#to draw her using jar'kai

[thechaoticfanartist]

Rebel Grim using jar'kai appreciation post

[aces-to-apples]

I saw your fusion AU post and need details (if you’d oblige me). Because this is steven universe inspired, do they dance to fuse? Do they do a gay little dance on the battlefield? This is important information. Also, fusion appearance: do they just look like giant ppl or are they big ol’ abominations? I garner it would vary case by case, but if you have an appearance in mind for [insert fusion name here] know that I’m looking expectantly 👁️👁️ (1/2)

Fusion AU Post

Asdfghjkl okay so some of this i have written down places already but some of it is only in my brain, and because i am not musically or visually creative some of it never occurred to me, so bear with me.

In this AU Force-wielders—most existing within the Jedi Order and therefore pretty much all assumed to be Jedi, colloquially known as gems or crystals depending on location—are like SU Gems in that they're beings made of light and the Force whose sentience is contained in kyber crystals from which they project their mobile physical forms. When projecting a physical form, their kyber cores are contained within them like SU gems, except when they move into their "weapon forms" aka lightsabers. Since I'm not inclined towards music or dance, and because Steven proves that you can fuse with a gem who's retreated into their gemstones to reform, dancing isn't required to fuse but I think it's probably a cultural and ceremonial things for Jedi proper. And fusion works with non-gems because something something through all things the Force flows.

You're right that fusion appearances vary case by case. Everyone's base appearance is the same as in canon, and while fusions can get very big depending on how many are fused and how stable the fusion is (less stable fusions being bigger) they usually stay under about 8 feet i think.

Fusion appearances are vague because, again, very much not an artist, but I do have a few specifics for some of them: Anyone who fuses with Ahsoka has togruta montrals, anyone who fuses with Maul has zabrak horns plus an extra mouth, anyone who fuses with Anakin has four arms, and anyone who fuses with Rex has four eyes.

Maulakin: keeps Anakin's hair so the horns end up looking almost like a half-hidden crown, and they also have Maul's markings but subtler almost like they're showing from underneath Anakin's regular skin.

Rexakin: most normal-human-looking, dark golden curly hair, one pair of brown eyes above a pair of yellow eyes, deep tan/light brown skin? Only one mouth but voice is slightly double-toned and they talk more like Anakin but move more like Rex.

Maulsoka: from discord dms, "I'm thinking Maulsoka probably looks the most "monstrous" of the bunch: zabrak horns and togruta horns, four eyes, four arms, white markings and black skin with a slick-looking red tint that looks like fresh blood on obsidian, and they're like 7 feet tall."

The list of most to least stable fusions, pasted below from the other post, ranges from about 6'5" to about 7'2" (which doesn't even surpass regular human heights let alone aliens but I think any bigger would just be a little too comical so no building-sized fusions like in the cartoon): Anasoka - Obikin - Obirex - Rexsoka - Rexakin - Maulakin - Obisoka - Maulsoka - Maulrex

As for the fusion lightsabers, I think there's quite a wide variation as well. A Maul fusion will nearly always use a lightstaff and an Ahsoka fusion will nearly always use Jar'Kai, but with the colors yeah probably gradients or maybe a thin core color/ greater outer color. Maulakin would use a lightstaff with a red core but mostly Anakin's blue. Maulsoka would probably also use a lightstaff but one end would be green and the other would be the yellow-green of her shoto, but maybe they would Ahsoka's Jar'Kai with a deep red saber and a much paler red shoto. Much fun to be had there, but as with the character designs, if I was an artist, I'd already have already tried drawing them instead of trying to talk my way through them lol.

Lastly, not one of your questions but because I don't think I've mentioned anywhere else: Maul and Anakin still use prostheses because the fights on Naboo and Geonosis were so traumatic that their projected physical forms were permanently changed, like Pink Pearl's cracked eye in SU.

Aaaaand I think that's everything! Thanks for sending these in btw it was fun to write some of this out even though I'm sure my lack of visual artistic skills is disappointing lmao

[moinsbienquekaworu]

yooooo Star Wars ocs?? *grabby hands* share. infodump. how much swag do they have on a scale from 1-10

Pigeon I love you I am kissing you right now (platonically but enthusiastically)

Okay so the main guys that keep occupying my brain are Korcha and her lineage, Reil, Devafe and Lineth. You've seen my drawings of them I think? Korcha's the spider lady, Reil is her first apprentice with the long hair, Devafe her second apprentice, she's the one with the cool art where she's doing lightsaber training, and Lineth is a wet little cat girl (affectionate)

First off, they all have swag by virtue of being Jedi, I don't think you can manage to be under a like 3-4 in swag when you're proficient at using cool laser swords and space magic. That said, among other Jedi, Korcha is swag enough but not exceedingly, maybe a 5 or a 6 depending on who you ask? She's got wild anecdotes, by the Clone Wars era she's in her 70s and you don't get to that point as a Jedi without cool life skills, plus she's pretty good at Jar'kai (using two lightsabers simultaneously), and that's really cool, but she's nerfed by the importance she puts on Rules and The Correct Thing To Do, which makes her a more reasonable person and therefore less likely to do absurd but cool stuff.

Reil is on the list of swagest people in the Temple because by the Clone Wars he's been a crèchemaster for like 15 years and that means a lot of the younger Jedi know him and like him. He's good at his job he's patient and he lets the kids play with paint and that means if there were contests like you see in fics for various title among the Jedi Order he would be in the top contender for Coolest Crèchemaster or something. Like that cool counselor people like, or the teacher everyone wants to have in class. A solid like 8/10 at least

I'm not subjective on Devafe because I project onto her accidentally her vibe is Dooku but to the left, since they've got similar fighting styles and that's linked to who she is as a person, and Makashi simply is The swagest form out of the seven (or like, Vaapad, we love Mace here) So automatically she gets points for that because who doesn't love someone who fights in a focussed, neat and precise, fencing-like style with cool laser swords, even when they prefer reading books? Nobody. She's cool. She doesn't go below a 7 and I'm not being nice here purely because she was a bit of an annoying teenager (like Korcha btw lol, like master like apprentice sometimes)

Lineth is - I want to be nice to her because she deserves it, and she gets a pity point for staying alive the whole war, a feat not all Jedi could accomplish, and certainly not all Padawans. Ahsoka makes it, of course, but Ahsoka is Special and Cooler Than Everyone Else, and Lineth is just there trying not to break down more than once a week. That's still like a 5 though, but it's not her fault she doesn't get to develop fully as a person because there's a war on :( In the alternate world where everything is okay and the war ends she gets more confident and she's swager though don't worry about her

Other SW OCs are Cehim, who makes maps and lives alone in her spaceship and is part of a group of artists and has multiple QPPs and is a bit like a space version of Meredith but different, she's super cool I love her, 9/10 at least; and the clone commanders under Devafe and Korcha & Lineth during the war. Devafe's commander, Jellyfish, picked his name because he likes jellyfish, and that immediately gives him a 8/10 on the swag scale, plus he talks shit with Devafe sometimes and that's extremely fun to me. Korcha & Lineth's commander (or technically captain but he kind of fills the role of commander since Lineth is a baby) is called Stellar and he's wonderful, dare I say he does a stellar job, you get the idea, he was the first (but not the last) to see Lineth and think oh, that's a baby, she needs a friend not someone who'll obey her orders, as opposed to Korcha who during the war wanted competent officers first and then people she could have tea with second, though she very much wanted both, and for that he's also swag, maybe a 7/10. What do you want, all of them except Cehim and Reil fought in a war, that makes you swag just by virtue of The Horrors <3

[baby-yodel]

Trying my hand at drawing lightsabers, so of course I had to go for my man Maul's 😌

Not too pleased with the center one, I think the blade is too thicc, but it's too late now to change anything about it.

I hope you like it and I'd love to know which lightsaber type is y ou ur favorite! Personally I like Maul's, or Assajj's because they can be used in so many ways 👌

I created an OC for a Star Wars RPG and figured that she'd probably be a skilled lightsaber wielder and be able to use hers in different configurations (assembled into a double sided saber, jar'kai, solo saber). I can't wait to have her do some fabulous stunts during fights 🥋

I used watercolors on 36x51cm paper.

[swtorpadawan]

Force Abilites

Tagged by @pauletta-00​ . Thank you so much!

Tagging @greyias​ , @hydrospanners​ , @inyri​ (Obviously NOT for her main) , @theanaideialegacy​ , @kgoblin​ , @sunsetofdoom​ and anyone else who'd like to give it a go. No pressure.

I'll tackle my main, Corellan Halcyon. Scores represent his abilities in the aftermath of KOTET.

Force sense (generic ability to connect with the Force)

★★★★★

Force Empathy (ability to know what other people are feeling. Easier with Force sensitives than civilians)

★★★★☆  

Telepathy (what it says on the tin. Easier with Force sensitives than civilians)

★★☆☆☆

Thought shield (What it says on the tin. It blocks both of the above skills.)

★★★★★

Mind Trick (Ability to influence people’s thoughts. You know, the “There are not the droids you’re looking for.”)

★★★☆☆

Force Stealth (Ability to mask your presence from other Force-sensitives)

★★★★☆

Farsight (the ability to evoke visions of events happening in other places)

★★★★☆

Force Meld (A technique where in battle a number of Force users join their minds together through the Force, drawing strength from each other)

★★★☆☆

Precognition (Passive ability used in combat to have premonitions of where danger is coming from)

★★★★★

Instinctive Astrogation (Ability that allows you to find a route through hyperspace without the help of a navigation computer or astromech droid)

★★☆☆☆

Comprehend Speech (Ability to understand the spoken language of any sentient, though it does not necessarily mean you can speak said language)

★★★★★

Animal Friendship (what it says on the tin)

★☆☆☆☆

Plant surge (Ability to channel life energy into plants)

☆☆☆☆☆

Force Body (Ability to enhance your body, allowing you you jump mad heights, move super fast, survive otherwise mortal blows, etc.)

★★★★★

Force Healing (what it says on the tin)

★☆☆☆☆

Telekinesis (what it says on the tin)

★★★☆☆

Force Lightning

☆☆☆☆☆

Pyrokinesis (Ability to burn stuff)

★☆☆☆☆

Most of Corellan's applications of the Force involve enhancing his natural abilities. He is strong for someone of his build, and with his enhanced strength he can deliver blows that stagger his opponents, even while using his dual blade Jar'Kai approach. (Which is his normal approach.) Likewise, his natural speed, agility, and reflexes are all excellent without the Force and enhanced to the max with it. 

His Precognition is usually used to anticipate an opponent's moves. He picks up languages very quickly, but that's in part because he has an eidetic memory. He's lousy at Force healing (as you can see above) and his telekinesis is potent but somewhat unrefined, despite years of practice. He's great at little Force pushes in combat, moving single small objects around and he was more than able to help Lana and Senya raise the Gravestone. Beyond that, his practical applications are limited.

He's also smart enough to come up with maneuvers to compensate for his shortcomings. He has no aptitude for tutaminis, for example, so he came up with a move with Kira and Scourge to make up for that. (I hope to cover that in a future fic.) Thanks again for the tag!

[stonefreeak]

Here we go, another update!

Anakin Skywalker walks through the halls of the Jedi Temple, his padawan by his side.

"Where are we heading, master?" Ahsoka has regained some of the bounce to her step. She looks better than she has in days, and it makes Anakin smile.

"I wanted to go visit Master Che, thank her for all her help." He takes a left turn for the the apartment wing Master Che lives in. "She saved Obi-Wan's life... That means a lot to me."

Ahsoka hums slightly and nods. "Yeah, I'm... I'm really grateful too."

Anakin is glad that his master and his padawan are so close. They're so important to him, he's glad that they're important to each other as well. And since Obi-Wan will be alright... Will live... Well, perhaps he'll get to see Snips's eyes shine with excitement as she trains Jar'Kai again.

Soon enough they're outside Master Che's room.

Master Vokara Che, Master Healer

Knight Rig Nema, Head Doctor

Anakin stares at the datapad by the door in surprise. He didn't know that some people shared rooms… Not unless they were in Master-Padawan suites.

"What are you waiting for, Skyguy? Are you gonna request entry or not?" Snips gives him a look, as if she's caught him spacing out and feeling smug about it.

Anakin shakes himself to clear his thoughts, and presses the button to request entry.

A moments pass, Ahsoka hums as she moves from foot to foot next to him, seemingly entirely at ease. Why is Anakin the only one who feels slightly uncomfortable? He wants to thank Master Che, but he doesn't know her all that well, so he feel awkward about being at her door. Shouldn't Ahsoka feel the same? She doesn't really know Master Che either...

The door opens and...

"Skywalker? Tano?" Master Windu looks surprised to see them, but not as surprised as Anakin feels. What's he doing here?

"Uh... We uh..." Anakin stumbles over his words, he hadn't expected to talk to Mace Windu today, or he would have prepared himself more. The man can be intimidating at the best of times, really, and he's on the Council.

"We wanted to thank Master Che for saving Master Obi-Wan!" Ahsoka pipes up, a bright smile on her face.

Master Windu's face softens and he nods. "Of course, come in. She's resting, but I doubt she'll mind." He turns away from them and heads inside with a small wave of his hand, indicating for them to follow.

Anakin looks around the room as he steps inside. Like most rooms it's not very large, though it is slightly larger than usual, perhaps because there are two people living here. It's very clean, with little clutter and not much in the way of personal belongings. It's mostly just furniture and plants... Kind of reminds Anakin of some of the meditation rooms, really.

Doctor Nema is seated on the sofa, upright but sunken into the sofa cushions. Master Che leaning against her, legs stretched out on the sofa in a half-reclined position. She looks tired, but healthy... Well, as far as Anakin can tell, anyway. He's not an expert on Twi'leks.

Master Windu takes a seat on the far end of the sofa, lifting Master Che's feet and lays them in his lap. Anakin looks on in surprise. That's a... very familiar thing to do. Does Master Windu and Master Che know each other well, then? He didn't really know Master Windu even had... friends... Which, now that he thinks about it, seems kind of stupid.

Not even Master Windu could be entirely without friends, could he?

"Knight Skywalker, Padawan Tano, what a lovely surprise." Master Che sounds tired, but there's a smile on her face. "What brings you here? Please, sit down." She gestures to some chairs on the opposite side of the sofa.

Anakin takes his seat with a mumbled thank you, uncertain in how he should act, but wanting to be polite.

"I, uh, I wanted to thank you. For saving Obi-Wan." He scratches his cheek and finds it hard to meet her eyes. "You went toe-to-toe with the Sith Lord for him and... I just wanted to say thanks, it means a lot to me."

"Yes, really, Master Che! We're so grateful," Ahsoka chimes in, drawing her socked feet up into the chair for a lotus position.

Master Che smiles. "You're very welcome. Master Kenobi is very important to us all, I believe." She briefly turns her head to share a smile with Doctor Nema, and Anakin sees how they twine their fingers together, squeezing their hands together.

What?

He's... He's not sure but... that seems... And coupled with their position... Are they...?

Anakin casts a furtive glance at master Windu, who doesn't seem to think anything is amiss at all. His face is calm, and he has one hand resting on Master Che's ankles. Which... which seems more intimate than Anakin has seen him be with anyone else before.

Are they all...?

They can't be!

"Dear Mace came to see how I am," Master Che says with a small smile towards Master Windu. "As one of my oldest and closest friends, I believe he's been conspiring with my Rig to make sure I don't move one more muscle than I absolutely should until I'm ready." She laughs, it reminds Anakin oddly of Padmé. Both Doctor Nema—is she Rig, then? That's what it said outside the door, right? Rig Nema?—and Master Windu suddenly have an air of slight embarrassment, but all Anakin can sense from them in the Force is... so much love and fondness.

He feels slightly blindsided.

What in all the core worlds?

He's never seen Master Windu like this before!

And Master Che is a Master. Shouldn't she be more... remote? Detached?

Anakin finds himself reeling, struggling to keep it all pushed down and contained. He doesn't allow it to spread into the Force at all, he's gotten good at that, not letting anyone sense him properly.

The conversation continues for a while, and Anakin finds himself watching his elders with sharp eyes, trying to understand them.

But by the time he and Ahsoka bid their goodbyes and leave... he still doesn't.

They're acting so different from what he expected...

He doesn't understand them at all.

He'll talk to Padmé.

He misses her.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

[arielsojourner]

Have some Force related stuff!

“PART 5" of LUKE AND VADER SAVING THE GALAXY DURING THE CLONE WARS

-The chip was out of Fives’ head. He was no longer aging faster than normal. He was no longer fighting what seemed to be a never-ending series of battles with no end in sight. He had his brothers and his friends Echo and Jesse. He could muster out at any time and be guaranteed citizenship and rights. The Kaminoans and the Senate would only be reclaiming him as property if they managed to get through both Luke and Vader and Fives didn’t see that happening. It was a good as a guarantee as a clone could hope for. Most important of all, he had the Force.

Learning he was Force sensitive, being trained to feel it and sense it and use it was the most amazing thing that could ever have happened to him. Fives hadn’t had very high expectation of his future and his life, (most clones due to their circumstances didn’t have much to hope for) but now, now there was so many possibilities open to him. Luke and Vader had come and with the chip out and his genetics fixed he had the same potential any Jedi had. He could be a Jedi himself, be a leader, take care of his brothers in ways no other clone ever had. He had a voice and a say and a connection to a power that allowed him to do so much good, protect so many people. It was a tremendous honor and an immense undertaking. He was so very fortunate and he would do everything in his power to ensure his gift would help his brothers in any way possible.

-Hardcase loved being Force sensitive. He loved the feel of it. He had always been twitchier and more excitable than his brothers. Feeling the Force was the same feeling times a thousand. He felt energized, raring to go. In a fight he could move faster, think faster, and hit harder. But the best part about feeling the Force was the lightsabers. Hardcase loved his Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon, don’t get him wrong. Opening up on a squad of clankers with his cannon was a joy, but a lightsaber, now that was EPIC. And not only one, Luke had said he could have two, TWO LIGHTSABERS. Just thinking about what he could do with them made him grin and bounce on his heels. Commander Tano had joined them recently and she used two lightsabers and she was going to show him how to reign burning slicing death on the Seppies. He couldn’t wait!

-Chatterbox hadn’t had much to say in his short life. There didn’t seem to be much point in speaking when his purpose was to fight and defend and die for the Republic on someone else’s say so. What did talking have to do with any of that? Nothing, talking had nothing to do with his life so why bother?

When the Jedi Luke had put one hand on his chest above his heart and the other to the left of his temple and fixed whatever it was that the Kaminoans had done that left the clones burning through what years the had left in their life spans, Chatterbox had felt the strangest sensation course through him. When Luke had lifted his hands away, he found he could still feel it and it had a sound. It hummed through his bones like it had always meant to be there.

Working and training to use the Force made it louder, until it was more like a voice inside him. If he listened to it, he would know what to do, he would know what choice to make. Chatterbox was very good at listening. So while Hardcase pushed himself to learn how to wield his lightsabers with greater and greater skill and Fives trained to be an even more deadly warrior and defender, Chatterbox listened to the Force tell him things about his brothers, about the planet they were on, about Luke and Vader, about who and what they were, and where and more importantly when they were from, about the truth of who was behind the war.

Fives preferred to sit cross legged to listen to the Force like Ahsoka did. Hardcase enjoyed the moving meditation that Vader would engage in, lightsaber in hand, thrusting and parrying, repeating the same simple pattern over and over again. Chatterbox chose to join Luke upside down. When his body was perfectly in balance, every muscle engaged, the Force would sing and Chatterbox would listen, and listen, and listen.

-Ahsoka has been watching Luke work and train with Fives, Hardcase, and Chatterbox. Ahsoka didn’t think Luke knew what lightsaber forms were. Ahsoka didn’t think that Luke knew anything but the most basic katas and movements with a lightsaber. He maded no reference to any of the classical forms when teaching. His idea of training was intense physical exercise in the wild or in urban areas. There are no practice duels on flat surfaces. Luke thought saber practice was to attack you when you were busy doing something else or throw things at you with the Force and see how many pieces you could cut it into before it fell to the ground. And Ashoka thought her master was unconventional!

-Ashoka notices that Luke doesn’t bother to change the intensity of his lightsaber when practicing so that it burns but does not maim or kill and then realizes it is because his lightsaber doesn’t even have that function. Luke practices with a full powered blade and the others follow suit. Ashoka has never seen any Jedi train at full strength with a fellow Jedi, let alone an apprentice. When Ashoka tentatively asks if there is a reason he trains a full power, Luke looks surprised and chagrined. He turns his lightsaber over and over in his gloved palm. “I could only forge and cut one crystal,” he admits. “I have only ever practiced with a full intensity blade.”  

“You fabricated and cut your own crystal?” she asked in shock. She knew of no Jedi who had gone through the trouble, who even knew how! Kyber was obtainable on Jedha, on Ilium. Only Sith used synthetic crystals and Luke was no Sith. Luke gave her a half smile and nodded.

-Ventress and Luke have taken to surprise attacking each other. Kix tells her later that the first time it happened, Vader nearly killed Ventress, grabbing her with the Force and nearly choking her until Luke got him to stop. Now Vader watches carefully as they tussle but doesn’t intervene. Vader has taken to sparring with Ventress himself. Ventress leaps and swirls around Vader with her sabers sizzling. Vader’s relies as much on the Force as his saber in a fight and his strength is brutal and punishing. Vader stands and will not be moved. Still Ventress comes back for more, throwing herself at Vader with a will.

When Ventress and Luke fight, it is Luke’s lack of any disciplined form that has Ahsoka baffled as to how he defeated Grievous. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes and only watched him training, she would never have believed Luke was skilled enough to beat Grievous. Watching Luke, Ahsoka can pick up moves from half a dozen traditional Jedi forms and other techniques that Ahsoka is entirely unfamiliar with as if Luke were used to working with a staff or spear. It takes days of watching before Ahsoka pieces it together. Luke stretches out with his feelings and lets the Force tell him where and how to strike and block. For all Ventress has more traditional training in saberplay, Luke’s strength in the Force is undeniable and if ever Ahsoka wanted visible proof of the Light side being stronger than the Dark, watching the two of them duel is it.

-The clone apprentices with their battle honed reflexes take to surprise attacks while jump running around whatever environment they are training in like water fowl to water. Luke has an incredibly precise control. Even when an apprentice is caught off guard, he never injures or singes. His control is absolute. Vader only occasionally helps with surprise attacks but Ahsoka has to say she is impressed with the apprentices’ nerve when facing the dark Sith. Ahsoka isn’t sure that she could face Vader even in training with quite so much poise.

-Ahsoka never sees Luke or Vader draw sabers on each other for any reason. Ever.

-When Luke asks her to help show Hardcase some of the basics of Jar'Kai, Ahsoka is torn. Hardcase is so eager to learn. Hardcase is also physically an adult and a clone. She is just a Padawan. She has no right to teach him! Only the Order gets to decide who learns Jedi skills! Luke looks at her with such sad disappointment and Hardcase is so excited, she squirms in discomfort and shame at her own thoughts. She thinks to herself “What would Skyguy do?” and she has her answer. Anakin would train clone troops in a heartbeat, the Council and the Code be damned. She holds out her sabers and begins her lesson. Chatterbox, Luke and Fives listen in intently. She tries to ignore what feels like disapproval from Vader as she shows her reverse grip technique. Honestly, he is as bad as her master! Anakin hates her technique too, always grumbling about it though at least he has stopped trying to get her to change it. She finishes with the same bit of wisdom Anakin passed on to her: “Now the most important thing to remember is your lightsaber is your life. Don’t lose it!”

Luke shakes his head and interrupts. “You’re wrong. A lightsaber is a tool. An incredibly useful tool, but just a tool. Your life is your life. If you loose your lightsaber, pick up a blaster. If you loose your blaster, pick up a rock or a stick. If there is no rock or a stick, you always have the Force with you to defend yourself and others. You call for help. You stand with your friends and fight back. Never forget, you are more than just your weapon. You are not property. You are not things. You are more than your saber. You are a person, Hardcase; that is the most important thing to remember.”

-After Ahsoka got over her shock of a Jedi working with a Sith, over Ventress, over the death of Grievous, the only thought in her mind was if they could find and capture Dooku, the war could be won. When she shared this plan aloud with Rex, he just shook his head. Grievous and Dooku were not behind the war, he explained. They were not the Sith Master. There was no real way to win until the Sith Master was destroyed, they could only stop the fighting for now. Even if Ahsoka could believe Rex and Luke about the war and the Sith Master, Dooku was still a threat. Couldn’t Ventress or Vader lead them to him if they were truly on their side?

“We already took care of Dooku,” Luke said off handily. “He isn’t a problem.”

“What? How?” Ahsoka demanded. “Is he dead? Did you take him prisoner?”

“Oh, no. He is on Serrano rethinking his life.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Vader suddenly loomed, seeming larger than life. Ahsoka took a step back. “It means he won’t be a problem,” the Sith said with the certainty of death.

-Vader had taken great pleasure facing Dooku with Luke by his side. Vader had had no qualms about killing Dooku a second time but Luke had had a better idea to throw Palpatine off his game. While Luke engaged Dooku with his saber, Vader simply pressed and pressed until he invaded Dooku’s mind with image after image of the future, relishing as the Count staggered when struck with the truth. He showed him losing his hands to Skywalker and losing his head. He showed Dooku that moment that his future self realized he was only ever kept by Sidious as a tool to use in Anakin Skywalker’s downfall. He showed Dooku how the Imperial War Machine had razed Serrano to the ground, how all mention of Dooku’s name, achievements, impact was censored and destroyed from the Temple and then from every other source in the galaxy.

He showed Dooku that all of his so called achievements amounts in the end to nothing. He was nothing. He would not be remembered. Palpatine had used him as a stepping stone for his own rise to power and as a useful foil in gaining the apprentice he really wanted. Vader showed Dooku the waste of his own life, his own talents, name, reputation and ideals. He showed Dooku being worth only the value of his brutal beheading.

Dooku had faltered. Luke lowered his blade. Dooku had tried to deny it but in the face of Vader’s power and Luke’s compassionate gaze he knew the truth. The old fallen Jedi had railed, had tried to strike out with all of his hatred and anger but after his blows were easily blocked by the young Jedi he had fallen to his knees, beaten. Luke had stood over him and calmly explained what would happen next.  The Count would provide complete access to all Separatist codes, positions, and information to Vader. He would then take his ship and retreat to Serrano. He would take no further part in the war in any fashion. He would tend to his planet and his people and leave Sidious to them to deal with. He could go in peace only if he would live in peace. Luke offered him his parole and Dooku nodded and climbed slowly to his feet, looking as if he had aged a decade.

The galaxy had not heard from Yan Dooku, Count of Serrano since.

-Hardcase thought they should have cloaks or capes. They were Jedi apprentices after all. All clones who lived through their first battle marked their armor, decorated with colors and individual images that meant something unique to them or their squad or company. Jedi wore brown cloaks when not in active combat. Vader wore this amazing black armor weave cape. Hardcase felt that he and his fellow and future Jedi clone apprentices should wear some of their armor (Luke was right, it was hard to fight and jump run in full armor) and some sort of cape or cloak but certainly not brown. Perhaps blue for him and Fives, yellow or gold  for Chatterbox. When he suggested it to Luke, he had told him to head to the market and pick up a dark brown one for him. Hardcase argued that brown was boring. Is Luke sure he doesn’t want blue or green? Luke shook his head. Hardcase took a credit chip and went shopping and found a brown cloak with blue lining for Luke. It was the only one they had in brown. Really!

-The aptly named Slice and his squad mates Gin and Wires had been working with Vader and on the droid programming for over a month. Now they though they had a slice that would enhance the independence and individuality of the battle droids and resist restraining bolts and reprogramming from any central command, leading them to question, to think. When they announced it was ready, Luke presented the program to Ventress. She was skeptical to say the least. She berated him for not focusing on a computer virus to wipe them out.

“What good will it do to have thinking droids? They will just think of better ways to kill people!” she scoffed.

Vader was the one who responds to her questions. “Those enslaved who first consider the possibility of freedom usually think of two things first: how to get away and how to take revenge. If they get past those two thoughts, then a slave thinks about all the things they could do once free, all the opportunities denied, if they can even conceive of such a thing. This program makes those thoughts possible. Once those thoughts are possible, the chaos that can be caused is considerable.”

“Just make sure you get out of there before it gets too chaotic and before they choose to target you for their vengeance,” Luke advised pressing the disc into her palm. “Come back safely. May the Force be with you.”

Ventress blinked, struck dumb. She looked from Luke to Vader and then back at Luke and without a word turned to walk towards her ship.

-They will be heading out of the system soon. The Prefect is in contact with Duchess Satine and the other neutral and non aligned worlds. Trade is resuming outside of Separatist or Trade Federation control. Luke did not require that the Prefect sign any Republic treaty promising goods, resources or even land. They are leaving in peace. It is time to move on. The question is where to go next. Ventress is off infecting battle droids with a desire for the free life. Ignoring all Republic comm traffic and certainly not seeking direction from the Jedi Council, Luke and Vader consider star charts and decide what should be their next objective.

Heading for Coruscant would be premature. There is fighting in several systems under other Jedi Generals but no urgent calls for reinforcements from what Vader could recall of his past. There are still Separatist systems to conquer if they really want to. There is Cato Neimoidia and key worlds of the Banking Clans and Techno Unions to consider. But Luke suggests that those locations were only of interest if they were focused on war. Their mission was the opposite. Let’s do what the Jedi and the Republic forces aren’t doing, he argues. That is the only way to not play Sidious’ game. Luke says “Kamino.” Rex and Ashoka are surprised. Why go to Kamino?

“Stop the chips at their source. Free all of the clones there, all the children, all the young men and get them resettled on one of the neutral worlds. Stop all future cloning and then go to all of the medical stations and ensure that any clone that passes through is healed and their chips removed and given a chance to muster out.”

Ahsoka argues that as important as that is, aren’t there higher priorities right now like getting ready to attack the Sith Master or taking down the Separatists now that Dooku, Grievous and Ventress are not issues anymore?

“It is the innocent and the most vulnerable that should always be the highest priority of any Jedi,” Luke counters.

“It is our highest priority!” Luke simply raises an eyebrow at that claim and Ahsoka lowers her voice. “Well, then what about the other battalions and legions of clones? What about their chips?” she asks snippily.

“Send a message to your Jedi Master,” Vader rumbles. “Send a message to your High Council. Tell them about the chips and the genetic tampering and provide them proof. We will see what the Order does.”

“You don’t think they will do anything do you? You are a Sith. What do you know about it. We will--”

“The Order will do as much for the clones as they do about the slaves kept by the Hutts, about Senator Free Tal selling his own people into slavery, about the planets and systems starved under corporate blockade,” he sneers.

“You are twisting things! It is wartime. The Order can only do so much–“

“War. Peace. It makes no difference. At the end of the day no matter how much it pontificates about compassion, the Order won’t do anything because attachment is forbidden and the suffering and death of others are simply not a priority. Their fatalistic dogma demands that you accept this as natural. There is nothing less natural.”