#and i don't want to miss any of the kenobi show or the lead up to the kenobi show

[beskarthief]

Chapter 6 of the Star Wars fic "Order 65". The rest can be found here.

 This had better work, Rex thought, chiding himself for the level of risk this plan involved. General Skywalker would have liked it. Fek, General Skywalker would have come up with it. Rex could almost hear his voice. 

 And how do we find out where the prisoners are being held? That's right. We become prisoners. You've gotta think like ‘em to find ‘em!

 Ahsoka would have rolled her eyes, General Kenobi would have sighed, Cody would probably have done both.

 It would have worked though, and afterwards the General would be beaming and all the rest of them would have to admit that, actually, it had been a pretty good plan. Everything seemed to work out so long as they stuck together.

 But that had been then. And this was now.

 Rex stumbled to a halt as the trooper with a grip on his arm stopped abruptly. He recovered quickly, taking the opportunity to scan his surroundings.

 He'd guessed they were underground by the length of the elevator ride, and the room around him confirmed it. There hadn't been anything this big on the planet's surface when they'd flown over. The cool, metal walls of the compound reflected the cold white light that emanated from panels in the ceiling. The space was mostly empty, save for a few crates here or there and a lone shuttle. For a moment Rex's heart dropped as he thought that they had missed them. Again.

 They had checked five different leads before this; nearly a week of hopping around the galaxy only to be disappointed. There were always signs that his brothers had been there. But they'd either been moved or... Rex didn't want to think about the other option.

 He couldn't have missed them. Not again.

 But he might not have. As Rex waited, he began to hear footsteps. Sharp and clipped against the metal floors of the facility, reverberating slightly as they got closer. And from around the side of the shuttle came an Imperial officer, datapad in hand.

 "Oh. Another one." the man said, sounding almost disappointed.

 "We found him snooping around the perimeter, sir." the trooper holding Rex said, grip showing no signs of loosening.

 "I don't care where you found it, just put it with the others."

 The others. They weren't too late. The words filled Rex with a sense of hope he hadn't felt in a long time. But it was just as quickly dashed. How was Echo supposed to see him give the signal if they were underground?

 "Yes, sir." the trooper didn't miss a beat, just turned and started dragging Rex away down another hall.

 He escorted him through a maze of passages, Rex being careful to make note of every twist and turn, until finally they emerged into what was clearly a cellblock. Though a rather small one.

Rex couldn't help but be disappointed, Unless they were piling them up five clones to a cell, he doubted there could be more than six here. But that was always the way with these facilities; size sacrificed for discretion.

 He wondered what could be so bad that even the Empire wanted to keep it hidden.

 The trooper with the death grip on his arm shoved him forwards, tightening his fingers around Rex's arm as he swiped a key card through the slot next to one of the doors. The cell opened with a faint shunk sound and Rex was unceremoniously thrown inside.

 He threw his hands up and caught himself against the far wall, door already clicking shut behind him. The trooper’s footsteps receded back the way they had come and he was left alone in the darkness. Or so he thought.

 "Before you get any ideas, this corner's mine." came a voice from the darkness, and Rex spun to face it.

 Leaning his back against the wall was another clone, stripped of most of his armor, though what remained was dirty and striped with a muted, green color. He stretched his legs out in front of him, the space small enough that his feet touched the far wall.

 "How many others are there?" Rex hissed, not sure if the Imperial might still be within earshot.

 The other clone shook his head. "Nope. Not doing that again."

 "Not doing what?"

 "A prison break." he sat up, turning slightly to face Rex. "Do you really think we haven't tried it? It just... it just makes things worse."

 A flicker of pain passed over his brother's face, and Rex saw the familiar lines of his own loss. But that was exactly why they couldn’t give up. Not yet. Not ever.

 He scooted closer to the other clone, close enough that he could speak in the faintest of whispers so as not to be overheard. “I have a guy on the outside.”

 “Oh, really? Well, let’s hope he stays there.”

 “If you could just tell me how many others there are, maybe we could join him.”

 “Look, pal.” Rex didn’t like being called pal, or appreciate the clone’s tone. “It’s not like I want to stay in here. But I’m not getting shot just because you think you’re the one in a million that can pull off a jailbreak. So leave me out of it.”

 Rex sighed. “What’s your name, trooper?”

 “Doesn’t matter. We’re all the same to them.” he jerked his head in the direction of the hall. Rex waited, and after a long moment he let out a breath. “Clik. My name’s Clik.”

 “I’m Rex. Captain Rex.” 

 “Oh yeah, I heard about you. 501st huh? Not bad. Doesn’t matter in here, though. You’re not captain of anything once the Empire gets you.”

 “What if I told you I let the Empire get me?”

 “I’d say you better be joking cause that’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. And I’ve done multiple shifts with Fireball.”

 “Is he here?”

 “...Yeah.” Clik said begrudgingly after a moment. “But like I said, it doesn’t matter. We’re not getting out of here. Nobody does.”

 Rex ignored him. “When I give the signal, will he follow your lead?”

 “Signal? Are you even listening to me?”

 “When I give the signal, will he follow your lead?” Rex reiterated. 

 “Yeah.” Clik sighed. “Yeah. He’s that kind of stupid.”

 “Good.” Rex replied with the beginnings of a smile. “You’ll know it when you see it.”

 “I’m still not helping you with this idiotic plan.” the other clone reminded him.

 “Good thing it’s not idiotic then.”

 It wasn’t long before the Imperial returned, this time with friends. They opened up the cells and Rex stepped out into the hall, only to immediately have cuffs slapped onto his wrists alongside the others. But at least he was finally able to see what he was working with. Three other clones beside himself and Clik. Assuming one of them was Fireball, that meant two clones that he had to find a way to let in on the plan. He just hoped they would follow his lead. And that Echo would see the hangar doors opening and be able to slip inside. The shuttle had to get out somehow. 

 A lot of this plan was relying on hope. 

 The guards stopped them before the shuttle, giving each of them a final pat down to make sure they weren’t carrying any kinds of hidden weapons. Rex thought it was probably unnecessary, but was thankful for the distraction nonetheless. At least he could rely on protocol to be menial as ever. Some things never changed. 

 And then it happened. The trooper was halfway down the line when the hangar doors began to grind slowly open, dropping bits of leaf litter onto the ground. It wasn’t ideal; the doors were above them, so Echo would have no way of sneaking inside. But, on the other hand, that also meant that it was even more obvious from the air.

 He watched the edges of the slowly opening ceiling until the officer had returned, looking them over with an expression of extreme distaste.

 “Are you quite done?” he asked the trooper still in the midst of a pat down. “I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible.”

 “Almost, sir.”

 Rex was fairly sure he would like to have working for this officer over as quickly as possible. He knew the type. 

 “Well, hurry up.” the man glared down his beaky nose at his datapad, scrolling through it with a flick of a finger. “Five, yes?”

 “Yes, sir.” 

 “CTs, yes?”

 “Yes, sir.”

 “Are you done yet?”

 “Almost finished, sir.”

 “I’m not interested in a status report, trooper. It was a yes or no question.”

 “Yes, sir.”

 If Rex hadn’t of felt a deep seated hatred towards the Imp that had thrown him and his brothers in a cell, he might have even felt sorry for him. Just then a flash of movement at the edge of his vision caught his eyes and he glanced at it, careful not to turn his head and give anything away. 

 Echo. He was perched above them, rifle in hand. The reflective surface of the sniper scope flashed at him and Rex inclined his head ever so slightly to let him know he’d seen him. 

 Now he just needed to get the Imps’ attention. As the officer walked past him Rex stretched out his foot, catching the end of the man’s step and making him stumble.

 He grimaced, looking down his nose at Rex.

 “Don’t start a fight you can’t win, clone.” He said it with such disdain that Rex had to smile. 

 “I wouldn’t dream of it, sir. Not what us clones were made for.” He said innocently. 

 “Oh really?” the Imperial raised a thin eyebrow.

 “That’s right, sir. We don’t start fights.” Rex said, tilting his head in Echo’s direction. “We finish them.”

 He brought both his fits up in unison, still cuffed together at the wrists, and felt the resounding -  and very satisfying - thwack as they connected with the man’s jaw. One of the troopers leveled his gun at Rex, finger inching towards the trigger, and then a shot rang out from above and he slumped to the ground.

 Then everything happened all at once.

 Both Rex and one of the other Imperial troopers lunged for the fallen man’s gun at the same time, but Rex got their first, rolling into a firing position even as he slammed the butt of the weapon into his opponent’s helmet. The trooper toppled backwards, thrown off balance, and fell directly into the line of clones still standing single file behind him. They weren’t orderly for much longer.

 Clik, despite his earlier hesitations, was the first one in; grabbing the gun out of the Imperial’s hands while he was distracted and shooting another of the swiftly approaching guards point blank. He then tossed it to one of his comrades, who moved to cover his back as Clik began searching the stunned guard for the keys to unlock their cuffs. When the Imp tried to get up one of the other clones hit him in the head; knocking him out cold. 

 “Get to the ship!” Rex yelled, gesturing towards the shuttle even as the hangar doors above them began to grind closed. He glanced around for the control panel and spotted another trooper standing by the far wall, the blinking lights of the console beside him, leveling his blaster at-

 “Get down!” Rex barreled into Clik, knocking him to the ground. He could feel the searing heat of a blaster bolt fly over head, barely missing the top of his head as he covered his brother with his body. Another shot followed it, and then the sound of someone falling to the ground. Rex raised his head in time to watch the Imperial’s gun fall from his now limp fingers. Thank the Force for Echo.

 But it wasn’t over yet. He could already hear the echoes of footsteps approaching from back the way they had come, and when he scanned the hangar bay for the officer he was nowhere to be seen. Rex cursed himself. He should have known the coward would go for reinforcements. If they were going to do this, they had to do it now. 

 “Everybody to the ship! Now!” he shouted, waving them on. Clik tossed the keys into his outstretched hands, cuffs already dangling off his own wrists, and Rex saw the flicker of light back in his brother’s eyes. It looked like hope. 

 And then it was gone.

 Rex saw the flash of light before he heard the shot, reflecting off the cold metal halls of the hangar. Clik’s eyes widened with shock for a fraction of a second, then he went limp and slumped towards the floor. All of it had happened in the time it took for Rex’s hand to close around the keys. 

He was gone before he even hit the floor, the light snuffed out with him. Rex blinked hard, once. All the time he had to grieve right now if he didn’t want to lose any others. 

 “Everybody, move!” he shouted, voice raw as he urged the others - the survivors - onwards. One of them was already standing on the ramp that led up to the shuttle, pulling his brothers in one by one. He helped Rex up, then continued to wait, as though expecting Clik to get up and follow them. 

 “He’s not coming.” Rex forced the words out, every syllable taking something from him.

 The other clone lingered for a moment more, not wanting to leave his brother behind. Rex grabbed his shoulders and pulled him inside as another blaster bolt hit the side of the shuttle.

 “We have to go!”

 That seemed to snap him out of it and he nodded, turning and bolting into the ship after the rest of them, hitting the panel to close the shuttle doors as he did. Rex followed him, clambering up into the cockpit and settling into one of the seats. Three of them. He had gotten out three of them.

 But somehow the loss of one felt so much greater. 

 Rex took a deep breath and added him to the list. He didn’t have time to mourn now, but he would later. They all would. Once they’d won this war. Once it was over. He owed it to all of them. 

 To Clik.

[tennessoui]

kit's silly little hiatus

hey besties, don’t panic. it’s just for a little bit.

i’m facing like…a pretty busy next few....days? weeks?. with a lot of obligations and annoyances and things that meet in the middle. but some moments that promise to be really great too. and i think it’d be best for me, for y’all, for irl people, if i took a small break from tumblr to give everything the attention it deserves. i’m temporarily stepping up hours at work to save for a new laptop + i recently got a promotion with zero pay raise but basically i’m the singular task manager for over 200 people so that’s a big oof. i’ve got family and friends in and out of town starting soon, and the weather is supposed to get really, really nice really, really soon. and i absolutely love the sun.

so: cut to the point, what does this mean?

i figured i can probably guess some important faqs, so here’s my best shot:

This feels like a pretty serious announcement for something that’s supposed to be small.

i know. i figured it’s better safe than sorry. i get that when someone just stops posting for a bit, it’s easy to get worried. That’s the crux of internet friendships/internet people. sometimes you don’t know what happens to blogs and that is understandably worrying. i don’t want y’all to be worried. so even if it’s just the one person who would have noticed, i’m making a very long post about it. just in case.

People who take hiatuses never come back. Look at ao3 abandoned stories.

i understand the confusion. but i am not one direction.

Is this not fun anymore?

no, it absolutely is fun. it is so fun i have forgotten how to have other hobbies. last week i told my friend i couldn’t go to a concert with him because i was in for the night on tumblr.

When will you start your hiatus?

april 4th. i know, i’m jumping the gun on this """announcement""" a bit, but i also didn’t want to just spring this on you. i’m going to spend the rest of the week setting up a tiny queue (maybe) and answering asks/writing the tiny prompt fills i’ve been putting off since june 2021 (definitely).

When will you come back?

may 5th. it really will just be a month.

What are you going to do during your hiatus?

maybe start watching all those movies on my list that y’all have been telling me for like a year i need to see?

Most people can watch movies and have a tumblr/time for tumblr.

it’s a LONG list.

What are you seriously going to be doing?

i don’t know! isn’t that exciting?? maybe i’ll learn to parallel park. maybe i’ll finally buy another laptop. maybe i’ll get back into cooking, assuming i can budget well enough to do something nice. i know i’ll write. i can’t wait to write. i have one commission i will probably finish and post sometime during april because that’s an important commitment i won’t forget.

Will you keep your commissions open? Your ask box?

so. commissions, yes. i can’t…really afford anything else at the moment. as for my ask box, i don’t think so. i don’t want anyone who doesn’t catch this hiatus message to send me an ask and then think i’m ignoring them. it’d be better just to close it, so i think i will on april 4th.

You could just pin this hiatus message.

i could. i don’t want to. i think people think of blogs on hiatus as dead blogs, not worth the follow. and it’s so very vain of me, but i would like to think come may 5th, i’ll be just as worthy of a follow as i am now (which, you know. you decide what that worth is). but a pinned hiatus message? imo it scares people away.

So what happens now?

it’s march 30th. i’ve given myself five days ish to get everything set up, and in that time i’m just gonna be kit as normal. if you wanna send me an ask, please do! or a reply on a post! or a fic comment! i absolutely do not want to leave anyone hanging or waiting, and i absolutely don’t want you to…think i won’t miss you or this blog. it’s just a month because a month is all i can think i can do because i’ll miss y’all so much. but this is important i think. for me to do.

see you may fifth, bless 💙

[fialleril]

I just had to deal with all this transphobic bullshit in therapy (because why should my doctors bother to actually respect me) and I cried all day and I just feel awful. If it's not too much trouble, could I get a snippet of Anakin totally destroying someone who absolutely deserves it? Verbally, physically, I don't really care, I'm just in serious need of a revenge fantasy. I don't care what universe it's in. I love all your fics and I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time. Thanks!

Posting this publicly with permission - I hope it helps! (And I hope you can get access to a therapist who will respect you.)

This is another snippet from the Jedi reformation AU. In which Anakin and a couple of Padme’s former handmaidens plot to help a group of enslaved people escape from the palace of the king of Brundia. A king who just so happens to also be Anakin’s Jedi assignment at the time. Also, at least one character has now officially migrated to this fic from Anabasis.

Takes place less than a year before AOTC. Warnings for discussion of slavery.

Anakin’s transponder goes off almost the minute they dock onBrundia. He hesitates a moment after settling the ship and powering down, justlong enough that Obi-Wan looks over at him with a raised brow.

“I know you’re not excited about this mission, padawan,” hesays dryly. “But I do hope I won’t have to drag you off the ship. We don’t wantto keep His Majesty waiting.”

“Of course not, Master,” Anakin mutters, exaggerating hissigh just that much more than necessary. It makes Obi-Wan roll his eyes, and hemisses the way Anakin taps twice against a pouch on his utility belt as he pullshimself to his feet with a groan.

King Marlonartan the Seventh, formally styled His RoyalHighness, Lord of the Fifteen Mysteries, Prince of the Infinite Isles, Augustand Radiant Fount of Wisdom, Crown of Justice and Throne of Mercy, King Ordainedby All the Powers of the Cosmic Oneness, Marlonartan, Seventh of that Line, isnot someone who likes to be kept waiting. He’s also, apparently, one of thosepeople who believes that on time is in fact late. It’s a common belief amongMasters, though they never seem to apply it to themselves.

Obi-Wan and Anakin present themselves before the AugustPresence at exactly 17:00 galactic standard time, just as they were scheduled.The Fount of Wisdom glares down at them from his jewel encrusted throne and mutters,peevishly, “I had understood that Jedi were always punctual. You disappoint me,Master Kenobi. I would expect to be shown more respect by the emissaries of theSupreme Chancellor.”

“I do apologize, Your Highness,” Obi-Wan says, bowingdeeply. His annoyance is obvious in the Force, though nothing of it shows inhis outward bearing. Anakin follows his lead, teeth gritted to hold back ascoff. He’s already imagining how he’ll describe this scene to Kitster.

Their assignment is simple enough: they’re on securitydetail for the duration of Brundia’s week-long celebration of the Exalted andMost Holy Day of the Birth of the King. The Council believes that KingMarlonartan, who has a history of predicting threats against his person, mayactually have reason to be concerned this time, so they’ve sent Obi-Wan andAnakin to babysit.

“This assignment is fairly routine, and we don’t expect muchresistance,” Master Windu had said. “But Brundia is a strategic world in ourefforts to combat the spread of the Separatist movement.” Then his eyes hadnarrowed and he’d added, “And Padawan Skywalker could use the practice indiplomacy.”

Obi-Wan had agreed of course, his embarrassment not quitehidden in the Force, and Anakin had bowed and said, “Yes, Master,” and that wasthat.

Later, when he messaged her with the news, Padmé respondedwith a long string of laughing faces. “Someday,” she wrote, “we’re going toattend the same diplomatic summit, and I’ll get to see the show in person.” Shealways calls it “the show,” mainly because she finds it absolutely hilariousthat the Council still believes Anakin causes diplomatic incidents out ofignorance, rather than out of very deliberate choice.

Padmé had offered a bit of teasing advice, too. “I’ve metKing Marlonartan before,” she wrote, followed by a grimacing face that made himlaugh for longer than it probably should have. “It’s pretty much impossible todo too much bowing and scraping, as far as he’s concerned, so you can get awaywith quite a lot there. Just…try not to call him a rich Core Worlder to hisface.”

“No promises,” Anakin wrote back, and he’s fighting a grinthinking about it now.

But he manages to mold his face into an expression of deepcontrition as he bows low, his right palm pressed to his brow, in the properdisplay of Brundian fealty. “Please forgive us, Most Merciful Highness,” hesays, eyes trained on the marble floor. “I am only a learner, and I fear my aweof your magnificent palace caused my Master to be delayed.”

He can feel Obi-Wan looking at him, and his Master’scuriosity prodding at the edges of his mind. Anakin hides a smirk and lets histhoughts fill with the pious desire to do well, to have a successful missionand meet the Council’s expectations. That makes Obi-Wan even more suspicious,but as a shield it’s effective, and a moment later his mind withdraws. Anakin’sglad that he’s looking down, so the laughter doesn’t show on his face.

The truth is, the obsequious bowing and constant use offlowery, inflated titles come easily. Resistance in the form of scrupulousobedience is a lesson older than his oldest memory, and in a place like this,where even the hint of a double meaning is completely lost not only on the kingbut on his Jedi Masters as well, it’s almost fun.

King Marlonartan nods graciously and offers his forgiveness,and then they’re dismissed to meet with the king’s security team.

“What was that, padawan?” Obi-Wan hisses the moment the ornatedoors of the throne room close behind them.

Anakin offers his best innocent, eager to please smile.“Diplomacy, Master,” he says. “I really am trying to do better. I know howimportant this mission is.”

Obi-Wan looks at him for a long moment with narrowed eyes.Finally he sighs. “Just try not to cause a diplomatic incident this time,” hesays wearily. “That’s all I ask.”

“Yes, Master,” Anakin says dutifully.

He doesn’t manage to slip away until nearly midnight, afterthey’ve gone over King Marlonartan’s security arrangements twice andestablished a shift for both regular guards and Jedi protectors.

Obi-Wan’s on watch now, and Anakin is supposed to besleeping. He’s going to be horribly tired through his shift, he knows, but he’srun on less sleep before and this is far more important.

Rabé and Yané are waiting for him in an all-night dinerthat’s half the city away from the palace and might as well be on anotherplanet. The streets here are narrow and dingy, lit by sporadic stabs of blindinglybright light that serve only to cast the rest of the street in deeper shadow.The air is full of myriad food smells, some more appetizing than others. It’s afar cry from the perfumed air of the palace. Anakin breathes it all in with asigh of pure relief.

He spots the two Naboo women instantly, though they’ve goneto some pains to make themselves unremarkable. Without the makeup and fineclothes, neither of them looks all that much like Padmé, which helps.

He slides into the booth next to Yané without a word, andjust manages to hold back a laugh when they both simply blink at him.

“Can we help you?” Rabé asks at last, her voice pointedlycold, and a snort of laughter escapes Anakin in spite of his best efforts.

“Well I hope so,” he says, grinning, as he reaches up to tapa finger against his padawan braid, tied up and around the short tail of hairat the base of his neck.

Their eyes widen, and Yané blurts, “Ani?”

“Uh, yeah,” he says, laughing again. “Do I really look thatdifferent without the braid?”

Rabé snorts. “It’s not the braid,” she says. “I swear, Ani,the last time I saw you, you were still shorter than me. What the hellhappened?”

That’s an exaggeration, of course, but she does look a good bit shorter than heremembers, so Anakin lets it go.

“Jedi nutrition,” he says dryly. “It’s very exact.”

“I’ll say,” Rabé mutters, eyeing him up and down. “You oughtto market that diet.”

“A Jedi never strives for profit,” Anakin says piously.

“Oh, sure,” Yané says, nodding sagely. “That’s why you havea major fundraiser every year, and that charity gala in the Senate.”

“Well, the generosity of the people of the Republic isdifferent, of course.”

“Of course,” Rabé says. She smiles wryly and slides adatareader containing the diner’s menu across the table to him. “Are youeating?”

“Troona, yes,”Anakin says. “The king had a feast tonight, and Obi-Wan and I had to worksecurity. They served caviar and a bunch of little things on sticks thatprobably cost more than everything in this place. It was awful.”

“Poor baby,” Yané says, patting his arm. “We picked theright place, then. My sources tell me the Aldoshan curry here is enormous, andhotter than the lava pits of Mustafar.”

Anakin orders the curry, and when the waitress comes back afew minutes later to see how they like their meals, he asks if she has any hotsauce. Rabé and Yané stare at him, aghast, and even the waitress looksimpressed, but Anakin just shrugs them off. “I’ve been cooking for Obi-Wan foryears now, so everything’s been mild. I’m not going to miss my chance at realfood.”

“It’s amazing you have any taste buds left,” Rabé says witha laugh.

“Core Worlders are just weak,” Anakin says, grinning arounda mouthful of curry. “So, what have you got for me?”

“Big news,” says Yané, glancing around surreptitiouslybefore sliding a datastick to him. “We’ve got a group of twenty-three comingalong the Ryloth trail next week, and half of them need ID. But the moreimmediate concern is right here on Brundia. And it’s going to complicate thingsfor you.”

“Ah,” says Anakin. “I knew I had a bad feeling about thismission.”

Rabé rolls her eyes. “No, you just picked that up fromObi-Wan,” she says. “He always has a bad feeling about everything.”

Anakin snorts. “True. Okay, so approximately how many of theking’s servants are actually slaves?”

For a moment Rabé and Yané both just stare at him. Then Yanéshakes her head. “You picked up on that, huh? I don’t know why I’m surprised.Our sources say there are nineteen people working in the palace who…didn’texactly choose to work there.”

“How diplomatic of you,” Anakin says dryly. “And you’ve gota contact?”

“Dinsa Atray,” Rabé says. “She’s a Twi’lek woman, not mucholder than you. The information’s all there.” She gestures vaguely at him, buthe knows she means the datastick.

“You’ve got a transport ready?” he asks.

“Ready and waiting,” Yané says. “We just need thepassengers. But we haven’t been able to get admission to the palace, and Dinsaand her people can’t get out.”

Anakin smiles. Maybe there’s a reason he’s here on Brundiaafter all. Even if it does mean he’s almost certainly going to end up breakinghis promise to Obi-Wan. And he’s not likely to do himself any favors in MasterWindu’s eyes, either.

Oh well. He’s got a reputation by now, so they won’t exactlybe suspicious if another of his diplomatic missions goes awry.

“Leave that to me,” he says with a grin.

*

Dinsa Atray isn’t hard to spot, once he knows who to lookfor. She seems to be always present at every banquet the king holds, and heholds a lot. She’s Marlonartan’s personal server, it seems, and that could be aproblem. Anakin watches her, demure and silent as she serves her master anotherglass of sparkling wine, and wonders how he’s going to explain Marlonartan’sassassination, if she moves before he has a chance to talk to her.

One thing he knows for sure: if she does move, he’s notgoing to stop her.

But two days go by, and no one tries to kill the king, andfinally Anakin manages to catch Dinsa alone. They’ve just endured yet anotherfeast, and the king’s gone off to bed with Obi-Wan on guard duty. Anakin’smeant to be sleeping, but he has much more important things to do, and anywaythe food at tonight’s so-called feast was even worse than usual, so maybe hehas an ulterior motive for visiting the kitchens. Or maybe it will just make agood excuse.

Dinsa starts when she hears him enter, then spins aroundwith a knife in her hand. Startled or not, she holds the knife like someone whoknows what she’s doing.

But her eyes widen when she sees who he is, and she dropsthe knife on the counter and her eyes to the floor. “I’m so sorry, MasterJedi,” she whispers. “What can I help you with?”

Anakin winces. He can’t help but wonder how many Jedi she’smet before. How many Jedi have come here and left again. I didn’t come here to free slaves, the memory of Master Qui-Gonwhispers in his mind, and Anakin grits his teeth and blurts, “I came to helpyou. And my name is Anakin, not Master.”

He says it in Ryl, and he thinks it’s that more than thewords themselves that gets her attention.

Dinsa looks up sharply, eyes narrowed and expressionunreadable. She’s silent for a long moment. And then, slowly, she smiles.

“You have a Tatooine accent,” she says.

“Mos Espa,” he says, smiling back. “I learned fromGrandmother Imayli.”

Her brow arches again, and he knows she understands the fullsignificance of that. But all she says is, “I didn’t know there were any Jedifrom the Territories.” There’s not a trace of emotion in her voice.

Anakin is impressed, and maybe a little jealous. “There’snot,” he says, and tells himself there’s no hint of bitterness to his smile.But he can see in Dinsa’s eyes that she knows. “There’s just me.”

He tells her that he’s in contact with her transport, andasks what it will take to get everyone out.

Dinsa eyes him for another long moment. “All I really needis a thorough distraction,” she says.

“I’m good at distractions,” Anakin says with a grin.

“And the other Jedi?” Dinsa asks, and Anakin’s smile falls.

Obi-Wan is a true Jedi. He’ll prize the mission overeverything else, and his mission is what they were assigned by the Council: toprotect King Marlonartan. Assignment or not, that’s not Anakin’s mission.

“He’s…good at responding to distractions,” Anakin says atlast, and feels a little guilty for not feeling guilty.

Dinsa only nods. “I understand,” she says. “So we’ll givehim the kind of distraction he can react to.” She eyes him slyly and adds, “Ihave access to more than enough chemicals. All I really need is a detonator. Idon’t suppose you have one lying around?”

“Give me an hour and I will.”

*

The explosion goes off in the middle of the next evening’sfeast. Anakin will discover later that it takes out the majority of the RoyalAtrium, where they’d feasted only the night before. But tonight they are in theGilded Ballroom, on nearly the opposite side of the palace. The assassinationattempt has been foiled chiefly by the assassin’s bad information, and no oneis hurt in the blast.

Obi-Wan instantly springs into action, taking up position atthe king’s side and ushering him rapidly from the room and into a secure,undisclosed location. Anakin yells that he’s going to secure the perimeter, andignores Obi-Wan’s questioning glower as he dashes from the room.

It’s almost disappointingly easy to disable the securitycams when the palace is on lockdown. The array is pretty sophisticated, and thecoverage is extensive, but the entire system goes down if both the power andthe backup generator fail. Obviously, whoever set off the explosion must haveknown this. It’s unfortunate that, whoever they were, Anakin must have justmissed them – the system control room is dark and empty when he arrives. Atleast, that’s what he’ll tell Obi-Wan and the king later.

Anakin’s duty, of course, is to get everything up andrunning again. That will only take him a few minutes. So he takes his timeexamining the system and looking for clues in the room. The door hasn’t beenforced. It’s almost as though there wasn’t anyone here before him at all.

Less than ten minutes later, he gets a secure transmissionfrom Dinsa. “We’re out,” it says. Anakin smiles to himself and reboots thesecurity system.

An hour after that, there’s another transmission, this onefrom Yané. “And we’re off. Sorry for blowing up your mission.”

Anakin erases the message immediately, but he’s stilllaughing to himself about it days later as he and Obi-Wan are on their way backto Coruscant, King Marlonartan’s rather peevish thanks still ringing in theirears.

[blueraith]

(About your Wonder Woman post) But isn't there a lot of female superheroes already? I mean, Wonder Woman isnt the first or last girl hero idolized. I havent seen that video, but I think the guys were trying to say they don't get why WW should be a bigger role model than any other hero. Or why girls strictly need girl heroes to look up to? I always liked Black Widow... I'm trying to understand how you see hero movies as sexist, because I'm a fan of those movies and I dont see the connection.

The hero movies themselves aren’t sexist. It’s the response to female hero movies, what few there are as well as the ones that are upcoming, that are sexist.

That’s mostly what I’m talking about. There are a good amount of female superheroes, but so many of them are merely female versions of preexisting male superheroes. Batwoman, Supergirl, Spider-Woman. There are a paltry few original female superheroes in comparison. Black Widow, Jean Grey, Wonder Woman. Those three are really the few in the public’s mind when they think ‘original female superhero,’ because female superheroes don’t get a lot of attention. They don’t get their own movies, and they rarely get their own TV shows. Most of the time female superheroes, of any type whether original or rebranded, are secondary characters in a male superhero’s movie.

Wonder Woman is lauded as a bigger hero for a few reasons. First and foremost, she’s Wonder Woman. She’s iconic all on her own for being one of the Big Three in the Justice League, being the most famous female superhero, and her TV show from the 70s. That’s an achievement list that the vast majority of female superheroes just can’t live up to. Second, she’s the titular character of the first successful female superhero movie. In fact, there really isn’t a long list of female lead action movies in general. Third, the movies was just plain good. It characterized Diana as a strong female character without forcing too many masculine traits on her. That, I think, was important. It have her a chance to fight and be tough and warrior like, but at the same time didn’t shy away from the fact that she is a woman. She loves babies and is soft and caring to her friends and family, and can be quite feminine when she wants to be. It’s a bit of a trope for a ‘strong female character’ to basically be a man in women’s clothing.

But, that really isn’t what those guys were talking about. They were specifically targeting fictional heroes and I think, they missed the point. It wasn’t just Wonder Woman, it was the fact that she was a fiction, half-deity, Amazonian princess, and they wondered why anyone would look up to that as a role model when they should look up to the director or a real person.

And on the surface, that seems like a legitimate question. Why not look up to a real person as a role model? I mean, Diana isn’t a real person, she’s a half-Amazon deity who has superpowers, what could you really learn from her?

But what can you learn from Superman or Batman? What can you learn from Obi-Wan Kenobi? What can you learn from any fictional character who is less than realistic? Of course no one is saying that Wonder Woman is a role model that children can reasonably and literally strive to be. You can’t grow up and develop or attain god-like powers. That isn’t the point of having a fictional hero.

And these guys completely missed that point. It isn’t what Diana is that is important for girls to look up to. It is what she does. In terms of her motivations. Not her superpowered actions, but her human ones. How she feels, what she thinks, the choices she makes, her beliefs. Those are what is admirable by children or anyone looking for a fictional role model. There is nothing wrong with having one. It is, I think, why we connect to fictional characters in the first place. Because we admire what we see in them and wish that their actions could be emulated in the real world by others or ourselves.

I’m not saying that Wonder Woman needs to be everyone’s favorite female superhero. She honestly wasn’t mine until I saw this movie. She’s the most well known at what she does, but I’m fairly certain that there’s a good argument that she’s not the best at being the greatest female superhero. I’m very favorable to Batwoman myself. I just think that the reason Wonder Woman achieved such viral note over this past summer is because of her movie, and people kind of took to her. It’s a damn good movie.

I’m also not saying that superhero movies are sexist. The men reacting to them are. Ask a guy if he wants to see a Black Widow movie made. Most of the ones online will say something like, ‘she doesn’t have enough of a backstory to sustain one on her own.’ I see it all the time on Reddit. And it’s bullshit because Black Widow won’t have a backstory unless someone fucking writes her one. That’s literally all that needs to be done to get her story that can be told in a movie. Write her damn story. But, instead, she’s used as a secondary character in everyone else’s movie.

‘Why are there women main characters in everything now?’

That’s the question people had with Ep VII when Rey was revealed to be the Jedi. When Rogue One was coming out. When that new Star Wars cartoon staring mostly female characters aired.

Captain Marvel was pushed back in favor of Ant Man 2.

Some men thought that Wonder Woman was pushing the lesson that men are inferior to women. Like. ????? What movie did they go see?

There is a ton of talk about this from men, over why women should have felt this, or thought that, after this movie came out. Criticism that women shouldn’t be so gung-ho about this movie because it’s just Wonder Woman. She’s not even real. What’s the big deal?

Because they don’t get it. They don’t get what it means to be starved of representation, of seeing your fictional heroes on the big screen, or celebrating them the same way men and boys get to do every day since Hollywood first existed.

It isn’t that Wonder Woman is the best female superhero that needs to be idolized above all others. She merely brought this lingering and ugly sentiment that women shouldn’t have any female superheroes to look up to, to light. It’s been in the background for years. I’ve argued this sentiment for a long time on old message boards, back when vBulletin was the most popular forum format. I used to ask why women couldn’t star in more movies or video games. And I was told, time and again, that women couldn’t carry a story on their own. That Hollywood was marketing to their most common denominator. That men wouldn’t want to play or watch something with a woman in it. Because women weren’t funny enough, or badass enough, or great enough. That men were better at these things than women are.

Wonder Woman is important, and she’s currently talked up right now, because she earned fucking $800 million dollars. Everyone saw this movie. This movie proved every single solitary thing those assholes used to tell young BlueRaith on those message boards she used to argue on. And it’s great. I am simultaneously angry at these assholes who are so surprised and freaked out right now while overjoyed that they’re freaking out. Because they were wrong.

The movies aren’t sexist. But many of the reviewers, commentators, fans, and trolls surrounding them are.

[tennessoui]

Could u rec some more (obikin) fics please?

sure! to shake things up a bit, here's a list of wips I'm really excited for (for a variety of reasons, but mostly because i want more people to read wips)

(i've tried to include a mix of ratings and tags, but i just went through my history for these, so if there's a lot of a specific tag, i had a micro-obsession and no shame):

Passion by why-is-my-nose-a-carrot (updates to this story and their previous one literally make my day, I'm obsessed with their writing style and story choices and i could literally go on and on this is probably the wip i'm most hyped about)

Taking Care by @ragnarlothcat (always obsessed with a good mission fic paired with a feelings realization that then blends seamlessly into 'i did not just have that feelings realization what are you talking about don't be silly.')

earthshine by posthumous_vigor (deaged obi-wan and emperor vader and baby twins who just want their uncle ben back while vaderkin misses his master but appreciates the younger version, but really, really misses his master's kisses)

do you know the name faith by heian (padawan obi-wan & master anakin, force dyad, so promising, huge love and huge anticipation)

How Hondo Ohnaka Accidentally Saved the Galaxy by DontCallMeShirley (super funny, love the concept, love Hondo's voice--he drugs obikin so that they don't interfere with his plans. they don't. they get married instead. Just. So good.)

Νόστος by NFx (I love a Hades/Persephone fic, I mean--I did write one myself but I'm just so excited to read one. I never get tired of these! This is just chef's kiss on my favorite sort of possessive and protective tropes.)

Blindfold me (I'm the only witness) by @lilredghost (jeez i love this, very explicitly porn very 'speaking to the id'. consensual somno so as to sidestep obi-wan's massive guilt complex)

Any Other World by @mysticmjolnir (I was so excited to see this update!! it's been one of my favorite Post-Kenobi show release fics. Like. Just the angst! the hurt! the longing! an anakin and an obi-wan who want their anakin and obi-wan but also want each other because they're the closest they may ever come to the their obi-wan and anakin again)

Welcome Surprises by nephilimswitchlight (such a sweet fic, where anakin surprises obi-wan with his presence on his birthday)

soft, warm, mine by lovbaby (oof. salivating at this fic concept, cannot wait for a second chapter. i can already tell the misunderstandings will be BEAUTIFUL)

if this isn't nice, what is? by anonymous (anakin learns how to jerk off with his new mechno hand. he also learns how to jerk off while thinking about obi-wan. delicious. cannot wait for more)

this land is mine, but i'll let you rule by travellingcircus (i would follow travellingcircus wherever they lead; i love their fics and have probably reread them constantly. in this one, anakin buys a slave to help him on his moisture farm but like. obi-wan's definitely a jedi. right? right??)

bodies (& the celestial reimagination) by @noona96n (i just found this fic last night but it's absolutely darling, i love any fic that starts with anakin as a baby padawan and him hero-worshipping obi-wan im a weak gal i have simple needs. i cannot wait to see how this story develops going forward!)

we're swimming with the sharks (until we drown) by @coldwaughtered (another fic I found just last night, but in love! high-powered, put together lawyer and smitten anakin with probably equally smitten obi-wan but the pov is anakin's so that comes off stronger at first + fake marriage for more money which i guess means obi-wan was like if this twunk marries someone else i'll stop being distracted and NOT fall into a consensual workplace relationship only for that to majorly backfire! love the playing with the timeline as well)

The Other Half of My Soul by RedMetalWitch (It took a few months to convince myself to read this as I wasn't quite sure on how absolved of his sins/darkness Anakin would be--my greatest fear unless i'm in a particular once a year sort of mood is a uwu darth vader--but i absolutely adore this fic. i don't know who isn't already following it, but worth the read!)

Shutting the eye of reason by anonymous (another guilty pleasure fic, where anakin is extremely jealous of qui-gon for taking up all of his master's time, and decides to do something about it. mainly by seducing him.)

and of course to round off the list, my beautiful and constant obsession and pipedream that one day it will update if only i keep the faith:

Open Circle by Calyss (my absolute favorite take on sith obi-wan i've ever read. I cannot explain more. It's just so good.)