#Operation Knightfall AU

[alternis]

for cinematic parallels i think third eye au 'starting' (ie. batman tracking down third eye & discovering its the presumed dead timothy drake) should occur at the same point in the timeline as under the red hood, which is generally accepted to be roughly three years after DitF, which i think? works? for this au, since that means tim is 13 when the Plot Diverges and 16 when the Story Starts.

the three years work with the. uh. name of the au. and also can be split neatly into the 18 months of shiva training and 18 months of solo work as Third Eye building up his reputation/Grand Plan, only for batman to show up, pull the rug from underneath him and destroy everything he'd worked for.

that means knightfall, contagion, no man's land, murderer/fugitive, hush, war games* (*this au may avert war games from ever happening) and identity crisis all occur with Jason alive but retired and Lonnie Machin as the third Robin, whilst Infinite Crisis occurs concurrently with batman tracking down the mysterious information broker who knows and might sell his identity, and coming back to Gotham with the teenager whose orphaning and then death he'd been blaming himself over for three years

This also means third eye au gets to operate during 52 and can neatly and easily avert the evil cass plot from ever happening in OYL, swapping it instead for Family Drama

my reading list for working on this au just got. uh. Longer.

#this also means when bruce goes to shiva after knightfall tim is already her apprentice #but im operating under the idea that shiva would probably leave him with other teachers for weeks-months #ala question 1 and 2 where she saves vic sage then directs him to richard dragon for training except in this case his training with other t #with hands-on training and Life Experiences and Philosophy Lectures courtesy of Shiva. #anyway. reading list is growing. i was meaning to read/reread these events but. ouagh #i think i read hush and identity crisis Way Back When and i Think my new 52 dc quit was midway thru reading 52(the infinite crisis followup #but my memories of 12+ years ago are as you can imagine. Very Blurry #third eye au

[fanfic-obsessed]

Kaminoans Save

I was thinking this morning about the Kamioans. Specifically the Kaminoans as businessbeings and that their business is cloning. Also on their isolation and the implications that they do not have the knowledge base to understand sentients that are not Kaminoan. Two parts of that, of course, the likelihood that their business is built on cloning non sentients (so they are used to providing for the physical requirements of different species but are not used to the increased psychological needs of so called sentient species) and the sheer timeframe of the GAR cloning project (most projects have their clones sent to their clients in their infancy, thus the psychological needs fall on the clients). From these musings an AU was born. 

We do have to start with the understanding that the Kaminoans in this do not know about Operation Knightfall or Order 66. This project was sold to them as a straight contract (even the chips were provided as an addendum in the contract. The Kaminoans believe that it serves as a way to tell who is a Force User-which technically it does) by the Jedi.  They believe that special dispensation has been granted by the Republic to clone sentients with the aim of potentially changing the law (provided that the Kaminoans can prove that there is an ethical way to clone sentients), which would serve to triple or quadruple their business. 

From that perspective not only do the Kaminoans want the clones to be seen as sentient, they want them to be as individual as possible within the contract (They have still been contracted to grow an army, which does come with restrictions on both individuality and agency). They want the clones to be different from Jango Fett, to prove that what they do is more than a copy.   They are still assigned numbers at birth, but the clones are taught from a young age by the Kaminoans that it is so the clones themselves can find their own names. There is still the double aging through childhood but it is in he best interest of the Kaminoans for it to slow down to regular, or even slower, once the Clones reach peak physical and mental maturity (roughly mid to late 20’s)

Now it is not all sunshine and roses in this universe for the Clones. As the Kaminoans know little about human psychology and the needs of growing humans, Jango Fett (as the genetic progenitor) is contracted to find trainers for the clone army.  Jango Fett is very much on board with Operation knightfall and Order 66. He and most of his trainers see the clones as the meat droids they plan for them to be. There is still decommissioning even if not as frequent(there is no reconditioning, though as that required tech from the Kaminoans, who want to encourage uniqueness for business reasons). The Kaminoans do not realize that the training program and the way that the Clones are treated by the trainers are unusual or abusive for humans for years.  

They are primarily scientists, however, and many begin to notice that Boba Fett was treated significantly differently than the other clones, even taking into account that he does not age as fast (When he is five, he is not being treated like the physically five year olds for instance). At first there are attempts to get answers from the trainers and Jango Fett, who shut all inquiries down.  Like all scientists who are presented with a puzzle (the difference in treatment between Boba and the other clones, and -once they noticed it- how some trainers seem to be treating the clones differently), as a people they start to research human psychology and child rearing. The more business minded of the species like the idea that the next time they get a project like this they will not have to outsource these parts, as it would be cheaper.

The results horrify them, from the research it is clear that the trainers are going to ruin the clones. This was the Kaminoans' livelihood, their reputation.  The clones were their finest creations; each one unique, adaptable, and self aware enough to find solutions for their own shortcomings. The Kaminoans were damned proud of the clones, and did not want to be held responsible for the, clearly, substandard training they were receiving. 

They did not even try to correct Jango Fett or the Trainers. Instead Lama Su reached out to the Jedi, not the Jedi that contracted them of the ‘Jedi’ that they had been dealing with, but the High Council in 977 ARR (23BBY, or a year the clone wars would have started. I need it to be specifically then for Codywan reasons. If Cody is aging double than in 977 ARR, he would be physically and mentally 18, though to me the CodyWan would still not happen for a few years, I personally would be a bit uncomfortable with them meeting much earlier than that; but that is a personal preference). He sends an official complaint that the methods of the trainers ‘hired by the Jedi’ were going to ruin their order. The High Council, confused but feeling like they should not admit it, arranges for a small group to travel to Kamino to ‘discuss the matter and take appropriate action’.  They ask that the Kaminoan not speak of their arrival to the trainers, just in case. 

This group includes Mace Windu, Ki Adi Mundi, Obi Wan Kenobi (as it is generally accepted that his missions go weird and he is one of the best equipped to deal with weird), Anakin Skywalker (as Obi Wan’s Padawan), and Healer Stass Allie. 

The Jedi meet with Lama Su. They ask for him to tell them what is happening ‘as if they did not know about the contract’ to make sure they are not missing any information.  Lama Su does, going over the entire contract, producing the signed waivers (including several that appeared to be signed by the chancellor himself), the contract, who they had made the contract with (Master Sifo-Dyas, in the last days of his tenure on the High Council-where he did have the authority to put in the order for he Clones without telling anyone), who they had been dealing with for the last few year (‘Master’ Tyranus- the Fallen Yan Dooku),  and what the payment was to be (as they were to be paid on delivery). Then what the trainers are doing to the clones and how they(the Kaminoans) had just discovered the damage to their work (As they not only prided themselves on their work but also hoped that this would open up a new industry for them, they take that seriously).

At the end, Mace Windu is quiet for a really long moment before going “It’s clear the contract you signed was made in good faith on your end. However, Master Sifo-Dyas did not make this contract in good faith, and we have no record of Master Tyranus. We will honor the deal you made, you will get paid for the entire amount you were promised. There are going to be some changes, though, because we did not know about this project. I have no doubt about your process, but it is clear that someone wants to sabotage your efforts”

Anakin pipes up before they can go any further, his eyes distant. “They should be paid now, so that no one else can claim the clones belong to them.”

Lama Su is assuaged that they will get paid at least (the cost will drain the Jedi’s discretionary fund and mean that Mace will be sending a dozen Jedi to gamble to refill it again) and willing to make the changes the client suggests. 

Windu asks about the not yet decanted, can the process be paused while the Jedi evaluate.  Once the growth process has started, it cannot be stopped without harming the children in the tubes. Windu nods, and says to finish the growth process for any Tubes that have already been started but to not start any more and that the healer Allie Stass will be remaining to learn their process for decanting (When the chips are mentioned, along with their purported purpose Windu makes it clear that the chips should not be implanted in any more clones, and they would like a sample of the chip to study to see if they needed to remove it from already decanted clones). Military training was to cease immediately, as the Jedi are not legally allowed to have an army.  Instead the Council would be giving some aptitude and interest tests so they can start figuring out how to best assist the clone in finding what they want to do. The Jedi Order would be taking custody of all of the clones, decanted and not, and bringing them to the temple on Coruscant but it would take time to arrange. In the meantime Windu and Obi Wan would be going to bond with the current set of trainers. Obi Wan and Anakin would be staying as part of an oversight process and starting to prepare the clones to move off of Kamino. 

Just before leaving Mundi asks permission to get the Kaminoan in touch with his people. They have no way of knowing if the sentient cloning could continue (Frankly they have no idea how many of those waivers were legitimate, though they did believe Kaminoans believed them to be legitimate). But by nature the Kaminoans were superb geneticists and there had been too few males born to his people for generations. 

So the Kaminoans did end up getting more business after all.

#kamino #the clones deserved better #star wars the clone wars #obi wan kenobi #codywan #lama su #mace windu #Allie Stass #anakin skywalker #star wars au #fanfiction prompt #star wars

[havendance]

I think it’s time to revisit the reverse robins AU. Namely, it’s time to address Damian. Only to address Damian, first we have to talk about Knightfall. I promise this’ll tie back in.

So Batman: Knightfall. The key thing about Knightfall in this AU is the fact that Jason and Tim are two different people. Tim bought into Batman and Robin as an idea, Jason stumbled into becoming Robin and may or may not be blackmailing Batman. He really isn’t sure anymore. Regardless, when Bruce rolls up and is like ‘hey, I found this ex-brainwashed assassin, could you show him the ropes’, Jason is like ‘no wtf, that’s not my job’. And then we’ve got the Bane-gauntlet, back-breaking etc etc.

Rather than accept that Bruce is going to make him work with random ex-brainwashed assassin dude (and seriously, Bruce, this is not what he signed up for), Jason gives Steph a call and is like ‘hey, you said that I could ask you for help if I needed it. Can you talk some sense into Bruce, he’s being an idiot?’ and Steph, who is in the middle of the Titans imploding is like ‘yeah, why not’. Basically we just skip Knightquest and Knightsend and go straight to prodigal. (Idk how Bruce gets his back magi-cured, it’s not important). Steph is not Batman. For one thing, Bruce has about a foot and least a hundred pounds on her, for another, why should she have to pretend to be a dude to kick ass? Steph is the first Batwoman and her and Jason kick ass together and take on Bane and just have a rocking good time while Bruce is doing who know’s what.

But back to Damian. Damian gets to stay the same in this AU. 

Let’s recap where we left off: Stephanie Brown is operating as the Spoiler, primarily in Gotham, and working with the Titans as her side-gig. Tim Drake just came back as the Joker 2.0 and is living it up in his villain era. Jason’s mom died due to long-term health problems and he was adopted by Bruce. Dick recently got de-talonized and is now running around as Nightwing. Which means it’s not time for Bruce’s surprise kid with Talia to show up. He does his thing and oh no, Bruce just died. 

So look, Steph is trying to hold things together. She’s trying to hold Gotham together, she’s trying to look after Bruce’s legacy (because for all that their relationship was rocky, she did love and respect him), she’s trying to look after Bruce’s kid. She fumbled things with Jason during the whole mess that went down and now he’s off, convinced that Bruce is still alive out there and, hmmm, let’s say he took Barbara Gordon, fresh off of her widely-hated evil-arc, with him, because I think it would be fun.

So now Steph is Batman and it’s different from the last time she wore the Bat. Last time Bruce was still alive, last time she was doing it on her terms. But now, Bruce is dead and she’s pretending that she’s actually him and he isn’t and she’s isn’t sure if anyone believes it, but it feels important, okay?

Ummm, I’m running out of juice here. Anyway, Damian is Steph’s Batkid first and she teaches him to drink respect-women juice and gets him to stop killing as much and relax and be a kid a little more. And he also hangs out with Nightwing who’s like the cool, chill older brother and he insults Nightwing’s fashion taste (because it’s the discowing suit) and Nightwing teases him right back (because Steph said that the pink was traditional and he wasn’t getting out of it) and the get along and it’s great :)

#stephanie brown #damian wayne #batman: knightfall #reverse robins #the one where steph is the oldest #my au ideas #carthago delenda est #dc #bats + birds + affiliated

[crystalshard]

For the OC ask game... #7 character of your choice!

Hi! Thanks for the ask, @girlwholovesherwords!

7. What attribute of them (some facet of their personality, their history, their look, or whatever etc) would you find most important to somehow preserve if they were transplanted to an AU fanfic?

I'm going to do this about one of my Star Wars OCs, Keys. For those who haven't read Heart of a Child, Keys is a clone trooper who rescued Grogu from the Temple during Operation Knightfall. (The story has since been jossed, but I'm still very fond of it. We love altered canon in this house.)

If they were transplanted to an AU, I'd say that the most important part of Keys to keep is his protective nature and love for children. You can take away him being a clone, or being part of the Coruscant Guard, or even take him out of Star Wars entirely, but the heart of him is the older brother/dad instincts.

~

Anyone else want to ask me questions about my OCs?

The list of questions is here.

My AO3 account is here.

#ask game #my writing #my ocs #star wars

[pandora15]

Angstpril 2021 Day 2 Prompt: Sole Survivor

(tw: major and minor character death, implied suicide)

He walked the Temple corridors alone.

Broken bodies littered the floors, as though discarded, forgotten.  There were children—younglings, marred with horrific lightsaber wounds, their faces contorted into frozen expressions of agony.

With a quiet exhale, Obi-Wan knelt down next to a Tholothian youngling, reaching a hand forward to slip their eyes closed.  His hand trembled before he pulled it back into the depths of his robe, keeping it out of sight.

He stood up and continued walking.

Every so often, Obi-Wan discovered the body of a Jedi he knew—either a youngling he’d once taught in a class, a Padawan or Knight he may have worked with in the past, or even a fellow Jedi Master.

His family lay scattered around him, and Obi-Wan walked on, through the destruction, one of the Jedi Order’s last remaining lights.

He walked up towards the Council tower, dread pooling deep in his gut.  A part of him wanted to turn around and leave, to find escape from all of this, even though a part of him knew that there was no possibility of escape.

Besides, Obi-Wan also needed to know the truth.  He needed to know who did this, and more than that, he needed to stop any other Jedi from coming back to the Temple.

Therefore, he continued walking.

Finally, he reached the Council chambers.  The door groaned loudly as it swung open, and Obi-Wan stepped inside, shivering slightly.  He wrapped his arms around himself, pulling the edges of his robe closer together.

As he stepped towards the center of the chamber, Obi-Wan caught sight of the body draped in black laying directly in the center of the room, turned away from Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan’s breaths hitched.

“No,” he whispered, stumbling forward on numb legs.

He fell to his knees next to the body, reached a hand out and carefully rolled the body so that it lay on his back, facing the ceiling.

“Anakin.”

Obi-Wan’s voice trembled.

He caught sight of Anakin’s lightsaber, resting in the loose grip of its owner’s mech hand, and then the stab wound in the center of his chest.  The angle of the wound was a bit odd, though.

In the Force, there was a feeling of horrible desperation, of a guilt so powerful that it nearly took Obi-Wan’s breath away.  Then cold resolve, a final goodbye, the press of a lightsaber hilt against its owner’s chest, followed by pain, and then nothingness.

But that had to mean that—

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan bowed his head, letting it fall into his hands.  His shoulders trembled.

He sat alone, in the heart of the destruction, the last of his kind, surrounded by the bodies of the fallen.

(Pandora’s Angstpril 2021 Masterlist)

#angstpril2021 #fic #sole survivor #major character death #minor character death #suicide #this one's really dark wow #and not in a way that's graphic whump or anything like that but more. just really dark #wow #i have feelings now #also yes this is an au where obi-wan couldn't find yoda so he went to the temple by himself #and obviously operation knightfall went quite a bit differently #so there's that too

[kiwikipedia]

The Dooku Time Travels AU that no one asked for

This is also in its conceptual stage but this is both a Time Traveling Dooku + Dooku doesn’t Fall AU and i have no idea whats going on but it exists.

So basically, Dooku gets killed. Does not enter the force because he is a bad bad man, does not pass go, does not collect 200$.

But the Force is neither good nor bad. The Force holds him, makes him see what he has created by joining with Sidious. So he does.

He watches as his youngest Lineage brother, Kit Fisto, goes with Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Mace Windu to confront Palpatine. He watches as they're cut down one by one, watches as Anakin betrays Mace and Mace is killed.

Watches one of the finest sword protégés impaled so quickly with a grit out "this doesn't hurt" before the saber was ripped from his chest and Kit and Saesee’s stomachs were slashed open.

Watches as Order 66 is enacted and feels the Jedi being murdered, feels every single one of their deaths, and feels as they pass through the Force because, well, the Force is holding him captive almost to watching.

He witnesses Operation Knightfall, sees another of his Lineage Siblings fall because even though Cin Drallig was great, he was also feeling the deaths as Jedi were betrayed and murdered.

And Dooku might have resented the Order but he never wanted them so brutally genocided like this. even though he knew what the Command Chips were.

Because Dooku didn't want to see the pained looks of betrayal on the face of his Lineage brother and the fear in the eyes of Bene as she was killed.

And the Force holds him still as he watches because "Don't you see? You could have changed things, had you not fallen"

And then everything is thrown backwards. Rippling, branching, and time halts. Dooku wakes in the temple.

It takes him several hours to gather everything and put all he remembers into a comprehensive timeline. He writes it down, stores this in a datapad protected and locked. He checks the date. Qui-Gon and Kit are knighted, no, Qui-Gon should be a Master by now. Kit still had a bit longer— had to train... Bant Eerin, yes, that was the young Mon Cala's name, he had to train her more before he was ascended to Mastership.

Dooku takes some time to reorient himself. Build walls back up, take deep breaths and he steps from his quarters— running directly into Cin Drallig as he's heading down to teach his class on (Dooku has to think, which day is it? Ah, right) Niman for the morning.

And he stiffens.

Cin and Dooku always had an odd sort of relationship. Dooku set the bar too high, Cin had realized that he fallen short of expectations and so he had pushed himself hard. Pushed himself to the point of his hands bleeding as he mastered as many forms of combat as possible before breaking from the Consular path that Yoda had wanted for him. Cin had chosen to become a Sentinel— then a Guardsman— before being pulled to be an instructor.

But Dooku doesn't remember that when he sees Cin— much younger than he remembered him ever being— because all he remembers is the gangly teen from Lavisar asking him for advice a few times, the way his brows furrowed in frustration, and—

And the way his body fell, his saber rolled from his hand, a wild sort of desperation to protect the children, the younglings who were behind him dying as his life left him.

Dooku doesn't hear the disgruntled noise that the younger man makes when he gabs him and pulls him into a hug because they had drifted far apart once Cin had left as a Guard, because Dooku no longer could see Cin as Cin, just as another White and Gold, nameless Mask. But still, Dooku grabs his younger lineage— no. Not just lineage, he swears in his head. His brother.

Because Yan Dooku never wanted the Jedi to be Genocided like that. Never wanted to see the pain, the fear, the anguish in the eyes of the Jedi— many who were just children still.

Cin pushes him away, of course, giving him an odd look but before Dooku can make an excuse on his odd behavior, Cin is already hurrying back down the hall in long strides to get to his class he needs to teach.

So that leaves Dooku to his own devices. He needs to regain himself, center himself, and so he heads down to the Meditation halls— no, perhaps the Room of a Thousand Fountains would be better. Yes, there were many people there, but certainly, there was a strange sort of peace that was better than being alone.

And then there was that secret spot that all the Councilors seemed to collectively know about.

He's hit with another wave of emotion, seeing Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin meditating together, serene as ever, despite the fact that Plo's lap is full of a Preteen Kel Dor. Because once again, he sees Saesee's side torn open in Palpatine's office, and feels the flames and pain and betrayal of Plo Koon's death.

And he sees Tyvokka in the way that Plo holds himself, an unconscious act, shoulders back as he sits with the tiny (Kel Dor really didn't shoot up until they were sixteen standard, did they?) Kel Dor in his lap.

And Dooku misses the academic spats he and the Wookiee would have, because who would have given up the chance to get into a spat with a nearly five hundred year old Jedi Councilor who didn't see you as a son or padawan or whatever?

Plo Koon just never had that same bite as Tyvokka when it came to discussing academia— though Dooku never bothered to try and connect, he realizes.

Still, he doesn't get the chance to escape the room when he realizes who was occupying it.

"The Force around you is like a storm, Master Dooku."

Plo Koon always was formal with everyone he wasn't close to.

"Perhaps, Master Koon"

"Come, sit and center yourself, Master Dooku. As iron sharpens other, so must we assist one another."

Dooku takes the invitation and sits.

"You have not met my niece Sha, yet, have you?" he muses and the tiny Kel dor looks to Dooku.

"I cannot say I have."

"Despite her age, she still enjoys centering herself with an old man like me."

"Ito’sa!"

Dooku finds himself baffled at such an open display of familial love, blinking and his view is skewed again as Saesee just chuckles and shakes his head.

Thus begins the odd sort of friendship that Dooku never expected with Plo Koon, a man who was ages of years his senior, yet still had a penchant for mischief— and taking care of himself poorly when engulfed in grief, he learns.

Because through Plo, he ends up friends with Saesee Tiin, with Shaak Ti, connecting more with his Lineage brothers, actually meeting the Healer Vokara Che. Through Plo Koon he learns that he and Mace Windu aren't too different and that Eeth Koth was very good at making tea and that Saldith was the only sane man in the entire group.

And because of them he puts the name to the Face of Micah Giiett, another of their group and they were close knit, despite their varying ages. But they welcomed Dooku despite it all.

He meets their padawans— meets Bultar Swan, Lissarkh, Bant Eerin— and sees Sha Koon more than he really knew how to deal with because she always glared at him— and he always raised a brow back, before she would seem to decide he was alright and continue on her way.

He sees Agen Kolar— the Padawan of T’ra Saa at that time, but close with the other Padawans— and he is reminded of that saber piercing his chest and he looks away as the Zabrak and Lissarkh bickered.

He meets Voolvif Monn, another of the padawan’s agemates, as he's reluctantly pulled along with the others— a crèche of chaos, Eeth would laugh and say he's glad that he's not Agen's Master, despite Agen being all but his brother. T’ra would end up never being able to fully curb his ‘fight first, questions later’ attitude, but he supposed that was part of the charm.

And he... feels the same pain when Micah dies that the others do. Because somehow he became part of their group of friends. He feels it sharp in his chest as Plo holds tightly to Bultar, she was still just a child, a small thing holding onto her Master’s best friend like a life line.

And Dooku knows now more than ever that he cant fall because no one else would be able to protect this small circle of peace that just had one of its limbs torn off.

And Dooku slowly pulls strings, allowing for Plo to care for both her and Lissarkh— despite the rather unusual act of a Master having two Padawans. But Plo Koon was ancient, and could hold himself decently well, and they all agreed that they would help should he need it— a type of communal teaching.

And he feels that deep sorrow again when Saesee and Plo both return when Voolvif's master, Paouoish Rahhdool, is killed and no one wants to take a Shistavanen to teach. Many others reacted badly to Shistavanens, their predatory appearance put them on edge but gods Voolvif was just a child, quiet and it wasn’t fair to him to be sent away because of his master’s death.

Dooku never wanted to take another padawan. he fears it even more now. But he knows Voolvif because he's seen the pup take down droids without a problem in the Outer Rim. And he knows... Voolvif took his own training into his own hands in the other timeline. Stood on his own feet and refined himself and became a Knight even while he bounced from one master to the next with no permanent solution.

Dooku never wanted another padawan after Qui-Gon, but he finds himself attaching beads in the form of a braid to Voolvif's fur.

Dooku does not stop Syfo Dias, because in all honesty, he forgot.

While he maintained their friendship in this second chance it... was not as strong.

Instead, Dooku sparred relentlessly with Shaak Ti who was much more vicious than he remembered her being, he locked sabers with Saldith and Eeth Koth, and combatted Mace and Cin's varying forms of Juyo.

He scolds Kit when he beats him, training him even farther than Yoda and Cin had, much to Cin's amusement as Kit picks himself up again with a huff. He learns that Saesee Tiin is as stubborn as a bantha when he choses not to do something, and that includes duels.

He is startled when, in a secluded, private, sparring chamber as green lightning arcs across Plo Koon's skin, as Vokara rolls her eyes and Dooku is flat on his back because telling Plo Koon that he wanted a real fight was something of a danger.

Because he forgot that the man was a Baran Do Sage as well.

And, so he forgets that Syfo Dias goes to commission the Clones.

Because at the same time, he's watching with a flat expression as Kit pursues Plo Koon and as Saesee and Shaak somehow convince Cin into their little group and shakes his head as Mace and Eeth laugh lightly together. And he introduces Saldith and Vokara to his very expensive alcohol tastes as they complain about their love-struck idiot friends.

And Saldith gripes that Sha is spending a bit too long looking after that blind padawan of the Togorian Master, Syu'Mirkko, and Dooku has never been more grateful that Voolvif prefered to sleep in a patch of sun instead of giving into flirting because, ugh, teenagers and their feelings. He remembered enough about Qui-Gon pinning after Tahl to really never want to deal with that again.

And for a little bit... for a bit, Dooku can forget that a war is looming like a bloody shadow— he can forget that war will have changed because he's not there to bring everyone to Geonosis. But he has no idea who is going to be

For a little bit he can forget.

And then Qui-Gon is killed.

And Dooku feels the death like he just got hit by one of Coruscant's passenger trains.

But this time there are others who can help him, get him back on his feet. There's Shaak Ti, and Eeth Koth, and Saldith who lost their padawans, there's Plo Koon who has lived through ages of loss, taking it without falling, there's Cin Drallig who has faced deep rooted grief when a Gaurd takes their own life because they cant stand it anymore, there’s Vokara Che whose felt lives slip through her fingers, Mace Windu who clenched his teeth and prayed to god that Depa didn't fall, and Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto who have watched all of this, and helped all of them through it— and would help him too.

So Dooku grips tightly to the hands outstretched to him, clawing his way up when he feels the whispers of Palpatine's force on Naboo, trying to drag him further down. Trying to entice him into the dark, but he grips onto their hands and hauls himself up from the grief, and grabs Voolvif and holds the usually touch adverse Shistavanen tight for a moment because fuck that could've been him— could be him in the future and Dooku doesn’t want to think about that.

And even in grief, Dooku knows what he has to do and he talks to them— talks to Shaak Ti, to Plo Koon, to Saesee Tiin, to Eeth Koth, to Mace Windu. Because Obi-Wan cannot train Anakin. Obi-Wan needs to heal, not get thrown into the overbearing realization that he needs to train a child. He hasn't even led a clan group yet.

There is talk on who can take Anakin, when he is ready. Plo Koon will not, Dooku knows. The man was pulling double with Lissarkh and Bultar. They will be knight soon, yes, but he cannot do it. Saldith won't do it either, it would be a poor fit, and Vokara won't, because Anakin won't want to be a healer— and even so, Bant Eerin will be transferring to the Halls after she's knighted. Vokara will have to look after her then. Kit was ascended to master half way through Bant's training but even he deserves a break. Cin needed to be free for Serra, or the child would be sent to the Agricorps, Dooku knows, and—

"My uncle has not taken a Padawan in ages. He fears leading them to their deaths. Perhaps... this can break that fear."

"You wish to use Skywalker to break your Uncle's fear of padawans, Master Koon."

"Not in such a harsh matter, Master Dooku, I am simply suggesting that they can help each other. My Uncle is wise and patient, and Anakin is a strong boy. They will balance one another. Unless you have another option?"

Dooku knows nothing about the mysterious Fae Koon. Just that he and Tyvokka were... a thing but he never quite managed to meet the Kel Dor despite his not-quite friendship with the ancient Wookiee.

Their First meeting is strange, when he joins Plo in asking the other to take Anakin when he is ready.

"You're the one who argued with my Aat-kaevde so often."

"I— yes?"

"He means Master Tyvokka, Master Dooku."

"I... see..."

And at first, Fae Koon is reluctant to agree. He has not taken a Padawan in so long— he trained five total but only two reached Knighthood, and none lived much longer than that. But he agrees with the promise of their help because it has been a very long time, of course. And Plo agrees— only for them to later find out that it was unneeded because T’ra Saa, Tholme, Yarael Poof, Oppo Rancisis, Yaddle, and Fay (who came back from the Outer Rim, just for this) ended up all pitching in, wither or not the Eldest of the Koons wanted them to or not.

A group of Ancients and Tholme, Plo would remark with a chuckle and Dooku feels himself relax— just a bit.

The fact remained that the War would be upon them in a few years. And he had no idea who would be on Geonosis, still.

But for a little bit he can forget again, as they all pile into his quarters laughing because their Padawans— their weird little children— were Knights. They smile and laugh and talk and Dooku has no qualms about sharing his selections of Alcohols and maybe Dooku ends up under Vokara and Saldith with Eeth's legs thrown over his as Mace and him curl up together, and maybe Kit and Plo have slipped away sometime during the night, and maybe Saesee and Shaak Ti have Cin between them but in the morning he can forget. Just for a bit.

And when the time approaches, Dooku steels himself.

And then the rug is pulled out from under him when instead of Kenobi being sent to investigate the assassin, Voolvif goes— tracks him to Kamino and fuck Dooku knew he forgot something.

And then when Mace calls them all together because Voolvif is trapped on Geonosis. And two hundred and sixteen Jedi go— the original two-hundred and twelve, but this time Kenobi and Anakin and Fae are there, this time Dooku is along side of them, this time Cin Drallig rolls his shoulders and sets off with a grim expression.

Dooku... doesn't expect to see Ky Narec where he once stood.

And the battle for Geonosis is bloody, even more so now that Dooku is down on the field, but Kit and Cin are right along side of him, and he shakes his head because he forgot how much of a monster Cin could be in battle. Because he forgot how much more in-tune lineages tended to be when fighting with their members, the damage created in their wake.

It still isn’t enough, though.

Coleman is still shot down by Jango, and Dooku knows he couldn't change that. He just couldn't get there in time. Mace still kills Jango. He knows that Boba was watching and braces himself for the future.

And still, even with all of them there, they're routed, surrounded and Dooku just keeps his head high, knowing that Yoda was on his way. Yoda, Saldith, and Eeth Koth were gathering the Clones and he had to trust in them.

He thinks Ky's monologue is worse than his own had been and his heart aches because gods he saw Agen kneel down, close the eyes of Tan Yuster as Bultar and Voolvif stand ready to deflect any shots towards their friend.

But the Clones arrive, and Dooku grasps the arm outstretched to him— a clone whose name he would have to learn, he supposed. And the battle outside of the arena is still bloody, but he doesn't falter. He fights, deflects, and survives.

And the Clone Wars begins. Many battles go unchanged, even with Dooku's arrival, he realizes. Muunilinst, the outer rim, and Hypori.

And it's tense, not knowing if Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura would pull through, even when K’kruhk shows back up.

But there is some brightness in the dark. Dooku knows that Palpatine cant get to Anakin because he’s not on the front with the 501st, that fell to Sha to lead and she was doing magnificent.

Instead, Anakin was running strike missions with Fae still, still a Padawan but due to be knighted soon. And Palpatine can’t get his hands on him because he’s always protected by a Baran Do Sage far older than the one that Dooku claims as a friend.

And Ahsoka as a padawan, but Bultar Swan takes her instead. And Dooku shakes his head, knowing that his plans for Voolvif to take Ahsoka were foiled when he sees Plo’s smug look. He lets the other have his small victory.

And then Dooku knows what's next.

He feels what's to come and he grabs Plo's arm as he and the 104th prepare to disembark. He can't stop them from going, but perhaps he can save some more lives.

"Be careful. Contact Sha or Fae should your communications go out."

"Master Dooku, if I didn't know better I would've thought you were worried."

Cheeky Kel Dor.

"Master Koon, if you've forgotten, you and my brother happen to be... together. I would hate for Kit to get mopey."

And of course, despite that, Dooku contacts the Muunilinst 10, meets them before they depart to join them in going to Abregado

"Because I have a bad feeling, Commander Fordo"

"Whatever you say, General Dooku, we’ll follow.”

Many lives are still lost in the wake of the Ion Canon, but Plo pushes through and sends a distress call to Sha through their familial telepathic bond, and she contacts Dooku as he and the Muunilinist 10 are already on their way.

Dooku doesn't know how Plo managed to do it the first time, but he isn't taking chances this time.

Two more pods full of clones are rescued, along with Plo and the original three. And it’s more than Dooku could hope for as they remain silent and waiting for Grievous to bypass them. Silent, waiting, tense.

Dooku pretends not to hear the call between Plo and Kit when they're back in safe space, reluctantly joins Lissarkh's strike team against the Malevolence to make way for Obi-Wan and Roron Corrob's Star-Destroyers in order to protect the injured clones.

The Glade Company are very skilled skilled pilots, Dooku finds even in the face of the Neebray Mantas. Which turns out to be because its not the first time that Lissarkh and the Glade Company have done this and—

"What do you mean you've been using these old smuggler's runs to get across the Galaxy, Lissarkh"

"Master Plo, it's faster and we're a small company. We've managed so far"

"I swear to the Spirits, if it's not Sha or Bultar, it's you causing me to loose years of my life...."

Dooku just chuckles under his breath, because even in war Plo and his former Padawans still have that light and heart to joke around.

Still, Lissarkh is perceptive, able to destroy the Malevolence with just a bit of quick thinking. And Dooku marks another major event he changed off. He's not holding his breath for an early end to the war though, not unless he chooses to go off the rails and murder Palpatine.

And The Lair of Grievous?

Dooku struggles to remember who else could possibly go along with Nahdar before suggesting to Cin that Serra get out on the field again and join Kit because it'll be good practice. Cin is uncertain, but Serra goes, and three Jedi are there when Grievous shows up. And really, the poor guy has a Bad Day because Serra is... Serra.

Kit is both parts terrified and amused as he watches as Serra kicks Nahdar out of the way of a blaster shot and engages Grievous herself.

But things all end well. Mostly. Grievous escaped— again.

And the war keeps going.

And in the final fight, instead of Saesee and Agen, Mace brings the Lineage Trio— because Dooku, Kit, and Cin fighting together is terrifying.

Because instead of Obi-Wan, Agen and Eeth have gone with the 212th to Utapau, because Agen has been itching to confront Grievous and Eeth didn’t leave the Order this time.

And Palpatine would not win easy, not with Dooku filled with hidden rage at both his betrayal at getting beheaded and for ordering the genocide of the Order. Not with Kit Fisto's blood singing to destroy the Sith. Not with Cin Drallig who has stood by as the head of the Guard, watching as more and more Jedi returned to the Temple to be entombed.

Palpatine would not win easily with the three falling into well practiced forms, into a familiar dance with Mace and even through Lightning and darkness, they slagged through.

And Four masters walked into Palpatine's office, grim and determined, and four masters left, laughing because gods Dooku felt high on the light of the force for the first time in a while, leaning on Mace as his brothers staggered and leaned against each other, as the Coruscant Guard rushed over to see what was wrong.

But the four of them just laughed and staggered back to the temple after telling Commander Fox to secure the area. Saesee greeting them with raised brows as Shaak laughs at their states and Vokara sighs and drags them to the halls of healing while Saldith organizes the Guard and Shadows to go with him and investigate the office for anything that could be used as evidence against Palpatine. And the others are called back from the front, because without Palpatine, things crumble.

Plo and all of their once padawans come to the Halls, Yoda and Obi wan and Fae and Anakin too, and Cin grunts that he really hates being known as a hero once Shaak cheekily tells them that they're going to be attending some senate gathering as heores of the Republic.

And Dooku just shakes his head, falling back against the bed with a chuckle because its all fine now. Palpatine's gone. He can relax. Sure there was clean up, but he could relax. And the Force hummed as he fell back into sleep, to the noise of Ahsoka, Bene, and Baylis Archan laughing, and Bant Eerin scolding Kit for jarring his injuries.

The Force hummed and he knows that he did good despite his actions in the past.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ there is no timeline because i moved Micah's death forwards if i ever write this for real though i'll fix that

#Penguin Writes: AUs and Concepts #Penguin Writes: Star Wars #Penguinkiwi Writes #Star Wars #Star Wars: The Clone Wars #Star Wars: The Expanded Universe #Star Wars the Prequel Trilogy #Dooku #Count Dooku #Time Travel #Time Travel AU #Alternative Universe #AU #The Jedi Order

[dracothulhu]

The Temple Jedirodyne AU

Presume for a moment that the Jedi a thousand years prior to the PT were not so absolutely sure that the Sith were extinct. Presume that they looked at the ravages of the Dark Side presence from the occupations and battles pressing at their senses like a miasma, and decided that more needed to be done. The Temple on Coruscant had been attacked and occupied at least once during the Jedi-Sith War, after all. So they looked at the possibility of creating an guardian that would stand for as long as the Temple existed - the Temple itself. 

The Temple is alive; suffused with the presence of one of those ancient Jedi to defend the younger generations far into the future. The structure itself is reinforced with extra, hidden defences - concealed blast doors, enough power generation (solar, wind, geothermal, whatever) to support itself even cut off from the Coruscant power grid, a shield generator capable of withstanding orbital bombardment, and so on - all of which the Temple itself can control. It’s a fortress of last resort, even if it pretends not to be - even ignoring that the Temple is tapped into the Force nexus within the heart of the mountain that it caps, which gives it terrifying power compared to a mortal wielder.

Meanwhile however, the Temple is not merely a silent guardian. That first generation of Jedi after it came to life knew it after all, and would have no reason not to keep speaking with a fellow. The Temple can see, hear, and speak through both mundane means (cameras, microphones, and so on) and the Force itself, and its immense Force presence is a beacon across the whole planet - for the Jedi, a warm and encompassing comfort, like a psychic hug; for the Sith and others of the Dark Side, burning like the air too close to a raging bonfire. The Temple speaks to the Jedi across the generations, and becomes something of a fixture for the Order as a whole - like a close uncle or aunt, an entity who can always be relied on for support and guidance no matter the Jedi in question (though the Temple vigorously refuses any formal position of authority).

Skip forward to the Clone Wars: like with the rest of the Jedi, the Temple has been slowly battered down by the encroaching misery of the war, the fatigue and stress of the Jedi and the constant slow trickle of their deaths. By the close of the war, the Temple is near catatonic and no longer responding to the presence or calls of its inhabitants. Then Order 66 happens.

The Temple feels the one-two punch of the Jedi around the galaxy dying, everywhere, all at once, and it finally feels the Sith presence from Palpatine and Anakin Falling. This - the sudden agony of its charges dying, and the re-emergence of the ancient enemy and the purpose for the Temple’s current existence - is enough to shock the Temple out of its stupor and it begins to enact the measures that it had planned for for a thousand years and never needed to enact. The Temple orders all of the Guard inside, and then locks down. Every entrance is sealed, every defensive system (unused, but thanks to a small army of maintenance droids, dutifully kept in working order and updated through the centuries) fired up. Operation Knightfall is a resounding failure, the Temple remains unbreached (though it will remain under interdiction and observation for the duration of the Empire), and the Jedi inside survive - the old, the young, the wounded, and everyone who was there to recuperate in their ancient home. (Palpatine knew, more or less, that the Temple was aware, from the fragmentary knowledge of previous Sith and the knowledge he’d carefully gleaned from the young Anakin Skywalker in years past. He perhaps thought it would be a delightful cruelty to break the entity to his will, to fully cement his victory. He did not know of the titanic power it could wield to tear apart the surrounding plaza to hurl and scatter troopers like sown grain and cast lightning from the spires to destroy aircraft. He wouldn’t have reason to. He can’t go near the thing now - Vader survived only barely, and clings to life inside a new life support suit, but the Temple would crush Sidious like a bug without remorse.)

Some of the Jedi leave, and the Temple sends them out through forgotten passages into the depths of the undercity where the Empire cannot maintain a watch. Many others remain, safe in the Temple, and stay there until the day the Empire dies.

#star wars #star wars au #order 66 au #temple jedirodyne #I'm a big fan of Girl Genius and Castle Heterodyne is just the coolest #mostly Disney canon but with some parts of Legends to spice things up #how did the Temple get possessed by a Jedi ghost you ask #it doesn't matter #the Force provides #don't worry about it #get fucked Palpatine #no palace for you

[bedlamsbard]

Architect!

Architect : Name the three most important things for you to plan

1. My keystone scenes -- these are the scenes that I'll plot and write the story around, the ones that get stuck in my head and won't come out. It's helpful if I have multiple keystone scenes that fit into different points in the story, since then I can plot the connective tissue by essentially leapfrogging from keystone scene to keystone scene -- for example, Backbone's are the Ahsoka telling Cham about Hera, Cham and Alecto shooting Kanan, Kanan with both red and blue lightsabers on Mustafar (a lot of people thought this was a reference to Shroud of Darkness, but it was actually planned almost a year before that ep aired), Hera's reunion with her parents, the assassination attempt on Cham, and Ahsoka giving Kanan back his lightsabers. (I might be forgetting one or two because it's been a while.) These don't all develop at once; a lot of them will come into being as the early connective tissue gets develops and then become keystones to write towards and around. They don't always stay in their original forms, either -- one of Gambit's keystones was the massacre in the Naboo throne room, but it was originally intended to be Amidala rather than Sabe.

My concept writing tends to be ideas where I only have one or two keystones, because I need at least half a dozen at various points in the timeline to actually be able to plan a full plot. I usually start with a keystone scene (Anakin talking to Obi-Wan's ghost in the vents in Wake, Loki meeting Frigga in the halls of the TVA in Morning) and roll it around in my head as other keystone scenes develop (Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda's conversation + Anakin seeing the Operation Knightfall footage + Anakin pulling Obi-Wan back into his flesh + Anakin vs. Vader on Mustafar in Wake), and then work out the connective tissue to get between those points. One of the reasons that Crown's been stalled is because I have beginning and middle keystones, but not ending ones.

(Morning does have top/middle/end keystones, for the record.)

2. Emotional resonance/theming -- I don't necessarily sit down and go "this is a story about HOPE," but a lot of the time the emotional resonance and thematic notes develops along with the plot and keystones. The Ouroboros trilogy (currently at two out of three) focuses each AU on a reflection of each PT trio member's "worst case scenario" -- Anakin's nightmare universe is, uh, well, the OT canon, where he went to the dark side trying to do the right thing and got everyone he knew killed; Padme's nightmare universe is the one where she dragged a Jedi Knight away from the Order and turned away from the her faith in the Republic and was responsible for the start of a galactic war; Obi-Wan's is the one where his failure led to the destruction of the Republic and the shattering of the Order and where he can't trust the Force anymore. Backbone is a story about identity and faith and family, blood and chosen, and how to get out of a bad situation when you can't admit to yourself it's a bad situation. (So, uh, I got out of an abusive relationship in the middle of Backbone and about six months after that I was rereading what I'd written to date and went yikes, wow, was I ever working through some stuff.)

3. So I'm not a huge fan of the term "fix-it fic," but as someone who writes exclusively AU fanfic, what I'm nearly always aiming for isn't "what canon didn't do," it's "what canon couldn't (or wouldn't) do" -- whether it's because that story has always been told and with rare exception, canon doesn't outright AU itself, or because they're not going to tell ~that kind of story (whether that's sex, violence, darkness, etc.), or because like, they've got their release schedule plotted out for the next ten years and you know the characters aren't going to intersect -- whatever. Star Wars is not going to tell an OT era story where Luke Skywalker is not the big damn hero who saves the galaxy, because, well, the OT exists, but I want to tell the story where that role is played by someone else. Marvel is not going to give me my Asgardian royal family reunion where every single person involved is from a different point in the timeline and from a slightly different universe, but I want to write that story, and while I'm at it I'm going to AU five different movies as a result so that those movies turn out the way I'd have liked, but in order to do that, I have to know those films inside out. I never want to write a fanfic I can scrape the serial numbers off of and get a perfectly intelligible original fic out of, because for me, that's a failed fanfic. I want my fanfic so deeply rooted in canon, no matter how AU it is, that it cannot be disengaged from its canon context. Which doesn't mean it can't be read by someone who's not familiar with the canon -- I got a lot of non-Rebels viewers who read Backbone -- but that as a story it cannot exist without the canon it's based on. And that's a thing I think about a lot while I'm plotting, because if I didn't want to do that? I wouldn't be writing fanfic.

#usershleb #bedlam replies #meme response #bedlam on writing

[mccoyquialisms]

when I’m not working or drowning in boxes, I’ve been in star wars au hell, and since I unfortunately don’t have time to make edits for all of them, I wanted to highlight some favorites I haven’t mentioned before. these are pretty gen, if you want the spicier/’things I’m much more embarrassed to admit to reading” ones send me an ask lmao. *** for still updating/WIPs.

Prequel Era/The Clone Wars:

The Desert Storm and Rise and Fall by Blue_Sunshine ***

Four years after Order 66 and the fall of the Jedi Order, a grieving, struggling Ben Kenobi finds himself inexplicably taken back in time. (This one is a genuine epic that is thankfully still updating and I cannot even begin to express how delighted I am about it. Rise and Fall is the one that’s an ongoing WIP. I will make an edit for this someday...)

Su’Cuyi by InvisibleSilence

“I promised Padmé that I would take care of them. I’ll take them. I have a safe place we can go." No one would find them if she went to her husband. No one knew they were married, after all. (Jango/Obiwan, Obiwan is F)

it’s not the waking, it’s the rising by blackkat ***

Two years after the Empire's rise, Cody wakes up. (Cody becomes Emperor, which is not a thing I knew I wanted until I read it, and now I want it)

All the Souls Deserve a Chance by Batsutousai

When Palpatine dies unexpectedly a year after the invasion of Naboo, the jedi must scramble to pick up the pieces of a grand plan now in shambles. Can Obi-Wan, and his newly-discovered padawan-brother Feemor, be the key to healing the old wound between the Jedi Order and Mand'alor Jango Fett? (this one is just cute and fun tbh. the author’s Make a Brand New End series is also fun!)

in our hearts some ancient song by whimsicalimages

Cody finds Fives first. There are galactic consequences. (Cody/ObiWan)

Deliver Us by Bittodeath ***

Jango decides to save some clones by sending them to a particular Jedi, and in the process accidentally fucks up a lot of Sithly plans. (tagged as Jango/Obiwan but so far has been just straight up family shenanigans. Lots of exploring Mando and Jedi cultures, which is the Good Shit™)

The 212th Attack Battalion’s Guide to Saving the Galaxy by Accident by antigrav_vector, Quarra ***

Ghost Company gets de-aged and thrown back in time. Shenanigans ensue. (pay attention to tags re the relationships on this one if certain ones bother you, but it’s all just good fun tbh)

Everything Happens the Same Except Padme Lives:

the family amidala by dirgewithoutmusic

Padme leans on Obi Wan’s shoulder. Luke has motor oil on his cheek and Leia is trying to smile for him. They are too young to have to carry these things, but they will carry them. They will carry each other through this. 

The Beginning After the End by notbecauseofvictories

Padmé wakes to the back of Obi-Wan’s head, his hair mussed and his arms spread, outstretched over her knees as though to shield her from all that would come. (Too late, Padmé thinks, feeling the dull ache around her throat, where phantom hands tightened. Much too late for that now.)

Sequels Trilogy:

in the place that’s made of old relations by orphan_account

The one where Rey grows up alone on Jakku. Well, not completely alone. It turns out her grandfather knows a thing or two about living in the desert. (Rey is a Skywalker)

Try Again by nymja

Luke Skywalker and the student who found him. (this series was written pre-Last Jedi and is therefore an AU, and also the only canon that I accept)

The Mandalorian:

All Things In Balance by thetamehistorian

Din searches for the child's kind and discovers something else entirely. (I do plan on making an edit for this eventually because Force Sensitive Din my beloved <3)

Heart of a Child by cac0daemonia, Crystalshard

Grogu's life did not begin when Din rescued him from bandits. His story started long ago, and when Palpatine initiated Order 66, one clone trooper was all that stood between him and Operation Knightfall. (for all we know this could be canon. Either way, I am sad)

#YES my tastes lean heavily towards obiwan and mandos/mando-adjacents NO I will not apologize #fanfic #fic rec #star wars #star wars au #long post #embarrassingly there is WAY more but...I am tired #the clone wars #my musings

[inqorporeal]

WIP Wednesday

I don’t do these a lot because I don’t like to spoiler my stuff. But here’s the opening chunk of that still-untitled Post-66 Pirate AU idea I tossed out there a while ago. 

If anyone had asked Hondo what he had thought when news of the Jedi purge reached his ears, he would have laughed and denied interest.

“There are so many more interesting things to worry about, after all, and I have only rarely had dealings with the Order.”

Behind closed doors, where he could scour the shredded, fragmented remains of the HoloNet -- mostly pirate (ha!) datanodes run by independent operators, who had protected their investments from the new Empire's grasp -- for the lists of confirmed dead, it was quite a different story.

Knightfall, they were calling it. Hondo had been familiar enough with certain Jedi to know the double-meaning held real truth; the war might be declared over, but the galaxy felt darker. Colder.

Hondo Ohnaka was not one to openly mourn -- as with his crew, he preferred to celebrate the memories than weep over the loss -- but seeing young Katooni's name on the list had left him feeling speared through the chest. Granted, he had only lured the children back in hopes of ransoming little Ahsoka for the kyber crystals, but Katooni had surprised him with her ingenuity. Ah, she would have made such a fine scoundrel! If he'd had more to drink than usual that night, no one had dared to comment on it.

It was a guilty relief to not find Ahsoka's name also on the list. She was a smart girl; she would be fine.

He kept telling himself that, anyway.

The day he found Skywalker's name on the list was the same day they abandoned the base on Florrum. Some Imperial twit had decided they couldn't tolerate the presence of honorable pirates and had chosen to flatten the base with an orbital bombardment rather than engaging in a proper fight. Too many of Hondo's crew failed to make it past the blockade to hyperspace; they had been forced to scatter and regroup at an old deadspace outpost nobody used anymore.

Because the Empire had shot it to pieces.

Hondo stared out the viewscreen at the broken station -- its hull deeply rent with charred gashes, surrounded by a haze of wreckage and void-frozen corpses -- and for the first time wondered if a future was even possible anymore.

From then, they were forced to remain mobile, never overstaying in a particular area. Pickings were growing slim, now: too many refugees with nothing worth taking, too many Imperial operations groups lurking the major exchange points. The wealthy increasingly remained in well-policed sectors like the Tion Hegemony and the Corporate Sector -- their private security forces blessed by the stinking Emperor in exchange for slavish loyalty.

Hondo was in his cabin running through the navigation charts -- painstakingly created over years, with new routes that bypassed the trade lanes -- about two months after Knightfall, when his comms specialist poked her head in the open door.

“Got a signal, Captain. It's a weird code, dunno where it's coming from.”

“Ho?” Hondo hopped up from his desk -- anything for a distraction from the increasingly depressing prospects of finding a sector in which they weren't (yet) known -- and followed her to the bridge. “Let us see what we have here.”

It took some time -- and some costly flying, breaking the remains of his fleet into smaller groups -- to triangulate the signal's source: a beacon dropped in an asteroid field on the outer reaches of an uninhabitable system. The code, however… oh, Hondo knew that code. He was one of perhaps only a handful of sentients entrusted with it, and assembling a response took the better part of a day. Their patience was rewarded when a small ship, barely more than a shuttle, emerged from its hiding place on one of the larger asteroids and made its cautious way out.

As hiding places went, it was a surprisingly effective one. One would have to be quite the pilot to make it through. Hondo commanded the hangar bay be opened and rushed down in time to see the battered craft settle in the tiny space between the other ships.

When the ramp finally opened, Hondo could have wept with relief. He restrained himself from running to the man who emerged warily, instead walking forward with his arms outstretched in welcome.

“My friend! It relieves me greatly to see you alive!”

General Kenobi -- oh, who was Hondo kidding, he had long since landed on more familiar terms with the Jedi -- cast nervous eyes around the hangar. “Hondo. I… had hoped that was your ship I'd spotted.”

Pressing a hand to his chest, Hondo gasped, “You truly hoped it was me? Obi-Wan, I'm touched!” Now in range, he reached out and grasped the human's shoulders. “You look dreadful, my friend. And, not to put too fine a point on it, but you smell dreadful as well. Does that tiny craft have only sonics? You must have been hiding there for some time! Come, come, we will find you something less, eh, aromatic to wear--”

Obi-Wan was protesting and finally raised his voice over Hondo's relieved babble. “Please! I need to talk to you first.” He pulled Hondo up the ramp into the shuttle, which was most definitely going to be stripped for parts and tossed back among the asteroids before they left this system.

Given the events of the past few months, Hondo could forgive his friend's paranoia. “What is it, Obi-Wan? How did you end up out here?”

The Jedi sagged into one of the few seats in the cramped lounge/galley. “I was trying to reach Tatooine, but there was an unexpected Imperial presence in the system. I got as far away as I could, but I'm almost out of fuel. And supplies.” He gave an exhausted laugh and scrubbed his hands over his unshaven face. “It's been a very long week.”

“So I imagine!” There was an additional smell in the air that Hondo couldn't quite place; he glanced around without being too obvious about it. “But why would you want to go to Tatooine, of all the dustballs? There are many more pleasant worlds to choose from.”

The Jedi ceased his fidgeting long enough to give the pirate a measuring look. “I was… on a mission, I suppose. But the Star Destroyers made me reconsider. You're not being pursued, are you?”

Hondo had to laugh; it came out sounding more cracked and fragile than he liked. “Us? No, no more than any other pirates now. We cannot stay in one place too long, you see.”

Obi-Wan was nodding as he spoke. “It might be for the best,” he murmured, more to himself, but Hondo tilted his head in curiosity. The Jedi shook himself and offered a small, half-hearted grin that didn't quite reach his exhaustion-bruised eyes. “Do you remember all those times you invited me to join your crew?”

Hondo’s heart leaped at the question, but he could play the cagey game, if that would set Obi-Wan at ease. “Of course! Your skills would be an invaluable asset -- and if I may say, you are every bit as conniving as a pirate should be, my friend. The life would suit you.”

The other man's mouth twitched with actual humor. “If your offer was in earnest, then consider me speculating. However, I have a… complication.”

“There are always complications.”

“Indeed.” Obi-Wan gestured for Hondo to wait as he went into the closet-sized cabin; he emerged a moment later with a blanket-wrapped bundle cradled in his arms. “This is my complication.”

Hondo stared at the sleeping… infant? He had never before seen a human so young or tiny. Carefully, he tugged part of the blanket back so he could see the chubby pink face. Something about the way Obi-Wan held the child suggested much more than simple protectiveness.

“Obi-Wan,” he said softly, “who is this?”

“One of the last Jedi younglings, rescued from the purge of the Temple.” It wasn't entirely true, from the way Obi-Wan's eyes shifted, but Hondo would let him keep the story. No wonder he clutched the bundle like it was priceless. “He must be kept safe from the Emperor. We had thought Tatooine would be beyond his notice, but it seems not. But it is very difficult to locate a ship in space….” He trailed off, glancing up at Hondo with cautious hope, even as Hondo filed the mysterious ‘we’ away for later questioning. “Staying with you might be safer.”

Hondo genuinely liked younglings. Oh, he would play the role of gruff disapproval, as expected, but in truth, he loved children. The thought of raising a Jedi child on his own ship was rather daunting, true, but…

He remembered little Katooni's youthful energy, her pride at her success in assembling that precious lightsaber. Her determination to absolutely show Hondo up. Having another determined little one, to teach, to nurture in these dark days after Knightfall… it sparked a little warmth in his chest. Or perhaps that was the result of the miniscule hand with its impossibly small fingers which had fumbled to grip Hondo's index finger. “He is as welcome here as you are, my friend. Does he have a name yet?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “It's Luke. His name is Luke.”

#wip wednesday #star wars #post-66 pirate au

[afaimsblog]

Top 15 Lieblings-Eastereggs und -References aus dem Arrowmultiversum:

 Mit inzwischen insgesamt fünf Serien, vier davon in Dramalänge, gibt es natürlich hunderte von Anspielungen, Referenzen und Eastereggs zu entdecken. Manche von ihnen sind für andere wahrscheinlich auch offensichtlicher als für mich weil mein DC-Comics-Wissen nicht gerade überragend ist, trotzdem sind auch mir genügend aufgefallen um es schwer zu machen nur einige auszuwählen, weswegen ich auf dieser Liste auch schummle und zusammenhängende Eastereggs unter einem Punkt abhandle. Und Achtung! Spoiler-Gefahr bis hin zu den Winterfinalen aller vier Realserien:

15. Arrow 1.5. „Damaged“: 73 1941

Die Nummer die Oliver fürs Polizeifoto hochhält als er in dieser Episode verhaftet wird, lautet 73 1941. Das ist eine Anspielung auf den ersten Auftritt von Green Arrow, der erstmals in More Fun Comics Nr. 73 zu sehen war, das im Jahr 1941 erschien.

http://oliverdant.tumblr.com/post/97518371113/23-olivers-mugshot-in-episode-1x05-we-can

14. Supergirl 2.1. „The Adventures of Supergirl“: Up up and away

Diese spezielle Supergirl-Episode enthält vermutlich mehr Referenzen als anderen Episoden der Serie überhaupt (allein der Titel ist schon eine eigene Referenz für sich) und findet sich daher später auch noch einmal auf dieser Liste. Der Grund dafür liegt darin, dass in dieser Episode Karas Cousin zum ersten Mal als Erwachsener Clark Kent bzw. Superman richtig vorkommt und nicht nur als gesichtslose Gestalt zu sehen ist oder mit ihr chattet. Unter anderem tauschen Superman und Supergirl auch diese unsterbliche Superman-Catchphrase aus den Radio-Dramen miteinander aus.

http://afaimscorner.tumblr.com/post/151651439344#notes

13. The Flash 3.9.  „The Present“: The Philosopher’s Stone

Dieses Eastergg hier könnte vielleicht mehr Zufall als Absicht gewesen sein. Julian Albert spricht hier in dieser Episode über Alchemys mystischen Stein, der auch als der Stein der Weisen bekannt ist. Julian Albert-Darsteller Tom Felton wurde durch seine Darstellung von Draco Malfoy in den „Harry Potter“-Filmen bekannt. Der Titel der ersten Romans lautet „Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone“ und die Handlung dreht sich um den Stein der Weisen als magischen McGuffin, der Voldemort nicht in die Hände fallen soll. Alchemy trägt in der Serie übrigens auch eine Maske, die gewisse Ähnlichkeiten mit denen der Deatheater in den „Harry Potter“-Filmen besitzt. Draco Malfoy war bekannterweise in den späteren Teilen der Reihe ein eher unwilliger Deatheater, so wie Julian ein überaus unwilliger Dr. Alchemy ist.

http://www.cbr.com/flash-julian-tells-barry-about-the-philosophers-stone-in-new-clip/

12. Legends of Tomorrow 1.3. „Blood Ties“: I've seen men of steel die and dark knights fall

Bekanntlich gibt es auf Erde-1 keinen Superman (ander als auf Erde 35 auf der Supergirl und Superman die Haupthelden darstellen), und bisher scheint es auch keinen Batman zu geben, auch wenn es den vielleicht auf Erde-35 geben könnte (dazu gibt es größere Fandom-Diskussionen). Aber als Zeitreisender hat Rip Hunter mehr gesehen als wir bisher. Und bei seiner Beschreibung der Zukunft erwähnt er hier eindeutig Superman und Batman – durch den Plural vielleicht sogar in mehr als nur einer Ausführung. Comictechnisch stellt dieses Zitat zusätzlich dazu natürlich auch noch eine Referenz der beiden berühmten Storylines „Death of Superman“ und „Knightfall“ dar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUgq_jc_Co8

11. Arrow 2. 9: „Three Ghosts“

Es gibt mehrere Gründe, warum diese „3 Ghosts“ zu meinen Lieblingsepisoden des Arrow-Versums zählt und es gibt auch mehrere Gründe, warum sie hier auf dieser Liste zu finden ist. Erstens wird hier der Startschuss besser gesagt Blitz für „The Flash“ geliefert, zweitens ist es eine gelungene Arrow-Version von „The Christmas Carol“ und drittens eine wirklich gute Arrow-Episode mit einigen der besten Momente in der Serie bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt darin enthalten. Es  handelt sich um die Weihnachtsfolge der 2. Staffel und der zweite Teil des Prologs zu „The Flash“; am Ende dieser Folge wird ein gewisser Barry Allen vom Blitz getroffen. Die Reporterin Linda Park, Comic-Wally Wests Ehefrau ist hier versteckt, kommt aber später in vollkommen überarbeiteter Form in „The Flash“ von einer anderen Darstellering gespielt wieder vor. Interessanter ist aber der „Christmas Carol“-Teil dieser Episode: Nach einer Vergiftung wird Oliver von Visionen heimgesucht, die seine Vergangenheit, seine Gegenwart und seine Zukunft in Form von Geistern darstellen: Shado repräsentiert die Vergangenheit, Slade Wilson die Gegenwart (und hier wird unbemerkt verspoilert, dass er noch lebt und in Starling City ist) und Tommy Merlyn die Zukunft in der Oliver ein großer Held sein wird. Anders als in anderen „Christmas Carol“-Adaptionen in Fernsehserien geht es hier auch gar nicht darum, dass Oliver Weihnachten nicht mögen würde, sondern um seine Reise vom hilflosen Oper über den Killer hin zum Helden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdA5eCSDg1E

10. Back to the Future der 1. Staffel von „The Flash“

In der ersten Staffel von „The Flash“ gibt einen ganzen Subplot der offensichtlich stark von “Zurück in die Zukunft” inspiriert wurde, was vielleicht auch daran liegt, dass der Zeitreisende in diesem Fall ein großer Fan ist. Die Figuren nehmen das auch durch gelegentliche Namensnennung zur Kenntnis, wie etwa in dieser Szene, wo der arme Joe West durch populäre Filme Zeitreiseprinzipien erklärt bekommt oder auch durch die berühmte Zeitung die als Indikator dafür dient, ob die zukünftige Zeitlinie erhalten geblieben ist oder nicht (letzter feiert in der aktuellen dritten Staffel sogar ihre Rückkehr).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44TK6kMWcVM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAtQC7VG0zM

9. Cast von The Flash in The Flash: Henry Allen/Jay Garrick, Tina McGee und der Trickster

„The Flash“ von 2014 ist nicht die erste „Flash“-Verfilmung in Serienform. 1990 gab es eine leider nur aus einer Staffel bestehende „Flash“-Serie, die zwar kaum jemand kennt, aber Hardcore-Fans hat. Aber keiner scheint diese Serie mehr zu lieben als die Macher der aktuellen „Flash“-Serie. Der Beweis dafür: Nicht nur, dass die Szenen aus der Serie in der Speed-Force hergezeigt haben und sie damit zu einem Parallel-Universum erklärt haben – sie haben auch den Cast recycelt. John Wesley Shipp, der in der 90er Jahre Serie Barry Allen spielte, spielt in dieser Serie seinen Vater Henry. Amanda Pays und Mark Hamill übernahmen ihre Rollen als Tina McGee bzw. Trickster aus der damaligen Serien in der neuen Serie erneut. Tina McGee war in der alten Serie eine Love Interest für Barry und zwischen ihr und Henry funkt es in der neuen Serie gewaltig. Der Trickster hingegen blickt auf eine lange Karriere zurück- belegt mit Bildern aus der alten Serie. Und auf Erde-3 auf der Henry Allens Doppelgänger Jay Garrick heißt und der Flash ist, bekämpfen er und der Trickster sich nach all den Jahren der Feinschaft anscheinend immer noch wie wir in der diesjährigen Weihachtsepisode eindrucksvoll sehen konnten. Auf gewisse Weise also scheint die neue „Flash“-Serie die alte sogar fortzusetzen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g64Hd75rHN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73tvQF8Vcwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEVkzm3-3g

8. Supergirl: Helen Slater und Dean Cain als die Danvers

Was „The Flash“ kann, kann „Supergirl“ auch, wenn auch nicht ganz in diesen Ausmaß. Aber zumindest was das Casting angeht, hat man sich nicht lumpen lassen. Karas Adoptiveltern werden in der Serie nämlich von Helen Slater und Dean Cain dargestellt. Helen Slater spielte einst die Titelheldin in dem „Supergirl“-Film von 1984 und übernahm in „Smallville“ als Referenz dazu die Rolle von Clarks biologischer Mutter Lara-El. Dean Cain wiederum ist uns allen als Clark Kent bzw. Superman aus „Lois und Clark“ bekannt (und spielte übrigens auch eine Gastrolle in „Smallville“). Kara wurde also von Supergirl und Superman adoptiert. Verwirrend….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0CChbms-6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwLAK7eqCYY

7. Smallville-Szene in Supergirl recycelt

Und bleiben wir gleich bei „Smallville“. Deren letzten paar Seasons waren bekanntlich eine Art Trockenübung für das Arrow-Versum und der Grund dafür, warum eine Green Arrow-Serie überhaupt entwickelt wurde. Auf Grund dessen wurden gleich eine ganze Szene aus der Serie in „The Adventures of Supergirl“ nachgestellt: Clark Kents erster Auftritt in der Serie war so auch einst in „Smallville“ zu finden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI6Gw0Jr6R4

6. The Flash 3.7. „Killer Frost“: Der Kuss

In dieser von Kevin Smith inszenierten Episode beginnt Caitlin die Kontrolle über sich selbst und ihre Kräfte zu verlieren und wird zunehmend wie ihre böse Doppelgängerin Killer Frost. Barry muss sich ihr stellen und einiges sowohl verbal als auch körperlich einstecken – unter anderem einen eiskalten Kuss. Die entsprechende Szene enthält aber nicht nur einen klassichen Killer Frost-Angriff, sondern stellt auch eine Hommage zu einem gewissen anderen DC-Film dar: „Batman Returns“ hatte Catwoman und Batman in genau derselben Position dargestellt.

http://heroichollywood.com/the-flash-kevin-smith-killer-frost-kiss/

5. Legends of Tomorrow 1. 5. „Fail Safe“: This isn’t my  first prison Break

Captain Cold und Heatwave werden bekanntermaßen von Wentworth Miller und Dominic Purcell dargestellt, die zuvor gemeinsam in der Serie „Prison Break“ zu sehen waren. Tatsächlich ist diese Serie sogar der Grund dafür, warum Purcell als Mick Rory gecastet wurde, da Wenworth Miller seinen ehemaligen Kollegen auf Grund ihrer Onscreen-Chemie für die Rolle vorschlug. In „Fail Safe“ müssen Mick (und Ray) aus einem russischen Gefängnis gerettet werden, woraufhin Leonard einen Plan dafür entwickelt. Neben einigen anderen Hommagen in der Episode selbst, stellt der zitierte Satz von Captain Cold natürlich die offensichtlichste „Prison Break“-Hommage im Arrowversum bisher dar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybYus9ZDiZE

4. Legends of Tomorrow 1.6. „Star City 2046“

In dieser Legends-Episode gibt es gleich mehrere Hommagen aus den Zukünften der DC-Comics die aufeinander treffen. Der einarmige verbitterte alte Oliver Queen erinnert natürlich an die Version des Charakters aus „The Dark Knight Returns“. Grant Wilson, Sohn von Slade Wilson, ist in den Comics ein Fein der Teen Titans, während Connor Hawke, einer der Green Arrows in den Comics, normalerweiser Olivers Sohn ist. Hier ist John Diggles Sohn, der eigentlich John Jr heißt. Zum Zeitpunkt dieser Episode nahm man noch an, dass John und Lyla vermutlich ein weiteres Kind einen Sohn bekommen würden, doch nach „Flashpoint“ wurde ihre Tochter Sara Diggle zu John Jr. Wie sein Sohn übernahm auch John Diggle schon ab und an die Identität des (Green) Arrows und wurde sogar in der von den Dominators kreierten Scheinwelt anstelle von Oliver zum Kapuzenmann, da Starling City einen Vilganten braucht.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7HuKMZWtKYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiNxTKrYIlo

3. Arrow 2. 16 „Suicide Squad“: Harley Quinn

In dieser Arrow-Episode (die übrigens um einiges besser ist als der gleichnamige Film) wird das berühmte Selbstmordkommando zum ersten Mal zusammengestellt. Bei der Rekrutierung der Mitglieder meldet sich eine weibliche Schattengestalt freiwillig für die Task Force X wird aber abgelehnt. Bei dieser verrückten Freiwilligen, die von sich behauptet Therapeutin zu sein, handelt es sich offensichtlich um Harley Quinn. Sie wird von Tara Strong gesprochen, die den Charakter auch in den „Arkham“-Spielen und „Injustice“ synchronisierte. Tatsächlich planten die Serienmacher Harley in späteren Folgen einzubringen, was ihnen jedoch von Warner auf Grund des geplanten Filmes untersagt wurde. Da aber inzwischen neue Übereinkünfte bezüglich Film- und Serienprojekten getroffen wurden, können wir vielleicht doch noch darauf hoffen Harley irgendwann noch richtig im Arrowversum zu sehen zu bekommen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5pE1rnI8q4

2. The Flash 2.2. „Flash of Two Worlds“

Diese Episode stellt eine der offensichtlichsten Comic-Hommagen der Serie dar. Benannt wurde sie nach dem 1961 erschienen Crossover, in dem Barry und Jay Garrick aufeinander treffen. Tatsächlich wurde innerhalb der Episode selbst sogar das Cover dieses Heftes in einer Einstellung reproduziert als beide Flashes einer am Boden liegenden Person in Blau zu Hilfe eilen. Inzwischen wissen wir natürlich, dass in dieser Episode nicht alles so ist, wie es zu diesem Zeitpunkt scheint, aber das macht diese Hommage nicht weniger wunderbar.

http://afaimscorner.tumblr.com/post/141948696829/didufallfromheaven-uangel-flash-of-two-worlds#notes

1. Brandon Routh war mal Superman

Wie sich manche vielleicht erinnern können, ist der hinreißende Ray Palmer nicht Brandon Rouths erste große DC-Rolle. Es gab da mal einen gewissen Bryan Singer-Film mit Namen „Superman Returns“. Rückblickend wäre es uns lieber gewesen, dass dieser fortgesetzt worden wäre damit uns all diese Superman-ist-Jesus-Metaphern erspart blieben wären, aber damals war es ein langweiliger seltsamer Nostalgie-Trip, der den Trend von „altmodische Kleidung, aber moderne Technik“ los trat, der uns Geeks bis heute verfolgt. In diesem Film spielte Brandon Routh Clark Kent und Superman. Das lässt uns auch das Arrow-Versum nicht vergessen. In der Flash-Episode „All Star Team Up“ (der Titel ist übrigens erneut eine Hommage für sich) tauschen sich Caitlin und Cisco über den herannahende Atom mit der üblichen Superman-Phrase „It’s a bird, it’s a plane“ aus bis Felicity sie mit den Worten „It’s my boyfriend“ unterbricht. Und in dem Legends-Teil des „Invasion!“-Crossovers merkt Ray Felicity gegenüber an, dass Kara aussieht wie seine Cousine, denn immerhin ist Supergirl ja die Cousine von Superman.

http://afaimscorner.tumblr.com/post/130673948064/theflashland-submitted-by#notes

http://afaimscorner.tumblr.com/post/154725140874/cwsupergirlgifs-they-did-that#notesar Team-Up)

#Blog #Arrowverse #Arrowmultiverse #berlantiverse #Arrow #The Flash #Supergirl #legends of tomorrow #Easterggs #References #Hommage

[kiwikipedia]

Cin Drallig didn’t have Clones under his command. We know this, he wasn’t a General, he was the Battlemaster and head of the Temple Guard Security. But I propose an AU.

It starts with a small choice. After a long day of standing and doing quite literally nothing for hours on end, the Temple Guards who were on the day shift disperse into Coruscant. Technically not against the Jedi Way but going to get inebriated or just bar hopping for the fun of it— or worse, getting into the semi-illegal, underground, lower level fighting rings— wasn’t exactly something that the Jedi looked favorably upon.

But the Jedi Temple Guard get restless after standing still for so long, especially the newer Guards, and Cin pretends he doesn’t see when a group of his kids Guards come stumbling back in the early morning hours with credits won from a gambling match and wide grins.

Anyhow, like any other Jedi, the Guard do have friends among the rest of the Temple, so they know of the Clones and have obviously seen them when Jedi arrive and leave the temple with their Battalions, Companies, Platoons— you know, the usual. After a while, the Guards just... start showing up at 79s and interact with the Clones while there. Which is weird because, first of all, when dressed in civvie clothing, the Guard are practically unrecognizable as very few see their faces, but secondly these are just random Jedi coming up to Clones and buying them drinks, playing card games with them, or thanking them for their efforts on the Front.

Several ask for stories about the time on the Front because “We’re stuck on Coruscant and sure, the duty to protect the Temple is really important but we were all trained by Master Drallig beyond our own Padawan training. I’m pretty sure Master Drallig is just as restless as we are too” and they want to know about what they’re not allowed to go and see themselves. Of course, War is horrible, and more than one Guard is horrified about whats going on— especially when a certain Jedi’s battalion gets back Krell you bitc h im talking about you— and they all learn about the casualty numbers.

The Guard does talk in their free time, their masks have coms built into them— and Cin has an earpiece to keep in contact with the Guard as well. Though they seem to forget that he’s on their group link and they all start talking during shifts while they stand outside the doors or in the halls about the War and the Clones and, whoops, one of them lets it slip that they cant believe that the Clones are supposed to fight Darksiders without Lightsabers. Like sure, Blasters do damage, and certainly more than one Jedi has been gunned down ( “Rest in the Force, Master Di” is echoed through the link ) but really! Theres only so much their Armor can do for them! A lightsaber would cut through it like flimsi.

Cin, of course, startles them all by asking for confirmation that the Clones— who he had been told were all trained to be very skilled in combat— had no Saber training because remember, Cin and the Temple Guard knew very little about the Clones because they were told that “it’s not I mportant to tell you all, as you won’t be working with the Clones”

Once he has confirmation that no, the Clones didn’t have any Saber training and were expected to go up against Darksiders like Ventress and Dooku with just blasters and their bodies, he just sighs.

The next day he brings three of the Guard and also Bene with him down to the Barracks— and a shit ton of practice Sabers. And who else was there but the Clone Dad ™ we all know and love? That’s right, and guess who thinks training the Clones to use lightsabers is a great idea and “Well, now I wonder why I hadn’t thought of it first, Master Drallig”? 

Plo fucking Koon.

So of course, the 104th is put through what the Padawans had called “Training Hell”— especially since the Clones don’t have years between deployments like the Initiates had before becoming padawans. The Six forms are taught, Cin brings in more of the Guard who have mastered their respective Forms and Bene has fun with the Boys ™ as well because she goes through katas with them, wipes the floor in practice duels with others, and now the Guard has to compete with the 104th (and Plo) spoiling Bene.

( ”You’re spoiling my Padawan, Master Koon” “[laughter] your padawan? I think you mean ours” “If that’s the case then our men should know not to spoil her so much. The Guard do a fantastic job on their own.” )

( This is, of course, without even bothering to ask the Council or the GAR’s higher ups, this is all on his and the Guard’s own actions— its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. But hey, if Plo Koon was on board than Cin has a leg up if it get brought to the Council anyways. )

When the 104th leaves for the Front again, guess whose Clones are next— the 501st. This time the rumors are going around that the 104th is suddenly more vicious than before and the 501st is eager to know what happened while they were on shore-leave. They soon regret it, because Training Hell is— well— Hell. Anakin and Ahsoka have flashbacks to when they went through Training Hell and Bene laughs at them.

Slowly, each Clone battalion, platoon, company and so on are being trained by a near constant rotation of the Temple Guard, Bene, and Cin— and their own Jedi as well. A few knights that Cin personally trained— like Serra Keto— as well join in when they can. Cin puts in a request to go to Illum and gather more Kyber Crystals for more “training sabers” but half the Council who know and approve of Cin’s actions already know— the man’s planning on making at least a thousand lightsabers for the Vode to pass around.

The Temple Guard have a Lightsaber Building Night where they assemble the “training sabers” together and talk about their Clones because the Vode might have their Jedi Generals, but the Guard have claimed all of the ones they’ve trained as theirs too. Especially the Coruscant Guard.

Bene happily gives Fox, Thorn, Thire, Stone, and Hound their lightsabers first, having assembled all of them with Serra.

(And now for the angst)

It’s all well and good— the GAR starts gaining more ground, less Clones are dying.

And then Operation Knightfall and Order 66 hit.

The Jedi on the ground cannot possibly raise their sabers to these men that they helped train, cant possibly defend from blaster shots while also blocking lightsaber strikes that were taught under the Battlemaster’s strict teaching because he taught them to keep them alive—

And in the Temple?

Well, after Grand Inquisitor murdered all the Guard he could find, even after everything, those that remain are just horrified as they are forced into battle with their vode. Certainly, Cin’s job of protecting the Temple from the Clones is much harder than before, now that they’re armed with Lightsabers and it hurts because “by gods what have I done, I’ve given them the means to kill us all—” but also “I trained these men, they were like the Guard, like my sons—”

Instead of Vader, Cin’s murdered by six lightsaber wielding clones after a split second of faltering because gods he can’t.

And for a split second, when the sabers enter his body, the Clones behind them jolt awake— horrified as they realize that it’s Teacher Drallig on the other end, face twisted in pain as he falls and it’s little Bene’s choking gasps that are behind them as Vader strangles her to death.

But that split second is over too soon, and the Sabers are removed and the Clones move on— good soldiers follow orders, after all, and Teacher Drallig and Little Bene the Jedi Battlemaster and his student were just Traitors, after all. Good soldiers follow orders.

#I had a thought and it sorta vanished but the general idea made it in #Cin Drallig #Bene (Star Wars) #Serra Keto #Plo Koon #Anakin Skywalker #Jedi Temple Guards #Coruscant Guard #Commander Fox #Commander Thorn #Commander Thire #Commander Stone #Commander Hound #104th battalion #Star Wars #star wars: the clone wars #star wars: the expanded universe #Star Wars: EU #star wars the prequel trilogy #AU #Star Wars AU #penguinkiwi talks about writing #alternative universe #Order 66 #Lightsaber Clones