Saga [UDC VIII] Hyperactive Mouse Droid Strokes

Sacrifice & Victory — way awesome. Full of vivid detail and emotion.

Name: Verlain sure has a jumble of emotions there. Date: LOL! Accurate depiction there.

Helpless: a pivotal ESB moment.

Hunger: oh priceless, droid snark! Pint & Yearn LOL that's one way (in the latter one) to make a higher rank.

Martyr and Veteran: insightful pieces. Mama & Shine — delightful!

 

Guess who's back?

---

Thank you so much, Ny! <3 I wish I had had the ability to continue at the time you upped this, but I'm still incredibly, incredibly grateful that you went through all fifty of these and picked your favourites. I could not participate in the Read and Review Marathon because it was the worst month of my entire life, but I saw that you won one of the categories and that was well-deserved. In so, so many ways. You know how to motivate people and I think we're all thankful to you for that.

Week 11 coming right up. Hopefully in the next thirty minutes or so. I always give myself a hard deadline for these, to challenge myself.

Darn, got distracted by shiny things again. Okay, focus, focus... Deffo happening today.

 

** formatting this after one more episode - addicted to Rebels now! **

Week 11

Go

“Just go.” He said.

It took until very last moment for Kanan to change his mind and to realise the advantage his kind had in comparison to the three “old geezers”. While it was unclear how many Jedi there were left and how long they were going to live until found, they still had the chances these people never will – to be who they really are, know who they really are and, if possible, live to grow old, for real.

Their minds were trained, too; but they were not living machines.

“We’re going back!” he thought. And then said it.



Wait

A lot of her contribution to the growing Rebellion would default just to that – waiting. Sometimes, these waits seemed endless. Sometimes, she would wait in space, sometimes in the strangest of places, brushing with the local fauna.

“Keep quiet, Chopper!”

“Bwop bwop bwop!”

“They could find us. Keep on your position.”

At least she was not alone. The feisty little droid with grabby hands was, if not ideal, amusing company.

“Any sign of the Empire?”

“No…”

“…”

“Spoke too soon!”

And that is why she had to be ready, no matter what. Life of a pilot was full of surprises.



Rise

That thing sure came out of nowhere. A spinning rock formation, coming from underground and, once it was no longer necessary, disappearing to where it had come from. Strange were the shadows of the past, mysterious the artefacts and hiding places of the old Jedi Order.

To us watching everything from a future world, it may or may not resemble a certain room that appears when you need it, where you need it. Strange are the fictional places – not only that some ideas overlap, but sometimes you just get that thirst you will never manage to satiate – TO BE THERE.


For

On the Ghost, the decisions required thinking. And this was the one time where coming to any kind of a solution looked like it was bound to cause headache.

What was it with this kid, really?

At first, he seemed to be unable to be a part of anything, just a sole survivor in a world that was all about stumbling downstairs in order to get a bite of the purple fruit. Later on, he seemed that he could be a part of something bigger, that a path was set out for him.

The decision was going to be hard.


Against

Hera was the last to know. Zeb, Sabine, Ezra and Chopper have made the decision without her and put her in a position where she could not decide anything anymore. Was it really a problem? Her legacy and her ethics on one side told her that she had to let her beloved go. But her heart and her mischievous streak hiding beyond the façade of the “only sane being” in the group were telling her otherwise.

He’s got to have known of this struggle. And once everybody was free again, it was clear that some things were better left unsaid.

 

Wonderful exploration of the introspections of the Ghost crew Liked Go, For, and Against.

 

I was so happy to see you return to the drabble challenge, and with a set on my favorite subject! ;D Very nicely done, as always; I think my favorites are “Go” and “Against”.

“Go” is lovely, with Kanan realizing that the Jedi aren’t the only ones who’ve suffered at the hands of the Empire. The clones, too, have had their lives profoundly shaped by Palpatine’s insidious plans. They were born to be soldiers and canon fodder, discarded when they were no longer useful. Kanan’s able to let go of his past and see that they’re not all the same, and view them as the honorable men they are.

“Against” shows the pull that Hera has always felt between love and duty. And yes, some things are better left unsaid, though Kanan, too, understands that division—between his training as a Jedi and his feelings for Hera.

Great job, and hope to see more drabbles soon!

 

Know what sucks? I will need to remember which episodes I had in mind when I wrote these drabbles. Ohwell, I guess I'll remember, eventually. I knew that there was one involving the Luminara episode when the Ghost was straight up against the mountain and that one had something to do with the season finale. D'oh! Anyway, comments...watch this space.

Thanks. It was not my first Rebels thing (there was the wacky Chopper thing and, err, the wacky Thrawn thing), but I'm glad it made sense. I still need to practice.

 

Week Twelve

Here's a link to the announcement with prompts.

Break

“We have not captured anyone in years. We have not captured anyone, ever!” the leader of the lost band assures his future captives, with droidekas standing by and the regular buggy battle droids throwing in an occasional “Roger-Roger!”

Rex and his peers would be sure that Kalani lost a significant amount of greymatter if he were an organic. Either way, the veteran from the glory days of the now-reformed Republic Army was quick to figure it out – for these buckets of oil, the Clone War never ended, they were frozen in time.

So, yes, broken fuses. In Zeb’s words, “karabast”!

Spoiler

(Rebels, S3E6 - "The Last Battle")

***

Quiet

Sometimes, but only sometimes, she was quiet.

Sometimes, but only sometimes, he was loud.

And that is what drew them to each other, or so everybody else thought.

But there was so much more to each of them.

There were the times when she was not ashamed to cry, but don’t tell anybody.

There were the times when he was not ashamed to be a bit naughty, but don’t tell anybody.

There were things that she couldn’t grasp and that’s why she had him.

There were things that he couldn’t solve and that’s why he had her.

Opposites do attract.

Spoiler

(Teebo and Latara in pretty much any story I have written so far...)

***

Lives

Obi-Wan is slightly relieved to see that two new-borns are breathing, in the hands of the caring nanny droid. The fair-haired boy and the dark-haired girl sure needed the warmth of an organic that no pile of circuits and metal could replace.

The word “life” was such a paradox on this day. The Republic was gone.

He didn’t know if any of the other Jedi had made it off Coruscant or managed to run away from the chipped soldiers that turned on them.

But for as long as there was hope for these two babies, the Jedi order would live.

Spoiler

The end of Revenge of the Sith, duh!

***

Dies

The former child queen of Naboo was dead. The planet transitioned from aworld of beauty and culture to the glorious birth place of the disfigured despotic ruler of the Galaxy.

Anakin – or whatever he called himself now – was not going to pay for this and Bail Organa knew it. A Jedi seeks no revenge and so on.

Perhaps it was all up to them, the diplomats? Was this new order really so powerful, or were they fooled to begin with?

The Senator of Aldeeran’s mind was a mess, as he watched the handmaidens pay the last respect to their Lady.

Spoiler

The end of Revenge of the Sith, duh!

***

Story

“There was a time when a former Sith Lord redeemed himself. At first, his memory was erased and he could not remember his fall to the dark side. And then, over time, with the help of the strangest band of misfits the Galaxy has ever seen, he set out to find a mysterious ancient weapon created by the Rakata and defeat his former fellow Sith.”

“Did he manage to do so?”

“Of course. Or maybe not. It’s kind of hard to explain from our point of view, but the past appears to be in motion just like the future, son.”

Spoiler

A random retelling of KOTOR

 

Week Thirteen

Here's a link to the post with prompts.

NOTE: All of these drabbles follow my Astraali almost-a-Jedi Ahyolu, who previously appeared in Death, Life and Other Goals. There are a couple of instances of Yeni language, which is still a rough, rough draft.

Uprising

“Ye fore ek podracer! Ye fore ek podracer!”

“CONSTRUCTION DROID CLASS THREE CONSTRUCTION WC-14!”

The large non-organic transformed into a bizarre equine creature galloped around. Riding on top of him was a Humanoid girl with gleam in her burgundy pupils. And Xia Tonha knew that gleam well – Astraali were a wicked species and Ahyolu was too mischievous for both her homeworld and the Jedi Temple’s Room of a Thousand Fountains.

Just how was she going to explain this to Mace Windu? Jocasta Nu? Grand Master Yoda?

“Ahyolu, would you please stop that…NOW?”

“Ye fore Anakin Skywalker!” the Astraal yelled out.

***

Negotiate

The negotiations were shorter than short. Kravadam trusted the Jedi Master. His methods failed.

“You’re going to go with these beings to Coruscant. Perhaps a strict training will teach you to behave like a proper hen someday. Not a...well, whatever you think you are.”

“Proper young hen-schmen!” she thought to herself, convinced that there was no discipline that she could subscribe to, no authority that could break her.

He wanted his naughty little chick out of his home. Off Aurea. Out of the Romeladam system that these strange beings called UR-9353. Preferably out of whatever “sector” they were in, too!

***

Convince

“I give up, Mistress Tonha.” Ahyolu angrily threw her helmet on the floor. “I’d rather hit sliders with this training lightsaber.”

“No Fete food for you unless you hit that last training remote.”

“And what if I say that I’m done?” The Astraal pouted. “Ye kove maraladam!”

Why, oh why couldn’t she speak a bit les Yeni and a bit more Galactic Basic?

Either way, there had to be a solution. A compromise. Anything to end this pain.

“You hit that last training remote…”

“Na!”

“…riding on top of WC-14? He’s on the limmie training ground, building stands…”

“Ki!”

Convinced!

***

Overthrow

“What is she doing? What the kriff…”

“Mistress Tonha, use such words a Jedi does not!” Yoda scolded the Carthasian Jedi Knight. “Teach this youngling to behave, you will. A virtue, patience is.”

But never before did Xia Tonha want to quit and retire to her homeworld of Benja-Rihn. The little rascal was too much for hell to handle. Similarly, no one knew the true nature of Astraals, given that they were not known to wander off their homeworld, due to its status as a colony.

If only Ahyolu could be disciplined, like – for example – that Human Padawan Caleb Dume…

***

Unite

Shri-Lan Rhane was surprised to find the bunk empty. She was a good Padawan, going to bed at right time, but looks like her new roommate was not.

The next thing the Blumbreen knew, a pair of small wings flapped and another being, seemingly a pale Human with catastrophic hair and a wacky eye colour, landed next to her.

“So, you’re an amphibian? Are you going to sleep in a bath tub?” The stranger cocked her head.

“Only if the smelly Elom across the hall is going to have a bath.”

Ahyolu winked. “There are ways to arrange it.”

“Deal.”

 

Woot! New drabbles, and two weeks worth!

Week 12
Break-- Yup, those droids are broken, all right. The battle droids were always a few fuses short of a circuit box anyway, and to be essentially stuck in the past hasn't helped their understanding any. Good thing Rex is sharp enough to see what's going on.
Quiet—Awww! Teebo and Latara are such a sweet couple, and though they seem like total opposites, it’s more like they complement each other, balance each other. I love the lines about how he helps Latara grasp the philosophical issues and she helps Teebo solve the more worldly problems. Just lovely
Lives— A bittersweet reflection by Obi-Wan about endings and new beginnings. Where there is life, there is hope, and Luke and Leia keep that hope alive in the midst of so many tragic endings.
Dies—Sort of the counter-balance to the previous drabble. Where Obi-Wan sees hope in new birth, Bail sees the death of Naboo and its beauty, the death of freedom...and no hope that Anakin will be brought to justice.
Story— Always in motion is the past...when it’s a video game! Love the contradictions of what the player can choose being reflected in the how the story is told.

Week 13
Ahyolu was certainly a handful as padawan, wasn’t she? So much spirit! It’s really sad that her father values her so little that he not only wants her out of his home, but off the planet and out of the sector as well Maybe that attitude had something to do with firing her rebellious attitude there, Dad?) And Though it seems like there are some in the Jedi Order who don’t see that spirit as a virtue either (you might want to choose another padawan as your model of discipline, Xia Tonha. Not sure that Caleb is quite the example you think he is.), at least she and her bunkmate seem to hit it off. And really, Xia—it was your suggestion that she hit the remote on top of the construction droid... Poor WC-14! CONSTRUCTION! CONSTRUCTION!

Keep the drabbles coming!

 

#12 -- lovely Loved Quiet and Lives.
#13 -- Xia and Ahylou -- such intriguing personalities. Caleb... yup, he's the one to emulate all right.

 

(gonna add comments when can brain...I accidentally whole thing)

 

Week Fourteen

Talk

She is here to tell stories. Nothing more, nothing less. Her eyes of turquoise are intimidating, with dark shadows circling around them. Nobody can tell if they’re a part of her make-up or a trait of her character, her hunger for power and dubious choices in politics.

She is desperate to hold her power over everybody and she is willing to do whatever it may take in order to win.

Blow the fuel depot and then stage a victory? No problem! Cutting the branch your political opponent is sitting on is absolutely acceptable for this brainwashed fanatical follower of…

…herself.


Silence

They’re gone and he’s left there alone, sitting and watching the sunset with that nasty pronker of a droid on his back. Never before did the air smell of impending doom, never before since the genocide on his beloved homeworld.

But there was something different about this particular scent of fear. There was something that made him think that most of his friends were going to make it alive.

Most.

One was doomed.

But which one?

Doom.

Dume.

But what does that mean? And what is that, howling in the distance? There is a strange scent to that as well…


Smile

Seeing little Malani smile and stare at him with those “big moony eyes, the way Latara stares at Teebo” was annoying at times. Wicket had to accept that a wokling had a crush on him, the way he crushed on grown-up warrior women such as Cherita, his eldest brother’s girlfriend.

Perhaps someday, this little rascal of Teebo’s younger sister will get over him. And until then, he does not mind her behaviour anymore.

Perhaps someday, he will find his own warrior woman.

He does not know that one has been there all along.

Right by his side, every day.

Kneesaa.



Laugh

It’s strange to see her laugh for the first time. He was surprised when the tone of her voice changed, but he thought that it would take much longer for his girlfriend to defrost. Her mother, Maris, is an ice queen, straight from the proverbial Hoth, or…was it called that?!

The way Doria speaks and looks does not reveal any of her emotions. And then, all of the sudden, she is giggling like a youngling on his lap in the park. Are they moving too fast? Is this normal? Not that he ever knew the meaning of that particular word…


Cry

It was so strange to see him cry on that unfortunate first date that ended with a slap on the face. Doria was not used to men showing their emotions as bluntly and Anjie never hides his tears. For some odd reason, he is beautiful when he cries, too.

But she still does not want him to cry. Whatever it is that is chasing him in his mind, she hopes that someday he might be comfortable telling her more about it. She wants him to heal.

Until then, she is more than pleased. They are OFFICIAL. She is his GIRLFRIEND.

 

Terrific use of the prompts and how they detail couple-style moments and reactions.

 

Talk: Governor Pryce is truly a piece of work, isn't she? Blatanly cruel, inept, amoral... in a way she's almost worse than Thrawn. He may be hard and cruel, but he doesn't inflict pain for its own sake and he really believes in the cause he serves, however wrong it may be. Pryce is all about herself, and in the end, she reaps what she's sown.

Silence: Oh, Zeb! Zebby! Poor guy, to have the scent of the air remind him of what happened on Lasan! It may not be as huge a loss he's facing, but in a way, it's just as personal and devastating to him.

Smile: Aw, Wicket...he's maturing enough that Malani's little crush has become cute rather than annoying, but he's still got a ways to go before he sees that the woman he's been waiting for has been by his side the whole time. With a little more time and mature reflation, I hope he'll see that his true friend has all the qualities he's been looking for.

Laugh: How sweet it is that Doria can "defrost" around Anjie now! Not only is she comfortable enough to laugh now, she giggles like a youngling Yes, Anjie , don't worry about what's "normal" and what's not, just enjoy these precious moments for what they are.

Cry: Another sweet drabble that shows how far Doria has come. Anjie's truly nothing like the men she's used to, the way he wears his heart on his sleeve, but it's lovely that she sees him as beautiful in his tears rather than awkward or pitiful, and it moves her to compassion and a desire for greater understanding. But, on the other hand, some things never change, because she's ALLCAPS EXCITED that they're OFFICIAL! SQUEE ELEVENTY ONE!1!!

 

...

 

Week 15

Two drabbles about Loth-wolves, two Prequel ones and one that would be happening right after ROTJ.

First

They will frighten you at first. There is no doubt. Such giant canines can give everybody an impression of truly, truly menacing creatures. The next thing you know, you are wondering how come that you’re actually seeing them – nobody has seen them in a very, very long time.

Do not be fooled by their frightening appearance.

Do not be fooled by their groans.

If you are a being with a pure and kind heart, they will be good to you.

If you are not…watch out for yourself. You may choose to run for dear life…

…but you won’t escape.



Impressions

Watch.

Watch them.

Watch out for them!

Their footpads create ripples in the turbulent waters of the mysterious power that forms cobwebs among all beings, alive and dead.

The time and space stand still.

They obey the will of the Force.

They know.

They might as well share their knowledge, but only with those they form a strong bond with.

They establish a connection with such beings.

They will take you to another world. But only if you have been blessed with the very same gift. The Force.

And what happens when you have wronged many?

You better turn around!



Safer

He was safer at home, in his hard-working mother’s embrace, he thought. But the thirst for the world so different from the one he grew up on and so many possibilities for him to explore kept him alive.

In a way, back on Tatooine, he was wingclipped, the only one who had wings was his former owner, Watto. Wasn’t that ironic, in a way?

So, this Obi-Wan Kenobi, the less approachable of two men who found him…is he his new owner now?

And did he, Anakin, actually gain wings when he participated in the space battle?

So many unanswered questions!


Check

“Check, please!”

Wuher was confused to hear the elusive p-word in his establishment. But Mos Eisley was an odd place – occasionally, somebody who is not a representative of proverbial “scum and villainy” would drop by and, somehow, escape with all their limbs still attached to their body. But “please”? Please? This has not happened before.

Sure, the fall of Jabba the Hutt and the eventual death of Emperor Palpatine changed many things in the Galaxy. But this was…surreal!

“I asked you if I could pay, Master.” Came a gentle reminder. No blasters involved…?!

He shrugged and approached the customer.


Last

The last thing she saw was the fluorescent fauna of the jungle planet of Felucia. There was this unnatural spark, the glittery road to nowhere that she has not seen before, though she knew everything that was there to know about the planet of primitive Force-sensitives.

Then, there was sharp pain in her back. One. Two. Three shots. At first, they felt like being poked by a friend, playfully…but then came the realisation that the faithful Clones were no longer her friends.

And then everything went black. Dark. And there was no more light. There was no more Aayla Secura.

 

"First" and "Impressions" wonderful descriptions of powerful and insightful allies/predators

"Safer" pivotal insightful moment.

"Last" -- about Aayla. Definitely the saddest part is the realization of betrayal although it wasn't voluntary on the Clones' part.

 

Hooray for more drabbles!
Last and Impressions: both of these drabbles really capture the dual nature of the Loth-wolves. They're physical creatures, but so linked to the Force that they're able to transcend time and space, and guide those they choose to help through those ways between worlds. They're wise and helpful to those who respect them and share their goals, but implacable fighters against those who have despoiled their planet. I'm reminded of Ezra saying, "They're on Lothal's side."

Safer: Young Anakin's reflections here tug at your heart. His desire for "wings" vies with the need for safety--the longing to see more, do more, to be more than he is versus the safety of being home with his mother, but in an environment where he'll never fly or grow. His wondering whether Obi-Wan is his owner is just

Check: Nice twist on the word "check" here! And Wuhrer, so puzzled to hear the p-word (luvit!) in his hive of scum and villainy! What's this Galaxy coming to now that the Empire has fallen? And I wonder if the polite customer might just be a former farmboy who's returned home for a visit?

Last: Haunting image here of the "glittery road to nowhere" that Aayla sees just before her death. The contrast between her first impressions of being shot--"like being poked playfully by a friend"-- and the realization that her friends have betrayed her--it's like that knowledge is more painful than the shots themselves, and in a way it must have been.

As always, looking forward to your next batch!

 

EP - Sorry I've not been commenting like I should; things've been stupidly busy, here, but that's no excuse on my part.

Fun series, here - the insights are very nice (especially liking Doria's continued striving forward, and the Rebels references).

Thanks for sharing.