#sadist!reader

Even after Vader and the Emperor were dead, you kept to the shadows and edges. Nature abhors a vacuum, and people abhor the ones who fill it first. You had no desire to die, and you certainly weren’t going to be among the first to make a desperate bid. Besides, you had grown to like your new life. While no one knew your name or what you looked like, people all along the planets in the Outer Rim knew of you. You were spoken of in hushed tones in various different systems out here, and you had even struck terror into the hearts of some of the regulars along the trade routes.

You were a ghost, a phantom, a specter. You found all of those names amusing in their own right. One did stick with you. Some had called you a Wraith, and well. You liked it enough to keep it.

You hear the rumblings about a high bounty. You don’t pay it much attention until you hear that some of the remaining pieces of the Empire will pay well for it. That makes you pause. Whomever, or whatever, it was must be very valuable. You ultimately opt to simply watch for the time being. If the bounty was truly worth that much, it would be easy enough for you to collect it from them. Without their esteemed leaders, the Empire had become sloppy. It was all too easy to steal from them.

The bounty turns out to be a Child. A Child who might be able to use the Force, if anything about the rumors were to be believed.

As if that wasn’t enough to get your attention, a Mandalorian had taken on the Child as his own. You weren’t sure what exactly he was to the Child. Was he simply a guardian, or did he see himself as a father figure? Not that it mattered either way. You had a feeling that if anyone wanted to get to the Child, they’d have to go through the Mandalorian. Your feeling turned out to be true. You never followed them yourself, always opting to have your eyes and ears spread throughout the Outer Rim to give you information. 

The Mando was.... Interesting to say the least. From what you heard, he seemed nice and polite. Almost too nice. He seemed to be willing to both ask and receive help, which threw you. No one was ever that selfless. Everyone had an agenda that they were pushing. You wondered what his was. 

It took digging. You actually did the footwork yourself, not trusting people to sell the information to others. Whatever he wanted or was planning, you didn’t want others to know. You were going to start by tracking down the other members of his Covert to see what they knew, but the plans shifted. 

Moff Gideon was an enormous asshole, even by Empire standards. 

The one good thing that his attempted kidnapping of the Child did was give you some information. Moff Gideon had the Darksaber. You’re not entirely sure how he managed to get his hands on it, but he had it. Honestly, it was hard to not kill him yourself and simply take it from him. Something about that man having a lightsaber bothered you deeply. You suspect he only had it because he happened to be at the right place at the right time, a thought that buries itself into your head in the most unpleasant of ways.

Funnily enough, the Moff gave you the exact information that you need.

The thought that Moff Gideon had the Darksaber infuriated you. It stayed in the back of your mind no matter what you did. Even as you watched the Mando and the Child, that thought was present. It was present as you watched the Mando’s interactions with others. You knew for certain that the Mando wasn’t helping others out of the goodness of his heart; he was more prone to violence than he let on, and he didn’t waste any time cashing in favors. You just didn’t know why. What could he possibly want?

You tried to reconcile what he could want while grappling with your sheer fury that Moff Gideon had the Darksaber. That gave you the answer.

The Mando wasn’t nice or kind. He was indeed helping people to get favors, to make people indebted to him. He was doing this all because he wanted to rule Mandalore. He knew that he would need people and resources if he was going to do so, so he played nice. He made sure that people couldn’t say no when he came to their door and asked for help. 

The thought delighted you. Not just because of the sheer cleverness but because it gave you a way in.

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The ruins of Athiss are truly fascinating.

You could spend cycles exploring them. You can feel the power radiating from them and know that you could learn so much if you cared to look. That’s not why you’re here, though. You simply chose this planet for show.

You can feel the presence of the Mando and the Child as soon as they land on the planet. Good. You had been worried that they might have sought out Ahsoka before coming to you. You could never be too sure that whispers and rumors would get to their target. You settle yourself more comfortably on your perch. It’s a pillar just to the side of the staircase, the sort of place a statue might go. Another pillar, one that would have been identical when this place was first built, is on the other side. You close your eyes. Once the pair is off of his ship, you send a small tendril towards Mando. It slithers across the ground towards him, telling him which way he should check. He seems hesitant before listening to it.

You wait. You let yourself bask in the warmth coming from the two suns. It’s slightly dampened by the surprisingly dense foliage, but that’s okay. You’d rather it be like that than burn out in the open. You hear the sounds of different life forms all around you. Some seem curious as to who or what you are, while others pay you no mind. You shift on the stones, trying to get more comfortable. You have no idea how long you’ll have to wait, how patient you’ll have to be. 

You roll your head one direction and then the other, enjoying the small ‘pops’ as you do so. You roll your shoulders as well. You open your eyes. Fuck it. It’s too cliche to act like you’re meditating while you wait for them. You turn your head from side to side, enjoying the stretch from your jaw and down the side of your neck. You turn your head back to face forward when you sense someone is close.

The trees part just in front of the ruins. The Mando steps out from the trees cautiously. You can’t see the Child, but you’d be willing to bet a good chunk of credits that he’s in the bag at the Mando’s hip. The Mando stares at you, one hand curling for a second. He’s keeping it slightly close to his blaster. You appraise him coolly for a moment.

“Are you...” He begins but falters. You smile at him.

“Not a Jedi. But. I can teach your kid.” You uncross your legs. You stretch one out in front of you, letting your calf dangle off the side of the pillar. You bend the other at your knee and plant your foot close to your body. One elbow goes on top of your bent knee while the other hand swings freely.

“How do I know that.” Mando’s tone is a strange mix of blunt and openly hostile. His fingers curl. The bag shifts as the kid peeks out to see what’s going on. 

“Pick a rock.” You tell him. He stares at you for a second. You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “I’m going to show you that I can train him. Pick a rock.”

Mando looks around for a moment. You can tell he’s trying to see which rock is stuck the deepest in the soil. He eventually nods towards one. You nod. You lift your hand just so, and the rock comes straight up out of the ground with no problem. It zips past Mando, and you catch it with ease. He looks at you, and his hand is just a little closer to his blaster. You hold the rock in your palm, showing it to him.

“Catch.” You don’t throw at him the rock nearly as quick as you brought it to yourself. That would be just asking to get shot. You don’t exactly gently levitate it to him either. It’s just fast enough that his reflexes kick in, and he automatically grabs the rock. He nearly plucks it out of mid-air the motion is so smooth. You grin at him.

Mando steps forward. The kid peeks out again, and for the briefest moment, you can see long green ears.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick.” He pushes the bag so that it’s a little bit behind him. At least his hand isn’t curling as much.

“I have no interest in harming the Child.” You scoff. “Hurting him is antithetical to my purpose.”

“And what is your purpose?” The hand goes back towards the blaster again. You huff.

“Would you believe me if I told you I just want to train him?” Your tone is dry.

“No.”

“Worth a shot.” You look to the sky for a second. “I’m sure you’re aware he’s got powers beyond your comprehension. Beyond most people’s comprehension. Imagine what could happen if the Empire got their hands on that kind of power.” You run your tongue over your lower teeth in thought for a second. “I want to teach him. I want to make sure he reaches his full potential. I’m not interested in using him as a political pawn. There’s a reason I removed myself from that game.”

“Why do you care?”

“Is being lonely a valid answer?” You arch an eyebrow. “There’s not a lot of Jedi, and there’s even less of what I am around. I don’t want what I know to go to waste. Surely you can sympathize with that.”

“What are you?” Again, the blunt tone. You purse your lips and consider him for a moment. If he doesn’t know what a Jedi is, he might not know what a Sith is either.

“I’m a Sith.” You respond. “I do what a Jedi does, but I do it better.” 

The hand moves towards the blaster.

“Look. One of the core principles of being a Jedi is no attachments. I don’t have that problem.” He stops moving for a second. 

“Meaning what?”

“I’m teaching your kid the same thing that a Jedi would, but this time, he’s allowed to feel things. Have attachments.” You grin at him. “You take your kid to a Jedi, they’ll separate you. Assuming they decide to train him. The two of you might be too close for a Jedi to even consider training him. But if they did. You’re out. That’ll be the last time you see him.”

Oh. That strikes a nerve. Mando lowers his hand away from his blaster. He subtly pulls the bag towards him, as if the thought alone of losing the Child hurts. 

“If I train him, you can stay with him. It’d be you and me and him.” You uncurl your bent leg and drop it so that both of your feet are dangling. You place both of your hands behind your back, just on either side of your hips. “And don’t worry about me paying my way or whatever. I can protect the kid just as well as you can, if not better.”

“He has to make the decision.” Mando says after a long minute.

“Alright then. Bring up here so I can talk to him.”

Mando turns to look into the bag. You can tell he and the Child are having a non-verbal conversation. Hesitantly, Mando lifts the Child out of the bag. Even more cautiously, he begins walking up the stairs. He keeps to the other side of the stairs and sets the Child on the other pillar. You notice that, while he’s not directly between the Child and you, he’s definitely in a position to get directly between the two of you. The Child regards you with large eyes. You smile.

Hi.

The Child jumps. He looks at you with wide eyes. You smile at him. Maker, he was adorable.

*****************************************************************************************************

The conversation lasts for a bit. You learn the Child’s name is Grogu, and that he survived the Skywalker massacre of the Jedi temple somehow. Things go fuzzy after that for him. You hiss when he filters through the images of the massacre. That makes Mando jump, but you shake your head. You tell Grogu a little about yourself. You give him enough to trust you. Interestingly enough, Grogu seems concerned about his dad. He repeatedly gets at whether or not you want to hurt him. You assure him several times that no, you have no intention of hurting his dad. You make a point of telling him that you want to help his dad, which is true. None of what you tell him is a lie. You stop when you can feel Grogu getting tired. The shadows are starting to become long.

Mando looks at you.

“His name is Grogu.” You tell him. 

“Grogu.” Mando mutters. Grogu looks at him. You have to cover your mouth to keep your smile in-check. Mando looks at him and says his name again. Grogu chirps. Mando seems positively delighted at this development.

“Someone was training him before, but he. There was a massacre.” You tell Mando point-blank. “Someone rescues him, and after that his memory is fuzzy. I think he probably shut off his abilities to stay safe. Easier than concealing them.”

“Have you. Done that?” Mando tilts his head ever so slightly. You nod.

“I did. It’s... difficult to do, but I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either that or death.” You look at Grogu. “He’s tired. Let him sleep. We should walk back to the ship before it gets much darker.”

Mando nods before carefully scooping Grogu up and placing him in the bag. You swing your legs over to the little ledge beside the pillar and make your way off of it. He looks at you once you’re close to him.

“What do you want?” He asks. You can’t help the sardonic smile. You sold him on the fact that you don’t want to hurt Grogu, but he doesn’t trust you.

“Ship first. Then I’ll tell you.” Mando stares at you for a long moment, and you think that he’s going to demand you tell him right then and there. He doesn’t. He merely turns and begins descending the stairs.

By the time you reach the ship, it is full-on nighttime. You’re glad that you moved from the ruins. You have no doubt that things guard them in the middle of the night. He sets to putting Grogu to bed while you work on a small fire. The Razor Crest is far enough away from the ruins you feel safe enough to light the flames. You stay by it, squat down to enjoy the warmth.

“Talk.” You turn to see Mando at the bottom of the ramp, his arms crossed over his chest. You sigh.

“I couldn’t figure you out for the longest time.” You begin conversationally. “You were too... nice. Something was up, and I just couldn’t figure it out.” You turn your head to look at him. “I figured it out. You want to rule Mandalore. I don’t care why. But I can tell you this. There’s no way you’re getting that Darksaber from Moff Gideon without help.”

“I can get help.” You scoff and stand up.

“Not help like I’m offering. The power that Grogu and I wield? Can be used for literally anything you want. I can bring Moff Gideon to his knees with a single thought.”

“I have to fight him myself.” Mando arms are still crossed.

“And that’s fine. But that Darksaber doesn’t work like a normal weapon. It’ll shred anything but pure beskar. I can get you a weapon made of that.” You pause. “Think of me as a benefactor. I’ll get you whatever you need for the fight. Sure, the fight is all you, but it doesn’t hurt to have an edge.”

“What do you want in return?”

“Why do you think I want anything other than to train Grogu?”

Mando tilts his head. “You’re the Wraith. This... whatever is the only explanation for what you’ve managed to do.”

Now it’s your turn to stare at him. You stare and stare before busting out laughing.

“You’re the first to piece it together. Congratulations!” Your grin is not friendly. “What are you going to do? Bring me in? You know I’ll be out of wherever in no time.”

“There’s no bounty on your head.” You blink. Oh. That makes sense. No one has ever been linked to the Wraith’s identity. The Wraith has only been an idea for so long, and bounties can’t be put on ideas.

“Alright. You clearly have something in mind, otherwise I’d be in carbonite.”

“You can train Grogu on two conditions.” Mando states.

“Name them.”

“One. You help me get the Darksaber. The fight is mine, but you can help up to it. Two. While you’re with us, you help me with whatever I need. No questions.”

You pretend to think it through. After a moment, you nod and hold out your hand. Mando uncrosses his arms and shakes your hand.