#darth vader: imperial machine

[laysidel-dekie]

Ok, so I was reading the Darth Vader comic series. Vader first mission after Mustafar is to get a new kyber crystal for his lightsaber defeating a jedi. He is successful, and now he has to make it ‘bleed’ to use it.

This is the image the crystal uses to ‘tempt’ Vader back to the light side, not his dead wife, not his unburned body, but Anakin removing his helmet and getting on his knees before Obi-Wan, his old Master, his father, his brother, his everything, the man that has left him to burn alive not too long ago, and he says please—

I don’t feel well.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Kinktober day 11

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader + outdoors/public

How are yall spending your weekend? Im gonna spend it doing absolutely nothing, i hope. This kinda goes along with the vader prompt from last year, which you can read here. But it can still be read as a stand-alone, i think?

this has some dom/sub vibes between the reader and Vader, that just came as i wrote this. enjoy.

2024 kinktober masterlist

Being Darth Vader’s imperial officer came with its benefits and drawbacks. Being so clearly marked as Vader’s, in a special uniform that fit his colour scheme awoke fear in those around you, and garnered you much respect. It also meant you didn’t have to fear your superior in the same way, especially after you had started frequenting his quarters so he could “make sure your uniform was up to code”.

Most times it ended with you on your knees with him in your mouth, but on days where his pains were at the worst, Lord Vader simply used the force to have his way with you instead. You couldn’t see his face, and there was little chance you ever would, but you had a feeling he was smiling. At least a little, as you writhed and gasped on the cold metal floors of his chambers, as he played you like the little tool you were to him.

Sith did not love, it was not in their nature. But Vader could admit he was at least… fond of you. it was not in the same way he felt about Padme, no one could be Padme. But you were different in your own way. You didn’t fear him the same way as everyone else. You did fear him, everyone did, but it had a layer of respect in it that he hadn’t felt since he was Anakin Skywalker.

Your loud dreams about both Vader and Skywalker also helped with that, as Vader worked to slowly push the thoughts of Anakin out and replace them with only himself. It did feel nice to sometimes take the form of Anakin in your dreams, just so you could fuck him for once, since that wasn’t possible after he became more machine than man.

But being Vader’s own personal imperial officer, his “pet” as some whispered around the ship or death star, also came with the benefit that nobody dared question you. Or rather, nobody dared question Lord Vader. Which was why nobody questioned your position at his feet as he stood, staring out into hyperspace.

The few working around the bridge dared barely look in your direction, most fearing the powers of the force. Most knew little about the force, only that it was a power that made a being able to do things that should only be possible by gods. And the empire had made sure to scrub away what little knowledge there was. This resulted in most thinking that Vader always knew what they were thinking. He could, if he wanted too, and did most days. But with you at his feet there were more interesting things to focus on.

You had been ordered to stay quiet as you rubbed against his boot, feeling the unforgiving nature of his metal limbs against where you were most sensitive. Your uniform was pristine as always, not even allowed to have a single stitching out of place. That would be insulting to your lord you know, to walk around in such a special uniform and look dirty or disorganized.

But it was so hard to keep your face blank and your voice silent as you felt the force tighten around your base again, putting a stop to the orgasm that had been bubbling for what must have been the tenth time. At least, you thought so, maybe you had lost track.

The whine that was bubbling up in your throat was cut up with a familiar pressure, the minimal creak of Vader’s gloved hand telling you that he was using the force to quiet you. He had never choked you to near death, but he liked to remind you that he could. Vader could do anything to you, and at this point, after serving him for so long, you had a feeling you would let him.

As if he could sense your thoughts, which he most likely could, the squeezing around your throat and shaft lessened. It was still there, like an ever-constant reminder that he could snap your neck if he so wanted, but it only served to make your blood rush faster.

It was a little messy that your body had learned to become aroused by his threats, or perhaps promises, that he could kill you if he so pleased. About Vader’s absolute power over you, and anyone under his rule. The emperor may be the one at the top, but to you, Vader was the greatest.

The minimal hitch in his rhythmic breath made you shudder. He had liked those thoughts. It was only your amount of experience that you knew that, having had to learn what every minimal hitch of breath, curl of a finger, or turn of his helmet covered head meant. But it felt so rewarding now, to be the only one able to pick such things up.

There was a press against your prostate, an invisible force that you now knew was the force. Lord Vader had clearly been pleased with your opinion of him, rewarding you by rubbing that one place inside you that you didn’t touch yourself anymore, after Vader had ordered you not too.

It made a shuddering soft gasp leave you, causing an immediate flash of shame and panic to fill your chest. Lord Vader had told you to be quiet, and yet you had gasped, loud enough for those sitting by the panels closest dared peak over, before immediately looking away in fear once more.

You could feel tears gather in your eyes. You must have disappointed Lord Vader so much, you couldn’t even follow a simple order. The thought of his punishments made you want to grovel for forgiveness. Vader didn’t punish you in ways he punished others, there was no fear of death, but feeling him torture your prostate or cock from the other side of the ship, sometimes made you wish it was death.

For Vader didn’t do punishments lightly, small things like uniform irregularities had you edged till you sobbed. Or when he wasn’t in incredible pain, Vader found it fun to put you over his knee, letting his heavy metal hand spank you. Feeling his ungloved hand honestly always felt hotter than seeing his cock, like you were feeling and witnessing so far beyond your league that you could never dare try to put it into words.

But instead of punishing you, Vader’s hand slowly raised and placed itself on the top of your head, knocking your hat to the floor with a soft noise. In the quiet room it felt loud, loud enough to make some of the other worker’s flinch. Lord Vader didn’t need to speak, his one action was enough for you to sigh in relief. He was feeling forgiving today, he wouldn’t punish you for your small mishap. For now, at least.

You could hear his voice in your head, making you almost jolt. It was strange to get used too, to hear him through your mind and not your ears, but you understood it. Lord Vader couldn’t be caught speaking to anybody he didn’t need to speak too, so it always felt more intimate when he spoke to you this way. When he praised you or scolded you, like the pet you were.

His rumbled deep words had your neck straightening, as you moved your hips more insistently against his boots. You knew you would have to shine them later, most likely with your tongue, but that was fine too, you didn’t mind. Instead, you struggled to keep yourself quiet as Vader used the force to stimulate you further, almost cruelly forcing you over the edge as you gripped his leg, shaking all over as you were finally allowed to finish.

The heavy gloved hand on top of your head was all the comfort you got, at least in the eyes of the others there. Nobody could see how the force slowly rubbed your limbs and ran across your brain like a comforting cold cloth. Times like these reminded you that Lord Vader could be kind, in his own way at least, and to you.

It made it easier to pick up your hat again and rise to your feet, acting like nothing was happening as a small twitch of Vader’s hand had the creases in your uniform smoothing out. You could see the nearby workers blushing as you put your hat back on and took your dutiful spot behind Vader. Never beside him, and never in front of him, but behind him like the loyal pet that they all whispered you were.

And maybe you were a pet, all Vader had to do was tell you to bark. And bark you would, until your throat was raw, and your lungs collapsed. Because Vader was all you had, and something told you, that you were all he had in return.

[kitkatt0430]

Star Wars Rebels fanfic idea keeps spinning in the back of my head, so I may wind up writing something for that eventually.

The idea?

After the Seige of Lasan turned into a massacre, in canon Kallus basically doubles down on believing in the Empire because he has to or else his self image of himself as a good, honorable man falls apart. But his feelings of guilt over it were what let Zeb get through to him years later and accidentally knock over the dominoes that directly led to Kallus becoming Fulcrum.

So what if he had his crisis of conscience earlier. In the wake of the massacre of Lasan, Kallus starts asking questions and he learns this is far from the first genocide the Empire had perpetrated since it's inception. It was, arguably, founded on genocide - the Jedi, the Clone Troopers, the Kaminoans, the Caamasi, and several others. All within the first year of the Empire's founding. The more he digs, the more he finds, and while he doesn't trust the Rebellion because a.) it's a bunch of disparate groups at the moment and b.) Saw Gerrera's treatment of his platoon at Onderon was incredibly fucked up... he knows he has to do something.

Fast forward to the start of the Rebels canon. There's significantly more sympathy to the Rebellion and there are more rebel cells out there, some that have already been forming alliances between sectors though the tendency towards insular thinking is still hampering the creation of a wider Rebel Alliance. The increased Rebel sympathies, even within the Imperial Navy itself, is in part due to an enigmatic broadcast that hijacks Imperial frequencies and civilian frequencies alike. Calling itself the Genocide Report, it has inundated the Empire with top secret details of the decisions behind countless genocides. Notable exceptions being some of the ones that happened in the first year of the Empire's rise. Presumably because so many details, and thus actual proof, has been lost.

The Imperial propoganda machine works hard to dismiss the Genocide Watch as nothing more than conspiracy theories and lies, but the more it reports... and the more those reports can be verified, the more people believe in the facts it presents. It is a major thorn in the Empire's side.

Many Imperial Agents have tried to track down the person - or persons, most believe there's a rebel cell or network of cells behind the propaganda - behind the Genocide Watch. Including Agent Kallus. But, of course, none have succeeded and eventually all get reassigned elsewhere.

And of course the reason no one has found the network behind the Genocide Watch is because it's actually two people. Alexsandr Kallus and a hacker he recruited. Alex finds the information and creates the broadcast information. Formats it in a way to make it both easy to understand while still presenting the facts, then passes it on to his hacker contact who then disseminates the information on their own schedule.

He's gotten away with it for so long that he's honestly shocked he hasn't been caught yet and he's still trying to get info on the Jedi massacre as his final report before he gets the hell out of the Empire and either finally joins a rebel cell (if any would take an ex-Imperial like him) or get somewhere far, far out of the way in the Outer Rim.

Which is what's going on with him when he's sent out to the Lothal sector and comes into contact with the Ghost's crew... right as Kanan reveals himself as a Jedi and takes Ezra as his padawan. This brings in the Inquisitors and Darth Vader, giving Kallus the excuse he needs to request access to the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant in order to gather information on Kanan Jarrus' past... and thus putting him in position of identifying both Darth Vader's true identity and answering the biggest unknown of the Clone Wars - who was the Sith Lord behind both sides of the conflict?

It'd weave in and out of canon - I really like the idea of Kanan finding out Kallus isn't exactly a loyal officer when Kallus kills an Inquisitor to stop Kanan from being tortured. Whether that would actually work in the actual fic (if it ever gets written)... who knows? But the main thrust of the story would be Kallus finally getting close to the answers to questions he started asking after Lasan, yet at the same time his position is getting increasingly precarious as his sympathies to the Ghost's crew continues to grow to the point he's taking risks for them he knows he shouldn't. Not if he wants to keep suspicion off himself and protect the hacker half of the Genocide Report.

[lilacprose]

𝚖𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 // 𝚖𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 | 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚟𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

summary; Darth Vader arrives to a rainy planet in search of Jedi knights. The hunt does not go as swiftly as he hopes and instead becomes haunted by old ghosts and shadows. word count; 2,573 words a/n; Originally posted on ao3, but decided to post it on Tumblr as well. Hope the crowd likes it! content includes; Intense fight scenes, anxiety/panic attacks.

misc; read on ao3 • fic trailer • fic gifet • askbox

I am what remains

Darth Vader’s steps leave a trail of lifeless bodies. This place was a wasteland of a planet that seemed to have rain as its inner core. Mist fogs up his field of vision, and rain droplets tap his helmet. The crescent moon casts a marine shade over him as he treads through humid, foggy terrain. Just merely minutes before, he wiped out an entire village of Jedi hiding in tents and covering themselves from the rain. Jedi campfires flickered in the distance. They took no notice of the Imperial ships that deftly touched ground or when a sudden gust of wind snuffed out their only source of light. He had stood so close to them for a fleeting moment, listening to their breaths and their whispers. It was the wind; it was the rain; it was nothing. There was nothing to worry about—until he activated the breathing mechanism, and they all screamed in darkness. With his lightsaber ignited, he slaughtered every one of them as a sea of stormtroopers emerged from their hiding places and joined him. Fire strobed in the night, flashes of red going through body after body of man, woman, and child. They didn’t stop until the last severed limb fell to the ground. Stormtroopers split up to look for other scattered Jedi. He would usually let them do the rest. He had done what he was made to do. His mere presence on the planet was enough. Word will spread that the Empire is here. They will all try to run, but soon learn that it is useless. Years have gone by, star systems have been overruled until nothing but cataclysmic rubble remained. There is a mark in the universe in the shape of his silhouette, and the sound of his breath resonates in the black emptiness of the galaxy. The legend of the dark lord has come to be more terrifying than the man. He is the name that breathes in fear and exhales demise. Just as it does now. Always has and always will. Here, in the rain, on a planet left to be barren by his cybernetic hand. 

His heart pounds in his chest still. It was something he noticed happening more regularly. Fatigue becoming a more frequent occurrence. A racing heart, a heavier head, and a blinding field of vision. He can feel the aging of the body now more than ever. But he can never allow himself to admit that. He raises his chin to gaze higher over the horizon before him so that those thoughts may never reach his head. He listens for the troopers in the distance, blasters firing off. His heart rate starts to slow down, following the steady rhythm of his breathing mechanism. It is the only constant he finds himself leaning on after all these years. The machine grounds him. It is a ticking metronome that keeps him in line with where he needs to go. Always looking forward, never back. A consistent march onwards, onwards, onwards—

Crack. 

He halts. Scans the surroundings. Turns around slowly. Somebody is watching, and he knows it, but the data inside his helmet shows no form of life before him. A presence, a crack, in the force. He grazes the top of his lightsaber on his belt and looks behind him. Between trees, far into the horizon where illuminated clouds meet the soil. 

A hooded cloak. 

A man. 

One of them. 

He grunts and turns around. The black cloak floats in the air as Vader rushes toward him. His towering stature leaves no room for stealth. Not that stealth is of any priority now. He wants the person to see his helmet reflect the moonlight. He wants to be seen . He wants them to be afraid . They will all know that Darth Vader is coming once they see that sliver of red in the darkness. And he will come forth with no hesitation or mercy. 

He’s not far now. The cloak is there, swaying in the distance.

Are you what remains? 

His cloak is there, swaying in the distance.

The wind gushes and howls. Or perhaps it is the machine keeping him alive that he hears. He’s not sure and can’t be bothered to tell. The two sounds merge into a long, sustained pulse that rings in his ears. He sees the blue moon reflect in his helmet. He knows that wherever he goes, Vader’s black armored shadow will follow him. Sometimes he stops and doesn’t move – not a single muscle, without a twitch to be seen on his shadowed face – just to taunt him. He stands there, only a few heavy steps away, the hood of his dark robes pulled over his head. Waiting, listening, observing. He knows it will drive Vader to the precipice of madness, charge him to attack. The mechanical breathing grows louder as Vader marches towards him. He crosses his arms, closes his eyes, and reaches into the Force, but he doesn’t have to. Because it doesn’t take a cosmic force for him to know the excruciating pain Vader is in. Each heavy step digs the steel prosthetics deeper and deeper into the charred flesh. There is a dark field surrounding Vader as he moves. Thick and black, like the fuel for a Star Destroyer. He feels it all. The pain, the hurt, the ever-darkening rage. Reflected in his own bones. Remnants of Mustafar. 

Obsidian riverbanks flash before his eyes, and for a brief second, his lungs fill with volcanic ash, only to be replaced by the earthy scent of rain just as fast. He tilts his head as he looks at Vader who has stopped yet again. He looks around him as if something were to appear at any given moment.

Not just yet.

There is something that echoes between the trees. Echoes interspersed with the high-pitched noise in his ears. Repeating over and over as Vader starts to walk away from him. The ringing starts to take shape and reverberates in his mind: 

Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.  Died with the birth of Vader.  Left here is only Vader.  

If he could he would let out a laugh that would startle the machine. 

But he doesn’t. Instead, he takes a quick turn behind a tree, hears how Vader halts, and frantically searches for him. He moves with the grace of a phantom and walks so lightly that no sound is made. 

He’s behind him now. Vader’s gloved cybernetics tightly grasp the base of his lightsaber. Glowing red and aiming at air. Vader’s shoulders heave in frustration. He begins to see his own hooded reflection in the back of the helmet the closer he gets to Vader. The scar over his eye burns. A sensation deep in the pit of his stomach. For a second, he doesn’t realize what it is. It’s the wind; it’s the machine; it’s a voice. Something slithers up his leg as it whispers to him. He throws a glance at his leg, seeing nothing but hearing a voice he can’t tell from Vader’s or his own.

Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.

He glances back at his reflection in the helmet, and it dawns on him that it’s the shadow of the dragon that he hears. Crawling up Vader’s arm, digging its claws into his lungs, huffing old words back to his covered ears—

Suddenly, Vader turns around. The red blade points at his neck. 

He chuckles.

I will destroy you!

The lightsaber is lifted to the Jedi’s neck, but he doesn’t move. Only a chuckle escapes him. The blade casts a light on his lower face. The man stands before death, yet he is unfazed. His lips don't tremble like the others. Vader moves the blade closer. He reaches deep into the Force to see who the man before him is, but feels only the complete absence of light within him. This isn’t the light energy of the Jedi. It is something far darker. 

Still not flinching, the other senses what Vader is doing. He, too, reaches into the depths of the Force. Vader feels his parasitical presence inside his mind. A single image is placed in his central vision.

Padmé.

Vader yells and strikes a blow at him with his lightsaber. The other responds just as fast. His blade emits an eerily familiar shade of maroon. Vader's breath is heavy; the other’s lips are sealed tightly, and his breathing is controlled, almost like he isn't breathing at all. They stand still in mirrored positions. Lightsabers raised and touching, with red sparks falling like the mist around them.

At the same time, they slowly lower their weapons. 

Vader keeps a close eye on the other’s hands; the still-ignited blade points towards the ground as his hands move to take down the hood. He drops his cloak on the ground. Rain droplets hitting dark leather sound between his own breaths. There is no other movement, not a flinch—only a mere coldness in his gaze and the traces of a scar across one eye. The longer Vader looks, the more he notices how his eyes slowly turn a deep red. 

Still, the other made no movement, as if the rain had frozen him. A furrow grows behind the mask. Surely this is a trick. It must be the fatigue. Imagination. Vader has not seen those robes since...

Since they burned with him. 

His hand does something it never does. He trembles, trembles, trembles as the other person slowly starts to walk, forcing him to step back. 

And Vader sees it now. 

Anakin before him.

You lack conviction

Anakin raises his lightsaber, and the sword clashes with Vader’s. Two maroon blades of equal speed light up the blue night. 

Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.

With one hand, Vader strikes Anakin down. Whoever is doing this to him will not have the upper hand. Vader is much stronger than any man; a dead one is nothing to him. A few strikes, and he can already feel his opponent weaken before him. Vader will destroy him.

But with the push of the force, Vader is suddenly thrust several feet back. Wet soil drags between gloved metal fingers. He breathes in as he rises and shrugs his shoulders as he exhales. Runs towards Anakin with a yell and his saber held high in the air.

Anakin’s arm is still extended as he watches Vader get up from the ground. A subconscious flick of the wrist spins the lightsaber in his cybernetic hand. It spins behind his back and in front of him, before it violently crashes into Vader’s. Anakin hammers at Vader’s lightsaber with heavy blows enough to separate cybernetics from flesh. Again and again. Vader fights back–oh, how hard he is trying. He towers over Anakin like he’s already won, but his body is a statue crumbling before him. Every red blow weakens him, sends him closer and closer to the ground.

The base of his lightsaber is grasped tightly with both hands above his helmet.

Vader falls to his knees. 

And two lightsabers lower.

Anakin raises his chin and looks down at Vader. Through gritted teeth, he tells him to get up. The grip on Vader’s lightsaber loosens in his hand. He asks him again, but not as quietly as before. He yells with a thunderous tone that shakes the trees around them. 

Without hesitation, without mercy, the lightsaber swings and aims for the helmet.

Vader pulls the lightsaber in front of him before Anakin can hit him. It takes too much strength to hold Anakin back. Anakin is dead, Vader chants himself, so why has he now dropped to his knees? Why is he unable to move? Why has the lightsaber nearly fallen out of his hands when it has never done so before? Never in front of the thousands, millions of opponents that had faced him. 

It takes a ghost, a shadow swinging his blood-red lightsaber for Vader to lose his balance. A black shadow with the voice of a dead man. Burned to coal by the fires of Mustafar. 

But he is here. 

He is here now with a body untouched by fire. He sees the faces of a man and a child with age lines and battle scars. A river’s reflection of who he used to be, of who he is, of who he isn’t. Of who he was supposed to be had fire not consumed him.

Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.

Anakin never tires. He keeps his eye on the helmet. Harder, harder. The field of vision becomes broken and black edges form. The suit starts to fail him, bit by bit things start cracking. The metals and the obsidian made to protect him are faulting. His heart races, and the armor adjusts to it in vain. Hot flashes throughout his body and a single horrifying thought takes over his mind. 

The suit can’t keep him alive any longer. 

With a kick in the stomach, Anakin sends Vader to the ground. Crackling sparks emit from his chest plate. The green and red lights flicker. The breathing mechanism fractured. He lies on his back, his helmet cracked. Body paralyzed. Vader struggles to breathe. His heart pounds in his chest. And there is nothing but quiet. No stormtroopers. No blasters. No wind or rain or rustling trees. The silence sends him spiralling as slow footsteps approach his side. Lightsaber humming; lifting, lifting, lifting above his head. Darkness fills his vision. Only the line of the lightsaber illuminates the void. He shakes his head and all that comes out of him is a panicked no. Over again. No, no, no. This isn’t happening to him. Not to him, not by him.

Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.

Here now, here to end him—

Remains

His eyes flash open. He regulates his breathing. Tries to. Still fractured. Still paralyzed and unable to rise. Where is he now? His field of vision is a haze, unable to make out anything in the room or place he is in. Is this a hallucination inside the Bacta tank, a trick of the water making him see things? Or is he lying there, on a stretcher surrounded by surgical instruments attaching metal to bare flesh. It must be. It hurts . He flinches in an attempt to move away from the needles that sew him together. 

He wants out.

He wants away.

He wants to die.

Then – a sudden touch on his knee. A placed hand. He fails to make out a face in the darkness inside the helmet. But the hand, he recognizes. The hand that was once placed on his shoulder. After battle, in assurance.

“It’s all right, Anakin. Breathe. You’re safe now, my friend.”

The voice. It breaks him. The voice crashes over him, and he just... Can't . Can't stop the rapid flow of air through his lungs. Whatever remains of his vocal chords he had became shattered in screams that cut him up inside like crushed glass. And it’s the last thing he feels. Before the tears join the water that submerge him. Water that has him drowning in anaesthesia along with the memories of future and past. Nothing else matters but the present and where he's going. 

There he’ll awake, with a clear mind and clear direction. Black cloak drifting over his empire. This is what he wants. 

There he’ll stand, atop manmade planets surrounded by explosions of stardust. Breathing in power, exhaling out fear.

Mechanical mind, mechanical body.

[intermundia]

The office complex was one whole set, but the new part is much grayer than the brilliantly red office (top right, final frame). George mentioned to me that the color red has historically been used as a show of wealth and power. It used to be that only royalty could afford bright red clothing because the dyes were so expensive, hard to obtain, and labor intensive. It's also the color of primal rage. So you have a man with this internal rage—Chancellor Palpatine, aka Sith Lord Darth Sidious—but as his power grows the red fades out, and his world becomes gray. Hes becoming completely cold and mechanical, much like the Death Star. The passion goes away, and he achieves a sort of Zen-like evil.

fascinating to know that the degree to which the aesthetic design of the prequels was deeply intentional and filled with storytelling. so much of the emotional story is generated and guided by the visual impact of the film, and the shift from royal crimson to imperial gray, mirroring sidious's journey from a leader of the republic to emperor, and his passionate rage passing away as he gained absolute power, just as vader becomes more machine than man... it's perfect.

[sethnakht]

fic recs feat. darth vader

Back in the day, I posted a list of fics (centered on the character of Darth Vader, in relation to Leia in particular) that left a strong impression on me as a reader. As part of a 2023 resolution to ease back into active reading, I wanted to shout out some newer stories that have equally grabbed my imagination. Like the original list, these stories are focused on Vader, especially if not exclusively in dialogue with Leia.

For context, I look for stories that grapple with the suit, with its effects, so you can expect medical and psychological horror as a theme. I also really like the kinds of horror stories you can tell with a character like Vader: I'm drawn to stories abounding with ghosts and gore. tl;dr - you can expect graphic depictions of violence and body horror, and please heed the tags on the fics themselves.

✦ appenza, multi-chapter wip by zinoviev, darth vader & leia organa, leia organa & luke skywalker

As a girl, Leia always dreamed of the stars. She had two passions: to become a pilot and to make the galaxy a better place. On her sixteenth birthday, she ran away from home to do what she thought was right. Two years later, she is a stellar recruit at an Imperial flight academy when an unwanted foe takes interest in her: Darth Vader.

Leia's characterization takes a stark departure here from the norm - she's alienated from her family and role on Alderaan, and has run away to become a pilot - offering a fresh and bold perspective on the AU scenario where Vader discovers her before Luke.

✦ divine comedy, multi-chapter wip by frodogenic, darth sidious & ghost!padmé amidala

Palpatine knows exactly how Padme Amidala died-trying to save her fool of a husband. What he can't understand is why she won't stop trying... Canon-compliant multi-chapter fic, spanning ROTS to ROTJ.

Padmé lives on a ghost, but only Palpatine can see her. Banger of a set up, and I love how this story is told from his perspective, slippery and odious; the cunning displayed by both as they make competing bets on Anakin’s fate.

✦ greater intrepidity than I could behold myself, orphaned oneshot, leia organa & darth vader

A towering, sinister shape in all black trudges into view. The sight of it is a confusing clash of associations as she and the creature try to identify it, an amalgamation of man-machine-beast. Its loud respiration cycles send chills down her spine. It is the center of the abnormality, she realizes.

In a dream that is also an allegory, Leia enters the mind of a red-eyed animal drawn by gnawing hunger into Vader’s presence. Sharp, visceral writing.

✦ heartstrings, completed multi-chapter genfic by severnlight, darth vader & leia organa 

Forced to deliver a mysterious message, Princess Leia suddenly finds herself on a quest to chase ephemera alongside Darth Vader. Things wouldn't be so bad if he only acted like himself.

Fantastical, atmospheric variation on the AU scenario where Leia’s parentage is revealed to Vader before their relationship is irretrievably soured on the Death Star. 

✦ in the deep and perfect dark, completed multi-chapter slashfic by qqueenofhades, darth vader/obi-wan kenobi

Obi-Wan considers cursing at it, or shouting at it, neither of which would do the least amount of good. Droids are nothing more than the reflection of their makers’ wishes and intentions; if this one has been designed to sit back and watch him suffer, that is not its fault but those who ordered it to do so. No machine can replicate the simple, spontaneous hatred and cruelty of an organic being ...

AU from the Kenobi show. I came to this by chance and am glad I took the plunge; there are scenes that continue to present themselves to me vividly weeks later, thanks to evocative writing.

✦ madhouse promenade, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader/ghost!padmé amidala

In a bid to save his new apprentice's life, Darth Sidious siphoned the life force from Padmé Amidala, ultimately killing her. Ten years later, after finding out the truth, Darth Vader finds himself haunted by her ghost, and Padmé finds herself face-to-face with what her husband has become.

It's a thankless task to try and explain why this hits so hard, in multiple registers; the premise is gruesome, hilarious, the scene gothic-romantic and post-apocalyptic, the characters melancholy, bitter, unleashed, and cruel, somehow also at their best.

✦ more to me, and more in my mediations, multi-chapter wip by whetstonefires (Kieron_ODuibhir on AO3), darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

The threads of life he’d felt slipping away were clutched fiercely now, as though for the first time since the Emperor’s death—for the first time in Luke’s lifetime possibly—his father had a reason to survive.

It's never explicitly established in ROTJ whether Vader picked up that Luke's sister was Leia or merely called the word, the feeling from his mind; this story launches from the premise that he was going to die in ignorance, and that learning Leia is his daughter gives him a reason to hold on, to actively atone. There's tremendous humor and sadness and discomfort here; Vader is at once pitiable and impossible to pity, and Leia's perspective gives room for many shades of ambivalence to fester and bloom.

✦ mythology, multi-story series by husborth, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker, darth vader & obi-wan kenobi

In a universe where Darth Vader uncovered his lost twins and raised them in the heart of the Empire, Luke more-or-less accidentally instigates the most painful family reunion the galaxy has ever seen.

I'm desperate for this series to continue, for more of this particular Vader, this Leia, this Luke, and this Obi-Wan - all flawed, all hurting, all slowly beginning to heal.

✦ nameless, on the edge of nowhere, multi-chapter wip by ambivalent-cosmos (Taxonamie on AO3), darth vader & leia organa

Commander Luke Skywalker is MIA. Darth Vader is MIA. Rebel command has hopes, and they have fears, and the wrong ones will come true. Alone in a big bad galaxy, what will Anakin Skywalker do to find his son? Whatever he has to, including walk the razor's edge of tentative alliance with the Rebels who would be happy to spit on his corpse. Free from all Masters, can Anakin learn who he wants to be, at last?

Vader survives the second Death Star with no inkling that his daughter is Leia; separated from Luke during a hurried last-second escape, he ends up having to fend for himself, half-dead and without his suit, to the point of negotiating with the Alliance on his own. There's splendid tension here from the fact that Leia knows more than he does; even exposed as an invalid, on hunger strike, and at a knowledge disadvantage, Vader remains palpably dangerous, volatile, compelling.

✦ notes from the dark side of the moon, completed one-shot by amylion, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

When suddenly some of the rich and powerful of the galaxy begin to disappear and later turn up dead on a consistent basis, it worries both the Empire and the Alliance enough to open up an investigation. Only half-heartedly though, because there's also the matter of the war to distract them. That is, until Darth Vader disappears...

I love this set-up: Vader, deprived of his mask and further neutralized with Force binders, ends up shut up in a prison cell with Leia, and she can't begin to guess as to why.

✦ order carnivora, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader & leia organa

In a universe where Leia is told the truth of her biological parentage as a child, she makes a deal to save the galaxy from certain destruction; she'll surrender herself to Vader if he'll destroy the Death Star. Between the galaxy and what he wants, there's only one choice Vader always makes.

Leia saves herself from torture on the Death Star by revealing her parentage to Vader - the trope feels fresh in this giddy, wild ride of a take. Vader is as insane, Leia as exasperated, foul-mouthed, and unpredictable as one might hope.

✦ red meat, short stories by husborth, darth vader & darth sidious

A collection of short stories about Darth Vader and the Emperor, and the absolute vile nonsense evil wizards do in their spare time.

It feels pointless to try and describe what is best experienced for oneself - the superlative character study, more wickedly imaginative and gloriously unhinged than anything the official canon-makers could even dream of producing. NB. - dead dove, do not eat

✦ the good he seeks, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader & luke skywalker

After killing the Emperor, Darth Vader agreed to serve the fledgling New Republic and destroy the last true-believers of the Empire he had once helped create. But he's living on borrowed time.

Images from this story haunt my waking hours; husborth's command of language and gift for building scenes of ruin and devastation into which love and humor nevertheless shine - leave me speechless. One of my absolute favorites.

✦ this place loves what it eats, multi-chapter wip by roadtripexpert, darth vader & leia organa

What could be called but isn’t death, or Leia Organa doesn't kill the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker.

Leia, not Palpatine, is the one who retrieves Vader from the banks of Mustafar, in this feverish, lyrical, astonishing time-travel AU.

✦ twin suns at the door of night, multi-chapter wip by achrmy, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

In the ruins of Polis Massa Medical Facility Vader finds the memory bank of a midwife droid, and within…multiple revelations. Luke Skywalker has a vision of Vader in an unimaginable state, engulfed in flames, hunted…and vulnerable. An alternate universe story, beginning from Darth Vader 2020 #5

AU of the ongoing comic series, set after Vader is brutally punished by the Emperor for failing to capture Luke at Bespin. Enjoyed this both as a commentary on the comic and as a standalone adventure story.

✦ wastelands, completed multi-chapter genfic by mistress_siana, ghost!darth vader & leia organa

When Leia’s ship crashes, she’s faced with a choice: die, or accept help from a Force ghost who used to be good at fixing things.

Vivid reimagining of the trope where Anakin's ghost helps Leia survive a crash. There's a toxic cloud, "pulsating green" on the horizon, that I've not been able to forget months after first reading this.

✦ white orchid, multi-chapter, multi-fic wip by husborth and whetstonefires (Kieron_ODuibhir on AO3), darth vader & leia organa

Emperor Palpatine dies unexpectedly a year before the Death Star would be deemed operational. His heir apparent, Darth Vader, startles the galaxy by passing up the throne, and then passing it on to the newly-elected Senator of Alderaan, Leia Organa, after the Force leads him to directly to her. The new Empress inherits a terrorized galaxy, a broken Empire to tear down from the inside, and the weirdest second-in-command anyone can imagine.

See also this glorious illustration by symeona. The story that got me to start reading here again, replete with ironies and delights like a murderous garden and a palace designed to be impassable.

[ladyphlogiston]

Turning Hearts

Star Wars fanfic, set at the end of Empire Strikes Back (picks up in the middle of Luke's fight with Vader). Gen, canon-typical violence.

This is the unedited version. Someday I will finish it and then my husband will edit it for me and it will be much better. You have been warned.

-----

"Luke.  You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this.  It is your destiny.  Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.  Come with me.  It is the only way."

Luke grimaced. In the Force, he could feel the truth: this was his father. His offer was not a trick. The pain and longing he felt were real.

But overwhelming the sadness, eclipsing it and blocking it out, was the sticky black anger of the Dark Side, waiting to rend him apart. Luke tightened his grip on the gantry, his hand sticky with blood. Surely anything would be better than that.

The wind picked up, causing the gantry to sway and creak, as if all of Cloud City was falling apart. Luke had come to rescue his friends, and walked straight into a trap. The city would be destroyed, and it was his fault.

It was probably too late for Luke, but perhaps he could still rescue his friends. He swallowed. 

"If I come with you, will you let my friends go?" he asked. 

Darth Vader lowered his hand. "I will." 

"And Han. Will you get him away from that bounty hunter?" 

"I will." 

"And..." Luke swallowed again, trying to think clearly, to sense the Force above the pain. "And will I be required to use the Dark Side?" 

Darth Vader stared down at him, motionless. The mask gave nothing away. "We will discuss the matter," he finally said.

Luke shut his eyes, then opened them again. Later. He could face his father's ways later. 

"Okay," he said. "Okay, I'll come with you."

The trip to Vader's ship was a blur. Luke was dizzy and in pain, and he focused on staying upright, putting one foot in front of the other. His father's arm came behind him, providing support and protection. It wasn't a real arm, and Luke was vividly aware of the steel and plastic pressed against his back, but he was grateful for the help. 

"Call off the pursuit," Luke heard his father say, "and withdraw from Cloud City. Send a squadron after the bounty hunter. I want Captain Solo brought to me, alive and unharmed."

"Should we compensate the bounty hunter?" asked a voice. 

"If necessary." 

"Yes, my Lord." 

"There is no one with me. I brought no one aboard," Vader added, and Luke heard or felt the resonance in the Force. It felt wrong, worse than when Obi-Wan had tricked the guards, but he was too dizzy to care.

"There is no one with you," the voice repeated.

Vader moved on, and Luke leaned on his arm and walked with him. His father was very tall. Uncle Owen had been taller than Luke too.

The lights changed, and Luke was settled onto a smooth bed. A medical droid whirred over him, and Luke shut his eyes and allowed the darkness to come.

---

When Luke woke up, a robotic hand had been attached to his arm. His arm ached, deeply, and the foreign weight seemed to pin his whole body to the bed.

Luke stared in horror at the machine attached to his arm. He tried to close his fingers into a fist, and the machine responded stiffly, as if it were copying him. He opened his fingers, and the fingers opened. Their reluctant mimicry seemed to mock him.

"We will have to look for a better one," said his father's voice.

Luke looked up and discovered that he was on a bed at one end of a large room. The shiny black walls seemed oppressive in their austerity, and the Force breathed black smoke around the bed. Darth Vader was sitting at a white table, a pile of datapads in front of him.

"A better one?" Luke echoed, puzzled.

"This is my personal medical droid. It is programmed to provide care only within certain parameters," Vader explained.

Luke sat up carefully. The room swam for a moment, but then righted itself. He shifted his aching arm and dropped the prosthetic hand into his lap. "I thought the Imperial Navy always had the best of everything," he objected.

"The Navy does have excellent medical droids, which we cannot use without betraying your presence on board. I do not wish to engage the Emperor any sooner than I must."

Luke furrowed his brow. Something wasn't adding up, but the pain in his arm made it hard to focus. "Won't the crew be loyal to you, Father?" he asked.

There was a long silence, broken only by the click and gasp of Vader's respirator.

"Why would anyone be loyal to the master's dog?" Vader asked. His voice sounded heavier than ever.

"But, you're...." Like trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words. He waved good hand vaguely, attempting to indicate Vader's power and strength.

This time the silence was even longer. "There are a thousand ways to be a slave," Vader finally said. His voice was almost soft. "Remember that, son."

Luke stared at him.

Vader clenched his fist and the table scraped against the floor. "Remember that!" he thundered.

"Okay, I'll remember," Luke snapped, frightened and confused.

Vader seemed satisfied, and Luke took a breath. His arm hurt. He looked again at the metal hand attached to it. The wiring was badly soldered in places, and he could see burrs and misalignments on the struts.

"I bet I can build a better hand than this one," he said aloud. "Or upgrade it. Do you have any tools on hand?"

---

"They've stopped shooting. Why would they stop shooting?" Lando asked, peering out the viewport.

"I don't know, but I'm not sticking around to find out!" Leia replied.

Chewie growled his assent, and a few moments later, the stars streaked into hyperspace. They all stayed alert, peering around for followers or more trouble, but none came. Slowly they began to relax.

"Where are we headed?" Lando asked.

Chewie indicated the control panel, and Leia leaned over to read it. "Kafrene," she reported. "It's a good place to lose any tails and pick up more information."

Lando nodded. "Good thinking, Chewie."

Leia folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the console. "It's a good place to find transportation, too. What are your plans?"

Lando shrugged. "Might as well visit the Banking Guild while I'm there; see if I can withdraw anything from my Imperial accounts before they're frozen. After that, I'm with you. We have to get Han back, and I don't believe in backing down from a fight."

"Well, don't hold your breath about your accounts," Leia replied, "But we would appreciate your help."

Lando smiled and bowed. "Glad to be of service."

They settled in. Chewie went to his bunk, and Leia sat down with a cup of caf. Lando had been winged in the firefight, so he got out the med kit and sat down at the table.

"So who was the kid?" Lando asked, examining the burn on his arm.

"Hmm?" Leia asked.

"The kid at the end. You called him Luke."

Leia nodded. "Luke is - was - a pilot with the Rebellion. He and Han were good friends. We weren't sure if he was alive, actually; we haven't heard from him for a couple of months."

Lando applied a bacta patch to his arm. "Well, seems likely he's dead now. Vader wanted him specially, didn't he?"

Leia hesitated, then sighed and nodded. "Yes. Have you heard of the Jedi?"

Lando looked up, puzzled. "Sure, I've heard some crazy stories. Not so many lately, of course."

"Well, apparently Luke had the potential to be a Jedi. I don't understand how it works, but I've seen him do some things....well, maybe it was true."

"Too bad he's gone. Sounds like he would have come in handy."

Leia smiled wanly. "He already had. And he had a good heart. I'll miss him."

Lando rolled down his sleeve and stood up to pour a cup of caf for himself. "Do you know where he's been? The past month or so, I mean. He must have heard about Han being captured somehow."

Leia looked puzzled. "I don't know. The other pilots said he had a personal stop, but we hadn't heard from him since. Maybe Lord Vader broadcast a message somehow?"

Lando frowned, leaning against the galley counter. "Not on any frequency I was monitoring, he didn't."

Leia got up and crossed to call into the cargo hold. "R2? Could you come up here?" she asked.

A few minutes later, R2-D2 entered, followed by C-3PO.

"Good evening, Your Highness, Your Lordship. I thought I had better come too, in case you needed me," he explained.

Leia smiled at him. "We may. We wanted to know where Luke has been, the last month or so. R2? You were with him."

R2-D2 whistled, and C-3PO said, "He says they were in the Dagobah system. How very curious."

"What was Luke doing in the Dagobah system?" Leia asked.

R2-D2 replied, and this time C-3PO turned to look sternly at the little droid. "What do you mean, floating rocks? Rocks don't float."

R2-D2 blatted back, and Leia intervened. "What did he say, 3PO?"

C-3PO turned back to her. "He says Master Luke was getting muddy and floating rocks, Your Highness. I'm afraid I don't understand what he's getting at."

"R2, was Luke's visit to Dagobah related to becoming a Jedi?" Leia tried.

R2-D2 beeped disparagingly, and C-3PO replied, "Always throwing themselves off things? Why would they do that? And when have you ever known a Jedi? Other than Master Obi-Wan, of course, and you know perfectly well he—"

R2-D2 blatted at C-3PO and rolled away. C-3PO followed him, still demanding that he explain himself.

Leia sighed. "Well, you know as much as I do. Once we get Han back, I might go to Dagobah myself and see if I can find out what Luke was up to."

---

Luke shakily exited the fresher, leaning heavily on the doorframe as he passed. His arm was throbbing with pain, and his whole body seemed to be throbbing in time with it. 

"Let me teach you the power of the Dark Side," his father suggested. "The Dark Side can take your pain from you, and turn it into power." 

"I don't want to use the Dark Side, Father," Luke replied firmly. 

Darth Vader was silent, except for the constant rhythm of his respirator. Eventually he admitted, "There is also a Light Side discipline which does much the same thing." 

"Can you teach me?" Luke asked, lowering himself carefully into the seat across the table from Vader. 

"I have not touched the Light Side in many years, my son." 

"I know that Father, but can't you tell me what to do?" Luke persisted.

The respirator cycled several times before Vader finally replied, "You focus on the Force, on its presence in you and around you. You breathe out your pain, and trust the Force to take it."

Luke closed his eyes, trying to meditate like Master Yoda had showed him. He hadn't been very good at it. Moving meditations were better, but the idea of moving his arm more than he had to made him feel sick.

The Force was dark and oppressive, feeding on his pain. Harsh laughter swirled through the mist, grating against his injury. 

Luke breathed out again. Focus on the presence of the Force. The Force was dark here. In acknowledging that, he realized he could also sense places the Force felt lighter. He focused on them, and tried to breathe out his pain as his father had instructed. 

It seemed to work for a moment, but then the mists came swirling back and he lost concentration. He opened his eyes. 

"It's too difficult," he complained. "The Force is too dark here." 

His father looked at him, then went back to his work.

Luke was still considering what to say next when the door chimed. Darth Vader raised a hand, and Luke found himself pushed across the room, and a partition wall slid down to hide him from view.

Luke heard the door open, and footsteps enter, then leave. His father's breathing was harsh in the silence, but there was another person breathing in the room. The Imperial officers had brought in a prisoner.

"Captain Solo," his father finally said, "I trust you are recovered from your ordeal?" 

"Fine," came Han's voice, full of spit and sarcasm, "I hear on Chandrila they charge hundreds of credits for that treatment."

"Indeed."

Heavy footsteps strode back and forth. 

"Have you any family, Captain Solo?" came Vader's voice. 

There were sounds of movement, as if Han were thrashing around, or maybe struggling to free himself. "If that's a threat, it won't work," he said scornfully. "If that's an attempt to question me....well, it still won't work."

"What can you tell me about Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Vader asked him. 

"Pretty sure that crazy old wizard let you kill him." 

Heavy footsteps paved again, faster this time.

"And what can you tell me about the Rebellion?" 

"They all do nothing but sit around and drink Bothan wine," Han shot back.

Footsteps strode to the door and opened it. "I have further use for Captain Solo," Vader said, "See that he is transported to the Ring of Kafrene and released there." 

"Yes, my Lord," came the Imperial officer's voice, and the footsteps returned and dragged Han out. 

The partition slid back into the wall, and Luke faced his father once more. "Thank you," he said.

---

Luke allowed his arm to drop, breathing hard. The droid insisted that exercising the new hand was important, but every movement made the pain in his arm spike through him, hot and fresh. It was leaving him light-headed.

He closed his eyes and once more tried to find the Force, to breathe out the pain. That wasn't getting any easier either. He was increasingly aware of the Dark Side, eager to take his pain, eager for him to use it. He ignored it. He was a Jedi.

A chime sounded, and a section of the wall parted and slid open, revealing a white pod around a steel seat. Darth Vader set aside his data pads and stood. The angle of his shoulders looked defeated for a moment, and then he straightened. 

Vader turned to regard Luke for a few minutes, then he called and lit his lightsaber and deliberately cut away a section of the wall bear the pod. He reached in and pulled out a large pouch, which he threw to Luke. 

"I am rarely given solid food," Vader explained. 

Luke clumsily caught the pouch and examined it. It turned out to be two pouches, linked together, each containing a liquid. He shrugged. "Can't be the worst thing I've ever eaten."

His father sat in the seat and allowed the pod to close around him. There was a series of mechanical hisses and clanks, and then the Force was filled with pain.

Luke winced. The Dark Side swept around him, stronger than ever, leaving impressions of his father's daily pain. His joints were sore from the heavy prosthetics. Raw places on his skin ached as ill-fitting couplings were withdrawn. His head was sore from the filtered light of the mask.

Shutting out the sensation as well as he could, Luke opened the first pouch. The clear liquid inside was sweet and salty, like the hydration fluids his Aunt Beru had mixed up before long trips into the desert. Luke drained the pouch dutifully.

The second pouch held a white liquid, and felt more filling in his stomach. Luke sipped it thoughtfully.

"This tastes a bit like blue milk," he commented. "It's not bad."

There was no answer, so Luke finished the white fluid quietly.

The lights dimmed shortly afterwards. There was no bed in his father's chambers, so Luke lay on the smooth surface of the operating table. The hand flopped awkwardly on the table next to him, and the pain shot up his arm.

Luke closed his eyes and tried to sleep. The pain in his arm was intolerable. He tried to breathe it out to the Force. It helped a little.

Luke wasn't sure how long he lay there, alternating between trying to sleep, trying to breathe out the pain, and perhaps dozing a little, before a hand touched his shoulder. He snapped awake, and saw his father standing next to him. The respirator seemed to echo in the darkness.

"What is it, Father?" he asked.

"Come. Be quiet," his father replied, and turned away, making for the door of the chambers.

Luke got up, using his good hand to support the prosthesis, and followed.

They walked through the hallways of the Star Destroyer. Many of the lights were dimmed for the night shift. Sometimes Darth Vader would pause before crossing a space or rounding a corner, and Luke felt shifts in the Force as he sent the guards away. No one saw them.

They arrived at a workshop. It was deserted, and the tools and supplies were neatly put away. Half-repaired droids sat in a row along one wall, and boxes of scrap and parts filled the shelves.

"Thanks," Luke whispered, grinning. He strode forward, tucked his prosthesis into his tunic for support, and began gathering the tools he would need.

Once he'd grabbed his tools, Luke sat down to take the prosthesis apart, and realized he couldn't do it with one hand. Almost before he'd realized it, his father's hands were there, helping him detach the hand and begin the disassembly.

Luke took a deep breath. This was nice. Being in a workshop was calming. The Force wasn't as oppressive here, and his father seemed a little calmer too.

"I figure we'll start by cleaning up the smaller rods, and maybe replacing the larger struts with a lighter material," Luke said. The hand was heavy, and reducing the weight would make it hurt less.

His father nodded. He raised his hand, calling grinding and burnishing tools to himself, and began methodically smoothing out each of the tiny bars. Luke used the Force to lift down a likely-looking box of scrap, and began rifling through it.

"What have you been working on, Father? On your datapads?" Luke asked quietly.

Vader took a moment to answer. "I have been considering our strategy," he said. "I do not yet see our way to victory. The Emperor is very powerful. He will be a formidable opponent."

Luke frowned. "Is there any way to get him to give you a better position? He thinks you're on his side, after all."

Vader's fingers tightened on a bar, and it bent out of shape. He threw it down and summoned a new one. "In the Dark Side, there is no loyalty and no sharing of power. There will be no peace until the Emperor is dead."

"Okay," Luke said. He picked up the deformed bar, tried and failed to straighten it, and placed it next to the other struts that needed replacement. He turned back to his scrap selection. "What about passing information to the Rebellion?" he asked, next time his father was between pieces. "I've run a few attacks with them. They could help. Maybe even kill him for us."

The next bar hit Vader's palm almost viciously. "I will kill him. I must," he replied.

Luke could sense his father's anger and frustration, so he left the topic. He took a deep breath and centered himself in the Force. It came easier now, after the last day of constant struggle to reach anything that wasn't the Dark Side. He breathed out his pain, trusting the Force to take it, and his arm stopped hurting. It was easier to think, here in the workshop.

He'd found replacement material for the struts, but it would need to be cut and shaped, and he still only had one hand. This was finer Force manipulation than he had done before, but there was lots of scrap. It wouldn't hurt to try.

He cut the first length of wire, and slowly worked on bending it to shape. The shape felt small and slippery in the Force, and it responded unpredictably. He cursed under his breath when it slipped from his grasp.

"Reach for the composition of the wire, not just for the shape. Look for the weaknesses," his father commented. Luke noticed his father was no longer putting off a maelstrom of dark emotions. The Force was fluttering around his father now, as if delighted to be back within touching distance.

Luke turned back to his scrap. He lifted it in his good hand, trying to focus on it. It still felt small and slippery in the Force. When he focused on the cut ends, he could sort of sense fluctuations around the shape, but reaching for the composition....it slipped out of his fingers and clattered on the table.

Luke pressed his lips together and tried again. He breathed out the pain in his arm, shunting it off to the Force and trusting the Force to heal and protect him. He focused on the metal in front of him, but it sat blank and inert in the Force. He could lift it, but not shape it.

This was pointless. Luke sat back and looked around, eager to think about something else. The parts of the prosthetic hand lay spread out on the table between them. "Once the linkages are clear, maybe we can find some more responsive servos to install," he commented.

His father indicated one of the broken droids sitting on the scrap shelf. "Try that MKX model. Their servos are consistently excellent."

Luke called the droid to himself and popped open the chassis. Much of the circuitry was fried or broken, but the servos and armature were largely intact. He began to pull it apart with his good hand and the Force.

"Have you done this to your arm?" Luke asked.

"No. There are chips in my prosthetics," his father replied.

Luke shook his head in commiseration. "Synthetic Rights Management is the bane of the galaxy."

Darth Vader's respirator hitched. "I think that's me."

Luke chuckled. "Well, okay, but SRM is up there. I could take a look, if you want, once I can work again. I'm pretty good at working around the SRM chips; I just have a good sense for what to do."

"Do you sense them with the Force?" Vader asked, surprised.

Luke hesitated. "Huh. Maybe? I didn't know about the Force when I started fixing droids, but it probably is the same."

"Indeed. Now try shaping that strut again; you must master fine Force manipulation. Clearly Obi-Wan did not teach you everything he should have."

---

The next day was a little easier. The Dark Side was still strong in Darth Vader's chambers, but the time spent in the workshop during the night seemed to have strengthened and steadied both of them. Luke even found that his arm was substantially less painful, and the smoother action of the prosthesis made his physical exercises easier.

Vader gave Luke a data pad, and he spent time on the holonet, catching up on the news he had missed during his time on Dagobah. He also spent time practicing fine manipulation with the Force, at his father's insistence.

His father had duties elsewhere in the ship, and when he returned to the room he was aching and tired. Luke encouraged him to eat and rest.

That night, they finished replacing the servos in Luke's hand, and Luke examined his father's prosthetics to see what he could do. The heavy, brutal construction left him frowning and worried, but he would have the next day to plan improvements.

---

Luke worked his way carefully through the linkages in his father's arm. The SRM chips were there, embedded in struts and circuitry. They smelled like death, and the Dark Side clung to them.

Luke reached for the Force around them, trying to direct the lighter Force in the workshop between himself and the toxic chips. He eased a wire away from the connecting module, and used the Force to lift an SRM chip free so the socket could be smoothed and polished.

The scarring on his father's shoulder was extensive, and the skin near the socket was raw and oozing. Luke wished they had some bacta.

"Father, could a proper hospital fix you?" he asked. "Even in the Rebellion, I've seen the medics do amazing things."

Darth Vader turned to look at Luke. "The Emperor does not allow me to be fully healed, my son. After he is dead, I will consider the matter."

"But why not try now? You shouldn't have to be in so much pain," Luke asked.

"Suffering is the power of the Dark Side," Vader intoned.

Luke rolled his eyes. "The Dark Side sucks."

The respirator cycled a few times before Vader added, "I cannot visit a hospital. There is nowhere I could go that would not turn me over to my Master, and he would punish me for my rebellion."

Luke grimaced. He didn't want to bring up the Rebellion at the moment, as the arm was at a rather delicate stage, and his father was right: there was nowhere else to go. He pushed his wish that his father could get better into the Force and kept working.

---

"Any luck with your accounts?" Leia asked, pouring herself a cup of caf.

"Not frozen, surprisingly," Lando responded. "I pulled out what I could without raising suspicion. I'll have to work on transferring the rest to some of my Outer Rim accounts - I'm sure the Empire will freeze them eventually."

"At least that's some good news," Leia responded.

"Yes." Lando took a sip of his caf. "So, Tatooine next?"

Leia nodded. "I'd like to stay here for another day or two - however long it takes to get a report from the Alliance High Command. We didn't have a secure comm connection while we flying, and I need to update them. But after that, Tatooine."

"Fine by me, Princess. I'll talk to a few people while we're here and see if I can get some fresh identities made up."

"Thank you."

Leia took a long drink of her own caf, aware of Lando's keen eyes on her. She wasn't really surprised when he finally spoke.

"So. You and Han?" he asked.

Leia blushed a little. "Yes. We - well, it's been a long time coming. And we were able to talk some, on the Falcon. I know it probably looks like it's just a fling..."

"Oh, it's not just a fling, I can tell you that," Lando interjected.

Leia looked up at him, puzzled.

Lando smiled a bit and leaned forward. "Do you know much about Wookie culture, Princess?"

Leia frowned. "A little, but mostly just from talking to Chewie on the Falcon. My Shriiwook isn't very good, but I'm learning."

"Wookie care very much about honor, Leia, and about fulfilling their debts," Lando explained. "Han saved Chewie's life, years ago, and in Chewie's mind, that's what he owes Han. When Han was threatened, his honor required that he fight to the death."

"But he didn't."

"He didn't, because Han told him to protect you. And Chewie accepted that. Because you are Han's life." Lando smirked at Leia's expression, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. "So no, it doesn't look like a fling."

Leia took a sip of caf, hoping to cover her confusion. "I guess we'd better get him back then," she finally said.

Lando's smirk broadened into a grin. "We'll wait for you to make your report, and then I guess we'd better."

---

The cockpit comm chimed, and Lando slapped the pickup button. "Who's talking?" he asked.

"That you, Lando? Might have known you'd take the opportunity to steal my ship," said Han's tired voice.

Lando sat up straight. "Han? Old buddy? Where are you? What can you tell me?

"Are you okay?" Leia asked, coming into the cockpit to join the call. Chewie growled behind her.

"I'm on Kafrene. They...they let me go? The Empire. I don't know why. I'm in a hostel called the Golden Coaster."

Leia and Lando exchanged looks. "Hang tight, Han, and we'll come get you," Lando replied.

"I don't know why they let me go. It could be a trap. I should meet you somewhere," Han replied.

"You sound exhausted, Han. You're probably still recovering from the carbonite. Stay there. We'll be careful," Leia promised.

"Better bring clothes," Han replied. "These might be bugged."

"We'll do that, and we'll take you to a clinic to get scanned for chips. It'll be fine, Han, don't worry so much," Lando told him.

Chewie growled again, and Han chuckled. "You're right, Chewie. I'll see you soon."

---

"Jabba's announced the course for the Boonta Eve Classic," Luke said, scanning the holonet news on his datapad. "It's a little shorter than usual this year, but that cut through the canyon looks tricky."

"I flew in the Boonta Eve Classic once," his father commented.

Luke looked up, puzzled. "But humans don't—Wait. You're *that* Skywalker? The one who won the Boonta Eve Classic ages ago?"

"Yes. I was nine."

Luke jumped to his feet. "I can't believe it! Jag Darklighter - my friend Biggs' father - he was there. He still has his ticket from that race. I must have heard about it a thousand times!

Luke sat down again, leaning forward. "So what really happened to your coupler in the last lap? People have been arguing for years."

"I cannot be certain," Vader admitted. "My podracer was largely built from scrap, but I thought that coupling was secure. I believe Sebulba sabotaged it."

"Ha!" Luke said, slapping the table. "I knew he had a squinty look. Biggs thought you'd misjudged a cut and damaged it."

"I definitely did not."

Luke grinned and leaned back, shaking his head. "I can't believe you won the Boonta Eve Classic. Obi-Wan never told me anything *important*!"

---

"Tell Jabba the Hutt that Anakin Skywalker wants to make a deal with him. If he'll provide the medical care I need to be fit to fly again, I'll fly for him in the Boonta Eve Classic. He lost a lot of money when I won, thirty years ago, and now he'll have the chance to make it all back. I've transferred ten thousand credits to his holdings, as a sign of good faith."

Darth Vader ended the holo message. It would work or it wouldn't. But Luke wanted him to be well, and the Force was with him.

[madamealys]

Imagine Lord Vader tempts you. (+21)

Warnings: unburnt Vader.

(I)

***

You have managed to become friends with the dark lord, this Sith man by whom looked as more a machine creature than human being. You’ve managed to bond with a cold, heartless former Jedi, whose path to power is bloody.

What is more: Lord Vader is infatuated by this sweet innocent, naive even, woman who manages to make him laugh with terrible jokes, whose service to the Empire is deprived of ambition—you need to pay your bills, you are a regular woman.

Unlike his former associations, you do not judge him by who he was, nor who he is now. You partially fear him, but this is more prudence than properly fear in itself.

But as time goes by, Vader begins to see you as something else. He notices the clothes you dress reinforce your curves. He never noticed a simple black shirt would make him realize you have good and firm breasts. That the jeans you wear is slightly loose in your waist… and when he spotted you on your knees, he thinks he saw you wearing that kind of undergarment that… well, he has no words to put it.

When night comes in, he is reminded that he is a man with natural desires. He thought he’d long overcome these, for since Padmé died all that was his followed her to the grave.

This night, however, all he can think of is the possibility of having you naked. Would you command him with your well shaped thighs, ride his cock? Or would you prefer to be under his ways? Would you take his cock to your mouth, swallowing all?

The idea of corrupting you, of making you cry out his name—makes him release the pressure himself. This night he jerks at the many possibilities, all of which involving you, of not being alone anymore.

A question remains, though: how will he get you to his bed? He cannot take you for granted. And regardless who he is and what kind of reputation he lives for, Vader is no disrespectful man.

But he waits.

He is patient.

***

There is a feast this evening and you are surprised to have been invited to take part of the imperial banquet since you are a common woman who doesn’t possess much to be counted as elite.

Nevertheless, you have in mind he will be there, and moved by it, you opt to dress your best clothes. Whilst your conscience admonishes you for thinking of your friend in other shades, you want to be seen as something else than the “clean lady” who is held in high esteem by the most feared man of the galaxy.

Perhaps you are being bold, but you end up dressing a simple, long gown that, however, has a way to show your thigh and reinforces your curves. It may show your collarbone, disguising not very well your nipples. You take pride of your pride when seeing your reflection.

You do well in remember of wearing the jewelry he gifted you on your birthday. And letting your y/c hair loose, you are ready to go.

Every pride dies when you see this handsome, devilish man standing tall, looking bored as if he wishes he is anywhere but there. You forget how to breathe, though, when he senses your presence.

And when his flaring gaze meets yours, a shiver runs down at your spine. Regret almost instantly seizes your conscience. Perhaps you shouldn’t dress that indencently, perhaps…

“You are looking beautiful, Y/Nickname”, he says in his risky voice, looking up and down at you with no effort in disguising his approval, which makes you uncomfortably wet in between your legs.

“My lord”, you greet him rather shyly.

“Lord?”, you spot amusement behind his flaring eyes, yellow as sun, inviting to burn. “We’ve past formalities, my dear. I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

You notice today his hair is shorter, but his curls remain the same.

“I see you are wearing the gift I gave you. Looking lovely as I judged so”, he smirks. “I feel inclined in not staying longer, but I wonder whether or not to extend you the invitation since I fear many eyes are on you now.”

“Yours are that matter most, Darth”, you speak rather bluntly, much to his amusement—and contentment.

***

Walking alone in these corridors should warn you of possible dangers, of how imprudent you are behaving. But when Vader takes your arm with his, you never felt safer.

“It has been a while since I last felt attracted to someone”, he begins after a while spent in silence. “But beyond your wit and sharp tongue there is a beautiful woman who tempts me every day and fuck, I cannot just content myself with my hand.”

“Your hand?”, you inquire awkwardly.

Vader chuckles quietly before telling you right away what he means, pleased to see you are blushing.

“Oh.”

“But if you tell me you don’t feel the same…”

You lean closer to him and Vader spots your firm breasts, how close to show out of the gown your nipples are. The man holds his breath, despite the effect in his pants.

“I feel. You know I do.”

And just like that you press your lips against his, not entirely surprising him for doing so. No innocence lasts long when spark of desire is about to leash in fire.

Vader sighs in content, patiently letting you have your way, as your hands move to his face up to his hair, tiptoeing to kiss him better. As one tongue pairs with the other, he soon locks you against the wall, his hands now all over your waist.

“So beautiful”, he leans to kiss your jawline, moving to your neck. “So fucking beautiful.”

“Oh Lord!”, you moan lightly, enjoying this new sentiment you’ve only got familiar from books. You play with his hair, wishing he’d go below with his lips.

Reading your thoughts as you know he does, Vader smirks:

“What do you want me to do?”, he asks you, showing how gentle he can be when one gets to his heart.

You like his firm grip of your thigh, how he lifts each to fit in between; how he teases you, even if you feel indecent for wishing… to know where this will lead you.

“Well?”, and here he tempts you. “Ler darkness flows in you, dear heart.”

You gasp in desire, but there is no need to say further when Vader removes your gown just by using the Force. You feel his rigid erection, wanting to feel it, but forgetting all about it when he says:

“Your nipples are so beautiful”, he draws his thumb over each, making you squirm. “You’ve thought about me doing it so, haven’t you? I will suck each, I promise you. I will fuck you slowly, you will not regret it.”

“Vader, you make me naughty!”, you find support in his shoulders, moaning insanely louder, forgetting where you are and your state.

“Then you’ll be punished”, he chuckles before slapping your bum.

And before you say anything else, his tongue is right where you want him to be: twirling around your nipples, taking a long time in each, biting it, playing with it as you moan louder and louder.

Vader doesn’t waste more time when he inserts his metallic finger in you, enjoying how soaked you are as he plays with your clit.

You throw your head back, burying your fingers in his neck and shoulders, loving to be in this state before such a man. And as he fastens his pace, you finally release all of your juices to his fingers.

“V-Vader!”, you pull him to you, lips clashing in one fervent kiss as you shake to your core.

He knows he could fuck you right there. As he takes hold of your face, watching you panting frantically, catching your breath, Vader knows you belong with him.

But he hears voices.

And despite himself, some part of him doesn’t find just to ruin you amidst these people. So he helps you dress.

“Did I do something wrong?”, you ask after adjusting yourself.

For the first time you spot his former true self rising. A shade of blue is spotted in his yellow eyes.

“We will have more time to enjoy ourselves, my dear. I fear I’m too fond of you to treat you wrongly.”

The way you smile leads him to think he shouldn’t have done it. But fuck it.

When you and him kiss, balance occurs and all is well that ends well with you two together.

[casp1an-sea]

Star Wars But Better Part 6

here’s the link to the master post so you can get part one: Master post

——————

(The falcon comes out hyperspace there’s no planet in sight just a load of asteroids)

Luc: This doesn’t look like ALderan

Han: Tell me something I don’t know! Chewie checks the hyperspace coordinates, maybe we put them in wrong.

Luc: Sloppy, guess will be taking about 15,000 off your paycheck!

Han: Hey I got you somewhere!

Luc: We did pay you to take us somewhere.

Han: You haven’t payed me yet.

Obi-wan: Was the 2000 not substantial?

Han: No it wasn’t!

Luc: Your loss!

(Chewy growls something)

Han: Not my loss. We’re at alderaan I did my job.

Luc: Well then where's the planet?

Han: I don’t know but chewie says the coardinanents check out.

Luc: I’m sorry to break it to you but the only stuff out here is asteroids (Points out the viewpoint) and that small moon.

Obi-wan: That's no moon… That’s a space station…

Han: Yeah right and I’m Darth Vader. There's no way a station could be made of that size.

Obi-wan: Then why are we drifting closer?

Han: What?! Your crazy were  not- CHEWIE! Take evasive action!

Luc: What’s going on?

Han: Were caught in a tractor beam it must be coming from the moon.

Luc: The moon?

Han: Yes!

(They struggle to get out of the tractor beam and fail as the slowly get closer they realize the moon is an imperial space station)

Luc: Wow Old hobo man was right.

Obi-wan: As I said the force has it’s perks

Han: Damn it, can’t we get out of this

(Chewie growls frustratedly)

Han: Well looks like we're gonna get boarded!

Luc: Uh what about escape pods?

Han: Don’t have any.

Luc: How can you not have any escape pods?

Han: I’ve used them all already and I never replaced them.

Luc: (Face palms) Why didn’t you replace them?!

Han: They’re expensive!

Luc: Well now what are we going to do?

(They were practically in the station)

Han: I have an idea!

(The falcon is pulled into the hanger of the death star. Troopers walk through the ship but find no one)

Trooper: (To officer) There’s no one aboard, they must have left in escape pods before we picked them up.

Officer: Not likely. We picked up no readings of escape pod ejections. Get a scanning crew in there at once.

Trooper: Yes sir!

(Two troopers holding a scanning machine walck onto the ship. Two troopers walk off without the scanner)

Luc: (Dressed as a stormtrooper to Han who is also dressed as a stormtrooper) You are definitely not getting paid!

Han: Hey it was my smuggling compartments that got us out of there! Never thought I’d smuggle myself in those.

Luc: (Sarcastically) Yeah thanks for the great Idea

(Han looks around doesn’t see anyone and gestures for the others to come out of the falcon)

Luc: Now what we can’t just leave with that tractor beam still up

Han: I don’t know I didn’t think we’d get this far

Obi-wan: Leave the tractor beam to me

Han: Damn fool I knew you’d say that.

Obi-wan: Quickly let's get to the control center before someone realizes the scanners are taking too long!

(The group stalks down the hall and opens the door to the small hanger command room. An officer turns around startled to see the giant wookie as the door opens. Chewie throws him to the floor. The officer reaches for his blaster but Han shoots him in the chest before he can get his blaster upholstered. The group steps into the room, the droids shuffling in behind them and they lock the door.)

Luc: you know between his howling and your blasting everything in sight it’s a wonder the whole station doesn’t know where we are! (lmao did I just make them quote Leia????)

Han: Stop with the snide comments kid.

Luc: Me stop with the snide comments? You should listen to yourself sometime.

Threepio: I have found the computer outlet sir.

Obi-wan: (To R2) plug in, you should be able to interpret the system and pull up a map if you can.  

(R2 beeps plugging his arm into the control panel)

Threepio: He says he’s discovered the location of the tractor beam sir.

(A hologram map appears in front of them with the tractor beam labeled)

Ben: I’ve got it. (Turns to leave) I don’t think you kids can help, I’m going alone.

Han: Kids? You know I’d rather not leave my fate in your hands.

(He randomly changed to Ben instead of Obi-Wan sorry about that) 

Ben: If I’m not back in 30 minutes you can continue without me.

Luc: Fine with me, less work!

(Obi-wan leaves)

Han: This day just really hates me, where'd you dig up that old fossil anyway?

Luc: He knew my dad or something. Part of some cult I think.

Han: And you’re joining it? (Looks at them skeptically)

Luc: (Shrugs) Not really, I’m just bored.

Han: To each their own I guess.

(They sit in awkward science for a few minutes)

Luc: You know so far this hole Jedi thing isn’t helping my boredom, R2 is there anything else we can do.

(R2 beeps)

Han: What’d he say?

Threepio: The princess is sentenced for execution. I believe he’s referring to the one that called for Master Obi-wan’s help sir.

Luc: Well that’s something to do!

Han: You don’t mean you want to free her?

Luc: (Shrugs) What’s the worst that could happen?

Han: You could die

Luc: Doesn’t sound all that bad to be honest

Han: You’re crazy!

Luc: Do you just say that about everyone?

Han: Well you are crazy if you think you can run into an imperial detention center alone just for the fun of it.

Luc: Oh I wouldn’t be alone.

Han: No, I am not going with y-

Luc: The princess is rich, you know.

Han: (Huffs) Fine but you’re still crazy.

Luc: I’ll take it. Threepio where she is being held?

Threepio: Level five, detention block A A-twenty three.

Han: So what’s your plan

Luc: I just heard about this. Do you think I would have time to make one up?

Han: I don’t know I-

Luc: Hm, (Points to some binders) Hand me those

Han: Why do you need those (Tosses over the handcuffs)

Luc: (Grabs them and walks over to chewie) Okay I’m gonna put these on you

(Chewie growls furiously)

Luc: Okay Han you do it.

Han: I don’t know why I’m trusting you but fine. (Begins putting the binders on Chewie) Don’t worry Chewie I think I know what they have in mind.

Luc: So we are going to be moving a “prisoner” to level five.

(Chewie grumbles)

Han: What do you mean I should have come up with this.

(Chewie growls) 

Han: They’re a literal child, they're not smarter than me!

(Chewie growls)

Han: Oh whatever I’m done with you.

Threepio: Sir Lucifer what should me and R2 do?

Luc: (Shrugs) Lock the door.

Han: And hope they don’t have blasters!

Threepio: Oh dear!

—————————————————————————

@xen-blank, @thehollowwriter, @l7k-a, @ferris-the-wheel, @keii-starz

@krenenbaker @elenauaurs @the-banana-0verlord @edith-is-a-cat @dove-da-birb

@theosb0rnway

I excluded anyone who didn’t specify a fandom let me know if you’d like to be added or removed

@sunshinechildskywalker, @xentari94 your not on my tag list but it’s Star Wars so I thought you might like it

[dispatchdcu]

Star Wars: Darth Vader #45 Preview

Star Wars: Darth Vader #45 Preview #MARVEL #marvelcomics #comics #comicbooks #news #mcu #NCBD #comicbooknews #amazon #previews #reviews #starwars #darthvader #vader #starwarscomics

Star Wars: Darth Vader #45 Preview: A SECRET PLAN TO TAKE DOWN THE EMPEROR! DARTH VADER has used the SCHISM IMPERIAL to secure terrible new forces, including the cyborgs of the M.A.R. CORPS and the death machine of GOVERNOR TAUNTAZA… But what treasure or horror lies within the MARTYRIUM OF FROZEN TEARS? And what cost will Vader and his allies pay to secure it? GREG PAK • ADAM GORHAM (A) • Cover…

[mayxthexforce]

A Memory Like A Mother's Touch || Luke & Padme

Starter for @of-naboo

The Emperor was dead. Darth Vader was dead...

Owen and Beru were dead. Ben was dead. His father was dead.

Fate and the force both had an incredibly, terribly cruel sense of humor. Luke had lived most of his life believing his father to be dead, having been told not his name, not his feelings about fatherhood, only that Skywalker had been a pilot for a spice smuggling ship, that he had chosen that life over raising his son, and that he had died because of his life choices. He'd come to terms with that loss when he was very young. Nothing could have prepared him for the truth. Not only was his father alive, he was the right hand of the Emperor, the Supreme Commander of the imperial fleet. Darth Vader, his father. Such a revelation would have deterred almost every being from attempting to pursue any sort of bond, especially after the duel that cost Luke his hand. But he was stubborn beyond any logical decision.

The same stubborn hope for a familial connection that made him redeem Vader now pushed him into action.

Padme Amidala had been respected and loved by the people of Naboo. No matter the odds, she hadn't ever given up on them. In return, the people of Naboo didn't give up on her, not even death could make them lose their faith in their former Queen/Senator's ability to push through any and all adversities.

They preserved her lifeless body, doing their best to bring her back. Leia had told him about that, having found out herself after she went through the objects that her parents had left far away from Alderaan, in preparation for the possibility of dying. She'd already visited. Having grown up with a mother and a father, it was easier for her to face Padme than it was for Luke, it'd taken him some time to gather the courage to mourn another parent he hadn't ever gotten to know so soon.

There she was. His mother, as beautiful as all those paintings and holos showed her to be. But no longer as ethereal- on the contrary, Luke hadn't ever felt as close to him as he did right now.

The tank kept her body from being affected by the passage of time, preserving her as she was the day they'd all lost her, the same day he and Leia were born. His hands met the smooth crystal surface of the tank, although he only felt the coolness of it against his flesh hand. Then, his forehead followed suit. The light pressure against his head brought him some relief, but it was short lived. Soon, his mind was filled with thoughts of inadequacy, of how he could have done more, could have fought harder, could have done what had to be done to make her proud– whatever that was. He had no way of knowing. All the people who'd ever known her in life that he knew of were now dead.

Oh, how he wished he could talk to her, ask her so many things, have her there with him no matter if she was disappointed or not...

The loud, incessant beeping of the many machines Padme was hooked to startled him. Luke took a step away from the tank. The scientists who'd given him a minute alone came running back in, bolting from machine to machine, speaking to each other so rapidly that Luke could barely understand what they were saying. He only got a tiny part of their rapid conversation, just as he watched bubbles emerge from the ox-mask hooked to his mother's face. Her chest rising and falling for the first time in DECADES.

"She's back!"

[itsybitsybatsyspider]

when did connor first realize that the thirteenth brother was nines? (or when did nines realize that his target was connor?)

When Nines realized who his target was, he didn't have the time or the privacy to fully process that information and what it meant. At the time the Empire didn't exactly know what Connor looked like, but they had heard about Hank traveling with a young man and had assumed that the clones had lied on their reports and that Lieutenant Anderson and his padawan were still alive.

So they dispatched the Thirteenth Brother to take care of it.

only, when Nines realized that it was in fact not Anderson's padawan but his brother? A lot of conflicting emotions came up. There's a crater in the middle of a planet somewhere where the trees have been uprooted and there's not a single sign of life inside it to prove that for you.

But when Nines returned to the Empire, he was under the watchful eyes of his superiors and the Grand Inquisitor, and there were rumors in the barracks that Vader was going to make a visit soon. So Nines could not let this affect him, as much as it really did. If there wsa even an inkling on doubt in his mind and resolve, then the Grand Inquisitor and Darth would surely sense it. And then everything he's did for the last seven years would've been for nothing. So he let's go of the relief, joy, and the grief he felt and let his emotions wash away until there was nothing left but an apathetic and cold machine.

if he were to see his brother again, he'd have to do everything within his power to make sure he was still alive to see him. And if that meant being a Good Soldier for a little while longer, then so be it.

When Connor found out Nines was the one hunting them, it took some time to build up to that discovery but the realization hit him just as much as it hit Nines.

Him and Hank have been on the run for weeks, an Imperial Inquisitor on their trail the whole time and quickly closing in. They'd barely been able to escape the past few incidents with them and when it was, they only managed to get away with by the skin on their teeth and lucky mishaps with some Force assistance thrown in.

But now they're stuck on a planet, far away from their ship and cornered in the middle of a mountain ravine. They have nowhere else to go and there the Inquisitor is, standing at the entrance. The red glows of their armor the only light source aside from the moons, and they hold their lightsaber loosely in hand.

There's no way to see the Inquisitor's eyes through their helmet, but Connor feels a shiver run down his spine as he feels their gaze train on him.

Hank spins around, teeth bared and saber igniting. The light of it bathing the rocks around them in it's warm orange glow and held at the ready. Because if he's going to go down, then he's going to go down fighting and fighting dirty at that.

But in the midst of Connor's frozen state, something nudges the back of Connor's mind. Something familiar.

Something he has not felt in years and never thought he would again.

Images of a past life flash before him. Blue eyes stare back at him from his memories. Whispers of blunt and honest words spoken by a voice meant to sound like his own but is different in every other way. He sees someone who he thought had been lost and could never be found again, and then before he can say anything,

the Inquisitor takes off their helmet and there is Nines.

[tantive404]

Dear Author- Star Wars Rarepairs 2023

Hello wonderful author! Thank you so much for writing for me! This is my first year doing the Star Wars Rarepairs Exchange and I'm so excited to see what you have in store… I just know it will be lovely!! <3

DNWs: -Explicit sexual content. I'm okay with some things of that nature being tastefully implied, but I don't want descriptions of genitalia or sex acts. -Sequel trilogy content -Modern AU -Major Character Death between the characters involved in the ship (they can certainly threaten to kill each other though XD)

Likes: -enemies to lovers tropes, villain x heroine ships -forced or arranged marriage -Leia whump or angst-- I love seeing that girl vulnerable and in perilous predicaments, but still maintaining her strength of will and fighting back. -political intrigue (lends itself particularly well to tarkin x leia) and drama -power dynamics -captivity -banter

Ships:

Leia Organa/Wilhuff Tarkin I am OBSESSED with these two… Ever since I noticed the way he grabs her face during their scene together in A New Hope, something just clicked within my brain. I love their absolute hatred for one another, how they are each so devoted to their opposing causes, and how his desire to subdue her and defeat the Rebellion could manifest into a twisted obsession and desire… They have a great tension and chemistry, and some fun silly space banter. Feel free to lean into the darkness and creepiness.

Prompts: -Something exploring their dynamic pre-ANH, where Leia is working as a rebel spy and Tarkin is suspicious and attempting to catch her in the act of treason. A game of cat and mouse ensues. -Leia and Tarkin strike some form of deal in the hopes of each benefitting their side of the war. How might this develop their relationship? I'd love to see Tarkin manipulating Leia, and Leia's efforts to sabotage him. -Bad end to ANH… Tarkin lives, or the Rebellion loses, and Leia must deal with her grief and desire for revenge… meanwhile the Grand Moff decides he wants something more for the Princess than execution -Missing scene from her captivity and interrogation on the Death Star. Who knows what could have occurred between them behind closed doors?

Leia Organa/Darth Vader These two have the chance for layers and layers of DRAMA and irony. I love the possibility for a sweet twisted "knight and princess" motif, as well as Vader being SUPER protective and possessive of Leia, with her bringing out his more "honorable", "good" side… and Leia reminding him both of Padme and of his former self. I love Leia being a complete sass machine to Vader and being one of the very few people who is able to stand up to the Dark Lord… Perhaps he finds a strange sort of respect for her through that. Also, they're really just a very aesthetically pleasing couple. The size/height difference and the black armor against the white gown. They're truly a villain and a heroine who are meant to be pitted against each other.

Prompts: -Through some strange set of circumstances, Vader and Leia must put up a temporary truce and are forced to work together begrudgingly -Vader protects Leia from a more dangerous foe, and she comes to gain a strange sense of respect for him. -Vader is haunted by his memories of Padme and uses Leia as a fill-in for her of sorts…

Leia Organa/Wilhuff Tarkin/Darth Vader Something of a twisted love triangle where Vader and Tarkin are fighting for control of the Princess, and she is caught in the middle of them.

Leia Organa/Lord Tion Tion is a character who appears in the second episode of the Star Wars Radio Drama-- an arrogant, pompous Imperial officer and devotee of Tarkin who becomes Leia's suitor. Despite her disdain, she briefly permits his courtship to learn more about the Death Star… and everything goes disastrously wrong after he proposes marriage. As an enthusiast for Leia villain ships, I was in love with the MELODRAMA potential caused by this character.

Prompt: -What if the proposal/courtship was allowed to go further, and things turned out differently for them? It would be interesting to see Leia enter into a relationship with an Imperial in order to obtain rebel info…

Rogue One: Jyn Erso/Orson Krennic I enjoy the potential that the clash of these two strong personalities might bring, and the connection which they hold to one another's past. Where Leia and Tarkin will have a heavy amount of verbal sparring, I imagine Jyn and Krennic would have some physical sparring, too. It's also interesting to delve into his relation to her father.

Prompts: -AU where Galen's family returns with him during the construction of the Death Star, and Jyn grows up in high Imperial society, rebelling against the expectations placed upon her, and eventually catching Krennic's eye. -Alternatively, the Erso parents are made to offer Jyn as a bride to Krennic in order to ensure their safety… She's not happy about it, but wants to protect her family. -Something where they survive Scarif and have a chance to build a relationship from there… complex and hate-filled, of course.

[naturesbeat]

OVERVIEW

name: chelli lona aphra nicknames: doctor, joystick chevron, little boop species: human gender: cis female, she/her sexuality: lesbian age: verse dependent, born 22 BBY occupation: rogue archaeologist mtbi: estp, the persuader enneagram: type 7, the enthusiast

APPEARANCE

eyes: honey brown, angular, accented with days old eyeliner lips: plush, fond of smirks hair: black, sleek, typically tucked beneath a leather pilot cap. body: she is smaller than average in height, with more muscles than one would expect from her numerous adventures. wider in the hips than in the bust, she has a pear-like figure, thick thighs, and carries most of her meager height in her legs. scars: small burns and cuts on her hands and wrists from years of tinkering, residual burns on her back from her brief stint unprotected in the vacuum of space. noticeable features: she is seldom without her cap, but her most prominent feature by far are her electro-tattoos, spanning the length of her right arm and branching up her neck. the ink is capable of carrying data, syncing with electrical devices or other electro-tattoos

PERSONALITY

disaster is the best way to describe dr. chelli aphra. she swings wildly from one convoluted plan to the next, largely concerned with her own self interest. the only certainty from her is her betrayal - and she has a long list of enemies and double crossed allies to attest to it. but she isn’t exactly proud of the fact.

deep down, aphra longs to be a good person. she is wracked with guilt over her own selfishness. when she has time to stop and think, she wants to help others…but her first impulse is often the worst, and it’s that instinct that rules when danger comes knocking.

fiercely intelligent, she relies on her wits more than anything. there isn’t a situation where she doesn’t have a plan b ( often at the expense of someone else ). the machinations of the galaxy at large don’t bother her too much. she believes in the strength of order, even though it comes at the expense of some personal freedom. having lost her mother to the chaos of the clone wars, she understands the empire brought solace just as often as it brought terror.

but that’s for the normal people of the galaxy. she considers herself above needing the help of the empire, the rebels, or anyone else, for that matter. aphra tends to keep those closest to her at arm’s length, thinking the kindest thing to do for someone if you can’t change is to protect them from your flaws. those that remain too close tend to get dragged down with her.

HISTORY

aphra's family life was turbulent. her father's obsession with the jedi of the past led her mother to leave in the middle of the night, spiriting her away to a boring planet in the outer rim, where nothing ever seemed to happen — until one day, it did. raiders arrived at their small homestead, killing her mother before imperial troops could arrive and return her to her father's dubious care.

despite her distaste, she followed in his footsteps, pursuing archaeology at the university of bar'leth. there she was forced to cheat in order to obtain her doctorate, after the sava made it known he would never allow her to obtain it through legitimate means. aphra stole his research, planted it as her own discovery, and no one was ever the wiser.

since then she's made her living traversing the galaxy, extracting rare artifacts for profit and teaming up with the occasional bounty hunter or gang.

eventually darth vader himself sought her out, and in him she found an exciting new purpose. aphra secured him a new droid army, countless imperial credits, and tracked down the location of luke skywalker. but she knew her days were numbered, and in the end, faked her own death at his hands in order to escape.

afterwards she went back to the same old, combing the galaxy far, far away for items of historical and monetary significance. see her wookiepedia page for greater details of her exploits.

WISHLIST

SANA STARROS: i'm a big fan of these two, and would love to explore a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-divorced-to-lovers with the two of them.

BOUNTY HUNTER CONTACTS: aphra deals a lot with the classic underground of the star war's universe. i'd love to explore more of that aspect of her adventure's!

DEBTS: aphra always owes someone something. feel free to take advantage of these in interactions.

COLLEGE DAYS: aphra attended university as a student, and i'd love to have relationships from that time if you're interested in something pre-existing!

[sinvulkt]

Being Anakin (it ain't easy) by FriendlyFrat_Boy ( @friendlyfrat-boy )

After crashing his imperial starfighter into the Dune Seas of Tatooine, Darth Vader finds his body mutilated - seemingly beyond repair. With three of his metal limbs too crushed to salvage and his body grievously wounded, there seems to be little for him to do than to bleed out on the sands he used to despise.

However, the Force would not have it be so.

As if by luck, he is saved and brought into the care of his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who assures him that bringing him to his hut was not an act of kindness. Rather, he wants the assurance of personally seeing Vader die, though he will do nothing to contribute to his suffering himself. Faced with such a situation, Vader at first lashes out, only to realize how futile it is.

With the two in one house, it's only a matter before wounds of the past resurface, but this time, together, they might just be able to heal them. Ongoing, 55k words.

*** ** * ** ***

Part 1 chap 3 :

"Anakin was weak, and I killed-,"

"You are a coward to believe that," Kenobi growled. "Does it make you feel good, to pretend to be a Sith Lord? Is it easier to stand the atrocities you've committed if they're on the hands of Darth Vader, not Anakin Skywalker? You used to be so eager for confrontation. And now you cower in the face of yourself. You may have the body of a machine, but beneath that, you are still merely a boy."

"I am not a boy," Vader choked out through clenched teeth. "And I am not Anakin Skywalker!

[spell-cleaver]

I posted 5,545 times in 2022

177 posts created (3%)

5,368 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@my-insanity-is-an-artform

@silvertyger

@ace-din-djarin

@imadetheline

@primeemeraldheiress

I tagged 1,565 of my posts in 2022

#luke skywalker - 136 posts

#random words on a page - 116 posts

#my writing - 103 posts

#darth vader - 91 posts

#bbc ghosts - 84 posts

#shadow and bone - 84 posts

#kenobi spoilers - 75 posts

#leia organa - 72 posts

#for darkness shows the stars - 64 posts

#other people's fantastic art - 61 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#trying to keep them away from it only means they won’t know anything about what’s happening when they do do it and that’s dangerous

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Finally read "from a certain point of view: the empire strikes back" and I can't get over the fact that canonically, palpatine discovered who Luke was because Vader was so excited that he was going to see his precious boy son on hoth, he forgot to shield his mind and palps got a good eyeful of vaders daydreams about ruling the galaxy with his son

Wait it's WHAT I haven't read that collection yet

Seriously???

I love that so much 😂

87 notes - Posted June 27, 2022

#4

What do you think would’ve happened if, pre-Bespin, Palpatine just up and died? besides Much Celebration.

Depends on if this happens before or after Vader knows about Luke, but either way: civil war within the Empire. We know from ANH that there are plenty of military leaders who dislike and refuse to respect Vader (understandable, when your job security is based on understanding the machinations of the Empire, and Vader doesn't machinate, he murders). And while I love an AU where Vader becomes Emperor as much as anyone else, I think seriously that there must be plenty of people more politically minded who see Vader as a relic, one that would be especially outdated once Palpatine died. They wouldn't want to support him as Emperor - if you consider the comics canon, then the entire plot line with Vader and Shu-Torun shows that he's more interested in force (ha) than pandering. And that works when you have the might of a unified empire to bring down on one dissenting and small (if wealthy) planet. But not when that empire is fracturing underneath the weight of your own reputation. Because ultimately, the Empire came about as a promise to many politicians and people feeling dissatisfied with the Republic, and Vader isn't savvy enough to even make similar promises, let alone so much as look like he's delivering on them.

So I think that if Vader knew about Luke, he'd immediately seize power and funnel all his resources into finding him now that he doesn't have to fear his master finding out. But the resources would run dry quickly, as plenty of loyal Imperials split and probably support another candidate, who serves their interests and Palpatine's promised legacy more. Less so if Palpatine had declared Vader his heir unambiguously, but that's a big if, and I can see him not doing that just to throw the place into chaos. Plus, look at the Anarchy: England was thrown into war because a bunch of people swore to recognise Matilda as Henry I's heir then just upped and went back on their word, so even if Vader was declared his heir, the planetary leaders and other influential figures might not accept it.

So half the court are clamouring to claim that they are Palpatine's spiritual successor, not his brute of a guard dog, and factions rise quickly. Vader does not have the political acumen to deal with this at all, and if he's hunting Luke, he doesn't care much until it impedes his hunt. If he catches him, that's even worse, because no one will willingly accept this random Rebel barely in his 20s as royalty and that just increases opposition. If Vader doesn't know about Luke, then he is more focused on the fact his empire is falling apart at the seams, and probably murdering anyone who dissents, but that's gonna make the situation worse.

Meanwhile, the Rebels don't really care about who's in charge of the Empire; the fact there is an empire is the issue. Vader was the one hunting them anyway, so I imagine Palpatine was just a distant symbolic figure. They're celebrating his death, but the fight's not done; the system he crafted is still very much in place, and his ideas are still running rampant. The chaos and coups probably give them many more footholds than they would otherwise have, but depending on how competent Vader's opposition are, there's no guarantee they can thrive.

So, overall, I think it would be a mess. Whether that mess is deadlier than the ruthlessly ordered murder machine that was Palpatine's Empire depends on how incompetent at politics Vader is, and how canny his opponents are. But when you've had one man in charge of the galaxy for 32 years, through wars and regime shifts and rebellions, his death is always gonna be tumultuous. And the problems in the set up of the galaxy didn't begin and end with him: he used prejudices and issues that already existed, twisted them to serve his purposes, and that discourse will last long after its enabler is gone.

97 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#3

Do you have any Luke & vader fic recs? I’ve been reading a lot of your fics and wondered if you know of any that have similar characterization?

I'm not sure if you mean Luke or Vader (or both) in terms of characterisation here, and one is hard enough - I'm a big believer in different interpretations and changing characterisation to fit the story XD I consider the Luke in each of my fics to be more or less unique or a different character, even if they broadly share similarities. Same with Vader, only worse, because if there's anything that man is not, it's rational or predictable.

That said, the things I always like reading in a Luke characterisation is him being competent (either at what he's doing, or being a smart cookie in general - I think it's overlooked how smart he is in canon, in a lot of fics). Even if he's in a pitiable or naïve state, he's an active and competent guy trying his best, which is how I'd broadly describe myself writing him. For Vader, I don't want to lose sight of the fact that He Is A Bad Person (I find Vaders who are nice or have a particularly strict moral code outside of "doesn't give a shit" fairly unrealistic) but also that in certain AUs he will be soft for his son. And in all AUs he tries to be a better person for his son.

I'm not going on about this for the sake of saying "I'm right" or anything - not at all. But the fic recs below all have some measure of these features involved which I really enjoyed :D

The works by Noodle_Soup (@coralnoodle) fit this well, I think, especially

Works by couronnedesfleurs, especially Black Swan and One Hope Then Another.

Works by Libby_25cSoda (@25centsoda), especially some of her oneshots.

The Forgotten Outpost by @ladyvader23 (and other fics by her)

I'm only a short way into Blood and Copper Oxide, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far and it seems to fit.

Sympathy for the Devil by Just_A_Loth_Cat

Several works of SilverDaye's (@silvereddaye), including Vader, Lord of Fashion and Runaway

Hostage and other works by Slx99 (@slx99)

The New Sith Order by chi-chi-chimaera (@chi-chi-chimera)

A Son of a Handmaiden by OffbrandLightsaber

Black Squadron by Azalea_Scroggs (@azalea-scroggs-archive)

Sublimity by DotColorful (@dotcolorful)

Exit Strategy and other fics by starr234 (@starr234)

The Devil's Devotion and other fics by prayforpiett (@prayforpiett)

Those are what I can think of for now! If anyone else wants to add some with similar characterisation, be my guest.

109 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

#2

AU years after Return of the Jedi. Dark Vader lives but didn't often see his children, even if more Luke than Leia. Then Luke invites him to his marriage... with Mara Jade. Vader's POV if possible. guepard54

“Now, I know it doesn’t exactly look…” Luke trailed off.

Mara snorted. “Hospitable?”

“No—well, yes—but I meant…” He peered out the viewport again, trusting his hands to guide them in for a moment. “Jedi-like.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure the old Jedi Temple had lava pits underneath it. The Imperial Palace got smelly sometimes because of them.”

“Did it? If we—” He shook himself when she laughed out loud. “Don’t mess with me like that! I don’t know anything.”

“And don’t trust my word,” she teased. Then added, a little more soberly, “Because I don’t know anything either.”

“You must know who my father is though.”

“Of course I do. He might even know me.”

“Hopefully, if I’m gonna win this bet with Leia. But in a good way or a bad way?”

“In a way.”

“Very helpful.”

“I thrive on it.”

“I’m well-aware of that.”

When they landed, there was a figure already waiting for them on the landing pad. Luke threw Mara a smile, who looked… slightly fazed, perhaps, but otherwise unconcerned. He powered down all the other ship functions, grabbed his robe to sling over his shoulder, and stepped outside.

“Father!” he said. “How are you? I haven’t seen you since—”

Lava flared behind him, reflecting eerie and bright in the contours of Vader’s mask. It tilted down towards Luke as Vader crossed his arms over his chest.

“Who have you brought.” It was not a question. The Force felt strange, like both Mara and Vader were trying very hard not to look at each other.

“I told you I was bringing a friend.”

“You did not tell me that friend was Force-sensitive.”

“No, but most of my friends I make through the Academy nowadays, you understand—”

“Nor an Imperial.”

“Ex-Imperial,” Mara corrected, finally stepping out of the ship. Luke didn’t know what had taken her so long, but she seemed to be revelling in the gravitas and drama of her entrance. Her red hair was pinned up and around her head in her usual practical style, with a few strands hanging loose that Luke felt his gaze catching on. The orange light caught on them too, making them glow, and Luke didn’t realise he was staring again until Mara jolted him out of it. In the ribs. With her elbow.

“Ex?” Vader asked, his tone rising. He was looking at Luke. Luke didn’t know why until Mara slipped her hand into his and he leaned against her shoulder. “The last I heard of you, Mara Jade, you had orders to kill my son.”

“It’s a romantic start to things,” Mara said.

“So you doknow who she is,” Luke concluded. “Leia owes me five credits. She didn’t think you’d have paid attention to the Emperor’s Hands.”

Vader stiffened, glaring now. His worst suspicion had come true, it seemed. “I beg to differ,” he spat back at Mara, ignoring Luke.

Luke snorted. “And mistaking someone for an angel is any better?”

There was the infamous finger point, wagging right in his face. “I regret telling you that story. Or any stories. What is the meaning of,” he waved his hand at Mara like she was a strange art choice, “this?”

“Her,” Mara cut in.

See the full post

111 notes - Posted February 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Considering vaders obsession with Luke, I'm surprised that the rebellion didn't attempt a plan to trap Vader using Luke as bait (I mean it would probably end up with at least 99% of all rebels there dying, but it's worth a shot)

When the bombs went off, Luke felt it. Through his shaky grasp on the Force, yes, but mainly because the bunker the Rebels had stashed him in wasn’t enough to block the bone-deep vibrations that shuddered across the entire surface of the moon.

Han and Chewie, sitting opposite him, looked up when they felt it too. “There we go,” Han said, satisfied. “Ain’t no one surviving that.”

“I think no one did,” Luke said softly. The stench of death was thick around them. He’d been familiar with that metaphysical stench long before Ben had told him he had the Force; he’d always assumed it was something primal in him that knew about it. Smells, sounds and silences, patterns he was no longer able to consciously spot, but his instincts would never miss.

Chewie seemed to feel what he did as well—and he likely did know it from practical instinct, rather than some energy field. He mewled mournfully.

Han shook his head and gave a nervous smile. “C’mon, you two, lighten up!” he said. “Vader’s dead. That was what this was for!”

“I’ll be glad if it worked,” Luke agreed, “but how many of our people died taking him out? Those bombs must have been cataclysmic.”

“They knew the risks, kid.” Han’s tone softened. “They knew what they were signing up for. The fact that Vader came here for you? Doesn’t make it your fault. Right, Chewie?” Chewie roared his agreement.

Luke grimaced. “How can we know he’s actually dead, though? He’s survived everything before! Can we contact Leia—”

“We don’t have comms, remember? No signal tracing us to here, nothing to tell Vader you’re here instead of at the ambush site. We gotta wait for Leia to come and get us.”

“And if Leia—” He broke himself off.

Han looked jittery now, too. “Leia’s fine, alright? Everything is fine. If you don’t stop worrying like that you’re gonna make me sick and scared…”

“Sorry.” Luke tried for a watery smile, but it dropped immediately. Nothing about this situation, from the moment Madine had hatched this plan and muscled him into going along with it, warranted a smile. “What do you think Vader wants me alive for anyway, Han? That was a lot of money in the bounty.”

“Hate to admit it, but General Syndulla’s idea makes a lot of sense.” Han grimaced and waggled his fingers. “That energy field stuff?”

Luke swallowed. Hera had been the Rebellion general most opposed to this plan—she’d tried so hard to get him out of it. Every time she was on base, she was a rock to him, even though he knew memories of her Jedi were painful. “You think he wants an Inquisitor, like she said the Empire went after Ezra Bridger? Or an apprentice, like Maul?”

Despite himself, Han chuckled. “Maul,” he repeated. “Whoever named that guy—”

“Han.”

“I think it’s not impossible! If he believes in this poodoo like you do I’m sure he sees the benefits of having a magical guy like you at his disposal, working for him.”

“I’ll never join him,” Luke swore. Chewie voiced his solidarity. “He’s killed so many people! Biggs, my aunt and uncle, my father—”

“Well, you won’t need to!” Han kicked up his feet onto Luke’s bench and leaned back against his own, the permacrete wall of the bunker not looking comfortable to lounge against. But Han could lounge against anything. “Because he’s dead.”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t jinx it, kid! Didn’t you feel that explosion? There’s no way he survived that. Leia’s gonna come down here any minute, key in the code to get in, and—” He broke off as there was a grinding sound. “There. There’s her coming through the first door. Get ready to open the second one for her.”

“We have to wait for her to key in the all-clear code, first,” Luke said.

“All-clear? Why wouldn’t it be all-clear? She—” But Han cut himself off when the chimes rang out, and Luke ran to check the numbers on the monitor. “That’s… not the all-clear code.”

“I told you!” Luke was shaking slightly as he glanced it over and referenced the codes they’d established for this mission. “That’s Leia, alright, but she’s compromised. Something’s wrong.”

“What does that mean?”

“I think…” Something dark swept over him, and he shivered. He looked towards the door and felt an eye the colour of acid searing through the three solid feet of durasteel that separated them. “I think Vader has her. Came here with her.”

“What?” Han leapt up, his hand on his blaster. “We need to—”

“I’m going to open the door.”

“Yes, but—” Chewie groaned and Han nodded. “You said it, buddy. We need to save her, but how’re we gonna take on Vader? Should we?”

See the full post

214 notes - Posted April 22, 2022

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