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#traveling through hyperspace leaves lots of time for contemplation
gaylucanis · 3 years
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Echo, i feel like he thinks about a lot
Bonus:
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fallenrepublick · 4 years
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I need some adorable as stars fluff for Feral! So, basically, he either lives or escaped (you choose) and finds himself on shili, the togruta homeworld. Fast forwards several years (savage lives!), when savage and maul are actually on Shili(for whatever reason), and Savage sees a small child, hale togruta and half zabrak and follows them to their home....where there is Feral, who actually has a wife, and a family, three sons and a daughter on the way. Overall, adorable family fluff and reunion!!
This was hard as fuck to write
And not just because I spent twenty minutes calculating the distance between Dathomir and Shili and determining that it would take someone four days, ten hours, and nine minutes to get there through lightspeed with a class 4 hyperdrive.
Warnings: None probably
It was the biggest stroke of luck he’d ever heard of. Having been tipped off by an elder Night Brother who was tired of losing so many of his people’s lives, it occurred to Feral that Savage being taken away tipped his odds of survival against him, and his best shot would be to leave while his head was still on his shoulders.
He scrambled away from the village, taking one last look at the place that was once his home. The creaking buildings and aged bridges that spanned the area gave him a strange sense of dread, as if the place was more of a prison than a place of comfort. The only positive memories he had of the place was when Savage was with him, but now that he was gone, there was no point in staying.
In terms of getting off-planet, there weren’t many options. The barren rust-hued landscape was a good option for ships to land on if anyone came down to see the Night Sisters for one reason or another, but those instances occurred few and far between. Ducking behind large rocks and sprinting across the open spaces, his eyes scanned the terrain for anything that might be useful. He’d be grateful for even a speeder if he found one.
The ground shook, the sand and rocks that peppered the stony floor beneath his feet clicking as they trembled. His balance threatened to give out with the tremors, but he held fast, waiting for it to subside. He took it as a sign that his window of opportunity was waning, and as the sun lowered on the horizon, it took with it his chances of escape. Sometime soon, they would notice he was gone, and if that happened when he was still nearby, they’d find him almost immediately. He thought of Savage and what he must be going through, subjected to Talzin’s magic and Ventress’s undeniable cruelty. He wondered if Savage was still thinking about protecting him, and the guilt began settling over his hearts. If he hadn’t been so weak and foolish, maybe Savage wouldn’t have been taken away. Maybe they’d still be together.
Shaking it off, he convinced himself that his fear and regrets had to be dealt with later. He continued on his path, now with a more fervent sense of urgency and mild panic. Across the way, backlit by the sunset, sat a ship, dark and old, most likely belonging to someone the Sisters had killed long ago. His hearts raced as he hurried to the vehicle, climbing into the cockpit, whose front window had been covered in dust by ages of heat and harsh rock storms. He wiped away at the glass and pressed the buttons on the console, practically begging it to start up.
“C’mon, c’mon…” he groaned, the dead dashboard causing an ache in his chest. “Just one more miracle, please.”
The console came to life, the rumbling of the engine in the ship soothing his fears. He smiled to himself, unsure if it was luck, or the ship, or some benevolent god that had listened. Regardless, he took hold of the controls and began his ascent. The ship rose through the atmosphere, and he was whisked out, passing the clouds above and entering the starry cavern of space above him, leaving his past and dangers behind. When he turned around to watch the planet shrink into oblivion, he thought he saw a small spec of green light pulsing from the surface.
He didn’t really have a plan beyond his escape. In all fairness, he hadn’t thought he would get so far as to actually escape unscathed, and now, floating around the vast emptiness that had before seemed so far away, he wasn’t sure what to do or where to go.
Pulling up a map stored in the ship’s database, he was painfully aware that his fuel wouldn’t last forever, so a decision had to be made. Ultimately, it boiled down to only a few systems that were nearby enough to reach, but not too nearby that he’d be easily tracked down. His target landed on Shili, a planet located in the Ehosiq Sector within the Expansion Region. Traveling coreward would give him a better chance, since it was rare that any of the people that might want to find him would dare travel in that direction. Further, the planet was under the control of the Galactic Republic, and had been since the Republic’s earliest years. He might not be noticed there, but the people sent to look for him definitely would be.
Over four days of travel and lots of contemplation about his next move later, he exited hyperspace and gradually lowered onto the planet’s surface, the environment lush and green, plants and trees sprouting up from the ground around him, almost inviting him to come and at least rest for a while.
He leapt out of the ship, taking in the scenery. He’d never seen anything so… alive. His planet had been horribly gloomy, the only living creatures he interacted with either his brothers or viscous, territorial creatures that wanted nothing to do with him except probably eat him.
In front of his ship stood a tall tree that caught his eye, though not for its height, but instead for the person that stood behind it. She was a togruta, a native to the planet, striped head-tails falling over her shoulders and on her back, light green skin almost blending in with the flora that seemed to encase her. He wasn’t sure what to do in the situation, mouth opening to say something, but no words coming out as he found himself unable to find anything worth saying.
“Hello,” the woman offered, still half-hiding herself behind the plants. “Who are you?”
Shocked at her forwardness and his lack thereof, Feral snapped to attention, straightening himself to seem more approachable, or at least vaguely respectable. He doubted it was working. “I-I’m Feral,” he replied, trying to make it sound like he wasn’t nervous. “I was, uh, trying to escape my planet. Y-You see, there were people after me and, w-well it all started because-”
“You’re hurt? Hungry?” she asked him simply. “You can come back to my town if you need help.”
Help. It wasn’t an entirely foreign concept, but this would be the first time in his life that he would be accepting it from someone that wasn’t Savage. Saying yes felt… wrong, but he was in no position to deny it.
“If… If it’s not too much trouble, maybe I could stay there for a while? At least to get my bearings straight.” he responded finally, brushing himself off and rubbing the back of his neck, unsure if what he was doing was even allowed.
The girl snickered a bit at his nervousness and hesitation. “I offered, didn’t I?” Spinning on her heel, she tread through the woods, assumingly towards her village. Feral scrambled to catch up with her, following her every step over fallen branches and various plants. Wish as he may to make conversation, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
Thus, the journey was silent, save for the occasional warnings about ditches and hazards that lay on the path. But Feral found himself unable to contain his amazement when they reached their destination, the design of the buildings unlike anything he’d seen before, and an overwhelming sense of comfort in its inhabitants seeping into his own skin. Sloping architecture mirrored the look of Togruta head-tails, and the vibrant colors blended into the environment as if they occurred naturally.
She led him to a smaller building to the side, a lone point situated far from the chaos of the general populous. As colorful as the outside was, the interior was relatively unassuming, simple 
yet comfortable furniture peppering the floor, mostly made of wood and natural materials. He sat at the table near the kitchen, fidgeting as he did.
“I never asked your name…” he offered, trying not to meet her eyes as she walked about her space, gathering various food items.
“Madin. Yours?” She didn’t look up, clearly deliberating between one biscuit or another. She eventually shrugged and decided on both.
“Feral…” he said softly as she set food in front of him. Silence followed, and as Madin sat across from him confidently, he realized that he had no idea how to have an actual conversation.
“You seem so nervous,” she laughed. “I don’t bite. Most of the time.”
“I don’t want to be too much of a problem,” Feral said, his voice shaking slightly. “A-And th-the fact that you don’t really know me may seem like an issue or-”
“From what I can tell,” she began, tracing a finger along the edge of the table. “You have a…” She thought for a moment. “Behm d’ghe. A heart of warmth.”
He laughed nervously. “Well, I do have two of them.”
“Hearts of warmth, then.”
--
“Remind me again what we’re doing here, brother?” Savage asked as he sat in the cockpit of the ship, accelerating in the direction of their new destination.
Grumbling, Maul removed his feet from the dashboard and turned to his brother. “The planet is relatively defenseless, and as far as I’m concerned, taking it over to add to Mandalore’s power base is nothing short of beneficial to us. Got it?”
Savage’s expression was reminiscent of someone who did not, in fact, get it, but he didn’t bother arguing. Whatever Maul was up to was clearly better suited to his mind than anyone else’s.
Landing on the surface of Shili, Maul exited the ship and began walking away, turning back only to tell Savage, “Stay here until I return.”
Obliging his brother’s order, Savage stood beside the ramp, eyes glazing over the environment. Everything was bright and colorful, almost too much so, and he found himself wanting to leave at the first opportunity he saw. That is, until he saw something that gave him pause.
A child. And it looked… like him. Small and carefree, the male Zabrak wasn’t just a zabrak. Instead of horns were a pair of short, striped head-tails that framed his round face. When Savage approached him, he beamed, eager to speak to him.
“Whoah!” the boy exclaimed when he saw Savage in front of him. “You look a little like my father!” The thought that went through Savage’s mind upon hearing that had to be pushed down, as it was impossible. Though a hint of it lingered in the back of his head. “C’mere, I’ll show you!” The child turned and began running in the direction of his home.
Hesitant to follow the child, Savage worried about Maul returning soon to find him gone, but his curiosity overpowered it, and he found himself behind the child anyways. Instead of logic, Savage began trying to reason through all of the ways his assumption could be correct. After all, he hadn’t seen him after being taken away by Ventress, so his fate was still unknown.
In front of the boy’s house, two more boys that looked very similar to his guide ran to and fro, playing with sticks and yelling about winning some game or another. A woman stood to the side, visibly pregnant and holding a hand on her stomach, smiling and laughing as she spoke. Savage stopped walking, no longer trusting the vision before him.
Feral looked up, spotting Savage’s presence out of the corner of his eye. Almost immediately, his eyes lit up, mouth widening into the biggest smile Savage had ever seen on him. He began rushing towards his brother, Savage hurrying to meet him halfway.
“Savage!” he exclaimed holding onto the sides of his brother’s arms. “You got taller!”
“You were here the whole time…” Savage trailed off, still wary of what he was experiencing. Feral had become noticeably healthier, stronger and more confident in how he held himself. He was almost unrecognizable.
“I got lucky.” He looked over at the woman who had come up beside him. “And then I got luckier. Savage, this is Madin. She helped me when I first got here and then…”
“And then he wound up stuck with me the rest of his life,” Madin hummed. “The three monsters are Terren, Forta, and Uta. In that order. This here is going to be Shin, the only girl, unfortunately for me.” She rubbed her stomach thoughtfully.
Savage was frozen in place. Everything had changed so quickly, and though he should have expected it, he had half-wanted Feral to stay the same. But now, with his new responsibilities to Maul and his seemingly never-ending schemes, he was glad Feral had found his place.
He stepped forward and hugged Feral, practically lifting him off the ground as he did so. “I still can’t believe it!” Being set down, Feral rubbed his chest to return the air to his lungs. Savage motioned to the house. “I must hear everything about your life now.”
Maul’s mission would just have to wait.
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neostriatum · 3 years
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The Cake Is Not Quite A Lie
[AO3] [Dreamwidth]
“Okay, now, once more!” He leaned back to clap his hands, gesturing encouragingly, “From the top!”
The man standing by the other table raised his eyebrows, gaze not deviating from the bouquet before him. “I don’t quite think that will work, dear,” He said, staring meditatively at the arrangement of carnations and roses. One of the blue ones was shuffled around, and he picked up a pair of shears to clip one of the thorny vines woven between the stems “Cats of that breed aren’t well known for their ability to act.”
As if in agreement, the Norwegian Forest kitten mewed, managing to look ruffled and disgruntled despite the silk sash tied delicately around its neck. It was a gift from Thor scarcely a month ago, a surprisingly thoughtful blend of Asgard and Earth traditions from the newly-coronated king. They were told the… gift would not reach a height typical to Asgardian breeds, but would be formidable nonetheless.
Loki was quite sure that it liked En Dwi better, given the way it always perked up for a scritch from his spouse. At least it has good taste, I suppose.
“I’ll have you know I ran a successful play for months on Asgard,” He sniffed, giving up the cause for lost when Kitkat jumped out of reach, and pointed a finger at the other man, “And they didn’t even know it was me until Thor came around!”
En Dwi hummed, tapping a few of the flowers to shift them into slightly different colours. His amused smirk was highlighted by the sparkling blue stripe down his bottom lip, pursed attractively as he patted Kitkat on the head with a murmured endearment, “Big brothers will do that,” He reminded Loki, looking contemplatively at the cat’s unruly mop of fur, “Or at least, so I’m told. Did he ever send that RSVP? It would be quite delightful if he took part in our wedding… play.”
For his part, Loki sighed, materializing their running list of guests to check it again. They had decided to go with a period of feasting and various delights that tickled both their senses of mischief, and as much as his lover was fond of his gladiator fights, it would be difficult to convince Thor into another one no matter how… nuptial the reason.
His brother’s name still glowed a faint purple, a mark of undecided acknowledgement. Loki frowned, poking the listing in order to bother the now-king with a reminder. En Dwi had helpfully provided invites that merged with his shapeshifting magic, and while the tablets were a baffling marvel of invention, the pattern of acceptances and rejections was bizarre.
“I think he might attend if the Hulk does,” He muttered, not overtly fond of the idea. Some of the Earthlings had accepted, and Loki thought that was rather out of curiosity’s sake. He was, rightfully, considered a menace on that planet, but what was a little bit of chaos between friends?
“A little bit, indeed,” His spouse murmured in amusement, head tucked onto his shoulder. Loki melted into the grasp, some of the tension of wedding planning draining from him at the snug embrace.
“This is a bit ridiculous,” He griped, waving around the scroll as it curled back up with a sharp snick. “We already married in order to get past customs, why do we need another wedding?”
“For the week-long feasting and gladiator fighting in our name?” En Dwi suggested, pressing a kiss to his neck that yet managed to imprint an amused curl of lips. Loki shivered, poking one of the man’s arms regardless for the gladiator suggestion, and was met with a shrug that set the two of them into a rocking sway.
It was… nice, and still novel despite them technically having been married for some time now.
En Dwi was content to let the matter rest for a moment, more concerned with the way their thoughts met and tangled in an equally luxurious, languid slide. It was one of his more favourite ways to kiss, and the joy of a partner capable of reciprocating was one of the finer pleasures in life. He supposed their haphazard, spontaneous bonding in order to get their conveniently-forged passports approved was only the tipping point of their admittedly equally as spontaneous relationship.
The thought that Loki had become one of the few entities both able and willing to interact with him so intimately sent a certain zing through him, and he tightened his grasp, pleased to hear the sigh and feel the subtle relaxation at the gesture. How lucky I am, En Dwi mused, letting the thought tangle into Loki’s mind, layered in an affection to a depth he was pleased but unaccustomed to showing.
It was a sentiment quickly pinged back to him, roiled and layered in the nuances of Loki’s particular flavour. “How about this,” His lover spoke, voice dropped into a rumbling groan at the entanglement of their thoughts, quicksilvered and heart-deep, “We’ll have a play of your gladiatorial ring, and leave spots open for volunteers to participate.”
En Dwi gasped in startled delight, turning Loki around for an enthusiastic kiss. “You, my dear,” He marveled, taking in the pleasing, bewildered flush across the other’s features, “Are an absolute genius. The best of both worlds! See, this sort of brilliance is why I married you.”
It took a moment for Loki to recover from the onslaught of gropingly enthusiastic adoration, but he managed to worm a hand flickering blue and cold onto his chest, matching with a sardonically arched brow, “Oh, not because of my ability to sneak us onto a new planet?”
He took the hand clasped to his breast and pressed kisses to its digits, delighting in the condensation chilling his lips and the flustered sound his spouse made at the gesture, “Both, I think,” Was his mild response, spoken with a waggle of brows and a nip at the fingers in his hold. The blush was rather flattering, he thought, tempted to let them deviate off-track. But alas- “I can see if anyone from Sakaar could be bribed with a few hot meals, hm?”
Loki tittered, tapping his fingers reprovingly against his spouse’s unfortunately distracting lips. “We shan’t be paying a cent for this wedding, will we?”
“Mmm, no, not if I can help it.” He replied unrepentantly, winking half for the habit and mostly to see how long it took for the other to start trembling, “A favour is a favour, after all. Even if I have to swindle for it.”
“I love you,” Loki sighed beatifically, reaching up to twine his fingers into En Dwi’s hair. Then, in a slightly less soppy tone, he asked, “You’re going to get us in so much trouble, aren’t you?”
He laughed, crooking a finger to let the invitations scroll that had been floating morosely all by its lonesome to realign itself into one of the many voluminous pockets in his robes, stealing another parry of kisses while he was at it.
“You would be magnificently bored if I didn’t, dearest. A little bit of chaos keeps you on your toes,” He punctuated the statement by lifting Loki by the waist, just enough to sweep his toes along the fashionably garish rug, a rather rewarding gasp meeting his efforts, “And then you’d be causing mischief elsewhere in the galaxy, without me along to entertain you.”
The image of a traipsing, much younger Loki flitted across his mind, a montage of youthful history flitting past him. En Dwi smirked at a few of the bashfully recollected memories, “Horses, dear? I didn’t know you were so adventurous.”
“It was one time,” Loki groused, too content anyway to move from the relaxed slouch against his spouse, “Hardly likely to happen again.”
His spouse stifled a laugh, the play at politeness speaking volumes of his thoughts. “That’s alright,” En Dwi mused, his own brand of mischief rife in his words, “We have plenty of ideas to occupy ourselves with.”
“Like a cake.”
“And lots of it, preferably,” He nodded, altogether too tickled by the entire concept of a wedding after they’ve already married. There was this bakery on Lotho that could be persuaded… I wonder how well cake travels in hyperspace.
“Only as good as the coolant, I’m afraid,” Loki interrupted his idling thoughts, huffing dramatically, “Thor and I found that one out the hard way.”
En Dwi stared in bafflement at his spouse, “Why were you transporting a cake?”
“Mjölnir.”
That… did not clear up the situation any, but this was presumably another one of those sibling things. He poked the list of invites again, changing Thor’s name to an acceptable green. A story like that was too unique to be left as a groused footnote! Perhaps the king would be so kind as to trade a story for a spot in the marriage play.
A sigh tickled at his throat. “You know,” Loki said, a shade petulant, “You could just ask Thor to come. He probably would if you did so nicely enough.”
Loki indubitably knew his brother better, but curiosity got the best of him. “… Why? He ransacked most of the stadium and stole my pleasure liner on the way out.”
It seemed logical, but apparently was not, judging by the combination of flat, pitying stare and colourful thoughts that contradicted it. “Because he’s dutiful,” His lover corrected, feeling strongly enough about the issue to detract a hand from where it was twirling En Dwi’s hair around his fingers to visually articulate his point, “Or some such. Honestly, I have no idea why he sticks to such antiquated ideals, but it’s certainly a valid point to be leveraged.”
En Dwi nodded slowly, brows furrowing as he slotted together this new dynamic into his understanding of Asgard royal family dynamics. “Well,” He said cheerfully, resolving anyway to drag the other Odinson by hook or by crook to their wedding, “At least we won’t have to invite Hela.”
“And thank the stars for that,” Loki muttered, “Don’t need that much doom and gloom for a solid week.”
Kitkat mewed in agreement from where they were perched near their feet. It seemed the kitten carried over its patron’s distance of all things dreary, fur puffed up in affront at the idea of his late sister attending the festivities. Loki shuffled carefully out of his spouse’s hug to pick up the kitten, smiling faintly at its vocal distaste, “Yes, I agree, the only fighting should be scripted and entirely fake.”
En Dwi pouted mournfully, making him huff and amend his statement, “Mostly fake.” The kitten squirmed, settling onto Loki’s shoulder, “And entirely entertaining, as it ought to be.”
“You know…” Loki’s spouse drawled, his eyes sparkling with a new idea, “We could always make the last feast day about our wedding.”
“Spectacularly astute, you are,” He replied dryly, “As all the days will be about our wedding.”
En Dwi huffed, and Loki thought it was a little unfair how attractive he looked even when ostensibly peeved. Still, the little spark of pride that pressed against his own mind acted as its own appeasement, making him lean into the arm around his waist.
“I meant about our first wedding, dear.” That statement had Loki nodding, a grin on his face as he recollected the scattered three weeks of travel as they hopped from planet to planet. “Nobody will ever believe we aren’t already married.”
“Nonsense,” He interjected smoothly, teasing lilt to his words, “We have plenty of family on my side that want us annulled.”
“And are thoroughly too late for that,” En Dwi replied smugly.
Loki squirmed himself, flushing at the smattering of memories his spouse brought up. He coughed, “Yes, quite.”
His spouse sighed thoughtfully. “… I still want to wear those shoes that- who was it? The woman with the knives-”
“Romanov?”
“- Yes, her. The shoes that she sent, they would be lovely with the new tunic we picked up at the market.”
Loki fixed En Dwi with an incredulous stare, “Crocs are not fashionable.”
“But they are comfortable!”
--
Author's Notes
Thor gifted Loki with a Norwegian Forest named Kitkat and Darcy is quite proud of being allowed to name it (Thor is an absolute sucker for a good pun and thought it was an excellent idea). It's a direct call-back to Freya's chariot of cats, and I think a sweet gesture of familial bonds between Loki and Thor.
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speedgeek · 3 years
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Actually going to attempt NaNo this year. Goal is just something on “paper” every day and hopeful post something every once is a while.
Haven’t titled this snippet yet. Time travel fix-it (one of a couple I’ve got in my head), ROTJ AU- Vader fails to kill Palpatine and things get as bad as they can get- his children are murdered in front of him, Ahsoka and Rex die and the Rebellion he now needs dies, he finds a way into the World Between Worlds and time travels back to the Clone Wars. (You know that speech in Rebels Ahsoka gives Ezra about not saving their masters and letting go, yeah she��s way smarter than her master and he still hasn’t learned that lesson.)
The first 2 minutes of Samuel Kim’s Imperial March is really the theme to this AU. Slower, softer, but actually a bit hopeful with the Force theme mixed in. (Been listening to it on repeat while writing.)
  A Krayt dragon roared in the distance, a storm blew through a nearby canyon. Vader jolted awake, feeling like he’d just hit the ground in a dream. He sat up and blinked a few times, clearing the blinding brightness from his eyes.
Three things became readily apparent. One, he could see clearly. Two, all he could see was sand and rocky outcroppings in the far distance. Three, he could smell dry dust, and the faint hint of salty decay that followed a big sand storm irritated his nostrils.
He groaned. He knew to his bones where he was. Tatooine.
The sound startled him. It wasn’t the weak whisper of scorched vocal cords he was used to, the little he spoke without his helmet.  
He looked down at his hands. Organic, flesh, non-mechanical hands. The tiny jagged lines on his fingers from working in Watto’s shop. A wrinkled burn on the knuckles of his right hand from a broken hyperdrive. The discolored streak on the back of the left from a stray blaster bolt. Calluses from hours of lightsaber practice. Fingertips that could feel.  
He had flesh and bone arms, covered in rough linen. Arms unencumbered by heavy armor that he could lift higher than his shoulders. A body, breathing and unwrecked, covered in the same rough but light woven clothing he’d worn as a child. Wraps that covered boots that held flesh and bone legs and feet, not weak and unyielding durasteel replacements originally designed for an overgrown bug. No chain around his neck, only a scarf.
He could breathe normally.
No respirator. No chest plate.
No life support torture suit.
No pain.
He’d forgotten what it was like to not have pain, not to have nerves poking at his consciousness. Pain had been a constant companion well before Mustafar, since Geonosis and his duel with Dooku.
He felt something wet slide down his cheeks. He wiped his face by reflex and paused. He was crying. He hadn’t had tear ducts since Mustafar either.
Vader closed his eyes and reached out to the Force. He could feel the welcoming light, instead of overwhelming darkness; the bonds that connected him to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka; Jedi, he could feel so many Jedi...
Against all sane reckoning, his desperate plea to the Force in the World Between Worlds had worked.  
He wiped away the tears, forcing his emotions under control. Emotions could be dealt with later, once he’d found safe shelter. This was no place to waste water. Nor to sit for long in contemplation. The suns would be high in the sky soon enough.
Pulling the scarf over his head, he looked for familiar shapes among the faraway crags. He knew the sands around Mos Espa and Mos Eisley well, even after all these years; this area wasn’t nearly rocky enough. Out in the flatlands, the small standing structures could be vaporators, possibly a domed house much further on the horizon- a moisture farm. It was pretty far, but he could be there well before double noon.
He walked forward.  
About halfway to the house, a speeder pulled up a few meters from him. An older man at the controls leveled a blaster rifle in his direction.
Vader stepped towards the speeder, keeping his hands visible. “Hello!”  
The man put the rifle to the side and with difficulty, lifted himself out of the seat to see over the windscreen. “Anakin?”
The confusion of being recognized, by a name he’d long since abandoned, lasted only a moment. Cliegg Lars, his step-father. If Cliegg knew who he was on sight, this was some time during the Clone Wars, before the Outer Rim Sieges- he remembered receiving a message about his death from Beru just before leaving for Skako Minor.
He exhaled in resignation. Of all the places on this cursed planet he didn’t want to go, of course this was the one where the Force dropped him. He had asked for the Force’s help, begged to go back to a time where he could fix things, prevent the Empire from ever rising. He’d imagined stopping everything at the Invasion of Naboo. Save his mother, save Qui-Gon, permanently kill Maul, expose Palpatine before he was ever elected Chancellor. Or possibly even earlier- Stark Hyperspace War, maybe Galidraan. Not the Clone War, not so close to the end.
He had to trust the Force; had to trust he was where he needed to be.  
Vader put his hands on his hips, apprehensive. “You would not believe the day I’ve had.”
Cliegg nodded toward the passenger seat. “Why don’t you tell me about it back at the house. I’m sure you could use some water.”
He hopped into the speeder with a wry half-smile. “I would suggest something much stronger than water.”
“Got plenty of moonshine.”
Vader let out a genuine laugh. Tatooine moonshine was strong enough to make ignorant outlanders go blind, if they were lucky. “Acceptable.”
  I know Cliegg isn’t a popular character in fandom, but I'm planning that Beru will be the more prominent of the Lars characters. Vaderkin will be finding out what his mom was up to without him and Beru’s more involved with that than Cliegg or Owen. He’s getting into a lot of semi-sketchy stuff on Tatooine for a good cause (and pissing off the Hutts), while ruthlessly hitting the periphery of the war and eventually gets caught by the Jedi. (Whatever story he concocts goes out the window because Obi-Wan absolutely loses his shit.)
We’ll see how NaNo actually goes this time. :)
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summahsunlight · 4 years
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We Belong to the Stars, CH.16
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Rating: Mature (18+ only) 
Word Count: 2702
Pairings: Poe/Evelyn (OC)
Characters: Poe Dameron, Leia Organa, BB-8, Kaleb Skywalker (OC), Evelyn Skywalker (OC), Karé Kun, Iolo Arana, Snap Wexley, Jessika Pava
Master List / Read on AO3
"Commander Dameron? Are you awake, sir?" 
Poe blinked open his eyes, sunlight rushing at him and immediately he slammed them shut.  He fumbled about the bunk, trying to recall where he had tossed his jacket the previous night. Evelyn draped over his body was making it difficult.  Finally, Poe managed to snag the jacket and find his com link in the pocket. "Yeah," he replied, groggily. "I'm awake. What's going on?"
Evelyn stirred as his com crackled, "Agent Dane is requesting you join him for a briefing," the officer replied, sounding anxious.  "It seems that another part of Agent Lothor's transmission has been located." 
Great. Poe thought as he told the officer he was on his way.  Slipping out from underneath Evelyn, Poe stumbled towards the fresher.  There was no way he was showing up at this briefing without showering; he had same clean clothes in the bag he'd brought to Nar Shadda.  He peeled off his dirty clothes, started the shower up, and then stepped underneath the warm spray of water, feeling it gently massaging away the aches and pains in his muscles.  As much as he would have loved to stay in the shower a bit longer, Poe knew that if he kept Dane waiting, it was only going to make the spy even more ornery. 
Washing his body and hair with whatever soap he could find in Evelyn's shower, Poe finished up quickly.  Now dressed in a fresh pair of black pants, white shirt, and his jacket, Poe stepped back into Evelyn's room.  She was still sleeping, still sprawled out on her stomach on the bed. An overwhelming feeling of affection washed over him as his eyes settled on her pretty face. 
CB-2 greeted him, alerting him that she had woken from her charging cycle.  Poe turned his attention to the shy little droid, patting her dome softly before he instructed that CB-2 let Evelyn sleep.  Fixing his jacket collar, Poe exited her room, peeking around corners to make sure that no one was around to see him.  
"Sorry, Commander," Connix said as he strode into central command. "I know General Organa didn't want you disturbed... but this couldn't wait."
"It's fine," Poe said with a wave of his hand. "Where's Dane?"
"Situation room with Major Ematt."
"Great. I wonder where Dane is sending me next to get shot at for him."
Connix smiled at him as he moved towards the situation room. Poe rapped on the door and immediately it slid open.  Stepping inside, he waited for the door to shut before he spoke. "You wanted to see me?"
Dane had been leaning on the table when Poe entered. Pulling himself up to his full height, his green eyes narrowed in on the pilot. "We traced another transmission; it's on the abandoned Imperial Base on Scarif."
Poe crossed his arms over his chest. He vividly remembered his father talking about that planet; it had some significance to the Rebellion.  Right now, he couldn't recall what that significance was, and he doubted that was going to help him retrieve that transmission. "An abandoned base? Shouldn't be that hard to retrieve it then."
"I would think you wouldn't be fooled so easily, Commander. Those abandoned Imperial bases are littered with booby traps." 
"Okay, well, since you obviously don't think I have the knowledge to handle booby traps, why don't you go to Scraif?"
"Because my assignment, Commander, is to trace the transmissions. It's your job to retrieve them." 
Major Ematt cleared his throat. "The base on Scarif, Poe is inaccessible.   It is too heavily damaged for you and your team to safely enter, there are several communication towers and posts that were not as damaged that we think your squadron can safely approach.  You should be able to retrieve the transmissions from one of those master switches. The planet was used as a test shot for the Death Star, not its full power, but enough to show the Alliance that they had the fire power to destroy us all and it has been used for anything since."
Poe glanced at the older man, a memory of his mother flooding to the forefront of his mind--a lot of good people lost their lives to get us those plans, Poe. Remember, victory doesn't come without great sacrifice.  He wished he could remember the story she had been telling him.  Setting his jaw, Poe nodded. "I understand, Major. When do you want Black Squadron to leave?"
Dane was the one who answered. "As soon as General Organa approves the operation."
"I guess I'll go brief my squadron," Poe said, looking towards Ematt to see if he was free to go. Ematt silently nodded, and Poe exited the situation room. 
Halfway to the hanger, Poe felt a hand grab his shoulder and he was suddenly slammed against the wall.  Dane was looming in front of him, glaring. "You know, you might not have to like me, but you damn well better start respecting me, Dameron," the spy growled. "You waltz into that room twenty minutes after I called you, smelling like a woman--Major Ematt and I are not stupid, we know where you were."
Poe shoved his hand away. He knew this had nothing to do with the briefing that had just occurred, it had everything to do with the fact that Poe smelled like Evelyn since he'd used her soap in the shower.  "You know what I think is really happening here, you can't stand it that she wants to be with me and not you.  This has nothing to do with rank or respect; it has everything to do with the fact that Evelyn is with me and not you. Oh, and by the way-- the last time I checked, you technically don't outrank me."
Dane's jaw twitched and rage pooled in his eyes. The look made Poe's blood run cold. This was a man who cared very little for the well being of others. "Oh, I'm not worried about her being with you; she'll be mine again, eventually," the spy said, tightly. "Evelyn will realize her mistake soon enough."
"Are you threatening her?" Poe countered. He clenched his fists, if this man so much as laid a finger on Evelyn...
"Do you feel threatened, Dameron?" Dane shot back, a wicked smile on his face. 
"You don't scare me, Dane. But I'm gonna warn ya, don't touch her."
"Or you'll..."
Poe contemplated his answer. Kick your ass, make sure you never set foot on D'Qar again, he thought, angrily, break your neck.  Breathing through his nose, Poe made sure to take a step back before he did something he might later regret. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Snap and Kaleb, and stepped back even further.  Clearly, Dane was looking for a fight. Not saying a word, just throwing a hard look at Dane as he joined his friends, Poe mumbled to Snap, "come on, we have another mission."
Snap glared directly at Dane before following behind Poe, Kaleb bringing up the rear. "Where we heading this time, Commander? And are you okay? You looked like you about to strangle him... not that I would blame you."
Kaleb saw the tension in Poe's shoulders as he refused to answer Snap.  He felt the rage simmering off of his friend, and cautiously reached out to the Force, knowing that Poe hated it when his friends probed him like this.  "Dane threatened Evie, didn't he?"
"What?" Snap gasped.  He grabbed Poe's arm and stopped him.  "Is that true, Poe?"
"Yeah... it was thinly veiled, but it was still a threat," Poe ground out.
"He's just egging you on, Poe, to see if he can start a fight," Kaleb said with a shake of his head. "I don't think he'd actually hurt her."
"And what if he isn't just egging me on? I don't trust him."
"What's he going to gain from hurting her?"
Poe clenched his fists, pressing them against the sides of his legs. "Once General Organa approves it, we're heading to Scarif--find Jess, find Evie, and let them know," he ordered Snap, signaling that he was done with the previous conversation.
Snap glanced tentatively at Kaleb and then pushed his way past Poe to go find the rest of their squadron. "Very well, Commander. I'll tell them to stand by and prepare for our next mission. Hope this one goes more smoothly than the last two." 
Scarif, Abandoned Imperial Base
General Organa gave the green light to the mission within an hour of Dane requesting it.
Due to the nature of the mission, and the possibility that they were going to have to disarm ammunition, the General had assigned Paige Tico to the crew. Poe knew little about her, but Evelyn was friends with her, and trusted her--that was good enough for him. Paige admitted to him before they left D'Qar that she wasn't much of a combat pilot, but Poe was worried about running into any First Order patrols. The four x-wings and one a-wing entered the orbit of Scariff two hours after entering hyperspace.  "Welcome to the tropical paradise of Scarif," he said over the open channel to his squadron.  "Form up around me and follow me down."
Black Squadron fell into formation.  As they descended into the atmosphere the devastating destruction from the Death Star's blast came into view.  Poe felt his chest tightening, thinking about the Empire firing on their own people. The base lay in crumpled ruins, decaying hulls of ships lined the otherwise pristine beaches.  There had been a battle here, during the Galactic Civil War; Kes had often talked about the friends he'd lost, ground troops that had joined what could only be described as a suicide mission. 
Now, as the fighters flew along the ocean, salt spraying up behind them, it was as if they had traveled to a different place in time.  Poe noticed that the comms were silent, something that he wasn't used to from his team--they were always bantering--even they felt the heaviness of this place. Or it was the gravity of their mission--there were dozens of defunct communications towers and master switches that they were going to have to check and they were not going to be easy to get too. 
Looks like we'll be camping out for a few days, Poe thought as he directed his squadron to land on a flat, long stretch of beach. When Poe disembarked his fighter, BB-8 was complaining about the sand and the salt in the air; it wasn't the best environment for droids.  "I'll make sure you get a good gear scrub when we return to base," he promised the little droid.
"Stars, I thought D'Qar was humid," Jess said, beginning to peel off the top half of her flight fatigues.
"We can set up camp here," Poe instructed, doing the same as Jess and removing the top half of his fatigues.
"Camp?" Snap countered. "We're camping here?"
"You saw how many towers we're going to have to check on the way in," Paige said. "It's going to take us days."
"We have plenty of rations for five days," Evelyn pointed out, removing the camping equipment from her fighter. 
"Great. Rations," Snap said with a roll of his eyes.
"Come on, Snap," Poe teased, grinning, "it will be fun!"
Snap glared at him as the pilots began to set up their camp. After an hour of putting tents together and venturing into the jungle a little bit to find a clean water source to fill canteens, they were ready to start working on the communications towers. 
Poe thought it would go faster if they split up into teams. He sent Paige with Jess, Snap, and their droids.  Evelyn, BB-8 and CB-2 followed him in the opposite direction. After trekking through the dense jungle, being careful not to trip any mines that the Empire might have left behind, they arrived at the first tower. It was obvious that the elements and time had taken its toll on the massive metal structure. Working together, Poe and Evelyn removed the panel to access the inner works of the tower, only to find the wires so badly corroded that neither of them believed this tower was still capable of receiving a transmission.
Never the less, they hooked BB-8 up to the tower and began to work. Amazingly the little droid was able to download some information, but he reported that it wasn't from Agent Lothor--he had managed to retrieve some Imperial files that he believed they'd find quite interesting.
Evelyn glanced at Poe and took a deep breath. "You never know, maybe we'll find something in those files that will give us tips to defeating the First Order."
Poe smiled, softly.  "Before her death, your mother mentioned that the Emperor was more devious than anyone in the Rebel Alliance believed. She was certain he'd find a way for his Empire to be rebuilt, even if he were to be killed."
"She was never convinced that the Empire was completely eradicated from the galaxy."
"Well, apparently she was onto something."
BB-8 whistled that he was done, detached himself from the tower, and instructed the pilots where they had to go next.  He took off, rolling through the ferns, CB-2 behind him.  Poe and Evelyn gathered up their equipment and followed after their droids.  For the next two hours they followed the same procedure, find a tower, or communication station, open the panel, hook one of the droids up to it--and only retrieve ancient Imperial files. 
Poe was hot, frustrated, and tired when he pulled his commlink from his pocket.  "Hey, Snap.  Let's wrap up for today. Meet us back at camp."
Snap sounded just as hot, frustrated and tired when he answered. "Sure thing, Poe. Hope you had more luck than us." 
I wish we did, Poe mused, heavily.  He led the way back through the jungle, along the path they game because they knew it was clean of mines.  It was nearly dark by the time they made it back to the camp.  Paige, Jess, and Snap had started a fire.  Already the three were sitting around it, digging into rations packs, and draining their canteens.  As soon as Poe and Evelyn joined them, it became apparent that the pair had no luck getting the transmission from Lothor.
Jess handed Poe a ration pack. "You think Dane sent us here to just get us out of his hair for a few days?"
Poe shrugged his shoulders. "He must have had something in order for the General to approve the mission."
Paige took a bite of her dinner. "Those towers haven't been maintained in years. If I had to take a wager, I'd say it's been at least thirty."
"Sounds about right," Snap drawled. "After the battle that wiped out the base here, the Empire left this system."
"Why would Agent Lothor pick this place then if it's been abandoned for so long?" Evelyn questioned.
"Maybe he was hoping that the First Order wouldn't trace it here. Or if they did, they wouldn't bother, since it's so old."
"So far, he's right--there's been no sign of the First Order here at all."
"Let's hope it stays that way."
Poe finished his ration pack and tossed the empty tray into the fire.  Watching it get devoured by the flames, he glanced up at Evelyn.  The kyber pendant caught reflected the light from the flickering flames and he wanted to move across the site to wrap her into his arms--but he knew that he couldn't.  First, they were on a mission and it was best to keep their feelings for one another out of those.  Second, their squadron still had no idea they were officially back together.
Snap elbowed him, letting him know that he'd been staring at her. Paige and Jess laughed as color instantly rose to Evelyn's cheeks.  Poe quickly adverted his eyes and mumbled that he was going to turn in for the night.  Shifting, he headed back towards his tent, glancing once over his shoulder to meet Evelyn's gaze one last time before he slipped inside his tent.
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earth16comicswire · 3 years
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Luke Skywalker and Starlight Squadron bring the fight to the Empire in ‘Star Wars no.15’
Ever since leaving the Lars Homestead on Tatooine due to the tragic deaths of his beloved Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, Luke Skywalker has had quite the hero’s journey. He would meet the wise Jedi Master Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi who would introduce him to the ways of the Jedi. Skywalker would also meet the smuggler Han Solo and his wookie partner Chewbacca which would baptise Luke on the perils of adventuring. He would then go from farmboy to Rebel Alliance hero almost in one night when he rescued Princess Leia and destroyed the Death Star. After having several adventures with Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, he eventually would further connect with his Jedi heritage when traveling down to the swamp planet of Dagobah. 
Skywalker’s biggest trial would come when he went face to face with Darth Vader on Cloud City in the cloudy skies of Bespin. Vader would reveal himself to be Luke’s father much to the aspiring Jedi’s horror and disbelief. In addition, Luke would also lose his hand and his lightsaber that once belonged to Vader when he was still Anakin Skywalker. 
However, the latest “Star Wars” comics have shown Luke slowly maturing after his ordeal on Cloud City. He has begun to take his training seriously and has also realized that he should not dwell on his failures but to learn from them. In the process, he had to let go of finding his first blue-bladed lightsaber and in the process, he found a new yellow-bladed lightsaber. 
Now as Leia, Chewie, Threepio, and Lando Calrissian are on Jekara taking part in the mission to rescue Han, Luke joins Wedge Antilles and Starlight Squadron to rescue the Rebel Alliance 11th Fleet Division. But along the way, Skywalker has encountered something familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. 
Warning Spoilers Ahead 
Issue no.15 begins with Luke Skywalker volunteering to join Wedge Antilles and Starlight Squadron to rescue the 11th division. Although the Rebels have been successful in creating a new code thanks to the talky droid and having a few victories, not everyone is feeling hyped. A-Wing pilot L’ulo Lampar voices the condition of the scattered Rebel Fleet and the missing Shara Bey (Future mother of Poe Dameron). Luke tries to give his comrades hope by telling people that he, Leia, and the other heroes are planning on rescuing Han Solo from Crimson Dawn on Jekara. Wedge acknowledges this but tells the pilots that saving another fleet division would be more important. With that, Luke and Starlight Squadron blast off into hyperspace to find their fellow Rebels. 
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When the Rebels jump out of hyperspace, they head to the orbit of Ab Dalis which should be familiar with fans or people who have read Charles Soule’s novel “Star Wars-The High Republic: Light of the Jedi.” Freyta Smyth, one of the Starlight Squadron pilots, makes a reference of the fragments from the doomed Legacy Run space freighter which is a part of the planet killing billions of inhabitants. Since the incident, which was about centuries before the Battle of Yavin, the planet had been abandoned. 
I feel that it was awesome that Soule’s writing bridges the High Republic era with the Skywalker Saga. From Luke’s new yellow-bladed lightsaber to the name of Starlight Squadron being named after Starlight Beacon (a space station created by the Jedi and the High Republic to unite the galaxy), it shows that the High Republic era was such a huge influence to the galaxy,  
Starlight Squadron picks up a transmission from the planet which is confirmed to be from the 11th Rebel Alliance Fleet Division. The 11th division is getting pinned down and overrun by Imperial forces which consists of a Star Destroyer Ultima II, tanks, AT-AT’s and an army of stormtroopers. The beleaguered Rebels and their Colonel, Chouch, receive news that among the six Rebel starfighters coming to rescue them are Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles. However, the Imperials aboard Star Destroyer Ultima II  are overconfident that they can crush the Rebels. The commander plans on reporting his success to the ruthless Commander Zhara and orders  TIE Fighters to intercept Starlight Squadron. 
While Luke, Wedge, and Starlight Squadron fight the TIEs, one of the Rebel soldiers comes up with a crazy but brilliant idea. The soldier tells Colonel Chouch that when she was a part of the geological survey team, she was examining the stability of the planet. Her plan is  to have one of the pilots fire their weapons at a small target on the surface  just above the Ultima II which will create a chain reaction.
While the Imperial commander on board Ultima IIis confident that he will be victorious, the pilots of Starlight Squadron are contemplating on whether they should go through the coordinates given to them by the rebel ground forces. Freta discovers that since the target is so small, this task looks like a job for Skywalker, who destroyed the Death Star which also had a small target in the form of the thermal exhaust port. Now, we see the inspiration behind the soldier’s plan and who better than Luke Skywalker to take the shot? 
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As Luke goes in for the shot, he feels that he is in familiar territory. He’s back in the Battle of Yavin with his sights set on the thermal exhaust port with proton torpedoes ready to fire. However, as  Luke is cornered by Vader, he sees Han coming to his rescue with the Millennium Falcon. But to his horror, he also sees the Corellian YT-1300 freighter getting destroyed by Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced.  As Luke questions the  memory, he is in an unfamiliar situation. This is clearly not how things went during the Battle of Yavin. 
Luke sees Vader aboard his TIE advanced  telling him that he will fail to save Solo and that he belongs to him. Then Luke sees Vader blast the Falcon with his ship. Horrified by this nightmare, Luke freezes up but Wedge snaps him out of it and Luke fires his torpedoes but misses! However, as Luke plans on making another run, Wedge and the other pilots fire their torpedoes onto the targeted area which causes a chain reaction. Suddenly, the surface erupts in an volcanic explosion which destroys the Star Destroyer Ultima II. 
I feel that Soule adding a very familiar scene was the best part of this comic. This scene takes you back to that moment when Luke hops aboard Red Five for the first time and takes the fight to the Empire. The moment that made Luke Skywalker a hero and a legend. However, in this scene, Luke gets a little cocky as he thinks that the task as of him will be a piece of cake. However, the vision of the Millennium Falcon getting destroyed causes Luke to freeze up and miss the shot. This shows that Luke still has a lot to learn as a Jedi since he still has an arrogant streak about him which he inherited from Anakin. 
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The Rebels are victorious but Luke is a little bummed that he missed the target. Wedge assures his Force sensitive comrade that everyone misses and that he should not beat himself up for it. Wedge thanks Luke for assisting Starlight and wishes him luck with the mission to Jekara. The Rebels are elated to more good news when they receive a transmission from Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma who is accompanied by Mon Calamari Admiral Ackbar. 
Meanwhile, as Luke heads to Jekara, he tries to contact Leia who, along with Lando and Chewie, is cornered by Boba Fett. Leia cuts off the transmission as Luke tries to tell her that he had experienced a Force vision warning him that Darth Vader is coming after Han (and if you have read “War of the Bounty Hunters no.2,”  “Doctor Aphra no. 12,” “Darth Vader no. 14,” along with the end of this issue, you would know Luke’s vision comes true.) 
The art done by Ramon Rosanas and the coloring by Rachelle Rosenberg made this issue vibrant as Soules' writing. One of my favorite panels is of Luke reliving the memory of flying his X-Wing Fighter into that Death Star trench only to see an alternate version where Han gets shot down by Vader. My favorite splash is of the volcanic explosion on the Star Destroyer.  It symbolizes the Rebels’ tenacity to never give up despite insurmountable odds.  
Now that just about everyone and their mother has come to Jekara to bid for Han Solo, how will Luke react when he learns that his vision has come true. How will the young Jedi react when he discovers Boba Fett has Princess Leia and his friends cornered? And how will Luke react when he learns about Qi’ra’s history with Han? “War of the Bounty Hunters  no. 3” is, without a doubt, going to be another explosive issue but the next issue seems to be teasing a rematch against father and son before their fateful encounter on Death Star II!
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ramon Rosanas 
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles 
Publisher: Marvel 
Synopsis: "Friends and Enemies" Luke Skywalker embarks upon an epic mission with Wedge Antilles and the brave pilots of Starlight Squadron to rescue a lost division of the Rebel Fleet. Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian attempt to save Han Solo from the evil clutches of Boba Fett. But what hidden vision will the Force send to Luke about the troubles to come?
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