#why does he have grown man kanan jarrus’ voice | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kanerallels · 3 years

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OKAY OKAY ROUND TWO OF THIS! Kanera fix it or Kanera and waffles! Whichever works <3

*has no self control* *writes my first fix it* This was hecking fun! I hope you enjoyed it!

Pairing: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla

Word Count: 2,455

Tags/Warning: rated T (for time travel! *insert Hulk gif here*) and also near death

This wasn’t how Kanan wanted things to end.

He'd wanted more time. He'd wanted to explain things to Hera, to tell her how much she meant to him.

But things had moved too fast for him. Kanan was too late.

He felt the heat of the fire from the fuel pod singing the tips of his fingers, and concentrated on pushing it back with all his strength, his hands shaking slightly and his face twisting with the effort. The fire billowed high above him, but Kanan wasn’t afraid. Just full of regrets.

Behind him, he heard Hera scream his name, her voice full of raw desperation and fear. Kanan knew, without even needing to look, that she would run towards him and she did, her steps barely audible above the roar of the flames.

Turning without looking, Kanan diverted part of his concentration and caught her in her steps, holding her back with the Force. He felt her struggle against the grip, panic and fear pulsing through her.

Slowly, on some instinct he didn’t understand, he turned to face Hera. Maybe it was because of how much he ached to see her. Maybe it was to give her one last glimpse of him. Kanan sensed her desperation, her fear, how much she wanted to reach him.

But he couldn’t let her. There was too much at stake. So with a quick thrust, he sent her flying back to where Ezra was waiting, ready. His apprentice caught hold of her, holding her back. Kanan felt a flicker of gratitude-- he could always count on Ezra.

An odd tingling sensation swept across his eyes, and for a moment he thought he was crying. But crying had been impossible ever since Malachor. Since he’d been blinded.

Even as he thought the word, it was like a cloud was swept away from his eyes, and he could see. Kanan had no idea how, but he accepted it calmly, as he’d accepted his fate.

His gaze locked onto Hera first-- Hera, clad in an orange prisoner’s jumpsuit, a look of complete horror and fear in her eyes, with the slightest hint of surprise and awe as she looked at him. Kanan took her in, drinking in the very sight of her. She was older than she had been when they’d first met, and had only grown more beautiful. And Kanan had only grown more in love with her.

Behind her, holding her back, was Ezra-- Force, Ezra. He was so tall, so grown-up looking. Kanan was well aware he’d only ever pictured the little boy from Lothal, and he felt pride stirring in his heart. Stay safe, kid, he thought. You know what to do. I love you both.

And so he released his hold on the flames and used all his power and strength to send the ship that held Ezra, Sabine, and Hera flying away from the fuel depot. It would be enough. It had to be enough.

They would be safe. And they would keep fighting. Hera always did.

That was Kanan’s last thought before the flames swallowed him.

But it wasn’t his last thought.

Even as the fire swirled around him, he heard a strange whoosh, and the sound of boots impacting on metal, and suddenly the fire was gone. And Kanan was somewhere else entirely.

“Did it work?”

A young male voice came from behind Kanan, stunned but excited.

“Of course it worked, idiot, he’s not dead and we still exist,” said a dry female voice that sounded… bizarrely familiar. Almost like--

Kanan turned towards the sound and someone tackled him to the ground, slapping a hand over his eyes. “Sorry, sorry-- eyes closed,” the young man ordered. “If you look, I’ll tell Hera.”

“What does that even mean?” Kanan demanded-- although it was a fairly compelling argument. Trying to shove the young man off of him, he said “Who are you? What are you doing?”

“Saving you, you dumb--”

The young man cleared his throat loudly, cutting off the woman. “We were sent here to save your life.”

“What?” Kanan’s jaw dropped, surprise flashing through him. “Wha-- no, I was supposed to die. It had to happen, to save Hera and Ezra and Sabine--”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, the woman said, “They’re FINE, trust me. Well, other than the fact they think you’re dead.”

The young man groaned. “Okay, you should probably stop talking now. I’ll handle this.”

“You’re not much more diplomatic than me!”

“Everyone’s more diplomatic than you, Depa.”

“Depa?” Kanan asked, a frown knitting his forehead.

He heard his two rescuers freeze, and a muttered curse. “Yeah,” the young man said cautiously. “That’s her name.”

“That was my master’s name,” Kanan said, his mind racing. There was no way that could be a coincidence. Sure, there were probably other people in the galaxy named Depa, but--

“You can probably stop sitting on him-- he’ll behave,” Depa said dryly. “Right, Jarrus? That means keep your eyes close, and NO PEEKING or I’ll punch you out.”

“You can’t punch him out,” the young man said with a sigh.

“Why, because he’s an old geezer? I’m not afraid to hit an old man.”

Kanan sensed the young man rolling his eyes. “He’s not even that old right now! Okay, I’m gonna let you up-- please keep your eyes closed.”

The young man scrambled off of him, and Kanan slowly rose to his feet, wincing. He’d been burned, he could feel that much-- his hands, the back of his neck and his face especially. But somehow, impossibly, he was alive.

“I-- thank you,” he said. “I don’t know how or why you saved me, but thank you.”

“Someone had to,” Depa said, her voice surprisingly sincere. “And Force knows you needed help.”

“True,” the young man agreed. “But we don’t have all day here-- we need to get you back.”

“Back?” Kanan asked.

“Back to Hera and everyone else,” the young man elaborated. “If you follow us, we can get you out of here and back to them. They should be expecting you. Hopefully. We’re pretty sure Ezra warned them.”

“Reassuring,” Kanan said, keeping his eyes shut. “Which way are we going? And where are we, exactly?”

“This way,” Depa said, giving his shoulder a slight nudge in the right direction. As Kanan started walking, she added, “And we’re in some dumb alternate dimension.”

“It’s a world between worlds,” the young man corrected from ahead of them. “And it was really hard to get here. You wouldn’t believe all the stuff we had to do to get here. But it led us to where you were, which makes it worth it.”

“Why?” Kanan asked, releasing the question he’d been turning over in his mind. “Why did you come to save me? Why you in particular?”

He heard the young man’s footsteps stutter, like he’d paused in his steps. “Oh. Um…”

“Subtle, Jacen,” Depa said sarcastically.

“Jacen?” Kanan felt a grin cross his face. “So that’s your name.”

Jacen let out a sigh. “Nice one, Depa. Look, D-- Kanan. You’re… really important. To a lot of people. And they couldn’t just lose you if there was something that could be done.”

“So we did it,” Depa said matter of factly. “As you do. Oh, we’re here! This is your stop.”

They came to a halt, and Kanan sensed… something. Like a light at the end of a hallway, beckoning him forward. “And this is where I’m supposed to go?” he said warily. “It’s safe?”

“Trust me,” Jacen said. “She’s on the other side. Hera is. Your family is waiting for you.”

Kanan nodded slowly, his mind spinning. Despite the obvious strangeness of this whole thing, the way it had caught him off guard, there were a few things that he had a strange feeling about. Like he was two steps away from putting something together, something incredibly important. “Wait-- before I go through there. Will I be able to see?”

“I-- oh. No,” Depa said, her voice soft, almost shaken. “You never could after Lothal. That was the last time.”

“Then I at least want to see the faces of the pair that saved my life,” Kanan said. “If you’re alright with it.”

“I’m not sure--” Jacen began.

“Oh, shut up and let him,” Depa said, her voice exasperated. “What’s the worst that could happen? Besides, I-- I want him to.”

There was a short pause, then Jacen sighed. “I know. Me, too. Okay, go ahead.”

Kanan’s eyes flicked open. He was in what looked like outer space-- pure black, only broken up by strange white lines outlining paths. And, every now and then, circular doorways. “Huh,” Kanan murmured, his gaze sweeping across the place. And then it landed on the duo standing in front of him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

They were both a couple years younger than him. Jacen was a tall young man, tan-skinned except where it was green, especially along his pointed ears. His long hair, tied back in a ponytail, and scruffy goatee were a deep shade of green, and his eyes were almost an almost disturbingly familiar shade of turquoise.

Depa was a young Twi’lek woman with green skin, pink patches here and there. Her eyes were brown, and widened slightly with shock as they met his. “He really does have your eyes,” she said, her voice stunned.

“Wow,” Kanan breathed, any doubt in his mind swept away. “Are-- are you two-- Wow. Words fail me.”

Depa let out a snort. “Same here. But about that haircut. Mom was right, it really is awful. Worse than the one Jacen gave himself when he was eleven. It was really bad, be glad you didn’t see it.”

Kanan chuckled, then glanced at Jacen. “I-- and you two came here to save me?”

Jacen shrugged. “We wouldn’t exist if we didn’t. Well, I would, but Depa wouldn’t, and that’s a downside. Kinda.”

Depa punched him in the arm, and Jacen let out a yelp, darting away from her as she took another swing at him, and Kanan could only shake his head because of what he was watching. “This is unbelievable.”

“I mean. Not that unbelievable,” Jacen pointed out, a smile crossing his face that Kanan had seen a thousand times in the seat next to his own.

“Wow. You look… just like your mom. Both of you.”

Jacen’s eyes went wide. “R-really? Um. Everyone says I look like… you.”

“That is Hera Syndulla’s smile right there,” Kanan said, and he knew it to his core. “Looks just like hers. But yeah, I can see our resemblance. Well. For now.”

The smile faded off of Jacen’s face, and he said in a low voice, “We can’t stay.”

Nodding, Kanan said, “I know. I should probably get going, too. Just--” he paused, looking at his children for the last time. “I’m proud of you two already.”

“That is so typical of you,” Depa said, rolling her eyes in a completely Hera movement. “Do you have any idea how many kids you’re gonna adopt? Hint-- it’s a lot.”

“No spoilers,” Jacen ordered. “We should go. But before we do--” he turned to Kanan. “When the time comes, tell Ezra that he doesn’t have to be you. He has to be him, and no one else.”

“Oh, and don’t worry,” Depa said breezily. “You’ll find him eventually.”

“Wait, what? What does that mean?” Kanan demanded.

“You’re about to find out,” Depa said with a wink, and that, Kanan knew, she’d gotten from him.

Leaning forward, Jacen said, “She’s your most infuriating child. Yes, more so than the Mandalorian.”

Kanan shook his head, grinning. “I can’t wait for you two to come along. I really can’t.”

Shrugging, Depa said, “You might not have to wait that long. Now get out of here, we’ve all got places to be.”

“Right.” Kanan turned towards the doorway, which was a blank white, and glanced back at his kids one more time. “May the Force be with you,” he told them.

“You always say that,” Jacen said with a slight grin. “See you soon, Dad.”

Kanan nodded, then stepped through the doorway.

Everything was dark as he stumbled out into what was some kind of clearing, or something. But he felt the sunlight on his face, and knew why it was. His eyesight was gone again, and he was okay with that.

A shriek cut through his thoughts, and he jerked his head up as someone shouted his name. “Kanan!”

It was Hera, her voice holding shock and joy and love, and Kanan heard her run towards him. But this time, he was running, too, and felt her slam into him. “You’re here,” she choked out, a sob shaking her body. “Ezra was right. I didn’t think--”

Kanan cut her off with a kiss, pulling her closer as she kissed him back. Breaking away from the kiss, he whispered, “I love you, too.”

Hera let out a shaky laugh. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words, love.”

“I-- wait.” Kanan froze. “How long was I gone? How long since the fuel depot?” Panic raced through him.

“Only three months,” Hera assured him, clearly catching his fear. “You’ve missed a lot. There’s some things we should talk about.”

“I bet,” Kanan muttered. “Okay, let’s go talk.”

Hera stepped away from him, but caught hold of his hand so she could lead him. “Right this way, dear.”

Kanan relished the sound of her voice as he walked with her, willing to wait through whatever they had to talk about next.

Well. Almost willing. “There’s… one thing that I have to ask you,” he said. “There was this weird thing that happened while I was gone-- it’s a long story. But something that happened made me think-- it might be stupid, but I just need to ask--”

Cutting him off, Hera said, “Just ask, love.”

“Right.” Taking a quick breath, Kanan asked, “Are you… pregnant?”

He felt her stop in her tracks, shock radiating through her. “I--” Hera paused, then let out a sigh. “I was planning on telling you myself, you know. Not sure I should be thanking your Jedi instincts on this one. But… yes. I’m pregnant.”

Holy. Kriff. “I’m gonna be a dad,” Kanan whispered, the words surreal but beautiful. They were real. I actually saw my kids. Which means-- Jacen.

A smile slipping across his face, he bent down and kissed Hera again. He knew things had to have changed, and he had a lot to catch up on. But he was with the woman he loved, and he had a lifetime to look forward to. They could handle it together.

#kanan jarrus #swr #star wars rebels #hera syndulla #star wars #kanera #kanera is love kanera is life #jacen syndulla #depa jarrus #kanera oc child #swr fan fic #111 followers celebration #this is late but i had to publish it before kanera week. i had to!#but it's also the last celebration fic! go me!#sorry it took so long #kanan lives au #it was dope. the end

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dexi-green · 4 years

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Rise of Skywalker was good. Rant/Appreciation, spoilers ahead. Super long and rambling. This is all personal opinion, if you disliked it, thats fine. If you disagree, great.

First some quick points, then the longer stuff.

I loved Babu Frik and D-O

We finally got to see the Knights of Ren in action!

Also all those Star Destroyers?? Like those things are gotdamn huge... and that many of them? Actually scary honestly.

LANDO LANDO LANDO! LANDO AND CHEWIE IN THE FALCON!!

WEDGE!!!

CHEWIE GETS HIS MEDAL!!!

Also not gonna lie.. I wanted to see a gungan. Put some respect on Jar Jar. Or confirm the Darth Jar Jar theory you cowards.

We got to see a proper version of Rey’s version of Luke’s Dark Side cave vision (The TLJ one just wasn’t it for me. The mirrors..okay...)

Storm Troopers fly now... Did they steal stuff from some Mandalorians. Mandalorians are like..the only ones ever to have jet packs like that (that I’m aware of). Maybe the Mandalorian show will see some leftover imperials stealing Mandalorian armor, which they will replicate (obviously badly, because there stuff is no beskar).

I was so happy to see the interactions between Leia and Connix, because I just loved to see Billie with her mom <3 I’m so glad they gave her a role and just kept expanding it.

Hux... I love the back and forth between him and General Pryde, (I was hoping Richard E Grant would’ve played Thrawn but alas...) wondering who the mole is, and OF COURSE ITS HUX! Because he just wants to see Kylo lose. We love it.. I’m kinda sad he was taken out so quick, but it was good while it lasted.

How they tried to push Poe into some kind of.. not relationship, but not too subtlety trying to tell the audience, no he’s not gay, in like...just a bad writing way, like okay gosh, he’s straight (Also Poe was a drug runner...). That LGBTQ “representation” was trash, but definitely better than Endgame’s so-called representation.

I also wished we woulda got more (legacy) cameos, especially in the final battle when all the ships arrive. Maybe the Ghost Crew (I think you can see the ship though), or a character from the Mandalorian show (I was hoping for more tie-in’s in general (baby yoda), but The Mandalorian did sorta set up the force healing ability). My foolish soul was hoping for a super old old clone or a super old and scarred up Mace Windu, or just super old Ahsoka, but this film 100% confirmed no going back that they are totally dead with their voices amongst the other dead jedi :/ I can’t have everything and thats alright. I’m just glad they were in there in some capacity.

JJ has said that the thing Finn was going to tell Rey was that he was force sensitive (none of the good ships flew sadly imo) but that is still...amazing to me. I love it so much. Especially with that exchange between him and Han in TFA “We’ll use the force.” “That’s not how the force works.”. Hopefully he got or gets the chance to tell Rey because then she could train him and <3 Also I think that now makes it go back to no non-force sensitive people have used a lightsaber in the films (aside from Grievous). I loved the inclusion of Jannah and the other storm trooper deserters. Not only because of the kinship with Finn, but also... They are on a moon of Endor... So moon of the Endor system inhabitants, with slightly primitive techniques and tools and things come to help in the final battle? I love it. Putting some respeck on the Ewoks (also we see Ewoks?!?! Specifically Wickett <3) (Also I noticed a Fire, Water, Earth theme. The final battle in the prequels was in fire/lava. The final battle in the original trilogy was on the forest moon of endor, and while not the final battle, Kef Bir is the ocean moon of endor)

Palpatine doing what we all knew he was, using bodies to live through. I mean thats why he always had apprentices, just so he could skip over to them when his body got gross and weak, or at the very least work through them. I definitely wanna know more about the whole Snoke operation. We knew it was insane for some rando to be that powerful to be whispering and seducing Ben to the dark side from birth. And the cloning? like please, tell me more. I loved Palpatine’s exclamation of “Return of the Sith!” as an obvious nod to the films Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith, but also the fact Return was going to be Revenge of the Jedi.

I LOVE LOVEDDDD the small scene of Luke training Leia. Yeah the CGI on their faces wasn’t the best but just being able to see it and knowing that he did go forward and train her as well as other students was everything to me. I’ve always wanted Leia’s force abilities to be more acknowledged outside of the comics, so you know I went crazy in the scene from TLJ (for multiple reasons). Leia training Rey?! Rey referring to her (and Luke) as her jedi masters?! we love to see it <3 Rey going back to Tatooine, back to the moisture farm (I could just hear Aunt Beru calling out for Luke (but also him calling for her and uncle owen when they got disintegrated..oop)). Calling herself a Skywalker, AND SEEING LUKE AND LEIA’S FORCE GHOST!! WE LOVE TO SEE IT (but hate it because it’s the end). THE TWIN SUNS AS THE SAGA ENDS WHERE IT BEGAN!!

The voices of the Jedi at the end?!? I cried. I mean there was Anakin, Obi-Wan (both old and young), Qui Gon, Mace Windu, Yoda, and Luke of course, but also Aaayla Secura, Luminara, Adi Gallia, KANAN JARRUS (who is voice by Freddie Prinze Jr. aka the best Fred Scooby Doo could ask for) , AHSOKA TANO!!! Nothing I want more than more Ahsoka <3 I would’ve loved to see them all show up as Force Ghosts at the end ala the ghosts of Harry’s family in Harry Potter Goblet of Fire/Deathly Hallows but I understand why they opted for voices only. Also no Ki-Adi-Mundi because while everyone was saying, “Rey, You can do it! We are with you!” he just woulda been like, “But...what about the droid attack on the wookiees?”

Han!! Han!! When he appeared to Kylo, after Leia pulled him back as much as she could, and Rey healed him and inched him further, and then of course, Han finished the job. Leia asked him to bring him back and he did in the end. The person he seemingly hated the most (maybe thats tied with Luke. I honestly would’ve liked to see some kinda of thing between Luke and Ben, some reconciliation). The famous Solo “I know” which we all know means I love you. like come onnnnn <3 AND Ben and Leia’s bodies becoming one with the force... but Leia only after Ben... like she was holding on, waiting for him <3 This really made me like Ben/Kylo a bit more, obviously the light side Ben more, because Kylo is actual trash imo.

I cried when Chewie cried for Leia. Her death was sad on it’s own, but Chewie just broke me. He had a happy family, then Ben went bad, Han and Leia split, and Luke left, then when he thinks everything is coming back together, He lost Han, then he lost Luke, now Leia? If you actually watch him he just collapses to the ground, throwing his arms, sobbing... AND HAVING TO SEE HIM IN SHACKLES!?!? And not like “oh we gotta trick these guards” but actually captured and shackled, After all the wookiees being captured and enslaved and he how he had to deal with that...come on man....

I cried when Luke pulled his X-wing out of the water. We all saw it submerged in TLJ, waiting for that moment when someone would do it. The fact that he does it, when he couldn’t back when it happened on Dagobah. It shows how much he’s grown, showed him stepping into Yoda’s role even more fully. He never got to leave that island in it, but Rey did. Plus Rey wearing his Rebel helmet like she wore the helmet in TFA?! Honestly... Two “nobodies” from nowhere sand planets who become the hope and saviors of the galaxy (you could include Anakin in that as well, but he just...kinda sparked the hope in Luke and was his savior so...indirectly the hope and savior).

The only thing I didn't like was the Ben and Rey kiss at the end but luckily it wasn't drawn out and he died right after. Cause you really expect me to believe that within the same movie of him pushing her to her limits and making her believe she killed a friend that she gone be like...oh but you still cute tho? Also while re-watching everything and watching the prequels last month I remembered how Palpatine influenced the midichlorians/force to make Anakin in Shmi (it might not be canonized though, I’m not sure...). Obviously he’s not a biological father but...he is responsible...so that in a way makes him Kylo's grandfather in a sense. Rey is Sheev’s biological granddaughter so...big yikes. To me Kylo/Ben and Rey have a much better dynamic as brother and sister anyway.. I think a brother and sister bond suit them so much better. A rhyme of Luke and Leia, and the forged sibling bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin. It has pieces of both and would have been beautiful for it to play out that way. About Rey pulling her family in Ben Solo back to the light. I mean she even thought of Han, Leia, and Luke as parental figures... but luke and leia kissed so :/ guess just a family thing.

Running themes in all of star wars is hope, family, and who you are. In this, the prequels were the darkest. They end in a family divided, hope seemingly lost, and giving into the worst parts of yourself. The original trilogy was about finding the hope in the darkest times, becoming more than you think of yourself, and that family can overcome anything together. This trilogy was about clinging onto hope that you can find and making it a beacon for others, becoming more than what you and others think of you, "subverting destiny", and the fact that family isn't blood, not always. Just because someone tells you you're a monster, just because you started to believe it, doesn't mean you are. Once you have hope you hold onto it with everything you have, no matter how many times you fail or slip.

Rey being a Palpatine isn't "the bad guys bloodline living while the good guys die out". It isn't about bloodlines. Sure Kylo and Vader's terrible deeds will live on in infamy, but so will the entire rebellion's. Instead of being like, "oh well by blood I'm a Palpatine so I gotta use that last name" she made a conscious choice to go by Skywalker, because of what the Skywalker family meant to her and the galaxy, so that their deeds live on and not Palpatine. He will become a bad memory, a scar on history, while Skywalker’s, the positive idea of them, will continue to live and spark hope year and years into the future. Her blood isn't tainted and her grandfathers nature isn't hers, if it was she really would be the empress on the sith throne after Palpatine's death. She would've took Kylo's hand and offers before. Its the same with Kylo. He succumbed to what Rey was actively fighting against. Its the idea its harder to be good than bad.

Palpatine's bloodline living on means nothing unless Rey decided to make it mean something. But she didn't. As far as I'm concerned the only thing the bloodline might've impacted is her connection to the force and how strong it was naturally (like Kylo because of Leia (maybe Han..debatable, i like to believe he’s a little force sensitive) and her and Luke's connection to it because of Anakin). Her parents also actively fought against Palpatine as far as we know, Luke and Leia fought against Vader like... To say oh your parent was like this so you are gonna turn out the same? Yikes. Also Finn and the other stormtrooper deserters? Literally brainwashed from such a young age to be killers but they said no? It seems like the theme was you can fight against your destiny or like Yoda said about the future being hard to see because its constantly moving so "destiny" is kinda just a trash idea, be who you are or the person you want to be, not what others tell you.

Also I see some people saying it destroyed Anakin's legacy, and I have to disagree. To the fan's Anakin's legacy was never killing Palpatine. Sure that was the action, but the act was saving Luke. It was coming back from the dark to the light to save his son and in a way, the rest of the galaxy, at least for a time, it was betraying his master. It was the why he did it, not the how. Not only did he save Luke's life, but he fueled Luke to go forward and continue down the path of hope and light as long as he could. Anakin's true legacy lives on in Luke and Leia and the Rebellion. Palpatine's return doesn't diminish Anakin's sacrifice. Because it wasn’t about just destroying Palpatine. Anakin/Vader's thoughts went to Padme and Luke, and the prophecy of bringing balance, he knew he had to do something. When Luke takes off his helmet when Anakin is dying he thinks, “The boy was good, and the boy had come from him–so there must have been good in him, too. He smiled up again at his son, and for the first time, loved him. And for the first time in many long years, loved himself again, as well.” (coming from the novelization of Return). As long as Luke lived, and Luke's legacy lives on, so does Anakin's and so does Anakin’s return to the light. Anakin's legacy and impact, the good and the bad, will continue. Maybe the people of that galaxy won't know of the person named Anakin compared to sith lord Darth Vader, but his impact will always be there.

Yeah they aren’t always the most perfectly written stories with the best effects and yadda yadda, I know there are some missteps and less then stellar things in this films, but they are here to entertain, and I’m entertained. There is probably so much I’m missing, and I really want to go see it again, and can’t wait till it’s out on DVD or streaming services...

It was a beautiful film that did the best it could to end a saga thats bigger than anything ever, thats been going on for years, something that is unheard of and never been done. I just want to honor the history, the memory, and the work it all took. I just love these films so much. <3 Also, always remembering Carrie, Peter M. and Peter C., Christoper, and Kenny, and all other actors and crew who have passed who lent their time and effort to all of these films and this entire franchise <3

#rise of skywalker #star wars #spoilers #rise of skywalker spoilers #ros spoilers #star wars spoilers #rey #kylo ren #skywalker #finn #poe dameron #luke skywalker #leia organa #chewbacca #sw #rant #long post #read more #personal opinion

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sleepingobsidian · 7 years

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Order 66 - Survival lays in your ability of faking your death

Where when Oder 66 is put into action the Jedi put a contingency plan into action. Those who we're still alive would fake their deaths and go into hiding. Where as the most go into deep hiding, there are those who tend to hide into more plain sight.

Like Mace Windu for example. After his fell through that window and the seperation of both his hands feel into the deeper levels of Coruscant was nursed back to health by a blackmarket doctor. Now he's a nursery teacher, has grown an impressiv beard and wears clothes that got out of style twenty years ago, and „he is obviously not Mace Windu, Lord Vader. What are you talking about? That's Maceroy Winter, he's the nursery teacher of my daughter“. Maceroy Windu is followed everywhere by his green furless yappermonkey Yado, the mascot and most beloved pet. „He can't be Master Yoda, Emperor, he's obviously just a green, furless yappermonkey from on of the moons of yavin. See we have his papers right here“. Yado the green yappermonkey was registered with the Coruscanti petpatrol ten years ago. And besides everyone knows yappermonkeys have a long lifetime.

Than there is street and tattoo artistin Shaek Tea which obviously can't be Master Shaak Ti, because „you killed her Lord Vader, remember. In the jedi temple. Besides she has totally different markings and -master Shaak Ti wasn't a mother of ten“. The tattoo studio of Shaek Tea is well known and established two years ago and is frequently visited by Stormtroopers. The tattoo artist seems to have an aversion against the cloned soldiers but that may only be because she's a mother and wants to protect her young.

Than there is nautolan marine biologist Fist Kio, with a natural connection to the animals of the seas of the galactic, who teaches at the Coruscanti community college. He often takes his students through tours of the aquarium of Coruscant. And some of his students swear they once saw him calm down a rampaging Tra'cor. „It was like he used the force“, was heard from one of his students. „If he hadn't been teaching here for over thirteen years he could totally be a jedi, but noway. I saw him flirting and taking that famous tattoo artist from Coco Town home with him. And aren't jedi like celibate?“.

Leaving the Planet she was raised on Billina Dune is on the search for her son Canan, who vanished from Kaller not so long ago. The young designer and self defense teacher has been on the search for her son for two years now and isn't giving up on him. He's out there in the galaxy somewhere. „And how do you know this? May it be because jedi masters have a connection with their students!“. „A mothers intuition“. She's a frequent visitor at Ben's Tea Palace and became good friends with the owner and his young ward. Kanan Jarrus a former small time smuggler from Kaller and son of famus designer Billina Dune, not that he knows of that. Has not a long time ago decided to follow a young woman into war against the emporer and his empire, on the way he acquired a new family. In the knowledge his „mother“ died on kaller not so long ago and so never searching for her. Though there's no picture on his wanted poster knows the whole galaxy his name. But nobody is sure if he even is a jedi or jedi appentice like the propaganda says, because „I swear he's using a blaster not a lightsaber. When someone he knows is threatened he immediatle goes for his blaster and not for some hidden pocket or so. If he were a jedi he would go for a hidden pocket, where his lightsaber is, right?“.

Fulcrum is a young togrutan woman who nurses her partially burnt kel dor uncle Verdict back to health. Verdict was badly burnt during an attack of the CIS on some cargo ships. Fulcrum is the captain of a little fleet of cargo ships which transport some valuable and some not so valuable cargo from the inner core to the outer rim. All the while she raises her human adoptive babysister Lee and cares for her adopted uncle. She often visits a medic sation in the middle rim to get help for her uncle and to visit her long time Lover. „I know you said that Fulcrum may be the Rebelion spy Fulcrum and your former padawan Ahsoka Tano. But Fulcrums cargo fleet had been around before your padawan even became your padawan, Lord Vader“, not to say the man didn't survive after saying so much padawan in one senctence but he didn't survive. And Darth Vader is confused how his former padawan acquired a baby and from where?

The mirialan doctor Barry Coffee and her young son Bonbon Coffee, live on a medic station in the middle rim and treat various injured people. Doctor Coffee is known for never turning away any person who's hurt. Her son Bonbon has a little aggression problem which she's working with but for now it helps her keep order in her waiting room when some patients make stress again. Her son is a deadly shot. And there is an unspoken rule at the medic station. The people that flick you together are allowed to undo their work, so watch your mouth. Doctor Coffee is rumored to even heal the most grievous illnesses and wounds, things other doctor couldn't treat. „It's because your a healer, right“. „I wish. This would be all so much easier but no I had to be born as an ordinary woman with ordinary skills“. Her young son Bonbon is confused why all these interegators allways appear at their doorstep. He was just enjoing his time with his mother and his mothers lovers family. Fulcrum is awesome and no one could ever tell him otherwise. „I don't understand what the relationship of my mother has to do with her skills as a doctor. Yeah, Fulcrum is awesome but her skills as a doctor besides basic first aid is shit“.

Bens Tea Palace is a little tea shop and café in Coco Town, right next to the tattoo shop of Shaek Tea, it's run by owner and tea maker Ben Kenobi. „Obi-Wan Kenobi!“. „Oh you know my fifth cousin thrice removed? Yeah, I allways wondered what happened to him when the jedi took him away“. „No your Obi-Wan Kenobi“. „Don't be ridiculous. We look totally different“, Ben says adjusting his glasses and shifting a baby on his hip. Ben Kenobi is known as skillful tea maker and uncle to little Luke Kenobi, the son of his brother who died in a tragic airspeeder accident. His brother died in the following fire explosion as the motor explodes. His sister in law died due to strangulation from the seat belt. Ben Kenobi is a friendly shop owner who invites everyone inside for a cup of tea, wear sweater vests,with the sleeves of his ironed shirt pushed up, and ties his hair in a ponytail. His nephew visits the nursery under the supervision of Maceroy Winter. When he can he visits the university and takes classes. When ever stormtroopers set foot in his sjop he freezes and ushers his nephew in the backroom, the flat above the shop or to Dex's restaurant, where he is under the supervision of a little blue droid. He looks at the stormtroopers with a freezing gaze and the most fake smile. Strangely those troopers allways vanish a few days after they visit in the Tea Palace.

Jocasta Nu or the Librarian as most people call her is one of the most searched for persons in the galactic empire. Which doesn't stop her to just walk through Coruscant as if she owned the place. She wears no disguise and her lightsaber is in full display. No one knows how she does it but she allways evades or flees the capture through stormtroopers. She often visits Coco Town and the shops or is often seen in the medic station Berry Coffee works at or to board a ship that belongs to the Fulcrum fleet. Sometimes she's accompanied by young children wearing a matching outfit or adults carrying themselves just like her. But everyone who saw her swears she just vanished in a cloud of smoke so as she was never there. One time Emperor Palpatine surprised her and Ben by meeting her in Bens Tea Palace. „Jocasta Nu. Now I got you“. „What are you talking about your Highness? This is obviously my grandmother Jade Kenobi. See I have her visitation papers right here. Signed by one of your subordinates!“. In the end rumour has it that the emperor left the shop dejected and seemingly scolded. And angry, oh so angry that the ground under his feet got cracks.

Bant Eerin and Stass Ali. A mon calamari and a tholothian. They are a duo of known pirates in the whole galaxy and have behind them an army of faceless men. They say the Unnatural Ones were created by the woman to oppose the empire and overthrow it. They are known to kidnap stormtroopers, torure them and than murder them a horrible way. The reality is a little bit more boring. Yeah, they are a duo of pirates but they don't get much around to stealing themselves. The Unnatural Ones as they call them are clone troopers. Brothers that got saved by the two woman. They have a skilled medic with them that takes out chips inside the heads of the clones. A trooper with the designation of CT-6116 called Kix. How they met this trooper or where he came from is so highly classified that only three people know of it and they want it to stay it that way. Their second in command is a trooper with the designation CT-21-0408 or more common known as Echo. He tends to do most of the pirating with his brothers and leaves the liberation of his brothers to the two woman.

Aay and Quin. The idol and her manager. Aay is twilek with beautiful clear blue skin and a mermerizing voice. Wich makes her the perfect galactical idol. The same thought her manager and friend Quin. So he brought her to a photo shooting and this is how her career began. As a model for the new dress line of designer Billina Dune. She wears dresses and clothes that gain more and more popularity throughout the galaxy. In an interview with a corellian talkshow was than her beautiful singing voice dicovered. A voice that would leave others breathless. „Trying to mind trick your fans, Master Secura?“. „What are you talking about, Lord Vader. I'm just a normal idol singing about the empowerment of woman and the loss of love“. As Aay has committed herself to beeing an idol her manager has committed himself to making her a star. But Quin is known as a Ladys- and Sirsman. The two are currently on a tour through the midrim.

It'll be definitely Hondo Ohnakas fault when the whole contingency plan may be thrown out of the window. The first thing he does when he and his little band of future pirates, Katooni, Byph, Ganodi, Gungi, Petro and Zatt, touch down on Coruscant to Lukes birthday is throw their true names around and act as if the establishment of the empire never happened. He causes chaos, let's the children steal something from the emperor and Darth Vader and they leave again. The whole order had been in a constant state of stress. And Ben swears he got the grey hair all from one visit. He hopes this will never happen again. It happens again. To each and every birthday of Luke. Luke thinks it's funny and really likes his crazy enstranged Uncle Hondo. From the reports Ben get's from Fulcrum she has the same problem with Hondo as him. Even if it has gone better after they spent one birthday at the medic station and Bonbon shot the pirate. „Don't worry Ben he didn't kill him“. „Sometime I wish he had“.

To say that the Emporer and Darth Vader are frustrated and enraged would be an understatment, but technically they can’t do anything it would come to galactic wide revolts if the just murdered innocent seeming citizens.

So, this story could either turn out into total crack or angst with a touch of humour

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rebelsofshield · 7 years

Text

State of the Galaxy: A Season in Review

Atollon lies in ruins. Our heroes are on the run. Heroes and villains have fallen. Season three of Star Wars Rebels has come to a close. While it is clear that many aspects of this last year of Rebels were received positively by a large chunk critics and fans alike, season three presented a new host of issues and challenges for a series that in many ways is still finding its footing.

Season three in many ways stands as some of the most accomplished work the Lucasfilm Animation team has delivered so far. When considering the budgetary and resource limitations the team still faces, the fact that Rebels can produce a series that is able to deliver stories on the scale and scope that it can is in and of itself an incredible feat. On a visual level, Dave Filoni and Justin Ridge have guided their animation team in new creative and aesthetic directions that challenge and twist our expectations of a Star Wars television show. Whether it’s the 360 degree tracking action shot in “Ghosts of Geonosis,” the shadow lore dump in “Trials of the Darksaber,” the first person opening in “Through Imperial Eyes,” or even the massive battle sequences in “Zero Hour,” Rebels has evolved its visual repertoire in this season in increasingly creative and daring ways. It’s a far cry from the visually clunky and sparse days of the series’ freshman season.

As an extension of this, Rebels is able to deliver a stronger sense of episodic consistency in season three not only visually but in general direction and writing while also continuing its genuinely stellar voicework. While there are still the occasional duds or flat episode, when taken episodically each installment of season three feels more sophisticated than prior years. The series is unafraid to explore complex themes and take us to concepts that challenge both character and narrative status quo in ways that make for strong episodes of television. Similarly, Rebels has grown more confident in its ability to interact with the larger Star Wars canon, delivering stronger connections to larger overarching canon and also adapting stories and characters from Legends continuity with strength. Rebels already great voice cast has also grown even more impressive. From Tom Baker’s mysterious and majestic Bendu to Lars Mikkelson’s conniving Thrawn, Rebels employs a wide variety of new talent to its already great cast which had particularly strong showings this season from Tiya Sircar, Vanessa Marshall, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sam Witwer, and David Oyelowo.

Where Rebels is failing, however, and where season three struggles the most, is in its larger meta-narrative. As strong as each individual installment may be while read on its own, season three’s lack of discernible seasonal arc or trajectory is the source of much of the complaints of “filler episodes” that plagued much of this season.

Season two ended with what appeared to be a massive change of status quo. Ahsoka had seemingly passed. Maul was loose in the galaxy. Kanan was blinded. Ezra slipped closer into the Dark Side in his search for power in the Sith Holocron. It all hinted towards a greater ground shaking narrative that would drive much of season three forward. The end result proved to be something different. Ezra’s and Kanan’s narratives as effected by the events of “Twilight of the Apprentice” resolved themselves in the span of two episodes rather than season long arcs and the focus instead evolved into something more episodic and plot focused.

The fact of the matter is, Rebels in its current status quo is in a tight battle between character driven and plot driven storytelling and this may in fact be due to the varying showrunning style of its former and current producers. Season one felt distinctively like a Greg Weisman series. It featured a small tight knit cast of characters and its episodic and seasonal storylines focused on their journeys. Much of this may have been as much as a result of budgetary and asset limitations as stylistic storytelling decisions, but the result was a series that was first and foremost about character even it at times struggled telling individual episodes that felt visually and directorially satisfying. However, Weisman, who has had his hand in such animated cult hits as Gargoyles; Spectacular Spider-Man; and Young Justice, excels in the handling of these long form character arcs and its part of the reason why season one hits such a high point at its finale. The characters and plots themselves have clear discernible goals that frequently intertwine and episodes feel like they carry the narrative forward. Again, it wasn’t always perfect, but one can easily chart the season long arcs for Kanan, Ezra, and to a lesser degree Hera as the Ghost crew learned about their role as a family and joined the rebellion at large. Its why even lesser episodes at their conclusion couldn’t be labeled as much as “filler” as much as simply being unsuccessful in its direction and individual storytelling beats.

After Weisman left following the conclusion of season one, Rebels’ storytelling fashion shifted into a manner of storytelling that feels distinctly more in tune with Dave Filoni’s work on The Clone Wars and Avatar: The Last Airbender. In an obvious and superfluous way, this manifested in unsubtle ways such as the higher presence of Clone Wars veterans such as Rex, Ahsoka, Hondo, and later Darth Maul, but in a more meaningful way it altered how the series told its narrative. The Clone Wars was first and foremost a series about mythology and chronicling an expansive conflict that played off a cast that was quite literally containing hundreds of characters. Because of this, Filoni and George Lucas for better and for worst elected to tell The Clone Wars as an anthology series that would zero in and out of different characters and plot beats at times that felt appropriate. This of course had its upsides and downsides. It meant that when The Clone Wars decided to center on a specific element of its expansive mythology it could give it a great deal of attention and play with it in proper fashion. It allowed characters who were originally supporting players such as Asajj Ventress or Fives to receive stories that drastically altered their narrative arcs and contained their own self-contained climaxes and conclusions. However, it also meant that seasons could pass with characters that may be fan favorites or even key to the larger narrative not being glimpsed or even mentioned. It also meant that when a storyline failed to connect or was a flat out dud, like the much maligned D-Squd arc of season five, viewers were stuck with the results for several weeks on end.

Seasons two and three more and more demonstrate this style of Dave Filoni’s storytelling. Episodes have increasingly told self-contained narratives with varying different characters and locations. In a way, this has been a boon to the series in that it has allowed the series to expand in scope and tell narratives that would previously been outside of its reach. It has also allowed for more creative freedom and varied storytelling. The strict serial nature of its first season likely would’ve been unable to provide a season that gave us Imperial Top Gun, Dathomir Ghosts, Maul and Obi-Wan’s final encounter, Mandalorian politics, Rogue One-tie ins, a singing droid, and Admiral Thrawn all in the span of 22 episodes, but here we are. However, it has also meant that the larger character arcs of season three and to a lesser degree season two have suffered.

The fact of the matter is, The Clone Wars style-anthology stories create an awkward friction when paired with the more character focused serialized narrative of season one, on which Rebels draws its core DNA. Unlike The Clone Wars which allowed its narrative to weave in and out of plot points due to the scope of its series narrative, Rebels doesn’t have that luxury. While it is natural and welcome for a character focused series like Firefly, to which Rebels owes much of its family dynamic basis, to take time to focus on individual characters the rest of the cast doesn’t cease to exist. As a result, there is almost a tendency to feel like character development happens in a bubble and that it only occurs when a cast member is relevant to that particular episode. However, due to the centrality of Rebels upon its core cast this stop gap character development is particularly frustrating when these characters appear with the traumatic or dramatic events that occurred in their own narrative driven episodes mostly ignored. It also feels slightly responsible for why characters like Ezra and Hera develop in fits and bursts and characters like Zeb feel almost entirely stagnant. It lends itself to an issue in that the series narrative so often feels it wants to tell stories that exist outside of the periphery of its core cast. Vader and Ahsoka and Maul and Obi-Wan are both conflicts that have created two of Rebels’ best sequences and hardly any fan would be willing to do away with them. While the creative team has more or less avoided these issues so far, Rebels does run the risk of feeling like its central cast of characters are merely observers to much larger and more consequential moments in its home universe.

Nowhere is this larger issue of character development more evident in than in season three’s handling of Kanan Jarrus. Kanan arguably had two of the most central arcs of the first two seasons of Rebels and entered season three a physically and emotionally changed man. Just after being knighted, Kanan was blinded and his world changed dramatically. It was a stunning moment and created a beautiful opportunity for character exploration as well as giving Rebels the opportunity to tell a story of a character growing to accept and live with disability. However, Kanan’s blindness is more or less handwaved away by the end of “Steps into Shadow,” the season premiere. The actual interaction between Kanan and the mysterious Force-being The Bendu is wonderful, but it felt and still feels like a stepping stone into a larger narrative. The fact that the series almost refuses to acknowledge this aspect of his character going forward is head scratching and beyond a missed opportunity. (It is also equally confusing how exactly Kanan’s blindness affects him. In “Iron Squadron” we see him shooting down Imperial TIEs with ease but in “Through Imperial Eyes,” Kanan makes it explicitly clear that he cannot see ships while in space.)

That being said, Rebels’ third season does more or less succeed in the development of three characters that signify how to do this mix of anthology and serialized storytelling well, even great. The most obviously successful is Sabine. After two seasons worth of sparse development, Sabine Wren fully came into her own, in no small thanks to some great voicework by Tiya Sircar. However, Sabine is also a perfect example of how to develop a character in this seasonal storyline in the manner that Rebels has created. We can easily chart Sabine’s season development through each of her central character episodes. First, we have “Antilles Extraction” which allows us to understand not only Sabine’s individual value to the rebellion but also allows us a greater glimpse into her time at the Imperial academy which plays into the narrative later on. Second, “Imperial Super Commandos” catches us up on Sabine’s centric episode from season two and introduces us to her personal antagonist for the season. Third, a plot point introduced in a previous episode centering on another character carries over to create “Trials of the Darksaber,” which acts as a seasonal and personal climax for the character that calls back elements from both prior episodes and also sets up a new status quo. Fourth, we follow the events of “Trials of the Darksaber” immediately to Sabine’s home and we get resolution to the plot point of her family and a final confrontation with the previously established villain. Because her direct narrative is finished, no longer immediately relevant to The Ghost Crew, and Sabine is motivated by the fallout of her character arc she stays behind. Her presence isn’t forced into the remaining narrative of the season until it is called back for a nice season capper in “Zero Hour.” Sabine’s arc not only demonstrates a clear development, momentum, and goal, it also feeds off other storylines in the season. It makes the series feel connected and events feel purposeful. While “Zero Hour” may also tie in elements of Ezra, Kanan, and Hera’s narratives that have been seeded throughout the season, it doesn’t help the empty space that happens between their character centric episodes. When Sabine’s story is urgent it is moved forward and when it feels logical to connect to the remainder of the cast and story it does. Her absences are earned and developed rather than confusing.

This is also accomplished with less immediately dramatic flair with the supporting characters of Maul and Kallus. While they both lack the same success for different reasons (Maul’s relies on information that is too heavily reliant upon story beats in other Star Wars media and Kallus experiences major developments off camera), they also feature storylines that represent clear endgames and developments that feel like they matter.

This is why season three struggles even as its individual episodes drastically increase in quality. We need stronger emotional connections to carry us from episode to episode. It is part of the reason why when the seasonal plot stalls, which as wonderful as Thrawn was, his proclivity for biding his time did grow tiresome, episodes can feel doubly frustrating. Again, this is not to say that Rebels is a poor show, far from it even. It has happily evolved into a well-directed and endlessly entertaining animated series and addition to the overarching canon. Few shows this year can deliver as thought provoking twenty two minutes of television as “Trials of the Darksaber” and “Twin Suns.” But Rebels has room to grow. Let’s hope it’s up to the challenge.

#Star Wars #Star Wars Rebels #review #reviews #rebels #swr #Sabine Wren #Greg Weisman #Dave Filoni #The Clone Wars

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kanerallels · 3 years

Note

"There is no unspoken thing between us."

"Well, that's a Catch-22. Because if you said there was, it would be spoken, and then you'd be a liar. So by saying there isn't, you're telling the truth, and admitting there is."

Marvel quote—and you know which couple this is for 😉

Oh, you KNOW I do!!!

Pairing: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla

Word Count: 3,559

Warnings/Tags: Rated G (for the fetching green vest Kanan's wearing)

Read on AO3!

Having deep cover operatives in the Empire was an important part of running a spy network. They gave Kanan some of his best information and helped him sneak the objects of the Empire’s rage right out from under the ISB’s nose more often than not.

But it could be a little inconvenient when he needed to pick up data from them. Because it almost inevitably involved him getting into some kind of ridiculous disguise and sneaking into some place the Empire didn’t want him in.

Case in point, he thought wryly, smoothing down the front of the fancy vest he was wearing over his dress shirt. “How do I look?” he asked, his voice quiet enough that none of the guests around him could hear.

“Ridiculous as always,” Kasmir’s voice came from the earpiece he wore, and Kanan rolled his eyes. The rest of the Yellow Submarine’s crew had demanded that he wear it, partially because they were bored and partially because Kasmir claimed Kanan had a habit of not giving them proper updates about what was going on. So they’d hacked the security cameras, and Kanan was set up with an earpiece. “Otherwise you’re fine. Remind me what your plan is again?”

Claiming a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter, Kanan muttered, “Blend in while I wait for our contact to drop off the intel at the dead drop, then go there as soon as I get the signal. After that I get the kriff out of here as soon as possible.”

As he took a drink of the bubbly drink, Ezra said, “Sounds boring. Actually, this whole party looks boring. Just a bunch of grown ups in fancy clothing drinking alcohol and sucking up to each other.”

“Welcome to adult parties for the rich and tyrannical,” Kasmir told him, and Kanan had to stifle a grin. “They all suck.”

Unfortunately, Kanan couldn’t disagree. The Empire’s parties mainly consisted of flaunting their fabulousness to everyone else, but really just came off as self-absorbed. Luckily for him, this particular party had been incredibly easy to sneak into.

Taking another sip from the champagne glass, Kanan swept a glance around the room again-- and spotted his contact. The light-haired man, clad in a dark dress uniform, swept out of a door, his steps brisk and business-like as he passed by. He didn't give Kanan a backwards glance, but Kanan could tell he knew he was there.

“Alright, I'm on the move,” he said softly.

“About time,” Kasmir complained. “This is incredibly boring.”

Stepping through the doorway his contact had come out of, Kanan pointed out, “You're the ones who wanted to listen in.”

“Yeah, but I prefer blaming you,” the Kalleran said as Kanan moved into the room. It was some kind of sitting room, with a few armchairs here and there, and a small table in one corner.

Tuning out Kasmir, who was continuing to grumble, Kanan began searching the room. The table turned up nothing, so he moved to one of the armchairs. Dropping into it, he slid his hands down the side and into the cracks. A grin spread across his face as one hand encountered a slim rectangular shape. Bingo.

Pulling the datacard out, Kanan slipped it into the pocket of his vest. Cutting off Kasmir, he said, “I've got the intel. On my way out.”

He slipped out of the sitting room again, and a quick glance around the room made it clear that he’d been neither missed nor spotted. Time to get out of here, he thought.

Making a beeline for the door, Kanan paused to swipe a mini jogan cream cake from a waiter. He popped it in his mouth-- and nearly choked at the sound of a familiar laugh. A far too familiar laugh.

Spinning around, Kanan searched the crowd behind him. No way. No kriffing way. But even as he thought it, his gaze landed on where a handful of people were dancing to the elegant music in the background. And his eyes were drawn to a green-skinned Twi’lek woman, dancing with an Imperial officer and wearing a smile he knew had to be fake.

Some kind of makeup obscured the markings on Hera’s lekku, and she was a ways away from Kanan, but he’d recognize her anywhere. Especially that voice, which he could hear speaking in her native Ryl accent even from that distance. Who knew she had an accent? He mused.

“KANAN!!”

Kanan nearly jumped when he heard Kasmir shout his name in his earpiece. “Kriffing-- don’t do that,” he hissed, turning away from the crowd so no one would see him moving his lips.

“What are you hesitating for? It’s time to get out of there,” Kasmir urged. “We’re not even supposed to be here, ya know.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Kanan said. “I just, uh, might not be back right away.”

“What? Why not-- oooh. Mini kid, check the cams.”

“On it!” Ezra chirped in the background.

Ignoring them, Kanan turned back to the crowd, scanning until he spotted Hera again, still dancing with the same Imp, her movements graceful. What is she doing here? If someone spots her-- okay, calm down, Kanan. She can take care of herself, and you’re not technically responsible for watching her back.

No matter how much you wished you were, whispered some part of him, the part of him that occasionally told him to please forget all of the spy stuff and talk to Hera.

In his ear, there was a gasp. “I KNEW IT. Hera’s here, guys!!!” Ezra’s voice was unreasonably excited as he spoke. “What is she doing here? Kanan, does she know you’re here? Are you gonna talk to her? What do you think she’ll--”

“Kasmir,” Kanan said, cutting off his apprentice, “I’m going off coms. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“You’re doing WHAT? Wait, kid, don’t you dare--”

Kasmir's voice was abruptly cut off as Kanan plucked his earpiece out and stuck it in his pocket. He had no doubt he'd be getting a good chewing out over this later from Kasmir. But Kanan also had a feeling it would be worth it.

He headed toward the dancers, weaving through the crowd and keeping his gaze locked on Hera. As he drew closer, he felt his heartbeat pick up slightly.

Hera was always beautiful, there was no denying that. When Kanan had first met her, he'd been literally incapable of speech standing across from her. And he had a feeling he was going to have a very similar problem now.

She wore a dark red dress, the short sleeves made of a dark gauzy fabric. Silver lace patterns covered the whole thing, shimmering in the light with Hera's every movement. It was mesmerizing.

Kanan suddenly realized he was staring. Kriff. Alright, try and focus, Jarrus.

Slipping past a few more guests, he stepped out of the crowd and onto the dance floor just as Hera and her partner moved up near him. “May I cut in?” he asked.

The Imperial officer dancing with Hera looked like he wanted to argue, but one glance at Kanan changed his mind quickly. He stepped back, and Kanan moved forward smoothly, sweeping Hera back into the dance.

Hera’s gaze flicked up to him, a demure smile crossing her face-- and Kanan saw the moment when she realized it was him and not some Imperial. “Wha-- Kanan?”

~ ~ ~

As Hera gaped at him in shock, she saw a grin crossing Kanan’s face. “I’d bet this is the last place you expected to see me,” he said, his deep voice low and remarkably self satisfied.

“You could say that,” Hera agreed, recovering quickly.

It hadn’t been too difficult to slip into the party. All Hera had had to do was bat her eyelashes a few times and the Imps were basically falling over themselves to let her in. While it was useful, it did also get on her nerves a little, even if she was used to the way most people looked at her species these days.

Kanan, on the other hand, didn’t exactly have the same qualifications. Frowning, she asked, “How did you get in here?”

“Does it matter?” Kanan kept his voice low as they kept dancing, and Hera had to admit-- he was a good dancer, better than she would have expected.

He was also dressed better than she would have expected-- a crisp olive green dress shirt, the sleeves pushed up, under an emerald green vest with a high collar, trousers of the same olive green, and brown boots. His hair was back in it’s usual ponytail, and he wore a slight grin.

He looked good-- which Hera would never give him the satisfaction of admitting. She would only admit to herself how her heartbeat sped up slightly at his proximity, at the feeling of his hand resting on her waist.

Taking a quick breath, she said, “Probably not. Although I do wonder what you’re doing here, I have to admit.”

“Free hors d’oeuvres,” Kanan said breezily. “Nothing tastes better than expensive Imperial wine, especially when you’re not supposed to drink it. How about you? I have a feeling you’re not here for the canapes, or whatever they’re serving.”

“Not exactly,” Hera said. “But I’m not sure talking to you about it is the best idea. After all, you’ve made it very clear you’re not interested.”

“Really? That’s what you think? I thought you knew that wasn’t true at all.”

Giving him a look, Hera said, “In the cause.”

“Oh, that.” Kanan made a face. “I liked what I was talking about better.”

“I’m sure you did.”

A slight smile curved Kanan’s mouth, and he studied her for a few seconds as they danced. “When are we going to do something about this unspoken thing we have going on?”

“What?” Hera blinked, surprised that he’d actually said something. “No-- there’s no unspoken thing between us.”

Shrugging, Kanan deftly spun her out as he said, “Well, that’s a Catch-22, because if you said there was, it would be spoken and you’d be a liar. So by saying there isn’t--” he pulled her back in, this time closer than she had been. Hera felt her heartbeat pick up again at the sheer closeness of him.

“--you’re telling the truth and admitting there is,” Kanan finished. His gaze caught hers, and he studied her for a moment with those teal eyes of his. Hera saw his eyes drop to her lips, and caught her breath, wondering for a moment what he would do, and how she would react to it.

Focus, Hera, she told herself sternly. You need to finish up here and get back to the crew. Clearing her throat, she said, “I don’t really have time for your flirting, dear. I have a mission to finish, sooner rather than later.”

“What’s your rush?” Kanan asked lightly.

“Well, let’s just say I have a new crew member, and I’d prefer to get back before she destroys the ship,” Hera said wryly. “She’s a little… temperamental.”

“Sounds like fun,” Kanan said. “Alright, how can I help?”

Giving Kanan an unimpressed look, Hera said, “We just had this conversation. You don’t want anything to do with the cause.”

“You know me so well,” Kanan said, smirking. “But I’m not doing this for the cause. Trust me.”

The pointed intonation at the end of his sentence didn’t really surprise Hera. However, that wasn’t exactly about to change her answer. “That’s not terribly reassuring,” she said.

“Hey, you know I’m capable,” Kanan pointed out. “And you don’t have to trust me here. But I’m willing to help.

“Alright-- what are you asking in return?” Hera asked.

To her surprise, a stung look flashed across Kanan’s face. “Nothing. I’m not always looking for some kind of payout, you know.”

Kriff. Hera grimaced, well aware she’d put her foot in her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said, coming to a stop on the dance floor and making sure she had Kanan’s attention. “That was stupid of me. You’re right, and I should have seen it. I know you better than that.”

And she did, strange though it seemed.

“Thanks,” Kanan said quietly, his voice serious for once. He paused, then said, “Now where are we going?”

Hera paused, darting a glance around the room. Luckily, the owner of the house was distracted at the bar. “This way,” she told him, grabbing him by the hand. She pulled him off the dance floor and through the crowd, heading for a door on the far side of the room. Kanan followed her willingly, and together they slipped through the door in question.

The door led them into a dark hallway, and Hera led the way forward, Kanan on her heels. “Let’s hope we don’t run into any other party-goers,” she muttered. “This could be a potential awkward situation.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I hear public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable,” Kanan suggested, and Hera let out a sigh.

“Do you ever stop?”

“Not unless I have to. What’s the plan here?”

“I’m trying to break into the main office,” Hera told him. “It should be a little ways away from here. All you need to do is watch my back. Oh, and come up with a good excuse if we’re caught.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Kanan said easily. “Just lead the way, Captain Hera.”

They didn’t have far to go before they reached the door Hera had been looking for, and stepped inside. The office was large and elaborate, with wood panelling and an extremely expensive vase on the desk.

Moving behind the desk, Hera booted up the console and pulled up her skirt to reveal the holster strapped to her leg, holding her blaster and a datacard to download the intel she needed. Pulling out the datacard, she glanced at Kanan, fully expecting him to be watching her.

To her surprise, he had his gaze fixed on the door, and was rather steadfastly not looking at her. Maybe he’s got a bit of chivalry left after all, Hera mused. Who would have thought?

She let her skirt drop and inserted the datacard into the console, tapping at the screen to find the information she needed. “This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes,” she told Kanan.

Glancing back at Hera, Kanan said, “Well, that’s good. This way, we might have time for something else. Maybe a little more dancing, that kind of thing.”

“What part of ‘I need to get back to my ship before a teenage Mandalorian tears it to pieces’ did you not understand?” Hera shot back.

“Oh, come on,” Kanan said with a sigh. “Seriously, though-- when was the last time you did anything for yourself instead of your cause? You deserve a night off.”

“And it just happens to be with you?” Hera said, feeling a smile twitch across her lips in spite of herself.

Kanan shrugged nonchalantly, a gleam in his eye. “It’s an added bonus.”

“Hmm.” For a moment, Hera let herself think about what it would be like to just spend the rest of the night out. Dancing, food, maybe a little flirting. It sounded fun. Like something she might have done in a different world, if she hadn’t been fighting the Empire, and she’d met Kanan under different circumstances. “That sounds… nice. Fun, even.”

“Can’t let the Empire stop you from having fun,” Kanan pointed out, leaning against the desk as he caught her gaze. “I’ll buy you a drink. Who knows, you might even enjoy yourself--”

Then Hera saw him freeze, his eyes going wide. “What is--” she started, and the door hissed open.

“Wha-- what are you doing in here?” demanded a brusque Imperial voice, and the owner of the house stalked into view. Hera saw a “well, kriff” expression flash across Kanan’s face.

“Wait-- are you--” the owner started. Moving fast, Kanan grabbed the vase on the desk, spun around and smashed it over the man’s head.

As the Imp crumpled to the ground, Kanan turned to Hera. “Time to go,” he said.

“Definitely,” Hera said as the console let out a beep. “I have what I need anyways.” Pulling out the datacard, she slipped it back into her holster, and she and Kanan made for the door.

They hadn’t gotten far before an alarm started going off. “Looks like we’ve been spotted,” Kanan muttered, his brows furrowing.

“Do you have a ride out of here?” Hera asked.

“Yeah-- follow me.”

Kanan headed back the way they’d come, pushing open the door that lead into the room where the party was being held. Hera hesitated for a second, then darted after him as he shouldered his way through the somewhat confused crowd.

They’d made it halfway through the crowd when the doors burst open, and an irate voice shouted, “STOP THAT TWI’LEK!!”

Hera heard Kanan breathe a curse quietly as she pulled her blaster out from under her dress. “Keep things stealthy until we don’t have to,” she muttered.

“Yeah, that’s going really well so far,” he hissed.

“You’re the one who smashed a vase over someone’s head!”

“Well, you shot down my other idea!”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Hera said, “So help me, you’re going to drive me--”

She was cut off by a hand clamping down onto her shoulder. “Here she is!” someone shouted. “I’ve caught the intrud-- ugh!”

Hera spun smoothly, twisting away from the man who’d grabbed her, and slammed her fist into his throat. As the man dropped to the ground, clutching at his throat, Kanan grabbed her by the hand and pulled her forward. “Remind me never to make you that mad,” he said.

“You’ve come very close, dear,” Hera shot back.

“Have I mentioned you look amazing tonight?”

“You’re not helping your situation. Wait-- are we heading for the window?”

“You’re about to find out how I got into this place,” Kanan said, a grim smile crossing his face.

Releasing Hera’s hand, he didn’t stop in his tracks as he grabbed a bar stool and heaved it through the window, shattering the glass. Shards of it flew everywhere, and Hera heard screams as Kanan came to a stop next to the window.

“Come on!” he said, holding out his hand.

Hera darted forward, glancing down as Kanan’s hand wrapped around hers. A speeder was parked a few feet below them. “Creative,” she observed.

“I’m a creative guy,” Kanan quipped, then ducked as blaster fire zipped past them. Lifting her own blaster, Hera shot back at the stormtroopers who were flooding into the room. “Time to go!” Kanan said, and jumped, Hera leaping after him.

They landed in the speeder in an undignified pile, and Kanan immediately scrambled into the passenger’s seat. “Get us out of here!”

“On it,” Hera said, switching on the speeder and tossing Kanan her blaster. “Make yourself useful, please!”

“Yes, Captain Hera,” Kanan said, lifting his blaster and firing at the stormtroopers that were crowding into the window. Hera let out a triumphant sound as the engines roared to life.

“We’re out of here.” Slamming on the acceleration, they leaped forward. Kanan let out an undignified yelp, and Hera suppressed a smile as they zipped away from the building and into traffic.

It didn’t take them long to disappear, out of sight from the Imperials. Leaning back in his seat, Kanan remarked, “It’s been way too long since I’ve flown with you. You’re still as incredible as you used to be.”

Hera felt a small smile flash across her face. Kanan’s real compliments were somehow much nicer than his casual flirting. “Thanks. Now, where are we heading?”

“You can drop me off up here,” Kanan said, pointing. “It’s not technically my speeder, so you can take it wherever you need to go.” Pausing, he added, “Or we could find something to eat. Have a drink, maybe…”

Hera found herself hesitating, to her own surprise. Because part of her wanted to say yes, which she definitely didn’t expect. Maybe some of that flirting was actually starting to rub off on her.

But at the end of the day, she was working with the Rebellion, and Kanan refused to commit to something like that. And she really did have to get back. “Not this time,” she said, bringing them to a stop at the roadside. “I have work to do. Thank you, though, for your help with this.”

“Any time,” Kanan said, giving her a half-smile. “Until next time, Captain Hera.” Catching hold of her hand, he bent down and pressed a gentle kiss against the back of it.

Hera’s eyes widened, a slight flush spreading over her at the unexpected gesture, and Kanan shot her a wink. “Couldn’t let you leave without a souvenir, could I?” He vaulted over the side of the speeder and headed down the street, looking supremely satisfied.

Despite herself, Hera felt a smile crossing her face. Typical Kanan. Gunning the engines, she took off down the street, heading back to the Ghost and her next mission. Trying to pretend like a certain gunslinger wasn’t still in the back of her mind.

She had a feeling that wouldn’t work very well, though. Kanan never made things like that easy. But Hera was starting to wonder if she actually minded.

#hera syndulla #kanan jarrus #swr #star wars rebels #star wars #111 followers celebration #sw rebels #sw rebels fan fic #swr fan fic #kanera #kanera is love kanera is life #steve miller au #it was dope. the end

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