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that-sw-writer · 3 months

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Carpe Diem

Summary: Hondo Ohnaka plays matchmaker for his favourite Jedi, much to Obi-Wan's dismay.

Relationship: Obi-Wan x Reader (fem, no use of Y/N)

Notes: this story is more about Hondo being the bane of Obi-Wan's life than it is about the relationship, it's been sat in my drafts for a year so I gave it a swift ending.

Carpe Diem

'Kenobi, why the long face?' Hondo threw himself down beside a disgruntled Obi-Wan, who was nursing a drink in his left hand as he slumped over the table.

'Because it's been two rotations since I heard from the council and I think another night spent here is going to be the death of me.'

'You wound me, Master Jedi. What is there not to like about crash landing on Hondo's turf?' He grinned, throwing an arm around Obi-Wan, who merely grimaced. He didn't hate Hondo, per se. He just found him... exhausting.

'Perhaps the fact that last time I had a prolonged stay here, I was being held hostage by you. Pardon me if I don't trust your sudden sense of hospitality.'

'Bah! Do not cling to the past, Kenobi. I would never sell you out.' Obi-Wan gave him a pointed look. 'What? It would not be profitable to bring the Separatists here. The Republic, on the other hand, will pay handsomely for your stay.'

'Mm, quite.' Too tired to argue, Obi-Wan returned to sulking into his drink. He had been sure to pour his own drinks whilst in Hondo and his pirates' company; especially after last time.

'Jedi... so boring.' Hondo flapped his arms in his usual theatrical manner as he went off to bother somebody else. A long sigh left Obi-Wan's lips as he drained the contents of his glass. Maker, he must have looked so miserable. The council had assured him that a pickup was imminent, but the nature of war meant that plans were always subject to delays. He knew they were coming for him, he just didn't know when. Not to mention that he wasn't sure how much more of Hondo's babbling he could take. But, he knew he had to remain calm. The Council would be sending someone to collect him and, provided he remained unharmed, Hondo would likely receive his credits as compensation. It was just his luck that he would crash on Florrum. All these pirates did was drink, thieve, drink some more, and create more noise than Obi-Wan had ever thought possible. He had barely slept a wink for the past few nights. If the noise wasn't bad enough, Hondo's "guest quarters," as he had called them, were just a repurposed cell. Obi-Wan had decided that he would never complain about the hard beds aboard Jedi cruisers again.

After too long spent wallowing in his self-pity, he decided to retire for the night and meditate in the privacy of his "guest quarters." What caught his attention before he could leave the room was a voice he didn't recognise, one that stood out from the crowd. Whoever this was, they were yelling at one of Hondo's men in a Coruscanti accent similar to his own.

'Be a thieving pirate all you like, but do not test me. Give me my credits, or you won't make it to the end of that drink.' As Obi-Wan approached, he saw a blaster being pointed at one of Hondo's right-hand men. The woman behind it appeared to be very calm. Despite her cutting words, her tone remained level - something about her demeanour made Obi-Wan believe that she meant her threat.

'I'm not payin' for a job that didn't get completed.' The pirate slurred, his drink sloshing over the brim of his glass as he threw his arms up in protest.

'Are you trying to scam me, or are you just plain stupid?' Perhaps emphasising her point, she tapped the pirate's forehead with the barrel of her blaster. He was about to respond and escalate the situation even more, but Obi-Wan stepped in before he could. He knew it was none of his business, but it was his natural instinct as a Jedi to help.

'I'd assume he's both.' With the same calm tone as hers, but lacking the vicious edge, Obi-Wan caught the woman's attention. She glanced at him, whilst her blaster remained pointed at the pirate. Her eyes scanned him up and down, doing a double-take.

'A Jedi... on Florrum?' Her brow furrowed.

'Yes. Although this isn't my first choice of holiday destination, believe me.' His words made the corners of her lips turn up into the smallest of smirks. Obi-Wan felt an uncontrollable desire to smile back at her. It seemed as though his usual composure had abandoned him... perhaps Hondo had encouraged him to have one too many drinks.

'Are drunken pirates not your thing?' She laughed and his heart rate increased. Why? Why did it increase?

'Are they yours?' He nodded his head towards the drunkard at the end of her blaster.

'Don't get clever with me, Jedi-' she was smirking, but her expression dropped when she spotted movement in her peripherals. The pirate she had been arguing with was trying to sneak away from his impending death. Obi-Wan could tell that didn't sit well with this mystery woman. 'And you,' she launched forward, grabbing the pirate by his neck, 'better have those credits in my account by sunrise, otherwise, I'll make you regret ever being born. Am I understood?' Her last sentence was punctuated by her blaster tapping the pirate's temple.

'Yeah, yeah.' He slurred, flapping his arms as he stumbled away. Obi-Wan could sense that the pirate knew her threat was genuine. Her blaster was finally holstered and she turned to face him properly.

'I hope you're not expecting a thank you.' She raised an eyebrow.

'Not at all, I've come to expect very little from the clientele around here.' His reply elicited a short laugh from her.

'Very wise.' Neither of them spoke another word, but neither of them moved away. Obi-Wan could feel the Force poking at him, pointing out an unspoken desire to keep the conversation going. But, he bottled it.

'Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you, but I was just about to retire for the evening.' He couldn't read her expression, but he thought that was probably for the best. He wished he'd forced himself to find something else to talk about; in his head, he could picture Anakin making fun of him. A snarky comment along the lines of: 'veryyy smooth, Master.' sprung to mind.

'Right, you're a Jedi,' she gave a slow nod and a flash of something akin to disappointment crossed her face.

'Meaning?' Rest forgotten, his brow quirked.

'Meaning... you're a Jedi. Lightsaber swinging, righteous, peacekeeper with morals.' Her nose scrunched at the last word.

'And I suppose spending my evening surrounded by immoral, uncivilised criminals doesn't fit that job description.' His eyes widened as he realised the implications of his words, 'not that you're an immoral, uncivilised criminal. I-I mean, you're... you know, you're...' As he continued to stumble over every syllable he tried to utter, she burst into laughter.

'I'm sure I should be flattered by whatever it is that you're trying to insinuate, Master Jedi. But, your first observation was right: I am all of those things, and hanging around people like me doesn't fit your job description.' Every word that left her lips convinced Obi-Wan more and more that she had some kind of Force sensitivity that was causing him to melt on the spot. There she was, admitting to him that she was a criminal - he had already seen her threaten someone at blaster-point. But, something about her was more intoxicating than anything Hondo had offered him to drink. Silence befell the pair of them again, but this time Obi-Wan decided to seize the moment and stop the Anakin-like voice in his head from mocking him.

'I'm sure one more drink before retiring won't hurt. Besides, since I've been here I've found it hard to sleep with all the noise.'

'Yeah, you get used to that.'

'Would you care to join me?' He really felt like he was putting his life on the line here. Dozens of Battle Droids could be standing before him and he wouldn't break a sweat. But, a beautiful bounty hunter and suddenly his resolve was crumbling. She looked somewhat surprised by his invitation, but a smile soon settled on her face.

'Sure, why not? Drinking with a Jedi isn't something you get offered every day.' Obi-Wan nodded in response and glanced to his left, looking for a quieter spot that would keep him away from the prying eyes and ears of pirates. He saw some empty seats at the end of a long table that was littered with Hondo's clientele, all drinking and jeering with one another. The pair of them sat down, but it dawned upon him that he was out of his depth in this setting.

'I, uh- I'm not entirely sure how you get drinks here.' He exhaled a sheepish chuckle, 'usually, I pour my own.'

'And why's that? You don't seem like the bartending type to me.'

'Let's just say that last time Hondo poured me a drink, I woke up in handcuffs.' He grimaced at the memory... handcuffed to Dooku and Anakin no less.

'Handcuffed?' She laughed, 'that was probably just Hondo's idea of a good time.' Normally he would have rolled his eyes at such a comment, but when it came from her he couldn't help but match her laughter.

'Believe me, these circumstances weren't what anybody would describe as a "good time."'

'Maybe where you're from, Master Jedi, but I think you'll find that there are a lot of things we enjoy here that you might... well, arrest us for.'

'Do my eyes deceive me-' A voice cut through the crowd and Obi-Wan willed the ground to swallow him up, '-or is Kenobi still here?' Hondo threw himself down at the table and looked between the pair of them. 'Socialising nonetheless!' He cackled.

'Hondo, do you not have somewhere else you should be?' Obi-Wan hoped he would pick up on the subtle hints in his tone, but who was he kidding? Hondo wouldn't pick up on it if he had outwardly told him to leave him alone with the outlandishly beautiful bounty hunter.

'Somewhere else? You mistake me, Kenobi. I am here to attend to my very esteemed Jedi guest and his-' Hondo's gaze moved to his companion '-new friend.'

'Hondo, always a pleasure.' She greeted him with what Obi-Wan could only describe as a flawless smile. It seemed almost like a reflex - something she had perfected through years of practice.

'Ah! My favourite hunter spending time with my favourite Jedi - what a surprise this is.'

'You should be thanking him, he stopped me from killing one of your crew.' She shot Obi-Wan a smirk. He willed himself to remain composed, especially with Hondo there.

'If he had died, I am sure it would have been deserved,' Hondo flapped his arm in dismissal before throwing it around Obi-Wan's shoulders. He responded to this with a disgruntled expression. 'Of course, this dashing Jedi Master stepped in to save the day. He is, after all, a hero.' Hondo exhaled a whimsical sigh, and Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. He was never this complimentary without an ulterior motive, only he couldn't work out the angle this time.

'I'll drink to that.' Despite Hondo's odd behaviour, she didn't seem to be discouraged.

'But alas, you have no drink,' Hondo shook his head and tutted. 'Kenobi, how could leave your lady-friend sat here practically dying of thirst?'

'I never-' he began to protest, much to his "lady-friend's" amusement.

'-come come, Kenobi. Let us go and fetch the drinks.' Hondo was ushering him out of his seat before he had a chance to process what was happening. He gave a fleeting glance back at the bounty hunter and decided that this was all worth it when he saw the way she laughed. He followed Hondo over to the bar, where hordes of pirates were gathering to get themselves drinks - many of which were sloshing out over the brim of the glasses as they stumbled away.

'What in the stars are you doing, Hondo?' He pinched the bridge of his nose, only speaking once they were out of earshot.

'Me?' He gasped, holding a hand to his chest. 'Why, Kenobi, I am just trying to enjoy an evening with my esteemed guest. How was I supposed to know that you would be socialising with your new friend?' There was a wry tone to his words.

'She's a bounty hunter, Hondo. We aren't friends, per se.'

'Not friends at all it seems. In fact, Hondo would wager that you're more than friends.' He elbowed Obi-Wan, letting out a loud cackle. As Obi-Wan stammered over his words, trying to make up some kind of viable excuse, Hondo leaned over the bar and ordered a round of drinks. When his attention returned to the Jedi, he laughed once again. 'Now now, Kenobi. There is no need for excuses.'

'I'm not making-' he began to huff, but Hondo didn't even register his voice.

'-what you need, Master Jedi, is a pep talk from old Hondo.' With a roll of his eyes, Obi-Wan attempted to interrupt, but Hondo shushed him. 'Kenobi, listen here. What happens on Florrum, stays on Florrum... mostly, anyway.'

'Wise words, as ever.' He snorted.

'Nevertheless! You must seize the day, Kenobi. That,' he gestured to the striking woman who now sat alone at the table, 'is one of the best bounty hunters in the outer rim. You would be a fool to let her pass you by.'

'You never do anything without an angle. You always have something to gain, I just can't work out what it is this time.'

'This is true, this true.' Hondo tutted, shaking his head, 'but can't old Hondo do something for an old Jedi friend out of the kindness of his own heart, just once?'

'No, you can't.' Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow as a momentary pause.

'Pish posh, Master Jedi.' Hondo threw himself to grab the tray of drinks when it arrived. 'I just want you to have a pleasant stay. Besides, if the Jedi council do ever arrive to collect you, I'm sure they'd be willing to heavily compensate such a... generous host.'

'So you mentioned.' If Obi-Wan had a credit for every time Hondo hinted at the Republic paying for his stay, he'd have enough for early retirement.

'Come along now, you can't keep a bounty hunter waiting.' With that, he shoved the tray of drinks into Obi-Wan's hands and pushed him back towards the table. As they approached, his companion's face lit up and he swore he had never seen anything that beautiful in his life. 'How generous of Kenobi to buy all of the drinks,' Hondo announced unnecessarily loudly.

'Did he now?' He could tell that she understood Hondo's angle but must have found it amusing enough to play along.

'I told him that as his host, I would pay. But, he has insisted on giving me the credits back, didn't you, Kenobi.' A hand outstretched in Obi-Wan's direction and he raised an eyebrow.

'Really?' He knew there was no point in arguing. With a roll of his eyes, he tossed a few credits into Hondo's palm. Any excuse to make money...

'You see that? Generous.' Hondo threw himself down beside the woman, opposite Obi-Wan.

'Hm, well that is the Jedi way, is it not?' She smirked over at him.

'I'm sure being generous isn't just limited to Jedi.' He chuckled, taking a long sip of his drink. Over the rim of the glass, he could see Hondo staring at him, as if he was expecting him to say something else.

'It is in this place, trust me.' She laughed, but he noticed that she was eyeing up his silent exchange with Hondo. After a beat of silence, she exclaimed, 'Kriff, is that a fight over there?' She pointed over Hondo's shoulder and he immediately whipped around, 'shame nobody's taking bets.' She tutted and Obi-Wan had to drink again to hide a laugh at the pirate's expense. Hondo scrambled to his feet and cleared his throat.

'Alas, I have another business venture to pursue. Remember Kenobi, seize the day.' He yelled, before scurrying off. Obi-Wan put his head in his hands and groaned.

'I think I'm in your debt for that.' He withdrew his hands and drank the remainder of his drink at a faster pace than he would usually deem appropriate.

'I'm sure we can find a way for you to repay me.' Her tone, combined with the words, had Obi-Wan's composure turning to dust.

'What do you have in mind?' He hadn't intended for his tone to sound as flirtatious as it did

'That depends, how attached are you to those Jedi morals of yours?' She paused, 'no pun intended.' Obi-Wan was slightly taken aback - was the forbidding of attachment that well-documented? Even if it were, why did he care that she knew about it?

'I'm not one to question my morals, but the definition of attachment is... somewhat flexible.' He was losing himself in the thought of it; stranded with pirates, a bounty hunter who seemed as intelligent and dangerous as she did gorgeous, and a desire bubbling up that he hadn't felt in as long as he could remember. Was the attitude of the pirates rubbing off on him, or had he had too much to drink? Either way, he really wanted to kiss her.

'It's funny how spending time surrounded by... how did you put it? Immoral, uncivilised criminals can change a man.' Her teasing statement was accompanied by a sip of her drink, her gaze never leaving his from the rim of the glass. When she lowered her glass she took a bold step towards him, 'define flexible.' She smirked, and Obi-Wan thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest with the speed it was beating.

Maker, it wasn't as though he was going to marry her. He had heard tales of Jedi bending the rules in far more serious ways. For liquid courage, he drew his head far enough away from her to empty the remainder of his drink. 'Do you want the dictionary definition, or the metaphorical one?' Having regained some of his wit, he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

'You talk too much, Jedi.' She laughed, pulling him towards her so their lips would meet in a passionate blaze. He barely had a chance to react, but quickly settled into the kiss. It was safe to say that this was the highlight of his unplanned stay on Florrum - maybe it had even made the trip worthwhile. The pair's lips moved in tandem for a few moments longer before they separated. 'How do you fancy spending the night on my ship tonight? I may even throw in a lift home for you.' Their lips remained close and her voice was low - it was as if it were just the two of them in the room.

'I wouldn't dare decline, I've already seen what happens to those who get on your bad side.' He smirked and the way her face lit up with a laugh had Obi-Wan ready to do anything she wanted him to.

'What was it Hondo said? Seize the day, Master Jedi... meet me in the hanger in five.' Pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, she left his arms and disappeared into the crowd before he could utter another word - something he was struggling to manage. He shook himself off and moved to gather his belongings from the repurposed cell that had been his home for the past few days. This seemed like a win win situation - a night with the bounty hunter and he would be dropped back home.

'Kenobi!' Hondo bellowed across the room causing Obi-Wan to stop in his tracks and take a moment to breathe and centre himself as he prepared for another interaction with the pirate.

'Hondo, I'm afraid I'm retiring for the evening.' He uttered the moment the pair were face to face.

'Tssh, I thought better of you than lying Kenobi.' He tutted, shaking his head in his usual over-dramatic manner. 'Did you think I wasn't watching?'

'I hoped you weren't at least.' He muttered under his breath as Hondo continued his speech.

'Your lady friend is waiting for you, is she not? Now now, I won't keep you long, but it would not be right of me to let you go without giving you some tips-'

'-no no, that absolutely won't be necessary.' Obi-Wan interrupted faster than a pod-race on Tatooine. 'It's like you said Hondo, seize the day, carpe diem, all of that.' He grimaced, giving Hondo a pat on the shoulder as he slid past him and tried to continue his journey.

'Excellent, Kenobi, excellent!' Hondo called after him as he rushed off. 'Just remember, you wouldn't be here without Hondo and his hospitality during a trying time! I expect payment in full Master Jedi, otherwise your next stay will not be so pleasant!'

'Next stay...' Obi-Wan repeated under his breath, rolling his eyes, 'not a chance.' At last free of Hondo's watchful eye, he scurried to gather his belongings and rush to the hanger.

Perhaps, all things considered, crashing on a hostile planet wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to Obi-Wan.

#obi wan kenobi x reader #obi wan x reader #obi wan x you #obi wan kenobi #obi wan fanfiction #hondo ohnaka #hondo being hondo #reader insert #clone wars fanfiction

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catnipaddictt · 26 days

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Work song

wc: 2.7k

series masterlist ⭑ co-creator @memoiich

Entering the office took years off your life. Not only were you tired you were now sweaty and flustered. Moving past the old lady at the front desk you made your way to the elevator. If your day couldn’t get any worse it just did. The elevator wouldn’t open when you pushed the button so you asked the lady at the front desk and she said in a monotone voice “the elevator doesn't work, miss”. You were ready to cry but held it together, went back to the hall and looked around until you saw a big mat green door with a sign “stairs'' so you ran up at 120 km an hour just to get to the office still 2 hours overdue ,swinging the door open completely.

Out of breath you were greeted with the secretary desk and the angry man standing in front of it. Mr Rex, your brain told you quickly. You recognised him from the flyer, he was wearing a blue suit with a matching tie and three gold clips, and well, his face was livid. Pure anger radiated from him “Do you know what this is?” he questioned gesturing to the desk behind it “this is the desk you should have been sitting at by 9 this morning“, “I'm so sorry sir I-“ “I don't need your excuses I need a explanation“ at this point more and more gazes fell on you, “My car broke down mid way, I had to walk the rest of the way here, it took me 30 min, i'm so sorry sir” he let a sign escape past his hardened facade and he spoke way calmer now “well why don't you get to work then, and if you have any questions ask someone other than me, do you understand?“, “yes sir.” The army would have been proud of you. “Just call me Rex” but Rex clearly wasn’t. He walked away from you back to his office and you settled behind your new desk.

You had come from a branch in your hometown so the work wasn’t hard to adjust to. Reading emails, forwarding emails, getting the planning in check. Rex was a busy guy and it was clear that he hadn’t had a secretary in a few weeks, So it took some time to get it all in check, at least an hour…or 3. It also was taking an extra long to finish because you were very very very tired. Your eyes were closing as if they were shutters, then open, then closed, until a hand waved in front of your face. The hand snapped you out of it pretty quickly and you finally heard a voice.

“Hello there, didn’t mean to intrude but you look …sleepy” you looked at the man. He had to be in his late 20’s dressed with a kind smile and matching gentle blue-greenish eyes. Your gaze must have stayed pretty long because he chuckled and handed you a cup. Taking the cup you looked back at him “don’t worry it's just coffee, my name's Obi wan Kenobi, I work over there” he pointed over his shoulder at the now empty desk in front of you. You must have been really tired because you would have noticed the handsome man not 3 metres in front of you. "I'm y/n, I work here now” you pointed at the desk below you “I noticed, you made quite an entrance” he said holding back a snort. “Well yeah, my car broke down and this arrogant mechanic left me at the side of the street and then I had to walk and it's like 50 min at least and then yesterday my neighbour just…” he cuts you off. “Do you have a ride home?” Obi wan asked you partly to stop the word flow. Not having thought that you answered “No, I don't”, “Well Qui Gon and I carpool” he pointed at an older friendly looking gentleman with well kept hair that reached his mid back at the left end of the office, who waved at the two of you. You waved back smiling “ If you wanted to we could give you a lift” he followed up. “I would love that”.

Rex's office door flung open. ”That's my sign to go!” Obi wan said while turning on his heel. Rex walked over to you “Do you have my plans for next week?”, “Yeah it's right here, I planned the meeting with HQ on Wednesday instead of Monday because bail organa is visiting Monday”. “Bail visits quite often so you don't have to worry about his meetings, just make sure to tell Obi wan ”, “Do you want me to move HQ back to Monday?”, “No, I don't need to see fives just yet”. “Okay then this is the final planning”, you say as you hand him the sheet of paper. “That’s perfect, you've been working for a few hours now, why don't you take a break” he said and walked straight back to his office.

Then it dawned on you that you definitely didn’t know the layout of this office at all. After the morning you kind of just sat down and did your job. You looked around confused when Obi wan raised his hand and pointed to a brown door with a little window. While walking to it you looked only to be greeted by the second shit-eating smirk of the day. It also looked strangely familiar. Weird...

You opened the small door and were greeted with the sight of 2 vending machines, a little kitchen and 4 tables that seated four. At one of those tables sat Mr. Jinn eating a fruit bowl and sipping a glass of jawa juice. He waved you over, though it was more of a swipe of the hand than a wave. Sitting in front of him you could now see that he must have been closer to his 40s than his 30s. ”You’re y/n aren't you?” he said, more of a statement rather than a question “Yeah that’s me”. Before you could question why he was so confident in his guess, He answered, “Obi wan told me you would carpool with us” he finished it off with a smile that made the crows feet beneath his eyes appear. “only if it's not a bother of course”, “It’s definitely not a bother, you look like a decent person plus even a indecent person wouldn’t be a bother if they need the help”. You weren’t used to your coworkers being ...well nice . At your last job there was an intern named Axel who couldn’t catch a hint if it gave him a head start. ”Thank you Mr Jinn''. “Just Qui Gon is fine”. Qui Gon had gone back to munching on his fruit bowl, so you had followed his example and started eating your late lunch. It was quite peaceful. Qui Gon was one of those rare people who understood and respected universal silence, without fidgeting under its pressure. But that beloved silence was broken when 3 men stumbled through the door.

One of them was Mr Kenobi but the other 2 you only noticed in the office. The first one sat across from Mr Kenobi. He was a Kiffar and had a golden line across his nose right under his eyes. He was doubled over laughing while holding on to the second man. And a green Nautolan who was laughing even louder than the last. The only one that wasn’t laughing was Mr.Kenobi. He was wearing a sour expression and a noticeable blush covering his face. “Wanna carpool” the Kiffar yelled and bumped his hip with Mr.Kenobi's.

You looked over to Qui Gon who had a ‘disappointed father’ look. He let out a fake cough “uh hum“ at the pure sound of it, the 3 of them looked your way. Fear was the only way to describe the look upon their faces. The Kiffar was the first to snap out of it, “Hey i’m Quinlan Vos and this is Kit Fisto” he pointed to the green Nautolan on his left. ”And this one you already know” he finishes while grabbing Mr.Kenobi by the shoulder. “It's nice to meet the both of you” they both shook your hand.” Mr kenobi i had to tell you that Monday Mr. Organa is visiting” you remembered “Yeah Mr. Kenobi you have a meeting Monday” Quinlan responded with a odd tone to his voice. Mr Kenobi was clearly flustered “I could possibly change the meeting if your nervous “ you said “oh no there is no need I just I'm not used to being called by my last name” he retorted “I thought it was company policy” you said. At your last job they were rather strict on this rule mainly because ‘you're obviously a secretary, you should have some respect’, so it became the norm. ”We generally are a bit more lax when it comes to the rules,” Qui Gon stated. Then Rex walked in looking stressed “Y/n I need you to help me with the meeting for tomorrow now” he said more agitated than angry. You packed up your stuff quite quickly and followed Rex out to his office.

”So what seems to be the problem” you asked as nicely as you could, “I got an email from headquarters and they want to move the meeting from Wednesday to as soon as possible”, “That shouldn’t be a problem, I could probably move it to Monday, as I said before, and move Mr. Organa to Wednesday”. You didn’t know if you should call Mr. Organa Bail. “Can we have the meeting tomorrow?” He retorted “I will have to check with Obi wan since he is currently still working on the deal”. Rex turned around and pushed some numbers into the hologram behind him. “Hello Obi wan , how far away are you with the lettering company deal?” he questioned. “About as far as I could be in 2 days” Obi wan responded. “Well I need it done by tomorrow morning, goodbye”, “wait rex i-” Rex hung up. “That went great ,didn't it?” He said to you while wearing a stressed smile. All you could do was stare at him befuddled.

There was a knock on the office door so you moved to open it. “There's no need to open that” Rex whispered. Another knock came from the door “Rex, I know you’re in there!” Obi wan 's voice came from the other side. “Y/n i'm going to hide behind the door, while you open it” Rex whispered to you in the seriousness of a war commander leading his troops. So you did as you were told. “Obi wan , how can I help you?” you opened the door. “Where is he?” He asked, looking at you. You pointed at the door while saying “Oh Rex isn't here “Obi wan was holding himself back from laughing “Then why don't you go to your desk?” he said while stepping to the side. "I will, good luck finding Rex” you said with a wink.

The rest of the day went quite smoothly. When the end of the day came around people started to leave the building. You were seated near the door so you said a polite goodbye to the people that left. Most people seemed to like it except this one zabrak who made a grunting noise while rolling his yellow eyes. Rude. In the end only Obi wan and Qui Gon were left. You approached Obi wan even though he looked to be focusing on his work. You didn't need to guess why. “Can I help you?”

“I don’t think so, I just need to plan this deal out with Ryloth lettering” he said looking rather desperate at his computer. “I'm a secretary, planning is my job” you answered with a self assured smile. Obi wan looked up from his computer and scooted over a nearby chair. You took the seat “so how may I help you?” You asked him in your secretary's voice. Obi wan gave you a look of panic as he answered, “I need to contact their office but my emails don't go through”. “Is the office still open?”, “I think so”, “okay wait”. You walk over to your desk and get the office holo out. “What's the number?” Obi wan gave you the number and you called it as quickly as you could. A man answered.

”Ryloth lettering, how can I help you this evening?” A monotone voice answered from the other side. “Hey i’m calling from Paper Force, we sadly have to move a meeting from wednesday to tomorrow morning” you told him. "May I ask with whom this supposed meeting is going to be?” Then it dawned on you that you hadn’t asked Obi wan about it so you did the good-old talking a bit away from the phone. “Who is the person for the meeting?” “Orn Free Taa” he whispered back. You told the man on the line his name and the hour for the meeting. “Okay Ms. L/n, the meeting has been moved forward, have a nice evening.” “You too and thanks again”

You closed the holo and Obi wan looked at you hopefully. ”So did it work?” he asked, tired and nervous. “Yes it worked, your meeting is tomorrow morning”. Obi Wan's face lit up immediately. “You’re a lifesaver Y/n” He almost yelled as he pulled you into a hug. “Are you two finally ready to go?” Qui Gon spoke, having walked in mere minutes ago.

Obi wan let go off you and you shifted a bit awkwardly around him to gather your stuff to go home. Obi wan did the same at his desk. You followed Qui Gon to the parking lot. “There she is,” he announced. As you looked past him you saw a half sage green half white Volkswagen minivan. Obi wan opened the door for you and you entered the velvet orange hippy dream that was Qui Gon 's car. “Do you like Radiohead Y/n.” Obi wan asked “I do, why?” “That's all you’re going to hear in this car" he said almost laughingly.

And right he was. 50 min and 1 entire album later you were finally back at the front door of the Alderaan apartments.

The door of ‘Shaggy’ closes with a slam. Shaggy was what Qui Gon called his wagon because “he has character” he stated. Obi wan agreed, the velvet seats had gone through quite a lot. Ever since Obi wan and Qui Gon had met back in college, Shaggy had been by their side. Qui Gon was only 2 years older but took Obi Wan under his wing pretty quickly. Because of this, Qui Gon was fine tuned to Obi Wan’s behaviour and so it began.

“So..” he let the o hang in the air as the music swirled around, “Y/n huh, quite an interesting person.” It might sound like a statement but he wanted an answer. “Yeah she's nice” he was going to talk himself out of this. It definitely wasn’t his fault that Qui Gon had walked in on that moment. He hadn’t even thought of it at the moment but yet here he was. “Do I need to just say it?” Qui Gon asked with a lilt to his voice. “I don’t know what you could be talking about my friend” Obi wan might have been known as ‘the negotiator’ of the office but whatever he was selling Qui Gon wasn't buying it. “Look, i'm not saying you did anything wrong but you know the rules, if you’re willing to break those, so be it” he stated rather gleefully as if he had just sipped the best jawa juice the world had to offer.

Obi wan knew the rules and their consequences. The office headquarters had installed them to make sure the workers would, well, work. The one Qui Gon was referring to was the ‘no work attachments' which was basically a ban on office relationships. “Oh come on Qui Gon , we both know a hug can’t be classified as a relationship” he huffed and mumbled “otherwise you may have had one” he pointed out Qui Gon ’s non-existent love life. Qui Gon burst out laughing “For your information, it's by choice” he said. He parked the car in front of the ‘for sale’ sign in Obi wan ’s front yard. “Now get out of my car, squirt.” “A nice evening to you too” Obi wan yelled back slamming the door. He watched Qui Gon leave with a wave.

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obiwanobi · 1 year

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I was wondering if you had any more always a Sith Anakin goodness 👀 you know, for the prosperity of the universe ✨

I do actually! This has been forgotten in my drafts for months, but here's a short scene (600 words) of Obi-Wan seeing Vaderkin's face for the very first time!

The first time Obi-Wan sees Vader without his helmet is disconcerting.

But, oddly, not in the way Obi-Wan would have thought. Later, he would actually call it an exquisite surprise, perhaps the best one Vader ever sprang on him.

The suit is familiar, and he does recognise the red lightsaber in his mechanical hand. The way Vader moves is still brutal but efficient. But now, instead of a black mask and a silent and imposing presence some of his troops have nightmares about, stands a young man pouting. His curls are stuck to his forehead in a silly way after wearing the helmet for so long, his mouth is pink and full, and he has captivating blue eyes that make Obi-Wan takes a second to realise where his mind is going with that. This really can't be Darth Vader.

Almost too consumed by his thoughts, the man who can't be Vader sways his lightsaber quickly and Obi-Wan barely manages to block it.

"You're slower than usual, Kenobi," he says. Yes, there is that too. Without his modulator, Darth Vader has a lovely voice. Low and soothing, with a charming cadence to his words. Vader shakes his head, and all the wild curls around his face move, catching the sun. Honestly, it's like Vader is doing it on purpose. "I'm very sorry darling," Obi-Wan says before he realises what he's saying. Vader's eyes grow comically round at the endearment. "But it is the first I'm seeing your face, and it is a very distracting sight." Obi-Wan is standing close enough to see realisation dawning on him. The hand not holding his saber comes to his face, touching his cheek, as if checking if Obi-Wan is telling the truth.

Then something that Obi-Wan will think about for years to come happens. Vader starts blushing. He immediately disengages, stepping back so fast that he almost trips. He opens his mouth, splutters a bit, and when Obi-Wan takes a step forward, just to see what will happen, Darth Vader yells "don't!" way too loud for what he's used to. It would be rude to impose like that, so Obi-Wan complies and stops moving. The blush spreads to his ears, and it's a shame that his armour covers him so far up his neck because Obi-Wan has a sudden interest in seeing how far it can go. Vader lets out a fast series of foreign curses under his breath. "You haven't— This isn't—" Obi-Wan tilts his head, and Vader clearly takes that as an insult. "Shut up, I just forgot!" Mortification. From showing his face or what he just said, or both, Obi-Wan can't tell. But the feeling is so clear on his face that Obi-Wan wonders if it's why he wears a mask. It's very difficult to be intimidated by someone who wears their heart on their sleeve like that. "Well, I do prefer it this way. I think I would feel better if one day you manage to fatally wound me and the last thing I see is your face. I would die comforted in the knowledge that at least, death has pretty eyes." Vader looks ready to keel over. "No," he says, as if Obi-Wan said something awful to him. "No, you can't say— just— no!" He steps back again, one hand raised in front of him. "I need to go. Don't— this isn't over, Kenobi, later, I'll get to you later." Obi-Wan has never been more charmed by such awkwardness. He offers Vader his best grin. "Oh, I sure hope you do." Vader's face looks somewhere between dumbstruck and horrified. He doesn't try to pronounce another word, choosing, for once, to flee as fast as possible. If Obi-Wan had known sooner that flowery compliments and a warm tone were the keys to making him lose his bearings, a huge amount of destruction could have been easily avoided. Oh, well. There's always next time.

#yes it's cliché but this is a very self-indulgent AU #I think I planned to make this a 5+1 at first #obikin #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #fics i did write #clem's aus #always a sith anakin au

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notthestarwar · 4 months

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Cody and Boba spn au? 👀👀

Oh my god so I started writing this in November and then totally forgot about it till earlier this week when I saw a spn post 😂 I've just had to hunt down my notes which are spread between docs, the back of a cardboard box, a discord conversation, my friends memory (because I told her about it on a voice call apparently) and a notepad before I could figure out where the hell I was going with this one 😂😂

@thesunlikehoney i know you asked about this one too

OK so it all started with this

Which just felt so Jango to me???

So there are no monsters and Jango had raised his 4 kids to be bounty hunters. Alpha leaves when he's old enough, Rex dies, and eventually Cody gets out too leaving Boba and Jango (imagine boba as Dean here). Fast forward a few years and Cody is living a normal life, living with Alpha, and is very dedicated to his normal person job, all until Boba turns up in the middle of the night, dean style.

He explains that Jango has gone missing on a hunt and it turns out that he and Boba had started hunting force users since Cody left and Cody is like. you what??? thats a big no no. very dangerous. Cody agrees to go with him but only for the weekend, he has to be back on monday for his job interview. they investigate the case and find jango's journal but no jango. cody is like. right. i'm going home now.

but he arrives home to find the place burning with alpha (dead) inside and a calling card from ventress, the force user jango had been tracking. boba tells cody that now ventress is on his tail, he cant stay, or she'll burn down his work and everything else, so cody goes with him to stop ventress so he can return to his normal life.

things pretty much go as per spn s1, with jango leading them on and them following after him thinking they are going to find him anytime. theres lots of arguing between the two of them over jango and rex and their upbringing ect.

obi wan makes an apperance as boba and jango's ex jedi hunting consultant and helps them in the hunt for ventress. obi wan is also cody's ex, and they broke up because of jango who refused to tolerate him (but clearly changed his mind at some point after cody leaving) and then cody doesnt contact him after he leaves jango and boba because he wants to get out of the hunting life.

the whole thing is largely about jango being a shit dad but its also about the knockon effect that had on all of them. cycles of trauma. in some ways ending up like the parent that wronged you and having to confront that. rex is pretty much haunting the narrative as nobody has really dealt with his death and theres a lot of anger and grief and not wanting to speak about him. its also about running from your life after something bad happens that you dont want to face (cody with jango and boba, obi wan with the jedi) and how that act of running stops you from letting go of anything, and how there was an alternative, of cody staying in boba's life, of obi wan staying in contact with his family (the jedi), so in some ways its also about balance

tbh its very fun and i'm minorly obsessed with it again now i've revisited

Here's a very unedited snippet from the start:

[...]He’s more than able to defend himself without resorting to weapons.

It’s as he’s thinking this, that something heavy and solid barrels in to him from the direction of the kitchen.

Caught unaware, maybe he is getting rusty, he tumbles to the floor.

The intruder is armoured, beskar if Cody isn’t mistaken. Cody is naked but for boxers. It shouldn’t be a fair fight: Cody hasn’t always been a fair man.

He targets the joins in the mans armour, rolls them over, and its then, that a cloud shifts. A beam of moonlight falls on them and Cody realises, with a drop in his stomach, that he knows this armour.

“Boba?” he asks.

There is a snort from the vocoder. “So you do recognise me?”

“Of course I do! Boba. What the hell?”

“I could ask the same of you. Did you have to tackle me like that.”

Cody is taken aback for a second. “Did I have to…You attacked me! In my home! What is wrong with you?”

Boba sighs, the vocoder clicking off, his brothers true voice filtering though. “I was disarming you.” He says, like it’s obvious. “Didn’t want you to shoot first ask questions after.”

“I wouldn’t…” Cody shakes his head. “I’m not like that anymore.”

He’s still hovering over Boba, holding him to the floor. He comes back to himself, climbing to his feet and holding out a hand to pull Boba up.

“Boba. What the hell are you doing here?”

Boba shrugs, releasing his helmet with a hiss and hooking it to his belt. He raises an eyebrow. “I could ask the same of you.” He looks around unimpressed.

“No. You could not.” Cody tells him blankly. “This is my home. I live here Boba. Not with you, I got out, remember?” He scoffs. “Haven’t seen you in ten years. So what the hell are you doing here now?”

Boba gives him a long look. ��Looking for you.”

thank you for asking!

#notthereply #wip ask game #ask game #snippet #star wars spn au

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batshieroglyphics · 17 days

Text

Sunday Six

Following on from last week's Sunday Six tease, here's a bit more from the FoxyWan sequel. Still no answer about where Obi-Wan and Fox are, but we have a lead!

She felt Baar's solid presence coming over to stand behind her as the call struggled to connect, static clearing to reveal a weequay she'd only seen once, but would probably always recognise, given how utterly memorable the conversation between him and her master had been, even though he wasn't wearing one of his signature, unfashionable hats. "Hondo?" she croaked.

He replied with a smile that looked forced. "Ah, little Ashla! I see you remember me!" he said, using the cover name she had picked, when Master Obi-Wan told her she needed a name she wouldn't have trouble remembering to answer to, in the event they had to go undercover, or met up with some of his contacts who didn't know he was a Jedi.

"A little busy, right now, Ohnaka," Baar said, a sharpness to his voice that made Ahsoka want to duck and hide.

"Ah, I know," said Hondo, his smile vanishing, expression going grim in a way Ahsoka hadn't thought he could. "You see, I have just seen Ben, and I do not think the accommodations agree with him."

"What's your price for the location of that ship?" Baar demanded, when Ahsoka couldn't speak through her relief.

"Baar," Hondo said with grim sincerity, "this information I offer for free." And then he told them everything he knew.

(Debating sharing any more than this, because most of the scenes in this fic are rather dark. Because literally no one in this fic is having a good time, whoops. I do promise a happy ending, at least? 😅)

#sunday six #fandom:star wars #pairing:commander fox x obi wan kenobi #series: your hands protect the flame

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murdockussy · 2 years

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angst with obi wan please? maybe him and the reader parted ways with a fight yk (ending of rots) but the feelings they had never left and they both constantly think of each other then (set in obi wan kenobi) where reader saw obi wan again but they didn’t approach him because of guilt until he somehow felt them in the force? and finds and talks to them? then maybe comfort & soft!obi :3 thank you! i love your works btw <33

Thank you so much!! And thank you for being my first request, I loved writing this and I hope you enjoy <333

(I am open to taking requests, head to my masterlist to read more about it!!)

After All This Time

Warnings: Nightmares, fighting, guilt, sadness, but dw bc it's a happy ending aka fluff and soft!obi :)

Words: 5,500 ish (oops)

You woke from your sleep, your limbs aching and eyes heavy, your mind caught in an emotional storm from your dream, one that reoccurred every so often when you fell into a deep slumber.

The final time you saw him - Obi-Wan.

You searched high and low across Coruscant for him after receiving his warning for remaining Jedi such as yourself to not return to your home, as well as the fall of the Order and the Republic. You were scared, not only for yourself, but for your future – all that you knew being left within the destruction of the temple. You had no place to go, no guidance or directions of what to do, all that was left for you to hold onto was the brightly shining signature of the Force within Obi-Wan, and you held onto it for dear life.

Climbing aboard your small space craft, you switched on the ignitions, jetting off the planet as your switchboard calibrated itself, a small dot on your tracking device alerting you on the whereabouts of the man you were desperate to find. He was travelling within the outer rim, seeming to leave a planet you’ve only heard about – Mustafar. You we’re baffled to what his reasoning could be for the planets visit, you desperately trying to contact his ship as you raced behind him, the both of you headed for Polis Massa. As he drew closer, your attempts of communication were ignored until he was completely out of sight, his ships movement no longer on your switchboard, him landing on the planet while you followed pursuit.

It had taken you longer than you’d hope for to reach the cratered planet, finding the ship Obi-Wan was previously flying now sitting dormant inside the docking bay, your curious mind flooded with questions as you touched down besides his parked transportation. Switching off the ignition, you dashed out of your ship in a hurry, doing a lap around Obi-Wans to confirm no one was inside, a familiar green creature approaching you.

You turned at the call of your name, you relieved to see the friendly face.

“Master Yoda! I’m so relieved to see you, I-”

“Not here, you should be, young Jedi”

“I came to find Obi-Wan, I received his message. Is it true what he said?”

“Afraid so, I am”

“Is he here? I tracked him leaving Mustafar, I need to speak with him”

“Inside” he replied, cutting the conversation short as he pivoted and hurried back towards the building, you catching up by his side, your insides beginning to churn over the whole situation – you truly didn’t have a good feeling about any of it, and looking back now, you were right all along.

Yoda led you through the building towards the medical centre, your anxieties rising as you fretted the idea of Obi-Wan being harmed in any kind of way, and the feeling of the disturbance within the Force surrounding you wasn’t giving you any kind of ease. That was until the creature led you down a hallway towards an operation room, the glass windows showing the figure of a man you recognised in an instant - it was him. You raced around the corner, not taking notice of your surrounds, only focused on him as he remained lost in thought, not even your presence in the Force drawing him to you.

Your quickened pace slowed to a complete stop as you took in the man standing before you. There was no signs of his usual welcoming and warmth, all signs of his glee and charm no longer evident. His head was lowered, one arm resting across his chest supporting the other that covered half of his face. His eyes were shut, his palm rubbing over his cheek and his eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. This wasn’t the Obi-Wan you knew, the one you’ve grown to love over all those years. The man that stood in front of you was darkened by his emotions, completely broken.

It wasn’t until Master Yoda passed you, humming to make his presence known, Obi-Wan lifting his head to look at the creature to then catch a glimps of you standing infront of him, his attention now completely diverting as his eyes widened when they met yours. He spoke your name in utter disbelief, his stance straightening as shock took over his system.

“Obi-Wan” you replied with a half-smile, completely washed with relief, wanting nothing more than to run into his arms and meet his soft lips with yours, something you’d only do in private.

He stepped forward, taking a quick glace to look back at Yoda and Senator Bail Organa, his voice wavering as he spoke.

“Excuse us, I must speak with her in private”

He walked beside you, his pace quick as he led you to a vacant room, him grabbing your arm and pulling you in for a tight embrace once the two of you were alone, you wrapping your arms around the width of his waist, your eyes shutting as your face pressed into his neck.

“Oh Obi-Wan, as soon as I received your message, I knew I had to find you. I wish you’d have called, I've been worried sick”

“I’m deeply sorry, my love. I wanted nothing more than to reach out, but with the empire rising, who knows what their dark shadow has a hold of. If they cut into our communications, or if they got a hold of you, I'd-”

“It’s okay. I’m here now, were safe”

“That’s what I fear... I don’t know how long it can stay this way”

His words caused your pulse to skip a beat, the feeling of dread growing stronger than before as you peeled your body away from his, your eyes confused as you stared up at him, “What do you mean?”

Taking a step back with a deep sigh, he shook his head as his eyes took sight of the floor, his voice flat as he spoke, “I don’t believe what I did was enough”

“What you did? Obi-Wan, what happened?”

“Anakin. He... he turned to the dark side”

“Anakin?” you gasped. If Obi-Wan wasn’t saying it all, his Force presence spoke louder than any words could. He was angry, disappointed, but most of all, he was grieving, and it wrapped around the both of you like a weighted blanket, you mentally connecting the dots in an instant, “He caused this, didn’t he?”

“He was twisted by the dark side and became Palpatine's apprentice, bringing forth the Empire. The Chancellor, he deceived all of us, with everything, but Anakin he deceived most of all”

“He’s a good kid Obi-Wan. He is stronger than he knows. There may still be light in-”

“There’s not!” Obi-Wan snapped, you taken by surprise at his sudden volume, “He chose the path of the Sith, Padmé couldn’t save him, nor could I! It was too late!”

“Too late? Obi-Wan, tell me what’s going on!”

His voice cracked as he shouted your name, his frustration beginning to pour through, and you were now at the receiving end of the stick, “He became too dangerous. I saw the footage, him taking the lives of the innocent. Teachers, workers, younglings – their blood on his hands and he showed no remorse!”

“What if he can change? If we could-”

“We can’t! He’s gone!”

“Gone?” your shook your head in disbelief, “Please tell me he-”

“Destroying the Sith is what I have to do! The boy- Anakin, he is no longer a threat”

Your eyes welled with tears, you stunned to your core at Obi-Wans words. As much as you loved Anakin, you knew the loss you felt would never amount to what Anakin's own Master would be feeling, let alone how hard it would’ve been for Obi-Wan to be the one to destroy him.

“Obi” you whispered, your tone low as you approached him, his chest rising and falling at a rapid pace, you opening your arms to embrace him only to be rejected by the dismissal wave of his hand.

“That doesn’t mean we’re safe from the emperor. They’ve taken the lives of so many Jedi, it isn’t safe for you to be anywhere but laying low”

“For me? We can’t just let this Empire trample us like bugs, we can fight back!”

“No, we can’t! Not like this”

His change in demeanor took you by surprise. The Obi-Wan you knew would rarely back down, especially to people that stand against all he believes, and his lack of determination caused you to spark with anger. Not because you were mad at him, but because you we’re afraid he truly meant what he was speaking, that he truly had given up on any hope.

“So you’re just going to let them take over, you’re going to completely give up on everything you’ve lived to believe, to fight for?!”

“I have other priorities”

“That being what?”

“Padmé. Although she birthed healthy twins, she didn’t survive much longer after. I must deliver her son, Luke, to his family and... watch over him, on Tatooine”

Your crack in your heart deepened, you taking in the news of another person you loved no longer with you, you mumbling as you spoke, “I’m so sorry, Obi. I can come with you, we can deliver the baby and figure out where to go from there”

Obi-Wan remained silent, his head dropping to the floor once more causing your pulse to quicken, “Obi-Wan?”

“We... You, you can’t”

His rejection shattered the remaining pieces of your heart, a pit forming in the bottom of your stomach as your skin began to burn hot.

“Why can’t I? I can help you, Obi-”

“I can’t let you do this”

“If you’d just-”

“No, I can’t-”

Your anger rising, your pitch raised as you stepped closer to him, “Stop saying you can’t and explain to me why!”

“It’s not safe!” his tone matched yours as he shouted his reply, “If we’re together, if someone catches onto us through the Force, we’re at risk, and the boy may be as well. I can’t allow myself to let that happen!”

“So what are you saying? You’re asking me to stay away? To not go with you? Not be by your side?”

“It’s not like that-”

“It’s exactly like that, Obi-Wan. I love you, and I refuse to let you push me away, especially when we need each other most!”

“When the time is right, I promise to find you, but I'd be foolish to let you risk your safety by staying with me”

“But what about what I want?! Let’s just figur-”

“No!” he called, his skin flushed red with anger, “I need to do this, and I'm sorry but I can’t bring you with me”

You stood there in silence, you looking at him with complete disbelief, the tears freely flowing down your face as he looked away, unable to meet your gaze.

“This is it then? I just leave, go hide somewhere and wait for the man that I love to just magically appear whenever and wherever?”

Your question was met by complete silence, you growing furious at his missing answer, “Is my love for you not enough? All these years, all we’ve been through, just to be tossed aside? I understand we’re amist difficult times, Obi, and I'm afraid too, but if you just let me come with you, we can sort this out!”

His eyes still glued to the floor, your hands bawled into fists by your sides, you desperately waiting for Obi-Wan to take back what he’s said, to ask you to join him, to admit your love was enough. Yet he didn’t, his voice despairing as he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, but I will do what I must for the boy, and for your safety”

Completely heartbroken, you look in the sight of the man you no longer recognised, you red with fury as you wiped your tears, the lump in your throat causing your voice to waver.

“Well, I guess that’s it. Don't bother with any of your promises, I'll be just fine on my own. Goodbye, Obi-Wan" you spat, your eyes taking in a final glance before you turned quickly on your heel and dashed away from the room, everything that ever mattered to you left behind as you eventually exited the building, returning to your ship completely alone.

Propping yourself up on the thin mattress, you wiped away the bead of sweat from your forehead, the pulsating headache beginning to form within your skull. You combed your fingers through your hair, you massaging the skin of your hairline as you sighed. Although you weren’t sure of the exact numbers, it had been close to a decade since that day you parted ways with Obi-Wan, and still, you couldn’t manage to shake him from your mind.

No matter far you’ve progressed in leaving the past behind you, you now pursing the life of a bartender amidst a bustling city, he was the one thing you’d forever struggle to break away from.

When you first arrived to the planet you’d now call home, you were completely lost, just a shattered shell of who you used to be roaming the streets seeking any form of safety. Winding up inside a quiet bar, just you and the owner – a creature who goes by Grelob - seated inside, you opened up to him, sensing through the Force that he was someone you could trust. He welcomed you in with open arms, allowing you to take residency in the rundown loft above the bar, the both of you led to believe you’d only stay there for nothing short of a week. Though as time went by, the week turned into a month, and before you knew it, you’d created an entire new identity for yourself, working for years on end as a bartender beside Grelob, him becoming the only person you had left to call family.

In the beginning, you waited days on end for Obi-Wan to stick to his words - the promise you told him to forget. You’d constantly search for his presence in the Force, the dim light that he possessed something you’d grasp onto every night, barely able to keep a hold of it given the distance between you two, and every crowd you’d pass through, you’d seek out his unforgettable face. There were even days when you’d consider giving up on all that you’ve built for yourself, to completely throw your safety out the window and fly to Tatooine, to search high and low until you’ve found him again.

However, the more time that went on, the more you realised how foolish you’d be to go through with it. Hunting him down would not only put yourself at risk, but him as well. You didn’t know what life he’d created for himself after all this time, and you’d never want to spoil what possible happiness he had after all the misery he’d been through. So you eventually stopped looking for him in public spaces and reaching out to find him through the Force, you keeping his best interest at heart. And as much as it pained you, you we’re strong enough to stick by your decision, though you knew deep down that you’d truly never lay the hope of finding him again to rest, your love for him remaining as strong as it did the day you left that medical centre – and little did you know, the man you loved still felt the exact same way.

Your legs ached as you stood from your bed, you waddling to the window to look down on the city below, the sun setting welcoming in the night. You spent the remaining time you had free to get ready for the shift ahead of you, you warming up a cup of soup as you dressed yourself in the boring uniform, you tying your hair back off your face to eat your meal. Once finished, you slipped on a pair of run-down boots before checking yourself in the rusted mirror, you displeased with the tired reflection that stared back at you. Hopefully after tonight you’d get a good night's rest – you did have a gut feeling this shift would be different from the rest, and you’d crossed your fingers that those feelings we’re stemming from something good.

Walking through the back doors, you entered the bar, greeting Grelob with a pat to the arm as eager faces waited at the bar-tables surface, you jumping immediately into taking orders and preparing drinks. The shift went by quickly, you barely having time to remember how exhausted you really were, the only thought present in your mind being how much you missed the days when the bar was barely occupied. Though, everything changed when you were crossing the floor, approaching a table of half drunken people when you spotted a figure entering the front doors, the glasses you were holding in your hand almost sliding onto the floor.

Practically chucking the drinks at the customers table, your head snapped back to the man that caught your eye, your chest suddenly feeling as though it was caving in as you took in the sight before you. Maybe you’d have been severely confused, your lack of decent sleep finally sending you into a delusional state of him, or maybe you’d been poisoned by a customer you’d failed to satisfy with your service. All possible factors you were unsure of, though the one thing you knew for certain was the face of the ghost from your past, a face that time would never allow you to forget – Obi-Wan.

Time slowing, you were completely stunned as you watched him stalk through the crowd, head low, hood shielding the top of his hair. He appeared to be in a rush, his unforgettable stride swift as he parted through the mass of people on the floor. Every emotion you’d spent pushing deep down for the good part of a decade suddenly began to rise, you feeling overwhelmed by his presence.

You stumbled behind a cornered wall, your pulse rising as you watched him come to a halt at the bar, waiting to gain Grelobs attention. Every fiber in your being began to burn, urging you with all its might for you to make your presence known, to approach him. Yet, you remained still, your mind taking over your heart's desires.

Of all the overwhelming emotions you felt, the one that stood out the most - that made you want to steer as clear from the man as you could – was guilt. Although he remained as handsome as the day you last saw him, the greying beard and fine wrinkled lines across his skin was a sign of all the time that had passed, and the reminder felt like a punch to the gut.

If you’d only listened to his words, acknowledged the priorities he laid out to you instead of putting yourself first, then maybe - just maybe - things may have been different. If you acted logically instead of emotionally, there may have been a possibility that he’d stick to his promises of finding you. These thoughts were one’s that kept you awake at night, but seeing him just a few meters away from you locked in how much you truly regretted leaving him on that planet.

As hard as a pill it was to swallow, you knew that avoiding him would be in the best interest of both of you, and that him being there – alive and well – would be enough to bring you a slice of peace, as though you could finally close a chapter from your past.

However, Obi-Wan felt entirely different.

It wasn’t until he leaned against the cool surface of the bar, his mind distant as he waiting for assistance, that he felt it. The small twinge inside him, an echo of a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.

Completely welcoming the notion, a familiar feeling of warmth and light bursted within him. Reminiscence of soft skin lingered on his fingertips as flashes of a friendly smile passed behind his eyes. Laughter echoed in his ears, and the feathering touch of lips dwaddled against his own. Memories of you suddenly flooded back, the force of it enough to knock him to his feet, his hand gripping the bar before he had the chance to fall. As confused as he felt in the moment, he knew exactly what he was picking up on through the Force – it was you.

His head whipped to look through the crowd, him beginning to feel frantic as his eyes danced from face to face, his pulse growing rapid with each passing moment. You were here, somewhere in the room, your presence the closest it’s been to him after all these years, and he couldn’t wait a single moment longer to find you.

And as his eyes raked over the far end of the room, that’s when he spotted you.

Everything around him became a sudden blur, his vision tunnelling in on only you as your eyes met his – him truly looking at you for the first time since you left the medical centre back on Polis Massa. His breath was knocked from his lungs, his eyes beginning to burn as he stared, unable to truly believe the sight before him. A small sigh escaped his lips, his worrying thoughts finally relieved after all this time - you were alive, and you were here.

You remained locked under his gaze, mind completely blank until your consciousness snapped back, realisation hitting you like a tone of bricks. Taking a final look, you broke his stare, your head dipping to the floor as you began to weave your way through the crowd, you breaking into a panic as you suddenly found the room suffocating, you struggling to breathe.

He watched as you moved, his eyes never leaving your frame as he leapt forward, tracking your every movement as he forced his way closer to you. He spotted you breaking away from the crowd, your fast pace headed for the entry into the back rooms of the bar, him quick on your heels as you dashed.

You could feel him following you, you believing you’d escaped until you found yourself half way through the back of the club when you heard it – his voice calling your name – your body coming to an instant pause as the words left his lips, almost as if you’d ran into an invisible wall. You stood with your back to him, his body just steps behind you, his breathing heavy as he waited, him calling your name once more, voice barely above a whisper.

You slowly turned, your heart beating faster than it ever had before as you stood now face to face with him, his eyes switching between pain and joy, confusion and wonder, his eyebrows furrowing as you whispered the words you’d dreamt to say after all these years.

“Obi-Wan...”

With a deep sigh, he stepped forward, his eyes welling with tears as he extended his arms and dragged your body into his, his face pressing into the top of your hair as he closed his eyes.

Back in his arms, you were blanketed with a reminder of home, a sob erupting from your chest before you had the chance to stop it, your hands instinctively wrapping themselves around the back of his hips, something you used to do so long ago.

Clinging to the fabric of his robe, you squeezed him with all your might as if he could slip through your fingers at any moment.

“I’m sorry" he cried, his voice cracking as he spoke, “I'm so sorry, for everything”

“Oh, Obi” you said, the cracks deep in your heart beginning to heal themselves as he held you.

You embraced each other in silence for what felt like hours, you never wanting the hug to end, panic beginning to build as he slowly began to pull back. Your eyes meet his, tears streaming across his flushed cheeks, a small smile pulling at his lips as he took in your appearance, “I don’t... I don’t know what to say. I... I-”

“Do you want to come upstairs?” you questioned, your insides begging for him to accept the offer, your heart fluttering at the reply of his small nod.

You remained silent as you lead the way, you taking the time to control your breathing, your tears coming to a stop as you walked up the stairs to your small loft, him remaining only a step behind you. Opening the door, you allowed him to enter before you locked the door behind you, him awaiting your next move. Passing him, you dragged out the metal stools from your makeshift dining table and sat, him hesitantly doing the same, his eyes never leaving your frame as he did so.

Sucking in a deep breath, your eyes slowly worked their way to his before you spoke, “What are you doing here?”

You anticipated his answer, a burn deep inside you praying for him to say the words you desperately wanted to hear, you wishing nothing more than for him to tell you he came to find you, a pang of hurt knocking you when he replied.

“I’ve come to... get hand of fake ID’s, for myself and the girl. I was told that the owner of this bar would be able to suggest some trust worthy people”

“The girl?”

“Leia. She was taken from her home, and I was sent to come find her, though leaving this planet seems harder than I anticipated”

The name wrung a bell in your mind, you unfamiliar with it, though somehow you felt as though it carried some sense of importance. Your confusion was written all over your features, Obi-Wan clearing the thoughts from your mind as he spoke, “Padmé's daughter... Leia is Luke’s sister”

A small sting singed your heart, and it was obvious to Obi-Wan the pain you felt recalling the name after all this time, your face contorting slightly as he spoke.

“Luke, how is he doing?”

“Growing” Obi-Wan replied, his head dipping to look at the floor as he shifted with slight uncomfortability, “There hasn’t been many signs of him being sensitive to the Force as of yet, but it’s providable that he’ll start showing sometime soon”

You could hear in his speech that his care for the boy was genuine, the gesture leaving you feeling a concoction of emotions. Although this situation was bringing forth the emotions you’d avoided for so long, knowing the man you’d left in the past had someone he still cared for left you feeling comforted.

“And what of you?” he asked, his eyes meeting yours once more, his small smile masking the dismay he felt in within himself.

“There’s not much to say” you laughed bluntly, “I’ve been nowhere else but here. Grelob took me in when I arrived, I knew I could trust him since the day I met him. He offered me shelter, and once I began helping him out with his business downstairs, I ended up never leaving”

Obi-Wan hummed in reply, his eyes lingering on yours, you speaking once more to prevent yourself from caving in to his gaze, “It isn’t much... but it could be worse. How... how about you?”

“Besides watching over Luke, there hasn’t been much difference. When the time comes, I hope to train him, but until then it’s just a waiting game. Though, it would be nice to get a break from the Tatooine suns”

You both scoffed with laughter, you shaking your head as a small smile pulled at your lips. Even after all this time, he still had his wit and charm – some things truly never change.

Sitting in silence, your eyes hung up on one another's, you desperately searched for something to say. You wanted to keep him entertained as long as possible to bask in his presence without bringing up the topic that floated thickly with tension through the air. You knew he wanted to mention it, you could sense it in his mannerisms, his fingers tapping on his thigh as he watched you. Before you had the chance to question him on another minor topic, he spoke your name, the pit in your stomach expanded at his words.

“Obi-Wan, we don’t-”

“I need to tell you how sorry I am, though I don’t believe words can do it justice. I simply cannot express enough the regret’s I carry from that day”

You sighed as you closed your eyelids, the orbs behind them beginning to burn as tears formed, you completely unprepared for this conversation, yet you had a feeling that this may be your only chance to discuss it, that conclusion enough to push your response.

“I’ve spent so many years waiting for you to show up, to at least send some form of a signal that you’re still there, but you didn’t. And- and I know you��re not at fault, the way-”

“I am willing to admit that I am at fault, I've spent every waking day since I let you walk away realising just how incredibly foolish I was to allow it. Though no excuse could make up for it, at the time, I believed I could make up for the guilt and grief Padmé felt if I put her’s and... Anakin's.. children first. I thought it would honour her, and honour who he was. But it wasn’t enough, and I couldn’t see that till it was too late”

Your chest burned as you fought back the sobs desperate to release themselves, your heart aching at his confession – after all this time, he was beating himself up over it just as much as you were, and as hard as you were on yourself, you couldn’t help but understand he would’ve mentally tortured himself twice as much as you had.

Attempting to interrupt, he continued his apology, tears spilling onto your cheeks as he resumed.

“Every day I'd debate coming to find you. There has been an ever-growing fire in my bones urging me to do it... but as the years passed, I'd just assumed you’d be better off without me in your life. After all you’ve gone through, the last thing I'd wish to do is to just show up and disrupt what life you’ve created for yourself”

“Obi” you finally spoke, your emotions fronting themselves freely as you wailed, his weeping eyes mirroring yours, “I thought the same for you. I’ve battled myself for years on holding back from searching for you on Tatooine, not wanting to spoil your happiness with Luke, with yourself-”

“I haven’t felt happiness since the day I allowed you to leave me. It’s haunted me, all this time, the image of you walking out of that room. I was selfish, stubborn to toss what we had aside. Nothing in this entire galaxy is as important to me as you are, and I can’t apologise enough for how I allowed that to happen... to break your heart with such an ignorant dismissal”

“I don’t-”

“I never thought I'd get the chance to make up for it, to say the words I should’ve said all those years ago, but I won’t let this opportunity - to let you - slip through my fingers again”

Turning in his seat, he extended his arm towards you, his hand entwining itself with yours as he rested them on your lap, his eyes hopeful as he spoke, “I can’t stay here long. Leia, she’s waiting for me to return, but I know the Force led me here to find you, and I can’t leave here without asking, something I should’ve done when I had the chance. I want you to join me”

Your heart leapt in your chest, your eye’s widening at his words as you chocked out a barely audible reply, “I... Obi-Wan... I don’t- I don’t-”

“This time apart hasn’t changed how I feel for you. My love for you still burn’s just as bright, and though I failed to tell you before, no matter your decision, I need you to know now. I love you, just as much as I did the last time I saw you. I’ll continue to love you till my dying breath. If you come with me, we can return to Tatooine, together, and decipher a plan for the future. If you don’t wish to accept, I understand, but I need you to know that I don’t want to spend another day in this galaxy without you by my side”

Your hand gripped his tightly, his words echoing through your mind as you pondered his request. To jump back into your past – to leave behind the life you’ve tried so hard to rebuild – would be difficult. But as strenuous as it may be, you knew that your life wouldn’t be complete without the man seated beside you, his face beginning to drop from your lack of a reply.

Finally coming to the realisation, a toothy grin fell on your lips as you gushed your reply, his relieved smile mirroring yours as you spoke, “To spend the rest of my days by your side would be my absolute honour. Of course I’ll join you... I love you, Obi-Wan. There isn’t an amount of time, or distance in this galaxy that could change that"

#obi wan kenobi fanfic #obi wan kenobi x reader #obi wan x reader #obi wan kenobi x you #obi wan #obi wan kenobi #rots #kenobi series #requested #ewan mcgregor #angst #angsty obi wan kenobi

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jasmines-library · 2 years

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The Clutches of Darkness

Obi-Wan Kenobi x GN Padawan!reader (Completely platonic!)

Summary: Whilst on a mission with Ahsoka, things go askew. When Ahsoka calls her master in a desperate plea for help, it's a race against time to reach you before something fatal happens.

Warnings: Angst, angst, angst. Stabbing, gore (not a lot but it's there), near death, blood. Crap writing and grammar. I think that's mostly it, but please lmk!

Word count: 2.1K

Note: This was inspired by a heartstopper audio which i'll try to link here. I also have a non reader version that i've linked below if you're more interested in that (it's the same just with an OC). This is probably the first propper star wars fic that i've written, so your opinions would be great! I also suck at naming shit but enjoy :)

Masterlist OC version

The holopad blares loudly, echoing throughout the room. Anakin stumbles towards it, his eyes bleary with sleep. It reads 1:39am. Ahsoka calling. He picks up and the image of his padawan soon materialises in front of him.

“Hello?” He sighs, resting his head against the wall and rubbing his eyes.

“Anakin?” Ahsoka’s voice is quiet on the other side of the call, she sounds panicked, scared almost, “Where’s Obi-Wan? How long will it take for you to get to me?”

Anakin furrows his brow and turns his attention briefly to Obi-Wan as he enters the room, as if he had been summoned by the mention of his name. “Ahsoka? I thought you were on assignment?” he continues. There’s a brief pause before the padawan nods.

“I am,”

“You didn’t run into trouble did you?”

There is a deathly silence on the other end of the line. Ahsoka is frozen, an unnerving shiver runs through her body. Anakin frowns at the static of the holo and speaks up.

“Snips? Are you alright? Why did you call us?”

Once again, silence but this time followed by a stifled sob. Tears were now streaming down the Togruta’s cheeks.

“Ahsoka, are you there?”

Then it comes. The words no one expects. “Something’s wrong with Y/N”

It’s Anakin’s turn to be silent. He turns away from the hologram and his face must do something very unusual because Obi-Wan gives him this look. A funny, terrified look.

“What’s happened?” Anakin demands, panicked. He pulls on his boots and his robes and begins to fumble around for his lightsaber,

“Ahsoka what’s happened? What’s Y/N done? Where are they?” It is Obi-Wan who speaks next. He is calmer than Anakin, nevertheless panicked. You are his padawan. He cares for you deeply and can’t bear to think of you being hurt, but he knows panicking will get him nowhere.

Ahsoka stumbles over her words which come out in broken chokes “I- I can’t get to them. Ventress ambushed us from behind and they pushed me away. The doors are locked and I can’t get in. I tried master, I- I tried I promise but I can’t get through,” Ahsoka is sobbing now, her words barely recognisable through her cries, “I can hear them...they’re screaming,”

Obi-Wan’s blood runs cold and he turns to Anakin who wears the same expression on his face. They feel as though the world is running in slow motion. They start sprinting towards the hangar, yet it feels like they can’t run fast enough. Blaster fire breaks through the crackle of the holopad, then the sound of robotic yelling and the swinging of a lightsaber. Ahsoka’s frame briefly leaves the call, worrying the two masters even more. When she returns she looks even more dishevelled than before. “Please,” she begs, “When are you going to get here?”

“We’re on our way,” Obi-Wan replies as he fires up the engine of the ship, “Just hold on Ahsoka”

The call ends.

***

Obi-Wan’s ship shakes violently as it lands next to Anakin’s who is already racing towards him. Rex clambers out of the Assault Transport with a handful of other clones before raising his hand to his forehead in salute.

“What’s the plan, sir?” he asks, standing tall.

“From the map Ahsoka forwarded us, it looks like Ventress has Y/N here,” he points to a circular room in the centre of the base; the control room that the two of you had been assigned to steal data from, “It’ll be even more heavily guarded than before now that they know the order are here. I have no doubt that they know we’re here too, which is why it’s too risky to go in through any of the more accessible routes especially since we only have a small team,” he zooms in closer to the entanglement of blue lines to reveal small passages linking between all of the rooms, “Luckily for us, Ahsoka has discovered a network of pipes that lead into the base. Now, while it’s not the quickest way to get in, it's the most effective way to keep as subtle as we can.”

“And your padawan?” Rex asks Anakin.

“Ahsoka’s hiding in the pipes. We’ll rendezvous with her there. Once we’re in, we’ll split and flank from both sides then meet by the control room. Obi-Wan and I will take on Ventress and Rex and Ahsoka will get Y/N out of there. The rest of you’ll take defensive positions,”

“Copy that, sir,”

“Rex, Hardcase, you’re with me. Ahsoka will join us at the rendezvous. Everyone else you’re with Obi-Wan”

The group splits in two, each group taking their respective routes. The clanking of plastoid boots hitting cold metal echoes through the eerie silence as they hurry through the tunnels desperate to reach you before it is too late. They know that Ventress would stop at nothing to take back the data that you stole from her and to learn all of the secrets the Jedi order has to offer. As the Jedi draw closer they can feel your force signature however it’s faint. They’re running out of time. Anakin struggles to push open the hatch at the other end of the tunnel, but with the help of the force it becomes seemingly effortless and he clambers out, closely followed by his distressed padawan and his clone companions. A loud siren blares throughout the compound and blaster fire rebounds through the hallways. “Time to do what we do best, boys,” Rex pulls himself into a ready position “Let’s kick some clanker ass” . Soon the corridor is a whirlwind of red, blue and green as the battle droids are taken down one by one. Once the droids are all taken down they continue their journey to the control centre, the two Jedi reflecting any incoming shots with their blasters until they reach a large circular structure in the centre of the building. It is heavily guarded; battle droids and destroyers at every possible entrance. With his back pressed to the wall, Anakin pulls out his comlink.

“We’re in position. Ready to engage the enemy on your signal, master” The light on his com flashes green. It's a subtle way of letting him know that Obi-Wan had heard him.

On the other side of the control centre, Obi-Wan is growing increasingly worried. Maker knows what the assassin has done to you in the time it’s taken them to reach you. They arrived as soon as they could but what if it just wasn’t fast enough? What if you were… No. He couldn’t let himself think like that. You’ll be fine, they just have to take out these droids first. He takes a calming breath and closes his eyes, then his lightsaber is fatally meeting the metal of a droid. It drops to the floor in a static motion. All blasters are immediately pointing at him, scolding plasma being flung from all directions. The fight is reckless, the team barely escaping without any injuries of concern.

“See if you can get those blast doors open,” Obi-Wan orders to one one in particular, his mind too occupied on confiding in a plan with Anakin on how to take on Ventress.

The blast doors slide open with a hiss to reveal the assassin towering above your hunched over form; one of her hands tangled in your hair forcing you look towards your friends, the other gripping the hilt of her red blade held so close to your neck that that you could feel the blazing heat coming from it. You look exhausted. Your face is blank and dark rims encase your eyes, the usual spark they hold nowhere in sight. A nasty gash runs from your eyebrow to your right cheek and your arms are covered in multiple burns.

“Obi-Wan, Anakin” she states, a smirk appearing on her lips “How nice of you to join us, you’re just in time for the finale. Your little padawan here was about to tell me all about your little plans”

“Let her go, Ventress” Your master demands, taking another step towards you.

The assassin chides, holding her lightsaber impossibly close to your neck. You feel the skin begin to blister under the heat. A soft whimper escapes your lips. “Ah, ah, ah. One more step and you won’t have a padawan anymore,” Obi-Wan pauses, turning to Anakin who nods before leaping into the air at the same time as Obi-Wan lunges forwards. Blue meets red as Ventress ignites her second saber to block the incoming attack. Now she’s distracted, you shuffle away, Ahsoka and Rex immediately by your side helping you up off the ground to escort you out of the room. It didn’t take long for Ventress to succumb to defeat, the younger jedi manipulating the force so that it sent her flying across the room and knocking unconscious. Suddenly another pair of arms are on you replacing the ones that had been holding you up. Obi-Wan pulls you into his embrace, his presence soothing you. You were safe. Or so you thought. Amid the comfort, you sense another presence behind you, you pull away and turn thinking it is Anakin; however as soon as you leave Obi-Wan’s arms the force begins screaming at you, telling you you’re in danger. You barely catch a glimpse of Ventress’ lightsaber before it’s driven through your stomach. You scream, but the sound mixes with the pounding in your ears. Your fingers clamp over your stomach, which is already blistering and turning ugly shades of red and purple, in vain as you collapse to your knees. Tears fall from your eyes as you try to breathe evenly through the pain, albeit your breaths come in quick, ragged heaves. A face appears in front you and hands are grabbing your shoulders. You can barely see them, eyes darting back and forth, unfocused. The figure eases you down so you’re laying on the ground.

“Hold on Y/N. You’re going to be okay. Just hold on” Obi-Wan urges. You’re not sure if he’s trying to reassure you or himself. Trying to speak. Your mouth parts, but the only thing you manage is a pained wheeze which causes coughs to rack your body violently. When you pull your hand away from your mouth, the other still limply clutching your stomach, it is stained with crimson droplets.

“Kriff'' He mutters under his breath before calling for help. You whimper as you try to shift, failing dismally as the pain in your gut is too much to bear. Your lids begin to droop shut. Everything feels heavy, you feel like you’re drowning and you just want to close your eyes and sleep. Maybe if you close your eyes, you think, you can forget about everything for a moment.

“No, no, no! Hey! Look at me, come on, open your eyes,” He slaps your face lightly. He won’t lose you. Not yet, not the way he lost his master…not the way he lost Satine.

Hands are sliding under you, the plastoid armour cold against your blistering skin. They reach around the back of your knees and your shoulders. Your eyes fly open and you cry out in pain as you’re lifted from the ground. Rex’s face comes into view, not his helmet but his face etched with concern.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry” he mumbles. Although your senses are clouded, you recognise the distinct sound of lightsabers clashing against each other. Ahsoka and Anakin were fighting Ventress, Obi-Wan still at your side.

“Obi-Wan” Anakin yells through grunts as he swings at the assassin “get them out of here!”

He’s already moving towards the exit of the control room, his blue saber casting an almost frightening glare over his features. Rex follows shortly behind him, sheltering you from oncoming blaster fire.

It feels like an eternity before they reach the safety of the ships, but it was merely a matter of minutes. The exit was much more efficient without having to sneak through the pipes. Rex lays you down on the floor before rushing towards the cockpit and firing up the hyperdrive. Obi-Wan’s hands clasp over yours.

“I’m sorry…” you mutter. It takes almost all of your strength and your choke over your words “I-I thought I could do it but I’m just not strong enough,” A tear slips down your cheek and your breathing slows as you start fading once again “I failed you, Master… I’m sorry..” You don’t hear his reply. Just an incoherent shout of your name before you succumb to the clutches of darkness.

#Star wars #star wars x reader #star wars x injured reader #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #i honestly dont know what im doing #the clone wars #the clone wars x reader

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ospreyeamon · 1 year

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For the life of me, I cannot work out what Palpatine’s actual plan was in Attack of the Clones. The Phantom Menace’s core plot is relatively straightforward (though the film forgetting to let the audience know Sidious and Palpatine are the same person leaves it appearing unhinged); Darth Palpatine persuades Trade Federation to invade Naboo to manufacture a crisis -> Senator Sidious persuades Padmé to call for Vote of No Confidence when current Chancellor can’t fix crisis -> Big Bad is elected head of state. In Attack of the Clones though, it feels like the evil schemes are missing some connective tissue. I can see what Palpatine’s goals were, but I have no clue how he was planning to achieve half of them, so it looks like he just got unreasonably lucky.

Sub-objectives of Palpatine’s evil plan for galactic domination;

The Jedi need to discover the clone army on Kamino (as close to the beginning of the war as possible; too far before will make it more likely the Jedi will seriously investigate the army’s origin or decide clone slave armies are bad).

Ideally, the Jedi should also discover the existence of the Separatists’ secret droid army because that will make them much more likely to deploy the clone army.

Get someone in the Senate to put forward a resolution to grant emergency powers to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (as close to the beginning of the war as possible; if Palpatine has emergency powers when there isn’t a war, he’s more likely to be asked to give them up).

Have tensions between Separatists and Republic Loyalists continue to rise until things turn violent somewhere triggering the start of the war – but both sides need to look both plausibly reasonable and culpable.

Ideally, the Jedi should appear as the aggressors in the first battle of the Clone Wars because this will help turn public opinion against them.

Dooku needs to wave his edgy red lightsaber around in front of the Jedi so they will peg him as Count Evil McBadguy and ignore everything he says because it’s obviously a Sith trick. Convincing the Jedi that the Separatists are bad actors wilfully following their ancient enemy will go a long way to prevent them from attempting diplomatic solutions rather than violent ones.

Ideally, it shouldn’t become public knowledge that the Jedi had no idea about the existence of the clone army that was ordered in their name. If people don’t know the Jedi weren’t aware of the army, they will assume the Jedi have known for the last decade and hid the army on purpose because it was their secret army.

Kill Padmé because she’s blocking the Military Creation Act from passing through the Senate and because Palpatine doesn’t want her pulling any more solutions that he hasn’t predicted and can’t counter out from under her wig, like she did in the previous film by allying with the Gungans.

Maybe kill Jango Fett too. He was hired by “Tyranus” which is Dooku’s super-secret Sith name. If he knows Dooku was involved in commissioning the clone army, he might let that slip – and that information is horribly suspicious.

(Kill Obi-Wan because he’s Anakin’s competing father-figure. If Obi-Wan dies, Anakin won’t become attached to his new Jedi Master to the extent he was Obi-Wan, leaving him more vulnerable to Palpatine’s manipulations in his grief. Not super practical at this time because his main proxy is Dooku who would prefer to kill Anakin and keep Obi-Wan.)

Events play out perfectly to Palpatine’s advantage, with the exception that Padmé survives the film. But it seems implausible that he could have known those chains of events would or could occur.

Did Palpatine really know that the Kaminoans manufacture a unique style of poison darts? And that Jango Fett would add those darts to his arsenal and use them to kill Zam Wesell in front of the Jedi instead of shooting her with a blaster? And that Obi-Wan’s friend Dex Jettster would be able to recognise a Kaminoan dart? If Jango Fett leading Obi-Wan from Kamino to Geonosis was part of the plan, then why did Fett try to kill him so hard with the energy bombs instead of pretending not to notice he was being followed? Why try to kill Obi-Wan at all? Obi-Wan only sent the message about the clone army back to the Jedi Council on Geonosis, so him dying before that on Kamino would have been grossly inconvenient.

Does anyone have thoughts on what the hell is going on here? Was Taun We eventually just going to show up at the Temple with a clipboard to ask the Jedi which one of them was going to sign for delivery of their five million identical human men? How does a plan like that give Dooku the opportunity to show off his new red glowstick?

#Meanwhile in a Galaxy Far Far Away #star wars meta #attack of the clones #the Separatist Crisis #stars wars prequels #attack of the clones critical

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galacticwildfire · 1 year

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found.

Twenty Four

Pairing: Kenobi!oc x Din Djarin

Summary: Satine and Obi-wan’s daughter fought in the war against the Empire and lost her faith when she lost Mandalore. Until she found him. A lone Mandalorian searching for a Jedi.

Warnings: TW for torture, severe ptsd, mention of past miscarriage, brief discussion of abortion. No fluff, only angst. Boba time. Missiles. Head injuries, burns, near death

Word Count: 7.4k

A/N: it gets worse before it gets better but I made a new moodboard

Time itself comes to a standstill as we look upon one another but despite the years, despite going to Tatooine to hunt him down... nothing could have prepared me for this.

"You know why I have come," he tells me, his voice the only thing about him I recognise.

"You should be dead," I say, hand wrapped around the hilt of my saber.

"I should be after you left me for dead," he replies and I feel it, the anger, the betrayal that he should have seen coming. "But you never could do it could you?"

"Neither could you," I remind him, and despite every piece of reason in my head screaming otherwise, I feel safe in that security that he could never bring himself to ever truly hurt me, he just stood by as others did. "You don't scare me Boba."

Something in him almost softens, but only for a moment. "It is not fear I want to provoke, not anymore."

His words catch me off guard and leave me almost confused by the change of heart I feel in him, but I ignore it for the sake of self preservation.

"You look older," he says, as if we were meeting under normal circumstances.

"You look like shit," I tell him, trying to bite back the true horror at what I did to him.

"Getting struck down and devoured by a sarlaac does that," he says and gets to business as if we're negotiating in a messy divorce but there is little else that could be used to describe Boba and I. "I want my armour back."

"I want lots of things back, things you took from me," I tell him, Din emerging from cover with his blaster drawn since negotiations have been established. "But life isn't fair, is it?"

I eye the carved wooden weapons he has at his back, weapons I recognise as belonging to the sand people of Tatooine but it is surprisingly not violence he negotiates with.

"I have brought you a peace offering."

"A peace offering?" I repeat and actually laugh, feeling Din's alarm at the sound. "The only peace offering I would accept is Vader's head and unfortunately that is ashes on Endor."

Looking at him now I wonder what he knows if he's lived in isolation on Tatooine because he looks surprised by my revelation. "So you killed the bastard then?"

Now I'm the one in surprise as I scoff "Don't act like you wanted him dead."

"Of course I wanted him dead," he says and takes a step closer, a step that makes Din raise his blaster. "I'm not after you Mandalorian."

"You left me for dead," Din says and I see a look of satisfaction in Boba's eyes that stirs a new type of rage in me.

"Fair is fair," Boba says, ignoring him to speak to me. "I'd call it justice."

"Revenge you mean?"

"One and the same," he says, determined to hit every nerve he knows how. "That's what you said, isn't it princess?"

If this is how he wants to play, I'll play along perfectly.

"Yes." I take a step closer now, looking him dead in the eyes as I tell him. "It was both when I left you for dead."

"I could take revenge," he tells me, but fails to intimidate. "I certainly have enough reason to, but fortunately for you I am a changed man."

I laugh again, the type of unhinged only Boba Fett can make me after he put that madness in my brain and twisted it into what it is now. "Boba Fett? A changed man?"

He isn't amused and looks back towards his ship "I thought you may say that, so here is my peace offering. My armour for yours."

My face falls and I blink at him "What?"

He doesn't repeat himself. "You heard me."

I shake my head "My armour is on-"

"Was on Kalevala," he says and I go cold. "I'm the one who brought you there after Mandalore was destroyed remember? You took my armour from Tatooine, so I returned the favour. Still covered in blood and ashes on board my ship for the taking. You order the Mandalorian to get mine, and Fennec will get yours."

"Fennec?" Din exclaims and I look back at him in confusion until I sense an unfamiliar presence.

"You have a keen ear Mando," a woman says from up on the ridge armed with a rifle, a woman that Din certainly seems to know and I look at him, raising an eyebrow at the panic I feel from him.

"You were dead," he says and my eye goes back to Boba, able to read him in one glance and I should have known he'd never come to face me without an extra gun.

"I believe it is time for introductions," Boba says while I shake my head at him in warning. "Meet Fennec Shand, a sharpshooter I've brought to ensure this transaction goes smoothly."

"Fuck you," I say and order "Din if she moves kill her."

"So it's going to be that way then," Boba says, almost disappointed. "Alright then, your lover pulls that trigger and she'll unload onto that kid she's locked onto."

And there he is, the Boba Fett I know.

"You wouldn't dare," I breathe.

"I think we both know I would," he says but I know the kid is quite safe. "There does not have to be violence."

"Say the word and he's dead," Din says from behind me, both of us knowing the kid is safe behind that shield.

"This is between her and I Mandalorian," Boba says, he knows his targets, he would know damn well the reputation Din has. "You shoot, Fennec shoots." He looks back at me now. "Your little green friend as quite the bounty on his head."

With those words, all decency is off the table.

"If you think you're going to come here to take my son away-"

"He's a little green to be yours," he says and a chill runs through my bones as he dares to say "But a son for a son seems fair to me."

Din reaches for me as I march forward but holds his position with his blaster trained on Fennec as I slap Boba hard, tears of rage burning in my eyes as I whisper "I hate you."

"I know you do princess," he says, his face may be barely recognisable but his eyes... the same damn eyes. "I'm not here to hurt you."

But I know him better than that.

"I don't believe you," I breathe and the moment my saber is at his neck his finger is on the trigger of his blaster. My match. My perfect adversary. "I will never believe a word you say again."

Still he insists "All I want is my armour."

"Liar," I say, searching his eyes. "You've followed me halfway across the galaxy for one thing only."

He entertains me. "And what's that princess?"

I can't bring myself to say it with Din standing so close but Boba knows. He always knows.

"Revenge," I say, if only to stir something else in his heart that is more bearable for me to feel. "For me."

I'm trembling as he touches my cheek with the barrel of his blaster, but not from fear, anything but fear, and I feel pure horror from Din that I haven't killed him for that simple touch alone.

"I did come for you," he tells me and I don't inch away from him as he leans closer as if nobody else is standing here. "On Tatooine I came for you, but not to harm you."

"Liar," I say again, fighting what I know is the truth. "Why else would you come if not for revenge?"

"I came to help you," he says, the coldness of his blaster on my cheek keeping me still as he asks "Do you really think I'd let you face an Imperial attack alone?"

I feel Din watching with a primal anger I've never felt from him and remind Boba "I wasn't alone and you left him there to die."

"If I didn't kill him he would have killed me," he argues, as if leaving him bleeding out for me to find was only a minor complication. "And I wasn't the one with the shiny beskar."

"No, you aren't," I say, finding a sick pleasure in taking from him the one thing he loves. "Because I have yours and once I put you back in the ground where you belong I'll melt it down and add it to my collection of trophies. Right beside Maul's saber on Kalevala."

He ignores my threat to tell me "You're the only one who wants violence little one."

"I don't believe you."

"Kill me then," he says, calling my bluff. "We both know you can't do it."

A darkness settles over me, the same darkness that led to me being charged as a war criminal. "You have no idea what I am capable of."

"Then do it. Kill me. Do what you couldn't do on Tatooine." The heat of my saber at his neck does little to scare him as he taunts "Or have you started calling yourself a Jedi again?" My hand grips the hilt of my saber tight knowing one flick of my wrist is all it would take. "I remember when your daddy came to kill mine, but he couldn't do it either."

I blink at him in bewilderment "What?"

"I remember shooting at your father myself," he tells me, words he never has before, and I go cold as his own memories flash before my eyes. Cold rain and shots fired upon my father only to end in the flash of a purple saber and a beskar helmet rolling on coarse ground. "He was no match for a Mandalorian."

"Then how come he lived while yours lost his head," I hiss and he grabs me by my hair, holding me by the scalp with his blaster to my head. "Too soon?"

"Let her go!" Din orders, firing a warning shot only for Fennec to fire one back at Din and I smirk at the look of unbridled rage in Boba's eyes, living for the thrill of hitting him where it hurts. "Let her go or I drop you and Fennec!"

"This is between us," I tell Din, smiling as I taunt "I should have aimed for your neck, let your head roll in the sand just like your donors."

With those words he bares my throat, my hair in his fist as he brings his blaster from my head down to my stomach, knowing just where to hit me, but nothing can ever hurt me more than he already has. "You've become a cruel woman."

"Do you think I'm still that nineteen year old girl who cried and begged for you Boba?" I ask him and laugh again at the pain shooting through him, wanting him to suffer as I have. "You killed her that day on Cloud City. There's nothing left you can do to hurt me now."

"I can kill the kid," he threatens. "Like you killed our son."

"Our son?" I repeat numbly and feel Din's own horror as I tell him. "You mean the bloody tissue that was left on the floor of that cell after Vader tortured it out of me?" Boba's eyes go utterly cold now, finally realising it was not my doing. "It's for the better because I was never going to have any child of yours after what you did to me."

"Kyra," he begins, the emotion in his voice making me wince but I'm past apologies.

"It's too late for remorse Boba," I tell him, having no pity left for him and dig the knife deeper. "Everything you blamed me for is your own doing. Every betrayal you believed, none of it was ever real. It was all Vader screwing with your head like he did mine."

Finally after all these years I find myself absolved of my own guilt and see the horror in his eyes as he realises I never betrayed him and that the death of our love is his blood to bear.

His voice is uneven now "If I knew-"

"You would have what? Struck Vader down?" I ask as I push him off me and he doesn't try to push me back. "You were too weak."

"Says the one who's too weak to strike me down now," he says, but the fight is gone from his voice and filled with a quiet ache before he resorts to the one thing he can still hate me for. "Just like your father was."

I raise an eyebrow "You think I'm weak because I'm a Jedi?"

"I know you are."

I give a nod and turn my back on him, walking back towards Din as I raise my hand to choke the sniper up on the ridge and watch her reach for her throat as Boba finally panics.

"Stop that!"

"No," I answer before channelling the strength of the force here and throwing her off the ledge into a nearby rockface. Din and Boba both jump back as she groans on the ground and I use the force to pull her rifle to me, handing it to Din as I return to his side.

"Kyra," Din says quietly as he takes the rifle. "I owe Fennec, she is not our enemy."

"Well he is," I reply and turn back to Boba. "I don't care what you've become, I don't care if you're sorry, not when I have to live with the consequences of what you did."

Boba looks at Fennec, finally realising just what his betrayal led me to become. "I thought you were above that."

"I was, but not after what Vader did to me," I say and I see the look of disbelief in his eye before his hand goes to his throat and that cold rage burns as I hold it tight. "Do you think I'm not capable of the things he was?"

"Then do it," he says, my fist closing around his throat. "If it's revenge you want take it, I won't stop you."

"Only one of us is leaving this planet alive," I tell him, even if every moral my father instilled in me screams against killing a man who is not fighting.

"Then why haven't you killed me yet?" he asks but just as I step forward with my saber in hand I feel it and realise the true enemy that's followed me isn't Boba Fett.

It's the Empire.

Slowly I turn my head back towards Boba, the memory of betrayal haunting me now and my saber hand's shaking as he puts his hands up "I didn't-"

Without warning I throw him to the ground and my saber is at his neck as I curse "You fucking traitor."

He knows there is nothing he could say for me to believe him and instead tells me "It's time to put your armour back on princess, we're in for a fight."

I look up at Din who stands there watching the Imperial ships entering the atmosphere "Kyra the kid-"

"The kid is safe," I promise Din and withdraw my saber and abandon Boba on the ground to go to him. "If it's Gideon we have the advantage you hear me?"

"How?" he asks me. "It's the two of us against the Empire."

I look back at Boba on the ground and Fennec getting to her feet, if they didn't bring them here then they'll have no hesitation killing them. "No, it's not." I take his helmet in my hands as I tell him "We fight, the child is as safe as he can be up on that stone. Get your weapons, we aren't running."

"This is the way," he says and a shadow of a smile plays at my lips.

"This is the way."

I let him go with a press of my lips to his beskar cheek knowing damn well Boba's watching and march to his ship to get my armour. I navigate the familiar interior quickly to get to the storage compartment and much to my equal surprise and satisfaction find my biometric fingerprint still logged and draw a sharp breath as the compartment opens.

My armour as promised sits there, painted blood red and still coated in the ashes of Mandalore.

For just a moment I still feel the rubble crushing me, I can still see the bodies of my people turned to dust after the bombing. I can still feel the ash in my lungs as my hand reached out through the rubble, red with radiation burns. I wanted to die and yet I couldn't help but fight for my life as the darkness closed in on me.

I can still feel Boba taking my hand and pulling me out.

The sound of gunshots pulls me back and I take the painted beskar forged for my body, a lightweight unconventional design perfect for a Jedi. It's all muscle memory as I arm myself with it, the slimline armoured top that wraps around my collarbones leaving my arms bare, the red arm bands in substitute of pauldrons for the sake of mobility, my left bearing the symbol of the Jedi and the right my family's crest. The gauntlets attached to my fingerless red sleeves more lightweight than the typical Mandalorian's, the same with the rest of my armour. Boba brought all of it, not just the beskar but the rest of it I couldn't bear to touch after I'd stripped it from my body and so I make quick work of it, discarding my of Jedi styled clothes in favour of my complete armour since I doubt I'll get another chance to retake it.

Finally I hold the helmet in my hand and for the first time since the purge put it on and ready myself, transferring my saber to my armours utility belt that's still armed with my old blaster and make sure to put the kids ball in one of the pockets.

It feels right as I step out of the ship looking through a visor and raise my blaster to take out the nearby stormtroopers and feel Din's head snaps towards me at the sound of the shots and I can feel it, awe, and then I feel the fear of the stormtroopers as I ignite my saber.

They all come to a halt with their guns raised at me, shaking in their armour as I tilt my head to the side and the moment I raise my hand they're running back to their ship, the landing platform still lowered as they try to retreat and with a single hand, feeling the strength of the force more than I have in years, I bring the ship to a halt as they try to lift off. It's as I tap into the true richness of the force here on Tython I realise indeed the stories are true and I throw the ship into a nearby cliff face with a strength I've never wielded before.

The wreckage hits the ground with injured troopers straining for their weapons and I look back to see Boba and Din both standing there in a state of awe.

"Kill them!" I order and they quickly jump into action, gunning down the troopers on board the wreckage and I move past the bodies to get to the remains of the cockpit, still intact enough for me to make contact with their commander and know in my gut who it is.

"This is Kyra Kryze," I say, ready to take him out. "You're troopers are dead Gideon."

"That may be, but not even you and your bounty hunters can save the child from me," he says and I hear Din yelling for me.

"Kyra!"

I emerge to see three more ships lowering onto the planet and just as I raise my hand I hear rockets, but not from the ship. I look back to see Boba standing there in his own armour now and watch as his rocket hits one of the ships which crashes down into the other, both burning wreckage now in the sky.

I feel Din's hand on my arm, tasting the bitterness in my mouth as I look at Boba and know he didn't bring the Empire here.

"See princess, I did tell you," Boba says and I could kill him for the I told you so alone.

"And like I told you, I'm not weak," I spit at him and then realise that was his intention all along, to rile me up.

"You never were," he says and frustrated I look away from him back to Din who stands behind me with a gentle hand holding me in place, maker knows the only thing giving me peace right now.

"What's the plan general?" Din asks me, Boba and Fennec listening as I look at the final ship landing, but my gut tells me there are far more where it came from and we need to take them out.

"Kill them, no matter how many waves come we eliminate them," I decide, knowing the child is safe up on that rock. "If we don't Gideon will just send them after us again."

"Gideon?" Boba repeats, having missed that part when he was attacking Din. "Moff Gideon? I thought he was dead."

"So did we but you'd know that if you were actually helping me on Tatooine instead of stabbing someone," I retort and feel Din squeeze my arm to bring my back, knowing I need to be focused right now, and ask him "On Navarro what type of strength did he have?"

"Enough that he almost killed all of us," he answers and tells me "We aren't making it out unscathed."

"Retreatings no good if he can take us out with his ship, we're better to hold defensive positions until an opportunity presents itself," I say as Fennec reloads her rifle, remembering the Hoth situation. "We don't know what type of resources he's got and I'm not risking putting the kid in his sights."

"Call for backup?" Din asks knowing the connections I've got but none that can get here in time.

"We are the backup," Boba says and reminds me "We've faced worse than a few stormtroopers princess."

"This isn't right," I say, my gut screaming it at me. "It's too easy, if Gideon knows you're here he'd be sending more firepower than this."

It would be why Gideon waited so long to attack, Boba Fett would be one of the few people in this galaxy he would fear and rightfully so, which makes no sense he's sending mere ships of troopers against two of the most capable killers in the galaxy.

"Then let's take them out," Boba says as the ship lands and the four of us stand there ready to fight as the landing platform lowers and I tilt my head at the black of their armour.

Death troopers.

And there it is.

"Take cover," I order before they open fire and each and every movement of my saber is muscle memory led by the force, my father having been relentless in this particular training after the Clones wiped out most of the Jedi in order 66. He wasn't going to let me fall to a group of troopers with blasters.

Their armour is resistant enough the blasts reflected back don't kill them and hear their commander order "Kill the Jedi!"

And so I use the force to leap over head just as they roll grenades my way and cut through three troopers from behind as Din, Boba and Fennec fire on them from defensive positions but it's then as I look up to the stone my blood runs cold realising this is just a distraction.

Troopers unlike any I've ever seen descend towards the stone and just as I run forward I'm thrown to the ground by a missile that blows the Razor Crest to ashes.

My ears ring as I take in the burning wreckage and feel Din pulling me to my feet, covering me from the Death Troopers fire as he pulls me back behind cover, checking me over to make sure I'm alright before quaking "The kid-"

"I've got him, cover me," I tell him and use my jetpack for the first time in years as I take off dodging the heavy fire from the Death Troopers to get to the stone only to begin losing altitude halfway as the broken down fuel runs out and I hit the ground running, reaching the stone at the same moment they do and I'm met with an onslaught from blaster cannons that I fight through only for the force shield to come down.

"No!" I yell out as I'm thrown into one of the pillars with a force I've never felt before by one of the troopers and get to my feet only to be faced with six of them, big hulking forces of metal standing between me and the child who looks at me with fear in his eyes.

They fire upon me, no doubt with programmed orders from Gideon to eliminate me personally. Reflecting the heavy fire I cut through the chest of the one who threw me and cut down the next through the middle only to be grabbed by the throat with a crushing pressure by another and raised up to see the child being taken and kick my feet against the troopers face, severing the hand holding my throat before cutting through its neck along with anothers before driving my saber through the chest of the fifth.

I rebound off the ground as the final trooper lifts off with the child and I swear I can hear Din calling my name, but just as I go to jump from the stone to take down the final trooper I see it far too late, the burning missile locked right onto me, and in the second before it impacts I raise my saber in a pure final instinct and there's a flash of blue.

Then nothing.

Din

The moment the missile enters the atmosphere I've abandoned my defensive position to run to her as if I have a chance in hell of making it there, there's flashes of yellow as she cuts through the troopers and I'm screaming her name into an empty void and she looks up the moment before it impacts. There's a flash of blue as the forceshield ignites only for the missile to blow the stone temple to nothing not even a second later.

The explosion causes me to fall back and I'm on my knees as I look up at the smouldering ruins, the world itself coming to a standstill as I grasp my blaster between my fingers, in one single moment my entire world gone.

So many moments I'd accepted my own death and I was never afraid, but that was until her and the child came along and suddenly I had everything to lose.

And now I've lost just that, my child, my riduur, my everything.

That is until I feel Boba Fett pulling me to my feet telling me "She's hard to kill, get up there and I'll follow the bastards."

"Come on," Fennec says pulling me along as if there would even be anything left of her after what that same missile did to the Razor Crest. "He'll follow the trooper, she's a Jedi isn't she?" Numbly I nod as she forces me to walk. "Then there's a chance."

"The kid-"

"He's following the kid," she repeats as we make our way up the mountain. "You can't save him but there's still a chance for her."

I'm sick to my stomach at the thought of what I'll find, her body blown to pieces or nothing at all, but as my weak knees take me up the hill they all but give out at the sight of her red figure face down in the ruins and I run forward, dropping to my knees as I take her in my arms.

"Kyra?" I quake as I hold her limp body, armour blackened from the impact and skin scorched but it's as I pull her helmet off and find blood running from her ears and nose I can't breathe. "Cyar'ika?"

Despite the heat radiating from the burns her body's cold, my thermal imaging unable to get a clear reading with the injuries and I'm cradling her head in my hand as I check her vital signs, finding a pulse, drawing a shaking breath as I feel it beneath my fingers. She should be ashes, but I've seen the child perform even greater miracles than this.

"Boba's on their tail," Fennec tells me. "He's locked onto the trooper."

"No!" I panic, stammering. "I don't want the child hurt!"

They're both alive, but they won't be for long.

"Abort pursuit, disengage!" Fennec orders. "Do not harm the child."

"Copy, I'll do a loose follow, see where they're headed." There's a pause before he asks "Is she alive?"

"Mando," Fennec says, unable to quite look at us as she asks "Is she alive?" I give a single weak nod and she confirms "She's alive but barely. Burns covering her body from the blast and severe head trauma, unconscious."

I'd never been truly afraid until right now as I hold her limp body in my arms, appearing dead in every way except for the slight pulse beneath my fingers and the slow rise and fall of her chest beneath the beskar but it's not strong enough.

The child is gone, I can't lose her with him.

"I can't do this alone," I tell her in Mando'a. I'd promised that I'd never let the Empire hurt her again and I broke that promise. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I failed you. I failed both of you."

Her red hair is between my fingers, warmth seeping from her skull as I clutch her body to mine, trying to convince myself she's still alive, that she still has a chance.

"They're back," I hear Fett say over the com as I listen for her breath but can barely find it.

"Who?" Fennec asks as she comes over, kneeling down to take a look at her.

"The Empire," he answers, telling her what I already know. "They're back."

"That can't be, the Empire is under the jurisdiction of the New Republic."

"This isn't a spice dream, I can see the Imperial cruiser with my own eyes."

The issue of a few rogue warlords is entirely different to an armed and operational Imperial Cruiser. For a moment I hope that revelation would be enough to wake her up, but she's still out cold in my arms.

"Fennec she needs help," I say quickly, unable to keep my voice from breaking.

"Boba doesn't have any plans on letting her die," Fennec says and I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse as she speaks into the com. "Get back down here, she needs medical treatment."

"I'm coming down."

"Come on," Fennec says and I lift her up, taking care to keep her head still and Fennec takes her helmet as we descend back down the mountain with only one way off this planet.

Despite the desperation I've heard enough to not trust him, knowing he turned her over to the Empire once before and I'll die before letting it happen again and when we approach his ship and he takes a step towards her I draw my blaster on him from beneath her legs "Touch her and you're dead."

"She isn't dead yet but she will be and if you kill me and try to steal my ship you won't get very far without my biometrics," he says, having anticipated this. "Do you want her to die?"

"She'd rather die before being given to the Empire," I say, knowing she'd never forgive me if I let Gideon get his hands on her. "And I'll die before letting them harm her."

"I didn't dig her out of the damn rubble on Mandalore to watch her die now," he mutters and my blaster hand shakes as he marches forward and puts a hand on her head, I only allow it when I see how his shakes as much as mine. "She needs a bacta tank."

"It's the outer rims," Fennec says. "Where-"

"I know a place," Fett says and speaks to me. "Something tells me neither of us are getting past the outer rims without being arrested by the New Republic. I can take her somewhere she'll be safe."

"Where?"

"Cloud city," he says, the name only vague to me. "Run by one of her rebel friends, Calrissian."

I look down at her knowing we don't have any time for questions but I still can't trust Boba Fett "You try anything-"

"Oh trust me she'll beat you to killing me when she wakes up when she realises where I've taken her," he assures me. "But neither of us are letting her die."

"Mando, if you want her to live you have to trust us," Fennec says and with no choice I head on board the ship, hardly even registering as Boba Fett enters with the beskar spear, all that's left of the Razor Crest.

The landing dock closes and they head into the cockpit without another word, leaving me there in the hold alone with her and it's then the chill truly settles into my bones.

Only an hour ago we were in the cockpit of the Razorcrest, watching her holding Grogu as she told us the words we'd never heard before her, that she loves us. Words I'd never heard until she came into my life and made me realise I was something that could be loved. The light of my life, the only thing that truly mattered, her and the child, I had my entire future in the palm of my hand and now it's all gone.

I feel the tears in my eyes as I cradle her head and feel the dry blood in her hair, remembering in horror that she has a family outside of the child and I, that I'll have to tell them how she died while I stood helpless.

"Come on cyar'ika," I plead with her, without her and the child there is nothing left to live for. I don't know how I ever lived without their love, a love that made me feel human for the first time since I was a child, a love I can never live without again. "Wake up, please."

But her body only grows colder, her skin blackened from the blast of the missile, wounds that a bacta tank can heal but I remember too well the head trauma that would have killed me if not for IG-11. My hand rests over her pulse, feeling it only growing weaker, her breathing slowing.

"Stay with me," I whisper, shaking as I hold her body and realise her chest is hardly rising. "Kyra?" The colour is gone from her cheeks, her skin turning a shade of grey and I'm yelling out "How long do we have left!"

Boba Fett comes down, helmetless now and looks upon her with an unreadable face "Less than an hour."

"We don't have that long," I insist. "Is there bacta-"

"The Hutts raided it for medicine and credits while I was in the Sarlacc," he answers and gives what could almost be called an attempt at assurance. "I've seen her in worse shape than this, she's tough, too stubborn to die like this that's for certain."

"Well she is dying!" I snap, slowly losing it with every missed beat of her pulse. "Isn't there anywhere closer?"

"If the Empires back then Cloud City is the only place I know for certain won't be doing business with them," he says and I look down at her. "Calrissian is a good enough man he wouldn't turn her away."

"Can you get a transmission to Leia?" I ask him knowing that she'd want her family to be there if she doesn't make it and he seems surprised by my request.

He scoffs "She's told you about that lot?"

"They're her family," I say and he just shakes his head. "They deserve to be there if she doesn't make it." It's then I remember where I'd heard of Cloud City from, Solo's transmission after we were attacked on Tatooine. "Can you contact Solo on the Millenium Falcon, he should be at Cloud City."

He looks at me more carefully now "You've met Solo and all the rest?"

"I know her family and she'd want them there," I say, unable to understand the questions and having no patience for them. "Can you contact them or not?"

He's silent for a moment in contemplation before saying "It's best I don't or they'll try to shoot me down."

I stare at him now incredulously at how he can be thinking about himself right now "Not if they know she's on board."

"Let's just say Solo and I have some history and they won't believe she let me live long enough to be in this situation," he says and despite my desperation I can't blame them if they know what I do. "We'll be there soon, I don't know what she's told you-"

"She'd told me enough," I say sharply, not caring for conversation right now.

He nods to himself before saying "We both love her Mandalorian, she isn't dying on my watch." He steps forward and I pull her closer to me, not wanting a man who hurt her and is comfortable enough laying hands on her how I just saw to touch her. "She's survived worse than this, if you've spent even a night with her you'd know that."

The mention of her nightmares has me shaking at the thoughts of just what she's endured and the revelation I learned on that damned planet, that she was pregnant with this man's child and lost it in torture due to his betrayal.

"If you loved her you wouldn't have betrayed her," I say knowing the man he is, that we aren't so dissimilar. Knowing the lives men like him and I lead and just what she is in comparison to all that bloodshed. "If you loved her you would have died before letting the Empire lay one hand on her."

"Vader promised me if I got her to become his apprentice he would spare her," he reveals to me. "The moment she landed on that planet she'd sealed her fate, I'd tried to keep her away but the moment her ship was reported I went there to protect her and struck the deal. Her precious family were about to die and I wasn't going to let her suffer the same fate."

"And so you turned her over for torture with a blaster at her back," I say remembering the words she told me and feel my own blaster beside me on the floor within reach, checking her pulse and finding it even weaker.

"I did," he says and eyes me as he says "It's clear you haven't known her very long so let me enlighten you. I'd been by her side since she was nineteen, I watched her take back Mandalore from the Empire and I watched her lose it because she was too damn stubborn to realise her precious rebellion would spit her right back out the moment they were finished with her." I'm silent now, remembering Chandrila. "And from what I've heard that's exactly what they did, charged her as a war criminal and left her to Moff Gideon on Tatooine."

My head snaps back towards him at the mention of that night "You left me for dead after beating Cobb Vanth within an inch of his life trying to find us."

"You would have done the same if you'd seen me first," he dismisses and goes on. "I've been dealing with the aftermath of her decisions for almost a decade now. She's as tough as they come but she's got a weak heart. She's pretty enough to make any man forget themselves but there's only so many times you can stop her from ruining herself in the name of being a hero. Hell I pulled her out of the ruins of Mandalore after she tried killing herself when she had to live with the consequences of her decisions. She's her own worst enemy and I'm warning you now Mandalorian no man escapes from her unscathed."

The length of their history makes me still and I begin to realise there's a reason she didn't kill him on sight and with her dying in her arms the last thing I want is to doubt where her heart lies.

"I know her past," I say stiffly, but it's never scared me until now.

"Do you?" he questions. "Are you aware you've been shacking up with a suicidal sadist who's spent her enter life pretending to be something she's not? Don't let her pretty face fool you, she's a cruel woman who let me spend five years believing she'd rid herself of our child out of pure spite before leaving me for dead."

His words do nothing but make me want to reach for my blaster "Do you love her or hate her, make up your mind."

"Love and hate, it's all the same to her as you'll come to learn," he says and I look down at her face, unable to see anything but the woman I love. "She'll want to kill me when she eventually wakes up but she won't do it. She can't. The last night together before she left me for dead she spent beating me until she turned to words to try to provoke me into hurting her to fulfil whatever sick satisfaction it gave her before pushing me into bed. She's a twisted woman, always has been. Whatever she's told you I did to her it was nothing she didn't allow, hell you saw it. She has a way of bringing out the worst in a man, forcing it to the surface."

"Why are you telling me this?" I stammer, panicking the weaker her breathing grows while he stands there like she's not dying.

"So you can run before it's too late."

I scoff now, realising what his play is "So you can have her?"

"I've loved her through all of these years, and no matter what we always found our way back to one another," he tells me and stops before heading back to the cockpit. "You seem like a good man, you love her, but she isn't the woman you think she is."

With her dying in my arms his words change nothing. "We'll see."

He's almost amused "You will see."

He leaves us and I look down at her, the woman I love, a woman who in so many ways is still as much of a mystery to me as she was when I first laid eyes on her. Whoever she was, I saw glimpses of her today that left me shocked, glimpses I'd never seen before that leave me wondering how much of the truth this man is telling me.

But it doesn't matter, not now, not when I could lose her. I trust her with my life, with the child's life, and that is more important than anything that he could ever tell me, not when I have my own past I try to forget. Not when our child is gone and I need her with me to take him back.

True desperation takes hold of me as her lips turn a shade of blue and I hold her face, afraid to move her without knowing the extent of her head injury, clinging to the faint beat of her pulse that is the only thing keeping the last shred of my sanity from breaking.

"Wake up," I plead with her, if there is one thing Fett is right about it's that she's too stubborn to die like this at the Empire's hands. "We need to protect Grogu, he needs us." Still she lays unconscious and my voice breaks "I need you."

When I was dying I had her and the child by my side, I would have died in peace having felt her lips on mine knowing there was someone to mourn me, to raise the child. I may be here, but she would not die in peace knowing the child is in danger, knowing he was taken by the Empire as she was when she was just a child.

As I died the only regret I had was that I had not had more time with her, I would have died a happy man if she opened her eyes to look upon my face when she kissed me and so with shaking hands I lift my helmet now and put it aside to look upon her with my own eyes. If she were to wake now I would have no regrets if only to feel her warm and alive in my arms.

"I love you," I tell her, knowing I might never get to say them again. "I can't- I can't go back to how it was before you and the kid. I can't." I'm choking back a sob as I fight tears, something I didn't realise I was still capable of. "Please, stay with me. Stay with me cyar'ika."

I kiss her cold head, feeling my tears wet her skin as I once felt hers wet mine. I thought I was gone, but she saved me.

I might not be able to wield the force to bring her back from the brink of death, I may be just a man begging the woman he loves to stay with him but that is enough. It has to be.

I'm not letting her die.

#din djarin #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian smut #the mandolarian #the mandalorian x oc #din djarin x oc #din djarin x original character #wildfirewildflower #the mandalorian x original character #Din djarin smut #Din djarin fanfic #the mandalorian fanfic #found.#din djarin x female oc

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sun-spice · 23 days

Text

After all the events of the past day: being hijacked, the inexplicable crash, and absolutely everything to do with this 'Ben', Jango was at his wits' end. While the adult jetti was a good actor, his ad was not.

"I know you are hiding something from me." He demanded, breaking the tense silence that had smothered the cockpit. "Where are we? What planet was that?" A wiser man would probably shut up and not shoot the rescue, but Jango was not about to play ignorant to the glaring red flags for potentially a tenday stuck aboard this ship.

(Jango POV on Sithspawn!Obi-Wan drabble with some headcanons below.)

The preteen to Jango's left tensed with a scowl, he opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by his baji.

"Set. Please go to your bunk." He said with a jett'la mildness.

His ad whirled on him. "Master!" Jango stifled a twitch at that address.

"Please." 'Ben' repeated. Something unspoken passed between them, before 'Set' relented, storming out of the compartment with an angry huff to poorly conceal his nervousness.

Once the door to the cockpit closed, 'Ben' turned and gave Jango a stony look that made his hackles raise further. It was only the presence of the jett'ad--the padawan--outside, and Jango's own precarious transport situation that stayed his blaster.

"Bac aliik, gar haat'mando'ad, ni tion'serim?" The jetti demanded.

Jango startled, narrowing his eyes at the sudden switch from Basic. "Gar jorhaa mando'a." He growled. Where was a jetti that spoke his language and recognised his symbol during his last encounters with the jettise, he thought bitterly.

The jetti ignored his statement and continued in his oddly accented Mando'a. "I have heard that True Mandalorians have honour, so I will be true with you." Kalevala, an uncommon accent nowadays, but with hints of his foreign Coruscanti and... a slight Keldabe twang? "If you tell anyone of the coordinates of that planet, it will not end well for you."

"You're threatening me." Jango laid out bluntly. Ballsy of this jetti.

"I am stating a fact. It won't just be me that follows after you, in the case that happens". He spoke fluently but with the occasional phrasing that sounded off to a native speaker like Jango. He idly wondered how long he had been studying, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

"What was that planet?" He demanded once again.

The jetti pursed his lips and sighed through his nose. He was reluctant, but he already seemed to know that he could not get around this. "We're in the condemned space of the former Sith Empire right now. That planet is called Stewjon, but you might know of it as Halasar."

Jango stilled. Condemned Space was a relatively small region consisting mostly of abandoned Sith planets and their neighbourhoods. While the original no-fly-zones around death-traps like Moraband and Ziost weren't enforced anymore, not for centuries, they were still known to be treacherous. As the seat of the dar'jettise Empire's abominations, the entire area was an old minefield of traps, dark magics, scorged lands, and even bioweapons: pathogens and monsters alike. After the fall of the Empire and the Sith Space Exodus, the hyperspace beacons had been destroyed, and many debris and obstacles had been scattered to order to essentially baracade the region from the rest of known space. Of course that didn't stop the clandestine, the arrogant, and the desperate from attempting to navigate it using old starmaps, but everyone knew that one risked simply disappearing, and becoming yet another cautionary tale.

There was a reason that the dar'jettise were still infamous even a millennium after their extinction, those ancient demagolkase truly scorched everywhere they once walked.

While Condemned Space was a well-documented no-one's-land, Halasar was a myth. An ancient Sith outpost full of old labs and cursed ruins, absolutely infested by sithspawn abominations left to reproduce unchecked. It was clearly a myth, because if it had existed, it would have been glassed long ago.

Jango thought of the grass and the lichen of the mystery planet, the fresh rain, and laughed. He would buy that they were near, or possibly somewhere within Condemned Space, given the large patches of devastation and scarring on the various continents when viewed from orbit. But the jetti trying to sell him that the planet was Halasar? How gullible did he believe Jango to be? He would be offended, if the whole lie wasn't so ridiculous.

The jetti smiled ruefully, called out on his banthashit. "You don't believe me." Jango snorted and gave him an incredulous stare through his visor. 'Ben' must have sensed it through his force, because he had the gall to look ever so slightly amused. "Very well."

And then his form distorted.

Jango was emptying blaster charges on battle-hardened instinct before his rational mind could catch up, but it was useless. Pale pink Human skin hardened into deep crimson-brown chitin. Legs cracked and reformed, and creature's body elongated and sharpened. Spines, tail, teeth, claws. Were those mandables?!

His eyes roamed, cataloguing the threats the creature posed. He needed to get out of this enclosed space to have a fighting chance, and to preserve the ship's controls from damage. But outside the cockpit he potentially had a stubborn jett'ad to manhandle out of harm's way. Osik.

Jango was about to launch at the thing with a vibroblade before the creature held up a long fingered hand and an unseen force froze him in place.

Peace. No harm. Jango reeled. "Stay out of my kriffing head!"

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the creature collapsed in on itself, process reversing until the pale Human jetti stood before him once more. Jango strained against the magics, carefully regulating his breathing. A Clawdite? No, Clawdites weren't capable of such transformation.

His brain already had the answer for him, planted by the jetti's words. The insectoid exoskeleton and mandables, the mammalian teeth and tail, the crown of warped montrals, the long horns, (the jewellery? His brain whispered). The jetti had just mutated into a sithspawn and back again. Me'sik'ven.

The jetti(?) still looked amused. "While there are many wild rumours about my species, our shapeshifting abilities are, ironically, understated." He spoke again, still in Jango's native tongue. "I will let you go and explain if you agree not to stab me. I still wish to be narudar, if you are amenable."

"Fine." He gritted out, and the pressure slowly eased. He didn't sheave his blade, but gestured for Ben to continue.

Ben's face turned grim. "Stewjon is my homeplanet. During the time of Empire, the Sith used it as a base for their organic engineering. Their favourite subjects were the people they enslaved, and when the population became smaller, they stole from further to bolster it. Those people were my ancestors."

He let his words soak in before he continued. "The Sith enslaved both our bodies and our minds. To the point where we are remembered as monsters born from the corpses of sapient people. The perfect predator of ambush to invade and suppress worlds, able to change shape and hide within their prey.

However, the Sith are no longer, and those that the galaxy remember as sithspawn were able to fade into obscurity, to choose again, to heal, to be people again.

I don't wish to harm you, but I cannot let you endanger their security. I need your vow, haat, ijaat, haa'it, that you will not share this information."

Jango shook off the heaviness of his shoulders as the adrenaline come-down started to hit. He wasn't faced with a beast, he realised with some resignation, but a person with something, someone, to protect. Was the ad the same as him?

Fighting now seemed even less of an option. This day was so kriffed. "If my knowing this is so dangerous to your people, why am still alive?"

Ben hummed. "Honestly? The only reason I brought you with us is because the Force whispered so."

Mando'a sentences:

"Bac aliik, gar haat'mando'ad, ni tion'serim?" That symbol, you're a True Mandalorian, am I right?"

"Gar jorhaa mando'a." You speak Mando'a.

Vocabulary:

aliik - symbol (usually of allegiance)

ad - child

baji - teacher

dar'jettise - Sith plu.

demagolkase (plural of demagolka) - someone who commits atrocities, 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 Mandalorian psyche.

jetti - Jedi sing.

jettise - Jedi plu.

jett'la - Jedi adj. (e.g. "How very Jedi of you.")

jett'ad - Jedi child

haat, ijaat, haa'it - truth, honour, vision. Words said to seal a solemn pact.

me'sik'ven - what the shit

narudar - temporary allies

Hi! Thank you for reading all the way to the end of the post. This wee thing snuck up on me at midnight last night and I shockingly managed to finish it. I'm not a writer so this won't be going anyway, sorry! But if anyone wants to expand on it in any way, you have blanket permission and my eternal love and delight. Also I purposely wrote Obi-Wan less eloquently in this because he's speaking in Mando'a for most of it. If some of the phrasing was weird to you that's on purpose, because it's weird to Jango too. Obi-Wan is very good as Mando'a but not totally fluent/native.

Some worldbuilding rambling:

In this AU in my brain I've based Sithspawn!Stewjoni off of xenomorphs in the sense that that's how the galaxy views them. I do also love the idea of eusocial societies in worldbuilding. I tried to see if anyone had done anything for Geonosian worldbuilding but no dice :( In my headcanon Stewjoni don't actually have parasitic reproduction (if anyone does parasitic!Stewjoni though I would be excited and impressed) like people think they do, but they are eusocial apex predators who could theoretically reproduce quickly enough to be an invasive species. Of course they don't do that, because they collectively have a very long generational trauma around bodily and reproductive autonomy, and would never force a fertile member of the colony to bear children.

Obi-Wan in this was given to the Jedi by his colony (small at around a hundred members, and from a temperate island because I'm Scottish and must have some space-Scotland in this) because he was a strong enough force-sensitive that he was being negatively affected by the lingering darkness of the planet's Force presence, and his shapeshifting was enough that he was able to pass as non-Stewjoni (Human in his case). How does this work? Anything is possible with the Force is my excuse.

The Stewjoni have maintained an amicable relationship with the Jedi after the Order helped them get back on their feet once they were freed, and this is common practice. However, some force-sensitive Stewjoni children are not able to pass and thus are not able to spend extended periods off-planet around other sapients. The Jedi aid them where they can but they often become sickly in some way.

The disabled and elderly are usually well supported by their colonies and Stewjon's medical infrastructure. Some disabilities are widespread due to the Sith fucking up their bodies so much. No one even remembers what their ancestors were like before the Sith. Were they insectoid? Mammalian? Carnivores? Omnivores? A colony of another known species? There are some theories but that information has long been lost.

Stewjoni colonies in this can range from under a hundred to thousands. Megacolonies of hundreds of thousands to millions like the capital tend to be made up of lots of smaller colonies. Stewjoni!Scotland in this is has a few hundred different colonies. There are other regions with different biomes and different cultures as well. Stewjoni Jedi aren't numerous or structured enough to truly be a colony within themselves, but many consider their Jedi temple or Corps to be their colony. They are often also still considered 'outmembers' of their birth colony, and part of their regional culture and of course greater Stewjoni culture, but of course how connected they are varies between the individual person.

Body modifications of various forms are popular. Jewellery and decorations are also more common for everyone than not.

Anakin in my mind is also considered an outmember of Obi-Wan's birth colony as Obi-Wan's apprentice because that sparks joy. There's a generation of the colony around his age (around 10-ish kids) who essentially adopt him when Obi-Wan takes him to visit for the first time. They're absolutely smug and excited to have the cool Human Jedi kid as a sibling/cousin and laud it over everyone else. Obi-Wan's generation (the Wan generation) are less than impressed. Anakin may not have a crèche clan but he does have a bunch of Stewjoni kids who will holocall him on an encrypted line regularly to bug him for news and anecdotes about the rest of the galaxy.

Anyway that's all my rambling for now. I welcome comments and tags if anyone wants to throw stuff at the wall with me :)

#star wars #star wars prequels #sithspawn!stewjoni #sithspawn stewjoni #obi-wan kenobi #jango fett #anakin skywalker #spice rambles

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crispyjenkins · 2 years

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anon prompt fill

alright so! lost the ask this prompt was for because tumblr fecked up, so i’m incredibly sorry if this was yours 😭 veered from the prompt somewhat, but when don’t i. i hope you like the changes!!! (ღ˘◡ ˘ღ)

Ahsoka doesn’t recognise him, when they first find him; his signature is unmistakable, Ahsoka would know it in a coma and half Force-blind, yet the young face that stares back at her and Cody is one she hasn’t seen even in holos of her grandmaster from before the War.

But that light in the Force is unmistakably Obi-Wan Kenobi.

With Master Anakin on probation in the Temple for killing Raako Hardeen and Cad Bane (she refuses to think it was in cold blood, but was... was revenge actually better?), Cody had been the one to accompany her and the 501st to investigate a tiny cloaked complex near Naboo that was rumored to belong to Count Dooku. And maybe Cody knows something she doesn’t about her Grandmaster’s past, because that same pained recognition is on his own face — or maybe he really is Force sensitive the way Anakin always jokes.

Force, Obi-Wan isn’t even wearing robes, instead dressed in a grey tunic and soft pants that look an exact copy of the red ones worn by the clones on Kamino, and Ahsoka almost drops her gaze, feeling as if she’s caught him in his undergarments.

“... General?” Cody asks softly at her side, voice raw and betrayed, but this... Not–Obi-Wan just blinks at him.

“Oh, no, not me,” the thing wearing her Grandmaster’s face says with a Serennian accent, smiling apologetically. “I’m afraid he hasn’t been by in quite some time.”

Ahsoka exchanges a quick look with Cody before stepping through the doorway properly, Not–Obi-Wan sitting on an assortment of vermilion cushions that are the only splash of colour in the entire room of washed-out greys and stark whites. He simply watches her approach, an actual flimsi book laid across his lap in a language that Ahsoka doesn’t know, but it isn’t until she’s halfway across the room that she starts to see little differences between this boy and her grandmaster. A mole a little too far to the left, brown eyes a little darker than they should be, lower lip a little too full.

When she doesn’t say anything, he frowns suspiciously. “You are here to see General Grievous, yes?”

Ahsoka feels her heart freeze in her chest, as Cody makes a strangled sound she’s never heard from him before.

It draws Not–Obi-Wan’s gaze back to the commander, and he raises one dark brow. “I was not aware my grandfather kept any of Fett’s clones for himself.”

Cody sputters, hand twitching towards one of the blasters at his hip, but Ahsoka knows he would never actually shoot Master Obi-Wan — if this even is Master Obi-Wan. Just to be safe, she sidesteps to put herself between the two of them, and holds up one hand placatingly. “Your grandfather?” she asks carefully, but the Force assures her she already knows the answer. “I didn’t realise Count Dooku had any living family still.”

Surprisingly, he snorts, and jerks a hand around the barren room. “If you call this living.”

She blinks. “You’re trapped here?”

“I honestly don’t even know what planet I’m on.” He says it like it means nothing, like it’s a given fact that he has no control over, and Ahsoka has to stop herself from punching the nearest wall.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, Ahsoka glances back at Cody, whose expression has shifted to forcibly-blank. “What’s your name?” she asks, desperately wishing Master Anakin were here, that Master Obi-Wan were here. The Force does not lie to her, but she had also held her grandmaster as he died, in her arms, and the impossibility of this... man, barely older than she is, having the same signature that she had felt as it snuffed out is...

“I’m not entirely sure,” that man says, with a tiny, forced smile. “General Grievous calls me Kenobi, and Lady Ventress calls me Little Jedi, but my grandfather calls me Yan.”

After the briefest of pauses, the air positively suffocating with confusion and horror and disgust, Cody slams his helmet back on and whirls out of the room, and the bulkhead-style door clangs shut behind him.

Yan doesn’t seem surprised by his outburst, lips pressed together in a thin line as he stares after him for a moment before dragging his eyes back to Ahsoka. “I am quite sure I have never met either of you, yet you both still seem to know me,” he remarks softly, one thumb fidgeting with the edge of the pages of his book.

“I...” Ahsoka starts, but doesn’t know what she had planned to say. “I, um, how old are you, Yan?”

If he is surprised by this either, he doesn’t show it. “I believe I am 19 Serenno years old, but as I have not seen a Galactic calendar since I was a child, I cannot be sure.”

Deeply disturbed, she goes on, “What did you mean by your grandfather ‘keeping’ one of Fett’s clones?”

“I was under the impression he only picked the template because his master wanted Fett,” Yan offers, deceptively-clever eyes watching her reaction closely, “So it would surprise me if he chose to keep one around.”

If Yan is telling the truth, if it was Dooku that commissioned the clones, that means... that means Count Dooku and Darth Tyranus are one in the same. Force, Ahsoka doesn’t even know where to start on all the implications of that, and a small part of her is relieved that this is important enough that she will be handing it off to someone much older and wiser than her as soon as possible.

Not that she would remove herself from the case completely, not when Yan is observing her with eyes Ahsoka had watched go dim.

Tipping his head to the side, Yan’s gaze intensifies, hand twitching over his book. “You are not allies of my grandfather.”

Ahsoka inhales slowly. There’s no way she can lie to him — hopefully Cody is still just outside in case she needs backup. “No.”

“He didn’t keep a Fett clone around, your companion is part of the GAR.”

“He is.”

Yan contemplates that for another minute, and he doesn’t seem angry, but Ahsoka isn’t sure if she would be able to tell even if he did. When the silence stretches into a tension Ahsoka wouldn’t be able to cut even with her ’saber, Yan nods to himself.

Then his face splits into a smile, a grin she’d seen dozens of times right before her grandmaster would throw himself into an especially-reckless plan that he shouldn’t survive but somehow still did. Yan locks his eyes with hers with a ferocity that holds her firmer than gravity.

His smile widens. “You wanna help me break the kriff out of here?”

#ask #prompt fill #anon #crispy writes #prequel trilogy #clone wars #was this just an excuse to write padawan obi wan again #*insert ''maybe so'' meme*#obi wan kenobi #ish #ahsoka tano #commander cody #help i used to have so many tags why can't i think of anything #slightly angsty but it gets better?#and yes #this was very confusing to write when i always name dooku ''yan'' in my other works #now that i've finished living icarus hunger should be next but absolutely no guarantee when that'll be #i love you all thank you for sticking with me so long #prompts will return at some point

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tessiete · 1 year

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One Hell of a Fanfic

youtube

So, completely unbeknownst to me, the podcast One Hell of a Fanfic took the time to read and discuss my fic The Eternal Spring. It’s an older fic – I think my first real foray into SW as an author – and it shows. But the wonderful hosts, Steph and Lauren, found it, read it, and talked about it here.

This new podcast focuses on SW fic exclusively, and is an absolute delight to listen to. As a reader, it gives you insight into the experience of reading the story and introduces you to work you might have missed. And as an author…wow.

It’s like when someone leaves you an essay in your comment section. Chef’s kiss.

Anyway, because I love to talk about process and intent, and because I love to talk about stories, and because while listening to this episode I had so many moments of “YES BUT DID YOU SEE THE BIT WHERE I –” I’ve decided to write up a little response going into detail about what Lauren and Steph discovered while reading The Eternal Spring.

I’ll try and organise it, too, by sort of keeping to the five categories they break their episodes into. So here goes:

CANON

Right off the bat, this section made me question everything about myself, my writing, and what on earth I was doing. Both Lauren and Steph mentioned how incredibly deep the lore is, how many Easter Eggs I included, and how I blended canon, Legends, and fanon into a unique lore of its own.

This is wild to me because I’d never thought of that.

Listen, I’ve got a very complicated relationship with canon. I treat it as equal to Legends, and fanon. To my mind, it’s no better, no more real, no more accurate than Legends is, or even fanon. In fact, I’m of the opinion that fanon occasionally has the absolute best take on a character.

For instance, Obi-Wan having precognitive dreams. Sorry, that’s real to me. That’s true.

And you’ll see this come up as a given in my work all the time. I hardly even think about it anymore. So that’s one way in which these different sources are pulled together – unconsciously.

However, I won’t deny there was conscious reference to two fan works specifically. Those being Tatooine Slave Culture (created by fialleril), and more significantly the Lineage series (Jedi Apprentice rewrites by ruth baulding). I am a huge Jedi Apprentice fan, and a huge ruth baulding fan. I know JA especially has its haters, but I love it (for reasons I will not go into here for the sake of HA! brevity).

I know TSC especially has faced controversy in the past for appropriation and insensitivity, though admittedly, I was unaware of that at the time of writing this story. I had just entered the fandom much like a bull enters a china shop. I made a lot of missteps. That said, I don’t think I use TSC culture with any significant overstep in this story (as it is largely only referenced by people outside of the culture), and so while I probably wouldn’t do it again, I don’t feel it’s detrimental in this case.

Ruth Baulding, however, is perfect. While the Lineage series is extremely whump-heavy (heads up should you go looking), there is one story in particular where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon visit The Stewardship of Terajon (StewJon) and encounter Obi-Wan’s birth family. While Qui-Gon handles it with a quiet and permissive grace, Obi-Wan is reflexively defensive and hostile, especially when he finds out that SPOILERS his family is on the opposite side of the conflict. They do no support the Republic, while Obi-Wan has dedicated his life to it. Qui-Gon recognises that their reasons are legitimate and ideologies are not so black and white as good and evil. Obi-Wan, however, cannot reconcile the idea that his family are so-called traitors. They end up finding an uneasy peace where Obi-Wan tells his parents that Qui-Gon is and has always been a father to him, and Obi-Wan’s mother makes him promise that if he ever needs help he will ask her for it.

I really wanted to write a story where he does that.

Partly because I wanted to depict an Obi-Wan who had grown into a maturity that could handle shades of grey, especially in politics, and partly because this story is so much about parents and their children, absence and presence and legacy, that I felt Ue, his mother, needed to be there for it.

Side note: I will forever cling to ruth baulding's conjecture that Obi-Wan is named for the obiwan flowers that grow on Stewjon. IRL our obiwan flowers look similar to how she describes them!

As for Qui-Gon and his love of plants – I don’t know.

I think this is a blend of fanon and Legends that I’ve once again just taken on board as fact, and only with this podcast am I compelled to examine it.

Though recently contradicted by LFL canon (In CG’s Master&Apprentice), fanon loooooong held that Obi-Wan was the one with a connection to prophecy and Qui-Gon was Master of Living in the Moment. I really love the tension this creates between them, and that’s why I keep it.

To that end, Qui-Gon is very frequently depicted in fanon as being Super Into Plants. He’s like, the Order’s #1 Plant Dad. His rooms are full of plants, and he is deeply connected to the Living Force.

In the Jedi Apprentice novels, Obi-Wan is almost sent to live as a farmer in the AgriCorps, and he is convinced he’d be a terrible farmer.

I kind of connected these two dots to suggest that much as Obi-Wan still ends up on Tatooine, he also still ends up a farmer. Qui-Gon taught him the horticulture he was so afraid of finding on Bandomeer, and Tatooine sees him eventually relying on those skills for survival.

This ties into one of the things I wanted to grapple with in this fic. Free will vs. Destiny. I think, ultimately, this story’s perspective on it is that destiny = destination. You are always going to the same place. But the journey itself is free will. How you get there, which path you take, and what you learn from it – that’s all on you.

And if we believe that it’s not about the destination, but the journey, then isn’t that the same as free will after all?

Anyway.

That said, Steph and Lauren point out several times that this complex mingling of lore leads to much confusion AND that if you’re not acquainted with even something as (to me) ubiquitous as The Clone Wars, then much of it won’t land.

On the one hand, this is intentional. I love Easter Eggs, but I’m staunchly of the opinion that Easter Eggs aren’t meant to be found by everyone. They’re for the dedicated readers, the hyperfixaters, the deep-divers, the re-readers. I think Easter Eggs aren’t PointingLeos so much as they are sly winks, and things that make returning to a story rewarding. Every time you come back, you find something new. They’re meant to increase the longevity of novelty. And that’s how I try to use them.

THAT SAID I 100% TOOK IT FOR GRANTED THAT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME KNOWLEDGE BASE AS I DO.

In retrospect, that’s ridiculous. This is what I mean by saying they made me question my whole approach to fic. I didn’t think that TCW was a deep-cut. I didn’t think that Siri Tachi and her mandrangea beans were unknown, or that Obi-Wan loving muja fruit was obscure.

And that’s on me. That’s my bad. Because objectively, Lauren and Steph are absolutely right. That is so much information to expect a reader to have as a baseline, and dramatically decreases the size of the demographic I’m reaching.

Do I regret it? ….nnnooooo?

But I will absolutely be more mindful of that in the future. I think that’s a hugely important lesson for me to take from this. It’s not just a “My perspective isn’t everyone’s perspective” but a “Not everyone has been hyperfixating on the exact shade of orange in a Tatooine sunset since they were five, please provide some context thank you”.

EXPANDING THE LORE

Okay, I really wanted to address this, because in a previous episode, Lauren and Steph discuss World Without End by disasterisms. Specifically, they mention their love of mythology and how interesting it is that WWE is a retelling of the Hades/Persephone story.

And it had me frantically raising my hand like a pick-me!

So, fun fact, The Eternal Spring is also based on a Greek myth. Specifically, the myth of Psyche and Eros. In the original story, Psyche marries Eros but swears never to look on his face. She can’t deal with the curiosity however, and one night as he’s sleeping, she holds her torch over his head to get a look. He’s beautiful. But oil from her lamp drips onto him and he wakes, fleeing until she atones for her crime by completing a series of Impossible Tasks.

I love Impossible Tasks.

And more, I loooove hanging my stories on the preexisting structures of other works.

The Forlorn Queen is a long-form poem I wrote that is meant to be a Nabooian version of Psyche and Eros. In it, the unnamed Queen is assigned four Impossible Tasks that all correlate to the tasks of Psyche.

Sort seeds from sand

Retrieve the Golden Fleece

Collect water from a sacred spring

Steal the Beauty of Perspephone

In the fic, these are played out by Padme in variously metaphorical ways. In the first, she literally has to sort the seeds from the sand after a sandstorm destroys their burgeoning garden. But more than re-enacting this myth, each task is meant to explore some emotional challenge in how she copes and reconciles her grief.

Sorting seeds from sand is a metaphor for her sorting out her priorities. What is alive still? What is worth saving? How closely she has to examine the sand, how long it takes, how tedious it is – this is all a reflection of her looking at her own life, her own struggles, and sorting out what she needs vs. what she wants.

Likewise, she retrieves the Golden Fleece/Golden Scale (saves Boil from the chip and his own lack of purpose, his transformation symbolised by him painting his armour [his scales] gold and taking on Padme’s commission, which is also the Mandalorian colour for vengeance). By sending Boil after Obi-Wan she is bringing water to the goddess (relief to Obi-Wan). And finally, the task that Psyche fails is the one Padme fails, also – at least, she cannot do it alone. This is about the acceptance of death and the loss of youth. This is Padme not joining the rebellion, and Obi-Wan reconciling with Qui-Gon.

Greek myths don’t directly correspond with symbolism as we understand it today, so yeah, I had to do a bit of research and even more extrapolation to get these tasks to mean more than simply Things To Accomplish, but that was always the intent. This story was always a myth – just as Revenge of the Sith (esp. As written by Matthew Stover) is explicitly Greek in its framing as a tragedy.

WHEW! Onto the fun stuff!

CHARACTERS

The thing that struck me most here was Lauren and Steph’s breakdown of small action vs. big action, and how they both agreed that it was sometimes difficult to follow and occasionally off-putting. Small action is the emotional conflicts deeply examined, while big action is like, the pew-pews.

They are totally correct in their assessment.

I could say that I think this is something that the OT and PT especially do. A New Hope, especially, spends what modern audiences would consider a loooong time without any significant Big Action, and the PT really struggles with pacing. It’s something sort of inherent to SW, and I really wanted this fic to feel like SW. It wasn’t entirely unintentional on my part to give you a lot of small action and then suddenly drop in big action…

Buuuuuuut it wasn’t entirely intentional, either.

You know, in writing this fic, I was constantly, constantly afraid it was incredibly boring. You can see it in my ANs. The small action is what I live for, but I was scared no one would want to read it if I stayed there.

So I think this is honestly more a reflection of my own insecurity than it is a deliberate reflection of Star Wars itself.

Again, a lesson. And something to keep in mind!

OMG ALL THAT NONSENSE! If you’re still here, well, I got more!

FAVOURITE SCENES

Qui’s ghost

I am so happy Lauren loved this scene. This was the scene that I first envisioned, this was the scene that I was always writing towards, this scene, to me, is what Star Wars is all about.

And yes, I am actually George Lucas.

For more wild speculations of mine that have since been canonized by LFL please see Only Hope (including, weirdly, Mandalorians being super into culture soups…so…HMU Kathleen!)

But yeah, I love Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. When I was writing this story I was deep into the QuiObi fandom, and I just really loved any and every expression of love and intimacy between them (platonic or otherwise).

Again going back to Legends, for me, I always loved the idea that Obi-Wan is frequently driven by his desire to be good for Qui-Gon. A good padawan, a good knight, a good Jedi. A good person. In JA he has to beg to be his padawan, and never really seems to feel like he measures up to Qui-Gon’s expectations. He wasn’t wanted and he worries that Qui-Gon’s disinterest in him never changed.

To me, it’s very obvious that Qui-Gon does want him. Very early on. But to a young teen, and someone so deeply insecure as Obi-Wan, it’s hard to see.

I LOVE THAT TENSION.

And I felt Obi-Wan really needed his dad to give him a hug at the end of it all.

The idea that Qui-Gon has always been with Obi-Wan is…I mean, I think that’s just intrinsic to their story. It’s weird because I can see how it looks like I “Just Knew” but I think everyone knew because it’s sort of the inevitable conclusion to their journey together. Qui-Gon literally defies death in order to be with Obi-Wan. I can’t think of any greater expression of love and devotion than that…and yet, Obi-Wan still needs it spelled out for him.

ANYWAY I COULD TALK ABOUT THEM ALL DAY I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I’m very happy it made you two cry.

KORKIE IS A KENOBI

Look, I’m not even being ironic about it anymore. I love Korkie Kenobi. I believe in Korkie Kenobi. Korkie Kenobi is the best, most under-utilised, over-disparaged, misunderstood storyline that Star Wars never took.

As I briefly mentioned before, this story is really about parents and their kids. It was not an indulgence but an acute necessity that Korkie be a Kenobi in this fic. I’m not saying that because I love the theory (though I do), but because thematically it is imperative that Obi-Wan sees himself as a son, a brother, and a father. That he understand he is part of a family of blood, of duty, of choice, of circumstance. That he knows he is connected to the Force, to the world, and to the people around him. That we all are. That we owe ourselves to the people around us. That nothing ends, and everything continues.

That absence is not oblivion.

And Korkie specifically fits into that theme in the way he and Obi-Wan are connected despite Obi-Wan’s own ignorance. He is biologically present (by blood), he is spiritually present (in Korkie’s Force sensitivity), and he is emotionally present (in the way Korkie was raised watching him, being inspired by him, holding him up as a model of bravery and integrity – despite Obi-Wan not physically being there to parent him, he still was formative in Korkie’s emotional development and, to me, that’s massively important).

I really, really dislike the notion that Korkie being Obi-Wan’s son inherently frames Obi-Wan as a neglectful and dead-beat parent. What a small way to look at someone’s impact on others. What a cruel way to frame purpose, duty, and obligation. What a sexist way to ignore Satine’s importance and capability. What a mean way to dismiss the experiences of so many readers and people who grew up in single-parent homes for whatever reason.

My mum works in medicine. She missed a lot of school concerts, a lot of bedtimes, a lot of birthdays because she was SAVING LIVES. My dad explained this to me as a small child, and even as a small child, I understood. I got it. Kids aren’t dumb, and I knew a lot of kids in similar situations – we’re not traumatised.

Never mind the kids who had a parent die, or deployed, or transferred. It’s hard to be a parent, and yes, some parents are uninterested and dead-beats. But that neglect is not defined by their absence.

PERSONAL PET PEEVE EXORCISED THROUGH KORKIE

I tried to really connect things here by having Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan mirror Obi-Wan and Korkie. Just as Obi-Wan was simultaneously present and absent in Korkie’s life, so too is Qui-Gon present and absent in Obi-Wan’s.

There’s a little moment where Obi-Wan’s mother, Ue, reassures Korkie that he’s wanted. Obi-Wan will not reject him. She tells him, “You are not a consequence, or a punishment, aso-aso,” she murmurs. “And I don't see that any parent could hold you any less than the very best of all beloved things.”

Then, at the end of the story, Qui-Gon uses the same words telling Obi-Wan, “Never think, my dearest Ben, that you are anything less than best beloved of my very heart.”

(“Best Beloved” btw is very much stolen from Kipling)

As for him taking the Kenobi name – hey man, we need more Kenobis.

But I love the bravery it takes because, as the hosts mention, it puts a big target on his back in a galaxy where the most powerful Force user is constantly on the look out for Kenobi.

And, in fact, if you’re curious, I explored the possibility of Vader finding Korkie first here: Or Else I Shall Be Lost

HERE there was also another lesson:

Steph and Lauren discussed the revelation of Korkie’s Force Sensitivity, and how it was confusing until the very end when I explicitly commented on it.

I TOTALLY DIDN’T REALIZE THIS WAS CONFUSING because mostly, I didn’t realise that I was writing a mystery.

BUT I WAS! Holy heck! I’m honestly surprised. Another like, surprising reframing of my own intentions and process. Because looking back, they’re totally right.

Kind of in line with using lore I like without explanation or justification, I also like referencing things I as the author know to be true but without actually telling the audience. In this case, I used wild coincidence as a thin cover for Force sensitivity, not revealing that had been intentional until the end.

Of course, in my head I was like, “Ha! Another clue! They’ll be putting this puzzle together by now” without accounting for the fact that I never told anyone there was a puzzle to begin with.

Not sure how I’ll address that in future fic, but it’s…it’s really something to think about. Is it a mystery if you don’t tell your audience something needs to be investigated?

NUMA REFERENCE

I honestly can’t remember, but I think Kano is canon….or Legends…and was there on Ryloth. I love using clones that make sense, even if they’re lesser known. It makes me feel less like someone’s got plot armour and more that they were lucky which was also why I used Boil. I know, having been in fandom for ages now, that fandom would’ve preferred Cody be the clone to find Padme on Tatooine and go after Obi-Wan, but like…

Look, I’m super proud that fandom has made Cody the character he is, but canonically, most of that doesn’t exist.

Canonically, the clones assigned to cover Obi-Wan’s back are Waxer and Boil.

And I think Waxer dies, right? So the only clone that made sense to me, as a fandom newbie, was Boil. It had to be Boil.

And his relationship with Numa cemented that. Because Numa is – in a way – his daughter. The same way Leia is. She is the inheritor of whatever is left after the war. Numa lives, but what of Ryloth? Did she survive the rest?

I think that moment is the one, uncomplicated victory that Boil looks back on to ground himself. He can look at Ryloth and think “We did the right thing” because after that, everything gets complicated. And that’s the thing that convinces Kano to help them, also. The desire to believe they’ve done good. Simple, uncomplicated good.

QUESTIONS

Okay, I really wanted to address this next part – Lauren and Steph were so unconvinced that Padme would stay on Tatooine and not join the Rebellion.

You guys, I was SCREAMING!

And again, they weren’t wrong. I can totally see how they came to that conclusion, how Padme’s choice felt OOC and wrong, and how it does contradict everything we know of her from canon.

And while I have no intention of changing their interpretations of canon, or of my fic I sooooo want to discuss it from my POV. And you know what, again – my bad for not articulating it in a clear enough way. I would probably rewrite this scene if I were to do it again.

Because that contradiction is the point.

This isn’t what Padme would choose. Like she says, she thinks about it. She thinks about going to Bail. That’s her first thought.

But, this fic is meant to show why she can’t.

It’s not that the destination has changed, but she has.

Technically, this fic takes place over the course of a full year. It’s vaguely charted in the growth of the twins (again, tess, you can’t just assume everyone knows baby milestones). At the beginning, Padme is in a state of shock. And so is Obi-Wan…

Let’s get into the kiss.

In a fit of just, complete upset, Padme slaps Obi-Wan. And then she kisses him. She says she hates him. And he does nothing.

This takes place about thhhhhreeeeeeeee??? Months into their time on Tatooine, and for this whole time, Obi-Wan has really done nothing but exist on a cursory, polite surface level. He smiles because it is expected. He farms because he must. He wakes up and functions but he says absolutely nothing about what they’ve gone through.

And Padme cannot stand it anymore.

She feels like she’s on her own. And she tries to make him react. In this, I really wanted to show just how well suited Anakin and Padme were to each other. She likes Obi-Wan. She’s glad he’s with her, but she needs to see him hurt. Because she hurts. She absolutely takes it WAY TOO FAR.

Obi-Wan turns inward in his pain. Padme explodes outward.

Well, she wants to.

But she CAN’T. Because she has the twins.

Obi-Wan gets to be an automaton, but Padme has to be a mother. She has to engage with Beru and Owen. She has to negotiate at the market. She has to feed, and clothe, and raise her children. She has to BE PRESENT ALL THE TIME. She doesn’t get to be numb.

Is it a comment on the division of emotional labour between men and women? Yyyyyes? But not in a derogatory way. Obi-Wan went through the same thing when Anakin was little and Qui-Gon died, but the difference is this time, Obi-Wan doesn’t have the purpose Padme has. She has the twins. Obi-Wan feels he is entirely superfluous.

This is all related to those messy emotions Lauren and Steph mentioned and which I really love to write. People – even good people – can be ugly. I love it. I truly believe there are no bad emotions, no bad traits. Everything evolved to keep you alive, to protect you. Obi-Wan protects himself with little cruelties. Padme lashes out.

I’m so happy the I hate you moment hit! I thought it was so sick. Had to do it.

And emotions are also inconsistent, even if motivation or ideology remains stable. So like, the part where Padme looks at Obi-Wan sleeping and is very empathetic – she’s still centering herself. She’s looking at him from the perspective of a mother, and imagining his mother. She is kind and generous in her assessment of him and his suffering here, and at other times, but…

She’s very conscious of it. Obi-Wan is vulnerable in sleep. It’s easy to be kind then. And later, she has all of Anakin’s insight into Obi-Wan, and a lot more patience than Anakin ever had. She understands how Obi-Wan copes. She lets him do what he needs to.

But MONTHS pass. And she’s so tired of carrying it all. She runs out of patience.

Anyway.

Anakin betrays them. And Padme can do nothing.

Obi-Wan leaves. And Padme can do nothing.

Padme is so frequently stripped of agency by circumstance, and you’re right – in canon, she fights that! She leaps into the fray and takes control.

But she has twins now. Her purpose, but also her burden.

She can’t join the Rebellion. Where would they go? How would they live? Who would take care of Luke and Leia?

If they go to Alderaan, they put a huge target on Bail and intense scrutiny on the Rebellion. They also bring themselves into direct contact with the Empire. If Vader got even a hint that Padme lived he would not stop until she was in his custody. If he knew he had kids? If he knew they were with Obi-Wan? It’s way too dangerous. They are a huge liability. She is a huge liability.

As Luke says, if there’s a bright spot in the galaxy then Tatooine is the place that’s furthest from it.

Tatooine is SAFE. Vader won’t go there, and the Empire doesn’t care about it. Is it run by the Hutts? Yeah. But better Hutts than the Empire, especially because the Hutts don’t care about the little people living day to day. Padme can give the kids a quiet, boring life on Tatooine. She can keep them safe.

And as she sorted the seeds from the sand in chapter one, THAT is her priority. Her kids. They have no one else, and furthermore, if their existence were known they would be targeted, captured, and killed – or worse. She wants to join the Rebellion. She would. But she can’t because she needs to keep Luke and Leia safe.

While Obi-Wan’s reason for staying on Tatooine is a passing on of legacy, and setting down the burden of war (he’s done his time), Padme’s reason for staying is a reassessment of her priorities. Hers is a maturation of responsibility. Sometimes, we can’t do what we want. It sucks. But we’re adults.

“Living in Squalor” though made me LAAAAAAUGH! You’re so right.

Oh my gosh, she’s tandem carrying! That’s the term. Hahahaha, yeah, poor girl. Lots of tandem carrying, but once Obi-Wan’s back, they’re basically a two-parent household. Plus, the fic sees them building that community. There’s Korkie, there’s Boil, there’s Beru and Owen. Padme screams at Obi-Wan that she’s alone, but by the end she’s not.

And like, in terms of practicality, I think Owen? Obi-Wan? I think there’s mention of them “digging out the cellar”. The idea is that more than half the house is buried, but once they dig out the cellar and reinforce the walls down there, there’s a significant chunk of living space they can utitilise (ie. at least one, if not two bedrooms underground where it’s cooler like we see in the Lars house in ANH).

But yeah, babies in the haffa chest for now!

QUAINT CABIN NOT SQUALOR!

Lastly, Owen and Beru! Ahahahahaha, I’m so happy Lauren and Steph were charmed by them. And I love their insight on the inversion of protection. In canon, Obi-Wan is there protecting them, but in Eternal Spring, the Lars’ are very much protecting Obi-Wan (and Padme). I thought that was really insightful. God, I love clever readers!

I just quickly wanted to touch on Owen’s grudge against Obi-Wan because yeah, it’s totally silly. I imagine Owen as being very typically masculine, and Tatooine culture being pretty big into gender-roles, though the expression of those roles may not fall directly in line with gender presentation (but that’s another topic).

Anyway, Owen is a dude’s dude. A guy’s guy. You know - a Man™.

And Obi-Wan is………SO SOFT.

This dude comes into Owen’s house with Trauma. He’s soft-spoken, and polite. He doesn’t speak much, and when he does it’s with a cut-glass accent that sounds so out of place. He listens without interrupting, he doesn’t make ribald jokes.

And he’s got magic powers.

There are ten thousand Jedi in the entire galaxy. Owen met Anakin once, and he went off the deep end.

Obi-Wan freaks him out. He’s so weird. He is not the kind of person Owen knows how to deal with, and he’s certainly not the kind of guy Owen can relate to. And Beru says to be gentle. Gentle? On Tatooine?

As we see when he’s coaching Padme, Owen doesn’t believe that gentleness or mercy have any place out here.

The secret is, Owen’s SUPER SOFT underneath. And Beru knows this. Hence why she keeps encouraging Owen to take care of Obi-Wan, to bring him out to mingle with other people. Beru sees that Obi-Wan is collapsing in on himself, and is trying to get Owen to draw him out.

When he nearly dies, Owen is more angry that they almost died. Not at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan is just a convenient punching bag because he doesn’t punch back. If he did, Owen would know how to respond – he’d buy him a drink, and shake his hand.

I think, underneath, Owen really likes Obi-Wan (and we see this at the end when he’s jealous that Obi-Wan went to visit his blood brother, AtasOWEN – an alternate Owen, and also a reference to the old Legends lore that Owen Lars was Kenobi’s half-brother). Owen wants to be Obi-Wan’s family, and he gives him the gift of brotherhood (he tells the whole town that they’re related to protect him, yes, but also because he’s claiming that title). It’s very much one of those “Hey! No one gets to pick on my idiot brother, except me!”

The same way he is gruff and blunt to Luke in ANH, Owen is the same way with Obi-Wan. “Too much of his father in him.” Too much of Anakin in everyone for Owen’s taste.

But that, again, is on the author to make clear! All these lessons. I’m so thankful that I had this opportunity to listen to such a generous and in-depth analysis of my fic. It’s been fun, informative, and genuinely really instructive in the most supportive and uplifting way.

I highly recommend everyone check out One Hell of a Fanfic here, or on Spotify. Thank you so much for reading my fic, and until next time…

May the Force be with you!

#my fic #podcast #star wars #fic rec #process and stuff #indulge me #padme lives au #Youtube

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