Saga Cowgirl's Drabble Roundup: UDC VIII & Beyond

Week 7 drabbles.

Tangy

"I don't get it, Rey."

"Don't get what?"

"You forgave me."

"That's right. I did."

"Why?"

"The Maker only knows. Maybe I felt sorry for you. Like I said before, I'm too compassionate for my own good. Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I could eat."

Rey found her bag and retrieved a couple ration packs.

"Save your instabread. I can arrange something better, if you'll help me up."

"Whatever."

After a few minutes in the galley, Ben gave her a plate.

The tender, flavorful meat patty and the creamy, tangy sauce were like nothing she'd ever tasted.

"Mmmm. Wonderful."



Sweet

"If you liked that, you're really gonna like this."

Gritting his teeth, Ben pushed himself out of his chair and hobbled back to the galley. He soon returned with two steaming mugs, setting one in front of Rey.

She took a sip of the thick, brown liquid. It was rich and sweet.

"This is even better than the...other stuff."

"Nerf sausage with tzadziki sauce."

"Yeah, that. What's this called?"

"Hot chocolate."

"It's heavenly."

"I know."

Her eyes narrowed.

"What are you trying to do, Solo? Win me over with food? Where did you learn to cook like that, anyway?"



Spicy

Ben hung his head. He was silent for nearly a whole minute. When he finally looked up, there were tears in his eyes. He swallowed hard.

"Dad. Dad taught me to cook."

He stared off toward the galley. In a moment, a sad smile appeared on his face.

"I remember when he taught me to make his Red Alert Bean Stew. He was cutting up a Lava Pepper to put in it. 'This is what makes it', he said. Dared me to eat a piece. Naturally I did. Felt like my mouth was on fire."

Rey smiled. "Idiot."

"I know."



Bitter

When Finn entered the cafeteria, he couldn't believe who he saw sitting with Rey.

"You...How...What even?"

He couldn't form a proper sentence.

Rey laid a hand on his arm.

"Sit."

He sat.

"Breathe."

He sighed.

"Now try again."

"What. The kriff. Is. This scum. Doing here?"

Just then Leia joined them.

"'This scum' is my son."

"Sorry."

"I forgive you."

Ben looked Finn in the eye.

"Look, I know you don't like me, & I don't blame you, but don't let bitterness & anger consume you. That's how the darkness gets you. I learned that the hard way."

"Okay. Truce?"



Bland

"Truce. Let's eat."

"Sure."

Awkward silence.

"So, um, how's everybody like the food here?"

"I love it."

"Whatever, Rey. You just like food."

"Yeah. 'Specially when you cook it."

Finn did a double take.

"Wait, you let...Ben...cook for you?"

"He volunteered. As a thank you. Long story. How about you?"

"Huh?"

"The food."

"Oh. It's, um...."

"Kind of terrible? No offense, Mom."

"No. Terrible is the slop they feed to stormtroopers. This is just...bland. Like the kitchen staff forgot what salt is."

"Maybe somebody should remind them."

"Let's make Ben the cook.....What? He's a good cook."

 

Love this look at Ben and Rey

 

Thanks. It kind of connects to another story I wrote.

 

Aww, I miss doing SW drabbles.

This was great. Taking a unique idea and running with it.

Leia clearly wasn't that fond of Han by the end, anyway. That bit jars when you stop to consider the arc, but during the process, quite the pleasant read.

Red Alert Bean Stew....

"Idiot."

"I know."

 

Red Alert Bean Stew -- basically chili.

I imagine when he says "I know", he sounds like his dad.

 

When you post a link to that story, I would love to read that. Because your drabbles where just mean appetizers.

 

A Promise Kept

There you go.

 

Hello!!!! tickled happy you're doing these.
Loved all your week one entries. this line especially:
"Love undeserved kindled the ember to roaring flame, light vanquishing the darkness."
Fantastic!
Non-stop gets a big fat SQUEEEEE!

Week Four-- girl, you are just. What. The Doctor. Ordered. SQUEEEEEEE! Been missing this kinda L/M stuff-- snark leading to impulsiveness leading to mush!!!!
(Do this kind of writing for Trek and i'll be there in under a literal second.)
Week 5-- great entries, feel like missing moments from TESB. And Week Six-- Lorde and Sergio--cool and intriguing connection to Padme and the illustrious house of Palpatine.
Week Seven-- hmmm. Interesting bit of AU-ness about eventual outcomes and possible friendships.

 

Hey Cowgirl Jedi 1701.
Your set 7. Wow. A redeemed Ben Solo.A Family reunited

 

You want Trek stories? I'll PM you a link. And thanks for the positive feedback.

Thank you.

 

I dearly hope you pick up this thread again soon. As long as I am sick with high fever, under the impression of anti-biotics and suffering from a larynx inflamed by bacteria, I have the time to read good fan fic.

 

I just caught up on the drabbles you wrote so far, and while I can't really comment on them individually lest I'm still here tomorrow morning, there are a few elements that I'd like to highlight.

First of all, I like your approach of treating each group of prompts as a whole and building a story around it. One set that worked particularly well for me was the backstory you made for Finn in week 2, and I loved your take on the 'Mace is not dead' theory (because yeah, there's no way he could be Snoke!)

The second aspect of these stories I very much enjoyed is your characterisation. Even your OCs that were completely new to me felt very well-portrayed in a few brief sentences, and among established characters the one that really stands out is Han. Lots of classic Solo snark here, and the whole idea of Han getting drunk on Cloud City was just perfect. I particularly liked how you used the "theatre" prompt!

I hope you'll be continuing this, I really enjoyed it!

 

Oh, I'm sure I'll finish it eventually. But since I'm so far behind now anyway, I may as well just take my own sweet time about it.

 

I really enjoyed these. There were so many interesting takes and twists on things we've seen about the characters. I haven't read any of the Star Wars books, so I don't know who some of the characters are, but reading these snippets helped me understand Star Wars after Vader.

The movies made me not like Finn, too much. "How is a non-force sensitive wielding a light sabre?" was how I felt about movie version of Finn, but your version of Finn made it a reincarnation of Mace Windu. I found that exciting!

A physically crippled Kylo Ren redeemed to Ben Solo. If we follow regular movie patterns, he'll follow Darth Vader's path and won't be redeemed until just before he dies. But your Redeemed Ben Solo makes me wonder about the journey that finally brought him freedom from the Dark Side, what did it take to get Kylo Ren to become Ben Solo again? I like that question, and your snippet makes the question interesting.

I never really imagined that Darth Vader actually had dinner with Han Solo, and the others. That could have been a lot of fun if they had done it in the movie - or maybe not, since after dinner, Han was frozen in carbonite.

These were fun to read. Looking forward to more.

 

Found a whole set that I hadn't posted yet, so here they are.

Unlike the others I've done so far, these don't connect all together to form one story.

Rebellion, Revolution, and Martyr connect because they involve the same family of OCs. Freedom connects rather indirectly to the Week 2 drabbles, but I won't say how at this time because that would be too spoilery. Veteran is its own thing, at least for now.

And now, without further ado, Week 8 drabbles.

Rebellion

Physically, A'asha Vendara was not a strong woman, but her spirit and fortitude were a match for the fiercest warrior. She was soft spoken, but strong willed.

The day her youngest daughter was born, Chancellor Palpatine declared himself Emperor, and the Republic was replaced by the Empire. A'asha watched the vidscreen in disbelief, as liberty died with thunderous applause.

She rebelled, naming the newborn Chaa'va, meaning "hope".

She rebelled, calling her middle daughter, A'ayla. A'ayla, named for her mother's cousin, A'ayla Secura. Henceforth, each utterance of her name would be an act of rebellion.

To her last breath, A'asha rebelled.




Revolution

Any artist knows that their heart comes through in their work. So it was with Lavender's music. Heavily cloaked in metaphor, the anti Imperial sentiments were nevertheless there, though only visible to keen minded rebels.

Her music was revolutionized and the status quo forever altered, the night she dreamed of Vader returning to the light, as a young man selflessly offered the father he didn't know love he didn't deserve.

Through it all she heard her mother's voice echoing....

"Someday you'll write a song that melts a heart of stone, singing through the Force to lead a lost one home."




Martyr

A'ayla Vendara knew that the moment she started signing there would be no going back. She would be a target. Whatever happened to her because of this song, she was asking for it. But she also knew she was right, and she refused to back down. Seeing stormtroopers in the audience did not dissuade her. It encouraged her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and began.

"I can't do this anymore
Walk the shadowed road
I can't look the other way
While a world explodes......"

She continued, defiant, to the last militant words.

".....Scream the battle cry
Remember Alderaan!"




Freedom

Mace Brightstar smiled as he picked up his paycheck. His last paycheck.

There was nothing wrong with being a janitor, but for him, being a janitor at the Senate building was hell.

It wasn't the work, and it wasn't the senators. It was the Chancellor.

Palpatine looked friendly, and he acted friendly, but there was a pervasive wrongness about the man that turned Mace's stomach.

But as of this moment he was officially done. Goodbye and good riddance. Freedom awaited just outside the door.

He whistled on his way out, despite his nagging certainty of an impending poodoo and fan collision.




Veteran

Ensconced in the bubbleworld of hyperspace, two weary veterans appreciated the chance to relax. The quiet would only last a few hours, but they'd take what they could get.

Though battle born, Rex was battle weary. And if he was weary, the Togrutan girl beside him was overwhelmed.

She hugged her knees to her chest, crying.

In a flash, everything - just everything - went sideways. The world as they knew it exploded into a real shavit storm.

So much loss. And the way she felt it..... He had difficulty imagining.

She needed comfort. He had no words. So he held her.

 

I particularly liked Martyr and Veteran.

Freedom is missing... A deeper message?

 

Now you made me pretty curious to meet all those characters...

 

Gorgeously written, Lavender's artistic talent used to stir the hearts and souls of Rebels. Veterans: delightful with Rex/Ahsoka.

 

Nope. Just an oops. Fixed.

 

Freedom:

A retiring Force sensitive janitor who didn't know he was Force sensitive and who sensed the Dark Side of The Force in Chancellor Palpatine, where all of the Jedi Council missed it.

Oh, Irony! Thy name is Ironic!

Veteran:

Ashoka is in mourning. At first I was thinking it was after feeling Alderaan destroyed through the Force, because the guy is saying the world (as they knew it) blew, but he wouldn't say "as we knew it" if it was Alderaan. So she's mourning the loss of her friends and colleges in the Jedi Order after surviving Order 66.

Which came first, Mace Windu's battle with Chancellor Palpatine A.K.A. Darth Sidious, or Order 66? Or did that happen at the same time? I can't remember...

Rebellion:

"A'asha watched the vidscreen in disbelief, as liberty died with thunderous applause." That line sounds familiar somehow....

I just remembered, Amadaya, Queen of Naboo left Curoscant after surviving several assassination attempts, leaving Jar Jar Binks in charge. He gave that speech, and then the Senate voted to give Palpatine "emergency powers." Then one of the Jedi said a line similar to A'asha's. Or am I imagining that? I haven't seen that movie since forever, so I'm not sure anymore.

It also reminds me of the day George Bush pushed for and got The Patriot Act passed in Congress and formed the Department of Homeland Security. I remember feeling the same way A'asha felt.... And Congress had applauded thunderously as well....

I'm really liking that when I read these, it immediately reminds me of what happened in the movies, even though you aren't explicitly talking about any particular scene. That's pretty cool.

 

Close, but no cigar. There's a thing called "quitting".

I'm guessing you don't watch the Clone Wars series, or you'd know who Rex was.

I thought it was Bail Organa? Oh well, I suppose we could look it up.

 

Oooh, I remember you talking about your Twi'lek OCs in one of the resource threads, it's nice to finally see them in action! Though after reading "Martyr" I do kind of wish A'asha hadn't named her daughter A'ayla; it's a bit sad to meet an OC moments before their (presumably) impending death.

I'm very curious to find out how "Freedom" connects to the week 2 drabbles. I can see where the first name comes from, but no Brightstars in week 2 that I can see... I guess I'll have to wait for the story that provides the explanation.

"Veteran" is one of those perfect self-contained drabbles that don't require a longer story to make sense, but make me extremely curious to know what the longer story could be. I hope a related plot bunny bites you soon!

 

You presume too much.

Yes, you will have to wait.

Three words: I ship Rexsoka.

 

Found these delights and gulped them all down at once.

Week One:

Valor -- wonderful exchange and in character "Anakin you'll be the death of me." Oh the layers of meaning!

Defeat -- oh how poignant!
Sacrifice - beautifully insightful
Victory -- THIS!
"Love undeserved kindled the ember to roaring flame, light vanquishing the darkness." Beyond lovely.

Week Two:
Fascinating with Mace and Claire and their family.

Week Three:
Just SQUEEEE! Especially for "Non-stop."

Then I read Week Four and MELTED! YUM, yum. Isn't couple mush just loads of fun?

Week Five -- great ESB moment

Week Six -- super back-story on Padme's parents.

 

Lol, I read this and was like, "What? They're not - ...He's like, her nephew." It took me forever to remember, "Derp. They named their baby Padmé, in honor of his famous relative."