Pairing: mandalorian x jedi!reader Word Count:12.3k Summary: Years after the Empire fell, Aura ventures away from home to find whatever is left of her family. Not the Jedi part, but the part that descended from Mandalore. Amidst her search, meeting with an acquaintance on Sorgan, a Mandalorian and a youngling cross her path and change everything Aura thought she knew she was looking for.
note: it seems that for the 3rd time, Tumblr has crashed as I tried to post this so I’m ready to yeet myself into oblivion but HELLO THERE and please enjoy this piece of work I’m ready to cry over out of sheer stress <3
What was it with Jedi and their cloaks? Was it supposed to conceal their identity or announce their presence to the rest of the cloakless world?
Well, Aura supposed it never mattered anyway considering she never really finished becoming a Jedi.
Yet, here she sat with a soft brown cloak, matching her leather boots, sitting around her shoulders over a traditional Jedi outfit in the summertime heat of the planet Sorgan. Underneath the natural griege colored tunic hugging her frame as it bellowed down to her knees with the same fabric hugging her waist as a belt, Aura sported a long sleeve top tucked into a pair of fitted trousers that were the color of an off white.
It may have looked heavy, but the breeze that blew into the cantina grazed her skin and cooled her off with the drink she sipped. It wasn’t hard to catch a breeze when the wooden dome had been so loosely weaved together that there were so many gaps. It was nice though and the food smelled so amazing that she was tempted to grab seconds.
The chatter was loud though, mixed in with the hard working kitchen that sat in the center, and Aura almost couldn’t hear the footsteps of an old acquaintance approaching.
“Do all you Jedi sit so ominously?” asked Cara Dune, her strong voice standing out among that of all the creatures in this cantina.
Aura smiled, lifting the hood of the cloak from her head, revealing curly, straw like hair the color of sand that had been attempted to be packed into two braids.
“Sometimes it helps keep the creeps away.” Aura shrugged. “I see you’re hiding out these days so I don’t want to keep you very long.”
Cara Dune was a name she had only ever heard of, but the friend that connected them both from the rebellion was enough to consider the woman before her a friend. Aura was strong, but this woman’s could intimidate any threat in this world.
“I’m relaxing.” Cara shrugged. “But I was told someone referred me to you as a source to find someone?”
Judging by the way her face scrunched up and the way her voice lifted higher at the end of that question, Aura’s suspicion that this was a dead end was being confirmed with every passing second.
“Yes.” Aura sighed. “I’ve been searching for…” she trailed off as the many faces came to mind. “I am looking for other Mandalorians. There aren’t many left, but I heard that some had passed through Sorgan and then someone remembered that you lived here. I’ve been searching for years and at this rate, the Outer Rim is my last hope.”
Cara glanced around at the humble creatures that surrounded them and sighed with just as much despair.
“I wish I could help, Aura, but I haven’t seen anyone. I’ve only been here a week. It’s a quiet place.” she shrugged, to her disappointment. “Any Jedi mind tricks you could use?”
Aura blurted out a brief laugh that dissipated the weight on her chest for a moment and she shook her head. “Do you think I’d spend the last four years searching if I could?”
Cara laughed too, pausing to take a sip of her spatchka but at that very moment, her body went still as her eyes peered over to the entrance behind Aura’s head, that tilted with curiosity.
“If there’s a greater power than Jedi mind tricks then I think I just found it.” Cara muttered.
Aura’s face scrunched up and she glanced back, following the astonished gaze of her acquaintance and felt everything momentarily freeze. That first wind of curiosity for the Mandalorian who had walked through the door was followed by such a small, infantile movement in the Force itself at the sight of the creature that waddled beside him. A creature all too familiar with her for her liking and it was then, that the hopefulness that swelled in a single breath had been lost.
“Something isn’t right with that.” Aura said quietly, spinning back in her seat to face Cara.
The creature had looked so familiar, and not because it resembled a former mentor of hers.
“That’s not the Mandalorian I think you’re looking for, this guy’s Guild.” she said, mirroring her suspicion with a glare over at the man.
Both women glanced at the table this Mandalorian took a seat at with the child, and Aura’s eyes narrowed to get a better idea of who they were but even she was not that strong. However, she was able to gain a brief impression.
“He wants to know who we are.” said Aura, quick to be on the defensive as the newcomer spoke to a waitress. “What is the Guild?” she asked, glancing at Cara.
“Bounty hunters.”
Aura inhaled slowly, shutting her eyes for a moment before releasing the air through her nose. Of course it had to be a bounty hunter. It seemed that her luck was running dry these days but even in her wallowing disappointment, Aura sensed how uneasy Cara was.
“You think he’s here for you?” Aura guessed.
Cara shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a fob on me.”
Aura glanced between him and her acquaintance, knowing it was only a matter of seconds before they probably needed to leave.
“We’ll slip out the back and let me find out who he is. Stay covered though until I have him.”
“That’s all you.” Cara said, putting her hands up in defense.
Aura smiled.
In an instant, the pair slipped out of the cantina but in the quiet away from the chatter and kitchen sounds, Aura realized just how much her heart was racing. A breeze that rattled the trees made her aware of how on edge her nerves were even for a Jedi. She loved a good fight, but the sight of a Mandalorian that wasn’t the Mandalorian she was looking for was enough to raise reasonable suspicion either way.
While Cara went elsewhere, Aura hung above to have the high ground, tip toeing across another wooden dome, eyeing the Mandalorian as he made his way back to the small alley between homes.
As she observed, focusing in on him with precision to her stare, Aura was able to breathe with the wind without trying. When she dropped the cloak from her shoulders, welcoming the beaming sun on her arms, she was ready.
Aura leaped down on the confused Mandalorian’s shoulders. Before he had a second to retaliate, she back flipped off and landed low to the ground where she could sweep his legs out from under neath of him. Taking a quick breath, she got in a fighting stance, but it seemed the Mandalorian was quicker to get back on his feet and when he was throwing a fist at her, Aura had to act quick and just nearly dodged it.
As her fighting was more graceful, weaving in and out of the Mandalorian’s way in the small space between the wooden walls that closed them in, his fighting had been more brunt and every punched she blocked hurt as much as it would even if she hadn’t. Any time she backed him against a wall with such force of her own legs, the Mandalorian bounced back and suddenly it was her catching bruises.
Aura spun around him, ducking low and jumping high, refusing to reveal her limited use of the Force and at one moment she sprung up in front of him, she was able to swing her elbow back into the beskar helmet he wore and kicked his legs out from underneath of him again.
When went to pin him down, flames began to shoot from a weapon installed into the armor of his wrist, but Aura was quick to shove his arm back over his head and squeeze down on the armor, pinning him down successfully.
There was no time to catch her breath though when his gloved hands wrapped around her throat and flung her back over his head, and Aura met the ground with a breathtaking slam. As she rolled onto her side and retrieved the blaster in her boot though, it was met with another blaster from the Mandalorian himself.
It seemed they reached a stalemate.
“Well it seems like you didn’t need my help at all. I gotta give you a few pointers though next time.” Cara said, approaching them with the child.
Aura caught her breath, dropping the blaster and laying on her back, eyes lingering on the child who slurped his soup without a care in the world. This was no fraud of a Mandalorian.
“Want some soup?” he said, revealing his voice for the first time.
“Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor. Thanks for that, by the way.” Cara Dune nodded.
“Is that being sarcastic or…?” Aura questioned.
It was decided that differences would be settled over spatchka and apparently, soup, but as Cara told her story of where she had been, Aura’s eyes were set on the child who seemed equally as intrigued. There was a blockage, perhaps within herself, that made it difficult to understand why this child was so familiar.
“How did you end up here?” the Mandalorian asked.
“An early retirement. But this one on the other hand was on a search.” she nodded towards Aura, who’s head popped up.
“Me?” Aura asked, almost forgetting where she was, glancing between the Mandalorian and Cara. “Um, yes. I have been looking for Mandalorian’s. My mother lived on Mandalore and when you walked in the door… I just knew you weren’t them so I was a little disappointed if you couldn’t tell.”
Aura instantly became flustered from her urgency to provide a very, very, very simplified story that wasn’t necessarily a lie but a galaxy away from the truth.
“You had a hard hit; I will give you that.” The Mandalorian said flatly, making her wonder if he was trying to make a joke or not. “I’m with the Guild.”
Aura was curious as to where this man was from and how he was in the hands of a very, very young youngling. But she was not so easily willing to explain her life and who she was looking for to someone who wouldn’t give much in response either by the looks of it. At this rate, Aura was only interested in packing up and moving along, even with the adorable glossy eyes of the curious youngling bore into hers.
There was a foggy past, or perhaps it was her own fog, but he was scared and comfortable all at once.
“Well I have no idea what that is other than it wasn’t what I’m looking for.” Aura sighed.
“In all honesty, I knew you were Guild so when she was willing to let her tantrum out on you, I assumed you had a fob on me so she would have done the job.”
“Makes a little more sense now.”
Aura was still new to the Outer Rim function. The last time she was here she had kicked a bounty hunter into a pit in the sand where a creature presumably ate him. As she was busy playing catch up, she noticed Cara was getting ready to leave.
“This has been fun. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you what you were looking for. But unless you wanna go another round with me, the rest of you gotta find another planet to mooch off of.” said Cara, finishing her drink before walking way.
Aura felt utterly defeated, staring at her drink, weighing the curiosity of searching more or the curiosity of this Mandalorian before her.
“Well, looks like this planet’s taken.” he said to the child, standing up from his seat.
“Wait.” Aura blurted out, looking up at the Mandalorian as he stood up from his seat. “Let me at least walk you back to your ship, if you’re not to upset about me beating you up earlier.”
In what sounded like a very brief and humorless laugh, the Mandalorian damn near scoffed at her.
“It’s a long walk.” The Mandalorian shrugged. “ But if it’s all the same to you, it was a fair fight that would have ended much quicker without your element of surprise.” he said, scooping up the child as he walked away.
Aura felt a smile spread on her lips and she quickly followed after the pair on the way out of the cantina. It wasn’t what she was looking for, but it was certainly more than she bargained for and possibly a step in the right direction. What were the odds of this happening?
Once out in forest where a long dirt path stretched into the horizon, Aura felt a sense of calmness watching down on it from the towering trees, peaking through the leaves with every summer breeze. All forms of nature made her closer to the Force, even if it was still barely there anymore within her. Deserts, on the other hand, were exempt from any comfort of hers. It had been so long since she truly used the Force though and there were only so many things that made her feel whole while it was all wonky on her.
“So, is the Guild a group of bounty hunters? I knew a bounty hunter what that kind of armor once, which is why I didn’t expect much of you when you walked in.”
“Yes.” he dryly replied. “I don’t know much of Mandalore. I was never raised there, only on Nevarro with the Guild.”
Slowly nodding, Aura glanced down at the child who was staring up at her the entire time they walked, almost making her quite uncomfortable. Did it sense she was Jedi? Did Master Yoda have a child no one ever knew about? But then, at the realization that this man was a bounty hunter, she actually grew concerned for the child.
“This little guy doesn’t happen to be one of your bounty’s, does he?” Aura asked cautiously, eyes widening slightly.
“He was.” the Mandalorian sighed, seemingly impatient. “He was meant to be delivered but it didn’t quite work out.”
Aura had her suspicions, but they were good ones now, getting the impression that this Mandalorian perhaps didn’t want to give up this adorable child. However, she had a feeling he didn’t quite understand his value, but at least it explained why the child was comfortable as well as fearful.
“The woman back there thanked you for the mess on Endor. What did she mean?”
“Oh, I was apart of the Rebel Alliance. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.” Aura said warily.
It was by some miracle that this Mandalorian did not recognize her, let alone recognize her identity as one of the Jedi. Was the Outer Rim truly so distant from the rest of the galaxy? Aura almost felt saved by this though, not wanting to reveal anything of her history anyway. It was known that Mandalorian and Jedi never bonded well, not to mention, her lineage was valuable and was sure there must have been a few bounties on her own head once.
“I never meddled with that end of the galaxy. But yes, I’ve heard of the rebel alliance. I would commend you, but the New Republic hasn’t been very friendly with the Outer Rim.”
Aura sighed. “I noticed. Shortly before I left on my endeavors, I had a position in the politics of it all. Forming a new government after everything that happened seemed promising but in fact, there are some things that never change with governing authorities.”
“Sounds like you have a pretty good understanding of how that all works. You just gave that all up for what? To find your family?”
There was a hint of accusation to his tone, one that Aura was offended by slightly until she realized how she must have sounded.
“I’m not a spy lingering the Outer Rim to figure out where the New Republic can settle, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Aura chuckled. “I long since despised politics. I’m essentially an orphan. I figured the best way to spend my time was to finally chase after my birth right. But Mandalore mine as well be nonexistent and I’m learning that whatever family I have left mine as well be too.” Aura rambled.
As the Mandalorian absorbed it all, Aura felt guilty for speaking so quickly and on edge. It was stressful trying to blur out certain aspects of her life. She wasn’t necessarily lying, but she certainly wasn’t revealing much.
The trees spaced out to a clearing where a ship sat and the silver bullet it was reflected the setting suns rays that peaked across the horizon, creating a shimmering glow that weaved in and out of the trees. Every sunset was different on every planet, but this felt so simple and serene.
“I assume your ship was on the other side of the village?”
Aura shrugged. “I hitched a ride here back from Tatooine. I was going to head to the cantina to find a ride to next location, but at this rate, I may head home.”
Even as she faced the Mandalorian, her eyes were pulled by the sight of the child who held his arms up towards her. Her lips parted ever so slightly, heart melting a little at the sound of its coos and urgency to be picked up and held. Something within her though mirrored the urgency and with a warming smile, she kneeled down to pick the little one up.
“We leave in the morning. I need to keep a low profile so I can’t provide any transportation but for the night you’re welcome to stay.” the Mandalorian offered, eyeing the way Aura held the child with ease.
Aura looked at him with surprise.
“I don’t want to be a bother. After all, not even hours ago we were all at each other’s necks. I don’t want you to feel obligated to trust a stranger all because she kicked your—” Aura pursed her lips, shaking her head as she realized a little one was in her arm, chuckling as she handed him off to the Mandalorian.
“Just say thank you and call it a day.” he said, taking the little one with an uncertainty to his movement.
Aura’s eyes narrowed playfully.
“I’ll call it a day after I show you how to handle a youngling like it’s not about to explode.” she grinned.
The Mandalorian watched her walk by, dropping her sack of belongings on the ground before returning his gaze to the child. It blew his mind how easily she handled him, but there had been a million other things running through his mind now, making it impossible for him to be at any type of ease no matter how much it seemed Aura was going to torment him about it.
Sighing heavily, the Mandalorian placed the child down and walked towards the ship where he would prepare for the evening ahead.
With the night came the echoing calls of creatures that made the goosebumps on Aura’s skin rise.
Darkness surrounded them, the under lights of the Mandalorian’s ship basking them with an artificial white glow, but Aura could feel the nature around them even while it was hidden and didn’t feel entirely too fearful of what was lurking. Down to the damp soil and up to the leaves that touched the sky, Aura could sense what was around her as she zoned in on the small fire burning before her.
That focus was hindered though as the Mandalorian made a few repairs underneath one of the wings, and the clinking of tools distracted her.
It was mostly silent, but comfortable, as they enjoyed a small dinner among themselves over the fire that Aura had retrieved from the cantina earlier. He didn’t have much to say, but Aura was dying to know more about him despite everything inside her not wanting to care.
As the Mandalorian kept to himself though, Aura quickly bonded with the child. She sensed the Force within him no doubt but she never had quite enough training to even know how to handle it.
“Do you mind trying to get him to sleep?” the Mandalorian asked, his voice sincere but still masked with the abrasiveness of his helmet.
Aura shrugged. “Sure. Where do you usually put him?”
“Just inside, you will see it.”
Aura nodded, scooping up the little one who yawned, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at him.
The hatch opened with a hiss, filling the air around her with cool steam, followed by the sound of a faint cranking sound.
It was surreal to be in this scenario, putting a child to sleep in the ship of a bounty hunter who had nearly blew her head off earlier but she was now nearly playing house with. Eventually, nice gestures had to cancel each other out though. Upon walking up the ramp into the ship, she stared in awe at the weaponry and cargo he held.
“Now, where is your bed…” she trailed off, twirling around.
At the sight of a silver bullet of a cradle, Aura found there to be blankets inside and smiled, placing the child down in the dent in which his body had previously made.
“There you go little one.”
The child’s big green ears almost moved with curiosity as she backed away. She was in awe, curious of whether or not Master Yoda was once young like this. That was forever ago though and while her many questions would go unanswered, she was caught in the moment of staring at the adorable child without a care in the world. It looked so tired yet so calm, and as its blinks grew slower, Aura quietly slipped from the ship.
“Excuse me.” a gentle voice quietly called.
Aura’s eyes narrowed, watching two young raggedy gentlemen approach with a lantern.
“Excuse me, sir!” a more shrill man’s voice followed.
Aura approached them as the Mandalorian impatiently drew himself from his work, the beskar even more intimidating under the night sky.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
Even she was astonished by his coldness when she witnessed such unhinged compassion with the child, even despite its awkwardness. But Aura came into their line of site and they no longer warily eyed up the Mandalorian, but jumped towards her with more desperation.
“Uh, yes! Raiders.” the first man said.
“We have money!” the one with the lantern added.
“So you think I’m some kind of mercenary?” the Mandalorian retorted without sparing them a glance.
They looked almost frazzled by his response, looking at him then back to her, but Aura shrugged.
“He’s the boss here, not me.” She whispered.
“Well, you are a Mandalorian, right?” the first man asked, glancing at his friend with confusion. “Or at least wearing Mandalorian armor. That is Mandalorian armor, right?”
Aura was beginning to realize everyone had different perceptions on what a Mandalorian actually was because the man she was looking at wasn’t truly one in her eyes. He was something else at least, someone who deserved a little more credit than she was giving. Yet, she still scoffed at the young men before her as they enlightened her just a bit and she received a glance from the Mandalorian that made her face go blank.
Even with a helmet on, he conveyed such emotion.
Clearly, he was displeased with the things she found humor in.
“It is.” the Mandalorian responded flatly, looking away from her as he turned to walk away from his work to go on the other side of it.
“See? I told him!” the man with a more shrill voice gasped as he followed. “Sir, I’ve read a lot about your people…” he stammered. “Tribe, I mean. If half of what I read is true–!”
“We have money.” the other man interjected.
Aura was curious to know what they’ve read. Were they as ruthless as what this bounty hunter represented? Her father always told her they were peaceful people, however, some did not agree, which is what caused such a problem on that planet.
“How much?” the Mandalorian asked.
Aura was fuming on the inside the more she let her thoughts run, and her eyes were like daggers at the necks of the two men before her.
“Everything we have, sir. Our whole harvest was stolen. We’re krill farmers.”
“We brew spotchka. Our whole village chipped in.”
The Mandalorian turned around to stare at them. “It’s not enough.”
Then, he walked away again. Aura crossed her arms, feeling sympathy for these men who were truly begging at this rate. She cast the Mandalorian a glance, wanting to urge him to help, for if not, she would but she couldn’t be sure if he even noticed her behind the helmet.
“Are you sure? You don’t evenk now what the job is!” the man pleaded, following on his tail.
“I know it’s not enough. Good luck.”
“Come on, Mandalorian.” Aura teased, watching him pass her as well.
“This is everything we have. We’ll give you more after the next harvest!’
However, when the Mandalorian ignored all of their attempts at this rate, he still walked up the ramp and Aura couldn’t help but pity them. She may not have been at her tip top shape, but she had nothing else to lose by staying here since she was stuck for a while anyways and considered offering her help.
“Come on, let’s head back.” the more conserved man said, finally giving up as the defeat sunk his shoulders. “Took us the whole day to get here. Now we have to ride back with no protection to the middle of nowhere!”
Just as Aura stepped forward, crying out “wait!”, another voice had fell into sync with hers, and she watched with curiosity as the Mandalorian had also turned back around.
For a moment, she stared at him mid step, her face scrunched up with confusion.
“I will help you.” Aura said unsurely, still thrown by what had happened as she finished stepping towards them.
Their eyes were filled with hope once more, but they still looked towards the Mandalorian who looked just as caught off guard as she did.
“Where do you live?”
“On a farm. Weren’t you listening? We’re farmers.” the man replied.
Aura grinned. “He seems to be a little hard of hearing with that thick helmet of his.”
“In the middle of nowhere?” the Mandalorian asked, his head turning towards her for a brief moment.
“Yes.”
“You have lodging?”
Aura groaned out loud, huffing as she threw her arms in the air.
“Oh, stars! Are you going to help me help them or what?” Aura cried, growing impatient of the useless build up to an answer.
The young men were already on their toes, unable to hold their excitement as they stared at her and then up the ramp at the Mandalorian who nodded.
“Get up here and help.”
Aura smiled. Whatever these men implied about the Mandalorian’s had bugged her, but in this moment as she stared at the Mandalorian before her, she was starting to hope that those assumptions weren’t all so violent at least.
As Aura helped pack the small hover craft with some of their belongings, the Mandalorian took the credits to recruit Cara. It was an all hands on deck situation and she was relieved to see the woman return again. They all piled onto the small craft, the child sitting between Aura and the Mandalorian with Cara across from them, their legs stretched out in front of them with the lantern above their heads casting a faint, hazy warm glow.
Aura was exhausted to say the least, her cloak wrapped around her shoulders and sack behind her back to keep her comfortable. It seemed the child enjoyed the cloak yet found itself laying on the Mandalorian’s thigh. It was colder at night so it made sense to bundle up.
“So, we’re basically running off a band of Raiders for lunch money?” Cara asked.
“They’re quartering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked that’s a pretty square deal for somebody in your position.” He swiftly replied.
Cara’s eyes averted to Aura who shrugged. “Let’s be honest, I just happened to offer my help instead before he even considered it. He didn’t care until they said it was in the middle of nowhere.”
The Mandalorian glanced at her again, a look she’s received several times tonight and if only she could see what face he was making at her, she was sure it was the same one he’s made each time.
“Worst case scenario, you turn up your blaster. Best case, we’re a deterrent.” The Mandalorian answered. “I can’t imagine there’s anything living in these trees that an ex-shock trooper and ex-rebel couldn’t handle.”
Aura had to grin at that and as the Mandalorian leaned back, Cara shared that knowing grin as well. Little did the Mandalorian know, Aura was much more capable than that, however, she would never let it on for it would be too dangerous. But as her culture came to mind, Aura was curious to know what these men who had sought them out were thinking earlier when they mentioned Mandalorians.
“Hey, you! The man with the panicky voice!” Aura gently called, drawing the attention from the younger man with the curly hair peaking out from his hat.
“Yes, ma’am?” he quickly asked, proving her claim.
Aura sighed. “What exactly do you know about Mandalorians? What makes you think they’re all these victorious bounty hunters?”
The Mandalorian in question lifted his head, glancing at Aura who’s sheer curiosity was only a disguise to a fire in her blue eyes. He didn’t have to take his helmet off to see that whatever they had said earlier clearly ticked something in her.
The young man started stumbling over little readings from his books.
“There’s so many stories of them, I couldn’t even begin on where to start.”
Aura chuckled, nodding. Of course, the Guild or whatever it was that the Mandalorian worked for had come from a group of them that created this narrative. It wasn’t a false one, perhaps just a different one.
“I know a place you could start.” Aura said. “For every Mandalorian story you hear that incites violence, mercenaries, and ruthlessness you should know that Mandalore was once a planet of peace and neutrality before that same mentality ruined it and ruined my mother.”
The young men looked mortified, ready to scramble for an apology and the Mandalorian himself was lost as he tried to gather where this was all coming from.
“You don’t need to apologize. It isn’t your fault our part of history was wiped out from anyone’s knowledge. There wasn’t much left of it to go on anyway.”
Aura didn’t remember much of her mother at this point in her life, but as she sunk back into a comfortable position, taking a deep breath to expel the energy that left her so riled up with discomfort, she played the memories she did have once more. It wasn’t so saddening anymore, but rather, comforting in times like these.
“How did you know all of that?” the Mandalorian asked.
It took her a moment to even fathom an answer, blankly staring up at the starry night sky that peaked out from the silhouette of the peaks of the trees.
“My mother was the Queen of Mandalore. Not that it mattered much to anyone else anyway.” she exhaled with a shrug.
Silence filled the air with a tension so thick that not even the creatures of the night made a sound. As she closed her eyes though, the surrounding air was soothing as she found those very little sounds once more.
The Mandalorian laid back in awe, unsure of what to say or do as he looked at Cara then back at her. It seemed that Cara knew this already, shrugging it off just as Aura easily did. How could something just be blurted out that way? The Mandalorian was never one for sentiment, and he sensed Aura hardly was either, but that felt more intense than most secrets often kept.
“I could feel your pity from here.” Aura grinned, her eyes shut as she spoke. “I was only ten years old and I barely spent time with her anyway, I am a grown woman now. There’s no need to sympathize.”
“Fair enough.” said the Mandalorian.
“I will drink to that the second we’re off this thing.” Cara agreed.
Then, the three of them dozed off on the soothing ride through the night. The Child snuggled between Aura and the Mandalorian, and at some point, Cara’s legs ended up on top of Aura’s. It was the first time in a while Aura fell asleep with some assurance that her life wasn’t entirely too screwed up.
Aura didn’t think she was particularly tired to the extent that she’d sleep through the entire journey.
But when the craft stopped, she was jolted awake by the sound of children, and before she knew it, it was daylight and her eyes were painfully adjusting to the settlement they arrived to. Around her, Cara and the Mandalorian sprung up in a defensive position while she sluggishly took her time to stretch. At her side, the child watched the onslaught of other children giggling and running up to them.
Their noise was like a painful ring to her ears but granted, she had just woken up.
“Well, looks like they’re happy to see us.” The Mandalorian said.
Aura chuckled at him. “Us? I think they’re more excited about the little one.”
They began to unpack their baggage, but it was mostly the Mandalorian’s, and in the meantime, she was in awe at the beauty of the place. In this massive clearing bordered by the trees, symmetrical krill ponds bordered the homes that looked like tiny little raindrops themselves. Everyone who approached them wore a smile, as well as clothes with earthy tones that nearly made them blend in.
Aura felt out of place in her attire that could be matched with the sand. It bewildered her how everyone’s clothing truly reflected their home.
The villagers guided them past the pond to their homes where Aura was then brought to her own little cottage with Cara and the Mandalorian.
“I’ll sleep outside.” Aura offered aloud, unsure of who would even respond.
“Have you suddenly become a pet?” Cara snickered. “We’re here to help these people, we’re allowed to live in comfort.”
Aura rolled her eyes. “I know.” she sighed.
Personally, Aura felt it was unfair that they were being treated so kindly for such a minor problem. But nonetheless, she followed to the small quaint home that was directly across from where the Mandalorian was placed. She glanced at him as a woman from the village greeted him, catching the eyes of the child who stared back at Aura over his shoulder.
When she smiled and waved though, the Mandalorian had just begin to disappear into the home and she frowned slightly.
Aura and Cara entered the new home carved of local wood and was fairly cleared up with exception of two beds; one on the ground floor and the next on a loft that felt more like a bunk bed.
“I got bottom.” Cara said, tossing her bag on the bed’s faded beige sheets.
Aura rolled her eyes. “Fair enough.”
Aura didn’t bother climbing up the ladder that was roughly her height, and tossed her own bag as well as her cloak up on the bed. She looked around, wondering who else had lived here, sensing it was empty for some time and merely just storage. But right through the straw doorway of this place, she could see right through the doorway of the Mandalorian’s just a few yards away, where a woman and her child seemed to give up their space for him.
“You know, I never realized how much of a Jedi you really look like. It’s like you don’t even try to cover it!” Cara chuckled.
Aura glanced back and narrowed her eyes.
“Okay and…” Aura stammered, scoffing as she did. “You obviously look like a, uh, shock trooper. We get it, you have muscles!”
The girls laughed it off and Aura felt a little lighter knowing she had a companion that was able to make this all feel a little like home.
Cara unpacked her things, mainly weapons, and shook her head.
“Whatever. Just keep making lovey dovey eyes at Mando and we’ll do all the work with my muscles and whatnot.”
“I am not!” Aura snapped, her voice shooting up into the quiet atmosphere that surrounded them. “There is no lovey eyes to be made at a man who is the embodiment of a tin can, figuratively and literally!”
Flushed, Aura looked away from Cara’s laughter and went outside to their tiny little porch. Perhaps if the Mandalorian ever took his helmet off she would have insight into his personality, but it was hard to read him, and no mind of a Jedi could ever break it probably. She leaned against the wooden railing, eyeing up the village.
Maybe she did stand out a little too much, not that it mattered considering they were in the middle of nowhere.
But as she looked down at her tones of grey and beige and brown, Aura was thinking of picking up some new attire before she went on her way.
“I’m hungry. I’m going to go look for some lunch.” Cara announced, passing by her and heading out into the village.
“Have fun.” Aura said, despite Cara being out of sight.
When Aura looked back up, she saw the woman returning to the Mandalorian with a tray of food and rolled her eyes. She was only a little hungry, but was only a little bitter no one had brought them anything and decided to catch up with Cara to grab a bite to eat. To no avail, the village only had some form of krill and grains.
Many people approached them with offerings, but Aura insisted she didn’t take any. Instead, she was more than happy to talk to them and answer any of their questions. Cara, on the other hand, was quite taken with the gifts they offered. While Cara enjoyed that though and she noticed that the child was playing with the other kids, she ventured off towards their little cottages but to the Mandalorian’s in particular.
Of course, he had been attending to his various weapons.
“Am I interrupting?” Aura asked, the early afternoon sun peaking through the small window of the home and enlightening part of his armor as he turned around.
“Not much to interrupt.”
“Well, on the contrary, you seemed quite invested in a conversation with your dinner and that woman earlier so I didn’t want to bother.” Aura shrugged, her words playing with a sarcastic tone that had also been masking her bluntness.
Even when he didn’t reply, she sighed and pressed on.
“So how do you eat? Does your Mandalorian helmet have an upgrade where it just opens up at your mouth?”
The Mandalorian sighed, turning to face her with a frown underneath but his stance conveyed it all as she casually leaned upon the doorframe.
It’s not that he was angry with her, but rather, tired of the questions when he had plenty of his own. Ever since last night when she claimed her mother was the queen of the Mandalorian’s, he had been dying to know more, but didn’t want to pry. Wherever she came from or whatever part of the Mandalorian’s she grew up with, they were not true.
It was intimidating though to say the least with the shakiness of the ground between them.
Aura was friendly and genuine, yet threatening all at once.
“I take it off when I eat. It is not that difficult to understand.”
Aura’s eyes narrowed. “Just not in front of anyone else?”
“This is the way.”
Something clicked in her mind, something familiar. She remembered hearing stories over the years of Mandalorian’s who lived this way and she never heard much of it elsewhere, but it was valid nonetheless, which explained a lot.
But still, Aura wanted more of an answer.
“Fair enough. I take it, not even with another Mandalorian by blood?”
She was eager to see his face, and unsure of why she wanted to, she didn’t care to press on and distract him from organizing and cleaning his weapons.
It did seem quite obvious he was growing tired of it though.
“How was your mother queen of the Mandalorian’s and yet, you’re so different…” he trailed off, his helmet tilting slightly.
Aura took a deep, exasperated, breath. “I might have to ask you the same thing. Just put yourself in my shoes and understand how I may want to know that why my mother, who never adorned such armor was the Queen of the race you claim, yet you share none of the values she had.”
At his silence, Aura stepped forward into the home and away from the doorway, brows furrowing slightly.
“I don’t mean to accuse you of anything, I just want you to understand that we are two sides to the same coin and there is no need to delegitimize the other.”
Aura couldn’t deny that with every word she spoke, that the Mandalorian sunk within his own armor, and she couldn’t force her little grin away. As intimidating as she may be, she meant every word she meant with as much kindness as possible. It surely was frustrating at first meeting someone who turned her entire ideology upside down, but it seemed they were both missing something. Perhaps that was the Jedi in her giving her the rational thought.
“Then help me understand.” The Mandalorian said, his voice low.
“Hey, you guys ready to scope out the perimeter?” Cara asked, her booming voice cutting through the air that had grown thick between them.
Aura nearly jolted, but the Mandalorian not so casually returned to his fixation with his weapons. She pursed her lips, smiling back towards Cara and nodding, despite the awkwardness that remained from the unfinished conversation.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
Cara’s face scrunched with confusion, but she brushed it off.
Aura glanced back at the Mandalorian before walking out, hoping she didn’t scare him off too much.
The villagers who had witnessed these attacks the most gave the three of them an idea of where the marauders came from, and that is exactly where they set off to, leaving the peaceful clearing and heading into the thick of the forest. Aura followed behind the Mandalorian with Cara as he used the tech within his helmet to analyze any suspecting footprints for some time.
“About fifteen or twenty of them came through here on foot.” the Mandalorian said as he came to a stop.
Aura eyed them, making sure they were not paying attention as she kneeled to the ground, placing her fingertips gently on the soil they walked on.
“And something big, sheared off those branches.”
Shutting her eyes, she saw the gnarled faces of monstrous yet small creatures who barged through with their ancient weapons. They were big bullies with nothing but their bigness. But at mention of big from the Mandalorian, her vision got darker, a mechanical whirring in the back of her mind.
She could nearly feel the stomping foot of the machinery as she sifted through the ground.
“Just ahead.” she gently blurted out, her eyes still shut as she envisioned the footprint.
Aura quickly shot up, shaking the dirt from her fingertips as Cara and the Mandalorian glanced back at her before taking off ahead.
When Aura caught up with them, her eyes fell on a disappointing sight. As her vision had built up her conclusion on what these marauder’s had up their sleeves, it was confirmed at the sight of the AT-ST’s print.
“I’ve only seen AT-AT’s. But these are still dangerous.” Aura sighed.
“What’s an Imperial walker doing here?” the Mandalorian questioned.
Aura couldn’t even fathom how it ended up in the hands of simple minded creatures, but it was effective and threatening and winning.
“I don’t know. But this is more than what I signed up for.” Cara said with dismay.
When they returned to the village, Aura was weighed down with the disappointment of what they had come across. They decided that the Mandalorian would speak to the village of what they thought was the right plan and while it went unspoken, the three of them nodded in agreement.
“Bad news.” the Mandalorian spoke, facing the crowd that gathered before the small porch. “You can’t live here anymore.”
Aura’s head whipped towards him.
“I didn’t realize that’s what we agreed on!” she hissed.
“Nice bedside manner.” Cara muttered out the corner of her mouth.
Aura glanced back at the crowd of all those who voiced their confusion.
“Oh, so either of you can do better?”
Aura nodded at Cara.
“I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, but there are no other options.” Cara announced, stepping forward as she stepped back with the Mandalorian.
“You took the job!” the man who first approached them called out, earning the agreeance of several others.
Aura sighed, looking down at her crossed arms. It wasn’t right to leave these people, no matter how useless the three of them felt against a droid of this magnitude. They still needed to do something.
“That was before we knew about the AT-ST.” Cara quickly replied.
“What is that?” he questioned.
Aura uncrossed her arms and took a step forward.
“It’s a walker that towers the trees, with two enormous guns that isn’t very difficult to miss.” she said, staring at all of the looks on their faces as they suddenly no longer looked to be on the defensive side. “And something tells me, you left that part out when you asked for our help.”
No matter what though, Aura watched as they all begged, clutching each other and staring up at them with their tear filled eyes.
Sighing, Aura spun on her heels to turn towards Cara who looked equally as stranded.
“Please, we have nowhere to go.” said Omera, as she held her daughter.
Cara shrugged. “Sure you do. This is a big planet. I mean I’ve been on smaller.”
Aura nodded towards her in agreeance, trying to encourage the others to think the same.
“Our grandparents seeded these ponds. It took generations!” another man argued.
Aura frowned, but tried to hide it from the others.
“I understand. I do. But the three of us can only do so much when it comes to the marauders as well as a gigantic bot like this one.” Aura said, raising her voice above the chatter building up.
“There’s at least 20 of us here to help!” the man cried.
Cara laughed to her surprise. “I mean fighters! Be realistic.”
The crowd bickered with Cara, and she gave it right back, but understandably so. Everything she said was right and despite how much Aura didn’t want to admit it, the three of them were better off helping these people relocate.
“We’re not leaving.” Omara said defiantly.
“You all can’t fight that thing.” Cara argued.
Aura took a deep breath, trying to compose herself between the small chaos that erupted.
“Unless we show them how.” the Mandalorian chimed in.
Aura’s head whipped towards him, and she turned to face him with her hands on her hips, her eyes flaring with anger.
“Oh, so the pretty little village widow bats her eyes at you and now you’re ready to help these people?!” she whispered harshly.
Cara was glaring at the Mandalorian in support, because now, the entire crowd was begging to be taught. But even as the two of them stared the man down, all he could do was shrug. If she was going to trust him eventually, Aura took a deep breath and realized she was going to have to trust this judgement call.
Teaching was not on Aura’s list of things she was great at.
Providing a solid plan to the villagers of how this evening would go was one thing she could do though.
Being taught was something she always struggled with, having so many things in her life juggled around like nothing, and there was no stability when it came to learning or teaching. It didn’t help that her combat skills were much more graceful than that of Cara and the Mandalorian’s, but she wasn’t going to sit here and read to everyone about the Force she could barely use either.
Eventually, she put her labor into preparing for the plan of attack, especially after watching the Mandalorian dance around Omera.
There was no reason to be as annoyed as she was considering she hardly knew this tin can of a human. But it seemed that for someone who showed as much emotion as the dirt they stood on, she wasn’t expecting him to be so moved by one person.
As the night drew nearer, Aura was not particularly comfortable with how this would all pan out. She could only hope that this would be a small feat with the plan they came up with and the extra hands they’ve now gained. Aura double checked the barricades and the trap, ensuring everything was in place as it should be, but the last important thing she wanted to do was check on the youngling.
Back in the Mandalorian’s temporary home, she found herself among a bustling village of people preparing for a battle that some of them have never even dreamt of. It was minor for Aura and people like Cara, but major for them.
Aura kneeled before a makeshift cradle for the little one, his green head and big pointy ears peaking out from above it, a smile growing on her face as it made a happy sound.
“I’m going to need you to follow your bedtime schedule tonight, alright? All the adults are going to kick some mech butt so you’re going to hear a lot of noise, but don’t be scared, alright?”
It wasn’t meant to be sentimental, and simply more of a joke to ease her own nerves, and just ensure he was safe before taking off. But for a moment, she young again. For a split second she was in the Jedi temple, alone and afraid again, waiting for those words of comfort to come.
But as far as she was concerned, this child would not have to know her fear or questioning.
“Aura.”
Quickly, she sprung up from the bedside of the child, turning to face the Mandalorian at the doorway.
“Right. I was just checking on him making sure he was safe and sound before all the noise started.” she quickly said.
The Mandalorian nodded.
“I was about to do the same. The kid will be fine though as long he sits still and doesn’t venture out of the place.” he said lightheartedly.
Aura smiled and nodded in response. “I assume you and Cara are heading out now?”
“Yes. I just need you to keep an eye on everyone else, make sure they’re in position and know what to do. It’s getting dark so we’ll be returning as quickly as possible.”
“Got it, Mando.” Aura exhaled, straightening her posture a bit to show she was ready.
“Glad I made that judgement call earlier?” he asked, a hint of snarkiness in that masked voice, as she passed by him.
Aura glanced back.
“If you ever put me in a position where I’m forced to trust you like that again, I will bash the part of the helmet you wear that allows you to speak clearly.” she grinned.
Underneath of said helmet, the Mandalorian’s lips mirrored hers.
Flaming torches and the moonlight were their guidance.
The villagers lined up behind the barricades, broken down to who had what weapon and put in different lines of defense. In front of it all, Aura stood before the trap that was put in place, awaiting to hear the sounds of the AT-ST.
Her foot tapped against the grass until she could find a rhythm where she could breathe with ease, and while it took a moment, Aura was one with the Force and ready for battle.
It helped to think that her family was smiling behind her, giving her a gentle push into a messy fight whether it be literal or figurative. Right now, it was truly going to be a messy fight and she knew that at the first sounds of a massive blaster shot that rumbled the ground.
Aura glanced back to see the glossy eyes upon worried faces as heavier footsteps neared in..
“Alright everyone, they’re coming which means this thing isn’t too far behind!”
Through the eerie fog that rolled over, two figures came running through and straight towards her. She backed into the ditch with them sliding in beside her, catching their breaths.
“This is it! Once that thing steps into the pond, it’s going down!” Cara announced.
Aura glanced at the Mandalorian who’s shoulders were moving with every heavy breath he took.
“Ready?” he asked.
The footsteps grew heavier against her ears, and she could see the mechs red eyes peaking through the treetops.
“Of course.” She shrugged.
Then suddenly, it broke through, and Aura eagerly held her breath as her wide eyes watched it come nearer to the trap. But when it stopped just a smidge before it, she tensed up and had let her breath out.
“It stopped?”
As if that wasn’t alarming enough, the AT-ST’s bright light poured over the entire village and everyone fell behind the cover.
“Get down!” the Mandalorian ushered, nearly dragging Aura down with him at his side.
As she glanced around though, hearing the mechanical whirring of the creature, her heart ached with the notion that this AT-ST already knew what was going on. It’s blaster shot over their heads and before anyone could register, the chants of the marauders’ came echoing in.
Cara barked out orders, but in the meantime, Aura leaped over the edge,
“Aura, what are you doing?!” he called out.
“Get that thing in the trap! I’m helping the others!” she called back.
A battle of blasters and ancient weapons clashed, red blasts firing back and forth against the battlefield. Her senses were tuned up, and she calculated every step as she ran through, pulling out her own two blasters at her hips and aiding the villagers as much as she could, giving them cover and time to recuperate.
The marauders snarled faces were coming up at every turn.
Most of them needed her help, and under the light of nothing but the torches and the moon, it was quite difficult to keep herself spinning in circles. To her surprise, Omera had it covered for a decent amount of the villagers who had rushed out from the barricades. Catching her breath, Aura moved closer towards the AT-ST, covering for Cara who was pinned a few yards a head of it, trying to lure it into the trap.
It was almost there, nearly about to stumble, and a smile was beaming on her face when it finally stumbled in.
“Yes!” Aura cried.
In what felt like forever of covering the villagers and fending off marauders, it only took several minutes to get the AT-ST in the trap.
The Mandalorian followed up with a miniature bomb of sorts, running towards it and retreating into the pond with Cara to be protected from the explosion. Aura felt the heat of the melting metal, watching as the marauders’ began their retreat.
However, out the corner of her eye, once had remained and she sensed it before she could it; a giant wooden spear was approaching her. Every nerve in her body froze, her hand reacting before the rest of her could, and when her eyes finally fixated on the pressure of her hand, she realized that the spear never made it towards her, merely stuck in the fearful looking marauders hand.
As the Mandalorian regained in his senses in the pond, the sight of Aura being pursued by one of the creatures alarmed him. But just as he jolted forward, he stopped in awe, watching as Aura stopped its weapon from impaling her without so much as blinking.
Aura’s hand had the marauder locked in place, the wooden spears point just a few feet away from piercing her. She too had been in awe of what she had just done, but it was natural as could be, and she laughed at how terrified the marauder was.
In one swift move, Aura kicked the spear from its hands and took it within her own, swinging the blunt end of it at his head to knock him out.
Catching her breath, she swiped at the sweat on her forward and returned to her path towards Cara and the Mandalorian. But once she turned to face them, she stopped in place once more, realizing that they saw what she just did. Cara, she was not concerned about, but it was the Mandalorian who faced her that made her worry.
“Oh no…” she muttered.
The following days came with no words to be heard from the Mandalorian after what he saw.
Aura was anxiously waiting on the edge, wondering how to approach it. Not that it mattered. She was going to be leaving anyway now that the village was saved and she had no ties left here. Instead of being an adult about it, she silently leaned upon the railing of his porch, while Cara sat in a small rocking chair and he leaned on the doorway.
“Can I set you something to eat?” asked Omera as she stepped through.
Aura bit the inside of her cheek, looking elsewhere.
“No, thank you.” he replied.
“He’s very happy here.”
At that. Aura turned to find her eyes on the child as it sat among the bigger children and she smiled.
“He is.”
Of course, it was not her place, but she wasn’t quite ready to leave the little one.
When Omera finally walked away, Cara glanced up at her with a smirk but Aura merely kicked her foot, rolling her eyes. Aura could care less about Omera, but it wasn’t fair that the Mandalorian said more to her then herself.
“So what happens if you take that thing off?” Cara asked him. “Do they come after you and kill you?”
“I don’t think he likes to be asked that.” Aura muttered.
“No, you just can’t ever put it back on again.” he grimly replied.
Aura shook her head, wondering when they’d ever even finish that conversation let alone start the new one about what he had seen.
“That’s it?” Cara wondered. “So you can slip off the helmet, and settle down with that beautiful young window and raise your kid sitting here sipping spatchka?”
It pained Aura to watch Cara brag on to the Mandalorian about that life, but she knew she was just teasing. What didn’t sit right with her was that he was so dismissive of Aura, yet she felt so connected to him and the child. Instead of moping though, Aura sipped her own spatchka and looked out towards the forest. Her bag was packed, resting at her feet, ready to go and she knew she would be leaving shortly.
“You know, we raised some hell the other week. It’s too much action for a backwater town like this. Word travels fast. We might wanna cycle the charts and move on.” the Mandalorian said.
“Would not wanna be the one who’s gotta tell him.” Cara sighed.
Then, Aura sadly glanced over at the child who was playing with the krill. Over the past few days she had spent with him, more than even the Mandalorian, she certainly felt a bond within it that couldn’t be left alone.
“I’m leaving him here.” the Mandalorian said.
“What?!” Aura exclaimed.
He glanced at her, then back at the kid. “Traveling with me, that’s no life for a kid. I did my job, he’s safe. Better chance at life.”
Aura was surprised, mainly by the fact that it was the first time he’s looked at her in days and even remotely spoke to her. Well, it was obviously more important to her that he was leaving such a valuable child behind, but he did have a point.
“It’s gonna break his little heart.” Cara said, sipping her spatchka.
Aura looked down at her lap.
“He’ll get over it. We all do.”
For some silly reason though, Aura felt more impacted by him ignoring her than she would of liked. But he was right, people get over these things and no matter how disappointed and heavy she felt to be moving on so quickly from him and Cara, it needed to be done.
When the Mandalorian snuck off and Cara returned to her room, Aura lingered behind for a moment, ensuring they weren’t paying attention to her.
As Aura always did, she moved from planet to planet without so much as a single string left behind so she could keep moving. All she wanted to do was find her family and that’s what she would do. She was sure to run into Cara again, but she couldn’t speak for the Mandalorian. Taking a deep breath, she took one last look at the village before taking off.
Aura wanted to turn back every step, but as she neared the perimeter of the village, something felt off.
It wasn’t the way she wanted to run back, but something else, making her want to edge forward into the shadows of the forest she was stepping into. Shutting her eyes, Aura let her senses carry her, walking on the balls of her feet to not so much as crack a pine needle as she walked, searching for anything that was off.
There was a soft hum, a beeping sound actually, as she grew closer.
Then, before she knew it, Aura spotted a cloaked figure with a rifle in hands, aiming towards the village.
Gasping gently, Aura whipped out her blaster and fired in the blink of an eye, the figures body hitting the ground before she could even take her next breath. Aura dropped her bag and put her blaster away, approaching the cloaked man as smoke rose from the blaster hole in his chest. She peered over, ready to run back to the village to make sure everyone was okay.
But before Aura could even turn to move, the Mandalorian came running through the trees to her.
There was no exchanged of words to no avail, only watching as he nudged over the body to find a tracking fob underneath.
It was the beeping she heard.
When he looked up at her, he paused.
“When did you decide to leave?” the Mandalorian asked.
Aura raised a brow. “When did you decide to care?”
The Mandalorian took a deep breath, looking down at the tracking fob that still blinked.
“They’re tracking the kid. They know he’s here.”
Aura was curious to know what exactly was on this kids head, but whatever it was, she had a vague idea this wouldn’t be the last time someone else tried.
“It seems the kid suddenly needs that life with you.” she offered.
The Mandalorian crushed the tracking fob under his boot and started to walk away. Aura’s heart jumped and she followed after quickly.
“I didn’t want to ask about what I saw that night because I thought that the youngling would not need to be in my care much longer. But he-he did the exact same thing…” the Mandalorian explained, pausing mid step, turning back to face her.
Aura stopped, her face twisting. “What do you mean the kid did exactly what I did?”
“I was about to be trampled by this beast and before I knew it, it was floating in air because that kid did something with his hand, just like you did when you were in danger.”
The way a Mandalorian tried to explain the use of the Force made her smile, almost want to laugh even, but it was clear he was in distress over it. But she couldn’t fathom how a creature so young was that strong already.
“I didn’t want to ask you about it because I didn’t understand it, I didn’t think I would need to understand it if I was leaving it here to hide, but he’s not safe. He’s not going to be.”
Aura stepped forward, watching as the Mandalorian’s head turned, as if looking for an answer somewhere on the ground. She understood now why he was in a predicament but at the same time, still had her frustrations.
“Next time, don’t be an idiot and keep it from me. Talking can usually help.” she ridiculed.
“I don’t even know you.” the Mandalorian accused in a soft tone, walking towards the path again. “How can I speak freely with you when one minute, you’re Mandalorian and the next you have these…powers?”
Aura frowned, trying to catch up with him,.
“Trying to explain these things to you isn’t east when you walk so damn fast! And these powers, they’re not—they don’t just belong to specific people, they can find their way into the souls of many no matter where they’re from. My mother was queen of Mandalore, yes, and she died when I was young, when everything we know of Mandalorian’s changed so my perspective of them if much different than yours.”
The Mandalorian slowed his pace, and Aura was trying to catch her breath now.
“I need to keep him safe.” was all he could say. “I now know why he was so
Eagle-eyed Star Wars fans will notice that Han Solo kept a copy of Fennec Shand’s bestseller Lean In aboard the Millennium Falcon. I translated the cover into English. The book chronicles the journey of one determined #girlboss to rise to the top of the bounty hunter hierarchy. Shand also provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career.
Note: Tumblr had blocked Parts 2 & 3 due to their new adult content rules (while they were still in the queue), but approved them very quickly after I’d appealed. They now agree that my posts don’t contain adult content.
A bit late this month since I had to send my computer off for repairs (RIP my stickers, but at least it was mostly cosmetic damage), but I made it! I’m putting the 7 Star Wars fics of various pairings above the cut, and the 5 miscellaneous fandoms (Nirvana in Fire, Life 2005, Lord Peter, The Untamed, Our Flag Means Death) underneath.
“You need to show him what you have to offer,” Fives said, which sounded shockingly like relevant advice. Cody blinked over at him.
“What?” he asked, because, honestly, he’d take any advice he could get, at this point. The war had been over for nearly six months, and he’d made no progress on his own.
Fives slammed back a shot of his own and then–kind of leered over. “You need to give him a look at the goods,” he said, and then, pointedly, dipped his gaze down.
OR, the one where Cody takes some very bad advice and has to deal with the consequences.
*wheezing with laughter* AKA the one where Cody sends a dick pic. Post-war, no Order 66, very funny and sweet. Also, it didn’t really hit my embarrassment squick despite being tagged for that, because it’s not mean-spirited about it, and has some good perspective about how there’s a huge gap between the clones’ life experience and their socialization for things outside of fighting a war.
Triptych of stories about Obi-Wan and Cody set post-Order 66, with absolutely GORGEOUS prose. The first two will break your heart (especially #2, how DARE), but the last one will gently patch it.
A few things are slightly different, which means everything is different. Boba and Fennec arrive just a bit later, Din takes his jetpack back up to the temple, and so he and the child are both taken prisoner by the Empire.
Fascinating AU and a lovely h/c series that deserves a lot more hits than it currently has.
Admittedly, this is not the first time Luke has wound up at someone else’s kitchen table in someone else’s clothes. But it’s not breakfast, Luke’s not an undergrad scarfing down bacon and eggs to cure the common hangover, and Din doesn’t strike him as the kind of guy he’d meet at a house party. The baby is definitely a first.
Luke is a grad student trying to finish his linguistics PhD after an unexpected leave of absence. His neighbor, Din, is a single dad and delivery guy at Pizza Parsec. (Actually, Pizza Parsec is just a front for the bounty hunters’ guild. But Luke doesn’t need to know that.)
Fantastic modernish AU that hit the sweet spot for me regarding Luke being a emotional mess with disaster family issues but ALSO a very smart and competent person in his field. I also really enjoyed how the Skywalker family drama was translated into this setting.
Luke reacts strangely to Din’s bared face and an overheard conversation leads the Mandalorian to believe the Jedi thinks he’s ugly. Things spiral out of control from there.
Featuring Mandalorian combat without armor, Han and Leia being a little into Din, and Luke being so much into Din he accidentally makes him think he’s unattractive.
This one has been widley recced already, but I finally read it and it’s just as charming as promised without the secondhand-embarrassment I feared.
Newly knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, have been sent to Ryloth on a simple diplomatic envoy. While there, an unsettling incident causes Obi-Wan to look at Anakin in a new light and re-evaluate…everything.
The Galaxy will never be the same.
aka: “come for the obikin, stay for the tzai and deep emotional discussions that dismantle every single misunderstanding in the prequels.”
Very satisfying fix-it AU on many levels, with lots of time and detailed work on building their relationship in a healthier way.
I’m gleefully angry about how perversely perfect the lyrics are for this Jingyan vid, and at the vidder for making it work both on a straightforward editing level and a cheeky ‘let me vid this serious historical drama to this iconic pop song’ level. I love it <3
“I don’t do undercover,” said Dani. Not anymore, anyway.
“I’ve never really done undercover, or not anything longterm,” said Crews, frowning.
Tidwell leaned back in his chair, unmoved by their protests. “Yeah, gonna be honest, you two are not the preferred undercover picks. You are, however, the only two detectives available who could plausibly pass for a married couple in search of a precious baby to adopt.”
Classic execution of the undercover-married-in-suburbia trope, but perfectly written for these two characters and their whole thing. Post-canon, Charlie/Dani.
Next time, Lan Qiren swore he would stay in bed with Xiao Jingfei. Wei Changze could be the one to take their wretched spawn to the market.
AKA Accidental Child Acquisition: The Fix-It Series. So delightful! Low-key Cangse Sanren/Lan Qiren/Wei Changze, which some of you might remember the author writing in a different AUfroma prior rec set - that isn’t the same continuity and isn’t a prequisite though it does develop the triad more if you’re curious. This one’s all about the (literal) found family and making things happier!
“Stede,” says Ed, “I’d sit on your cock all day for a chair and captain the ship like that if the option was available.”
I haven’t read a ton of OFMD fic (I think this is gonna be another Old Guard-like fandom for me where I loved the canon but my brain doesn’t really want fic), but this one is a gorgeous piece of kinky smut with sharp characterization.
