Generally-scheming​ // Armitage Hux

generally-scheming​ // armitage hux

@call-me-spectre-five  //  re: Sabine Wren; continued from here

Hux’s shoulders stiffened as this rebel scum had the audacity to touch his collar. The monomolecular dagger up his sleeve would already be at her throat if she had not managed to corner him at a public bistro. Hux hoped their presence would be enough to scare off the former Imperial contact he’d arranged to meet here.   (For business purposes!)   He was weighing the risk of stabbing them anyway when their comment about the holonet reporter put ice in his veins.

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” Hux said out loud.   (kriff, kriff, kriff)   (how could she possibly have found out about his arrangement with Kastle?)   (kriff)  

.

Oh, his fury was intoxicating. Little did Sabine have the chance to play this role, the swaggering informant who knew just enough to vie for leverage. Something about his uptight manner and defensive pettiness intrigued them. The anger was visible, a red nearly as bright as his delicately coiffed hair. She knew the tight-lipped tension of ranking Imperials. Knew the way their fingers curled around communicators and blasters. They could place the stiffening of a spine, the twitch of a lip. More importantly, they knew how to make those soldiers tick.

“Come now, Hux, don’t play hard to get. I thought we knew each other better than that. You still owe me that date, or don’t you remember?”

It was with ease that she sat at the place set for another, sheer fabric of the evening gown almost exposing the stealth armor and vibroblades hidden beneath. Almost. They turned to the server nearest, pushing the unused menu card to the side.

“Something light and sweet for my friend and I, please?” As they nodded and dutifully walked away, she turned attention back to the general they’d so long sought more information about. “Armitage, please, join me for a drink, won’t you? It seems we have plenty to talk about.”

cravked​ // trilla suduri

there was a natural spark of curiosity that arose as a result of their statement. asking would have been inviting in more conversation, given the other room to ask perhaps more personal questions about herself, which was truthfully what trilla was trying to avoid. there was no reason for her to have anything against them, even if relatively minor judgments naturally slipped in here and there. but at least thus far, they have proved capable of deterring anything unwanted.

“what kind of information are you looking for? i might be able to point you in the right direction.” that was very unlikely. trilla hadn’t been on the planet long and did not intend to stay on it for much longer, only knew enough to keep herself blending in and without drawing undue attention. still, the curiosity was there, and there was no reason for sabine to know otherwise. lying was something that there were too good at.

the offer was unexpected, although trilla had already given them a ride to an extent. a few minutes to town wasn’t exactly equivocal to somewhere off world, especially in terms of time spent together. “i have a ship of my own,” she answered with a simple shrug of her left shoulder. “that’s not really an offer you should go around making.” the words are harsh by themself, a beat passing before they added, “given your apparent lack of direction.”

.

And here was the fork in the road, the other shoe dropped. Sabine bit the inside of their cheek, the question of whether or not to reveal true alliances a weight on her tongue. She wondered about the biases Trilla held about her-- of course, the armor and its heritage carried assumptions (and they weren’t always positive; more than one scar could attest to that). Sabine resolved that the truth may as well will out this one. If there was going to be a fight, the Mandalorian trusted their instinct. Knew her skills.

“I’ve been tracking the remains of old Imperial intelligence units-- hard to pin them down, but worth a great reward to the New Republic.” Okay, so it wasn’t the full truth. It wasn’t for bounty that she worked, but for something else. For redemption. No, it was loyalty to a shared vision created by the sacrifices they and so many others had made. For the Spectres. For Mandalore. But the admittance answered enough in its words alone.

Then, at the half-insult--

“Hey, you just caught me on an off day. I knew where I was going, I just got a shit bike rental. Happens to the best of us.” Again, the Mando suspected that the person sitting across from her didn’t seem like the type to ask for assistance, but hey, they’d been wrong before. And it never hurt to return politeness to strangers, especially if there was any chance she’d run into them in the galaxy again. “If that ever changes-- if you decide you want or need help-- I’d be grateful to fulfill the debt.”

Sabine awaited their reaction in its totality, watched the direction hands travelled and eyes wandered. The next move was Trilla’s to make. Sabine felt no need to reach for the blasters or hidden vibroblades yet, but that could easily change. 

chaotickylia​ // Kylia Horne

The other’s round of laughter had been contagious and it hadn’t mattered to Kylia what they were laughing about, but she was giggling just as much. Her gaze shifting from the other beside her, a hand haphazardly catching the other’s arm before the pillar could before she started to giggle once again. “Do you think we’d reach the sky from the top?” Her voice is full of happiness and elation. Curiosity and almost a tone of commitment. She was tempted to start climbing to find out. She always wanted to touch the stars. “Blessings from us both!” Another round of laughter with her new-found friend as she collapses to the ground on her knees with the other, gaze shifting to look from the pillar, around them, then finally on the other. The colors were so vibrant, so full of life. So alive. Almost as if they were moving on their own. “I….I think so! We should give them another blessing! Do you think they’re here with us too?” Excitement travels through her and she squeezes the other’s arm a little just then. “We should find them!”

.

Limbs jostled on top of each other as the Mandalorian pushed herself back up onto her feet. It was weird-- they could almost feel every joint as it slid back into place. Exhales were so short. They...they were out of breath! How long had it been since she lost her breath of laughter and not pain? 

“I think we c-could! I think we should!”

A hand extended downwards, and they helped the new friend onto her feet. The two rocked from laughter; it was hard not to! The smiles pooled all around them and into them; the giggling was just a side effect! An infectious feeling from head to toes, warmth all throughout!

“C’mon!” She stumbled forward, pulling the other by her hand. “‘m Sabine, by the way!” They shouted behind them, dodging through the crowd with visions of stars swimming in her eyes.

@cravked​ // trilla suduri

hindsight was twenty-twenty, or so people said, and there were a handful of ways in which trilla saw that to be true now. she had been a bit obsessive as a child, about the idea of being the best, and looked to improve her skills in whatever way that she had. although arrogance had plagued her as an inquisitor, it hadn’t been entirely blown out of narcissistic proportions. every skill that cere had, she had taken the time to master. she had learned even more with the empire. they may have still carried the red-bladed lightsaber with them, concealed underneath their coat, but their greatest skill would always be their brain.

trilla was well aware of the mechanics of most speeders, capable of fixing quite a few things when with the right tool. still, she did not expect the stranger to hand her a soldier tool. she hesitated, staring at it as it was extended for a long moment and debating walking away. but she was supposed to be better. she wanted to be better. she took it, but did not hold back the annoyed sigh.

“does my name really make that much of a difference, if it’ll fix this piece of junk?” for someone who did not have much money to their name, she could still be an occasional snob. the empire had many downsides, but she’d never had to deal with anything other than state of the art equipment as an inquisitor. a beat passed, stepping closer so that she could examine the problem with the speeder herself. “trilla,” she threw out after a few moments of silence. “you might be able to get it running for a bit longer, but that engine is going to breakdown on you if you pick up any proper speed.”

Sabine let out a short chuckle.

“Yeah, I learned that the hard way,” they responded. “About two times today, and once yesterday, actually,” she smirked. 

This visitor, Trilla, had an odd way of thinking about things. They allowed themself to wonder-- what could cause a person to maintain that attitude, while still being generous enough to help a stranger unprompted? Or, if not acting out of kindness, then what did Trilla need from Sabine? What debt would be owed?

Taking in the silence, they reached in their bag for another tool so the two could multitask at once. They worked in busy stillness, occasionally passing each other a tool or handing off a bit of cable or scrap metal to tie loose ends together. While it certainly was not neat (in fact, it was a quite messy job-- but, hey, she wanted to get the bike back before it was good for nothing but scrap metal), it appeared doable. When the silence seemed to linger in the air too long, she started humming an old song under their breath. It was barely more than a mumble, but it was all they needed to fill the quiet.The melody rang familiar on their tongue, just as it once had in the great halls of Mandalorian warriors long since fallen. They were interrupted when, with a loud POP!, the bike belched out a wisp of dark smoke.

“Osi’kyr!” She gasped, an exclamation of surprise, followed by a small mutter of disgust and frustration. “Haar’chak. What am I going to do now?”

generally-scheming​ // Armitage Hux

Hux narrowed his eyes at this outrageous Mandalorian covered in bright purple from her dress to her hair. He did not dignify her insinuation with a reply.   (They couldn’t have proof ! Kastle’s reputation would be in tatters, and therefore useless to him.)   Hux’s nails dug into his palms as she continued her absurd pretense of flirtation. Midnight loomed, his agitation compounding as the seconds ticked away.

“I don’t like you,” he hissed, striding forward to confront them quietly. “A feeling which is obviously mutual, so let’s put an end to this farce. I would sooner walk directly into enemy fire than kiss you, Wren.” He flushed hearing the words out loud. “Mandalorian.”

.

This was something they were good at, something she prided herself in. Bending his composure under the weight of flattery and thinly-veiled threats. They had every reason no specific reason to harm him now (and especially not in a place so public), but it was fun to watch him squirm.

“That hurts, Hux. I happen to actually enjoy our chats.” And, that was partly true. Who else could they have this much fun toying with without it becoming something truly dangerous? “Oh, come on, Armitage. Would it kill you to at least play along? It’s not like it would be the end of the world.” 

With those words, the clock struck midnight. And all hell broke loose.

sabine wren

“i left to save everyone!”

📜 – kanan

Sabine: I am not out of control! I'm a law abiding citizen! Kanan: Really? Name one law Sabine: Don't kill people? Kanan: That's on me. I set the bar too low.

(bonus!)

Sabine: I think I'm having a mid-life crisis. Kanan: You're like 15 years old Sabine: I MIGHT DIE AT 30!

@sacreficied 

sacreficied​ // Kanan Jarrus

so much had happened over the course of their lives together as ghost crew that had been unpredictable, so many things to be grateful for –– and yet, nothing struck him quite the same as listening the others speak about the time that he was dead. kanan imagined that the other jedi he had spoken to must have felt in a similar way, the apprehension tightly wound with gratitude. he would not look at a gift like this with lack of appreciation, though there were things about it that he questioned.

“it’s easy to get caught up in the things that we’ve lost. you weren’t around for it, but you know that i did for years.” the circumstances had been different, but after sixty-six, he’d never stopped to appreciate that he was alive, that he still had his wits about him. it had taken time to appreciate hera, too. “i’m… i’m doing well. seeing the order restored has given me hope that i didn’t know i needed. for ezra, and for jacen. i know that there will be some who don’t approve or understand of… all of this,” he gestured loosely with his hand at nothing in particular, meaning ghost crew as a whole. “but even with the order’s stance on attachment, i think it makes me a better jedi.”

.

Silence weighed between them as Sabine listened to their friend’s admittance of his past actions. He’d never spent much time talking about what had happened before he found Hera, and she didn’t blame him. She didn’t respond to his words, but nodded, just taking time to listen. Years of petty arguments and bickering made it easy to forget how alike the two could be. 

“You know I don’t know much about the Jedi beyond what you and Ezra have shared with me--” she started, combing through words and phrases with caution. “But, it’s almost funny, right? I mean, the core beliefs of the mando’ade are all about family and connection. And the Jedi are supposed to distance themselves from that kind of emotion, right?”

They hesitated, offering a small, sad smile (though she knew he couldn’t see it). They bumped her boot against his, trying to keep the energy from sinking.

“It may be kinda unorthodox, but I think it works. I think we all make each other better...And, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing. Rebuilding the Jedi and committing to the people you care about. Who care about you. Against our better judgement,” she teased. 

generalspectre​ // hera syndulla

“  You  know,  it’s  starting  to  get  lonely  on  this  ship.  “  Hera  teases  as  they  stand,  arms  already  wrapping  around  the  colorful  armor  of  their  child.  While  neither  Hera  nor  Jacen  had  much  interest  in  him  becoming  a  jedi,  Luke  would  come  sometimes  and  work  on  control  with  her  son.  Small  things  to  help  him  get  by  in  the  galaxy.  This  was  one  of  those  times.  It  was  hard  to  trust  anyone  but  their  family  with  him,  but  they  knew  that  Jacen  would  be  in  good  hands.  “  But  I’m  proud  of  you.  What  you’re  doing  is  important.  “  

@call-me-spectre-five​​

.

Their praise and embrace brought a smile to Sabine’s lips. The two shared a language outside of the spoken word. When you’ve been to hell and back with your family at your side, there are some things better expressed in the pauses between words, the silence before speech.

“Thank you, Hera. You know I’m always happy to see you.” They dropped their bags in the old cargo room, happy to see her artwork still adorning the walls of the Ghost. “If you ever want to get the little womp rat out of your lekku for a weekend, give me a call.” 

Looking closer, they noticed colorful scribbles on the wall beside her own. Huh. The kiddo wasn’t too old but his control of line, his use of color...it was already well-developed. The thought of her vod’ika taking after them at all made Sabine swell with pride.

“Jacen’s works, I assume?”

❛  don’t waste the time i don’t have .  ❜

“Oh, but, general,” she countered in a dry whisper, toying with the hem of his collar, as though brushing off some loose dust. “I think you have plenty of time for me. I think you want to know exactly what I have to say, because you can’t stand the thought of someone holding information over your head. Besides, I know you have nowhere better to be than the lap of another Imperial or holonet reporter. Isn’t that right, Armitage?”

@generally-scheming