#imperial warlord happened to be on the same planet as me

[agentscamander-romanoff]

Both Din and Ragnar have the same horrible type of luck

[gavfleetout]

I will never shut up about this, but I cannot for the life of me understand why Ezra did not join Thrawn, or why they didn’t have thrawn not just be on a random planet, but command it. Or even if not that why they didn’t do literally anything other than what they did for the latter half of ahsoka s1.

My main issue is they had almost nothing happen to these characters for 10 years beside growing a beard and getting leveled up. I have specific changes I would make, but that’s the crux of it.

Thrawn is afaptable, and I believe if he was stranded on a forbidden land, he would secure the situation and make sure things were safe, and plot a course back home. Only Thrawn and his men had TEN YEARS on this planet. Thats a lot of time to just be chilling in your start destroyer. It feels like it’s more in character for Thrawn, who plans for every contingency, to amass and expand his forces. Recruit warlords and organize the planet in a way where he has more control over the situation, and more allies and resources to draw upon. He can still be looking for a way home, but after all this time, you can’t tell me he wasn’t trying to make sure that if return was truly impossible, he would still have his backup plan ready.

That brings me to Ezra. Ezra, at his core, is all about protecting people. He is full of compassion. So why do I think he would willing side with Thrawn? Because while Thrawn is not overly considerate of preserving lives, he is not wasteful with them either. And considering the planet they arrived in was so lawless, I can see a version of events where Thrawn convinces Ezra (who quite literally has no other options and probably expected to die after s4 let’s be real) that if they bring order and justice, different from the empire’s version of it, they can truly help the people of the planet. Even the Victorian snail guys.

But why would Ezra believe this? He’s seen Thrawn’s destruction first hand. Except that was when Thrawn worked for the empire. And Thrawn doesn’t care about the empire per se, he cares about ensuring a safe galaxy for his own people, the Chiss, who are not involved in galactic affairs or even known by most of the galaxy. I feel like if Thrawn made a concerted effort to empathize in order to win a desperate, victorious Ezra over, he could. And I think Ezra’s own want for justice and control and his own past temptation to the dark side would make the offer seem more appealing. HOWEVER I believe that Ezra would do his best to ensure a morality so applied to their new planet’s mini empire. He would do his best to limit thrawns abuses and probably look out for farmers and the little guys especially.

Thrawn would look out and see world that needs to be corralled and materials to be used, Ezra would look out and see a world suffering, and I think the two could make their efforts align.

But why do I think this is better? While I don’t know if it is better, it is more complex. 10 years change a person, and I don’t think Ezra would be the same after all those years when the only remnant of his home are the imperial forces. (Not that every character should be gritty and dark after a time skip, that’s stupid) I don’t think this change contradicts his character, and only adds to the dissonance when he and Sabine reconnect. To her, him joining Thrawn is a betrayal of their entire space family. But to Ezra, in that situation, it could have been the most Ezra thing to do. I also wish they’d expanded on Ezra and Thrawn relationships more, because Ezra being one of the few people to ever defeat Thrawn so utterly is an accomplishment, and I think Thrawn would value him as an ally and not just let him wander off with the snail men.

So yeah, I think having neither Ezra nor Thrawn having done or changed in any primary way over the span of 10 years is dumb and they should have had them be doing something. Preferably something angst and character drama building. Like they didn’t have to go tHis route, but they could have done something more interesting. Like cmon, you telling me Ezra just letting people get attacked by bandits and Thrawn hasn’t organized this misshapen planet into an efficient system?

[hearts-hunger]

aay’han mar’eyce (bittersweet discovery): chapter one || din djarin x reader

Read on AO3 || Masterlist

Series Summary: In search of the Jedi you’ve been tasked to find, you and Din wrestle with the bittersweet discovery of your little one’s past and destined future. || Part Three of Jate’kara (Lucky Stars)

Chapter Summary: When you land on Corvus, you and Din both realize you’re more nervous about finding Ahsoka Tano than you thought.

Pairings: Din Djarin x Wife!Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst | Word Count: 3k 

Warnings: Mentions of reader’s pregnancy

A/N: When will God stop my sinful hand? Never, and I’ll keep writing for Mr. and Mrs. Djarin as long as it gives me serotonin like this. This series is a pretty distinct tonal shift from Dralshy’a Ka’ra, which was all sunshine, but I really wanted to do another episode rewrite and I thought chapter 13 had such great potential for family bonding and hurt/comfort. I hope you like it! ♡

“Corvus. This is the place.”

Your husband’s voice broke the silence that had filled the cockpit, and you looked up to see a cloudy green planet steadily growing bigger beyond the glass. Bright glimpses of magma core peeked through the dense atmosphere. The display on the Crest’s instrument panel gave a friendly chirp and outlined the planet’s main hubs, one of which was the city of Calodan. Your stomach gave an unpleasant jolt at the name and you tried to still the slight trembling of your hands, looking for something to distract you from your impending arrival on the planet.

You held an unfinished project in your hands, a soft little baby romper made of navy blue cotton. Din had gotten you the fabric while you were staying on Naboo - though he’d gotten it for you to make something for yourself, he hadn’t minded when you told him you were going to use a little of it to make something for your babies. You’d already stitched up a handsome little shirt for your son, and now you were working on something for your new baby.

Resting your hand over your stomach, you gave a small sigh and thought over the last month. Omera had wanted you to try and steer clear of danger as much as possible, for your sake and the baby’s, but danger followed your little family with an uncanny determination. The Mandalorians you’d found on Trask had turned out to be an entirely different kind than the one you’d known, taking their helmets off as if their creed meant nothing, roping your husband into a dangerous, fruitless mission in exchange for their help. But they’d also helped save your little one, and you’d be forever indebted to them for it.

You shuddered. You couldn’t think about that day for long before you grew panicky, nervous to let your son out of your sight lest he be swallowed up like that again. You and Din had both had nightmares about it, about what could have happened to Din or your baby on that ship. You could have lost a child and been widowed in the blink of an eye had it not been for Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians, and the thought made you sick with fear and worry even now.

Then you’d gone to Nevarro, and Din had gone off on another mission to destroy an Imperial base. You and your husband had argued about it, but he eventually brought you around - Cara and Greef were your friends, and they’d always helped you when you needed it. It was time to return the favor, even if it meant you’d be fretting in the back of a schoolroom the entire time they were gone. 

Your husband’s return hadn’t been the triumphant victory you’d expected - Din had rushed in, wasting no breath on explanations, and taken you and the baby back to the ship for a hasty departure. It was just your luck that your escape from Nevarro had devolved into a dogfight with Imperial TIE-fighters, and your poor husband had endured no small amount of ranting from you when things settled back down. You were angry and worried, petrified by the thought of the experiments the Imperial warlords wanted to perform on your little one.

And now, you were approaching the planet that sheltered the Jedi you’d been tasked to find. The Jedi you were then supposed to hand your baby over to, because she was one of “his kind”. You felt a now-familiar wash of unease come over you, and worried your bottom lip to try and keep it in check.

“I’ve detected a beacon,” Din said, looking over at the display. Your baby sat up on the dash next to him, watching his movements with interest.

Din worked around him, pressing buttons and flipping switches in preparation for landing. “I’m gonna start the landing cycle,” he said. He glanced down at your son. “You better get back in your seat.”

The baby didn’t move from the dash, giving a soft coo of protest. You noticed the silver handle was back on the gear shift and smiled a little, knowing that was what held your little one’s attention enough for him to disregard his dad’s instruction. 

Din took his focus from the landing cycle long enough to realize his son hadn’t done as he was told.

“Hey, what did I tell you?” he said, in a mildly scolding tone. “Back in your seat.”

Your baby’s ears drooped. Setting aside your sewing project, you rose and gathered him into your arms.

“Oh, you poor thing,” you crooned, cuddling him close. “Your daddy’s so grumpy, isn’t he?”

He gave a babble of agreement, and Din huffed a laugh.

“I’ll be more grumpy if he tumbles off the dash while we’re landing.”

“That’s not true,” you told your baby. “Daddy would hold you and kiss it better. He couldn’t be grumpy with you if he tried.” As stoic as your husband seemed on the outside, he was as gentle as could be underneath all that armor. 

He flipped another switch and looked over his shoulder at you.

“You alright, cyare?” he asked gently. “You’ve been pretty quiet today.”

Usually you could be counted on to keep up a steady stream of conversation if you decided to stay with Din in the cockpit rather than roam around the ship. For this trip, though, you’d been uncharacteristically quiet. You knew Din shared your fears about finally meeting this Jedi, but you were completely tangled up in knots about it and hadn’t wanted to burden him.

You shook your head and held your baby closer. “I’m fine. Just... tired, I guess.”

You were a little run down, especially since morning sickness had started to give you some trouble, but you’d had much worse and would muscle through it. Besides, you couldn’t really afford to slow down, and both you and Din knew it.

“I would have thought you’d be relieved to have a little peace and quiet,” you teased lightly. He’d told you when you first started courting that the Crest had never heard so much talking until you came aboard.

He chuckled. “I like listening to you talk, cyare.” He eased the Crest into the atmosphere, a task that was second nature after so many years with the same ship. He glanced over at the little romper you’d laid on the dash.

“You finished it?” he asked.

You picked it up; your baby grabbed it in his clawed hand.

“Gentle,” you reminded him. “This is for ik’aad, remember?” Din had used the Mandalorian word for “baby” to tell your son your happy news, and it had stuck. Even now, your little one’s ears perked up at the nickname.

You smiled when he brushed his fingers over the fabric with a gentler touch and gave a soft coo.

“I haven’t finished it yet,” you said to Din. “I want to do some embroidery on it, if I can find the right thread - I was thinking little snowflakes along the collar.”

Your baby would be born during the winter on Sorgan, and even though you knew it was early yet, you’d taken great comfort and joy in working on this outfit. 

Din held out his hand. “May I see?”

You handed it to him, and it seemed delicate and very small in his big hands. He ran a finger over the collar.

“You’ve done a beautiful job so far, cyar’ika,” he said, and you felt your cheeks pink a little at the tenderness of his compliment.

“Thank you,” you said. You put your son down in your seat and took the romper from your husband’s hand.

“Stay put, and be good for dad,” you told your little one. “I’ll be right back.”

You gathered up your sewing odds and ends and took them down to the second level of the Crest, tucking them safely away in the small chest you kept your mending in. A shirt of Din’s that had torn at the shoulder seam was half-folded at the bottom, and you took a moment to neaten it and steady yourself before you went back up to the cockpit.

Ahsoka Tano was her name. It was the only thing you knew about her, besides the fact that she was a Jedi. You didn’t know what she looked like, or who she worked for, or how she would train your little one. She might be cruel and mean-tempered, for all you knew - how could you just hand your foundling over to her?

You and Din hadn’t really talked about it. Up until now, finding a Jedi had always seemed like something that might take years to accomplish. They were apparently very few and far between, and though you now knew it had been foolish to do so, you had never really given any great consideration to actually finding one, at least not so quickly. You and Din had loved your little one and cared for him as your own, even before the Armorer declared you a clan of three and heard your vows to adopt him. To hand him over to someone you knew nothing about - someone from an enemy race to the Mandalorians, no less - was unthinkable.

But you’d also vowed something else to the armorer that day. Together, you and Din had promised to find others of your foundling’s kind and return him to them. It was not a vow you took lightly, and you knew Din would no sooner break his promise than he would give up the Way. 

You straightened your shoulders and stood. No matter what happened on this planet, Din would need you. His struggle between the love he had for his foundling and the loyalty he had to the Way would not be an easy thing to overcome, and you wouldn’t leave him to face it alone.

You made your way back up to the cockpit, and you heard your little one babbling away before you came through the doors. Din was nodding and responded with interest despite the baby’s chatter not really meaning anything, and you felt your chest tighten. This was going to be harder than you thought.

- 

Din landed the Crest in a clearing among the forest of charred, skeletal trees surrounded by a sickly fog. You wondered if the air was even breathable. A quick check to the Crest’s display showed that it was, but the greenish tinge of the smog only added to your unease as the ship settled to the ground.

“I thought Bo-Katan said this was a forest planet,” you said.

Din started the shutdown cycle. “She did. Something must have happened to destroy the forests, and I’m guessing it wasn’t an accident. It probably has something to do with that city we passed over.”

You looked up at his helm as he stood. “The city we’re headed to?”

“Right again,” he said wryly. He looked over your shoulder to the dead trees outside. “Do you want to stay here while I go check out the city?”

As if on cue, a low groaning sound came from outside - only a very big creature could have made such a noise, and it didn’t sound like anything you’d like to meet on your own.

You crossed your arms over your chest and pressed closer to him. “No, I want to go with you.” You didn’t want to be on this planet anyway, and being separated from Din would only make it worse.

He ran a hand over your back to soothe you. “Okay,” he agreed. “Are you ready to leave?”

You nodded, but you didn’t pull away from him yet. His chestplate felt cool against your skin, and you allowed yourself a moment of comfort in his arms.

He cradled your face in his hands and leaned his helmet against your head. 

“It’s gonna be alright, cyar’ika,” he said gently. “We’ll just take it one step at a time, ok? We might not even find her here.”

You pulled back then, just enough to look up at his visor. You didn’t need to see his face to read the tension and unease he held in his whole body; he was just as hesitant to go looking for Ahsoka Tano as you were.

You bit the inside of your cheek. “One step at a time,” you agreed.

He nodded and relaxed a little. He gave you a final gentle tap of his helm against your head, a reassuring, comforting kiss, then beckoned to your little one.

“Come on, ad’ika,” he said, taking him from the seat. “Let’s go see what we can find.”

You followed Din to the second level, and he set your baby down after he’d come down the ladder to let him stretch his little legs. Your little one toddled after Din as the ramp lowered and revealed the bleak landscape you’d seen through the glass. The dead forest stretched in every direction, broken only by the great hulking shapes of slow-moving creatures in the distance.

Seeing his father had stopped at the foot of the ramp, your baby stopped too - top heavy and struggling to balance on the ramp, he sat midway down the slope with a little coo. You noticed he had the handle to the gear shift in his hand and was contentedly watching the way it shone in the weak sunlight.

“Did daddy give you that?” you asked, hunkering down next to him. He held it up to you and gave a soft babble.

Din turned. “Did I give him what?” He saw the ball in your baby’s hand and closed the distance between you in a few steps.

“What did I say about that?” Din scolded, extending his hand. The baby whined but reluctantly handed over his prize.

“This needs to stay in the ship,” Din chided. He tucked the ball into a pocket on his belt and straightened, looking out over the terrain again. You gave your son a consoling kiss on his soft ear; he chirped happily at you and you couldn’t help but smile back.

“Not much to see out here,” Din said. He looked back at the two of you. “I’ve never had dealings with the Jedi before.”

Neither of you had, and his guess was as good as yours as to whether Jedi usually made their homes on planets as seemingly inhospitable as this. You knew nothing of their customs, their way of life - perhaps they didn’t even train ones as little as your baby, or were still hostile to Mandalorians. The only way to know would be to find the one you were looking for.

Din leaned down to scoop your baby up, cradling him in the crook of his arm, and offered his hand to you to help you stand. He gave your hand a quick squeeze before letting go.

“Let’s head into town,” he said. “See if we can pick up a lead.”

You stayed by his side as he walked to the edge of the clearing, and the Crest whirred as it drew the ramp back up and settled in to wait. You’d landed far enough away from the city to leave your ship better guarded against thieves, but it wouldn’t be a long walk to reach the city.

The forest closed in the further you went from your ship - even though they were rotted, the trees were numerous and large. They loomed in the fog, invisible until you were right on top of them, and it set your teeth on edge. When he was carrying the baby, Din preferred to have his other hand free to grab his blaster if the need should arise; to oblige him but still attempt to soothe your jangled nerves, you held a handful of his cloak and kept close to him that way.

All three of your kept quiet as you walked. You were in no mood for cheery conversation, and Din was well accustomed to silence on a bounty hunt. Even though Ahsoka Tano wasn’t a bounty, you knew your husband would employ those same skills to find her in the city; Din was an excellent hunter, and would most likely find her quickly. You didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

Just before you reached the city, Din stopped and asked you to take the baby.

“Keep him close, cyare,” he said as your little one snuggled against your chest. “I don’t want either of you wandering.”

He knew he didn’t have to remind you, but you also knew it helped soothe his nerves. You put your hand on his arm, hoping to reassure him.

“We’ll stay close,” you told him. Though you were occasionally tempted to break his “stay by my side” rule on more colorful, inviting planets - you’d gotten a thorough reaming out from your husband one time after you’d wandered off and gotten lost in a bazaar on a Mid-Rim planet and made him sick with worry - you wanted to stick close on this planet.

“Should we do the nursemaid, this time?” you asked. A Mandalorian accompanied by a young woman and a baby would always call attention, and you often playacted to keep your identity as his wife a secret. You and your little one made him vulnerable, and were therefore a higher prize to be won or better bargaining chip to own.

Din’s posture stiffened.

“No,” he said firmly. “If anyone asks, we’ll tell them the truth. You’re my wife, and anyone who wants to get at you or our baby will have to go through me first.”

You felt a strange mix of apprehension and pride, hesitance and desire. His protective nature had always been something you loved about him, but he wasn’t usually this keyed up before a hunt. You reminded yourself this wasn’t a regular hunt you were on; neither of you had any idea what you’d find in the city, and you knew he’d been feeling the same nervousness you had as you came closer to finding what you sought.

“Okay,” you agreed. “We’ll tell them the truth.”

He seemed to relax a little - he must have known you’d picked up on his tone, and was thankful you’d taken it in stride. He brushed his hand over the baby’s head, then touched his fingers to your cheek.

“Thank you,” he said. “I love you.”

You took a steadying breath and held your baby closer. “I love you too.”

Read chapter two!

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[eleventhdoctorsangel]

You will be found

Summary: I couldn't remember my life before the mandalorian that I would come to know as Din Djarin save me along with a small baby. Now we have become a small family of sorts so that the we wouldn't be found.

“You should get some rest.” Mando said. “I really don’t feel tried if it’s alright I rather stay here.” I said. Mando just gave me a small nod as he went back to his seat. I took the small ball from the baby. “Here you can have this back since the baby is asleep.” I said as I held out the ball to Mando. “Thank you.” Mando said as he took the ball as screwed it back on to lever. “Do like to be called Mandalorian or Mando?” I asked. “Mando is just fine.” Mando said. “May I ask you something?” I asked. “Depend.” Mando said. “Are you ever allowed to take off the helmet?” I asked. “No. There is no living human has seen my face since I took on the mandalorian creed.” Mando said. The baby let out soft snores as he curled more into my stomach which made me laugh softly. “Were you always a mandalorian?” I asked. “No I was a foundling.” Mando said. “What’s a foundling?” I asked. “Children that are adopted into the mandalore way.” Mando said. “Am I annoying you by asking all these questions?” I asked. “No you’re not annoying me. Who know how long it’s been since you’ve talked to another human.” Mando said. “What was your name before? Wait no that is probably too personal. Just forget I asked that.” I said. “No it’s alright. It’s Din.” Mando said. “I really like that name. I’ll only use your real name if I’m in danger. If you want me to.” I said. “You may call me Din.” Mando said. “But what if someone hears me call you Din. Wouldn’t that go against the mandalorian way?” I asked. “It does but if it would make you more comfortable around me you may call me Din.” Mando said. “I’ll think about it.” I said. We talk well we made small talk was more like it until I ended up falling asleep.

I woke up to the ship shaking which jolted me awake very quickly. “What happening?” I asked rubbing my eyes. “Way to go kid you woke her up. I told you not to do that.” Mando said. I heard the baby start to coo. “How long was I asleep?” I asked. “Not long. The kid woke back up around the same time I took him from you so you could get some rest. But it seemed he to like touching stuff. I will watch him you can go back to sleep.” Mando said. I saw the baby looking back to me from Mando’s lap. He held his arms out towards me as he started to cry. “Come on kid she needs to get some rest. I’ll watch you while she sleeps.” Mando said. But this only made the baby cry more. I let out a sigh as I got and went to go grab the baby from him. As soon as I picked him up he stopped crying. “You know you can’t be by my side all the time little guy.” I said. The baby looked up to me with his big eyes and put a hand on my face. “Oh no don’t play the cute card with me.” I said. The baby put his other hand on my face and cooed. “Alright fine you win this round.” I said. The baby smiled up at me like he knew. This made me laugh a little. “He really seems to like you. You also seemed to be the only one he listens to.” Mando said. “Well I’m not so sure about that.” I said as I went to sit back down. “He cries if he can’t see you or hold him.” Mando said. “He’ll get over it.” I said. “Easier said than done. Get ready we’re about to land.” Mando said. I got myself and the baby buckled in.

The land was just fine and I unbuckled the baby and I. “Now wasn’t that fun huh.” I said to the baby. The baby looked up at me clapping his hands and giggles. I smiled and poked his nose. He grabbed my finger and started chew on it. “Now what have I said about chewing on things that are not food.” I said taking my finger out of his mouth and wiping it on my shirt. “Now listen you two. I’m going to go out there and I’m going to look around. It shouldn’t take too long. Now you don’t touch anything.” Mando said pointing to the baby. “I’ll keep him out of everything.” I said. “I’ll find us some lodging then I’ll come back for the two of you. You stay right here. You stay. Don’t move. You understand. You be good for her.” Mando said. The baby grunted back at him. “Great.” Mando said and walked out of the cockpit. The baby looked up to me and it was almost like I knew what he was thinking. “Oh no. You heard we gotta stay here.” I said. He cooed and got down from my lap and followed behind Mando. I jumped up from my seat following the baby. I found him standing by Mando with the back hatch open. The baby was looking up at Mando cooing. “I’m so sorry he wanted to follow you.” I said as I picked up the baby holding him close to me. Mando let out a sigh. “Oh what the hell? Come on.” Mando said. Mando was first to walk out and I followed behind him holding the baby to me.

As we walked closer to the cantina the baby started to squirm in my arms. “What do you want down?” I asked. The baby squirm more in arms. “Okay I’ll let you down.” I said as I sat the baby down on the ground. He started to waddle around with a smile. “Keep up with Mando and I okay.” I said. Mando was a bit ahead of us I kept closer to the baby in cased  something happens. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the baby walked around. We walked inside the cantina. I kept to make sure that no one stepped on or kicked the baby. Then the baby saw this cat looking creature and started to walk up to it. The creature ended up lunging and hiss at the baby. But I quickly picked him up holding him to my chest. He let out a cry as he gripped my hair. “It’s okay little one.” I said as I caught back up with Mando.

We walked over to a table I sat the baby down in one of the three chairs and I sat down next to the baby. Mando sat on the other side of the table. Then one of the people who works here came up to the table. “Welcome travelers. Can I interest you in anything?” She asked. “Bone broth for the little one and the lady and a jug of water.” Mando said. “Oh well you’re in luck. I just took down a grinjer so there’s plenty. Can I interest you in a porringer of broth as well?” She asked. “Just the little one and the lady.” Mando said. “Very well.” She said. “That one over there. When did she arrive?” Mando asked. That’s when I noticed a lady over on the other side of the cantina. “I’ve seen her here for the last week or so.” She said. “What’s her business here?” Mando asked. “Business? Oh well there’s not much business in Sorgan so I can’t say.” She said laughing a little. This made Mando throw a sack of credits on to the table. “She doesn’t strike me as a log runner. Well thank you sir. I will get that broth and jug of water to you as soon as possible and I will throw in a flagon of spotchka just for good measure. I will be right back with that.” She said as she picked up the sack of credits and walked away. When she did Mando was quick to get up. “Stay here.” Mando said and walked away. Not long after she came back with the stuff Mando ordered for me and the baby. “Can I get you two anything else?” She asked. “No we’re fine thank you.” I said. “Alright if you two need anything let me know.” She said. “I will. Thank you.” I said. She nodded and walked away. I handed the baby his little bowl of bone broth. “Careful little one it’s still hot.” I said as I gave him the bowl. He smiled and took it and started to slip at it. I rubbed one of his ears then I pour myself some water. I took a drink and when I took the cup away from my face I noticed the baby was gone. I started to choke on the water. This caused quite a few people to look over at me. I got up from the table and went over to the lady who brought us the broth and water. “Did you see where the baby went?” I asked. She nodded. “Yes I saw him follow the man the two of you came in with outside. I’m sure that he’ll bring the baby back in. He probably just wanted to go find dad. So mom just go sit back down. It will be fine.” She said. I nodded and went to sit back down knowing that she was right he probably just went to find Mando. A few minutes later Mando walked back in with the baby in his arms and the woman he wanted to know about following him. “We need to get him to stop wondering off.” Mando said as he sat the baby back down. I nodded. “He scared me but she told me that he followed you.” I said. “Did he get you while you weren’t looking?” The woman asked. “He better not make a habit of it.” I said laughing a little and poke his nose. “This is” Mando said but stopped. “Cara Dune.” Cara said. “Y/n.” I said. Cara sat down and started to talk to Mando and I.

“Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor. Mostly Ex-imperial warlords. They wanted it fast and quiet. They’d sent us in on the drop ships. No support just us. Then when the imps were gone the politics started. We were peacekeepers protecting delegates suppressing riots. Not what I signed up for.” Cara said. “How’d you end up here?” Mando asked. “Let’s just call it an early retirement. Look I knew you were guild. I figured you had a fob on me. That’s why I came at you so hard.” Cara said. “Yeah that’s what I figured. Well this has been a real treat but unless you wanna go another round one of us is gonna have to move on and I was here first. As for you little one you better start listening to your mom.” Cara said as she finished drink her broth leaving the empty bowl on the table and walked away. Well I guess it’s official I’m the little one mom. “Well looks like this planet’s taken.” Mando said. The baby looked over to me holding up he’s arms. “Alright some here.” I said picking him up. He wrapped his little arms around my neck the best he could. I felt as one of his hands griped my hair then I could hear his soft snores. I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Looks like someone had a long day.” I said. “Come on I should get you two back to the razor crest.” Mando said as he got up. I nodded and got up while trying not to wake up the baby.

[bedlamsbard]

Part 13 of the other side AU concept!  I am going to eventually pull these apart into parts one (Devil’s in the Details) and two (Carry the Fire) and do edits/rewrites to the extent they meet my standards for going up on AO3 as chaptered, titled fics, but I don’t currently have the mental and emotional energy for that.  (Have you...met January 2021?)  In the meantime here are my in-progress playlists, if there’s interest: Devil’s in the Details and Carry the Fire.

About 5.8K below the break.

*

Zeb got up to keep watch, since he had the best ears of the group; Kanan took his place on the tree root and Ezra leaned back to keep his head tipped against Kanan’s knee, barely able to comprehend that single point of connection.  Kanan’s presence radiated through the Force with startling solidity, as if after years of shadows someone had suddenly turned on a light in a dark room. Ezra had to fight back his urge to roll around in that strength like an overjoyed Loth-cat in a patch of sunlight.

“I don’t know exactly what happened when the Chimaera went down,” he said eventually.  He hesitated, not wanting to get into the fact that at the time he had still been locked in his cell.  He didn’t think he could get away without telling them that at all, but he didn’t want to lead off with it if he could help it.  “I wasn’t up in the bridge – Thrawn and Pellaeon didn’t really want me near anything important.  What I heard later was that the Vong tricked the Scylla and the Charybdis – they’re the only other ships left in the Seventh – into leaving the Chimaera, and once the cruisers were out of reach they hit the Chimaera with everything they had. Their ships aren’t like ours,” he added slowly. “They’re living things, for one – I have no idea how that works.  They’re not shielded, but they’ve got some kind of – of miniature black holes that move around on their ships, swallowing up most shots before they can get through at all.  Dovin basals, that’s what they call them.  TIE pilots don’t know how to deal with them – ship gunners either, for that matter.  I don’t know how they work; the Chimaera’s scientists were trying to figure it out.”

He glanced over at Sabine in time to see her eyebrows snap together, obviously trying to work it out for herself without even having seen one.  She still had the piece of broken beskar in her hand, like she couldn’t comprehend what had happened to it.

“The Chimaera had already taken a lot of damage by the time the Vong started boarding,” Ezra went on slowly.  “Zafira – that’s the death trooper captain – let me out around then, but I was never on the bridge or anything.  I guess Thrawn had the idea that the Vong ships might not be able to survive in atmosphere since they’re alive and they live in space, so he started bringing the Chimaera down into the planet’s atmosphere.”

Sabine whistled softly. “Did it work?”

Ezra shrugged. “You saw the Chimaera.”  He was quiet for a moment, remembering the desperate battle in the narrow corridors of the star destroyers – lights flickering as power was cut off, then restored, emergency notifications about hull breaches still blaring out absurdly over the sound of blasterfire and Vong war cries.  He would have given his right hand for his lightsaber.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat and went on, “Thrawn sent Pellaeon and some of the other bridge crew to the auxiliary bridge so that they weren’t in the same place. I know they were arguing about it – I think Pellaeon wanted to evacuate and Thrawn still thought he could win.”

“Zeb and Chop and I searched the bridge,” Sabine said.  “There wasn’t much of it left.  We had to get into the communications room computers.”

Ezra nodded. “Yeah.  I was with the death troopers – we ran into Pellaeon on his way down to the auxiliary bridge and stayed with him. The Vong took Thrawn, the rest of the bridge crew, others – there’s no accurate count on how many died and how many the Vong took captive.”  He resisted the urge to say that as far as he was concerned, the Vong were welcome to keep Thrawn; with his luck they’d team up and that was the last thing he wanted or needed.  “No one was in the auxiliary bridge when the bridge went; by the time we got there it was too late to pull the Chimaera up.  Pellaeon ordered the evacuation then; the Vong were already pulling out.  I guess they got what they wanted.  By then the Scylla had come back; Charybdis was still trading punches with the Vong out in space.”

He pulled his legs up and rested his chin on his knees.  He didn’t think he would ever forget the sight of the Chimaera crashing, which he had seen from one of the evacuating gunships.  The shock wave when the star destroyer had struck the ground had tossed the gunships around with toys; two of them had crashed into each other and exploded. Even the Scylla, making a reckless atmospheric approach in an attempt to save as many of the Chimaera’s crewmembers as it could, had been thrown aside.  Ezra never wanted to give Imperial any more credit than necessary, but the fact that Commander Kisujo had kept the Scylla from crashing was probably a minor miracle, especially given how much damage the cruiser had already sustained.

“Pellaeon went back afterwards to look for survivors,” Ezra said eventually. “There weren’t any. There were Vong hunting parties all over the place, though, seeding their blasted worldshaping plants.”

Hera stirred. “Those are the plants all over the Chimaera?  We thought the ship must have been there for years until we got into the computers.”

Ezra nodded. “This planet is already pretty close to what they like in a world –”  He gestured at the jungle that sat heavy and waiting all around them, “– but I guess they do it as a matter of course whenever they’re grounded for a while.  Change the chemical composition of the atmosphere, the groundwater, destroy anything that looks like technology, enslave the natives – I don’t think this place has any, though.”

“So what are you doing out here?” Zeb asked over his shoulder.

“Looking for the Vong,” Ezra said.  He rubbed his aching shoulder, where a Vong warrior had slammed him into a bulkhead on the Chimaera, and which had gotten further banged up when the shock wave from the Chimaera’s crash had tossed them his gunship around like confetti. Getting thrown into that tree hadn’t helped it either, nor did it help that it was the same shoulder he had been shot in six years ago.  “Pellaeon thought he’d send someone who actually had a chance at making it back. And who he didn’t mind losing,” he added sourly. “TIE patrols spotted the Vong camp out this way – or the one who made it back said so, anyway.  Pellaeon wants Thrawn back for some reason.  And the rest of the crew, I guess.  Even if they’re Imps they don’t deserve what the Vong will do to them.”

He fell silent, thinking about some of the holos he had seen of Vong-controlled planets the Chimaera had found.  He had only been allowed groundside on one of those occasions, when Thrawn had decided he wanted to see what a Force-user would make of it, and he’d wanted to claw his own skin off within minutes of touching down.

“This isn’t the invasion fleet,” he said eventually. “I don’t know where they are.  Thrawn thought it was some kind of advance scout fleet to figure out how hard the Vong would have to hit the Empire.”

Hera exchanged a look with Kanan over Ezra’s head.  Sabine and Zeb both swore, Sabine in Mando’a, Zeb in Lasat.

“What?” Ezra said. “What did I miss?  Uh, besides everything that happened in the last six years.  You can just give me the highlights.”

Sabine rested the piece of beskar on her knee and ticked them off on her fingers. “Tarkin’s dead, Vader’s dead, the Emperor’s dead, Alderaan got blown up, the Empire’s in pieces but Palpatine still tried to destroy it from beyond the grave, the New Republic’s being run by idiots.  Did I forget anything?  Oh, the Jedi are back but all they do is argue about doctrine.”

Kanan sighed. “That’s an oversimplification.”

“Wait – what?” Ezra said.

“Not everyone on the Provisional Council is an idiot,” Hera said.

“Wait, what?”  Ezra felt like he had just been hit with a very large brick. “Palpatine’s dead?” he said, focusing on that.

“Probably,” Zeb said. “Skywalker’s the only one who saw it happen.”

“Who’s – wait, like Anakin Skywalker?  But he’s –” He stopped abruptly, remembering what had happened on Malachor.

There was an awkward silence shared between Kanan and Hera; Zeb and Sabine just looked at each other and shrugged.  Sabine said, “If Palpatine was still around there wouldn’t be a dozen warlords – mostly former Imperials – running around trying to carve up the Empire between them.”

“Yeah, and maybe the Provisional Council would stop arguing with each other,” Zeb grumbled.

“The Jedi?” Ezra said a little wildly.

“Yeah, all three of them,” Zeb said.

“I’ll explain later,” Kanan said quickly. “It’s not quite as dramatic as it sounds.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you about the Death Star,” Sabine said. “Mark one and mark two.”

“The what?”

“Let’s focus on our current situation, shall we?” Hera said quickly.

“Don’t even get me started on Mandalore.”

“I’ve always tried not to!”

“Hera went to another universe.”  Sabine considered. “And she has a baby.”

“What?”  Ezra almost fell off the tree root twisting around to look at Kanan and Hera.

Hera bit her lip. “Jacen’s not a baby, he’s six,” she said.  She looked at Kanan and smiled, soft and fond.  “He’s back on Ryloth with my father.”

“I need a drink,” Ezra muttered, then, louder, “Congratulations.  Wait, you, went to another universe?”

“Kanan too,” Sabine said. “Oh, Ahsoka’s back too, but that was a while ago.”

Ezra rubbed at his forehead. “Okay, can we catch me up later?”

“The relevant part is that neither the Imperial Remnant nor the New Republic is in any position to repel a full-scale invasion,” Hera said.  She sighed.  “The only reason the New Republic let us come out here – officially, I should say – is because there have been rumors about Thrawn for years.  If he’s in contact with anyone in the Remnant –”

Ezra shrugged. “Believe me when I say that I’m the last person Thrawn ever talked to.  About anything.”

“How much of the Seventh is left?” Kanan asked.

“The Scylla and the Charybdis are the only ships left, and they both got pretty beat up in that last fight with the Vong,” Ezra said, thinking back.  Pellaeon didn’t tell him much more than Thrawn did, but he had seen the makeshift command post in the Scylla before he’d left.   “Everyone’s taken pretty heavy losses since Lothal –”  He looked up suddenly, his heart in his throat. “Lothal –”

“Fine,” Sabine reassured him quickly. “Ryder’s governor again, everyone’s fine, Loth-cats as far as the eye can see.”

Ezra’s shoulders slumped in relief.  Eventually, he said, “At least ten thousand back at Chimaera Camp and on Scylla and Charybdis, but I don’t think they’ve got more than fifteen thousand left altogether.  I guess it depends how many the Vong took off the Chimaera.”

Kanan drew in his breath sharply.  Ezra couldn’t blame him; the Chimaera’s full muster was for forty thousand, but it hadn’t held that many people since well before the purrgil had reduced it substantially.  Most star destroyers, Pellaeon had remarked once, seldom held a full muster unless they were expecting to go into battle; in the normal course of things a star destroyer simply didn’t actually need nearly ten thousand stormtroopers who would do nothing but take up resources and start fights.

“That many troops plus the cruisers is enough to give any of the warlords a leg up on the others,” Sabine said practically. “Even without a star destroyer – or Thrawn, for that matter, I can’t see him letting Isard or Zsinj hold his leash.”  When Ezra frowned at her, she clarified, “Those are two of the warlords running around making trouble.  Isard used to run the ISB, Zsinj is just annoying.”

“He’s gotten a lot of people killed,” Zeb said harshly. “That’s more than ‘just annoying.’”

Sabine made a gesture of apology.  When Ezra looked uncertainly between them, Zeb explained, “Before I volunteered for this, I was with New Republic Special Forces – the Pathfinders, not the droppers. The droppers are all crazy.”

Ezra filed that away to ask about later.

Kanan and Hera shared one of those silent moments of communication that Ezra had been so familiar with half a decade earlier, then Hera said, “We’ve stayed here too long already. Ezra, were you on your way to or back from the Yuuzhan Vong encampment?”

“To.  I know about where it is.  And I can’t sense the Vong –”  He glanced at Kanan and saw the older man’s nod, acknowledging that it wasn’t any fault in Ezra’s command of the Force, “– but I can sense the captives they’ve got.  And what they’re doing to this planet.”

Kanan nodded again, his expression grim.

“Will you take us there?” Hera asked. “We’d better see this, and then we can decide what we’re going to do. Regardless, the New Republic has to know.”

Ezra nodded, a little puzzled at the odd tone in her voice, then realized abruptly what might be going through her head right now.  “I’m not one of them,” he said. “I didn’t switch sides.  It wasn’t all awful, but I spent most of the past six years in a cell except when Thrawn decided to haul me out in case having a Force-user around helped.  No one on the Chimaera ever forgot whose fault it was they were out there,” he added, gritting his teeth against the sudden quaver in his voice.  He touched a finger to the white streak in his hair; it was probably invisible in this poor light, but it was part of the reason he kept most of his hair cropped short these days.  “I got this the last time some of them decided I should pay for that and shot me in the head.  That was the fourth time someone tried.  Thrawn executed a hundred and thirty-seven people for it, including all the death trooper officers.”

He heard Zeb’s growl, low and furious, and the leather of Sabine’s gloves creak as she closed a fist.

“I’m not an Imperial,” Ezra said, fisting his own hands against his knees.  He had nightmares about that day sometimes, about getting dragged out of his cell and down to the starboard hangar bay; the death trooper commander, who had been in charge of the attempted lynching, had wanted as many crewmen as possible to see it.  Ezra had heard later that there had been a significant number of the conspirators who had wanted to execute Thrawn as well, blaming him for bringing Ezra onboard, getting them lost in the Unknown Regions, and attracting the attention of the Yuuzhan Vong.  As it was, Thrawn, Pellaeon, and most of the other senior officers who weren’t also in on the conspiracy had been locked in one of the conference rooms before they had managed to get out.  He had found out later that Thrawn had actually wanted to execute more of the conspirators, but had decided not to under the circumstances.  As a result Ezra had spent most of his time in the medbay worried that one of those who had escaped the executions would come after him to finish the job.

He looked at Kanan, knowing that he would be able to sense it even if he couldn’t see it, and added, “I’m still a Jedi.”

“I know,” Kanan said, reaching down to squeeze Ezra’s shoulder.

Ezra felt something tight inside him unknot.  He reached up to grasp Kanan’s fingers, feeling sick with relief.

“I believe you,” Hera said. She looked over his head to Kanan, who nodded in response. “I believe you,” she repeated.  “We’ll have a job of it convincing New Republic Intelligence, but let’s not borrow trouble before we have to.”

*

Before they left, Ezra found his sniper rifle and the sheared-off barrel.  He handed the barrel to Sabine so that she could inspect the severed edge, comparing it to the dead amphistaff, and broke down the rifle until it was in its heavy blaster pistol configuration.  He packed the rifle components away rather than leave them there; the machinists back at Chimaera Camp would either be able to repair them or use them for another purpose.  The pistol went on his belt in the holster he had brought in case he needed to use it in that configuration.

Sabine returned the barrel to him and regarded the amphistaff’s corpse thoughtfully.  Ezra had already tried and failed to get his vibroknife out of its neck, to his disgust.

“Can I take this with us or can they track it?”

“No idea,” Ezra said. “It’s never come up before.”

“Don’t take the risk,” Hera said.

Sabine sighed regretfully but admitted, “I’m guessing this isn’t the last time we’re going to run into these things.”

“The Vong are worse than grass ticks,” Ezra said, looking around until he found where he had dropped his night vision goggles.  When Zeb reached for them, Ezra shook his head and explained about the amphistaff poison, which had already eaten through the lenses and left a brown patch on the ground where the goggles had lain.  Ezra wouldn’t touch them again; he had seen too many people die from a drop of it on bare skin.  It ate through stormtrooper armor only a little more slowly than it did cloth.  At least five people from the Chimaera had had limbs amputated where they must have touched somewhere it had been, even if the venom itself was no longer visible.

“I’m really starting to dislike these things,” Zeb growled.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Ezra said.  He looked around until he saw the thud bug that the Vong warrior had thrown at him early in the fight, and found it lodged into the thick bark of one of the nearby trees, which must have prevented it from returning to the warrior the way most thud bugs did.  The fact that it hadn’t taken a chunk out of the tree impressed him, since he had seen them rip holes in durasteel plating a few times.  That must have been very hard wood.

He pointed the thud bug out to Zeb and Sabine; Kanan and Hera were talking quietly to each other a little ways away.  “We’ve been calling them thud bugs – they’re some kind of beetle; they can change their gravity somehow to hit incredibly hard.  The Vong throw them – razor bugs too.  That name’s probably self-explanatory.”

Sabine fingered a scratch on what remained of her armor.  She looked oddly unbalanced without the missing portion of her breast plate, which she had stowed in one of her hip-pouches. “Ran into a couple of those. Lightsaber goes through them,” she noted, glancing at Kanan.

“Does it go through the armor?” Ezra asked curiously, hoping the answer was yes.  He would feel better to know that something did.

She and Zeb both shook their heads. “Kanan’s real good at finding soft and tender places, though.”

Kanan turned his head at the sound of his name.  Ezra felt the flicker of his attention at the edge of his mind; he hadn’t been listening in on their conversation.  He was exquisitely aware of Kanan’s presence now that he knew the other man was there; if he had been paying more attention he might have realized when the Ghost arrived in-system.  As it was, he had had his mind focused on the area immediately around him, trying to make certain that the animals and plants of the planet would tell him the Yuuzhan Vong crept up on him.  He hadn’t flung his mind wide into the Force.  No one on the Chimaera was Force-sensitive; the Empire screened even the weakest Force-sensitives out of the service.

He might have been more concerned about the way his awareness of Kanan’s presence was blotting out his awareness of the rest of the Force, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Kanan was here.  All he wanted to do was creep over to Kanan’s side and bask in the sheer strength of his presence in the Force, like a Loth-cat in a patch of sunlight.

They left soon afterwards. Ezra took the lead with Zeb, wishing for the night vision goggles but knowing he didn’t need them.  Even before Malachor he had trained blindfolded with Kanan – which he still remembered vigorously protesting at the time – and afterwards he had worked twice as hard at it, even though he had never told Kanan as much.  He didn’t need his eyes when he had the Force, and with all his attention on the Force, the planet itself would tell him if the Vong were approaching, let alone Zeb’s sensitive ears and nose.  Zeb had confided to Ezra that this planet reminded him of Lasan before its fall – Lira San, he had said, was nice enough, but somewhere between too similar and not similar enough to be comfortable for long.  If Lira San was anything like, Ezra didn’t want to visit; he had already had enough of jungle planets and this was the only one he had been to.

He pushed his awareness of Kanan’s nearness to the back of his mind with a force of effort.  Six months ago he had woken up from a sound sleep, shocked and shaking and knowing that some essential truth of the universe had just changed.  Since it had happened he had touched that knowledge a hundred times a day, trying to work it out without having any way to do so.  He had spent long hours in meditation, reaching out into the Force and falling just short every time.  He had thought he might go mad with frustration.  Thrawn, who never missed anything, had certainly noticed, even if Ezra had refused to say what had caused his sudden discontent.  If Ezra had thought that there was any way he could get back to known space on his own, he might have made a break for it.  He had considered it – Thrawn had certainly made the point enough that as a Force-user Ezra should have been able to – but by the time he had nerved himself up for it the Vong had begun hunting them in deadly earnest.

Being back here with them felt odd.

Ezra had certainly dreamed about it enough times, and if he hadn’t been so aware of his bad shoulder he might have thought that he was back on the Chimaera, sound asleep.  He knew it was a danger, too; that his awareness of them ran the risk of distracting him at a crucial moment.  As much as he pushed his knowledge of their presence away, trying to keep his mind only on the simple facts rather than the emotions involved, he knew he was putting them all at risk.  He had to trust that between the five of them, they would be able to tell if Vong warriors searching for their missing patrol approached.

It took the better part of three hours before they reached the edge of the jungle.  Halfway through, Ezra and Kanan both sensed the passage of another Vong patrol – sensed the wildlife and plant life reacting to it, rather – but the warriors were far away and showed no sign of approaching them. Dawn was filtering through the forest canopy in a gray-green haze as they ghosted up to the edge of the tree line. Like the path Ezra had taken earlier, the jungle ended barely a meter short of the cliff-face, forming a kind of bowl around the valley below.  Ezra eased forward on his belly, pulling the riflescope out of his pack.  He could sense the passage of another Vong patrol on the rim of the cliff, but it wasn’t near enough to be concerned with unless they were here for a while.  He didn’t intend to stick around longer than he could help it.

The valley below boasted a kidney-shaped lake with large patches of some kind of plant life growing on the surface �� Ezra reached out curiously with his mind and winced when he realized that they were Vong rather than native.  The jungle around it had been cut back to make space for what he thought were either structures or grounded ships, all of them looking out of place here – not quite the right color or texture, with shapes that were subtly off enough to make him wince.  He counted several dozen that looked like enormously oversized snail shells, a kind of orange-y green with a faint oily sheen to them. Something else, as large as a cruiser, he thought might be a grounded ship; its material was something like coral, or at least that was what it looked like through his riflescope.

Figures moved through the structures and ships – a few he recognized as Vong warriors, each of them unique in their vonduun crab armor; others were Vong from the different castes. He could sense humans down there, the prisoners taken off the Chimaera, but couldn’t spot them.

Sabine and Hera eased up on either side of him, Hera with a pair of macrobinoculars and Sabine with her rangefinder lowered.  Ezra didn’t have to turn his head to know that Zeb and Kanan were hanging back, keeping watch against a Vong patrol.

Keeping his voice barely more than a whisper, Ezra pointed out the grounded cruiser-analogue, then the coralskipper starfighters that passed by overhead before landing alongside the starship.  He hadn’t seen them in person before, just in holograms.

“Fast?” Hera asked him very quietly.

“About the same as a TIE, I think,” he murmured back. “They’ve got dovin basals – miniature black holes – like the cruisers, too, so it doesn’t really matter.”

“Hmm.”

He had to grin at the hint of considering challenge in that syllable.  If anyone could not only outfly a coralskipper solo but also shoot it down – the TIEs and handful of remaining TIE Defenders had to go after them in swarms – then it was Hera.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Ezra reached out with the Force, sorting through the thousands of human minds as he searched for the alien one.  He couldn’t sense the Vong and their living tools at all.

“Thrawn’s there,” he said after a moment, not bothering to conceal his disappointment the way he had done when Pellaeon had asked him to find out if the grand admiral was still alive. He was pretty sure Pellaeon had been able to tell his feelings anyway, but it was the principle of the thing; Pellaeon was fully capable of having him shot as more trouble than he was worth.

Sabine snorted softly. “Might have saved us some trouble if he was dead,” she grumbled.

“Tell me about it,” Ezra muttered back.  He peered through the riflescope again, letting the Force direct him.  The shell-structures seemed to be where the prisoners were being kept, Thrawn among them.  He couldn’t tell exactly which one Thrawn was in, but he supposed that when the Imperials went after him they would probably want to break all their missing troops out as well, since it would be about as much trouble.  Unless Pellaeon tried to make him do it on his own, of course, Ezra thought, and started to grimace at the thought before he realized abruptly that that was no longer an option Pellaeon had.

He was reaching back reflexively for Kanan before he even realized he was doing so, his mind brushing against Kanan’s in the Force for a brief instant of reassurance.  He felt Kanan’s response as if his master had gripped him briefly on the shoulder, calm and collected, though he knew Kanan hadn’t moved from his sentry position.  Ezra turned his face down, his eyes burning with unshed tears.

Sabine elbowed him gently. “Hey,” she whispered. “It’s all right.  We’ve got you.”

Six years ago Ezra might have said something like you took your time about it, but he just nodded.  If they could have come sooner they would have, and if they had come sooner, then Kanan – Kanan might not be back.  Six years in the Unknown Regions with Thrawn and his merry band of sociopaths was a sacrifice he was happy to make for Kanan’s return.

They watched the Vong camp for another two hours, watching the mist burn off the lake as the sun rose. Some of the lower caste Vong went into the shell-structures, probably to feed the Imperial prisoners; none of the Imperials came out.  Ezra did a rapid estimate with the Force and came up with somewhere between three and four thousand prisoners, which he supposed would make Pellaeon happy; the worst case scenario had been that all the crewmembers unaccounted for from the Chimaera were dead.  Hera didn’t look thrilled when he conveyed this information to her.

“Well, we’re not putting them all on the Ghost, that’s for sure,” Zeb grumbled; he was close enough to overhear.

All Hera said was, “I suppose we’ll have to talk to Captain Pellaeon.”

Not long after this exchange, Kanan said softly, “There’s a patrol about two klicks west of us.  We’d better clear off, if you’ve got all you need.”

“Not all we need, but all we’re going to get, I think,” Hera murmured.  The three of them retreated from the cliff face into the cover of the jungle.

Ezra got to his feet, wincing at muscles that had gone sore after two hours lying on the ground. Kanan was still sitting cross-legged on the forest floor, facing away from them with his eyes closed and his expression calm.  Ezra was barely aware of stepping towards him until he found himself reaching down to touch Kanan’s shoulder, wanting to reassure himself of Kanan’s presence. Kanan turned his face up towards him, opening his eyes, and smiled.  Ezra drew his hand back, embarrassed, then grabbed Kanan’s forearm to help pull him to his feet, the hard edges on Kanan’s bracer digging into his fingers.

Despite their precarious position, Ezra still rather wanted to drape himself on Kanan’s neck and weep.

Hera came up behind him and put a hand briefly on his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here before Chopper decides to take the Ghost and come find us,” she said.

Ezra nodded, then nearly had a heart attack as Zeb ghosted out of the jungle to join them; his purple fur and green bodysuit and armor blended in perfectly with the foliage.  If this was true of all the Lasat Ezra was definitely never going to Lira San.

They left silently, moving through the undergrowth with surprising delicacy for the size of their group.  Ezra, reaching out with the Force, found the passage of the same Vong patrol that Kanan had sensed.  If the disappearance of the patrol they had killed had been noted, it wasn’t evident from the way the Vong had acted.  Ezra would have thought that they would have had better security, but apparently not. Either that, or the Force had led them to avoid it on their approach.

The sun continued to rise steadily as they made their way single-file through the jungle.  Zeb took point this time, with Sabine just behind him. While Zeb blended into the forest around them, the sunlight through the tree canopy dappled Sabine’s armor as she moved through it; Ezra couldn’t decide what colors it was and suspected he wouldn’t know for sure until they were back at the Ghost.  Kanan and Hera brought up the rear, nearly soundless though Ezra was excruciatingly aware of Kanan’s presence.

After a sleepless night and a fight with the Vong, not to mention the intense emotion of the past few hours, he was so tired that he was nearly delirious with it.  Everything had taken on a slightly bright edge; he could have fought if he had to, but he was just as glad for the moment that neither the Vong nor the native wildlife crossed paths with them.  After almost a full day out here, he was also extremely aware of the fact that he had spent most of the past six years locked in a cell, with only occasional breaks to go nearly get killed, either by the Imperials or by whoever they happened to be fighting at the moment.  He was almost tired enough that the cell was starting to sound appealing.

 The day wore on, the heat and humidity growing steadily.  Ezra kept his weary eyes on Sabine’s gaudily painted jetpack in front of him; it wasn’t the same color that it had been six years earlier – he would have been shocked if it had been – but the basic winged design was more or less the same, though he could spot differences.  He was so focused on that to stay on his feet that he didn’t realize they had reached their destination until the flicker of movement behind transparisteel caught his eye.

Ezra stiffened, his hand going to his blaster.  It took him a few moments for his gaze to focus; he was expecting nothing more than the endless expanse of forest, not the Ghost parked in a clearing just barely large enough for the ship.  He stared blankly at the ship, unable to believe that it was actually here after so many years.

Kanan closed a hand on his shoulder as the ramp unfolded.  Chopper, apparently unchanged from the last time Ezra had seen him, appeared at the top of the ramp, waving one of his manipulators and shouting in annoyance about how they had gone for hours, they could have died, how dare they leave him all alone.  He stopped midway through his tirade, apparently having spotted Ezra.

Kanan pushed Ezra forward gently.  Hera was walking past him, her own shoulders slumping with weariness; Sabine paused to turn on one foot, her gaze traveling over the clearing.  Zeb was already on his way up the ramp with a comment to Chopper.

Ezra took one step forward, then another one.  Chopper came down the ramp towards him as he reached it, chirping a cautious question.

“Yeah,” Ezra said. “Yeah, it’s me.”

He started to kneel down so that they were on the same level, then overbalanced and sat down hard instead.  Chopper rolled up to him, close enough to touch but not doing so.  Ezra reached out, hesitating for an instant before he laid his hands on Chopper’s chassis.  The metal was warm to touch, the pain smooth beneath his fingers except where it was starting to chip away.  He could feel the hum of the droid’s inner workings against his palms.

“Yeah, Chop,” he said again, and started to cry, his head bent forward against Chopper’s dome so that none of the others could see. “It’s me.  It’s me.”

[raiseyourcups]

Cabur

Chapter Five

Pairing: Din Djarin x Original Female Character Warnings: none, it’s a pretty chill chapter setting up Sorgan Word Count: 2.8k Also on AO3 

Masterlist

Summary: Our trio makes it to Sorgan but will they be able to stay?

They landed in a clearing in the middle of nowhere and Aili was quick to head down to the gangway. She was already tired of being on this ship with the Mandalorian just silently sitting and staring. She didn’t have anything but the silence on her own ship but even that was more comfortable. She couldn't make out what the Mandalorian was telling the Child, who really needed a name of some sort, but she could imagine that he wouldn't listen. Her suspicions were confirmed when she noticed the small kid waddling after Mando. She bit her lip to stop from smiling.

The Mandalorian opened the gangway before he finally looked down at the Child beside him. Aili could hear him let out a sigh, it sounded crackly thanks to his helmet's voice modulator. 

“He’s not going to stay if we leave.” Aili said quietly. She tried hard to keep the amused smile off of her face but it wasn’t working. The Mandalorian looked at her before looking back down at the Child. 

"Ah, what the hell...come on, kid."

The three of them walked through the wooded area silently, Aili making sure to take in everything around them. She knew the Mandalorian was probably doing the same thing, just because they hadn’t been followed didn’t mean they were in the clear. They came across what looked like a community hub in Aili’s opinion, maybe a common house. Everyone was talking amongst themselves and absolutely no one looked ready to start throwing punches.

The Mandalorian chose a table away from everyone else but not too far back just in case they had to run. He picked up the Child and placed him on the seat next to him and Aili sat on the other side of the little green kid in order to flank him just in case something happened. 

Aili did a quick glance from one end of the common house to the other and noticed a woman sitting against the far wall by herself. Hmm, interesting. What was she doing here? Aili let her gaze fall onto the proprietor walking their way figuring they wouldn’t have any trouble from the woman in the corner. She knew when someone was trying to hide from their past, she saw it every time she looked in a mirror.

“Welcome travelers, can I interest you in anything?” The proprietor, a woman who had probably spent her whole life on Sorgan, came up to them with a smile on her face.

“Bone broth, for the little one.”

“Well you’re in luck ‘cause I just took down a gringer, can I interest you two in a porringer of broth as well?" The proprietor asked, eyebrows raised in the hopes of a bigger sale. 

“Yes, please.”

“No.”

Both Aili and the Mandalorian said at the same time. 

Aili tried not to glare at the Mandalorian. She wasn't sure how he wasn't hungry but she hadn't eaten anything since before they left Nevarro. She smiled up at the proprietor and makde her next words drip with sugar, “I would love some, ignore him. He gets a little grumpy after a long flight.”

“Oh where did you come from?”

“Would you believe if I told you we came all the way from Batuu?” Aili wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to tell the woman the truth, that way if anyone showed up asking about them, the information wouldn't match. Nevarro was a ways away from Batuu after all. And if they were lucky, Karga was dead and no one knew to ask for a Mandalorian travelling with a woman and child. 

“Really?”

“We got to talking with someone who said Sorgan would be just as beautiful as the Spires and so we decided to come right over. But the trip was very long, could we actually get a porringer to go so he can have some later when he’s less grumpy?” Aili could almost feel the glare the Mandalorian was giving her behind his helmet but she didn’t care. For someone who wanted to lay low he was exceptionally bad at making himself less intimidating. Playing up the odd couple and their alien kid would work in their favor making them fit in easier. And if Mando wanted to stay here for longer than a night, they needed to fit in.

“No problem for someone as nice as you."

“Thank you."

She was about to leave when the Mandalorian made a sound. “Excuse me, but that one over there. When did she arrive?" He tilted his head towards where the shock trooper that Aili had spotted earlier was sitting. 

“Um, I’ve seen her here for the last week or so," the proprietor shrugged her shoulders, unsure why they wanted to know.

“What’s her business here?"

“Business? There’s really not much in Sorgan so I really can’t say. I mean she doesn’t strike me as a...log runner.” She trailed off as Mando placed several coins on the table between them. Aili hid a cringe behind her hand. “Thank you, sir. I’ll get that broth to you right away and I’ll throw in a flagon of spotchka just for good measure.”

“Really?” Aili asked as soon as the women left. “You call that laying low, asking questions and bribing someone, and where are you going?”

She glared at his retreating back and wondered if she should follow before deciding that if he wanted to get his ass handed to him by a rebel shock trooper then he could be her guest. But she wasn’t about to leave the kid on his own and the proprietor was so nice that she would feel bad if they just left now. Besides she had given too much of a cover story for them to just leave. She thanked the proprietor when she placed the bowls of bone broth in front of her and the kid and even though she could tell the kid was itching to follow Mando, she was able to get him to take a few sips of his broth.  

"Want to go see what he's up to, kid?" Aili asked, looking down at the Child. He let out a coo and she picked him up, bowl and all. She gave the proprietor a quick nod, pointing back at their table to let her know they would be back.

As soon as she stepped outside she heard boots dragging on dirt and small grunts. She looked up towards the sky and asked for any higher power to give her the patience to deal with this. She put the kid down and they both walked over towards the sounds.  Well, she walked and the kid shuffled after her. 

Aili looked down at the two with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips. She was not amused by them choosing to fight each other rather than talking it out. The Child seemed to be amused though, sipping his bone broth contently as he watched them. They both slowly looked over when the kid took a loud slurp of his broth. 

“Anyone else want some soup?” She didn’t wait for either of them to get up, turning on her heel and scooping up the Child so they could head back into the small cantina. She heard them get up to follow her back and they all sat down at the table. There was a short silence between them before the shock trooper broke it. 

“Cara Dune.”

“Aili Verdella.”

The Mandalorian stayed quiet but neither of the women were that surprised. 

“So, shock trooper?” AIli asked, her curiosity needing to know if she had gotten it right from her earlier glance. 

“Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor, mostly ex-Imperial warlords. They wanted it fast and quiet so they’d send us on drop ships. No support, just us. Then the politics started and I didn’t care for that so I left.”

“How’d you end up here?” The Mandalorian asked. 

“Early retirement of sorts. Look I could tell you were Guild, thought you had a fob on me, that’s the only reason I came at you so hard.”

“I figured.”

“So what are a Mandalorian and an...ow!” Cara was cut off by a sharp kick to the shin. She glared at Aili who gave an icy stare back. The Mandalorian looked between the two of them, eyes narrowed from behind his helmet. He didn’t like not knowing something that everyone else knew. 

“What am I missing here?”

“My leg slipped, sorry,” Aili said before Cara could say anything. “He skipped on a bounty and now we need somewhere to lay low.”

“Well, unless you want to go another round, this planet’s taken.”

“Clearly,” Aili said. She knew better than to steal someone else’s hiding spot and she figured the Mandalorian was the same way. 

They stayed in the common house until the kid finished his bowl of broth before they headed back out. The proprietor had come by before and gave them the bowl she had promised to save for the Mandalorian along with a bottle of Spotchka. They made it back to the Razor Crest shortly but not quick enough to make it before the sun set. 

“I need to make some repairs before we leave,” Mando said, already going into the ship and returning with a tool box. 

“Need help?” Aili asked as she watched the Mandalorian place the tool box into the ground before he went to move onto the ship again. 

“No.”

“Not even to bring out your lights?” Aili didn’t much care for the Mandalorian’s tough guy, ‘only I can help myself’ attitude. It wouldn’t help in the long run at all and the sooner he realized that, the sooner she could help him. 

“Fine.”

They made quick work of setting up the lights in a way that he would be able to see what he was doing but not be too bright in the dark forest. The last thing they needed was to be found because they were shining a literal beacon leading to them. Aili sat on the back gangway as Mando worked on some of the wiring under one of the landing gears. The kid had gone to sleep a while ago, something they were both grateful for since he was a handful already. Aili still wasn’t sure she really believed that he was 50 years old. 

There was nothing but the chirping sound of whatever bug life Sorgan had when Aili heard hesitant footsteps coming their way. No bounty hunter would be that obvious or that hesitant. She hopped down and made her way to where Mando was just in case. There were two locals looking scared out of their minds. No threat to anyone except maybe the bugs flying around. But she kept to the shadows of the ship for now.

“Excuse me.” 

The Mandalorian made no move to acknowledge them but Aili knew that he had to know they were there. 

“Excuse me, sir.” The other local tried this time, voice a little louder but nonetheless scared. 

“There something I can help you with?” Mando moved under the landing gear, not stopping what he was doing. Aili took note that he sounded more than a little annoyed. 

“Uh, yeah. Raiders,” one of the men said.

“We have money,” the other added quickly. 

That caught Aili’s attention. She had a decent amount of credits saved up but didn’t know about the Mandalorian. Eventually though they would need more money now that they were obviously blacklisted from the Guild and on the run. 

“You think I’m some kind of mercenary?”

“You’re a Mandalorian, right?” The one man said and Aili cringed. Not all Mandalorians were mercenaries and she had only heard rumors of one during the war. So this man’s comment was ill-advised. 

“Or at least wearing Mandalorian armor? That is Mandalorian armor, right?” The other man sounded more in awe of seeing an actual Mandalorian than his friend. 

“It is.”

“See? I told him. Sir, I’ve read a lot about your people...tribe. If half of what I read is true--”

“We have money.” The first man interrupted before the other could go on a rant. 

“How much?” Aili asked, walking out of the shadows and bringing their attention onto her now. She could tell Mando wasn’t interested but that didn’t mean he had to be an ass about it. 

“Everything we have. Our whole harvest was stolen.”

“We’re krill farmers.”

“We brew spotchka, the whole village chipped in.”

The Mandalorian turned to look at the small pouch the one man was holding. “It’s not enough.”

“Come on, Mando, we don’t even know what the job is,” Aili could tell they were desperate people. It took desperate people to come looking for what they hoped were mercenaries. She assumed they had seen them flying overhead when they came in to land. 

“It’s not enough,” Mando said, looking straight at Aili before turning to the men. “Good luck.”

“This is everything we have, we can give you more after the next harvest.” The men jumped back when the gangway started opening and Aili glared at Mando. He was being a kriffing ass to these people for no reason. 

“Come on...let’s head back.” The dejected sound in the man’s voice pulled at something in Aili. She never had been able to ignore the desperate and unprotected. Hadn’t been able to since she was 18 and stupid. 

“Stay there.” Aili said to them before storming over to Mando. “Hey! Stop being an ass and maybe think about helping them.”

“No. It’s not enough and we’ve already spent too much time here.” He didn’t even bother to look at her as he spoke which made her annoyance with him just about shoot up into the atmo. 

“Is that the best you can come up with?” Aili turned on her heel to call back towards the locals. Maybe their village would be in a place they could lay low for a while. She really needed a break from the Crest before getting back on it with the buckethead. “Hey, where’s your village?”

“About a day’s ride from here, middle of nowhere. On a farm, weren’t you listening?”

“I was, he wasn’t.” Aili said before continuing. “You have lodging?”

“Yeah. Absolutely.”

Aili turned to face the Mandalorian with one eyebrow raised. The helmet stared back at her for a long moment before his shoulders went up and down in a sigh. He turned towards the krill farmers, “Come up and help”

“You’ll help us?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry about him,” Aili said as they walked up the gangway. The four of them made quick work, unloading everything the Mandalorian deemed necessary. Aili grabbed her bags and the kid from the little cot the Mandalorian still dared to call a bed. Her back had actually ached for the first time in a long time when she slept on it the one time. 

“I need one more thing, give me those credits.”

“Where are you going?” Aili asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. It wasn’t like they needed any ammo or even more weapons. Between the two of them they could fit a small army. 

“To get a shock trooper.”

“Huh, good idea, I knew you had a brain in there somewhere.”

“Stay with the Child.”

“Obviously,” Aili said as she hopped onto the repulsorlift and made sure the kid was okay. She moved a few of the boxes around knowing they’d need more room if they wanted to be comfortable in any way. 

“So are you and the Mandalorian like…” the more excited of the two men trailed off and Aili gave him a deadly stare. 

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Aili said bluntly. They let silence fall over them after that which Aili was thankful for. It didn’t take much longer for the Mandalorian and Cara to show up. The two women exchanged short nods before everyone climbed onto the repulsorlift. The repulsorlift began to move and the Mandalorian began to explain the job to Cara. 

“So we’re basically running off a bunch of Raiders for lunch money?”

“They’re quartering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked that’s a pretty square deal for somebody in your position. Worst case, you tune up your blaster.  Best case, we’re a deterrent. Can’t imagine there’s anything living in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn’t handle.”

Cara stared at him before conceding and turning to speak to Aili. “Is he always like this?”

“A condescending pain in the ass?” Aili asked before smirking and shrugging. “Wouldn’t know, only been stuck with him for a few days and they have been long.”

“Are you two finished?” The Mandalorian asked before stretching out to lean back against one of the bags he had brought off the ship. Cara and Aili shared one last glance before settling down as well. They all drifted to sleep, Cara on one side and the Mandalorian on the other. Aili wound up in the middle with the kid to keep him warm.

[chaoticly-shy-dragon]

Today was the day.

Today was the day, they were going to execute him.

Today was the day Darth Vader would finally meet the fate, he sentenced so many to.

He, of course, had been on trial, even if it was a closed and discreet one, specifically requested by the Alliance hero and Jedi - Luke Skywalker.

The Dark Lord’s fate was publicly announced on the Holonet approximately a day before the execution.

At first, the early reactions to the sentence were good and happily accepted. Those were the reactions from the high society in the Core.

The backlash that happened during the Coruscant night was massive and utterly unexpected.

Alliance’s posts were brutally attacked on some of the Outer Rim planets, many of the Imperial forces, who had been standing down, were arming up and thousands upon thousands of troopers were preparing to storm the city-planet.

Hundreds of planets started passive measurements against the notion - many planets, from Wobani to Cato Neimoidia, had stopped their trade with the Core.

The still vulnerable Senate was shocked and confused by the whole situation. When the people of Coruscant, started protesting in front of the Senate and the regulation posts that were installed on the planet, many senators didn’t know what to make from it.

The Senate was truly bewildered. Didn’t the people of the Galaxy know what atrocities the man had committed?

No matter what the public thought, in order not to sentence themselves to another war, the Senate agreed to delay or utterly change the sentence.

Once again Darth Vader had to stand a trial, but this time publicly.

The media jumped at the opportunity. Many reporters were sent to different parts of the galaxy to get answers.

The information they found was a bucket of cold water, spilled over the Alliance leaders.

Many articles popped out and with every one of them, the new government grew more and more bewildered.

Stories of Vader allying himself with local rebels to overthrow the Moff in charge of the planet, of him helping the flooded Akiva and other planets having a crisis due to some natural disaster.

Vader was even found responsible for the final liberation of Ryloth, and the death of more than several dozens of warlords from the Hutt clan.

One really fearless reporter even went to Mustafar and got access to Vader’s mission reports. But the real gold found there was an old videotape from around the creation of the Empire. Unfortunately, parts of the video were destroyed (after all Sidious couldn’t allow his apprentice to see Kenobi and his very-much-alive wife escaping the hellish planet), but the reporter still managed to acquire one spectacular Jedi fight (even if they couldn’t see what it had to do with Vader, anything connecting the Jedi was finally allowed once again).

All these articles were slow blows to the government and the idea that they protected.

The final blow came when the public required a meeting with Darth Vader.

At first, the idea seemed fine, after all, what else could possibly go wrong.

They had forgotten the request put in by Luke Skywalker after it came to light that Vader might live. The request for extra medical attention.

The man that they led into the studio had little visual connection to the imposing Dragon of the Empire. The only similarities were the built and the height.

His face was half-covered in a clear mask, showing on full display his scars.

And there were scars. Every visible inch of his skin was covered in scar tissue and was so very pale, that it was whiter than the stormtrooper’s new armor.

The interviewer, the screen directors and staff were starting for quite some time, brought back by the insistent cough of Luke Skywalker who was the one guarding the ex-Sith.

The live broadcast started with easy questions with not so easy answers:

“Are you really Lord Vader?”

“If that’s not your real name, what is it?”

“Why are you in the state of requiring life support suit?”

Then it came down to the hard ones:

“Why were you sentenced to execution in the first place if you haven’t actually done anything of the things they accused you of?”

Darth Vader’s real name was apparently Anakin Skywalker. He had been Jedi for more than ten years and a General in the Clone Wars for three.

He described his life as a Jedi, his inability to fit in because of his past. He explained the non-attachment rule of the Jedi, about the age at which people were accepted into the Order. Anakin told them that the Jedi couldn’t have strong relationships with their birth families and non-Jedi (a fact which surprised the Jedi in the room as much as it surprised the staff). He told them about their decision that a nine years old was too old to become a Jedi (the statement was met with denial and outrage).

He explained that during his years as a Jedi, the Order was mistrustful of him and because of it he grew closer to his friend in the Senate - the Chancellor.

Anakin started talking about the Clone Wars, about the horrors, the atrocities. He told them about the planets ruined because of the inability of the galaxy to listen.

The ex-Sith told them about the clones, his men, who were bred to die and never even complained about it. He told them stories about heroism far beyond the capability of anyone else. He told them about their lack of rights. He told the galaxy how his men fought for the Republic, killed for the Republic, sacrificed their lives for the Republic and the same Republic never gave them citizenship but treated them as objects, possessions.

Almost every member of the crew was moved by his words.

Anakin continued telling them that even if many tried to stop it, the war continued. He told them about how he fell in love, right at the beginning of the war. How he and his angel agreed that they could not live without one another. He told them about the little secret wedding on a Mid-Rim world.

If there had been someone who hadn't been crying, now they were.

Anakin was breathing hard, silent tears running down his cheeks.

He explained the strain the war put on people, who then put the blame on the Jedi. He told them how The Senate ordered the Order around, how they were forced to follow their orders so the Jedi could keep the little favor of the public.

He told them about the propaganda, about the campaigns, about the millions of people dying because there was no more food. About the greedy corporations and clans that spend all their money on more droids and clones, feeding the war machine more and more.

They had called him The Hero With No Fear. He and his Jedi Master became The Team - The Hero and The Negotiator. Unbeatable.

But ironically they were. They were beaten more than once. He had been constantly afraid -for his men, for his wife, for his student, for his brother.

A sob cut off his speech allowing, letting the silence settle.

Finally, they had the courage to ask him how old he had been during the war.

The man, the war veteran left with almost nothing to show for his accomplishments, answered “I was 19 when they sent me on the front. I was 20 when I became a General. My padawan, my apprentice was 14 when they sent her on the front. My men were 10 years old. For those of you, who had read about the war from your pads or in school, let me tell you how old was the youngest Commander- 11. There were teens on the front fighting, getting shot, being tortured for information, and nobody then, found it strange and unnatural,” the man was stopped by a hard pat on his shoulder. Luke Skywalker was looking forward, not seeing anything with a glassy look over his eyes.

The silence was like a heavy blanket over the people. There was horror, anger and sadness, oh so much sadness, in the air, drowning the inhabitants.

Anakin started talking once again. He told the galaxy about Count Yan Dooku of Sereno, once a Jedi Master and a Sith Apprentice, Master of Makashi. He told them about Asajj Ventress, once Jedi Padawan and a Sith Apprentice. He told them about the terror bringing Jedi Killer General Grievous. He told the galaxy their stories, their tragedies. He told them about their deaths.

Anakin was breathing hard, mind somewhere else. He took one much-needed pause and spoke about the rise of the Empire.

He told them about his wife's pregnancy, he told them about his mother’s death. He told them about the sleepless night and the pressure of both sides - the Senate and the Jedi.

The Dark Lord told them about Sidious, about the Grand puppeteer, the master manipulator, the Sith Master behind the war.

Ignoring the viewers' shock, which resonated through the Force, he told them about Order 66, about the Jedi Purge and his own involvement. He told them about the round of applause, Palpatine received when he took control over the galaxy as a whole.

Anakin took a deep breath and told them about Mustafar “I was sent there to kill the Separatist Council. On my way back I met my wife, my angel. She begged me to come with her, to help her raise our baby together, to be happy. She only wanted from me, to come back to her.”

There was something that was utterly broken in Anakin’s gaze, “I didn’t accept, instead I called her a liar and... I tried to kill her.” His voice started trembling from emotions too intense to be understood. “My Jedi Master, Obi-Wan engaged me in a duel to keep me away from her. To keep the galaxy safe from me. We fought as we have never fought before, and in the end, he won - he cut off my three remaining limbs and left me to burn on the shore.”

The broken man ignored the sharp intakes of breaths, the gasps and the sinking feeling of horror that was filling the room.

After a tense pause, Anakin continued “I was found by the Emperor who saved my life and put me in that torture device he called life-support. When I woke, the first thing I did was ask for Padmè, only to be answered that I had killed her.” His voice became more and more emotionless as he kept talking, “Later I found out I had had a psychotic break caused by the stress and lack of sleep. In my weak state, Sidious had managed to influence me even more than before. You asked me why I allowed them to accuse me of crimes I haven’t committed? Because even if I had been manipulated, influenced and lied to, I am still the person who took those choices. I am the horrible human being that helped a man commit a genocide, helped a man create a dictatorship and I am a man who deserves nothing else than the same sentence I sent so many others to.”

The silence that followed was heavy, pregnant and absolutely no one had an idea how to break it.

Finally, a movement caught their attention, and the staff all turned their heads to follow the path of the war veteran and the Jedi Knight out of the room.

Right before they made their exit, Anakin Skywalker turned and said “I did the good things in her name. In the name of Padmè Amidala Skywalker, who supported democracy until her dying breath. I did it in the name of Shmi Skywalker who let her son be taken away, while she was left in slavery. I did it for my son and daughter who could have grown in a better galaxy if it weren’t for me. I did it for the bright-eyed free boy who wanted to free all the slaves.” He took one last calming breath, “I did it because the galaxy needs more people ready to help each other.”

A quiet laugh broke through the grave silence, and for the first time today, the Jedi Knight spoke, “Come on, Father. You promised to show me that restaurant.”

The father and son left, leaving the reporter and his crew gaping like fish.

Finally, someone managed to say, “We can't edit any of this. This was live.”

Nobody answered, letting the silence fill the room once again.

...Or an idea, continuing my Sidious is Sympathetic! Fic. There was more but it got deleted... again. I think I went a bit overboard so, sorry.

In addition, I started series connected to this AU on ao3. If you want, you can check it out here.

[pulpwriterx]

THE RISE AND FALL OF KYLO REN:CHAPTER 4-

I CAN’T REACH YOU

Once I caught a glimpse/Of your unguarded, untouched heart/Our fingertips touched and then/My mind tore us apart.

I Can’t Reach You, The Who, from The Who Sell Out, 1966. Lyrics by Pete Townshend

“Where am I?”

It’s obvious where I am. I’m alone in an interrogation room with a hideous monster, a man so hideous and inhuman, he has to wear a mask.

“You are my guest.”

“Where are the others?”

Dead, I’ll bet.

“You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends? I have no idea. You still want to kill me?”

He sounds happy about it.

Why is he doing this to me?

“That’s what happens when you’re being hunted by a creature in a mask.”

There is something about him; something that makes me feel like…my life has been a long journey, leading to this room.

This day.

This…?

Fate?

I don’t want this to be my fate.

I don’t want him to be my fate.

He took his mask off.

And stood up.

Mocking her with the fact that he was not a monster.

In Rey’s mind, she was screaming.

Oh no!

It was him.

The Demon Lover, both the Dark Prince whose dusky, saturnine good looks might waylay you in the deepest part of the forest and the Great Beast. The Great God Pan, himself, who would ravish you with his hungry mouth and his big stiff prick after taking you far far far from the path, so far from the path that you might never ever ever want to go back again. This was Man in the Black Mask, her Imperial Lord and Master, in his shiny black jackboots you could see your face in. He was the man that she had waited for on Jakku. The man from the most forbidden of her fantasies the most shameful of her secret dreams.

She knew him.

She had always known him.

Rey wondered if she looked frightened.

She was.

But not of him.

“You think you came for your new friends. But you came to find me, again. Forget about them. They’re strangers to you. Tell me about the droids.”

And then she was talking.

Giving him some kind of answer.

Talking.

Kylo Ren was still talking.

We’re alone in this room.

He could do anything, and I wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Why should I?

Oh no.

There it was.

The thought she didn’t want to be having.

She continued to resist his attempts to get information out of her, but it was her thoughts that disturbed her.

Why am I like this?

Rey tried, but she couldn’t stop these thoughts.

They were as unwelcome as a bizarre sexual dream; the kind where you are doing things you would never do, with people who's faces keep changing, and you wake up wondering what your body was thinking when you enjoyed anything so weird.

He's a big man. He has to be almost as tall and burly as Darth fucking Vader. And under that black outifit? Unlike Vader, he is a whole man. Hung like a stallion.

She closed her eyes, to make them go.

These thoughts.

She was beginning to be really afraid.

“…I can take what I want.”

And he did.

He took her thoughts right from her mind.

He took her loneliness, and her desperation.

She tried to hide her deepest secrets from him.

But he knew them.

He knew everything about her.

Don’t let him know about your dreams.

Don’t let him know what you were thinking about him.

“And Han Solo? You feel like he’s the father you never had? He would have disappointed you.”

“Get out of my head!” Rey sneered.

I waited for you and I waited for you, and I was so glad when I found you. Why do you have to be this man?

“I’m only one man. The man who loves you. You waited for me for a long, long, long time. In your fear. And you loneliness. But I’ve been looking for you for a long, long, long time. I knew it was you, Rebel Girl. I knew the minute I saw you. Just give me the information. I’ll unlock you from this device, and we can begin our part of the journey.”

And then?

Though she had been waiting so long to hear those words?

Rey began to resist him.

“I’m not giving you anything.”

“We’ll see.”

His ring.

His wedding ring.

He’s still wearing it.

Rey bit her lip.

“Ben? Kylo? Stop. Just stop.”

“Stop? Stop what?”

“Whatever this is! Acting like we’re strangers. Strapping me to a gurney. I’m not telling you shit, and you know it!”

“I feel like we are.”

“Are what?”

“Strangers! I come home to find my house dark and empty, and my wife gone, without so much as a note! I look for you all over the Galaxy, and half a year goes by and you and the Old Man and FN2187 turn up with the Resistance to sabotage me! Like we are strangers! I told you who I was and what I did, and you were alright with it for nearly two years. Then, all the sudden, you couldn’t live with it? What happened?”

“You made it sound like you were just some minor villain, and then I found out just who and what you are! I couldn’t stay, after that! Now that I see you in person? It’s worse! You told me you were enslaved by Snoke. Well, are you really going to let him have me? Enslave me, torture me, take my soul? Will you let him do to me what he’s done to you?”

Kylo Ren freed Rey from her restraints.

“No. Never. If I have to, I’ll throw us both off the catwalk, into the magickal heart of Ilum. We can take our chances with space and time. At least we’ll be together.”

He seemed so desperate, so anguished, and yet so hopefully mystical that she couldn’t deny this was her Kylo, her Ben.

The man who believed that the stars belonged to him, and if you knew him long enough, then you started to believe it, too.

Rey, this isn’t some stranger in a mask, some anonymous Sith badguy. This is your husband. The man who pulled you out of a hole in the desert, gave you everything you have and taught you everything you know.

“Kylo, I’m still wearing my ring, too. It’s on the end of this chain. We don’t have to die to be together. And if we leapt into the planet's core we wouldn’t take a mystical journey to freedom. We'd just die. You don’t have to either die, or give me to Snoke.”

“I don’t see how else I can get around it. Eventually. But I don’t have to take you to Snoke, right now. I can let you go. I can leave you with a guard you can use the Jedi mind trick on, and you can escape. For now. Later, I’ll find you, and smuggle you onto the Finalizer. I can bluff him, for awhile. Tell him you’re my apprentice. That you’re not ready to meet him.”

“What do I have to do, for these favors?” Rey fairly panted.

Those intensely sexual thoughts were plaguing her, again.

“Promise me that I will see you, again.” Kylo said.

“That’s all?”

She was disappointed.

Worse?

He was distracted.

He turned away from her, for some reason.

Thinking, probably.

“I really don’t think it would kill us. And it would be a release…” he muttered, dreamily.

There he went, off on one of his brooding, mystical flights of fantasy.

Rey knew they could last for hours, or days, and they had neither.

She fiddled with her clothes, so that he could see her wedding ring, on the chain.

However, she had to bare her breasts so he could see it.

“Kylo?”

He turned around.

“See? I’m still wearing my ring. Are you sure, Lord Vader, that there’s nothing else I have to do to gain your favor?”

He made that same face his father did when Han couldn’t believe his luck.

Kylo closed the blast shield on the door of the interrogation room.

“My Master told me about horny rebel sluts like you.”

“Really? What did Old Snoke have to say?”

“The Dark Side will twist you, boy. While you’re young and good looking, get all the women you can. Especially those Rebel Girls who like their men tall, dark and Imperial. I think, for once? It was good advice.”

He took off his cape, laid it on the floor, and lifted Rey off the gurney.

She put her arms around his neck.

“What did Master Luke say?”

“I don’t know. Something about chastity. I think I was distracted, at the time by the girl behind me thinking about how with lips like mine, I must give great head. I didn’t buy you these cheap leggings. Let’s do something about them.”

Kylo Ren got down on the floor with his wife, and ripped her leggings open at the seam between her legs.

Rey gasped.

“Be gentle with me, my Lord!”

“Hah! Not likely, Rebel scum! I know just the way you like it, my little wife, and it’s not gently! I’m not even going to take off my shiny black jackboots.”

“Can’t you take off your shirts, too? Please, Ben?”

“Whatever the lady desires. But promise me. No matter what? I will see you, again?”

“Yes. I promise.”

Kylo Ren took off his surcoat, his shirt, and his undershirt, talking to her, earnestly, as he undressed.

"Rey? Listen to me. Keep this in mind, while we make love. The power that reaches for you, the old Jedi Order? It is as totalitarian, as corrupt as the Sith who have enslaved me. But in a totalitarian state, sex is an act of rebellion. And love is revolutionary. Let me liberate you.”

He brought his mouth down on hers, hard and she pulled his big body down on hers, just as hard, tumbling them over and over on the floor.

Rey made a fist of her hand in his thick, dark hair and kissed him back, sucking on his tongue as he thrust it lewdly in and out of her mouth.

She threw her leg around him, impatiently rubbing her sex against his, still imprisoned in his pants.

He got up off of her, and Rey went for the high waisted pants' button fly, and released a purple-headed beast from the big man's pants.

Rey put her foot in the middle of his chest.

“Hold on, big man. You’re going to have to lick it before you stick it.” She told him.

“Whatever the lady desires…”

***

Rey knew she must have dozed off, because she woke up.

His Lordship was still asleep.

Rey woke him, gently.

“Ben? Kylo? Wake up.”

“Holy mother Force! You knocked me out! Where did you get that white Jedi nun suit, and when will you wear it, again?” Kylo Ren gasped.

“Maybe that was it. Maybe it was your uniform. You’re a warlord, and a killer, but you look too damn good in that farkling uniform! I should never have let you do that, Ben! Why did you encourage me?”

“Because I’m the badguy, Rebel Girl. The most Imperial Man in the Galaxy. That’s why you married me, remember?”

Rey sat up.

“That’s not the only reason I married you! I had no idea you really were the most Imperial Man in the Galaxy! And look what you did to my clothes! My underwear is in pieces all over the floor and you ripped the hell out of my leggings. I didn’t bring another pair.”

“I’ll stash you in my quarters and get you a new pair. Ours are much better. And there’s a hole in your boot. I’ll get you a new pair.”

They got to their feet, and Kylo put his shirt and surcoat back on. Here. Wrap yourself in my cape. And try to look like you’re afraid of me, while I’m marching you down the corridors.”

“I am a little afraid, Ben. First you had me strapped down, and you were giving me the third degree like we were strangers. You went through all your moods, at once. Raging Wookie, Brooding Mystic, Swashbuckling Scoundrel and Sexual Death Star. That’s a lot of moods in less than an hour. Even for you.”

***

Kylo locked Rey in while he went to get her another pair of leggings.

Also another pair of underwear.

He had torn those to shreds, too.

Kylo returned with two unopened packages.

Rey was still in his bed.

“You’re still here? I must have outdone myself. That’s the bathroom. That door. You can go in there and wash up. And these are unopened. The boyshorts have a First Order logo on them, but the desert leggings don’t.”

Rey picked up the unmarked desert boots.

“You can just give these out?”

“I’m Kylo Ren. I’m not beholden to anyone but Snoke. I can pretty much do whatever the fuck I want, when I’m not under his orders.”

“He gave you that much power?”

“No. I took it.”

“How?”

“When you get a reputation for making those who cross you walk a plank into space, people start to take you seriously. Especially these Old Imperials. Bloodthirsty, backstabbing, torture-happy sons of bitches. But you can put your new clothes on, later. Take the rest of those clothes off. You’re too hot to fuck with clothes on, Rebel Girl.”

He started to undress, completely.

“Again? Right now?” Rey asked.

She was trying not to sound excited about it.

Even though she was.

“I don’t know when or if I’ll ever see you again. I can’t waste this opportunity.”

“But we're here to blow this place up!” Rey protested.

She still got undressed.

In a hurry.

Kylo got back into bed.

“Then I’ll die hard. And we’ll go together. Nothing can distract me from how much I want you. And I can’t think of a better way to leave this rotten world.”

***

“Where the hell is Rey?” Finn insisted.

Chewie expressed his opinion on exactly where Rey was, and what was taking her so long.

“So? If I was him, I would. Twice.” Han defended his son.

He turned to Finn.

“It’s a family problem. You stay here. Chewie, detonate the explosive in fifteen minutes. Even if I’m not back.”

***

Han crept through the two-room quarters after he got the guard to let him in.

Without looking, he reached around the doorless entryway to the bedroom, grabbed the kid's lightsaber, jimmied the housing open and ripped a bunch of wires out.

Then he put it back.

“Hey, loverboy. Wake up and put your pants on. This place blows up in about a minute.”

The kid stopped snoring with a snort.

“What? Son of a bitch!”

Sure enough, he called for the lightsaber.

Rey skittered past him, doing up her belts.

Han stood in the doorway.

“You might as well point your dick at me, kiddo. At least you could piss down my leg. I don’t trust you, so I disabled your laser sword.”

The whole base was rocked by a massive explosion.

“You want to get dressed, or are you leaving like that?”

“I’m not leaving with you, Solo!”

“But you’re leaving. Unless you don’t like breathing.”

Ben swore.

He pushed a button on the wall.

“ZX4219? Get the crew together, get on the shuttle and rendezvous with the Finalizer. Now.”

“But, my Chieftain…”

“Zara. The Rebels are blowing the place up. Just do it!”

He pushed another button.

“Where are you, Chief? I don’t think that was the last explosion! We need to get the fark out of here!”

“I’ll be there, soon, Lieutenant. I need to locate Captain Skywalker. The Imperial Old Man is missing. Keep the engine running. Leave without me if you need to. That’s an order. Over and out.”

Kylo Ren pulled on his clothes.

Rey, now dressed, slipped past him, and he slipped the restraints onto her again.

“Take her. Take her and get out of here. Take her home. Not back to the Resistance base. Home. I gave you an out and I'm letting you go. Take her.”

His voice trembled.

The argument continued outside, with Ben carrying Rey out onto a catwalk and Han following him.

“Come with us, Ben. We miss you. Come home.”

“I can’t. It’s too late for me.”

“It’s not! Why do you want to stay? For Snoke? Do you think he’ll ever let you have power? He’s using you.”

“I intend to take it.”

“Sure. He’ll let you do that, too.”

Kylo swore.

He put Rey over his shoulder, and took off his mask, and dropped it.

She screamed.

“Don’t, Kylo! Don’t drop me!”

He held her close again, and scowled at his father.

“Look at me, Solo! Look into my eyes! It’s too late for me, but he wants Rey. I can’t let him have Rey. I’ll throw us both into this pit, rather than let him have her!”

“You won’t come with me?”

“No.”

“Fine. Then I’m staying with you. Finn? Come and get Rey. Take her back to the ship.”

Han took Rey from Kylo’s arms.

Finn ran down the catwalk, and took Rey from Han’s arms, and Han handed Finn the keys to the binders.

“Take Rey to the ship. Tell the General that I’m not joining the badguys. I’m staying to look after our son.”

Rey was fighting to get free, and yelling, but Finn ran with her, panting all the way.

“What are you talking about, Solo?”

“I’m staying. For good, now. Until it’s over. You intend to take power from Snoke? You’ll have to kill him. I’ll help. But right now? We should be thinking about escaping. Chewie is going to blow this pop stand sky high.”

“Sure. That little fart of an bomb you set off a few minutes ago…”

A terrible explosion rocked the catwalk, and both men had to hang on.

“Shit! That’s it! That’s done it! You really are going to blow the place to hell, with you and me both still on it!  That was your last farkling  mistake, Solo.”

“What are you gonna do, Vader Junior? Shove me over the side? If you try to throw me over? We both go. I’ve been frozen in carbonite. I can take it. What about you?” Han told him.

“You know how many old bastards like you I've killed?”

“None. Nobody's as big a bastard as me. But you're getting there, kid.”

The catwalk buckled.

“I have my blaster in my boot!”

“I’m wearing two blast proof vests.”

Kylo Ren jammed his mask back on, pushed a button on the catwalk, and both men indeed made a run for it.

“What am I going to tell Snoke?”

“Nothing, if you’re dead. If you live? We'll think of something. Let’s find your TIE Fighter, and get the fark out of here.”

***

Kylo and Han were in the TIE Fighter when Kylo saw Rey standing with Finn, among the trees.

They hugged, and Finn kissed her.

“Did that traitor just touch Rey's ass?” Kylo snapped.

“What the fark does he think he’s doing?” Han insisted.

“Son of a bitch! That traitorous farkling son of a bitch! Gimme that lightsaber!”

Han handed it to him.

“Don’t kill him. Just put him in a bacta tank, for awhile.”

Kylo took his lightsaber back from Han, opened the housing and fiddled with the wires.

“I’ll break every bone in his body!”

He hurled himself out of the hatch at the top.

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have given him the laser sword.” Han muttered.

He scrambled after him.

***

“Traitor!” Kylo screamed.

He ignited his lightsaber, and ripped it up the back of FN2187’s back, and then punched him in the face.

Finn collapsed.

Rey ignited Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber.

“You Sith bastard! All I did was hug him!”

“Sure, I believe that! I saw you kiss him, and he had his hands on you, too! Let’s see if anyone wants to kiss you but me, after I burn a scar into your pretty face, you faithless Rebel whore!”

They battled back and forth, and at first, Kylo attacked Rey with terrible anger.

That anger began to fade when he realized Rey wasn’t fighting to defend herself, or to wound him.

She was trying to kill him.

He switched to a defensive fight.

But Rey’s fury only grew.

“Stop! You don’t know what you’re doing! You can’t beat me. I still have much to teach you.” he shouted.

“You showed me enough! I will kill you!” Rey howled.

They were at crossed sabres.

“Rey, this is madness! I don’t want to hurt you, stop fighting me! Go home, Rey. Not back to the Resistance. They’re no better than the First Order. Go back to our home. I’ll come to see you, there. Like I used to. Nothing is different. I still love you. Nothing has changed.”

“I’ve changed!”

She kept driving at him, and Kylo kept falling back.

He wouldn’t hurt her.

Even if it meant losing a hand.

But when he saw his grandfather’s lightsaber coming for his head?

He had the opportunity to cut Rey’s hand off, lightsaber and all.

He didn’t take it.

He only raised his lightsaber to deflect the blow as he felt Anakin’s lightsaber sear the flesh of his face, neck and chest.

Kylo fell back in the snow, and his lightsaber bounced away from him.

Rey held Anakin’s saber over her head, in both hands, like an axe.

It was a crude move, but it would kill him.

Kylo scuttled back.

“Kill me quickly. If it is the will of the Force, I accept it. I forgive you.” He told her.

“Then let the will of the Force be done!” she shouted.

“Whoa! Screw the will of the Force! Rey! Stop! Are you crazy?”

Han Solo had grabbed Kylo’s lightsaber, and he stood in front of his son, and blocked Rey’s killing blow.

The sabres sparked together.

“He’s not your son or my husband anymore!”

“Nerfshit! Fucking Jedi nerfshit at that! Ben, Kylo, whatever he calls himself, he’s still the same man! He was Kylo Ren the whole time you knew him. I knew it, did I try to kill him? His mother knows it, does she want him dead? Will of the Force, my ass! It’s the will of you being pissed off!”

“But he hurt Finn!”

“Finn shouldn’t have been trying to kiss his commanding officer’s wife. Get Finn back on the ship, and back to D’Qar.”

Rey suddenly realized what she had almost done.

She extinguished her lightsaber, and Han extinguished Kylo’s lightsaber.

Rey pushed past Han, and knelt beside Kylo Ren.

“Did you burn his face off? I can’t look.” Han said.

“Kylo! Your face! You killed Finn, and I destroyed your face!”

Han swore.

“Alright. I’ll look.”

Han knelt down beside Ben, too.

“Did Rey burn my face off?”

“Nah. She missed your eye, and your nose. You’ll have a scar on your face and your neck, maybe down to your chest. But you’re bleeding like a stuck nerf. That’s no good.’

“You see, Rey? I’ll have a scar. I have many. Maybe I didn’t kill your traitor buddy. I just fixed it so he won’t be feeling you up under the farkling moonlight, for awhile.”

“But I can’t just leave you here, bleeding in the snow!”

“I’m not alone. Solo’s with me. Just go, Rey. Please. I don’t want Snoke to get you.”

“You’re a no good son of a bitch, Kylo Skywalker, Ben Solo! A Sith warlord and a mercenary, not to mention a killer, a thief, and a pirate! But other than the Sith warlord part, that’s the man I married, for better or for worse. There’s still good in you, I know. And I’m going to fight for it. I’ll free you from the Dark Side, or kill you, trying.” Rey vowed.

“Aren’t you supposed to die trying?”

“Me? Fark no! You’re the Sith!”

“I’m not a Sith, Rey. I’m a slave to the Sith. A prisoner of the black sleep of the Dark Side. They did the same thing to me as your friend, FN2187. Sought me out when I was a child. Stole me from my family. Told me a bunch of pretty lies, only to enslave me with torture and brainwashing to a destiny I never asked for that I don’t really understand. I’m glad you believe there’s good in me. That I might be free. I only want to live long enough to see the past die, to watch it burn, knowing that I set the fire, before the flames consume me.”

“That’s pretty goddamn dark, kid.”

“You had the chance to save me, Solo. You blew it.”

“I’m taking another chance, now.”

Rey wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up.

“I can save you from that fate, Kylo. Because I love you. And if I’m not as strong in the Force as you are? I’ll learn.”

She ran for the Falcon.

Kylo got his breath as Han helped him to his feet.

“It burns! My face, and my neck, and my chest! I feel like I’m on fire! I hate lightsaber wounds! They never stop burning!” Ben exclaimed.

Han got some snow, and packed it down Kylo's tunic, then against his face.

“More snow?” he asked.

“No. That helped. She’s safe. From Snoke. But you and me, Solo? We might be farkled. For one thing? I can’t fly like this.”

“I can fly a TIE. I was an Imperial pilot, remember?”

They watched the Falcon go.

Kylo touched his father’s face.

“Don’t be scared. I’m using the Force to make your hair and beard grow out. No more wigs and false beards.”

“Sounds good. And I wasn’t around, before because I was doing time in Arkanis Territorial. For that Crimson Dawn thing. Except instead of us looting the empty ship and blowing up the dock, we’ll make it full of Crimson Dawn guys.”

Han kept talking as he helped Ben get into the TIE Fighter.

“How about the way those Crimson Dawn guys scattered when they saw Kylo Ren?”

“Yeah. That was a really big score. Solo? I’m in trouble. There’s blood in both my eyes. I can’t see at all.”

Han got in the pilot’s seat, pushed the button for the hatch and opened the compartment under the dashboard.

The First Aid kit was still there.

Han opened it, wiped Ben’s face off with a piece of gauze, put a few clips on his long wound and stuck dressings to it.

“That should hold you, until we get you back to your ship.”

Han looked in the top mirror.

“Holy shit! My hair’s down to my shoulders. And my beard is down to the middle of my chest! And this goddamn moustache is ridiculous.”

Han grabbed a couple hair ties, pulled most of his hair back in a ponytail and quickly braided his beard.

“Chewie would hardly know me, like this. But I’ll still wear the eyepatch too. Just in case.”

He got Artemis Skywalker’s eyepatch out of his pocket and put it on.

“She was worried about me. She still loves me. When she lifted the lightsaber over her head? I saw she had her wedding ring on a chain around her neck.”

“I think she still loves you, kid. I’ll bet Rey's glad I didn’t let her kill you. Not that it was the first time, today that you saw where her ring was.”

“It was all her idea. I mean, she knew the whole place was going to blow, and she still wanted me. Twice.”

“Did Rey tell you we were blowing up the base.”

“She did. But I figured, fuck it. If I can’t die with my boots on with my blaster in one hand and my lightsaber in the other? Might as well die, hard.”

“You didn’t learn that kind of thinking from the Jedi, or the Sith.”

They blasted off.

Han stopped the TIE for a minute, just to watch the explosion.

It ended their jocular, locker room mood.

“Did you feel that? It’s a dark day, Dad. My side blew up Hosnian Prime. Mom’s side blew up Starkiller Base. Both sides will claim victory. But millions of people’s lives have been snuffed out. For no reason. That’s not victory. It’s insanity. This whole war, this whole thing? It’s madness. The Jedi, the Sith, the Dark, the Light? The Empire, the Resistance? Do you think that would matter to any of the people who died today? I’m going to stop it. All of it. It has to end.”

“I can agree with that, Ben. That’s gotta be the smartest thing I ever heard a Skywalker say. That’s only because you’re a Solo, too, kid. You got a plan, Vader junior?”

“Of course I have a farkling plan! First, I have to live long enough to kill Snoke.”

“You will.”

The radio crackled to life.

“Lord Ren, this is General Hux. Why aren’t you flying your TIE Fighter? Please answer.”

“I’ve been wounded. Are you on the bridge?”

“No. This is a private call.”

“Then why are you being so formal?”

“Because I don’t know who is flying your TIE.”

“It’s not Mrs. Young Lord Vader. I took a hit in the face, neck and chest with a lightsaber.”

“By who? Luke Skywalker?”

“No. My estranged and enraged wife. I couldn’t fight back, properly. I didn’t want to hurt her. My father, is flying my TIE Fighter. He just saved my life.”

“What about your wife?”

“She took advantage of me, twice, nearly killed me with the lightsaber I gave her, and went back to the Resistance. But she’ll be back.”

“Is that how you lost Starkiller Base? Too busy making it up with your Rebel wife?”

“My wife is worth ten jumped-up Death Stars. To me, and to the Galaxy.”

“Is that what you will tell the Supreme Leader? It’s shoddy, and weak, and it makes you sound like a child in a fancy-dress mask who’s more concerned with getting his end off than the responsibilities of his office.”

“Yeah, that’s Vader junior in a nutshell. His mask and shoes are polished, you can see your face in them, and so can the troopers in his command crew, most of which are women under those masks.” Han interrupted.

“In a totalitarian society, sex is an act of revolution.” Ben sniffed.

“Kid, you don’t need to give me an excuse. I know about you and your Force Fuck Cult of Action Girls thing. I’m sure it’s nice for you that you finally made it happen. And I'm sure it’s nice for the women, too. But you have to come up with a better excuse than that crazy shit!”

“You just don’t understand anything that has any philosophy or mystery or mysticism to it, do you, Solo? I am trying to bind people to me with love and trust and loyalty, not fear!”

“But you don’t do it with the guys, do you?”

“If I was gay, or bi, I would!”

“You’re proving that Hux and I are right and you’re full of it, Vader junior. Keep talking.”

“What do you want me to tell Snoke? Well, my Master, I was busy getting laid and I was more concerned with my Rebel wife’s hot pussy than your miserable military nerfshit?” Ben snapped.

Han laughed at that.

“Hey, don’t knock it, kid. Why do you think you’re here?”

“Don’t remind me. You have a button missing on your pants. I guess Mom has it. You guys are worse than me and Rey, and you’ve been married for decades!”

“We’ll have to think of something better for you to tell Snoke. What about Millicent? Please tell me you remembered the cat.” Hux interrupted.

“I’m sitting on her carrier. She’s fine. Clean the goddamn litter box, and you’re going to have to feed the cat for awhile.”

“I always feed the cat! Are we going to have your father living in the suite now, too? I wish you would have moved your wife in, instead.”

“Watch what you say about my wife, Armi.”

“You have all the luck with women, Kylo. Do you think Mrs. Skywalker has any Rebel Girl friends who like the Imperial Act?”

“Try all of them. What you need, Hux, is to wear a flight suit. Even if you can’t fly. Rebel chicks love flyboys. And Imperial flyboys? You’ll get lucky. No doubt about it.” Han snorted.

“Solo! You should not say things like that about women! It’s disrespectful!”

“What’s disrespectful about your pal Hux and some brave Rebel fighters getting what they want and having a little fun before we all die, horribly? Isn’t that what you mean when you say that in a totalitarian state, sex is rebellion and love is revolutionary?” Han retorted.

“Not really, Solo.”

Hux interrupted, again.

“So, Kylo, where did this father of yours spring from, this time.”

“Good choice of words. He’s just been sprung from Arkanis Territorial. For that Crimson Dawn affair. I sent for him, to be my guardsman. Now on a permanent basis. He was an Imperial pilot, he knows how to fly a TIE.”

“These new ones are a little different. But not too much. I need coordinates for the Finalizer, and you’d better have a medic ready on the landing bay. It’s not a deep wound, but your Lord and Master is losing a lot of blood. If he needs a donation, you can have some of mine.” Han added.

“Who’s Kylo’s mother?” Hux asked.

“You Darkstars, you think you have a right to know everything. Nosy farkling Arkanian.” Han retorted.

“How did you know my mother was a Darkstar?”

“I know all about you, Hux. One Arkanian to another. She was a savage clan chieftain's savage daughter. But from the Tattoine clans.”

“I see. You realise I know exactly who you are, Solo, who Kylo is, who his mother is, and who his grandfather is?”

“I know. So, is this nerfshit convincing?”

“Very. You’re as convincing a nerfshit artist and a liar as your son is. I will arrange everything. I am sending the coordinates to your computer. You have priority clearance, Captain Skywalker. Over and out.”

Kylo turned to look at his father.

“You think we can pull this off, Solo?”

“You can just kill anybody who recognizes me, right?”

Ben laughed, and spit blood out of his mouth.

“Sure, when I can see! Rey might have killed me, after all. I’m bleeding halfway down my chest! If I have to be in a bacta tank? Don’t leave me alone. The First Order promotion system is a lot like the Empire. It runs of backstabbing. Some of it, literal.”

“I know that, kid. I used to be in this outfit. I won’t let anyone get to you. And if a bunch of them try? You'll have less enemies.”

“That’s been the first step of my plan. To weed out anyone on the Finalizer who isn’t loyal to me, and replace them with officers, troopers and crew who are. Don’t kill the assassin’s. Have them arrested. After I’m well, I'll gather everyone on the flight deck, and make the traitors walk the plank into space.”

“You’re a real ruthless pirate bastard, kid. Here we go.”

***

Rey sat on the bunk, in the little room on the Falcon.

She was going to sew the rip in her leggings, then wash them by hand.

A little further down the leg from the rip, there was a crusty white stain.

Rey picked at it, with her fingernail.

It seemed like quite a lot.

She went to clean it off, with some water from the glass beside her when a sob escaped her throat.

So, I found him again.

My long lost good looking bastard of a flyboy, today.

My beloved husband, to whom I owe, oh, everything.

He’s the one.

I knew when I met him on Jakku.

It’s only that I know now, I’ll never be able to leave him.

Lucky me, he’s tall, and handsome, as big as a Wookie and hung like one, and he’s one hell of a good fuck.

Maybe the best fuck in the Galaxy.

He should be, he’s the baddest badguy in the Galaxy.

No man in the Galaxy is more Imperial than him.

Unlucky me, he’s Kylo fucking Ren, the murderous mystic and Sith warlord the Resistance is sworn to defeat.

But he’s also Ben.

Ben Solo.

And Kylo Skywalker, the Arkanian.

And a Wookiee named Kallaurra, who’s first language was Shriiyywook.

And who else, who knows, my boy Ben is a whole bunch of guys.

But even so?

Ben was a gentleman.

He took me to his quarters, apologized, after, for ruining my leggings, after he locked me in the room and came back with some wet towels and some dry ones.

Told me he wasn’t sure if my implant was still working, that was why he pulled out.

Ben offered me a pair of First Order uniform pants; I declined.

But I did take the pair of knickers and the new leggings.

I’ve never worn knickers, before; these First Order ones are a very high grade of cotton, they are quite comfy, very nice.

And I think these desert leggings are waterproof and rip-resistant.

Ben knew I needed his darkness; he said he needed my light.

So, later, we almost killed each other with lightsabers.

I gave him a nasty scar for being an Imperial bastard and hurting Finn.

Han stopped me from killing him.

But Kylo asked me to be his student; he wanted to teach me the ways of the Force.

He knows what’s between us, and so do I.

He’s my man, I’m his woman, and we belong to each other.

That’s why he couldn’t understand why I called him a monster.

Couldn’t understand why I left him bleeding in the snow.

The look on his face, I’ll never forget it.

He was a hell of a fighter.

Better than me; he was trying not to kill me.

A hell of a lover, too.

He’s the one, he’s your man, you’re his woman, your beloved husband, who’s given you all you have, all he has, and all he’s ever going to have. Not to mention his love, his trust, and his friendship. He’s been your benefactor and your teacher, too. He’s looked after you, and given you something like a life. A life with him. A home. And you tried to kill him, and left him broken-hearted and bleeding in the snow.

Because he’s also a monster.

Yes, Little Rebel Girl, you’ve had a big day.

Rey crumpled her leggings into a ball, threw them aside, and since nobody could see her doing it?

She cried.

[selenium-drive]

Stay Gold Chapter 9: Sacrifice

TW: Death, depictions of violence

Words: 12.4k

Series rating: Explicit

The remaining twenty minute long walk to the town under the rule of the Empire was filled with uneasy silence due to the nervousness the group felt about their spur of the moment plan, and the rising anxiety Aurelia felt the longer she was held "prisoner". Though they hated to admit it, Mando and Cara knew the visible discomfort she expressed made for a very convincing display of Mando himself and Aurelia as captured enemies. True unease was difficult to fake.

They approached the gates of the city where two Stormtroopers, one of which was lounging about on his speeder bike, guarded the entrance. "I have gifts for the boss," Karga motioned to both captive hunters. Aurelia did her best to stifle her nerves and keep her head down, remembering that she was indeed on a mission of great import. She doubted anyone from the Empire would know exactly who she was based on first glance; she herself had not interfered with Imperial affairs in the past, but her striking eyes had the potential be a dead giveaway as to what her bloodline was. She couldn't remember if Nevarro was one of the many planets her father had visited and included in his stories of victories against the Empire. If any of these Troopers stationed in this town had ever gone up against him, surely they wouldn't of even been kept alive to tell the tale. Still, word travels fast, especially when it comes to a problem that has to be dealt with. Her father and his crew had many, many enemies. It wouldn't surprise her if the warlord client once heard of a rebel Kage that used to meddle in their work. If that were the case, perhaps he would be able to recognize his daughter. After all, how many Kage lived outside the caves of Quarzite? Not many.

The Trooper posted at the gate scanned Karga's chain code and walked with them down the dusty streets crawling with even more Imperial soldiers. Both Cara and Aurelia couldn't help the burning hatred for such pests. It took all the self-discipline they had not to start picking off the mindless troops right then and there.

"You said four," Cara whispered harshly, her eyes darting from helmet to helmet of each enemy soldiers that passed by. "There are more than four Troopers."

"Four guarding the client," Karga fired back. "There are many more here in town. Things got really heated once Mando crashed the safe house."

"You did what?" Aurelia elbowed the Mandalorian walking alongside her.

"I told you before," he whispered, stooping down more to her level, "I wasn't proud that I took a job from an Imp. That, and they wanted to hurt the kid."

They turned into an alleyway, the sudden change from the wider, open street to a more private, closed off space making Aurelia more anxious than before. She wouldn't put it past the Stormtrooper guiding them to turn around and execute them here on the spot. They kept walking, however, until they reached a large wooden doorway near the end of the alley.

"Here we are," Karga said, beckoning them to follow him inside. The Trooper that led them to the meeting room joined up with three others who stood guarding an elegantly dressed elderly man. The Guild leader subtly nodded towards the rest of the soldiers in the room. "You see? Four."

Karga falsified the best smile he could. "Look what I brought you, as promised," he said triumphantly to the warlord, gesturing towards the Mandalorian and company.

The client approached Mando, extending his arm out to brush the back of his hand against the cool, polished steel chest plate and helmet. "What exquisite craftsmanship. It is amazing how beautiful beskar can be when forged by its ancestral artisans." He turned his attention back to Karga. "Can I offer you a libation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative?" Mando stood still; from an outsider's perspective, he would've appeared uncaring or laid back. Aurelia knew him better than that. She knew how dangerous Mando could be when he was deceptively calm. He hated the audacity of this man for thinking he could lay a putrid hand on his armor, even if he was the one who supplied the Mandalorian with the steel to craft it.

"Please sit," the client directed after eliciting a nod from Karga. "It is a shame that your people suffered so," the Imp continued, taking a seat at a nearby round table. "Just as in this situation, it was all avoidable. Why did Mandalore resist our expansion? The Empire improves every system it touches. Judge by any metric. Safety. Prosperity. Trade. Opportunity. Peace..."

His rambling stopped when his eyes traced over the group seated across from him. He locked onto Aurelia, taking notice of her bright golden stare burning with anger. "Do you not agree with me, child?" He reached over Mando and Karga to brush the side of her face gingerly with his hand. Mando felt his body go rigid. If he weren't in such a vulnerable situation, he would've snapped the man's fingers in half one at a time.

Alongside him, Aurelia began to panic. Dank farrik, she knew she should've kept her eyes down. Her heart beat faster, praying to any gods out there that she wouldn't be recognized in any way. Her stubbornness and submissiveness battled with each other; she hated this man already and didn't want to back down and appear weak, but the knew the longer she looked into his own eyes, the higher the chance someone might know who she was.

"Such an odd thing, you are," he said curiously. "Yet, the hatred I feel you sending my way is the same as any other human or sentient species I've come into contact with before. You are all so blind as to what good the Empire can offer to you. Compare Imperial rule to what is happening now. Look outside, child. Is the world more peaceful since the revolution? I see nothing but death and chaos. The hardened stares from all of you only confirms to me that this is all you've seen, all you know as well. It's such a pity, is it not? The Empire wishes to change all of that, and now we have what we need to do it." He released his soft hold on her, Aurelia letting out a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding in once he stepped back towards The Child's bassinet. "I would like to see the baby."

"Uh...it is asleep," Karga stammered a little unconvincingly. Thankfully, the client still somehow believed him.

"We all will be quiet, just open the pram."

Cara tensed up, desperately fighting the urge to draw her blaster and kill the Imp before it was too late and their cover was blown. She looked to Karga for some kind of clue as to what the next move would be, but his wide eyed stare of his own uncertainty did nothing to provide her any consolation. As ironic as it was, a Stormtrooper happened to become their knight in shining armor. He stepped besides the client and whispered a few incomprehensible words into his ear.

"Don't think me to be rude," the elderly Imperial man apologized, "I must take this call."

He turned his back to the high-strung group still seated at at table. One of the Troopers placed a portable hologram communication pad on the bar's countertop, a bright blue glow emitting from in front of the warlord while he spoke to another unknown figure of authority.

Aurelia suppressed a flinch and almost slammed the tops of her knees into the underside of the table when she felt the outside of her knee inadvertently brushed by the back of Mando's hand when he maneuvered himself free of the confines of the bracers. She tried to suppress the blush forming on her cheeks when he slid the cuffs up onto her lap, the cool metal dragging slowly across the fabric of her pants. He reached across her lap and quickly undid her own restraints, setting both pairs of cuffs on her thighs.

"Hold these," he whispered, completely oblivious to fact of her sudden bashfulness due to his unexpected motions. "Give me the blaster," he motioned to Karga underneath the table.

"You've got one shot," he warned the bounty hunter.

Cara's short fuze was fizzling out. "This is bad. You said four."

Karga shot her a glare over his shoulder. "Well, there are more. What can I tell you?"

"Cara, my blaster," Aurelia whispered, her eyes scouring the room for any Stormtrooper who might be watching.

"Here. I'll give you everything else later," the dropper said hurriedly, slipping the small gun into Karga's hands. It traveled down the row from the Guild leader to the Mandalorian; the second it passed from Mando's leather gloves to Aurelia's fingerless gauntlets, the sound of shattering glass and rapid blaster fire erupted all throughout the common house. Mando kicked the table they were seated around over in an attempt to provide some sort of cover while they dove to the ground, crawling alongside the broken bits of glass, building wreckage, and Imperial bodies. They sought protection hugged tightly against the wall next to an elongated window where the countless shots were being fired though.

"Four Stormtroopers?" Cara shouted, knocking Karga roughly on the shoulder.

"Obviously there's more than kriffing four!" Aurelia swore angrily over the barrage of gunfire. The sudden onslaught took care of the issue of the client and the Troopers guarding him, but now there was a whole other, much worse, predicament at hand. When the dust had settled and the firing had stopped, the corned group snuck a peak out of the obliterated window behind the bar. An Imperial firing squad was the reason behind the attack, and transport vehicles full of more Troopers were joining their ranks. A few foot soldiers came flooding in from the streets, lining up with the rest and taking aim on the building Mando and the others took refuge in.

"This is bad." Cara grimaced. "Mando, we need to get out of here, now! If we get caught by them, then..." she shuddered at the thought.

He kept quiet but Aurelia could tell by the way his fingers clenched under his leather gloves that he was trying hard to map put their next move. He let out a huff and grabbed his commlink.

"Kuiil, are you back to the ship yet? Are you there? Do you copy?"

"Yes!" A strained voice came through, barely audible over the loud galloping of his blurrg.

"Are you back to the ship yet?"

"Not yet!"

"Get back to the ship and bail!" Mando exclaimed, hitting his fist up against the wall in pent up adrenaline. "Get the kid out of here. We're pinned down!"

"You have something I want," a male's voice rang out from the crowd of Stormtroopers.

"Who is this guy?" Cara motioned to an unseen figure outside the window. Mando paid her no attention. He tried speaking through the commlink once more.

"Kuiil, are you back to the ship yet? They're on to us. Kuiil, come in!" The growing sense of urgency in his voice made Aurelia start to panic. She tried to control her thoughts from assuming the absolute worse.

"Kuiil, do you copy?! Kuiil!"

Cara picked up on her growing level of anxiety. "He's fine," Cara attempted to reassure her. "He's probably boarding the ship right now. Just give him another minute and you'll see."

"Kuiil... Are you there?!"

"Yes, yes give him...give him a minute," Aurelia repeated uneasily.

"Come in, Kuiil! Kuiil, come in!" Mando glanced knowingly at her. He didn't have to say what either of them were thinking. Surprisingly, the non-existent expression that was still somehow evident through his helmet gave her the answer she didn't want to hear most of all.

"No, no give him a second! He just needs a second. He's fine! He's okay! They're okay!" Aurelia cried out. Her hands began to tremble and her eyes watered the more she felt the Mandalorian look on her with pity. Finally, he dropped his hand that was holding the commlink.

"No no no no! DON'T. DON'T!" Aurelia scrambled away from the bounty hunter when he slowly bent down and reached one hand out to hold her in place. "DON'T. TOUCH ME. NO! YOU CALL HIM AGAIN."

"Stop it! Dank farrik, pull it together!" Mando shot his hands forward and gripped both of her wrists tightly. He snatched her up, bringing her face closer to his helmet and shook her firmly. "We don't know what happened, but you have to focus on what's happening right here, right now."

The look of both terror and utter devastation broke the Mandalorian's spirit. He frowned heavily, hoping he didn't further upset her any. The only thing he could think of to do at that moment was place his hand gently on the top of her head. "Breathe, ad'ika. Just...breathe."

A small tear managed to escape from out over her lash line. It trailed down what small portion of skin she had exposed beneath her eyes, then absorbed into the cotton threads of her scarf. "He's dead, Mando."

"We don't know that for certain," he told her, his voice trying to sound soothing despite the blaring uncertainty seeping through. "We have to get out of here, then we'll find them. But first, I need you to focus."

"Is there another way out?" Cara asked.

Karga shook his head. "No, that's it."

"What about the sewers?" Mando asked, hoisting Aurelia up to her feet. Karga shrugged and looked at him unknowingly, leaving Mando to further elaborate. "The Mandalorians have a covert down in the sewers. If we can get down there, they can help us escape. Is there an entrance to them in here somewhere?"

"Guys, something's happening outside," Aurelia said shakily.

Cara peaked her head around the side of the window, her breathing intensifying and her mouth hanging wide open when she saw a team of Troopers assembling a massive firearm. It was something she recognized from her days of military service, and she knew it didn't mean good news for herself or her comrades.

"They're setting up an E-Web."

Karga backed against the wall I'm disbelief at the fate that was about to befall those in the common house. His legs threatened to give out from the sudden wave of grief that washed over him. "It's over," he whispered in defeat.

"Not yet," Mando pointed towards a bench situated up against a nearby wall. "I found the sewer vent."

"Then let's get the hell outta here," Cara ordered.

Everyone grabbed the corners of the bench, pushing and pulling it back to reveal a heavy, iron vent securely fastened in place. In a profound sense of urgency and desperate for a means of an escape, Cara fired her blaster in an attempt to weaken the bolted on metal bearings securing the grate to the wall. The thick metal remained securely in place, seemingly untouched.

"It's not working! We need something else!" She cried out in frustration.

"Hang on, move out of the way." Aurelia pushed past her and fired both of her grappling hooks in-between the cracks of the vent. The hooks opened up, securing themselves in place on the other side of the grate. "I'll pull, you fire. Maybe we can loosen it."

Cara shook her head in protest. "Those aren't going to be sturdy enough. They're just going to snap!"

"No, they won't," Mando spoke up. "It's beskar. It can take it."

He crept up behind Aurelia, admiring the polished silver cables and hooks coming out from her gauntlets. "You still never told me where you got those from," Mando said from over her shoulder. "Beskar steel belongs to the Mandalorians."

She chuckled darkly and widened her stance, preparing to put all of her strength into pulling back against the bolted in screws that separated the crew from freedom. "That's another story for another day, if we survive this one, that is."

Cara shot her blaster along the edges of the vent, hoping that in all the barrage of rounds she was firing off, maybe at least a few would weaken the integrity of the solid metal that prevented their escape. "It's not...working!" She shouted over the repetitive blasts.

Aurelia pulled back harder, cursing her lack of strength. Her wrists felt like they were going to snap and her forearms heavily ached from the cables pulling against her skin and muscles.

Mando stepped directly behind her and proceeded to wrap the beskar infused wiring around his own arm braces. The sudden, unexpected body contact caused Aurelia to lurch forward slightly, stopping her efforts of pulling against the grate.

"Keep going, ad'ika," Mando grunted, yanking back hard on the grappling hook's wires back in additional support. The sturdy cables and hooks withheld under the strength of their combined effort to pry the grate from the wall; the vent creaked and groaned under pressure but still held tight in place.

Cara set down her firearm in defeat after a few more passing moments of no success. "That's it," she said breathlessly. "It's over."

"Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation," a male voice smugly spoke up from outside in the plaza. Aurelia detached herself hooks from the grate, her exhausted arms loosely hanging at her side. She turned her attention to the stranger addressing them, noticing a menacing looking military official standing in front of the rows of Imperial soldiers. "I would prefer to avoid any further violence, and encourage a moment of consideration," he continued. "Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model."

Cara stumbled back, clearly shaken by the knowledge the man standing on the other side of wall possessed. "H-how does he know-"

"Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin, has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore, when gunships outfitted with similar ordinance laid waste to fields of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears."

"Don't think I overlooked you, Aurelia Vandorack," Moff Gideon continued proudly. She shot a worried expression towards Mando, panic beginning to set once she heard her full name. "I know of the crimes that your father, Kodo Vandorack, and his pathetic cluster of rebellious abominations, committed against the Empire in its glory days. You might think that the many years of servitude you've experienced at the hands of Tattooine bandit, Darro Obrik, was enough torment, but wait until you see what I have in store for you. You'll wish you were on Quarzite, being slowly crushed in weight of its uninhabitable atmosphere, regretting the day you sided with these people."

"Don't listen to him," Mando warned her. "He's trying to get in your head. He plays mind games, Aurelia. Don't let him win."

"I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search the wisdom of his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside. The structure you are trapped in will be razed in short order and your storied lives will come to an unceremonious end."

"What do you propose?" Karga sputtered to the man seemingly in charge.

"Reasonable negotiation."

"What assurance do you offer?"

"If you're asking if you can trust me...you cannot," Moff Gideon said flatly. "Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand. The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit. I will give you until nightfall, and then I will have the E-Web cannon open fire."

"I don't trust him," Aurelia told the others. "He'll fire on us whenever he choses. I don't believe this man to be generous enough to give us more than a few hours and risk us coming up with a decision or plan an escape."

"This isn't just anyone. I know who he is," Mando spoke up. "It's Moff Gideon."

"No. Moff Gideon was executed for war crimes," Karga disagreed.

Mando shook his head. "It's him. He knew my name."

"So? What does that prove?"

"I haven't heard that name spoken since I was a child."

"On Mandalore?" Karga questioned further.

"I was not born on Mandalore."

"But you're a Mandalorian."

"Mandalorian isn't a race," Cara interjected.

"It's a Creed," Mando explained. "I was a foundling. They raised me in the Fighting Corps. I was treated as one of their own. When I came of age, I was sworn to the Creed. The only record of my family name was in the registers of Mandalore. Moff Gideon was an ISB Officer during the purge. That's how I know it's him. He says he needs us, which means The Child got away safely. I was worried when the Ugnaught didn't respond, but if they'd captured the kid, we'd already be dead."

"Maybe Kuill's fine after all," Cara tried to tell Aurelia comfortingly. "Mando, hail them again."

He nodded and brought the commlink to his helmet. "Come in, Kuii." They waited on edge for several seconds but got nothing back but the crackling sound of static.

"They might have jammed the link," Cara noted at the lack of response.

"Kuiil has been terminated," IG's robotic voice broke through the other side of the commlink.

"What did you do?" Mando growled. His eyes shifted under the cover of his visor to scope out Aurelia's reaction. Her stare remained fixed on the rocky debris beneath their feet, completely numb at the news. She had known all along. Even if she tried to convince herself otherwise, she wouldn't of believed anything different.

"I am fulfilling my base function," IG spoke up once more in reply to the Mandalorian.

"Which is?"

"To nurse and protect."

The distant shouts and gunfire of Stormtroopers in combat caused everyone within the vicinity to turn their attention towards the winding street leading to the plaza where the Troopers were stationed.

"Look!" Cara pointed. The intense stillness outside of the common house quickly erupted into a scene of all out war. A speeder bike launched itself into a crowd of several Troopers, smashing them against the walls of surrounding buildings and streets of Nevarro. The IG unit Kuill had reconstructed emerged from besides the wreckage, The Child strapped securely on its back, giggling maniacally and completely unaware of the magnitude of danger it was in.

It took everything Mando had not to run outside and grab The Child from out of harms way. He knew doing such a thing would be a suicide mission. There was no other choice but to fight at this point.

"I need you, Aurelia, a'dika," Mando pleaded quietly but firmly. He tore his gaze from the IG unit currently taking on the vast sea of Troopers to stare at the woman next to him. "I can't do this without you."

"I know," Aurelia smiled sadly. "I let Kuiil down and I'm not letting you or the kid down either." She quickly took her daggers and rifle from Cara who had been holding onto them since they first arrived into town.

Mando darted out from the safety of the building and began taking on the countless number of enemy soldiers gathered in the plaza. Karga and Aurelia followed him closely with their blasters drawn, taking aim on whoever they could. A handful of Stormtroopers rushed the entrance of the building all but Cara had emerged from. One set off a grenade, blasting the door down and creating a gaping hole in the exterior for more Imperial soldiers to rush through.

"Cara!" Aurelia called out after the debris had settled.

"I'm okay!" The dropper coughed violently from inside the building. The sound of continuous blaster fire and the screams of fallen enemy Troopers put Aurelia more at ease knowing the female veteran inside was fully capable of taking care of herself.

"There's too many!" She shouted, throwing one of her daggers into the chest plate of an advancing Stormtrooper. When she heard the fast approaching footsteps of another trying to strike her from behind, she combined the ends of her daggers and twisted, causing the other to jut out and pierce the chest of other soldier trying to sneak up on her.

"Take them out from above! I have an idea!" Mando called out to her, after taking a split second to admire her Stormtrooper shish kebab.

"Cover me!" Aurelia separated the blades and slid them back alongside her waist, then fired her grappling hook into the edge of the stone rooftop belonging to the common room they sought shelter in. She grappled upwards, both Mando and Karga taking out those who tried to shoot her down in the process. When she made it to the top and took cover behind some of the stone on the rooftop, she pulled her rifle from behind her back. From her peripheral vision, she saw Mando make a break for the E-Web cannon stationed untouched in the center of all the chaos. It was then she understood what he wanted her to do. She took out the nearby Troopers who swarmed around the cannon and stood in Mando's way. He dodged their shots in an attempt to stop him from using their detrimental weapon to his own advantage, thanking the stars his armor was able to safely deflect what rounds he couldn't avoid. Karga and Aurelia provided enough support for him to reach the massive heavy repeating blaster. Her feeling of victory watching the Mandalorian rain down on the Stormtroopers was short lived when two blaster rifle rounds grazed the side of her arms, causing her to fall back and yelp in pain at the sharp burning sensation that stretched along her marred skin. Mando shifted his focus to the Stormtrooper that took aim on his pilot, not paying attention to Moff Gideon who crept up from behind and fired a shot directly into his helmet. Aurelia scrambled to her crouched position, trying to avoid the situation from getting any worse. A few more Troopers blasted the corner of the roof she was taking cover behind, ceasing her aid towards her comrades down below. She tilted her head around the corner to watch helplessly as Mando stabilized himself enough to put Gideon in his line of fire next. The Imp prepared to take aim at the bounty hunter but his eyes shifted last minute to a large metallic box a foot away from where the Mandalorian stood.

"Mando! No!" Aurelia shouted from the rooftop above. Moff Gideon fired a single shot into the E-Web power unit, setting off a massive fireball explosion directly in front of the hunter. The force from the blast was enough to knock the sturdy Mandalorian clean off his feet and fling the cannon out of his hands. Both weapon and wielder landed on the ground with a loud, sickening clang. Karga dragged himself up the wall he had been thrust face first into from the resonating force of the explosion. He turned and fired at the incoming wave of Troopers who managed to survive Mando's onslaught, providing cover for Cara when she emerged from inside the common house to drag Mando's limp body inside. Aurelia dropped down beside them and used her grappling hooks to wrap around Mando's arms to help pull him to safety faster. She detached herself from him when they were inside behind the cover of the bar, Cara busy triaging the downed bounty hunter while Karga and Aurelia continued to take down what Troopers they could from the view of the window. IG had taken it upon itself to laser around the edges of the sewer grate, giving the group one last chance at escaping.

"Mando, I need to take this off," Cara pleaded. She reached up to rest her hands on both sides of his helmet, pausing and letting out a sharp gasp when her fingers met the slickness of his blood that had begun to slowly drip from out underneath his armor. She opened her mouth to speak but struggled to get anything to come out. She cleared her throat and tried to hide the way her voice was on the verge of breaking. "A-Aurelia!"

Aurelia's shattered heart further crumbled at the unmistakable sense of helplessness in Cara's tone. No, absolutely not. She wasn't going through this again. She hung her rifle back on the strap crossing over her chest and ran to wounded the Mandalorian, paying no attention to the rubble and broken bits of glass embedding themselves in her knees when she slid across the floor to his side. Mando gingerly placed his hands over hers, stopping her in her tracks when she placed her palms on the sides of his helmet.

"You have to make sure The Child is safe." He said weakly.

"Mando, no," she began to beg. "We're not going to leave you here. Please, please don't do this to me. Don't make me go through this twice in one day. We have to take this off, right Cara? Then we can help you."

"Please," he pleaded softly. "Just...just listen to me for once. You of all people should kn-know the importance of hiding yourself-"

Aurelia angrily yanked her hands free out from under his. She grabbed the black fabric twirled around her face and neck, ripping it off and throwing it across his chest.

"I hate it when you throw that shit in my face," she said venomously.

The beaten down Mandalorian couldn't come up with a well thought out response. He was too busy scanning over every inch of her face, his heart heavy that she revealed herself for him out of a defiant act of desperation. Maker, she was about to hate him forever.

Mando pulled off his necklace and placed it into the hand of the beautifully flawed woman crouched over him. "When you get to the Mandalorian covert, you show them that." She started to protest but he cut her off completely. "You tell them it's from Din...Djarin. You tell them the foundling was in my protection, and they'll help you."

He closed his eyes tight, praying desperately hard to the Maker and all the stars in the galaxy that he could somehow drown out her screams. "I'm not gonna make it, mesh'la, " he whispered, "and you know it."

Another fiery explosion blasted through the window. He kept talking over all the noise, raising his voice as much as his body would allow. "You protect The Child. I can hold them back long enough for you to escape. Let me have a warrior's death."

"MANDO!"

He paused for a minute, trying to push away the heaviness that weighed his weakened body down. The IG unit kicked in the vent grate just as a cluster of Stormtroopers rushed in. The Child crept forth, holding off the burning flames erupting from an enemy flame thrower. The foundling pushed the Troopers back through the doorway, giving everyone just enough time to flee. The droid scooped up the now exhausted child, shoving him into Aurelia's hands to distract her from the Mandalorian she was leaving behind. She was silent, tearfully looking over at the broken bounty hunter as she clutched his son tight.

"This is the Way," Mando reassured her.

"Come on! It's open, let's go!" Karga motioned for Cara and the others to follow him into the sewers. "We have to move. Now!"

"Go," Mando gasped one last time.

"Escape and protect this child," IG commanded to Aurelia. "I will stay with the Mandalorian."

"Promise me you'll bring him," Cara muttered just so the droid would hear.

"You have my word."

She stared hard at the droid and took off, wrapping an arm around Aurelia to get the stunned Kage woman to advance into the tunnels. "He's going to be fine," Cara tried to convince both herself and the pilot.

The trio continued through the vent until they reached what appeared to be the sewer system the Mandalorian was referring to. A few tunnels branched off from the starting point they had been led to, causing more of a headache rather than any relief that they might of finally been safe. They kept walking down the main walkway to see where it would take them rather than get themselves lost in any of the numerous corridors.

"Aurelia, isn't it?" Karga asked suddenly, eliciting a raised eyebrow in response from the younger woman. "That's your name?"

"Karga..." Cara warned in a low tone.

"What? We were never properly introduced."

"You decide to bring this up now?" The dropper snapped.

"Yes, it is," the raven haired woman answered before the bickering could continue. The hoarseness in her throat was still painstakingly evident from the tears she shed minutes ago.

"Well...I'm sorry for your losses today, Aurelia," he sympathized wholeheartedly.

"Karga!"

"What?!"

"Shhh! Do you hear that?" Aurelia silenced them. They listened closely, the sounds of approaching footsteps becoming more apparent.

The glow belonging to a bight head light bobbed down the sewer walkway several feet behind them. Looking past the white glow, they could make out the familiar looking beskar helmet the flashlight was fixed to. Aurelia's stomach flipped when she saw the weakened silhouette of Mando staggering towards them, barely being held up properly by IG's lanky robotic form. Both Karga and Cara let out heavy sighs of relief and rushed to Mando's side, happy that the droid managed to keep its promise.

"I got him, IG, thank you," Cara told the droid, taking on the weight of the Mandalorian.

"Of course. It is my duty to serve and protect. And Miss Aurelia, I believe this is yours." The IG unit turned to face her once its arms were free. It stiffly extended one claw outwards, releasing its grasp on the scarf she wore but left behind with then the dying bounty hunter. "Do with it as you wish. From my perspective, I do not believe you should be wearing it at all."

"Thank you," she told it somberly. Cara glanced nervously at Mando who was too focused on watching Aurelia secure the black cloth in its usual position. He had noticed that she said nothing to him since the droid brought him back to the others. Honestly, he wasn't sure what kind of reaction his reappearance would elicit from her. He was relieved to see everyone again, even Karga at this point. They still weren't out of danger yet and had to keep a level head in order to get to safety. Why then, was his heart heavier than the beskar he wore when his pilot completely ignored him?

"Do you know which way to go?" Karga asked, trying to redirect everyone's attention to the task at hand.

Mando tried to shake his head but the sudden wave of dizziness stopped him from doing so. "No. I don't know these tunnels. I've only entered from the bazaar. The Imps will catch us before we make it to the ship. We need to find the  Mandalorians so they can escort us to safety."

They wandered aimlessly around the various tunnels, their lack of progress of advancing forwards having themselves wondering if they were backtracking periodically and going in circles.

"This place is a maze," Cara groaned in frustration. She had seen the same rock multiple times now, she knew she had.

Mando rolled his shoulders and shifted his weight back and forth. He had several injuries he sustained from the explosion hadn't been tended to by the IG unit; he could feel patches of dried blood on various parts of his chest, arms, and legs sticking to the inside of flight suit. His head was ringing significantly less and his vertigo had subsided considerably, but no amount of bacta the droid had on him could make the dull, aching, throb that was still present, go away completely. He wouldn't be able to sit down and recover until after the mission was completed entirely, but he was getting fed up with having to be dragged along like a giant burden. "Stop," he told Cara, pulling some of his weight off her and to his own two feet. "I can stand. I have to do something. I'll...I'll try to find tracks that will lead us to the others."

He stumbled around for a minute trying to steady himself, his head tilted low towards the ground and scanning over his surroundings slowly under the tracking settings of his visor. A set of footsteps not belonging to anyone else in the group caught his attention. They ventured further down the tunnels and around one of the corners, possibly leading them to the rest of his covert. Mando motioned for his companions to follow him, his heart beating faster through his armor when the heat signatures became more prominent and fresh looking, signifying that they were closing in on whoever left them behind.

"We're close. Turn here."

The sight that befell the Mandalorian's eyes was enough to make his newly regained strength be sucked completely out from him.

"Oh no," Cara grimaced under her breath once the realization dawned on her as to what exactly they were seeing. In the middle of the walkway lay a pile of worn Mandalorian armor, mostly consisting of forsaken helmets that were apparently left behind by the others. A few busted up pauldrons, thigh coverings, and chest plates were scattered about the ground as well, but to remove one's helmet, according to the Mandalorian creed, meant there was no going back to one's old way. Deserting the armor that was held to such high regards by its wearer meant that Mando's covert had given up their entire way of life.

The lone Mandalorian dropped to his knees in anguish in front of the collection of beskar and metal. Even though almost every square inch of his body was covered, the obscene amount of pain, anger, and confusion he was feeling was still apparent to everyone.

"Mando?" Aurelia spoke up timidly. She still had her strong opinions about how she felt towards him when he had her ripped away from his side as he lay dying, but as hurt as she was, she still couldn't find it in herself to not console her partner.

She approached him slowly, noticing how tense his broad shoulders were, how low he hung his head, and how stiff all the muscles in his arms were. In the few months she had spent with the Mandalorian, she had to learn both his subtle and very obvious changes in his body language to understand what he was feeling at any given time. He was good at masking most emotions in his voice, especially thanks to the vocoder embedded in his helmet, although his occasional frustrated sighs and tones of annoyance still slipped past the beskar from time to time. When his stance was rigid and statuesque, she knew better than to push his buttons or come at him too quickly. The way he looked to her now, well, confronting him would be like poking an angry rancor with a stick. Still, she couldn't bring herself not to try.

"Mando?" Aurelia repeated once more, this time a bit more assertively. He paid her no mind, even when she stood directly over his huddled form. It was only when the tips of her slender fingers brushed against the cape secured around his neck, did he flinch sharply at her touch and stare up at her.

Since IG brought him back to the others, she hadn't once looked his way. He knew he had upset her and caused her emotional grief for practically nothing. She wouldn't outright admit it, but she was far from okay after the passing of Kuiil. The moisture farmer was like a second father figure to her. He was undoubtedly the most important person in her life. Mando wasn't sure how she felt about himself personally, but he safety assumed they had a good friendship developing. She was still timid at times, but they still trusted one another for the most part. Mando knew he crushed what relationship was developing between them the second he had Cara rip her away from his side. He obliterated their trust into millions of pieces of stardust. The pain he felt from seeing the abandoned armor of his people, only deepened when he looked up at Aurelia. He was grateful she had finally acknowledged him, but he felt so unworthy of the concern and honey glow of warmth she had in her deep golden eyes. The fact that she touched him sent his emotions into overdrive. He had no problem touching her when the moment called for it. He made physical contact with a lot of people, though a lot of it wasn't necessarily friendly. It was receiving, though, that he was far from used to. The first time she initiated true physical contact, was when she would clean his wounds. It was a little strange and unfamiliar at first but he didn't mind it. He deemed it viable and there was no meaning behind her touch. This most recent time, however, when he felt her fingertips leave nervous, feather light tracings across his scarred bronze skin, was something new to him. He wouldn't dare tell her that he could still feel her hands ghosting over his back for hours after he put his clothing back on. The gentle feeling of her hand she placed near the base of his neck just now, only reminded him of that surprisingly intimate moment they shared.

Cara cleared her throat to remind the others that despite the unfortunate circumstances at hand, time was of the essence. "We should go," she tried to persuade the rest of the group.

"You go," Mando said monotonously. "Take the ship. I can't leave it this way."

His attention suddenly honed in strictly on Karga. He shot up to his knees, Aurelia stumbling backwards from surprise at his sudden movement.

"Did you know about this?" Mando asked threateningly, swooping in on the Guild leader. "Is this the work of your bounty hunters?"

"What? No!" he cried out. His eyes frantically darted between Cara, Aurelia, and the IG unit watching helplessly on the sidelines. No way were they getting in the middle of the Mandalorian's meltdown. "When you left the system and took the prize, the fighting ended and the hunters just...melted away. You know how it is. They're mercenaries. They're not zealots."

His answer did nothing to settle Mando's dangerous outburst. Aurelia felt herself shrink to the side the more Mando's fury unleashed itself. Never had she seen the stone cold, stoic man show his emotions on his scale.

"Did you do this?" The bounty hunter roared. His deep baritone echoed off the sewer walls, not giving a damn if it brought the Stormtroopers their way. He butted chests with Karga in a primal display of aggression when the man gave him no answer. "Did you?!"

"No!" Karga all but begged for mercy.

"It was not his fault," an unfamiliar female voice rang out behind him. The sound immediately calmed the rabid Mandalorian, his anger doused by her assertive but velvety smooth tone. "We revealed ourselves. We knew what could happen if we left the covert."

She tossed a few of the forgotten pieces of armor onto a cart. Pushing the pile she had collected, she led the travelers towards a large circular room. In the center, appeared to be an old, outdated forge.

"The Imperials arrived shortly thereafter. This is what resulted," she gestured to the strewn out armor.

"Did any survive?" Mando asked hesitantly.

"I hope so. Some may have escaped off-world."

Mando's eyes scanned over the pile of armor knowing it was only him and the Armorer left in the covert. "Come with us."

"No," she rejected firmly. "I will not abandon this place until I have salvaged what remains."

The Armorer tossed a few more pauldrons into the furnace's blue flames. Aurelia watched how easily the seemingly indestructible beskar caved in itself from the burning hot touch of the flames. It bubbled and melted, pooling into the familiar shining silver she knew so well. It was funny how much the properties of the steel armor he wore resembled the Mandalorian himself. Beskar was valuable and very sought after by many. It never chipped, rusted, or blemished despite all who tried to harm it. It was flawless, shining bright and forever polished to perfection. Yet, with one touch of a simple flame, the one thing it was susceptible to, it was reduced to a puddle of gleaming metal. That's all it was after all: just steel.

"Show me the one whose safety deemed such destruction," the Armorer's voice commanded.

She walked up to Aurelia, eyeing her silently under the solid black glass visor of her golden Mandalorian helmet. "Is this the one? I sense much fight in her, but yet, much turmoil."

"This is the one," Mando gestured to the infant in her arms.

The Armorer averted her gaze down some, her helmet tilting in amusement at an infant being the sought after person of interest. "This is the one you hunted, then saved?"

"Yes. The one that saved me as well."

"From the mudhorn?"

"Yes."

She paused for a moment, eyes glancing over the worn out, unconscious child. "It looks helpless."

"It's injured, but it is not helpless. Its species can move objects with its mind."

"I know of such things. The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore the Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers."

Mando felt uneasy, almost too afraid to ask her to elaborate. "It is an enemy?"

"No. Its kind were enemies, but this individual is not."

The sudden pit in his stomach disappeared. He kept his sigh of relief strictly to himself. "What is it?" Mando asked.

"It is a foundling. By Creed, it is in your care."

"You wish me to train this thing?"

The Armorer shook her head. She turned her attention back to the molten beskar she had melted down in the furnace. "It is too weak; it would die. You have no choice but to reunite it with its own kind."

"You expect me to search the galaxy for the home of this creature and deliver it to a race of enemy sorcerers?" Mando felt stupid for allowing such a sentence to pass his lips. It sounded absurd, all of it. A baby with magical powers who's species just so happens to be enemies with the Mandalorians? It was a crazy, cruel twist of fate. The whole galaxy seemed to be out to get him at this point.

"This is the Way," the Armorer said casually. Aurelia was beginning to hate that saying. It seemed like an overly formal way of saying, "fuck it, that's how things are, so deal with it". She respected it because it was important to Mando. Those simple words were the foundation for his whole lifestyle. He was obviously willing to die over it, and she felt guilty that every single part of her hated that he was okay with that. They hid themselves for different reasons, but when Kuiil told her that Mando out of everyone else in the entire galaxy, should know how important it was for her to reveal herself to him, he didn't even bat an eye. It made her feel so foolish for trusting in him, but it made her even angrier with herself for being so upset about it. She hid because she was ashamed, he hid because it was his way of life. How dare she get upset over that, right? She was nothing in comparison to the importance of his creed. After all, he was willing to leave The Child, his friends, and even her over it.

No.

No, she wasn't going to dwell on it. She needed to stop this. He hired her for a job, plain and simple. Mando was nothing to her, and she was nothing to him. It's what she told everyone else, and it's what she would keep reminding herself every second if she had to because this was her way. If he was so willing to sever ties with people he "cared" about, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of begging him to come back or feeling upset when he decided to leave.

Cara nudged her out of her runaway train of thought. "Aurelia, we need to go," she muttered to raven haired woman before turning to address the rest of the group. "These tunnels will be lousy with Imps in a matter of minutes. We should at least discuss an escape plan."

"If you follow the descending tunnel it will lead you to the underground river. It flows downstream toward the lava flats," the Armorer directed them.

Mando stayed put. "I'm staying. I need to help her, and I need to heal." There he was again, doing as he pleased. It was his job to come and go as he saw fit, not stay with someone for too long. Aurelia felt foolish for thinking she might of even been an exception.

"You must go," the Armorer commanded sternly. She turned her back towards the rest of the group and motioned for the Mandalorian to follow her to the edge of the furnace. "A foundling is in your care. By Creed, until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father. This is the Way. You have earned your Signet."

The Armorer reached back towards the furnace to collect the newest work of craftsmanship she made using the beskar from the other Mandalorian armor. Sparks flew from Mando's pauldron as his signet was fastened to the steel. The Armorer stepped back to reveal her handiwork; the silhouette of a mudhorn.

"You are a clan of two," she nodded towards Mando and The Child.

"Thank you. I will wear this with honor."

A few loud explosions detonating nearby startled the group. The yells of Imperial soldiers could faintly be heard off in the distance, signaling that the tunnels were soon to be overrun with enemy forces.

"IG, please guard the outer hallway. A scouting party draws near," the Armorer requested. "I have one more gift for your journey. Have you trained in the Rising Phoenix?"

Mando looked at her with awe under his helmet. "When I was a boy, yes."

"Then this," she began, reaching behind her to grab a jetpack, "will make you complete."

Mando took the heavy device from her hands, a strong sense of pride stirring in his chest at the sight of being awarded with such an honor. "Thank you," he exhaled breathlessly.

The other Mandalorian eyed him carefully. "When you have healed, you will begin your drills. Until you know it, it will not listen to your commands.

"I understand."

A few grunts and the chaotic sounds of blasters firing out in the corridor followed. It was quiet for a moment, then IG rounded the corner stoically.

"You are protected," he told the others.

The Armorer nodded in response then turned to face Mando. "More will come. You must go."

"Come with us," he tried to bargain once more.

"My place is here," she answered undeterred by his persuasive efforts. "Restock your munitions. IG, carry this jetpack for Din Djarin until he is well enough to wear it. Now, go! Down to the river and across the plains. Be safe on your journey."

___________________________________________

They approached an underground lava river, the sweltering sulfuric air making it difficult to breathe in the enclosed tunnel. A few rodents that blended in with the charred rocky landscape scuttled past their feet in a hurry. Aurelia followed their movements, her eyes catching what appeared to be a ferry at the base of the ledge they were standing on. The poor droid that had been given the unfortunate task of operating the boat, didn't appear to be functional in the blistering environmental conditions. In fact, it appeared the ferry hadn't been operated for quite some time. Dried chunks of cooled magma stick to the edges of the boat, securing it to the wall it floated up against it. Mando tried unsuccessfully to pry the rocks loose with the droid's oar, his lack of success further adding to his growing frustration.

"You guys mind getting out of the way?" Cara pushed past him. She took aim at the edge of the boat, blasting away at the hardened rock. Everyone piled on the ferry in a hurry when it began to sway on the surface of the lava, finally freed from the ledge. The sudden movement of the boat making its way downstream brought the tall ferry guide droid to life. Still on edge, the group aimed their blasters defensively at the poor thing simply trying to do its job. It made a few beeps and whistles, translated by IG as it wanting to know where to take the travelers.

"Down river, to the lava flat," Karga instructed. The droid beeped in acknowledgement, humming a happy, high pitched tune to itself as it steered mindlessly through the scorching river. Had their lives not been at stake by the countless Troopers hunting them down, it would've almost almost a peaceful, and much needed, relaxing moment for everyone. Aurelia and Cara leaned back against the edge of the raft, happy to be able to rest for just a moment while they had time to. The orange glow radiating from the lava stream bounced off nearby rocks, creating a  mesmerizing sight during the slow trip down river. The warm blanket of heat lingering in the air along with the droid's singing made Aurelia's eyes heavier the longer they floated on. As if on que, Karga directed everyone's attention to the bright white glow at the end of the tunnel.

"That's it. We're free!"

Something didn't sit right with Mando; this was far too easy of an escape. He stared down the remainder of the tunnel through his life form scanner of his helmet, picking up on multiple heat signatures clustered around both sides of the exit.

"No, we're not," he warned. "Stormtroopers. They're flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon. They must know we're coming."

"What do we do now?" Aurelia asked. "I mean, I could try to grapple past them, maybe get their attention-"

"Absolutely not." Mando growled.

"That's not really your call to make, is it?" She fired at the bounty hunter.

"It's suicide. I'm not letting you do something that stupid, especially after Kuiil gave me the task of looking out for you."

"Don't you dare bring him into this," she spat venomously, jamming a finger into his chest plate. "And I'm not another job for you to do, Mandalorian."

The sound of a blaster going off turned their attention to a smoking, headless ferry droid. Cara holstered her weapon, the others looking at her in confusion. "He wouldn't stop the boat," she said her defense.

Karga threw up his hands in exasperation. "Well we're still moving!"

"There are too many to fight," Mando insisted, still not tearing his eyes away from his heated crew member.

The IG unit stepped forward. "They will not be satisfied with anything less than The Child. This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy, and you will escape."

"You don't have that kind of firepower, pal," Mando countered looking the droid's way. "You wouldn't even get to daylight."

"That is not my objective. I still have the security protocols from my manufacturer. If my designs are compromised, I must self-destruct."

"What are you talking about?" Mando asked, even though from his first initial run in with the bounty droid, he knew exactly what protocol IG was referring to. It had threatened to use it on numerous occasions when it seemed as though both Mandalorian and droid were heavily outnumbered by enemies during the initial search and rescue mission for The Child.

"I'm not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed," IG clarified. "I can no longer carry this for you," it said setting the jetpack down at its feet, "nor can I watch over The Child. Miss Aurelia, it is your responsibility to do so for the remainder of the mission."

"Wait. You can't self-destruct," Mando tried to reason. "Your base command is to watch The Child. That supersedes your manufacturer's protocol, right?"

IG paused thoughtfully for a moment. "This is correct."

"Good. Now grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out."

"Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The Child will be lost. Sadly, there is no scenario where both The Child and Miss Aurelia remain safe, in which I survive. We both have fulfillments that we must see through. Just how you wanted to sacrifice yourself for the safety of your friends, I must do the same."

That hit Mando. Hard. He didn't want to die. This wasn't some kamikaze mission where he didn't care what happened to him. The IG unit had a choice in the matter and it needed to understand self-sacrifice wasn't the only way.

"Listen, you're not going anywhere," Mando pleaded, trying hard to hide the desperation in his voice. "We need you. Let's just come with a-"

"Please tell me the child will be safe in your care," IG interrupted. "If you do so, I can default to my secondary command."

"But you'll be destroyed," the Mandalorian's voice wavered.

"And you will live, and I will have served my purpose."

"No, we need you." Mando was thankful his helmet hid his pained expression beneath the layers of tinted glass and beskar.

"There is nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive," IG said indifferently.

"I'm not...sad."

"Yes you are. I'm a nurse droid. I've analyzed your voice."

The rest of the group watched in defeat as IG gently ran the back of its clawed hand over the top of The Child's head. The last bit of human-like affection it showed made it impossible for Aurelia to watch the droid step into flowing river of lava. The way the IG unit was more human than it would care to admit only further reminded her of the Mandalorian; she didn't think either one was fully okay with dying, even if they said otherwise.

The selfless droid marched onwards until it reached the mouth of the tunnel. A bit of movement could be seen around the edges around the rocks. They could see the fidgeting of shadows coming from the Stormtroopers that were gathered along the exit, watching carefully as to what the droid's next move would be. All was still for a moment before an explosion was set off at the exit, causing Aurelia to jump at the sudden violent detonation. There were no screams or cries of pain from the Troopers; just the eerie silence that was occasionally interrupted by the sound of tiny crackling flames and settling debris that remained in the wake of IG's blast.

The boat continued to drift towards through the large dust cloud, everyone raising their weapons in case any survivors had somehow made it out unscathed. There was no sign of life whatsoever at the end of the tunnel.

Their moment of victory and relief, however, was short lived. A TIE fighter swooped in from overhead, heading straight towards the boat. Cara immediately recognized it as the one that had been right outside the common house when the Troopers had ambushed them during their meeting with the client.

"It's Moff Gideon," she spat hatefully.

When the TIE fighter honed in on their position, they knew he was getting ready to strike. Immediately when they darted out of the small boat, Moff Gideon rained down a barrage of blaster cannon fire, sending spewing chunks of hot lava, rock, and wooden debris in every direction. Mando ushered the rest of the group behind a small gathering of rocks in a desperate attempt to take some kind of cover knowing they wouldn't be so lucky the during the next aerial strike.

"What are you doing?!" Cara exclaimed, turning Karga and Aurelia's attention from the incoming TIE fighter to the Mandalorian.

"I have an idea, just...stay here and take cover," he told her. Mando secured the jetpack that was bestowed upon him by the Armorer on his back. He grit his teeth under the new weight of heavy beskar that was added to his exhausted muscles. He only had one shot at this, and even he had to admit it wasn't his most well thought out plan. The safety of The Child was his top priority. That, and Aurelia's too. He glanced down at the smaller woman and noticed the hint of worry in her golden stare. Mando cupped the side of her face carefully, his heart faltering when he saw the way she fought with herself about whether or not to pull away from his touch. Pushing his own emotions to the back of his mind, he had to remind himself of the task at hand.

He didn't say anything else but instead fired up the Rising Phoenix. The sudden jolt upwards elicited a few painful grunts from the bounty hunter due to his head whipping around from the intense force of the jetpack. Mando struggled to maneuver himself properly but eventually managed to follow the path of the TIE fighter and give pursuit to an unsuspecting Moff Gideon. He shot himself forward a bit more and latched onto the top of the starfighter. From the ground, the others couldn't do anything but helplessly watch the tense scene of Mando being bucked around by Gideon. The TIE fighter weaved in and out of the thick covering of clouds, causing them to lose sight of the Mandalorian for a few passing moments. Karga nudged the two others when a bright, metallic shimmer caught his eye; Mando was falling back to the surface of Nevarro. A loud explosion permeated through the atmosphere, ripping their focus on the bounty hunter to the giant fireball that erupted above him. The TIE fighter disintegrated in a massive explosion, large portions of the ship splitting off and crashing hard into the landscape around them.

Mando recovered himself before he got too close to the ground, making a shaky landing next to the mouth of the tunnel they came out of.

Karga let out a boisterous laugh upon approaching the bounty hunter. "That was impressive, Mando," the Guild leader cheered. "Very impressive. It looks like your Guild rates have just gone up."

"Any more Stormtroopers?" Mando asked, completely unfazed by his one on one fight with a TIE fighter.

Cara shook her head. "I think we cleaned up the town. I'm thinking of staying around just to be sure."

"You're staying here?" He asked in slight disbelief.

"Well, why not?" Karga frowned. "Nevarro is a very fine planet. And now that the scum and villainy have been washed away, it's very respectable again.

Karga grinned and let out a soft chuckle. "Some of my favorite people are bounty hunters." He motioned to Cara. "Perhaps, this specimen of soldier might consider joining our ranks."

The dropper looked over the landscape thoughtfully. "Yeah, I've got some clerical concerns regarding my chain code."

"If you would agree to become my enforcer, clerical concerns would be the least of your worries. But you, my friend," Karga said sharing a finger at Mando, "you will be welcome back into the Guild with open arms. So, go off, enjoy yourself. And when you're ready to return, you will have the pick of all quarries."

The Mandalorian tilted his helmet towards the little foundling that clung tightly to his leg. He let out a sigh then reached down to scoop up the infant. "I'm afraid I have more pressing matters at hand."

Cara approached the father and son pair. She smiled down at the mischievous child, stroking one of it long ears in between her fingertips lovingly while it cooed. "Take care of this little one, and Aurelia too."

Karga placed a hand on the pilot's shoulder, his eyes looking into hers bidding her a silent goodbye. "Or maybe...they'll take care of you."

Mando passed The Child to Aurelia, a sigh of relief threatening to pass his lips when he saw the warmth return to her eyes at the sight of the infant so happy to see her. Such a feeling was short lived when Mando interrupted the sweet moment between the pair.

"Hold the kid tight," he instructed. He scooped her up, holding her tight against his chest and praying to the Maker that he would be able to control the Phoenix enough just to make it back to the ship in one piece.

The Child babbled excitedly, its mouth wide open and a few giggles escaping when they took off and flew high above the lava flats. Even Aurelia couldn't contain the corners of her smile that peeked out from underneath her scarf and the excitement that danced in her golden orbs.

___________________________________________

Mando felt her tense up in her arms when they descended upon the Razor Crest. She was happy to see the ship again, but what lay unmoving just a few feet from the entrance ramp made even Mando's heart drop.

He watched the way she tried to hide the way her legs wanted to buckle underneath her the closer she got to Kuiil's body laying at the base of the Crest. Her body finally gave out when she closed in on the last bit of space between her and the Ugnaught. The exposed fingertips of her gloved hands traced over the bottom of the scarf around her neck. She pulled it loose and down around her shoulders, the ends of the long fabric brushing up against the dry, cracked ground.

Neither she nor Mando said a word to each other while she carefully wrapped the moisture farmer up in the long strand of thick, black cloth. Mando pried his eyes from her and tried think of what he could could use to dig a small grave with and give him a proper burial.

Kuiil was the first person to show Aurelia kindness and expected nothing in return after so many years of being exposed to nothing but sadistic hatred and manipulation every single day. To die at the hands of the Empire was a cruel twist of faith that she would never be able to let herself live down. Kuill worked so hard for his freedom, in fact, he prided himself in it. His selflessness got him killed by the same people that tried to break his kind, generous spirit.

Mando laid Kuiil down gently in the bottom of the grave he had dug out near the Crest. Aurelia held tightly onto The Child who let out a few whimpers and sniffles. Though it might not of fully understood the magnitude of the situation of Kuiil's self-sacrifice, the little foundling could easily feel the sadness coming from both of his caretakers. Knowing they were hurting so made The Child feel similarly.

"Mahn valle ehin uhl Sahsahlah. Aanor il lofahchu ishiia zals. Doaba ol'val tru, min dul'skal," Aurelia spoke quietly over the Mandalorian tossing the rich volcanic dirt over her fallen friend.

Mando turned to look at her but before she allowed him any time to take in her appearance once more, she turned and headed up the ramp into the Razor Crest. He took the moment of solitude to pay his respects to Kuiil one last time, silently thanking him for his sacrifice and for putting the safety of The Child before himself.

His stomach twisted into knots when he climbed up the ladder and saw Aurelia sitting in the centermost chair starting straight ahead outside the cockpit, one of her spare long scarves tied extra securely around her neck and face.

"Where to?" Was all she said, not even bothering to turn and look back at the man staring her down.

"That was beautiful, what you said," Mando remarked in regards to her parting words to Kuiil. "I don't recognize the language, but it sounded beauti-"

"Old Corellian," Aurelia said bluntly. "It's not spoken anymore by much of anyone. My mother picked it up during her years meeting traders who passed through her cantina. She taught it to my father, and he and his soldiers used it during their missions for the sake of secrecy. Now tell me, Mando, where are we going?"

He was blindsided by the harshness of her answer. It took him a second to gather this thoughts and give her a proper plan. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought of what their next destination would be. Mando knew he wanted to take it easy for a few weeks at the very least. He needed to recuperate, as did Aurelia after the physical but more so emotional toll their visit to Nevarro had taken on her. Obviously, she wasn't in the same frame of mind she had been in since before today. She was cold, distant, and more closed off than ever before. Mando wasn't an idiot; he knew Kuill's death had a large role to play in her behavior. He couldn't be upset with her for that and he knew she needed time to grieve as did he, in his own way. He knew the straw that broke the dewback's back had to have been him almost dying on top of the loss of the Ugnaught. What he didn't understand though, was why she didn't even seem to care that he was fine after all.

"Dantooine," he spoke up when the name of the planet was the first to pop into his mind. "It's quiet. We'll lay low for a while and regroup there."

Aurelia locked herself in the refresher once the navigation had been set and she, much to her annoyance, manually determined the calculations for hyperspace. She was hoping the fact that the IG unit had ended up on the  Mandalorian's good side would provide any leverage she needed to convince him into getting an astromech droid in the distant future.

Stars, the future? She had never really thought about such a thing with Mando before. They kind of just...took one day at a time. How long was this going to go on for? They knew now there was some kind of "deadline" coming up as far as how long she would need to stick around. Now that they were actively trying to rehome the kid, well, there wouldn't be any use for her anymore once that was over. They could find these "Jedi" tomorrow, a week, or even a year from now. Absolutely nothing was certain about what was to come. Even then, how long would she be able to tolerate the complete state of emotional disarray she was in?

Aurelia turned on the water to as hot as it would allow. She let down her knotted, dirt and volcanic ash covered tresses and slowly removed each layer of clothing. She winced at how sore her fatigued muscles were from the battle on Nevarro. Her legs were tired from the constant walking and fleeing they did all day, and the burn marks from the Stormtrooper's blaster that grazed her were still raw and irritated.

A thick cloud of steam had begun to collect in the cramped washroom but she didn't mind. The overly hot shower was the only thing that felt good to her right now. She let the burning cascade of fiery water droplets wash away the dried blood and dirt off her skin. It didn't take long for her to clean herself, but she didn't want to venture out to the rest of the Crest quite yet. She was enjoying her moment of quiet, especially away from the Mandalorian. Unbeknownst to her, something caught his attention when he finished tucking The Child into the swing that hung above his cot. He felt wrong for doing so, but he brought his helmet to the refresher door when he heard Aurelia stirring inside. He wasn't expecting to hear her muffled sobs over the sound of the running shower.

Tags: @geannad

[tacitwhisky]

The Post War Story The Mandalorian Should’ve Told

What’s frustrating about The Mandalorian is that there’s a far more interesting story to be told than the one we got onscreen. Werner Herzog’s speech in episode 7 really makes it clear what a missed opportunity the series is as a whole, and hints at what could’ve been:

“The empire improves every system it touches judged by any metric. Safety, prosperity, trade opportunity, peace. Compare imperial rule to what is happening now. Look outside. Is the world more peaceful since the revolution? I see nothing but death and chaos.”

Placing The Mandalorian in the post Return of the Jedi timeline opens a lot of fascinating story possibilities that series does absolutely nothing with. While the fall of the empire in Return of the Jedi is without a doubt a good thing for the universe on the whole, all revolutions are messy and any time a regime falls, good or bad, it creates a power vacuum.

It’s a power vacuum that should be filled with:

Crime syndicates armed with abandoned Imperial equipment (not unlike how in the real world when the soviet union fell AK-47′s became the weapon dejour of terrorists and paramilitaries)

Planetary governments who are newly independent now they’re out from under Imperial yoke and are looking to flex their muscle against their neighbors

New Republic expeditionary forces looking to woo those same planetary governments into the new republic itself

And most importantly Imperial remnants. Large groups of heavily armed soldiers don’t simply pack up their things and go home after all, especially when they’re newly disenfranchised.

And not just one Imperial remnant or two, but dozens, each with their own motivations. Much in the same way real world terrorists and revolutionary groups often hate each other as much as their designated enemy, all these imperial splinter groups should be infighting and scrabbling amongst themselves for resources and power.

Imagine how much story juice there is in exploring those splinter groups:

One could’ve been led by a petty warlord who’s little more than a heavily armed bully interested in money and power,

Another a strict believer in the imperial doctrine of stability before human rights and actively fighting against the new republic,

Another still a decent officer who now out from the militaristic drive of Imperial doctrine is just trying to keep the planets under their protection safe from crime syndicates and upheaval.

And a bounty hunter is the perfect character to explore this story. With crime syndicates at such a high tide there’s plenty of bounty hunting to be had, and a fledgling new republic would no doubt be putting out hundreds of bounties on imperial war criminals and fleeing high level officers. And a Mandalorian specifically works perfectly: someone who’s largely impartial and uninterested in the greater politics of the galaxy, of the struggle between New Republic and Imperial remnants.

The Mandalorian vaguely gestures at some of these ideas, but it’s always in a vague and undercooked way:

The messiness of revolution exists only with a single line from Cara about leaving the New Republic and in Werner Herzog’s speech in episode 7.

The concept of newly empowered crime syndicates is sort of there in episode 4 with the raiders preying on the local village with an AT-ST, but they’re a tiny outfit that apparently messes with a single isolated village and there’s no indication that the galaxy or even this part of space is suffering from the raiders as a whole (or even that they’re a consequence of the post war status quo. For all we know it’s always been like this).

Infighting between Imperial splinter groups exists for all of the thirty seconds it takes Werner Herzog to die at the end of episode 7 so that the series can get a new big bad. It’s never explained and exits as swiftly as its introduced.

And all of this, all of the above, all the missed opportunity in The Mandalorian, hurt its story as a whole. Even just the concept of different Imperial splinter groups with differing motives could’ve been fodder for an episode or three of Mando using his cunning to pit them against each or double cross both, perfect for plot twists and reversals. Or take take Cara’s reason for leaving the New Republic for example:

“And then when the imps were gone the politics started. We were peacekeepers. Protecting delegates, suppressing riots. Not what I signed up for.”

This is a really interesting idea: the conflict and challenge in transitioning from fighting a pure evil like the empire to the much harder and less straightforward job of governance is a great arc Cara’s character could’ve explored and grown through throughout the series. But this single paragraph is all there is of it in The Mandalorian, and she has no other character growth or development besides some perfunctory deciding to stay and help the villagers fight in episode 4.

There’s a really fascinating post war story to be told in The Mandalorian, in the power vacuum in an empire’s fall and the complexity of transitioning from rebellion to governance, but the show is completely uninterested in telling any of it (as is the new trilogy, by the way, which decided to simply rehash the conflicts of the original trilogy instead of moving forward and exploring new ideas. But then, Disney cannot Star Wars to save its life.)

And as an aside: no, I don’t particularly care if any of the above contradicts the canon laid out in the books or non movie world building. Movie canon has always taken primacy (remember that time Lucas completely changed the backstory of the Mandalorians laid out in multiple novels just because he felt like it for the Clone Wars? That was fun.) and nothing I’ve laid out would contradict the new trilogy. Not to mention that the new trilogy is perfectly happy to screw with it’s own canon when it’s convenient. Surprise!palpatine, anyone…? Star Wars has always had something of a two tier canon system where supplemental material supports the films but doesn’t dictate what they can do.

This is part of a video I’m putting together about the missed opportunities in the Mandalorian (yeah, there are more). You can follow me on youtube or here on tumblr @tacitwhisky if you’re interested in seeing the video when it’s done.

[goldstonegolem64]

Side story This takes place during  the three years that Voltron went missing. This is also a way for me to put some ideas I had out into the world

“It has been about twenty months since the castle of loins disappeared along with Voltron, some of it’s paladin and princess Allure of Altea. In their Absence they left behind the Coalition and the new Galra empire on the verge of another massive galaxy war. But thank to the efforts of Empire Lotor, Commander Matt Holt and the remaining Paladins of Voltron peace was maintained” Jay stopped reading the news articles and tossed the table onto his desk . He then removed his Glasses, rubbed the bridge of his noise and placed his glasses down on his desk. “ God I need  to get going home ” Jay said as he grabbed his glasses and was ready to  leave his office. 

In the passed year and a half. Jay was put in charge of a coalition and imperial sponsored Mercenary company despite his protest   called the Volt troop.The troop was made up of two fleets of Coalition fighter pilot, Two warship that housed a crew of three hundred each with a near infinite supple of old mode Galra sentries , Fifteen Valkyrie type and five gladiator type robeasts.The troops main job were to protect shipping vessels, clearing planets of Pirates or Maverick Galra fleet commanders that had left the empire after Lotor’s rise to power and  the rare red queen hive world  that was found. It was a pain in the ass. But after two year of fighting a nearly endless battle and countless deaths an near crippling fear that he would not return from a mission . It was nice to finally to not have that fear nagging at the back of his mind 

As he made it to the door it opened suddenly to Reveal a tall purple skinned man with white hair. Jay was caught off guard by this sudden appearance of his friend and the emperor of the Galra empire. Lotor 

“ OH Joseph have I caught you at a bad time” Lotor asked as  

“ No No I was just on my way out. But what brings you here Sir “  Jay asked as he straighten his clothes and looked more dignified. 

“ Please don’t call me sir. Joseph were friends and I’m here to personally hand you this “  Lotor said as he handed Jay a table 

Jay grabbed the table “ First I’m at work so were not friend were  employee and in employer “  Jay watched Lotor rolled his eyes as he heard that “ And second what am I looking at here “Jay said as he looked at the data pad that showed him cargo Ship routes along with picture of what looked like an Altean ships that looked like the Castle of lions. Jay felt his heart skip a beat but something in the back of his told him that it wasn’t them “ I’m guessing that we’re either looking at we’ve professional photo shopped image or we’ve found are selves another Arc”. Jay said as he handed the table back to Lotor

“ Yes it seems like it” Lotor said 

“ Does The Coalition know About this?” Jay asked 

“ Yes Mr. Holt was the one that informed me about it they already sent a team to recover it and they would like some added protection ”  Lotor said 

“ Alright then I will send the twins to handle it ?’  Jay said

 “ Now that we have that out of the way How are the boy’s doing ?’ Lotor said as the two start walking down the hallway 

“Well their still kind of mad at me for being away from home for long periods of time. But they are enjoying school and having friends their own ages. Fitz is finally getting a hang on math and science. Bastion is getting into some trouble do to his habit of hiding and setting up trip wires during recess which as caused a domino effect where other kids are following suit and several teacher have called me to find him Which is getting annoying because Bastion is getting better at hiding when he doesn’t like the class. Usamu is getting better with his powers we’ve lost a few plates but hey he’s getting better he’s also getting better at painting which is nice the girls are loving school and learning about everything “ Jay’s cheek marks started to glow a little “ As well as Ezra’s as moved” 

“ That’s good to hear “ Lotor said smiling 

“ Now how are you holding up mister emperor of half of the know universe  and how are my favorite generals doing I haven’t had time to call them seeing as I’ve been jumping planet to planet ever other week “ Jay said 

“ Well Acxa has spent most of her free time looking for missing paladins on her off time. Ezor and Zethrid are stomping out any warlord or pirates that dare come in to are territory they have also started dating “ 

“ Weren’t they already dating ?” Jay asked confused

“ I don’t know to be honest. Maybe they were and I’m just noticing it now . But never mind that . As for Narti she’s still recovering from being released from my mother control the druids and doctors say she will be cleared to return to active duty in the next few months”  Lotor said smiling 

“ That’s good to hear I” 

“ As for me. I’m board out of my mind. I don’t know how my Father did it. All I do is still there on the throne reading and listening to people reports. I beardly every get to go out and pilot my pieces of the Ragnarok without being followed by three warships. I missed the old day where I could go where I wanted with out everyone freaking out that I might go missing”  Lotor said 

“ well your the last of the royal blood line so if you go missing there will be a power vacuum that will case a massive civil war that will have either never end or Sendek will show up and wage a one side war against the coalition and one wants that” Jay said 

“ Your not wrong but still I hate it” Lotor said 

“ I know but still you have to do it for the better meant for the universe. “  

“ I know “

“ Now have you gotten back into the dating gaming?” Jay asked 

Lotor froze up and looked towards Jay “ No I haven’t but I have had a fair share of suiters. But none of them have meet my standers” lotor said

“ What are your standers again “ Jay asked knowing something was up 

“ Well they need to be head strong, fun to be round , have to have the same interests as me. Acutely like me for who I am and not what I am” 

“ Allura your still after Allura aren’t you “ Jay said as he opened the building front door letting the Emperor out first “Ever after what she said and did to you” 

“ Ok she called me a  tyrant like my father  and slammed me into the ground. Not the worst thing I’ve been through”

“ That’s true also do you want to come by for dinner seeing as your here and the kids would love to see you again”  Jay said as the hanger door opened to revel the Valkyrie sitting there waiting 

“ Sadly I have to return home I have a meeting in the next two hour “ Lotor said annoyed 

“ That suck” Jay said 

“ It dose but like you said. If I’m not the one doing it some one might get it wrong. Did I say that right ?”  Lotor asked 

“ Yes you did bud “  Jay said laughing a little  

“  Is it time to go my Pilot “  VAl said as she walked toward jay.” Oh hello Emperor Lotor It is nice to see you “  

“ it is good to see you too Val. “ Lotor said 

“ It’s Good to see you as well Is Ragna with you I wish to speak to him about something important?” Val asked 

“Sadly no he is currently Help Acxe in looking for the missing paladins But when I see him again I will tell him that you wish to spoke with him.”  Lotor said as he started walking back towards the ship he came in 

“Thank you and have fun at your meeting “  Val said as jay disappear into her mouth 

“ I’ll try” Lotor said as the Valkyrie started to talk off

The flight home was always a beauty to watch as the twin suns of Hades-4 started to set behind the massive mountain range that surrounded the city of Persephone. It was nice to look at the city below him as they passed by the mountain range  . As they flow out of the city the sight of a massive forest came into view an as they flow over it the sky turned from a dark green to a dark blue starry sky. it was a beautiful sight to and was one  reason he choose this planet as his new home. But the main reason he choose this world was the fact that it was close to the milky way so just in case someone tried to invade it and the school system here was good  for the kid so it was a win/win.

A smile creeped across jays face as the sight of a familiar mountain with a small town in the make at the foot of it. The town didn’t look like much but it was a nice place to start fresh and raise a family. It really helped Jay coup when the others when missing. As the Valkyrie got closer to the town he saw people walking down the street. Some stopped to look up and wave to him. he continued to fly over the town until he go a two story house that was next to a small pond as well as a hanger as they landed near the hanger jay got off Val as she opened the door to her hanger. As Jay was walking back to his house hands in his pockets. He notices that some one was sitting on the front step of the porch. As he got closer to the house he saw Fitz Sitting there talking to someone on his phone 

“ Yeah next week it will be fun just you and me at the festival” Fitz had a smile on his face unaware that his Dad was standing there watching him just out side of the porch light’s reach  .” Yeah I just need to ask my dad “ 

“ Ask me what Fitzy “ Jay said as his cheek marks started to glow  along with his eyes as he stepped into the light 

Fitz screamed at the sudden appearance of his dad “   Hi Dad “

“ Hi Fitz how was your day at school and who are you talking too”  JAy asked as he sat down next to his son

“ It was alright I mean it’s school what is going to happen and i’m taking to Axton “ Fitz put his phone on speaker “ Say hi Axton “

{ Hello Mr. Sorin } a female voice said over the phone 

“ Hello Ms.Mercer exactly what are you and my son plan on doing at this on coming school festival ?” Jay asked looking at His son as their face started to turn a bright shade of green 

{ UUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH nothing we were just going to hang out and play some games right Fitz “  Axton said trying but failing to hide her  embarrassment 

“ Yeah we just going to play some games and ride some rides” Fitz said still blush

“ Alright if that’s all then yes Fitz you can go just be home before midnight “ Jay said as he got up from the stair he was sitting on  and walked to the front door and before opening it jay turned back to look at his son “ And no funny business “ Jay then opened the front door and walked into the house followed by jay yelling “ I’m home” Jay walked into the living room 

“ Hello father” Bastion 

“ Hi dad” Usamu said  

Jay turned to see his other two son both sitting on the couch  Bastion was watching something on the tv while Usamu was drawing in his sketch book

“ Hey kiddos how was school.?” Jay said 

“ Same old same old  “ Usamu  said not looking away from sketch book

“ I punched a guy in the throat because he was picking on some kid in a whee chair “ 

“ First off that not good don’t punch people second of did you get caught punching this guy “ Jay asked 

“ No I punched then ran into the car and then Ezra drove off before anyone could see me “

“ Good to know and good on you for punching him and standing up for that kid. Now don’t do that again . Because I don’t want to hear Mrs. Henbit yelling at the next pta meeting about how her precious baby watched two kids beating the shit out of each other or some other stupid shit she’ll bitch about.”  Jay said annoyed as in the back of his mind he could hear the screech of henbit “ Now what do you guys want for dinner tonight?” Jay asked 

“ Ezra order pizza and took Molly and Clay with them to get it” Bastion said 

“Alright then” Jay walked over to the couch “ what we watching today”  Jay said then he sat down between his two sons and final started to relax from along days work.

[experimentalmadness]

Cin Vhetin Ch. 3: Into the Depths Part 1

It’s a multipart series of one shots! And with that we’re now caught up to everything I have available on Ao3. I’ll have a new chapter up everywhere tomorrow. Enjoy. 

Chapter Summary: Din forms an unlikely alliance with his mysterious hunter on a dangerous planet.

Pairing: Din x OC/Reader (however you prefer to read it) No warnings for now

Masterlist: Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Ao3 Link

***

“You sure you don’t want to tell me where you are?”

“Positive.”

The holo of Cara Dune raised an eyebrow at Din as he sat back in his pilot’s seat. She looked well, wherever she was, and soundly annoyed at him. He found himself grinning under the helmet. “You’ve been out of contact for nearly a month. Greef was getting concerned.”

“You mean you were getting worried,” Din supplied, repressing a short laugh at the scowl that formed in the static of the holo. 

“I don’t get worried. I get nervous when my friends say they’re getting chased by mercs and then go comm-silent for weeks, you nerfherder.”

“Relax. Kid’s fine. I’m fine. Saw the ship break atmo weeks ago, but no sighting of the Rebel. Planet’s dense. Lots of canyons and jungles. Don’t think they saw me, should have moved on by now.”

That wasn’t entirely true, but given Cara’s “nervousness” he didn’t feel the need to further it by sharing his beliefs the hunter was still planetside. Someone who could track through hyperspace twice wasn’t someone who was going to be prone to leaving simply because they hadn’t found their quarry in a few days. Or months. And it was obvious that despite his omission, Cara picked up on what was left unsaid. 

“An Imperial-hired merc isn’t just going to turn tail so easily. If they’ve gone to ground they’re doing it to draw you out.”

“You think they’re Imperial, then?”

“Who else have you pissed off lately?” Cara snorted. “If Gideon survived the crash, or, hell, if another warlord wants in on whatever they’ve got planned for the kid they’re going to try to recoup their losses one way or the other, guild or no guild supervision.”

“Speaking of the guild, just how did your first assignment go?”

“Don’t change the subject!”

“You back on Nevarro yet?”

“You don’t tell me where you are and I don’t tell you where I am. Try not to get yourself killed, Mando.”

Din gave her an unseen smirk before switching the comms channel off. It was just about time to consider moving on from this planet. If he could be certain he’d shaken off The Rebel he might even be able to make a stop at Nevarro himself and confirm if Cara was still offworld or not. It might be good to get some backup on this one. 

He padded out of the cockpit and down the ladder to where the kid was playing with a few cut stones and pebbles he had found along the perimeter of the jungles. “Doing alright?” 

The child babbled, swinging one of the pebbles aloft with his claws. “I’m a little bored, too.” Din had no idea if the kid was or not, but he liked to think they were commiserating. Boredom was a dangerous state. Worse than desperation or fear. Boredom made you do something out of necessity, not panic. It kept prey dull and stupid while it gave the hunter all the time in the world. 

There was no way The Rebel was offworld. They were somewhere on this planet. He knew it with confidence because it was exactly what he would have done if the situation had been reversed. 

And, he thought with a tinge of annoyance, it was working. 

***

Din let another week elapse before he moved the Razor Crest closer into the capital city of Myrra for a supply run. If he stocked up on enough fuel cells he could skip over the edges of the rest of the Outer Rim before slingshotting back into the Mid-Rim, and hopefully leading his pursuer on a merry little chase before they recalculated. Or ran out of fuel and were stranded. No chance of the latter happening, Din thought as he adjusted his amban rifle, he never got that lucky. 

Myrra was about as cosmopolitan as it got this far into the Outer Rim. Not like the other settlement, this was a proper city. The markets were crowded by midday, and the streets full of passersby and bala-bala speeders zipping through the tight corridors. The kid squealed with delight at the sound they made as one cut past them. 

Despite the crowds people still noticed a Mandalorian in full beskar armor. But unlike most backwater settlements, no one had the time to stare for very long. Which was exactly what he was counting on. 

With fuel and food secured again, Din wound his way back through the bazaar. It was getting far too crowded to keep an eye on the kid toddling at his side. He bent down to pick up his charge just as blaster fire careened over his head. 

Tucking into an immediate roll to shield the child, Din grabbed his own blaster and scanned the bazaar now in total chaos with citizens running and screaming to get to cover. Only one individual seemed relatively at ease, a tall, green-and-yellow Koorivar in black-slick robes walked forward, rifle held in one hand. 

Definitely not The Rebel. 

Din made a break for it in the confusion, shoving people aside. Shot after shot sped past him. Just how many hunters had the imps hired? 

An abandoned bala-bala speeder lay at the edge of the bazaar. Perfect. He set the kid down behind him as he made short work of hotwiring the speeder. Kicking it to life, he grabbed the child and sped off into the canyons. 

Now there were two hunters after him. This was going to make life extremely difficult. 

The sharp whine of a second speeder on his tail forced Din out of his musings. Of course the Korrivar had his own speeder. Why not? Why not just give them all a Star Destroyer while luck was at it?

The Korrivar hunter shouted something in a language Din had no time to translate. He could lose him in the canyon. He made a sudden left turn and careened close to the jagged rocks before taking another abrupt turn. The Korrivar didn’t take the bait and remained firmly on course. 

Two green, little claws appeared at the bottom of Din’s vision. The kid was reaching for the controls on the speeder, mouth open with laughter. At least one of them found this funny. Kicking the speeder into a higher, more stabilized gear, Din craned his shoulder and fired off two blind shots behind him. 

They kept up the chase through another rocky pass and under a tunneled outcropping. The rock walls were getting closer together. Din skidded the speeder back up one of the walls, threading a risky needle in the eye of one of the ledges. He was going to get them lost, but there’d be plenty of time to find their way back as long as he got rid of the Korrivar. 

The canyon widened out just as another round of blaster fire from the Korrivar’s speeder tore a chunk out of an overhang. 

No choice.

Din floored the speeder, pushing past the debris just before it could crush both him and the kid. He was about to spin the bike around to aim a shot at the Korrivar when a third speeder shot down from the canyon ledge above. It tore straight down the wall at a hellish speed and altitude the bike wasn’t built for. 

“That’s my target.”

So this day could get worse. Good to know.

The Rebel took advantage of the Korrivar’s shock and fired upon the bike’s engines, sending the unfortunate hunter slamming into the opposite canyon wall in a fiery explosion. The Rebel gave a shake of their head turning their attention back to Din as if they were embarrassed he had to see such a display. “Hey,” they said in that same cordial tone Din was coming to associate them with, “you’re not very good at laying low.”

Before he could respond the air became full of the whines of approaching speeders. “Uh oh,” The Rebel breathed through the respirator. “I think your new buddy had friends.”

There was an advantage to be had here. “So what’s your next move?” he asked, fingers on the trigger of the bike’s blasters. 

The Rebel tilted their helmeted head, seeing four bikes rounding the canyon. “I don’t share rewards. Follow me.”

“You’re a piece of work. Why don’t I kill you here and deal with the others later?”

The Rebel’s answer was calm, collected, but Din picked upon the slight urgency behind her modulated tone and became suddenly aware that respirator was tuning their vocal emotions. Flatlining them. “Because I fight fair,” they pointed to the closing speeders. “They won’t. Help me fend them off and you’ll only have to deal with me. You have my word.”

“The word of a merc?”

“Sure. You were one.”

Time was up regardless and Din had to admit that two sets of blasters were going to be a great deal better than just one in this fight. He kicked the speeder forward, not waiting for the Rebel to follow. And they didn’t, at first, they remained hovering in stasis for another moment until they saw the first speeder gain ground. Then they fired. Three shots each blowing up dust and gravel as it traveled closer to the speeder. Din couldn’t make out anything through the smoke kicked up until the bike went spinning through the air, it’s rider flying out and skidding onto the canyon floor at an angle not conducive to survival. 

“Ok, time to go,” the Rebel said, pulling her bike up and around, shooting past Din without another word. 

He could shoot them now and have done with it. The realization was an odd one. This hunter had given their word they wouldn’t attack until their mutual enemy was destroyed. What better way to demonstrate that honor than by giving him ample opportunity to betray them. 

He’d rather have a clean duel anyway. 

He took his fingers off the trigger. The hunter could live. For now.

They took off round the bend heading for a split in the canyon. The Rebel gave him a signal that they were going to double back and over. Din nodded, pushing on ahead as the Rebel applied the brakes, shooting backwards and taking out another incoming pursuer. Din looked behind to see the Rebel speeding forward through the smoke from the wreck. 

Two down, two more to go. He liked those odds. 

That was before gravity came down and slapped him full in the face. The ground gave seemed to plummet away from him as they went sliding down over a sharp drop-off. The kid gave a startled gurgle and Din tightened his hand over the little one, feeling it starting to slip off. “Hang on,” but he didn’t think the kid could hear him over the rush of air and the whine of the bike’s engines. 

Blaster fire fell from overhead as the pursuers continues despite the steep dive. Static crackled next to him from the Rebel’s vocal modulator and Din wondered if it was muffling out screams of panic. The uncomfortable sinking sensation dissipated as they leveled out again in the depths of the canyon, chase beginning again in earnest. 

“Any idea where we’re going?” Din shouted.

“Nope.” The modulator gave the Rebel a false confidence, “But I think if we—”

They never got further. Din’s eyes widened under the helmet as he saw both Rebel and speeder suddenly sucked down into a gaping vent in the ground, like one of those old factory garbage chutes, except the wrong way around. His own bike gave a groaning screech of warning. He sword, kicking the engines to reverse. He had just enough to switch gears before the vent’s windtunnel pulled him underground too, like a miniature black hole.

[nemossubmarine]

Warhammer 40k: Wrath & Glory RP #22

Hey, it’s the start of a new adventure, and with the leaving of Gorm and addition of Vivek the party’s average height has gone down like 30%. I wonder if that’s going to be at all relevant?

There’s about a day or so in between Gorm and Uffe leaving and anything interesting happening. Vivek and Saef spend it together. 

Vivek has decided to stay at Saef’s room, since he rather not take a stranger’s room and Gimlet lives between Gorm and Saef, so taking Gorm’s room won’t do either. 

Saef’s cool with this. 

They hang out and talk, Saef explains what has gone down at Dew Mountain (Vivek doesn’t explain at all about what has happened with him :P). 

Saef also mentions to Vivek that the Inquisitor has arranged him a teacher in all that psyker stuff. 

Vivek questions what might be the end goal of such an education. 

Saef shrugs and says he only wants to keep the Inquisitor happy for now. 

Vivek warns him that it’s plenty easy to get conscripted in a world such as this, so it might be relevant for Saef to ask about that before he gets drafted for something he doesn’t want to. 

Saef says ”thanks dad”, which flusters Vivek a bit. 

He tells him to get a better father figure. 

Saef shrugs and says that he somehow has managed to get quite a few dads, Gimlet, Vivek, his actual dad, who’s also on ship. 

Saef opens up to Vivek about how awkward the whole thing has been, having his family on board. 

He mostly tries to avoid them, because he’s pretty sure his family doesn’t want to see him. 

Vivek shrugs and says it might not be the case, but if this is what Saef is most comfortable with. 

Meanwhile, Gimlet stays inside his room and avoids Vivek the best he can.

But let’s cut to the actual happening-ons, Saef gets a text from Molly, where Molly asks him to get his friends and meet her at the teleporter. She has a favor to ask. Saef gathers Vivek and Gimlet and off they go. 

Molly explains that there’s an Imperial cargo ship adrift in space and it’s been calculated to hit Santa Maria within an hour. 

Santa Maria is planning on blowing it up, but Molly would like to take a peek at what the cargo is and whether it could be sold for cash-money. 

Namely she wants Saef and co to do it, and they have only about half an hour to do so before Santa Maria blows the ship up. 

So any ideas? 

Vivek suggests them hopping onto the ship and fixing the engine if it’s broken. 

Good idea, but there’s one problem. His name is Jimbo, he’s the new teleporter guy (RIP Paul, you are missed). He needs to be gotten out of the room so Molly can teleport our folks. 

Molly says all he knows about Jimbo is that he really, really likes space golf. 

Vivek asks if anyone knows anything about space golf a little too loud, and Jimbo (from the other side of the room) asks if someone mentioned space golf. 

Vivek grits his teeth for a bit, then turns on his smile and goes to talk with Jimbo. 

You see, Vivek is a space golf enthusiast but doesn’t actually know much about it, maybe Jimbo could teach him. 

Jimbo suggests they meet up for a coffee after his shift. Vivek agrees, and then tries to get Jimbo to show him his club right now, so he could talk golf better? 

Yeah it doesn’t work. So Vivek agrees that it’s a date. 

Jimbo gets quite flustered at that, he didn’t mean it as a date.

 Vivek pulls rank on Jimbo, saying that he’s a corporal of the Mechanicum army (technically still true?) and he doesn’t do or tolerate that kind of behavior (it wasn’t a date-date, it was we’ll meet there at this time and date-date), so maybe Jimbo could go and report to his supervisor about what he just did. Jimbo, defeated, does so. 

Vivek turns to the others and asks if he was flirting with the dude. 

The general consensus seems to be yes. 

Well, nevermind that, Molly starts working the teleporter and sends the trio in one by one (in order Vivek, Saef, Gimlet).

Our heroes teleport into a tight corridor of the ship. There’s a siren blaring and smell of blood in the air. 

Also, Saef recognizes the smell of tyranids. 

When he informs the others of this, Vivek says that his grandparents were killed by tyranids, to which Saef points out that his whole home planet was just decimated by tyranids. 

They pull out their weapons and start sneaking forward. 

There’s a window showing to the cargo room and Saef sees shadows moving inside. 

Upon letting everyone know, they duck so as to not let the people (or most likely xenos) inside know what’s up. 

There’s blood and servitor parts littering the room, and a broken down servo skull that Vivek checks out. 

It’s clear that our heroes can’t avoid the battle forever. 

Vivek asks what’s their usual battle plan. 

Saef says they usually just let Gorm go first, and then follow after him. 

Unfortunately there’s no Gorm around, so one of them has to go first. 

Vivek gets up, catches glimpse of the first genestealer (of two) and blasts off its lower left arm with a devastating blow. 

This is for my grandma, he says as he does it. It’s pretty cool, eyy. 

Saef gets up next and shoots the same genestealer, killing it. 

There’s a second genestealer still left. 

Gimlet shoots at it, and also manages to blast off its lower left arm, very cool-like. 

Unfortunately it doesn’t quite die and it charges through the new broken windows at the closest victim, which is Vivek.

It gets stuck in the window, but manages to attack Vivek quite severely (altho Skitarii don’t bleed, so who’s to say). 

Saef comes in to beat it up with his bludgeon. It’s quite shocking. 

Gimlet shoots at it over Vivek’s shoulder but the genestealer has not yet gone down.

 It attacks both Vivek and Saef with its next attack. Ouch. 

Vivek has noticed that there’s a pipe of some sort going above them, and he pulls off the vent of it with his magnetic abilities (dude’s one big magnet if need be). 

The pipe turns out to be a pipe for gasoline and it douses the genestealer. 

Saef manages to step out of the way in time to not get doused. 

Vivek then lights up a cigarette and drops his lighter into the gas, lighting the poor genestealer aflame (but it looks damn cinematic).

The genestealer rushes back out of the window and dies on the cargo bay floor. 

Combat’s over, yay! 

Gimlet goes to give Saef some first aid. 

Vivek wanders off to check the other stuff in the hallway, which turns out to be a skeleton of a small child with a small bunny plushie next to it. 

Vivek loots it and then goes to examine the cargo bay. 

Gimlet offers Vivek first aid as well, but Vivek says he’s fine. 

Both Gimlet and Saef can see this is not the case. 

Saef asks Vivek to accept some medical attention, ”for me buddy?” 

Vivek pulls Saef aside a bit, and notes that Gimlet’s the reason he currently wanders around without an arm and an eye, so he doesn’t exactly trust him to get anywhere near his wires. 

But fine, he’ll do what Saef asks, as long as Saef keeps an eye on Gimlet. 

Vivek asks Gimlet to take a look at the spot where the Genestealer’s hit has driven a piece of his armor into his side and Gimlet does so, without any fuss. 

Vivek thanks Gimlet. 

Then they turn their attention to the cargo. Vivek and Saef open some of the boxes of cargo in the room. 

All seem to contain guns that Saef recognizes being used by gangers on Dew Mtn. 

Well, there’s plenty of them, but is this what Molly was hoping, who knows. 

But first a more pressing matter, turning the ship back on. 

Our heroes make their way to the engine room where Vivek and Saef immediately show their ignorance on all things technical (Vivek offers to say some prayers). 

Gimlet points out that the engine isn’t broken, it’s just turned off and it’s easiest to turn that back on from the control panel, in the cockpit. 

So that’s where our heroes head. 

The doors to the cockpit are jammed shut but there’s holes from guns littering the door and one hole big enough for our heroes to get through. 

Inside they find several dead genestealers as well as a dead space marine, who’s body has been eaten from inside his power armor. 

Gimlet immediately recognizes the space marine’s armor and says it’s a Red Corsair, a type of Chaos Space Marine known for pirating. 

Vivek puts out his cigarette on the dude’s armor. 

Gimlet turns the engine on and everything's smooth sailing, except the gas light is on, for some reason hmm… 

Saef and Vivek go attempt to put the panel Vivek tore off back on, but it’s too high up so Gimlet comes to help, lifting Saef up to get the panel back on. 

That figured out they return back to the cockpit and notice that the ship was on autopilot, heading somewhere in Dew Mtn and it’s now asking if that should be continued. 

Saef calls Molly and let’s her know that the cargo is shitty cheap ganger guns, and also a chaos space marine. 

Molly is a bit surprised at that, it is an Imperial cargo ship after all. 

She leaves getting rid of them to Saef. 

So, can our heroes sell these totes illegal guns to someone? 

Saef says he knows a weapon sales’ person by the name of Sheila on Civitas A. 

She dealt guns to a lot of gangers, from similar crates. 

Unfortunately she is super-annoying, but it’s worth a shot to check if she’s still alive and in the business. 

Vivek takes the pilot’s seat (well co-pilot’s seat as the Red Corsair is on the pilot’s seat proper). 

Gimlet investigates the body of the Red Corsair more carefully. 

He finds the Corsair’s bolter and on it ascribed the name ”Nemeroth”, who Gimlet knows to be a Red Corsair warlord that supposedly died 120 years ago. 

Saef carries some of the bodies out of the cockpit to give them room to manage the ship. 

As he does so, he hears some kind of mechanical sound coming from underwater, or under gasoline in this case. 

He follows it and finds the servo skull that is attempting to make some kind of sound, but its speaker is broken. 

Saef brings the skull to Gimlet to look over. 

There is a radio on the ship that Vivek has turned on. 

Apparently Red Corsairs are really into metal. 

But the skull could be hooked up to the speakers as well. 

As Gimlet fiddles with the skull, he asks Vivek whether Uffe has a crush on him or not. 

Vivek seems quite taken aback by the question, asking on what observation Gimlet is basing this on, he has only ever seen Vivek and Uffe together twice, and it’s not like Gimlet has any particular great insight into what kind of person Uffe is like. 

Gimlet is quite persistent at the point. 

Vivek points out that Space Marine’s don’t do romance / sex anyway, so he must be mistaken. 

Saef chimes in about these books he’s read that say something quite different.

Vivek makes the point that those have been written by people who find Space Marines attractive, plenty of those around, Vivek may or may not belong in that category (just because he likes a man who could snap him in half with one hand…), don’t mean they are accurate to what happens in real life. 

As they are arguing the point, Gimlet hooks up the skull into the speakers and it starts blasting off a message about Elysium and Grand Inquisitor Fane. 

Vivek asks if this Fane person is a friend of Gimlet’s. 

Gimlet says an Inquisitor by the name of Fane did live, 120 years ago. 

So is this some kind of time travel thing?

 Saef goes to check out the weapons and comes to the conclusion they have been made maybe two months ago, max. 

So at least those aren’t from the past. 

There’s also the question of servitors, as far as Vivek can see, they’re not official Triplex Phall -variety, so someone’s making unofficial servitors, great. 

Gimlet is also worried since Grand Inquisitor isn’t a title in the Inquisition. 

Vivek suggests perhaps this Fane fellow liked to be called a Grand Inquisitor in bed (eyebrow waggle). 

Gimlet doesn’t really get what Vivek is saying so Vivek calls him a bit of a virgin. 

Gimlet leaves the cockpit. 

Saef stays with Vivek and teases him about Uffe a bit more, though Vivek can see that Saef is just ribbing him. 

He does admit that Uffe is kinda cute, Saef says he doesn’t really see it, but ”you do you”.

And that’s all for the first session of this adventure. Plenty of mysteries abound. Next time, some weapons selling and possibly something more.

[thebarnet89]

I can’t believe its warhammer 40k facts

In honour of @gallusrostromegalus   Primarch by there Starbucks coffee orders I have found some more random 40k facts (and some other Games workshop games)

The Land part of the ubiquitous Land Raider of the space marines and their Bespiked cousins, refers not to the fact it raids land (it can swim also) but rather its blueprints were Rediscovered by Arkhan Land, he also rediscovered the plans for the anti-grav plates used in the LAND speeder and the blueprints for the LAND Crawler a tractor

Arkhan Land also has vat grown monkey with a stinger tail because he thinks the theory that monkeys had a prehensile tail is wrong and that it is clearly a stinger.

In older editions of the Rules, the Imperial Guard’s Deathstrike missile had an unlimited range. Which means that you could fire it (opponents willing) at other nearby ongoing games Or what I have seen happen at your game of Warhammer fantasy with Deathstrike from another Games workshop store.

In the 1st edition of 40k a Primarch was the best space marine in a legion not a son of the emperor

The two missing space marine legions are because one of the game designers had read about the Battle of Tutoborg forest and thought that the concept of missing legions was cool ( also so you can make your own Primarchs and legions)

The Warhammer fantasy planet was at one point said to be a lost human word in caught in a warp storm in the 40k universe.

And following on from the last point you used to be able to take a Lone chaos space marine as your army leader (yes it was broken)

The land Cawler has been seen in the model form once in Epic Armageddon it was a transport for the death corps of Kreig

The old world nation of Araby has only ever received miniatures for Warmaster (Warmaster Like Epic uses 6mm high miniatures rather than the 28mm used in warhammer 40k and Warhammer)

the God of blood bowl is called NIFFLR (Blood bowl is loosely based American football and set in the warhammer fantasy universe)

And now some facts and lore about me and my friend's armies

The Miniature with the single greatest kill count in a Game of 40k Is Nicks Wolf Lord on a bike named Ragnar Ragnarson with a Vortex Grenade. highlights include (1.5 Ork stompas, 52 ork boyz ,7 nobz, Ork Mattz  Warlord Krumpa Gitzstaber , Kharn the betrayer, 18 Khorn berserkers, Theo’s Chaos Lord Otto the Ever-Cunning and his underlings Morris the Mangled and Lukas the Lewd and 1 Dark Eldar raider plus a lot of infantry and minor stuff )Allied casualty due the same vortex grenade Include (Ragnar himself, my Shadow sword TWICE , Alex’s Living saint and Petey's entire death company and chapter master)

My Imperial guard regiment is loosely based on the 19th Jagers of the Russian Imperial guard in the Napoleonic wars

Tall Dan has the record of most Blood bowl touchdowns in a game with 15.

I have Conceded the most touchdowns in a game of blood bowl with 15.

We have a Section of Hats for historical wargames Including a lady's bonnet

Eoin’s space marine army is 26 years old  which makes it the oldest army in the group

If you have any questions about any facts shoot me an ask.

And if you haven’t seen the Primarch Starbucks orders post Link

[violethowler]

The Keystone Army and the Cult of Personality: A Meta on the Galra Empire

While viewers and even a few characters in-universe point to the fight with Lotor in Season 6 as the cause of the empire’s collapse and the near destruction of the Coalition in Season 7. But looking back at the previous seasons, it’s not that clear cut. Leaving aside the variables in the Season 6 battle itself, there’s a lot of issues that point to the Galra Empire being structurally unstable and only really holding together this long because Zarkon was in charge. Although the show relies on show-don’t-tell a little too much, the details are usually still there even when the narrative and the script don’t call attention to them. It was never remarked upon, but Season 1 gave us everything we needed to know about the infrastructure of the Galra Empire:

The Galra Empire invades, conquers, and colonizes planets.

They mine a planet to extract its Quintessence.

The raw Quintessence is taken to secret bases like the one seen in Collection and Extraction

Druids use a bastardized version of Altean alchemy taught to them by Haggar to process the raw Quintessence into fuel.

What made the Komar so revolutionary to the empire (and horrifying to everyone else), was that it circumvented the entire process and allowed the Druids to harvest the Quintessence of a planet all at once and refine it on site rather than drain the planet over the course of years and shuttle the results to hidden fueling stations across the empire’s territory for refinement.

You’ll notice that while the empire can do the first three on their own regardless of who’s in charge, the last step of the process, along with the Komar itself, cannot be replicated without Haggar and her Druids, or else an Altean alchemist who knows how to refine Quintessence from its raw form into the fuel used by the empire. And given that Lotor and Allura don’t mention finding anything when they search her lab in “Bloodlines”, it’s unlikely that Haggar would just leave her notes on the refinement process lying around Central Command when she abandoned the place. So, while Allura did get all kinds of alchemic knowledge from Oriande, how to process Quintessence into imperial fuel does not appear to be part of that package.

Lotor had grand ideas of solving the empire’s energy problems (the waste of resources on crushing rebellions, the inefficiency of gutting every planet in sight and moving on, etc.), but aside from “gain access to the rift”, he didn’t appear to have any specifics planned long-term. He talked about harvesting Quintessence from the Rift, but he made no mention of how he was going to do it so that the empire’s infrastructure wouldn’t collapse when he eliminated Haggar and the Druids. That’s another way in which he parallels Keith: they both have big goals (stopping Lotor, in Keith’s case, though that goes away while Lotor is allied with Voltron) that they attempt to pursue with single-minded determination to the exclusion of all else.

But even if the events of Season 6 hadn’t happened the way they did and Lotor had remained on the throne, the result would have been the same. With the Druids gone, the empire’s infrastructure crumbles. Lotor hasn’t set up a new system of harvesting and distributing Quintessence, so the Galra now have large quantities of raw Quintessence and no one with the skills to refine it into fuel, and the empire’s fuel supply has now been cut off. Lotor can get Quintessence from the Rift, but without a way to harvest it in large quantities, he can only get as much from the Rift as the two Sincline ships he has can hold. And even if he and Voltron were still on good terms, neither Allura’s wormholes nor the empire’s shipping routes can supply Rift Quintessence to fleets and territories loyal to Lotor fast enough to meet the urgent demand.

Meaning that the fleet commanders and territorial warlords still waiting in line for their shipments of Rift Quintessence start arguing about who deserves to get their supply first, who needs more Quintessence then the other, etc. Commanders start raiding and fighting each other over whatever Druid-processed Quintessence is left. The situation snowballs, and we get the same scenario in Seasons 7 & 8, the only real difference being that Voltron and Lotor are still around and spread way too thin as they scramble to put out all the fires while the empire collapses in on itself, and the Coalition is too busy fending off reprisals from vengeful warlords to assist. By the time Lotor and Voltron figure out a solution, the empire would be a shattered remnant of what it used to be.

We’ve seen throughout the show that even if Lotor had lit the flame of the Kral Zera without the interference of Keith and the Blade, there would still have been sizable factions of the empire that would rebel in protest at a “half-breed” on the throne. An energy crisis driven by the absence of the Druids just made the existing infighting worse by adding a desperate fight for resources on top of arrogant power grabs.

And it’s really Zarkon’s death that kickstarts the whole chain of events. It’s a sharp contrast in how the Galra reacted to the death of their leader 10,000 years ago compared to now: Even aside from the grief of their destroyed planet, the first time Zarkon died his people mourned him. He and Honerva were given respectful funerals (we presume), and his body was returned to his people for whatever burial customs the Galra had. The second time he died, no one really cared.

Within less than a day of his permanent demise, his underlings were scrambling and jockeying to take the throne for themselves. The only person to really treat his death with anything approaching “hey, our sovereign just died, could we maybe have a day of mourning before we start arguing over who’s next in line for the throne?” was the Archivist. We don’t even get to see what happened to his body, but given what Season 8 showed happens to the souls of people Haggar drains of Quintessence, it’s clear that even his own wife had no qualms about defiling his corpse.

And as I’ve noted in another meta about Honerva’s arc throughout the series, the more she remembers of her past, the less of a threat the empire becomes. Because it’s worth noticing that the entire chain of events that leads to her husband’s death starts when she summons Lotor to take command while Zarkon is comatose, something that Zarkon explicitly did not approve of. In other words, the entire chain of events started because Haggar started acting independently of Zarkon. It was only when Haggar started pursuing her own agenda that we began to see rival factions emerging within the empire itself. When husband and wife are operating on the same page, working in tandem as a single unit, the empire is a monolithic force. But when they start working independently of each other and pursuing separate agendas, the empire begins to fracture.

I see a lot of Season 7 and 8 meta arguing that the situation with the collapse of the empire and the Coalition is entirely the Paladins’ fault for what happened with Lotor. But looking at the infrastructure and culture of the empire itself, the state of the empire in Seasons 7 and 8 was inevitable from the moment Zarkon bites the dust for good. From the moment Zarkon breathes his last, the clock started ticking on the empire’s demise, and the Paladins’ fight with Lotor in Season 6 only shaved a few months off the countdown at most.

In a way, it reminds me of Operation Cinder from the new Star Wars Expanded Universe. To summarize: Palpatine had put contingencies in place to ensure that in the event of his death, his empire would die with him. In Palpatine’s words: “If an Empire cannot protect its Emperor then that Empire must be deemed a failure. It collapses not only because its central figure is gone, but because it must not be allowed to remain!” While Zarkon didn’t have the foresight for such vengeful contingencies, the result is the same: the empire didn’t just collapse because the emperor was gone, but because the infrastructure of the modern Galra empire was not designed to survive without its ruling couple at the helm.

When Haggar declared that “the empire has fallen” after the Kral Zera, it was not merely for dramatic effect. The Galra Empire is structurally and politically incapable of functioning in the long term without her husband’s iron will to keep power hungry commanders in line or her research and alchemy to maintain its infrastructure, and she knows it. But with Zarkon dead, maintaining the empire is no longer a priority for her. And so, she lets it wither and rot as she spies on her son, the Druids only maintaining the infrastructure because she has not yet ordered them to stop.

TL;DR: The Galra Empire’s entire infrastructure and cohesion is dependent on Zarkon and Haggar operating in tandem. It’s collapse in Season 7 is not a direct result of Lotor’s removal from power, as characters in-universe assume, but the result of a chain of dominoes triggered by the final battle of Season 2. In other words, the Paladins dealt the fatal blow to the Galra Empire when they defeated Zarkon at the end of the second season, and we’ve been watching it slowly bleed to death ever since.

[blaze8403]

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Lesson plan B two