@cravked​ // Trilla Suduri

This night was exactly what Sabine needed. After months of...well, everything that had happened, this feeling was nothing short of a fucking miracle. So, they figured, might as well ride the high while it was here. Let tomorrow’s problems belong to tomorrow; today was for good company. And speaking of...

They spotted the twi’lek out of the corner of her eye, a nervous parent standing away from the prying eyes and hot bodies of the crowd. The garden outside was quieter, and well-lit with strings of lights. A striking contrast to their dark jumper. The weightlessness of whatever she had consumed carried them over, prompted them to pull Hera into embrace.

“Heraaaaa! Haar’chak, buir, I can’t you actually came!” They giggled and downed another shot, offering one to the mentor in front of her. “You look stunning.”

@generalspectre​ 

Their senses felt so dull yet so full of fire, and she couldn’t help but s m i l e at the heat running through her veins. They could take on the world if it was asked of them. She didn’t need the armor or the darksaber or anything else!! She was at the top of the world, swirling voices gilding themselves into a crown, flashing lights a mantle of pride. She couldn’t tell what was so funny about the party (only that it was!), and so laughter escaped from them like the bubbles in her latest beverage. They drifted through the temple, looking up at the carved stone in awe (...when she wasn’t looking down the end of a bottle.)

“The Jedi may have been kinda stuffy, but boy do they know architecture, huh?,” she sighed to the person closest, downing another shot in the process.

@chaotickylia​

cravked​ // Trilla Suduri

it did not surprise them when the other offered no response to her words, nor did it bother her. trilla did not have particularly strong feelings about the hapan either way, she would not have been here in the first place if it weren’t for cal, or what they needed for the younglings. she didn’t entirely hate the excuse to get to dress up a bit, either. it wasn’t often that they had one.

“it’s not an insult,” a wry smile paired with the words. it was hard for trilla to relate to the idea of wanting to stick out when she would have been happy to disappear into the crowd without recognition. “no, it’s not my type of function. i’m here with a…” they paused slightly. “a friend. we’re meeting someone else for some work.” no need to disclose anything of her association with the jedi.

.

A pause passed through Trilla’s voice at the mention of a friend, and Sabine’s eyebrow gave the slightest raise. She elected to ignore the other’s hesitation, knowing that they’d share if they wanted to. If not, well, then it really wasn’t any of Sabine’s business.

“That makes more sense. After the disaster of the last event like this...I think it’s fair to be a little on edge.” They nodded and raised the drink to her lips, the soft carbonation offering her a short repose from conversation. Beskar gleamed before the two of them, and the reminder of mission tugged at her gut. “Suppose I’m here on business, too.” 

@naboospage​ // Sache

There was a mirror in Sache’s office, and she spent some time looking at it while waiting for Sabine to come. She had to look different than what the Mandalorian remembered - she’d seen the holos showing the Saché of this timeline. All her features where almost unrecognisable- for her at least. The difference had to show in her holo message, too.

This was going to hurt, and not just her. Saché was pretty sure that once Sabine would learn the truth, they’d run away and never talk to her again. Which was understandable. She wouldn’t want to talk with a friend that didn’t remember any of her.

Once out of the office and facing Sabine, she tried her best to look strong and welcoming. The other’s confusion didn’t surprise her, but made her feel guilty and sad.

“Come in, I’ll make some tea,” Saché said as EP closed the door behind them. On another day she’d let the droid do the tea and serve them, but she needed to keep her hands busy. “Don’t apologise Sabine, I’ve been avoiding everyone since the war ended. I suppose you’ve heard of the Emperor’s Rift?” She didn’t wait for an answer, sat down while the water was boiling. “From my perspective, the Clone Wars ended three years ago. I greeted you like that because we haven’t met yet.”

Then she waited for a reaction. And for the water to boil. And for an excuse to leave, but she wasn’t going to run away from this. She had been avoiding everything for too long.

Tea would barely be enough to calm Sabine’s nerves, but it was better than nothing. They paid mind to the twisting arches of steam and the pressure of heat in her hands instead of the torrent of emotion boring holes into her brain. This Sache, she looked so different than they remembered. And now she knew why.

A note of guilt rang through the Mandalorian’s chest. If they had only reached out sooner, maybe neither person would be feeling this anxiety and hurt. And it did hurt. She thought she would have been used to it by now, the shifting of timelines and relationships, the loss of friends and family, but they never were. It was a fresh sting each time, a pain they would never be comfortable feeling. Still, she could feel the same emotions radiating from the person in front of them. Yes, the friendship would have to be rebuilt (and it probably wouldn’t look the same as one forged through the camaraderie of shared cause), but it was the least they could do to reassure Sache it wasn’t her fault.

“Well, then, it’s.” The words felt heavy and sticky on the roof of her mouth, something they had struggled with all of her life (despite her reputation for having a silver tongue). “It’s nice to meet you, Sache. Thank you for inviting me here. And for the tea.”

@versios​ // Iden Versio

between the constant lag of living upon a ship and utter joys of only seeming to know artificial sunrise and sunsets, it’s not much of a surprise that iden had not been able to respond immediately to the younger soldier’s transmission. she’d gotten to as quickly as she could though, still smiling at the little quip that sabine had to offer about it. she wouldn’t have expected anything less, after all. she smiled, setting down the transmitter on the dashboard so she didn’t have to hold it, leaning back in her chair. 

“sounds like you need a vacation.” there was truth to her words, of course, was there usually was when it came to most in the rebellion. the war had ended, but their work had never actually stopped. there was always something to do, there always would be. it was an inevitable truth. it didn’t matter what any of them wanted. of course, none of them actually were eager to take pause to anything.

a sigh escaped at the mention of hosk, a deep breath coming a moment after. no, none of this was exactly what she had thought it would be either, but she doesn’t want to voice her own insecurities when it seemed like the other needed some… guidance, maybe.

“no, it’s not. the empire accepted defeat but not everyone in it did. the war is over legally, yet us soldiers are just as busy.” iden validated sabine’s feelings, taking a pause. “how close are you to the kalarba system? it’s mid rim, at least. i know there are still people left on the planet who need help with evacuation. the station crashing ruined most of its civilization.”

A yawn racked Sabine’s throat, and she shook their head. They needed caf, and soon. The ship’s autopilot system had been finicky lately, and she had already fallen asleep at the helm once. Best not to take more risks than absolutely necessary.

“A vacation sounds nice.” They stretched, raising their hands above their head. The tension in her muscles loosened, and their breathing deepened reflexively. “But if they were handing those out, I think you’d deserve the first one, commander.” 

Her friend’s words about the Empire and the work to be done were somber, but they knew it to be true. Even after the collapse of an official military, there were still thousands of Empire sympathizers, not to mention rampant crime syndicates and pirate crews. The fight for a better galaxy would never truly die.

“Kalarba, Kalarba...” Sabine mumbled, bringing up a holo map of the galaxy. They needed to refuel, and to grab supplies, but all in all, it “shouldn’t take me more than a rotation and half to get there. Will I be meeting anyone I know once I drop into orbit?”

@versios​ // Iden Versio

although most of her time on new republic business was spent with the comfort of inferno squad and those that she knew best, iden still kept in communication with several other members of the rebellion. she was good at what she did, after all, and the rebellion’s strength came from its ability to work together. she happened to be rather fond of sabine –– she thought that the young woman was fiercely capable of quite a bit, and had a rather creative brain when it came to looking for solutions. if she were going to be truly self-aware, then she would have realized part of the reason that she liked sabine so much was the fact that she reminded iden of herself when she had been younger. reckless, but only in the most brilliant way.

“good to see you too, wren,” she remarked with a wry smile in response to the holo-recording. she grabbed her transmitter to get the other on the line, waiting for her to pick up before she spoke again. “it’s good to hear from you again, wren. what part of the galaxy are you in these days?”

The steady hum of the transceiver broke into a crackle, and Sabine’s eyes fluttered open sleepily. They hadn’t meant to doze off in the cockpit (that was risky business), but it had kind of just happened. Luckily, her little R-series droid had kept the flight path relatively consistent, and she gave the droid a pat on its dome before adjusting the frequency to match that of the incoming transmission. Finally, out came the familiar voice of their friend. So it seemed she had received their message.

“Commander, I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me,” they joked in between yawns. How long had it been since she had eaten something? Or had a proper sleep cycle, for that matter? Ah, that was a problem for another rotation. She turned their attention back to coming up with an answer to the question they had been asked.

“You know me, I love nothing more than enjoying all of the luxuries the Outer Rim has to offer. I mean, it just  doesn’t really get any better than the endless sandy wastes of Savareen or Tattooine, does it?” They pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, then glanced over their shoulder into the next room. It wasn’t like her to be distracted, but it seemed to be more and more commonplace over the last few days. 

“Sorry, uh, just looking for the cat. Blue seems to always be getting into trouble these days.” Where could he be hiding this time? “But, er, how have things been on your end, Commander? Anything I can help with? I...I heard about Hosk.” 

A heavy silence took its place on Sabine’s tongue then, until, with a deep sigh, they continued.

“If I’m being honest, commander, it’s not as easy as I imagined, this whole recovering-from-the-Empire thing.”

@naboospage​ // Sache

Saché was home on Naboo when her commlink chimed. She had a few days off, and every time it happened she’d leave the base to go back on her homeworld. It felt good, to be able to go outside again. It was dark and the holoprojector was on. She was watching a Senate session, just like when the Old Republic was still going strong. A Senate session in which a dead Queen was giving a speech. Eyes frowned, Saché focused on the holo - trying to know whether this was the Padme she knew or not. She’d been doing it for three years. And still didn’t believe in the eventuality of her being back. When her comm chimed though, another friend reappeared in her life, chasing her thoughts away. The voice in the comm made her smile, filling her with relief - Sabine. If the Mandalorian contacted her, it meant they were feeling better. Saché knew it, having been in the same position twenty-six years ago when Padme died and the Republic fell. “Come home on Naboo,” Saché sent back with coordinates just in case. A day later Sabine was at her door, and she welcomed them with open arms, pulling them in a hug. “Sabine,” she greeted. “It’s good to see you, kid”

“Sache!” They accepted the hug, only a little startled about the contact. They had forgotten that her old friend was the hugging type, but it wasn’t a bad surprise by any means. When they broke away, Sabine surveyed her, checking for signs of worry and stress. The New Republic was still in its infancy, and they could only imagine the kind of anxiety that rebuilding government from the ashes of the Empire could evoke. It had to be a difficult job, but one she knew Sache well prepared for. Her main concern was that their friend would work too much, take too much upon her shoulders.

“It’s good to see you too! And Naboo.” Kriff, this planet was gorgeous. The rolling plains that delved into lakes, the green pastures filled with living, growing things. Flowers so small and delicate, yet towers and castles so grand. “I had almost forgotten how beautiful your home was. Tell me, do you ever find a break from work to just...admire it all?” They hoped not to sound judgmental or inquisitive, but just curious. 

bly-5052​ // Bly

Bly was pretty sure the last time they had seen an actual Mandalorian, it had been one of the trainers that Prime had brought in. And they didn’t exactly have great memories of those days either. But this Mando seemed much younger than those who had trained the Vode would be if any had survived.

They were still wary as they approached though, they knew that many Mandalorians hadn’t approved of the Vode’s existence. But they had promised Prime that they’d give his comm code to any they came across.

Bly just hoped this one wasn’t a shoot first and ask questions later type. “Su cuy'gar.” they said quietly as they stopped next to her.

_

The figure seemed to move with a level of unease despite their obvious military training. Sabine wondered if they were meeting with someone else, someone she was in the trajectory of, but the stranger kept their course towards the Mandalorian. Curiosity alighted; Sabine didn’t know many clones apart from Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe (and the latter two, she hadn’t known for long). What this person wanted, she wasn’t sure, but they returned the Mando’a with a tentative smile.

“Su’cuy. I like the patterns on your armor, burc’ya.”

Politics around the clones’ involvement with Mandalore were...above her pay grade, to say the least. The Clone Wars had ended when they were in their infancy, and the soldiers been phased out of the Empire soon after its formation. Sabine hadn’t grown up knowing them, had little ideas about their claims to the Mando’ade. Still, this person was approaching with amity, so they returned the sentiment.

“Anything I can help you out with?”

Forget the explosion – look at the colour!

beroyafett​ // Jango Fett

Jango raised a brow at their name “Clan Wren? Any relation to Ursa?” He asked curiously. He hadn’t had many dealings with Clan Wren, but he knew of them. He could tell she was entirely sure who he was. He couldn’t deny that it amused him a little.

“Jango Fett. And I’d prefer talking over a fight anyway, so I have time.” He chuckled, reaching out and gripping Sabine’s hand in greeting.

“I assume you’re wanting to know how I ended up with the saber?” He asked, taking another sip of his drink.

_

The conversation was one surprise after another. Just when Sabine thought they had a grip on the history, the shared experience of the Mando’ade...an anomaly would hurl towards her from out of left field. Against their will, her calm demeanor was splintered with all of this new information.

“Yes, she’s my buir. You know her?”

Immediately, Sabine wanted to jump to defense. She’d not been a fanatic of Death Watch (as their mother had once been)-- wasn’t a supporter of the needless violence and discord-- but from what she’d heard, this man had done a fine job in his tirade against them. It was with caution that they proceeded, steeling their gaze as she took the drink the bartender placed before her.

“Jango. Pleasure. Please, I’d love to hear how you came by such a... symbolic weapon of our people.”