#the empire could’ve done anything

[skotiwolves]

Ok so unless the reg that Rex and co caught and questioned just recognized Cross when Cross was still going through the whole reeducation stuff

BUT

What if CX-2 is a clone of Crosshair and that’s why the reg had the reaction to seeing and speaking to Cross the way he did

[u3pxx]

KIM KITSURAGI - “Is that. My kineema.”

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - Something in him is about to break, *big time*.

EMPATHY - And it’s not going to be pretty, do something!

- DRAMA [Formidable] - Everything is fine!

- “Sure is.”

DRAMA [Formidable: Failure] - Surely he’s aware that he’s not the *only* person in the world who owns a Kineema?

YOU - “Is it really *yours*? I mean, plenty of people have their own Kineemas, right? Like working men, government offices, uh, firefighters I guess, maybe even animal control people? Exactly! A million different people who could’ve driven it into the uh…”

DRAMA - Pause, my liege! Ixnay on the Ineemakay!

YOU - “It could even be our *mysterious* joyrider!”

KIM KITSURAGI - Your frenzied babbling falls deaf to the lieutenant's ears. Instead, he approaches the broken vehicle, sunken in the ice. He moves with a caution and gentleness you haven’t seen him display before.

INLAND EMPIRE - It must be cold and lonely down there, in the icy water. Maybe he could sense its sorrow, calling to him…

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Easy: Success] - His hands, which are always stiffly placed behind his back, are trembling.

ENDURANCE - This is the shuffle of a tired, tired man.

HALF LIGHT - He’s going to do something drastic because of you. Oh god, terrible! You’re a terrible liar! You can’t look at this, you just can’t!

VOLITION [Formidable: Success] - It's not *you* who drove his kineema into the sea. You have plenty of faults, but this one is decidedly not yours.

KIM KITSURAGI - He kneels down with his head bowed, casting his face in shadow. He plants a hand on the ice to stabilize himself, squinting to get a better view of the motor carriage. “Detective, it says ‘57’ on it.”

YOU - Sweat drips down your brow, and you feel a terrible headache coming. “Maybe our joyrider has an affinity for that number?”

LOGIC - He's not stupid, he knows that it's not that.

KIM KITSURAGI - “57.”

YOU - “What about 57?”, you brace yourself.

KIM KITSURAGI - “Precinct 57.”

YOU - You wince. “Kim, look-”

KIM KITSURAGI - “When I woke up in the Whirling-in-Rags with no memory of what happened during the days before, I've taken note that something of mine has gone missing.” He grits his teeth. "A very. Important. Something."

He runs his hands over his face, messing his already unkempt hair in the process. Regret creeps up on his features. “God. Fuck. They’re going to fire me over this, they’re not going to hear me out.”

EMPATHY - Desperation settles in the lieutenant's tone. Sadly, you find yourself in agreement, even if you don’t want it to be the truth.

YOU - “People are more valuable than machines, Kim.”

KIM KITSURAGI - “Not people like me.” He rasps.

YOU - “…”

KIM KITSURAGI - Before you can say anything more, you fail to notice the lieutenant carefully walking onto the edge of the ice. He looks over the frigid water, a dizzying blue that mirrors and distorts his exhausted face back to him.

YOU - “Kim?”

KIM KITSURAGI - Seconds pass as he looks to be contemplating something. Out of nowhere, he casually takes another step where the ice ends and the sea begins. It happens all too quick for the lieutenant to even voice a call for help— if he even wanted to — his body plunging into the cold water before your eyes.

YOU - “KIM!!!!”

uhhh bonus stuff? sorry i have swap au brainworms pfttt

(im not sure what skills kim has at the moment so rn he only has narration as his inner monologue ok whoops, i would like to keep harry as the guy who thinks in dialogue trees so im still figuring it out pfttt)

also, this was done bc i wanted to expand on these old scribbles of mine, just like an idea, i just think that he'd be having an even worse time wheezes

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Okay so like, I’ve never requested anything so I don’t really even expect you to see this lol. But likeeee, can I possibly request a Din Djarin x reader, where neither the reader or Din know Grogu has the armor under his robe that the armorer gave him, and something happens where Grogu gets hurt and they both lose their minds before getting to him and realizing little dude is just fine. Please and thank you 🥹

Ooooh this is a good prompt. Speaking of, if you've asked for one then it's probably on my to-do list, but i am slow🤡. plus, updates of AFS and a couple other things come before random drabbles.

Din Djarin x Female!Reader

Word Count: 1.7k (i dont think I'm capable of writing less than a thousand words apparently smh)

AT FAULT

"don't let fear make your decisions." -Michael G. Manning

The quarry was laid on his back as a pool of purple blood began to settle in the sand under him. The twi'lek was motionless and your breathing was finally starting to calm. In one arm you held Grogu who seemed nonplussed by the violence at hand and in your other you held the still smoking blaster. When you managed to tear your eyes off the quarry's body they lifted to land on Din who stood stiff on the other side of the body.

"What the kriff was that?" Din snapped. His entire body was drawn taut like a wired rope pulled to tight. He was nearly vibrating in place and the anger that leaked into his voice was palpable. "Karking⏤ what the hell do you think you're doing out here!?"

His tone made your already irritable mood worse. You stuck the rarely used blaster back into the holster at your thigh. "Apparently, saving you! Maybe show a little gratitude!"

"Grati⏤” The word wasn’t even able to leave Din’s mouth. He stormed forward, boots passing the dead quarry, until he stood right in front of you. Close enough that the Mandalorian was forcing you to tilt your head up to look at him. You knew he stood that close on purpose⏤ he wanted to tower over you right now. “The two of you could’ve gotten killed! I told you not to leave the Razor Crest!”

“We’ve been on that ship for two weeks straight, Din!” You argued. “We just wanted a little fresh air⏤”

“I told you this quarry was dangerous, I said⏤”

“All your quarries are dangerous, Din. You⏤”

“When I tell you to stay on the damn ship,” Din grabbed your by the arm not holding Grogu, “I expect you to kriffing listen. Dank farrik, cyar’ika.” The way he spat out your usual nickname made you wince. “I told you this quarry was bad news⏤”

“And I told you that you shouldn't have taken the bounty!” You yelled and tried to yank your arm free. Din held on tight, and Grogu began to babble worriedly in your arms. “I told you we should take a break! Take a breath! We all need it, even you. Especially, you!”

You yanked your arm back again and this time it broke free. Din settled on placing his hands on his hips, but you could still feel his anger radiating off of him. Tempers had been running high the last few weeks, stuck on a close quarter ship while stressing over the Empire being on your heels, and it seemed the two of you were finally letting it come to a head. 

“It’s naive of you to think we have the time for a break.” Din seethed. “I take bounties so we can afford fuel to run, food to eat, and⏤” He shook his head, taking in a sharp breath before continuing. “You tell me to show you gratitude? Gratitude because you risked yours and Grogu’s life for me?” Din took one step toward you and you took two steps back so he stayed a foot or so away. He pointed to himself. “Everything I do, my only priority, is keeping you and Grogu safe. Away from the Empire. So, how about you show a little gratitude and stay on the damn ship when I tell you to.”

Grogu whined in your arms and you shifted him to the other in a poor attempt to console him. You weren’t ready to climb onto the Razor Crest quite yet. You weren’t done with this fight. Din’s anger and words only spurring you on further.

“You think I’m not grateful for all you do?” You spat. “Of course, I am, you ass! I just hate watching you burn yourself into the ground for us. You need to take care of yourself too, Din. That involves taking a break now and then! That’s why I suggested leaving this bounty untouched. I just want to help.”

Din nodded once then tilted his head. “Right. Yeah. Putting Grogu and yourself at risk was a lot of help. I feel much better. Thank you, cyar’ika.”

You scoffed, “You know what, Din? You are⏤”

The sound of an unfamiliar chuckle and your eyes snapped from the dark t-shape visor to the quarry sitting up with a menacing grin. It took less than a second. It happened so quickly that your mind couldn’t register the movements fast enough.

A blaster raised.

A blaster fired.

And, you didn’t have the time to spin away. The force of the blaster bolt knocked you right off your feet and onto the ground. 

You heard Din scream, the sound hoarse and raw and broken, then you heard another blaster go off. As you laid on your back, you realized you weren’t hurting. Your back was a little sore from landing on it, but you didn’t feel the sharp burning pain of a blaster scorching through your skin. That’s when your brain finally clicked. That’s when you realized. Grogu. Oh, Maker. Grogu. Grogu, baby⏤ Your eyes snapped down to see the little boy’s eyes closed and the front of his robe was blackened from the blow.

The scream that filled the air this time was yours. You felt the sound reverberate in the base of your throat, it rattled your chest, but the only noise you could hear was the racing heartbeats that pounded in your ears. You sat up, cradling him to your chest, and you could feel gloved hands pawing at your arms. Someone was trying to take him⏤ someone was trying to take him from you. You screamed once more, your body shook, and a gloved hand cupped the side of your face. Nothing registered until you saw Grogu blink his big eyes open. Your breath caught in your throat. That same gloved hand pulled aside Grogu’s ruined robe and the telltale shine of beskar stared back up at you. A mudhorn adorning the plate that Grogu wore at the center of his chest.

Grogu let out a soft mumble and smiled up at you. 

“Oh, thank the Maker.” Din breathed. “Cyar’ika. Cyar’ika? Cyari’ka!” A hand titled your face up, tearing your eyes away from Grogu who was wiggling in your tight grip. You met the dark t-shape visor of Din’s helmet. “Are you okay? Did it clip you? Are you hurt?”

You shook your head and opened your mouth, but all that came out was a ragged sob. Even after Din pulled you both into his arms, you continued to cry against his silver beskar plated chest until your own chest ached from how badly each sob racked your body. Grogu seemed content to be squashed between you and Din. 

Hours later, in the quiet of hyperspace, Din sat in the pilot’s chair with you on his lap, cradled against his body, while you held Grogu tight to yours. It seemed since the incident Din refused to let either of you go, and you had no desire to complain. Having his arms wrapped around you while you watched Grogu sleep was the safest you had ever felt.

“I’m so sorry, Cyar’ika.” Din whispered. His unmodulated words were muffled by the way he rested his face at the top of your head⏤ buried his lips into your hair to continue peppering light kisses anywhere he had access. In this position, your head tucked under his, you couldn’t see his face. “I am so, so sorry.”

You shook your head lightly. When you spoke, your voice was ragged from screaming earlier, “No, I am. I should’ve listened to you, Din. I should’ve stayed on the ship.” Your eyes began to water again. “I almost got Grogu killed.”

“No. No, that wasn’t your fault. Ner mesh'la cyar'ika, ibic hara cuyir pal'vut.” Din mumbled the end of his sentence in Mando’a. “You were right. I shouldn’t have taken that bounty. I can’t lose the two of you and I’ve grown… obsessive in trying to protect you.”

“It’s worked. You’ve kept us safe. If I had listened to you⏤”

“You’re not prisoners. I can’t lock you away from the world because of my fear.” Din cut in. You let your free hand trace down the small bridge of Grogu’s nose and he scrunched it up at the contact while staying soundly in his sleep. Nothing Din would say could rid you of this guilt entirely. If he wanted to claim the mistake he could, but that didn’t make it any less your fault as well. “Please speak to me.”

You closed your eyes and lifted your head so you could press a kiss against Din’s throat. He shuddered and sighed at the touch. “Can we just agree that this is both of our faults?”

“We can.” Din shrugged, his arms tightened around you. “But I'd rather you not take any of the blame.”

“Yes, well, unfortunately as we’ve learned, I’m not good at listening.” You mumbled.

Din chuckled. “Good. I don’t want you to blindly listen to me. Your ideas are equally as good as mind, if not occasionally better.” He closed the space to press a soft kiss against yours. It was sweet and tender. Not a declaration of lust or desire, but a reassurance that you were there. Din broke away to whisper. “But if you could at least let me know when you are leaving the ship, I’d appreciate it.”

“Only if you promise to take us somewhere pretty soon.”

“I’m already ahead of you, cyar’ika.” As he spoke, his lips brushed against yours and you had no desire to lean back away from him. Din moved his hand and you could feel his hand brush against the side of your arm every time he soothingly rubbed Grogu’s head. “Crest is on route to Naboo.”

You pressed another light peck of your lips against his before leaning your head back down against his chest. Din settled his head back on top of yours, and you felt the soft caress of his thumb against your arm from the hand that was wrapped around you. Din pulled you and Grogu a hair closer, and you reveled in the silence of hyperspace.

"Also, when did Grogu get a mudhorn beskar chestplate?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

mando'a translations

Ner mesh'la cyar'ika, ibic hara cuyir pal'vut. [My beautiful darling, this sin is mine.]

[a-heart-attack-ow]

The Arrangement. Part One

1: 

Dust hung in the air. 

Flecks frozen in time as my breathing hitches. 

I never meant to be here. 

For things to get this far. 

The truth was, I’d done everything I could to protect my father. He’d made a lifetime of mistakes and gambled away other people’s money and fell into all the wrong crowds until, one day, he fucked over the worst family in Las Vegas. A family from old money, a family as close to royalty as they could get. The family didn’t lose much money because of my father, but even a dollar was too much for the Brock family empire. The same family that was out for blood the moment they learned their employee betrayed them. 

I was there the night they sent someone to break into my house. I’d come home earlier than normal as my night class had been canceled. I’d pulled into the driveway after getting home from University and heard the yelling the moment I stepped out of the car. I was there when I ran into the house, and found my father in the living room on his knees with a man holding a gun to his head. And it had been me who begged them to not hurt my father. I’d sworn to give them anything they wanted to spare him, but I never imagined they’d want this. 

I never imagined they’d want me standing in a wedding dress in the bedroom of the family’s only biological son. The man I’d married only three hours before. I could cry remembering how I’d gotten here. How I ended up with the 10 carat diamond black engagement ring and a wedding band with five carat diamonds embedded into the band. The ring was heavy and served as a constant reminder of who I now belonged to. A reminder of what would happen to my father if I did anything to ruin this arrangement. 

The Brock family was untouchable. They had more money than they would ever need and a massive pharmaceutical company behind them. Mr. Brock was also the CEO of 20 major hospitals in Las Vegas. On the surface they seemed nice enough, but there was something sinister that everyone who knew them couldn’t place. They’d been involved in countless scandals and always managed to avoid any of the legal trouble that had come their way. They’d been viewed as a family of kindness, faith, and pure opportunities, but when their son got into his teenage years that had changed. The Brock family’s only son had a constant place on the cover of tabloid magazines. Even now, at the age of 25 he was still constantly on the cover of the tabloids. 

The senior members of the family knew they had to do something to clean up his image. Something to switch the party boy behavior into something that reflected the family values their company preached. But I doubt anyone would’ve guessed that this was their plan for their son. 

To force him into an arranged marriage to save their reputation. 

Colby Brock…

…is my husband. 

I feel a chill move up my spine at the thought. To spare my father from murder, I had to marry the heir of the people who’d wanted him dead. The masked man had laughed in my face when I told him I would give him anything he wanted if he didn’t hurt my father. 

“I know just what I am going to do with you.”

He’d chuckled darkly, his blue eyes shining behind the black ski mask he’d been wearing. Nothing could’ve prepared me for this. I close my eyes at the thought, tears threatening to spill over. Suddenly, my wedding dress feels very hot and I need to get out of it. I reach around to the side of my dress to find the zipper of my strapless dress. The gown itself was made of the finest silk money could buy (or at least that’s why the stylist had told me), but I couldn’t bear to be in it a second longer. I shimmy out of the dress, the fabric lightly landing onto the ground. My long black hair hangs in my face as I make sure my feet can safely step out of the fabric without catching on the fabric. I make sure to slip off the high heels I’d been wearing and keep them in the pool of fabric on the floor. My bare feet find the heated wooden floors and I feel a sense of calm move over me now that the dress is off of my body. I don’t even care that I’m standing in the middle of the bedroom with only my bra and underwear on. I just care that I’m no longer in that dress. I brush the long black curls of my hair out of my face and breathe a deep sigh. For a moment I don’t feel the anxiety I’d been feeling for days, but then I hear a voice behind me that brings me back to reality in an instance. 

“Now this is a view I could get used to.” 

His voice causes me to freeze. I’d only heard that voice for the first time today. When he read off his scripted vows. I turn to face him slowly, my green eyes finding his pale blue gaze in the dark. I had been in such a rush to leave the wedding reception that I didn’t properly take in my surroundings. I knew I was standing in a bedroom, but now that I was looking at Colby, standing in the middle of a grand room, I realized how much luxury engulfed me in this moment. He is standing in the middle of his bedroom, his tux jacket hanging over his right arm and his button up shirt undone. He looks like he had fun at the reception and like he didn’t mind that I’d snuck out as quickly as I could. 

“I am sorry…”

I start faintly, a smirk spreading to his lips.

“... I should’ve gone somewhere private to change.” 

My voice sounds so small when I speak. I don’t know the man in front of me and a part of me is terrified about what will happen next. He takes two steps to the right, dropping his tuxedo jacket onto the loveseat next to his desk. The smirk never leaves his face when he does this, not even when he looks back at me. His eyes scan my body in appreciation, his approval evident in the way his eyes light up the longer he stares. 

“Well, my darling wife, what’s mine is yours. You can change wherever you like. Afterall, this is our bedroom. This is your new home, all 10,000 acres.” 

Amusement moves across his face as I study him. His words echo in my mind, I’d married into a wealthy family and now I was stuck in the middle of a large estate. I’d grown up on food stamps and in low-income housing. I didn’t even know how to exist in a place like this. He notices the way I am studying him and he chuckles. He’d been here before, in a position with a woman who was intimidated by the sheer scope of him and his lifestyle. 

“You did a good job today…”

He rasps. 

“...Wore the dress my mom picked out. Let Kris do your hair and makeup, and posed exactly as you’d been told to.  It’s like my parents picked you out of a catalog or something…”

He pauses once more, moving to sit on the edge of his loveseat. I can’t read him or what he’s thinking but I see the slightest look of frustration entering his eyes as he continues to speak. 

“...Your name is Emilia Chandler and you’ve received all A’s your whole life, got into college early and now, at 24 you’re already working on your Ph.D. in higher education. You spend weekends at local soup kitchens, help donate to children’s cancer organizations, and donate to charities that support domestic violence survivors. You’re like an American Princess Diana, but I’m not a prince Emilia and I have no intention of treating you like a princess.” 

His words fall from his lips quickly and they’re unforgiving as he gives me a moment to process what he’s just said to me. His eyes aren’t kind, but there’s an amusement in his eyes as he studies me. I hadn’t realized he’d been studying up on who I am. 

“I’m sorry if I offended you or something.”

I whisper, my eyes moving from his to the floor. He chuckles darkly at my words, his body leaning back into the fabric of the loveseat. 

“Darling, I’m not offended. You do what you’re told and we can get through this without any problems. You fuck me when asked, pop out a few kids, and pretend to be happy when we are at events or in photographs. But make no mistake, what we are is an arrangement made by people who know that a girl like you is sweet enough to make me digestible to the public.” 

No one had ever spoken to me like he was at this very moment. The rudeness and the entitlement laced into how he spoke made my blood boil but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his words hurt. I knew he wasn’t happy about the situation, because who would be happy about being forced to marry a person to save the reputation of your family. Who would want this? I know that I didn’t. 

“Come here…” 

He demands from the loveseat. I feel his eyes on me, willing me to move to him. Out of compliance I do as he’s asked and move to stand in front of him, my footsteps light along the hardwood. The same smirk he’d worn before has found itself back on his face as our gazes lock once more. I don’t know when he’s taken off his undershirt but he has and now his shirtless body is on full display. I note the tattoos and his extremely toned body before moving my eyes back to his. Without asking, his hands are on either side of my hips, pulling my body down to straddle his. 

“Sam was right when he told me you were a looker. That’s all I could think when you were walking down the aisle. It makes this arranged marriage thing worth it, knowing I, at least have an attractive girl to fuck.”

The lack of kindness he’d had before, remains evident in his biting comments. He was vile, hot as hell, but vile. 

“Sam?”

I ask as the hands that had been on my hips snake their way up my body. He pulls my waist in against his torso, our skin on skin in seconds. He chuckles at how my breathing hitches as he arranges how he wants my body to straddle his. He guides his fingertips to  reach around to undo my strapless bra. “Yes, Sam. He was my best man at the wedding.” 

With my chest now fully exposed to him, he groans. There’s a moment where I lock my eyes with his, a moment where I decide that I could just get this initial moment over with faster if I initiated something. I could feel his tension in the air around us both. He didn’t like being forced to marry, but he was going to take his situation and have fun with it. I think back to his comment about having children and feel relief at the fact that I still had my IUD. If his parents wanted grandchildren to keep the family line going, they wouldn’t be getting them anytime soon. 

The longer we look at each other I feel the tension building between us. Both of us were almost anticipating what the other was going to do. I could feel myself growing more restless the longer we looked at one-another, so I broke the tension and placed my lips against his. If he was going to make the best of this arrangement by using me then why couldn’t I do the same? My lips move slowly against his and he meets mine with equal pacing. He holds his body against mine the moment I deepen the kiss and suddenly he seems to need me like he’s been starved of physical touch his whole life. The longer we kiss the more I can’t seem to think straight. All I can think about is how I feel in the moment, how he feels against me. His skin is soft against my chest, comforting inviting all at once. Kissing him was far more pleasant than hearing him speak to me. There was a false sense of tenderness to him that had been lacking before. 

I feel his hands move to my chest, giving my breast a firm squeeze. The touch feels so good that I break the kiss and moan into the crook of his neck, unable to meet his gaze. I didn’t want to see the look of satisfaction on his face as I reacted like putty in his hands. He was molding me into what he wanted and I was shamelessly letting him. A dark chuckle passes his lips as he uses his right hand to stroke my breast, his thumb lightly tracing over my hardening nipple. His left hand moves down my torso slowly until he reaches my soaked underwear. 

“Is this all for me my darling?”

He groans into my neck, as he moves his fingertips to slide my underwear to one side. He wastes no time pumping two fingers into my aching core, the quick pace of his fingers is harsh but it feels so good. I allow a shaky breath to escape me as I breathe into his neck. I was going to cum if he kept up this pace and he knew it. 

“Such a good little wife you are…”

He groans when I dare to kiss his collar bone. He was magnetic and for whatever reason I felt this connection to him. It was purely sexual, but I enjoyed the way it made me feel. Feeling me get closer to the edge, he removes his fingers from my core, the loss making me feel empty. He pulls my hair and forces me to look at him. 

“...From this day forward you are mine…”

He practically growls the words at me, his jaw clenched as he studies me. I can’t speak when he says this, but I manage a small nod before he continues. 

“... You will never be anyone else’s.” 

Our eyes remain locked as he moves his hands to unbuckle his pants, lifting his body up enough to slide them down. He takes his boxers off at the same time as his dress pants and exposes himself to me. Completely unapologetically he smirks when I glance down at his hardened member. He’s bigger than anyone else I’ve ever had before, but I can’t help but want him inside of me as soon as possible. He wastes no time with my underwear, but instead of sliding them off he rips them off of my body. 

I’m not shocked by the aggressiveness nor am I shocked by the way that he moves his lips to mine in pure hunger. He knew what he wanted from me and he wasn’t afraid to take it. The kiss was frenzied and demanding as he deepened it, his tongue meeting mine. While he distracts my lips, his hands move my body against his, brushing his hardened cock against my slick core. He is setting my body to align with his and I brace myself to be impaled by him. I brace myself for the feeling of complete desire to overtake us both. 

He aligns himself with me with one quick thrust. A deep penetrating thrust that felt like utter perfection. My lips part as he thrusts again and again into me with quiet demand. A moan escapes my lips as he holds my body into place, his thrusts deeper and deeper. “I want to hear you say it…”

He groans into my lips. His pace was faster than it had been before. I feel like my head is spinning as he does this and I’m unsure of how I can respond to whatever he wants me to say. I didn’t think I could even form a coherent sentence. 

“...Say you’re mine and no one else’s. Say it and I might let you cum.”

There’s a veiled threat in his words, a smugness about him that told me he could feel how close I was to coming undone around his cock. A threat that told me I better verbally comply or I wouldn’t be able to release the pent up pleasure I felt. I could feel how close he was and I could tell that he needed to hear me say it, his ego would accept nothing less. 

“I am yours…”

I whimper as he thrusts into me so fast that I can hardly focus.

“... I am yours and no one else’s.”

The words fall from my lips mere seconds before he cums inside of me, his lips connecting with mine once more. He groans as his cock twitches inside of me. 

“Cum for me sweetheart.”

He rasps, giving me permission to let go. My body wastes no time responding to what he’s finally allowed me to do and it feels so good. 

Afterwards we sit on the loveseat, our chests rising and falling rapidly. We both strive to catch our breath, sitting in the silence of his room. It’s only when he guides my face to look up to his once more that he speaks one final time for the night. 

“Emilia Brock, we are going to have so much fucking fun together.”

*I have other parts in mind, please let me know if you would like to read more.*

[miss-musings]

I know we all love to conjecture about “What if Crosshair had gone with the Bad Batch in the S1 finale?” or “What if the gang had heeded Crosshair’s warning and stayed on Pabu?”…

But here’s the thing…

Tantiss and Hemlock would always be a looming threat.

Tantiss was introduced back during the Season 1 finale, when we see Nala Se arrive there after Kamino is destroyed.

Hemlock was gonna take over operations there independent of anything the Batch did in S1 or S2, and he would still need leverage over Nala Se to get her to cooperate.

So, the Empire would be searching for Omega about a year post-“Aftermath” regardless of almost anything the Batch might’ve done.

And, especially in the case of “What if the Batch never went to Eriadu?” the Empire probably still would’ve found Omega the same way they did in S3.

Cid would probably still betray them by giving the Empire whatever information she had — mainly Phee. And getting information from Phee puts the Empire on Pabu.

Yes, Tech would still be alive in that scenario, but now when the Empire shows up on Pabu, the Batch would be even less prepared than they were in S3. Something just as bad, if not worse, could’ve happened.

Maybe Omega still would’ve been captured and taken to Tantiss, but in a “Crosshair joins them in 1.16 timeline,” now she doesn’t have anyone to help her escape or to give her hope.

Heck, even in a timeline where Hunter or one of the other brothers’ chips had activated instead of Crosshair’s … or any other alternate timeline you can imagine from “Aftermath” onward …

The immutable truth is that, if the Empire ever wants Nala Se to work on Project Necromancer, they’re gonna need Omega as leverage.

I’m not saying Omega ends up on Tantiss in every scenario. Maybe the Batch hangs out on some remote planet (other than Pabu) for years and Hemlock’s people never find them.

But I’m saying that Hemlock/the Empire looking for Omega is going to be a “fixed point” in almost every “what if” TBB scenario.

(PS - the only scenarios I can imagine where Hemlock wouldn’t be looking for Omega are: 1) Lama Su doesn’t know about Nala Se’s strong attachment to Omega or at least doesn’t tell Hemlock OR 2) Nala Se is never arrested by the Empire to be exploited for her expertise.)

[weadapt]

I think it’s interesting storytelling how in the beginning of the game Cal says the Sixth Sister’s name, Masana Tide, and reminds her of who she used to be—and it visibly distresses her because it hurts what was done to her and Cal isn’t wrong in what he’s saying. The shocking thing for me was the moment when Cal said “It’s time to set you free”. It was such a surreal feeling hearing Cal say that, those kinds of words, to know he decided it was time to strike her down; it’s understandable because she killed his entire crew, but for Cal to be the executioner in that way was scary to see coming after only experiencing the young kid he was in Fallen Order. Now you really get the feeling Cal has been through a lot, he’s grown as a man since Fallen Order and he’s calloused, not entirely in a bad way given he’d have to be to survive but still in a depressing way, as a result. I know overall and gameplay wise, Cal has killed a lot of people, it’s nothing new, but storytelling wise it’s a serious moment for Cal. It’s a moment you know is going to follow him the rest of the game for character development. After he kills her, it’s made clear by the music and by Cal’s body language that this isn’t a good thing coming from him. It isn’t a triumph. Even BD-1 knows and worries for Cal with his little “Boop…?” and Cal is only able to respond rather shakily, “Yeah… I’m okay”.

When he meets up with Bode and Bravo and they ask him what happened to the Inquisitor, he gives a simple, no emotion, “Dead”. The long pause of Bravo not saying anything in response to me says a lot; it feels like he isn’t used to Cal having a reaction like that.

Then we have Rayvis. Cal defeats him in battle and asks him to join in the fight against Dagan. He doesn’t want to kill Rayvis—“You don’t have to do this”. The oddly tragic part to me is that Rayvis has dreams of seeing Tanalorr again. If Dagan succeeds his dream will be realized, but he’s given up on the dream and wants a warrior’s death now. He wants to die, and in his mind, honorably, by Cal’s hands, and he’s going to force Cal to do it. But for Cal it’s another execution on his part. He pauses before he lifts his saber and kills Rayvis. It isn’t a triumph. Again we’re given a sudden swell of music to tell us the emotion behind the action of killing Rayvis. You can see it’s affected Cal badly. BD-1 seems to ask Cal the same question as before, “Boop…?” but this time Cal doesn’t acknowledge the question and just replies, “We should go”.

Killing Dagan hurts for Cal too. Dagan is a Jedi, someone who held onto the Order, who tied his entire identity to it and all of his goals are focused on restoring the Order and fighting to change the universe. Just like Cal in a way. Dagan is single-mindedly focused on the mission, so obsessively, he lost himself and the one he loved as a result. Cal understands and see the parallel of that kind of drive in his own mission against the Empire and it terrifies him. Dagan could’ve helped him fight the Empire but it became another tragic moment of having to kill a once fellow Jedi. This is another tragedy. Bode doesn’t care about Dagan being dead on the floor but Cal does. Cal has enough respect to place Dagan’s lightsaber on his chest. Cal pauses to reflect but Bode immediately gets back to getting the compass.

We have this interesting arch of reactions to killing his opponents. They were each killed for the mission. It was necessary. They each started the fight against him. No matter the reason though, it’s still very painful for Cal.

Cal is being pushed into this direction of forcing him to question his beliefs and who he is. His whole identity at this point has been tied to the Order, of being a Jedi, and it’s very clear by his conversations in Fallen Order that it really matters to who he is. By the end of Survivor, we have three fallen Jedi: Masana Tide, Dagan Gera, and Bode Akuna. So who is Cal Kestis? What will he become? Is he doomed to fall like they did? That’s what troubles him—“Let’s just say I don’t wanna end up like him [Dagan]”.

He’s afraid he’s going to lose himself.

The fear is almost realized when he’s about to kill another opponent. The one behind the murders of his friends and mentors. Cal’s been killing each of his main opponents up to the point at Nova Garon—this one will be no different. Except killing the man who sent Bode on the mission to infiltrate his team is different. Cal is on the edge of losing himself to the Dark Side. In Fallen Order he pleaded for Cere not to use the Dark Side because “She’s stronger than that”, “[she] still had a choice”. But Cal is failing to remember any of that for himself. He wants to kill because he’s angry, grieving, and in immense pain. Merrin has to bring him back—“This is not you!” There’s a question of whether or not Cal would’ve been able to stop himself if Merrin hadn’t been there though.

When we get to the final battle, Merrin is warning Cal of what’s likely going to happen but he ignores her for a while which prompts her to say, “Well? Say something!” He doesn’t want to acknowledge that Merrin is right and they’re likely going to have to kill Bode, and with that, taking Kata’s father away—a loss of family Cal and Merrin know too much about. So they both try and give Bode every chance to stop and turn away from what he’s done, despite how much Bode had hurt them. Sadly, Cal once again is forced into using the Dark Side to prevent Bode from killing Merrin. It was worth it. It was worth using it to save Merrin. He couldn’t let her be killed. He couldn’t see that happen before his eyes like he had with all of his friends and mentors.

After everything is over, there’s this sickly feeling left behind. Not simply because of Bode’s death, but because of the impact on Merrin realizing Kata has lost family just like she and Cal had, but also because of the impact the death of Bode has on Cal. And after Cal carries away Bode’s body, the music changes to an eerie, ominous, high pitch, minor key when we see Cal board the Mantis. The kind of change in music which lets the audience know there’s something seriously wrong. Things are different now. Cal’s different. And he knows it.

He’s lost in time watching the pyre, reflecting on everything that had happened but also on how grateful he is to Cere, but he knows the impact of her loss will continue to be with him for the rest of his life. Just like Jaro Tapal. Another guiding force in his life is gone. With Cere and Cordova gone, there is no longer any Jedi wisdom to seek out. He’s now alone in that way as a Jedi.

“I’m scared… I almost lost myself… I don’t know if I’m ready.”

Cal and the audience are left with the dreadful realization—

“I don’t know if I’m ready for what comes next”.

[legobenkenobi]

Tatooine codywan truly drives me insane because it just proves that Cody loves Obi-Wan more than he hates the Empire.

he could’ve gone anywhere. done anything. made the men who put them in this situation pay. he could’ve caused so much damage.

but he didn’t.

because he loves Obi-Wan more than he could possibly hate Vader or Rampart or Palpatine or anyone else.

he stays because his love for Obi-Wan is just pure and strong and his driving force, more than revenge could ever be.

i imagine Obi-Wan telling Cody that he can leave, that he can single handedly fuck over the Empire in massive ways, and Cody just tells him he’s not going to.

and Obi-Wan asks, “why?”

and there is nothing for Cody to say except, “because i love you more than i hate them”

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Not Ready - Part Three

Summary: Making your way back to the Marauder with Hunter and Omega

A/N: Hello lovelies,

In case you didn't realize, I should probably mention this is all set in the time of Season 1 but I'm sure you guys realized that. Also had a half day today because half our patients cancelled, love days like that, got a lot of stuff done and still had an evening to relax.

Love oo.

Italics - flashback

Warnings: Angst, irritations, yelling, lack of trust, fluff, running, evading capture, forehead kiss, feelings of guilt, fear, guilt, feelings of cowardice, I think that's it. Let me know if I miss anything.

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Now that you thought about it, those moments of you yelling at him probably weren’t the most productive moments between the two of you. You reached out and grabbed Omega’s hand when she slipped, as the three of you made your way back to the Marauder as quickly as you could, “You okay, M?”

“Yeah, my foot just slipped.” You watched as her whole body twitched, she was nervous. You kneeled down in front of her, while Hunter took a chance to scout out the way ahead. 

“Look at me sweetie,” you tucked her hair behind her ear, something you’d done numerous times. She slowly met your eyes, the two of you had gotten closer ever since you joined. In a way, she was the daughter you always wished you could’ve had. She had your love and devotion, without even a second thought. All you wanted was to protect her, and make sure she was loved and cared for, you cursed your heart. It wasn’t supposed to get attached, that was the agreement you had made when you initially went on the run, it was safer for everyone. You let out a soft sigh, as you offered her a reassuring smile, “It’s going to be okay, love. I promise.”

“I know. It’s just … do you think Crosshair is okay? What if he’s hurt?”

“M, it’ll be okay. If he’s hurt, he’s got people to look out for him. It’s us we should be worried about, we still have a myriad of stormtroopers to avoid.” She nodded, not quite able to forget about Crosshair, you pressed a kiss to her forehead, “It’ll be alright.” You held out your hand to her, “Come on, sweetie.”

Hunter hated how much his eyes kept following you, it didn’t matter that half the time, you argued with each other, or that you frustrated him so much sometimes all he wanted to do was shut you up with his lips pressed against yours. However, watching you with Omega, how motherly and kind you were to her and the others, even if you couldn’t stand him, you certainly were able to get along with everyone else. Sometimes the way you acted, reminded him of a rancor, fiercely loyal and protective of those it loved, but ready to destroy anyone who even dared to hurt you or those you loved. Maybe that’s why things had always been difficult between you two? Because he put you in danger from the word ‘go’. 

He let out a sigh, whatever thoughts or desires were confusingly roaming around his heart, weren’t likely to come to fruition. You both needed to keep your distances, and focus on the one thing that mattered the most to the both of you, Omega. 

“We should keep moving” he called down to you and Omega. You nodded and helped Omega up the slope. 

You watched as Hunter held out his hand for Omega helping her along the way. Despite his faults, of which he had many … okay maybe not that many, maybe a few. Okay, one. He had one fault. He thought he was always right. And sometimes he was … but a lot of times, he wasn’t. However, there was one thing that always pulled at your heartstrings no matter how annoyed you two were at each other, and that was how he looked after Omega.

Everyone was asleep, as you sat in the cockpit. You tried to sleep, but running into the two sisters who were actively fighting the Empire, made you begin to question everything. Here they were putting themselves in jeopardy, to do something to help the galaxy. Meanwhile, all you’d ever done was hurt it, and now you were trying to actively hide from the Empire like a coward. 

You rubbed your forehead letting out a sigh, when you heard shuffling behind you. You turned to see Hunter tucking Omega in, making sure Lula was close to her. After having to run away from Wrecker when his chip activated, you weren’t surprised to see her fall asleep as quickly as she did, the stress and adrenaline from the day definitely wearing her thin. You watched as he brushed Omega’s hair off her forehead, making sure she wasn’t having trouble sleeping. You let out a sigh, why did he have to be so sweet? Why did he have to do things that made your heart flutter?

You turned away, shutting down the feelings that were trying to brew. You closed your eyes, resting your head against the headrest. You weren’t meant for a life filled with love, sweetness, and comfort. It was never in the cards for you, and you weren’t ready for how your heart kept pulling and clenching. It was time to seriously think about leaving, you were getting too comfortable and too attached. 

“You alright?”

Hunter saw how meeting the two sisters threw you, it wasn’t just them though. It was hearing Rex’s account about what happened to his brothers, the chips that were in the clones brains; then the Jedi cruiser on Bracca, or more specifically the lab on the cruiser that made you uncomfortable. Something about being in a lab made you jumpy, made you nervous, he could smell your anxiety the moment you saw the lab. 

“Hmmm?” You turned to look at Hunter, not quite hearing his question.

“Are you okay?” Hunter took a seat in the chair directly behind yours, leaning forward resting his elbows on his knees, his bandana covering the patch on the side of his head, as his eyes found yours.

“Why do you care?” You followed his movement leaning forward, resting your own elbows on your knees. You didn’t mean for your words to come out as rude as it sounded. It was a genuine question on your behalf, why would he care about you after all the hassle you gave him. 

“You’re part of this crew, of course I’m gonna care regardless of how much you irritate me,” he smirked, “and you do irritate me.” You were thrown off by the fact he cared … the fact that anyone cared.

Hunter wasn’t blind, he could see something was bothering you, ”Butterfly, I … I don’t know what’s got you so shaken, but you can talk to me.”

“You’re better off not knowing.”

“What if I want to know?” He leaned closer, his fingers gently brushing against your own, almost by accident.

“Hunter, you can’t help me, and when you do one day find out what’s going on, you may not want me around anymore, and I’ll accept that. But not today, I - I don’t want to talk about it.”

He took a deep breath, as he reached his hand forward tucking your hair behind your ear, it always seemed to be unruly, sticking out the side of your head or clinging to your cheek, “You don’t have to be so strong all the time.”

“It’s not about being strong…” you leaned away from his hand, not wanting your heart to thump any harder or hope for more than it was. You let out a sigh, “Never mind, I should go rest.” You stood walking away from him burying the warm sensation in your heart deep down. As you walked past him, he reached out and grabbed your hand, holding it softly in his hand, getting you to look at him one more time.

“We’ve all done things we might not be proud of, doesn’t mean you’re alone. We’re here for you.”

You took in a deep breath as you looked at him, giving his hand a squeeze, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

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@liadamerondjarin @badbatch-simp24@spicymcnuggies@lady-ren @firstofficerwiggles @darkangel4121 @discofern @kavecika @monako-jinn-stories @ladykatakuri @avathebestx @theroguesully @furyhellfire66 @carodealmeida @ciramaris @sprout-fics @twinkofthedink @dindjarin-mandalorian @ulchabhangorm @tortor-mcgee @vodika-vibes @clonethirstingisreal @arctrooper69 @merkitty49 @moonstrider9904

[bl4z1ng-tr1ckz]

RUNAWAY GODKID AU: PART 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Dev became Fairy World’s first ever runaway godkid. Some were worried, others were trying to be heroes and help, but the anti-fairies (Irep especially) resented the kid deeply for betraying them the way he did. And honestly? Who could blame them? Having built an empire of your wildest dreams, only to have the person who helped you get there suddenly vanish into thin air after saying they’re chickening out…

Now, I hear you asking. “What about Peri?” “Oh, Peri must be so scared..” “Oh, Peri must be so mad at Dev”

He blamed himself for everything. Nothing his parents, Hazel, or any of his new friends did could get him out of this rut, and he was miserable. For once, he finally understood what Dev felt all this time. He was alone. And it hurt more than anyone could’ve ever imagined (more under the cut bc I love building suspense lmao)

And Dev? He was gone for days, turning into weeks, turning into 6 whole months. Half a year ago, he would’ve never anticipated something like this ever happening. Being taken away from his comfortable life into the cold, ruthless reality that is one of a fugitive? It sounded like some story they’d cover with Mr Guzman..

He couldn’t care any less what people on Earth thought had ended up of him, being the self-absorbed kid he remained. But now, he had a reason to be. Every day went from being a bore to a challenge. He had to try and eat as little as possible to not risk any fairies finding him, and deal with repairing his ‘wand’ however way he could, just to keep its magic alive and help him teleport away, if need be.

Merely 7 months after Dev’s disappearance, the police approached Peri and asked him to come down to the station. Cosmo and Wanda were scared that Peri might have done something illegal in his depressive state, but it was anything but that. If Jorgen told them were going to find the kid, they needed help. And who better to ask than Dev’s fairy godparent? (Clarifying here, Dev left before Jorgen would’ve even had a chance to wipe his memory and/or make him lose Peri)

So he helped them. That little bit of hope kept him going, and that hope consumed his being once he found something inside a group of rocks..a door, of sorts. Almost resemblant to that of a hidden base. Peri, having convinced himself that Dev would be here, flew down like a lightning bolt and found him. “DEV!!!” He cried, his heart speaking in his place. Dev wanted to reciprocate that same emotion, that same kind of love…but he couldn’t.

All that was left was fear.

Dev grabbed onto his own wand and raised it up high, clutching his scarf as the teleportation spell was slowly taking place. Peri, being the quick thinker he’d always been, grabbed onto his godkid and they were both gone.

[hinasxvii]

Noble Trial Thoughts

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

❁ 𝗠𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄! 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗺𝘆 𝘆𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴! 🤗💞

This is just a random thought that popped up in my head as I listened to Zaros’s audios for the 850th time! 🥰

I don’t know if it was stated, but I am 99.9999999% sure that it was in one of the episodes. If not I will be extremely embarrassed 🙏 but it’s whatever (it’s not whatever)

I THINK that in one of the episodes that it was either our mother or Zaros’s mother that said back then when the trials were held in the past that those who contested actually fought to death. It’s killing me that idk if this was stated or not rn and im gonna crash out, but moving on! But if it wasn’t stated this will js be a lil AU of mine, I think that’s what it’s called im not sure tho..

IF it was truly said in one of the audios my head immediately thought “Oh! What if Earis and Zaros had past reincarnated selves that were thrown into the deathly noble trials back then centuries ago?” As we know over time the trials have changed of course, but just thinking if the trials had remained the same and be so cruel as back then, it would be truly tragic for Zaros and Earis to be thrown into them.

My wording is not the greatest so pls don’t attack me 😞 English isnt my first language in case you guys weren’t aware 🙏 If I could word this much better and way more poetic I would, trust!

Anyways back on track to my rambling thoughts! It would truly be tragic if the two of them were put in a death trial for the games back then and now for the throne. If the trials were done the same it were back then I’d actually crash out thinking either one of them would die in the other person’s arms.

Earis and Zaros being people centuries in the past rivaling for the throne only to be reincarnated rivaling against the throne once again will forever and always be Roman Empire from now on.

Like I mean imagine how cruel the trials could’ve been back then? People willingly (?) choosing to kill someone else for the throne or something like that? But if Earis and Zaros were there during that time, I ain’t even gonna lie, I think Earis would be the one to do the kill. I HAVE MY REASONS WHY DONT JUDGE ME I LOVE EARIS I SWEARRRR!!

Back then in the trials I don’t think there would’ve been such a strategic planning such as now with the trials? I think back then they focused mainly more on power and strength than the others. That’s just my opinion though!

I mean just think of how horrible it would be to be up against someone you know and (used to) love. Idk what kinda of relationship/bond Earis and Zaros’s past lives would have but if it’s anything like present Earis and Zaros’s bond that’d crazy tragic. I mean really, it’s a killed or get killed situation worse of all it’s by someone you love/care about deeply inside but can’t show due to the circumstances.

Since we sort of know that Earis is quite skilled in Serulian (I think that’s how u spell it) sword fighting I can only imagine that their reincarnation from the past would be skilled as well if not more. I can only imagine that back then there was just this big massive arena that those who compete for the throne (Earis and Zaros) are thrown in to fight for the death aka the throne.

Back then the fighting section/strength section has got to be the most lethal, no? I’m pretty sure that would be the last stage/section as well since it’s probably the most dangerous. Like imagine having to fight to the death with your rival with a blade knowing one of yall have to die in order to get the throne. Crazy. Like having to plunge a whole entire blade through someone?? I feel like Serula would be around the arena watching the whole thing as well, thinking this is some sort of entertainment for them to watch. (before yall say it’s giving the Hunger Games, thats what im going for 🙏)

Or if not dying due to blades from Earis, poison? Since we know that Zaros is very informed with plants, herbs, and such. What if his past reincarnated self were the one to kill during the trials? If he were, I believe poison would be what he’d use to sabotage the other person (Earis).

Ik I might sound crazy thinking abt stuff like this but I can’t help it guys 😞 im WAY too deep into the Noble Trials lore and I can’t get out and I will NOT get out anytime soon lovelies 🙏

Okay but lowkey back to the Hunger Games kinda. Would that not be coolish? Having a whole kingdom/empire watch two people get thrown into the trials/an arena to fight each other to death for the throne. Like imagine being put into the trials only to realize those who are watching think this is for entertainment, thinking that YOU losing your life is for their source of entertainment. CRAZY RIGHT?!

I can only imagine how deathly the trials could be in the past. Idk how far long in the past im thinking but however long ago it could’ve been it still would’ve been tragic either way.

If Earis or Zaros’s past selves won the trials back then I can’t even imagine how one of them would have to deal with the heavy weight of killing the other person. Either dying by someone’s blade or dying due to someone’s poison. Hurts to know that they were willing to do such a thing for the throne. Or maybe they aren’t willing? Maybe they were forced? Who knows??

Or maybe one of them doesn’t have to die back then, maybe both of them could’ve died together back then in the trails idk how but it could still happen. I mean both of them dying thinking the other one lived would be tragic too, wouldn’t it?

Or they don’t even have to die. Maybe Earis and Zaros’s past reincarnation sleeves could be forfeit the trials or something like that and neither of them have to suffer a tragic fate.

Idk but these are just my random thoughts that are not canon, think this would be something called an AU, alternate universe? Idk but yeah! I feel like I have much more to say but I think I’ve said enough for now 😭 I still needa work on that yandere fic, Elias texts, and the 2nd part to “Lantern Festival”.

And I still have to make a masterlist/introduction for you lovelies yet the link importing thing won’t work for me so I might just post it without links and stuff!

The urge to write a fanfic with this concept is going WILD rn, is this how yall writers feel? Wanting to write a whole new fanfic but you have other to have to write in your drafts? If so, this is TORTURE. 😞🙏

But yup! That’s the end of my Earis and Zaros tragic rambling fate! Glad you guys took ur time to listen to me yap. MWAH LOVE U ALL 🤗💞

[isekaithatplease]

so,I found some spoilers about remarried empress andLets say,your gonna hate heinrey for a moment after reading this:Whenever I see someone point out how evil Heinrey or Duke Ergi are, I feel a boost of serotonin. Because, they are terrible people. But because Heinrey is the ML, we're just supposed to ignore he was literally planning on starting a war for no reason with the Eastern Empire, and even before that, he was draining the magic from kids (who are *orphans* and their only way to rise up in life/social status is their magic - even besides that, taking away their magic is like taking away a limb, it's a part of themselves)? No way. And no, other mahnwhas/webtoons doing this (i.e. excusing the ML's terrible actions) doesn't make it an acceptable trope. And the author dropped the ball so hard on Kaufman, I swear.

((I barely remember Kaufman tbh. Most of the characters personality in this story can be summed down to this ‘I’m a good guy and Navier is a goddess. I’m a bad guy, pls ignore my blatant trauma as I’m not apart of the church of Navier.))

This story really gets wonkier the more you think about it. Heinrey has done some terrible things but then the story tries to pass him off as a “OWO OWO CINNAMON ROLL BC HE’D DO ANYTHING FOR QUEEN GODDESS JEDI LEADWR NAVIER!!679!! 🥹 ISNT HE SO WHOLESOME?!”

Totally bull.

I don’t have a problem with Heinrey starting a war or doing shady stuff because that’s ironically the only part of his personality that doesn’t boil down to massive vanilla flavored SIMP. What I do HAVE a problem with is how it makes zero sense how he fell in love with Navier so quickly and how there was zero tension between the two. The story never even addresses it in a meaningful way- so I say, “what was the reason?!?”

Think about it, Navier is supposed to be a fantastic empress who works hard for her people and is super politically savvy but none of that shows with Heinrey or his weirdo friend. Ironically her marrying Heinrey to still maintain her power could’ve been more interesting if she really did use it as an undercover spy thing if she were suspicious about him- because I mean how did she not put two and two together? Since Heinrey came into town people- WIZARDS a huge part of her empire started losing power and an uneducated slave started pulling powers move that she’d otherwise not know about- like how didn’t she figure something out??? Is she stupid?

I also like how the citizens rightfully feel betrayed by this and get angry- for once it’s actually some realism! But the story only uses it to say “OwO poor lil Navier no one understands our queen/goddess 🥺 stupid peasants!”

[deus-and-the-machina]

MCYT Yuri week - Day 4, transgendered

ngl I didn't know what I was going to do for this one until a few days ago plus DAY TWO OF BEING SICK WOOHOO so it's once again short but sweet. Support on ao3 and all of that, I have longer works planned for the last three days that I'm excited to share!

go check out @mcyt-yuri-week and all the cool stuff people are making!

Joel glanced at herself in the mirror. It felt…good. Seeing herself shirtless with an impressively padded and stuffed bra made the Queen of Mezalea stand up just a little taller. But when she caught a glimpse of what was behind her… “Not gonna lie babe, I don’t think those’ll fit me.” 

Lizzie was taking out several dresses from her wardrobe, tossing them onto the bed. “Nonsense, we can always get them resized!”

Contrary to her own insisting, Joel was not, in fact, seven or eight feet tall. She was a very modest, not unimpressive mind you, five foot six. Or 67 inches if you were correct about it. 

And her gorgeous fish wife was only, oh, ten feet tall or so. 

After picking out a final piece of clothing, she swept them up in her arms and marched proudly over to her. “I wasn’t that much smaller than you when I wore these last, I thought about throwing them out but eh, sentimental attachment and all. And look! They had a use after all.” She reached around Joel to draw one of the dresses against her body. It was a bit short at the ankle, but the material was stretchy and comfortable.

Joel could’ve done this with plenty of tailors in her own empire, and indeed she’d still have to get properly fitted after this, but she’d do anything to be able to spend more time with her wife.

“Or if you don’t like that one, here’s a skirt instead.” Lizzie pulled the dress away and threw a new article of clothing at her. “And here’s a blouse, another skirt, two more dresses, and–oh of course! Shoes!”

“Okay, your shoes definitely won’t fit me.” With a wave of her hand, Lizzie shooed her off and went rummaging through her closet once more.

“Jewelry?”

“Of course,” Joel puffed her chest up. “What would royalty be without our glorious shinies?”

“Normal people, probably.” They had a good laugh at that. 

“Awwwww,” as she exited her dresser, Lizzie seemed to be suddenly overcome with affection. “I’m so glad you asked me to do this!” She wrapped her arms around Joel’s middle and tucked Joel’s head under hers, making the Mezalean queen her human pillow. 

Every now and again, Joel was reminded of just how amazing it was to have a giant fish wife as she picked her up and spun her around. “Yes, It’s amAZING–whoa!”

She set Joel down with a giggle. Sighing, she turned towards the mirror and put her hands on her hips.

“Alright, let’s get serious. Dress me up, dear!”

[stabbyfoxandrew]

arsonist neil/firefighter andrew pls🙏🙏🙏

WIP Wednesday (12/6) | Arsonist Neil / Firefighter Andrew AU (Part 73)

Neil isn’t sure why he asked. Sometimes he wonders what would’ve happened if he’d done it all differently. If he hadn’t burned his mother’s body. Or if he’d set the fire and let the fire department find it. Or if he’d called an ambulance. God, Mary would’ve used her last breath to knock the shit out of him. But maybe someone could’ve saved her. 

Probably not. Neil sighs, long and low, and watches as the car burns up behind his eyelids. But at least they could’ve tried. Maybe Neil might’ve been arrested and handed over to the FBI three years early. Maybe he would’ve helped them destroy his father’s empire that much sooner. Maybe he wouldn’t have all these scars and a crippling fear of anything sharp. Maybe he wouldn’t have this weird obsession with fire. 

Without the fire he would’ve never met Andrew, the closest thing he’s had to a friend since he was a small child. He wonders if Andrew knows that somehow. If that’s the reason he texted him in the first place. Or if it was all just random.

Finally, Neil shrugs and sends his answer.

<- previous | first | next->

[deadairradioshow]

something very interesting to me about miguel o’hara as a character is that like all of his actions, like the rest of the spiders, are based in good intentions. like there’s a lot of capital V villains out there who are working towards the Greater Good but as a smokescreen for their own Evil Desires For Power. but the thing about miguel is that he genuinely, one THOUSAND percent, believes he is trying to save every universe. the thing about trying to understand why a universe is collapsing based on empirical evidence is really fucking hard because you can’t keep collapsing universes to check out which factor triggered it this time. he wanted a family so he tried to have one, but it DESTROYED AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE. of course he believes that because he didn’t stick to his canon events he disintegrated his daughter out of existence (— even though this doesn’t fully make sense, because why would his own canon events have an impact on a different universe? — unless he simultaneously took over as spider-man on his alt-family’s earth and which fucked up the spider-timeline on that earth? but it isn’t mentioned…i’m getting off-topic—let’s rewind) what he is trying to do is make sure NOTHING goes wrong ANYWHERE — so like with pavitr’s universe when miles prevented the canon event with gayatri — when it started collapsing, he took that as evidence to mean the canon event shit fucked it up, and not spot. OF COURSE he’s chasing miles and yelling at him and scaring the shit out of him. miguel is genuinely terrified that the entire multiverse will actually collapse if miles (who, by the way, i AGREE WITH) saves his dad. he’s fucking crazy, but the feral behaviour comes not from some fucked up psyche or deep-seated villainous tendencies. dude is actually terrified that everything and everyone he knows will suffer and disintegrate into actual nothingness and he’s doing the only thing he can to prevent it. if he wrong? YES. but he’s genuinely trying his best like this a man who tried to be happy and was told that The Universe Does Not Agree. so if he as the holder of the spider-mantle has to sacrifice his happiness for the sake of the world he was to protect it’s not difficult to see why the canon-event theory makes more sense to him than anything else. if any of the other spiders try to be selfish, like he was, their universes will be gone. in a way i think he truly believes he’s doing all the other spiders a favor — maybe they have to watch someone they love die, but they don’t have watch ALL the someones they live die. and we know this man has nothing else to live for so if you came up to him and said hey actually there was nothing you could’ve done to prevent the total annihilation of the universe where you were happy other than by never being happy in the first place, ofc he’s gonna go crazy. if miles is right about having both cakes — and he is, gwen realised that canon events can be avoided safely — that means that miguel could never have done anything other than NOT go to the universe that collapsed. he had to stay in his lane and NOT universe jump. miguel’s story is lose-lose and if miles is right, then he just has to accept that

[bikananjarrus]

i’ve seen a few arguments now in support of the sabine padawan/jedi storyline that talk about her reaching her full potential, or ‘of course it makes sense bc she’s been working towards this the whole time,’ things akin to ‘isn’t it great that her story is complete now that she’s a jedi.’ now look. I’m not a fan of the sabine jedi storyline regardless, but i could have (maybe) been swayed by a well written sabine padawan plot.

but i think what’s irking me about this is that sabine was ALREADY a complete character!!!!! she’s a competent and formidable mandalorian warrior! she’s an artist! she’s really smart and handy and uses those skills for good but also used them to build terrible mandalorian-killing weapons for the empire because she was prideful and ambitious when she was younger! she butts heads with kanan many times bc of his jedi ideologies! she has a complicated relationship with her mandalorian family but she loves them and she loves her planet and culture! sabine didn’t need a jedi storyline to be a complete character. if it had been well done, it could’ve added another layer to her character. but we never dig into her motivations, why she wants this, so it didn’t add anything to her at all, and the way it was executed ultimately stripped her of everything that made her her.

[ahsokathegray]

I Bleed the Same || Thirty-Nine

Pairing: Rexsoka

Summary: Ahsoka and Rex try and make sense of who and what they are after Order 66 occurs. Figuring out what to do with themselves, they remain together for a period of time before parting in their own directions.

Warnings: slow burn, mentions of Order 66, ptsd, injury, death, and future nsfw situations

Word Count: 4,319

A/N: hiiii, it's been forever. thank you all for being so patient! as promised, here is the next IBTS chapter! updates will be every other tuesday as usual. i've also updated some earlier chapters of this fic to better reflect my writing style and make it not feel so disjointed. anyways, thanks for following along! I have a goal to complete this fic this year so I hope you all enjoy the ride ❤️

read on ao3! / series masterlist

Rex wanted to blast the smug look off Saw’s face. 

Now that the two of you are more… friendly.

He shifted in his tight seat, fists and jaw flexing until a careful hand was placed over his bouncing knee. The devilish curl in Saw’s smile only deepend at the confirmation of his passing comment. Ahsoka’s simple gesture had told the man all he needed to know. 

Turning her sharp gaze back to Saw, she spit venom. “That’s hardly relevant. If you called us here for a mission briefing, get on with it or else stop wasting our time.”

It was Rex’s turn to be smug, relishing in the way Ahsoka wiped Gerrera of his haughty expression with nothing but her words. Jango help him, he loved her. 

“I received intel from a contact of mine that one of your clones wants out,” he continued.

Rex sat up in his chair and Ahsoka stared the Onderonian down. If he sent Rex on a wild nuna chase, so help her—

Saw produced a datapad and placed it in Rex’s hands. “Coordinates. I don’t know names. I don’t know circumstances. It’s up to you if you take it or not. The two of you stepped up more than I could’ve asked on Kashyyyk. More than I deserved.”

“What’s the catch?” Ahsoka asked, crossing her arms, not buying the flattery.

The man flipped a vibroblade in his hand, sounding wounded, “Does there have to be a catch?”

Rex handed the datapad to Ahsoka. If the galaxy had retained any semblance of itself from before, it was its sense of irony. The clone in question was on Carlac. A small Imperial presence had bloomed on the snowy planet, taking up residence not far from where Ahsoka had been dragged against her will into an encounter with Death Watch. Her relationships with Bo-Katan and the forgotten senator’s son a few levels below had shifted considerably since then.

“I take it you’re familiar with the location?” Saw asked, watching the color drain from Ahsoka’s face. 

“Too much so,” she replied. “And I’m still waiting for that catch.”

Saw sheathed his blade. “I can’t offer you many forces. My people are fighting the Empire. The two of you are rescuing clones. There’s a difference.”

Rex stood from his chair and gripped the desk, his knuckles paling. “And if we blow their base to hell? They haven’t had long to form anything with strong enough defenses. We go in, extract what we can, get our guy, and get out before we’re reduced to ash. I’ve done more with less people. Two of your fighters maximum. We all benefit,” Rex gritted. 

“I like the way you negotiate, Captain,” their host laughed, lifting a bisected brow. “Fine. Two fighters. You come back without them? Without intel? I can ensure the Empire finds you both and that’s a fate worse than death.”

“That’s one way to make friends,” Ahsoka called.

Saw shrugged his shoulders, “Friends get you killed. Allies don’t.”

He knew precisely where to stick the blade in her heart, twisting it in the spot that still felt the guilt of Steela’s death. “Allies then,” she said, withdrawing any emotion from her voice.

“We’ll soon see,” Saw returned. “You leave in the morning.”

Ahsoka spent the evening knocking on doors, asking any fighters if they had coats to spare. She helped herself into the empty quarters, rummaging through closets and wardrobes, finding nothing but dust and old dressing robes. If they were going on some undercover senatorial mission, they’d be more than well equipped. 

Searching for about an hour with no luck, Ahsoka was ready to throw in the towel. She’d made it to the last stretch of quarters and knocked slowly on yet another gray door. It slid aside and she prepared her spiel, but was not met with another sleepy or disgruntled fighter, nor was she met with a fighter at all upon first glance.

“Ahsoka!” a tiny voice cheered, smiling brightly in the doorway. Lilla beamed up at her friend, lurching to hug her around the waist until her apologizing mother appeared behind her. “Mom! This is my new friend Ahsoka. Where’s Rex?”

“Lilla,” her mother laughed. “Sorry about that. It’s lovely to meet you, Ahsoka. She’s talked quite a bit about you and your friend. I’m Rallani. What can I do for you?” The human woman had the kindest, sad green eyes she’d ever seen. Lilla’s were the perfect copy of them, only brighter, happier. It saddened Ahsoka that the mother’s had dulled — wondering if herself and her own mother had once been like this family. 

If Ahsoka’s had ever been bright, their color was long since desaturated. 

She just laughed, the sweet hug doing wonders for her cracked heart. “You as well, and I don’t mind at all,” she said. “I hope I’m not intruding. I know it’s late, but I’m preparing for a last minute mission and was wondering if you had any coats to spare.”

The woman nodded knowingly, “Carlac, right?”

“Right. I take it Saw assigned you to the mission, then?”

“About an hour ago actually,” she yawned. “He’s not known for his punctuality, is he?” She ushered the Togruta inside the small quarters and led her to the wardrobe. “I unfortunately don’t have a men’s coat, but I do have a one that I think might fit you. Here, try it on.”

Lilla took a seat on a small sofa and swung her legs patiently, stubby lekku following, just happy to have a visitor. “Do you not have a coat, Ahsoka?”

Fitting one arm into the thick material, she answered the young girl’s question, “I don’t unfortunately. Funny thing is that I recently had the opportunity to grab one, but Rex and I had to hurry back here before someone saw us.”

“Oh? Was it that stinky shop here on Nar Shaddaa? Mom and Dad found that one!”

The woman laughed, “And we grabbed an extra for this exact purpose. Does it fit okay in the arms?”

“It’s perfect,” Ahsoka said, buttoning the ensemble to check and tossing the hood over her montrals.

Lilla squealed, “It’s like it was made for you! You look so pretty!”

Rallani nodded in agreement, “I was thinking the same exact thing, love. I’ll see you and Rex in the morning then, Ahsoka?”

“Bright and early. Thank you again. I was running out of doors to knock on and this is exactly what I was needing. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I’m glad we could help. And don’t worry about it. Your friendship to my Lilla is thanks enough — more than I could’ve asked for, honestly. There’s not many kids or young people fighting for the cause just yet so my girl is finding friends wherever she can.”

Ahsoka smiled, bidding them both goodnight and hoping the final inhabitant on the hallway had a men’s coat for Rex. She rapped on the door beside the stairwell, ready to face swift disappointment and meet back up with Rex only to deliver bad news. They’d struck a deal earlier that he’d collect their dinner and pack whilst she searched for gear. 

The door opened and as soon as the fighter on the other end answered, Ahsoka regretted the action. In her exhaustion and desperation, she’d completely forgotten the directions Lux had given her to find his room. She’d actively avoided the area ever since he’d told her where she could find him.

“Ahsoka,” he said, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “I wasn’t expecting you at this hour. What can I do for you?”

She did her best to swallow her distaste in this instance. “Actually, I’m hoping it’s what you can do for me.”

His eyes lit up.

“Do you have a men’s coat to spare by any chance?”

His face fell and he ushered her in. She remained outside his door. “Your Captain couldn’t come ask himself?”

Ahsoka ground her teeth together. “He’s actually grabbing our dinner from the mess and was going to meet me back in our bedroom. We’ll be up early for a mission. On Carlac, actually, of all places,” she added.

“Oh, I see. Are the clones you rescued going along?”

“Fireball’s arm is broken and they’re both still in the medbay, so no. Saw assigned Rallani and someone else to accompany Rex and I.”

Lux joined her outside in the corridor, “Rallani is great. I’ve seen her in action but she doesn’t know Carlac. If Saw— If I were able to go on missions, I’m sure Saw would send me with you. I’m the only one here who’s been on the planet besides you.” His eyes swam with the recollection of memories and her stomach bubbled sickeningly. “If you want, I can still help from here. Four people isn’t a lot and I’m sure if Saw’s sending you with his fighters then has to do with the Empire.”

She wanted to turn down his request but knew better than to deny any additional aid, especially since their forces would be so limited. As much as she didn’t care for him, having Lux involved might be exactly what determines their success or failure on the harsh planet. “Thanks. That would be greatly appreciated from all of us,” she settled with. “Did you have that coa—”

“I’m happy to do it. And no, sorry, I don’t even have a coat for myself. Not that he would fit in it if I did,” he said, inhaling deeply and preparing himself for his next words. “Listen, Ahsoka, I just wanted to say that if you ever need to escape that room, I’m here. I’d love to catch up and, well, I can’t lie and say I don’t wonder what might’ve happened if…”

“Lux, we all grieve differently. Maybe when we were still on Onderon I had wondered, too, but we were kids trying to make sense of the war and our place in it. You can’t search for yourself in someone else — you help each other grow, to be better, you find yourself through who you are when you’re with them. Steela brought out the best in you and I’m sorry that she’s not here. She helped you grow into who you’re supposed to be and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that she’d be proud of where you’re headed. Rex wasn’t wrong when he said that she was a natural born leader. Even in her death, she’s led others to do the same,” Ahsoka said. 

He slumped in the door. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, you know. It’s not just in his eyes but everything he does — everything he is. I’d die for you, but not in the way he’s ready to. He’s in love with you, Ahsoka.”

“I know,” she nodded, a silent beat passing between them. “And it took me until recently to admit how much I’m in love with him, too.” 

He smiled weakly, still looking at her with a longing she no longer pitied. Ahsoka knew well just how lost she’d be if Rex hadn’t left that fateful moon with her. She pulled her old friend in for a quick embrace and bid him goodnight, turning into the stairwell to find her beaming Captain with his arms full of food and miscellaneous gear. Ahsoka pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and held his arm as they ascended the stairs to their shared quarters for the night.

The small squad left early the following morning with sleepy introductions between members and wheels up before breakfast could even be thought of. Lilla and her father waved up at everyone as the ship took off, beginning its day and a half journey to Carlac. It was a less cramped trek this time around, though Rex and Ahsoka still found themselves elbow to elbow, taking their meals together and alternating turns sleeping on the other’s shoulder. 

Rallani told them how she met Lilla’s father on a trip to Ryloth before the war, and how he’d relocated to Onderon once he’d built a ship so that he could leave home to be with her. Rex, in turn, told her about the Lawquane’s and their children. If their new comrade suspected anything about he and Ahsoka being together, she did not voice it, but they both had a feeling. 

“Coming out of hyperspace,” the fourth fighter announced the following day as he returned them to sublight speeds. The Tognath, Benthic, had introduced himself as an experienced pilot, tactician, and engineer with a personal vendetta against the Empire. 

Carlac filled the viewports and Ahsoka was already remembering the last time she’d visited the frostbitten planet. She’d never before gotten to see it approach. Rex held her hand as they descended into the atmosphere, rubbing soothing circles on the back of her glove until the surface was in view. 

A dark shuttle they didn’t recognize flew overhead once they were already under the cover of the frozen forest. Everyone in the U-wing shared a look of apprehension, wondering if they’d just bitten off more than they could chew. Any kind of air traffic didn’t bode well. For a base of small proportion, no traffic at all was preferable. Ahsoka fastened her cloak over her newly acquired coat for the added warmth, trying not to think about the clone here and the horrors he might be going through — what he’s undoubtedly gone through already. 

“It’ll be dark soon,” Ahsoka said as they stepped out of the craft. “Snow’s coming in from the north. Both of these factors will be to our advantage. Keep warm and stay close. I know the area.” 

The charred roofs of the Ming Po town were just beyond the trees. She shivered, the reminder of the way she’d been dragged to the neighboring Death Watch camp just a few klicks east crept back into her skin. Rex’s cloak billowed around his helmet and he was still, observing her, nodding in a silent ask if she was okay. She nodded back. 

“We’ll survey the area — split up into two teams and get eyes on all ends of the facility. Benthic, you can tap into the system?” Rex asked.

“I can. Saw prefers me for my record times, Captain,” the man responded. He was proving to be a jack of all trades and Ahsoka was thankful that Saw had been particular in the fighters he’d assigned to this mission. “I should be able to extract a map of the base as well as some more encrypted files once we get inside. If you hear or see anything about Imperial refineries or supply lines, make sure it gets back to me.”

Rex nodded and looked to Ahsoka, following her lead on this one. She took one more glance back towards the village before pressing on, following the provided coordinates and gaining on the Empire’s facility. “See anything yet?” she asked Rex once they split into teams. Her senses were returning at a gradual pace. She didn’t dare trust their accuracy just yet.

“Oh, yes,” Rex reported, flipping down his rangefinder. “And I like it a whole lot less than I anticipated.”

“What is it?” she asked, watching her breaths materialize in front of her.

“Troopers guarding the entrances… and they’re wearing new armor.” His blood congealed in his veins, fully freezing over. 

The harsh wind whipped at Ahsoka’s lekku, each pump of her heart felt in her montrals. “Are they clones?” 

“I— I can’t tell.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes and pressed her blue lips into a thin line. She couldn’t kill another clone. She refused. Rex may be willing but she was incapable, unwilling. “We have to get closer. I’ll need to hear their voices to be sure. I won’t—”

“Ahsoka.”

“I won’t, Rex,” she doubled down. 

His rangefinder was returned to its upright position and he stood, gently taking hold of her lekku and tucking them into her coat so they didn’t get windburn. “Okay. We’ll find a way. We did it before and under worse circumstances than these.” The comm on his wrist gauntlet lit up. “Talk to me, Benthic.”

“Captain, we’ve extracted the designs of the facility. Prison block is underground and that’s where our guy is being held. Cell 5940. How do the two of you wish to proceed?” the Tognath asked, breathing tubes whirring with the weather. 

They rendezvoused with their forces and crafted a plan to infiltrate, each of them memorizing different parts of the Imperial base and assigned an individual task. Carlac’s biting cold was all but forgotten as they readied themselves in the cover of the forest. The snow had caught up with them, falling much harder now and setting their plan in motion.

Rex gave the go-ahead motion with his hand. Now. 

With the brief assistance of the Force, Ahsoka pushed the snow from a low hanging tree branch at the left of the facility. The two troopers in their unscuffed armor turned to where the noise came from, looked at one another, and each shrugged. Ahsoka inhaled deeply and pushed again, this time snapping several larger branches. Her fingers retracted, not having meant to apply so much pressure.

“What was that?” the first trooper asked. Not a clone.

“You should go take a look,” said the second. Not a clone. 

“Alone?”

“You’re the one who heard it.”

The first trooper sighed and left to investigate. Rex should’ve been ashamed of the slight upturn that teased at the corner of his lips. Both of the men were shivering. The Empire might’ve been quick to issue new armor for its soldiers, but it hadn’t yet had the time to craft a version adequate enough for such extreme weather. 

Ahsoka was the first to hurdle forward. She was the fastest, most agile, most experienced member on the squad. She rushed the trooper by the entrance as Lilla’s mother took out the surveillance cams with her rifle, with Rex taking care of the trooper at the treeline. 

Both comms were extracted from the fallen troopers and Benthic directed them to the ventilation system, opening the large icy grate and allowing them inside. “Rex. Ahsoka. You need to catch a lift to the level below. Expect the holding cells to be guarded. Be ready for anything. We don’t know what the Empire wants on Carlac,” the man detailed. “Rallani you and I will go up a level. I’m going to tap into the system while you’re on guard. We’ll meet back on this level in thirty.”

“Understood,” they all agreed, hopping inside the ducts with Benthic at the back, sealing them inside. 

A single trooper patrolled the corridor they came out in and was soon eliminated and relocated to a nearby supply closet. She’d been the only one present — the only trooper between them and the two lifts that now stared back at them. Both the up and down buttons were activated. It felt too easy.

The weight in the air was suffocating, wrapped tightly around their throats as they waited on the lifts to arrive. It took no time at all for the indicators to ding, two sets of doors sliding aside for the pairs to enter. Rex, Ahsoka, Benthic, and Rallani all shared tight nods as they stepped into their respective lifts, not uttering a word as the mechanisms took them in opposite directions. 

Ahsoka and Rex each drew their blasters, pointing them at the closed door and ready to down anyone or anything that stood in their way. The lift settled beneath the ground and groaned, the air growing colder with the descent. Rex’s vocoder emphasized his heavy breathing, nerves running high at the possibility of rescuing another clone. It put her at ease, the familiar sound, reminding her that they’ve been in this together since the start and that they’d continue to be until the job was done — no matter how many years it took.

Plasma was already shooting across the room as the door slid aside, striking down the only trooper in the room and sending them into the controls. Ahsoka’s heart had jumped into her throat as the pieces started falling together. There were too few forces here. Even for a base of this size, that wasn’t standard. Her fingers trembled and she helped Rex do a quick sweep of the area. Nothing. No one else. 

“Rex.”

“I know.”

She could see cell 5940 from where she stood, situated at the back of the rightmost hallway. The diagram on the screen by the controls showed which cells were occupied — more of them filled than not. Ahsoka felt bile rise in her esophagus, keeping her heart afloat. She recalled the Chieftain, his trusting people, and Tryla. If they weren’t already dead, she feared that it was them that occupied these cells if they weren’t all filled with clone troopers. Either way, she knew what she and Rex would have to do.

A door in an adjacent hallway lit up, voices gaining from behind it. Rex pulled them into a small communications room with no door, hiding them behind a wall and switching out the light. 

It was then that his comm lit up, but it wasn’t the same frequency that Saw’s fighters had been using. They both recognized the button on his gauntlet as the one he programmed for the Alderaanian Senator. Ahsoka looked at him expectantly, pulling them deeper into the room where they were taking refuge. He answered quietly, waiting with baited breath for the person on the other line to speak first.

“Captain? Can you confirm it’s you that I’m speaking with,” Bail said from the other line.

“Yes, Senator. This is Rex. What can I do for you? I can’t talk for long.”

Bail nodded, “Of course. I’ll be brief, then. Your friend on Daro — I was able to provide the clone with a rescue beacon some rotations ago. Its distress signal has just been activated. I’ll transfer you the information. He can be extracted at the location that it’s supplying. I wish you the best of luck, Captain. May the Force be with you.”

The yellow light on Rex’s wrist dimmed and another light took its place. Gregor. 

Outside of the room, the voices became clearer, entering the cell block and nearing where Rex and Ahsoka were hiding in the shadows. Five— no, six pairs of shoes echoed against the solid ground. Ahsoka could feel each and every one of them, the beat of their hearts, their intentions, their… She clutched her chest. The temperature in the room remained the same but Ahsoka began to feel a deep chill bloom in her veins. It was worse than cold, it was dark, it was sinister, it was—

Ahsoka pressed herself against the wall and Rex silently ripped his helmet off, taking her hands in his. He breathed hot air over her fingers, eyes pouring deeply into hers. Over and over again he mouthed the three words he’d waited far too long to say, fearful he’d already said them out loud for the final time. His hot breaths fanned between them, swirling in the frigid air and helping Ahsoka to calm her own breathing. 

The voices came and went, passing by the door and the dead trooper entirely. It unsettled her, the oddity of all of this. The dark was untrue, unconvincing. She inhaled deeply, trying to pinpoint the one voice in the hallway that she recognized. There’d been too many HoloNet reportings she’d listened to back at the Martez’s and she was too preoccupied to place it just yet. It could wait. It was nothing. This mission — the clone in that cell — took complete precedence. 

And as soon as the voices had come, they disappeared, another door sealing them away and leaving Rex and Ahsoka alone once more. She swallowed down her heart, her bile, and her assumptions. “Gregor,” was all she said, searching Rex’s eyes and finding nothing but raw hope. “You did it. You got him.”

He let out a huff of air, briefly forgetting his brother in the midst of whatever Ahsoka had just experienced. “We did it,” Rex breathed, wondering just how he could repay Bail Organa for making true on his promise. That solidified it for him. The Senator could be trusted. His pull, his influence could be instrumental in their efforts against the Empire. With people like Bail and Saw taking the risks they were taking, Rex felt like their small efforts might eventually make the waves it needed in order to restore the Republic. The thought of how powerful they could be as a unit caused his heart to thump to fast for its own good. 

Ahsoka picked up her blaster once more and Rex pulled the holoprojector out of his helmet before they proceeded, calling in the biggest favor he had yet. His call was answered almost immediately. “Hello, boys. Sorry to cut right to it, but I could use your help.”

“What do you need, Captain?” Hunter asked.

Rex scanned his surroundings. “I received a distress signal from a clone trooper, but I’m a bit tied up at the moment to retrieve him.”

The projection wavered before the Sergeant's response came through, “You want us to recover a reg?”

“He’s an old friend, and he’s in trouble,” Rex stressed. “I need you to get him out.”

The other end of the call was silent for a moment. Time was of the essence, causing Rex’s brow to sweat. Ahsoka was about to make her move, finding a comfortable grip on her borrowed pistol. 

“Out of what exactly?” the Sergeant asked finally. 

She darted from cover, moving with determination to the intended cell.

“Can’t talk right now. Sending you his signal. I’ll be in touch,” Rex hurried, transferring the information to his brothers and following hot on Ahsoka’s heels to the imprisoned clone, covering her the entire way.