#Storm Over Ryloth | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mostlycompetentwriter · 10 months

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Star Lost

F/M Pairing: Fem! Reader x Changbin (SKZ)

Genre: Science Fiction; Star Wars AU

Word Count: 13K

Warnings: Explicit Smut, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Alcohol Consumption, and Language; Changbin as a Brooding Mandalorian

Summary: They found you, a speck among millions of stars, and they gave you a home in their ranks. But how will your ragtag family of bounty hunters fare against a former storm trooper who offers you a compelling reward in exchange for your services?

A/N: if you see any mistakes, no you don’t...

Tag List: @luminouskalopsia @straykissss @charreddonuts @pandinha-puff @mrs-grim-reaper @elkel @lamerchesan @idek-at-this-point-lol @poutypoutybin @lavenderbang @adaamazing

“Do you have the target in sight?”

The question, heavily modulated, hummed through the dusty speakers along with a fresh wave of static.

“I see him,” you replied, tapping your fingers against the screen in the hopes of deterring those annoying purple and black bars from moving like electrified waves across your line of vision.

If you did your job well, then it would be easy for the rest of your group to catch your next bounty. But that meant keeping a close watch on his movements, which was rather hard to do with outdated equipment that had seen better days. Still, your last-ditch efforts to clear the screen seemed to work, and you could see the target speaking to one of the competitors who was adjusting his helmet next to his speed cruiser.

“Chan?” you called into your headset. “Are you set at the starting line?”

“I am,” your leader returned, and your eyes were immediately drawn to a flash of blonde hair walking across the sand, trailed by a familiar Twi’lek and Togruta hot on his heels.

“Get ready,” you said, watching the three imposing figures attract a fair amount of attention from the surrounding competition. Not that you blamed them. Elegant, tall, and graceful, Hyunjin’s stunning countenance had once been attached to an incredible price tag when he had been imprisoned under the infamous Jabba the Hutt on the desert planet Tatooine.

His species, the Twi’lek, were coveted because of their colorful features, beautiful head tails, and gorgeous facial pigments. Yet, beneath Hyunjin’s speckled green skin was a powerful warrior who had spent years mastering the martial arts in order to secure his freedom.

Next to him walked Minho, a Togruta who fled his home planet Ryloth to seek a better life. Unlike Hyunjin’s two prehensile head-tails that grew from the crown of his skull, Minho had three of them, spreading over his shoulders and another emerging from the rear base of his skull. His bright orange skin almost made him blend against the backdrop of the sand, but his white and blue-tinted head-tails disrupted the camouflage and cast a unique halo around the crown of his head.

“We’re starting,” Chan’s voice broke through your thoughts, and you took a deep breath as he mounted his cruiser, switching on the ignition and looking nothing short of fearless with his blonde hair swept back by a headband and his blue eyes sharp and calculating.

Minho and Hyunjin exchanged a few words with Chan before they walked over to stand at the side of the arena, glaring at anyone who ventured too close. “If looks could kill,” you quipped, earning yourself a tight-lipped smile from Hyunjin.

“Racers, take your marks!” the drone flying overhead announced, and the arena was filled with the reverberating sound of various engines being revved as riders prepared to race for the grand prize: a mountain of gold that you had seen with your own eyes, disbelief rendering you speechless. But it wasn’t the money that you and your partners were after...your crew sought something far more valuable, and it meant that weeks of careful planning were riding on this one moment.

This is the part where you held your breath, muscles tensed as you watched the traffic light change from red to yellow and then, finally, green. Cuing the start of the race, and a huge, dusting of sand reared up in the background, spreading across the arena as the cruisers took off, speeding into the distance where they would attempt to conquer the course as quick as possible without wrecking or, worst case scenario, dying.

You knew during the planning stage that Chan’s part in this was nothing short of dangerous, but that didn’t mean you accepted it without stressing over every possible piece of the puzzle that could go wrong. Even as you watched Chan’s heat signature on the screen, tracking him across the vast expanse of sand and open dunes that populated the small dessert planet you had landed on for this mission, your mind was whirring. All you could do was keep an eye on things as the real trouble happened at the end, especially if Chan managed to win the race.

In actuality, a first-place win wasn’t necessary; the most he really had to do was finish in the top 3, and Chan was notorious for being an excellent racer. It had been a no-brainer to choose him for this part, even if the risks meant that something could easily happen to deter your entire mission, leaving you back at square one.

But it was your best plan, and that meant waiting. Long, agonizing minutes of stationary monitoring. Chewing on the ends of your fingernails as you watched Chan pass the second-place cruiser, building a lead that still didn’t offer you reprieve. What if an Ackley spotted him from a distance and decided to make him its next meal? What if his cruiser malfunctioned...although, that was highly unlikely considering the man who built it from scratch.

And just the thought of him made you shiver unexpectedly despite the heat penetrating your ship. “Focus,” you whispered as thoughts of him could certainly derail your focus if you weren’t careful.

“They’re coming in for the finish!”

Your eyes were burning from forcing yourself not to blink, laser-focused on the screen in front of you as the racers rounded the final stretch, and you could feel the tension ready to snap at a moments notice.

Riding at the front of the pack was Chan, flanked on either side by second and third place. It was tight. Too tight.

And you winced at the moment of impact, when all three cruisers collided over the finish line.

Every ounce of oxygen left your lungs, body seizing in a catatonic state when Chan lurched forward off his cruiser, flying through the air to land with an audible thud against the unforgiving track. Nothing but an unmoving heap amidst wreckage of metal parts and loose pieces.

“No!” you whispered, fingers trembling against your headset as Hyunjin and Minho ran across the arena, falling next to Chan with clear urgency in their movements.

Your heart thundered in your chest at the sight, chills running down your spine. What would your crew accomplish without your leader? Could any of you live with the guilt and regret if he didn’t make it back on the ship?

Yet, just as those intrusive thoughts entered your head, you noticed one of Chan’s hands gripping tight to Minho’s forearm. It was the first sign of life, and you let out an incomprehensible noise when Hyunjin and Minho managed to help muscle Chan into a sitting position, cleaning the dust and debris from his racing suit.

“He’s okay.” You breathed a sigh of relief as Chan stood from the wreckage, brushing aside Hyunjin and Minho.

He had done it.

Chan had won the race.

Not without a few bumps and bruises, and maybe something worse as you noticed his legs wobbling beneath him. He started for the bleachers lining the sides of the track, gritting his teeth against obvious pain, when the crackling of reverb from the overhead speakers disrupted the chaotic aftermath.

“To the victor goes the spoils,” a booming voice rang from across the track, attracting every pair of eyes in the arena to the tall, lanky figure emerging from the shaded tunnel. Even from afar you could recognize him as your target, dressed in wealth and cloaked in a gold cape that swept the ground and churned up a faint cloud of dust.

“He’s coming,” you spoke in the headset to warn Hyunjin and Minho, who held just that extra bit tighter to Chan, helping him stand prouder in spite of his obvious pain.

“Well, we certainly weren’t expecting this,” your target spoke, hands moving in the air. “An outsider from another planet. Winning against all odds.”

“Impressed?” Minho dared to venture, ignoring Hyunjin’s sharp eye.

“Indeed,” your target agreed. “But where are my manners? My name is Raphael. I’m the owner of this track.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Chan forced out between clenched teeth. “I’m Chan and these are my crew members, Hyunjin and Minho.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Raphael smiled, something grand and well-practiced. “Are there more of you?”

“A few of us,” Chan replied vaguely in turn.

Raphael nodded, glancing between your three crew mates with obvious interest. “You’ll join me, of course?” he asked with a smile. “We must celebrate our new champion. Bring all of your friends!”

Bingo. It was the opening your team had been hoping for, and Chan ducked his head in agreement, following behind Raphael as he turned around to lead the way. “Meet Jeongin outside the stadium,” Chan murmured into the mic, speaking directly to you. “Tell the guards that you’re with us.”

You perked up in interest, surprised that Chan wanted you and Jeongin to join him. Usually, you and your team’s medic remained behind, tucked away on the ship while the others did the heavy lifting.

Unless Chan was desperate for trusted medical assistance. Or, he was keeping information from you. Either way, something bad was churning in the settling dust, the remnants of the race disappearing in the wind.

You tossed aside your headset, moving through the ship to find Jeongin in his small laboratory. He was hunched over his desk, eyes squinting from behind eyeglasses that had long ago went out of a current prescription. “Jeongin,” you said, and he offered a muted hum of acknowledgment. “Chan wants us to meet him.”

Jeongin frowned at that, but agreed nonetheless, tossing on his lab coat as you led the way off the ship, ensuring that the cloaking shield was on before you started in the direction of the dusky, dilapidated buildings that populated the infamous desert city. “What does he want with us?” Jeongin huffed, struggling to keep pace with your longer strides.

If you didn’t know any better, you might think Jeongin was allergic to fresh air, preferring the indoors and the comforts of his lab equipment and potions. “I don’t know,” you replied, and the two of you fell into terse silence as you followed the tracking beacon that Chan had attached to his suit before leaving the ship, guiding your way through the streets lined with merchants and patrons alike, hustling and moving, as you fought your way through the crowds.

Up ahead in the distance, you identified a taller building, standing out from the rest. Far more elegant, a picture of wealth, made entirely of the nicest stone masonry and supported on four tall columns. The roof was slanted in the shape of a cylinder, and the adjoining towers seemed to vanish into the clouds above.

“They’re inside?” Jeongin asked.

You nodded, braving the steps leading to the large, mahogany-colored doors where two Gamorreans stood guard, holding double-axes between their clawed hands. “Halt!” one of them called, taking a step forward.

“We’re with Bang Chan,” you said, bowing his head. “He asked us to meet him here.”

The Gamorrean grunted, turning to his friend who merely stood aside, opening the doors to reveal a long, narrow hallway, marble floors shimmering with the reflection of the flames held on wall scones. “Thanks,” you muttered, pulling Jeongin behind you with a hand on his shoulder.

Once inside, you weren’t surprised to see a tall, formally dressed man immediately come to greet you, bowing low at the waist and requesting that you follow him to the main room. “Of course,” you agreed, and there a skip in the butler’s step that had you rolling your eyes, taking in the gruesome war scenes hanging from the walls in graphic detail.

As if you needed confirmation of Raphael’s preoccupation with violence. “Right this way,” the butler directed you down another corridor, walking you to the end to open another set of doors, and your stomach settled a little at the sight of Chan, Minho, and Hyunjin.

“Ah!” Raphael clapped his hands together in delight. “You weren’t lying.”

You frowned at that, but chose not to comment, and you and Jeongin joined Chan, taking two flutes of champagne from one of the waiters making rounds through the room. “This is Y/N,” Chan said. “And Jeongin.”

“Excellent,” Raphael said. “And the girl...”

“Untouched,” Chan agreed, which you knew was a blatant lie, so why was Chan saying such things?

“Then you can stand with me,” Raphael said, and you forced yourself to move, casting Chan a confused look which was merely met with a nod.

You forced down your disgust, letting Raphael tuck your arm into his as he continued chatting away about the room’s décor. What was Chan’s goal here? To make Raphael think you were a virgin? What good would that do?

Maybe something had happened to force a change of plans. But you didn’t like it one bit, being in the dark and holding your tongue as Raphael continued to drink glass after glass of champagne. Perhaps Chan’s plan was to get him drunk enough to pass out.

“Now, what about your other guest-”

The doors opened again to interrupt Raphael, and you could feel the room’s temperature drop. Your stomach was flipping in somersaults, twisting and churning, as your Mandalorian walked closer, flanked by Han and Seungmin, the final members of your ragtag crew of hunters. “What do we have here?” Raphael laughed, seemingly delighted. “Can it really be a Mandalorian?”

“Does it surprise you?” Chan asked, tone cool and collected.

“In beskar?” Raphael hummed. “I can’t say I’m not intrigued.”

You shivered at the blatant interest in Raphael’s gaze. “Does it have a name?”

“He does,” Changbin finally spoke, voice modulated through his helmet. “But not for your ears.”

“Ah, yes, the code,” Raphael smirked, tone dripping with disrespect. You bristled at the insult, knowing firsthand just how important names were considered in Mandalorian culture. Their secrecy equated to their survival. Even within your team, Changbin’s name remained a mystery.

Well, except to you, of course, since he had willingly whispered it to you one night, breath hot against the skin of your thighs from where he had laid between them.

You blushed at the memory, shaking your head clear of any thoughts of your Mandalorian and the lust his presence spiked in your blood.

“This day just keeps getting better,” Raphael said, jostling you a bit with his over-eager motions.

It was then that you could feel Changbin’s gaze on you, even through his reflective visor. Did he know about this change in plan? Or, was he just as confused?

“How much then?” Raphael asked and Chan cocked one brow.

“How much?”

“For your Mandalorian!” Raphael said. “He’d make a fine warrior!”

“Not for sale,” came Changbin’s dead-panned response.

“Well, what about the lady?” you grimaced at his breath on your face, seeing Han clasp a tight hand on Changbin’s shoulder before he could react.

“100,” Chan replied, and you forced down your urge to flinch. “But it must be done on my ship. I don’t allow her out of my sight.”

“So, you’ll be watching?” Raphael quipped.

You rolled your eyes, stopping on Chan’s form. Was this really his plan? To pretend to sell you out to get Raphael on the ship?

“How can I trust you?” Raphael asked, and you noticed one of his guards entering the room.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Chan asked, and that’s when all civility ended, watching the guard lift his blaster from the corner of his eye.

He was down before you could blink, Minho aiming his blaster just right, and that’s when you knew to hide, breaking Raphael’s hold to dive under one of the refreshment tables. Jeongin fleeing next to you.

Maybe Chan had anticipated this as a last resort. If you didn’t work, coming on to Raphael, then there would be a fight. Then, they would need Jeongin if anyone was injured.

Your hands closed over your ears to drown out the sounds of blasters and screams, whispering a prayer under your breath that none of your crew would feel the stinging edge of a blaster’s rays. You hated this. The violence inflicted against the people you cherished.

But in the blink of an eye, it was over, and silence reigned. Then, you felt a familiar gloved hand wrap around your arm, and you forced your eyes open, relief washing over you at the sight of Changbin.

“We’re fine,” he said, the only two words you needed to hear for your shoulders to drop and your heart to return to an even pace.

You let Changbin help you out from under the table, swallowing hard at the carnage around you. Thankfully, you were quick to tally the ones that mattered: Chan, with a smear of blood under his eye, Minho, Hyunjin, looking put-off as always, Seungmin, and Han.

“Let me see,” you heard Jeongin speak, eyes following him as he moved in closer to examine Chan’s wound.

You felt no remorse studying Raphael’s crumpled body on the floor, leaving nothing but a sea of dead bodies surrounding you. But a tiny shiver did fall down your spine when you felt Changbin’s hand caress your own from behind - a barely-there brushing of appendages. Yet, you had never felt so lightheaded. It was his silent way of comforting you.

“Sorry,” Chan grumbled into the silence, holstering his blaster with a sigh. “He wasn’t coming in hot.” You grimaced as Jeongin applied a salve to Chan’s eye, spreading some of the blood.

“No,” Minho agreed in that assessing way he had about him, finishing a sweep of the room with calculating eyes. “Not that it matters.”

“Let’s get out of here before the rest of his guards come,” Changbin said, and you jumped a little at the sound of his voice, so close behind you, that it almost felt like a gentle hug.

The others murmured their assent, and Chan was the first to start for the big, oval-shaped window at the back of the room, using a chair to smash through the glass. It rained down on the floor, joining the bodies and blood, reflecting colorful light at different angles. “We’ll head back to Tatooine, hand over the rest of the bounties.”

There were no objections, and you let Changbin coddle you, even if you often insisted on trying to maintain a strong image in public. “You did good, kitten,” he mumbled to you. “Even if I didn’t like that slimy bastard’s hands all over you.”

You preened at the his obvious jealousy, holding your tongue to prevent yourself from saying anything that might tease him too much. Instead, you focused on following the others, keeping to the shadows of the clay-lined buildings until your ship came into focus in the foreground, growing larger and larger as you approached.

“Everyone on board,” Chan said, brushing aside Jeongin’s worried hands. “It’s fine.”

“It could get infected!”

“Just check on the others,” Chan insisted, nodding at Minho as the two of them walked onboard and immediately started up the ladder to the cockpit above, flipping switches and turning dials to bring the ship to life.

You watched Jeongin deflate, but he did move about the room, making sure everyone else was fine. “Y/N?”

“I’m okay,” you assured him, turning your head to the side to track Changbin’s movements with your gaze as he disappeared below deck. It was obvious to you where he was going, as you remembered that Han, Seungmin, and Changbin had been tasked with bringing back the remains of the cruiser before joining everyone else in Raphael’s hideout.

“You might have to finish with Chan when he falls asleep,” you whispered, pleased at Jeongin’s smile.

Satisfied that the others were safe, and Jeongin in better spirits, you took a familiar path to your room, deciding to wash up before searching for Changbin later, deciding he needed an appropriate reward for always looking out for you.

It had only been a few hours since you made the jump to hyper speed, and you observed the flashing stars from your window for a while before deciding to find Changbin. Your first instinct was to check the lower deck, as you knew Changbin’s mind was a machine that often worked itself up in battle only to take far too long to return to normal again.

Of course, you weren’t the slightest bit surprised, when all was said and done, to find him tending to the remnants of Chan’s cruiser on the floor beneath the main deck. In the room where you kept weapons and other machines. In fact, you found yourself smiling at his predictability despite his claims otherwise.

“What are you doing?” you asked to break the silence, coming into the room before closing the door behind you.

Immediately, a familiar black visor was searing your gaze. “The better question is...why are you awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” you lied, tip-toeing closer to where he stood, still clad in his beskar armor, arms folded over his chest.

“Really?” the modulated voice purred, and you were delighted by the sound. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

You shivered at the prospect. “Maybe...”

He grunted, dropping his helmet back down to look at the sad remains of the cruiser. “Chan promised he would be careful.”

You snorted at the comment. “When is he ever?”

He didn’t respond right away, walking along the melted edges of the cruiser as if looking for potential. Even though you only saw a pile of junk, you knew that he was a master when it came to engineering.

An intellect who also happened to be a highly skilled warrior, trained in battle under the guidance of an ancient civilization. But more than that, he was your Mandalorian, and you found him irresistible.

From under the fluorescent lights of the workshop, you admired his powerful presence. Even clad in beskar, from his shiny gray helmet to his black chest plate, Changbin was a sight to behold. You shivered when your eyes landed on his fingers flexed inside his gloves, knowing firsthand just how they felt curled inside of you.

For a moment, silence persisted between you both, and you thought that you might just watch Changbin work on the cruiser. But then he started for the big, worn leather chair tucked away at the workbench in the furthest corner of the room, spreading his legs apart. “Come here,” he husked, crooking a finger in your direction.

You swallowed hard, feeling yourself grow wet at the mere sound of his commanding tone. You were helpless to obey, forcing your legs to work as you managed the short walk to stand in between Changbin’s legs wrapped loose in leather pants. His head fell to the side, looking at you from that annoying visor that kept his gaze from locking on your own. You could only hope that he didn’t notice the way you were trembling like a delicate leaf in a windstorm.

“Kitten,” Changbin said, and you nearly gasped at the seductive sound of his nickname for you. “Turn off the lights.”

You nodded so hard you thought you might get whiplash, nearly tripping over yourself in your haste to flip the light switch, bathing the workshop in a dark blanket of black.

A deep exhale filtered through your lips, heart thundering against your chest, as you used your hands to help guide your way back over to Changbin. Once you stood in front of him again, trapped between the reassuring weight of his legs, you heard the familiar hiss of air that released whenever he removed his helmet.

According to Mandalorian tradition, a Mandalorian could not reveal their identities to anyone. They wore their protective beskar, including the helmet, to hide themselves from the world.

Not once, in the years that you had known Changbin, had he ever revealed himself to you. Even in intimate moments like this, you could only touch him when there was darkness to keep himself hidden.

“Kitten,” Changbin growled, and you realized you had been tuning him out. “Sit.”

Like a well-trained animal, you straddled his thighs, perching yourself on his lap as his hands flew to grip your waist.

“Pretty thing,” Changbin murmured in a tone much softer than you had anticipated. One that slowed your heart rather than speeding it up.

“Kiss me,” you whispered, delighted when he was quick to acquiesce, clearly in no mood for teasing. Instead of his usual, teasing pecks, these kisses were deep and sensual, capable of warming you all the way down to the tips of your toes.

You sighed into the kiss, feeling that his breath was hot against your lips, and you couldn’t get enough of his taste. Of the rough sensation of the five o’clock shadow that dusted his face and chin. Fingers moving against the texture like it was raised braille that you could read and learn. Memorize to recall later when you might touch yourself in bed to thoughts of him.

“Eager,” Changbin grunted when you took his lower lip between your teeth to give it a nip. “Asking for trouble.”

Your hands moved to his shoulders, fingers wrapping in the curls that grew from around his ears. “Can you blame me?” you grinned, letting out a little whine when his hips jerked up from under your own, grinding himself perfectly against the tight seam of your shorts.

“What do you want?” Changbin asked, grip tightening and letting you know that he would give you what you wanted, but under his full discretion.

“I want to cum,” you whispered, gasping when one of his hands moved to grip a handful of your ass, squeezing with a strong hold.

“Then you’ll do it right here,” he said, and you understood his intention immediately, feeling his thigh clench under you. “Ride me.”

You nodded fiercely, foreheads meeting in the hot middle, sharing precious oxygen between your hungry lips as you started to move yourself against him, friction building as the burning sensation of his leather pants rubbed against the loose shorts that barely kept you hidden.

“Move like this, kitten,” Changbin instructed, and you nearly choked around a hoarse moan when he started rocking you back and forth against his thigh, grip impossibly strong. You could sense yourself growing even wetter, a familiar tightening building in your core, demanding release.

Your hands flew to his shoulders, nails digging into his armor to keep yourself anchored. At this point, you were desperate, hips grinding against his muscled thigh with as much strength as you could muster, chasing that delicious release as he simply looked on with a growl, cologne thick in the air between you.

“That’s it,” he encouraged you, both hands landing on your ass to move you even closer. You bent your head to hide yourself in his shoulder, shivering each time the tight bulge of his cock knocked against your sensitive pussy, giving your clit just enough pressure to push you right over the edge.

“Pretty,” Changbin declared, still perfectly put-together as if he hadn’t just brought you to an earth-shattering orgasm while still rock-hard in his leather pants.

“Changbin,” you trembled, giving a few weak grinds to ride out the rest of your high, breathing hard with sweat dripping down the back of your neck.

“My turn,” Changbin grunted, and there was no room to collect yourself before he was grabbing you again, parting his legs to give you enough room to slink down between his thighs.

You felt firm hands at your shoulders, pushing you the rest of the way into the floor. Then, there was the familiar sound of his zipper, the shuffling of fabric, before the wet tip of his cock prodded against your lips. “Suck,” Changbin growled, and you were helpless to disobey.

You took Changbin’s dick in one hand, testing the dry tug before thumbing at the slit. Changbin tensed, letting out a low groan which only served to give you more confidence, knowing exactly what he liked.

Propping yourself up on his knees, you gave a teasing lick to the tip of Changbin’s cock, finding that you didn’t mind the slight salty taste. It was different, but not in such a way that made you want to take things slower. You licked along the underside, pleasantly surprised to feel the vein pulsing against your tongue.

Hungrier now, you took the first few inches into your mouth, testing the weight and the stretch of your lips. Once again you found it wasn’t that bad - familiar, but not bad. The sounds that were spilling from Changbin’s pretty mouth definitely fed your arousal as you started bobbing your head.

Changbin’s fingers found your hair but your Mandalorian didn’t attempt to pull, unlike how you had yanked on Changbin’s. Your found yourself wanting Changbin to pull on your hair, but you figured that was something for another day. You could feel spit pooling in your mouth and starting to drip out of the corners of your mouth and down Changbin’s shaft. It was getting messy, but that only made it better.

You knew as soon as the salty taste started to get more intense that Changbin was getting close. Pride filled your chest knowing that you were the one to make someone as lovely as Changbin fall apart. You pulled off, using your hand to continue jerking Changbin off as you pressed kisses to the inside of his bare thigh. You lost against your urges and began sucking marks into the skin there, reveling in how he twitched and moaned at the sensations.

“Kitten, I’m close.” Changbin groaned, and it spurred you into moving your hand faster. You hovered over Changbin’s cock, preparing to drip some spit down to make the slide slicker only to find hot cum splashing you in the face. It hit your cheek, making you close one eye as you worked Changbin through his orgasm.

“Oh...” you breathed, surprised but equally as pleased. You wiped some of the cum off your cheek as you listened to just how disheveled and wrecked Changbin sounded, all because of your ministrations.

Afterward, with your head against the inside of his leg, you were struggling to catch your breath while one of Changbin’s gloved hands gently brushed through your hair.

Tatooine had a formidable reputation, and it was for this reason that you stuck to Changbin like glue when you landed on the desert planet, waiting off to the side as the others unloaded the bounties you had collected, encased in carbonite for the trip.

There was only one lone Aqualish mercenary that survived outside of the carbonite freezing as requested by the one who put the bounty on his head. You watched through narrowed eyes as Chan handed him over to Changbin who wrestled the frightened Aqualish to stand next to him, hands bound behind his back.

“Don’t move,” Changbin growled, a sound that likely terrified the Aqualish but only served to dampen your panties.

“Alright, let’s go,” Chan said, once the last of the bounty had been removed from the ship and handed over to the two Duros who had been sent by the head of the bounty hunters guild to collect your bodies.

This wasn’t your first time being apart of the exchange, and you knew that the next step was to meet Mr. Park inside the cantina to collect payment and personally hand over your Aqualish.

“Stay close,” Changbin muttered to you, and your hands flew to the edges of his whispering, black cloak, head bowed low as you followed the rest of your crew from behind, drawing plenty of attention from the other street goers who had been shopping in the local market.

As it should, perhaps, considering the strange, eclectic mix of hardened, battle-ready men who Chan had recruited and offered a place next to his side. Making a great deal of money while being able to do the one thing all of them were exceptionally talented at. It was a good sign, you supposed, that your reputation preceded you, even if it was hard to endure the harsh stares.

At least the trip wasn’t far from the landing pad, and you were grateful when you could see the familiar sight of the cantina up ahead, standing out as the largest brick and mortar building with a steady influx of patrons walking in and out the double doors.

“Bang Chan!” a masculine voice purred from the crowd, and you weren’t surprised to see Mr. Park, head of the bounty hunter’s guild, approaching with his arms wide open. Dressed to the nines in his best robe and finest silks. A sign of his formidable wealth, accumulated at the behest of those unfortunate enough to garner a bounty on their heads.

“Park,” Chan grumbled, reluctantly accepting the embrace. Not that you blamed him. Park was as scummy as they came.

Who knew where those hands had been.

“No Raphael?” Park hummed, surveying the trail of bounties following the Duros behind the Cantina.

“He wasn’t coming quietly,” Hyunjin remarked in that cold tone that spoke volumes.

“Left him dead in his office,” Minho added with a smile that could scare even the roughest group of galactic starfighters.

“Well,” Park cleared his throat, forcing a smile. “Good to see everyone is in high spirits.”

Jisung rolled his eyes, stepping aside as Park closed the distance between you and Changbin. “You know, Mando, we could really use someone of your skill around here. Especially when the rowdier hunters come in.”

You tried not to look at Changbin, standing next to the Aqualish like he was perfectly at ease. He had the benefit of hiding his wandering gaze behind cold steel, but you did not have the same luxuries. And it would not look professional.

“I’m fine with my team,” came his modulated response, to which Mr. Park merely sighed and brushed it aside.

“Very well, but you know where to find me.”

Chan rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. “We’ll need lodging tonight, then we can talk about new jobs in the morning.”

“I’ll take care of it right away!” Park said, clapping his hands together and giving a loud whistle. “I do have something for you, Mr. Bang, that I think your crew will like very much! And there’s a big price tag attached.”

“Great,” Chan sighed, crossing his arms and looking entirely impatient as two of Park’s men escaped from the cantina, holding an array of golden keys.

“You each have a room waiting,” Park said, and you refused to meet his gaze as you accepted the cold metal between your fingertips. “I’d love for any of you to join me tonight for dinner! Until then, I’ve opened a tab for you at the bar, free of charge!”

That was all Minho and Hyunjin needed to hear, tucking away their keys as they started for the cantina entrance. Park chuckled at their hasty escape, tossing a nonchalant arm around Chan’s shoulders, ignoring the glare from the man in question. “Join me in my quarters, Chan. I have something to discuss with you.”

You watched as Chan’s form was swallowed by the snooping crowd of onlookers, sucking in a sharp breath when a Duro suddenly appeared at your side. “We can take the Aqualish.”

Changbin grunted his assent, roughly forcing the Aqualish in the Duro’s direction. “See to it then,” Changbin said, and the Duro offered his acquiescence, keeping a firm hold on your last prisoner.

“I’m heading further into the city for something better than bar food and sleazy strippers,” Jisung suddenly announced once they were out of earshot. “Anyone interested in tagging along?”

Seungmin and Jeongin agreed, and Jisung arched a brow in your direction. “I’ll just rest,” you said, and Changbin must’ve done something to brush Jisung off, leaving you both alone once they had flagged down a cruiser to speed along the busy streets of Tatooine.

“Thanks,” you said to him to fill the tense quiet. “For letting me stay close to you.”

Changbin nodded, tilting his head to the side as if considering you. You held your breath when he drew closer, leaning down to brush the bottom of his helmet against the top of your head. “You know my room number,” Changbin whispered to you as if you were locked together in your own little world.

His proximity cleared all rational thought from your head, words failing you as you managed a nod, letting out the breath you didn’t know you were holding as you watched him disappear into the cantina.

Later that night, lying spread out under his weight, you were glad that you had taken the opportunity to tend to your personal affairs before meeting Changbin.

There were very few thoughts left in your head after being drug into his bed, fingers tangled in his thick locks, keeping him tucked against your neck to decorate dark bruises on your skin as he fucked you with rough thrusts that had your cunt screaming for reprieve.

In the darkened room, breaths knocked from your lungs at every stroke of his cock, you wondered if he would even grow tired. All the energy had been sapped from your limbs, but Changbin was still moving like he planned to stay inside of you all night, using you while you slept, a limp doll to warm his cock and keep him in a tight vice.

Shit, the man knew what he was doing, turning your insides into mush and bringing you on the verge of your second orgasm of the night, even as Changbin showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The thing was, Changbin could last, keeping you pliant under him for hours as he had his way with you, growling out curses when you clenched around him just right, cock drilling between your walls to shape you just for him.

He always fucked you like he would never get a chance to have another moment like this again. As if it was the last time. Even though you had fucked enough at this point to have practically memorized one another’s bodies, well-versed in your signs and the physical language that expressed when it was on the verge of too much.

It didn’t matter that you had never seen Changbin before, always hidden away in the dark. You felt like you knew him, even without mapping out his features with your eyes. Instead, you relied on touch to understand him, feeling across the defined muscles in his arms and chest, the perfect angular set to his jaw, and the sharp edge of his nose when it brushed against your clit, lips wrapped around the sensitive bud.

“So tight,” Changbin whispered, tongue tracing the line of your collarbone. “Feel so good around me.”

“Please,” you begged, even without knowing what you really wanted from him, stuck between too much and not enough as his fingers dug into your waist, squeezing tight.

“What are you asking me for?” Changbin grunted. You could only shake your head, even if he couldn’t see, unable to manage words when his rough grinding prevented you from speaking.

You could feel the strength in his powerful thighs, encasing you in a strong grip on either side. The smooth, but rough, sensation of his skin, hairs coarse and scars raised like braille. Your hands gripped his biceps, squeezing tight to the muscles working there, a constant reminder that he could break you if he wanted to do so.

And maybe there were times when you wanted him to do just that. To turn you around onto your stomach, one hand clasped tight over your mouth to prevent your screams, and the other arm anchoring both of yours back for him to hold. He’d mount you just like that, guide his cock home without preparing you on his fingers first. You dreamed about that often, of him just taking and taking, even if you were grateful that he often spent his leisurely time opening you up in preparation for the thick erection between his legs.

Changbin could be rough, but it was usually only when he was close to cumming, when that little break in his rhythm meant a total loss of control. When all that mattered was reaching that sweet, sensual high. Thoughts of your well-being briefly forgotten as he chased after what he wanted.

In a fight, Changbin was never careful. The same fingers that worked you open and played gentle music on your clit, could slice a man in half or break a neck in one harsh twist. The same voice that lulled you into a submissive headspace could also growl threats and curses and sully a man’s name. The same muscles that had broken a man’s spine kept you perfectly still under him, in whatever position he wanted, while you cried and begged for him.

“Are you close?” Changbin growled, nipping at your ear to get your attention back on him.

To hold you in the present moment, stomach clenched in preparation for another orgasm, heat building in your abdomen. Each seductive thrust fed the flames licking under your skin, and you whined when he leaned down for a long, explorative kiss, licking into your mouth and tasting your tongue against his own.

“Close,” you gasped, pleasure dancing through every nerve when he sat up on his heels, hands grabbing your thighs for more leverage.

“Come on my cock, kitten,” Changbin hissed into your ear, breath hot against your skin.

You were helpless to obey, mouth parting around a wordless scream, tears falling at their own volition when his fingers pressed rough circles on your clit, drawing out your orgasm with wave after wave of intense pleasure.

He was still moving when you were done, failing to push him away as he pinned your arms to your sides, slamming his hips down harder to force you back into submission.

“You can take it, kitten,” Changbin reminded you, even as you shook your head, even as he started to move a little faster, holding his head back with a groan.

“Please,” you whimpered again, and then Changbin was back on top of you, forehead meeting your own.

“Can I?” Changbin asked, being so careful with you, and you nearly cried at his thoughtfulness.

“Yes,” you practically screamed, and then Changbin was taking hold at the backs of your knees, grip so tight you knew it would leave bruises, to fuck himself harder, jostling you up the mattress with the force of his thrusts.

It was rough and barbaric, and you were burning with overstimulation, but then his hips jostled in place, slowing down to a stop and you could feel his warm cum as it started to leak from the place where you were connected.

“So good,” Changbin said, holding himself above you on his arms, skin shining with a sheen of sweat.

You were both breathing hard, matching inhales when he pulled free, leaving behind a mess you would regret later.

Your heart fluttered inside your chest, eyelids growing heavy when he moved to lay next to you, one arm wrapping around your waist to pull you against his side. It was too hot in that position, but when you tried to pull away, his grip only became stronger.

“Stay,” Changbin said, surprising you with its earnestness.

“But-”

“No arguments,” Changbin interrupted, and you were taken aback by the sweet way he held you closer, keeping you resting against his side, wrapped in strong arms.

“When we wake up...”

“Don’t worry,” he said, as if sensing your fears. What if you saw him in the daytime, with the sun coming up and the room lit with a faint flow? “I’ll get up first.”

You swallowed hard, nodding your head because it was hard to tell him no, especially when you craved his presence like nothing else.

The next morning, Changbin was gone, and you got dressed before heading downstairs to the cantina to meet with everyone.

The first face you recognized was Minho’s, standing against the counter connected to the bar, eyeing Chan and Mr. Park who stood talking together from across the room. You were curious, sliding next to Minho under the guise of ordering a drink. “How long have they been down here?” you asked Minho, raising your hand to signal the bartender.

“Too long,” Minho replied, and you huffed in frustration when the bartender ignored you in favor of a separate group wearing what appeared to be the finest silk money could afford.

“Figures,” you muttered in reference to both Chan and the patrons.

“He’s waiting for the others,” Minho remarked. “Supposedly.”

“Chan indulges him,” you said. “He takes advantage of his patience.”

“One day Chan will snap,” Minho hummed, and you nodded your agreement, glancing around the room with vague interest.

“Here,” Minho said, dragging your attention back to the bar, eyes falling to where Minho was pushing what appeared to be a market pastry in your direction. “Mando left this here for you.”

Your cheeks warmed at the mention of Changbin, reaching down to carefully unravel the food, stomach growling at the idea of breakfast. Your first bite almost drew out a moan, eyes closing to savor the taste.

“Speaking of people who are too indulgent,” Minho said, pointedly looking between your food and a spot over your shoulder.

You swallowed around your bite, glancing back to see Changbin entering the Cantina with Hyunjin and Han behind him. “He’s just looking out for me,” you muttered.

“Is that all?” Minho smirked, but you chose to ignore his teasing, finishing your food as the boys approached where you stood.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Han proclaimed, voice carrying throughout the cantina. Enough so that Chan aimed a glare in your direction before returning his attention to Park.

But Han didn’t care, flagging down the bartender with ease, to which you scowled. He always made things look simple, and it was this thought that distracted you from the Mandalorian who had started to move even closer, pitching his voice for your ears only.

“Sleep well?” the modulated voice husked from next to you.

“I did,” you agreed, trying to hide a smile, thoughts of Han disappearing in an instant. “Tuckered myself out last night.”

“What did you get up to?” Changbin asked, and you could hear the amusement in his tone, working your brain for a good quip, but the sudden appearance of Chan and Mr. Park sent a wave of silence over your group.

“Seungmin and Jeongin are handling some supplies,” Chan said. “Mr. Park will escort the rest of us for a private interview.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bang! I have someone who really wants to meet you,” Park explained. “In the other room.”

“Sounds riveting,” Hyunjin sighed.

Yet, no one protested as Mr. Park led the way to a winding staircase jutting out from the wall, leading upstairs to the second level you seldom noticed. It was quieter up there, the cantina’s music muted, and there was a clear tension in the air as you walked to the end of the hall, pausing outside of a door.

“You have my word that this individual will bring you no harm,” Mr. Park said in an ominous tone that had you frowning.

Why did he feel the need to give such a promise?

Your question was answered in the very next moment, when Mr. Park opened the door to reveal a slightly darkened room. There was a long, wooden table occupying the space, and at the very end, reclined in a metal chair, sat a stormtrooper, helmet placed in front of him as he offered a tentative smile at your group.

You could hear Chan’s sharp inhale, and the firm grip of Changbin as he took your arm in his hand. “What the fuck?” Han cursed, breaking the silence and any of Minho’s restraint as he reached for the blaster holstered at his side.

“Well, this is a sight for sore eyes,” the stormtrooper chuckled, even as you could feel the tension in Changbin, and detect the noticeable strain in the others.

“What is this?” Chan demanded, turning on Park who simply held up his hands in a faux gesture of surrender.

“You know I’d never lead you astray, Bang! The guy is legit. I had my best men look into him.”

“A stormtrooper?” Hyunjin scoffed.

“All I’m asking is for you to hear him out!” Park insisted, wincing when Minho brought the blaster into sight. “Seriously! He has no allegiance to the Empire. Plus, he’s willing to pay good if you finish a job for him!”

“Bang,” Minho growled, shifting between his feet. He said nothing else, but that single syllable spoke a coherent warning.

Chan scowled, gaze lowering as if battling with his own thoughts - urges to fight and protect conflicting with an inherent curiosity pertaining to whatever business an ex-stormtrooper could require. “Sit,” Chan eventually barked, a clear order that he wasn’t in a joking mood.

“Fucking hell,” Minho sighed, re-holstering his blaster as he shoved around Chan, taking the seat closest to the stormtrooper as if determined that he would be the first line of defense.

Chan sat across from him, on the stormtrooper’s other side, and the rest of your crew slowly fell into place, taking the remaining seats. It left you perched on the end, practically shoved against Changbin as he kept a protective arm around your shoulders.

“Talk,” Chan demanded next, startling the stormtrooper who seemed chastened by the reaction he had just witnessed.

“I have a job, and Park said you were the best of the best,” he started. “I guess I should start from the beginning. You see, my old captain bailed when the Empire fell,” the stormtrooper explained. “Not that I expected him to stick around, but he always had eyes for my sister. Used her against me in the beginning when I was recruited.”

He paused here, taking in the room. “My name is Jackson, and I’m asking for you to look past my uniform. To look past an organization I no longer serve, and one I never believed in. I was recruited young, brainwashed into following orders that I didn’t care to follow. Not that you care about that part. The real reason I’m here is because of my sister. She was kidnapped by my old captain, and I’m determined to get her back.”

You exhaled slowly at his story, searching the expressions of your crew to try and decipher their reactions. “She doesn’t deserve it,” Jackson insisted. “To keep suffering because of me.”

“So, you want us to come with you to save your sister...” Chan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Help me get her back,” Jackson said in a pleading tone. “And I’ll make it worth your while.”

Chan nodded, sitting back in his chair, gaze flitting to Minho who arched one brow. “This could be dangerous for us. We’d have to consider the logistics. Do you even have any idea where this guy is?”

“I’ve tracked him to the edge of the Andromeda galaxy,” Jackson explained, pulling a tracker from his suit pocket to place it down on the table. “All we need to do is board his ship and get rid of his men.”

Hyunjin snorted at the proposal. “You make it sound too easy. Like a Captain of the Empire wouldn’t have security in place to protect him.”

“They’re not loyal,” Jackson said in a firm tone. “They won’t stick around for him. I’ll give you any information you’ll need, I’ve done my fair share of research.”

“Have you?” Hyunjin sneered, but Chan held up a hand in his direction.

“We’ll hear all that you have. If you can answer our questions, and give us time to consider the schematics, we’ll let you know what we decide.”

“That’s all I’m asking for!” Jackson said, a smile contorting his lips. “Just a chance, and I’ll be sure to make it worth your while.”

Chan simply nodded, exchanging a look with Minho, and you moved even closer to Changbin, worried about the dangers that could be waiting on the other side of the galaxy...worried about the safety of your family and whether or not you could take on the wrath of the Empire.

An Empire in decline.

A desperate Empire.

One that had nothing left to lose...

The Stormtrooper had everything mapped out to perfection. It was almost too perfect, in your unconsidered opinion, voicing your concerns aloud to Chan who simply sighed. “He checks out,” Chan had told you. “And he’s paying good money for the job.”

“He’s a stormtrooper!”

“From a fallen Empire,” Chan said, and that was all you needed to hear to roll your eyes and walk away, knowing that he had already made up his mind.

“Chan finds the best of the best,” Changbin tried to reassure you later that night as you helped him load the ship. “His sources are always right.”

“Does it matter when it involves an stormtrooper?”

“Of course it matters,” Changbin replied. “But Chan is smart. You know this. He’d never put any of our lives in unnecessary risk.”

You swallowed down your complaints, keeping silent for the rest of your time together, ignoring the simmering tension in the air - something thick and palpable. Barely able to hold back when your instincts remained on high alert.

There was nothing you could do to change the outcome, so you kept to yourself for the rest of the day, assisting when you were asked to do something. Helping Minho on the ship, or working to ensure that the ship’s weapon system was calibrated correctly. It was dull and unexciting work, made all the worse by the nagging worry constantly diluting your thoughts.

You barely slept that night, in your own room, despite Changbin’s request for you to join him. He would only distract you from your thoughts, and you needed the time alone to work through the heavy burden weighing down on you - the never-ending dread that filled the pit of your stomach when you thought about something bad happening to your crew.

They were all you had. Out of all the lost stars in the galaxy, they chose you. And you felt the crushing hand around your windpipe closing its unforgiving fist thinking about life without them.

But Chan’s mind was made up, and there was no stopping this mission. Whatever he had found out about the stormtrooper - his past, his misgivings - weren’t enough to stop you from moving forward. Changbin had been right about Chan’s sources - they had never been wrong before.

Even if there was always a first time for everything.

“Are you mad at me?” Changbin asked when you met the rest of your crew outside the ship the following morning, glaring daggers at the stormtrooper who spoke with both Park and Chan.

“Not you,” you replied, crossing your arms over your chest and ignoring his teasing chuckle.

“Relax,” he purred, leaning in close enough to distract your gaze. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“I know,” you grumbled, letting him take one of your hands before leading you both onto the ship.

Immediately, you headed to the cockpit to check on the ship’s main controls, ensuring that nothing needed to be re-calibrated. Han always called it overkill, since you checked it at least a dozen times before taking off, but you could never be too careful. The ship was an older model that had seen its fair share of gunfire.

“Good to go?” Minho asked when he joined you later on, sitting down in the pilot’s chair.

“Yeah,” you agreed, holding your breath when he started up the ship, guiding the front toward the skyline.

You closed your eyes for this part as the jump to hyperspace always made you feel nauseous. Minho chuckled at the action, but you ignored him, waiting with bated breath until you could feel the ship leaving the cold prism of lightspeed, settling into something calmer.

When you looked up again, you saw nothing but a familiar sea of stars that helped to settle your stomach. “The others decided to play cards downstairs if you want to join them,” Minho suggested, and you nodded, leaving him to mind the controls while you climbed the ladder down the main floor.

You let yourself be guided toward the intermingling sound of voices, exhaling slightly when you noticed Chan and Jackson were not among the ones seated at the little table tucked away at the side of your kitchenette. “Y/N!” Han chirped in greeting, and Jeongin moved over to make an obvious space for you.

“Thought I’d watch,” you said, making yourself comfortable. “Got a keep an eye out for cheaters!”

“Hey!” Han protested, but it was enough to get Seungmmin going, starting one of his all too-common rants about Han’s less than ideal playing habits.

You laughed at their bickering, feeling your shoulders relax at the familiar banter. Until a set of heavy footsteps had you perking up, watching Han’s gaze fall to something over your shoulder.

“Buying in, Mando?” Han grinned, and you could feel him moving in closer, presence hot as he leaned over to address Han.

“100 credits.”

Hyunjin let out a low whistle, cards held up to hide the lower part of his face. “Do you think you’re good enough?”

Changbin chuckled, lowering himself next to you on the bench, and you were hyper-aware of the way your thighs touched.

“Deal me in,” he rasped as a response.

“This is a rare treat,” Han remarked, but he nodded at Seungmin who shuffled the deck of cards without a word of protest.

“You go first,” Han offered as if he was doing Changbin a favor.

Changbin looked down at his cards before pushing a stack of chips to the center of the table. “Already?” Hyunjin chuckled, and there was a calm expression on his face as he pushed his own chips to the middle. “I’ll call.”

“Fold,” Han said, placing his cards facedown in front of him. “You can never tell with Mando.”

But you could, even without seeing the handsome face you could only dream about at night laying next to him. You could tell his signs, subtle as they were. The way a muscle jumped in his thigh or the deeper breath released from his modulated helmet.

Mando was nervous, or at least, less confident about his moves. Unfortunately for him, Hyunjin wasn’t accepting his bluff, calling him every time Seungmin dealt another card.

“Show your hands.”

Hyunjin smirked, revealing a full house. Mando chuckled from next to you, tossing down his own lackluster hand. “Thought so,” Hyunjin smiled, raking in all the chips toward himself.

“Ah, you can’t bluff with Hyunjin,” Han tsked, ignoring the way Changbin had leaned in closer to you.

“We might have some time before we land.”

You swallowed at his heavy implication, ready to grab his hand and lead you both to the back of the ship, when Chan suddenly appeared with Jackson, eyebrows pulled taught together.

“We’re landing soon,” Chan warned, and you felt the light-hearted air grow heavy with something dangerously palpable, knowing you were about to embark on your most dangerous mission yet.

The galactic cruiser was just as you remembered, bringing back memories of the before times when the Empire’s power was solidified. You could feel the palpable concern in your crew, and the anger in Jackson as he glared at an unidentifiable spot through the glass.

You trusted most of the men on your ship with your entire life, and so far, Jackson had not done anything to earn your ire. Maybe you were simply put-out by the inherent dangers of this mission and blamed him for dragging you all into such a precarious situation.

Then again, Chan had agreed. And he had done so wittingly. Without protest or second thought.

You studied your leader, beckoning everyone closer as your ship halted at a safe and undetectable distance from the cruiser. Soon, Chan would have Minho land the ship beneath the cruiser’s hull where security wouldn’t be able to pick up on your signal. From there, you would all disembark through a security door and carry out the mission at hand.

“Let’s remember what we’ve discussed,” Chan said, and he nodded at Minho who started in the direction of the helm.

From behind you, Changbin stepped closer, listening as Chan continued speaking, and you resisted the urge to drown him out and lean back into Chanbin’s steady weight.

Unfortunately, you weren’t able to maintain your façade for long, and your heart dropped to your stomach at a jolt from the ship, signaling that power had been cut. Minho returned shortly thereafter, and your fingers found the worn holes in Changbin’s cape.

“Are we ready?” Chan asked, and you could hear the shared affirmations from your group, even above the thundering race of your pulse.

You swallowed hard as Chan organized everyone into groups, pacing back and forth as your crew stood in formation. “Keep to your assignments,” he ordered. “We must remain invisible.”

You trembled at the short, perfunctory tone behind his words, wondering if everyone else held the same level of unease. It would be all too easy for this mission to go awry, even with the most meticulous of planning, and there was nobody who prepared more for a potential fight than Chan.

It was with bated breath that you watched Chan, Han, and Seungmin move out with the first group, turning around to face Changbin and Felix who had been assigned together with you. You sighed, trying to hold your head high as Changbin finished a muted conversation with Felix before turning to look at you.

“Come with me.”

You followed him at once, re-entering the cargo area of the ship as the others moved about, getting ready for what was to come. “I don’t know what you have planned...” you started when you were safely tucked away with Changbin out of sight, taking the loose leather belt from him that he was struggling to secure around himself.

“Stay on the ship.”

You frowned at Changbin’s words, standing in such close proximity as you helped him adjust his belt, weapons clipped in order.

“Did Chan say that?”

“I’m saying that.”

His sharp words only deepened the scowl you likely wore, your displeasure reading clear and open. “I could be useful if the droids fail...”

“Stay.”

His tone had deepened, gloved hand flying out to grip your chin. “Changbin-”

“Chan gave me the directive to lead my group,” he reminded your sullen form. “I choose to leave you on the ship. Just in case.”

“Fine,” you lied through clenched teeth, determined to do anything you could to help. Even if your help wasn’t wanted.

Changbin hummed at your agreement, and you helped him secure his weapons, standing aside as he started around you. He had always been stubborn and overprotective, but you were short-handed as it was, and there was no reason you couldn’t handle yourself.

But you still waited until Changbin and Felix, the last of the crew, had vanished into the darkened security entrance before hurrying behind them.

You had managed to snag a blaster without Changbin’s notice, and you held it tight to your chest once you dipped through the security door and landed feet first inside the enemy ship, peeking around the corner before taking off for the security room. With the blaster in stun mode, you easily took out the two guards who had been stationed inside, wincing when their heads clunked down against the machinery.

“You can do this, Y/N,” you assured yourself as you surveyed your surroundings, grunting with the exertion of pushing one of the guards to the side, giving you complete access to the security cameras. “I knew it,” you huffed, coming to the rapid realization that the droids had failed to disarm every camera on board - a job which you easily accomplished, making sure that there were no eyes on your men...

“Hey!”

The unexpected sound of an unfamiliar voice had your fingers freezing above the controls.

“Turn around at once, solider!”

You let out a deep breath, doing as the voice commanded, coming face to face with the barrel of a blaster held between two gloved hands. The man in front of you was clearly no stranger to battle, and his uniform marked him as an enemy of the Republic.

“What is your name and identification number?” he asked, scanning over your form and likely wondering if you could be trusted.

You tried to make yourself as small as possible, putting on your best pout. “I was asked to come down,” you lied, palms clammy from holding the blaster behind your back. “There are intruders-”

“I know,” the guard growled over your words. “But that’s not what I asked you.”

“My identification number is not with me,” you said, and this only irritated the guard more.

“You aren’t supposed to be here without proper identification,” the guard said, raising his blaster a little higher as his eyes raked over you - likely wondering whether or not to believe your half-assed story.

“I can bring you my identification-”

“Silence!” he shouted above you, and this time, your eyes had to cross from the close proximity of the blaster as he stepped even closer, invading your space with a snarl. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

You held your tongue, unable to utter a single syllable in the presence of death. You tried not to shake, swallowing hard and searching your mind for something to say, when a shadow crossed your field of vision, and the blaster fell to the floor in front of you.

“Hey!” the guard shouted, and you fell back against the controls, eyes widening when you recognized your Mandalorian in the room, fighting hand to hand with the nasty guard who had threatened you.

You winced when the guard rammed Changbin against the wall, causing him to drop his own blaster. It fell close to your feet, glinting dangerously in the flickering lights of the room.

“The gun, Y/N,” you heard Changbin growl, grunting with the force of taking an elbow to the chest.

It was like you were disembodied, reaching down to wrap your fingers around the cool handle of the blaster. Even while the struggle continued in the background, the sounds of violence echoing in your ears.

“Shoot him!”

The words did little to penetrate the haze surrounding you. But you winced as the guard managed to land another swift blow to Changbin, bringing him down to one knee.

Changbin. In danger!

Your hands trembled, faced with a task you had never accomplished before. You remembered a time, from long ago, standing in an empty shooting range with Changbin. His hands had been warm and firm on your waist, guiding your hands and arms in place. “Hold it like this,” he had instructed you, keeping things steady when you shot for the very first time, a proud smile stretching across your lips...

“You can do this,” he had whispered then, and you savored the sweet words and his tickling breath on the back of your neck.

“Y/N!”

You blinked rapidly to draw yourself back into the room because Changbin in the present was on the ground, struggling against another man’s hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing the air from his lungs.

Focus.

There was a heavy weight sitting on your chest, keeping you from breathing, as you did your best to aim at the guard in front of you before finally allowing your fingers to click the trigger in place.

You heard the defeating sound of the killing blast, having been switched out of stun mode. A sharp breath left your lips as your trembling legs brought you forward to the two bodies on the ground. You stood over your Mandalorian, lowering the blaster with trembling hands.

“Binnie-” you croaked, heart heavy with dread.

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he said, grunting as he struggled to sit up.

“Were you hit-”

“I’m fine,” he interrupted, as if he could possibly dismiss your concerns.

But it didn’t look like he was fine, struggling to even move to a sitting position, and there was blood.

So much blood

Everywhere.

You were hyperventilating, completely on the verge of passing out, barely able to focus on your Mandalorian. “I-I hurt you...”

Your heart thudded to a stop, breath caught in your throat when Changbin reached up, grabbing his helmet and slowly raising it above his head.

“Changbin,” you whispered, suddenly unable to focus on anything else but the unexpected sight in front of you: Changbin revealing himself without an ounce of hesitation.

Your eyes widened, growing perceptibly wider, greedily drinking in the face that you could only dream of at night curled against him. In the bleakness of the dark, encased in shadows to hide him from your curious gaze.

“It’s alright, kitten,” he whispered in an unexpectedly deep tone. “It only grazed me. Come here.”

You did as he directed, falling into his arms. Even with your eyes still glued to his handsome countenance, tracing the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow with the tips of your fingers.

Strong nose. Angular jawline. Eyes as black as the deepest parts of space.

You couldn’t stop staring, drinking it in like a Bantha finding water for the first time in days after treading across the desert plains of Tatooine. Unable to keep yourself under control, and unable to stop the impulses telling you to touch everything that your eyes had just been gifted.

He had broken his code. Removed his helmet for you all in the hopes of calming you down.

“I’m sorry,” you sobbed into your shoulder. “I lied to you. I disobeyed and left the ship. The guild-”

“None of that matters,” Changbin said, fisting your hair to pull your gaze to his, leaning down to press a careful kiss to your lips. “I love you, Y/N.”

“You can’t call yourself a Mandalorian anymore.”

“Maybe I’m not,” Changbin said, choosing his words carefully. “Not anymore.”

“Binnie-”

“I’m a bounty hunter,” he interrupted, thumbing his way across your lips. “A friend. A fighter.” His tone dipped into something warm and honeyed. “A lover.”

“Changbin-”

He cut you off with an unexpected kiss, locking you both together with a hand on the back of your head.

“We’re okay, kitten,” he whispered when you parted for air, the words wrapping you in a warm caress. “Everything will be just fine.”

You weren’t so sure about his bold declaration, but it was hard to argue with Changbin when he had presented himself in such earnestness, giving you all of him in every way that he could.

“Let’s get back to the others,” he suggested, helping you stand and keeping a strong arm holding you to him, guiding you both from the security room and toward the light.

It was done, or so you tried to tell yourself. Keeping your arms wrapped across your torso, shivering from the events that took place in the security room. Changbin kept a protective arm around your waist, leading you back to the ship, which at least offered you some consolation that everything had went well before he had been forced to come save you...

Your shoulders dropped when you laid eyes on your crew, counting everyone as present, including Jackson. The collective sounds of your footsteps on the tiled floors halted all conversations, and that’s when every eye in the room flew to you and Changbin.

You cringed at the collective shock in your group at the sight of a helmet-less Changbin. Eight pairs of eyes watching you both, silence growing thick. You held tighter to Changbin’s arm, breathing out in a soft exhale.

“You’re better-looking than I imagined,” Han eventually remarked, which, at the very least, seemed to ease some of the tension.

Changbin snorted. “Thanks.”

“You good?” Chan asked, studying Changbin with an uncertain gaze, seemingly unsure about where to look.

“Everything is fine,” Changbin reassured him, reaching out to clasp his shoulder. “I promise. No damage has been done.”

Chan nodded. “We were worried when you didn’t come back on time. But we figured everything was fine since we were able to finish our jobs.” He took a step to the side, allowing you to see the frightened figure huddled behind Chan, plastered against Jackson’s side with a timid gaze.

“You found her,” Changbin agreed.

“Thanks to all of you,” Jackson added, offering a warm smile.

“Yeah, yeah,” Minho suddenly spoke up, taking a step forward. “Let’s just get out of here before we push our luck.”

Your other crew mates muttered their agreements, and you were relieved to let Changbin practically drag you back on the ship, still keeping you supported in your state of shock. You could feel the effects wearing off, the total freezing up that you had experienced when under the threat of death, but there was still a haziness keeping you from feeling secure on your own feet.

“Come on, kitten,” Changbin encouraged you, leaving the others to tend to the ship.

They were smart enough not to question you, letting Changbin takeover like he had so often done before. Taking you down below the main deck to your little room, helping you sit down on the edge of the bed before he knelt down to remove your shoes.

You shivered at the cold on your bare feet, hearing him chuckle when he glanced back up. “You keep staring.”

Your gaze averted at once, feeling yourself flush. “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologize,” he murmured, reaching out to guide your chin back to facing him. “It’s only natural.”

“Yeah,” you whispered back, swallowing hard when he returned to his full height, removing his shirt and pants before asking you to move over and make some more room.

He was an overpowering warmth next to you, gathering you into his arms and raking gentle fingers through your hair. “It’s not your fault,” he said, eventually, when your eyelids had started to close. “I can’t blame you for wanting to help. Shoulda taken you with me to start with.”

“I disobeyed-”

“Stubborn for good reason,” he interrupted, planting a chaste kiss to your lips. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

You opened your eyes wider, meeting his honest brown orbs in the middle. “It’s surreal...to see you like this.”

He smiled. “A good thing?”

“A selfish part of me thinks so...”

“Not selfish either,” he argued, leaning close to connect your foreheads. “Wanted to show you everything for a while now. Planned on it, actually..”

You let out a little noise, shocked that Changbin would even plan something like this after living his life loyal to the Mandalorian code...

“Don’t think too hard about it,” he chuckled, nosing his way across the bridge of your jaw. “Get some rest. There will be plenty of time to talk.”

You gave a sleepy nod in response, more than eager to succumb to the sleep you needed.

You had never been so glad to lay eyes on the sea of red that defined Tatooine, leaving the ship feeling more rested than you had in years.

The rest of your crew loitered around outside, exchanging your final goodbyes with Jackson and his sister, who finally seemed more at ease far away from that horrible ship, even letting a small smile soften her features.

“Always call on us, yeah?” Chan said, and you rolled your eyes at his dramatics.

Jackson reached out, clasping his forearm to Chan’s. “Thank you. For everything.”

Chan dipped his head, a sign of respect. “You have friends in us.”

“It’s hard to find reliable help like that these days,” Jackson remarked. “Even rarer to call someone a friend.”

Chan smiled, accepting the gesture, and you moved in a little closer to Changbin as your crew offered your last farewells. Whatever your next adventure might become, it would certainly be difficult to forget the events of the past few days. Befriending enemies and becoming allies to forgotten causes. Revealing identities that had always been meant to remain a secret...

With one last salute, Jackson wrapped an arm around the delicate shoulders of his sister, leading her further toward the booming marketplace. You watched as Jackson was swallowed by the familiar crowd of patrons before turning to look at Changbin, lips cracking into a grin because you would never get enough of looking at him. His gaze met yours, as if drawn together, and the black of his irises seemed to glow in the fading sunlight.

“Let’s get back to it,” Chan announced, ushering everyone back in the direction of the ship.

Changbin took your hand, holding on tight as you made your way up the ramp. “Y/N, you want to takeover controls?” Minho asked, and you knew that your face betrayed your excitement.

It was rare for Minho to give up controls to you, even if you were properly trained. He was either in a really good mood or exhausted from your adventures. Likely a combination of both.

But you wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “Sure!”

Changbin chuckled at your enthusiasm, and Minho dismissed you with a wave, following Jisung and Hyunjin down below the deck. “You ready?”

His breath tickled the back of your neck, and you couldn’t fight off a shiver. “Always.”

You hummed in agreement, and you climbed the ladder first, working to get everything functional, nodding at the rumble of the engine. Navigating to the edges of space took time and control, and you carefully lifted the ship from the ground, guiding it up toward the sky.

Once you had breached the atmosphere, and the infiniteness of black onyx beckoned you to make the jump to hyper space, you relaxed on the controls, turning it over to autopilot mode. “Good to go?” Changbin asked, joining you in the cockpit.

You urged him to sit down in the captain’s chair, allowing both legs to separate, straddling his lap as he switched the controls to lower the lights, finding yourself lost in his eyes and his sharply defined features. After so long of being deprived of this very moment, you could only be greedy in drinking all of it in for as long as you could.

As if on instinct, you reached out to trace the swell of his lip, feeling your heart skipping several beats, determined to spend the rest of your life learning every curve and line, to show him that you appreciated every ounce of what you had once been denied.

“Kitten,” Changbin purred, and you gasped when his fingers dug into the hourglass shape of your waist.

“I don’t think anyone will be bothering us anytime soon,” you whispered against his lips, feeling his responding laugh before allowing your lips to fit perfectly together: a match literally made in the Heavens.

#changbin smut #changbin fanfic #changbin oneshot #changbin imagines #stray kids fanfic #changbin x reader #changbin x you #changbin x y/n #stray kids smut

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photogirl894 · 1 year

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@clonexreaderbingo

Square: Thunder

Oh, my darling Waxer! My first Clone love! I was so happy to get to write for him for this one! He's such a sweetheart 🥰 I went a slightly different route than I normally do with this one. I hope y'all enjoy it! And a huge thank you to @l-lend for your help with the banner 😊

Ever since you were a young girl, you had a fear of thunderstorms.

The sounds of the thunder reminded you of your home planet…of the explosions you’d heard for several days as the Separatists bombed your city until there was practically nothing left. You, your family and your people had been forced to leave your home and immigrate to other cities or even other planets to survive and start your lives anew. You found yourself eventually on Coruscant where you studied to be a technician as well as an engineer and, when you were older, you were assigned as a field tech and engineer for the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. You started off in the general field, but then were assigned specifically to the 212th Clone battalion. Strangely enough, explosions on the battlefield didn’t bother you at all and it was probably because you could see them in front of you. The sounds of thunder were unseen and from an unknown point of origin, which was what reminded you more of the bombings of your childhood.

You really enjoyed the company of the Clones. Marshal Commander Cody, the leader of the 212th, was good to you and treated you well. You didn’t have much to do with their Jedi General, Obi-Wan Kenobi, but that was okay with you. After a mission to Ryloth, you found yourself getting closer to Waxer and Boil. Waxer more than Boil, it seemed. Waxer was a very kind and compassionate man whereas Boil was a bit more headstrong and blunt in his way of speaking. They were your closest friends, but Waxer was your best friend out of everyone you knew. You felt you could trust him with anything…except for your fear of thunder. Unfortunately, you felt ashamed of such a thing and thought it was something he would think was childish. You so badly wanted to believe he wouldn’t think that way of you, but there was always a nagging feeling inside that made you keep second-guessing your best friend.

One day, back at headquarters on Coruscant after another mission, you had been tasked with fixing a couple of the battalion’s starships and Waxer had volunteered to help you with the process. To your dismay, though, you’d heard weather reports that thunderstorms were coming and you wanted to try and get the repairs done and back to your apartment before the storms hit. You didn’t want Waxer to see you if that happened.

"Can you hand me the spanner wrench?" you asked him from under the ship.

You felt the metal of the tool slip into your hand. "Here you go," you heard Waxer say.

Once you had the spanner, you placed it where it needed to go and started twisting quickly, trying to get the job finished.

“What’s got you in such a hurry?” Waxer asked. “If you keep that up, you might break the wrench.”

“Nothing. I just want to get the job done so we can both get home,” you replied, keeping your focus on the part you were fixing.

“I understand, but you’re usually more thorough than fast,” he pointed out.

You could feel a bead of sweat trickle from your forehead down the side of your head. Normally, yes, he was right and you would be more thorough with your work, but you knew the storms were coming and you had to get home. Anytime a storm happened to roll through on Coruscant, you would put on noise-canceling headgear that would block out the thunder and it helped keep you calm. However, you didn’t have those with you at the moment; they were back in your apartment. If the storm came in before you got home, then you were doomed. It didn’t help that Waxer was noticing your hurry either.

“I’m just tired and want to get out of here, that’s all,” you told him as you pulled your goggles over your eyes, put down the spanner, withdrew a welding pick from your belt and started using it on the ship, little sparks flying out above you.

To Waxer, something felt off with you. Ever since Commander Cody had made the comment that there were storms coming when you got back on planet, you’d been a little on edge. Did you just not want to work in the rain? Or was there something else? He couldn’t put his finger on it yet, but if your strange behavior persisted, he was going to ask.

To lighten the mood a little he asked back teasingly, “Why? You got a hot date?”

You scoffed aloud. “You’re the only guy I ever spend time with, Wax.”

“So you want me to be your hot date? Is that what I’m hearing?”

Even though you were grinning to yourself while you worked, you replied through a chuckle, “Oh, will you hush and let me work?”

Waxer simply smirked to himself, finding himself amusing.

You could see the part of the ship was nearly fixed. “All right, almost…,” you said aloud.

Then you heard the first faint, distant boom of thunder.

Your heart jumped straight to your throat, panic seized your whole being and a startled, scared shriek ripped itself from your mouth as you involuntarily jerked in response. As you spasmed, your head lifted and met the underside of the ship with a loud clang. You released a cry of pain, your forehead throbbing immensely and you could feel a sharp sting followed by the sensation of something running down your head. You were pretty sure you’d just cut your head.

“(Y/N), are you okay?” you heard Waxer cry out with worry as you inched out from under the ship.

“I have to go! I’m sorry, Waxer!” you exclaimed through a strained voice as you got out, climbed to your feet and just took off running, your hand over your head, hearing Waxer’s calls growing fainter.

It had already started, sooner than you’d expected. You could feel your heart rapidly pounding against your chest as if begging to be released, the drumming also sounding in your head and your ears. Your feet were moving faster than you ever knew was possible. All you knew was you had to get home.

Boom!

Flashes of the bomb cellar you’d spent days in as a child appeared in your mind, the screams of those around you filling your ears. Your running faltered slightly and your hands went to cover your ears. The rain was slowly drizzling down, which made your vision even more hazy, but you didn’t care. You had to get home!

Boom!

A cry of terror left you and your legs gave way, making you collapse to wet ground. You could feel the panic attack coming, you couldn’t breathe and your fear was overwhelming you. There was a big flash of lightning followed by another loud crack of thunder. You screamed and scrambled up against a nearby wall, sobbing and curling up into a fetal position. You wanted to keep running, but you couldn’t focus. You were so overcome with fear that your body was betraying you. Your legs wouldn’t do what you want, your body wouldn’t move. You were just frozen in fear and losing yourself more and more with every boom you heard.

At some point, you swore you heard a voice saying your name; a voice that seemed familiar. They sounded worried, but you couldn’t bring yourself to follow it. There was the sensation that your body was floating, like you were being carried somewhere. The area surrounding you was flying by. You couldn’t discern what was happening. A few minutes later, you no longer felt the rain on your skin nor could you hear the deafening sound of rainfall on the pavement. You weren’t floating anymore and the voice you thought you’d heard was growing louder as something was touching your face. A shape was coming into view…a face…a face full of worry. Your name broke through and your vision cleared, revealing Waxer kneeling in front of you on the floor of your apartment, holding your face in his hands and crying your name desperately.

“Wake up, darlin’. Come back to me. Please, come back,” he pleaded with you.

Dazed, you finally spoke, “W…Waxer…?”

A small gasp of relief escaped him as he assured you, “Yeah, it’s me. I’m here.”

More thunder rumbled and you were back in panic mode, shrieking out loud and, on instinct, shrinking back into yourself, tears springing once again from your eyes. Waxer’s arms wrapped themselves around you and he pulled you close to him. One of his hands came up over one of your ears and he cradled your head against his chest, covering your other ear with his armor. You felt his cheek touch the top of your head.

Though his voice was muffled, you could still hear his voice soothing you, “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re safe now. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

“Please, don’t go. Don't leave me alone,” you begged him, your voice trembling.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

You had no idea how much time had passed before the storm had finally ended, but Waxer had stayed with you and held you through the whole thing, whispering reassurances to you and comforting you through every strike of thunder you heard, keeping you grounded in reality instead of letting your fear and your trauma swallow you whole again. You focused on your best friend’s voice and the warmth of his protective embrace that surrounded you. With him, you felt safe.

As the storm subsided, he finally told you, “The storm’s over.” When you withdrew slightly from him, his hand came up to your forehead, where you remembered you’d cut yourself back on the platform. “You’ve got a pretty nasty cut there, darlin’. Let’s get you patched up.”

He seemed unfazed by the fact that you’d had an entire episode with him there, which seemed odd yet relieving to you. He got a damp cloth from your kitchen and helped clean the blood from your forehead. You kept your gaze lowered, embarrassed and ashamed.

"You're afraid of thunder, aren't you?" he asked you as he finished cleaning your wound.

With your eyes clenched shut tightly, you nodded. Then you explained to him as he put a med patch over your cut, “When I was a child, the Separatists bombed my home. For days, we were stuck in an underground bomb shelter as everything around us was destroyed and it terrified me. We were forced to flee to different cities or even different planets. Regular explosions that I can see don’t bother me, but thunder….reminds me of the sounds of the bombings from my home that have haunted me my whole life. It brings me back to that awful time and I just…shut down and panic.”

Waxer laid one hand on your shoulder and lifted your head up gently with the other so you met his sorrowful, sympathetic gaze. “(Y/N)...why did you never tell me?” he asked in a sad but calm tone.

“Because I was ashamed and I thought you would think it was childish of me to be afraid of something that I know can’t hurt me,” you responded, your eyes welling up with tears.

His head reared back a little, taken aback. “You’re my best friend, I would never think such a thing of you,” he said to the contrary. “Fear, even of simple things, isn’t childish. It’s what makes us human.” A couple of tears rolled down your cheeks and he brushed them away. “This was why you wanted to get home so quickly,” he observed.

In reply, you just nodded and said, “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He brushed a lock of hair from your face and put his hands on your arms. “You don’t have to brave the storms alone. No matter where we are, if we know there are thunderstorms coming, then I’ll always stay with you and help you through them.”

“You will?” you asked, a bit shocked.

Waxer pressed a firm kiss to your forehead. “I promise.”

Overcome with joy and gratitude for your best friend and his incredible loyalty, you threw your arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Waxer. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He hugged you back and replied, “No need to thank me. That’s what best friends are for.”

Your arms tightened even more around his neck.

When he pulled back, he asked with a comforting smile, "Do you want to get some food ordered and maybe put on a holoshow? To distract you and cheer you up a bit?"

You smiled thankfully. "I'd love that, Wax."

Then he chuckled playfully and told you, “Looks like I ended up being your hot date after all.”

All you could do was giggle and shake your head, knowing he had said that just to make you laugh, and that made you happy. He made you happy, more than anything. Waxer really was the absolute best and you were so lucky to have him as your best friend.

Clone x Reader Bingo 2023

#star wars the clone wars #clone wars waxer #waxer x reader #cfb2023

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thehylianbatman · 5 months

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The Missing Episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

This post has nothing to do with Disney or their movies.

Hello. Star Wars is extremely close to my heart, and extremely important to me. As a narrative and a creative work, I believe Star Wars is unique and distinctive. I believe that Star Wars is now in an unfinished state, and will more than likely remain so forever, but my anti-Disney tirades can go in another post. For now, I simply want to inform you about Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and share my theory that there are episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars being hidden from us.

All information in this post is publicly and freely available from Wikipedia.

Here is a list of every episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars released before production was cancelled by Disney in 2014, along with seasonal notes.

SEASON 1 (2008) - This season contains 6 standalone episodes, 5 arcs of 2 episodes, and 2 arcs of 3 episodes, covering episodes 1 through 22 of the series. The seasons opens and closes on standalone episodes. As the first season of the series, these formats are all appearing for the first time.

"Ambush" (1.08)

"Rising Malevolence" (1.07)

"Shadow of Malevolence" (1.09)

"Destroy Malevolence" (1.11)

"Rookies" (1.14)

"Downfall of a Droid" (1.02)

"Duel of the Droids" (1.06)

"Bombad Jedi" (1.05)

"Cloak of Darkness" (1.10)

"Lair of Grievous" (1.12)

"Dooku Captured" (1.16)

"The Gungan General" (1.20)

"Jedi Crash" (1.22)

"Defenders of Peace" (1.24)

"Trespass" (1.25)

"The Hidden Enemy" (2.01)

"Blue Shadow Virus" (1.26)

"Mystery of a Thousand Moons" (2.02)

"Storm Over Ryloth" (1.15)

"Innocents of Ryloth" (1.17)

"Liberty on Ryloth" (1.19)

"Hostage Crisis" (2.04)

SEASON 2: Rise of the Bounty Hunters (2009) - This season contains 4 standalone episodes, 2 arcs of 2 episodes, 3 arcs of 3 episodes, and 1 arc of 5 episodes, "Senate Spy" to "Brain Invaders"; this covers episodes 23 through 44 of the series. The seasons opens and closes on 3-episode arcs. The 5-episode arc is appearing for the first and only time.

"Holocron Heist" (1.23)

"Cargo of Doom" (1.13)

"Children of the Force" (2.03)

"Senate Spy" (2.05)

"Landing at Point Rain" (2.07)

"Weapons Factory" (2.08)

"Legacy of Terror" (2.09)

"Brain Invaders" (2.12)

"Grievous Intrigue" (2.14)

"The Deserter" (2.06)

"Lightsaber Lost" (2.11)

"The Mandalore Plot" (2.13)

"Voyage of Temptation" (1.21)

"Duchess of Mandalore" (2.16)

"Senate Murders" (2.10)

"Cat and Mouse" (2.17)

"Bounty Hunters" (2.19)

"The Zillo Beast" (2.22)

"The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" (2.23)

"Death Trap" (2.15)

"R2 Come Home" (2.18)

"Lethal Trackdown" (2.20)

SEASON 3: Secrets Revealed (2010) - This season contains 3 standalone episodes, 5 arcs of 2 episodes, and 3 arcs of 3 episodes, covering episodes 45 through 66 of the series. The season opens and closes on 2-episode arcs.

"Clone Cadets" (3.01)

"ARC Troopers" (3.02)

"Supply Lines" (2.24)

"Sphere of Influence" (2.25)

"Corruption" (3.04)

"The Academy" (2.26)

"Assassin" (2.21)

"Evil Plans" (3.03)

"Hunt for Ziro" (3.05)

"Heroes on Both Sides" (3.06)

"Pursuit of Peace" (3.07)

"Nightsisters" (3.08)

"Monster" (3.10)

"Witches of the Mist" (3.12)

"Overlords" (3.09)

"Altar of Mortis" (3.11)

"Ghosts of Mortis" (3.13)

"The Citadel" (3.14)

"Counter Attack" (3.15)

"Citadel Rescue" (3.17)

"Padawan Lost" (3.16)

"Wookie Hunt" (3.18)

SEASON 4: Battle Lines (2011) - This season contains 1 standalone episode, "A Friend in Need", 1 arc of 2 episodes, "Mercy Mission" and "Nomad Droids", 1 arc of 3 episodes, "Kidnapped" through "Escape from Kadavo", and 4 arcs of 4 episodes, covering episodes 67 through 88 of the series. The season opens and closes on 4-episode arcs. The 4-episode arc is appearing for the first time.

"Water War" (3.22)

"Gungan Attack" (3.23)

"Prisoners" (3.24)

"Shadow Warrior" (3.19)

"Mercy Mission" (3.20)

"Nomad Droids" (3.21)

"Darkness on Umbara" (3.25)

"The General" (3.26)

"Plan of Dissent" (4.01)

"Carnage of Krell" (4.02)

"Kidnapped" (4.03)

"Slaves of the Republic" (4.04)

"Escape from Kadavo" (4.05)

"A Friend in Need" (4.06)

"Deception" (4.07)

"Friends and Enemies" (4.08)

"The Box" (4.09)

"Crisis on Naboo" (4.10)

"Massacre" (4.11)

"Bounty" (4.12)

"Brothers" (4.13)

"Revenge" (4.14)

SEASON 5 (2012) - This season contains 1 standalone episode, "Revival", 1 arc of 3 episodes, "Eminence" through "The Lawless", and 4 arcs of 4 episodes, covering episodes 89 through 108 of the series. The season opens on a standalone episode and closes on a 4-episode arc. This is the first season since Season 1 to open on a standalone episode, and the first season to open and close with episodes/arcs of different lengths, as well as the first season to have fewer than 22 episodes; it contains only 20 episodes.

"Revival" (4.26)

"A War on Two Fronts" (4.15)

"Front Runners" (4.16)

"The Soft War" (4.17)

"Tipping Points" (4.18)

"The Gathering" (4.22)

"A Test of Strength" (4.23)

"Bound for Rescue" (4.24)

"A Necessary Bond" (4.25)

"Secret Weapons" (5.04)

"A Summer Day in the Void" (5.05)

"Missing in Action" (5.06)

"Point of No Return" (5.07)

"Eminence" (5.01)

"Shades of Reason" (5.02)

"The Lawless" (5.03)

"Sabotage" (5.08)

"The Jedi Who Knew Too Much" (5.09)

"To Catch a Jedi" (5.10)

"The Wrong Jedi" (5.11)

SEASON 6: The Lost Missions (2014) - This season contains 1 arc of 2 episodes, "The Disappeared, Part I" and "The Disappeared, Part II", 1 arc of 3 episodes, "An Old Friend" through "Crisis at the Heart", and 2 arcs of 4 episodes, covering episodes 109 through 121 of the series. This is the first season to contain no standalone episodes.

"The Unknown" (5.12)

"Conspiracy" (5.13)

"Fugitive" (5.14)

"Orders" (5.15)

"An Old Friend" (4.19)

"The Rise of Clovis" (4.20)

"Crisis at the Heart" (4.21)

"The Disappeared, Part I" (5.16)

"The Disappeared, Part II" (5.17)

"The Lost One" (5.18)

"Voices" (5.19)

"Destiny" (5.20)

"Sacrifice" (5.21)

The series had 5 seasons conventionally constructed, intentionally sequenced and released weekly on television, and 1 season released in bulk on a streaming service, Netflix. Altogether, this covers 121 episodes of the series released before Disney's interference.

However, this is not all of the information we have. You'll notice that, next to every single episode title, there is a sequence of two numbers. This sequence is that episode's production code; the first digit is the production block, while the next two digits are the episode's particular order within the production block. This information is more pertinent for a look at the series from a production standpoint, so here is that information put together:

BLOCK 1 - This block contains episodes from Seasons 1 and 2.

1.02 - "Downfall of a Droid" (S1E6) 1.05 - "Bombad Jedi" (S1E8) 1.06 - "Duel of the Droids" (S1E7) 1.07 - "Rising Malevolence" (S1E2) 1.08 - "Ambush" (S1E1) 1.09 - "Shadow of Malevolence" (S1E3) 1.10 - "Cloak of Darkness" (S1E9) 1.11 - "Destroy Malevolence" (S1E4) 1.12 - "Lair of Grievous" (S1E10) 1.13 - "Cargo of Doom" (S2E2) 1.14 - "Rookies" (S1E5) 1.15 - "Storm Over Ryloth" (S1E19) 1.16 - "Dooku Captured" (S1E11) 1.17 - "Innocents of Ryloth" (S1E20) 1.19 - "Liberty on Ryloth" (S1E21) 1.20 - "The Gungan General" (S1E12) 1.21 - "Voyage of Temptation" (S2E13) 1.22 - "Jedi Crash" (S1E13) 1.23 - "Holocron Heist" (S2E1) 1.24 - "Defenders of Peace" (S1E14) 1.25 - "Trespass" (S1E15) 1.26 - "Blue Shadow Virus" (S1E17)

BLOCK 2 - This block contains episodes from Seasons 1, 2, and 3, tied with Block 4 for the most seasons within a single block.

2.01 - "The Hidden Enemy" (S1E16) 2.02 - "Mystery of a Thousand Moons" (S1E18) 2.03 - "Children of the Force" (S2E3) 2.04 - "Hostage Crisis" (S1E22) 2.05 - "Senate Spy" (S2E4) 2.06 - "The Deserter" (S2E10) 2.07 - "Landing at Point Rain" (S2E5) 2.08 - "Weapons Factory" (S2E6) 2.09 - "Legacy of Terror" (S2E7) 2.10 - "Senate Murders" (S2E15) 2.11 - "Lightsaber Lost" (S2E11) 2.12 - "Brain Invaders" (S2E8) 2.13 - "The Mandalore Plot" (S2E12) 2.14 - "Grievous Intrigue" (S2E9) 2.15 - "Death Trap" (S2E20) 2.16 - "Duchess of Mandalore" (S2E14) 2.17 - "Cat and Mouse" (S2E16) 2.18 - "R2 Come Home" (S2E21) 2.19 - "Bounty Hunters" (S2E17) 2.20 - "Lethal Trackdown" (S2E22) 2.21 - "Assassin" (S3E7) 2.22 - "The Zillo Beast" (S2E18) 2.23 - "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" (S2E19) 2.24 - "Supply Lines" (S3E3) 2.25 - "Sphere of Influence" (S3E4) 2.26 - "The Academy" (S3E6)

BLOCK 3 - This block contains episodes from Seasons 3 and 4.

3.01 - "Clone Cadets" (S3E1) 3.02 - "ARC Troopers" (S3E2) 3.03 - "Evil Plans" (S3E8) 3.04 - "Corruption" (S3E5) 3.05 - "Hunt for Ziro" (S3E9) 3.06 - "Heroes on Both Sides" (S3E10) 3.07 - "Pursuit of Peace" (S3E11) 3.08 - "Nightsisters" (S3E12) 3.09 - "Overlords" (S3E15) 3.10 - "Monster" (S3E13) 3.11 - "Altar of Mortis" (S3E16) 3.12 - "Witches of the Mist" (S3E14) 3.13 - "Ghosts of Mortis" (S3E17) 3.14 - "The Citadel" (S3E18) 3.15 - "Counter Attack" (S3E19) 3.16 - "Padawan Lost" (S3E21) 3.17 - "Citadel Rescue" (S3E20) 3.18 - "Wookiee Hunt" (S3E22) 3.19 - "Shadow Warrior" (S4E4) 3.20 - "Mercy Mission" (S4E5) 3.21 - "Nomad Droids" (S4E6) 3.22 - "Water War" (S4E1) 3.23 - "Gungan Attack" (S4E2) 3.24 - "Prisoners" (S4E3) 3.25 - "Darkness on Umbara" (S4E7) 3.26 - "The General" (S4E8)

BLOCK 4 - This block contains episodes from Seasons 4, 5, and 6, tied with Block 2 for the most seasons within a single block.

4.01 - "Plan of Dissent" (S4E9) 4.02 - "Carnage of Krell" (S4E10) 4.03 - "Kidnapped" (S4E11) 4.04 - "Slaves of the Republic" (S4E12) 4.05 - "Escape from Kadavo" (S4E13) 4.06 - "A Friend in Need" (S4E14) 4.07 - "Deception" (S4E15) 4.08 - "Friends and Enemies" (S4E16) 4.09 - "The Box" (S4E17) 4.10 - "Crisis on Naboo" (S4E18) 4.11 - "Massacre" (S4E19) 4.12 - "Bounty" (S4E20) 4.13 - "Brothers" (S4E21) 4.14 - "Revenge" (S4E22) 4.15 - "A War on Two Fronts" (S5E2) 4.16 - "Front Runners" (S5E3) 4.17 - "The Soft War" (S5E4) 4.18 - "Tipping Points" (S5E5) 4.19 - "An Old Friend" (S6E5) 4.20 - "The Rise of Clovis" (S6E6) 4.21 - "Crisis at the Heart" (S6E7) 4.22 - "The Gathering" (S5E6) 4.23 - "A Test of Strength" (S5E7) 4.24 - "Bound for Rescue" (S5E8) 4.25 - "A Necessary Bond" (S5E9) 4.26 - "Revival" (S5E1)

BLOCK 5 - This block contains episodes from Seasons 5 and 6.

5.01 - "Eminence" (S5E14) 5.02 - "Shades of Reason" (S5E15) 5.03 - "The Lawless" (S5E16) 5.04 - "Secret Weapons" (S5E10) 5.05 - "A Sunny Day in the Void" (S5E11) 5.06 - "Missing in Action" (S5E12) 5.07 - "Point of No Return" (S5E13) 5.08 - "Sabotage" (S5E17) 5.09 - "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much" (S5E18) 5.10 - "To Catch a Jedi" (S5E19) 5.11 - "The Wrong Jedi" (S5E20) 5.12 - "The Unknown" (S6E1) 5.13 - "Conspiracy" (S6E2) 5.14 - "Fugitive" (S6E3) 5.15 - "Orders" (S6E4) 5.16 - "The Disappeared, Part I" (S6E8) 5.17 - "The Disappeared, Part II" (S6E9) 5.18 - "The Lost One" (S6E10) 5.19 - "Voices" (S6E11) 5.20 - "Destiny" (S6E12) 5.21 - "Sacrifice" (S6E13)

Looking at this list, gaps are plainly evident. 1.01, 1.03, 1.04, and 1.18 are all missing, and Block 5 is 5 episodes shorter than the previous 4 blocks. Where are these episodes?

The missing episodes from Block 1 are easy; they were cannibalized and stitched together to make the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film. The film is 98 minutes long, while episodes of the series are typically around 22 minutes long; 22 minutes per episode times 4 episodes is 88 minutes total runtime, 10 minutes short of the film's runtime. Those 10 minutes are likely the credits and polishing for the film's theatrical release, if not simply the episodes themselves being slightly longer.

Therefore, we can add these to the list:

1.01 - The Clone Wars Film (FILM) 1.03 - The Clone Wars Film (FILM) 1.04 - The Clone Wars Film (FILM) 1.18 - The Clone Wars Film (FILM)

This resolves the issue of the missing episodes from Block 1, meaning that all of the episodes produced before 5.22 were released. This gives us a total of 125 episodes. But what about Episode 5.22 and the rest of Block 5?

This is where the trail gets murky. Fans of the series who were around when it was cancelled may recall The Clone Wars Legacy, the plan to release content from the series in different means in order to not waste the work that went into it. Some may think that this simplifies things. In fact, it does the opposite.

Here is a list of all the content from The Clone Wars Legacy:

Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir, a comic adapting a 4-episode arc covering Darth Maul's story after getting captured by Darth Sidious at the end of "The Lawless", released by Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Disciple, a novel adapting either an 8-episode arc or two related 4-episode arcs covering Asajj Ventress' story after her last appearance in "The Wrong Jedi".

Crystal Crisis on Utapau, a rough story reel of incomplete episodes of a 4-episode arc, covering the emotional fallout of Ahsoka's departure from the Jedi Order after the events of "The Wrong Jedi".

The Bad Batch, a rough story reel of incomplete episodes of a 4-episode arc, intending to work as a backdoor pilot of sorts to a spin-off series focusing on the titular Bad Batch.

Those keeping track of the numbers will quickly spot that we have the content of 20 episodes released as The Clone Wars Legacy. This does not easily fill in the gaps we have, nor does it finish things off neatly.

The production codes of the original episodes adapted into the material for The Clone Wars Legacy are known. The production codes of the in-production 20 episodes are listed below:

BLOCK 6 - This block has 16 known episodes.

6.01 - "A Death on Utapau" (REEL) 6.02 - "In Search of the Crystal" (REEL) 6.03 - "Crystal Crisis" (REEL) 6.04 - "The Big Bang" (REEL) 6.09 - "The Bad Batch" (REEL) 6.10 - "A Distant Echo" (REEL) 6.11 - "On the Wings of Keeradaks" (REEL) 6.12 - "Unfinished Business" (REEL) 6.13 - "Lethal Alliance" (BOOK) 6.14 - "The Mission" (BOOK) 6.15 - "Conspirators" (BOOK) 6.16 - "Dark Disciple" (BOOK) 6.21 - "The Enemy of My Enemy" (BOOK) 6.22 - "A Tale of Two Apprentices" (BOOK) 6.23 - "Proxy War" (BOOK) 6.24 - "Showdown on Dathomir" (BOOK)

BLOCK 7 - This block has 4 known episodes.

7.05 - "Saving Vos, Part I" (BOOK) 7.06 - "Saving Vos, Part II" (BOOK) 7.07 - "Traitor" (BOOK) 7.08 - "The Path" (BOOK)

While we can add these to the list of produced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this raises more questions than answers. Not only was there a Block 6, but there was also a Block 7 as well. Block 7 is nearly entirely unknown, while Block 6 also has gaps, and, to top it all off, none of the things we gain from this are in Block 5, meaning those episodes are still unknown as well.

However, we do gain one answer from this: the production blocks got shorter. The last episode of Block 6 is 6.24, not 6.26 as one might expect from Blocks past. This makes Block 5's gap a little more clear-cut; it means we're only missing 5.22 through 5.24. That's 3 episodes, a common arc length. If Block 5 was as long as the other blocks, that would be 5 episodes missing, which could be either a 4-episode arc and a standalone episode, or a 2-episode arc and a 3-episode arc. All still common arc lengths, but not as clear-cut.

Of course, there's no definitive proof that the blocks got shorter. It's possible there'a 5.25 and 5.26 and a 6.25 and a 6.26. That would be a 2-episode arc missing from Block 6, as well.

The only "proof" I have seen stating that the blocks got shorter, besides the lack of trails for a theoretical 6.25 and 6.26 confirming that Block 6 remained the same length, and therefore Block 5 must have, as well, is a statement by Pablo Hidalgo on Twitter, stating that there is no 5.25 or 5.26. I do not know where he gets his information from, and his relationship with Lucasfilm is murky to me, so I'm hesitant to just accept it as fact. There's also the fact that he could be lying to cover Lucasfilm and/or Disney for the sake of money and employment.

This is not an allegation or a statement of belief, merely an acknowledgement of possibility.

However, the production blocks do seem to be 26 episodes long specifically just to cover the film initially, which leaves 22 episodes for the regular season; since Season 5 definitively got reduced by 2 episodes, it's entirely possible that the production blocks did also get reduced by 2 episodes, and the new season length merely reflects this.

All this does is muddy the waters, however. Without solid answers, we've got next to nothing to go on.

Except Disney.

Of course, Disney resurrected the rotting corpse of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to be completely sure that the money well within was completely dry, before discarding it and moving on to whatever live action thing they're working on now. These episodes do, however, give us some information. Listed below are the episodes Disney released:

BLOCK 6

6.05 - "Gone with a Trace" (DISNEY) 6.06 - "Deal No Deal" (DISNEY) 6.07 - "Dangerous Debt" (DISNEY) 6.08 - "Together Again" (DISNEY)

BLOCK 7 7.21 - "Old Friends Not Forgotten" (DISNEY) 7.22 - "The Phantom Apprentice" (DISNEY) 7.23 - "Shattered" (DISNEY) 7.24 - "Victory and Death" (DISNEY)

While these episodes have been "adapted" (read: scrubbed and censored) by Disney, the fact that they continue to use the original production codes leads me to believe that these episodes originated as original episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, they've been written or additionally written by Dave Filoni, who, aside from assisting with one episode ("Lethal Trackdown", S2E22, 2.20), was not a writer on the series until after Disney bought the property; he was a director. This tells me that the direction he took the episodes in was not their originally intended direction, but rather, the Disney-approved direction given to him. This says, to me, that we cannot pull any information from these episodes besides possibly basic premises, as these are not the original episodes with renewed production, but new "adaptations" of what was being produced when the series was cancelled.

However, this does give us new information, in telling us that the final episodes of Block 7 were the finale of the series. This feels too large of a fact to be new or changed; I feel that, while the content and direction of 7.21 through 7.24 may have changed, them being the series finale is just too big of a basic premise to ignore or change. If it isn't, then why make those episodes the finale of the revived series? Why not 7.01 through 7.04, or invent new numbers in 6.25 through 6.28?

Therefore, going off that conclusion, we have a solid ending point: 7.24, the end of the final production block, Block 7.

This also supports the idea that the production blocks get shorter with Block 5, as, while 5.24 is not known, both 6.24 and 7.24 seem to be the end of their blocks.

Therefore, with all this information, I feel we can see a basic roadmap of where Star Wars: The Clone Wars was going to go, and what Disney took from us. Looking at a list of the production blocks:

Block 1: 26 episodes Block 2: 26 episodes Block 3: 26 episodes Block 4: 26 episodes Block 5: 24 episodes Block 6: 24 episodes Block 7: 24 episodes

If all information is correct, this means LucasFilm were planning on producing 176 episodes of the series. Looking at a list of the released episodes before the buyout:

Season 1: 22 episodes Season 2: 22 episodes Season 3: 22 episodes Season 4: 22 episodes Season 5: 20 episodes Season 6: 13 episodes

This means that LucasFilm released 121 of their ostensibly planned 176 episodes. Adding the 4 episodes used for the film gives us 125.

Subtracting these two gives us a figure of 51 episodes remaining. These 51 episodes were likely in various stages of completion when the buyout occurred.

Looking at the seasons, Season 6 is not constructed like the rest, but rather, a bulk release of product. Assuming that Season 5 was intended to be the new model going forward, we can subtract 7 of those 51 unreleased episodes to round out Season 6 to it's intended length of 20 episodes.

This leaves us with 44 episodes. Divide that by 2, and you get 22 episodes. 22 episodes for a theoretical Season 7 and a theoretical Season 8.

Out of the 51 episodes not completed and released by LucasFilm, 28 have been adapted and released via other means. This leaves at least 23 episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars about which we know absolutely nothing, listed below:

5.22 5.23 5.24 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20

These include a 3-episode arc from Block 5, a 4-episode arc from Blocks 6 and 7, and almost the entirety of the middle of Block 7.

These numbers are not solid. It's possible that Blocks 5 through 7 were intended to be 26 episodes as all the others were. That would add 6 episodes, for 182 planned episodes, and 57 uncompleted, about which we know nothing about 29 of them.

It's possible that Seasons 5 and 6 were intended to be 22 episodes as all the other seasons were, and things simply didn't work out that way. This would mean 11 episodes would be needed to round out the seasons, rather than 0 for Season 5 and 7 for Season 6.

This could leave us with 40 or 42 episodes to divide between a theoretical Season 7 and 8. 2 seasons of 20 episodes, or a season of 20 and a season of 22.

There are many possibilities, wrapped in shadows and behind closed doors, regarding this series. We will likely never know the facts, simply because the facts are nebulous and were not, nor ever will be, solidified.

But we can know for sure is that the original intended versions of Blocks 6 and 7, plus the final 3 episodes of Block 5, will likely never be finished, and that we have lost George Lucas' original vision for this series. Those 51 episodes, while potentially getting adapted, will never be released or even completed the way they were originally intended.

(Although George Lucas has stated previously that Star Wars is "like poetry, it rhymes", this series does seem to be lacking in rhyming. Production blocks and season lengths both change midway through, and there seems to have been intended 8 seasons, which is annoyingly only 1 short from matching the intended number of Star Wars movies: 9.)

This is a tremendous shame, because Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a fantastic series which lovingly and accurately adapts a big-screen property for the small screen, tells a dense, varied, but cohesive story, and expands the universe that so many of us have loved since 1977.

We wanted to know about the Clone Wars since that time, and we finally got it. While we may never see the original, epic conclusion, we should still be grateful for 6 seasons of wonderful television.

This post was typed listening to the theme for Star Wars: The Clone Wars on repeat for about 3 hours. As stated at the top, all information is publicly and freely available on Wikipedia.

Thanks for reading.

#Star Wars #Star Wars: The Clone Wars #LucasFilm #George Lucas #Disney #Dave Filoni #Netflix #Darth Maul #Asajj Ventress #Ahsoka Tano #The Bad Batch #Star Wars: The Bad Batch #This post does not speak positively of Disney so if you're an ardent Disney defender I would skip this one

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