galaxywon // eli vanto.
“ if i had put up a fuss, i’m sure it woulda surprised my commander. “ eli countered. it was never how he thought about it, leaving the empire forcefully. it had felt right. maybe not in the beginning, as he thought he was being wasted in some basement office on a chiss ship. but when he realized his purpose, worked hard to earn his place with a people that did not trust outsiders. “ he knew me enough to know that i’d do that job the way it needed to be done. not sure if my emotions ‘bout it were in his thoughts at all. he wasn’t like that. but, my ideals were more aligned with my people now. i had…. problems with the empire’s methods. he knew that. “ he could remember it vividly, questioning the use of slaves in the empire, looking up at thrawn with a naivety he couldn’t believe he had. of course the empire would do that, they were evil. “ it’s not a force that we’ve ever come against, no. doesn’t seem like your jedi have either. “ he pointed out, taking a sip from his own water glass. “ chancellor mothma would never’ve let that go if they had. gives people hope, to know that things aren’t completely out of our hands. “
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was that a matter of loyalty ( blind or not ) and compliance or some vague notion of support? it was a question that she wouldn’t bother to ask out loud, not an answer that she would have trusted coming directly from him, yet it still lingered on the edges of her mind nonetheless. kallus clearly hadn’t thought that this was a bad idea or she wouldn’t have been there in the first place, and she did trust his judgment. still, there were the lingering thoughts of doubt and paranoia. that was just a part of who she was, not something that could be turned off or go away because of the word of someone that she trusted. it was unfortunate, but it was the truth. “sure. a lot of people did.” she had been blind to most of it for... embarrassingly long, but even she had seen the truth at the end of it. they were all lucky there had been people who picked up on it faster than she had. “no, no one in these parts of the galaxy seems to have any kind of familiarity with it. it doesn’t matter where their loyalties like.” freaky, all things considered. but that didn’t mean that there was nothing that they could do about it. they’d figured it out. they had no other choice. “sure. but hope isn’t the only thing that people need right now.”
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onecassian // cassian andor.
There's a small laugh that leaves their lips at the other's words. He moves, blaster in hand and takes shelter behind a crumbling wall. There's a breath upon their tongue and their gaze shifts to look to Iden. The battle had felt as if it had waged on for years, but it had probably only been a matter of hours. Instead, he releases the breath he's held, nodding more so to themselves than Iden. "I never believed in Gods." Cassian states, leaning out from behind the wall, taking a few shots before covering again. "But I do believe in escape plans." The small laugh returns again and they're looking over to Iden. "We've got the ships at our backs and the quicker we can get to them, the faster we'll be out of this nightmare and in a cantina."
religion had never played much of a roll in iden’s life –– growing up, certainly, the only thing that either one of her parents had ever come close to worshipping was the empire, and that was nothing that they were going to cling to now. a small smirk just barely quirked the corner of her lips at their next words, squatted down uncomfortably beside him. she didn’t consider herself slowed down in the slightest by this pregnancy, even if it was no longer something that she could hide, and she certainly wasn’t about to let it effect her now. “there’s no cover between here and the ships,” she reminded him, leaning away from their current makeshift cover to fire a few blaster shots off. “we’re going to have to be fast if this is going to work.”
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galaxywon // poe dameron.
Leia, up until her final moments, wanted Poe to learn the lesson that jumping in his ship and blowing something up was not the answer to every situation. He knew that now, learned how to practice diplomacy. Even if he despised it, he could work with politicians now. But, this fire that was in his veins, it didn’t cool. He just learned how to make it simmer instead of boil. But Versio’s words are exactly what he’s thinking, as he’s drumming his fingers against the nearest flat surface. “ I don’t think Amidala or Mothma would like that. “ shook his head, looking back at her, “ This has got to do with someone we talked to, someone that was there. Things like this…. They just don’t happen randomly. “ Though, if he was being honest with himself, this was like nothing he had ever faced before.
no, they wouldn’t. iden was well aware that politicians like the two of them wouldn’t have cared for such a thing, but those kind of people also lived on a pedestal –– they didn’t understand what war was really like, what it really took. she had never been fond of people like that, it didn’t matter what side of the war she might have been on at any given moment. “of course it’s not random,” she agreed without even a beat of hesitation. she was far too cynical to ever believe such a thing, refusing to let the fact that hask was inside of her head again deter her focus from this. hands curled into tight fists for a moment, though her rage is far from soothed by it. “the empire is just as caught off guard as anyone else by this. i hate to give them credit for anything, but... at least this is burning them down, too.”
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@gcdlys // ursa wren, from here.
Mandalorian families can be complicated - especially when you're raised to be the next leader of your clan. They're the keystone of Mandalorian traditions, and hers, at least, had been loving, but. Things were complicated, and their people were in a civil war. She grew up quickly. She can understand the feeling, although she is sure Iden's childhood must have had its own unique sharp edges.
"I know what that's like," she says quietly. "No one should have to." It's true, but stiff. She has never been one to talk about this kind of thing.
iden didn’t know ursa well. she’d had the chance to know sabine along with most of their crew, primarily through kallus. they were an admirable person, clearly raised well ( better than she had ever been ). most of her life had spent avoiding any kind of reflection on her own parents or childhood. better to repress it. easier to, at least. she didn’t have much of a choice in that now, not if she wanted to be any better.
“if the galaxy gets thrown back into another war, it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much choice in the matter.” she’d always been a soldier, she’d never thought that was something that she would be scared of.
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“I cannot hold back the tide of your bad decisions.“
( from hask )
the words set off a mixture of rage and sadness. it’s a sadness that she wasn’t used to feeling around him, and as much as she wanted to blame it on those goddamn hormones, she did not think that it was that simple. it was a simple, painful truth: iden did not want to care for gideon hask and she did. “no, you can’t.” no emotion behind those words, that was reserved solely for her eyes. “it’s a shame you weren’t there when the admiral died, hask. his last sentiment might have shaken even you.”
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han says ... “Your secrets are safe with my indifference.“
a slight snort managed to escape from her, drawing one leg toward her chest. no, it wasn’t like han, or most of the other people that she had chosen to surround herself with would really make a fuss about anything. but even subtle concern was enough to get under her skin. it’s not good for her, or the relationships with those around her, but she was still resistant to change. “thanks.” it’s quiet, softer than her usual sharp edges. “to be fair, i can’t exactly keep it secret any more.”
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“Dude, sucking at something is the first step towards being sort of good at something.”
“i don’t suck at this.” iden huffed out, slightly out of breath and entirely unwilling to admit it. mechanics and engineering had always been del’s specialty – she was proficient, but not excellent. rolling out from where she’d been working on the ship’s comm systems, she grimaced slightly, pulling at how her shirt hung at her frame uselessly. “you want to give it a hand?”
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allegiantson // gideon hask.
he almost laughs at the suggestion, instead shaking his head slowly in response at her words, smile creeping onto his face. “i’m not asking you to leave del, iden. he was a decorated soldier, one of our most talented engineers. if he gets over that little empathy problem, we’d more than welcome the both of you back into our ranks.” he’d had a bigger soft spot for iden, but it had still existed for del, the two men bonding quickly and strongly throughout the course of their first meetings ( pretending to be brothers turning into that true feeling ).
at her second words, he refuses to rise to the bait, to her words of betrayal. come now, iden. she knew him better than that - both to think it would be true, and to think he’d fall for that rather obvious trick. certainly, he tended to let his emotional guard down around her - a mistake he tried actively to fix and failed, well, nearly every time - but this … this was just far too clear an attempt to rile him up. “i thought you knew me better than that.” he responds, leaning back in his chair. “i don’t break oaths, iden. especially not this one.”
that little empathy problem. iden hated that she knew precisely what gideon meant, because she saw it herself: del was the one with the big, bleeding heart. he was the one who had insisted they tell the rebellion about this. she’d come along not because of some big picture, but because of him, individually. it was still a problem –– she didn’t see herself as kind or compassionate as the others around her. “not much rank left over there to have, is there?” she remarked with a nauseous knot twisted in her stomach. “to think, you didn’t even have to kill me for your shiny new one.” she wondered if he regretted that.
gideon was loyal to a fault. she had been too, once. she wasn’t sure that there was anything in the galaxy that would make him defect like they had done, that he would die loyal to the empire more than likely. why bother? she knew why. “that’s not entirely true.” her voice was uncharacteristically soft, thinking of that day everything changed. fine. she’d make it even more personal. it’d hurt her just as much as him, but as long as it hurt him... “i’m sure you remember some of the things we promised each other when we were kids.”
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xkyberheart // jyn erso.
before life day jyn had decided she was done with this life, she was ready to leave the rebellion, the republic —were they not the same? had that not been the goal? saw might not agree, and perhaps that’s one reason jyn had wanted to walk away. but then monsters descended on them, and innocent people died around her, and in the middle of it all jyn found purpose again. she had helped guide people to safety, load them onto ships, pray the ships could escape the blockade, and feel her heart fill with joy then the spacecrafts managed to jump to hyperspace. there were dark times ahead, and jyn had decided to stay.
jyn had been surprised when she was summoned to commander versio’s office, her last mission had not exactly been successful, but if the alliance republic still thought she could be of help, jyn was happy to answer the call. holopad on hand jyn mader her way to iden’s office, poking her into the room jyn said, ❝you wanted to see me commander?❞
everything around her felt like it was very actively falling apart but iden was pouring everything out of her to try and pretend that it did not. that she had a vague grip on what was going on and did not actively feel like she was drowning in a shit of sea. as much of it as possible needed to be pieced back together in the next few months before... before she could no longer ignore that everything was changing. hopefully jyn would be able to help with wrapping up this end. nothing that came out of this could have made things worse, at least.
“major erso,” she greeted with a nod of her head, standing up when jyn entered the rarely used office and quickly adjusting how her stomach hung around her abdomen. “it’s good to see you again.” her words were genuine, even if they sounded more tired than pleasant. “yes, i’ve got a lead that i’ve been investigating since before all the shit went down with hapes. i’m trying to get it all tied up.”
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mvchinery // leia organa.
leia wasn’t one to indulge. she didn’t smoke, not really — but every once in awhile, the smell of one of her father’s old cigarras would settle her nerves like nothing else could. the alderaanian brands were rare, these days, but she had some carefully tucked away, scrupulously saved. the smoke filled the air, & her breathing slowed, calming.
“you caught me,” she said dryly, waving the smoke away from their faces as iden approached. “don’t tell han, he’ll be insufferable.” but she wasn’t truly suited to hiding her feelings behind humor, no matter how wry, & she quickly sobered as she snuffed the cigarra out, near smile disappearing. “it’s good to see you, iden.”
the smell made her more nauseous than what she was willing to own up to, but she was grateful that leia put it out before she had to say anything about it. one corner of her lips barely twitched upward into a smirk at her words, though the expression is hardly longer than a beat. she was tired. fuck. they were all tired.
“you’re the one who married him,” iden quipped back with a shrug of her shoulders. “there was a point where i would’ve asked you to share,” she added. it doesn’t quite soften her words, but it was at least a half-assed attempt. better than asking if she wanted to talk about it, for both of them. “you too. i think we’re shit friends, though. we only see each other when everything’s falling apart.”
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delferno // del meeko.
There’s something about the way she mentions one of them always in trouble that causes him to laugh a little. He knows she’s right. He can’t deny that. After all, once they had deflected, it was as if trouble had seemed to search for them, hunting them down and making it difficult for the two of them to get anything done without bullets flying past them. “I can’t argue with that.” He shakes his head, a small chuckle leaving from slightly parted lips but the softness on his features never changes. The way he’s looking at her never changes. He wants nothing more than to hold her in his arms. To tell her that everything was going to be okay, that no matter what the future would hold for them, it would always be them against the galaxy. She was going to be an amazing mother, far better than any other woman he could think of, except Leia, but that was simply because the general had a good head on her shoulders as well and Leia reminded him of Iden, hands down. “The only thing I want from you, Iden, is to just hold you tonight as we sleep.” Was it the *only* thing he wanted? No but that talk would come later. He didn’t want to force it on her. Not now. He’d rather it either be brought up organically or she starts, but he wouldn’t dance around it either.
getting themselves into trouble for the good of everyone else had always kind of been their thing. it’d been inferno squad’s thing, really, until... she still didn’t like to think about what exactly had happened on vardos, although she knew it was for the good of everyone. it was a personal loss among everything else, one that had become to ache now that she knew gideon was alive, out there somewhere in the galaxy. it had been much easier to think that he was dead. she tried to push the thoughts away, placing her hand on top of del’s and lacing their fingers together. she was never affectionate with him in public – had yet to be able to break herself of that particular habit – but she did rather enjoy it in private. it felt like something that she had been missing out on for your entire life. “you’re a terrible liar,” she teased him gently, though she didn’t know if she really wanted to push it further than that. she was the one avoiding the conversation, not him, but she didn’t do it without guilt. she sighed, squeezing his hand a moment. “i know i need to stop avoiding it. it’s not like i’ve got much choice with that, i’m starting to show. but there’s just... so much shit happening right now.”
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galaxywon // alexsandr kallus.
Iden was right, of course. Sloane was effective, had a dominating presence. People listened to her. If anyone was going to get The Empire to rise from the ashes, it would be her. “ How many people do you think personally know Admiral Sloane ? “ The number would be quite low, he suspected. She didn’t seem like the type to have friends, just allies and enemies. People only rose to the upper levels of The Empire because they were willing to throw any enemies out the airlock. “ Someone this willing to dismantle her might be someone that we could work with. The enemy of my enemy is indeed my friend. “
a good question. something that her father might have known the answer to, as much as she didn’t enjoy that particular line of thinking. but he was dead. that didn’t matter. “only the upper echelon,” iden voiced, though she was sure he was already thinking the other thing. “there’s not many of them left. or maybe there is,” her lips pressed together in a thin line, slouching forward. “hask is alive.” there was no way that he was responsible for all of this – she would have known this voice in a heartbeat – but it made her doubt the validity of their intelligence, of her own. “friend or enemy, we need to figure out who it is.” if they needed to be eliminated. “have you had any recent contacts with anyone on that side?”
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delferno // del meeko.
After a breath, he kneels down in front of her, giving her a mile instead of just a little. He wants her to feel comfortable. Wants her to know she’s loved by him in more ways than he can ever describe. That she is everything to him and that they’ll make it through this together. Another breath and he keeps his hand upon her cheek, thumb carefully stroking it gently. His gaze never leaving her. “Now why would either of us be in trouble?” He speaks, a hint of humor upon Del’s tongue. She was beautiful, even when she was vulnerable. He glances to the datapad for a moment before glancing back to her. “Find anything interesting? Perhaps another lead for another trip around the galaxy?” He wants to avoid the subject of pregnancy for now. He doesn’t want her to feel pressured but he also knows they need to have this conversation. They need to discuss the future together.
as easy as it was to be wound up about everything that was going on in her life, it was difficult even for her to keep up those defenses when del looked at her so softly. her head tilted slightly, leaning her head into his hand as he reached up to her. “one of us is always in trouble,” iden pointed out, the corner of her lips just twisting up in a slight smile. granted, it was usually her. it was far too often that she threw herself headfirst into trouble, but it was just a part of who she was. he’d known that long before they had been anything romantic. “well, maybe once the comms get up and running. i don’t think it’s wise even for us to stray too far right now, unless it’s supply hunting.” maybe. she wasn’t sure that she was quite committed to the train of thought just yet. “you look like you want something.”
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galaxywon // eli vanto.
Eli nodded simply, putting in the order for two waters to the bartender, who simply rolled both sets of eyes at him. Fair enough. He’d be worried about not making money in his establishment too. “ It was just the rebellion back then, “ he started off, shrugging his shoulders. But she wasn’t wrong and he didn’t try to lie to her. The Rebellion had started off small. It had gotten bigger, but he had a feeling that defectors tended to stick together. At least Kallus and Iden had. “ No, I didn’t. It was decided that my…. skills could be used somewhere else, helpin’ to save people. I went into Deep Space. “ he nodded at the bartender as they deposited two waters in front of them. Eli took a sip from his own, “ I’m tryin’ to keep my people safe. They’re very worried about the attack on the Hapes Consortium. “
there’s not much room for iden to blame him on his choice, given that she’d been somewhat dragged along into it with her own refusal to leave del behind, but... she was also pretty certain that he did not know that about herself. still, it’s a fair question to ask. why now? the timing was either suspicious or helpful. too often, the line between those two concepts was too blurry to distinguish. or perhaps that was her own tightly wound paranoia. “not decided by you, then,” she inferred for his words with a skeptical raise of her brow. a hand wrapped around the glass of water, but she didn’t immediately drink from it. deep space, however, could be helpful for filling in that map that she and del had found months ago. “everyone is. but i take it that means those attackers aren’t from deep space, is this is a new threat for you all.”
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rebelworn // evaan verlaine.
“ well , shit. ” the commander comments , frown furrowing her brow. “ has there been talk to corellia’s shipyards yet ? maybe some engineer there knows a temporary solution to our little lava problem that doesn’t involve just avoiding their blasts entirely. ” she looks back down at the schematics & sightings laid out before them , eyes flickering back and forth between pages & intel , rumors , even . they had a name , but barely anything beyond , just shaky & half-reliable firsthand accounts , many unreliable for stress & fear warping memory. evaan was glad iden had been in attendance at hapes , though - not that she had risked her life , but that the inferno squad commander would surely have analyzed all she could of them while facing the danger.
ships were prepared to deal with a variety of damage taken for obvious reasons. still, lava was not something that typically went floating around space. technology was out there, few and far between. “there’s stuff out there that can withstand it, i’m sure, but expensive and not manufactured at the scale that we would need.” she’d seen vader’s castle on mustafar with her own two eyes, years ago. what kind of security was there now? the thought was tempting, but didn’t make it past her lips just yet. it might be best said to another former imperial. “the only stuff that’s come close, though, i haven’t exactly seen from people who are fans of the new republic.” that was close enough.
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delferno // del meeko.
Eyes drift closed for a moment as he draws a deep breath. He understands Iden’s fears and concerns. He understands where she’s coming from, but in reality, he’s overjoyed. He never imagined being a father but he knows that the two of them would, no, will be amazing parents. He loves her and he will love their child just as much as well. Hand raises, knucks rapping lightly on the wall as the door opens for him, recognizing him but he doesn’t want to scare her by speaking automatically. “Iden.” He starts lightly, a small smile upon his features. His gaze is full of the love he has for her. The way she makes his heart sing and makes him happy. He closes the distance between them, unable to stop himself as he reaches out, fingers brushing lightly over her cheek. “I love you.”
in a twisted way, one that brought her much more shame than she was ready to talk about, it hurt iden to see how happy del was about everything. she knew logically that he deserved this, to be happy and have something that he wanted, but she was still stuck in her own feelings. it seemed like she couldn’t get out of them. she wanted to, she just didn’t know how. the door swished open and her gaze rose to meet it, the seriousness in her features softening after a beat. “hey,” her knees drew up to her chest, resting her chin on them for a moment. she looked small in a way that versios had never been allowed to be. the datapad was set down as he stroked her cheek, another lead chased after, though it had nothing to do with the comms crisis. she can’t respond to i love you normally. “what, am i in trouble or are you in trouble?”
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