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queen-scribbles · 10 months

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Currents

"Play" 👀 emoji prompt for an anon that I accidentally deleted. So nonny, I hope you see this and ty for the excuse to write more Evony/Bao-Dur bc for him being an unromanceable companion from a 19-year old game, this relationship still has me in a chokehold.

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Evony's thoughts were in a whirl as the Ebon Hawk lifted off from Dxun. The ship yawed slightly, making Atton mutter a curse about the rear stabilizer before leveling out and burning sky.

If she thought getting away from Onderon would help her level out, though, she was mistaken. Kavar's words wouldn't stop echoing, and hours later, with everyone asleep, she found herself still with a racing mind and uneasy spirit. As was her habit in such times, she wandered through the main parts of the ship seeking a distraction, something to help settle her thoughts.

She found it, as usual, in the garage. Bao-Dur was once again working on the wiring that ran through one wall, focus consumed by the task.

"Want some help?" Evony asked. Tinkering or repair would be the perfect solution to her restlessness, but if he wanted to handle this alone, she could always find T3.

Bao-Dur paused, nudging up his welding goggles as he turned to look at her. "If you would like," he said with a nod. "I'm almost finished; just checking all the connections are sound before routing power back. A few were burned out in the ... excitement of our arrival."

She chuckled as she lowered herself to sit cross-legged and check the lower set of wiring. "You took care of that quickly."

"I needed the distraction while you were in Iziz," he said, a touch wry as he hung the soldering gun at his belt and flicked on the scanner to check the repairs.

"But you survived," she teased. The wires down here looked alright at first glance, but a closer look revealed a couple showing signs of strain.

"I did." The warmth of an almost-laugh colored the words.

"I'm glad." Evony double-checked there was no power flowing through the compromised wires before she set to work replacing them. "And glad you seem to be in better spirits." A large portion of the background tension and simmering anger she'd sensed in him since they arrived had faded.

Bao-Dur nodded, not looking away from his task. "Mostly thanks to not being... there any more."

She knew he didn't just mean Dxun, though she was also glad to be away from the humid jungle moon. And the bugs. "I figured. Our new companion isn't going to be a problem for you, is he?" She wasn't even sure why Mandalore had wanted to join her, but more help was a good thing. Usually.

"I'll be civil," Bao-Dur promised, and Evony believed him, even if he hadn't really answered her question and she could sense the banked embers of his anger toward the Mandalorians flare a little.

"Thank you," she said, plasma cutter sparking as she removed the damaged wire. "That's more than I get from some." The shared a chuckle at that. "But I also meant... in general, since Telos. You seem to be in a better frame of mind now than you were."

"Oh, that would be your doing."

The plasma cutter slipped. "Me?"

"Surely you've noticed, Evony," Bao-Dur said softly, glancing down. "Not just because of us. But just having you around has had an effect on me. I never noticed it... before. Though I suppose my thoughts were occupied."

It caught her off-guard and she fell back on half-joking. "Clearly, then, it's because I'm no longer wearing that boring Republic uniform."

He chuckled. "While I'll freely admit your new wardrobe is an improvement, that's really just a pleasant distraction."

Warmth tingled in her chest--and her face--and Evony had to steady her voice before she could ask, "Well, then, how do you mean?" Her gaze briefly met his before dropping back to her task.

"I'm..." he hesitated, searching for a word, and she could sense his uncertainty. "More in control. Calmer." He set the goggles back over his eyes and returned to work as well. "My anger may still be there, but I can feel it slipping away."

Evony bit her lip, a small mote of relief dancing through her chest. Good.

"It's defined so much of my life," Bao-Dur continued, voice low, but those embers stirred slightly. "No matter the source, it's been there; the Mandalorians, Czerka, Revan..."

It had the potential to hurt, but with how he'd trailed off, she had to ask. "And... what about me?"

He stopped soldering and went very still, his emotions a bright whirl she could sense without even trying.

She paused as well, hands resting in her lap. "I did give the order."

"Never," Bao-Dur said fiercely. He yanked the goggles down to dangle around his neck as he dropped to one knee so he could catch her eye. "Not once, General. It had to be done."

Her heart thudded a few extra-loud beats at his fervency, his use of her long-ago title, before Evony regained her composure. "Then the same is true for what you did," she said, quiet but firm.

He shook his head, gaze darting to the side. "My hands destroyed the Mandalorians. Caused countless deaths. I cannot be forgiven for that."

"Why not?" she retorted, cupping one hand to his jaw to make him look at her. "Bao-Dur, if my decision, my actions, were necessary, then so were yours," she added gently. "Following your logic, either we're both guilty or neither of us is."

Bao-Dur managed a weak smile, leaning ever so slightly into her touch. "Even if my contributions were made out of hatred for the Mandalorians?" he whispered. "Rather than anything so noble as Jedi ideals or ending the war to spare lives?"

Evony shifted, sitting on her calves to put them more or less at eye level. "I don't think that was your whole motivation. I may have... blocked some of the memories, but knowing you, you did it to protect. Maybe it was easier to not dwell on the cost with an enemy you hated, but I know you, Bao, and you are a shield. You put yourself in the path of harm to save others. stars know you've done it enough for me and the rest of our crew. Malachor was just... sacrificing something less physical." Though even that wasn't entirely true, she conceded, glancing at the soft glow of his cybernetic arm. "But you are a"--my--"protector."

"You have far too generous a view of me." He exhaled a wry laugh, withdrawing from her touch with a shake of his head. "I can't see it that way. I don't want to. There is blood on my hands I cannot ignore."

"No, there isn't," she hissed. She could feel his anger and his guilt, twining together like Dxun vines, and it made her ache with worry for him. It would eat him alive if he let it.

He seemed inclined to let it.

"There is no blood on your hands," she repeated emphatically. "Not beyond what your guilt has forced you to imagine."

"And what of you, General?" Bao-Dur fixed her with a keen, steady look. "I know you try to shoulder that weight, for making the decision, but either we're both guilty or neither of us is."

Evony almost cackled at him throwing her words back on her, but didn't want to wake anyone. Well played. "I suppose we'll just have to shoulder it together, then. Real or imagined."

"A burden shared is one halved? Isn't that the saying?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Something like that," she nodded, playing with a loose thread in her sleeve.

Bao-Dur studied her a moment longer. "I do... envy you, sometimes," he said softly.

You shouldn't, was the first thought to pop in her head, but Evony held it back in favor of "Why?"

"You seem to be handling this better than I could," he mumured.

"I wasn't," she admitted. "Not for a long time. I was adrift. Trying to hide myself where the ache of remembering couldn't find me."

He cocked his head. "What changed?"

"The Force... came back." That time wandering truly alone had been... Sometimes hellish. Sometimes a relief. And then the faint stirring current awakened on Peragus and- Evony briefly levitated and spun the plasma cutter before letting it drop back into her hand. "The stronger and deeper that connection gets, the more it helps me find balance."

Bao-Dur's eyes flickered with... something and he turned back to the disassembled wall. "When you talk about it like that, it almost makes me wish I had it for myself."

"You could." She blurted the words before she overthought and held it back. She'd sensed the potential not long after Telos, quiet and buried beneath his anger and guilt but undeniable.

He blinked at her, caught off-balance. "What?"

Evony reached out, lightly resting a hand on his chest. "I can feel the Force in you. Faint, untapped, but definitely there. Like Atton. Like Mira." She wrinkled her nose. "Even if she won't admit it yet."

"You can?" The words were rough, barely more than a whisper.

She nodded. "It can be a comfort, a source of strength and peace if you let it. And I can teach you, if you want, but..." She bit her lip, pressed her hand more firmly against his chest, until she could feel his heartbeat and the warmth of his skin through his shirt. "You have to let go of your anger first, or it will destroy you."

The thought of it made her stomach knot and heart race; she would rather die than watch the vitriol he held toward the Mandalorians and Czerka consume him. She mentally reached for calm, soothing the concern-teetering-on-fear.

Bao-Dur held her gaze, his hand resting lightly on her elbow. "I think... I could manage that."

"Are you sure?" Evony whispered. "I don't want to watch you lose yourself to something that claimed too many of my friends."

He nodded. "With you, I feel I could do anything."

Long-ingrained, oft-repeated Jedi cautions against attachment, against possessiveness flitted through her mind, but she let them slide away and took his words at face value. Faith in her. Not a connection deeper than they should have, deep enough to be a problem.

"Alright." Evony settled back cross-legged and gestured for him to join her.

Bao-Dur mirrored her pose, so close their knees brushed. She held out her hands, palm up, and he gave her his with the barest pause to strip off his work glove. They were both warm, the metal of the cybernetic one seeming to hum as it rested against hers. Evony let herself be distracted for the briefest moment to trace her fingers across that palm before reining in her thoughts.

"Relax and focus on my voice," she murmured, just catching his nod as her eyes closed. She felt it when he relaxed, in both the Force and his light grip. "The Force can be your shield. It can bring comfort to salve your guilt."

With his guard down, Bao-Dur's presence was so bright this close. While Atton had been brighter, enough to sear or blind, this was soft, welcoming even with how strong it was. The potential in him shone like a beacon at her encouragement, but the coils of guilt and anger--so much anger--still pulsed around it.

"But it can also be twisted into something terrible," Evony continued, voice still low to keep this just for them. "That will destroy others and yourself."

He was so open to her, she felt she could reach in and soothe the guilt for him, douse the anger, chase away what had haunted him so long. But she knew from experience, to truly heal the hurt, he needed to do it. Confront it and let it go. She would help if he asked, but only then.

"Your anger fills you," she said softly. "It threatens to consume you, every time you think of Malachor."

His fingers twitched against her wrist and she understood. Malachor was a wound for them both. The moment something broke and set not-quite-right over the ensuing years. Maybe through facing the decade-old hurt they could finally heal. Together.

"You have to find a way to let it go." She opened herself so he could feel the calm flow of the Force inside her and draw from it. "Let the Force heal you, and protect you. Let it be the shield for you that you so often are for others."

Bao-Dur took a deep breath, his hand briefly tightening on hers. She felt the beginnings of struggle as he reached to follow her guiding, the stuttered flickering of that potential in him, the moment he found and latched on to her own connection to draw strength for his.

His hands were so warm as they rested against hers. The thought was a tether to reality as she 'watched' Bao-Dur's faint sense of the Force flare and grow. He wasn't using her as a conduit after the first few seconds; his connection stronger and steadier and washing away the anger and guilt.

They didn't entirely fade, but the strangling grasp they'd had on him was gone.

Evony was sure he could feel her relief at that development. She wasn't trying to stifle it.

His reaction was, as usual for him, restrained. A catch to his breathing, a few deeper breaths as the new level of awareness clicked into place.

"So this is... what you had--have--to draw on?" Bao-Dur murmured, blinking a few times as they both opened their eyes. His breathing was still uneven, hands twitching slightly atop hers.

"Mmhm." Evony nodded as she sat back. “It can be a bit of an ebb and flow. It took me a little while to… even out when my own connection reestablished. But if you work with it, if you’re open to it, it’s easier to align. And after you’re comfortable with it, the Force is a very useful thing to have.”

“Like a new limb?” he asked dryly.

She chuckled, fingers tracing his metal palm. “Very much like it, in fact.” She arched a brow at him. “You might have an advantage there.”

Bao-Dur half-smiled, cocking his head head as if listening to something. "That would be nice."

Evony let her fingers trace and trail the palm, fingers, back of his cybernetic hand a few moments more. "And you know I'm happy to help if you need it."

He nodded, rolling his shoulders as he shifted back and pushed to his feet. "Atton said it felt like having too much energy for your skin at first, and I see where he was coming from."

She accepted the hand up he offered. "Sounds about right. You learn to regulate the flow as you adjust. Part of being a Jedi is always learning, making changes for new knowledge. The Force is also good at... working with you, for lack of a better term." Aside from him and Atton, she'd never taught anyone about this, never had to explain how it worked. It just did. "It responds to your emotions and thoughts, what you want from it." She rested a hand on his arm. "That's why you needed to let go of your anger; it's such a strong emotion, it tends to overwhelm everything else. Even the best of intentions."

Bao-Dur chuckled. "Always three steps ahead and looking out for your people."

You more than any. Those were definitely un-Jedi thoughts. But it was late, and they were true, so Evony let them linger for now. They keep saying I'm no longer a Jedi, anyway.... "Whenever I can." She cleared her throat, remembering their original task, and gestured vaguely toward the wall. "Are we done? Is this all good? I don't want to traipse off and leave you with more work."

He shook his head slightly, one corner of his mouth tipping upward. "You better than anyone know I enjoy this sort of work. However..." He checked the wires she'd repaired with the scanner, seeming unsurprised when it flickered confirming white. "We do appear to be finished. I'll route power back..."

"Before you go-" Evony gave his arm a light squeeze, then reached her other hand toward the workbench across the garage, calling the dualblade lightsaber hilt to her hand. While she hadn't had time to tinker with any of the new acquisitions from Dxun, she'd at least peeked at the innards of the scavenged lightsabers to confirm they were decent and unbroken. "To help you feel the part a little more." She offered it to him. "This'll be the easiest adjustment from your war-blade. If you want it," she added hastily, picking on the current of uncertainty from him.

While he did hesitate a beat longer, Bao-Dur reach out and took the lightsaber hilt. "It's hard to deny how effective they are," he said. "After watching you and Atton decimate anything stupid enough to get in our way."

Evony laughed, only just remembering to keep it quiet, and even as she opened her mouth to point out the ignition switch, he thumbed it on. Should've know he'd figure out anything even slightly tech in a heartbeat, she thought as the pale blue blades hummed to life. "You can change the color and other crystals if you want."

He nodded, gaze still on the lightsaber quietly humming in his grasp. "This... feels right, though. At least for now." He shut it down and met her gaze as he clipped the hilt to his belt. "Thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome." She felt much more centered. Calmer. Her concerns over what Kavar revealed were settled, at least in part. "And thank you." She cocked her head toward the wall. "For letting me help."

Bao-Dur matched her smile. "Any time you need." He caught her wrist as she started to leave, tugged her back to brush the fainst kiss to her temple. "Rest well, General."

Evony chuckled and didn't correct him. "I will."

She could feel the current of the Force that bonded them now as they went their separate ways, and was fairly confident she could keep that promise.

#queens fic #eyes emoji prompts #evony xara #bao dur #kotor 2 #knights of the old republic 2 #jedi exile #exile/bao dur #evony/bao dur #i have many many thoughts about how i always seem to make bao-dur a jedi on dxun #part of it's just the order i tend to do the planets #but it fits thematically for him SO WELL #i also have THOUGHTS about when you come back to onderon #bc evony took atton and kreia to the palace and set bao to the temple with mira and visas #MANY THOUGHTS #feel free to ask me about them 👉👈

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nimata-beroya · 1 year

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Note: Since my old masterlist is getting notes again (and I'm hosting @tbb-appreciation-week this year), I thought it's a good time to release a new version with a lot more resources. If any of you know another site or thing that it's missing from the list, let me know and I'll include it!! [Altho, I'm getting this close 🤏 to the hyperlinks limit on this thing 😆]

Note 2: To avoid tagging the 3 people from whom I got multiple resources repeatedly, I've placed 1-3 asterisks between square brackets after the links, depending on the OP. I give the respective credit to them in a legend at the end of the post.

PLACES / TIME

Interactive Galaxy Map by Henry Bernberg

Map of the Galaxy

List of planets and moons [Wikipedia /needs expanding]

Planet Name Generator 1 [SciFi Ideas]

Planetary System Generator [Donjon]

Tatooine Location References [*]

Various locations Cross-Sections (Jedi Temple, Palp's office, Tipoca City & more) [**]

Republic - Separatist - Hutt space during the Clone Wars

Hyperspace Travel Times (to calculate how much time would take to go from point A to point B within the GFFA)

Standard Calendar and Holidays [including month names!]

Galactic Standard Calendar [wookiepedia // including week day names]

Date converter according to SWTOR [Google sheet]

Dated Star Wars Chronological Order (Movies + live-action shows + animation)

TCW Chronological Timeline by @mauvrix

Estimated date for: shared by @spectres-fulcrum

Partisans' attack on Onderon

Siege of Lasan

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

General

Star Wars Name Generator 1 [Donjon]

Star Wars OC flow chart by @thefoodwiththedood

Star Wars Name Generator 2 [FantasyNames]

Star Wars Name Generator 3 [FantasyNames]

MetaHuman [Unreal Engine]

The character creator

Droid Name Generator

Star Wars Randomizer by @aureutr

Character Picrew [Twi-leks, Zabraks, Torgutas and Nautolans] @/megaramikaeli

Jedi

Taking a Closer Look at the Jedi Order in Star Wars Canon [Meta/Reference Guide] [**]

Jedi Order Structure Flowchart by @rileys-nest

Mandalorians

Mandalorian Armor design by MandoCreator

Keepers of the Way (Mandalorian Lore) [*]

Clones

Complete List Of Named Clone Troopers shared by @propheticfire (Organized by Unit)

Clone Creator [MandoCreator]

Clone Picrew

Star Wars Character Templates by SmacksArt [the ULTIMATE battery of template for any human/humanoid original character in any era. From troopers to droids, from Jedi to Sith, from KOTOR to the sequel Trilogy. 100% RECOMMENDED]

Basic Guide to Clone Trooper Armour by @odekiisu

GAR structure summary by @intermundia

The Clone Wars Republic Military Hierarchy Flowcharts [***]

Clone Trooper Lore [*] [Ranks, Culture, Training, Organization, etc.]

Clones and Kamino [*]

The Bad Batch Characters Concept Art shared by @shadowthestoryteller

MISCELLANEOUS

Star Wars Character Age Comparison Chart by @the-yearning-astronaut

Tusken Raiders lore by @snarwor

Materials (fabrics, leathers, silks, plastics, construction, metal composites, etc.)

Materials in Star Wars by marvel_dc_heart_throbs

Star Wars Fashion [*]

Leisure, Art, Musical Instruments, Ethnography [*]

Political and Criminal Organizations in the GFFA [**]

Financial reference about credits by @thecoffeelorian

List of TCW Opening Quotes

Transcripts of all the TCW episodes shared by @book-of-baba-fett

Star Wars Crawl Creator [not exactly writing-related, but just for fun]

HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Canon Medical Lore [*]

Real World reference for Field organizational structure for corpsman (medics) [*]

Kaliida Shoals Medical Center (Republic Haven-class medical station) shared by @clonewarsarchives

GAR Battalion Aid Station [*]

GAR Clone Medic Q/A [*]

More combat medicine, shipboard medicine, veteran issues, and military culture [*]

SHIPS AND VEHICLES

Ship Generator 3D

Ship Name Generator

All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE) shared by @stairset

Republic Vessels Reference [*]

Low Altitude Assault Transport/Infantry (LAAT/i) [*]

List of GAR Flagships in the Clone Wars by @meandmyechoes

Layout of the Havoc Marauder

Dimensions of various ships from the Clone Wars [**]

FOOD AND DRINKS

Star Wars Menu Generator

In-Universe Alcoholic beverages

Canon Cocktails (recipes) [*]

Another In-Universe Drinks list shared by @systemic-dreams

Teas in Star Wars by marvel_dc_heart_throbs

Foodstuff [*]

Canon Star Wars Holiday Recipes [*]

Trask Chowder Recipe (from The Mandalorian) [*]

LANGUAGES; PHRASES AND SLANG; VOCABULARY

Languages of the Galaxy [*]

Script of different languages in the GFFA by @lucif-hare-blog

In-Universe phrases and slang [Google sheet]

List of phrases and slang [wookiepedia]

List of equivalents to real-world objects [wookiepidia]

Talk Like a Clone Trooper shared by @archeo-starwars

Aurebesh Translator [Aurebesh.org]

Learning Aurebesh Tools [Aurebesh.org] Reading - Writing.

Mando'a Database [Mando.org]

Mando'a Transcripticon [MandoCreator] (Create your own text in the Mando'a script.)

@project-shereshoy (Blog that collects and posts sources for Mando'a from all over the internet.)

Mando’a Categorized Spreadsheet

Learning Mando'a Tools [MandoCreator] Reading - Writing.

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Spaceport [Writers helping writers]

Fan-created Conlangs

@dai-bendu-conlang (Jedi Culture Explored) (This blog is the home of the Dai Bendu Conlang, invented by the Archive of Our Own Users aroacejoot, @ghostwriterofthemachine, and loosingletters for the Jedi Order in Star Wars.)

Lasana Lexicon by Anath_Tsurugi (fandom lexicon of the Lasat Language)

HELPFUL BLOGS & SITES

The amazing @fox-trot, who not only makes astonishing art and write an amazing fic, she also responds to medical questions and gives all kinds of references for writing medic characters. Check her #medicposting tag and you'll find tons of information. Also check #star wars reference and her art tag while you're at it.

@writebetterstarwars, which seems to be inactive, but there are a bunch of references there.

@howtofightwrite The place to find out how to write a good fight scene.

@scriptmedic no longer active, but it has a great deal of useful information.

@scripttorture for your whump needs. Major trigger warning for all its content.

@sw-anthrobiology A blog dedicated to collecting headcanons about the biology and cultures of Star Wars species.

@archeo-starwars In-universe sources on culture and history.

@clonewarsarchives Resources & Concept Art Blog for The Clone Wars animated series.

Wookiepedia If you don't find something in here, it's probably because it doesn't exist, neither as a canon nor legends reference.

Star Wars Databank: The official Star Wars website's reference guide. All canon.

WRITING IN GENERAL (For those who don't want to die like Stormtroopers)

SlickWrite: Completely free; online. Checks grammar, punctuation, flow, and writing style according to different settings (including fiction writing).

ProWritingAid: [RECOMMENDED] One of the most thorough online proofreader I've ever used. Although when using a free account gives extremely thorough feedback, with +20 different in-depth reports, for only the first 500 words. However, you can earn a premium account license (for a year or for life) if you get 10 or 20 new users signing up for free; (if you wouldn't mind doing so using the link above and help me earn mine, please). The settings allow you to check your writing according to your needs, from general to formal to creative. It has a bonus that you can check depending on the genre you're writing. For example, in creative, you can choose romance or sci-fiction (there are 14 sub-genre in total). And just like google docs, you can share a document, and people can view, comment or edit it too.

LanguageTool: [RECOMMENDED] Another excellent proofreader. It also has a word limit in free accounts, but if you use the add-on for Google Docs, it counts each page as a new document, so hitting the word limit is nearly impossible. It helps you to rewrite a sentence (3 a day), even if it doesn't raise any flags; it's very useful for when your sentence is grammatically correct, but it doesn't feel quite right.

Grammarly, Hemingway Editor: No so great, but they do the basic job.

Legend

[*] Shared by @fox-trot [**] Shared by @gffa [***] Shared by @cacodaemonia.

#star wars writing resources #star wars #the clone wars #the bad batch #the mandalorian #sw rebels #tcw #tbb #the book of boba fett #andor #obi wan kenobi series #tales of the jedi #ahsoka show #sw resistance #writing resources #long post

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imjustabriee · 1 year

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• Armitage Hux in an Arranged Marriage would include...:

Pt. 1

—He never thought about being marriaged, it was always something for after the war...or for never.

—He was so upset at first when he heard about you, a young daugther of the king of Taris and a queen of Onderon. That couldn't be possible, but he didn't say something about it, was Snoke who gave him the mission.

— When the day of the meeting came, he stood in the hangar for 30 minutes while watching your ship getting closer and closer.

—"General Hux, I'm the Marshal Y/N of Taris, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The General took your hand and left a kiss on it as a form of respect.

"The pleasure is mine, Marshal."

— The delegation who acgompained you stood behind you, and let you talk first.

—The General was peechless, the aplomb with which you addressed him, without any fear or doubt, made him recognize that his marriage might be interesting, despite everything, you would not stop being a Marshal.

—Hux leads you to his private quarters just to discuss everything personally with you before the ceremony.

You couldn't see the main room, but you saw the kitchen, living room and his study room.

He told you because of your rank, you'll move to a bigger quarters with him, obviously.

Before returning to the Bridge, he gave you a light kiss on the temple, and told you to rest while he was in the bridge.

—You woke up at time, fixed your own self, and went to the Throne Room with no fear of Snoke, you were more powerfull, you knew that.

Some minutes later, the General showed up and you both signed the papers. You were officially married.

———————————————————

Part 2:

Hope you enjoy this, English is not my first language.

#he deserves a break #armitage hux smut #kylo ren #armitage hux #armitage hux x reader #general hux #star wars #arranged marriage

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wizardofrozz · 5 months

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Rebel Heart

Word Count: ~1k

Warnings: war, angst, mention of death

A/N: It's taken me way too long to finally get this posted BUT I'm so proud of this piece and am honored to have been able to write this for the incredible @forcefatalezine ❤️

Ahsoka Tano knew her destiny was to be a Jedi Knight. Ever since she was old enough to understand what the Jedi Order was, she had been determined to reach knighthood. She trained until her muscles refused to continue following the katas she had memorized. Ahsoka wanted to be the best: the best youngling, the best Padawan, and eventually the best Knight. Then she met Anakin Skywalker at the beginning of the war, the Chosen One according to her crechemates. Being the Chosen One’s Padawan was a heavy burden, one that hung around Ahsoka’s shoulders for a long time. However, her place at Anakin’s side would prove to be a path she had never thought she’d find herself on.

Ahsoka prided herself on her faith in the Jedi Order. She believed in the teachings, in the council, and in the community within the Order. Then the Clone Wars began, throwing the galaxy into turmoil, and forcing Ahsoka to watch men die by the hundreds; men she had known more intimately than she ever thought possible. She watched the Jedi as a whole start to lose their way, silently questioning the motives of the council. Criticizing the Masters tasked with leading them left a sickening pit in her stomach. Onderon was one of the first catalysts for her doubt.

The Republic was turning its back on Onderon, leaving the people to conform or die, and it made Ahsoka sick. Standing on the outside, watching rebels struggle to form a winning plan, with Master Obi-Wan’s order echoing through her head. Ahsoka knew she was there to help, not to fight for Onderon but knowing she would be standing by while people died left a sour taste in her mouth.

Then she stared into Stella Gerrera’s eyes as she fell to her death. A young life was cut short and Ahsoka couldn’t help but wonder that if the Jedi had done something sooner that maybe Stella would still be fighting the good fight. She stood silently with Anakin and Obi-Wan at Stella’s funeral, the what-ifs plaguing her mind despite knowing she should release her worries to the Force. Every time Ahsoka tried to find peace in the Force, all she saw were bright, youthful green eyes staring back at her.

Onderon changed Ahsoka in a way she wouldn’t understand for a long time.

Tucked into a dark corner of Coruscant's underworld, Ahsoka tried to understand how she had ended up in this situation. She had grown wary of the Jedi’s approach, silently questioning the orders passed down from her Masters.

Whether it be the importance placed on the citadel rescue or the entire fiasco with Rako Hardeen, Ahsoka was finding her faith in the Order beginning to waver. Of course, she was still young, maybe she didn't understand the intricacies of the Jedi Council’s decisions. However, she couldn’t ignore the pit in her stomach when she thought too hard about the actions they were taking or the fact that the Senate had a hand in their affairs too.

The last straw for Ahsoka was the bombing at the Jedi Temple, the incident that left Ahsoka running from the people she had trusted with her life. She couldn’t go to Obi-Wan, Master Plo, Rex and the 501st, or even Anakin. Ahsoka had never felt so alone, having no one to turn to in her darkest time yet.

Then Ahsoka came face to face with the last person she ever imagined she’d be working alongside.

Ventress had a certain way of operating, a system that contradicted the core of Ahsoka's being. But what choice did she have? Ahsoka had run out of options the second Letta took her last breath. Following the Jedi code wouldn’t help her, but could she go against everything she ever stood for?

Ahsoka found out that, yes, she could and that it was easier than she was comfortable admitting.

The pink-tinted electricity crackled in the air, throwing flashes of light over the black-glass eyes staring back at her. He was so achingly familiar, widening the fissures in her already broken heart. She had spent so long grieving her Master, wondering how his life had ended after Order 66 went out, especially after attending Padme’s funeral. There had never been a time when she wished he was gone but staring into the endless void of Vader’s helmet changed that. For a fleeting moment, Ahsoka wished Anakin had died that fateful day.

Vader’s voice boomed through the crumbling room, sounding nothing like the voice Ahsoka remembered, the voice that had brought her comfort so many years ago. There was nothing left of the man she knew, nothing to even hint at Anakin hiding below the surface of Vader’s toxic presence. Ahsoka refused to call herself a Jedi after the fall of the Republic, feeling unworthy of the title, however, she had never felt more undeserving than she did when she committed to avenging her Master. Ahsoka was no Jedi and planned to stay that way, despite the ache in her heart telling her to honor her family.

A Jedi couldn’t beat Darth Vader and beating him was the only option.

The Jedi had been gone for years, thousands of holes in the Force where her family had once resided. The family her Master was responsible for decimating and Ahsoka still missed them terribly. She wished she could hear Master Plo call her Little ‘Soka one last time. She missed Obi-Wan’s warm presence over her shoulder, his reassuring hand on her shoulder. She missed the excitement of the Temple, the halls buzzing with Masters and younglings mingling. Ahsoka longed for the days when she was so convinced of her future. The unwavering determination that she would be a Jedi Knight, standing alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan with a smile on her face because she had made it. But now, standing at Rex’s side again after so many years, watching the explosion of color in the sky over Endor’s moon, she finally understood that becoming a Jedi Knight never was her destiny.

Ahsoka Tano was always meant to be a rebel.

#ahsoka tano #the clone wars #star wars rebels #fulcrum #star wars #ahsoka #force fatale zine

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anakinskywalkerog · 2 years

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My Very Soul (Chapter 5)

Anakin Skywalker x Jedi!Reader

Link to Chapter 4

Warnings: tiniest bit of jealous Ani, intoxication, spice/drug mention, attempted kidnapping, protective Anakin, protective Dallum, a (very consensual) kissy kiss between OTHER characters tehe (ALSO ANAKIN FLUFF YAY) 💕

Summary: Your attempt to sneak out of the Temple with a few of your Padawan friends is hindered by unexpected consequences

Word Count: 5.4k (every single time I think I've written under 3k and then I check the count. I get carried away on my Anakin bullshit lol)

You walked through the hallway of the Padawan dormitory, your mind restless. Master Yuma had been sent out on assignment without you, a diplomatic mission to Mandalore, and whenever you had to stay at the Temple for long periods of time without her, you grew fidgety. It wasn't uncommon for Jedi Masters to be sent out without their Padawans, and it didn't bother you to be left out of this particular mission. Still, you felt yourself becoming antsy as the days passed, with nothing to entertain you but the walls of this building, the endless archives, and your own meditative explorations.

You headed into the turbolift and pressed the panel on the wall. It was a bit later than you usually prefered to rise and head to the mess hall for breakfast, but without Master Yuma's presence—or, really, any motivation to do anything—you'd felt no need to get out of bed in a timely manner.

You felt the presence before the doors of the lift opened. How does he manage, you thought, flushing, to always show up exactly where I—

The lift doors opened to Anakin's smiling face, standing in front of you, his eyes looking mischievous.

"Fancy seeing you here, flea," he said, poking his tongue through his teeth, his grin matching the elation you felt rising around you, his Force presence catching in the air.

"You're back," you observed, walking from the lift straight ahead, in the direction of the mess hall. He followed you.

"Aren't you going to ask about Riosa?" Anakin solicited, puffing out his chest slightly as you walked through the hallway.

"Factory disputes don't interest me, much," you told him in a slightly teasing tone.

"This one would. Wait til you hear what—"

But Anakin's words were cut off by a whooping holler, coming from the direction of the main Temple entrance. Both of you looked around.

"No way!" Dallum shouted, running forward and grabbing you in a playful headlock, giving you a noogie by rubbing his knuckles against your head.

"Get off of her," Anakin said coldly, straightening up. You laughed as Dallum released you, smiling.

"What's up, Dal?" you asked. Behind Dallum you saw Master Quinlan Vos, and you put two and two together—they must have finally returned from their stay on Onderon.

"Is Eha back too?" you asked hopefully, craning your head and looking around, but you saw only Master Quinlan and his rambunctious Padawan. The two of them being paired together was a liability to the Order, you thought, but it did provide some entertainment value.

"Yeah, she's somewhere," Dallum said, a wide grin spreading across his smug face. Eha and her Master had accompanied Dallum and Master Quinlan, you knew, on this last mission. They'd been gone a while—too long for your taste. "Anxious to see you too, I'm sure." Dallum had grown significantly in his years as a Padawan—his thick shoulders were wide, his muscles straining against his robes. He puffed out his cheeks, looking from you to Anakin.

"So, listen," he said more quietly, out of earshot of his Master, who was greeting a few other stragglers coming out of the breakfast hall. "We're planning a little heist, tonight."

"A heist?" you asked warily, watching Dallum's face light up in excitement.

"It's Seeva's birthday! What, did you forget, worm?" Dallum teased. You had neglected to remember that Seeva was turning 15 today.

"Don't call her that," Anakin told Dallum angrily, his jaw clenched, putting his hand on your shoulder to try to step between you and Dallum. You shoved Anakin off.

"What, so it's okay for you to call me a bug, but it's not okay when he does it?" you turned and asked Anakin, amused.

"It's not the same," Anakin said, pouting.

"It's exactly the same," you said in a dry tone, trying not to smile. In some ways, you thought, Dallum and Anakin were quite similar—they were both cocky when it came to their abilities, both overconfident, both boisterous in their teenage sensibilities. Still, you knew that Anakin would never have bullied you, or anyone, the way Dallum had in the past. You were glad that stage of Dallum's character development seemed to have ended when he'd become a Padawan. You could admit that Master Quinlan had been a positive influence on Dallum. Though the two of them at times seemed to egg each other on, they got results. Plus, Dallum seemed to have grown out of his insecurity, and with that growth had come a much nicer attitude toward everyone, especially toward you. You turned back to him.

"You know, Dal, these stunts of yours tend to get all of us in trouble." It was true—Padawans who were under 18 were not allowed to leave the Temple unsupervised by a Jedi Knight. It was easy enough for Dallum, who was already 18, but Eha was only 17, and you, Anakin, and Seeva were even younger. You didn't want to get caught sneaking out.

"It will be innocent fun," Dallum promised, putting his hand up to signify the honor of his word. "It was Seeva's idea, and all. We'll just go out, stretch our legs, get the little nugget a birthday treat..." Dallum leaned closer to you, ignoring Anakin's stare, which you felt might be searing a hole through the back of your head. "Perfect place to escape the...scrutiny, of the Temple, if you know what I mean." He pulled back, giving Anakin a wink, and mouthed eight PM quite obviously before turning back to his Master.

You turned around, walking toward the mess hall, Anakin following. "What did he mean by that?" you asked, puzzled. You felt a hint of discomfort enter Anakin's presence.

"I'm not sure," he said. You shrugged. "Do you want to go?" Anakin asked, watching you as you made your way toward breakfast. You nodded.

"I haven't seen Eha in ages," you said, longingly, missing your friend. "What could go wrong, right?"

You waited, your cloak's hood up, hiding behind a pillar on the steps leading into the temple. No one was around, coming in or out, but that could change at any moment, and you didn't want to be seen. You listened, hearing laughter.

"Y/N, this isn't a dangerous mission. We're just going to get dessert," you heard a laughing voice say from behind you.

"Eha!" you squealed, trying to remember to quiet yourself as you ran into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"I missed you too," Eha said, hugging you back, jumping up and down in her excitement. You saw others coming up from behind Eha, and you looked around, making sure none of the Masters happened to be leaving the Temple for an evening stroll.

"What, I don't get a hug?" Seeva asked, their small voice like bell chimes, their cute pointed face in a grin.

"Happy Birthday Seev," you smiled, pulling them into a tight grip. Seeva was even smaller than you were, with delicate features, and short, straight hair that curled around their face. You were having a hard time believing they were now the same age as you.

"Well, come on, we don't want to get caught," you heard Anakin say from behind the group, looking uncomfortable.

"Always the buzzkill, you are," Dallum said rowdily, running down the stairs, stopping behind Eha to tickle her sides. She jumped.

"Wait!" a small voice pealed from the top of the stairs.

"Oh, come on, Dal," you said, sounding exasperated, "you sprung Leve?" Leve jumped down each step, looking excited. She was still a youngling, having not yet been chosen to become a Padawan, and sneaking her out of the crowded youngling bunks certainly added a level of risk to your endeavor. Padawans were afforded small, private rooms of their own in the dormitory, making it easier to come and go without being seen.

"She's part of the group," Dal said honorably, faking a sense of decorum.

"I invited her," Seeva said firmly, putting their arm around Leve's neck and starting off the bottom step.

"What about Yumi?" Leve asked, looking around.

"She's still out on assignment," Dallum said, waving his hand airily. "It's just us tonight."

"Let's go!" Eha whispered, grabbing your hand and leaping forward, and you couldn't help but laugh. You glanced around one more time, but you only saw Anakin and Dallum behind you, no Knights, no one who could protest your leaving the Temple.

You all walked through the streets of upper Coruscant. You'd explored the city some before, most of the time with your Master, though younglings were occasionally taken out on excursions. You'd also stepped out a few times unsupervised, you could admit—as much as you knew yourself to be a rule follower, Padawans were known to sneak out time and again, and you weren't going to miss out on the fun.

Dallum, who was 18 and therefore allowed out on his own, led everyone through the maze of city streets to a small late night diner.

"Why are we all the way out here?" Anakin asked him, and you sensed that Anakin spent more time out in the city than he was supposed to.

"Less likely to be seen out here," Dallum answered, "by any meandering Jedi, that is." It was true that this area did seem a bit more run down than the streets closer to the Temple, but the diner you all entered was well-kept, and had a clean and friendly atmosphere. You took Seeva and Leve's cloaks, hanging them on a hook near the door with your own, while Dallum went up to the counter with his credits. Eha led everyone to a large, circular booth in the back.

The diner was a lively place. You saw Twi-leks laughing raucously around a table full of drinks and fried rycrit meat; you saw a Gran who looked like he was deep in conversation with a Wookie, both of them gesturing wildly with their arms; you even saw a few species you couldn't identify. You slid into the booth between Anakin and Seeva, looking around at the scene. If you had been here with Master Yuma, you would have asked her to tell you about these unknowns. You knew it was rude to stare, but you admired the atmosphere. There was a lot about the galaxy you still didn't know.

"Dallum!" you chastised hastily, as you watched Dallum arrive with a circular tray of glasses filled with a mysterious liquid.

"Relax, Y/N," Dallum said obnoxiously. "It's Blumfruit juice, see?" He held up one of the glasses. You tried to loosen your shoulders, passing the juices around the table.

"To Seeva," Eha sounded, holding her glass up in front of her.

"To Seeva!" you all happily agreed, and you drank. The juice was sweet.

"Y/N, tell me about Muunilinst," Seeva said excitedly, turning to you. "You saw Henry, right? How is he?" You smiled down at Seeva, feeling Anakin's presence beside you. You had returned from Muunilinst over a month ago, but you weren't sure if this might still be a sore subject.

"He seems like he's doing really well," you told Seeva's innocent face, "aside from the blaster wound, that is."

"What?" Seeva squeaked. You laughed, beginning the story. As you talked, a few plates of appetizers came to the table, and you ate excitedly. It wasn't often you got to eat food that wasn't from the Temple. Temple food was never fried in delicious oils and covered in salt. You licked your fingers, enjoying yourself.

"It was actually Anakin who stopped the assassin from hitting Henry in the chest," you continued, turning to the boy next to you. Seeva looked at him in wonder.

"Really?" they asked, eyes wide. Anakin smiled at them. "How do you stop a blaster from firing?"

"He didn't," you explained. "He stopped the bullet in mid-air." You saw Anakin's face turn pink beside you, felt the joy and pride in his presence at hearing you speak this way. The conversation turned elsewhere, you asking Leve about her training. You wished you could see your fellows more often, but the life of a Jedi was complicated, busy. You savored these moments of reunion.

"Eha, please tell me you'll be back for a while?" you asked her, turning in her direction. She blushed as you turned your attention on her, and this confused you.

"I hope so," Eha said, Dallum chuckling beside her.

"I've missed you," you told her honestly, and as she looked back at you, you felt there was something unsaid in her presence—felt her emotions reaching out to you, wanting to tell you something, but holding back. You looked at her, quizzically, but she turned away, looking at the floor.

It was only then that you realized you could see Dallum's hand intertwined with Eha's, partially concealed by the table. Dallum seemed to be stroking her hand with his thumb. You balked at the sight. What is going on? You turned to look at Seeva, who gave you a knowing smile and a shrug. You didn't understand.

"I'm going to use the toilet. I'll be back in a few minutes," Eha said, sounding giggly, but slightly uncomfortable. She peeled herself out of the booth, walking in the direction of the diner's entrance.

"I—me too," Dallum said, laughing nervously, and he too left the booth, following Eha toward the door.

"What's with them?" you asked, turning from Anakin to Seeva. Both shrugged, but both were smiling, and you felt something in their emotions, part squirm, part laughter. It was like...an embarrassed kind of pleasure, the feeling permeating the table. Leve ate her food quietly.

"I'm going after them," you said, gesturing to Seeva to let you out of the booth.

"Y/N, wait," Anakin said, getting up with you, grabbing onto your arm. You pulled your arm free.

"I want to know what's going on," you said simply, though you had a feeling Eha had been keeping something from you—something big.

As you reached the doorway of the restaurant, you felt yourself pulled into the corner. "ANI—" you started to shout, your heart beating, but Dallum slapped his hand over your mouth. Eha was standing next to him, having just grabbed Anakin's arm, pulling him into the corner with you. You turned around, looking at Dallum in confusion. He took his hand off your mouth and put a finger to his lips in a silent "shh", then pointed back in the direction of the doorway.

Your stomach dropped. You watched as Master Plo entered the diner, walking directly toward the booth where Seeva and Leve sat, enjoying their food. Eha and Dallum must have seen him outside, you reasoned, and it didn't seem that Master Plo thought to look into the corner, in your direction. You saw Seeva and Leve looking up at the Jedi in horror as he sat down opposite them. Their faces hung as he spoke, and you imagined that he was giving them a stern talking-to.

"Come on," Eha whispered, "he hasn't seen us." Eha pulled you and Anakin out of the diner, Dallum following, and all of you jogged down the street, darting in and out of alleyways, running until you were at least a few blocks away, out of earshot, and unlikely to run into Master Plo should he exit the diner with your fellows.

"Poor Seeva," you said, feeling terrible, "poor Leve. This is all our fault."

"Master Plo will go easy on them," Dallum reasoned, "easier than he would go on us, at least."

"I still feel bad," Eha said, her face puckered.

"It won't do them any good to get ourselves in trouble, too," Anakin said, and you knew this made sense.

"He'll get them home safe," Dallum said cheerfully. "Which means," he continued, grinning impishly, "that the night is young, and the little ones will be in bed." He swung around the nearby pole of a streetlamp, apparently trying to seem suave, though the overall effect was quite clumsy. "Where should we go?" Anakin stood behind you, watching you, waiting for your reaction.

"Absolutely not," you said, shaking your head. "As soon as the coast is clear, we're heading back to the Temple."

"Oh, come on, don't be boring, Y/N," Dallum whined.

"I mean it," you said, your tone firm. "I don't want to get into any more trouble."

"Ugh, the two of you are always such killjoys," Dallum said to you and Anakin. "What is it about being the top of the class that makes you so un-fun."

"Hey," Eha chided. "Be nice to my friend." Dallum shut his mouth. You grabbed Eha by the arm, pulling her ahead of Dallum and Anakin.

"I really have missed you," Eha said, putting her head into your shoulder as you walked, arm in arm, linked. The two of you started a slow procession toward the Temple, feeling Anakin and Dallum following behind you.

"I wish we could be together all the time," you said, and you meant it. "Why is it we're never assigned to missions together? I'm paired with Anakin every other week," you continued, laughing.

"I don't know," Eha said, her voice growing quiet. "Listen, Y/N...A lot has changed since the last time we were both back here."

"Yeah," you said, ready for her to come clean, "about that—"

But you didn't get the chance to finish your thought. Everything happened so quickly, it felt like one millisecond, and also like it happened in slow motion, your quick reflexes taking everything in with minute detail. You heard the glass smash on the ground, saw two dark shapes moving around you, and felt the orange particles moving up into your airways. Someone had smashed a small vial of Spice onto the ground in front of you and Eha, and before you knew it, there were arms around you, picking your body up off the ground.

You reacted instinctively. Using the Force to loosen the man's grip, you took your lightsaber from your belt, working quickly and swinging accurately. You slashed the man's arm that was holding you, and then both of his legs, on the sides, giving him deep burns that would prevent him from using his limbs temporarily, but wouldn't maim him completely. He was on the ground, writhing in pain, when you turned to Eha, who had been grabbed by the other attacker. Dallum got there first.

"You will never touch her," Dallum said, his voice cold and angry, his white lightsaber lit and held high in the air. You felt Anakin on your other side, his blade held up as well, felt the anger in his familiar Force presence rising. "You will never touch either of them, or it will be the last thing you do." The Force command Dallum infused into his voice was shocking. He was really becoming a Jedi.

The man who had attempted to grab Eha looked down at his companion, the man you had attacked, writhing on the ground.

"Guess we chose wrong, tonight," the man in front of Dallum said in a nasty voice, looking at you, Anakin, and Dallum with your lightsabers lit. He glanced back once at his companion, and then ran in the other direction. You felt Anakin's intentions before he could enact them.

"Anakin, no," you said, grabbing onto his arm, trying to thwart his attempt to follow the man. You felt Anakin's anger, felt him thinking of all the ways he would like to kill this person who had tried to attack you, but your senses were beginning to cloud. You looked around, saw no more evidence of the orange Spice in the air, but felt a funny feeling in your airways.

"He could attempt to attack someone else," Anakin said, his voice shaking, his anger palpable.

"It's not the Jedi way, mate," Dallum said, trying to reason with him. "We don't deliver vigilante justice." Dallum turned his attention to Eha. "Are you all right, beautiful?"

Eha's eyes looked funny. You watched as her pupils dilated and then shrank, over and over again. Dallum looked at the broken vial on the ground, and then back to Eha.

"Spice," he told you and Anakin, but you felt all of a sudden as if the world were shrinking in front of you, as if your vision was being stretched by a long tube. You tried to look at your friends, or speak, but you felt frozen by the intoxicating sensation.

"Little flea, you don't look so good," Anakin told you, taking a step closer to look you over and make sure you weren't hurt.

"Dal," Eha said, and you turned your head back to her, slowly, watching her form swim in front of your eyes. "Dal, that was amazing, you—you saved me—" and with those words, Eha collapsed into Dallum's arms, kissing him enthusiastically. Dallum responded with as much enthusiasm, holstering his lightsaber and wrapping his arms around Eha. You watched, confused, but the two of them changed color in your vision, first becoming blue, then becoming pink, then fading into bubbles around you.

Oh no, you thought to yourself. I hope they don't pop.

"We've got to get them back to the Temple, where they'll be safe," Anakin said loudly, trying to interrupt Eha and Dallum's long embrace.

“We can’t go back to the Temple like this,” you heard yourself say, from far away, bubbles floating all around you. “We’d be expelled from the Order.”

"Well, we can't stay here," Anakin said, sounding worried, looking around the darkened street, as if expecting more attackers to emerge at any second.

"Find somewhere to wait it out," Dallum said, his cheesy grin looking funny through your Spice haze. Eha starting pulling on his chin, trying to bring his face back to hers. "You'll take care of wormy, yeah?" Dallum asked, looking reluctantly back at Anakin and gesturing toward you with his head, his hands moving around Eha's waist. Anakin nodded, and Dallum turned back, kissing Eha passionately against the wall of the building behind them.

"Come on, Y/N," Anakin said gruffly, looking around. "We'll...we'll find a safe place." He waited for you to come with him, his arm outstretched to lead you, but you felt oddly planted to where you stood, as if you had become a tree. You looked down at your arms, and they were branches.

"Oh," you said softly, waving your branches, feeling the leaves moving, rustling with the wind. "Pretty..."

Anakin drew his face closer to yours, looking into your eyes. "Oh boy," he breathed. "Okay...um, let's try this." Anakin moved in front of you and knelt, reaching behind him with his arms to gently pull at the spots behind your knees. The pressure of his hands caused you to fall forward, against his back. Surprised, you grabbed hold of his shoulders to steady yourself, and he stood up, lifting you into a piggy back.

"Woah," you giggled, watching as your vines combined with Anakin's vines. "It's...it's an..." you struggled to find the words as your limbs flowered. "It's an epiphyte."

"Uh huh," Anakin grunted, carrying you along with him as he looked around. "Okay, I have an idea. Hang on, flea." He tightened his grip around your right leg and let go of your left, but you weren't concerned. Your vines were gripping his tightly, one plant growing on top of another as he climbed up a ladder, up onto the roof of one of the smaller buildings nearby. When you both reached the rooftop, Anakin swung you off of his back, holding onto you, looking around.

"This is fine," Anakin said, still sounding concerned, but seeming calmer. "Can you stand?" Anakin let go of you, and as he did, you sunk into yourself. Anakin caught you under your arms as you fell to your knees.

"Gods, Y/N," Anakin said through his breath. "Remind me never to do Spice." Anakin laid you down gently, onto your back on the surface of the roof, and then dropped to a seated position near to you, his arms around his knees.

"No, Ani, no," you said breathlessly, shaking your head against the hard metal of the Coruscanti roof, your hair splayed out under you. "It's wonderful." You lay looking up at the stars, feeling like you could see the entire universe. All of it was moving, forming different shapes, different planetary systems, all of the matter exploding and reforming in front of your eyes. You remembered that you were seeing back in time.

"Was Eha...were Eha and Dal...was that real?" you asked, the words coming out of you slowly.

"Yeah," Anakin said, his tone slightly bitter, infused with some other emotion you couldn't identify through your stupor.

"That's so weird," you said, your eyes watering as you felt the Spice moving through you. "She used to hate him. And it's...it's not allowed." You felt a pleasant smile sit on your face. Though you knew there might be a part of yourself deep within that was upset about Eha, and you knew the presence of Spice in your veins should be causing you to panic, all you felt was a contented, euphoric lens over everything, as if life were suddenly being colored, the motion capture covered by a painted, translucent fabric. It was a lovely sensation. You felt it in your ears.

"Technically, Jedi are allowed to kiss," Anakin said, sounding the tiniest bit grumpy.

"I've never understood the difference," you admitted, watching the swirling vortexes above you collide together. You could hear it in your mind—the sound these nebulas in the sky made, as they hit each other's edges. It was a beautiful tinkling.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" The Spice visions were distracting you from Anakin's presence as it began to swell beside you. It took you a moment to understand his question. You shook your head.

"No. And I doubt I ever will," you said honestly, through your haze, feeling the most comfortable calm washing over you, the light show in space changing colors.

"Why?"

"What I just said, about attachment...kissing..." you lost your head for a moment, putting your hands up above you, pulling at the shapes in the sky. They moved with your touch. "Look!" you gasped, grabbing Anakin's wrist. His heart was beating heavily through the sleeves of his tunic, his pulse fast. You pointed up at the sky with your other hand, wanting to show Anakin the lights, but all of a sudden, they were gone.

"Oh," you said mournfully, letting go of Anakin and dropping your other arm. "Never mind." The Spice haze was shifting so quickly, it was hard to keep up.

“Y/N, do you hate me?” Anakin asked, his voice quiet, his breathing uneven. You felt confused by how much everything was spinning around you. Ani's words didn't make much sense. It took you a while, in your mind, to piece together what he was asking.

"Hate you?" You turned toward the boy sitting beside your supine figure, crinkling your face. You could see Anakin, but his outline seemed fuzzy, like it was moving, or perhaps like it contained another dimension that it didn’t have normally, one with more colors. "No. I don’t hate you, Ani," you sighed, truthfully, all of a sudden feeling very heavy in your head, your arms, and your legs. Anakin sat watching you, his presence uncharacteristically passive, his eyes sincere. “You do bother me sometimes,” you admitted, thinking it through slowly, the cogs stuck together in your intoxicated mind. “Sometimes it seems like you want to. You know, bother me." You watched the world turn inside out through your lashes, and felt it, too. Your lips struggled with words. You felt a bit like jelly. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. The Spice inside you was creating a little tornado of happiness. You worked to keep your mind focused on the conversation. "Why is that?” You looked back at Anakin and saw he was smiling, looking quite pleased.

“I don’t know, exactly,” he said, his eyes downcast, his smile seeming unintentional. You rolled your eyes at him. This made you a bit dizzy.

You held your arms up on both sides of you, to steady yourself. All of a sudden, you forgot there was roof beneath you—it felt like you were floating in space, the distant galaxies floating with you.

"What are you doing?" Anakin asked, through his laughter. You realized that you were not floating. Disappointed, you put your arms down, blinking your eyes.

All of a sudden you felt through the haze a concentrated effort on Anakin’s part—his thoughts turned to you, his emotions becoming stronger as if he himself was turning the dial up on the volume. His Force presence was all but shouting at you, and you knew he was doing it intentionally. You felt these emotions of his moving through you, and you felt as if you were inside Anakin, feeling all of these feelings with him. You couldn’t just read them—it was almost as if you were his feelings of adoration, desire, want, insecurity. It was almost as if these same feelings were coming from somewhere deep inside you, as well as from him. You shook your head to clear it.

"What?" Anakin asked, part cautious, part hopeful.

"I…I can’t tell what you’re thinking,” you lied. You kept your tone convincing, even through the drug’s influence. Anakin laughed.

“I guess Spice really does a number on you.” You felt the world spin, but not in a nauseating way. Anakin waited, his breathing halted, as if he was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say.

“Didn’t you feel it, though?" he began, and you felt his emotions swell inside him, a wave that refused to crash, his feelings growing bigger and bigger. "When we met? Didn’t you see that we would be—"

You waited for him to finish, seeing things in the stars, things you shouldn’t be seeing. "That we would be in each other’s lives,” he continued, “that we would be a part of each other’s stories.”

Of course you’d felt it, but the Spice haze had begun to shift, and you were gaining back your ability to remember to hide your true feelings and emotions.

“I do remember the day you came to the Temple,” you said honestly. “I felt something before I’d even seen you…I could feel your—" you paused, realizing this might be too honest. “I could feel your sadness.”

The wave crashed, but not in a devastating way. Anakin's Force presence shrank, and you knew he felt vulnerable, raw. You felt him casting around in his mind, trying to decide on the right thing to say in response.

“So you admit it," he smiled, his voice refusing to betray the stormy ocean within him. "That we’re friends.”

“Yes, we’re friends,” you said, smiling in spite of yourself. The Spice haze was definitely beginning to fade slightly, leaving in its place a tired gladness, a relaxed feeling, a sweet and innocent enjoyment. "You could try, though, you know,” you told him, turning to look him in the eye. “Not to be so irritating.��

“Deal,” Anakin said, smiling.

A long period of quiet passed between you, you enjoying the feeling of regaining your senses, Anakin lost in thought. His thoughts were quite pleasant, and something about the haze, or the evening, or perhaps a shift between the two of you allowed you to feel his thoughts without fear, or judgement, or anger. It wasn't so bad, you thought, to be beside him now.

"Are you ready to go home, little flea?" Anakin whispered, breaking the long silence after a while. You nodded, shifting, trying to sit up.

"That’s not home," you said, pulling yourself to a standing position, relieved your muscles had begun to work again. Anakin stood as well, considering your words thoughtfully.

"I suppose you’re right," Anakin replied, looking out over the Coruscanti skyline in the direction of the Temple. He was quiet for a moment, and you felt his thoughts move toward his mother. It was a tender feeling. It made you want to pull him into your arms. You breathed in and out, trying to expel this certain urge.

"Thanks," you said, and at this, he turned back to look at you. "You know," you smiled, "for not leaving me to rot, in a Spice haze, in a ditch somewhere."

Anakin grinned down at you. "What are friends for?"

************************************************************************

Chapter 6 has been posted!!! Go read go read!!

Also, meet Eha, played by the beautiful Auliʻi Cravalho:

Now accepting casting suggestions for Dallum 😉 Also, I hope everyone is fine with me nerding out about the new NASA telescope in the middle of my fic! tehe

divider credit: @racingairplanes

taglist: @iyoogi @cluelessgurl @layazul @annadastra @graciexmarvel @galaxiasy @organasith @indigoblues1207 @outoftheregular @katsukiswrld @prettyboyrryy @jellydodger @wildflower57 @lydiamartinslover @em-asian @heavenseraph @iloveinej @leapofblank @sahverah @elsyyie

(if you’re on this list, make sure you have tags enabled!)

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spacemagicandlaserswords · 11 months

Text

The Clone Wars: Return of the Thoughts

I’m over half way through my first watch through of The Clone Wars (I’m part way through the Onderon rebels arc at the moment) and it has been An Experience. I have really enjoyed watching it, even though so much of the story is just pain and despair. If it isn’t already completely obvious from my reaction posts, I have completely fallen for the clones. New hyperfixation unlocked. I love and adore all of them. This brings about its own problems because for a show called The Clone Wars, there isn’t exactly a great focus on the clones. They’ve basically been sidelined in their own show (Hmmm, I wonder where we’ve seen that done to a clone before?). When we do finally get some decent clone-centric episodes, they are all just pain, misery, angst and despair. Which explains why I’ve been dreading watching so many of the various arcs in TCW.

I’ve found that my anticipation of episodes falls into either 'outright dreading', 'generally looking forward to', 'somewhat interested in', or 'fairly ambivalent about'. Out of the three seasons I have left to watch, the only arc I’m actually looking forward to is the opening arc of season 7, because:

a) Baby Bad Batch b) ECHO c) More clones! More clone interactions and personality and character development and depth and emotions and all the things! d) Jesse and his ARC tits running around being an absolute unit e) Kix! *weeps for his beautiful hair* f) Rex being a BAMF as usual but also being all soft and concerned when he gets one of his Domino Twins back after he thought he’d lost them both. g) We even get a bit of Cody too, before he gets squished by a larty and Wrecker has to lift it off him. h) Non-chip controlled Crosshair! He smiles! He laughs! He’s snarky and sarcastic! We finally get to see the toothpick with a soul before it’s ripped out and trampled into the ground by the Empire. i) I think the season 7 premiere is where Obi-Wan cuts an actual missile in half to save Cody, and if that isn’t the most hyper competent way of conveying your love for your space husband, then I don’t know what is.

On the other side of things, there are a number of arcs that I am dreading and almost don’t want to watch.

I’m not overly looking forward to the Mandalore arc in season 5, mainly because we have to watch Obi-Wan watch Satine get brutally murdered in front of him by Maul. Along with being utterly cruel and completely devastating, it’s also another wholly unnecessary fridging of a female character. There’s already enough man pain in this series as it is, we don’t need to add to it by killing off one of the few female characters with depth.

Straight after this is the Jedi temple bombing arc, which I almost don’t want to watch. The way Ahsoka was treated was utterly horrendous and appalling. No wonder she left! What they did to Barriss was just as awful.

Then it’s straight into the chip conspiracy arc, which is just more pain, misery, suffering and death for the clones. First Tup, then Fives, in what seems to be generally regarded as one of the most devastating deaths of the entire Clone Wars series. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of sobbing at the end of it. I also cannot wrap my head around the fact that Fox is the one to shoot Fives. I cannot believe that a clone would ever shoot another clone. That a vod would kill another vod. It’s just inconceivable. From what I’ve read, the generally received headcanon seems to be that Palps was controlling Fox via the chip or the Darkside. This makes complete sense, is a believable in-universe reason, and is definitely the headcanon that I’ve accepted. Blasters have a stun setting! Fox is the Commander of the Coruscant Guard. He’s a command class clone and he has a kama so presumably he’s got ARC training as well. There’s no way he’d be that sloppy as to not have his blaster set to stun. I know this is leading up to my inevitable internal conflict between fandom Fox and canon Fox (which is already brewing), but that’s another rant for another day. Either way, I'm absolutely dreading watching this arc.

I’m not really looking forward to watching the Rush Clovis arc in season 6. I touched on this in 2.04 ‘Senate Spy’ and I should imagine that this arc involves more of Anakin being abusive and controlling of Padmé, which both @0bianidalas and @coraex basically confirmed in the comments. For a multitude of personal reasons, I am really not comfortable with watching something like this. That said, I should imagine it will be a clear example of Anakin’s further descent to the Dark side and give a greater understanding to how it happened, which I gather was a key reason for the existence of The Clone Wars series in the first place.

Finally, there’s the Siege of Mandalore arc, which is just pain, misery, death and despair for everyone involved. We have to watch another perspective of the genocide that is Order 66, and by all accounts this one seems to be one of the most heart-wrenching and devastating. All of the clones are forced against their will to turn into brainwashed, controlled, mindless monsters. Jesse is turned into the very opposite of everything that he is, stood for, and believed in. Ahsoka is hunted by the very men she thought were her friends. Rex has to shoot his brothers out of self defense and to protect Ahsoka. All of the 322nd die. Rex cries. The only saving grace to all of this is that Rex is finally free, but at what cost. At what cost.

(Editor Me: My heart is already aching just going through the various gifs from these arcs. I'm going to be an absolute wreck I watch the actual episodes.)

After all of this, I somehow have to power through 4 seasons of Rebels before Ahsoka premiers on August 23. I’m probably going to have to binge watch Rebels and come back to it later for the reaction posts but we’ll see. While I have spoiled myself on Rebels in the same way I did for TCW, I haven’t been looking up what happens in Rebels quite as much as TCW. I’ve forgotten a fair amount of what happens so I think I’m going to try and keep myself as spoiler free as possible for Rebels. Hopefully that way I’ll be able to avoid this ‘dreading watching particular arcs’ problem that I’m encountering with TCW.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are moments in particular episodes that I’m looking forward to.

Hondo turns up again in the younglings arc and I am all for more Hondo. My interest in this arc falls somewhere between ‘somewhat interested’ and ‘fairly ambivalent’ but Hondo is an absolute riot and I love his particular brand of chaos. He was hilarious in the season 5 premiere and stole every scene he was in so I’m very glad to see him appear again.

We finally get to meet Gregor! He seems like a fan favourite and I’ve been looking forward to meeting him. If the droids mission is anything like R2-D2 and the reprogrammed B1 droids in the Citadel arc then this should be fairly amusing too so I’m generally looking forward to this.

In a way, I am looking forward to parts of the Mandalore arc in season 5. Obi-Wan in Mandalorian armour! More sass and snark from Obi-Wan is always enjoyable and at least we get to see him rescue Satine before it all goes horribly wrong. I know I’ve made this point before but I also love it when we get to see just how damn good a Jedi Obi-Wan is. There’s a little bit of this in the season 4 finale when Obi-Wan teams up with Ventress to fight Maul and Savage (after he’s thrown about like a rag doll and we get even more Obi-Wan whump. TCW has been a surprisingly excellent source of Obi-Wan whump.) But you really get to see it in the season 5 premiere. At one stage Obi-Wan is dual wielding lightsabers like an absolute madman while fighting both Maul and Savage at the same time. Sir, your lightsaber form is Soresu, what are you doing?

I’m looking forward to ‘The Lost One’ because we get to see a bit more of Wolffe, Plo and the Wolf Pack and I am always happy when we get to see more of them. Even if it's only for a tiny bit at the start of the episode.

As painful as the Siege of Mandalore arc is going to be, there are also some good moments that I’m looking forward to. Rex and Ahsoka reunite after she left the Order. I’ve really been enjoying watching the gradual evolution of their relationship, from Captain and Commander, to colleagues that respect each other, to friends, and then brother and sister. Or ori’vod and vod’ika, if we’re going with the headcanon of clones knowing Mando’a and creating their own culture out of what they can glean from their Mandalorian origins. Rex is definitely ori’vod.

Rex is finally promoted to commander so we get a little bit of Commander Rex for a while, and isn’t that just a delicious thought thot.

Ahsoka essentially gets her own company in the form of the 332nd and they all paint their helmets in a pattern inspired by the markings on her montrals, which is just so damn sweet and adorable.

Rex and Ahsoka fighting side by side, even if some of it is against chip controlled clones.

From what I can gather, this entire arc is mainly about Rex and Ahsoka, with a showdown with Maul thrown in. They both go through the wringer and there’s going to be everything from hilarious one liners, to heartfelt moments, to the absolute emotional devastation that is Order 66 and all that it wrought upon them.

Out of the arcs that are left, they’re a mix of ‘somewhat interested’, ‘fairly ambivalent’ and ‘really not sure what to expect’. I’m fairly ambivalent about the rest of the Onderon rebels arc, which ends in another unnecessary fridging of a female character. At least Steela was more sensible and had more nuance. I could see her evolving into a great leader, in a similar vein to Leia. Saw is just another boring arrogant male who turns into a ‘for the greater good’ monster. The consequences of his actions have disastrous effects for the Empire and the rebels, or anyone who even slightly opposes the Empire. He’s not a good person and definitely falls into the ‘an enemy of my enemy is my friend/temporary ally’ camp.

I’m ‘fairly ambivalent’ to almost disinterested in ‘The Disappeared’ arc. Anything involving Jar Jar Binks is always deeply painful and uncomfortable to watch, a point I’ve made before, so I’m not going to blither on about it again.

The final arc of season 6 just sounds weird and all very ~mystical~ Jedi. Or more Jedi osik as the more cynical of the clones would probably say.

The Ahsoka arc in the middle of season 7 is one I’m really not sure what to expect from. I’m looking forward to meeting Trace and Rafa and I’m all for more women of colour in Star Wars. It’ll also give more context to the episode ‘Decommissioned’ from The Bad Batch and help understand exactly who they are and why they’re coincidentally looking for the same Separatist tactical droid as the Batch. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to Ahsoka after she leaves the order and get a sense for what she’s been up to and how she’s managed to survive and cope since. I’m not sure if this arc is in chronological order with the rest of the season. Though the last episode does appear to link into the Siege of Mandalore arc, so maybe it is. The official chronological order lists this arc as happening before the Bad Batch arc and after the season 6 finale arc, so I guess that solves that then.

Aside from The Bad Batch arc, there’s no whole episode or arc that I’m actually looking forward to watching. This seems to be the main structure to TCW, hilarious comedic moments and heartfelt scenes interspersed between a whole lot of emotional devastation and heart wrenching endings. I’m still glad I’m finally watching The Clone Wars but the emotional ride from certain episodes and arcs has been something else. I’m so glad fix-it fics exist, because I’m going to need to read so many after all of this is said and done.

I know this might seem like I’m complaining but I’m not. I’m simply being open and honest about my experiences watching The Clone Wars. I am enjoying watching it all, even if ‘enjoying’ doesn’t quite feel like the right word with all of the pain and despair and misery that happens.

I’ve got a lot left to watch and not much time to watch it in but I’m also going to make sure I enjoy it as well. I’ll be sad when it’s finished but I am very happy and glad that I finally started watching The Clone Wars.

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fionajames · 6 months

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HIIIIII may I request some… angst… please? 😭 the unimaginable was too gooooood!!!!

hey guys this is angst as requested. the lyrics in this are from the song 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. i recommend listening to it as u read.

This song actually means a lot to me and I cried a tear whilst listening to it writing this. I first heard it several months before my Grandad's death. Since then, I've lost a lot of loved ones, this song means a lot to me.

T/W: Death, Order 66.

It’s been a long day without you, my friend

Ahsoka stood, glossy-eyed at the helmets bearing her markings, buried in the dust. She thought of Jesse, who was always her friend. Until the last moment, when he’d turned on her.

She’d felt it in the Force, Anakin’s death - she presumed.

She’d reached out into the Force instinctively feeling for Obi-Wan, only to reconnect the strands with the dozens of other Jedi, all in pain and betrayal. She hadn’t been able to reach her old Grandmaster, retracting herself from the Force the minute she felt the pain. Ahsoka threw up a mental shield around herself, a desperate bubble of protection.

Rex stood next to her as they moved back to the ship, climbing in silently and setting course for a nearby planet. She watched the blue fly by, her heart panging as she saw a glimpse of his eyes, his lightsaber.

Rushing off to the Chancellor’s aid, that was the last she’d seen of him.

That was the last she’d ever see of him.

And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again

Obi-Wan wrapped his robe around himself tighter, a tear sliding down his cheek as Beru sent him a last, sad smile before disappearing into her home with Luke in her arms and Owen at her side.

Obi-Wan turned away, walking slowly off into the distance. When he’d walked away from Anakin’s burning body, he’d reached tentatively out into the Force, in search of his former Grandpadawan. He’d been met with a wall of nothingness, the same kind of nothingness you felt when someone was dead.

He’d lost both his brother, sister and best friend in one day.

He thought miserably of the shell of a man he called his brother he’d left behind.

The guilt was eating at him like a starved beast.

He clambered down into a canyon of sand and stone, ignoring the scrapes on his hands and the tears rolling down his face.

Jedi weren’t supposed to feel attachment, and he knew it, but now the Jedi were gone, so who was stopping him?

We’ve come a long way from where we began

Ahsoka thought back to her first meeting with Anakin and Obi-Wan. The arrogant version of Anakin she’d first met had turned more playful than rude in a matter of days.

She thought of the pain she’d first experienced, the tiring nature, the fear.

Jedi weren’t supposed to feel fear, but Ahsoka was no longer a Jedi.

She was never destined to be, she now realised.

She was destined to watch the fall of the Jedi, but not to be one that fell.

The Order was gone, and that was unnatural to Ahsoka.

She thought back to the days of roaming the hallways of the Temple, both of her brothers at her side. She’d never thought of the fall of the Order. She’d wondered about them perhaps losing the war, but never a fall. Anakin and Obi-Wan were powerful, sometimes she’d feared for the deaths, but never the both of them.

She now realised that was why it hurt so much, she hadn’t expected the fall, much less the death of her brothers.

Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again

Obi-Wan thought of the last mission they’d done together, him and Anakin. His head throbbed from the mere thought of being knocked unconscious by Dooku. He thought of the way they’d fought together, brothers side by side.

He thought of Onderon, the last mission all three of them had done. He remembered the abrupt fear on Ahsoka’s face when she’d heard they were leaving. Obi-Wan knew she was ready, but she didn’t believe that.

He thought of the days they spent together, brothers and sister, on the battlefield, on Coruscant, on different planets post-battle.

The days of cheer, joy, happiness, something he missed so much.

Never had he ever thought, during one of these times, about how much he would miss them.

He wondered if Ahsoka’s death had been painless, he hoped it had. He thought of how she would have felt the same feeling of utter betrayal he’d held when Cody had shot him. He thought of Rex, and how he would feel after killing his sister.

When I see you again

Ahsoka sat down on the bed. Her and Rex had arrived hours before on the planet, and rented a small house. She collapsed, her head in her hands as tears slipped between her fingers.

Obi-Wan slumped to the floor in the cave he was sheltering in, face buried in his arms. Tears rolled down his cheeks and onto the floor, creating small puddles in the dust and sand.

Ahsoka reached out into the Force with her last speck of hope. She reached for Anakin, then Obi-Wan, then Plo. All she felt was the same pain and nothingness.

Obi-Wan reached out for Ahsoka, in hopes of discovering a flicker of life. All he felt was the same nothingness and pain he’d felt when Anakin’s life had slipped away.

They sat in silence, only interrupted by the occasional sob.

Anakin reached out, for Obi-Wan and then Ahsoka. He felt a flicker of subtle life of Obi-Wan, and then the cold nothingness of Ahsoka.

Three people, broken to pieces, unaware of each other.

Three people, against the universe.

Three people, separated.

'We'll be alright, as long as we stay together.'

hope you enjoyed, please send requests, im desperate!!!

take care of urself <3

taglist: @techs-goggles9902, @transmascanakin, @skellymom

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sithisms · 1 month

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✈️ AIRPLANE — have you traveled anywhere that helped you discover something about yourself and/or about the world? // 😠 ANGRY FACE — how easy or difficult is it for you to express your emotions? if you find it difficult, what do you think is holding you back? // 🖤 BLACK HEART — what would you say is the darkest thought you've ever experienced? what do you think caused you to have that thought? have you ever planned on or fantasized about acting on it? // 🌙 CRESCENT MOON — what would you say is your current biggest dream and/or career aspiration and why?

Kun had traveled many places one that was the catalist to his start of becoming a sith was Onderon in the temple of Freedon Nadd. Upon finding his tomb the sith ghost had gladly placed his influence on Kun. Attempting many times to take his life and convert him to the darkside. Eventually at some point on Yavin 4 it worked.

Kun has a hard time expressing true emotions because he believes they share weakness. He only ever shows negative emotions through anger in two ways. Outright rage which involves a lot of angry lashing out and brutal attacks. And silent anger which always indicates fear and axiety within him. If he wasn't so pent up he'd control his emotions better. But why would he do that?

His biggest darkest thought was always dying. Dying and being ultimately forgotten. This happened after the war. When he was cornered in his temple on Yavin four by the jedi. After ge was believed to be dead he was left behind. He had learned to feed off the force for everlasting youth. And yet he knew his second greatest fear had come to fruition. He was eventually forgotten. Left to rot for millennia before he was freed. There was nothing he could act on. He was abandoned and thus after he got his chance. That's when he acted on his escape.

His biggest goal is to bring back the golden age of the sith. And rebuild a sith empire. His true goal is to kill Sidious and vader to obtain their army and forge the galaxy in his name. No more jedi. The sith will rule. He wants this for himself. And believes that the new found 'rule of two' is by all means a waste of the other force sensitive's abilities. Inquisitors being sith in his eyes. Not lessers. He wanted his old ways back and he won't stop until his goal has been reached.

#sith texts; headcanons

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writingforfun0714 · 3 months

Text

Hi everyone,

First off, I’m so sorry I’ve been inactive. I’ve been busy with life as we all get sometimes.

Here is Chapter One of my Bad Batch fanfic Our Love which I definitely recommend reading before this.

Warnings: spoilers for TBB, spoilers for CW, AU fanfic, Jedi OC fanfic, POV changes, lemme know if I need anything else

Our Love

Chapter 2: Good Soldiers Follow Orders

Words: 8,216

3rd POV

Padawan Wyyntrr’s ship drops out of hyperspace after hours of travel as it approaches Coruscant. Wyyntrr gasps slightly as he catches his breath from sobbing.

“Approaching Coruscant,” the ship’s AI system alerts the blind albino Wookiee. Wyyntrr wondered if the Jedi at the Temple even knew what was happening to the clones.

Wyyntrr shuts off the autopilot and flies the ship himself once he gets close to the planet’s atmosphere. He’s able to use the Force to guide him to the Jedi Temple but something’s different. The Temple didn’t feel like it normally did to the blind albino Wookiee padawan.

The ship slows down and lowers onto the landing platform and Wyyntrr walks out holding his lightsaber, though keeping it off for now. Usually Temple guards would be posted but Wyyntrr doesn’t sense them. In fact…he doesn’t sense anyone. The Force feels cold…dark. He knows this isn’t right. Unbeknownst to Wyyntrr, the Jedi Temple lays in ruin.

He walks cautiously up through the ruined entrance and that’s when he can sense life fading. His blood red eyes widen and he gasps when he realizes he’s walking past slain Jedi and Temple guards.

“N-No…No-no-no!” Wyyntrr starts to panic. He starts running inside until he trips over something, tumbling to the floor, grunting slightly. The Wookiee shakes off the daze and reaches out to feel for what he tripped over and when his hands touch flesh that’s still warm, he yanks back, gasping in fear as more tears start falling into his snow-white fur. Wyyntrr scrambles to his feet and keeps moving, searching the areas himself, hoping, praying that there were survivors.

Back on Kamino, Crosshair is ordered to report to Governor Tarkin. The sniper grabs his helmet before exiting his now empty barracks. There are a few things that still belong to everyone still laying about the room but most everything else is on the ship. Everything of importance at least.

As Crosshair walks through the hallways, he sees squads of troopers walking in formation through the halls. Crosshair keeps to himself as he gets to Tarkin’s office. The door whooshes open and the sniper sees Governor Tarkin sitting at his desk with another Imperial officer sitting across from him.

“CT-9904, this is Officer Rampart. From now on you will be reporting directly to him, understood?” Tarkin asks.

“Yes sir,” Crosshair replies curtly.

“I’ve requested you CT-9904 because of your skills specifically. Emperor Palpatine has ambitions beyond the clone army in regards to Kaminoan technology and Officer Rampart has brought to my attention the value of conscripted soldiers,” Tarkin explains and Crosshair glares coldly at Rampart at the suggestion of being replaced.

“Do not worry. You have proven your worth by complying with Order 66, which is why I am offering you a place within our new Empire. You will be leading a squad of TK troopers back to Onderon to clear out the insurgents. They were obviously too much for you alone to handle and I believe you work best with a squad,” Tarkin says and Crosshair shifts on his feet.

“Here is your mission objective. Your new squad is waiting for you in the barracks,” Tarkin says, handing Crosshair a datapad. The sniper takes it and nods.

“Yes sir,” he replies. He turns to walk out when Tarkin clears his throat.

“CT-9904,” he says and Crosshair stops and turns to face the older man.

“I hope you understand that you are in charge of this experimental squad because out of your original squad, you were the only one that was able to do what needs to be done,” Tarkin explains and Crosshair nods.

“I..understand sir,” the sniper says and Tarkin nods and waves a dismissive hand at the clone, who walks out.

As Crosshair makes his way back to the barracks, he looks at the datapad.

LOCATION: ONDERON

MISSION: ELIMINATE ALL INSURGENTS

He feels his muscles clench and he stops in his tracks. Crosshair breathes as he feels an overwhelming urge to comply with the mission. Memories of meeting Saw Gerrera and his people flash in his memory, but it’s like none of that matters now. Something feels wrong and there’s nothing the sniper can do about it.

Meanwhile…

The Havoc Marauder zips through hyperspace. After about an hour, Youngling Maisy and Omega finally went through every nook and cranny of the ship. Wrecker even got to show the girls his Tooka doll, Lula.

“I think Lula likes you,” Wrecker says. Omega hugs the doll before offering Lula to Maisy. The Youngling takes it and looks at it.

The Crèche Masters all kept toys like Lula for the Younglings but it’s not like the toys belonged to the Younglings. They were communal toys. The Jedi didn’t really promote attachment, even to objects. Maisy didn’t understand the need to own such a thing because the Crèche Masters always had what she needed. So her only belongings were really the drawings taped up on Master Jaeruho’s ship and the Jedi clothes she wore.

“Well, I have bad news and worse news,” Echo announces, getting everyone’s attention. Maisy quickly hands Lula back to Omega, but before she can ask the younger girl what’s wrong, Hunter steps towards the ARC trooper.

“What’s going on?” Hunter asks.

“I located Captain Rex’s last known position,” Echo says.

“And?”

“After being promoted to Commander, Rex was given command of half of the 501st and sent to Mandalore,” Echo says.

“That’s strange. Why split the battalion?” Wrecker asks.

“I’m not sure—a lot of the report was redacted and sealed,” Echo admits.

“So what’s the ‘worse’ part?” Hunter asks.

“On the way back to Coruscant, Rex’s venator-class starship, the Tribunal, was heavily damaged and destroyed mid-hyperspace,” Echo says, “He is presumed missing since no evidence of his body was found.”

“If we’re not going to Rex, then where are we going?” Omega asks. Maisy tenses.

“Nowhere important, just an asteroid belt in a backwater part of space the Empire won’t know about,” Hunter explains.

“You said you would take me to the Jedi Temple!” Maisy argues.

“We will, I promise. It’s dangerous now so we can’t just go to the Temple. We were hoping to have our friend, Captain Rex, get us there, but…” Hunter trails off, and even though Maisy is only 4 years old, she understands what Hunter said.

The ship lurches out of hyperspace and slows down.

“Don’t worry kid, we’ll get you home, I promise,” Omega says, putting a hand on the Youngling’s shoulder.

“Wrecker, how’s our ration supply?” Hunter asks.

“Runnin’ low sarge,” Wrecker says. That’s when Tech joins the group after hiding the ship in between 2 large asteroids.

“You know, Coruscant is a big planet,” Tech says.

“Where are you going with this Tech?” Hunter asks.

“We could go to Coruscant and go through the Lower Levels up to the surface,” Tech explains. Hunter raises an eyebrow.

“Hm..interesting,” Hunter thinks on Tech’s plan.

“Coruscant is the heart of the Empire now so if we do this, we’d need to go in quiet,” Tech adds.

“Uhm, what about-..” Wrecker trails off, but motions not-so-subtly towards the girls.

“Hey!” They exclaim.

“We won’t get in the way, and I can protect Maisy,” Omega says assuredly. Hunter looks at the pleading looks the girls are giving him and nods.

“Alright, but you do what I say when I say it, no questions asked got it?” Hunter asks and the girls nod excitedly. Hunter looks to Tech.

“Put in the coordinates for Coruscant,” Hunter orders and Tech nods before heading to the pilot’s seat.

Hunter’s POV

“Put in the coordinates for Coruscant,” I tell Tech and he nods before heading over to the pilot’s seat. The girls talk excitedly about the planet and because the Youngling’s been there before, tells Omega all about it.

“Wow! So there’s no nature anywhere?” Omega asks the younger girl, who thinks on the question. I feel the ship lurch into hyperspace.

“There’s only one thing I know about. The tree. There’s a tree in the Jedi Temple’s courtyard,” I hear Maisy say.

“I can’t wait to show you around, you’re gonna love it,” Maisy says. I don’t have the heart to ruin it for her…at least not yet. It’s likely the Temple is in ruin and if I’m being completely honest with myself, I don’t even want to be going to Coruscant.

Personally I get really intense headaches due to my enhanced ability being around so much electromagnetic energy. Not to mention that it’s now the heart of the Empire. Every bone in my body, all my instincts are telling me that the girls are not safe here. But the promise I made the Youngling rings in my head. Besides, we’re not Jedi. We can’t protect her, but Omega’s different. She’s a clone like us. I feel my hand shake so I clasp my other hand over to try and stop the shaking. If anything happened to the kids…

“Hey, you ok?” Echo asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look at him and manage to shake my head.

“Look…I’m not so sure we should even be doing this if I’m honest,” I admit.

“What? Why?” Echo asks.

“Echo, we have kids with us and we’re going into the heart of the Empire. Wrecker’s right, we have to be cautious,” I tell him but frown when I see the confusion.

“You don’t think they’re capable?” He asks.

“That’s not what I said-“ I try, but he holds up his real hand.

“Look Hunter, I know she’s young, but Maisy is a Jedi. You guys haven’t worked with them like I have. My commander was around Omega’s age and she did things I never would’ve thought possible for someone so young,” Echo argues. I sigh when I realize he has a point.

“You’re right, we don’t work with the Jedi. I just…don’t want you to overestimate Maisy and her Jedi powers. She’s just a kid, and we don’t even know if she can even control it like the older Jedi,” I explain and Echo nods.

“We can protect her, we’re an elite squad, remember?” Echo assures me before joining the kids. As Echo joins the kids, my thoughts wander to Crosshair.

Echo’s POV

The kids call my name as I talk with Hunter. I join the girls and see Maisy sitting on the edge of the gunner’s mount with her legs hanging where the ladder is. Omega is looking around the gunner’s mount seat. I smile.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“We need a 3rd person for this Jedi game Maisy’s teaching me,” Omega explains. I nod.

“Ok,” I say and join the girls up in the gunners mount. We all sit cross-legged though I’m a bit more cramped just because I’m an adult. Maisy explains the rules before starting.

After getting the hang of it, my mind flashes to Rex and Fives.

“Echo? Echo are you ok?” Omega asks.

“Huh?” I ask.

“It’s your turn,” Maisy says.

“Oh, sorry-it’s just…this reminds me of a game I’d play with Captain Rex and my old squad mate Fives,” I explain. I tap Maisy’s hand and she adds one finger to her left hand as part of the game.

“He’ll be able to get us to General Skywalker,” I tell her.

“Echo-“ Hunter interrupts.

“He would survive. They both would. Rex is formidable and resilient and the General has a padawan to protect,” I assure him.

“A padawan? Who?” Maisy asks.

“Ahsoka Tano,” I say. Her eyes widen.

“She came to talk to my class one time at the Temple,” Maisy explains and that’s when I see tears form in the little girl’s eyes, the loss is still clearly fresh.

“My Master was killed because he saved me. They could be dead!” Maisy suddenly exclaims. I flinch at the little girl’s outburst.

“It wasn’t your fault Maisy. There wasn’t anything either of us could’ve done,” Omega says, putting a hand on the Youngling’s shoulder. Being on Kamino when Order 66 happened, I’m sure it was different compared to being on the war front. Maisy hugs Omega tightly, who returns the gesture.

That’s when Hunter and Wrecker join us. Maisy pulls back and the girls look at them.

“I think we’ve got a seat for you ready Maisy, just need you to come try it out,” Wrecker says. Maisy wipes her eyes, nods and hops down to follow Wrecker up to the front. Omega moves but I silently motion for her to stay.

“Omega, I wanna ask you something,” I tell the girl quietly. She nods.

“What is it?”

“Did…Did Maisy see?” I ask and Omega immediately knows what I’m talking about. She turns sad and she nods slightly.

“Yeah…I saved her…that’s why I promised I’d stay with her and get her back to the Jedi Temple safely,” Omega explains. I put my real hand on her knee.

“You did good…soldier,” I tell her and she beams, lighting up happily before nodding once.

3rd POV

Wrecker shows Maisy the safety seat he made out of basic spare parts laying around as the ship comes out of hyperspace.

“Omega!” Maisy calls and the older girls runs up.

“Look,” Maisy tells her, pointing but the older girl is already in awe.

“Echo, I need you to pilot the ship while I make a fake chain code,” Tech says and switches seats with him.

“What’s a chain code?” Hunter asks.

“It’s the Empire’s new way of identifying people,” Tech explains.

“And you’re just now telling us about them?!” Echo demands from the pilot seat.

“Well I only just learned of them moments ago. Do not worry, I am nearly finished,” Tech says as he programs his datapad. He presses a button and a small disk is ejected from the bottom.

“Got it,” Tech says, showing the small metal disk before heading over to the console. Tech inserts the disk and prepares to transmit the data.

“The Empire will think we’re nothing but a cargo ship,” Tech assures Hunter as the ship approaches a nearby venator-class starship.

“Approaching vessel identify yourself,” a voice announces over the comms. Tech gives Echo a thumbs up.

“Transmitting now,” Echo answers and a tense moment passes.

“All clear for Lower Level admission,” the voice announces and the boys sigh with relief.

“See? No need to worry,” Tech says before Echo they continue towards Coruscant.

As the ship gets closer, everything gets bigger and bigger. Omega awes at the enormous buildings, bright colorful lights and the sheer number of people.

“It’s so big,” Omega awes quietly but there is something that catches her attention.

“You’re from here, right Maisy?” Omega asks and Maisy nods.

“Where’s your water?” Omega asks and Maisy blinks.

“Water? There are water tanks all over,” Maisy explains.

“But…no natural water? You know, like an ocean?” Omega asks and Maisy shakes her head.

“Not on Coruscant. Too many people,” Maisy explains.

Once they get to the Surface Level, Hunter groans and braces himself.

“Hunter?” Maisy asks, getting everyone’s attention.

“What’s wrong Hunter?” Omega asks. Being Nala Se’s medical assistant, she can see the squint in Hunter’s eyes and how tense his neck muscles are. A headache.

“Coruscant has such a high level of electromagnetic energy that Hunter’s senses are overloaded…headaches, dizziness, sometimes nausea…but he usually adjusts after-“ Echo explains but that’s when Tech wordlessly grabs a medical stim and injects Hunter with bacta.

“Gah! Tech!” Hunter exclaims, rubbing his arm where Tech pierced him.

“After that,” Echo says, referring to the shot.

They fly with traffic until they get to a tunnel that leads down to the Lower Levels. Maisy clings to Omega’s hand and the female clone looks down at the Youngling.

“The Masters would tell us it’s dangerous down here,” Maisy explains.

“Dangerous?” Omega asks and looks to Hunter.

“Just stay with us and you’ll be fine,” the sergeant says.

Tech flies the ship to a landing dock that only has 2 other ships and lets the ship down easily.

“Here, you can hold Lula. She’s good to hug if you’re scared,” Wrecker offers Maisy, who shakes her head.

“She’s yours though,” Maisy argues gently. She learned from the Crèche masters that even though the Jedi do not have personal objects of attachment, that others do and to respect them.

“Maybe we can find something for you while we’re here,” Omega says and Maisy nods because despite being a Jedi, she is only 4.

“Ok, stay with us and don’t leave our sights,” Hunter tells the girls.

“Are you sure we’ll be ok?” Maisy asks and Hunter nods.

“Here,” Omega says, kneeling down in front of the Youngling. She takes off her head circlet that matches Nala Se’s which makes her bangs fall naturally. Omega turns Maisy and carefully puts the insignia around Maisy like a necklace.

“There. That’ll keep you safe,” Omega says and Maisy smiles.

“Thanks,” she says, looking at the carving before Hunter gathers the girls and the squad heads off the ship.

As they walk into the nearest district, Omega grabs hold of Maisy’s hand and they start making their way into the giant city.

“Where are we going?” Wrecker asks.

“We need to get to a central computer console. That way we can check on the status of the Jedi Temple,” Echo explains.

“The nearest terminal is located by a garage not too far from here,” Tech adds when he taps on his datapad.

“Lead the way Tech,” Hunter says and lets the goggled clone lead. The girls look around as they walk past various shops, vendors and people walking the streets like them.

The group finally gets to the computer terminal.

“Give me a minute ok?” Echo asks and uses his scomp to plug in. While they wait for Echo, a young woman from the garage nearby approaches the group stealthily. Maisy notices first and gasps, getting everyone else’s attention. The boys immediately draw their blasters and point them at the hooded figure.

“Not another step,” Hunter threatens.

“It’s ok, I’m not armed,” the voice of a young female says.

“You’re clones, aren’t you?” She asks and at first no one answers. Echo and Tech share a look while Hunter glances at Wrecker.

“If we are?” Wrecker asks.

“CT-7567,” the female says and the boys freeze.

“W-What did you say?” Echo asks in shock.

“CT-7567…he told me to say that to any clones I come across,” she says as she lowers her hood. She has tan skin, dark eyes and short, curly hair that’s shaved on the sides and long on top.

“That means something to you, doesn’t it?” The woman asks but she knows already.

“Who are you?” Echo asks.

“Martez. Trace Martez,” she introduces.

The computer console beeps, getting Echo’s attention.

“Blast it, the only thing I could find out is that the whole Temple area is sealed off,” Echo announces as the others put their blasters away.

“C’mon, we shouldn’t talk outside,” the young woman, Trace, says, ushering the group to follow her.

“My garage is right over there,” she explains, pointing to the small garage tucked in between two shops.

“Stay close,” Hunter whispers to the girls. Omega nods and keeps a firm grip on Maisy’s hand.

Back on Kamino…

A heavy storm rages on with no end in sight. Crosshair has been assigned a new experimental squad of ‘TK troopers’ and even though he hasn’t said anything, he’s wondering who the squad is. The sniper’s never heard of that designation before.

He gets to the barracks and sees troopers in dark armor like his new Imperial armor is but is surprised to see a female among them. Their helmets are different too and Crosshair realizes they’re not clones. They spot Crosshair and look at him.

“Look, it’s the clone,” one of the troopers says before taking off his helmet. The others follow suit and Crosshair sees how different they look.

“Humph, I guess the new Empire’s going for quantity over quality,” Crosshair sneers.

“Yeah well at least I joined the Empire because I wanted to, not because I was created to,” the blonde trooper says.

“Clearly you were never a soldier because as your superior, you will address me as sir, understood?” Crosshair growls and at first the trooper doesn’t reply, allowing a tense moment to pass before sighing.

“Yes..sir,” he says and Crosshair smirks before pulling out his datapad.

“Here, our mission debrief,” the sniper says and tosses the datapad to the troopers, who gather around to look at it.

“I expect all of you to follow orders,” Crosshair says before they gather what they need for the mission and head out.

The new squad boards the ship and Crosshair’s reminded of the Marauder. Instead a generic gunship waits for them but the instant he has that thought, he feels his muscles tense and that same urgent sense to complete the mission overcomes the sniper. Crosshair feels his legs moving forward almost against his will but deep down…the desire to complete the mission burns through him.

The ship lurches up and out into the storm and at first Crosshair is ignoring the rest of the squad as they talk with each other.

“Hey…can I ask you something?” The blond trooper from earlier asks the sniper. Crosshair glances at him, shifting his toothpick.

“I joined the Empire because they saved my home town from starvation and infections…I wanted to join. But…why are you here?” He asks. Ever since the chip augmentation, Crosshair hasn’t really thought about why but he remembers a thought he had back on Kaller.

“I saw the singular moment when the galaxy changed. I was part of it. I need to be part of the new galaxy, the newly formed Empire. They provide stability and order now that the war is over,” Crosshair explains as the ship exits the atmosphere and enters hyperspace.

The rest of the trip was quiet. Once the squad arrives at Onderon, Crosshair takes the lead. The sniper motions with his hand to follow his lead before running into the dense jungle-like forests.

Crosshair treks through the familiar area and heads to the last place he was at when meeting Saw Gerrera. The sniper sees an empty clearing but picks up signs of a trail.

“They’ve moved,” he alerts the rest of the squad and continues on the trail.

As they pass a small creek, one of the troopers stops.

“Wait—Commander-look,” he says, pointing. Crosshair stops and looks to see another set of footprints in the mud. But…they’re tiny.

“There are kids here?” One of the troopers asks.

“Insurgents are insurgents,” Crosshair growls. The TK troopers don’t argue but share an unsure glance before continuing to follow Crosshair.

Once the squad is close, the troopers use their helmet visor’s heat signature feature to identify the insurgents while Crosshair finds the high ground and uses his rifle scope. Instead of talking, Crosshair and his squad attack the unsuspecting civilians turned rebels. The squad easily disarms and ambushes their targets and Crosshair intelligently stays hidden in the forest to watch as his squad does the actual capture. The squad surrounds the group.

“Who are you?” The blonde trooper, designated ES-01, asks.

“We are a growing few that’s willing to stand up to the Empire-“ a female with brown hair answers.

“And our families,” she says, looking at the children with them. ES-01 sighs, dropping his weapon to the ground and looks away.

“I can’t go through with it,” he says, taking off his helmet, letting that drop too. The other TK troopers look at each other before lowering their weapons as well.

“Insurgents aren’t survivors,” he says, looking at her.

“What are you doing ES-01?!” Crosshair demands over the comlink in a deadly almost raspy tone.

“Doing what’s right,” ES-01 responds before shutting off his receiver.

ES-01 turns to the nearest captive and frees her, unlocking the cuffs. She rubs her wrists and looks at ES-01 before nodding slightly. He gives her a small smile but that’s when a single blaster bolt whizzes by and strikes the young woman in the head.

“No!” ES-01 gasps and catches her limp body. The others in the squad stand by in shock before looking where the bolt came from. Out of the shadows in the forest walks Crosshair.

“What are you doing?! These are innocent people!” ES-01 argues.

“You wanted to know why I joined the Empire?” Crosshair asks and ES-01 goes quiet.

“Power. You see…power doesn’t come to those who are born strongest or smartest…no, it comes to those who will do anything to achieve it. The Empire values strength and power above all else to provide stability and peace and I am showing them I can do what needs to be done,” Crosshair explains.

“I didn’t join the Empire to execute civilians. I’m not following orders and neither are they. C’mon, don’t listen to this clone,” ES-01 says, trying to convince the rest of the squad to turn, and at first, they all hesitate, looking between Crosshair and ES-01. The blond trooper looks at his squad mates.

“ES-01,” Crosshair says getting his attention. When the trooper turns back, he sees Crosshair pointing a blaster pistol at him. Crosshair fires a single shot and ES-01 falls limply to the ground next to the dead civilian. The other hostages gasp and yelp in fear.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” Crosshair growls.

“Crosshair! Crosshair please!” One of the hostages exclaims, using the sniper’s name.

“What about earlier?! Do your words mean nothing?” He asks.

Crosshair’s POV

“Crosshair! Crosshair please!” One of the hostages exclaims, using my name. He’s a male Twi’lek and has a bit of an accent.

“What about earlier?! Do your words mean nothing?” He asks. Memories from my first visit, from talking with Saw flash by in my mind but a searing wave of pain in my head causes me to growl and shut my eyes. No…none of that matters now. But…but it should. I just…any thought of resistance or independence feels painful. It’s either them or me.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” I repeat almost robotically before firing a single headshot at the Twi’lek, killing him. The other hostages cry out and gasp but that’s when I turn to the rest of my squad.

Even though I’m wearing a helmet, I can tell my glare gets through the visor. One trooper raises their blaster and the others follow suit. Without waiting, the other TK troopers fire on the remaining hostages like a firing squad.

“Burn down the camp,” I order and the troopers use their flamethrower packs to incinerate everything, including ES-01.

As the fire grows and consumes everything, the others decide to go wait on the ship but I stare at the fire, thinking on what I’ve done. No…I…I followed orders. I..I will be rewarded upon return and even if I won’t…it’s better than the excruciating pain in my head when trying to disobey. Ever since getting ambushed and experimented on, I have been different. I can feel it, deep down. I can’t think about it for too long because the pain happens. I turn away and head back to the ship.

After boarding, the ship takes off and it’s completely silent between everyone all the way back to Kamino. As we fly through the stormy atmosphere, the ship rattles and shakes as lighting flashes that’s quickly followed by a crack of thunder.

The ship lands in one of the hundreds of identical hangars located all over Tipoca City. The squad exits the ship and I see Governor Tarkin and Admiral Rampart waiting for us. The two approach me.

“I see your mission was a success, despite the loss of one of your troopers,” Rampart notes and I nod.

“All insurgents were eliminated,” I confirm.

“Very good CT—9904. Admiral, I understand why you place such value on conscripted soldiers and I think CT—9904 is the perfect example for future clone troopers and their value within the Empire. Do not worry CT—9904, I will inform Dr. Nala Se of your achievement,” Governor Tarkin says before looking at me then turning back to Rampart. I manage to hold my ground but I feel my blood run cold at the name of the chief Kaminoan scientist.

“Admiral,” Tarkin says and walks out, leaving me alone with the man.

“You are dismissed,” he tells me. I spin on my heels and hurry out silently, following my new squad.

We walk through the sterile halls. When I was younger, these halls were torture. Nothing but testing. Physical tests to strengthen us for battle and mental tests to make sure our mental fortitude could stand up to the horrors of war. Any emotional outburst or independent thoughts were met with punishments by Nala Se. The memory makes me shiver as I follow the group. Hunter, Tech or Wrecker would comfort me when we were young if I needed it. Other times, albeit a bit reluctant, I would comfort them. I miss them. We get to the barracks and the others walk in. I sigh before following, wondering what else is going to change.

There’s a tense quiet in the room and I can tell the others are against me…of course they are, after what I did. There’s only one other person I can possibly talk to. Commander Cody. Before the 501st, Cody was the only clone we’ve worked closely with. I wonder where he is and what he’s doing.

On Coruscant…

3rd POV

Trace escorts CF99 to her garage and they look around until they spot a man in white and blue painted clone armor talking with another young woman, not much older than Trace and who looks a bit like Trace herself. Echo’s eyes widen in shock first and he freezes.

“R-Rex?” Echo asks. The Captain turns around and spots the group of clone troopers in black, red and white armor.

“Echo?” Rex asks before his legs suddenly spring the captain forward and the two embrace tightly.

“I can’t believe it. You’re alive-“ Echo comments as tears stream down his face.

“And what about you? I never thought I’d see you boys much less here on Coruscant,” Rex says, equally tearful as he pulls back to look at the rest of the squad. Hunter approaches the captain and the two clasp hands.

“Hunter,”

“Rex,” the two greet, smiling but that’s when Rex notices they’re a man down.

“Where’s Crosshair?” Rex asks.

“It’s a long story-“ Hunter says.

Wrecker approaches Rex, being out of earshot and easily picks up the Captain, hugging him.

“It’s good to see you too Wrecker,” Rex tells the demolitions expert before exchanging a friendly nod of acknowledgement from Tech.

“It is rather surprising to see you here Captain,” Tech says but before Rex can respond,Omega steps into his view and the Captain freezes. Rex looks at Omega and he can tell by her eyes and face that she’s a clone. The young female clone reminds Rex of himself.

“Rex, this is Omega,” Hunter introduces. Rex takes a couple steps towards Omega and kneels down.

“In all my years I’ve seen many clones, but never one like you,” Rex says. Omega looks at him.

“You’re a generation one,” she says and he blinks in surprise.

“How’d you know that?” Rex asks.

“The lines on your face. I was Nala Se’s personal medical assistant. Generation one clones are the oldest clones,” Omega explains. Rex smirks.

“I’m impressed. How old are you kid?” Rex asks.

“11,” she says.

“Ah, a shiny,” Rex smiles and Omega beams at the nickname. She had heard many clones over the years call each other that. The more experienced ones would take the cadets under their wings…but not Omega. She was to follow Nala Se instead.

That’s when Maisy pokes her head out from behind Tech to look at Captain Rex. He sees the smaller, younger girl and blinks in shock.

“Oh-wh-who are you?” Rex asks but he spots a thin long braid in the girl’s shaggy, wild dark brown hair. He looks at her tan and beige robes.

“It’s ok,” Echo tells Maisy, seeing how unsure the little girl looks.

“Rex, this is Maisy,” Echo introduces. She looks between Rex and the other young woman.

“I’m Raffa, Trace’s older sister,” she explains and motions for everyone to come further in. There’s a small office area with a door so they walk in for privacy.

Once the door’s shut, Rex turns to Maisy.

“You’re a Jedi, aren’t you?” He asks. Maisy looks at Omega and the others. The older girl nods encouragingly as she puts a hand on the younger’s shoulder. Maisy nods.

“I’m a Youngling,” Maisy explains and Rex and the Martez sisters’ eyes widen in shock.

“That’s why we came here,” Echo tells Rex, “to get her back to the Jedi at the Temple. I tried looking for you, but your file the Empire has on you has labeled you MIA.”

“A lot’s happened since Order 66. Where were you boys when it happened?” Rex asks.

“We were with General Bilaba and Commander Dume on Kaller,” Hunter explains, “the General’s battalion turned on them and..” he trails off but Rex nods understandingly.

“We weren’t affected but Crosshair was,” Hunter adds and Rex’s eyes widen.

“I let the Commander go and…Crosshair disagreed with my decision…my decisions,” Hunter explains, glancing at the girls.

“Me and Master Jae were on Kamino-“ Maisy says as her lip quivers and Omega comes up to the Youngling to pick her up.

“I promised Maisy we’d get her back to the Jedi Temple,” Omega explains holding the little girl in her arms.

“And how did you two meet?” Echo asks the Martez sisters.

“Our friend introduced us after the clones turned,” Rafa explains.

“Your file in the Empire’s records state you’re MIA but there’s nothing else about the rest of the 501st,” Echo says and Rex sighs, nodding.

“After you joined Clone Force 99, Commander Tano returned in need of men to help her retake Mandalore from Darth Maul,” Rex explains. Omega and Maisy share a look as the Youngling’s grip on her tunic tightens.

“The Jedi Council wouldn’t allow reinforcements since Ahsoka wasn’t part of the Order anymore but General Skywalker decided to split the 501st in half. Jesse, Vaughn along with myself were all assigned with Commander Tano on the Tribunal when Order 66 happened. I…I fought with everything I had but it was all Ahsoka. She managed to subdue me and remove my inhibitor chip. The Commander and I were the only survivors,” Rex explains, rubbing his scarred temple, where the chip used to be.

“The other half…they came here…to the Temple. General Skywalker was here on Coruscant to save the Chancellor and the 501st left to storm the Temple, at least that’s what I’ve heard from the info I’ve managed to get,” Rex says.

“That means the Temple is no longer safe,” Hunter says and Rex nods.

“I know, but I’m hoping to get to the Temple to find my medic Kix. He wasn’t with my half of the 501st during Order 66 and I know he would never attack the Jedi,” Rex explains.

“That’s the best we can hope for under these circumstances,” Tech says, fiddling with his datapad.

“What about your Commander? Why can’t you contact her to come get the Youngling?” Hunter asks.

“After we escaped our crashing venator-class ship, Commander Tano decided to go into hiding, leaving no trace of her existence. The last time I saw her was…at a funeral,” Rex says, his eyes full of sadness.

“You’re going to the Temple? I thought the entire area was sealed off,” Echo says and Rex nods.

“There is a way in I know of,” Rex explains. Maisy looks at the soldiers before feeling something…something familiar. It’s the feeling the Youngling would get when she was around other Jedi. She could sense their presence through the Force. It feels…like a call for help.

“We hafta hurry,” Maisy says and Omega nods.

“Here, these’ll get you to the surface,” Trace says, handing Hunter a leather pouch.

“What…what is this?” Hunter asks, looking inside. He pulls out a handful of credits.

“It’s to bribe the transportation employees. You guys don’t have chain codes,” Rafa explains.

“Chain codes?” Hunter asks. She nods.

“Just another way for the new Empire to keep tabs on you. But everyone here has a price,” Rafa explains.

“Why are you helping us? Not everyone can spare this kind of cash,” Hunter asks. The sisters share a look before turning back to the squad.

“We have a complicated relationship with the Jedi but the clones were the ones that were there for us to help us rebuild what little was left of our home. So, when our friend contacted us, she gave us a mission to help any defecting clones that want to escape the Empire,” Rafa explains. Hunter nods appreciatively.

“Keep the commlink open. I’ll be back in a few days,” Rex tells the Martez sisters, who nod.

“If you hear from her, tell her-“ Rex begins to tell the two mechanics.

“We know Cap,” Trace says, saluting him and Rex nods. He grabs his pack before motioning to everyone.

“Let’s go,” Rex says and the group heads out.

They step into a lift and once the doors close, Rex takes off his pack and takes out a bunch of clothes, handing them out.

“Here, just in case,” Rex says and Hunter nods and has Echo, Tech and Wrecker all put on the ponchos Rex gave out. It’s a long trek to the surface level taking a maze of lifts, taxis, and a tram but they finally reach the surface of Coruscant with a mere 5 credits left. The whole time Echo was telling stories about Kix and different missions he went on.

“When Rex told me about Fives, I knew I could count on Kix to listen to me,” Echo explains to the girls, who are sitting on opposite sides of the ARC trooper.

“Look-there!” Maisy says, pointing on the window. The others follow her finger and see a giant building that makes a distinct shape in the skyline, poking out over the other buildings.

The closer they get to the Temple, the stronger Maisy feels the call for help. She wonders if the feeling is because of Order 66. The taxi the squad managed to squeeze into comes to a stop at a platform just outside the Temple.

The group heads out and looks around. It’s interesting how the whole galaxy had changed but the constant chaos of Coruscant seems unfazed.

“Oh kriff,” Rex grumbles.

“What is it?” Tech asks.

“That’s the way into the Temple…it’s swarming with the Coruscant guard now,” Rex says.

“Now?” Echo asks.

“It wasn’t earlier. I don’t know any other way in-“ Rex says.

“I can get us in,” Maisy pipes up. The soldiers and even Omega looks down at her.

“Really?” Omega asks and Maisy nods.

“We have to get in,” the Youngling says, clearly determined.

“Lead the way kid,” Rex tells the younger girl, who nods.

“This way,” Maisy says, grabbing Omega’s hand, pointing.

The squad walks inconspicuously down different alleyways until they come upon a dead end.

“Great,” Hunter sighs.

“There,” Maisy points to the grate on the ground before running over to it. She tries grabbing it but the metal is too heavy for the Youngling so Omega helps her. The two girls struggle to get the grate off but they manage to do so with a grunt of effort.

“We’re going through the sewers?” Hunter asks.

“It goes to a bathroom in the Temple,” Maisy explains.

“How do you know?” Omega asks-not with any venom in her tone but pure curiosity.

“I saw the door once. It was boarded over but I can get through it,” Maisy explains.

“Alright, I’ll go in first,” Rex says and climbs down the rusted ladder. Maisy follows him and the rest of the squad follows the Youngling.

Rex uses his helmet light to see and once he gets to the ground, he holds his hands out for the Youngling.

“I’ve got ya,” Rex assures the Youngling as he lifts her down to the floor. She looks up and helps Rex with the others. The boys grab their torches and shines the light around the dark but empty tunnel.

“Ugh, it smells in here,” Wrecker groans.

“That way,” Maisy points and the group starts walking.

Meanwhile….

3rd POV

On Kamino, Crosshair heads to the mess hall after feeling stifled in the barracks with the other troopers. His new squad leaves much to be desired as far as a team goes and the sniper can’t get his mind off of Cody. Perhaps if his own squad wouldn’t help him, maybe the clone who vouched for them would. After all Cody was a Marshal Commander. If anyone could help the sniper, it’d be him.

He heads to the library to see if he can look up where Commander Cody is stationed. The sniper finds a computer out of the way and secluded though it’s practically empty anyways. He sits at the chair and turns on the monitor. Not that he didn’t know how to use a computer, he just wasn’t as proficient and as fast as Tech or Echo.

Crosshair’s POV

I type in the search file and put all the info in. CT Number: CT-2224. Designation: Cody. Battalion: 212 and finally, Rank: Marshal Commander. I hit the ‘enter’ key on the keyboard and the screen loads before a bunch of info appears on the screen. My eyes scan each line.

CT-2224 Status: Alive. Rank: Commander. Currently stationed on Utapau. This information seems pretty recent but my eyes stop when I get to the last part.

“Successfully executed Order 66,” I read. It doesn’t say when he will return. There’s only one place in all of Kamino where things are truly said: the mess hall. I log out of the computer and hurry out of the library.

I make my way to the mess hall and when I walk in I see it’s a bit crowded. Cody belonged to the 212th so anyone who served in that battalion or who worked closely with the 212th would know something. I glance around and that’s when I spot two troopers in golden yellow painted armor. They’re alone so I grab a tray of food before making my way over.

Once I get close, the two stop talking and look at me.

“You mind? Everywhere else is full,” I ask, motioning with my head to the noisy mess hall. The two share a look before shrugging so I sit.

“Haven’t seen you before,” the trooper on the left says, taking off his helmet. His mop of messy blond hair and 5 o’clock shadow makes the man look…battle-worn.

“Name’s Crys, that’s Trapper,” the blonde trooper introduces.

“Crosshair,” I introduce myself before taking my helmet off.

“Woah, you’re a CT-99? I heard you guys completed more suicide missions than a battalion,” Crys tells me. I nod.

“Where’s the rest of your squad?” Trapper asks curiously.

“Busy…I’m actually looking for one of your boys,” I explain.

“Oh yeah?”

“Commander Cody. He knows me and my squad well and was wondering if anyone in the 212th knew where he was?” I ask. The two exchange a look before leaning in closer to me.

“There’s talk Cody was reassigned,” Trapper whispers.

“We’ve heard some of our brothers talk about Cody…how he’d talk about the Empire. But he’s been reporting to Governor Tarkin so it’s only a matter of time before he shows back up here,” Crys adds in a hushed tone.

“Thanks,” I tell them before standing and grabbing my tray. They nod and I walk off to find Admiral Rampart. I have to convince him to let me go find Cody.

As I walk through the halls, I actually pass by Admiral Rampart.

“Ahem-Admiral-a word?” I clear my throat before I ask, causing the man to look up, mildly irritated at me but motions for me to follow him anyways.

“What is it CT—9904? You completed your mission on Onderon and there haven’t been any new assignments for you yet,” Rampart tells me.

“I understand—sir—I was just wondering about my new squad,” I say.

“What about them?”

“Well sir, one of them disobeyed orders,” I say, though not explaining what happened.

“I’ve talked with Governor Tarkin and we agree that one casualty is worth the price of success. How many droids did the Separatists go through? How many clones?” He asks.

“Actually that’s what I mean. I was wondering if maybe a clone trooper could replace the trooper I lost on Onderon? Commander Cody perhaps? I’ve worked with him before and he is just as if not more capable than I am-“ I vouch for the commander but Rampart holds up a hand, stopping my slight rambling.

“I do recognize the value of you clones CT—9904, but the whole point of your new squad is to prove that conscripted soldiers can and will follow orders. As for CC—2224, he has been assigned on a mission to Dantooine,” Rampart adds that last part about Cody rather off-handedly. My eyes widen but I nod in acknowledgement.

“Actually, since you seem to show such enthusiasm and eagerness, I’m going to assign you and your new squad a rather…controversial mission,” Rampart says.

“Controversial?” I ask.

“As such I hope you understand that this mission comes with a certain level of discretion? Here’s everything you need to know,” he says, handing me another datapad. I look at it and nod.

“Yes sir. We will prep and leave immediately,” I tell Rampart before we part ways and I head to the lift.

Once I’m alone in the lift, I think on our conversation and look at the datapad.

“Destroy Separatist stronghold on Ankus and eliminate any and all survivors,” I read. If I use my time wisely, I could complete my mission then go to the nearby planet of Dantooine to look for Cody. But the mission comes first—it always does.

Back on Coruscant…

3rd POV

Youngling Maisy manages to successfully guide the group through the tunnels and into the Temple. They get to the sealed off door so Rex, Echo and Tech get to work.

“We hafta hurry,” Maisy repeats.

“Why? No one’s after us,” Omega says.

“You don’t hear the call for help?” Maisy asks and Omega frowns in confusion.

“Call for help?” She asks worriedly.

“No one’s calling for help kid,” Hunter tells the Youngling.

Before the younger girl can argue, Echo, Tech and Rex get through the door and make a hole to climb through. They walk into a storage closet before stealthily walking out with the rest of the group following.

Rex uses his torch to look around. It’s a bathroom that looks as if it’s been unused for years.

“Where are we?” Rex asks.

“We’re underneath the Archives,” Maisy explains, “there’s the way out,” she points.

Rex, Hunter and Echo are out first and the rest follow. The group makes their way down the eerily empty and silent corridor. There’s no sign of anyone.

They keep walking but stop when they get to a destroyed room. Maisy gasps quietly as her eyes widen, seeing the dead bodies. Omega notices and immediately pulls the little girl into her so the Youngling’s face is buried in her hip.

“Don’t look,” Omega instructs and Maisy nods, letting Omega pick her up.

“They’re…501st,” Echo gasps as Rex stares at the bodies. Rex looks over at a Jedi. A Mon Cala Jedi he doesn’t know, but it doesn’t matter.

“We should keep moving,” Hunter says and Rex nods, leading the way.

They get to the destroyed great room and bodies are laying everywhere.

“Wait—we hafta go that way-“ Maisy points to the left.

“What? Why?” Echo and Omega ask.

“It’s the call for help—it’s that way-“ the Youngling points before squirming out of Omega’s arms. She hurries down the connecting hall and clones chase after her.

“Wait! Maisy!” They call but the Youngling keeps running.

Maisy’s POV

“Wait! Maisy!” I hear the others call out for me, but I keep running. I’m so close. I can feel it. The hall opens up to a destroyed room and that’s when I notice the dead Younglings. I gasp, slowing down, allowing the others to catch up. They see the bodies as well.

“Even the children,” Rex gasps, clearly in shock that his men would do such a thing.

Me and Omega walk towards the pile of rubble at the back and when we come around the pile, we gasp when we see a white Wookiee.

End.

#star wars #bad batch #fanfic #bad batch fanfic #tbb fanfic our love #tbb fanfiction #tbb our love #our love #our love fanfic #tbb our love fanfic chapter 2 #chapter 2 #jedi oc #jedi oc fanfic #tbb jedi oc #tbb au fanfic #thank you all for being so patient with me

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