disable the decrepit Imperial ship long enough for Rhinn's grand mutiny, and now that pride may have killed him in three different ways at once. "Pray to your rebel heroes' holograms that he lives, otherwise your plan is charred to a crisp."

"What is wrong with you?" she burst. "Why can't you see what we're trying to do? Even if Veeda lives, this isn't a real life!" The earnest choke of her voice was nearly pitiful. "Dek, I need to know that you believe in the cause!"

He turned away and said softly. "I don't believe in anything but me. You think you're Leia Organa? Great. Enjoy watching everyone who follows you die for your sense of freedom."

"I'd rather die fighting for our freedom than die slowly fishing for chunks of metal, or at the whims of a drunken kung who fancies himself a warlord."

Deklan felt like grabbing her and shaking her until that junk fell out of her head for good. "I'd rather not die at all," he said instead. When Rhinn sputtered at this, he turned on his heel and stomped away down the cramped corridor. Over his shoulder he called, "None of this really matters, Rhinn. Learn that. This is Ghyff. We work, then we die. And your rebel heroes aren't coming to save the day."

He rounded a corner and left her there, and within a dozen steps he regretted every word. It felt wrong to speak out against the scrappers' ongoing plans, as if he were somehow allying himself with the pirates. Not that Dek didn't believe what he said; the mutiny was pointless. It just gave a few scores of damn fool kids something to brighten their day. The thought that whatever happened to them, be it Ghyff's poison emissions, or a salvage accident, or the Fetcher and his disgusting crew...that they were working toward a big victory. That secretly they plotted to win the day, because they were right and just. It was romantic nonsense, and Rhinn was spreading it as far as she could across the station.

Veeda might die because of her promises of false hope. Dek's veins turned to ice at the thought, and suddenly his thoughts of Rhinn changed from pity and mere scorn to a fury. He grumbled as he walked, forming more words of bile that he had not the nerve to say to her face. But his anger didn't vent, it only mounted higher. Soon he lost control of himself, and by the time he had regained his wits he was horrified to see and feel himself slamming fists into a thick conduit jutting from the wall. 

He had no idea how long he had be pounding on the tube full of circuitry and grinding his teeth. Time seemed to stretch in a funny kind of way as he focused only on the knot of anxious rage cinching his chest tighter and tighter. When he finally took control again, he saw that the conduit had been dented and bent into a sickening shape and his hands ached. He breathed easy, and whispered, "Why can't everyone just leave me alone?"

As if a wry answer to the question, something hard and sharp like bone smacked across the back of his head, and Deklan Mau was on his knees. He looked up, and saw Zurf. The Nephran was a pure grotesque, and not just due to his dead black eyes or crustacean claws. He also delighted in doling out the penalties for misbehavior among Ghyff Station. The wet, dull orange tentacles spewing from his maw made the laugh sound painful and mirthless. He swung his heavy claw again and landed a lick on Dek's ear.

Dazed and oppressed by a siren ring in his head, the Kiffar tried to rise, and was met by a heavy boot to his slight belly. He coughed, and with the cough came an equally bitter laugh of his own. "Now hold on one tick," he managed to rasp. "He didn't like the walker foot? Is that what this is about?"

Zurf laughed along with him and smacked him around some more. Dek took the beating and tried to joke in between as much as he could. The punishment was coming either way, he was just glad it had come for him and not for Veeda. It didn't really matter much to him.

This is Ghyff. We work, then we die. None of this really matters.

***