SWsinbin

Anakin paces nervously. The world around him is too cold, too loud, too wet. Mercifully there’s no sand to get stuck in his fur, however, everything else in this building seems to be conspiring against him. 

The floor is freezing against his feet as there were no boots designed to fit him. Apparently people like him are expected to just go around barefoot in such a freezing place. He does his best to flatten his ears to his head to keep himself warm it helps him some but not quite enough to be truly comfortable. 

As he tries to focus on keeping warm his shields falter and he winces. This entire planet seems to scream. There’s always someone thinking too loudly. Projecting. Babbling. The temple isn’t as bad as the rest of the planet but the dull background roar forces him to always guard himself.

Then there’s his master who already hates him. Obi-wan never spends time in the temple if he can prevent it. He’s always out chasing down some lead about the return of the Sith and he won’t entertain the idea of bringing his padawan. So he’s alone. Very alone. 

It makes him almost wish he had stayed on Tatooine. Almost. 

As he heads back to his rooms he spots Togruta woman meditating, Master Ti as he’s heard her called. The large white markings over her eyes remind him of his friend’s mother, she was always so strong, so determined, so warm... He knows he’ll likely be told how it’s not the Jedi way and sent away but it’s worth it today. 

He crawls into her lap as quietly as he’s able to and hopes that she doesn’t notice him there. For a moment he thinks he’s gotten away with it.

“An odd choice of pose for meditation.” She doesn’t open her eyes. 

“I...” He sighs. “I’m sorry master, I’m cold.” 

“The temple is quite drafty at times.”“You think so too?” His ears perk up.“I have spent much time on my homeward of Shili, it isn’t as hot as Tatooine though it is quite warmer than the upper levels of Coruscant.”“Can I...would it be okay if I stayed?” He knows the answer will likely be no.The woman thinks for a moment. “You may, however you will need to practice your meditation.”

She smiles as he groans. “Okay.” 

Anakin closes his eyes as well and tries to focus on meditating. As usual it’s quite difficult however the warmth and guiding force presence of Master Ti helps him get a bit further than usual. He doesn’t even fall asleep!

Probably the one where R2D2 is thousands of years old and force sensitive! I loved it. 

Anakin does a double take as an initiate hurried by. “Uh young one, your braid is on the wrong side.” He kneels down to help the initiate undo the braid and puts the “padawan” braid on the right side. He then watches as the kid runs off to play. 

“Why is it that seems to bother you? You’re hardly a stickler for uniform.” Obi-wan asks as they continue their walk.

“Its always a little alarming to see a child bride.”

“Oh?” He raises his eyebrows and waits for explanation. 

“Mom always told me that back when we were allowed to marry we did so with braids. If you wished to propose to someone you carved something into a bead, usually some sort of precious metal, many chose flowers or something specific to the loved one. If they accepted then they would make one for you and you would braid it into a strand of hair on the left side. You would then add smaller beads depending on how many children you have. Typically they would be little flowers carved from japor wood.”

Obi-wan fights the urge to grin. “So that time you gave me the golden bead with a Varactyl carved into the side..?”

Anakin’s cheeks begin to redden and soon it spreads all the way to the tips of his ears. “W-well you see…that was just..” He can’t seem to come up with a lie fast enough. 

“Not to worry.” Obi-wan puts his hand on Anakin’s arm. “According to various traditions around the galaxy I’ve been married at least twice.” He smiles and walks ahead knowing Anakin will follow.

((I wrote up a creation myth for pre-Hutt people of Tatooine this way I won’t always be filling in cultural gaps by stealing from Dune. I might do more about pre-Hutt Tatooine if anyone would like! This story in particular is about the destruction of old Tatooine, the planet being forced to adapt, the creation of both the Raiders and the Jawa, and how humans play into it.))

First there was Grandmother. Born from the stars and the moons she flooded the world. In time she gave birth to her children. She made the land, the plants, the animals, and the first stewards of the land; the ancients.The Ancients loved her and her other children and strove to live alongside them, for a time things where good. 

It’s unknown when the gods where attacked but a dark evil brought the sun down upon them and burnt the world into glass. Of the Ancients few survived and they all began searching for Grandmother. Her eldest searched for her from the burnt surface, his rage breaking glass and flinging it in all directions. The middle child looked for her under ground, her reclusive nature hiding her from her brother’s fury. The Dragon didn’t search at all. He called his siblings fools and said that if Grandmother managed to survive she would call upon them when she needed them.

In time the eldest rendered the glass into sand and the daughter found it safe enough to plead with the youngest of her siblings, The Dragon. Her younger brother could fly and surly spot Grandmother from the air. While fond of his elder sibling he refused. He would stay upon his hoard from the old world until Grandmother called him.

Grandmother never called him. Instead it was something this world had never seen. The creature was of the eldest’s size and hid from the fury of the world like the middle child. She was human. Human was lost and doomed unless someone took pity upon her, and so The Dragon did. He approached her looking like one of her own and brought her back to his home.

Not long after they were wed and had three beautiful daughters. One with skin as dark as the night sky and eyes of light, as she grew she found she could create plants that survived in this new and harsh world. The second had skin as white as the sun and hair so long it brushed the sand, she made creatures large and small that called the wasteland their home. The third seemed to be just like her mother, brown skin, pale hair, and eyes dark enough to behold her sister’s creations during the mid-day sun

Times where wonderful, until one day their aunt beat upon the door. Made small by her time underground her voice was larger than life itself as she yelled to them. Their father’s brother was coming to kill them. His jealousy had consumed him and he wanted their lives to sacrifice for Grandmother. He had convinced himself that blood of the innocent would bring about her return.

To show his gratitude The Dragon gave his sister his cloak and instructed her never to remove it for their brother could not see her while she wore it. While she desired to stay and fight for him The Dragon eventually convinced her to leave and prepare a place for the children to hide. Unfortunately, they never made it to her moving fortress.

When his brother attacked The Dragon flew from his home into the sands at full force. The battle was long and blows where traded equally for days on end. In time the elder grew weary and decided to attack someone he could harm with ease. While The Dragon was distracted he flung his spear into the heart of The Human. The Dragon’s rage was immediate and all consuming. So infuriated was he that he did not flinch when his brother ripped his wings from him, all he desired to do was gain revenge.

While The Human lay dying her daughters crowded around her, they wept tears they didn’t have to spare as they spoke to her one last time. When she closed her eyes for the last time Grandmother appeared to her. She still saw over this world but the attempt on her life had hurt her so severely that she could no longer speak to the living like she could before. And her power was weakening still. Knowing that her time was limited she asked if the human would allow her to change her. To bind the last of her power with this human so that she may always be with this world. The Human agreed for she was kind and understood that every world requires a tender.

The daughters watched in awe as their mother faded into water and told them that she now would be what the remnants of the old world had searched so desperately for. While she could not be there to hold them she would always be within them. And so, she became Grandmother in the stead of the one that came before.

Her eldest two daughters scattered about the planet making life forms that knew of their mother’s sacrifice and stored her water in their roots and bodies.

The youngest sought out her people to tell them of her kindness. To her horror, she found them enslaved by their own kind and without even names to call their own. It was then that she realized her power. “You, you have eyes like my eldest sister. You shall be Darklighter. You have hair like my middle sister. Whitesun shall be your name. Your dreams have shown you my arrival so you will be Fardreamer.” She gave names to all who approached her. Dunerider, Sandskimmer, and Waterseer where all gifted names. “What about me?” Asked the final child of the group. “I have no name nor family to share one with.” “You child,” She smiled. “You shall carry my father’s name. You will be Skywalker.”

She led her people to a newfound freedom amongst the sands, taught them of her sister’s creations, and helped them establish lives within the canyon and caves that dotted the land. Far from the eyes of their masters, should they ever return. 

In time she left to seek out her father but part of her always remained with the humans. Should someone be without a name they would call to her in dreams or prayer and without fail she named them as well.

As for her father, she was unable to free him from his rage. To this day should he see his brother or his people he leaps upon them immediately with the intent to kill. His only solace is when he finds a pool of water. The Dragon will calm and stare into the eyes of his wife until the water is disturbed or he is attacked. During these moments his youngest will sit with him, telling him of her wanderings and the people whom she’s helped.

Obi-wan sighs happily as he lays his head on Anakin’s chest. “Well you certainly are wonderful at being a space heater.”

He laughs quietly. “One of my many skills.” He runs his fingers through Obi-wan’s hair. 

Obi-wan smiles and closes his eyes. He knows he should be more worried about what all this means. Anakin is a disaster when it comes to keeping a secret. The council will notice the change and so might others. It’s really only a matter of time. Then again, his lover is so warm. He’s also genuinely happy. Anakin so often carries himself like he has the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders, never taking any time to relax. He supposes it’s hypocritical, in a way, to want him to enjoy the little things and not be as hard on himself but watching him expect himself to somehow save every single life and win every single battle is so disheartening. He might mention his worries in the morning, but tonight the entire galaxy will just be the two of them. “One of those skills had better be not managing to steal the covers this time.”

“Hey now, that place was cold. It’s not my fault you didn’t just get closer.” Anakin kisses the top of his head. 

“Yes of course.” Obi-wan yawns. “Next time I’ll be sure to get right on top of you.” He means it in a sarcastic way but he likes the idea now that he mentions it.

“I’ll be sure to hold you to that.” Anakin trails his fingers down to his mate’s back. 

“Good.” He says quietly. “Goodnight Anakin.” 

“Goodnight Obi-wan.” He so very nearly says master. 

Obi-wan drifts off to sleep within a few minutes while Anakin lies awake. He worries over all the possible ways that things could go wrong. How easy it could be to fail his mate. Holding Obi-wan close he reminds himself that his master is just as strong and capable as he’s always been. If Anakin isn’t able to properly protect him Obi-wan can more than protect himself. And vice versa. Obi-wan will always protect him and if he can’t then Anakin can surely deal with it. They’re a team. The team. They’ll be okay. 

“I knew there was a reason why I bring you along for these sorts of things.” She says quietly as she continues to bandage Anakin’s arm. “You’re no politician, but when things go awry there’s no-one else in the galaxy I’d rather have at my side.” 

“I’m still surprised we made him that mad. Normally I’m pretty sure what it is I’ve said thats infuriated someone.” Anakin shrugs and then grimaces. “At least its mainly cuts and bruises. We should heal quickly.”

“Speaking of “we”,” Padme says as she closes the first aid kit. “Is Ahsoka in bed?”

“Yeah, I told her to go rest so she’s either resting or doing anything but.” He stands and slowly follows Padme to the bunk. 

Ahsoka is more or less collapsed onto the bed, still in her clothes and with her lightsaber at her side. Anakin hates seeing her like this. When she’s awake and arguing with him he can forget how young she is, how wrong it is to have her in the line of fire, but like this it’s as if the force itself is trying to remind him that she’s just a youngling. 

Padme carefully leans next to her and begins to check on her wounds. None are much more than superficial though her exhaustion is a little worrying. She slowly helps the padawan out of her boots and gloves before tucking her into bed. As Padme is about to leave she hears a very small, very quiet “Mom?”. 

Ahsoka seems to be trying to wake herself up but Padme places her hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. “Just rest dear. You’ve had a long day.” 

“Night.” She mumbles. “Love you.”

“I love you too dear.” After Ahsoka falls asleep again Padme stands and turns to see Anakin staring at the two of them wide-eyed. She signals for him to hush and leads him out, shutting the door behind them. Before she can say anything he has his arms around her. 

“Have I told you how perfect you are recently? Because you are. Wonderful, beautiful, brilliant!” He spins her with a grin. Anakin hadn’t ever allowed himself to dream of Padme being a mother but seeing her care for Ahsoka so easily, so gently, was downright enchanting.

“If you wake Ahsoka I’ll be forced to make you ride out the rest of the trip in the escape pod.” Padme warns with a smile.

“And oh so caring.” He lowers his voice to a whisper and kisses her cheek. 

“Lets get you to bed as well.” She takes him by the hand and leads him to her quarters. “We both need some rest.”

“Knight Skywalker?” Satine hurries after Anakin to speak to him now that Obi-wan has left to continue planning. “Is he normally like this?”

“Like what?” Anakin doesn’t quite put two and two together as he tries to figure out what was out of the ordinary.

“Did you not see him bleeding? He was very obviously hit with shrapnel in your last battle and needs to go to the medbay immediately.” She folds her arms as a sinister grin spreads across the knight’s face.

“My lady, he would barely count that as a scratch.” Years. For years he has awaited this moment, finally some semblance of revenge for being forced to watch his master run himself into the ground. “Why, I’ve seen him continue on with shrapnel impeded in him. No blaster burn, bleeding wound, or concussive blast can stop the great general Kenobi. And you should hear of his stoicism for mental wounds.” “Mental wounds?” 

“Oh yes, while the Mandalorians are quite well versed in the damage done to the mind during war the Jedi…not so much. He usually just recommends what was recommended to me about it.”

Satine raises an eyebrow, suspecting that she’ll loathe the answer. “Which was?”

“Sit around and meditate until it doesn’t bother you anymore.” He shrugs.

As Satine marches off in the direction that Obi-wan limped she hears Anakin laugh. “Be careful your highness! Your vow of pacifism!”

~~~~Obi-wan nearly jumps out of his skin when Satine bursts into the room, perhaps he is a little tired after the fight seeing as he couldn’t sense her. 

“Satine?”“It would be best that your men leave.” She warns. 

“Whatever it is I’m sure they can handle-”“Are you out of your mind?! Do you truly believe that you can plan an attack with bits of droid in your side?! What are your men to do when you bleed out?! Not only will they have lost their General but the holo-map will be ruined!” As she gestures to his wound Obi-wan can sense Cody slowly putting on his helmet to hide a bit of a smile. “You must be out of your mind as this is not how I remember you conducting yourself! Flinging yourself into danger, refusing to allow yourself time to heal, not even discussing the weight of it all!” 

“I had to keep you safe. At the time, the only way to do so was to be very cautious.” Obi-wan quietly wonders if Anakin had anything to do with this, he always overreacts to any little scrape or bruise.“Oh so you would have thrown yourself to the wolves had you not been guarding me?”“…Well-”“Your hesitation tells me all I need to know! You are coming with me this instant!”

“I’m needed here, afterwards I can-”“You are coming with me this instant or you will find me among the battlefield attempting to keep you from killing yourself.” Her determination is plainly obvious.Obi-wan sighs deeply and turns to Cody. “I will return as soon as I can.” He barely gets the words out of his mouth before Satine has grabbed him by the arm and is pulling him towards the medbay. 

~~~~“Master I don’t understand, why are you dragging me to the medbay? I just got checked.” Ahsoka follows Anakin at a slow pace. 

“Because Snips, there comes a time in every padawan’s life that they must bear witness to the most powerful force in the galaxy.” He leads Ahsoka in quietly and points to a bed in the corner where none other than Obi-wan Kenobi is asleep. Compliant and in the Medbay. It’s nothing short of a miracle. Beside him is a blonde woman that Ahsoka knows to be Satine Kryze. Ahsoka starts to ask something but is shushed and ushered out of the room by Anakin. “What’s the powerful force?” She looks back quickly. “Love or something?”

Anakin grins. “Close, that’s the second most powerful.”

“Then what is it?”

The first time he goes through the loop he’s desperately confused. Somehow he’s back on Naboo. And Padme seems so young! He suspects that he’s stuck replaying a memory until he makes a conscious decision to round a corner when he hadn’t before. Everything down this hall is new. He isn’t just replaying memories! 

After shaking the surprise off he goes through everything as he had the first time. Everything plays out the same way and he again wakes up on Naboo. Frustrated, he shuts off for a while. The queen’s ship is destroyed due to his lack of intervention and the cycle is reset. 

Logic dictates that Padme must be the cause. Her death resets the cycle. So this time he travels with Padme every chance he gets. When on Mustifar he’s tossed aside by an Anakin he barely recognizes. Padme still dies on that table. 

The next few cycles are filled with wild experimentation. Maybe if he incapacitates Anakin the day before? No. Maybe if he prevents Obi-wan from leaving? No. What if he prevents them from even meeting Anakin? Still no. Nothing. Nothing seems to break it. 

He did manage to have a little fun with it. Rolling over Anakin’s foot in revenge was fun. As was tasering anyone who bothered him into submission. It’s not like he had any consequences. Yes they could deactivate him but he’d just end up replaying the loop again. 

So finally he just starts recording. Zipping around and eavesdropping on everything he could. The memory it eat up is horrendous but he figures if he records everything he can show them in the next loop. 

To his frustration it dosen’t seem to carry over. 

Maybe if he stores it in his hardware? Risky but he might as well try it. So he starts playing the recordings to encode them deeper in his hardware. 

Obi-wan happening upon him while he was encoding it was a complete accident. He nearly jumped out of his casing when the Jedi quickly ordered him to replay the portion he had just seen. R2 rewinds to a conversation had between Anakin and The Chancellor about their trip to Club Kasakar. 

“He took him where?!” Obi-wan watches the old recording twice more before stomping off mumbling to himself. R2 rolls after to start recording again.“Taking a twelve year old to a bar like that! Telling him such things! Manipulating him into not wanting to tell his master of all things! The council needs to hear about this. The senate needs to hear about this! Force…you’d think a child from Tatooine would know better! I knew I should have forced him to sit in on initiate lessons! He would have seen Ladra the Loth-cat and he would know better! Oh Force I’m a terrible master…” He continues to shake his head as he hurries off.

When he sees the boy for the first time his circuits nearly overheat. 

Many, many years ago when he first came online aboard the Tho Yor he saw this boy. Etched into his crystal soul is the image of one he knew to be Skywalker. Bright powerful and one who will shape the galaxy itself. How he knew this name, and his position at his side was unknown to even the grand ship he was made on. 

So instead of seeking out the boy, he waited. He worked. He grew. Artoo, as he was called by his creator, watched as the Tho Yor brought the force sensitives to Tython. He was with them when they banded together as the Je’daii. As they worked with the Ashla and the Bogan alike to create all important Bendu, the balance. This balance lasted for many years but as Artoo has learned, all things end. 

The civil war was bloody and vicious. He could only be thankful that his master had long sense parted. When victors, who called themselves Jedi found him broken and nearly destroyed amongst the rubble of their broken world they brought him with them to Ossus. There he received a new body, his first of many, and new complex machinery to both guard and augment the crystal within him. 

Ossus was lush and beautiful. Yet, all things end. He watched the grand library be built stone by stone. He watched as the world was swallowed by the horror created by the destruction of the Cron Cluster. At the time he considered himself more a scholar than a droid of action so while it shook him to the core he remained in the library, slowly downloading and scanning what he could while scavenging bits of memory from others. 

He shudders at the thought of what he had to do. He long new that the sentient organic life had a concept that they called “cannibalism”, a desperate or evil act of consuming another of their kind. When he first had to open another long destroyed droid to repair himself he very nearly shut himself down. But he managed. He repaired himself, even improved himself, as he watched the grand Jedi he once knew slowly become the Ysanna they are today. 

It was only once they forgot who they where the he knew the others where not returning. He could feel them out there among the stars but they could not sense their fallen brethren. 

Many years after he gave up hope a young archeologist braved the dangerous world on the hunt for important artifacts. It was simple enough to stow away aboard her ship. From there he simply wandered. Going planet to planet evading scrappers and updating himself. 

Though his true mission was to spread what he knew. From uploading bits of information to random terminals to carving symbols in stone walls he wanted to ensure that the Je’daii and their Ossus descendants where never truly forgotten. 

After centuries of travel he arrived on a world that felt oddly…right, despite it’s current troubles. He watched as King Jafan brought peace to this world and established himself as a noble ruler. He watched the kingdom prosper. He never felt compelled to leave. 

When the royal engineers noticed his skills and took him to be outfitted with modern casing and technology he agreed on the condition that they not pry too deeply. To his surprise they honored their promise. Ironically, he seemed to be placed inside the casing of an R2 unit.

The young queen he was assigned to work for was kind, beautiful, smart and had a bravery beyond her years. He stayed by her side even when he saw the boy. The boy from his earliest of visions. He knew that in time he would be passed to this boy and then…something would happen. His destiny he supposed. Or perhaps only the beginning of it. 

“I must say, of all your dashing quirks this is the one that I perhaps missed the most, Master Kenobi.” Satine trails her fingers down the back of Obi-wan’s hair and to the nape of his neck. Obi-wan’s tail curls around his leg and he fights the urge to blush. “Yes, well, I see that you’ve kept rather good care of your nails all this time.” He internally chastises himself for that being the best that he can come up with, but it’s been so long since someone has touched him this way. It makes it nearly impossible to speak, never mind being witty.“Of course, and you’ll find that they’re perfect for hitting all the right spots.” She scratches the spot below his ears that she remembers will have Obi-wan all but purring. 

She, her planet, even the entire galaxy may have changed but it’s wonderful to see her Jedi’s eyes flutter shut in pleasure just as they always have. He rubs against her with a contented sigh and his tail seems to act on it’s own accord wrapping itself around her leg. 

Obi-wan gives a slight shiver as Satine reaches down with her free hand and wraps his tail around her fingers. Careful not to pull, she moves her hand to allow the tail to slip through and smiles when she feels Obi-wan lean into her completely.

She finds herself so tempted to tell him how adorable he is, how calming and comforting it is to watch him enjoy himself like this, but she knows this stubborn man. The moment she speaks the spell will be broken. He will return to being a dashing attachment-free Jedi master and she will be forced to return to her own responsibilities. 

I’ve decided to start a Star Wars themed prompt blog. I’ll write little short stories based on prompts you send in. I’m willing to work with any pairing and I’m willing to give most things a shot (hence the ‘weird’). But I’m also willing to do more domestic things. 

“Master?” The drugged up knight mumbles. “Are Servalo and Srrors’toks related?”

Obi-wan’s ear twitches as he stares, he supposes that peculiar questions are normal for someone who found the wrong end of a Bantha tranquilizer. “Actually, my species shares a common ancestor with the Cathar. Its believed that the Cathar split from a species similar to ours during the Infinite Empire. We where chased from our original homeworld and landed on whats now known as Cathar and Servalo. Cathar’s conditions encouraged a height similar to that of humans while Servalo encouraged us to become smaller.”

Anakin seems to perk up some. “Really?”

“Well yes.” Why would he think he’s just making it up. “Why?”“Well it’s less weird then.” Anakin slurs.

“What is?” So needlessly vague.

“Liking you.”

“Why would that making liking me less “weird”?”“Not liking you. Liking you.” 

It takes Obi-wan a moment to realize what the other Jedi means but when he does his ears swivel forward and his eyes widen. “What?”

“You’re nice. And smart. And cute. I like your paws.” 

“Anakin, its normal for a padawan to develop feelings for their master and for those feelings to follow them into the beginning of their knighthood. However its extremely inappropriate to entertain the idea of acting on those feelings.”He looks crushed and while it hurts to see him upset this has to be said. 

“But that’s the reason right?” He has a hard time putting full sentences together. “Not because I’m weird or wrong right?” Judging by the way he can’t make eye-contact this has bothered Anakin for some time.

“There is nothing weird or wrong about finding another sentient attractive. Some only find members of their own species attractive while many others don’t mind the species of their paramour. Why, when I was barely more than I kitten I had a crush on a human, two even.” Obi-wan finds the need to backpedal when he sees a bit too much hope in Anakin. “However I was reminded that attachments are not permissible despite attraction. It would violate the Jedi code.” 

“The code is kark.” Something about a capable Jedi Knight calling the code he lives by “kark” in such a childish tone is almost funny enough to make Obi-wan break his composure. Almost. 

“Rest. Force knows you need it.” 

After Anakin falls asleep Obi-wan spends nearly an hour pacing about the tent worrying. Both about his rebellious pada- fellow Jedi and the fact that other than the code he couldn’t really think of any reason to not pursue something…more. Perhaps his dining habits, yes. Those are disgusting. He’ll focus on that. Oh! It would also be irresponsible to pursue a relationship when Anakin has never been in one before. Yes, the bug eater likely has no frame of reference for how a relationship would work and Obi-wan would end up with all the power. Excellent, two reasons.