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imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul · 4 years

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Return to Me - Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty: Lost

A/N: Holy shit! How did we get to thirty chapters already!! Well, it seems only fitting that this is the chapter when we come back to the main timeline. Just to remind you all where we are, the reader just found out about Broden’s connections with the First Order, and when things seemingly couldn’t get worse, she also discovers that her parents and Broden concocted her election as a means to get her away from Poe. The reader has fled, leaving Poe alone with the Resistance as they scramble to make things right again. Anyways! Long note, but please enjoy! Let me know what you think! This was one of my favorites to write.

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader Word Count: 4,766 Synopsis: Re-situated on their new Chandrila base, the Resistance is feeling better than ever. While still searching for the reader, Poe is sent off on a mission to Manaan with Lando and Finn to rescue Senator Rebianakl.

Tag List: @xeniarocks, @too-many-baes, @araceli91103, @idocarealot, @treblebeth, @treestarrrrrrrr, @thescarletknight2014, @charlottie2998, @ibikus, @mellow-f1, @mrsdaamneron, @trustme3-13, @missjess71, @ella-solei, @minelskede, @gleigh42, @usuallyweepingnacho, @givemethatgold, @and-claudia, @constantdisgrace, @wordsinwinters, @readingvogueonprivetdrive, @trshbb, @kaitlynw011, @ihave2muchtimeonmyhands, @fairytalesforever, @thanos-jeep, @mixedfandxms, @pastelbunny1501, @emotionalcal, @daniellajocelyn, @getyourselfaunicorn, @spider-starry, @jimhalpertcanbuymelove, @angelicaxhouston, @roserrys, @blushingwueen, @americasass-romanoff, @commondazy, @throughparisallthroughrome, @ms-dont-care , @bubblegumcat229 , @barnesdameron

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Leia thought the base on Chandrila was perfect, too. After the two weeks they had been having, settling into the base on Chandrila was a step below defeating the First Order.

It didn’t take long to evacuate the base on Serenno, there wasn’t much there, and the stuff that was there was quickly shipped off by Lin Ral’s people. Poe tried to apologize for falsely accusing him, but that bridge had been burnt.

Although it was double its size, the base on Chandrila felt a lot like the D’Qar base. Poe had his own quarters again, although this time his were right next to his father’s, who had been forced to flee his home as well. The Resistance was running with its tail between its legs, but they had never felt stronger.

No longer were they spread out around a few different planets. Everyone lived and worked on the Chandrila base. All of the supplies they had gathered over the last few months now had proper storage. Their ships had a hangar to park on instead of sitting in the muddy yard of Kes’s. And they had never been closer. They didn’t want to admit that it had done them some good but finding out that Sarsa Broden was the spy they were looking for brought them all together like nothing before ever had.

Common enemy, Leia had described it. Nothing could bring people together quicker.

Everything seemed to be setting up for a triumphant return against the First Order, except for one thing: You. No one had seen or talked to you since you had stormed off of the cruiser. Each day that passed, the worse Poe felt for letting you run. He should have gone after you when there was still a trail to follow. By this point, you could be anywhere.

Poe woke up to BB-8 beeping at him and bumping into his bed frame. He grumbled and sat up, patting BB-8 on the head as a hello. The little droid continued to whir about how Poe couldn’t function without him, and Poe let him as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“Anything?” Poe asked. BB-8 lowered his head, his beeping becoming sadder. “Alright. Keep checking for me?” He beeped happily that he would.

Poe got out of bed and dressed for the day, trying not to dwell on the fact that it had been two whole weeks since he had seen you. Leia had told him not to go looking for you, and he didn’t, he just had BB-8 check with every source he could around the galaxy for any trace of you. When BB-8 finds you, he won’t care about what Leia says, he’ll come get you and bring you back where you belong.

As with every morning since moving into the base, Poe started his day by checking the security functions of the base. Although they had no reason to distrust Meg Junari, or really anyone within the base, they had been scorned before, and weren’t going to take any more risks.

After he was done with his rounds, he grabbed a bite of breakfast, and then went down to the control room to meet with Leia. With the forming of the new base, every one they had spoken to about joining, even the ones who were once on the fence, came to see the Resistance back in action. This morning, when he walked in to the control center, he found Leia talking with Commander D’Acy, Rey, and Lando Calrissian.

“Ah, Commander Dameron,” Lando said with a smile, holding out his hand to Poe. He shook it with a smile.

“Morning, Commander,” Leia said.

“What have I missed?”

“Agent Terex came to visit me on Bespin last night,” Lando said.

“He did what?” Poe asked, the hair on the back of his neck sticking up at the mention of Terex.

“It seems the First Order has put him on the task of finding Y/N,” Leia said carefully. Poe clenched his fists and let out a shaky breath.

“I told you we needed to find her,” he said, shaking his head.

“I know, and you were right,” Leia said with a frown, touching his shoulder gently, “But the good thing is, they haven’t found Y/N either.”

“What did he say?” Poe asked, looking to Lando.

“A couple of empty threats,” Lando said with a wave of his hand, “Said if I did know anything about Y/N, I was to let them know first. Destroyed some of my home, the usual stuff,” he said, shrugging.

“And you’re sure there’s no chance that she was on Bespin?”

“She wasn’t in Cloud City, I know that for sure,” Lando said. Poe nodded his head.

“So, when can I go find her?” Poe asked, looking to Leia.

“I want Y/N back just as much as you do, but right now we have no idea where she is, and I need your help with something else.”

“And what? I’ll just leave her alone?”

“Y/N is a smart girl. We haven’t found her either. She knows how to stay hidden. Besides, Rey is going to start working on finding her,” Leia said, motioning to her.

“What?” he asked. Leia looked to Rey.

“You said that Y/N was able to see into Kylo’s mind because of a bridge that had been formed long ago between them, I’m hoping to break into that bridge and find out where she is.”

“Couldn’t Kylo Ren be doing the same?” Poe asked tiredly.

“Perhaps,” Leia said, “But this is the only lead we’ve got right now.”

“The second you think you’ve found her,” Poe began, looking to Rey.

“I’ll let you know,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you.” She nodded and dismissed herself from the room. Poe looked to Leia and Lando. “What did you need my help with, General?”

“I’ve got a mission for you and Finn,” she said, walking over to the Holotable. She pulled up the schematics of Manaan. The blue planet was now covered with little red Xs all over its image. “We got a distress call from Senator Rebianakl this morning. It seemed that the First Order is not too happy she’s been helping us, and not them. The First Order has taken control of the capital, Ahto City, and taken Rebianakl hostage.”

“So, Broden knows we know,” Poe said simply.

“It would appear that way. He has tried to contact Naboo a few times, even tried to enter, but they would not allow him clearance codes. I believe after a few tries he got the picture.”

“What do you want Finn and I to do? Manaan is a giant planet.”

“But Ahto City is doable,” Leia said with a smile. “Along with Lando, I want you to go down to Ahto City, undercover, and rescue Rebianakl from the First Order. After she’s safe, we’ll send our ground troops down to deal with the rest of the First Order’s troops. Lando will work through the city while you two are inside the capital, and make sure that the civilians get to safety.”

“Alright,” Poe said with a nod. “When do we leave?”

“Now.”

Poe went back to his room to change into a disguise, and found Finn standing outside of his room, also changed into something that would allow them to blend in with the crowd.

“Looking sharp,” Poe said as he walked into his quarters. Finn laughed and followed him inside. “You ready?”

“Haven’t seen any action in a long time,” Finn said, sitting down on the edge of his bed, “I’m really ready.”

“Good, me too,” Poe said with a smile, ducking into his bathroom to change.

“Is BB-8 coming along?” Finn asked.

“No, he’ll stand out too much.” The little droid hummed his sadness. Poe stepped back into the room and crouched down in front of him. “It’s alright, buddy, I have an important job for you, too.” BB-8 brought his head up and rolled closer to Poe excited. “I need you to help Rey find Y/N. With the both of you working on it, we’ll get her back right away.” BB-8 wowed his agreement and quickly rolled out of the room to go find Rey.

“Looking sharp as well,” Finn aid with a smirk as Poe stood up.

“Thanks,” Poe laughed. “Ready to head out?”

“I am. What ship are we taking?”

“The Falcon, of course.” They both turned to the door to find Lando leaning up against the door frame with a smile on his face.

“But who’s flying?” Poe asked, matching the same smile on his own face.

“We’ll take turns,” Lando said with a wink, turning back into the hallway.

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Poe had never visited Manaan, but he knew one thing to be absolutely certain about the planet: it was covered completely in water. He knew that, and yet, as they made their descent onto Ahto City, he could hardly wrap his mind around how much water surrounded him. Even in Naboo, where there were thousands of lakes and ponds, he had never seen so much water in his life. As they landed, he thought again about you, and how much you would like it here.

“Ready?” Finn asked, shaking him from his thoughts.

“Yeah.” They both looked to Lando.

“I’ll park the ship over here. I’ve got an old friend who can hide it from plain view. We’ll make our way through the city, just like any other smuggler or trader would do. I’ll get to work on clearing out civilians. Rebianakl sent some clearance codes in her distress signal, hopefully they’ll get you into the capital. From there, you’re on your own.”

“Got it,” Poe said with a nod.

“If things go south, get out of there. We can be off planet in a few minutes, but don’t waste any time getting back.”

They departed their ship and broke off, Lando on his own, and Finn and Poe walking through the streets together. Although the watery vastness surrounding them made the planet feel desolate, the city was as high-tech as anything in Coruscant.

Just the thought of the city planet brought Poe’s mind back to you.

“Check this out,” Finn said, walking over to a store front that was promoting some seriously heavy weaponry.

Each shop they walked by felt the same. It was no wonder that Rebianakl could bring them such advanced ships, the entire city was filled with the most advanced technology that Poe had ever seen.

As they walked through the city center, they saw a group of Stormtroopers walking their way. Acting quickly, Poe pushed Finn into one of the alleyways. They raced down it and came out the other end to the fishing docks of Ahto City. A line of Selkath stood against the edge of the city, casting poles that were nearly a foot in diameter, with lines that went on for miles, it seemed, into the dark trenches of the water. Watching in amazement, Poe and Finn stood by as one of the Selkath fishermen pulled out a fish nearly the size of himself from the water. He cheered along with his fellow fishermen.

“Come on,” Poe said, glancing behind himself nervously. “Let’s get going.” Finn nodded and followed along. The underside of the city was much less impressive than the bustling street center. The shops on this side were much more familiar to Poe. This is where the slimiest smugglers and mercenaries and thieves operated. Unfortunately, Poe was all too familiar with that kind of life. Since the old Senate refused to acknowledge the First Order or the Resistance, all the information he gathered and the supplies he picked up had to be found in places like these, from people he had no choice but to trust.

If he looked out on the water, though, he could imagine that he was somewhere else. Somewhere warm, spending time with someone he wanted to see more than anything.

He thought about finding you in Naboo, spending a few days together, before he remembered your last encounter. Lin Ral. Poe had been so foolish. He was better off not knowing what went on when the two of you were away from him. He knew that his anger was also one of the reasons why you ran.

“Poe!” Finn said, quickly grabbing his arm and pulling him into the corner of a nearby shop. Poe opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Finn pointed to the two Stormtroopers walking past.

“Think they know we’re here?” Poe asked, pulling away from Finn as the Stormtroopers passed.

“I’m not sure,” Finn said, following him back outside. “But I think we better get into the capital quickly. Are you alright?”

“What? Yeah, of course. I’m just . . . thinking,” he said with a sigh.

“About Y/N?” Finn asked carefully as they began to walk.

“Yeah. I’m really worried about her.”

“Well, with Rey and BB-8 looking for her, I’m sure she won’t be gone long.”

“Yeah, I just hope they’re the only ones looking for her,” Poe said. Finn patted him on the shoulder as they approached the entrance to the capital building. A giant set of stairs led up to the main entrance, and it seemed that on every other step, a Stormtrooper had been placed.

“That way’s no good,” Finn said with a frown.

“Did they really think we’d be dumb enough to go through the front door?” Poe asked, chuckling softly to himself. “Wait a minute. What if we were dumb enough to go through the front door?”

“What?” Finn asked.

“They’re expecting us to try and break in, not walk right up the steps.”

“Yeah, but they’ll notice us right away.” Poe chewed his lip and looked around the docks. His eyes traveled over each of the fishermen, and eventually landed on the Selkath who had caught the giant fish.

“I’ve got an idea,” he said, walking back across the dock. He approached the Selkath, who upon seeing them, pulled out a giant harpoon and pointed it at them. Poe held up his hands in defense.

“What do you want, smugglers?” the Selkath asked.

“We’re not smugglers,” Poe said, pulling down the lapel of his jacket, “We’re with the Resistance, and we need your help.”

“Why should I help the Resistance?” he asked, lowering his harpoon slightly.

“Because the First Order has got Senator Rebianakl locked up in your capital. We’re here to rescue her, but we can’t do it on our own.” Poe had read the debriefings that you had given about Rebianakl. She was beloved by all of her people, which is something not easy to achieve on Manaan. She had successfully driven out the last remnants of the Empire, which lasted in Manaan long after their defeat, and when she came into power, she guaranteed that her people who never face such tyranny again. “I know you see those Stormtroopers in the streets, and you know they’re not supposed to be here. So let us help you by getting us into the capital building without them noticing.”

“How exactly am I supposed to do that?” the Selkath asked skeptically. Poe smiled when he saw that he dropped his harpoon.

“I doubt that the First Order knows very much about your traditions,” he said. “I say we welcome the First Order with this,” he said, slapping the giant dead fish next to him.

“You want me to give the First Order my best catch of the day?”

“We’re willing to pay you for your services,” Finn chipped in. The Selkath looked between the two of them and finally sighed.

“Fine. 400 credits,” he said. Poe nodded.

“Deal. Oh, and we��ll need some help from your friends,” Poe said, gesturing to the other fishermen around him.

“You better be willing to pay them, too. What’s your name, son?” he asked.

“I’m Commander Poe Dameron,” he said, holding out his hand. “And this is Finn.”

“I’m Enta.”

It took another thirty minutes, and another 1,000 credits, but eventually, Poe’s plan came into shape. Surrounded by five other bulky fishermen, Poe and Finn were able to blend in as they all carried Enta’s giant fish into the capital building.

They were stopped on the way in, but Enta lied perfectly, saying that it was only common for Selkaths to want to treat their leaders with delicacies such as the fish he had caught. The Stormtroopers looked them over, but with their hoods up, and giant fish in between them, they didn’t look too long.

Once they were inside, they were led to the room where the officer of this hostile takeover was staying. They flopped the fish down on the table in front of him when Poe got his first look at him.

Agent Terex.

“Fuck,” Poe said under his breath as Terex raised his eyes to meet Poe’s. A wicked smile spread across his face.

“Commander Dameron,” he said with a smirk. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Does the First Order really think so little of you that they have you working on hostile takeovers?” Poe asked as Stormtroopers gathered at his back.

“Does General Organa think so little of you that she sends you on missions to rescue nothing politicians? Or, are you married to this one, too?” he asked snidely. Poe took a lunge at him, but the Stormtroopers grabbed hold of his arms. “You know, I expected you to be off looking for Queen Bhavisama. Lord Broden has everyone searching all over the galaxy for her. I guess you just don’t care as much.

“Take them away,” he instructed before Poe could spit in his face. Bags were instantly thrown over their heads. They were dragged around for about five minutes until they were thrown against walls. Poe heard the locking of a cell door behind him as the bag was lifted over his head.

“Senator,” he said with a sigh, looking up into Rebianakl’s face. “We’re here to rescue you.”

“Good job,” she said, moving about the cell to pull off the rest of the bags on Finn and the fishermen. Poe looked around the room they were in. The cell had to be thousands of years old. Instead of the laser walls that usually surrounded cells nowadays, he was surrounded by steel beams.

“Are you kidding?” he asked, moving to the door and pulling at the pliable beams. “This is where they’ve kept you?”

“I’m not stupid, Commander,” Rebianakl said, moving next to him. “It’s not the cell you have to worry about. They’ve brought us down to the very depths of the capitol building. The only ways out are back up through the heavily guarded door, or out the window.”

“What’s wrong with the window?” he asked.

“It leads right into the water,” Enta said, walking over to look out the window. “If the fishermen up above didn’t get us first, there’s about fifteen other fish in these waters that would.”

“I thought the Selkath lived underwater,” Poe said.

“We do, but that doesn’t mean we own the waters,” Rebianakl said. “The nearest sanctuary city underwater is miles away, we’d never make it in time.” Poe looked out the window, watching as harpoons, some bigger than the one Enta had threatened them with, went plummeting into the dark waters.

“How far down are we?” Poe asked. His eyes were focusing on the screws that were keeping the glass window together, a plan beginning to form in his mind.

“No more than two miles I would say.”

“I think I’ve got a plan,” he said, turning to look back at the group, “But you’re not going to like it.”

The bars were as easy to open as Poe suspected. With the help of Finn and Enta, they were able to pull enough of them apart that they could all step through. The hard part was how they were going to break the window. Made of glass that could only be broken with multiple blaster shots, Poe had to resort to using the screwdriver in one of the fishermen’s pockets.

“Alright, once this is off, we all need to get close to the door. We don’t want whatever’s out there taking us away before we’ve gotten a chance to fight. Everyone got their bar?” he asked. They all held up their busted off pieces of the cell to show they did. “You really should invest in some better holding cells,” he said, looking to Rebianakl.

“I’ll work on that later,” she said, standing next to him as the others went to stand by the door at the top of the stairs. “You sure about this?”

“Yeah,” he said, beginning to unscrew the first screw, “I’m pretty sure. I mean, we all know how to swim, right?” She shook her head but didn’t say anything else as he moved to the next screw. Once that one was off, water began to leak into the room in tiny drops. He and Rebianakl exchanged a look.

He moved to the next screw. Once that one was gone, more water began to move in. As he went to the next one, he could feel the pressure of the water against the window.

“I think this is the last one,” he said as he struggled to turn the screwdriver.

“Get ready!” Rebianakl called to the group above. Poe turned the screw with all of his might, and when it was off, the tiny window couldn’t hold up to the pressure of the water anymore and fell at their feet as water rushed into the room.

“See?” Poe said with a grin, running with Rebianakl up to the top of the stairs.

“Now, if only they let us out,” she said, looking at the water that had already reached the first steps of the stairs.

“Start pounding,” Poe instructed. The two Selkaths at the door started to pound on the door and cry out for help. Poe looked back at the water. Only two more steps until it would be at their feet.

“Help!” he called, too. The water had begun to reach his ankles.

“Help!” Rebianakl called, looking to Poe as it reached their knees. “It seems no one is coming.”

“That door can’t hold forever.” The water was at their waists. “Help!” he called again. “Finn,” he said as the water rose above his chest. “Hold your breath. The water will force the—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence as the water rose above their heads. Poe opened his eyes in the water to see a myriad of colorful fish surrounding him, and he suddenly remembered the other fish that could be in the waters. He swam towards the door and helped as the other two Selkath threw their bodies into it, hoping to push it open.

His lungs were hot. He was running out of air and there was no way he could swim to the surface from here, the fishermen and the fish aside. His vision started to blur as he swallowed some of the water. Just when things were about to go black, he was pulled through the door with a great wave. He landed on the floor that was slowly getting drenched. He looked for Finn who was coughing up water, but otherwise fine.

“Hey! What the hell is going on here?” a Stormtrooper asked, running towards their commotion. He took a hesitant step back when he saw the water rushing through the room, already up to their shins. “What did you do?” he yelled.

“If I were you,” Poe said, grabbing up his bar from the cell door, “I’d run.”

The Stormtrooper didn’t even try to stop them as they raced towards the stairs. The water was following them fast enough that he didn’t have to worry about any Stormtroopers at their feet. They would start running soon enough, too.

“Is there any way to stop the water?” Poe asked, running in step with Rebianakl.

“There’s a draining system on the upper floors, but not so much down here.”

“Does anyone work down here?”

“Not since the First Order came here,” she panted, “Everyone was forced out.”

“Good,” Poe said with a nod, forcing open another door as the water licked at his ankles. “What’s the best way out?”

“This way,” she said, pulling him towards the right of the hall. Finn and the others followed after them, always aware of the water that was spilling out around them. Rebianakl opened a door at the end of the hallway that led to a staircase.

“Down? We can’t go down!” Poe yelled.

“It’s down and out!” she yelled back, the water again soaking their feet. “We’ll come out by the fish markets.” As the water reached their calves, Poe knew he didn’t have a choice.

“Alright, let’s go,” he said, following Rebianakl down the slippery staircase. The last three steps covered in water and they had to jump into the massive puddle to get out. She pushed open the door.

The water spurted out around them as he got re-accustomed to the light of day. The water fell out and back into the water surrounding them. A few of the fishermen looked back at them, but seemed unimpressed as they went back to their fishing.

“Let’s get out of here,” Poe said, taking a nervous look back at the door they came through. “You’re all welcome back at the Resistance,” he said, looking to the Selkaths that had helped them into the capitol. “I’m not sure how safe you’ll be here until we get the First Order out.”

“I will need some protection,” Rebianakl said, looking to each of them in turn. They all nodded their heads and Enta even blushed at her eye contact.

“Good,” Poe said, “Now let’s go. We’ve got a ship . . .”

“This way,” Finn said, directing the group through a shop of odd trinkets that looked to be made of sea barnacles. They all came out into the busy street center again, right into the face of a Stormtrooper. Finn lifted up his bar and smacked him over the head, dropping him to the floor before he could call for backup.

“We need to move quickly,” Poe said as he looked at the opposite ends of the street. Stormtroopers were everywhere.

“Finn! Poe!” They both turned their heads to see Lando across the way, beckoning them into a dark alleyway.

“Go!” Poe said, waving everyone on as he watched for more Stormtroopers. He followed behind Enta, and together, they all raced for the Falcon.

“Hey! You there! Stop!”

Poe pushed them all forward as he heard the firing of blasters behind him. They ran up the steps of the Falcon as Stormtroopers surrounded them.

“Poe!” Lando called, tossing him a blaster.

“Get us out of here,” Poe called back, beginning to fire his own frustrations back at the Stormtroopers. The Millennium Falcon began to take off. Poe kept firing.

“Poe, come on,” Finn said, grabbing his arm to pull him in as the hatch began to close. Once he was in, he caught his breath and dropped down to the floor. “You alright?” Finn asked, crouching down next to him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”

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“You reek,” Leia said with a curl of her nose.

“We went for a swim,” Poe said with a smile. “But we got Rebianakl back. And we couldn’t have done it without these brave men,” he said, motioning to the Selkath around him.

“Thank you all for your help. Connix can show you to some more comfortable housing,” she said, waving her forward. She waited until it was just her, Poe, Finn, and Lando before speaking again. “How are you?” she asked seriously.

“Fine. A little soggy.”

“Well, I have news that will make you feel better, sogginess aside.”

“Yeah?” Poe asked, raising his eyebrow tiredly.

“We found her.”

#poe dameron #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #sw imagine #poe dameron fanfic #poe dameron fanfiction #sw #sw fanfic #sw fanfiction #star wars #star wars fanfic #star wars fanfiction #star wars imagine

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the-bastards-box · 3 years

Note

Is there a story behind any of the names or are they just random ones that you came up with?

Well some have stories

The name Eal was made by using -al from the word normal and a random letter my friend sent me, which was E

San, Thy, Grem', Gal, Eliro, Sarsa and Thej We're taken from random elf/dwarf names generators and shortened to these

Tosk is just a weird thing I said one day and I liked it

Comic and Monotype are named after their fonts

Pink almost ended up with the name Paint

Corthy is a mashup of Core and Thy

Grim was named after grim comedy

#michael_answers #everyone #asks and requests are always appreciated and needed #undermine #undertale #undertale alternate universe #undertale ask blog #undertale au #ut #au #utau #um #utmv #skeleton ask blog #ask blog

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sarsaparillaswords · 5 months

Note

10, 20 & 30 for the Ao3 Wrapped questions!

10. What work was the quickest to write?

I have a confession...I only have one fic published* but I wanted to participate in the meme anyway... so technically that one was the "quickest" but it took me 11 months...😭 The gift fic I'm writing for the Locked Tomb Holiday Exchange is going much faster, and yes, I will finish on time! I promise! And then that one will have been the quickest!

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

that one poem I wrote at the end of high school when I was worried that I'd basically peaked at that point and then it turned out to be weirdly prophetic

OK OK I had to do like 4 editing passes for each chapter of Quoth the Maiden but I'm not ready to re-read that one in its finished form yet. does that count? It was like

rough draft with holes

fill in holes and mark the stuff that annoyed me

fix the stuff that annoyed me and mark more things over and over

proof-read

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

There's a bit in chapter 1 where Harrow tries to trip "the stranger" (Gideon) with her staff and a few moments later Gideon says:

“You caught me off-guard. It’s not every day that a beautiful woman tries to get between my legs.”

That line was a total surprise! It looks like I planned the trip attack to justify the line but it was the other way around. I wrote the trip move based on a description of a real staff move that my husband told me about** and then the little Gideon in my head went heh heh heh and gave me the line above.

* My name is on a couple things that were written by other people, because I did some art in Big Bangs and RBBs. I moved my art stuff into a separate pseud to avoid confusion.

** I make no guarantees about accurately describing a fighting move that I half-remembered from a second-hand description.

Ao3 Wrapped Questions

#nightworldlove #fanfic #sarsa's words #the locked tomb #tlt robin hood AU #Ao3 wrapped

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lovehellowkitty · 4 years

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The Best Lechon

A popular dish in Spain and its former colonies, the word Lechon is derived from the Spanish word leche (milk) which refers to a roasted suckling pig. Over the centuries however, it wasn’t just small, suckling pigs that were being roasted. As the feasts got bigger, so did the size of the pig. Since then, this tasty dish has been the highlight of any gathering.

These days, lechon is now a staple meal in fiestas, weddings, reunions and other special occasions. With its crispy skin, juicy meat and generous servings, lechon makes any celebration a feast. No matter how small or big the gathering, lechon has brought family and friends closer together.

Today, the many lechoneros and restaurants in Cebu serve a variety of lechon dishes, including lechon paksiw, humba lechon, and even “pritchon” – lechon that’s fried after it’s been slow-roasted for a couple hours. If you want to sample authentic Cebuano lechon, it’s easy enough to get to Cebu when you’re coming from Metro Manila. In celebration of this culinary pride, The Mactan Newtown, in partnership with the Lapu-Lapu City Government, is once again putting the spotlight on the world-famous Cebu lechon, along with the rich history, artistry, and skill that goes into preparing this celebrated dish, with its very own “Lechon Festival.”

Cebu is a province in the Philippines consisting of the Cebu Island and many other surrounding islands. Its name’s derivation has many alternative interpretation but according to history, it was derived from the word “Sibu” which means “trade”. The lechon at the market has been the usual stopover for not a few travelers heading to the south of Cebu or driving back to Metro Cebu. If not eating the lechon in one of the diners, people bring them out, expecting that their choice cuts made it to the bags.

Leftover parts from the lechon, such as the head and feet, are usually cooked into another popular dish, lechon paksiw. Like lechon itself, lechon paksiw also differs based on whether it is prepared my lola like Luzon-style or Visayas-style, with the former using liver sauce as an essential ingredient, while the latter does not and it make the taste very delicious.

Most foodies raved about the Boneless Lechon the lechon belly was cooked in authentic Cebu-style–crispy skin, a bit salty, no need for lechon sauce, and best paired with vinegar. The sisig they offer got mixed reaction because it’s too oily, and reminded people of how fatty it is. Cooking lechon belly is easier than cooking the whole lechon and some people say that it is more tasty than the whole roasted pig because the flavor is absorbed by the meat by marinating and stuffing it with aromatics and spices. There are also varied techniques in cooking this lechon belly.

No family gathering or party is complete without a plate of chopped lechon or a roast pig delivered right before the meal starts. Some of us love drowning the rice in sarsa before eating spoonfuls of the juicy meat, but my family have their own unique touches to roasting a pig to cook lechon. Some of the identical preparation methods lechoneros share include coating the pig’s skin in soy sauce, coconut water, or even milk to give the pig color but my family they put a SPRITE or COCONUT WATER to make the skin crispier. But it’s the type of stuffing, specific cooking time, and the kind of pigs used that distinguishes one lechon from another. To find out how a pig is prepared before it’s roasted to become lechon. My titos takes its preparation methods from our house, as the province’s own way results in a more fragrant flavor and prevents that “nakakaumay” effect one usually gets from eating pork lechon and its so very yummy.

Paksiw na Lechon. If there is one thing we, Filipinos, go overboard during the holidays is the food. Our Noche Buena table is almost always groaning with the weight of various meats, sides, and sweets piled high. Christmas is just another excuse for us to enjoy lechon along with the embutido, the pancit, the lengua, the buko pandan, the leche flan.

Stick a stainless steel rod or bamboo pole through the pig’s body that my tito’s use for the belly part should be cut open before placing the rod inside. and he tie the hands and feet of the pig to prevent them from coming apart during roasting.

There are many nutrients you can get in lechon

such as:

Carbs 22 g

Dietary Fiber 2 g

Sugar 12 g

Protein 1 g

Sodium 1 mg

Potassium 358 mg

Cholesterol 0 mg

Vitamin C 14 %

Iron 1 %

#Lechon

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its-all-oppas-fault · 5 years

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10 Song Shuffle Tag

I was tagged by the lovely @bruised--peaches thank you! This will be a little mess Genre wise so sorry about that

Words - Skylar Grey

Anachronism - Crywolf

We fell in love in october - girl in red

Gotta go - Chung Ha

Let me Love you - Ariana Grande

Alone - The march ahead

Sympathy - Too close to touch

Naucz mnie - Sarsa

Calm Snow - I see stars

Drag me down - Dream on Dreamer

I’m tagging @motherfuckered and @addictedtvxq and everyone else is also welcome!

#you should see my spotify #its such a mess

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mavikoza · 6 years

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“Sarsa asumanı hafifçe bir gürleme

Kaplasa gökyüzünü olabildiğince bulutlar

Yağmur yağsa peşi sıra

Kalır mıydın o vakit benimle burada?”

Anime: Kotonoha No Niwa (Gardens Of Words)

#anime #kotonoha no niwa #gardens of words #asuman #gökyüzü #nulut #yağmur #peşi sıra #benimle kal #izlediklerim #anime alıntıları #bulut #gök gürültüsü

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biteblue81-blog · 5 years

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The Vast, Incredible World of Peruvian Sandwiches

It’s late morning on a Sunday in Lima, the coastal capital of Peru. The sky is a dull gray color, which the locals call panza de burro—"donkey's belly"—typical of the city's skyline for all but maybe three months out of the year. Most residents of the “thrice-crowned city of kings,” as it was known in the colonial era, are filing out of one of its many, many Catholic churches. After all, the Church (always with a capital C) holds a legally privileged status in this country. Those who aren’t religious may just be waking up from a pisco-fueled, all-night jarana.

On these days, limeños—whether religious or secular—are united in a nearly singular hunger for one particular type of dish: sánguches. In Lima, sandwiches are closely associated with breakfast, not lunch. You can get a sandwich almost any time of day in the city, which makes them rather unique in the Lima food world. Food is on a very strict schedule here. Good luck trying to find good ceviche past lunchtime, for instance, and you may want to say a little prayer to El Señor de los Milagros if you want to savor anticuchos (grilled beef heart skewers) before sundown. But Lima’s many sangucherías are often some of the first food businesses to open, and many still serve their meaty, hand-held specialties well into the night.

Now, locals might not consider a sandwich substantial enough for the main meal of the day. If your abuela were to ask, for instance, if you'd eaten, and you said a sandwich, you could've just as well said a bag of chips. The Peruvian sandwich might feel a bit minimalist compared to a Mexican torta (and its regional cousins), with its many layers of brightly colored, intensely flavored fillings. But the sánguche reflects a distinctly limeño appreciation for a quiet, almost restrained elegance in food.

The focus of a sánguche is the quality of the meat and its often complex preparation—but the sandwiches themselves are simple. They require only a little bit of ají sauce and some gossamer strings of lime- and cilantro-marinated red onions (sarsa criolla) to cut the richness. (Perhaps we owe this intricate, balanced approach to our significant nikkei community, the Japanese immigrant population living in Peru, who may be responsible for upgrading Peruvian ceviche to what we know today.) Lima boasts several types of these deceptively simple sandwich fillings:

Roast turkey seasoned with ají amarillo chile, plenty of cumin, and a splash of soy sauce is a perennial favorite. Asado is also popular: fork-tender beef pot roast drizzled with its braising potion that carries almost chocolaty notes of ají panca chile and sweetness from carrots. Quechua-speaking indigenous migrants from the Andes brought their love of roast suckling pig—called lechón—to Lima. Now you can see street carts and humble sandwich counters throughout the historic center of the city displaying a roasted pig’s head watching over dainty sandwiches filled with its tender meat. Some more old-school limeños are devoted to relleno—a spicy, savory filling of fried chicken's blood. Others gravitate toward huachana: This filling is also spicy, made with a bright orange sausage that's the specialty of a town called Huacho, just north of Lima. It’s crumbled, fried, and mixed with scrambled eggs to form a sort of Peruvian sausage and egg McMuffin (there's just no English muffin).

Despite the variety of sandwich fillings available in Lima, the bread always remains the same: pan francés. These rolls are the de facto daily bread here. It's what strolling vendors announce to the neighborhood first thing in the morning, what mothers scurry out to buy hot from the oven, what you have with your café con leche, and a requirement for every single limeño sandwich. In fact, one could argue that without pan francés, the sandwich isn’t truly authentic. Although its name implies a French origin, pan francés might be closer in form to a Portuguese water roll, except that it has a noticeable slash in the middle. (My father used to tell me that pan francés is often used to describe a perfect posterior: a deep crease dividing two round, firm globes.) The rolls have crunchy crusts that provide structure to sánguches and soft, slightly chewy insides that can soak up the juices of whatever meaty filling a limeño fancies.

While limeños can fancy any of the fillings I described above, there is one particular filling that might be considered the reigning viceroy (because Peru was a viceroyalty of Spain): jamón del país. This translates to "country ham," but bears little resemblance to conventional deli meat, except for the pork. It's made by brining a butterflied pork loin or shoulder, spreading it with a mixture of ají chiles and spices, rolling it up, trussing it, and poaching it in a flavorful broth. It's then rubbed with a deep ochre-colored oil infused with annatto seeds to give the “ham” its characteristic orange exterior. Every bite reveals tiny bursts of flavor from the ribbons of seasoning spiraling through.

If boiled pork sounds unappealing, then I cannot stress enough how magical jamón del país is and how difficult it is to make correctly. There's a reason you can only get jamón del país from eateries that specialize in sandwiches: It's an art. I'm currently on my sixth attempt at creating my own recipe for it and still haven’t gotten it right. The brining and gentle poaching actually help the pork retain its juiciness, and the decades of experience that many of its cooks have means that they know exactly when it's at its optimal succulence.

While other sandwiches are called “pan con...” (“bread with...”), the combination of pan francés and jamón del país is so beloved in Lima that it has a specific name: butifarra. This name—like many other Peruvian food names—confuses people throughout the Spanish-speaking world, especially Spain, where a butifarra is a type of sausage. It's unclear why we Peruvians decided to repurpose the name of a sausage for our most popular sandwich, but like our use of the word palta for avocado, it's one of the things that makes our cuisine unique.

Cordano

Every sanguchería has its secret seasonings that gain it loyal fans. Perhaps one of the first places a visitor should sample a butifarra is at one of its oldest and most iconic purveyors, Cordano, which is located just catty-corner from the rear of the presidential palace in the colonial center of the city. It's been around for over 100 years, and during this time has been a popular hangout for politicians and political journalists. The focal point of the wood-paneled dining room is the glass-enclosed carving station that enshrines the jamón del país. The salt and seasonings in the ham allow the restaurant to keep it at room temperature and carve thin slices whenever a diner orders a butifarra. Refrigeration would actually dull the flavors of the pork and diminish its succulence. Similarly, heating it could damage its nuances. If you're really concerned about pathogens, then wash down your sánguche with one of the bar’s excellent pisco sours, Peru’s official cocktail. The potent drink is sure to kill off any bug (or at least get you buzzed enough to no longer care).

La Lucha

A more modern addition to the roster of sangucherías in Lima is La Lucha, which has a few locations throughout the city. La Lucha features a few innovations that have set it apart from other more traditional sandwich shops in the city, like the inclusion of smoked meats cooked in steel barrels and a selection of Amazonian fruit smoothies. The butifarras, however, are faithful to tradition, lest the owner upset denizens of Lima who hold this sandwich close to their hearts. The quality of the pork here is its greatest distinction, because it yields a jamón del país that's almost buttery without being greasy. The complete La Lucha experience includes a side of its famous French fries made with huayro potatoes, an heirloom variety whose daffodil flesh is interspersed with seams of purple. Dipped into one of the sanguchería's creamy sauces, the fries can almost make you forget about your sandwich.

Butifarras are enjoyed in the mornings, but many Limeños enjoy them for dinner or as hearty snacks in between meals. Miniature butifarras also feature on buffet tables at many social gatherings. They're essentially an anytime food. But if it's breakfast you're after, Lima does have a very good, very traditional one: the desayuno Lurín (or "special breakfast").**

There are two main components in a desayuno Lurín: a chicharrón sandwich and a tamal. Although the sandwich in this breakfast doesn’t get its own name like the butifarra, it rivals it in popularity. A pan con chicharrón consists of the requisite pan francés roll and slices of pork belly that's been slow-braised, then deep-fried in its own fat. As with the butifarra, the pan con chicharrón causes confusion among other Latin Americans. For many, "chicharrón" is pork rind, the outermost layer of pork belly that includes the skin. Peruvians, however, don't include the skin in their chicharrón and incorporate more of the meat that lies beneath the layer of belly fat. As a result, chicharrón in Peru is leaner, meatier, and less chewy than in other parts of the hemisphere.

The Peruvian sandwich might feel a bit minimalist compared to a Mexican *torta* (and its regional cousins), with its many layers of brightly colored, intensely flavored fillings. But the sánguche reflects a distinctly limeño appreciation for a quiet, almost restrained elegance in food.

Because this sandwich filling is so rich, it requires the extra starch of fried sweet potato slices along with the sarsa criolla and ají sauces. When ordered on its own, the sandwich comes pre-assembled. But as part of the desayuno Lurín, the components are neatly laid out on a plate for the diner to assemble. I like to make sure there's more pork in my sandwich than sweet potato, and I save any extra slices to dip into the spicy ají sauce (although every limeño has his or her perfect proportions).

What completes the desayuno Lurín is the red tamal. This particular type of tamal is attributed to Lima’s Afro-Peruvian community and is steamed in banana leaves. It's much larger than Mexican tamales and is made with ground mote, a type of processed corn akin to hominy. The corn dough is seasoned with ají chile, and the cook embeds pieces of spicy braised pork, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, a botija olive, and roasted peanuts. It's truly one of the more unique tamales in Latin America, and one of the most filling.

You can now see why this breakfast is reserved for Sundays, when most families in Lima rest.

El Chinito

You can often get an assembled pan con chicharrón at the same places that offer butifarras and other types of sánguches. But there are places that specialize in chicharrón, and these are the eateries that pull in limeños on Sundays like iron fillings to a magnet. One of the most popular places to get a desayuno Lurín on a Sunday in Lima is also a perfect representation of the city’s cosmopolitan food culture: El Chinito. The restaurant owner is Peruvian-Chinese, and what makes his chicharrón so appealing is that he uses Chinese seasonings like soy sauce, along with more traditional Peruvian ones, to give his fried pork extra flavor. El Chinito also features other Chinese influences throughout the menu, including char siu sandwiches. Everything else about this sanguchería is quintessentially limeño, down to the café pasado (filtered coffee) that the city’s residents sip with their desayuno Lurín. The caffeine helps to keep diners awake enough to make it safely back home (or to a park bench or movie theatre seat).

As late Sunday morning fades into early afternoon, the residents of Lima slowly trickle out of the city’s many sangucherías and finish the last hours of their weekend languidly. Memories of savory, meaty sandwiches are still fresh in their minds’ palates. The satisfying meal encourages them to slow down and enjoy the sensory pleasures that the city offers in spite of its grey, donkey-belly sky—the historic architecture, the parks and plazas, the dramatic cliffs abutting the Pacific Ocean, and the deliciously unique food.

Have you ever had a Peruvian sandwich? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: https://food52.com/blog/23635-best-peruvian-sandwiches

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul · 4 years

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Return to Me - Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four: ‘Til Someone Gets Hurt

A/N: My oh my!! We are finally here!!! I hope you all are enjoying! This chapter is so big for the story!!!! Please let me know what you think! While this chapter does bring us to an important part of the story, I am also approaching chapters I haven’t finished yet, so to give me some time to get caught up and keep you all in delicious suspense, I am only going to be posting chapters once a week. Also! For even more suspense, the next few chapters will be flashbacks so you can get a better sense of the reader and Poe’s history. Anyways, let me know if you want to be tagged, what you think and ahhh! I love you all!

You should absolutely listen to Burn - Instrumental from the Hamilton Instrumentals as you read this chapter. It’s what I listened to while I wrote it and it fits the vibe of the chapter perfectly. Also, sorry this is a little late, I’ve been done nothing but play Animal Crossing the past few days.

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader Word Count: 4,957 Synopsis: With news of who the spy really is, the reader flees Naboo to tell the Resistance what she knows, only to discover that the reveal of the spy was just the beginning of her nightmare.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Panic coursed through your veins in icy cold fear. You couldn’t move from your spot in bed. You urged yourself to believe that the dream you just had was only a dream, and not a look into Kylo Ren’s mind, but you knew it couldn’t be anything else.

The things Broden had said. The things Kylo Ren had said. There was no doubt in your mind, no matter how hard you tried to find one, that not only was Sarsa Broden the spy, he was effectively leading the First Order with Kylo Ren.

Paralyzed with fear, you couldn’t move until you heard a rustling out in the hall. Suddenly, you became very scared to stay put. You had never felt afraid to be inside the walls of Theed Palace, but no one had a better understanding of the palace as Broden did. He had spent almost all of his life here, he knew every nook and cranny in the vast halls, and even if he didn’t, he could charm anyone who stood in his way of getting to what he wanted. Getting to you.

Because that is what he really wanted. That is what he had said. He needed you. You were the last piece to complete his plan. Getting Naboo at the center of their empire was all he and Ren needed to finally take over the galaxy.

He had friends all over. Nearly every connection you had was because Broden had bridged the gap for you. There wasn’t anyone you could absolutely trust. Nobody, except for your handmaidens.

One of them was always stationed outside your door at night in case you needed anything. Moving swiftly and silently, you knocked gently on your end and waited for Sondé to peak her head inside. She opened her mouth to ask if you were okay, but the minute she saw the fear in your eyes, she knew you weren’t. She entered as you beckoned her inside and briefly filled her in on what you had seen.

“What do we need to do?” she asked after a moment.

“We need to leave Naboo,” you said. The thought had come into your mind the second you woke up, and although the idea of leaving your people sickened you, you couldn’t stay here, waiting for Broden to enact whatever plan he had been working on. “You, Loré, Nové, and I. There’s no one else I can trust right now.”

“What about your parents?”

““Are they here?” you asked.

“They got here a few hours ago,” she replied. You nodded and chewed your lip. Of course, you trusted your parents, but they had known Broden since before you were born. Would they believe you?

“I need them,” you said after a pause.

“Okay. We’ll get them. Y/N, where will we go?”

“The Resistance. I have to tell them what’s happening. They’ve got Lin painted all wrong. We can’t let them keep telling Broden all of our secrets.”

“Alright. Pack up a few things,” Sondé instructed. You didn’t mind that you were the queen and she was supposed to serve you, you knew what needed to be done, and knew that Sondé was thinking tactically. “I’ll gather the others. You’ll be okay?”

“Yeah, just hurry.”

“I will. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you,” you said, taking her hand in yours. She gave you a reassuring nod as she slipped out the door.

You quickly got to work packing up a few outfits and whatever supplies were lying around your vast bedroom. By the time your handmaidens and your parents arrived in your room, you had three bags stuffed with whatever you might need during your escape.

“Are you alright?” Nové asked, coming in front of you.

“I’m okay.”

“Y/N, what’s going on?” Osira asked, walking up next to Nové.

“Naboo isn’t safe. We need to leave,” you said, looking at her with wide eyes. She saw the fear in them, but you saw a glint in hers that looked as if she couldn’t really believe you.

“Explain later?” she asked.

“I promise.”

“Very well. We’re behind you, then,” she said, looking back at Henri. He nodded his agreement, although he looked less certain.

You turned to your handmaidens, hoping that they had an emergency plan to get you out of here. You couldn’t all walk down the halls of Theed Palace without drawing attention. The last thing you needed was for Broden to be notified before you even left Naboo.

“Nové?” you asked. She turned back to you, examining you seriously.

“And you’re sure it was him?” she asked, somewhat hesitantly, like she couldn’t believe it either.

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, then let’s go. Out the back and onto the balcony. We can take the side stairs and that’ll connect us to the emergency hangar. We’ve got the clearance codes and once we’re out of the system we can turn off all tracking. They’ll have no idea where we are.”

“Alright,” you said, looking at each of your handmaidens in turn. They all gave you a reassuring nod. You looked back at your parents and your mother gave you a reassuring nod.

“We’re behind you,” Henri said. You nodded and followed Nové out the back door. Soon, all six of you were creeping down the stairs from your balcony to the nearby emergency escape hangar. Nové lead with you following, and she peered around the hangar carefully, making sure that no one was around. You waited in agony, wrapping your robe around you tighter, wishing you had changed before you left. When she assured it was clear, you all raced to the royal ship that waited in the hangar. Sondé and Loré ran to the front and quickly got the ship off the ground as you paced the halls with Nové. She didn’t speak, which you were grateful for.

Once you were off of Naboo, sending the necessary clearance codes to get you out, Nové quickly scrambled all tracking and turned off everything that could lead anyone to the ship. Once you were all certain that you were safe, Sondé jumped into hyperspace.

“Should we tell the Resistance we’re coming?” she asked.

“Yes,” you said, “They were evacuating Yavin-4 tonight. I don’t know where they are now.”

“I’ll reach out to them,” she said, bowing out of the room to inform Loré and Sondé. When she left, you fell down into a chair, looking out the window at the passing stars that only looked like streams of light as you flew past them. Your parents entered the room and tried to ask you what had happened. You couldn’t form any coherent sentences yet. You had to tell them all at once, or you were afraid you would never get it out again.

“Just, give me a moment,” you said softly, “I need to think things over.”

“But--” Henri began, but Osira put a hand on his chest to silence him. Whatever she saw in you, she could tell was serious. She didn’t say anything else as she led him out of the room.

Nové reached out to the Resistance once your ship arrived in the same system, after getting the correct coordinates. It only took around an hour for you to escape Naboo, but it had felt much longer. You hated running, but you knew that you didn’t have a choice. If you stayed, there would be no guarantee that you would be safe from Broden, and the Resistance needed to know that he was the spy. They needed to know that you were right about Lin, and wrong about so many other things.

“They’re pulling us in,” Nové said, popping her head into the room. “Do you want to change before we go?” she asked hesitantly.

“This can’t wait,” you said, the anxiety in your voice evident.

“Alright, let’s go,” she said, opening the door for you.

You took hesitant steps off of your ship as you stepped onto the hangar. You wrapped the robe of your nightgown around yourself tightly. Everyone filed behind you, watching you anxiously. After a few moments of solidifying your composure, you nodded your head and lead the silent march to the command center. As you walked in, all eyes turned to you. It wasn’t often that royalty surprised the Resistance with an impromptu visit.

All eyes were on you, but you found Leia’s first and held onto them fiercely.

“Y/N,” she said, taking a step towards you, “What is it?” She took your hand in hers and instantly the fear that resonated in your face must have moved to her because her face paled. “What happened?” she asked.

“I know who the spy is,” you said quietly. The group around you muttered softly, but you tried to ignore them as Leia pulled you to the side of the room, making you sit. Your parents followed close but stayed a respectful distance from you.

“How do you know?” Leia asked.

“Ben,” you said simply. Her face paled.

“Y/N, you didn’t.”

“I had to find out,” you said, shrugging.

“What did you see?”

“It was blurry at first. I saw a lot of different things . . .” You took a deep breath. “Lin isn’t the spy. It’s Broden.”

“What?” Leia asked, pulling away from you.

“I saw him discussing plans with Kylo Ren,” you said, “To take over the galaxy.”

“You’re wrong,” she said, shaking her head. “Broden has been one of our longest allies.”

“I know,” you said.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“I am.” Leia sighed and looked out onto the room of people staring at the two of you, waiting for answers. Your eyes glanced over to your parents. Your father was staring off blankly, but your mother was looking right at him, her eyes cold.

“Alright. We’ll call a meeting,” Leia said, drawing your attention from them, “We’ll get ahead of this,” she said, standing up.

“How? He knows all of our secrets,” you said.

“He knows we’re here,” Leia said.

“What?”

“He called not long before you.”

“We need to go,” you said, standing up quickly, the panic from before racing through you. She took your hand in hers and nodded. She looked towards the pilot who was already ready to move.

“Where to, General?” he asked.

“Any friendly space for right now,” she said. “We don’t know who or what has been compromised just yet.”

“General,” Commander D’Acy said. “What is going on?” she asked, looking between the two of you.

“We know who the spy is,” she said, “Sarsa Broden has betrayed us. We need to figure out a plan of attack, but we can’t do that here. Anywhere will do for now, just none of the usual spots. I’ll need to arrange a meeting. Can you manage from here?” she asked.

“I can.”

“Good. Y/N, let’s get you out of here,” she said, looking you up and down. You hadn’t gotten much sleep at all, and since you had woken up, your entire body had been in defense mode. You looked like a wreck, you were sure, but didn’t entirely care. “You need to rest. It’s going to be a minute before we can get everything together—”

“I can’t rest,” you said, standing up.

“I know things look bad now,” she began. She stopped when she saw the look on your face.

“I can’t sleep,” you said, “Because I don’t know where my mind will go. I reopened that bridge. I can’t trust myself right now.”

“What about our mission? The Resistance?” she asked.

“I can’t know about it. If he doesn’t know already, it won’t take Kylo Ren long to know that I was in his mind. He’ll go looking for information and I don’t want to have anything to give him.” Leia nodded her head. “I won’t go back to Naboo either. I’m the one that Broden wants. Naboo is the last piece in his plan, and I can’t wait for him to trap me there.”

“I understand. I’ll get everything arranged,” she said. “We’ll talk after the meeting about your safety.”

“Y/N?” You turned from Leia to see Poe walking onto the bridge. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he moved closer. Leia stepped away just as you broke down in Poe’s arms. He was confused but didn’t miss a step as he embraced you tightly, keeping your face in the crook of his neck as you cried. He led you off the bridge and into one of the nearby situation rooms.

“Y/N, love,” he said, leading you to a table which you sat against. “What is it?” The anger from just earlier that night was gone. The only thing that filled his eyes was worry.

“Lin’s not the spy,” you said, looking at him with watery eyes.

“What? Then who is?”

“Broden.”

“How do you know?” he asked, rubbing your thigh comfortingly. You looked into his eyes and sighed. “What?”

“There’s something I’ve never told you.”

“Okay,” he said nervously. “So tell me now.” You touched the scruff of his cheek and frowned.

“Back when Ben and I were together, he tried a few Jedi mind tricks on me. They were mostly harmless, but there was one . . . It was sweet at first, but then he would use it to get information out of me. When he joined the First Order, I knew he could use it against me. Leia taught me a way to fight it off, but last night I didn’t fight it, in order to find the truth out about Broden.”

“What’s the trick?” he asked.

“Ben could see into my thoughts, make memories or images appear in my mind, even talk to me sometimes. But when he was angry, he would lose control of his power and horrible thoughts would circulate into my head. He did it on purpose a few times. I know he would read my thoughts a lot, too, without my knowing. I couldn’t risk any Resistance secrets getting to him, so Leia taught me how to block him off.”

“So you let him back into your mind last night? How do you know what you saw wasn’t his creating?”

“I didn’t let him back into my thoughts, I got into his. Whatever Ben did when we were kids left a permanent connection between the two of us. I could see into his thoughts just as much as he could see into mine. He hasn’t looked into mine for quite some time, so I know he didn’t sense me right away,” you said.

“And you saw Broden?” Poe asked softly.

“Yes.” Poe rubbed your arms gently before wrapping you in his own a few moments later.

“It’s going to be alright,” he said, kissing the top of your head.

“He knows everything, Poe,” you said, looking up at him. “He knows everything about the Resistance, our plans, everything about me,” you said, your voice breaking. “And it’s me he wants.”

“What?” Poe asked, his voice falling low. You were planning on telling everyone everything at once, but you trusted Poe completely, and his presence only comforted you.

“In the vision, I saw Broden telling Kylo Ren that he needs me. Naboo is the last piece in his plot to take over. He wants me to side with him, and he believes that if Naboo does, the rest of the galaxy will, too.”

“Well, don’t worry,” Poe said, holding your arms tightly, “I’m not going to let him get anywhere near you.”

“Poe,” you said softly.

“I’m serious,” he said, moving closer to you. “Broden won’t get close to you.”

“I can’t leave Naboo alone forever. And I can’t hide forever.”

“Yes, you can,” he said, his hands sliding down to your thighs, “You can hide until we find him and destroy him.” You looked at him and frowned but nodded your head. “C’mere,” he said, pulling you into his arms again.

You wrapped your arms around his waist and squeezed all of your worries out into him. He gave a kiss to your forehead again before looking at you.

“Maybe we should get you a change of clothes before you address the group Leia is gathering.”

“Maybe,” you said, smiling for the first time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After describing everything you had seen in Kylo’s mind, you waited anxiously for everyone’s response. Leia had gathered your parents, your handmaidens, D’Acy, Connix, Rey, Finn, Rose, a few new faces that you hadn’t been introduced to yet, and the members of Black Squadron.

Agreeing with Poe’s suggestion, you changed into a new dress. Poe had given you his jacket when he saw you shivering outside, and you held it close to you as you looked to each of their faces. No one seemed able to hold your gaze, their own faces too transfixed with their own reactions. You waited for a few moments until the first person spoke.

“I told you,” your mother mumbled quietly. You looked to her but saw that she wasn’t looking at you. Osira’s eyes were boring into your father again, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“Told him what?” you asked, stepping closer to them. Your mother stood up and shook her head. Her face was pale, and she was shaking slightly.

“Tell her, Henri,” she said, turning away from the group.

“Osira, sit down, everything is fine,” he said.

“Everything is fine? What the hell is Mom talking about?” you asked.

“Tell her what you did, Henri,” Osira said, her voice dangerously low.

“What is going on?” you asked, walking in between the two of them as your father stood and tried to approach your mother. “Dad.”

“Darling,” he said, taking a deep breath, putting his hands on your arms, “When I tell you this, know that this was never my plan.” You shook off his arms and looked to your mother, who had turned back, her eyes wide.

“Tell me,” you spat.

“Broden came to me three years ago, with a plan to get you on the throne.” You took a step back, shaking your head. “We were good friends, and he knew how much I wanted to get you into politics. He offered a solution to get you in, as long as we kept him on the court, and in the loop of everything happening.”

“Everything happening?” you asked, shaking your head.

“He wanted to know everything about your mother’s politics, my work, your time in the Resistance, and everything to do with Naboo.”

“And you just gave it to him? Why?” you asked. Your father sighed, suddenly looking much older than he was.

“Because I wanted to get you into politics,” he said again, “He knew how desperate I was and knew that I would do it for almost anything. It was his plan to convince you that Naboo needed you.”

“What?” asked quietly, taking another step back, almost tripping over your own feet. “You told me that I was the only hope to get the First Order away from Naboo. Queen Dormé, all of her council, you and Mom, you all said it. You were all lying?”

“Dormé and her council didn’t know. Broden knew them all very well, I suspected they believed him no matter what. But, yes, I’m afraid that your mother and I knew it wasn’t the truth.” Hot tears began to prick in your eyes as you looked at your father.

“You’re afraid so?” you asked in disbelief. “I left my entire life to serve Naboo because I thought they needed me. I was led to believe that I was the only one who could protect them. But now you’re telling me that this was all your doing? That instead of protecting Naboo, my election was actually the reason we welcomed our greatest enemy into our gates?”

“Y/N, please, this was never my plan. If I had any inkling that he was with the First Order—”

“He’s not with the First Order, Dad, he is the First Order. Why did you do this?” you asked, turning away from him. You looked at the crowd assembled around you. Your eyes traveled over your handmaidens, Leia, Commander D’Acy, Suralinda, until they rested on Poe. You clenched your eyes shut tight, praying that what you suspected wasn’t true. When you opened them again, tears pooled from your eyes as you looked back at your father.

“Yes,” he said before you could ask. “We thought we knew what was best for you. There was no way we could get you away from the Resistance without good reasoning. Broden promised that once you were done being queen, he would arrange a different marriage for you. One we would approve of.”

“Approve of?” you asked, your eyes wild. “You never had to approve of my marriage! But because you didn’t like Poe you tricked me into thinking that Naboo needed me? You made me leave my entire life, so that I could fit into the image of what you wanted for a daughter?”

“Y/N—”

“Do you even know what it was like, Dad?” you yelled, your face red. “Do you know what it was like to leave the person I love most in the world because I felt I had a duty to my people? A duty to make you proud?!”

“Y/N—” he tried again.

“I cried for weeks. I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep. But you know what got me through it,? Knowing that I was doing something good for my people. Knowing that I was finally making my parents proud. And so what if it came at the expense of my happiness, right?”

“If you would just let me explain, I promise we didn’t mean for any of this to happen the way it has. It’s just—”

“No!” you yelled as he moved towards you. “Don’t take another step in my direction. I’m done listening to your explanations. Don’t you realize what you’ve done? You brought in the leader of the First Order because you couldn’t accept that I was happy doing something other than what you planned for me.”

“I just wanted what was best for you,” he said sheepishly.

“What was best for me? You wanted what was best for you!”

“Y/N,” your mother tried. You looked to her, but she only shook her head when she saw your eyes.

“Leia,” you said quickly turning towards her, “Did you know?”

“Of course not,” she said, standing. She looked over at Poe who was staring at his hands, his face red with anger. Both Snap and Finn had hands on his shoulders, most likely to keep him from reacting the same way you were. “Of course I didn’t,” Leia said again. “I know you’re angry,” she said, moving closer to you, touching your arms, “But we need to fix this, now. We’ve got to come up with a plan—”

“No,” you said quietly, pulling out of her arms. You looked over at Poe who raised his head to meet your eyes and frowned sadly at him. “I’m sorry, General, but you need to come up with a plan on your own.”

“What?” she asked.

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stay here and pretend that I’m alright with any of this. I’m done.” You looked towards the door, readying to bolt out of it as your father grabbed hold of your elbow.

“Y/N, please,” he said. You pulled away quickly. “Don’t do this. We need you. The Republic needs you.”

“That’s what you said about Naboo, too. But the truth is, Dad, the galaxy doesn’t need me. You do. And I’m done being a puppet in your games. You made me become queen, made me leave the man I love, you brought Broden into our midst, you’ve put the Resistance and the Republic at risk, and you’re going to have to be the one to fix it.” You started walking towards the door. “You wanted me out of the Resistance? You got your wish. I’m done with the Resistance, I’m done with the Republic, I’m done with all of this. You’ve taken so much of my life, and I’m not going to let you ruin any more of it. I’m sorry,” you said, looking to Leia and Poe in particular, “But I can’t do this anymore.”

Poe broke free from Snap and Finn and made his way to the door just as Nové did. They both made to run after you but Leia stopped them.

“Wait! She’s made her choice,” she said simply as she called them back.

“General—”

“That’s an order, Commander,” she said firmly. “Y/N wants nothing to do with us right now.” Poe sighed and looked to Nové. She seemed surprised as he walked back over to his seat and rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t work for you, General,” she said, rushing out of the room after you.

The silence that followed afterward was deafening. As Nové searched for you, Poe stared down Henri, just waiting for the assurance that you were alright before he tore into him. But after a few minutes, Nové came back, looking defeated. She said that you asked her not to follow as you took an escape pod.

Poe looked out the window and sure enough, saw the tiny ship flying away from the cruiser. It shook on its departure, and Poe knew that you must be feeling even more scared then you already were.

His eyes again found Henri, who had begun pacing the room as he argued with the rest of the group around him. Everyone agreed that he had massively screwed up, but they still needed a course of action.

“We’ll have to evacuate Serenno for guarantee of security,” Leia said. “I’m afraid Yavin-4 hasn’t been safe for a while, so we can’t go back there, either. I’m not sure where we’ll go, but we need to cover all of our bases. Everyone, keep their eyes out.”

“What about Y/N?” Henri asked.

“Y/N made her decision,” Leia dismissed.

“But we need to bring her back. She is the key to all of this. She needs to come with us to Naboo, to fix everything—”

“Y/N made her choice,” Poe said, standing, “And as far as I am concerned, she has nothing to fix. You do.”

“We need her,” Henri tried again. “She is—”

“Weren’t you listening?” Poe yelled. “Broden wants her, not Naboo! A planet can fall to the First Order, but he needs a leader like Y/N to prove his worth. The only thing you’ve managed to do is send her off without any of our protection. We don’t need her back. What we need is for you to get your shit together so you can start to fix what you’ve done! And as far as Y/N is concerned, I think she was right to leave.”

“Poe,” Leia said, putting a hand on his chest. “Now’s not the time.”

“No, it was twenty minutes ago when Y/N left, and I could have gotten her back.”

“Y/N doesn’t want anything to do with us right now. We’ve got work to do.”

“Yeah, and I’d prefer it if he stayed out of it.”

“Listen, Dameron,” Henri said, stepping forward, “You may not like me, and I really don’t like you, but I’m the best bet you’ve got right now. Someone has to rule Naboo, and if it’s not going to be Y/N—”

“What? It’ll be you just like you’ve always wanted? You know, if you wanted to be king, you could have skipped the part where you made my wife leave me and just gotten elected yourself!”

“Poe!” Leia tried again as the two men stepped closer together.

“Henri, enough!”

Everyone turned to see Osira who hadn’t spoken in quite some time. She walked towards her husband, her dress moving around her in angry swirls, similar to the way you sometimes moved.

“This is our fault,” she said. “Y/N is gone because of us, with absolutely no protection and no means of contacting her. This was a mistake, and it’s time you learned that, too. Whatever plan Leia comes up with, we follow. And when we get Y/N back, which we’re going to, you’re going to apologize to her and Poe, both.

“Poe,” she said, her voice softening as she looked over at him, “What we did to you and Y/N was so wrong. And I am truly sorry for all the pain we’ve caused you both.” Poe could only nod his head in response. “Henri and I will go back to Naboo, and we’ll wait for Broden if he ever comes. Whatever you need from us, General, we’ll do.”

“Thank you, Osira.”

“We’ll be in touch,” she said, taking her husband’s arm firmly as she led him out of the room. Poe looked back over at Leia and frowned his disappointment.

“What did you want me to do? Let you fight it out in front of all of us?” she asked.

“Come on, you can’t tell me you’re okay with this.”

“No, I’m not,” she said, coming to stand in front of him, “But this is where we’re at. And I don’t want you running off like Y/N did. She was wrong about one thing. We do need her. And we need you, too.”

“Let me go get her.”

“Not yet. You’ve got to tell me about the base you found on Chandrila first.”

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