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jennana501 · 4 years ago

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A Case for Rexsoka

I’ve been around the block when it comes to ships. I’ve seen people obsess over them, and I too have been driven mad by obsession. I was a hardcore original avatar fan and I was OBSESSED with shipping Toph and Sokka together. Any time they so much as made an interaction I over analyzed it and picked it apart looking for clues that somehow would prove that my hunches were correct. It was because I related with both characters, and I loved their chemistry. I wanted them to have a romantic relationship because it would feel like some sort of personal validation.

I’m an adult now and nothing has changed. But it has been a while since I’ve desperately shipped two characters together that are not obviously romantically involved with one another, or who could be romantic behind the scenes or beyond the story shown.

Until Rex and Ahsoka.

And I’ve seen people be adamantly against it.

“No no no it’s just a brother/sister relationship.”

“No it’s gross she is a child”.

And of course being disagreed with on the internet can drive a person crazy, and instead of individually arguing with dozens of people online, I’m making this post once and for all to explain why I think Rex and Ahsoka have romantic feelings for each other. Especially Rex.

The argument I’ve seen, that their deep passion, commitment, love, admiration, and respect for one another (which are all so obvious you’d have to be...silly to not see it) are felt in a platonic fashion. Which, for the first 6 seasons and 8 episodes, I would totally agree.

But then Ahsoka comes back. And let’s face it. She is a woman. Age wise, she’s around 17, but everything from the maturity of her Lekku (which weirdly don’t get all that longer, especially compared to other Tagrutan women) to her poise and confidence, to her prowess as a warrior, a user of the force, and her ability to command soldiers as well as control her emotions points to her being an adult woman. She’s no Snips anymore; she’s no child. She’s grown up. And how her peers react to her illustrates how they now view her as an adult.

First there is Obi-wan. Obi-wan has always been a mentor to her, a sort of second Master. Obi-wan never hesitated to guide and Ahsoka or offer his council. He is proud of her when she succeeds, and will admonish her when she makes mistakes. When she returns and he sees her as a woman, he changes the way he treats her. He acknowledges her maturity by addressing her as an equal. He doesn’t admonish her. Instead he discusses with her, challenging her ideas and letting her offer an argument for them instead of putting them down and telling her how she should think or act. He also comes to her in his time of need, trusting her to help him with Anakin.

Then there is Anakin. We all know of Anisoka shippers, and they are perfectly able to ship and enjoy said ship, but we can all acknowledge that it is a crack pairing with no basis in the canon. Anakin portrays the perfect kind of brotherly love. He is excited to see Ahsoka, and is stunned by her unexpected reappearance. Things are harder for Anakin because he is used to their fun banter and sibling-like companionship. He’s constantly shut down with her business like manner and he struggles with coming to terms with the fact that she isn’t a little kid sister anymore. She is an adult with a mission and a plan. When he looks at her, he is endearing. He loves her. Admires her. And he can’t wait to pick up where they left off. There’s joy and adoration in his face. He is proud of her and what she has become, but he also feels alienated and even hurt because of how her adulthood has changed their dynamic.

Then there is Rex. When he first sees her, he wants nothing more than to reassure her that she still belongs. The clones had accepted her into their family. As far as they were concerned, she was one of them. When he looks at her for the first time, he’s beaming with the same adoration as he had had for her before, but also with a solemn awe at what she has become and what she has grown into. He welcomes her back into his life without hesitation.

But then there is a moment things shift so drastically that I paused the show and re-watched it half a dozen times. We all know it and love it. This face he gives Ahsoka. The Look.

What we see here is something we have never, EVER seen in Rex for 7 whole seasons. And it is my opinion that this is the first time Rex has been able to feel and express that he is attracted to Ahsoka. In other words, Rex has a sexual awakening.

Up until this point, Rex has been a sexless character. Nothing he does is flirtatious, sexy, or at all suggestive that he has those feelings inside him at all. Every sexual being has a moment where they are first animalistically drawn to another being. Characters who have already had this moment are easy to pick out. Obi wan. Anakin. Ventress. These characters have already experienced their sexual awakening. Ahsoka has too. Lux was her first object of attraction.

But Rex has never had this moment. Until this reaction.

I know some of you might be thinking “but Ahsoka gives a very similar look to Anakin, does that mean she is sexually attracted to HIM?” It’s a very good point. Ahsoka and Anakin share some cheeky playful looks during “Old Friends Not Forgotten”. We see many characters give similar looks to other characters, but does this mean it means the same thing as when Rex does it? The short answer is no.

When animators design a character, they establish the “range of emotion” for that character. You can easily see this when you look back at how many times you see Rex break from his stoic, captain’s face. He rarely laughs, smiles, or emotes in any way. This is why when we see him emote it is exciting to us as an audience. A character like Ahsoka or Anakin commonly show a wide variety of expressions. Ahsoka is much more likely to give a cheeky look than Rex is. So “the look” for Rex, means a lot more when he is doing than it does when another character does it, say Fives or even Obi-Wan.

Which means the writers are trying to tell us something about this moment.

This moment has changed Rex’s and Ahsoka’s relationship.

Now does this mean that they are going to go bang each other immediately? Does this mean the second they are alone after “Victory and Death” they start an intense, sexual relationship? Of course not. That’s not what this ship is about at this time. But the reason many of us ship it is because suddenly they don’t feel like brother and sister anymore. It isn’t entirely platonic. And the show does a good job to further emphasize this as they come closer and closer both emotionally, and physically during the finale.

Blocking is a huge factor in visual storytelling. During the finale, Rex and Ahsoka are blocked in a way that makes them as close as physically possible on the screen. This communicates to the audience that they are closer now than they have ever been. As Jedi and Clone Trooper. As friends, and as companions, their bond forged in the fires of war, struggling to find meaning in life as soldiers.

In contrast, look how Ahsoka and Anakin are blocked in their scenes. There is nearly always a gap between them, illustrating that they are distanced from each other emotionally. Rex is even visually inserted into the gap between them in several instances. Anakin and Ahsoka are growing apart, but she and Rex are growing closer.

We get to experience Rex and Ahsoka engaging in actions and conversations that we had rarely seen before. From casual banter, to moments of intense intimacy, to emotional peaks, Rex and Ahsoka interact more in these four episodes than in the previous six seasons. Part of this is because their maturity gap has closed. Ahsoka is finally Rex’s equal in experience and maturity. It is also in part because it is a unique dynamic. No Obi-wan. No Anakin. Rex and Ahsoka are equal leaders of the 332nd. There’s also the fact that they are put into life threatening situations and have no one else but each other.

But there is that “look” that is given at the beginning of all this that suggests something else, that as their bond undoubtedly becomes strong as beskar, there is an element of it that takes their relationship from the platonic to the romantic.

I feel every detail, moment, and piece of dialogue in the finale tells the story of this bond.

Many instances of their strong emotional bond have been spread throughout the internet, with most ready to acknowledge that they have a connection unlike any other, one that may even be described as a “force” connection. These last four episodes are so exciting because we see two friends reunited, but then we get to watch as their relationship transforms.

Even disregarding their implied attraction to each other physically, they dive into each other and hold on tight. Ahsoka shares deep personal worries with Rex, and Rex and her are shown opening up to each other in ways they have never opened up before.

We were all floored and dumbfounded at scenes such as these that show these characters at their most vulnerable. But they decide to be vulnerable together. Is it because they are all that is left of their 501st family? It part, this is definitely true. But by being this vulnerable they transform their relationship into something very different from what they had before. It will never be the same again, and it will be near impossible to back out of the emotional intimacy that these two have participated in. Once you have formed that kind of an attachment with someone, there is no going back, and as is seen in rebels, these two maintain that strong connection even after years of being apart.

This goes beyond their sexual desires or needs. They’ve forged a bond that cannot be broken. They have shared minds, shared pain and agony that only the other can understand. They’ve been isolated from the world, and all they have left is each other.

And at the end of the series, when we have Rex and Ahsoka broken, their world flip upside down and everything they ever valued or cared about lies in ruins before them, the idea that they still have each other is that beautiful seed of hope Star Wars is so good at preserving. Those of us who believe that their relationship could be romantic want good things for Rex and Ahsoka. We want them to have that love and share it with each other. Maybe only for a few moments, but having known it would be better than both of them living and dying without having that experience.

When we see the two in Rebels, for me it confirms that these two love each other deeply. But their lives can never be lived in a normal fashion. They cannot even be together as partners in life. The Empire has stolen this from them. The tragedy of this ship is that it can never be the way we want it to be. Rex will age and die long before Ahsoka is even halfway through her own life. They cannot live with one another. They cannot wake each morning with each other, at least not at the point we see them in rebels.

But they continue to love each other. Even over distance, even knowing that mortality will claim them with only a fraction of the memories that they deserve with one another.

So please, the next time you see some art or a fic, or a post like this, think of what I had to say. Rexsoka is about two adults, their lives destroyed at the hands of Sidious, but in defiance they still forge a bond that he could never break or take from them. And that to me is beautiful and something to celebrate.

Side note: I spent a ton of time making gifs but they never would work and so I had to use screenshots instead :(

EDIT: At the request of the OG poster of a few gifs, I have replaced them have also made some grammatical changes.

#ahsoka #captain rex #rexsoka #rexsoka week #the clone wars #star wars

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tommysparker · 4 years ago

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Never Forget You [Chapter 4]

A/N: hey y’all. just wanna say sorry for the posting schedule change. life is about to get hella hectic with school and the move sooo yeah. every second Saturday I will be posting! it’ll defiantly give me a chance to write more as well so im not rushing out chapters. anyways ive rambled long enough, enjoy :)

Warnings: angst. theres fluff too but its fluffy angst?? im not sorry hehe. long italic paragraphs = flashbacks.

From an outside perspective, one would assume the four of them were deep in thought, perhaps even communicating telepathically via the Force. They would only be half correct, as all of the Jedi were indeed thinking, but none of their trains of thought overlapped.

Anakin and Ahoska were in the pilot seats, glancing at each other every other minute or so. They could feel the tension build thicker with every passing planet. The only sound filling the room was the faint running of the engine that kept the ship moving.

You and Obi-Wan sat across from each other, neither one daring to make eye contact. Apparently, he was quite serious about the “not speaking from now on” agreement. It’s for the best, you kept telling yourself. However, the awkward silence that filled the ship made it harder to believe that.

Out of all the things that could happen to you at the moment, this was by far the worst.

On Gyfil, you had grown quite used to the sound of silence. In fact, over time you began to prefer it as opposed to the buzz of the towns. However, this was a different type of silence, one that had you bouncing your knee in anticipation for Anakin to announce you finally landed.

Master Yoda had called you all for a mission briefing. There was a supposed Separatist group meeting on Ostor, given the intel you received from a client on your previous mission. The four of you were sent to listen in on it.

“Young Skywalker and Padawan Tano, back up you will be. Great risks on Ostor, there are. Careful, you must be.” He turned to Obi-Wan and You. “Master Y/l/n, guide them you must do. In charge of the mission, I am putting you.”

A sense of pride filled your body but you quickly humbled yourself. “Thank you Master.”

Master Yoda smiled and turned to Obi-Wan. “Infiltrate the meeting, you and Master Y/l/n will. Stay together, you must.”

Obi-Wan would have laughed at the irony. Mentally he still is. Stay together, you must. After the last conversation between the two of you, he had doubts about how that plan would go. However, for the sake of the mission he was willing to lift the deal made.

You stood quietly, not being able to handle the loud silence any longer. “I’ll be in my quarters until we land,” you announced, making a point not to look at Obi-Wan and keep all attention to Anakin and Ahsoka.

You left without sparing a glance back.

He waited until you were out of view to let out a long sigh, running a hand over his beard and hunching forward.

Anakin was the first to speak. “That was the worst thing I’ve ever had to endure.” His shoulders shook as he made a disgusted sound. “Glad it’s finally over.”

“Just focus on getting us there in one piece, Anakin,” Obi-Wan snapped, immediately followed by, “apologizes, I didn’t mean to sound so...aggressive.”

“So much for being able to hide stress, huh?”

He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Some things are harder to deal with than others.”

“Is Master Y/l/n ‘some things’?” Ahoska asked innocently.

Obi-Wan pondered for a minute, deciding the best way to answer. “Master Y/l/n is...many things.”

“Like what?”

Gorgeous. Strong. Kind. Perfect in every way. “They are highly skilled, almost as well as I am, if not better. A fine Jedi and a valuable member to the Order.” He stopped there before he’d say something he’d come to regret. Best to keep professional thoughts.

“I still don’t understand why the Council sent them away like that. Surely there were other Jedi that could have completed the mission,” Anakin commented. He knew his former Master wasn’t satisfied with the answer they were all given but would never admit it. He had to push him to find the truth.

“Whatever reasons Master Yoda and Master Windu had for picking Y/n are between them. You must stop questioning the Council’s intentions, Anakin. It will land you in very big trouble one day.” Obi-Wan says as if he hasn’t second guessed the Order as a whole before. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. The less you question things, the easier life is.

“That’s why I keep you around, old man,” Anakin said in a teasing manner. Hearing Obi-Wan let out a light chuckle made him feel a bit better as they settled into silence once more, this time more comfortable and light-hearted.

A bit more time had passed before Ahsoka spoke up. “Why don’t you ask Master Y/l/n what really happened?”

Obi-Wan sighed. He should have known better than to believe she would drop the topic. Like Master, like Padawan. “It’s none of my business. Frankly, it’s none of ours so I suggest we leave the subject alone.”

His answer, apparently, wasn’t good enough. “I’m gonna go ask them.” Ahsoka stands up to leave but is stopped mid-movement by Obi-Wan’s protests.

“No!” He looked at Ahsoka’s slightly stunned face, and chose to ignore Anakin’s smug look. “Fine, I’ll ask them. But only once, and if they don’t want to indulge me then that is the end of it. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.”

Meanwhile, you sat alone on the bed in your chosen quarters. It made you feel relaxed, in a way. Before leaving, you were extremely extraverted, always going out of your way to make acquaintances with everyone around you. The life forces around you at night kept you alive, it gave a sense of warmth and comfort to lull you to slumber. On Gyfil, there was none of that. You had to rely on your own warmth to comfort yourself to sleep. No lush trees or animals to provide even the smallest bit of connection. It was just You and the Force. Sleeping for the first time in the Jedi Temple after returning felt like a sensory overload. Everything was loud, and rough. You could feel it coursing through your veins at the speed of light. No matter what you did, it was too much.

You didn’t sleep the first few days. Eventually you got used to the noise, but not enough to get a decent amount of rest at night. There was one sound that sometimes made it impossible to sleep, one Force signature that kept trying to break through the walls you put up to protect yourself when you’re most vulnerable. What scared you the most was the fact your own signature subconsciously fought back against the walls you put. You refused to acknowledge it, choosing to fall into a deep meditative slumber and stay alert as opposed to any actual sleep. Whoever it was would not get into your head so easily.

Knock knock. Obi-Wan stepped into the room once his presence was made known, gently shutting the door behind him. “Y/n…”

You looked up and squinted at him. “I thought we agreed to not speak?”

“Yes, well, that proves to be a bit tricky now doesn’t it?” He smiled tightly and crossed his arms over his chest.

You huffed out air in a sorry attempt at a sarcastic laugh, shaking your head a little. “What do you want, Obi-Wan?”

It was neither hostile nor endearing. It was simply his first name. To him you sounded tired, and judging by the way you sat on the cot, leaning back against the cold metal wall with your eyes half opened, he presumed his assumption was correct. He spoke gently, “Anakin estimates we should be coming out of hyperspace and landing soon.”

“I figured.” It wasn’t your intention to be stoic but that's how you’ve been training yourself to speak to the man in front of you. The faster the conversation ends, the faster he leaves.

Obi-Wan, however, was not having it. “How are you feeling? I know it hasn’t been that long since you returned from your previous assignment.”

You shrugged, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m fine.”

“No one who says that is ever truly ‘fine’ Y/n/n,” he says, taking a step closer to the bed. “I know you. What’s on your mind, darling?”

You slowly met his gaze, debating whether to open up or keep yourself closed off. On one hand, the idea of exposing your anxieties to someone didn’t feel right to you, letting someone know about your weaknesses and insecurities. However, you knew in order for the mission to succeed you would have to be willing to work with Obi-Wan and to do that a sense of trust had to be built. Rebuilt, technically.

“If you wish not to speak, I understand.” He hesitated turning his back to you, “excuse me.” He was about to make his leave before you interrupted.

“Obi-Wan, wait,” You sighed, shifting so there was room for him to sit on the bed. “Sit.”

He did as he was told, eyeing you carefully. “Honestly, I don’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine.” You knew his intentions and as pure as they were you cannot bring yourself to tell him the truth. “I admit that I...am slightly concerned about the mission.”

It wasn’t the answer Obi-Wan was hoping for, but he was willing to hear anything he could get out of you. “You have nothing to be worried about Y/n/n. You’re an extremely capable Jedi and I have no doubt in my mind you will lead us through it.”

You smiled, only slightly but a smile nonetheless. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled back.

Your eyes locked tight with each other, and everything around you became emptiness. A void surrounded you both and the presence of the other was all that could be felt.

“Staring competitions are pointless.” You rolled your eyes, sitting up straight and attempting to return your meditative state.

“No they aren’t!: Obi-Wan argued from his spot across from you.

“All you do is stare at each other until someone blinks. Waste of time.”

“Nuh uh. Master Qui-Gon told me that--” Obi-Wan stood up, “--‘The eyes are a window to the soul’--” you laughed at the bad attempt he made to mimic his Master;s voice, “--therefore staring competitions can be a very good battle tactic.”

“Jedi don’t do battles, remember? We’re peacekeepers.” You looked up at your friend. “Besides, you just want an excuse to get lost in my eyes.”

Obi-Wan grinned. “You know me so well.”

So much has changed about the man in front of you, you could hardly recognize him. You never allowed yourself the pleasure to examine what you missed out on. One moment he was a young man who looked like he could take on the universe, and now all you could see was one tired man doing his best. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, is what the old You would have teased. But post-living-ten-years-by-yourself You was different. In a way, you understood. Although you didn’t fight any life-threatening battles and put yourself in the line of fire every week, you have worked tirelessly towards the same goal.

Peace.

Like this moment.

For once, it was quiet. You felt yourself relax slowly, focusing on the one noise that soothed your anxious mind. It felt warm and...close. Something you haven’t felt in a long, long time.

Obi-Wan leaned closer, his heart reacting faster than his brain. He felt a warmth he had been longing for over a decade. When he reached out, he no longer felt desolate. He wanted to hold on to the feeling and never let go.

But alas in time of war, small moments of peace only last for so long.

“Hey! We’re here.”

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shatouto · 4 years ago

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more raised-sith anakin whump and jedi obi-wan comfort, co-written with @obiwanobi ! (also available on ao3) pls check out the rest of the series if you haven’t (it won’t make a lot of sense otherwise)

content note: non-graphic depiction of violence; mention of past sidious-style abuse; just please proceed with care

a little more

Anakin shivers alone in the nightly winds.

He counted exactly five sunsets and sunrises since the meditation incident. Obi-Wan never brought it up again, and acted like nothing happened. He still smiled and joked with such kind eyes; still asked Anakin about his progress on the newest cleaning droid in their quarters and offered to read to him before bed. Even Ahsoka never brought it up, even though Anakin was sure the Jedi would tell his apprentice about his major offense.

He couldn’t eat. He could hardly sleep. His stomach churned every time Obi-Wan said a gentle thing to him, in that usual melodic lilt of his. His breath halted every time Obi-Wan passed him by and pat his shoulder or brushed his hand. His Master had made him wait before, but never for this long without reminding him of his misdeed. But waiting time was meant to make the punishment more excruciating, so perhaps this is the point all along - that he suffers before he gets what he deserves. Or maybe the smiles are only a beautiful facade before the Jedi discards him for good. Because, let’s be frank: what worth does he have here?

The sky is a lightless inky ocean with not even a speck of starlight to speak of. Anakin turns his gaze one more time towards the lights of the Jedi dormitories. This is what he has to do, to be able to stay, he reasons. This is the only way.

He makes his way down.

The Lower Levels of Coruscant are singularly illuminated by artificial light, if they are illuminated at all. Here where celestial lights never reach, every grease-streaked face is tinted in the neon magenta and cyan of gaudy store signs, or the sickly green of long battery life storm lanterns. The alleys are perpetually murky, a certain stickiness that holds the sole of your shoes whenever you peel your feet from the ground. A cacophony of howling fight dogs echoes from afar, and the light above him flickers. Anakin doesn’t even need to glance around.

Here, there is no shortage of fists itching to throw a punch.

It takes little more than a shove and a cuss, to get himself thrown to the ground. Anakin springs back up onto his feet with ease; by then, several people, of various species and stature, have gathered around him. Some of them reeks of booze, others of blood. From there on, it’s easy.

His knuckles collide with a jaw. Bone cracks under his metallic fist. Force-blinds are no match for him; he has taken down dozens on his own when he was but a whelp under Master Sidious’s tutelage, thirteen years of age or so. That’s not to say they don’t land a good blow here and there, but a few bruises on the face are hardly more than a tickle compared to the burn scars that litter his body. When a sudden blast rings in the relative silence and misses him by a hair, Anakin grins. He whips around and uses the Force to simultaneously yank the blaster from the shooter’s hand and fling the marksman across the street. He opens fire.

Some of them fall, some of them run. Some of them remain, and then run when they see him toss the blaster away in favor of meeting them hand to hand. The more they come at him, shoot at him, the more his blood infuses with thrill. He feels renewed in misery, in the knowledge that this show of abandon will surely earn him the punishment he deserves, where all else failed. His metal fingers are capable of cutting skin, breaking bones, if he so wants, and he does. There’s blood on his hands, warm, soaking the sleeves of his too-soft robes. There has always been blood on his hand; a little more doesn’t make any difference.

When he’s done, Anakin thinks, he’ll be back in the Jedi’s quarters and kneel at the door to his bedroom. He’ll wait there, ready, so that when the sun rises, the Jedi will come and see what he has done. This is not something the Jedi can ignore in favor of delaying his punishment. He smiles and shivers at the same time at just the thought of it.

“Anakin, what are you doing?”

Obi-Wan’s startled voice runs him through like a spear. Anakin stops dead in his movements, wide-eyed. Obi-Wan? Here?

His pause promptly earns him a blaster shot to the shoulder. He snaps his head back towards the bastard who shot him, hand thrusted out in a Force-push. The shooter flies through the air and slams against a store sign. Another blaster fires.

Obi-Wan deflects it away from Anakin.

Anakin doesn’t know what’s happening anymore.

He staggers back and back away. This isn’t right. The Jedi should be asleep. He’s not meant to be in this nest of rats and vipers; not meant to know anything of this, to see Anakin in this state—just, just observe the aftermath and dispense his justice. Only the aftermath. Only when Anakin is ready.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Anakin says, his center lowered, his stance battle-ready. The scums around him scurry like cockroaches under the light of a lightsaber, even as Obi-Wan thumbs it off and clips it to his belt. “You should be in bed, not here.”

“The same could be said to you,” Obi-Wan says. Neon lights flicker on his face, his furrowed brows and tight lips, and there’s no light that’s ever been so dull, duller than the spark of dismay in his eyes that Anakin doesn’t want to acknowledge. “I would much prefer you to come back...”

“I have to be here.”

Obi-Wan is unflinching. He crosses his arms not only in a refusal to engage, but also in clear disapproval. “May I ask why?”

It’s the disapproval that makes Anakin’s heart drop.

“No,” he grits, breaths stuttering. He closes and opens his hand and warm sticky blood seeps into the cracks of his palm. If there is some semblance of a reflexive surface here, Anakin would look right into it, so desperate he is to see what color his eyes are. How does he look like to Obi-Wan right now? Does he deserve a punishment yet? Does he deserve anything?

Because if not, if he doesn’t, if he has no worth and Obi-Wan grows tired of him, he’ll be on his own again, facing the fact that he has lost everything and everyone and has nowhere to go and nothing to be. Hells, Anakin knows he shouldn’t be like this. He should be stronger than this. He shouldn’t be so weak as to fear losing any one man, let alone one Jedi, one stupid Jedi; he shouldn’t care; why does he care so much; he hates it, he hates it.

“Why are you here?” Anakin backs away, towards the source of sound - there’s a gambling den nearby, where he could conceivably squirrel himself away. “What are you trying to do?”

Obi-Wan only raises his hands, palm forward. “To get you home. Anakin, you have...”

“Bantha shit,” Anakin spits. They’ve gathered yet again a sizable amount of curious onlookers. “What do you want, Jedi?”

“Anakin, please, calm down—”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Anakin roars, even though that is exactly what he has been seeking. Direct orders, uncomplicated. But not like this. Not with this benevolence. “If you’re not going to answer me then don’t fucking tell me what to do!” He steps back and back, and the only thing the Jedi does is match every backward step of his with one step forward of the exact same length. “Fuck you and your nice little lies; never say one straightforward thing, ever, because you’re too good for it, what a good Jedi. Just say you want to drag me back by the scruff and punish the nine hells out of me.” He gives a teeth-gritted grin. “Say it! I know you want to say it!”

Obi-Wan doesn’t even deign to look taken aback. He says nothing, does nothing, just stands there in that damned little display of harmlessness, so patient, so calm, like he’d be ready to ask for a cup of tea and sip it slowly while watching Anakin any moment now. So that’s how it is, huh?

The bystanders scatter in shrieks when one of them is suddenly lifted in the air, scrabbling at their neck with strangled noises. Anakin’s eyes are not even on them; he glares at the Jedi as his fingers curl. “Say it.”

Obi-Wan finally moves. He stands between the hapless stranger and Anakin. His eyes harden, the shadows on his face sharpen, and his voice turns steel-cold. “No.” He takes Anakin wrist in a vise-tight grip. “Let them go. Stop this, now.”

Finally.

Anakin lets go. Not just of the person, but of everything. He drops to his knees with his wrist still in Obi-Wan’s hand, and when it’s released, his arm swings down limply, colliding with his thigh in a dull slap. His head hangs as his eyes squeeze shut. He tucks his tongue back and tries not to wonder what it’ll be this time - lightning or lightsaber burn, electro-whip lashes or an invisible hand around his neck, water running over his face or the cold hard curved confines of the Sphere...

But nothing comes.

“Anakin.”

Obi-Wan’s voice has always been very soft for someone so capable at fighting; even so, this is probably the gentlest tone he’s used yet.

“Anakin,” he says again, and the name feels safe in his mouth.

Anakin won’t be fooled. His Master liked to lull him into a sense of safety during his lessons, coaxing him to let down his guard just to strike harder after and make sport of his tattered body. He should know better. He should…

“Anakin, please, look at me.”

Obi-Wan’s voice is worth a little more pain.

He opens his eyes to find Obi-Wan’s. The Jedi is crouched before him, close enough to touch if he wanted to. But he doesn’t. Anakin can’t decipher the look on his face or even the hand hanging in the air between them that doesn’t have a lightsaber in it ready to strike him or lightning to burn him.

“That’s it,” Obi-Wan says. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Anakin doesn’t dare to breathe too hard.

Obi-Wan’s brows knit together. “I could not understand why you would leave in the midst of a night to do this. Where have I wronged you?” He sighs again into silence. “You scared me, Anakin.”

A punishable offense. So here’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, listing his sins before punishing him, ordering him to keep his eyes open in wait of the punishment to come. Anakin stares at him, eyes stinging, waiting. But instead of the burning of a blade on his back or a slow Force-choke around his neck, calloused fingers find his wrist. They move lightly above his skin, cautious, taking their time as if to unravel the tension under his flesh, wrapping around his hand. Anakin braces himself for the twist, for the sudden deceit and pain. Instead, Obi-Wan's thumb starts rubbing slow circles on the back of his hand.

“May I take care of you, then?” Obi-Wan asks, and something in his voice breaks a bit. “You’re hurt, dear one.”

These last words are like a saber to his heart. Anakin never thought Obi-Wan could be this cruel.

“Don’t,” he chokes out his last defiance, as his fists start trembling, “don’t call me that.” He bows his head deeply and shuts his eyes and goes as still and silent as possible. His insides are curling in on themselves, yet he doesn’t dare move. He’s nearly holding his breath, as the air moves around him. Fabric rustles, and he can feel arms drawing around him, and This is it he thinks, this is it, the pain will come and he will finally be released—

Obi-Wan pulls him to his chest.

This is not right. This is not real. This can’t be true. Nobody could be this gentle; nobody could forgive just like that, not with the insults and insolence and innumerable unpunished offenses old and new. Anakin does not get touched like this. He should not. His shoulders are squared stiff and his muscles constrict so hard that he starts shaking. He can barely breathe, because every breath knives into his tightened throat. His nose stings and his eyes burn and he gasps for air, only to take in a sharp sob.

“Please don’t… Please don’t do this to me.” Anakin gulps, clutching his own torso, fearful of the sudden warmth and tenderness. “Just—just punish me, I deserve it, please punish m—” He nearly bites his tongue trying to suppress the next sob. Tears always angered his Master. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I beg of you, please stop making me wait, Master, I’m sorry, please, just…”

Obi-Wan pulls back only to take Anakin’s face in his hands. Thumbs wipe over his cheekbones. “I’m not your Master,” he hushes, brushing hair back from Anakin’s forehead. “I’m not going to punish you, Anakin.”

And then Obi-Wan does the unthinkable: he lowers his outermost mental shields. He lets Anakin in, on his own. His concern scatters across the expanse of his psyche like gemstones, like blinking stars. His words are as true as the moon. I would like to bring you home. I would like to keep you safe. Obi-Wan’s hand cradles the base of his skull. Lips press into his hair. I would like to see you smile.

Anakin’s mouth falls open in a wail. He smushes his face against the crook of Obi-Wan’s neck and soaks his robes with tears. He cries his throat raw and parched, cries until his jaws tremble, his teeth clatter, his head goes light. He lets go of his own flanks and bunches his fists into Obi-Wan’s robes instead. Obi-Wan’s arms are wrapped firmly around him like a promise.

Anakin hiccups one last time, and sags.

—

Ahsoka paces near the Temple’s gate. The Temple Guards glance at her every once in a while, and she’s a little bit annoyed, maybe, but that’s nothing compared to the worry brewing in her chest right now. Dawn is peeking at the horizon, and her Master is nowhere to be found.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” she mutters to herself, flooding her and Obi-Wan’s bond with the rightful amount of indignation. You should’ve taken me with you, Master!

She’s surprised to feel Obi-Wan’s response immediately. A brief sense of reassurance, and a nearness - he’s approaching. His presence is too mired in concerns for her to make out the exact message, but she gets the sentiment. Her worries go through and mirror his own. They’re probably worrying about the same thing, then.

Ahsoka knows Obi-Wan is back before he’s even within sight. Yet the sight of him still suffuses her with equal parts relief and amazement. In the light of dawn, her Master marches into the Jedi Temple, a gentle silhouette against the rosy sky. Limp in his arms, head pillowed on his shoulder, is Anakin No-Name, formerly known as Darth Vader, currently unconscious.

“Let them both in.” Ahsoka tells the Temple Guards, showing them her datapad. “Words from Master Yoda.”

Obi-Wan looks at her gently, mouthing a soft thank. Her steps fall beside his, and for a while there are only the sounds of their footsteps echoing in the great hall.

“Master.” Her eyes flick to Anakin, noting his red, puffy eyes in stark contrast with his ashen face and… are those dried tears? There is blood on the ex-Sith’s robes and on her Master’s and she sort of really wants to know which is whose. “Is he alright?”

“More or less,” Obi-Wan answers. Ahsoka frowns at him, yet he seems too deep in thoughts to notice that. She sets a hand on his arm.

“Master, the Council has…”

“I know, young one.” Obi-Wan pauses when Anakin chuffs, shuffling his arm to rearrange the ex-Sith in a more comfortable position, and continues on his way. “I would prefer you to go back to sleep. This is my responsibility to bear.”

#obikin #raised as sith anakin #always a sith anakin #ex sith anakin #so many names #star wars prequels #clem’s au #our au :’)#also im sorry i can’t take ‘kriff’ seriously #i have to say fuck #let anakin say fuck 2k21 #ALSO i wrote this last week but #i had to Exercise Some Self Control

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sl-walker · 4 years ago

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With Maul I always got the impression that while all show writers and many people of the VA cast like Witwer e.g. are clearly huge Star Wars fans and will legitimately quote the entire movie back to you, in all interviews, commentaries and alike that I've read it seems like the majority of them has never gone down the rabbit hole of reading SW books. And this especially holds true to Maul I think. There's a huge disconnect between book Maul and TCW Maul and though there are aspects of TCW Maul I really appreciate and would include in an own characterization (admittedly the Shakespearian drama/flair or his relationship with Savage e.g.), it does feel like - as is the case rather often with SW - they prioritized things like skill and "being bad-ass" over deeper characterization, expecting the former to magically make up for the ladder. Though arguably Maul got surprisingly much development in comparison to other TCW characters. The Mandalore arc was quite good but I shall never figure out the point of the episode with Hondo.

Idk. I can't really put into words what precisely seems off about book Maul/TCW Maul but these were just my thoughts.

I think it's definitely a case of them having brought him back for no other reason than because Lucas regretted killing him off. Because he was super popular after TPM. And if I remember my various readings of interviews right, Filoni originally didn't want to bring him back.

I think that definitely adds to it.

Wrath was actually written to coincide with his resurrection, believe it or not, in TCW. But you can tell that the authors of his Legends books did all read one another's works and build on it! Luceno read Windham's works and vice-versa. Schreiber no doubt read them, too. All of them read Jude Watson's Episode I Journal, which came out in 2000. All of them read Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves, which came out in 2001. Because those later works referenced the earlier ones often enough.

And ALL of these generally worked together to build a very good portrait of Maul as a person. Not only as a Sith apprentice, but as a stolen, abused, brainwashed victim of Sidious. Every one of them pinged off of one another in some way or another, and that made for a really compelling character. Like-- Luceno, Windham and Schreiber all displayed how damned anxious he was. They showed him in various states of vulnerable, exhausted or under stress, too. And more-- he was the protagonist of these stories he starred in! You were rooting for him! Or crying for him!

Whereas TCW Maul was never actually meant to be any kind of protagonist like Legends Maul was allowed to be. You didn't get a version of Lockdown, where you're cheering him on in these awful cage fights, or getting irritated because Sadiki is sexually harassing him, or Feeling Things when he's so damn anxious to just-- be relevant to his Master and be good enough. Never mind that dream sequence. Or the birds. Or-- don't even get me started.

Anyway, I think all those things add up to the difference. Those Legends authors, because of their assignments and because Maul was -- by necessity -- the protagonist of his own books, treated him like a person. Not just a really cool villain. They had to make him relatable enough to an audience to sell the books, and damn, they succeeded. Wrath will wreck you. Lockdown will make you smile and wince and shake your head and maybe even love him, that poor deluded kid. Endgame will make you wanna go, "God, Maul, just-- turn the fuck around, it's clear Sidious is using you."

There are good things to come out of TCW. Savage. Feral. The sociology of this entire damn subspecies of zabrak being held slaves, as in actual oncreen acknowledged slaves, because that sure as hell adds some very intriguing layers to Maul, too. And, again, twelve years bathing in nothing but rage and suffering and then getting mindfucked by a witch claiming to be your mother after she had one of your brothers murder the other would make anyone crack in the head, let alone someone who was tortured and brainwashed from infancy and/or toddlerhood.

This has gotten long. But in the end, the reason Legends is better is simply because his authors made him a person. Not a means to an end, not fanservice, not a vehicle to make Kenobi or Ventress or Hondo or Ahsoka look good, but as a whole person, damaged and anxious and deluded, but also brave as hell and honorable. And relatable, too, especially to other victims of long-term, systemic abuse.

I love them for that. I love him because of that.

#long post for ts #maul #he is a subject i can apparently talk too much about

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gffa · 5 years ago

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I LOVED THIS SCENE A LOT, IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT WAS NEEDED BETWEEN THESE TWO CHARACTERS. It’s a softer final scene between the two of them, it’s not the angry one of the previous episode, where they were both coming from understandable places and yet were totally at odds with each other, that this episode still has a lot of the hurt and anger there, but they can put it aside to focus on something that matters more to both of them--Anakin. This is why Ahsoka is Obi-Wan’s Padawan as well as she’s Anakin’s. The little touches in the episode were a great way to support that--Ahsoka twirling her saber like Obi-Wan, Maul commenting that she has Obi-Wan’s arrogance, etc.--but it’s in this moment, when they both soften towards the other because they can put aside their own issues, that they are both selfless people at the end of the day, that they’re able to end on a better note. The gifs don’t do it justice, the way Obi-Wan’s voice softens when he speaks to Ahsoka, the utter amount of care in his voice, the way her anger drains out of her (not all the way, she’s not there yet, but she lets go of much of it, when she understands that he’s reaching out to her) when he talks to her about how the Jedi aren’t perfect. And here’s the thing--they’re not, they cannot be, because perfection doesn’t exist and a huge, huge part of the problem in-universe is that they were held to impossible standards of perfection and, when they were human, the propaganda that Sidious used against them was a huge part of what killed them. To hold them to impossible standards is to break them, that when they make any kind of mistake, then they’re suddenly total trash and an abusive group of people who never really cared about anyone else. Which is blatantly untrue, that everything they’ve done was what they saw as genuinely the best option in front of them. And Obi-Wan has always said that the Jedi aren’t perfect, this is hardly news at all:

(Age of Republic: Obi-Wan Kenobi + Kanan: The Last Padawan) Hell, even here in “The Phantom Apprentice”, Obi-Wan’s not suddenly saying that Ahsoka was totally right and the Jedi were totally wrong, he’s just not getting on her case because that’s not what she needs to hear right now. That’s not what she deserves and not what he wants to give her. This scene, of him saying that the Jedi Council makes mistakes, is perfectly in line with what he tells Anakin about this situation in the Crystal Crisis arc:

Mistakes were made, but she chose to leave. She let emotions cloud her better judgement in her most critical moment. In “Old Friends Not Forgotten” she does the same, she allows her feelings about what she wants to do to override that she’s being unfair about how the people of Coruscant need the Jedi, because the Separatists are attacking and we know what the Separatists do to planets they attack. She’s wrong that the Jedi are just playing politics about saving the Chancellor instead of helping Mandalore, but that’s not what she needs to hear right in this moment and Obi-Wan is selfless enough, is Jedi enough, to let go of his own stuff to help her instead. And Ahsoka, for all that she’s not a Jedi, is acting very much like a Jedi (in the words of Dave Filoni, who is writing this arc), is moving towards being selfless enough to understand that, to look past her own entirely legitimately pain and see that Obi-Wan is reaching out to her. She herself said she wasn’t being fair in “Old Friends Not Forgotten”, the last time she talked to Obi-Wan--and I think having him acknowledge her hurt, that it doesn’t matter what he thinks is the right/wrong thing here, that he genuinely cares about her and her hurt, that he recognizes that her feelings are valid, softens her a lot. At the same time, though, narrative reliability is a thing and this conversation has a really important point right smack in the middle of it:

“The Chancellor has been a great friend and mentor to Anakin.” In the previous episode, she’s angry that Obi-Wan and Anakin are going to help the Chancellor, accusing the Jedi of sucking up to him basically, rather than helping the people who “truly” need it. Now, she finds out that they’re spying on the Chancellor and she’s like, WHAT!? He’s been a great friend and mentor to Anakin! This see-sawing shows that her arguments aren’t fair and that it’s not really about what she actually believes, but that it’s about her hurt and anger still bubbling up out of her. The Chancellor absolutely is not a great friend and mentor to Anakin, for Ahsoka to say this, it throws her into unreliable narrator territory (not a bad thing! it’s coming from an entirely understandable and reasonable place! and shows that she stepped outside of it for a really moment of selflessness) and thus the rest of what she says takes on new layers of meaning, on top of everything that wasn’t fair about what she said about the people of Coruscant. And I love it a lot, because this isn’t something she learned from Anakin, given that he’s not exactly great at setting aside his own pain, especially not this close to Revenge of the Sith. But Obi-Wan absolutely is. And Ahsoka is, too. This is something she got from being raised as a Jedi, from being herself, and from being Obi-Wan’s Padawan, too. That she sees him as her mentor right alongside Anakin and that’s why it was so good to have them end on a softer note, because these characters both did not deserve to live with the pain of that other scene being their final interaction with each other. They much more deserved the soft voices they use with each other and the soft looks they give each other, the initial mistrust melting away into remembering that they love each other, that they’re still family, even if they’re on different paths now. That they are both selfless enough to connect with each other, even when something is deeply painful to them. That this isn’t about “Ha HA! Obi-Wan or Ahsoka is totally right!” or “See, even Obi-Wan says the Jedi were totally wrong!” (They weren’t totally wrong or totally right. Same for Ahsoka.) But that it’s about, “These characters love each other and find a way to bridge that gap, to set aside much of it and find compassion for each other, because they are both good people when it comes down to it.” AND THEY BOTH DESERVED THAT MOMENT OF CONNECTION AND SOFTNESS WITH EACH OTHER I AM SO GLAD THEY GOT IT BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW I WAS GOING TO LIVE WITH STAR WARS IF THAT HAD BEEN THEIR FINAL SCENE TOGETHER LAST EPISODE.

#obi wan kenobi #ahsoka tano #tcw spoilers #meta #long post

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tanyawritesstories · 4 years ago

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Caged | Anakin Skywalker x Reader

I've had this fic sitting for a while so it was time I published it. Setting is: Anakin meets the Admiral's wife and falls for her. @anakinswhore I know I've told you about this so here it finally is 😊

Word count: 4,629

Warnings: fluff, blood, mentions of smut, intimate touching, fighter crash, space battles, I suppose I should put infidelity too

•••

The sound of the ship’s guns fueled your feet to run faster. The adrenaline was already pumping through your veins and you weren’t even in a ship yet. You continued your mad dash to the bridge of the Resolute, dodging pilots and officers, a smile plastered on your face. You finally reached the doors, stopping to smooth your dress and fix your hair. You didn’t want to look like you’d just been running half way across the ship at full speed. You took a few breaths to try and calm your nerves, once convinced you looked proper you entered the bridge. Your eyes widening at the scene through the massive viewports. Your feelings were a mixture of horror and awe. There was a huge battle going on outside, pilots on both sides firing nonstop blasts of red and blue energy. Clone officers were scurrying around communicating with the pilots outside and providing a constant stream of information to Admiral Yularen who stood giving orders and observing the chaos. You walked closer to the viewports, mesmerized.

“Darling what are you doing up here?”

You turned to see your husband walking to your side. “I just wanted to see what was going on,” you explained, “Is there any way I can help?”

Admiral Yularen reached you and took your hands in his, “I’m afraid not, my dear. The men have this under control.”

Just as he finished saying that the force of a ship blowing up a little too close to the viewports shook the bridge. You grabbed onto your husband's arm and he put his arms around you in a protective way.

“What’s going on out there?” He asked. “We’re losing men, sir,” a clone officer reported. Your husband slowly let go of you once he made sure you had your footing. “Get General Skywalker up here!” He ordered. “Right away, sir.”

“I can help,” you chimed in. “It’s far too dangerous,” he answered, crossing the room. You followed him, “Wullf, please. You know I can help, let me help,” you begged. “There is no need,” he said, turning to you, “Skywalker will be up here soon and he can manage it.” “But what if he’s not enough,” you suggested.

“Trust me, my dear, he will be.”

Just after that the bridge doors opened again to reveal a man clad in dark Jedi robes, messy brown hair and striking blue eyes.

You had never met Anakin Skywalker before, in fact this was the only time you were allowed on the war front. You had heard your husband talk about him, from the way he talked you could tell that Skywalker must be somewhat of a pain in the ass. But your husband did respect him and the fact that he got things done, even though he may not like the way he goes about getting them done.

“Ah, General Skywalker, just in time, we’ve got quite a mess on our hands,” Wullf addressed the General. “I can see that Admiral,” he said with an amused look, “I assume that means you need my help to clean it up.”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” your husband said sternly, you could tell he was irked. You bit your lip and looked away to try and keep yourself from laughing as you stood at his side. “Well, it won’t be easy with the small amount of pilots we have left, but I’ll do my best,” Skywalker affirmed. You couldn’t keep quiet this time.

“See, that’s how I can help! My fighter is in the hangar, I can easily jump in and help lessen the number of droids out there,” you rambled. Your husband gave you a stern look and you shrunk back a little. “And who might you be?” Anakin asked with a smile. Wullf put an arm around your back, “General, allow me to introduce my wife: (Y/n) Yularen. (Y/n), this is Jedi General Anakin Skywalker.”

Anakin reached out his hand and you took it, he brought your hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. You couldn't be much older than him, quite young to be married to the Admiral who was much older than you. “A pleasure, m’lady,” he said. Your cheeks flushed slightly at his actions, “The pleasure is all mine and call me (Y/n) if you don’t mind.” Anakin nodded in acknowledgment. “Are you a pilot?” He asked. “One of the best in my opinion,” your husband answered, “She has quite the reputation on our home planet, but I thought it best for her safety to keep her out of the war.”

Your face hardened and you looked away again. You knew Wullf loved you but he was keeping you from using your natural talents to help save lives, something you desperately wanted to do. It felt wrong that you just sat in your comfortable home all day knowing there were people out there fighting and dying to keep you safe. Not to mention your husband putting himself at risk too. That was why you had begged and pleaded with him to bring you along on his latest campaign, an idea he wasn’t too fond of. You had listed all the reasons you had behind wanting to and promised you wouldn't get in the way but you would help wherever you could. After pestering him for three days, he finally relented and let you come along.

“I think you made a wise choice, Admiral,” Anakin stated. You rolled your eyes. Great, another person who thought you were some damsel in distress who couldn’t hold her own in a fight. “However,” Anakin started, your attention being drawn back to him “Considering the circumstances I would be very grateful for her assistance.” Your husband’s jaw dropped, “You can’t be serious? It’s a war zone out there! She could be killed!” You stood in front of your husband and put your hands on his chest in an attempt to calm him down.

“Wullf, I’ll be fine. Did you forget that I was the one defending our property and myself from pirates and bounty hunters while you were gone? Have I ever failed? Have I ever been hurt?”

He sighed, “No, you haven’t. I just wish there was some way I could protect you.” “You can,” you smiled, “I’ll be flying outside, you know what my ship looks like, you can keep an eye on me.”

“If it’s any consolation, Admiral, I can send my padawan out there, she can keep an eye on your wife,” Anakin offered. He looked between you and Anakin, making up his mind. “It would make me feel better, yes. Alright, you can go, but be careful,” he warned.

A huge smile spread across your face and you threw your arms around Wullf’s neck. You pulled back and gave him a big kiss on the lips, his eyes widening in shock as he tried to process your reaction. You pulled away before he could even think of kissing you back and ran to the door,

“C’mon no time to waste, let’s go!” Anakin watched you run to the door, his eyebrows high up on his face, just as shocked as the Admiral at your outburst. He turned to face the stunned man. “She’s your wife?” He asked with disbelief. “C’mon Skywalker no time to lose, the men need our help!” Anakin smiled and joined you at the door. “Don’t do anything reckless!” Wullf called. “No promises,” you and Anakin replied at the same time. You both laughed before running out the door, leaving your husband shaking his head and already regretting his decision.

You ran alongside Anakin as you both dashed to the hangar. He was a little surprised that you could keep up with him considering you were wearing a baggy floor length dress. A dress, how were you going to fly in that?

“I don’t know how you’re going to fly in that,” he addressed, looking at your dress. You stopped running, Anakin stopping a few feet ahead of you. “No worries,” you said. You undid the back of your dress and let it fall to the floor, revealing the pilot jumpsuit and gear you had been wearing underneath it. Anakin stared, impressed. You picked the dress off the floor and threw it into a nearby maintenance room. “Good to go,” you said and began running again. He watched you run for little before catching up with you, he liked you a lot already.

You were about halfway there when Anakin tapped the comm device on his wrist. “Ahsoka, I need you in the hangar.” A spritely voice responded through the device, “Already there, master. The last of our pilots are heading out.” “Good, I’ll be down there soon.”

You and Anakin made it to the hangar and he led the way over to a couple of Jedi fighters. There was a young Togruta girl talking to a high ranking clone in blue armor who promptly ran to his men after she motioned to them. You and Anakin approached and she turned to face you.

“Are we all set, Ahsoka?” He asked. “Yep,” she chirped, she noticed you and curiously looked you up and down. “This is (Y/n), Admiral Yularen’s wife,” Anakin introduced. “I didn’t know the Admiral was married,” she replied. “Neither did I but according to him she’s quite the pilot and she wants to help, I need you to keep an eye on her.” Ahsoka looked taken aback. “Hey, why me? If she’s as good as he says she is can’t she look out for herself.” Anakin’s eyes narrowed at her for a second, “I’m sure she doesn’t, but I promised the Admiral we’d both keep an eye on her.” She crossed her arms, “ok.” You liked her, she reminded you of yourself at that age.

“Don’t worry about me Ahsoka, I can handle myself,” you assured. “I’ll see you out there.” You began jogging to your ship and Anakin soon caught up to you. “Mind if I take a look at your ship? It won’t take long.” You agreed and jogged to your ship.

It was an interesting looking thing, definitely customized. It held the same shape as his Jedi fighter but with three extending wings on each side, there was a blaster cannon at the end of each wing. There was a green and orange astromech on the front right side just above two holes that looked like they were for missiles.

“Wow,” he said, “Where’d you get it?”

“I made it,” you answered. “I took parts from about 50 different ships and threw it all together to make this beauty. Three wings on each side, the top and bottom ones flare out, the middle one is stationary,” you moved to the back of the ship and Anakin followed you. “This compartment down here contains droppable bombs and seismic charges.” “Where did you get weaponry like this?” Anakin questioned. “When your husband is in the military it’s not too hard,” you informed him with a smirk. You moved to the front, “The holes here are for missiles, tracking torpedoes, and occasionally Ion shot. And, of course, you have my R9 astromech in front.”

Anakin was impressed, beyond that, hearing you talk about your ship with knowledge and admiration was incredibly attractive. More so, it was hot. He wondered for a moment how you ended up marrying someone as boring and serious as Admiral Yularen when you were so clearly his opposite.

“An R9, huh? Where did you come by one of those?” You placed your hand on the droid's head. “Traded an old ship for him, he wasn’t in the greatest shape when I got him, so I polished him up, added some new parts and now he’s good as new.” You said proudly. Anakin crossed his arms and smirked at you, “Impressive, can’t wait to see you in action.” He winked at you and took off to get in his own ship.

You found yourself blushing again and you climbed into your ship. The cockpit closed and you powered up the ship by pressing a number of buttons and switches. You opened your comm channel and could hear the other pilots communicating. You raised your dual steering handles and the ship lifted into the air. With a turn and twist you were shooting out into space. You flipped a switch and the wings on your fighter fanned out, the guns were ready to go. The battle came to you the second you were out the hangar doors, you swerved and dodged avoiding the bullets being shot your way. The familiar tingle of adrenaline started coursing through your veins making the hair on your arms stand up.

Go time.

You thrusted the handles forward and rocketed into the fray. “The cavalry has arrived, boys,” you heard Anakin say over the channel. You smirked and picked out your targets heading for two vulture droids that were chasing another pilot. You pulled up behind them and easily shot them both down, picking out four more targets. You swept under the pilot you saved and sped to take down the others. After taking out at least a dozen droids in only a few minutes, the clone pilots had noticed you.

“Who is that?” You heard one of them ask. “It’s (Y/n) Yularen at your service, thought you boys could use some help out here,” you answered. “It’s appreciated, sir,” another pilot answered. Ahsoka and Anakin kept a lookout for you though you were proving you most definitely did not need it.

It had been at least an hour and you were no closer to winning. You had shot down 76 droid fighters but they just kept coming. "We need to take down those enemy cruisers or we'll never win this battle," you said.

"If you have any ideas let us know!"

You quickly thought of something you hoped would work. "Bridge, patch me through to the Admiral," you requested. "On it, sir." After a couple seconds your husband's voice came over the comm, "(Y/n), you doing alright out there?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I have an idea on how to take out those cruisers." There was silence on the other end, "I'm listening." "Ok, my seismic charges will blow through anything. If I can get close enough, I can drop a few and take out one of the cruisers."

"Tell me you're not serious," he replied, "That's a death wish!"

"No," you bargained, "I can get past their defenses and take one out, I know I can!” “(Y/n), reinforcements are on their way, just wait-” “But Wullf I can finish this!” You pleaded. “No!,” he snapped, “You’ll stay near the ship and take out the smaller fighters, that is an order!”

Your mouth opened in shock, he had never ordered you to do anything and never used that tone of voice with you either. It sent a twinge of pain through your chest, your eyes brimmed with tears but you quickly blinked them away. “Yes, sir,” you answered, sadness in your voice.

Anakin was angry, plain and simple. He knew you had the power and ability to end this battle and your husband wasn’t letting you. To add to that, Anakin could tell that you wanted to help more than anything, and it was awful to hear the Admiral yell at you over the comm channel. But what had sealed the deal and made Anakin seethe was your reply, your tone clearly betraying that you were on the verge of tears and hurt by your husband’s words. He saw your ship turn and continue to shoot down droids, staying within the vicinity of the bridge viewport. He was being too controlling, not letting you be who you wanted to. Anakin liked you, maybe a tad too much.

About several minutes passed and you noticed another thing coming from the enemy cruisers. Bombing ships. They started flying towards the surface and you knew exactly what their plan was.

"Those bombers are heading for the surface," You called out, "I'm going after them."

"No! (Y/n), stay up here," Wullf said. "I don't have a choice," you turned your ship to follow the bombers. "(Y/n), I'm warning you-" You clicked off your comms and shoved your control handles forward, heading full speed towards the bombers and the surface of the planet.

Meanwhile, Anakin was witnessing the panic on the comm channel. The Admiral was shouting your name, wondering why you weren't answering. Other pilots and officers were responding saying you'd turned off your comms. Your husband was trying to order some of the pilots to go after you, but he had a better idea.

"Admiral, I'll go after your wife and bring her back safe. Ahsoka, stay up here and help. Make sure Obi-Wan gets here and those droids are taken out." He flicked a couple switches and followed after you. "Will do, Master," Ahsoka responded.

You shot towards the surface, hot on the trails of the four bombers. You pulled up close behind one and lowered your ship. You targeted the bomber in front of the last one and fired a torpedo. Your weapon hit its target and exploded, taking out the last ship. You dodged and followed the other two ships into the planet's atmosphere. You aimed and easily shot down the second to last one. You aimed again but the droid bomber gave chase and you followed it across the surface of the planet, taking sharp turns and spins. Finally, you had it in your sights. You focused on your targeting computer and waited until the lights blinked then fired. Torpedos shot out and the ship burst into a cloud of fire and metal.

“Woo!” You celebrated. A sudden blast rocked your ship and looked behind to see another enemy ship had followed you. You went to turn but it was too late, the droid shot at your engines and they immediately caught fire. Your ship hit the ground and one of the wings caught on a boulder sending your ship spiraling along the ground, tossing you around in the cockpit. You tried to stabilize yourself but it was impossible, your head hit the metal of a control panel and your vision went black.

Anakin saw the droid fighter take its shot and the instant fire in your engines. He fired and took out the fighter just in time to see your ship rolling along the ground headed right towards a huge cliff. He ejected himself out of his ship and landed on the ground, holding out his hands to stop your ship from rolling over the edge. He stopped it upright and ran to it, climbing on top. He looked inside and saw you slumped over in your seat unconscious with blood covering the left side of your face. He ripped the hatch off with the force and gently took your body in his arms. The movement shook you back awake and you clung to Anakin as he lifted you out of the burning ship.

“Can you walk?” He asked. “I think so,” you responded, wincing.

Anakin put your arm around his shoulders and you both moved to get away from the ship. You were going as fast as you could when there was a huge explosion behind you and Anakin shoved you to the ground, covering your body with his and also trying not to crush you. You held onto him for dear life until he said it was safe to get up. The first thing you saw was what little remained of your ship, flames and hunks of metal scattered around, it kind of made you sad.

“I’m gonna miss that ship, she served me well,” you reminisced. “Let’s get away from this, we need to get you patched up somehow,” Anakin addressed. Your legs were jelly and he kindly offered you his arm for support.

Now that you were calm you could actually take in your surroundings. The top of the plateau you were on was a meadow, the grass wasn’t too long and there were flowers growing throughout. There was a tree line not far away and a decent sized stream that ran out from the trees and tumbled down the cliff. You were vaguely aware of your injury, the pain hadn’t set in yet and you hoped Anakin could get it dressed before that happened.

“Let's sit you down right here,” Anakin said, he took hold of your arms and lowered you to the ground. “I have bacta patches in this,” you pulled a small container off your belt and handed it to him. He gently dabbed at the blood and pain shot through you. You grabbed his arm and bit your lip to try and keep from crying out. He apologized and continued cleaning the wound. You sighed and Anakin could sense you were upset but it wasn’t about the injury you had sustained.

“Wullf will not be happy when he finds out I got hurt,” you pondered, “I’ve never crashed in my life.” Anakin couldn’t stop the words that came out of his mouth.

“Do you care if he’s happy?”

“Excuse me?”

Well, there was no going back now. “It seems to me like he gets in your way a lot,” Anakin said as he applied the bacta patch. “No, he just.. well, yes but.. he thinks he’s doing the right thing.”

Anakin lowered his hands from your head but your hands stayed on his arm. You noticed and took your hands away, “I should comm him and tell him I’m alright.” Anakin removed the comm device on his wrist and handed it to you. “Here, use mine.” You smiled and thanked him, getting the device working in seconds. Your husband answered and you told him you were alright and that Skywalker was with you.

“Good, that makes me feel somewhat better. General Kenobi is here and as soon as we end this battle we’ll send a gunship down to get you,” Wullf informed. “Sounds good,” you replied, making sure to sound happy, “He and I have plenty of resources around us, we’ll be fine.”

“That’s good to hear, you’re not hurt are you?” You paused and looked at Anakin to find him already looking at you, curious as to what you’d say. “Nothing but a few scratches, darling,” you reassured, “Stay focused, I’ll see you soon.” You clicked off the device and exhaled a sigh of relief, handing it back to Anakin. You mumbled an ‘excuse me’ and stood up, walking a few meters away to sit next to the stream and splash water on your face. Everything was slowly hitting you now, you had disobeyed your husband and nearly gotten killed, your ship was destroyed and Anakin’s had gone off the cliff while trying to rescue you, and the only emotion you could find for the whole situation was anger.

“Do you lie to him often?” You turned to see Anakin standing a few feet away. “I try not to, but he gets distraught over me easily.” Your anger came to the point of not caring who you were talking to, you needed to let it out.

“I don’t understand how he can boss me around like I’m one of the officers he commands? I’m his wife! Yet all he does is toss me in a dark corner and tell me not to move. It’s unfair! I want to be out, in space, flying and fighting. I know I can help, I know I can do more but he just won’t let me!” You ranted. You leaned your back against a large rock and huffed, “I just don’t understand.” Anakin sat down next to you, “You’re a wild one,” he observed, “and Yularen is trying to tame you.”

Anakin was still, if not more, angry at the Admiral, but right now he just felt sorry for you. You were like him: reckless, energetic, adventure seeking; he didn’t understand why the Admiral wouldn’t want someone like you. Anakin knew he did, and he knew your husband was treating you wrong. He couldn’t help but think how much better he would treat you if you were his.

“I just always feel limited, like I can’t do anything I want to do,” you continued to rant, “I want to fight in the war, and fly to as many planets as I can, and go galavanting after evildoers. He doesn’t let me do anything like that.” Anakin took your hand in his, “You feel like you’re in a cage, don’t you?” Your lips parted and you began to calm down, “Yes, exactly.” He moved his hand from yours to rest it on your knee, “I’m sorry.”

You unzipped the front of your pilot jumpsuit down to your stomach and opened it a little, allowing for air flow to your upper body. You didn’t care that you were only wearing a bra underneath it, you trusted Anakin and you liked him, a lot. You both had so much in common and the thought of him being your husband instead of Wullf passed through your head briefly. You knew it was wrong, but you were drawn to Anakin, he had everything you wanted.

The fact that he was now at a near perfect angle to see the cleavage you just exposed did not help Anakin’s current situation. He was already falling for you, the thoughts of stealing you from the Admiral now passing through his mind without shame. You had already stirred his system earlier when you were swaying around your ship, proudly showing it off. Even while you were angrily ranting about how your husband doesn’t treat you right, all Anakin could focus on was your flushed face and how your chest was rising and falling between breaths. You were hot when you were mad and he would be lying if he said it didn’t go straight to his groin.

Now he was staring unashamedly at your breasts while you looked off into the distance. He couldn’t resist and began slowly moving his hand up until it was resting on your thigh. Your thinking was interrupted by the sensation of fingers dancing on your inner thigh. It was pleasant and sent tingles through your legs and abdomen. You looked at Anakin and his face flashed with panic as he quickly removed his hand.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“No,” you cut in, “Please, don’t stop.” Anakin’s eyes darkened and he moved closer so your shoulders were touching, you sounded so desperate, like you had been deprived of touch for years. He put his hand on your cheek and pulled your face closer to his. He looked between your lips and your eyes, silently asking for consent which he found when you nodded. He pulled you to him and your lips connected in a heated exchange. Oh how wrong you knew this was, but you were addicted first try. Anakin tasted like mint and sweat and you were hooked. His hand moved from your cheek downwards, he found your breast and squeezed lightly. His actions sent heat directly to your core and you moaned into his mouth. Anakin broke away and observed your reaction, your eyes were clouded with lust and he could sense just how much you wanted him.

“When was the last time he touched you?” Anakin wondered. “Our wedding night, a year and two months ago,” you confessed. “That’s a long time to go without any special attention,” he spoke, voice smooth, “I bet you need some, huh?”

You whimpered out a yes. “You want freedom don’t you?” He pushed the top of your jumpsuit off your shoulders. “Come here, I’ll show you what freedom tastes like.”

#star wars the clone wars #anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker x reader #star wars fanfiction

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obwjam · 4 years ago

Note

Ok so I loved your ‘Anakin gets shrunk’ thing but now I’m also imagining a scenario in which the tiny is suddenly as tall as their giant friends.

AH THANK U i’m glad you liked it 🥺🥺 but also yes i think about this all the time too..... mayhaps it would go something like this

————

It happened suddenly, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where only a few people were paying attention because nobody thought it was going to work. They had finally made significant progress on their mission to reverse engineer the Separatist weapon that shrunk Anakin Skywalker to just a few inches tall, and a few members of the Jedi Council were eager to see if the nonstop work had paid off. Standing near him was Jayla, his lifelong tiny friend who had helped keep Anakin sane during the worst month of his life. There was a non-zero chance this antidote wasn’t going to work, so she was on standby in case something went wrong.

It worked, though. Maybe a little too well.

There was a blinding light that filled the medical bay as the growth ray was activated. Anakin felt like his body was being torn apart before the pain melted and his eyes adjusted to the room. Wow, everything is so much brighter.

“Anakin!” came the excited and relieved voice of Obi-Wan.

“Did... did it work?” Anakin asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, thank the Force, it did— oh my...”

Sitting on the table to Anakin, there was a new person in the room. It was Jayla, who was no longer four inches tall and instead seemed to be taller than even the five-and-a-half-foot Ahsoka. A splitting headache was all that was left after the fire in her body subsided. No matter how many times she blinked, she couldn’t see clearly.

Anakin turned, following Obi-Wan’s gaze. His jaw just about hit the floor. “What the...”

“Ugh, why do I feel so—woah...” Jayla slurred through her words, and her voice suddenly sounded like she was screaming. It felt like the words were traveling from her brain to her mouth in slow motion. Through the pain in her head, she strained her eyes to try and make out the figures in front of her. She took a shortened breath. Why did everything feel so closed in?

A concerned Jayla? was the only thing she heard before her eyes rolled back and she passed out right on the table.

Anakin and Obi-Wan rushed to help her as Ahsoka, Yoda, Plo Koon and Mace Windu watched in subdued shock.

Ahsoka was the one to break the silence. “Uhm... what just happened?”

Nobody really had an answer. They threw out speculations as Anakin stood at Jayla’s bedside, making sure she was okay. It didn’t take long for her eyes to start fluttering.

Anakin waved his hand and shushed the group as Jayla stirred awake. At first, her eyelids remained heavy and she could barely make out what she was seeing. But suddenly, the face in front of her took shape. Anakin was shockingly close to her, and yet, he didn’t look big at all. It must not have worked.

“Anakin...” she muttered, finding her voice. “What happened? I got the worst headache... oh kriff, that thing didn’t work, did it?”

“Jay,” Anakin cut her off. “It... it did work.”

Jayla blinked, thoroughly confused. “Um, are you joking? You’re still tiny.”

“No, he’s not.”

“Then why—“ she started, but once she looked over to where Obi-Wan’s voice was coming from, she nearly swallowed her tongue. Obi-Wan was eye-level, but he wasn’t bending down, and his face didn’t take up her entire view. In fact, he was several feet away, but it felt like he was right next to her. She tried to reach into the Force to figure out what was going on, but she flinched away when a thousand different sensations flooded her mind. It hurt almost as bad as the headache.

“Take it easy!” Anakin cautioned as Jayla shot up, her eyes wide. Stars flashed briefly in her vision. Her limbs felt like jelly. “You don’t look so good.”

“Stop, stop...” Jayla squeezed her eyes shut as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. “You’re talking too loud.”

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, a look of concern passing between them. The Jedi in the corner stayed put, partially so they didn’t startle Jayla and partially because they were still in shock.

Jayla stared at her feet and took a few deep breaths as she allowed the world around her to normalize in her brain. Even though the floor was so far away from her now, she could still see it in excruciating detail. She swung her legs a few times, gasping when the tips of her toes brushed against the cool tile. When she remembered the Jedi standing in the corner of the room, she glanced up, only able to hold eye contact for just a few uncomfortable seconds before moving her head back down. The Force confirmed what seemed too impossible to be true — not only did the antidote grow Anakin back, but it grew her, too.

“I’m... uh. Wow. I’m really... wow,” Jayla breathed, eyes still trained downward. “This is... really weird.”

“How do you feel?” Obi-Wan was now standing next to the bed. His mind was racing to find a potential explanation for what was in front of him.

“Um. Confused,” she said, still getting used to the projection of her voice. She was too afraid to look Obi-Wan in the eye. “Everything feels loud.”

“How can something feel loud?” Anakin questioned.

“I dunno! It’s... it’s like my senses have been dialed up to 100. Like something is bound to happen at any moment.”

“Sounds like you’re just a bit anxious,” Obi-Wan said. “I don’t blame you.”

“No no, it’s more than that. Like... like I can hear what’s going on outside the door. All the people walking by, how their footsteps sound. And how Rex is standing in the hallway and trying to act like he’s not nervous but he’s really freaking out ‘cause he doesn’t know why it’s taking so long and he’s assuming it didn’t work. And the medical droid — the one over there, across the room — it’s making some sedative. Mixing bacta with... something green. It smells awful in here, too, and it’s really distracting.”

Obi-Wan and Anakin stared at her in stunned silence for a moment. Neither of them had sensed Rex outside the room, much less what he was feeling, and the medical droid was too far away to make out the labels of what it was mixing. They certainly couldn’t hear anything going on outside of their little huddle. And the room didn’t even have a smell.

“Hmm.” Obi-Wan calmly rubbed his chin, casting a sideways glance at the other Jedi masters in the room. They seemed to all be thinking the same thing. “We can discuss this later, Jayla. Right now, we need to make sure both of your vitals are stable.”

Jayla nodded, again closing her eyes in an attempt to reduce her bubble of perception. She couldn’t take all the noise.

“Ahsoka, please keep Anakin and Jayla company and let me know if there are any anomalies in their readings. Masters, if you don’t mind?” Obi-Wan jerked his head to the door. Yoda, Plo Koon and Mace Windu, who had stayed surprisingly silent through the whole ordeal, followed Obi-Wan into the hall. They were a little astounded to see Rex as described: leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his fingers gripped tightly around his armor. He perked up when he saw the group of Jedi, but didn’t say anything as they moved off to the side. If they didn’t know any better, they would have just assumed he was tense about being in the Jedi Temple.

“I don’t know what to make of this,” Obi-Wan started. “What went wrong?”

“Too close, she was standing, when we fired our antidote,” Yoda said with confidence. “Caught in its range, she was.”

“I agree,” Mace chimed in. “Though that doesn’t explain why it has the exact same effect on her when it was only intended to reverse what had been done to Skywalker.”

“Maybe the effect wasn’t the same. She seems to have this... heightened connection to the Force,” Obi-Wan offered. “I knew she was strong with it before, but now...”

“It seems that the strength of her abilities grew with her physical body,” Plo finished.

“But Skywalker’s connection to the Force was never diminished,” Mace said. “Besides, that’s not how the Force works.”

“Possible, it may be, that this is not a matter concerning the Force,” Yoda said, drawing the attention of the other matters. “Hyper-attentive, her species is. Always like this, she could have been.”

The four Jedi considered that possibility. It made sense on the surface — she had always been quick and perceptive, and seemed to sense things coming before they happened. Now that she was their size, she was just interpreting her surroundings like normal, but on a much bigger scale, which allowed for picking up on things that humans or togrutas or anyone else would miss.

“If that is the case, then I’m afraid our little Jayla is going to be very overwhelmed by her new world,” Obi-Wan posited. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

“We don’t even know how long she’ll be like this,” Mace stressed. “The truth of the matter is we have no idea how either of them will react to this antidote in the long-term. We need to keep a close eye on both of them, at all times.”

“Leave that to me,” Obi-Wan said. He was growing increasingly worried about how Jayla was taking all of this. He wanted to be there for her.

“Master Yoda and I can analyze the readings to see if we can find anything helpful,” Plo looked down to Yoda, who nodded in acknowledgment. “It will take some time, but as long as their vitals are stable, I see no reason to keep them cooped up in the temple.”

“We still have this war to deal with,” Mace grumbled.

“We can’t send them back out there. Especially Jayla. Not yet,” Obi-Wan protested. “We need to run more tests first.”

“With all due respect, Master Kenobi, there’s only so much a medical droid can tell us,” Plo responded. “We may have to see them in action to get a better sense of their boundaries.”

Obi-Wan considered this. “For Anakin, I suppose I agree with that. But we don’t know what our antidote did to Jayla, or what it will do. We should keep her here for a while.”

“She won’t like that,” Plo said.

“It doesn’t matter what she likes or not. We have a responsibility to keep her safe.”

Mace turned to Yoda, who had stayed silent in the debate. “Master Yoda, do you feel comfortable letting Jayla go out on the battlefield with Skywalker and Padawan Tano once she settles down? If she’s really as perceptive as you think, she could be a huge asset.”

Yoda hummed. While the idea of throwing Jayla back into battle like nothing happened felt odd to him and he was concerned with putting too much on her plate, he also agreed with Mace’s reasoning. The situation in the galaxy was dire, and they needed all the Jedi they could get to fight off the growing influence of the dark side. Plus, he knew his former padawan would adamantly refuse to stay in the temple.

“She may go. But careful, we must be. Know not how she will react to such a chaotic environment.”

“Very well, Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan said. If Yoda thought it was okay, he supposed he could go along with it. “She’ll have me, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex with her. She’ll be well protected.”

The Jedi all nodded, feeling slightly better about the situation. Obi-Wan watched as the other three filed back into the medbay. He made his way over to Rex, whose anxiety was easily sensible now. He sure had a lot of explaining to do.

————-

“You’re being dramatic.”

“Am I? I don’t think you understand how weird this is for me right now.”

“No, no, I think I understand perfectly. Did you forget the last month?”

“That was different!”

“Please! I wasn’t going around touching everything like I just woke up from stasis.”

“I’ve never held a book before, okay? I had to see what it was like!”

Anakin and Ahsoka were taking Jayla on a grand re-tour of the Jedi Temple. The place was almost unrecognizable at Jayla’s new height of five feet and eight inches. She didn’t understand how she was still so much shorter than Anakin.

“Come on, master,” Ahsoka dared to interject. “Don’t you think you’re being just a little unfair?”

“Psh, no way. Suddenly being tall is way less awkward than suddenly being small.”

“Is it, though?” Jayla said, finding a windowsill to lean against. She wasn’t used to this much walking. “I feel so... exposed. Everyone can see me now.”

“Isn’t that nice, though?” Ahsoka asked. “I mean, don’t you want people to notice you?”

“I guess...” Jayla trailed off, tracing her finger along her wrist. “It’s just really overwhelming. It feels like everyone’s staring at me.”

“I think they are,” Anakin muttered. Word traveled fast in the walls of the temple.

“I never realized you had a tattoo,” Ahsoka said, noticing for the first time the intricate symbol on Jayla’s wrist.

“Yeah. It’s, uh, it’s something everyone in my village gets. Or, got. Here.” She held her wrist out, still getting used to the fact that it was the same size as everyone else’s. “These symbols here, that’s a language. I never actually got to learn it fully, and I’ve forgotten almost all of it, but it means al’hora dessili. Clan of Al. The animal-looking thing is a corano. It’s part of ancient legend. It symbolizes intuition, which I guess was the trait that was most prevalent in me when I was young.”

“How could they have known?” Ahsoka asked. “I mean, didn’t the council come and find you when you were an infant?”

Jayla sniffed a laugh. “I think I was almost 10 when they found me.” She exchanged a knowing glance with Anakin. “And I think it was entirely by accident.”

Ahsoka blushed. “Oh. I had no idea.”

“That’s by design,” Jayla smirked. “Master Windu was the one who discovered me. Hah, out of all the things I’ve seen, that might have been the scariest day of my life. Even now, when we’re almost the same height, I’m still kinda freaked out by him.”

A gust of wind caught Jayla’s hair and she lost her words. Something like that used to knock her off her feet, or at the very least, push her back a bit. But now, that breeze was like a kiss on her cheek as she gazed out in wonder at the busy world below. The towers still towered, but in a majestic way instead of an imposing one. Everything seemed within reach.

“Excuse me, sirs.”

The three whipped their heads around to find Rex standing with his helmet resting between his arm and his side. Obi-Wan was deep in conversation with someone else across the way, answering many of the same questions that Rex had posited on the way over.

“Rex,” Anakin smiled.

“General Skywalker. It’s so good to see you back to normal.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Are you feeling alright?

“Yeah. A little sore, actually. And just a bit tired. But if that’s what it takes, then I don’t care, because I’m just glad to be me again…”

Anakin trailed off when he realized Rex was no longer listening to him. Once he had locked eyes with Jayla, neither of them could tear their gaze away from the other. They both felt like they were looking at an entirely different person. Jayla’s stomach kept turning.

“Hey, Rex…” Jayla said slowly, as if she had just learned those words and was trying them out for the first time. “You’re, uh. You’re taller than I expected.”

Rex blinked. “I could say the same for you, sir.”

Jayla bit back a smile. “Yeah.”

Several beats of silence followed.

“Well.” Ahsoka could barely take it. “This is awkward.”

Anakin tapped Jayla’s shoulder. “I think she short circuited.”

“I think you should stop poking me,” Jayla retorted, playfully punching Anakin in the shoulder. Well. She thought it was playful.

“Ow! Kriff,” Anakin reeled back. “That hurt, yknow.”

“What? Really? M’sorry,” Jayla stammered, staring at her hand. I didn’t hit him that hard.

“If this is how strong you’re gonna be, then you’ll have to take it easy on the punches,” Anakin jested. “Save it for the Separatists.”

“If that’s how strong I’m gonna be...” Jayla repeated anxiously. “I don’t know how much I like that.”

Rex gave the two Jedi next to him a concerned look. They didn’t need words to know that it was time for one of them to change the subject.

Ahsoka spoke first. “Hey, why don’t we go to the dining hall and get some grub? I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving.”

“Uhm, I don’t really think I should,” Jayla said tentatively, rubbing her neck. “I have no idea what eating food could do to me. Or Anakin, really.”

“I didn’t even think of that,” Anakin muttered. “Well, what about the gardens? We still need to finish our grand tour. Rex, why don’t you join us?”

Rex’s face flushed red. “Oh, I--I shouldn’t, sir.”

“Come on, it’ll be nice! How often are you in the Jedi Temple?”

“This is my first time, sir.”

“See? Now you have to come. Jayla thinks it’s her first time in the temple too. You can touch the plants together.”

“Okay, listen--” she started, but stopped when she realized how exhausted she was. Getting angry took up a lot of energy. “Ugh. Can we take it slow? We’ve done so much walking already.”

“We’ve been out of the medbay for an hour!”

“Well, when you suddenly grow 15 times the height you’ve been all your life, you tell me how you feel!” Anakin wanted to keep poking fun, but nothing about that sentence was funny. Jayla sighed. “Sorry. I’m just… really tired.”

“Fresh air will help,” Rex interjected, daring to enter the conversation. “Trust me.”

Jayla gave him a small smile. The butterflies in her stomach were still there, but not as bad as before. “Okay. Let’s go.” She turned to Anakin. “Oh, and I will be touching all the plants.”

Anakin snickered. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Hey, if this is gonna be a long-term thing, then I’m gonna have fun with it. And half the fun comes from annoying you.”

“I wish I could get away with that,” Ahsoka muttered under her breath.

“Come on, kids! The tour continues!” Anakin waved the group forward. Jayla chuckled and even Rex cracked a smile.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

#lol this turned into a whole ass thing #the power of size swaps #and the power of me launching into excrutiating detail #it’s like if you were to grow an ant #mfs could carry like 1000 pounds by themselves #jayla’s hulking out #also really just jumped at the opportunity to dive into jayla lore #dont flame me for copying anakin's story beats it has a purpose #me: i will be answering more prompts!#also me: spends the whole day on this #it's not a phase mom this is just who i am #okay that's enough #obwrites #star wars g/t

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anakinisvaderisanakin · 4 years ago

Text

Your Hand - (aka Ahsoka and Anakin/Vader meet up three years post RotS (AU oneshot))

“It is too late.”

Ahsoka shook her head vehemently, refusing to accept the montone delivery of what was doubtless the truth. He sounded nothing like the Anakin she’d known, even as she reached out with the Force, searching for him - sensing only cold; a juxtaposition between the burning hatred and the freezing tendrils of the Dark Side coiling around him like treacherous, lethal serpents, ready to strike and deliver their venom straight into her bloodstream. Ready to watch her writhe, screaming in pain, pleading for mercy. She should be terrified, yet all she felt was numbness. Empty, null, void.

Palpative, making her throat burn and her eyes water. Refusing to budge, she took a tentative step towards the man she had once called master, the man who had taught her all she knew; all she cared to remember, harkening back to a past too painful to hold on to. Her older brother, her best friend, her anchor to her family.

“It’s not,” she persisted, ragged hands balled into tight fists; her face displaying what she hoped to be a determinate defiance.

He had taught her to fight back, taught her to be stubborn, to be relentless. Perhaps it may be the end of her, but if so, at least she would suffer no more. Besides, dying by his hand would be an honour. Swallowing hard; she locked her eyes onto the beeping red and green lights of his chest box. Monitoring his respiratory system mechanically, sustaining the suit keeping him alive. With his reputation, she should be terrified of him. Still, she felt an odd, eerie calm. No dread, no unease. No jittery nerves, only a solemn serenity. Only understanding, and a foreboding acceptance. Without thinking, she raised her left hand. She tugged with an invisible extension of her graceful fingers, manipulating the Force carrying her unspoken plea his way as a silent whisper; a demand. He flinched, and she knew he received it.

“You do not comprehend the things I have done,” he stated; but despite his resolute, booming profession that came off as more machine than human - enhanced by the vocoder aiding his feeble, scarred vocal cords - Ahsoka sensed his hesitance, his wavering emotions; his conflict.

Frowning, she doubled down on her efforts; scowling as she poured all her good will and intent into what had once been a powerful connection between them. She understood now that Anakin had severed it willingly, perhaps to spare himself from any painful reminders of the past. Perhaps, believing her dead but refusing to obtain concrete proof of his suspicion. Perhaps, he had simply wished to shield her if she were alive; despite all odds. Perhaps, he had known even through the foggy haze of the Dark Side that his fall would destroy her. Ahsoka held onto that thought, however wistful it may be. It reinvigorated her hope.

“I know what you’ve done,” she said; barely realizing she had spoken until he turned to face her.

She could not see his face; the familiar boyish features she knew so well concealed by a skullesque face plate. Jetblack, with large, hollow eye holes covered by semi opaque, red tinted lenses. She met those dead sockets without hesitation; unable to glimpse his pale blue eyes, but feeling them on hers. Unyielding. Were they even blue anymore? She remembered Maul’s eyes, and their sickly, yellowish glow - the bloodshot, crazed stare. If Anakin removed his mask, would he too sport the golden eyes of a predator; out for blood?

Ahsoka would not relent, she would not give in. He had believed in her when no one else had, and she felt indebted to him - obliged to offer him the same benefit of doubt. Her hand was still hovering mid air; slender fingers outstretched; trembling with the effort as each second of rejection dragged on. She felt the buzzing tingles of his aura, of his Force signature. So different. Maimed, twisted, tormented and warped. Both decimated and accentuated at once. Less powerful than she remembered it, and yet more powerful than she could ever recall it. He was a riddle, a contradiction. Part of him seemed to want to tear her to pieces, the other more inclined to dive into her open embrace.

“Then you understand what I must do,” Anakin stated.

Ahsoka shuddered; sensing his malicious intent, and the blame. His spite, his envy, his hatred; his rage. But there was more. Sorrow, confusion, fear, guilt. A guilt so raw, so heavy, so thorough it made her bones ache; settling like a sodden weight at the pit of her stomach. Churning; gnawing, weary, sullen.

Nodding, she shut her eyes with a soft sigh. For a moment her fingers trembled, and she considered giving up. Perhaps he was too far gone, perhaps there was no salvation. She shouldn’t offer him forgiveness, it was a selfish wish for a long since forsaken reconciliation. Still, when she once again met his stare; her resolve returned full throttle. She clenched her jaw and held her head high with a stern vigor; sending another compelling plea his way. She noted his shoulders were quivering, and realized he was beginning to buckle under the pressure of her quiet request.

“You don’t have to. You still have a choice.”

Anakin did not reply; the heavy cloth of his black cape, his robes dancing in the soft twilight breeze. Three years ago, he had left to save the Chancellor from General Grievous. Three years ago, she had been sent to liberate Mandalore from Maul’s puppet regime. Three years ago, the Republic had fallen. Three years now felt like a lifetime.

Ahsoka had thought him dead - suspecting Maul’s cryptic prophecy may carry more weight than she cared to admit. He had sewn the seeds of doubt, and though she’d proclaimed him a liar - that uneasy, bitter feeling had never waned. Now, that she knew every word was true, she wasn’t sure what scared her more - the fact that she was so willing to blindly forgive Anakin for his crimes, or the fact that it mattered little to her at all what he had done. He was her brother, and she would not abandon him. Somewhere deep down, a small voice at the back of her mind nagged that this was her fault. If she had stayed behind, perhaps his undoing could have been prevented. If she had stayed, perhaps she could have done more for him.

“No, not anymore,” he shook his helmeted head; large gloved hands falling slack to his sides but he made no attempt to back away when Ahsoka took another slow, cautious step towards him.

He smelled of synthetic materials, of bacta fluids, of sanitizers, of durasteel, of ashes and smoke and the cool, piercing winter air. The sound of his breathing was rhythmic; slow, and manufactured, and beyond his control.

Ahsoka pitied him; and she knew he could sense it. He deserved the punishment he had brought upon himself; they both acknowledged that. Still, she wished to see him freed from his makeshift shackles. She took a deep breath, her now limp hand lingering between them. As soon as it fell, his time was up. She felt the lump grow in her throat, the telltale burning of tears prickling behind her eyes. She would not lose him again, he needed her as she needed him. She felt as if an invisible wall stood erected between them, preventing her from closing the figurative distance. She was already resigning herself to a reality in which she had failed. A reality in which Anakin was truly lost.

He would never renege, never accept defeat, never admit his guilt. The power, Palpatine, the Empire. The Dark Side. It all had gone to his head. Ahsoka licked her lips, mouth dry, and spoke one last time.

“You always have a choice, but you’ve never made one for yourself. You’ve always allowed everyone around you to make up your mind for you. You’re only here, because of Palpatine’s choices. His lies. But his decisions don’t have to be yours. What does your heart tell you, Anakin?”

At the sound of his long since discarded name; he once more closed his large hands into tight fists - the power of the utterance, of those three syllables, immeasurable. Ahsoka feared she had made a mistake; that she had crossed the final line. That she had banished the remnants of the man she’d known, rather than saving him. Her arm trembled, remembering how Maul had offered her his tutelage with a similar, grand gesture. She, too, had made a choice then. Anakin was beyond her reach, the vicious; sneering jeers of her doubt taunted - and as tears blurred her vision, she almost believed it.

Then, rough leather covered fingers brushed hers. Feigning off her tears; eyes stinging, Ahsoka stared at the large, gloved hand whose fingertips brushed hers in a shy; wary greeting. Wavering, uncertain, frightened. Unable to quite allow her to fully touch it; even as she turned her hand over, the palm facing downwards. She was offering him the chance to rebuild their relationship, to rebuild what semblance of his past he may. To make himself a new name, a new future, a new identity. Far away from the Emperor, out of sight and mind - free. Liberated from his chains, from his torments.

Anakin’s shoulders trembled; his steadfast mechanical breathing and the chirping crickets the only noise in the early evening - apart from her stilted, sniffling hiccups. In the end, Ahsoka gasped as he finally grasped her hand tight; making the choice she had prayed but never dared hope for. His grip was firm, and harsh, and awkward - as if he’d forgotten how to be tender or gentle, how to nurture. He clung desperately to her; her own joints winging and protesting from the painful grip. Still, she held on as if her life depended on it. Perhaps it did.

In the end, it didn’t matter.

Ahsoka felt scalding tears trickle down her smudged, ashen cheeks, but was unable to restrain the wide warm smile that spread across her face - tugging at the corners of her scabbed lips. Relief flooded her soul; and she poured it into Anakin’s end of their Force bond. It came back cautious, weary - but genuine.

"Thank you," somebody said - be it Anakin, or herself, Ahsoka couldn't tell. Either way, it meant the same thing. It was all the reassurance she needed.

--------------

Just an idea I had, because it’s been nagging at the back of my mind - and I’m a sucker for Ahsoka and Anakin/Vader angst. So, here, at least it has a nicer ending that canon does for the two of them! Hope you enjoy. :3

Ao3 link below:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979074

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siennahrobek · 4 years ago

Text

Qui-Gon Jinn had not expected to wake up at all, much less in a fire fight.

He was lying flat on the ground, his back aching a little like he had fallen from the trees. Blaster fire soared over him, and it took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t, in fact, at this position, going to get hit. He could hear some explosions far off, that rumbled the ground and voices that screamed indecipherable orders. Hopefully, the explosions wouldn’t get closer. He had enough to deal with the blasters.

Qui-Gon didn’t really want to move but he knew he probably should. He just had to figure out a way to stand without immediately getting shot in the crossfire of whatever battle was happening. This was all rather strange. With a long and slow blink, he turned to his side, still too low to be in the range of the shots overhead and looked around.

His surroundings were woodsy but in a bit of a clearing. There would be plenty of cover. However, getting to that cover would be the challenge. He crawled over to a fallen log, trying to keep himself unnoticed. He didn’t know who was around or how close they were. Predictably, he failed.

Qui-Gon could practically hear Obi-Wan’s snarky comment. “Well, of course.”

“There is a civilian, sir!” someone called and Qui-Gon knew it wasn’t Obi-Wan. Not that it could have been anyways. Within the moment, Qui-Gon was surrounded, protected by a small group of armored soldiers. They have Qui-Gon enough time to get to his feet and ignite his saber.

There was not a second to waste. He leapt over their heads in a classic and well-done Aratu jump and deflected blaster bolts that were incoming. He didn’t know the sides or who was who, but these boys had defended him. So, for now, it was an easy side to choose. Aratu wasn’t perfect for this type of thing, but Qui-Gon easily shifted into something simple, a blocking form. Reminiscent of Soresu, he has been told.

“Oh! He’s a jedi!” a soldier said, a bit surprised but not completely shocked by his appearance.

Qui-Gon winced, fearing the next reaction. Not everyone was so pleasant and accommodating when people figured out who and what he was.

“I didn’t know another was stationed here,” another said.

They sounded quite familiar to one another. Perhaps it was the vocoder in their helmets.

He blinked, surprised. There was another jedi out here? This far out? It didn’t seem very likely, but the soldiers sounded pretty sure. And apparently, not too displeased either. That was a point in his favor, he supposed. Perhaps he had gotten lucky and chose the right side.

“Commander Tano!” yet another called out, loudly.

“I’m coming, Fives!” a female voice shouted back.

Qui-Gon just barely turned to see a Togruta padawan rumble and tumble through the forest and to their aid, a green lightsaber flashing with jerky movements.

“Canon fire!” someone yelled.

Sure enough, a giant blast soared over them, creating an opening. “That’s our signal!” the Togruta said. “Let’s get back! Come on, master.”

The two jedi and the squad of troopers raced through the foliage, away from the worst of the battle. It was strange, how this was all happening, and he had no idea what was going on. After several minutes, they started to slow down. “I think we are okay, sir,” a soldier said, trying to catch breath.

“Well then, I suppose this could be a moment to ask,” the padawan replied, turning towards Qui-Gon. She looked him over, scanning as if that would glean something from him. In turn, he looked at her. She seemed rather familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He hadn’t been to the Temple in quite some time. “Who are you? And what are you doing out here?”

“Honestly, I could not tell you,” He admitted. “I don’t even know how I got here, much less where here is. However, my name is Master Qui-Gon Jinn.”

They kept walking, barely even stopped for the pause. The girl blinked at him. “Sounds familiar but I’m not sure,” she murmured. “My name is Ahsoka Tano. I think you maybe should talk to my master. He might know more or ya know, who you are.”

The walk turned into something of an initial silence, but it ended up being rather unbearable. Luckily, the Togruta found it just as terrible as him.

“I haven’t seen you around the Temple, Master Jinn. Like at all,” she pointed out, suspicion seeping into her voice. He wondered if he should be surprised by it or not. “Where have you been?”

He was truthful, there was no reason not to be. “I haven’t been to the Temple in…quite some time. Last, I remember, I was falling on an ocean planet in wild space. I was sure I was going to die,” he confessed.

“The Force works in quite mysterious ways,” Ahsoka shrugged.

“That it does. I will admit, I do have some questions. Do you mind?”

“Go ahead, Master Jinn,” she said. “I will answer them to the best of my ability, as long as it isn’t, like, confidential or something.”

As they trudged through the partially decimated forests, Qui-Gon learned a great many things. There was a war. It had engulfed nearly the entire known galaxy and then some. And the jedi were fighting in it. His heart became stuck in his throat. How long had he been gone? The enemy, the Separatists, were cruel and did horrible crimes, their army made up of droids. They invaded, enslaved and even massacred entire peoples and planets. The soldiers piped in when warranted, sometimes lending out quips and barbs when the subject called for it. They rather liked making fun of the droids, he found.

The soldiers themselves were light and warm and just a little different than most beings Qui-Gon knew and come across in his life. They felt right, like they were meant to be friends with the jedi. It was both a warm and disturbing thought.

All the talk however, rather led him to the conclusion that he wasn’t in the same galaxy he was before.

He wondered what changed.

The camp they came to looked sparse and it appeared to be packed up to move. He wondered if that was a good or bad thing. Solders ran everywhere. A few didn’t have their helmets. They looked identical…all of them. Before he could ask, Padawan Tano called out. “Master?”

A young man turned around. It had been several years since Qui-Gon had seen this boy in person, but his presence was unmistakable… although a bit lighter than anticipated.

“Anakin?” he muttered, confused.

Whatever the man was holding, he dropped it, turning to stare at Qui-Gon in what could only be construed as absolute shock. Qui-Gon didn’t think his presence was that surprising. They had seen each other around over the years although, granted, not lately.

“That’s not…” the man muttered then strode over, fierce and bright. Qui-Gon suppressed a wince as he approached. Ahsoka noticed. Anakin did not. He enveloped the master in a tight and all-encompassing hug. “You aren’t a ghost,” he murmured, shocked and airy. “You are real.”

“Uh. Yes,” he affirmed, brows furrowing in confusion. “I will admit… I did not expect you to be so happy to see me.”

Just because Anakin didn’t appear to resent Qui-Gon for not training him, didn’t mean that the boy was ever particularly happy to see or be around him. The young man finally pulled back, looking at him so intently Qui-Gon wasn’t sure what he was looking for but Anakin looked nearly as confused as the older master himself. “Why not? You are the one that saved me from slavery.”

Ahsoka looked surprised as she glanced between them. “Wait… he’s…”

“I can’t believe you are here,” Anakin interrupted, returning to a near giddy state. The girl just continued to look flabbergasted, like she was seeing a ghost but she stopped speaking on the matter.

“I am beginning to suspect I am not in my galaxy,” Qui-Gon mused, uncertainly. None of this made much sense, at least in the terms of his own. What little research he had done in phenomena of the cosmic and unifying force had usually been in the realm of prophecy, at least when he was younger. Qui-Gon had very little thought on the matter in the past ten years.

“Or you time traveled,” Anakin teased, bright and happy. Qui-Gon didn’t think so but something was niggling in the back of his mind not to argue. “This is just going to blow my master’s mind,” he grinned and spun his head around, looking. He glanced over at one of the nearby troopers, dressed in blue and white, with a large pauldron that jutted out from his shoulder. “Hey Rex, do you know where Commander Cody and my master are?”

Rex stopped and dipped his head in acknowledgement before gesturing in a direction. “Incoming, sir. From the north.”

Anakin grinned even wider, his eyes sparkling in something amazed and mischievous. “Come on, master,” he urged, looking back at Qui-Gon and pulling him towards the direction the trooper had given him. “This is going to be great. I have so much to tell you.”

Qui-Gon’s legs gave out at the sight of him because, well, it was impossible.

Anakin hadn’t gotten much in, just a bit more about the war when…. when he came in. And Qui-Gon had spotted him right away, he had seen him and heard his voice and felt him – oh! It could only be a wonderful dream. His brain was practically empty with only joy filling it. The disbelief and logic could not quite settle in at the moment, not with the initial reaction of this.

Qui-Gon had dreamed about this.

He was running into the camp, flanked by a myriad of soldiers, shouting out orders with a child perched in his arms like it was absolutely normal. The child was clinging to him, terrified, of course, but rather trusting with their perch. His hair was lighter than Qui-Gon remembered, and longer, a rather neat cut with bangs swept off to the side. He had grown in a beard, which helped hide his natural baby face. It aged him, Qui-Gon mused, but not particularly in a bad way. Qui-Gon wondered if it made others listen and respect him more. With his under tunics, he had pieces of armor scattered around his form. A pauldron had the Order’s symbol on it while his vambrace sported a red and yellow open circle; two halves that formed a whole.

Interesting, he thought. He wondered the reasoning and symbolism behind it.

Despite all the changes, the impossible age, Qui-Gon would know him anywhere. Even if he could not feel that familiar presence and even through the aging. He would know that voice, he would know him.

He would know his apprentice.

Anakin was trying to support his weight, but Qui-Gon was already on his knees, on the ground, staring in absolute shock and awe, leaning against one of the crates they were standing near. “Obi-Wan,” he whispered in disbelief, tears swelling in his eyes. “It’s…impossible.”

“What do you mean?”

He barely registered the young… padawan? Knight? He wasn’t sure what Anakin was at this point, although the Togruta had called him master. He was rather young for it. Qui-Gon couldn’t answer, his brain was running in circles and his tongue was completely tied up.

“General Kenobi!” one of the soldiers called from across the clearing and camp, him and two others making their way to the jedi knight – no, master. It was clear, Qui-Gon could see, could feel, his padawan was a master. With a dazzling grin, Obi-Wan handed one of them the child. The soldier ripped off his helmet and laughed, receiving the gift with such approval and glee. The child seemed to find this transfer acceptable and held on tight, wrapping thin arms around the trooper. Another just huffed but Qui-Gon feel some sense of vague amusement rolling off of him.

“Waxer! Boil! Perfect,” Obi-Wan snickered but he sounded perfectly pleased. His accent was the same as always, although perhaps a bit polished with some sort of undertone Qui-Gon couldn’t identify. Perhaps it was all the time spent with the soldiers that shifted it. “Mind watching this youngling until we can find his parents?”

One soldier scowled, away from the child. He was trying to project his disapproval, Qui-Gon realized, but no one was buying it. “Sir, that was one time.”

“You’re good at it!”

There was some more laughs and the child that was in one soldier’s arms seemed so sense something and jumped into the other one. He caught the child quickly but awkwardly and everyone just kept chuckling.

“We will find the parents sir!” the first soldier grinned.

Obi-Wan continued to smile and Qui-Gon was amazed. He had seen so much destruction and horrible feats in the little time he had spent here, in the battlefield, on the camp with the wounded and dying. He could feel the pain and darkness in the Force, in the galaxy, but somehow, someway, Obi-Wan could find some joy in the little things he had learned with and about the soldiers. They were his friends, Qui-Gon realized. All of this was hitting him like a brick.

Qui-Gon missed a lot of the conversation after that with his thoughts and he could vaguely hear and sense Anakin talking beside him, barely taking into account Obi-Wan’s presence across the clearing, so worried about Qui-Gon. But the older master…he just couldn’t stop staring.

Ten years and all he could do was stare.

Qui-Gon finally got himself to stand, and he felt hands on him, but he just shrugged them off. He had to move. He had to move, move quickly. Stumbling towards his former padawan, he vaguely heard Anakin call after him, but Qui-Gon did not really hear. He didn’t hear anything anymore; it was rather like he was under the harsh waves of the planet he had fallen into, nothing but crashing and nothing to see as water slammed into his eyes. And the only bit of light was that in front of him, the only thing he could see, the only thing he could focus on.

There was nothing but Obi-Wan.

His eyes never left him.

He was so close.

“Obi-Wan,” he whispered and reached.

Qui-Gon somehow stopped himself before he could crash into the now jedi master and leaned against the table before them. Obi-Wan had not turned, had not even reached for his presence, still going over maps and paperwork laid out.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh. He sounded so fond with undertones of sarcasm and wit. “You sound as if you thought I would not survive. That is a bit insulting, don’t you think?” he snorted and shook his head. A small smile was creeping underneath his beard. One of the soldiers, a commander, Qui-Gon suspected, along with a few hours were just staring at him, unsure. Obi-Wan just continued to speak, so focused on his task at hand. “I noticed pack up is coming along. I hope the natives have been warned and moved. And delegating that to Ahsoka and your poor Captain is such bad form-.”

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon croaked out again.

“You sound absolutely terrible, dear one, are you…” And then Obi-Wan finally, finally, turned around to face him, the words, dying on his lips as he stared at Qui-Gon, near uncomprehending. Qui-Gon could not see what he was thinking.

“Obi-Wan.”

The young man swallowed, staring intently before he took a shaky breath and shook his head slowly. “Someone please get Helix,” Obi-Wan said, cordially, and Qui-Gon was momentarily confused until he realized Obi-Wan wasn’t actually talking to him, personally. “I appear to be hallucinating,” he explained further. He didn’t take his eyes off of Qui-Gon, just stared and appeared to be studying him.

A soldier ran off. Others just watched. Because even though Obi-Wan had said he was hallucinating, they could all see him. Qui-Gon wondered what had happened that made Obi-Wan think this way, that seeing him was more likely to be a hallucination than real. He was dead, Qui-Gon guessed.

“You aren’t,” Qui-Gon’s voice cracked from emotion because in all honesty, it did not feel real. There were so many emotions wrapped up in all of this. He could feel Obi-Wan’s warmth, see his light and it felt impossible. “But I feel as though I must be.”

He then couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and hugged his padawan, wrapping his arms securely around him and oh – he was still shorter than the older master. Qui-Gon could still tuck him under his chin and that he did. He tucked what used to be his little child under his chin and wrapped him so tight like if he even gave an inch back, he would lose him all together.

“What is this,” Obi-Wan mumbled but he accepted the hug, even leaning into Qui-Gon, a bit limp. When was the last time Qui-Gon hugged his padawan? When was the last time anyone had hugged his padawan? He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted the answer.

“Such a blessing,” Qui-Gon muttered to himself, and he was crying now, tears slipping out silently. He couldn’t believe it. Because this was more than he could dream. He had seen Obi-Wan over the years, in dreams, nightmares, even drug-induced hallucinations (not on purpose) but he had never been able to really speak, never been able to tough and hug and reach with the Force. Qui-Gon, at this point, was scared to. Scared to see what he would find.

“I do not understand what is happening.”

Qui-Gon barely pulled back – barely – just to look at Obi-Wan’s face. He was so tired in a resigned type of way; like the weight of the galaxy had been put on his shoulders. Qui-Gon had a sneaking position something like that was, in fact, happening. “Goodness, look at you,” he said instead, trying to smile because oh, this was the most pleasant dream.

Obi-Wan’s expression turned wary, suspicious. “Me.”

“You’ve grown up so well, my dear,” Qui-Gon replied instead because he had. Obi-Wan looked so good and the older master could only imagine how well he was doing in his studies, in his learning, in what he had done and accomplished and grown. “I like the haircut and the beard, it suits you. I think it makes you look older but not in a bad way, distinguished or something,” he chuckled but then frowned suddenly. Obi-Wan frowned back. “But…you…you look so sad.”

“You can see that?”

How could he not? How could anyone not?

Who hadn’t seen this?

“It has only been ten years, Obi-Wan, not ten lifetimes,” he replied, trying to keep with another smile. “I never knew you as well as I should have…but I know that…weight. I’ve underestimated it, but I’ve seen it.”

“Oh,” Obi-Wan mumbled, glancing down and Qui-Gon couldn’t quite read what he was thinking about that. “You kind of look the same.”

Qui-Gon let out a wet, half-hearted laugh and he almost couldn’t stop because that…that was something he would say, although not quite as snarky as the witty teenager Qui-Gon used to think. “One does not often change too much so into life and habits,” he admitted and he projected some type of joy.

“You smell better,” he mumbled and glanced up at him at him, watching Qui-Gon’s face for something. Qui-Gon wondered what he was looking for. “Look nice. It’s trimmed,” he noted, curiously, touching the ends, in some sort of wonder. Qui-Gon just smiled again, his shoulders relaxing.

Qui-Gon hummed. “I kept thinking of you,” he muttered, truthfully.

“This is incredibly strange.”

His note about the hair? Or the scenario? Both? It hardly mattered.

“You seem to be taking the possibility fairly well, however,” Qui-Gon replied.

Obi-Wan let out a light chuckle but there continued to be a hollowness underneath it, like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused or not. Oh, Qui-Gon wanted to know everything that had happened without him, everything he didn’t know. He wanted to know everything because he seemed to have missed so much and he had this strange second chance. He needed make the most of it. Obi-Wan shook his head in some form of disbelief. “Ah, if only you knew all the things we have gone through in your absence.”

“Then I’m sure I’d understand,” he guessed.

Obi-Wan’s eyes were sparkling, partially with tears. “Perhaps…we…we must go,” he added, stepping back and out of Qui-Gon’s embrace. The older man frowned just a bit, he did not want to let go of his child, the one he had lost so long ago. But Obi-Wan kept talking and then Qui-Gon understood the urgency. “The Separatist forces are approaching.”

“The droids.”

Obi-Wan glanced at him, questioning and curious.

Qui-Gon shrugged. “The padawan, Ahsoka, told me.”

His former padawan straightened so much, Qui-Gon thought if he touched him, the man would snap in half. A medic had run up, with a few others, but Obi-Wan waved him off. “False alarm Helix,” he said with some amusement that no one else probably found amusing. “It appears I am not hallucinating after all. It just appears that my former master who was actually quite dead has either been resurrected, time travelled or jumped dimensions.”

“Force shenanigans?” one of the troopers near them grinned. He had scars all over his face and some scruff on the lower half but there was a life to him that Qui-Gon nearly melted in the presence of.

“Yes, Immortal. That is probably the most reasonable explanation,” Obi-Wan replied.

“Clankers are inbound, but Oddball and his squad are ready for bombardment when you give the signal,” another soldier – the commander, Qui-Gon believed – added, stepping in and standing next to Obi-Wan.

“Let’s move out and give Oddball and his boys space to do their work,” Obi-Wan nodded and turned towards Qui-Gon. “We really should get going. Do you mind following us?”

This was currently Obi-Wan’s domain, his galaxy. His padawan may have been at war again but Qui-Gon had to believe there was a reason. There was a reason last time and Obi-Wan did not jump into these things’ willy nilly. It wasn’t something that he enjoyed. He was a creature of duty and compassion and Qui-Gon had spent the last ten years thinking about him and wistfully dreaming of more time. He had it now, he would not give it up so easily. Obi-Wan knew this world, what was happening, what they were doing. And from what little Qui-Gon could gather, he had become quite the leader.

“I will follow your lead,” Qui-Gon vowed, resolute and truthful.

Something softened in his padawan’s eyes, and he nodded, gratefully.

My, what a strange world he had ended up in, indeed.

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glimmerglanger · 4 years ago

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Whumptober 2020 - Day 14

Oof!au, part 14. I got cute with the prompt for this one. They are a found family but it’s also, you know, found: family. I know I said there weren’t any more split POVs but that was before Ahsoka and Rex decided they had a lot more to say than I planned, and so.... split POVs return for a few segments. Also this part is very long.

General Information: Post Order 66 Vader-Captures-Obi-Wan AU. Eventual happy(ish) ending (soon). Past/eventual Codywan. Past one-sided Vaderwan.

WARNINGS: Discussion of trauma, torture, non-con, mind control, and death. Allusions to suicide. So much mental and emotional trauma.

Alt 7. Found Family

Messages from Ahsoka’s contacts in the Core worlds were few and far between. Usually, they didn’t add up to much. The one that had plunged them across Wild Space had been flagged urgent. “It’s probably nothing,” Ahsoka said, even as they cut across the black of space, and Rex believed her.

It was usually nothing.

When it wasn’t, it was a problem.

They came out of hyperspace alongside one the new Imperial cruisers, a hulking beast of a ship, all sharp lines and jagged edges. They’d been monitoring it, on their approach, and it showed no signs of arming weapons, or raising shields, but…

Rex whistled anyway, looking at the ship. “You seeing this?” he asked, looking over when Ahsoka didn’t answer, her gaze gone distant. “Ahsoka?”

She shook her head and said, “There’s something… strange.”

Strange meant trouble, as far as Rex was concerned. He checked his blaster as they docked, watched her draw both her sabers, and nudged her in the side. “Sure we shouldn’t just bolt?” he asked, waiting for the port to open.

“No,” she said, staring forward, “there’s--I think we need to be here. I…” She trailed off, shaking her head, lekku curling up on the ends as the only display of her nerves as the airlock opened and--

Rex didn’t waste breath cursing, jerking his blaster up, because there were troopers on the other side of the hatch, and they might not kill him on sight, but Ahsoka--

And a ghost, a dead man walking, stepped between Rex and - and kriffing hell, that was Cody - and said, “Don’t shoot!” Rex stared across into General Kenobi’s impossible face, and felt the entire galaxy lurch into a brand new alignment, dragging Rex along with it, the next moments all confusing madness.

“There still a chip in your head?” Cody asked Rex, as Ahsoka grabbed General Kenobi. He hadn’t holstered his blaster, Rex noticed, just lowered it a little at Kenobi’s request. He was tense across his shoulders, unblinking.

“Not for three years,” Rex said, carefully, because he’d never come upon any of his brothers already unchipped; he should have known if anyone would start doing it en masse, it would be Kenobi and the 212th.

“Good,” Cody said, with a brief nod, “but you understand that we’re going to need to confirm that. Crys. Take him to the infirmary. Have Bones look him over.”

And Rex almost protested. He didn’t - technically - take orders from Cody anymore. The GAR was nothing but smashed pieces. But he looked past Cody’s shoulder, to General Kenobi - what was left of General Kenobi - he didn’t look like himself, not at all, his hair shaved close to his scalp and his beard barely a scruff across his jaw, swimming in trooper blacks, the left sleeve tied off and--

Most of the Jedi had died within moments of Order 66 being issued. A few had survived longer. They’d found some of them. What was left of them.

Rex swallowed, hard, gaze drawn back to Ahsoka’s back, because it was easy - too easy - to imagine what could have happened to her, to imagine her eyes gone all faded and distant like Kenobi’s. He cut his eyes towards Cody and wondered what the kriff, exactly, had happened. He said, “Sure. Ahsoka, I’ll catch up.”

She looked over at him, her expression a mix of yearning and hope, and nodded.

It felt wrong, leaving her there surrounded by troopers, but General Kenobi was at her side. Even with one arm, even looking like death warmed over, Rex couldn’t quite believe that he’d ever let anything happen to Ahsoka.

“So,” he said, falling into step beside Crys, “what the kriff happened to you?”

A part of Ahsoka had always hoped Master Obi-Wan was still alive, out there somewhere. She’d heard his message, transmitting out across the stars, warning any survivors away from the Temple.

She’d known he survived the initial kill order, and she’d thought… well. If anyone could survive with the entire galaxy trying to kill them, it would have been Master Obi-Wan. She’d imagined, sometimes, coming upon him in some dive bar or on a battlefield, meeting each other’s eyes and falling into step, back to back--

She found him on an Imperial ship. When she’d thought about finding him, he’d looked the same way she last saw him, tired and worn down, but alright. She’d always imagined that he’d crook a smile at her.

Obi-Wan smiled there in the halls of the Recompense. But it didn’t touch his eyes. He looked different, wrong, with his hair trimmed so short and his beard just growing in. He was, for some reason, wearing trooper blacks. He swam in them. And the left sleeve was tied off, empty….

“We can put you in touch with the rest of the rebellion,” she said, trying to stay focused, shooting him another look as they walked towards the bridge.

Obi-Wan nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Cody, who, she noticed, was following a step back. His hand was still resting on his blaster. He looked different, too, the lines around his mouth graven deeper, his eyes harder.

He’d always seemed warm to her, before. Even through the Force.

He felt cold, walking down the hall of the ship, as Obi-Wan said, “I’ll have to talk to the men. See what they want to do.”

Ahsoka made a soft sound of acknowledgement. She hadn’t been around so many troopers since everything fell apart. It made her lekku itch, knowing they were all around. She wished Rex hadn’t gone off to the infirmary. She said, setting that thought aside, “We can find places for them, if they...don’t want to join. They don’t have to stay with--”

“We’re staying with the General,” Cody said, and even his voice sounded different, full of sharper edges that threatened to draw blood.

“Well, that’s fine, too,” Ahsoka said, glancing back and forth between them, cautiously tracing their emotions with the Force and recoiling after the briefest brush because it was all -- hurt. Terrible hurt, open wounds in need of immediate tending.

The agony lingered there, right below the surface as they reached the bridge and punched in coordinates to, at least, get further away from their current position, just in case they were discovered. Ahsoka looked around the bridge - it reminded her, achingly, or both the Resolute and the Peacemaker, but it felt...wrong.

Everything felt wrong.

“You’ve been well?” Obi-Wan asked, something shadowed in his eyes, and Ahsoka considered the past three years, the fear and the desperation and the slow slog towards some kind of healing, some kind of life.

It seemed strange to realize, that, compared to him, she had most definitely been doing well. She nodded, and said, “Yes, Master.” And she flushed as she spoke, because she hadn’t called anyone by that title for so long, and it felt both presumptuous and embarrassing, mader her feel like the child she wasn’t anymore, and--

And it made Obi-Wan go still, his emotions blossoming huge for just a moment before he controlled them all down and away, where she couldn’t feel them. He cleared his throat, and said, “Why don’t you tell me more about what I’ve missed?”

Rex had seen plenty of his brothers over the past three years. Most of them had been on the other side of a blaster. It never hurt less, killing them, but he’d gotten… better at it. They’d saved a few of them, freed them, brought them back to themselves. But that had been scattered souls, here and there.

And so many of them had…. Not handled freedom well.

Rex had come out of it with something to live for, someone to keep fighting for.

Too many of his brothers had only come out with crushing guilt and despair. Too many of them recalled killing their generals, their friends. Too many of them remembered the atrocities they’d been used to carry out.

They found ways to get away from it.

Rex looked into the faces of the survivors of the 212th on his way to the infirmary and felt a shiver down his spine. They looked, to a man, exhausted and worn down, with shadows in their eyes, tension in every move they made.

He listened to Crys’ brief run down of what had happened, freezing for a step when Crys said, “Skywalker rounded us up. As many of the 212th as he could find.” By the time he started moving again, Crys was explaining that they’d been kept on Mustafar. Waiting.

“It’s good to see you again,” Crys said, outside the door to the infirmary, gripping Rex’s forearm and flashing him a thin smile.

“Not going to stay and chat?” Rex asked, raising an eyebrow, getting the feeling he was only digging at the surface of whatever was going on, and Crys shook his head.

“I need to go check on the General,” he said, like it was obvious.

Rex blinked. “He’s still a General, huh?” he asked, trying to inject some levity into the situation.

The look Crys gave him curdled any hope of that. “Yes,” Crys said, and nothing else, turning on his heel and walking down the hall.

Rex shook off the feeling of tension in the middle of his shoulder blades, ducking into the infirmary and it was so strange to see one of his brothers in there, working, instead of a droid or the medics that had joined the rebellion. It threw him into a strange headspace, made him feel almost like the last three years hadn’t happened.

He’d ended up in the Negotiator’s medical bay more than once, getting treatment for all his hurts. He said, “Hey, Bones,” as the medic turned to face him, and got a long whistle for his trouble.

“Look at you,” Bones said, shaking his head, before his mouth hardened. “Unchipped?”

“You’re supposed to double-check,” he said, and Bones nodded, waving him forward. Rex submitted to the examination, thankfully brief, and said, as he sat back up, “How’d you all…” he waved a hand. “Get past them, anyway?” Bones froze, looking to one side, quickly. Rex watched him, going still in response. “Bones?”

“We…” Bones blinked rapidly a few times and cleared his throat. “I assume the same way you did. And any others of us, who got away.”

Rex swallowed, aching inside. “Not many of us have,” he said, focusing on a spot on the far wall. He didn’t want to admit, yet, that he hadn’t seen so many of his brothers free before. Ever. Even during the war, it had been lurking inside them. He shuddered. “Kenobi freed you, then?”

Bones sucked in a breath. When he spoke, the words seemed to come from far away. “Yes. I suppose he did. Indirectly. A few of us managed to...break them.”

Rex stared at him. He had no reason to believe such a thing was even possible. “Are you serious?”

Bones jerked out a nod, turning away to look at a scan that was reporting, as far as Rex could tell, nothing. “Yeah. You push hard enough against them, you give yourself an aneurysm. On the plus side, it also breaks them.” Bones scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “You didn’t know about this?”

“Kriffing hell,” Rex said, shuddering down his back. “No, I’ve never heard of anyone breaking them.”

“Not surprised,” Bones said, gaze going distant and unfocused. “Half of us that managed it died. If the Commander hadn’t dragged us to the medbay…” He trailed off, and then shook his head, hard. “You’re clean. Free to go.”

“Go where?” Rex asked, still trying to process the idea that they’d - they’d broken the thing in their heads, somehow. All on their own. He swallowed bile, thinking about his finger on the trigger, Ahsoka’s eyes on the other end of the barrel, thinking--

Well.

He hadn’t given himself an aneurysm.

“Wherever you want,” Bones said. “Tell the Commander he missed a check-in, if you see him.”

It took time to describe everything Obi-Wan had missed. They talked on the bridge, for a long time, about what the Rebellion had gotten up to, slowly trying to build some way to resist the Imperial forces sent against them.

Ahsoka watched Obi-Wan’s expression get still with each word she spoke. She wished she had more good news to share, but there was...so little to bring a spark of brightness into the world.

“I should show you around,” Obi-Wan said, eventually, as she ran out of things to tell him. “Have you seen one of these models?”

“Not yet,” Ahsoka said. “This is a bigger target than we usually try to take.” They’d been scrambling, for years, trying to make a dent against an enemy that had beaten them before they even knew what was happening.

Holding onto even the barest scraps of hope had felt impossible. Ahsoka knew, most days, that they were doing little more than throwing pebbles at a krayt dragon. Most likely they weren’t even an irritation, but…

But it was better than giving up. At least she thought so, most days.

She listened to Obi-Wan talk about the ship as they moved through the halls, watched by troopers wherever they went. “And we have plenty of quarters,” Obi-Wan said, eventually, waving a door open along the hall and gesturing inside. “If you’d like to stay aboard during the trip. Your shuttle can stay docked.”

Ahsoka stepped into the room with a lurch in her chest, abruptly thrown back in time, to her quarters on the Resolute and the Peacemaker. If she looked at it just right, she could imagine her room, she could imagine turning and seeing Anakin standing in the doorway, come to check on her after a mission and--

And when she turned it was Obi-Wan still in the hall, talking with Cody, quietly. She cleared her throat, and said, “Could I talk to you, for a moment? Just… you?” Cody was making her feel more and more uneasy. The longer she was around him, the more off-balance she felt.

She felt the whip-snap fast shift of his emotions at the suggestion, watched him stiffen his shoulders, but Obi-Wan nodded. “I’ll catch up with you shortly, Commander,” he said, and it seemed so odd to Ahsoka that they were using ranks, still.

She and Rex had stopped using them almost immediately.

She shook that thought aside as they resumed walking, before she drew a breath and asked, “Have you--have you seen Anakin?”

Obi-Wan’s emotions withdrew completely. She’d barely been aware of the soft touch of his mind against hers, soothing and familiar. It had been so long since she’d been around another Force user, much less someone she knew. It was startling to have it jerked away again, abruptly.

When he spoke, his voice was even, “Yes. He… found me. A few months ago.”

Ahsoka’s heart jerked in her chest. She’d seen Anakin a few times, from a distance. He’d looked so different, covered in his awful dark suit. Ahsoka swallowed. There’d been rumors, recently, that something had happened to him. She asked, quietly, “Where is he now?”

Obi-Wan stopped walking, just for a moment. He took a breath and said, “He’s one with the Force, now.”

“What?” That matched the reports they’d heard, but Ahsoka hadn’t believed those reports, not really. So many people had thought Anakin was dead, over the years, and they’d all of them been wrong. “Are you sure?”

Obi-Wan stared forward, expression some strange and still thing. “Yes,” he said, “I’m very sure.”

“But…” Ahsoka shifted her weight back and forth. Some part of her had always held out the hope that she’d find Anakin, find a way to get through to him. She’d left him, once, and -- and she’d thought, so many nights, that maybe if she’d been there, she could have protected him, kept him from Falling, if she hadn’t run away when he needed her-- “How?”

“He Fell,” Obi-Wan said, tone odd and blank. “Long ago. The Anakin you knew was gone, and--”

“I don’t believe that,” Ahsoka said, shaking her head. The Anakin she knew had been many things, including full of such sharp bright anger, sometimes. But she knew he’d been good, at the core. “He -- you were around him, are you telling me that you don’t think he could have come back?”

Something moved through the Force, an undercurrent that threatened to drag her under for a moment. Nothing showed on Obi-Wan’s expression. “He was gone,” he said, voice a rasp.

Ahsoka frowned, emotions twisting around in her gut. She’d always held onto the hope of bringing him back, of making things right, of making up for leaving, for not being there when he needed her, for-- “So - so you didn’t even try?” she asked, aware her voice was getting louder. “You were his Master, and you didn’t help him?”

Rex ended up in the mess. There were clusters of his brother there, talking to one another, and they pulled him over eagerly. They wanted to know everything, all about what had happened in the last three years, outside of their little bubble.

He pulled up a chair and looked at the intent expressions on their faces, and told him what he knew. Mav looked shocked when he asked how long Rex had been under. “A few minutes,” he echoed, sounding numb and far away, his expression mirrored by the others gathered around.

“Yeah.” Rex had known he was lucky, known it even when he felt like the rest of the world was coming down. He’d escaped whatever had left his brothers all looking like hollowed out shells. He twirled the cup in his fingers and asked, “What about...all of you? How long…?”

“Until a few days ago,” Crys said, gaze cutting over to the side, tone getting flatter by the word, and Rex flinched, thinking about spending three years under, about what they must have gone through--

“What the kriff happened?”

Crys stared at nothing for a moment, and then looked his way, blinking. “What?”

Rex gestured around the room. “To all of you. I, kriffing hell, we got word, a few days back, that the Emperor was in a royal snit because - because Vader and his entire base got blown all to hell and--”

“Skywalker,” Mav cut in, sharp, tensing across his shoulders.

Rex blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Call him his name,” Mav said, flat, taking another long swallow of caff. “That’s who he always was.”

Rex processed that, slowly, leaning back in his chair. “So he is dead, then?” He got nods from all around, his brothers’ mouths curling up in the corners, brief flashes of fierce satisfaction passing across their expressions. “You’re sure?”

The look in Crys’ eyes made Rex want to reach for his blaster. He resisted. “The Commander killed him. Personally. Got confirmation himself,” Crys said, sure and calm and terrible. “He’s dead. Body is gone completely. Nothing to bring back, this time.”

“Kriff.” Rex scrubbed a hand over his face. “I--how?” Because he’d heard nothing but horror stories about Vader - Anakin - after the war. He’d turned into a monster. Some machine that just murdered everything in its path. Rex had done his best to keep Ahsoka away from him, succeeded, but…

“He left the Commander in charge,” Mav said, finger tapping on the side of his mug, that code the 212th had used, back in the day. Rex had never learned it, they’d been greedy with the secret. “While we were all chipped. When he got free…” He shrugged, eloquently.

Rex could imagine. Cody had been Marshal Commander for a reason. He’d always been good at finding the solutions to problems. “I still don’t… the Commander killed him?” He knew - though she didn’t talk about it much - that Ahsoka had still hoped to find Anakin one day. Bring him back. That happened, Rex supposed, sometimes.

“Put him down,” Mav said, grim and satisfied, taking a deep drink of his caff and twisting his mouth. “A better death than that motherkriffer deserved.”

Rex shivered. The chill around his brothers, the shadows in their eyes, reminded him too much of Umbara. He knew, very well, what his brothers looked like when they were pushed too far. “Because he’d turned to the Dark?” he asked, half because he’d gotten into the habit of digging for intel automatically, half because he knew his family, and he thought if they didn’t keep talking they might all implode.

Crys snorted, Mav shook his head, it was Ults - a medic Rex hadn’t ever seen much - who answered, “Because of what he did to the General.” And that got nods and murmurs of agreement from all the rest clustered around.

Rex turned his cup, kept his tone even when he asked, “What’d he do?”

“You’ve seen him,” Crys snapped, looking to the side, hands in fists again, knuckles standing against skin. Rex watched them all wind tighter, all at once, and wondered if digging at the subject actually was the right call.

“It’s been three years since I saw General Kenobi,” he said, quietly, and it felt strange to call anyone General, these days, but he could read a room. Kenobi was still the General to all of his brothers. They didn’t need another shove closer to whatever cliff they were teetering on in their heads. “I didn’t know--”

“Skywalker did it,” Mav snarled, pushing to his feet and dragging the back of his hand across his mouth, taking a few agitated steps and pacing back. “All of it. For three months. Skywalker hurt him. Tried to tear him apart.” He paused, breathing heavily, and then admitted, tone cracking, “Made us help.”

“We tried not to,” Crys said, voice trembling, “Fought it, but he--he made us. We tried, but we couldn’t help him. Skywalker burned him and - and raped him and took his arm and we--”

“We should have tried harder,” Ults said, into the silence, when Crys cut off, covering his face with his hands, Rex staring at them with a pit opening in his chest, nothing at the bottom of it but darkness.

He had a lurching, awful moment where his mind raced forward, dragging him into possibilities he didn’t want to consider. It was terribly easy to imagine Anakin finding Ahsoka, instead of Obi-Wan, terribly easy to consider her blue eyes shadowed and--

“Yes,” Cody said, startling Rex out of the spiralling horror of his thoughts. Rex twisted in his seat, watching Cody stalk over, a cup of caff in his hand. “We should have.” Cody kept going, apparently finished, and Rex rose to follow him, because none of his brothers looked well, but Cody...

Rex said, falling into step beside Cody as he made his way to a far table, empty of anyone else, “Bones is looking for you.”

“He can keep looking.” Cody hissed a little at the burn of the caff, sitting with a scowl, one leg immediately bouncing up and down.

Rex stood for a moment, feeling the urge to wait for permission to sit, and then remembered he didn’t have to do that, any longer. He sat, watching Cody frown at nothing, and then said, carefully, “Doing alright?”

“Fine,” Cody said, not looking at him.

Rex felt like he was balancing on a wire. When they’d come out to check out the intel, he hadn’t expected to walk into a situation like this. The entire ship felt like a bomb about to go off, like an explosion waiting to happen.

He didn’t like to think what would happen to his brothers, if that happened.

And so he cleared his throat and said, quietly, “It really wasn’t your fault.”

Cody’s mouth twisted, terribly. Everyone else had avoided Rex’s eyes, but Cody looked at him, and Rex wished, immediately, that he hadn’t. “The fuck would you know about whose fault it is?” Cody snarled. “You weren’t there. You got free, you looked after Ahsoka--”

“I got lucky,” Rex said, feeling it more than ever. “She figured out how to--”

“I beat him. Obi-Wan,” Cody cut in. Rex wasn’t sure he’d heard the interjection. Rex froze, bracing a hand on the table. “Skywalker ordered me to, and I did. He pleaded with me to stop and I didn’t listen. And I…” Cody’s jaw worked, soundlessly, for a moment, before he hissed, “and I raped him, so, you don’t get to come here, and tell me it wasn’t my fault, I--”

“Sithspit,” Rex whispered, as Cody’s words cut off again, both his hands balled to fists. “That’s -- Cody. You didn’t want to, that’s--the chip--”

“I broke the chip,” Cody spat, flat and hard, “So that’s no excuse. I broke it. Just not fast enough. I wasn’t strong enough. Didn’t want to do it badly enough, when I was--”

“I’ve never heard of anyone else breaking the kriffing things,” Rex said, reaching out cautiously, gently putting a hand on Cody’s shoulder. He jumped, beneath Rex’s touch, muscles knotted and hard. “The things they made us do--”

“Made us do? What’d they make you do?” Cody demanded, looking over, and meeting his gaze was like taking a punch.

“They would have made me kill her. Ahsoka,” Rex said, calm and honest, feeling Cody flinch under his hand. “I would have done it. Pulled the trigger and put a blaster bolt between her eyes and--and I couldn’t have stopped it. Wolffe killed General Koon. Bly killed Secura. Are you calling them murderers, because you know they’d have never--”

Cody pushed up and out of his chair, and for a moment Rex thought that he’d gone too far, pushed too much, but Cody wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was across the room, towards the door, where other troopers were pushing out, the atmosphere of the room changing, all at once.

“What’s going on?” Rex demanded, standing himself, following Cody as he crossed the room.

Ahsoka thought she’d seen Obi-Wan’s expression break, before. She’d seen him hurt, many times, certainly. Seen him walk off battlefields, seen him bent over the dead, seen him grieving so openly it hurt.

His expression had never done what it did in the corridor, her last words still echoing around them. She watched him curl in, somehow, without ever seeming to move, eyes shuttered for all that they remained open. He asked, quietly, as someone pushed through the door at his back, “What?”

Ahsoka blinked the stinging blur from her eyes. Nothing seemed quite real yet, it hadn’t all settled. She’d thought, told herself, that she’d be able to help Anakin, for so long, and-- “You were his Master,” she said, choking, “he trusted you, you should have tried to save him--”

And there were troopers there, then, in the hall with them. She watched two of them just - just catch Obi-Wan and only realized then that he’d swayed, staring forward, sightlessly.

“What the kriff did you just say?” Stripes demanded, stepping in front of Obi-Wan, blocking him from her view, bristling, and they were all, every single one of them, radiating anger, fierce and jagged edged.

She took a step back, bracing, hands itching to reach for her lightsabers as Rex came through the door, a single piece of relief, even as he demanded to know what was happening. Stripes didn’t look away from Ahsoka to answer. “She said the General didn’t do enough to save Skywalker.”

It was odd, how the hall went quiet, then, just for an instant, before Cody said, tone harder than durasteel, “Rex. Take Commander Tano out of here.”

Obi-Wan’s voice was a surprise, small and rasping, “It’s al--”

“Now,” Cody cut in, and Ahsoka could see him gripping the doorframe, see a muscle jumping in his jaw, over and over again.

Rex only jerked out a nod, even though he didn’t have to take Cody’s orders anymore, stepping forward and taking her arm. She said, “I don’t--”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Rex said, quiet, close to her ear, and something about his emotions, pulled taunt with worry and concern, made her shut her jaw, her teeth closing with a little click. He said, without turning back, “We’ll just… be in our shuttle. For a while.”

Ahsoka waited until they were down the hall, around a corner, to hiss, “Rex, what the kriff--”

“Not here,” he gritted back, gaze moving to the side as they passed a trooper, who watched them with a curious expression. Rex refused to say anything else until they were through the airlock, into their little ship, and then he only said, sounding agonized, “Tell me you didn’t.”

Ahsoka blinked at him, feeling unnerved and on-edge. The sheer tension radiating out of everyone on the Recompense made it hard to think clearly. They were filling the Force up with their hurt and she had to work to keep it out. “Didn’t what?” she asked, stepping back from him and frowning.

“Say that about--”

“Rex,” she cut in, shaking her head and spinning around the pilot’s chair so she could drop down into it, wishing she’d sent someone else to check this all out. “He - he was Anakin’s Master, he - if anyone should have been able--”

“Skywalker did this to them,” Rex said, quiet, leaning his shoulder against the wall, looking down and the to the side.

Ahsoka took a breath to recover and then said, “What?”

He jerked out a nod. “He - he took the 212th, from what I can tell. Kept them on Mustafar. And then he, well. Captured General Kenobi. And... “ He swallowed, loudly enough that she heard it, his hands in fists. “And…”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Anakin wouldn’t--”

“They weren’t lying to me.” There was a jagged edge in Rex’s voice, something she’d never heard much. “He spent months--”

“No,” Ahsoka repeated, because she’d kept a flame of hope burning inside her chest for three years. Knowledge that if she just - just got close enough, she could find a way. Bring Anakin back. Rescue him from the darkness he’d fallen into.

Rex sighed, scrubbing a hand back over his head and moving forward, sinking down into the chair across from her. He reached out, after a moment, snagging her hand and threading their fingers together. When he looked up, his eyes were dark and shining.

“I know you don’t want to hear it,” he said, quietly, “but you need to. You’ve got to feel how they’re hurting.” She nodded, throat getting tight. She could feel the agony, had to work to keep it away, losing her grip on it as he sat there and spoke, quietly, trailing off sometimes, the words beating their way into her head.

And she tried to say “no” again, when he was finished. He’d leaned forward, back bowing as though he couldn’t bear the weight of what he’d learned, and she leaned forward to meet him, resting her forehead against his. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she’d known Anakin well, after all. Once upon a time. She’d seen him get angry, seen what that anger could drive him to, and she’d thought….

She said, “Sithspit,” into the space between them, and Rex nodded. She scrubbed at her face; it had been a long time since she rubbed at her cheeks and had her fingers come away wet. “What are we supposed to do for them?”

Rex sighed, staring down at their hands. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never...dealt with anything like this.”

She thought about her last words to Obi-Wan, the way he’d looked at her, blank and distant and kriffing hell, if he was sitting in the Recompense, thinking he should have saved the man who beat and raped and--and she swallowed, heavily. “Me either.”

He stroked his thumb across the side of her hand and said, “Guess we’ll figure it out together.”

#whumptober2020 #alt.7 #found family #references to past torture and non con #fall out of mind control #references to suicide #mental anguish #clone wars #fic #oof!au #codywan #glad rex and ahsoka are here but damn gonna hurt for a bit

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alderaani · 4 years ago

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so now that i’ve properly watched the finale of season two of the mandalorian, i gotta say, I have..........thoughts. i generally did quite like ‘the rescue’, but it did feel a bit unsatisfying??

like the whole episode was supposedly about rescuing the kid, but it really felt like he took a backseat in favour of setting up what i presume the new arc will be, to the point where he didn’t really feel present. like, a huge (and i would argue the central) theme this series has been the push and pull of din’s relationship with grogu - his growing attachment to him, his growing acceptance of them truly being a ‘clan of two’, but at the same time the acknowledgement that he fundamentally can’t give a part of grogu what he needs, and this quest to track down the jedi. and then he hands the kid over to luke after a minute of conversation??? you’re telling me that after din sat on the razor crest with grogu for so long ahsoka had to come looking for him, he’s suddenly able to just toss him over with a quick ‘it’s okay to let go kid’? i’m not asking for much - just a few more lines of dialogue, a little bit more interaction with the kid (maybe give him the ball they’ve been using to symbolise their relationship this entire time) and it would have landed SO much better.

(also could they not have had din take grogu into another room for five mins to take his helmet off? as if he’d remove it in front of bo katan of all people, who has been nothing but belittling, untrustworthy and rude to him. it’s not like luke was snatching grogu away in a hurry - he literally waited for the baby to come to him. but anyway, i digress)

i also think that having luke be the jedi to come for grogu made the writers really lazy, and this contributed to the unsatisfactory parting between din and grogu - they were relying too heavily on the audience knowing that luke is a good guy so it’s just accepted that the kid is handed over to him. but din doesn’t know this. it’s established that he knows f all about the jedi, or what they can do, or who they are. he’s risked life and limb and everything that he is to keep this kid safe. and he doesn’t even ask luke any questions about where he’s going to go with the kid or his intentions? after he spends an entire episode with ahsoka discussing the kid’s training? like yeah it makes a difference that grogu wanted to go, and yes, din has trusted the kid’s safety with people he doesn’t know very well (cobb vanth etc.) but even then some work has gone in to establishing their moral character. he speaks to luke for like, one minute, and all he knows about him is that he can crush shit with his mind.

i dunno. i just really felt like the weight of this episode was far too focused on the darksaber and mandalorian politics, without doing the work to wrap up what has been the heart of the show so far. it’s really a shame because i think they could have fixed that with five extra minutes dedicated to the goodbye, and now so much of the buildup from previous episodes feels unresolved.

#i loved luke in this don't get me wrong #and was i emotional af over din and grogu saying goodbye? yes #but did i think it could have been better?#definitely #don't mean to be negative but i am a bit sad #the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #mandalorian spoilers #the mandalorian season 2 #din djarin #baby yoda #alderspeaks #the rescue

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jngles · 4 years ago

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Thoughts You Definitely All Asked For on ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale!!

These are in chronological order for the show.

One of my biggest fears about them reintroducing Boba Fett was that by removing some of his mystery, they would make him less cool. Thank god that has not been the case. He’s still an aloof and nasty piece of work but with dimensions added.

We all know the Empire is most often a metaphor for America right? At least when it’s not being Nazi Germany? The Imperial pilot talking about destroying an entire planet (of peaceful weaponless civilians no less) to stop terrorism hits a little too close to home of the nuclear bombs the US has dropped and the endless destruction of the Middle East in the “war against terror.” And of course we frame all our wars in similar language like “our troops died to keep our country safe,” which hasn’t really been true since WWII.

I do think it’s worth noting that this is the first time SW has had someone acknowledge the human losses of the Death Star blasts. Usually it’s framed as a loss in construction time, strategical advantage, and power. The Empire proved time and time again that the lives of its soldiers were utterly expendable, which always made me question why people remained loyal outside of fear. Through this pilot’s phrasing, you can see the propaganda Imperial superiors used to twist the truth to their followers, always blaming those deaths on Rebel aggression instead of prideful Imperial neglect (I.e. not abandoning ship when there was still time) or even direct Imperial aggression like Operation Cinder where they fired on thousands of their own (discussed in S2E7.)

You can’t tell me Din wasn’t into it when Cara shot that asshole pilot. That cold faced revenge shot? 100% Mandalorian style, and also very very hot.

I appreciate that it was a pretty equal match between Boba and Koska Reeves. So much of Boba’s advantage comes from his suit, but since she also has one, it’s a battle of wits on how to use it, and they even out. This both maintains his legendary badassery and also that of highly trained Mandalorian warriors, and hopefully avoids asshole chauvinist SW fans on the internet complaining abujt “pandering to feminism” (fuck off @ all of them, especially since Mercedes Vernado who plays Reeves is a WWE champ and could kick all of your asses.)

Din point blank asked how many Death Troopers there are and Dr. Pershing never answered, and that annoys me.

Why is no one suspicious why Dr. Pershing is being so helpful and revealing so much information? He totally did not have to tell them about the Dark Troopers or any of the specifics of locations on the ship. He’s still with the empire post-fall, implying he’s a loyalist, so... wtf on his part (since no tricks come of it), and “be smarter” on the part of everyone else. Unless he’s been captive as a clone engineer all this time. But couldn’t he have made his escape back in Season 1 when Din killed everyone at that lab to get the kid back?

Bo Katan really could’ve just told them how the retrieval of the dark saber needs to work in the flight before the mission instead of being vague about “he belongs to me.”

Boba Fett’s usage of “Princess” and “don’t worry about me” are a good throwback to Han Solo and the culture they both grew up in. You can never quite tell if it’s based in misogyny or resentment for upper classes, but both of them seem to use it as a shield for begrudging respect they hold for a woman they think is brave but following a fool’s errand (the Rebellion and retaking Mandalore).

The Comms Officer (Katy O’Brian) assisting Moff Gideon will forever and always look like Ilana Glazer to me, and then I get swept up imagining what would happen if the Broad City cast accidentally got transported to Star Wars.

The launch tube sequence has some amazing cinematography.

The second I saw Boba was cut off from the pack, I really thought they were going to kill him again and make his return bittersweet. Glad they didn’t.

God this team of Bo Katan, Koska Reeves, Fennec Shand, and Cara Dune is SO BADASS. I’m just obsessed with all these characters and their various motivations to get shit done. I honestly didn’t even think about the fact it’s all women until my re-watch, showing that the writers made it feel natural, the way women deserve to have their representation done. You can bet I am SO EXCITED for my future daughter and the wealth of possibilities she’s going to have of characters to play pretend as, action figures she can relate to, Halloween costumes to wear, etc. It’s so validating that we’ve gone from only Princess Leia as a female main character to all these women + Rey, Jyn Erso, Ahsoka, etc. etc.

Can’t wait for the trap remix of the Dark Trooper activation noises. (And the transition from that to the minimalist flute theme is perfect.)

The spy movie version of the main theme music is sick.

The Dark Trooper droid faces have a lot of similarity to Darth Vader’s mask. That callback is especially apparent when the one is literally lit from the inside with fire. He was already a martyr/legend to the Imperial remnants, Kylo Ren didn’t start the trend of ignoring his redemption.

Cara’s “excuse me” right before shooting up Stormtroopers is hilarious. Literally “can’t talk rn, doing hot girl shit and murdering space Nazis.”

Finally an Imperial ship got some frickin security cameras. Truly- the amount of times people just wander down hallways they’re not supposed to be in with no one being able to find them throughout the course of Star Wars is ridiculous when you think about the degree of surveillance our real life society carries out. I also love that this means The Mandalorian characters have also seen The Mandalorian.

The storytelling does such a service to Pedro Pascal and his already heroic efforts to portray emotion through a helmet. For example: Din easily could’ve killed the one stormtrooper outside Grogu’s cell much more efficiently, but instead, to show his absolute rage, they wrote in Din choking him out with a spear.

Moff Gideon would have been the BIGGEST pain in the ass in philosophy class. “Assume I know everything” my ass. I want to hear about his backstory (he would’ve been “coming of age” at the time of the Clone Wars) mostly just to hear about him getting bullied at school.

Smart move honestly, to try to tempt Din with the Mandalorian throne, given the Mandalorian power struggles of the past. Proud of our boy for keeping his priorities straight.

So has the blood from Grogu been transferred out of the ship and back to the remnant empire already, or do they have to find a new “donor” to help with building Snoke and Palpatine’s clones? Will they continue to go after him with Luke?

Lmao Din being so annoyed by Bo Katan being stringent about the tradition of winning the Dark Saber through combat is HILARIOUS, coming from a man who up until like a day ago hadn’t shown his face to a living being in decades.

The dark troopers can punch in blast doors but NOT Din’s helmet?? That’s a wild testament to beskar. Somehow that’s the comparison that sticks out to me, more even than its resistance to lightsabers.

This show works because of the cynicism of so many characters adding contrast to the moments of heart. Cara Dune is not a “fan” the way Rey was (for the record I love Rey, don’t come at her, it’s just different). Cara doesn’t see an X-Wing and go OMG THE REBELLION I LOVE THEM. She’s been through too much to believe in the magic saviourism of the “good guys,” and is instead thinking strategically when she, the one Rebel present, brushes off the usefulness of “one X-Wing.” The only positive things she seems to feel in battle situations are moments of relief and brief satisfaction in hurting the empire, with a dark knowledge that it will never make up for the hurt they did to her.

How do you keep a cloak hood on while fighting? Both from a technical standpoint (my hats fall off without me even having to move- is he expending force energy just to keep it on and look cool lol?) and also because idk, maybe it’s just me, but peripheral vision is helpful when surrounded by killer robots on a thin bridge above oblivion. I know his first lesson was to “see” through the force, but every resource helps, right?

Now that she has the ship, I wonder if Bo Katan can reprogram any salvageable Dark Troopers to help with retaking Mandalore?

There is nothing like seeing Luke’s fighting style, with its efficient choppiness and twinge of darkness. I always wonder how much is natural and how much is influenced by his first fights with Vader (that Skywalker diva flair). I love how they’ve advanced his technique but also kept him extremely “grey” here- like to straight up COMBUST a Dark Trooper takes some violent energy lol.

How tf is Moff Gideon alive after threatening Grogu’s life twice directly? That’s a wild testament to Din’s regard for Cara.

I love how seeing Luke slice through a bunch of murder droids like butter probably was a huge point in his favor for Din actually letting Grogu go with him. Like he will only send his child to boarding preschool if he knows the teacher will be a certified killing machine.

Oh my god they finally brought in some OG Star Wars theme music for Luke to take his hood off to 😭 It felt weird seeing him fight to different music, so the emotional payoff is huge when his themes come back for the face reveal.

Whoever added the digital young Mark Hamill face NAILED those classic shining Luke eyes and the earnest eyebrow lift.

Whoever shines the glass of Baby Yoda’s lil puppet eyeballs each day deserves a raise. The light caught in those babies is devastating.

Din is shaking as he takes off his helmet. This is the most enormous show of love he could give him, and possibly the last he’ll be able to for a long time. He only just got Grogu back and is desperate for a moment of real connection before letting him go once again.

This is the first time anyone has touched Din’s face since... likely his parents as a child.

Whoever wrote this scene clearly actually has kids. Anyone who’s ever had to leave a young child even just to go out for a bit or to drop them off somewhere knows that heartbreak of seeing them look in your eyes and hold on to your leg, trying to keep you with them. Especially when they can sense your mutual separation anxiety. The one thing that starts to make them feel better is something fun like a new toy or friend who can be their guide in the new environment, and R2’s friendly introduction is exactly that (since digital Luke isn’t being particularly emotive or child friendly... I hope that’s just because he’s reaching into Grogu’s mind while also keeping an eye on the multiple people with guns trained on him, not because he’s going to be totally unfeeling raising this kid.)

I love that Grogu and R2 are immediately buddies in contrast to Episode 5 when R2 was like “fuck this guy” @ Yoda stealing food and hitting him with a walking stick lol. I would imagine Luke must be reminded of that first introduction too and entertained by this display of playfulness in a *positive* light between R2 and mini-Yoda.

I need to know if Luke and Ahsoka have met- it is KILLING ME.

Does this mean Grogu will get killed by Kylo Ren when he fucks up Luke’s academy??? I will reincarnate Ben just to kill him again if that’s the case.

How does Luke not even fully SMILE at Grogu?? An adorable little baby version of his beloved master Yoda, and you’re telling me he doesn’t have the same heart stopping gasp we all did when we first saw him?? Maybe he did when they first connected through the force. He has a bit of bemusement on his face, and also wonder in his eyes, but I want a grin of recognition and welcome, dammit.

I really wish Luke had somehow acknowledged Cara Dune. Everyone else seems to see the tear drop Rebel sign and know it means Alderaan. He could’ve been like yo I have a badass warrior sister from your planet that you should meet. Or just “thank you for your service.” (I know this actually wouldn’t have been cinematically good but my heart wants it.)

Luke didn’t tell Din his name?? Or ask for any details about the kid and his care?? I could literally never let my kid go with someone, regardless of how worthy, and not be like, “Excuse me sir who are you and where tf are you taking my tiny beloved green goblin in case I need to find him? Here is my contact info. He likes to eat frogs and eggs, and he can have macarons as a treat. He’s 50 years old and his favorite toy is still a ball. Bedtime is 8pm and he’s allergic to dairy.”

Another reason I wish Luke had identified himself would be to see the mishmash of reactions that would ensue. Cara would be like DAMN IT’S THAT GUY WHO BLEW UP THE DEATH STAR AND KILLED THE EMPEROR, ACT COOL (and she would indeed act cool). Fennec would be like ugh it’s that guy who helped kill my best paying client Jabba the Hutt and then fucked over my boss Boba, I helped save the kid for THIS? And I would LOVE to know how Bo Katan feels about him, assuming she’s heard of him, and especially if she knows he’s Anakin Skywalker’s son. That confusion is probably the reason WHY the writers didn’t have him reveal himself- they didn’t want to break the emotion of the scene.

Let‘s all be real I’m just being needy about wanting things from Luke because of what he meant to me as a kid and my resulting innate need to have more canon of him, whatever it is, whenever I can get it. Especially in this form that’s so similar to ROTJ, a movie I watched on endless repeat. Even getting this was incredible though. Who else could we trust this lil heart-stealing green bean with so fully? Yet who would be so arrogant as to try to train a baby yodling (see: Ahsoka’s wise refusal)?

R2 is reckless as hell lmao. Not that we don’t already know that, but for him to just head on in, effectively abandoning Luke’s ship (how can they know if there are more troopers or not who might blow it up?) and also putting himself in the path of the ridiculously deadly Dark Troopers is NUTS. I’m usually on his side but he absolutely deserves a scolding by C3PO for this one.

I wonder if Grogu has any memories of R2 or vice versa since they did occupy the Jedi Temple at the same time. Can Grogu understand droids? They could swap stories about mutual acquaintances.

Does Din pretty much have to go with Bo Katan now since a) he’s shown his face and may not be able to go back to the Watch, and b) because he has the darksaber and has to figure out how to get it back to her without dying?

How in the hell did Bib Fortuna (whose chins age was not kind to) go from being butler to being boss? Were all the henchmen just like, “Fuck yeah, no Hutt parents no rules, let’s do what we want!!” And then they’ve spent the last ten years living off of whatever money they could salvage from Jabba’s non-banked wealth? Why has no one challenged them for that prime real estate and loot? I would love to hear that story.

Fennec Shand says “respect sex workers” so you better fuckin’ do it.

Idk dude Bib Fortuna really was a good butler, and he seemed pretty willing to comply with whoever’s in power. Did he screw Boba over in his attempt to return from the dead and earn that killing shot somehow? Or was this to make sure there was no one left who would have a claim to loyalty? Or maybe Boba just really wanted to sit in that chair.

Does “The Book of Boba Fett” mean we’re not on Din Djarin’s story anymore? Or is it a new show? I would much prefer the latter. I want to see Din help retake Mandalore or at least get a hug.

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