#i also think that Jango was only the person that always would have brought death upon himself like that because his past made him so | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

notthestarwar · 11 months

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Snippet from: When is a monster not a monster? Oh, when you love it. Chapter 5

Ghost Mace speaks to past Jaster (alive) and tells him what he knows of Jango's future, in the life he lived.

Mace's brow stiffened. "When we realised what we had done, we tried to find him but we could not."

"We tried to find the True Mandolorian's but the survivors had fled in all directions. We did try and see justice done, there was an overhaul of our internal mission preparation process. We changed our training. Dooku left the order as did his apprentice."

"None of it could make up for what we did. Years after the fact, I learnt that Jango was sold in to slavery by the governor. It took him years to escape. I learnt of the weight of what we had done in helping end the True Mandolorian's. In leaving Death Watch unchecked."

He meets Jaster's eyes. "We are here to discuss why we haunt Jango, but it would be remiss of me to not tell you that your son has haunted me every single day since the day I left on a mission to retrieve him; to attempt to offer reparations for what my peoples neglect brought down on him, and came home empty handed."

" We thought him dead, but I did not forget him. From that day, I've carried the weight of what we did to him. I have often thought of him over the years." Mace shook his head.

"You hold no blame here, but we just might."

And isn't that a thing. His son haunting a Jedi even before that Jedi might haunt him.

Jango is tangled up in something here far beyond Jaster's reckoning.

Mace is laying out the constituent parts that when put together, make Jango in to the man that is responsible for the death of every single person standing in that warehouse. Jaster isn't sure where that leaves him, because once he's done hearing this story, in the years that lay ahead of them yet, every single one of these horrible pieces is going to fall in to place. Tragedy after Tragedy ready to be pasted and slapped on to the boy he loves, his son, in order to make him in to the man that did this.

How the hell can Jaster stand by and let that happen?

There are no rules that apply to Jaster, not anymore. He doesn't care about morality or the ethics of fucking with a future that's apparently already happened. He has no care for his own code, not now. None of it matters.

Jaster is Jango's buir, before all else. He has been from the day he stepped in to a smoldering farmhouse and against the odds saw signs of life dancing across his HUD. The Ka'ra gave him Jango and by god, it can stand back while he brings his son back from the abyss.

Mace is watching him. "Jaster, you had no hand in making Jango Fett the man he became at the end. You did not abandon him, you were taken from him. I need you to know this. You should know that none of this was your fault. "

Jaster doesn't care. It doesn't matter if its his fault or not, he is responsible all the same; because he wants to be. He didn't fall in to parenthood, he walked in to it willingly. For Jango, there is no monster that Jaster will not face.

The ka'ra has given him one last gift. The opportunity to see Jango's life after Jaster, and a few precious years in which to try and change them. It may not be in Jaster's power to save his son from himself but by god, he'll die trying.

He looks at the Jedi. "Tell me the rest."

Some of my thoughts below the cut

Some of my thoughts (because clearly rambling in the comments hasn't been enough for me lol)

I had a lot of fun with this one. I've written about ghosts before but with this one, I went at it from another angle. In this au, ghosts aren't bound by linear time. If you do something that leaves a ghost tied to your soul, they are tied to you in the past as well as the future. Jango and Jaster are both Force Sensitive (tho with a Mando understanding of it. They call it 'star touched') and so can see ghosts.

In this fic, moving in with Jaster sets Jango on the path that brings him to the prequels. Once he's on that path, the ghosts that'll be tied to him in his future, can move freely along the timeline, with each of them pulled to a particular version of Jango. Jango will obviously be responsible for the deaths of quite a few people, there are his bounties, the Jedi and the clones and so on; but when the first ghost appears he's just a kid. The story deals with Jaster coming to terms with the fact that his kid, who he loves beyond reason, even if he stumbled upon him quite by accident, one day becomes the person that will make all these ghosts.

At first there's only one ghost in their time, but Jaster can't let it go (tho he knows he should), he needs to know what happens. So he keeps asking until she admits that she isn't the only ghost and that they are tied to Jango as he's responsible for their deaths. Then, he keeps pushing until she introduces him to the others. She gathers them in a warehouse (so Jango doesn't see) and takes Jaster there.

In the part of the story this snippet is from, Jaster has just been confronted with an excessive number of people (including children) who are all tied to Jango as he's responsible for their deaths. He's had a (understandable) freak out, and ghost Mace has taken him aside and offered to tell him what he knows of Jango's future, and how it led to the death of so many people.

What follows is a buddy up adventure between Mace and Jaster (unlikely duo) in which Jaster tries to come to terms with what Mace has told him, and the horrible events that led to Jango becoming the man that would one day be responsible for all these ghosts. While he tries to save Jango from himself, long before he needs saving.

The idea behind the fic is the inevitability of a tragedy. There's a feeling when you're watching a tragedy play out, that it's all so unnecessary, that it didn't need to happen, but you only know that because as the audience you know that they are in a tragedy, the characters don't know. So what if a character did know? Jaster is served advance notice, will having that allow him to save Jango, or will it just feed in to the fulfillment of this prophetic future?

I wanted to explore the fact that there's only so much one particular character can do, in trying to prevent the end another is headed towards and also, the power of familial love, even when it's found somewhere unexpected. Jaster isn't Jango's blood family, he didn't even know him till he was an older child, which I think makes his love for Jango in spite of knowing what he will become, all the more powerful. The glimpse of Jango's future is disgusting to Jaster, it goes against all he believes in, but its Jango so he can't hate him for it, he loves him too much and so, he's determined to save him from himself. He's willing to do the impossible.

Then there's Mace: so in this au, Mace is sent out shortly after Galidraan, when it becomes clear to the order that they've made a mistake, to find the survivor they left in the hands of the Governor, and to right a wrong. He isn't successful, he looks everywhere but he can't find him, and in the end the order write him off as dead. In this au, Jango was 18 on Galidraan and what Mace sees as his failure to save someone that was little more as a child, and suffered so greatly thanks to what the order see as their own neglect, haunts him for the rest of his career.

Its that idea of 'the one case you couldn't close'. It's at the start of his career and he goes on to do amazing things, Mace is peak Jedi, he invents a new form, he's one of the youngest Jedi to be elected to the council, he ends up heading that council, but he is still human (or near human lol sw complicates everything. he's 100% human in a fallible/emotional/sapient sense) I think that as a Master Jedi he's very aware of his own weaknesses, and he tries to work through it, he talks to it with other Jedi, and he certainly doesn't let it affect his judgement, but he can't forget it all the same.

So it's this version of Mace that ended up meeting Jango in the arena. Which I think adds such an interesting angle.

#Jaster Mereel #Mace #I've been thinking about this one (and a part of chapter 7 which i might post as another snippet)#cause i saw a poll talking about who was responsible for Jango's death and I've got a lot of opinions about that #that can not be contained by a poll lol. it's something i explored in this fic #pretty much. i think that Mace had no choice but i don't think he'd agree with that. i think he'd struggle with having killed Jango and #how he killed him. (decapitation. a particularly violent move. which i don't think he had a choice in. but yeah think he'd struggle)#i think that Jango pretty much ensured his own end and was too intelligent to not realise he was doing that so i think that was a #self hatred/survivors guilt/'i have lived past my end' kind of thing #i also think that Jango was only the person that always would have brought death upon himself like that because his past made him so #and i think his past was bad enough to make him that because it suited the greater narrative to have him end up like that #it suited palps ends pretty much. did palps know he was doing that or did the universe just work in his favour? who knows.#still worked out well for him #the poll got me thinking about Mace which got me thinking about this fic but writing about the fic has me thinking about this fic again #kinda tempted to go through it again and give it a bit of a face lift. old once over. shine it up a bit #I've always hated that it's 17 chapters tbh. want it to be 15 or 20. i don't think I'll address that this time tho.#might just try an edit however #has this???? no i won't say it. not to curse it but... the editing/ read back block may... be shifting. possibly.#considering an edit hadn't seemed so possible in a while.#there are so many things i need to look over once i can lol I've posted things still in draft state #that's cool tho. no problem. not thinking about that just thinking about how nice it would be to give this old thing a shine #Mace is so ready here to absorb all the blame for everything on the order (and by extension him) but its really not on them

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one-real-imonkey · 3 years

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Mhmmmmmmm, prompts you say? How about......the commander batch end up in the past with the TM except they were all doing something (one was sleeping, the other was unconscious, one was doing reports, one in the middle of a battle, heck, if you include Fox he could have been having a 'meeting (free interpretation) with Palpatine! Maybe the end up as teenagers! Who knows!

In strike bc I haven't seen you write a lot about clones sooooo....yeah, feel fre to ignore this!

Oh the clones my boys!!!!!!

They deserve love and affection and absolutely I’ll write for them. I’m rubbing my hands together and cackling like a super villain.

They’re all their natural ages, as if they bandy been aged in advance.

———

They’d shown up a mile out from Jasters camp, discovered by a patrol.

Six boys, young boys, some armed, some injured, all almost identical to his ad.

Five of them were, if he had to guess, quintuplets, about 13, while the youngest looked about two or three years younger than them, his Jango’s age.

They were brought to the med tent, and Jaster called at the same time. He met them at the edge of the camp, let the little ones introduce themselves as they walked towards the tent.

Cody, the first introduced himself as, and Jaster noted the scar curling down the side of his face. Then Wolffe who was missing an eye, Ponds who was both bald and injured, Bly with yellow facial tattoos and Fox, who had no definable features Jaster could tell, but more hunched shoulders and bags under his eyes. And the youngest, Rex, with shaved blond hair.

They were not normal ade. The way they walked, watched each other’s sixes, the way their eyes scanned every inch of every room and how Rex’ika was kept to the middle of their group as they were escorted to the med tent. They moved like experienced soldiers, not a group of scared ade.

He stays to the side as they’re checked over, and though they’re obviously not sure where they are or whether to trust Jaster, they clearly want answers, and to compare notes.

“It has to be Force nonsense,” one of them, Wolffe, was saying, “how else could we have travelled so far in the blink of an eye. I’ll admit, it was a shock to go from a firefight to suddenly being alone with you all.”

“A blink of your eye,” Ponds threw back while the baar’ur bandaged his head wound, “I was unconscious and only woke up because you were yelling.”

“I nearly shot Wolffe, I’d been in a fight too.” It was concerning that Bly and Wolffe had both been in firefights, firefights, they were ade!

“Rex was asleep.” Cody chipped in, smirking slightly at the embarrassed and annoyed look that flashed across his vod’ikas face.

“Hey, I'd been awake for over a day, and so had you, so you're the one the medics would be angry at. He was doing his reports, because everyone would simply die if he waited until the morning.”

The baar’ur laughed softly, partly for the teasing and partly to lighten the mood with such awful things being insinuated by their comments, and gestured Jaster over, signalling that they were pretty much done, except for Fox’ika, who’s eyes they were checking having noticed his clear headache.

“It’s fine, baar’ur, you don’t need to worry about my headache.”

“Ad...”

“Nyac. It almost always comes after meetings with our... with our boss, it’s just stress and tiredness, I'm fine.”

Those words were oh so concerning coming from such a small child, and he could see the same concern not only on the face of his baar’ur, but also Fox’ika’s vode. He doubted boss was the right word for the person this ad’ika had been meeting. Not with the comments they’d been making, the way they stood and sat and walked.

Still, the baar’ur backed off.

“So, ade, now that you’ve been treated, I think we need to talk.”

“Yeah.” Cody, Jaster was starting to think he was their leader. “We should. Like why you keep looking at Rex.”

Had he been? The ad looked so similar to Jango, really, it was just the hair. Still, they all looked so very concerned to have any focus on their vod’ika, and he needed to be careful about that. The last thing he wanted to do was upset or scare them.

“To start with, it’s good to meet you all, my name is Jaster Mereel...”

The tent flaps opened and as if summoned his ad’ika slipped in,

“And this is my ad, Jango Fett.”

There was a second of silence, then a flurry of hand signs, before stressed little Fox swore, colourfully.

“Language!”

In another situation he might have slapped a hand over his mouth in shock of what he’d just said. He hadn’t meant to say it, but they all looked and sounded so similar to his ad, it had just slipped out.

And now they were all staring at him incredulously.

Jango looked half way between astonished at the language and annoyingly like he planned on using it.

He could imagine the ribbing he was going to get, how that conversation would go.

‘So Jaster how was your day.’

‘Oh fine,’ he’d reply, ‘ except that a bunch of stressed and battle worn ade appearing from thin air who look identical to my ad who taught him a whole new library of swears to use.’

He wasn’t too surprised that seeing Jango had shaken something in them, but their story soon slipped out. Time travel, war, messed up ageing. Children sent into war, whether they were physically adults or not, it was horrific, and more so when you could see them like this.

Now they were their real ages, the ages they would be without the enhanced ageing.

They were warriors and soldiers who’d seen the most brutal of war and death, and they were ade who deserved love and affection and so many other things they’d so clearly received from each other and none others as they’d grown up too fast.

These ade had been raised by demagolka and monsters, and his Jan’ika had been a part of it. Not intentionally, one of them had said, at least, they didn’t think so. Most of them had never even met him, and the one who had, Cody, claimed it had only been once. It was not a path he planned on letting his ad walk again, willingly or not.

It was no burden to adopt them, to claim them as his own and swear he’d give them a better childhood than they’d had. The biggest argument was over combat, because they were soldiers, and they wanted to fight, but Ka’ra they were so young. The quintuplets, they were only just 13, and when they were a little more adjusted and settled, they could start taking small missions, with adults and supervision. Rex’ika would have to wait, he was just too small. He and Jango could start at the same time, not before.

He would have been Demagolka to decide otherwise.

No child should look so grateful to be told they were wanted, that they had a home and loving aliit. No ad should look so disbelieving.

Jango looked over the moon to have new vode, as Jaster had predicted, worming his way into their little group and cuddling in. It was cute, and clearly none of them were capable of denying a vod’ika, even if he wasn’t one of the ones they knew.

Jaster isn’t surprised by the way Jan’ika looks at Rex, not only could they be twins, but Rex has the hair he knows Arla had, and though wary and watchful of both Jango and the rest of the tent, and likely anything they could hear happening outside of it, they were happy to hold Jan’ika too.

Jaster’s aliit had just grown larger, but he couldn’t complain. It would be a journey and a challenge, their horrific pasts creating problems he likely couldn’t even foresee yet, but he couldn’t regret it.

And he knew they’d be adored and protected by his people too.

———

Thanks for promoting, I loved it. They all deserve better. I wanted to add something where they saw Jango and assumed he was another Vod who’d traveled, maybe part of Rex’s old batch before they were decommissioned and his moved to their group, but I couldn’t fit it in. But this worked well too.

Also absolutely Palpabastard was messing with Fox.

Thanks for reading.

Inbox still open, prompts or headcanons or asks. (-:

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #jango fett #commander cody #commander wolffe #commander ponds #commander fox #commander bly #captain rex #jaster mereel #true mandalorians #time travel #prompt ask #prompt response #anon ask

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phantomwitch16 · 3 years

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Star Wars - ‘Cheating’ AU

So, I’ve always wondered what it would be like if Anakin and Padmé didn’t have a romantic relationship throughout most of the Clone Wars, solely because Palpatine wanted to ensure that Anakin would be his to sway to the dark side and how that would eventually bit him in the behind.

So I made one up. Also, side note, I never watched Star Wars bare a few clips that I’ve seen here or there, so apologies if I get a few things wrong and I’ll try to rectify it in a later post. Enjoy.

In which Anakin and Padmé have an affair but not really.

Padmé is forced to marry someone for political reasons, and the marriage is pretty, well, loveless.

For the sake of the story, it’s going to be Clovis.

The marriage is a ploy made by Palpatine to turn Anakin to the Dark Side.

Anakin hears about the marriage and is pretty upset about it.

Palpatine comforts Anakin, knowing very well that the young boy has had a crush on Padmé for years.

Palpatine hopes that by marrying Padmé off to someone, it would make him easily swayed. Or at the very least, create a scandal where it would not only ruin Anakin’s reputation but Padmé’s. Either way, Anakin’s fall is always the desired outcome.

“It’s strictly politics, my boy. All in the name of the Republic.”

It creates another reason why Anakin doesn't like politics and democracy all that much.

He tries to move on from it, that it's only just a crush and puts his feelings to the Force, but it doesn’t work.

Anakin quickly realises this a year later when the Chancellor sends him and Obi-Wan to protect her from the assassination attempts.

Obi-Wan feels empathetic towards Anakin and wants to comfort him but thinks that it is not his place. They’re close, but he also remembers how he felt when Qui-Gon would randomly talk to him about his past relationship with Satine.

The exchange in her office goes as well as it did in Canon, only this time, Anakin doesn’t flirt with her. Well, he pretty much did, but he thought he was giving her some compliments.

Obi-Wan and Typho give each other exasperated looks.

Padmé finds his fumbling and unintentional flirting endearing, reminding her of the cute little boy back on Tatooine and making her feel giddy.

Clovis is not involved in the assassination plot due to his position in the Banking Clan.

The assassination plot goes as in Canon with Anakin killing the bugs, Obi-Wan jumping out the window, and the two chased after the assassin with Jango killing them.

Obi-Wan searches for the person who ordered the hit on Padmé with Anakin and her travelling to Naboo.

The two travel to Padmé’s parents' house and meet her family. Her sister and her parents immediately take Anakin in and make him feel welcome.

(Anakin is still the only person whom she’s brought home. Padmé and her family met Clovis but only at the wedding, and they didn’t like him.)

(It also becomes undeniable that her family likes Anakin much more than Clovis. Ryoo and Pooja especially.)

The two travel to Varykino, talking and spending a lot of time together. They still have a balcony and picnic, except Anakin doesn’t confess, and the lovey-dovey scenes are just them forming a close bond with Anakin pinning excessively.

Cue Artoo rolling his dome in disgust.

The fireplace scene still happens later. It only occurs later on after a lot of pining and angst.

(Anakin wouldn’t flirt or confess his feelings to Padmé with her being married, believing that she is in a happy relationship with Rush, even if he doesn’t like him.)

He is a lot more forthcoming about his nightmares about his mother because it's weighing on his mind and he wants to be honest with Padmé about it.

Padmé decides then and there to travel to Tatooine with him to find and help his mother.

Despite being her bodyguard, Padmé doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and pretty much orders Anakin to take her to the camp with him.

There the two of them find Shmi at death’s door.

When she passes in his arms, Anakin is upset and angry. He exits the tent about to commit mass murder, only to stop when Padmé catches him.

She comforts him about his mother’s death but states that killing the Tuskens would not bring her back. That nothing good will come from senseless killing.

The rest of Attack of the Clones remained essentially unchanged, with the only last significant difference being that Anakin and Padmé don’t get married, and there is no kissing involved. There will still be some stilted dialogue but only a little.

Anakin considered telling her his feelings when captured but didn’t want to make their last moments even more depressing.

Instead tells her how grateful he is that he had met her on Tatooine.

Padmé looks up at him and smiles before thanking him for always being a good friend to her.

Oof. Knocked to the friendzone, he was.

After taking Padmé back to Naboo, Anakin gives her Threepio a late wedding gift, saying that he would get much more use with her than with him.

In return, she gives him Artoo as a gift when he makes Jedi Knight.

The Clone Wars commence, and Anakin becomes a general of the 501st and a Jedi Knight with his padawan, Ahsoka.

She, the 501st, Artoo, the handmaidens, and even a politician ships them. That politician is Satine.

Ahsoka immediately notices Anakin’s feelings for Padmé and teases him about it when the two get comfortable enough with each other. Same with Rex and the other clones of the 501st.

Obi-Wan and Typho are well aware of this and choose not to say anything. No one knows what their stance on the matter is.

Typho is somewhat empathetic as he had feelings for Padmé before getting married to Rush. But he did get over his feelings later on.

Artoo knew this since he first met Anakin on Tatooine. And despite his inital disgust with it all, he much prefers Padmé with Anakin who treats him much better compared to Clovis. He is very protective of his ship and will electrocute anyone who thinks otherwise.

Threepio seems oblivious to his maker’s feelings for Padmé as he seems more distracted by Artoo’s foul language and his tendency to insult Rush in binary.

Satine, after recognising the looks that Anakin gives Padmé when he thinks no one is looking. She feels sympathetic for him and tries to provide him with comforting advice when Obi-Wan isn’t around.

Dormé and the other handmaidens like Anakin and are aware of his feelings for Padmé. As such, they talk to him whenever he meets with them whenever he goes to visit Padmé.

Anakin tries to ignore the teasing from Ahsoka and his men, but his face still turns red with embarrassment when Ahsoka pulls the kissy-face while imitating Padmé while trying to reenact her speeches.

Obi-Wan is sympathetic but will give him a few snarky remarks, only for them to be thrown back at his face when the two meet with Satine.

None of them actively tried to push the two together, but it was pretty much like the idea of the two getting together.

Since Geonosis, both form a close bond and better understand one another as Anakin is often over at her apartment to talk about things usually bothering him.

Throughout the war, Padmé comforts him throughout the deaths of his men, Obi-Wan’s (fake) death and Ahsoka’s trial, the last of which hits him especially hard.

She doesn’t put up with his nonsense, though, and sometimes even calls him out on some things, such as the stuff Palpatine has been telling him since he was a kid.

This results in Anakin at least question his relationship with Palpatine sometimes and puts a bit of distance between him and the man, much to the Chancellors’ frustration.

Padmé also develops some concerns about what Palpatine had told Anakin as a child and some of his actions. While she knows that the man has been a comforting figure for Anakin when he first joined the Jedi, the idea that he would take her little Ani to the lower levels when he was still an adolescent alarmed her.

When meeting Rush for the first time, Anakin tries to be respectful with Rush, with the politician thanking him for protecting Padmé, but it became hard with the way he kept on looking at her the way masters would look at pretty slave women on Tatooine.

Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex met Rush once and, like Anakin, didn’t like him for very different reasons.

The marriage between Clovis and Padmé isn’t one that’s positive either.

Clovis often invades Padmé’s personal space, trying to touch her along with other things. Luckily, Dormé and the others were always able to prevent him from doing it.

She was able to keep her apartment in 500 Republica but had the displeasure of having to have at least one dinner date with him a week if it was possible.

Padmé rarely talks about her marraige to Anakin because she knows that Anakin doesn’t like him, even if he hasn’t told her. She knows talking about it would just put both him and her in a bad mood.

As the Clone Wars progresses, it becomes more difficult for Anakin to contain his feelings for Padmé.

He’s conflicted because even though he loves Padmé, he doesn’t want to make things difficult for her.

While he dislikes Rush, he’s technically the perfect man for Padmé. He was a former senator and came from a wealthy world in the Core, and the two have many more things in common.

Anakin pretty much feels inadequate to Rush. That's the basis.

He does everything he can to put his feelings aside. Putting them to the Force, putting more effort into his duties, focusing on Ahsoka before she left, but it doesn’t work even then.

Anakin gets so distressed over it, he goes to Obi-Wan and Yoda for their help despite his reservations with him. He doesn’t out right say it but it becomes easy for a person with more than five brain cells to figure out.

The two masters are shocked by this as it is quite rare for Anakin, especially after that thing with Ahsoka, to come to them with her personal problems. They give him as much advice as possible, but it's useless.

He ends up avoiding her for a couple of months, going on campaigns almost back-to-back with his men, turning down lunch together, focusing on the war. He’s always ‘too busy’ to take her calls despite the pain he causes for both of them.

Meanwhile, Padmé is hurt and confused over Anakin’s actions. While Anakin can be a somewhat good liar, it's easy for her to see right through them and knows that he’s avoiding her.

Dormé and the other handmaidens notice her sadness and decide to take matters into their own hands.

Anakin avoids them at first, but they pretty much drag him back to her apartment by his ear to talk to Padmé, much to Anakin’s reluctance and hesitancy.

Once he gets to Padmé’s apartment while Rush is away, they talk with Padmé trying to find the root of the problem while Anakin tries his best to avoid it. It quickly delves into an argument, leading to him accidentally blurting out that he loves her.

Shock colours Padmé’s face as horror grows on his. She asks him what he meant, and he sighs.

Anakin sadly confesses his feelings for Padmé and explains why he’s been avoiding her. He feels that if he’s around too much, it would only strain her marriage with Rush. Because he only wants her to be happy, even if she’s not with him.

After giving her a few apologies, he leaves a stunned Padmé and several astonished handmaidens who have been listening in on their conversation behind.

Sidious cackles as this. It would only be a matter of time before Anakin’s, and the Jedi’s fates are sealed. Anakin will fall to the Dark Side and be his.

The next few days are depressing for Anakin, who is face down on his bed, probably listening to emo music to get through the pain and mortification of telling Padmé his feelings for her, probably destroying whatever friendship they have.

Obi-Wan, Rex and Artoo notice his brooding and do what they can to cheer him up. It doesn’t work, though, and he’s still in a funk by the time they’re in their next campaign.

Meanwhile, Padmé questions her relationship with Anakin. While she was not at all oblivious to the fact that Anakin had feelings for her, she never really gave it much of a second thought, considering the war, her political marraige to Clovis and the fact that up until that point, she saw herself as Anakin’s friend and well, boss essentially. She is honestly surprised by Anakin’s sudden confession that she’s still in quite a daze over it. To the point where even Rush comments on it in their next dinner.

She remembers all the times where he has put her safety over his own, the unintentional flirting that made her stomach flips and how he listened to her even when he was about to fly into a rage back in the Tusken camp after his mother’s death.

It's after talking with Sabé she realised she might have feelings for him too.

They don't meet for a while until the Clovis Arc.

Since Padmé is his wife in this AU, it makes sense for her to spy on him as she is the closest person.

I don’t know what happens in the Clovis Arc, but it involves Padmé getting kidnap by Clovis and his men, Anakin coming to rescue her and ends the same with Clovis dying with Padmé in Anakin’s arms.

Here Padmé learns that Clovis had been spying on her since the beginning of the war. He learns a lot about the relationship between Padmé and Anakin and his accidental confession.

He is furious at this, believing that Padmé would develop feelings for Anakin behind his back and began working for the Separatists.

When Anakin storms in to save Padmé, Clovis threatens to out their relationship to the entire Republic. Even if it wasn’t true, it would severally damage both of their reputations.

Clovis dies after the fall, and Padmé is distraught over what happened. While she didn’t love him, she is shocked at the betrayal and what he did to her.

Anakin stays to hold and comfort her through her betrayal and loss of her (shitty) husband.

After the traumatising incident, Padmé has several days of leave from the Senate, and Anakin takes the initiative to take care of her during this time.

Cue several cute moments where Anakin makes food as she recovers emotionally, talking to her when she has nightmares, arguing with Threepio when he’s needlessly fussing over her and doing little things that make her happy.

It results in Padmé falling more and more in love with him. As such, she opens up to him about the relationship between her and Rush.

Anakin feeling vindicated is an understatement, but it did deter him from making any physical contact without asking for her permission for quite some time afterward, which she greatly appreciates.

(It also made him unfavourably view Palpatine that he would force Padmé into that position in the first place when in Padmé’s point of view, there was no real reason for a political marriage between the two of them.)

(He still visits him and acts polite to keep up appearances.)

It made Padmé even happier to know that Anakin was avoiding physical contact for her well-being. Given how physically affectionate he was, she knew it was tough for him.

While Obi-Wan and Yoda should admonish Anakin for what he’s doing and keep in mind the Code, they recognise that Anakin isn’t a traditional Jedi with a typical background and, as such, allow it. No matter the other masters' insistence.

Considering all the nonsense with Ahsoka and other things that had happened in the past, they turned a blind eye to it to keep him happy.

Meanwhile, Rex somehow manages to contact Ahsoka and give her the details on what is happening, and she is squealing over how lovey-dovey he is.

Anakin goes back into battle at some point. He contacts her every night. He tells her what’s happening on the field and listens when she rants about the Senate.

It's not until a few months later he comes back and is given some time off.

Meanwhile, Padmé is on Varykino. He comms her to ask if he could visit. When he arrives, he sees her wearing the black dress from the fireplace scene in AOTC.

Anakin turns bright red when seeing her in it and fumbles over his words while complimenting her.

She looked at him endearingly before asking him to come to the living room so they could talk. She says that in a serious tone that makes any sane person feel existential dread.

As such, Anakin’s heart plummets to his stomach. He knows what this is going to be about, and it could only mean one thing. They were going to talk about it eventually but he’d much rather keep up with the facade the two have kept up for the past several months about that night in her apartment.

She walks into the room, and he slowly slinks after his doom and sits beside her with his head low.

After several moments of tense silence, Padmé talks about what happened months prior when Anakin blurted out his feelings to her. She watches him as he sinks into the couch as a look of shame grows on his face.

After several long moments of tension between the two, she confesses to him.

He snaps his head up and looks at her with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Padmé clarifies that she had feelings for Anakin for a long time, probably since their time in Naboo, but only realised when he confessed to her.

Anakin is feeling a mixture of joy, happiness, confusion, relief and lingering dread.

Anakin clarifies that he’s thrilled with the news, but he worries about what the relationship would have over her position and if it would be good for her given what had just happened and that he is almost always away fighting the war.

Padmé, while loving that he is considerate of her position and her well-being, can’t help but roll her eyes.

She tells him, matter-of-factly, that while she does hold great devotion to her job as senator of the Republic, the last few months made her realise that with the war going, that they can only get so much comfort. And now, she wants to focus on what she wants.

Anakin is stunned at her answer before he slowly smiles at her, a cute blush colouring his cheeks.

That is how the relationship begins, and Anakin has been feeling lighter since then. Both Anakin and Padmé take the connection too slow for a little bit.

Obi-Wan and Yoda soon notice this, and they don’t utter a word on the why and the how.

Rex contacts Ahsoka and tells her the ‘The Freighter is Flying. I repeat. The Freighter is Flying.’

Sabé, Typho and the handmaidens gave him the shovel talk. By the end of it, Anakin learned that the handmaidens plus Typho know creative ways to kill him and that they could get away with murder if he decides to hurt Padmé.

Obi-Wan gave as much of a shovel talk as he could. Pretty much telling her that he isn’t the only person who cares about Anakin.

(Read that in any way you want.)

#star wars #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #anidala #anakin x padme #rush clovis #star wars au #my posts #obi wan kenobi #Ahsoka Tano

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crispyjenkins · 4 years

Note

A third part to the JangObi locked in a cell/ weapons courting if there isn’t one yet. Jango or Boba calling Obi Mandokar. At least I think that’s the word. A Mando’s wet dream basically.

(this one entirely got away from me and i didn't get to Boba actually using the word Mandokar, but both Obi-Wan and Satine know what he's getting at (ノ*゜▽゜*)

again, i do not hate Satine, but I also do not particularly like her! she's clearly got some stuff to work through here >.>

Thank you as always, Roxy!)

When Jango had told Boba that he'd finally get to see the inside of the Senate Rotunda (legally, this time), Boba hadn't been particularly thrilled. Why should he care about the politics of a Republic neither he nor his buir are a part of?

Well, Obi-Wan is a part of it, but he also clearly doesn't want to be.

To put it shortly, Boba hadn't had high expectations for his afternoon, especially since it was preceded by Obi-Wan taking him to Dex's and letting Kote teach him how to use two vibroblades at once. Why couldn't they have just waited by the Slave I for Jango to finish his politicking?

He supposes Obi-Wan makes it bearable, taking him on a tour and telling him facts about the building itself, as well as stories from the Sacking of Coruscant, but Boba's good will ends rather abruptly when they run into Kryze and Padmé in one of the main corridors.

Tense pleasantries are quickly exchanged, and Boba realises they haven't seen Kryze since Jango had helped Obi-Wan save her from Darth Maul; Boba still isn't sure of the details of what happened after, but his buir had been furious.

When it takes all of two minutes for Kryze to mockingly call Obi-Wan General Kenobi, Boba shares the kriffing sentiment.

Obi-Wan heaves a sigh, and Padmé looks wildly uncomfortable. "My lady, I do not know what you hope to achieve by reiterating your position on the Order’s involvement in the War; I am but one Jedi."

"A Jedi on the High Council. You are just as implicit in its continuation as the rest," Kryze retorts, and Boba may be thirteen and a little out of his depth with the Politician Speak, but he knows this isn't about the Jedi, or the War. "Do not think you can absolve yourself from fault."

Boba looks up at Obi-Wan, eager for his witty retort, but he just looks tired, and Boba has to remind himself that Obi-Wan had loved her, once.

Padmé smiles apologetically, trying to pull Kryze's focus. "The decisions of the High Council are not made by Obi-Wan alone," she says, even though they all know that isn't really the issue.

"You’re right," Kryze agrees, not sounding like she agrees at all, "individual Jedi have absolutely no control over their political participation in needless violence." Boba grinds his teeth as she gives up trying to hide her scowl.

And Obi-Wan just stands there and takes it, like Boba hasn't seen him talk entire armies out of battle, or fight off both Savage and Maul at once. He hasn't seen Obi-Wan like this since Waxer's death on Cato Neimoidia.

Obi-Wan sighs again, trying to offer Boba a little smile. "Individuals always have a choice," he says, more to Boba than Kryze. "But preventing the death of millions outweighs our personal beliefs, don't you think?"

Boba nods firmly as Padmé shifts on her feet, but doesn't disagree; she's certainly seen more battle in this war than Kryze.

Kryze who scoffs to hide what must be genuine hurt. Anger is rarely about the thing you're angry with, Boba remembers Lama Su trying to teach him, and he reminds himself that Kryze had loved Obi-Wan once, too. That was the real problem, wasn't it?

"Back then, you avoided conflict whenever you could," she says, flat and a little sad, "you would always rather go around than force your way through. It saddens me, Obi-Wan, to see what's left of your honor."

"At least Obi-Wan hasn't murdered an entire half of his people!" Boba snarls, deciding he's quite done listening to this nonsense.

"Boba, it's alright," Obi-Wan says softly, but he's also keeping his left arm behind his back, keeping Jango's vambrace out of sight, and Boba is livid.

"'Gar taldin ni jaonyc,'" he says, because he knows the "Duchess" still understands Mando'a, even if she pretends she doesn't. Bloodline means nothing. "I don't care who your clan was, or what title you claim to have: until you are ready to die for your people, they are not yours."

Kryze stares down at him, and Boba can feel Obi-Wan prodding at his mind in question, in an attempt to calm, but Boba shoves him back out.

"It's easy to call Obi-Wan a murderer when you're hiding in your glass palace, when you wouldn't know the first thing about defending it. Do not speak of honor until you even know what that is."

There is a tense beat of silence before Kryze rounds a glare on Obi-Wan. "I would hope you could speak for yourself, if the Senate trusts a third of the Galactic Army in your hands."

"Satine," Padmé murmurs, glancing at the passing senators who aren't even trying to hide their stares.

Obi-Wan’s eyes are colder than Boba has ever seen them, the hand behind him clenched into a fist, and Kryze had known him very well at one point, Boba knows she can read between the lines of Obi-Wan’s blank expression.

"And I had hoped we had reached an understanding that there was nothing else for us to discuss, my lady. There are only so many times we can beat a dead bantha."

Kryze sniffs. "You need not show me so much disdain, Obi-Wan: we are not sixteen and foolish anymore." Padmé tries to cut in, but Kryze waves for her silence. "But I agree, I do not think any new peace can be reached here, and you should be getting the child back to his progenitor, no?"

"Jealous hag," Boba chirps, rocking on the balls of his feet and wondering if she had had dreams of having kids with Obi-Wan. "You didn't deserve Obi-Wan back then, and you certainly don't deserve him now. At the very least, he can separate his feelings from his politics."

"Boba, please," Obi-Wan sighs, setting a gentle hand on the back of his neck, and Boba gets to watch with a vicious glee the exact moment Kryze sees Jango's vambrace, the only piece of armor Obi-Wan wears, and realises he is far past fraternising with her enemy.

Padmé puts a hand on Kryze’s arm and gently starts to lead her away. "We should return to the committee, Duchess. And I'm sure Master Kenobi has his own business to attend to."

"Of course," Kryze agrees icily, and actually returns Obi-Wan’s nod of farewell; she barely spares Boba a glance, though he smiles innocently up at her and mutters,

"Demagulka," just loud enough for her to hear.

Obi-Wan casts him a stern look, but luckily doesn't get the chance to scold him further, when Padmé quickly returns without Kryze and looks harried enough for all three of them.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," she says, hushed in the still rather busy hall, "You did not deserve that."

"That's quite alright, my dear," Obi-Wan is quick to say, and smiles at his friend. "I'm afraid I'm quite used to such treatment, though perhaps not so... publicly."

"I don't know if I've ever seen you in the Rotunda without the council, and I highly doubt you came all this way just to butt heads with the Duchess. What are you doing here?"

"Ah, that would be this one's fault," he says, Boba yelping as Obi-Wan sticks his hand into his curls and tousles them roughly. He only smiles down at him when Boba growls and grabs onto his arm, and though he knows Obi-Wan could easily lift him like this, the Jedi would never do so here.

"It was Boba, yes?" Padmé asks kindly, folding her hands in front of her. "What brings you to the Rotunda?'

"Buir said he was meeting someone," he scrunches up his face. "But we're leaving right after so Obi-Wan was watching me and brought me over to meet him."

Padmé’s smile only slips a little, looking back to Obi-Wan. "Fett's meeting someone?" she asks, even quieter, "Here?"

"It is perhaps not my place to speak of it, we are still in the very early stages," he says mysteriously, tugging Boba around to lean against his front, arms draped over Boba's shoulders as if trying to make up for Jango’s resistance to public displays of affection. Grumbling, Boba still lets himself be held there, and meets every stare from passing politicians with a glare. "When we get a little further along, I would very much like to speak with the Delegation of 2,000."

Bemused but not particularly surprised, Padmé shakes her head. "Of course, Obi-Wan. Are we to see you on Coruscant more often, then?"

Obi-Wan winces and holds Boba a little closer. "The 212th is coming off leave at the end of the tenday, I'm afraid. And of course Jango and Boba will be returning to Mandalorian space."

Padmé looks over Obi-Wan’s shoulder, smile becoming strained but not quite unfriendly. "Speak the name of the Dianoga," she sighs.

Boba wriggles to look behind them and immediately perks up. "Buir!"

Jango pauses on his path for the elevators, turning instead towards Boba's voice; the lines of his face soften at the sight of them, joining them after an encouraging finger-flick from Obi-Wan.

"Senator Amidala," he greets with a nod, and Boba thinks his buir actually likes Padmé, but won't admit it because Obi-Wan would never let him hear the end of it.

"Mr. Fett," she returns, shaking his hand firmly like any good Mando. "Although, if my suspicions about your presence here are correct, I will be adjusting my term of address in the near future?"

Letting Boba latch onto his side like a Corellian limpet, Jango raises a brow at Obi-Wan. "Haat'ade do not change their clan names at marriage," he says, Boba rolling his eyes at his buir's failed attempt at humor, and Obi-Wan rubs his eyes with one hand.

"Jango," he sighs, Padmé looking like Lifeday came early.

"Obi-Wan, you hadn't told me the Council had approved your request," she plays along, "When can I expect an invitation?"

"After I'm done with him, never."

"Now, cyar’ika," Jango chides, "it's best not to publicly threaten your–"

"Finish that sentence, and I'll have Anakin steal the Slave I," Obi-Wan says it into his hand, but Boba can see the edges of a smile. "Padmé, please don't encourage him, he'll be insufferable after this."

Padmé casts a quick wink down to Boba. "You best tell Anakin next, if he's the last to know, he'll be whining for weeks."

Jango brushes his fingers over Obi-Wan’s back like a sap, and his smile is even worse. Maker, Boba loves the both of them, but no one should look as smitten as his buir does any time Obi-Wan threatens him. "I don't know how we're going to fit your entire family on Concord Dawn, or all the kids."

"You mean the vode? Buir, I think Obi has more people on the Negotiator than have ever even lived on Concord Dawn."

"Why in Corellian Hells would I agree to have it on Concord Dawn?" Obi-Wan wants to know. "Maker, but this entire conversation is ridiculous."

Padmé tilts her head with a small hum, expression entirely too innocent. "Didn't you agree to marry Anakin on Tatooine for the one mission with the three-lekku Twi'lek and their five footed goa–"

"Yes, THANK YOU, my dear, that's quite enough of that."

Jango looks put-out, just short of an actual pout, and Boba wriggles against him in embarrassment. "You didn't tell me about that mission," Jango says, feigning hurt.

Obi-Wan side-eyes him, and only gets a smile for his trouble. "You know," Obi-Wan starts casually, but with a mischievous twinkle in his eye that has only ever meant great deals of fun for Boba, "by Stewjoni rites, we're already married."

Jango chokes on nothing, and Boba wonders if he'd even known where Obi-Wan was from. He should probably tell his buir he's already met Obi-Wan's grandparents.

Mando’a: buir — “parent”, gender neutral Demagulka — (from mandoa.org) “someone who commits atrocties, a real-life monster, a war criminal - from the notorious Mandalorian scientist of the Old Republic, Demagol, known for his experiments on children, and a figure of hate and dread in the Mando psyche” Haat’ade — slang for Haat Mando’ade, lit. “true children of Mandalore”, True Mandalorians cyar’ika — “darling”, “sweetheart”

*“Gar taldin ni jaonyc” from the full phrase “Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la,” lit. “Bloodline is not important, but you as a [parent] [is] the most valuable thing”, used in the context of not judging someone by their lineage (blood or not) but by their own actions as a parent. I’ve used it here as Boba both calling Satine “dar’manda” and calling out her hypocrisy in criticising Obi-Wan/the Jedi from her ivory tower when she is a Kalevalen imperialist ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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captainrexisboo · 3 years

Text

THE COUNTDOWN IS OVER. Y’ALL-

I’M AT 501 FOLLOWERS.

Upon reaching this TREMENDOUS milestone, I present, my dearest babe: Witcher ✨

He’s my beloved Clone OC...this is where he came from. Sorry if it reads like a DND background story. It kind of is!!! Witcher holds a very dear space in my heart, I made him while I was hurting pretty bad, threading him into my life through my Nightsister OC. These two are pretty personal to me, and I’d love to share their story with you!

Asva Strasi is an old self-insert/Star Wars DND character I played with that I’m beginning to flesh out, and her story goes hand in hand with Witcher. There can’t be an Asva without a Witcher, nor a Witcher without an Asva.

Witcher’s introduction to this blog is in V pt iv, and more info about him can be found at this ask. (Edit: also here!) Please let me know if you would like to be put on the Witcher tag list (present tags are at the bottom of the backstory)!!!

Thank you all so much with your love and support, I can’t wait to share more with you!!! I love you all!!! And without further ado, I give you:

The First Meeting

It’s the very start of the war, where Asva Strasi is a witch of the Nightsister Clan on planet Dathomir. She’s a younger witch (19 years old, 22 BBY), in the process of completing her training to become one of Mother Talzin’s assassins, she’s never known life outside Dathomir and seeks to change that. Strasi always dreamed of travelling and learning about life outside her planet, like many of her assassin sisters. One day, she was out for athletic training with her sisters. Going a little farther than usual, Strasi came across an armored body. Deciding the body was indeed a male, and close to death, she convinced her sisters to bring him back to base. They brought him to Clan Mother Talzin, who classified him as a Mandalorian based off of the signature T-shaped visor of his helmet, but other than that the armor he wore was strange. It seemed too stark, and not as decorated, not even a clan symbol to be seen. Knowing of the Mandalorians code of honor, as well as their universally praised strength and strategist mind, she thought of bringing him back to health to gain his gratitude, and push for an alliance. Mother Talzin brought her most talented witches together, and as a reward for bringing her the Mandalorian, she allowed Strasi to be a part of the ritual. Once his health was restored and consciousness gained, he was met with the gazes of Mother Talzin and Strasi. Mother Talzin began to answer his questions, and upon learning Strasi saved his life, he was extremely thankful but told them he needed to be off world immediately. He needed to return to the war.

“Ah, of course. You Mandalorians are always in one sort of war, or another. We’ll help get you home-”

“I’m not a Mandalorian ma’am. Well, not technically anyways.”

Talzin and Strasi listened to the soldier, now learning he was only a clone of the Mandalorian Jango Fett. CT-2457, not yet named. He fought alongside the Jedi, lightsiders, for the Republic.

“And who dares defy the Republic?”

“Separatists, ma’am… I’m sorry, who did you say your planet aligns with?”

“We’re a neutral planet, sir.”

Strasi answered for her Mother, assuring the clone they meant him no harm. She explained how she and her sisters' only goal for him was to take him home.

“Asva will accompany you back to Coruscant,” Talzin declared, surprising Strasi, who still had a final trial to go through before becoming a full-fledged assassin to be allowed off-world. CT-2457 left with a respectful thank you to Strasi before going with a duo of witches back to where he had landed to see if he could find any salvageable supplies that might’ve dropped from his crash along with him.

“When you get to the...what did he call it? The GAR headquarters, please extend an offer of our services to the Republic. I’m sending a group to go find and extend the same offer to whoever runs the Separatist forces. When you come home, we’ll put you through your final trial.”

Strasi takes 2457 back to Coruscant...only for them to say due to him being accounted for as deceased, he’ll have to go back to Kamino for them to decide what to do with him. Strasi sees the clone make the slightest twitch of discomfort, and before the nat born GAR officer can alert anyone to take the clone back, she volunteers her service, “I can take him to Kamino. Just let them know we’re coming. My name is Asva Strasi, I’ll be flying a Lancer-class pursuit craft, Vigilance.”

She left with the proper extension of the Nightsister’s services in the future.

Aboard the Vigilance, she spoke to 2457. A little hesitant, he opened up about life on Kamino, raised to be what they are, not who they could be.

“On my planet, males are seen as slaves. Good only for the harvest, sometimes protection, and breeding,” Strasi recounted, chuckling lightly at 2457’s uncomfortable face, “Don’t worry, I won’t treat you as such. I’m just saying, you received a very special treatment on Dathomir. If you can’t find yourself a happy place on Kamino with your brothers, please think of me as your sister. And Dathomir, a place of rest.”

She holds out a small object in front of him, a chunk of dark metal, the size of just the tip of her thumb, the point tinged green with the light hitting it just right.

“What is that?”

“A focus. I use it to help center myself in meditation, to channel my energy and thought into. And now-” she breaks it, the metal really just a shining stone, handing half of it to the clone, “-you’ll always have a part of me with you. Brother clone.”

2457 takes it gently, wary of how brittle the stone may be. He marvels at it for a moment, how the green looked to nearly be glowing, and looked back up to the kind face of the witch in front of him, nodding his head, “Sister Asva.”

She lands on Kamino, and the Kaminoans are already waiting for them, along with a couple of other clones to serve as guards.

“Would you care to tell us exactly your healing methods, miss Strasi?”

“Magicks. Nothing to leave a scar that wasn’t already formed. CT-2457 just needs to be reentered into the system so he can get back to his proper clan.”

“Magic. Clans. Dathomirians,” a different Kaminoan rolled his eyes, spitting out his words, “The primitive ideals of your planet mean nothing for us, we will need to recommission it-”

“No need, sir,” Strasi bit out, venom lacing her formal request, “CT-2457 is perfectly well, Mother Talzin saw the ritual through. Or, I’m sorry, should I word it differently? Perhaps in a way you understand? Kaminoans. CT-2457 was put through our traditional medical procedure, headed by our lead doctor, and he will need nothing more than a regulatory physical to ensure he’s fit for battle with his company again. Is that more clear, sir?”

“Young lady-”

“Am I clear?”

Before the other Kaminoan could speak again, Nala Se stopped him, putting up a hand and motioning Asva to come closer, “Stay for the physical. If anything proves to be out of place, you will be put on trial as representation for your planet, charged with tampering with Republic property. If you’re correct and nothing is wrong, we will hand you a reward and you will be free to leave. Is this fair to you?”

“Yes.”

CT-2457 was getting looks as he passed through the halls, side by side with the white haired young woman dressed in ruddy colors. He didn’t stray from her side, steps falling into line with hers. She brushed her hand against his, causing him to look down to her, to see her tapping her half of the focus against her leg. He nodded once, breathing deeply. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he just thought of the little rock stuffed in his pocket, thought about giving it his entire self, and breathed.

Before he knew it, his physical was over, passed of course, and he was waving goodbye to Strasi’s ship as it left the atmosphere. He was hounded by his vod about where he had been, what had happened, what had been done to him. He told them about Dathomir, the Nightsisters and their magick, Asva Strasi and her focus. By the end of the night, he had a name; he was Witcher.

Tags: @bad-batch-of-fics @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @vesperstalksclones @haloangel391

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crimson-dxwn · 4 years

Text

A Little Mischief (Sofi + Thire): Chapter 4

Summary: Here it is, my lovelies! At last, Chapter 4. This was a tough one for me to write, for some unknown reason. Please enjoy about 6,000 words of smut and added gratuitous fluff.

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Sexiness ahead ft. some light bondage, NSFW and 18+, ALSO there is the aftermath of what basically is battery but also could be considered sexual assault.

CHAPTER 4

A hand was stroking her hair. It felt amazing, compared to the way the rest of her body ached stiffly - right now her left hip was completely numb. Right on the edge of sleep and waking, she thought it must be Thire. He’d always loved her long hair, loved running his hands through it when she wore it down. Last week she’d found out he like pulling it in bed...

The hand stopped stroking, but it wasn’t Thire’s voice she heard.

“It’s time to go home for a while Sofi,” the soft voice said, “you need to shower and eat something.”

When she wrenched her gritty eyelids open, she finally had her answer.

A slight woman was leaning over the little cot set up by Thire’s bacta tank, an imposing red-armored figure looming behind her. The woman had to be Mouse, if Fox’s posture was any indication. Before her brain was fully operational, she laughed a little at Fox having his wife come and collect her, like she was some sort of emotional ticking time bomb. From what she understood of their relationship, they pretty much came as a matched set. So really this shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

“‘Mokay. I’ll stay here.” She glanced back up at the tank and the vitals readout, making sure he was still there, still alive. Usually she stared at the tank until she could see his chest rise and fall until she let her eyes close. Unwilling to leave him, she snuggled herself under the blankets a little farther.

“Sofi, you had crackers for dinner last night.” When Sofi reopened her yes, both Mouse and Fox both looked profoundly unconvinced of her ability to take care of herself. “When was the last time you went home?”

She wracked her brains to try and remember. Thire had been in bacta for...three days now. Or was it four?

“At least I ate something.” Mouse sighed and Fox shifted impatiently. Sofi watched his helmet tilt up, almost imperceptibly, to watch his brother floating in bacta. He was probably just as worried as she was. He and Thire had known each other for years. Maybe they hadn’t been close on Kamino, but now they were as close as batchmates.

“You can come back later, but let’s get you a change of clothes at the very least.”

Sofi looked down at her dirty scrubs peeking out from under the hospital blanket. There were still little smears of his blood on them and the utterly exhausted part of her brain almost made her laugh at it. She’d been spattered with blood too when she first met Thire. She felt - and probably smelled - like the angel of death. Maybe a shower would do her some good.

“Okay,” she acquiesced, “but I’m coming right back afterwards.”

“That’s fine,” said Mouse, “Fox will stay with him until you get back.”

Sofi managed to get home okay, after all, she’d had some rest. But she didn’t dare let herself lie down on her bed or the couch for fear of falling asleep again out of pure, eviscerating exhaustion. Showering was the acceptable alternative that would perk her up a bit, to wash some of her worry off as well as the grime. The searing heat of the spray helped to work some tension out of her muscles, cramped from her constant perch on the cot next to Thire’s tank.

Mouse was right, she did feel better after showering. Gulping down some water, Sofi pondered when she’d have to go back to work. Paid time off was limited and she still wasn’t sure when Thire would be able to leave the hospital. Fortunately, he was young and healthy, in his prime, so to speak. That he had going for him, and also the particular Mando stubbornness that she supposed came from Jango Fett. Kaminoans certainly didn’t seem like the most tenacious of people.

Sofi glanced at the inviting cushions on her couch. A little nap couldn’t hurt. She’d only been getting snippets of sleep the last few days, waking at every little voice and beep. A few hours couldn’t hurt. I’ll just rest my eyes, she thought, and slipped into sleep.

Hours later she was wrenched out of sleep by her beeping comm. Thire was coming out of bacta.

She rushed back to the hospital, anxious and excited. Fox was still there with Thire, as promised, bucket off and standing ramrod straight beside the tank. Nurses and med droids milled about, prepping the room.

“Commander,” she greeted, sidling up to the tank. She pressed her hands to the transparisteel, studying Thire’s unconcsious form for any signs of trouble.

“Ma’am,” he replied. Thire had told her so much about his brother, his vod as he called him. Commander Fox was a formidable man, but Sofi knew from Thire that his hard exterior hid a softer center. Not that she would ever mention it.

“You can call me Sofi, if you like,” He smiled down at her.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Sofi,” said Fox.

“Likewise.” Together they watched the bacta slowly start to drain, inching down gradually. Nausea rose up in her gut as she waited.

“What the hell happened to him, Fox?” She didn’t bother with rank, not caring much for formality at this point.

He sighed, somehow looking even more burdened than usual. It was easy to see how Mouse would soften his edges, even him out a bit.

“We had a tip on a being-trafficking situation down in the lower levels. One of the hut’uune set the place on fire to cover the evidence up...from what Stone told us, it sounded like he was in a hostage situation with one of them. He saved a woman but the trafficker shot him.”

Tears prickled in her eyes, not for the first time that day. She knew she shouldn’t be angry at him for taking risks, but she was; wanted to tell him how much of a self-sacrificing idiot he was, but she couldn’t. He wouldn’t be the Thire she loved without his caring nature.

It was slow going after leaving the hospital. Sofi didn’t think she’d ever had a worse patient in her entire career. After insisting that he be discharged with her, she’d brought Thire to her place so he could have some peace and quiet. He repeatedly insisted that he was fine to go back to work, despite being at death’s door mere days ago. Truthfully, he didn’t even seem that happy to be alive.

He’d never raised his voice at her before, but now he was as testy as a wounded animal; she felt like she was constantly tiptoeing around his varying moods. It was exhausting. The worst part was that he wouldn’t let her help him. Sofi practically had to beg him to let her put bandages on, even though they both knew he couldn’t reach.

Confronting the problem head on seemed the best option after a week of him shutting her out. Surgery and bacta had taken care of most of the critical damage, but the immobility and energy needed to heal had taken a lot out of him.

“Thire?”

“Hm?” He didn’t even look up from his comm.

“Why won’t you let me help you?” She tried putting her hand on his forearm but he shook it off, though he finally looked her in the eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, “I’m here, aren’t I?” Irritation showed plain on his face, still drawn from recovery.

“You know that’s not what I mean,” she said; she prayed he’d understand, “Thire, I saw you come into the hospital. I saw how bad it was. Even with bacta, there’s no way you’re back to one hundred percent.”

“You don’t know me, then. Because I’m fine. I honestly don’t even know why I’m here.” He threw the covers off of himself in frustration.

That hurt. But she wasn’t entirely surprised. She’d get to the bottom of this, fix whatever was going on with him and they’d be back to normal.

“Maybe you want to talk to someone about it?” she suggested.

That was apparently entirely the wrong thing to say. He glared at her, face hardening. She’d really upset him now, she could tell by that look on his face, the way he jerked and turned away from her so she couldn’t see it.

“I’m fine,” he ground out, still facing towards the windows, “Actually, I’m better than fine. I’m going back to the barracks. I need some alone time.”

“Are you sur-“

“- I’m not one of your patients, Sofi. Stop treating me like I am!” The tone in his voice shut her up and she watched him awkwardly put on his blacks and lower body plates, breathing harshly. The upper ones were long gone, tossed aside in the back of an ambulance somewhere, slicked in his blood.

She just sat there on the bed, too shocked to cry, staring at his back as he left her flat, walking stiffly through the pain and slamming the door behind him. This was nothing like the Thire she knew. It was hard to be upset with him, but it was like his personality had changed overnight and he refused to talk to anyone about it, least of all her. She could feel him pulling away and felt like there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Rare was the moment that Thire truly felt afraid. In the last week, he’d had two. One, when the certainty had come over him that he was going to die, and second, when he realized he lived but was gravely injured. Possibly irreparably. Civilians didn’t know about decommissioning, and his fellow clones only whispered the word, even as grown men. He and his brothers had grown up with the constant visceral terror of not being good enough and never being seen again, being stolen away in the night. Regular children had terrors of imaginary monsters, but for the clones they were real.

Which was why he couldn’t let anyone see, even though he knew that the Kaminoans couldn’t touch him here. That fear had been so real and raw for the majority of his life that it was something he just couldn’t snap himself out of. His brothers would understand. They were the only ones who could and would protect him.

All Sofi’s constant ministrations had done was make him feel like a child again. A terrified child. He cabbed it back to 300 Republica and stiffly made his way to his bunk, ignoring the stares from his brothers at his sweaty face, bucket under his arm, straining to keep it together until he reached his bunk. No one dared confront him. When he did arrive, he thanked whatever privileged bastard decided to give them private rooms before he limped to the fresher and started puking his guts out.

He kept having dreams about the hospital.

------

The next two weeks passed in a blur. Somehow they felt like the longest two weeks of his life, and other times he wasn’t sure how that much time had passed since he’d seen Sofi. Two weeks was the longest they’d gone without speaking in the entirety of their relationship. He’d composed messages to her, but hadn’t had the gett’se to send them, to apologize for his di’kutla behavior.

Being babied hadn’t helped his anxiety about his injury and like a coward, he couldn’t bring it up to her. To his displeasure, his anxiety had only worsened since his grenade injury in the beginning of the war. The medic then had told him he was lucky to come out of that still walking straight, which had resulted in him having daily panic attacks for weeks. He sighed. Since he’d stormed out of her place two weeks ago, Sofi hadn’t contacted him once. Not that he expected her to - he fully expected her to be pissed, and she had every right to be.

Which was why he almost didn’t answer her text. He knew he wasn’t mad at her, he knew that. It was his anxiety talking. He also knew their relationship was over. How could Sofi ever want him back after the way he’d raged at her. She deserved to be with someone who was as vibrant as she was. Still, his heart ached to see her again, hear her witty banter, see the way she smiled at him when he was doing something mundane and thought he couldn’t see. All of it.

He’d received a cryptic text from her number asking to pick her up, signed by one of her coworkers whose name he didn’t recognize.

Sofi was sitting on the curb with a cup of caf, wearing a paper scrub top. He was too scared to ask what had happened to the one that she had been wearing that matched her bottoms. His blood boiled at the implication. He may not have been there to witness what happened, but he could sure as hell connect the dots.

“I got your text.”

“I didn’t text you.”

“Well someone did.” A long pause stretched between them. Sofi sat, sipping her coffee, looking for all intents and purposes extremely bored, while he stood in front of her, watching, waiting for an explanation. It didn’t help that his guilt was eating him alive and she wouldn’t - or couldn’t - look at him.

“Surprised you even answered, Thire.” Her voice was flat, alarmingly so, her face smooth and expressionless. This was nothing like the Sofi he knew. He wanted her to rage at him, scream or curse - something. An ice pack rested over her right palm, dripping a puddle onto the duracrete.

“The text said something happened.” Thire’s worry was growing the more she wouldn’t look at him. She just sipped her coffee like nothing in the universe was wrong, like it was morning and they were still together and he’d run down to the corner shop for two cafs, black.

“I don’t kriffing know,” she said, irritation plain, “ask the asshole who texted you. My cab is coming in five minutes and I just wanna go home.”

“What happened to your hand?” Her eyes flicked down to the appendage as if she had forgotten it was there.

“Nothing.”

“Can I look at it?” he asked carefully. She shrugged. Taking that as a yes, he crouched down in front of her slowly, though he wasn’t sure she would even notice him. He moved the ice pack and a livid bite mark met his eyes, right in the meat of where her thumb met her palm. A human bite mark. Thire clenched his teeth.

“You gonna tell me who did this?” he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. Dark almond eyes met his, almost black in the darkness, reflecting the speeder lights passing by. He braced his hands on the armor covering his thighs

“Patient tried to get fresh with me. Ripped my top, tried to shove his fingers in my mouth. I pushed his face away and he bit me.” He watched her look at her hand and poke at the bruise like the appendage belonged to someone else.

“That’s battery, Sofi, you should press charges!”

“It’s not that serious, Thire.”

“Half your hand is black and blue.”

There seemed to be a lot of shrugging going on tonight. She repeated the movement, still staring straight forward.

“I just want to forget about it.” The crack in her voice was the only thing that stopped him from pushing her further.

“Fine, but I’m taking you home.” As if in response, her cab pulled up and Thire talked to the cabbie, flipping him a few credits for his time. Fortunately, she mounted his speeder bike behind him without argument and held onto him gingerly, touching the least amount of surface area as possible.

She let them into her apartment, moving slowly towards the bedroom and he followed, unsure of what he should be doing, or even if she wanted him there. Sofi finally settled on the edge of the bed and Thire joined her.

“Has stuff like this happened before?” A shrug. Yes, then. She didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so he didn’t press her. But it didn’t surprise him.

“Go shower and change and I’ll sit with you.” She didn’t fight his suggestion and rose, stiffly grabbed pajamas out of her drawer and slid into the fresher. A half hour later she was still in there and Thire was starting to get concerned.

He knocked softly on the door, with no answer and Thire could hear that the shower was still running. He knocked louder. Maybe she’d fallen or passed out or worse and the last thought scared him enough to open the door to check on her. Sofi was huddled in the corner of her shower, arms wrapped around knees, head resting on top of them, so still she looked frozen as the water from the shower poured over her.

Thire was a little scared to approach after what had happened earlier, unsure of how comfortable she’d be. He stripped his armor plates off and clambered in the shower with her. The water was still hot, soaking his blacks in a matter of seconds, wetting his hair until it plastered down to his face; instinctively, he sat and wrapped his arms and legs around her huddled form. Normally obstacles and insults rolled off her back like nothing - her unshakeable confidence was one of the things he loved most about her, but this - this was different and it scared him.

For a moment her body tightened, relaxing after a beat, wet head coming to rest on his shoulder. He held her for a while in silence, letting the water fall over them.

“Cyar’ika, let’s get you changed.” She nodded in response and squeezed his arm a bit, as if to reassure him she was okay. He turned off the water for her and she wrapped up in a towel while he shed his soggy blacks. Fortunately, he kept a few pieces of civvy clothing at her place which were still strewn on a chair in the corner. They donned their sleepwear in silence and she let him curl up behind her in bed, like old times. After a few minutes, neither of them were asleep and Thire couldn’t hold back any longer.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he said. She squirmed and readjusted so that she was facing him in bed, hand on his face, softly stroking his cheek.

“There’s no way you could have known, stuff like this happens more than you think,” she whispered, “I don’t need you to protect me.”

“I know. I just wish I had been,” he continued, “-and I know I was wrong when I left.”

“Me too.” She paused, looking down at her bitten hand. He took it in his, finding that he needed it more for his reassurance than her comfort. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I knew you were mad and I wanted you to have the space you needed.”

“I don’t even know how many times I wrote and rewrote messages to you. I was just too afraid to send them,” he said, forcing himself to continue, “...the reason I blew up at you...you didn’t do anything wrong. I was scared.” He choked out the last word. Here he was, a Commander, pride of the GAR, admitting he was terrified. How he hated it.

“I know,” she admitted, “I could tell by your reaction, but I didn’t want to press.”

“I’m sorry.” Thire hung his head, he had to get this out, or else he would never be able to tell her. “When we were young, training, there were rumors that if you were defective….the Kaminoans would decommission you.”

“Decommision?”

“Kill us.” His bluntness astonished him, but it was the truth. “That’s why I get anxious when I’m sick or hurt. Not because of you.”

“I forgive you.” She brushed a kiss across his lips, and he noticed tears in her eyes again. “And I’m sorry too. I’m sorry you had to go though that.”

“Forgiven,” he replied, returning the kiss and pressing her to him so that they were flush.

“I care that you’re alive. Even if we’re not together,” whispered Sofi.

“Do you want to be together?”

“Yes,” she said, “Do you?”

“More than anything,” he replied.

---

Thire and Sofi sat in her kitchen, happily sipping caf and eating savory pastries from Ordo’s - their usual Sunday morning routine. He met her eyes over the top of his mug and smiled.

“I want a baby, Thire.”

“What?” His eyes went a little wide but he was able to keep his reaction somewhat under control, except for the fact that he choked slightly on a bit of pastry.

“With you.” His watery eyes considered her, sitting across the table from him, a perfectly placid expression on her face.

“Yeah, I gathered that.”

She gave him a little pause to think about it.

“And I don’t want to wait. You’re it, Thire. I knew on our second date. And then you got shot and it just put everything into perspective.”

“I get that.” He considered it. A baby. “I feel that way too. I love you, Sofi. If it was legal I’d carry you to the Senate Building right now and marry you on the spot.”

“What do you think? About what I said.”

He considered her proposition. A baby. Fatherhood had always been an abstract concept to him, having never had one himself. But in the past year, he’d let himself consider the notion once or twice. Okay, maybe more since he’d met Sofi.

“I think I’d like to. Try at least and see what happens.”

“Good, because I’m overdue for my birth control hypo and I want to fuck you so bad right now.”

Per usual, she managed to drop his jaw to approximately the level of his knees. That was his Sofi, always direct. She never did anything by half.

“Take your clothes off and sit down,” she commanded, nodding towards the bed. He raised an eyebrow slightly but complied. She knew he liked it when she was a little bossy in bed, and today was no exception, if the state of him was any indication.

She stripped her clothes off in front of him, slowly, backing away when he reached out to touch her.

Thire was obviously feeling better, because the look in his eyes was hungrier than she’d ever seen it. Oh, this was going to be fun. She made her way over to her closet to where Thire’s pile of discarded clothes still sat. He’d gotten in the habit of leaving his civilian clothes at her place, but never got in the habit of folding them. When he left, she hadn’t had the heart or energy to get rid of them.

She bent to search through the pile, giving him quite the show and he practically growled. But he stayed put on the edge of the bed, slowly stroking himself as he watched her.

Finally she found what she was looking for. The worn leather belt he’d worn on their second date. She strolled lazily back to him, belt in hand, and grabbed his wrist, yanking his hand off himself. He got the idea pretty quickly.

“Can I tie you up?”

“Hells...yes,” he replied. She pushed him back so he was lying flat, arms above his head and used the belt to strap his wrists together. The muscles in his arms looked delicious like this. She traced her hands down them and sighed.

“Too tight?” He shook his head no.

“Pretty,” she remarked, “Be good and stay still for me, Thire.” He interrupted her before she could start in on him.

“Sit on my face. Want you to come first.” Her core clenched, and she smirked at him. “Please,” he begged, smirking back at her. The little shit.

“Well since you asked so nicely.”

She straddled his talented mouth and he licked into her, circling her entrance with his tongue, pressing it into her. He knew exactly how to drive her insane, even without using his hands.

“Ah…” he nosed up to her clit and she swore under her breath, closing her eyes against the pleasure and gripping the headboard. Already, her legs were starting to shake, but he was relentless, grinding his tongue on her clit with maddening pressure until she was the one panting and begging and then she came with a breathless sigh.

When she finally came down from her high she bent to kiss him, tasting herself on his lips, slipping her tongue in his mouth, careful not to touch his cock yet. Sofi liked seeing - and hearing - him desperate for her.

“Should I give you what you want?” He just groaned in response as she finally took his cock in her hand, stroking gently. By the look of the muscles in his neck, he was certainly desperate.

“I guess I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, centering herself over him. Thire gained a little composure back and their eyes met. Gods, she was crazy about him. She’d never felt safer or more cared for in her entire life - she loved him and she loved him so kriffing much - and looking in his eyes now he saw her feelings mirrored there - in the deep glowing brown of his eyes, the tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, trusting her completely.

Without breaking eye contact, she took him inside her fully, just pausing for a moment and reveling in the feeling of their bodies joined together. His hips gave an involuntary jerk, pushing father inside and rubbing her clit against his abdomen and it spurred her to move, riding him until she was breathless again. Somehow he’d freed his hands, because suddenly she felt them in her hair and he was tugging her down to kiss him.

She could feel him getting closer now, and she let him take the reins, allowing his warm calloused hands to grip her hips and thrust up into her, deep and slow. Together they found a rhythm and Sofi lost herself in him, listening to his breath come harsher and harsher, feeling his grip on her hips tighten until he came with a groan, pulling her hips down onto his as he filled her.

Resting her hands on the hard planes of his chest, she stilled, curled over and catching her breath. Warm hands stroked her thighs and rearranged her onto her side, facing Thire, whose stamina was decidedly better than hers. He wasn’t even breathing hard anymore. Languidly, she tipped her chin up for a kiss and snuggled into him, deciding to stay in the moment for just a few more moments before they started their day.

------

[2 months later]

The speeder thrummed under him, a fitting companion to his buzzing thoughts. Sofi had been acting strange that morning. She’d never been much of a morning person, but this morning had been different.

For one, she had Ryshcate for breakfast. One of her new coworkers sent the sticky Corellian pastry home with her a few nights ago and she’d eaten two pieces with her caf this morning. Second, she’d practically booted him out the door, bouncing on the tips of her toes like she was late for work. Which she wasn’t, he knew. It was her day off.

Something was definitely up.

Even though she knew they were trying to get pregnant, Sofi was still nervous staring at that stupid stick lying on the fresher counter. Pretty much every friend she knew had at least one scare, including her, and those three minutes waiting for the simple little test to develop had probably been some of the longest minutes of her life, though nowadays they were second to those minutes waiting for news after Thire had gotten shot.

She’d splurged on a little more expensive test, for no reason at all except that she felt hopeful. They’d only been trying for two months, really she didn’t expect it to happen this soon. People tried for years sometimes without any luck, and she’d just gone off her hypo. The elderly woman who owned the shop down the street, Hellah, had given her a soft knowing look when she had taken her credits. Sofi had bought some other little things along with the tests so she looked less suspicious - why, she couldn’t know - but at least she had some chocolate now if she needed it.

It was way too early to have any major symptoms. She was just late. Really late. Thire was working and she didn’t want to take a test with him there, for whatever reason her brain had conjured up. They’d both obviously contributed, but for some reason this felt private. Secret even. Before now, a pregnancy test was always something you hid from men until there was something to tell, so they didn’t have to worry.

He’d get all excited and then she didn’t want to see his disappointment if the test was negative. So she’d sent him off to work with caf and a kiss on the cheek and rushed to the little corner store as soon as he was gone.

The test bleeped insistently and she could hear her heart beating in her ears all of a sudden. Why are you so nervous? You’ve taken tests before. It doesn’t really matter what the test says, anyway. Even though she knew what she wanted it to say. But they hadn’t been trying for that long, she didn’t even know why she was doing this. She stopped trying to bargain with herself and just looked at the kriffing test.

Pregnant :)

Pregnant, she was pregnant. Holy kriff. She stared at the window for a moment, trying to let the word sink in. That was fast. Thire was gonna lose his mind. After they’d talked a few months ago, he’d been a lot more on board than she thought.

The revelation kept hitting her in waves. She didn’t feel much different, which was the weirdest part. And she’d never felt so intensely happy and insanely terrified at the same time. Her head hit the wall behind her.

Now she just had to tell Thire somehow.

------

Thire’s eyes were glued to the sono screen and she laughed softly. He had never been exposed to this side of life before and it was kind of sweet to watch his reactions. He also hated hospitals, so his nervous energy was out the roof, but Thire put on a good face for her. She had purposely picked a clinic far away from her work, far away from prying coworkers and Thire’s traumatic memories. He’d never seen a sonogram before and kept asking the tech questions.

Sofi, on the other hand, was used to seeing sonos. Scary ones. The emergency ward used them all the time, and rarely for this, but when they did it usually revealed something horrible. She half expected to see a lacerated liver show up, or other worse things she didn’t want to think about. But what she did see was even more shocking than that.

She gasped and Thire broke his searing eye contact with the monitor. Thire was apparently beginning to catch on, as his face was approximately a hand’s length from the screen. This was completely new to him, but he always caught on incredibly quickly. Lately she’d sneaked peeks of what he was reading on his datapad before bed and it was always dry, statistical obstetrics manuals. It was no wonder he’d been a little grim and nervous before this appointment.

“What?” he asked, “What is it?” By his panicked tone, it was obvious he’d done way too much reading after she’d broken the news, because now he was worried about every tiny thing that could go wrong. She turned to the sono tech.

“Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?” Sofi asked grimly. The tech laughed a little, fiddling with the sensor on her still-flat stomach. Thire was still looking oppressively somber and reached out to place his hands over hers.

“It’s definitely what you think.” She smiled kindly and pointed at the screen. “Heart here,” said the tech, touching the screen, then adjusted the sensor, “and a second here.” Oh gods. Thire squeezed her hands in his. Twins. Their relationship was still full of surprises, it seemed.

He was looking down at her like she’d hung all the stars in the galaxy and she couldn’t help but start giggling incredulously. Thire’s deep laugh joined in with hers and the sono tech smiled and looked away, letting them have a little moment to themselves.

“Isn’t two good?” he asked, more confused than he’d been since he was a cadet. He didn’t know anything about medicine, and he was trying to learn as fast as he could. The twin chapter hadn’t come up yet. He supposed he was lucky Sofi knew enough for the both of them. More than enough, he sometimes thought.

She tended to be anxious about illness and injuries, even more so after he got shot. Maybe she’d want to stay home for a little while when the baby - babies, he corrected himself, still a little stunned - were little. Her doctor sent them home with approximately a million pamphlets and Sofi got about as many blood tests.

He thanked the maker he was a man.

“No Thire, in this case two isn’t always better than one,” she sighed, “but I’m still happy.” She squeezed his hand as they walked together out of the clinic.

“Me too.” Looking down at the little black and white flimsi, he studied the two little beans. “Look at them! They’re so small.” Two. Two babies.

The Coruscant Guard has been exposed to more than regular troops. The first time he and Stone were on patrol and saw a pregnant humanoid, they thought something was seriously wrong. But now he was used to it, and was secretly glad that he wasn’t the one who was doing the hard work in this situation. Because it made him a little green to think about how two babies were going to fit in one person.

#A Little Mischief #my writing #gen writes #OC: Sofi #Commander Thire #CC-4477 #CT-4477 #Commander Thire x OC

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redrobinhoods · 3 years

Text

Age of Heroes | Chapter 1, Together

AO3 Link | 2100 words (approx) | Prologue, Chapter 2

Chapter summary: Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are approached by a familiar face with a request for vengeance.

“We’ll be fine as long as we stay together.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi

The clones moved through the fallen ranks of droids, occasionally stopping to blast or otherwise incapacitate still functioning droid units. In the midst of them stood two stationary clones, one adorned in blue, the other in gold. Despite the smoke in the air and the smell of burnt flesh and circuits it was as close to peace as the officers had had in weeks.

“Thanks for the assist, Rex. It’s always a pleasure to fight with the 501st.”

“The pleasure is ours, Cody. Whatever it takes.” The unspoken words hung in the air. Whatever it takes to win, to save clone lives, to protect the Republic. But those three couldn’t coexist. Sometimes they would be lucky, and their victories were won with minimal casualties. More often, duty and the Republic came first. The clones were disposable. If even the Jedi could be discarded for the Republic, the clones were just ornaments to be marveled at and thrown away when the novelty has worn off.

Cody nodded. “Whatever it takes.”

Nearby, three Jedi stood looking towards Yerbana City. Two human males dressed in robes, one in black and one in white, and one togruta female, also dressed in black, wearing a loose tunic over a bodysuit not unlike that of the clones.

“What do you think is next?” Ahsoka Tano looked away from the city to Anakin Skywalker.

“I don’t know, Snips.” Anakin turned from the city, back towards the battleground on the bridge. In the smoke he could just make out the shapes of two men standing side-by-side in the carnage. “The men need to rest. We never anticipated the Outer Rim Sieges would last this long.”

“It is a siege, Anakin.” Obi-Wan Kenobi turned to follow his former padawan’s gaze. “Though I wouldn’t pass up a drink at Dex’s Diner right now.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but neither would I.” Anakin scoffed. He bent over slightly to elbow Ahsoka’s arm. “Might even slip you something under the table.”

“Anakin-.” Obi-Wan was cut off by the beep from Anakin’s comm. Anakin answered with triumphant glee.

“Skywalker here. What is it, Admiral?”

“Sir, we’ve just received a transmission from,” the Admiral Yularen paused to find the right words, “a person of interest. You had best take this transmission here in person.”

“We’ll be there shortly, Admiral.” Anakin turned to Ahsoka as Obi-Wan walked away to hail a gunship. “Guess that drink will have to wait.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Master.”

Captain Rex watched the LAAT/i take off, its door sealing around three unmistakable beings.

“Don’t get comfy, Codes. I think we just got our next assignment.”

Cody turned to follow Rex’s gaze. “I think you may be right, old boy. I have a feeling we’re not going to see each other for a while.”

---

The three Jedi moved quickly from the hanger to the briefing room, the padawan trailing slightly behind the two knights to accommodate the clones and officers rushing around the Venator.

The briefing room doors hadn’t fully opened when Anakin spoke. “All right, Admiral. What’s so important you brought us all the way back here?”

Yularen gestured to the holotable, where three Mandalorians were displayed, each in the distinct armor of Death Watch.

“You-.“ Ahsoka started, interrupted by Obi-Wan, who lay a hand on her shoulder.

“Lady Bo-Katan.” Obi-Wan stepped forward graciously. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I have urgent information for you.” Bo-Katan removed her helmet and turned towards the Jedi. “The Nite Owls and I have located the renegade Sith Lord, Maul. If we move swiftly, I believe we can capture him.”

“How did you come by this information?” Obi-Wan’s calm voice betrayed none of his racing thoughts.

“We have been tracking Maul’s movement for several months. One of my people was able to obtain some transmission codes from the Pykes on Oba Diah, which helped us pinpoint some of his previous locations. And now, we know that Maul is on Mandalore in the city of Sundari.”

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a look. Obi-Wan turned back first. “You’re certain of this?”

“He arrived two days ago.”

“So why not take him yourself?” Ahsoka cut in from behind her masters. “You know where he is.”

Bo-Katan’s scowl morphed into a look of shame. “I don’t have the numbers needed for a siege.” The Jedi generals had expected as such, and Obi-Wan gave a small nod for her to continue. “Without a complete lockdown of the city, Maul will escape again. That’s why I’m proposing a joint operation. If we are successful, you’ll have Maul and I’ll have Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan raised his hand to stroke his beard “If Republic forces aid you in your assault it will break treaties that are 100 years old. We will effectively be drawn into yet another war.”

Bo-Katan shrugged. “What’s one more?”

“Well,” Anakin cut in this time, “we’re not finished with our first one yet.”

“I will advise the Jedi Council of this development.” Obi-Wan took a step back from the hologram. “We need to be sure of our decision on this matter.”

“There’s no time!” Bo-Katan slammed a fist down into the palm of her other hand. “Maul’s influence on Mandalore is destroying my people. He murdered my sister! I thought she meant something to you.”

“She did,” Obi-Wan’s expression fell for a moment before he regained his composure, “and still does. But I cannot allow my feelings to cloud my judgment. The Council will decide what our course of action will be. I will inform you of our decision in due time.”

“Maul will have escaped long before your council reaches a decision! Mandalore needs action, now!” The hologram faded and the room was left in silence.

“Master Kenobi, with all due respect, shouldn’t finding Maul be a priority right now?” Ahsoka stepped out of the shadows of the room to join her superior officers at the holotable. “We believe that there is a Sith Lord in the Senate. Wouldn’t Maul know who this Sith is and his goal? This is an opportunity that we can’t afford to miss.”

Obi-Wan sighed and smiled ruefully at Ahsoka. “I agree with you, Ahsoka. But this matter is clouded by the dark side of the force. We need to be certain that this invasion will be worth the risk. The Council must consider the matter before we take any action.”

“Of course, Master Kenobi.” Ahsoka sighed after the Jedi master left the room. She had no faith in the supposed wisdom of the Jedi Council. Not anymore.

Ahsoka was still unsure if rejoining the Order had been the right choice. Perhaps it had been one made out of fear, fear of the unknown world outside of the Order and the war. She would’ve lost everything. Not just her lightsaber and her rank, but her friends; Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, hell- the entire 501st. She would have never found the courage to look Rex in the eye and tell him that she was walking away. Not when she would see his face every day in the clones around the galaxy. Not after all they’d been through.

Anakin lay his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. “I hope this isn’t about that drink.”

Ahsoka forced a small smile. “It’s not, Master. I’m just,” she stopped to find the right words, “concerned about the ability of the Council to make the right decision.”

“Obi-Wan will convince them.” He said it so confidently that Ahsoka believed him. He had never lied to her or hidden his thoughts. After her return to the Order, he had strived with her to find the peace that she needed to feel at home again. He had been the one to suggest her new robes. Still unconventional, some Jedi found black to be a troublesome color for a Jedi, but they reminded her of Anakin and the clones. The bodysuit had been specifically modified for her from one that the 501st had donated when the subject came up in their presence. Maybe the Council had betrayed her, but Anakin and the clones had always stood up for her. Even outside of the 501st. She had received apologies from Fox and Wolffe, though while she was sure that Wolffe’s was genuine, her own apology to him certainly was, she had a feeling that Rex had contributed to Fox’s. Or perhaps Cody, who was the man’s batchmate and the only clone officer in her immediate circle that had acted like nothing had changed between them. Maybe it hadn’t. He’d never hunted her down like the others. Though she had seen him try to deck Fox once at a military dinner after she had been restored as a padawan. That had also been the only time she’d seen Rex drink, and she wondered if the events were related.

“Of course, Master.” She followed Anakin and Admiral Yularen out of the briefing room and onto the bridge of the Venator. While the men discussed the battle and what lay in store for them, she walked over to the windows and watched the parade of gunships returning to the cruisers. One stream returning to her cruiser carrying the 501st, the other stream returning to the cruiser beside them carrying the 212th. She stayed at the window even after the lines of ships had ended, turning her gaze down to the planet below and letting her mind wander.

“How are you feeling, Commander?” Rex. She hadn’t noticed his arrival on the bridge, but she was certain he’d been there long enough to know what was being discussed. She could tell him that she was doing fine, even well, but he would’ve known that it was a lie. He’d told her once that the tips of her lekku twitched when she was lying. She didn’t believe him anymore. When she was younger, she’d try to hide her lekku when she was about to lie to him. She’d been awed at how Rex always seemed to know anyways, and a little ashamed when she realized why later. She’d move on from that now to believe that he just always knew. Maybe Jango Fett had been a mind-reader, more likely it was the Force. While the clones were not Force users, there had been many times where Ahsoka was sure that they were at least sensitive to it; knowing a brother had been hurt or died, beginning to execute orders before the command was given, the way Rex always knew when she was hurting.

“I feel uncertain, Rex. Why would Maul emerge from hiding now? And if the Jedi Council doesn’t approve an attack against him, what will he do? He must have a plan.”

Rex sighed. “I don’t have the answers, sir. But I believe that we will find out soon.”

“What do you mean?” Rex turned towards the back of the bridge and Ahsoka looked just in time to see the closed doors open to reveal a satisfied Obi-Wan.

“The attack on Mandalore has been approved.” Obi-Wan had just paused for a breath when a clone shot up from the command console.

“Sir! Grievous is attacking the capitol, he’s attacking Coruscant. General Shaak Ti is being dispatched to protect the Chancellor, but they need reinforcements!”

“How long until we can be there?” Anakin moved onto the command walkway to look down into the pits of the bridge.

“Within the hour, sir.” Another clone.

Anakin turned back to Obi-Wan. “You go to Mandalore, we’ll take care of Grievous. With any luck, this will all be over soon, and we can join you.”

Obi-Wan shook his head almost imperceptibly. “There’s no such thing as luck.”

“Good thing I taught Ahsoka better.”

Obi-Wan smiled and turned to depart.

“Obi-Wan.” Anakin called after him. Obi-Wan stopped and looked back. “May the Force be with you.”

“Goodbye, old friend. May the Force be with you.” And with that, Obi-Wan departed the bridge.

“Admiral Yularen, set a course for Coruscant. We leave as soon as Obi-Wan’s shuttle is clear.” Anakin walked to the end of the walkway to stand beside Ahsoka and Rex. All too soon, the stars outside the transparisteel began to blur as they entered hyperspace.

---

An hour later, two starfighters streaked over Coruscant. One yellow-grey, the other maroon-white. Only two, but two was enough. They dodged in and out of the debris, taking out a number of Buzz droids and Vulture droids, before coming to a stop in the hanger bay of the Invisible Hand.

In Coruscant’s atmosphere, gunships would bring the jetpack troopers of the 501st to the aid of citizens floundering in the aftermath of the attack and the weakened Coruscant Guard. Captain Rex would lead the effort to destroy all remaining droids as Commander Fox dealt with the civilian casualties.

Far away from Coruscant, a Venator pulled out of hyperspace over Mandalore. The hanger bay doors slide open, and gunships carrying the 212th Attack Battalion swarmed out of the ship towards the planet.

The end of the Clone Wars had begun.

#commander cody #captain rex #ahsoka tano #anakin skywalker #obi-wan kenobi #my fics #age of heroes fic

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37-children-of-the-dreams · 3 years

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Day #21: Woman Like Me

Fennec has been a badass in the Mandalorian, and we know she’ll be there in the Bad Batch being a badass. But, Fennec is also a good person because she saved a Twi’lek slave girl without any hesitation or getting back a favor, and also she’s loyal to Boba and likes helping him. Dave, give us some heartwarming Fennec-centric episodes!

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“I placed some snacks in both your bags,” Korkie said.

“Thank you for reminding me,” Fennec said. “Now I definitely know I won’t die of hunger.”

Fennec looked at Crosshair as the clone prepared to exit. The preparations for the next job was full of Crosshair reminding her of the weapons they needed to use and the disguises they have to wear. Crosshair wore the plainest black shirt and pants while Fennec wore the gift Korkie gave to her. Considering the planet felt bougie to Fennec from the sight alone, she thought it would be a great disguise.

“Don’t forget to protect the ship,” Crosshair told Korkie. “I don’t care if the ship uses DNA for complete control over the panels, I don’t trust anyone here.”

“What a surprise,” Fennec mumbled as she went next to Crosshair.

If Crosshair noticed her sarcasm, he didn’t say anything. Crosshair opened the door and the were instantly met with loud sounds and bright lights. The hanger they rented was way to close to the more ‘party’ district of the city. Fennec looked that Crosshair as he descent from the ship. The hanger’s main manager was fast sleep and they didn’t even bother waking him up. It was a waste of time anyway because they already had Korkie protecting the ship.

Outside the hanger the city burst more into life as Fennec can smell the intense amount of credits in the air. She saw women being paraded with jewelry and old men walking next to them. Fennec smelt the harsh perfume as vendors threw the smell into the wind. Even children seemed to be rather content with life since they all had a snack.

Yet, Fennec knows this was all an illusion. She and Crosshair were simply at the richer part of the city like their last job. She knows the instant she’s out of the main part of the city, it’s all poverty and death. Fennec never understood the idea that some parts of a city could be like that. Even when she was a child, she was questioning why she was poor when there were rich people near her home. Fennec blames whoever was in control of the place, but she can’t really make a huge change. She knows someone worse than their predecessor can come to rule, and Fennec didn't want to be the one to destroy a child’s innocent life.

“You look sad,” Crosshair stated.

“Has the fact that you’ve been hanging around Korkie made you know when a person’s sad?” Fennec asked.

“Kind of, but Fennec, you actually look like you’re going to kill someone the instant I look away. And let’s not forget, we haven’t gotten a puck or a fob yet.”

“I hate the smell of high end perfume. It reminds me of the things I never had as a child.”

“Well, I can’t help with the childhood because that has pass, but if we can have fun, will that make you move on from what you never got?”

“Not really. I like the idea, but I know I can have whatever I want now, which meant the suffering was worth the wait.”

Crosshair scoffs. He wanted to push Fennec into a stall and see the horrified reaction, but he wouldn’t do it. Those were reserved for his estranged brothers, and Fennec was not a brother. Fennec was a sister.

An unfortunate surrogate sister that Korkie and Crosshair had unofficially adopted.

Crosshair took a toothpick from the pack he brought and put it in his mouth. He’s never had a sister before, and every clone knows there is no female clone of Jango in Kamino. They never existed and Crosshair felt that if they did existed, the Kaminoans would for sure have them disposed. A female clone in a city filled with male clones from a male Mandalorian? The Kaminnoans would literally see that clone like they used to see Crosshair, an anomaly that needed to be destroyed.

So Fennec is truly Crosshair’s only sister in his eyes. Which is a huge thing because Crosshair really hates being close to anyone he doesn’t trust. It did took some time to warm up to Korkie and like him, Fennec was another he warmed up too.

“You think it’s okay to find a job in that casino?” Fennec asked.

She pointed to what appeared to be the third largest building on the holo-map she brought with her. Fennec did ask Korkie about the casino she was looking at because of the size and fame it had. Korkie told her it was not just a casino, but a hotel for celebs and their pets. Fennec was eager for the job, but now seeing how close they were getting, she didn't know how to act.

“You have a dress made from beskar,” Crosshair said. “That place doesn’t allow blaster. We’ll be fine. Besides, it’s just celeb with their spoiled pets.”

Entering the casino, Fennec and Crosshair were met with questions about their IDs. Crosshair always had a fake id with him and Fennec had her childhood IDs. The guards were dumb enough to take the fake IDs and let them in. Crosshair said another code for them being mercenaries and were led to a large room. But, instead of a man with multiple escorts, there was a human woman in red waiting for them.

“I don’t care how you got my number,” she said. “But I do need your help.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Fennec said.

“I lost my dog. That dog is too important to my life, and if my husband can’t see that dog... I will die.”

“Bad marriage?” Crosshair inquired.

“That was an arrangement. Get the dog, and you get the money.”

“It there a picture, or a puck for the dog?”

“I have it, but you can’t show it to anyone.”

The woman threw Fennec the puck and Fennec caught it. Fennec was starting to hate people who just threw puck to their mercenaries. They were the ones doing the heavy lifting, but in the providers’ mind, they were just replaceable people. Fennec and Crosshair left the casino and began to look around their area of the city. Crosshair went one way as Fennec went another direction to cover ground.

“If I was a dog,” Fennec said. “Who’s only life is being a bargain chip, where would I be?”

Fennec looked around to find a food stall. People love food and dogs love attention. The dog could be there for the attention they were never given. Fennec ran around the place for a food stall and found a night market filled with people looking for a night snack. Fennec looked through the stalls and found the dog.

They looked scared and dirty. They were begging for food and got the leftovers when the stall people were pitying them. Fennec told a comm and called Crosshair.

“The dog’s at the food stalls,” she answered. “It looks dirty and needs a bath.”

“Great,” Crosshair groaned. “Just get the dog and we’ll leave the bath to Korkie.”

“He only raised birds.”

“What’s the difference? They’re both animals.”

Fennec shook her head as she ended the call. She approached the dog and took out Korkie’s snack to give them a treat. The dog saw Fennec and ran to her with happiness. Fennec knows the dog had a bad life, but they were to take the dog back to its owners.

“Toto likes you,” a stall woman said.

“Toto?” she asked.

“My name for the stray dog. He comes here for food and pets. We all like him because he keeps the pest away.”

“Well, Toto is actually a pet. He just loves to run away. I’m here to take him back to his owners.”

“Well then. Toto, you have been a good boy, I will miss you so much. I think everyone else will too.”

Toto whimpered and Fennec forced herself to look happy. Toto, if it was the dog’s actual name, had a loving relationship with the people in the food stalls. Fennec took away Toto and located Crosshair. The walk to the hanger was sad because of Toto’s cries, but they had a job to do.

At the hanger, they saw the woman and Korkie having a tan. Korkie was rather annoyed, but he kept talking to the woman as Crosshair and Fennec entered. Korkie waved at the two and the woman turned to see her dog dirty.

“What did you do to Joffer?” the woman shrieked.

Fennec felt really bad for the dog again. It’s real name was horrible. The woman ran to the dog and tried to get him to lick her, but he wasn’t having ti and just whined.

“Why she here?” Fennec asked.

“She stated that you took too long,” Korkie grumbled. “I had to argue with her that it was her fault. She lost a dog in a city, what did she expect?”

“As long as we get our money,” Crosshair said. “We leave.”

“Leave?” the woman howled. “No! You dirtied my dog and I can’t be seen with a dirty dog.”

“So what do you want to do about it?” Korkie screamed.

The woman took a step back. “I need a good alibi. You need to look like a couple that I met.”

Fennec stepped next to her. “I’m sorry, but I’m an independent woman. I won’t be with a man.”

The woman gasped. “Then you won’t get the money!”

“No, we will,” Crosshair said.

“We’ll be your couple,” Korkie stated pointing the two of them.

The woman looked pale as Toto whined. Fennec smiled at her discomfort.

“You have no choice in the matter,” Fennec said. “We’ll have evidence of what happened and you can’t stop us.”

The woman weeped at the idea. Fennec high-fives her brothers as the woman began another round of whining. Fennec can’t wait to see her brothers’ plan.

#korkie kryze #korkie kenobi #crosshair #clone trooper crosshair #korkie x crosshair #fennec shand #the bad batch #star wars

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luminousbeansarewe · 4 years

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wandering stars

ch 14: legacy lost

pairings: none || rating: teen || characters: original characters, original clone trooper characters, b’arin apma

tags: apma acting like clones are less than people >:(

chapter list

tagged: @yourbitchystudentartist @lordimperius (message me or reply if you’d like to be tagged!)

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Kamino, Tipoca City, Clone Military Education Complex, 22BBY

In his usual impassive way, Sergeant B’arin Apma regarded the commandos as they lined up before him, at attention in their new Katarn-class commando armor with helmets under their left arms. It always amused him somewhat that this group had ended up with one clone who was much taller than the others, and the Jedi’s ward, who was visibly shorter than them. It made the team look a little ragtag, perhaps, but he didn’t mind. Training such a unique squad was one for his resume, assuming he ever needed a resume again.

Sol Tannor was certainly a unique cadet, and he suspected that was more true than she let on.

“Cronos Squad,” he said, “you’ve done remarkably well today. In fact, you’ve improved significantly in the past five months. While you all came into your final year of training with powerful skillsets, you lacked the teamwork you needed to become true commandos.” He eyed them from under his visor. He made them remove their helmets during these little assessments, because watching their faces was ever helpful in spotting problems before they arose. “But it appears you’ve taken my lesson of brotherhood to heart. I urge you to continue to do so, for that will serve you on the battlefield in ways no fighting skill can. You will be called upon to do impossible things, because you are the last of the Alpha-class ARC troopers. Your predecessors already have done them.”

Their faces were gazing dead ahead, but he could see the barest flush of pride in their cheeks. Perhaps the ordinary clones would have been dissuaded from developing such an emotion, but Mandalorians took pride in their skill, and their heritage. He knew that was what made them formidable. So, he gave the commandos a heritage of their own.

“Kandosii, troopers. Dismissed.” Their shoulders all fell lax, and they turned almost as one towards the exit to the training hall. “Tannor,” Apma added quickly, stopping the young woman in her tracks. Curiously, the clones stopped with her. “Remain here for a moment.”

They all looked at each other, but Tannor nodded to her teammates and turned back towards the Sergeant. The others shuffled out, the door sliding shut behind them.

“Sir,” she said as she approached, standing at attention once more. He noticed that she looked him in the eye, or did her best to with his helmet obscuring them. Clones were trained not to do so, even commandos, at least not to their training sergeants.

“You were brought here by the Jedi, correct?” Apma asked. Confusion flickered over her face, but she remained composed.

“Yes, sir.”

“And they trained you as well?”

“Yes sir.”

“How long were you with them on Coruscant?”

“Two years, sir.”

“Did they train you for battle?”

“No, sir. They trained me to become a member of the Temple Guard.” She couldn’t see him raise an eyebrow under his helmet.

“Oh? And you rejected that assignment?”

“No, sir. I was not offered it at the end of my training.”

Now that was curious. “Why?”

“I don’t think I was well-suited to the job, sir. I’ve utilized my training much better here.”

“And did they teach you their Jetii magic?” he asked, and watched her golden eyes narrow slightly.

“I am not adept with that skillset, sir,” she replied rather crisply.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

She was beginning to bristle, but it was not a cowardly withdrawal. “They taught me to manage the few abilities I have regarding the Force.”

The lack of ‘sir’ may have been intentional, or it may not have. Either way, he was too delighted to feign offense as an officer usually would. “A Force-sensitive Mandalorian, training with a batch of clone commandos. Will wonders never cease?”

“Excuse me?” Now she was frowning, and her posture had fallen far from its obligatory stance. The subtle forward jut of her torso and slightly wider plant of her feet were hallmarks of a predatory nature, one that was taught to fight from birth.

“Let’s not lie to one another, verd’ika,” Apma said coolly. “I’ve suspected your lineage for some time. How did the Jetiise get ahold of a Mandalorian child?”

“I’m not a Mandalorian,” she said, and there was a sharpened end to her words accompanied by a fierce scowl.

“Now, don’t—”

“Moreover, none of my past is relevant to my training here,” she added, cutting him off.

“Only a Mando would show his teeth to his pack leader,” the sergeant said. “You have all the tells of a warrior. And don’t think I’ve missed your knowledge of Mando’a, either.”

“Why are you so concerned about me?”

“Because, Tannor,” he began, “You aren’t a clone. You aren’t a copy of a Mandalorian, watered down and bred out of its true ferocity. Even these commandos, who were bred without dulling their independence, are still crafted to be less powerful than their template. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be with my fellow warriors, to watch them in combat. The clones follow you because you are their natural leader. They have finally accepted this.” He paused, watched her face just barely shift uneasily. “Which begs the question of why you are here at all. Have the Jetiise subdued you, tricked you into swearing loyalty to their cause?”

“I haven’t been tricked into anything,” she nearly snarled.

“Then you chose to come here? To be treated as lesser than you are? To serve the Republic without question?” For the first time since their conversation had begun, she hesitated. But then her eyes narrowed, golden gaze going razor-sharp.

“You’re here training these soldiers, Sergeant Apma,” she said, her voice steadying. “Are you not loyal to the Republic? Because it sounds like you’re asking me to question my own loyalty.”

“I serve the Republic because they pay me,” he replied. “I serve the true Mandalore because that is the way of my people. I am simply asking if you do the same.”

Her expression fell to one of hardness and something akin to disappointment. “I am dar’manda, like my father before me. After Clan Vizsla murdered my mother and assumed control of the Kyr’tsad, he renounced his heritage, destroyed his armor, and left Mandalorian space. I was five years old. So no,” she said in a venomous tone, “I do not serve the true Mandalore. Nor the false one, whatever that is. I serve the Republic, and I serve these men.”

In the wake of such an unexpected truth, Apma found himself momentarily speechless. It had been countless years, as far as he knew, since any of his people had disavowed the entirety of their culture. Sure, there were factions among the Mando. He knew of the Kyr’tsad, the Death Watch, and some of his fellow Protectorate had joined their ranks years ago. But he was long divested in the squabbles between the systems of the Mandalorian sector. By passing on the teachings of his people via these troopers, he was doing far better work than picking fights with his neighbors. He, like Jango Fett and so many others who answered his call, was going rogue to honor the truth of his heritage.

This girl, this child, was spitting on everything sacred to him with her words. He should have been furious. But he wasn’t, not yet at least.

“I see,” he murmured, letting her story sink in. She only stood before him, every muscle tense as though she might jump at him at any moment.

“Are there any more inappropriately personal questions you intend to ask me, sir?” she said after a few moments. It seemed that a certain amount of anger was at her quick disposal, he thought. It was still in her voice, underlining precisely what she thought he needed to know.

“No,” he said. “No, I believe that will be all. You’re dismissed, cadet.” Almost instantly, she spun on her heel and marched out of the training hall through the sliding doors. B’arin Apma only stood quietly, turning over each thought in his mind.

Perhaps she deserved to be among lesser beings. But it also occurred to him that she might simply need to be pushed to her limit, in order to realize her true potential.

#swtcw fanfic #star wars fanfic #mandalorian #clone trooper ocs #my ocs #cronos squad #b'arin apma

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hippie-spirits-bard · 4 years

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Theory on light/dark dynamic in the new movie

First: SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Okay, this gonna be a long one so bear with me. DISCLAIMER: I have seen the movies and the series and read some of the legends. If my logic and some of my information is flawed, I am sorry, I am a fan but not that hardcore and humans do mistakes. Feel free to correct me and share your theories but do not come at me.

Let’s talk about the mortis gods. For those who don’t know the mortis gods are beings of force, the Father is the force, the Daughter is the light side of the force and the Son is the dark side of the force. The Father keeps the force balanced. Well, long story short Ashoka, Obi and Anakin came to the mortis gods’ planet, Daughter and Son fought, all of the mortis gods end up dead. The Father tells Anakin that he must bring balance to the force.

Anakin was the chosen one but my theory is that he was a representative of the Father. He was supposed to walk the middle path and keep both jedi and sith in balance with each other. But he was nicked by the Jedi and shoved into a light side role, maybe if Qui-Gon have guided him he would have been more neutral. There is more evidence that supports Anakin’s neutrality,like the fact that he spent half of life with the light and half with the dark side, just look at his age. I think the Jedi might have been too powerful and that caused an imbalance in the force. If you look at light/dark dynamics in eastern religion (which star wars is inspired from) and in eastern media(Kingdom Hearts for example), you’ll see that light and dark need each other to exist, a bright light casts a long shadow, there is light in darkness and darkness in light, they need each other to be kept in check, I could go on but you get the idea. It makes sense why the jedi fell, they grew too powerful and nicked the chosen one and tried to eliminate the sith permanently. Of course they would also see the whole ‘bring balance to the force’ as light winning and taking it all, we know that the Daughter and the Son wanted to be on top of each other. But the dark side used this imbalance and tipped the scales in their favor, switching from a light controlled galaxy to a dark controlled galaxy.

I think Luke is the Daughter’s chosen one as the force needed to be brought back to the light. If you look at it it makes sense. The sith knew about Anakin and not Luke, why? Because Anakin was connected to the both side, Luke only to the light. Yoda was contacted by Qui-Gon and light side creatures to teach him how to become a force ghost and tell them that there is another chosen one. Crazily enough, I think Luke’s destiny wasn’t supposed to be with the light. Anakin was supposed to be the Father, Leia the Daughter and Luke the Son. I mean, in legends Leia is not once corrupted by the dark side compared to her brother, probably because her strong connection to the light side. But, I think the Force changed plans cause Anakin fucked up, and they switched Luke to the light side since his destiny with the dark side might have turned him into a very powerful sith and that is not what the force wanted while Anakin was still running around with Palpatine. Leia was never presented by the force as a chosen one probably because they didn’t want her to be used as a tool of the light side. I mean having 2 powerful light side jedi might have caused imbalance again. But her connection to the light side still made her powerful. I mean she was a prodigy, a general, a jedi, an incredible diplomat and so on.

Okay, now finally let’s talk about the last movie. I think the force decided to rectify their mistakes and instead of choosing a person to balance both sides they picked one for each side and let them balance each other. I think they picked them in the second movie. As Luke was closing to death they chose Rey to carry the light mantel and they chose Ben Solo to be the dark side chosen one. This is why they were so connected. They were supposed to balance each other out, one light one darkness, trapped in an eternal dance. If you look at the Daughter and the Son, while they were trying to best each other they loved each other dearly, not in a romantic way obviously. Since Rey and Ben weren’t related their love was able to be romantic. I think Ben didn’t necessarily switched to the light, I think he just knew his destiny and what he had to do. Also, if he truly switched than Rey would have eventually switched to dark to keep the balance. I think the reason they were both called to the other side was that if one made a switch the other can be pulled by the force into the other side as well, keeping balance. This is why the vision of Rey joining the dark side kept coming because Ben was in the risk of coming back to the light. You could also blame the call on bloodlines and that the roles were supposed to be reversed.

I think Ben’s death was okay, it was sad but made sense. Yes, you can booo me for this. Firstly, he wanted to follow in Darth Vader’s footsteps, well he nailed it, honestly. Secondly, you all dream of Rey and Kylo happy on a planet as the galaxy is balanced again, well that will most definitely not happen if Ben was alive. The resistance will arrest and persecute everyone affiliated with the First Order and send bounty hunters after those they can’t capture. Do you think Ben will be forgiven? After all his crimes and with his body count? Of course not! Either he and Rey will be on the run forever or she will have to bring him back and see him persecuted. I am also very happy that my ship is cannon.

Coming back to my light/dark theory and how they are the light and the side of things always in balance. I think there is a chance that Ben realized that if he turns to the light side, Rey would have been pulled to the dark side. So he either never turned to the light side and just decided to help Rey and his parents cause he wanted to, I mean being a sith doesn’t mean you can’t love or care, or he turned light side and killed himself so Rey won’t have to switch. Ben being secretly alive on the light side or dead on the dark might pose a tad of a problem. If he is dead then Rey is not balanced, which is bad, if he is secretly alive but on the light side, Rey will have to switch.

Now Palpatine. I am pretty sure that Palpatine’s son is his clone, you know the way Boba Fett was Jango Fett’s son. I think Palpatine might be asexual so yeah, don’t see how a child might happen. I think he might be an aberration of the Force, or just became one the same way Abeloth is. He was a dark side user but he wanted to go beyond that. At this point I don’t think he cares which side he uses as long as he is powerful. There is so much evidence that Palpatine stopped being a sith long ago and he is just using the sith and the dark side because they are all his puppets, the light side hates him, and hate, revenge and fear are easier to use to control people than love. Not that he didn’t try to use love to control people, in Rebels when he tries to corrupt Ezra he is not mean, he is not playing into Ezra’s fears, no, he loving, having the appearance of a grandpa ready to help Ezra. He knows the value of love but he is in too deep into darkness to efficiently use the light side for his gain. His own ideals also probably align with the dark side better and this is why he uses it. Compared to other sith he isn’t broken, or turned evil or something like that, no he is evil. He knew from young he wanted power and knowledge and did everything to gain it. If the light offered him the a better opportunity than the dark he would have gone with the light. He has better control on his emotions than most jedi, he is calm, composed and knows when to let go. He never fell to the dark side, he just used it for its power. Palpatine was a big collector of jedi and sith knowledge, he dived deep into their magic and ancient forgotten secrets. Further, have you notice how not once in the new movies anyone referred to him as Darth Sidious? Coincidence? I think not! He is not a sith lord anymore, he is just Palpatine. He was playing both Rey and Kylo. He has another 30 back up bodies probably waiting for him, I doubt he is dead. If he is something similar to Abeloth than the only way to defeat him is to lock him away. Another evidence is the Son wanting to destroy everything before it goes to shit. We know the Son and the Daughter could see in the future, what if he saw a person similar to his mother that would continuously seed chaos war and fear in the galaxy. Of course he would think the galaxy should be bombed before another Abeloth appears. So yeah, I think Palpatine is the new Abeloth, after all Abeloth was always defeated by the Son and the Daughter together, so it makes sense their chosen ones now fight the new Abeloth.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed my rant.

TLDR: Palpatine is Abeloth, Anakin is the Father, Rey is the Daughter, Kylo Ren is the Son and Leia and Luke were supposed to be the Son and the Daughter.

#star wars #rise of the skywalker #reylo #kylo ren #ben solo #leia skywalker #luke skywalker #star wars rebels #clone wars #star wars anakin

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galacticnewsnetwork · 6 years

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MANDALORIAN MYSTERIES: FACTIONS OF MANDALORE

Mandalorians are more than just a rag-tag group of warriors and mercenaries, and The Clone Wars series opened the door to an even deeper history of this complex society. Let’s take a look at the Mandalorian factions that have been presented in both Legends and canon stories.

The “Mandalorian Excision” of 738bby decimated Mandalore, and shattered the warrior culture.

Origin of the factions.

The origin of the Mandalorian factions can be traced back to the Jedi-led “Mandalorian Excision” (known by Mandalorians as the “Dral’Han”, or the Annihilation) of 738bby. The Mandalorians’ military and technological prowess had been on a sharp rise since Mandalore the Uniter had brought the society back from the brink of collapse in 1051bby. Following the Ruusaan Reformations in 1000bby, the Republic began to draw itself back together and re-institutionalized the Outer Rim Territories and once again opening up conflict with Mandalorian space. At the start, the Mandalorians were welcomed as a much needed source of stability. Taxing commerce along the Hydian Way and forcing both economic and defensive pacts on bordering sectors proved the Mandalorians were a threat to the Republic. A task force of Jedi-led judicial and sector patrol forces bombarded key planets in Mandalorian space including the capitol of Mandalore, turning parts of these planets into white-sand deserts.

Areas of Mandalore were turned to white-sand desert by Republic bombardment in 728bby.

After the Mandalorian Excision, a new Mandalorian government was formed from Mandalorians who had advocated for peace before the war. Labeled the “New Mandalorians”, this pacifist-led government would fundamentally change Mandalorian society for centuries. Most of the remaining warriors were exiled to the moon of Concordia or settled in different parts of the galaxy, continuing their warrior and clan traditions.

The symbol of the True Mandalorian faction, loyal to the “True Mandalore” and an honorable warrior society.

True Mandalorians

After the Mandalorian Excision, the exiled warrior clans began calling themselves “The Faithful” as a description for following the true warrior traditions. In opposition they labeled the New Mandalorian followers “The Faithless”, to describe that faction’s shunning of the warrior traditions. As the centuries progressed an underlying movement began within “The Faithful” that exploded into open conflict when Jaster Mereel became the “True Mandalore” around 60bby. True Mandalorians rose to power within the warrior clans, believing that Mandalorians should adhere to a code of honor and do battle as honorable mercenaries. This code of honor became known as the “SuperCommando Codex”, and was put in place by Mereel to define and guide the actions of Mandalorian warriors. Mereel realized that to protect the ancient Mandalorian traditions, attempting to conquer the galaxy was not realistic or healthy for the future of his people.

This did not sit well with a portion of The Faithful, and several clans banded together under the leadership of Tor Vizsla to oppose Mereel and his SuperCommando Codex. The ideals and actions of Tor Vizsla would ignite the bloodiest known splintering of the Mandalorian culture, known as the “Mandalorian Civil War”. All three factions would be involved in the civil war, and Death Watch would gain a major victory with the decimation of the True Mandalorians by a Jedi-led task force at the battle of Galidraan in 44bby.

The symbol of Clan Vizsla and Death Watch, those loyal to ancient traditions of Mandalorian conquest.

Death Watch

Opposed to Jaster Mereel’s “SuperCommando Codex”, Tor Vizsla took up the mantle of “Secret Mandalore” to lead Death Watch in his quest to destroy both the True and New Mandalorians. The goal of Death Watch was to return Mandalore to its Old Republic warrior roots of galactic conquest. While the True Mandalorians did not recognize the New Mandalorian government, Death Watch was the only faction violently opposed to both True Mandalorian and New Mandalorian factions.

Death Watch would decimate the True Mandalorian faction (with the aid of Jedi) in 44bby, however the bulk of its core leadership and warriors would be eliminated at the hands of Jango Fett in 42bby. After the defeat of Death Watch and its leader Tor Vizsla, the remaining members went underground. During this time, another member of Clan Vizsla would rise to claim leadership; his name was Pre Vizsla. With Pre at the helm, Death Watch went back to its roots of remaining in the shadows and slowing building up influence among the New Mandalorian population. Pre himself had risen to the role of Governor over the Mandalorian moon Concordia. It was there that he would create secret mining and industrial facilities to rearm Death Watch for its day against the New Mandalorians and their leader Dutchess Satine.

Pre Vizsla would see his dream of a “liberated Mandalore” realized for a very short time however, and would ultimately fall to Darth Maul. This created a schism with Death Watch: Those loyal to Darth Maul’s leadership, and those loyal to the traditional thinking of no outsiders ruling Mandalore.

The New Mandalorians stood for pacifism and neutrality under the leadership of Dutchess Satine.

New Mandalorians

The origins of the New Mandalorian movement can be traced back as far as 1000bby, and the rise of Mandalorian civilization’s strength as a galactic power. While only a small minority at that time, several influential clan leaders saw this rise to power as a prelude to destruction, and urged for a peaceful union with the Republic. Such a union would have made the Mandalorians one of the most influential members of the Republic. The more traditional stance of pro-independence leaders won out, securing the civilization’s downfall.

After the events of 738bby, the Republic turned to these pro-peace Clans to form a new Mandalorian government. These Mandalorians had no love for the Republic, especially after the recent ravaging of the Mandalore sector, but they also knew they had nothing to gain by further opposition to the Republic. Forsaking almost every warrior tradition Mandalorians had followed for generations, the New Mandalorians focused primarily on their advanced technology and becoming part of the Republic. Taking to white-sand deserts left in wake of the Repubic bombardment of 738bby, the New Mandalorians built bio-dome cities of geometrical structures.

Led by Dutchess Satine Kryze, the New Mandalorians rose to prominence within the Council of Neutral Systems who chose to not take sides during the Clone Wars. This left Mandalore open to the depredations of Death Watch, who regularly used terrorist activity to undermine Satine’s government. Death Watch would ultimately gain the upper hand with the help of Darth Maul’s “Shadow Collective”, killing Dutchess Satine and destroying the New Mandalorian government.

Personal thoughts

With Mandalorian Clans spread throughout the galaxy, one can assume that not every Mandalorian was part of the internal conflicts within the civilization. Source material from Legends can be somewhat contradictory in the terms of how much of the Mandalorian sector, and Mandalorians themselves were embroiled in these conflicts.

It’s safe to say that most Mandalorian fans were not happy about the introduction of the “New Mandalorian” pacifists. Many emails and messages were sent my way asking how I felt about it, and I reserved my opinion to see how things played out for Mandalorians in TCW. While the New Mandalorians were a big departure from how fans had come to learn about Mandalorians, it did add a new and fresh dynamic to the story of Mandalorian culture. If anything, in my opinion it only enriched the story.

Legends material describes Mandalorian Protectors as being recruited from Mandalorian Police units.

Looking back at older Legends material, I’ve always wondered about certain stories; For instance, the 200 Mandalorian Protectors were said to have been recruited from police units…but we had never seen Mandalorian Police prior to TCW. Those fans who may become interested in Mandalorian Protectors now have a good idea who those police units were. That’s just a small part of the over-all Mandalorian story, but TCW helped answer old questions and raised new ones. When thinking about all facets of Mandalorian history in Legends and Canon material, it very much mimics the rise and fall of civilizations in our own history.

Sources (Legends):

“The History of the Mandalorians”—Star Wars Insider 80

The New Essential Chronology

The Essential Atlas

The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett

Jango Fett: Open Seasons 1-4

Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel

Imperial Commando: 501st

Sources (Canon):

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – “The Mandalore Plot”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – “Eminence”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – “Shades of Reason”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – “The Lawless”

Tom Hutchens is the founder of the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club. You can follow his antics as “Mandalore the Uniter” on Facebook. Source: StarWars.com By: Tom Hutchens

#star wars #mandalorian #culture #nomadic #warrior #fett #jango #boba #ordo #vizla #mandalore #canon #legends

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mandowords · 6 years

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Let’s talk about the New Mandalorians, True Mandalorians, and the Death Watch for a sec.

Before you run away because I’m about to say good things about Satine, just hear this out ok. You love the Open Seasons comics right? Everyone loves the conflict between the New Mandalorians and The Death Watch right? Well they’re very similar. Also this post is a big mix of Canon and Legends because I like both of it.

I haven’t seen it, but I’m sure someone somewhere has argued who the True Mandalorians really are, a group of Mercenary Mandos trying to revamp the old traditions into new ones, essentially following Kad Ha’rangir’s notion of progression. Or are the New Mandalorians pacifists who want to change their culture into a peaceful one. Again, following Kad Ha’rangir’s notion of progression (I’ll get into why I bring those two mando factions up together in a bit). You can argue that destroying tradition and their culture in the process of becoming a pacifist society is bad, but that isn’t what happens. There are murals all throughout Sundari that remind the people of their heritage.

Even in the building where Satine lives in as the Duchess, there’s reminders of what the Mandalorians once were. And I’d argue that after seeing what we saw in Rebels, the Death Watch aren’t the only ones keeping tradition “alive”. We see a whole lot of other clans fighting alongside the rebels. They couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere. Let’s take Clan Rook as an example. We see them in Rebels, but that clan has been around since the time the SWtor MMO is set in! That clan can’t just reappear out of nowhere and have a full clan behind them. There has to be Mandalorian clans behind the scenes still living their life outside of the influence of the New Mandalorians.

Now let’s take a look at the Death Watch. They’re really into their warrior heritage, and they’ve been portrayed that way for a long time. Like a really long time. I’m sure that Clan Vizsla has been around for way long as a clan, but we’re focusing on Death Watch right now, we’ll get into Vizsla in a bit. The first time we see anything to do with the Death Watch in the timeline is in the Darth Plagueis novel which is set upto 60 years before before the battle of Yavin. And I don’t know what is said exactly so we’re going to jump to what I do know about. The Open Seasons comics. We’re shown very clearly early on that the Death Watch leader, Tor Vizsla, is a kriffing psycho. And I like to think Dave Filoni used this character to mold the personality of his descendant, Pre Vizsla. They’re both hellbent on taking down the True/New Mandalorians, but they go about it in different ways. Tor is, atleast in my eyes, a literal psycho. He’ll do anything to destroy the True Mandalorians. He even says that as his first line of dialogue. “You can’t escape me, Jaster! I’ll burn all your hiding places to the ground ans execute anyone who helps you! And when you have nowhere left to run, I’ll have your head!” He’s freaking crazy. He even follows through with what he says. He and the Death Watch hunt down Jaster Mereel and end up at the Fett farm where he beats up Jango’s dad and threatens to kill Jango himself. Keep in mind that Jango is just a kid at this point. But Pre Vizsla on the other hand is more scheming. He come up with this big plan to pose a threat from a whole lot of crime syndicates so that his group can “fight them off” to be the heroes and rule Mandalore himself, which he ends up doing for a short amount of time. They’re both still crazy Death Watch leaders, they just go about it differently.

So now let’s look at the True Mandalorians. They’re lead by Jaster Mereel and want Mandalorians to become mercenaries. But Tor and the Death Watch are really against that because it’s not what the Mandalorian people are. But wait a second? What happened thousands of years before? Oh yeah, MANDALORIANS WERE MERCENARIES. That was during the KOTOR era. So there’s another sign that Tor is just psycho and doesn’t understand what he’s talking about. But the True Mandalorians actually aren’t very “true” but neither are the Death Watch. Yes, they’re both Mandalorians, but they’re different to what Mandalorians were before their time. Mandalorians used to be warrior tribesman and women who loved their clan like a family and always worked to become stronger. The True Mandalorians want to change, they want to grow like their ancestors did, but they also want motive. They could easily live their life and be a tribe/clan and survive on their own. But there’s no REAL growth if they’re doing the same thing as their ancestors. I believe Jaster wanted the Mandalorians to change with the changing times. If they’re all one big mercenary group, they can all provide for each other like a Mandalorian clan does, but they get challenged regularly. They’re tasked with fighting people’s battles for money, so not only do they get to show off their warrior skills, but they also get some credits on the side so they can survive and become better. It’s the same, but different to what their Mandalorian ancestors did.

Now the New Mandalorians are kind of the same. The times are changing and the time for war is over. But the Death Watch doesn’t want that. They want to fight and to be Mandalorians like their ancestors. Satine wants something NEW that will be good for her people. And what’s better than not being in danger? The New Mandalorians are the same as the True Mandalorians in the sense that they want change. The only thing that connects them is the Death Watch being against them, and I think I have a good analogy for these three factions; History repeats itself. The True Mandalorians are the same as the Mandalorians after the Mandalorian Wars. They became mercenaries. The Death Watch are the same as the Neo Crusaders. They want to fight and they’ll fight anything and anyone without any mercy and would kill a child just for standing in their way. That might be a bit harsh but Tor did threaten to kill a kid... And the Neo Crusaders were extremely violent. And the New Mandalorians are the True Mandalorians, but as I said before, they’re the same because they want change, not because of how they bring it. But the New Mandalorians don’t really fit the ‘history repeats itself’ thing because they bring a WHOLE new kind of change for the Mandalorians.

But in the end, through other factions wanting change, the Death Watch brought change on themselves. They could have easily let it slide and be like a lot of the other Mandalorian clans that we later see in Rebels who weren’t a part of the the battle between these groups. In the end all the groups brought change, but one group was completely psycho...

TBH I don’t really know what I was going for in this post besides a comparison between the three major groups of Mandalorians around the clone wars era. It’s messy and all over the place, but I guess my overall message is that Satine isn’t bad for wanting change like so many people complain about. I’m not going to say that the Death Watch isn’t bad because they certainly are portrayed as the bad guys in everything they’re in. But Mandalorians need change to grow, and that’s just what all three groups did. They changed.

#Mandalore #Mandalorian #Star Wars #canon #legends #Jango Fett #Jaster Mereel #Tor Vizsla #Pre Vizsla #Satine Kryze #True Mandalorians #New Mandalorians #Mandalorians #Death Watch #clan vizsla

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izzyovercoffee · 7 years

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RepComm for the fandom meme

send me a fandom and I’ll — meme

softly, with a lot of feeling: I’ve been waiting for this moment.

lmaoo not really but yes, yes really. I am here and I am ready for this.

Thank you for sending this B’)

Republic Commando

the character i least understand

Karen “What Is Abuse I Don’t Know Her″ Traviss

Ko Sai. I think, for the most part, she was written with very alien motivations, and it was fairly successful, at least in conveying that it was difficult if not impossible to relate with her on any level.

I’m sure if I spent more time thinking and writing about her I could maybe attempt to understand her character … but for the most part I don’t really “get” her, and I think that’s the point.

interactions i enjoyed the most

Mereel and Ordo are endlessly entertaining.

Any of the Nulls together, individually or clusters or all six in one room.

Mereel and Etain have had some very, very touching, emotionally deep moments — the kinds of scenes KT generally doesn’t allow any of her characters to have between two characters that aren’t romantically involved.

tbh this list is gonna be very long so to sum up: everyone with everyone else, when they’re allowed to be individual characters with separate personalities and motivations recognized, instead of twisted into very specific moral representations that KT pushes towards the end.

the character who scares me the most

Walon Vau is reasonably frightening, though really he should be. He is about as cold blooded of a killer as you’re going to get, and he doesn’t make threats, he makes promises. B’)

Plus he’s also very difficult to get into the mental space to write, because he’s a legitimate Bad Person, and trying to write characters like him can be difficult.

it’s also a good idea to maintain a healthy fear of the nulls, if only out of respect of their potential for sudden and extreme violence. They’re not as “unpredictable” as the text says, though.

the character who is mostly like me

mmm … actually, I’m gonna go with Kal. this is probably gonna garner some “whaaat? but you HATE him?”

Yes, I do hate him. but let me list some similarities lmao:

perpetual limp due to a bad ankle and persistent injury that never healed right / properly (partially kept as a constant reminder for a mistake)

short and angry, like all the time

compartmentalize everything and everyone

obsessive about caring for and protecting family, literally does everything for family

extremely secretive, to the point of never telling anyone the full story or full truth, everyone just get bits and pieces that seem complete. no one ever seems to realize this.

self sacrificing to the point of martyrdom, especially for family

these are all pretty negative, but … unlike Kal, I am actually self aware lmao and am working on these things, and have for the most part listened when other people criticize me so that I can continue to work on being better. it’s a daily process, you know, so I don’t hurt the family I care so much about.

Kal starts off terrible, and the writing implies that he might learn from it … but then instead of him learning and growing like everyone needs him to, the narrative instead makes excuses for him, everyone suffers, and Etain dies.

it’s unfortunate bc people like him exist, and you can’t coddle them if you want them to survive life. and yet everyone coddles Kal. Fandom, in general, coddles and makes excuses for abusive men. Full stop.

but like, here’s the thing:

He is a grown man. He is not a child. Don’t treat him like one.

I hate him partially bc the entire fandom excuses his behavior when it is, ultimately, inexcusable. He is not a child. He is a man, who has undertaken a huge group of extremely vulnerable people under his care, and he ultimately hurts them all. Severely. And TBH Kal deserves better than to be coddled and all his boo-boos kissed away by a fandom who says they care about the rest of the clan, but cannot see the sheer world-shattering damage Kal committed on them, regardless of intention.

You can like a character, and still hold them accountable. Fandom, somehow, seems incapable of this level of nuance, especially if they’re a father and shown as sympathetic in any way.

hottest looks character

Mereel, obviously. lmao

No but like, consider: he dyes his hair (and his skin, and his eyes) and has a full wardrobe for all situations.

He’s the (Daniel Craig) James Bond of the Grand Army of the Republic.

But I also headcanon Jilka and Besany to be incredibly fashion forward. Besany usually embodying the Career Professional woman, with very sharp, very perfectly tailored outfits that allow no room for nonsense.

Jilka also perfectly tailored, though her wardrobe is potentially more fun, visually, and incredibly flattering in all the right ways — but still very sharp, and very much professional when necessary.

one thing i dislike about my fave character

Mereel, light of my life, sun of my sky, salve of my wounded and broken heart, peace at the eye of my storm …

why are you like this?

lmao. On a more serious note, I can’t outright say I dislike anything about Mereel, but his inability to share what really goes on in his head with … well, anyone. The only time we see a truthful admittance to weakness is that single moment with Etain, when he admits that he’s still human. That he’s not perfect.

Every other time, and I know I say this a lot, but every other time … he deflects any serious conversation with a joke — and usually a joke that the speaker wants to hear (even if they don’t know they want to hear it). He doesn’t let anyone in, not even his brothers, and that’s … got to be a lonely sort of suffering.

The kind of internalized suffering I’m sure he’s learned from Kal, both in the how to do it, and the reason he does it. bc Kal does internalize a lot of his suffering and doesn’t share it, burying weakness while in the same breath saying that he’s experiencing it and letting it go. He doesn’t, it’s just a different sort of self-delusion and deflection, and Mereel echoes it to a painful degree.

And then, of course, there’s Mereel learning that he needs to do it, bc Kal only accepts a certain kind of visual presence of mental illness and suffering, otherwise the person is “damaged” in some way and will never be “okay” for whatever understanding Kal has given okay. (view, for example, how he sees Ordo vs how he sees Mereel. He sees Mereel as stable, bc Mereel is extroverted, outgoing, and “always positive.” It’s not something intentional, but it’s still damaging, to all parties.)

one thing i like about my hated character

I might hate Kal Skirata, but I also love him. He’s a fantastic character. He is so so so flawed. His flaws make him interesting, and he tries. He tries so hard. He cares so much. He cares too much, even. His dedication and his love for his family are all encompassing, to the point that he can even be blinded to their faults because he loves so strongly.

But that love is a sword. One might even say it’s a triple-edged blade.

Love, as bright and fierce and consuming as it is, does not make someone right. It does not make their actions excusable when it leads to hurt, or even someone dying needlessly. It does not make one’s choices correct.

Love does not excuse abuse. And I really wish fandom would, at the very least, make the attempt to understand that.

a quote or scene that haunts me

Yes, I know how the Kaminoans did it. They used our genes against us, the ones that make us bond with our brothers, make us loyal, make us respect and obey our fathers—that’s what they manipulated to make us more likely to obey orders. They had to remove what made Jango a selfish loner, because that makes a bad infantry soldier, and you can tell from the Alpha ARCs that the Kaminoans weren’t wrong. But there’s one thing I don’t know yet—and that’s how they controlled the aging process. That’s the key. They robbed us of a full life span. But we will not be defeated by time, ner vod.

—ARC Trooper Lieutenant N-7—Mereel—in an encrypted transmission to Captain N-11, Ordo

a death that left me indifferent

mmm, Sev, actually. Like, in the game? I went through the whole grieving process after I finished Republic Commando.

The way it was written? idk. It did nothing for me.

This probably is an unpopular opinion lmao but honestly, that scene? did not hit me anywhere. it just kinda left a bad taste in my mouth … much like Etain’s scene, except that I was actually pissed off about Etain lmao to the point that I still rant about it bc of how little sense it made.

a character i wish died but didn’t

I mean I could go the obvious route and say Kal, but I actually don’t wish Kal died. I just wish he’d learn from his mistakes and people would point out how he’s hurting his family lmao?

who do I actually wish died? any of the nulls, even if they don’t die die. They’re presented as these entirely Untouchable cast, to the point that no one really expect any of the Nulls to so much as get a paper cut — because how can they? they’re presented as close to perfect (obviously not in the mental illness department, but they do inhabit this space of being invincible).

and for any of them, even temporarily, to die would have had incredible emotional impact — moreso than Etain’s. It would’ve really brought home the threat on all their lives in a way that Etain’s death could never convey.

but I’m asking nuance of a writer who clearly overwhelmed herself with a cast much larger than she could handle in writing, and who started all these incredible thematic arcs only to abandon them, forgotten, over the course of the series.

my ship that never sailed

I have a lot of ships, tbh, but it’s kinda like … weird? to talk about? as if I expected them to sail and then they just simply didn’t.

I don’t have any ships that I expected to happen or be recognized and simply didn’t. I mean … Fi read as if closeted, so I was kind of hoping he would maybe realize he was attracted to men, but then of course he was paired off with his caretaker, and my god there are so many consent problems with that.

#ulvdakota #this def deserves the #long post for ts #jeez lmaooo #also thank u again for sending this im always ready to complain about repcomm #yessssss #v: star wars #izzy talks repcomm #memes #meme: send me a fandom #b: Republic Commando

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