#sith!luke

[tatooineknights]

Luke. You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.

[beskarfrog]

prince and princess of the empire

or luke shows grogu how to file his claws so he doesn't poke anyone

and din tries to get rey to go to sleep while luke is off planet (she gets cranky when she can't feel his force signature)

[dankmyfarrik]

Eternal Sunshine | Chapter 8: Happy Is The Blameless

7/21/24 at 5:30pm EST

Summary: An alternate universe where the only thing that happens differently is… well, the Emperor wins. And Luke wakes up with a mysterious scar on his temple.

Read it here: Tumblr | AO3

[dalekofchaos]

Context

Hux. Short version, Hux reveals Kylo killing Snoke to the FIrst Order leadership. Hux ousts Ben and becomes Supreme Leader. Now Hux plans to exterminate The Jedi, force sensitives everywhere and lead to the death of the force. Long version read here.

Kylo as the villain. Adam Driver said the plan was never to redeem Ben Solo, that was a late change to appease everyone. So my big pitch for Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. To me Kylo Ren is what Vader could’ve been had he reached his full potential. A Vader who was never wounded on Mustafar, a Vader who killed a close family member and his master. He is the villain they were looking for, but no they had to course correct.As for what his motivation could be, exactly what he said. Finish what Vader started. Destroy the Light and reign over the galaxy as Supreme Leader. Long version. Other look at Kylo as the villain

Snoke's essence transferred into Kylo Ren the moment he killed Snoke.

Darth Plagueis was a powerful Sith Lord who could influence the midichlorians to create life and also save others from dying. He taught everything he knew to his apprentice, Sheev Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious), but he eventually lost his power and young Palpatine killed him in his sleep. How could Plagueis not foresee his own demise at the hands of his ambitious apprentice? Why did Plagueis suddenly “lose his power”? The truth is, he didn’t lose his power and he knew Sidious planned to kill him. It was part of the plan. By dying, I believe Darth Plagueis was able to transmit himself into Sheev and assume control of his body, almost like an infectious disease. Ever notice his name? Darth Plagueis. Plague, as in an infectious disease. Darth Plagueis unlocked the secret to immortality by moving from one body to the next, continuing his lifespan through multiple hosts over countless years. Ever wonder why Palpatine was so obsessed with training a powerful young apprentice? Surely he knew that one day the apprentice would want to overthrow him, so why train his own murderer? In Return of the Jedi, Emperor Palpatine continually provokes Luke to strike him down. Why would Palpatine want to be killed if the goal is longevity? Because Emperor Palpatine was assumed by Darth Plagueis and, through his death, he would then be able to transmit himself into a new host body. He wasn’t just looking for an apprentice, he was looking for a new body since Palpatine’s body was growing old. Luke Skywalker was meant to be the next host body for Darth Plagueis. But unfortunately for Plagueis, Darth Vader had a change of heart and defeated the Emperor. Snoke was Plagueis. It’s the only way to make things work. StarWars.com describes Snoke as a seeker of arcane and ancient lore, and the Last Jedi Visual Dictionary shows that he is a collector of rare memorabilia. At some point, Snoke must have found the wreckage of the Death Star on the forest moon Endor, and was infected by Darth Plagueis when he came upon the corpse of Palpatine. Did you ever wonder why Snoke thought it was so important to complete Kylo Ren’s training? It’s because Snoke was Darth Plagueis and he was training his next host body. Plagueis didn’t have a choice but to infect a really old political influencer like Snoke. Kylo was being groomed to become the next host body. Remember the infamous scene in The Last Jedi where Snoke is “predicting” how Kylo Ren will kill Rey? Wasn’t it a little too obvious? Wouldn’t Snoke have been able to foresee Kylo’s treachery? See through his conflict? It’s because he wasn’t predicting Rey’s death, he predicted his own. He knew Kylo would kill him. He deliberately bullied and provoked Kylo in order to stir his anger into hatred to further fuel his dark side and lead him to completing his training.

So Darth Plagueis goal would be to transfer his essence into Rey and in failing in that. He will drain the life force from the Dyad to satiate his own life force.

Thrawn. Cardinal West's Sequel Trilogy rewrite has the best take of Thrawn as the villain

Rae Sloane.

Rae Sloane founded The First Order! Sloane was loyal to the Empire, so much so, rather than allowing it to cease to exist, she recruited other loyalists and they fled to the Unknown Territories beyond Jakku. She founded the First Order. Together with Hux, she could usurp control of the First Order and become Supreme Leader, which would start a civil war, those loyal to Sloane and those loyal to Kylo. We can have someone who could be a great antagonist to Leia. The founder of The First Order and the mother of the Resistance. What makes Rae a compelling character is the fact that she believes what the Empire is doing is right. In her eyes, the Empire is doing the right thing, purging lawlessness from a galaxy overrun by bureaucrats that care little for the common people. She’s wrong, but like great villains before her, audiences can see where she’s coming from even if they don’t agree with it. Throughout her many appearances in the supplemental Star Wars narratives, she is constantly pushing for the Empire to be “just.” When things start to fall apart after the Battle of Endor, Rae struggles to keep the remnants of the fleet playing by the unspoken rules of warfare and is frustrated to see the Empire careen into backstabbing and incompetence. You can see Rae’s influence in the First Order with its strict hierarchy and minute by-the-books stringency that makes Palpatine’s Empire look positively laissez-faire by comparison. Supreme Leader Rae Sloane would make The First Order a force to be reckoned with and what better way to end it than with the First Order’s founder?

The Grysks.

The Grysks were introduced in the new canon novel Thrawn:Alliances. They are what brings Thrawn to the Empire in hopes of co-existing to fight this threat in the Unknown Regions. Grysks are a species living somewhere in the Unknown Regions. Creatures half of myth, whom few have ever seen. It is said that they are nomads, with no fixed home, traveling in spacecraft so numerous they blot out the stars. They are said to be terrifying warriors, overwhelming their opponents by sheer numbers and ferocity. The fact that these intergalactic conquerors are not the main threat in the Sequel Trilogy is baffling. You could’ve had Ben Solo sense they were coming during his Jedi days and made the ultimate sacrifice to become Kylo Ren and join The First Order because he knew the New Republic was not ready to face such a threat. It wouldn’t make what he was doing the entire trilogy right, but it would make explain why he turned and what his motivations are.

I don't really have a explanation for Qi'Ra, but she was trained by Maul, took over the Crimson Dawn and you don't waste Emilia Clarke on one movie that never continued. So Qi'Ra as the villain could've worked.

A Mandalorian invasion lead by Fett writes itself.

I know it's technically Palpatine, but it works better because we don't stupidly retcon Anakin's sacrifice. This was planned, but the idiots that be decided it would be better if Ian played him. So instead this is the perfected clone. The Clone Wars were a test for Palpatine to perfect cloning. Throughout the reign as Emperor, he tinkered with cloning force sensitives, created a lot of failures(Snoke) but prior to Endor, he perfected it and kept it as a fail safe should he die. And after Kylo Ren killed Snoke, he awakened. Palpatine reborn. The movie opens at the end of the war. Finn successfully consurs up a Stormtrooper Rebellion and all the FO officers are executed, Hux is captured and Rey beats Kylo Ren for the umpteenth time. The First Order are on their last legs. Until a message is delivered to the galaxy.

“People of the galaxy. Your Emperor has returned after thirty long, lawless years. To the Sith and the Jedi; follow the Holocrons. We have much work to do. Those who remained loyal to me shall be rewarded. For those who relished in my demise, who celebrated what they thought the end of the Empire and believed their treachery had won them the galaxy…only death and suffering await. The great error shall be corrected. The day of victory is at hand. The restoration of the Empire! The Final Order! The Day of the Sith!”

And it's a race. Rey and the Resistance hoping to stop The Emperor, while Kylo Ren is hoping to kill Palpatine, obtain the power of the Sith Eternal and an infinite fleet that will win the galaxy, but in the end, Rey and Kylo are forced to work together. Matt Smith as Palpatine could've fixed the movie

The final contingency of the Emperor. Cloning Luke Skywalker. Palpatine had foreseen either Luke will kill him and Vader or Vader will betray him. So Palpatine orders that Luke's hand be brought to him. Luke is cloned, but imperfectly. He is just a husk of power, so Palpatine has the greatest minds of the Empire indoctrinate this malleable clone to being the heir and the eventual savior of the Empire. This clone. Let's refer to him as Luuke. Luuke learned everything there was from Palpatine. His Machiavellian cunning mechanisms. Mastery over the dark side and fully believed in his master's will and plans for him.

Luuke foresaw that there would be problems if he revealed himself. SO he created a puppet, Snoke. Through Snoke, he turned Kylo Ren to the dark side and puppeteered The First Order. Masterminding everything from the shadows and after Snoke and the real Luke Skywalker's deaths, it was time to reveal himself.

Luuke's motivations are to bring Kylo Ren to heel or cast him aside, turn Rey to the dark side or kill her and rule the galaxy as his master intended for him. This dark side Luke would unite both Rey and Ben against him and would give Mark Hamill the opportunity to play a dark side Luke Skywalker.

[lil-dormouse]

🔊

it's been almost a year since I did my first render in Unreal Engine (and almost 3.5 years since I started my 3d journey) so I decided to sum up everything dinluke related lol

[kalak]

A sith luke would be.. apathetic, in my mind. Something about the opposite of love not being hate but being apathy, that applies to luke. He's nice and polite but he doesn't rage, he doesn't get annoyed, he doesn't blink an eye, there's just nothing there.

At the same time the reason for his fall is because he believes that it's for the greater good. Only way I can rationalize luke falling - it's to protect his father, or his sister, or his friends. To save the galaxy. He doesn't become sociopathic, it's more in line with like, I'm sorry that I have to do this to you but it's for a better future. His tunnel vision of 'his way is the best way' becomes such a mantra that evil becomes nothing to him.

Also - the dark side would love luke. Let me explain - With the light side, you embrace the calmness it offers you, you meditate, you accept your emotions to set it free; with the dark side it's the same but instead of letting it go, the dark feeds the emotions off of you. You aren't dispelling it healthily, you're just letting it eat you until it becomes a parasite.

So when light siders first embrace the dark side, the way they do it destroys them in some way, because the dark isn't as forgiving as the light. You can't just completely let it in without getting devoured, so you come out of it broken in some way.

But with Luke it's different. Every time Luke's emotions run high, the dark side tries to latch on, and once he falls completely the dark side finally feeds on him and luke is left bereft, except.. he's not.

Luke does treat the dark the same way he does the light, but he's not being devoured, he's not being broken, it's like he's just dancing casually with it, fully embracing it - letting the dark lead.

If an average force sensitive did that, they'd get devoured fully. But luke doesn't, because he's that powerful. Because the main thing is, luke doesn't fear the dark side - if you fear it and show your tail, you'll become prey, but Luke just lets it wash over him, feeding on him to the full, so the dark side decides not to break him. Not entirely.

[cibdraws]

Like Father, Like Son

_

recolor and slight redraw of linked post

[vanishedangels]

Interview with the sith

Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7

Dedicated to @lil-dormouse and @iamscoby Thank you for inspiring me and being so supportive. This chapter is for you, guys.

Talented @lil-dormouse made a breathtaking sith!luke 3D animated video, I'm so honoured to be part of your amazing art, thank you for sharing it with us. Thank you, bestie.

Summary: Darth Zoon, former Jedi and rebellion hero Luke Skywalker, spends his days at his Emperor’s service and struggling to cope with his new Sith’s life. His struggle aggravates after capturing Din Djarin, a mysterious Mandalorian who represents the only obstacle between the Galactic Empire and a little force-sensitive creature.

Pairing: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker

Characters: Luke Skywalker (Darth Zoon), Din Djarin, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Grogu, Leia Organa.

Rating: Explicit (+18)

Warnings: Canon typical violence. Non consensual touching. Emotional distress.

Tags: Canon Divergence AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Enemies To Lovers, Non-consensual Touching, Dubious Consent, Sith Luke Skywalker, Mand'alor Din Djarin, Protective Father Din Djarin, Dom Luke Skywalker, Sub Din Djarin, Top Luke Skywalker, Bottom Din Djarin, Possessive Behaviour, Self Loathing, Inappropriate Use Of The Force, Clothed Sex, Frottage, Oral Sex, Hand Jobs, Anal Sex.

Chapters: 7/7

Navigation: <- Previous Chapter •

Then he looked up meeting the mandalorian's visor, with those half blue and half golden eyes, a reminder that he wasn't, indeed, a Sith Lord anymore in the strict sense of the word. He squinted considering that this was a gift, something Din Djarin gave him without even knowing it, something that Luke Skywalker accepted and now he was halfway, trapped between the light and the darkness. Maybe forever.

Chapter 7: Aurora

His mind swirled around his old Master's words while he was putting the handcuffs around the mandalorian's wrists.

"Through the force things you will see. Other places. The future. The past." Yoda's wise words coming from the past to haunt him. Another crossroad, another desperate attempt to save Leia's life, and by extension, this time, Din Djarin's son as well.

He frowned thinking back to the last time he let visions guide him and the way he failed. He stared at his gloved hand absentmindedly brushing the mandalorian's knuckles with his fingers. He made a reckless decision back then, but he was a young inexperienced Jedi's apprentice, now he was a Sith Lord, full of rage and ready to kill the Emperor to protect the child and his twin sister, and more important, he was ready to die in order to achieve that.

Then he looked up meeting the mandalorian's visor, with those half blue and half golden eyes, a reminder that he wasn't, indeed, a Sith Lord anymore in the strict sense of the word. He squinted considering that this was a gift, something Din Djarin gave him without even knowing it, something that Luke Skywalker accepted and now he was halfway, trapped between the light and the darkness. Maybe forever.

"Do as I say." Darth Zoon arched one brow staring at the mandalorian's visor "Now follow me." He said and then he turned around, the man in beskar complied, walking behind him.

The Sith walked down the corridors with a confident gait as his cape floated behind his form, Commander Sulter walked into him, the man raised his eyebrows surprised "My Lord, you left your chamber." He absentmindedly pointed out but before the Commander could even regret his own words, Zoon held a hand up at him, curling it into a fist and twisting his wrist, breaking the man's neck. He looked at the mandalorian over his shoulder and kept walking. By the time Darth Zoon and the mandalorian got inside the Lambda-class shuttle's cockpit they were the only two people alive in the base.

"That wasn't smart." The mandalorian said under his breath sitting on the copilot seat. Luke pursed his lips staring at him sideways, moving his fingers in the air and the handcuffs around Din's wrists fell open.

"That was unavoidable. They were instructed to escort me, no exceptions, always." He explained starting the ship "If we want to save your child, this is our only chance." My only chance.

~

Darth Zoon was standing before The emperor, his arms folded behind his body, staring at him tilting his chin up, waiting. He narrowed his eyes under his hood, carefully hiding the feature that would give his secret away, the eyes were the window to the soul and Zoon's soul was now bathed in light, and his eyes were a proof of that, his once golden eyes now caressed by the crystalline blue of his true nature, the eyes of Luke Skywalker.

"I brought you a prisoner, my Master." Zoon put a hand on Din's pauldron forcing him to kneel before The emperor "This mandalorian will lead us to the little force-user creature, he is his guardian."

The emperor dug his fingers into the armrests of his throne "You came here with your hands empty, Darth Zoon." Luke frowned "You brought this useless mandalorian with you, all by yourself and you couldn't even get any information out of him." His Master said, he looked up, his hood revealing a scowl on his pale face "You've failed, Lord Zoon." He added making Luke clench his jaw.

"But you will complete your quest." He raised his voice "Come. Stand beside me."

He blinked considering the emperor's command and then he closed the distance between them, he came to a halt right beside the throne, resting his left hand on the backrest, his piercing half blue eyes on the mandalorian, the man was still on his knees and Luke could sense the way he was locking eyes with Luke behind his visor and he felt the irrepressible urge to protect him from Darth Sidious, his Master, his emperor and the man that corrupted his soul to the core the day his father died. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice, he couldn't save his father then but Din, he knew he would give his life to save Din this time.

The sound of doors sliding open brought him out of his thoughts, he squinted looking behind the mandalorian's form only to find a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his days. Two guards all dressed in red were pushing his twin sister towards the throne.

"Leia." Her name falling from his lips, faintly. His heart skipped a beat as her eyes met his face. He pressed his fingers against the backrest, holding his breath.

The mandalorian was breathing heavily as the princess and rebel leader walked pass him.

His twin sister was handcuffed, her round face flushed out of anger contrasting the black of her outfit, so different to the Leia he once knew.

"You must face Luke Skywalker's past, Darth Zoon." The emperor said standing up slowly "Face his past and you will realize that you're not worthy of your Sith name." Luke's lips parted. "Guards. Leave." The emperor added and soon, the four of them were alone inside the throne room.

"Organa, this is the man that betrayed you." The emperor addressed Leia and Luke looked at him as confusion crossed his features "This is the man that chose to leave you and your people behind." He walked around her in circles while she was staring at her twin brother. "Your own blood." He chuckled softly "The one that share the same womb with you. This man right there killed your friends in cold blood."

Luke took two steps forward "No." He said through gritted teeth.

"Yes." The emperor turned his head to look at him "You were promising once, but look at you now. You think that you can hide your eyes from me under that dark hood? You're weak Darth Zoon, you're nothing like your own father." He looked at Leia again "But this one, this one is as strong as him and she deserves her revenge."

Leia kept staring at Luke without making a move, without making a sound.

The emperor waved his hand in the air opening Leia's handcuffs "When you were suffering, hiding underground and crying your friends, this man was enjoying the luxuries of being their killer. You deserve your revenge, young Organa." He put her lightsaber in her hand "Honour your father."

Leia seized the lightsaber not taking her eyes off her twin brother, Luke pulled down his hood slowly revealing his face, pale and exhausted "I'm sorry Leia." He said with sadness in his eyes.

"Don't listen to him, he's a failure." The old man said in her ear "He threw away the gift that is the power of the dark side, but not you, fierce princess, the force is strong with you, give yourself to the dark side."

Luke was conflicted, deep down he wished his sister would take him out of his misery, since his heart was full of regret and he was convinced that he deserved his punishment, but if Leia succumbed to her hate and destroyed him that would only mean one thing, she would become the new emperor's apprentice.

The tension between them could have been cut with a knife, and the tension became desperation when Din Djarin rose to his feet freeing himself from the cuffs and with a swift move he drew his blaster out pointing at the emperor.

"No!" Luke yelled as the emperor took the blaster from his hand using the force before the mandalorian could even shoot, a grotesque laugh coming from him as he started force-chocking the man in beskar.

"Luke!" Leia called for him but the blonde Sith was frozen, paralyzed staring at the scene unfolding before his half blue and half golden eyes. She ignited her lightsaber but The emperor raised his free hand and the lightsaber flew to him. The Jedi pressed her lips together and made a move with her arm and the emperor was thrown away, his body hitting a wall before rolling down the stairs.

She ran towards Din and the man was coughing leaning on her "Where's the kid, Organa?"

"He's safe, he's not here, I came here alone to end this, The emperor never wanted Grogu, he wanted me, he always knew that I rescued Grogu from Gideon." She frowned staring at his visor "I'm sorry, you and the child got involved in this because of me and because of my bro-" She looked around "Where's my brother?"

The mandalorian turned around but the young Sith, Luke, was nowhere in sight.

~

The blonde followed The emperor to a lower level, his eyes fixed on his Master, he narrowed his eyes while the man laughed at him. Luke prowled closing the distance between them.

"You think you can face me, my apprentice?" He asked mockingly.

"You won't turn my sister like you turned me, I won't let you." Zoon stated curling his hand around his lightsaber hanging from his belt.

The emperor tilted his head, a lopsided grin appearing on his face "Oh. You sound just like your father." Luke frowned "I still can remember his last words before he died." The emperor laughed again "You won't turn my son like you turned me."

Something unpleasant squirmed in Luke's gut and his heart was thudding heavily as his blood boiled inside his veins "What?" He managed to ask.

"In the end, your father showed he was as weak as you." Luke shook his head not breaking eye contact with him. "Yes." The emperor grinned "He tried to save you and I killed him."

Tears started shimmering in Luke's half blue eyes "No." He said under his breath "No." He said louder this time as the sinister laugh of The emperor reverberated throughout the room.

"I do regret that now, you are not half the Sith your father was. But his daughter, what a mighty Sith she will be."

"No!" Luke yelled igniting his lightsaber, the red glowing of his saber bathing his pale face, he leapt forward as The emperor held a hand up and the young Sith froze, The emperor closed his hand into a fist as Luke was tightening the grip around the hilt. The emperor frowned realizing he couldn't take the saber away from Luke.

"Your anger is making you stronger. Yes, let me feel your anger Lord Zoon, even now, when you're facing your ending, let me feel it."

Luke resisted and took a step forward while The emperor laughed endlessly, he kept closing the distance between them and his feet felt as heavy as concrete, but he wouldn't give up, not now. The emperor didn't stop teasing him but he never lowered his guard, when Luke was inches apart from him a scowl crossed The emperor's face, the laugh dying in his lips. Luke looked at him dead in the eye and The emperor looked down frowning only to find that Luke's saber was buried deep inside his chest, he groaned through gritted teeth and pushed Luke back using the force "Die like your father!" He yelled as he raised his hands and Luke could see rays coming from them hitting his whole body.

He fell on his knees "Father." He said under his breath as the most severe pain that he had ever felt was running throughout his bones and muscles "Father." He repeated over and over again until the pain started dwelling somehow, he looked over his shoulder and The emperor was stumbling a little, making him lose focus and the force lightning coming from his hands was now hitting a wall next to Luke, the old man was breathing heavily as he took his hand to Luke's red lightsaber still inside his chest. Luke curled up and then he tried to crawl towards him but the electricity was still running inside his body even when the lighting stopped.

"I am a Jedi." He said between chills and chattering teeth "Like my father before me." He added when he was slowly standing up, as his knees trembled "You've failed your Highness, I've always been a Jedi." He blinked as The emperor looked at his eyes as dread crossed the old man's features.

Luke extinguished his lightsaber still inside him making the old man groan in pain. The blonde was shivering standing there before his Master, the man was fatally injured and Luke wouldn't miss the opportunity. He heard a sound coming from the top of the stairs, he looked up seeing Leia reaching out, her hand so close to him, she was offering him her own weapon. His eyes fixed on his sister's lightsaber, he nodded making the saber fly into his left hand igniting it, her saber was yellow, he frowned remembering the colour of his own eyes while seeing it.

"Die, Skywalker." The emperor said bringing him out of his thoughts as he felt a force pressing around his throat, a ghostly hand choking him slowly, he didn't blink, staring at the man he hated with every fiber of his being, and using his last ounce of strength he crossed the sabers around The emperor's neck, with a swift move of his hands he finally drew in a sharp inhale as the beheaded body of the emperor fell to the ground and in front of him.

Luke tried to walked away from the emperor's corpse but his step faltered, the pain he was feeling with every breath was unbearable, contrasting the feeling of relief while his eyes contemplated the lifeless body of his master. He tried to lean on a ladder but his hand missed it, he gasped as his knees finally gave up. Before he could touch the ground a strong hand was pressing against his chest as an equally strong arm was hooked around his torso. Luke looked up, eyes half lidded, only to find the mandalorian's visor on him, his helmet so close to his face "It's over." Luke muttered blinking, the mandalorian brushed his fingers over his damp hair plastered on his forehead. "It's all over." He said hissing and trembling, limply in Din's arms. He drew a hand up, slowly, and then he caressed the man's helmet "You're free." He said looking at his visor.

The mandalorian nodded slowly "So are you." He replied as Leia appeared from behind the man in beskar, making Luke shift his gaze from Din to her.

The blonde was ashamed but he couldn't stop looking at her, a feeling of homesickness invading him completely, his big eyes roaming all over her face. She held Luke's chin between her thumb and her forefinger smiling softly "Yes, you're free too."

Luke blinked a few times, Leia and Din kept staring at him as the last golden drop in his eyes vanished to finally reveal a soft unpolluted oceanic blue, the one that Leia knew so well.

"Luke." She said under her breath chuckling as her eyes shone, cupping his chin.

"It hurts." Luke sighed digging his fingers into the mandalorian's arms, holding onto them as an anchor.

"I know, Luke." His sister looked around "We need to leave now." She nodded at Din.

"Alright." Din said as he was trying to hoist Luke up with care.

"No. They're going to kill us if-" He breathed in with difficulty "If they see you carrying me."

Leia frowned and nodded at Luke.

~

Luke staggered through the corridors of the space station holding his hand up as he kept repeating under his breath "You can't see us."

Leia was mimicking his brother's technique as both of them were walking shielding Din between them, the mandalorian was holding his blaster in hand ready to shoot, his chest plate moving up and down fast while the twins kept saying "You can't see us. You can't see us." Over and over again. And nobody saw them. They passed through the imps without being noticed until they reached the same Lambda-class shuttle that brought Luke and Din to the Third Death Star.

When the ship left the station an exhausted Luke could hear Leia commanding an attack and a few seconds later a distant explosion made their ship shake a little. Luke was feeling somnolent listening to his own heartbeat, slower than usual but steady, the last thing he saw before closing his eyes was Din's back while he was piloting the ship and he sighed relieved feeling he was leaving Darth Zoon behind. Hopefully, once and for all.

~

"Don't move." Leia's voice blending in with the undecipherable sounds of his dreams. "I'll help you." She said grabbing him by his arm, gently, as Luke rested his back against the pillow.

"Leia?" He said and his voice broke.

"Hi Luke." She smiled.

"Where are we?" He asked looking around, realizing he has never been in that room before.

"Mandalore." She said and Luke looked back at her gaping. "Mand'alor insisted, he brought us here in order to monitor your vital signs and their healers took care of you."

The blonde pressed his lips together staring down, the sheets were soft and clean and he couldn't help the feeling of overwhelming tension and self hatred taking him over "I don't... I don't deserve this." He frowned stroking the sheets covering his knees.

Leia leaned forward resting her hand on his "Stop hurting yourself, you were under the emperor's sway, and even then you chose to fight back, I always knew that this day was coming, Luke." She caressed his hand reassuringly "I knew there was still good in you, brother. I never doubted you."

The words coming from his sister were making his stomach turn, he was feeling nauseous and deep down he didn't think he deserved such display of affection.

That afternoon he left the room as Leia walked beside him, looking at him sideways, ready to hold him if his step faltered. They came to a halt before a large window, Luke adjusted his eyes a little looking up to the sky only to find a resplendent dome above them.

"Look." Leia said pointing at a playground outside.

A little green child with big ears and big brown eyes was playing sitting on the grass, levitating a silver ball, his ears perked when the shining sphere flew to the Mand'alor's hands.

"Is it-" Luke's throat tightened.

"Yes." Leia said caressing his upper arm "It's Grogu." She smiled not taking her eyes off the little one and the mandalorian.

Luke shivered thinking how close he was to give the child to The emperor and his heart broke in two "He looks so happy." He whispered.

His sister nodded "Luke. I need you to know that I don't want to be a Jedi." She made a pause and Luke was holding his breath. "I hate being a Jedi as much as you hated being a Sith." She said lower this time like she was sharing the darkest secret. She faced Luke "But I had no choice."

"I'm sorry." Luke managed to say as he blinked back tears, feeling guilty and heartbroken.

"I know you are." She sighed "The Mand'alor asked me to stay for a while and train Grogu, and I accepted. I think I'm going to come to Mandalore from time to time to train the child but I'm doing this because-" She narrowed her eyes "Because of him not because I want to be a Jedi Master, that's your destiny, not mine." She finally said.

Even now that he could escape from the dark side's seduction Luke was still hurting his people, his heart sank when he understood that his sister was doing this because he failed. She nodded trying to catch his eyes and then leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder "I missed you, Luke." She muttered.

He planted a kiss on her hair "Me too, Leia."

She drew in a sharp inhale hiding her face in his neck "I love you."

I love you too.

~

Luke walked into the throne room trying to hide his uneasiness, his heart was in his throat and his hands were shaking, although they've been shaking for two days now, his body was still reacting to The emperor's attack, no one knew what effects the force lightning would cause to a human body.

He kept walking staring at Din, sitting on his throne, he looked imposing, Luke looked at him when he came to a halt before him, he thought back to the first time he saw the mandalorian in that dungeon back on Mustafar, defenseless and at his mercy, so different from this man before his eyes. Din was resting his forearms on the armrests with his legs spread open and Luke couldn't help but think how much he hurt him when he had the upper hand. He frowned hating himself.

"Mand'alor." He said bowing before him, when he looked up his eyes were trying to find his visor.

"Luke." The mandalorian said nodding "I need to ask you something." Luke nodded back "As you know, the rebel alliance blew up the Third Death Star and The Empire fell." He stood up and then closed the distance between them making Luke's heart skip a beat. "Now, this is the problem, the imperial remnants are scattered throughout the galaxy." His visor fixed on Luke's blue eyes "We need to terminate them, we have no choice."

Luke nodded swallowing hard.

"And since you know them from inside, you're the best ally I can think about." He tilted his helmet.

Luke knew Din was right, they didn't have no other choice but fight against the last of them "I'm listening." He managed to say.

"We agreed to help the Core Words, they're organising a New Republic, Mandalore will answer. I will answer. And maybe I'm being selfish here but I want them dead, I want them as far from Grogu as they can be, and that means I'm gonna kill them."

Luke's eyes went round "I'm in." He said as the Mand'alor tilted his head again and Luke could hear a coo coming from behind him. He turned around and saw little Grogu walking pass him, stretching his little arms out while Din crouched down to scoop him up. Luke's heart melted, the kid in Din's arms was something that looked so natural, so beautiful, he held his breath remembering he used Din's love for the child to coerce him, to take advantage of him only to satisfy his base instincts, and he shook his head disgusted, almost pleading to be punished for such horrible behaviour.

He didn't know what to do when the child chirped looking at him and drawing his little hand up trying to reach out to touch Luke. Before he could react, Din wrapped his hand around the child's, preventing him from touching the blonde.

"I think you understand I don't trust you around Grogu." He said tilting his helmet as he fixed his visor on Luke's face.

Luke's heart broke into pieces but he knew he deserved it, this was his punishment, being around them and knowing that he could never be part of Din's life.

"I understand." He said with a feeble voice.

"We're leaving as soon as you recover completely. Till then." Din said gesturing towards the door and Luke nodded turning around, when he was walking away from them he felt empty and cold, he looked down, ashamed, until the doors closed behind his back.

~

"What if he turn again?" Din suggested resting his back against the wall.

"Din, he won't." Leia shook her head "That's not how the force works."

Din sighed crossing his arms over his chest "Alright."

"I know he hurt you..." She said and Din's shoulders tensed up "But he cares about you, and he needs to do this, he needs to protect the galaxy. He's a Jedi, he won't give this last chance away. Trust me." She pressed her lips together raising her eyebrows "Trust him." She added.

"I trust you." Din said leaning forward "I don't trust him... at least for now." He added leaning back and then he nodded walking away, Leia sighed rubbing her hand across her forehead.

~

Late at night, when the silence overwhelmed him and the feeling of anguish engulfed him, Luke contemplated his reflection in the mirror. He squeezed his eyes shut holding his breath, hands clutching the edge of the washbasin, he opened his eyes slowly, his lips parting slightly as he found that, indeed, his eyes were still blue. He sighed relieved brushing his fingers against his temples as he walked out the fresher, he leaned against the wall staring at the ceiling, his chest tightened and his heartbeat sped up, he swallowed through the lump in his throat, believing that the shadows threatening to catch him were still there, inside him, and a lonely tear rolled down his cheek.

~

The blonde Jedi was lost in thought, absentmindedly rubbing his lips with his fingers, something caught his attention and he frowned, The Mand'alor was sitting on the pilot seat tilting his head, his visor fixed on him, Luke frowned when he realized the mandalorian has been talking to him for a while now but he didn't notice it.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" He asked avoiding his visor, being around Din was quite a challenge to Luke, he was trying to do the right thing but it hurt terrible, he couldn't shake the memories of the mandalorian naked, marked by him, vulnerable, degraded and his stomach churned, his heart filled with remorse.

"I asked you if you were okay." Din said as he leaned back in the seat, his visor still on Luke's face.

"Yes." The blonde answered staring down but when he looked up he couldn't hold it back anymore "Actually, no. I'm not okay." The Mand'alor rested his hands on his knees, not saying a word like he was trying not to pry but Luke needed to say it, he wanted to say it. "I'm so sorry, Din, so much." He choked on his own words, he blinked staring away, hiding the tears appearing in his eyes, threatening to fall "I hurt you, I need to tell you that I am so sorry, please, don't say anything, just, know that I'm so ashamed and I'm not expecting your forgiveness, because I know I will never forgive myself."

The Mand'alor cleared his throat "I've done my part as well." He shrugged one shoulder, Luke looked at him again as the tears started falling down over his cheeks. "I did what I needed to do to protect Grogu, I don't regret it one bit."

"You did nothing wrong." Luke said under his breath squeezing his prosthetic hand.

"I played along to protect Grogu, so, I know I hurt you too." He looked at the blurry stars before them, nodding. Luke was staring at the back of his helmet thinking that he would give everything he owned to go back to the start and let Din go, even if that meant that he would never had the chance to come back to the light side of the force and die as a Sith, with his heart empty and his soul corrupted.

The months passed and Luke followed Din to the end of the galaxy back and forth, together they became and uncontrollable force, hunting imperial remnants on every world they set a foot on, dismantling labs and facilities and burning them to the ground.

That was the easy part. When he was on a mission with Din he focused on protect him, always shielding him with his lightsaber, the one he designed from a kyber crystal trying to connect with his roots the same day he left Mandalore after his recovering. Holding his new saber, blue like the first one he owned, felt oddly familiar and gave him a sense of control he thought he had lost.

The difficult part was when Din and him parted ways and Luke had to go back to his lonely life, traveling around the galaxy learning about the extinct Jedi Order. And every morning he would look at his reflection in the mirror, searching for the tiniest bit of gold in his blue eyes, every morning without exception, and he sighed relieved when he confirmed that he was still Luke Skywalker. The Jedi. Over and over again.

He saved Din's neck so many times and Din did the same for him. Sometimes, before breaking into an imperial installation Luke's hands couldn't stop trembling as a consequence of The emperor's attack, even a year after the events of that day when Luke faced him, and Din would take the lead, deflecting the blaster shots coming their way with his beskar armour.

Some nights he would squirm in the copilot seat in his sleep, groaning in pain and he would wake up from the worst nightmare covered in cold sweat with his heart pounding in his chest only to find a gloved hand curling around his own as Din's soft modulated voice would soothe him by telling him that he was safe. And he really felt safe there, staring at the mandalorian's visor, squeezing his hand back and blinking back tears. Safe. Every single time.

Everything changed the day they were entering a laboratory and they found two scientists hovering over a little boy lying on a operating table. The two men froze when they saw the Jedi and the mandalorian before them. Luke looked at the boy's face, he seemed asleep and it looked like they were conducting an experiment, Luke knew right away that the child was a force-user.

"Please! Don't shoot." One of the men said as both of them were raising their hands at Din "We're only following orders."

Din shot at them right on the spot "Not anymore." He said drawing his blaster down. The blonde Jedi walked towards the kid.

When he looked at Din over his shoulder he nodded at him "He's alive. He's like Grogu." He explained.

The mandalorian didn't move staring at him "You know what to do." He said and Luke knew what he meant.

They returned to Din's ship walking side by side as Luke was holding the little kid in his arms. It was time. He would fulfill his destiny. He became a Jedi Master that day and the little kid became his first Padawan.

On the rare occasions when Luke stayed in Sundari, capital city of Mandalore, Grogu would try to draw Luke's attention to himself, coming close to him cooing and staring at him with those big brown eyes. And every time someone close to Din would appear to scoop the baby up and take him away from Luke, but not this time. Something was different. No one came to take Grogu away from him and Luke looked around nervously, his eyes found Din, the mandalorian was staring at him from the other side of the room, with a hand on his hip, he looked relaxed, he nodded at Luke, the blonde looked down as the baby was rubbing his boots with his little hands, he hesitated before crouching down finally taking Grogu in his arms. He looked at Din again, as confusion was taking him over, Din tilted his helmet not taking his visor off them and then he walked in their direction, when he finally stood beside them he caressed the baby's ear "He likes you." He said in a low voice "He's always liked you, Luke." He added and Luke's heart gave an extra beat, staring at Din's visor incredulous. Something shifted between them since that day.

~

Exhausted and bruised Luke and Din left the imperial fortress leaning on each other, they barely walked out of this mission in one piece. Luke fell to the ground first and Din followed suit. They were panting and staring at the sky, the thick smoke drifting away before their eyes. They were lying on their backs next to each other trying to catch their breath when Luke felt Din's fingers brushing his own, gingerly, and his heartbeat sped up. He sucked in a breath and turned his head towards the mandalorian, he frowned staring at him, Din was propping himself up on his forearm leaning in close to him, stroking Luke's cheek with his free hand, he grimaced with pain under Din's touch, realizing he had a cut on his cheek "Let me take you to my ship, Luke."

Din insisted on taking care of his wound but Luke refused the offer and when they were traveling back to Coruscant, the planet were Luke built his new Jedi temple, Luke fell asleep on the floor of Din's ship, covered by blankets. He woke up abruptly, drawing in a sharp inhale, crying in silence, shaking and sweating as usual.

"Bad dream?" Din asked him, taking Luke by surprise, he was sitting on the floor with his back propped up against the wall, Luke nodded and Din moved to be closer to him.

Luke froze when Din started soothing his hand on his back staring at his blue eyes pointedly, he looked down at Din's chest plate "I keep seeing it." He frowned looking back at Din's visor "Everything." He blinked "Sometimes it's you, in that bed on Mustafar. Sometimes it's me crying inside my chamber, and sometimes I can see myself walking down the streets of a town or village and I'm trying to prevent my troopers from killing innocent people and every time I'm just late, when I get there... it's always too late." He said gasping between tears. Din nodded drawing his hand up to cup his cheek "But Din, they're not just bad dreams, they're memories." He said in a flood of tears.

Din didn't say a word for a while, finally holding him and Luke cried his heart out pressing his face against his neck clutching his pauldrons.

"Like you said, they are memories." Din said pulling back to stare at his face, then he pointed at Luke's chest "That's not you anymore, I know what's in your heart, mesh'la." Din added resting his hand on Luke's chest right where his heart would be.

Luke's eyes went round, he was holding his breath "What did you call me?" He whispered.

"Mesh'la." Din said in a low-pitched voice. "I'm sure you remember what that means."

Luke swallowed hard frowning. He did remember and that made his heart beat faster, then he shook his head slowly not taking his eyes off Din's visor "Please, Din, don't-"

"I'm sorry but I need to tell you-"

Luke cut him off "No. I hurt you, please, stop." He squeezed his eyes shut but Din didn't listen to him.

"I need to tell you that I care about you, mesh'la." He stroked Luke's arms.

Please don't call me mesh'la. "Please Din, I don't deserve this, please just don't." Luke managed to say as tears started brimming in his eyes. He felt Din's gloved fingers holding his chin tenderly, and he opened his eyes, Din was impossible close and something pleasant squirmed in his stomach.

"Yes, you deserve this, my respect, my admiration, your students' admiration, your sister's love." He made a pause as Luke was breathing heavily. "You really believed that I asked you to work with me all these years only because you knew the imps from inside?" Luke raised his eyebrows. Din clicked his tongue "No, cyar'ika, it was because I couldn't let you go." He moved, pressing in close fitting himself against Luke's body, wrapping his arms around him "Three years Luke, it's been three years and I've seen you, I saw the way your sister's eyes shine when she looks at you, the way you treat your students, the way Grogu loves to be around you and-" He cleared his throat "The way you protected me all this time, you saved my life so many times."

Luke was hardly believing what he was hearing, still he couldn't help but melt in Din's arms, yearning, finally giving in to his own desire.

"There's something I want to give you, Luke. Something that's only for you. Something that I've always wanted to give you." Din said under his breath, pulling back and moving to hover over Luke, his knees on the floor, one of them between Luke's thighs and his hands leaned at both sides of his head "Please, mesh'la, close your eyes." Din asked sending shivers down Luke's spine. The blonde obliged and his heart gave an extra beat when he felt Din's skin against his own, his nose against his cheekbone, a mustache tickling his cheek and soft thin lips brushing the corner of his own "Ah, mesh'la." He said against Luke's mouth, making him shudder as his heart soared and he couldn't hold it back anymore, he ran his hands over Din's back, finally sinking his fingers in his curls, he sighed relishing in how beautiful Din's hair felt against his own skin and the mandalorian let out a little whimper that made Luke's head spin, his hands finally finding his face blindly, he cupped his face and nuzzled his cheek, parting his lips to capture Din's mouth between them, Din groaned against him kissing him back as Luke threatened his fingers in his hair, desperate hands traveling Luke's body, squeezing and stroking as they deepened their kiss and Luke floated in feelings, finally freeing himself from the old memories of a past life riddled with regret and heartbreak. Din broke the kiss still brushing his lips against Luke's "Please Luke, let me love you." He rested his forehead against the blonde's "Let me love you, cyare. I'm begging you." Luke sighed digging his fingers into his waist "I love you, Luke, I've always loved you."

Luke encircled him with his arms, thinking back to that time when he was longing for Din's love, for Din to make love to him, back on Mustafar when he didn't know that his feelings for Din were harrowing his Sith's shell, as the crack let the light in, slowly, pouring down on him.

He caressed Din's face as his reddened kissed lips curled up into a smile "Din?"

Din hummed.

"Do you know how and when I realized that I was in love with you?" Din blinked against the sensitive and blushed skin of his cheek, making him understand that this was real, he was really holding the man he loved in his arms, finally. "When I saw my reflection in your chest plate and my eyes were no longer completely golden. You brought me back... I came back because I loved you. Because you were seeing me, the real Luke, when no one else could."

"Fuck, Luke." Din said breathing hot puffs against the blonde's lips and Luke could hear the way he choked on his words. "I didn't... I didn't know that was the reason, cyare. You're killing me." He added caressing Luke's waist pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

Luke sighed pressing his eyelids tighter against each other as tears pricked his eyes, realizing that for the first time in years, these were tears of happiness "And I still love you, Din. I love you." He said holding him tight in his arms and he felt Din's lips on his eyelids "I love you, Din."

~

The morning light caressed his skin making him open his eyes slowly, he stirred beneath the sheets, finally leaving the bed and heading to the fresher. When he was patting his face with a towel yawning, he frowned staring at himself in the mirror as something caught his attention, something that wasn't there the day before. He leaned forward and cocked his head for a better look, indeed that wasn't there the day before.

When he leaned back he saw something out of the corner of his eye, he turned his head towards the door, it was Din rubbing sleep from his eyes leaning his back against the doorframe "Morning, cyare." He leaned in to press a kiss on Luke's temple.

"Morning, love." He said running his hands over his own hair "You see this? I found it a minute ago." He said and he sounded furious.

Din pouted and looked at him "That gray hair?" He raised his eyebrows "I hate to break it to you but, mesh'la that's not your first one." He chuckled cupping Luke's face to kiss him and he laughed into the kiss.

"Really? Oh, I didn't kriffing notice it till today." He wrinkled his nose "Fuck." He muttered staring down.

"Don't be mad mesh'la, that only means that we're growing old together." He smiled at Luke so charmingly that it took his breath away. Growing old together, what a sweet beautiful promise.

The blonde smiled shaking his head "You're right."

"Now, come on, your son is waiting for his Jedi training and I bet he's already burning down his bedroom." Din said laughing.

"Alright, just give me a minute and I'm going to Grogu's room, and I doubt it, he would never set his bedroom on fire." He frowned "Wait, what is he up to?" Din left the fresher "Hey Din, what's he up to?"

Din answered from the other side of their room "I can't hear you, I'm putting my helmet on."

Luke huffed staring at the mirror "My clan is going to be the end of me." He chuckled, then he frowned and froze realizing that he didn't remember the last time he looked at himself in the mirror to find golden stains in his blue eyes. A lopsided smile appearing on his face "Yeah." He said under his breath as a warmth feeling was engulfing his whole being, knowing that he didn't need to, not anymore. He was Luke Skywalker, a Jedi, like his father before him, husband to Mand'alor Din Djarin, father to Grogu Djarin Skywalker, Leia Organa's brother and Han Solo's friend. The kid from Tatooine, the man from nowhere and everywhere. And he embraced it.

He breathed in leaving the fresher to join his family, to join his clan. His own clan of three.

[cldm-osier-161311]

[supremecryloren]

KARA'VPHIR "KARA" YARI GOZEN

LUKE ANIAS SKYWALKER / DARTH NATUS

[beskarfrog]

mandalore needed an alliance the sith were more than happy to oblige if mandalore provided a consort for their emperor

[dankmyfarrik]

Eternal Sunshine | Chapter 9: Know Hope

Masterlist | Previous Chapter

Summary: An alternate universe where the only thing that happens differently is... well, the Emperor wins. And Luke wakes up with a mysterious scar on his temple.

Read it here:

AO3

Welcome back! Sorry about the delay! This took way longer than I was expecting to finish. But here we are - enjoy!

Chapter warnings: Cannon typical violence, Grogu is put in a dangerous situation but is completely fine.

Word Count: ~7k

*~*~*~*~*~*

A few things happen when a Star Destroyer enters lower atmosphere. 

First, because there are other ships that serve similar purposes more eloquently, a Star Destroyer needing to leave the vastness of the galaxy, and stoop so low is considered a rarity and thus a necessity. A docking Star Destroyer is not an everyday occurrence. 

It begins as dark omen cutting through the sky—small at first, eventually growing to eclipse the suns. Large enough the beast ever so slightly captures the curvature of the planet, it dwarfs whatever landmark of civilization or nature lies below it.

Second is what happens in the mind. 

It's a humbling sight that freezes the blood of the non-imperial. 

Then, the wind begins sweeping the land like a beckoning storm. And that's when the roar of the engines, deep and resonant, echo through the valleys, cities, mountains - whatever is in the way, sending shivers down to the marrow.

The only sensible action then becomes surrender. But most of the galaxy, Din had found, was not sensible. Star Destroyers, more often than not, served as the beginnings of glorious tales, a demon descending to find itself unwelcome.

So when the Descant slowly clambered its way through the docking procedures, the shadow cast on the ground growing larger and larger it was a rarity that the planet below it offered no fight. The fight had been beaten out of it years ago, now it had succumb to the great galactic Empire. 

It was an odd sight, Din thought. The world was beautiful: pristine grassy hills, a bright blue-purple sky, soft tufts of cherry blossoms. Yet the planet was swarmed by the Empire; it was a hive home to parasites. Two worlds of freedom and order.

As a passenger, Din was not permitted to land with the Descant. The Crest, forced to depart with a grumble from underpaid and overworked imps, left the Descant and Natus behind. He would have stayed as long as he could have, even against the beckoning draw of the beeping fob in his hand—seeking the bounty, calling him on. Everything in Din's beingknew it was wrong to leave Natus alone and vulnerable. And Leia. Maybe even the Maker didn't know what they were doing to her. But her orders were clear—say his name. Get through to him. Leave if you must.

A glance behind the departing Crest revealed the Descant was exchanging large creates, and to his horror chained people between the Imperial facility. 

The Crest lurched into hyperspace. 

Stars encompassed the viewport.

It wasn't long before Din was circling Tatooine and preparing his own docking procedures. As he got closer, a black dot, a silhouette of a ship against the pale gold marble, slowly slid into focus. His gloved hands paused on the controls.

The silence in the cockpit was palpable, broken only by the hum of the ship's engines and the faint, rhythmic beeping of the navigational systems. Tatooine sprawled beneath him, a desert planet of endless dunes and scorching suns, a placewhere survival was as harsh and unyielding as the landscape itself—an old, familiar pain. The ship in the distance, stark against the golden sands, seemed almost a mirage, a specter born of heat and light. One of the suns eclipsed the planet just behind the Crest, eliminating the shadows.

The familiar husky voice sparked over the com. 

"If you're looking for the trandoshan, I've just bagged him." Slave One drifted closer. The monitor thrummed and beeped innocently. 

Boba broke the silence again, something abnormal lacing his usually jolly tone. "Djarin… I have something you need to see."

"Fett," Din started, believing this to be the reason, "how we left things—"

Solo. We fought. I left you behind. I think you got hurt. 

All unsaid.

"I know." His brother recognized his tone. "This isn't a trick. I respect you. If I ever come to my senses and choose to finally fight you, it will be with honor."

Slave One latched onto the Crest from where they circled high above the desert hell. 

Din entered Boba's ship still aware of the weight of the blaster at his hip, but his hands didn't itch for it like he normallydid seeking through the scum pits. Din trusted him. 

But nothing could have prepared him for the sight when the latch door hissed open. 

A small human girl, her hair tight in braids clung to Boba's leg nervously. At the sight of Din she jolted behind Fett further, only leaving room for her wide eyes to peek over, head as high as his knee pad. Awkwardly but with a demonstrated practice, the burly man placed a comforting and familiar hand on her back. She couldn't have been older than four. 

"Now my kar'ta, it's alright. Din is a friend. He has a little one he watches over too."

Din's chest tightened, a sharp pain piercing through at the thought of leaving the kid with the imps for so long. His only solace was knowing there was a protector on the inside.

Instinctively, he dropped to one knee, trying to make himself as small as possible. Even then, he still towered over her.

"Hi kid."

The attempt was pitiful, even to him. But the act seemed good enough to her. Her eyes looking through him, into his soul and he thought he met her eyes through the visor for a split moment but maybe it was just his imagination. She seemed to see what she was looking for and hesitantly stepped out from Boba's shadow. She reached a hand up, and Fett instinctually held his arm out. They locked pinky fingers as she guided herself and Fett closer to Din. She needed to take three steps for every one of Boba's.

"They must have kept her in one of the most secure places in the whole kirffing galaxy." It was too late to fix his language so both the men just winced. "Yet she got out. They had glowing wristbands on her–maybe something for a shock? This little thing. Can you believe those monsters? And she still got out. An'edee!"

She paused, seeing herself in the reflection of the polished beskar. She reached a tentative hand, the pad of her finger brushing Din's chestplate and for a moment, with her small hands on them both, she linked them together, and whatever hurt and unspoken words he and Boba had harbored dissipated into the universe. 

She had a firm face and stern eyes despite her age–a childhood cut too short. She, at four, may already know of danger and death, and her place in all of it. In a flash, Din saw a small boy hidden in a red hood looking back at him—reaching out—screaming for his mother. And with an unheard clang on an anvil working beskar he was back, looking at this freckled, fair girl with hurt soulful eyes. 

And a small scar in the same exact place Natus had his. 

"I'm Rey," she said—proud of every word, "It's nice to meet you."

"They sent me after her." Anger shook his voice as he bit out three words Boba prayed to the Maker she wouldn't understand. 

"Hot or cold."

At these words Din's jaw clenched, drawing blood from his cheek. Boba's fists balled so tightly Din could hear the leather creaking from where he stood. "So she stays with me now."

Fett obviously skipped a lot in between, but enough went without saying.

She will never go back.

"I said the oath," He was full of warmth and pride. "She's my ad'ika."

"I'm happy for you." 

"You're looking at it," Rey piped up softly. Her hand moved some of the hair blocking Din's view of her scar. Now he saw it wasn't red and angry like Natus' cut, it had scabbed and healed over rotations ago—losing a time war and fading into her skin as a small ice-like sliver. "You want to know."

"Yes. Someone I care about a lot has a similar mark."

Boba's helm turned a sliver of a degree, he must now understand the depths of Din's affection for the Sith but he didn't comment.

"They hurt my mommy and daddy," her voice a broken whimper. "I got mad. They wanted me to not remember anymore." Her small, childlike hand touched her scar again.

"There was a nice man in a black mask. He held my hand and told them: no more!"

"Wait," Boba breathed, "Nice man in a black mask? Karking Darth Vader??" The men winced at Boba's language again.

Rey nodded happily. 

"But your scratch, they wanted you to forget?" 

"Yes. Then my head hurt bad. But he helped me."

Din had the start of an answer.

"Thank you," he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him, a tooth missing.

Mission now set, Din quickly turned to leave, Fett caught his arm at the elbow. 

His voice a hiss, "Wait. If you go now while they are docked or anywhere near that hub—it's a death trap Din. They would never give him up easy. You will get swarmed and will lose any trust you ever gained."

Din knew he was right. But he had a thought of those Imps hurting him like they hurt her, with maybe less reservation because he wasn't child—maybe they didn't think that way. No matter, it clawed at him, seared in his mind, urging action. He knew he didn't have long. 

"You heard her about forgetting. Natus—Luke—How many times do you think…"

Fett looked down at Rey.

"I can't leave him. Like you can't leave her. He knows something is wrong. I can't let him forget. Not now." Not when Leia is there too.

"I'm not going to put her back in danger."

"I would never ask that of you."

"I know."

Din stepped through the latch separating the ships. Boba continued, "Reach me if you need a quick escape."

Din nodded, the door between them slid shut, and the ships separated.

—-

Leia had felt the Descant dock with a low rumble and a jolt so subtle it would have gone unnoticed if she weren't trapped in a bright, blank cell. The rumble and the jolt, however minor, were a disruption in the otherwise unchanging monotony, a reminder that the galaxy outside still moved and shifted; she could only pray that the pawns she put in place were strong enough to shift the tide in her direction. It was what she excelled at, after all.

Her intricate braids were held up by a sharp blade that, at a moment's notice, she could brandish or slowly use the tool to chip away through the backside of the door's control panel. She could knock out a trooper, commandeer a pod, and be in lightspeed minutes before an alarm would even sound. Leia knew she would neither fight nor flee, and the opportunity, the ability, and the willingness to do so were more torturous than anything the cell itself could muster.

She mediated some, always keeping her brother and his whereabouts in a quiet corner in her mind. Before everything fell apart that day an eternity ago, he had been a steady constant to her–-and she knew it went both ways. In some way she always had known of their shared blood, drawing to him like a magnet in her head. Now, Leia knew she also still had a home in that quiet part of his mind, but it felt like that home had been boarded up, or the path to the home eroded away.She still felt him. Kept him close.

Thus Leia knew when the Mandalorian executed his part of the plan. Neither of them had been clear on specifics, just–say his name. Get through to him. Find a way. 

Well, the hunter certainly found a way. A blush found its way to her face, the tips of her ears turning a shade of red. Leia was, thankfully, able to tune out their connection momentarily, choosing to focus on… literally anything else. Even her dull box. 

She didn't fail to notice, before tunning him out, his feelings of dread soften and even turn to bright comfort she hadn't felt in a long time. How rare, she thought, love in a place like this.

Leia froze the instant she felt him again. With her absence, he had gotten close; a plume of worry and fear surrounded his movements—that's what snapped her attention to him. Maybe the Mandalorian got through to her brother a bit too well…

The seamless panels of durasteel parted with a light mechanical whirl. The corridor beyond was bathed in more of the cool, sterile light casting sharp shadows on the metal floor. A breeze, carrying the faint scent of recycled air and machinery flooded inwards as her brother stood in the doorway panting, looking like he was living through a nightmare.

"Leia," he paused and sucked in more air, he had been running, "what do I do?"

She jumped to her feet from where she had been failing to meditate. An impending dread was closing in on them both. It was nameless but in the air nonetheless, as real as them both but nowhere to be found. But he was there, seeking her like all the other times before.

"Leave this awful place with me. I have help–lots of it–they are coming soon, we just need to leave and get outside."

"I cannot abandon my father and Master. Or are you suggesting I leave and be with rebel scum?"

He wasn't as far long as she had hoped. Leia pushed down her own panic to speak, needing to be heard more than she needed water or to breathe.

"You've called out to me before. We've met like this briefly, a few times. I need you to remember. Remember me now Luke. You know something is not right."

"I don't know!"

"Focus on what you feel." Her eyes were wide.

"I don't know you!" He pointed a wicked finger at her, his body quivering.

Leia clamped her mouth shut, absorbing the hurt. She took a step forward so that his quivering crooked finger poked her straight in the heart. She could feel his pain seeping through his anger and confusion.

"You came to me just now," she whispered, "why."

His voice made more of a choking sound than actual words. "The Empire is good. I know it to be true. We need order to the chaos. But there are deep and painful secrets being kept from me. Everyone knows but me. And then you show up."

He growled and she didn't dare to stop his flow of words.

"I can't write you off as a fool like my officers would like me to believe. I spoke to a scientist---they are manipulating force users with an operation—I. They are doing something terrible to me, and I don't even know what it is."

"It's true. They are doing something to you, I'm not sure what. But over and over again they make you forget when you remember—when you remember me. They are hurting you." 

Even still, he shook his head like he couldn't fully believe her, "How have I known you all of my life when I've never met you before?"

"I am your sister, Luke."

He dropped his accusing hand with a soft gasp. He knew very few things about this universe and much less about himself, but he knew this to be true.

"And we haven't known each other for very long. Not a lifetime. But I…I feel the same."

Family. 

More than just him and Father. 

"Leia," his voice broken, "help me."

She rushed to him, grasping his face in her hands with gentle urgency and pressed their foreheads together. Energy of the Force bloomed from her, amplifying the beauty of the planet that lay beyond the walls of the Descant. Through this, he tangled his hands into her hair, holding onto her with all his might, a plea for permanence, he would never let go, not when she was this close. Never again. He loved her. 

The floodgates opened, and memories rushed in. The ones with comfort. Feelings of friendship—closeness with faceless people he knew so well. Flashes of family, Leia was there, but so were other people. A home, a stove, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm bluemilk. An old man and woman's faces etched with lines and crinkled eyes—the woman's simile. 

The smile was contagious, it bloomed on his lips, a simple joy. Leia felt it too and she shared her warmth with him in the Force. He wrapped her into a hug, squeezing her somehow even harder. 

More memories followed, a cascade lightheartedness. Laughter—oh, the sound of it was like music, so pure and rare. Someone's laugh, bright and unrestrained, resonated through his mind. It spoke of simpler times, of shared jokes and carefree moments with friends and a droid. He laughed, very light with the memories.

Another laugh, no a cackle, shattered this world–cutting through his mind like the jagged lines on his skin. This wasn't a memory. 

The walls of Leia's cell reeled open with a mechanical hiss. Palpatie—glowing eyes peering from his hood—his clawed hands outstretched at his sides undoing the illusion of the cell. The larger room was lined with data pads, testing tubes, an operating table with restraints cipped open, waiting. 

An interodroid buzzed next to him, and behind that was Pershing, the man didn't look up, he just pushed up his glasses from his hardened stare at the floor. 

Despite the bile, he fell on one knee. Leia stayed tall—lips morphing to a scowl, defiant as the day she was born. They were still so close, he could feel her warmth next to him in his bow.

The soulless cackle continued, and more memories hit him. Bad ones. Sadness, fear. The old couple lay burned, home on fire, the smell of their flesh. Father struck down a cloaked figure, and a horrified scream escaped his own lips.

"Natus, my boy," Palpatine spoke, a squeaky gravely wine, "I came all the way here because I felt your pain."

Natus wouldn't have felt this pain. These memories didn't belong to him, these memories belonged to the other one, the one ripping him in two. The one Leia reached. Luke.

Yet, he still felt the wave of shame and embarrassment that not only was his weakness palpable to his Master, but it was strong enough that it compelled Palpatine to check on him. And to see that he was failing. 

"I'm sorry, Master," he whispered, casting his eyes to the ground. 

Then, Luke reminded him about those memories. Did those memories feel like he was a failure? Certainly not.

"It is my sincerest apologies you had to find out this way, but the princess, manipulative as ever, forced our hand."

"Liar!" Leia cried.

Palpatine continued diplomatically, ignoring the outburst of the girl beside him. "You were sick. Your mind hemorrhaging from a concussion. I had my best scientists save your life. We need to check your mind often…for your saftey. Only the Empire has the technological resources and the facilities for such unprecedented advancements." 

His yellow-bagged eyes grew, "Without me you will surely…" he paused a crawling, tingling feeling, as he placed extra emphasis on every syllable, "...parish."

"Then why not just tell me?" His voice not as strong as he intended. Still on his knees. 

Why didn't you tell me? You told me that Darth Vader betrayed and murdered my father. 

Your father... was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be the Jedi and "became" the Sith Darth Vader.

His head throbbed.

"The scientists thought that would hurt you more." As his Master continued Pershing didn't budge, didn't look up. Locked, frozen. "But I am telling you now."

A cold washed over him in the Force.

"You know it's not true, trust your feelings."

Search your feelings. You know it to be true. 

Impossible!

"Nonsense. I have loved you, boy, and cared for you for as long as you can remember. I want what is best for you. Come with me now."

The interrodoid buzzed closer. But it wasn't going for him.

It was after Leia.  

"NO!!!"

Then he was falling. Falling. Falling through the clouds.

He searched the Force, frantic for something not bolted to the ground to throw–to collapse the Descant into itself as to how he had done with the Profundity. In half a breath, he scanned the room, sensing every detail: the muscles and veins of windpipes, Pershing's abnormally fast heartbeat, and his shaking hands on a remote button.

There was a slight hiss; he felt a single drop fall a short distance—the sound soft through his own screaming as the drop mixed with a solution. 

Before his breath could be finished, the Force stopped slowing his perception of time as the sound of screaming durasteelpropelled itself at them, followed by a wall of fire. He felt himself thrown to the floor—reaching out to block debris with the Force. 

With an unidentifiable wail, Pershing and Palpatine vanished into the sea of flames. The chemicals ignited along the walls, shattering—pops and bangs—spitting their glass and spilling onto the floor.

Leia's hand found his, yanking him up and pulling him through the chaos. Flames licked at his feet, his cape singeing, smoldering black firey holes into his pristine uniform. The smoke swirled around them, shifting to shades of green and magenta, as they struggled to breathe, sprinting through the demolished opening.

With one glance back into the room, he saw the operating table, restraints still open, reaching out to them. The broken interrogation droid lay amidst melted, warped surgical tools and scattered syringes, vanishing into the thick smoke.

Trial 3.C—

Trial 14.A stim–

Leia!!! I'm here—

No this is wrong—

Trial 21.D—

Trial 27.B, stimulating superimposed inhibitor chip…Pain. 

He was limping badly. The onslaught of memories couldn't be stifled, and everything and anything was a trigger. He was vaguely aware of the smoldering patches burning in rings into his body as they ran. 

The old couple told him to run. That woman after him. He was smaller then, his legs carrying him as fast as he could through the desert. Sand kicking up as he ran and ran.

Was he crying? He was aware that Leia had taken his communication device and was giving commands into it, but her words didn't register in his mind. 

Bleeding and broken. Alarm shrieking and echoing through the red-flashing halls. 

"Initiate evacuation protocol. Rebel forces inbound. Anyone left within the hour will be dead or captured."

"We just need to make it out of the Descant!" Leia cried above the jolt of the speaker.

"Initiate evacuation protocol. Rebel forces inbound. Anyone left within the hour will be dead or captured. Initiate evacuation protocol. Rebel forces inbound. Anyone left within the hour will be dead or captured. Initiate evacuation protocol. Rebel forces inbound. Anyone left within the hour will be dead or captured. Initiate—"

They turned a corner, then another, and another. He kept a strong enough posture to pretend to be in possession of Leia. It worked; troopers practically leaped out of his way—just as they had done every other time he had made the same path with crazed eyes and blood-stained clothes. Because Natus is a monster. 

Horrors he committed came to him. He gasped, and a tear fell. 

They pasted another dozen soldiers all of then running paying them little mind. But it only took one to put two and two together. One com-in and they would all descend upon him.

"Rebel forces inbound. Anyone left within the hour will be dead or—"

A horrible screeching sound ripped through the air, and they followed—leading them to the outside world lit by starlight and burning ships. Hundreds of ties rocketed past them, in the disarray hitting each other, causing multiple collisions in the sky as the tie-fighters desperately returned to their designations, incapable of making a lightspeed retreat by themselves, like cockroaches in the light as rebel fighters loomed down from the heavens. 

An attack of this scale must have taken months to plan. How had he let this happen under his nose? He was thankful.

"Watch out! Go. Go!"

Dazed, he felt as though he were watching himself in a holo--removed from the situation and scenes providing him information seconds behind as he tried to filter through the onslaught of memories.

Leia seized his hand again, jerking him down as a ship hurled itself just above them, slamming into the Descants' hold. Fire and steel tumbled down on them, forcing them to jump blindly, limbs flailing in the air, hitting the ground hard. Tumbling, rolling, damp grass and foliage clinging to him. 

Leia hauled him up once again. 

"Hurry, to the landing spot! We can't slow now—I have you. We are so close!"

Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted the Descant behind them. Troopers were all but running—loading equipment and prisoners back on board. The red lights still flickering, illuminating them in the hellish light, revealing their chains. 

—-

The Crest fell from the sky with a roar.

Din only had seconds after completing the jump to discover the firefight he had been dropped into. By that point, the Crest was already spiraling downwards with a cracked thruster. 

Din's arms strained with the might of pulling up on the controls. He aimed for a patch of trees; it was the best he could do. If he survived and found the siblings, they would have to steal a ship or make that call to Boba. He wished he had told Leia he would come back for them. He would just need to survive this… controlled crash.

It was the beskar that had saved him. 

When he awoke, ears ringing, approximately ten minuets after the impact. Muscles protesting, he dragged himself out of the shards of transparisteel, treelimbs, and smoldering rubble of what used to be his home. 

No time for sentiment now. 

Once his feet were comfortably on the aborial floor Din toggled through the settings on the visor. He ignored the chaos in the sky with swarming X-wings, ties, and the Star Destroyers beginning the slow ground-quaking take-off process. It remindied him of tired banthas trying to stand as they were swarmed by flies. Maybe his humor wasn't fully gone. And somehow he knew Leia was responsible for all of it.

He instead opted to scan the chaos on the ground. No signs of the twins. Maybe they were still trapped inside. Din's heart dropped. He could see the Executor beginning lift off and the Descant's ion engines in the distance—behind three other Star Destroyers—slowly flicking to life. 

Platoons of troopers, plastasteel armor that reflected red lights, marched to their respective ships. Some set up cannons to fire into the sky, while others brandished jetpacks and launched into the air.

Perfect.

A squad of four flew overhead, keeping a fair distance from each other. Timing was crucial. Din reached out, targeting the lagging trooper with his grappling hook. As the trooper flew just above the trees, Din pulled the trigger. The rope shot out, wrapping around the airborne soldier. Despite digging his feet into the ground, Din was flung into the air. 

"What the?!"

They began tumbling and spinning out of control, going higher and higher. Din managed to unclip the pack from the man's chestplate. The engine cut immediately, and they both dropped. With strength he managed to clip the plastasteel to his back, and the engine roared back to life pulling Din skyward while the trooper kept falling into the darkness of the forest below.

Using the pack's momentum, Din navigated the battle, staying low enough to avoid the dogfight above but high enough to evade ground troops. 

Dawn began to creep over the battlefield, the beginnings of light threatening to rise through the forested mountains on the horizon.

Then he saw him. Gideon holding the kid.

Nothing else mattered. He pushed the jetpack to its limit, rocketing towards the fighter where Gideon was forcing the struggling child inside. The kid spotted Din first, using the Force to slip from Gideon's grip. 

Gideon turned just as Din collided with him, both crashing to the ground, a blur of punches and kicks. Pain shot through Din's back as he hit the fighter.

Gideon clawed to his feet, an awful black beam igniting in his hand. Unlike Luke's crimson lightsaber, this blade seemed to devour the light around it, a void of death. The blade pressed to Din's throat—Gideon chose this moment to monologue.

"Hello Din," his voice cold, a cruel twitch of his lips as he revealed to know his name, "I want to do a favor for you," he flashed his teeth, "Assume I know everything. Your bond to Grogu, your blossoming feelings for that little angsty twat, your deal with Princess Leia Organa…You see, I want to help you Din—"

That wasn't a good sign.

"I don't like Natus either. Force users and their obsessive entitlement stand in the way of the true potential of the Galactic Empire. I will be at the center—"

Din whipped around, kicking Gideons leggs out from under him, sending him to the ground with a thud. 

The man reeled, eyes crazed, slamming the black saber into Din's despairing attempts to block. He dodged and intercepted another blow, Din was forced to be defensive in this fight, taking him out of his element as he possessed more technique than Gideon displayed. 

With a particularly hard swing aimed at his neck, Din dropped himself to the floor, sprang back up, kicking the other man down on the chest, the saber retreated to its hilt clattering across the rough gravel and roots. 

Din scrambled, grasping onto the blade to take away Gideon's advantage, swiftly clipping the hilt to his belt, secure. His. When Din whirled, bracing himself from an inevitable kick from the man who was a tad too slow to beat him to the deathly weapon, a blow never came. Instead, Gideon had the kid, his ears down, in one hand and blaster in the other. 

There was a soft "Patu." The man slowly took a step backward.

Something cold and dark paulsed in Dins blood. He thought he had seen some of the worst things the galaxy had offered in these years since his parents and constantly searching through scum pits. But this was the first time he had ever been too terrified to move. 

With all of his concentration, Din slowly raised his hands, dropping his blaster. 

Gideon spat out a tooth, blood dripping from his lips, and limped another step backward, his cape hitting the entrance of the ship. The engines rumbled, the door closed and began to lift into the air. 

Anger raged in his core. 

One. Din breathed, trying to claw himself back together.

The wind from take-off whipped his cape with the long grass that had been trampled from their fight.

Two.

He felt the rough but tattered texture of the glove face brush against the hilt now clipped to his hip.

Three.

The pack shot a plume of smoke and fire. Din was hidden in the clouds in an instant, following like a hawk above the slowly rising fighter carrying his kid. 

The pack's engine cut as the saber ignited. His stomach plummeted, and with an awful sound, the screeching metal and burning chemicals, the top was sliced off of the fighter, sending it spinning. Going down down down.

He heard the child's delighted giggles.

Din turned to see the kid floating (falling) next to him in the air, ears flapping in the wind, almost like a miniature parachutes. 

"Hang on," he grumbled, placing the kid on his shoulders. 

A hand thrust out of the tumbling wreckage clining to Din's cape for purchase but he jetted off—Gideons hand slipped past the cloth. The burning ship continued to fall, finally exploding in the distance.

No one would be able to survive that. Din thought.

Staying in the air, he turned his attention to the fight below.

—-

"Luke NO!!" Leia screamed feeling helpless to her bones.

After all of the tears, months of planning, years of holding out hope, all for just the smallest glimpse—any semblance of his past self—returned to her. And now she was about to lose him because he was being himself.

He held in his straining hand three Star Destroyers. They jerked and lagged in the air, and their ion engines, with nowhere else to place their energy, began crackling storms, rolling in the clouds. 

Splinters of trees and leaves littered the artificial clearing as the forest had been stripped to its roots—the Force releasing itself in the might it took to keep the ships from leaving. 

A tear of blood fell from her brother's eye, it splattered on his white cloak with the dropps of blood from his nose. 

"I know what will happen to them when the Empire is done with them," he whispered. 

The Executor groaned and there was a sound of thunder. The ships shuttered. 

"Luke! Please this will hurt you."

It was Din. He ran up to them, the child clinging to his shoulder. Din held out his arms as if he were speaking to a rabid, wounded animal. 

Luke looked back to them both, his cape smoldering and burning in places as it lashed around behind him. 

"You above others should know," he strained back a scream of pain, stumbling, "they were loading the lab equipment and people. How many others could there be like me? It's too dangerous! They will just keep hurting."

"They lost their leadership and most of their artillery today," Leia tried to reason, "This attack is a massive blow. We will have secured dozens of those ships; we can let three leave. It will take them a while to regroup. We can take them then. But we need you alive."

Luke shook his head, another tear of blood, "No. I more than deserve this."

He opened himself to the Force, beiging to relax in its presence despite the pain. He was aware that like during the battle with the Profundity his feet were no longer on the ground. His arms stretched open—he may have been screaming but he wasn't sure. 

The ships began to move backwards through the sky. His vision formed foggy and white but he knew he could do this.His energy continued when he was no longer aware of a physical world. 

He heard the pleading voice of the Mandalorian. He felt his connection with Leia. Her love and compassion had never left him despite all this time and all the awful things. He felt clarity. 

Names began to come to him. How fitting he would remember them now.

Aunt Brue. Uncle Owen. 

Tatooine.

Obi-wan--Ben.

Anakin.

"My son, come back to me." 

Father?

Luke's grip slipped for a moment, and he plunged back into the physical world. The ships screamed and shook. 

He turned his head slightly, and sure enough, Vader was there.

"Father, I don't want to fight you. But I cannot let them get away."

"I know," Vader didn't move. Both the Mandalorian and Leia had blasters pinned on him. "You are my son, not a lab rat."

Vader lifted his arm, grasping onto the ships. A breath escaped Luke in relief simultaneously to the choking sound of his father's mechanics. The ships began to pull back further and faster. 

They could do it. Together. 

It was a moment, perfect for a breath but spoiled, when he saw Leia and the Mandalorian thrown backward, clawing at their throats. 

Then there was a cackle. 

"I was there for you in your worst moments. I raised you. This is the thanks I recive? You traitor and stain."

Purple lightning escaped Palpatine's pale hand and long yellow fingernails. 

Then Luke remembered Endor.

A sickly smell of ozone and burnt metal, flashes of sharp purple light. Luke dropped his grasp on the Star Destoyers. Panic seeped into his bones—his heart beating faster than if he received adrenaline to the neck. The blank mask peered down on him. Palpatine's obsessive laughter. And the pain that crisscrossed his body, scaring every surface. His biggest mystery. The secret shrouded in darkness the pain. He couldn't breathe. It was as if he were locked in a Force chokehold—trapped.

His father's mechanics sparked, and he could feel his pain. His father still held onto the ships despite everything. There was a strangled, modulated cry. Lighting traveled the tension in the Force like a current, zipping through his father as a conduit and a massive bolt rung outwards. Hitting one of the battleships. Vader fell to his knees. The energy from the ion engines built with the lighting traveled back to his father, striking Palpatine and expanding outwards. 

Two Destroyers slipped his father's grip, disappearing into hyperspace--the third burst.

More lives called out in the Force. 

Luke whipped his head to see Palpatine's pained face one last time as the figure turned to ashes, blown in the wind. Only the cloak remained.

The last pieces of the Descant sparkled in the sky like a meteor shower. 

He was free.

There was a strangled mechanical breath, and Luke rushed to his dying father.

—

Leia helped Din to his feet; they had all seen much better days. The kid crawled back onto his shoulder, sleep threatening his movements. 

The three of them waited quietly from the dim treeline as Luke held his father in his arms, the dark mask cast on the ground next to them, watching the sunrise together. The Descant's falling particles caught the dawn, reflecting hues ofgold, pink, and lavender over the landscape before blinking out. She saw them exchange a few words, but Leia stayed back—Vader was never her father. 

Anakin disappeared into the Force. 

Luke tried to stand twice, relenting. He fell on his knees—his face to the rising sun, letting the warmth hit him and the memories flood in. There was a joy to it, remembering himself. But each contrasted painfully, a twisting dagger, with a memory of what he had done. 

"What was he like?" Din whispered just above the vocabulator. 

"Kind."

"He was kind before." She gave him a distrustful look. But he continued, "He was. It was buried sometimes, but he was."

"I guess it was something they couldn't take away."

—-

"So I guess this is it." 

The day was bright, too happy for a goodbye. A cargo freighter blazing the resistance insignia took off nearby, blowing the blond's hair. Dozens of ships were now filled to the brim with whatever the Imps couldn't take with them. Leia said it was the largest victory since the desctruction of the Death Star.

The noise was so loud it cut off what he was going to say to Din, so he stopped. They just looked at each other. The words weren't needed anyway. 

Din knew what he needed to do—to say goodbye. Din's hands shook in such an uncontrolled way that it was almost embarrassing as they locked onto the rim of his helmet and lifted upwards, above his jaw. But just before he could look at Luke in the afternoon sun without a screen in the way, his wrists were gently caught. Despite Luke's hands in cuffs, the visor fell back into place.

'No,' he mouthed, shaking his head under the noise of the freighters taking off and landing. 

Don't waste that on me. It was unspoken but heard. Clearly. Like a voice in his mind.

Two guards came and escorted him away up the ramp, and Luke was gone.

END OF PART I

*~*~*~*~*~

Did I just attempt to wrap up the OT, Mando s1 and s2 in 7k words? Yes. I did.

Also what does END OF PART I mean? Absolutely nothing! It makes the most sense in my brain to mark this as the rough halfway point. Yay we made it this far!

[dalekofchaos]

Imperial Skywalker family by Rezeren

[lil-dormouse]

WIP

Not sure if I'm gonna finish this one but I like him wearing sunglasses anyway 🕶️

(click for better quality)

[stealingpotatoes]

“Into the Luke-and-Leia-verse”...

Okay now I want more of this 🤣💕🥔

luckily for you i also want more so I'm using you as a very convincing excuse

(commission info // tip jar!)

[shutupcrime]

Some of you are too afraid to admit this but we all know Star Wars works best when it goes full soap opera