How To Train Your Dragon Short AUs
Story III; The Jedi & The Hunter;
Characters: Hiccup Haddock, Astrid Hofferson, Dagur the Deranged, Alvin the Treacherous, Stoick the Vast Haddock (mentioned), Gobber (mentioned)
Ships: Hiccstrid
Series Description:
This is a series of short stories that may or may not have any bearing on each other. They all relate to HTTYD using their characters and will all be AUs. Please enjoy!
Description:
He's hunting a criminal. She's after a mark. Mistakes happen, but a Hunter always gets their mark, and Jedi don't give up. Listening to Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON. Star Wars AU. Connected with the previous AU, Story I; Padawan & Commander, taking place before the Clone Wars.
Disclaimer:
I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. I am but a humble fan trying something new, please don't sue me. I also do not own Shut Up and Dance, but it is a great song and I suggest listening to it while reading this, as that was the primary inspiration for this piece.
The Jedi & The Hunter
Coruscant Lower Levels, The EdgeBar & Dance
The noise was the first thing, it assaulted his ears, the raving screaming and thundering beat could hardly be called music, though apparently somewhere… Stepping through the threshold his nose came under attack, it was sweat, vomit, and liquor literally bled from the floorboards soaking into his sense of smell. Next was the darkness, lit by strobing yellows, blues, and reds, sometimes the beams would mix casting shadows in the backgrounds of greens and purples. The shapes of the people were clouded in darkness, bright white lights shining from the bar on his right, and sitting area in the back. It was like watching a holovid as the species crossed around, gathering drinks, pulling out food. A four armed bartender, a Besalisk with her plated head and muscle bound arms was sending drinks and trays sliding across the bar, almost as fast as the orders were coming in. Voices were layered underneath the noise someone called music. But what was more interesting was sixth sense that leaked from every being, the more they tottered and turned the more they bled out emotionally.
He stood, almost as still as a powered down droid. His eyes were closed and his brows pulled together. His left hand was almost parallel to the ground, fingers spread a slight tremor running through his hand. Malcontent, anger, want, need, depression, drunk, order… His eyes like shining emeralds locked with a young woman at the bar. She couldn't have been any older than him, clad in an armoured jacket made of Nexu leather a pair of metal shoulder pads attached to it. She was leaning against the bar stretched across it like a the Nexu's who skin she now wore probably had. Every muscle in her body spoke of power, while energy built throughout her form. Her hair was blonde, elaborately woven into a braid tied off with a simple red string, it hung over her chest. Her right hand remained close to her belt where Hiccup could see a faint sheen of silver peaking out. On her hip was a blaster, one he couldn't recognise the model of. She bore a Mandalorian Kama, studded with durasteel that hung with an elegance unbefitting of armour. Beneath it were a pair of simple trousers. Her eyes however, it took everything he had to simply stop himself from reaching out. As if made from Kyber crystals they bore the colour of Sapphire gems, as hard as the ices of Ilum as they scanned the throngs of people. Determination, loneliness, sadness, heartache, anger, rage… Her eyes locked with his, and his cheeks went crimson. Turning his burning face away he struggled to fight down his quickening heartbeat and stuttering breath. Drawing himself out of his body he once more set upon the masses of people. Broken, organised, deep-seated pain,... curiosity? Cracking open his eyes he felt her gaze piercing the side of his hood. She had pulled herself in, arms closer to her sides and body held straighter, her face still looking in his direction.
No I have a mission, Gobber trusted me to do my part, I can't keep getting- The young woman wrapped a hand around his arm tugging him onto the dance floor as she pulls his hood down. Revealing a mop of auburn hair and a freckled face. She couldn't get over his green eyes, glimmering like waters of her home world, now long since lost to her. Her scan of his body revealed exactly as she suspected. The cloak held within a lanky and lithe form, a cylinder at his hip and a blaster on his right. He had a jacket on beneath the cloak, something simple and black as the shadows of the roof above. His pants were brown, and he lacked armour, but there was something about the way his left hand was purposely left only partially in her grip, and the way she could feel the muscles tense and release beneath the skin of his right arm. She caught sight of her quarry behind him, her focus returning to the task at hand as she slid her right free of his arm, her fingers lacing around the metal rod affixed to the back of her belt.
"Don't you dare look back, keep your eyes on me." Her knuckles went white and her eyes stayed locked on the man with fiery red hair wandering, seemingly aimlessly, through the crowd. The right side of the man's face was covered in a jagged scar that cut through the patchy beard. A faint inkling of a blue tattoo in the shape of claw marks over his other eye could be seen. He was built, much taller than her or the boy she was with. There was no mistaking those dead eyes however. Dimly lit green like a storm had darkened them and no light remained of the soul within. Dagur the Deranged, top assassin and likes to get his hands dirty, rumor was that he'd returned to Coruscant because a contact had asked for him, but either way, the price on his head was too much to pass up.
"What is it?" Cold seeped through his body and his grip on her upper arm tightened, while his left hand closed on the hilt of the weapon resting on his left side. Insanity… there was only one person with that kind of presence. Keeping his gaze attentive to the young woman who appeared ready to jump and fight he reached out, noting how the dark freezing feeling moved behind him taking a seat at a table, and how fearful the group standing around the table were.
"Shut up and dance with me." Her hands latched onto him pulling him close as she twisted them through the dancefloor, shifting right, then left, and starting to totter slightly. Throwing her weight she purposely crashed into the table next to her target. The drinks splattered over the Niktos guarding her mark and a dangerous growl erupted from their lips. Flinging herself up with a much to wide smile and a teetering performance she latched onto the Nikto. "Is that you babe? You seem bigger?"
As the Nikto raised his hand to snatch her away she drew the rod from its place on her belt. The combo was swift, she flowed through each move like water through a river. First her free hand impacted the Nikto's stomach, then her baton went electric and zapped him in the thigh, his leg spasming and sending him down, her knee came up right into his face and his eyes rolled back as he hit hte ground. She stepped on the foot of the closest Nikto before backhanding him with her baton and his jaw went slack, sent down with but a hit. Twisting she caught the wrist of a female Nikto who'd drawn a knife on her. She sent two jabs in, and the Nikto moaned between gritted teeth. The baton appeared right in her chest and Nikto joined the two of her species on the ground. As she turned to take on the remaining Nikto there was a hiss and pop as a green glow filled the darkened room, a hum filling out the background noise. Turning her head the young woman's eyes widened at the boy she'd clung to, lightsaber aimed over her body and held at the throat of Quarren whose hand was resting on his blaster, those pitch black eyes aimed at her. The music died down and every eye in the establishment was on this young boy.
"Alvin the Treacherous, Dagur the Deranged. By the order of The Jedi High Council and the Galactic Republic, I do hereby place you under arrest. Come quietly and no one will have to get hurt." His eyes were as hard as gems, and his mouth pulled to a tight line as he stayed focused on the fiery haired and ebony haired pair of large men before him. "Tell your men to stand down. Or I relieve him of his hand."
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Jedi Padawan. Where's old Gobber? I wanted to repay him for your father's treason." Alvin growled. Standing up the man was easily twice her height and covered head to toe in full battle armour. Dagur followed suit, his hand reached for something on his back.
"Last chance Alvin. Surrender peacefully and I'll tell the Courts to go easy on you. As for you Dagur, best of luck after that stunt you pulled on Cato." Dagur bowed deeply, his hand having fallen to his side a silver sheen catching her eye.
"Brother! I just left you in that nest of Gundarks because they looked so lonely after their mommy left. How could I deny them the chance of your wonderful company? How's the leg by the way?" Dagur's hand moved faster than her eye could track, but her baton was already loosed, slamming into the armoured man's gut and sending the knife in the wrong direction. The Quarren drew the blaster, which swiftly dropped to the floor with a wet thud and followed by his scream. Alvin went to burst past the Jedi Padawan before a glowing cut appeared on the back of his calf, and on the outer side between two of the plates on his arm. His shout tore from his lips as he collapsed onto the ground. She felt someone snatch at her hair yanking her face to reach Dagur's burning eyes. "That wasn't very nice little girl!"
His hand drew back and she threw her weight forwards tossing him off balance and into the table he'd sat at. Pulling her blaster from her hip she put two rounds into a Duro who'd pulled a blaster from his boot. Twisting her blaster flared to life again, the air seeming to burn with every shot. A Quarren in the back left corner went down. Her eyes found a Nikto, weapon already aimed and a light appearing in the barrel. Then came the woosh of green, swiping through the weapon and fire burst forth from it, the Quarren's scream echoing around the building. She snatched yet another blaster from the fallen foes and began pouring blaster bolts onto a small group of thugs who'd been unwise enough to enter. Stepping deftly in front and around her the young boy sent bolt after bolt pinging harmlessly away from her or the other occupants. Red collided with green, yellow streaked across the blackened room, lighting up the world in the exchange.
Her body was covered in sweat, and she was surprised to find Dagur had blasted into the wall, and Alvin handcuffed before a snap and hiss and the green blade of the boy's, Hiccup's, lightsaber disappeared. His eyes alighted once more on hers, and she couldn't help the smile stretching out across her face, and she really hoped the room had just gotten hotter, and not her.
"Hiccup Haddock, Jedi Padawan," he stuck out his hand, his right hand. Her eyes moved the hand to his freckled face, his smile slowly falling away. She took his outstretched hand and the right corner of her smile pulled further upwards.
"Astrid Hofferson, Bounty Hunter and Pilot. So may I ask what a Jedi Padawan is doing down here alone?" He laughed, it was nasally, and his shoulders twisted and shuddered as he did so.
"You may," he forced out, still stuck with that goofy lopsided smile. "I think the better question is what is a young Bounty Hunter like yourself going after someone like Dagur the Deranged and an establishment as seedy as this place without back up?"
"But I did have back up, didn't I?" Astrid strut to the door, making sure to give an extra twist as she stepped out to meet the droids who'd come to clean up. "See ya around Jedi boy, hope you'll have my back then too. Also, you owe me one!"
Hiccup was entranced by her walk, barely noticing what she said until the end. His expression pulled together and he turned, finding her baton lying not far from where Dagur had caused all hell to break loose, looking back he found the small pillar had a knife sticking out of it. Damn…
A/N:
Hope you all enjoy this continuation? Prequilation? This story based off Padawan & Commander. I wanted to show the first time they met before the war, and what better way than this? Don't worry this will almost definitely come back again. Until next time have fun!
-Six out!
P.S. So I have had requests to continue a few stories from this. This is connected to the same AU as the first story, and I've had a couple of requests to work on another installment of The Dragon Lord & The Lady Dragoness, I've already worked on a couple of one shots for this AU, TDL&TLD (The Dragon Lord & The Lady Dragoness) will be continued as well, I'll probably work on it and post it after I have the other shorts posted/finished as I have a few ideas in mind. Thanks again for reading! I'll probably post a couple of these a week if possible since Midterms suck.
