#ordu aspectu

[dapurinthos]

In-universe, these laws/statutes are probably contained in one of the following documents (ordered according to in-universe chronology, with best guesses as to the placement of the undated ones, going by the age of the republic itself, the necessity of determining sentience in early explorations, and alderaan's position as one of the earliest core words):

Galactic Republic Constitution (c. ??), declares equality of all sentients, both organics and droids; outlaws slavery; outlaws forced servitude; guarantees protection against hardships. (Solo: A Star Wars Story: Tales from Vandor)

Convention of Civilized Systems (c. ??), covers the methods with which a species' sentience is determined. ('Trespass')

Alderaan Convention (c. ??), which established standards for humanitarian treatment during war, and contains a stipulation that torture of prisoners is banned. (Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious)

Ruusan Armistice (post 1032BBY), which created a new standard of behaviour in wartime. (Star Wars: The Rebel Files)

Yavin Code (c. 1019BBY), which states that 'all prisoners are required to be blindfolded prior to execution'. ('The Big Bang', production code 6.04, final episode of the unfinished arc Crystal Crisis on Utapau)

Galactic Accord of Systems (c. 972BBY), which established the rules of engagement for any war from this point onward. It included that an army could not be denied the chance to surrender. (Aftermath: Life Debt)

(the domacian accord is not covered here, as there is no indication of what the accord itself covered. the jedi-ordu aspectu treaty is also not covered here as it is limited to those two groups, not galactic in level)

Nobody's ever asked for specific citations on this when I bring up the Separatists' actions (and I'd be happy to provide episode titles if they had), but someday I feel like I really should rewatch the entirety of TCW just to make a list of the specific examples I mean when I say they were carpet bombing civilian populations, when they were using biochemical weapons on civilians, when they were blowing up medical stations, etc. Sometimes a post just doesn't flow very well with a ton of citations laid into it, but I feel like I should have a handy reference list just to show I'm not pulling things out of my ass, either. (I try to be clear when I mean something literally, when I mean something figuratively, when I mean something tongue in cheek, when I mean something as a silly shitpost, but I imagine it's not always as clear as I intend. Plus, god knows I've been eyeing another full rewatch anyway....)

[sabersourcing]

Amon Lightsaber (Ancient Lightsaber) | Lightsaber Profile

Amon Lightsaber (Ancient Lightsaber) | Lightsaber Profile

The Amon lightsaber is an ancient blue-bladed lightsaber wielded by Amon in Star Wars Canon. Amon is a human male member of Ordu Aspectu, a group of unorthodox Jedi who form a splinter group separate from the Jedi Order. The group, which is headquartered in a space station called the Citadel of Rur, exists millennia prior to 0 BBY. RELATED LIGHTSABER SELLERS affiliate linksIf you purchase an…

[cassatine]

Jedi heretics: the Ordu Aspectu

The Ordu Aspectu from the Aphra comics are one of the newest examples of the new canon’s thing with Myfficness. By virtue of being a Jedi splinter group, the Ordu Aspectu would have interested me in itself, but even better, their exact history and nature is subject to dispute in universe, with two main competing stories.

According to Aphra’s father (as an aside: dead mom. daddy issues.*sighs*), the Ordu Aspectu were a Jedi splinter group who seemingly left the Order peacefully to do their own thing, were into actual real non-aggression and apparently found life so sacred that they refused to kill and sought immortality - and maybe left corporeality but not before being attacked by Jedi. 

Those red saber, tho. 

But maybe Aphra’s right and we’re instead looking at a Jedi splinter group who kidnapped a bunch of poor innocents padawans to sacrifice them in a dark ritual to attain their nefarious - ah, nope, sorry; no nefarious end here, the issue is purely over means:

But there’s better: the context in which the two versions of the story are told makes it all even better - it’s fundamentally two archaeologists disagreeing on how to interpret data. And there’s a third hypothesis:

Honestly, i would kind of love for that third option to end up being the truth. It’d be hilarious. But I seriously doubt it will. It’s not very Starwarsy as storytelling goes. It being included, however? Makes me think the data both tales are built on is purely textual; there’s no known material evidence of the existence of the Ordu Aspectu (otherwise that third hypothesis would have been either ruled out or given more gravitas), and even the text attestations have to make for really slim picking (and really, even if there was a lot of textual and material evidence the exact interpretation of it would still be subject to dispute).

Also: I have no idea what an argument over the possessive infinitive (what even is that?) could be like, but it sounds a lot like something Jedi grammarians could have highly philosophical arguments about, that would be likely to influence the official doctrine about things like the quest for immortality and the policy over attachment, and possibly lead to schisms. 

Anyway, in real life, i’d be able to check the sources of these two different tales and research the context in which they appeared (who authored them, for which audience, and why) and take that into account when comparing the two versions, because both seem highly speculative. One sounds a lot like Jedi propaganda; the other... doesn’t. Those red sabers in Jedi’s hands? It’s possible they hint to how different the Jedi Order was back in the old days, but with how crystals become red in canon now it doesn’t seem very high on the probability scale - it’s way more likely to be an invention, maybe of Aphra’s father.

So - foregoing the Jedi grammarians, there’s agreement on the Ordu Aspectu being a splinter group of the Jedi Order who sought immortality; the details are muddled from there but both versions of the tale agree on the fact that it’s not the quest for immortality in itself the Jedi had an issue with. *Jedi always seek immortality* is featured in both versions; the identical phrasing is unlikely to be a coincidence. It seems very possible that at some point in their history the Jedi weren’t against trying to prolong life for oneself or for others. But by the time of the twilight of the Republic they are; it’s considered as a Dark Side practice, and it goes against the philosophy of acceptation and non-attachment. So the conflict with the Ordu Aspectu could be the reason of that change, and have had a huge impact on Jedi philosophy as a whole.

[healed1337]

Doctor Aphra 6 review

Doctor Aphra 6 review

Spawning out of Kieron Gillen’s Darth Vader series, Doctor Aphra stars a morally questionable archeologist set during the Civil War era in the Star Wars Universe. In a lot of ways this series feels like Indiana Jones in a Science-Fiction Fantasy environment. She’s hunting for dangerous artifacts while also being chased by the Empire. Oh, and unlike the Indiana Jones series, the first major story…

[roguerebels]

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra and the Enormous Profit Comic Series Moments!

Doctor Aphra continues to tempt the fates in search of enormous profit in these issues from the 2016 run! Together with Black Krrsantan, Triple Zero, and Beetee, she holds an auction of a rare and powerful artifact said to contain the archived knowledge of the Immortal Rur, Ordu Aspectu or Jedi Heretic… Whatever. All the galaxy’s underworld comes out to play, each more cutthroat than the…

[marythegizka]

Bodyswap AU - Part 9 (links to parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Vader’s jaw went slack.

The old man stood agape, blinking at Aphra like she was growing another head, arms hanging at his sides.

Aphra waved at him.

“Hello? Sir?”

The man blinked again.

Aphra raised her middle finger.

“Sir, how many fingers am I holding up?”

The man kept staring, his face nearly turning green.

“Nope. Looks like you broke him.”

Vader’s face went red, heat rising to his ears.

“I?” he burst out. “I broke him? You could have told me he was your father before we landed at his doorstep!”

“I didn’t know you’d call him ‘sir’!”

“And what was I supposed to cell him?” he shouted. That was the most pathetic excuse he had ever heard, and he had experience in the department.

“Dad. That’s your dad. Come on, Doctor, you cannot possibly be that drunk.”

Vader shot her a death glare. How dare she?

“I. Am not. Drunk.”

Aphra elbowed him in the ribs.

“Of course you are.”

Vader held back a grunt. Bloody elbows.

“What on Malachor do you think you’re doing?”

“Improvising. Clearly, you’re in no condition to do the talking. Now if you would please…”

“What is going on?” the older man cut her off.

Aphra opened her arms in exasperation.

“Finally. We’re looking for the Fortress of Rur – or, well, anything pertaining to the Ordu Aspectu, really – and we thought someone might as well tag along and urgently join us on an urgent quest of the utmost urgency.”

The man knitted his brow.

“Chelli?” One blink. Two blinks. “Get out of the silly suit.”

“Yeaaah… I don’t think you want me to do that.”

“Chelli. Lona. Aphra. I am your father and I…”

“Will probably kill me if you take this thing off my face so the ‘silly suit’ stays on.” She paused, raising her index. “And what makes you think I am Chelli? That is awfully bold of you.” She turned towards Vader. “Isn’t that your first name, Doctor? My, my, what a family!”

Of course. Of course she had to say that. Well, for lack of academic credentials in archaeology, Aphra certainly had mastered the art of digging herself deeper.

“You think I wouldn’t know my daughter if she hid behind a mask? You could turn into a wookie and you’d still be my little Boop.”

Vader’s eyes went back and forth between the two.

“Boop?” he asked in a whisper.

“Don’t ask.”

“Besides,” the scholar continued, “few people are actually aware that the Ordu Aspectu…”

“Is your prime subject of interest?” she interrupted. “Oh, I’m pretty sure that’s the first thing you told every non-mummified sentient being you met in the past three decades.”

“I was going to say ‘had such a strong focus on out-of-body preservation of a being’s essence’ since it appears to be so relevant to your… case… And I do remember telling you about that.”

“Yes, well, you told me a lot of crazy stories. Doesn’t mean I remember them all.”

“All the same. Does that mean you’re going to help me?”

 “Hm, let me see. No, Dad, I came all the way here to show you my brand new leather suit. I’m sure you must be scandalized. Yes, Dad, of course I’ll help you.”

A grin cracked the man’s face.

“I knew you’d come around some day.”

“Yes, yes, nothing like a good old out-of-body experience to reconnect with your loved ones.”

Before they knew it, Vader and the Doctor found themselves squeezed tight in the professor’s arms, staring at each other in awkward silence. A few seconds went on before Vader finally spoke.

“If he talks, he’s dead.”

The professor recoiled, casting his daughter a pleading look.

“Fine,” she said.

“WHAT?! The man all but choked. “Chelli… your own father…”

She shrugged.

“I try not to think about it.” There was a moment of silence. “But, if that’s any comfort: if you talk we’re all dead, Dad. All three of us. Or, well, you and me for sure, and Vader… probably. So don’t talk. Don’t talk and we’ll be fine. Oh, and no papers either.”

“But… what value is the quest for the Ordu Aspectu if its teachings remain secret? Shouldn’t we strive to make the Force for all a reality?”

Vader scoffed. ‘The Force for all’. Sweet buttery huttling. And there he thought Obi Wan had been delusional…

Aphra laid a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Not now. Maybe after the war’s over. If we live to see it end…. And if you still believe it’s worth it.”

“I… I don’t…”

His eyes had become wet, Vader noticed, and his breath was starting to catch.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

“All right, Chelli. I won’t.”

Aphra gave him a brief hug.

“It’ll be fine. Now go pack you things, because you’re getting out of this hole.”

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

Her nose wrinkled as the smell of burnt metal rushed into her air vents, and her eyes quickly settled on the blaster tracks that now adorned the bulkheads.

“Who the hell is burning holes in my ship?” she eructed, waiting for the culprit to come forth.

“It already had a few.”

Aphra pivoted on her heels, wagging her index at Vader.

“This is slander.”

A sharp beep came from the bedroom, and Triple-Zero appeared at the door.

“Well, we had to defend ourselves, Mistress!”

“No, no, no,” Ahsoka protested, coming out from behind him. “You stole my lightsaber.”

They did what now?

“You were not putting it to good use. Such a simple weapon, and yet the possibilities are a delight to my circuits…”

Oh. Of course.

“All right, Trip. Give it back.”

“But…”

“Give. It. Back.”

An outraged beep followed.

“Quite right, Beetee. Quite right. Ah… there you go, Jedi.”

If her father had only paid limited attention to the conversation, his excitement went through the roof at the mere sound of the word.

“You’re friends with a Jedi?!”

“That’s one way to put it, yes.”

She led him into the room.

“Dad, meet Ahsoka. Ahsoka, this is Dad.”

“Dad, as in… Dad? That’s your dad?”

“Why does everyone act so shocked? I was conceived in the most conventional way, by means of…”

“Okay, okay, I get the picture. Nice to meet you, Mister…”

“Aphra. Professor Korin Aphra.”

“Well, Professor, where do you suggest we begin?”

“Yavin 4. Several manuscripts suggest the Ordu interacted with the Massassi shortly before its decline, and there is one temple in particular that I’ve been meaning to explore. See, I may have part of the map,” he said, gesturing to a bag full of crystals, “but without the proper tool to decode it, I am in the dark. Now, all we have to do is figure out how to position these crystals, and pray the Great Massassi Temple delivers.”

“The former Rebel base is a restricted area,” Vader warned. “Consider yourself fortunate that I am at your side.”

“The Rebels set base on Yavin 4?”

“Oh, for kriff’s sake, Dad. The battle of Yavin 4? You know, when they blew up the Death Star? And did you also miss the memo about Alderaan?”

Her father titlted his head.

“The Death Star was real?”

This time, Aphra could swear the collar was the only thing keeping her lower jaw from falling off.

“I… You need to get the holonet.”

“Oh, Chelli, you know what I think of that rubbish.”

“Yes, well, there’s a rubbish screen in the kitchen, and you have some catching up to do.”

“But…”

“Do it. I’ll be in the cockpit. And stay seated during takeoff.”

Vader and Aphra took their seats, both a little stunned by the sheer absurdity of the day.

“You’ll need to request clearance before landing near the temple.” Vader switched on his datapad, quickly going through his files. “It appears the garrison is currently supervised by Captain Magna Tolvan, former head of security on Eadu. Commonly referred to as ‘quite the piece of work’.”

He handed her the datapad, displaying Tolvan’s file.

“Oooh, in that case… wouldn’t mind working the both of you.”

“You… WHAT?”

“You know what.”

“Take off.”

“Fine, fine, sorry. Although in all honesty…”

“Take. Off. Now.”

Aphra ignited the engines, putting full throttle on the repulsorlifts.

“Did I mention that my dad has hyperspace sickness?”

“Lovely.”

[redrikki]

So, to recap, with the Old EU and Knights of the Old Republic games no longer being canon, the only things we know for sure about the time before the Prequels are:

1) The Sith were presumed dead for at least a thousand years prior to the start of the films (dialog from TPM)

2) There was a schism between the Jedi of the Ordu Aspectu and the regular Jedi Order which lead to the creation of Eternal Rur and the destruction of the the Ordu Aspectu several thousand years before the PT. (Dr. Aphra comics)

3) There was a large battle on Malachor between the Jedi and the Sith over the large Sith Temple located there. The Sith’s main weapon misfired and petrified everyone on the planet. (Star Wars: Rebels, “Twilight of the Apprentice”)

4) The Sith homeworld, Moraband, is abandoned following the death of Darth Bane, the founder of the Rule of Two. It’s a cheery place featuring a temple where Jedi prisoners were sacrificed (The Clone Wars, “Destiny” & “Sacrifice”)

5) The Jedi fight a series of wars with Mandalor which devastate the Mandalorian homeworld. The exact timing is unknown. (first mentioned in The Clone Wars, “The Mandalor Plot” with subsequent references)

6) Mandalorian Tarre Vizsla is inducted into the Jedi Order and builds the Dark Saber. Members of House Vizsla steal the Dark Saber from the Order during the fall of the Old Republic and wield it as a symbol of authority for generations (Star Wars: Rebels, “Trails of the Dark Saber”)

7) As a padawan, Obi-Wan spent a year on the run with Satine (and presumably Qui-Gon) as people attempted to assassinate her for her pacifist beliefs. She was eventually installed as the Duchess of Mandalor. (The Clone Wars, “The Mandalor Plot.”

Did I miss anything? Do we know anything more about the history of the Jedi and the Republic under according to the new canon?

[xaphrax]

✕ … phillipa soo … chelli lona aphra: now arriving in coruscant. she stands alone and is 28 years old according to their chart. past records show that they are known to be disloyal and guilt-ridden, so tread with caution since they are still an archaeologist from dantooine …

born in 24 bby on dantoonie, chelli was raised in a realitvely peaceful part of the planet with her mother and father. from a young age, he father’s obsession with the ancient ordu aspectu tore her family apart. while chelli was interested in her father’s studies of the jedi order, learning alongside him for a time, her mother eventually separated her father and took chelli to the outer rim to live a life without her neglectful father. at the age of seven, her homestead was raided and while chelli followed her mother’s orders to hide, her mom was left for dead on the floor for chelli to see when she escaped her hiding spot. a few years past, and she returned to her father’s home, and set his home and research ablaze, blaming his neglect for her mother’s passing 

she pursued an archaeological career at university of bar’leth and received excellent marks in her classes, at the time also befriending and dating sana starros. chelli ran into problems however when she was was going for her doctorate. her new advisor, toob-nix, absolutly hated her- primarily because she antagonized him on a ‘weekly basis’. so when her project for her doctorate degree didn’t go as planned, he refused to approve her project and declared that she would never be successful. however, while doing so, he also showed aphra his secret, illegal vault of mind-controlling parasites. chelli, with the help of sana, stole these parasites and planted them on the planet that her project had failed on, allowing her to force her advisers hand or else he would be punished as well.

some years later, aprha was tracked down by darth vader who was impressed her work on refurbished clone wars-era droideka droids. he planned to recruit her into a small group of private allies. at that time, with vader’s help, aphra used a triple zero matrix on an old 3p0 droid, and also gained ownership, alongside vader, of bt1. she worked with vader for quite a bit of time, constantly concerned that she would suddenly be killed if she proved un-useful. he eventually pushed her out an airlock,believing her dead, when the emperor learned out their work together. she was however saved by triple zero, bt-1, and a wookiee, black krrsantan.

from then she worked primarily on her own, having run ins with skyealker and his crew, as well as starros from time to time. she was focused on personal profit, generally selling artifacts to the highest bidder. consequently, during this time she was betrayed and blackmailed by her former droids more than once with threat that they would tell vader of her whereabouts. so, she worked on droids at triple-zeroes command for some time. 

aphra is fairly detached, and brutal most of the time, do to issues growing up. she’s generally concerned with herself, and isn’t afraid to kill if the time demands it. however, she also is guilt ridden and fairly lonely with her life. 

aphra has been brought back with most of her memories in tact by the first order to help locate supplies and refurbish droids to be more useful to the order’s needs. aphra, however, has no real loyalty to the first order- and is much more interested to work for her highest bidder.

hmu if you want to plot!

[kiwikipedia]

(Gonna try and answer these in order best as I can, it’s a little long but I hope this answers some stuff)

Not sure if this aligns with Canon but in Legends there’s an entire Seekers division in the Order on top of the fact that many sectors that are OK with it also have assigned Jedi Watchmen.

Tholme did this pre TCW, overseeing the Kiffu sector. Ki Adi Mundi and Yoda also held Watchman positions once but idk their exact locations.

Anyways, the role of the watchman is to Protect assigned star system or planet but also to Identify Force-sensitive children within their assigned area of space.

Judging by both Ki Adi and Tholme, a number of watchmen Jedi could possibly former or current Shadows, or were trained by them, so they know to keep an ear to the ground regarding rumors and whispers about strange children. I also suspect that because during the era before the clone wars the Jedi are somewhat present enough for core worlds at least to be like “oh shit this is a weird baby, better call the Jedi!” OR there are planets with pre established Force-Sects such as on Dorin where the Kel Dor have the Baran Do Sages and I guess sensitivity is passed down through the family since three generations of Koon’s have been through the temple (Uncle, Plo, and Sha) at least.

So finding the children is probably a mix of Watchmen passing info to the temple/finding the children themselves (like Tholme did for Quinlan and kinda for Aayla), Seekers following rumor / just wandering, other Jedi just wandering and finding them, or active contact with the order and/or a watchman. And also the Force.

As for the legality, I think because the Order is in alliance to the Senate there is definitely paperwork and channels that need to be worked through but that’s a lot of other things to consider. A parent does not need to give their child up, but they often do because of the risk factor involved with a force sensitive child— a child trained wrong or not trained at all is highly destructive. Likely it’s falls to the same conditions as a legal adoption.

And in the event that the child is not given freely, i would suspect that the watchman would try and drop by or there would be literature that would be given to aide in the “homeschool” training process. Before the Order was condensed to Coruscant, there were multiple Temples of Jedi as well, so going back that far there might even be like a local temple to drop your wizard kid off at (lol).

As stated before there are also other Force-Sensitive sects that aren’t Jedi. The Dagoyan Order, Frangawl Cult, Nightsisters, Ordu Aspectu, and the Zeffo Sages are all non Jedi Force groups that Canon has listed but idk where they fall on the timeline— and know later on that the Inquisitors and Knights of Ren exist. Legends wise there is the Baran Do of Dorin and I believe that Kit Fisto’s uncle also belonged to another force religious order but I can’t recall the name. For species and people who have a different religious culture, I would expect that there are just other sects much like how religion IRL has many sects and places of worship, so it wouldn’t be too far fetched to see parents choose to send their child there rather than to the Jedi since the Jedi Order is only one of many sects— though is probably the most well known.

The main reason why force sensitives and different organizations/sects/religions don’t really pop up in Star Wars media is mostly because they are hella irrelevant to the Main Characters ie: the Skywalker and Kenobi squad. I’m personally of the opinion that if Star Wars focused on someone who WAS in another religious sect (ie: Plo Koon) we would’ve seen not only Jedi and Baran Do culture but possibly others as well.

TLDR:

Jedi have / had a system and also used the force for finding kids, there definitely some teaching and legal talk for the parents, but there’s also always the option to let the kid stay and be raised at home or in another FS organization that’s culturally theirs / close by and we don’t ever hear about them because they’re not relevant to the Skywalkers lmao

but how do jedi get the list of force-sensitive kids that they keep in holocrons. what kind of testing is there! the existence of jedi seekers implies it’s wholly organised on the basis of individual jedi totally dedicated to seeking out future younglings but how do they do that. do they follow rumours and reports? does the force guide them to force sensitive children? how many kids don’t get found? if the parents’ consent is required then how many kids don’t get turned over to the jedi and where the hell are they and what happens to them? why are planets okay with handing over their most powerful children to the republic. do any of them seek training elsewhere? do any cultures have their own force-user traditions? in the age of the republic why wouldn’t there be many people who are openly force users without being jedi? do the jedi have the right to take force-sensitive children into custody when the sith are at large or are they required to leave them if they can’t get parental consent even if the sith will have no such qualms. has any parent ever taken the jedi order to court

[gffa]

I WOUND UP KIND OF REALLY LOVING THIS??  IT’S SUCH A FASCINATING PARALLEL TO A BIGGER THEME IN STAR WARS, OF THE JEDI LEGENDS AND MYTHS IN THE TIME OF THE EMPIRE. I know the Aspectu Ordu will come up again later (though, I don’t know how prominent they are in later issues of the Doctor Aphra comic) but I’ve read the first arc about Aphra’s father’s search for them and how they get some answers, but don’t really know.  What I love about this is that it’s another instance of how much of the Jedi and their history has been utterly lost. Is this an instance where the Aspectu Ordu was just a difference form of Jedi and those mean, terrible orthodox Jedi didn’t like what they were doing?  Or did the Aspectu Ordu kidnap Jedi padawans for horrible experiments and the orthodox Jedi were coming to put a stop to the shit they were up to?  Did any of this even exist or was it just an argument between Jedi grammarians?  And there are red lightsabers in there, was this really about the Jedi or was this about a branch of dark siders? The two versions of events being told here are a great nod to how the stories told about the Jedi--that aren’t from the Jedi themselves--are warped and twisted.  Whether directly from Palpatine’s lies and propaganda (like the TLJ novelization shows us, like the Propaganda book shows us, like the Battlefront II storyline with Luke shows us, etc.) or whether a less direct effect of their genocide and it being basically illegal to talk about them openly, the point is that the people of the GFFA in the time of the Empire have no way of knowing the truth.  (Setting aside that this is a story set from thousands of years ago, even without the Jedi genocide, reliable information probably would have been scarce!)  Seeing two different versions of the story, seeing Rur-AI tell us a story that is clearly bullshit, it paints this bigger picture/parallel/echo of how unreliable these things are about what really happened. Ultimately, the only answer we really get is that something happened and it was Some Real Bad Shit.  Whatever ghost was left in the machine of their citadel, it wanted to form an Empire, it wanted to punish the living people that had nothing to do with any of this, it wanted servants and worship of it.  It could protest all day long that it was the true Rur, the other one was an evil fake, but the narrative makes it clear that’s a load of bullshit.  Whatever the Aspectu Ordu was up to, it was really bad news and clearly did need to be stopped. What also intrigues me about this is that it’s very similar to the Tales from Vader’s Castle issue with the Rebels crew, which is a story being told thirdhand by Crator, who was told it by Chopper, who was telling it as an in-universe story, but there’s a lot of similarities going on:

Both are evil entities that spent centuries locked away, defeated by the Jedi, both are a glowing green that is able to take over machinery, both want revenge/to punish someone for being locked away, and whatever presence was on the Ghost (assuming we can trust a thirdhand in-universe telling of the events) was that it was once able to manipulate the Force.  Which a machine couldn’t do, but a machine that believed it was once a person might believe such a thing. Do I think it’s narratively meant to be connected?  Hmm, I wouldn’t put money on it being the intention, but I like the connection and my headcanon is that the entity that the Ghost crew ran into was the Rur-AI, until I see something from Kieron Gillen or Cavan Scott that contradicts it! Also, a really cool detail, in the Yavin 4 Temple, the floor reflects that same “time and the Force (and Star Wars) are a connected circle” thing that the various Jedi Temples and Force Priestesses and Force Beings have going on:

THERE WAS CLEARLY SOME LEGITIMATE FORCE WOO GOING ON THERE AND CONNECTIONS ALL OVER THE GALAXY. However much was or wasn’t intended by the author, I love that there are connections and similarities to be drawn here, that maybe they’re meant to be narratively connected, maybe this is just how Force woo stuff presents itself, maybe literal ghosts in the machine are a thing in Star Wars now, maybe both of those were Rur-AI, maybe a lot of things! And teasing all those maybes and what-ifs out is so much fun.

[jarenka]

Imagine this: Vadaphra Partisan AU where Vader joins the Partisans to fight the emperor. Imagine Partisan! Vader having a breathing mask, ruined short hood cape and blue lightsaber and is sort of like an "anti-Luke"

I have no idea how it happened but I love it!) Vader should be someone like Punisher and Aphra is his sidekick. And she is like: “I don’t really care about this shit but maybe the New Republic will make Jedi studies legal again and my dad will have a lot of students to bother them with Ordu Aspectu”. If Vader uses his lightsaber, he is on the light side again, I guess. Then Aphra wouldn’t be pleased to know he is against massive murders now. “Why can’t we just blow everyone up? You choose a bad moment to be a humanist!”

He is not actually a humanist, he is still agressive and hard with people. But “we are not going to blow factory with all the workers just because it easier than sabotaging it’s work” is a bit out of character for him.

[lit102]

Doctor Aphra | Kieron Gillen etc. | 2017

After Doctor Aphra’s co-starring turn in Marvel’s Darth Vader, I didn’t think I could love her more, but I’m happy that the first volume in her standalone series (collecting issues 1–6) proves me wrong. Aphra and Vader have gone their separate ways (I forget why) and for the first time since we met her (well, not counting Screaming Citadel), Aphra is on her own, with (questionably) loyal droids Triple-Zero (evil 3PO) and Beetee (evil R2) by her side and wookie Black Krrsantan (evil Chewie) stuck to her like a burr til she pays off her growing debt to him. When I type it all out like that, it becomes clear just how much of a ripoff Aphra is; these are morally gray (or pitch black) versions of characters we know and love. Even Aphra is a hotter, gayer Han Solo (with more than a little Indiana Jones thrown in). But despite — or perhaps because of — this, I adore the series; it’s familiar enough to satisfy and fresh enough to excite, and it never pretends to be more than what it is. In fact, it’s having a damn good time being itself, which is probably why it’s so much fun.

Aphra starts her solo series in debt not only to Black Krrsantan, but to the man who sold her her ship (which looks, by the way, not unlike Boba Fett’s Slave I). He demands payment; Aphra stalls for time. When she sells the valuable artifact she just acquired, she can pay off his loan in one go — and then some. But there’s a problem. The legal buyer tells Aphra that her archaeologist’s doctorate has been suspended; without it, they can’t verify the artifact, and on the black market it will sell for much less. So Aphra must return to her alma mater and confront the man who got her doctorate suspended by exposing the fact that she cheated to earn it: her own father.

In a flashback, we see school-age Aphra, stymied by a dead-end doctoral project on the planet Boothi XII and a sadistic advisor who refuses to pass her because, quote “I hate you.” (This was odd — why the vitriol? We see her playing a prank on him, but it’s unclear if this caused their issues or was a symptom of them.) Aphra steals her advisor’s secret stash of abersyn symbiotes (insectoid parasites that are known for wiping out empires) and pretends that she found them on Boothi XII, getting revenge and turning her failed project into a success. Now, using this info, Aphra’s father blackmails her into helping him find the lost temple of the Ordu Aspectu, a rogue branch of the Jedi Order who sought eternal life, led by a man named Rur. To find the Aspectu’s ancient citadel, they must retrieve a map from former rebel base Yavin 4, where they tangle with Imperial forces — including one Captain Tolvan, a tall, slender woman with a shock of short white hair and intriguing armor that covers her neck and the edges of her face, suggesting some kind of injury. Tolvan was assigned to Yavin 4 after fucking up security on Eadu (destroyed by rebels in Rogue One — could this be her fuckup?). After a narrow escape, they head to the ruins of the Ordu Aspectu’s citadel. On the way, we find out more about Aphra’s fractured relationship with her father, who abandoned her and her mother for a fool’s errand — the same one he’s strong-armed Aphra into now.

At the citadel, Aphra and her father must fight off Tolvan and her forces, who follow them there, and activate the core computer — which, it turns out, contains a warped copy of Rur’s consciousness that thinks it’s more than a copy, that it’s his true self, and that an “evil ghost” inhabited Rur’s body in its place… that is, until it killed him and everyone else in the citadel. Angry and resentful, the copy lashes out at Aphra (“I cannot punish the dead. I will punish the living”); she, her father, and her crew barely make it out alive, destroying the citadel and stealing Tolvan’s ship in the process. (Aphra spares Tolvan’s life because she thinks she’s cute.) The copy of Rur’s consciousness is trapped in a crystal that Aphra then has quarantined… or so it seems. On the last page, she reveals that the quarantined crystal was a fake — and, holding the real one while smirking into the camera, says “Let’s get rich.”

I’ll admit that I found Aphra’s father a bore, and his wide-eyed fantasies of eternal life tiresome, even after he revealed that he sought it to save his young daughter from a galaxy that was getting more and more dangerous by the day. Their storyline felt too, well, heartfelt for a comic that finds evil so fun (classic Triple-Zero line: “Sprinting is undignified. I’m made for the finer things in life, like holo-chess and peeling skin from flesh”). But maybe that’s why it’s needed. Aphra isn’t evil, exactly; she’s roguish, selfish (like Han when we first meet him), but charmingly so, and she’s not sadistic or cruel. Sometimes, she even makes more sense than the good guys do; when she lifts a lightsaber off a dead Jedi and her father protests, she retorts “What do you think I actually do, Dad? Archaeology is just grave robbing with fancy paperwork.” She’s… not wrong. Aphra writes her own rules in a lawless world — she’s self-sufficient and vulnerable at the same time, always wrapped up in some get-rich-quick scheme, with the Empire and her creditors nipping at her heels (like Han, again)… So the rules she writes are self-serving; she’d probably say that everyone is selfish. She’s just honest about it.

And last but not least: Aphra is the kind of character, like Jack in Mass Effect 2, that SCREAMS “gay” but rarely is gay, and I can’t tell you how much I love that she IS GAY, and crushing on a butch older woman no less! 

I like Kev Walker’s art okay (and I wish I’d integrated this into my writeup instead of tacking it on at the end). A two-page spread of their arrival at the ruined citadel is very cinematic, like an establishing shot you might see in a Star Wars film. There’s some nice use of color by Antonio Fabela, too. The inside of Rur’s citadel is a frosty blue, which makes the red of the Imperials’ lasers pop. The computer core is bathed in a poisonous green. Four full pages of tough, confessional conversation Aphra has with her father are set here; I like how the light gives this emotional scene an eerie twist.    

[cassatine]

Hi have a two parts monster meta 

1. Overview of Force-related sites

Ahch-To | Unknown Regions

A world shrouded in myth, held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).

Ahch-To Temple | Held by some Jedi scholars to be the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).

Anoat Sector | Outer Rim Territories 

Home to the Advisers, an organization of Force users who worked to ensure the continuation of the Noble Court, the assembly of the sector’s ruling families.

Archives of the Order of the Esoteric Pulsar | Unknown location

A repository of knowledge (RON).

Atollon | Atollon System | Lothal Sector | Outer Rim Territories

A remote planet, home to the Bendu. Although absent from starmaps, it was portrayed in ancient Lothal art.

Bardotta | Bardotta System | Shasos Sector | Colonies

Home to the Dagoyan Order, an organization of Force sensitives averse to the Jedi Order. As members of the Bahk-tov Council, they served as traditional advisers of the Bardottan monarchs. Also home to the Frangawl Clan, a rival organization, followers of the war god Malmourral, and the ancient rulers of Bardotta.

According to an ancient prophecy of the Frangawl Clan, the world’s spiritual balance is important and should its Dagoyan Masters disappear from the galaxy, darkness will arise and engulf everything.

Dagoyan Temple (Bardotta Capital City) | Bardotta’s political and religious seat of power. Contains the meeting chamber of the Bahk-tov Council.

Frangawl Temple (Bardotta Capital City) | An ancient shrine of the Frangawl Clan, atop which the Dagoyan Temple is built. Contains a sacrificial chamber.

Christophsis | Christoph System | Savareen Sector | Outer Rim Territories

A crystalline planet where Kyber crystal grow “at only a few precious spots (A:EE : Christophsis).” Once used by the Jedi Order and later the Empire as a source of kyber crystals. Among its native species are the Kyaddaks, Force sensitive predators.

Cave complex | One of the places where the crystal grow.

Citadel of Rur / Fortress of Garn | Unknown location

A space station that served as headquarters of the Ordu Aspectu.

Coruscant | Coruscant System | Coruscant Subsector | Corusca Sector | Core Worlds

Capital of the Galactic republic and home of the main temple of the Jedi Order, the planet was the site battles between ancient Jedi and Sith. The Church of the Force was active on the planet for a time.

Coruscant Jedi Temple | A massive ziggurat built over an ancient Sith Shrine, the Coruscant Temple was founded by the Four Masters and held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple. Before the Jedi Order appropriated the site, it had long been considered sacred by local Coruscanti and had drawn Force wielders of numerous traditions (CL : 100).

Coruscant Sith Shrine | Partly destroyed by the Jedi.

Dagobah | Dagobah System | Sluis Sector | Outer Rim Territories

A planet strong with the Force and one of the purest places in the galaxy. Home to Jedi Grandmaster Yoda from the fall of the Jedi Order to his death.

Cave of Evil | A cave strong with the dark side of the Force, situated under a gnarltree. Jedi Grandmaster Yoda and later Luke Skywalker experienced visions in this cave. Due to the mystical nature of the place, its descriptions and depictions cannot be trusted.

Darth Sidious’ Observatories | Unknown locations

Although the only known site is on Jakku, Darth Sidious had established a whole network of observatories. There are described as “laboratories, in a sense, [who] look beyond the galaxy’s margins in different directions. (A:EE : Ch. 35)” All have their own purpose; “some were meant to house ancient Sith artifacts, others designed to host powerful weapon designs (or the weapons themselves), others still meant as prisons harnessing the lifeforces of those captured within for a variety of strange purposes (A:EE : Ch. 35).”

Some functions they shared; all seemingly housed Sith artefacts and a replica of the Imperialis to move them off-site in case of need (A:EE : Ch. 35).

Dathomir | Dathomir System | Quelli Sector | Outer Rim Territories

A world strong with the dark side of the Force, home to the Nightsisters, witches of the mist, who dwelt in stone fortresses, and of the Nightbrothers.

Devaron | Devaron System | Duluur Sector | Colonies

Home to the Jedi Temple of Eedit.

Eedit Jedi Temple | Built on a location strong with the Force and destroyed during the Galactic Civil War. Luke Skywalker visited the Temple’s ruins after having felt called to them (WoaJ).

D’janis IV | Unknown location

Not a confirmed planet or world, but nomenclature points to it. Would be home to teachers and priests believing in the Force (GotW).

Durkteel | Mid Rim

The location of a Phirmist Temple (JtR).

Durkteel Phirmist Temple | A place of worship (JtR). 

Ilum | Ilum System | 7G Sector | Unknown regions

The most sacred world to the Jedi Order and a holy site for centuries, Ilum was home to an ancient Jedi Temple built at the entrance of the Crystal Caves, once used by the Jedi Order and later the Empire as a source of kyber crystals..

Ilum Jedi Temple | Built at the entrance of the Crystal Caves and accessible only to Force users. Decorated with dark/light symbols of the light type and markings in the Mortis geometric style.

Crystal Caves | A cave complex in which kyber crystals grow, long-used by the Jedi Order for their rite of passage of The Gathering.

Isde Naha | Greater Javin Region | Western Reaches | Outer Rim Territories

Homeworld of the Clan of the Toribota (RO:UVG)

Jakku | Jakku System | Western Reaches | Inner Rim

A remote desert world where Darth Sidious established one of his Observatories. Members of the Church of the Force later lived in a village there , and the planet had its own local anchorite tradition.

Plaintive Hand Plateau | A holy site believed to have been home to the Consacred Eremite by the local anchorites. Believed to be significant by Darth Sidious.

Jakku Observatory | An underground facility built between 30 and 20 BBY under the Plaintive Hand Plateau under Darth Sidious’ orders, one in a network of such Observatories. This one contained Sith artefacts, a replica of the Imperialis yacht, and ancient computer systems charting a route to the depths of the Unknown Regions, where, Darth Sidious believed “something waited for him out there—some origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance (A:EE : Ch. 35).” It also housed a hole drilled in the mantle of the planet, part of the Contingency.

Tuanul | A village sacred to members of the Church of the Force. Explorer Lor San Tekka dwelt there for a number of years.

Jedha | Jedha System | Freestanding Subsectors | Terrabe Sector | Mid Rim 

The location of Jedha’s Holy City and its temples, first among which was the temple of the Kyber of the Guardians and Disciples of the Whills. A multidenominational pilgrimage site and a source of kyber crystals. Held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).

Holy City of Jedha | NiJedha | Jedha City | A walled city built in a meteor crater that formed a mesa. Many faiths built temples in the city.

Temple of the Kyber | Temple of the Whills | A triangular, towering structure. The Temple of the Disciples and Guardians of the Whills, also held sacred by the Church of the Force.

Catacombs of Caldera | Once a monastery and “the final resting place for adherents of an unknown faith.” Used by the Church of the Contained Crescent for a time. Destroyed during the Galactic Civil War.

Kyber mines | Where Jedha’s kyber crystals grew and were extracted.

Kuat | Kuat System | Kuat Sector | Core Worlds

Probable homeworld of the Zealots of Psusan (RO:UVG : 68)

Lew’el | Unknown location

A remote planet where people, at least some of which are Force users or sensitives, believe in the Tide, “the always-present, ever-powerful web that connected everything and everyone (LLS : Fishing in the Deluge)”. Stories are told of the Lew’elan’s magic, leading Luke Skywalker to the planet, where he learned a bit of their way.

Lira San | Wild Space

Prophesized to be found again, hidden behind an energy anomaly and only accessible through an ancient ritual, Lira San is the forgotten homeworld of the Lasat, believers in the Ashla and the Bogan.  

Lorrd | Lord System | Kanz Sector | Outer Rim Territories (Legends location)

Probable homeworld of the Brotherhood of the Beatific Countenance (RO:UVG).

Lothal | Lothal System | Lothal Sector | Outer Rim Territories

Home to an ancient Jedi Temple and a source of kyber crystal, who grow in the planet’s crust.   

Lothal Jedi Temple | Built into a hollowed stone spire and hidden under the ground, it could only be accessed by using the Force. The outside displayed a dark/light symbol of the light type and it was decorated with markings in the Old Tongue style and parietal art depicting lothwolves.

Malachor | Outer Rim Territories

A planet home to a Sith Temple and the site of an ancient battle between Jedi and Sith that ended in the destruction of all combatants, an event known as the Great Scourge of Malachor.

Malachor Sith temple | A pyramidal temple, decorated with markings in the Old Tongue style. Contained a weapon powered by a giant kyber crystal that caused the Great Scourge of Malachor. Destroyed during the Galactic Civil War.

Moraband / Korriban | Outer Rim Territories

An ancient homeworld of the Sith Order, Moraband was the site of devastating wars.

Valley of the Dark Lord | “A corridor of ancient monuments that serve as crypts for the Dark Lords of millennia past.”

Moraband Sith Temple | Largest monument in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Houses the sarcophagus of Darth Bane’s, founder of the Rule of Two, and the entrance to an execution chamber dedicated to the sacrifice of Jedi prisoners.

Mortis

A place beyond the physical realm and the reach of time, “a world seemingly fashioned from the Force itself (GA),” existing inside a black monolith, and inhabited by the Force Wielders Trinity, “god-like beings [...] locked in an eternal struggle for dominance, which made Mortis the fulcrum of the entire galaxy and the Force.” Cannot be found on maps or reached by conventional means.

Altar of Mortis | An underground chamber containing the Dagger of Mortis.

Mortis Monastery | A pyramidal stone building, decorated with dark/light symbols with the two types represented and markings in the Mortis geometric style.

Mortis Tower | An Orthanc-like building.

Mustafar | Mustafar System | Atravis Sector | Outer Rim

A locus for the dark side of the Force, occupied by the ancient and modern Sith.

Darth Vader’s Castle | An obsidian tower,dividing in the middle to resemble tuning forks, designed to channel the power of the dark side and built above an ancient Sith Cave.

Mustafar Sith Cave | A cave strong with dark side energy, in which Darth Vader bled his kyber crystal and where he would have a castle built.

Mustafar Sith Temple | Known by Darth Sidious (CL).

Ninn | Ninn System | Corporate Sector | Outer Rim (Legends location)

Probable homeworld of the Ninn Orthodoxy (RO:UVG : 68)

Ossus | Outer Rim

Held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple, it was home to the Great Jedi Library (CL : 100).

Great Jedi Library | A Jedi Temple, destroyed some time before the Clone Wars (CL : 100).

Roalj Temple | Unknown location

Probably a Phirmist Temple, probably in Jedha (RO:UVG : 76)

Ruusan | Ruusan System | Mid Rim

The site of a critical battle between the ancient Jedi and Sith.

Takodana | Tashtor Sector |  Western Reaches | Mid Rim

The site of a battle between the ancient Jedi and Sith.

Tython | Deep Core

A world shrouded in myth, held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).

Utapau | Utapau System | Tarabba Sector | Outer Rim

Known for a giant kyber crystal, possession of which was disputed between the Jedi Order and the Confederacy of Independant Systems during the Clone Wars.

Vrogas Vas | Unknown location

A barren planet, home to a Jedi Temple.

Vrogas Vas Jedi Temple | Reduced to ruins some time before c. 0 ABY. Luke Skywalker visited the Temple’s ruins.

Yavin 4  | Yavin System | Gordian Reach | Outer Rim

Ancient homeworld of the Massassi, enslaved by the ancient Sith.

Great Massassi Temple | Although its purpose and history remain mysterious, the building houses a mechanism that would lead rogue archaeologist Dr Aphra to the Fortress of Garn during the Galactic Civil War.

Wellspring of the Force / Force Planet 

A mystical world beyond the physical realm, existing inside a hollowed planet, “the foundation of life itself,” and “the birthplace of the midi-chlorians.” Cannot be found on maps or reached by conventional means.

Zardossa Styx | Unknown location

A desert moon where the Frangawl Clan established itself.

Zardossa Stix Pyramid | A stone ziggurat serving as a temple to Malmourral, and a site of sacrifice.

Abbreviations

A:EE Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End

CL Star Wars: Complete Locations

GA Star Wars: Galactic Atlas

GotW Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills

JtR Star Wars: Join the Resistance

LLS Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker

RON Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Novelization

RO:UVG Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The Ultimate Visual Guide

WoaJ Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure

A few notes

Ahch-To’s location curtesy of u/MasterCalari via r/StarWarsReference 

I did not reference general attested belief in the Force because 1) i would probably cover that map with dots and 2) that’s just loads of work tbh. Hope to do it at some point tho.

I did not reference Nexus of Power material, because it’s semi canonical at best. 

I did not reference the various religious traditions not linked (yet?) linked to the Force in one way or another either because this makes for a long enough list. Maybe later.

I did not reference the Netherworld of the World or Mist-Beyond or whatever you want to call it because as far as i’m concerned it’s not an actual place, not even of the Mortis/Force Planet kind. 

There’s a lot of Force traditions not accounted for here, but that’s because they’re only tied to Jedha and even then as pilgrims.

The sourcing is half-assed because I Am Lazy. Maybe later.

2. Observations (post here)

[sethnakht]

RUR [to Vader]: You are not Sith. I would know it. I am the last of the Ordu Aspectu! I am Jedi!

VADER: Nothing stirs inside you. All I sense is abomination.

RUR: One of us is mistaken.

{doctor aphra #13}

[nzvalley]

I was very intrigued by this panel.  Aphra’s line “...you’re basically a nearly bursting balloon of ‘the-Force-loves-me-the Force-loves-me’!” made me wonder if she is unknowingly Force-sensitive.  It seems like she’s attuned to how the Force feels about Luke AND is visualizing her awareness of Luke’s Force presence.  Idk, maybe this was a completely innocuous line, but her being Force-sensitive would be an awesome revelation. 

It would bring up a lot of other questions too.  Chiefly, did Vader know?  There’s precedent, with Leia, of Vader being blind to the Force sensitivity of others, but if he did know it would put a lot of their interactions in a new light.  She is already frequently associated with Jedi lore and imagery, from the Ordu Aspectu to wielding a lightsaber, and she has an innate knack for surviving even the most dangerous situations.  Throw in her mechanical genius, and I’m officially on board.

[marythegizka]

Bodyswap AU - Part 8 (here are the links to: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7)

The Ark Angel took off and dashed over the valley, piercing through clouds of ash as it made its way up. Aphra punched the coordinates into the computer. In a matter of hours, she would be home. A mental scoff followed. 'Home'. It wasn't home, really. Never had been. Just a bed and a roof. And if there was one thing she hadn't planned on doing with Vader, it was bringing him along to pay her father a visit. But there was little choice in the matter. Aphra sighed, a slightly louder wheeze, casting Vader a brief glance. Maybe she should give him a heads up, just in case. Or maybe not. It had been such a long time since she'd last seen her father, he would hardly notice the change. She'd blame suspicious behavior on 'the booze'. At least that he would believe, with all the credit he gave her. All they had to do was show up and mention the Ordu Aspectu, and he'd just roll with it. Things would be fine. Probably.

She turned towards Vader, then towards Ahsoka, and towards Vader again. None of them had spoken since they had taken off. The hyperdrive whirred and hummed, filling the gaps between her breaths, and a sense of discomfort hung around like stale air, making her throat clench a bit. Subtle wafts of emotions flowed her way, spikes of anger and dips of guilt, surges of hope followed by dread. Although she knew they came from them, she couldn't pinpoint which was whose. It was like bathing in feeling-soup. She didn't like it.

Ahsoka made an attempt to break the silence.

"So... do you intend to spend the whole trip pouting?"

Vader didn't bat an eye.

"Why not."

Oh, Aphra fully believed that. Vader had never struck her as the most cheerful person to be around, and she'd gotten used to his 'moods', as Triple-Zero called them. Even so, the atmosphere was a little tense for her taste.

"Hey, not that this is any of my business," she said, "but why all the drama? I'm... picking up bad vibes. Literally. I think."

"I do not routinely engage in conversation with traitors." Vader snapped. "Forgive my lack of practice in the matter."

"Traitors?!" the girl blurted out. "You tried to murder me but go off I guess."

"That makes two of us."

Ahsoka fell silent, and the air grew heavier. Her eyes were glistening, Aphra noticed. She shifted in her seat, unsure of what to say.

"Oookay... How about music then? I have Jatz, Quenk Jazz, some old Rodian Rock... any preference? "

Her hand hovered over the dashboard, waiting for an answer she half-suspected wouldn't come. It didn't. She sighed, and pressed "on". An engaging Zeltron dancer began jiggling over the holo-player, casting the camera sultry looks. Vader gave her a side look.

"Stop judging," she said, opening the food-safe.

"I'm not judging."

"Right," she said, handing him a can of cheap blue mappa. He eyed it with suspicion.

"You won't get drunk on that," she reassured. "Trust me, you've got training."

He grabbed the can, took a sip and coughed. Oh dear. And after all those years on vitapaste he wouldn't call himself picky.

"I will pass."

"Snob."

"What?" He knew what she had said - the vocoder was more suited to barking orders than mumbling - but the word took him by surprise. He wasn't snobbish, really. Just... direct.

"Nothing," she said, turning towards Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, would you like a drink? You look beat."

The girl snapped out of her stupor and looked at them numbly, her eyes moist with silent tears.

"I'm fine," she said feebly. "Thank you."

There was a time he would have attempted to comfort her. Now she was a traitor. She could have joined him, become an inquisitor, a Sith apprentice maybe. She chose the Rebellion. Perhaps it was a good thing then, that this time was long gone. His throat clenched. Perhaps.

Aphra shrugged.

"Hm. Well if you change your mind... you know where the hooch is. There's food too."

Ahsoka tried to smile.

"How about you?"

"I uh... I just drank weird stuff from a straw. I'm good. Sort of good."

Vader snorted. Weird stuff from a straw. That was one way to put it.

The music switched to dissonant Leap-jump.

"They used to play this at Dexe's", Ahsoka said.

"Dex. It's called Dex."

Ahsoka sat upright, pointing her chin up.

"Dex. It's called Dex," she parroted.

"Quit it, Snips."

This time, Ahsoka actually smiled.

"You just called me Snips."

"I thought you hated it, Snips."

"Not anymore, Skyguy."

"Don't. Call me. Skyguy."

"Or what?"

"Permission to intervene, Masters?" Triple-Zero chimed in.

"Denied," came their joint reply.

The droid left the cockpit.

"No Beetee, this doesn't look promising. Humans these days."

Aphra looked at the navicomputer. Two hours left. And the ambient tension lingered.

"By the way Ahsoka, why don't you grab some sleep? You look exhausted. My bunk is..." she paused, remembering the girl's confusion upon finding them there. "You know where it is. Make yourself at home."

"You're right. I am exhausted."

Ahsoka stood up.

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head slightly before leaving the room.

The tension eased a little. Now Aphra had two whole hours to ruminate about her boss meeting her dad. And the longer she dwelt on it, the more the thought worried her.

Ahsoka jerked awake as he ship hit the ground, bouncing like a spring on its landing gear. She had feared the nightmares, but her sleep turned out dreamless. Yet she remained exhausted. But she had been prepared. Her last encounter with Anakin had left scars on both of them, and as much as she hoped, as desperate as she was for another glimpse of that faint flicker of light, she knew nothing would ever be the same. And it hurt. Malachor had hurt them. And it had changed her. With nothing but Sith artifacts to engineer her escape, she had delved into their secrets, tapped into their power... and made it hers. She had found it, in the end, her one and only way out: one last portal through the Force. She had found it, used it, destroyed it. But for that to happen... A sob escaped her. She had to. It wasn't really falling if you didn't lose it, right? Not if you could claw your back to the Light. It couldn't be. It mustn't be. And now that she was free, she would help Anakin break out. She had to. For the Rebellion. And for her friend.

Aphra leaned back in her seat, not quite succeeding to stretch in the cramped space, and switched the engines off. A red light remained on at the bottom of the dashboard, signalling a leak in the secondary fuel tank. Aphra stood up.

"See? This ship is a keeper. Told you the leak wasn't that big. We still have quite a bit," she said pointing at the fuel gauge. "I'll check it up in a minute."

Vader shook his head. Her faith in that piece of junk would be the death of her. She stood there and stared at him, hands firmly planted on her hips. She must have picked up on his exasperation.

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"What you've just been thinking," she said.

Vader gave her a wry look.

"Doctor, what makes you think you're allowed in my head?"

In truth, it was unlikely she had sensed a clear, fully-formed thought. The occurrence was rare, even for him. A general feeling of aggravation? Definitely. But thoughts were another matter. A delicate matter, one that required control.

"I didn't..." She paused. "You can read thoughts?" she asked, which such incredulity Vader could almost hear her popping round eyes at him.

"It's not that easy."

And it was lucky, really. He remembered one time, walking through a busy street, when the minds of passers-by had suddenly become as clear as pure water. It had felt like an assault. "If I don't pay Black Sun..." - "Senator Mothma said..." - "So if that's ten credits..." - "Who's that?" - "Monster" - "Freak" - "Don't come near"... The incident had barely lasted a minute, and had left him exhausted, his blood pulsing in his hears, physically struggling not to slash through the crowd. He'd stood there paralyzed, feeling like a proton torpedo ready to explode. "Are you alright, sir?" "Get away from me!" He hadn't told his master. There was no point.

"Is that a challenge?" Aphra asked.

"No," he snapped, pointing a finger at her. "Do not try it."

Vader heard steps behind him.

"Hi!" came Ahsoka's voice.

Aphra greeted her with her usual enthusiasm.

"Good morning," he said reluctantly. "Why don't you join Doctor Aphra? She's got a leak to fix."

"It's no big deal, really, I can do that on my own."

Vader shot her an icy look.

"On second thought, maybe I could use a hand. After that we'll go meet my... contact."

"Sure."

Ahsoka followed her into the engine room.

"You don't really need a hand do you?"

"Nope. I've got two," she said, wiggling both arms. "Kidding. Really."

Ahsoka shook her head.

"Would I be wrong to assume he's always like that?"

Aphra chuckled, lifting a panel behind the tank. There was a thin drip on the side on the container, but that was nothing she couldn't manage.

"What did you expect?"

"Honestly? I don't know. A lightsaber in the heart was always a possibility."

Aphra nodded.

"I know the feeling."

Ahsoka gave her a wan smile.

"Yet you're staying."

"Yes." Aphra bit her tongue. Things were getting awkward. "Right. There's a plasma welder right under your left foot."

Ahsoka handed it to her.

"Thanks. Aaaand there we go," she said, sealing the breach. "Easy. Now if you could keep an eye on the kids?"

"Kids?"

"Droids. Just in case. We'll be back in a bit."

"Okay but..."

Aphra waved a hand.

"You'll do great!"

She could still feel Ahsoka's stupefied look as she left the engine room, heading straight for the cockpit.

"There, patched it", she said.

"Then let us not delay."

Vader followed her outside.

They had landed at the foot of a grassy, stony hillock, the top of which was crowned by a small, hive-shaped mud house.

"Is this where your contact lives?"

"Yes, but he..."

Before she could finish, Vader was leaping up the dirt stairs. There was no point in delaying. The door had been left ajar. He knocked and pushed it.

"Hello?"

The place was, to put it simply, an absolute junkyard. Stone tablets lay scattered all over the clay floor, amidst heaps of old books and worn-out artifacts - there was even a kyber on top of the fireplace. The stew that simmered over the hearth gave off a musty smell, like the underside of a sun-beaten evaporator. At the center of the room, half-hidden by a pile of books, an oldish man was bending over a manuscript, mumbling in... was that Proto-Basic?

The man hardly noticed him. Vader stepped inside.

"Sir, we have need of you."

The man looked up from his work, his eyes popping round.

"Sir?"

"What else should I address you as?"

The man flinched as Aphra entered the room as well. His mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

Aphra sighed, pinching the nose of her mask.

"Oh kriff... try 'Dad'."

>Part 9