squad fic: post OT
Feb. 13th, 2019 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
splinteredstar
So. Next timeline of headfic.
This one is - well, technically speaking it's eu based but since I know little of that, it's eu and wtf else I want
splinteredstar
It's late rebellion - after the emperor, after vader, but before jakku
So the empire is collapsing but not yet collapsed
wtf-ktula
Alright, I am situated in time.
splinteredstar
So. I have no idea how anyone gets to where they are tbh. But rey and poe and phasma end up with the rebellion, and Hux, kylo, and Finn end up in the remaining empire
....I sometimes switch finn and phasma. It depends
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Now, the emperor had force users in his service known as Inquisitors. And no one but the empire knew them all.
And it's not like Hux has to /learn/ how to fake being an Imperial Officer
wtf-ktula
I wouldn't be shocked if there's a part of Hux that is excited to be there.
splinteredstar
He is, a bit. Though that cools when he actually starts working and realizes the old empire was full of the same selfishness and petty squabbling that the Order had.
....also their filing system upsets him on a visceral level, but that's a different issue
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It's like. On some level he knew that the surviving imperials weren't all selflessly devoted to their way of life and to the betterment of the empire. I mean, he grew up with them.
But damn it, he's still annoyed.
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But regardless, he is able to slide into a position of authority with relative ease. Kylo, likewise, slides into Inquisitor.
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On the other side of things, poe realizes he's in the rebellion and fan boys for like. A week.
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Meanwhile, rey and Luke have initially awkward but ultimately very interesting convos
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It's - weird, seeing luke being her age. Who isn't trying to be a responsible adult, who is not untouched by tragedy but has not given into despair
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Luke and Rey just being enthusiastic force nerds together. Sharing what they've learned and teaching each other
wtf-ktula
Omg, Luke and Rey being enthusiastic nerds together yes.
And Poe, omg. Suddenly his clothes are fashionable instead of vintage.
splinteredstar
Rey tells him about her understanding of the force, not of black and white but infinite greys; an understanding built on the jedi and the Knights of Ren and her own experiences
(The force ghost of Yoda does not approve. She mostly ignores him.)
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Honest to god there are times when poe just. Bolts across the hanger to squeal over a particular ship or pilot.
Rey finds it adorable. Phasma files it under "give him shit for this later"
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Sorry, work actually existed for a second there
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Oh man I hadn't even thought of force ghost Yoda before today though
(I am. Not a fan of yoda.)
Rey ignores the hell out of him. Or argues with him. Either way
wtf-ktula
Yoda didn't do Luke any favours.
splinteredstar
Seriously.
Luke saved the galaxy by ignoring everything they ever tried to teach him
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Also, this is one of the timelines where people see han and Leia and just. Burst out laughing for no reason they can explain
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"Your son makes more sense now" phasma says, smirking, and refuses to explain further
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Oh, yeah
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At some point in the explanations (yes we're from the future, yes we're here to help, we have a team under cover in the empire, no I can't tell you who) they mention that one of the squad members is han and Leia's son
But
They don't quite say who it is?
Because they're like "okay does kylo want /us/ to have that conversation with his parents, does he even want them to know, do /we/ want to have that conversation with his parents"
wtf-ktula
Yiiiiiikes, yeah. That's a big conversation to have especially without knowing what Kylo wants.
splinteredstar
Oh, absolutely. Especially since the /least/ shocking version is "your son ran away and married an Imperial boy" and that's still leaving out a lot of important stuff
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So they just. Don't.
Problem with that though
Han knows that one of these people is his son. He does know which one
He does not guess correctly
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All the "poe Dameron looks like what everyone thinks han solo's son should be like" I talked about before? This is the subplot where I came up with all that
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For what it's worth, when he finds out, Poe's mortified
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"Fuck all mighty no wonder he has a complex" to be exact
wtf-ktula
OH NO
I literally gasped when I read that.
splinteredstar
Yeaaaah.
Poe is v uncomfortable with this and quietly wondering how often this happened when they were kids
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(The answer is a lot. Not from Han, but from a bunch of other people. They just didn't do it out loud so poe didn't realize)
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Anyway. Eu detail: in the old books...well, let me find a link
wtf-ktula
.... But even when it's not out loud, Ben can still hear it.
splinteredstar
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lusankya
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Short version: star destroyer turned prison buried under the coruscant skyline
Important note: it's engines are functional
wtf-ktula
That is epic and ridiculous. Oh, EU.
splinteredstar
Yes, indeed.
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Poe receives a message from the other side of the squad, tilts his head, and wanders into Mon Motha's office.
"Hey, so. Hypothetical question."
Mon raises her eyebrows, already concerned. She's not force sensitive but she doesn't really need to be.
"Go ahead."
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"If we had the opportunity to break everyone out of Lusankya and render the prison unusable by isard, but it would require destroying...." here poe looks down at the message, "2% of Corsucant, would that be considered an acceptable level of damages?"
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Mon opens her mouth, closes it again, and takes a deep breath.
"Hypothetically," poe adds
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Mon lets out the breath. "Hypothetically, if it could be done in a way that will minimize civilian casualties and not send the global economy into a spiral, then yes, I would consider that opportunity."
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"Hm. Okay. Thanks." And he wanders off again.
(Mon puts her head in her hands. One rogue squadron was enough)
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On that note, Poe has had a long argument with rogue squadron pilots about whose squad gets up to more insanity. Poe insists his does, but no one believes him
wtf-ktula
Omg, "okay, thanks".
POE.
splinteredstar
Poe... has an idea about what they're gonna do. But he also has a very good understanding of when the less the superior officer knows the better
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So hux and kylo (and finn, long suffering and exasperated) steal the ship. Evacuate the surroundings, back the data off site, and steal the fucking ship
wtf-ktula
Eeeeeee!
splinteredstar
Kill or capture the Inquisitors and officers on board, let the prisoners out of their cells, and turn on the engines
When news hits the rebellion Mon just. Stares at poe.
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"Okay, in my defense, they definitely said they were gonna break people out of prison. I mean, I'm not /surprised/ they stole the prison but still, technically." Silence. Everyone is staring. "And I told them what you said, about civilian casualties, I think they got evacuation orders for that area."
Phasma snickers. "This is why I followed him when he defected. It's more fun on his side"
wtf-ktula
"I told them what you said" omg, Poe.
splinteredstar
Tbh poe should probably not be the responsible adult in this squas
Squad
wtf-ktula
Probably not but Phasma is enjoying Poe far too much to rein him in.
splinteredstar
This is the point where I occasionally switch phasma and Finn around tbh. Because Finn's exasperated "you said a prison break!" Is pretty hilarious
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Anyway. This obvs blows kylo and hux's cover all to hell, so they do it at a point when it won't matter
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Hux does use bounced transmissions to give conflicting accounts so it takes the empire a while to figure out wtf happened tho
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So the ship gets to rebellion controlled space and delivery freed prisoners to the rebellion bases
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And then hux and kylo and finn are properly introduced to the rebellion. (They were under deep enough cover that few people in the rebellion that knew who they were)
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Oh, and, note. People both in the empire and the rebellion had started calling kylo "vader's legacy"
He is /insufferable/ about it
wtf-ktula
Omg, he fucking would be.
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And Hux had gotten a reputation for being ruthless and cold. He...maaay or may not have leveraged the concept of starkiller to get power, though no enough that they'd be able to make it without him
So when Starkiller and Vader's Legacy step off of the ship into the rebellion base....
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- but the tension is broken when the stormtrooper next to them pulls off his helmet and gets tackle - hugged by rey and, let's be honest, poe.
wtf-ktula
Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh amazing
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And then kylo pulls off his mask, shakes out his hair (he'd been wearing it in Alderaan braids, Leia notices) and grabs hux by the shirt collar, hauling him up to kiss the hell out of him
wtf-ktula
Poor Hux, his scary reputation instantly busted by everybody on his team being affectionate.
Oh god, and Leia probably knows just based on his hair.
So she has, like, five seconds to process "wait, this is our kid" and "Oh, he's in love with Brendol Hux's kid"
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Hux pulls back, eyebrow raised. "Really, darling?"
wtf-ktula
Heeheehee.
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Kylo - he smirks, and he shrugs, calls him General in /that/ tone of voice - and then, from the back -
"Oh fuck, that's my kid."
wtf-ktula
HAHAHAHA
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Kylo jerks his head up and glares across the room at Han Solo. "I'm not happy about it either, trust me!" He shouts back
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Han has the skill to make the worst choice in any situation. Kylo has inherited this tbh
wtf-ktula
Of course he has.
splinteredstar
Brb, but there are a few bits left
08/16/2017
splinteredstar
Okay wow work was. A thing.
I told a program I hope it got eaten by clams
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It was that kinda day
wtf-ktula
That's a fair punishment for programs not behaving as intended.
I feel like clam devourment would be slow and painful.
splinteredstar
Yes.
splinteredstar
Okay. Headfic. Go back in time a bit, before the "jailbreak"
There is a related headcanon to this that there is, in the rebellion, an Imperial Defector.
She was a kitchen maid in one of the great houses. She's got red hair, smokes like a broken engine, and would like to stab Brendol hux in the eye.
wtf-ktula
Omg.
splinteredstar
In this timeline, poe and phasma meet her - open their mouths, look at each other, and close them again
splinteredstar
I mean. How do you even /ask/ that
(I'm not sure poe knows at this point that hux was a bastard child. Phasma probably does)
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....she gets along /great/ with Leia btw
wtf-ktula
And even just the sheer fact of her being here, and Hux being... not here means some kind of shit went down.
splinteredstar
Yeah. I mean. Nothing about hux's childhood or being raised by Brendol was okay. But the fact that he was taken from his mother...
wtf-ktula
It explains a lot, but it's not great.
splinteredstar
Yeah, so, that's a thing. I occasionally have her flirt with Leia depending on how much I want kylo to suffer that day
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Omggggggg
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Poe and phasma can't decide if they should interfere or not
Poe eventually does, pulling Leia aside and doing the shortest "your kid married her kid okay" he can manage
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Kylo when he finds out is just like "thank you that is exactly what my speeder wreck of a family needed"
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Let's see.... hux and Ren definitely have sex in the offices of the ship they stole
Plus some instances that will just be called "inappropriate use of interrogation equipment"
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(Interrogation room sex is a weakness of mine)
wtf-ktula
Omg, "speeder wreck of a family"
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HA I approve of that intensely.
splinteredstar
That's kylo's normal description of his family. (Not like they'd have train wrecks after all)
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Someone, who is entirely unobservant, comes up to kylo and asks him what it was like, being the child of the heroes of the rebellion?
Across the room, poe winces.
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Kylo stares the dude down. Eventually he realizes that maaaaybe he fucked up
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"I hated it." Kylo says, loud enough to be heard through the room. "I ran away when I was a teenager. And I changed my name partially because I was tired of /that fucking question/"
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Kylo stands, tenses his fists, and - walks away
As he walks by a light bulb shatters
(He's trying to do better, he really is.)
Anyway. Headfic. At about this point Leia is starting the "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY SON"
splinteredstar
Poe says, "yeah, he's crazy as a box of rancors, but it's not really his fault."
Rey cuts in. "It's less that he ran away more that he got kidnapped by a dark side cult."
"He's doing much better now," Rey adds after a moment.
"Yeah, I was really expecting that guy to get decked." Poe adds, with a head tilt to where kylo just left
"On the finalizer they would have died." Phasma says, nodding. "People died for less"
splinteredstar
Leia stares at them all, and just...walks away for a bit
08/16/2017
wtf-ktula
That's so much to process for Leia, yikes.
08/17/2017
splinteredstar
Yeaaaah.
Ghost Yoda hates kylo btw. Keeps glaring at him like the tops of cupboards and things
wtf-ktula
That doesn't surprise me at all.
splinteredstar
This. Miiiight be where ghost Anakin shows up.
Like. Future ghost Anakin
The one who sorted his shit out and is incredibly protective of his grandson
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He has. Words. For yoda.
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Shit there was another scene but I don't remember it. Oh right
Inquisitors show up hunting kylo
They accuse him of betraying the empire and Vader's Legacy and lightsabers are drawn
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- and then, with the force twisting and writhing around them -
- something dark steps out of the force.
The viewers register sounds, first - the heavy thud of footsteps, the crack of a cape, the harsh wheeze of mechanical lungs -
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The Inquisitors cry out, because they know this force signature (or do they? It is and yet, and yet,) but kylo does not flinch
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The ghost of Darth Vader walks onto the battlefield, stops next to kylo ren, and faces him
- one massive gloved hand comes up -
- and rests on kylo's shoulder
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Kylo grins up at him, and for a moment, he looks ten years younger
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(Clone wars veterans comment to each other, in quiet talks over beer, how much he looked liked Anakin Skywalker in that moment)
wtf-ktula
Aaaaahhhhhhhh yes.
splinteredstar
(It's in the way he smirks. The way he fights. The reckless /joy/ of battle, the casual arrogance and thrill of the fight)
(They never tell Leia this)
splinteredstar
Ghost Anakin doesn't have a consistent appearance btw
He sort of slides between Vader and General Skywalker and Padawan Anakin
It depends on his mood and/or if he's trying to fuck with people
General Skywalker is the usual one tho
splinteredstar
Okay there's one other scene in my head that's kylo explaining to his parents wtf happened but that might be later today
wtf-ktula
Yeah, Anakin's ghost not being consistent isn't surprising, I think it fits with his character.
splinteredstar
Tattooine Slave Culture related headcanon: Ekkreth, the folk hero whose name is rendered in basic as "skywalker", is a shapeshifter
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Besides, it's /useful/ to be able to break out Vader
wtf-ktula
So useful to have Vader available.
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Oh. New idea
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It's semi canon that some clone troopers are in the rebellion
So obviously Finn needs to meet them
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One of them says his designation, half joking, to prove he's really an old clone.
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So finn - who's already the darling of half the rebellion, much to his own embarrassment - walks over and offers his hand. "Fn-2187," he says. "Call me Finn."
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The clone - maybe it's Rex - says, "I saw some weird mutations, but you don't look like a brother. Did they use a different genetic base for you?"
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"Clones were decided introduce a level of genetic uniformity that put would have put us as risk for disease," phasma says, cutting in. She doesn't look like a brother either, but she moves like a warrior. "And the production of them was not as cost effective as other options."
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She shrugs. Finn looks uncomfortable, but phasma has never had any shame about her background. "I've been told that I could find the planet I was born on, but I've never wanted to." She quirks an eyebrow. "PX-6516. Phasma."
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"....so the empire in your time period. Took other people's kids." Rex stares.
"Usually as an alternative to paying taxes in credits, yes."
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Rex tips his head back. "You killed them, right? And we're gonna make sure they don't show up here?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'm helping."
wtf-ktula
Yessssss. Definitely.
Because yeah, clones aren't great, but kidnapping is terrible.
splinteredstar
Yeah, it's like. On the one hand they were born into a life of slavery and early deaths - but on the other hand, without it the wouldn't have existed at all.
splinteredstar
But the first order troopers could have had other lives
Also Rex is offended that it fucking happened /again/ but anyway
wtf-ktula
Right, because it had to have been some consolation to be like "at least this won't happen again, oh wait"
08/18/2017
splinteredstar
....so there's def a scene in my head of the headfic where kylo suggests/shouts at his parents about how now to fuck things up but I honestly cannot find words for it
wtf-ktula
That's some heavy stuff, but totally something Kylo would do.
splinteredstar
Yeah. Leia asks him wtf he didn't tell anyone about snoke and kylo snaps back - when? You had a fucking galaxy to fix and dad was never fucking there, and whenever he looked at me he was afraid -
And there he stops, takes a few deep breaths
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I can't tell if I'm more hurt by "you had a fucking galaxy to fix" or "whenever he looked at me he was afraid" BUT THEY ARE BOTH PAINFUL
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He realizes the cups on the table are shaking and stills them with a thought. "Sorry," he mutters.
"I'm. I'm not as mad about as I used to be," he says, eventually. "Snoke twisted - everything you said, everything you thought, he explained in the worst way."
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He pushes his hair back out of his eyes. "....dad was afraid for me, I think, not of me. But when I was nine I couldn't tell, and snoke said... yeah."
wtf-ktula
right, because how the fuck was he supposed to differentiate at nine.
splinteredstar
Yeah, totally
splinteredstar
I don't really have anything else for this timeline.
Okay one line
"I'm just saying," kylo explains to Leia, "maybe wait until after the treaty to - you're pregnant."
wtf-ktula
AUGH
splinteredstar
There's also a bit about ben having been born on concordance day - someone mentions Leia showed up to sign having given birth that morning
"I think I've seen that photo," hux says
"Everyone's seen that fucking photo," kylo mumbles, his head buried in his arms on the table
wtf-ktula
awwww, poor Kylo.
