@cptfulcrum​ // Alexsandr Kallus

cravked​ // Trilla Suduri

there are several things on display, and trilla had to admit, she wasn’t sure if she was disturbed or impressed by the amount of gall that the hapans must have possessed to put some of these things on display. as they observed what was held out, an eye was also placed on those around, mildly surprised to see a familiar face casing the room. hm. they watched sabine briefly before deciding to approach. “does all this seem a little crass to you too?”

.

It had taken more than the Ghost Crew’s fair share of advice to calm her temper upon hearing how the few remnants of her people had been stolen and put on gross display as some twisted show of colonization. But, now? Standing here? Sabine nearly felt sick to their stomach, looking at the skeletal remains of another warrior, their armor and weapons hung up by those who benefitted from Mandalore’s destruction. So lost in their fury did she hardly notice the figure that spoke into the silence, their tone easily recognizable.

“It’s apalling.” Sabine seethed, nails digging into the skin on her palms. Despite their anger, her tone remained the same, a slow drip of cold emanating outwards in every direction. “These relics, they don’t belong behind glass cases and locked doors. They belong in the hands of my people.” And they would be, soon. If Sabine could do nothing else, they’d see this done. “Sorry, Trilla. I’m not trying to direct my feelings about this onto you.”

spectreoflasan​ // Zeb Orrelios

Smouldering ruins had gotten to be too familiar a sight to Zeb these days.   (Hapes. Invisec. Sernpidal. Lasan. Always Lasan.)   He’d numbed himself to this kind of devastation years ago—nothing could ever compare to seeing your homeworld reduced to a lifeless, burned-out shell. But Lothal had been as good as home, too, for a time. Seeing it like this again—worse even than what the Empire had inflicted on it—made him that much more grateful that his family had escaped the devastation this time.

“Yeah,”  they agreed, placing a steadying hand on Sabine’s shoulder.  “Good thing they’ve got us, right?”  Zeb didn’t let too much levity into their voice—wouldn’t be right—just enough to let her know that things could get to be okay again, even if they weren’t now.  “Same place as always. With the survivors. Always seem to be a few hard-headed nerf-herders who are just too damn stubborn to die.”   (Like us.)   He squeezed their shoulder gently.  “So, let’s find ‘em. Get ‘em some shelter, some of these rations… then we’ll see about this comms business.”

_

Sabine felt the familiar weight of her ori’vod’s hand on their shoulder, the words of assurance giving her something steady to focus on. The thought of how many friends they’d lost the last few years...it made her stomach churn. Looking in their green eye, Sabine knew Zeb could feel it, too. The sickness of losing a planet, of losing a people...gods, the losses never seemed to stop. But, they had to try, right? That’s what it was all about, what their rebel family had convinced the young Mandalorian of in times like this.

“Yeah, you’re, uh. You’re right, Zeb. Lothal has always pulled through. This time isn’t any different.”

But it was-- the last few weeks, Sabine couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. First Hapes, now this...and similar attacks across the galaxy, if word-of-mouth could be trusted. It was terrifying, even to someone who was raised in the creed of war.

“We, uh. Should we start with stabilizing the injured?”

spectrcsix​ // Ezra Bridger

ezra knows this is kind of a big deal. from what kanan’s told him everyone’s kind of running under the impression that he’s been dead for a little while which - is a little disheartening, but he’s dealt with worse. he thinks. besides, it’s nice to give them the surprise that he’s not, right??

he’s lucky he was kind of expecting her to leap at him and thankfully he’s ready for it, staggering for a moment as they collide but managing to catch himself and stay upright as he holds sabine in a tight hug. maybe a little tighter than it should be but - it’s sabine. after all this time, everything he’s been through - everything they’ve both been through, he figures she’ll understand. besides, she doesn’t seem to mind it given the way she’s holding onto him too. he goes to say something when she pulls back, only to get hit over the head anyway “hey! i said not to hit me!” he exclaims, but there’s no heat behind his words, no anger. he knows it’s coming from a place of care and fondness as it always has with sabine. it’s just how they are.

it’s hard to be completely sure what she’s saying, ezra never got the chance to learn her language, but he spent enough time around mandalorians to pick up the intention. “uh - i dunno what you just said, but please do not hit me again.” he smiles and rubs the back of his head. “wild space which is - really vague i know, but it’s kinda hard to explain when i didn’t know for sure where i was. why do you think it took me so long to figure out how to get back?” pausing, ezra drops his hand by his side and looks at sabine for a moment - really looks at her. “what’s been going on? i mean - i missed a heap, i know, so. catch me up.” there’s an unasked question there in his quieter, more serious tone. are you okay?

Their little brother stands tall now, but examines them over with some concern. There is hesitancy in his stance, an unspoken anxiety. Sabine reaches for his hand, and holds his calloused fingers between her own. 

“Vod’ika...you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” 

That was painful to admit, but at least he was back. His loss was...well, it had taken its toll on her. It had rocked them to the core, pushed them away from family and towards isolation. After what had happened to Kanan, Ezra’s disappearance and (apparent) death had forced them into retreat. But they had to remind herself that it was no doubt hard on him too. Whatever he had been through-- whatever means he lived by in order to survive-- must have been hell. She was proud of him, even if it remained unspoken. They squeeze his hand once, and look down at their mud-caked boots. 

“You talk when you’re ready. Whatever it is, I know you fought your way back to us. You came when you could...and that’s. That’s enough, Ezra.”

She dropped his hand and instead shouldered the pack they had dropped in surprise. He had to be old enough for a drink, right?

“C’mon, Ezra. I’ve still got that bottle of Tepasi wine we stole when we were kids.” They smiled in fondness, starting to throw an arm around his shoulders but hesitating. What if he was uncomfortable with their touch? She didn’t want to overwhelm him. Instead, they just bit the inside of their lip and then gave him a sad smile. 

“Looks like we can finally have that toast to the Empire’s defeat, after all.”

@naboospage​ // Sache

There was a lot of things Saché was worried about but just this once, it wasn’t the government. She served enough governments for a lifetime, and spending the war in hiding had been… a hard earned break. It was easy for her to recognise the look on Sabine’s face, who was apparently searching for signs of fatigue that Saché, for once, did not feel. “I always do,” she answered. “When Panaka gave me his job, I rearranged the furniture in his old office so that I could see the window while working.” The best view of Theed wasn’t there, though. But in the Queen’s chambers. “How long are you staying? Yané’s working, but she’ll be back in time for dinner.”

As they walked, the Mandalorian found themself beaming. It was so good to be back among the company of an old friend, and in such a picturesque place no less. The garden they treaded was nothing short of breathtaking. As they talked, small avian creatures fluttered above and around, and flora arrayed by hue bowed gently in the wind. It was a peaceful place, and exactly what someone as kindhearted as Sache deserved.

“I’m glad for that, my friend. A landscape as beautiful as this deserves to be admired.” And Force knows Sache deserved someone to admire it with.

The two passed a group of schoolchildren weaving each other’s hair into intricate braids and laughing at a tooka cat darting between carven statues. One of the children ran up to them and complimented the colors on her armor, and suddenly it struck her. This is what the Rebellion had fought for. She had bled and cried and lost family members so these kids (and so many others across the galaxy) could have the life she never did. They thanked the child and handed them a flower from a nearby tree, smile cracking a little at the tide of emotion.

“I’d love to stay a few days, if you can spare a room. How are things with you and Yane?” They asked, careful to tread the waters on this one. Relationships weren’t exactly her forte, but she cared about these two, cared about their happiness. After all, they had been nothing but gracious to Sabine for years now.

bly-5052​ // Bly

Bly flushed a little in pride, glancing down at their armor “Ah, thank you. I’ve had the designs since I left Kamino.” They told her, patting a hand over the design that matched the tattoos on their cheeks.

“Honestly? Not really. I just haven’t seen a Mandalorian outside the ones Prime had train us. Word was that no Mando’ade considered us one of them so I’ve kept my distance.” They admitted with a shrug, holding out their hand. “Commander Bly,” they introduced themselves before frowning and chuckling “I don’t know if I still hold my rank, but I don’t have a last name so I’ve just kept it.”

_

Their response to the compliment was endearing, and immediately Sabine smiled, eyes still tracing over their use of color and line on the worn armor. It was a familiar hue, one native to their forgotten family back on Krownest...

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Bly. I’m Sabine.”

As she shook their hand, the Mandalorian thought on Bly’s words about belonging and identity. Though they hadn’t personally known any clones who’d held the title Mandalorian, she saw no reason why they couldn’t claim the heritage. After all, the children of Mandalore weren’t race, but creed.

“Tell you what, Bly. I could actually use some help fixing my ship, if you’ve got the time. I can’t offer you much in the way of credits, but I can cover a meal at the local cantina. It’s not the best in the parsec, but it’s hot. Plus, I’d enjoy the company, if you’re up for it.”

@spectreoflasan​ // Zeb Orrelios

Zeb pushed their way through the crowd of overdressed and obviously high partygoers. It would be funny – karabast, it was funny – but it would be funnier if it weren’t so surreal. He recognized plenty of faces in the crowd, but the last time he saw most of them they were back at Rebel headquarters wearing fatigues and anxious looks. If the war really was over, every one of them deserved a celebration; Zeb was the last person who’d deny them that. But Zeb was still having the damndest time shaking that ‘if.’ It had kept them away from the spiked desserts – if anyone decided to make trouble for the fledgling New Republic, they’d need their wits about them – but between Zeb’s general sense of displacement and their unexpectedly complicated conversation with Kallus, they found themself on the way to the bar. Zeb could handle a drink.

As he arrived at the bar, though, he came across someone who clearly could not. Or had chosen not to. Their slurred speech made his ears perk up. Karabast. Zeb intercepted a drink on its way into their hands and threw the bartender a dirty look.

“Right, I’ll say you’ve had enough. I’m cutting you off.”

​

“Wh-hoa! Zeb!” They let out a squeal reminiscent of a little kid (or a broken tea kettle), throwing her hands up in the air in excitement. “Ho-ly Kriff, it’s been so loooooong!” They started to stand from the barstool but stumbled, tripping over the metal and landing in a heap in his arms. She let out an elongated giggle. When was the last time that happened? She reached for the drink in her older brother’s hands, but they moved it away too quickly.

“c’mon, Zeb! I thought you were cool,” they pouted. “Wha-- What? Did yer stupid b-boyfriend put you up to this?” She tried to stand on her own but everything rocked around her. She leaned against Zeb begrudgingly. “Hmph. Dumb Kallus.” 

❛  i wish it wasn’t true .  ❜ –– from trilla

“Yeah, um.” They gently kicked up some of the dirt that coated the ground, tracing a pattern of anxiety into the earth. “Me too. Maybe in a better galaxy somewhere, this wouldn’t have happened, but, uh. But we’ve gotta play with the cards we’re dealt, huh?” They asked, albeit halfheartedly. Still, if she had to pick someone to go through this with, Trilla wasn’t a bad choice.

@cravked 

@versios​ // Iden Versio

iden snorted when the suggestion was turned around on her. it wasn’t as though she and del hadn’t talked about that at all, but she didn’t like the toy with the notion too much with others. she had always been a private person by nature and breaking that with inferno squad was about all that she was incapable of. besides, she found her work to be refreshing. she was with her family, that was all that she needed.

“then consider it out of the kindness of my heart that i offer it to you first, wren,” she retorted without missing a beat. a break would come around sooner or later, perhaps once this business with hosk station had settled, or when she felt a little bit better about the progress on finding grand admiral thrawn.

“good, you should make your way over there, then,” she decided with a nod of her head. “i’ll make contact with a few others and see if i can get someone on the ground with you at the same time. the holos have it looked like a disaster down there, so i don’t want even you on your own. i’ll forward you information on who you’re meeting up with once i know.”

Sabine’s lips upturned into a crooked smile, and they nodded. A simple mission with plain objectives ought to clear her head. They’d spent too much time thinking about things outside of their control, too much time on her own. It would do them good to be in the scene of action, to help people again.

“Can do, commander. Got a few errands to run, but it won’t take long.”

She turned to the navi-computer and started working on the calculations. Out of the corner of her eye, they could see her Loth-cat slink back into the cockpit, so she stooped and gave him a scratch between the ears. 

“Thanks again, Iden. Take care of yourself.”

Hopefully, they’d be able to do the same.

chaotickylia​ // kylia horne

Kylia beams with a brilliant light. Happiness and warmth wrap around her body like a blanket in the cold. She’s filled with joy and she’s trying to remember the last time she had felt this way or this free, but she realizes that it doesn’t matter! She’s in the moment with her new friend and they seem to be rather comfortable with each other’s company and presence, and really, that was the moment that Kylia knew was important. “Thank you! Sabine is pretty too and so are you!” She draws a little in her vocals but she means every word of it. The rush if it was intoxicating. Exhilarating. Kylia tried to breathe it all in. She wanted her new friend to enjoy it too as they raced together, hands touching, a part of them connecting the other together. The feeling was still there. This lightness that starts from her toes and wafts all the way up to the tip of her head and she finds herself laughing with the other, a magical sensation and sound. At the words, Kylia looks up, once her feet stop moving and she sees the stars spinning with each other in time to the beat, finding herself leaning a little too far backwards, but not stopping as she falls to her back on the ground, laughing once again. “They look far more gorgeous from this angle! Look at them sway with each other, Sabine!”

.

Wow. It was like the stars were shining just for them, light seeping down into her bones. The pull of it was everything, a string tied from her chest to the sky, pulling them up, up, up! Oh, it was a tether, but it was also freeing! They watched their friend fall to the ground and mimicked the motion, laying beside her with a sort of breathless triumph. It was a few honey-sweet moments before they finally spoke a response into existence.

“It’s so...It’sss...like when the p-poets write about the galaxy as an ocean, or a...” the words escaped her tongue, and they knew they weren’t making sense, but there was some comfort in that. Not everything had to. “In my family, there’s a story about the stars, right? Th-the most noble mando’ade, the ones that have passed on, they still watch over us.” 

The thought made her sad, but not in a way that hurt. In a way that was reassuring, a reminder that they were feeling. That she was here.

“Er, Kylia. D’ya know what time it is? I gotta f-find a couple more people before the night is over. You can come with, if ya want, but ya don’t have to. You have somewhere safe to stay the night?”

beroyafett​ // Jango Fett

“I know of her. I never met her though. From what I knew, she was an admirable woman.” Jango said, though he was pretty sure she had been aligned with Death Watch.

He hummed and smiled a little “I came across the Mando’ade who had it, he didn’t want it. Which was odd, he certainly had everything needed to be a good Mand’alor.” Jango said, shaking his head a little.

“I held the title once, when I was barely an adult. Shame kept me from coming back and taking it back up. But this…second chance I’ve been given, it was high time I reclaimed it.” He said. He didn’t know how much history Sabine knew, or if the Haat Mando’ade was even mentioned in their history with Death Watch and the New Mandalorian’s victories.

_

They nodded slowly, taking in the response with sobriety. So, he didn’t know her buir, or where she was. Maybe it was for the better, considering his distaste for Death Watch. Then again, Sabine would take any information they could get...

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I had that chance when I was younger, too. But I knew it didn’t belong with me. Maybe he felt the same way.”

The next part of the story, she knew parts of, gleaned from the information they’d heard in their youth, coupled with stories of war from the few mandos and clones left alive to remember.

“Yes, I know a little about that. I admit, I’m surprised to see both you and the saber here in this place and time. It’s been a tumultuous few years since I saw it last...Glad to know it rests in the hands of our people still,” they replied, mulling on the mixed feelings welling in her gut.