HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO DARTH DAD | Illustrations By Jeffrey Brown

Deleted Scene: *Boba sneaking onto the Razor Crest in Chapter 14 to retrieve his armor only to fall flat on his face because he tripped over Grogu’s toys.*

When Chewbacca came of age the wise woman read his eyes and told him his future.  He would live a long life, face many hardships and many great joys, and if he was steadfast and courageous he would earn a place in The Histories.  

“I see four pups in your future, more by bond than blood.”  she’d said.  The math wasn’t hard, one by blood- that could wait until he found a wife- and three he’d have to go find himself.

A good future he thought, one he intended to earn.

1

Sometime during that first mad escape from Mimban he realizes Han Solo is a dangerous mix of smart and stupid.  He is honest though, at least to Chewbacca, and didn’t treat him like the animal other humans did.

But he clearly needs looking after.  

Not long after he thinks this Han saves his life.  If anyone asks Chewbacca will tell them that’s why he follows Solo, a life debt is a serious thing.

But in truth it has more to do with the kindness hidden under the jokes and facade of toughness.  This one has been alone his whole life and is still good at his core.

And if he is honest with himself, he had decided he was keeping this one the moment he grunted out an escape plan for them both in truly terrible garbled Shyriiwook.

Now he just has to teach Han not to talk his way into anything he can’t talk  his way out of.

2

Luke Skywalker is shockingly naive the first time Chewbacca met him. Newly orphaned, for a second time, he still looked around with wide guileless eyes that got him in trouble almost immediately.

When Han takes the job from Luke and the Jedi not even trying to pretend he isn’t one Chewbacca knows this job will be different.  

He did not anticipate exactly how different.

Han fidgets restlessly and grumbles to himself.  Chewbacca does not say anything, but he keys the coordinates for Yavin into the hyperdrive.  He doesn’t submit them.  Not yet.

“Kriff.” Han hisses.  “I must be crazy.”

Now he submits them to the navicomputer.

“We need to go back.” Han says, dumping them out of hyperspace.  Chewbacca immediately begins wheeling the ship around just as the navicomputer spits out a route.

Han looks from the computer to him. His mouth twists like he doesn’t know whether to frown or smile.  

In the end all he does is say “Right, let’s go make sure Luke doesn’t get himself killed.” and takes them to lightspeed again.

A very real concern, Luke is altogether too sure he’s the storybook hero.  

They’ll have to teach him to take better care of himself.

3

“Can someone get this walking carpet out of my way?”

He doesn’t respond.  The girl is angry. So angry she is lashing out at everyone even her rescuers.  He can only begin to imagine how she feels.  His home is imprisoned, trapped in the Empire’s iron grip.  He know what it is to mourn a homeworld in chains.  

He cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose his world entirely.

Later, after they have escaped and are on their way to Yavin Leia comes to find him alone in the cockpit.

“I’m sorry,” she says, quietly.  Her rage cooled for now.  “About earlier.  I shouldn’t have insulted you like that. Especially when you risked your life to rescue me.  I just-”

All at once whatever blocks she had in place fail.  Her eyes tear up and she whispers, “They’re dead.”  She covers her mouth for a moment, like she wants to deny what she’s said.  But the tears flow harder and she continues.  “They’re all dead.  Everyone-”

Words fail her then, but she stands there weeping silently for a moment, before Chewbacca simply scoops her up and holds her in his lap.

(She’s such a tiny thing, full to bursting with anger and sorrow)

He rocks her gently, and croons calming nonsense, and lets her cry and cling to him.

This is not the first hug she’s given him.  It will not be the last, but with luck there will not be more this full of pain.

“You cannot muscle your way through grief,” he tells her, even though he knows she doesn’t understand.  “You must weather it instead.”

He hopes this in not a lesson she needs to use often.

*narrator voice* unfortunately, none of them knew that the Dark Side skips a generation.

the boys accidentally break the Vader-reveal to Boba.

Obi-Wan Kenobi fought with three different lightsabers during his lifetime. His first two lightsabers, which he used as a Padawan and a Jedi Knight, were almost identical in design. After attaining the rank of Jedi Master, he constructed his third lightsaber and used it until he sacrificed his life on the Death Star. Each lightsaber always had a blue plasma blade.

my cruel request is for this to happen at least once

tl;dr anakin comes to like din and proceeds to embarrass his son shortly after

read more of this series here!

Oof.//somewhere in hoth

I want to see Lord Vader raise his children.

Your headcanon of The Armored having already adopted Boba and Fennec sight unseen is DEEPLY making me look forward to when they all do meet.

I have written them meeting a few times, but haven't yet found a version I'm super happy with. I'll get there eventually.

In the meantime, have this bit of Paz and Din being told off in front of Luke, Boba, and Fennec. In this little bit, Paz has been refusing to train with Luke and Din's youngest sister started a rumor that he and Luke were an item.

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Buir turned around and identified Luke immediately. She left Din and Paz to go stand in front of him (still ignoring Fett and Fennec somehow) and held out a hand. Luke was enraptured by her helmet. It took him a moment to notice the hand. When he did, he dropped Fennec, and, to Din’s utter shock, took it, dipped his head and brought buir’s knuckles to his bare forehead.

Paz’s hand came up behind Din’s neck to squeeze at it in equal anxiety.

Buir watched this in complete silence. Luke released her hand and lifted his eyes.

Buir held his gaze for a long moment before wrenching her body around to practically glow with fury at Din and Paz.

This time, Paz and Din executed a long-practiced maneuver called ‘huddle and pray.’

“He does not need to be asked for respect,” buir said with perfect consonants.

Scary. So scary. There was nothing to say to her now.

“Why must I ask this from my own son and comrade, and yet the ancestral enemy gives it without hesitation or stumble, hm?” buir asked.

There was literally nothing to say. Buir knew this. She held the silence before rounding on Luke again and gently taking his hand in hers.

“You are a very sweet boy, I see this,” she said. “Forgive my children, they are under-socialized and we lost the smaller one down a mine when he was young. He has never fully recovered.”

Um? Din had, actually?

It took about fifteen years and was not helped by Paz telling him that bats would nest in his ears at night if he didn’t turn over often enough, but he’d gotten there in the end, hadn’t he?

Fett lifted his eyes to the sky and pressed a fist into his nose and mouth next to Luke. He appeared to be blinking back tears.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Luke said in the meantime. “And it’s alright. I fell into a cistern when I was three and now have a petrifying fear of drowning. Din has been nothing but kind to me. And I’m sure that Paz is a nice person deep down. Somewhere.”

“You poor thing,” buir crooned. “Your optimism hurts my eyes, but I will accept this kindness on behalf of our covert. Thank you for your efforts in attempting to teach Paz through non-violence, although I have some recommendations for you. Namely, a motivator.”

Paz whimpered into a palm. Din cringed.

“His name is Ban,” buir said. “He is useless to us all, and unfortunately our founding elder’s grandchild. But he has done much reading on you, my dear, and he is enthused to provide you with the means you need to keep Paz focused on lessons.”

Luke frowned and cocked his head.

“I’m not sure I understand, Ms.—uh—”

“You may call me ‘Goran,’” buir said benevolently. “It means ‘Armorer’ in our language. And perhaps I was being too delicate. What I mean is that Paz learns best when complex maneuvers have absorbed his anxious energy. Ban is his assigned provider, since Din has helpfully evicted himself from the position, and I am pleased to say that he is the most exhausting of the current line-up. I will set him to assignments in and around this moon so that Paz will have things to do in the space between your lessons. This should alleviate some of the pressure on you in the meantime.”

Luke forgot to blink for a good ten seconds.

“You’re giving me another Mandalorian?” he asked.

“A worse one, yes,” buir said.

Fett wiped at his streaming eyes.

Din couldn’t stand by in silence any more.

“Buir,” he said, shoving Paz away from him so that he could come and brush the tips of his gloves against her elbow. “Luke already has—”

“So familiar,” buir scolded immediately.

Luke’s eyebrows shot up. Din didn’t bother, he backtracked.

“Jedi Skywalker already has more Mandalorians than he can deal with,” he said. “He’ll be uncomfortable with Ban’s energy, even in short bursts. I’ll volunteer to do the work. Paz and I can hunt together. It will be sufficient; we can keep each other in line.”

The silence that followed was not comforting. It spoke of a scowl and a whole lot of skepticism.

“Did I say ‘Din?’” she asked.

No.

“When did I say ‘Din?’”

She hadn’t.

“Funny. That’s what I thought, too.”

Fett covered his whole face and shook.

“You are busy, ad’ika. Stressed, I’m sure,” buir said sympathetically, “You stand here before me in a shocking state. We will handle that momentarily, whoever touched your helmet last deserves to be boiled.”

Fennec stood up on her own power abruptly and dragged Luke off-balance.

“Goran,” she said with the utmost respect, “Perhaps you would do us the honor of overseeing Vizsla’s training? See, Luke is scared of him, aren’t you, Luke?”

Luke tried to pull out of Fennec’s grip with no success.

“I’m fine, actually,” he said.

“He’s miserable,” Fennec said over him. “He messages me in tears every night.”

“I do?” Luke asked.

Fennec crammed the side of her boot into his as a threat. Buir chose not to read into any of that. Her bullshit threshold was too high after Din and Paz within three feet of each other for more than five minutes now.

“I’m afraid that my responsibilities do not allow me to maintain this kind of surveillance over an individual member,” she said with perfect diplomacy. “Ban will report back to me, as will Paz should Ban make more than his share of nuisances. Is this satisfactory to you, Jedi Skywalker?”

Luke was trapped between a rock and a hard place, but not without hope. He gazed over buir’s shoulder to Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, who had apparently chosen to limit those who could see them for the moment. Kenobi tossed up a finger and did a fun little spin and a jog. Luke’s father glanced after him and gestured that they’d be right back.

Luke cleared his throat.

“If you would allow me to consult with my Master,” he said. “Just one moment.”

He wriggled out of Fennec’s grip and bounded off in the direction that his father stood. Together, they chased after Kenobi.

Meet Pain (they/them), Croissant Guards Medic