#i like how you mention that he taught Ahsoka to get behind the back of superiors because it quite helped her survive where other jedi didn't | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

giggles-and-freckles · 4 years ago

Note

‘drive faster!’ for any of the disaster trio maybe?? : D

“Seatbelt.”

“That’s optional.”

“No, Anakin, it’s not.”

Anakin leaned forward from the back seat and caught Ahsoka’s left ear, away from Obi-Wan. “It’s optional,” he whispered.

She giggled abruptly, but sobered under Obi-Wan’s harsh gaze.

“Sorry,” she squeaked.

“Now, what’s next?”

“Check my mirrors,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Anakin asked from the back. “Like are you absolutely sure, Snips? Because if you forget something as important as checking your mirrors, well…kriffing hell, the galaxy may implode.”

Obi-Wan reeled around from the passenger seat. “I already had to put up with this insolence when I taught you to drive. I shouldn’t be subjected to this all over again!”

“You didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know, Master,” Anakin said, rolling his eyes and putting his feet on the back of Ahsoka’s seat.

Obi-Wan swatted them down, ignoring Anakin’s sound of protest. “Yes, your podracing experience was exactly what the Council wanted the public to associate with the Order as you ripped through the skies of Coruscant with absolutely no regard–”

“Hey, my podracing experience has gotten us out of quite a few sticky situations, I’ll remind you, Master. Remember when–”

Obi-Wan scoffed. “That was a one time situation, Anakin, and it–”

“Masters?” Ahsoka piped up bravely. Both men’s eyes turned to her. She smiled sheepishly. “I…kinda want to…you know, actually drive…at some point today.”

Obi-Wan and Anakin stared at her for a moment. Obi-Wan was the first to blink.

“Yes. All right.” He shot one more withering glare toward Anakin, then turned around and adjusted his tunic under his seatbelt. “Go on, Ahsoka.”

She checked her mirrors, stifling another laugh when Anakin was sticking his tongue out in her rear mirror. Then–at the sound of Obi-Wan emphatically clearing his throat–she checked them again. He smiled in contentment and gave her a nod.

The speeder revved to life.

It wasn’t difficult to know why Anakin felt so comfortable at any sort of pilot’s seat. She felt in control. Powerful. It wasn’t something she’d felt very often, being a Padawan thrown into the front lines of a war.

“Easy,” Obi-Wan said, as she backed out of the spot. “Now, take it forward around the corner and watch your acceleration.”

Ahsoka followed his instructions, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. She continued driving for a few minutes, waiting for her next direction, but eventually, Obi-Wan sat back in his seat and turned to the front. She chanced a quick glance at him and he whipped his head toward her.

“Eyes on the sky, Padawan.”

Anakin snorted in laughter behind her. “Can’t believe you fell for that one, Snips.”

“Leave her alone, Anakin. She’s doing better than you ever did.”

“I’d like to see her win the Boonta Eve Classic,” Anakin grumbled more to himself than anyone else as he fell back into his seat.

“I’d like to see her live past fourteen,” Obi-Wan bit back. “So quiet in the backseat, please. Don’t make your premature death wish hers.”

Ahsoka continued straight for another few minutes. It was a relatively vacant airway. The lanes weren’t full of the normal rush of Coruscanti commuters, bustling between their homes and workplaces.

“You’re doing well, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan commended lightly. “Now, we’re going to get up on the express-lane.”

Ahsoka’s eyed widened and she tightened her grip on the wheel. “The…?”

“You’ll be fine,” he said.

She nodded tightly, straightening in her seat.

“Remember, just follow the flow of traffic. It’s not a race. Stay in the far right and don’t worry about anyone else. They have places to be, you do not.”

Anakin grumbled something in the back.

“What?” Ahsoka said, flicking her eyes to the rearview mirror.

“He said you’re the greatest pilot he’s ever scene, Ahsoka. High praise.”

“That’s not–”

Obi-Wan pointed ahead of them. “Take a left here.”

Ahsoka smiled. Anakin had been pretty upset when she’d told him she wanted to go driving with Obi-Wan today, but she assured him it had nothing to do with how many times she had witnessed him crash land. (In reality, it had everything to do with how many times she had watched him crash land.)

He insisted on coming along, for heckling purposes. He was living up to his promise.

“Okay, now–you’re going to merge. If they don’t let you in, just wait your turn. An opening will come.”

Ahsoka nodded, decelerating as she approached the switch-over to the express-lane. Coruscant airways were designed vertically. The slower lanes were closest to the ground, the quickest were the closest to the atmosphere.

She tilted the speeder upwards and waited for a gap.

“Patience,” Obi-Wan said.

“You totally could have made that,” Anakin said.

Ahsoka’s grip tightened as she looked at the onslaught of bikes and speeders barreling toward her, with no space in sight.

“You’re gonna have to be brave, Snips. Put yourself out there.”

“I am brave,” she said, with a determined frown.

“Then, prove it.”

“No,” Obi-Wan said sharply. “Do you want advice from the man who had his license revoked by a police droid? A police droid?” He sighed shakily, clearly remembering a specific incident from Anakin’s early days. She’d have to ask him about it later, when Anakin wasn’t around. One of her favourite things to do was needle embarrassing stories about her Master from his Master. “Your bravery is not dependent on your willingness to kill yourself upon entering the express-way.”

Ahsoka nodded. Waited. And waited some more.

“There haven’t been any openings, Master Kenobi…”

“There have been plenty of openings, Ahsoka,” Anakin whined, throwing his head against the back of his seat.

“Patience,” Obi-Wan repeated.

Three more minutes passed. Several speeders zipped around her. One offensive hand gesture was thrown.

Anakin almost jumped out of the back of the speeder.

“Now,” Obi-Wan said finally.

“Now?” Ahsoka asked, frantically.

“Now!” he repeated, a little louder.

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE, AHSOKA. NOW.”

She hit the acceleration and slipped in between a bike and a cargo speeder, carrying some sort of exotic animal in the back. It bleeted at Ahsoka as the bike laid on it’s horn.

“I did it,” she breathed.

“You did,” Obi-Wan agreed, his voice a bit strained, “but…you have to keep going. You, er–Ahsoka.” A sharp gasp as a speeder swerved around them, narrowly missing the front of their own vehicle.

“Sorry,” she hissed, her knuckles whitening around the wheel.

“Accelerate a bit,” Obi-Wan said. A beat. “Ahsoka. Accelerate.”

Another speeder sped past them, the driver yelling in anger as they did so.

“Why is he so–”

“Because you’re slow, Snips! You’re so insanely slow.”

“I’m being careful!” she snapped back.

“Er, I…” Obi-Wan made a small sound. “I think perhaps you’ve taken that a bit too…seriously. Ahsoka, my dear, please accelerate.”

Anakin snorted sardonically. “If Obi-Wan is saying you’re slow–”

“I never said she was slow–”

“Drive faster!!!!!” Anakin shouted.

Obi-Wan gripped the bottom of his seat with both hands as Ahsoka slammed her foot to the floor, shifting the speeder into top speed. She swerved jerkily to avoid slamming into the back of another speeder on the expressway and barely managed not to clip the back of another.

“Okay,” Obi-Wan managed in a small voice. “Ahsoka, just–” He was cut off as she swung around another speeder.

“This is more like it, Snips!” Anakin sang from the back, laughing loudly. He leaned forward in the speeder gripping the back of both front seats. Obi-Wan shut his eyes.

“Would...” Ahsoka swallowed, barely able to open her eyes as the wind assaulted her face, “would now be a...bad time–to mention I don’t...don’t know how to stop?”

Obi-Wan and Anakin paused, looked at each other, and then looked back at the heavily trafficked express-lane in front of them, dozens of speeders doing their best to clear out of Ahsoka’s way.

“Yes!” they yelled in unison.

#my fic #this one got away from me a bit #ha uh oops?#this is based on my brother and dad teaching me to drive #it was traumatic #so ahsoka can have some pain too #disaster trio #writing prompts #prompts are closed!

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nanagoswife · 4 years ago

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Please Don't Go. - Chapter 15

Summary: Obi-Wan finally meets Aldoken.

W/C: 4.2k

Warnings: angst

A/N: we have reached the chapter where I mention something from Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray. It isn't really huge, but it's there.

- - -

“How was that to start this off?” you asked with a sweet smile.

“It actually gave me more confidence. Even though I know you hadn’t planned that, thank you.” His smile was genuine as he looked down at you.

“Time to meet your son,” you say quietly, slowly leaning towards his lips. “Our son,” you finished before briefly pressing your lips to his.

All he did was nod, slightly afraid to speak now that this was really happening. Never in his life did he think he would ever have a family, a child. Until he met you, he never dreamed of things like that. For the first twenty-four years of his life, he thought the closest he would ever get was having a padawan of his own.

That thought was quickly dashed when he met you nearly fourteen years ago. Since then, he wished to bring that, not only for himself, but for you. As he stands here now, looking at you as you say your farewell to Cody, he’s mad at himself.

There was no way to tell how much pain he caused you over these years. And on top of that, he left you to raise their child alone. In a way, it wasn’t his fault, but it really was. Had he kept the promise he made to you, this wouldn’t have been happening. Instead, he would’ve been by your side and greeting Aldoken with warmth instead of hesitance. He would’ve been there, holding your hand as you had given birth to him. The years would’ve been happier with all of you as a family. Together.

Obi-Wan didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve you or the right to be introduced to his son. He didn’t deserve your unending kindness and love that never faltered. Why, after all he’s done, did anyone take him back?

His thoughts were pushed away when he heard you calling out to Aldoken after having a brief chat with Padmé. He watched as the boy easily came running into your arms when you knelt down onto the floor. As he hugged you, Padmé had said her goodbye.

“Guess what?” you say, pulling away so that you could look at your little boy.

“What?” he replied with his usual happy tone. He giggled when you brought a hand up to brush his fringe back.

As he watched, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but think how overwhelmingly Aldoken looked like him. He could see as many of your features in him as he could see his, but there’s no mistaking who the father is. Even if people like Cody, Padmé and Anakin had not known about the two of you, they would be able to figure it out in a heartbeat.

Playfully, you pinched Aldoken’s cheek which caused more giggles to erupt in the silent room.

“I have a little surprise. Can you do what Anakin taught you and find out?” Like you did with Cody, you angled your son just enough that, unless he took his attention away from you, he could easily see Obi-Wan standing not far away.

Aldoken’s expression became serious when he nodded. Closing his eyes, he reached out through the force so that he could determine what you meant.

For a moment, you let your gaze fall on Obi-Wan. There was a look of wonderment across his face. It was almost like he hadn’t realized that his son would also be force sensitive. There was a small smirk that was pulling at the corner of his lips as he must’ve felt Aldoken’s energy brush against his.

The boy’s eyes shot open and he immediately turned his head to look at Obi-Wan. This is where Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he was going to laugh in pure joy, or burst into tears at possible rejection. It didn’t get any better as his son only looked at him for a few moments.

The uncertainty started to build as Aldoken walked away from you and, almost cautiously, walked towards Obi-Wan. He could tell that the boy was piecing something together, like he couldn’t believe that he was no longer only looking at a holo.

Then, his expression changed as the realization hit him. He was no longer looking at a holo.

“Daddy?” he said, in the softest, most innocent questioning voice Obi-Wan had ever heard.

Tears of joy were building up as he trembled and, in a breath, replied, “Yes.”

Aldoken smiled, large, and ran the last few meters to his father. Obi-Wan bent down and lifted the boy into his arms. He gripped him tight as he felt as the boy’s legs did their best to wrap around him.

As he exhaled, his breath shuddered as so much was running through his mind. You looked on at the pair and started to tear up. This was a moment that was long overdue; a moment that, for a while, you thought would never happen.

Obi-Wan caught your gaze and smiled. Maybe now he could set things right. Provide you with the life that he cruelly ripped away. Maybe, you would have him back the way it was the day he proposed.

When he thought of that, it was only then that he realized that you still wore the necklace. Had you been wearing it the whole time? Or had you only just recently put it back on?

None of that mattered, though. Not when he was holding his son who seemed to be grappling to him with as much emotion as he was. His small head was pressed into the crook of his neck, fluttering eyelashes gently tickling the skin there.

Usually, he’d chuckle at the sensation. Right now, it was something he never wanted to part with. Obi-Wan basked in the feeling.

Aldoken suddenly bolted up to look at Obi-Wan, a giant smile on his face as his own bright blue eyes couldn’t decide which one of Obi-Wan’s to settle on. His tiny hands were planted on top of both sides of his collarbone.

Carefully, Aldoken brought one hand up to rest a hand on Obi-Wan’s cheek. It was something he was doing to both help make the final tie of the bond with his father, but it was also to feel the coarse hairs there. He had always been fascinated with facial hair, but hardly any of the clones he knew well had it. Cody would always let him play with his hair, but that wasn’t the same.

He giggled lightly, just like you had when you first ran your fingers through his scruff. It warmed his heart as he felt the small hand. Aldoken brought it up so that he could feel the hair on top of his head. When he lightly stroked the strands, his eyes glowed with an idea.

“May I show you something?” Obi-Wan now saw what you meant about him being mature for his age. Even the younglings at the temple his age acted this politely and maturely. He knew it well as he was often a favourite among all of the masters that would give them lessons and they would always come to him with questions.

It was something that you had witnessed a few times on rare visits to the Temple when an issue with the Sith arose. They would absolutely swarm him as he escorted you through the halls. He always said you were good with kids, but he was exceptional.

Never being able to refuse, Obi-Wan would always accept, just as he did now. Aldoken slightly wriggled, asking silently to be let down. When his feet touched the ground, he tugged at the sleeve of Obi-Wan’s tunic. Usually it would be his cloak, but he had taken that off some time ago.

Intrigued, Obi-Wan followed as Aldoken was leading him to his room. When he looked around, it oddly reminded him of his own room that he had gotten when he was still young. There were even a few items that used to be his that lined the nearly empty shelves. Other than that, there were toys of clone troopers, a stuffed varactyl toy, and lots of books. The books must’ve been from your home planet, as yours was one of the few that still actively produced things with flimsiplast.

The varactyl caught his attention as well. Obi-Wan had fond memories of the creature. He only wondered if you had passed on those stories to their son and he caught on. Well, he is your son, he mused.

Lastly, what really surprised him, was the multiple holos of him. One holo that you and him had taken the day he proposed was sitting on a table beside the bed. There were a couple of others. One of him and Cody, another with both Anakin and Ahsoka, and lastly, one of him and Qui-Gon on the day that Qui-Gon was well enough to stand again.

You weren’t lying. You didn’t keep Aldoken away from knowing who he was. If anything, you gave him almost every detail that you knew. He wondered how much Anakin and Cody may have said as well.

“Daddy,” Aldoken’s slightly concerned tone cut into his thoughts.

You came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “If this is too much, just let me know,” you say softly. He shook his head. Sure, there were a lot of emotions running through him as old memories flooded with the present, but he didn’t want to leave now. He wanted to know more, see more.

Bringing his attention back to his son, he now held an elegantly engraved box. In the center was the Jedi Order logo. Accompanying it were some intricate details that gave a sense of beauty to it. There was something familiar about it for Obi-Wan…

“Momma and Uncle Ani gave this to me. They said if you ever came back, that I should give it to you,” Aldoken said proudly. He looked to you who was giving him a rewarding smile.

Almost cautiously, he knelt down in front of Aldoken. Now that he was closer, and aid from feeling through the force, he now knew why it looked familiar. This was a box that Qui-Gon had kept for many years. As a padawan, he never knew why the box was so long, and his master never told him.

“You must be patient, Obi-Wan,” he’d say whenever Obi-Wan asked what it was. “In time, you will learn what this box is for. For now, it remains my personal secret.”

As he looked on, he was almost hesitant to even touch it. He had no idea what he was about to see.

Obi-Wan stared at the box for a few moments, only distracted when you came to kneel beside him. Taking a quick glance at you, he gave a small smile as he also felt your hand fall upon his back, rubbing ever so gently.

Diligently, Aldoken held the box, waiting until his father either took it or opened it. Finally, Obi-Wan took a deep breath before relieving his son of the box. Carefully placing it on the floor, his fingers moved to the latch which easily was undone. Slowly, he lifted the top open and was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions.

Inside held only three things. Each item was a mark of some sort of milestone Obi-Wan had reached throughout his life.

The first was a feather from the varactyl he had ridden so long ago on Pijal. That had been the first animal he had ever had such a strong bond with. He had stolen a moment with the varactyl in the stable the day they had to leave. Whether Qui-Gon picked up the feather as they walked out of the stable or some other time, Obi-Wan didn’t know.

Second was his padawan braid. There were so many different milestones woven into these strands of hair. Most of all, it signified the time they spent together as master and padawan. They may have had some rough patches, but the friendship had always lasted.

Lastly, sitting right in the middle, giving Obi-Wan the answer to a lifelong question, was Qui-Gon’s lightsaber. This was the item that finally brought tears to Obi-Wan’s eyes. When he had left in his dark place, he had at some point dropped his master’s saber. Believing you had been killed, he thought it was forever lost on Alderaan’s moon. But, you had brought it back and completed his master’s collection.

Seeing that he was upset, Aldoken moved and hugged around Obi-Wan’s neck. Obi-Wan accepted it quickly and moved his arms around his son. In the process, he pulled him a little closer, still making sure he didn’t squeeze too hard.

The tears didn’t fall, but Obi-Wan did take several shuddering breaths as he composed himself. He suddenly felt calming energy pressing into him through the force. It shocked him, but he knew it was Aldoken. Anakin must’ve taught him that. Especially if it was related to how you were feeling on days through these years.

“Thank you, my little one,” Obi-Wan said before pressing a kiss to the top of the boy’s head.

When he pulled back, Aldoken was beaming. Not only was he proud of his success, but he loved the endearment that his father gave him. There was nothing that he didn’t love about this boy, and he had only just met him not long ago.

“Aldoken, have you ever seen a real varactyl?”

The boy shook his head, “Only on holos.” The disappointed tone made him feel like either laughing, as he knew you would’ve answered like that, or actually feel like his heart should drop at hearing the way he said that.

Obi-Wan elected to give him a smirk, “Here.” He grabbed the varactyl feather and gently took Aldoken’s hand in the other. “This feather was from the first varactyl I had ever ridden.”

Aldoken’s eyes flew wide open in disbelief. Obi-Wan chuckled at the reaction as he brought the feather into better view. The scarlet was beautiful, as it always was. It had always been something that fascinated Obi-Wan. Clearly, even without seeing them firsthand, his son felt the same way.

“Now, when you touch it, make sure to be gentle. The barbs are delicate, but soft,” Obi-Wan said, bringing Aldoken’s hand to the feather. He let it go so that the young boy could do it on his own.

Aldoken’s smile only grew as he gently stroked the scarlet feather that was from an actual varactyl. It was nothing like the ones on his toy. This was real.

Watching the boy’s fascination, he couldn’t help but think, Was that what Qui-Gon always saw? It had always been a wonder that his master put up with him. Especially when it came to those days surrounding and during his time on Pijal.

Now, it’s time to pass on the favour.

After letting his son have a few more moments, he put the feather back into the box with the other items. With a quick glance, he could see Aldoken was dying to ask what the other items were. He silently chuckled to himself. He would tell him the rest soon enough.

“Now, you know how you said that this was mine,” Obi-Wan started, one of his hands resting on his son’s shoulder.

He nodded quickly in response, head tilted in a curious way, wondering why he was bringing this up.

Obi-Wan gave a soft smile, “It isn’t anymore. Do you know why?” Aldoken shook his head. “Because, I’m putting you in charge of taking care of it. It’s now yours.”

Not only was Aldoken shocked, but he felt a wave of it come off of you in the force. Although your face was painted with a grin, you could never truly hide your emotions from Obi-Wan.

The boy started to sputter, trying to say something that Obi-Wan knew would be to politely refuse, but he held up a hand. The sputtering stopped.

“This way, you can have a varactyl with you at all times. Not only that, but you have me and my master along with you. No matter what, we’ll always be with you in this box.” Closing the lid and putting the latch back in place, he handed it over to his son.

Hesitantly, he took it in his hands. Looking at it, he traced over the Jedi emblem with a little finger, quietly saying a shy, “Thank you, daddy.”

Glancing at the chrono on the wall, Obi-Wan realized that he needed to leave. Even though he needed to, he didn’t want to.

You had noticed the sudden shift in Obi-Wan. Catching his eyes when he looked at the chrono, you knew what he was about to say. At the same time, though, it looked like he was truly fighting his decision to leave.

He didn’t want to suffer anymore. The pain that he had to go through to disguise all of this was absolute agony. It was like a candle had to make its flame small so that the dark would have a harder time finding it. And he had to do it every second of the day until he came to see you.

But, he had to do it. He wasn’t able to stay if he was to keep up the act.

Before standing, he caught your eye for a moment. Obi-Wan saw your dejected look, telling him you knew that he had to leave.

He knew you wanted to ask him to stay. You wouldn’t, though. It was almost like the day he said he would leave The Order for you if you wanted him to. You didn’t want him to, as you didn’t want him to leave the life he knew.

Now, you didn’t want him to risk his safety for you. Obi-Wan hasn’t been able to gather enough courage to tell you the torture he’s been through, but he didn’t have to. The day you saw one of his scars peeking out from his collar had told you enough.

It’s not that he didn’t have scars before, but the one you saw was new. Not only that, but it was really new. Before you were able to fret over it, he assured you that he was alright. Even though you didn’t entirely believe him, you let it go. You knew he’d tell you when he was ready.

“I have to go,” he said, keeping his voice from showing his true unwillingness. He knew he didn’t have to voice it, but he did anyway.

“I know,” you said, letting your disappointment be heard.

Turning to Aldoken, he looked just as upset as you. The way his lips pulled down in his frown even looked the exact same as yours. This was the first time tonight that Aldoken had anything less than a neutral expression.

The boy’s eyes were fixed on the floor. It was like he didn’t want to watch him leave. Like he didn’t want to watch his eyes as they turned back. It was just like how you always looked away, not wanting to see his pain.

“Please, daddy,” Aldoken said quietly, still looking at the floor. For a moment longer, he stayed silent until his eyes came back up to meet his. “Please, don’t go.”

Those words rang in his head. It brought Obi-Wan back to that day. The day you had said those exact words, but he didn’t listen. He had turned around, but he never actually listened.

Now, as he looks at the one who he thought he would never meet, he can’t bring himself to do the same. He would never turn away again, whether it meant his life was on the line or not. Never again will he leave you and his family behind. Even with as small of a statement as this.

Obi-Wan looked up at you. Even though he knew you were trying to hide it, he could see that you also wanted him to stay. You always did.

Slowly, he nodded. A smile grew on his face as, with each nod, he was more and more certain about his decision. If both you and Aldoken wanted him here, he would stay. He wanted to stay. Obi-Wan wanted to be loved by you and Aldoken as if these last four years never happened.

Then, he looked back at his son. “Alright,” he said quietly. “I won’t go.” To Obi-Wan, those words held more meaning to you and him than it did to Aldoken. It was an indirect way of making the same promise he had made many years ago. This time, there was a certainty in this promise that he never had before. He would never again turn away from the light, from you.

Aldoken’s smile once again was plastered on his face. Without any more hesitation, he ran up and hugged Obi-Wan before pulling away and running into the sitting room again, cheers of joy loud in the near silent apartment.

Obi-Wan stood back up and turned to face you now that you were alone for a moment. After a few silent moments, you closed the distance and practically fell into his arms. He pulled you close and kissed the top of your head as he felt your breathing hitch, telling him that you were crying.

This had been what he wanted for so long. All he had wanted to do was hold you. Whether it was to comfort you or just for the sake of doing it, he didn’t care. Now he had that, and he wasn’t going to waste it.

“I can sleep on the-”

“You will do no such thing,” you said, whipping your head up from its place on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “I miss having you to hold me at night.”

“I missed it too,” he replied, looking down as a small feeling of shame creeped in.

“Hey,” you said, using a hand to bring his face back up. “It’s over now. The past is the past, and we can’t change that, but I still love you. After all this time, I never stopped loving you,” you said softly, leaving your hand on his cheek.

Leaning into it, he closed his eyes. He wanted to feel every little bit of warmth and comfort your palm granted him.

Then, he felt as your soft lips pressed to his. The hand on his cheek gently made its way to the back of his head as he kissed you back. He held you close and relished this small moment with you. His decision to stay was already making him the happiest he had ever been since the day the two of you found out you were pregnant and then he proposed.

“Momma! Daddy!” Aldoken called out from the sitting room. “Are you coming?” he asked. The two of you burst into laughter. Now the two of you will learn that moments like this don’t last long with a toddler present.

With a smile, the two of you made your way out to your son. The rest of this night will be one to remember.

Obi-Wan woke up to a light shaking at his shoulder. Until this point, this was the first night in years that he hadn’t had a nightmare. He was glad, otherwise he would’ve possibly woken up a lot more violently.

“Daddy,” Aldoken whispered while continuing to gently shake Obi-Wan until his eyes opened.

When his eye laid upon the young boy, concern swept through him. Aldoken was hugging himself and was shaking where he stood.

Turning on his side, he asked, “What’s wrong, little one?”

“I had a nightmare,” Aldoken replied. His voice sounded shaky, like he had, or was about to, cry.

“Oh, buddy, come here,” Obi-Wan said while opening his arms.

His son didn’t waste any time going into his father’s arms. Aldoken mushed his face into Obi-Wan’s neck as he wrapped his arms around the boy. He could feel as the once shaky breaths started to even out and become steady. The boy’s pounding heart had even slowed to a more steady and calm rhythm as well.

“May I sleep with you and momma? So the scary dreams don’t come back,” Aldoken said, muffled from his place still in Obi-Wan’s neck.

“Of course, little one.”

Once Aldoken was calm enough, Obi-Wan helped him climb onto the bed. He adjusted just enough so that their son could lay in between the two of you.

His heart warmed when his son curled under his arm, using his shoulder as a pillow. Breathing a contented sigh, he looked over at you before closing his eyes again. You were facing him and had a small grin spreading your lips.

After Aldoken made one more adjustment in comfort, Obi-Wan let his eyes close once again with a smile. This was a moment that he wished would never end.

- - -

@stardancerluv @where-fantasy-meets-reality @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @mackycat11 @generousrunawaydonut @imabeautifulbutterfly @animalgirl05

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crispmarshmallow · 4 years ago

Note

If you're still taking fic ideas, I *need* Satine & Anakin BroTP!! How about: while she's on a diplomatic trip to Coruscant, Anakin is surprised to find out something rather un-duchess-like about Satine. Genre is author's choice: humor, angst, action, whatever you want!

Okay, so I started by answering your ask and then it started taking a life of its own. I had to stop myself from making it even longer. I hope you like it. It took a long time to come up with. And so sorry for such a late reply.

Anakin is playing Sabaac with the Duchess of Mandalore. Satine Kryzé.

Or rather Anakin is losing spectacularly at Sabaac against the Duchess of Mandalore.

He doesn’t even know how he ended up doing this. Actually, he does. However, it is the last thing that he thought he would end up doing.

It started with Obi-Wan - on behalf of the Council - interrupting his patrols upon the Resolute around the Outer Rim to inform him that he is to return to Coruscant with the Duchess in tow. Senator Organa and Padmé are hosting an event for the refugees on both sides of the War and the Duchess is to be an esteemed attendee.

Anakin - ever the obedient Jedi Knight - informed Obi-Wan that he would do as told. However, not without getting in a cheeky quip or two of his own. His former Master had ended the transmission with a highly unimpressed glare.

Anakin might have said something along the lines of I’ll make sure your girlfriend makes it to the Coruscant - safe and sound.

After which he left the Resolute under the charge of Yularen and Ahsoka and made for Mandalore on the Twilight. He picked up the Duchess and her Guard. And set course for Coruscant.

He joined her in the lounging area of the ship, and tried to come up with something to say.

Anakin wanted to know the Duchess better. It bothered him that he didn’t.

The Duchess Satine is an important person to Obi-Wan - even if he denies it. And Obi-Wan is beyond important to Anakin.

So he feels that he should know the woman that captured Obi-Wan’s heart. After all, Obi-Wan knows Padmé very well.

He wanted to know what was beneath all the righteousness and pacifism and politics.

However, Anakin has never really been talented when it comes to conversations with women that are not Padmé or women that don’t violently dismantle battle droids for a living.

He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I’m not much company, your highness.” He couldn’t help adding, “Obi-Wan has always been better at this sort of thing.” He sneaks a glance at Satine. Oh, he didn't know her well enough to know how she would take that.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that she seemed to be fighting a small smile at his comment. “Please, Master Skywalker. You overestimate Obi-Wan’s skills.” She put down the datapad she had been scrolling through. “Had the Jedi Master been here, I do believe we would have devolved into one of our shouting matches..”

Anakin let out a laugh. Yes, that did sound about right. He had witnessed one of those on the Cornet. And to be fair, that had been the highlight of that particular mission - Obi-Wan and Satine trying to act as though they don’t want to do unspeakable things to each other by shouting at each other.

“In his defense, Obi-Wan only does that with you.” He tried and failed to keep out the suggestiveness out of his word.

“I’m sure.” Satine looked amused, and Anakin knew that she knew what he was doing.

He continued. “Obi-Wan does not lose his cool easily.” He gestured to himself. “I would know.”

“I can imagine that you were a menace to raise, Master Skywalker.”

He grinned. He had been.

Satine looked thoughtful for a moment. “However, I do remember Senator Amidala mentioning that you are often her Jedi protector.”

Anakin froze. Yes. He made sure of that.

“What do you do to keep her company?”

Uh. Anakin’s mind froze. He could improvise when he faced death, but otherwise, he was really bad at it. Satine would not want to know what he and Padmé got up to in their free time if she had a clue.

“We..” His eyes fell onto the box of Sabaac cards that were under the lounge table. He and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan often played it to kill time. He doesn’t know how the tradition began, but it was something they did for fun. Fun is in short supply these days. “We play Sabaac.”

Satine looked at him funnily before asking. “Sabaac?”

Anakin nodded. Maybe too eagerly.

Her eyes fell on the box of Sabaac cards, and her eyes lit up with mischievousness.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t do the same.”

Anakin blanched. The Duchess played Sabaac?

ii.

And that is how he found himself losing to her.

She played and she played well.

Anakin thinks he should take a few notes as he loses yet another round.

Satine does not hide behind a mask of indifference like Obi-Wan - who admittedly Anakin has never won against - she is a lot like Anakin truthfully. Loathe he may admit it - just smarter.

She tries to intimidate her opponents, and it often works. She always looks so confident that it is unnerving. However, she does not let emotion take over. She does not panic like Anakin does from time to time.

“You’re far too good at this game, Duchess. Are you cheating somehow?”

Satine laughs. “And I would have thought Obi-Wan taught you how to play better.”

Anakin shrugs. “Obi-Wan didn’t teach me.”

“Padmé then?”

Force, no. He sighs. “I learned it on Tatooine.”

She looks surprised. “You’re from Tatooine?”

Anakin wishes he hadn’t brought that up. It brings back bad memories. It brings back the rage. He nods, clenching his jaw.

Satine must have noticed because she tries to steer the topic away from his home planet, but he knows that she is curious. A lot of people are curious about his past.

However, Anakin does not want the Duchess to mistake his reluctance to speak of it as weakness so he divulges a little bit more.

“I watched and learned from the pilots that dropped by at the shop I used to work at.”

Work. Satine must have caught on what he meant. Anakin was brought to the Temple as a child, and he must have been a child when he worked. And often children on Tatooine worked because they had no choice but.

She doesn’t look away. She just slightly deflates at the mention. “I learned it from my sister a long time ago. She learned it from who knows where.” Something in her voice sounds wistful as she speaks of her sister.

They continue their game. At first, it is as if a shadow has been cast upon them. Shadows from their pasts. Nonetheless, they slowly come out of it.

Anakin tries desperately to win. He has always won except against Obi-Wan and he wants to keep it that way if he can help it. Defeating Obi-Wan, Anakin is never sure if he’ll get that good.

They know each other inside and out, but Obi-Wan is not rash like Anakin.

He doesn’t hold back his whining as Satine wins and wins.

She lets loose as they go round by round. She laughs. She smirks. She even curses eloquently under her breath whenever Anakin does catch a rare win.

Anakin wonders if this is who Obi-Wan fell for. He thinks he would understand better if it was.

Unsurprisingly, and to Anakin’s chagrin, Satine wins. She gleefully gathers Anakin’s stack of chips. Her eyes twinkled from the win.

“I remain to be undefeated by anyone when it comes to Sabaac.”

Anakin scowls, though it slowly turns into a smirk. “I would like to see you try playing against Obi-Wan.”

“Oh. I have played against Master Kenobi.” Satine smirks right back at him. “Who do you think taught him?”

iii.

Anakin Skywalker is an interesting person.

Satine thinks as she and he make their way to enter the banquet hall. Apparently, the Jedi Knight had been invited too. Something about being the face of the Republican effort.

She had wanted to get to know him better. Obi-Wan has practically raised the boy and she wanted to see what he had grown up to be.

She knows that Skywalker resorts to unsavory measures when dealing with conflict. He has little regard for the lives of those on the enemy side. She had witnessed that on the Cornet. And she still has a lot to say about it.

However, she decides she quite likes him. He is nice company even if he denies so.

He is a decent Sabaac player too. Just no match for Satine.

It has been ages since she has even played the game. She thinks the last time was with Bo - before everything collapsed upon the two.

She had enjoyed herself during those hours upon the Twilight. And lately, Satine has enjoyed very little - with the Republic and CIS trying to coax her into picking a side, and the Death Watch gaining momentum within her system.

She finally let herself breathe a little. She wonders if Anakin has the same effect on Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master sometimes forgot to look after his own well-being. He had made a habit of it long ago. Maybe he had been born with it.

She shakes off these thoughts as they enter the banquet hall that is full of Senators and Generals and anyone of import. She knows better than to let her mind linger on Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Anakin and Satine had made straight for the ball once they landed, having prepared themselves for their appearance upon the Twilight.

“Duchess Satine!” Bail Organa comes rushing to the pair of them, taking Satine’s hand into his and pressing a light kiss on it. She smiles.

“Senator Organa. It is truly a beautiful event that you have organized and for a very noble cause.”

“We do what we can, Duchess.” He says modestly. He turns his attention to Anakin. “Master Skywalker. We are glad that you could make it.”

Anakin nods his head. “As the Duchess said, it is for a noble cause.”

Satine and Bail continue to exchange pleasantries as Anakin stays quiet beside her - his eyes seem to be scanning the crowd. They continue to do so after Bail leaves and Satine and Anakin venture further into the gathering.

However, they do stop when the Senator Amidala joins them.

“Satine. You made it.” She says as she embraces her tightly. Satine does not often show such affection in public, but she has a soft spot for the Senator. She is a good friend.

“Of course, I did.”

Padmé turns to Anakin, and Satine sees the way her eyes soften - how they seem to glean with something Satine knows better than to name.

“General Skywalker. It is always good to see you.”

He bows. His eyes are as soft as Padmé’s. “And to see you, milady.”

Satine has to suppress a snort. Who does Anakin think he is fooling?

They fall into conversation after that. She does not miss how the eyes of the Senator and Jedi keep seeking each other out.

Satine grabs a glass of champagne from a serving droid. “Oh, and Padmé, do tell me when you are free. I would love to test your skills in Sabaac.”

She sees Anakin stiffen beside her. Padmé regards Satine in confusion. “Satine. I must disappoint you, but I do not even know how to play Sabaac.”

Satine has to hide her sly smile behind her glass as her eyes dart towards Skywalker who has an expression of a child caught doing something he should not be doing.

“Is that so?”

Before Anakin can fumble for an explanation, Senator Chuchi drops by and pulls Satine away. Once she is free, she finds Anakin and Padmé standing a few feet away from her, whispering to each other without looking suspicious as much as possible.

Padmé has an expression of amusement and exasperation and worry.

Satine wonders what Padmé expected. Anakin is the last thing from subtle from what she has seen. She had noticed the way Anakin blushed and fumbled for words when she mentioned Padmé on the Twilight. And she saw the way he was grappling for an explanation when his eyes fell on the Sabaac cards under the table.

Satine is not a politician for nothing. She has not survived this long for nothing.

She continues to study them from afar. She wonders if that was what she and Obi-Wan looked like when they were young and in love.

As if her thoughts conjured the very being, her eyes fall onto Kenobi who is speaking to Senator Mothma.

As if sensing her gaze, he whips his head to her direction. His eyes softened at the sight of her. She is sure hers did the same. She raises her glass in acknowledgment and he smiles at her.

She hesitates before she makes up her mind. After seeing Anakin and Padmé look so content with each other by their side, she decides that she can let herself have that for a short moment or two.

She walks towards Obi-Wan. He notices and excuses himself from the Senator of Chandrilla and makes his own way to her.

“Duchess.” He says, bending to press a kiss on her hand, letting his lips linger a second too long.

“Master Kenobi.” She says, her lips settling into a smile.

“I hope Anakin did not trouble you on your trip here.”

She chuckles. “Of course not.” She pauses before adding. “It is a fine young man that you have raised, Obi-Wan.” She isn’t lying either.

Obi-Wan’s eyes gleam with pride. She knows he is trying hard to hide it, but she knows that Obi-Wan is proud of the man that Anakin Skywalker has become.

“I try.” He simply answers.

Her eyes travel back to Anakin and Padmé. Skywalker has seemed to drag Amidala onto the dance floor - holding her a little too close to be deemed innocent.

“I think that Senator Amidala would agree with me.” She doesn’t hide her smile this time. She sneaks a glance at Obi-Wan. He has his eyes on the pair too.

“A little too much of you ask me.” He is trying to restrain his own smile.

She wonders if Obi-Wan sees them in the young pair.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Obi-Wan nervously wipes his palms on his robes before offering her his own hand.

“Can I interest the Duchess with a dance?”

Satine looks at his hand for a few moments.

She and Obi-Wan made their choices years ago. However, who could blame them for letting themselves have these little moments?

She puts her hand in his.

And then Anakin proceeds to adopt Satine into his list of favorite people and so he joins Obi-Wan on his mission to Mandalore. Both of them save Satine and Anakin proceeds to beat the shit out of Maul for going after her and Obi-Wan. Maul lets it slip that Palpatine is a Sith Lord in hops of saving his life. And thus, Anakin and Obi-Wan and Satine and Padmé and Ahsoka and the 501st and 212th proceed to kick Palpatine’s ass out of existence.

#anakin skywalker #Satine Kryzé #star wars #the clone wars #tcw #obi-wan kenobi #Padmé amidala #ahsoka tano #Palpatine #bail Organa #asks #Duchess of mandalore #darth vader #OBITINE #Anidala

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storytellingdreamer · 4 years ago

Text

Mandalorian AU - role swap

In a Discord I’m part of, someone suggested the idea of a role swap AU, where Grogu is an adult and Din is a child. Premise: Grogu rescues Din after his covert is destroyed, and they go on a quest to find Mandalorians. The prompter was thinking of something that stuck a little more closely to The Mandalorian series’ story-beats & time-frame, but I came up with something different. (Long post.)

The story begins in 15 BBY. It covers Grogu rescuing Din, then Din growing up with Grogu as they try to find other Mandalorians, and slowly growing into the family they both need.

Prelude:

Grogu -

Was a young Knight in TCW; led a search-and-rescue recovery group that followed behind major battles as a clean up crew.

Formed a strong bond with his clone battalion; knowledge of Mandalorian culture informed by them, including Mando’a.

Escaped Order 66 with the strength of his skills while trying to harm as few of his vod’e as possible (e.g. using a strong sleep suggestion or something).

Spent the next few years travelling alone, hiding his powers, very confused and hurt.

Found it difficult to trust others; it had been well-known that he was one of only two known living members of his species, both of whom were Jedi.

Became a hermit figure, following the Will of the Force across the galaxy, and trying to avoid populated areas.

Got itchy feet after too long spent hiding in the one place, which led to “accidental” exposure through him listening to the Force a little too much and interfering in some injustice or other.

So instead, he travelled through the galaxy in his little ship; helping where he could, then disappearing again.

Din -

Growing from a child to a pre-teen, had slowly begun integrating into the Aliit.

Had been given a training helmet, and learnt the stories, and the risks of the Way.

These risks meant that most stayed hidden; while they weren’t as completely underground as they would become after the Great Purge, they still kept to themselves. The Empire had put a high price on beskar, after all.

The Tribe were careful, is what I’m saying. But it wasn’t enough.

Story's beginning...

Din

The Imperials uncovered and raided the covert, with flimsy excuses – any Mandalorian in beskar’gam, especially those found so far from Mandalorian space, were potential insurgents.

The Tribe scattered; some trying to flee with the ade, while the others stayed to fight to buy them time.

Grogu -

Travelling nearby when he got a distinct shove from the Force, directing him to head towards the city.

On his arrival, sees a couple of ships punch their way to hyperspace, and wonders; then sees other ships shot down, and a district of the city explode into flame. He heads towards the firefight.

For a long time after, Grogu would feel like he arrived too late.

The place appears deserted, save a few Imperial troops picking through the rubble. Grogu subdues these, picking his way through the area with lightsabre in hand.

Finds Din in the wreckage of one of the ships that had been shot down; the only survivor.

Realises it’s a child pointing the blaster at him from the wreckage, and is moved to help even more than before.

Decides against revealing the whole “the Force led me to you” thing for the moment, though.

Din -

Scared of Grogu at first, thinking he's some sort of creature sent to finish him off.

Listens as Grogu patiently explains he means no harm, and eventually, reluctantly, is convinced to go with him.

“You can’t stay here. For one thing, the stormtroopers will be back soon. I wasn’t exactly discreet when taking down the ones outside. And while I’m sure your aliit taught you how to survive here by yourself if you have to, I can help.” (Spoken in a mix of Basic and Mando'a - may edit more Mando’a in later.)

“Tion jorhaa Mando’a? Tion Mando-?” ([You] speak Mando’a? [Are you] Manda-?) Din’s posture changed, leaning forward, helmet tilting slightly to the side.

“Some. I travelled with a group of Mandalorian verde some years ago. They considered me one of their vod’e… until we were betrayed, at least. I’ve... lost contact with them since.” (Again, may edit more Mando’a into this later.)

On the way back to Grogu’s ship, they’re cornered by more stormtroopers. Grogu has to use his lightsabre. Din was impressed, and very curious. After they’ve escaped into hyperspace, he asked:

“What is that?”

Grogu showed it to him. “A lightsabre. The weapon of a Jedi.”

“Weapon of a what?”

“That’s... quite the story.” He began, then explained - including mentioning he’d been given to the Temple as a youngling.

“You were a foundling. Like me.”

“… Yes, that’s right.”

Story continues:

Din -

Initially quite firm about following the Way (overcompensating after his losses), wearing his training helmet all the time.

Is prepared to be Annoying about his needs, but then is surprised when Grogu accommodates him easily, including buying/ stealing a med-droid to assist.

Also has to deal with losing his home and family twice; first his birth parents, now his adoptive Aliit.

Droids aren’t his only fear/ hate anymore...

Grogu -

Initially isn’t sure about his ability to be a parent, which he thinks Din needs.

The life he leads, running from planet to planet to help as he can while staying one step ahead of the Inquisitors - that’s no place for a child, even one as skilled as Din.

Plus, the last peoples he cared for as family – well, one betrayed the other, leading to death and strife.

Those that still live do so in soulless blank armour - which his new ward hates and fears with a passion.

They each have things to discover about themselves, and each other, on the journey.

Story/ character arcs:

Din -

Growing up (including Mandalorian rites of adolescence, the verd’goten or equivalent) and figuring out that what he knew about being Mandalorian isn’t all that there is out there.

Confusing and painful at first, because he holds onto the covert’s teachings with tight fists in his grief, even as that threatens the growing familial bond with Grogu.

Dealing with his emotions about being orphaned twice, including accepting that not all droids are evil, and that some troopers had no choice in their actions.

Grogu helps him, at times antagonises him, and protects him as he figures out what sort of Mandalorian he wanted to be.

Less mid-life crisis, more teenage angst/ identity development.

Grogu -

Negotiating caring for Din while being a Jedi still – realising that they’re not mutually exclusive concepts;

Finding out why his vod’e betrayed him (Order 66), deciding what he wanted to do about that, and dealing with Din’s reaction;

Learning about Mandalorian culture, and developing a place for himself in it, as (eventually) a Mandalorian Jedi.

Rex and Ahsoka guest-star as big-name foils for Grogu’s Jedi and Vod’e connections, while the bigger emotions would come from a member of Grogu’s battalion vod’e and a fellow O66 survivor and old friend of Grogu’s.

Joint arc -

Eventually get involved in the fledgling Rebellion through efforts to rescue and de-chip Grogu’s vod’e, and other clones.

Maybe cross paths with the Spectres at some point.

Towards the end of the story, Din claims Grogu as his parent (Ni kyr'tayl gai sa’buir), and Grogu becomes a follower of the Way (armour scenes).

Building their own family comprising of Mandalorian (incl. Vod’e) and Jedi connections.

#meta #the mandalorian #fic author's mind at work #fic

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vesperstalksclones · 4 years ago

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What will you do after Mandalore?

Rated teen

Ingredients: kissy kissy, pining, angst, oogling, heavy petting, Rex likes using the F word a lot and thinks plenty about his tool

Sketch by @i-got-no-bones

He spotted her across the sky plaza that they had commandeered as a landing platform. Arms crossed, feet spread, back arched into her posture; every inch of her shining with pride as she watched her men tend to their business.

Rex was content to merely stand and observe for a moment. Ahsoka Tano had disappeared over a year ago, radio silent. Furious and hurting, no doubt, after the Jedi council, men and women she had called family, had handed her over to the republic judiciary system to be tried on circumstantial evidence for a crime she didn't commit. Her name had been cleared and the culprit caught, but when the council invited her back sheepishly, after her humiliating excommunication, she graciously told them to shit in their hat, turned heel and walked away. He respected her for that, also envied her the freedom to be able to do so. If he stuck his birds to the GAR and turned his back, his parting gift would, at best, be a blaster shot to the shebs. Property didn't get to make choices like that.

He could have tracked her down, but she hadn't left him so much as a scribble in parting. He had not taken it well. First came panic - she was alone, who would have her back? Then anger - the 501st and Torrent squadron weren't good enough to stay for? Fuck her!!! The pain of abandonment - didn't the years fighting side by side mean anything, the men who had died protecting her life? Blind fury at the council that had driven her away - he had demolished several training druids to cope with that. Jealousy; that perhaps she had retreated somewhere… to someone… someone male... to lick her wounds and seek comfort. Like that litte Bonterri fuck stick.

"No, old man, you turned yourself pretty inside out over Ahsoka's nonexistent good bye", Rex mused, a wry smile spreading over his lips. After about four weeks of stewing in his own volatile pit of self-pity and rage, during a particularly long night of insomnia spiced with bourbon whiskey, he realized why he was so angry. Fuck the Jedi, they didn't return the loyalty she had always offered. Fuck the GAR. They would carry on fighting and killing and invading and dying with or without her.

Rex had realized, in those oppressive pre-dawn hours, that he agonized because she had left him. They had been companions for more than three years! She had grown from a bratty youngling, to a capable warrior, to a leader almost without match. They loved her, the 501st. Torrent, the battering ram of the esteemed legion, especially worshipped her. If General Skywalker was the spearpoint of the forces, the Troopers were the rigid staff,, and Ahsoka was the sinews and lead and nails that held the two together. They had adopted her as their blood sister, named her Vod'ika, and taught her their words. The squadron had cracked a little from their loss. The center of the chasm had been their CO. Rex was drowning in despair when he had heard his own voice quietly wimper…

"Why did you leave me?"

It hurt, to hear it out loud. It made the pain more real somehow. He had curled inward on himself, hating that he desperately needed his friend to help him cope, and yet she was the one he was mourning.

By the time he had crawled from his bunk, all vestiges of anger had burned away. Left behind was only depression, and empty bitterness. Everything became harder after that. Skywalker also suffered her loss, and he and Rex began to severely grate on each other's nerves. Rex flung himself into work and training for the distraction, earning a multitude of grumbles from his Vod as he expected them to keep up his grueling pace.

And then… Skywalker commed him. The General spoke as nonchalantly as if he was discussing the soy loaf at dinner. There was a mission to be had, to Mandalore. Bo Katan Kryze was in need of assistance, unseating the Sith lord Maul who had claimed the planet for his own. She would be meeting them in roughly 72 hours, with her comrade at arms. A certain Lady Tano.

Rex had leapt from his desk, pacing a circle for nearly an hour. Skywalker said that they would accompany her, Rex in command of as many men as she needed. His stomach was clawing inside him like a trapped loth cat, with anticipation, excitement, and anxiety.

He needed to tell his boys. Her boys. Their girl was coming home. He had stood there smiling like an idiot, loving the feel of those words in his weary brain.

He called Torrent to attention in their barracks, briefly explaining the mission. They were going to fight for their father's home. Serve the warrior people that had created all that the Vode held dear. He could see the energy beginning to rise from them, the promise of a fight that really did belong to them in some way.

He savored a pause, keeping her his precious secret for a second longer, before he flung her name to his troops like fresh meat to hungry dogs. The resulting roar was deafening, with a string of particularly loud expletives from Jesse, who had become his de-facto Captain, as Rex had taken on the Command of the 501st in purpose if not in official name. It warmed his tired heart to the core.

Excusing himself he strode away to his quarters. The energy that the mere mention of her name generated had put the spring back in his strut. He didn't sleep that night either, for the boyish excitement inside.

By the following evening, several hundred men were sporting orange blazes on their helmets, and the indoctrinated eye would recognize the white jagged stripes that swept down over their visors. The men had shined every inch of their armor, oiled and cleaned every gun, sharpened every blade. He allowed them to fight it out for their spots at review. A few black eyes were given over the choicest front row positions.

Then came the day of her arrival . General skywalker commed him for assembly. The men jogged to the meeting point, a large liaison space on the 3rd level. He had counted the length of his breaths carefully, willing himself to be calm and composed, as if this was really any other inspection. He was screaming inside. He felt like his stomach was trying to fall out of his ass.

The door chimed and slid open. And there she was. But she wasn't the girl he remembered. She seemed to have grown over the past year. Taller yes, he noted the distinct curve taking shape in her Montrails. Not just vertical growth either; she had expanded in all directions. Her hips were no longer angular, but smoothly bowed outward. Her waist tapered in and climbed upward to... what used to be pert little breasts - polite things that barely moved when she vaulted across the training mats. Now… well… they weren't polite anymore. In her absence Little'un had become a woman. How the hell did all this happen in a year?

He called the men to attention, unable to suppress the absolute shit eating grin of joy that had plastered itself there. She had traded the skirts and tights of her padawan youth for the dignified garb of a warrior. Smart armored combat boots covered tight breeches, and disappeared under a slim fitting, high collared shirt which proved both modest and profoundly flattering at the same time. Having discarded her Akul tooth headdress when she left the temple, Ahsoka now wore a variety of tiara that looked like hand hammered durasteel. Numerous arm bands and leg holsters carried her various kit. Best of all, he noticed, she had outfitted herself almost entirely in the cobalt blue of the 501st.

Ahsoka stepped towards him. Hesitantly, uncertain of her place in the scheme of things, her eyes searching his face for a cue. He was positively giddy at her approach, glad that his full body armour could dampen the sight of the tremors that ran through him.

"Beautiful, fierce, brave girl… don't look at me like that. You'll always belong with us" he didn't say the words, they shone from his eyes. Her gaze landed on the helmet clutched in his hand, and he was certain they moistened as the orange and white design drove its message home. They were hers and she was theirs.

Moments later, things got complicated, as they were wont to do when Skywalker was involved. He had loaded about three thousand odd men on to another venator. Anakin had named him official CO of the 501st (could've done that a fucking year ago) and they left with their Lady. A jedi no longer, now only a civilian advisor. Whatever, she was still their angel.

Now, about 48 hours later, they had Maul's forces on the run, and had taken a few hours to regroup, gather sit-reps, and organize the city wide hunt for the criminal. His duties were tended for the moment so Rex had gone on the search, hungry to see her face again. He spied her by the transports, wearing her pride of possession, as she watched her Vod do what they did best.

He jogged across the pavement and slowed to a swaggering stroll as he neared her. She beamed at him, blue eyes reflecting the city lights.

"All right there, Lil?"

"Rex, this has gone off smoother than I had hoped. The citizens are disgusted, but at least things didn't de-evolve in to violence."

Gah, her voice! It was like a cool breeze on a shitty hot day.

She retreated a little way between the LAATs

and retrieved a canteen of water, drinking deeply. He took the opportunity to appreciate what nature had wrought upon the Togrutan.

He couldn't pretend to be an expert on her race's anatomy, but he could definitely see that the physical changes in her had stopped being about adding physical size, and began to be about physical allure. The hard muscles of her youthful form had gained some softness via artistically placed plump cushions. Her rump… hips… bosom. Her face had exchanged youthful roundness for a pointed chin and angled jaw, and instead focused the fullness in to her plum colored lips.

It wasn't until after the initial excitement of the reunion when they were en route to Mandalore that he could privately reflect upon her changes. As she bent over to adjust her boot straps he was certain the thirty or so Vod in the room must have heard his cock slam against his cod piece as he reacted to the sight of her peach shaped rear offered up like a feast before him. Since that moment he had remained at nothing less than half mast, his member ready and waiting for the off chance that he might need it, while his brain begged it to behave itself and not act a fool..

How the hell had he come to this? His sweet friend had become a veritable sex pot, her body shedding the trappings of youth and preparing her to recieve a male. The notion that had began to grow in his mind that night in his lonely bed so many months ago, had born fruit and ripened in that moment.

He Loved her and not as a lad should love his dear friend.. He had pined away for months, struggling to function through the void created by her absence. Moments of privacy had tormented him either with loneliness for her presence or aching for her touch. Often his mind wandered too far in her direction and he was forced to take matters in to his own hands… well hand…. And release brought guilt as well as relief.

When he closed the gap between them she offered the drink, and he happily chugged some just to taste her on the rim. He was so desperate, he thought. So fucking pathetic, but he couldn't help himself… and frankly didn't want to. As he regarded her, Ahsoka fidgeted nervously and her face fell, a mask of anxiety appearing. He knit his brow at the change, capping the canteen and setting it aside.

"Rex… I'm sorry."

He frowned. This was happening now, she was ready to explain to him her actions. In the middle of a mission. Fucking hell. He continued to watch her, his face calm and professional.

"Im sorry I didn't say goodbye. It was a shitty thing to do to you. It was cowardly and I was wrong, and I've regretted it every single day." Her sapphire gems stared in to his amber ones, searching them for his reply.

Rex sighed heavily. He had a few things to tell her, and he'd be damned if she was going to run away this time before he heard each and every one of them clearly.

"Ahsoka…" he reached for her, and with only a little hesitation she snaked her arms around his waist and leaned against his armored chest. Resting her cheek near his pauldron. He wrapped her up in his embrace and stole a moment to sniff deeply of her scent. Spice, and something herbal - like tea. Leather. And her own subtle musk, which reminded him of the sun warmed straw field he had walked through on Naboo. How he had missed that smell.

"I wont lie Lil. I hated you for about a week. When I got over that, I stayed pissed off for at least another month."

She trembled a little, her face hidden from view.

"Then, during my fifth week of insomnia and self loathing, I realized why I was so angry, and that it definitely wasn't because I hated you."

He tilted his head down, seeking her eyes, but she was still hiding them on his shoulder.

He nudged her lekk with his nose, gently demanding her attention. She shyly met his gaze, the blazing blue stars beginning to blur behind tears. Stop this at once Lil, you're not the crying type, and especially not over me.

He dipped his face to hers, capturing her lips. She was rigid with shock for a moment, but then relaxed against his touch. He barely broke away, only to come back for a second helping, kissing her with more force in order to drive his message home. She tasted like honey, hints of cinnamon, and the poor quality caf they all survived off of on the Venators. The feel of her petal soft lips against his was enough to make his knees shake, and his heart pound, and, thinking back on every fantasy he had entertained about her, he would come to realize what a poor imagination he had.

Pulling away, she dashed at her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"The truth is that… I didn't dare come to see you that day. I knew that it would upset you and I couldn't cope with that. I wouldn't have been able to go make myself leave, even though it was the right thing for me. Its ok that you hated me for a while.. I hated myself."

She sucked in a shaky breath, regarding him silently for a moment as if she was trying to choose her next words carefully. Apparently, her voice had left her, so she framed his face with her sienna colored hands and returned to his kiss almost violently. He spanned her waist with his hands, pulling her closer to him, all the while cursing his protective armor that denied him the pressure of her firm body.

"I wouldn't have let you go" he growled, biting at her lip for punctuation. With a breathy whimper she opened her mouth to his caress. He tasted her lips, and her tongue, twisting his head for a better angle. His gloved hands groped their way blindly up her back, and then back downward to her waist, one daring to sneak to her rump, palming the cheek boldly, but hell she could shatter his bones with her mind if she objected and he wouldn't be upset. She answered by chasing his tongue with hers, uttering a low moan of approval.

Rex pushed her backward against the cold side of the transport, pinning her there with his bodyweight. His mind spun with surprise and delight that not only had she not broken his face, but was mouthing and pawing at him with equal desire. He sucked in a quick breath and claimed her mouth again, leading the charge with a velvet tongue. He was determined to display for her every ounce of frustration she had left him in for the past year. To convince her that she should not leave him again.

He nipped at her chin, scraped his teeth along her jawline, and caught a hitch in his breath as he tasted the salty skin at her neck. She rolled her head away, crooning gently, and he surprised himself at how quickly he one handed the top few frogs of her shirt. Bearing her neck down to the shoulder, he sucked and kissed at her offering, cherishing her closeness, his mind racing at the willingness with which she came to him. His right hand had found its way to her breast, caressing the sleek fabric covered mound and searching the telltale hardened peak he found there. She was arched backward over his opposite arm, her legs astride his armoured thigh, all the while he was inwardly cursing the confines of his pelvic armor; his member had sprung to full solute at the attentions of his Lady Commander. When she rolled her hips he dared to arch to his boot toe, giving her a hard surface to press herself against.

She stiffened under his touch, suddenly going quiet and still.

"Kriff." she whispered.

His eyes snapped open, alarmed by the sudden change in her demeanor. He was about to speak when…

"OORAH! COMMANDER!"

A chorus of hoots and howls joined the first voice, and Rex dropped his forehead to Ahsoka's shoulder, hand still splayed across her chest, thigh pressed to her besh… his index finger tracing the crease of her perfect ass….

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jesse. Kriffing Jesse, and about fifty of his men. Standing there watching him grind on Ahsoka like they were a live action porn holo.

"Fuck my life" he growled in disgust.

"GET SOME VOD! OWWWWW!!!"

Dammit Jesse.

The fondling hand shot to his hip and raised the blaster just in time for his head to snap up and choose his target. The bolt screamed by Jesse, missing his temple by the length of a finger.

Wide eyed, he screamed and cackled and ducked, the other troops reacting similarly.

Rex contemplated shooting them all, and was choosing his next target when….

"FUCKING JESSE! QUIT COCK BLOCKING ME, YOU STUPID PENIS WRINKLE!" Ahsoka roared at the clone, and with a violent sweep of her arm she flung the entire corps out of sight further down the plaza. Rex couldn't help but grin at the satisfying shouts of pain and the clatter of armored bodies bouncing on the cement.

They both sighed as he returned his DC to its home, and met each other's gaze.

"Is that what he was doing, Commander? Cock-blocking you?" He teased.

Ahsoka's blue chevrons darkened in the Togrutan equivalent of a blush.

"Im not your Commander, Rex, not GAR, nor am I a Jedi. I'd prefer if you'd address me properly."

"And how's that?" He cocked his head, smirking at her.

"Anything but. You decide, cyare."

She pushed her forehead against his. He flushed from the thrill. She had used his "native" tongue, never before had anyone called him "beloved", and the forehead "kiss" was a touch of the purest loving affection among Vod.

"Do you mean that? "Cyare"? Rex's head was spinning. The delicious heavy petting could have allowed him to die happily, but she had done something far more wonderful to him. Cyare was not a name for a piece of meat used to scratch an itch with.. did she understand that? "Are you sure, Lil?"

"Yes, I mean that. I want you, Rex. I think I have for a long time, but I was afraid to call it what it was. I didn't think you'd ever look at me the same way."

"What? Why wouldn't I?"

"Because your a grown man!... Who happens to be younger than me… and I've always just been this idiot kid." She frowned, the dusky colored pout did terrible things to him.

"I don't think you've been a kid for a while now Sokka." To emphasize his statement, he kissed her like she was a woman. His woman. "What happens…" he didn't know if he dared to hope… "What will you do after we are done here?"

"I haven't really thought about it. I guess it depends on our success."

They heard shouts. Troopers were gathering on the plaza, getting ready to depart for their search.

"Than let's find the hut'uun quickly."

He gave her a final kiss and a squeeze, and backed away step by step until her hand dropped away.

#rexsoka #captainrex #captainaccidentlysexy #ahsokatano #seige of mandalore #clone wars fanfic

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glimmerglanger · 4 years ago

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Whumptober 2020 - Day 26

Five days left! Five! Today’s is another shorter entry, written for:

No 30. NOW WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?

Wound Reveal | Ignoring an Injury | Internal Organ Injury

Post-ROTS fic. Gen. Injuries and fighting. Ahsoka considering all the things she learned during the war and applying them in a fight.

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

Ahsoka considered, the thought a passing fancy in the heat of battle, that she’d never thanked Master Obi-Wan enough for everything he’d taught her. It was just that, at the time, he’d always made it seem effortless, as though carving a few extra hours of bunk time out of his day to offer extra instruction hadn’t been any kind of consideration at all.

She flipped backwards, deflected a blaster bolt back towards the troopers crowded into the hall, and brought her other saber up into a guard. She wished, mind thrumming along while her body moved through muscle memory and the will of the Force, that she’d taken a click after their Jar’Kai training sessions to - to grip his shoulders and let him know that she appreciated it.

She’d always fought well enough with a lightsaber, but practicing Jar’Kai had felt like coming home. Anakin - and even thinking about him still hurt, deep inside her ribs - had been familiar enough with the forms, but….

But he’d learned them from Master Obi-Wan, and, when Ahsoka mentioned wanting to learn, he’d directed her to Master Obi-Wan said something about Obi-Wan having the patience for it, and--

“Move!” Ahsoka barked, darting into the middle of the hall, providing cover to the huddled group of rebels hiding in a tiny room off of the hall. She didn’t know, yet, how the safe house had been compromised. Likely the same way all the rest had been.

The Empire had a terrible ability to sniff them out, to locate them and hunt them to the ground.

All of these people would have been dead, already, had Ahsoka and Rex not happened to stop, looking for intel and a place to sleep for maybe a single night. And the troopers were still flooding forward, stepping over the bodies of the fallen, an implacable press towards her.

They’d already killed half of the rebels, cut them down in a rain of blaster fire before Ahsoka could draw her sabers. Rex had gone down, in that initial rush, but he was still alive. Ahsoka could feel him, somewhere back in the complex. They hadn’t killed him.

Perhaps, she thought, hopeful, they’d mistaken him for a corpse, perhaps they’d leave him, perhaps he’d survive, even if the rest of them….

She shook the thoughts away, gritted her teeth, and shoved back with the Force towards all the troopers clogging the hall. She knocked the first few rows back, into the rest, buying a precious few seconds of peace. The rebels behind her took the opportunity to bolt, down the hall, towards their ships, such as they were.

And it was strange to think of them as rebels.

They were just people, really. Families. One Twi’lek man was carrying two children, one barely more than an infant and--and these people were trying to fight back against the entirety of the Empire, it was--

Madness.

They’d be killed, just like all the rest, if someone didn’t help them. If someone was not willing to stand between them and the onrushing army, impossible though the odds were. Master Obi-Wan had taught her that, too, though not in a training room.

He’d never said the words, not so baldly. She’d learned them by watching. The Jedi were supposed to be peace-keepers. Diplomats. But her old Masters - and they had both been her Masters, she thought she could freely admit that, now, after everything - had been warriors, too.

Perhaps first and foremost.

And she’d learned from them, learned the importance of standing in front of those who needed protection, of saying, with blade and blood: this far and no further.

Ahsoka exhaled, hard, taking another step back and then stopping. The hall opened, behind her. Another step, and the troopers would be able to swarm past her on either side. They’d catch up with the rebels - the families - that had hidden in this place. They were faster than a bunch of civilians.

They’d catch up and there’d be a massacre, another one. Ahsoka drew in a breath, adjusted her stance, and spun her sabers into position, deflecting more bolts back, but there were so many. And she was, she considered, already hurt.

Rex had taken a hit, in the first attack. He hadn’t been the only one.

Ahsoka’s right leg shook, just a little, as the shots echoed all around her. She deflected as many as she could back, into the mass of armor and men across from her. She could feel it, when the troopers died. She’d always been able to feel it, even during the war.

It felt different, after the war. After...everything. The little flashes of relief she felt, each time one of them died, reached inside her and shredded at her heart. They felt at peace, for just an instant, before they flickered away, forever, and--

And another shot made it through her guard, hit her shoulder and spun her, almost throwing her against the wall. She pulled on the Force to remain stable, jerking her sabers back up into a guard, shoving the pain to one side, where she could process it later.

She’d learned how to do that from Master Obi-Wan, too.

Learned it first by blundering into the infirmary after a miserable battle, one that had slogged on and on, one that had ended with Master Obi-Wan talking to his men, smiling, offering words of encouragement, no signs of distress on his features at all. And then she’d come down to the infirmary, looking for some bacta for Master Anakin and--

And Master Obi-Wan had been sitting on a medical bed, his robes off, one of the medics grumbling as he tended what looked like a blaster injury.

He’d looked over, before Ahsoka could duck out again, and said, “Ah, Ahsoka. Are you alright?” He’d frowned, she recalled. In so many of her memories, he was frowning. It was strange. He’d always seemed to be smiling, at the time. “I didn’t think you’d been hurt.”

“I didn’t think you’d been hurt, either,” she’d said back, because he hadn’t seemed hurt, during or after the fight. He’d opened his mouth, but the medic had interrupted.

“That’s because the General thinks he gets to decide when he’s hurt,” Bones said, with a roll of his eyes, and Master Obi-Wan had smiled then.

He’d said, “I certainly do not. Sometimes, it simply helps no one to dwell on an injury.” And he’d looked at Ahsoka, something unreadable in his expression, and added, “We do what we must.”

Ahsoka dragged in another breath, setting aside pain and hurt and the tremble in her right leg, trying to give from the shot she’d taken to the hip. At the time, she hadn’t understood what Master Obi-Wan meant. And then her world had, in a very real way, ended, except she’d been left to keep going, to find a way to continue onward and--

And mostly it involved doing what she must. Sometimes, it simply helped no one to dwell on an injury.

She shoved aside the pain, deflected bolts, bought the families behind her time to get away, to survive, one more day. The pain didn’t hurt so much, as long as she was moving. As long as she remembered why she was fighting, as long as she could feel Rex, alive.

If she kept the other troopers busy for long enough, maybe he’d recover enough to get out. That would be something. Something worth standing in this hall, the walls all scoured with re-directed blaster bolts. Something worth ignoring the blisters of pain.

And so she did not make a break for it, did not allow them past, even as the air filled with smoke and she heard the engines of the ships outside spooling up, even as the troopers steadily gained ground, scrambling over the dead, a sheer mass of them that would roll over her, without regard or regret or--

The explosion knocked her sideways into the wall and she grunted at the impact, sagging there for a moment, shoulder against concrete, breathing hard.

Dust swirled around her, clogging the air, but, on the plus side, the blasters had stopped. Mostly, she presumed, because the majority of the hall had come down on the troopers. She could see a few pieces of armor, here and there. And her chest ached, because she’d fought beside these men, once.

Once, she would have thrown herself forward, hands outstretched, to dig them out desperately.

She leaned against the wall, lowering her sabers, and breathed unsteadily through the ringing in her ears and all the sharp aches across her body. She only straightened when she heard footsteps, felt Rex, getting closer, because it wouldn’t do to worry him.

She’d deal with the injuries later.

She could sense other troopers, closing on them, quickly.

She exhaled, turned to face Rex, expression etched with concern, and smiled. They’d do what they must.

#whumptober2020 #no.30 #ignoring an injury #clone wars #fic #gen #ahsoka and rex #canon typical violence #angst #post ROTS

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hellowkatey · 4 years ago

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When I Fall Apart

It's been a week since being rescued from. Kadavo, and Obi-Wan is convinced he is fine. Anakin, on the other hand, knows his former master better than that.

a little angstpril bonus! based on day 23's prompt: "this isn't you" warnings: mentions of violence, torture, slavery, and death

read on AO3

Anakin is hovering.

This has been an all-day occurrence. Staring at him when he's eating his breakfast. Walking with him between meetings-- not necessarily for any reason. He was not required to attend half of them, but he came along anyway. Now, he is sitting with Obi-Wan in his quarters, throwing a paperweight into the air and catching it while the Jedi Master reviews some documents.

Finally, Obi-Wan lets out a deep sigh, and takes note of Anakin stiffening, sitting up straight and looking at him pointedly. "Are you alright, Master?"

Oh, that's what this is about...

It's been a week since Zygerria. A week since he was pulled out of Kadavo with Captain Rex. A week since he collapsed in the corridor and was unable to request that Anakin not be around when his robes were removed and the horrors of his captivity were revealed. And now Anakin is hovering because despite the continuous bacta patches and his whip marks being well on their way to recovery there seems to be a part of him that is waiting for him to break all over again.

"I'm quite fine, Anakin," he pauses. "Have you ever heard that a watched pot never boils?"

Anakin's eyebrows scrunch together. "No?"

"Well, I suppose I never got around to teaching you how to cook, did I."

"You don't know how to cook, master."

"Precisely why I never could have taught you... Basically, it means if you stare at a pot, waiting for the water to boil, it will not boil before your eyes."

This doesn't seem to clear up anything for the young knight. He leans his elbows on his knees. "Wait, but isn't boiling just when water--"

"What I mean, Anakin," Obi-Wan looks back down at his datapad to avoid the gaze of his former padawan. "is that if you insist on hanging around me all day in case I collapse again, or start breaking down or whatever it is you think I'm going to do, it is likely it won't happen."

The young knight folds his arms across his chest, leaning back on the desk chair. "I'm not waiting for you to collapse, Master."

"Then why in blazes are you following me around like loth kitten?" his tone comes out harsher than he intended. He looks at Anakin, hoping to salvage his outburst, but he can see from the way his shoulders sag and his gaze flickers away that the damage has been done already.

"Anakin, I didn't mean--"

"No, I heard you loud and clear, Master. I'll leave you alone," he says bitterly, slamming the paperweight down on the desk and marching toward the door. He doesn't look back before leaving in a huff, even going as far as using the Force to slam the automatic door behind him.

Always the dramatics with that one.

He sighs, not intending to upset Anakin who was obviously just worried for him-- especially since Ahsoka was sent on a solo mission to a peace conference on Carlac. He's been looking for distractions. Obi-Wan stands, deciding to go after him and apologize for the ill-mannered comment. He'd honestly missed the company of having a padawan with him all the time.

As he gets to the door, his commlink rings. A message from Cody telling him to come to the bridge. Duty calls.

____________________

Anakin is yelling.

He's yelling with the tone of pure anger, but when Obi-Wan looks at him, there is a softness in his eyes more akin to a scared child than a pissed-off general. If Obi-Wan is being honest, the tone and body language of his padawan is really the only thing he can assess right now. Anakin is yelling about something, and Obi-Wan knows exactly what, but the words are like static hitting his brain. For a moment, he even questioned if Anakin had switched to Huttese in the midst of his tantrum. But he knows Huttese (to a degree) and his lack of comprehension is more of a testament to the short-circuiting going on in his brain, not a slip of tongue.

All Obi-Wan can really hear is the sound of his own heartbeat. Pounding in his ear, vibrating through his fingers and toes. He keeps looking at his wrists, wondering if he can see the pulsation pressing against the walls of his arteries, or if it's all in his head.

It's not until Anakin's gloved prosthetic hand clamps down on his shoulder that he looks up from the blank wall he was staring at and the world comes back into focus. He's sitting on his bed, his former padawan staring at him with those big blue eyes.

He's not yelling anymore. He's scanning over Obi-Wan's face as though the goings-on in his mind are written across it in Aurebesh. As Anakin's anger reaches a lull, the Force lets out a sigh of relief.

"Master, this isn't you," Anakin says softly.

"I don't know what you could possibly--"

"You could have killed yourself!" his voice cracks, and he withdraws his hand from Obi-Wan's shoulder, sitting back on his feet. "Don't even try to tell me you're fine because I can see the Force exhaustion. I knew you were self-sacrificing but this--"

"They were going to die, Anakin." Their mission was sidetracked. Hikers in the mountains near their base camp were caught in an avalanche. Obi-Wan could feel that they were near, that they needed help, so he made a decision. "That is what we are meant to do as Jedi, help people."

Anakin's anger is revitalized. "The informant got away. We lost our window--"

"We saved lives."

"That information would have saved thousands of lives."

"And we will get another chance," Obi-Wan stands, feeling talked down to from his seat. His vision swims as he walks toward his desk, subtly gripping the back of his chair to settle himself.

"That's not even why I'm mad."

Obi-Wan turns to him, raising an eyebrow. "Then what is this all about, Anakin?"

Anakin laughs sardonically. "You really don't see it? This is what I'm talking about, you have been acting so weird since Zygerria, and the council didn't listen to me--"

"Anakin..."

"The healing! Force, you would have killed me if I ever did something like that."

He turns back to the desk, staring down at his knuckles white from the exertion of trying to keep himself upright. Hmmm... right. The Force healing.

The hikers were in bad shape. He was worried they wouldn't make it off the mountain. Obi-Wan is no healer, but he knows a few tricks. Enough for some emergency battlefield medicine.

So he helped heal a few hikers. Ensured they would live to make it on the medevac that was still a little ways away.

"I just had to make sure they were stable enough for the airlift," he replies, his voice tight. "I don't see what the big deal is. We have a few days in hyperspace, and I will be good as new for the next mission."

Anakin sighs. His anger has deflated once again. "That's the thing, Master, I don't-- for Force's sake will you sit down?"

Obi-Wan hadn't noticed he was shaking until he opened his eyes (he also didn't notice he had closed his eyes) and saw the violent tremor going through his body. He slips down into the desk chair as a wave of exhaustion hits him.

"This is just proving my point. I don't think everything is going to be okay. You've never done this before."

"Heal people in need?"

"Jeopardize the mission. Botch it even."

"Nobody is perfect, Anakin."

"Yeah, but I've known you for a decade and you're pretty damn close," he rifles his hand through his dark hair. "Master, the way you've been acting... it's been scaring me. You're taking risks that are putting yourself in danger, and don't even seem to realize it. I don't know exactly what happened on Kadavo, but I did read Rex's report--"

"We are peacekeepers," Obi-Wan blurts out, his voice shakey and thick. "Servants of the public, so why in blazes is it so outrageous to save the lives of people who need us? It's our duty-- our true duty as Jedi, after all, and yet-- Anakin, you must remember how things used to be? When you were very young and before there was all this war and the imbalance in the Force. We helped people."

His words hang heavy in the air. Not as eloquent as he'd prefer, but the emotion bubbling in his chest isn't allowing for such permissions.

"We help people by fighting this war, too," the knight says carefully. "We fight so they have their freedom."

"Perhaps, but it's a distraction. And the Togruta people suffered the consequences of the order spread thin." There's bitterness in his tone. Anakin stares at him, his eyebrows raising and lips parting ever so slightly.

"Master..." he steps forward, his tone low and careful. "The people the slavers killed... it wasn't your fault."

Anakin's words echo in his head, but like his tangent earlier, they don't seem to stick. Obi-Wan folds his hands together to mask their shake. "I only wanted to help-- I wanted to help them, but anytime I--" he chokes, covering his mouth with his hand to suppress the sob that tries to escape. "They murdered them because of me. To torture me. I couldn't even look at them-- oh Anakin, I only wanted to help."

When Obi-Wan breaks, Anakin is there. He wraps his arms around him, tucking his head under his chin. He cries for the first time since they were pulled out of that hellhole. Open mouth, undignified crying that he is eternally thankful is occurring in the privacy of his quarters.

He watched so many die. All to drive down his will. The slavers knew exactly what they were doing. No combination of beatings and whippings and hard labor would ever have shattered him as thoroughly as watching the light flicker out of those innocent eyes. There was nothing he could do because if he did, they would only kill more.

The Force flows through all living things, binds and unifies the galaxy together in one energy field, and Obi-Wan holds the power to this at his fingertips. But no amount of power, no amount of training and practice in wielding the Force could stop those lives from being lost so meaninglessly. That feeling of powerlessness cut him straight to the bone.

"I wanted to help those hikers," Obi-Wan says into the fabric of Anakin's robes, "because I was there. Because they needed help and I... I just needed-- I needed to do something."

It was worth it. No matter what Anakin or the council says, it was worth it. Losing the asset, the Force Exhaustion, all of it. Six lives were saved. It does not make up for the Togruta lives that were taken because life itself is not an exchangeable currency-- but it's six lives. Intel is retrievable. He will work overtime to make up for what his actions lost in that mission, but he will not apologize for his decision.

Anakin is speaking softly, saying the same thing over and over. "It wasn't your fault." He has the fabric of Obi-Wan's cloak balled up in his fists, his body at an obviously uncomfortable angle, but he shows no sign of moving anytime soon. It makes him feel guilty that his padawan has to see him like this. He is meant to be the mentor and caregiver, but here he is sobbing into Anakin's chest.

He knows Anakin doesn't mind. He can feel it in the Force despite his exhaustion. Along with the soothing feelings he sends, there is a quiet undertone of validation in his former padawan's mind. Relief. Worry. Love. The realization nearly makes him start bawling all over again.

When he collapsed in the hallway, his body was the part of him that had broken. He was exhausted and in pain and it became too much. But now, his whip marks are healed and the infections are cleared. It's his mind that has caught up.

Anakin was never sitting around waiting for him to collapse. He was ensuring somebody would be there to catch him when he finally fell.

#angstpril2021 #but make it almost a month late #this isn't you #cw torture #cw slavery #when i fall #sw #fic #i finished my undergraduate degree today #so naturally i decided to write for the first time in awhile

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jadejedi · 4 years ago

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Love Does Not Fail (7/?)

Summary: When Anakin saves the galaxy from Palpatine, Padmé and his children survive, but their family is split apart nonetheless. Leia is taken to be raised in the Temple, not knowing that the Jedi who “found” her is actually her father. Luke grows up with Padmé, knowing only his mother’s side of the family. But some things are inevitable.

Chapter Summary: A new darkness arises in the galaxy.

ao3 link: here

A/N: Sorry it’s been nearly ten months lmao. Oops. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! (more notes and thoughts on ao3)

“Are you sure that this is the best time to start dragging him around the galaxy?” Anakin asked Ahsoka skeptically, with a bit of an edge to it. She knew he was protective of Luke, and she respected that but-

“I am his teacher, Anakin,” she reminded him, trying to keep her tone gentle rather than defensive . They met about once a month, usually at some diner or bar in what she wouldn’t necessarily describe as a shady part of Coruscant, but shady-adjacent, perhaps, to catch up and talk about Luke’s training. “He’s ready to do some travelling without Padmé. And it’s not like it’ll be anything different than what he does with Padmé, anyways. Just more of a focus on training.”

At the still unconvinced expression on his face, Ahsoka sighed, and softened. “I promise I’ll be extra careful on what assignments we take him on. We won’t get involved in this Snoke guy’s business.”

“I know,” Anakin sighed. “I still don’t like it.”

As much as she believed Luke was ready to do some travelling with her and Barriss, she understood Anakin’s worries. Five months ago marked the beginning of a new Senate rotation. Bail Organa’s time as Chancellor was over, as he had set stricter term limits for the office. Mon Mothma had been elected Chancellor, and her Vice Chancellor was now Mazun Dul, the Senator from Corellia.

Dul’s election had been troubling to many, as he represented a new political party that had arisen with Palpatine’s downfall. They called themselves the First Order. Their leader, Corellia’s new prime minister, a man called Snoke, pushed for Republic expansion in the Outer Rim as well as less Republic intervention in already ‘civilized’ worlds.

The First Order was good at playing around the issue, but Ahsoka, as well as Padmé and many others, could tell that they held the same anti-alien sentiments that Palpatine had secretly harboured.

Since the election of Snoke, Corellia had been swept up in violence, from both its criminal element and from his political detractors. Other worlds that also had a First Order presence had also started experiencing small amounts of violence, usually protests gone south, or riots.

“Look, whatever Snoke is playing at, he won’t get very far,” Ahsoka tried to reassure him. “People are still wary of conflict so soon after the Clone Wars. They’ll get tired of the violence he’s stirring up. And I promise we’ll stay away from worlds with a First Order presence; we’re going to Kashyyk. Since Wookies have a long history of being exploited in this kind of conflict, their leaders are worried. Padmé just needs us to go and calm them down a bit. We’ll be talking to their leaders, then delivering supplies to an area affected by a storm; we’ll be fine.”

Ahsoka was the best person for this job, because she understood Shyriiwook, and she knew one of their leaders.

Anakin gave her a look. “Isn’t that where you got kidnapped and hunted for sport?”

“That was Trandosha,” she corrected him. “It’s close by, but we’ll be coming from a totally different direction,” she assured him. “We won’t even be passing by it.”

“Fine,” Anakin assented begrudgingly, even though Ahsoka wasn’t really looking for his permission.

“Make sure you keep your lightsabers out of sight,” Anakin reminded her, and she had to keep herself from rolling her eyes.

“I’m not stupid,” she told him, raising an eyebrow.

“I never said you were!”

“You’ve got to trust that I know what I’m doing, Anakin.” She sighed. “The lightsaber laws are nothing new. Barriss and I would never do anything that would put Luke or Padmé at risk.”

Years ago, not long after Bail Organa had been elected Chancellor, there had been some debate about the Sith, and whether or not it was illegal to hold such beliefs. However, it had not been popular to criminalize an entire religion, so instead, certain measures had been put into place to appease the Jedi, such as making it illegal to carry or wield a lightsaber unless one was a member of the Order.

Ahsoka continued to carry her lightsaber anyways, concealed away in a pocket or in a bag.

“How is Leia?” she asked, changing the subject.

Anakin did not look impressed by her attempt to move on, but did so anyway. “She’s doing well, I think. She’s near the top of her clan in lightsaber skills.”

“Have you ever considered teaching more than just lightsaber classes?” she asked.

“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “My teachings aren’t very orthodox.”

She laughed. “No, they’re not.” She smiled at him. “I learned a lot from you in just three years, and lightsaber duels was only a bit of it.”

“Me and the Jedi ways don’t get along very well,” he insisted.

Ahsoka shook her head, exasperated. “Anakin, you always complain about the things the Jedi teach, but you never bother to teach yourself.”

Anakin crossed his arms defensively. “I’m more of a duelist than a philosopher. I’m doing my best with them, Snips.”

Ahsoka softened. “I know you are. I’m sure Leia appreciates having you around, even if she doesn’t know why. But, I really think that you could be a good influence on them. Don’t you? Give them a new perspective?”

“I’m sure Obi-Wan would be thrilled that I’m taking an interest in philosophy,” he agreed after a moment of consideration. “I don’t know about everyone else.”

She laughed.

Ahsoka went straight to the apartment she shared with Barriss after lunch. Luke wouldn’t be done with school for another couple of hours, and the Senate was more Padmé and Dormé’s realm. She could use the time to pack for the trip to Kashyyyk.

She found Barriss meditating in the living room of the apartment. Where Ahsoka tended to prefer wearing jumpsuits when she was working or, if she was working on official business of the Naboo Senatorial office, something similarly functional with a bit more professionalism, Barriss preferred a slightly more elegant look, just as she had as Jedi. Today, she was wearing a flowy black skirt and a nice but comfortable looking blue blouse.

“How did it go?” she asked, eyes still closed in meditation.

“Well,” Ahsoka said as she pulled off her shoes and made her way over to the sofa behind her, “he tried to talk me out of it,” she said, leaning back against the sofa, “but he relented eventually.”

“His fear controls him,” Barriss said after a moment, opening her eyes and relaxing her posture slightly, turning to face Ahsoka.

“It does not!” she disagreed, although sometimes she thought otherwise. “Luke’s his son, it’s natural for him to worry. And hey, he changed his mind, didn’t he? He’s always given me room to train Luke as I see fit.”

Barriss nodded her head, conceding the point. “Fair enough. He’s still not good at controlling his emotions,” she continued before Ahsoka could come to Anakin’s defense again.

Ahsoka sighed. Since being released from prison, and even before, Barriss had believed that her fall had been due to her emotions- fear, anger, hate. So, now she strove to rid herself of those emotions, to feel peace.

Ahsoka didn’t disagree that Barriss’s actions against the Jedi had been motivated by those emotions, but she thought that maybe there was more to it than that.

Luke, for all that he was a child, did not seem to struggle with the same parts of his training than she, and most young Jedi, had. Peace came easily to him. Maybe it was his personality, but that’s not all it was. He was a very sweet, gentle child, but he was still impatient, reckless. Ahsoka privately thought that his peace came from the fact that he didn’t have to struggle with his emotions. He just- felt.

Maybe that was making it too easy for him, and it would backfire later, but for now, Ahsoka was content to continue down their current path. Sometimes the easy path was easy because it was a shortcut, a dangerous way to get to one’s goal, but sometimes the easy path was easy simply because it means you’re doing it right.

So, she taught Luke to not try and separate himself from his emotions, but to be in harmony with them, and she was trying to teach herself the same thing.

But Barriss disagreed.

“Maybe trying to control our emotions at all is what is dangerous,” Ahsoka suggested hesitantly, leaning forward, bracing her elbows on her knees.

Barriss shook her head, her intense blue eyes pointed at the ground. “If we don’t control our emotions, then they will control us.” She reached up to fiddle with the ends of her dark hair that she kept shoulder length, longer than when they’d been Padawans. She was beautiful, as she always had been. She looked up; her eyes held Ahsoka’s gaze. “Emotions like that are like an ocean. Fear, anger, and hatred-”

“And love,” Ahsoka added.

Barriss nodded, face still passive. “And love. They’ll toss you around, try to drown you, sweep you off the shore. You have to build a wall, to protect yourself from it.”

“The ocean doesn’t try to do anything. It just is,” Ahsoka countered. “If you learn to swim, or have a boat, then you’re safe.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

Ahsoka huffed and leaned back against the sofa. She knew what Barriss was saying. That the ocean- emotions- would always be dangerous. Even if you could swim, or be safely in a boat, there were always dangers lurking beneath the surface. Not to mention the storms.

Leia sat in one of the Temple’s small meditation rooms alone. Normally she meditated with her clan, but right now, she just needed time alone.

She took in a deep breath, holding it in for a moment, and exhaling slowly. She repeated the exercise a few times until she felt centered.

She’d had a dream last night. It hadn’t been a normal dream, like her reoccurring dream about falling into one of the fountains in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, or even a nightmare.

In the dream, she’d seen faces, people. A woman she could barely make out, with curly brown hair and a kind smile. A man with curly dark blond hair. A few others, another woman, more distant with darker hair, and a humanoid alien of some kind that was too blurry to recognize. And a child.

She couldn’t tell if she was the child, or if she was watching the child. She saw them all against the background of a green meadow. It felt slow, idyllic, peaceful.

Leia tried to focus, tried to see their faces clearly, but she couldn’t.

The dream, it was beautiful, but sad.

It was her family, she knew. She wondered if the dream was sad because it made her sad, or if the memory itself was sad. It felt like a beautiful memory.

Leia did another round of breathing exercises and tried to push past the memory. She focused on the emotions the dream stirred up in her: sadness, confusion, wanting.

She repeated the Jedi Code silently in her mind as she breathed, releasing her emotions into the Force.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

Her sadness was only disturbing the peace within her; she had to let it go.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

She pushed away her confusion, focusing on what she knew. The dream was of her family, but they were not important. She was a Jedi, the Jedi were her family.

There is no passion, there is only serenity.

Love, Leia knew, was passion. Family, attachments, these things broke the serenity of a Jedi’s mind. She didn’t want them.

There is no chaos, there is only harmony.

Her mind must be calm, pushing away the emotions. She must be at one with all around her.

There is no death, there is only the Force.

The Force contained all things, and when something died, it was absorbed into the Force. Her time with her family was dead. It had lived when the Force had needed it to, but that time had passed, and all was as the Force willed it.

With one last deep breath, Leia slowly got up from her meditation pose and found herself heading not towards where she knew her clan’s history lesson was supposed to start, but towards the part of the Temple where most of the Knight’s quarters were.

She walked purposefully, but not too quickly, trying to pretend like she belonged here during a part of the day when most initiates were in classes, until she reached Jedi Skywalker’s door. She hesitated only briefly before knocking.

She felt him reach out to see who was at his door. Hi, she projected.

After a moment, he opened the door, a confused smile on his face. “Leia, it’s good to see you,” he said. “Shouldn’t you be in classes?”

She looked him in the eye. “I’m skipping,” she told him matter-of-factly.

He gave her a surprised grin. “Well, then, come on in,” he said, motioning her into his quarters.

Leia had first been in Jedi Skywalker’s quarters about three years ago. She’d been sad, she remembered, because she’d worried that moving into her clan bunks meant that he wouldn’t be able to do her hair any more. He’d shown her where his room was, and had told her to stop by anytime she wanted her hair done.

His quarters were small, plain grey walls just like in her clan’s bunk. There were blinds half closed over the windows, a sofa, and a tiny kitchenette in one corner, and a door to his bedroom in the other.

“So,” he said, closing the door after her and sitting cross-legged on the sofa, “Do you want to tell me why you’re skipping your classes?”

She sat down on the floor across from him, adopting the same posture and gave him a look. “I wanted to talk to you, obviously.”

He chuckled. “Of course. And what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Leia glanced down at her hands in her lap. “Do you ever have sad dreams?” she asked him, not sure whether to directly ask him about her family.

“Sad dreams?” he asked, considering. “Not nightmares?”

She shook her head.

“Yes, I guess I have.”

“What do they mean?” she asked. “Are they visions?”

He sighed. “Well, I imagine that that depends on the dream.” He smiled sadly. “Sometimes the Force gives us dreams that mean something, but sometimes, a dream is just a dream. Maybe it’s a reflection of our day, or a memory, or something you want.”

“My dream was about my family, I think,” she admitted. “I could barely make them out. But in the dream, I wanted to be with them. Is it bad?” she asked, quietly.

A shadow crossed over his face. “No, it’s not bad.”

“It’s not?” she asked hopefully.

“No.” His expression was as serious as she’d ever seen it. “Leia, you can’t control what you dream.”

“But what if my dreams are a reflection, like you said? A reflection of what I want? Master Yoda says that Jedi should not want attachments.”

He huffed. “We all have attachments, even Master Yoda.”

Leia looked at him skeptically. She found that hard to believe. “Really?”

“Yes, really!” he said, his serious expression breaking into a slight grin. “Attachment isn’t something we can simply not have. Jedi are taught to have compassion, after all, which is a form of unconditional love. That compassion is bound to lead us towards attachments.”

Leia crossed her arms. “I don’t think that’s what that means,” she disagreed.

He laughed slightly. “Maybe not,” he muttered. “It doesn’t matter what it’s supposed to mean,” he said, more clearly. “You don’t have to agree with me, or Master Yoda, or Master Seminaria. As you get older, you’ll have to make up your own mind. There is more than one right way to be a Jedi, Leia.”

She nodded in understanding, feeling a bit better about her dream. She still wasn’t sure if she agreed completely, but he was right that she didn’t control her dreams. It didn’t make her a bad Jedi.

He stood up with a brief smile, offering a hand to help her up. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back to your class. I have my own class that is starting soon, actually.”

“A lightsaber class?” Leia asked.

“Not quite,” he said as he led them out of his quarters. “Philosophy, actually.”

“I didn’t know you taught Jedi theology,” she remarked. She was kind of surprised that they let him. Everyone knew that Jedi Skywalker wasn’t a typical Jedi.

He chuckled, seeming to sense her reaction. “It doesn’t really seem like my thing, does it?”

She shrugged, her cheeks heating up.

“Well, you’re right; it isn’t. But I’ve been talked into it. This is only my second class; Obi-wan is letting me cover for him while he is off-planet.”

“Master Kenobi is letting you?” she asked, disbelieving that Jedi Skywalker would want to teach that kind of class

He hesitated for a moment, before replying. “Yes. I was talked into it by my former padawan.”

“She’s alive?” Leia blurted without thinking.

Jedi Skywalker glanced down at her and gave a wry chuckle. “Is that a rumor? No, she’s not dead. She just left. She’s still on Coruscant, even; she works for the Naboo senatorial office.”

“Oh,” Leia said. That must be why he knows so much about Naboo. She wanted to ask why his padawan had left, but wasn’t really sure how, so instead she just followed him silently. Ezra had told them that his padawan had been kicked out, but Jedi Skywalker had just said ‘left’.

“You’re thinking very loudly,” he commented after about a minute of walking in silence. He stopped walking, turning to look at her. “You have questions,” he stated, matter of factly. Leia nodded, feeling shy all of the sudden, even though she’d known Jedi Skywalker practically all her life.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, looking down at her shoes.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he said kindly. “I don’t mind if you ask me your questions. In fact, I’d rather you do that than continue to feed the Temple rumor mill,” he said wryly.

Leia looked back up at him, nodding. “Okay, so your padawan-”

“Ahsoka,” he interrupted.

“So, Ahsoka,” she corrected herself, “You said she left the Order. Did she leave on her own?”

He sighed, crossing his arms. “She chose to leave, if that’s what you mean. But she wasn’t given much of a choice, if you ask me.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He glanced down at his chrono. “We’ve got to get moving,” he said. “Ahsoka’s decision-” he sighed. “It was complicated.” He gave her a considering look. “I’ll tell you about it when you’re older.”

Leia huffed. He said she could ask questions, but apparently that really only meant one question.

Padmé smiled as Anakin’s speeder landed on her apartment’s landing pad. She didn’t always wait out for him; sometimes he forgot to let her know he was on his way, and he wasn’t always able to come over at the same time, and sometimes she herself got so caught up in her work, and he’d come into her office in the apartment, gently cajoling her away from her work.

But today she waited for him outside, sighing happily as he swept her into his arms. She wound her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent as she could feel his chest expand and contract with a deep sigh of relief.

He set her down, his flesh hand coming up to cup her cheek as he bent down to kiss her. She stood on her toes to meet him, one hand coming up to grasp his shoulder, the other winding into the curls at the nape of his neck.

“I spoke to Leia today,” he told her with a small smile as they separated, and her hands came to rest on his shoulders, while his rested on her waist, thumbs stroking in place.

“You did?” Hearing her daughter’s name brought a smile to her face, even as a jolt of sorrow swept through her.

He hummed in confirmation. “She dreams of us,” he said, in a voice thick with emotion. “She came to me, to ask if her dreams were bad, if they were against the Code.”

Padmé wondered what Leia saw in her dreams of them. Could she feel the sorrow that had run beneath the surface of that year on Naboo?

“What did you tell her?” she asked.

“I told her that we can’t control our dreams any more than we can control who we love,” he said, his bright blue eyes meeting hers.

She smiled sadly. “I’m glad she comes to you for advice. It means she trusts you.”

“She reminds me of you,” he said. “Her big brown eyes, her curiosity, her kindness,” his soft expression changed into a mischievous one as he continued, “her stubbornness.”

Padmé laughed. “Oh, my stubbornness? I think that’s something she got from you,” she insisted.

“It’s definitely from you,” he disagreed, chuckling. “You should see the expression she makes when she disagrees with me. It’s a look I’m familiar with.”

She gave him a look, and he laughed. “There, that’s the one!” he exclaimed, laughing slightly as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“How’s Luke?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Well, I haven’t heard from Ahsoka yet, so I assume they’re still in hyperspace,” she told him. They’d left not long after Luke got home from school; Luke had been so excited to go on his first ‘solo’ mission that he’d basically dragged Ahsoka and Barriss out of the door. He’d even packed yesterday without her even having to tell him to.

Anakin looked surprised by this information. “Hyperspace?” he asked.

“To Kashyyyk, remember?” Padmé reminded him. “I thought Ahsoka talked to you about it yesterday.”

His forehead creased. “I guess I didn’t realize that she was planning on leaving so soon.”

“They’ll be fine, Anakin,” she reassured him. “It’s just a simple relief mission. Trust Ahsoka and Barriss to keep him safe.”

“I do trust Ahsoka,” he said slowly, “but are you sure you’re entirely comfortable with letting Barriss spend so much time around Luke?”

“I’m sure,” she said simply. And she was. Barriss was troubled, she knew, much like someone else she knew, but she regretted what she’d done. And more than anything, she trusted Ahsoka’s judgement. She’d spent a lot of time with Barriss over the years, and if she thought it was safe, then Padmé would agree with her.

When Anakin still looked troubled, Padmé stepped back, towards the apartment, grabbing one of his hands to pull him after her. “Ani,” she said with a slightly exasperated smile, “I know you’re worried, but you’ll have time to worry tomorrow. Right now, we have the whole apartment to ourselves; let’s go inside.”

He followed her inside, where it was just the two of them; the outside world and all of its troubles melted away.

Luke was all but vibrating with excitement as the ramp lowered to reveal the world of Kashyyyk. He glanced up at either side of him, first to Barriss on his left, and then to Ahsoka on his right. Threepio followed behind them, ready to act as translator when Ahsoka couldn’t. She smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His first mission without his mom; it was a big deal.

At the end of the ramp waited members of the King’s council, as well as the local Chieftain, and a couple of generals.

They bowed to the Wookie at the head of the group, and he bowed in return, growling out what Luke assumed to be a greeting. Luke wasn’t as good at languages as Ahsoka and Barriss were.

“Thank you for welcoming us on behalf of his Majesty. Queen Layarria and Senator Amidala of Naboo send their greetings,” Ahsoka said, before turning to Luke and Barriss. “This is the Senator’s son, Luke Naberrie, and Barriss Offee, my fellow representative from Senator Amidala’s office.”

There were more greetings all around, which Luke watched, half interested. He poked at Barriss’ mind, knowing she couldn’t speak Shyriiwook, and instead of a poke back, like he might get with Ahsoka, she just turned and glanced at him, eyebrow raised. He shot her a grin, and he did finally feel an echo of a laugh through the Force. He knew Barriss liked to act like she was so serious, but she was a pretty nice person.

“Reach out with the Force, Luke,” she instructed, leaning down slightly to whisper to him. “Try and feel the emotions of those around you. Be aware of your surroundings.” She gave him a small smile. “Maybe then you won’t feel so left out.”

“Yes, Barriss,” Luke said, dutifully. He did as she said, reaching out with his feelings, and to his surprise, rather than just the calm emotions he expected, he felt a jolt of excitement from one of the Wookies in the back.ff

Luke’s eyes widened when said Wookie swept Ahsoka up in a big hug, roaring a particularly enthusiastic greeting.

“Oh! Chewbacca!” she said with some surprise in her voice. “It’s good to see you, too, old friend.” When he set her down, they talked back and forth for a bit, and Luke found it a bit difficult to only follow half of a conversation, though he could feel that this Chewbacca was happy to see them.

“They certainly seem very friendly,” Threepio remarked behind them.

“Of course they are,” Barriss said with her characteristic calmness and aura of all-knowingness that Luke knew drove Ahsoka batty. “The Wookies have long been very supportive members of the Republic. They have always strove to maintain good relations with other planets, even if that desire hasn’t always been reciprocated.”

“Mom said that Wookies are one of the most noble and loyal species that exist in the Republic,” Luke added, proud to show that he was listening when they talked about politics.

Barriss nodded. “That’s right. That’s why it’s so important to maintain good relations with them. We can’t just neglect them because they’ve always been there; we have to show them we value them.”

“Which is why we’re bringing aid.”

“Exactly.” At this Barriss shot him another little smile, to show that she was proud of him. Luke smiled back, because he knew it was hard for her to show that kind of thing. He’d heard Ahsoka scold her for it more than once.

Eventually, Ahsoka turned back to them.

“Barriss, Luke, this is Chewbacca. We go way back.” Luke smiled up at the tall Wookie. He was so tall; all the Wookies were. Even taller than Jedi Skywalker, who was pretty tall.

“Chewie, this is Luke. He’s here to learn,” she explained vaguely. “And this is Barriss. We grew up together,” she said, giving Chewie a look. Luke knew this was her way of explaining that Barriss was also a former Jedi, without saying so outright. Being a former Jedi wasn’t bad, Luke knew, but there also weren’t a lot of them, so Barriss and Ahsoka tended not to mention it. Especially because Barriss had done bad things in the past as a Jedi.

Chewie roared something, motioning them forward. Ahsoka turned back to them to translate. “He says that first we will meet with the King and his council, and then we will be transported to the nearby village that was hit in the recent storm.”

Luke and Barriss followed Ahsoka, Chewie, and the other Wookies through the winding path of stairs and bridges that connected the giant wroshyr trees. It was beautiful, Luke thought, as long as you didn’t look down.

Barriss must have noticed him looking at the railing uncertainty because she grabbed his hand, shooting him a small smile. “Your mother will have my head if you fall out of one of these trees,” she told him quietly. Luke let her, even though he didn’t really think he needed his hand held now that he was eight. It was a long way down, and his mother would be extremely upset with Barriss and Ahsoka if he got hurt.

“Are you scared of my mother?” he asked her with a grin.

“Oh, absolutely,” she said with a solemn nod. “More than any Separatist or battle droid I’ve ever faced.”

His grin widened, and he held tightly to Barriss’ hand for the rest of the journey to one of the highest platforms in the capital city, where the King met with his council.

The King was even a bit taller and larger than the rest of the Wookies, dark, near black fur peppered with silver throughout. He sat in an innocuous looking chair at the head of the circular platform, and the three members of the council took their spot in chairs on either side of the King, with the other Wookies who’d accompanied them moving to stand next to those seated. That left just the four of them, Luke, Barriss, Ahsoka, and Threepio, standing facing the Wookies. Even though Luke knew that the Wookies were loyal members of the Republic, there was still something intimidating about the sight.

Luke remembered what Barriss told him earlier, and he reached out with the Force again. This time, he felt stronger emotions. Fear, worry, permeated the council.

The King began speaking in the growls of Shyriiwook, with Threepio translating.

“His Majesty, King Rrayyywk of Kashyyyk, welcomes the ambassadors from Naboo. He thanks Naboo for their aid, and for allowing his majesty to share his concerns. He says that their representative in the Senate has had a difficult time being heard these days.” That didn’t surprise Luke. While he didn’t sit in on as many Senate sessions as he used to, now that he was in school, he still did occasionally, and not many beings had their voices heard. It was usually just a lot of yelling.

“Your Majesty,” Ahsoka began, “We are happy to carry your concerns back to Senator Amidala, but to be honest, the Senate is very much at a standstill. With Chancellor Mothma and Vice Chancellor Dul being from opposing parties, it is hard to get anything onto the floor these days.”

King Rrayyywk growled mournfully. “His Majesty understands,” Threepio dutifully translated. “It is Vice Chancellor Dul that he is worried about,” and at this, the other Wookies made noises of agreement. “Him, and the other members of the First Order. It is no secret that the First Order has begun implementing anti-alien policies on several planets. Several close enough to make the Wookies nervous. They already have enough problems from Trandosha, without having to worry about Hapes, Valgauth, and Onderon as well.”

Luke sensed surprise from Ahsoka. “Onderon? King Dendup may have been neutral before the Clone Wars, but they’ve-”

King Rrayywk interrupted with a curt growl. “His majesty says that a single victory does not heal all wounds,” translated Threepio. “Onderon may have joined the Republic, but that does not mean it is a planet of one mind. The First Order has a presence there. It may be small, but that may not matter.”

“To be honest, I think you have a right to be worried, Your Majesty,” Barriss said, speaking up. “The First Order is stirring unrest in people’s hearts. Preying on the vulnerable state of the galaxy. I, more than most, know how easy it is to be swayed when you are already conflicted.”

“His Majesty asks what can be done? Is Senator Amidala working to fight the First Order? Are the Jedi?”

Ahsoka shot a quick glance at Barriss that Luke couldn’t decipher. “At the moment, there is nothing to fight. They’re just a political party, but-”

“King Rrayywk reminds you that the Sith were just a religion.”

“That’s not the same,” Ahsoka said quickly, shaking her head.

Luke shifted uncomfortably as some of the Wookies shook their heads and muttered. He didn’t know much about the First Order, but what he did know, he knew from his mother. It was strange to hear these Wookies, strong, proud, creatures, seem so afraid of anything.

Ahsoka seemed like she was going to continue, when Barriss stepped in again. “Senator Amidala shares your concerns. She has always fought for the equality of all beings, starting with the Gungans on her home planet, and has always been a voice for equality in the Senate.”

King Rrayywk sighed and growled out a response. “His Majesty thanks the office of Senator Amidala for listening to his concerns, and hopes that Senator Amidala will ally with alien species against the First Order, if the time should come.”

Ahsoka and Barriss bowed their heads in acknowledgement, and Luke did as well. Then, the Chieftain of the city, howled something at them, stepping forward, and directing them back the way they came. “Chieftain Varu asks that you follow him. He will take you to your transport.”

Anakin was just finishing a lightsaber class with Mara Jade’s clan Dalgo when Obi-Wan commed him and asked to meet. He knew Obi-Wan had just gotten back from Corellia- he had gone on a diplomatic mission to meet with Prime Minister Snoke- and had been debriefing with the council. He dismissed the younglings and hurried to Obi-Wan’s quarters, as Anakin sensed it was urgent.

Anakin found Obi-Wan seated in meditation on the floor of the very small living space in his quarters. “What’s so important that you comm me while I’m in class?” he demanded as he walked in. He wasn’t actually upset, more worried than anything. Obi-Wan wasn’t one to make a big deal out of nothing.

“Sit down,” he said curtly, turning to look at him, a frown etched onto his face. “I’ve just learned troubling news. It will be common knowledge soon enough.”

He complied, sitting next to him and assuming a meditation pose. He knew that, while meditation wasn’t his favorite thing, it helped Obi-Wan immensely, and he might as well go along with it.

“I’ve learned that Prime Minister Snoke has the Force. That he uses the dark side.”

Anakin jolted. “What? Another Sith? How can this be?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “He claims not to be a Sith. And in the loosest sense, that seems to be true. It seems that this Snoke was an acolyte, of sorts, of Sidious, back when Sidious was just a Sith apprentice himself. Snoke told me that while Sidious taught him how to use the dark side, he never taught him the ways of the Sith.”

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan incredulously. “He told you this?”

“Oh, yes,” Obi-Wan sighed. “He was quite eager to tell me all about himself. Gleeful, even. He knows that we can’t touch him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he hasn’t done anything illegal!” Obi-Wan exclaimed in frustration. “As far as we can tell, he had no association with the Separatists. He was a private citizen before running for office. His ship building corporation builds private vessels, not warcraft, so he never had contracts with either side. He’s never done anything illegal, hasn’t been implicated in any crimes, doesn’t carry a lightsaber, and ended his association with Sidious before his illegal activity began. He simply hasn’t violated Republic law.” He shook his head, glancing down at the floor.

Anakin heard the defeat in Obi-Wan’s voice, and felt his own heart begin to race, fear creeping into his veins. “That’s not possible. I restored balance to the Force. It’s-it’s only been eight years.” He shook his head, unsure of what to say. He didn’t know how to put into words the combination of fear and frustration that flooded him.

Obi-Wan looked up at that, and put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “You did restore balance. You destroyed the Sith. One man with a few years of bare bones instruction into the dark side is not the same thing.”

Anakin shook his head. “I didn’t want my children to have to worry about this like I did. A mysterious dark sider pulling strings in the galaxy.”

He thought of what Qui-Gon’s ghost had told him all those years ago, on Naboo. He’d never told Obi-Wan about that. He’d never told anyone about that. According to Qui-Gon, he hadn’t restored balance. Not yet. He’d said there was more to do. On Mortis, it had all been very literal, controlling the Brother and the Sister at once, holding them in balance. But in the real world, he didn’t know.

“Maybe there’s more to bringing balance to the Force than just destroying the Sith,” Anakin mused aloud.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “More? And what might that ‘more’ be?”

Anakin shot him a grin. “I don’t know, Master. I suppose we’ll have to figure that out.”

#love does not fail #star wars fic #anidala fic #skywalker family #my fic #star wars #sw #anidala #alternate chapter summary: Luke's lesbian aunts take him on a vacation #also if any of the snoke stuff is confusing pls pls go and read #my super duper end of chapter notes on ao3 #i explain it in detail there

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grumpyhedgehogs · 4 years ago

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(you taught me) the courage of stars pt. 2

Summary: “I know what it is like, Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan tells her. “I know what it is to leave the Jedi with nothing more than the clothes on your back and the knowledge that you are doing the right thing.”

Or: Ahsoka Tano flees after a warrant for her arrest is issued, but not before receiving aid from an unexpected ally. (Ahsoka proceeds to go on a road trip filled with a bunch of strangers who all say the same thing: Obi-Wan Kenobi is much more than he has ever appeared to be.)

Warnings: Canon typical violence, abuse (childhood, emotional, physical, mental), mind control.

Pt. 1, Pt. 3, AO3

Nautical Twilight

The transparisteel doors to Dex’s Diner rattle in their frames when Ahsoka slaps her palms against them. The downpour thunders behind her, around her, soaking into her very bones and chilling her to her core. She can barely hear her own heartbeat over the rain. She throws most of her weight behind her next pounding strikes against the doors. Her lekku drip steadily; her eyes are still watering. Ahsoka can barely breathe--she’s been running, Force enhanced, for what feels like hours. Her lungs burn in her chest. A scream builds in her throat but she snaps her jaws shut against it. “Dex,” Ahsoka shouts instead, “Dex!”

She’s so dazed, so confused by the wind and rain and cold seeping into her skeleton that she doesn’t realize the transparisteel before her has disappeared; Ahsoka’s hand comes down only to meet air and for the second time in a single day, she stumbles, balance lost. Her heel skids in the puddle that has formed around her as she yelled, and Ahsoka reels. Stepping forward rather than throw herself backwards into the street, she only just manages to catch herself against the edge of a table.

There’s only one light on in the whole place, warm yellow glow spilling into the main dining area from the kitchen. The air is still, almost suffocating; nothing moves. Nothing breathes. For a second, her ears ringing, Ahsoka gasps, winded, in a world all her own. The Force curls unpleasantly around the edges of her mind, jerking her spine straight with fear.

Her breath heaves in her chest as Ahsoka looks up and locks eyes with a vaguely familiar Besalisk. “Help me,” she whispers, hoarse. Goosebumps stand out on her arms. Chills wrack through her.

“Sith hells, little Jedi,” Dexter Jettster says, half-shouting over the rain. The next second the doors slide closed, muffling the downpour. Sidling around the trail of puddles Ahsoka has left in her wake, Dex offers her a hand up. Panic makes her fingers tremble as the padawan takes it. One of Dex’s other hands offers her the dish towel from the man’s own shoulder. Ahsoka takes it and wipes her face; if, perhaps, she wrings a few tears out into the towel before handing it back, well, it was soiled with kitchen grease before she got her hands on it anyway.

With a great effort, Ahsoka looks up and sets her jaw. “I have to get off Coruscant.”

To his credit, Dex only gapes for a moment. Two hands rise to smooth over a wide forehead as he gestures toward the kitchen entrance. Ahsoka lets herself be herded into the kitchen, where Dex gestures for her to sit at a rough-hewn wood table in the corner. As she slide reluctantly into her seat, wet clothes sticking in uncomfortable places, Dex turns and, without missing a beat, begins rustling pots and pans around. “Why would you come to me for that? Who are you, Jedi?”

“I am not a Jedi.” The words sting her throat.

Sharp eyes slide towards her face before flicking away. “Could’ve fooled me--wait, I know you, don’t I?” No matter the startled expression on her face, Dex steps back, looks her up and down and then snaps his fingers, four times over. “Yes, yes--you’re Kenobi’s whelp’s padawan, aren’t you? He’s shown me holos of you three!”

Ahsoka evades the question altogether. “He sent me to you--Kenobi. He said--”

She barely remembers what her grandmaster--ex-grandmaster--said in that tunnel. Her hearing has to be damaged, or her cognition going wonky, because there’s no way he just--told her where to go, how to run from the law. He did it so easily , like he’d prepared to let Ahsoka go a long time ago.

Maybe he did. Her stomach turns over. When the Besalisk offers her a plate full of warm food--how long has it been since she’s had more than war rations?--Ahsoka can barely look at it. She takes it anyway; the dishware is warm in her hands, which is enough for her. Her shivers grow stronger.

She almost doesn’t catch the concerned downturn of Dex’s lips before he turns his back. The diner owner huffs airily, moving to the sink as if he let disgraced former padawans hide in his kitchen every day. He lets the silence creep in on them until Ahsoka can barely stand it before speaking over his shoulder to her.

“Oh, well, if Kenobi sent you, that’s fine then. Force knows I owe him one for helping me get out of a scrape or two. It’s only right I do the same for him and his when the time comes. Speaking of which, he left some things--” Dex breaks off and scurries into a back room. Around Dex's broad frame, Ahsoka glimpses an office, folders and files piled up on a dingy desk, cabinets filled to bursting with flimsiplasts of varying sizes. Dex picks his way between the stacks, perfectly at home, and returns holding a file above his head in triumph. Ahsoka nearly jumps out of her skin when he slaps them down in front of her. “Here we are!”

Tentative, Ahsoka opens the files--only to be confronted with her own face. Through the mind numbing confusion, she realizes it’s a Coruscant identification form; one that the Jedi Temple never issued to her. There isn’t any mention of the Temple anywhere on the document as she scans it. Ahsoka flips through the pages only to find another I.D., this one for Naboo--and one for a planet she faintly remembers from her navigation classes, Gala, and one for a place she’s never heard of, Melidaan--there’s even one for the Mandalorian sector, although that one has the most travel restrictions than any of the others.

These documents would allow her to travel almost all over the Inner Rim, and to quite a few places in the Outer Rim to boot. Ahsoka rifles through the papers faster, something great and terrible building in her chest. The dates go back years--almost all the way up to the exact date she was assigned to Skyguy.

“What is this?”

“Obi-Wan asked me to make them for you. Skywalker’s are in there too; I had to update his more often, of course, because he’s been with Obi-Wan longer.” Dex gives an awkward little laugh and points to the section that does indeed reveal itself to hold documents with Skyguy’s name on them. “Kenobi sent me some pretty cute kid pictures of your Master if you want to see.”

Ahsoka very much does not want to see.

“Why--why do you have these? Why did Master Obi-Wan ask for these?” She doesn’t realize her grip has tightened on the flimsis until Dex gingerly pulls them from her hands. He smooths them out against the surface of the table before looking up into her eyes. Ahsoka swallows at his deadened expression.

“Something happened to you.” Dex says lowly. “Something that took you away from the Temple, from the Jedi. You aren’t going back. Yes?”

Mute, Ahsoka nods. That terrible thing inside of her screams and it makes her limbs tremble. The Force swirls and rises around her, her own personal storm.

Dex, too, nods. He slides her papers back to her and this time, Ahsoka handles them softly. They may be the final gift she ever receives from her grandmaster. “That’s what these are for. They’re your safety net; a way for you to go on without the Jedi. That’s why Obi-Wan asked for them, and why he sent you to me for them tonight.”

The words almost tumbling out of her mouth without permission, Ahsoka blurts, “He said he knew what it was like to leave the Jedi.”

Dex says nothing, shrugs when she eyes him across the table. He and Obi-Wan are close enough that he asked Dex to do this, that he sent Ahsoka to Dex when he knew she had nowhere left to turn--what does Dex know about Obi-Wan that she doesn’t? That Skyguy doesn’t?

I trusted Master Obi-Wan because he never seemed like he had anything to hide, Ahsoka thinks foggily. How wrong have I really been?

Ahsoka’s throat closes. When it’s obvious she won’t get a straight answer, Dex sighs and rubs his forehead again. He leans back to survey her, chair groaning beneath his weight. “Kenobi’s pretty tight-lipped about it, kid, but he’s been through a lot. I would know; it’s how we met. He’s Jedi through and through, but the man knows there’s more to life than his Order. He knows that bantha fodder happens even to the best of people. He wanted to make sure that if there were ever a reason for you or his padawan to leave the Jedi, that you would be taken care of.”

“I--I didn’t know.” Ahsoka’s vision blurs yet again; the colors of her own holo on the top document--a travel identification card for Alderaan--smear before her eyes. “I didn’t know--what happened?”

Did Obi-Wan really not reject her only hours before? Did he really know how she felt at this moment, the devastation saturating the very marrow in her bones?

But if he did, why hadn’t he helped Ahsoka when he could have? Why hadn't he stopped all of this from happening to her?

“That’s not my story to tell.” Dex stands, and pushes her plate of food, now grown cold, to her elbow. “Eat, read, take a minute to yourself. And when you’re ready, I’ll have a place on a ship headed off planet ready for you. Do you know where you want to go?”

At her shake of the head, Dex hums. But then she remembers something, and digs in her pocket. She hopes the datachip wasn’t corrupted by all the rain. It seems mostly dry when she finally locates it and sets it out on the table with a small click. “Obi-Wan gave me this--said I could use it to find a safe place to go.”

Dex hums again and shuffles back towards his office. “Think I’ve got an old datapad you can use somewhere…”

An hour later Ahsoka huddles in the hold of a cargo ship with a borrowed cloak pulled over her head, a borrowed datapad on her knees and a decrypted list of unfamiliar names and locations in her possession. Obi-Wan’s gifted papers allowed her travel without a hitch, but she’d spied some Coruscant Guards on her way in, and Dex’s parting words ring in her head still.

“Be careful, little Jedi. Caution rules above all else in the underworld, and for now, you’re stuck down here with the rest of us.”

#sw #star wars #star wars the clone wars #the clone wars #tcw #obi-wan kenobi #star wars fanfiction #ahsoka tano #fanfiction #star wars au #tcw au #star wars legends #jedi apprentice #dexter jettster #my writing #the prequels #obi wan #obi-wan and ahsoka

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dettiot · 4 years ago

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Fic: late-night interruption 10/11

late-night interruption Author: dettiot Rating: G Summary: When Obi-Wan receives a late-night comm from Sabé, he’s not sure what to expect. But what he learns will change many lives . . . and the fate of the Republic.

Also available on AO3.

XXX

There was a hum in the air as the time for the meeting grew closer, due to the rising tension. Or perhaps the tension was simply in Obi-Wan’s imagination, due to his anticipation of what would soon happen. After all, once Anakin entered this room, he would sense the shift in his old master’s outlook. As would Masters Yoda and Windu when they arrived.

And while Anakin would probably just tease him a bit, he doubted Yoda or Mace would be so benign.

He hoped the importance of this meeting and the information Satine and Bo-Katan were to present would stay the Jedi Masters’ tongues for now. And unfortunately, they might be more upset over Anakin’s actions than Obi-Wan’s. Not that it was fair, how Anakin was always so distrusted by so many on the Council.

Even worse, it did not reflect well on the leaders of the Order to have so little faith in one of their members.

When Ahsoka stepped into the room, Obi-Wan remembered Anakin wasn’t the only one to have suffered from the Council’s actions.

“Hello, Ahsoka. It’s good to see you,” he said warmly, wanting her to know how pleased he was to see her.

“Thank you, Master Obi-Wan,” she said, smiling at him. Her eyes flicked between him and Satine, locking on their gentle handhold, before her smile widened. “It’s good to see you, too.”

It was strange to openly hold hands with Satine like this. To expose himself to such scrutiny. But it also felt long overdue, so he kept his hand wrapped around Satine’s for now.

“We’ll have more time to catch up later, I hope,” he said. “I would like to hear what you’ve been up to.”

“I’d like that, Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said, her smile becoming a smirk. “I’d love to hear from your perspective some of the stories the Duchess has told me about the year you spent protecting her.”

“Let me guess: the venom mites story?” Obi-Wan asked, sighing as Ahsoka nodded. He turned to Satine. “Really, my dear. Holding grudges is beneath you.”

Satine lifted her chin. “So were the venom mites you dropped me on.”

Ahsoka’s soft snicker made Obi-Wan roll his eyes, but then Anakin and Padmé walked in and Anakin all but dragged his wife over to their group.

“Well, well, well,” Anakin said, smiling widely. “It looks like your reunion was a success.” He nudged Padmé gently and jerked his chin towards Obi-Wan and Satine’s joined hands.

Both Padmé and Ahsoka let out soft laughs at Anakin’s unsubtle actions, while Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Really, Anakin. You are a married man with children now,” Obi-Wan said, looking at his former Padawan. “Aren’t you above such juvenile teasing?”

“Nope,” Anakin said, amusement rolling off his Force presence.

Padmé gave both Obi-Wan and Satine a gentle smile. “He’s just really happy. We both are.”

“Thank you, Padmé,” Obi-Wan said, unable to keep from giving Satine a fond look. “So are we.”

“As much as I’d like to talk more, I must speak to Threepio about arranging the refreshments,” Padmé said. She tugged on Anakin’s arm, pulling him down so she could kiss his cheek. “Behave, Ani.”

Anakin looked a bit perturbed, but he nodded and turned back to the group. He shifted back and forth on his feet, some of his levity fading into apprehension. An apprehension that Obi-Wan also felt.

Obi-Wan squeezed Satine’s hand before letting it go. “Satine, I need to have a word with Anakin.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “Of course. I should speak with Bo as well, to prepare for our presentation.”

“All right,” he said, smiling back at her and watching as she stepped carefully over to her sister. Ahsoka followed Satine: shifting into protector mode, Obi-Wan observed with approval.

Now alone with Anakin, he looked at the man who was his brother as much as his student. Anakin tried for a smile but wasn’t fully successful. “So . . .” he said, letting his voice trail off.

“Regardless of what happens during this meeting, we will need to report to the Jedi Council about our actions,” Obi-Wan said, knowing that there was no time to hesitate. “Neither Yoda nor Mace will miss your babies, not with their Force presences. And hearing about Satine’s survival will make them question my status.”

“I know,” Anakin said softly. He looked at Obi-Wan for a long moment. “Master . . . I don’t want to stay in the Order if it means I’d have to give up my family.” His face twisted. “I--I’d hate leaving you behind, not to mention the 501st. And I feel guilty about stepping away from my role in the war and dishonoring Master Qui-Gon’s faith in me, but I . . . I just can’t do it.”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, resting a hand on his shoulder. He tried to speak, but his voice seemed caught in his throat. He swallowed and managed to push the words out. “You have done more to honor Qui-Gon’s belief in you by following your heart, following your own interpretation of the Force, than by staying to be some mythical Chosen One.”

It was easy to see in Anakin’s expressive face when the words sunk in. Anakin’s eyes widened and his whole being seemed lit up with hope. “Yeah?” he said, a bit gruffly.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said. “We’ll speak with the Council after this meeting, and I will be by your side.”

“Yeah?” Anakin repeated, that teasing light coming back into his eyes.

“Not now, Anakin,” Obi-Wan cautioned him, lifting his hand from Anakin’s shoulder and holding it up as a gesture to stop. “There is another matter I wanted to bring up: our shared vision.”

Although Anakin clearly wasn’t happy to have to drop his teasing, nearly three years of war had taught him when to focus on business. “What about it?” he asked.

“Should we reveal what we learned to everyone here? Or should it be kept as a matter for the Jedi?”

When Anakin still looked confused, Obi-Wan explained in a lowered voice, “The Chancellor is your mentor, Anakin. Do you want to accuse him of being a Sith, based on a vision, in a room full of people who know he is your mentor and who are not Jedi?”

“Oh,” Anakin said quietly before swallowing audibly.

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan said, looking at Anakin’s bowed head. “I wish there was more time for us to discuss the vision, to decide what to do--”

“I don’t need more time,” Anakin said, lifting his head to look at him. “I . . . I don’t think we should bring up the vision here. The Council will need to know--and they’ll understand. But right now, with the Senators and Satine and her sister here--I think we should keep the discussion on the clones.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows, impressed at Anakin’s strategy. “Since the matter of the inhibitor chip might be enough to cast suspicion on the Chancellor?”

Anakin nodded. “Yes. And . . . and if it turns out it’s not the Chancellor, and the vision isn’t what we thought it was--at least if the clones are safe, which means we would have removed a powerful weapon from our enemy, whoever that might be.”

“I agree,” Obi-Wan said as the chime of the doorbell sounded through the room. He drew in a breath and looked at Anakin. “Are you ready?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “As I’ll ever be.”

The sense of defeat and resignation rolling off Anakin concerned Obi-Wan, but sadly, this wasn’t the time to discuss it further. But Obi-Wan hoped they would get a chance after the meeting to really discuss this. Definitely before they made their announcements to the Jedi Council.

But for now, the matter at hand was not how both Anakin and himself had broken the Jedi Code or their shared vision of the Chancellor fighting Master Yoda. The matter was the clone army.

XXX

As the Duchess of Mandalore and leader of the Council of Neutral Systems, Satine had presided over several delicate diplomatic debates. But she wasn’t sure if there was ever a situation so delicate as this one. Even before you considered a cloaked and hooded figure sitting in the middle of the room, prompting curious glances from everyone as they entered.

The living room in Padmé’s apartment was large and spacious, and although there were only six guests, their personalities were great enough to make the room feel very crowded, especially combined with those already in the room.

In one corner were the Senators invited by Padmé: Bail Organa of Alderaan, Mon Mothma of Chandrila, and Onaconda Farr of Rodia. Along with Padmé, they represented a neat cross-section of Core and Mid-Rim worlds, influential in the Senate but with their own opinions on the war and other Republic matters.

Padmé was sitting on a couch between the Senators and the couch Satine was sharing with her sister. Anakin stood behind Padmé, while Obi-Wan was beside him.

Next to Satine, Bo shifted, her helmet tucked under her arm and her face set in a neutral expression. Politics was the last thing her sister cared about, but Satine appreciated her support. Not to mention Ahsoka, who had remained near them even as the invited members of the Jedi Order entered the apartment.

What must the girl be thinking, Satine wondered, seeing the men who had expelled her from the Order and then, with barely an apology, cleared her of the charges and expected her to return to those who had cast her out?

As she pondered that, her eyes were drawn to the opposite corner, where the Jedi were sitting. Master Yoda was sitting on a small cushion, which made him look less foolish than being swallowed up by a chair. It was the touch of a master politician, to make someone feel so comfortable. But Satine would expect nothing less of Padmé.

Beside Master Yoda, Master Mace Windu sat, his hands steepled together as he observed the room. His eyes rested on her and Satine kept her head slightly lowered, allowing the hood to shield her face. She had met both Jedi Masters before; she could guess they recognized her presence in the Force, like Obi-Wan could. She doubted her survival would surprise them very much.

And she wondered if they could tell how two of their most valuable members were on the verge of breaking with the Order.

Before she could follow that thought any further, Padmé rose to her feet. “Good afternoon,” she said, her clear voice carrying through the large room. “Thank you for attending this meeting: Senators, Jedi, and guests. At this time, I would like to introduce Lady Bo-Katan Kryze of Mandalore.”

Rising to her feet gracefully, Bo nodded to the groups in the room. “Thank you, Senator. I have come before you with critical information about the Republic’s clone army. They are not what they believe themselves to be.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Senator Farr asked defensively.

“No one in this room, nor anyone else in the Senate or Jedi Order, would know this,” Bo said, her head raised. “It is information that was provided to Mandalore, in our role as leader of the neutral systems of the galaxy, from certain citizens of Kamino.”

“And what is this information?” Master Windu asked, his voice silky smooth but laced with suspicion.

Bo leaned forward, placing a holotransmitter in the center of a table. She pressed a button and stood back to allow everyone to see the display. “Every clone has an inhibitor chip, placed in his brain, that will compel them to follow any of a number of pre-planned orders.”

Everyone leaned in, looking closer at a diagram showing the location of the inhibitor chip within a clone’s brain. Satine watched them as they took in this information, using a lifetime of political knowledge to read their faces.

Senators Organa and Mothma looked horrified. Senator Farr looked intrigued. It was the Jedi reactions that Satine was most interested in: while Master Windu appeared perturbed, Master Yoda’s narrowed eyes and pursed mouth seemed to convey worry.

For a long moment, silence filled the room. Then Senator Mothma spoke. “Have you verified this information?”

“We haven’t cut open a clone’s head yet, if that’s what you mean,” Bo said and Satine winced. She shot her sister a look, who sighed and continued, “We have extensively vetted the source and the data they provided. If it didn’t come straight from Kamino, their slicer was able to create a perfect forgery.”

Senator Organa leaned forward. “So, if the information is apparently trustworthy . . . we must examine the purpose of these chips. And how they were inserted into the clone army.”

“Know not, the Jedi, of these chips. Against the will of the Force, to tamper with sentients, it is,” Master Yoda said solemnly.

For the moment, Satine was thankful for her hood, so she didn’t have to school her expression at such hypocrisy from the grandmaster of the Jedi Order. When the Jedi Council did nothing but manipulate and control their members, against what was right and fair . . .

“Be that as it may, the Kaminoans must have provided you with data about the clones,” Senator Organa said smoothly. “Specifications and such. If there is no mention of these inhibitor chips in those documents, then . . . ”

Master Windu asked the obvious question. “How did these chips become part of the clone army and on whose orders?”

“We don’t know that,” Bo said. “But finding out who’s responsible is critical.”

“As well as removing these chips from the clones,” Padmé said.

“Wouldn’t that alert whoever put those chips in the clones in the first place?” Senator Farr asked, sounding grumpy.

And with that, the mood shifted from discovery to debate. Bo, her part done, sat down on the sofa beside Satine and leaned over towards her. “I don’t know how you could spend so many years dealing with such nonsense.”

Satine gave a small shrug of her shoulders. “This is democracy. It’s messy and imperfect, but I don’t think anyone in this room wants to replace it with something else.”

Bo looked doubtful but leaned back against the couch’s back, clearly getting comfortable.

But Satine couldn’t help leaning forward, following all the points being made by each individual, waiting for any sign her assistance was needed. The ideal plan was for her to stay withdrawn and uninvolved in the conversation and hope no one thought to ask who the hooded figure was. However, so few things went according to plan, and she wasn’t about to let the Republic destroy the galaxy just because a few people couldn’t compromise and see the bigger picture.

After an hour of discussion, Padmé rose and called the room to attention. “I believe a short break is in order,” she said, drawing a few surprised looks from her colleagues. She gave them a sheepish smile and gestured to Threepio. “My droid will provide anything you require during my absence.”

With that, Padmé slipped out of the room--probably to go tend to her babies, Satine guessed. She did hope she might have a chance to see them before she had to leave.

“Excuse me.”

So surprised to be addressed, Satine couldn’t help looking up at the face of Senator Organa. She quickly lowered her head before her hood could slip off. “Yes?” she asked, falling into her natural Mandalorian accent to disguise her voice.

The senator looked at her for a long moment, then smiled. “I don’t know if you remember me, Duchess, but we met once in happier times: shortly after you were confirmed in your rule of Mandalore.”

Of the people in this room to guess who she was, her money hadn’t been on Bail Organa. But then, Satine and he both came from similar backgrounds, but very dissimilar worlds.

Giving a small sigh, Satine lifted her hood away from her face, smoothing it out and looking up at him. “Hello, Senator Organa. Of course I remember you.”

She was truly getting tired of all the gasping that went on when she had to reveal herself. Perhaps Bo was right and she should just make some kind of public announcement.

But that could wait for later. For now, she rose to her feet, gently dismissing Senator Organa’s hand in order to stand on her own.

“Only the most critical matter could make me risk my recovery and step forward into the light of the public arena,” Satine said, looking at every one of the Senators and Jedi in front of her. “I hope you will not make this risk be a vain one.”

Her eyes connected with Obi-Wan. His hand was in front of his mouth, hiding whether he smiled or frowned. But his eyes, so pure and clear, were full of love and support.

And Satine couldn’t help smiling at him. Even though this was not the time to smile and think of herself.

But she had done her duty so far, and now it was up to the people she trusted: Padmé and Anakin, Ahsoka and Bo, and most of all, Obi-Wan.

They would convince everyone here to move forward. To act instead of endlessly debate. And if they needed help . . . she would give the last shove to make these argumentative passive nerfs stick their necks out and do what was right.

XXX

For once, Anakin wasn’t pushing his speeder to go as fast as possible. He knew Obi-Wan had noticed his non-reckless driving, and he was bound to be worried by it. But Anakin just wanted to take a few extra minutes to get to the Temple.

After all, it might be the last time he ever went to the Temple. The last time he was a Jedi.

Honestly, all the debating between the Senators and Masters Mace and Yoda got pretty boring after a while. Anakin thought there was a simple solution: find out who put the chips in the clones’ heads and then deal with it--both the chips and their puppet master.

But he knew it wouldn’t be so easy, and he was proven right. It took several hours before it was agreed for each group to split up and present to their larger bodies. Anakin and Obi-Wan would join Masers Mace and Yoda in talking to the Jedi Council, while Padmé and Bail Organa would present their information to the Senate, with Bo-Katan present.

He could only guess how the meeting with the Council would go. Probably even worse than the meeting he just had to sit through, because . . . because he knew Master Yoda and Master Mace knew that something was going on. The moment they had entered the apartment, they had sensed the twins and their sun-bright presence.

And neither of them would pass up an opportunity to put him in his place once again. Even with more important things going on.

Something about that realization made his hands relax around the controls. He felt an ache in his flesh hand--he must have been holding on tighter than he thought.

It didn’t matter what the Council did to him once they knew the truth about Padmé and the twins. Anakin knew his only option was to resign before being expelled. He had broken the Code. He had attachments--attachments he would not give up.

More than that, though . . . he was just tired of lying. Of hiding. It wasn’t fair to Padmé--she had been so right with her objections about a secret relationship. And although Anakin wouldn’t give up being married to Padmé over these last three years for anything, it was different now.

The twins didn’t deserve to be hidden away. They deserved to shine, to be whoever they wanted to be. For the first time in his life, he felt like he really understood what love was. Because of love, he would do anything for his children, even at the expense of what he had always thought was his purpose in life: being a Jedi.

Beside him, Obi-Wan made a soft hum. “You’re very thoughtful. But not angry. I’m surprised.”

“I’m surprised, too,” Anakin admitted. “I thought . . . I always thought at this moment that I’d be mad at the Council. For forcing me to do this. But . . . it wasn’t the Council’s fault that I broke the Code. It was mine. So I have to face the consequences, even if it isn’t fair and the Code is bantha poodoo.”

Obi-Wan smirked slightly. “Now you really do sound like a father. Except for the reference to a bantha’s excrement”

Anakin rolled his eyes and put the speeder in a swift downward plunge, just to torment his master. But instead of wincing and grabbing onto the speeder, Obi-Wan . . . laughed?

“Master? Are you all right?” Anakin asked, quickly levelling out of the dive.

“Yes, Anakin, I’m fine,” Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. “You’re not the only one feeling differently than he expected at this moment.”

“Oh?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering if Obi-Wan’s strange mood was related to his conversation with the Duchess.

Obi-Wan looked out through the windshield for a long moment. Anakin looked forward, too, taking in Coruscant at sunset: the horizon red and gold, the sky above them a deep purple, streaks of light from speeders and ships moving around the tall buildings.

“I’m going to leave the Order.”

“You are? Really?” Anakin asked, feeling his fear diminish amid a surge of hope. At the idea of Obi-Wan actually maybe getting to be happy. “Because of Satine?”

“Yes . . . although that’s only part of it,” Obi-Wan said. “Although in truth, if it wasn’t for Satine, I would never leave. But we have a second chance now and--and I cannot keep hurting her.”

When Obi-Wan looked at him, there was such pain in his eyes, Anakin felt his heart ache for his old master.

“She told me she loved me, just before she died--or we both thought she was dying,” Obi-Wan said, his voice choked. “And--and I couldn’t say it back. I couldn’t comfort her in her last moments, because . . . because of the Code.”

Anakin didn’t know what to say. Well, no--he knew what he wanted to say. It might sound a bit weird, but it was what he felt, and he wanted his master to know.

“I . . . I’m proud of you, Obi-Wan.”

“It’s not really something to be proud of--” he tried to protest, but Anakin wasn’t going to let him brush this off.

“It is,” he interrupted. “I know how much Satine means to you, and how much being a Jedi matters. So choosing Satine . . . it’s a good thing, Master.”

It seemed to take Obi-Wan a moment to recover from Anakin’s words. They flew in silence towards the Temple, the tall, imposing structure starting to come into view before Obi-Wan spoke.

“I hope so,” he said quietly. “And not just for myself. I’ve realized over the last few days that . . . that as much as the Jedi believe that both master and padawan learn from each other, there comes a point where the master needs to let the padawan go. So they can be their own Jedi. So the master doesn’t hold back their padawan or themselves.”

How many times as a padawan, brash and arrogant and presumptuous, had he thought Obi-Wan was holding him back? Too many to count, Anakin knew. But now, looking back, he was grateful for every single time Obi-Wan urged him to think, to reflect, to consider. Because he had been a dumb, whiny kid with too much power, and the terror he could have inflicted without Obi-Wan . . . he didn’t want to think about it.

“You have been the best master of anyone in the Order, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said. “I know you were stuck with me, and--and I didn’t trust you for a long, long time. But I was wrong, and I’m glad to have you with me now.”

Obi-Wan let out a raspy chuckle. “And here I felt you were stuck with me. That I was failing you and failing Qui-Gon.”

“What?” Anakin said, looking at Obi-Wan in shock. “How the kriff did you get such an idea?”

“Perhaps because I knew my Padawan didn’t trust me?” Obi-Wan said dryly.

Anakin rolled his eyes. “All right, I get it.”

He could practically feel Obi-Wan’s smirk as he drew the speeder into a hanger at the Temple. He shut it down, then looked at Obi-Wan. “We’re supposed to live in the moment, but I know the past is always with us. But I think things are gonna be better in the future, Obi-Wan.”

His old master looked at him for a long moment. Some of the sadness, the exhaustion, had been lifted from his face. Anakin guessed some of it was thanks to Satine--but he thought that maybe some of it was thanks to him.

And it was a nice feeling to have. To feel connected with Obi-Wan, but not like as a padawan to his master.

Up until now, he had thought of Obi-Wan as his father. But now . . . now he felt like a brother. An older, stubborn, bossy and annoying brother who thought he knew it all, but a brother nonetheless.

It felt good.

“Well,” Anakin said, climbing to his feet, “let’s not keep the Council waiting to expel us.”

Just like he hoped, Obi-Wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Really, Anakin.”

Grinning widely, Anakin led the way to the Council chambers, a spring in his step the whole way.

End, Chapter 10

#anidala #obitine #star wars #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #satine kryze #padme amidala #late-night interruption

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powerfulharmony · 3 years ago

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Powerful Harmony-Part 37

Later on, they continued looking around the workshop. Just then, something then caught Sokka’s eye, then he walked towards it. Anakin noticed Sokka walking towards some of the seemingly deactivated droids. Anakin: “SOKKA! DON’T TOUCH THAT!”

Sokka got too close to the droid, it then became active, went berserk and attacked Sokka. He was thrown back and noticed that droid was going after him. He then screamed as he got up and ran away from it, with it chasing after him. Everyone watched as the droid chased after him. Sokka: “AAAAHHH! KATARA! GET THIS KILLER DROID AWAY FROM ME!!!!” Anakin: “Does this…happen to your brother often, Katara?” Katara: “Too often.” Toph: “Sokka is a magnet for unfortunate mishaps. It’s…kind of a habit of his.” Anakin: “Heh! Why am I not surprised?” Ahsoka: “Somebody do something! Who know what that droid’s going to do to him!”

Anakin let out an annoyed grunt. Anakin: “Better let me handle this.”

With the use of his Force powers, the droid was stopped on its tracks and deactivated it. With that, Sokka managed to stop running to catch his breath. Katara ran over towards Sokka. Katara: “Sokka, are you OK?” Sokka: “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank goodness that killer robot was put to a halt.” Katara: “Well, I think you have Anakin to thank for that. He stopped that thing with his Force powers.” Sokka: “What? Really?”

The others walked closer to him. Sokka: “You just saved me! YOU’RE AWESOME!”

Sokka then threw himself on Anakin and wrapped his arms around him. Anakin pushed him off. Anakin: “Get off of me! What part of “don’t touch anything” did you not understand!?!” Sokka: “What? Get out of here; you never said that.” Zuko: “Uh, yeah, he did, Sokka.” Sokka: “What? Did he really mention it?” Toph: “I was here when he told us not to touch anything and that everything here could be dangerous, so, yeah, he did mention it to us.” Sokka: “Huh, well what do you know?” Toph: “Honestly, Sokka, where were you when he told us that?” Sokka: “I was awestruck by the many droids in this place. I mean, come on, they’re all awesome!”

Everyone in the room looked hard at Sokka. Sokka: “What?”

At that time, Rex and some of the clone troopers stepped in. Rex: “We heard a commotion. Is there anything wrong, sir?” Anakin: “No, nothing wrong; just Sokka running into another unfortunate incident. He’s OK now.” Rex: “Oh, well, that’s a relief. At least no one got hurt.” Anakin: “Yeah, for now. Rex, keep Sokka away from all the inactive droids, oh and just to be on the safe side, keep him away from the active droids, too.” Rex: “Will do, sir. But what about this one?” Anakin: “Don’t worry about that thing. We’ll handle this.” Rex: “Roger that.”

Rex gave direct orders to his troops, then he and his troops walked off. Ahsoka then pondered. Ahsoka: “Hm…I wonder why that droid became active and attacked Sokka?” Anakin: “Who knows? All of these droids are brought here for one reason or another. Perhaps it was a malfunction of some kind.” Ahsoka: “I know, but what caused it?” Anakin: “Hm…good question.” Sokka: “Hm…”

Sokka stretched out his fingers. Sokka: “Maybe I can figure out a thing or two about this droid.”

He moved his fingers around in anticipation and walked back towards the droid. Ahsoka: “Uh…I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sokka.” Sokka: “Oh, come on. I’ve had plenty of experience working on machinery back at my home world. How hard can it be to fix this thing?”

Everyone watched as Sokka tried to figure out how to fix the droid. Sokka: “Now let’s see, maybe if I…no, that’s not it. Perhaps if I…no, that’s not it, either. Then what if I…no, that can’t be right.” Anakin: “It’s like watching a train wreck before it even happens.”

As they kept watching, Sokka continued on until, the droid reactivated, went berserk again and shocked him. He screamed, ran off and hid behind Anakin. Anakin: “I knew this was going to happen.”

At that time, Suki walked up to the droid. Sokka: “That thing is a killer machine!” Ahsoka: “What’s the matter, couldn’t figure out how that thing worked? You did mention to us just now that you had some experience working with machines, didn't you?” Sokka: “Um…did I mention that I'm terrible with machines that are from other worlds?” Anakin: “No, you didn’t, but somehow, I kind of figured that you weren’t!” Ahsoka: “Well, so much for that. But don’t feel too bad. It takes a long time to repair these types of droids, usually because these problems can be very difficult to access, so it’s a very long endeavor to…” Suki: “I’m finished.”

They looked over and saw Suki with the droid working perfectly. Anakin was very shocked. Anakin: “Suki? Did you just…” Suki: “This little guy just needed a tune up. Its hard drive was seriously crashing, plus its main motor functions were failing, its density particles were damaged, it needed a new power supply, its buffer needed to be replaced, not to mention that its oil needed to be changed and when was the last time this thing was cleaned?”

Ahsoka and Anakin stood in awe. Ahsoka: “Wow! That was impressive, Suki.” Anakin: “Since when did you know how to fix droids?” Suki: “Since just now. A while back, I found out that I was good with computers and machines; Captain Aquatia and another friend of mine took me in and taught me everything that I know. They even trained me to adapt to machines from other worlds, regardless of how advanced they are.”

They continued staring in awe. They looked at each other and then back at Suki. Anakin: “Alright, from now on, I’ll entrust you around machines.”

Suki smiled. Anakin: “Sokka, on the other hand, needs to stay away from them, assuming that’s possible.”

Sokka stared at him in an irritating manner. Suki: “I’m so stoked, are there any more machines that needs to be fixed?”

Anakin and Ahsoka stood in awe. Ahsoka: “Um…yes, actually, there are lots of them here.” Suki: “Terrific! Where can I start?” Anakin: “Um…right here, actually. There are several droids that have been having a lot of problems lately. You think you’re up to the challenge?” Suki: “Bring it on, Master Skywalker! I’ll take on anything you throw at me.” Anakin: “OK, then, you have zeal, I’ll give you that much. Come on, I’ll show you some of our most defective droids.”

They all followed Anakin into another section of the Shoppe.

#Ultimate Story 4 #Ultimate Story spin-off #Star Wars the Clone Wars #Avatar the Last Airbender #Anakin Skywalker #Katara #Toph #Suki #Ahsoka Tano #Zuko #Sokka #Captain Rex #Clone Troopers #Coruscant

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nimsajlove · 4 years ago

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Brothers (II)

Hey, finished the second part of my fanfic! Yay... I already hate it. Why do I do this to myself?

Brothers-AU AO3

Part I , Part III

*~*

Rex stood in the hangar and coordinated the loading of the new supplies. At least, he tried to. Because after Ahsoka joined them, he'd actually given up. She had helped, that was true. But she quickly met Hardcase and threw all of her plans, to continue working, overboard, just like the clone.

The captain saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and took a quick step to the side, laughing Hardcase ran just past him, Ahsoka perched on his shoulders. Rex looked at them, shaking his head, and was about to turn back to work, when he saw the accident happen. Cody stepped out of a door, followed by Waxer and Boil, and all three were knocked down. Hardacse stumbled and he and the padawan landed in the ball of troopers on the floor. "What is this supposed to be?", Skywalker asked, joining his captain. He shook his head, perplexed and tired, how could he keep these people under control? But then, he heard the laughter of everyone who was lying on the floor and actually seemed to enjoy themselves, it made him laugh a little too. Skywalker beside him looked at the whole thing a little longer, a smile tugging at his lips. “Snips, come on! If we get to be late again... “, he let the sentence unfinished and the togruta came quickly. "I'm here!"

Rex watched them go for a moment. The girl was chaotic, had a tendency to overestimate herself and exuded such euphoria, that some of his men became increasingly involved in her jokes. But he had also called her his sister and that didn't feel wrong. She was with the clones almost every day, ate with them and had already left her quarters a few times to sneak into the ones of the troops. When Rex caught her doing it, her answer was simple, that it was too quiet in her quarters and that after all the noise on the battlefields, she just couldn't sleep. She didn't distinguished between herself and the clones. Besides, she was a child. And his brothers deserved someone to make them laugh. "Hey vod!", Cody said and his brother snapped his fingers in front of his nose.

*~*

At first she hated the camps, in which she had to hold on for weeks at some missions. In the jedi temple there had been at least thick walls that created some privacy and a level floor, and no sharp stones or hills that lay exactly under the mat! So it had become a tradition, that Ahsoka meticulously inspected everything when setting up the tents and chose the place with the levelest floor. It didn't matter to her, whether her tent was there or any other one. The floor there was level, so she would sleep there too! She also liked to complain loudly, when there was simply no good place to sleep. Since this grumbling subsided quickly, it was ignored with a smile and sometimes a chuckle.

But there was something else, she had come to love during these phases in the tents. There was no private place to wash and the compact showers in the large wash tent were open and difficult to regulate, but there was hot water. In the temple, she only had the pleasure of lukewarm water for washing, the younglings and padawans were to be taught abstinence and how they should be grateful for the simple things. And she was very grateful for simple things. For example for the collectors, with which the water was heated up and then came almost boiling hot out of the shower. In return, she had willingly given up every bit of privacy.

"Are you serious?", someone grumbled as a group of clones poured into the tent. It was foggy and Ahsoka just held her face in the hot water jet. She heard the men around her and could almost feel the movement of her neighbors, everyone was so crowded. But it didn't bother her... "Turn off the water, otherwise I'll turn off the collector outside!", Jesse threatened and Hardcase laughed uproariously, he was already under a jet of water, cold like always. He said it grounded him. Ahsoka turned and let the water slap on her shoulders, just a few more seconds... "You wouldn't dare to do that, would you?", she grinned at Jesse, who rolled his eyes and turned on his shower, there was still warm water left, but when the sun went down it would be gone quickly. After a few more seconds, Ahsoka turned off the water and grabbed her towel, one of the few belongings she had on missions. While still in the foggy and full tent, she dried herself off and slipped into her clothes before stepping outside and inhaling the cool air. She loved that, just being able to stand clean and warm. Because they were never really warm or clean in the battlefield.

"Really Snips, I will never understand you.", her master muttered, who had probably been waiting for her next to the entrance. “Master, I refuse to wait to shower until all the warm water is used up. And it doesn't bother the men or me. If you would prefer a hot shower, you would definitely also not mind it.", she grinned and stretched. Skywalker smirked and then gestured her to follow him.

Her Master had joined them a little later than usual (his hunt for Grievous was not over yet), as had Rex and a few others. The clone captain was standing in the command tent with his helmet tucked under his arm. He looked a little tired, but relatively satisfied. "Rexter, good to see you.", Ahsoka grinned and lined up next to the clone, who actually had to smile and patted her lower back. "Will I still have the chance of a comfortable shower temperature?", he asked and Ahsoka grinned innocently up at him. "If Jesse doesn't uses it all.", she whispered and he rolled his eyes. "Sure.", he muttered, before drawing his and her attention to the news Skywalker had. Well, news for Ahsoka. She listened to the report of the incident at the rishi base and put her chin on her hand, looking strangely concerned.

"That must be tough, as a first encounter...", she mumbled and Rex laughed next to her. "Since when are first ones easy?" She giggled, then looked up. “If it is okay, they can come into the tent I'm in. There is still plenty of space.", she offered, with the hope that the new men would make friends quickly with her help. At times, the clones could be surprisingly cool when they decided not to take someone in their midst. Even if it was one of theirs. Skywalker smiled. "Is Hardcase in that tent too?", he asked and Ahsoka was confused, but said no. "Then that should work, shouldn't it Rex?", asked her master and the captain agreed. Full of energy, Ahsoka wanted to storm away again, still with her towel over her shoulder, when Rex held her back. "Don't let them act up with you, vod'ika." His smile took on a loving trait and she returned it. "Hey, if I get my way, the complaint will end up on your desk, not mine!", she grinned broadly and was gone.

She found the dominos quickly. “Oh Hevy, let it be! How about a good night's sleep before you mess with everyone here?", one of them asked, slightly annoyed, and Ahsoka immediately understood, why Skyguy and Rex didn't wanted Hevy and Hardcase in a tent. It would end in a fun, but for Kix exhausting, wrestling match. She came closer and quickly tried to grasp all the details that distinguished the men from one another. She could identify Hevy quite quickly, his tattoo wasn’t that hidden. It would make it easy for her. The one next to him also had a small mark of this kind on his face, but she could only identify it when she got closer. "What do you want, half pint?", asked one with a big grin on his face, his eyes sparkled jokingly but not maliciously.

"I'm Ahsoka Tano.", she introduced herself and as if you had flipped a switch in the men, they stood at attention. Did Rex talk about her? “Sorry, sir. Commader Cody had told us about you.”, one of them rattled down, the joker still grinning, but it wasn’t as broad as before. "He just didn't mention that you are so tiny." She puffed her cheeks and was already wondering, if Rex would be mad at her, if one of the shinys ended up at Kix right at the beginning, even if it flattered her that Cody had talked about her. Then two others joined in, de-escalating. "Leave Cutup, he doesn't know when to stop.", said the one with the five on his temple. The two next to him nodded affirmatively. "Yep, just ignore him.", said another and introduced himself as Droidbait. She nodded and let go of her crazy idea, Kix would probably have suffered a nervous breakdown anyway. Hardcase had kept him busy and without Jesse, Kix would have tied and gagged him somewhere. On the way to the tent, she listened to the clones closely, to learn how they talked und acted. The one with the five was actually addressed as Fives and was grinning and having an exchange with the one he called Echo. Ahsoka turned her head briefly and looked at the two, they seemed to be close. Hevy, Cutup and Droidbait were walking behind them and Cutup was wedged in the middle, while the other two teased him. Oh dear, such behavior would drive Jesse mad. The clone had never learned, how to sleep unless everyone was calm and relatively silent.

They entered the tent. “Pick a mat. Except this one! ", she explained and pointed at a sleeping place in the back of the tent. Fives raised an eyebrow and in Echo's eyes she could read the question, even if he didn't ask it. "Why?", Fives asked, grinning. Ahsoka straightened to her full, small, height and crossed her arms. "Because that's the only mat without any pebble under it, and I'll defend it with my life.", she grinned back and Fives laughed. "Okay, understood.", he amused himself, but respected the padawan's claim to ownership and threw himself on a blank mat a few steps away.

*~*

It should turn out, that Fives wouldn't show her such respect often. She liked the new clones, had Hevy and Cutup describe the fight to her in great detail. How Heavy saved them all with his knowledge! When Hardcase heard the story from the new comrade's mouth for the first time, he laughed his ass off, shortly afterwards they were laughing on the floor and it seemed as if Hardcase would have won, until Rex intervened. That was the second, when she was tempted to tease him with his plan until she got him to the point, where she could finally get him to race her across the camp. But Ahsoka dumped the idea again, she liked it when Rex laughed and didn't want to wipe it off his face.

The rest of the evening was quiet and Ahsoka almost clapped her hands in joy, when the food actually looked like something edible! The joy lasted only three seconds, Fives snapping a piece of her meal with astonishing elegance. "Never leave the food open for too long.", Echo muttered with a slight grin and Ahoska spun around to him. "And what manual was that in?", she hissed, before chasing after the fleeing Fives. The loud laughter of the rest of the group behind her.

She also learned, that Echo was the actual leader out of the two. Sure, Fives was level-headed enough to make decisions and loud enough to be heard. But whenever something turned against his brother, Echo came to the fore and took the lead. He put up with criticism better than Fives, who sometimes stood behind his brother a little offset and apologized quietly. Once, Ahsoka had even stumbled upon a fight, a shiny and Echo. She and Rex separated them and it quickly became clear, who had started it. Even if she never thought, that Echo would resort to such means. He was surprisingly composed and calm and she couldn't feel any agitation, even in the force. "You just be done with it like that?", she asked softly, watching Rex send the younger clone away a few meters from them. Echo shrugged and grinned. “Fives didn't hear it and never will! That's what counts."

*~*

She sat there with her mouth open and eyes wide, before jumping hastily from her bunk in her quarters and hurrying to the door. "You made it! And, how does that feel?“, she asked with a broad grin and ran a finger over Echo’s new helmet. Unlike the rest of the armor, they looked no different, but were brand new. Echo smirked and Fives shrugged. "Maybe a little heavier.", he said, fastening his grab on the helmet under his arm and she shook her head. "I didn't mean that, idiot.", she mumbled and now Fives had to laugh, while Echo looked at her openly and she saw something in his eyes, a loss. Who fell on Kamino? "As if he had given it to me.", he said. She never dared to ask, who he was talking about.

*~*

She liked Hevy, he was loud and always ready for a fight. Just like Hardcase, it turned out to be fatal to Kix's nerves having them both train together.

She loved Droidbait, the clone with the little smile was surprisingly good at distracting others from what they were about to do. Instead, they ended up sitting together and playing with some cards, Ahsoka spent almost every quiet evening on the cruiser like that. She lost many desserts to him.

Without Cutup she couldn't imagine to trade barbs with somebody. They could throw many things in each others faces, only to see how desperation grew in the others when they wanted to stop this madness.

Fives was irreplaceable, outwardly he was a bit calmer and more relaxed than his brothers. But if he came around the corner with an idea, it was the best prank Ahsoka had ever seen. They had caught Rex, for the first time ever! He was also a good speaker, more than once she considered going to him before a discussion.

Echo was very much like Fives, they often moved around the camps together. But if Ahsoka ever spent time alone with the reserved clone, a quick-witted and funny comrade would emerge. And his ability to remember everything from the manual was… incredible!

Kix was so important to all of them, even if Ahsoka was sometimes ashamed to rob him of the last nerve. And yet, he received them all again and again with open arms and brotherly rebuke. Sometimes with anger, sometimes.

Jesse was always by her side when she felt a little lonely. He could crack jokes and make bets with her that ended up in her chasing him down the hallways, nagging and laughing. But he was also very careful to stay close to her during battles, without getting in her way. She found it somehow nice, that there was someone who looked after her and did not hold her back, as her master did in her opinion now and then.

Rex was her oldest brother, even if she had never called him that before. Whenever they were just among the clones or when the jedi were not listening, he would quietly call her vod'ika and she loved it. He could just sit next to her for hours and look at the chaos with her, that they had to clean up together. But then, there was also this fire with which he spurred her on in fights and trained with her. Whenever she complained about her bruises, she just got another one from him. He was like a big old rock, unbreakable.

She respected Cody, but kept herself out of the way when he and Rex fought in mando’a, in the end no one could win. It was quite amusing, to see the sly twinkle in his eyes, though.

She adored her master, her Skyguy. Who approached everything with such ease that, despite the death and the devastation around her, she stood beside him with a laugh in front of the droids and enjoyed measuring herself against him. She had worked hard for his trust, and she honored it every time she brought a mission to a successful conclusion on her own.

She needed Master Kenobi, even if she sometimes believed, that Anakin needed him even more. But still it could sometimes not be denied, that his infinite calm and patience did some good for her too.

She admired Padme Amidala for her courage; if she were to choose someone as second master, she might have chosen the Senator. Had they been even closer, Ahsoka might even have seen her as a mother of sorts.

They were all part of her adopted family. Some were closer to her than others, and few did not even know she was thinking that way. And yet they were all there, always.

*~*

She was different since they came back. Rex and Cody had first noticed it, when she immediately ran after her master as he left the jedi temple. The two looked at each other for a long second, they thought the same thing. It was unusual for the girl, to be so clingy. Hardcase noticed, when she turned down his invitation to a small trial of strength. "Who knows, where this would go.", she had said quickly and was gone. Fives noticed it, when they were working on a droid together. She wired it incorrectly and it pinched the clone's hand, before she hastily ripped the cable out again. Fives wasn't entirely untalented himself and was used to work with her on the droids, but nothing like that had ever happened! Echo noticed, when he tried to teach her about the next planet. She was distracted and when he touched her arm, she nealy jumped off the bunk.

Kix was the first, after all, to confirm that something was indeed wrong. General Skywalker had turned up one evening, he justified it by not wanting to burden the jedi with it. Even he knew, that the clones knew Ahsoka very well. He didn't really said what happened, but asked whether a near-death experience might stick for a long time. Kix reported it to Rex, Cody, and Jesse. That same evening, Cutup complained that Ahsoka consistently stayed out of the clone quarters for the first time in a long time. Echo threatened, that he would give the girl another week to tell them what was wrong, Rex silently agreed.

In the end, they didn't had to wait that long. One night the door slid open and Ahsoka carefully shook Kix awake.

"Commander, do you have any idea what time it is?", he scolded in a whisper, but got up anyway and accompanied her out into the hallway. He watched her try to smile. “No, I lost my watch. What time is it?“, she asked and the smile looked innocent, but her eyes looked everywhere, just not at him. He looked at her whole figure, she was drenched in sweat. "Isn't it a little late for training?", he asked seriously, knowing that the jedi were strange sometimes. But Ahsoka had never seemed THAT strange to him. "Actually, I can't sleep and I was wondering, if you might have something for me.", she mumbled now and deliberately lowered her eyes to her feet. Kix hesitated for a moment, forcing Ahsoka to sleep with sedatives was not the best way, to deal with her obvious problem. It would only postpone the nightmares she must have been having. There were better cures for anxiety, than numbing it...Then he remembered one of the plans Hardcase, Hevy, Echo and Fives had made in their desperation and slowly nodded. A much better way, to deal with fear.

"Actually, there is something.", he smiled, grabbed her and dragged her into the quarters. There, he threw her into Fives' bunk, they both knew that the clone would simply grab everything he could get a hold of in his sleep. Trapped, she looked up angrily at Kix, who was very pleased with himself. This way, he would be able to go back to sleep and Ahsoka had no chance to wander the hallways at night. He also hoped, that a little closeness to someone alive and warm would calm her down. Because, if he was honest, this was something the jedi would never do for her. "Good night, commander.", he grinned and layed down again.

The next morning started just before sunrise with a whimpering Ahsoka. Wet and cold she sat up and woke Fives, Jesse and Kix, who had slept worse than he expected the rest of the night. There was a patient nearby, whom he needed to keep an eye on. Panicked, she looked around and took in the sight of the quarter, so warm and calm. When was the last time it was so beautiful? "I'm dead, right?", she mumbled in panic and it alerted the clones that were awake. Fives pulled her into an embrace from behind, she was freezing. Jesse mentally made a note to speak to Rex, and maybe the general, and Kix got up and rummaged in his, always ready, backpack for a sedative. "Not as long, as I can hold a band-aid.", he announced with a gentle smile and let her slide back into a light slumber.

He would learn, in a few hours, that her stomach couldn't take things like that at all. But what happened did not come out of her mouth, ever.

*~*

The day was beautiful, it had started sunny and with a couple of laughing younglings in the hallway. She dodged them grinningly and went to see her brothers, with a monthly ration of chocolate. She had lost, unfortunately. Fives or Echo alone had always lost the bets. But now, the two brothers had teamed up and her betting balance went straight down. The door to the quarters slid open and with a big grin she crept in, the clones were still asleep. It seemed liked it had been a long evening... With ease, like every jedi, she swung onto Kix's bunk. He was sound asleep, one hand clutching his datapad. By the force, this man was almost worse than Rex. However, the captain had developed the ability to live only on caf and dessert, something that Kix couldn't manage. Sighing, she let herself tilt back and dangled over her head in the lower bunk, Jesse. She grinned and stared at him, then started a small countdown in her head.

"Five, four, three ..." Before she reached two, Jesse opened his eyes, saw the girl and grimaced, before he grabbed something nearby and threw it at her. She skilfully dodged and laughed, that woke the others up. "Is that how you greet your chocolate?", laughed Ahsoka and sank to the floor. "Finally!" Fives practically threw himself out of bed on top of her, Hardcase and Cutup followed immediately. Buried beneath them, Ahsoka clutched the chocolate as tightly as she could. "Help?", she asked muffled and someone seemed to have mercy, Echo and Droidbait laughingly grabbed their brothers and pulled them apart.

The day was horrible. She crouched and massaged her temples, Master Plo glanced at her again, as did Wolffe next to him. "Are you okay, little Soka?", the jedi asked calmly and she forced a smile, her legs tingling as she stood up. How long had she been sitting in the hangar? “Yes, Master Plo. I'm just a little... tired.", she explained bluntly and clenched her hands into fists, she felt so endlessly tired and restless at the same time. As if she was waiting for something, she knew wouldn't happen. "I can understand, if the death of Master Piell is hard to deal with for you.", he started and she took a deep breath, that had also happened... God, her head hurted. "Yeah, exactly... I'll lie down a bit.", she mumbled and turned to leave. She heard Wolffe chasing after her. "Is there anything else, commander?", she asked, turning to face him. The clone was finally catching up, and although she could feel an unexpected affection, his face remained as cool as almost always.

"Commander, could I come up with a suggestion for a solution to your problem.", he asked and Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders, then she looked at him directly and something inside of her seemed to let go and her calm facial features slipped away from her. She wanted to cry, scream, and blame someone. Wolffe let the second pass and then he smiled, it was a real smile. “Afterwards, my brothers and I drink so much together that we don't remember how to walk. And the next morning, it's somehow easier to carry on and remember the good things. ” She had to smile, somehow she liked the idea. But Echo deserved better. “Thank you Wolffe, but no. I don't think that will solve my problem.", she mumbled tiredly and left Commander Wolffe and his concerned gaze behind.

At her privat quarters, she quickly closed the door, she didn't wanted to burden the other clones with her melancholy any more. It took exactly one second, before she had already grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. She screamed for a long time, until her voice was hoarse and low. Then she moved on to just sitting in the corner and staring at her feet. There was a knock, she didn't open. She didn't want to see anyone. Her comlink blinked and she accepted the request, it could have been someone important. Even though, it couldn't possibly be important enough to get her to stand up now. She had expected Master Skywalker or Kenobi. Maybe even Rex or Cody too.

"Vod’ika, open the door.", he called to her. Her brother sounded tired and exhausted, even though he hadn't even been there... She switched off her comlink and clawed her hands into the sensitive lekku until it hurt. Why was all of this so hard? It wasn't the first clone she'd lost on the battlefield! There was another knock, more forcefully. This time she could hear the gruff voice in her dark quarters through the door. "Open up now, or we'll do it!", he growled, she did not move an inch. After a few seconds, her door actually opened. Jesse and Kix stood in front of it, of course the medic had access to everything, that was necessary to ensure the health of everyone. Also the codes for the personal quarters. Jesse's face was hardend and slyghtly worried, just like his voice. Kix, on the other hand, seemed to be in agony and was already preparing something while walking. A sedative, Ahsoka assumed. She throw herself violently against her brothers' hands.

"No, stay away with that stuff!", she screamed and Kix paused, he knew exactly how she would react to such things and yet, he wanted to ease her for a few hours as well. She looked at him and suddenly, she was no longer angry, just sad. Everyone around her looked so sad and tired, that she had no right to be angry, right? Tears appeared in her eyes and she hastily wiped them away, only more came. "Where's Fives?", she muttered, the need to see him suddenly became overwhelming and she tried to get up. He had lost his closest brother and she felt bad, for not being with him. “Asleep, Hardcase and Hevy had to hold him down. He'll be okay.", Kix mumbled and suddenly more figures appeared behind Jesse, who turned his head back a little and let the other two clones pass. Hardcase looked so calm and she had never seen Rex so broken before. At that moment, something broke in her, something from which an unexpected seriousness and disenchantment would grow with her getting older. Now, she could no longer hold on and began to tremble, she realized why attachments where forbidden among the jedi. Rex leaned down and pulled her to her feet, Hardcase and Jesse grabbed her arms und hips and held her upright. "Come on, vod'ika.", Rex said and she took the first step.

#clones #clone wars #ahsoka tano #brothers-au #rex #cody #clone troopers #aaand where going down now I think...#why am I doing this again?#this is unexpectedly hard

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oceanera12 · 5 years ago

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Star Wars Pizza AU

You read that right. In my defense, I saw a post about someone ordering pizza and their order was number 66. I decided to read the comments for a laugh. And then my brain exploded. Whoops.

Dominos (aka the Clones)

The franchise was technically bought by the owner of Little Senators years ago, but no one knows about that except the original owners (*cough cough* The Kamino family *cough cough*) who pretend they’re still in charge for a large hunk of money (ILLEGALLY)

Their best store (the one that makes the most money and has the best reviews) is in the city named after the Kamino’s (Kamino) and is run and operated by a different family, the “Fetts” (and no one is sure how it is legal, but so far no one’s gotten sued so...)

It’s a joke that the “Fetts” will run out of workers at some point but so far it hasn’t happened.

Also, weirdly enough, all of the employees are boys and look a lot alike

The manager’s name is Cody. He’s very strict on the dress code, very fair to the customers, and loves his job.

His brother, Fox, manages another Dominos across town and the two of them will often team up on especially large orders and hold a (friendly) yearly competition between the two stores (Cody’s team has won the last three years, something he will bring up whenever he can)

They have another brother, Wolffe, who manages another store as well, but he’s across the country so they don’t see him as much.

All three were taught how to make pizza, run the storefront, etc, by their grandfather (Ninety-Nine), who passed away a few years back. Their grandfather was one of the original managers during the franchises’ early years

Rex is the younger brother of Cody and acts as an assistant manager to him. Rex hopes to be promoted one day but he’s happy where he is right now.

Boil and Waxer (the cousins) are the best chefs they have. The kitchen is filled with bickering and teasing with flying dough and toppings but everything comes out perfectly (somehow).

Kix and Jesse are the head delivery boys. They are in charge of training the newbies and take the furthest orders (Jesse is known to run the speed limit at one point going 90 down a 35. Kix knows the city like the back of his hand and knows all the short cuts)

Nicknamed, “The Domino Squad” (aka, the thing that started this AU idea), is Fives, Echo, Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup. (Fives and Echo are twins, with Droidbait as a little bro while Hevy and Cutup are cousins of theirs. All are nephews to Rex and Cody) Cody and Rex quickly learned the five of them could handle the day shift all by themselves. (hence the nickname)

Fives is excellent on the front end, taking orders and answering the phone with a friendly smile and pleasant attitude.

Echo is the best on the register, his mind able to add up the order and give back change very quickly and efficiently. He also keeps the orders straight and has never given anyone the wrong slip/pizza.

Hevy can run the kitchen on a busy shift with help from Cutup (who doubles as a janitor when needed).

Droidbait is one of their fastest delivery boys and manages to rack in a lot on tips and good reviews.

Hadcase and Tup are also delivery boys, with Dogma helping in the kitchen. Tup is also trained on register and is quite good at it.

The advertising team is nicknamed “The Bad Batch” because why would anyone in their family go into advertising over pizza making? (Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair would, apparently)

Pizza Hutt (aka bounty hunters and scoundrels)

Jabba is the owner (who else would it be)

Their best store is in the town of Tatooine, which is weird given how hot the climate is.

The manager is this really creepy guy named Bib Fortuna.

Employee of the month (most of the time) is the delivery boy Boba Fett (who deserted from Domino’s after his dad died in a car accident or something). Bobba is known for always delivering on time and with the food still hot. He’s also really good at getting extra on his tips.

The employees come and go on a regular basis, some staying for several years, others only a few days. Jabba is very particular about his place and if he doesn’t like the worker or how someone is doing something, he’ll fire them. Usually with no notice.

On the plus side, Jabba is known to give some pretty good bonus’ if you do a really good job.

Every once in a while, the company offers a special topping. No one is a hundred percent sure what it is but it tastes really good so it sells well. (Don’t ask me what it is)

The employees are not allowed to interact or affliate themselves with any of the other pizza places or Jabba will fire them. He’s very jealous of his company and will not risk losing his secret recipies (hence why only a few people actually know it)

Han and Chewy work there for summer jobs.

Little Senators (later Little Empire-- aka Palpatine and pals)

Palpatine “bought” the franchise years ago (he persuaded the previous owner to basically give it to him with some blackmail and a few other shady business moves, but hey. If no one can trace them, it never happened)

Their best store is in Coruscant (which also happens to be one of the biggest cities in the country) and are considered one of the largest franchises in pizza (if not the largest)

There are two managers that stand above the rest: Dooku and Padme.

Dooku runs the southern Coruscant Little Senators while Padme runs the one in the little off branch city of Naboo. Neither like the other one.

Dooku’s store is known to deliver on time and never mix up orders. The actual pizza’s taste fine, but they are a little haphazardly thrown together.

Padme’s store is known for having the “better tasting” pizza and their food is always hot. If the order is mixed up, they do full refunds and deliver the proper order with no charge.

Dooku’s store is one of the first experimenting with robotic help at the counter and in the kitchen. It goes... well enough.

Padme’s assistant manager is Bail Organa and her best employee is her daughter, Leia Amidala.

When Palpatine brings out the new name (Little Empire), Dooku fully supports it and continues under the franchise.

Padme doesn’t support it or the new company regulations (”These new rules and regulations are tyranny!”) and quits (along with Bail) to start their own pizza place (it’s like a local family joint, not a franchise but who knows). They call it “Pizza Rebel”.

Papa Yoda’s (aka the Jedi)

I can’t stop laughing at the name of this one, help

Yoda is the owner (duh) and most of the employees believe he’s at least a hundred and are shocked he’s still alive. And working. He’s short, walks around with a wooden spoon and will whack anyone who tries to eat the toppings. And yes, he is still involved in the kitchen (and hasn’t retired)

He taught Dooku all about the business of making and selling pizza’s. Dooku grew in skill and then one day left the company without a word. A few years later he showed up as a manager in Little Senators. Ever since then, Papa Yoda’s has been struggling to stay a float.

Some managers worth mentioning: Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Plo Koon, and Shaak Ti.

Obi-Wan runs the store in Naboo, which had been run by his teacher, Qui-Gon Jinn until his sudden death several years ago. He is the youngest employee made into manager to date. His assistant manager is Anakin Skywalker, who really wants his own store but Yoda thinks he’s not quite ready (which he isn’t). Their best employee is Ahsoka Tano, who can do it all (cook, deliver, and serve) followed closely behind by Luke Amidala (who Anakin claims he’s not related to, but everyone knows otherwise)

(Anakin has been secretly married to Padme of Little Senators but when she leaves the company there’s not much of a reason to keep it a secret. Turns out it really wasn’t a secret because everyone in the store knew-- they also knew about Luke and Leia, apparently)

Mace Windu runs his store alone, but runs it efficiently. The closest thing he has to an assistant manager is his head cook, Deba Billaba. Caleb Dume (Kanan Jarrus) is their best delivery boy who has recently decided to start training some of the newbies (Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, Garazeb Orrelios). The front end is run by Hera Syndulla (who may or may not be dating Caleb, it’s a running bet).

Plo Koon and Shaak Ti run their store together (as business partners that’s it) and are known to treat their employees, customers, and their rivals with consideration and kindness. They have a shop very close to Wolffe’s Dominos, which does cause some contention at low points but for the most part, they get along fine. (Plo and Shaak Ti absolutely love the family dynamic between Wolffe’s “pack” of employees). The two will often help Wolffe and his crew in outside business affairs (finding open apartments for employees, helping buy a first car, etc) and they will do the same for the two managers. Most people don’t get how Dominos and Papa Yoda’s are both still open because of this relationship, but they are. (In the future, someone finally figured out Dominos had some legal issues in it’s ownership and was forced to merge with Little Empire or shut down. Wolffe chose to shut down and he and his pack were immediately offered jobs at Papa Yoda’s. They accepted.)

Yoda actually manages a store as well. It’s the “first” one he ever opened and he uses it as a training grounds of sorts for future managers and other job positions. He’s patient, but strict and will often speak in riddles which is annoying to no end. He finds it a great way to weed out the ones that don’t want to be there, and the ones that do.

Order #66 has been banned as an order number. The “why” is never to be spoken of ever again and all the newbies are confused and will ask, but no one will tell them because “they don’t talk about it”

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reynesofcastamere · 5 years ago

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Splintered Perspective [β]

(A/N: For reference, any fics I write that aren’t related to my main series will be marked with [ β ] in the title. I may just have to make a masterpost to organize these at some point. Anyway,the prompt for this was: ‘How Rex or some other person from Ahsoka’s past would react to her being enemies with benefits or in a relationship with Maul.’ I decided to go with multiple POVs for the fun of it. And so I didn’t break myself with The Sad. Poor Rex T_T. Perspectives are not in chronological order. Mentions of past Ahsoka/Barriss. Warnings for dehumanization, mentions of torture, death, violence, some ableism and possible misogyny.(Maybe? Your mileage may vary.) Unbeta’d. ) Being one with the Force is...not exactly what she had been taught to expect. Barriss Offee is part of everything, all at once. Those in the Light, living and dead, she is all of them, and yet still herself, in a manner of speaking . Time is no longer such a rigid concept, nor is there any particular sense of urgency. What has happened was meant to be, and the future...Is forever shifting, ripples overlapping in a still pool. Which is why it comes as such a surprise when she can feel Master Plo’s disapproval like a storm on the edge of breaking. At first, she cannot determine what has woken his ire, but slowly the images come into focus. Ahsoka.

Barriss no longer possesses a heart, and yet she cannot deny the lance of bittersweet pain through her chest. There is relief that her friend is still alive, but also regret and something bordering on envy. A feeling that only sharpens when she notices the tattooed Zabrak that Ahsoka currently has pinned down. Wait. She knows him. Not personally, but...He is a Sith, a murderer, a monster. Why is Ahsoka-brash, kind, clever person that she is- smiling at him? It is possible that she is misinterpreting this. Both of them appear rather bruised and a touch bloody, and the lack of lightsabres doesn’t mean-She misses the words exchanged between the pair of them, but...The kiss is unmistakeably passionate, bordering on obscene as the Force crackles around them. Somehow, this is not the worst of it. When they part for air, there is a...look, shared between their eyes, and Barriss experiences true dread. Long ago, she and Ahsoka had-been close. Intimately so. As much as anyone could be, following the Order’s mandate that attachment was forbidden. She’d harboured dreams then, of maybe and one day...But no. Too much had happened, and her rosy illusions had been cruelly shattered. Somehow, watching this unfold hurts worse. Because there is something genuine beneath the crude physical attraction on display. Master Plo does not say a word, but his righteous indignation is so strong that it is a miracle he does not physically manifest in front of them.

Her dearest companion does not belong in the Dark, with this...creature trapping her in his coils, dripping venom into her thoughts. Barriss can only hope Ahsoka will extricate herself before it is too late.

=====

The failed apprentice. A wretched vermin who simply refuses to die. Not for much longer. Darth Vader’s gaze narrows as he reviews the incident reports. A decade of nothing but the occasional annoyance and whispers from the dregs of the galaxy, and only now does Maul scurry out from beneath whatever rock he has been sheltering under. Why? There is no grand plan, no great advantage in breaking into an Imperial prison. Especially one that contains such...unimportant occupants. Then again...The swathe of carnage and destruction left behind had been almost a direct path between the Dathomirian’s entry point and the interrogation chambers. Not a calculated assault, but an act of rage and desperation. Vader had felt it at the time, how the Dark Side had howled and torn at itself like a half-crazed beast. And then there was the fate of the interrogator: Hands cut off, abdominal perforation, shattered jaw,and eyes torn from their sockets. He had suffered a great deal, however briefly. As for the prisoner with him- Records list a female Togruta, mid-to-late twenties, with blue eyes and orange skin. Possibly Force sensitive, but difficult to determine due to her physical state upon capture. The prisoner hadn’t been in possession of anything resembling lightsabres, but had been carrying a wealth of assorted small armaments. It couldn’t be. She died back when...We found her sabres among the graves. Anakin Skywalker is long dead, but sometimes his ghost is loud enough to be heard over the multitudes that inhabit Vader’s hulking, monstrous shell.

Graves required someone to dig them first. Which meant that either some unknown individuals had come along and taken pity on a multitude of strangers...Or that the survivours had done the work themselves. Yet, if Ahsoka Tano lives, and was temporarily imprisoned, it still does not explain the identity or methods of her unlikely rescuer. She was sent to capture him on Mandalore, why would Snips-? Why did she leave us? We needed her when Padme- The room around him warps and buckles in a single, furious moment of clarity. She chose that...animal. That thing, Oh, but she’d been richly rewarded, hadn’t she? One only had to look at the risks her...protector had taken just to secure her freedom. Approval and utter disgust war within him as he rises. So be it. Sentiment has already destroyed them, and it will be his pleasure to finish a task that should have been resolved long ago. Traitors to the Empire must all be purged.

===== Rex should probably be angry. Ahsoka is certainly looking at him like a shiny expecting a stern lecture for breaking regs. Instead he just feels...tired. He can’t be mad at her, not really. Maybe if he’d stuck around longer or managed to make contact more often, this wouldn’t have happened. Or maybe it would have. Maker knows his trio of Jedi could never stay out of trouble for long, and that war makes for strange alliances and even stranger...pairings. Still, he has to ask, because he knows her, knows the depths of love and compassion that make her who she is, beneath the layers of soldier and spy.

“Is it serious?” Ahsoka fidgets with her lekku a bit. “I don’t know.” A long pause as she inhales. “It keeps happening, and...I want to murder him half the time, Rex. The problem is that he likes it.” The expression on her face perfectly sums up her opinion on that little tidbit of info. He might have laughed, under different circumstances. Instead, he takes her hands in his. “We’ve known each other for a long time. I might not understand why you’re doing this, or how it works-” He absolutely does not need to know the mechanics, as there are not enough drugs or alcohol in the galaxy to purge the associated mental images. “-but I trust your judgement. And your ability to slice his horns off and hang him from his ears over a pit of rathtars if he pushes you too far.” Rex grins, silently offering to be her backup should that ever happen. Kind of a surprise it hasn’t already, since Maul never karking shuts up and Ahsoka’s patience has a set limit for windbags. Her eyes are wet when she hugs him tightly. “You’ll be the first person I call, Captain. And I’m sorry.” He knows she’s not just apologizing for this, not with their history. “I’m sorry too, Commander.” Rex murmurs, hugging her back. They can stay like this for a while longer. Her superiors are just going to have to wait. He might not be such a ‘good’ soldier anymore, but he knows damned well how to be a good friend. And that’s what they both need, more than anything. People that will survive the disaster long enough to see it end, and come out smiling.

=====

“When I warned that you might be tempted by the Dark Side, I did not expect it to be quite so literal.”

“Master.” “Then again, I suppose there is a certain appeal. Ventress was certainly a...passionate opponent. Lovely sense of humour, too. I suppose you don’t get much of that with your-No, I suppose you are the better half in this equation.” “Master Kenobi.” “Come now, we haven’t spoken in ages, surely you can indulge your grand-master’s curiousity.” “You did not break comm silence after years of letting everyone think you were dead just to call me about my sex life.” “Well, no, but it is an unexpected bonus. How does that work, exactly?” “It sounds like you’re angling for a demonstration.” “Oh Maker, no. I’m not that eager to find out.” “Good, because I don’t particularly feel like dealing with him if he decides to drop everything just to hunt you down.” “Ah. He’s...still upset about that, is he?” “You have no idea.” “Well then. To business. And Ahsoka?” “Yes, Master?” “It is good to hear your voice again. Do take care of yourselves.” “You too, Master Kenobi. And don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

“One last question: When should I expect great-grand-padawans?”

“OBI-WAN!!!!” (A/N: Yes, I had to end with levity. Especially considering the characters involved. To clarify, Anakin isn’t upset because he has any sort of romantic inclination towards Ahsoka. It’s general Darksider possessiveness/jealousy mixed in with a lot of anger and some guilt. Looking after Ahsoka’s wellbeing was ‘his’ job, so far as he’s concerned. And now it’s apparently been usurped by That One Asshole. Also, if anyone’s going to recognize that level of...obsessive regard, it’s gonna be the OG Skywalker Drama King. Many thanks to the anonymous person who requested this, both for the prompt and your compliments. Cheers!)

#maulsoka #Plo Koon Greatly Disapproves of Maul's BS #sadly Bariss and the Seventh Sister are not the same person #that would have been tragically awesome though #Rex is The BestTM #Obi-Wan has to joke about this in order to avoid Trauma #And possibly a heart attack #Anakin is very salty but also missing the point

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