#for Thrawn the mission always comes first but would it this time?

[querldyke]

No bc if Eli would have been in Alliances then the present day parallel to this could have been with him but Thrawn already proved to walk a different path from Anakin in the first place bc he willingly gave Eli up but if he was in danger what would he choose?

[illuminatedquill]

Cyar'ika

A Sabine Wren & Ezra Bridger Story

Story Summary: Takes place during Ahsoka Season 2. Making a hasty exit from Peridea, Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger are finally heading home together - only without Ahsoka, who elected to stay behind to finish the mission she started. Feeling lost without the presence of her Master and the grim ordeal of facing Thrawn's resurgent Empire ahead, Sabine is facing her lowest point yet. However, her trial is just beginning as Ezra finally confronts his closest friend with the knowledge about her deal with Thrawn. And the conversation that follows will change everything between them.

*Fan-art by the amazing @rancidsugar! Used here with their permission, since it directly inspired this fanfic.

Author’s Note: With the fantastic news that Ahsoka S2 is now in development, I finally decided to take a crack at writing the next reunion for our favorite duo. It’s a long time coming, and we all know Sabine needs to come clean with Ezra about certain things she’s been hiding from him. Let’s see how he responds.

The star whale's mouth gaped open, as Huyang maneuvered the T-6 shuttle into its mouth. Sabine held her breath as the vessel slipped inside, warily keeping an eye on the enormous teeth that hovered directly over them.

"Easy does it," muttered Ezra. He stood between her and Huyang in the shuttle's cockpit, eyes closed and hand outstretched; through the Force, Sabine could feel her friend communicating with the purrgil. Reassuring waves of calm and peace flowed through the bond he had with the majestic beast, making sure that they were not crunched between its massive jaws.

Sabine gazed in admiration at Ezra's competence, in the easy confidence he had in his abilities. He had grown so much in his time away from home and truly become the Jedi that Kanan wished him to be.

He would be so proud of you, she thought with a pang of melancholy. Not for the first time, she wished Kanan was here to witness all of this.

Her thoughts turned to her own master, Ahsoka Tano, who had elected to stay behind to finish her task on Peridea. Sabine felt guilt trickle into her emotions, remembering their last conversation before she left.

"We're supposed to stick together, remember? I'm not leaving you."

"Thrawn is your mission. What's happening here on Peridea is mine. I must see this through. And Ezra will need your help in defeating Thrawn."

"I can't do this without you, master. There's so much more I need to learn."

"You already know everything you need. I have nothing more to offer you than this: just be yourself, Sabine. That's more than enough."

She closed her eyes, feeling the pang of melancholy sharpen into grief. Once again, another loved one had gone and there was nothing she could do about it.

As if reading her thoughts, Huyang said, "Do not grieve for Lady Tano, Sabine. She was only able to make her choice because of you."

"You mean it was my fault," said Sabine bitterly.

"Not at all. It is because you are going home that she was able to stay on Peridea to deal with the threat there. She trusted you, Sabine Wren, to deal with Thrawn."

You know I can always count on you, right?

Sabine felt a small smile escape through the gloom of her feelings, remembering the young boy who had uttered those words a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . .

Ahsoka had told her the same in their last conversation. Her master was counting on her to see this through. And she would. She promised herself, and to Ahsoka, that she would do whatever it takes to ensure that it was done.

And then she would bring Ahsoka home, so they could all finally live in peace.

The shuttle shuddered and a bright spectrum of lights filled the cabin; Sabine squinted her eyes at the dazzling array, almost blinded by the light show in front of them.

"Here we go," said Ezra. She looked at him, seeing the satisfied smile on his face. Sabine, not able to help herself, reached forward and squeezed his hand.

Ezra turned to look at her. "Thanks for coming back," she said.

He squeezed her hand back affectionately. "Did it in record time, too," he teased. "What's your excuse?"

Sabine rolled her eyes. "There was a war still going on, remember?"

"Uh-huh," replied Ezra, sounding unconvinced. "I guess I'll let it slide."

"This will take a while," Huyang said, interrupting their banter. "Ezra, if you would please tend to Lady Wren's injuries? I will stay here and keep an eye on things while you two rest."

Sabine blinked and then a wave of exhaustion and pain swept over her; she had forgotten how desperate their escape had been until now when Huyang had said something.

Ezra blinked and muttered a curse. "Right. Sorry, Sabine." He reached forward and lifted her from the co-pilot seat. She started to protest but another wave of exhaustion slipped past her defenses and only a weak mumble escaped her lips as Ezra carried her to the med-bay.

"You're awfully quiet," observed Sabine while he finished patching up her wounds some time later.

Ezra carefully applied a final bandage to a cut on her right upper forearm before replying, "Huyang's right. You shouldn't beat yourself up about Ahsoka. She needed to stay. And you needed to go home."

He sat back and double-checked his handiwork. "Can you walk?"

Sabine attempted to sit up from the medical bed but was immediately faced with a dozen sharp pinpricks of pain from all over her body. "You mean today?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Ezra smiled briefly at her attempt at humor before saying, "Bedrest it is, then."

Sabine grimaced but laid back in the bed. "This is doing wonders for my confidence," she muttered.

Ezra reached out and held her hand. "Surviving Peridea is an achievement only a few can claim. It's an exclusive club, Sabine. You're now a part of it."

She snorted. "Well," she mused, "if Thrawn can do it, then I sure as hell can."

At the mention of Thrawn, she saw Ezra's face become troubled. A flash of insight from the Force revealed something dark roiling beneath Ezra's confidence . . .

"What is it?" she asked quietly. "I felt that."

Ezra let go of her hand and sat back in his chair. She could practically see the gears whirring away inside his head as he thought through some particularly difficult decision.

Finally, he seemed to make up his mind. "I found the purrgils," he said slowly.

"I can see that," replied Sabine. "Seeing as though we're in one."

Ezra reached up to rub the back of his head. He's nervous about something, she noted. Her stomach began to sink, feeling the direction of his thoughts; small seeds of doubt were sprouting in his mind.

About her.

He looked up at her. "So did Thrawn," he said.

She inhaled sharply. "He was there?"

Ezra nodded. "He guessed what my next move was. I managed to get ahead of him, thanks to Hera's intervention but . . ."

"But what, Ezra?" Sabine felt like she didn't want to know the answer.

He reached down to his belt and took out his comm-link. "He sent me a message," he said quietly.

Ezra clicked on the comm-link and a conversation began to play.

Thrawn: "I must congratulate you on your success today, Ezra Bridger. You've shown great loyalty to your friends, Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano."

Ezra: "Not that you would understand anything about that. I'll be seeing you later, Grand Admiral."

Thrawn: "Indeed you will. Perhaps to a changed galaxy. All thanks to your friend, Sabine. How different things would be if she did not care so much about you."

Ezra: ". . . What's that supposed to mean?"

Thrawn: "Oh, she didn't tell you? Unfortunate. Be sure to give her my thanks when you reunite."

The recording stopped. Ezra gazed at Sabine, eyes unreadable, waiting for her answer.

Sabine couldn't bring herself to look at him. She just stared at the comm-link in his hand, wanting to be anywhere else than here, wanting a black hole to emerge and suck her into its void. Any hell would be preferable instead of having to face an Ezra who knew about what she had done.

"Sabine." His voice was soft, not accusatory. Almost pleading.

At last, she finally found her voice, weak as it was. "What do you want me to say, Ezra?" she asked. "Do you want me to apologize?"

"I want you to say whatever it is you want to say. I'm just going to listen," he said.

She folded her arms over her stomach; it felt like everything important inside her was threatening to spill out. "I'm not going to apologize," she whispered.

"Okay," was all he said.

"You weren't there. I had to make a choice. No one else was there. It was just me. Ahsoka - I thought Baylan had killed her. She was gone. And you were still gone, and I had the map." She hated how desperate her voice sounded.

Ezra, true to his word, didn't say anything. He just watched her.

"I couldn't lose you like I lost my family. Like how I thought I had lost Ahsoka. I wasn't - I wasn't strong enough to lose you a second time. My best friend." Tears threatened to blur her vision; a sob, rising in her throat steadily, almost robbed her voice of what little strength it had. She fought through it.

"So, I handed the map over. I made the deal with Thrawn to find you. I betrayed everything you and Kanan and everyone else sacrificed and died for. All just so I could see you again."

At last, she turned to look at him. The tears fell freely now down her face. "I doomed the galaxy for you, Ezra Bridger. And the worst part of it is, I'd do it again. Even knowing how it would all end."

Ezra gazed at her for a long moment and then turned away. Sabine struggled to sit-up and pleaded, "Ezra, please say something. Say anything."

He stood up abruptly. She blinked at him in surprise. "Say that you hate me and just get this over with," she said, resigned. Her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces but this was the price she knew would be paid the moment the map left her hand.

He stood over her. She waited for him to say the words that would end their friendship.

Instead, he clasped his hands over the sides of her face and leaned forward, gently touching his forehead with hers. Her eyes widened with surprise - and then with overwhelming gratitude as she felt the love and reassurance from him flow through their bond in the Force.

Sabine couldn't hold it back anymore. She started to openly weep. "After all this?" she cried. "Even with all that I've done?"

"Always," he reassured her. "I forgive you. Always. It'll be okay, Sabine. We'll figure it out, together."

"I'm weak," she said. "I did something so bad."

"You are not weak," replied Ezra firmly. "You are enough. You are extraordinary, Sabine. And it's not like I haven't done things I regret, you know? The Sith Holocron, you remember?"

Sabine shook her head. "This isn't the same! This is the whole galaxy that's at stake."

Ezra chuckled. "It's not a competition, first of all. And when hasn't the galaxy been at stake? We've dealt with Thrawn before, we'll do it again."

The guilt surged up within her, refusing to be assuaged by his words. "But - "

"But nothing," Ezra said sternly. "Sabine. Listen to me. Did you build the gigantic hyperdrive ring that Thrawn used to get back?"

She stared at him, thrown off by the sudden question. "Uh, no."

"Did you put Morgan Elsbeth onto his path as a partner? Did you hire Baylan and Shin?"

Sabine saw where his line of questions was heading. Grimacing, she said, "No, but - "

Ezra interrupted her. "Yes, you had a role in his return. But not all of it belongs to you, do you understand? He couldn't have returned without a lot of help, not just you."

"Okay, okay." She held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I get it. I think."

"Good," he said. "No more feeling guilty. We need to be focused for what lies ahead."

Sabine looked at him. "We?" she asked.

He nodded. "You're stuck with me, Sabine Wren. Whether you like it or not."

She smiled, considering his words. "I guess that's not so bad." She looked him over and shook her head in amazement.

"What is it?" Ezra asked.

"When did you grow up so quickly, goober?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "Haven't heard that nickname in a while. Since we were kids," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "Guess I can't really call you that anymore, huh."

Ezra winked at her. "You can call me whatever you like, Sabine."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "I'll think about it," she said. Suddenly, her stomach rumbled, interrupting the conversation. Sabine flushed with embarrassment.

Ezra laughed. "I'll heat up some food. Be right back."

Watching him leave, the moment he was out of earshot, Sabine said softly, "I'll be here, cyar'ika."

[im-poe-dameron]

VISIONS OF HOPE

a/n: listen this is just me making up a new ending to the ahsoka finale, cause i was not happy that the hat man didn't give us the hug we've all been waiting for. so here's ezra being happy and nervous to go home. and finally seeing his mom hera again after years of being away from home. also the title is from that season one episode. hera speaking about hope then really struck me with this.

summary: "the feeling now settled in his chest, calling him back to the one place he never thought he’d see again. a place that had remained a constant in his mind. home."

word count: 1k+

warnings: angst, hope, just the joy of having ezra home, unbetad, unedited, and just me being nervous to share it, ahsoka spoilers for the season finale.

He’s not scared.

There wasn’t an ounce of fear held in his body as he sat there, guiding the ship through the vastness of space. Yet something still buzzed beneath his skin. Alive and unbidden. It called to him, spoke the soft lilting tones that only the Force could bring—showing him a way towards something…familiar.

Ezra wasn’t scared of what was to come. But he was nervous.

Practically jumping out of his skin as he waited—each second passing slower than the last—as he watched something begin to grow larger in the distance. The feeling now settled in his chest, calling him back to the one place he never thought he’d see again. A place that had remained a constant in his mind. Home.

Something flickered low and warm in his heart, that feeling he recalled always having in the time…before. That sensation that soothed him on the nights spent alone, traversing a planet he held no knowledge of, in a galaxy far from his own. He was scared then. Terrified that he may never make it back, may never see the faces of those he loved so dear. Yet they had been there—reminding him of his place in this vast universe. Settling the unease in his heart.

Two unfamiliar ships closed in next to him, following as he went along with the feeling that pulled at his chest. His lips tilted upwards beneath the mask, hands shaking slightly as he flipped switches with ease, attempting to set the ship down smoothly. And that’s when it all came back to him. Every moment he’d done this exact motion, every time he’d return from a mission with Kanan or the others. Every time…he came home.

He could recall the memories so bright in his mind, so filled with hope. And he clutched them tight. Allowing them to keep his feet steady as the ramp descended and he took his first step.

It was silent when he emerged, barely a sound echoed in the ship as people stared at him. Watched as he slowly walked forward, mask tilted down to see clearly and hand trembling near his side. He may have followed a feeling, but he wasn’t entirely sure it was the right one. He wanted to be; yet something wasn’t entirely solidified in his mind yet. That is…until he lifted his head. And there it was. Illuminating so bright in his chest he nearly toppled over with joy—nearly shouted gleefully at the sight before him.

She looked nervous.

Not scared.

No…never scared.

She watched, hesitantly as he stepped out from the steam, the sight of the helmet causing a roll of disgust to go through her. And on instinct she raised her blaster. Held her finger over the trigger as she stood her ground. Prepared to fight, prepared for the worst. Maybe it was Thrawn. An attack that was meant to simply distract them. A ploy until the greater threat came along. Yet the man never raised a weapon.

Chopper was the first to make a sound, speaking rapidly, and while she normally could understand him clearly, the echo in her ears was too loud. The thump of her heart was quick and awful. She had thought it would be over when the Empire fell; figured her life would get ten times easier. Yet there was always another threat lingering on the horizon, another mission to go on.

Hope still remained in her chest, dwindling with the years, yet stuck to her heart with a stubbornness that was purely her.

She watched as Chopper rolled forward, heading towards the stormtrooper, practically buzzing with delight. He reached forward, pressing a hand to the droid's head as if attempting to tell him that he was right. It was him. The boy he once knew from Lothal, the boy who had been taken in by a group of Rebels he would one day call family. The boy who had fought like hell to come back…to stand here today.

He raised his helmet, his eyes catching her gaze, seeing the surprise in her expression. The disbelief that now filled the space between them. He wanted to tell her everything, explain how he got home, where Ahsoka and Sabine were now. He wanted to tell her about his life that she had missed so much of, but his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Because there she stood, a little older, a lot stronger, but still the woman he’d known growing up.

“Ezra?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion and eyes tracing the face that she would have recognized anywhere. He looked older, looked more like his father from Lothal, but she’d recognize the blue eyes shining with joy anywhere—the scars that still remained on his face.

“Hi Hera.”

His lips pulled up into a smile, chest swelling with joy, and before he could get the rest of the words out, she was walking towards him. Ezra let his feet carry him forward quickly, helmet now discarded on the floor as he fell into the warmth of a hug he knew so well it made his eyes sting. She wrapped him tight, eyes squeezing shut as tears streamed down her face, the hope she thought she’d lost with Kanan now filling her chest until her heart felt like it could burst.

Ezra let out a shaky breath, face buried into her shoulder, as he was once again shrouded with memories of moments like this. Times when she would comfort him in his darkest days. When his pain and grief would overwhelm him.

“I’m home,” he whispered, letting himself cry when her hand pressed softly against his upper back.

Hera smiled, eyes picturing the image of Kanan standing beside them, watching as Ezra finally came back to the place where he belonged. She pictured him with a smile, saw the glint in his eyes, the light in his face, and held it close. Because now…she was complete. Her son was there, in her arms.

He was home.

[vibratingskull]

I was reading your Thrawn mate story, and I was wondering how open would he be with her? Will he tell her about himself? about his exile?about the chiss in general?

I assume you're talking about Fly me far away and the follow up chapter?

He would be very open with her in due time !

As for every relationships he ever had Thrawn needs time to fully trust someone and opens up, the fact that they are compatible mates doesn't means she was a trustworthy person in any capacity, only that they were biologically compatible for mating. So at first he will be a true gentleman, polite and distinguished as always but he will keep things hidden from her.

It's only once he :

1. judged her thrustworthy

and then

2. Be fully comfortable with her

that he will properly speaks with her about himself, his mission and the Chiss. Or initiate physical contacts with her to be honest. Like you can count an entire year (at the very minimum) before he can come to her and be at ease with her presence.

He hides it very well so she nevers feels unwelcomed or anything, they respect each other boundaries and limits so eveyone silently agreed to remain set back at the begining, and slowly opening up as time goes back. I didn't specify it but easily two to five years separates the two chapters.

They both need time, their reasons just differ.

But once trust is established? He won't hide things from her, he will tell her the truth. Once the mating bound is in place they become inseparable, they melt and fuse in one single being.

So he will tell her everything, cause he plans to live with her until their death. He will reveals things gradually, a little at a time but in the ends she will know everything.

As he expects her to tell him everything about herself in returns! It goes both ways!

They both keeps a little inner sanctum, obviously, a little something exclusive to oneself, but in the ends there will be no secrets between them.

It's a mating bound, it's all or nothing!

[lost-in-derry]

Communion

This is my belated Christmas present to @seth-silver-ink! A fic based off their sentient bo-rifle post. It’s also the first complete chapter of a fic I’ve ever written! Stay tune for part two.

********************** **********************

Kallus regained consciousness feeling completely fine, which was the first clue that something was wrong. Even on his best days some part of his body ached. Usually the leg he’d broken on Bahryn that had never healed quite right, his head from staring at his data pad until he passed out, or on very special mornings, both.

The second clue, upon opening his eyes, was that he appeared to be in an infinite void. Better than being strapped into an Imperial interrogation chair, but still concerning. Kallus sat up slowly to get a better sense of his surroundings. The ground beneath him was smooth and reflective. It rippled when he pressed his hand to it, but found himself completely dry as he stood up. The sky, if one could call it that, was a misty color. Squinting his eyes and staring hard, Kallus thought he could almost see stars. Everything around him was touched with the warm gentle colors of a sunrise.

With little else to do Kallus started walking. The ground rippled softly beneath him with each step and he tried to recall how he’d gotten here. Events wove themselves together slowly. There was a mission. An unusual mission. Zeb had come to him early in the morning and said the Ghost Crew had found something- no, someone. Many someone’s, and they were very important. Lasat. Prisoners in a labor-camp.

Kallus had helped the Spectres free Lasat before, but always from a distance. He would sneak into security rooms, open doors, take out guards, guide the others through escape routes, all the while taking care that he wasn’t seen. Afterwards he’d find his way back to the Glimmer and distract any TIE fighters while the Ghost snuck away with the prisoners. It’s not like he was allowed to know where they were going anyway. But this time had been different. There was a blockade around the planet the Lasat were being held on that only the Ghost could get through. The labor camp was the largest they’d ever attempted to breach. Security was much tighter and the control room was nearly impossible to get to. There’d be no time for him to get there before the rest of the crew was spotted. Kallus had to memorize the camp layout and guide everyone through in person.

It would be the first time he’d come face to face with a Lasat other than Zeb since Lasan and he was… scared. The whole flight through hyperspace Kallus could feel the icy grip of his sins crawling down his spine. He sat in the galley, staring at the camp blueprints and trying not to vomit. By the time the Ghost made it through the blockade and landed on the planet he’d managed to convince himself that none of the Lasat would recognize him. So long as he kept his head down and focused on getting everyone into the camp and back out safely, everything would be fine.

The moment he’d entered the prison Kallus felt strange. He heard something. A whisper, a buzzing in the back of his mind. Something was wrong but he didn’t know what. The further into the compound they got the louder the sound became. It almost sounded like a voice.

Chopper had just opened the main gate so the prisoners could make the last sprint across the landing pad towards Hera and the Ghost while Kallus and the rest of the crew kept the guards busy.

“Hey, traitor!”

Kallus whipped around, the voice he heard with his ears nearly drowned out by the one calling out in his head. In front of him was an imperial officer he vaguely recognized from his time on Thrawn’s ship. They hadn’t interacted much but the man had always seemed to dislike Kallus beyond the usual animosity between ISB agents and the rest of the Empire. The officer wasn’t important. What was important was that he had a bo-rifle in his hands. Kallus’ bo-rifle. And he heard it scream as the man clumsily ignited it.

Kallus’ body moved on its own. He closed the distance between him and the officer in one blink. His opponent raised the bo-rifle to block an incoming attack, but Kallus wasn’t aiming for him. The only thought in his mind was getting the weapon out of his hands. He wrenched the staff out of one hand, reached out and snapped the wrist of the other. The officer cried out in pain and kicked himself backwards, releasing the staff. Kallus felt it hum in his hands. He swung the bo-rifle, aiming for the officer’s neck with the bayonet blade attached to the side. He felt it connect at the same moment he heard the blaster he hadn’t noticed the officer pull out firing into his chest.

Kallus halted. Everything after that was black and he’d woken up here. It occurred to him for the first time that he might be dead.

“Not quite, but you’re close.”

Kallus’ eyes jerked up and standing in front of him was a Lasat. He recognized his face from one of the many that haunted his dreams. This was the Honor Guard he’d won the bo-rifle from.

Kallus opened and closed his mouth a few times before managing to get words out.

“It’s you.”

The Guard flicked his ears in amusement. “It’s me.”

Zeb had told him once that it was customary for a follower of Boosahn Keeraw to bow to whoever had given them their weapon. Kallus put a fist in his other hand in front of him and lowered his head. The Guard inclined his head in response. Kallus frowned in confusion.

“Are you a ghost? How are you here if I’m not dead as well?” He didn’t even know where ‘here’ was.

The Guard sat down and gestured for Kallus to do the same.

“I’m not a ghost. I’m not really even the Lasat you fought. I’m more… the bo-rifle’s memory of him.”

He gave Kallus a moment to process what he’d just heard before continuing.

“Right now you’re communing with the bo-rifle. It can’t speak, so it uses the forms of its past wielders to communicate with its current one.”

Kallus raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I can’t be the current wielder.”

“Why not? You defeated me in single combat. You claimed the bo-rifle through Boosahn Keeraw.”

Kallus dropped his gaze to the ground. His reflection stared back from beneath him.

“There was no honor in invading your home.”

“True.” He flinched at the Guards bluntness.

“But the bo-rifle sensed the potential in you to become something better than you were. The Empire could not snuff out the light in you completely.” The Guard smiled slightly, like he knew something Kallus didn’t. “And you had a purpose yet to serve, Warrior.”

Kallus’ face pinched in confusion. Before he could ask what that meant the Guard made a dismissive gesture.

“An explanation for another time, perhaps. The bo-rifle called to you for a reason, aside from freeing it.”

All levity dropped from the Guard’s face.

“You have a choice to make.”

Kallus sat up straight and listened with bated breath.

“I said earlier you were close to death. You stand on the precipice between your world and the next. You are connected to the bo-rifle enough for it to tip the scales one way or the other. It can send you back or let you go.”

The Guards eyes softened.

“It has seen your life. It knows the pain you’ve endured. You’ve done enough good now to earn the peace death would bring you.”

“…And if I go back?”

The Guard was silent for a moment.

“You will face your sins. You will hurt and bleed again. You will meet your nightmares. You will stare the darkness of the abyss in the eye once more and I cannot promise you will survive.”

Kallus closed his eyes. He remembered watching his mother slowly die of a disease they couldn’t afford medicine for. He remembered starving in the Lower Levels of Coruscant. He remembered the Academy, how everyone looked at him like he was garbage that had crawled up from the sewer. He remembered Weiss and the ISB program and how they’d turned him into a monster his mother wouldn’t recognize. He remembered Onderon and how helpless he’d been. He remembered Lasan, standing in the ashes of the atrocity he’d been too blind to see he was helping commit. He remembered Lothal. Meeting a band of rebels. Chasing them through the stars. He remembered Bahryn and Zeb and a conversation that had changed everything. A spark igniting within him that had set flame to a rebel’s heart that had been growing for years under the surface. He remembered dragging himself out an escape pod. He remembered being shown kindness and compassion and forgiveness he didn’t deserve by people who would become the first family he’d have since he was nine years old. He remembered how he’d do anything to protect them and their dream.

The Guards green eyes stared back at him, waiting.

“It’s a hard choice.”

Kallus smiled.

“No. It isn’t.”

The Guard smiled back.

“Alexsandr Kallus, do you swear to use this bo-rifle with honor, to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and bring light to a dark galaxy?”

“I swear.”

They both stood. “Then it’s time for you to go.”

The world around them grew brighter and started to disappear.

“Wait!” Kallus cried as he felt himself start to slip away. “What’s your name?”

The Guard let out a gentle laugh.

“My name was Romai.”

[milfthrawnuorodo]

Safe in my Arms (Ascendancy!Thrawn x Reader)

Pairing: Ascendancy!Thrawn x Female Chiss Reader 

Summary: Csaplar, the capital city of Csilla, has been attacked by alien warships. You are a Syndic of the Mith family, forced to seek shelter from the attack along with the rest of the Syndicure. Thrawn, senior captain of the Chiss Expansionary Defence Fleet, is able to easily defeat the enemy targets, but finds himself struggling with something new: the sudden feelings of concern and panic at the thought of you in danger. These feelings are a first for Thrawn, always so confident in battle, seldom so confident when it comes to his feelings for his lover. When you two are reunited, Thrawn is forced to confront his feelings head on. His relief at seeing you alive and well quickly turns into something almost animalistic, and passion ensues, followed by the dawn of a crucial revelation. 

Warnings: Sliiiight angst, but I promise it all works out. SMUT!!! Oral (female receiving), P in V, feral Thrawn is it’s own warning, fucking on a countertop (will I ever let him fuck in the comfort of a bed??? Only time will tell). And watch out because this ending is FLUFF CITY. Like Goddamn call this bitch cotton candy the way it makes me so wet and then absolutely MELTS me. (too much?? Yeah, probably). 

A/N: So the original idea for this came from my head canon’s with my Chiss Syndic OC, Theta, which can be found here. I did originally post this as a Thrawn x Theta, but I know how beloved a solid Thrawn x Reader fic is, so here’s the compromise. Sigh,this fic is so self indulgent it should be a crime. But I hope you enjoy it!

This fic is spicyyyyy so 18+ only, minors do not interact. 

_______________________

The aroma of fresh caccoleaf was the only thing getting you through this never ending meeting. You gingerly took a sip, cherishing the slightly sweet flavor as you forced yourself to focus on the argument at hand. The Syndicure was in full session, meaning your days had been consumed by meetings just like this, speakers for various families vying for exchanges and favors to bolster their own needs above others. 

“What we are proposing would completely revitalize this meager farm area and turn it into a beacon of prosperity, attracting people from all around the Ascendancy, which could boost the local economy and present other long-lasting positive impacts. If you’ll look at the document that has been shared with each of your questises–”

The Ufsa speaker hadn’t even finished his obviously well-rehearsed speech before a representative from the Chaf family made her own grievances known. “That land rightfully belongs to the Chaf family,” she butted in emphatically. “You’ll have to pry that land straight from our hands.”

It took all your years of experience to contain your eye roll. You were proud of your position, honored by your duty to both your family and the Ascendancy, and, yes, you lived to serve your people in any way possible. But you also had a tendency to get frustrated at how selfish and self-serving members of the Aristocra could be. Your whole mission as one of the few female members of the Syndicure was to inspire unity amongst the families and encourage compromise and support over supporting self-serving needs. Though, with so many of the Aristocra being dead set in their old-fashioned ways, you more often than not felt like you were fighting an uphill battle. 

You took a deep breath to steady yourself, preparing to interrupt the argument which was clearly not making any headway, when a resounding alarm began to blare throughout the meeting room. The room was silent for a single heartbeat, before the Syndicure erupted into noise and chaos, each person trying to speak over the other to figure out what was going on. A voice projected over the loudspeaker.

“This is an emergency. Please remain calm and make your way to the shelters beneath the Cupola. I repeat, this is an emergency. Please remain calm and make your way to the shelters beneath the Cupola ”

The announcement hadn’t even finished before people were scrambling towards the doors and filing down the hallway towards the emergency exits that would take them to the shelters. You stood from your seat, making sure to grab the questis from the table before turning to navigate the throngs of people. A quick scan of the room told you that a majority of the Aristocra were well and able to take care of themselves. However, your eyes landed on a lone straggler, an elder from the Irizi family, struggling to make haste towards the exit, having long been forgotten by members of his own family in their own rush towards safety. Without hesitation, you crossed the short distance between you and loop your arm in his, wordlessly offering him your support. A look of surprise flitted across the man’s face, but was quickly replaced by a nod of respect and gratitude before leaning on your for support as you both made your way to the exit. This image, two rival families coming together to support each other in a time of crisis, this was what being a member of the Chiss Ascendancy was about: above family ranks, above political rivalries, above all else, you were all Chiss.

Joining the rest of the speakers, syndics, and various members of the aristocra in the shelters, you found an empty seat, getting a moment to collect your bearings for the first time. You spare a look down at your questis as a barrage of notifications lit up the screen. You could hardly process the words, having to reread the same sentence multiple times. 

Csaplar, capital of Csilla, is under attack by alien ships. Seek shelter immediately. 

You couldn’t remember the last time someone had dared attack the Ascendancy. It certainly hadn’t been in your lifetime, and from the looks of the faces around the shelter, you decided it most certainly hadn’t taken place in the lifetimes of even the eldest members of the Syndicure. You furiously refreshed your notifications, hoping for another update, but there was none to be found. With a worried sigh, you crossed one leg over the other in an attempt to get comfortable. “Stars only know how long we’ll be stuck down here,” you thought to yourself.

“Alien warships,” a nearby Syndic scoffed. “And they have the audacity to attack us?” His voice increased in pitch to emphasize his incredulity. 

“I’m sure the expansionary defense fleet has already lasered them to stardust by now,” another Syndic reassured. 

The words settled like a lead weight in your stomach. Thrawn. The adrenaline, which had just begun to wear off, peaked again and you worked to control your breathing. He was supposed to be coming back from his mission today. You had just spoken over holovid the night before once Thrawn had retired to his quarters, and you had been looking forward to having him planetside with you. Now, with this latest attack, if he was in the middle of it…your thoughts trailed off into the unknown. You knew it wouldn’t do any good to panic now, but the thought of Thrawn being up there, facing off against three enemy warships was enough to get your heart racing all the same. 

_______________________

Thrawn stood on the bridge, staring out the viewport at the sight before him. The alien warships were gone, blasted into rubble too small to even make a dent through the atmosphere. Always the calculated and stoic Senior Captain, Thrawn had kept a level head throughout the unexpected ordeal. The Springhawk was returning home from its mission, coming out of hyperspace just outside Csilla’s gravity well, when the foreign ships began firing on the planet’s capital city. It took less than a minute for the Chiss ships to return fire, and within fifteen minutes the battle was over. Thrawn stood motionless, staring into the empty space where the ships once stood, a sudden anxiety settling into his bones. His chest felt tight and your name fell off his lips in a silent plea. He knew you were there, in the capital. He knew the aliens had to be targeting the capital city–it was the most logical conclusion. Unfortunately, it was also the conclusion that sent an unfamiliar wave of panic through Thrawn. He forced himself to take exactly one deep breath, steeling himself, and forcing his feet to take him back to the Captain’s chair. “Continue course to Csaplar,” Thrawn announced, thankful to hear that his voice didn’t betray an ounce of the worry that plagued him. “The likeliest conclusion is that you are fine,” he thought to himself in an attempt to regain his internal control. You have to be fine. 

_______________________

The defense force had you waiting two hours in the shelters, to be sure that no further threats arose. Two hours you spent sick with worry about what was going on in the skies above. You fully believed that Thrawn was the most intelligent man you’d ever met, and the Ascendancy as a whole was far safer for his role in the expansionary defense fleet. But that didn’t mean you never worried about him every time you knew he was going into a dangerous situation. More than anything, it was the not knowing that was tearing you up the most. You tried to distract yourself with your colleagues, who, in typical syndicure fashion, all seemed to be trying to one-up each other in outrage, as if they were personally defending the ascendancy’s honor. If there was one thing that could bring together the Aristocra, it was a common enemy. 

Shortly past the second hour mark, you got the all-clear to evacuate the shelter. There would be a briefing with General Ba’kif in one of the meeting halls, and it was clear the Syndicure would be out for blood, demanding answers that may not even be available yet. As the sea of individuals rushed to assault the general with their questions, you strode right past the door of the meeting room, instead heading straight for your office. You had just shut the door behind you when you realized you weren't alone.

Thrawn stood in the middle of your office, and the familiar sight of him in the black uniform was nearly enough to bring tears of relief to your eyes. 

At the first sight of you, relief flooded Thrawn’s body and for the first time in over two hours, he felt as though he could breathe again. It took all of two strides for Thrawn to close the distance between you, his strong arms taking you into his grip, pulling you to his chest. You gripped him just as hard, breathing in the familiar scent.

You stood like that, embracing each other for several heartbeats. “I’m relieved to see you unharmed,” Thrawn’s soft voice broke the silence. You tilted your head back, looking into the eyes of your beloved. “Thrawn,” you started, but your voice broke, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. You forced a deep breath before continuing. “What happened?” With a final press of his lips against the top of your head, Thrawn stepped back and motioned for you to take a seat as he began to recount everything they had found out over the last few hours. 

_______________________

That night, You rinsed off the last of the dinnerware, passing the dripping plate to Thrawn, who methodically dried it off and set it amongst its freshly clean counterparts. The dinner had been a simple affair, but you cherished these nights the most. They were too few and far between. Though, you supposed you were somewhat in luck–the estimated repairs for the Springhawk were to take between four and six weeks, and you’d soak up every ounce of time together you could get. 

Thrawn had been unusually quiet tonight though, and you watched as he gripped the edge of the countertop, clearly lost in thought. Thrawn’s focus shifted as a pair of soft arms wound their way around his midsection. “Tell me what’s bothering you, love,” your voice was barely above a whisper. Up on your toes, you pressed a kiss to Thrawn’s neck, “And don’t bother denying it. You know I can read you as easily as a data cylinder,” you quipped, trying to ease the tension. 

With a small sigh, Thrawn turned to face you. His lean body propped up against the countertop, arms crossed at his chest, and though he was looking at you, you could feel that his gaze was far away. 

“There was a moment today, after the attack,” Thrawn started, then paused, thinking over his words. “I had a feeling I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before.” You waited patiently through another extended pause, giving Thrawn what you hoped was an encouraging nod.

“As soon as the battle was over, I was hit by this strange sense of terror. There was this sudden, overwhelming dread, and I was convinced something had happened to you.” Thrawn paused, his throat working. “I don’t know what I would have done. What I’d do if–” Your features instantly softened, and you interrupted the thought, stepping up on your tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to Thrawn’s lips. 

“It’s okay,” you whispered, pulling away momentarily. “I’m fine.” You pressed another kiss to his lips. “I’m okay,” you reassured, murmuring against his lips, and it was as if upon hearing those words, feeling your soft lips against his, something within Thrawn broke. His hands were off the counter, gripping your waist, pulling you closer to him as his lips crashed against yours, gripping you in a fierce kiss. You hardly had a second to react before Thrawn picked you up, twisting your positions so he could place you on the countertop, not even breaking the kiss. Your eyebrows shot up in surprise, though you certainly weren’t about to stop him. Thrawn’s grip on your hips tightened as he deepened the kiss, pulling you to the edge of the counter. Suddenly, you understood where Thrawn was coming from. The relief at having him here, the knowledge that you were both safe, both together, it was enough to have you mirroring his intensity.

Your hands were desperate, clumsily trying to undo Thrawn’s uniform. Stars damn all the regulation zips that made these things so damn hard to remove. Eventually, Thrawn took pity on you, stepping back to remove the rest of the jacket, discarding his undershirt as well, letting both fall to the floor. You had only a moment to appreciate the toned, muscular skin, biting your bottom lip as you took in the view, and then Thrawn’s lips were back on yours and your fingers went straight to tangle themselves in his hair. 

“I need to—“ Thrawn gasps out between kisses. “I need to taste you.” 

You nodded your head fervently and spread your legs, leaning back on your hands as Thrawn pressed sweet kisses along your neck and down your still-clothed chest. Pushing up your skirt, you lifted yourself just enough for him to slide your damp panties down your leg. Thrawn let out an audible groan. “I do believe you’ll be the end of me,” he growled in a low voice, before falling to his knees. 

The sight of Thrawn on his knees before you was almost enough to push you over the edge. Thrawn slid your legs open, resting them on his shoulders as he pressed a kiss to your core. The sensation sent a shiver down your spine, but before you could even beg for more, he dove right in. 

He ate like a man who had been starved for days, unable to get enough. A single finger joined his tongue, and left you squirming on his counter. Your hips thrust up into his face, a second digit joining in, stretching you. He curled his fingers, hitting that spongy spot deep inside you, and stars danced behind your eyelids. “Thrawn!” you exclaimed, panting. His fingers moved faster, harder, expertly dragging your orgasm from you. “Thrawn, I’m going to—“ before you could even finish that sentence, your orgasm ripped through your body. Your back arched, cunt tightening around his fingers. His tongue lapped up your juices, which only prolonged the orgasm. Gasping for air, you slowly came down from her high, coming to just in time to spot Thrawn trailing soft kisses along the inside of your thighs, working his way back up to kiss your face. Thrawn pressed himself up against your soaking core, and you could feel how much he enjoyed that experience as his rock-hard member pressed against your sensitive mound, eliciting another moan from you, his name dancing on your lips. “Thrawn.”

“I need to feel you,” he moaned against his kiss. “I need to be inside you.” His kiss was frenzied, his need was unmistakable. You had never seen the man so undone, and you could hardly believe it was on your behalf. It felt like a dream. All you could manage was a breathy “yes,” in response, but it was all the approval Thrawn needed. 

Without missing a beat, Thrawn’s hands were on his belt, quickly undoing it, his pants falling to the floor soon after. You let out a sigh as he freed his cock and gave his member a rough couple pumps. Your mouth watered at the sight of it–thick and long, and deliciously veined, as if it was designed purely for your pleasure. You couldn’t help but rub your thighs together, desperate for some kind of friction as you took in the sight before you: 

Thrawn, his typically meticulous hair now a disheveled mess, his impressive member in hand, and a look of absolute feral need in his eyes. 

Thrawn held the tip of his cock, teasing your opening. Even when he was overcome with need, he still took the time to savor this moment. In a moment of impatient desperation, you thrust your hips up off the counter, which Thrawn rewarded with a swift thrust of his hips, his cock finally filling you to the brim. He paused for a moment, letting you adjust. A breathless moan of approval from you is all it took for him to lose himself. 

His thrusts were hard and his pace was quick. He needed this. He needed to feel you beneath his fingers, to know that you were safe in his arms. You threw your head back, the pleasure radiating through your body. In and out, in and out. Thrawn’s breathing was labored, letting out breathy moans. His pace quickened, and he could tell you were nearing another orgasm. Your cunt tightened around his cock as you neared her edge, and Thrawn let out a gasp and another moan, your name on his lips. It was enough to send you over the edge once again, wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him closer into you. Feeling your pussy pulse around his cock was just enough to cause Thrawn to lose any remaining composure. “Fuck,” Thrawn grunted, grabbing your hips tight enough to bruise, thrusting his hips even harder. With a final groan, Thrawn’s hips faltered and his cock twitched as he emptied himself inside you.

Thrawn pressed his forehead to yours as you both struggled to catch your breath. He loosened his fingers from their iron grip on your hips, and he was surprised at the slight shake that unsteadied his hand. “That’s new,” Thrawn remarked to himself, still perplexed at how thoroughly you had undone him. He was enamored with you. His hands absentmindedly trailed along your side as he pressed tender kisses along your neck and jaw, still soaking in your scent. He paused when he reached the apex of your neck and he relished the feel of your pulse beneath his lips, further proof that you were alive and well. 

“I love you.” The words tumbled from Thrawn’s mouth, his deep voice barely above a whisper. You froze beneath his touch. Even Thrawn seemed momentarily taken aback by the words which he hadn’t even meant to say out loud. But with every moment that passed, Thrawn realized how true they were. He was in love with you. And, if he was being honest with himself, he had been for quite some time. “I love you,” you whispered back, the softest smile on your face. Thrawn couldn’t help his smile as your lips met again, but this kiss was different: full of passion, yes, but something softer. Love. 

“Damn,” you breathed out, breaking the kiss after several moments. “Maybe warships should attack the ascendancy more often,” you said with a playful smile on your lips. 

Thrawn bit back a growl and, with a scowl, took you into his arms, lifting you off the countertop. “Don’t even joke about that,” he said in a low voice, immediately followed by a soft press of his lips to your temple. Thrawn started towards your bedroom, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into, but knowing that he was in too deep to turn back now. 

[the-hidden-empire]

How they react to you being captured by the enemy:

*my first time writing, but I love this blue man too much for my own good lol! Please don’t be afraid to steal my ideas, I just want to see more thrawn! This was done over my phone notes so I didn’t get a chance to remove it!

Thrawn:

-His most prized art peace, the only art price dedicated to him, and him only. His wife.

- Would do everything in his power to retrieve you.

- He could care less how many life’s he’ll have to take to get you back to him.

- Would personally take the mission himself.

- His star destroyer, the citihaunting , and it’s entire crew, would loom over the the planets main city

- You were his prized possession, his favourite piece of art work. No one dear steal that from him.

- Governor Pryce would be blamed for you’re kidnapping, as he put her in charge of you’re safety when he was commanding his ship.

- He’d go retrieve you personally himself.

- Considers his men incompetent, especially his generals.

- Rains hell fire near the base you are kept as a warning.

- You were surrendered quickly at that point.

- You never had to worry he’d always come back for you.

- His most prized possession.

- Quickly destroys the base immediately after he safely has you back on board.

- Wants to scold you for getting yourself into that situation.

- But ends up just wrapping his arms around you from behind.

- You feel him leave a trail of kisses upon you’re neck

- You lean into his touch.

- You watched from the windows in Thrawns chambers, you see nothing but death and destruction.

-The base is completely desecrated, nothing could possibly survive the destruction.

- You’re heart aches for the people that lost their life’s because of you’re recklessness’s, and you’re husbands anger.

- You hear is smooth voice whispering into you’re ear

- “There is no one or thing in this galaxy that will bring harm to you, I’d personally destroy the galaxy, down to its very planet, if it meant keeping you from harm.”

- He holds you’re jaw so he can tilt you’re lips towards him

- You feel him tighten his opposite hand on you’re waste.

- The kiss doesn’t last long as he was still an Grand Admiral, and he had a full fleet to attend too.

- His position as Admiral meant he could keep you safe. So he took hos role very seriously.

- He gave you one last kiss on you’re forehead before leaving.

-He paused for a moment as exited his personal quarters, his back turned to you.

- “Try to stay out of troubles this time.” Thrawn sternly advised, yet had a small smile grow as he left for his post

- You both get a thrill from him rescuing you.

- And you both know he gets off to the idea of keeping you safe.

- He thrives off the idea of him being you’re protector.

- His love for you would burn the galaxy down just for you.

- But never would he admit that, he had to much pride.

[cross-my-heartt]

Rewriting Ahsoka episodes 1-3

(Or: if Sabine wasn’t force sensitive and how I think that could have benefited the show)

I don’t think it’s a secret but I’ve been rather disappointed with the writing choices in Ahsoka so far and I wanted to try and write my own take on how the show might have gone without changing any of the major plot points.

This is mainly with the aim of expanding on the main characters' arcs and giving them slightly different motivations. Take this as an exercise in writing or simply a character study. Because if nothing else, Ahsoka gives us some interesting premises in regards to Sabine and, well, Ahsoka.

So without further ado, let’s get into this.

For starters in this rewrite, Sabine isn’t force sensitive and the whole idea that anyone can use the force is scrapped (more on why I don’t like that in another post because I don’t want this getting too long). We use the same theme of working hard and not giving up as the show does but we change Sabine’s motivations entirely. What do I mean by that:

In this scenario Sabine isn’t discouraged by her poor ability to use the force but rather by her complete inability to do so. Something that makes more sense given her backstory and ties her motivations more closely to the Ghost crew.

We now have a Sabine who is still suffering Ezra and Kanan’s loss and partly blames herself for not being able to help them. Who feels inadequate because in the time since, she’s come to the conclusion that it was her inability to use and understand the force that prevented her from being by their side.

Kanan was blinded and they nearly lost Ahsoka on Malachor and she couldn’t do anything. And it wasn’t even the first time their two force users pranced off to do Jedi business. Kanan died using the force to protect all of them and Ezra disappeared when he went off to deal with Thrawn by himself. Both instances where she must have felt helpless.

(What if there’d been another force user there to help Kanan contain the explosion? Would it have made a difference? What if Ezra didn’t feel responsible for acting on his own because he was the only force user left in their group?)

It eats her up from the inside but she pushes it down and moves on. But then it all comes back to haunt her when Ahsoka approaches her to ask her to be her backup on the various missions she does for the New Republic after the war. And Sabine agrees but the more missions they go on, the more she feels like she just can’t keep up.

She grows more and more frustrated because it feels like Ahsoka is stronger and faster than her, her lightsabers more efficient, her intuition more accurate, her skills more diverse and Sabine just… keeps falling behind. Eventually she starts botching things just because she gets into her head (and if there’s one thing we know from Rebels, it’s that Sabine is very good at getting into her own head, her training to use the dark saber being the best example.)

Never mind that Ahsoka is older and more experienced than her, in her eyes she’s decided that it’s because she doesn’t have the force. She’ll never be force sensitive and that’s why she’ll always be one step behind. It’s Kanan and Ezra all over again.

Eventually she gives up and leaves despite Ahsoka trying to convince her otherwise. She tells Ahsoka to find a real partner, someone force sensitive. Sabine doesn’t want another repeat of what happened to her family. She doesn’t want to feel useless again, standing helplessly on the side.

In time she even gives up on maintaining her other skills because what’s the point? For all the skills she had mastered (weapons, close combat, even her tech savviness), it had all been in vain in the end so what’s the point.

Ahsoka is understandably disappointed – because she knows Sabine is wrong and Ahsoka’s never been one to take things lying down like that. Ahsoka in the Clone Wars was a spitfire, energetic, someone who can’t tolerate sitting idly.

These differences cause a rift between her and Sabine – maybe even an actual falling out or an argument – and that later leads to the tension we feel between them.

All of these things don’t have to happen in the show either, they can be implied through dialogue. We can have a talk between Hera and Sabine in the hospital where Sabine admits to the guilt she feels about Kanan and Ezra. Maybe Hera has known Sabine has been keeping something bottled up for a while but Sabine has never opened up about it and only does it now when she’s hurt and at her lowest.

Heck, maybe Jacen comes to visit her with his mom and it’s the sight of him and the fact that he reminds Sabine so much of both Kanan and Ezra that makes her finally break down.

(There’s just so much you can do with these characters and the convoluted past hey have. It’s an actual crime that we’ve had Sabine bond more with Ahsoka in this show than she does with Hera. But anyway I’m getting ahead of myself.)

The show opens with the ceremony only this time Sabine is attending. Something that’s more in line with her character because this is an event honoring the people who fell in the war and we know this is no small deal to her. She walks out to the sound of the crowd’s cheering and applause but suddenly freezes.

When she turns to leave and the mayor stops her to ask what’s wrong she tells him she doesn’t deserve this because in her mind she doesn’t – she’s not the hero who died to save everyone. That’s Ezra and Kanan and they’re not here.

A classic case of survivor’s guilt but one that I think can be used very effectively. This is the first time we see Sabine in the show and by all means we agree that she does deserve to be proud of herself and that seems to be the case until she has her little ptsd moment and he audience realizes that something’s wrong.

Then we move on to Ahsoka who’s retrieved her map and is discussing it with Hera. They’re talking about the best way to go about deciphering it and Hera suggests that Ahsoka could try and ask Sabine for help. Maybe she’s not the most logical choice (it stands to reason that there are people out there more qualified than her) but Hera knows Sabine is struggling and hopes that this might make her recover some of her self-esteem and she tells Ahsoka as much. She’s also hoping that she can bring these two together so that they might finally work out their differences.

This to me is a nice way of underlining Hera’s role as the voice of reason in the crew, to remind the audience, or communicate to them if they haven’t seen Rebels, that it’s her emotional intelligence that often keeps the family together (because the Spectres have always been stronger together).

Ahsoka reluctantly agrees to do it.

I’m not a fan of the way they handled the stealing of the map in the show so we’re changing that here. Rather than just slipping away, Sabine is disturbed by Ahsoka’s reappearance and tensions run high until another argument breaks out. This is how we get Sabine alone with the map.

Shortly after her worst nightmare comes true when Shin, a force user, confronts her. Sabine panics and botches the fight because she’s decided she’s lost it before it’s even begun. Ahsoka senses that something is wrong and interrupts the fight but by that time Sabine is wounded (a lighter wound this time because that would have definitely killed her) and she has to protect her while trying to get the map back. In the end Shin gets away and Sabine is taken to the hospital.

When she wakes up, she hits a new low. She’s once again become a burden for a force user. Instead of helping, she actually held Ahsoka back and this reaffirms her belief that Ahsoka should just let her be and find a proper padawan to be her partner.

This is where her and Hera could have their heart to heart. Then Ahsoka marches in with the droid head and tells her to hack it. Sabine starts to protest but Ahsoka’s had enough and puts her foot down – Sabine can either keep moping around and stew in self-pity or she could pull herself together and start helping Ahsoka fix this mess and stop Thrawn’s return. Sabine reluctantly agrees but says that she’s only doing this for Ezra.

On their way, Ahsoka starts training Sabine. Unlike in the show though she’s not training her how to be Force user but rather how to fight a force user (a literal representation of Sabine facing her fears and insecurities head on.)

This plot could also give some more substance to Sabine’s annoyance with Huyang’s tendency to parrot Jedi aphorisms and protocols, a reminder of her current struggles with all things force related.

And I’m going to stop here because what follows are mostly action scenes and while I have gripes with those, I want to focus on the characters and I’m not the best expert on space battles and lightsaber fights.

But in essence, what I would have liked to see for Sabine is a character arc ala Sokka from Avatar style. In Sokka’s case he was the single non-bender in a group of benders. This caused him to feel redundant and useless but instead of magically giving him bending, the show sent him on a journey to find his own strengths and develop his skills until he was able to keep up with his team and become invaluable to them. The same ‘work hard and don’t give up despite not having superpowers’ that I would have liked for Sabine.

The show could still do something similar with her by letting her realize she doesn’t need the force or have her use it in her own unorthodox way but it still could have given us that same arc without tampering with canon and introducing a slew of meta problems in the process.

In addition, I think this could also give Ahsoka a better character arc: as far as we know she’s never had a padawan until now. And though Sabine isn’t Force sensitive in this version, Ahsoka could suddenly find herself in the same position as a jedi master: as someone who needs to guide and teach. Only it’s even harder for her because Sabine isn’t a padawan, she can’t use the same methods that were used with her, she can’t teach Sabine to meditate or look to the force for answers and balance. No, she has to figure this out without the help of the force.

In the progress she could also turn to Hera for little pointers and advice because while Ahsoka may be the jedi here, Hera has much more experience doing this. Being a leader, a mentor, a mother. These new arcs could serve to highlight each of the characters’ strengths: Hera’s emotional intelligence and leadership, Ahsoka’s passion, drive and determination and Sabine’s perfectionism and capacity to care for those she loves.

In the case of Ahsoka and Sabine, their strengths are also tied to their shortcomings: Ahsoka is still headstrong and fiery (rather than the stoic wise version this show keeps on pushing) which gets in the way of her relationship with Sabine and Sabine’s tendency to overthink and expect so much of herself ultimately ends up sabotaging her.

And that’s a decent jumping off point for some good character development down the line.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Hera's Heroes"

*whispers* Is our favorite blue bastard back? Oh you betcha.

The episode title seems to be a reference to Hogan's Heroes, an old boomer-era TV show dark comedy sitcom about a P.O.W. camp in Nazi Germany.

...No listen, the charm is, I'm told, that the German officers are portrayed as bumbling idiots and the P.O.W.s basically run an entire clandestine resistance campaign right under their noses. So there are all kinds of shenanigans involved and a lot of taking the piss out of the Axis Powers and honestly some of it seems right in line with what kind of mischief the Rebels have been known to get into so the shoutout makes sense to me.

Anyway.

Cham and Numa return!

"The Empire is getting better at anticipating our moves!" Ha ha yeah he... he has a tendency to do that. It's a little scary sometimes.

Now taking bets on whether or not Thrawn showing up on Ryloth was premeditated in order to draw the Spectres out.

"My daughter is always serious." Lol, love how this joke comes back later.

This music cue is great, I love it. Lot of rapid build-up to the serious horn variation of "Shenanigans".

"You didn't think this through did you?" LOL love that awkward little noise the Scout Trooper makes, he's just like, "Oh..."

Zeb being a perfect big brother asking Ezra if he has the Scout Trooper set yet and knocking out the trooper awww.

Hugs! Lovely to see that Cham and Hera have repaired their relationship.

Yeeeeeeah I don't think it was Slavin that you underestimated, Cham. I think it's pretty heavily suggested it was actually Thrawn who ousted y'all from the house there.

Hera is a bit reluctant to include everyone in what's arguably a very personal and selfish mission but they're all for it, so into the fray we go.

I think I may have had a little mourning moment the first time I watched this, upon the realization that Ezra doesn't fit in his cadet uniform anymore.

Zeb nudging Kanan in the arm to let him know it's time to charge out. <333 And Sabine grabbing his wrist and keeping hold of it until they're both on the blurrg. See, little touches like this are great, just a nice subtle way of showing Kanan's blindness without calling direct attention to it.

Some really nice Hera and Ezra interaction this episode, I really liked that, they don't get to be on missions together much so this is refreshing.

Do we know if this is a reused asset from TCW? Looks almost too nice to be one lol.

:((((((

Droids can have PTSD apparently, Chopper is unusually sad about this crashed Y-wing, grieving his former pilot maybe?

*strains ears* This soft music-box like cue almost sounds like Leia's theme. It's too short and buried under the dialogue for me to tell and even Clone Gunner Commander Jedi doesn't have it extracted.

HHFHFHFFFFFHH FRICK.

The man can jumpscare me just walking into a room, gah.

"The Rebel activity is far from here." As Ezra and Hera are literally sneaking past them lol told you the reference to Hogan's Heroes was deliberate.

Oooh the harp in this cue, nice!

Chopper's finally over his drama in order to assist.

We return to Hera and co. after a brief setpiece back in the canyon and Chopper readily plays "malfunctioning droid" again for a distraction.

Hera smoothly slipping back into her Ryloth accent to try and deflect suspicion. <3

Ezra trying to at least stay next to her even if he can't break cover.

Thrawn already totally knows it's Hera.

Ohhhhh boy it's time for creepy Cultural Appropriation!Thrawn, with him analyzing the details of his opponents' culture and traditions in order to find ways to hurt and oppress them more effectively for the Empire.

Since he studied up on Twi'lek culture he knows what a kalikori is, and its significance. Therefore he knew immediately that someone trying to smuggle one out of the compound would have to have some kind of personal emotional connection to it. This kalikori was found in Cham Syndulla's office, ergo, family of Cham Syndulla. Ergo, obviously, Hera Syndulla, noted Rebel insurgent.

See I kind of like this method of showing Thrawn's "strategic art analysis", which was practically magic bullshit in the original Heir To The Empire trilogy. Thrawn comes across as brilliant but not OP here, instead.

By the way, "Thrawn's Web" is the perfect musical leitmotif for him. Creepy plinky music box notes giving way to slowly building cathedral organs, ominous and refined.

I almost feel like I need to take a shower after this exchange it's so freaking creepy. Thrawn almost exotifies Hera here, breathlessly gushing and envious about how she was "forged" by war, while he merely studies it from the outside.

Making Hera the primary rival/foil to Thrawn was a really inspired decision for Rebels, contrasting her passion to his apathy, her warmth to his cold sterility. The villainous respect he has for her makes their interactions cordial with a hostile edge.

Plus, with all his focus on Hera, identifying her as the primary threat, he completely misses all the Force Bullshit that Kanan and Ezra are capable of throwing at him lol.

After all, he repeats the idea, "To defeat an enemy you must know them." and as he later confesses to Ezra in the finale he doesn't know the Force.

(It's almost impossible for him to know, Palpatine has spent so much effort destroying and hoarding other Force disciplines. Way to screw yourself Palps.)

Worried spacemom when Thrawn stuns Ezra. <33333

:((((

Thrawn's picky insistence on using the "correct" pronunciation of Hera's name is also creepy.

Thrawn: "Really too bad you're probably gonna be executed immediately. Anyway I'm taking your family heirloom for my art collection, definitely not as some kind of sick trophy of my besting you noooooo not at all." Hera: "Kriff you, bastard!"

Thanking Hera for her "hospitality" when the Empire literally invaded and occupied her house, he's such an asshole. It's great. I love him.

Ngl, not gonna lie, really dig Feral!Thrawn. I have a thing about seeing normally calm, stoic characters just completely lose their shit and go berserk. ('s'why I took Thrawn through a slow Villainous Breakdown in my "Mirrorverse" series.) Even this brief loss of control is just *mwah*.

"What'd I miss?" He's so cute.

"And my daughter is not important?!" Awww, see, character growth!

Love this conversation, Ezra reassuring Hera that he doesn't regret coming along to support her on this.

Chopper running full tilt into Ezra lol.

Hera gave the murderbot permission to find and plant explosives, uh-oh, ha ha.

Caps that could easily be watercolor paintings number 337.

Slavin seems very confident and snooty. Something that becomes a pattern on the show is that Thrawn will let more incompetent underlings fail so he can learn more about the Rebels, will set them up to fail sometimes.

Also something I noticed before but this little moment reminded me, the Stormtroopers tend to be pretty rough with Ezra, they're always shoving at him or manhandling him for absolutely no reason, they're just petty.

Chopper laughing maniacally as he plants the detonators. <3

"You were serious?!" You're the one who said she was always serious my dude, lol.

Impressive move from Kanan, redirecting that rocket at the AT-DP.

You know I think maybe Thrawn likes the cat and mouse thrill, obviously he sacrifices smaller victories for eventual much larger ones but I also think he's just really into having a worthy opponent.

Preeeeeettyyyyyyyyyy.

Hera talking about how her mother's memory is kept alive via the love that Hera's Found Family shares, while Zeb is giving Ezra noogies in the background aaaaah I love it.

I think I remember wanting this episode to have been a little longer??? Not quite sure why I thought that now, maybe I just really wanted more of it at the time.

Thrawn gets his first personal up-close encounter with the Spectres and even if he's hands off about actually closing the trap on them this episode we can tell he's got major plans coming, and is factoring what he learned about Hera specifically into them for later. This did annoy certain fanbros who forgot that this was Thrawn's whole thing and decided it was Plot Armor because kids show but frankly I ignore those types of people and my fandom experience is better for it.

As I already said, love the Hera-Ezra interaction, love the music, this episode is honestly a bit laid-back and unassuming compared to the tense premiere and dramatic previous episodes. Lulls you into a false sense of security. Just like Thrawn. XD

I'll be talking more about him later, trust me, I have Opinions™.

[xiema]

Scandal

Thrawn/Eli Vanto, Thanto

Summary: One night changed everything between them.

Text:

It wasn't easy as a non-human in the Imperial Fleet. The prejudices of the human crew were constantly noticeable, no matter how influential, what rank you held nothing changed. The only thing that changed was how well they hid it, or at least tried to. What they didn't know was that the senses of a Chiss were far better than those of a human. Thrawn saw their glances, heard the whispers, and yet he remained silent, convinced that if he did anything, in time the entire crew would turn on him, even more than they already did.

So he would be the perfect soldier, just as he had learned in the Ascendancy. His path led only straight. The best grades at the Academy. The Optimal result of a mission. He would not compromise.

He practically did not have a private life, and when an opportunity arose, it was rather simple. Most of the time he surrounded himself with his beloved art, studied the various cultures and customs of different worlds, while others got drunk textbook-style until they couldn't even form a straight sentence. Not that he had much reason to go to such parties, after all, most people disapproved of his presence and frowned when they saw him coming from far away. That was already the case on his home. But there was someone who was different.

"Good morning Thrawn."

A young man who had proven to Thrawn more than once that racism and prejudice could be crushed. Someone who, despite all the trouble the Chiss had caused him in the past, stood by Thrawn not only as a subordinate, but also as his closest friend.

"Good morning Eli." Greeted Thrawn back, immediately noticing how much his mood improved at the sight of his friend.

"Have you heard yet Pryce broke her foot. Looks like the party's going down the drain."

Pryce's birthday, Thrawn remembered. It happened to coincide with her day off. She had been looking forward to it, however a malfunctioning droid had thrown a wrench at her plans. "Obviously."

"Faro and I were going to surprise her with a couple of bottles of Jogan fruit brandy in her quarters. Would you like to join us?" Eli inquired with a sampled smile, and Thrawn couldn't deny how his heart briefly leapt with joy each time he did so. And yet he kept silent, not letting on, even if he wished it was more than mere friendship.

Thrawn was already formulating his usual excuse in his head, but before he even had time to say a word he was cut off. "Come on Thrawn. You're always at work, some time off would be nice. Or don't Chiss do time off?" A remark that both knew was not meant seriously. And for the first time, Thrawn did something he thought would never happen.

"I'll see what I can do." He agreed.

The commander's brown eyes widened in amazement, "Really? Good, then at the end of the shift in front of Pryce quarters. There's no need for a gift. Now, however, we should get back to our work."

"Indeed." Thrawn could not have put it better. Both men turned their attention back to the bridge. Perhaps this evening would prove to be a valuable experience.

------------oOo---------------

As agreed, Thrawn, Eli and Karyn met outside Arihnda's quarters at 9 p.m. standard time. Karyn's eyes widened when she saw the Chiss coming in a shirt and suit pants instead of his usual uniform, however, she said nothing about his presence and even seemed interested for a moment. After all, no one had ever seen the Grand Admiral drunk. Not that Thrawn intended to drink so much, but he would not take away her pleasure.

The small group was not exactly greeted friendly when they entered the quarters. Due to the komplexety of the fracture, the medic had foregone bacta and cast Arihnda's leg in the traditional manner instead, and she didn't seem too thrilled about it. She was barely able to move on her own, let alone walk, and from experience Thrawn knew how much she hated sitting around doing nothing. "What are you doing here?" nagged Arihnda, annoyed.

"Congratulating you, old witch." Karyn answered and demonstratively lifted up the bottles they had brought with them.

However, that didn't seem to be enough, with a rest of skepticism Arihnda raised an eyebrow "And why is he here?" they all knew who was meant.

"We can leave again if you prefer." the rising warmth in Eli's face told Thrawn that he wasn't thrilled about her snide tone, however his mine hadn't changed. Sometimes the Chiss forgot how much better Eli had become at using his own body language. In the past, you could read his every emotion, but today Thrawn had to admit that he would have trouble without his infrared vision.

Disparagingly, Arihnda watched them and probably weighed her options, either she would spend the evening alone in her quarters feeling sorry for herself, or she would party with them. In the end, she gave in. Thrawn saw the heat spreading to their cheeks "Give me the damn bottle, Vanto."

After just the first round of the high grade brandy, the mood improved tremendously. Mainly they played cards, told of stories from their time at the Academy, Arihnda about her childhood and youth on Lothal, and generally some bad jokes where Thrawn often didn't understand the potentate. Assuming there was one at all, he would probably never really understand human humor. Most of the time Thrawn just watched the three of them talking to each other, but their body language was also very interesting. The hours flew by, the alcohol flowed in rough quantities, a glass originally accepted only out of politeness turned into two, four, six and soon Thawn had lost track and caught himself smirking at a bad joke or deducing one in his mind.

At some point silence fell, Arihndas and Karyn lay half-dozing, cuddled together on the bed, their heads red from the alcohol, while Eli and Thrawn sat together at the foot of the bed, finishing their last glass. Without realizing it, his gaze slid to Eli, who was lostly watching the dark liquid in the glass, and the Chiss wondered what was going on in his head. Normally Thrawn was a friend of silence, but in this case it was strangely oppressive.

"Thank you for the -" he faltered, the alcohol had already clouded his mind so much that some of the expressions on Basic just slipped away.

"For the invitation?" helped Eli out with a slight grin.

"Exactly. For the invitation." he repeated, "Thank you."

"I thought you'd like to get rat-arsed, too."

"Rat-arsed?"

Eli smiled at his friend's confusion. It was a carefree laugh, one like Thrawn hadn't heard from the younger man in a long time. "Don't worry about it." Eli took a final sip.

As so often lately, Thrawn's eyes clung to Eli's profile; every day they saw each other, worked together for hours, and often spent their free time together, but he felt as if he was really seeing him for the first time. He bit his lip. For the first time in his life his head was completely empty. And for the second time that day, Thrawn did something unexpected when, in a moment of controllose, his lips met Eli's. It was only a moment, but for him, it was like seeing him for the first time. It was only a moment, but for Thrawn it felt like an eternity, like a dream that finally came true. But no matter how beautiful this short moment was, what followed made him freeze like a jump into ice water.

Wordless and pale as a corpse, Eli stared at him with a mixture of shock and disbelief. All at once, the Chiss was completely sober again. What was he actually doing here?

"I should go."

Eli replied nothing, just continued to turn away in silence, refusing to look at Thrawn. It hurt more than anything. He could still hear Karyn and Arihnda slowly waking up again, asking what was going on, but getting no answer. At least not from Thrawn whose heart, which many thought he didn't have, burst into a thousand pieces as the door closed behind him.

--------------oOo--------------

The next day came far too quickly, with Thrawn waking up with a strange feeling of lightheadedness, not because of the alcohol that still hadn't quite left his system, but because of last night's memories. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't avoid Eli, he was his adjudant after all. But that wouldn't stop him from doing his duty.  

But maybe Thrawn took a little more time than usual to put on his uniform and maybe he trembled a little at the thought of meeting Eli in a few minutes.

The Chiss had never been so unfocused in his life, counting the seconds until Eli appeared on the bridge. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he feared the entire crew would hear it, even though he knew this was impossible. Until it suddenly stopped when he heard the unmistakable rhythm of Eli's footsteps approaching. All his hopes were pinned on this moment. Maybe Eli didn't remember what had happened, or thought it was a dream. Maybe he thought that the alcohol had gone to the Chiss' head and that there was no meaning behind his actions. Or maybe he simply ignored what had happened.

And maybe, just maybe, he would feel the same way as Thrawn.

"Grand Admiral." a single word, his hopes dashed. Another would not have known the difference, but Thrawn did. In the usual polite tone resonated an unpleasant coldness that sent a shiver through Thrawn, who had grown up on an ice planet. He had played high and lost, namely his best friend and his great love.

He would rewind time, simply forget and deny the truth. It was easier to pretend there was nothing there than to give himself foolish hope any longer. He would respect Eli's wish.

"Commander Vanto."

[owlpartytime]

Days of Thranto Past Appreciation Post Day 7

Rather than writing new this Thrantovember, I am featuring the works of others that I love. Most of these are probably well known already, but it's always someone's first time seeing a fic! Rules were: 1. Story must be completed, and 2. Thranto must be the primary focus of the story. I'm featuring 3 a day (because I couldn't cut the list down) at random - I'd love to hear your thoughts on the selections (and please give the authors some love, too!)

Rendezvous by ZsforSs

Thrawn had never partaken in the Rendezvous Rooms previously, but now he found himself opening the portal on the ship's intranet.

It was remarkably straightforward, first a question confirming his identity- presumably so his official biometrics could be pulled from his medical file, and then a short questionnaire about what he was looking for.

Male, he decided. Preferably shorter than him....

He'd gone through all the questions before he knew it- the list of 'preferences' had been an interesting read, though he'd left almost all of them unchecked. 

He paused when it was time to input his availability.

Did he actually want to have anonymous sex with someone under his command?

As he mulled the idea over, Eli's footsteps came back in range of Thrawn's hearing. The man was humming some unfamiliar tune under his breath. Thrawn sat and listened as Eli retrieved something from his conservator and then walked away again.

He submitted the request.

Sweet and smutty in equal measure, this fic is a delight. Great worldbuilding details and just enough mild angst sprinkled in to round everything out.

--

Falling by DistantStorm

Eli hopes that they've gotten away with this. They need a break in the case. Thrawn has made plenty of enemies over the years, but of course he doesn't understand that political enemies have different kinds of resources, different kinds of motives. Nothing but Thrawn’s truest, most honest reaction would stand to fool anyone.

And only that presumed grief — presumed, because honestly he can't tell if Thrawn considers them friends or co-workers — will entice Ghadi's remaining supporters (and their hired guns) to come out into the open. They'll bait him, they'll claim responsibility, Thrawn will do his duty and Eli will flank and if they play their cards right, it'll be one more thwarted internal coup Thrawn didn't see coming.

Eli goes undercover and has to complete his mission while avoiding Thrawn - easier said than done. This is tense and bittersweet and so, so good.

--

Tropics and Temptations by plotholes_ahead

He’d been looking forward to this since they’d landed as he’d been unable to enjoy anything remotely close to a tropical vacation over the course of his time in the service. He intended to take full advantage of the opportunity now. He needed this; needed to cool off from the days scorching heat and the little looks Thrawn kept tossing his way. He was either still greatly concerned for his health, or all of a sudden fascinated with every little thing he did; he just kept watching him.

It wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t also insist on touching him. Eli couldn’t recall how many times Thrawn's fingertips had grazed his shoulder or the small of his back over the duration of their time here, for no apparent reason. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Not that he really minded, but at some point, something had to give.

Long plotty missionfic with lots of little good social moments and flirting between Thrawn and Eli, culminating in some excellent smut via some questionable melons (and without them). This one has lived in my head rent free since the first time I read it, and doesn't seem to be moving out any time soon.

[lcngliive]

Was that [ALVA BRATT]? Oh no no, that was just [SHIN HATI], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [STAR WARS]. They are [TWENTY FIVE] years old, use [SHE/THEY], and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

how long has your character been here

they've only been here for a week.

what is your character's job

nothing yet, but she'll probs be some sort of muscle for hire.

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom

from the end of the ashoka series after being trapped.

has any magic affected your character

nope.

and any other information you might find useful for us and the other members to know!!

okay ,, this feral lil shit is shin hati, there's not much on shin's early childhood or anything like that - I'm just going to kinda make that up as i go along tbh bc the show hasn't touched much on that other than she's a force sensitive kid that baylan found not in the jedi temple or on courscant. obvs if we get a second season of ahsoka, I'll change her stuff if we find out more abt them :)

okay here we go

shin's always been force-sensitive, but obviously, because the jedi order was no more.

shin doesn't remember her parents - they were killed when shin was four and they spent time in an orphanage before baylon found them.

from there, he could see their potential to be something greater than the jedi ever were - except for most of the things she learned early on were heavily influenced by the jedi, esp the wearing of the padawan braid that she still has.

they both spent years being muscle for hire until they allied with morgan elspbeth in the hunt for thrawn, but there was always something greater than baylon wanted for both of them, so he went along with the plan to find thrawn just to further his ambitions.

so they spent years working for her and eventually broke her out of prison after she was captured by ahsoka tano.

after that, shin was sent off on a few missions of their own - specifically one to lothal to retrieve the orb that held the map to get to peridia, nd that was where she met sabine wren for the first time and where they stabbed them lmaooo.

after all of that, they managed to get the giant ass hyperspace rings working so that they could go get thrawn.

shin absolutely did not like morgan or the other nightsisters that were around, they lowkey creeped them out.

shin fought off ahsoka, sabine and ezra for a little bit - but in the end up they ran away when ahsoka asked her to join them.

but baylon had gone off and left them, so they were once again on their own, so she went off to find the hunters that they'd worked with before and that's the last we see of shin in season 1 :)

jodie's hcs abt shin :)))

was raised by a single mother, her father was killed by smugglers when they were trying to get to a different planet before shin was born.

shin bites. 100% is a biter, will bite to win a fight.

also pulls hair.

does not like being alone, it reminds them of the time when she was alone when she was a child after her mother died.

they don't know how to talk to people their own age without being rude lmaoooo.

will absolutely start a fight over anything tbh.

they favour form iv ataru - it's known as the aggression form - and a lot of shin's control comes from her anger, which is shown a lot when she spontaneously does things that are driven by anger.

here in dc

after everything that happened in the ahsoka show, shin is very confused abt how they're here??? she was still thinking they'd be stuck on peridia after thrawn left.

so she is very confused about everything, will be absolutely so defensive abt everything.

so it would be good if there was someone that would be able to kinda like show them around lmaooooo????? give them the vibes of the place pls nd thank.

potential plots

roomate(s) - idk why anyone would wanna room w/her but ?????? they clean up after themselves and probs wont say much so ????? win-win kind of situation lmaooooo.

friends - kinda like everything else??? shin doesn't trust easy and def stabs and bites so ????? take that as you will lmaooo - but def some people who are of the same sort of mind set as her ??? like the whole dark vibes nd kinda thing like that, they'd get on easily with someone like that.

a slow burn relationship - shin absolutely does not trust anyone but her master - and obs he's not here so ?????? feral lesbian is open to a ship - but it will def need to be slow burn, she has a lot of trust issues and that won't exactly make them a good partner to start off with ?????? but they'd probs end up catching feelings

friends with benefits/hookups - like before, shin is a lesbian - but this would just be random people they've met and would probably never want to see again lmaooo - but some of them could turn into something like enemies or whatever ???? down for vibes.

[pretchatta]

Rebel Assault – And Rescue

@kaneraweek day three is what I thought should have happened the very first time I was watching season four: after Hera crash lands in Capital City, that wolf should not have stopped Kanan from rushing in to heroically save her

rating: T; 2.6k words

---

The wind whipped at Kanan’s hair and clothes as he rode with the others back to base. He only had half his mind on driving the speeder; the other was trying to sort through the mess of information running through his head.

The attack force had failed their assault. Thrawn and the Imperial blockade must have had some trick up their sleeve that not even the rebels’ superior flying skills could overcome and their squadron had been shot down before they could even reach Lothal’s atmosphere.

Hera wouldn’t answer her comm. Kanan wasn’t sure if they were being jammed or there was something else preventing her from answering him but it meant he didn’t know where she was or what condition she was in.

All he knew was that she wasn’t dead – yet. He tried to hold on to that, clinging to the faint but definitely there presence in the Force that he’d be able to feel no matter where in the galaxy she went.

Hera was alive. She’d failed in her mission and been shot down by Thrawn, but she was still out there – that meant she had to have landed somewhere in Capital City.

The place he was currently speeding away from.

What was the point of being a Jedi if he didn’t step up to protect people who needed it most? Hera was one of the only people who could liberate Lothal from the oppressive rule of the Empire; she was one of the Rebellion’s best chances for the whole galaxy. 

Yes, he had feelings for her. They’d been there since he’d first heard her voice on Gorse all those years ago. But that hadn’t been why he’d followed her onto her ship. He hadn’t been ready to admit it at the time, but he’d always known what she was, what she was capable of, and he’d been drawn to her like a sandmoth to a flame.

So didn’t that make his way forward clear?

Kanan pulled his speeder around, coming to a halt. He heard the others doing the same ahead of him. There was silence as they waited expectantly for him to speak.

“I’m going back,” he said finally. “I have to do this.”

He could sense confusion from most of the others but it was Ezra who replied. “I understand.”

Kanan could feel the unspoken understanding passing between them. His Padawan would protect the others while he went to protect Hera.

Sensing an argument about to come from Sabine and not wanting to stick around to hear it, he turned his speeder back the way he came and gunned the engine. Back towards Capital City – and towards Hera. 

Continue on AO3 ->

[vibratingskull]

"Can I have a Thrawn with a reader that treats him or any injuries? And maybe tease him a little while they do it?" -@obbicrystaleo

Thrawn x GN!reader

You shake your head before the display in front of you. How did we come to that? you wonder. The man sitting in the armchair in front of you remains silent and calm despite squeezing his lips in a thin line.

You jab a needle in Thrawn’s arm, he winces at your lack of gentleness.

-Come on now, a big guy like you should be able to take that, you tease.

He turns his head to you.

-Do not forget who you are talking to, Lieutenant commander, he speaks softly but firmly.

-Oh, I’m so sorry Grand Admiral Thrawn, I will try not to forget it next time you have another brilliant idea like that! You grin. 

-My idea was perfect, he chides, the execution however, was lacking. I will have a talk with the responsibles officers.

You raise an eyebrow.

-You call that lacking? I call that a fiasco…

-You are harsh, lieutenant commander. We did not suffer any casualties and we got the intel we were looking for. This mission was a success.

You scoff. Getting stabbed by a war javelin in the chest is not a fiasco for him? 

-If you say so…

You apply bandage over where you jabbed him and retrieve the bacta for his chest wound.

-Nevertheless it is the first time I see you wounded, you reluctantly admit, I wish I never did. You spread the healing jelly on his chest, a chance the wound is no more profound than that. A chance he was wearing his armor too.

-Are you saying you are worrying for me Lieutenant Commander? He teases back.

You shot him daggers.

- Yes, Grand Admiral. I do. It was reckless of you to go in the field with the Stormtroopers.

- I already told you: I share my warrior's battles, I will not remain hidden in the Chimaera while they fight for our cause, it is my duty of Grand Admiral.

-Your duty of a Grand Admiral is to stay alive and prepare tactics and battles, not to die on some stupid backward planet, you lose your temper. What would we have done if you really died back there?

-The rear admiral would have simply taken over, he placidly explains.

-Thrawn, I don’t find it funny, you berate him.

-Neither do I, he smiles sadly, but I am well and alive. Everything is fine… 

He grazes your cheek and caresses it with his thumb. You press it against his palm, sighing.

- Promise me you will be more careful next time…

- I am always careful, but I cannot predict jeopardy in advance.

You stare into your lover’s shiny eyes.

What would you do if you lost this man? 

You will surely retire from your military career, letting all those battles behind you and settle somewhere in a farm, away from all that.

-Well I order you to do it from now on, you decide.

-Alright, Lieutenant commander. He grins

You squeeze his chest bandage more than necessary to pinch the skin.

-What is that for? He exhales a painful laugh.

-That, is for making fun of me and my worries, mister Grand Admiral.

-I would never do that, he protests.

You tuts, dubious.

-I know you well, mister. You are not above that.

-Well loosen it a bit, it is hard to breathe.

-No! It is for your own good, Grand Admiral, you cheekily smile at him.

@bluechiss @thrawnalani @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @elise2174 @debonaire-princess @twilekchiss @pencil-urchin @ineedazeezee @mssbridgerton

[mcklunkers]

Welcome to day 8 of non-consecutive random Star Wars shitposty headcanons!

Today’s trash post is as follows:

-Fox is called Fox because stress made his hair start to grey and he’s a silver fox.

-Shaak Ti definitely did not linger around the gym while Alpha-17 was working out, absolutely not that would be completely unprofessional no matter how fine that man is.

-Sabine Wren has an untraceable art blog that she regularly posts on. She always has super in depth art conversations with one of her followers, sometimes talking to them for hours about a recent piece and it’s inspirations. She often wonders how the mysterious Mitth’raw’nuruodo is doing when she works on a new piece.

-Thrawn unironically likes ponchos. He started wearing them to mock Krennics stupid cape, but found he loved them. Eli hates ponchos, but can’t fault them on his boss.

-Luke’s poncho is Qui-Gons, he left it at Shmi’s after taking Ani so she’d remember her son was with safe people. Luke found it in a box and it called to him so he wore it.

-Count Dooku wears socks in bed as well as those old man slipper-shoe hybrids.

-The clones only get to wear pyjamas on shore leave and they abuse that privilege by wearing pyjamas everywhere. Gym? Pyjamas. Mess hall? Pyjamas. Shop? Pyjamas. They’re totally colour coded to their armor aswell.

-Older clones stay in the barracks with shinies after their first missions so they can talk about it to someone who’ll listen. Sometimes it’s just overly excited retelling of their batch’s heroics, but sometimes they lose someone and they need to talk it out, or even just get a hug. And that’s what the older clones do.

-Ahsoka and Obi-Wan once found a bunch of Padme’s clothes in the back of Anakin’s closet while he was in a Bacta tank. They wanted to make sure he had comfy clothes when he came out. One of Ahsoka’s biggest regrets is that they didn’t confront him about them. They thought he’d come to them, and maybe if they had just started the conversation none of it would’ve happened.

-ARC-Troopers take sparring too seriously and are only allowed to spar with eachother or captains/commanders that have had the same training. This leads to Jesse and Rex working out together a lot. Fives and Echo used to ask Bly and Wolffe so they’d have a challenge. It did not end well.

-The medics are the best drinkers. Whether clone or Jedi, the medics drink an ungodly amount more than the best of the regular soldiers. The only non medics that come close are Obi-Wan (because he’s got a high tolerance) and Wolffe (he spent a lot of time with Kix learning) and even then only just.

-Cal Kestis used to copy Obi-Wan when he was younger because he was the only other ginger Jedi he knew. Obi-Wan noticed that and when on missions with Jaro Tapal would always sit near and talk with little Cal because he knew he’d grow up to be a great Jedi.

-Cal Kestis and Caleb Dume had at least one class together and hit it off, becoming the little terrors of their padawan year.

-Zebs eyes are like a cat and get super big when he’s excited or happy. The ghost crew learnt this when Kallus arrived and cooked food from Lira San.

Enjoy lads 😁

[savagesbonergarage]

ok, i need SMUTTY thrawn. like anything you wanna write

Don't we all 😏

I’m weirdly a little upset with Thrawn right now for ridiculous headspace reasons, so this is gonna be interesting. I think I have a good idea, though...We’ll see how this turns out lol

Update: Wow this has a lot of feelings??? Apparently I needed to get that out of my system *shrug*

A/N - Tried to write this for a gender-neutral reader so let me know how that works 🤐, longer than I expected but what else is new, yeah feelings like I said, but it turns into you domming Thrawn so I think it’s worth it, face-riding, cumming in pants, role-play? kinda?, the smut’s at the end

Thrawn

“Neglect”

“What is this?” you asked with a knowing curiosity and no small amount of irritation in your voice.  

You held the painted helmet in your hands, Thrawn’s gaze never leaving it until he eventually answered you through a defeated sigh. “It belonged to one of the rebel captives I’ve been tracking. The boy Jedi.”

“I see...” you retorted unflinchingly, inspecting the crude loth-cat design on the front of it through hardened, yet undeniably sad eyes. “So this is what you’ve been up to this entire time? Spending your vacation working instead of...” 

Instead of being with me, like you’d promised.

The chiss finally rose from his seat, although he still couldn’t bring himself to meet your eyes. He was fully aware of the situation he’d created, of the promises he’d made and failed to keep, and most importantly the lies he’d told in order to continue tracking this particular band of rebels. “I...I apologize for disappointing you.”

You uttered a scoff, nearly rolling your eyes at his words. After finally catching him in the act when he’d sworn he was too tired to stay up with you and was heading straight to bed all these nights, it was difficult not to take this revelation a little personally. Not to mention his superiors had specifically instructed him to use this shore leave to actually relax and enjoy himself after his continuous dedication to the Empire and his duties without fail or complaint - and when he’d arrived with more luggage than usual, you interpreted that to mean that he was intending to stay the entire length of his trip this time with no intention of returning to work early as he typically did - however, that extra baggage was ultimately filled with rebel artifacts that he was fully preparing to study. 

“I’m not disappointed, nor am I surprised,” you admitted through a sigh, moving to stand straight across from him with only the width of the helmet between you as you continued, “I don’t know why I was expecting this time to be different from any of the others. I know you. When you’re dedicated to pursuing something, there’s no stopping you or trying to change your mind.”

His lips parted as though he had something to say, but ultimately decided against it. He must have seen through your facade of trying to keep your expression firm as he gently spoke your name, and you silently cursed yourself for never being able to keep a straight face. You caught his hand when he moved to bring it to your cheek, only holding it firmly in mid air as you kept your head down while you asked him the question that had been plaguing your mind for years.

“Are you still pursuing me?”

You clutched his hand even tighter, your frown already shifting into a grimace as you stared straight down into the visor of the helmet. This talk wasn’t one you’d been particularly looking forward to having, especially since you more or less already had a preconceived notion of what his answer would be. Perhaps your relationship really had changed, and rather than voice it outright, Thrawn expected you to determine the status of it through context to avoid having an uncomfortable conversation. It certainly didn’t feel like the two of you were lovers anymore, and with this revelation that he had the time for intimacy if he desired it and was choosing his usual activities over being in your arms, there was little reason to believe otherwise. 

The helmet was abruptly removed from your hands and placed elsewhere, with the hand that was holding yours moving to snake around your waist as you felt him pull you against his broad chest. It was a kind gesture, but what you really wanted was a definitive answer. 

“Thrawn-”

“I’ve always been adept at coursing after my targets,” he began with an ounce of regret in his somber tone, “yet I find that the ones affecting my career operations tend to take precedence over the ventures in my personal life.”

You’d already known that much, and yet the sinking fear that came with the prospect of the inevitable “it’s not you, it’s me” parting discussion still began to overtake you. It felt like you were going through all the stages of grief all at once - denial, anger, bargaining, depression...but you weren’t ready to accept this just yet. You weren’t sure you ever would be. Anger was definitely occupying the forefront of your mind; anger at Thrawn, anger at the Empire, anger at yourself...you wouldn’t be enduring all of this if you’d never fallen for him in the first place. You just had to go and fall in love with a man that was emotionally and physically unavailable, didn’t you? You’d known at least some extent of what you’d be getting into when you agreed to be his significant other - that your rendezvous together would be short-lived and few and far between, with his work always taking priority over you, but this...knowing that given the choice, given the mandate, he was still choosing the rebels over you...

It hurt.

You were tensing up in his arms, doing all that you could to keep the tears from forming. If only to encourage the transparency you wanted to see from him, you began solemnly pouring your thoughts out against his chest, the release of the words you'd been keeping to yourself for so long aiding in your preemptive recovery somewhat.

"I've often thought about joining the rebellion just to reclaim some of your attention," you admitted, the statement sounding more pathetic to your ears than you'd anticipated, "I've never been an artist, but I like to imagine what it would be like if I made rebel propaganda for you to find. I've wondered if you'd even be able to figure out it was mine, and that with every stroke it was really just me trying to tell you..." ...that I love you.

You hadn’t realized you were crying until you felt yourself involuntarily choking on a sob, and before you could hide your face from him his hands were caressing either side of your jaw and pulling you up into a deep, tender kiss. 

How long had it been? When was the last time you felt his touch like this, let alone a kiss? It almost didn't feel real, and you instinctively returned his vigor to make sure it wasn't all just a fantasy. Your tears were stinging against both of your faces now, and Thrawn drew back to wipe them away with the pads of his thumbs. His glowing red eyes were so melancholy, his brows threading into a line as you held his indigo hands to your face and leaned into them, as though the warmth of his skin was a rare sensation that you were savoring to remember back on when you'd be without it again.

"My love..." Thrawn began, his voice soothing as he brought his lips to the tender flesh of your ear, "if I've been so neglectful of your needs that you would become my enemy to be closer to me, then I've failed you so much more exponentially than I ever could have surmised. For that, I am so, so very sorry."

Part of you perked up at the implication that perhaps he wasn't intending to cut ties with you just yet, although it was clear he had much more to say. You brought his hands down to your chest and interlocked your fingers with his, holding onto them for dear life as he continued. "I...I have become consumed by my mission. My mind won't allow me any reprieve unless I've made substantial new discoveries and analyses concerning these rebels on a constant basis. I haven't faced any challenging opposition like them in quite some time, and to feel the invigoration of facing a worthy opponent with the potential to outmaneuver me...it's...addicting."

You listened to his confession intently, relieved to have him opening his heart to you once again. You brought his hands up to your mouth and smiled with amusement before you placed a kiss against them and bore into his concerned gaze with a look of alleviation gracing your own features. “I think I’m beginning to understand where your superiors were coming from when they demanded you take this leave.”

Thrawn’s countenance softened as he returned your smile, even managing something of a titter while he brought your own hands to his lips. “Am I that insufferable?”

“You already know the answer to that.”

He flashed his teeth in an impudent grin, moistening your skin with his lips as he resumed speaking against it. “Reassuring, as always.”

“Thrawn...” you spoke gingerly as the seriousness of the conversation recommenced and you withdrew your hands, rubbing the place where his warmth had just been while you gathered up the courage to proceed with your thoughts, “I need to know where we stand. It would have been stupid of me to expect our relationship to be like anyone else’s...I’ve been aware from the beginning that your duties come first, and I’m perfectly content with that. I want to see you succeed, and I love that you’re so persistent and driven. But...”

“I know,” he interjected, his guilty conscience evident simply by the tone of his voice, “my behavior as of late has been inexcusable. You mean so much more to me than I’ve led you to believe. It has been despicable of me to overlook your wishes in favor of my work when it is unnecessary. I...I love you, and...I’d like to make it up to you.”

Your heart breathed a sigh of relief, remedied by the fact that it still belonged to him. Before you knew it, you were back in his arms in an instant and planting another passionate kiss at the corner of his mouth while you grasped at his light civilian clothing. “Do you mean it?” you asked before he could properly perform the action in return.

“Of course. There are few things I wouldn’t do for you.”

For you, that was about as good as anyone else saying that they would do anything. Some things were off the table, such as leaving the Empire or betraying the Chiss or halting his investigation of the mysterious alien race that posed a threat to the entire galaxy - but other than that, he was yours, and that was more than enough.

“I might already have a few ideas...” you admitted pleasantly, capturing his lips in a more heated kiss as you wrapped your arms around his neck. His smile granted you more access to the rest of his mouth and you obliged, nipping at his skin and warring with his tongue as both of your actions became more lascivious. It wasn’t long before you felt his warm, strong hands snaking up your bare abdomen while you fumbled with the clasps of his shirt, though it become more difficult to concentrate once he reached your chest and focused his activity there, drawing a moan from deep within your throat. Taking note of your struggle, he briefly took his hands away from you to discard his top and aid you in removing your own. 

“I’m intrigued by these ideas, if you wouldn’t mind enlightening me,” Thrawn said as he reached both arms around you to grasp your behind and knead it through the fabric of your pants while he continued to kiss you along your temples and hairline. Your mouth was too busy peppering his pecs with kisses and love-bites to really say much, but that was alright - you were more of a demonstrator, anyway. You brought his hands to your sides and he helped you slide your bottoms down, giving your ass an excited smack once it was bare for him. He attempted to sneak a hand around the supple flesh of your inner thigh and curl a few digits upwards, but you smacked it away.

“Ah-Ah,” you tsked, guiding his arms away from you entirely. He started working at the sealing strip of his own waistband, but again, you stopped him. “No.”

“No?” he asked, a brow raised in amusement but also plenty of genuine confusion. 

“No,” you reaffirmed as you stepped completely out of your pant legs and planted your palms onto his chest, pushing against him with enough force to influence him to step backward. The pressure was continuous, so he didn’t stop until his back hit the cool metal of the durasteel wall behind him. “You’ve kept me waiting for a long time, Admiral.”

“I...yes,” he uttered, slightly taken aback by the firmness and determination in your voice, and especially the mocking tone you used with his moniker, although he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy it. 

In an impressive display of flexibility, you raised your leg up until your heel rested in the curve of Thrawn’s neck and over his shoulder, holding him in place as you stared him down with an air of dominion. “I’ve lost most of my patience,” you explained as you applied a significant amount of strength down through your foot and into his muscle, indicating once again that he was to move. He did so silently this time, enraptured by your confidence as he slid down until he was sitting on the hard ground. Your foot didn’t let up, adding more pressure as your tone became a little more demanding. “Down. All the way.”

He obliged, shifting downwards so he could lean back onto his forearms and lower himself completely onto the floor. Your foot remained on his shoulder, a smile contorting your face as you could see he was taking in the view and enjoying it, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. His eyes eventually met yours, giving you an innocent and questioning look as he spoke.

“Would you like to take this outside of the office? To the bedroom, perhaps?”

“Here’s fine,” you retorted smugly, and for a moment your attention was captured again by the painted rebel helmet that was perched atop the desk beside you. You took it, examining the artwork on the front one more time before you smirked at the curious Chiss beneath you and donned it upon your head. His breath hitched when you suddenly dropped to your knees over his chest and slid your hand around to the apex of his skull, lightly grabbing a fistful of previously perfectly slicked-back hair before gazing straight down into his crimson orbs.

“Are you still curious?” you asked with an inflection of authority.

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion before he spoke lowly, just above a whisper. “I believe I understand.”

“Good,” you began, positioning yourself directly over his face as you pulled his head forward so that the tip of his nose was only centimeters away from the source of your pulsing heat, “...you kriffing Imp.”

With that, you saddled his face and sighed when you felt the hot wetness of his mouth envelop you, the room quickly filling with the sounds of the obscene slurps and smacks of his ministrations on your flesh. Your other hand grasped another lock of his hair as you bucked against him, his tongue finding all your most sensitive spots as it darted over them, and all the while you carefully supported his neck while he fucked you religiously with his face. You looked down at the master tactician through half-lidded eyes before throwing your head back in ecstasy, feeling the creep of your climax edging closer and closer. You were having a difficult time catching your breath, and eventually you decided that this sensation ought to be somewhat mutual.

You reached your hand back behind you and starting palming Thrawn’s erection through the fabric of his pants, earning an approving sigh between your legs as you stimulated the head through the still-expanding wet stain of his precum. You jerked him as well as you could in tandem with his movements, struggling to suppress the moans and expletives that erupted from your lips as he went at you even harder. His hands gripped your hips with a cautious desperation as both of your breaths became increasingly ragged, and it wasn’t long before your thighs were quivering against his ears as your orgasm crashed over you in waves of absolute pleasure. Your gasps of euphoria coupled with the intensified friction of your touch had Thrawn stilling and slightly jerking his hips not long after, finally leaning his head back away from your entrance as his face flushed while he came in his pants.

The both of you relaxed as you were overtaken by the surge of your highs, and after a while you managed to shift downward so that you were straddling his waist as you removed the helmet and set it aside. You returned your attention to the handsome, feverish warrior panting beneath you and moved a stray strand of his mussed hair back into place. You leaned forward and kissed him gently on his swollen lips, not minding the taste of yourself as you rested on top of him and listened to the accelerated beating of his heart together with yours.

And when his arms wrapped around you while he planted a loving kiss on your forehead, you looked up at the ceiling and pondered just how much work he’d get done the next time he studied that helmet.