Beyond - Legends Stardust and Steel (AU, Hondo, Chaos Twins & OCs, Allana, Ben, humor, drama, 2024 Kessel Run & more)

Title: Stardust and Steel
Author: ViariSkywalker

Timeframe: 44 ABY & beyond (mostly)
Characters: Hondo Ohnaka, Dorian Starskip (OC), Veeran Starskip (OC), other OCs, Allana Djo Solo, Ben Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, plus a surprise EC or two
Genre: all of them? (but definitely AU)

Summary: Hondo Ohnaka rescues a bunch of Force-sensitive kids from the One Sith and adopts them into his pirate gang
(Or, the Super Evil Chaos Twins of Evil become pirates instead of Sith Lords, because Hondo)

Notes: This is my response to the 2024 Kessel Run challenge, featuring stories in a new AU of my Enter!verse: the pirate AU! (Well, space pirates at any rate. ) Hopefully these will make sense and be enjoyable even if you haven’t read any of my other fics. Endless thanks to @Mira_Jade for once again providing me with my own secret prompts so that I can participate with everyone else!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Wars, but the words and OCs are mine.

Enjoy!

---

Index:

2024 Kessel Run Challenge​

Week 1: The Wordsmith | 51 ABY | Everyone’s a critic
Dorian Starskip (OC) & Hondo Ohnaka

Week 2: Good Business | 44 ABY | Hondo considers whether to take in the eight young Force-sensitives he rescued from the Sith
Hondo Ohnaka

Week 3a: “The Buccaneers’ Boarding Ballad” | What sort of shanty might space pirates sing?

Week 3b: “Obsession” | main Enter!verse, sometime after EtF | In another reality, Dorian Starskip is his worst self
Darth Festus (OC)

Week 4: Safe | 44 ABY | The smallest member of Hondo’s crew has a unique perspective on the newly arrived Sithlings
Leda the felinx (OC), Veeran Starskip (OC), Assorted Characters

Week 6: Perception | 53 ABY | Hondo’s Sithlings raid a ship, but only one of them knows the true value of its cargo
Allana Djo Solo/Dorian Starskip, Veeran Starskip, Assorted Characters

Week 7: Part of the Family | 54 ABY | Ben Skywalker, meet Hondo Ohnaka
Ben Skywalker & Hondo Ohnaka

Week 8: Uncle Hondo | 31 ABY | Luke and Mara meet the once and future pirate king
Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Hondo Ohnaka

Week 9: The Campfire | 53 ABY | Sitting around a late-night campfire, Hondo’s Sithlings drink and talk and remember
OCs: Dorian, Veeran, Dessa, Yaanis, Joor, Shadow, Gelki, Jax

Week 10: What to Expect When You’re Expropriating | 44 ABY | Hondo gives some valuable instruction to his newest pirate recruits
Hondo Ohnaka & his Sithlings

*Week 5: The Gallows Tree | 54 ABY | The Chaos Twins and their crew head to a mysterious planet in search of a long-lost relic, but what they find there isn't at all what they expected…
Veeran Starskip, Dorian Starskip, Hondo Ohnaka, Assorted Characters

Week 12: Message Received | 53-54 ABY | A series of messages both sent and unsent, and sometimes even received
Dorian Starskip, Allana Djo Solo, Hondo Ohnaka, Veeran Starskip, Assorted Characters

Continuing Adventures​

Your Request Is Being Processed | 54 ABY | There’s a darkness up ahead (Kessel Run Week 12 coda)
Darth Krayt & Doctor Mezzon (OC)



*my Week 5 story was posted during Week 11 of the Kessel Run due to the bye week option; it's position in the index reflects both the posting order of the stories and the fact that it takes place after the stories that preceded it

~~

 

Notes: Look at that, I finished early for once.

My prompt for Week 1 was to write a story between 100 and 1,000 words that begins with this sentence: “All you could see, and feel, was the ashes.”

The following takes place in a brand new AU. I won’t spoil anything more than that.

---

The Wordsmith | 51 ABY


All you could see, and feel, was the ashes. Each breath seared in your lungs and clouded your brain, and you couldn’t hear anything but the crunch of crumbled mortar and durasteel blasted halfway to oblivion, tamped down by a pair of boots somewhere beneath you. He held you in his arms as he walked – you realized it was the only time he’d ever done so, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to be revulsed by that fact – carrying you across the smoldering remains of his fortress. It hardly mattered; your brother had survived, and that was all you cared about.

The ashes… they freckled the air like heavy, bitter snowflakes, choking out the last rays of sunlight that bloodied Yalena’s sky. You were about to close your eyes and let unconsciousness take you again, and hope that just this once, it might be the sleep of the dead – dreamless, formless, deep black and unending – when a pair of amber lights blazed identical trails through the darkness around you. It took several seconds for your blast-fogged brain to recognize another sound beyond the incessant and unpleasant ringing in your ears: the drone of a large ship’s engine.

You weren’t sure how long the doctor stood there holding you, caught between his own ship and the newly arrived one, but you knew one thing for sure—

“Oh no, no, no, no, this will not do. Such morbid recollections, my boy, such… what is the word I’m looking for?”

Scratch that. You knew two things for sure—

“Two? Why not make it three, my grim little wordsmith? And speaking of being sure, are you sure you want to use this, ah… what is it called? This thing where you talk to yourself?”

Second-person perspective.

“Second-person perspective, I knew it would come to me! Yes, well… are you sure this is the, how should I say… the most exciting way to present your tale?”

You didn’t think there was anything particularly exciting about this part—

“Not exciting? Not exciting? Oh ho, but you could not be more wrong, my boy! This is where the excitement begins! For out of the darkness and the ashes, a daring and noble rescuer appears! A charming, talented, handsome rogue who… you should be writing this down, my boy.”

Out of the darkness, a rescuer—

“A daring and noble rescuer—”

—a daring and noble rescuer appeared—

“A charming and talented and very handsome— you stopped writing again, what is the matter? You do not like the way I tell it? You think perhaps I embellish too much, hm? We-ell, let me tell you, you will be happy for those little flourishes of originality when a pretty girl catches your eye, mark my words!”

I’m good, thanks.

“Very well. If you do not wish for your beloved captain’s advice on matters of the heart – or on the construction of your prose – I shall depart. But before I go, perhaps you will allow for one extremely tiny suggestion?”

…Yeah?

“This writing, it sounds like it happened so long ago.”

It did happen a long time ago.

“But there’s no immediacy, no fire.”

There was a lot of fire.

“Yes, yes, yes, but the past tense, and this second place person—”

Second-person perspective…

“That is what I said… Ah! I’ve got it! You should try writing it as if you were there.”

I was there.

“My poor hyperbolic child, you were barely even conscious for this part, you cannot be trusted to portray a convincing narrative. Here, let me see that datapad…”

I really need to start locking my door.

“Ah, well, it would not do any good you see, because I have the override code… Where are you off to, my little Starskipper? If it’s to the galley, bring Hondo back a sandwich, would you? Writing always makes me so very hungry…”


~~

Spoiler

 

Some poor one recollecting what he has experienced and not allowed to write that?
The wordsmith discussing this with him.
A great begin of your Kessel run

 

What fun! (Well, maybe not for the poor unfortunate person who has to take dictation....) As usual, there's no arguing with Hondo.

This was a great beginning. Will the rest of the stories in this thread expand on this one, or will they be skipping around?

 

I love this title!

*me when I check the clock in the middle of the night and see there's still a few hours before I have to get up*

In all seriousness, these opening lines were so descriptive and foreboding and gorgeously written.

And then -

At first I wasn't entirely sure who was speaking here but when I got it - I had the biggest grin on my face IRL! To me, Hondo is hands-down one of the best parts of Disney Star Wars and I'm so excited to see him here.

You captured his voice so perfectly!

Thank you for not only hosting the Kessel Run but for writing and sharing your own wonderful stories. This was fantastic, and I look forward to the rest of your Run!

 

Fascinating and snarky first entry!

 

Oh wow -- I don't know if you're doing each of these as a separate AU, but my immediate response to this is MOAR PLEASE. Dorian as a space pirate, that's one thing -- Dorian and Hondo? This is just the most delightful prospect!

Aww, buddy. This is the part of his character that always makes me say that, in spite of... erm, everything.

I love Hondo jumping in from the peanut gallery and just ruining his charge's Gothic flow. It's the best.

This was where I knew who it was without a doubt! Their conversation is just so fun, and I like how we get so much from the dialogue alone.

 

@earlybird-obi-wan

Ha, in a way, they're both wordsmiths, although one of them might not feel so enthusiastic about the other's contributions. Thank you for reading and for your comments!




@Seldes_Katne

Hondo is absolutely indefatigable, isn't he? I wasn't at all sure I could capture his voice when I first got the idea, but I've had a lot of fun writing him!

Thank you! My original plan was to have all the stories expand on this one, but I wasn't sure if I could come up with enough ideas to fill up twelve weeks (or write Hondo well enough to do so ), so that's why I left myself some wiggle room in the notes. But if I can keep thinking up plausible responses to the prompts in this particular AU, I will keep writing them! In fact, my next entry also takes place in this 'verse.



@Mira_Jade

This was just the best reaction, thank you!

(This is going to be my go-to emoji throughout this response, isn't it? )

It means the world to me that you feel that way!

I never want to overplay the Yalena stuff by writing about it too much, so I look for ways to do it a little differently each time, usually by changing up the POV in some way. I think this is the first time I've written an older Dorian recalling those events, so that was an interesting new way for me to approach it.

And yeah, that twisted relationship between Dorian and the doctor...

And I have answers... which will have to wait for a later prompt. (Okay, so there might be an answer or two in the next entry...)

It does.

Ha, I'm glad you liked it all! I'll admit, this entire sentence was me going slightly beyond what I would normally write for a scene like this because, you know, it's Lord Space Byron Dorian writing it. He (as Festus, anyway) often walks that fine line between drama and melodrama, and I wanted to take us right up to the edge.

TRAUMA

I had a lot of fun with this.

HONDO!

(And I had the same Peter and Yondu vibes at one point when I was brainstorming!!)

lol I figured it would be very predictable on my part to play that first line straight, so I decided I wanted to subvert it and hang a lampshade on it at the same time. And since I'd already been toying with the idea of a Hondo/Pirates AU, he gave me the perfect means to do so. I'm really, really glad both of their characters come through clearly - you know I was worried about my ability to write Hondo - and I couldn't help poking fun at second-person POV a little, even though I personally love it when it's done well.

Aw, thank you!

Who would have ever thought I'd be framing the events on Yalena in anything other than a horrific light?

lolll now I'm picturing Dorian waiting for Hondo to leave and then hunching over his datapad to furiously delete every melodramatic word, including all the ones he wrote himself, and then never wanting to speak of this again. But I'd say there are definitely some feelings there; he humored his pirate dad even though he probably didn't have to.

I mean, it's easier than trying to fight him on this, right?

Aw, this really means a lot, Mira.

He really is.

This might have been my favorite part to write; there's no fighting Hondo!

I'm so pleased and thrilled that you enjoyed my first foray into this AU, and I hope you'll enjoy the next one as well... coming up right after this!




@amidalachick

Aw, thanks! It was inspired by a quote Mira sent me a ways back: "Forget stardust... you are iron. Your blood is nothing but ferrous liquid. When you bleed, you reek of rust. It is iron that fills your heart and sits in your veins. And what is iron, really, unless it is forged?" Let's just say it was kinda perfect for the Chaos Twins (and a certain one in particular *couch*Ferrus*cough*), and it stuck with me. It was also inspired in a really roundabout way by the same song I used for last year's KR, Starset's "Starlight", with lines like "stardust in you and in me". It's a really beautiful song, I highly recommend it. (There's also an acoustic version which is also amazing, if you're interested!)

TOO REAL

I'm so glad you thought so!

Oh, agreed! I know Hondo kind of exists in this weird limbo of being almost half Legends and half Disney because of the timeline of TCW and the sale and everything, but I didn't really become familiar with him until watching Rebels, so he's very much a part of my Disney SW experience, and one of my favorite parts of it for sure.

Yay, I'm so happy to hear this! I was so worried about getting his voice right, and then maintaining it.

Aw, you're very welcome! And thank you for participating as well! Seeing so much enthusiasm for the KR makes me feel all the good feelings! And there will be more from the Hondo AU, so stay tuned!




@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!




@Findswoman

That's right!!

(And you know, at this point I pretty much consider the HK-47 stories to be part of the prime Enter!verse as well! )

I'm really glad you picked up on the meta aspect here! I had a lot of fun with that. And you're completely right, that is Dorian writing at the beginning - I leaned into the dramatic metaphors a little harder than usual for that very reason.

So my original plan for the KR was to write the entire thing in the Hondo/Pirates AU, but I wasn't feeling confident that I could maintain Hondo's voice for that long, or come up with twelve weeks' worth of stories, so I gave myself some wiggle room with my overarching theme. But, if I can somehow manage it, most (if not all) of these stories will take place in the Hondo/Pirates AU... including this next one.

This is all so wonderful to hear, and thank you for participating in and supporting this challenge as well! I love knowing that the KR is inspiring so much creativity and that people are having fun with it!




@devilinthedetails

Thank you!

Yay, I'm glad you liked that tonal shift!

He's so fun to write.

Right? There might have been a tiny bit of meta in this...

Thank you! I'm very pleased you enjoyed it!




@Kahara

I would love to be able to write in this AU for the entire KR if the prompts allow! (And if my creativity holds out, lets be real ) I know I said I would be exploring multiple AUs, but if I can somehow manage to write twelve weeks' worth of Hondo & the Pirate Twins, I will totally do it.

Right?? I've been so mean to this boy. (Both of these boys. ) Even with... everything that comes later, there's still always this.

lol ruining his charge's Gothic flow is right! I know I have a tendency toward that sort of gothic writing, and I wanted to hang a lampshade on that here.

I'm really glad Hondo's voice came through before the end. He was just plain fun to write, and if I've managed to capture his character accurately, then I'm happy. Thanks so much for your review!



And now I finally have my week 2 entry finished, set once again in the Hondo/Pirates AU!

 

Notes: My prompt for Week 2 was to write an internal monologue between 400 and 800 words that leads to an epiphany on the part of the monologuing character.

For those of you who wanted more of the Hondo/Pirates AU, here you go...

---

Good Business | 44 ABY


Well, Hondo Ohnaka, you magnificent pillar of virtue, you have done it again! You have plucked a passel of helpless younglings from the jaws of death while laughing in death’s ugly face, just like the old days. True, I did not touch down on that planet intending to acquire more than half a dozen children, but it’s like my sweet mother once said to me: “Son! Why have one child when you could have two, and why have two when you could have eight?”

All right, so she did not say eight exactly, and she might have been referring to some less than discreet behavior in my buccaneering youth that perhaps I could have handled better – ah to be young again, those were such wild times – but if she had seen those children huddled inside the ship with their wide, frightened eyes, she would have said, Take every one of them, Hondo my boy; save them from these wretched Sith Lords, and you will have their loyalty and affection – and their very unique talents – for the rest of your days.

My sweet, sweet mother, she always did have a way with words… and a way of calculating the greatest advantage and profit in any situation. She also had very lovely eyes, and a devastating right hook.

So now I have eight orphaned Sithlings in my care, and I must find uses for them. Can they scrub floors, wash dishes, clean weapons? Who knows! But I have started to learn their names and their individual… quirks. For instance! The leader of this little band is called Dessa, and though she is not the oldest of the children, she is the one the others look to for approval, like a cranky mother nuna with her chicks. Let’s see, then there is the loud human boy who thinks he is the leader because he is oldest and biggest, what is his name, Joor, Door, Thor… well, I’ll just call him Loud Boy for now… and then there is Yaanis, he is Rodian and very polite for a Sithling, and Gelki with the white fur, and the lumbering Twi’lek girl who shadows Loud Boy – maybe I will call her Shadow, it has a nice ring to it I think – and Big Jax, which is amusing because he is the youngest, apart from the twins…

Ah, the twins. At least, I think they are twins; I can never really tell with humans. I knew there was something different about them, but I could not put my finger on what it was until Loud Boy tripped over Subara’s pet felinx and blamed the taller twin for his trouble. The boy’s name is Veeran (oh ho, the challenge in his voice when I asked – I can already tell we will become good friends), but Loud Boy called him little Jedi as if it were the most vile of curses. I suppose for a child of the Sith, that must be true. I thought Veeran would knock Loud Boy to the floor right there and then (Floor? Bor? Maybe it is Joor… no matter, it will come to me), but he stayed his hand. Such Jedi composure! I didn’t tell him that of course – can’t give too many compliments on the first day – but I was thinking it all right.

And then there is his brother Dorian, the child with all the bandages. The Sith doctor’s particular favorite. I had heard stories about this Mezzon character and his so-called experiments – grisly stories, even for one such as myself, who has seen his share of horrors – but to witness firsthand the depths…

…There is so much ugliness in this universe. I will not pretend that I have not drunk from that cup. I am a selfish man, with selfish aims, and no matter how sincere my affections have been in the past, this life holds no place for children.

But.

If making pirates of a few children keeps them from a worse fate, I suppose I can make an exception. And if taking on eight Force-sensitive crew members gives me a unique and unanticipated advantage in the face of increasingly unscrupulous adversaries, well… that’s just good business.


~~

 

I love Hondo's commentary on his mother's advice and his assessment of the Sithlings quirks etc. This is an absolutely fun and interesting AU and I would love to see their adventures as these Force sensitives help Hondo with his piratic activity.

 

@ViariSkywalker, I would say you've got a good bead on Hondo's voice and style. I hope you continue with this idea (as much as the prompts allow).

Heh. This reminds me of the story of the farmer who had two horses that were so much alike, he couldn't tell them apart. He tried tying different colored ribbons on them, trimming their manes to different length, etc, Finally he measured their heights, and found that the black horse was two inches taller than the white horse....

Anyway, I'm enjoying these stories!

 

This is Hondo. Writing about children, sithlings and the horrors Dorian and Veeran suffered through the doctor. That's him showing compassion. Love to see him in your verse

 

That is beautiful, especially the acoustic version. Thank you for sharing!

(The quote was gorgeous, too, and definitely fitting for the Chaos Twins!)

THIS IS HONDO, I can hear every word!

Thinking of the practical things, I see. Also, I DIED at "Who knows!"

Ouch. I haven't read all of your Chaos Twins stories but I've read enough to know the broad strokes of Dorian's history with the doctor, and it's just - so painful to think about. For Veeran, too, knowing what his twin went through. I hope Hondo's intervention means they both get a chance for some healing and a better life here!

I liked seeing this side of Hondo, too. Like @Findswoman said, it's not just business.

Once again, I loved this and I'm very much looking forward to the next adventures!

 

I warn you, my feedback for this masterpiece is going to be entirely unworthy of its genius. But I shall try

You know how with Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, you go through the whole novel thinking, "these metaphors are a little...florid, aren't they?" But they never quite tip over the line that would damage your suspension of disbelief, and the book is so well crafted that you happily keep reading, but although the metaphors remain just on the right side of the drama/melodrama divide you're always aware of how close they are to it, how curious, and then you get to the last chapter and realize what's happening and in the blink of an eye you're all "STOVER YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD"?

Yeah, that's what this intro reminded me of

This tonal shift is perfection, sheer perfection

Not only are you channeling Hondo to perfection, but you're also making Dorian recognizable, and getting their dynamic exactly right, and working in some writing meta, and it's hilarious.

Just so good, such good Hondo-speech

So far, anyway

Dorian's just so practical, who'd have thought that Lord Space Byron could ever be out-Lord Space Byron'd

I just can't get over how well you write Hondo; I can see him saying every line

Hondo always did have a soft spot for kids, even though he'd never admit it. I guess he comes by it naturally

His voice is so perfect, I can't get over it

Well, I'm going to need to see more of the den mother, you know that, right?

Loud Boy continues to slay me, as does "very polite for a Sithling"

They will, too

That's our Hondo, a secretly softhearted mercenary to the core

I love it all, babe, I can't wait for more

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Thank you, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! I certainly hope to write some more of their adventures in the coming weeks.




@Seldes_Katne

Thank you! I'm feeling much more confident that I can keep this AU going, so I think I'll (tentatively) say that Hondo and his wards will be the focus from here on out.

Yep, that sounds about right!

I'm very happy you're enjoying them! Thanks so much for reading and replying!




@Findswoman

"independent agent" And yeah, Hondo's going to have his hands full, isn't he? I'm really pleased that you think I'm getting Hondo's voice down; it makes it easier to contemplate writing more in this AU when I feel like I've got a read on his character.

It's definitely been interesting looking at the twins from Hondo's perspective! I wondered at the beginning if it would be too much of a tonal clash, throwing them together, because we're so used to Hondo being the comic relief, and yet there's really nothing remotely funny about Dorian's situation. But as I prepared to write these stories, I went back through a bunch of Hondo clips from Rebels and TCW (I'm much more familiar with him from Rebels), and I was struck by the darker edge he has in TCW. It convinced me that a story like this could actually work. I do think Hondo would be much more mellowed with age by this point - but this is also a 'verse where the Sith have taken over much of the galaxy (again), so he's probably still going to have some of that edge. And like you said, there's more than a little compassion shining through that pirate exterior, which is part of what makes this so interesting to write!

Ha, thanks! And thank you as always for reading and for your lovely comments! I'm going to have to think up some good adventures for this gang; I hope you continue to enjoy them.




@earlybird-obi-wan

Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying him in this 'verse! There's definitely more than a little compassion hidden beneath that rough pirate exterior.




@amidalachick

You're very welcome!

Isn't it though? (It actually continued with "You are iron. And you are strong." Which was equally perfect!)

The highest praise I could ask for! (Also, *relief* )

I've been so mean to them, but in this reality, at least, I think I can promise better lives and maybe even a bit of happiness.

Definitely not just business. Thank you so much for reading and letting me know what you enjoyed! I'm looking forward to writing the continuing adventures of Hondo and the Chaos Twins.




@Gabri_Jade

Aw, I loved every word of it

lolll what a coincidence, because that's exactly what I was trying to channel, just scaled down to a Vi level.

I'm very pleased you think so!

Success!

You'd better believe I have plans for that particular thread.

Who'd have thought? It took Hondo to throw Dorian's practical nature into clear relief.

That might have been my favorite part to write.

Aw shucks, Gabri.

Mama Ohnaka raised her son right!

...well, except for the pirate thing.

I aim to please and amuse.

They willlll

That's right.

Thanks for all your awesome comments and for always assuring me that I'm on the right track. More coming right up!




@Mira_Jade

I love it, too! And I really didn't think I'd be able to come up with enough ideas for this AU to fill a whole KR, but now I think I might just be able to, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the prompts inspire!

Aw, thank you for this!

Aw yeah (We need a pirate emoji )

Yay! I'm really glad you think so.

Right? And this is a much older Hondo than we've seen in the shows, so I like to think that soft spot might even be a little softer by now...

Darn right

OMG HONDO GIVING VEERAN THE TALK

There's a heart of gold underneath all that profit.

I think we all do!

This is the best compliment you could give me!

lol, I had a lot of fun writing this part in particular.

Yep, Dessa and Yaanis! (is something I wouldn't have expected anyone to be excited for; amazing how these characters end up taking on lives of their own )

So Loud Boy is a previously unnamed background character from Part Two of BtGotBS who, during the Jedi rescue on Yalena, when sirens were blaring and it was obvious something unusual was happening, told Dessa to "wake us up when something happens". That's the only place he's appeared before now, and he's probably sort of a Neige-lite, but maybe he'll get a chance to not be awful in this AU. (Maybe. We'll see, they're still pirates. ) Sadly, Shadow is not the same Twi'lek that Ben carried to his ship; I imagine that girl was a bit younger and likely met the same fate she did in the main 'verse.

(And yay, I'm glad you caught that descriptor! That attribute came first as I was writing, and then I thought it would be a nice subversion if she were a Twi'lek.)

Heh, it's funny because that line actually started out as a sort of meta joke about how fictional same-sex twins are nearly always identical, and Dorian and Veeran are fraternal twins but also look enough alike as siblings (especially at this age) that people might mistake them for identical twins, and was also kind of a reference to how IRL people sometimes mistake me and my younger sister for twins even though she's a couple inches taller than me and we have different hair colors and don't look that much alike... but I couldn't quite land on the right way to phrase those meta comments without muddling it, so I just went with "all humans look alike".

It does! I can't wait to write more of them interacting.

Yep ( t r a u m a )

You have to be careful with these things.

Yes, that's exactly it. It's really interesting exploring those degrees of good and evil with all these characters, and Hondo adds such a unique quality to that mix as both a pirate and a very long-lived character with a lot of history. I haven't gotten to explore much of the fringe elements in the Enter!verse, so that makes for a fun challenge as well.

I'm really glad that shift worked. I wasn't originally planning to take that serious turn, but let's be real, there's no way to make light of Dorian situation, especially not so soon after Yalena. Some things you can joke about, and some things you just... can't. So I leaned into that with Hondo's introspection, and the epiphany ended up writing itself.

Yes, let us not forget that for all the humor, this is still a world where the One Sith are spreading across the galaxy, and there are still plenty of ways for things to go wrong...

lololll Sith ducklings, I am slain. I'm so happy that you've enjoyed my foray into this out-there AU, and I am equally excited to see what stories your prompts will spark!



And by an amazing stroke of luck, I'm nearly finished with my next entry! Just need to do a little editing, and then I'll post it.

 

Notes: For Week 3, Mira gave me a choice between writing five drabbles and writing a villanelle. I'm going to try to do the drabbles later this week, but my official entry is going to be the villanelle. I've never written one of these before, and my first attempt didn't go so well... but then I got an idea.

Still in the pirate AU, surprise surprise.

---

“The Buccaneers’ Boarding Ballad”



Fire up the shields and pick up your gun;
There’s riches to steal and ships to plunder,
And we have no time for yesterday’s sun.

This fine motley crew is second to none;
Keep a sharp eye (and try not to blunder).
Fire up the shields and pick up your gun.

Can they blame us for wanting to have some fun?
The deep is ablaze with wealth and wonder,
And we have no time for yesterday’s sun.

Steel will shatter before the day is done;
They will hear our voices roll like thunder.
Fire up the shields and pick up your gun.

Hapless prey, they have nowhere to run;
Take what you can, tear it all asunder.
And we have no time for yesterday’s sun.

Our enemies will know your name, my son,
As darkness falls and the stars sink under.
Fire up the shields and pick up your gun;
We have no time for yesterday’s sun.



~~

 

A beautiful poem about the pirates. Sung by them?

 

Fantastic job with the stanzas and the rhyming and line repetitions.