#jedi quest the shadow trap

[comebackali]

🥹

#anakin skywalker #otp: more intimate than lovers #star wars #pt #allie reads jedi quest #jedi quest #jedi quest the shadow trap #the shadow trap #sw novels #wizard #obikin

[gffa]

This is the most bare-bones recap you could do of “What the fuck is Crimson Dawn?” and it still takes up a page and a half of comics!  It doesn’t even mention Maul’s name!  To be fair, the people recounting this don’t know Maul’s name, so this works narratively, but what gets me is that I really do enjoy how Star Wars is structured, especially with how it’s this giant cascade of dominoes. Think about how complicated all of this is! - Maul is given to Sidious by Mother Talzin, he’s raised as a Sith apprentice - Maul is defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi, becoming obsessed with revenge on him while living on a garbage planet as a half-Zabrak, half-spider person - Mother Talzin creates a new Sith apprentice for Dooku after Sidious forced him to kill Ventress (not that that worked and now Ventress wants revenge, so she went to Mother Talzin), which is eventually a wash. - Savage goes back to Mother Talzin and she sends him on a quest to bring back her son Maul, where she cures Maul’s madness and gives him more Zabrak-style legs, and they go try to kill Obi-Wan and fail at it again. - They float around in a dead ship until rescued by Death Watch, whom they ally with to create a Shadow Collective, in a bid to appear as villains for Mandalore to fight, so Death Watch can swoop in as heroes and win the people’s support to depose Duchess Satine Kryze. - Basically, two Force-sensitives (and honestly Maul could have probably done it himself) were enough to force the Pykes and Black Sun to agree to work with them, even though neither group wanted to. - They also tried to force the Hutts to join, but they refused, so Maul killed Oruba the Hutt (the only one in person at the meeting instead of on holo) and then go to Tatooine to kill Jabba, who decides, okay, he’ll join the Shadow Collective after all. - The plan on Mandalore is put in place, the Shadow Collective attacks Mandalore, Death Watch looks like heroes, Pre Vizsla is the puppet master of the Prime Minister they install, Death Watch tries to betray Maul and Savage, but they’re like, dipshit, we’re Sith Lords and fight their way to Pre’s throne room.  Maul challenges him to a fight, Maul wins, Bo-Katan Kryze (who was part of Death Watch up to this point) refuses to let a non-Mandalorian rule Mandalore (since Maul has taken up the Darksaber that Pre had and leads Death Watch and thus Mandalore now) and leaves. - Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious decides Maul’s become enough of a thorn in his side to deal with this, goes to Mandalore, kills Savage, puts Maul in prison and dusts off his hands like no big deal. - Maul is rescued by members of Death Watch and the puppet prime minister who are loyal to him, wins back the Darksaber, returns to Mandalore, sets up another trap to try to lure Obi-Wan there, gets Ahsoka instead (along with a whole lot of Republic troops, because Bo-Katan asked for a Republic intervention, by way of having Ahsoka ask for it), they battle it out and are relatively evenly matched, but he eventually loses.  This is the Siege of Mandalore, which puts the Republic there riiiiiiight as the Republic is turning into the Empire. - So everything goes pear-shaped in the galaxy, as the Jedi genocide is enacted, chaos erupts everywhere.  When the clones attack Ahsoka because of Order 66, she frees Maul to cause chaos and he destroys the core of the engines, forcing the ship down, but he himself escapes. - Maul regroups again and takes over Crimson Dawn, but uses Dryden Vos as a figurehead.  Vos has an assistant named Qi’ra, who is the first love of Han Solo, and when he crashes back into her life, things go pear-shaped again, resulting in a big adventure that ends with Dryden Vos’ death and Qi’ra stepping up to take his place as Maul’s new figurehead. - Qi’ra learns much about the Sith from Maul and, after his death, she takes over Crimson Dawn for real and begins to plot how to take down the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, aka Emperor Palpatine. As much ridiculous bullshit as Star Wars often is, I love that they genuinely have a galaxy that is connected together, that one plot ripples out in these surprisingly massive waves.  You don’t get to any one point on this timeline without the other points happening first, just like you don’t get to the OT without the events of the prequels happening first, you don’t get the Empire without the Republic and the Separatists both. In many ways, Star Wars is separated into periods of time, the films still largely define different eras, but there is a throughline with so much of it, the political timeline spans decades in this universe, you can follow the trail all the way back to The Phantom Menace and even earlier.  Yeah, Star Wars is often silly bullshit, but I appreciate the dedication to showing that ramifications happen when major political and criminal upheavals happen!

#darth maul #qi'ra #crimson dawn #shadow collective #meta #comics #reading comics: bounty hunters

[legendscon]

May 1st is a popular day for Expanded Universe book releases including: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising (book), Dark Force Rising #1 (comic), Last of the Jedi: The Desperate Mission, Jedi Quest: The Shadow Trap, Young Jedi Knights: Return to Ord Mantell, Dark Empire (TPB), Rebel Force: Renegade and several more!

Love the EU? Join us for Legends Con in Burbank, CA on September 9th-10th!

#Expanded Universe #Star Wars Expanded Universe #Star Wars Legends #SWEU #Star Wars EU #SW Expanded Universe #LegendsCon #Heir To The Empire #Dark Force Rising #Last Of The Jedi #Jedi Quest #Mara Jade #Rebel Force #Dark Empire #Young Jedi Knights #Thrawn #Ferus Olin

[prodijedi]

grief

── ⠀⠀@misfittcd

⠀⠀[ ⠀⠀ FROM single-word headcanon prompts⠀⠀]

personal / non roleplay blogs do not reblog.

DOOKU HAS HAD TO GRIEVE the loss of himself to the DARK SIDE ever since he was a CHILD. When Dooku was naught but a young PADAWAN LEARNER struggling to find his footing amidst the shadow of MASTER YODA, his childhood best friend SIFO-DYAS confided in him regarding the TERRIBLE FATE that he foresaw in Dooku’s future.

Sifo-Dyas’s haunted hues flickered up towards his brother in all but blood, resembling in that moment not a youth just beginning to blossom into his full potential — but rather, an ancient oracle of eldritch design. Eternal GRIEF was etched into the boy’s features, his shoulders sagging under the weight of horrible ANGUISH. The burden of witnessing the future as if it has already come to pass was a mighty burden to bear indeed, Dooku mused, his heart clenching at the thought of Sifo-Dyas suffering such a dreadful experience. Intimate knowledge of history yet to be made is not for the faint of heart, and to Dooku, Sifo-Dyas has proven his bravery time and time again through enduring this TRIAL BY FIRE every single day. ⠀⠀Dooku leaned forward, ENTRANCED by the dangerous promise of PROPHECY. “Tell me,” he implored, his voice as soft as the breeze that presently ruffles his hair and the leaves of the Great Tree. “What is it that troubles you?” Unblinking, Sifo-Dyas gazed upon him. The silence stretched on for an ETERNITY, and Dooku found himself growing increasingly unsettled. ⠀Finally, Sifo-Dyas spoke. “Dooku,” Even the manner in which his name was uttered was a CONDEMNATION. Dooku cannot help but flinch, rendered privy as he was to the peculiar sensation of a thousand knives piercing his heart at once. “You are going to be terrible.” Dooku’s heart dropped into his stomach, dragged down by the merciless DREAD which now settled within his bones. Despite his best efforts to resist the allure of foresight, Dooku was nevertheless MESMERIZED by Sifo-Dyas’s whispers of the future. He listened to his friend with wide eyes and parted lips, a mighty HURRICANE of emotions gaining strength with each word spoken. BOYHOOD is so very peculiar when one is doomed to become a MONSTER. —⠀⠀A MEMORY FOREVER ETCHED WITHIN DOOKU’S TORTURED MIND.

ALTHOUGH SUCH MORBID observations were kept entirely to himself and never divulged to his best friend, it was a commonplace tragedy for Sifo-Dyas to meet Dooku’s hazel hues — and witness instead DARTH TYRANUS glaring back at him from the annuls of a future unwritten.

⠀⠀DOOKU, MEANWHILE, BEGAN TO discover the DANGERS that lurked within PROPHECY. DEVASTATED by this mighty blow upon his soul, he sought some semblance of deceptive comfort in grieving preemptively what could have been. Sifo-Dyas’s condemnation lingered beneath the surface of the façade donned by the finest swordsman to ever grace the ranks of the Jedi Order, consuming him from within as he sought the comfort of vehement DENIAL amidst his day to day endeavors. Dooku operated under the DEADLY ASSUMPTION that he would be able to OUTSMART THE DARKNESS when the Sith sought to approach him at last, erroneously believing that he was capable of unlocking their knowledge without succumbing to the darkness himself.

⠀⠀However, the SITH DEAL IN ABSOLUTES. One cannot learn their ways without embracing such practices in their ENTIRETY, for the Sith are EXPERTS at bringing new souls into their ranks. Despite the prior knowledge that Dooku possessed regarding his fall, he remained OBLIVIOUS while Sidious sunk poison-soaked claws into his troubled heart and transformed him into the grotesque creature called DARTH TYRANUS. Only upon the demise of MASTER YADDLE did Dooku realize that Sidious succeeded in his sinister quest for CORRUPTION; however, IT WAS TOO LATE. Dooku was FOREVER TRAPPED within the dictatorial grasp of darkness, and there was no escape. Sifo-Dyas’s prophecy came true.

#✧;─ askbox prompt replies. #​​​✧;─ headcanons / meta.

[knightprincess]

Always (Crosshair x Jedi Reader) Part 29

Warning: Major character(s) death. Tissues advised 

Words: 2.2K A/N: Just the epilogue to go after this. May the force be with you x 

"Are you sure about this?" questioned Rex, looking to (Y/N) as they landed on Dathomir once again. The former Jedi Knight, known galaxy wide as the Princess, looked to the captain, uncertainty in her own eyes. She knew Vader was on her home world, finally curiosity had gotten the better of him. Finally she had gotten his attention. Rex knew better than most, how much (Y/N) had hope her best friend and his former General was okay, he'd somehow escaped the massacre and gone into hiding. Something he'd hoped for too. Although he had also forced himself to acknowledge the alternative. Anakin Skywalker was dead as the imperial files suggested.

"I have to know. I just hope my instincts are wrong this time" voiced (Y/N), noticing the look the pair of Rex and Echo shared. Both could hear the pain lacing through her voice. Both could hear the dread, fear and uncertainty ringing in her voice, despite her best attempts to hide them. "If anything goes wrong, run and rejoin with the others" added the former Jedi Knight, closing her eyes and swallowing the lump beginning to form in her throat. Stepping from the Ghost Marauder shortly after, her lightsaber at the ready, as she expected trouble. After all it was unwise for one to face a Sith Lord and not expect trouble or a trap.

Echo followed along behind, her words stinging in a way few others had before. Her order wasn't as it appeared to be. It was her subtly saying, if something went wrong she would give them the time to escape, even if that cost her own life. Something the Arc Trooper found himself uncomfortable with. She expected the worst to happen but didn't say why. Even Rex seemed uncomfortable with the idea, although his attention was temporarily on his communicator, where Hunter's smokey voice uttered some incoherent words.

"I've been waiting for you" came a mechanical voice. The owner of which seemed to be hiding within the ruins of the nearby temple, as proven by (Y/N)'s attention being directed towards it. Ignoring the forgotten battlefield the trio found themselves in the middle of, even now years after the Night Sister massacre, droid parts still scattered the baron lands, a few scorched and dead trees dotted here and there.

"What happened here?" quested Echo, noticing both B1 and 2 battle droids scattered, some had been mangled, while others had a strikes similar to the ones Omega's bow would cause, blasted upon them. Dotted among the droids were bodies, the fallen Night Sister's whom hadn't been spared the courtesy of a proper burial. The forgotten battlefield also serving as a cemetery.

"Grievous, attack and destroyed the clans during the last year of the war. Like the Jedi, what remain of the sisters are scattered across the galaxy. The brothers did what they could to honor them, but they mainly protect Merrin now" replied (Y/N), recalling when she'd asked the same question to Maul upon returning home again. She'd always believed the Night Sisters were invincible. After all they had the power to raise the dead if they felt threatened. "The emperor's orders" whispered (Y/N), yet another reason why she'd never support the Empire. Another reason she was determined to help bring it down.

As if waiting for the best moment for a dramatic entrance. An intimidating figure appeared from the shadows of the old temple, accompanied by deep, mechanical breathing. His black cape blowing behind him, as he slowly advanced towards them. (Y/N) didn't move, instead become more determined, even if her previous serious expression and turned into one of sadness. As if she'd just realize something. Echo and Rex took up defensive stances, ready to fight should they need to, both of them aiming their guns towards the unknown mechanical figure.

"It can't be" whispered (Y/N), not igniting her lightsaber. She was determined this wouldn't end in a duel, although she suspected that was likely what would happen anyway. "Rex, Echo, troopers west side" spoke the princess, upon attuning her senses once more, quickly realizing the trap, and refusing to allow Rex and Echo to go down with her. Instead she sent them to the troopers, giving them there best chance at surviving at the same time. "What happened to you, Anakin?" shakingly questioned the former Jedi Knight, still in disbelief the Sith Lord before her, the fist of the Empire, was none other than her former best friend, the chosen one.

"Anakin Skywalker was weak" responded the Sith Lord with malice in his mechanical voice, the eyes of his mask making it appear as if they were empty voids into an endless abyss. "I killed him" effortlessly added Darth Vader, looking to the woman whom had asked so many questions before, the woman whom he suspected already knew the truth but had denied it. Vader soon stepped towards the Princess, his masters orders in the forefront of his mind. Retrieve and return her to empire. Although the Sith apprentice was beginning to see that was going to be a far more difficult task than original thought. It was clear the Princess wasn't going anywhere willingly.

"My master has been looking for you since your escape. He will be pleased with your return" uttered the mechanical voice, deep and unbroken. The words direct, bringing (Y/N) from her trance of sadness as all her memories over powered her. She soon shook her head, pushing the overwhelming feelings away, concentrating on the Sith Lord before her, the man to have once been her best friend.

"I wont return to the Empire. I refuse to be another porn in the Emperor's game. I wont turn my back on the people who need me" voiced (Y/N) with anger and hatred stinging her voice. She hated the Emperor for taking almost everything she cared for and loved away, she hated the empire for what it was and what it stood for. For reminding her of the people she lost when the republic and order fell at the end of the war.

"Then you will die" uttered the mechanical voice, that drowned out the softness Anakin once had.

"So be it" replied (Y/N) with absolute as she ignited her own lightsaber. Noticing the Havoc Marauder land nearby, something that only served to ignite her determination even more. She had to protect her small squad and Rex. She had to protect Omega. She had to protect her family and lover.

Within a split second, their lightsabers clashed. Vader's red one smashing against her own one with hatred but also restraint. Where as (Y/N)'s blue duel bladed one serving to protect her from the strike and also make it more difficult for Vader to catch her off guard. There duel reminiscent of the one Obi-wan had once spoke of all those years ago on Naboo. The duel that had cost his master's life and brought the Sith's return to light. Although this time the roles were somewhat reversed, she the Jedi Knight had the duel bladed lightsaber, where as the now Sith Lord held a singleton.

Out of nowhere blaster bolts effortless flew past (Y/N). They would have hit Vader had he not moved to deflect them, he seemed just as taken back by the fire as she did. Although the former Jedi Knight had the advantage of knowing whom had fired them, although his position was anyone's guess. From the corner of her eye, (Y/N) noticed Hunter running after Omega, whom was heading in her direction. Vader too noticing the pair, quickly he deflected Hunter's blaster bolts and Omega's shots, redirecting them at Crosshair's position.

"Cross!" yelled (Y/N), feeling her heart drop, as fear of losing him for good clenched at her from the inside out. Vader's soon redirected some of the bolts back at Hunter and Omega, a few of them in her direction, as if attempting to force her to choose between whom got her attention. Him or the pair of clones. Relief soon washed over (Y/N), upon hearing Crosshair respond to Tech with a snide comment. With that (Y/N) launched at Vader again, determined to protect those she had left, no matter that cost of doing so.

"Run Omega" called (Y/N), calling for her apprentice to run, even when the young girl was attempting to fight at her side. Although the former Jedi Knight appreciated what Omega was trying to do, she was also well aware the younger clone didn't have the skills needed to fight against a Sith Lord. This was one of the occasions where (Y/N) hoped Omega would act with her head instead of heart. "Hunter, get her out of here" yelled (Y/N), her determination reignited to ensure Omega's survival, something she appeared to share with the others there.

Once again blaster bolts took Vader's attention off of (Y/N), although this time coming from Echo, who made no effort to hide. Crosshair had since come down from his perch, helping Tech and Wrecker nearby, while Rex redirected his attention to ensuring Omega's was safely stowed away aboard one of the ships. Tech soon joined in the effort at Hunter's order, the Sargent turning back in a effort to retrieve (Y/N) too, refusing to leave another behind. Refusing to allow his family to be broken again.

"(Y/N)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Screamed Crosshair, his screams gut-wrenching as his heart sank and began to crack and break. Without a second thought he ran towards her. As did Hunter. Both of them had bared witness to (Y/N)'s lightsaber being destroyed, they'd both helplessly watched as she'd been struck down by Vader. In the confusion, Echo had been struck by enemy fire, leaving Wrecker to hold the front on his own. As if a sign of mercy, Vader called off the troopers under his command, he'd been about to walk away when both Crosshair and Hunter began firing upon him again, just like before the Sith Lord effortlessly deflected each bolt.

"Crosshair, get to (Y/N). I'll handle him" ordered the Sargent, knowing none of them would be focusing right now, least of all Crosshair. Whom had just had his heart torn from his chest and shredded before him. Despite Hunter's best efforts, he wasn't a match for the Sith Lord, something the enhanced clone was well aware of. "Get out of here!" yelled the protective clone, knowing Echo was injured. He knew Crosshair wouldn't leave (Y/N) and he wasn't about to leave Crosshair again. "GO TECH"

Mere moments after those words left Hunter's lips, he'd been struck by the blaster bolts being deflected back at him. Crosshair once again calling out for another he loved, his voice even more broken than before. In his arms was his beloved (Y/N), she hadn't responded to him, she'd only lay motionless in his arms, seemingly peaceful. Vader on the other hand left, ignoring Crosshair as if he wasn't even there, walking away after if he hadn't just shattered someone's world and ripped away a reason for living.

Slowly Crosshair dragged (Y/N) with him, tired and heartbroken. Slowly he made his way over to Hunter, his brother still alive, although fading quickly. Maul had appeared now, helping by pulling Hunter just a little closer, his own heart breaking to see his daughter had fallen. Gently Maul took her hand, willing to her to wake up, even when he knew she was already gone. The Marauder reappeared shortly after, Omega being the first off the ship with tears in her eyes, Rex and Tech following behind trying their hardest to keep it together, as Wrecker appeared carrying Echo.

"Hunter" softly called Omega, running to his side. "No, not you too. I can't lose you please, we can get you back to the ship. We can get you help" cried Omega, her vision going blurry from the tears flooding her cheeks. She'd already been forced to say goodbye to Echo, (Y/N) she hadn't gotten the chance to. She didn't want to lose Hunter, not now, not ever. Maul placed a hand on her shoulder, offering comfort in a similar way to how he did with (Y/N) as a child. Omega soon reached out for Hunter's hand, as Crosshair wrapped (Y/N) in his own arms. Rex doing a similar thing with Echo, his brother whom had gone through hell and back.

"They're at peace now" whispered Maul, as Hunter's struggle to survive come to an end. "Bury them together" added the former Sith Lord, turning his attention to his only child. Seeing how peaceful she looked despite the large gash going from her shoulder to hip. She looked as if she was sleeping, finally free from all her pain and torment, finally her nightmare was over. "Remember this young apprentice, they'll always be with you, in here. One day we'll all see them again" whispered the grieving father, placing a hand over Omega's heart as he spoke. Making an effort to wipe away her tears and offer her some sort of comfort.

"Why did you leave me Cyar'ika" tearfully spoke Crosshair, his beloved weapon discarded at his side, his heart broken as he felt his world shatter. Whenever he'd thought about the future, (Y/N) had always been apart of it. Now she'd been ripped away, his reason for fighting was gone. What else did he have left to fight for now. His brothers wouldn't trust him again, Omega likely hated him at this point. Echo the brother to have fought for him had joined his Runi in peaceful death. Tech and Wrecker would be lost without Hunter, as would Omega, although she could fall back on Rex and now Maul. All Crosshair felt he had left now was the need for revenge. He wanted vengeance, the Empire had now taken everything from him. What more could he lose.

Masterlist 

#crosshair x reader #jedi reader #reader interactive #reader insert #Star Wars fanfic #always crosshair x reader #fem reader #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb omega #tbb hunter #crosshair #arc trooper echo #maul #Darth Vader #star wars #the bad batch

[commander-krios]

Happy KOTOR Exchange @starwers! I hope you enjoy your 'combat angst'. It was super fun to write and I hope it was ok to take some liberties with Revan's personality.

Shoutout to TittyFish for the beta help and the feedback.

Title: Shadows

Summary:

The Kashyyyk Shadowlands. They were eerie, unnerving, and something she couldn’t wait to be far away from.

Bastila Shan has always struggled against the Dark Side, but there is a force in the Shadowlands that scares her.

And its not just the creatures that lurk in the shadows.

Words: 1989

Rating: T

Relationship: Female Revan & Bastila Shan

Additional Tags: Canon Typical Violence, Kashykkk, Shadowlands, Violence, Lightsabers, Canon Compliant, Slight Gore/Blood, Injury

~~~~

Bastila Shan had never felt such an oppressive darkness before. Malak and Revan both carried darkness like a shield, but this didn’t touch the evil she felt the moment she stepped off the lift and into Kashyyyk’s Shadowlands. The Wroshyr trees creaked and groaned as they continued their journey to find the next Star Map. Her eyes sought out her companions in the limited light, barely making out the profiles of Revan, Carth, the insufferable droid HK-47, Mission, and the newest member of their crew, the elderly man they’d run into in these very lands: Jolee Bindo.

He was strong in the Force, Bastila could feel it the moment they’d met. But he wasn’t a Jedi, or so he claimed. In fact, he went as far to disavow the Jedi Council. While it irritated her to see how little reverence he had for the Jedi Order, she kept her mouth tightly shut, knowing an attempt to convince him of the good the Jedi did to be a lost cause before she even started.

The forest appeared to grow darker the farther they walked and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the uneasy feeling that descended upon her, like a chill that buried itself deep beneath her skin and into her very bones. She couldn’t shake it, no matter how much she tried to, how much she wanted to. It grew within her, a pit that swallowed little pieces of her, day by day.

Was the Dark Side really so hard to resist? She’d thought herself capable of fighting it, but now, standing in the Shadowlands where the dark seemed to thrive, she found that she didn’t have the same faith. 

In the distance, the animals that lived in the bowels of the forest were loud. Branches and leaves crushed beneath the feet of the larger ones while the small chirped shrilly. The forest was very much alive in ways that places like Tatooine weren’t.

It was eerie, unnerving, and something she couldn’t wait to be far away from.

A circular clearing in the forest caught Revan’s attention, if her pause was any indication. The former Sith had been spoiling for a fight since she’d seen what Czerka had done to the Wookies. While they were unlikely to run into any of Czerka’s people in this particular spot, Bastila couldn’t help agreeing that ridding the Wookies of the slavers would be a righteous quest.

“Anyone else think this screams ‘trap’?” Mission’s voice came from somewhere to Bastila’s left. “Because it looks like a trap.”

“I agree.” Bastila said, taking a step after Revan, hoping to head her off before she got them into something they couldn’t get themselves out of. “We should be cautious.”

Before she had even finished her sentence, the ground beneath her feet shook, nearly knocking her to the muddy earth. When she regained her balance and searched the dreary darkness for Revan, she was unsurprised to find that the woman had pulled her sabers from her belt, their green glow reflecting the same color in her eyes.

“Observation: Master, I think we found the fight you wanted.”

Revan’s teeth flashed in a feral grin. “I’d say so, HK.”

Carth shouted something from behind her, but before she could process his words, something came crashing through the trees and into the clearing. Something alive and angry.

The creature wasn’t as enormous as the rancor that Revan and Carth had described on Taris, but it was smarter, faster, with massive claws that swiped at Revan the moment it saw her.

“Terentatek!” Jolee yelled, pulling his own saber from his belt. Its blue glow, along with Revan’s green, helped to keep Bastila aware of where they stood in the fight. Her own lightsaber burned yellow against the dark like a beacon.

Twirling the dualsaber in her hands, Bastila tried to find an opening. While slower than a Jedi, the creature fed on Force users and there were three of them surrounding it. Its focus was on Revan at the moment, but that could easily change. 

As much as she hated to admit it, bringing the Mandalorian along would have probably been a wise choice.

One that, unfortunately, they hadn’t made.

Revan ducked another swipe of the creature’s deadly claws, the attack putting the terentatek off balance. Opportunity pushed her to throw one of her sabers, the Force flinging it farther and harder than she could by sheer physical strength alone. It bounced off the creature’s hide, leaving it unmarked as the saber returned to its owner.

“Be careful of its claws, kid.” Jolee was circling the creature’s other side, opposite of where Revan was. “They’re poisonous.”

Bastila had situated herself at an angle adjacent to where both Jolee and Revan were, taking quick steps to keep out of range of the claws. The monster attempted to swipe at one of the Jedi before swiveling around to one of the others, its rage palpable. The darkness she felt was strong in this spot and Bastila immediately knew that most of it was coming from the terentatek. It was a creature of Sith alchemy.

An ear splitting roar erupted from its throat and Bastila had to resist throwing her hands over her ears.

Carth, Mission, and the droid were set up farther back from the fight, using their blasters to distract the creature whenever it got too close to one of them. It worked for a few minutes: a Jedi would attempt to wound the terentatek and when it turned to fight back, the blasters would keep it from approaching too closely. But the beast caught on quickly.

Ignoring the blaster fire on the next round, the creature stomped forward, shaking the ground with each step as it approached Bastila. Her heart pounded in her throat, a very real fear springing up as she realized this creature could easily rip her apart.

“Bastila!” Carth shouted from behind her.

She ducked another swipe and rolled out of the terentatek’s path, but it was quicker this time around. It spun just as she returned to her feet, brandishing the lightsaber defensively in front of her. Another roar and the monster bounded forward, head down and tusks exposed.

She had nowhere to go.

For all of the confidence she had in her skills, for all of her pride in the things she’d accomplished… it would all be for nothing when she was left as a smear on the floor of the Kashyyyk forests. The lightsaber couldn’t save her now, and neither could her Force powers. 

Bastila was thrown to the ground, landing hard against the cracked mud and rocks. It knocked the air from lungs, the lightsaber skidding across the dirt a few feet away. The golden glow of her saber abruptly disappeared, leaving her in darkness.

Hands roughly shoved at her arm. “Go!”

She barely caught a glimpse of Revan as she stood, facing the beast. A new sort of terror pulsed through Bastila at the sight. Without Revan, the search for the Star Maps would come to an end, but worse than that, the fight against Malak would be lost. The Sith would win.

Yet the woman didn’t know that. She had no idea how important she was.

“Wait!” Bastila tried to call out, but it was too late.

Revan raised her lightsabers in an attempt to slice through the creature’s thick arm, but it did nothing. No wound cutting through the beast’s thick skin, no blood seeping to the muddy ground, no acrid smell of burnt hair and cauterized flesh.With a rage that burned Bastila through the Force, the terentatek lunged at Revan, who tried to throw herself off the monster’s path. But she wasn’t quick enough. Its claws closed around her body, lifting her from the ground.

She struggled, but nothing would break the hold on its grip. 

It must feel the power swirling within her.

With a thunderous bellow, it snapped its jaws, venom dripping from its sharp curved teeth.

Any normal person would’ve been terrified, despairing at the thought of their imminent and gory death. But Revan, however, was no normal person.

“I think someone might be hungry.” She said, smiling up at the monster.

The terentatek tightened its hold on Revan and she wheezed, her ribs being crushed under the massive force. Bastila stood as fast as her feet would let her, her lungs burning as she tried to breathe past the terror that seized her. 

Then someone moved out of the corner of her eye.

“Eat this, poodoo breath!” Mission shouted, pulling a pair of grenades from her pack.

They soared through the air, blinking red in the dark. Even with little air squeezing through the monster’s iron grip to reach her lungs, Revan managed to lift her hand slightly, using the Force to send the grenades into the open maw of the beast. The grenades hit the back of the terentatek’s throat and it dropped her to the ground, choking on the foreign object.

Revan managed to orient herself to minimize the impact, her side colliding with the hard ground instead of her lower body. Such a drop would’ve most likely broken her legs had she landed on them.

The sound she made when she hit the ground, however, was definitely full of agony.

The terentatek clawed at its throat, struggling to get at the grenades lodged in its windpipe, to no avail.

The explosion was contained within its body, but its pained screech sent a ripple through the Force.

HK-47 ran in front of Revan’s prone form, lifting his rifle. “Exclamation: Die!”

The droid, Carth, and Mission concentrated fire on the terentatek’s open mouth, turning its insides into something resembling the pulp of a jogan fruit. With one last guttural noise, the creature fell into a heap.

Now that the danger had finally passed, Carth hurried to Revan’s side, a medpac ready in case she needed it. He reached her at the same time Bastila did. As he knelt, holding the kolto injector in his hands, he shook his head, taking stock of her injuries with a quick glance. “You’re crazy, sister.”

Revan laughed between coughs as her lungs filled back up with oxygen. “Remind - me to - not - do that - again.”

Bastila knelt at the woman’s side, feeling grim at the reckless actions of someone who was not only a nuisance, but somehow a friend as well. “ What were you thinking? You could’ve been killed.”

Revan raised an eyebrow at the statement. “Oh? Never crossed my mind.”

The sound of HK-47’s hydraulics were the only thing that kept Bastila from snapping at her. “Statement: Quick thinking, Master. Perhaps it will think twice before attacking a Jedi again.”

Ignoring the droid, Bastila glanced at Carth. “Is she going to be alright?”

“Scans say a few broken ribs, maybe some internal bleeding.” He tucked the scanner into his bag, peeking at Revan with a frown. “I can’t heal that here.”

“I can help with that.” Jolee murmured, settling next to them. Hands hovering over Revan’s body, a golden glow lit the darkness. Force healing flew out of Jolee and into Revan, mending her wounds both inside and out. It took only a few minutes to completely heal her and when she was back on her feet, that carefree smile was on her face once again. It might’ve been infuriating if Bastila’s mind wasn’t elsewhere.

This would be the first of many near misses in the next few hours. With a sigh, Bastila relented. It was useless to fight such a fierce force as the woman in front of her. “Now that that is taken care of, we should hurry and find the Star Map. I wish to be as far from this place as soon as possible.”

None of her companions bothered to respond, all silently agreeing with her words as they continued on, silence falling on them in the darkness.

#my writing #kotor #kotor fanfiction #kotor exchange #kotor gift exchange 2022 #kotor gift exchange #star wars: knights of the old republic #bastila shan #f!revan #revan #carth onasi #jolee bindo #hk-47 #mission vao #violence cw #gore/blood #canon typical violence #injury cw

[rggzy-reads]

Alrighty, so I want to outline a project I’ll document on this blog! Ever since I picked up a copy of Vector Prime by RA Salvator at a thrift store, I’ve been very intrigued by the Star Wars Legends timeline as it pertains to the New Jedi Order- I enjoyed my time with it but there were so many questions I had! So many characters, and new villains, and background politics with the New Republic. So I set out to try and find a way to understand what the hell was going on- by reading, in chronological within the universe order, every main book post Return of the Jedi. (Thank you Wookiepedia and your Legends Timeline, the ability to filter out pretty much every category other than the adult novels and young adult was life saving https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Legends_books )

This journey has been going on since March of 2022, and will probably be going on for a while, as I’ve finished about 8 out of 97ish books. But what am I interested in when it comes to reading all of these? I think the most important thing is the lore, I’m interested in how cohesive of a universe and story this series of books presents. Surely it’s different from Canon, and so far the lore even paints a much different picture than the prequel movies. I love trying to find all the little details, and then see if any of those details are expanded upon in further books. I’ll certainly comment on the quality of the books too, as even at this point I’ve read some straight up bad books imo. My prediction for how I’ll feel at the end of this? Probably satisfied in a job well done, but I have a feeling I’ll find the whole timeline to be pretty inconsistent and messy, but fun!

This is my complete list:

- Truce at Bakura

- X-Wing Series

X-Wing: Rogue Squadron

X-Wing: Wedge’s Gamble

X-Wing: The Krytos Trap

X-Wing: The Bacta War

X-Wing: Wraith Squadron

X-Wing: Iron Fist

X-Wing: Solo Command

- The Courtship of Princess Leia

- The Thrawn Trilogy

Heir to the Empire

Dark Force Rising

The Last Command

- X-Wing: Isard’s Revenge

- Jedi Academy Trilogy

Jedi Search

Dark Apprentice

Champions of the Force

- I, Jedi

- Castilla Cycle

Children of the Jedi

Darksaber

- X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar

Planet of Twilight

- The Crystal Star

- Black Fleet Crisis

Before the Storm

Shield of Lies

Tyrant’s Nest

- The New Rebellion

- The Corellian Trilogy

Ambush at Corellia

Assault at Selonia

Showdown at Centerpoint

- Thrawn Duology

Specter of the Past

Vision of the Future

- Junior Jedi Knight Series

The Golden Globe

Lyric’s World

Promises

Anakin’s Quest

Vader’s Fortress

Kenobi’s Blade

- Survivor’s Quest

- Young Jedi Knights Series

Heirs of the Force

Shadow Academy

The Lost Ones

Lightsabers

Darkest Knight

Jedi Under Siege

Shards of Alderaan

Diversity Alliance

Delusions of Grandeur

Jedi Bounty

The Emperor’s Plague

Return to Order Mantell

Trouble on Cloud City

Crisis at Crystal Reef

- New Jedi Order Series

Vector Prime

Dark Tide I: Onslaught

Dark Tide II: Ruin

Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial

Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse

Balance Point

Edge of Victory I: Conquest

Edge of Victory II: Rebirth

Star by Star

Dark Journey

Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream

Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand

Traitor

Destiny’s Way

Force Heretic I: Remnant

Force Heretic II: Refugee

Force Heretic III: Reunion

The Final Prophecy

The Unifying Force

Dark Nest I: The Joiner King

Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen

Dark Nest III: The Swarm War

- Legacy Series

Legacy of the Force: Betrayal

Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines

Legacy of the Force: Tempest

Legacy of the Force: Exile

Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice

Legacy of the Force: Inferno

Legacy of the Force: Fury

Legacy of the Force: Revelation

Legacy of the Force: Invincible

- Crosscurrent

- Riptide

- Millenium Falcon

- Fate Series

Fate of the Jedi: Outcast

Fate of the Jedi: Omen

Fate of the Jedi: Abyss

Fate of the Jedi: Backlash

Fate of the Jedi: Allies

Fate of the Jedi: Vortex

Fate of the Jedi: Conviction

Fate of the Jedi: Ascension

Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse

- X-Wing: Mercy Kill

- Crucible

#star wars #star wars legends #star wars expanded universe #star wars books #star wars comics #heir to the empire #timothy zahn #new jedi order #thrawn

[archetypesanalysis]

The Mandalorian Season 2: The Lover

Now that Din Djarin has passed his first trial as the Warrior, the Armorer sends him off for his second trial when she makes him and Grogu “a clan of two”, and tells him to act as a father to Grogu until he returns Grogu to the Jedi or that Grogu comes of age. The second trial involves the Lover archetype. This is further evident with the season 2 promotional poster and logo depicting Din looking at Grogu because Grogu is now his priority.

The Lover desires physical sensations and emotional connection. A person connected to the Lover can appreciate sensory experiences like eating food and listening to music, which helps them to enjoy life and be creative. The Lover is empathic and compassionate as it helps a person to experience the joy and pain of themselves and others. The Lover also helps people to embrace others for their differences.

Din Djarin does not start as a great Lover due to his questionable parenting. In “Chapter 9: The Marshal”, he says that Grogu goes wherever he goes, even that means going to a gambling arena where Gor Koresh says that it’s no place for a child. In addition, he does not mind doing a shootout with Cobb Vanth in front of Grogu because the kid has “seen worse”. Fortunately, Din does have some positive Lover traits, and this is evident when he teaches Cobb Vanth to respect the Tusken Raiders, and he later unites the people of Mos Pelgo (now renamed Freetown) and the Tusken Raiders to kill the krayt dragon. Season 2 puts Din on a journey to access the Lover archetype in its fullness.

“Chapter 10: The Passenger” serves as a warning for Din about the active Shadow Lover: The Addicted Lover. His willingness to bring Grogu wherever he goes puts Grogu in danger, and this is evident when a raider threatens to hurt Grogu in the beginning of the episode. Din’s inability to set proper boundaries puts him at risk of leaning towards the Addicted Lover. This in turns affects Grogu when he keeps eating the Frog Lady’s unfertilized eggs – a sign of an Addicted Lover. A person possessed by the Addicted Lover is eternally restless as he is forever searching for something to satisfy himself. When Din does not allow Grogu to get close to the Frog Lady’s eggs, Grogu wanders over to the eggs of the knobby white ice spiders and eats one of the eggs to satisfy his hunger, which awakens the mother and baby spiders.

The restlessness of an Addicted Lover is like a person struggling to find his way out of a spider web, which is described as maya in Hinduism. He thinks his way out is to go deeper, but it only traps him there. Din Djarin, Grogu and the Frog Lady are stuck in a web of maya, surrounded by the spiders. Din chooses to run away and heads to his half-repaired ship is the right decision as he is taking the only way out of the spider web. He is rewarded with the New Republic X-wing pilots coming in to kill the spiders, allowing him to live another day.

On the other hand, “Chapter 11: The Heiress” serves as a warning for Din about the passive Shadow Lover: The Impotent Lover. A person who is possessed by the Impotent Lover lacks connection with others, lacks the ability to feel, and lacks the capacity to enjoy life – basically, these are symptoms of depression. The depression becomes a barrier that causes the person to be detached from the Lover. Din rejecting Bo-Katan, Koska Reeves and Axe Woves as Mandalorians just because they take off their helmets puts him at risk of leaning towards the Impotent Lover. Although Bo-Katan says that Mandalorians are stronger together, she herself does show signs of an Impotent Lover: she calls the Children of the Watch as a cult, she puts her mission to retake Mandalore over Din’s quest to return Grogu to a Jedi, and she does not accept Boba Fett as a Mandalorian just because he is a clone. She is a Warrior disconnected from the Lover. Din choosing to accept the Nite Owls as Mandalorians and continue his quest to return Grogu to a Jedi is the right decision as he values the connection with others. He is rewarded with Bo-Katan telling him to find Ahsoka Tano in the city of Calodan on Corvus.

After experiencing the bipolar Shadow Lover, Din Djarin begins to make adjustments to his parenting skills in “Chapter 12: The Siege”. He begins testing the waters by lifting his helmet slightly when having a meal with Grogu, shifting himself away from the Impotent Lover. He leaves Grogu in a school under Greef’s advice as it is unsafe to bring Grogu on their mission to take down an Imperial base, shifting himself away from the Addicted Lover.

His Lover archetype gets expanded upon meeting Ahsoka Tano. She teaches him about the Force, describing it as an energy field created by all living things. Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette describe the Lover energy having an immediate and intimate contact with the universal consciousness like “the Force”. This connection helps people to value and appreciate all living beings regardless of their differences. Din’s acceptance of the Nite Owls as Mandalorians even though they do not follow the strict helmet rule is his first step to become the Lover to its fullness. In “Chapter 13: The Jedi”, Din teams up with Ahsoka to free the city of Calodan from the control of Morgan Elsbeth, despite the Mandalorians and the Jedi are ancient enemies. In “Chapter 14: The Tragedy”, he accepts Boba Fett as a Mandalorian despite both of them have different values. In “Chapter 15: The Believer”, he and Mayfeld develop a newfound respect, and he lets Mayfeld go, forgiving his transgressions. Din’s ability to love those who are different than him shows that he is becoming a great Lover.

“Chapter 16: The Rescue” serves as the final test for Din Djarin in becoming a balanced Lover. He gathers Cara Dune, Boba Fett, Fennec, Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves to aid him in rescuing Grogu. Everything he does is out of his love for Grogu. When Din removes his helmet for Grogu to see his face, he finally lets down the barrier between them and avoids the pitfalls of the Impotent Lover. He also lets Grogu go with Luke Skywalker, establishing an appropriate boundary that helps him to avoid the pitfalls of the Addicted Lover. With that, Din has passed the test.

Now with the Darksaber in his possession, his next trial will involve the Magician archetype.

#the mandolarian #star wars #din djarin #grogu #the mandalorian season 2 #the mandalorian season two #the mandalorian analysis #din djarin and grogu #sw the mandalorian #star wars the mandalorian #king warrior magician lover #archetypes #archetypal psychology #the mandalorian meta

[spacecravat]

“Sing,” Swanny hissed as he and Rorq swung into the chorus.

Anakin began to hum the backup, and beside him, Obi-Wan joined in. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan could not manage to find the melody. Swanny shot him a horrified look.

“Uh, not so loud,” he hissed. “Maybe you shouldn’t sing, after all.”

Anakin hid his smile. He was glad his Master wasn’t good at everything.

---Jedi Quest: The Shadow Trap by Jude Watson

obi-wan is, apparently, really, really bad at singing

#star wars #sw novels #book blogging #jedi quest #the shadow trap

[rainofaugustsith]

Fanfiction Archive

In case anyone hasn't seen it, or hasn't seen it in a while, here's my archive of Lana/Viri and other characters on Ao3. Comments and kudos are always appreciated!

Multiple Eras:

Sithy Snippets https://archiveofourown.org/works/13790595 F/F; 20,503 words; 22 chapters (still in progress); rated M; no archive warnings Vignettes and short-shorts, from prompts, about Sith Warrior/Commander Viri and her partner, Lana Beniko. Whether Viri’s convincing Lana to try Naboo cuisine for the first time or they’re trapped in an elevator together, things usually manage to get interesting for them. Odessen Kisses https://archiveofourown.org/works/17629115 F/F; 5072 words; ongoing; rated M; no archive warnings Short vignettes of kisses, love and affection between Lana and Viri as they run the Alliance.  

Pre-SoR:

Viri Versus the Desert https://archiveofourown.org/works/20639465 Viri accepts a Mandalorian challenge to take poison and find an antidote before it kills her. When the antidote makes her see pink Jawas and talk to rocks, it’s up to Vette to get her back to camp somehow. A short friendship fic based on the “Test of the Clan” Imperial quest on Tatooine. Spared https://archiveofourown.org/works/14377245 A retelling of the Sith Warrior story from Belsavis, featuring Viri’s temporary alliance with Jedi Somminick Timmns. Kiss: Platonic https://archiveofourown.org/works/13318875 Gen; 703 words; 1 chapter; rated G; no archive warnings A short gen snippet for OC Kiss Week 2018. Viri tries to comfort Vette after the death of her mother. The Two https://archiveofourown.org/works/18451043 Gen; ongoing; rated T; no archive warnings The Emperor’s Wrath. Darth Nox. Two bright young women, faced with a Dark Council that resents them. Nobody expected them to get along, and when they formed an alliance, the Council was surprised. And then afraid. This story presents tales of the Wrath, Viridana Dragoi, and her friend Darth Nox, Suvia Kallig, in the era between the class stories and KOTFE. A Vested Interest https://archiveofourown.org/works/19146499/chapters/45505603 Completely platonic sibling friendship fic, starring the once and future Darth Imperius, Jia. SOR: An Open Affinity https://archiveofourown.org/works/12143142 F/F; 107,818 words; 31 chapters; rated T; no archive warnings My favorite story. When Viri met Lana, or how two bisexual, demisexual Sith Lords discovered they had an open affinity for each other. Follows the events of Forged Alliances, Shadow of Revan and Ziost; ends at KOTFE Chapter 3. An Open Affinity: Trust https://archiveofourown.org/works/13188105 F/F; 3111 words; 1 chapter; rated M; no archive warnings A “lost chapter” from An Open Affinity, separated from the main story due to the difference in content rating. This story covers Lana and Viri’s first night together.

KOTFE:

Five Times https://archiveofourown.org/works/12670263 F/F; 13,156 words; rated T; no archive warnings (some talk of lightsaber injury at the end)

Viri’s recovery and rehabilitation from carbonite poisoning, set against chapters 3-8 of KOTFE, and the revival of her romance with Lana. Two Days https://archiveofourown.org/works/11954151 F/F; 3429 words; 1 chapter; rated T; no archive warnings (talk of injury) Directly follows “Five Times.” Lana holds vigil for Viri when she’s unconscious after being stabbed by Arcann on Asylum. During those two days in the med bay, there’s plenty of time for reflection. Night Watch https://archiveofourown.org/works/11375802 F/F; 1486 words; 1 chapter; no archive warnings (character having PTSD flashbacks and nightmares) Set during “Five Times.” After five years of being tormented by Valkorion while she was in carbonite, Viri has substantial trauma and PTSD. Lana comforts her during her nightmares. Give https://archiveofourown.org/works/12367026 F/F; 2157 words; 1 chapter; rated M; no archive warnings Routine sparring practice gives way to enthusiastic reunion sex for Lana and Viri. Kiss: Goodnight https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352463 F/F; 787 words; 1 chapter; rated G; no archive warnings Viri has trouble sleeping; when she’s away on missions, Lana holo-calls in to help her. A short drabble for OC Kiss Week. “ Sabacc https://archiveofourown.org/works/18629065 F/F; 2245 words; 1 chapter; rated E; no archive warnings Lana is still angry about losing that game of sabacc to Gault. Viri offers her a rematch with much more pleasurable stakes. What Was, What Was Not https://archiveofourown.org/works/20103949 After escaping from the “Visions in the Dark” in the Odessen wilderness, Commander Viri and her partner, Lana Beniko, struggle to ascertain what about the vision was real. Assumes headcanon where the Outlander’s “training” with Darth Marr and Satele Shan was nothing more than a Valkorion-engineered hallucination. Far Side of Odessen https://archiveofourown.org/works/13681692 F/F; 2622 words; 2 chapters (still in progress); rated E; no archive warnings Lana and Viri celebrate the first anniversary of Viri’s rescue with a getaway to the unoccupied side of Odessen and some new experiences. KOTET:

Commander and Advisor https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377217 F/F; 11,855 words; 3 chapters; rated M; no archive warnings A retelling of KOTET chapter 2, “Run for the Shadows.” Viri and Lana struggle to keep their personal relationship professional. When Viri and Empress Acina disappear, the line blurs even further.

Presumed Alive https://archiveofourown.org/works/11423712 F/F; 1959 words; 1 chapter; rated T; no archive warnings After the fateful trip to Dromund Kaas and meeting with Empress Acina, Lana Beniko and Vette share their worries about the Commander, Sith Warrior Viri. Intro to “Presumed Present,” which is split from this story due to rating differences. Set after KOTET chapter 2. Presumed Present https://archiveofourown.org/works/11488422 F/F; 1988 words; 1 chapter; rated E; no archive warnings  After their fateful trip to Dromund Kaas to meet Empress Acina, Lana Beniko and the Commander - Sith Warrior Viri - enjoy a rare night of relaxation.

Kiss: Reverent https://archiveofourown.org/works/13361997 F/F; 950 words; 1 chapter; rated G; no archive warnings There are very few things that will make Viridana Dragoi completely flip out. Vaylin has just discovered that threatening Lana Beniko is one of them. Short piece for OC Kiss Week 2018. Set during KOTET chapter 3. Kiss: Promise https://archiveofourown.org/works/13334640 F/F; 900 words; 1 chapter; rated G; no archive warnings

Viri has finally figured out what Valkorion’s end game is. Lana’s there to promise that he won’t win. A drabble for OC Kiss Week 2018. Set during chapter 7 of KOTET.

Chosen Sisters https://archiveofourown.org/works/16087613 Gen; 6117 words; 1 chapter; rated T; major character death (Torian) During Vaylin’s assault on Odessen, Vette is trapped behind enemy lines. As Viri, Lana and Theron race to reach her, Vette has time to reflect on her relationship with Viri, her adopted sister. Set during KOTET chapter 8. Kiss: Celebratory https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373940 F/F; 506 words; 1 chapter, rated G; no archive warnings  As Viri’s battle for the Eternal Throne - and control of her mind - come to a close, Lana is by her side. A very short drabble to close out OC Kiss Week 2018. Tonight, We Celebrate https://archiveofourown.org/works/11863296 F/F; 3683 words; 2 chapters; rated E; no archive warnings After the events of KOTET, Female Sith Warrior/Commander Viri celebrates in the cantina and finally has a searing moment - or ten - of privacy with her Lana. Post-KOTET: The Eternal Wrath https://archiveofourown.org/works/14255019 F/F; 170,408 words; 32 chapters (still in progress); rated M; no archive warnings After a long and vicious war, the former Empire’s Wrath, Viridana Dragoi, has triumphed over the Eternal Empire and emperor Valkorion. As she embarks on a new stage of her life, as the Galactic Peacekeeper, critical challenges arise. The damage caused by the Eternal Throne runs deep, and threatens to destroy Viri’s body, mind and spirit. Uprisings and protests against the Alliance threaten to destroy all that she has worked for. And Viri’s not even sure she even wants to rule the galaxy.

Luckily, her partner, Lana Beniko, is by her side every step of the way. Together they can do anything, and with their dedicated Alliance team, they will rescue old friends and allies, make new ones, and forge a promising future for the galaxy.

This story kicks off directly following the end of KOTET and incorporates the post-KOTET story, but also branches away from it. Old Friend https://archiveofourown.org/works/21866182 After HK-55 is lost at the Battle of Asylum, Lana Beniko misses her droid bodyguard and friend. Her partner, Commander/Sith Warrior Viridana Dragoi, tries to comfort her and find a way to bring HK-55 back. Not a Gift https://archiveofourown.org/works/22040929 Viri and Lana agree not to get each other presents for Life Day, and have trouble keeping that promise. Fluffy fluffy holiday fluff. Kiss: Heated https://archiveofourown.org/works/13324899 F/F; 1377 words; 1 chapter; rated M; no archive warnings The Commander needs to finish her official photo shoot as Galactic Peacekeeper. Having her partner, Lana Beniko, there for the shoot makes things even more fun. A short piece for OC Kiss Week 2018.

The Stars Themselves https://archiveofourown.org/works/12096690 F/F; 2199 words; 1 chapter; rated T; no archive warnings When faced with a traitor, both Viri and Lana blame themselves for not protecting the other. Set after Umbara. Kiss: Gentle https://archiveofourown.org/works/13342440 F/F; 1368 words; 1 chapter; rated G; no archive warnings Lana is working way too hard, and is hurting herself in the process. Viri finally stages an intervention. Set after Traitor Among the Chiss.

Smut in the post-KOTET era. All one-shots rated E; no archive warnings. Been a Long Day https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899454 Ten Tricks to Please Your Lover https://archiveofourown.org/works/19185877 View from the Balcony https://archiveofourown.org/works/14517945 Behave https://archiveofourown.org/works/14350293 Challenge Accepted https://archiveofourown.org/works/16167101 Forget https://archiveofourown.org/works/17327570 Bite https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250058

[comebackali]

Not Obi-wan calling Anakin “his most treasured companion.” 🥹🥹🥹

#i’m fucking dead #obi wan kenobi #otp: more intimate than lovers #pt #wizard #jedi quest #jedi quest the shadow trap #the shadow trap #allie reads jedi quest #obikin #star wars #sw novels #there’s a bible quote here somewhere #‘she who is more precious than rubies’ or sm shit

[moonlayl]

My problem is that I want to read every single book post ROTJ in the Star Wars EU, specifically the bantam era, because I don’t want to miss a single scene of the Solo-Skywalker family and I want to actually see the Solo kids grow up over the years throughout the books and I want to see what happens to all the Rogues and all the characters that leads them to the NJO era, but I tried reading the Hand of Thrawn Duology after the Jedi Academy Trilogy and found I couldn’t because the gap of years was too long and I didn’t want to miss any events or character developments, but I REALLY don’t want to read about the whole Callista thing (even though Callista sounds like an interesting character and seems like she could’ve had great potential) because of the whole necrophilia weird bullshit romeo and juliet kind of thing with Luke’s students, Callista, and Luke. Then we also have the bullshit REPETITIVE ‘imperial overlords have a secret weapon that needs to be destroyed blah blah blah’ in seemingly every book???? 

(Plus from what I gathered, a lot of Luke’s romances in those books make him look like a loser and I’m much more interested in stories of him learning about the force, and both Lando and Mara’s characterizations in most of these books are CRIMINAL from what I’ve heard) 

So what books are absolutely unnecessary and what are not? I’m so confused and I don’t want to read something that might just turn me away from the EU (Sorry but that body hopping romance thing with Callista literally shocked and disgusted me so much, it’s that kind of shit that turned me away from so many different shows and books over the years)

What I’ve currently read: 

The Thrawn Trilogy

The Jedi Academy Trilogy

X-Wing books (Rogue Squadron, Wedge’s Gamble, The Krytos Trap, and The Bacta War)

Half of The Truce at Bakura (I find myself not liking it as a so called ‘Luke centric’ book so far tbh.)

What I WANT to read:

X-Wing books (all of them) 

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor

I, Jedi

The Black Fleet Crisis (even though I’ve been told it’s kind of bad, but I know it’s the kind of ‘bad’ that I heard about the JAT, and while those books left me thinking ‘what the hell?’ too many times, they’re not as awful as people made them seem lol)

The New Rebellion

The Corellian Trilogy

The Hand of Thrawn Duology

Young Jedi Knights

What I’m unsure of:

Dark Empire (comic)

Tales from Jabba’s Place

The Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy

The Courtship of Princess Leia

Tattooine Ghost

Children of the Jedi

Darksaber

Planet of Twilight

The Crystal Star

Survivor’s Quest

Scourge

Junior Jedi Knights

EU readers who have read those books, which ones do you recommend and which ones do you not? And is the Callista thing really that bad? Or is it written more like a dumb fantasy thing without the realization of how horrifying it actually is? Is Luke really as dumb and irresponsible as I’ve seen fandom refer to him in those books????

#aof reads star wars #star wars eu #star wars expanded universe #star wars legends #sw eu #sw legends #bantam era #luke skywalker #sw novels #sw books

[padawanlost]

Hello! I was wondering which star wars books do you think portray Anakin and Obi-Wan the best? The most in-character, authentic characteristics and the relationship they have with each other? :)

Sadly, we don’t have ONE book that perfectly encapsulates all the aspects of Anakin and Obi-wan’s relationship. Because their relationship was so long it changed as they grew, going from ‘pathetic life-form’ to devastating betrayal. so instead of mentioning one book, I’ll offer several :P

Let’s start with the TPM->AOTC years. This is the period were Anakin and Obi-wan are master/padawan. The most overlooked aspect of their relationship during those years is that they were not friends. they cared for each other but they weren’t the two guys we saw in TCW/ROTS. Even if I don’t agree with everything she writes, I do believe Jude Watson masterfully explored how complicated the relationship was (especially in the first few years).

Both Anakin and Obi-wan are portrayed as traumatized by past events but at the same time willing to work towards a future. There are no quick and easy fixes but the author shows that despite everything these two boys loved each other. even when they didn’t know how to demonstrate it to each other. 

Jedi Quest: Path to Truth by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Trail of the Jedi by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Dangerous Games by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Master of Disguise by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The School of Fear by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Shadow Trap by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Moment of Truth by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Changing of the Guard by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The False Peace by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Final Showdown by Jude Watson

Another book that’s often overlooked is Greg Bear’s Rogue Planet. The book is set not long after the events of TPM. It’s Anakin and Obi-wan first mission together. The author explores Anakin’s childhood trauma as well as he explores Obi-wan’s grief over Qui-Gon’s death. One of my favorite things about this book is that it’s one of the view SW novels that reminds the audience how young and unprepared Obi-wan was for the task of raising a child of prophecy so soon after losing his mentor (and without any real help from his superiors).

Rogue Planet by Greg Bear

Moving on to the post-AOTC years. This is one is easy: Karen Miller. She excels at writing Anakin, Obi-wan and their complicated relationship. She explores their friendship: how it started and how it will inevitably end. I’m biased but imo she’s the most underrated star wars writer I can think of. While most author makes their relationship about the big events, Miller understands that the big events are the culmination of a lifetime of issues. And that what she explores: how loyal they were to each other but also how much they kept from each other. she shows the sacrifices, the selfishness, the talks they had and the secrets they kept. In a way, she gives us the mundane stuff. the little moments that are so, so important but aren’t flashy enough to be put to film. Idk if I’m making much sense lol all I’m trying to say is that she has a way of making them sound like to real adults, instead of just two characters.

The Clone Wars: Wild Space by Karen Miller

Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller

Clone Wars Gambit: Siege by Karen Miller

If you love ROTS, this one is a must-read. I’m just saying you won’t find anything too different from what we see in the movies. the author won’t go into their childhood and how the relationship transformed since their were first introduced. This book is about the end of the road. It’s a friendship falling about. It’s not an easy read but it’s definitely worth reading.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel by Matthew Stover

Please…please, if you get the chance, read Jude Watson’s The Last One Standing. It’s a short story set after ROTS about Obi-wan’s grief over Anakin’s death. It’s heartbreaking. But it’s also a beautiful look into Obi-wan’s mind and how he viewed his relationship with Anakin and the mistakes he made.

The Last One Standing by Jude Watson

#ask #lightasthesun #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #anakin & obi wan #sw books #book rec #sw meta #txt

[idjitlili]

Shrimp Dick Azog.

Kili x reader, requested by anon.

Summary:  Kili convinces you to to join him on hiding from his royal duties as a prince.

Word count: 2899

Warnings: Language , sorry watched Moulin rouge.

So, you hadn't actually grown up with Kili and Fili, more like bloody thrown from the sky a year ago, into their world. Not their world, middle earth. Was not the best thing you wanted, you had just been walking down the stairs with a lightsaber,why a lightsaber? You knew the answer, whether it was yours or someone else's, you knew.

Oh, the dwarves did not like that at all. Surrounding you in a circle a circle , most under average height men, one tall old man and a cute curly haired toddler. Activating the lightsaber, glowing blue, humming as you held it, several confused faces around you.

"Witch!" The men definitely did not know of the modern world, you thought you had landed right into 17th century.

"I do not know what your game is, kidnapping me , but I will use this, stay back!" Feeling like Wendy from the shining, swinging the lightsaber.

Swoosh.

Woosh

Pssshhew

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvVVVVVVVVVVVv

vvvvvvvvvvVVVVVVvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvWWWVV.

Yeah wasn't long after that you were a part of the company, you had a higher purpose according to Gandalf, so be it. Okay, it would've been horrifying if you had accidentally hit one of the dwarves when you first met them, not long would they have killed you. Why? Because some how it had became real getting into this world.

Basically you were a padawan and a Jedi master at the same time, highly dangerous with no experience. Was this necessary for the Gods to do this? No it was not, however , Lili just misses Obi-wan, okay?

Being very young, not a minor, but young in the eyes of the dwarves being between the ages 60 and 300. You had been befriended by Fili and Kili quickly;even if you were shy and made friends difficultly. They welcomed you and made you feel comfortable, oh don't get me started on little Ori. He knitted you a blanket within an hour of your arrival, he wasn't just the youngest , he was the sweetest.

Kili right off the back he was a teasing, you weren't sure if he just wanted to get a hold of the lightsaber.  Of course you couldn't just be Fili or Kili's friend you had to be both, they were not just brothers, they were best friends.

You did end up being best friends with both, Kili on a slightly higher level.

At the battle of the five armies, no one stood a chance, the orcs struggled to defend themselves from the lightsaber. Though, you should've let Thorin killed Azog he would not have made it. So, you had simply cut Azogs shrimp dick off and then sliced him in half.

Thus, the battle was won, saving the line of Durin was your greater purpose.

Though, once Azog was defeated Fili and Kili had run into the ice ,unharmed mostly , towards you and their uncle. Kili had slipped pretty fast, smacking his face right into the solid ice, you were surprised he didn't break his nose. Fili went to stop but his younger brother was already back on his feet grinning larger than ever running again.

Your lightsaber still on, humming in the background, stuck out to the side. Thorin heavily breathed, his arms crossed like he was not exhausted , thankful his nephews were safe.

"Oh, OH, who did that?" Kili and Fili smiling up to their uncle and you briefly before Kili had noticed the tiny dick on the floor. Maybe Kili had trouble distinguishing what the small thing was, Fili and Thorin joining in to look. Thorin's face snapping back to yours with disgust ,sighing.

"Y/n, you cut Azogs cock off?" Jabbing Kili in his ribs, at his language , Fili had let out a snort of laughter, patting you on the back.

"I'm sorry, who killed him? Me? So,"

Kili hadn't hesitated picking up the small dick, with two fingers, holding it up to you, too close, stepping back, he had stepped forward.

"Stay back, stay back, I'll kill you with the lightsaber or I will run away with Legolas I always wanted to taste a princess's puss- STAY BACK."

The rest of the company not long after had made it to the four of you, and the shrivelled dick was taken and put on to a cocktail stick . Placed in a glass box on display to present their power towards the Orcs. You were not sure really why they thought that would be a good idea.

Imagine bomber comes in and mistakes it for cocktail sausage.

Erebor was reclaimed, you Bilbo welcome to stay for your contribution to the quest, not just because you saved their stupid arses. Anyone could have seen that was a trapped. Bilbo had went home not long after, promising he would come back, he just really wanted to check on his hole. You having nowhere else to go you stayed.

Though it was a good idea to start, as Erebor filled up the less time you spent with the brothers. The royal duties pulled them away constantly. It was not like you exactly fitted in, you were human, you didn't have a beard to your hips, you were a 'warrior' now but that was because you a had a fucking lightsaber.

Most days you'd be in your chambers with a book, good from the kitchen, or taking your little money from the quest to the now rebuilt markets of dale. It was hard to make friends, so, you were alone. Sometimes you'd visit Bofur in his toy shop or Ori in the library.Frankly , you went to Ori often, he gave the best book suggestions.

You rarely saw Fili or Kili anymore unless they were rushing by you in the halls in a hurry , not even glancing at you.

A whole month of being alone had went by, on that night you began to pack. You figured to go visit Bilbo before heading Gondor, it had been without an heir for years, with Ecthelion II as the steward. Minas Tirith was the city of man, you had no where else to go. Unless you lived in Mirkwood as a witch.

With your bag packed, you left your chambers, during the night, early morning, so that you would not be questioned. Your shoes tapping against the stone , leading yourself out of Erebor quickly.

At the top of a set of stairs is when you head it, the pounding against the stone someone was running. Rushing down the stairs , at an increasing speed, trying not to trip. "Y/n?"

Your face. Your race. The way you talk, I kiss you are beautiful. You knew that voice, the voice of a flirt now panic, as you ran towards the entrance of Erebor.

"Y/n, wait!" But you didn't you continued running as fast as you could, ignoring Kili's pleads that echoed through the empty halls. Well, until you tripped landing flat on your face, against the cold stone, just as Kili had.

"Y/n!" Rushing towards you still, he had knelt by you, flipping you on your back, your eyes shut and motionless. "Please , don't be dead." His voice soft, letting out a load dramatic sob, you were not sure if it was real, his hands on your cheeks squishing them. Pushing his hands off you forcefully, sitting up to look at him. The moon light brightening his face from the sark halls, only a few candles were lit.

"I'm not dead; just wanted you to go away." His shoulders sank , as did the smile he gave you, his chestnut eyes dulled looking over your form and your bag.

"Where are you going...y/n?"

There was no point lying, you were clearly going somewhere, no I'm not going anywhere bullshit.

"Gondor."

"Gondor? Gondor?! Why would you go there? What do you have there?" He was not happy, you both just sitting on the cold floor, staring at your feet as Kili stared you down.

"What do I have here? I've done what I was meant to." Kili had scoffed in annoyance his face scrunching up as you stood from the floor.

"You cannot be serious. Y/n/n, please, I was coming to see you before I saw you in the hall. Don't leave."

"Well, that's lovely."

"Y/n, please don't leave me, please..." The voice soft, cracking into a higher pitch, your feet halted in place.

"Walk me back to my room."

With that, Kili did a bright smile on his lips, grabbing your bag, and your hand. As he skipped to your room, pressing a large kiss to your cheek.

"See you in the morning, love!"

You were alone again, sleeping in your bed with all the furs over you, you fell into slumber. What only felt like minutes had been hours , waking up from your door being slammed open. You forgot to lock it... Jumping out of sleep to see who was there, your hair stuck to your face , your eyes sagging.

Closing the door, there stood Kili smiling at you panting, his hair wind swept, leaning against your door. You had let out a groans falling back onto your pillow, your eyes slamming shut. For a moment there was no sound no nothing, but you knew you would not be able to go back to sleep. Especially when Kili had jumped onto your bed, specifically onto the pillow next to yours.

Turning your head to the side, there laid Kili his head held up by his hand with his arm in a triangle. Yeah on his side, that pose, grinning at you.

"Good morning."  Half tempted to grab your pillow and cover his face with it you had let out a moan again, flipping to face the other way. The bed got lighter, Kili had left no he had not, he was going to do something you wouldn't like. Seconds later, the squeaking of draws being opened , hit you, you were not getting more sleep.

Your eyes now wide, after rubbing the sleep from them, sitting up against your pillow- You could clearly see Kili going through your draws picking items of clothing out. Wait, what was he wearing? He had a long brunette wig on. Hold on he was not picking out one outfit, but two. Did he think you were the same size?

"I'll buy you more." Like he knew what you were thinking, he turned and threw some clothing at you. "Hurry up, I need you to help me." His tone serious, not harsh nor loud just differently his flirtatious usual tone. There was no point arguing, the stubbornness of dwarves.

Going behind the divider after peeing you had gotten dressed quickly. "Take your tunic , and pants off, put on the undergarments for when I'm done."  Standing still for a moment Kili watched your shadow, opening his mouth to disagree but quickly closing it. He wondered about how you did not even question what was going on.

After it was clear for you to come out, Kili had thought you would laugh, but instead you loosened corset lifting it over his head and over the shift. "Do you want it tight?" Your casual tone,  caused Kili to become distracted, your hands gripping the strings waiting.

"I'm sorry, did you say t-tight?" Kili looked at you in the body sized mirror his cheeks pinched pink noticing you holding the corset strings.  "Oh, just believable not too tight." Kili's mind was somewhere else. Letting out a dramatic cough at the slightest pull you had decided that was enough, he'd moan for the rest of the day.  You hadn't been used to these dresses either , you rarely wore them, only since you had been in Erebor. That was only for special events, today must be one of them.

The petticoat already on him, helping him into the hoop. Keeping his own shoes, you had pulled the final dress layer on him, helping him with his wig no gloves his hands were too big. Okay he had thick arse, muscular chest so he looked like dam. Kili stood before you, dressed in your clothes, he had only stubble , passing as a Darrow dam would not be hard.

"Truly beautiful, Kee." As he spun around in front of the mirror before stopping in front of you, grinning widely. "You think?" Nodding at him, he spun again. "As do you ,my lady." You had scoffed, as you brushed your hair.

"Why did you need me do this?"  Dramatically he had turned back to you with his mouth open. "You of course, how else am I supposed to get out of my duties, if everyone can recognise me?" That was very clever for Kili anyways, had he been thinking about this for a while?

“Well, what are you going to do today, Miss?”

“We are going to flirt with old men.”

“What?”

“Come on, we have some mischief to cause.”

That’s how you ended up at a ball, which Thorin was fuming because he could not find his nephew, Fili had told Dis that Kili had went to Dale for Bofur. She did not believe it. A ball without a Prince? Disgraceful.

Whereas he was there, with you. Pretending to be well behaved woman as you ate food and drank. Music playing in the background...wait was that Jareth singing? Yes it was, sorry about that, oh and Freddie Mercury? What? I’m sorry Kenobi too?

Men approaching the both of you, Kili laughing along with their jokes, and slapping them ‘gently’ on their shoulders, one had dropped their glass, rubbing their shoulders when walking away.

It was very embarrassing when both of you were facing the food table when you had been tapped on the shoulder. “Can I have a dance, my lady?” Both of you turning around, at the same time, Fili’s eyes widened when seeing it was you.

“Oh, Y/n, you look absolutely lovely, and who is your friend?” His eyes meeting Kili as he sipped his drink, spitting his drink all over Kili. His eyes travelling up and down his brother in shock and disbelief.

“Kili?!”

“Shh! I am Keanu, of the blue mountains.” Fili had looked back at you covering your face from trying not to cry with laughter, his face reddened snorting out a laugh too.

“This was his idea wasn’t it?” Nodding at the Prince he had bust out with laughter, lifting your hand to his lips pressing a kiss to your knuckles before travelling away, towards Dwalin...

“Would you like to dance, y/n?” It was not strange for woman to dance together, nodding, he had grabbed your hand as the song changed, leading you to the floor. Heroes tune playing , anything is possible.

‘And you, you can be mean.’

‘And I, I’ll drink all the time.’

‘Cause we’re lovers’

The two of you elbows locked as you swung around together, dancing around , Kili had even lifted you above his head like he was Patrick Swayze. You told him you couldn’t do that back. Eventually ended up become tired really fast, your heads in each other’s shoulders, careful Kili’s wif did not fall off.

Swaying together, your eyes locking as smiling at each other, giddy. Kili’s eyes flickered down to your lips for split second before returning to your eyes, trouble is what comes from that smirk.

“You know what would really cause a scene?” Shaking your head slightly, frightened, well not really.

“If we kissed, right now.” Your heart pounding in your chest, he wasn’t seriously surely? His hand reaching to cup your chin, his chestnut eyes glistening in the yarn light.

“What are you are you asking, Kili?” You weren’t sure if he even heard your whisper over the noise of the ball.

“Y/n/n, darling, can I kiss you?”

“Yes.” His lips were upon yours pressing a long peck against your soft lips, before pulling away from them. The cold air hitting your lips from the loss of warmth. Cheeks pink ad you looked at Kili. “You know, I love you, Y/n.”

“Yes, I lov-“ Though your confession was cut short, as several gasps had alerted Thorin and most of the original company, as well as Dis. Who all saw some of what had just happened, yes lesbian relationships did happen in middle earth just not often. Nor were they so public.

“Y/n!” Thorin called you other, your hand intertwined with Kili’s you pulled him with you, towards Thorin, Dis, Fili , and Dwalin. Thorin’s disproving gaze on both of you, jealous not disproving, he longed for a certain small fellow.

“I am sorry to disrupt your night with your date, but for your safety I must advise you do n-“ “ Kili?!” Dis had interrupted her brother, Dwalin had sighed under his breath. Thorins head had snapped to his sister looking around for Kili with no luck. Until, he had followed her eyes, to next you.

“Kili?!” Smirking at his uncle, oh gosh he looked like he was going to have a stroke, how could he not see it, this was like Clark Kent with no glasses just a wig.

“Sorry, this is Keanu, Kili is in Dale at the moment.”

#the hobbit imagine #the hobbit x reader #hobbit imagine #hobbit imagines #the hobbit imagines #lotr imagine #lotr x reader #kili x y/n #kili x you #kili imagines #the hobbit kili #kili imagine #kili the dwarf #kili x reader #the hobbit x y/n #the hobbit oneshot #the hobbit

[thedroidsyouarelookingfor]

2022 Reading Challenge:

Star Wars the High Republic: Out of the Shadows  by Justina Ireland

★★☆☆☆

My thoughts below…

Out of the Shadows takes place after the events of The Rising Storm, meaning after the Nihil attack on Valo. It’s not the most bored I’ve been reading a book, but this was one of the least exciting, least engaging stories I’ve ever forced myself to finish. None of the characters were particularly likable, which made this poorly paced, character-focused novel a pain to get through. Way too much time is dedicated to the immature romance of two non-Jedi characters, and frankly that’s not what I read Star Wars novels for. And here it’s especially done poorly. There’s very little action, and it feels unfocused. What moments weren’t dwelling on the follies of young love were focused on the inner thoughts of characters. 30+ chapters of inner thoughts does not make for exciting reading. I enjoyed the murderous space cat and playful giant space dog in the story, at least. I can definitely relate to Imri’s quest to pet the cat at his own peril… “That belly is a trap! Haven’t you ever met a cat?” 

Truth.

Now for some spoilery ramblings...

The two main protagonists of the novel are Syl Yarrow, a human hauler, and the Jedi Knight Vernestra. Most chapters focus on one of these two character’s thoughts and p.o.v., but for some reason Ireland decided Reath Silas and Nan the sadistic Nihil would also get character-focused chapters...except every one of them felt like an afterthought. The very last chapter had some future implications for Nan, but Reath and his master, Comach, literally did nothing at all important in this story and very easily could have been left out. I don’t like Nan anyway, and I’m always grateful for less Nihil p.o.v. chapters, but this felt poorly executed over all. 

Syl is a new character, and frankly not a very likable one. In one way, she’s too much like Affie from Into the Dark. And for the first quarter of the book I thought she actually was that character! This is mostly because they share more than a few character traits, especially being young and having a ship and crew...and finding out their mom is actually a bit evil. Yes, both of them. It’s confusing. And seems redundant. Syl is also unfortunately...kind of a brat?? She’s mean and petty and childish. She was a bit better towards the end of the novel, where she finally kind of grows up and finds herself. But that doesn’t take away from my problems with the rest of the book.

The author feels the need to let us know how attractive Syl finds every woman she meets. If you must insist on putting this type of content in SW, can you do it without making Syl out to have mad raging hormones? It’s not really necessary for me to know how hot she finds Vernestra and Senator Starros...especially while Syl’s still pining over her ex. My biggest dislike about this book comes down to the focus on the poorly written YA romance. (And just as a reminder, I hated Elzar Mann for similar reasons in TRS) It’s just not what I want out of these stories, but they seem to throw romance and longing into EVERY Star Wars book and it’s exhausting. But it was done so poorly here and given way too much time in the text. Syl acts like she was horribly wronged and rejected because the “love of her life” abandoned her. In reality, she only knew the girl she thinks she’s in love with for four weeks. After just one month of infatuation, the teenager asked the older girl to leave everything behind and come with her. I would have said no too? It’s just..juvenile I guess lol. It would be different if they were older and their love was more...realized, I guess? But it’s just not. I don’t think I would care about this storyline much at all, if only it hadn’t taken up so much of the book. And the girl that Syl’s supposedly in love with doesn't really have much of a personality of her own anyway! The coolest thing about Jordanna Sparkburn is her giant electric space cat that helps save the day a few times in the novel. Even towards the end of the book, Syl is a bit horrified by something Jor does and Syl thinks to herself, “Oh noooo, did I give my heart to someone that I don’t even know???” And I’m over here like “YES. oF cOurse! You knew her for A MONTH!” Sigh...space cat though. It’s a “vollka” named Remy and she WILL kill you.

I think Jordanna has room to grow as an interesting character, but she really didn’t stick out much in this novel. It’s also pretty clear that Ireland was flirting with the idea of having a love triangle between these two and the character of Xylan Graff, but decided not to like half way through. 

Xylan isn’t all that interesting either, but he and his family will be important to the plot later on. Also, he is the owner of the giant space dog. Unfortunately I could not find any concept art for the “Grand Thelijian snow dog” named Plinka. The pup isn’t featured much, sadly, but they always pretend to be furniture so Graff’s unsuspecting guests sit on them. I don't know, it’s cute in context. 

The Graffs are a wealthy family who earned their money through hyperspace prospecting in the “old days,” which is also how the wealthy San Tekka clan made their dough. They try to make out like they’re huge business rivals, but I still laugh that the writers are trying to make the name of San Tekka relevant to Star Wars lore after The Force Awakens lol. Jordanna is a San Tekka, so naturally she hates Xylan. But Syl’s evil mom, Chansey Yarrow, is working with the Graffs to double cross the Nihil. 

Not really sure how, except she plans on making some sort of hyperspace weapon. And the Graffs want to privatize hyperspace lanes. And yes, Syl’s mom’s name IS Chansey. 

My other annoyances with this book stem from the same primal rage I felt over A Test of Courage. And every. single. time. we see Vernestra, my entire problem with her character seems to be emphasized and I am proved right. She has NO business being a Jedi Knight and no business having a padawan. She is full of self doubt and reliance on older Jedi to tell her what to do. It was a huge mistake to write this character in this way, and I am praying to the Maker that the Jedi in-universe realize that it’s extremely idiotic for a child to have a padawan. I don’t care about the political reasons behind the scene, but Xylan and Senator Starros were absolutely right to view Vern and Imri as an insult. If you need Jedi for an important mission, you don’t want children. And Vernestra having the nerve to be mad that she was called a child WHEN SHE IS LITERALLY A CHILD just irks me lol. I hate nothing more than the trope of a child that says “don't treat me like a child” or says stuff like “don’t call me kid” (like in the Kanan comics). 

I just don’t find Vernestra particularly likable or interesting at all. I swear she has done absolutely nothing to show me why she’s considered a prodigy in the first place. Her padawan, Imri, seems to be pretty different here than how I remember him from A Test of Courage. He’s sweet and empathetic and wants everyone to get a long because he’s heavily impacted by the emotions people around him are feeling. But like....remember when he tried to kill Vernestra in the last middle grade book? Because I do. It’s because he was felled with anger and jealousy and grief that was magnified by the feelings of others around him, but STILL...i’s weird he didn’t face ANY repercussions. He treats Vernestra like an older sister and friend and she treats him like a peer, not a student. The whole thing is a recipe for disaster. “Let’s put this young attempted murderer with another child who has zero experience and hope for the best!”

*sigh*

A lot of reviewers gave five star ratings for this book on Goodreads to try to balance out the one star reviews left by racist misogynists. And I totally understand that sentiment, because I get really angry when people review bomb books they haven’t read… and even tried to report some of those reviews on Goodreads (they basically told me they wouldn’t do anything about it). But frankly this book in no way deserves a five star rating and I will not lie about my feelings just because there are nasty people out there who cry every time they see a woman or person of color front and center in their science fiction. I love that Star Wars is getting more and more diverse, but these books are all over the place story-wise. At the end of the day, I am predisposed not to like stories like this and the Elzar Mann parts of The Rising Storm because I don’t like romances in my Star Wars books. I’m tired of constantly mentioning forbidden love or attraction every time we have a story. And nothing against characters like Affie and Syl, but I would honestly like more Jedi in my Star Wars stories. I have problems with Vern, but she’s a recurring character. The Jedi are the main focus of the High Republic series. Can’t we actually focus more on the Force and the Jedi in these stories and not the romances of random cargo haulers and space pirates?? There’s room for all kinds of different stories in this universe, but so far the High Republic just seems like an unfocused mess.

#star wars #the high republic #high republic #star wars the high republic #star wars high republic #out of the shadows #syl yarrow #vernestra rwoh #reath silas #star wars books #star wars reads #2022 reading challenge #reading challenge #thedroidsyouwerelookingfor reads

[greaterawarness]

Moveing On Ch. 11 The Shadow

Read full story here at AO3

Avayla

Cold. Dark. Empty. Avayla walks through the silent tunnel keeping her breathing under control. She could feel him in the darkness. Lurking, watching, waiting for her. The darkness around her feels like it could swallow her up if she let the flame in her hand burn out even for a moment.

“Avayla.”

This was not a voice in her head, nor a voice spoken through the Force. He was here. She steps into a large opening. Stepping further into the round room, there, sitting on what looks like a pedestal is a man with horns sprouting from his head. His skin is decorated in red and black markings. When his eyes open, she freezes, trapped in his gaze.

“Welcome, shaper.” He says to her. She swallows as she tightens her grip on her staff.

“You know what I am.” She says thankful her voice did not waiver.

“Of course. It was Mother Talzin who first discovered your people after fleeing from the Sith.” He says while standing. He walks down from his stage with his arms behind his back.

“What do you want with me?” She asks, holding her ground.

“I am in need of an apprentice,” He says in a soft but dark voice. “I sensed you through the Force. From there I knew you would be the one to aid me in my quest.”

“And what is your quest?” Avayla steps back when he turns to face her again.

“To destroy the Sith.” He says with furry in his eyes. His hate was so strong it burned almost as hot as actual flames. His emotions are so powerful that Avayla’s own emotions mirrored his.

“You want to destroy the Sith? Rex told me you were dangerous… But you only want to destroy the evil in the world.” Avayla thinks aloud.

“What I want is revenge,” he says as he walks around the room. “The Sith took everything from me. Used me and then cast me aside! I was left to rot, but I rose up from the ashes of my failures fueled by my hate.”

The room around them changes. She could see a battle. They used bright laser swords. One man almost looked familiar, but she couldn’t place the face. The other was the dark creature before her. the horned man pushes the other with the Force making him fall down a large metal hole. While stepping closer to peek below the man who had fell leaps up landing behind the horned man cutting him in half. Avayla gasps feeling the laser sword cutting through her own abdomen. The vision fades as she drops to her knees, desperately feeling her stomach for the slice. But there is none. A new vision appears. One where he stands beside someone similar to him. A dark presence chills Avayla to her very core. They battle with no avail. The man with the dark essence kills the other like him. She screams feeling the loss and pain that she felt when losing Hera. The vision subsides leaving Avayla drained.

“After that fateful battle, my Master cast me aside,” The man says with pain in his voice. She could feel it. The hopelessness of being left behind. A feeling she knew all to well. “He abandoned me. Replaced me with another.”

Tears pour from her eyes uncontrollably. She was trapped in his emotions unable to escape.

“But you know what that’s like. Don’t you?” He turns to her one more time. The emotions ease letting her catch her breath. She gets to her feet. “Your Master abandoned you just like mine.”

He walks around her seeing into her mind. She watches the room change but this time to one of her memories. Her heart is in her throat of the sight of her Master standing above her. His new apprentice at his side. Avayla balls her hands into fists. The dark figure from the man’s vision stands beside her Master. The horned man stands next to Avayla as they both look up at their old Masters.

“You are no longer my apprentice,” They speak at the same time. Their voices almost merging together. “You have been replaced.”

“Enough!” Avayla screams. She blasts fire at both Masters. The vision fades as Avayla struggles to catch her breath. She lifts a hand to her forehead trying to regain focus.

“Don’t you see?” The man next to her says. She looks at the man with pain in his yellow bloodshot eyes. “We are the same. Both cast aside by our Masters. But together we can rise above them.”

He extends his hand to her.

“I…” She says with her mind swimming. She had this overwhelming want to take his hand. She slowly reaches out giving in to the urge. Just as they were about to touch the sound of a blaster pierces through the fog clouding her mind. The hand that had been outstretched to her moves to hold the blaster shot in the air.

“Step. Away. From her!” Rex snarls while stepping out of the darkness.

“Rex!” Avayla says feeling relief and clarity sweep over her. she suddenly felt like she could breathe again. Free from whatever hold the horned man had on her.

“Avayla, are you alright? Did he hurt you?” Rex asks with his blasters still aimed at the horned man.

“Clone,” The man hisses while moving his hand letting the blaster shot hit the rock behind him. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here for my friend.” He says stepping into the room. The horned man puts his hands behind his back staring at Rex with narrowed eyes. “You will not take her.”

“I hardly think you have any say in that matter.” The horned man chuckles. Avayla steps between them.

“Stop. Both of you!” She says with a jab of her staff in the ground. She turns to Rex. “He only wants to destroy the Sith.”

“He is a Sith, Avayla.” Rex says. Avayla frowns and looks back at the horned man. “His name is Darth Maul. He’s killed countless of innocent lives! Including children.”

“Why didn’t tell me that before I ran off?” Avayla whips back at Rex.

“Because you were too busy hitting me with wind!” Rex says making Avayla’s face burn with embarrassment.

“Well, that was… uhn… ugh!” She tries to justify it but falters.

“If you two are done? I’d like to start training my apprentice.” Darth Maul sighs behind them. Avayla frowns at him.

“You’re a Sith! My people do not trust your kind.” Avayla narrows her eyes at him.

“It is true, yes. I once was a Sith but no longer. Now I only desire to rid this world of them.” He says. He wasn’t lying. She could feel the truth in his voice and the visions she saw were not fake. She stares at the cave floor thinking.

“You can’t be seriously thinking about joining him?” Rex yells at her. She meets his eyes.

“He’s not lying Rex. And not only that… he might be the only one out there willing to train me!” Avayla says feeling her own fear surface. Rex looks horrified so she turns away. He puts his blasters away and grabs her hand forcing her to meet his eyes again.

“Why did you come here? Do you remember what you first told me when I asked you why you wanted to become a Jedi?” He asks with fear and panic in his eyes. She feels her heart ache.

“It’s not about the power,” She says blinking away tears. “It’s about peace and understanding.”

“That’s right,” He says with a soft smile appearing on his face. “And I promise you that you will find no peace with him.”

Avayla nods while wiping away a tear. She takes a deep breath before turning to face Maul.

“He is right. This is not why I left my people. I am sorry but I cannot be your apprentice.” She says. Darth Maul frowns before closing his eyes.

“That is… unfortunate.” He says opening his eyes again while holding his hands out as pressure squeezes Avayla’s and Rex’s neck, lifting them off the ground. They gasp and squirm under the invisible force. Avayla feels her staff slip through her fingers. She tries to shape fire or wind at Maul but too much of her energy has been drained. She looks over at Rex. His face is turning a deep shade of blue. Tears sting her eyes once more. There was nothing she could do.

The sound was small at first but then rose to a loud scream. Maul frowns confused by the noise until it was to late. Slick and Dogma charge out of a tunnel ramming into him. Avayla and Rex drop feeling the air return to their lungs.

“Are you okay?” Avayla coughs to her friend.

“Never better.” Rex chokes. Maul kicks Dogma off him and throws Slick against the cave wall.

“Dogma!” Avayla calls. The clone with a V tattooed across his eye gives a small wave from the ground where he lays after getting kicked so hard. Rex opens fire at Maul. Maul simply uses the Force to redirect the shots. Avayla grabs her staff and swings it sending a line of concentrated air. He leaps out of the way letting the air cut through the rock. Maul lifts a large rock up with the Force and throws it at Rex and Avayla. They both dive out of the way as Slick fires from behind Maul. Maul runs and is able to dodge every shot.

“Slick? Wasn’t expecting you to come back.” Rex says while joining in at firing at Maul.

“Well… ya know… Your words really struck me in how we’re all apart of this crew and…”

“R6 wouldn’t let him steal ship and wouldn’t stop shocking him until he came back to help!” Dogma cuts him off from across the room. Slick frowns but doesn’t protest.

“Well, I’m glad your back either way.” Rex chuckles before dodging another thrown boulder.

“That makes one of us!” Slick yells while taking cover. Avayla shoots fire and wind but can feel her energy getting drained like before. Her flames barely leave her hands now and the air comes out as nothing more than a strong breeze.

“What is wrong, Apprentice?” Maul chuckles while diverting one of Rex’s shots at Dogma. Dogma ducks behind a rock just in time. “Snuffed out already? I could show you how to grow your power using your hate and passion!”

“Shut up!” Avayla yells feeling a burst a rage rush through her sending flames at Maul. He’s able to divert her flames just like the blaster shots. It stings even more when he does it with one hand behind his back. He gives a chuckle in his throat.

“Good, good, yes feed off your hate!” He says lifting the ground beneath her. she jumps off the side only for him to drop the giant rock on top of her. she holds her hands up shooting air above to slice the rock in half. She still gets crushed but sustains only bruises and mild cuts. When she crawls out of the rubble Rex is being lifted and choked in the air. Dogma and Slick are trapped under a large boulder that Maul is slowly crushing them with. Avayla steps towards Maul and feels all energy leave her body. She drops to her hands in knees panting.

“Stop… please…” She pants still crawling towards him.

“Agree to be my apprentice and I will let them live.” Maul says tightening his grip on Rex’s throat and lowering the boulder more onto Dogma and Slick.

“Don’t!” Rex chokes with his hands desperately clawing at the invisible hold on his throat. Tears blur her vision with panic building in her chest. Dogma cries in pain when the boulder pushes harder down. She squeezes her eyes shut before letting go. She opens her eyes and looks up at Maul.

“I’ll do it,” She says finally. “Just let them go.”

He smiles before throwing Rex against the wall and freeing Dogma and Slick. Dogma clutches a broken arm to his chest while Slick struggles to get to his feet. Maul turns to face Avayla as she stands. He holds his hand out to her. she takes it. He gives a low laugh before walking towards a tunnel.

“Come along, Apprentice. There is much to be done.” He says with his hands behind his back. She looks back at Rex one last time. He coughs while struggling to stand. He meets her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers before running after her new Master.

Rex

Everything is falling apart. The only thing he can hear is his heartbeat ringing in his ears. He watches Avayla disappear in the darkness of a tunnel with Darth Maul. The entrance to the tunnel collapses along with the ceiling of the cave. He pants and struggles to get to his feet. Slick is shaking his shoulders shouting something, but Rex can’t hear it. He took her.

“Rex!” Slick’s voice finally cuts through the ringing in his ears. He blinks a few times coming to his senses. “We have to move! The temple is collapsing!”

Rex gets to his feet. Dogma limps beside him cradling a broken arm. They run through a tunnel praying it was the one leading to a way out. The tunnel behind them collapses almost as fast as they can run. Rex pushes Dogma and Slick forward when he spots light ahead. They keep going feeling the rubble hit the back of their legs with the collapse growing closer and closer to them before they leap into the sunlight just before the ceiling can cave in on them.

They pant and roll on their backs to watch the mountain that had sprouted only the day before retreat back into the earth. Rex sits up spotting a familiar ship fly off into the distance. It was the same ship Ahsoka had held onto so dearly while they tried to escape the Republic ship.

“Fuck!” Slick pants while getting to his feet. “You alright, Kid?”

“Fine, just a broken bone.” Dogma mutters while sitting up. They both stare at the Captain that now stands staring at the direction that the ship had disappeared in. Dogma and Slick exchange a look before Slick steps closer.

“Rex?” He says cautiously.

“My fault.” Rex says softly.

“What?”

“This is my fault.” Rex says turning showing the guilt and pain in his eyes. “Everything that has happened up to this point has been my fault!”

“How is any of this your fault?” Dogma asks.

“I told her to reach out with the Force! That’s how he found her! And more than that… I told them to destroy the escape pods… they could have escaped…”

“What escape pods? Who are you talking about?” Slick asks. Rex starts walking towards Maz’s Castle.

“The ship… we have to go after them! I can fix this.” He says almost frantically. Dogma and Slick run after him.

“Hold on! You’re not in the right mind to go after them!” Slick says grabbing his arm. Rex whips around shoving Slick to the ground.

“I have to fix this! I can’t…” Rex starts before losing all energy and dropping to his knees. “… I can’t lose anyone else… I just can’t… I’m not strong enough…”

Dogma kneels next to his Captain.

“We’re with you Rex.” He says softly. Dogma cautiously puts a hand on Rex’s shoulder. Rex feels all the weight of his guilt and pain over the years of the Clone Wars wash over him. All the emotions he’s been bottling up pours out. For what would be the second time in his life he breaks out in tears. But this time in hopeless sobs. He covers his eyes trying to hide his crying face. Embarrassed to show emotion as he were a Jedi himself. Denal, Echo, Hardcase, Tup, Fives, Kix, Jesse, Cody, General Skywalker, Ahsoka, and now Avayla. His list keeps growing. His fault. All of them.

“I shouldn’t be a leader… I’ll just lead you to your deaths.” He says dropping his head. Dogma looks to Slick desperate for some guidance on what to do. Slick was as shocked and lost as he was. They had never seen Rex like this. Slick had never thought Rex could be like this. So they do the only thing they can think of. The sit on the ground with Rex between them. They listen to the birds chirp overhead as the trees sway with the warm breeze. Dogma shift wincing at his arm while chewing on his bottom lip.

“Do you know,” Dogma starts with a small voice. He swallows trying to muster to strength to keep going. “Do you know I was originally assigned to the 212th?”

When Rex doesn’t answer he goes on.

“Yeah, it seemed like a no brainer to me and everyone else. They thought I would do great with a Commander like Cody and General like Obi Wan Kenobi. But at the last second I put in a request for the 501st. Do you know why?” Dogma glances at Rex. He sits silently staring at the ground. “It was because of you.”

Rex gives a snort and turns his head away from Dogma.

“It’s true. You were unlike any Captain, Commander, or General I had ever seen. You didn’t just lead your men you… were one of the men. You treated everyone like a person. You only called them by their name not their numbers. When clones came to you without names you helped them pick one. And more then that your strategies and battle plans were brilliant! I was with Tup when I was putting in my recommendation. We both said we’d give anything to fight beside you.” Dogma explains. Rex presses his lips together with tears blurring his vision again. “We never had a father or even a father figure, but I think if we did. It was you. More clones looked up to you then you know.”

Rex swallows the knot in his throat and finally lifts his eyes to Dogma.

“I’m sorry for everything that happened to you.” He says with a shaky voice. Dogme puts a hand on Rex’s shoulder.

“What happened to me wasn’t your fault. What happened to all clones isn’t your fault.” Dogma says sternly.

“But I could have…”

“Rex, even if you could have done something the only thing that might have happened from it was your death. And for one I’m really happy you survived.” Dogma says cutting Rex off. Rex nods slowly before staring at the ground again.

“What happened to all the clones?” Slick asks. Rex stiffens before he and Dogma exchange a look.

“Nothing.” Dogma says slowly. He wobbly gets to his feet before extending a hand down to Rex. Rex takes it letting his brother help him up.

“Thank you, Dogma.” Rex says placing a hand on Dogma’s shoulder. They smile at each other while Slick gets to his feet.

“So, now that everything is back to normal… where are we going?” Slick asks. Rex places a hand on Slick’s shoulder giving smile.

“First stop is a medical ship.” He says with a sinister smile.

“Right… for Dogma’s broken arm.” Slick says while staring at Rex’s hand. Dogma places his good hand on Slick’s other shoulder.

“Right. My broken arm.” He says giving the same smile that Rex gives.

“Why are you both looking at me like that?” Slick asks flatly. Rex turns towards where their ship is parked.

“Come on Slick.” Rex chuckles while walking away.

“Seriously, Dogma, why were y’all smiling at me like that?” Slick asks.

“Oh no reason,” Dogma says while walking after Rex before turning around walking backwards. “But how do you feel about being bald for a while?”

“What does that mean? Seriously. Guys!” Slick calls after them.

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