#like what do you mean ben decided to move out to live with chopper because he fought with his dad over being gay

[gaiaxygang]

on one hand i do like the show's chopperben arc better overall (mainly because ben is Not In School for a third of the novel, and because the show just. handles chopper better) on the other hand....... my chopperben epilogue..........

[nimmy22]

A Mistake: Chapter 12

~ The following day, Saturday ~

"Do something, Wesker! These fucking imbeciles at the papers are starting to question my competence as chief all because of a pathetic group of boys you can't seem to dispose of." Irons seethed, slamming his cup of whisky on the desk, knocking his nameplate to the ground.  

Wesker gave nothing away of his emotions, save for a tick in his brow. His hands craved to wrap around Irons’ neck, giving it a swift snap. It's how he felt most of his days at the station. Irons was replaceable. The man didn't realize just how worthless he was to Umbrella. His replacement could arrive this very afternoon.

"We are working on finding the gang's nest. The big players keep using young boys for the jobs but tell them nothing about insider information. There are too many eyes watching us right now. We cannot use any special means to dispose of the group in order avoid questions."

"Just Do your fucking job right. I can't stand the news conferences anymore. the journalist's questions make me look laughable." Irons clutched his glass, throwing it hard against the wall. Tapping a finger on the armrest, Wesker didn't bat an eye at the behavior of the chief of police. One couldn't expect much from such a lowly creature.

"You seem to forget why Umbrella put me as captain of STARS. It isn't to keep up your public appearance but to protect theirs. I'm not the one who isn't doing his job. Deal with the journalists while I handle the little boy scouts." pushing back his chair, Wesker made sure to leave deep grooves on the freshly varnished floors. The scraping sound was like music to his soul. He didn't miss the deathly glare on his way to the door like hot iron rods.

Returning to the STARS office, Wesker ignored the gossiping of Chris and Jill about the newest trouble between their captain and Irons. Shutting the door to his office, he took a seat behind his desk. Through the office blinds, he eyed each present member of STARS. of course, no one was getting any work done, lazing around the office, making meaningless bets.

This simply will not do.

It was time they did some undercover work, gathering information about Raccoon city's newest crime family. These boy scouts wouldn't last long around here, especially since they fell on the radar of the real monsters in the shadows of Raccoon.

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

She sat alone on the staircase, elbows resting on her knees, wondering how the hell she got here.  The house was familiar to her. How many times has she looked after Sherry here? Still, it felt strange. It was his space, and she was invading it.

This was now supposed to be her home. The place gave no hints as to who lived here, lacking any personal touch. It was likely the work of an anterior designer following the most fashionable trends. The home of a bachelor.

Speaking of Wesker, he left after dumping her here last night and vaguely pointing her towards the guest room with a 'help yourself' to any food. As always, he gave her the bare minimum of info, not that she asked what he was up to. She didn't care whether he spent the night hiding bodies or doing legitimate police work. She was too terrified to sleep under the same roof, only a few walls apart. Does the man ever sleep? Shower? Eat?

She won't lie. She was glad Wesker left. But even with him gone, she couldn't stop thinking about what happened. More so the kiss than almost becoming a guinea pig. It was a lot to process, and she couldn't even begin.

For the nth time, she forcibly pulled her fingers away from her lips, scolding herself for replaying the memory again. This man was absolute bad news. She needed to get out of the house, and an incoming call from Claire had her scrambling to answer as quickly as possible. Her friend presented an idea, and Cara was all too grateful to join in.  

Pulling up Wesker's name in the contacts, Cara's fingers hovered over the letters, unsure of what and how much to tell him.  Where did they stand? Did he really mean everything, or was it a trick?  Was she free to leave? Did he give up completely on the idea of killing her?

"Going out with Claire. I will be back late." she texted, fully knowing a lot of info was missing. But it's not like he ever gave her a ton.

"Stay out of trouble.' came a replay moments later.

The words were unsaid, but Cara definitely heard them.  'I don't have time to drop everything and run over to the rescue each and every time you get in trouble,'

'I asked for help only once. The other time's nobody asked you to come.' Cara grumbled but deleted what she wrote. she could've gotten herself out of those situations...with a little bit of thinking. Actually, a lot of thinking.

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

Cara had to walk several blocks away from Wesker's house to prevent suspicion. If by any chance, Claire knew the address of her brother's captain, it would be a hole she did not want to leap into.

Standing in front of an old bookstore, she waited for her friend. The building was slightly rundown, its walls covered in graffiti, but the owners were a kind elderly couple. They pushed discounts her way, and she was guilted to buy something. She ended up buying a useless cat plushie toy after seeing that most books were non-fiction or raunchy romance novels. She would rather die than have Wesker coming across an erotic novel lying around his house.

She stared at the plushie as she leaned against the wall outside the shop. Cara considered giving it to Sherry the next time they met. This would be the first present she ever gave the young girl, and she could almost imagine the excitement on Sherry's face. It made her smile.

A helicopter passed overhead, sleek black and adorned with the Umbrella white and red symbol. Cara watched the chopper get smaller and smaller until it disappeared, heading in the direction of the Arkley mountains. she wondered about their business up there was. Looking around, no one else seemed to notice nor care. Maybe it was best to keep all knowledge to herself.

Seeing a familiar redhead and a motorcycle, Cara waved as Claire pulled up, handing her a helmet.

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

The barn smelled of sweat, dust, and old wood. The unmistakable smell of alcohol was thick in the air as it was passed around freely in cheap red plastic cups. She recognized kids from school, but many more were older, likely from Raccoon university. A light disco machine was nailed to the wall, casting the barn in a series of flashing lights. Tall Straw piles of hay distributed across the barn ensured there was no shortage of dark corners for people to disappear to.  For a moment, Cara considered hiding in the straw and then going home when the party was over. But seeing the sparkle in Claire's eyes about hanging out with her best friend threw the idea out the window. With a sigh, she followed her friend.

Over the course of the night, the girls danced and drank, carefree. A blond-haired boy was staring at her, Cara noticed. He attempted to walk up to her but turned around before getting within ten feet. He tried multiple times but always chickened out despite his friends constantly cheering him on. Claire thought it was cute and refused to stop openly staring at him and giving a thumbs up.  Cara swatted Claire's hands before holding them behind her back in a pretend arrest, pushing her against the straw pile.

"Sorry Officer! I was just trying to help you get laid," Claire giggled. "I hope you're into blonde's though,"

"This is so embarrassing. Stop, or I'm leaving," Cara snapped, feeling a blush heat her face as Wesker crossed her mind. Fuck, why now?

"Oh? so you are into blondes," Claire's smile was cunning. "Let me help you,"

"No. Bad Claire, bad, bad girl. No treats for you tonight." Cara scolded, Stealing the can of beer her friend stole from a guy before cracking it open and downing its contents. She wouldn't yet consider herself drunk, just pleasantly buzzed.

The boy ran off again. Cara felt bad for him and was actually tempted to go up to him instead. His friends kept a steady stream of alcohol into his hand.

"H-hey, " And then he did it, with the help of liquid courage, of course.

For the effort, Cara decided not to openly embarrass him with rejection but not lead him on either. Walking away backward, Claire gave her a thumbs up along with a suggestive motion of the eyebrows, making horrid shapes with her hands. Cara covered her face, hoping to purge the image out of memory. She'll get her back in no time.

Ben was a bit shy at first, but soon they got talking and enjoyed themselves. His hair was a few shades darker and shorter than Wesker's. She didn't have to look up at him as they stood at a similar, comfortable height. Slender and skinny, he would shrink to nothing beside the captain. Cara grimaced, realizing she had been comparing the poor guy to a demon. It wasn't his fault that her mind was occupied with someone way out of her league... the legal kind.

The barn was becoming more and more crowded, and the dancing crowd swallowed them. Sticking out like two sore thumbs, they did their best to dance. Cara felt awkward but seeing the dimples in his smile made her feel better even as it became a tighter fit among the crowd. They had to dance closer lest they got separated.

She wondered what it would feel like to dance with Wesker. He seemed like the sophisticated type. The awkward moves of a teenager would never be adequate for him. Did he ever do anything that was remotely recreational? What do villains even do in their spare time? Manipulating the feelings of underage girls looks like. What stupid, stupid thoughts.

She prayed all these ideas would go away soon, as the thrill of the kiss wore off, and everything went back to normal. Did she want to go back? Why in the world would he like her? she knew who he really was, and he still let her live. Why take the risk with her? she was just a seventeen-year-old. Useless to everyone, with no connections and no money.  

Fuck it. Cara refused to think about Wesker anymore tonight. There was a perfectly alright guy in front of her, someone her own age, someone in her league, someone she wouldn't have to hide. Someone who was looking at her with a soft expression, blinking slowly.

Cara placed her hands on either side of Ben's face and pulled him towards her, connecting their lips. He reacted instantly, kissing her back. His hands awkwardly hovered over her arms before stroking them softly.

He was a nice guy, not a terrible kisser, but she hated it. Hated every touch because it wasn't as good as with Wesker. She couldn't stop comparing, and it was frustrating, spurring her to kiss Ben harder.

She continued, out of spite, to kiss the boy who looked at her with affection. in the background, she heard a few boys cheering, likely his friends. This was wrong, very wrong.

A firm hand gave her waist a painful squeeze before it was gone, and she thought it was Ben. Her eyes flew open as she felt a warm breath by her ear. It wasn't Ben.

"If I was not undercover right now, this lesser specimen of a boy would've made some unforgettable acquaintances a lot sooner. You could've done so much better, yet you have chosen to this..." Wesker seethed by her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Her body froze, but Ben didn't pick up the cue.  Wesker's muscles were tense as he pressed against her back. She could almost hear the exhale through clenched, grinding teeth.

Then he was gone, slipping through the crowd just as he came. No one notices anything. Cara broke the kiss and shoved Ben away. "I'm sorry, it isn't going to work out." She hurried after Wesker, but he was already lost in the crowd.  

She shoved her way through the throngs of people but only managed to find other members of STARS in civilian clothes. None seemed to notice or recognize her. They must've been here on undercover work, but why? she put that question aside as there were more pressing things to worry about.

She felt sick and wanted to throw up, but nothing was coming up. she burst through the doors of the suffocatingly hot bran, raking her hands through her hair. The cool night air hit her heated skin, but she couldn't find relief. She wanted to be swallowed by the ground.

She needed to find Wesker. But then what? Apologize? Apologize for making her own choices? They weren't a couple.

She continued to look for him nevertheless. She walked further from the barn towards an old car junkyard. She thought perhaps a fuming man would need some privacy. A strong feeling in her gut told her this was the right way.

Cara walked far enough from the party that the music was nothing but a distant noise. It was dark and quiet, the perfect place for an assault. If Wesker decided to murder her, no one would find her for at least a week, stuffed in the trunk of a car. If ever.  

Grabbed from behind, she was thrown against a car. Sliding to the ground, she cradled her aching arm, squinting in the dark to see her assailant. Wesker kneeled beside her, his civilian clothes dark and expensive.

"Why cut it short? You should've kissed him more while you still can because he will be the last boy you will ever kiss." squeezing her cheeks harshly, he dragged his thumb with heavy pressure over the flesh of her lips, still swollen from kissing Ben.

As Wesker let go of her face, she felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressing against her temple. Her heart skipped a beat, but she glared at him straight in the eye. Daring.

"I don't know what you want from me! You told me to keep out of trouble, and I did. Yet here we are," Cara lied. She knew what he wanted but didn't know why he wanted it.

"Were my intentions not clear enough? Do I have to spell it out for you? But I suppose intelligence was never your strength,"

Wesker pressed the gun harder against her temple, her glare unwavering. "Go ahead. Shoot me. why do you even bother?"

Neither moved, naked eyes locked with no shades between. Cara reached up and pulled the gun out of his hands with ease. He didn't resist, glaring at her with a tense jaw. Looking down, she almost laughed, seeing the safety was still on. This man couldn't bring himself to kill her. It was all a show of intimidation, and she wasn't falling for it. Not anymore.

As she made to stand, his hand pushed her down. Thinking he wanted the gun back, she returned it to his hand and tried to stand. again, he pushed her down. "Can I get up now?" she scowled, staring up at him.

Things happen too quickly for her to process. The hands on Cara's shoulder grabbed her legs, lifting her off the ground as Wesker wrapped her legs around him before slamming her against the car. She was winded, gasping for breath as he watched her with a smirk. She grabbed his arms, digging her nails into his defined muscles.

"You're up now," he whispered before his lips kissed her neck, sucking and nibbling the skin. A moan escaped her lips, and she covered her mouth immediately.

Grabbing both her hands, he pinned them against the car. "I need to clean your mouth of all traces of that boy,"

"Are you going to rinse my mouth with soap or something? This is childish and-" Cara's words settled in a moan as Wesker began grinding a very defined length against her growing sickness. She tightened her legs around his waist, drawing him closer.

Trailing his nose across her skin, he followed the curve of her neck to the ear, taking the lobe between his teeth. She melted against him when his hot tongue entered her ear. His tongue plunged in and out repeatedly like a preview of what he could do to her. Her heart went on an overdrive.

"Just kiss me," Cara breathed, a tension building in her belly. She wanted to taste him. in addition to sparing any additional marks on her neck to hide.

"No,” nuzzling into her neck, he grinded harder against her, earning a series of moans.  

"You know who else wouldn't mind kissing me-" Wesker slammed his lips to hers, kissing her roughly, their teeth clashing. Cara melted further, a smile on her lips as her tongue danced with his. She savored everything, The taste of him, softness of his lips, his warmth, and the building friction between their bodies. There was nothing more she wanted.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Three gunshots were fired.

Cara was barely steady on her feet when Wesker dropped her to the ground, his eyes scanning their surroundings. What little they heard of the music was drowned out by distant screams of the partygoers.

"What's happening?" she questioned, grabbing his arm, but his attention was fixed on the barn.

"Stay here," Wesker warned, already talking to someone by an earpiece she hadn't noticed before.

With his gun ready, he took off, running towards the barn. Cara made to follow him but was pulled back towards the car by her hand.

The fucker handcuffed and left her in the middle of a junkyard in the dark.

[talkstarwars]

A New Star Wars Theory

I have a new theory about the new Star Wars canon that might tie together a few new elements and answer a few of those niggling Star Wars shaped questions we have had since The Force Awakens. Don't worry, I'm not suggesting Jyn is Rey's mum, but I am going to speculate about Snoke again...

We all have some questions we want answered that relate to the new Star Wars canon. We want to now who Snoke is, who Rey's parents are and where the hell were Kanan and Ezra during the events of the original trilogy. They appear to be separate questions. But what if they have one answer? Let's break it down.

Where were the crew of The Ghost during the events of the original trilogy?

We recently got a voicemail from James over at our sister show, TumblingSaber. James wanted to know if we could come up with an explanation for the apparent absence of the Jedi we know from Star Wars Rebels, during the high stakes events of the original trilogy. We guessed that maybe they had been killed, or become like the Bendu and gone all Grey on us and so abstained from any conflict. Well my tiny Star Wars filled mind just wouldn't stop turning this over and I think I've settled on the following.

We know that at least some of the Star Wars Rebels crew are present at the Battle of Scarif on Rogue One. We see The Ghost, Chopper and we hear General Syndulla over the public address system in Yavin IV's Rebel base. So it's safe to assume that at least Hera and Chopper make it this far. All bets are off when it comes to Sabine, Seb, Ezra and Kanan though. I mean, there's a good chance  that at least two of these characters are in the thick of the action in Rogue One. But I'm speculating that this does no include Ezra and Kanan, for the following reasons.

As our heroes there is no way Kanan and Ezra would sit out the fight with the Sith (aka the Empire) whilst innocents die around them. One explanation would be that they are dead. Here's my theory. We know that Maul (formerly Darth) has been working on Ezra for sometime now. Referring to him as Apprentice and teasing him toward the Darkside. One can only guess at Maul's motives, but I would suggest that he wants to remove Vader and get to Sidious. Either to ingratiate himself with his former master, or remove and replace him as the head of the Empire. I suspect Maul, in typical Sith fashion, is willing to use Ezra to this end. Set his "apprentice" up to face Vader and stand back to watch things play out. 

But what if Maul underestimates Ezra, and Ezra, convinced he can use the Darkside for good, falls into the dark and kills Maul. Maybe Ezra then gets lost in the Darkside, fuelled by hate and rage and faces Kanan, maybe even Ahsoka (if in fact she is to return from that temple), and kills both former Jedi. It's here we have some exciting options. If Ezra succeeds against his former friends and goes on to face Vader, we could have Vader all but kill Ezra in a duel. Or maybe Ezra doesn't get that far and Ahsoka and Kanan do serious damage to him before they, themselves dye. Maybe Ezra, mortally wounded, needs to retreat and convalesce, so the he might challenge the Sith at some point in the future. 

Could Ezra become Snoke?

Who is Snoke?

So I'm not the first person to suggest that Ezra might actually be Snoke. The numbers seem right. If Snoke is about Lukes age, Ezra is about Luke's age. Snoke would have watched the Empire emerge, as did Ezra. Both are presumably, Force users. But imagine the scenario I point out above actually played out and Ezra, now going by the name Snoke (maybe Maul gives Ezra that name?) sits by and watches Vader's compassion for his son bring down the Sith. This would position him to make a move on the spoils. There are characters that Ezra/Snoke could align himself with (Rax, Thrawn) who could help the injured former Jedi Padawan plant the seeds of the First Order. 

I can imagine Snoke at this stage moving into Vader's Castle on Mustafa and learning from the Dark Lord of the Sith's records there. We have seen Ezra use Sith Holocron's to explore the Darkside previously. Could Snoke learn about Vader's Purge of the Jedi, that many lost their lives there? Has Snoke unlocked the hidden secrets of the ancient castle, hinted at in recent Lucasfilm publications? Did Snoke learn of the Emperor's orphanage on Mustafar? His plans to develop a legion of Force sensitive spies. Did Snoke take his lead from this and collect Force sensitive children to recruit as an army powerful enough to protect him from Luke Skywalker? 

Did Snoke once face Luke Skywalker and his young apprentice Ben? The thought of Ezra and Luke facing off against each other as mature Force users is very exciting. Perhaps Luke went to Mustafar to confront Snoke and in doing so learned of Snoke's plans fro the Children of the Force he had been collecting. Maybe Luke and Ben defeat Snoke, who retreats leaving Luke and Ben with a collection of Force sensitive children. Perhaps they are the seeds of Luke's new Jedi academy. Maybe one small girl stands out to Luke.

I imagine its about this time that Snoke begins to work on Ben, in the way Palpatine tricked Anakin in to seeing him as weak as he faced Mace Windu. Is this where Snoke first decides to prise Ben away from Luke with glorious tales of Darth Vader and the Sith? 

Who are Rey's parents?

If Rey isn't the child of Luke or Han and Leia, and she isn't a vergence in the Force. Maybe, just maybe, she was a Force sensitive child collected by Snoke's sinister agents to become a part of his new Darkside army. maybe these children would become Inquisitors or maybe Dark Jedi. Maybe Knights of Ren. Whatever his designs may have been for these children, Rey may have been one Luke sensed had the most potential. And not in a good way. 

You know how Snoke values Kylo Ren because Ben had both Dark and Light side tendencies? Maybe Luke sees a potential for Dark in the young Rey when he rescues her from Snoke's Orphanage on Mustafar. Perhaps this motivates Luke to enlist the help of Lor San Tekka and the Church of the Force. Could Luke have been behind the decision to deposit young Rey on Jakku, under the watchful eye of those astute enough to know when this girl would be strong enough to be of use? Was her presence on Jakku hidden from Snoke/Ezra by whatever dark energy attracted Palpatine to build an Imperial facility there? 

Rey's having been a part of Snoke and Kylo Ren's past in this way would explain their apparent familiarity with her in The Force Awakens. It may be why Maz Kanata sees so much potential in the girl, because she has connections, not only to the Force, but to it's Church and to Luke Skywalker. 

If we see Rey given this kind of past it could position her to become a character more powerful and with more potential than Anakin, without having to resort to the chosen one prophesy. Rey was simply taken as a child and kept on Mustafar until rescued by the Jedi. Then hidden by Luke when he realises her potential for both Dark and Light. This will be a mirror of what we already know about Kylo Ren and Snoke. 

This theory would explain where Kanan and Ezra were during the events of the original trilogy, and give Ezra a really impactful story that has massive ramifications across the entire saga. All from his humble start on Lothal, in a TV series. 

As always I'll be happy to be wrong here, I'd rather be surprised, but this theory feels good. It uses a lot of the elements we know to be solid canon, and elements (Vader's Castle) that are rumoured to form a part of the next film. 

I'd be interested to know what you guys think about this, and indeed if you can offer your own theory about who Snoke might be, what happens to Ezra and Kanan, and might Rey's origin be? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you for reading,

Marc