#and them racing to be the first to arrive; yoda to destroy it; anakin to try and escape

[princesssarcastia]

[reply from @avocadomooon: there's no way they'd let anakin know the babies and padme survived, like that just - doesn't make sense. they keep him unconscious the whole time until they can get them off the base and then yoda takes anakin with him to the swamp planet. (worst nightmare for both of them) bc any way you slice it, if anakin survives that, there's no reaching him, not when his hatred for obi-wan is now directly tied to the injury that will cause him pain forever ]

that's a fascinating and insightful take. it also makes the best of what I imagine would be Obi-Wan and Padmé's conflicted, blue-screen-esque feelings about Anakin. They don't want him dead, they love him—but neither can they bear to be around him.

on Padmé's side...I suppose we do more frequently see people, women especially, who can abide staying near people, men especially, who do them great physical harm even when they beg him not to. Even when it risked hurting their children, too. There's a universe where she loves what's left of him enough to just take it, swallow the pain and the fear and the insult and pretend everything is fine.

But not in a universe where she feels she still has a duty to the galaxy, and to the ideas of rebellion that Bail is even now trying to seed. That's work she would see as imminently necessary, work she would see as something she had a responsibility to take up herself...and work that would be impossible while Anakin is around. As big as her anakin-related blind spots are, they're not that big.

I'm also fascinated by Yoda, here.

Bail's got plans, and Padmé's in on those plans, and Obi-Wan, who cares for them both, and believes in what they're fighting for, will help. But not if it means leaving Anakin alone to die.

So, perhaps Obi-Wan asks Yoda—Yoda who is tired, and broken, and has seen the end of his people—to take Anakin with him when he goes into exile. To help him, if he can, or at the very least contain him, if he can't. Still holding out some glimmer of hope that his oldest teacher can perform the miracles he himself isn't capable of.

And maybe Yoda accepts because it's Obi-Wan asking. Maybe he accepts out of guilt, however misplaced, for failing to see how close Anakin was to the edge before he plummeted over it. Maybe he accepts because Anakin was a jedi until like, a week ago, and he's tired of watching jedi die, even if they aren't Jedi anymore. Maybe he remembers a bright, scared 9-year-old boy standing before him, asking for a home and a future, and wants to honor the promise his people made to him, in the end.

Maybe he accepts because he knows he can keep Anakin contained, on Dagobah, if two of his last allies in the galaxy refuse to do the responsible (maybe even humane) thing and see him dead. Maybe he accepts because he's not ready to be alone for the rest of his life, however long or short it may be, however horrifying the quality of company will be.

Also, it's big OT-Yoda-and-Ben energy to lie to Anakin about Padmé, Luke, and Leia being dead. The delicious parallels of Anakin, alone and bereaved of any of the family he desperately wanted by a huge lie—but this time, the people lying absolutely have the right to do it.

Probably someone drops Yoda and Anakin off, with a medical droid stripped of anything that could possibly be turned into a communicator, and then leaves. No ship to steal. No tech to use to reach out.

Just them. Alone. In the swamp. Giving Yoda at least 20 years to perfect his I'm-not-trapped-in-this-swamp-with-you, you're-trapped-in-this-swamp-with-me routine on Vader, long before Luke ever steps foot on Dagobah.

I think Vader stays with Yoda until it's clear he's healed as much as he'll ever heal, until it's clear Yoda's not hiding any means of escape—and then he flees to establish himself somewhere far, far away, determined to isolate himself and Yoda, to refuse to give in to...whatever Yoda wants.

And Yoda...lets him. Because he agreed to this, but he doesn't want to fight over the details, or force Vader to accept his help. If the sith who killed his people wants to live alone in the dark waters, that's his prerogative. Which isn't necessarily the smartest choice, but hell. He's old, he's tired, he's done.

Something would eventually force them back together, but what forces them back together is up for debate.

hm. revenge of the sith au where after Obi-Wan cuts Anakin's legs off and lets him burn, he then picks him up off the shores of Mustafar and drags him back to the ship. So it's the road trip from hell, starring:

Obi-wan, distraught, traumatized, cursed to be the adult in the room like always but 1000% less prepared to fulfill that role than normal

Anakin aka Lord Vader, limb-less, burned to a crisp, Sith; unconscious

Padmé, heavily/recently pregnant, distraught, traumatized; unconscious

C-3PO, anxious-but-in-the-way-he's-ALWAYS-anxious

R2-D2, pissed as hell at Anakin for trying to kill Padmé, exasperated at Obi-Wan for being less useful than normal

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 9

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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Jumping out of hyperspace, the 212th Attack Battalion and Coruscant Guards have arrived at the planet Horuca. Led by General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Commander Thire, respectively, both the battalions were armed to the teeth, prepared to take down their enemies.

Horuca was a planet which was surrounded with colourful plants and mountains on the surface. Similar to a tropical jungle, the rainforest was thick and was surrounded with fog, showing that it was raining cats and dogs.

The ocean surrounding the planet was pastel pink, but thanks to the dark purple clouds in the sky, the water looked rough to swim or catch some fishes in the sea. But Marshal Commander Cody doesn’t let it stop them from fighting.

To him, the heavy rain gave an advantage for them to hide themselves from the Imperial battle droids, which weren’t equipped for this kind of weather. Still, that doesn’t mean the Empire wouldn’t send aqua droids after them.

“Alright men,” he spoke, catching the attention of his troops. “In a few minutes, we will land in the shallow part of the beach. Make sure you get into position. We don’t want to leave anyone behind.”

“Yes, sir,” the 212th answered in unison. Faven put on her helmet as she took a deep breath, hoping she would die in this battle.

“You seemed down,” Boil pointed out, making her face him with her unimpressed stare. “Is everything alright?”

“Who wouldn’t be down, Boil? For all we know, this could be my last mission in the war.”

“Hey, come on. Aren’t you supposed to be cheerful right now?”

“How can I, when Amala is not here anymore?”

Boil was speechless. He knows who Faven was referring to. Both of them were close since the Second Battle of Geonosis. They didn’t know each other on Kamino, but it didn’t matter to her.

Faven blamed herself when she watched Amala killed in the trenches. It happened so fast. One moment, she was firing against the battle droids. The next thing she knew, her best friend was lying on the ground, blood spilling from her helmet.

I miss her so much; she thought about her. I wish I could see her again.

“I’m really sorry, Fav,” Boil sympathised with her. “It’s difficult coping with someone’s death, especially when they’re close to you.”

She bobbed her head and turned to her brother. “I’m sorry about Waxer too. He was a great guy.”

“Yeah, Waxer,” his voice quivered, before clearing his throat. “Well, at least he’s in a better place now. Somewhere peaceful, where there are flowers everywhere.”

Faven smiled. “Waxer always loved flowers, especially the yellow ones. And I’m sure Amala is there with him too, carrying a bunch of rabbits in her arms.”

Boil chuckled as he put on his helmet, agreeing with every word she said. “We should get moving. We don’t want to be left behind.”

“Right beside you,” she gave a small salute, as she stood in front of Obi-Wan, who gave her a warm smile.

“Good luck, all of you,” he wished them. “May the Force be with all of us.”

The trap door opened below them, with the icy wind blowing towards them. Taking a deep breath, Faven and Boil exchanged a look of determination with each other and jumped towards the pink ocean.

Holding her breath, she quickly swam towards the surface and exhaled, wiping the surface of her helmet. Glancing at the rings in the rainy lavender sky, Faven stared at the beauty above her. Amala would have loved this place.

Commander Cody and Obi-Wan were the last ones to join them, along with the Corrie Guards, with Commander Thire and Commander Stone leading them. “Is everyone accounted for?” Cody asked, counting all of his troops present.

“We’re all here, Commander,” Crys reported.

“Thire, Stone, are all your troops present?”

“They’re all here, Cody,” Thire informed him. “Though I wish Fox and Thorn were here with us right now.”

“We can’t all have everything. Now come on, Team B is counting on us.”

“Yes, sir,” Hyewon saluted respectfully, marching beside her brothers and sisters.

Since she survived the Battle of Coruscant, the Corrie Guard is determined to prove her worth on the battlefield, where she had no experiences at all. Hyewon may have trained in a simulation, but when she was shipped off to Coruscant, she didn’t get the chance to fight battle droids like the rest of them.

Instead, she had to deal with prisoners who caused nothing but stress. There are prisoners who were decent with her, and there are prisoners who made a mess for her to clean up.

Hyewon pitied the ones who were in jail for something they’ve never done, and she also felt sorry for prisoners who were only there for self-defence. She thought they deserved better, and the Republic had failed them. I hope they’re okay.

As they approached closer to the island, Obi-Wan sensed something unusual in his surroundings, prompting the troops to stop in their tracks. “Be on guard,” he advised them, gesturing towards the rocks. “We may be watched.”

“You heard the general,” Cody barked. “Stay hidden behind those rocks. Our enemy might be closer than you think.”

Hyewon nodded as she hid beside Boil and Faven, who she never interacted with till today. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you both. All my friends died on Coruscant.”

“Don’t mind at all,” Faven offered her hand. “I’m Faven, by the way. This is Boil. We went all the way back to Kamino.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” she shook her hands. “I’m Hyewon, from the Coruscant Guard. I was discharged from a coma a few days ago, so this is my first time on the battlefield.”

“I have faith that you’ll survive this,” Boil encouraged her. “Trust me, you’ll do great out there.”

Thire saw the three of them having an animated conversation with each other and tossed her a binoculars, making her attentive. “I understand you want to catch up with what you’ve missed, but please pay attention. We’re at war right now.”

“Sorry, sir,” apologised Hyewon, as she scanned the entire area, which was suspiciously empty. “But where are our enemies, anyway? I don’t see anybody in my scope. Not even a single soul, Commander.”

“It’s strange for the Empire to sneak around, but we’ll have to be patient,” Stone said. “It’s one of our best options right now.”

“That sounds boring,” Harley expressed her opinion, expecting more fun for her. “I came here for some action, not to wait the entire day long.”

Cody couldn’t agree more with his subordinates. The wait made him more anxious, aware that this wasn’t what the Empire was like. Out of countless battles he fought against them, the droids aren’t like this. Something is up. I can feel it in my gut.

“General, what do we do?” he asked the Jedi Master. “We can’t go on like this. Team B is waiting for us.”

“I have an idea.”

Stroking his beard, Obi-Wan stood up and climbed on the rock, crossing his legs in meditation. As he closed his eyes, he reached through the Force and levitated the rock towards the mangrove, causing the battle droids to pop out from their hiding spot.

“There they are,” Obi-Wan pointed out, activating his lightsaber. “Everyone, get into position.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Thire responded, turning towards his troops. “Come on, blast those clankers.”

”I’m happy to do that,” Stone laughed as he opened fire. “Eat that, you fucking clankers.”

Hyewon’s eyes widened as she saw Boil and Faven blasting the droids with their blasters, listening to the sound of blasters firing against each other for the first time. She wasn’t used to all of this, but luckily, she can adapt to a new environment. Well, this seems more fun than babysitting a bunch of prisoners.

Gripping on her weapon, she shot down a SBD in front of her, making her pulse run. She had training in shooting, but she hardly had the chance to utilise her skills, until today. Shooting another droid, Hyewon couldn’t contain her excitement as she repeated her actions again and again. “Okay, is anyone going to tell me that this feels good, or am I the only one?”

“You’re not the only one,” Boil shared his feeling. “Wait until you have to deal with the bigger droids. That one is an immense challenge, even for me.”

“I can’t wait for that.”

If only she knew the genuine horror that comes with it, Faven sighed.

Stone stepped forwards and gunned down the B1 units with his twin pistols, not missing a single aim at all. Jek continuously fired with his favourite weapon, the rotary blaster, destroying every droid single handedly. He never had this much fun since accompanying Master Yoda on the moon of Rugosa.

As the B1 were cleared from the field, Cody spotted the Super Battle Droids heading towards their position, making him signal towards Boil, Faven, and Hyewon. “You three, get over here.”

Hyewon let out a soft gasp. “Are we in trouble?”

“No, we’re not,” Boil calmed her down, dragging her towards her commanding officer. “What do you need, commander?”

“Take these to the other side of the line,” Cody passed them a box full of ammunition and supplies. “These are important for all of us here. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Faven acknowledged. “We won’t let you down.”

“Good luck out there. You’re gonna need it.”

Together, the trio took a deep breath together and counted to three, lifting the long box with their bare hands. They had their armour on, but Hyewon wasn’t sure whether they were going to last this long. She didn’t think it would be this intense.

Watching her comrades getting shot to the ground, she was horrified at the sight of blood soaked on the soft sand beneath her. Some of their helmets were separated from their heads, revealing a horrifying face that stood out. Hyewon noticed one of her sisters was coughing out blood, desperately fighting for the will to breathe.

Is this what war is like? Hyewon questioned herself, realizing the truth. I don’t want to die like this.

Thire shifted his attention to Harley, who was killing the droids with her sniper. Trained as an assassin clone, she could kill without hesitation, which was hardly utilised until they fled to Raxus. She was stuck as a call operator for three years, dealing with obnoxious citizens that abused their services. Harley’s grateful she doesn’t have to do that anymore.

“Harley, I need your help,” the commander requested for her assistance, much to her satisfaction.

“What is it, boss?” she jumped in excitement.

“I need you to go rogue right now. It’s what you’re good at.”

“Easy-peasy lemon greasy,” Harley squealed loudly as she grabbed a couple of explosives and sprinted towards the excitement, releasing a war cry. The rest of the troopers who observed her crazy act did the same as well by joining her antics.

Cody could only blink in confusion as one of the Corrie Guards bombed the barbed wires that shielded the Imperial army without getting shot. The rest of them followed suit by infiltrating through the trench, ambushing the droid army. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Thire assured him. “We’re doing what we can to divert their attention towards our scouts. They’re the ones carrying our supplies.”

“Speaking of Team B,” Obi-Wan joined in their conversations, deflecting the blasts. “Once we’re through, we need to let them know when they can land.”

“I hope they’re doing much better than us,” Stone maintained his positivity despite hearing one of his brothers screaming in pure agony. “We’ve lost a lot of lives today.”

[wolveria]

The Jedi’s Gambit - Ch. 2

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi x Cad Bane

Summary: The day Cad Bane turned himself in caused quite a stir at the Jedi Temple.

The way Luminara told it, he simply walked up the steps, approached the nearest Temple Guard, and said, “I surrender.” Toothy smirk and all.

Yes, Obi-Wan definitely had a bad feeling about this.

Prompt: Enemies to Lovers (for my writing challenge at @trashmenofmarvel​)

Word Count: 3k

AO3

The Council agreed that a Sith artifact and information revealing who had wanted to destroy the future of the Order through the abduction of Force-sensitive younglings was worth its weight in ingots.

Bu apparently, it wasn’t worth a full pardon.

Obi-Wan was stretched to his limits. He knew Bane had done unforgiveable things (killing Jedi amongst them), but they were losing the war. It wasn’t obvious at first glance, but like a glacier falling into the sea the Republic was slowly and inevitably sliding toward defeat. Information from someone like Bane, who worked in many elusive circles and had been in the game longer than most, was invaluable.

Plus, Bane could finally confirm the Council’s suspicions that the Sith Lord they had been searching for was responsible for the abduction of the Force-sensitive younglings, putting the entire future of the Order at risk.

Obi-Wan saw Bane’s demands as entirely within their power. The Council didn’t see it that way. They didn’t want to take the risk of pardoning the bounty hunter.

It was not the first time the Council had made a decision that struck Obi-Wan as unwise. Sometimes, he wondered if they prioritized purity over practicality. Of course, it was not unheard of that the Masters would deal with elements of the underworld, but apparently this was too much for their honor to accept.

Obi-Wan wanted to crack through his reserved composure and tell them their honor was ceded the moment they became the frontline soldiers in an intergalactic war.

He nearly shocked himself with the extent of his own unhappiness with the Council. Obi-Wan hadn’t always thought this way, but he couldn’t deny his faith had been shaken after his stint as the infamous Rako Hardeen.

He had voiced his doubts to no one. Who would he have told? Anakin? The boy’s faith in the Council was shaken enough—he didn’t need Obi-Wan to add to it.

Luminara? Hardly. She adhered to the Code even more stringently than Obi-Wan did, and that was saying something. She might try to be sympathetic to his new, unbidden feelings of conflict, but she wouldn’t understand them.

Mace? The wise Jedi might have understood. He had done things that weren’t exactly pristine during his tenure as a Jedi Master, and he might commiserate with Obi-Wan’s doubts now, but he couldn’t risk Mace losing faith in him either. If anyone looked at him too closely, stared just a little too long, they might sense his unfaltering trust in the Code had begun to…

Well, falter.

So, Obi-Wan kept his mouth shut, jaw clenched tightly as he listened to Mace, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Yoda deliberate on Bane’s fate. In the end, they decided they needed to meditate on it, and Obi-Wan left the Council Chambers with a pulsating headache between his eyes. He’d told them about Bane’s condition, how he had suffered abuse at the hands of someone, and they’d made vague promises to look into the matter and then moved on to the next topic.

As if the idea of a Republic prisoner being tortured in their custody wasn’t something that needed serious attention.

He went to bed distressed that night. Even meditation couldn’t unburden his concerns and lingering sense of dread. Cad Bane never ceased to make matters more complicated, even when he was supposedly trying to cooperate. From his capture to his demands, nothing was simple and the Force hummed with an undercurrent of something larger at play. Obi-Wan just wished he wasn’t the only one who seemed to feel it.

And then there was the matter of Obi-Wan and his own complicated feelings in regards to the bounty hunter. He continued to push the memories of what happened on the Delano to the furthest reaches of his mind.

He hadn’t been the first Jedi to break the Code, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last, but Obi-Wan was quite sure none of his predecessors had broken their oath quite like he had. There had been many Jedi in the past that had “gotten in bed with the enemy” and joined the dark side. Obi-Wan had literally gotten into bed with the enemy, but still maintained he was on the side of the Light.

It was hypocritical, and dangerous, and it was why Obi-Wan had shut out all thoughts of Bane. It was why he had to do so now, and remain objective and fair when it came to Bane’s fate. The gnawing pit in his stomach had everything to do with getting the Sith artifact into safekeeping and nothing to do with any kind of concern for the reckless bounty hunter.

And yet… he couldn’t forget the look on Bane’s face as Obi-Wan had drawn near. Couldn’t ignore the way his chest hurt when he first saw Bane’s bruised face, and how he had pretended everything was typical and that he hadn’t been terribly abused by his captors.

Well, to hell with waiting around. Obi-Wan would investigate the matter himself. He didn’t need to wait for the Council’s approval for that. With that thought in mind, Obi-Wan finally shut his eyes to sleep.

When he opened them, he was no longer in his bedroom. Grey, glittering, uneven walls rose around him. He realized he was in a mineral quarry, surrounded by broken bits of blue gemstone that were strangely familiar.

“…die… my feet… like a man.”

“You’re not… piece of trash… disposed of as such…”

Obi-Wan turned to the sound of voices, catching their words in confused snippets of dialogue. He narrowed his vision and shaded his eyes from the lights above his head. Lights he realized belonged to a ship.

A Republic prisoner transport.

Finally, he saw them, figures gathered underneath the hull of the large vessel. Someone was on the ground, their hands bound behind their back.

Obi-Wan moved closer, his heart beginning to race in his chest. Something was very wrong here, and he realized why as he got close enough to make out the figures. Clone troopers surrounded the kneeling form, and Obi-Wan felt an unpleasant jolt go up his spine when he recognized the last figure.

Bane looked up at his captors as they said something else to him, the clone’s words oddly muffled, and then he seemed to sigh as he closed his eyes. His bony shoulders, normally pulled slightly back in confidence (and often arrogance), were now slumped in defeat.

But the look on his face was the most disturbing thing to Obi-Wan. It was unequivocally a look of relief.

The trooper held out his hand and another soldier gave him a handheld blaster. He aimed the weapon at the back of the bounty hunter’s bowed head.

“No!” Obi-Wan cried out, reaching his hand out as if he could stop the execution from this distance. But no one seemed to hear him or even know he was there, and he was forced to watch as the trooper pulled the trigger.

Bane fell forward, crumpling to the ground in a broken heap. The only movement after that was the wisp of steam rising from the barrel of the blaster.

Obi-Wan bolted upright with a cry on his lips, his throat tight as he looked around the room in panic.

No troopers. No lifeless Bane, either. Just his dimly lit, sparsely-decorated room. He shuddered and rubbed the sweat-slicked hair off of his forehead, trying to catch his breath. His chest heaved up and down beneath his thin shirt which clung to him like a second skin.

It hadn’t been the first time Obi-Wan had woken up screaming after dreaming of an execution he couldn’t stop. He’d been plagued by nightmares for weeks since Satine’s murder.

This was the first night he hadn’t dreamed about her, but about someone else.

No. Not a dream. It had felt too real to be a dream. The tangy, sharp scent of the air, the cool night breeze against his skin. No… it hadn’t been a dream. It had been a vision, revealed to him through the Force.

Obi-Wan hurried out of bed and got dressed in his robes at record speed. The sun was just beginning to peek through the columns of skyscrapers through his window, and he ran through his mind who would be awake at this hour.

Master Yoda, probably. Perhaps Mace. Kit would still be sound asleep, as he had arrived a day earlier fresh from the battlefield. Or perhaps fresh wasn’t the best word to describe him or any of the Jedi Masters. They were all running on fumes at that point, which was probably why he shouldn’t have been surprised when Luminara was the only one there when he arrived in the Temple communications center. She was slightly bent forward, studying a map of a system under siege by the Separatists.

There truly was never a time for them to rest.

“Good morning, Master Kenobi,” she greeted politely, turning away from the holomap as she appraised him. “You’re up early.”

“Yes, well, there’s a reason for that,” he said while running a hand through his unkempt hair. Damn, he’d forgotten to even groom himself. “I need to…”

He trailed off, caught off-guard trying to explain exactly what had just happened. Force visions were complicated things at the best of times, and led one down a path fraught with danger at worst. They were often unreliable, but what was more important than that, they usually centered on people or events that were important to a Jedi. Things that were at the forefront of their mind.

How would he explain to the Council that he was having visions of Cad Bane?

“Yes, Obi-Wan?” She watched him patiently, but he didn’t miss the glint of curiosity in her eyes. It wasn’t often someone caught Obi-Wan at a loss for words, looking so ruffled in the early hours of the morning.

“I need to speak with Cad Bane,” Obi-Wan finally admitted after rubbing the back of his neck. If he could figure out why a squad of troopers would execute a Republic prisoner, perhaps he could prevent it without having to confide in his fellow Jedi. The thought should have filled him with guilt, but his sense of urgency left no room for it. He couldn’t get the image of Bane collapsing, his body limp and unmoving, out of his mind.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” she responded evenly.

His throat tightened so fast he nearly choked.

“What? Why?”

“The trooper escort has already left,” Luminara informed him as she pulled up an official document on the holoscreen. “He’s been transferred to the prison planet, Worath.”

“Transferred?” Thank the Force that the shock running through him made his tone void of emotion, calm, because Obi-Wan was the farthest thing from it. “On whose authority?”

Luminara peered closer at the document, a thoughtful finger tapping against her chin as she read, “It has the Senate Seal of Approval. It either came from the Senate or the Chancellor himself. I am unsure as to which.”

It was impossible. Bane had only been in their custody for less than a day. The Jedi hadn’t decided on the matter, and the Senate certainly never decided on anything so quickly. That left the Chancellor’s office as the responsible party who gave the order.

“But… we were in the middle of working out the terms for Bane’s deal!” Now a little color came back into Obi-Wan’s tone, causing Luminara to raise an elegant brow at him.

“If I must hazard a guess…” she observed while looking back up at the screen, “I would say the Chancellor did not wish to form an official agreement with a known criminal. Especially one as notorious as Cad Bane. Perhaps he felt consigning the bounty hunter to Worath would send a message to others who would try a similar tactic. That no clemency would be granted to those who profit from the suffering of others.”

If that’s the message the Chancellor wished to portray, then he could not have picked a more perfect punishment. Worath was one of the most brutal incarceration worlds that existed in the galaxy, and all of its occupants were permanent “residents.” No one who was sent to Worath ever left. At least, not while they still drew breath.

As much as her words made sense, Obi-Wan didn’t entirely subscribe to Luminara’s explanation. Something hadn’t felt right from the beginning, and for the Chancellor to issue an order to have the bounty hunter sent away so quickly? Obi-Wan was beginning to suspect it was the Chancellor himself who had remanded Bane out of Jedi custody and secreted him away into the military base.

He would have to figure it out later. For now, he had to move. And quickly.

“Thank you, Luminara. Tell the Council I will be off-world for the rest of the day. I have some business to attend to.”

Luminara gave him another eyebrow quirk but didn’t question him further, instead slightly bowing her head in acknowledgement and farewell. Obi-Wan had left the room before she’d straightened her posture.

If it had been a Force vision about anyone else, Obi-Wan would have taken a Jedi diplomatic ship and explained his actions later. This particular situation, however, was fraught with pitfalls and traps.

His past… interactions… with the bounty hunter complicated things. The fact Bane was going to be executed by GAR personnel complicated things further. He had no idea what would happen if—when—he got to his designation, but at least he knew where he was going. He’d recognized those glittering grey walls and blue gemstones from a place in his youth, long, long ago.

The problem left was how to get there. If he took a Republic vessel, it would have navigation logs and records. There would be a clear trail for where he went and what he did. It was protocol, and typically, Obi-Wan was glad to have it there, but not this time. This time, he would be going into unknown territory and he was unsure who was friend or foe.

Obi-Wan needed a ship that wouldn’t be tracked. And in order to do that, he would need to visit an old friend.

“Obi-Wan!” yelled a boisterous voice once the Jedi entered the diner.

So much for subtle entrances.

“Hello, Dex,” he answered back, smiling despite himself. “It’s been a while, my friend.”

“That it has!” the old Besalisk responded with a deep, belly-laugh, grabbing the Jedi around the middle and embracing him tightly.

Obi-Wan struggled to breathe until he let go, but honestly, he didn’t mind Dex’s enthusiasm. It was a breath of fresh air after the polite-but-distant personal interactions in the Temple.

“Stars above, haven’t you aged since I last saw ya. I mean that as a compliment,” Dex added with a wink. “Very distinguished.”

“It’s all in the beard,” Obi-Wan answered, bringing forth another deep laugh from the diner owner as he stroked said beard. Then he lowered his voice into something more serious. “I don’t mean to be impolite, Dex, but I’m afraid this isn’t a social call.”

“Ooh,” Dex vocalized with clear interest. “Got more Jedi business for me to help with?”

Obi-Wan hesitated a fraction of a second, and then answered, “I need to borrow a ship.”

Dex narrowed his eyes in a way that was far too observant, and his grin turned sharp. “Unofficial Jedi business, then. You in some kind of trouble?”

“Not exactly,” Obi-Wan answered, pulling his robes tighter around himself as Dex led him toward the back of the diner.

“Someone else in trouble?” Dex asked while looking over his shoulder at him. “Someone you don’t want on your people’s scopes?”

Obi-Wan couldn’t stop the smile under his beard and said, “You don’t miss a thing, Dex,” which caused the Besalisk to chuckle.

“A dull-eyed prospector is a starving prospector. Now what kinda ship are you lookin’ for?” They were standing outside now, behind the diner for some privacy, though Obi-Wan much preferred the kitchen. The smell was more tolerable, anyway.

“Something reliable and inconspicuous.”

“Hmmm,” Dex hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his own facial hairs with his fingers. “I normally wouldn’t do this, but seeing as how yer an old friend, I suppose I can part with my personal starship.”

And having a Jedi in your debt doesn’t hurt either, Obi-Wan internally mused, but he couldn’t fault Dex for working the deal into his favor. Dex was sharp enough to see Obi-Wan was desperate, but he was also kind enough to not take advantage of the situation unfairly.

“Dexter, you are a saint,” Obi-Wan said with a grin. And he meant it. This was the first break Obi-Wan had caught since this whole business had begun.

“Oh, you talker,” Dex responded with a chuckle. “You know you can ask anything of ol’ Dex, even if you can’t talk about your mysterious Jedi missions. Just bring my ship back in one piece. She’s probably older than you at this point.”

“I will,” Obi-Wan responded with a smile, embracing the Basilisk one more time. “Thank you, my friend.”

Dex told him the location of the spaceport where he stored his ship, a part of town Obi-Wan knew would was cheap and discreet. He doubted anyone would recognize him there, which was all the better.

“Obi-Wan, before you go…”

“Yes?” the Jedi asked, pausing as he turned to leave.

“I gotta ask. Just for curiosity’s sake…”

Dex met his eye, a look there that was entirely too shrewd to be just mere curiosity.

“Is this business… or personal?”

Obi-Wan’s smile began to fade as he thought back over his history with Bane in its complicated entirety. From the theft of Force-sensitive younglings, to holding the Senate Building hostage, to saving Obi-Wan’s life in the Box, and finally to the night on the Delano that left him confused and conflicted.

Obi-Wan’s answer was given with a grim firmness that bespoke the heavy weight of his responsibility, duty and his own complicated thoughts.

“Both.”

[theclonewarsdaily]

let’s talk: the clone wars rewatch!

It’s time! This week we will be focusing on the first 10 episodes of season 1. They are about 22 minutes long each and would add up to less than 5 hours. So, about five hours of clone wars this week.

Or, below the cut, here is a summary of each episode (courtesy of Wookieepedia and my brain recollection):

Ambush (s01 e01)

Jedi Master Yoda is on a secret mission to forge a treaty with the King of the strategic system of Toydaria when his ship is ambushed by Count Dooku. Yoda and three Clone troopers must face off against Count Dooku’s dreaded assassin Ventress and her massive droid army to prove the Jedi are strong enough to protect the king and his people from the forces of the war. Yoda and the troopers prevail despite one clone being injured. Katuunko is impressed by the display, and opts to have Toydaria join the Republic. Furious about the outcome, Dooku orders Ventress to kill the king. Ventress knocks the king’s Toydarian royal guards unconscious and prepares to deal the killing blow, but Master Yoda arrives just in time, stopping Ventress mid-swing. Rather than surrender, Ventress quickly triggers an avalanche with pre-planted explosive charges, using it as a distraction to escape in her solar sailer. King Katuunko gladly accepts Yoda’s offer to join the Republic, and Republic gunships come to retrieve the group.

Rising Malevolence (s01 e02)

Creating panic throughout the galaxy, a devastating Separatist mystery weapon terrorizes the clone starfleet. Anakin and Ahsoka race to save Jedi Master Plo Koon and his clone troopers in time. Jedi Master Plo Koon and his squad barely survive an attack from a mysterious Separatist warship called the Malevolence. Feeling his force presence, Ahsoka overtakes control of the ship and leads them to Plo Koon and the Wolfpack’s location. Grievous’ battle droids detect a signal from behind them and move to attack. Having powered down all of their systems to avoid detection but forgetting about the medical droids, the Jedi rush to get systems back up and running to possibly escape. Grievous orders the use of their warship but the Jedi and company manage to escape.

Shadow of Malevolence (s01 e03)

With the help of his Padawan Ahsoka and Jedi Master Plo Koon, Anakin utilizes new long-range Y-wing bombers to lead a bold strike on General Grievous’ warship the Malevolence and its destructive weapon. As General Grievous uses the Malevolence to terrorize medical bases, the Jedi rush to defend Republic space. With help from his Padawan and Master Plo Koon, Anakin leads a bold strike mission into enemy territory. In attempt to destroy the Republic’s squadron, Grievous fires his weapon, causing major casualties to the Republic forces. Realizing that with the large loss of bombers destroying the Malevolence would be impossible, Anakin is forced to change their plan of attack.  As its mega-ion cannon charges, Shadow Squadron opens fire on it, causing the ion cannon to overload when General Grievous tries to unleash it once more on the Republic ships. The blast also damages the ship’s hyperdrive, preventing it from escaping into hyperspace. With newly arrived Republic capital ships led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Admiral Yularen firing on him, Grievous orders the wounded flagship back to Separatist-held space. Anakin and the rest of Shadow Squadron then board the medical station, where they are congratulated by Nala Se. Anakin, however, mourns the losses of his men among Shadow Squadron, despite the great victory their lives had earned.

Destroy Malevence (s01 e04)

Padmé Amidala and C-3PO are taken hostage by General Grievous, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan to save the Senator and complete the destruction of the Malevolence. Anakin and Obi-Wan chase down the Malevolence, hoping to destroy it before it can escape. But when Padmé and C-3PO are captured and held hostage aboard, the Jedi are forced to hatch a new plan. Deciding to split up, Anakin and Padme head to the bridge to destroy all the droids and rig the ship’s navicomputer. They then leave the bridge, hiding the broken droids before others could find out what happened. Obi-Wan goes to destroy the hyperdrive. However, Grievous learns of this and sends droids down to guard the drive.  Obi-Wan duels with Grievous after dispatching his droids and manages to avoid the cyborg’s clutches. He reaches the Twilight along with the rest of the group and as they leave the ship, Grievous pursues in his starfighter. The droids on the warship then try to jump to hyperspace, only to discover that Anakin rigged the navicomputer to set a course right into the moon. Grievous watches in horror as the ship crashes into a nearby moon, then flees the system.

Rookies (s01 e05)

On the remote Rishi moon, a small unit of rookie clones stationed there, including Hevy, Echo, Fives, Droidbait, and Cutup (Domino Squad). Echo reads reg manuals while Hevy daydreams of being on the front lines when Sergeant O'Niner reminds them that their listening post is vital in keeping an eye on Separatist activities and making sure they do not try to slip past and launch a surprise attack on Kamino, the center of clone production and training. The Sergeant orders his men to prepare for an inspection by Captain Rex and Commander Cody, who are en route. Soon after, the station detects an incoming meteor shower and prompts it to raise its shields. But the meteors aren’t all meteors—two of them are boarding ships carrying several droid commandos. The droids infiltrate the place and Domino Squad, minus Droidbait, are the only ones to make it out.  Hevy, Echo, Fives, and Cutup emerge from a maintenance tunnel into a deep crater below the outpost and plan their next move. Suddenly a massive Rishi eel silently emerges from one of the many caves in the crater, snatches Cutup in its jaws, and disappears back into its hole taking the other rookies by surprise. Just then Cody and Rex’s shuttle flies in for a landing high above. Hevy, Fives, and Echo are unable to make contact by radio, so they decide to use a warning flare. Eventually, Hevy, Fives, and Echo are united with Rex and Cody, determined to retake their base and alert the Republic of the infiltration. Not wanting the base to fall back into enemy hands, the clones resolve to blow it up with liquid tibanna, which would disrupt the all-clear signal, thereby alerting the Republic. As the other clones escape through the tunnels, Hevy tries to arm the explosives but the remote doesn’t work, so he decides to activate it manually. In a heroic last stand, Hevy is wounded. The droids are unsure of what to do with him, asking each other if they take prisoners; Hevy defiantly says that he doesn’t, and sets off the explosives. The base, along with Hevy, is destroyed. Alerted, the Republic fleet jumps into the system and Grievous is forced to retreat as he is outgunned.When they return to the Resolute, Echo and Fives are granted medals and Rex inducts them in the 501st Legion.

Downfall of a Droid (s01 e06)

R2-D2 is lost during a fierce space battle - and Anakin, along with Ahsoka and a replacement droid, R3-S6, must find him before the Separatists discover the Jedi military secrets locked in his memory banks. As they search the debris field, they spot a freighter and dock with it. The Trandoshan captain, Gha Nachkt, claims there is no R2 unit on board but allows them to search anyway. Anakin hears R2’s beep and begins to slice through the door that he thinks he heard it in. But Goldie accidentally activates two IG-86 units instead of opening the door. The two Jedi manage to slice the droids in pieces as Anakin gets through the door, only to find Gha, who is angry that his droids were destroyed. Ahsoka concludes that R2 is not on board and they leave. But unfortunately, Gha had the little droid locked in a crate with a restraining bolt on and contacts Grievous, informing him that the droid is of great strategic value. Figuring that Grievous has a listening post somewhere, Anakin decides to go scouting but Ahsoka sends along R3, saying they could bond. R3 instead accidentally turns on the tracking device, alerting Grievous to his position. R3 only makes things go from bad to worse, detaching Anakin’s fighter from its hyperspace transport ring, not cutting the engines when he is told to, and disabling the blaster cannons. He is luckily saved by Ahsoka and Rex in the Twilight.

Duel of the Droids (s01 e07)

Anakin, Ahsoka and replacement droid R3-S6 (Goldie) embark on a dual rescue/sabotage mission when they discover R2-D2 is being held at General Grievous’ secret enemy listening post. When the team arrives at the station, Anakin separates from Ahsoka and the clones, heading out alone to find Artoo. Unbeknownst to them, R3-S6 is actually a spy for the Separatists, and alerts General Grievous to their presence. Tano and the clones infiltrated the reactor control room, but they had to confront and eliminate the security battle droids. After that, Grievous orders his IG-100 MagnaGuards to take Artoo to the ship. Ahsoka defends herself against Grievous’s blows and retreats to a room filled with spare droid parts. She hides from the general, but R3 gives her away. Grievous destroys her comlink, and she manages to escape through a vent. As Anakin and the clones, who have succeeded in planting the bombs, meet the Twilight in the hangar, R3’s treachery is revealed when he traps them and activates several droids to fight them, as Anakin’s suspicion on the golden droid’s true allegiance is true. Anakin orders Artoo to open the doors. Ahsoka rejoins the team, who defeats the Vulture droids and escapes in the Twilight, detonating the bombs. Grievous escapes the station in his ship, Soulless One. Anakin leaves in his starfighter to pick up Artoo. Meanwhile, Artoo manages to open the hangar doors, but R3 moves to intercept him, and the two droids face each other in combat. Artoo pushes his Separatist counterpart over the edge, but R3 grabs him with a suction cup. Artoo succeeds in cutting the cable, and R3-S6 is sent flying into the air, and he is destroyed by flying debris. Artoo is then rescued by Anakin.

Bombad Jedi (s01 e08)

Padmé Amidala is sent by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine on a secret mission to Rodia to negotiate peace. On her way, she meets up with Onaconda Farr, Padmé’s friend, whom she affectionately refers to as Uncle Ono. However, Padmé doesn’t realize that Farr has joined sides with Nute Gunray. Gunray promised Onaconda Farr that if he joins sides with Gunray, Gunray will supply Farr with food and shelter for the people of Rodia. Meanwhile, Jar Jar Binks and C-3PO try to plan a way to save Padmé from Nute Gunray. Jar Jar disguises himself as a Jedi and tries to save Padmé. With a little help of a sea monster, Padmé is rescued and Nute Gunray is captured.

Cloak of Darkness (s01 e09)

Ahsoka and Jedi Master Luminara escort captured Viceroy Nute Gunray to trial, unaware that Count Dooku has dispatched his deadly apprentice assassin Asajj Ventress to free the prisoner and eliminate the Jedi. Back on the Tranquility, Unduli and Ahsoka interrogate the Viceroy. When they get nowhere and the Viceroy refuses to answer their questions, Ahsoka threatens him, only to be chastised by Unduli. Nonetheless, the threats coerce Gunray to start talking. Unfortunately for the two Jedi, a swarm of Vulture Droids escorting three Separatist boarding ships attack the Tranquility. Super battle droids assault the Cruiser and hold off the clones, allowing Ventress to slip inside undetected. The Super Battle Droids are destroyed, leaving Ventress the last enemy on board. She duels Ahsoka for a short while before ironically locking her in Gunray’s cell. Luckily, Unduli’s timely arrival prevents Ventress from rescuing Gunray. Unfortunately, the assassin detonates the charges, rocking the ship before fleeing down the elevator shaft. Unduli goes after Ventress, confident that she can defeat the assassin, leaving Ahsoka again, in spite of the Padawan’s insistence that Ventress is too dangerous for any one Jedi to combat. In the generator room, Ventress and Unduli duel: Unduli is swiftly outmatched as Ventress, outraged because Unduli is taunting her fighting style as a sloppy and amateurish imitation of Dooku’s, overpowers Unduli and traps her under a number of collapsed pipes. Ahsoka makes a timely save only for Ventress to escape again. Later, Unduli and Ahsoka report to Yoda and Anakin Skywalker about the loss. They are told that they may be able to track the stolen ship. Ahsoka leaves to join Skywalker with Kit Fisto’s fleet, but not before receiving an apology from Unduli for not having listened to her monition about Ventress.

Lair of Grievous (s01 e10)

General Grievous must prove himself worthy of the Separatists when Count Dooku leads Jedi Master Kit Fisto and his former Padawan, the Mon Calamari Jedi Nahdar Vebb to Grievous’ villainous enclave. Upon discovering that the castle is the lair of Grievous, Fisto devises a plan to ambush Grievous as soon as he arrives. After landing his ship inside the castle, Grievous is confronted by the Jedi and the clones. A skirmish breaks out and Grievous’s legs are chopped off above the knees. As Grievous escapes, he kills two more clones before retreating to his control room to undergo repairs from his medic droid, EV-A4-D, he orders his MagnaGuards to lock down the perimeter. After Grievous is repaired, he decides to check if Gor has killed the Jedi, only to find that Gor is dead. He is then contacted by Count Dooku. This time the Count confirms to Grievous that this is a test for him since his defeats by the Jedi has shaken Dooku’s faith in the general. He decides to play along, and he and his guards go hunting. Since Fisto is locked in the control room, unable to help Vebb, he finds EV-A4-D and cuts him in half. Vebb proceeds to attack Grievous, but the general shoots and kills the young Jedi. After an intense lightsaber duel with Grievous, Fisto starts to gain the upper hand, but some of Grievous’s MagnaGuards arrive, which turns the odds against him. As R6-H5 arrives with his starfighter, Fisto escapes and returns to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

[clairen45]

The Dark Crystal Connection

First, kudos and shout out to the first bloggers who brought forth this amazing connection between the ST and this hauntingly beautiful 1982 movie whose main message was: evil and good must unite because out of their division comes death and decay. Sounds familiar? Maybe there is a lesson learned there. Because Frank Oz, one of the chief engineers of that beautiful movie that entirely puzzled me as a child, also worked on the original trilogy. So it would come full circle, in a poetic way, if the ST reflects some of his work. @karlaaaay for instance points out, very cleverly that the code name for episode ix, Black Diamond, might be just that: a clever reference to Dark Crystal. The idea has definitely some merit, even though we can also keep in mind what the gem also stands for (I did one of my first posts on that). But let’s give Dark Crystal a try.

Ok, so what about the similarities, what elements have we seen, and what could we infer from there? So we have a kingdom divided between the Good pottery and music loving Mystics on one side and the evil, power driven Skeksis on the other. The Skeksis live in a castle built around a purple crystal that was shattered long ago. They commit genocides, exploit and enslave creatures that they use to steal their essences in order to stay alive. Both Mystics and Skeksis are a dying race whose fates are intertwined: each time one of them dies, death comes to one of the other side. A prophecy states that a gelfling (a race that has been almost exterminated by the Skeksis) will destroy the Skeksis and repair the Crystal. As it turns out, the fate of this world lies in the hand of a couple of gelflings, Jen and Kira, who both thought they were the last of their kind. They finally restore the missing shard of the crystal and Skeksis and Mystic are fused together into creatures of light, bringing back peace, harmony, and life.

As @karlaaaay pointed out, the names Jen and Kira have some resonance for the new trilogy. Jen is reminiscent of Ben and Kira was the name originally used for the character of Rey. But it is highly debatable if Jen is Ben and Kira is Rey as I will stress out later. It is hard not to miss all the similarities though. You have the Skeksis with a dying emperor, their feuds of succession and power, their armies of armored creatures and flying spies, so pretty much the First Order. And you have the Mystic, peace loving creatures, living like hermits in nature, who adopt and teach a young one that may be the chosen one to bring back balance to the world, so pretty much Obi Wan, Luke and Yoda. When the emperor of the Skeksis dies, his body is shattered and crumbles to pieces, like Snoke in the throne room. When the leader of the Mystic dies, his body vanishes into thin air like Obi Wan, Yoda, and Luke. The emperor clings desperately to life (I am still the Emperor) like Snoke affirms being unbeaten and unbetrayed at the very moment he is. The Mystic accept their death with peace and serenity like all the characters afore mentioned.

Another character that seems to have been transplanted straight from Dark Crystal is Maz Kanata. In the Dark Crystal, Jen has to go see Augrah in order to find the missing shard that he is supposed to return to the Crystal. Augrah is a thousand years old, has terrible sight since she only has one eye that she can remove and put back as she pleases, and besides owning a significant piece of the puzzle, has more questions to offer than answers: “you want to know what it is all about?”, “too many questions “, “there is much to learn and you have no time”. Sounds familiar yet? Maz is the same age, is pretty much defined by her huge glasses, holds Anakin’s lightsaber for some mysterious reason, and also delivers lines like “a good question for another time”. Besides, Augrah’s mysterious cave is attacked by the Skeksis army just after Jen’s arrival, like Maz’s castle is attacked right after Rey’s arrival. And Jen happens to run in a forest to cross the path of two significant characters right after fleeing Augrah ‘s cave: the banished Chamberlain who is following him from a distance, and Kira, the other gelfling and future love interest. When Rey flees into the forest, who does she meet but Kylo Ren? So if we follow the parallels between the two stories, Jen’s journey is more reminiscent of Rey’s journey. At the same time, Rey, like Kira, is followed by a little companion, since in TFA she is followed by BB8 until she meets Kylo. And like Kira, Rey is able to understand and communicate with many different creatures. So you could say that Rey is a mix of both Jen and Kira.

Yet, how does Kylo Ren fit in? When Kira and Jen meet for the first time and touch hands, they exchange immediately all their memories, something called dream fasting. In TLJ, something rather similar happens to Kylo and Rey as the Force brings them together and they start having flash forwards when their hands meet for the first time. But Jen and Kira are a unit from the get go, they are the last of their species. Kylo and Rey could be similar because they are also the last of their species in a way, they are the last Jedi (even though it turns out others are Force sensitive), they feel constantly alone, which makes them akin to each other. And when they are able to function together, in the throne room, they form a great partnership. But, remember that in the forest, also lurked the banished Skeksis. So when Rey meets Ben, she meets her other half but she also meets her opponent. Kylo is the gelfling but also the rogue Skeksis, the one that does not belong, has been brutally victimized, and strives for power and revenge. One line from the Chamberlain is also a give away. When he tries to lure the gelfling back to the castle, seeing he is failing, he keeps on pleading: Please? please? So, to me, Kylo is both the gefling and the Skeksis.

Another important element would be the shattered crystal. I think it could be 2 different things here. It is hard not to see a wink between the shattered crystal and Kylo’s shattered kyber crystal in his lightsaber. And because the saber is so much a part of his identity, it is also hard not to see this shattered unstable saber as a metaphor for his shattered unstable identity. So Kylo is the Dark Crystal of sorts. He is the pure power that has turned to the Dark side because something is shattered in him, because something misses to make him whole again. What is missing? Something Rey, like Jen and Kira, could bring him: the healing power of Love. And Rey, as his other half, has the power of making him whole, just like he has the power of making her feeling whole again. Together they are no longer alone. Just like Jen reacts to Kira: “I thought I was the only one”.

You are not alone

Neither are you

But the Dark Crystal could also stand for the Force itself, that has been shattered between the Dark side and the Light side, something that after thousands of years, is finally not satisfactory. What is the solution? They have fought each other, Sith and Jedi almost extinct. Kylo’s solution would be to let them die, to kill the past. But there is another solution that has not been attempted yet, and it is to fuse the two together, like at the end of Dark Crystal. Maybe Rey will realize that, or maybe that will just come from them coming together as they are.

The final element that the movies have in common is the prophecy of the chosen one. In Dark Crystal, a gelfling is supposed to restore the shard and save the world. In the PT, Anakin is proposed as the chosen one, the one that will restore balance to the Force. Failure. Luke is a likely candidate. Failure. If the chosen has to be a Skywalker, Kylo is the last in line. Maybe he is the chosen one, maybe Rey is the chosen one by helping him figuring out who he really is, maybe they both are and their coming together will restore the balance.

The end of the Dark Crystal shows that restoring balance between the conflicting natures of good and evil demands a sacrifice. But once the sacrifice is accomplished, and order is restored, peace, light, and life are restored. The lines uttered by the pure being of light at the end of the movie, as Jen is carrying the lifeless body of Kira, would fit right at the end of the saga:

Now the prophecy is fulfilled. We are again one. Many ages ago, in our arrogance and delusion, we shattered the pure Crystal and our world split apart.Your courage and sacrifice have made us whole and restored the true power of the crystal. Hold her to you, she is a part of you, as we are all a part of each other.

Kira is brought back to life

Now we leave you a crystal of truth. Make your world in its light.

We have already got the line about delusion and arrogance from Luke when he talks about the Jedi. We know that both sides have erred. Replace crystal with Force and you get the picture. Kylo’s insistance about killing the past may also be prophetic of the fact that one of them has to die in an act of pure selfless sacrifice to save/help the other. Can the Force bring a person back to life? If the ST is inspired by the Dark Crystal, it might just happen. And it would be a beautiful end to the saga to see the Force restored and whole, and these two, part of each other, able to create a new generation of Force users, a new world.

[fallenqueen2]

There Is No Limit To How Far I’ll Go (For You) 4

Obi-Wan knew she had always danced the fine line between the dark side of the Force and the light side her whole life. However, even the strongest can fall, so one day Obi-Wan falls for the Vode.

Ao3 Link

~~/~~

Obi-Wan knew she had always danced the fine line between the dark side of the Force and the light side her whole life. However, even the strongest can fall, so one day Obi-Wan falls for the Vode.

Tags: Female Obi-Wan, Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi, Fallen Obi-Wan Kenobi, Dooku & Obi-Wan Kenobi family relationship, Cody/Obi-Wan, Kamino belongs to the Vode now, Obi-Wan Kenobi is Vod’Alor,

Anakin replayed the holo that had been broadcasted throughout the Galaxy, showcasing Palpatine’s treason and Obi-Wan’s golden Sith eyes for everyone to see.

“You’ve watched that footage hundreds of times Ani, nothing is going to go differently,” Padme said soothingly from the doorway where she was lingering, on her way back to the Senate for another vote.

A lot of those have been happening since that holo and data package had been sent out a month ago. Change was happening and if Anakin could focus on anything other than his turbulent emotions than he would have noticed that the Force was brightening with each day that passed.

“I just don’t understand,” Anakin whispered as he watched his old Master twirling under Palpatine’s red lightsaber, working alongside Count Dooku of all people like they had been doing it for years.

“Try turning on the audio on your next watch Ani,” Padme offered before dropping a kiss to her husband’s head before hustling out of the apartments.

Anakin did as she said and listened intently, his mouth slowly parting as he listened to her words and the open emotion burning in them.

She did this for her men, for all the clones and… She did this for him, to stop Palpatine from twisting him to the dark side. Anakin minimized the recording and did a quick search about what she meant when she said he gaslighted him.

Anakin had to race to the fresher when he recognized every symptom of it in himself since the moment he met Palpatine as a 9-year-old. Anakin pressed his cheek to the cool tile of the fresher floor after he emptied his stomach and fought back tears.

Anakin desperately reached for his bond with Obi-Wan, a bond he had been pushing away in the misguided thought that she was holding him back, that she was jealous of his power.

Anakin expected pure darkness or a powerful shield from her end; instead, he was welcomed into her side of the bond that was a peaceful, swirling mixture of darkness and light.

“Master,” Anakin whispered as he closed his eyes and fell into mediation willingly for the first time since he could remember.

Anakin sank into his bond with Obi-Wan and opened his eyes to find he was standing in what he could only assume was the hanger of the Resolute, but dark slimly tendrils were covering every surface. Anakin had never noticed those before and it made him feel dirty and uneasy.

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin called out when he noticed her standing across the hanger with her back to him with her hands curled behind her back in her usual stance.

“Amazing isn’t it? How words can cause so much doubt and damage to one’s mind?” Obi-Wan murmured as Anakin jumped over the dark tendrils needing to get closer to her.

“Is this what Palpatine was doing to me for all those years? How did I not notice?” Anakin snarled at the dark lines that covered the hanger.

“The dark side is hard to see, much less understand,” Obi-Wan said simply as if she had not given in to the dark side herself, she was still not facing Anakin.

“I want them gone, please help me Ob-Wan,” Anakin pleaded, he felt sick to his core as the dark tendrils throbbed and pulsed around the two.

“I wish I could dear one, but this is something you have to handle yourself. Seek out a Jedi mind healer, show them this and they will help you remove these vines one piece at a time. If you try to rip them all out at once there is no telling what will happen to your mind.” Obi-Wan explained and Anakin blanched as the thought had crossed his mind, but he didn’t want to destroy himself. He would visit a mind healer and get some help; he wanted to feel like himself again.

“Master, will you come home?” Anakin asked cautiously, really asking if Obi-Wan was going to come back to him. Obi-Wan turned her head to the side and gave a small, sad smile.

“I’m afraid I will no longer be welcome at the temple Anakin,” Obi-Wan said and Anakin lurched forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug as he buried his face in her auburn hair.

“I’ll come find you then, where there is a Kenobi there is a Skywalker, remember?” Anakin said thickly.

“You cannot dear one, your wife needs you right now,” Obi-Wan murmured and Anakin stilled in shock. “Oh Ani, of course, I knew.”

“Everything will be fine dear one, trust in the Force and do not lash out in anger any longer.” Obi-Wan gently stepped out of his hug before turning to face Anakin full on. Her blue eyes flickered with Sith yellow every so often and it took Anakin’s breath away.

“I’ll find you Obi-Wan,” Anakin swore instead and a sad smile crossed her lips as she lifted her hand to Anakin’s cheek.

“I know Anakin,” Obi-Wan said almost sounding sad as the hanger dissolved and Anakin was back on the floor of the fresher. He pushed himself to his feet, determined to see a mind healer. He had a promise to keep after all.

~~/~~

“Did you hear that Skywalker has willingly gone to a mind healer?” Depa announced at the council meeting, Obi-Wan’s chair hauntingly empty and everyone seemed to avoid looking at it.

“Palpatine’s deceit and Obi-Wan’s… Fall must-have affected him greatly.” Mace tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair, his words pained as the image of Obi-Wan fighting alongside Dooku with smouldering gold eyes flashed in his mind.

“How have your attempts at contacting the troopers gone, Master Koon?” Kit asked the Kel Dor who seemed to sag in his seat.

“Unanswered,” Plo replied sounding so depressed that the other’s hearts went out to him, he loved the wolfpack as his son’s and their abrupt departure and lack of communication after had been hard on Plo.

“We’ve been avoiding the elephant in the room as we have been scrambling to help with the fallout of Palpatine being the Sith Lord behind this war. Now that Bail Orenega has been made Chancellor and a treaty has been signed with the Separatists, we have time to address this.” Adi stated voice tinged with regret as every eye drifted over to the empty council chair.

“We saw the proof, Obi-Wan Kenobi has fallen.” Kit stated soberly.

“Heard her side of the story, we have not,” Yoda spoke up.

“She and our troopers have gone into hiding, they will not risk coming out into the open.” Plo murmured as he stared at her chair.

“We should consult the Force, many darker shatter points have disappeared since the death of Palpatine. Things may not be what they appear concerning Obi-Wan.” Mace explained.

“Reach for her in the Force we shall,” Yoda tapped his glimmer stick in a final decision.

One by one the council fell into a meditative state with the main goal of reaching for one of their own, one who had fallen from the Light. They stretched out in the Force, seeking her signature in the vast Galaxy. They were drawn to it like moths to a flame, yet it wasn’t as dark as they had been prepared for.

The council felt the equal balance of light and dark dancing around her, but beneath it all, they felt pure happiness that they just now realized she had been severely lacking for her whole life. The odd combination of the Force tossed each council member back and out of his or her meditative state, leaving them stunned in their chairs in the council chambers.

“She is happy,” Mace rasped out as he wiped a bead of blood from under his nose.

“The Force is balanced around her in a way I’ve never seen before.” Kit added in, tipping his head back to regain his breath.

“It was amazing,” Depa murmured in restrained awe.

“Leave her alone, we will. Come to us in time, she shall. Change is coming, I feel.” Yoda announced and the council murmured their agreement. Plo sat back in his seat, keeping quiet as he held onto the words that were pushed into his mind before they were all forced back.

“You are welcome to rejoin your pack.”

It had been Obi-Wan’s voice in his mind and it gave him a surge of hope that he would soon be reunited with his son’s.

~~/~~

Obi-Wan opened her eyes, shifting from her meditative position in the garden, greenhouse the Vode had recently converted from a training room. Obi-Wan smiled as the laughter of the cadets, the children echoed out around the garden as they played together unburdened by anything.

“Cyare,” Cody murmured from his place leaning against a tree trunk next to her, a baby softly snoozing on his chest.

“Master Plo will be arriving shortly I believe,” Obi-Wan announced and Cody smiled as he stroked the baby’s back as Obi-Wan curled up to his side.

“Wolffe and the rest of the pack will be thrilled,” Cody kissed her cheek as he gently shifted the babe into her arms so he could hold both of them properly.

“Anakin is getting help from a mind healer, his mind was a mess of darkness planted by that filth. He swore to come find me,” Obi-Wan smiled fondly and Cody snorted at the words.

“That sounds like General Skywalker, the 501st will be pleased.” Cody huffed. Kix and Jesse skidded into view, excitement on their faces.

“Rex is back!” Kix announced and Obi-Wan scrambled to her feet, easing the baby into Cody’s arms. Cody took the sleeping babe amused as Obi-Wan all but flew out of the garden with Kix and Jesse.

“Your Alor is so silly sometimes,” Cody whispered to the baby in his arms before following at a more sedated pace, handing the baby off to a few troopers who had eagerly accepted places as what Obi-Wan called Crèche Masters.

As they eased the tubies out of their birthing tubes once they had made sure the Kaminoan tech they kept alive had done his job and broke the fast age coding from the Vode’s gene’s they realized they needed a place and Vode to raise them. Obi-Wan had told them in detail about the Jedi crèche and from that their own crèche was born.

Cody entered the hanger just in time to see Ahsoka, much more grown-up since the last time he had seen her, throw herself into Obi-Wan’s arms. The two clinging to each other as they sank to the floor, no saying anything aloud but Cody had no doubt they were communing with the Force.

“Welcome home Rex’ika, I’m glad you convinced the Commander to come.” Cody tapped his forehead to Rex’s as they exchanged a hugged, he was relieved that they had both returned unharmed.

“She gave me a run for my money at first, she hasn’t forgotten anything we taught her,” Rex replied, pride colouring his voice as his eyes found Ahsoka who was being fussed over by Obi-Wan and looking a bit teary-eyed at the treatment.

[comic-movieheroesranked]

Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2008) Part Three

Wow, I just want to say that 2008 really stepped it up when it came to comic movies released. Granted, a couple weren’t the best but overall this year was one of the best out of the bunch. The Dark Knight and Hellboy II: The Golden Army are the only sequels this year, while The Punisher: War Zone and The Incredible Hulk serve as reboots. Star Wars: The Clone Wars serves as a prequel and we also see the debut of Iron Man, Speed Racer, The Spirit and Wanted! Lets start off our largest list yet! Here’s #40-21!

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE MOVIES HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE*

40. Lucias Fox (The Dark Knight)

"Consider this my resignation: As long as this technology is at Wayne Enterprises, I won't be."

Lucius Fox is still running Wayne Enterprises by day and creating the latest technology for Batman by night. His recent work in sonar helps Batman in his mission to retrieve Lau from China and also in the end to hijack every phone in the city to spy on the Joker. It's nice to see Lucius isn't blindly loyal to Bruce as he threatens to quit as long as the technology is still around, but his worries are put to rest when the technology destroys itself after capturing the Joker.

39. Pekwarsky (Wanted)

"I want you to live."

I don't know if Pekwarsky is a real priest or just uses it as a cover, but if he isn't bluffing then it's pretty ironic that he makes bullets for Cross as a little side job. He knows all about Sloan's corrupted ways and helps Wesley discover the truth after he kills Cross. He wants Wesley to honor his father's dying wish and leave the assassin life, but doesn't argue when Wesley refuses.

38. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (The Incredible Hulk)

"As far as I'm concerned, that man's whole body is property of the U.S. army."

Betty's arrogant father, who wants the power of the Hulk to be a military weapon for the U.S. army and starts a witch hunt for Bruce once the man goes M.I.A. Hardly anything would stop this man from his quest, barely even his own daughter. It's his drive to capture Bruce that ends up aiding Emil's transformation into Abomination so he really should take some blame on the attack in New York. In the end, he gets saved by the very thing he despises, Bruce.

37. Mom and Pops Racer (Speed Racer)

"I saw my son become a man."

Pops used to be a big time racer and often goes head to head with his sons, first Rex and then Speed once he's 18. At the end of the day, though, Mom and Pops still end up supporting Speed in everything he does. We even get to see Pops kick some major ninja ass.

36. Ellen Dolan (The Spirit)

"You're in love with every woman you meet, Mr. Spirit."

Ellen Dolan isn't just the new flame of The Spirit, she's the best surgical doctor Central City has. She ends up arriving to several crime scenes to help out victims and even The Spirit himself, even if he tries to deny any help. Even though they're clearly dating, The Spirit just can't help himself when it comes to flirting with the ladies and MAYBE  that has to do with Ellen letting it happen and forgiving him right away every time it happens. Maybe she's into it, but one day she's probably going to skip throwing operation knives at walls and go straight to throwing them at The Spirit himself.

35. Asajj Ventress (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"Typical Jedi scum!"

Ventress is a sith lord working for Count Dooku. She's the one that originally kidnaps Jabba the Hutt's newborn son and then stages it to make it seem like the Republic were the ones behind it. When she's ordered to 'rescue' the baby, she fails to defeat Anakin and Ahsoka even after using her cool mind control powers on Rex. She finally goes head to head with Obi-Wan Kenobi but proves to be no match for the experienced jedi.

34. Frank Castle/The Punisher (Punisher: War Zone)

"This is just the beginning."

Yes, this is the lowest the main character of a film has been ranked. Even though I think the first Hulk was worst, to be fair, this version of Frank Castle just doesn't deserve to be placed higher than the rest of the list. This rebooted/sequel version of Castle felt like a parody of the first Punisher and man was it a  bad one. He was so slow in his movement and he had the emotional capacity of a brick wall. If it weren't for Jigsaw and Looney Bin Jim getting on my nerves, I don't think I would've rooted for him. And the Punisher is one of my favorite characters, maybe that's why he's so low, but damn it was just such a downgrade from his appearance in 2004.

33. Yinsen (Iron Man)

"So you're a man that has everything...and nothing."

Why was this man so nice? I don't believe anyone deserves the kindness he showed to Tony right off the back as he basically saved his life, even though he had to implant a car battery to his chest. He helps Tony create the prototype suit to escape by saying he will join his family after. It isn't until Yinsen gets critically wounded that he reveals his family has been dead the entire time and is ready to join them in the afterlife. Like, really? We didn't deserve him!

32. Rex Racer/Racer X (Speed Racer)

"It's a mistake I'll have to live with."

The entire movie the mystery is whether or not Racer X is Speed's older brother Rex, who was thought to be dead after a horrible car crash. Turns out he is, but no one in his family finds out, as Racer X decides that it's better for them not to know. I don't get why he wears a mask when his face completely unrecognizable but hey, maybe he was going for an aesthetic. He ends up supporting his brother the entire movie as Speed brings down the corrupt Royalton and winning the two races Racer X never did when he was Rex.

31. Cross (Wanted)

"You're my son."

I had a feeling something was up with Cross since he appeared to be the main villain, yet we were getting no backstory whatsoever or any scenes with him coming up with a plan or just anything that proved he was the bad guy besides killing the assassins from the Fraternity. Turns out, not only is he good and trying to stop Sloan's corrupted ways, he's even Wesley's father and has been trying to rescue him from the beginning. Too bad he literally dies right after Wesley discovers the truth, but that's only because Wesley was the one to shoot him in the first place.

30. James Rhodes (Iron Man)

"Next time, baby."

Military General and former MIT classmate of Tony Stark, Rhodey Rhodes is obviously not the biggest fan Tony Stark. He respects him, that much is obvious, but the two have completely different personalities that tend to crash throughout the film. It doesn't help that Tony literally always causes trouble on military level and Rhodey is always left in the dark, until he finally discovers that Tony is Iron Man and helps him take down Iron Monger.

29. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"You'll have to do better than that, my darling."

I just want to say that Obi-Wan Kenobi is so damn charming! Even when he's going up against people who are truly trying to kill him he can't help but let his charming, yet shady, comments slip his tongue. I feel like they tried to go that route with the live-action films but they didn't really pull it off like this film did. Obi-Wan teams up with Yoda and assign Ahsoka to Anakin to train, hoping the latter grows now that he's a teacher. He spends most of the film arriving just in time to clean up Anakin's mess and save his life, as a responsible master should.

28. Alfred Pennyworth (The Dark Knight)

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

Everyone's favorite butler is back and he's still made of 100% sass. He still constantly worries about Bruce and if it were up to him, there would be no Batman, but he still offers his help whenever he can, especially once the Joker starts getting momentum in his plans. It's Alfred who gets Bruce to realize that Joker is a man that doesn't fit the mold of the average criminal, a unique breed that just does things for the hell of it. Still always trying to protect Bruce, he hides Rachel's letter-which basically has her dumping him-from him after she dies.

27. Liz Sherman (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

"You should be running."

It's great to see that Liz has gotten more control of her fire abilities because who wouldn't be worried about her blowing up all of Hellboy's kittens every time they got in an argument? She shows her control when she ends up saving the team from being devoured by a bunch of cannibalistic tooth fairies. It's also during the fight that we learn she's pregnant with Hellboy's baby. She keeps him from the truth, worried he isn't mature enough to handle being a father. She changes her mind though when he nearly dies and has to convince the Angel of Death herself to bring him back. In the final battle, Liz is the one who destroys the Golden Crown, and therefore destroys the Golden Army, once and for all. When she quits, along with the rest of the team, she tells Hellboy that they're expecting twins.

26. Betty Ross (The Incredible Hulk)

"You zip it. We're walking."

I really liked Betty in this film. She got seriously hurt when Bruce first turned into the Hulk but still managed to jump into him with open arms because she knew right away that the Hulk wasn't something that Bruce could control. As soon as they're reunited their romance returns and Betty helps Bruce travel the country to find a solution to his problem, while also trying to avoid her father and the U.S. army. What makes Betty so important is that she's Bruce's anchor. Three times she's been able to snap him out of his uncontrolled rage just with the sound of her voice, helping him finally control his anger.

25. Silken Floss (The Spirit)

"The Octopus always finds his nemesis so distracting."

Silken Floss was probably the smartest person in Central City but for some reason just decided to take orders from The Octopus. Maybe it was the fact that he can't die or maybe it's because she truly just thinks all of this is fun. She's the only female who doesn't fall for The Spirit's charm, probably because she's gotten used to being complimented by all the dumb clones around her.

24. Sloan (Wanted)

"Otherwise, shoot THIS motherfucker and let us take our fraternity of assassins to heights reserved only for the gods of men!"

I like Sloan's character because it allowed me to witness Morgan Freeman shout 'motherfucker' in the most gangsta way possible. Besides that, Sloan is just a man with power that gets carried away. After the code he serves basically betrays him, he uses it and the strength of his assassins for his own gain until he's discovered by Cross. Not wanting to ruin what he built he ends up lying to Wesley, Cross's son, and convinces him to kill Cross himself. Too bad for him, Wesley finds out and gets his revenge, killing Sloan at the very end of the movie.

23. Padme Amidala (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"It is I, and the Republic, who owe you our thanks."

Padme came in late in the game but man did she show up! As soon as she finds out Anakin may be in trouble with the Hutts, she goes out on her own to try to settle things down between the Hutts and the Republic. She ends up discovering that Jabba the Hutt was betrayed by his uncle and Coun Dooku but gets captured before she can reveal the truth. She manages to send out a distress signal and then agrees to a treaty with Jabba once she reveals Ziro the Hutt's betrayal. Her little moment with Anakin was super cute and I'm glad they didn't spend too much time on their relationship.

22. Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger (Iron Man)

"Trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it it's best one ever!"

Maybe Tony is too trusting because it was fairly obvious that Obadiah was out to get him. Ok, so I don't think anyone could have predicted that Obadiah was trying to kill Tony but it was clear that he was not his friend when it came to the company. He piggybacked off the success of Tony's father and then lead the company himself after he died. Did anyone honestly think he willingly gave that position of power away to Tony and was ok with it? It's laughable thought that he wants to steal the company when the only reason it's successful is because of Tony. Obadiah has no credit to himself, the whole movie he just tries to steal Tony's ideas. He even names his suit Iron Monger, which is barely different from Iron Man. In the final confrontation Tony proves he's smarter than Obadiah and fries him in his suit with the help of Pepper.

21. Speed Racer (Speed Racer)

"Racing is all I know how to do."

It's not surprising at all that the greatest race car driver is named Speed Racer. I mean the name is as creative as North West. But you know what would've been interesting? If Speed was actually a horrible driver or wanted nothing to do with racing because he didn't enjoy it. But it's fine, this works too. Speed himself is a little boring, his one-liners aren't that witty and his supporting team are a bit more interesting than him. He's just super bland but at least he stands up for what's right and never once considers giving up.