#Master Lord of the Sith and Apprentice That was A Former Jedi Master

[tricksterscorvid]

*cough* new project hahaha.. cannot post the full draw as it's very much not tumblr safe 🤣

Also.. uh.. my first Star Wars fanart of actual canon characters (I have been... intimidated to put it into words)

[david-talks-sw]

The biggest problem in "The Acolyte"

I think I've given this show a fair shake. There are parts in it that I really like, and I think this sits in 3rd/4th place in my ranking of favourite Disney - Star Wars shows.

But here's the thing. It felt underwhelming. The only time I was genuinely excited was during the fight scenes, any of them.

But when I think about the events that take place in the show... they're not so bad! There's nothing really lore-breaking, I like flawed characters doing their best. It's okay!

So why was I almost always deadpan, while watching it?

Structure.

The show doesn't have the same issue as other Disney Plus series, wherein they treat it as a 10-hour movie and thus lose all momentum every time. Headland knows how to raise the stakes properly... but unfortunately, the result is the same!

Because this series was structured and marketed as if it was some kind of investigative thriller, a noir movie about Jedi being murdered and needing to find the killer. And when you look at the events, and at the story it's telling... it really isn't that.

So when you're trying to make these twists... they're all predictable.

How could Osha have killed Indara when she's working as a meknik-- she has a twin.

But who could the Sith in the mask possibly be-- iiiit's Qimir, y'know, the guy who's literally quoting the Sith code and is trying his hardest to seem harmless.

Why is Mae going around killing these Jedi-- they had it coming, they likely wronged her in a way that was unintended and now she's in pain because of it.

What's the mystery behind the twins-- they weren't conceived biologically, they were created using the Force. They're Anakin 1.0.

Were the witches really killed by the fire? What did we miss, why are the Jedi so guilt-ridden over it-- the other side of the story, showing the Jedi probably killing them all through some big well-intentioned-but-misled accident that could've been avoided, which the Jedi now feel guilty over and try to cover up.

Osha seems to be fine with the Jedi arresting her sister-- her heartlessness makes her the perfect Sith, by the end of the Season, she'll be an apprentice and Mae will be on the good side.

Who is Qimir's former teacher-- Vernestra. His scars look like they come from a lightsaber whip.

Is Qimir the Sith master-- probably not, just an apprentice, a self-proclaimed non-Bane-lineage Sith, or an acolyte himself.

Will Sol survive the show-- no, he's gonna die, because of course he is, by Episode I, the Sith have been thought to be extinct for a millenia.

If you're a casual viewer, maybe these wouldn't be as obvious. But if you're a fan, it's like it's written on a billboard. And like, clearly Leslye Headland knew that this would be the case:

"I think a good twist is not about hiding everything from the audience and then throwing it on them like, 'Hey, this is what you didn't see! We hid it so well that you didn't see this!'" says Headland. "I think a good twist is telegraphing what's going to happen, and then once it does, executing it without an ounce of pity or sentimentality."" - Leslye Headland, Entertainment Weekly, 2024

But here's the thing.

You can't make an audience feel as if the stakes have been raised, when we can tell where this is all going.

Because then we're not watching, we're waiting for what will inevitably happen to finally occur. If most of these "mysteries" had been structured as simple plot points in a more straight-forward story about...

Two sisters trying to get back to each other after an incident in their lives caused by the Jedi.

The Jedi Master coming to terms with the fact that his flawed decisions led to tragic consequences.

A Sith Lord trying to appropriate the sisters' powers for himself.

... then I think that I wouldn't feel as underwhelmed.

Instead it's a murder mystery, and we already know the murderer, what motivates said murderer, how said murderer was wronged, etc... and they're feeding us the information by the breadcrumb to build up to these twists, but we can basically guess what these twists are.

Don't treat obvious plot points like a secret. You can get away with it a couple of times, but not with every single one of them. C'mon.

ADDENDUM:

[marvelstars]

I was thinking about the worst part when it comes to Obi-Wan and Anakin´s relationship issues wasn´t the tragic end in ROTS but those seeds planted at the start of their story where Obi-Wan resented Qui-Gon´s attention for Anakin while he felt the boy wasn´t much to look at and a future issue for his master with the Council in the long run which made Obi-Wan worried for his master reputation and how this would be affected while he could care less about Anakin´s well being or his pov or even his feelings on the matter.

The worst part is that Anakin didn´t just listen to Obi-Wan´s words, he could feel all of this from Obi-Wan as sensible as he was with the force and he could deal with Obi-Wan seeing him as a problem as long as Qui-Gon was alive and seemed to genuinely care for him even if nobody else at the Jedi Temple seemed to care but when Qui-Gon died he should have felt very lonely with a new guardian grieving his master who saw him more like a promise to his master legacy than a person.

Imagine all those times 9 year old Anakin missed his Mom or cried himself to sleep thinking about her, wondering if she was alright while other padawans teased him about his former slave status, his lack of formal education or his difficulty understanding concepts they have been told since they were babies, while not having any close relationship for the mere fact he didn´t grow up with them and his master more or less agreed with them even if he didn´t openly said it.

Anakin didn´t even have someone to have his back while he was growing up at the temple, because from their perspective those were issues he had to get over, no need for someone to support him emotinally or simply showed him some empathy, those were the same issues Obi-Wan had with Anakin since the moment they meet and while Anakin certainly did his best to grow into his potential, stydying hard and doing well on his studies, he was hardly recognized by his master, when his efforts were seen as arrogance instead of efforts to get the approval of his master and his peers.

Imagine that level of loneliness that your only company during your development years were the droids who helped you remember home and your Mom while at the same time feeling guilty for not feeling welcome at the temple because you were free and feed while your mother and friends were slaves and often lacked food and no one in the area could even begin to understand how Anakin felt and why except "Palpatine" but instead of helping Anakin he used this to manipulate him, get his trust and later make him fall to madness and the darkside.

The Sith Lord master understood better than anybody else at the Jedi temple that Anakin needed a father figure, not a master or a cold envoirment because that was familiar to him, that gave him emotional strenght and stability and more importantly, that make Anakin trust them and give his loyalty, no wonder he decided leaving Anakin to train as a Jedi in such circunstances were proper eteps towards becoming his sith apprentice and that irony probably didn´t escape him or Vader once he fell to the darkside but I don´t think Obi-Wan quite got that understanding until later when he saw Luke grow up with the Lars family but certainly not in the first few years post ROTS, he probably just reflected on where did he go wrong with Anakin.

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

I know complaining about The Acolyte’s horrible writing is pretty standard, but it's genuinely fascinating how bad the writing on this show actually is.

It’s the best example of “Characters do things because the plot says so and not because they want to.”

Mae went from wanting revenge, to wanting to reunite with her sister, to abandoning her sister, to being okay with Qimir erasing her memories of Osha in the span of eight episodes.

Speaking of Osha, her motivations make even less sense. It’s clear that she failed her Jedi training because she had a lot of repressed anger and hatred regarding her mother’s death, but with the way she’s written, she kind of comes off as someone who’s just going with the flow.

“Oh, this Sith Lord is clearly trying to manipulate me into joining him by preying on my fears and insecurities? Guess I’m evil now!”

It’s like if Anakin suddenly decided to join forces with The Separatists after Ahsoka left the Jedi at the end of The Clone Wars.

But I think the worst character has to be Sol, I get that the writers wanted to deconstruct the “Wise Jedi master” archetype, but he just comes off as a complete moron.

Why is he so hell bent on wanting to take Osha under his wing? What was about her that made her so special? Why didn't he just tell Mae that he killed her mother because he thought that she was going to hurt her? Why does he leave out Aniseya's dying words?

And what's even dumber is that Mae tells Qimir that she wants Sol to face justice, yet she just stands there like a fucking idiot as Osha force chokes him to death.

You'd think being Qimir's former apprentice, Mae would realize just how terrible the Dark Side actually is and she would do whatever she can to stop her sister from going down that path, but she doesn't.

She's all like "Oh yeah, I have no issue with you turning to the Dark Side. It's fine, I won't stop you."

This entire series feels like a really bad Star Wars fan fic from the early to mid 2010's.

[snapmite1998]

Darth Maul was roused from his dream, the remnants of sleep clinging to him like the shadows of his past. He sat up in bed, the silken sheets cascading around him, a stark contrast to the heat, damp, and filth of Lotho Minor where he had once languished in waste and piles of trash during his solitude. Exhaling softly, he recalled the agony of his exile—the endless nights spent in darkness, gnawed by hunger and thirst, his mind unraveling with each passing moment, and the dark side of the Force itself keeping him alive, its raging inferno blazing so bright, that it had not died out during those twelve excruciating years.

Those memories twisted within him like a blade, sharp and unyielding. He had clawed his way back from that abyss, fighting against the madness that threatened to consume him. The torment of deprivation had etched itself into his very being, a constant reminder of his resilience. Yet here he was now, surrounded by luxury that few could fathom—a bed of the finest silks, walls adorned with opulent artwork, and treasures amassed from across the galaxy.

He leaned back against the plush pillows, a flicker of satisfaction igniting within him. Wealth flowed like a river through his criminal empire, and he had risen from the trash and filth of his past to command respect and fear in equal measure. His family—those who had remained loyal through his darkest hours—stood by him, their unwavering support solidifying his position as a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Maul’s crimson skin glistened in the soft light, and he reveled in the power that coursed through him. He was no longer a forgotten specter, but a force to be reckoned with—a master of the shadows who had transcended his former limitations. As he sat in his lavish chamber, he allowed a small, sinister smile to creep across his lips. The galaxy would soon learn that he had not only survived; he had thrived, and he would not rest until he had reclaimed all that was rightfully his.

Rising from the bed, Darth Maul approached the nearest water basin, its reflective surface glimmering under the warm glow of the crimson fire that illuminated his chambers aboard the Blood Star. He splashed cool water on his face, the sensation invigorating, washing away the remnants of the restless night. The room around him was as imposing as he was—a vast expanse of onyx marble, its dark sheen capturing the flicker of flames from the basins that lined the walls. Statues of his former selves, each a testament to his evolution, stood like sentinels, watching over him: the child, the apprentice, the savage warrior, and ultimately, the Dark Lord he had become.

As he dried his face, Maul's thoughts swirled with anticipation. He dressed quickly, sliding into his ebony robes, each fold and contour tailored perfectly to his lithe, powerful frame. The fabric whispered against his skin, a reminder of the finesse and strength he embodied. He reached for his double-bladed lightsaber, the weapon humming with dormant energy. As he summoned it to his grasp, the blades ignited with a fierce hiss, bathing the chamber in a blood-red glow that mirrored the intensity of his resolve.

The crimson light danced across the marble, casting eerie shadows that seemed to writhe in response to his fury. Maul reveled in the power of the moment, feeling the Dark Side swell within him. This was more than just a weapon; it was a symbol of his vengeance, a harbinger of the blood he was destined to shed. Soon, he would unleash this fury upon his enemies, particularly the one who had wronged him most—Obi-Wan Kenobi.

As he steadied his breathing, focusing on the mission ahead, Maul reflected on every choice he had made since his rebirth. Each step had led him closer to this pivotal moment—the end of the war, the dismantling of his enemies, and the reclaiming of his rightful place in the galaxy. Victory was within his grasp, and with it, the sweet taste of revenge against the Jedi who had stolen so much from him.

With one last glance at his mirrored reflection, he stepped forward, the lightsaber illuminating his path as he left the sanctuary of his chambers. The Blood Star thrummed with anticipation, a fitting vessel for the storm that he was about to unleash upon Naboo. His brothers and allies awaited him, and together, they would carve a path of destruction that would echo through the annals of history. Today would mark the dawn of a new era—one where Darth Maul would reign supreme.

[stareyeds]

Luke Skywalker + TV Tropes

A TV trope is a common or expected use of characters, situations, settings, and time periods across a specific genre of television. Tropes are similar to clichés, but on a larger scale, and can be used to help guide the audience through a story in a familiar wa

Notes: All of these TV Tropes can be found on the TV Tropes website, below we will find some (not all) tropes that refer to Luke Skywalker.

Child of Forbidden Love: He and his sister were the result of Anakin's and Padmé's union since Anakin and Padmé were in a Secret Relationship due to Republic- era Jedi being forbidden to marry.

All-Loving Hero: Luke is very compassionate and caring towards others; he immediately wants to rescue Leia from the Empire upon learning she's on the Death Star with them and will drop everything to help his friends in need. He even believes that Darth Vader, the right-hand man to Emperor, can be redeemed, even though Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Vader himself has denied this. And he's proved right. He is more than willing to sacrifice himself to save the galaxy and manages to indirectly defeat the Emperor himself with The Power of Love.

Ancestral Weapon: His father's lightsaber. After losing it in his duel with Vader on Bespin, he builds his own and makes a point of telling this to Vader to show that he won't let his heritage define who he is.

The Apprentice: During Luke's Jedi training, he was first taught by Obi-Wan Kenobi before the former's murder by Vader and then received his final teachings by Yoda.

Badass Adorable: A sweet-tempered and kind-hearted boy who sincerely cares about everyone in a dark and uncaring universe and is an unstoppable sentinel of justice against the forces of cruelty and darkness.

Blue Is Heroic: He uses a blue-bladed lightsaber originally owned by his father when he starts his journey to become a Jedi and Rebel hero until he loses it at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.

Character Development: Over the original trilogy, he goes from a naïve Farm Boy who can be somewhat whiny and impulsive to an experienced and composed Jedi Knight who tells the Emperor to shove it and brings his father back to the good side.

Darker and Edgier: Luke's Character Development in Return of the Jedi. Luke's entrance sees him Force-choking two guards to get them out of his way, just to emphasize how much he has changed since his first appearance in the saga.

Dark Is Not Evil: Luke wears black throughout Return of the Jedi (as opposed to brighter colors) to represent his turmoil and struggle over a possible Face–Heel Turn. When he overcomes the Emperor's temptations and causes the destruction of the Sith, his black coat falls open to reveal it had a white lining, meaning that he was always wearing white the whole time. It's mentioned in some making-of specials that the outfit is very similar to what Luke wore in A New Hope, but the all-black color scheme makes it more "Jedi-like".

The Dreaded: Though Luke is not fully trained as a Jedi, Emperor Palpatine fears that he will become this to the Sith and for good reason. This example contains a TRIVIA entry. It should be moved to the TRIVIA tab.Word of God states that Luke Skywalker's Force potential is the same as his father if he had not been horribly injured on Mustafar. Such fear is quickly replaced by opportunity when both Sith Lords realize the implication.

Darth Sidious: He could destroy us. Darth Vader: He's just a boy. Obi-Wan could no longer help him. Darth Sidious: The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi. Darth Vader: If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally. Darth Sidious: …Yes. He would be a great… asset. Can it be done? Darth Vader: He will join us or die, Master.

In The Mandalorian second season finale, as soon as Moff Gideon sees Luke on his light cruiser security feed mowing down his Dark Troopers, his attitude quickly shifts from smug to terrified to the point where he considers shooting himself before Luke arrives on the Bridge.

Emerald Power: He Took a Level in Badass between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and during that time, he constructs a new lightsaber for himself with a green blade.

Face Death with Dignity: Throughout the last stage of the Battle of Endor, Luke goes out of the way to say that he'll die along with everyone else on the Death Star II, and has calmly accepted the fact. He ends up dropping the "dignity" part of this when he refuses to kill his father and is subsequently tortured by the Emperor, as he begs for Darth Vader to save his life. It works, and it allows Anakin to Face Death with Dignity. In the end, Luke lives after all.

Genius Bruiser: Luke is very intelligent and can use the Force to amplify his strength. A great example is the rescue of Princess Leia from the Death Star in A New Hope, where Luke CARRIES the entire group in one scene. By "Return of the Jedi", he can even outmuscle Darth Vader's cybernetic enhancements.

The Gift: Luke's connection to the Force is equal to his father. Without proper training and only a few tips from Obi-Wan, he was able to let the force guide his hand when blowing up the Death Star. Later, he was able to (with effort) force pull his lightsaber from ice while trapped in a cave on Hoth. By his mid twenties, Luke's Force abilities far exceed a typical Jedi Master.

Good Counterpart: To Darth Vader.

Good Is Not Soft: Especially in Return of the Jedi. For a film that showed the heroes as more Incorruptible Pure Pureness, some viewers were surprised to see Luke using powers generally associated with the Sith like the Force-choke. In this instance, it was used to demonstrate he was sliding towards The Dark Side.

Heroic Lineage: Luke's father, Anakin, was a Jedi before him. Luke later followed in his father's footsteps and became a Jedi himself. His mother was also seen as a hero on her homeworld of Naboo and a champion of peace and democracy in the old Republic.

Historical Villain Upgrade: In the eyes of Imperial sympathizers in the New Republic and the First Order itself, he’s seen as the man who turned Darth Vader from the Empire’s Number 1 guy into the one who murdered Palpatine in cold blood, while helping the Rebel Alliance found the illegitimate and illegal New Republic and trying to revive the Jedi, a group of people Palpatine himself worked so hard to destroy.

Hope Bringer: Both he and Leia's birth at the end of Revenge of the Sith represent the new hope in the shambles of the Republic that the new Empire was built upon for Yoda, Obi-Wan, and the small militant senators, like Bail Organa, who would form the Rebel Alliance.

While the title of A New Hope can also represent the Rebellion as a means of bringing the Empire's tyranny to an end, and even to Leia to a lesser extent, it most obviously applies to Luke himself. Luke ends up embodying Anakin's subconscious desire to be redeemed, and he himself expresses strong hopes of turning Anakin back to the light side, which he ultimately accomplishes. Coincidentally, his new lightsaber in Return of the Jedi emits a green blade, this being the first green-bladed lightsaber ever seen before the production of the Prequel Trilogy and its spinoffs (although actually the green color used for this new lightsaber was chosen in real life for different reasons, and not specifically to represent this theme of hope).

The Idealist: Has an idealistic view of the galaxy, and of his father.

Kung-Fu Jesus: Since he's a Messianic Archetype who's also a Jedi.

Messianic Archetype: Although his father is The Chosen One, Luke's character has the closest resemblance to Christ. He gains a group of devoted individuals ( Han, Leia, Chewie, C-3P0, and R2-D2), gallivants about spreading good, and ends up performing miracles like blowing up the Death Star. At the end of the sixth movie, he refuses the temptation of the Dark Side, then is zapped by the Emperor's lightning (his "death" scene). This act of selflessness would restore faith and bring forth a new golden age for his people.

In media, the Messianic Archetype is a character whose role in the story (but not necessarily personality) echoes that of Christ. They are portrayed as a savior, whether the thing they are saving is a person, a lot of people or the whole of humanity. They endure a sizable sacrifice as the means of bringing that salvation about for others, a fate they do not deserve up to and including death or a Fate Worse than Death. Other elements may be mixed and matched as required but the Messianic Archetype will include one or more of the following:

The Chosen One True Companions who follow him Betrayal by one of those followers Persecution by nonbelievers Crucified Hero Shot (or other parallels to the Passion Play) Figurative or literal resurrection A Second Coming Literally having the initials 'J.C.' The Redeemer Dressing like Jesus

Last of His Kind: He is said to be the last Jedi Knight to be alive (after Yoda's death) and serves as the foundation for a new Jedi Order. Yoda: Luke, when gone am I… the last of the Jedi will you be. Pass on what you have learned.

Living Legend: The guy blew up the Death Star on his first official day of joining the Rebellion. Top that.

The Ace: By "Return of the Jedi", Luke is definitely this. It's to be expected from The Chosen One's heir.

Military Mage: Commander Skywalker's nascent Force reflexes make him a natural Ace Pilot and are directly responsible for the destruction of the first Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. The power of having a Force-user on the field is demonstrated again in the Battle of Hoth, where he is able to take down a powerful AT-AT walker on foot using only a lightsaber and a thermal detonator.

Mirror Character: His father, Anakin. Both grew up on the same desolate desert planet before being taken away to train as Jedi Knights under Obi-Wan Kenobi. Both are tempted by the Dark Side to protect their loved ones, but Luke's horror at the realization he is becoming like this father, down to their mechanical right hands, narrowly saves him from falling as Anakin did. Luke's faith in his father manages to save Anakin as well.

One-Man Army: An incredibly powerful soldier and Jedi. If one Imperial account is to be trusted, Luke once brought down an airborne Star Destroyer by jumping from the surface of Jakku and slashing it with the Force. He cuts down Jabba’s numerous goons like butter in Return Of The Jedi without breaking a sweat.

Superior Successor: To Anakin as Vader. This example contains a TRIVIA entry. It should be moved to the TRIVIA tab.Word of God says Luke inherited Anakin's full potential, hence why Palpatine sought after him as a disciple, since Vader was plagued with immense wounds and inner conflict at that point. By Return of The Jedi, he may very well be stronger than his father (though it's unclear, as Vader is very obviously holding back out of love), but he certainly grew beyond him by The Mandalorian.

Turn Out Like His Father: The efforts to keep Luke from being like his father (who, This example contains a YMMV entry. It should be moved to the YMMV tab.as we all know, went evil) occupy three separate characters: Owennote , Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. In Return of the Jedi, Luke realizes that he's dangerously close to invoking this trope after he cuts off Vader's cybernetic right hand and looks down at his own cybernetic right hand. This prompts him to deactivate and discard his lightsaber so that he won't be tempted any further.

Twin Telepathy: With Leia to an extent, beginning in The Empire Strikes Back. She hears him calling out to her through the Force and is able to locate him in Cloud City. In Return of the Jedi, she is able to sense that Luke wasn't on the Death Star when it blew up.

The Unchosen One: In a sense, compared to his father. Anakin was revealed as the Chosen One from age 9 and experienced firsthand both the positives and negatives of the Jedi Order. Darth Sidious (Palpatine) targeted Anakin for exactly this reason, amplifying the negatives and downplaying the positives until the Jedi's own Chosen One became the Sith's greatest weapon. Luke, on the other hand, experienced the exact opposite and became a hero because of it. Seeing Luke tortured led Vader to Heel–Face Turn and kill the Emperor, helping bring peace to the galaxy. Thus, fulfilling the prophecy of the "one who will bring balance to the Force", all thanks to Luke.

Unskilled, but Strong: After his Jedi training with Yoda, Luke is this, gaining abilities and strength in only a few months what takes most Jedi years. By the time he leaves for Bespin, he is connected to the Force, can feel it unconsciously, and manipulate it freely. That said, he had yet to learn fine control and had no real experience using the force in a combat situation. Likewise, even in Jedi, his lightsaber technique is a lot more raw and straightforward than that of the old Jedi, as he was a mostly self-taught duelist that didn't have the benefits of thousands of years of Jedi knowledge or an abundance of trainers or sparring partners.

Unstoppable Rage: During his final duel in Return of the Jedi…until he realizes he's following in his father's footsteps and calms himself.

Warrior Prince: He's Leia's biological brother, and, thus, son of Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo.

World's Strongest Man: Word of God explains that Luke inherited Anakin's full potential in the Force, which exceeds all Jedi and Sith in history. With Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and Palpatine having died, Luke may very well be this at the end of Return of the Jedi.

Word of God: A statement regarding some ambiguous or undefined aspect of a work, the Word of God comes from someone considered to be the ultimate authority, such as the creator, director or producer. Such edicts can even go against events as were broadcast, due to someone making a mistake.

Notes: This comes to the end of this thread - a large portion of the TV Tropes were not included as this would be a long and drawn out post but all of the tropes can be found at the link below - there are for those interested TV Tropes on Legends!Luke Skywalker and Sequels!Luke Skywalker

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/StarWarsLukeSkywalker

[midnightrineheardt]

The Guest

Pairing: Sith!Obi-Wan Kenobi x F!Reader

Warnings: smut, slightly dom!Obi-Wan, piv sex, unprotected sex, dirty talks, master/apprentice kink, oral sex, slight angst. (if I didn't specify something, then write in the comments pls)

Word Count: 1,802

Summary: Is it true that the dark side gives you the freedom to love?

Arriving on Coruscant after another mission, you just wanted to wash off this day and go to sleep. Drops of water dripped down the bare skin, when she felt someone else's presence. You're tense. The bathroom door opened softly.

-Hello there, darling - a man's voice sounded from the doorway, which sent chills down your back.

-Go away - you said indifferently to the man with golden eyes that had recently been blue like the sky or the sea. It was Lord Kenobi. It is not known exactly for what reason he decided to switch to the dark side, but he had more than enough of them.

- How rude - the Sith lord shortened the distance between you so you could feel his breath on your neck. You no longer paid attention to the fact that you were standing in the bathroom in only a towel.

-What do you need? - you whispered. The indifference changed to a timid whisper.

-You know yourself, Y/N, - Obi-Wan purred, tracing your lips first and then down to your chin. - It's you, Y/N, - the man whispered. His gaze was frightening and at the same time alluring. The man reached forward and imprinted the first kiss on your lips, there by pulling a light moan out of you. The former Jedi pressed you with his torso against the tiled wall of the bathroom and from such proximity you could feel how hard he is now. How nice to see you again.

-No, no - you started to pull away from the lingering kiss. - You can't do that. It's against the Code. - you ran out of the bathroom, realizing what had just happened and what else could happen. Lord Kenobi just laughed at your words.

-Is kissing against the Code, sweetheart? - the man in the black robes sat down on the edge of the bed next to you. - All these rules, the Code…It's all a lie - Obi-Wan spoke in a calm but confident tone. - How can you comprehend the full power of the Force if you study it only from the Light side? - he took your hand and began to slowly cover it with kisses, moving closer to your shoulder and neck.

-How can I believe you, Obi? If you left me and the Order while I was your padawan? - you looked up at the Sith Lord.

-I was broken. - Lord Kenobi heard his old name from your mouth. That name brought back those memories in him when he was still a Jedi and how much he liked you. It was mutual. But he couldn't afford anything more than a long hug with you. You ripped the Sith out of his memories by pushing him away from you. Standing at the nearest window in the room, you wrapped yourself tightly in a towel.

-You were broken... - you were looking at Coruscant at night. The city was bustling with nightlife. - I was broken - you said it so that he could hear. A single tear rolled down your cheek. Kenobi looked at you in silence. - I was broken. You just left without saying a word. - you turned around, started laughing nervously and tears were pouring out of your eyes. I didn't know what to do, what to feel.

-My little girl - Obi-Wan came over, hugging you tightly. The man began to comfort you by stroking your head.

-Let me go - you were trying to break free from the strong embrace of the Sith Lord. Uselessly.

-I hated you, Obi-Wan. - you snuggled against his chest and buried your face in his tunic. - Do you understand? Then I accepted that you weren't there for me, that I was alone…

- And now, listen to me, Y/N, I have learned the Force and i'm free to love and have attachments. - Sith stroked your cheek with the back of his hand, wiping away your tears/ You teased Obi-Wan only with your looks and your inaccessibility. While you mentally straddled him and tore off his upper tunic, greedily covering his face and neck with kisses. You blamed yourself for that.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise and his voice sounded in your head:

''Darling, I hear everything you're thinking'' - a smirk appeared on his face. You immediately blushed with embarrassment. After this reaction, Obi-Wan became more aroused. - Little one, don't you want us to love each other without judgment? - again that burning gaze of golden eyes.

-Perhaps - you clung to the lips of a blond man. At first, the kisses were slow and gentle, but soon turned into passionate and deep. Lord Kenobi picked you up in his arms so that you could wrap your legs around him. The towel on your chest was held only because of the contact of your bodies. Obi-Wan in the guise of a Sith was more persistent than the Jedi Obi-Wan.

A man drew patterns on your naked back and squeezed your hips while you kissed passionately. You instinctively started rubbing your wet pussy against his swollen cock. The Sith dropped the towel on the floor next to the bed while you took off his shirt. He took a sitting position leaning on the soft headboard of the bed. All he had on were his pants.You leaned forward and whispered in his ear: - Put me on your dick, Master Kenobi. I want to feel you inside me. - after these words, you slightly bit your former Master's ear lobe. Your cheeks are flushed. Lord Kenobi was stunned by such obscenity and the title he no longer had. But he didn't have to be asked twice. You get up on your knees and put your hands on the man's shoulders.

-You've grown up so fast, darling. - Kenobi said it right on your lips, and then kissed you again. Lowering his pants, the man gently squeezed your hips, entered you almost to the full length. Thereby causing sweet sounds.

-My dear Obi-Wan, I' ve missed you - you whispered in his face without taking your eyes off the gold in his eyes. For a moment, it seemed to you that lightning flashed in those eyes. You began to move smoothly up and down the entire length of his cock, holding his palms on your boobs.

-Oh, you're feeling so good - Lord Kenobi moaned into your neck - My little girl.

The Sith couldn't stand such a slow pace anymore, so he laid you on your back and his cock went even deeper. The length brought tears to your eyes, you grabbed Obi-Wan by the hair and wrapped your legs around him for better friction. You started whimpering and moaning when he sped up.

-Oh no no no, my dear, Kenobi began to whisper, covering your mouth with his hand. -I want only me to hear your moans. With each word, the man slowed down, making a strong push, completely entering your pussy. A few more strong pushes made you cum.

Melting in the arms of your former Master, you felt a warm wave of bliss cover you. You've been longing for those strong hands.

-Master Kenobi - you called out to the man in a voice hoarse from numerous moans, for a gentle kiss and purred: -I want you to cum for me. - you licked your lips. Glancing at the Sith from under your eyelashes, you took his face in your hands and began to kiss him passionately, turning the man over on his back. Lord Kenobi has really changed. He had more scars and his palms were rougher. He became uninhibited and didn't hold back. But what hasn't changed about him is his almost perfect manners, accent, and well-groomed beard. You began to slowly cover Obi-Wan's neck with kisses. Going down his shoulders, down his chest to his stomach, all the while stroking his big boner.

-I like the way you think, my darling - Kenobi moaned, breathing heavily. You finally got to his groin, you didn't want the Sith to get it all at once. That's why you started playing with him, giving him even more pleasure. - Please, Y/N - Obi growled your name. You just smiled back and continued to lick the tip of his cock, from which the pre-ejaculate was oozing. The man watched you fondle him and moaned. Then you smoothly began to take Obi-Wan's cock in your mouth, swallowing it almost completely. But according to the Sith Lord, it was so slow that he couldn't help himself, grabbed your head and started fucking you in your mouth. You mumbled something in protest.

-Oh, I can't stand your games anymore, sweetheart - he purred. The accelerated pace brought tears to your eyes, but at the same time you were incredibly pleased. With a final groan, Obi-Wan Kenobi came in your mouth. The hot liquid was enveloping your throat. All disheveled and almost exhausted, you collapsed onto the soft sheets, Obi-Wan lay down next to you.

-You're so beautiful, Y/N - the man said, rising on his elbow to look at you. You just grunted in response.

-Tell me, what's going to happen next? - you looked up into Lord Kenobi's golden eyes.

-Come with me - Sith suggested, playing with your nipples. - We will be together again. I will teach you the knowledge of the Dark side of the Force. Your gaze became serious, and you sat up on the bed, tucking your legs under you. You covered your body with a sheet, reflecting on the words of this man.

- Obi-Wan, i do not know what answer to give you. - you took the Sith by the hand and pulled him to take the same position as you.

-I don't want to lose you again…

-And you won't. - Kenobi interrupted you by cupping your face in his hands.

-We can be together away from the Jedi Order… and from the Sith. Like ordinary people. - you looked hopefully into the man's golden eyes, while there was not a single emotion on his face. There was silence in the room. There was doubt in Lord Kenobi's aura. The silence was interrupted by a gentle kiss from the man.

-I would do anything for you, darling. I love you. - he said right into your mouth. You continued the kiss

-I know, Obi, I know.

[alyssalenko]

Come What May

Written for @pastelroyce for the KOTOR Exchange! AO3

Carth has finally come to terms with the fact that he is traveling with Revan, just in time to face their biggest challenge…

Revan.

The name bounced around his skull—as unbelievable as it was, something just felt right, but the reveal and the rush of memories it had brought as Basila unsuppressed them had its downside as well. Carth had been furious—as that meant he’d been indirectly responsible for the death of his wife, Morgana and the abduction of Dustil. Saul Karath’s delusions of grandeur had led him to try to prove himself to the two Sith Lords, Revan and Malak by bombing Telos. Something cold touched his arm as he stared out the cockpit’s large window at the stars, Revan turning to find Carth offering him a tankard of Corellian Spiced Ale—the telltale scent of its spices already permeating the space before he took the offered drink. That was a good sign at least and a large step up from the silence and angry stares from a few days ago; Carth finally deigning to breathe the same air as the very confused Jedi. Sith. Smuggler. Whatever he was. They stood together in companionable silence for a few minutes before Carth cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted and what I said when I found out you were Revan. It was just a lot to take in.”

Revan shrugged one shoulder as he took a large swig of his alcohol. “Try being the one who actually is Revan. Not too long ago, I just was a regular guy—a smuggler just trying to make a name for himself and now I find out I was the big bad Sith Lord causing all the problems. Not the easiest transition in the galaxy.”

Carth snorted with barely contained laughter—at least Revan had retained his sense of humor through all this; it couldn’t have been easy, and yet, all things considered, the discovery of who he really was hadn’t changed all that much. Revan had been good once, and though Carth didn’t approve of the method the Jedi had used on a living, breathing human being, Revan had been given a second chance to be that again—to rediscover himself and the piece he’d lost when The Star Forge had corrupted him, and not everyone got a chance like that. Standing next to him was still the same man who’d helped him escape The Endar Spire and Taris and the one he’d come to care for a great deal. It hadn’t ever been all sunshine and rainbows, and this was just another trial they had to face, but they’d tackle it and every other problem thrown their way, just like they had been doing, together; them and the rest of the squad—who honestly hadn’t taken the news as hard as Carth himself had—and they’d come out on top and stronger than ever in the end.

Which was for the best because they still had Malak to deal with and he wasn’t going to go down without a fight; a divided and distracted team was just asking for trouble. And Revan was looking forward to facing him once more and taking him down a peg, after everything that had happened between them. The last time Revan and Malak had been face to face, had been right before his former apprentice had betrayed him and Revan had ripped his jaw off in their power struggle. The blow had left Malak reeling and he faked retreating to heal only to turn around and fire upon his former master’s ship as he was boarded by Jedi and engaged in battle with Bastila Shan, his apprentice leaving him for dead, and the Jedi taking advantage of his weakened state to wipe his memory, turning their greatest enemy who was once one of their own, back to their side. Standing here, together like this, Revan couldn’t help but think that maybe the Jedi had done him a favor by wiping his mind, not that he would have thought so at the time—in fact, it rankled that it was him they’d done this to, and he’d been furious when he’d found out, but without it, no one on The Ebon Hawk would have met and the galaxy would be poorer for it. Bastila had put it best: what greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause? To use their own knowledge against them? And if he’d been faced with the same choice, it wouldn’t matter which side he was on, he knew he would have done the same.

“So, we’re good?”

Revan nodded, tapping Carth’s mug with his own “Yeah. Save all that anger for when we face Malak, and we’re good.”

It had been rough, but he’d finally come to terms with everything himself, so he’d forgive Carth’s misgivings; he was ready to reconcile his past while facing his future, to blend all three identities—the Jedi, the Sith and the smuggler. Having lived as a Sith, a Jedi, and a non-Force user, Revan had a chance to learn from his past and become better than he was, instead of chasing the ghost of who he once was, a chance to encapsulate all three versions of himself and combine them. It wasn’t going to be easy or quick and it would take time for the rest of the galaxy to accept it, but that was okay. This was the side of him barely anyone saw, and Carth counted himself extremely lucky that he was one of the few people Revan let his walls down around; under the Force hardened shell, Revan was just as vulnerable as everyone else but didn’t have the luxury of being able to let it show. Not with everyone watching and waiting for him to mess up or revert back to the Sith lord that had once struck terror into the hearts of the entire galaxy. But he’d grown attached to this team—his team of rag-tag misfits that had found each other despite the horrors, the shared trauma binding them like nothing else could, and he wasn’t going to give them up without one hell of a fight, come what may. They had his back and for the first time, he had friends—real friends, though at this point they were more like family, and he’d walk though blaster fire to keep them and make sure they were safe; something past Revan never had and could never have seen coming.

Carth took a long pull of his ale and clapped Revan on the shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Whatever happens, we’re ready and we’ve got your back. And if we live through this, the first round is on me.”

Revan chuckled. “I’m holding you to that.”

[axkirak]

The Curse of Cassandra [EP : XI]

Read in Ao3 : here

Pairings :  Qimir x f!reader(SEA Reader)  [The Acolyte]

Content Rating : Mature 18+ Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warning (AT YOUR OWN RISK)

tags/themes : Alternate Universe - Dune & Star wars, Partners in Crime, Strangers to Lovers

Summary : The encounter between you and Yord once again leads to the revelation of the intertwined origins of both you and him. Additionally, it unveils a new prophecy—a prophecy that will alter the entire universe. And this crucial decision rests solely in your hands.

Status: just finished writing this fic! (It will end in Episode 14)

Ps. If you enjoy my work, please reblog it. Just liking the post won’t help others discover it.

➡  Intro // EP : 1 // EP : 2 // EP : 3 // EP : 4 // EP : 5 // EP : 6 // EP : 7 // EP : 8 // EP : 9 // EP : 10 // EP : 12 // EP : 13 // EP : 14 (Completed)

Special OS : Phantom Thread // My mother is my enemy

[Episodes 11] As with all abomination, the only cure is death

The outcome of the interrogation unfolds just as you anticipated—the Jedi refuse to investigate the matter any further.

Your accusations are dismissed due to a lack of evidence, and the suspect, Qimir, has already vanished from the planet Olega without a trace, as if he knew the Jedi were beginning to focus on him. With no sign of Qimir and no concrete proof, the investigation is promptly closed, leaving your story as nothing more than a brief note in a digital case file, destined to be forgotten in time.

But you know there's more to it than meets the eye.

Master Vernestra, a high-ranking Jedi and Qimir’s former mentor, has no intention of letting anyone know that her prized apprentice, whom she had personally trained, has now turned to the dark side and become a full-fledged Sith Lord. If word of this ever got out, her reputation would surely be tarnished. So, she denies every accusation you put forth, even going so far as to claim that you fabricated the whole story for attention. With someone of her stature rejecting the claims, there’s nothing anyone else can do. The matter is consequently buried.

This, however, doesn’t affect you much. You’ve already planted seeds of doubt in Sol’s mind, and that is why you haven’t been expelled from the Jedi Temple on charges of deceit. Sol is the only one who believes you, and thanks to his efforts, you’re still allowed to stay. However, your status has changed—from a key witness to just an ordinary employee. You’ve been transferred to Coruscant, tasked with serving the Jedi at the Grand Temple and helping the Younglings adapt to their new lives.

In the first three months of your new life in the Jedi Temple, you’ve only seen Sol a handful of times. You understand that he’s still hesitant to speak with you after what happened during the interrogation. Nevertheless, Sol remains one of the few who shows you rare kindness among the Jedi, checking in on your well-being and keeping a distant yet watchful eye on you whenever his duties permit it, unlike the others who noticeably choose to ignore you.

You don’t resent them for it. Master Vernestra is highly respected among the younger Jedi, so it's natural for most of them to feel resentful when a stranger suddenly accuses their revered figure of being responsible for the rise of a new Sith Lord.

But not everyone is so cold. Besides Sol, there are others who have been kind to you. One of them is Jecki, Sol’s Padawan, who has been assigned to look after you.

Jecki is a lively and talkative teenager who holds deep respect for her master. She never questions Sol’s decisions, and when he asked her to assist you, she agreed without hesitation. Jecki visits you daily to chat and keep you company, and the two of you become close friends. She also keeps you informed about the goings-on within the temple, telling you both what you need to know and what to be cautious of, which is crucial for your stay there.

"Things between Master Sol and Master Vernestra haven't been going well lately," Jecki shares during lunch. Although her words sound casual, you detect a hint of worry in her tone.

You set your spoon down on the compartment tray, pausing your meal for a moment. You immediately realize that what Jecki is saying is a warning—a signal for you to be wary of the tensions that could escalate in the future and to be prepared.

"Master Sol tried to access the records of Master Vernestra's former Padawan but found nothing. When Master Vernestra learned about it, she was furious and sent my master on a mission to the planet Arkinnea."

You frown upon hearing this. Arkinnea is notorious for its lawlessness, a place fraught with danger due to the long-standing conflict between soldiers and refugees that has escalated into continuous civil wars. No outsider is brave or foolish enough to set foot there without good reason, so it’s no wonder Jecki looks so worried.

"My Master is worried that Master Vernestra might try to approach you while he’s away," Jecki adds, reaching out to gently squeeze your hand—a gesture meant to offer consolation. "He wants you to be careful because if Master Vernestra comes here, I won’t be able to protect you."

The name of Master Vernestra draws your mind into a vision, to see flashes of past and future intertwined.

You see Qimir as he once was: a Padawan clad in a yellow tunic, his braid cascading at the nape of his neck. Handsome, youthful, and brimming with potential, he was a rising star expected to attain the rank of master before reaching forty. 

Yet beneath the promising exterior of a future Jedi Master lay a dark side that had long remained hidden—a darkness that grew steadily, bit by bit, until it was finally exposed.

You see the fear in Master Vernestra's eyes when she confronted her former apprentice, and you know those eyes will look at you with the same dread when the time comes to meet her in the near future.”

Pulling yourself from the vision, you turn to Jecki and nod, your demeanor calm and steady “She can’t touch me,” you say with quiet conviction.

Jecki blinks in surprise at your relatively calm response, sensing that your words are not meant to comfort but rather reflect a confident assessment of the situation. "How can you be so sure?" she can't help but ask. 

The corner of your mouth lifts in a smile, but Jecki notices it doesn't reach your eyes. “Because I know,” you reply simply.

You have never truly worried about Master Vernestra, as she is not even a threat in your eyes. 

However, among all the members of the Jedi Order, the only person you find truly difficult to contend with is Yord Fandar, the Jedi Knight with the gift of prophecy and your blood relative.

After the lunch hour ends, Jecki returns to her Padawan training, leaving you alone once more. As you stroll through the darkened halls of the Jedi Temple, your thoughts drift back to your last conversation with Yord. His furious voice still echoes in your mind.

“Muad’Dib, you have consumed your own kin. You cannot do this to her!” 

Muad'Dib—the name feels eerily familiar, as though it has always been your own.

That was the moment you truly realized you were no longer yourself.

The memories of Paul Atreides lived within you, intertwined with your own, yet they felt alien, like an intrusion. But it was you who allowed him in; you let his memories merge with yours to protect your mind from shattering after drinking the Water of Life. 

Now, you are Paul, and Paul is you.

"I didn't consume her; I saved her. Without me, she would have ended up like Alia. I believe you know this well," said Paul, speaking through your lips.

At the mention of Alia, Yord's expression changed instantly.

All the descendants of House Atreides know the tragic downfall of Saint Alia of the Knife—a history etched deep in their bloodline. 

Both Alia and you share a similar fate, marked as 'abominations'—beings that defy the natural order. This is due to having received powers from the Water of Life and Spice at a young age. This ability resulted in the power to perceive everything within the stream of time and to access ancestral memories like a Reverend Mother. However, being too young and fragile to handle the onslaught of visions and egos, the powers became a double-edged sword, inflicting devastating mental damage.

It is said that those labeled as abominations will meet a cruel end before their time, just like Alia, who couldn’t control her will and identity. Her life had been filled with suffering, unable to resist the malevolent wills of her ancestors. In the end, she was completely possessed by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the sworn enemy of House Atreides and Lady Jessica's secret father. This led her to take her own life by jumping from a building, preventing Harkonnen from using her body to harm her family.

The story of Alia became one of the darkest tragedies buried deep in Paul Atreides' heart until the day he died. If I could have saved her, she wouldn’t have ended up like that, Paul always believed, regretting that he couldn't do more.

It was this regret that drove him to reach out to you in the final moments of your life, partly hoping to make up for what he had failed to do when he was alive.

“Don’t worry. Her spirit hasn’t gone anywhere. I am her, and she is me. We are one and the same, inseparable.”

You said, though you knew those words weren’t truly yours—they belonged to Paul himself.

And that’s the truth. You may eventually end up like Alia one day. Though you are a distant descendant of Paul Atreides, the legendary Kwisatz Haderach, that sacred bloodline is now so diluted that it hardly means anything. Moreover, you were already weak to begin with; even using your powers in small amounts has always been a struggle. Drinking the Water of Life was a grave mistake. The immense power you received was too much, corroding your spirit and leaving it hollow. If Paul’s consciousness hadn’t intervened to help and fill the void, you would have been possessed by the malevolent egos or faced a fate even worse than Alia’s.

Yord couldn't argue with all the reasons given, but accepting the truth was still not easy for him. After that day, the young Jedi vanished from your life. No contact, no meetings; it was as if everything between the two of you seemed to be completely severed.

But you know that sooner or later, Yord will come back to you. The fates of both of you were intertwined from the day you and he were born. You are Paul’s heir, and Yord is Alia’s heir—the remaining bloodline of the Atreides siblings that has survived to this day. For you two, nothing is a coincidence. Everything has been preordained.

...just like what's about to happen next.

Your thoughts halt, along with your footsteps, as you sense someone's gaze watching you from a corner of the temple hall.

You look up, your deep blue eyes turning knowingly in that direction. "Is there something you want to talk about, Yord?"

A sigh echoes through the air before the tall figure of the young Jedi steps out reluctantly.

Yord hadn’t intended for you to notice his presence, but it seems that hiding himself was a futile effort when facing someone with such powerful foresight that they seem to see through everything.

Yord meets your gaze, looking at you—the last of the Fremen, who is also a distant relative of his—with a tumult of emotions swelling inside him, unsure how to put them into words. 

You, dressed in a simple black gown, blend into the shadows, exuding mystery, much like a Bene Gesserit sister from ancient records. But the difference lies in your long hair tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Yord knows well what the color blue signifies among the Fremen—it means that the person has a lover.

And your lover is a Sith Lord. That is the truth you revealed to the Jedi yourself.

Over the past month, many rumors have reached Yord's ears, all revolving around you. Others in the Order think you're lying, and Yord wishes he could believe that too, if not for the fact that he knows full well who you are. And he knows you could never lie.

Because the spirit within your mortal shell is Lisan Al-Gaib, the one who once made the entire galaxy bow at his feet.

"Lisan Al-Gaib sees and knows everything in the universe," his mother had once said. And so, Yord is certain that everything you’ve said is true, no matter how hard it is to accept.

"I am not the Lisan al-Gaib you expect," you declare preemptively, shaking your head. "I’m sorry to tell you, but that man died a long time ago. Remember this—the old Kwisatz Haderach you've heard of no longer exists. " 

The young Jedi flinches slightly, not expecting you to read his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have the Force. I can’t read anyone’s mind. It’s just an analysis of probabilities based on the Bene Gesserit method,” you explain, answering his unspoken question before Yord even asks. “I assume your mother didn’t teach you about the path of the Bene Gesserit.”

No need to guess—Bene Gesserit knowledge is a secret reserved only for trained women. Aside from the Kwisatz Haderach, no man in the galaxy can fully learn or comprehend these techniques.

However, even without Bene Gesserit training, Yord possesses a slight gift for seeing visions of time—a trait inherited from the bloodline of Alia Atreides that lingers within him.

Alia… 

Paul’s consciousness within you trembles with indescribable sorrow as he gazes at Yord’s features—sharp cheekbones, a high brow, dreadlocked brown hair, and olive skin. None of Yord’s features resemble those of Alia, his sister from a past life. The centuries have diluted the DNA of the Atreides beyond recognition. Still, Paul cannot deny the profound genetic and spiritual connection binding him to his descendants.

This Jedi is an Atreides, no matter what. That is an unchangeable truth.

You force yourself to suppress a sudden surge of emotion, hiding it behind a composed tone. “I understand you have many questions about me, but I cannot provide answers to all of them.”

For a moment, Yord looks at you with a hint of trepidation. Even though you’ve assured him you can’t read minds, he still feels unsettled when you speak as if you know his every thought.

The Jedi clears his throat and questions you directly. 'You mentioned that the old Kwisatz Haderach no longer exists.' He pauses as he gauges your reaction before continuing, 'Does that mean there will be a new Kwisatz Haderach?

Your breath catches, the deep blue in your eyes darkening with a mix of alarm and admiration. He caught on to that subtle detail in my words so quickly! Rightly so, considering his Atreides bloodline.

You nod. There’s no point in avoiding the truth. Evasion will only deepen the mistrust between you. You need him to trust you completely, as Yord will play a crucial role in what’s to come, even if he doesn’t realize it yet.

“Yes, there will be another Kwisatz Haderach, but not in our lifetime.”

Yord has to steel himself to keep from trembling when he hears your firm, emotionless confirmation.

Though ancient religious texts exalt the Kwisatz Haderach as the hope of mankind, during the era when the old Kwisatz Haderach lived, the galaxy was engulfed in bloody wars that ravaged innumerable lives. Many races had been wiped out, including the Fremen people.

If a second Kwisatz Haderach were to emerge, what fate would the universe face?

The door of prescience opens, and the answer becomes clear in Yord’s mind.

There is over a fifty percent chance that the same catastrophe will repeat itself, perpetuating the endless, cursed cycle.

"We must stop it," Yord's voice hardens, his face etched with tension. "We cannot allow this to happen again!"

He turns to meet your gaze with unwavering resolve, assured that you know what to do next. You know what to do next. You are the only one who can see the future more clearly than he can, the only one able to foresee the dangers that no one else is allowed to see.

But instead of offering him another answer, you deliberately choose to look away. “The future is uncertain, Yord,” you murmur softly, your voice tinged with unmistakable unease. “There are countless possibilities and impossibilities. For now, I cannot provide you with a definite answer, but I have a warning for you, one you must remember..."

You pause for a moment, caught in the grip of your own reluctance. "Beware of Qimir," you finally say.

Qimir, Yord recalls. That's the name of your lover, the one you accuse of being a Sith Lord. His brows furrow, not just in confusion, but with a deep-seated concern. "Why? What's gonna happen?"

“I can't say more,” you cut him off abruptly. “My visions have only revealed this much.” You say, fully aware that you are hiding the truth from him.

The truth is that Qimir must be stopped to prevent the birth of the second Kwisatz Haderach.

And Yord is the only one capable of stopping Qimir, yet doing so might come at the cost of his own life.

In the near future, they will face each other on the planet Eiram, the place where everything begins and inevitably ends. The paths of fate branch out in countless directions from that confrontation—paths where Qimir survives, paths where Yord survives, and paths where both of them perish. None of these paths lead to a beautiful conclusion. Every possible outcome points towards death.

The visions fill you with unspeakable dread. Not even the Bene Gesserit litany can calm your racing heart.

You realize this is the most dangerous gamble of all. The fate of the entire universe rests solely on your decision.

[finstanner]

The Acolyte Alphabet: D

DARTH PLAGUEIS

Known in some circles as Darth Plagueis the Wise, the Sith Lord Plagueis was once the mentor and Master of Darth Sidious.

According to legend, Plagueis was so powerful he could use the Force to influence midi-chlorians to create life and possessed the knowledge to even evade death.

In the time of the High Republic, Plagueis was already actively working against the Jedi, many years before the fall of the Order. But Plagueis was killed by his apprentice, the former Sheev Palpatine, after teaching his pupil all he knew.

[ladystoneboobs]

man, you ever think about how christopher lee's two '00s movie villains roles are basically the same beyond just both being played by christopher lee? more specifically dooku is similar to movie saruman whose origins from the text are never really hinted at, so to the general audience he was just a wizard like how the jedi/sith are space wizards. pj even throws in a magic wizard fight between saruman and gandalf not unlike dooku using his force powers to fight jedi. so it's like however lucas may have been influenced by old man wizards in lotr, pj was also making his christopher lee baddie more like a sw baddie. except the lee connection must have just been coincidence since this was all being done around the same time, right? then there's all the non-action char stuff. both saruman and dooku delude themselves and try to fool others about their intentions only being for a higher purpose, with dooku's political idealism and saruman thinking his power made him more fit to rule for everyone's good than any mortal men. both try to use their reasoning to recruit peers from their former order, trying the carrot before the stick, dooku with obi-wan as a prisoner on geonosis only turning him over to be executed when he rejects the offer and saruman with gandalf at orthanc taking him prisoner after gandalf refused him. dooku got in too deep to realize that becoming a sith and starting a galaxy-wide civil war are not really how you solve corruption and create a better gov't, just as saruman didn't listen to gandalf's obvious warning that sauron was the only lord of the one ring and trying to replace him would lead nowhere good. dooku and saruman both built secret armies, with dooku doing it double building up droid forces the jedi didn't know about until it was too late while secretly arranging an army for the other side too, an army of clones artificially made and grown without mothers just like movie!saruman's uruks were artificially grown out of fucking mud or something without any mothers. saruman gambled and lost by trying to ally with sauron and find the ring for himself and dooku played himself acting like the sith rule of two only went one way to favor the apprentice, never thinking his master might try to replace him, even knowing how easily maul had been discarded. then both of these proud, old, snobby men get blindsided by undignified deaths due to betrayal, dooku losing his head when palps told anakin to kill tho dooku actually thought they were recruiting anakin to ally with both of them, and saruman getting defeated by ents and hobbits-ents avenging their losses as anakin avenged his arm-and then stabbed by wormtongue, who was his most loyal servant until being kicked too much. dooku was replaced by anakin who did eventually after about ~20 years destroy the sith and saruman was replaced as the white wizard by gandalf whose efforts did eventually result in that one ring getting destroyed. it's like...i guess my point is...that just like saruman was a poser ringlord who could only try to imitate sauron, it seems dooku the corrupted space wizard could only copy his middle earth wizard doppleganger, yknow what i mean, man?

[oh-for-fic-sake-library]

The Apprentice Hunt

Masterlist

Summary: Being force sensitive was tough in the empire, whether you were trained or untrained you had the inquisitors and storm troppers to worry about. But well the empires huge starfleet was also a great place find a job. And everyone needed one of those right? Sure you were slightly concerned when landing yourself a job on lord vaders flag ship. But luckily youd taught yourself to stay awake in restfull meditation. Everything was fine, untill one night you got a visitor sneaking into your peacfull meditation. And he was a stubborn asshole who wont leave you alone!

Warnings: swearing, power dynamics?, fear/anxiety, more platonic teasing than anything.

A/N: this was an idea i had for a while nd finally decided to write it. It comes from the thought of what happens when a force users abilities arent trained or tainted by jedi or sith? How would vader react to finding someone like tht in his ranks.

Vader stood quietly observing the structure infront of him. Dark, polished and iridescent. The flat surface seemed to go on for miles in either direction, and had to be a mile high atleast. It was the strangest sheilding he had ever seen in his medative exploration. And that was saying something his only rest was meditation.

Though he was also annoyed, who ever this was they had more control then most. Their inner sanctum sat in the middle of a desert, a sea of black sand, he'd scaled the rising and falling of the ever changing black dunes for quite some time. The constant shifting had been a nuisance, he'd even reaches a shore line at some point. Then had ti turn around and make his way back.

This had been weeks of work leading him here, figuring out the route that would let him pass through the constantly changing landscape. Each night he would retire to his chamber and enter the same meditation. Searching for the pull, and then following it untill he felt the sifting sand below his feet and began his journy searching for the life force pulsing from within.

With the eradication of most force sensitive beings within the empire it was rare to find another in meditation. He'd first thought that he had tracked a careless jedi, perhaps one of the masters that had escaped.

But he quickly disregarded that once he had wandered deeper, following the tugging and light airy feeling that came from this other being. Their force was more natural they felt organic? Not processed and refined. Sometimes in his search they werent around, yet each time he had felt them he had managed to get closer and closer. Finally tonight was the night. He had reached the barrier.

He hovered by the tall structure, pressing his hand to it only to hiss and pull back. It was freezing to the touch, painfull even. He subtly cursed the fact he had chose to appear as his own complete form in the hunt for this new user. He felt the need to hide himself, he wanted the anonymity his former self gave him.

The barrier flickered in an odd shimmering opalescent effect around where his hand had rested, and then slowly returned to the black iridescent once more. Odd, very odd indeed, this force user was skilled but not in the same way he was. No. But how does he get in? He could try to destroy the wall, but that would give himself away as a powerfull force user and chase them away.

Vader was interested in this new found oddity, he wanted to observe them, perhaps even claim them as an apprentice should they contimue to spark his intrest. Then he would have an extra set of hands to rid the galaxy of palpatine. And the newbie being so knew and untrained would mean it'd be longer befor they learned everything he knew and tried to kill him to become a master themselves.

"Can i help you?" Vader took a step back as a soft voice called out from the barrier. So they are female, that surprized him. Force sensitive women that are untrained were easy to find, their emotions revealed them quickly.

"You are self aware?" He uttered a little shocked that he had been approached. There was a pause, for a moment he doubted she had heard him through the black wall seperating them.

"So are you. You've been searching for me. Drawing closer each night, why?" The voice carried across the mental block easily. He was almost lost for words, it was an impeccable control. Something no one outside of a jedi or sith master should be able to achieve. The raw talent was unfathomable.

"I was curious. You dont see many force sensitives in meditation nowa days" he faltered, at first hesitating for a second but quickly found himself again. His mind was already weaving together excuses and schemes to claim you as his own apprentice. He just needed to find you.

"You never heard of curiosity and the cat? i could have been anyone. Approaching strangers in meditation is dangerous" she laughed almost chiding and teasing him all in one sentence. But there was a nervous chime. An overwhelming fear lacing the words. You were uneasy. Good, you were smart enough to be cautious of him.

"And yet your interacting with me" he quipped smugly chuckling, wanting to test you, poke and prod he new all he needed to about your ability. Now he wanted to explore your character, see if you had any hope of becoming sith. If not he wouldnt waste his time. He'd outright attack you and tear apart your defences before seeking you out in the real world and disposing of you. You were either an asset or potential threat.

"You won't leave me alone untill youve been acknowledged." She huffed out like speaking down to child. He bristled at that, noone spoke down to him! He ws a sith lord! Yet, there was a smile on his face. It was exciting, fun? Apart of him liked the sass this woman had. She wasnt a push over.

"Correct. I thought you were a jedi, but your force is... unique not something the order has tampered with"

"Ah well thatd be telling" he frowned at the giggled reply. Fuck. This woman wasn't going to give him answers with light prodding. And he hgot the feeling she was toying with him. He growled as the giggle escelated. He rolled his eyes turning away from the impressive defence and leant on the wall crossing his arms. Fuck

"You would be wise to give me my answers" his said flippantly, or atleast it would have been flippant had his aggravation hadnt krept into his words making them sharp.

"Maybe youll get an answer when you actually ask a question" the gentle voice trailed off with a giggle. Vader grunted. Technically the girl was right, he hadnt actually asked anything, was he so used to having people grovel and hnd him information that he forgot how to ask for it?

"Are you a jedi?" He huffed definitely not pouting, or sheepish about being called out. He could feel his cheeks flush in rare embarrassment, why was this girl getting to him? She was making him feel well? Normal. He was unsure if he liked it or not.

"Nope. Thank the stars for small mercies" the woman answered surpriseing him. He'd thought she would have tried her luck and refuse him. Perhaps she was just as curious as he was. Which would be a good thing in the long run, maybe he could lure her out easier.

"Trained?" His second question was out faster then he would have liked, he sounded somewhere between eager and desperate for information. He'd have to be mindfull, she was skittish and he didnt want her to bolt and lose a potentialy powerful asset.

"No, well i figured stuff out alone, practiced and stuff not sure if youd call it training though, it was nothing formal you know?" The woman explained. Vaders frown deepened, impossible it was unheard of! Force sensitive people needed the formal training to get anywhere! They needed a guide, mentor something to help them. There was no way this girl could have come so far alone.

"Thats impossible! How? People outside of the sith and jedi shouldn't even be self aware in meditation. Let alone have these types of defences" he snapped as he pressed on the wall, placing experimental pressure on it, slowly increasing his force wanting to truley test it, yet not wanting to break it completely. He was torn, he wanted to force through, but he also wanted you to submit willingly.

"The empires genocide has a way of kicking you up the arse. I had to learn to be awake to survive; could you stop fucking pushing!" The woman snarled striking the defence from the other side sending a rippled of power through it, interrupting his light attack making his own force stutter and flare around him.

Vader grunted pulling back as your own burst through the force shocked his finger tip lightly making them prickle and feel fizzy before going numb. He shook his hand and took a step back from the wall

"So you are inside of the empire?" He pressed trying to ignore the building irritation and small voice in the back of his mind telling him to turn the wall to rubble and clear a path to the girl on the other side. No, he wont attack, at least not yet.

"What does it matter?"

"As i said im curious, in all my years ive not felt this... freedom that dwells inside of you I would like to speak face to face, or enter your mind further to explore." He uttered finally making his intention clear. He felt a tremor, amusment, shock and fear all balled into one. His words had resounded with the woman.

"Why would i do something that stupid? You could be an inquisitor for all i know. Next thing i know i could be getting hunted or dragged to a plasma slice n dice" he shook his head amused by the way your worded your own potential demise. You had a dry sense of humour, something he hadnt enjoyed for a long time. But then again no one wanted to make jokes with him, he couldnt blame them but he does miss it occasionally.

"You can volunteer the answers i seek or i can tear them from you" vader threatened as his rage caught him, years of bnever being refused or questioned made him unable to curb himself when faced with out right rejection.

"See now thats just rude. Im out of here" vader barely registered the words as suddenly the womans presence was gone and he was alone. Within seconds the wall disappeared before his eyes and everything was gone. He cursed himself, she had slipped away because he couldnt control his arrogance. Fuck.

"Can you not?" You grunted as you made your way along your inner minds protective wall, towards the harsh thumps and heavy hits that ricocheted along the wall. He was back, and this time attacking. Well maybe less attacking and more knocking. Harshly. Youd been ignoring it for the best part of an hour now, but It was clear he wanted attention and wasnt leaving untill he got it.

"Oh so you can hear me?" The male chuckled smugly from the other side ceasing his incessant banging. You rolled your eyes, he was such a fucking child. You opted to take a seat on the floor picking at the grass lightly.

"Hard not to when your trying to blow a hole in my wall" your replied sarcastically, feigning bordem. You dont want him to think you were curious of him. Of gods forbid, wanted to chat to him.

"You know I wouldnt be if youd let me in" he quipped once again tryingnto wriggle his way past your defence. You huffed cursing under your breath. You couldnt help feelingnhe was far to used to getting his own way. And that in itself was a red flag.

"You realise I come here to relax? Not to be bugged" you hummed unimpressed.

"And I came here to talk." You could practically hear him trying to sound inconspicuous. He sucked at it, it was clear he was on some reconnaissance misson wantingnto find out as much as he could. He wasnt exactly subtle.

"No, you came here to investigate" you corrected making it clear you were no fool. You had him pinned.

"If it bothers you so much why not let me in and investigate? I'll be out of your hair quicker" ah again with the false casual attitude. My god one thing was for sure, he was not a spy. Well not a very good one. It was actually unsettling it meant he had no need to hide, no need to watch his back or think about consequences. It meant he was either powerfull or important, possibly both.

"No. I know nothing about you other then your a bit of a stalker" you shrugged and smiled when you heard an indignant sputter and snarl from him. Oh, he didnt lie that~

"I am not!" He hissed furiously, offended by the mere insinuation of stooping so low. You threw your head back and laughed out loud, tumbling back the lay in the grass. You calmed your laughter enough to tease him once more.

"mmhmm really? You did chase me down for a few weeks"

"Seeking a fellow force user out is so bad?" Oh so he was going to try the lonely wandering force user card? Unfortunately sympathy wasnt a strong suit for you. You cant afford sympathy in the empire. Sympathy, mercy and trust were the holy trinity to getting killed. No thank you.

"With a strength like yours? Yes. Im not thick, your someone powerfull, either a jedi sniffing out new padawan for some suicide mission. Or an inquisitor looking for new prey" you answered truthfully making it clear you weren't some stupid naive little idiot. You didnt survive this long in the empire without having your head screwed on. You knew who ever this guy was it was bad news for you.

"I assure you I'm neither, and like you said your not thick it was only a matter of time you drew someone in. Your different" you could hear the conviction, the words almost a chiding decree. Like he belived his word was absolute that no one could dispute him. It sent another little red falg in your mind. The more you heard the more uneasy you got.

"And theres my other issue. Your too confident for someone to be hiding from the empire, its disconcerting" you confessed to him, you needed to be careful. Hopefully if you called him out a few times he'd grow bored and leave, hunt for easier prey.

"I will not allow any harm to come to you, you have my word. Let me in and youll be under my protection." You shuddered at the eerie calm, the force laden words dripping with persuasion and temptation. This fucker was trying to manipulate you. You sat up with a growl.

"Oh? And you are in a position to promise that?" Your words a sarcastic malice as your got annoyed yourself. You began pulling back from him growing more definsive. You couldnt help feelingnvery stupid for interacting with him.

"Yes. I have the authority to make that promise" aha! Gotcha! You grinned, he'd fallen for that hook line and sinker.

"So you are a ranked officer in the empire? Thanks for the heads up" you muttered victoriously unable to hide the smug glee from your words. All previous rage now melting away into amusment.

"I? wait thats not what i meant- the empire wouldnt harm someone so unique."

"So not only high ranking but trusted enough to know what the empire would and wouldnt do with little old me" you verified quickly reading between the lines and figuring out the truth behind his panicked explanation.

You smirked waiting for another snippy remark or a desperate excuse. But intead tou were met with silence. The quiet dragged on for. Long few mineuts. He was collecting his thoughts, tryingnto find a way to twist his own words. But he couldnt, youd figured out too much.

"Your silence is telling inquisitor" you hummed playfully rising to stand, stretching your back out. Gettingnready to leave, it was almost time for your next shift.

"I am not an inquisitor" the harsh reply was accompanied with a hard thump on the wall seperating the both of you. Ooo someone was in a mood now. You smiled at that, good now he was just as annoyed as you were at being disturbed in your meditation.

"I beg to differ, You feel like a trained jedi~" you added desperately fighting your laughter not wanting to make him feel to annoyed. Afterall he was strong, and could easily tear down your defences and ravage your mind taking anything he wanted from your memory and thought.

"I am not an inquisitor. You would do well to remember that" he pounded once more on the wall making it shudder. A warning. You jumped back eyeing the black dense barrier. A shiver rzn up your spine. The force whispering warnings to you, coiling around your very soul with alarm and fear. It was clear what it was telling you to do. Run. Danger. Leave. Leave now, while you could. It was a primal fear, desperate and feirce and you werent going to ignor it.

"Anyway i hate to cut this short but i have work. Tata for now" you spoke a little louder as you backed up from the barrier, eyes locked onto where you knew your visitor stood waiting for him to break through. After a few steps you turned and ran, sprinted right out of your own meditation full of adrenaline and sickening fear. That was too close. You had to be carefull in future.

"You! Hey you! I can feel you hovering! Get over here and fucking explain that bullshit!" You shouted, jumping up racing towards the presence you felt on the other side of the wall. You'd been impatiently wating for him to arrive for almost half an hour, throwing fear and caution to the wind. You were far to angry to fear this unknown wielder.

"Oh my, and here i thought you were terrified of me~ you are a very angry girl today." he uttered with mischievous glee. You snarled at him sending a wave of fury towards him, wanting him to know just how upset you were about todays antics. Your going to kill him!

"You bet your ass i am! What the hell was that earlier!?" You screeched letting yourself give into the rage and fear. Today was a shit show, and in amongst all the terror and confusion your felt the last thing you needed was to discover the stranger that had been haunting your meditation calming your emotions. Intruding on your life force manipulating your feeling to sooth you. It was crossing so many lines!

"Our interactions have left an... imprint. We have a connection. A bond" he explained vaguely smirking to himself. Proud of his new scheme and the force bond he had uncovered.

"The hell we do! Destroy it!" You ordered panick seeping through you, this was bad. So bad. Disastrous! You cant form force bonds with people, it will get you caught! And you definitely shouldnt allow one with someone working for the empire especially someone high up. Fuck. This will be the death of you.

"Why would I do that?" Mirth and victory permeated the space. Rolling off of him in thick waves. He was pleased with himself. He was winning and you both knew it. You dont stand a chance.

"Because I dont need a force connection with you! And i certainly dont want you soothing me and shit! Im doing just fine! You need to stay the fuck out of my head! Stop co,ing here! Stop just ugh! Just fuck off before you get us both killed" You panted slapping both hands on the ever present wall that shielded your inner sanctuary. You felt asthough you were losing it. The peacefull safe escape youd always relied on, the space that held all of your prized memories and well kept secrets.

"You were deathly afraid. I dont see the harm in soothing you when you feel like your seconds way from a heart attack." The voice became stern. You could almost detect worry, as if he had truly felt alarmed by the terror hexd felt radiating off of you, screaming like a beacon. Not that youd admit to just how frightened youd been by todays announcements. If you acknowledged your fear youd succumb to it and make a silly mistake resulting in execution.

"I was not about to have a heart attack;"

"Yes yes. What happened? Are you hurt?" You faltered unable to be angry at his interruption. You just froze. What? He was clearly concerned that time. He didnt even try to hide it behind sarcasm or wit.

"No, no I'm not hurt, and nothing happened" you sighed inching yourself away from the wall between you. Closing your eyes trying to relax and take in the small safe haven you'd created for yourself. But before you could fully immerse yourself innthe calm quiet your guest tapped the wall sending a thrum of energy through it to draw your attention back to him.

"People do not experience that type of terror over nothing. Tell me what was it that spooked you?" You remained silent hoping he'd take a hint and leave. But this man was far to stubborn for his own good. Or perhaps just ignorant?

"No? Well let me hazard a guess then~ perhaps it has something to do with the announcement today?" You could hear the grin, the subtle smug victorious tone that he took on. Not to be confused with the usual smug smart ass.

"W-what are you talking bout?" Your words almost squeaked out as your mind began racing. What does he know? What has he done? Who is he? He cant be responsible can he? If he was, then he knew where you were. If he had a hand in the anouncment then that means you are being hunted. Hunted... he will kill you.

"The anouncment of random midi-chlorian tests for staff on the executor." You staggered back, quivering feeling ice flush through you. Your visioned blurred begind tears and your world spun, anxiety rendering you completely imobile. You couldnt even catch yourself s you knee buckled. You fell to your knees as if the weight of the entire empire was on your shoulders. And in a way it was. You were goingnto be found nd killed. A traitor, rebel, scum simply for being force sensitive. They would kill you. He would kill you, or even drag you before lord vader as a prize. A meal ticket to a promotion. All he had to do was call you amjedi, plant some evidence and that was it.

"Your silence is telling little one. I had my suspicions that we were both aboard the same ship. It was the only explanation to feeling you so often in deep space" you sat up snapping straight wide eyed recounting the words in your head deciphering them quietly. Fuck. How couldnt you have realised he was collecting information this whole time. You handt even thought of him realising you were on the same ship from interacting with you a when the executor drifted through space passing threw start systems hundreds of lightyears away from one nother.

Maybe he had been the one to advise the detours. Directing the entire ship; the entrie fleet! Around the galaxy to see if the connection severs or strengthens. Instead of either it had been consistent. Clearly you were close to him to have such constant stable meditation connections. All this was plnned, goihgn on secretly behinde the scenes and you were none the wiser to his search. Fuck. Youd done wht youd always swore you wouldnt do. Youd gotten complacent, and it may cost you your life.

"The same- wait your here! You? Fuck fuck!" Your panicked cries tore from you with little thought. Your knees bent, elbows resting on them as your head bowed, fingers digging through your hair fisting in the roots in frustration.

On the other side of the wall vader was smug. He had played this game carefully. Closed in around you without giving you a chance to react. A great game of chess played in the dark with an unknowing opponent. It was only here and now he could relish hin his victory. It was only a matter of time before he had you in the palm of his hand and could play with you. Prod at you, test your force.

Thats what all of this had been about. Finding you and examine the true abilities the force had to offer when untainted by jedi or sith. You were an anomally, and perhaps the only instinctual force user in the galaxy. The idea of having you at his mercy was thrilling. He wanted to observe you, encourage you to hone the force and see what was really capable for the natural organic wielder.

"You know had you been trained youd have been able to avoid being found out easily." He spoke finally breaking the tense silence. Fear and panic quickly morphed into anger. He could feel it. It was marvelous the way your life force swirled angrily. He could feel it, the tendrils coiling like dangerous vipers no hesitation or denile. Ypthe force wasnt regecting the emotional responses it was guided by them. Was this what it was meant to be like? Before people began to manipulate it into doctrines and add caveats and rules.

"Had i been trained id be fucking dead! You just? Fuck! What do you want from me? To have me killed? Is that it?" You yelled, panting as your chest became tight. Your throat felt blocked but nothing was there. Your mind quickly conjured images of the many times lord vader had killed by strangulation. This is what it would feel like. Nothing to claw at, your unable to breathe. Your going to die. Your going to die!

Vader faltered for a moment as you began to feel scared. Truely frightened. There was a distinct moment his smug victory lost its luster. You felt cold, incredibly cold, isolated and stuck. Tense in your own force as it become increasingly thick and aggressive. Anxiety and terror riseing to a suffocating manifestation of the force.

"No i just wish to find you, teach you help you unleash your potential" he wasnt sure what prompted him to try and reassure you. Perhaps he just wanted to keep you alive? Calm and safe. He did have plans for you. For some reason your force wasnt just reactive but almost uncontrolled in this highly anxious state. He could feel it almost turning in on itself. Trying to hide but couldnt quite recede inside of you. It was... harming you? He suddenly felt very guilty and very foolish for provoking you.

"You want to teach; do you have any idea what you have done? Has it occurred to you who is on this ship!? Lord vader himself- this is his fucking flag ship! He will kill me if he finds me!" You half shouted, half pleaded still trying to convince yourself this was just a bad dream. That when you wake up everything will be fine. There wouldnt be any tests being carried out. But he seemed to grow tired of the panicked wailing.

"Calm yourself"

"Fuck you!" The response was automatic, a hissed curse and snapping teeth. You were aggressive in your fear, feeling every bit a caged animal. Cornered and vulnerable but desperate.

"Enough woman" he snapped with a growl once again loosing his temper. He didnt appreciate your disrespect. Part of him wnted to reveal himself as your lord to quiet you down. But he feared youd do somthing dramatic. The lst thing he needed was to chase down a soldier whod stolen a tie fighters and was going rogue. And yes, thats what he thought you do if you found out you were curseing at vader himself.

"Dont you dare fucking 'woman' me! You've signed my death warrant! You might be some groveling jedi turned inquisitor and have skills to offer him in exchange to spare your life,but i fucking dont!" You finally screamed at him somehow managing a few deep breaths, tears flowing freely as you tried to regain control. But all you felt was an intense pressure within you. A thick syrupy feeling in your throat as if it were clogged.

"I have nothing and now... now i will be slaughtered like an animal for simply exsisting" you sobbed in defeat your deepest fear coming to light. You wouldnt simply be shot. No, youd be a traitor. On lord vaders ship no less. He was going to fucking gut you. And there was nothing you could do about it. Nowhere you could run or hide. With that final thought you turned walking away from the wall, there was nothing left to say or do. You simply had to wait for your number to be called.

"Your fear is going to be the death of you little one" you growled quietly hearing the concern tinted words reverberate through the wall. You maintained your position laying flat on your back in the soft grass, you hands clasped on your stomach eyes closed. You had been trying to ground yourself. Ever since your last encounter with your intruder things had gone from bad to worse. Life on the executor was exhausting, days filled with unending work and overall fear as the spontaneous midichorian tests were carried out across the ship.

So far just over three hundred tests had been carried out. Forteen personnel had not returned to their posts. There hadnt been any official executions but people were guessing. They talked, rumour had it they were being held in the cells waiting for... something. No one knew who or what? But something was coming.

"I thought you already had that covered" you huffed still laying down, focusing on the way your hands rose and fell with your breaths trying to find that all important numb open feeling. The blank freedom of true inner peace.

"Again with this? No one is going to kill you" he scoffed lightly pressing against the barrier seperating you. Not hard, or with the intent of breaking through. Instead it was like he was trying to comfort you. A light humm of his life force sizzled on the surface. But he wasnt pushy, just lightly grazing it.

He was trying to call you, coaxing you to interact with him and let him help ease your overall fear and exhaustion. Youd tried to avoid sleeping and meditating so you wouldnt have to encounter him. You knew he was dangerous now.

Can you blame me?" Your answer came in the form of a heavy sigh.

"Your fear is misplaced." He uttered before sitting in the sand leaning aginst the wall. Resting the back of his head against it lightly. He relly didnt want to fight today, he jut wanted to check in on you. You hadnt rested in meditation for over a week, he was... worried.

"Really? Explain that one to me again because i must have missed something" you snapped at him feeling yourself begin to grow angry with him. With the situation he'd put you in.

"I already told you that you wont be harmed. I wish to tutor you, to haven apprentice, explore your power and guide you" you rolled your eyes at that. He was haughty and almost seemed confused at your refusal. He must have felt he didnt need to be subtle about trying to use you. Clearly he thought himself so important that you should be greatfull he was even giving you the time of day.

"Oh yeah thats right your a big wig." You grunted unimpressed, more so out of spite. You wanted to get under his skin, which probably wasnt the best idea. But he laughed in response making you growl.

"Somthing like that" he chuckled shaking his head if you only knew. But as he sat in his own amusment, pondering your reaction. Youd been struck by a thought. This man was quite arrogant, so why not try to use that against him. Before you could really think over your plan you spoke out loud.

"Prove it" your words were quiet, calm and still unsure but you were taking the chance.

"And how would you like me to do that?" You swore he was teasing you, you heard the smirk. The light goading in his words. He seemed happy to just be speaking with you rather than you shouting at him.

"Call off the tests" you uttered without missing a beat. Eager to atleast try and coerce him into stopping the inevitable shit show coming your way.

"Now we both know i wont do that. How could i possibly find you if i called off the tests" he chided quietly, chuckleing lightly at the mere thought of suddenly ceasing all efforts to find you. And it was an effort, moreso because he was trying to keep it completely hidden from the emperor. For his plan to work he had to hide you, you cant be his ace in the hole if his master knew of you.

So he'd mentioned randomly testing the ranks but made sure not to know how or when they were implemented. Instead he got reports on the numbers and occupations of those that failed. Apart from that he knew nothing, and thats how it would stay.

"So you can call them off? You just wont" you werent sure how you felt at this realisation? Elated because youd managed to get more information about who this could be. But frightened as it became clear he really was high up in the chain of command. What if he wanted to find you to kill you, but punish you for all your insubordination first? Or worse, what if he was so high up that vader already knew about you? And thats why the tests were implemented so quickly, and its also why he wont stop them. Because it wasnt his decision to make, it was lord vaders.

"Maybe. Im closing in arent i? Today one of your colleagues were tested. I felt it, the terror. It was the moment we selected those from the eighth quadrant" his voice broke your train of though, and you were a little grateful for it. You didnt need another panick attack today.

"...Please stop, just stop. I want to live my life quietly" you begged quietly, rising to your knees gazing where you felt he was. Pressing your hands to the wall pushing through some of your life force gently, giving him a tiny sliver of what he'd wanted through out all of these meetings. A connection, you were frightened you knew you were playing a dangerous game but you had to give him somthing. The stacks had just became too great to ignore. If he was working with lord vader, you had to escape. Had to get out now. And unfortunately he was your only option for help in this moment.

You just wanted to live, to go to work and return to your fproom each night for a few more years before leaving the fleet and buying a small home somewhere. That all youd ever wanted.

"I will not stop. Not untill i have found you" he hummed in a bored tone. He was growing tired of this, the chase was loosing its appeal.

"Why? So you can deliver me like a lamb to slaughter?" You cursed, spat the words more in desperation than anger.

"You wont be harmed;"

"You dont know that for certain" you cut him off, growing tired of him repeating the same high horse bullshit. He didnt seem to understand the gravity of the situation he was putting you in.

"Yes i do."

"No you dont! No one knows what they will do... what he will do." In your panic youd let too much slip. You hadnt intended to let him know your thoughts, your true fear. This was the empire, fear were used against you just like every other weakness that was uncovered.

"He? You mean lord vader? Your scared of him. Is that why your so frightened?" You faltered at that just hearing it said out loud was enough to silence you.

"Oh course i am. He terrifies me. And if you had any sense he'd frighten you too. If vader finds out im hiding right under his nose? He will be so angry. Have you ever seen him angry? I wont just die. I will suffer for making him seem incompetent. Please, plese call off these tests and spare me that. I dont want to die" you pleaded with him, revealing the true consequence you feared. You didnt want to be found, you wanted to be left alone and safe.

The silence that followed dragged on, you were almost hopefull he was coming around to your wy of thinking. But no. Vader was hurt, he didnt understand why but your fear of him. The way you thought he'd kill you slowly for some pleasure of sport had unsettled him. And it never would normally, he didnt care for other peoples opinions but you were different.

He liked you, you were charming in your own irritatingly sarcastic way. He almost felt human with you, teasing back and forth, snippjng at one another like comrades. He hadnt had that in a long time. He just didnt feel so alone at night when he visited you. So to realise you were so scared of him, that you thought he was nothing more then a vicious killer was hard for him. But he couldnt blame you, you didnt know who he was. You didnt know he was who ou spent your nights talking to, that youd created this sort of companionship with him.

It was clear he had to put an end to this now, he had to force your hand. He needed you to see him, to come to him and help him end palpantine. Thats the only reason he ontinued to come to you. You were a secret weapon, with untamed power and he needed you to help kill palpantine so he could rule and make some changes to the empire. It had strayed from its purpose and vader was going to bring it back on course.

"I can see we are not going to agree, you do not trust me to come to me freely. So I will offer you a choice. Meet up with me outside of these meditations. Agree to become my apprentice and i will call off the tests, and release those with unacceptable results" he rose to his feet dusting off his bottoms as he spoke trying not to feel guilty for the sudden flare of fear and desperation he felt from the woman.

"If not then i will have every single one of you in the eighth quadrent tested and the undesirables will be relived of more than just their posts" he finally spoke offering you his ultimatum. You will reveal yourself or everyone whose counts were too high will die.

"Meet me in training hall b-5 at midnight, if you are not there you know what will happen. I am done chasing you little one, its time to come to me" he didnt pause for a response he didnt want to hear you crying and pleading. He didnt think he could bare it, he had grown attached to you. Convinced himself your were his apprentice, his soon to be student, so no. He didnt want to hear your panicked fearfull begging. Instead he left the meditation quickly, pulling himself back until he awakened in his pressurised chamber. Tonight was the night. He almost felt excited, he was looking forward to meetingnyou properly.

Rightly or wrongly you obeyed. Youd debated all day whether to call his bluff, but you wouldnt be able to live with yourself if you heard something had happened to everyone else. Plus you werent sure how much longer this man would be civil. He clearly had some say in the goings on on the executor;if not the entire fleet! So obeying him was probably for the best.

Not that you were fine with the prospect of revealing yourself. Honestly you werent. But that just how things went. You wandered the corridors, surprised by how quiet they were. Even this late you would have thought the ship would be buzzing. But no, it was quiet. The gentle humm of the ship and occasional patrol was all you could hear.

It didnt take long to reach the training room. It was one of the smaller ones used for sparring matches between the inquisitors. Somewhere they practice their force abilities in private. You felt very uncomfortable being in here, for you it was forbidden to enter this particular corridor. It was when you stepped inside a few more feet you felt eyes on you. The hair on the back of your neck stood on end. Your force tried to flare but you managed to relax it, purposefully pushing the energy back into the room so it wouldnt linger on you. Something you did without even thinking now.

"You are smaller than i anticipated" you yelped jumping, spinning around as you heard the modulated voice. For a split second you thought it was a trooper or something. And then you registered who was stood a few meters infront of you.

"O-oh shit" you scrambled back yelping as your tripped over your own feet before laying there for a few seconds staring up at lord vader. You quivered unsure what to do.

"Lord vader; im sorry my lord, i know its past curfew but;" you tried to apologise, praying he had only followed you out of curiosity. That he was going to give you a demerit for being in a restricted area.

"You have no reason to fear, i have told you time and again you are to be trained" Oh fuck.

"You; it was you all this time? Oh... oh maker i; im sorry i never meant to" you sat up, sublty shuffled back in terror as your worst nightmare was confirmed. Your dark lord; the sith lord and enforcer of the galactic empire and self proclaimed jedi killer had found you. And whats worse he knows your frightened of him.

You began hyperventilating still trying to shuffle back already knowing the out come. You couldnt even get up off the floor, your legs were like jelly and you felt sick to your stomach. Your mind fell into a shocked panic, screaming at you so many things it became and overwhelming mass of terror and instincts. Run, hide, cry? Fight? run, flee? Hide ,cry? Beg. You couldnt seeme to grasp a single thought long enough to act on it.

"Calm yourself young one. Your fear is... uncomfortable. I dislike it. Id much rather you stay the same infuriating yet honest self, calm down, thats it" with the simple raise of a hand and almost gently words the panic dissolved instantly. Your mind quietened and your body relaxed as if youd just been placed into a warm bath.

"You? D-did you do that?"

"Yes. You are a flighty thing. It'd do no good to have you so panicked and flee, a patrol could assume the worst and shoot. Then id be down a few troops and youll be in the infirmary unable to start your training" he explained, which surprised you. Honestly youd never heard of lord vader explaining himself to anyone before. Not even the far fetched stories about him had gone so far.

"Now come over here, let me get a look at you" you did as he ordered only hesitating for a second or so. Gasping slightly as you felt him use the force to prompt you into moving. A light shove to your shoulder and then pressure below you, helping you find your feet. You couldnt help feeling more and more insignificant as you approached him. He seemd so much bigger then youd ever realised. Larger than life even. Huge imposing and unreadable. But he didnt seem to be hostile. If anything youd have felt as though he was curious?

"My you are small, smaller then i had hoped. But no matter i suspect you will be agile. What you lack in physical strength you'll make up for in speed, youd suit shorter duel sabers" he began speaking out loud as he analysed you closely. Debating on what type of training would suit you. Looking for natural advantages youd have. Despite being so clinical in his assessment you didnt feel dehumanised, reduced to mere power and potential. You felt oddly proud?

"Your aura is tempered. You feel normal. How are you masking so well young one?" The genuine curiosity threw you a little, he sounded gentle? Well as gentle as his voice coder allowed. You felt an odd warmth from him, a delicate encouraging twinge from his force. He was trying to reassure you. And you didnt mind, in fact you were pleased. There was no protocol for this. Youd never been this close to lord vader before never had to learn how to mind yourself or try to anticipate his moods. So the way he was maintaining enough distance between you both to keep you comfortable was very much appreciated. He was cutting you some slack.

"I dont... i dont know i just do it..." you explained as best as you could whislt trying to figure out how much of this relaxed feeling was you, nd how much was a manipulation. But even as you prodded your lords intrusive force lightly he didnt press back. Infact he seemed to invite your curiosity. Not that you were really incontrol of the interaction. Not conciously anyway, the force was its own entity, you could only let it coil nd drift around the new sensation.

Vader relaxed It was only natural that youd try to get a feel for him. It was something all younglings did the first time a more refined user connected with them. And that is what he was doing, claiming your own force signature, smothering it with his own in an intimate bond. All mentors did this, its how they learned what type of jedi they were raising. What their force naturally gravitated towards, healing, offence or defence.

"Do you imagine something? Picture something in your mind to mould your life force and blend in?" He asked after a moment, realising you were still wary of him even though you were fixating on his life force. It made him smile below his mask, it reminded him of the last time he'd done this with ahsoka. Though she was younger and used to the experience of having someone elses force brushing against hers in her own mind. It was something the jedi did as you grew. The ability was used as a tool, subtly sweeping through the minds of younglings to calm them or help them overcome their emotions and eventually shun their undesirable feelings altogether.

"What? Oh Yes, I think of a stream sometimes" you replied still pulling faces subconciously investigating the changes in the force surrounding the both of you.

"A stream?" He uttered quietly before nodding slowly, quickly understanding what you were doing. It was quite impressive a type of masking without exerting yourself or trying to cut off fro. The force; which took alote of concentration and willpower.

"Yes, like a shallow body of water always moving? Its hard to explain and probably doesnt make sense" you waved it off feeling stupid. I mean he was asking for answers you didnt quite understand youself

"No, no it makes perfect sense. You are constantly flushing the force through you, letting it trickle away. Never letting it build up and become noticable its clever.Its why you are so..." his complement trailed off slowly, he couldnt find the word to describe the odd aura that surrounded you. The force gravitated to you, like any other force sensitive being. But it didnt linger like most, didnt hover around you in a dense pull. It dissipated.

"Weak?" You offered self depreciation drentching the word, underlaying humour and sarcasm. He could tell you were trying to lighten the mood. He understood the need to fill 5he silence. Many people felt the need to when interacting with him. He put them on edge and you cant discern anything from silence.

But that wasnt to say he necessarily liked the way your defaulted to crushing yourself. You needed confidence, needed to hve enough self respect to know your worth. To take what you are owed. Something he will be sure to encourage, you have to find pride and ambition.

"I was going to say unusual. What else can you do?" His words were chiding at first. He risked stepping closer well aware of how fidgety you were. But he had to push you throw this fear nonetheless. He cannot train you if you were to terrified to aprouch him, how would combat or lessons in the force ever work? No. Its best to break barriers now. He will be understanding, but he wont coddle you. Time is of the essence, he had plans and you had to be ready to play your part on time.

"Move things... and sometimes control people" you shrugged as if these werent a big deal. It was pretty standard stuff for force users. And vader agreed, they were usually what youd expect. For trained users. But you were untrained and raw, to have such refined ability without formal training was rare.

"So thats what you were trying to do in our meetings? Trying to manipulate me?" He chuckled lightly grinning below his mask, he had wondered what the tickleing sensation had been. And to think youd been trying to control him amused him. You really were a breath of fresh air, he was almost eager. Excited to see you blossom and grow into somthing both amusing and powerful. Youd definitely suit him as an apprentice.

"Only once or twice, i wanted you to leave me alone" you mumbled rubbing the back of your neck nervously.

"Is there anything else you can do?" He asked taking yet another step closer closing the distance unoticed by you. Or maybe you did notice but didnt feel the need to run. Either way he got the same result, managing to get within rms reach of you without you screaming and bolting for the door. Not that yous make it far, he'd simply use the force to pluck you from the floor.

"Well maybe? But i never figured out if it was a force thing or not. Sometimes i feel things? Like bad stuff. I get a feeling that something bad will happen nd then it does" though your explination was a little less then coherent he did get the message. The force was tricky to explain at the best of times, so he couldnt really expect you to articulate it like a expert. But your words did give him pause for thought. That was not a usual naturl force ability. The last jedi said to have such afinity was yoda himself, and the old master didnt weild it, instead let it fester and become useless.

"Like visions?" He asked trying not to sound so desperate, he wanted to be as nonchalant about it as he could. He didnt need you worrying over it. Force knows you had enough going through your head as it was.

"No, i never see what it is, i just have the feeling before hand? A deep dread. Its only after something happens i realise what it was about" he nodded thinking over the words and comparing them to things he had read in the thousands of jedi and sith texts he'd researched over the years. Thankfully he had heard of such and odd thing. It was rare, very rare.

"Empathic premonitions. A powerful ability that is the beginning of true foresight. If trained properly you could not only have visions of the future but decipher them correctly in the right context" he offered the information up easily, to withhold knowledge from an apprentice was not the sith way. Though technically you should outright ask him for the answers he would be lenient for the moment. You were unaware of such things as of now. You would have to learn how to become a sith apprentice, just as he would learn to become your master.

"Thats a frightening concept. It'd land me on few hitlists. And im not sure id want to see the future anyway" you giggled humourlessly before shrinking into yourself gazeing up at his mask; something youd been avoiding for the past few mineuts. He took that as a good sign.

"It could be useful. You might have realised who i was sooner" you smiled at his small chuckle. It was strange, he really was the same person. You were surprised how familiar he was beginning to feel. It was nice, in a daunting way.

"That is true...Soo what happens now?" You pondered quietly still adrift in some anxiety, force induced calm state of mind that honestly felt like some odd dream.

"Now the work begins. I will train you and we will help one another acheive our goals" his reply was short and direct. You appreciated it, you didn want to be frettingnover what if's for the next few weeks. He was going to train you. Then use you. It was all you needed to know.

"I dont have any... well apart from hiding from everyone but that failed pretty badly if you think about it." your voice dipped lower, shame lingering around you s you admitted outloud you had no ambition past the goal of stying hidden away from the world.

"Do not let that deter you. You did very well, you weren't easy to find. You certainly made me work to uncover you. Something rarely achieved by anyone" he watched with satisfaction as his praise perked you up. A flicker of pride igniting inside of you from the words, a sense of achievement rippled from you. You were responsive to praise, rather than punishment. Good, he had no time to be constantly rebuilding trust after punishing you and if you grew to trust and dmire him as your mentor there was less chance of you turning on him in the future. He may even beable to change the tide of the sith, remove the rule of two and instead create a real empire, a real dynasty of the darkside. He could create something never seen before.

"And I am sure we will uncover some ambition inside of you. Today we will start by embracing your life force" his encourageing words seemed to be all you needed to nod and you followed as he began to lead you fom the room. Motioning for you to step up beside him intent on heading to his own personal meditation cha,bers, that had undergone a little renovating now holding a second seat a few steps down from his own that was souly intended for you.

You walked beside him silently, unsure where you were going but understood he wasnt going to kill you, so you just did as he asked. There was no reason to fight. And no chance in winning against him. Though the quiet resignation wasnt enough to quell your rampant thoughts. Mostly revolving your future and things to come, occasionally the emperor crossed your mind accompanied with a healthy dose of fear.

"I sensed a spike of fear in you. What is wrong?" You almost jumped out of your skin when the siths voice broke through the low white noise of the corridor. For a second you debated lying to him, telling him nothing was wrong but that wouldnt be a good idea? Besides he would find out eventually so whats the point in putting effort into a lie?

"Wont the emperor be angry if he finds out about me?" You didnt know if it was meant to be a statment or question.

"No. We are far enough away and i will make sure to smother your own force with mine. I told you, i will see to your saftey. You re my apprentice now. That grants you some privileges including my protection"

"Sounds better then dying" you hummed cheering up at his words. You actually felt comfort knowing this powerful sith was not only going to train you, but protect you. It was a weight off you mind. Not that youd ever take it for granted. Hell no, that would be a foolish thing to do.

"I do believe its the more preferable outcome?" You laughed outright at that finding his sarcasm comfortable. He stepped into an open elevator, you paused gor a second still a little on edge. He hadnt told you where you were off to, or what you'll be doing.

"Come we will have a short session tonight, and tomorrow i will test your combat" he anounced tryingnto remind himself the more you knew the less flighty you would be. It was odd explaining himself, he hadnt had to in to long. At that you stepped inside the tiny space with him.

"Save yourself the trouble i suck with gun" you huffed not even sugar coating it. You couldnt aim for shit and had been retrained as a technician because of it.

"And a lightsaber?" That caught you off gaurd, you hadnt even considered youd be trained in saber combat. Suddenly this wasnt sounding like the best idea, not with your clumsiness.

"I wouldnt know, ive never even seen one; holy shit!" You jumped back cursing as you headbutted the side of the elevator turning to run full speed into it trying escape as the small space lit up red in a nanosecond. Vader chuckled but didnt move the saber, opting to just hold it still so you could see it in all of its glory. You placed a hand over your head rubbing it before turning to look a the saber. It was scary, oddly beautiful but scary nonetheless.

"Do a girl a favour and warn me before you whip that thing out! I almost pissed myself" you complained, completely forgetting who you were talking to in you panic. Your eyes locked on the plasma blade in a mix of awe and terror. But awe quickly outweighed the fear as you understood he was merely showing you the saber, not about to use it on you.

"You are frightened of them? Ah ah carful" he asked only to tilt the blade from you as curiosity got the better of you and your hand inched closer to the sabers heat. You flinched back slightly, you could feel the heat radiating from it a good few inches from it.

"In my defence... i think its a rationl fear, they are kind of dangerous... and that one in particular, its known for slicing and diceing" you defended yourself with a little snippy quip, hand drifting to the saber again as if drawn to it like a moth. He could see your fascination was somthing he'd have to watch out for, or you might hurt yourself, though on the other handnit was good. You were interested.

"Tomorrow will be exciting for you. And very entertaining for me" he uttered disengaging the light saber before your curiosity left a more lasting impression.

"Wait Tomorrow? Why? Whats tomorrow?" You quized confused frowing up at him. But he only tipped his head to the side in response.

"You'll see" he uttered before turning forward once more as the dorrs opened. He strode down the hall not waiting for you as you rolled your eyes before chasing him, jogging to catch up to him again.

"Brilliant, my masters a sadist" he halted, jerking to a stop snapping his head down at you. An icey feeling washed over you and you suddenly felt very small. And very stupid.

"What? W-was that right? I didn't know what to call you, if its wrong im sorry i can;" he silenced you with a hand gesture.

"No, no it was correct. It has just been a long time since ive been called master. It may take some getting used to" he admitted quietly, sounding lost in thought. It was like your words had truly brought the circumstances to life. This was happening. Vader was claiming you as an apprentice, he'd train you and youd be the secret weapon to help him defeat his master and claim the throne that had been promised to him.

"Well if it helps ive neve been anyones apprentice before. So how about we give each other a settleing in period and ease ourselves in?" You uttered with a shrug unsure if you were meant to try and reassure him or not. He didnt seem the type to need it, but... it felt polite.

"Plus I err dont want to be punished or anything if i make silly mistakes" you added cheekily whilst subtly tryingnto convince him not go easy on you. He eyed you for a moment before turning walking away with a subtle shake of his head. You scampered behind him quickly not wanting to get lost this deep in the ship.

"Punishments accrued will always be met out, but youve shown little indication of needing such harsh tutelage. Im here to teach you, not break you" he uttered once you fell into step with him. He sent you a final side glance. He felt oddly satisfied by the way you were quietly accepting your new situation. He could almost let himself become fond of you, form an attachment to you. Only time will tell, for now he was content to focus on your training. He could ponder companionship another time.

[autisticsupervillain]

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Stats Equalized!

This Month's Fighters...

Emperor Palpatine vs Her Imperious Condescension!

Conditions:

Dark Empire Palpatine. Legends material only. "Dubiously Canon" Homestuck materials are ignored.

Scenario:

Just when Palpatine returns from the dead and sets out to conquer the galaxy with his new Dark Empire, the Alternian Empire invades, forcing him to direct his new armies at the incoming threat.

Analysis: Sidious

Of all the Dark Lords of the Sith who would come to terrorize the galaxy over the centuries, there is one and only one who could be said to have been born pure evil. He was not a man. Not a monster. But the Dark Side twisted into a barely human form. To the Sith, he is remembered as Palpatine the Great, the last of the Rule of Two who conquered the galaxy and destroyed the Jedi as no one before him ever had. To the Jedi, he is Darth Sidious, a genocidal monster behind the greatest tragedies and wars in galactic history. And to the Galaxy at large, he is just Emperor Palpatine, ruler of the First Galactic Empire.

Palpatine (not Sheev, that's Disney exclusive) always felt that the Naboo royal lineage he'd been born into was beneath him. Even as his family spoiled him rotten, he always felt he was destined for more. So, when Darth Plagueis the Wise, awed by his limitless potential in the Force, offered him secrets of the Dark Side, Palpatine did not hesitate. He murdered his family as a teenager and took the name Darth Sidious.

Sidious would manipulate his way to the top of galactic politics to become the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, before murdering Plagueis in his sleep. Then, under the guise of innocent, kindly Palpatine, he would instigate the Clone Wars, one of the bloodiest conflicts in history, to transition the Republic into a paranoid, fascist police state. Grooming the young Anakin Skywalker into the horrific enforcer Darth Vader, Palpatine would dispose of all his former allies when he took the throne, before purging the Jedi to grasp the galaxy in his iron grip.

Palpatine would reign unchallenged for decades, destroying planets with superweapons, instigating slavery and genocides, creating whole new forms of Dark Force magic, and crushing all resistance to maintain his iron grip on the galaxy. It was not until Anakin's son, Luke, reminded him of the man he was and turned him against his master that his mad reign would finally end. Palpatine would be cast into the reactor of his own Death Star, vaporized and obliterated. And at last, the Galaxy would know peace....

But, even after all that.... somehow, Palpatine returned.

Paranoid and meticulous, Palpatine planned ahead. He transferred his soul to a cloning station he'd prepared, letting the rebellion fight with the remnants of his empire as he rebuilt his armies and bolstered his strength, Palpatine would re-emerge to slaughter them all for failing and defying him. He would return not as a man, but as the embodies of the Dark Side itself. A being of the dark, twisted soul unconstrained by death or mortal morality.

Darth Sidious was a nearly unparalleled master of lightsaber combat, viewing it as little more than a way to mock the Jedi. Having mastered all seven forms, Palpatine would fight against some the greatest Jedi who ever lived, including Grandmaster Yoda, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, Galen Marek, and Luke Skywalker.

Despite their tenacity, the Jedi could not match Palpatine's sheer raw power in the Force. Galen Marek, who was powerful enough to pull starships out of the sky, Yoda, who could annihilate entire armies, and Luke, who had become an equal to his father Darth Vader by the time of Dark Empire. None of them alone could match his raw power on their own.

With Luke, Palpatine would spend months chipping away at his mind, driving him slowly mad to break him into his perfect apprentice, sucking out all his will the first time the young man challenged him. Palpatine could hide his darkness in the Force for years from all the Jedi in the Galaxy, flooding the Galaxy with his darkness so none could sense anything. Palpatine could slow down the Jedi Mace brought with him with a confusion haze, drive people mad with a thought, trap people in entire worlds made of illusions, bolster the willpower of his armies to effectively turn them into a hive mind, and even turn people into mindless drones with just a recording of his voice.

Palpatine spent so much of his time studying the Dark Side, he perfected every single power the Dark Side could provide at the time and could even invent brand new ones in a whim. He can vaporize you with lightning, suck the life our of you with Force Drain, crush you to death with telekinesis, fly, absorb energy, and will things to explode. He taunt Dooku how to create an army of zombies, can duplicate himself with hard loght copies, can shoot fire from his hands or freeze you solid, and can create fields of death that instantly kill any life form in their radius. Period. Alongside many.... many others...

Palpatine's being is nothing but a soul now. He doesn't need a physical body to survive. Whenever his current clone body dies or is defeated, he just transfers his soul to the next body or even to your body. He can take over your body and replace your personality, destroying your soul with his if you destroy his body through the power of Essence Transfer. Functionally, he is immortal so long as he has a body on hand.

But his most devastating ability of them all was dreaded Force Storm. This higher dimensional vortex in the fabric of space and time tears apart reality itself, wiping the life off planets and even punching holes in time. He used a Force Storm to teleport Luke across the galaxy and other Jedi such as Revan have tanked naturally occuring Force Storms only to end up getting teleported thousands of years across time. It is a literally apocalyptic power that could destroy the universe, higher dimensions and all, if Palpatine ever losses control of it.

So is this Dark Emperor the invincible god he says he is? ....No.

Firstly, Sidious strongly favors his force abilites. He thinks lightsaber combat is archaic, useful only to mock the Jedi. So, every single major victory against someone his own level came by way of his Force powers, with Mace and Yoda even disarming him outright before Sidious wised up. It says a lot that Palps doesn't even use his own lightsaber anymore. His old one was vaporized with the rest of him after his death, so now he uses a stolen blue Jedi one from a Jedi he killed personally. Probably one of the ones accompanying Mace. The only opponent Palpatine did beat with the blade is Maul who.... frankly, isn't even in the same galaxy as Sidious in any timeline....

Secondly, his own raw power is a detriment to his clone bodies. The more he exerts himself, the faster they rot under the weight of his might. Given that his clones range in age from fifteen to eighty, each body rots at different rates. After Leia freed Luke from Palp's control and gave him the strength boost he needed to overpower the Emperor, Palpatine had to keep transferring to weaker and weaker bodies that break down faster and faster.

Finally, if he fails to overpower the mind of his victim when possessing them, his soul will be wiped from existence, reduced to nothing and chaos. Though, for good measure, the ghost of every Jedi who ever lived did band together to destroy his soul forever and make sure he could never return.

Therein lies Palpatine's greatest achievement. He's bathed the galaxy in so much blood, that every Jedi who ever lived utterly despised him by the end. For as powerful as every Sith that came after him was, none was truly born evil like Palpatine.

Analysis: Her Imperious Condescension

The Alternian Empire. The ultimate terror in the universe, and eventually, the multiverse. A species of planet conquering trolls that has bathed the stars in blood, destroying countless civilizations and rending planets down to ash. What do you imagine when you picture such a fearsome foe? What diabolical mastermind do you see piloting the helm of this mighty empire?

Did you picture Betty Crocker, the baked goods brand? Because that's who it is.

Her Imperious Condescension was the immortal ruler of Alternia and all its colonies, forcing her empire into a bloodthirsty might-makes-right dystopia. Keeping her people in line under threat of being obliterated by an eldritch monstrosity and exterminating any blood caste that threatened her, she was a monsterous tyrant that banished all trolls to space upon reaching adulthood so they could immediately serve her eternal armies.

Until suddenly, her empire died out from under her. The eldritch monstrosity she used to keep her people in line cried out in hunger, signaling the end times of her people as their minds melted across the galaxy. Her people had died in a single cry. And now The Handmaiden, the grim reaper of her species, was staring her down.

The Condescension emerged victorious over the Handmaiden after a pitched battle and, with no one left to conquer, replaced her as Lord English's servant. She would now pave the way for her new master to destroy all reality.

Being second fiddle to the biggest threat Paradox Space has ever seen, The Condescension is monumentally powerful. As the highest of the sea dwelling high bloods, Betty is immortal and unaging, as well as completely immune to all psychic powers. She was conquering worlds for thousands of years before Lord English cursed her with "conditional mortality", keeping her from dying until her master had no further use for her. As a denizen of Paradox Space, she follows video game logic. She can store things in a hammerspace inventory known as a specibus, including objects she couldn't possibly be hiding on her person like her iconic trident, and can level up and grow stronger from any random action she makes.

Really, trolls are very hardy species just by baseline. The Condescension herself can survive the vacuum of space unharmed and several trolls could survive the heat of orbital re-entry as a freshly hatched grub. The fact that Condy stood as the unquestioned queen among them for possibly millions of years just showcases how tough she is.

With nothing but time, she manipulated the media and governments of Earth B until it was under her complete control, masterminding mankind's downfall before reducing the world to a flooded apocalyptic wasteland. In the meantime, she experimented on herself to unlock more of her latent abilities. While she could never quite get her psychic powers to work on humans, forcing her to rely on specialized mind control tiaras to deal with them, they did wonders on animals and half animal hybrids, bending them to her will absolutely. With her advanced telekinetic powers, she could throw around statues and even planets with ease, destroying entire worlds with her might, while her eye beans could blast apart entire planets.

Perhaps more daunting than even that was her power to control life. As a latent Thief of Life she could "steal" life from other people and give it to others or herself. In this way, she could keep the ones she cared about from dying, preserving the Helmsman's lifespan as he served as the battery on her ship, forcing him to live forever as the life was sucked out of him.

However, she couldn't restore the dead. As her competition might say... it was ironic that she could save others from death... but not herself.

Ultimately, the Condescension turned out to be such a formidable foe that even the heroes destined to destroy Lord English failed against her on the first go. She vaporized Kanaya with a single blast, snapped the neck of Aranea Serket, and stomped every God that stood in her way. So won so badly that John Egbert had to use an artifact that removed him from fate and break the laws of time travel just for anyone to have a chance at beating her.

Even then, she put up a very long fight. Going toe to toe with no less than four gods at once, many of whom could control space and time itself, all throughout the final battle. Next to her master, the Condescension was the toughest threat the heroes of Paradox Space had to face. Keep in mind, many of these Gods, such as John and Dave, could fight First Guardians, who could destroy entire multiverses and tank their destruction in turn!

But, eventually, even her bloody reign had to end. Millions of years of bloodshed and conquest were finally brought to an end by the Condescension's death, ending the legacy of the cruel Alternian Empire.

Throwdown Breakdown:

This fight would be a spectacle.

Both characters have plotted the rise and fall of empires through years of careful political manipulation and both are responsible for the destruction of countless worlds and the extinction of countless species. In raw power, both have the range to tear worlds apart and the power to crumble the multiverse if left unchecked. But... there can be only one.

Both Imperials have a devastating variety of powers and abilities, with both having a lot of counters to each other's arsenals. While his telekinesis doesn't quite match the sheer scope of the Condescension's, his Force Storms definitely do, tutaminus allows him to absorb her laser beams, any life force she steals from him can be yanked right back with Force Drain, and his trained immunity to mind control makes her tiaras useless. On the other hand, he can't control her mind either thanks to her natural immunity, Lord English's curse would counter out the Death Fields, and Condy's demonstrated toughness against the elements shows she could withstand Palp's fire, ice, and lightning for a long time before going down. Hard Vacuum is colder than freezing cold ice, while the heat of orbital re-entry and exploding planets can match the heat of fire, lightning, and lightsabers, giving Condy a buffer.

Now, I'm not saying she could just no-sell a lightsaber. Not at all. I'm just saying she'll endure the lightning and stabs a lot better than most people and should be capable of clashing blades with her trident just fine.

In terms of skill and intelligent, both are consummate chessmasters. Palpatine improvises his plans constantly throughout the movies to keeping coming out on top and has fallbacks for when things go wrong. Apprentice dead? Corrupt Dooku, then Anakin as a fallback when Dooku outlives his usefulness. On the Condescension's side, her first approach is usually to open with faux diplomacy before letting her armies swoop in on a helpless planet, a method that served her well when it came time to conquer the Earth. By the time anyone was ready to fight her, it was already much too late.

Sidious fought and defeated Grandmaster Yoda, someone who had been protecting the galaxy for nearly 900 years. But even that life span is a drop in the ocean to Condy, who has been conquering for thousands, if not millions of years. Sidious is a manipulative sorcerer first, warrior second, and he views combat as just a way to mock whoever he's fighting. The Condescension is the top rung of violent warrior race of planet conquers. She has more experience and a greater warrior's mindset than Palpatine. This exasperates the fact that, due to her immortality, Palpatine's win condition in this fight is to cripple the Condescension to the point that she can't fight anymore, which is much tougher to do if he can't chop her up with his lightsaber.

This fight is guaranteed to be an endurance run, and that's ultimately where Betty's victory lies. Lightning and lasers will clash through the vacuum of space, planets will be thrown around and destroyed, stars will explode until a chunk of the galaxy is gone. And through it all, Palpatine's body decays under the weight of his own power. Against an equal in power who surpasses his skill, Sidious will be forced to give everything he has even as his body rots around him, before ditching it to find another clone as it dissolves.

Despite being physically much older than him, Condy's body is stuck in her physical prime, while every clone Palpatine brings out will only grow more decrepit. Palpatine suffers from a snowball effect in this fight where once he starts losing, every action he takes to bounce back will push him down further, require exertion that makes him weaker, while every clone the Condescension kills will push her higher up her echeladder and make her stronger. Force Storms, duplicates, illusions, Palpatine surpasses in variety to be sure, but the Condescension has fought that, beaten that even during Game Over. It will be a long, drawn out batte of equals, and that's part of why Palpatine losses.

Darth Sidious's best shot is to launch the Condescension across time and space with a Force Storm, but I find that unlikely. Beyond Condy fighting Time and Space manipulators before, Force Storms are monumentally difficult to control and take an exponential amount of power, making the snowball issue even worse if it doesn't work.

Taking over the Condescension's body wouldn't work due to her in-built immunity. Interacting with the Horrorterrors does the exact same thing passively and the Condescension was raised by one just fine.

Out of trump cards, Palpatine would beg for his life beneath her heel before the trident spears his chest, the Condescension's laughter echoing through the ruins of his empire.

This Throwdown's Winner is....

Her Imperious Condescension!

[apollo-likes-writing]

June of Doom Day Three: Ambushed

Fandom: Star Wars

Character(s): Obi-wan Kenobi, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker

Summary: An AU where Vader discovers Obi-wan at a much earlier time period. (Set a few weeks before "Kenobi")

Word count: 800

Tags: Angst, nostalgia, major character death, canon divergence.

Author's Note: My motivation went solely into yesterday's prompt, so expect quality control for this one to be a little on the worse-for-wear side of things. Enjoy! As always, comments and reblogs are much appreciated.

@juneofdoom

Masterlist | Day Two

Obi-wan Kenobi is beginning to understand why his former apprentice despised sand so much. 

It’s everywhere. In his hair, in his shoes, down his tunic, in his cot, in his food – no matter where he looks and no matter what he does it is always there: sand. He supposes it’s what he gets for choosing to stay on Tatooine to look over the son of his old padawan.  

He misses him. Anakin- of course. 

He was a brother to him. The closest thing to family one could get to someone disallowed from forming attachments. It’s hypocritical. He knows it is. But one cannot help but look back to more promising times. Where the galaxy was Kenobi’s oyster, and he had the ability to do good. Real good. Not just stabbing droids and fighting various Sith lords but maintaining peace and prosperity between all people.  

Now, Anakin is no more. Replaced and manipulated by Sheev Palpatine to be molded into something inhuman. Something dangerous. He is no longer the small slave boy he met on this very planet all those years ago. He is Darth Vader: the devastating pawn of the Empire that can ground whole Starship battalions with a simple wave of his hand and clench of his fist. And you know the most ironic part of it all? 

Obi-wan is the one who pushed him in the wrong direction in the first place. 

But you already know this. I won’t elaborate. Obi-wan pushes Anakin to the Dark Side (intentionally or otherwise), Order 66 takes place (his brothers tried to kill him), the Jedi are dead (didn’t I say I wouldn’t elaborate? Never mind), and now they are both alone on opposite sides of the galaxy. 

Or so Obi-wan thinks. 

It happens on his way back to the cave he calls home. It’s late evening – the twin suns falling between the cracks in the rock in front of him and blinding him. He carries a lump of bread under his armpit and a bag full of various mechanical parts that will hopefully be used to repair the Speeder he managed to salvage a few rotations ago, as well as the miniscule number of credits he earns at his pitiful job.  

He steps into his home after trudging along for a while, dropping the bread at one point and grumbling as he bends over to pick it up again, only for the contents of his bag to spill out all over the floor. 

His old strength has left him, and the Force is elsewhere, so he is forced to pick it all up by hand. It’s only when he finally returns all the parts to the bag and places it on the table with a tired thud that he speaks. 

“You’ve grown senile in age, Kenobi. I thought you were better than this.” 

He freezes in place. Maybe, if he is deadly silent and still and doesn’t turn around, he won’t see him. 

“Look at me, Obi-wan.” 

Well, that didn’t work. Slowly and with a dreaded pit in his stomach, Obi-wan turns to face his old padawan. Once done, he is rooted to the spot where he stands. Frozen. Useless. 

“Say something, Master.” The courtesy is spat at him like venom and Obi-wan fights the urge to flinch at it. It has been years since anyone has called him that. A black, soulless visor glares at him from where Vader stands in the corner of his room as if he were the Boogey Man.  

“Anakin, I-” 

Vader cuts him off. “Anakin is dead. We killed him on Mustafar.” Obi-wan dislikes the usage of ‘we’ in that sentence. “I am here, finally, to cut off some loose ends. Doing so in this way makes you luckier than most. I’m here to kill you, Obi-wan.” 

It’s then when the Universe decides to play a trick on the old Jedi Master. It’s then when the Universe decides to thrust all the nostalgic memories of the past on the man. The joy, the sadness, the howls of laughter, the sounds of blaster bolts and lightsabres making contact with each other. Times were simpler back then – when Obi-wan was a padawan himself and Anakin a simple slave boy trying to help his mother. The kind, righteous, simple boy who stands in front of him is no longer kind, righteous, or simple. He is a blight of terror that strikes fear into the hearts of millions- maybe even billions or trillions in the galaxy.  

The sound of ignition of Vader’s lightsabre reaches his ears, and Obi-wan closes his eyes. In the back of his mind, he sends a sorrowful prayer and apology to the son of the man in front of him, whom he is yet unaware of his presence on the planet.  

“Do what you must.” 

[ipreferfiction]

Kintash Tzara

(art by @stellorc)

slight, silent, and stealthy, Kintash was born with incredible power and an unusual gift for manipulating the Force. they were taken as a Sith apprentice at only eleven - the three years of cruelty that followed left them cowed and untrusting. the relief of their master's death when they were fourteen did not last long; he was killed by an SIS special ops team working under deep cover in the Empire, and Kintash - fourteen at the time - was the perfect tool. the team was led by a former Jedi, and he took Kintash on as an apprentice and trained them in stealth, intelligence, and the use of the Force. he was not as outwardly cruel as their Sith master, but Kintash had little freedom, especially in communication - mostly nonverbal, they relied heavily on sign language, and they were taught very little Basic or Basic sign, ultimately communicating through a mix of Republic military signs and leftover Sith.

at eighteen, Kintash's SIS team was slaughtered in an ambush, leaving Kintash the sole survivor. this time, they were found by the Jedi and taken in, but the subsequent years did very little to settle their mistrust. when they are assigned to Maeji Katreos as a padawan, it is a last-ditch effort to see if they are able to work at all in the field, especially with others. luckily, that effort pays off.

Kintash is still a padawan when Maeji is pulled from the strike team going after Vitiate and they are sent in her place. seeing this as an effort to redeem themself, they are more than willing to fight - the months of imprisonment and mind control that follow very nearly break them entirely, and when they escape, they trust one person: Lord Scourge, who fights at their side as they hunt down Vitiate and slay him. afterwards, they hunt his spirit to the edges of the galaxy, intent on destroying it once and for all - no matter the toll it takes on them or the price they have to pay.

[raven-of-domain-kwaad]

For Amélie Biava - When you met Amarra, you were Imperial Intelligence and she was a powerful Sith Lord, with little if any restrictions on how she could treat you. With such a disproportionate power dynamic, how did things wind up going the way they did for you?

OC Interview

Thanks for asking @swtorpadawan!

Amélie leans back in her seat and chuckles darkly.

“Yeah that’s a fair question. I sometimes ask myself how I managed to swing it with the damned Wrath of all people. Talk about out of my league and a huge threat to my life.”

She hums faintly and gently thumbs at the polished band of black metal on her finger.

“I fully admit that I didn’t trust her when we were first properly introduced. I mean it’s like you were saying, Sith can do what they want and the Wrath? She sits outside of the Sith hierarchy and answer to no one but the Emperor. She even has enough authority to challenge the Dark Council. So really what chance did I have if I wanted off her ship?”

Her eyes become hard, clearly recalling stories of others that suffered at the hands of mad Sith but she shakes her head before continuing on.

“Now with any kind of relationship it takes all parties involved to make it work but I will say that she did most of the initial heavy lifting to try and reach out to me. Just looking at her crew spoke volumes about her. How many Sith do you know that have a free twi’lek with more tech skills than a Fixer, a Black Ops squad on perpetual standby, a former Jedi apprentice that happily engages in philosophical and political debates with her new master and a sadistic assassin droid? Hm... actually forget the droid. Lots of Sith would probably have an HK unit if they could. But the others? You won’t find many Sith that actually have a crew like that who are all loyal and don’t just trust but love the Sith that they follow.”

She sighs and stares wistfully off at nothing.

“You hear old stories of noble Sith and their cherished followers. Old Korribani and Ziosti legends of Sith protectors defending those that they love. Most of those stories are lost to time and Republic purges but the romanticism of those tales endure... Of all the Sith in the Empire, I've found that Amarra embodies those old tales more than anyone I’ve ever seen. She cares about those under her command and that apparently extended to me.”

A genuine smile spreads across her face, reaching her eyes and even causing her body to relax. Her deep sense of gratitude is very clear.

“So, like I was saying, once I was finally out of the kolto tank, she reached out to me. I've often wonder if she could sense that I didn't trust her and that made her reach out. Whatever the reason, she offered to find me a doc to clone me a new hand after I lost mine on Corellia. She also gave me the chance to transfer to any command I wanted. I could write my own ticket and go anywhere I wanted. She didn’t even know me at the time, just wanted to help out another Imperial citizen.”

Her eyes return to her wedding band and she cannot stop smiling.

“After looking at my options and taking a serious look at her file- which can I just say, was damned impressive? Defeated a well known Jedi Master before being named a Lord, took out the Republic War Trust, killed a Dark Councilor, won the initial battle for Corellia and personally ended a coup led by her former Master. And never once did she ever act out of personal gain. She had no interest in personal power and only wanted to serve the Empire. What an ideal,” she says with what could only be described as hearts in her eyes.

“So, I chose to stay on and became her official pilot and unofficial liaison to what was left of Imperial Intelligence before Sith Intel got set up. I worked hard getting her whatever information I could, because I felt she was the best chance the Empire had for moving forward. She took notice and made sure that my actions were always commended. Got a promotion thanks to my work and she eventually started trusting me with more responsibilities, even putting me in charge of her own personal spy network she took from her old master."

She pauses then and her face scrunches faintly as if in sympathy, likely due to truly understanding just how stressful a position like Keeper's had been, managing so many agents.

"So, truth? I got lucky. I could have died at the hands of my captors on Corellia, honestly that's probably what was supposed to happen, knowing the last two Keepers. But I was lucky because she found me. If I had been found by anyone else in the Empire, I probably would have been court martialed for being on an unsanctioned intelligence operation. But she got to me first. And I must say, I am eternally thankful that she did."