Beyond - Legends Saga "Antigravity" | Song!verse AU | Kessel Run Challenge 2023

Awww! I like this kid! And I always both enjoy and empathize with a good "no good, very bad day" story. Given who Deniel meets during said no-good day, it had about equal chance of getting either better or worse—but in this universe, with this Ani, of course it got better! When you're a young, not-super-confident kid, nothing gives you a boost like being noticed by someone who's a hero to you, and it's even better when that hero takes the time to talk to you and shows they have common ground with you—exactly what Ani does right here. I bet Deniel went off to that history class in much perkier spirits! Thanks for introducing us to him; I'd love to see him again sometime!

 

I can't thank you all enough for your wonderful feedback and encouragement!

That's such a good trick! And one I've since been trying with lots of RL names for OC research.

I love being in such excellent company.

Because it's just such a Palpatine line to think! He's so corrupted that his entire existence (I can't say life) is consumed with the idea of gaining even more power. And someone who willingly rejects that same power? Unthinkable. Clearly a mark of cowardice.

Also, Vadering totally sucks and Anakin dodged so much more than a bullet.

Definitely parasitic! I love the idea of the Dark feeding on its wielders even as it gives them strength. It just . . . fits.

Aw, thanks! And happy reading if and when you get around to it - but most certainly no pressure!

Headcanon accepted, and definitely loving the vibes of Naboo as space!Italy.

It just fits, doesn't it?? I still can't believe that Lake Como is real in our world. And some of the architecture and the vibes? - yeah, I can't unsee it now either.

OMG, right?? My first job was working for my family's landscaping business, and I love the sheer variety of plant names just as much as I do the plants themselves. Mankind is just so extra in naming things, and I had a ridiculous amount of fun coming up with names for this selection of weeds.

Signature overconfidence, indeed! And that same arrogance would lead him to use a quasar as a metaphor. It all goes back to the Dark feeding, again - even on stars! (Parasitic and even vampiric in a way. ) The Dark may seem inevitable - I was really leaning into Stover's A+ work here - but even a single candle can push back that same dark.

*curtsies*

Again, I am so glad that you enjoyed this story in particular - no one on the boards writes the Sith quite like you do, and I'm honored to have your approval.

Definitely beats Vadering.

Heck yeah there's gonna be poofs on top! Gosh, but I just love this mental image too!

It's a title you've more than earned.

Thanks again for the wonderful feedback!

Success! That's just what I was going for.

Thank you so much!

Thanks! It's always so much fun to dabble in this 'verse.

Thank you! That and the second-person POV really helped convey that dreamlike sense of terror and helplessness. It was an interesting exercise while writing, and I'm happy to hear that it was effective as a reader too!

I hadn't even thought about it that way, but you're right.

That it does.

*passes tissue*

You're right. Anakin has a very good idea of what she's seen, and it does weigh heavily on him.

Thanks!

Thanks for saying so! It's always a trick writing children, so I'm glad to hear that his introspection came across well.

This poor little guy is just trying so hard!

I know, right? My high school was designed with curving hallways, with lots of circles intersecting. Getting the layout down was a nightmare. I have no idea what the architect was thinking, but that seems like something the Jedi would do.

That we have!

Priorities, you know?

I love writing non-human characters for just this reason! SW gives us such a diverse galaxy to play in, and there's lots to explore!

It really is the best, writing an Anakin that isn't dumb and Sithy! He's definitely going to feature a fair amount in this Run.

Exactly!

Thank you so much for your kind words!

Aw, thanks!

Thank you so much! "No good, very bad day" stories are so relatable, aren't they? And Deniel's day definitely went from the worst to the best! I'm glad that you enjoyed meeting Deniel here, as I do look forward to writing him again in the future.

When is too fluffy too fluffy for this 'verse? I don't know, but I'm not going to stop until I find out.

I love this lineage of masters and apprentices almost as much as I do our main disaster dynasty. Thankfully Mace is very, very patient - even if Ezra tries that patience often. (Look, I love Ezra, I really do, but I spent a fair amount of time watching Rebels either being stressed out or flat out annoyed by him - when did I get so old? )

*curtsies*

Lol!! Especially throwing in a case of syncing your circadian rhythms to galactic time-zones as a prepubescent kid with the full stress of moving to what equates as a boarding school in order to learn how to master a supernatural power in the wake of a family tragedy. If anyone deserves to wake up late . . .

lololl!

For any of us! And especially all the more so for Deniel here.

It just seems like a very Jedi thing to do.

!

You know me and lekku communication - I just think it's so neat! I love thinking that since Twi'leks are such a common species in the Outer Rim Anakin has always known the basic signs, too - and then having a Togruta apprentice helped, with Togruta being very similar to Twi'leks except for all the ways they aren't (at least in my writing ). Then, a little bit of commonsense empathy and the Force fills in all the rest.

I figured that it had to happen! We've never seen the Jedi outright steal children anywhere in canon (at least that I know of), and it honestly irritates me when a lot of anti-Jedi arguments you see in various fandom spaces paint the Jedi as emotionless kidnapers. Instead, we do see them giving parents a choice - especially in TCW. Now, could parents feel unduly pressured to give up their children out of a skewed sense of obligation (how do you say no?) when they'd otherwise prefer not to? Sure, I can absolutely see that being the case! Even so, I have to imagine that there were families like the Asces who kept their children, and then benefited following the Renewal of the Jedi Order in this AU.

So much.

That is completely fair!

Indeed it is!

Success!

Thanks!

That is the BEST way to describe the artwork for TCW and TBB! I just love it.

Thank you so much! This little tyke has been thrown in the deep end, so to speak, but he's already treading water and he doesn't realize how close he is to actually swimming. He's got this.

Thank you so much! I love writing Twi'lek characters as it is, but it felt extra important to reference Deniel's family and culture as much as I could because in this 'verse he's amongst a new generation of Jedi Knights who get to be connected to both their birth culture and their adoptive culture in the Order. It's something really special to explore that I am enjoying as an author!

lololl! That's too true!

Right?? It's funny, but when I showed my sister Andor. all I said going in was that there's a character who I think is a Jedi in hiding, and I wanted her to guess which one. The very first scene we had with said character, standing there with their coat dramatically blowing in the wind. she was like: yep, right there. Jedi vibes. Only Jedi are that extra with their outerwear. Then, that speech just cinched it.

As always, I thank you so much for reading, and taking the time to leave your thoughts!



~ MJ

 

Author's Note's: Week Four's challenge was to write 100-1,000 words of action! So, here I am with 600 words of hard-core action and 300 words of banter about action, give or take. (Banter counts as action, right? ) This story goes hand in hand with Something There (another Song!verse WIP that I need to finish ) and features two of the most ace pilots the galaxy has ever seen. My title, of course, is borrowed from Firefly's opening theme, because of reasons.

Enjoy!

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Week IV: "Can't Take the Sky From Me"​

The high pitched zwing zwing of laser fire rang in her ears as scorching red light flashed across her viewport – with each shot much too close and growing closer still with every passing millisecond that she failed to shake her opponents.

“I know, I know!” Jaina Solo answered the shrieks of her astromech. “I took the inertia dampeners offline myself – calibrate what you can manually, and leave the rest to me.”

A dubious string of binary answered her as she banked hard to starboard. Simultaneously, she sank the nose of her X-wing in a vertical dive, spinning all the while to shake the dogged fighters on her tail. Her stomach pulled and her eyes watered, but she refused to let up on the tight spiral when one, two, and then the third enemy ship was forced to abort their own dive. Their fire flashed harmlessly far and away from their intended target, and Jaina smirked in satisfaction.

“Don’t!” even so, she clenched her teeth to command as she sank into another dizzying series of rolls. The gravity from the looming gas giant, Prias Major, tugged at her, but she only gunned the throttle in determination, watching as the calculations for potential vectors scrolled across her screen and furiously plotting her next move. “I told you, I’ve got this under control. You just worry about - ”

Yet her words cut short when she rounded the massive curve of the planet, and there -

Her eyes widened to see a capital ship, looming on the morning line where the solar system’s distant sun glowed in a luminous halo of light. She immediately cut back on her thrusters and commanded, “All power to the forward shields, now!” just as the space around her erupted in a blinding hailstorm of fire.

No amount of fancy flying could save her now, no matter how deft her maneuvers. While she spun and dove to escape the range of the cruiser's heavy batteries, one of the fighters behind her got in a lucky shot, causing her X-wing to buck as her portside engine burst into flame. She scrambled to compensate for the loss, tilting that same wing and increasing power to her remaining engine, but she was careening madly out of control. The stars wheeled as black spots tugged at her vision and her gut twisted sickly. Swallowing against a surge of bile, she tightened her grip on the yoke. She was determined that this wouldn’t be the end, so it wouldn't be – it couldn’t be. The information she carried was too vital, her mission too critical; failure simply wasn’t an option.

For both the Republic and the honor of her name, she would -

Yet the odds against her were too high. Another flare of red and the thunderous clap of an explosion, and then -

“Stang it!” Jaina cursed as she lost power to her remaining engine. “No, no, no!”

She was virtually dead in space now. Only her previous momentum carried her forward as she fired her booster engines to operate as best they could with the loss of their parent systems. Worse yet, Prias Major was looming ahead of her in a growing maw of xanthous gases and hazy aureolin storms. She was trapped by the pull of the planet's gravity – a gravity that would turn crushing once she was swallowed by the atmosphere. She couldn’t possibly escape with the state her ship was in. She could only hope -

“Hold on!” she shouted. “This is going to be a bumpy ride.”

But then, appearing seemingly out of nowhere -

“Do you need backup, fledgling?”

Jaina Solo opened her eyes, and peered down from the open canopy of her grandfather’s prized Aethersprite starfighter. Sheepishly, she met Anakin Skywalker’s amused gaze, even as Artoo warbled a cheerful greeting from behind her, giving her game away.

“That sounded like quite the dogfight,” he commented. “How bad was it?”

“Very bad,” Jaina answered solemnly. “One capital ship, three fighters, and me with only boosters and sublight engines.”

“That does sound perilous.”

“And I was on an uncontrolled descent into a gas giant. It was going to crush me with its gravity – if I wasn’t poisoned by the atmosphere when my life support systems failed first.”

“I see,” Anakin accepted in stride. “Certain doom, then?”

“Maybe not certain – not for the best pilot in the galaxy.”

“Oh, is that all?” Anakin chuckled as he reached up to help her down from the cockpit.

“Well,” Jaina conceded, “the future best pilot in the galaxy.”

“And how was the galaxy’s best pilot planning to get out of her latest tough spot?”

“I hadn’t gotten that far,” sheepishly, Jaina admitted. “But now, I think that the second best pilot in the galaxy was just about to come to my rescue.”

“Right before you were crushed by the gas giant?” Anakin easily accepted his demotion.

“Just before.”

“Well, now that the day’s been saved, the grandma of the best pilot in the galaxy wants you to know that dinner is ready. It’s time to come inside.”

Predictably, Jaina pouted. “We can’t stay out here a little longer?”

“I’ll tell you what – if you come in and eat all of your vegetables without a fuss, I'll take you out for a spin before bed. How does that sound?”

“I suppose that sounds good." Still, she hesitated. "But, if we’re going to eat dinner first, we might as well stay for dessert, too.”

For that, Anakin laughed outright. “You’ve been spending too much time with Obi-Wan. All right, my little negotiator, you got it – dessert too.”

Jaina happily took her grandfather’s hand, and together they left the hangar behind.



~ MJ

 

Ooh, what a dogfight! Jaina's definitely got mad skills, though I'm so glad that canopy opens when it does! Yes, I would say that such fun and engaging banter about action counts as action, especially when it is between two of the galaxy's best pilots, and especially when those two fine pilots are grandfather and granddaughter! And Jaina definitely does have excellent negotiation skills as well as piloting and dogfighting skills, I have to say. Thanks for another wonderful moment in the Songverse!

 

That's nothing, really - wait until you see the nine three prompts I gave Vi.

 

Goodness, but I didn't even realize that every entry, barring one, has been kid centric until you pointed it out! I suppose you can say that's a byproduct of writing a happy!AU.

Just so! And Wash can pull off anything Mal can think up; the entire Serenity crew is a wonderful Team as Family that way.

Thanks for reading - and for the great Firefly comments here and in the main challenge thread. My, but didn't that bring back some memories in the best way!

Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed the action - and the bantering about the action, especially. Jaina really embodies the best of her family, even in canon, but I do love writing her interacting with her grandfather in this AU! I can only imagine how strong their bond would be.

As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read, and your lovely comments, more than I can say!

The Azure Angel was a beautiful ship, wasn't she? (And Anakin would make quite the silver fox, I agree. )

Thanks for reading!

Padmé would have words on the matter, that's for certain. Unfortunately, she'd be fighting a losing battle between the bad influence of Anakin's colorful Huttese vocabulary and Han's - although something tells me Leia can top them all when she's properly inspired.

Thank you! It was a blast writing Jaina's game of make-believe, all the way down to Anakin's demotion.

Then, of course, any day of heroic do-gooding - and narrowly avoiding Certain Doom - should most certainly be celebrated by dessert.

That's one of my favorite parts about writing this AU, too! It's such a joy to blend together so many starswarsy elements that may not have come together in canon for something that's different, but still the same. And I just adore the Solo/Skywalker family and all of their extended relatives in this 'verse! Imagining Obi-Wan interacting with his great-grandniece, so to speak, is just the best.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you continue to enjoy this collection as goes!

Pfft, don't you even worry, BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE NOW AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!

*curtsies*

Now I can't wait to see what else has been prescient of future prompts.

Palpatine in an evil nutshell of evil, it's true!

I actually thought something similar when I was writing! I too tend to see Palpatine as a sort of avatar of darkness than a person, but then this backstory with the Palpatine family vineyards just sorta wrote itself and I blinked at the screen and went: okay, so that's a thing now. I suppose that he wasn't born cackling and shooting lightning from his fingertips, but it was darn sure close.

BECAUSE IT IS!

Aw, thanks! It's a metaphor/subject that I never get tired of writing, so I'm thrilled that it continues to resonate.

I mean, stars are our go-to metaphor for a lot of SW-y things, especially when talking about the Skywalker family line and Anakin in particular. It's only fitting that Palpatine be the supermassive black hole slowly devouring the galaxy in opposition to that light.

Just as I was going for!

Indeed not - this battle was a true clash of titans, where the stakes couldn't be higher.

It's like he was asking to get pelted by a snowball!

ALL THE HAPPINESS FOR EVERYONE, I SAY - AND THAT GOES FOR SPACE!DAD TOO!

That is the highest praise, as always!

That was the first line I wrote, and I from there I knew that I couldn't just scrap the idea.

I will let these characters have all of the good things, just you watch me!

I suppose that I did dash the happy feelings from the snowball fight there.

*passes tissue*

I love that you picked up on that detail! Mara's particularly gifted in the Force when it comes to communication - and especially after reading @Gabri_Jade's meta and work, that's something I appreciate all the more so now. Imagining that, even across time and space, Mara could hear this Leia thanks to the cataclysm Alderaan's destruction rent in the Force . . . well, it was interesting to consider, to say the least. It's so interesting that it just may have some bearing on a plot point or two in the future - including a HSSV spoiler I really need to return to writing someday.

That's the very definition of bittersweet, isn't it?

My gosh, but imagining jetlag on a galactic scale, where a planet's orbit and rotation is unique to every world - yeah, talk about wrecking havoc on your sleep cycles! And of course, when you're exhausted like that - and away from home and still acclimating to a new place at the ripe old age of nine . . . yeah, that's a No Good Very Bad Day just waiting to happen, and Deniel deserves all of the hugs.

(And yay, I'm so glad! I really love the name Deniel, too. )

CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE WHAT AN INSPIRATION AND A FORCE FOR GOOD HE'D BE??? GAH, ANAKIN, BUT WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A TRASH KING INSTEAD???

Ahem, anyway, I just love writing this version of Anakin - have I mentioned that lately?

I find non-human physiological details like this absolutely fascinating, and try to work them into my writing whenever I can! (Which I know you know. ) So, as always, I am happy to hear those details struck their mark!

RIGHT??? There had to be so many of them out there! I mean, to say again: we've never actually seen the Jedi outright steal children in canon, and it pushes my buttons when anti-Jedi arguments paint Jedi as emotionless kidnapers. Parents are given a choice, and with that choice it stands to reason that some parents would say thanks but no thanks. The Asces are one such family. (And the Jedi Reconstruction Act is just so clunky to say outside of an official context - which is what I referred to it as in AOSRS and HSSV. This was prettier, and felt more Jedi-y - and besides, I still have Gabri's 'verse on the brain, which is probably how I jumped from Reconstruction to Renewal, in retrospect. )

Aaaand that does sound like a very interesting OC that I wouldn't mind reading more about if your muse is ever so inspired - just saying.

Almost certainly! Imagining an Anakin who's at peace with Shmi's memory and who's grown into a strong father and mentor, both - gosh, but it hurts so good! Deniel is truly seeing the best of who Anakin Skywalker could have been in this scene.

Some things are just universally Skywalker traits.

I tend to view writing action as a necessary evil in a fandom like SW. I didn't even realize how much I enjoyed writing starfighter action so much until Something There and then this ficlet. It's everything good about flying, but it's IN SPACE! What's not to love?

Thank you! Xanthous is one of my favorite words for that egg-yolk shade of yellow, and aureolin is a word that makes me chuckle for a silly reason. I'm an oil painter, as you know, and there are simple, universal names for your staple pigments. Usually, manufacturers only use fancy names to label a blend of pigments, which is something I don't want. Anyway, I was looking for plain old cobalt yellow in one of my new favorite brands, only to find that they called theirs aureolin when I checked the pigment numbers, and I was like, way to be extra there, but I could have saved so much time if you called your paint cobalt yellow just like everyone else.

Anyway, yeah: they're two great descriptive words that I now look for opportunities to drop into my prose whenever I can.

BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH TO LOVE!!!

Happiness and fluff and everyone is alive, indeed! You can't put it better than that!

They are coming along splendidly, and if all goes well, I shall have them up first thing in the morning after a last bit of editing. (They're all just over 200 words, so I need to fix that. But they're close - so very close! )

Until then!



~ MJ

 

I feel this in my soul. I've always been the "mom friend", even when I was young - I think that's an oldest sibling thing, too - so I completely understand. That's one of my favorite Marvel lines for just that reason! (And there's nothing better than such practical purchases - the last gift my sister got me was a spatula and oven mitt gift set and it was the best thing ever. I'm saving pennies for a new vacuum, and there will be much rejoicing on the day that I bring it home. )

Ooooh, I did not, but I love this detail! Refusal was canonically a valid option - there you have it!

Artoo is very indulgent with his sentient companions at this point - and you know he has a soft spot for Jaina - but he's still Artoo, too.

Also: yay! Action isn't the most comfortable thing for me to write, so I was thrilled to hear this!

This is a fact.

I am just as delighted to share brainwaves with you as I was with Elli! Nothing fits a mostly-happy!AU better than childish antics such as these, it's true.

Yay, success!

Zahn knows what's what, it's true.

I know, I know!

I love this! Honestly, I meant to type Reconstruction but then my fingers slipped and wrote Renewal without my conscious thought and it was perfect! I do love how art feeds art, and thank you for the most excellent inspiration.



All right, then! Now I will have more to share in just a few minutes.


~ MJ

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: Aw, thank you so much!

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Author's Notes: For Week Five, the challenge was to write three double drabbles for the prompts Shepherd, Juggernaut, and Undertaker. However, because my muse has absolutely zero chill, I went and asked @ViariSkywalker for even more drabble prompts. As a result, here I am with nine to share instead of the requisite three.

That said, my subject for this week is a mixed bunch of clone troopers. In summary, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with this aspect of my Song!verse: the surviving troopers of the Clone Army were eventually given full rights as sentient beings and Republic citizenship through various host worlds called Planets of Welcome. Their accelerated aging was reversed, they were given settlements in lieu of years of back-pay, and they had the option to either continue on as paid soldiers of the GAR or retire honorably and seek out whatever they'd like next from life. These are their stories.

There is one OC in this set, an Alderaanian barista named Amily Gabrees, and links to further stories about her - and quite a few other rambling remarks - can be found in my end notes.

Enjoy!

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Week V: "Theirs to Live and Thrive"​

Handler

Their case agent was a Human woman with greying hair and a perpetual look of bureaucratic indifference fixed on her tired features.

“You’ve selected Alderaan for your Planet of Welcome?” she asked without looking up from her screen.

“Affirmative,” Jesse answered. He sat carefully upright in his duraplastic chair (fighting the deeply engrained instinct to stand at attention before a natural-born citizen all the while), and swallowed the “ma’am, yes, ma’am” that reflexively wanted to follow.

“Alderaan,” next to him, Kix exhaled, his voice full of that same . . . something (joyanticipationfear) Jesse felt pound in his own chest. “Can you believe it?”

For that, the woman looked up, sparing a glance between them. “You’ll report to Agent Lantilde during your acclimation period, but once you sign here,” she indicated, “and here," she gestured, "you’ll officially be citizens of the Republic.”

It was another novelty to sign his name – his legal name, now, and not his CT-number – and then it was done. The woman gave a wan smile and simply said, “Welcome.” She stood, and surprised him by offering her hand, which Jesse and then Kix shook only somewhat awkwardly. “Thank you for your service, and good luck with your new lives.”



Brother

Stretched across the vast green of the Senate Commons, the Clone Trooper Memorial Wall was striking in its simplicity. The opalescent white stone needed no adornment but for its countless rows of engraved CT-numbers. A precious few had names alongside their designations, but all too many were bare.

Fox walked the seemingly infinite length of the monument in the waning sunlight, seeking one name in particular.

Part of him was overwhelmed by the tribute. He’d long been taught – and had even believed – that it was an honor to exist solely to live and die on behalf of the citizens of the Republic. And yet . . .

He couldn’t help but think of that awful day in the Chancellor’s office, once Palpatine’s guise was thwarted and that ever-whispering voice in his head was finally silenced. He thought of Riyo’s soft hands and even softer smile as she traced the new scar on his temple. And, especially here, he remembered . . .

Fives; there . . . there was the name he sought.

He bowed his head and touched his brow to the stone. For a long moment, he merely breathed, trapped between the weight of his undeserved blessings and his sins. “I'm sorry, brother,” he finally exhaled. "Please, forgive me."



Shepherd

“I know, we can raise tumuons! Can’t you just imagine us, tendin' a farm of our own?”

“While I wouldn't object to a planet of, say, Alderaan’s infrastructure in order to accommodate Wrecker’s nascent agrarian leanings, I would prefer a world closer to Commenor in terms of technological - ”

“ - bah! Who would ever choose Commenor over Alderaan? Or Chandrilla, even. We can herd paccas!”

“Indeed we may,” Crosshair, silent until then, interjected, “and yet, whomever would you find to fight?”

Hunter leveled a look at his brother, who merely smirked.

Wrecker hesitated, torn, even as Tech pointed out, “Aren't we leaving the GAR to avoid further violence?”

But Wrecker wasn’t easily deterred. “Caamas! We can shepherd those cute lil’ igglies, and if any big bad zu’ulf thinks they’re gonna get a tasty meal – bam!” He slapped his hands together. “There I’ll be!”

“Wrecker,” Hunter warned, glancing down at Omega, who slept against his shoulder.

“Right, sorry,” Wrecker flushed sheepishly. “Bam!” he whispered. “There’ll I be.”

"What about you?" Echo asked Hunter as Tech protested Caamas and Crosshair goaded them both into further bickering. “Where would you like to go?”

Hunter watched Omega breathe. “Anywhere she can grow in peace.”



Juggernaut

The Megamart shopping center loomed in an imposing maze of aisles and goods. Armed with his hovercart, Rex studied the signs overhead and planned his attack.

The grocery section seemed much too overwhelming – where would he even begin, staging that assault? – so he turned for the health and hygiene department. Soap; soap was a good start. After years of sonic showers, his new apartment on Carida had the luxury of running water, which he intended to take full advantage of.

Yet purchasing soap was easier said than done. He glanced, wide-eyed, from the Species of All Sentience Beckon Bubbles to All’s Fair in Suds and Pour fur lather and Madame Dove’s scale scrub, searching for plain and simple soap.

Maybe he should have let Ahsoka come along after all. He’d wanted to, but this had seemed . . . important, somehow, that he do alone.

With that, he noticed a bodywash for sensitive non-human noses. Well, if he was going to be working closely with Ahsoka – General Tano – then he really should . . .

Pleased with himself, he placed the bottle in the cart. That one small decision made, he felt ready to tackle the rest of the mighty Megamart labyrinth, one aisle at a time.



Undertaker

Battlefields had fazed him less than the grand façade of the Alderaa University of Medicine.

Deeply, Kix inhaled to steady his nerves and tightened his hand on his pack. Your have a clear objective, trooper, he showed himself no quarter, and that’s to get through day one of class. So move your shebs.

Obeying his orders, he entered the building with a deliberate stride. Thankfully, he found his first lecture hall easily enough – he’d studied the school’s schematics in advance – and took a seat directly in the professor's line of sight. There were two points of egress, he noticed, but a dozen potential more with the southward facing windows. Yet he pushed that observation aside. He was a civilian now, and far from the frontlines. Now, there was only peace – peace, and the opportunity to become a real trauma surgeon instead of a flash-trained field medic. This was why they’d picked Alderaan in the first place, and he was determined to see his objective through.

He’d seen enough of death – of brothers who marched on, even as his useless hands struggled to keep them alive. Now, he was determined to dedicate himself to life and its living in every possible way.



Voice

Amily Gabrees had long since considered Jesse and Kix as any other pair of identical twins – they may have shared many mannerisms and characteristics, but were still completely themselves. Sometimes, she forgot Jesse was a clone entirely. But now, to see a table full of his genetic doubles . . .

"I still can't believe that caf isn't just caf," one of the younger clones – that, even Amily could tell – marveled aloud. Amily smiled for his words, remembering her first time meeting Jesse. He too had been incredulous (and adorably wonderous – stars, but she loved seeing her own world anew through his eyes) for everything the café had to offer.

"It's a wide world," Jesse repeated her own words to his brother. (She recognized his voice, even without looking, no matter that five such voices then spoke, and that . . . well, she knew that meant something.) "Stick with us, vod'ika, and we'll show you."

With that, she brought her tray over (watching how five gazes snapped to her in unerring unison, but only one pair of eyes warmed in a way that was hers), and grinned to announce, "All right, gentlemen, these are on the house – we've got a lot to catch you up on."



Reaper

Some nights, the Dream returned; the dream where he was himself, but not; the dream where he was stolen from himself, where Bly was gone and only CC-5052 remained and good soldiers follow orders and pleasenopleasenoIcan’t and Aayla, look out, Aayla!

In the Dream, he was the sharpened edge of a scythe, but here, here . . .

His eyes flew open, and his hand reached out in the dark, only to meet the emptiness of cool sheets.

With that, he was fully awake. He rose, and followed where Aayla had walked down to the shore of the lake adjacent to the GAR's Caridian base. She sat where the surf played across the sand, holding a steaming cup of tea in her hands as she watched the moonlight dance over the waves.

It soothed something inside him to see the tight line of her lekku ease as he approached. When he joined her, she wryly offered him a matching mug. "You too?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "But it doesn't matter." He slipped his hand under her lekku, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her close. "Not now, not with you."

Aayla sighed, and melted into him like the tide.



Legion

The clone commanders still met up whenever possible.

Though they’d left the proverbial GAR watercooler behind – sighing over their Jedi and offering condolences for their dead as only fellow ori’vod could – little else had changed. They now wore civilian clothes, and nerf-burgers and ale were the fare of the day while the limmie finals played in the cantina's background, but the camaraderie remained the same. They teased Bly for his fresh blue paint while Grey boasted about Commander Dume’s impending knighthood and Wolffe grumbled about his recruits at the Academy.

They all, of course, laughed for Fox’s place on Sentient Holozine’s Top Hundred Sexiest Consorts. Gree was further overjoyed to point out that the First Matron of Kartooine ranked even higher on the list.

“Aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder for every species,” Cody said with a thoughtful shrug entirely reminiscent of General Kenobi. “Matron Otna is the pinnacle of Gammorean beauty – it’s the pink in her skin, apparently.”

“And if a Gammorean is easier on the eyes than my face,” Fox deadpanned, “then the same goes for you lot – we all share the same mug, so congratulations.”

Cody chuckled with his brothers, and signaled for another round of drinks.



Resonance

Amily had watched the crowing work of Jesse's latest exhibition as it came into creation, and knew it was something special from the first.

But here, now . . .

The massive relief painting was life-sized, depicting a long line of clone troopers leaning on each other at a battle's end. The dead were numerous at their feet, and not a single soldier was helmeted. Instead, their young faces were naked and tired and worn beyond their years. Brothers, the piece was called, and it wasn't only the vod'e who were struck by the sentiment it so powerfully expressed.

Throughout the opening gala, Amily watched as former clone soldiers came up and touched their brows to the only helmet present in the piece – held in the lifeless hands of one of the fallen. Eventually, one gallery-goer respectfully asked if they could do the same. Jesse gave his permission – the helmet had been specially varnished for just such a ritual – and one and another and then several paid their respects.

Amily, meanwhile, silently thanked every soldier who had marched on for the gift she had to stand there, hand in hand with Jesse. She bowed her head, humbly grateful for their sacrifices so that those they protected could truly live.

Spoiler: End Notes

Kix and Jesse/Amily: If I ever wrote a SW sitcom, it would be about Jesse and Kix learning how to live away from the GAR while being roommates in downtown Alderaa City. Kix, in this 'verse, gets to fulfill his dream of going to medical school, while Jesse dives into his art full time. Also, I wrote as close to a Coffee Shop AU as I'll come for SW with my OC, the barista Amily Gabrees. I've written a few ficlets with her and Jesse (and Kix) in part two of As You Are (As We Are) and the drabble sets Enter, Life and Night Will Come, But Not to Stay.

The Clone Troopers Memorial Wall: Is based on the RL Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Riyo Chuchi/Fox: I don't really have much more to say about this crack!ship that I haven't already said in Now You're a Home. I will add, however, that in the penultimate chapter of AOSRS, Fox got to confront Palpatine as he couldn't in canon, and that still remains a plot point I'm really proud of all these years later.

Bly and Aayla's Dreams: It is canon that all of the clones dreamed about Order 66 before it happened. Can you imagine combining that nightmare of what could of been along with Aayla's ability to sense something of that other time and place this 'verse has subverted?

Sentient Magazine's Top 100 Sexiest Consorts: This is a riff off a similar plot in Madame Secretary (yes, one of my all-time favorite TV shows ), where Henry McCord made the top three on a People Magazine list of a similar name. For anyone who may be curious: first place went to a Zeltron former Miss Galaxy, Xiris Heret, who's part of the Zeltron Senator Heret's zys (see headcanon here); second place went to Eleni Syndulla (after Senator Free Taa was convicted on numerous counts of corruption, Cham Syndulla was elected to replace him); and third place belongs to Anakin Skywalker himself, who is very, very proud of the title and routinely uses it to embarrass his children.

Am I overthinking a small plot-point in a two hundred word drabble? Why, yes I am, which leads me to . . .

Matron Otna: Though I didn't have enough space in my word count to flesh out her story, it goes without saying that Matron Raav Otna is an absolute boss. I think that the Gammorean world-building in canon has a tendency to be lazy and cliché - though I am all for the idea of Gammorean opera and poetry in their native language. Matron Otna and her Devaronian husband, Gyorgi Otna, the governor of Kartooine, take great pride in their Step Up educational and small business program opportunities. Kartooine is a rare world on the edge of Hutt Space that has membership in the Republic, and many of their citizens are immigrants from the Outer Rim who want to set up a firm foundation for themselves before venturing to settle on other Republic worlds. By several non-human standards (and maybe human, too ) Raav is an absolute knockout, though of course, that detail is absolutely neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.

Brow to Brow: Tapping helmets is a sign of affection between two Mandalorians in full armor. (Ironically, a head butt is also called kov'nyn - a Keldabe Kiss - just to keep things Mando, and all. ) I like to continue the more Legends tradition of the clones having a quasi-Mandalorian culture of their own, gleaned from their progenitor and their Mandolorian Cuy'val Dar trainers. What's more than that, this bit of world-building has a RL correlation! The Hongi is a Maori tradition; they touch foreheads and noses as a greeting and sign of love and respect. The hongi is even done officially in political ceremonies! It's literally viewed as an exchange of the breath of life - which, according to their lore, is how the first woman was born. Seeing as how both Temuera Morrison and Daniel Logan are Maori, this detail seemed especially fitting.

Brothers: Jesse's relief painting is 100% inspired by John Singer Sargent's Gassed. John Singer Sargent is one of my favorite portrait and figurative artists, and this piece in particular is . . . well, it's evocative and heartbreaking and completely larger than life in more ways than one. It felt fitting to pay homage to this masterpiece in what a small way I could.

~ MJ