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limnsaber · 5 months

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In the 1981 Star Wars Radio Drama, Luke Skywalker and his best friend Biggs Darklighter reunite on Tatooine for one last trip through Beggar's Canyon.

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Biggs: Well, they're right about one thing, Luke. The rebellion against the Empire is a long way from here. You know, I doubt the Imperials would bother with this system.

Luke: But I could've sworn I saw-

Biggs: Hey, c'mon, I'll tell you what, let's take a spin in that landspeeder of yours, huh? I'd like to take one last look at Beggar's Canyon, y'know, for old times' sake?

Luke: Sure Biggs. Boy, you should've been there the other day when we ran the canyon. Fixer started bragging about how 'he could do anything that Biggs could do,' you know, so I said 'hey if you're so smart why don't you try...'

Luke: ...yeah, and Fixer just pretended it never happened. Course, my Skyhopper's busted up pretty bad.

Biggs: Oh, I'm sure that made your uncle happy.

Luke: You have no idea. I'm grounded for the rest of the season.

Biggs: Nah, nah, you oughtta take it a little easier, Luke. I mean even if you are the hottest gully jumper this side of Mos Eisley, you keep it up buddy and one day, whammo, you'll be nothing but a dark smear on a canyon wall.

Luke: Hey, why'd you want me to come out to Beggar's Canyon anyway?

Biggs: Like I said, old times' sake. I mean, who knows when I'll be back this way, right?

Luke: I guess. Well, there it is, the old stone needle. You know, you can see practically the whole canyon from this part of the rim.

Biggs: Yeah. Hah, I don't know how I lived through all the crazy stunts we pulled down here.

Luke: I remember some of those. Boy, if we had the 'hopper now we could give those womp rats a surprise.

Biggs: Oh sorry, I am now valuable property. Keeping in mind the expense of cadet training, all graduates shall refrain from unnecessary risk-taking.

Luke: You? They happen to know how many stabilizer veins you bent up on the back stretch down there? Or how about the time you almost wiped out the stone needle?

Biggs: I figured it was better not to mention those to my piloting instructors.

Luke: Boy, it hasn't been the same since you left Biggs. It's been so... quiet.

Biggs: Hah, I'll bet.

Luke: Yeah, you were always number one around here, Biggs. You were the one who made things happen.

Biggs: Well it's a big galaxy, Luke. At the Academy, everybody was number one back where they came from. All of a sudden I was just a face in the crowd.

Luke: Yeah, but you made it, Biggs. You're going to see all those places we used to talk about.

Biggs: Yeah. Luke, did you ever wonder why we're friends?

Luke: Huh?

Biggs: The rest of them, back at Anchorhead, they'll never leave Tatooine. Maybe never get as far as Mos Eisley. Have you ever thought about that?

Luke: Well, not exactly like that I haven't.

Biggs: Fixer's just smart enough to know he's better off being a big noise in a small room. Camie's dumb enough to think she's made the prize catch hereabouts, and Windy's nothing but a follower and Deak's the follower of a follower.

Luke: But- what are you saying, Biggs?

Biggs: You will make it off Tatooine, Luke. And they know it. That's why they won't accept you.

Luke: Huh. Well, they're not so bad, I don't really mind them.

Biggs: Then how come you work so hard at being the hottest pilot around, huh? Hey-- did you see that? Off in the far side of the canyon.

Luke: What, where-- Sand People!

Biggs: You got your macros?

Luke: Yeah, right here.

Biggs: Yep, three banthas and it looks like five Tusken Raiders.

Luke: Yeah?

Biggs: They're moving out towards... the wastes.

Luke: Hey I'm supposed to keep a watch out for them at the farm, my uncle said that there have been some sightings around here, I should get back.

Biggs: I don't think its anything to worry about.

Luke: Well, that's a little excitement for your visit.

Biggs: You only think this planet's boring because you've never been anywhere else, Luke. Luke, I didn't-- I didn't come home just for a visit. If I don't come back, I wanted somebody to know.

Luke: What? Honestly, Biggs, will you stop being so secretive.

Biggs: Luke, I made some friends at the Academy. And one of them will be on the Rand Ecliptic with me. At our first port of call in the inner systems, we're going to jump ship and join the Rebel Alliance!

Luke: But that's crazy! You could wander around forever trying to find them-- look, the Empire can't even find them.

Biggs: Well if we don't find the rebels then we're going to do what we can on our own! I'm not hanging around to get drafted into the Imperial Starfleet. The rebellion's spreading, Luke, and I want to be on the side I believe in!

Luke: Yeah, and I'm stuck here.

Biggs: What? I thought you were going to the Academy next year.

Luke: I had to cancel my application. You know, the Sand People acting up again.

Biggs: C'mon, Luke! Your uncle could hold off a whole Tusken raiding party with one blaster. One of these days, buddy, you gotta separate what seems important from what is!

Luke: But the farm's just about to start paying off. Look, Uncle Owen needs me one more season. Biggs, I can't just run out on him and Aunt Beru now.

Biggs: Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, first it was Sand People and now it's the crop. Meanwhile, your application's been cancelled, Luke! Cancelled! Luke, listen to me. Your uncle uses that 'I fed you and brought you up' line to keep you here, can't you see that?

Luke: Biggs! My aunt and uncle the only family I've got, they're all I've got! And I don't care what you or anybody else thinks about me, I can't let anything happen to those two.

Biggs: Luke, I didn't mean-

Luke: Oh go on, find your rebellion! You don't think I'd like to leave? You think I like staying behind?

Biggs: I never thought that, Luke.

Luke: Well, that's how it sounded.

Luke: Here, I'll let you off by the power station.

Biggs: Thanks for the ride, Luke.

Luke: Yeah. Sure.

Biggs: Luke. Luke, I had a friend at the Academy. He used to help me through, the way I-- the way I used to help you. Just before graduation, I heard he got picked up during a round of Rebel suspects, and they said he died in interrogation.

Luke: You've changed, Biggs. You've changed a lot.

Biggs: I have been doing some thinking, Luke. But, uh-- but you're the same as ever. Hey, tell me, are you still keeping a lookout for that dream girl you used to talk about?

Luke: Hah, I'll know her if she passes by. Biggs, I'm sorry about what I said back there.

Biggs: Yeah me too. Hey, just, let's forget it.

Luke: Yeah. Will you be around long?

Biggs: No, I'm leaving on the morning shuttle.

Luke: Looks like there's a wind kicking up.

Biggs: Hm. Wind's rising all over the Empire, Luke. Even Tatooine will feel it. Sooner or later.

Luke: I guess... I won't be seeing you for a while.

Biggs: Oh, maybe someday. I'll be watching for you.

Luke: Listen, next season, I'm going to be going to the Academy for sure! No, I am, I am! Take care of yourself.

Biggs: So long, Luke.

Luke: Biggs?

Biggs: Yeah?

Luke: Do you really think those ships out there were just freighters?

Biggs: Well, not if you say they were firing, hotshot.

#luke skywalker #biggs darklighter #star wars #star wars radio drama #anh #ot #audio #this is my fav chapter of all of them.#man this chapter is chock full of symbolism. I could write an essay about that alone. the stabilizer motif in beggars canyon and the trench #run... the call of adventure in the wastes... luke and biggs and the rebellion... leia... the wind as the force... agh.#five minutes of biggs and luke laughing my beloved

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bbygirl-obi · 10 months

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y do u think anakin didnt just leave the jedi?

there are a bunch of different answers. for one, he probably understood- and this is something i don't think enough people acknowledge- that his job as general was actively saving loads of lives, not just clone lives but lives of republic citizens. anakin was good at fighting and to have him off the front lines would be bad. so it's not like 100% selfish, though i think he does ultimately prioritize his personal relationships mentally above the other stuff.

i don't think it was because he thought he'd be sold into slavery or turned out penniless if he chose to leave. first of all, he's got powerful connections in padme and palpatine and would have no issue getting a job with his popularity, education, and talents. second, we know from dooku that those who leave the order maintain close ties and are allowed back to visit as much as they want. i'd be surprised if, given that attitude towards ex-jedi, the custom is to cut them off entirely and leave them to flounder.

but i do still think there was an aspect of not wanting to make obi-wan and ahsoka feel abandoned. whether or not obi-wan or ahsoka would have perceived it that way, it's clear anakin would have- as evidenced by his anger and sense of abandonment when ahsoka later left the order. once ahsoka left, the only person he felt he had left to abandon was obi-wan.

there's a quote from one of the books where palpatine summarizes anakin's conflict as having to choose between obi-wan and padme. homoeroticism of that comparison aside, ultimately i think this is what it boils down to for anakin. yes, there are aspects of the greater good at stake, but anakin consistently prioritizes loyalty to individual people over loyalty to the galaxy as a whole. within his mind, the thought of betraying obi-wan would have felt more significant than the thought of abandoning the war efforts.

i've discussed at length before that, contrary to popular belief that padme serves as a surrogate for shmi to anakin, it's actually obi-wan who fills that role. when we see shmi in the movies, she doesn't indulge anakin's every whim, or encourage attachment or emotion. she denies him, she tells him no, she tells him to let her go, she tells him to follow his instincts with the force. these are all things obi-wan takes over doing for anakin.

padme serves a slightly different role- she represents only a small part of what shmi was to anakin, a source of affection and sense of security. anakin relies upon her to soothe his guilty conscience, but there's no evidence that shmi would have done the same. everything shmi says falls perfectly in line with jedi philosophy, not with the things padme tells anakin in his moments of conflict.

so it's not just anakin's inability to choose whether he loves padme or obi-wan more. it's anakin's inability to let go of obi-wan, who he knows is the closest thing he has to a mother and father both. he knows that without obi-wan, even padme's reassurances will not fill the void shmi left behind. and he is terrified of acknowledging the truth that his mother would not like or condone some of the things he's done, such as the tusken raider massacre.

that is why i think he refuses to leave the order, even once he is convinced that his wife and his unborn child will die, and his desire to remain in the order is the only thing standing in between padme and access to medical care.

#ask #asks #answered #anakin and obi-wan #anakin and shmi #obi-wan and shmi #padme and shmi #anakin and padme #anakin skywalker #padme naberrie #padme amidala #obi-wan kenobi #obi wan kenobi #anakin #padme #obi-wan #obi wan #revenge of the sith #rots

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theawkwardanglophile · 1 year

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TheAwkwardAnglophile's Year in TV shows: 2022

It seems I've started a tradition, and even though I know only very few people will actually see or read this, it's still fun to put together. This is my third time doing this. Feel free to check out my lists for 2021 and 2020 as well.

My criteria for shows making the list is the show either aired new content in 2022, or I'd never watched it before. So, while I did several rewatches, those didn't count. Also, beware: SPOILERS ABOUND! Here's the list in alphabetical order:

Abbott Elementary: What a perfect little sitcom that just stormed onto the scene after so many beloved sitcoms had gone off the air the last few years. They deserve all the accolades! It is genuinely hilarious. Ava probably makes me laugh harder than any of them, and of course I'm here for Janine and Gregory.

Andor: Holy crap, I was not expecting to be drawn into this show as much as I was. What a brilliant deep dive into the Star Wars universe. So many layers and subtleties to it. Luthen's monologue BLEW ME AWAY, and I looooved the prison escape. You get such a better understanding of how terrifyingly far the Empire's reach went.

Baymax: I was expecting a full-blown series, so I was very disappointed to find only 6 short episodes that were only a few minutes long. However, it was more Baymax, which is always a good thing. I think my favorite was the episode Kiko, which had Mrs. Kim from Gilmore Girls (Emily Kuroda)!

Blockbuster: I know it got cancelled, but I actually kind of enjoyed it. It wasn't the best, but it had potential. There were a few genuinely funny moments for me, and I think the episode where they do inventory was my favorite.

The Book of Boba Fett: Ok, so I know there are a lot of Fett fans out there from the past 40 years, but I'm indifferent to Boba. But I found a lot to enjoy in this show. I liked watching Boba connect with the Tusken Raiders. However, the pacing and structure were terrible, Fennec was underutilized, and the Mos Espa "power rangers" left me scratching my head. The BEST PART of it all was the Mandalorian season 2.5 they snuck in there! Watching Grogu with Luke, seeing what Mando had been up to, and the most beautiful father/son reunion!! MY HEART. Sorry you got sidelined in your own show, Boba, but the Mando eps were WIZARD.

Call Me Kat: I'm still watching, still enjoying, but this show is kind of a mixed bag sometimes. I was not happy with how everything went down with Oscar. He was such a sweetheart! Am I happy Kat and Max have become a couple? Yeah, I guess, but I think it could've been done differently. Also, it won't be the same now without the lovely Leslie Jordan, RIP.

Derry Girls: Loved the final season. It's so quirky and fascinating and hilarious. The parents' high school reunion was absolute GOLD.

Dream Home Makeover: It's definitely one of those shows that you question why you're watching, yet you can't turn away. I don't want to like it. The couple is just odd together sometimes, and everything was shown out of order! One minute she was pregnant and then she wasn't, but then they'd go back to her being pregnant!

Emily in Paris: Season 3 was pretty good, although I found Emily a bit grating. I was worried they were going to make the whole season about her shenanigans working for both companies, but thankfully that got resolved quickly. Luc is still such a delight, and Sylvie has even grown on me. Gabriel and Alfie are still 🔥🔥.

Hawkeye: I watched this at the beginning of '22, so it's a bit fuzzy now, but it was enjoyable. Not quite at the level of some of the other Marvel shows (like Loki or Wandavision) but still pretty fun.

History 101: A fascinating little documentary series! I was hooked. Each episode was about a very specific topic and was brilliantly done.

Home Economics: This sitcom is pretty fun. I've always loved Topher Grace (although oddly enough I never watched That 70's Show 🙈), and he still nails awkward comedy. All the family dynamics are fun to watch, the kids are cute. And the Spiderman joke when they were at Disneyland had me ROLLING.

The Home Edit: I devour these episodes whenever they drop, and then I want to revamp my entire house, and life. I love organization, plus Joanna and Clea make everything fun to watch.

How I Met Your Father: I was SUPER skeptical about this one, and maybe still am a bit (HIMYM fans, you understand). But I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. I need to watch the last ep again to prep for the upcoming season 2, because I've forgotten a lot. I'm curious to see where it goes.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous: The last season was wild, and I COULD NOT STAND Kenji's dad. The woooooorst. Shipped Brooklynn and Kenji, and happy Yaz and Sammy found happiness together. The ending was very satisfying for everyone!

Moon Knight: Oh DANG, what a ride. So many moments I'm like, "WHAAAAAAT am I even watching?!" But it was a fun, trippy adventure, and Oscar Isaac deserves all the awards.

Name That Tune: Always fun. I slay at this game.

Never Have I Ever: I just LOVE this show. Season 3 was another stellar season, and I am still definitely Team Ben! That ending! And the show still makes me cry, especially the scene with Devi and her mom in the finale. 😭

Obi-Wan: I know this wasn't as well received as was hoped, but I enjoyed it. Young Leia was fantastic! Lola, too (I have adopted her in my club of beloved droids). The story worked, and the Vader/Obi-Wan showdown was pretty amazing. The last 20 minutes of the finale was just a giant checklist of fan service, but honestly, I'm not complaining.

Only Murders in the Building: LOVE LOVE LOVE. This show is so incredible, and season 2 didn't disappoint! It's smart, hilarious, and I love the intro music so much. The intros were actually made even better by each one being slightly different with something related to that particular episode.

The Orville: If this journey for The Orville is truly at an end, then they sent it off well. A satisfying ending. I think the supersized episodes didn't work as well as their punchier 40-minute eps, but man, when they go big they go BIG. Incredibly well done topics, and the effects! INSANE. I swear Hulu must have kept just dumping money on them, like "Go ahead and make whatever effects you want!"

Paper Girls: This was...weird. I went through most of this going, "WHAT AM I EVEN WATCHING?" Obviously I loved all the retro vibes, and I was curious enough in the story to stick it out, but that was about it. It got pretty dark at times, and I thought the language, while warranted, got excessive enough at times to detract from the story. Anyway, if they were trying to capture the magic of Stranger Things, it didn't work, and it got cancelled anyway.

The Rookie: MY HEART! MY OTP. MY BEST SHIP AND SHIPPING EXPERIENCE EVER. My obsession with Chenford has exploded even more, as any of my followers can clearly tell. I love Tim and Lucy SO MUCH, and watching them become canon has been INCREDIBLE. But also, the show itself has stepped up its game in S5. The plots are better, more balanced, and I love all the different relationships shown. Making Thorsen a regular was a fantastic decision. The social media team has been killing it. And the show has gained tons of viewers and fans. We are truly in the golden age of The Rookie.

The Rookie: Feds: I like the show, but don't love it...yet. Maybe I will? It is done well, but it's just there. I watch it when I get around to it. Garza and Laura are probably my fave characters. I do like Simone, but she's also a lot. And I say this only because it's the FBI and there must be some kind of dress code, she should probably cover up the girls more. I swear she's going to end up having a wardrobe malfunction.

School of Chocolate: Pretty fascinating little chocolate-making competition.

Star Trek: Discovery: S4 was kind of a mixed bag. I'm not sure it was as memorable as previous seasons. I hate Tilly left. I did like that there was a running thread throughout of identity and belonging, and mental health. My FAVORITE part was how they found a way to communicate with Species Ten-C. Some brilliant television.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: S3 was ok, not my favorite, but it's still funny. My fave moment actually came in the DS9 ep. The background swing music at Quark's is actually from a band that my mom does booking for, Denver & the Mile High Orchestra, and for other personal reasons I won't go into here, that moment meant a lot to me.

Star Trek: Picard: Insert Picard facepalm here. I wanted S2 to work so badly, and be amazing, and it just wasn't. I mean it had Q and time travel and all the ingredients for something incredible, and it still didn't work. It would take too long to hash it all out here, but if anyone wants to vent with me, I'm around. I am excited (and nervous) for S3, however! I hope they don't let me down.

Star Trek: Prodigy: I still love the animation, and the kids are fun. I'm gonna be real honest, though. I'm mainly here for Janeway and Chakotay, because no, I'm still not over how Voyager ended, and if an animated kids show will let me see more of these two, I will take whatever I can get.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Before I go any further, may I just point out the amazing WONDER that FIVE different Star Trek series aired new content in 2022?! A new record! The Trekaissance is real. This show exceeded my expectations. It's so different, yet still so classic Star Trek style. The characters are great, and the intro is incredible! I cry at that intro. It's sweeping and gorgeous and ahhhhh.

Stranger Things: I've loved Stranger Things from the beginning, was excited for S4, but when I watched 4x01 I almost gave it up. It felt so dark and depressing, and the scene at the end was horrifying. I put it off for a couple weeks before deciding to try again, and I slowly worked my way through the rest of the season. There were still parts I couldn't watch (I really don't do horror, Stranger Things was always about as far as I would go, but then they really upped the horror in S4, much to my dismay), but ultimately I'm glad I did watch, although unlike the rewatchability of S1-S3, I'm not sure I can go through S4 in its entirety again. But there were some BEAUTIFUL moments we got, lots of laughs, lots of emotions. All the reunions in Vol. 2! El seeing Hopper again 😭. And my absolute favorite part...JOPPER IS CANON!!

Supermarket Sweep: Always a lot of fun. Sad that it won't be back.

Young Sheldon: It's losing steam, but I'm still watching. The whole storyline with Georgie has been interesting.

And there you have it! 33 shows in all, which is probably a record for me. Feel free to message me or send an ask if you want to further chat about any of these. If you read this far, YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR AND I APPRECIATE YOU.

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anzacanary · 2 years

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Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, first time since I was thirteen-ish, thoughts:

-The Anakin/Padme dialogue, uh, wow. At the time I wasn’t particularly interested in Romance as a genre, and I didn’t have strong opinions - it was boring, most romantic scenes were, whatever - but now, yeah, I see why people complain. Although I’ll give it that I did find myself totally convinced that these two people would hit it off. He thinks it’s a smooth move to compare her favorably to sand! She’s been a full-time career politician since age 11, has never been on a real date with a regular person, and is pretty sure this is very romantic probably! They were absolutely right, they were made for each other.

-Despite being uninterested in romance, I had obviously hit puberty, because my memory had retained a vivid and detailed impression of the scene where Obi-wan shows up on Clone Planet and stumbles in soaking wet with his hair and robes all plastered down with rainwater, looking worried and confused. Engraved in my memory, friends.

-Padme getting carefully calibrated crop-top battle damage in the gladiator arena also made an impression at the time. I may have been the perfect age for this movie.

#i'd forgotten that we see almost nothing of Anakin killing Tusken Raiders #a two-second shot of him lightsabering some guys who were apparently standing guard outside the Tortured Prisoners Tent #and that's it #the whole thing seems to have made very little impression on contemporary me #really I think I just wasn't all that interested in Anakin

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elenaaadaniels · 2 years

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Chapter Eight: The Real Traitor

Part 9

Warning: Jealous Din, some cursing, mention of death, abuse, protective Din. ___________________________________

Oh, I knew you were trouble when you walked in. So shame on me now. Flew me to places I'd never been. Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground. Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble.

- 𝘐 𝘒𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵 ___________________________________

Annoyance burned at Nadia every second of their journey. Despite their fast bikes and the sand in their faces, she knew Toro was staring at her. She could feel it burn more than the scorching sun that burned above them. She did her best to ignore it facing forward and matching Din's pace on the bike, but even then she could tell the tension. Every now in then, Nadia noticed the two were racing or attempting to get a head of the other. One minute, Din would be the leader causing Toro to thrust his bike faster being the lead and the same patterned repeated.

Men.

She thought to herself. The more they drove into the desert, the more she wanted to return to the child and back on the Razor Crest far from Tatooine. Need the less to say, she was crossing this planet off as one she would like to revisit. Din raised his arm quickly in a pause slowing down his bike the same time Nadia and Toro did.

" What's going on?" Nadia questioned.

Din pointed straight ahead," Look. Up ahead."

Squinting her eyes, Nadia could make out a bantha, maybe two of them out in the middle of nowhere. She was no hunter, but even she knew it was odd for one of the creatures to be there. Toro was the first to step off his bike taking out his binocs and looking closer to the Bantha with a huff.

" Tusken Raiders." He answered." I heard the locals talking about this filth."

Din nodded," Tuskens think they're the locals. Everyone else is just trespassing."

Toro scuffed at the comment," Whatever they call themselves, they best keep their distance." He spat.

Nadia noticed movement in the corner of her eye, and turned seeing two more Tusken raiders make their way up the small sand hill so far, unthreatening.

" Din." Nadia whispered causing Din to nod seeing the same thing.

" Yeah? Why don't you tell them yourself?" Din challenged watching Toro practically jump out of his skin when they started yelling." Relax."

Din was amused watching Toro's fear, even more amused when he heard Nadia laughed in a mocking manner. He stepped off his speeder walking over to the Tusken and speaking in their language using only his hands. It was enough to confuse Toro.

" What are you doing?"

" Negotiating." Din answered, but Toro wasn't done with his questions.

" What's going on?"

" We need passage across their land. Let me see the binocs."

" Why?"

" You ask too many questions." Nadia muttered snatching the binocs from Toro and throwing it over to the Tusken Raiders.

" Hey! What?" Toro shouted." Those were brand new."

" Yeah? They were." Din muttered walking back to the speeders with Nadia." You speak Tusken?"

She tilted her head side to side," Learned a little here and there." She answered getting on her own bike and taking off without Toro." You really don't like him!"

" I don't like what he did to you!"

Nadia couldn't help, but to smile at his comments liking how protective Din was being towards her. They moved through the desert, Toro taking some time before he matched their pace once again until Din raised his arm forcefully slowing down his speeder.

" Get down." He ordered.

Quick, Nadia hopped off crouching down as low as she could get while Toro stumbled by her side clueless and crawling through the sand. Din scoped the area already seeing the Dewback, but turned towardsNadia wanting her to learn the ways of hunting.

" All right, tell me what you see."

" Dewback." Nadia answered." Looks like the rider is still attached."

Toro grew excited by her side," Is that her? Is that the target?"

" I don't know. I'll go." Din answered pulling out his blaster and looking more towards Lexie than he did to Toro." You cover me. Stay down."

She nodded back grabbing her own blaster from her side and watched him jog down the small sand hill to see what the Dewback was carrying.

" I missed you, you know." Toro spoke staring at the side of Nadia's face." Constantly on my mind."

She rolled her eyes instantly," Now is really not the time, Toro."She mumbled focused on Din.

" I should of never let you. I was just...upset."

" Over something so stupid." She snapped at him briefly before looking back to the Dewback" Is it her? Is she dead?"

Din shook his head," It's another bounty hunter."

" Hey, I hope you don't plan on keeping all that stuff for yourself." Toro shouted earning a huff from Nadia over his priorities." Can I at least have that blaster?"

In seconds, Din stood up in away Nadia knew something was wrong. She opened her mouth to ask when he turned around quickly making two steps forward.

" Get down!" He warned when the sound of a blaster hitting his beskar echoed for all the desert to hear.

" Mando!" Nadia shouted doing the exact opposite and sitting up in alarm.

" Nadia, get down!" Mando shouted and she did watching him racing up the hill and ducking the minute a second blast had hit his beskar shoulder.

Toro frowned," What happened?"

" Sniper bolt." Din answered out of breath." Only an MK-modified rifle could make that shot."

" Are you all right? Are you hurt?" She asked stressed that he was hurt.

He shook his head," Hit me in the beskar, and at that range beskar held up."

Toro's mouth was a black abyss," Wait, I don't wear any beskar."

" Nope. And let me tell you, I'll protect her before I protect you." Din commented causing Nadia's cheeks to flush red as her heart swooned.

" Well, so what do we do?" She coughed trying to not think about it.

" You see where that shot came from?

She nodded her head pointing," That ridge right there."

" Okay, we're gonna wait until dark."

" Well, what if she escapes?" Toro asked, but Din shook his head.

" She's got the high ground. She'll wait for us to make the first move." He explained sliding down the hill towards the speeders." I'm gonna rest. You take the first watch. Stay low."

Nadia turned for a brief second to Din before getting up and walking over, a bit of nervousness from the answer she might get.

" Hey, did you get hurt?" She asked quietly looking over the places his beskar didn't cover.

He shook his head," No. I'm fine."

" Just making sure cause the last thing I need is to be stuck out here with him." She said getting a small chuckle out of him." I'll take watch with him."

" You should rest."

She elbowed his side lightly," I got this." She declared walking back to the small sand hill.

If she had to be honest, she would have rather sat next to Din and rest until maker knows what their plan was, but she didn't trust Toro. She remembered the times on Alvera-7 when he would con his employers or decent people in order to get his way. It didn't take much longer before she realize she would get manipulated too. The sun was beginning to set leaving the desert to be darker than usual.

Her eyes trained in the dark staring at the ridge waiting for a signal that Fennec was on the move. The feeling of being watched burned at her skin, and she frowned slightly turning to see the pair of eyes came from Toro, who smirked at her while running his hands through his hair.

" I forgot how hot you are."

Nadia rolled her eyes annoyed," Focus on the task, Toro."

" All hot and sexy." He continued to say annoying her further with each catcall.

Her face turned deadly serious," Stop."

Her tone was sharp and it ended the conversation. Or at least she thought it had for at least one solid minute.

" I can't when you're right next to me looking all hot under this moonlight." He continued to flirt causing her to let out a big deep breath knowing it would never end.

" Seriously. We have a job."

" Come on, Nadia." Toro whined." Let's make out like the good old days."

Nadia couldn't help, but to laugh out loud. The horrible kissing memories coming up in her head were enough to never secrete the hint of humor.

" I'm good."

Toro reached over moving a piece of hair from her face," I've thought about you a lot since I left Alvera-7." He whispered slightly." You should come live here with me."

Nadia frowned," Why?"

" We can pick up where we left. When I become a bounty hunter, I'll get enough credits to take you anywhere in the galaxy. I heard Naboo is really pretty place." Toro listed knowing it was one of the places she always wanted to go to." Just me and you."

If she was back on Alvera-7, Nadia would of gleamed at his words, but to her now, they were empty. She wanted to go to Naboo, but not with Toro. She wanted to go with Din and the child. She wanted to go everywhere with them and it was at that moment, Nadia knew she broke free of Toro's toxic ways.

" You done?" Din snapped from his spot getting up with annoyance." The sun's down."

" What's the plan?" Toro asked equality annoyed.

" Get on your bike. Ride as fast as you can towards those rocks." Din explained while Nadia and Toro got on their bikes preparing for the plan.

" That's your plan? She'll snipe us right off the bikes."

Din pulled out two silver containers," It's a flash charge." He explained tossing the other to Toro." We alternate shots, it'll blind any scope temporarily. Combine that with our speed and we got a chance."

Toro swallowed nervously," A chance?"

" Hey, you wanted this." He huffed turning to look at Nadia next," You should head back to Peli's."

" What? Why-"

" I don't want you here." Din said icily, the anger spilling out of his mouth faster than he could control it.

Nadia frowned defensively," What's that suppose too mean?"

" Just go."

" Mando-"

" Go." He ordered with hints of anger.

Nadia couldn't think what had gotten him so angry so sudden. When it came to mission's, they were in it together. She was the one that warned him to not trust Toro, yet he wanted her out of the picture. She narrowed her eyes starting her bike and leaving them making sure sand kicked back on Din as she went. Just by Din being mad at her, it made her mad. She did nothing wrong.

Now that she thought of it, she didn't mind leaving because of just how upset she was with him. The only thing that bothered her, was that she couldn't pinpoint why he was upset with her. It didn't matter when Peli's shop came into view. She allowed her mind to go towards the child and felt a smile come onto her face at the little green creature inside. She parked the bike and headed inside seeing Peli playing cards with her droid while the child sat on her lap watching.

" Hey, back so soon? Where's your iron friend?"

" With his boyfriend. Let me see the baby." Nadia harshly ordered extending her hands.

" Someone's in a grumpy mood." Peli commented handing over the child, who was happy to see her.

" You have no idea." She muttered balancing the child on her hip and walking up the ramp to the razor crest.

The child babbled in excitement reaching for her hair and pulling on it lightly with a smile that melted Nadia's heart all together.

" Hey, little guy." She greeted tickling him under his chin while he climbed up a bit to look over her shoulder." He's not with me. He kicked me from his little boyband."

The child not understanding gave a giggle and babbled some more in excitement. Nadia realized this and placed him on the crate with a small side frown.

" You don't understand really when I talk right? I mean, you won't tell Mando anything if I rant to you?" She asked seeing not a single thought behind his brown eyes." Why do you think he kicked me from the mission? I mean, did I screw up? I was more help than Toro who seemed more confused and dazed. He was flirting with me the whole time, kid."

The child let out a confused noise and Nadia tilted her head in understanding.

" Sorry off track." She muttered pacing the room." I mean, it made me so uncomfortable. I never realized how much of a sleeze he was until now. With all the stupid pet names and gestures. He doesn't make me feel the way that Din does."

She gasped loudly, her cheeks turning bright red as if she was caught by a crowd of a hundred.

" Did I just say that out loud?" She asked looking to the child." I mean...it's obvious right? I mean Toro calls me pretty face, but...Din calls me Mesh'la. It's cute and its more meaningful. Plus...I don't know he seems...protective. I kinda like it. Plus, before we got attacked in space...I don't know. I think...I think he was going to kiss me."

The sound of slobber echoed lightly and she turned to see the child had found a can trying to eat it in hopes to get the content that was inside. She shook her head at the sight knowing better.

" You're not even listening, are you? Just hungry?" She asked causing the child to nod his head adding to her sentence.

With time to kill, she cooked the child what was in the can and watched him almost devour every last drop of food until there was nothing left in the bowl. She wanted to question Peli if she had even fed him, but she knew the answer already. Peli did, the child just loved to eat. It didn't take long before the child had grown sleepy and with him out for the night, Nadia decided to clean the Razor Crest to the best of her ability.

It was to get her mind away from her small argument with Din, but the cleaning, and being in his ship, did the exact opposite. She planned to corner him when he came back and once they were off Tatooine. Maybe she had done something wrong and not realize it. Maybe he didn't like how she broke focus from the ridge to talk to Toro. Whatever it was, she just wanted to know. A month of the ship and all she knew was she didn't like when Din was mad at her.

Hours had passed. Nadia found herself folding the child's small blankets giving a small laugh here and there when she would find a toy hidden inside probably for him to play with later. Metal clattering just outside the ship caught her attention, and she frowned climbing down from the cockpit not hearing anything afterwards.

" Peli? You alright out there?" She asked landing in the hull and seeing the child was still sleeping meaning it wasn't him." Peli?"

" Hey there, Pretty face." Toro spoke walking up the ramp with a smirk.

" Toro." Nadia replied when she noticed the absence of a particular Mandalorian." Where's Mando?"

" You're not going to see him for a while." Toro threatened coldly.

It didn't take a genius to notice the danger that surrounded her. She slowly moved her hand to her hip cursing at the absents of her blaster. She had cleaned it earlier. Nadia's eyes diverted to the table where she left it the same time Toro realized it two. Nadia dived for the blaster first only for Toro's arms to come around her body stopping her. She threw her head back, hearing him groan and elbowed him in the nose missing. He ducked out of the way before landing a harsh blow to the side of her face knocking her to the ground and pointing his own blaster.

" No. No. No. I don't think so." He warned with a sick laugh." Fennec told me how much bounty is on You, the Mandalorian, and the kid here."

The child was no longer asleep from the commotion. His brown eyes were scared waking up to Nadia being punched and the new strange man standing over her with a blaster. Toro turned to the green creature picking it up by its foot and dangling it upside down causing the child to cry out.

" Stop!" She shouted causing Toro's blaster to be aimed at her head.

" Easy, Nadia. Might get blasted over here."

She glared at him," I swear, if you hurt the child or Mando-"

" You'll what?" He challenged." Last time I check, you can't even hold your own. You will always be like that."

Nadia couldn't lie, the words burned at her, but she didn't have time to process it when the sound of Peli's back doors opening could be heard.

" Well, look who's here. Up now." Toro threatened correcting the child by his side and pointing his blaster to the back of Nadia." Took you long enough, Mando."

Slowly emerging from the main hull, Nadia's eyes quickly went to her surroundings seeing first in her office, Peli was taped in her mouth and hands unable to do anything. Next, she looked to Din's helmet seeing him stand with his blaster aimed high and tense shoulders. Din's eyes focused on the red fresh bruise on her cheeks and how the child had tears in his eyes out of fear. It was enough for him to want to kill Toro in that moment.

" Looks like I'm calling the shots now. Huh, partner?" Toro chuckled nudging his head to Din's hands."Drop your blaster and raise 'em."

Din hesitated for a moment. His blaster could be the one thing to truly save the child and Nadia, but it was also the one thing that could get them hurt. He lowered his blaster much to Nadia's shock and threw it into the sand.

" No." She whispered.

" You're a Guild traitor, Mando. And I'm willing to bet that this here is the target you helped escape." Toro said looking to the teary eye green creature in his arms." Fennec was right. Bringing you in won't just make me a member of the Guild, it'll make me legendary."

" In your dreams." She blurted out.

Toro didn't like it harshly butting the front of his blaster to the back of her head.

" Quiet!"

" Hey!" Din shouted in anger.

That was his mistake. Toro questioned it back at the desert. He wondered if the bounty hunter, Mandalorian cared for her. His simple anger had proved that he did and Toro knew he had the advantage.

" So what do you say Mando?" Toro questioned." The kid...or the girl?"

Nadia didn't know what Din would say. He didn't know what would happen next, but hearing the child's life was in danger, she spoke in action protecting his life and Din's.

" Don't hurt them." She begged nervously." I'll do it. I leave with you, just don't hurt them."

Din shook his head," Nadia-"

" I can help you, Toro." She continued." I know where to get Mandalorian armor. I can make you some myself. He thought me how to make it. Just don't hurt them."

Din knew she was lying. She never came with him to the armor or watched how armor was made, but she was doing this to get Toro away from the Child. She was risking her life and he didn't like it one bit. Even more when Toro shook his head leaning forward to Nadia's ear.

" You've never been a good liar."

Din saw everything in a flash. He saw the murder in Toro's eyes. How his finger curled around the trigger of his blaster ready to take the life of Lexie.

" No!"

Din was quick pressing the flash charge in his hand and blinding everyone around them. With this, he slipped from his spot quickly hearing a blaster shot go off. His heart skipped a beat, but he never lost focus grabbing his own blaster and hiding to the sidelines. When the flash faded, Toro looked around in fear until he was shot square in the chest dead. It was no victory yet when Din realized Nadia was on the ground unmoving.

" Nadia." He panicked racing and flipping her over relieved when she blinked a couple times.

" Blanked out there for a bit." She admitted looking directly at his helmet." Am I alive?"

He had relief in his voice," Thank the maker." He said leaning his helmet against her forehead.

She let out a small chuckle squeezing his arm and sat up seeing Toro's body on the ground still smoking from the shot he received. Nadia didn't know what she was suppose to feel in the moment, but there was not once ounce of grief. Toro was a snake. A person that almost killed the three of them and she was just glad he was gone.

" Where's the kid?" Din questioned causing Peli to turn around newly freed.

" He's all good. That was really loud for your big old ears, wasn't it?" She cooed to the child that smiled up at her." Be careful with him. So, I take it you didn't get paid?"

Din pulled out a pouch before pouring the credits into her hand slightly amused when her eyes lit up at the sight of how many.

" That cover me?"

" Yeah. Yes, this is gonna cover you." She said chokingly handing the child to Nadia so she could fully grasp the credits.

Din nodded his head to Peli walking up the ramp to start up the ship while Nadia lingered seeing the child wave to Peli while she waved back.

" Hey, I didn't know you dated a Mandalorian." Peli brought up causing Nadia's cheeks to tint pink.

" Date? We're just friends."

" Honey, in Mandalorian culture, placing their helmet forehead on another person's head, it means a kiss." Peli chuckled finding it amusing that Nadia didn't know.

Her face turned pink to red at Peli's words. It made sense. Nadia knew Din had never had an actual kiss, and knowing his culture, a little head tilt did seem right for them.

" Oh." She breathed out hearing the engine of the Razor Crest start.

She didn't utter another word to Peli, simply turned on the balls of her heels and up the ramp a blushing mess that she hoped Din didn't notice. Truly, he never did. The hours passed in space. The child was back to his previous sleep while Din flew the Crest double checking at everything was safe. When he deemed it was, he placed the ship on autopilot and climbed down to the main hull seeing the small lamp light on while Nadia laid in her hammock of a bed.

" Hey."

" Hey." She greeted placing her book down." I thought you would of been sleeping."

" I'm sorry about your ex-boyfriend." He spoke having it lightly haunt his mind knowing Toro once meant something to her.

She shrugged her shoulder," He was a loser anyway." She said sitting up so they could talk." Can I ask you a question?"

" We're not playing a card game." He joked before nodding his head." Go ahead."

" Why did you send me back for the mission?"

This caused Din to grow with embarrassment. He shouldn't have let Toro get to his mind and take that anger out on Nadia, but he had and now had to face the truth that loomed in front of him.

" I didn't like how Toro was trying to take you away. I just wanted you away from him. I don't know-"

" Thanks." She interrupted much to his relief.

" Can I ask a question?" He asked seeing she nodded." What argument caused you and Toro to break up?"

" He wanted to have sex with me and I said no." She answered shrugging her shoulders." He got so mad about it, cheated on me, and he left."

" Glad I blasted him."

" Me too." She laughed." I'm going to get some sleep. You should do the same."

He nodded his head feeling a burning in his leg. The necklace. At the realization of the gift he had yet to give, he shifted from one leg to the other feeling the nervous bubble in the pit of his stomach.

" Nadia."

She paused," Yeah?"

His brain screamed for him to say something if anything at the moment. It was just a necklace. Just a present he got her because she knew he would love it. Despite the positive thoughts, he lightly shook his head giving her a small smile.

" Have a good night."

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ryehouses · 2 years

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i do want to start with an obligatory "i've read AST all the way through twice and it lives rent free in my head" (as you might be able to tell by my blog title). the character development is SO good and as a person with a touch of religious trauma. well. let's just say that It Hits Home. BUT i'm sending this ask specifically because i'm kinda curious about how you went about doing your tatooine worldbuilding. it feels so nuanced and realistic!

Hello hello!! Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your comments and your lovely question! (I will admit, every time I see you pop up in my notifs I do go "YES!!!! BOBA FETT LIKED MY POST!!!" so. Thank you also for the dopamine.)

I would be more than happy to talk about Tatooine worldbuilding! Also, I am sorry for how long this got, and the few days it took to pull this response together! An answer to your question, which I loved, below:

I started my Tatooine worldbuilding with the Tuskens! Primarily because the culture of Tatooine's slaves (current and former) has been thoroughly explored by some fantastic writers and I didn't want to step on any toes, and also because Boba and Din both had a Tusken connection in canon that I could flesh out. The ahra's culture came later, when I'd nailed down some of the Tusken culture a little more comprehensively. Also, Cobb Vanth would not stay out of my storyboard.

My main goal, when I started storyboarding for ast and realized that the Tuskens were going to play a fairly large role, was to make sure taht ast 'verse's Tusken culture felt just as fleshed-out and fully-realized as ast 'verse's Mandalorian culture. I didn't want to play into either a) portraying the Tuskens as mindless, bloodthirsty subhumans or b) swinging too far the other way and reducing the Tuskens' complexity or agency by portraying them as misunderstood innocents.

So, in that vein, I started with what we knew! I went to that carefully-curated, exhaustively-researched font of Star Wars information, Wookieepedia (I'm being completely serious; the folks who contribute to Wookieepedia are HEROES IN MY EYES). I went through both the "Tusken Raiders" canon and EU/Legends pages, jotting down notes and forming a few lists of questions.

The first list was very simple, and had questions like these:

What do Tuskens eat?

What kind of clothes do they wear?

What tools or weapons do they use?

How do they get around?

How are their tribes structured?

Some of these were easy to answer:

What do Tuskens eat? -> Lots of bantha and other animals they've hunted, including krayt dragons, womp rats, eopies, etc.

What kind of clothes do they wear? -> Sun-protective organic fabrics of some kind, masks, goggles

What tools or weapons do they use? -> Wood and metal gaffi sticks, binocs, cycler rifles, etc

And some of these were harder! To answer some of the questions we didn't have source material (canon or EU) for, or to expand on on an answer, I turned to real-world examples of nomadic cultures. There are nomadic cultures recorded on just about every continent except Antartica; the culture I drew the most inspiration from are the Bedouin, because I felt that the Bedouin's way of life most closely matched what we knew of the Tuskens, but I also looked at a variety of other nomadic groups, most notably the Mongolian nomads. The answers to my questions started to have questions of their own.

What do Tuskens eat? -> Lots of bantha and other animals they've hunted, including krayt dragons, womp rats, eopies, etc -> Do they eat anything other than animal products?

The secondary questions led to more research. Nomadic peoples don't just eat meat; many nomadic cultures don't practice what we think of as traditional agriculture -- farming the same land over and over again -- but that doesn't mean that they don't know how to harvest food. I started looking at recipes and cultural foods, too; at how spices and aromatics are used, at how plants or grains or other forms of protein are used. Bedouins traditionally ate a lot of animal products -- meat and milk, primarily -- but they also made and continue to make great use of dates, figs, olives, anything and everything that grows. So, back to the "what" and "how" questions:

What do Tuskens eat? -> Lots of bantha and other animals they've hunted, including krayt dragons, womp rats, eopies, etc -> Do they eat anything other than animal products? -> Yes, they probably eat whatever they can find or forage in the desert.

I then went down an extensive rabbit hole building a more-or-less functional ecology for Tatooine (my background is in ecology) and merrily started to think about what Tuskens could use. There's no way Tatooine is that barren -- it's too poor to import all of its food, which means that stuff has to grow there. So what would grow there? Probably things that grow in harsh environments everywhere. Trees and grasses and stonefruits. Rice and nuts at higher altitudes.

I went through my "what" and "how" questions that way, and once I had enough meat on those bones, I made another list of "why" questions -- I'd take something that we knew, or something that I had extrapolated from, and tried to frame that information in a cultural context.

Bantha are pretty big and probably need a lot of food and water. Why do Tuskens keep so many of them? -> Because Tuskens rely on banthas for food, transportation, clothing and even navigation.

That went on for quite a while, lmao. I have pages and pages of notes like that. What do Tuskens believe about their environment, and why do they believe that? What kind of tribal structure do they have, and why are they structured that way? Et cetera. et cetera. Y'all know me by now -- I have never been shortwinded.

But once I got to the whys, knitting together everything together on the page was a lot easier.

What do Tuskens eat? -> Easda (poonten porridge) and japoor meal bread. Tamur (dried dates) and bantha yoghurt. Stews and curries with local foraged spices and fresh meat. Fruit and nuts from the highlands, and just about anything that can be dug up or hunted down or plundered from a nest.

And so on and so on. Throw in some American Sign Language -- the storyboarding and research was done prior to the revelation that showrunners developed a Tusken Sign Language -- and some cosmology (also heavily influenced by pre-Islamic, desert-dwelling cultures) and you have the ast 'verse Tuskens!

Honestly, working on the different cultures of Tatooine has been one of my favorite parts of the fic!

This got so long, so, TL;DR -- I started with what we knew of the Tuskens, threw out the parts I didn't like (basically all of AOTC Tusken Culture, Anakin), made a list of "what" and "how" questions, answered them, asked some more "why" questions, answered those too and then hit the ground running!!

This process worked very well for me to help order things in my head, so I applied it to the ahra and to a few of the Mandalorian subgroups as well.

Thank you again for your question, and for letting me ramble enthusastically about Tatooine for so long!

#ast asks #i am so sorry this is so fucking long lmao #i did include a few of my sources but this is not a comprehensive bibliography by any means #standard disclaimer: i am not the author of any of the links above #and i am also not an anthropologist!#i also jumped from question to question in the moment so like. this was not as comprehensive and methodical as it sounds #a meta far far away

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blackkatmagic · 3 years

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i know you don't like anakin mostly bc of fandom stuff, but i'm super curious: if you had made his characterization and arc, what would you have done with him? this isn't a prompt or anything, but i saw your post about how there's a lot of apologia for him in fandom and i love all the work you're doing in SW so much, i'd love to know what you'd do with him as a whole 'villain in waiting' protagonist?

Hmm, I actually think the movies did a pretty good job of making him understandable in how his fall from grace happens, and emphasizing how his character flaws are the driving force behind it. They set up those flaws as obvious and inevitable, which makes the whole thing feel even more like a tragedy, too.

I've said before that I think Anakin is a good character, and I mean it. I just think he's got a lot of flaws the fandom at large likes to blame on other people, which includes excusing/ignoring his massacre of the Tusken Raiders, and I've seen so much of it that it's pushed me into refusing to engage with his character out of sheer annoyance.

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chibi-beaver · 3 years

Text

I'm in a bad batch kinda mood today and decided to write some Hunter & Omega fluff/angst!

Rating: General

Warnings: none (this is pretty wholesome)

Summary: After Hunter loses his cool with Omega, he remembers what Cut and Suu told him and tries to make things right

Tags: hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, domestic fluff, parenting, father daughter relationship

There will be Bad Batch spoilers in this so don't read if you haven't watched the latest episode (episode 4)

Honestly, I'm pretty proud of this rn 😁

Story is also attached under the cut if you wanna read it here, if you like it I'd appreciate the notes here and/or kudos on ao3 😁

Edit: I forgot to add some fic tags 😳

Omega had gotten herself into yet another jam. All they had to do was get supplies on Tatooine. It certainly wasn't the nicest planet but it was in the outer rim and for the most part, off the radar of the Empire.

All Omega had to do was stay close to Hunter as they went into Mos Espa. It was supposed to be an in and out supply run but when was any supply run in and out? He should've known that something had to happen but why did it have to happen to Omega?

She had gotten herself into the hands of yet another bounty hunter. Hadn't she learned her lesson after the encounter on Pantora? Hunter thought to himself as he ran through the sandy "streets" of Mos Espa in search of Omega.

"Wrecker, Tech, Echo! I need help finding Omega!" Hunter yelled into his comm.

"I'm on it!" Wrecker replied.

"I'm finishing the ship's repairs but I've sent Echo," Tech said.

"I thought Echo was repairing the ship with you," Hunter said.

"He was, but we're almost done," Tech replied.

Hunter was relieved that he got two of his men helping him find Omega.

Hunter tripped over his feet. The grains of sand were making his feet slide everywhere. Just when things couldn't get any worse, Hunter noticed a Tusken Raider running off with something. Upon closer look, it was his blaster.

Hunter was conflicted on what to do but he eventually ran after the Tusken Raider and tackled it to the ground before ripping the gun out of his tiny hands. Some more Tusken Raiders surrounded Hunter, weapons pointed at him. Probably stolen weapons, he thought. He looked around, looking for an out. He knew if he shot one, he'd subsequently get shot by another, which could incapacitate him, but he couldn't waste any time. If their encounter with the bounty hunter on Pantora taught him anything, he knew that they were cunning and fearless. They would do anything to keep their hands on Omega and would harm anyone who got in their way. Almost like what he would do for Omega. He just wished that she would stop getting into trouble.

Suddenly, they all ran off at the sound of something. Hunter was unsure of the source of the sound until his comm went off.

"You can thank me later, Tuskens hate Krayt Dragons," Tech said.

"How did you know I was-"

"I got my repairs done and I started watching the camera feeds around Mos Espa and noticed some Tuskens bothering you in the background of one," Tech replied.

"Now I'm glad you record the sound of every animal you've heard of," Hunter said, relief permeating his voice.

"I can see the bounty hunter!" Wrecker said into the comm.

"Transmit me your coordinates!" Hunter said.

"How do I do that!?" Wrecker asked.

"I got this, you focus on finding Omega," Tech said as he transmitted Wrecker's coordinates to Hunter and Echo.

Hunter immediately ran to them, meeting up with Echo on the way. Just as they got there, Wrecker got knocked out by Bounty Hunter who seemed to use the weapon he knocked Wrecker out with as a hat.

"I got Wrecker, go find Omega!" Echo said as he tried to help Wrecker.

Hunter obliged to what Echo said as he continued running after the bounty hunter. He was led to a dead-end street where he saw an anooba cornering Omega. Hunter took out his blaster and shot the anooba in the leg, causing him to yelp. Omega was distressed by the sound, as was the bounty hunter who retaliated by throwing his hat like a frisbee at Hunter. Hunter ducked just in time and avoided being hit by the hat. The bounty hunter then took out a weapon of his own and began shooting at Hunter with it. Hunter continued running towards the bounty hunter, to tackle him. It was successful until the anooba came back to tackle Hunter, causing him to drop his blaster.

Omega slowly made her way towards the blaster, but the anooba must have smelt her because he got off of Hunter and jumped on Omega. Hunter took the opportunity to pick up his blaster and pointed it at the bounty hunter's head, just as Echo and Wrecker arrived at the scene. Cornering the bounty hunter. He called his anooba off of Omega as he searched for a way out.

"What do you want with Omega?" Hunter asked, keeping the blaster pointed at the bounty hunter's head. He started speaking in an unknown language.

"Where's Tech when you need him?" Echo muttered as he turned on his comm but didn't say anything.

Hunter repeated the question as Omega approached Wrecker and stood behind his leg, she was trembling.

"He's trying to say that he was put off to it by an unknown client, it's just a job to him, a good-paying job at that," Tech whispered as he listened in.

The bounty hunter didn't answer the question as the anooba brought back his hat. The bounty hunter took the hat and hit Hunter with it before running to make his escape, pushing Echo and Wrecker out of the way.

"What were you thinking?!" Hunter said frustratedly to Omega.

"I-I'm sorry," Omega said.

"I thought you would've learned not to talk to strangers or touch strange animals after Pantora!" Hunter continued.

Omega said nothing in return as she stayed at Wrecker's side.

"You could've gotten yourself killed again! These situations are why I wanted to send you with Cut and Suu! So that you could be safe!" Hunter said. He saw the sad expression on Omega's face immediately after he said that. She looked like she was going to cry.

"Lay off her!" Wrecker said as he took Omega's hand and started back to the ship with Echo.

Hunter quickly began to regret what he had said. The regret kept itself on his mind as he walked back to the ship.

When he got back to the ship, Omega was in her room with the curtain closed.

"Let's get off this desert world," Tech said as he plotted a course for Idaflor. Maybe this time they would actually make it there without needing to repair the ship or to get supplies.

Hunter began to grow concerned as hours passed and Omega had still not left her room. Usually, she wouldn't stay in her room long. Her curious mind always kept her on the go, even though she had seen the inside of the ship countless times. Even if she wasn't feeling curious, she would usually leave to use the fresher. Tech looked back from the pilot's seat at Hunter

"What's wrong?" Tech asked.

"Nothing that you can fix," Hunter said, glancing at Omega's room.

"Well, that's a lie because I know a way to fix most things," Tech said.

"Yea, you can fix ships but you know about as much as I do about parenting," Hunter replied.

"Ah, it's about Omega. Hmmm, well maybe you should talk to her, perhaps discussing whatever happened might help things," Tech said.

Hunter didn't reply. Rather he sat back into his chair while Tech turned back to whatever device he was building. He remembered Tech telling him what it was but he had forgotten. As Hunter thought about what he could do, his mind went back to Cut and Suu.

"Easy, she's not a soldier."

Cut said that to him the first time he lashed out at Omega.

"You're safe, that's all that matters."

Hunter reminded himself that Omega was on the ship with them and not in the hands of that bounty hunter but at the same time, she shouldn't have touched that anooba. They didn't know the animal, it could've been diseased, or as it was in this case, connected to someone dangerous.

"Children will always find ways of getting into trouble, Hunter. It's what they do. Protecting them is what we do".

Hunter thought more about what he had said on Tatooine. Even if some of it was warranted, he shouldn't have brought up Cut and Suu. It was a bit of a sore spot for Omega, knowing that Hunter was going to pawn her off on Cut and Suu, even if he thought it was for her own good.

Hunter decided to approach Omega's room. He climbed up a couple steps of the ladder.

"Omega?" Hunter said.

"Go away!" Omega said.

"I just want to talk," Hunter said. "No yelling this time. I'm not mad." Hunter continued in a gentler tone.

"Fine," Omega said.

Hunter pulled the curtain to side slightly. She was sitting in her room with Lula held in one of her arms as she looked out the window at the whizzing of hyperspace.

Hunter sat in the small face, doing his best to fit. Wrecker clearly designed this space for someone of Omega's size. He eventually sat horizontally in the room, with one leg hanging outside of the space for his own comfort.

"You're gonna get rid of me again, aren't you?" Omega said.

"What? No. You said you wanted to be with us, I promised you that if you wanted to be with us then you will be with us."

"But I screwed up again," Omega said.

"You said it yourself once, you have a lot to learn. But so do I and I realize I was a bit too harsh today. I'm sorry."

"I can't help that I'm curious sometimes," Omega said, thinking back on how it was her who wanted to pet the anooba.

"I know, but sometimes it's better to watch from afar," Hunter said.

Omega didn't say anything in response. Rather she clutched the Lula.

"I'm not going to get rid of you. We want you here just as much as you want to be here. I'm sorry for bringing up Cut and Suu and I'm just glad you're okay," Hunter said.

To Hunter's surprise, Omega moved closer to him and put her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. Hunter was initially taken aback but he soon returned the hug. When they eventually pulled away from one another, Omega smiled.

"Now let's agree to put what happened today behind us," Hunter said.

"Ok," Omega replied.

Hunter made his way back down the ladder and extended a hand out to Omega,

"wanna come down and hang out with us or explore the ship or do whatever you want?" Hunter asked.

"Sure!" Omega said as she came out of her room and started asked Tech various questions about the ship and the controls. Hunter watched and smiled at seeing Omega feeling a bit better.

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