#My man hid on one of the most powerful people in the galaxy's ship with nothing but a pendant for luck

[drunk-on-starlight]

Dathan did not stow away on freaking Darth Vader's ship with him on it for people to say rey is a palpatine.

[im-poe-dameron]

by the blade that kills

a/n: oh i am having a blast with the @sithobiwanevent list. he is so much fun to write. it's also making me really want to begin working on my series i have stowed away for him. but for now i am hacking away at these prompts and pouring angst into the character's wounds. this one is by all means unhappy. it ends sadly, it starts sadly, and so please go into it with that in mind! again a massive thank you to @karasong who cheered me on as i wrote this!

sith!obi-wan events: a lightsaber tipping up someone's chin

summary: hidden away on a forest planet, you make a home of the place that once existed solely for you and him. but when the dark side of the force discovers where you are, he is sent to bring about his final duty.

word count: 3.3k+

pairing: sith!obi-wan kenobi x jedi!reader

warnings: UNHAPPY ENDING SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION, angst, so much angst it will hurt, past lovers, arguing, violence, lightsaber battles written awkwardly, the poetry of lovers to enemies, death.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

In a galaxy plagued by the dark side of the Force, the light began to slowly bleed from the very sphere it once ruled. Thus the prophecy was written. One would come forth to bring balance. Restore what was brought into chaos. Yet you never expected they would drag everything into ruin.

You knew Anakin once. Watched as he grew alongside your greatest ally and friend. A man who now walked beside him; who chose which side to assist. The betrayal felt unreal at the time; as if you were stuck in nightmare with no chance of waking up.

You never believed that the two people you trusted most would bring the galaxy they protected to its knees. This was your greatest failure; never able to save one without the other's help.

Never able to remain the Jedi Knight they made you.

The wind kicked up through the forest as a ship flew overhead. This wasn't an unusual experience. People came and went on this planet, searching for others. Hoping to find treasures not yet unearthed by those that were forced to flee. You however hid in the shadows of what once used to a home—a small sliver of paradise that you shared with him.

The lightsaber at your side bounced against your thigh as you walked, hood drawn over your face, a basket of fruit tucked under your arm. Nights were warm here. Unlike other planets you'd been to, this one felt the most like home. It reminded you of the temple you once protected, the land that you'd grown up in.

But even that was brought to ruin due to the powers of the Sith.

Sunlight began to fade below the horizon, dipping behind the trees, as you entered your home. The flames of candles would have to do for now until you managed to fix the generator a mile out. Pieces from your old ship could be enough to keep it stable for years to come, but ripping a part your only means of escape left a sour taste in your mouth.

Bounty hunters were clamoring for their shot at what Jedi survived Order 66. Which left you—for the first time—as someone's prey. It was safer to have a way off planet, but surviving had to remain your number one option.

"Night again," you muttered under your breath, crossing off a tally with a sharpened stone.

Counting them all would leave you with a headache, but still your eyes scanned your own version of a calendar. A way to keep yourself on track if the day ever came where you were needed once more. The Sith may have taken over the galaxy, but the Jedi’s beliefs still remained true in your heart.

You would not die. Not until you were able to watch them fall to their knees.

"There is no chaos, there is harmony," you sighed, shutting your eyes as images of that night began to play in your mind.

His screams, the agony that befell them both. You could feel the mark of horror carved into your still beating heart. One that once echoed for them. Whatever remained of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi only lived within your mind. They made sure to wipe their memories from the galaxy; the tales that are only shared in whispered secrets served as warning to whoever would listen.

You dropped the stone into the pile by your front door, the shine of the moon slowly creeping forward as you prepared to eat. The meal would be a measly portion of fruit and whatever animal you found during the day. Barely enough to tide you over.

You could feel the hunger gnaw at your stomach as you sat at the table. The need for more digging its sharp talons into the flesh of your back. You swallowed the bitter flavors down with a wince, knowing that you wouldn't be finding better on a planet so barren with life. The Empire made sure to strip every home of what could be useful; stealing the riches the land had to offer for their own agenda.

"There is no passion." You sighed, shoving your seat back and wandering over to the open door. "There is serenity."

The code of the Jedi didn't mean much to the galaxy anymore. But you clutched it against your heart. Knowing that there would come a time when things were forced to shift once more and the tides of evil fell to the hands of good. You could feel it resonate deep in your stomach. The truth of what Master Yoda explained to you on your journey to the hidden depths of the galaxy.

Though the Sith ruled now...that would soon change.

One day.

A crack of wood echoed in the air, causing you to go still. You would have guessed an animal found it's way in search of something to hunt and happened across your home. It wasn't the first time this happened. It certainly wouldn't be the last.

Calling your lightsaber to your hand, you ventured down the path lined in broken stones—eyes adjusting to the darkness quicker than normal. After so long spent traversing the woods at night, you'd grown accustomed to the pitch black. At least when you were encased in it, you could hide from what predators still walked the planet's surface. Animals that might find you to be a nice meal.

You moved silently, years of training keeping you steady. It held it's advantages when the wildness of this planet didn't wish to be tamed. You couldn't fault it for accepting the true nature that lay within. After what the Empire already took, you refused to add to that tragedy.

A clearing sat in the center—a place you meditated at times when your emotions more often than not got the better of you. Preparing to flip the familiar switch of your weapon, you heard another crack.

That was not an accidental creature stepping on fallen leaves and twigs as they went.

Someone was toying with you. Purposefully making noise when they felt you were at a close enough distance.

This was someone hunting you.

"I wouldn't if I were you," you said lowly, the hum of your lightsaber reverberating in the air.

A laugh fell upon your ears. Dark, filled with a gruff nature you didn't recognize. Yet the lick of heat along your spine rang with memories that continued to skirt the edges of your mind. You knew this person. That much was clear as you stepped further into the clearing. The blue light of your blade glowing around your cloaked form.

"So strong. Even now."

You tensed, hair rising on the back of your neck. "No."

"Tell me my darling." A black cloak fluttered in the darkness, yellow eyes rimmed with red glaring at you as he practically melted from the thicket of trees. "Do you still follow their rules?"

He looked exactly the same. Yet felt entirely different.

A jagged scar ran along his right cheek, eyes overflowing with mirth that slammed into your chest. His hair was slightly longer, curling around his ears as he stood before you in obsidian robes. The lightsaber in his gloved hand remained the same. But even now you felt its power through the Force. A magnified darkness that seeped into your chest.

This was not the man you once loved all those years ago.

Not the Obi-Wan who used to promise a future of peace together; only for the darkness to rip at his soul the night Anakin turned.

"How..." you breathed, eyes wide in horror as you watched him step closer.

You longed to wake up from this dream. But the soft leather of his gloves stroking your cheek cemented the truth in your mind. This was indeed reality.

He finally found his long lost prey.

"I must admit. Master Yoda was wise to tell you to come here." He grinned—proud of the fact that he figured you out. Years of searching and he managed to connect the dots of where you settled; where you believed was the safest place in the galaxy. "Even I didn't ascertain that you would dare come back here."

"This is my home," you spit, eyes narrowed as you flinched away from his touch. "I belong here."'

He smiled. "Our home."

"Not anymore. You made your choice Obi-Wan."

His eyes darkened as you spoke his name; the sound of it so familiar from your tongue. He could recall nights he made you scream it. Days spent hidden away in this little hovel of peace you carved for yourselves. A hiding spot in the galaxy for two Jedi to fall in love; to hope for a future that would never come true.

"My choice was to protect my own," he snapped, advancing forward—the piercing echo of his lightsaber now filling the warm air.

"I was your own!"

Stepping away, you watched the crimson blade come free—covering him in a blanket of darkness you felt emanate through the Force. The strong cerulean blue signature you once twined with your own no longer existed. All you could feel when you searched for him—all that welcomed you—was the bitter twisted inky blackness that bled from his soul.

"I offered you a choice." He stood mere feet away, but you felt his touch caress your skin through the air. "I offered my hand to you."

You scoffed, biting back the tears. "That was no choice. A life of service to the Empire that destroyed what we built. I'd rather have you kill me."

His eyes flashed dangerously, lips curling into a grin that sent a thrill of fear down your spine. "I suppose it's only right my darling. After all...you deserve a Jedi's ending. A warriors death."

"Fuck you Obi-Wan," you spit out, hand gripping your lightsaber in the hopes of it stabling you. "Tell me. Does the Emperor know you're here? Does Anakin?"

"Darth Vader gave the order himself."

The title dripped with fury that could only stem from one place. A planet covered in pain that spilled into the Force. Even now you felt it leak to your heart. The grief that you could no longer handle. Anakin resided in a hell of his own making; a pit of darkness you couldn't save him from.

Yet that's not what made the bile burn the back of your throat. It was the knowledge that Obi-Wan remained with him. Forever stuck to the one place that burdened them with a path of agony.

"Maker," you gasped, forcing yourself another step back as he tried to come closer. "He's still there."

"That's none of your concern-"

"You kept him there?" you shouted, raising your saber. "In that pit!" The air burned with the anger you continued to fight back. Obi-Wan reared away from you, shock bleeding across his face as your emotions slammed into him. "I never thought you a monster Obi-Wan."

"I'd watch your tongue," he bit out, lightsaber raised as if to strike. "Don't test my patience Jedi."

The laugh that ripped from your chest held no humor. You could hear the sanity slip from your grasp as he watched you—weapon ready to retaliate if you decided to attack him. What hope you held for the man you once loved slipped from your fingers with ease.

All promise of a future gone from existence.

Sith ruled the galaxy with an iron fist. Jedi died by their hand.

What difference would bringing back Obi-Wan from the dark side make?

"I'll die anyways."

Somehow the admittance didn't scare you. The truth of what lay ahead was always something you knew in the back of your mind. He wouldn't be allowed to rest unless the ties to his old self were severed; you just so happened to be the final one.

The last unforgiving memory of the man he killed on Mustafar.

The nightmare that continued to haunt him even as he attempted to move on from it.

"I will do what I must." His voice was barely above a whisper, but you felt as if he shouted them loud enough for the entire planet to hear.

"You will try," you replied, your heart shattering at the resolute calm on his face. The final confirmation you needed in his stance.

His first blow was built on rage and he wielded it effortlessly. There was no shouting, no words offered, because below the surface of someone so cruel and lost...the last remnants of a Jedi still remained. You could see it in how he moved. Blocking his strike, you gave one of your own—the sparks of your blades igniting the air with a burnt flavor.

Years of training with him gave you the upper hand. You knew is steps before he even made them. His lightsaber curving and twisting in the air with practiced flourish. He still fought with the agility of a Jedi, yet faced you with the power and brutality of a Sith.

"You've grown." His words were a low gasp of air as you parried his hit with a twirl, shoving him back through the Force to watch him slide a foot away.

Taking your stance, you watched him circle you. The grip on your lightsaber tight enough to send pain through your knuckles. For a brief moment, you shut your eyes to the image of him and opened yourself up to the Force. It may have been a mistake, but the words of Qui-Gon still lingered in the back of your mind: mediation is a Jedi's greatest weapon.

Peace.

It's what kept you going after so long.

"The Jedi's teachings won't save you," he spoke through the Force, echoing in your mind. The heat of his lightsaber tipping up your chin nearly made you flinch.

"Not me." Your eyes fluttered open, meeting his heated gaze with a familiar fierce glare he felt in his chest.

You siphoned through each sliver of darkness that shrouded him. Pulling back the curtain that he wished to remain in tact. Until the full force of his agony slammed into you; drowning you in the emotions you had yet to see. Images of Anakin brutally dismembered formed in your mind, his screams for help, for Obi-Wan to save the boy he raised.

You searched and searched until you finally settled on the truth. You caught his glare, your expression softening under the weight of his anger.

"You chose the darkness to save him," you whispered, tears pricking your eyes and blurring your vision. "Oh, Obi-Wan-"

"Lies."

He moved too quickly for you to retaliate or block his swing. A hand gripped your throat, hauling you close as tears spilled down your cheeks. The memories he tried to hide pouring into your chest with a vengeance that broke you in two. But that isn't what made his eyes grow wide in surprise, his chest heaving and lips parted.

You smiled. Placing small slivers of hope in his heart as memories resurfaced. Moments spent here with you, hidden away from the pressures of the Jedi Order. He gasped for air, loosening his grip as he watched them unfold before him. Pages of a story he ripped to shreds the night Anakin turned.

"My love," he murmured, dropping his forehead to yours. "Please."

Cupping his cheeks, you felt your lightsaber drop to the ground. "My Obi-Wan," you sighed.

Lips brushed against yours in a kiss that seared your heart. Severing you down the middle. He caught you in his hold, slotting his mouth against yours with a ragged breath. As if he was finally coming home after so long spent apart. A breathy moan of his name was lost to his kiss, his grip tight and unforgiving. You didn't care.

This was the man who still clung to your heart even through the darkness. The one you promised to die beside.

"I love you," you gasped, feeling his teeth bite at your throat. He sighed, shaky and unsure, but when you looked into his eyes you saw the promise of what was to come. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry," he rasped, clutching your waist as he delivered the final blow.

Pain split through your body and you screamed as his blade entered your torso. You'd suffered a cut with a lightsaber before, but this felt infinitely worse. As if he was severing your very soul from the confines of your body. He cut you open with the reverence of a lover; the hope of love still faint on his lips that brushed against yours.

He held you close, throwing his weapon to the side, as you gasped for air that wouldn't come. There would never be a version of your story where he could let you live; never a time for you two to fall in love again.

The man you once held was far too lost for you to find him again. This you could accept.

This you would carry with you onto the next life.

"T-There-" you gasped, clutching his robes, your eyes heavy with exhaustion.

He fell to his knees with a gut wrenching sob, his face pressed to yours as the pain began to numb in your body. The light of the Force wrapping itself around your form—offering solace after so much anguish.

This wasn't the end. You knew that.

Yet whether or not Obi-Wan Kenobi would join you one day remained a mystery.

"There is no death," he said against your cheek, the hot drip of his tears mixing with your own. "There is the Force."

A soft smile curved on your lips, your fingers brushing the scar on his cheek, as the breath began to slip from your chest. A familiar whisper of Qui-Gon's voice echoed in your ear. Beckoning you into a soft white light as Obi-Wan's cries pierced the air. His arms still wrapped tightly around yours.

You longed to comfort him, to make the promise of more. But that wasn't for you to reveal to him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against your now cold chest. "My love. I'm sorry."

You stood over his hunched body, your form tinged in blue as Qui-Gon's hand lay upon your shoulder. He wouldn't be able to see you this way. Not as he remained now. Deeply entrenched in the dark side that it would be a fight to find himself again.

So you knelt beside him, lips pressed to his cheek as he finally let go of your body, laying you on the ground with the gentleness of the man from years ago. His eyes cast up to the moon that hung above him. The only light in this darkened space he once loved.

Getting to his feet, he ignited his lightsaber and walked over to the nearest tree, slicing it down with a scream that shattered the still air. You watched him drag it through the Force; pieces getting cut as he formed a familiar resting place. Though he stood before you as a Sith—Obi-Wan still echoed in his actions. Resonating in your chest through the Force.

He raised you upon the pyre, tears still falling down his cheeks, and with a cut of his lightsaber against the wood, it erupted into flames.

"A Jedi's death," he vowed, face illuminated by the glow of orange. Gathering your lightsaber, he clipped it to his side—his eyes fixed on the small house still lit with candles. He longed to see you waiting for him on the front stoop, eye alight with a welcoming smile.

"We will meet again."

This he knew to be true.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

You're in Denial: Arthur X Celestine

Lady Celestine is one of the four heroes of Yore and just happens to be the love of Arthur's life. She's a very integral character... kickstarting serval events in the story. I hinted at their dynamic in the past: it's the classic enemies-to-lovers troupe (my favorite- blame Bridgerton: They're Kate & Anthony )

Their relationship is an integral part of the story: hopefully, I can get you all on board this ship (it's okay if you don't, it's part of the prelude). She kicks off several plot points in the story. She's the oracle & blacksmith of the GSA and is responsible for creating Triple Star, Exabliur, and Galaxia (unfinished - completed by another). But her main job was to look after the Fountain of Dreams that was in the temple of the ancients.

Which is where this lovely scene takes place. (And they're lotus flowers, not lilies...)

This happens before Meta and Gala, so this is a young Arthur (the before times).

Sir Uther had three apprentices...

The pecking order was: Arthur, Morgan, and Nonsurat. Which created a wall between Arthur and the other two. It also didn't help that Arthur wasn't the nicest guy either.

Before, Arthur was known as Sir Uther's "golden boy"... Cold and calculating, ready and willing to do Uther's bidding without question. An unfeeling war machine by Uther's design. He was Sir Uther's top soldier: a position Morgan envied & despised Arthur for it...

He was at the top, but it was a lonely spot. As a result, Arthur had closed his heart off from the world: never being his own person. Causing him to wear an apathetic and arrogant personality. He was his master's tool, nothing more. This was his lot in life, and he had accepted all of it.

On Celestine's end, she was a caged bird all her life...

Celestine can't predict the exact future... only show potential paths. But with her powers can guide people to the outcome they want. Which is why she's given the title of Navigator of the Constellations. Nightmare knew of her ability and desperately wanted her power. Only appearing with if alongside the other heroes of Yore when needed (which was only Uther & Icarus at the time).

However, there was a sinister reason behind it... the ancients wanted to monopolize her power. And was confined to the temple most of her life as a result.

Because of her powers, she knew what the ancients really were; a bunch of self-serving hypocrites. So she played the "naive, sweet little priestess": but hid the heart of a dragon. She had a few followers that served under her court; her position kept them within arms reach. In reality, she was alone...

She's the Merlin of the story and Celestine... did not take kindly to Arthur. When she found out that Arthur would be the one to end Uther's reign... "there has to be another Arthur because this one's an arrogant little prick!" She met him a few times: shadowing Uther, and saw him as his dirty henchman.

Arthur did not have a high opinion either of Celestine due to Uther's influence. As the chief blacksmith, Celestine would hire based on talent. She did not care if a person was a high-born or low-born... which Uther did not like. Uther saw her as a foolish little girl who did not know how the world worked. As a result, Arthur saw her as a sheltered, naive, delusional dreamer... however, this would all change.

After the temple was attacked by Nightmare: he was assigned as Celestine's bodyguard. Arthur was not ready for the bucket of sass that was Celestine. Sharp, witty, and vicious (with a few other surprises), she was not one to be messed with.

Arthur was at her mercy since she was technically above him. Though much to his surprise: she insisted on being treated as his equal. Unlike his master: who demanded respect... she was nothing like him. Celestine infuriated & fascinated him all at the same time.

For Celestine, she took this as a chance to reform him... which translated to: "For the sake of the galaxy, I need to take this man down a peg!" But... was pleasantly surprised that her original notions of him were wrong (half of them he was still a little prick ). And teased him every chance she got to reprogram him from his "unfeelingness,"... much to Arthur's annoyance and her delight. But she came to care for the man more than the prophecy.

In time they both realized they suffered the same loneliness. And found comfort in each company... and valued their time together. Arthur, he did not need to be"Sir Uther's golden boy": just Arthur... the feeling was mutual on Celestine's end. She never needed to pretend with Arthur and felt safe being herself with him.

They loved each other but didn't know the words. Both were too inexperienced and young to realize this. And if they did say it... their positions wouldn't allow it... What became of Lady Celestine?

Hmm... oh, I wonder what happened to her?

Keep reading to hear a bit about Morgan... (the runner up in the poll)

Morgan herself was also supposed to be one of the heroes of Yore and complete the set (of four)... But it just didn't fit well. I wanted her to have more emotional weight. Making her one of Uther's apprentices and a rivalry with Arthur seemed more fitting.

There was more of a personal connection to them. Giving her more reason to want to take over the GSA. Always desiring Uther's praise and recognition but never receiving it.

If Morgan won the poll, it (the comic) would've been about her and Norsurant. While they may have been the spares; Norsurant & Morgan always had each other (in a sibling sense).

But after Arthur fell from grace by taking in MK: Morgan became obsessed with taking his (Arthur's) spot. And ended up leaving Norsurant behind to pursue the empty spot. However, this incident also changed his relationship with Arthur.

Like Morgan: Nonsurat believed that Arthur was the golden child that could do no wrong. But after this incident: made realize that he had Arthur figured out all wrong.

[sonoftatooine]

Whumpay 2021

DAY 24: PROTECTED BY AN ENEMY / HURT BY A FRIEND

Characters: Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, Nute Gunray.

Warnings: Blood and injury, mild depictions of violence

Summary: Prequel to Day 9. When Senator Padmé Amidala is captured by the Separatists after being betrayed by her old friend, Onoconda Farr, and scheduled for execution, she finds an unlikely rescuer in the Sith assassin, Darth Vader.

***

There were many things that Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo had not expected to happen when she had travelled to Rodia to persuade her old mentor, Onoconda Farr, to accept Republic aid for his starving people rather than joining with the Separatists in a desperate attempt to save them. She had not expected her attempts at persuasion to fall upon deaf ears. She had not expected her Uncle Ono to betray her, to capture her and hand her over to Nute Gunray and his compatriots in return for promised supplies for his people. She hadn't expected to be bundled into a Separatist ship in chains with no resistance, no attempt at help from her old friend. Hadn't expected to transported to an unknown CIS base, bundled into a small dark cell and faced with a smug Count Dooku, stood before the containment field she had been trapped in, telling her with a cruel smirk that she may have escaped justice at Geonosis, but she would have no such luck this time.

She was to be executed.

What she had expected least, however—what she had never expected even as she hung limp in her chains alone in her cell, hoping for rescue—was that she would escape Dooku's twisted justice, not at the hands of her allies, but at one of the old Sith's own. She would never in her life have imagined that she would ever be in a position to be rescued by Darth Vader, the feared Sith assassin of the Separatists. And yet—she ducked, stumbling over the uneven, rocky ground outside the Separatist base as a barrage of blaster bolts aimed towards her, only for them to be sent back at the battle droids that had fired them before they could even reach her—here she was.

And here, she thought as she caught that deadly whirl of black and red in the corner of her eyes cutting through the ranks of their pursuers with brutal efficiency, was he. Vader. A man she had never once met, but countless horrific stories about. Shielding her. Protecting her. Risking his own life to save hers.

“Which way is the ship?” she shouted over the whizz of blaster fire and the roar of STAPs, gripping her own blaster tight as she fired several shots at the guards attempting to rush them.

Vader did not respond. Instead, he threw out a hand, fingers spread wide, and the droids were thrown backwards in a mighty Force push. In the distance, she could see several armed Neimoidian guards rushing out of the facility, ready to hunt them down.

“Come” he said. “This way.”

***

“Senator Amidala.”

His voice was deep and resonant through the vocoder of the blank death mask that kept his features concealed from allies and enemies alike. Robed from head to toe in black, with no chink in his armour to see what lay beneath, he looked every inch the mysterious Sith assassin that the Senate and the Jedi had come to fear as he stepped slowly into her cell and came to stand directly before her, inscrutable and expressionless. Padmé swallowed. Trapped as she was in a buzzing blue containment field, she could do nothing stare back into his eyes—or at least, where she thought his eyes must be. She would not show him she was afraid.

“Darth Vader,” she said. Her voice hoarse from tiredness and thirst, and she had to draw on all of her politician's training to keep the apprehension out of her tone. “I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Are you to be my executioner?”

'I'm not afraid to die,' she reminded herself, just as she had done chained up in the beast arena at Geonosis what now seemed like so long ago. 'I'm not afraid to die. I'm not—' Vader tilted his head to the side, as if he were considering...something. The mask shielded his expression from scrutiny as much as it hid his identity, and Padmé could not even guess at what he was thinking. She, however, tried very much not to think that that mask had been the last thing that so many people must have seen.

“Lord Tyranus has spoken to you then?,” he spoke eventually. His arms folded in front of him in a gesture that she supposed was meant to look intimidating, but that to her looked almost...defensive, as he was trying to make himself look smaller, self-comfort. Which was blatantly ridiculous. This was Darth Vader. But there was something about the gesture, something which struck a chord of familiarity in her that she could not quite put her finger on— “Your execution has been scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

He was, Padmé decided as she clenched her hands into fists, steadfastly ignoring the ache in her arms after having been suspended in position for so long, nothing like Dooku—or was it Tyranus,  for she could only assume that it was he that the other Sith was referring to with that name. Dooku had visited her in her cell earlier that day, unbearably smug for all his pretence at playing the gentleman, promising her that she would pay the price for the arrogance of the Republic she had pledged her life to. Vader, on the other hand, was blunt and abrupt, disinterested in being drawn into a verbal sparring match, and showing no inclination whatsoever to even so much as draw attention to his power over her, let alone crow about it. There was no air of enjoyment about him, no sense of victory. Only tension. And yet, despite his directness, he had not yet explained to her the reason for his presence in her cell.

“Then why are you here?,” she shot back. “Do you intend to interrogate me? I shall tell you nothing!”

Vader did not respond to this declaration, merely stared at her unflinchingly through the red-tinted lenses of his mask. She could not see his eyes, but she felt the weight of his gaze on her nonetheless.

“No,” he said, suddenly, without ceremony. He turned away sharply, like a puppet jerked about on a string. The change was so odd, so abrupt, that Padmé didn't quite take it in at first. She blinked.

“No?” she echoed.

“I don't want your information.”

'Then why have you come here if not for that?' Padmé thought, frowning. She may not be Force sensitive, but she didn't need to be to know that there was something going on, something very strange, as if the man before her were trying to wrangle himself into a decision which he was not quite sure he should make. But what it was—

“Then what do you want?” she breathed.

***

From the few holos they had of Vader that she had seen played in the Senate, she had always thought of him as something akin to a vine tiger, supremely graceful, inexorably powerful, and deadly dangerous to any unfortunate soul that happened to cross the path of his blade. Seeing him now, Padmé could only conclude that she had been both right and wrong. He was graceful, yes. Powerful, most certainly. Deadly—undoubtedly. But such a comparison could not possibly encompass what it was to see him fight in the flesh. He was a whirlwind of black robes and flashing red plasma, a one-man storm directing blaster bolts back at their pursuers with such speed that she could barely follow it with her eyes, even as he reached out with the Force to crush droids into scrap metal, and to rip Neimoidian guards from their speeders and STAPs. It was utterly terrifying to watch, and she couldn't quite tell that it was more or less so for the fact that it was for her. To protect her.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she was not quick enough to dodge a blaster bolt that whizzed out of nowhere, heading right towards her face with deadly speed. With a shout of alarm, she threw up her arm in a futile attempt to shield herself, but the blow never landed. Lowering her arm cautiously, she saw that the bolt was hovering, static, inches in front of her, so close that she could almost feel the burning heat of it on her skin. It was buzzing angrily as if it wanted nothing more than to surge forward from the grip that held it and strike her down.

What?!

“Mind on the fight, Senator,” Vader called as, with a gesture of one gloved hand, he sent the bolt whooshing back towards one of the pursuing droids with deadly accuracy. “I'd like to get you out of here in one piece.”

'Why?!,' Padmé wanted to scream. 'Why are you doing this?! Why are you protecting me?!' But he was right. She needed to focus on getting out of here alive and harmed. On them both getting out of here alive and unharmed. Questions, she thought as she ducked another bolt that whizzed dangerously past her ears, could come later.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on her blaster and fired.

***

“Whatever happens next, don't panic,” Vader said. “Follow my lead.”

A wave of one gloved hand, and the containment field deactivated. Without anything to hold her up, Padmé pitched forward alarmingly, but Vader stepped forward to catch her before she fell to the floor. The fingers at her waist were hard and made of metal, but his left hand, which had caught her by the shoulder, was as much flesh and bone as her own. 'Not a droid then', she thought nonsensically as she remembered one particular rumour about the Sith assassin that had been circling about the Senate a few moths past before the Jedi debunked it—droids, after all, could not wield the Force.

He set her down on her feet with surprising gentleness for a man of his reputation, but the moment she had regained her balance, she drew back as if burnt. Padmé couldn't quite tell if she should be relieved or not. She was too dazed trying to figure out what in the Galaxy was happening.

“Vader...what—?” she stammered, all of her promises to herself to stay calm and collected around him forgotten in the face of this baffling turn of events.

“Give me your hands” the Sith said in lieu of an answer. When she didn't move, he reached out and took them in a grip that was firm but not rough and, pulling a pair of stun cuffs out of the folds of his robes, placed them upon her wrists. He did not, however, click them properly shut—indeed, made no effort to at all. Padmé stared down at them, her eyes wide.

“What are you doing?” she whispered. It couldn't be what she thought it was. It couldn't be—

“I have a ship hidden away from the base,” Vader replied measuredly—or, at least, the vocoder made him sound measured. Surely he wasn't that calm. He didn't look calm. He looked tense, ready to fight, as well he should if he were proposing— “It will take you to Republic space. The Separatists will not be able to reach you there.”

Then, before she had even had time to process that extraordinary statement, he had taken up position behind her, metal hand resting on her shoulder, ready to push her out of the dark cell and out towards freedom.

“When we encounter the guards, play along,” he instructed. “They won't dare to question me but it will only be so long before they realise something's wrong. We will need to be quick.”

***

“Which way?,” Padmé gasped as she ducked under yet another barrage of blaster fire, her legs and lungs burning from the exertion of running so far. Their pursuers were gaining on them, and worse, they had managed to get a hit on Vader. A stray bolt out of the last spray they had sent their way had managed to slip past his defences and strike him in the shoulder, and he'd been forced to transfer his lightsaber to his left hand as he pressed his right hard to the wound in an attempt to stem the bloodflow. It didn't stand out against the deep black of his robes, but she could smell it, sharp and metallic and a visceral reminder that, strong as her unlikely protector was, he was far from invulnerable.

“Make for the canyon,” he said. If he was in pain—and she was sure that he was; blaster bolts hurt even Sith Lords—there was no indication of it in his voice. Or rather, the voice of the vocoder. It didn't seem to pick up on the subtleties of tone, and even if his tone had sounded weak and hurt beneath the mask, his words boomed out as loud and clear as ever. She wondered, vaguely, what he sounded like without it. “It will give us cover if they try to shoot from above.”

Padmé stared wildly at the rocky landscape around her, at the mouth of the canyon they were nearing. She didn't like the look of it. True, there was a lot of overhanging rock that would shield them from blaster fire from the droids in the air, and anyone who pursued them in there would be forced into a bottleneck, but still... Tall and narrow and with no idea of where it led, it seemed to be just the kind of place that the guards would want to drive them into.

“What if they trap us in there?” she asked, only to be forced to duck under another barrage of blaster fire.

“I will deal with them” Vader retorted. Even though both his hands were gloved, she was sure that his flesh hand clutched about the hilt of his lightsaber was white-knuckled.

“You're injured!,” Padmé argued. Her eyes flickered to his shoulder. The cloth beneath his hand was wet and sticky with blood. “Your bleeding! Are you sure—?”

“I'm fine,” Vader cut across her. He forced himself to straighten up, and despite being able to see nothing of his face, she got the distinct impression that he was gritting his teeth. “Sith draw their power from pain.”

Padmé winced.

“Vader...” She said. The red lenses fixed on her, the flying blaster bolts reflected in them like comets reflected on the surface of a dark lake, and then he turned sharply away.

“Let's go.”

***

“Stand down.” The sharp order barked through the mask's vocoder was enough to make the Neimoidian in charge of the contingent of battle droids sent to guard her turn from healthy green to sickly pink with fear. “I have orders to transport the prisoner.”

“I—my lord,” the Neimoidian fumbled, red eyes wide. He had sprung up ready for action when he had seen her exiting the cell, only to falter upon noticing the looming Sith Lord behind her, and now seemed to have no idea what to do with himself. Padmé glared up at him through her lashes. She recognised him as one of Nute Gunray's toadies even though she didn't know his name. “My lord, forgive me, but...is Amidala not scheduled for execution tomorrow?”

Behind her, she felt Vader draw himself up to his full—and rather impressive—height. The hand on her shoulder squeezed down in a manner that would look aggressive to any onlookers but in reality was nothing more than a steady pressure, mindful not to hurt her. Nevertheless, she took care to add a pained wince to the charade.

“You dare question me?!” Padmé thought the question might have been delivered as a low snarl, but the vocoder turned it into a deep, robotic boom, full of inexorable rage that could only be weathered, neither prevented nor avoided. “You dare question Lord Sidious' orders?!”

The Neimoidian looked like he might faint.

“No-no,” he stuttered, trembling violently. “Of course not, my lord. P-please forgive me. I meant no offence to Lord Sidious.”

Sidious? Sidious? The Sith that the Jedi believed to have infiltrated the Senate, to be at the heart of the war? Did Vader know him? It had always been presumed that it was Dooku that Vader served, but what if it was the mysterious Darth Sidious that was his true master? Vader certainly seemed to know to use his name for effect, and that he would be believed if he did. Clearly, that name held a great deal of weight amongst the Separatists. A lot of fear too.

“My master is not a forgiving man,” Vader returned coldly. “But if you do not obstruct me any further, I may decide not to mention your insolence to him.”

The Neimoidian seemed weak with relief—so much so that Padmé thought he might keel over from it.

“Y-yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord. I'm terribly sorry for inconveniencing—”

“Enough.” The hand on Padmé's shoulder gave another squeeze. Despite herself, it felt strangely reassuring. “I have no interest in wasting time listening to your grovelling. Let me pass, and do not take up any more of my time than you already have.”

Vader was beginning to flag. He was still fighting hard, slicing through droids and organics alike as they chased them through the canyon, but his movements had become a little slower, a little more laboured. He was trailing blood from his shoulder, staining the ground below him red.

“Are you alright?” Padmé called over her shoulder. He was lagging a little further behind than he had before, trying to shake off a pair of super battle droids that had managed to catch up to him and were attempting, without success, to break through his defence. In answer, Vader whirled about his saber with an odd burst of static from his vocoder that might have been a groan of pain and sliced off their arms to remove their weapons before raising a fist and crushing them violently into nothing.

“Keep moving!” he called, the deep boom of his voice echoing through the canyon amid the shouts of the guards and the clanking march of oncoming droids. With a wave of his hand, the Sith sent the remains of the two SPDs careening into the approaching crowd, and the shouts turned into curses and screams.

Padmé turned to run, expecting him to follow her, but before he could, one of the Neimoidian guards, who had found himself at the head of the charge following the destruction of the two droids, launched himself—quite bravely and extremely foolishly—on top of the rogue Sith, attempting to tackle him to the ground. She faltered, but she needn't have worried. Another Force push sent him flying back into the wall of the canyon, and with a whoosh of the red blade, the Neimoidian's head was cleaved right from his shoulders.

“Run!” Vader snapped again. The red lenses fixed on her unmoving form, he had failed to notice the badly damaged B1 approaching behind him, just functional enough to hold a blaster and aim it straight at his head, ready to— Padmé's eyes widened in alarm.

“Vader!” she screamed. Without hesitating, without even pausing to think, she raised her blaster in front of her and unloaded a round of bolts right into the droid's head.

***

“Take it,” Vader said. He was watching her eye one of the blasters discarded by the two battle droids they had fought after an encounter in the corridor had been interrupted by alarms blaring out throughout the facility upon the Sith's ruse being discovered. Or rather, Vader had fought the droids—insomuch as raising a fist and crushing the pair of them into two balls of scrap metal and sparking wires could be called 'fighting'. “They will be coming for us now.”

Padmé stared at him in shock. If the vocoder hadn't made his voice boom out loud and clear, she would have thought she had misheard him over the sound of the klaxon.

“You'd trust me with a weapon?” she asked incredulously.

“You need to be able to defend yourself,” Vader replied. “Besides, we are hardly out of danger yet. I'm your way out of here, and even if you did try to kill me, I would stop you.”

It wasn't an unreasonable argument, and Padmé could not deny the logic in it. She stooped to pick up the blaster and primed it, watching the Sith carefully out of the corner of her eye. He showed no signs of nervousness at her being armed—not that it was particularly easy to tell—and it suddenly occurred to her that he could probably sense her intentions, just as the Jedi could. She wasn't going to harm him—even if she hadn't needed him to escape, she wouldn't harm him. She wasn't about to stab—or indeed shoot—a man who was risking Force knew what to help her in the back.

“Why are you doing this?” she murmured, no longer able to hold back the question that had been burning in her ever since he released her from the containment field. She needed answers, needed to understand. But Vader simply shook his head, turning to face the two super battle droids that had just turned the corner into the corridor. He reached down to his belt and, with a menacing snap-hiss, his lightsaber sprang to life in his hand.

“I don't think now's the time, Senator” he said and, without another word, leapt into the fray.

***

The droid staggered backwards, unresponsive, as the blaster bolts seared through the processors in its head. As it crumpled in a heap on the ground. Vader whirled around in search of where the shot had come from. The lenses of his mask fixed upon her for one brief moment before their pursuers forced him to turn his attention back to the fight, and in that short second, Padmé would have said that he almost seemed...startled. Had he not expected her to defend him as he had defended her? Surely she was mistaken. If he expected her not to harm him—for practical reasons if nothing else—then would he not expect her to have his back—at least for the time being—in battle too?

She didn't have the chance to linger on her thoughts, however. There were shouts from behind her, and with dread in her heart, she wheeled around to see more droids approaching from the other side of the canyon. It was just as she had feared. They were hemming them in.

“Vader!” she screamed in warning.

Vader's mask was inscrutable as ever, and the only way she could tell what he was thinking or feeling was the tension in his frame as he staggered towards her, positioning himself so he could keep both groups in his line of vision. His grip tightened against the hilt of his lightsaber.

“What are we going to do?” Padmé whispered. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be. She just couldn't see it.

“We keep fighting.”

“But—” They were trapped. They were trapped and he was injured and as determined as she was to see them escape, she wasn't sure either of them could fight against all of them. She wasn't afraid to die, but now she had somehow dragged him into this mess too and if he died as well it would be her fault—

“It will be alright,” Vader said. “I promise you.”

And then, with a ferocity beyond even that which she had already seen, he threw himself back into the fray.

***

“Lord Vader!” It was not so much Nute Gunray's indignant shout that stilled them in their path, but the blast door they had been dashing towards slamming shut before they could slip through it. Gripping the stolen blaster tightly in her hand, Padmé turned around to face the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. He was surrounded by his posse of battle droids and Neimoidian guards, his eyes narrowed and his mouth pinched with fury. “What are you doing?!”

Vader whirled about, saber brandished before him, manoeuvring so that Padmé was shielded behind him. There was a click of several blasters being primed as the guards trained their guns on him as one. Padmé raised her own blaster, aiming it so that any bolts she fired would strike below her unlikely protector's arm and into the legs of their pursuers.

“Stand down, Viceroy,” the Sith growled. “Call your men off, or I will kill them.”

Gunray let out a wordless exclamation of rage, but it was belied by the pink tinge to his skin and the slight shaking of his hands.

“I will not have this!,” he blustered, his hands balling into fists. “I was promised her death!”

Padmé tightened her grip on the blaster, lips pressed firmly against the torrent of anger that was rising up within her as the memories of Geonosis and the Separatists' attempts to have her and Obi-Wan killed in that horrid beast arena swam before her eyes. How she despised this man. This man who had invaded her planet and tried to force her to sign his self-serving treaty by hanging the threat of her people's suffering over her head. This man who had tried to have her murdered when his plots blew up in his face and had weaselled his way out of punishment after punishment for his actions. This man who had tricked Onaconda Farr—her Uncle Ono—into betraying her. Articulate as she had always been, she had no words for how much she loathed him, and how much she wanted to bring the Republic's justice down upon him.

“By Tyranus,” Vader retorted. His mechno hand was gripping the hilt of his saber so hard she was surprised it didn't break, and she suddenly wondered if he was sensing her own anger in the Force. “Not by me.”

“She is a Republic Senator!,” Gunray howled in outrage. “An enemy of the Confederacy of Independent Systems! This is treason, Vader! Treason! Lord Sidious will hear of this!”

The guards were subtly adjusting their grips on their weapons. Preparing. Getting ready to fire, Padmé realised with a sick feeling in her stomach. They were going to—

“He will,” Vader said simply. “But I've already made my choice.”

And then he raised a hand and the ceiling of the corridor came crashing down between them. Gunray and the Neimoidians screamed as they scattered backwards to avoid the chunks of durasteel and sparking wires that tumbled violently down to crush them. Many of the droids weren't quick enough to dodge their fate, and soon enough, the corridor was entirely blocked with a solid wall of duracrete and metal and the twisted remains of B1s and SPDs. Padmé stared, wide-eyed, coughing at the cloud of duracrete dust floating in the air.

“That should hold them off for a while” Vader said matter-of-factly, as if he had not just ripped his way through solid metal and duracrete with nothing but the power of the Force. “We'd better get to the ship before they have time to regroup.”

He shot out a hand once more, and with a groan of protesting metal, the heavy blast doors were ripped clean from their hinges.

***

Vader's blade practically screamed as it sliced and stabbed through each and every one of their attackers like a man possessed. He seemed to be running on pure adrenaline now—or perhaps the pain and fear that he must surely be feeling, and was said to fuel the power of the Sith. There were very few of their pursuers left, bodies and droid parts strewn across the floor of the canyons, fallen to Vader's blade and her own stolen blaster. Now, there was only one Neimoidian guard and one battle droid left. Padmé raised her blaster, forcing her hands steady despite her growing exhaustion. One Neimoidian guard left.

The guard cried out, staggering backwards onto the ground as the skinny B1 crumpled beside him. If he had intended to beg to be spared, Vader did not give him the chance. The red blade flashed, and the Neimoidian gave an odd, breathless gasp as the saber plunged through his heart.

After the raging sounds of the battle, the sudden silence was almost unbearable.

She stumbled on her feet, throwing out a shaky hand to catch herself against the wall of the canyon. She felt faint, and sick, her heart pounding far too hard and loud in her chest, and she closed her eyes tight shut so she wouldn't have to look at the corpses at her feet.

“Senator...”

A familiar snap-hiss cut through the throbbing of her pulse in her ears, and her eyes shot open to see Vader turn back towards her, his saber, now deactivated, clutched tightly in his hand. His other hand was pressed tight to his heavily bleeding shoulder, and he was swaying alarmingly on his feet.

“Padmé” he said, and before she could take in what he had just said, before a single thought could even cross her mind, he collapsed down onto the floor.

[paper-n-ashes]

sparks and embers - chapter 13

Characters: Kylo Ren x Original Female Character, Poe Dameron x Original Female Character

Story Tags: Explicit (18+), Canon Compliant/Divergent (Set after TLJ), First Person POV, Love Triangle, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Porn with Plot, Hurt/Comfort, Kylo Ren hates Poe Dameron

Chapter 13 - Exposure

Words: 5.5k

Chapter Tags/Warnings: Descriptions medical procedures

Read on AO3 or Start from the beginning

~

“Alex! You’re okay!”

“So are you!” I burst, eyes already wet with tears of relief. My gaze darted over the holoprojection of Poe’s face, his brilliant smile beaming through from lightyears away.

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” he grinned, leaning closer into the holo. “We’ve been trying to make this contact for weeks.”

A dazzling joy surged in my chest, so happy that my assumptions of being forgotten were baseless. “Did you complete your mission?”

“You’re talking to the best pilot in the galaxy here.” He shot me a charming wink, maintaining his smile. “Actually made it back a few days ahead of schedule.”

Tears continued to dribble out, attempting to calm myself with a shaky exhale. “I’ve been so worried.”

Poe’s expression turned earnest. “I was going to say the same thing.” His expression fell, looking down. “I didn’t want to leave you there. I’m… I’m so sorry Alex. We’re all sorry.”

“It’s alright,” I soothed. “It was the right thing to do at the time. Did you all safely make it back to the base?”

“Left just in time to avoid their tracking systems. So your sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”

“Indeed it wasn’t,” a woman’s voice agreed, her instantly recognisable image appearing in front of me moments later.

Leia Organa.

“I’m so glad to finally put a face to the person who saved my best fighters.”

I was awestruck at the sight of the entrancing older woman, with kind yet determined eyes looking right at me. “Well… uh… They were the ones who protected me against the Death troopers. I really didn’t do anything.”

She shook her head, smiling warmly. “We all know what you did, what you’ve endured because of your selflessness.”

“What I’ve endured?”

“We have recently gained a Resistance spy within the First Order, the one who directed you to this holoprojector,” Poe started explaining. “They’ve been keeping an eye on you. Sending us intel about your condition.”

I thought of the blonde, curled hair I glimpsed a few minutes ago, not recalling ever seeing it before. Whoever it was had obviously done his reconnaissance at a distance. “The cell stay wasn’t exactly easy,” I conceded, looking sincerely to Poe. “But I’m managing better now.”

A glaring lie.

“One thing they couldn’t tell us Alex,” Leia started, her expression now troubled. “Is why exactly they’re keeping you on the Finalizer. Our spy hasn’t been able to collect any information about the subject. To me, it seems a little... bizarre you’re being forced to work for them.”

I was stuck on how to begin to formulate an answer when a commotion from behind the two figures made them turn around.

“I heard you finally made contact!” Rey’s voice excitedly cheered from somewhere in the room, her image quickly arriving into view, displaying an enthusiastic grin as she huddled in next to Leia. “Alex! I’m so glad to see you!”

I returned a warming smile, her sunny disposition difficult not to mirror.

“Oh thank the maker,” Finn heaved, sliding alongside Rey, the four figures now pressed closely into the outline of the holo, Poe seeming faintly annoyed at the intrusion. “If I had to live through one more day of Poe ranting about this stealth signal not getting through, I was gonna go insane.”

Poe was already looking to me when I glanced at his face, an unspoken understanding exchanging between us. “Well now since apparently we’re all here,” he huffed, “Can we actually get back to the issue at hand? We’ve only got a limited amount of time before this signal becomes compromised, and the hard-lock on Alex’s comm-room door overrides.”

Leia nodded in agreement and looked at me again. “Do you know why they’re holding you there Alex?”

I was weighted with a heavy dose of terror in giving my answer, my stare shooting immediately to Rey. Her smile had faded, instead she wore an expression of reassurance.

She hadn’t told them.

“I… I… uh…” I stammered, a flurry of emotions spinning in my brain. I was so sure she would have exposed me.

“It’s okay Alex,” Rey insisted, her tone calming. “I know why you’re scared. I completely understand why you kept it a secret. But we won’t harm you because of it. I promise.”

All eyes darted to Rey, each face breaking into confusion.

Poe was the only one to say what they were all thinking. “What are you talking about?”

I felt my chest begin to tighten, oxygen becoming a little harder to grasp onto. “I’m not ready,” I whispered.

Rey’s appearance was comforting, yet serious. “It’s time. You may not be ready, but sometimes we don’t get the choice.”

I inhaled deeply, scrunching my lids closed, trying to build some sort of confidence to reject the instincts and rules I had been abiding by all these years. A lifetime of keeping my gift undisclosed, hiding it away, never getting too close to anyone, had left me more attached to my secret than anything else in the galaxy. Fear had always kept it’s hold, guiding my actions, and it was pulling at me again now, trying to warn me of the danger once more. But if I didn’t tell them, Rey would be forced to.

And above anything else, I wanted Poe to hear it from me.

“I can… use the Force,” I said slowly, most likely out loud for the first time in my life. “I taught myself… how to heal others with it, when they were close to death.” There was an excruciating silence as Poe, Leia and Finn comprehended my answer, each wearing a different expression of realisation. My stare was only focused on Poe, trying to properly gauge his reaction to my admittance of lying. “I didn’t want anyone to find out, so I’d also learnt how to hide it - to prevent other force-sensitive people from feeling my energy, from hearing my thoughts.”

“Why?” Leia asked gently. “Why were you so afraid?”

“My parents were distrustful of those who were attuned to the Force after living through a time where Darth Vader wreaked havoc on the galaxy. They told me old stories of little children being taken away from their families to be trained as Jedi, only to have all of them massacred, even the younglings. They made it seem like the most dangerous thing in the world was being someone with that gift. So even as a child, when I felt the power growing within, I pushed it down, hid it away. I didn’t want to fight in any wars, and I didn’t want to be killed. I just… wanted a normal life.”

Both Rey and Leia were nodding with me as I spoke, seeming to understand my decision.

“That’s why you were on Raxus. So isolated,” Poe murmured, not looking at me.

“Yes. I kept it a secret for as long as I could, all through my training, only using this power sporadically through the years. But I was too close to being caught whilst working in a medical camp on the Inner Rim, during a skirmish the First Order instigated on a planet because of their resources. A Stormtrooper noticed me healing one of the planet’s inhabitants, one whom he was sure he’d rendered on the brink of death. He wanted to take me to his leader, claiming he would have good use for someone with my abilities. I managed to escape him and ran, giving up my job, my home, all without telling anyone where I was going. I settled on Raxus, built my clinic, rarely having to use my power, never really worrying about being caught again. Until... Poe crashed on my doorstep.”

“And you had to use it then, didn’t you?” Rey assumed, obviously a question she had been waiting to ask. I nodded.

Finn’s eyes sparkled. “I knew it! I knew there was a reason he healed so quickly.”

The death stare Rey shot to him was severe in intensity, and under any other circumstance I would have thought it was funny. But my focus was centred completely on Poe’s expression as he remained engrossed in deliberation, his eyes still not reaching back to me.

“Is this why they’re keeping you held on the Finalizer? They wish to utilize your power to heal?” Leia guessed.

“They don’t know about it.”

Each of their expressions turned to disbelief.

“How? Surely Kylo Ren would have rummaged through your mind the minute you got on that ship,” Finn burst, turning to Rey. “That’s what he did to you right?” She nodded in agreement, still looking to me for my answer.

“I was able to keep him out, like I did to you Rey,” I replied.

Rey seemed impressed, and a realisation clicked behind her eyes. “That’s why he won’t let you leave. He hasn’t figured out why."

I became uneasy, suddenly worrying about the blame I’d been placing on her. “He thinks it’s because of you, that you’ve somehow placed a block around my mind. And I... didn’t exactly correct him.”

Rey let a sly smile form on her lips. “Well that would be a valuable thing to make use of, if only it were true.”

Finn appeared dubious. “I still don’t understand why you agreed to work for them.”

“I didn’t really have a choice,” I subtly scowled. “It was that or rot in a cell until Kylo Ren managed to infiltrate my thoughts, learning of my sensitivity to the Force, leaving me in a lot worse situation.”

Finn appeared understanding of that answer. It had been Rey’s own powers that made the man obsessed with capturing her. Leia, who had seemed more troubled while we conversed of the Supreme Leader, finally spoke up again. “How long do you think you can hold yourself against… him?”

“I don’t know.” My heart thumped with anxiety, reminded of his last attempt to penetrate my barrier. Thinking about it, with Poe’s image right in front of me, made a familiar sickness bubble in my stomach. He still refused to meet my gaze, his face pained, making an ache begin to surge in my chest.

“Well we have to make some kind of plan right? To rescue her before that happens? Poe?” Finn insisted, somehow rustling Poe out from his inner turmoil.

“Right. Sure. Of course,” he agreed, only the slightest glance in my direction. I had to clench my teeth to hold back the tears wanting to form in my eyes, his indifferent response causing a wave of guilt to wash through.

Leia could sense the tense energy exchanging between us, even through the holo. “Finn, Rey, let’s start discussing our next move. Away from the holoprojector.” She looked firmly at the two, an unspoken communication. Rey shot me a look of both support and sympathy, understanding exactly why Leia was leading them away.

“Hang in there,” Finn added before standing to leave. “We’ll get you out real soon.”

I tried my best to reply with a grateful smile, but it was hard to form through the nervousness I felt at being alone with Poe after my revelation.

One by one their figures receded from the flickering blue picture, leaving Poe alone once again. I couldn’t bring myself to speak first, unsure of what to say. He felt further away than ever, his touch a memory that continued to fade.

Time was running out, the seconds ticking away as we both waited in stillness for the other to break the strained silence. When his eyes finally drifted to me again, I was wounded by the hurt in them, still acutely obvious in the artificial image.

“Why couldn’t you tell me?” he whispered. “You had all that time.”

I dipped my head, conceding. “I was scared.”

“Scared of what?” he shot with unrestrained exasperation. “Scared that I would continue to be grateful for you saving my life?”

I looked back up, stunned by his angered tone. “I didn’t want anyone to find out, let alone someone who had ties with the Resistance.”

“What did you think I would do, what the Resistance would make you do?”

“Pull me into a war I didn’t want to fight! Lead me into a life I didn’t want to lead!”

I could see his jaw tighten, an attempt in calming himself. “The fact you assume I’m the type of person that would force you into anything, let alone war, even after everything I told you, is insulting.”

“That’s so unfair,” I retaliated, my bottom lip on the edge of trembling. “I didn’t even know who you were when I decided to heal you. I chose to risk everything to keep you alive. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

Poe exhaled hard, the sound crackling in the holo. “I will always be in your debt for what you did. But you still lied to me Alex. To my face. You assumed the worst of me, of all of us. You hid the truth because you thought we would take advantage of your power, not caring about what you wanted, what you could choose.”

“You haven’t lived my life Poe,” I argued, a ferocity beginning to rise. “You haven’t lived with the same fear I have all your life.”

He stared at me through the staticky blue light, silence once again taking over. We were locked in each other’s eyes, even through all the distance separating us.

“You pushed me away because of it, didn’t you?” he asked, the sting of his tone now gone.

I didn’t have to respond for him to know my answer. Suddenly there was a loud click of the door behind me, the hard-lock releasing.

Our time was up.

“I’m sorry,” I implored, only a moment before Poe’s face was snatched from my view, the holoprojector powering down into darkness.

My throat felt tight, a new kind of shame gripping tightly. I’d always been so afraid of sharing my secret, but not for this reason. Not because it would make me a liar in the eyes of the one I longed to be reunited with so badly.

*

I stayed in the darkened comm-room long after the hard-lock was disengaged. No one came to open it. Even if they had, they would have only found my figure sitting against one of the large data configurators, stuck in a motionless trance.

I wasn’t entirely sure what kept me from crying, because there was certainly a hollow sadness sitting on my chest, yet the emotion never seemed to manifest into anything. It was possibly due to the stark realisation that my power, my use of the Force, wasn’t a secret anymore.

And nothing bad happened.

They hadn’t been afraid, judgemental, desperate to use it for their own benefit. They had wanted nothing. Rey even kept it to herself, waiting for me to expose the circumstance in my own time, supporting the decision I’d made long ago to hold the power deep within.

Alongside the sadness, there was an intense shame thumping with my heartbeat. Poe had been right, once again highlighting my selfish and distrustful nature, even to those who didn’t deserve it. He’d always been unconditionally honest, and I had given him lies in return. He was right to be offended, to feel slighted by my deceit, our whole encounter now coloured with my dishonesty.

The only comforting part of the holoprojector discussion, apart from knowing for sure Poe with how we parted, was there was a plan being formed for my rescue. There was still a chance I might make it off this ship, escaping before Kylo Ren saw through my weakening façade. He had gotten closer than ever before in the preceding morning, and it couldn’t be long until he figured out another way to tug at my emotions hard enough to unravel me completely.

My only hope was that it wasn’t my attraction to him, the way he undeniably ignited the fire inside that he continued to toy with in his endeavour to push past the veil over my mind.

*

When I slipped back through the doors of the Prestige ward I was bombarded with questions from Risha and the other staff concerning the incidents of the night, most of them somewhat impressed with my boldness. While the others thought nothing of my return, assuming that for once justice had prevailed and I’d been seen to act in self-defence, Risha was obviously astonished I wasn’t still sitting in my cell. She followed me to the isolation room, where my intubated patient still lay in critical condition, but fortunately alive.

“How did you manage to convince them to let you out?” she questioned. “I thought I’d be visiting you in that cell.”

I read over the observations, the patient’s vitals seemingly stable during my absence.

I would need to thank Irwin later.

“I didn’t have to convince them of anything. My retaliation was considered appropriate by the Supreme Leader, so he allowed my release.”

Risha physically recoiled in disbelief. “There are like, 20 things wrong with what you just said.”

“It was a surprise to me too,” I agreed, continuing to perform my own assessment of the ill man in front of me.

“Alex, I don’t think you comprehend how unusual it is for the Supreme Leader to involve himself with matters like this.”

“I think we can both agree nothing about my situation is usual.”

“I mean, that’s true.” She folded her arms, still doubtful. “But for him to punish the Colonel instead of you. That’s just…bizarre. Snoke would never have been called to make a decision like that, let alone given any care for your wellbeing.”

I stopped, giving Risha’s answer more than a few seconds of thought. “Maybe he wants to be a different type of leader.”

She snorted. “We all know Snoke was the one who seduced him to the dark side, who turned him into what he is today. You think he would cast away his teachings, suddenly show compassion?”

“You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought,” I murmured.

“Well there’s not a lot else to talk about working on this ship. All we debated in the days after Snoke’s death, and Kylo Ren’s appointment as Supreme Leader, was whether his rule would be the same or significantly worse. No one even had the slightest notion he would be… like this.”

I shrugged, walking back to the progress notes and typing my assessment out. “Maybe he thinks if I owe him one I’ll be less likely to cause anymore issues. Maybe he hopes for me to like it here so I won’t attempt an escape.”

Risha tugged at my arm, making me look to her. “Is that something you were considering?” she whispered.

I didn’t want to give any kind of verbal confirmation to that intention, knowing now the ears always listening into our conversations. I also refused to implicate this sweet person in any of my future plans, knowing it was safer to give an overly dismissive answer. “Of course not. I wouldn’t even know how if I wanted to. I’ll just keep waiting it out. I’m sure they’ll grow bored with me eventually.”

Risha certainly wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t dictate that stance. “So how are you feeling? After… you know.”

“I’m alright,” I reassured, which was a blazing lie. “Better now knowing the Colonel won’t be back on this ward again.”

“Me too,” Risha breathed, showing me a small smile. Mild irritation sizzled knowing what it took to finally have someone to act on a predator like Colonel Wynver, still wishing his punishment would have been more severe. But I had to be appreciative that Risha, and the other women who worked here, could have some comfort due to his hopefully permanent absence from their life.

*

I farewelled Risha after making sure Irwin had given her an adequate handover of the nights new admits, noticing that more beds were now filled with those who had contracted the heavily contagious illness. There was a part of me that worried about the situation I would return to at the start of my shift this evening, but I was too exhausted to fret for too long.

I made sure to pick up a meal from the mess hall before returning to my quarters, horrendously starving from a whole shift without a chance to eat. The shower I had after ravenously devouring my food was just soothing enough to put me in a better state of mind before settling under the bed sheets to sleep, even with the ache beating slowly in the background of my mind at how Poe and I had parted from our transmission.

My only hope was Rey could make him see sense in the way I had kept my power hidden, maybe make him understand how harsh the fear was that drove me to lie.

Sleep arrived effortlessly this time, only minutes passing with my eyes closed before I was pulled into slumber.

*

When I felt my eyes open again, it was obvious I was dreaming, standing on a deserted beach, the horizon a flat line against the evening sky, a lone sun close to sinking past the ocean. It felt peaceful, a melting glow spreading through my body, relishing the sunset scene. But soon I realised I’d never been to a place like this before. I’d never even stepped close to a beach in my short life.

It was then I sensed the presence with me, the strange energy hovering far behind my figure. I went to turn, to face the mystery aura, but I was chained to where I stood, my eyes still viewing the yellowed skyline, the faint sound of small waves lapping against the shore. The energy shifted, my focus trained on its movement as it edged closer, finally taking a position just beyond my right shoulder.

“You’ve been doing spectacularly well,” a familiar voice mused.

I sighed. “I wondered when you were finally going to disturb me again. You’ve been unusually quiet.”

I felt a smile cross the figures lips, although I was unsure exactly what its face would appear as.

“You seem to be managing perfectly fine without my assistance. I didn’t feel the need to intrude.”

“As opposed to back on Raxus, when I couldn’t avoid your constant warnings?” I grumbled, recalling the many interruptions the voice had made concerning my growing attachment to Poe.

The energy moved again, my eyes darting to the space beside me, still unable to turn my head to that direction. I was only able to capture the image of a hooded figure stepping into my periphery, its face almost completely hidden by darkened brown fabric. I could just make out the shape of their lips. Human. And feminine, matching the tone I had heard in my mind for almost my whole life.

“You were making poor decisions,” the hooded woman stated. “Decisions that would bring about damaging consequences.”

“Maybe if I knew the consequences you seem to be so concerned with, I would make the right choices.”

She laughed, a low breathy chuckle that was oddly musical. “That’s not how this works. I can’t interfere with your free will.”

“Can you at least tell me what ‘this’ is? Why you’re inside my head?”

I could see her lips purse, a deliberate silence between us. “It’s not time yet. You’re not ready.”

An unwelcome shiver pulsed, irritation swelling once again. “I would ask what exactly I need to be ready for, but I can assume you won’t tell me that either.”

The woman smiled again, white teeth peeking through her lips on the edge of my vision. “I’m glad you’ve come to that understanding quickly.”

I exhaled hard, growing impatient with the interference of my much-needed sleep. “Is there a reason why you’re here now, deciding to show yourself for the first time?”

“I wanted to ensure you knew you were playing your part well, in the hopes it would encourage you to stay on this path.”

I creased my eyebrows, contemplating how any of my actions in the last few weeks would have been appropriate on this journey I was apparently walking. “And I’m assuming you’ll let me know when I might divert from this destination you’ve got in mind?”

“Indeed,” she nodded, her head lifting in time to watch the sun finally fade completely past the horizon, plunging both of us into darkness. “But I have faith you won’t require my help for the foreseeable future.”

I could only hope such a notion was true, this woman’s voice always having been a horrible strain on my thoughts. But without knowing exactly what I was doing so well, I was unsure if I could keep her intrusions from appearing again. I watched with the woman as stars began to glitter through the sky, reflecting on the stilled ocean, making an even bigger vision of night envelop the landscape. A delicate breeze of wind then brushed against my skin, and she was gone, her energy fading instantly, leaving me alone on the beach once again.

The soothing power of the twinkling scene soon made an overwhelming fatigue encircle my brain, and I was unable to prevent my eyelids from drooping closed.

*

It was obvious I’d been rustling in my sleep when I awoke again hours later, sheets twisted haphazardly over my limbs. I’d finally managed a full 8 hours, feeling the most rested I’d been in days. Although waking to an impossibly long list of questions I couldn’t get answers to didn’t exactly make me feel relaxed.

I laid on my back, wishing I could will the woman’s voice back into existence, only wanting to know why and how she housed her spirit inside my mind. The spoken warnings and guidance had always been there, pestering me with advice, sometimes threatening. But I always assumed it was a form of my own conscience, born from an unknown area of my brain that battled its morals against my decision making. Knowing now it was something more than that, that it was something or someone keeping a close watch over my actions, was oddly comforting.

Maybe I hadn’t been alone all of these years.

*

My last overnight duty before returning to the day shift was chaotic to say the least. Almost all beds of the Prestige ward became filled with viral patients, a large portion of the Finalizer Command leaders now in my company. A dark humour would have mentioned to the Resistance yesterday that this sickness was probably more incapacitating than their assaults had ever been, but I honestly didn’t want to place the idea of biological warfare inside their heads.

While my intubated patient had already improved from my last visit, I was now dealing with three more who’s health was extremely critical. I had never been so appreciative for the medical droids who worked here, their ability to recognise deteriorations in vitals being much quicker than my own.

I’d been given a status report from the rest of the ship earlier in the night, which implied the other wards were in much the same position. Although, it was interesting to note the slowing occurrence between Stormtrooper personnel, their armour and helmets seeming to provide an amount of protection that the Command leaders didn’t utilise.

The Bio-med lab had assured they would have a cure and subsequent vaccine within the next couple of days, pressing us to keep as many patients alive in the meantime. Which was easier said than done. Bacta didn’t help in eradicating the virus or it’s symptoms.

Fortunately for my own health I had already been afflicted with a strain similar during an assignment to Lothal in my training days, the illness sweeping through most of our workers, spread by one of the wounded soldiers. Luckily, none of us had been struck down too harshly, and it had left most of us somewhat immune. In knowing this however, I began to feel a looming dread for the medical staff of this ship who most likely had never been exposed before. It couldn’t be long before they themselves would need to be treated, and I prayed it wouldn’t leave me as the sole doctor still well enough to keep working in the time before a cure was found.

In the morning I handed over the night’s events to the day shift, giving strict instructions for the care of the four intubated patients, offering to return if I was required to at any time. I’d been afforded a full day cycle before returning to normal working hours, a day off of sorts, but with little freedoms being afforded to me on this ship to utilise my free time, I was quite comfortable in being called back to ease the load on the Prestige staff.

No such request had been made by the time I’d taken care of my daily routine, sleeping soundly through another 8 hours, this time without the interruption of vivid dreaming. It was early evening, which was only ever evident by the chronometer in my quarters, and I’d found myself too anxious about how the ward was coping to focus on the literature I was attempting to read.

The unease eventually caused me to change into the mundane set of informal clothes the First Order had allowed, wanting to pay a visit to the ward to ease my worry. A pair of black pants hemmed tight against the outline of my legs and a grey sweater which wrapped around my torso, leaving a bow at the back. I hadn’t pulled my hair up, assuming my visit wouldn’t actually require me to do any work. I wanted to appear as casual as possible, hopefully not implying they would be desperate for my assistance.

I was about to slip around the corner of the small lobby outside my quarters, pondering over the fact I’d never seen anyone enter or exit the two other doors, when I was disrupted by the sight of General Hux making his way down the corridor. He was alone, without his usual entourage of Stormtroopers My eyes narrowed, watching him suspiciously as he closed the space between us, noting the stressed expression he wore, his porcelain cheeks slightly red.

“What have I done this time?” I prodded as he stopped in front of me.

“I’m afraid I’m not in the mood for your juvenile mockery Miss Jago,” he snapped. “Come with me, I have a task you are required for.”

I folded my arms. “This is meant to be my day off.”

“You’ll find that I don’t particularly care,” Hux grumbled. It occurred to me how unwilling he seemed to be here, most likely a stern order behind his reason for being in my presence. “You don’t have a choice in this matter. Now follow me.”

“Could you at least tell me what you’re hauling me away to do?”

He didn’t stop his exit. “You’ll find out soon enough. I’m not going to ask you again. Follow me.”

It was curiosity that made me obey his demand, beginning to step behind the irritating man as he led me to an unspecified objective. When we started veering towards a familiar turbo-lift, noting him pressing the floor I’d memorised from the previous day, my whole body pulsed with anger.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I seethed, looking to Hux with a burning contempt.

“It was an order,” he replied sharply.

“It always is,” I fumed, leaning into the durasteel wall of the turbo-lift.

What did he want with me now?

Hux stormed ahead when the doors opened, my shorter strides barely able to keep up as we walked through the darkened hallway. With a simple wave of his hand on the security panel the blast doors opened to the room I had previously been forced into, the huge open view of endless space still taking my breath away.

Hux didn’t stop in the lounge area, instead swerving to the door at the far left, pressing a code quickly into the lock, waiting for me to enter first once it opened. I looked at Hux quizzically before moving past, taking a moment to register the scene I’d been made privy to.

My eyes scanned over Kylo Ren’s figure, now hunched into a ball underneath the sheets of his bed, a sheen of sweat noticeable on his forehead even from the doorway. He was asleep, however it didn’t appear even close to restful, his breaths loud and heaving.

“The Supreme Leader appears to be afflicted with the virus,” Hux stated in a hushed tone, still emotionless as ever. “He requires the care of a medical professional until his health returns to normal. I think you can understand the confidential nature of the task I’m giving to you.”

I nodded slowly, still stunned at what I’d walked into. “But why me? Surely there are other doctors who could do this. Ones who aren’t his hostage.”

“That is most definitely true,” Hux agreed. “But he asked for you.”

~

Next Chapter

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[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “A little Race.”

So this is a little story setting up for some stuff in the future.

A few of you on the discord server mentioned an interest in learning more about the criminal element within my universe as well as a couple other ideas which I would love to incorporate, so I hope you like where this is going :)

Adam turned heads as he walked through the station. Glowing, grungy neon lights lit him up from either side though the forest of bodies parted before him like a sea. Everyone here looked more than a little unnerved at his presence, and hurriedly scampered away into the dark allies upon the station.

It wasn’t a big place, A trading hub  not so far from the metallic belt, so many of these people probably weren't here for illegal reasons, but based on his time getting to know the criminal underbelly of the universe, he also knew the station’s real reputation. And he knew the man he was looking for was likely to be here. 

He would have disguised himself as Kell, but thought better of it. He wanted to keep that disguise in his arsenal if he ever had to go undercover again, and this wasn’t a moment  he needed to be undercover.

Behind him Sunny walked at his shoulder, holding her pearlescent spear in one hand.

She really made an impression on people these days, and he found it more than useful to have a saint on his side.

He walked down the hallway through a set of doors and then into a wide cargo bay. Someone was playing rap music somewhere, and he could hear it echoing  off the rough metal. Graffiti tagged the walls on almost every surface, including the floor, and the rattle of metal on metal drowned out whatever lyrics there might have been. He stepped further into the room as out of place as he had ever been.

Adam had never been involved in criminal affairs. Beside his brief stint as Kell and his  accidental time in the Turma Prison, he had been a straight arrow all his life. He had never done drugs, never stolen anything, never been arrested. And it certainly didn’t help that he had to run here from an appointment with Admiral kelly, and so was still wearing his UNSC uniform, which was pristinely pressed, light grey  and caused him to stand out like a drop of white paint against a black background.

The music crew louder as he stepped inside.

The room was full of shuttles, or some of them were shuttles and others were more accurately jets. Some of them were old, held together by paint and duct tape, while others glowed sleek with outlandish new paint jobs that included skulls and flames and chains. A group of men and women sat off to one side. The women wore very little, just string bikini tops and cut off jean shorts. One of the women, with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail was wearing jeans and a spoked leather jacket.

A lot of the men wore baggy pants tank tops, with lines of tattoos crawling up their arms and necks.

Similar looking people loitered around the ships tinkering with the engines and polishing surfaces already too shiny to need polishing.

The  woman was the first to see him, sitting up straight with the rattle of leather and spikes, “You don’t have any business here, Get out.”

That caused the others to turn and look, and the group of people bristled like an angry dog, forming into a tight group shoulders wide, arms out chests puffed up.

Adam stopped a few feet away.

“I want to speak with the man called Donovan Red.”

“Ol Donni ain’t here.” One of the men said, spitting onto the floor, “New git!”

“I know he’s here. His ship is parked in the hanger on deck E.”

A couple more men had wandered up to join, and he spotted the tell tale sign of weapons shoved hastily into their pants.

He held his hands out to the sides, “Listen, I just want to talk.”

“Then come  back with a warrant, pig.” ONe of them snapped. The guy was an ugly looking thug with a completely shaved head and bare chest. He had a pot belly from drinking, but he still had one of the girls hanging off his arm shying behind him from for protection.:

He sighed, “I’m not here to talk with him about any of his activities as legal or illegal as they may be. I’m not interested in what he does or who he does it with. I am here to ask him a favor.”

There was a shift about the room, and the woman from before stood up resting a hand on her hip, “The golden boy of the UNSC wants a favor from old Donni.” She barked a laugh and the men and women behind her laughed too.

“”In your dreams, boy.”

The group turned laughing and he felt his insides churn a bit with rage. He went to take a step forward but took a deep breath and stopped, “He will want to reconsider.” they ignored him, “If he does me a favor that means I owe him, Think about that, one of the most powerful men in the GA or the UNSC and I will owe him a favor.” he raised his voice, “Your boss would have to be pretty stupid to avoid an offer like that.”

There was a pause around the room, and then Adam felt something cold press up against his temple, “And you have to be pretty stupid to call him stupid.”

Adam turned his head just slightly feeling the barrel of the gun pressed below his ear.

As he moved the gun moved. Sunny hadn’t bothered to deal with the guy, and he knew why almost immediately.

WIth one lightning fast move he reached up and slapped the gun out of the man's sloppy grip. It clattered to the floor and went spinning away under one of the shuttles. Adam then stepped back and elbowed the man in the face. The man staggered back and Adam finished him off with a kick to the sternum that sent him flying back into  a barrel, which tipped over with an echoing thud and rolled slowly away.

He turned back to the others who were hastily reaching for their weapons, “The next person who points a gun at me is getting a spear through the throat.” Sunny stepped forward with a hungry look on her face.

The group paused, “You’re UNSC, you can’t do that.”

HE crossed his arms, “I won't be doing anything, but I can’t guarantee that my partner here won’t.” 

There was a pause in  the room as everyone nervously looked between each other.

“Why don’t we all just calm down.” The voice echoed in from the back, and the entire group turned to see a man walk up through the isel.

Donovan Red was shorter than Adam had expected, but still fit. He wore a tight black T shirt that bulged around his biceps, and when he walked he walked with the confidence of a man not used to being out of control.

The man walked right up to him, unperturbed by their height difference  slowly looking him up and then down. 

“You shouldn’t have come here, Cinderella.”

Adam raised an eyebrow, “Cinderella/”

The man shrugged, “Yeah, you got that vibe, all dressed up like a princess.” He nodded to Sunny, “And hanging out with woodland creatures.”

Sunny did not look amused, 

“Actually that would be snow white, or sleeping beauty, as I recall Cinderella only talked to mice.”

The man snorted, “My apologies for now knowing my princesses better, Cinder-ellla.”

Adam didn’t respond, didn’t back up. Instead he inched forward so he was towering over the man, “Look I’m not here to bother you or your men-”

“Too late for that don’t you think, princess.”

The men and women behind him laughed.

Adam sighed, “If you will let me finish. I assume that you got off your ass and came over here because you heard what I was saying to your cronies?”

Adam stood his ground as the entire group inched in. It was partly out of show, and partly because he knew sunny and him together could take this crowd easy.

Red looked up at him with his head tilted to one side, “Tell you what.”

He stepped back and turned to look at his men, “I’ll talk to you about your little favor, but-” He held up a finger, “Only if you prove yourself worthy of my time.”

Adam sighed. This was going to be good.

“And how, exactly do I do that.”

“Simple,” The man said with a smirk, “You just have to win a little race.”

***

Eris looked up at the pictures on the wall. There were a lot of them to choose from, and she spent some time wandering around the living room looking up at all the images. She knew these people, or at least it felt like she did.. Through Adam’s memories she knew Martha: intelligent and protective, Jim: strong and loyal, Maya: sweet and adventurous, Jeremy: friendly and changeable, Davide: perfect and charming, Thomas: a general hot mess, but someone who cared deeply about things.

She remembered all of them, but at the same time that felt like invading their privacy. 

They didn’t know her, so it wasn’t fair of her to claim to know them.

She sensed someone behind her and turned to find Martha looking up at the pictures with her. She pointed up at one and Eris followed, “that was last christmas together before Adam went to space.” She sighed and shook her head, “A lot has changed since then.”

Jim followed behind and held out a cup, “Can you eat human food? Sorry if you can’t I just assumed.”

She took the cup, “No its ok, myst of my  insides are human.” She had taken off her hoodie and now let it rest on the back of Martha’s rocking chair.

Jim went to stand next to his wife and looked Eris over with his head slightly tilted.

Eris hid behind her long dark hair, hair that reached past her butt. She wore it long, not only to hid behind, but because she thought it might help to cover the starborn ribbons which trailed from her back.

“You know what Martha, she looks a lot like Maya doesn’t she.”

Martha turned to look and Eris shuffled her feet, “You know what, I didn’t see it before but she does. She elbowed him, definitely has the Vir family nose.”

He grunted, “Be glad she got the nose and not the ears.”

Martha motioned her to take a seat, “Why don’t you sit down and tel lus what brings you all across the galaxy.”

Eris sat shyly on the edge of her seat nervously running her hands through her hair.

“Well….. um , nothing really it’s jus that. I had been taking care of the other hybrids and…. And well I kind of got burnt out and couldn’t do it anymore, so I…. wanted to start living for myself you know?”

The two humans nodded sagely

“But I didn’t know where to start. So I thought I would get to know my roots a bit better. I am half human….. Well DNA says a little bit more than half human, so I thought I might start with you.  Iwanted ;to see Adam, but he seems to be gone, and I can’t reach him.”

Martha nodded, “It has been harder and harder lately especially after.”

Eris’s eyes widened as she read the thoughts forming in the woman’s mind, “Someone is trying to kill him!”

The two paused, but then got back into stride without so much as a look between each other. Eris kicked herself. People always hated being around her when they knew she could read minds. 

Here she was driving people away again.

“Yes…. someone has attempted to kill him in the past. We aren’t sure if it will happen again, but we dor worry about him.”

Eris felt her insides go cold, she could feel it through the mental link to his parents, and she could feel it inside herself as well.

Adam Vir couldn’t die, not before she got to know him better, and certainly not if it was going to hurt his parents, who were some f the nicest people she had ever met.

She had to do something.

[ilovefandoms102]

Forever

Pairing: Kylo Ren x Reader

Summary: How it all began, and where it went wrong...

Note: I wrote this once a while ago at the very beginning of my blog and got no likes on it so I’m reposting since now I have a larger fanbase so I hope you guys enjoy!

Click here if you want to be apart of my taglist!

=====================================

I come from the planet Tattooine, the place where Ben's uncle, and his grandfather grew up. My parents abandoned me when I was 15 when I started showing my powers, they feared I was a danger to them. Luke found me and raised me as his own, the Jedi ways engraved into my brain. 

Then I met Ben, we clicked instantly becoming inseparable from that moment on. I knew it was wrong, that the Jedi weren't meant to fall in love. Luke had warned me that my infatuation needed to end because Ben wasn't the man I thought he was, that he would go dark. I had felt the disturbance in the Force from him as well, but I couldn't leave him.

Ben Solo is the love of my life, I say is because I know he is still here. He is not dead inside of Kylo Ren like so many people believe. I was there the night the temple was destroyed......what is so sinister about it is that the temple was destroyed the night of our wedding. It was a secret wedding, we had to sneak away to have the ceremony. We were promised to each other for better or for worse, but I don't think your husband killing your Jedi classmates is what they meant by worse...

=====================================

6 Years earlier:

"Ben...wha-what did you do?" I asked, looking at my husband. He had a murderous expression on his face that scared me.

"He tried to kill me..." he said, gripping his saber tighter.

"Who? Honey, what's going on?" I asked again, putting my hands to his cheeks.

"Luke," was all he said, tears welling in his eyes.

"Ben..." I whispered.

"Ben is gone." he said, pushing my hands away.

"What?" I asked, taking a step back from him. My heart crushing as I knew what this meant, he was turning to the dark side.

"My name is Kylo Ren now. The Supreme Leader has called to me because he knows how to train me to my full potential." he explained, as if we weren't surrounded by our dead classmates and a burning temple.

"This is not the Jedi way Ben, what are you thinking?!" I shouted at him.

"It wasn't the Jedi way for us to fall in love, yet here we are." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"People of the dark side cannot show love Ben. How can you sit there and claim to love me, but are choosing this path?" I asked, keeping a grip on my light saber in case things went south.

"The Supreme Leader is willing to work with our...circumstances." he revealed, turning to walk towards a ship that wasn't there before.

"Ben stop!" I yelled, running after him.

"Do you love me?" he asked, catching my arm in a tight grip.

"What kind of question is that I married your dumb ass!" I said, shoving him off me.

"Y/n/n," he whispered.

"Ben...I can't." I whimpered.

"Come with me and we can rule the galaxy!" he said, smiling but it was not the smile of my Ben.

"I-" I started, Ben interrupting me.

"Y/n/n, you are my life. I love you more than anything in this galaxy, I need you by my side baby...please." he said, leaning his forehead on mine.

"Forever?" I asked. We used that as a way to reassure the other that we would always love one another, forever.

"Forever my love." he said, leaning down to kiss me.

=====================================

Present:

I was in the private gym Kylo had made sure all the officers on the First Order knew was only for me. I somehow got away with not being trained by Snoke and continued my Jedi training, using books I stole from the Temple. I was meditating when I felt my husbands presence. I continued with my training as he watched me from the other side of the room.

"You're so beautiful my darling" he said, that stupid mask of his altering his real voice. I'd love to pitch that thing into space, he knows I hate it too.

"You know I don't respond when you have that thing on Ben." I said coldly.

I heard the click and hiss of the mask being taken off as I lowered myself, turning to face him. I was only allowed to use Ben when we were alone, in the eye of the First Order we were Mr. and Mrs. Kylo Ren. I hated it so much, I was currently in the works of becoming a double agent for the Resistance, using the ways of the force to reach out to Leia.

 It hurt me more than anything to go against my husband, the one I'm supposed to stand with above all, but with the construction of the second Death Star coming to an end and knowing what they are using it for....I can't stay on this ship any longer.

Ben came closer to me, I had to tip my head further back the closer he got. My head barely reached his chest, he took his glove off so he could run his fingers through my hair. I lifted my eyes to meet his dark brown ones. I got on my tip toes and kissed him, this is what I would miss the most, the intimate moments we got to have with each other...when he acted like Ben and not Kylo. 

He moaned into my mouth, gripping the hair at my scalp to pull me closer. His other arm wrapped around my waist as he lifted me the few feet between our heights so he wouldn't have to bend his neck as far. I sifted my fingers in his black hair, using my other to grab his cheek. I pulled away first, my chest rising erratically from the lack of oxygen.

"I have a mission I'm leading, I'll be leaving in a few days. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone...I don't want to leave you." he spoke softly, leaning his cheek on mine. I hugged him tight, heartbroken that he would be leaving so soon.

"What will you be doing?" I asked, but I really didn't want to know. He sensed that as he narrowed his eyes at me, our Force bond tingling my mind as he was trying to read it. 

"Ben, quit trying to read my mind!" I yelled, slapping his arm.

"I'm sorry baby, but I was curious to know if you actually wanted to know...or if you were just trying to entertain me." he smiled, kissing my nose as he put me back on the ground.

We made our way to our quarters, Kylo now replacing my Ben. I hardly ever acknowledged anyone around us unless I was spoken to directly. I didn't ever go out of my way to speak to anyone either. If I had a question, I'd use my Jedi powers to read their mind or force them to tell me.

"Commander Ren, Lady Ren, How lovely to see you all on this fine afternoon." General Hux greeted as he came around a corner. 

I continued to walk until I felt a pull from the force, Ben stopping me in my place to talk to Hux. I gave him a death stare, he knows I don't like socializing with his people.

"What can I do for you General?" I asked, annoyed with Ben-Kylo’s insistance that I speak with Hux.

"I was hoping I could trouble you both for a meeting-" he started, but I was quick to interupt.

"No, I'm quite tired and wish to rest. You can have my husband though General." I said as I fought Ben's force, breaking free of it and walking into our room.

=====================================

Kylo's POV:

I stared as my wife walked into our quarters, rage of her disobedience burning inside me. I let her know through our Force bond that I was not happy with her, thankful the mask hid my feelings from General Hux. I turned back to look at the General, his presence annoying what I was hoping to be a enjoyable evening.

"What do you need General?" I asked again.

"I think we should take this to my office, away from prying ears." he said ,quietly. We arrived at his office, him sitting at his chair while I stood by the open window.

"We have received word that there might be a double agent roaming the ship..." Hux said, his eyes drifting down.

"This is what you had to disturb my evening with the Lady for?" I seethed, keeping my fists clenched at my sides.

"Commander, the rumors are claiming that the Lady is the double agent. That's why I thought we would speak here." the General looked at me with a terrified look on his face, as he should.

"How dare you!" I shouted, using the Force the choke this son of a bitch.

"Sir, please! I just wanted you to know before you heard from someone else!" Hux choked out.

I stormed out of the office, pushing past officers and troopers. I walked into my quarters, spotting Y/n in the kitchen. My anger started dissipating, her presence not only in the room, but through our bond calmed me. I forgot about being angry with her, I walked into our room and changed into comfier clothes.

=====================================

Y/n’s POV:

I felt Ben's presence behind me, but I ignored him to finish dinner. He was angry, but I couldn't tell why. He walked off as I could feel his anger disappearing. I turned off the stove and cleaned the dishes as dinner cooled down, I could hear Ben in our bedroom. I walked in to him taking his amour off, I couldn't help but stare. He was so beautiful and I felt so lucky to call this man mine despite his faults.

"See something you like baby?" He asked, his deep voice igniting a feeling in my lower regions.

"I think I'd like it better if you weren't facing away from me love," I teased, smiling at him.

He finished taking his clothes off, leaving him in just his black silk pants. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned to face me, I could feel him trying to rack my brain for what I was thinking. I let him in to see what I was thinking at that moment....How beautiful he was, how I loved him with my entire soul, and that I would be lost without him.

"Your thoughts are deep tonight my love, what's wrong?" he asked, putting his arms around my waist.

"I just...I don't like you going on solo missions...I don't like us being apart from each other." I confessed, putting my hands on his bare chest.

"Snoke wouldn't put me out there if he didn't think I could handle myself sweetheart. You above anyone should know I am very capable in battle." he said, squeezing me. I didn't like when he talked about Snoke, I rolled my eyes at the thought of that creature.

"Can't I come with you? We're better together than apart Benny." I whispered, hugging him. He laid his head on top of mine, sighing loudly.

"You really need to start calling me Kylo, you're going to slip in front of someone one day and The Supreme Leader will see me as still being drawn to the light." he muttered.

"You don't fool me Solo, I know there is still light in you." I said, not liking where the conversation was going.

Ben pulled away from me, stalking to the kitchen. He was slamming stuff around by the time I got in there, preparing himself a plate very angrily. I wish I had kept my mouth shut, the good mood we had going was ruined by my big mouth.

"Honey," I whispered, slowly walking closer to him.

"Don't y/n" he growled, I knew I was in deep shit when he used my full name.

I sighed, grabbing myself a plate. I sat beside him at our very large dining room table that we didn't need since we never had guests over, neither one of us the most social beings. We ate in very awkward silence, I was the first to finish. 

I cleaned up the kitchen, putting away leftovers then heading for the bathroom. I started up the huge shower we had installed, getting the water to the perfect temperature before stripping and stepping in.

I was in the middle of rinsing my conditioner out when I heard the door open, the door was glass so I could see that it was Ben. He stripped him self before joining me in the shower, we had another shower head installed for when we both were in the shower on opposite ends. 

He turned his on, wetting his hair. I couldn't help but stare at him, the way his arm muscles flexed when he ran his hands through his wet hair sometimes the veins popping out. I had to check to see if my mouth was hanging open. He walked over to me, I grew tense the closer he got.

"I'm sorry my love." he whispered, my heart melted.

"I'm sorry too." I said, looking down at my feet.

He grabbed the back of my head, forcing it to come up as he smashed his mouth to mine. I responded immediately, throwing my arms around his neck. Our tongues were in a battle for dominance, him winning of course. I let my hands roam over his body, feeling his muscles. I had to pull back to breathe, both of us panting hard.

"Forever?" he asked, staring into my eyes.

"Forever my love." I whispered.

=====================================

Taglist:

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[arrow-guy]

The Lighthouse (10/??)

Summary: The town is sleepy, the people are nice enough, but life gets turned upside-down when the God of Thunder literally falls out of the sky.

A/N: It feels to good to finally be back to this story. It’s been too long. that being said, here we are with chapter 10! Serious discussions and movement in the story lie ahead, so buckle up, lads. Hope you enjoy!

Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong

Pairing: ThorxReader

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Harsh language

part 9

“I agree with (Y/N),” Thor says.

Loki scowls. “Of course you’d agree with her. You’re in love with her.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” I protest. “There’s been no talk of the ‘L’ word thus far in our relationship, don’t go putting words in his mouth!”

Thor glances up at me briefly but quickly focuses on his brother again. “I agree with her because she’s right. We stand a better chance of defeating him if we have support from the Avengers.”

“Thank you!” I cry. “At least someone in your family can see some kind of sense.”

“And you think it’s him?!” Loki hisses.

“I’m more inclined to think it’s him than you.” He scowls and I shake my head. “I mean, seriously. You, Thor, and I are no match for an intergalactic warlord!”

“She’s right, Loki,” Thor says. “You know this.”

“Fine,” Loki snaps. “Have it your way. Drag every single one of your little friends into this. Earth is doomed, regardless.”

“You don’t know that,” I say.

“I know what Thanos is capable of,” Loki says, his tone low and filled with dread. “I’ve been bent to his will and the instrument through which he exacted his first attack on your planet.”

"I'm not saying that working with the Avengers secures us the win. It just means that we'd have a fighting chance." Loki keeps his face carefully blank and I squint at him. “Unless you think that won’t be enough.”

“I know it won’t be enough,” he grinds out. “And I know this because there are three Infinity Stones on this planet, and Thanos won’t stop until he has all three of them.”

“Three?” Thor’s brow furrows. “I am only aware of two.”

“That’s because the last time you were on Earth there were only two.” He holds out his hand and a glowing blue cube materializes in his palm. “I possess the third.”

“And you couldn’t say something earlier?!” I hiss. “You’ve been talking us in circles when you had the answer up your sleeve the entire time.”

“You should’ve told us, brother,” Thor growls. “This isn’t the time for keeping secrets.”

“How am I to know?” Loki demands. “Your human has so much magic hidden inside of them, how can I assume that she has only the best intentions in mind?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

“Don’t you?” Loki hisses. “You speak of performing spells that someone like you should have absolutely no access to as if you’re simply going for a stroll.”

“Wh-”

“Do you realize how much power is necessary to track something across the galaxy?” His eyes narrow and I try to shrink away from him. “There is something old and powerful within you that you’ve been tapping into. I’m surprised even Thor hasn’t noticed yet.”

“What on Earth are you talking about?” I glance between Loki and Thor, confused. "Thor?"

Thor shakes his head. "True, she's powerful, but I don't know what you're talking about, brother."

Loki scowls. “Of course you don’t. I don’t know why I even bother asking.”

“If you know so much, why don’t you fix everything then, huh?” I demand. “Because all you’ve been this morning is contrary and argumentative.”

“Clearly I’m not capable of solving this problem on my own, or even with my brother added to the equation.”

“Then what’s your grand plan?”

“Your power, in your untrained state, is volatile. But,” he says. “I could teach you.”

“You mean use me and my magic as you see fit,” I correct.

“No, I simply mean that I could better help you to hone your skills than Heimdall can from where he is,” Loki explains. “I am more than talented enough to bring out your full potential.”

“That doesn’t sound much better than what I just said you’d do.” I scowl. “Besides, we wouldn’t have to worry about taking down a galactic super tyrant as a band of three if we just call the fucking Avengers.”

“Oh please, you’ll need to know either way.”

“Maybe. But I’m sure as hell not learning from you, and I’m definitely not having this argument.”

I push myself up from the kitchen table and hurry up the stairs to shut myself in my office. I sit down in my chair, sigh, and put my head down on my desk.

“Childish,” I mumble.

A quiet thump against the door draws my attention away from wallowing in self pity. When the sound doesn’t come again, I get up to investigate.

Upon opening the door, I find Charles sitting outside, patiently waiting for me to let him in. I gesture for him to come inside and he meows before trotting through the door. He hops up onto my chair and then my desk, where he curls up on his blanket under the desk lamp. Only when he’s settled am I reminded that I hid in my office to distract myself with work.

I open my laptop and check my email.

Someone knocks softly and cracks open the door.

“I’m working,” I say.

“It’s been hours, (Y/N).” I glance up and Thor slips into the room. “I brought you something to eat.”

“Oh.” He holds out a plate with a sandwich and carrot sticks on it and I take it. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Thor scoops up Charles from the desk and takes a seat on the couch. I pick up a carrot and roll it between my thumb and index finger before taking a bite.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” I say. ”I was out of line, storming off like that. I should’ve stuck around.”

“Maybe, but there are times when Loki ignores the comfort of others in favor of pushing on with his own plans. But being the loudest person in the room doesn’t make him right.”

I nod. “I just don’t want to set things back because of a stupid argument. There are more important things to deal with right now than my anxiety over learning to control my magic.”

“I’d say you’ve got a fine grasp on your magic, for now. We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are, had you not worked so diligently with Heimdall to find Loki.”

“Recklessly, is more like it,” Heimdall says. “Though I cannot argue with his logic. You’ve made incredible progress in your skill in the time that I’ve been teaching you.”

“But should I take Loki up on his offer?” I ask, my voice small. “I saw what happened when he restored your memories. I’m not sure my body could handle that.”

“I’m sure it would be different, were he to teach you and not forcibly put the knowledge into your mind, but…” Thor shakes his head. “That’s not a choice that I can make for you.”

“I know.” I pick at the sandwich. “I still think we should contact your team. Even if Loki’s right, and they aren’t enough, they’re bound to know more people that can help.”

“Then we’ll call them.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“What about Loki?”

“Loki doesn’t know everything, and I am well aware that I’ll never be able to convince him otherwise. But we don’t need to halt our progress simply because he disagrees with your plan.”

“Thing is, it’d be really nice if it weren’t just my plan.”

“It’s not. I have your back on this.”

I nod. “How do we contact them, though? It’s not like I can just google their phone number.”

“There’s no need.”

“Huh?”

“I memorized Stark’s number years ago.”

“You… memorized Tony Stark’s personal phone number?”

“I did. With the way he flits from one thing to another, he is not an easy man to keep track of. Most of the team either memorized his number or stuck to him like glue.”

I laugh. “I see.”

He smiles. “You should eat. We’ll call after.”

With my meal finished, Thor and I situate ourselves on the floor in the middle of my office. Charles climbs all over our laps and I have to push his face away from my phone several times.

“You’re sure this is the right number?”

“I’m certain.”

“Okay.” I dial the number, put the phone on speaker, and hold it away from me. “What if he doesn’t answer?”

“He will, (Y/N). It’s not as if it’s easy to find this number.”

“Okay.” I bite my thumb, unsure of what to do with myself. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Explain the situation. We know Thanos is close and that Banner is Earth-side." He tries to reassure me with a smile. "You can do this. I promise."

The phone suddenly stops ringing and my eyes snap to Thors. He nods once and I focus in on the phone.

“How did you get this number.” It’s not a question.

“Tony Stark, right?” I ask.

“If you know enough to ask, then you know you’ve got the right number. Now, how’d you find it?”

“Thor gave it to me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Considering he’s sitting directly across from me right now, I’m gonna say it’s really not.”

"Still don't believe you."

"Well, I could always hand the phone off…" I catch Thor shaking his head. "I'm getting a firm no from the big guy, so I'm gonna say he wants me to do most of the talking."

"Convenient."

“Yeah, extremely. Listen, you can hang up on me, but at least hear me out. I wouldn’t even think about calling you or anyone on your team if it weren’t a life or death situation.”

He sighs. “Fine. If I don’t like what I hear, I’m hanging up.”

“I can’t promise you’ll like it.”

“Just talk.”

I take a deep breath and start talking.

“A few months ago, Thor crash landed in the forest just outside of town. No memory of what happened to get him there or anything like that. I helped him find Loki, who restored his memory, we found out that Asgard was destroyed and then the ship they were on was attacked by a galactic tyrant named Thanos, who’s on his way to Earth as we speak.” I pause a moment to take a breath. “But you knew that last bit already.”

“How would you know?”

“Because Dr. Banner’s back on Earth.”

“... Yes he is. Crashed into some wizard's place on Bleeker Street.”

I frown and glance up at Thor. “Wizard?”

Thor leans forward. “Stark, you said a wizard on Bleeker Street?”

“That you, Hammer Time?‘

“Yes, it’s me. You said a wizard on Bleeker Street. Do you mean Doctor Strange?”

“Have you two met?”

“Yes, actually. Last time I was in New York.”

“Really wish you’d given us a call, pal.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time, but right now we have bigger things to worry about.”

“Right, another alien invasion. What do they want this time?”

“The infinity stones,” Thor answers. “I’ve no clue how many he’s managed to gather as of now, but there are three on Earth as we speak.”

“Three?”

“One is with Strange, one with Vision, and the third is here, with Loki.”

“Thanos is coming here because we’ve got half of what he needs,” I interject. “If we can figure out a way to protect the stones here or use them against him, we’ll be better off in the long run.”

“And where do you play into this?” Stark asks.

“I just want to help. I can’t fight, but I can use magic. I’ll do whatever I can do make sure we win.”

“You really dig deep into that ‘we’ thing. We haven’t even met yet.”

“I trust her,” Thor says. “She’s powerful, and more than that, she’s reliable.”

“And what about Loki?”

“He’ll see reason, in the end.” Thor nods resolutely. “I’ll see to it that he does.”

“Good. I’ll fill the team in and send a Quin out to pick you three up. Be ready to leave early tomorrow.” He pauses. “Where exactly are you?”

“You’re the one with the fancy computers,” I say. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of tracing the call.”

Stark laughs. “You’re right. I started looking before I even picked up.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“What’s your name, mystery girl?”

“(Y/N).”

“Alright, (Y/N). I look forward to meeting you.”

“You too.”

The line goes dead and I drop the phone to the carpet before scrubbing my hands over my face.

“That went much better than I expected it would,” Thor admits.

“I never wanna do that ever again.” I laugh a little hysterically. “I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest.”

“I promise, he’s a kind man. He is, however…”

“A little paranoid?” Thor nods. “I can’t say I blame him.”

“Are you sure that you want to go with us?”

“Of course. I can’t let you guys cowboy around on your own, especially knowing your team’s past with Loki.”

“I only worry that you may not be safe.”

“I know, but I’ll be able to protect myself, to some extent, and I’m going to work on my magic so that I’ll be stronger before we have to fight. But, until then,” I push myself to my feet. “I need to apologize to your brother.”

“Oh?”

“Well, I figure I should be in good standing with someone before I ask them to teach me something.”

“You’re going to accept his offer?”

“I am. I have conditions, but we don’t have the luxury to wait for Heimdall now.” I cast my eyes upwards. “Absolutely no offense to you, we’re just pressed for time.”

“None taken. (Y/N). As it stands, I’m afraid we’ve most likely exhausted our resources.”

“Duly noted.” I reach out to Thor and he takes my hand. “Things’ll be fine. I promise.”

“I know.” He kisses my knuckles. “But that doesn’t mean that I fully trust Loki.”

“Don’t have to trust him to benefit from his knowledge.”

At that, Thor laughs. "I suppose you're right."

"Would you think of dinner ideas while I talk to him?”

Thor nods and gently pushes me towards the door before getting to his feet. Charles follows us out into the hall and takes off down the stairs. Thor finds Daisy when we reach the ground floor and takes her outside to play. I find Loki in the living room, reading a book on the couch. Charles has situated himself in the recliner across the room and is glaring at Loki, tail swishing.

“You should make an effort to tame your beasts,” Loki says, calmly turning the page in his book.

“Oh really, you’re worried about a little house cat?”

“He doesn’t like me.”

“I don’t like you much, either, so I can’t really blame him.”

He closes the book and sets it to the side. “What is it that you want?”

“I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier.”

“Why?”

“Because I was harsh and abrupt, and I figure it’s better to apologize before I ask you to teach me than after.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“The Avengers are sending a jet to pick us up tomorrow. All of us need to be ready for what’s coming, and Heimdall won’t be able to make it before Thanos does.”

He grins and leans forward on his knees, clearly enjoying this. “So what you’re saying is… you need my help.”

“Yes, that’s what I just said.”

He sighs and leans against the back of the couch, examining his nails. “It’s alright to admit you were wrong, you know.”

“I literally just did. I’m saying that I need your help to fully understand my magic.”

“Now,” he rises to his feet and quickly approaches me. “Was that so hard?”

I roll my eyes and walk off to the back door. “You’re ridiculous.”

Alright, so we’re headed directly towards a confrontation with Thanos. More than a little stressful to think about, if I’m being honest. Learning from Loki won’t be any treat either, I’m sure.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! How do you feel about Loki’s place with the reader and Thor? What do you think will happen next? Be sure to like, reblog, comment, and/or shoot me an ask and tell me all about it!

if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters, let me know!

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This fic:

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[generalfoolish]

Aay'han

Rating: 18+ (minors take a hike)

Warnings: lots of bad space language, talk of Bo-Katan and Death Watch, mentions of lost family, Soft!Luke (needs a tag), maybe some lusting over Luke? He's handsome, y'all, mad!Mando, some Grogu because I can't help myself, some nightmare talk/horror type themes-blink and you'll miss it though

Word count: ~2.4K

Pairing: (eventually!!!) Din Djarin x F!reader

Summary: Two Mandalorians on the road to Dagobah, in search of a Jedi.

A/N: Hey babes! This is number six of the #mandomay2021 prompt list. This one is soooo self-indulgent, but it's pretty exposition heavy. Our sweet mandalorian doesn't know Mando's story like we do, so bear with me! Enjoy 💕

Masterlist | Cyare'se | Partaylir

Mando is silent as he toggles the destination into nav, and remains silent long after the jump into hyperspace. You don’t know what to do. The cockpit isn’t cramped, but you feel like your thoughts are too loud. You wonder if he can hear you thinking.

If he could hear you, he’d know that you were second guessing this whole quest. You had once been spurred on by hate and loss and grief, but in the starkness of this new ship you think you may have run head-long into something you couldn’t control.

You wonder, not for the first time since meeting Mando, if your resolve is weakening or if you’re simply intrigued by this mandalorian.

As if he could read your thoughts, Mando turned to face you.

“I’m not sure that Skywalker will be much help. I have hope, but I need you to know that it may not be productive.” He sounded so earnest, that all you could do was raise your shoulders in a pitiful shrug.

“Where is Skywalker?” You asked quietly.

“Dagobah. It’s a swamp planet.”

“I’m not sure I know it.” You thought back to the last time you mapped the galaxy. It had been a long time.

“You wouldn’t. It’s almost Wild Space. Further south than Naboo.” You nodded, then considered it.

“That’s across the galaxy?”

“Yeah, but he’s the only one who would know anything. Except for Bo-Katan, but we both have reasons to avoid her.” He added, wistfully.

“You do?” You asked, and Mando shook his head.

“Yeah, but it’s a long story.” You shrugged, it didn’t really matter. As long as you were on the same page when it came to clan Kryze. You sat back in the seat, and Mando turned back around. You wondered about his motives. He had mentioned having a son, one that could still be hunted by the Empire. But, he was alone. And there was no covert on Nevarro. If he was staying away from Bo-Katan, then the son wasn’t likely near Mandalore. You narrowed your eyes as you worked through it.

You didn’t have children, not your own. Your Tribe had been very closely knit, and you had loved and looked over the children. They were why you had thrown yourself into this plot. You would never leave them behind, though. If you had them in your arms, would your hate dissipate as well? He mentioned loved ones, and you wondered again about his entanglements. Was there a Tribe? More hidden? His son had been hunted, was his Tribe destroyed along with the covert?

You wouldn't speculate anymore.

“Mando, where’s your ad?” He stiffened visibly. You worried you had crossed a line, one that you couldn’t easily retreat from.

“Why?” His voice was terse, and his shoulders remained tense.

“If he’s alive, you should be with him? This is a suicide mission, you said so yourself. Why would you agree if you had a son who was waiting for you?” You prodded. It felt important to know. You needed to know what kind of man he was, that’s what you told yourself, anyway.

You needle people, that inner voice told you. You needle and push until they’re gone.

Minutes passed before you heard Mando sigh, long enough that you had started to regret ever getting on the ship.

“He’s in training. He’s a foundling.” You nodded, but didn’t fully understand. Training for what? Combat? Guns? A bounty hunting mandalorian should be able to handle that.

“Training?” You asked, no longer able to keep your question at bay. He exhaled loudly, and turned to face you, the tension released from his shoulders.

“He is with Skywalker. They’re Jedi.” He told you plainly. As if that explained anything.

“Jedi?” You scrambled trying to remember if your buir had ever mentioned Jedi in your lessons. You recalled their weapon, the jetii’kad, a laser sword, you thought.

“They use the Force.” He told you, confusion laced in his words. “I...I’ve seen it. They use their powers and laser swords to fight. I have seen things I can’t explain.” You listened intently. You had only heard the stories, the reason Mandalore needed a Mand’alor, and the reason mandalorians wore beskar. But even in your wildest machinations they weren’t true, just stories for the children to cling to. Something to believe in, when everything else seemed helpless.

“The jetii are real? You said “they,” are they more than one?”

“Mm. Two, well three if you count the kid.” You closed your eyes under the helmet, and wished you could rub your face. It didn’t seem real. You turned your attention to the streaking colors of hyperspace. It wasn’t impossible that Jedi would be real. The dark saber was real, you had heard the chatter. A mysterious mandalorian, one without ties, wielded it now.

Your eyes snapped back to Mando. A mysterious mandalorian, one without ties.

You rolled your eyes at yourself. This guy wasn’t the Mand’alor.

Why else would he be running from Bo-Katan?

He’s connected to the Jedi.

The Mand’alor a Child of the Watch from a backwater like Nevarro?

It would be impossible...right?

You snapped your eyes back to Mando. He had busied himself with the control panel, seemingly lost in thought.

“Mando?” He turned toward you slowly, his body language a question.

“Why are you hiding from Bo-Katan? I don’t care if it’s a long story.” He sighed at your request. He didn’t answer, he simply stood and left the cockpit. You sat up straight, fear creeping up your spine. You had pushed too far.

He returned after a moment, though it didn’t seem as though he had grabbed anything. Confusion replaced your fear, and you leaned forward on your knees.

“I kind of made a promise to her that I never intended to keep. She knows my face, and I have something she wants. I just need to keep space between us.” You narrowed your eyes again, his story sounding like bantha shit.

“Okay, Mando. We’ll stay off her radar.” You told him, but that dark voice crept up from your stomach and filled your throat with bile. Something was wrong. He was lying.

~

“Well, this is Dagobah. Nowhere to land. At least an X Wing will be easy to spot.” Mando muttered from the pilot chair. You said nothing. In fact, you had more or less kept silent for the few days it took to travel. Mando seemed to operate quietly usually, so it didn’t bother him. Or if it had, he hadn’t voiced it. You had been keeping in the hold, for the most part, as well. Keeping distance seemed the proper course for now. Until you could parce out why he had lied about Bo-Katan. A growing part of you was terrified you’d awaken to him standing over you, wielding that damn dark saber. Your thoughts ping ponged from the saber to Bo-Katan, and when you could finally put them out of mind, you were assaulted with the new information about the Jedi.

You were having trouble processing. And you had kept your crikking helmet on for far too long.

At last, you had seen the planet looming in the darkness of space, massive and green. You’d have answers soon. You had a mental inquiry for this Skywalker, ranging from Mandalore to the New Republic. The Empire side-lined for a moment, was queued up after your current thoughts were sorted. It was too much.

Mando piloted the ship easily down into the muggy swamp. You wrinkled your nose, and were actually thankful for your helmet. It would filter out the worst of the smell. Mando had set the ship down on the, seemingly, only piece of dry land. It housed another ship, the X wing, you presumed.

He motioned for you to follow, and you complied. Not speaking for almost a week had it’s advantages, the two of you had become masters of nonverbal signals. You looked around outside of the ship. Skughole, that was your only thought. Crikking skughole. Not even a port. Mando walked forward, and you followed behind.

You heard the man before you saw him. He was cursing a blue streak through the muggy air. He wasn’t what you expected. You weren’t sure what you had expected, but the lean, human male wasn’t it. He was dressed in tan, loose fitting clothes, and was covered in the bluish mud. His brown hair hung messily in his face, which was plastered with sweat.

You tore your eyes away from the only Jedi you had ever seen, and gaped at what you saw. A massive boulder was levitating in front of him. It was just floating there, in the open space. You turned quickly to Mando, and he nodded once at you. It felt like a confirmation that you weren’t insane. That what was happening was real.

Not that you had time to dwell on it. Before you could blink, the rock imploded. Tons of small rocks fell to the mud, and the man exhaled loudly.

“Mandalorian. I’ve been expecting you.” The Jedi panted, before walking over.

“Grogu?” Mando asked. You blinked in confusion. It wasn’t Mando’a. Or any other language you knew.

“He’s napping. We’ve been training hard. Searching for more of his kind. My Master was one of his species, and I believe there to be more here. This planet…” He trailed off before turning to face you. “Apologies, I am Luke Skywalker, a Jedi Master. The Jedi Master, I guess? There’s not many of us left. Not to worry,” he added, leveling a kind look at you, “You travel with a kind man.” Mando snapped his head down at you, but you were as confused as him.

“Can Jedi read minds?” Luke laughed and wiped his forehead off.

“No. I can sense that you are nervous though.”

“With the Force?” You asked, trying to keep your voice steady. You had never had to filter emotions more than through your voice. The beskar hid everything else. You felt Mando’s eyes on you, burning through what was left of your shield.

“Kind of. Let’s get some food, yeah? Grogu needs to eat, and I’m sure he’ll be excited to see you, Mando.” You followed Luke, but you could feel Mando’s eyes on you the short walk to the hut. Luke dipped into the small hole, and disappeared inside.

“You don’t trust me?” Mando asked, gruffly, as soon as Luke was out of earshot.

“No. You lied to me.” You leveled. He scoffed, putting his hands on his hips.

“You lied to me!” Exasperated, you yanked your helmet off.

Of course, you regretted that immediately. The smell of the swamp nearly gagged you. You hadn’t gotten acclimated to it at all, and it hit you full on. Mando took a neat step backward, hands mid air, helmet looking down. Luke was walking out with bowls, and peeking around his leg was a long green ear.

Your eyebrows pulled together, and you opened your mouth to say something--anything. But Luke beat you to it.

“Oh criff.”

~~

You sat with Luke, helmet beside you on the log, and faced the fire. Mando had taken a walk with Grogu.

“What makes you so apprehensive to the warrior?” Luke asked, slurping stew from the bowl. You looked at him, aglow from the flames, and sucked your teeth. You didn’t know their relationship, but you couldn’t hide it from the Jedi.

“I think he has the dark saber.” Luke nodded.

“Would this be an issue?” You considered it for a moment.

“I don’t know. I keep having nightmares. He...strikes me down with it.” Luke drained his bowl, and sat it aside.

“Why would he do that?” Luke asked, full attention on you.

“That’s what I’m nervous about. He doesn’t have a reason. Unless, he thinks I’m a threat to him. Luke, do you know the story?” He shook his head, and you thought about it. “My buir, sorry my Mom, taught me many lessons of the mandalorians. My father was lost during one of the many civil wars. I saw the destruction and horror first hand, as I’m sure Mando did. The difference though, is that his people were the ones that murdered mine. It’s hard to separate the man from the myth.” Luke nodded thoughtfully.

“I am afraid I know little of Mandalorian lore, but I have seen my share of pain and betrayal. We cannot always know what path is right, but we can trust in the Force to lead us there. What does your gut tell you about Mando?” You sat silently, staring deep into the flames before you. You had been turning it over since Nevarro.

“He’s safe.” You told the Jedi, so quietly it was almost lost to the crackling fire. But the man beside you nodded, and patted your knee. You looked down and saw that his hand was mechanical. You snapped your eyes up to his face, and his eyes twinkled at you. You heard a twig snap and your eyes shot to the source, fingers wrapping around your blaster.

You saw Mando’s beskar reflecting in the low light, and the curl of his arm, before you heard the child’s babbling.

Mando was a mystery, but Grogu had stolen your heart immediately. He had been in Mando’s arms, cooing, since he woke up. Mando, for his part, had nodded and participated in the very one sided conversation.

You offered Mando a small smile when he approached, but he didn’t acknowledge it.

“It is a bittersweet reunion for him.” Luke told you quietly, when Mando dipped into the hut.

“Why?” You asked, watching the hut closely.

“He knows he must leave him. Grogu’s training takes precedence, but their bond is strong.”

“Ah, we have a word for this: aay’han. It is both mourning and joy at once.”

“Aay’han,” Luke echoed the Mando’a back perfectly, and you thought it sounded lovely. “Such a beautiful word, the meaning is interesting. I would like to know more of your culture, someday. First, I am seeking my own.” You smiled at Luke as he stretched beside you. It had been days since you had truly spoken.

You hated this swamp planet, but you were growing fond of its inhabitants. Aay’han, indeed.

**Translations

Aay’han: bittersweet

Ad: son

Buir: parent

Mand’alor: Ruler of Mandalore

Jetii: Jedi

Jetii’kad: lightsaber

[snarwor]

moon and old stars - chapter 1

I blame @badwolfbadwolf for every single word of this. Din Djarin/Boba Fett Daddy Kink with a side of Emotional Hurt/Comfort? I’m fuckin AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA damn it I’m writing Star Wars fic again. What’s this ship name? Link to AO3 at the bottom. No warnings so far. Also: this is my first time posting a fic on Tumblr so if there’s formatting issues yolo

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He wasn’t going to do it. He wasn’t. He was practically forty cycles old and he knew better. Here he was, without a damn starship, without the kid, bereft of enough credits to make a difference, and he was spiraling out of control due to the residual guilt and shame which had come with taking his helmet off at the refinery on Morak. He’d compromised himself, his Creed, his people.

And the damn Fett wasn’t talking to him, to top it off. That’s just great.

It wasn’t much of a Way if you kept meandering vaguely off course, listing on just this side of heresy.

Cara and Fennec had gone off in search of food on some outpost near the Outer Rim, a few days’ travel behind Gideon, and therefore Grogu. Din was left alone in Slave I with Boba Fett, and he was practically crawling out of his skin.

He’d rehearsed the bad idea so many times in his head, but somewhere between his mind and his mouth the words changed from “Wanna go shoot something?” to “I need a distraction.”

The old bounty hunter was sitting at the console near the hyperdrive, sans helmet, as he was used to. Din’s hands were shaking in their gloves, but the gloves and his armor were sturdy enough to hide it from the common man’s eye.

Boba Fett was not a common man. He was a Mandalorian, if not by Creed then by race, and he knew exactly the deadly mix of poisons which had led Din to this point better than... kriff, better than anyone else in this blasted galaxy.

His eyes, so level and sure, so calculating and sharp it felt like there wasn’t any beskar between them, regarded him and his request. Din hadn’t asked, he was past the point of asking. He was desperate to get his mind off of the vicious circle of imagining what the kid was going through. Fett stood and straightened his back.

Din wasn’t a slight man, by anyone’s definition. He was strong enough to wield and wear the armor, to make it this long as a guild bounty hunter, to survive the training and the trauma that came from just living in the wild galaxy. But Boba Fett was a clone, he was created to be the most powerful kriffing bastard this side of the stars, and he was engineered smarter, faster, and stronger. He had a hand’s length on him in height, and Din was eager to know what that would feel like, without the armor, without the boots, without—

But Fett hadn’t spoken yet, he hadn’t even given anything away that Din could overthink about. He was sweating all over the inside of his helmet, worse than when he first put one on as a teenager. He swallowed roughly, and the vocoder picked it up, a soft crackle putting his nervousness on display.

“Come with me.”

It was three words, which were more than enough of an order for Din’s head to swim, and he followed like Fett had said to. He was led to a berthing at the far edge of the ship. The matter of fact way Fett had interpreted his request for a distraction as “I’m taking you to bed” made him swoon a little on his feet. “I don’t lay with armor. You’ll have to take it off.”

“But—”

“If I wanted to lay with a droid, I’d lay with a droid. It comes off.”

Again, Din was brought to heel by three short words. And really, what was there left of himself that he could hold tight to and pretend was honorable? How much of himself had he given up in just the last few months? What part of him actually still fit, hidden behind buckles and clasps and plates and signets?

He forced himself not to think about it. His need was great. Back on Morak, he’d felt the same need take control, blurring the line in his head that was at one point, uncrossable. Now, his whole mind was blurred, and he felt the air in his helmet was hot and stifling. Piece by piece, the armor around him came off, and with it, his cares and self-respect. He was willing to debase himself for one petty distraction.

In for a credit, and all.

The chest plate acted as sort of a holding dish for the rest, keeping it nice and tidy and out of Fett’s way as he bared every part of himself. Fett watched with an unreadable expression as pale skin was uncovered, as cloth-covered elbows and socked feet revealed itself to the room. The door was shut, there was some semblance of safety here, but the recklessness with which Din stripped himself gave the old man something to worry about.

Finally, in just his soft skin-layer clothes, all that was left was the damned helmet. Din felt his lips wobbling beneath it, and set his jaw. It’s just a distraction. It’s just enough to get me by. Then I can bottle the shame and find a way to repent for my actions. This is the Way.

The light in the room was dim, like Fett had known Din’s eyes needed to adjust. The helmet sat atop the rest of the armor with a soft thud, finality in its tone. Din let out a shuddering breath, and his eyes went to the floor, his head with it. He’s worn the helmet so long that he was unused to peripheral vision when he had it.

“Look at me.” Three-word sentences were a favorite of Fett’s, so it seemed. “You are not of a Creed you can disappoint while in here. The only truth is that you are mine.”

Din’s eyes flashed up, and his jaw dropped. That strange cadence to his voice, the accent, it was unfamiliar enough to his ears that it set the stage for what came next. “Yours?” he croaked, almost flinching at the new acoustic quality his voice had.

“Mine.” Fett sat on the edge of his bed, and made no motion for Din to follow, so he remained standing. “You are unfamiliar with this kind of activity. Good. There’s nothing you can do, or have done, that will change how I treat you here. We will start small. You will follow my orders. If you are confused about something, you will ask. If something is wrong, you will say ‘beskar’ and we will stop. No one else is allowed to know about this. I will not speak of it, and neither will you. This will not follow outside of here unless we speak of it. Do you have any questions?”

Millions.

“No.”

“Kneel here.” Fett pointed with a single, gnarled finger to a point on the ground by his feet. Din made a soft noise of resistance, but a firm look reminded him that he was to follow Fett’s orders. He slowly went to his knees, and walked forward on them, closer, to Fett’s side. He thought they were going to do this on the bed. “Get comfortable.”

He spoke like he’d rather be talking in a different language, but for Din he’d keep speaking in Common. Din adjusted his kneeling stance so his back wasn’t slouched. They often meditated in the cloister and learned to stay very still despite discomfort, but Fett had told him to get comfortable, so he did, though once he’d found it, he began to fidget.

“Put your head here.” Fett patted his lap. Surely there was an easier way for him to do this…? Din wasn’t sure he’d be able to reach Fett’s cock in this position. “Your mind is jumping several steps ahead. We are not moving past this now. Relax your mind.”

“I asked for a distraction, not a guided meditation,” Din grumbled, resisting and testing the waters a little. Fett seemed quick to temper despite his glacial expressions, but in here, he took the little barb like Din hadn’t even said anything.

“You will get what you need, and nothing more unless you follow what it is I’m saying. Put your head here. I won’t repeat myself again.”

Din gently rested his head against Fett’s thigh. It was a strange sensation, to feel warmth there not brought by engine heat or the flash-burn of a sonic shower, or his own body heat trapped in the helmet. The fabric over his thigh was a rough canvas, but not too thick that it hid the warmth from the man wearing them.

“Good. That’s good.”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Fett put a hand on his head, not grabbing, just resting. He took deep breaths and calmed his heart down.

He’d spent so many months taking a sharp blade to his hair, thinning it down as soon as it was long enough to curl. He didn’t like to meet his own eyes in the mirror as he worked, only looked at his face enough to do a cursory, impersonal shave and haircut, and only when absolutely necessary. He felt he owed it to the Creed that he didn’t indulge in time spent out of the helmet, in things like vanity and pride.

But now, with Fett’s hand on his head, and his head on his thigh, kneeling at his feet because he’d been told to, he wished he’d spent a bit more time making sure it was at least even. Insecurity and shame bubbled inside of him, and it made damn sure Din knew how unworthy he was of a signet, of the helmet, of the gifts given by his people. Through many years and lonely nights, even after he met the kid, he’d found himself in moments of physical pain, but never enough to make him cry like a child.

This simple act, it seemed, was enough.

It started slow, a prickling spark behind his eyes, a flash of radiant embarrassment on his cheeks. He swallowed past a lump in his throat. His vision blurred with tears, and they fell, uninhibited, from his eyes. If Fett noticed, he didn’t speak about it, and didn’t move his hand back. His thigh and his hand were the only two points in the galaxy that could tether Din back to himself, and he was holding on tightly to that sensation.

Those fingers curled into unevenly-cut hair, a gentle scritch against a sensitive scalp, and Din cried harder. Under the sounds of his gasps and silent, shuddering sobs, he heard humming. It wasn’t a song he recognized, but the tune became familiar the more Fett repeated it, in a deep register that matched his entire demeanor.

Din’s hands came to wrap around Fett’s calf, holding on hesitantly, but tighter once the song interrupted with a “Hm,” of assent. Now he had four points of tethering, and it was easier for Din to let the tears carry away his shame and injuries to his pride.

He didn’t know how long he was down there, knelt by Fett’s feet, but when he felt fine enough to look up, he was surprised to meet Fett’s eyes. He somehow knew Fett hadn’t looked away even once in the whole time Din had knelt. “You were very good for me,” Fett said, a soft quality to his voice that made Din’s breath catch. The hand on his head shifted and cupped the back of his neck, and Din’s eyes fluttered shut. How long had it been…? Never, his mind said. You’ve never felt like this.

“What was that song?” Din asked, his voice terribly hoarse and small.

“It’s an old one, so old time forgot the words but not the sound and story. It told a tale about an old star shooting across the galaxy, and when it sailed past a moon made of crystals so clear it looked like starlight, it stopped, pulled into orbit by a thing so beautiful it was helpless against the laws of the universe. My father used to sing it to me, and now I sing it to you.”

Din didn’t know what to make of that, but said, “That sounds like a nice story. Will you teach me the song?”

“I will. But not now. The others will be back soon. You may want to clean up.”

Din noticed the uncomfortable feeling of tears dried on his face, and felt the wave of self-consciousness return, though it was greatly subdued.

“There’s a shower on board.”

“Thank you.” Din kept his eyes down, gathering up his things again, his pieces.

“You’re welcome, any time you need it.”

“What if I don’t need it?” Din said, trying to cover his vulnerability with...something else.

“Then you don’t need it,” Fett said, calm as anything. He stood.

Sure enough, those five inches Fett had on him were made starkly apparent when Din stood in none of his armor. Certain men carried a metaphorical weight with them when they walked, and others carried an imagined height that let them look down on others. Boba Fett was bigger in both senses, but did not use his power to belittle or condescend at Din. He exuded a presence of comfort and safety, a peace that Din had thought inaccessible for himself for so very long.

He felt held, though they stood apart.

“I’ll just. Shower.” Din said, awkwardness filling his lungs.

As soon as he was in the small ‘fresher, he closed the hatch and wondered what in the kriff just happened.

Read on AO3.

Chapter two.

[xwing-baby]

Freedom (Mandalorian X Reader

Characters: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin), The Child, Reader, OC Vinca Dara

Warnings: Mentions of sexual abuse, canon level violence

Word Count: 5691 

Synopsis: Y/N is a princess from a planet in the inner rim. Successfully escaping her fate as a Imperial wife, she unfortunately becomes a target for the Mandalorian. 

A/N: WOW I look pretty good for a dead bitch! I’m back after a two year writing hiatus, with a fic nobody asked for. This is my blog I’ll do what I want. I noticed that there’s not much Mandalorian stuff here, and the only stuff is all smutty and romantic. No more. Strictly professional relationships here. Basically it’s what I would write if I got to be a writer on the show. ENJOY 

Tagged: @tortles​ @inked-poet​ @dartheldur

My home planet, in the core of the galaxy, was rich and prosperous. I grew up happily oblivious to any struggle that surrounded me outside the palace walls. I grew up with two older brothers, both jostling for the throne from the age of ten. My mother died in childbirth with me, so my father ruled alone. I had no other family, as I would later learn they had all been murdered by my father and his men to ensure his unopposed ascension to power. 

It wasn’t until I was nearly sixteen years old that I learnt about what my father had done and what was really going on behind the palace walls. The only time I’d ever been allowed out of the palace grounds until that point was for public events, I would stand and wave and smile at the people who came to see us while my father gave a speech about peace and prosperity. However, on my sixteenth birthday I met a boy named Han. Han helped me escape for that one night, showed me around the surrounding city, and my life changed forever. 

A year later, I made my first escape attempt. I didn’t get very far beyond that city perimeter before I was dragged back by the royal guards. I tried again, getting to the next town before again being captured and sent back to my father. 

On my eighteenth birthday, I decided I would try once more. This time I had enlisted Han’s help, now a smuggler, to get me off the planet. I crept out in the depths of night, managed to find the ship and I was gone. That was until the captain of the ship found out who I was, held me hostage and shot me in the arm for trying to escape him and the planet. As it turned out the captain was a great supporter of my father and returned me, with a small fee for the favour of course. 

For the next year, my father kept me under close supervision. But unlike my father, I had sympathy and empathy. I managed to make friends with my supervisor, a old lady named Ellyn. She taught me a lot about what was really going on outside the capitol. The famines and the abuse from the royal guards to the local people. She also told me of the growing concern within the palace of my father’s changing allegiance from the New Republic. These concerns only grew when Storm Troopers were spotted on the outskirts of the city. 

Then I got the news. My father was intending to marry me off to Vinca Dara, the son of an Imperial officer, to aid the new Empire. I was horrified. My uncle had told me stories of the Old Empire when I was little, the pain it brought into the galaxy. The thought of having to be a part of anything like that made me sick. I had to run away, for good this time.

With Ellyn’s help, I managed to barter a ship and escape the planet without anyone realising. I reached the outer rim before anyone knew. By the time anyone had started to look for me I had landed on a new planet. 

And that brought me here. A small, dirty back street bar in the centre of the city. The outer rim was not somewhere good for a princess to be, so to avoid the risk of anyone recognising me, I cut my hair, changed my name and hid. 

Of course, a few bounty hunter’s had made their way to me. But I seemingly had luck on my side because they either gave up or I fought them off before they could capture me. The last attempt was several months ago now, I was comfortable and certain that my father had just given up. 

The bar was busy, as always. Full of criminals and outcasts from the inner rim searching the wild space to something to do, or to give them purpose again. I had to learn fast who and who not to joke with. I learnt a lot more about the galaxy in the last three months of being in this cantina than I had in my life so far.

“Hey! No droids!” I called, not even lifting my head from the sink as I spotted a glint of metal in the corner of my mind.

“That’s not a droid, you idiot,” My coworker, Tann, jabbed me in the ribs, “That’s a mandalorian!” He hissed. “Sorry, she’s new!” He apologised. The Mandalorian didn’t respond.

“New to the galaxy,” One of the creatures at the bar slurred into his drink.

“Alright Rex calm down,” I said, a little embarrassed. “I don’t know they were real,” I said quietly as we all watched the man sit down at an empty table on the other side of the bar. Rex laughed and shook his head.

“You really crawled out from under a rock or something?” 

“Just go do your job, please,” Tann sighed.

I nodded and confidently walked over to the bounty hunter. 

“What can I get you?” 

“I’m trying to find Asker,” The Mandalorian said, looking around behind me. Asker was a regular, a troublemaker and a renowned criminal, but he was paid his bill so the owners of the bar never minded too much. I wondered why the Mandalorian was looking for him for a moment before answering. 

“He left a little while ago,” I replied, “But I imagine he won’t have gone far, maybe try the hostel up the street. Can I get you anything else?” 

“No, thank you,” The Mandalorian shook his head and stood up to leave. 

“Mando!” The pot bellied Asker bellowed through the bar, announcing his presence before he waddled inside. For such a small creature he certainly knew how to make himself known. Asker was just over four feet tall, with grey-ish skin. His large eyes took most of his face that wasn’t covered by a whiley red beard. For someone so small, he was incredibly strong and quick on a trigger, the blast marks that covered the walls of the bar were testament to that. 

The Mandalorian and Asker walked together to the darker back of the bar, specifically reserved for Asker's shady business. Like I said, the owners didn’t really care as long as he paid the bills. 

“You know Mando, it’s been for too long! I missed you,” Asker cried. 

“You didn’t,” 

“No, not really,” Asker barked a laugh, “but I did miss your talent. These new hands they’ve got at the Guild? Awful! Can barely even shoot straight! I’ve been trying to get this quarry off my hands for weeks! All of the have been unsuccessful, so I thought it’s high time I call my lovely friend Mando and get some real professional on the job,” 

“I don’t work for you,” 

“Not even for half a million credits?” 

“Excuse me, gentlemen,can I get you anything?” 

“The usual, thanks darling. My metal friend here can’t drink so he’s all good,” 

“Coming right up,” 

I stepped back to the bar, and they talked a lot quieter from then. I poured the drink and walked back over, back in earshot of the conversation.

“Kids a royal runaway,” Asker said quietly. “Her father is a pretty big deal out in the Mirrin Sector. Last I heard, she’s here in hiding,” 

“Any name?” 

“Y/n L/n,” 

I put the drinks down carefully, trying not let either of the men see how much my hands were shaking. My heart was racing against my chest and I scurried away before I could hear anything else. I leant against the bar and took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. It was fine, I’d fought off the last guys I could do it again. It’s not like mandalorian are the best bounty hunters in the known universe, no. Oh stars! 

“I’m going out for a minute,” I said quickly, already walking out the back door before he could even say yes. I pulled the apron off from around my waist, shoving it into a cargo box before stepping into the bright light outside. 

I squinted and let my eyes adjust to the bright light. Looking back inside, the Mandalorian had not noticed me leave. I was safe for now. I walked through the city's crowded streets, back to where I was staying to come up with a plan. 

I smiled to myself, I’d gotten away with it once again! But four times was too many to be nearly captured by bounty hunters. It was no use anymore just moving to the city, I had to get off the planet. 

The port was quiet, as it would be late in the afternoon. Everyone was either eating or sleeping while the sun started to cool down. I tried the first few stations but each door was locked, the next was empty and the one after it was covered in druids working on the rusted shell. Then, bay 8. The door was open, there were no druids around and the ship looked in  pretty good condition. It was old, pre empire but it looked steady. I quickly checked behind me, that no one had seen me, then went inside, pushing the large gate shut behind me. I had found my ticket out of here. 

My uncle had taught me to fly when I was very little. He unfortunately was murdered by my father before I turned 12 but I cherished the memories I had with him and was extremely grateful for the skills he had passed on now. The first time I ran away I ended on a workers ship and learnt very quickly that the price to pay to get onto the ships and out alive was far too high. The blast scar up my right arm was a reminder of that. Being able to steal a ship and fly it on my own was a major boost. Unfortunately I had been caught before I had managed to leave a planet before. Now was my chance. 

I ran around the ship first, checking it out and making sure there was no one hiding on it. Now, to get inside... 

Before I could even step closer to it, the cargo load hissed and pulled open. I pulled out my blaster and aimed it at the door. I stepped onto the metal once it hit the sand, and barely had the other in step when I saw who had opened it. 

The Mandalorian. 

Shit. 

I kept my blaster raised, and we both stared at each other down for a few moments. 

“You’re Y/n L/n?” He asked carefully. 

“Are you going to kill me if I am?” I retorted. “Cus you’re not the first Asker has sent after me and I know my father wants me alive there’s no way you’re gunna kill me if you want the credits,” 

“Lower your weapon,” He commanded. I refused.

I kept it steadfast. I could do a standoff, all day. I was not going back home. The mandalorian sighed and shot once, barely missing my head, as a warning. I didn’t flinch. 

“This isn’t my first rodeo, Tin Man. Asker must have said I don’t come easy,” I jeered, taunting him. He couldn’t kill me! Wouldn’t risk half a million credits on that. The mandalorian stepped forward, and I took two steps back. “I just want to get off this planet, I’ll pay you. More than you’ll 

get for bringing me in,” 

Before I could say anymore, the Mandlorian fired a dart into my chest. I looked down at it for a moment, then back at him then fell to the ground. Black. 

--

I came too sometime later, handcuffed to the side of the Mandalorian’s ship. My hands and feet here tied. It was quiet. Looking around me, I was in the hold. A small ladder disappeared above me to the rest of the ship. I had no idea where we were, had he taken my request? Or was I on my way back to the hell hole that is my home planet. 

I had to find some way out. Someway to get myself free. I tried to move to reach a tool box so cruelly just out of my reach, but it was no use. Then I heard a little squeal from behind a box. I turned to see where it was coming from but there was nothing. Again, another squeal and a giggle? Was it a rat? I wouldn’t be surprised if there were rats aboard, the place hadn’t been cleaned in forever. But rats don’t giggle, no matter where they’re from. 

Suddenly, a tiny green creature popped up from behind the box. It peered at me for a moment, then hid again. It was so cute! 

“Hey little buddy,” I said quietly, “I won’t hurt you,” The creature slowly stepped out and babbled something at me. I didn’t understand what it said, even if it was speaking any proper language. “Where’d you come from buddy? He got you trapped here too?” The baby giggled and waddled over to me. I smiled and curled my legs round underneath me to let it get a bit closer. I didn’t see any danger in a creature so small. “Why does Mandalorian have a little baby? You’re not his kid are you?”

“Hey! Get away from her,” The Mandalorian had appeared in the hold while I was focused on the baby. The baby babbled and toddled back happily to the Mandalorian. 

“What is that?” 

“Nothing,” 

“It’s not nothing, it’s a baby,” Suddenly I remembered I had seen a drawing of a creature like that one before. My uncle told me about it, a Jedi master or something. “Do you know what it is? My uncle showed me a picture of one of those once, it was a jedi! I bet it can do weird stuff, right? Where did you get it?” 

The Mandalorian ignore my questions and picked up the creature, walked across to the other side of the hold and put it away in a large cupboard. Cruel. I became spiteful. 

“Fine, ignore me then. I’ll just report you to the Guild when I get back home. Tell them you have that thing! People would pay good money for information on a Mandalorian gone rogue! And to think Mandalorian and Jedi were enemies for years, didn’t they murder your kind to near extinction? Seems weird you’ve got one in a box as a pet,” 

“It’s not a Jedi, and you won’t tell anyone. If I find you have, I will kill you, on sight,” 

“You’ll be doing me a favour,” I spat. 

I could tell he was angry, the way his hand waved over his blaster for just a second. I should have been scared of him, deep down I was. But the fate that awaited me at home was worse than being killed by this bounty hunter. I knew we can’t be far now. I didn’t have much time left to convince the Mandalorian not to send me back to my father. If it came down to it I really would rather die. 

The Mandalorian disappeared up the ladder once more, satisfied that I wasn’t going to cause anymore fuss right now. Before I could even call after him to try and make amends and get him to actually help me, the hatch slammed shut and it was too late. 

---

A few hours later, I had dozed off but was harshly awoke by the Mandalorian shaking my shoulders. 

“We’re here,” He stated, pulling me up by the shoulder. I shrugged him off, and stood up on my own. My feet had been untied already, I rolled my ankles and sighed as my body clicked. The bounty hunter wasn’t having it, grabbed my arm harshly and dragged me down the ramp to the ground. “Come on,” 

The site of my home planet made me sick. It was happening. For months I had managed to be unknown, successfully getting away from this place. But I was now being dragged back, by a Mandalorian none the less, to be dragged through my city like a criminal. 

The Child reappeared as we stepped off the ship, babbling quickly and waddling as fast as it could. The Mandalorian grumbled unintelligibly and dragged me back up, collected the child and locked it away, pulled me back down to the soil of the planet. I could hear the creature complain from its little box and wondered if it was trying to help me. Whatever it wanted, the Mandalorian ignored it, closed the cargo door and we walked into the city gates to my family's palace. 

The site of the grand building made me sick. When I was younger I didn’t know of anything different, I didn’t know of the suffering of the people beyond the city walls. The people who worked tirelessly everyday on the lush fields only to be paid single credits for the hard labour, and all the food going to my family and court. I never knew of the suffering and poverty that my father ruled over while we lived such lavish lives inside. I had tried to explain it to my brothers after my first escape attempt, they just laughed. Said that that was just the way the world worked. There was a set order. I hated it, actively spoke out against them but all it did was get me slapped and set away to my chambers.

We were met by my father and two brothers in the great hall. Staff stood to attention around the perimeter, glaring at me like I was dirt, as I was dragged in in disgrace by a bounty hunter. 

“My daughter, you’re safe!” My father exclaimed, throwing his arms up in praise. There was no kindness or love in his voice. “Get her inside, we can’t have her escape again,” He gave a cold laugh as I was given to a new set of guards. My brothers jeered and laughed in unison with their idol. “I understand you’ve been paid by Asker to do this?” My father addressed the Mandalorian now. “Fucking idiot couldn’t catch his own breath. Here,” He threw a large bag of credits at the bounty hunter. “A million in full.” The Mandalorian nodded, putting the bag into his belt. “You don’t know how great a service you have provided to the galaxy,” My father continued with a wicked smile stretched across his wrinkling face. “A girl like her will surely be the mother of our new empire,” 

I nearly threw up, the enormity of my situation now crashing on top of me. I tried to look to the Mandalorian for help but again it was no use. I was marched off into my new, secure, chambers to await my fate. 

-- 

The Mandalorian frowned beneath his helmet but said nothing whilst in the presence of the King. He’d finished the job, there was nothing else for him to do here. He’d never got involved in politics before and now was not the time. He knew these were not good people but he was not in a place for judgement either. 

He returned to his ship, pleased with the doubling of the earnings from this trip. That amount of credits meant he could lay low for a long while with the Child and finally work out what to do with it. 

Back in the ship, the Child would not settle down. In the few months the Mandalorian had the creature he had never seen it like this. It cried and grumbled, wouldn’t sit still or fall asleep. He knew what the problem was. 

“I can’t do anything about it!” He explained to the Child. “It’s not my problem. The credits I got from that job will keep you in food for weeks!” The Child grumbled and wailed. “Go to sleep,” 

-- 4 Months Later -- 

It was a simple quarry for a quick bit of cash. The ship needed to be patched up after it had run into an asteroid field. The quarry was from a jealous man on Corellia after his wife’s lover. Easy. 

The planet was rich and bustling with people, making the Mandalorian disappear into the background. He swept through the city in search of his bounty, following the tracker in his hand. He was only slowed down by a large crowd which had gathered at the town’s centre. A small stage was set up across the square, with many people surrounding it on all sides. People even hung out of their windows to listen and watch what was going on. 

A familiar face on the stage caught the Mandalorian’s attention. It was Y/n. Now looking like the shell of her previous self. A black cloth covered her head and moth, leaving only sunken sad eyes on show which were covered in gold makeup. She stood smaller, next to a man talking passionately and animatedly about something. The surrounding chatter from the town’s people drowned out what the man was saying.

The Mandalorian carried on on his mission, shaking off any guilt he had. Bad things like this were always happening throughout the galaxy. There was nothing he could do. 

- --

My new life as Vinca Dara’s wife was awful. Far worse than I had ever dreamt. 

I was dragged from planet to planet, city to city trying to recruit and inspire rebellion. We travelled to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, as far from the New Republic as possible to try and gain sympathy for a new regime. 

I was miserable, abused and exhausted. My husband’s forcible attempts at producing an heir were proving futile and he was getting restless. It was like my body even rejected the idea of giving him a child. I figured it was only long before he killed me. He’d been close before when I lost the last child. 

This was a big event. There were already a large group of rebellion supporters on the planet and Vinca Dara and his team were hopeful. I was to stand next to him, looking pretty while he addressed the city, then be his arm candy to a private event with the planet’s leaders. 

The evening’s event was filled with the planet’s most horrible people. I wore a tight royal blue dress, my hair down and flowing over my bare back. Vinca Dara had left me to my own devices a little while ago, instructing me to convince some of the ladies of ‘our’ new ideas for the galaxy. So I stood and mingled with the guests wive. They were not interested in politics and rather talked back local gossip which was rather refreshing after months of nothing but plans of death, destruction of the New Republic. A little alarming that they did not care, but I welcomed the break nonetheless.

As I listened to the women, my eyes wandered around the party. Many different species and races all in one room with staff waiting hand and foot, scurrying between the clusters of people. Then, something caught my eye. A flash of blue baskar, glinted in the light from the corridor just outside the room. That had to be the Mandalorian! I thought I had seen him in the city but I thought I was imagining it. He was here! 

“Excuse me ladies, I just need to freshen up,” I excused myself from the group and went to find him. This was my chance. Summoning all the courage I had in me, I followed him. 

It took a moment to work out which way he went but a sharp shot from inside one of the servants quarters told me exactly where it was. He was lucky the party was so loud, I thought. 

Checking nobody was following me, I carefully pushed the door open As soon as I entered the small dark room the Mandalorian held his gun to my face, finger on the trigger ready. I threw up my hands and pushed myself back against the door. 

“Don’t shoot!” I exclaimed. The Mandalorian did not lower his gun. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I-I’m hosting the par-,” 

“Here, I mean here right now,” He interrupted, obviously agitated. 

“I need your help,” I said honestly. The Mandalorian didn’t reply, but lowered his gun and returned to the dead body on the floor. “Please. My husband will kill me if he doesn’t get a child soon and… and I can’t do it. Please, I need to get off this planet. Away from him,” 

“I’m working,” 

“I’ll pay you!” I exclaimed desperately. “I’ll give you everything I have. I just need to get out of here, out of this solar system,” The Mandalorian stopped and looked at me for a moment, the helmet completely unforgiving in guarding his expression. “Please,” My bottom lip began to tremble and tears welled in my eyes. 

“No. Go back to your husband,” The Mandalorian turned back to his task. My desperation turned to anger in that moment, I stormed over to him. 

“You know he’s been looking for the Child,” I said spitefully, looming over him as he knelt down with his victim. The Mandalorian looked up at me and stood up slowly. “That green thing you keep as a pet? If you won’t help meI will go to him and tell him you have it, that you’re on this planet,” 

“Are you trying to blackmail me?” 

“Help me and Dara will never know,” I said slowly, staring directly into his visor. 

The Mandalorian was quiet for a moment, I held my breath. This was it. My last chance at freedom and even this was the man that brought me to be in this situation in the first place he was my only hope. 

“Put that on,” He finally said, gesturing to the pile of servants' clothes piled on a table to the side of the room. “And help me move this body” 

I nodded quickly and moved to the clothes. I untied the neck of the dress, the bounty hunter respectfully turned back to his victim as I undressed. The clothes were far too big and made of a very itchy material but I didn’t have much choice. I tied my hair up in a ponytail. The only reminder of who I was, was the gold makeup across my face and sandals on my feet. 

I stood on look out while the Mandalorian pulled his bounty into a bag and dragged it out the building. A transporter waited outside. 

“Take that one, with the bounty. My ship is out on the east fields. You’ll see it,” 

“What about you?” 

“I’ll meet you there,” 

I nodded, unsure of why he was trusting me with his bounty but it was the easiest way to go out of the city unnoticed. I dodged in and out of people on the streets, finally coming to the East gates. Two guards sat asleep at the post and didn’t even wake to see me go. As I rode out into the open land, I began to laugh. The suns were setting beautifully over the horizon casting beautiful colours into the sky. I was free! 

I sped through the fields, towards the familiar ship a little way away. The noise another transporter hummed behind me. I figured it was the Mandalorian so I didn't bother to look back until a red shot flew past my head, narrowly missing me, and exploding in the grass. I screamed and swerved violently, nearly losing all control of the vehicle. 

I turned back quickly, to see who was attacking me. My husband led a band of four guards on smaller bikes. That bastard Mandalorian must have told them I was trying to escape! 

I sped up, racing towards the hills in the distance. I skipped down between ditches and ploughed through crop fields to try and evade capture once again. They remained on my tail. 

Another two shots fired out, missing me again. “Stop! Y/n! Stop right now!” My husband called out. I held my hand up in an offensive gesture, turning back to narrowly miss a large boulder. I was getting into the forest now, it was becoming more difficult to maneuver the heavy vehicle through the trees. 

The trees became denser and I decided I could move better on foot without the extra weight. 

“I’m going to fucking kill you Y/n!” My husband screamed. I could imagine his horrid sweaty red face, that awful vein that pops on his forehead when he’s angry. I shuddered, and kept running. 

I jumped into a small creek, the water soaking the ends of my trousers and nearly bare feet. The hum of the transporters had disappeared, they were on foot. I noticed a cave and decided it would be best to hide there while they were some way behind. I crouched down and sat in the warm water, my body pressed against the back wall, hidden from sight. 

“Y/n!” Vinca Dara screamed again. This time multiple shots followed and a crash as something fell into the water. “You can’t hide forever!” 

They were getting closer. A red shot splashed into the water in front of the mouth of the cave. I jumped and hit my head on the low roof, making me yelp. I clamped my hand over my mouth praying that I wasn’t heard. I pushed myself further into the dark and shut my eyes as more shots rang out. Shouting erupted from above me and heavy footsteps splashed through the water. 

I whimpered and curled up into my knees, screwing my eyes shut, waiting for the end to come.

“I told you to go to the ship,” A metallic voice said from the front of the cave. I opened my eyes and gasped in relief. It was the Mandalorian! I pushed myself up out of the water and walked over to him, my relief turning into rage. 

“You sold me out!” I screamed, pushing him as hard as I could. “You fucking told them!” The bounty hunter remained calm, and was not at all affected by my attack.. “You fucking bastard!” 

“If I did, why would I be here now?” 

“You-,” I stopped and saw the three bodies floating in the water around us, “You killed them?” 

“I thought you still had my bounty,” The Mandalorian said nonchalantly. I smiled. 

“Thank you,” 

Seemingly satisfied that I wasn’t in any more danger, the Mandalorian turned and began to walk back to his ship. I quickly followed behind, not wanting to be left behind again. I stepped over my husband’s dead body, pleased by the multiple shot wounds that had killed him. He deserved a bloody death. I ran to keep up with the Mandalorian, and jumped back on the abandoned transporter, following him back to the safety of his ship, 

“Thank you again. And I promise I will send those credits to you as soon as possible,” I thanked him again once we were inside. I sat on a crate, and pulled the ruined sandals off my feet.

“It’s not necessary,” The Mandalorian said, his back turned to me as he put away his weapons. 

“Yes it is. I am a woman of my word, I owe you my life,” I said sincerely. The Mandalorian shut the cabinet and turned back to me. 

“Where would you like to go?” 

“I don’t care. Just drop me off wherever you are going next. As long as there's opportunity for work and a place to sleep I will be fine. I just need to be as far from all of that as possible,”

“I’m going to Nevarro next,” 

“Sounds perfect,” 

I sat in the back of the cockpit while the Mandalorian flew off the planet. I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face as the planet soon disappeared into the vast black of space behind us. I had finally made it out, with both my father and husband dead I knew no one would come looking for me. I was truly free. 

“Hello again,” I cooed to the Child as he toddled over. The baby babbled and giggled when it recognised me and raised its arms to be picked up. I happily obliged. “You’ve grown! Yes! Oh aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” I tickled its large ears, making the child laugh. “I don’t know how you get anything done with this thing around. He’s so cute!” I said to the Mandalorian. He didn’t reply. 

I shrugged it off, and went back to playing with the baby. The stress of the day finally settled in, and I yawned, absolutely exhausted. The little creature in my lap, copied and babbled at me. I smiled softly as sleep began to take over me and stroked its little head until I fell asleep. 

A rumble awoke me, we had entered the Nevarro atmosphere. I sat up from my slumped position and sighed as I stretched. The Mandalorian turned around, I smiled and he turned back. The Child was sitting on the desk, playing with a silver ball too busy to notice I was now awake. 

We landed without any trouble. 

“So I guess this is it,” I said. “I will forever be indebted to you Mandalorian,” I bowed my head in reverence, “Are you staying here very long?” 

“A few days possibly,” He said as we walked towards the small settlement. “I’ve got some business here,” We walked in silence for the rest of the way until we reached the gates. “There’s a cantina not too far from here, tell them I sent you and they’ll give you work. There’s plenty of rooms to stay in here,” 

“Thank you,” I smiled, “I will sort those credits out as soon as possible,”

“It-,” 

“I swear bounty hunters don’t usually refuse money,” I laughed. “Take it, and I’ll see you around, hopefully not too soon,” 

“See you around,” 

We shook hands and parted ways. My life had finally begun. 

[jaskiers-sweetkiss]

Worth It

Pairings: Dousy, background Pepperony, FitzSimmons, Philinda, Mackelana, and Huntingbird  

Word Count: 2.8K

Warnings: mentions of violence, mentions of gun use, mentions of ptsd, light swearing

a/n: Here’s my soulmate au for day 6 of @aosficnet2 ‘s AoS AU August! It’s got Modern Man!Daniel Sousa based on Enver’s appearance as a police officer in The Avengers. 

___

Daisy “Quake” Johnson - Inhuman, hacker, Agent of SHIELD, and now she could add “Avenger” to her list of descriptors. The agent hadn’t been entirely surprised when she’d received an impromptu meeting with Director Nick Fury about her powers. At the time he had told her he was putting together a team, a group of people with super-human abilities that would work together to defend the world if the threat arose. She had signed on, she was already a SHIELD agent and she’d had plenty of training with her ability from her mom growing up at Afterlife, but she never met the team. Well, until about 24 hours ago. They were a bit of a nightmare (a complete shitshow if she was being blunt), none of them had worked together before so it was no surprise that they were butting heads. Daisy got along just fine with Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow as the two of them had crossed paths from time to time within SHIELD, but she couldn’t say the same for scientist Bruce Banner (the Hulk), billionaire Tony Stark (Iron Man), or the first-ever superhero Steve Rogers (Captain America). Of course, now they were also dealing with a Norse god of thunder who was supposedly good and his brother who was apparently bad. Thor, Stark, and Rogers: three massive egos in one aircraft. 

Judging by the footage they were streaming from the museum Loki was more than just bad. Daisy had always been wary of powers, her mom had taught her that. Power was extremely dangerous when put in the wrong hands, that’s why Afterlife was so selective in choosing who got to go through terrigenesis. Loki was clearly the wrong hands and even though she really hated the men she was surrounded with, if they were the world’s only hope then she’d put up with them. 

“So you expect me to believe there is life on other planets?” 

Daisy sighed, trying not to get too frustrated. The man had been in the ice for seventy years, he missed a lot and probably had no reason to expect that “aliens” existed. Of course, she had known the truth since she was a child: not only was it highly probable that life existed elsewhere in the galaxy, but she was part-alien herself. Of course, no one else knew that. Inhumans were a secret from the rest of the world and it would need to stay that way. 

“Oh, I’m sorry Seismic Activity, did you know that already?” Stark asked sarcastically, raising a brow at her and she rolled her eyes. 

“It’s Quake, actually, and yeah, I knew that, statistically, it was highly probable that alien life exists,” she bit back, glaring at the man, “Just about everyone in this century knows that.” 

“Agent Johnson if you have some sort of issue with when I was born then you should just come out and say it,” Cap said, a frown on his face as he sat up in his chair. 

“Look, I couldn’t give two shits whether you were born yesterday or a thousand years ago, I just don’t think we really have time to be debating extraterrestrial life right now,” Daisy said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes again as she gestured to the holoscreen displaying Loki’s cell.  

“She’s right, gear up.” Director Fury said. Daisy wasn’t sure when he had entered but she was glad he was taking her side. “We’re under attack.” 

Daisy nodded, rushing out of the room to find her gauntlets and her weapons. It wasn’t a great idea to quake on a giant helicarrier so she’d probably be fighting old school. 

“Woah, what the hell is that Johnson?” Natasha Romanoff was sneakier than Fury and Daisy hadn’t even known she was in the room until her wrist was tightly in the woman’s grasp. 

She sighed, tugging her arm out of the redhead’s grip and slipping on her gauntlet to cover the writing. The marks weren’t uncommon, most of the world had them. They developed at age 16 and were usually the first words your soulmate said to you. However, not everyone got one or soulmates died and SHIELD specialized in utilizing the soulmark-less. That’s not to say there weren’t agents with soul marks in the organization, for ordinary agents SHIELD held a mostly don’t ask, don’t tell policy. Typically the only way to get into high-risk assignments like the Avengers was to prove the lack of a soulmate, but of course, the Avengers were less than typical. 

“They make exceptions for people with powers.” She brushed it off, slipping on her other gauntlet. 

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re connected to someone,” Natasha argued and Daisy huffed, turning away. 

“Stark’s got a mark, and he’s actually met his soulmate. If something happens to me mine’ll never know what they missed.” 

Daisy quickly slid her various knives and guns into place in their holsters before leaving, effectively putting an end to one of the worst conversations she’d had in a while. She didn’t need the Black Widow to guilt-trip her, she had herself for that. She’d heard the stories about the pain people felt when their soulmate died and it often kept her up at night, but right now she had a job to do and she’d be damned if she sacrificed the world for one person she hadn’t even met. 

Of course, her dedication to the cause hadn’t mattered much, she still wound up on the floor of the helicarrier with Phil Coulson bleeding out. She didn’t know the man super well, but he was usually the agent present whenever an 0-8-4 was discovered and since Daisy was something of an 0-8-4 herself, they crossed paths pretty frequently. She knew he was an upstanding and kind man, she knew he was a good agent, and she knew he didn’t deserve to die like this. 

It wasn’t long until Fury came and swept him away and Hill ushered her back into the briefing room where some of the others were gathered. They all looked worse for wear and apparently they were about ready to give up. The Hulk was gone, Loki had jettisoned Thor from the airship, and he has the tesseract and would likely be taking over earth shortly. Daisy couldn’t believe it. 

“I just watched several good agents die, and you want to throw in the towel? Do you have any respect for yourselves?” She questioned, glaring at Rogers and Stark. 

She stormed out when she was met with silence, passing Fury in the hallway. She wanted desperately to change out of her skintight Quake suit and get cleaned up, but she wasn’t ready to give up the fight yet, opting instead to unzip the top half, tying the sleeves around her waist. She wandered around the ship like that, her sports bra the only thing covering her torso, before finding herself on the top deck, leaning over a railing. 

“Have you met them yet?” 

Daisy turned to see Rogers gesturing to her wrist where the words “Who the hell are you?” were written in a neat script. 

“Nah,” she shook her head, barely concealing her disappointment with a smile. 

“You’ll find them eventually, or they’ll find you.” He gave her a tight-lipped smile.

“Thanks for not berating me for risking my life while my soulmate is out there somewhere.” 

“Hey, I hid my makr to join a highly experimental drug trial and enlist in World War Two so I don’t have much room for judgment.” He joked and Daisy laughed, feeling a little better.

___

Daniel Sousa had been sure this would be another day at the station as he slipped his uniform over his shoulders, covering the soulmark on the back of his shoulder. Soulmarks appeared when a person turned 16, appearing at the place where their soulmate would first come in contact with them. The combination of the location of his mark and the words (“Probably your only chance at survival now let me go”) had always been a mystery to him though he hoped he would solve it soon. 

He took the subway to the station, just like he did every morning. Daniel was a police officer for the 99th precinct in NYC which was about a fifteen-minute subway ride away from his apartment. Despite its obvious flaws (thanks MTA), he liked taking the subway - it was more environmentally friendly than driving himself, it was much faster than trying to make it through New York traffic or walk (though sometimes he did walk when it was nice and his leg wasn’t bugging him as much), and the crowds increased the probability that he’d come across his soulmate. 

She wasn’t on the subway today again and so Daniel resigned himself to daydreams of how they might meet. He hoped it would be romantic, that she’d bump into him accidentally (it was the best way he could explain the back of his shoulder), maybe he’d catch her as she tripped over him and they’d lock eyes and she’d take his breath away. He pushed away the fears that she would be freaked out by his prosthetic or the fact that her words on his shoulder didn’t fit that scenario at all. He wanted their meeting to be perfect for her. 

He was ripped away from his thoughts by his partner, Jack Thompson, telling him they had to go check out a call downtown. There weren’t any detectives involved so it likely wasn’t anything serious- probably a noise complaint or something equally mundane.

Daniel had been right, the call was a typical noise complaint, easily solved and probably ignored as soon as they left the building (Jack bet they’d be back in 24 hours, Daniel gave it 32). However, he never could’ve guessed that when they went to climb back into the squad car a portal would open up in the sky and a bunch of space creatures would attack earth. Thompson grabbed the radio to inform the station of the situation. It took a few minutes of convincing (he didn’t blame them, he only believed it because he was seeing it) and a few more to figure out what to do (there really isn’t an official protocol for Hostile Alien Invasion) before they were told to stay put and that backup was on the way. 

Daniel reached for his gun, steeling himself for the fight he was sure he was about to be involved in. An alien invasion would be a really bad time for his crippling ptsd. Still, he was sure his hand would shake if he had to actually lift his gun, his finger would hesitate on the trigger, he’d have to fight to keep his eyes open because if he closed them all he’d see was Afghanistan. 

“Sousa you with me?” Thompson asked, snapping him from his thoughts. 

He nodded, letting out a shaky breath, when had he stopped breathing? 

Thompson nodded, more to himself than to Daniel, “Good, cause we’re going to get through this.” 

___

If she had been really thinking at all, she might’ve wondered if she was having an out-of-body experience as she moved through the streets of Manhattan with the purpose of a woman on a mission. The Avengers were scattered across the borough trying to fight the Chitauri with mixed success. It seemed like no matter how many they blasted, quaked, shot, or struck with lightning more kept coming through the portal. Daisy was taking out as many of the aliens as she could while trying to command the local police forces- badges or not, they were purely human and severely underprepared to fight this threat. Their services were more equipped to evacuate and protect the civilians. 

She hadn’t been paying attention when she knocked into someone’s shoulder. It was a police officer, she noticed, though where most of the officers she’d seen seemed ready to take on the Chitauri head-on, he looked terrified. 

“Who the hell are you?” The man questioned, quickly grabbing her wrist before she could run off. 

“Probably your only chance at survival now let me go.” Daisy bit back angrily and the man gasped, dropping her arm and backing away like she had burned him. 

“You’re- we’re-” The man stuttered and even though he could’ve been about to say anything (maybe “you’re Quake!” or “We’re gonna die!”) Daisy knew exactly what he meant. She knew from the burning sensation on the wrist he had been holding. He was her soulmate. 

“Oh my god, I don’t have time for this!” Daisy yelled angrily, quaking the alien that had appeared behind the man. 

She silently cursed fate or destiny or whatever was behind this for planning her soulmate meeting during a literal alien invasion. 

“Listen, I need you to leave the frontlines- spread the word: all officers are to evacuate as many civilians as possible. Focus on protecting them.” She ordered making an effort to put the world-altering event before the life-altering event she had accidentally just stumbled upon. 

“Who’s going to be there to fight?” 

Daisy quaked another approaching Chitauri soldier. “Leave that to the people with powers.” 

The officer nodded mutely, seemingly stunned into silence. 

“Sousa!” Another officer called out, “Quit chatting we have a job to do!” 

The dark-haired officer, her soulmate, nodded to the man and started to move away. 

“Officer Sousa!” Daisy called, taking steps backward herself, “Maybe we can get some coffee when this is all done?” 

“Sure but how’ll I find you?” He asked, turning back to stare at her hopefully. 

Daisy’s steps were picking up speed, the urgency of the day not lost on her. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll find you!” 

And with that she was off, turning on her heels and sprinting towards Stark Tower. 

___

Daisy stared at the computer monitor in front of her. It had been a few days since the Chitauri attack and while New York and her mental state was still a disaster, she needed to do this. The file she had found in SHIELD’s database was a welcome distraction, as was the handsome face staring back at her from the screen. 

Daniel Jordan Sousa. Born 1984 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Served one tour in Afghanistan before being discharged due to an injury resulting in the amputation of his left leg. 

She scrolled down to the contact information. 

Cellphone: (xxx)xxx-xxxx 

Bingo. 

Daisy: Hi, it’s Daisy Johnson, your soulmate? I was wondering if we could get that coffee?

She was surprised by how quickly he responded. 

Daniel: I’d love to! 

Daniel: btw how did you get my number? 

Daisy: It’s a bit of a story, mind if I tell you over that coffee?

Daniel: does 1:00 work? Maybe we could grab a bite to eat while we’re at it?

Daisy smiled before checking the time, 11 o’clock. She had two hours to get ready. 

Daisy: 1:00 sounds great. I know a cute place off 12th ave 

___

Daniel had no intention of pulling his soulmate from the field, he knew it was where she wanted to be and he’d never dream of taking it from her. However, he’d be damned if he wasn’t out there to watch her back. So, he joined SHIELD not long after they met. Despite his prosthetic, he climbed the ranks relatively quickly though Daisy wasn’t surprised. She had seen his record both in the military and the police force, Daniel Sousa was a damn fine agent. 

The two weren’t in any hurry relationship-wise. They had moved in together fairly quickly but even two years later they had yet to get engaged. It was a bit of an anomaly - soulmates were usually hitched within a year of meeting each other but Daisy didn’t really hold much stock in a piece of paper declaring their relationship valid and Daniel decided he really didn’t need that paper either as long as he still had Daisy. Besides, with their separate jobs at SHIELD, they didn’t really have much time to plan engagements or weddings. 

In 2014 the pair were recruited to an elite team by Phil Coulson, the man Daisy could’ve sworn had died in her arms, the man the Avengers were told had died. She had shaken her head at Fury when she found out. “You manipulative son of a bitch,” she had said though she had meant it fondly. Who knows what would’ve happened when the Chitauri invaded if he hadn’t done what he had. 

Daisy and Daniel joined scientist duo and soulmates Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz as well as Coulson’s soulmate Melinda May on the Bus, a giant plane Fury had given Coulson as reparations for his death. The team had its bumps in its initial missions but they quickly became a tightly knit family that only grew when Coulson took over as Director of SHIELD after the Hydra takeover. 

When Daniel finally proposed Jemma had been her maid of honor and Bobbi and Elena had been her bridesmaids. Likewise, Fitz had been Daniel’s best man and Mack and Hunter had filled out the rest of the groomsmen roles. It had been a small but beautiful wedding, Daisy’s mom had allowed them to have the ceremony at Afterlife and Coulson and May had been their officiants. 

Daisy had cursed fate when they met, but looking back she realized it was all worth it for this. 

___

a/n: I had no idea how to end this. Also, I have no clue where the 99th precinct operates in NYC (if it even exists) I just wanted to make a Brooklyn 99 reference. Though I’m realizing belatedly that B99 takes place in Brooklyn and probably doesn’t operate in manhattan but oh well.  

[jedimasterbailey]

Sneak Preview of Chapter 8 of “The Padawans”

Ahsoka overhears what Sidious intends to do with Barriss and needless to say, it doesn’t sit well with her.

Link to full fic below!

Darth Sidious disembarks his personal shuttle with his most trusted Imperial guards leading the way to Riyo Chuchi’s palace. The Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister walk silently beside their Emperor, both perplexed as to why they were accompanying the Sith Lord. For they had both failed miserably at keeping Barriss Offee in their custody by allowing the Mirialan escape with Ahsoka Tano, another wanted Jedi. Their punishment was one neither would ever forget. They had been electrocuted by Sidious’s lightning repeatedly until their flesh began to burn. As a result, the Seventh Sister now relied on a vocabulator to speak, her vocal cords having been damaged beyond repair and the Fifth Brother wore more armor to cover the raw skin that has yet to heal. Failure was no longer an option for the duo if they valued their lives.

Just before they were greeted by the Pantoran Senatorial guard, Sidious addresses the Inquisitors with their next assignment in a low voice.

“There is a Jedi here. It appears Senator Chuchi has set a trap for me to spring. Find this Jedi and hold him or her for questioning while I deal with our host. There is a chance it could be the very one you fools have lost. Do not fail me again!”

“Yes, my Lord.” The Inquisitors simultaneously say before stepping aside.

The Seventh Sister then calls for one of her probe droids using a remote on her wrist. Within seconds, the requested droid flew out of the Emperor’s ship and perched itself on it’s mistress’s shoulders ready for orders.

“Search the area and see if you can pick up another lifeform that isn’t the Senator or her staff. Apparently she thinks she can hide a Jedi from us.” The Seventh Sister orders in her new distorted voice.

The probe droid immediately begins to work as it flew from the Inquisitor's shoulder the minute she uttered the word “Jedi”.

______________________________________________________________________

Sensing Palaptine’s presence getting closer to the palace, Ahsoka conceals her own Force signature and takes shelter in the palace’s ventilation system following Riyo’s footsteps underneath. Ahsoka could feel Riyo’s fear and anxiety building which worried her deeply. From what the Togruta has seen based on Imperial propaganda in the worlds she’s traveled to, Palpatine was certainly frightening and intimidating, but he was also portrayed to be the same noble leader as he was before the Empire. Was Riyo fearful for her life? Or was she just unsettled by the change of plans?

Ahsoka leaned on the latter knowing they had yet to discuss their plan on how to deal with the Emperor with the subject of Barriss having been a distraction. Despite knowing Riyo’s intention and motivation, Ahsoka was still set on persuading her friend to think of another solution. If there’s one thing Ahsoka was sure of, it was that taking a life, no matter what the reason was, was an act that could never be erased from one’s consciousness. Barriss’s words and facial expressions on the matter has proven that. She did not want that same fate for Riyo. There had to be another way.

Ahsoka’s breath hitched in her throat seeing Palpatine approach Riyo. The man was obviously a Sith Lord in the eyes of a Jedi, but to someone like Riyo, he was deformed old man with an unnatural eye color. Ahsoka concentrates hard on suppressing her hatred for the man for the sake of staying hidden. If Palpatine was able to orchestrate an entire galactic war without consequence, then Ahsoka knew better to underestimate his abilities on detecting the slightest change in the atmosphere.

Riyo, now properly dressed in formal attire, bows to Palpatine.

“Emperor Palpatine, it is an honor to have you in my home. Though you are here earlier than expected.”

Palpatine gives a false smile, “Yes, Senator. Your invitation admittedly piqued my interest and I could not wait to meet. It isn’t everyday I have an excuse to leave Coruscant.”

Riyo reciprocates the gesture.

“Then we should waste no time then. Allow me to show you to my office.”

Ahsoka quietly follows the crowd above, going as far as to hold one lightsaber in with one hand and the other with her teeth to prevent any noise. The situation was too delicate for there to be any mistakes. To her surprise, Ahsoka hears Palpatine dismiss his red cloaked guards outside the office, leaving him alone with Riyo.

“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Riyo says calmly, taking her usual seat, “I could have someone fetch us some refreshments if you’d like?”

“That would be lovely, my dear.” Palpatine accepts, sitting down.

After Riyo informs someone of her staff of the Emperor’s request, the secret Sith Lord immediately brings up the very subject he knew disturbed Pantoran.

“I take it that you are displeased with what has become of the Talz?”

“Forgive me your grace, but I must admit that their extermination was unnecessary. They were no harm to anyone and it’s because of their extinction that my people have become more fearful of the Empire. The increased number of Stromtroopers in our cities and towns enforcing curfews and inciting violence deeply concerns me as someone who is supposed to be protecting them. That’s why I wanted to negotiate as to how the Empire can improve its relations with Pantora.” Riyo says with the same amount of sophistication and grace as Padme once did in the Senate.

Feigning a look of confusion, Palpatine folds his hands, “I’m sorry my dear, but I must disagree with the notion that the presence of my Stormtroopers or the extinction of the Talz are of any harm to your people. The troopers are there to maintain the peace and order the Republic failed to accomplish.These men are instructed to detain any rebels who dare to disturb the peace. You know as well as I do that we as a galaxy are still recovering the Clone wars; we cannot run the risk of having individuals rise against the stability we have created. Don’t forget that it was Count Dooku, a political anarchist, who started all the fighting that the Jedi enabled. Surely you and your people have not forgotten what a dark time that was!”

Riyo shakes her head, “Of course not, your Excellency. I, like the late Senator Amidala, were one of the few who voted against the fighting.”

“Yes, I remember.” Palpatine sighs, now appearing to look mournful, “May she rest in peace, Amidala. I miss her immensely. I’d like to think that she would have been proud of the new order.”

From above, Ahsoka grimaces at Palpatine’s words as they couldn’t be further from the truth. Padme would undoubtedly be leading the Rebel alliance if she were still alive.

“That still does not explain why the Talz needed to be killed.” Riyo argues coolly.

A servant then entered the room with a tray of tea and assortment of Pantoran delicacies, temporarily stopping Palpatine from answering. It was only after the two gave their thanks and had the room back to themselves that the Emperor was able to give the answer both Ahsoka and Riyo knew to be a lie.

“I never ordered for the Talz to be terminated.” Palpatine says steadily maintaining direct eye contact with Riyo, “I only deployed a squadron of my people to set up a base on the moon given how suitable the environment would be for training purposes. My best guess is that the Talz attacked my troops and thus they were left with no other choice. I can understand how hard this all must be to hear knowing you were the one to establish peaceful relations. But you and I have no control as to how they respond to their new superiors. As I’ve said before, there is no room for hostility against the Empire.”

There was a moment of silence between the politicians allowing Ahsoka to digest Palpatine’s words. The answers to all of Riyo’s questions have been contradictory and infuriating. Anakin and Obi-wan had once told her that the Talz were welcoming and receptive to negotiation. A small part of Ahsoka wanted to hop back into her ship and destroy the “training camp” that was surely constructed over the bodies of the dead tribe. But Ahsoka knew better; Riyo was depending on her to not draw attention.

“That is...very unfortunate to hear.” Riyo professes sadly, bowing her head.

“Indeed.” Palpatine sighs before continuing, “Unfortunately, I’m afraid that is not all of the bad news I have to share.”

Raising her head back up Riyo asks, “What is it?”

“There is a Jedi here.” Palpatine confesses, causing Ahsoka’s heart to leap into her throat.

Riyo’s eyes widen, “A Jedi? But how? I thought they were all dead?”

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Ahsoka screams internally to herself, taking her lightsaber hilt out of her mouth in order to suppress the sound of her now heavy breathing. She was at a loss as to how Palpatine could know this despite having hid her ship and temporarily cutting her connection off from the Force. Ahsoka then reminded herself of something she knew to be true about the ways of the Sith; their order was rooted in deception.

“Maybe this is just an excuse for him to watch Riyo.”

The possibility brought some comfort for Ahsoka, but now any future communication with Riyo would be next to impossible between Palpatine and the Inquisitors he most likely brought with him.

“If only that were true, but alas there are still many survivors out there not to mention all the younglings that are born with such powers. But not to worry, I have two of my Jedi hunters here looking for him or her. Rest assured, I will not be leaving until the Jedi has been brought to justice. I wouldn’t feel comfortable returning to Coruscant knowing a dangerous traitor roams free on your planet. Despite what you may think of me Senator Chuchi, I really do keep your best interest at heart.” Palpatine affirms with another smile.

Even from a distance, Ahsoka could clearly see how uncomfortable Riyo looked, “Do you have an idea on who it may be?”

“To be perfectly honest with you Senator, I am not sure. However, there is an individual I am hoping to find here.” Palpatine admits causing Riyo to lean forward on her desk.

“And who would that be?”

“Barriss Offee.” Palpatine answers ensuing a fresh wave of panic to arise inside Ahsoka.

With a pained expression on her face, Riyo asks, “You mean the girl who bombed the Jedi Temple and escaped prison?”

“Precisely.”

“Why her specifically?”

To Ahsoka’s horror, Palpatine laughs, “Well aren't you a curious girl! Unless you’re aware of Ms. Offee’s whereabouts and are hiding her from me?”

Riyo rapidly shakes her head, “Of course not! Barriss is just an interesting choice given what she has done. It would make more sense for someone like her to hide in some remote world far from the Core worlds. A Mirialan would be very easy to spot on Pantora!”

Palaptine raises a hand, “Ms. Offee is not to be underestimated Senator Chuchi. I know Barriss to be an incredibly powerful and intelligent warrior. We both may not agree with her crimes, but her speech on the Republic and the Jedi’s involvement in the war rung with truth. She saw the future we were all blind to and for that, I’m hoping I could extend a peace offering to her. Her skills would actually become a great asset to the Empire.”

“The Jedi failed her and pushed her to do what she did, but I know I could help her. I could give her the love and attention she was denied. Perhaps she could succeed me in becoming Empress one day.”

Ahsoka bared her fangs as her blood began to boil at what Palpatine’s intentions were for Barriss. Everything Bail had told her after the events of the trail now made sense. Palpatine was hoping Barriss’s anger would fester into a hatred he could manipulate between denying Master Luminara’s visitation rights and removing the death penalty. The idea of Barriss becoming a Sith apprentice nauseated Ahsoka to the point where she was afraid she would vomit in the vent.

Not wanting to hear another word, Ahsoka knew she needed to get out and run far away from the palace. She needed to unleash her anger and her sadness before it got the better of her and made itself known to the Sith Lord. Ahsoka quickly grabs her lightsabers and navigates her way to Riyo’s bedroom where she knew she could escape without being seen.

The journey proved itself to be a challenge for Ahsoka as her emotions were quickly turning into hysteria. Her heart was hammering against her chest so hard that she felt she couldn’t breathe. Tears also began to stream down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Ahsoka had not felt this kind of visceral reaction since her days of hiding on Thabeska after the events of Order 66.

Back then, Ahsoka understood fully why the phenomena would happen; she knew she was stressed about Anakin's whereabouts and she knew she was grieving the fact that she had to fight and bury the 501st alone, with Rex being the only survivor. Now, Ahsoka wasn’t entirely sure why she was reacting this way.

Knowing about Palpatine’s insidious plan for Barriss was upsetting, but was there something more to it, and the only way to find that out was to be as far away from Palpatine as possible.

Ahsoka was beginning to see stars when at last she saw her way out. She quickly punches the vent open and hops out of the opening, gasping for air. Taking a few steps back, Ahsoka then sprints out of the room and leaps over the balcony, dropping several meters down to the ground below. Upon landing, Ahsoka proceeds to run away from the palace and out into the open marshes, completely unaware of the probe droid that had spotted her and was now alerting its master.

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #13- Swerve Doesn’t Have Any Friends

Okay, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way.

It’s a FUCKING SPORTS BRA AND RUNNING SHORTS ALEX.

And don’t think I don’t see that friggin’ cleavage alien back there. You ain’t slick.

I’m going to make it a law that all comic book artists learn how to draw clothes that don’t vacuum-seal themselves to women’s bodies. Milne gets six months for this infraction alone, and Roche gets a year for the initial bra crime he committed back in Last Stand. Learn how women’s underwear works, you ninnies.

Our issue opens up with Swerve stretching his radio personality muscles.

Oh, Guido Guidi, whisk me away to flights of fancy!

Our artist for this issue is none other than Guido Guidi, ascended from fanwork to deliver us from evil with his near-superhuman ability to emulate other artists’ styles and just make things look really pretty. He was responsible for the mythos pages in the 2012 Annual, AKA the best part. He also filled in on some of the art for Last Stand of the Wreckers, not that I really noticed because he’s just that good.

Swerve lets Blurr know that while it might have looked like the Lost Light had exploded, thus killing everyone onboard back in issue #1, that isn’t actually what happened. I’m glad someone filled in the Cybertronian populace on that.

I was never great at math, but those speech bubbles might be phoning it in a bit.

Swerve says that he’s having a great time on the quest, despite all the hiccups, and we get an explanation for why this long-range communications system hasn’t been seen prior to this point. It’s been broken for a while- most likely due to the quantum jump that started the series off with a bang- but Blaster managed to get it running again. Good job, Blaster. With this little setup for our framing device out of the way, we get into the meat of the story.

Swerve is being nosey about things that weren’t any of his business, happening in a closed off room, when Drift drags him down the hall and hid him away for safety. Swerve doesn’t much appreciate being manhandled, but there’s a method to the madness here.

Drift’s nose has vacated the premises once again, so we’re just going to have to deal with that. And how shapely does one have to be to be known as “the guy with the legs”? I mean, Drift is RIGHT THERE.

Drift uses his own powerful legs to kick down the door to Cyclonus and Tailgate’s room. It turns out that the horrific screaming wasn’t the sound of a murder or sexual relations taking place, but rather that of Cyclonus singing in Old Cybertronian.

My god, he’s completely enamored with this unrepentant murder machine.

We are just all up in Cyclonus’ grill for this panel. Nothing but lips. Was this specified in the script? Because it feels like it might have been specified in the script.

Old Cybertronian, or the Primal Vernacular as some might call it, was last seen in general when Rodimus channeled the will of the trapped Titan all across Tailgate’s chest. It was last seen spoken when we met Vos, the terrible murder gremlin who turns into a gun and uses his face to cause puncture trauma.

Comic books are wild, y’all.

Now that we’ve established that no one’s being killed, Drift goes back to what he was doing earlier, with Swerve deciding to tag along because he’s horrifically lonely. He invites Drift to come room up with him, because I guess if you’re going to sell off your comatose roommate’s bed out from under him, you might as well go for the guy who’s third in command,  is probably one of the hottest guys on the ship, and slices people into chunky salsa if they try anything funny.

Drift politely declines, and awkwardly removes himself from the conversation when Swerve doesn’t take the hint, returning to his sword lesson with Rodimus.

Oh thank god, the obnoxiously pink room is back.

Ultra Magnus bursts into the room, appalled by the actions of his fellow crew members. Some of his concerns are well-placed. Others, well…

Is- is that another friggin’ retainer on those lower teeth? Why does this design choice keep showing up?

So Magnus has imprisoned roughly a third of the ship at this point, and Rodimus suggests he take a chill pill. Magnus doesn’t even know what a chill pill even is, so we’re forced to make use of our most dangerous weapon- the threat of a good time, courtesy of Swerve.

The fact that Ultra Magnus hasn’t reduced Swerve to an oil stain on the floor is genuinely astounding. The guy has zero respect for bureaucracy or proper business management. It has been MONTHS, you dinky little man, get your act together as a business owner.

Swerve takes the bribe, and soon everyone’s shipping off to Hedonia, where the drinks are plentiful and the women… well, most of the Lost Lighters don’t even know what a woman is, so that aspect doesn’t really come into play. Thanks, Furman.

Also, Rung’s back to normal. Don’t worry about it, not a big deal.

Swerve isn’t having much luck on his Roommate Quest, as Tailgate spurns his advances, stating that he’s good kicking it with Cyclonus, mainly because they’re both old as shit.

I see we haven’t quite hit the threshold on the “Cyclonus is allowed to have friends now” meter. Give it a few more issues, I’m sure we’ll get there.

Man, zero for two for Swerve on trying to get a hot roommate. Maybe third time’s a charm?

Rodimus pops into the back of the shuttle to remind everyone that their entire race is more or less despised by the entire galaxy, and to play it safe by using their holomatter avatars.

The revamp by Brainstorm and Rung is truly a blessing, because the avatars in IDW were awful to look at up to this point.

Y’all, that is HOT ROD. Jesus wept.

Getting back to Tailgate’s questionable taste in companionship, Tailgate asks if Swerve and Blurr connected right away. Swerve gives him an affirmative, then starts listing off the guy’s racing stats until Ultra Magnus plops down between the two of them, drawn in by the melodious sound of statistics.

Magnus is having a hard time relaxing, but he’s giving it his best, and I think that’s very commendable of him. It’s hard trying new things.

On the surface of Hedonia, it would appear the B-Movies are having a Pride event in the entertainment district.

Okay, moment of truth- show us those avatars!

Oh thank god, they aren’t totally hideous. Though, isn’t Rewind old as shit? I guess youth is a state of mind. Still, I can’t believe we missed out on silver fox Rewind.

Rung’s line is in response to folks at the time claiming that Rung was a self-insert character, which is interesting, because we’ve already seen what a self-insert looks like when it’s Roberts doing the inserting, and we’ve also seen his Mary Sues.

Rung, while an original character who had appeared in Roberts’ pre-professional works (a single line of text in Eugenesis, where he was a psychiatry play-on-words), he isn’t what I’d consider a Mary Sue. Mary Sues are usually stunningly beautiful, beloved by their peers, insanely talented in ways that no other character is, and typically have some sort of connection to another character that more or less forces them into the story despite not needing to exist.

Mary Sues don’t get their friggin’ heads exploded, or exist in a constantly-forgettable state. Sure, he’s the only therapist we’ve ever seen in the Transformers franchise, but there was kind of a massive need for that sort of character to be created, seeing as all of these sons of guns have PTSD and clinical depression. And, as we’ve seen in previous issues and will continue to see later on, he’s really not even that great at it.

That isn’t to say that he doesn’t have certain traits befitting such a characterization, merely that they don’t add up to equal that sort of whole by issue #13. Transformers (2009)-era Drift is way closer to a true Mary Sue than Rung is.

Anyway, where the hell did Tailgate get to?

They really just let Frodo Baggins in this bar all babybjörned up, huh? Does Tailgate even know what a baby even is at this point? Does he just think he’s a very small person? How much human media has he consumed? We haven’t gotten into the reproductive process for the continuity yet, but fresh Cybertronians aren’t exactly a one-to-one to human infants. Damn it, Roberts, what the fuck am I supposed to make of Babygate?

Whirl’s off in the corner, disguised as a 12-year old girl who’s fucking STRAPPED. Magnus has disappeared, but Rewind locates him pretty easily as Rung makes a comment about Magnus needing to make an appointment with him.

Oh hey, Verity. Been a minute. Careful, ol’ six-eyes over there is leering at you.

The fellas come back to the bar as they truly are, and sit down for a round of drinks. Whirl gets Ultra Magnus a drink that sounds disturbingly like a Cybertronian equivalent to Milk Coke, and we get a little anatomy lesson. Transformers have something called a Fuel Intake Moderation chip, something that keeps them from getting drunk on pretty much the only thing they can consume. Swerve suggests Magnus turn his off so he can have a good time- which I don’t personally agree with, but this is Captain Stick-in-the-Mud we’re talking about here. Magnus gives it a shot.

And that’s a series wrap on Ultra Magnus!

No, the man’s just got no tolerance and has been knocked the hell out by his drink. Things begin devolving. Tailgate is crying. Skids has found out that Whirl didn’t give Magnus Milk Coke at all, but instead the equivalent of liquid cocaine. Swerve is convinced he’s going to prison. Rewind is filming the whole thing.

Nobody actually checks to see if Magnus is actually dead, until Rung gets around to it. Swerve, you’re a doctor by original trade, what the hell are you doing?

The boys sit Magnus at the table to wait out his nap. Hours later, nothing’s changed, except that they’ve started up the nemesis game, and Whirl’s decided he’s going to be rude about monoformers being monoformers. Rung gives a non-answer, because that’s just who he is as a person. Skids names Misfire as his worst enemy, only because he’s still missing a good chunk of memory and can’t remember if he had a worst enemy, but still wants to contribute to the conversation.

Rung, don’t be a dick, he did his best. You were right on top of Fort Max, it was a tricky shot.

Ultra Magnus finally starts waking up, and that’s the point where everyone decides to foot Swerve with the bill for the emotional labor he’s going to have to perform by explaining just what the friggity-frack happened.

Magnus starts laughing, then crying, then offloads his troubles onto Swerve. Magnus feels like he just doesn’t fit in on the Lost Light. He’s just trying to do his job and everyone makes fun of him, or disrespects his authority. He’s trying, he really is, but he’s just not built for post-war life. He’s actually tried to leave his position on the Lost Light, but they just keep pulling him back in.

Probably doesn’t help that Rodimus seems more interested in Drift’s opinion on matters than his own SIC half the time.

Oh no, he’s making digs at the things Swerve’s sensitive about. Where is Rung?

Magnus just wants to be understood, y’know? He’s a fully realized creation. He’s got interests. Like music! And the fact that Swerve is missing his Autobot badge!

This was the point where MTMTE was still bouncing back and forth on whether it wanted to commit to the crotch badge. It was a tumultuous time for everyone, very dark days.

WHERE THE FUCK IS RUNG

Magnus, having had enough of sharing his feelings, takes another sip of his cocaine and slips back into unconsciousness. Swerve admits to his limp body that people don’t actually like him, but rather only stick around because of what he can offer- namely, a good time.

The rest of the Swerve posse comes back, with Cyclones having joined the party. Rung shows off his new model ship, which gets Rewind started on his movie collection. He pulls up the opening ceremony for the Ark 1. Y’know, the Ark 1, that ship that Cyclonus was on that disappeared into the Dead Universe for six million years. The Ark 1 that Tailgate was supposed to be on.

Before we can get started however, someone throws the model at Rewind’s head.

That someone is none other than Cyclonus, who proceeds to fly into a rage, throwing tables and shoving the still-unconscious Ultra Magnus to the floor. My word, what a reaction! What could possibly be setting him off so much? Does he not like being reminded of his fated trip to the stars? Is this a manifestation of trauma from that event?

Who knows? No time for questions, Skids is too busy punching him in the face.

Tailgate intervenes, explaining that because Cyclonus and himself are so goddamn old, the engex Cyclonus consumed is wreaking havoc on his body. He tells the rest of them to go on while he tries to calm Cyclonus down. Interesting that Rewind doesn’t have any sort of input on this, given that he is also super fucking old, but there’s no time for questions! We’ve got to get Ultra Magnus back on the shuttle in the next 20 minutes, or else they’ll be stuck on Hedonia FOREVER.

They start throwing Magnus on the floor repeatedly, trying to get his t-cog to spin up. No dice, however.

It’s 4AM. Do you know where your Domey is? Because Rewind sure as hell doesn’t.

Okay, time for Plan B.

I’m guessing not, Rung. I’m guessing not.

Using Magnus as a trampoline does the trick, and the boys are rewarded with the sight of Magnus’ alt-mode… resting on its roof, upside down. They get him sorted, pile in the cab- Rewind is driving, which leads me to believe he at least has some experience handling a vehicle. Chromedome does turn into a car…

I don’t even know what that sort of activity implies for a Transformer. We won’t go any further down this line of thought.

The boys manage to get Ultra Magnus to the shuttle in time, and all’s well that ends well!

This is about the time that Blaster knocks on the glass at Swerve to wrap things up, seeing as he’s been at this for over nine hours now. There’s one last little aside before we’re done with our story, however, and it involves just what happened in the bar after everyone else left.

Cyclonus calmed down almost immediately after the rest of the guys left, paying for what he broke and inviting Tailgate to have a seat.

Well, I say invite, but it’s really more of an order.

If you’d already figured out at this point that this jumpy little marshmallow was lying about being the biggest badass who ever lived, a gold star for you! It turns out, dear Tailgate has been crafting a fabrication, spinning a yarn, telling a tall tale since Day One on the Lost Light. The story has been feeding us a steady diet of fish the whole time!

Red herring!

Red herring!

Red herring of Tailgate’s own design! Autopedia’s mods are a friggin’ joke.

Tailgate was supposed to be a the Ark 1 launch, but it was because he was on the cleanup crew. Boy’s a sluicer, and his arm SHOULD say "waste disposal”. Through a cunning use of his wits and cold reading, Tailgate faked his way through the dismantling of the bomb on Temptoria. A smart boy, he is, if not a bit self-centered.

Which brings us to why exactly Cyclonus freaked out in the bar: he wasn’t having an episode, but rather faking a reaction to prevent Tailgate’s lie from being exposed. He still thinks that Tailgate should come clean about this whole thing, before things get really messy, but it wouldn’t be an issue of MTMTE without some raw-ass emotions getting thrown about.

Cyclonus, who hasn’t allowed himself to feel anything other than simmering rage or national pride for over six million years, is beginning to feel something for Tailgate.

That feeling is sympathy, and maybe a little pity.

He offers to teach Tailgate a song to help him feel better, because that’s what he does when he has feelings.

And given that Cyclonus seems to sing often enough that Tailgate’s gotten used to the horrific sound, it might be that Cyclonus has feelings a hell of a lot more often than he lets on.

Roberts, how many times are you going to make Tailgate cry? How much pain are you going to subject him to before you’re satisfied?

The scene closes out on the two of them getting their karaoke on in the empty bar, in the god-awful language that is Old Cybertronian. I can only imagine that they get kicked out of the bar pretty quickly after this.

Getting back to the present, Swerve has finally, finally finished his story, closing out with an invitation for Blurr to come visit Swerve’s.

Blaster gets ready to shoot one hell of a voice message at Blurr, but there’s a problem; the number Swerve has isn’t long enough to be a personal hailing frequency.

Yeah, turns out that Tailgate isn’t the only liar on board the Lost Light.

Four million years ago, Swerve met Blurr at a publicity event, got way too friendly with a celebrity, pestered the guy until he gave him a fake number, and has convinced himself that he made a life-long friend to this very day.

Big oof.

Later, back at Swerve’s, Swerve is busy cleaning the glassware when Ultra Magnus comes in, sober and having just gotten out of surgery to fix his fuel tanks. Guess that second sip of Nucleon really wasn’t a good idea.

Swerve tries to tell a lie about what happened the night before, only to have the dawning horror that Magnus remembered the entire night, as he’s presented with a new badge. Swerve, bolstered by the fact that, while Magnus didn’t enjoy the previous evening, he appreciated having company, begins to ask Magnus if he’d want to room with him.

Wow, zero for three! That’s rough, buddy.

Kind of a bummer end to this whole issue, but it was still decently light, tone-wise, for MTMTE. A great deal of fun was had, in between all the mortifying reveals of our characters inner demons.

...Well, shit.

[i-write-sometimes-blog]

Rescue (Rey x Reader)

Request: Not sure if you have done anything like this before (I’m way too lazy to look😂) but maybe a fic where the reader saves Rey with the others from Starkiller Base then from Kylo? Like in the Force Awakens by anon

Words: 2,800

A/N: I had to see the movie like three times again. But here it is, very long but hope you enjoy it!!!

The room was filled with pure tension as the inner circle of the Resistance gathered around the the map table, the hologram displaying the view of the surface of the Starkiller base, discussing in an urgent and very messy strategy session.

“Okay, how do we blow it up?” said Han Solo attracting all the eyes in the room to lie on him “There’s always a was to do that”

“Han’s right” confirmed General Leia leaving a surprised face on Han.

“In order for that amount of power to be contained, the base would need some kind of thermal oscillator…” you said looking at the hologram, processing the information of the functioning of the Starkiller.

“There is one” Finn, the new guy, rushed to said, all the eyes following him as he moved around the hologram “Precinct 47. Here” he said pointing at a hexagonal structure.

“If we can destroy that oscillator it might destabilize the core and cripple the weapon” you theorized.

“...Maybe the planet” said Major Ematt.

“We’ll go in there and we’ll hit that oscillator with everything we got” Declared Poe.

“They have defensive shields that our ships cannot penetrate” The Admiral Ackbar stated.

“We disable the shields” Han immediately said as if it was an obvious thing to do “Kid, you worked there, what do you got?” he told Finn.

“I can do it” Confidently spoke the young man, you didn’t know much about him except that General Leia trusted him.

“I like this guy” Han Solo said, a smirk forming on his lips.

“I can disable the shields. But I have to be there, on the planet” Finn continued, you glanced at him for a moment, there was something in his face that seemed suspicious to you, he gave you a nervous gaze before his eyes went back to Han.

“We’ll get you there” said the old man sure of his words.

“Han, how?” Leia said unsure.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t like it”

“So we disable the shields, take out the oscillator and we blow up their big gun. All right. Let’s go” commanded Poe.

While everyone splitted you followed Finn, finally stopping him in a not frequented hall grabbing him by the arm and forcing him to face you.

“What the…”

“Finn, right?” you cut him off as he slightly nodded. “Can you really do it? Disable the shields?” you interrogated.

“Yes…” he told you, the confident tone in his voice revealing a lie. You raised an eyebrow and crossed your arms.

“Really? Fine, tell me how?”

Finn looked around scared someone would hear him before he learned to whisper his answer.

“Okay, I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out once I’m there.” he said “My friend Rey is there, I need to save her” he said sincere.

“You want to save her, then you need me” you told him. “I’m coming with you”

“Wait, why? I don’t even know you.”

“I know how to shut it down” you told him. “The shield”

“You worked…there?”

“No!” you answered almost offended by the thought of working for the First Order. “I’m a system engineer” you said as you started to walk towards the hangar, his feet following close.

“Alright” he said behind you. “So, at least I can know your name?”

“Call me Y/N” you told him.

Few minutes later you held tight to your seat as Han piloted his ship with pretty much trouble through the icy planet, crushing against trees more than once, slamming through branches until the ship crashed against the snowy, rocky ground. Not the best fly you’ve been.

“The flooding tunnels are over that ridge. We’ll get in that way” Finn announced as you hid, your bones freezing by the snow, the small blaster secure in your hands.

“What was your job when you were based here?” asked Han, he seemed to really trust Finn.

“Sanitation” murmured the guy.

“Sanitation?!” Han and you yelled at the same time darting at Finn. “Then how do you know how to disable the shields?” Han yelled close to the other man.

“I don’t” he said, his eyes looking over to you. “She knows, that’s why I brought her” Han Solo slowly watched over his shoulder and his gaze finally met yours.

“Please tell me you know how to, girl” Han told you “People are counting on us! The galaxy is counting on us…”

“Yeah, I know, Sir.” you firmly said “come on” you said already walking to the big Starkiller base.

*****

Sitting in the workstation your fingers moved through the controls searching non-stop for the shield.

"How long will this take?" said anxious Finn.

"Relax, Finn" you told him as you pressed some more buttons on the console, suddenly the panel beeped revealing the words 'Shield Disable Initiate'. "There, it's working" you told him proud of yourself.

"Solo if this works, we're not going to have much time to find Rey"

"Don't worry, kid." Han told him "we won't leave here without her"

"So how is this Rey everybody talks about?" You asked out of the blue, the curiosity invading your mind. Han smirked at you.

"As smart as you, Y/N" he said "I think you're gonna like her"

The controls beeped again 'Shield Disabled'

"The girl did it" Han grinned happily.

****

Hiding in a corner of the hall you waited next to the big wookie, Chewie. Finn trying to come up with a plan to find Rey. You kept your weapon close looking in every direction for trooper and then you spotted her climbing carefully inside the wall to the main level while Finn and Hand talked.

"Is it her?" You asked attracting their attention.

"Yeah, that's Rey" you heard Finn said before rushing through the endless and glossy halls of the base. Guiding you for a lot of corridors until you stopped in front of a rifle pointing at you.

The girl who held it, you supposed, was Rey. She looked so shocked, her eyes wide open with the sight of familiar faces, wondering if the four people before her were really there.

"Are you all right?" Han was the first one to approach, slowly guiding her to lower her weapon down.

"Yeah" she nodded

"Good"

"What happened? Did he hurt you?" Rushed to ask Finn.

"Finn. What are you doing here?" She said, by the way her eyes started to watered you could tell she was happy to see him and almost speechless.

Her gaze meeting yours for the first time, you admired her delicate face and her messy brown hair, now you knew why everyone was talking about her.

"We came back for you" you said as she stared at you confused, maybe a little surprised.

"Thank you" she murmured, her light brown eyes reaching for everyone of you.

"We don't have much time" you said.

"Escape now. Explain later" Han said and silently you follow him.

But there was no escape, as you stepped outside you caught the X-Wings flying all around, dodging and blasting the TIE fighters and the cannons. Some of them barely dodging the missiles, others without luck exploited. Your people, your friends dying in the sky as the clock kept moving and the big First Order weapon charged.

"They're in trouble" you told them "We can't leave"

"My friend here has a big bag full of explosives" Hand told you pointing at Chew. "Let's use' em"

***

After a short ride in a snow speeder Finn, Rey and you ran inside a small building, Rey reaching immediately to open a service hatch, you behind her following her actions with your gaze.

"That one" you told her pointing inside the mechanism. Her hand slipped inside and grabbed a piece of tech, easily pulling it away.

She turned to you, the distance between the two of you reduced at the metal piece she took from the machinery.

"You know your way around this tech" you told her smiling

"After years of stealing this pieces, you learn how it works" she said smiling back at you. Maker, what a beautiful smile this girl had. "I'm Rey" she told you.

"Y/N"

You kept looking into her eyes for a moment, Han was right she was so smart.

"Sorry to interrupt, we gotta get back with Han, now" Finn said irritated.

"Yeah, let's go" you said.

****

As the hatch opened your eyes caught a tall masked figure standing in the middle of catwalk that crossed the oscillator structure, the three of you got closer, holding the steel railing to look down at the man in front of this terrible man, there was Han firmly speaking to his son. You could see them, you could clearly hear this strange familiar reunion from the distance, you got to see the face of the man that terrified most of your friends, the face of Kylo Ren.

You stared speechless down at them as Han and his son talked. Then finally the younger man extended his weapon to his father. The hatch behind you suddenly shutted close, extinguishing the soft light that moments before fell in Kylo’s face. His Next move was fatal, as he ignited the dark weapon and it passed right through Han’s chest.

“No!!!” Rey yelled, her eyes already filled with tears that quickly fell from her face while you just gasped seeing the legendary Han Solo as his lifeless body fell into the big oscillator structure.

Chewie cried in agony for his friend and shot at Kylo in the side, his eyes looking in your direction as you contemplated the big explosion Chewie’s bombs blew up. Soon the structure was filled with white figures of stormtroopers blasting at you. Rey filled with pain started blasting back at them as blast hitted around her.

“Rey we have no time for this” you tell her. “Rey!” you told her but she didn’t move, she just kept blasting. In an urge to escape you wrapped your arm around her skinny waist and dragged her towards the exit, leaving the exploding oscillator behind.

“The Falcon’s this way” yelled Finn leading you to the snowy forest, running as fast as the snow and your emotions allowed it.

Until you couldn’t keep running. You slowly stopped out of breath, keeping the distance between the man in front of you. Kylo ignited his lightsaber lighting up the cold woods with a reddish light. Finn held on tight on a lightsaber you didn’t know how he got as Rey and you aimed your blasters to Ren.

“We’re not done yet” Kylo growled, is eyes full of anger glancing at Rey, who answered with pain in her voice.

“You’re a monster”

“It’s just us now, Han Solo can’t save you” Kylo said as if Finn and you weren’t even there.

Rey moved, ready to pull the trigger but with a gesture of Kylo’s hand the blaster flew out of her hand, and with another powerful move she flew back, slamming into a tree. She dropped then, her body landing hard in the cold snow.

“Rey!” you screamed in panic as you saw her body falling, such a big fear ran through your body thinking you had lost this girl, this total stranger you have just met and yet you felt so connected with, even if you have just known her for a minute you already adored her.

Finn ran to her side as concerned as you. With rage in your body you blasted against Kylo Ren, who easily dodged every intent of killing him with a swing of his saber. Annoyed with your desperate tries to kill him he gestures one more time with his hand sending you flying just like he did with Rey.

As your body hitted the hard ground you felt the agony in your body as your vision blurred slowly, the last thing you saw was Rey lying on the ground before the dizziness in your head closed your eyes.

The cold were freezing your bones as your eyes fluttered slowly open, your body aching as you tried to stand up.

“Rey…” were the first words that let your lips as you saw the empty ground space she was just before you fell unconscious. Your eyes looking desperate for her but the only thing you found was Finn’s body. “No, no, no…” you whispered under your breath as you approached to the guy, his back was completely hurt and by the look of it you could tell this was Kylo’s work. You turned him around and concerned placed your ear against his chest. There was a heartbeat, that was all you needed to hear. “I’ll go back for you, Finn, hold on” you told him even though you knew he was unconscious.

Then you grabbed a blaster and started running away through the frozen forest, you needed to find Rey.

The sounds of lightsaber crashing against each other guided you to them, Kylo and Rey fighting merciless lighting the night with the colors of their dangerous weapons, both panting and growling out of anger as the swing their laser swords, you were beyond impressed with her fighting skills, she was a natural with that lightsaber. Rey was having a bit of trouble handling the big man as he held his red saber very close to her.

“You need a teacher” you heard him said. “I can teach you the ways of the force”

“The force” she said and stopped for a moment, the determined she lashed out to him attacking until she turned the weapon making him fall back groaning in pain, the blood already flowing over his face, but that didn’t make him stop, he was immediately on his feet again rushing towards Rey.

“No!” you scream pulling the trigger blasting right at Kylo in his freshly hurted shoulder, he dropped the saber yelling in pain as you got closer to Rey.

"Y/N" she murmured as she saw you, surprised and relieved.

“Come on” you told her already pulling her to the opposite direction.

The ground shook under your feet, cracking before it broke leaving a big space between you and the big bad guy. You pushed Rey to keep going, running close to each other.

Finn was still unconscious, barely holding on to life when you arrived, both Rey and you suffering for the state of your friend. The planet was breaking under your feet, you knew this could happen and you were willing to die if that meant the Resistance would stand. Meeting Rey’s gaze you were sure she also knew there was no escape now. So you took her hand, warm compared with the cold temperature of the forest, unsure at first but then she entangled her fingers with yours and gave un a soft smile as the tears ran down her face.

The forest lighted up with a mysterious was as the engines blew a bit of snow over to you, watching over your shoulder you caught the Millenial Falcon flying very low, as it got closer to you as you saw the ship piloted by Chewie and you smiled at Rey, there was hope in her eyes, more than you have seen in a long time.

After helping Chewie carry Finn to the ship, you sat next to Rey inside the cockpit watching how well she knew this old ship. And finally you were off the Starkiller base that collapsed behind you. It was time to go back home.

“Y/N” Rey said in the middle of the fly.

“Yep?” you said looking into her eyes, a bit red by all the tears that left her eyes.

“I didn’t have time to tell you before” she said and you gave her a confused look “back in the woods… I don’t know what I would have done if you haven’t arrived”

“You would have kicked his ass, I’m sure.” you told her trying your best to cheer her up. She chuckled for a moment before she raised her voice again.

“Thank you, Y/N” she said as if no one ever had done such thing for her, the tears forming again in her eyes. You reached for her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“Anytime” you told her, a smile finally taking over her lips as the Falcon continued in its way to the Resistance base.

For once everything seemed right, the Starkiller base was gone which meant many planets even systems were safe, the Resistance had won this fight that would be sure not the last but guaranteed a moment of peace, a breath for all of you. And you also had new friends, total strangers that meant a lot to you now, especially this girl sitting beside you with her bright smile and messy air, you were deeply grateful to find her.

[starfirette]

Every Which Way: Chapter Seven

The Wayward Souls

⇢a/n:aksfjghdlfjknv i’M SO SORRY. pls forgive me for this being late, and also for how potentially painful it is

⇢Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Join The Taglist 

⇢ Din Djarren x Reader/The Mandalorian x Reader | impregnation kink (smut) | mild violence | angsty ending | word count: 9, 287more or less idk anymore

🏷 @woterezwhet @talesfromtheguild​ @poupoupoupoupou @multifandom-fiasco @fandomqueen74 @fifiyau105 @shayna-winchester @mserynlarsen​

>>NEXT CHAPTER AVAILABLE NOW!<<

The gathering hall is filled with Mandalorians and their children, all eager to bid Din and his new bride goodbye. You felt dizzy as you thanked and hugged person after person. Din had given every child (who had formed a line) a warm hug. Your heart fluttered to see him hug younglings while still decked out in his armor. He had a fine way of holding them gently against the plates over his chest. 

You watched from the sidelines; you didn’t mind that you weren’t being swarmed the way Din was. You liked to see this side of his life--the one side that could be his and his alone. How it truly warmed your heart to see Din give and receive such affections. You could see him tilting his head in to no doubt say his goodbyes to the younglings. 

Wendi appeared at your side. She leaned up against the stone walls. “He’s always been a natural with them,” Wendi said in her melodic voice. Spinning a sheathed dagger between her fingers, she sent you a sideways glance, her helmet reflecting the light of the hall. “I’m surprised he hasn’t wrangled in a foundling by now. Even more surprised you’re not juggling babes by the dozens by now.” 

You felt a furious blush loom across your cheeks. “What makes you say that?” 

“Well,” she said in a purr, “you have been a rare sight aroudn these halls since your wedding. I can only assume that you’ve been ‘busy.’” 

You graoaned. “This isn’t a conversation I want to have, with you of all people.” 

“Aw, why not?” Wendi laughed. “You know lots of girls are jealous of you. Din is what we know to be a resident heartbreaker. I’m sure everyone is dying to know just how well endowed he is.”

“What does that mean?” you asked. 

“You know what it means. The size, of course,” she says then. 

“The size? Of what?” 

“Oh sweet stars. Annie Aniri, I of course mean the size of his penis.” 

“Ohhh,” you say as you realize. “I would say it’s normal sized. How big are they usually?”

Wendi let out a pained sound. She hesitated as she audibly tried to think of how she might word this. “It’s not often that they are decently large. In fact you could even say it’s hard to tell when it’s in. It’s what makes most marriages feel more like a punishment.” 

You grimace. “I didn’t know that,” you groaned. “I think all I can really tell you without being too innapropriate is that he’s certainly on the larger side. I guess it really depends on the average size range.”

Wendi hummed as she thought. She held her fingers out, creating an invisible model that went about four inches wide. “Too big or too small?” she asked. 

You winced. “Much too small,” you tell her. She went up a bit, but it still didn’t do Din justice. You finally adjusted her hands for her, and she let out a small gasp. “Annie, how are you still able to walk?” she cried out. 

You stifle a laugh that wheezed way back in your chest. “You’re too embarrassing,” you told her when you could breathe. Wendi knocked her shoulder into your own. “I hope you two will have fun,” she says finally. “It’s not often we have a happy couple around here. Everyone is very happy for him. Despite all the trouble I give you two, I’m also happy for him. I don’t think there’s a better match for him in all the galaxy. You’re both terribly annoying, either way.”

“Much appreciated,” you tell her, meaning the words with all of your heart..

She held her hand out without really facing you. The dagger had become still in her open palm. “This is a going away present,” she says.”For some reason I have a feeling you’ll be getting into trouble out there.”

You could hear the vague amusement in her voice. You took the dagger and pocketed it after a brief examination. It’s dark silver with paracord wrapped tightly around the handle. “Thank you,” you say with a small incline of your head. 

“Have fun in the world, Annie,” Wendi tells you. “But be wary of it. You never truly know what will happen.” 

The Razor Crest lifted off the ground with a rumble you could feel under your feet. Leaning forward in your seat, you could see the figures of Gold and Paz preparing to depart back to the tunnels, waving the ship goodbye. Waving you goodbye. You waved back, half knowing they couldn't see you. They’d been kind enough to escort you and Din out of the city. Imagine the surprise in the trooper’s voices when they saw four Mandalorian’s leaving.

The sky cast around you like an endless sea; clouds wandered the sides of the ship as Din rose into higher altitude. The fog parted into the dark sky of what you knew had to be space. 

You were completely enamoured with the sights that you hadn't realized time was ticking by. The stars weren't like you'd imagined. From the ground, the stars looked like close neighbors, but as you are among them you can see now that they are spread out farther than you would have ever thought possible. 

When Din spoke, it snapped you out of your trance. His voice tethered you to your reality within the ship. 

"What are you thinking?" he asks. 

"That I should have paid attention the first time I was in space," you say. "I guess I had other things on my mind."

"It's very beautiful," Din comments. 

You made a small sound of agreement. It really is. 

Din pressed a few buttons on his dashboard. The engine hummed in the back of your mind as Din slowly took his hands away from the steers. 

"Are you sure you don't have the force?" You tease him. 

He gives you a look and you know it is exasperation that is behind his helmet. "Auto pilot," he ammends you. 

"Ah, I suppose I should have thought that first,” you chuckle.

"My thoughts exactly," Din snickered back. He unbuckled the straps of his pilot's chair, rising to his feet and pulling off his helmet. He runs a gloved hand through the unruly waves of his hair. "Would you like a tour, Mrs. Djarren?" he asks with a crooked grin quirking his soft lips.

You slowly removed your seatbelts. "I've been on the Crest before, you know," you tell him pointedly. He helps you navigate out of the narrow cockpit with his hands gently on your waist. 

"Not as my bride," he pointed out. "The ship should be your home away from the covert. Our home."

His words rang in your ears. You are grateful for the dim lights that hid your eyes which falter under the embarrassment. It's amazing that you could still feel embarrassed with your husband, even after everything you two had been through. 

Perhaps it's the utter lack of people that has you feeling this way. You'd never really been "alone" before. The first trip, towards Nevarro, you were alone with Din but in a much different way. You'd been a much different person! 

Now, you're alone with your husband. The man that you've grown to love so dearly. The man that warmed your bed! 

You suppose you're not sure what you should expect from this trip. 

Din guided you first towards the engineering bay. It sat directly beneath the cockpit. On the walls were the electric panels, as Din called them. He briefly explained how inside the panels were switches, or "breakers", that controlled the flow of electricity and power to the smaller utilities of the ship, like the lights and the stovetop.  In a strange jar to the left is the storage bay. There’s enough food and clothes there to last for at least a month. 

The hallway straight ahead were the cells that Din used for storage. He had lots of weapons in there. You were stunned at just how many weapons a single bounty hunter needs. It seemed on par with the entire armory at the covert, but condensed into four of the six cells. You recognized one as the cell you'd taken refuge in. Lined with pistols and spears, you had hidden inside and stayed there, sweating as the ship turned in violent spins to evade the Aniri ships. 

It seems like long ago; practically a distant memory. And yet it's been a matter of months, hardly even three. 

You asked Din what occupied the final two cells. He pulled back the doors to reveal a strange machine. You couldn't guess it's purpose after a few tries (and laughs from Din). When you gave up, he explained that he wouldn't have it if he didn't need it. 

"What is it?" You asked, now unsure if you wanted to know at all. 

"A carbonite freezer. It can freeze and keep lifeforms in perfect hibernation."

You looked at Din with incredulity in your wide eyes. "Are there convicts on this ship?" You asked in a low whisper. 

"Not currently," Din said. "My mother told me it's impolite to keep frozen criminals so close to a lover." 

You couldn't really laugh as you stared at the strange contraption. 

"So it freezes people?" You asked as you ran a palm over the smooth, dark surface of the metal. 

"It does. I can use it to transport bounties without worrying they'll cause trouble." Din sounded too calm to be saying such things. But you guess it's something all bounty hunters have to worry about. You cringed away from the freezer as you imagined the process. 

"Does it hurt?"

Din shook his head. "No. It could be dangerous, though. It takes calculation."

You sank into his arms, which folded around your back to keep you tucked against him. "Mmm, my amazing husband is dangerous and calculating,"you grinned. 

Din tipped your chin up with his forefinger. "Would you want it any other way?" 

He pressed a warm kiss against the corner of your mouth, just below the crevice of your dimples. 

He turned you around, to look at the freezer once more. “I’ve heard,” he muttered as he nestled his chin onto your neck, “that those coming out of hibernation feel ill. Feverish, shaky, even blind.”

“I’d hate to be frozen,” you said as you imagined the process. An endless sleep only to be followed by days of severe sickness. 

“You won’t be,” Din promises you. “Not unless you’re a prisoner.” His hands rested over your stomach She. 

"Wendi told me marriage is a lot like being a prisoner," you point out. 

“Then you’re my prisoner, and mine alone,” Din whispered into your ear. “Shall I lock you up in a cell? Freeze you? Or should I let you attempt to negotiate?” 

“Do you often negotiate with prisoners?” You ask. 

“Only the beautiful ones,” Din says. “And you’re much more than beautiful.” 

“You’re a scoundrel,” you giggled as Din nipped your ear. With his arm around your shoulder, he pushed you along towards the kitchen. It’s small, but it’s enough, with a cooler and a stovetop. Past the kitchen are the living quarters.

The lumpy bunk that was once propped into the corner has been replaced with a wider mattress, one that is surely capable of fitting both of you. 

“You’re a sneak,” you sigh as you push onto the mattress with your hands. It’s so lusciously soft that you’re looking forward to falling asleep. 

Din leaned up against the door jamb. “I couldn’t force you to endure that old excuse for a bed. Is the ship up to Mrs. Djarren’s standards?” 

You felt pinned to the wall by his smile. His damn smile. The warmth of his eyes that crinkled under his smile seeped into you like warm cacao and cinnamon on a cold day. You could feel his gaze rush through your blood as he took a step closer towards you. 

“Would you like to wash up?” He asked, his words a suggestive murmur. You nodded more eagerly than you would have initially liked to, but it earned a laugh from your husband.

You helped him out of his beskar, the ship still rolling softly throughthe cosmos in autopilot. The beskar is discared oto the bed, followed by your clothes. His hand slid into yours, and while you giggled, he led you into the refresher. 

You’d remembered bathing in here for the first time when Din had saved you all that time ago. You recall being ecstatic by the warm water.

Steam rose between the walls as Din pulled into his hold. You sighed under the feeling of the everlasting heat. The water and his body could keep you comfortable for an infinite age of time.

The crown of your hair knocked against Din’s chest as the warm water streamed down your neck. 

Din’s open palms curved around your breasts, thumbs tweaking your nipples while his lips sucked bruises over your neck. 

Words of affection floated between the stream of hot water and the steam. His hands slithered down to your hips. He held you tightly, making you whimper in sheer anticipation. Even under the streams of water, you could feel your thighs becoming slick with arousal and excitement. 

“Turn around,” Din murmurs in your ear. 

You slowly turned, his hands never leaving your body. You couldn’t bring yourself to look up at him until he forced you to do so. His finger tapped the underside of your chin. “Are you my prisoner?” He asks, his thumb pulling your bottom lip down. 

His dark eyes are filled with focus. 

His looks are intoxicating. The brown scruff coming in along his jaw is scratchy, but you find yourself fond of the feeling it leaves between your thighs. 

"I could be," you gasp. 

You pull him down by his hair, forcing him into a rough kiss that made your heart pound. 

Parting your lips to let his tongue sweep over yours, you moaned his name. You earned a low growl in response. The growl resonated way back to your throat. 

Din’s hands raked down your back. He held you tightly, like he feared you’d be torn away with him at any second. All of his strength poured into his hold onto you. 

You lifted your leg to grip it around his thigh. “Din,” you rasped against his mouth. “Please. It hurts.” 

Your cunt ached roundt its own emptiness. You’d become swollen and your heartbeat pounded all the way to your clit. Something within you screamed to be filled and ravaged by Din. The thought of his cock slipping its way inside of you practically did the job itself. 

Din’s eyes hardened as he grabbed you by the waist. You are pushed into the shower wall, then lifted with remarkable ease. He fixed your legs around him.

“I need you,” you gasped. The weight of his eyes on your body had become unbearable. 

“You want to take me alraedy?” Din said in your ear. His voice is hoarse and thick and low, striking a pleasurable chord deep in your stomach. “You want my cock now?” 

You nodded, sinking your face into the crook of his neck. 

Keeping you hoisted with one arm, Din slid a hand between your two torsos. He gripped his thick cock in his large hand. 

Looking down, you watched with strained eyes as he rubbed the tip of his cock into your clit. A strangled gasp pushed out of your mouth as he whispered more intimate words to you. 

“You’re going to be a good girl and take it all?” Din asked. His rough voice wavered as he guided his cock into your cunt. You cried loudly at the feeling. The velvety walls of your cunt eagerly accepted Din’s cock, hugging around him tightly to feel as much as you could. 

“My seed,” he grunted, “will stay inside of you all night. Will you give me children?”

His strong thrust knocked your hips back against the walls of the shower. You sank your teeth into the flesh of his neck as he rocked into you unrelentlessly. 

“Will you bear all of Clan Djarren with your pretty hips?” he snarled into your ear. “Will you take my cock without question?” Your brain felt like it would short circuit at any minute. You could hardly stammer out the “Yes” you so desperately wanted to scream. The idea of it all made it all the more unbearable. You could feel him reaching for the stars of climax deep inside of you, hips snapping into yours loudly under the water. You whimpered his name as his arms kept you upright. His strong, smooth biceps flexed widely as he grunted against your skin. 

“Ah, fuck, my meshla,” he swore loudly. As if he wasn’t moving fast enough already, his hips quickened their pace, snapping against yours with the loud slaps of wet skin to echo around you in the steam. 

You couldn’t even process a coherent thought as you felt lost in the pleasure you’d been plunged into. 

“Taking me so fucking well,” Din hissed to you, nipping at the lobe of your ear. “You want it?” 

“Yes,” you stammered. You clutched against him as tightly as you could, your thighs and torso shaking violently as you lost control of your senses. The spasming climax burst in your stomach like an explosion of fire. You jerked in his arms, but he pressed you flat against the cold tiled wall with his smooth, broad test. 

“Din, I want it,” you sobbed. 

He groaned so loudly you felt the reverberations in your chest. His hips rocked so hard you thought he was going to split you completely in half. 

As quickly as it had started, he spilled his seed into you, making you shudder and spasm closer into your hug. 

Din buried his face into your neck, his laugh muffled by your skin. You both panted for breath for a solid minute. His cock remained hard inside of you, but any movement made you flinch and clench around him. 

Din licked the sweet drops of water up your jaw before whispering into your ear, “Can you take it again?” 

Laying in the bed, tucked into Din’s chest, you asked him, “What is the bounty we’re going after?” 

His hand that played with your hair paused for a brief second before resuming the little swirls. “A man that’s wanted for evading debt.”

You nodded. “I see. That means he owes another man money, right?” 

“Correct,” Din said. “We’re going to a planet called Bespin. The manciple of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian, has reported this man to be roughly a million credits in debt. I’ve heard the bounty’s name come up before. He’s most likely in deep debt with multiple people.”

“Frightening,” you murmured. 

You kissed over the heart of your husband. Laying your ear over it, you could count the beats without even thinking. The rhythm sank into you so that your own heart eventually beat in perfect synchronization with your husband’s.

“Did you mean what you said about children?” you asked suddenly. 

The rumbling of Din’s ship is all you heard for some time. 

“Yes,” Din replied softly. “Since we married, I have been consumed with the image of you with my child.”

You chuckled, though feeling bashful. “I’m honored.” 

“Meshla,” Din breathed. His fingers combed through your hair in the darkness. “I am honored. Honored to be your husband. Honored to be the one you’ve chosen to bear warriors with.” 

You nuzzled closer into his arms. “I love you very much,” you say quietly. 

“And I love you more than you’ll ever, ever now,” Din replied. “For now, let’s sleep. We can devise to make children tomorrow.” 

With that being said, you were lulled to sleep by the humming of the engine and the beating heart of your one and only husband. 

After two days, you and Din reached Bespin. You learned that ‘Cloud City’ is a literal name. Tucked in the fluffy clouds is an actual city, which Din explained prospers through mining. 

Din explained that he suspected the city is being used by the Empire to operate trading posts. Because the city is known for its peace, Din said, their governor would  likely cooperate with Lord Vader to keep his people out of danger. 

The ship rumbled as landed on its cleared pad. 

For a long moment, Din sat behind his steers. You watched him carefully; you wonder what he is thinking. 

“Din?” you finally say. “What are you thinking?” 

Rubbing his jaw thoughtfully, Din cast you a glance. “I’m thinking you should stay on the ship and wear your armor. I can’t say for sure that the city is under Imperial authority. It’s only a hunch. But I can’t risk your safety.”

You sent him a soft smile. “My doting husband,” you sighed. You unbuckled your self from the copilot’s chair. “I’ll be changing into armor. Will you be alright?” 

Din nodded. “I’m going to meet with a few officers. They’ll give me their puck and then we can go after the bounty.” 

You took his hand in yours before you left the cockpit. You pressed a small kiss over his glove. “I’ll be here.” 

It is a struggle to dress in your plates quickly. Din showed you how to do it many, many times, but you’d never been able to do it as fast as he could, especially on your own. 

Your small arsenal of weapons fits snugly around your waist. Your flute, your blade, and your pistol have been your constant companions since you’d been gifted them from Gold. It felt strange to be without her. Strange, but exhilarating. 

You knew you would eventually find your way back to the covert when Din decided to take a break from bounty hunting. You looked forward to the moment you could see your newfound friends and tell them all of your adventures. 

You left the bedroom in you beskar, the rosegold sheen blinding you in any sort of light. 

You found Din in the engine bay, fiddling with what you presumed to be his puck. 

You are both in your armor and helmets now; with your visor down, you felt like a proper woman. It made you feel safe somehow, like you could truly protect yourself. 

“Where is he?” 

“Off the city,” Din said. His voice is rougher through the modulator, much like yours. “It won’t take long to find him. Before that, I have something for you.”

You tilted your head. “Oh? I am sorry to say I don’t have a gift for you.” 

Din chuckled. “It’s more for myself than it is for you, actually,” he admitted. He fastened something small to the tunic behind the breast plate. “A tracker. If anything happens, I can find you.” 

You repressed a sigh. You wished you could ease his fears. You hadn’t realized how he felt until he had mentioned it before. He didn’t like the thought of you mingling with Imperials. 

“It’s going to be alright,” you promised him. “It’s just a normal bounty. Only you have a supporter with you.” 

He couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. “Wear it for me,” he said after catching his breath. “It will make me feel truly at ease.”

You couldn’t say no to that. 

With the tracking beacon hidden behind your breast plate, you and your husband returned to the cockpit. Din let you hold the puck on the way off Cloud City. You hadn’t realized just how intense bounty hunting was until you fiddled with the puck’s features. You learned from Din that some pucks can be synced with the target’s genetic signature. This can allow any bounty hunter to track them throughout the galaxy. 

When you’d noted just how intense that is, Din explained that is usually used for the higher rewards: murderers, serial thieves, other similar criminals. “Our guy,” he said, “isn’t that serious. He was just sighted a matter of hours ago. I doubt he’s ran off anywhere, especially if he has no money. I think we’ll find him just fine.”

You had started to hope that would be true. 

The Crest took its landing ten minutes later, on a lower city thick with fog. 

You had prepared to follow your husband, but he set his hands on your shoulders and warned you to stay put. 

You sighed. “What if you need help? You may be able to track me, but I can’t track you. What if––?”

“Meshla,” Din sighed. “If I need help, I’ll call the ship’s comm. You can come find me then. Just stay put to guard the ship. I’ll need my loyal, supportive wife to stay here so I can bring the bounty back without any obstacles.”

It’s clear he knew what he was saying, as well what his words would mean to you.

You mimicked his sigh of annoyance. “I do not like that you’ve used my own supportive creed against me,” you told him sternly. “But I will stay. How long should you be gone before I get truly worried?”

Din thought about that for a moment. “At least,” he finally replied, “an hour. I give you full permission to come after me after two hours.”

You warned him you would come looking for him after two hour’s time. You would have liked to kiss him goodbye as he left the Crest, his hunting cape flying in the cool breeze as he did. 

You proceeded to sit in the cockpit for your mandatory two hours. You tried to read a book you’d found in Din’s bedroom while you waited. You felt impatient, and you thus could not focus on the first paragraph, as your eyes continued to wander to the comm embedded in the steer’s dashboard. 

It took almost the full two hours for Din’s voice to come through. 

“I’m coming back. Be ready for us.”

You sighed loudly with relief. By Prince Melv’s kind, resting soul, you’d been very close to leaving the ship to go after your husband. 

You waited at the ramp for him, your hand resting steady on your pistol sheathed at your thigh. 

His voice finally called through the mist. You squinted, using the focus feature of your helmet to scan through the fog. Two figures were dragging through the thick clouds towards the ramp. 

You ran after them, eager to help Din. 

His bounty is being dragged in unconcious. As you hooked one of the limp arms around your shoulders, you debated asking him what he had done to the poor fellow. 

You’d seen Din in action before; you wouldn’t ever want to be one of his bounties. You somehow feel he wouldn’t be as kind to them as he is to you. 

You helped Din drag the bounty into the cockpit. The poor fellow’s body got slumped in a side chair. “Close the ramp,” Din asked you. “Leave your helmet on. If he wakes up, don’t even speak a word to him.” 

You lifted a brow behind your visor. He didn’t look that vicious. “Is he so dangerous?” you asked in a low voice. 

“No,” Din answered. “But I don’t trust him around my woman either way.”

You shook you head as you went to shut the ramp. 

Rentering the cockpit with a glass of water from the kitchen, you found that Din had already tied the bounty up in the seat. “That was quick,” you noted as you offered it to him. 

Din lifted the helmet up just enough to gulp the water down. He thanked you for it. Before you could leave to put the glass away, he grabbed your wrist. He rested his forehead against yours, the metal of either helmet clinking together like bells. “I am lucky to have such a supporter with me,” he murmured. 

“Oh, Mando,” you sighed. You hadn’t used the nickname in a long time. It felt nice to say it now. “How romantic it is to hear you speak sweet things as we coddle one another in front of a criminal.” 

Din howled out a loud laugh. “Just buckle yourself in. We’re returning to Cloud City.”

With the bounty still unconcious, the Razor Crest lifted up through the fog. You thought about many things on the ride back. 

“Could I ask an unintelligent question?” you finally asked. 

“Of course, though I seriously doubt it will be so bad,” Din assured you without looking away from his screen. 

“Well, why is debt such a serious crime? I understand that it’s wrong, and of course why someone would want their money back. I’ve only thought that people should know the potential consequences.Wouldn’t that alone be enough to prevent such crimes?” 

Din did not ridicule you for asking. In fact, he answered you perfectly. "Debt isn't often overlooked," Din says. "Many times, people are in debt due to high interest rates or deep end gambling."

"Why gamble if they know they can't pay what they'll owe?" You asked. 

"It can be addicting for some people," Din explained. "They will give themselves the benefit of the doubt, thinking they have a good chance at winning a sum. Eventually, they owe more than they had originally hoped to win." 

You cast a glance over your shoulder, looking to the bonded man in the spare seat. He hasn't come to, not yet, and you're half dreading the moment he does. 

Din could take him easily enough; though you still feel unnerved to be in such a small space with a wanted criminal. 

The rational voice in your mind knows nothing bad will happen. The hard part is done, at least. 

The landing pad is cleared for Din's use over the Razor Crest's commlink. You watch the clouds out the window as Din descends through them, lowering the ship slowly onto the pad. 

The ship rumbled as Din shut down the engines. You looked back at the bounty. 

"Should I come with you?" You asked as Din unbuckled. 

He stayed silent as he leaned forward, examining the surroundings of the Crest. 

"It's not very crowded," he noticed. "I'd feel better if you stayed aboard the ship," he finally says. "Be careful."

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" you asked him with a small smile. He seemed to hear the affection as he leaned over your seat. He pressed the forehead of his helmet against your own, resting like that for an easy moment. 

"I'll be back soon," he assured you. 

He approached the bounty calmly, bending down to use his hand to carefully slap the man awake. 

The man awoke with a great start, jerking back into his bindings in a panic to get away from Din.

“Knock that off,” Din warned him. “Get on your feet. Meshla, stay here,” he called to you. 

You nodded, not saying a word as you recalled Din’s earlier instruction. You listened to the bounty attempt to negotiate with him all the way out. 

You followed behind them to close the ramp. 

That had gone smoother than you’d really been expecting. It’s half a let down, half a relief. Part of you had been expecting somehting exciting. You pulled off your helmet as you settled in your chair in the cockpit. You used the inside of your wrist to dab away the sweat that had formed along your hairline. 

Now, you could rest easy; you even looked forward to the next place Din would take you. Perhaps you’d actually be able to go exploring that time. Though you wouldn’t be surprised if Din would coax you into staying on the Razor Crest. 

You settled into the copilot’s chair, shutting your eyes to rest them. It took some time for the commlink to ring with static. 

You peered closely, expecting Din to ring in to tell you he’s on his way back. 

What actually came through sent fear shooting through you.

“Get off the ship and run. You’ve got to find me, Y/n, but go now. Someone’s coming for you.”

You had almost misunderstood his words. You had almost thought them to be a joke. 

They weren’t. 

You grabbed your helmet and shoved it over her hair, not bothering to keep it neat. 

You raced out of the cockpit on shakey legs. You darted into the weapons cell. You grabbed what you knew you’d be able to carry. Din had a large amban riffel that you could keep strapped on your back. You also grabbed his vambrace. You weren’t sure how it worked, but you figured it would be good for him to have. 

You sprinted off the ship, unable to look back and give it one last goodbye. 

You ran across the landing pad, keeping the riffel steadied in your arms. 

You’re not fucking sure where to go, or what to do, but you know that Din’s hunch must have been right. That’s all you can assume. Imperialites must be swarming this place. But how could you know who from who?

As you darted through the large building, you saw many people who simply gave you puzzled glances. 

Not many seemed threatening until you reached the intersection at the hallway. On one path is a swarm of officers with their weapons drawn and aimed at you. 

You fired the amban. It had very little recoil,or at least from what you’re used to. You hadn’t expected a bolt of electricity to spear down one of the officers. You truthfully didn’t know what an amban riffel did. You just knew it had the basic workings of any other riffel. You’d expected plain old plasma. You darted around a wall, holding your breath as you fiddled with the dial that hid right beside the trigger. You spun it to the next setting, before you darted back out to the open, the riffel aimed outright. 

You shot at an officer that promptly fell to the ground, his shoulder a cloud of ash that scattered to the floor. 

Oh. 

Alright. 

You recalled everything you’ve learned today as you sprinted down the halls, pointing and shooting everyone who tried to shoot you first. 

Gambling is an addiction. 

Amban rifles have several settings. 

Curiouser, and curiouser. 

You weren’t sure where to go from then on. Din had told you to find him, but where could he be? You’re the only one with a tracker, and the opposite link is still on the ship. As far as you know, there’s not a way to hunt Din down besides using pure luck. 

Your boots stomped down the hallways as you ran around. It became easy to seperate the enemies from the bystanders. The bystanders, for the most part, hid and ran away from you. The enemies just ran towards you. Little did they know, you have an amban rifle. You assume they don’t know what it can do, like you had just a matter of minutes ago. Unfortunate for them. 

You cleared a hall, switching between the settings to do a better take down of officers with more durable suits. 

You approached a large room. It looked a lot like an engine bay. Hissing tanks that let off steam stand everywhere. It’s like a maze of boilers and dials that you darted through. 

“Mando!” you yelled. “Mando, where are you?!” 

Your heart faltered as you realized Din might not be here; you’re not sure where else he could be. 

You went through another series of corners and turns. Cast along the wall in front of you is a tall shadow, a very visible weapon in hand. You armed your riffel up, your finger sweeping just by the trigger as you bolted forward to catch the by surprise. 

“Oh, Mando!” you cried when you found your husband turning, his own weapons drawn up like you. “What’s going on?!” you exclaimed as you are drawn into a tight hug. 

“Thank the stars,” Din breathed in a heavy sigh of relief. 

“No, no, no thanking anything yet,” you snapped. “What’s going on?”

You shoved the vambrace into his arms. As he fastened it onto his right arm, his voice, tight and taught, echoed around the metal floors and walls. “I think we’ve been setup,” he said. “I delievered the bounty to Calrissian, and he took me to a room where I was ambushed by someone else. There are many sorts of Mandalorians in the galaxy, but a small handful of them branched off to work with the Empire.” 

You are quick to remember the lesson you’d been given by Gold:  

And meanwhile, the cruel descendant of Tarr Vizsla began to attack the Creed more and more. 

The Way has been deserted on Mandalore, but it has lived on through coverts, such as this. There are others like us. Others are waiting to seize our place as protectors as they hide on distant planets like lakebats.

“There are mandalorians here?” you asked in a trembling voice. 

“I think so. I saw one. Listen, it’s going to be alright,” Din promised. “Do not ever take off your tracker. Don’t even mention it. If you have to, swallow it. If we get separated, you can’t come after me.” 

Stirring with shock, you stammered, “That’s crazy. I’m not going to leave you.”

“You will if I tell you too,” Din demanded from you. “If it comes to that, then we’re going to have to split up.” 

The words felt like a slap in the face. You couldn’t imagine splitting up. You couldn’t imagine how you would sruvive without him. You’re not as skilled as he is; by now, you’ve been getting along from sheer luck and an nasty build up of lifelong rage issues. You’re not a Mandalorian, not really, and you aren’t able to take down giant crowds like your husband. 

In the distance, beyond the boilers, came gunfire. You and Din seized up by each other, trying to gauge where it had come from. 

“I’m not looking to hurt anyone, today,” a voice echoed around. It had the familiar static of the modulators found in any Mandalorian helmet. That must be him. That must be the terrorist Mandalorian that Gold had mentioned so long ago. 

Din caught you by the wrist and forced you to run alongside him. 

“I hear you, little mice,” the voice called. His footsteps came from everywhere, but nowehere, all at once. Despite the clammoring of the Mandalorian’s boots, you couldn’t pinpoint which directino he’d been coming from. 

Din dragged you into a small  gap of a room, just off the main path of the boilers. You both huddled close together in the darkness. You tried to steady your breath out, so that it would not give you away. 

Din pried his helmet off, to your surprise. You felt frantic as he tugged yours off as well. 

Shut in the darkness, Din could only run his hands through your hair. 

“Never stop fighting,” Din says into your ear. “Do you understand that? I will find you. You can never stop fighting.” 

You managed to nod. “Alright,” you shuddered. “Never.” 

Din’s hands grasped the sides of your face feverishly, tipping your head back so he could press a hard kiss to your mouth. You felt his lips tremble as you tried to grip onto his chest. You clawed against his chest plate. 

Your mind turned over the possibilities of what might happen the moment you and your husband ducked out of the small hiding place. 

The fighters that raged beyond the little walls are searching for you both, and searching quite loudly at that. They call out to one another while you beg the galaxy for more time in Din’s arms. 

He held you in a tight hug for a moment longer, his breath shuddering as he hid his face in your neck. You wished to know what he was thinking; but you had an idea. He is likely thinking the same as you—that he must memorize all the finer details of your scent and skin, because there’s a good chance one of you will die. 

You hope it’s you. 

There isn’t any way you could live without Din; it’s too late for that. 

Din places a kiss on your eyelids, his lips wiping your tears away. “I love you,” you rasped. 

“I love you, too,” Din said. His hoarse voice didn’t sit well in your stomach. It felt painful to be unable to comfort the man who had always comforted you. You wouldn’t get the chance ever again. You know that in your heart as Din pulls his helmet back on. 

He slapped his blaster in your hand, forcing you to curl your fingers around it tightly. “If you see a way out, take it,” he instructed. “I don’t care if that means leaving me.” 

Your bottom lip quivered at the thought. You couldn’t do that, but you refused to tell him, knowing it would only pain him more. You forced yourself to nod in understanding. 

Din steadied himself. His face became pinched with focus as he fit your helmet back over your face; he followed in suit. 

You two waited in silence. You listened for the footsteps of the Mandalorian that lurked the maze like a ghost. 

Your stomach wrenched painfully when you heard the strange clicking of boot buckles round the corner. You could tell that this was the end. He would find you both, and you couldn’t fathom what he would do. 

The footsteps paused for the longest handful of seconds you’d ever felt. You felt the same fear you’d felt when you were caught by the court guardians during your attempted escape. Your heart seemed to clog up in your throat, leaving you unable to breathe as you waited in anxious anticipation. 

Din held you tightly as the Mandalorian found you. He cackled behind his modulator. He loomed over you and your husband as he sheathed his pistol. “I found you.” 

You and your husband became tied up on two unsavory chairs. The Mandalorian led you both at gunpoint to a new room at the other end of the building. He tied you both one by one, knowing neither of you would take the risk of running when he had stationed officers everywhere. You knew you couldn’t risk Din’s life that way. 

That must be the very same thing Din thought about you. 

Sitting feet away felt more like miles. You could strain your head back to look at your husband. The strange sight of Din being bound is one you’d never forget. 

The Mandalorian that had caught you both stood tall as he paced back and forth. His armor is a dull, forest green, faded as though he’d seen many years of battle. 

He had the telltale marks of a Mandalorian, even down to the jetpack strapped on his back Those were rare enough, even at the covert, reserved for the most elite of the warriors. You know deep down he can’t be a true Mandalorian––you couldn’t imagine Din greeting another Mandalorian with such malice.

As the green Mando paced back and forth, the odd buckles on his heavy boots clicked, like an ominous bell counting down to your demise. 

“I suppose neither of you know what I want?” he finally asked. 

Neither of the Djarrens answered this question. You knew better than to speak when Din hadn’t. 

The green Mandalorian sighed in disbelief. “Imagine my surprise when not one, but two Mandalorians show up here. It must be my lucky day. I’ve been waiting for you both for such a long time. It’s been a while since I’ve been with my own kind. You both can imagine the feeling, right? We Mandos are quite misunderstood in the cruel world.”

“What do you want?” Din finally asked. 

The Mandalorian paused, his helmet focused on Din’s chair. “You really can’t guess?” he asked. His voice is heavy through his modulator. “I’d like to know where the rest of us are.” 

You didn’t know what the really meant. You assume Din could, for he remained silent. The Mandalorian sighed, sounding rather crestfallen. “I mean, of course, that I’d like the locations of the other coverts.”

Your heart fell like a stone into the pit of your stomach.

 “And is that why we stay hidden?” You asked. “Because of the Jedi?”

Gold weighed stones of steel in her hands. They scrape over the edges of the newly bred sword, sparks flying as the edges build a razor tip. 

“There are more threats than the Jedi,” she mutters, voice pitched darker than you’d ever heard. “War rages throughout the galaxy as we speak. Mandalorians have abandoned their dignity and fall in league with the Imperial  scum.”

You shudder. Imperial scum. You know of such people. You’d unknowingly worked for many. 

Clearing your scratchy throat, your blurt out, “Why? Why would the “pacifist” Mandalorians work for such horrible people?”

“Not all Mandalorians or black and white,” Gold explains. “This has happened in the past. The descendant of Tarr Vizsla had worked with an Imperial Sith Lord. He had intentionally waged territorism on his planet, even abandoning his child. It is more common that you might expect, Y/n.” 

The Mandalorian held his hands out patiently. “Well? Wouldn't you rather tell me where your covert is than face what I could put you through?" 

You kept your head down, staring at your thighs through the focus of your visor. You're breathing so hard that the Mandalorian no doubt hears you. 

His boots clicked as he approached your chair. He knelt before you, tucking his hand under your chin to force your gaze upward. 

Din jerked in his bindings; an unfamiliar sort of snarl tore from his mask. He spat threats to the Mandalorian who donned the forest green armor. 

“Calm yourself,” the Mandalorian said coolly. “Your lover is in tender hands. Isn’t that right?” he asked you. Tears dripped down your face behind your helmet. You didn’t feel as scared as you did angry. Fury had bellowed in your belly, as it had Din’s when he saw the Mandalorian lay hands on you. You became filled with the urge to unleash as much pain on the Mandalorian as possible; it drove you mad to feel such a rage that you’d never felt before. 

It felt similar to the anger that had driven you to kill the men on Nevarro. At least there you had a valid reason. Those men were Anirians, your greatest threat. But this man is a stranger––you fear that you are being driven to such anger too quickly, and for bad reason. 

“I only want to know where the coverts are,” he assures you. His tone is almost believable; he sounds so troubled to be inflicting the mental torture onto you and your husband. You easily know that it’s a lie. It isn’t hard to fight that off. “Could you at least tell me your name?” he tried. 

Your jaw ached from the everlasting flex it had been locked in. 

“Tell me your name,” the Mandalorian urges, “or I’ll kill your lover.” 

“Vidia,” you spit out. “Vidia Thorpe.” 

You felt guilty for using your late best friend’s name this way, but it was the only possible thing you could say to avoid inflicting harm onto Din. 

“Interesting,” the Mandalorian mulls. “I’ve never heard of Clan Thorpe. You must be a foundling.” 

You couldn’t calculate what to say to that. Recalling every single rule and tradition you’d been taught, you did your very best to withstand the Mandalorian’s interrogation. 

“Who took you in?” 

“Shut up,” Din shouted. 

“I asked you a question, Vidia,” the Mandalorian repeated. “Which clan rescued you? Can’t you see that I mean you no harm? We both have sworn the same creed, as you can clearly see. We share the same armor. I guess I’ve been a bit rude, however. My apologies. I am Boba Fett, the first and only heir of Jango. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

“I will not tell you anything,” you said again, trying to sound firm. You know that your voice betrays you as it wavers out of your helmet. 

The Mandalorian stared at you in silence for a long two or so minutes. Sweat dripped down your back, even in the folds of your wrist that have become chaffed by the bindings.

With a soft sigh, the Mandalorian sheathed his heavy pistol on his hip. He lifted off his helmet with no resolve or guilt. He dropped it to the metal floor, the helmet clattering loudly. You couldn’t begin to express your shock. 

His dark skin and hair and eyes are too cold and unfamiliar for you to feel anything but nauseous. You swore that his eyes seeped into yours, seeing straight past your helmet and heart and into your insecurities. 

“You still don’t trust me do you?” he asked after a second of silence. “I’m not sure what else I can do to encourage it...I do, though, think that you and I are the same.” 

“I’m nothing like you,” you say in a tremble. “You’re a traitor to your own kind.” 

His eyebrows quirked at your words. “My kind? Why not ‘our’ kind? Vidia, would you like to know what I think of you?” he asked. “I think,” he says slowly, “that you’re not a Mandalorian at all.”

“And you are?” you say through your clenched teeth. “You broke your creed.” 

“And what is that creed?” the Mandalorian asked; his lips puckered as his words wrapped up in a coo. “I don’t think that you really know it because you’re not really a Mandalorian.”

He took a step closer to you, kicking his helmet away. “Let’s do us all the pleasure of seeing your face.” 

You struggled against him as his hands gripped the undersides of the helmet. He tore it off, leaving your hair in disarray. The Mandalorian whistled a low tune. “You’re very beautiful, Vidia, but I always knew that you were a liar. Do yourself a favor. Tell me where the covert is.” 

“Why do you want to know?” you gasped. You jerked your chin out of his hands. He frowned down at you. “Because they’re my people,” he says kindly. “Do you doubt it?” 

“You broke the creed,” you seethed at him; you feel that you’re practically foaming at the mouth with anger. “You removed your helmet.” 

“But not my armor,” he amends. “You should do your research before playing the role.” 

His boots click as he paces towards Din’s chair. Your husband had been silent all this time.

“So are you a Mandalorian?” he asks your husband. “Or should I reveal your face, too?”

“No,” you exclaimed as he grabbed the edge of the helmet. Din jerked his head back, fighting the Mandalorian as best as he could. 

The Mandalorian stepped back, hands raised defensively. “Forgive me,” he said, touching his chest. “I truly assumed. Well, this is an interesting match. I’ve heard of inter-marriages, but never of dressing an outsider in our garb. He must be trying to protect you. Am I right?” His thick brow lifted in questioning, his eyes flickering to you both for an answer. “I think,” he says slowly, “that I am right. I’m on a roll, right? Let me ask you both one more time. Before you answer me with your determination, allow me to explain the terms. Behind me you see a carbon freezer. I intend on using it today. It’s by far my favorite contraption. Usually, I’d freeze you both, one by one to encourage some talking. Unfortunately for all of us I only have enough material to freeze one of you. Meaning I’ll go home with one trophy, and one of you will be losing a spouse. If neither of you answer me, I’ll freeze Mr. Stoic and I’ll keep Vidia for my own use. She’ll make a fine gift to the Hutt clan. I’m sure she’d look gorgeous in one of those skimpy bikinis.”

“Like fuck you will,” Din roared. “You’re not touching her.” 

The Mandalorian held his hand out again, trying to ease Din’s rage. “I won’t touch her if you tell me what I want to know. I’m only asking for some planets. What’s the worst I could do with that?” 

Your heart thumped in your chest. 

Din’s loyalty to the creed forbids him from betraying his people; your loyalty to Din forbids the same. 

You can’t hold back the sob that shakes your body when you finally realize that you’ll be losing this fight. You’ll be left without Din, in the hands of the strange Mandalorian who has openly expressed his plans for you. You have to fight back. You promised Din that you would. 

The Mandalorian sighed. He pulled out his dagger and approached the back of Din’s chair. “There’s still time to get talking, lovebirds,” he warns you both. 

Din shook his chair, even in his bonds. He thrashed and bucked like a wild animal in a trap. “You’re a fucking disgrace,” Din bellowed. “You’re an insult to man and to your father. You’re not a Mandalorian. He would never be proud to call you his own.”

Boba Fett paused his sawing past the ropes. His handsome face contorted into a mask of anger; his eyes filled with more hatred than you’ve ever felt before. You never imagined someone could express such emotion. 

Without a word, Boba tipped Din’s chair down. Your husband landed on his side with a groan, the clash of his beskar to the floor loud enough to hurt your ears. 

You flinched when Boba walked towards you. 

You hear his blade cut through your ropes with remarkable ease; the splitting of the threads sent icy fear through your veins. 

“Disgrace?” Boba repeated. His teeth ground together loudly as he grabbed you roughly by the shoulders. Even through the arm bands you could feel his grip bruise your skin. “Insult? I can accept those,” he hissed. “I don’t think I can begin to tell you how hurt I am that you’d bring dear old dad into this.” 

Manhandling is all you could describe as Boba Fett pushed you towards the freezer. Your eyes widened as you realized what he had intended. 

“I figured that freezing her man would be enough to scare Vidia into sharing some information with me,” Boba laughed. “But I see, now, that you’re not willing to play nice.” 

Boba roughly tossed you into the chamber of the freezer. You watched Din thrash violently on the floor, still bound in his ropes. His voice echoed around the room as he shouted. He shouted your name more than anything. You could only hear your own name in his voice, which has never been pitched with such despair. It frightened you. 

The anger you’d felt before had disspeared. All you could think of now was the shade of Din’s eyes. 

His lovely brown eyes, the exact shade of hot cacao. Your mind raced through all the images you’d collected over these months; his eyes, his messy hair in the morning, his damn smile. 

Boba shut the chamber before you could begin to scream at yourself to fight back. 

There wasn’t a way out of this. 

You collapsed against the metal, a high scream ripping out of your throat. You screamed your husband’s name, hardly able to understand that he was pleading with your captor. 

The chamber hissed loudly, the sound bursting your ear drums. You clutched onto the blank pendant that swung around your neck as you cried. 

The pendant was meant to one day be stamped with Din’s signet. He had told you himself he was looking forward to the day your belly swelled with his child, so that he may officially have the symbol of Clan Djarren stamped into the back of his armor. 

It would never happen. 

You would never lay with him again, let alone bear his child. 

You couldn’t register that pain as the icy freeze blasted over your face, leaving you frozen in time, forever.

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