#c: mandalor the guide

[tennessoui]

kit’s foray into another star wars ship (dinluke)

is kit a) expanding her horizons, b) running from her responsibilities, or c) inspired by that fan art of force ghost anakin hugging r2d2 (linked when found) and me thinking ok what if luke is trying to do run-of-the-mill maintenance on artoo but force ghost anakin won’t stop trying to suggest what needs fixing so they’re just bickering back and forth over droid engineering and din walks in to visit his kid and just sees luke arguing with thin air and starts thinking maybe he left grogu in the care of a madman

(so far just 1k, but here’s the first 800)

Din lives his life by one very important creed.

Alright, two very important creeds.

The first is the one that he grew up with, mantra stamped across the back of his eyelids, words imprinted in his brain. The Way of the Mandalore is a way of honor, and it serves as pillar, foundation, and guiding stone of his life.

The second creed Din obeys is not ingrained into his mind by anyone but himself, and he’s fucking shit at following it.

It’s the Do Not Get Involved Unless You’re Dragged Into The Fight Kicking and Screaming creed, and it goes hand in hand with the principles of Do Not Start Fights You Cannot End Within Twenty Seconds and For the Love of the Stars, Djarin, Don’t Go Around Poking Sleeping Krayt Dragons.

Alright. If he’s being honest, this is less of a creed and more of an aspiration, but he tries to abide by its tenets, and, it has to be said, for a good portion of his life, he does. 

And then he finds the kid.

And then the kid becomes his kid, which is an adjustment he’s dragged into kicking and screaming, and it definitely involves a lot of fights that last a whole lot longer than twenty seconds.

And trying to find a Jedi in a galaxy as big and strange as this one? Apparently it involves a lot more sleeping Krayt Dragons than Din’s second creed accounted for.

But finding one—or, one finding them as it may be—well. No creed Din knows prepared him for how it felt to watch his kid be taken away from him. It’d been the optimal future, the end result he’d been gunning for for months: return the kid to his people.

There. Done. Returned. Package received.

Din’s been around long enough that successful bounties and completed contracts don’t tend to fill him with a warm rush of satisfaction anymore.

But this is the first that’s ever left him feeling hollow.

—-------------

“What’s been eating at you, Mando?” Karga asks. 

Din scowls and resists the urge to shift his weight. “Nothing.”

Karga raises an eyebrow and takes a sip from the cooling purple drink in front of him.

“You wanted the Imp,” Din says when the silence stretches from pointed into weighted. “Here’s the Imp.”

He nudges the head further across the table.

“I wanted the Imp for questioning,” Karga says very slowly. “Ideally with his vocal cords attached.”

Oh. Din glances down at the bloody bag. “Oh.”

He doesn’t try to sound very apologetic, which only seems to make Karga’s exasperation grow.

“So I ask again. What’s eating you, Mando?”

“Right now, bounties with unclear parameters.”

“Right now, you’ve only earned half the bounty, and that’s because I’m a generous man who considers you a friend. Now I can see ourselves coming to agreement on what you’re owed—if you tell me what’s on your mind.”

Behind the safety of his helmet, Din scowls harder. “Friend.”

Greef kicks the chair across from him out and tilts his cup towards it. “Friend.”

—-----------

Two hours later, Din is thoroughly convinced he used his glowing new Darksaber to sever the wrong person’s head.

Greef hasn’t stopped laughing in the last ten minutes. The man’s red in the face, alternating between pounding his fist on the table and leaning against his new marshal. Dune, for her part, is expressing the highest amount of mirth Din’s ever seen as she hiccups with glee into her third drink. 

He’s really starting to calculate the probability of successfully taking Karga’s coin purse off him now that he’s distracted, when the man finally chokes out whole words.

“Worried the Jedi’s too violent to raise the little green guy!”

Din crosses his arms over his chest.

Dune roars with laughter. 

Din doesn’t think it’s very funny. The Jedi sliced through the ranks of Dark troopers within mere seconds, as if they were no threat at all. It’d been impressive. The man—the Jedi—had been impressive. Din was impressed by his skill when he had the space to feel anything outside the devastation of losing the kid.

But a man that versed in violence doesn’t learn those sorts of skills without being surrounded by death and destruction for years.

And Din just gave his kid over to be raised in that kind of environment? 

Was Grogu even safe? Was he alive? Was the Jedi even lookin—

“The bounty hunter thinks the kid’s new home is too violent,” Karga cackles. “The guy—the guy who just brought me a man’s head in a pouch is worried about the little green guy’s new—-”

Dune snorts out her drink, she’s laughing so hard, and Din stands to leave.

If he knicks Karga’s coin purse on his way out the cantina, then hey. 

What are friends for?

[overcaffeinated-creative]

⚰️⚰️ for Jai and Harti because I'm terrible :D

Send ⚰️ for a glimpse of my muse’s funeral

Summary: Jai Vetra’s Death and Funeral as told between himself and his granddaughter.

Rating: T

Warnings: Character Death

Characters: Jai Vetra, Solus Vetra, Harti Wren, Iviin Shysa, Kal Skirata, Vhonte Tervho, Fenn Rau, Ahsoka Tano

Notes: The changes are clearly marked between paragraphs with a back and fourth between Jai and then a snippet of Solus and a Conversation.

(I promise I’ll get to Harti’s soon but I’ve been writing this since like 7 AM and it went on so much longer than expected. It’s 1505 words in an experimental style.)

“Havea drink with me for you ba’buir,” Iviin Shysa suggested whileshoving the bottle into her hands. Old, almost bruised eyes glancedup at him from beneath a white buzz cut. The past week had beencruel. “We’ll celebrate his memory and his name.”

Solusdrank deep before handing the bottle back. “Thank you, ‘Alor.”

Hetook a seat on the bench next to her, knees bumping together. “Nothanks needed. We’re going to handle this as best we can.”

–

JaiVetra would not receive a traditional Mandalorian funeral. What wasleft of Clan Vetra, as well as his followers and friends, would nothave the chance to mourn him together. There would be no gathering inthe early dawn hours to prepare his body for cremation. Solus wouldnot receive his full set of armor to forge into her own nor even apiece of it. As the sunset they would not scatter his ashes thencelebrate his life. There would be no crowd to share food and drinkas music played and stories flowed. Not even a battlefield funeralwould happen in his honor.

–

“Hehated Kamino,” Kal Skirata told her over a comm call at Krownest’smorning. Her sluggish mind supplied it was closer to evening or nighton Mandalore. “Swore the entire planet conspired against him havinga break. They’d beat his door down at the crack of dawn for what heclassified as strill shit.” His tone took a humorous turn, “Whichseemed to be anything less than the end of the Galaxy before his twocups of caf. After those cups it became whatever should’ve beensent to Jango first.”

Theirphone call ran for over an hour much to Solus’ delight. Kal hadnumerous stories to tell about his time with Jai in Cuy’val Dar.Funny quips delivered in passing all the way to her ba’buir���sability to weaponize the chain of command like a true bureaucrat.However, the surreal feeling still nagged at her mind. She only foundout he had been alive all of that time after he died.

Kal’sface shifted when he caught something off in her expression. “Don’tlook so down, Ad’ika. He loved you more than anything in thisGalaxy and so was proud of you. Make sure you always remember that.He did everything for you.”

–

JaiVetra perished a month after the issuing of Order 66 during theUprising of Tipoca City. It went against all expected outcomes. Forhis entire life, he had been known as a survivor. No matter thetrauma inflicted or the impossibility of the odds he survived. It wasjoked he was part Corellian because of it. After Galidraan, everyoneaccepted Death would have to take him  of old age while passed outdrunk. There would be no other way to have a fighting chance. Yet, asKorda Six showed the mortality of Jaster Mereel and Geonosis that ofJango Fett; Kamino became his proof of only being human.

–

“Hewas the architect behind our escape,” Vhonte Tervho whispered inthe late hours of the evening. They sat back to back before the fireplace in the large dining room. Solus could not recall how they endedup that way. “The Empire had the longnecks lock everything down.I’ve never felt so cornered in my life. Neither had the others andit was making us all antsy. Except for Jai. He was just as unshakableas always. Told us to keep doing our jobs and trust him.”

“Ba’buirwas always good at that.” Solus felt tears start to drip down hercheeks. “He did the same thing during the Clan Wars. If someonestarted panicking he’d talk ‘em through it.”

“Then,a couple of nights ago he showed up with this plan. I was part of itand I don’t know how it worked.” Her voice wavered. “All of usthat got out, from the other Mandos to the child clones, owe himeverything.”

–

JaiVetra had never been taken with starfighters but he died in one. Athis absolute prime, he was still incapable of the preternaturalmaneuvers Harti executed. There was never any jealous there, onlylove and awe and respect. Secondhand stories (and in one instance themost terrifying holofootage of the past ten years) told him Soluspossessed the same skills; maybe more so. Yet, he still elected topilot a starfighter for their escape. Transports would need theirbest pilots to protect their precious cargo. For this flight he couldstand guard over their six or clear the way.

–

“TheOld Man was something else,” Fenn Rau told her looking almostsomber. Part of her was still reeling from his surprise visit to theVetra Stronghold. Concord Dawn, and by extension the JourneymenProtector’s, were iffy about the burgeoning True Mandalorians. “Hewas always full of surprise and one of the better ver’alor I’vemet.”

Hersmile came across weak while she muttered, “He hated being calledthat.”

“Ihated being called vaar’ika and that never stopped him.” For amoment, she saw the brazen, defiant man she came to know as Fenn Rauinstead of this somber ghost.

“Takeit as a compliment,” she tried to tease with a limp twitch todrooping ears. “It’s what he used to call Har’ba’buir andmyself. All of his favorite people are small, spitfire pilots.”

“Isee a lot of him you.” Lavender flooded Solus’ face. “Both ofyou are white haired, pains in my ass who could rally anyone foranything.”

–

JaiVetra had been assured he would never die alone but that was exactlyhow he went at age 66. A failed evasion resulted in engine damagethat sent him into an uncontrolled glide to a landing platform.Skittering across the metal he finally slowed to a halt flippedupside down. There was nothing to see past the transparisteel canopy.All he could hear was the muffled firefight outside over his ownrapid heartbeat. Something began to pool around his broken body. Atfirst, he thought it was rain but with cool sensation throughout itcould have been blood as well. Nothing would matter thought becauseit would all be over too soon.

–

“Ja’ikasaid he survived by looking for the light,” Harti mused more tohimself than his granddaughter walking beside him. “He said that nomatter how dark it seemed there would always be a light. He had tostumble for it a few times, maybe even missed the cue , but it wasthere in the end.”

“Itdoesn’t hurt less.” Her shoulders started shaking while sheworked hard to keep pace. “It doesn’t make anything hurt less.”

Hestopped in the center of the hallway to draw her into a warm hug.“Sol’ika,” her murmured into her hair, “now is the mostimportant time to look for the light. We’ve lost so many people,both Mandalorian and not, and we will lose more. But, look at thoseJai and the others saved with their sacrifices. Think of the livesyou and your friends saved. There’s a way out even if we have tolight it ourselves.”

–

JaiVetra died alone as an invader in a foreign land according to therecords. What was not included was the sort of funeral he stillreceived. The last of his strength was used to start his favoriteaudio clip; “I love you, Ba’buir!” singsonged from a tiny voicewith Harti’s warm laugh echoed in the background. Baptized in fuel,a stray spark turned the entire starfighter into a shining inferno.But, beyond that there was those who would carry his name forward.

–

“Wouldit be okay if I learned to say Remembrance with you?” Ahsoka asked,sounding almost unsure. They were curled around each other in bed.Solus’ head resting on her shoulder with a leg flung over her body.Ahsoka’s near arm curled beneath Solus while the other rested onher hip, thumb absentmindedly tracing the curve of the bone. “Iknow it’s something really important to you.”

Blinkingseveral times, Solus tried to study Ahsoka’s face in the dark. Atbest, she gathered bright eyes were staring at the ceiling. “Ofcourse. I’ll teach you when we wake up.” Squinting she tried tomake out if the blue chevrons of the closest lek had darkened any.“Any reason why?”

“Itsounds dumb…because I didn’t know your grandfather at all. But, Iwant to help you remember him.” Her voice grew higher in pitch.“Since we’ve known each other you’ve always said it. Becausepeople live on through their names being remembered right? Or, thatwas how you explained it two years ago.” Shifting their bodiesAhsoka settled only when she could look squarely into Solus’ eyes.“And I’ve heard you say Skyguy’s name too. It’s somethingyou’re doing for me and I just…I just wanted to do the same foryou. That way there’s two people remembering their names.”

Ba’buirwas right about finding the light.

[overcaffeinated-creative]

Character A: You shouldn't insult people who are bigger than you.

Character B: Then I'd never get to insult anyone.

[moon-sang]

Hi can I have a din x reader where maybe she’s a senator or princess from a planet and it’s when he’s on mandalor to become the mandalor and she’s there to help because she is also very knowledgeable about the empire and so she’s helping and what if maybe the reader and him knew each other maybe he was her bodyguard and when he sees her again all the feels of lust and love come up and when he’s chosen to chose a wife he chooses her and maybe smut? If you can’t do it it’s fine I understand thanks

Meshurok ~ Din Djarin x Reader

SUMMARY: After being apart for so long, Din finds someone he used to want. What happens when all his feelings for her start to bubble up again?

WARNINGS: 18+ ONLY, smut, unprotected piv (wrap it up), fem!reader, princess!reader, mature langauge, eating out, little bit of an age gap, Pls tell me if I miss anything!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mandalore was the last place you expected to be.

Everything seemed so....dull. Or maybe that was just because you came from Naboo. You were headed to some building. It was the make-do meeting room for...whoever you were meeting. You were told very little about what you were going to do here. All you knew was you were going to help the new Manda'lor settle into his new title.

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

Din pondered in the meeting room. He was way too nervous for something as small as this. He was just going to meet with some royals..or senates to help him get started. That's all. The creak of tall doors opening, broke Din out of his trance. They were here. Din quickly stood tall, spread his shoulders wide and let his hands drop to his sides. Now...he was presentable. The first people to come in were soldiers. Much like him they were covered head to toe in some sort of metal. Not beskar. After a few of the guards came in there came in a gir-woman. A woman...he knew. The last time he saw this woman...she was a girl, a 17 year old girl he offered to babysit. But now...Here she stood. Impossibly prettier than the last time he saw her. Her h/c hair framed her face perfectly. The curve of her jaw, the forest of e/c in her orbs, the way she tilts her head up when she laughs, maker everything about her was just perfect to Din. The moment she made eye contact with him, her jaw dropped. Din reflected her action under his helmet.

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

You couldn't believe your eyes. They were deceiving you. There is no way...Din is- The new Manda'lor. You let out a shaky breath as you try your best to look as professional as you can. "Leave us." You command the guards. With a moment's hesitation, they reluctantly leave, marching just outside the thick, closed doors. The both of you say nothing as you approach each other. Once close enough you go in for a deep hug. Of course, you could only reach to about his abdomen, but that didn't matter. Din wrapped his arms around your smaller form and gave you a small squeeze. When you pulled away you whispered to him. "I missed you." The words were warm and heartfelt, and you couldn't wipe off that silly little smile on your face. "Meshurok" Is all he whispers back to you. It was a nickname he had given you soon after he was hired to guard you from....well...escaping the palace. That was a long time ago. The room is quiet after that. He just stared right into your eyes (you think) and his touch lingered on your hips. You decide to break the tension that grew between the two of you by saying. "W-well, should we get started on..you know...becoming the..Manda'lor?" you squeak out. "Yes." Came his response, before he guided you to a seat. He pulled the chair out and waited until you were seated to push it in a little. You silently thank him before adjusting to sit up properly. "Ok...First. You need to do something to get your people's trust on this planet...A true Manda'lor looks out for his people." You explain. Din nods, taking in the information. "How do I do that, princess?" he rumbles. You slightly blush at the nickname. You know you shouldn't, after all, you are a princess. Regardless it makes heat rise to both your cheeks and...your core. "W-ell maybe you can start by asking for their opinion, make like a survey on what they want, and then whatever get the most votes, you order to get done. Or maybe...personally meeting a few people on this planet and just chatting, show how reliable you are, if possible....but then again, you're not really the chatty type are you? I would go with the survey idea, then." You conclude. "Hmph, that's a really good idea." Din ponders. You offer a small smile in return. "And what should I do if I wanted to...fuck you?" Your eyes widen at his words and your breath becomes a little labored. Maker, you would say yes. Your body was almost paralyzed, you couldn't move. "I'm..sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He shyly admits. "Do it." You mumble, loud enough for him to hear. "What?!" He almost yells. "If you want to fuck me...then you do it." A thick silence coaxes the two of you. "A-Are you absolutely sure you want this?" He asked in a hushed tone. "Yes." you breathe out. Then in a blink of an eye, he has you shoved up a wall. You whimper at the force of it, but it only turns you on more. Your eyes were a dark shade of e/c, full of desire and lust. Your clothes are immediately disregarded to the side, piling over each other. It didn't take long for Din to strip out of his armour either. He was now in his flight suit and helmet. "I've wanted this for so long, meshurok." He whispers in your ear, as his bare hands roam over your body. "Me-Me two." You whimper. You moan when his fingers find your nipple and rolls it in between his fingers. The roughness of the skin on his fingers rubbing on the tender flesh of your nipple was enough to send your body into a quivering mess. His other hand trails further down to your core, and you wrap your legs around his waist. Even through the flight suit, you could feel how toned Din was. He cups your sex and you attempt to grind on his hand, but he pulls away as if being burned. "I want you to tell me what you want." He urges. "You-want you." you practically beg. Din doesn't need you to say anymore. He plunges one thick finger into your pussy and your head is thrown back. He starts with a slow pace. Gentle thrusts. Sooner than later he works you into an orgasm. It gave warning before it came. A string of curses and moans leave your mouth as your release washes over you. Din worked you through the whole thing, slowing his pace only slightly, as not to overstimulate you. Din let’s you go and you immediately drop. Of course Din catches you, and picks you up bridal style. “Hey!” You chuckle as you squirm in his arms. Din sits on what was going to soon be his throne and stands you up in front of him, making sure to balance you. “What are you doing?” You ask, curiosity getting the best of you. “Sit.” He orders. His hands hold your hips gently but firmly, as he guides you onto his lap. You gasp as you feel his cock push at your folds, when you start to sit down. “Your safe word is Naboo.” He whispers in your ear, before gently pushing you a little more. His cock was big. Actually...that was an understatement. It was fucking huge. It was long and thick. It stretched you out in the most bittersweet way. It was painful but as you took it inch by inch, the pain slowly faded into pleasure. Finally he reached your cervix. He awaited for you to give him permission to start thrusting. You needed to adjust to him. Din loved the way you felt. Hot, wet, and silky. It was heaven for him. And the way you clenched around him every now and then sent him into overdrive. A small pat on his shoulder signalled he could start to move now. He lifted you slightly off of his lap, waited for a second, and then slammed you down back on him. You gasped and moaned in pure ecstasy. This, was unlike anything you had felt before. He kept going like that. Ramming into you until your second orgasm washed over you without warning. It was so harsh you’re sure you felt your body spasm on top of his. Shortly after he also came. Thick ropes waxed your insides as he grunted and groaned your name. His voice was beautiful. Thick like honey, yet sweet and warm.  

By the end of it all you were a quivering and panting mess on top of him. He caressed your cheek as your head rested in the crook of your neck. “Y’know” He starts. “I think I’m going to need a good queen...if I’m going to get the..peoples trust.” He pants out. Your eyes widen and you can’t help but snap your head up, to look at him. “Will....will you be..my riduur? According to the rules, I must pick one to rule with, and I don’t think I want anyone else...other than you.” He admits almost shyly. His softness and uncertainty was all too much for you. It made your heart melt. “Of course, I’ll be your riduur, Din.” 

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

I am sorry I do not think this is my best work, but I hope it’s good enough XD

Anyway, as always if you want anything changed just msg me and I can make a change but I ONLY do it once so make sure you add everything that you wanted changed into one msg. 

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed. 

[dindjarins04]

The Wronged Jedi

Din Djarin x FEM!Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: A tiny bit of fluff, mostly angst

Request rules here

Prompt list here

Main Masterlist here

Din Djarin/The Mandalorian Masterlist here

It started off like any other day would...well, any other day on Mandalore. You would walk in the throne room where Din would be, his helmet set on the throne as he paces back and forth, muttering to himself his next speech. You walked to him and stopped his pacing, cupping his cheek and guiding his face to look at yours. He would smile, ceasing his movements.

"Cyare...it's always good to see you,"

"You too," You responded. "Another meeting?" You asked as you stroked the side of his face as he hooked an arm around you and brought you closer to him, your body shivering when being pressed against the cool armour on the rest of his body, the soft cloak gently sweeping at your legs.

"No...another speech to the entire of Mandalore...Bo-Katan told me I need to address the Southern side...the side where people who still believe in someone called Dark...Mole?"

"Darth Maul?" You corrected and he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the tip of your nose.

"Yeah...that sounds more like what she said," You sighed softly and he moved to press his lips against yours and you melted against him. He pulled you closer to him, hiking your leg to wrap around his waist as he kissed you passionately. "I love you,"

"I love you too~" You say breathlessly as he pulls away with a dumb grin on his face. He moves back to kiss you but the sounds of shouting and running grew louder and he moved away and grabbed his helmet, sealing it over his face. He moved at attention as the doors were thrown open, Mandalorian's led by Bo-Katan filing in, blasters ready and seemingly pointing at you.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked firmly to Bo-Katan.

"A Mandalorian has been killed," You gasp and cover your mouth. "By a lightsaber," And that's when Bo-Katan pulls her blaster out and points it at you. You furrow your brows and that's when you notice every blaster is on you.

"Woah...what?" You raise your hands and Din looks at you and then Bo.

"What?"

"A Mandalorian has been struck down by a lightsaber, neck snapped by the use of the force," Din is quiet.

"I...I didn't do it! I've been here all morning...Din can vouch for me!" Bo only scoffs, looking to Din for permission.

"Mand'kor?" She prompts him.

"Is what you say true to its word?" He asks and your heart plummets.

"It is, my king," He doesn't look your way.

"Then I believe a trial is in order,"

"What?! I...I didn't do anything!" You cried and he turns to face you.

"The evidence-"

"Screw the evidence! You haven't seen anything yourself!" Tears burn in your eyes, heart-shattering how he turns against you with such ease. You shake your head, backing up, your legs hitting the throne of Mandalore, the Mandalorians following your footsteps. Bo is the first one to send a shot. You defend the blast by bringing your (F/C) lightsaber out. The blast shatters against the laser. At least they're using non-lethals. All the Mandalorians follow her lead beside Din. You defend them, using your second saber to help. You look behind and see the orange stained glass window.

With one last hurtful look at Din, you flip over the throne and use your sabers to cut the glass, jumping through it all in one slick movement. You curse as you begin to slide down the sloped part of the palace. It gets steeper and you manage to grab onto a ledge before the walls become vertical and drop into a void. You catch your breath, holding your sabers to your chest, trying to process everything. Then you hear the sound of jetpacks. You turn and see Mandalorians pouring out of the hole you made.

You keep to the walls, stepping over the parts of the palace that stuck out. You look down to notice there is almost a ladder built into the side. You manage to wobble over to it, taking it down and into the streets behind the palace. The Southern side of Mandalore. You put your sabers on your waist, rubbing your head and sticking to the shadows. You curse at yourself. Here's a brilliant plan, go try and hide through a part of Mandalore you've never even thought about venturing into considering they follow the ways Maul set years ago.

You see a small market stool and walk over to it, grabbing a black scarf and wrapping it around your face, not bothering to wake up the vendor. You keep to the sides of the buildings scattering around. Mandalorians walk around, donning red armour, talking in low voices.

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!

Almost everyone at the same time turns to look at the holo screen stationed in the middle of Mandalore. And, of course, your face was plastered on it with the word 'KILLER' beneath it, written in your mother tongue and Mando'a. You expect the Mandalorians around you to be enraged as Bo's voice breaks through the speakers, alerting the entire planet about what has happened. But the Mandalorians around you cheer and clap. You quirk a brow at them as they celebrate.

"Interesting reaction," You mumble, ducking into an ally when three Mandalorians come down from the sky, donning blue armour. They begin to search the area. As you creep down an ally, you can hear their footsteps approach. DANK FARRIT! You try each door, trying to open it. When you were almost out of the ally, one door opened for you and a gloved hand pulls you inside, the doors whooshing close behind you.

"I-" You turn to see a woman wearing red beskar nod at you. "I didn't kill that Mandalorian-"

"I didn't say you did," She says, her voice soothing. You nod as she takes off her helmet, long brown hair falling into place. "Emma Saxon," She says, sticking her hand out to you.

"(Y/N) Djarin," You say the last part shakily.

"I know...you've been the queen for quite some time and even if I didn't know you from that..." She trails off but shows you her holo pad. Every video is just about you, your crime and how you needed to be returned to the king, reward high. You sigh and shake your head. "Stupid...the attack happened in my street...I saw everything and I know it wasn't you," She says. "A gold lightsaber...this person also choked him..."

"With the Force?"

"No...with his bare hands...after he stabbed him...it's like this person was framing you,"

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because I like you...And I hate Bo-Katan...everyone on this side does. We hate her and the king...but you...you're popular in a good way,"

"Didn't know I made such a good impression," You say with a small chuckle. "Well...Bo-Katan and Din are looking for me rather than the actual killer...looks like I've got to find this person," You say as you peer out of her small windows.

"I'll help you, Jedi,"

"Why would you go through that trouble? You've already saved me-"

"You're Maul's spawn...without the darksaber...you're technically our ruler...and we just preferred Maul's reign...more destruction," She smiles and sighs dreamily. "It was more of what we were made for! Fighting! Killing!"

"Okay...well...got any ideas?"

"Yeah...get rid of this," She motions to your outfit and clicks her fingers. "My riddur died during the end of clone wars, I have his outfit...and because he was high ranking...he wore beskar...perfect fit for Maul's child," She says as she walks around her home, bringing out red armour. She hands you the helmet that was red, decorated with horns along the crown of it.

"You can tell he worked for my father," You say and she passes you the rest including the flight suit.

"Go, quick," You nod and quickly change into it, keeping the helmet off as you walk back to Emma.

"Isn't this illegal? I never swore to the Creed and I'm wearing beskar," She waves you off.

"Shut up. You're being hunted for a crime you didn't even commit, come on," You put the helmet on, the visor lighting up yellow.

"My sabers..." She picks up a bag and stuffs them inside, slinging it across her body.

"Come on," You nod and follow her out as she takes you to the crime scene.

~~~

He looks at the broken window with sadness in his eyes. Bo-Katan enters, her ablaze, anger radiating off her.

"I can't find the damned Jedi!" She growls.

"What if she isn't guilty?"

"She's running...I call that guilt," Bo says strongly and Din nods.

"She must've gone into hiding in the Southern side...she would've been found in seconds anywhere else," Bo nods and brings her commlink out.

"I want more forces searching the Souther side of Mandalore...all landing pads must be shut down and no ships leave or enter without a permit," She says as she walks out.

~~~

"Happened here," Emma says as she stops, pointing at the saber marks on the buildings.

"So messy...I have more training to hit the target more than the wall," You say softly, the modulator barely picking up.

"Honey, you've got to speak up...modulator," Emma says with a chuckle.

"Oh...sorry, not used to it," You say clearer.

"it's okay hun," She walks further along. "Camera's...caught the whole thing..."

"How do we see the footage on that camera?" You ask as you examine the marks.

"It's Cas's place, we're good friends, he'll let us see it," She grabs your hand and leads you into a diner filled with Mandalorian's. She pulls you to the bar and waves down a Mandalorian wearing dark red armour, black marks representing Maul decorating it.

"Em! You got a husband!" He says.

"What?" You respond with confusion.

"Oh...wife, excuse me," He chuckles.

"I am so confused," Emma sighs.

"You're wearing my riddur's armour, it is bestowed to you when you take my hand in marriage...but, Cas, no...she's the queen of Mandalore, the one being accused of the murder," His eyes widen and you take off your helmet to show him.

"Well I'll be damned, your majesty...real tragic with what's happening," You nod and sit at the bar.

"We need the footage from the camera out front...the murder happened on it," He nods and turns.

"Knew you'd ask for it," He holds up a tape. "Everything from before, during and after the murder,"

"Thanks, Cas,"

"No problem, Em...your highness,"

"Everyone freeze!"

"Shit! It's Bo-Katan," Your eyes widen at Emma's words and you pull your helmet on as she grabs your hand and begins to guide you through the back door.

"Has (Y/N) Djarin...the queen...the Jedi...the murderer...walked through here?"

"Why would we tell you?" Cas quizzes with confidence.

"Because your king asks for her return,"

"To kill her?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"If he comes to that decision after her trial, then yes," Bo responds with a snarl. Cas shrugs and picks up a glass to dry.

"Haven't seen her, you're looking in the wrong place," Bo sighs and turns to the Mandalorian's behind her.

"Spread out, search homes, become aggressive if we need to," And with that, she storms out, a few Mandalorians staying and searching rooms.

~~~

You shake your head as you follow Emma down winding alleys.

"I can't believe this is happening...I've been good, loyal to Mandalore..." You say and Emma turns around with a sigh.

"I understand your frustration, it's fully acceptable to be angry and upset...but don't worry, once we find the killer, you'll be free to walk around the planet, a hero rather than a murderer," You only nod and she bends down and lifts a grate from the floor. "Bo-Katan has sent Mandalorian's searching homes, we'll be safe down here while we watch the footage," She jumps down and you hesitate. You look back and in the far distance, the palace stands proud. You shake your head and follow Emma, using the force to put the grate back in place.

You follow Emma down the unusually clean underground tunnels until you find yourself in a large space that looks rather...homey.

"Do...people live here?" You ask as you slowly look around.

"Yeah...It's a safe house for a lot of us...you'll find this place usually has someone in here," She crouches down by a holo screen and you follow as she inserts the disc. You watch the video carefully as the victim walks in shot. A cloaked figure walks out, a saber in their hand. They seem to have a heated conversation.

"Any sound?" She shakes her head and you sigh as you continue to watch. The figure brings the saber down which is blocked by beskar covered arms. They tussle for a few moments before the figure stabs the victim through the fabric between the armour. The figure crouches down and chokes the victim until it most likely snaps. It then turns and pulls down the hood revealing it to be...

"Axe Woves?!" Emma chokes out.

"What?! I...how did he...he's framing me?! We worked together, I saved his life and help them get the ship they needed that was filled with weaponry!" Emma's breath hitches when she points at the screen to see Kosha enter. He hands her the saber back and she stalks away. "I...I worked with both of them!"

"Looks like their allegiance is not to you,"

"We need to get this back to Din...show him this,"

"Without getting caught by Bo-Katan and the two who did this? You'll never get there," You sigh.

"It's the only way to prove my innocence!"

"True..." She stands and ejects the disc and hands it to you. "But I'm coming with you," You nod and you both leave.

~~~

"Feeling better about this?" She asks as you two walk down the street, trying to remain as normal as possible as the Mandalorians fill in.

"That we have evidence to prove my innocence...yes," You say louder than usual to be heard through the modulator.

"Emma Saxon!" You both freeze and turn to the voice, seeing Bo, Kosha, Axe and more Mandalorians standing behind you.

"Bo-Katan...surprised to see you," She responds and Bo eyes you.

"Married?" Emma doesn't look away or break eye contact with Bo.

"Yes..."

"To whom?"

"Luke...Solo," She says and you nod and Bo raises her brow.

"Remove your helmets, that's an order,"

"By who? You?" Emma growls. "Unless I hear the king say it, I refuse,"

"Same here," You growl out, happy the modulator makes your voice sound different. Bo smirks and steps aside, the Mandalorians following pursuit and Din comes down from the skies and lands in the middle.

"Fuck," Emma mumbles as he strides forward.

"Remove your helmets,"

"You first," You retort and you can tell he raises a brow.

"Disobeying orders from your king ends up with murder...that's what your previous ruler believed...and since you follow his ways, I'll respect that and do what he does," Emma sighs and removes her helmet.

"And you, Luke," Bo says and you look to Emma and she nods. You shakily remove your helmet and you watch Bo's face turn to a snarl, all Mandalorians raises their blasters on you. Din shakes his head.

"(Y/N) Oppress, you are under arrest," Bo-Katan snarls, bringing out handcuffs.

"I believe it's Djarin...after all, we're married," You say, looking at Din who doesn't respond. "Listen, I didn't do it, I have the footage here!" You bring out the disc. "This shows the real murderers! I'm being framed!" Din walks forward takes the disc from you and hands it to Axe and you curse. "No...it's him who murdered the Mandalorian...and her!" You exclaim and Bo laughs along with the other Mandalorians.

"You're funny," She says, motioning for Mandalorians to take hold of you. Her eyes then land on Emma. "And you are charged with treason with helping her, you will be executed for such acts,"

"What-?!"

"NO!" You say strongly. Emma looks at you with fear as some Mandalorians go for her. As soon as a Mando touches your arm, you pull away and use the force to throw Emma onto a tall building, with your sabers. She catches herself on her hands, before she goes to the edge, locking eyes with you as Mandalorians surround you. You give a weak smile and she nods before dashing away before she can be found.

~~~

You sit in the cells, cuffs releasing ionising energy into your wrist, cutting you off from the force. You open your eyes when hearing someone come to the laser red doors of your cells. It's Din. You sigh stand up and walk over to him.

"Kosha has told me the footage was faulty and didn't work, the disc then overloaded and it is now useless," You shake your head.

"She did that...it was fine when me and Emma watched it!" You glare at him. "What the hell, Din? I...you've done nothing this entire time to defend me, you've done nothing!"

"Because if I got involved, that would make you look more guilty!"

"I'M NOT GUILTY!" You cry out in frustration.

"Then why did you run?"

"Because of this unfair trial! I was out there trying to save my skin because no one else is helping! I won't take the fall for something I didn't do!" He shakes his head.

"What do you want me to do?" You slouch your shoulders.

"It doesn't matter, you think I'm guilty...by tomorrow, I'll be dead-"

"Don't say that...I..." He sighs. "I'm not going to kill you,"

"Do you even love me anymore?" He doesn't respond and you feel the last part of your heartbreak and you nod, looking down. "I understand...the cowards way out," You turn your back to him, face contorting in rage and you hear him mutter something before leaving.

~~~

You stand between Bo-Katan and another Mandalorian in front of the entirety of Mandalore. You let out a shaky breath as Din takes his stand with the heads of the table and the governor. To your side was a high table with the court sitting behind it.

"(Y/N) Oppress, do you have a defendant?" The governor asks.

"...no," The proescutor sighs.

"Then the trials shall begin," Everyone becomes silent as the prosecutor walks up to question you.

"You are aware of the charges pressed against you, correct?"

"Yes, murder and treason,"

"Good...but you say you are not guilty?"

"No...I didn't murder him,"

"Mhm, yet you are the only person with lightsabers which was the cause of the murder,"

"Your king carries a saber, why is he not being accused?"

"Because the force was also used, he does not wield the force as you do," You sigh.

"I haven't used the force for months! Why would I even murder someone? What does that give me? Nothing but an unjust trial!"

"That is true, but then again, maybe you thought your powers would sway our decisions and you could try and blame someone else,"

"You don't know how the force works, so you can't even mention that,"

"Put can the force be used to sway people's mindsets?" He quizzes and you look down. You still don Emma's ex-husband armour, besides the helmet.

"It can,"

"My point exactly," He begins to walk back and forth. "What do you have to say to defend yourself?"

"I didn't murder him, Kosha Reeves and Axe Woves did. Down South is where the murder happened, correct? A camera caught the entire interaction...an outdoor camera from a pub owned by Cas...you can go there and watch the footage,"

"The footage has already been seen by our associates, the video was faulty,"

"Because the people who got ahold of the footage were the murderers!"

"Well, is that all?" You look around and sigh.

"Yes,"

"The court will now decide whether you are guilty or not," They begin murmuring, pressing buttons on the table in front of them. The head of tables receives their decisions on their holopad before the approach Din with the results. The silence is deafening as he reads over the results more than once or twice. The audience is deadly quiet as well as he stands up and walks to you.

"With a heavy heart, I regret to tell you the council has pronounced you guilty and to be executed for your crimes," You can hear his voice break as he reads the results. You look at Bo and see her expression fall...she looks...sad? Din gulps, allowing the tears to fall freely, covered by his helmet. The Mandalorian kicks your legs beneath you so you're on your knees and he holds you in position. Bo makes no move to restrain you and Din pulls out the darksaber and ignites it.

"Is the council sure this is her punishment?" Bo asks wearily and the council nod. She grimaces as Din approaches you.

"Any last words?" You open your mouth to speak but shouting explodes from the crowd and you see a crowd of red beskar breakthrough and approach where you are. Your eyes widen as they casually stroll onto the stage.

"We have evidence and confessions from the true murderers, Axe Wolves and Kosha Reeves!" The leading Mandalorian says, as four drag Kosha and Axe in front of Din and the council.

"Is...is this true?" Din stutters and Kosha glares at him. "Well,"

"We did it...because Mandalore should not take orders from a Jedi! Especially the spawn of Darth Maul himself!" She spits out, Axe nodding. "This planet will fall with her as the queen! We were simply doing what was best for Mandalore," Everyone begins talking among themselves, the leading Mandalorian removes her helmet.

"Here's the footage of the murder," Emma says, handing the disc over to the governor who passes it to the head of tables who plug it in and watch it.

You smile at Emma who nods at you. Bo releases you and orders the Mandalorians to take Axe and Kosha to the cells. Once you're free, you run over to Emma and grab her in a hug.

"Thank you," You mumble into her hair and she smiles and pulls away.

"You save my life, I save yours," She passes you your lightsabers that have been wrapped up neatly. You take hold of it and nod.

"I can't thank you enough, all of you," You say and they nod in respect, bowing to you. "Your husband's armour-"

"Keep it, it suits you," She winks. "Gar Saxon was Maul's second in command...I give it away with honour," She steps away when seeing Din approach you.

"Cyare...I'm so sorry-" You raise your hand and shake your head.

"No, don't even pretend like you're sorry," You growl. "I'm leaving...and I'm not coming back," You growl and you sense his heartbreak. Good. He deserves that. "After all this pain you put me through?" You scoff. "Goodbye, Mando," You turn away.

"Cyare, please...I...I don't want you to leave-!"

"You were so close to killing me..." You say shaking your head before walking away with Emma and the other Mandalorians, leaving him alone.

[cienie-isengardu]

Oh no! There’s people debating that s*tine kr*ze isn’t a bad person and what she did isn’t ethn!c cleansing!

https://phoenixyfriend.tumblr.com/post/674496015659859968/okay-gonna-kick-this-off-by-saying-i-wrote-up-an

You’re the resident s*tine k*ryze truther

Not sure why anyone would think I’m the resident truther of Satine Kryze about whom I rarely talk these days, which of course flatters me a lot. But also it slightly worries me as I need to speak first about the Mandalorians and their history and by doing so probably shake hard some widely accepted “knowledge” in the process of answering this ask.

Personally I do not count Satine Kryze as a villain, especially not when compared to the vast range of characters who definitely have earned this label for themselves. However Star Wars, especially in times of Twilight of the Republic and Rise of the Empire, have tons of characters who aren’t fundamentally evil but who made wrong, sometimes outright devastating choices or whose morality was compromised due to various factors. In other words, Star Wars likes deeply flawed characters. Satine is one of them as she had good intentions toward her (pacifist) people but whose serious flaws contributed to what was happening with Mandalorian culture.

If by saying Satine Kryze is responsible for ethnic cleansing people mean that one day the Duchess woke up and decided to kick out of her planet/Mandalore system everyone who doesn’t look like her, then they are wrong, at least in the light of tie-in material. 

The change from warriors into New Mandalorians (pacifists) did not happen within days or decades but was happening for seven hundred years, as a result of Mandalorian Excision (738 BBY). Even before this, there were people who wanted the Mandalorian Sector to join the post-Ruusan reformed Republic and actually understood the old warriors' ways weren’t anymore safe for their economy and politics, but their voice was shut down. Republic, concerned about growing again Mandalorian military strength decided to solve the problem with devastating bombardment of the Mandalorian key worlds that turned them into wasteland. 

The Republic attack was mentioned in The Essential Atlas (2008, published just before “The Mandalorian Plot”) 

“After Ruusan, the Mandalorians remade themselves as a technologically adept, rigidly disciplined society. Mandalore’s growing militancy alarmed the Republic and Jedi, leading to a short, sharp war in the 730s that devastated the planet and forced another social transformation. The so-called New Mandalorians renounced the old warrior code, espousing peace, neutrality and tolerance as the only way to survive in a hostile galaxy. Mandalorian armor became a rare sight, with only a few bands of unrepentant mercs clinging to discredited clan traditions”

Then repeated in The Essential Guide to Warfare (2012), as data excerpted from [in-universe] “Industry, Honor, Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul�� keynote address by Vilnau Teupt on 412th Proceedings of Galactic Anthropology and History, Brentaal Academy, 24 ABY:

“In 738 BBY the Republic created a task force made up of Judicial Forces and units drawn from Planetary Security Forces in the Expansion Region with the Jedi Order coordinating the war effort. The Mandalorian Excision was brief but overwhelming. Key Mandalorian worlds such as Fenel, Ordo, Concord Dawn and Mandalore itself were subjected to devastating bombardment with swathes of those worlds still desolate in Imperial times. Mandalorian Space was occupied and disarmed with a caretaker government created from elements of the failed peace movement.”

And then repeated again in another in-universe source called Death Watch Manifest, published in Bounty Hunter Code (2013)

“This perfect society threatened the Republic. Seven centuries ago, their craven, hut’uune warships and Jedi bombarded our worlds. They incinerated Mandalore’s farmland and forests, leaving much of our homeworld a forsaken desert of fine white sand, and then occupied our worlds. They killed, exiled, or disarmed our warriors and suppressed out ancient codes. The Republic called this dishonorable assault the Mandalorian Excision, as if we were cancerous tissue to be cut out of the galaxy. We call it the Dral’Han - the Annihilation.”

The first source didn’t dwell much into details, as it was published before the actual Mandalorian episodes of TCW were even aired (and so most likely authors didn’t have a proper data and/or did not want to contradict whatever the creative team of animated series have planned for future episodes). The keynote of the last two however is not only the fact that Jedi-led republic troopers invaded Mandalore Space and turned the planets into a wasteland but also that Republic occupation lasted for decades. And with that comes the changes forced - and logically thinking, controlled by the Republic - on Mandalorian society. 

And so we have informations like that Republic either personally or through their “puppets” in the form of New Mandlorian’s government “killed, exiled, or disarmed our warriors and suppressed out ancient codes” [BHC] 

and:

 “The occupation would last for decades, and create a new schism in Mandalorian society. From the caretaker government emerged the so-called New Mandalorians, who bitterly resented the Republic but saw no hope in fighting it, and so renounced the warrior codes in favor of peace and neutrality. The New Mandalorians held most of power, and rebuilt Mandalore’s industrial base over the next few centuries. Some unrepentant mercenaries and warriors were exiled to the moon Concordia, while others dispersed throughout the galaxy, resuming the Mandalorians’ ancient trade as blasters-for-hire. The Mandalores of the post-Excision era were drawn from their ranks, though their authority was recognized by neither the New Mandalorians nor the sector government. [Warfare]

In conclusion, those who did not give up after losing the war and in result, refused to accept Republic occupation, were either killed or exiled to ecologically devastated Concordia (possible into other places), while those who managed to escape from the manhunt, haven’t been apparently acknowledged as political and/or ethic (religious?) group forcibly removed from their own land. Even though we know or at least can assume said warriors on the run managed to rebuild their society outside Mandalore Space, apparently in the light of New Mandalorians and Republic laws, they did not have any rights to what was taken from them by force nor to come back to the Mandalore or to have a voice in the government dominated by pacifists.

The Rebels animated show clearly bet on ethical diversity when it comes to Mandalorians yet by presenting the unmasked members of (warrior) clans who accepted and supported Bo-Katan as new Mandalore as so different from the TCW!New Pacifist (and Death Watch), this source adds uncomfortable implication that the “good” non-violent Mandalorians are predominantly white people while the “bad” who did not give up their violent ways included a great if not all presented then non-white characters (Sabine and her family, leaders of Rook and Eldar clans and presumbly their blood-related part of family).

In contrast, those who accepted and worked with the Republic, apparently gained aristocratic titles like Prince or Duchess (something unheard up to this point between Mandalorians but sadly this became the norm in Disney’s canon) and were at some point left to govern the rest of the  nation.

The Clone Wars did not dwell much on that aspect, keeping all information vague as possible, which I suspect may be partially done to not drag the sins of the Republic, The Champion of the Democracy people should cheer up for, into the light too much. But even then we are told that “Mandalore's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were exiled to our moon, Concordia. They died out years ago.” (though it is hard to tell if Almac talked about warriors in general or those from the last Civil War).

I do not have an idea why the persecution, as it is implied by visual look of characters, would be aimed mainly at non-white people to be removed from TCW!New Mandalorian society, beside the blatant racism of course. But to be honest, this problem is not only about lack of ethnic diversity between humans but the lack of Aliens too. Because ancient Mandalorians were members of an alien species known as Taungs and during the Mandalorian Wars plenty of other Aliens joined their ranks. Yet neither TCW nor Rebels, not even The Mandalorians or the Legends comics about modern times gave us definitely and without doubt recognized Mandalorians of alien origin. Some source here and there will mention them, but we do not see Aliens clad in beskar’gam in the most mainstream now star wars media. What really implies a lot negative things about decades long Republic occupation and New Mandalorians’s part in erasing unwanted “units” from the supposedly peaceful society.

And this was not just about killing or kicking out those not fitting the new ideal structures. It was about erasing the warrior traditions that the Republic did not like and has no use of it. This is why Mandalorian armors were destroyed throughout the centuries, while laws were forcibly changed and those opposing, persecuted by the government. 

On the basis of the above tie-in materials, I find it unfair and even cruel to blame Satine, born seven centuries after Republic Invasion and occupation(★) for ethic purge that happened - was done - to Mandalorian society. For all we know, Satine was born into the already homogeneous, light skinned, blond-haired group presented in TCW. So in my opinion, the truly responsible for this ethic cleansing was the Republic and the earliest “collaborators” (★★) first and foremost, not the duchess herself.

However! 

As much as I don’t think Satine bore responsibility for the social segregation / ethnic cleansing that happened in the past, the problem lies in the fact that her regime benefits the most from it and as far as sources go, she did nothing to unite the shattered society or to change existing laws. In other words, she was not the originator of this problem but she upholds it. And here duchess’ flaws come into picture.

One of Satine’s major flaws is the belief that her principles are the only correct one and thus the conviction that she knows best what is good for her nation. To be fair, Padme had the same flaw, but in contrast to the duchess, sources presented her as a person willing to actually listen to others and act on it. This is how she merged the drift between human and Gungan societies on Naboo during Invasion and how inspired by Teckla’s story, managed to win debate in the Senate. Satine, as much as her intentions in theory are good, doesn’t really accept a different point of view than her, and it is not just about Mandalorian warriors but Jedi as well, as she accused Obi-Wan that by doing his duty to Republic (leading troops), he forsaken his peacemaker principles.

She claims to be pacifist and seek peaceful solutions (as was seen with providing neutral ground for Republic and CIS negotations) yet the first things she told us about Death Watch and Pre Vizsla, the Governor of Concordia goes in different direction.

Satine: There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you're looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past. There are those among us, certain officials, who are working to root out these criminals. It has been an ongoing investigation. 

Obi-Wan: How widespread is this Death Watch movement? 

Satine: It's hardly a movement. It's a small group of hooligans who choose to vandalize public places, nothing more. We shall soon have them in custody. We have tracked them down to our moon, Concordia.

Idolizing violence or warrior ways of the past is not itself a crime. I mean, in our world there is plenty people fascinated by warriors of “barbarian” societies, like Vikings or Scyths (nomads) or who in general wish to come back to pagan faiths yet they aren’t going on murdering their kinsmen nor destroying anyone property. I’m pretty sure Satine is downplaying Death Watch’s offenses here so Kenobi (a Jedi investigator) won’t get interested too much but by not acknowledging its members as political movement and calling them just hooligans with pretty minor crimes in the scale of danger to public order but then going on how “those among us, certain officials, who are working to root out these criminals” gives quite questionable picture. Even more so, when Satine introduced Pre Vizsla, her supposedly close ally:

 “Governor Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of. He has been working to find the members of the Death Watch”

Death Watch was an organization made up of warriors who did not acknowledge Kryze’s power. But between the last Civil War that happened something along two decades ago and now, just before the actual terrorist attack, the source did not provide any data about major attack of said group (and yes, Tor Vizsla’s Death Watch had is own list of crimes, but with one sole incident on Concord Dawn [killing Jango’s family and the battle between DW and True Mandalorians that followed], he did not operate in Mandalorian Space as far as we known). Satine wants Kenobi to see them as simple hooligans that devastated public space yet has allies in high political spheres hunting down those “hooligans” known mainly for opposing her rule?  

And you see, we could argue the Death Watch was a dangerous organization that needed to be stopped - but again, Tor’s DW operated far away from Mandalorian Space and were not recognized as part of New Mandalorian society (and who knows, maybe Jedi did try to track them?). Those who operated on Mandalore and Concordia Satine claimed to be just “criminals” but the first terrorist attack acknowledged by source happened in The Mandalore Plot yet the investigation was already ongoing matter. If members of the TCW!Death Watch were solely seen as criminals, then Pre Vizsla, a governor of Concordia did not need to be so personally involved for this was a case strictly for police or whatever inner security office operated on Mandalore and Concordia. This discrepancy between Satine’s story for the Jedi and what actually was happening in the secret - the ongoing investigation controlled by the highest political officials officially supporting Kryze’s government - suggests those warriors weren’t hunted down solely by their criminal/vandalistic activity. They were targeted because Death Watch opposed Satine’s pacifism and did not accept the Republic's influences / occupation and the result of it.

I understand why Satine choose pacifism over Mandalorian brutal, war-focused traditions as Mandalorian warriors, with some exception here and there, have never been the noble, shiny knights on white horses that went out of their way to save the poor, enslaved or weak around them. But the problem is that she did not allow other people to make the same decision freely. Like yes, probably a large part of society, at this point, would still put neutrality and peace over the past traditions but those who did not agree with Satine’s political and moral statement could be hunted down like members of Death Watch. This leads to another issue - Satine’s government did not try to reconcile with the exiled, shunned part of their society. Not going on to seek peace with Jaster Mereel’s True Mandalorians or Tor Vizsla’s Death Watch? Understable to some degree. Officially not acknowledging Jango Fett, a bounty hunter involved with attempts on Padme Amidala’s life? Makes absolute sense. But those who were exiled to ecologically devastated Concordia to die out and either survived the harsh years or were descendants of said warriors? A bit worrisome as those people were the closest living warriors to Mandalore (and her people’s safety).

Sure, it is hard to open a dialogue with someone who hates your guts and wants totally different things and even took part in a civil war to get the lost culture back but… remember how Satine argued with Obi-Wan what was the true role of peacekeeper?

Obi-Wan: A peacekeeper belongs on the front lines of conflict. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do his job. 

Satine: The work of a peacekeeper is to make sure that conflict does not arise. 

Obi-Wan: Yes, a noble description, but not a realistic one.

And yes, Kryze’s idea of peacekeeping is noble but we don’t exactly see her doing anything in that direction when it comes to exiled warriors and supporters of old traditions, beside hunting them down with political power she, Pre Vizsla and their allies have over the rest of society. Of course, we could argue that Pre Vizsla was her ally and it's not that any big secret that members of his clan (like Tor) were still operating as Mandalorian mercenaries somewhere out in the galaxy. But Pre pretended to be an ally, a supporter of Satine’s regime. He wasn’t a warrior whom Kryze openly negotiated or communicated how to repair the broken bond between their two factions to make sure a new conlift won’t arise in the future. Instead she trusted a man who either proved somehow to be reformed/converted to pacifism (her way) or was seen as a “good” New Mandalorian from the start and whom she somehow talked into “hunting down” warriors who could be his own family / clan members.

See, Satine and Pre Vizsla could find a solution - not an easy one for sure but a first step to repair the damage - if they were willing to compromise. Sadly, Mandalorians are terribly bad at compromises, but that does not excuse the fact we have never heard or seen Satine trying in that regard. Like, if Mandalorians still wanted to take a part in jobs requiring fighting skills, they could join or start their own Bounty Hunter Guild because this profession is legimitalized by Republic laws. Not talking here about the type of jobs Jango (and True Mandalorians) took, that was mercenary work. But about hunting down the hardest, worst criminals across the galaxy [BHC]:

Or join Mandalorian Protectors who are the first line of protection for people living in Mandalorian Space. Something that warriors with the status of “criminal” most likely couldn’t even if they wished to work for society’s benefit. I may be wrong, but it seems to me a Mandalorian can’t be a gun-for-hire and lives on Mandalore, because Satine’s is against all violence, whatever who and why is using it - except those who work for her, like her own personal guards or police upholding her regime. We don’t hear Satine offering the exiled people amnesty if they agree to proposed compromise. We don’t hear her asking for negotiations, or at least a talk on neutral ground to see what could be changed and improved. We don’t see her offering access to education or medical help to warriors’ children  who may never be capable of following in their parents footsteps or their eldery or injured, as a good will. We don’t see her acknowledging the Republic and her predecessors' role in destruction and erasing ethnic diversity that apparently forced many (including non-white) people to live far way from their original home.  

I’m pretty sure some people will think she should not negotiate with terrorists! but… not all the faithful ones to old ways were terrorists or part of Death Watch. Not all wished for her death but many could want to come back to the family they were separated from. Some may even change their mind about New Mandalorians, adapt to their laws while keeping their old faith and in result, becoming an ambassador of duchess’ goodwill to other, less radicalized warriors. 

Hell, Satine does not even need to succeed on that front. She could be rejected, but her claim to be peacekeeper actually had some solid ground. It would be different to hear “Death Watch (warriors) rejected my peaceful efforts and we are trying to deal with their criminal activity” than “oh no, they are not any movement, just hooligans who accidentally also happen to be my political enemy we, the alliance of highest political leaders, hunt down to root out the problem”.

In the really short summary:

I do not think Satine was the villain of the story who came up with the idea of exiling people and Aliens of different look than hers. I would not put that responsibility on her as it seems TCW!New Mandalorians are the final product of what happened from 738 BBY to Satine’s times. But I do think the problem lies in fact her regime:

-  upholds this situation by not seeking a peaceful solution (compromise) with warriors and their descendents living shattered across the galaxy, 

- does not change a harmful laws to faithful to old faith even if not all warriors wished to harm duchess or Mandalore’s best interest (including those non-white ones who weren’t seen at all in The Clone Wars but who apparently exist in Rebels as united to fight against Empire)

-  generally puts her idealism (pacifism) over people’s best interest and 

- does not let others choose freely.

Sorry for the wall of text but if we are gonna blame Satine for something, then let’s blame her  for things she did or was implied by sources to do, not for being a most recognizable face of changes that fans passionately hate and whose were done by the creative team’s whim because Filoni wanted add to Mandalorians  some “nordic flavor” and/or being inspired by German society just before WWII.

(★)An occupation that may officially end at some point but the Republic influences for sure did not, as during the last Civil War, Jedi were sent to save young Satine, the [potentially] future pro-Republic leader but we don’t hear anything about Republic troops or Jedi helping stop the war and save common citizens? Also, even Satine’s accusations “Clearly, your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs” seems more closer to this issue than just a cynical remark) (★★) I am simplifying a bit the situation here as from the perspective of Mandalorian warriors - and in general, those loyal to old faith and traditions, New Mandalorians are traitors; it is their acceptance that allowed the systematic erasing of their culture and coming with it ethic diversity.  However, from the perspective of New Mandalorians, especially those left in wasteland and ruins of their cities, to let their warrior roots be torn out was the means of survival. I suppose, as the more years passed, the survivors’ descendants were more and more steeped in the rhetoric of the Republic (the “correct” education) that it was the fault of barbarian warriors and the Republic came to save the situation.

[the-little-ewok]

Fic Rec List

As part of my 100 followers celebration I have taken a list of fic recs! (and included some of my own recommendations)

Thank you for everyone who sent them to me! (Happy to do a part 2 if people want to send anymore)

Please go check these out and show the authors some love!

Fics under the cut (it got long)

These are some amazing fics from some amazing writers. A huge thank you to everyone out there who takes the time out of their day to write and post them on here. You are amazing!

From @anetteaneta

The Lonely Child

I would like to recommend you a great short story from @supernovafeather. She's incredibly talented! Her stories with Duke Leto are a masterpiece. Take a look at them!

From @the-scandalorian

Chasing Butterflies by @tuskens-mando

This fic gives me butterflies; it’s so sweet and hot and just a delight to read.

Hurricane by @fisforfulcrum

You know Laura brings the filth and the angst and the best plot lines.

Everything and More by @dincrypt

Sugar Daddy Din is what dreams are made of.

It’s All about What You Want by @thirstworldproblemss

This is such a fun, well-written a/b/o set-up.

From @salome-c

I recommend everything each one of these writers posted here but I chose one so this list can fit here

Latch by @pentechnics

What we lost by @anetteaneta

A guiding force by @im-poe-dameron

Pope's princesa by @hotspacepilots and Down Payment by @jedi-mando from the We were warriors universe

Between the raindrops by @jazzelsaur

Everything @princessxkenobi writes but I'm recommending this one because it was the last one I read (I think) Untouchable

Bonded by @mandocrasis

The Link by @supernovafeather

Third Time's a Charm by @mypedrom

From @fisforfulcrum

Post Script by @reysflyboy

The Game by @just-here-for-the-moment

Cold hands warm heart by @santiagogarcia

The New Mandalore by @thefact0rygirl

Intertidal by @the-scandalorian

Little Rebel by @thefact0rygirl

Extrasolar by @the-scandalorian

Intrasolar by @the-scandalorian

Graceless by @reysflyboy

Tempered Glass: Chapter 1 by @the-scandalorian

Get used to it by @dailyreverie

Forbarance by @pumpkin-stars

frankie morales x f!reader by @frannyzooey

From me

These are my favorite fics. The ones I've read over and over. My comfort fics. My happy place.

Say it again by @fisforfulcrum

Forbarance by @pumpkin-stars

Flyboy by @fisforfulcrum

Always warm in your arms by @zoriis

Revelation by @the-scandalorian

Javier Peña x f!reader by @mypedrom

Directions by @zinzinina

[kyberconfessions]

No Matter Where You Go, I Will Find You. Part 2

Here it is everyone! Part 2! You all make me so happy, it’s been so long since I wrote something and so much longer since I shared it. All your reblogs and likes have made me so happy.

As always:

This will eventually be a 18+ older fic and will deal with anxiety, death, sex,  PTSD, murder, loss, found family, Order 66, and coming to terms. This is not just a fluff fic. It will very much be dealing with very dark and hard themes, so please, if that is something that can be too hard for you, don’t read.

Pairings: Rex x Reader x Cody (polyamory)

Rating: 18+

TW: Death, Murder, infanticide, death of the Jedi, PTSD, Loss, Anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders, Order 66. I will add other things as I think about them

Part 2: Utterly Alone

     You couldn't believe Hondo. Making you come to him for that information. It was just like him to hold out on you right when he was getting to the good stuff. Of course he wanted you to meet these ‘clients’ of his before he would offer up whatever he had. Honestly, if he weren’t Hondo Ohnaka, you probably would have killed him long ago, which is why he knew he could pull these stunts.  You shook your head and finished putting on your gear: black pants with pockets and clips, a black shirt covered in darkly painted duriplast armor, twin blasters on your hip and thighs, a large vibroblade on your belt, a few droid poppers in a pouch, thermal detonators in another, and various other tools of your trade. 

A far cry from your sand colored robes and saber hilt on your hip. What would your Master say if he saw you now? He would probably be ashamed. No, that's not true. Obi-Wan Kenobi would never have felt shame when it came to you, he would have been so proud of you for surviving. 

You shook your head free of those thoughts and went to stand in front of the closet next to your bunk. Your hand slowly grazed the lockpad, letting the door whoosh open. 

Your life's work was in that closet.

Half of everything that was ever important to you was in there. You looked up, gazing at the old and scratched armor, the golden paint fading from it. It had taken you nearly 16 years, but you had almost every piece of Cody's armor. You had killed for some pieces, you had purchased others, and the rest you had found scattered across the stars. It was the only thing you had left of him. The only thing you had left of your home. All you were missing was his helmet. 

One day you hoped to find that as well. If you couldn't hold him in your arms again, you would honor his memory this way.

The closet across from Cody's hurt more, though. That closet you had set aside for Rex. But search high and low, you never found anything of his. Not a whisper, not a glove, not even a mention of his name. It was like he was wiped off the galaxy after Mandalore. 

You had gone back there, scoured the planet for any sign. All you had found was ash and bone. A dead, rotting planet, filled to the brim with ghosts and monsters. You heaved a sigh and touched Cody's glove, holding it up to your cheek.

"I wish you were both with me right now. You'd know what to do. You always did."

You sighed and closed your eyes, thinking of their faces.

"I miss you both so much. I'm not sleeping well anymore. But, I always did sleep better sandwiched between you two. Kriff. I know Hondo is going to worry, he always does. Nosey nerf herder. I just....I keep seeing your faces. And I keep hearing your voices and I just can't... I can't do this anymore without you. If you're out there, if you're watching over me, please know I am so sorry. I'm just so sorry."

Your tears cut you off while you choked on a breath.

You looked up to the headless suit, touching his cuirass and gently letting go of the glove. Your hands left the armor and rubbed your eyes free of tears. You had to steel yourself, who knows what kind of people Hondo would want you to meet with. 

You stepped back and closed the door, hiding away your most prized possession. Only Hondo knew about what you had. He had helped you find every piece of your prized armor. He tracked every lead, every serial number, every black market arms dealer selling Clone Era tech. As cunning and double crossing as he was, he cared for you. He cared for Kenobi more, but your connection to the Jedi Master was what compelled him to watch over you. He's who saved you and gave you shelter in the beginning, anyways.

You were curled up in a ball on the bench across from him, head resting on the transparisteel, watching as hyperspace went by. Your face was colorless, your eyes were red, and your lower lip was swollen from where you kept chewing on it. You hadn't spoken a word since Padmé died. It seemed the last 24 hours had taken its toll on you and he knew it.

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

Obi-Wan Kenobi looked at you as Luke whimpered in his arms. 

Gently he reached out to you through the Force, caressing your signature with his. You turned to him, fresh tears falling from your eyes.

"My sweet Padawan, please, talk to me. I can feel your emotions, even without the Force." He shifted the newborn in his arms and stood to sit next to you.

With one free arm, he gently wrapped it around you. It took you less than a second before you felt all your walls crumble and the metaphorical dam break. Obi-Wan would always have that power over you. You covered your mouth with your hand as a sobbed wracked your body, trying to keep quiet for the sleeping baby. He pulled you closer, shifting to hold you against him. You pushed your face into his neck, tears quickly dampening his robes.

"Shhh, little one. It's alright. Let it out. I'm here. You're here. We are alive. I know it seems like nothing will ever be the same, but we must trust in the Force."

He let his Force signature envelop you, warming you. After a few moments, when you felt as if you couldn't cry anymore, you lifted your head from his shoulder.

"Do...do you think they're dead, Master?"

He looked at you with a question on his face, but he waited for you to elaborate.

"Do...do you think they made it? Ahsoka and...and Jesse....and...." You swallowed thickly, trying to force his name from your lips.

"And Rex. Do you think they killed her? Do...do you think she killed him?"

Obi-Wan was no fool. He knew how you, his young Padawan, felt for the Clone Captain of the 501st. He also knew how you felt for the brave Marshall Commander Cody. He knew it because he felt the same about another. He knew what it was like to hold a love so deep in your heart, you felt them in your entire being.

"He shot at us, Master. Cody....shot at us. He tried to kill us. He tried to kill me..." your breath stuttered and you hiccuped a few times.

He placed his hand on your head and stroked your hair lovingly, trying to calm you down.

"I know, little one. I don't know what happened or why they turned."

"What if..this was their plan all along?! What if they never were our men?! What if," you stopped as new tears fell at your revelation, "what if Cody and Rex never...never loved me?", you whimpered out in a soft whisper.

He shushed you, gently pushing his forehead against yours, and whispered your name to get your attention. "No, dear one, no. Cody loved you. Rex as well. I have seen that look in a man's eye before. That utter devotion to someone. Devotion much stronger than that of a commanding officer."

More tears fell from your eyes as you realized your Master knew your deepest kept secret.

"You knew?"

"I knew."

"Then why? Why not say anything? Why not report us? You...you are a sitting member of the High Council? I have shamed you! I broke our code!" You rambled. 

He hesitated for a few moments, looking around at the dim area of Organa's ship. They would be arriving to Tatooine soon. And then after he knew not. He knew he had to make his words comfort his Padawan, because this would be his last lesson.

"Sometimes when you find something so profound in a dark time like this, you have to hold onto it. If there is something worth moving on for, if there is something to keep fighting for, you must let it guide you. The Force has always worked in ways we can not explain. 

"I saw how they looked at you, how they would have done anything for you. How you would have done anything for them. I saw because I know those same feelings. I too know what it was like to love someone so desperately. To want to give them the world. I know what it's like to want to leave the Order if they only asked."

He took a moment for his words to sink in and grabbed a hold of your hand to caress the flesh of your knuckles.

"My dear Padawan, I am so proud of you. I have watched you grow from far off in the temple. I have heard the reports of you from your old Master. And I have seen your strength and kindness with my own eyes. You will be not just a great Jedi, but a great person. I only have one last lesson to teach you."

He let go of your hand and moved to hold your cheek, making you look him in the eye.

"This will be the most important thing I will ever impart on you. Live. Live on. Do not let the events of today control you. Do not let the guilt you have in your heart guide you. Live and be strong. Survive. Find whatever makes you happy and hold onto it with all your strength. Be mindful of the Living Force and what it has to teach you. It will guide you."

You leaned forward and pressed your forehead against his, letting your Force signatures mingle. 

You wanted to tell him that you loved him, that he was everything you ever wanted to be. That all you ever wanted was to honor the memory of your former Master and to honor him. You wanted to throw your arms around him and hold tight. You wanted to tell him that when you thought of a father, you saw him.

But, before you could say anything C-3PO walked up.

"Master Kenobi, Commander, we have arrived at Tatooine."

You both bid your farewells to Senator Organa and the two droids and left. You had never been to Tatooine and you hoped you never would have to return again. You hoped that you and Obi-Wan would make your way through the Galaxy, Master and Padawan, father and daughter, saving those left behind.

But, that wasn't to be.

It was a short ride on a speeder bike to the Lars farm. A young man and who you guessed was his wife stood waiting, as if they knew you were coming. 

Obi-Wan motioned for you to stay back, which you did, not having the strength to be around people. 

  Your hood was up, protecting your hair and face from the harsh winds whipping up sand.

  It was strange, almost cathartic, watching your Master hand the small baby to the young man. It was almost as if you knew this wasn't the end. But, at the same time, you knew this chapter of your life had closed.

  The two men you had ever loved were gone, dead probably. Your family was shattered. And you were about to say goodbye to the only other person who ever truly saw you.

Obi-Wan walked back to you, fingers grabbing at his mustache and beard, his old habit for when he was deep in thought.

"Master?"

     You rode for a few hours to a small town, Mos Eisley, the terrain passing you by quickly, but you paid no attention. You just held onto your Master as tightly as you could; the last time you held onto him like this, Cody made the order to shoot you down.

He looked to you, his lips set in a firm line, and nodded away, motioning for you to follow him.

You did, without question. You would always follow Obi-Wan Kenobi.

You shook your head of those thoughts against his back, a move not lost on your Master.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MY PADAWAN?"

He yelled to you, trying to be heard over the sound of wind whipping by.

"YES MASTER!"

He nodded and let it go, him just as tired as you.

When you finally arrived at the small Smugglers town, you went to secure the bike while Obi-Wan went into a Cantina to make a call.

You didn't know to whom or what for, but you were too exhausted to care. Everything was crashing down on you and all you wanted was just to sleep. But you knew you had to keep going.

After a while, Obi-Wan stepped back outside and motioned for you to follow him in. The twin suns were beginning to set and you had just started feeling the cool air on your face.

Oh well.

Without a word you entered the noisy cantina, the sounds of people and creatures a harsh register to your ears.  There was music coming from somewhere, but you didn't bother to look, too focused on Obi-Wan's back.

It wasn't until he sat you at a table did you bother to look around. Everyone was carrying on, as if the war wasn't over. As if the Clones didn't betray their commanders and friends. As if the temple on Coruscant wasn't burning.. As if the Jedi weren't being systematically hunted down and killed.

Cody would have been disappointed in you.

You had ignored every possible exit, had failed to count the blasters you could see, and had failed to get the seat closest to the wall so you could face the door. But you couldn't be too angry at that one, Obi-Wan was locked on, watching every single person coming in and out.

But above all, you had failed to make a contingency plan to kill every person in the room. 

"Always plan, Mesh'la. Be polite, be courteous, never start a fight, show professionalism. But always have a plan to kill everyone in the room. Always plan to protect you and your own. Smile, but know how you will take everyone out if need be."

At the time you had called him cynical to think that way, but you understood now. You understood all of his lessons were to prepare you for moments like this.

After a while a server brought two bowls of bone broth and two cups of some sort of liquid; you didn't question. 

You waited for Obi-Wan to start eating, before tentatively spooning from the bowl. You ate in silence, neither of you in the mood for conversation. 

   When you were done, you waited for him to move to leave, but he just sat there, staring at the table.

   "Master?" 

   He looked at you then, his eyes were bloodshot and the bags under them made him look older than he was. Or perhaps they showed his true age, his normal boyish charm and good looks fallen away for a moment.

You quickly grabbed his hand in your own and squeezed it, before pulling away and tucking your hand back into your sleeve.   

"We will wait here for a few more hours. Then we will head to the outskirts to meet an acquaintance of mine. From there we will make our next move."

You nodded, sighed, and sat deeper into the rock bench.

A few hours later you were once again wrapped around Obi-Wan's waist, riding out into the desert. It was pitch black, the only light coming from the dim bulb on the front of the speeder. This time, at least, you were smart enough to tear away your robe and use the fabric to make a makeshift wrap for your face and his. This time, you didn't have to have your face pressed against his back. But, it didn't stop you from doing it a few times, hugging him tightly. You both knew that these would be the last moments you spent together. No one said it out right, but you could feel it all the same.

After a while you came upon a ridge, a small ship having landed in the canyon below. You didn't recognize it, but Obi-Wan made for it, which settled the anxiety growing in your chest.

It was larger up close, once you pulled up next to it.

Obi-Wan dismounted and helped you off, your legs slightly jelly from the long ride.

You both stood there, next to the bike, staring up into the hull. You shifted from foot to foot, your anxiety getting the better if you.

You felt a hand on your shoulder and a gentle squeeze before he went to hold your hand.

Even after everything, he still put you first. You were going to miss him so much.

The ramp opened up and a lone figure emerged, wearing a rather strange outfit.

"Master Kenobi! I was so worried. I had heard...rumors"

A strange Weequay man addressed your Master as he joined you on the ground.

"Hondo, it is good to see you, old friend." 

They grasped forearms in greeting before standing apart.

"Is it true, Master Jedi? Are they...."

Obi-Wan heaved a deep, bone weary sigh and nodded solemnly.

"Forgive me, my friend. I did not know. A thorn in my side, your Order may be, but I would never wish this on anyone."

It was then he noticed you, standing next to Obi-Wan just as tired and broken.

"Is this who you contacted me about?"

Your eyebrow raised as you turned to look at your Master, confused.

"Yes. Hondo, meet my Padawan Learner. LIttle one, meet Hondo Ohnaka."

You stepped forward and bowed slightly before returning back to your spot behind Obi-Wan.

"Hello there, Pretty Lady. I am Hondo, Pirate King and best friend to one Obi-Wan Kenobi."

He bowed with a flourish which caused Obi-Wan to roll his eyes.

You giggled though, and that sound had Obi-Wan smile slightly.

"It's nice to meet you, Hondo. Master? What does he mean?" You glanced over to Obi-Wan. You knew, in your heart, that this was it, but it still hurt, still clenched your chest. 

"Ahh, I will be...on the ship. Yes. Don't mind me, just going to do some routine maintenance before take off, have very important business to do...on the ship…" Hondo excused himself in a very Hondo way and walked back up the ramp, before disappearing into the hull.

Obi-wan turned to you and cleared his throat. You could see the anxiety welling up in his eyes, the fear that if he left you and you died, it would be his fault. Just like how Anikan was his fault. And Padme. He couldn't bear the thought of you dying when he could protect you, but, he had to stay. He knew he did. He had to watch over Luke and protect him. It was his new path in the Force.

Before he could speak, you cut him off trying to save him from his guilt. 

"So, this is it. This is where we part ways."

Obi-Wan released the deep sigh he didn't know he was holding and nodded.

"I have to stay. I have to watch over Luke. I can not let…"

"I know, Master." You gave him a tight lipped smile, eyes glassy with fat tears. You could feel your heart breaking, but you weren't sad. 

"Master, I need to tell you something. I don't want this to go unsaid between us," You paused, trying to collect your thoughts. How were you going to say what was on your heart? How were you going to reassure him of everything while being so scared yourself?

Obi-Wan waited patiently, only moving to once again hold your hands in his. There was so much he wanted to say as well, but he was just so tired. He was so very tired and everything pulled down on him more.

You took another deep breath, it was now or never…

"Master? I love you. You are the father I never had. When I think of family, I see you. And Ashoka. And," you choked, "Anakin." Your voice was small, almost lost in the howling winds of the canyon. But still you spoke, letting everything out. 

"All I have ever wanted was to make you proud. I wanted to be the best, not because I should strive to be a better Jedi, but because I wanted to honor you. When I lost my Master, I thought I was going to be forgotten, put aside until after the war, but then you came. You sat there in your chair in the Council Chamber and you saw me. You saw me. Being your Padawan was the greatest honor I could ever have had. I was being swallowed by this darkness in my heart, I was so lost and scared and confused. I lost myself when I lost my Master, but then you were there. You were this light that reached out for me. You pulled me out of that darkness. You anchored me in the present and the Light Side of the Force. Please don't think you've failed me. You haven't. You could never fail me. Obi-Wan Kenobi, you saved me. Everything I will ever strive to be is because of you. You are my father, Obi-Wan. And I love you."

You could feel the tightening in your chest, that anxious squeeze pulling at your insides as you waited for his response. Tears were falling down your face, making muddy tracks on your skin. Obi-Wan, for all his charm and quick wit, was speechless. He just stared at you with big, glazed, blue eyes. You were about to apologize for everything you said, hoping you didn't ruin the last moments with him you had, but then he pulled you to him.

He held you tight, crushing a bit of air out of your lungs. You felt him kiss the crown of your head before you wrapped your arms around him as well. 

You both stood there, holding on for dear life.  You could feel his tears in your hair, from where his cheek was pressed against your head. You could feel his heartbeat against your ear, where your face was against his chest. And you could feel his Force Signature mixed with yours, wrapping tightly around the both of you.

"Wherever you go in this world, whatever you decide to do, please know that I will always be with you. You are so strong, dear one. Don't ever think that I have never been proud of you. Look for me in the Force and you will find me. I will never abandon you."

You squeezed him harder and he held you tighter. You wanted to remember everything about him at this moment. His smell, like ozone and linen, the warmth of his chest, the scratch of his beard on your head, every little tactile sense you had was busy cataloging this exact moment, never to be forgotten. 

You didn't know, but he was doing the exact same thing.

"I will always love you, my brave Padawan."

"I will always love you, Master."

Slowly you both let go of each other, standing still.

There was a noise behind you, someone clearing their throat.

Hondo.

"I hate to break up this beautiful display of fatherly devotion, but, I am sorry, Master Jedi, if I am to take her with me, we must leave now. There is chatter on the com-waves."

Obi-Wan looked over your head at the man above you and nodded once.

"Yes, of course. Thank you Hondo. For everything."

"It is my honor, Master Jedi."

He looked back at you and reached out to squeeze your shoulders, before pulling you into one last hug. 

"May the Force be with you." 

"May the Force be with you, Master."

Slowly he let you go, heartbreak in his eyes. You turned and walked up the ramp, meeting Hondo at the hull opening. 

"We will leave soon, Pretty Lady. Please don't worry, I will keep you safe. I promise."

He nodded at you as you turned to look back at Obi-Wan. Your heart was in your throat and you didn't care that you were sobbing hard and deep. You were leaving everything you knew behind. Everything you are. Everything you have ever been was down there with him. But you knew, if you stayed, they would know. He would know. And you couldn't put Luke in that danger.

The ship started to move, gaining altitude, but still you stayed, watching him on the ground. You wanted to jump, to stay with him, to stay with the last bit of familiar comfort you had, but you didn't. You stayed glued to the side, watching him get smaller and smaller. 

He raised his hand in farewell as you began to shut the door. The air was beginning to thin and you would be in open space in a few moments.

But still you stayed. You stayed, looking at the grey durasteel side of the ship. You stayed, watching nothing as the ship left orbit. You stayed, trying to find purchase on anything as your heart was ripped from you. Cody, Rex, Obi-Wan, Jesse, Gregor, Ashoka, Kix, Fives, Wolffe, Plo, Padmé, Anakin. Everyone you had ever cared for, every single soul you considered family and friends and lovers were gone. Your entire family, your entire order, every single person, was dead. 

You were alone. You were utterly alone. And there was nothing you could do to change it.

[danger-xylophones]

Master (Family Reunion 10.5)

{masterlist}

Warnings: angst, a lot of family issues stemming from Maul because @justalittlecloud inspired me to write some pain

Taglist: @justalittlecloud @and-claudia @tararuthven @aberionart @noiralei @pinkiemme @darthsmol @zabrak-show @obi-wan-kanbonemi @videogamesandpoorlifechoices @savagesbonergarage @cherryxcyarika @apocalypticwafflekitten @botherbother-blog

………………………………………….

He doesn’t deserve her, that much he’s certain of. She’s so compassionate and gentle. Things he is not. He knows this. He can see it in the way she moves, careful, calculated, calm. It’s different compared to him; angry, heedless, controlling. He’s aware that his presence is dark. It’s the same way it’s always been: tumultuous, unhinged, and dangerous. Her’s is light: guiding, controlled, and illuminating. She is the star at the center of any system and Maul is the inky blackness of space. But what is he? 

Maul kept his distance, as he’d done since Dathomir, and watched Y/n carefully. She was trying to teach him the more advanced moves of form five, that much he could see from where he leaned against the doorway to the training room, and while he was picking it up pretty well-it was clear that the young boy was getting frustrated. He’d already snapped at the former Jedi twice, something Maul thought unacceptable though he knew better than to try and butt in on her lessons again. He snapped again, voice rising dangerously as he sent the training dummy flying into the opposing wall. With an angry huff, Wild stormed out of the training room with a dark look on his face as he brushed past Maul. The zabrak in turn tried to reach out to tell him to apologize for snapping at his mother but was stopped by the sound of Y/n pointedly clearing her throat. She spoke as soon as he looked at her, voice measured and almost unbothered by her...their...seemingly unbothered by Wild’s reaction. 

“He will be fine, Maul, he just needs some time to himself to calm down.” The woman explained as she raised her hand to extract the training dummy from the wall. It had left a sizable indent that, if the former sith lord was being honest, was rather impressive. The boy was powerful, no doubt. 

“He should know better than to snap at you.” Maul commented without really considering the consequences of such a statement. Y/n’s head snapped towards him and her gaze hardened in an instant. 

“And you should know better than to say such things.” She hissed, letting the suspended dummy fall. “I know you are still new to this but that doesn’t give you a free pass on statements like that.” 

Maul wilted. She was right. He was trying, really he was but there was something about Wild that Maul just didn’t understand...something Y/n clearly did.  “I...I’m sorry, my light.” The ruler of Mandalore conceded with a bowed head. Y/n’s face softened. 

“I know.” Her voice was softer now too. A beat of silence passed between them before Y/n let out a low sigh and crossed over to Maul with a few purposeful strides. She was quick to wrap her arms around his waist and bury her face against the exposed skin of his chest. “I know, Maul.” She reaffirmed but the former sith lord could hear that there was more that remained unspoken. Choosing to remain quiet, Maul did little more than wrap his arms around Y/n - one finding purchase around her upper back and the other pressing her head closer to his chest. She would speak when she was ready. It would be another few beats before she did. “I don’t know what to do, my love.” Y/n sighed against him, breath whispering across his skin. “Wild’s a clever fighter - if a little too cautious…but as soon as he hits a barrier he gives up and storms away.” Maul stayed silent, allowing her the time and quiet she needed to organize her thoughts out loud. “He’s used to things being easy. He’s got so much inherent skill that...he just picks things up so when he’s presented with a challenge he doesn’t know how to keep a cool enough head to deal with it.” Y/n moved, lifting her face enough to look up at Maul whilst keeping her chin pressed close to his collarbone. Her eyes were saddened making her appear far older than she was. It hurt Maul to see her in pain. “I’ve tried everything I can think of - meditation, more agility focused training, more free time, hell, even allowing him to spar with the younger deathwatch members...anything I could come up with that would just give him an outlet so that all his frustration isn’t being bottled up for the next training session.” Y/n took in a shuddering breath before burying her face into his chest once more. “But none of it seems to be working. I’m...I’m worried about him.” Her grip tightened and Maul’s did too as he tried to ground her. “If I can’t teach him to use his anger to be effective I-I…”

“You don’t know what will happen to him.” Maul finished for her. Y/n nodded against him and curled closer to his chest. Her cheek pressed against his exposed sternum, warm and soft, and Maul’s hearts fluttered in response. Even though it had been months since they’d reunited, he was still easily flustered by Y/n’s affections. But, as happy as the contact with his now fiance made him he didn’t like what had prompted it. He had to fix it. He had to make her happy. “Let…” Maul paused in his tracks, the offer sitting heavily on his tongue. Would she accept? Y/n shifted again, peering up at him with wide, curious e/c eyes. “Let...me...train him in the ways of the dark side.” Y/n’s face fell, shock and near horror taking over. Maul released her enough to slide both hands to her shoulders. “Let me train him - you said it yourself that he needs an outlet and that you’re worried about what will befall him if he does not learn to wield his anger.” 

“But, I-I don’t want-” Maul cut her off, one hand flying to cup her jaw. Instinctively, she held onto the back of his hand. 

“He won’t become a sith, I will make sure of it.” He soothed, already aware of her ever-present fear that Sidious would learn of Wild’s existence. It was that same fear that had forced her to shut him down every time he offered to train Wild. 

“You can’t prevent him from falling.” 

“And neither can you.” His rebuttal hung heavily in the air between them. He watched Y/n suck in a sharp breath. “He is familiar with the light side. But, if I train him, he will learn how to harness powers beyond you and I - powers neither of us can wield due to our alignments.” 

Maul watched carefully as Y/n’s eyes glossed over, indicating she had retreated into her own mind to mull over his point. Her e/c eyes flicked back and forth as if she was watching a duel (something Wild did too, Maul realized with a start) and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to worry it. But, she was thinking about it - and this was farther than Maul had ever got. Maul could feel her thumb running over his knuckles. It was a gesture she had picked up when they were young. Back then, it was just a sweet nonverbal reminder to him that she cared for him but now Maul knew it was a reminder to herself. What it was reminding her of, he had no clue. But, he took it as a sign to proceed. Moving slowly, he brushed his face against hers on a trajectory to bring his lips to her ear. “It will keep him safe.” The words were measured, carefully whispered against her skin. She froze completely. And then she collapsed into him, her resolve shattering at the promise to protect her...the promise to protect Wild. Maul caught her with ease, stifling a purr of contentment when he felt her hand find purchase against his chest. The other than had held onto the back of his hand fell to his wrist, locking on with a vice-like grip. A shuddering breath slipped from her that had Maul wrapping his arms around her once more. 

Maul said nothing as she stabilized herself again, pressing closer to him as she did so. “I...I will let you train him.” She finally whispered against his neck. The former sith felt an icy chill strike at him - shock. She had accepted. Finally. “But…” she pulled away from him, leaving his embrace entirely save for her hands which held him at the elbows. She met his gaze evenly, an intensity hidden in their e/c depths that almost forced Maul to look away. “But, he will not call you master.” She released him after that as Maul tried to process what she meant. He almost didn’t notice that she was on her way to where he had seen Wild run off to until she paused her gait, peering at him over her shoulder. “He is your son first, Maul.” Her words struck him. “And your protege second. He will not call you master.” And she walked away. 

[ev-pierce-writes]

Home

The Heir Chapter 2

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 9K

Notes: This chapter jumps back in time a bit from Din's perspective, giving us a glance into his crash landing on Mandalore and his first impressions of You. Mostly just a lot of feels (or the suppressing thereof).

---

"Mando."

Where was that voice coming from?

"Mando. Come on, wake up."

The hiss of hydraulics and Din's helmet lifted, forcing him to squint his eyes while trying to make out the face above him. The glare of a hot desert sun obscured its features and the pounding in Din's head made it difficult to focus.

"Help me get him on the speeder."

Arms under his legs and armpits lifted Din and placed him gently on a hard seat. He slouched forward, unable to sit up straight, the pain so great and so extensive it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was broken or bruised. The vehicle took off across the desert with a lurch, spraying sand in its wake.

A hot wind burned against Din's face, further drying his mouth and making it hard to keep his eyes open. He drifted in and out of consciousness, unaware of how long they sped over the sandy terrain.

Maybe only minutes passed, maybe hours. Eventually, the speeder entered one of the large domes that had been visible from space. Inside it was much cooler and darker, a relief after the harshness of Mandalore's surface. Din continued to drift in and out, dehydrated and covered in sand, unable to comprehend if he was safe. He was too concussed to take in his surroundings or catalog his injuries. Finally, exhaustion hit him like a mudhorn to the chest, and Din fell hard and fast into a deep sleep.

When he awoke, his helmet, armor, and underclothes were removed, leaving him nearly naked. Panic seized at Din's throat and he sat up quickly, surveying the situation and already planning his escape route. In this recently awoken state, Din couldn't remember where he was or what he had been doing. His thoughts flew immediately to the kid, his instinct telling him to find the child, whatever the cost. But then he noticed a neat pile at the end of the bed, beskar stacked alongside his clothes and helmet, and the terror eased.

He was on Mandalore. Din steadied his breathing and dressed. This was where he was meant to be. The kid was safe, Moff Gideon was defeated, the Darksaber was his.

The Darksaber. Din prayed to the Maker that it had survived the wreck. Or maybe not. At least that would have rid him of this devastating responsibility. But there it was, alongside his blaster and spear, hooked into its slot on his belt. The little metal ball was there as well, and Din breathed a final sigh of relief.

He was okay. For farrik's sake, he was okay and he could take a moment to reorient himself. Din looked around, taking in the small bed he had awoken upon, the gray walls of the room, the solid stone of the floor beneath his feet. He seemed to be in some type of infirmary. He reached his arms over his head and stretched out his neck, feeling the lingering pain of broken ribs and compressed vertebrae. Thank the Maker for bacta shots; he probably would have died without them. But even now, his age made it difficult to heal. He would be feeling this for a while.

Din lifted his helmet, ready to place it on his head, but he paused. He caught a glimpse of his face in the reflection of the beskar, of exhaustion, worry, and sadness staring back at him. He wasn't used to seeing his own face so much or reading his own emotions, and it felt like a stranger was glaring back, not his own eyes. He felt removed from the man in the reflection, the man with the scar across his nose, still not faded from the fateful day a droid had saved his life.

Was this the face the child had touched with his tiny hands? Could he love this face, truly?

Din shoved the helmet on before he could linger on his reflection any longer and stepped out of the small infirmary.

The dome was even larger on the inside than he had anticipated. He stood on a walkway that appeared to circle the entire structure, and more paths crisscrossed different layers of the dome, making for a giant maze. From this vantage point, Din could look down to the ground level, which was left open to the floors above. It was incredibly quiet. A few people meandered below, looking like ants from this angle, but not nearly as many as he would have expected in such a large structure. The place felt deserted.

Din began to make his way around the circle, looking for an elevator or some stairs to take him to the ground floor where most people seemed to be. The ache in his ribs had not eased and he found walking to be incredibly difficult. Din's hips and legs had taken much of the impact of the crash, making every movement a painful one. He didn't make it far before a voice stopped him.

"Woah, there Mando, you need to sit down."

The voice came from behind him, unmodulated, soft, old. Din turned to find an ancient woman hobbling toward him. White-haired and wrinkled, skin tanned and spotted from the sun, the woman was not what Din had expected from the locals of Mandalore. And yet she was unmistakably a Mandalorian, strong, back straight as a rod, with the signet of her clan sewn into the sleeve of her shirt.

How humiliating, being helped into a chair by someone who was twice his age. But Din did not complain.

"You need to eat," she said, pulling him into a side chamber and sitting him down at a table. "You're going to hurt for a while. Bacta isn't easy to come by around here and we gave you as much as we could afford. The rest of the healing you're going to have to do on your own."

A bowl of broth appeared before Din and then the old woman sat across from him, taking in his appearance and the beskar of his armor.

"It's been many years since I saw that much beskar on one warrior. What is your name, Mando?"

Din set his helmet on the table and took a sip of the broth. He wasn't sure what it was meant to be made of. It mostly tasted like water.

"I am Din Djarin. Clan Mudhorn." Here he paused, hesitating. "Child of the Watch."

Din wasn't sure how much the old woman knew. Did she recognize the Darksaber at his hip, know the history of his upbringing? If she did, she didn't let on, and Din felt it best not to explain any further. Maybe it was best to keep quiet about his claim to the throne for now.

"My name is Yollil Darron, Clan Kryze. You must be searching for answers," the old woman said. "Is that why you have come? That was quite an entrance to make, crashing through the atmosphere like that."

"There was nowhere to land. Is there no port? No shipyard?"

Yollil chuckled softly. "There is no need when no ships come and go."

"None?"

"Occasionally. Rarely. But those can't be the answers you came here for."

Yollil was right. Din finished his broth before he continued, choosing his words carefully. "There are so few people here. What happened?"

"Ah, child, that is several questions all rolled into one."

"I have time."

Yollil smiled knowingly. "I will start at the beginning then," she said. "The Children of the Watch have long been separated from the Mand'alor, but the wars started before them."

---

The Mandalorian's holomessage flickered before you. You'd watched it on repeat four times now. Listened to it again and again in an attempt to decipher some hidden meaning in his words. Even virtually, the man seemed to fill the space, leaving you breathless. Thoughts of how he'd made you feel last night, even though he was entirely in your head, rushed through your brain. But you tamped them down.

"When you see this message, I'll be gone already. I need to make contact with others scattered across the galaxy." Maybe it was your imagination, or the modulation of his voice through the helmet, but this is where his resolve would begin to waver, each time you watched, each time seeming more and more reluctant to have gone.

"You-- I didn't--." A sigh.

"There's still a lot to do. And I can't do it alone. I'm sure I'll need your help." I'm sure I'll see you again. I want to see you again. You needed to stop putting words in his mouth but with each iteration, it seemed even more like the truth.

You scolded yourself for trying to find a reason to get attached, for searching his words for some type of acknowledgment that he felt the same way. Mandalorians were restless beings, travelers with no home. It was irrational and irresponsible to expect anything more from him. You needed to rein in your temptation. And yet--

Finally, you shut the holopuck off, putting it in the drawer of your desk for safekeeping.

---

"There are twelve other domes on Mandalore," Yollil explained as she guided you slowly around in a tour of the structure. "Many are divided by clan. Tensions run high, but we abandoned the fighting long ago though. It's much easier to survive when you are unified as a larger group. Or at least the illusion of conciliation."

As Din had finished his watery broth, Yollil had explained the history of the Mand'alor, how civil war had erupted over loyalties to the Empire, over who would inherit the throne. Eventually, the group of religious zealots, the Children of the Watch, had split, leaving the planet entirely to start anew, recruiting foundlings from across the galaxy and training them in the original way of the Mand'alor. Those who remained warred one another to ruin, eventually destroying what was left of the planet and retreating to the safety of the domes.

It was becoming apparent to Din that his greatest challenge might be uniting the fractured clans.

Yollil showed you the greenhouses, the armory, the living quarters. Most were nearly empty, dormant as an abandoned pollinator hive.

"About four times a revolution we get a shipment of supplies, distributed among the clans. It's barely enough to sustain us but we have little to give in return. It's the best we can do."

"Who brings the supplies?"

"The Queendom of Nhora. Their ships land in the desert, unload and reload, and are gone." Nhora. A sign of hope in the darkness. "The crew have been asking about a certain Mandalorian. Have you heard?"

Din shook his head and Yollil continued. "They say the queen is in search of the Mandalorian who claimed the Darksaber. Perhaps you know of him."

Din stopped dead in his tracks. So much for staying discreet. The old woman gazed knowingly at the helmet before her, recognizing without needing to see the expression on his face that Din was the Mandalorian this Nhoran queen was searching for.

It could have been a trap. Or it could be an opportunity. Next time the ships came, Din would be leaving with them as well.

---

Twenty-six years. That's how long you'd been alive. Twenty-six years today, to be exact, and eight of them spent as queen.

The Warming was arriving in the northern hemisphere of Nhora, signaling the approaching farming season as well as all the celebrations that came along with it. Fertility festivals, diplomatic dinners, and of course, your birthday. Though your focus should have been on supply distribution and preparations for religious ceremonies, your thoughts lingered on the somber face that graced your dreams nearly every night.

You wanted nothing more than to ditch your own birthday party. They were always the same, too much attention trained on you, on what you wore, on who you spoke to. No one was safe from court gossip, not even you, and by tomorrow every woman on Nhora would be styling their hair the way yours was tonight.

You preferred solitude and quiet, which you would not get tonight. Djarin would like solitude and quiet too, you thought. But you suppressed the thought as quickly as it had come.

"Knock knock," Zena called. She had a tendency to enter and then ask for permission afterward. You were laying on your bed, spread out like a star, avoiding getting up to get dressed.

"If I asked you to, would you put on my clothes and pretend to be me for the night?" you asked without sitting up. It was only a half sarcastic request.

"We aren't twelve anymore, Your Majesty. We can't get away with switching places like we used to."

"We could totally do it, Zena. And then I could not deal with any of it and you can be queen for a night." You and Zena had actually managed it successfully before, trading places without anyone noticing. But she was right, that was years ago and you looked too different now.

Zena flopped onto the bed next to you. "This isn't very regal of us is it, contemplating ditching parties and laying in bed instead," she said.

You were silent for a moment, thinking back on the years before your coronation where the two of you had spent your days doing that exact thing. You'd known Zena since the Clone Wars, since before the attack, since before your mother and sister had died. And then the attack had come, and suddenly she was all you had, and it only seemed natural that she would become your most trusted advisor.

And then she was saying your name, your real name, calling you back to your body and pulling you from your reverie. She knew where you drifted in moments like this, to the thoughts of what life would have been if they were all still alive, if you weren't queen, and the world was yours to explore. "Come on, we can do it together."

The party, or parties in this case, since the festivities lasted over a week, usually culminated in a large banquet. It was customary to feed the entire city for free on your birthday, which you didn't mind. You liked that part, in fact, seeing the prosperity and joy of your people, the excitement as temperatures rose and crops were planted.

What you did mind was having to deal with all the suitors who found it perfect timing to come up to you while you were just trying to enjoy some roasted cherfer meat.

You watched as one particularly bold man approached your table in the banquet hall, trailed by what appeared to be several personal guards. You leaned over and whispered into Zena's ear.

"I don't remember inviting him to my party. I'll bet twenty credits he's a prince from Coruscant. Thirty says he'll ask for my hand in marriage."

"Be polite, You Majesty," Zena said, but she was already smiling and shaking your hand. "I'll give you forty credits if you scare the Dank Farrik out of him."

Zena may have been your best advisor, but she was also your worst instigator.

"Your Majesty," the young man bellowed as he kneeled before you. He was tall and barrel-chested, yet soft and pudgy looking. A shock of yellow blond hair was combed across his already balding head. Barely touching his knee to the ground before standing again, he took your hand and pressed a horrifically wet kiss to your knuckles. And yet, despite the averse sensation, your thoughts drifted toward the Mandalorian, kneeling before you as well, head bowed in respect and gloved hand smoothing yours. The comparison happened before you could stop yourself and suddenly you sized up every man in the room against him. No one compared.

Be polite. Be polite. You barely held back a gag as you discreetly wiped the back of your hand against your skirt.

"And who do I have the pleasure of meeting on this fine evening?" you asked sweetly, lacing your words with the saccharine tone that men liked. You would at least have some fun with this.

"Prince Adbel of Coruscant, at your service." You and Zena glanced at one another knowingly. Twenty credits down.

"Of Coruscant, you say? How many princes there must be on that... large, beautiful planet."

Prince Adbel's face fell, but only for a moment. You applauded his ability to pull the arrogant, smug look right back onto his face even as you bruised his ego.

"Yes, Coruscant is charming. But Nhora far surpasses her in natural beauty. I could pass many revolutions here and never tire of her rolling hills."

Nhora was as flat as a bantha's foot. But you had to give it to him, he was really putting on the charm. Prince Adbel was a slick talker.

"What brings you to Nhora?" you asked. "And on my birthday, no less."

"Straight to business," he replied with an awkward wink. "I like that. How joyful a day, and yet how lonely you look upon your throne, with no one to share it."

You pretended to not know where he was going with this line of thinking. "Lonely? I have the best advisors in the galaxy," you said, squeezing Zena's hand tightly to hold back her laugh and yours.

"No doubt, no doubt. But perhaps you are in need of a man by your side, to rule along with you?"

You stayed silent, waiting for him to say the words that would earn you thirty credits tonight.

"What I mean is, perhaps I could offer my hand to Your Royal Highness."

"In marriage?"

"In marriage."

Score.

Now you were upping the game. Those forty credits would be yours. But how to shock the poor man the best. He would need to be punished for his insolence in not researching Nhoran culture before so blatantly proposing marriage to a woman who had no need for it.

"Have you studied our customs, Prince Adbel?" you asked.

The pale man somehow paled even further. "Of course," he lied.

"Then you'll know what such an offer entails. First, you must travel to the plains and retrieve for me the egg of the nhora serpent. It is a difficult journey. Few survive. She will protect her young with her life, so you must bring warriors who are prepared to die for you, otherwise, you will fail." Prince Adbel's guards were starting to look as nervous as him. But you continued. "Then, you must chop off the fourth finger on your left hand as an offering to the Maker. Only then can our union be blessed."

That one got to him. Should you keep going? This was too fun, and Zena seemed to think so as well. "Lastly, you will need to share me with fifteen other men. Are you capable of that? It is tradition to take many husbands in Nhora, and the queen is no exception."

Prince Adbel nearly fainted. He gulped, a heroic attempt to suppress his fear, before taking a step back from you and nearly hiding behind his guards. "Perhaps... I should reconsider before taking such a serious oath."

"Or perhaps it would do you better to understand the culture of a people you so plainly desire to rule over. Nhoran queens do not marry, Prince Adbel. They never have, and they likely never will." You stood from your seat. And though the prince towered over you, he flinched from your hardened gaze. You knew you were probably taking it a bit too far, but you wanted to put the overconfident egotistical man in his place. "Men only distract. They manipulate. They conquer through fear rather than join through peace. I doubt that you are the exception."

And with that, the prince was gone, fleeing from your presence, his guards on his heels. Your words hadn't been entirely true. Plenty of honorable men made of your group of advisors and counselors, but the best of them knew where they stood.

"Best forty credits ever spent," Zena said with a laugh. "Although part of me is worried you're distracted already."

"Distracted? What on Nhora are you implying, Zena?" You knew what she was implying. You knew it was about--

"The Mandalorian has you in a twist, does he not? Any other day you would have at least considered sleeping with him." It was a teasing jab, though not entirely exaggerated.

"I simply look forward to pursuing a trade agreement with him." At least that's what you were trying to convince yourself, laying in bed night after night, thinking of him.

"You look forward to seeing him again, Your Majesty."

You narrowed your eyes at Zena, trying to appear intimidating. It never worked with her. "Hand over my credits, Royal Advisor."

Zena shook her head. You weren't convincing her, or yourself.

---

The royal crest painted across the side of the Nhoran freighter ships proudly displayed her wealth and beauty. They were less than subtle, Din thought.

He had waited several weeks for the starships to arrive, gathering information and gleaning intelligence about what he was up against. But the information varied widely and it was hard to tell what was truth and what was fiction. The elder Mandalorians described a brutal and ruthless ruler, one who controlled her people through fear and projected an image of prosperity to disguise rampant abuse of power.

Based on Yollil's stories, that sounded more like a reflection of Mand'alor history than an accurate depiction of Nhora.

Others, the younger ones, refused to even believe the queen existed. No one ever saw her, they postulated, unless it was at government functions or festivals. They figured she was just some figurehead, put in place to disguise the real government that controlled the trade routes of the mid and outer rims.

It was useless. He would have to find out for himself. And he had a plan.

According to Yollil and a few of the others who lived in the dome, the freighters were manned completely by a live crew. Not a single droid in sight. And while that meant Din could try to talk his way onto the ship, he also couldn't just resort to outright violence and take out everyone on board. He had to be diplomatic.

The plan was this. Sneak aboard during the short period the freighters spent on the ground, loading and unloading, and try not to get caught. But if he did, Din would have to talk his way out of it. He hoped to avoid too much talking.

Getting on the ship turned out to be the easy part. Staying on was hard.

The crew members of the ship he'd selected to hitch a ride on did not hesitate to open fire. He was discovered pretty quickly among the cargo and without giving him a chance to explain, Din found himself ass down in the sand, watching the ship take off. Damn it.

Sure, he could have gone in with a bit more violence, but he was trying to make friends, not enemies. Time for Plan B.

Powering up the thrusters of his jetpack, he shot off into the atmosphere, following close behind the departing freighter. He landed with a thump along the outer walkway of the ship, hitting the side a bit harder than he'd intended. Great, more bruises to add to his growing collection. Din ripped the exterior door open, knowing it would set off alarms throughout the ship. But discretion was no longer his priority.

There couldn't have been that many crew members on this ship, and yet they just kept coming. Din held back, only sending them into a nice temporary sleep with a knock to the head, rather than take them out one by one. He could have. Part of him wanted to. But he reminded himself that these were just people, doing their best, just like him.

Din worked his way toward the bridge, leaving a pile of unconscious bodies in his wake. The ship's upper deck was a jumble of hallways that looped back and forth on one another and he felt sure he made a few circles before finding what he was looking for. When he arrived, one final crew member stood, brave and terrified, before the doors to the control center.

"Open the door and I won't hurt you."

It was worth a shot. No success. The poor man aimed his blaster, the shots pinging off of Din's beskar. Alright, if that's how he wanted to do this. With calculated aim, Din fired his whipcord, wrapping it around the man's legs and hauling him off his feet.

Din grabbed the man around the neck, pointed his blaster at his head, and slammed the door-open button with his foot, ready to face whatever lay on the other side.

Several more terrified navigators and a couple of blasters trained at Din's head. As expected.

"Look, I'm not here to hurt you. Even though I could. I just want to speak to your queen." Silence hung heavy in the bridge. Even the man Din had taken hostage stilled under his grip. "Take me to her and I promise I won't harm you."

The captain of the ship stared at Din as if he'd just asked him to make Arvala-7 into a rainforest. For a moment Din almost thought those young Mandalorians had been correct, that there was no real queen. But then the captain relented.

"Well, you've taken out most of my ship already. And Her Majesty doesn't object to visitors. But you'll have to stay in the cargo hold."

Din could deal with that.

At least he thought he could. And then the trip through hyperspace turned out to be not hours but over a day. He was tired, in pain, and incredibly hungry. The best Mandalore had to offer was weak broth and yellowish vegetables. Din hadn't had a real meal in what felt like months. Though he tried to sleep through his hunger, he was awoken by the painful pangs of an angry stomach. Above him, the crew was probably having a meal, though he doubted they would want to invite up the man who'd knocked them out one by one.

Finally, after a restless sleep, the sound of footsteps and a voice entered the cargo hold to let Din know they were making the jump out of hyperspace and approaching Nhora. "Her Majesty will receive you at the palace. Though I recommend leaving your weapons behind you. She prizes peace above all else."

The ship landed with a jolt. Din hadn't had access to any windows aboard the ship, so this experience of Nhora was his first. As the loading hatch opened, he discovered with awe a cool, lush, and colorful planet. Though his helmet and armor dulled the sensations of climate and weather to his skin, the temperature here was significantly more comfortable than on Mandalore.

Din stepped from the ship, not bothering to bid the captain farewell, and wandered into Nhora's port. At first, he weaved through only ships, big and small. But eventually, it evolved slowly into a marketplace, lined with stalls filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, smoked meats, and beautifully handcrafted items.

Above, the sun was tinged with warmth, indicative of an approaching warm season. But a soft breeze drifted through the market, keeping the air cool and dry. Around him, Din listened to the chatter of people, all species and languages, bartering and negotiating prices, or just holding an easy conversation. It was incredibly calm and peaceful, with the easy air of a people who did not fear for their lives at every waking moment.

Already, Din could tell all the rumors about Nhora had been wrong.

But how to find the queen? That turned out to be an easier job than he expected. Spread across the skyline was a glittering city with one building obviously much taller than the rest. He headed in that direction, pausing only momentarily at a stall that was selling the most delicious food he'd ever smelled. But there was no time to stop and eat.

The walk was short, along a smoothly paved path that crisscrossed over several canals dug through the center of the market. This must have been their main source of transport, and Din watched from the top of a bridge as a small boat floated downstream below him. It was almost too picturesque and he found himself doubting if this was entirely real.

And yet it was. The palace was bustling with people, moving about in small groups or sitting beneath the tall stone columns. They spoke easily and freely, but with a polite hush that suggested a reverent atmosphere. The lower level appeared to function as a library, with books lining floor-to-ceiling shelves and people studying at tables. Free and open knowledge, it was a novel idea.

No guards accosted him. No one asked where he was going. A few people stared as he went by, but the guards stationed at the main doors let him through, though again letting him know to check his weapons at the guard station. He easily avoided this inconvenience, slipping around groups of people and hiding behind a column as another guard passed. Sure, he could have been civil and done as he was asked, but it didn't seem prudent to have to explain that yes, he was a Mandalorian and yes, this was the Darksaber, and no, he couldn't just check it into a locker with a four-digit code.

At last, up a sweeping staircase and the throne room came into sight. This part of the palace was quieter than the rest, having a more serious and somber mood than the lightness of the lower levels. Din stepped in the throne room and gazed up, unable to suppress the urge to gape in awe at the vaulted ceilings and colorful murals that lined the walls.

The queen, however, was not on her throne and not in the reception hall. So Din resigned to wait and stood before one of the grand windows that cast a glowing light onto the marble floors. The view was spectacular, even from behind the filter of his visor, looking out upon the maze of stalls of the market, the glistening blue canals, and the arriving and departing freighter ships. Beyond the bustle of the city Din could just barely make out flat plains under a setting sun, green and lush and reaching farther than the eye could see.

The world glowed.

Din's helmet picked up voices of discussion and he amplified the sounds, hearing the soft speech of a woman along with the footsteps of several other people. The queen was coming, and not alone.

And then he saw you. You entered the throne room and if the world was glowing before it now positively radiated like the sun. You were dressed in lavender and gold and somehow existed on two planes at once, both as natural as the lush plains of Nhora and as otherworldly as the stars that glittered above, tied to the earth but dancing through outer space. Din had never met an angel, only heard stories of their alluring beauty that trapped spacefarers in their orbit for eternity. Now, standing face to face with a pure embodiment of warmth and light, the stories didn't seem so outrageous after all.

This was a new feeling, one he'd never felt before. Oh, Maker, Din's heart was in trouble.

---

The doors of the throne room opened. Zena entered leading a little green head, wobbling atop a teetering body. "Look who interrupted my sparring practice. Nearly got his little hands chopped off."

"Grogu," you exclaimed with a broad smile spreading across your face. You found yourself intensely happy to see the wrinkly alien baby and reached down to place him on your lap. He immediately reached out to grasp at the metal ball hanging from your neck. Something had shifted since you'd met the Mandalorian, and now with the knowledge of their deep bond, your heart softened with tenderness for the child as you recalled his father.

"So, little one, what have you learned since you went away?"

The child looked up at you with a coo and then giggled, sticking his hands out to demonstrate whatever strange mind-bending trick he'd learned this month. What you didn't expect was to see one of your guards slowly go sliding from his post beside your throne toward the windows. You realized Grogu was the one moving him, though not very quickly and with a lot of effort, across the stone floor. With a grunt, the guard bumped gently into the window. It couldn't have hurt very much, but it was probably a strange sensation. He slid to the ground, not sure how to react.

"Oh, Maker, are you alright Ming?" you asked, barely containing a laugh.

Ming held up a hand. "Yes, yes, fine Your Majesty."

"Grogu, we only do those kinds of things to bad people, not people we like."

You weren't sure why you spoke to the child as if he were an adult, but somehow you felt he understand. He looked up at you again but this time with a pout, his bottom lip sticking out and quivering, ready to cry.

"Oh, alright little one, let's not have that now.  Here, how about some good news. I met your father. He was here."

That did the trick. The big brown eyes blinked and the giant ears flicked in recognition. Grogu grumbled out some garbled baby talk that sounded suspiciously like 'Din.' It could have been your imagination.

"You met the Mandalorian?" Luke Skywalker entered the throne room, prepared for his departure already. "So that's why you didn't accost me for information as soon as I stepped foot in here."

"I have a good feeling about him, Skywalker. What's that thing you're always talking about, bringing balance to the force? He is balanced. I can feel it."

"So you're a force detector now?" Zena said with a barely concealed laugh.

"He found the child for a reason," Skywalker replied. "The force is not to be underestimated."

That was for sure. A pint-sized kid had just moved a full-grown man across the room with his mind. That was nothing to be played with.

"I worry though, Your Majesty, that he will attract some less than welcome individuals to your planet if he returns. Bo-Katan feels she is the rightful heir to the throne, and I doubt she'll give up on it so easily. If she thinks you're his ally, I doubt she'll be very forgiving."

"Bo-Katan?" Zena questioned. You felt Grogu sink further into your robes at the sound of the name.

"Another Mandalorian. Fiercely loyal to her planet but not so much to those who would dare challenge her or her power. She prefers martial law to pacifism and has a dubious history with the Sith and the Empire. In the end, there's only one thing she wants, the Darksaber."

---

Din's thoughts drifted back to that first meeting as he punched in the coordinates for Corellia, the last planet he had any desire to visit. He wanted to look upon your glittering city, wander through the market, feel the cool breeze creep under his armor. Or even just sit across from you again and listen to you ramble about the things you loved, namely Grogu. Din realized, before you would, that there was a soft spot in your heart for the kid.

As the ship took off from the loading dock, Din watched the Nhoran moons set, wondering if you were doing the same. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need. But he couldn't. Din was a wanderer, a traveler, with no place to call home and no intention of finding one. But you--

Corellia. Right now there was just Corellia. For many years he'd avoided chasing down a bounty on that planet. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to stay that way. The polluted, cloudy, soggy planet was one Din preferred to avoid. The excessive rain made it difficult to track footprints and there was always someone who needed paying off if he was going to get any information. Bounties on Corellia took twice as long to catch, simply because it was so full of crime itself.

Except this time it wasn't a bounty Din was chasing, but a Mandalorian. So three times as long, he figured.

And he was right. The Mandalorian remained hidden, probably because he knew he was being chased. Din passed weeks in Coronet City, tracking muddied footprints here and there. Begrudgingly, he took on some extra bounties, just to make enough credits to keep his ship parked at the loading dock.

Week four came and went. Today's bounty had been particularly flighty, doing his best to remain just out of Din's reach. He caught him, eventually, but not before a muddy chase through the rainforest. Now, back on his ship, Din hardly noticed the flashing red light on his communicator, telling him he had an incoming message. It wasn't until he'd pulled off his mud-streaked armor and sat down heavily in the pilot's seat that it caught his attention.

The hologram flickered to life.

"Djarin, I hope you're well." He almost didn't recognize you without your royal robes, hair loose and drifting about your shoulders. But your voice, though distorted by thousands of lightyears of space, was unmistakably yours. With surprise, Din found himself instantly relaxed, the soothing sound raising heat to his skin. You'd barely said anything but he longed to hear more.

"I'm not sure where you are, or if this message will reach you." You paused, suddenly distracted by something happening out of view and waving your hands to quiet something down.

"Hush, please, I'm speaking," you said off to the side.

You refocused with a deep breath. "Urgent news has reached me through my trade routes. Bo-Katan has landed on Mandalore. She brings an army and is searching for you. I'm not sure how many she's gathered or how she earned their trust. But it won't be long before she traces your path here. There's no need to worry, it would be foolish to attack Nhora but I'm afraid of what might happen if you do return to Mandalore. Bo-Katan will-- for Maker's sake child I'm trying to speak."

You stopped again, bending over to address the tiny hands grabbing at the leg of your pants. A muted voice garbled some indiscernible words. "I know it's for Din. I know. Come here."

You stood again, this time with the child in your arms. Grogu. He was there, with you, in your arms. "Anyways, be careful, please. And send word if you need anything. Or just to let me know you're alive."

Din could hardly focus on your words. The kid was on Nhora, grabbing at your shirt and waving his little hands. "Say hi, Grogu. Say hi to your dad," you said.

Was that his name Din heard? Did Grogu just speak real, tangible, words? And his name, nonetheless. Din's heart swelled with pride and all the frustration he'd felt today, tracking an unfindable Mandalorian on top of simply trying to stay alive, melted away. He realized with a shock of sadness that all this time he'd been intensely lonely without his son. The ship was too quiet, too empty, but now both you and the child were here, even if only as a hologram, and filling the cockpit with a warm glow.

Din blinked back tears. It was time to get his act together. There were only so many places an old Mandalorian could hide.

Fenn Rau was not a man to be trifled with, Yollil had explained before Din had left Mandalore. If he was going to be found, Din had to think ahead of him, anticipate his moves. Rau had to be somewhere in Coronet City. If he'd left, it would have been much easier to find him.

But, as it turned out, it was easy enough to find Rau when he wanted to be found. The first cantina Din stepped in and there he was, sitting alone in a dark corner, nursing a spotchka, having predicted Din's own moves to meet him here. This was not luck, it was on purpose, and he didn't hesitate to slide into the seat across from the Mandalorian.

Neither spoke, each waiting for the other to explain themselves first. Fenn Rau was as stoic as Din despite his age. His watery blue eyes locked onto the visor of Din's helmet and did not flinch. But this was a game Din could play well, that of silence.

"Why are you looking for me?" The older Mandalorian was the first to break.

"You wanted to be found."

"I outran you for a while. But curiosity tends to be my downfall."

Din didn't respond, only unhooked the Darksaber from his belt and placed it on the table. It was an unassuming object with immense power and Rau recoiled from its presence.

"So you are the one who defeated Gideon." His words made it apparent that everyone in the galaxy knew. "I'm surprised Lieutenant Bo-Katan didn't duel you right there for it."

"Lieutenant?"

"We fought together in the civil wars." So that's why Yollil had sent Din to find Rau. He would know what Bo-Katan's intentions were. "The Lieutenant is a natural leader. She rallies her people like no other. But she has lost that damn saber one too many times and never once recovered it honorably. She will come for it and do whatever it takes to regain power."

"She's looking for me now."

"What will you do?"

Din did not answer.

"Don't tell me you're asking for my advice?" Rau said with an exasperated sigh. "Alright, here's what I think. Take what you will from this. Tarre Vizsla forged that saber. He was both a Jedi and a Mandalorian, and the first to unite them. Since his death over a thousand years ago, Mandalore has not known peace. And it never will until a Jedi rules again."

A Jedi and a Mandalorian. If such a combination were to exist, then there must be a foundling out there that was force sensitive. A foundling that Din would find and--

Grogu. That foundling was Grogu. Din stood abruptly.

"Thank you. May the force be with you."

"That's it? You don't want a drink?"

"I'll be on Nhora if you need me."

Din left the Mandalorian where he'd found him.

---

The Mandalorian was returning. You could barely contain your glee. The message had been short, typed out and sent over the comm system. Returning. Must discuss G. and B. ETA 3 days.

You had no idea what G. and B. meant. It didn't matter. It had been over a month since you'd last seen him. You hoped he was everything you remembered, strong, handsome, stoic, honorable--

No. No, you would not think about him like that. You would treat him with respect and cool composure, as the ally he was turning out to be and nothing more.

On the first day of waiting you managed to steady your nerves by focusing on each task at hand. Sector 3 needed the dams opened to flood their fields. Sector 8 required a delivery of vaccines to prevent an outbreak of the Cardooine Chills. By the second day, Zena was watching you pace back and forth across the throne room, wondering out loud what G. and B. meant. She'd plopped herself down in your chair since you had no desire to occupy it, legs slung over one arm and back leaned up against the other.

But when the third day arrived, you found yourself surprisingly calm. You received visitors from the throne you'd refused the day before, listening intently as your financial head proposed tax hikes and tax breaks and explained where every cent was headed.

And yet, despite the serenity of your outward appearance, every person who entered your throne room sent your heart beating faster, though every time it was someone other than the Mandalorian. Finally, the sun set through the windows, darkness fell, and he had still not arrived.

"I'm just worried. What if he got caught up by Bo-Katan or something?"

"Your Majesty, he's hurtling through hyperspace. I think he's fine." Zena was ever the calming presence at your elbow. "Just get some sleep."

You tried. You really did, tossing and turning in bed to find the most comfortable position. But nothing worked. It was late in the night when you finally gave up and left bed, padding softly in your nightclothes down the three flights of stairs to the kitchens. At least you could have a warm cup of hot chocolate.

It was empty and silent in the kitchen as you set a pot on the stove to heat the drink. You leaned against the counter, drumming your fingers, waiting, waiting, waiting--

"Any idea where a Mandalorian can get a meal around here?"

You jumped at the voice behind you. So much for calm, cool, composure. Heat rose immediately to your face as you remembered exactly what you were wearing.

"Oh Maker, Djarin, you have to stop sneaking in like that."

"Sorry, can't help it that your guards are useless."

"Hey, watch it. Or I'll kick you out again." Though you acted annoyed, Din could tell you were glad to see him, an easy smile gracing your lips. It appeared he'd caught you at your most vulnerable, looking tired and restless, whisps of your hair flying in all directions and in only your pajamas. Your slightly translucent pajamas.

He did his best not to stare. Really. But with a helmet, there was no one to notice that he could tell you weren't wearing a bra or any underwear or--

"I expected you earlier," you said, pouring a second cup of hot chocolate without asking.

"I miscalculated," Din said matter-of-factly, though his nerves jumped at the thought of you expecting him. "What is this?"

"The most delicious thing ever. Rare. Skywalker introduced me to it and I can't get enough. But only he knows where to find hot chocolate so I have to settle for waiting for his visits to get my hands on more."

Off came the helmet, and though you'd already seen the face beneath, it still left you breathless. The black eye was gone, the cut on his lip and cheek reduced to fading red lines that probably wouldn't even scar. You watched as he ran a hand through his unruly hair, eyeing the cup with suspicion, and giving it a sniff. Finally, Djarin relented and he took a sip.

"Very sweet," he said, brown eyes narrowed and plump lips twisted into a pucker. "Not used to that."

Oh, those lips. Every decent thought you'd been trying to focus on since the Mandalorian's reappearance in your palace kitchens immediately flew out the window, replaced by very indecent thoughts about his full lips.

You tried to bring your mind back to his words, realizing he probably ate mostly bland food. Hearty, maybe, but not seasoned with the exotic flavors your kingdom traded for.

"Let me get you some food. You must be hungry."

"The Queen can cook?"

"Oh no, but she can reheat pretty well."

Din sat, watching as you sliced a loaf of bread and eventually placed a steaming bowl of stew in front of him. In the dim light of the kitchen, you'd taken on a different appearance from when he'd first met you. Your features were softer, less angular and commanding, and more tender and delicate. You were young, he realized, and you wore your youth plainly when the opportunity came to relax. You moved with the ease and grace of someone pushed too soon into this position of power.

"What's G. and B?" you asked, sitting across from Din and taking a slice of bread for yourself.

"Not what, who. Grogu and Bo-Katan." Djarin began to eat, and you noticed he kept sipping at his hot chocolate, despite his previous aversion. "Is the kid still here?"

You shook your head. "They only stay for a few hours at a time. And it's hard to know when they'll be back. Skywalker takes every precaution to be untraceable. He'll find you, not the other way around. Is that why you're back? To find him?"

"Grogu is the heir."

"What do you mean? I thought you were the heir?"

Djarin explained his meeting with Fenn Rau, what the old Mandalorian had told him about the Darksaber and its creator.

"And you're worried Bo-Katan will target Grogu and use him against you?"

"Possibly."

"I don't understand. I thought Bo-Katan wanted to bring peace to Mandalore."

"She does. But under her terms. And her rule. That approach never goes over well with a people as divided as us."

You were starting to see his point. But how was a wrinkly green baby going to take over the throne? "Say you hold on to the Darksaber. Bo-Katan backs down, the kid becomes a Jedi. Then what? He'll have to defeat you in a duel to fulfill his destiny?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead.

Of course, he hadn't. Of course he'd rushed back here as fast as possible, thinking only of the child.

"I'll call a council meeting in the morning. Any actions I take they need to at least be aware of. And this time you're staying. Not just for the night."

Din raised his eyebrows at you in surprise. The authoritative tone you'd taken on was impressive, like you had a goal and a purpose and you were going to do everything it took to succeed. And he had to admit, he quite liked the thought of you forcing him to stay, despite knowing he shouldn't.

After he'd finished eating, you led the Mandalorian back up the stairs and through the silent palace to the room he'd stayed in during his previous visit. You lingered at the door, knowing you should say goodnight but having trouble doing so for some reason.

"Don't disappear on me again, Djarin," you finally settled on saying.

Din hadn't been aware of how much you cared for his safety until this moment. Maybe his late arrival had affected you more than you let on. The look on your face was not one of teasing but of genuine worry, eyebrows knitted in concern, unease written in the soft lines of your face. He wanted to smooth those lines, run a thumb across them to tell you everything he didn't have words for. What had been that emotion he'd felt that night on his ship, watching you and the child flicker holographically before him, filling the space with your warmth? He refused to call it home.

Djarin turned toward the door but paused and looked back at you. And then his gloved hand reached out and he ran a thumb softly across your forehead. It was surprising, that soft, leathery touch, but it accomplished what he'd set out to do. Your face relaxed and a smile spread across your lips, bringing the glow back to his world.

"I won't. I promise. And please, just call me Din."

---

The Mandalorian was up early, beating you and Zena to breakfast. He was already waiting for you to arrive, fully dressed in armor, making your heart skip a beat.

"Don't you want to know about everything that's happened since you were gone?" Zena asked, addressing Din with a glint in her eyes.

"I assume you're going to tell me whether or not I want to know."

"Smart man," Zena said with a wry smile. "You missed a very important birthday. You'll never guess how many suitors were ogling Her Majesty from across the dessert table. Although, I must admit the dress was lovely. I would have asked for her hand in marriage too if I was arrogant enough to think I had a chance."

"Zena," you said harshly, trying to shut her up.

"Turned them all down. Even made one of them run to his mother. No one compares to you Mando." She said that last bit with a singsongy voice as if trying to imitate you.

"Zena! Watch your mouth. I never said that." You gave her a little shove to shut her up. It wasn't very appropriate behavior for a queen but you knew she was doing it on purpose. "You're going to embarrass him."

Zena wiggled her eyebrows in your direction before turning on her heel and leaving you and Din alone, knowing her work was done.

"I'm sorry about that," you said.

"Looks like you're the one feeling embarrassed." Though you couldn't read Din's facial expression, his modulated voice was tinged with teasing humor.

Heat crept up your cheeks, flushing a bright pink that did not go unnoticed by the Mandalorian. "Shut up. I don't want to talk about it."

And then the Mandalorian laughed. He actually laughed, a full, whole-hearted laugh that started in his chest and shook through his body until he was bent double, hands on his knees, gasping for air. It was genuine; though sounding unused and in need of practice, it was not strained or tense at all. You wondered how long it had been since the Mandalorian had let loose like this.

"Oh for Maker's sake," you said, exasperated. "I've tried multiple times to crack jokes and that's what finally gets to you?"

Din had finally caught his breath and stood up straight again. "I apologize, Your Majesty. But you were blushing pretty hard."

And you looked pretty when you blushed, he thought. He didn't say that out loud, however, only pressed his fingers lightly against your back to lead you from the room to the awaiting council meeting.

It was already hard enough to focus in his presence. You had no idea how you were going to sit next to the Mandalorian for the next hour without him driving you up the wall. Calm, cool composure, you reminded yourself. Be diplomatic. Be an ally.

It was all about to go down the drain.

*Read Next Part*

[blondeblackwidow]

Could you write a fic about the Resistance meeting a Kenobi!reader who used to be Snokes old apprentice, and over time Poe begins to fall for her? I love your writing and if you do choose to write this request, the fluffier the better❤️

M e t a n o i a ( Poe Dameron x Reader )

prompt:  Could you write a fic about the Resistance meeting a Kenobi!reader who used to be Snokes old apprentice, and over time Poe begins to fall for her? I love your writing and if you do choose to write this request, the fluffier the better❤️ +  I’m the anon that sent the Kenobi!reader ask in, I forgot to say that the reader wasn’t Snokes apprentice willingly and she was taken as a child.

a/n; holy fuck i feel like i just poured my soul into this. this was something i played with a while on my own and i can’t get over how proud of it i am. thank you for this request, anon! i would zone out for hours just writing, and that hasn’t happen since like eighth grade. title is a greek word for a journey of self discovery.

song: the archer - taylor swift

t/w: slight mentions of child abduction and manipulation, very minor though.

w/c: 3150 ( omg )

-

D’Qar was loud, and the air was thick as it hit your skin. The sun hidden behind clouds, it was still considerably warmer than the Supremacy. You stepped off the transport, black boots hitting the pavement, the rest of you covered by the oversized brown robe. 

You’d never seen Leia Organa before. But you knew her son, and the minute you saw her eyes, you knew who she was.

You lowered your hood. “General.” You breathed with a smile. She greeted you with a handshake, and the most comforting of smiles. She radiated a motherly energy you had never known, not in this life at least. 

“Welcome, I’m so happy you got here safely, and you took me up on my offer.” 

“It seems our families can never live without each other.” You responded, and Leia gestured you further into the base. 

“Let’s talk in my office, and I’ll see about getting you something with some color.” She guided you amongst crowds. Her office was small by most standards, but felt comfortable and homely. She took a seat and you followed suit.

The air was tense, full of unanswered questions. 

“He’s alright, doing well, all things considered.” You offered, and her shoulders seemed to relax.

“You didn’t have to..” She started, and you waved your hand.

“It’s nothing, I know you must hold your breath everyday when it comes to him.” You spoke softly, as if people were listening. “He talked about you a few times, it was always brief, but he did.” 

“Thank you.” Leia reached out and squeezed your hand. The door opened behind you two and you saw a man, standing in the doorway, holding a wad of clothing.

“Ma’am Pava sent me in here with these.” He held up what looked like a shirt and pants. “She said you asked if she had spare uniforms?” 

“Well yes because she’s always in her pajamas or her flight suit.” Leia reached her hand out and he gave them to her, sparing you a cautionary glance. “All of black squadron seems to operate that way.” 

He opened his mouth to object, but she kept talking. “This is Poe Dameron, one of my top commanders and pilots.”

“THE top pilot, ma’am.” He turned to fully look at you, and you introduced yourself.

“She and I have family history.” Leia answered before Poe could ask. He didn’t take his eyes off you though.

“Have I met you before?” You swallowed thickly, clamming up to find a lie. You remembered him as soon as he started talking. 

“The Resistance will not be intimidated by you.” He struggled out to breathe.

“We’ll see.” Kylo said from in front of you, not yet aware that you had entered the room. The man you now know as Poe starts to scream.

“Ren, you’re needed by the supreme leader.” Most of your face covered by a hood, you avoid the curious gaze from the chair in front of you both.

“It’s in a droid, a BB unit.” He barked on his way out. You take one glance at the man before you leave, hesitating.

“No, I don’t believe we have.” You forced a smile. “It’s been a pleasure though.” You turned your gaze back to Leia, who cleared her throat.

“You’re excused, Commander.” He took a breath to object, but it died on his tongue. He offered a small smile and excused himself.

“I was there, when Ren…” You trailed off, staring at the now closed door. “How am I supposed to….”

“He may look tough, but he’s got his mother’s heart.” She sighed, standing and collecting a few more things. “He’ll understand, probably more than most.”

“I hope so.” Leia smiled and gestured toward the door. 

The quarters she gave you were smaller than yours on the Supremacy, but far less daunting. Glossy black walls had been replaced with cracked stone, this whole base a work in progress.The uniforms were more relaxed, and people smiled as you walked past, though you couldn’t shake the feeling that they saw right through you. Cracked foundations were held together by hope, maybe here, you thought, you could start to heal what Snoke shattered. 

You were going to go out and explore. You grabbed an old brown satchel, and went to place your saber inside. It was silver with a gold band around the emitter, black striping down the sides bleeding into the solid black band around the hilt, gold circles breaking up the darkness. Kylo thought little of it, said it looked too much like a Kenobi’s lightsaber. For once in your life though, you were happy you had something to remind you of the light that coursed through your veins. It would need a new crystal, the old one corrupted by the dark side, but that was a question for Leia at a later time.

The walk to the airfield was peaceful, on the ship, all you had was recycled air. But there was something about the breeze and the smell of wildflowers and trees. And if you were honest, the smell of the engines burning fuel was better than the nothingness that you had become accustomed to. 

Your eyes quickly set sight on the obnoxious X Wing that sat front and center. Black with an orange stripe, while it was Hux’s responsibility to know the specs of the Resistance, you knew that it was the ship that always meant trouble. You walked up to it and ran a hand down the side. The side panels were rough against your hand, but you liked it here, the perfection of the First Order became suffocating after a while.

“Can I help you?” A voice behind you asked. You turned to see the man from earlier, Poe, you think his name was. 

“Oh no, I’ve just never seen an X Wing in person before.” You laughed. “They’re just so legendary in my mind.”

“You a pilot?” He asked, walking closer. His black hair was messy, and there was grease on his orange flight suit.

You shook your head. “Oh no, my grandpa flew A Wings during the Clone Wars but other than that we’re a pretty ground bound family.” 

“Was your grandpa a clone?” Poe asked, and you furrowed your brows. 

“No?”

“Well because droids were used by the separatists and clones by the republic.” He laughed. “So unless your grandfather was a clone, that doesn’t work.” 

“There were civilians in the Republic.” You rolled your eyes. 

“I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders, you knew he didn’t buy it. But you were okay with it, it was something to talk about at another time. A reason to talk to him again.

“You have pilots in your family?” You asked, leaning against the warm metal of the body of the ship.

“Uh yeah, my mom.” He cleared his throat. “She flew A Wings.” He raised his finger to note the similarity. “But for the Rebels against the Empire.” 

“Sounds like a kickass woman.” You smiled. He shifted his weight and looked at his boots.

“Yeah, she was.” He smiled. You could sense the discomfort, and the loss. 

“So how long have you been with the Resistance?” 

“I’ve never met such a bold new recruit you know.” He laughed.

“Blame it on the family connection.” You laughed in return.

“What is the mysterious connection?” He asked, taking a step closer.

“Can’t give up all my secrets on the first day here.” You smirked. But how were you supposed to explain it all? Your father was a hidden bastard child from the days of Mandalore, your mother died before you could walk, you’re competition in training was the General’s son who was named after your grandfather who the General called to before Alderaan’s Doom – and that was just the surface level of it all.

“I’ll have to come bug you another time then.” You tried to hide the rising heat in your cheeks. 

“It’s a small base, you can come find me.” You smiled and pushed off the ship. “I’ll see you around.” 

“See you around, newbie.” You rolled your eyes, and kept walking.

You and Poe spent days on and off together, chatting, laughing, unknowingly being watched by Leia with a motherly smile. He radiated an energy unlike you had ever known, it was warm, and bright, and full of love. It was the light, the light that you were ordered to swear off for the rest of your days since you were a child. 

Leia felt like the mother you had never known. The both of you aching for something taken so long ago. You spent a lot of time with her, causing a lot of questions. 

Poe jumped to your defense everytime. Causing even more questions.

“Do you know where I can get a Kyber Crystal?” You piped up, reading in Leia’s private office while she worked.

“Why?” She just glanced up. You sighed.

“Mine won’t heal itself, no amount of meditation will ever make it change, not even to white. My blade still glows red.” You closed your book and turned to face her. A devilish grin grew on her face. “What?” 

“After Luke lost the temple, he gave his remaining crystals to someone he trusted for safekeeping against the rising order.” The grin grew more. 

“Where are they?”

“Yavin IV.” She smiled.

“Okay I’ll go to Yavin–”

“At Kes Dameron’s home.” Your jaw hit the floor. You felt like you had known Poe all your life, and maybe in another life you would have, but you really only knew him for a month or so. 

So now you had to ask to meet his dad, when you hadn’t even admitted to yourself you liked him. 

“I’m gonna have to ask him to go with me.” You breathed out, slightly nervous all of a sudden. 

“Relax, Poe needs to go home anyways, it’ll get Kes off my back.” You snorted. 

“And how do I approach that?” You started. Unaware of the door opening behind you. “Poe I need you to take me to your childhood home so I can get a crystal from your father because I secretly have a lightsaber and come from the lineage of a Jedi Master in the Old Republic, who trained both Vader and Luke?” You inhaled, unaware of how fast you were just talking. “I’m sure that’s a very easy question to ask.” 

“The answers’ yes, I just have a few questions first.” 

You thought you were gonna die right then and there.

The flight to Yavin wasn’t very long, but felt like years. The transport was small, Leia was unwilling to give up her large ships for the two of you. 

“So how long have you been a Jedi?” He asked, shifting the controls and turning to face you.

“I’m not a jedi.” You mumbled.

“Well you have a lightsaber. That’s a very jedi thing to have.” Of course in your oblivious confession, you didn’t include how you acquired the weapon.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You got up from the copilots seat now that you were in Hyperspace, wanting to be anywhere but under his gaze. He grabbed your forearm to stop you, and your skin burned at the touch.

“I have met you before.” He whispered. “You were on that ship.” 

“I’m so sorry.” Your voice was broken full of shame. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“Why were you there?” His eyes were locked on yours.

“I was a child, my father was on the run after Mandalore’s downfall. They caught us after a few years.” You sighed. “My father was killed, but Snoke knew of my lineage, said that because my grandfather created Vader, I had a capacity for greatness.” You shifted your weight and sat back into the chair. “I didn’t know the difference, I was so young, with this weird energy flowing through me that I couldn’t control.” 

“It’s okay.” He relaxed his hand and brought it back to his lap, you tried to hide your disappointment at the lack of touch. “You’re safe now.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, and you both sat in safe, comfortable silence before the ship made its entrance to the Yavin system.

Yavin IV, you’d come to realize, was a lot like D’Qar, luscious green trees and warm summer breeze. The Dameron home was a black and white contrast to anything you had known. Poe, on the other hand, doesn’t welcome the energy, instead tenses, as if he is in fear of what lies ahead.

“I’ll do the talking, if you want?” You offer, and Poe shakes his head.

“It’s alright.” He sighs. “How do you tell someone that the ideals they spent their life fighting are growing stronger everyday?”

“You tell them that there’s hope.” You smile softly. “Hope is the only thing you have that they don’t.” The weight of your blood red lightsaber seams to double, and none of this seems doable.

He starts to walk toward the house and you are left with no choice but to follow. He opens the door to find an older man with the same tone of skin, and same curly hair, faded now to a silver, working on something at the table. 

“Hey dad.” You want to hide behind Poe’s shadow.

How do you tell someone that the ideals they spent their life fighting are standing in front of them in their dining room?

“Poe!” He exclaimed with a smile, and gave his son a large hug. “Leia warned me you were coming. Who’s this?” He asked, returning to the neutral position.

“Oh this is Captain…” He trailed, remembering he’d never learned your last name.

“Kenobi.” You smiled, your chest swelling with pride at the surname you discarded so long ago. Recognition and surprise flashed among both men’s faces.

“I would assume you’re here for the crystals.” He winked.

“How did you…”

“A feeling, I guess.” He shrugged and began to search through a container, and Poe just mouthed your surname back to you with shock and wonder. You waved your hand to dismiss him. “Poe can you run this down to the lady down the road, the one who always gave you sweets after Shara said no?” He gestured to the project he was working on, and Poe opened his mouth to protest. 

But just like with Leia, it died long before he could manage words. He scooped it up and gave you an apologetic glance before leaving.

“Can I see it?” was the first thing Kes asked after his son’s departure.

“Y-Yeah.” You stumbled and pulled out the saber from your bag, handing it to him. He placed a small brown bag on the table with a quiet clink, and began to smile. 

“It resembles Luke’s second saber..” He looked at you. “Made with pieces of Ben Kenobis.” You couldn’t help but return the smile.

“It’s the same style, according to old texts.” You said. “Not exactly the same I’m afraid.” 

“What’s the need for a new crystal?” He handed it back.

“I..” You hesitated. Poe forgives so easily, but Leia said that was his mother, not Kes. “I was taken in by Snoke when I was young, trained..” You swallowed, staring at the saber in your hands. “I want to make things right, I can’t do that with red blades, the crystal is too broken to heal, I need to start anew.” Kes’ shoulders relaxed and he leaned against the table.

“I am sorry.” 

“For?”

“Had we done it right the first time, there never would have been a Snoke to corrupt your gift.” He smiled sadly, you reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

“Had you done it the first time, I would have never met him.” You smiled. “And there will always be those who want destruction, but as long as there is more hope, then we’ll always have peace.” Tears welled up in your eyes, you were talking more to yourself, but he pulled you into a hug, and you cried, for the first time in years.

“I know a place where you can install that.” He said, releasing the hug, and you followed him to a large tree in the field. It hummed with energy. Not evil or good, not light or dark, just balanced force.

You sat on your knees in front, placing a crystal next to your saber, Kes walking away to give you a moment. You closed your eyes and pictured it all, the darkness, the mistakes, being swept away by light, and forgiveness. You opened them to reveal your reassembled saber, and the cracked crystal next to it. You decided to bury it with the tree, putting to rest your conflict, your guilt, and anger.

And Igniting your forgiveness, certainty, and compassion in a deep blue light. 

“A True Kenobi.” Kes said from afar, Poe just watching in awe as the sun set behind the mountains. You disabled the saber and wore it proudly on your belt.

“Thank you.” Was all you could manage, walking back toward the older of the two rebels.

“Don’t even worry about it.” He squeezed your shoulder, and walked back toward the house. 

“Bonfire?” Poe asked, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes.”

The night fell rather quickly after the sun set, and the summer breeze gave a chill while you and Poe sat on a log and exchanged dumb jokes and he filled you in on all the need to know information. A silence fell over you soon enough and he just stared at you over his shoulder.

“Kenobi, huh?” He laughed. “My grandpa flew A-Wings.” He mocked

“You’re an ass.” You rolled your eyes.”He did!” You defended. 

“He was a kriffing Jedi that is the least interesting thing you could have said!” 

“Sorry my life story isn’t entertaining.” You punched his arm and he acted fake hurt.

“Oh it definitely is.” He poked. “They’ll write myths about you.”

“Hopefully about the good to come, not the bad that’s passed.” You half smiled. 

“I hope it’s all of it, more inspiring that way.” He locked eyes with yours.

“Me being a trained sith apprentice doesn’t scare you?” He shook his head. 

“No. Sith, Jedi, call it what you want but I just see a beautiful woman who is strong enough to know right from wrong.” He tucked a hair behind your ear. “And that means more than making things float.” He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your lips and your heart forgot how to keep a rhythm. 

You were sure Obi Wan was up there cursing about the Old Jedi Code and falling in love, or whatever. The best part was, you didn’t love Poe.

but you know you could, given time. 

And for once in your life you weren’t scared.

[rainofaugustsith]

SWTOR: 6.2 Predictions

It’s dawning on me that now that the Feast of Prosperity is out, the next stuff that should be popping up from dataminers will likely be Plague Storyline and Mando Storyline content.  I always scour the datamining if I can because I hate surprises that might affect characters I care about, and I’m so eager for new story content - but at the same time, ohhh, I’m not ready.  I’ve called a few things about SWTOR in the past so here is my updated list of predictions. Most under the cut if people want to avoid them.  1. These fellows will factor in. IIRC the Plague patch was originally supposed to be released around the same time as the Swoop Rally so their presence would make sense. I’ve seen some of the released armor referred to as ‘pilgrims.’  My guess is that the ‘pilgrims’ are either/and a) devoted Vitiate/Tenebrae fans who attended to his original body; b) Children of the Emperor/Nathema Zealot types who made pilgrimages to Tenebrae’s body and then stayed, perhaps not always of their own volition; c) retired Imperial Guards who are conditioned by Vitiate to make that pilgrimage and tend to him. It’s said in the Codex that the Imperial Guards go to work as trainers and are eventually killed by their students...but all of them? And notably, even though we’ve seen a lot of other characters from the past we have never seen Hesker or any of the Imperial Guards on Belsavis/Section X again. Were they like the Grey Wardens and when they got old they had a Calling to go join the Vitiate Pilgrims?

2. There will be a Virmire choice. I hope I am wrong. But I feel it. Possible candidates: 

1. Kira vs. Scourge. They’re both alive but will they continue to be once you invade the plague ship? Will you have to send one to a sacrificial mission somewhere a la Virmire? 2. T7-O1. You sent the little guy off to monitor for the plague ship. But what if he gets captured?  3. Satele vs. safety of world. Scourge mentions a choice - that if the plague can’t be contained you will have to destroy the ship (and the plague victims). That includes Satele. So what if it’s one of those where you might have contained/defeated the plague but maaaaaybe not and you can’t be sure? 3. Theron will return and it won’t be pretty. If you ‘killed’ him on Nathema, he actually was rescued by Satele and her followers and now he has the plague.  If you saved him but asked him to leave the Alliance, he went off to see his mom or tried to save her. And again, he’s now got the plague.  4. Darth Marr will show up as a guide. Or he’s been corrupted by the plague somehow even though he’s dead.  5. There will be a heroic and a non-heroic way for Satele to die, such as her sacrificing herself for the good of all the others, or you failing to save her and having to blow up the ship. But it’s unlikely she’s going to make it out of this without a kill option of some sort.  6. Afterward, assuming they are alive, you may not keep both Scourge and Kira, with the possible exception of Jedi Knights. But if Kira really disapproves of your actions on the mission she will ditch even a JK. Otherwise, possibly Scourge for Imperials and Kira for Republic - and I would not put it past them to know if you are a saboteur and make the decision that corresponds (ie, Scourge stays with a Republic sab).  Mandolorian predictions:  1. They are obviously setting up a war between Mandalore/Shae and another clan and its leader. My money is on Khomo Fett.  2. The decision to save or not save Torian may factor in.  3. If you have Torian or Akaavi and use them during the missions they might have opinions.  4 The contact you speak to in the recent story clip, Ordo, seems more sympathetic to the Republic on one hand and the Imperials on the other. His loyalty is with Shae but he also might make decisions depending on how the player’s character treated the Mandalorians in that chapter (ie, giving them the plans, letting Torian bomb them, etc.).  5. Depending on if you allied with Indigo or not, he and his clan may return and be helpful or antagonistic.  6. The outcome may decide where the Mandalorians ally- Empire or Republic. 

[captcarolmarvl]

original characters [2/?] | star wars universe | attributes chart | aria lenahki

species: cathar | chiss | cyborg | dathomirian | devaronian | dug | duros | ewok | gamorrean | gand | geonosian | gree | gungan | human | hutt | jawa | kaminoan | klatooinain | kubaz | mirialan | mon calamari | mustafarian | nautolan | meimoidian | ongree | ortolan | pantoran | pa'lowick | rakata | rattataki | rishii | rodian | selkath | sith | sullustan | talz | togruta | toydarian | trandoshan | tusken raider | twi'lek | ugnaught | umbaran | weequay | wookie | zabrak | zeltron 

alignment: light side | nuetral | dark side 

occupation/professions: architect | archivist | beastmaster | bio-engineer | blacksmith | bounty hunter | cartographer | collector | counselor | cryptoslogist | cyber-strategist | datatech | doctor | engineer | financial | fixer | flight instructor | gambler | gatherer | gladiator | handmaiden | hazmat | herbalist | hermit | historian | imperial factory worker | imperial hunter | information broker | jedi | jedi hunter | jockey | journal clerk | journalist | junk boss | law enforcement | legal | librarian | medical | mercenary | military | miner | officer | operative | philosopher | pilot | portmaster | programmer | racer | rigger | sales | scavenger | scholar | scout | sculptor | secretary | security | slicer | systems analyst | system designer | tailor | tax collector | teacher | tour guide | training officer | travel agent | treasure hunter | weapons master 

affilitation: rebel alliance | galactic empire | jedi order | hutt cartel | old republic | new republic | sith order | separatist confederacy | mandalorians | black sun | trade federation | neutral | inter-galactic banking clan | techno union | commerce guild | corporate alliance | retail caucus | nightsisters | nightbrothers | royal house of hapes | ssi-ruuvi empire | rogue squadron | green group | red squadron | blue squadron (rebels) | blue squadron (clones) | gold squadron | naboo security | republic senate | 501st legion | 327th star corps | 212th attack battalion | 41st elite corps | wolfpack | breakout squad | lightning squadron | shadow squadron | slick's squad | flame squad | coruscant squad | senate guard | freedom fighters (ryloth) | pantoran assembly | pantoran gaurd | podracers | hondo ohnaka's pirates | death watch | sugi's mercenaries | desilijic kajidic (jabba) | hutt grand council | hutt cartel | cad bane's bounty hunter crew | dark jedi | gray jedi | the krath | dark council | jedi council | confederacy of independent systems | the ones | imperial navy | alliance of free planets | galactic alliance | the resistance | sith order 

home world: tatooine | coruscant | naboo | hoth | kashyyyk | dagobah | bespin | mustafar | alderaan | geonosis | yavin | yavin 4 | kamino | mon calaramri | mandalore | corellia | dantooine | cato neimoidia | malachor v | polis massa | mora band | ryloth | nal hutta | onderon | ithor | taris | tython | florrum | byss | ossus | haruun kal | exodeen | felucia | belsavis | dromund kaas | ilum | korriban | makeb | nar shaddaa | ord mantell | quesh | tython | voss | nevarro | arvala 7 | sorgan | jakku | mirial | pantora | dathomir | endor

abilities: force power | alchaka | art of movement | ayna-seff | force bond | force call | cleanse | cleanse mind | corpse vision | dampen force | dark energy trap | dreambubble | force concealment | force familiar | floating meditation | force clouding | force focus | force generation | force healing | force in balance | force jump | force orb | force projection | force push | force pull | force scattering | force scribe | force stasis | force form | hassat-durr | hyper tunnel | ice image | force immersion | insight | life bond | mind probe | mind walking | mind-touch | phase | progenitor's call | psychometry | restful-sleep-in-danger | sand levitation | sever force | shatterpoint | sith alchemy | sound mimicry | stonepower | beast taming | tapas | telekinesis | time-drifting | time-stream | waveform | force choke | force lightning | force rage |force drain | consume essence | deadly sight | enhance force sensitivity | force corrupt | force crush | force destruction | force phantom | force net | force shadow | force slow | force insanity | force scream | thought bomb | memory walk | darkshear | transfer essence | midi-chlorian manipulation | sith emperor's ritual | alter enviroment | battlemind | beam of light | combustion | cure disease | cure poison | droid disable | electric judgment | force blinding | force enlightenment | force light | force meld | force persuasion | force stun| force valor | hibernation trance | malacia | mind trick | morichro | plant surge | protection bubble | revitalize | tutaminis | wall of light | slicing | knife combat | synth-weaving | tech-savvy | mechanics | diplomacy | mixed martial arts | expert pilot

other: female | 24 years | dark hair | gray eyes | scarred left arm | dual-weilding lightsabers

[cienie-isengardu]

Satine Kryze & Pre Vizsla: Servants and Guards (part I)

Previous parts: political & social position < • > Wealth: clothes < • > paintings seen in their residences < • > living conditions < • > personal ships < • >

Servants and Guards are two groups that take care of needs and protect the richest and/or most significant people. It’s no wonder then that Satine Kryze, as a ruler of Mandalore, and Pre Vizsla, as once governor of Concordia & then current leader of Death Watch, were seen in their company over the course of animated series. At the same time, The Clone Wars and additional sources present both similarities and differences between how representatives of these groups served Satine and Pre.

The first part will be focused at servants.

On Coronet, during the travel from Mandalore to Coruscant [s02e13], Satine tried to pursue other republic senators to her cause / ideal of pacifism. On her luxury spaceship, no human servants (beside the Royal Guards & ship personnel) were seen.

The group of politicians were served by, most likely BD-3000 luxury droids who were responsible for providing beverages

while other servant (and protocol) droids were serving Satine and her guests during dinner:

The additional informations about Voyage of Temptation states that

The use of droids isn’t anything new - droids have always been a cheap workforce while at the same time their programming made them suitable for working with a diverse mass of people. Serving droids may work for many hours, don’t complain, always are nice to the guests/travelers, can comunicate in many languages, the ideal service for such prestige - and political important - ship. During Voyage of Temptation the luxury Coronet could be reserved only for Satine and her guests (thus lack of human servants and other travelers), nevertheless the droids are, if not the main then at least the visible group of servants on the ship.

Droids as much as are useful, aren’t the most liked or appreciated group:

Droids are intelligent mechanical contraptions that are vital to the smooth operation of galactic society. Every day, millions of subservient automatons negotiate treaties, repair hyperdrives, cure plagues, incinerate garbage, nurse children, haul cargo, deliver messages, cook meals, and kill enemies. At the same time, droids are often ignored and unappraciated, treated as chattel by many owners and looked at with outright hostility by others (by The Essential Guide to Droids)

Now, this is something to think about, because on one hand, Satine hopes that Coronet’s trips to Coruscant would help to change republic citizens’ idea about Mandalore and its people, an idea based more on “lurid holodramas about ancient warriors” than current reality. But at the same time, so far there was no native Mandalorian (either as someone born on Mandalore-planet or Mandalore-system/sector) working on Coronet as servant to attend the needs - or curosity - of travelers. I mean, the chance to meet and talk with living New Mandalorian could be an interesting cultural experience, right? Yet the serving role is, as far as TCW showed, reserved for droids alone.

There are two interesting aspects of that situation:

from what I remember, droids were rarely seen / used on Mandalore (and Concordia) through the course of TCW. Yet, there is plenty of them on Coronet; some are luxury models, some more common types. The ship was a tool of Satine's intergalactic politics AND tool of propaganda / cultural exchange between New Mandalorians and outsiders (Republic citizens). This makes me wonder if New Mandalorians are too proud (or disliking the idea) to serve as servants on such ship? Or if they are so pro-technology and/or use of droids, why droids aren’t common sight on Mandalore (and Concordia)?

The events of Voyage of Temptation episode happened in Clone Wars, when droids are even less liked, trusted or tolerated than before. What once again comes down to why Satine (and in general, New Mandalorians society) is using droids on such scale on one ship, yet not on Mandalore?

Beside those few thoughts, the most eye-catching thing is Satine’s lack of handmaiden who would help her get ready for the meeting (and dinner) with important senators or support her in any other means. No human (or alien) trusted servant [beside Royal Guards] around her, just politicans, ex-beloved and mass of droids.

The second example happened during Padme’s visit on Mandalore [s03e05]. When women have dinner, there are two Mandalorian servants who pour wine into their glasses:

This short scene shows that Satine did have human (female) servants yet there is little to none hints those women have any special, closer bond with their ruler. We can’t be sure about that of course due to limited sources and all, but so far, Satine seems to be a lone (female) figure at her own court. In contrast, Padme’s handmaidens played much more prominent role (especially in movies) than just being a nice background. Even though the social class difference, Padme and her haindmaidens interacted with each other and seemed to have good (warm) relationship and were adressed by their names while Satine most likely saw her Royal Guards as the only people she could trust.

Before I’m gonna talk about Royal Guards, let’s look at Pre and his servants through three examples: meeting with Satine & Obi-Wan on Concordia, enslaved women of Carlac and talk with Maul.

During first, Pre was still seen as trustworth ally of Satine and as governor of Concordia, was in position of great power. As politician, Pre most likely met and interacted with many people of similar position. The visit of Satine and Obi-Wan (representing Jedi Council / Republic) was unexcepted due to tragic event on Mandalore. It’s understable then Duchess Satine and her guest weren’t welcomed by big party (like Padme was by Satine much later, for example). We didn’t have a chance to see the three of heroes dinning together, but I find it really interesting that Pre was making drinks for Satine and pouring their glasses himself. On one hand, it makes the scene less formal, showing those two characters feel at easy around each other and drop the “diplomatic protocol” act. On another, Pre is “alone”, not supported by any of his human servants or droids, while Satine has her Royal Guards standing on watch. Of course, maybe he is following Mandalorian (Concordian?) etiquette and plays the good host, at least until the supposed dinner was to be served.

Before I’m gonna talk about second example, I need to say one thing: The A Friend in Need episode iirritated my pretty much. Not the violence itself, because Mandalorians are capable of terryfing things, but the lack of explanation why Death Watch decided to stay on Carlacc, why they took hostages instead of just took control over village and live in more comfortable way, what was the deal between DW and native people and why Death Watch from the secret army changed into “motocycle gang” for one episode (beside that Lucas wanted them feel like such group). I have a lot problems with A Friend in Need due to some senseless elements (the whole arresting Lux on neutral ground, Mandalorian misogyny that is not part of their Legends!culture) especially since the whole episode feels like made to just kill some poor girl so Ahsoka can have supposed cool moment.

That said, we didn’t see Pre acting violent against the captured women until the burning village scene, but he was responsible for what happened to them and at least one of his men acted aggressively against hostages. Killing those poor women may not be an option back then, but it doesn’t seem like Pre cared for their fate beyond their usefulness. Here comes a bit of the senseless moments, like A) sending Ahsoka to captured women, even though she was introduced as Lux’s fiancee and the boy was close to become part of Death Watch B) assuming that woman should be sent away (and then taken to those serving women) so the men could talk is nonsense/hypocrisy since Death Watch have female warriors and Bo was Pre’s second in command and C) which such treating of those women I’m surprised Pre & DW are so trusting to eat what they served them. I know I would worry if food was poisoned or if the women spit inside the soup. Like, we didn’t see any Death Watch soldier forcing women to test if the food is edible, why they are so trusting morons...? Sorry for the last part.

The women not only cooked the food, but were also forced to serve the warriors at the table. For unknown reason (beside the needs of plot), Ahsoka served with them. The presence of serving women this time do not encourages warriors to taunt or torment the poor servants. Maybe Pre made sure his men behave, or maybe what happend before was an isolated incident. Albeit Tryla warned Ahsoka “You don't want to make them angry. They are far from rational.” so it’s hard to tell for sure how often - and how much - Mandalorians were violent against them. For sure women weren’t there on their own will, nor feel safe around their captors.

During the feast, kidnapped women served warriors food albeit we didn’t see them starting from Pre, the leader (or serving him at all, although he had his bowl in later scene), not from Lux, the honor guest. Pre and Bo-Katan and other warriors didn’t seem to mind or care.

Later, when the chief of village came and demanded Death Watch to leave his people in peace, Pre agreed and the next day killed Tryla and ordered to burn village. All just to prove who is the stronger and that Death Watch is not taking orders from weakling.

There is not much to tell how Pre treats (human) servants - he is willing to capture people and force them into servitude, something that ancient Taungs/Mandalorians did on many occassion and kill them as punishment / show who is stronger (the master) but at the same time he alone did not torment kidnapped women (or the droids, as far as we could see), did not care he get his meal as the last one. I’m really wondering what kind of deal Death Watch had with villagers / chief and why they kidnapped women in the first place. Was that a need for servants alone or was that a way to test the chief when he is gonna show some guts? The lazinnes of warriors and their feeling like Death Watch could torment people for fun may be true but then why they:

didn’t just take the control over village and resident there in much more comfortable conditions? Also

The Death Watch camp on Zunbar moon didn’t have any additional (forced) servants and warriors were doing just fine, so it’s not like they needed outsiders to serve them.

Keeping people against their will is inconvenience since the hostages must be supervised all the time, to make sure they don’t run away or worse, don’t try fight back or sabotage warriors in other means (like poising food).

It would really help, if the episode give more informations about what happened between Death Watch and the village chief instead of generic explanation. But that is common problem with The Clone Wars, unfortunately.

The third example once again shows Pre acting as the good host who himself serves the "guest” [s05e14]. What is important, Death Watch found injured Maul and Savage and the previous scene of “interrogation“ in which Bo was ready to shoot unconscious Savage to keep Maul in check proves the Zabrak brothers were more prisoners than a real guests. Yet Pre treated Maul as equal, sharing his tea and serving him personally (the way he treated once Satine) before their talk get serious for good.

The other Mandalorians did not play the role of servants (one warrior was simply eating his own food the whole time Pre talked to Maul), even though they were Vizsla’s own men. Most likely their presence was additional security for the leader of Death Watch, since Pre already had (not the best) experiences with force sensitive people thus troubles were to be expected.

Once again, Pre did not rely on people/droids and took himself the role of good host while no other Mandalorian was seen in role of servant. The warriors most likely were there to guard Pre, yet the way they act is far from Royal Guards of Satine, who usually were shown as just standing in the background and waiting whereas we could see Pre’s men talk between each other, eat together, enjoy each company or spar.

So far, nor Satine nor Pre have any significant relationship with servants. The Duchess rely on droids and people to serve her and her guests/friends, but she doesn’t put any special trust or focus at them. Pre is willing to capture and force people into servitude to test village chief and/or to prove his point (not taking orders from weakling) but he doesn’t paid them much attention, nor doesn’t do anything when he, as Death Watch leader, isn’t treated with special honors. In contrast to Satine, we could see him twice serving personally his guests and he doesn’t seem to be bothered by that either. At the same time, despite having hierarchy, Death Watch members aren’t forced into serving role - they may act as additional security, like during meeting with Maul, but they feel pretty at easy around their leader and do their own things (talking with each other, eating, sitting on special seat). In contrast, through TCW we don’t see Satine sitting with her servants at the same table, nor even talking directly or indirectly to them at all. Both in movies and TCW, we could see Padme taking advice or adressing her handmaides. Even though we didn’t see Pre talking one on one with other DW members (beside Bo?), he did adress his men while having “official meeting” with village chief and Maul.

In makes me feel like Death Watch is more closely related to each other as opposed to Satine’s New Mandalorians, in which the social duties (commanding vs serving) is much more strictly followed.

Part II about Guards is coming soon.

[cienie-isengardu]

Concordia, Mandalore and Kalevala and their respective economy?

Mandalore, Concordia and Kalevala are three major place representing Mandalore system in TCW and tie-in materials.

Concordia was agricultural settlement turned into mining base what almost destroyed eco system (forest) of the moon. Most likely when mining facilities were shut down, Concordia’s economy once again changed in a noticeable way. There is many questions, like how much ecological disaster influenced agriculture? How many people lost jobs then and needed to find a new source of money for living? Was there any wave of immigrants travelling to Mandalore or Kalevala in search of work? And frankly, did the sudden appearance of expelled warriors has left its mark on Concordia’s economy?.

So far we have seen / were told, Concordia’s the most important merchandise was most likely beskar (Mandalorian iron) which extraction and production was shut down years ago. There is also a chance that Concordia also engages in food production to some extent depending how much the rebuilding eco system allows.

Despite being the “capital” of the whole system, the moment Mandalore was cut off from interplanetary trade routes, we were told both by narrator (“supplies are impossible to come by, except on the black market”) and Satine (”The help we need now is opening trade routes so we may get supplies more freely.“) that the population of the planet is suffering due to limited access to basic goods like food (”Mandalore should not need, to pay smugglers to feed its people” said one member of Ruling Council) - and such desperation increases the growth of corruption (”Beyond these stars, there's a war going on. As long as my company imports goods, most people turn a blind eye to anything else”, said corrupted Mandalorian). All informations comes from the same episode, “Corruption” [s03e05].

Looking at how Mandalore’s main city looks outside (people living under the dome, around just white sands and in general inhospitable environment)

and inside (very built-up space, limited amount of greenery)

do native Mandalorian have access to constant source of food (own farms, greenhouses and the like) or do they rely more on import from the other planets (maybe Kalevala or even Concord Dawn?). Frankly, I’m not sure how many cities and smaller urban centers is on Mandalore though doctor Zaz - the one telling Duchess about poisoned children - did mention they have gotten “reports from across the planet” [s03e05] what may suggest there are other biger cities. How one feed so many people when Mandalore itself to a large extent has contaminated and / or infertile to cultivate lands?

Mandalore may have exclusive goods for sale (advanced technology or art work, maybe? and according to Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Friends like these, the potential economic power of Mandalore was build  around export of beskar) but A) its economy most likely had problems in the recent past (due to Civil War) and B) the shutting down of Concordia’s mines could cause some tension between Mandalore and its moon, depending how economy of one affect the other and C) seems to be dependent on the import of basic goods like food. At this point I think in case of war, Republic don’t even need besiege the planet, just cut it off from food supplies and medicine, and Mandalore is in big trouble.

Kalevala on other hand seems doing much better than previously discussed places, even though TCW did only mention it few times. The Essential Guide states that Kalevala as a toxic desert type of planet. And yet there is at least one New Mandalorian settlement. Satine Kryze and Tal Merrik were born on Kalevala and both have aristocratic (albeit not really clarified) roots. What is more important, tie-in materials like TCW Character Encyclopedia & Visual Guide: New Battlefronts provide additional information suggesting that Kalevala has exclusive goods that  are suitable for export and may positively influence the economy of the planet. Like:

rich cloth

an expensive wine (seen in Voyage of Temptation [s02e13] and maybe it’s what Satine drank in “Corruption” [s03e05]) and

luxury liner(s) like Coronet. In other words, I think TCW and tie-in materials imply that Kalevala produces diversified goods that probably power the economy in a visible way. Of course, we don’t know how much Kalevala is dependent on food supplies from other planet(s) or how much suffered during cutting off Mandalore system from trade routes, but if there is expensive wine, shouldn’t that means there is also some sort of plantation that provides the necessary ingredients for production, to make the wine unique on the galactic market?

Of course, the limited amount of information only allows to draw some basic conjectures. Right now for me Kalevala seems to be the most economical prospering place of all three. At least to Clone Wars.