#I like this much better than whatever was going on with her dual belt wielding that the old design had

[aftout]

Redesign of Dr. Halcombe because she is the one character in JD who has faced the LEAST amount of edits. It was time to CHANGE THAT!!!

[thelesbianlegacy-swtor]

OC list of the MMO LESBIAN

SarapAlexandria Duvel <3 Vette

Sith Warrior

Human, brown short hair, 1,78, D cups, she likes dressin on armor that is bulkier than a tank or in a tank top and leggings. Dark eyes and light skin

Lesbian. LOVES toys in bed

Headcannons

Has a personal Dreagnough that she uses as a colliseum. She has taken into training new sith in combat. More than her apprentices they are more of gladiators for her to fight.

Kinda crazy. Likes to bounce around and do Tons of damage. She is feroucios about defending the Empire and believes that the republic is doomed. Has archived the impossible more than a dozen times so no plan is to crazy or stupid for her. Gratefully, her wife knows what is too stupid or too crazy and so she fixes those plans so her big sith girl can go fight monsters and other people.

Married Vette. Only she can make her laught so much that she forgets she is angry. The tiny girl is so adorable and so cute and jsut so horny for Alexandria that the two of them spend 3 months on a horny induced honeymoon. Even now after the war with zakuul they keep having more honeymoons whenever they get the chance.

She wasnt all that hurt by Quinns betratal. Like, hey man fatman told you to kill me so no biggie- But from now on you are my bitch and i will bully you over all this k?

Jaesa kinda bugs her. She is Dark side but not SO crazy but still she is kinda...tiny. Alexandria likes to challenge her to crazy stuff and she always gets on trouble with her, but Jaesa is so young and sometimes weak that 

Pierce is her best freind. A total madman when it comes to battle, a blootthirsty man that will not doubt in choosing violence but also super trusthworthy and she knows he will stop her from getting killed in stupid ways

For her Broonmark is her fluffy monster! Just point release and watch blood by spilled. She makes him shower after every bottle and use proucts on his hair cause she likes how soft he gets.

She remains a free agent causing chaos everywhere. She is not quick to kill always tho. If she got a good fight with someone she will usually let them live so they can fight again.

She is the most sexually proactive girl around. She will get every pair of cute or hot tiddies on a bed along side Vette. She is a bit dom and doesnt like playing sub, but she will play passive.

Master of Shien and Juyo, she likes to go crazy with a lightsaber and destroying the place but doesnt really like dual wielding

Seraphine <3 Temple

Sith Agent. New code name: Specter

Cyborg, mostly internal components on her eye, brain and bones. 1,96M, Long hair, usually red but she likes dying it. C cups, She wishses to get more tits but she has to be stealthy. She likes using loose clothes with lots of cleavege. She isnt a fan of bras.

Lesbian Switch. Likes bondage and public stuff. She can and will play any part on roleplay. From the scared virgin to the cruel dominatrix

Headcannons

A master of hidding on plain sight. Seraphine is the kind of woman who blends everywhere. She likes attention from the spotlight just to let it go 5 minutes later. She has the talent of being so likeable that any girl that gets close to her on bed, never gets mad with her for leaving or just going for another girl. She also has a perfect memory and will remember how you like to be touch, how much you moan or what kind of cnadies you like when you are on your days. She is as soft as she is Ruthless. She has never regret killing anyone for more than an hour. Unless she kils someone she has slept with she will pull the triger no matter what. This includes civilians, wounded and allies. After Chapter 3 she left the identity of Cypher 9 and became a shadow agent for the Empire. Her new code name: Specter. 

After the War with Zakuul she was left on charge ofthe Alliance by Darth Nox. Both the Ex Imperial Wrath and the Supreme Huntress stayed behind with her. 

She doesnt like Kaliyo. No. She is no fun. She likes to hurt and doesnt look after girls. She was particulary angry at her at the start because she would try to get on the way of her time with other girls. So Seraphine got Kaliyo a cute chasity belt and allowed her to focus on chaos outside the bedroom. That way they both can get what they want. Chaos and attention.

Vector is her special little guy. Confident. Trusthworthy. But really fun to mess up with. Seraphine tells him to do weird stuff just to get a laught at weird situation. She also helps him send money for Killik Joiners. She likes that he is simple

Lokin is a weird guy for Seraphine.He could do a lot of stuff with the ragkghoul virus but she likes that he is quiet and calm. She likes trying tea with him

Ensign Temple is the only girl that has kept Seraphine attention span for more than 1 night. She likes her a lot because she cant read her as well as other people and so she makes her angry just to learn more about her. She forgot how it felt to get to know someone through time and so she likes to keep her around. She also likes Temple is super organized and loyal

Seraphine can never choose fast between either a big rifle or a tiny blade under her dress. She likes how chaos erupts after a person gets shots down but she also likes to be close when her target takes their last breath

FUCK SCORPIO UwU

Arthemys Delos <3 Mako

Huntress

Built like a tank, She likes lifting Mako to train her big guns. She is a cyborg with lots of internal components and a cybernetic leg (left) She isnt the tallest girl, she is 169 (nice) but she has the biggest tiddies. She carries two E cups that she loves to put on Mako’s face. She has black short hair

Lesbian 

Total top but wont say no to being topped every know and then

Headcannons

Money,gambling, explosions and pretty girls, Arthemis cares for little more than that. As long as she can fire guns, gamble money and have a bed with a pretty girl on it she will do an job. She loves hunting animals and will almost never reject a bounty. What she wont do, is just say yes to any quest or mission. She can get money as easy as she can waste it and so throwin credits at her doesnt work. Only if the work isnt something she dislikes or too easy or boring she will do it. She has a few internal implants after playing with grenades when she was young.

Mako is hers. Hers alone. She wont let her go beyon her sight and will actually get restless for being away from her too long. Arthemis is possesive which Mako kinda likes.

The two of them likes being on top of eachother as much as possible but a extra pair of hands or tiddies make them both pretty happy. Most of the time, is actually Mako who gets the girl.

Gault is jsut too fun not to keep around. Arthemis wouldnt call him his best friend becuase she suspects the guys can be bought but he is fun either way. She like getting a lot of money with him and then wasting it all or just not taking the pay,just to mess up with him.

Torian is fun. Sometimes. He is a mandalorian and she likes fighting strong people. But Torian is a bit more serious that she would like. She doesnt like people dying because then she cant fight them again and so she doesnt like some decisions of the mandalorian. But at the end of the day the trust that the two share is one of a brotherhood.

Blizz. God Damm Blizz. When Arthemis got Mako on her bed and then into her family she thought she coulnt be happier. She was wrong. The little jawa makes everything better. As chaotic as her and even weirder than Gault, Arthemis just cant stop keeping the jawa around

YOU READ MY COMMENT ABOUT SCORPIO? WELL THAT X2

Selendis likes using two big guns to shot down her enemies. She doesnt really enjoy going around in huge armor so she keeps herself kinda light. But her armor is still a bit big. Why you ask? Cause she loves the feeling of having not only a flamethrower but also grenades, missiles, hooks and electric weapons all stuffed in her body. 

Selendis <3 Lana and Senya

Sith Inquisitor

Sith girl with piercing orange eus and long amazing black hair. She is 182 and as sith that focus on range combat, she took the luxury of enhancing her breasts to a nice DD cups. She doesnt like jewelry but she has a few tattoos. 

Sorcerer

Lesbian. The one to dom them all.

No amount of girls is too much when it comes to Selendys

A proud, stylish and master manipulator Selendis believes that the empire can be improved but even in its current state is better than the republic. She is patient and ruthless and wont stop until the galaxy is back on order. She left the alliance and took overthe sith empire after letting Acina step down. Seriously, no killing her just “Try and stop me from getting the throne”

Khem Val is her personal monster. A warrior of another time which she swears wont ever be forgotten. She has taken into redacting whatever information the dashade gives her. She has task him ith protecting everyone she deems worthy of her interest

Andronikos is a fun and interesting man. He is a pirate with experience and a code. Hard things to find. Selendis enjoys him being slipery and smartass. She also enjoys the acces to the underworld the man provides. Over all she likes that the betrayed man has once more put his trust on someone. She wont abuse it but she prides herself of it

Ashara. The little puppy. She has learn about the dark side and the sith and yet she keeps herself on a reaching point from the jedi order. Still she has a point of view that is useful and welcome. She has teached her everything useful that she could learnt.

Talos. Oh Talos. A men of science and interest. Selendis has swear to protect the smart man just so he can see for once history being made instead of being discovered. Most of the time she has free, she will spent researching stuff with Talos and discussing history

Xalek. Selendis attack dog. A simple desire of the young Kaleesh allowed Selendis to craft a magnificent Student. Xalek belived that she was a god. And so Selendis tasked Xalek to forget about being a kaleesh god, and instead become a sith god. Strength, power, and victory.

Lana Beniko. From the first time Selendis met Lana she was intrigue. A sith that kept her rage and hate deep withing her, so she could serve the empire better. Selendis wasted no time in seducing the sith and keeping her under her control. But soon Selendis lost control and ended up loving her. Lana became her source of power. She would burn the galaxy for her. She also fancid her cute ass and the way she lost control.

Senya Tirall. Selendis doesnt do well with betrayal. And so after defeating Arcann, she was left quite angry when Senya saved him. So, after the war with Zakuul, Selendis threw Senya into a prison and slowly made her crumble. Telling her that both Arcann and Vaylin were death, Offering herself as the only ally, and then leaving her alone. Selendis broke Senya and put her back together in a way that she would enjoy. Despite being more of a pet than a lover, Selendis does love her in her wn special way, and wont let her be hurt.

REPUBLIC OCS

Cassandra (Cassie) Jedi Knight <3 kIRA She tiny! She is 165, amber eyes,C cups she likes to hide on a sport bra and to fight, she has a few scars over her back and shoulder (horny origin) She specialies on Djem So but likes using two lightsbaers instead of one Lesbian Total Bottom girl. Tsundere (will be all agressive but you pet her once and she will melt on your arms)

T7-01 The crimemaster, Teseven will always be there to push Cassie towards any female individual just so Cassie can stop winning about not having a girlfriend. Each time it works, but Cassie ends up lossing the contact or getting pulled out from plannet by the council

Kira. Or like Cassie likes to call her, babe! Cassie was sweap of her feat by how chaotic her padawan was an how incredible persistent she was on taking baths together, giving eachother massages and just being close. Cassie lasted 2.6 seconds the first time she gave her a kiss and fron that day on, she is either fighting or on her girlfriend’s arms. Kira likes to tease Cassie and on nights she makes sure to give her all of her love

Doc. The best partner. Doc is always there for Cassie, wherever she is doing good or bad. Or doing ilegal or legal stuff. He knows Cassie will jump towards danger and he will be there to help her make the galaxy a better place Rusk. There are few things that Rusk hates more than the empire and one of them is how Cassie jumps on top of his back because she is to tiny to get food by herself. Even then, he will die for his little sister becuase he knows she will defeat the empire some day

Scourge. The big old sith might have forgotten what means love, pain or feelings, but he respects Cassie. He knows that despite her size the little jedi is more than capable of busting whatever walls appear on her way, even if it means tapping on the dark side. 

Bella Jedi consular <3 NADIA

She is a curvy girl. D cps on a tallish girl, 178, with a dump track ass. She is thick and she is SHY about it. She likes baggy clothes so her body doesnt show too much. She feels that healing people with her skills is the best call for her but she also agrees that sometimes throwin a massive bould to minnies is good

Qyzen.  Qyzen and Bella are good frends. Mostly, because Qyzen will gladly shoot anyone who calls Bella on her fat ass, and Bella will drop a boulder on anyone who calls him green skin or lizard. The two of them are the type of people who fixate on stuff and they enjoy their hobbies

Tharan. To be honest. Bella didnt think it thorugh when she got Tharan to come with. She was doing it mosly out of pity and because she needed some help. But mostly she just liked Holiday and would be more interested on keeping her rather than him. 

Zenith. Oh dear Zenith. Bella enjoys Zenith attiude. There is little more than that. She isnt as extremist as he is, but she knows that he will do everything on his power to defeat the empire and protect the inocent

Iresso. Oh Ireso is fun. Bella likes to bully him in little wyas. Sometimes she will just pick something ilegal to do to get on his nerves. Thats alls. Well he is all good and good for fights but Bella likes how correct he is and that she can make him mad

Nadia: Her love. Her mistress. Her everything. Everyone has thirsted for her body, and so Bella usually isnt ready to believe most words of love and affection, but Nadia persisted for months, being almost addicted to her body. And so one day Bella let her padawan into her bedroom and cried over her love. Nadia is the type of girl who will devote her heart and soul to her love. She CANT keep her hands off Bella’s body tho, which makes it hard for her to keep clean underwear around

NEW OCS FROM THE NOT PC OCS GAME. 

PRESENTING. THE ARTIST

Sarah Novadust

The lead singer and dancer of the Imperial Idol group “Royal Novas” 

A tallish girl (175cm) a bit petite looking but upclose you notice she has a good pair of thighs and some nice ass. She has GOLDEN hair. Not blonde. Golden. She keeps it on a long ponytail that reaches all the way back to her ass. She is a human girl of 22 years old with Purple eyes due to some alien grandparents

She leads the Royal Nova an Idol Group originated on the Empire. The group is formed by her, 3 back up singers, 5 back up dancers, 2 guitars, piano, drums, violin, and 1 trumpet. The 15 girls are all REAL close to Sarah.. More on that later

Sarah was born on Sarapin. She worked on being an artist since she was young, but when she was around 15 she was blacklisted from most musical firms on the republic over a incident with a manager that wanted to taste her body. Sarah left to spent some times with friends back on Balmorra when the empire attacked. FOr a couple of years she layed low working on some cantinas singing to earn a living. It was there when some sith lady saw her and brought her to Kaas City. Sarah would keep singing for more and more excentic public until she had the favour of enough people that she could stay safe and solo. Then after saving up for some time, she went and convinved a few sith lords and sith officers to put some credits on for a full on idol group. She invited friends and scouted for talent all over the galaxy

As an artist, Sarah likes mixing her young excitement with imperial overconfidense. She knows that playing it safe wont work and so she makes every song and perfomance into a way to improve herself more and more. With a big group of girls to help her she has managed to perform or even Dark council members and Senators from the republic. 

As a young woman, Sarah attracts a lot of people. She isnt the most strong willed person, nor she is particulary aggresive. That is excaclty the reason why each and every member of the Royal Novas is madly in love with her. Each girl looks over their leader as a little kitten to be protected. Of course, Sarah doesnt mind the attention and as long everyone plays nice, she will open her heart to the entire group. With 22 years old, a massive fallowing, more credits that she can count and a polyamourous relationship with 14 girls, Sarah's life is just the best

[inheritorofmemories-archive]

The Old Guards and their iconic weapons

Because I’m not done thinking about and over analysing that movie yet. Here’s me talking about the old guards weapons and how that translate into their fighting style.

Under cut because I got slightly carried away. Featuring screenshots that took a lot of time to get because I’m not the most talented.

Andy: Ah, the bisexual axe. The Labrys, interpreted as a symbol of matriarchy, also known lesbian symbol since the 70s. Iconic, if I dare say so. She uses a ton of other weapons and guns in canon but I feel like her first and true love is her axe, and for that I respect her.

Fighting style headcanon: She uses force and the enemy’s body and movements. She’s the kind to say “Go Big or Go Home” because she’s used to going head first and expecting it to work. She literally had centuries to experiment tactics and moves and perfect them to the point where there’s nothing you can do when she attacks you except to go down. Firm believer of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” that’s why she still has her axe and swords.

Quỳnh: We see her with two main weapons, I think that’s so great of her, a versatile master. A sword (a katana in comic canon, I’m not sure what she has in the movie, hope they used a Vietnamese weapon) and a bow that she uses in a hand to hand fight!! She gets you from sixty feet or up close, either way you’re going down, and she looks amazing while doing it.

Headcanon: She’s a Pit Viper: she strikes faster than you can see her coming. Very calculating when fighting, she analyses everything and plans out to the smallest details before she even raises her weapons, and by the time she does you’re already dead. A walking dead if you will. A queen.

Lykon: Had a lance!! The taste of this man, incredible. Wish we had more of him on screen and I didn’t have to get this ugly screenshot off of a youtube video but anyway.

Headcanon: He was swift on his feet and had a really good eye, to pierce through armors and weak spots but also to spot about anything really, from berries to treasures to cool birds to show to his friends. Confident in his abilities and cocky about it sometimes (”that’s your job Andromache” he says when she saves his ass. Confident and talented, we love it.)

Joe: The scimitar. Google tells me scimitars are very efficient for slashing and cutting through things (people mostly). Also tells me it was very light and thus had more moves and possibility in a fight and it was easier to handle and to be more precise with it. Gun Option: a shotgun, very sexy of him because it’s also very versatile and the go-to gun for damage but also no collateral victims because it won’t go through the body/thing you shoot. A king of Dramatics but safety for the people around him.

Headcanon: He likes some panache and grace in his fights and he’s very quick and efficient, doesn’t waste a move for nothing. But he’s mostly concerned with getting the job done and not harming innocents in the fight. The one most likely to learn cool and updated moves and tricks and constantly try new stuff.

Nicky: A long sword. Google again tells me they were heavy, and need to be carefully manoeuvred and that to cut and slash you need a great control of it and also to be rich enough to have a sharp sword and not a blunt piece of steel mostly used to break bones. Gun Option: sniper rifle, very sexy of him too, but a different flavor of sexy. The deadly silent kind of sexy.

Headcanon: This is a feral Nicky abiding blog, he’s calm and focused until shit goes down and his family or innocents are in danger and then he’s ruthless and focused, going for it. Keeps an eye on his family and is in the first line to protect them. Stick to what he knows even if it’s a heavy sword he could trade for lighter weapon.

Booker: His assault rifle I guess. If we wanna go the Blade Way, maybe a sabre if he was a high ranking officer which I highly doubt since he was a convicted forger so maybe a bayonet (even tho they don’t look as cool as real swords do). He’s apparently the explosive guy too.

Headcanon: Whatever works. Just give him something to shoot or hit the bad guys with and he’ll work something out. Bonus point if it can blow things up or make big damages. Never understood the others sense of flair because putting a knife through an eye socket is just as effective as their coordinated parade and parry with their fancy blades.

Nile: She uses guns in the movie, but she clearly favors assault rifles (marine are trained with that kind of weapon), and in the 2nd comic that’s what she chose to use for most missions so I’ll go with that. I’d say she’s the most versatile in modern guns and can easily switch between options. Kiki Layne trained in boxing for the movie so including that too, she likes to go for efficiency and short cut and known ways because they often works. The Blade Way: a Ka-Bar since she was a trained US marine. Also, knives are sexy too and I think Nile deserve one.

(Yes that's her knife in Andy right there, but she threw it away; Nile needs to get another one asap.)

Headcanon: She’s the most practical out of all of them and “let’s get this done in a quick and efficient way because I have no time for you bs” attitude you find in boxe and modern training, but she has to rewire her brain to accept that she can die and walk it off after 25 years being told she has to try and not die. Give her a couple years before she’s just as bad as Andy and go for it Throw The Bad Guy Out Of The Window With You On Him way. Will take on Joe's love for theatrics, the rest of the team will hate their plans. Really smart, quick on her feet and able to think of something on the spot (she did use that belt to tie Andy in the plane, I love her!! She’s amazing).

.

In conclusion: They are all really cool. Joe and Nicky are each a side of the same coin and have complementary fighting style, which is extremely valid of them. Andy is a battering ram but with more finesse because you get bored and learn tricks over 6 millenniums. Andy and Nile will get along real fine with how similar they are (just look at how Andy smile in the plane after Nile clock her, she’s enjoying it so much). Nile and Joe will also go along fine because they have the same brand of just enough crazy to enjoy their plans. Booker is tired and feels alive when he blows shit up. Quỳnh is very cool, and also very deadly and efficient and she was dual wielding weapons before it was cool (before the team did it in the 20th century, she’s the original hipster guys). I need more Lykon content, please even just a ig post with two lines would be nice. A video with BTS and deleted scenes would be better tho.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this mess.

[turkleader]

Drinks and Old Rumors

Part 1 of 7 Written for FFVII Halloween Week 2019.

Prompt: October 26th - Scary Stories [ghost stories, old legends, tales of the supernatural, creepypasta]

Summary: It's Halloween week and the Turks are shooting the shit at 7th Heaven when an old rumor about Tseng rises from its uneasy grave.

Description: This is the first piece in a multi-part story that follows Tseng (and those he encounters) over the course of seven days. I took inspiration mostly from the "old legends" and "tales of the supernatural" parts of this prompt, but tried to make it a more lighthearted experience to start the week off with. I hope you enjoy this little piece, and happy Samhain and Halloween to all who celebrate!

👻

A note before we begin: In case anyone is unfamiliar with the official names given to the Before Crisis Turks, I’ve included them here at the beginning of the story for reference. I hope this helps!

Rod (Male) - Alvis Crisis Gun (Female) - Emma (Elena’s older sister) Two Guns (Male) - Ruluf Shotgun (Female) - Freyra Martial Arts (Male) - Maur

Enjoy the story!

“I bet you Elena could take your ass three out of five times, at least, easy.”

The redhead scoffed, laughing. “Yo, I ain't about t'take a bet like that.”

“Come on!” the light-haired brunette goaded. Her thick ponytail almost fell into her drink as she leaned forward across the counter of the 7th Heaven bar, grinning past comrades new and old. “Why not?”

“Yeah,” Elena chimed in, a cunning smirk spreading across her face as she repositioned to face Reno. “Why not?”

“Rigged,” a dark-haired man with sharp bangs muttered.

The bald man beside him nodded.

“Oh, you're absolutely no fun, Ruluf!” the ponytailed woman pouted. “And neither are you, Rude!”

“I mean, it doesn't make sense for him to take an unfair bet, Freyra,” a large, well-built man with short brown hair spoke up.

“There it is,” Ruluf said, pointing at Maur.

“Since when does the Reno of the Turks turn down a challenge?!” Freyra exclaimed, jaw slack and brow raised in an attractive taunt.

“Oh, it's a challenge now?” Reno shot back. “An' who's footing the bill if I win?”

“If...” Rude emphasized quietly.

Ruluf sighed and laid his face down on the bar.

“Sounds like Reno's buying me my next drink if he knows what's good for him,” Elena said, her expression smug.

“And he shouldn't be the only one,” Freyra declared with a giggle, tossing back her drink.

“I'm beginnin' t'remember why I don't make bets with you, yo,” Reno said, flipping off Elena and Freyra as he turned away to flag down the bartender.

“Don't put your mouth where you're not ready to put your gil,” Freyra winked.

“Wait, you guys are serious?” the bartender interrupted, setting down another drink for the ladies. Her intense ruby eyes flickered between Freyra and Elena as she hurriedly lifted a hand in apology. “No offense meant, Elena, but I didn't know you had that kind of reputation in the Turks.”

Elena opened her mouth to respond but a new arrival cut her off.

“Are we discussing our win-loss records?”

A blonde woman with a stunning resemblance to Elena took a seat at the bar, giving Tifa a knowing smile as she motioned for her regular.

“Emma!” a scattered chorus rang out from the gathered Turks.

“Big sis!” Elena exclaimed with warmer surprise than she used to bear her elder sibling.

“Hey guys. Hey sis,” Emma greeted as Tifa playfully rolled her eyes and went to grab her drink. “So? What mischief are we getting up to tonight?”

“Trading drinks for bets,” Maur supplied with a wave, a shrug, and a smile.

“So is Ruluf winning or losing?” Emma asked with a slight smile, thanking Tifa for her drink and using the fresh glass to indicate the dual gunner with his face planted against the countertop.

“Losing,” Tifa put in with a half-amused, half-exasperated smile.

“How was I supposed to know the rookie had a black belt or whatever and was hand-raised by Tseng?!”

“Really?!” Tifa exclaimed, looking at Elena with a new respect.

“An' this is why our slumdog lost almost every bet he took,” Reno declared and stole Ruluf's drink, tossing back a swig.

“You really should know better than to underestimate a Turk,” Freyra chipped in as Rude nodded.

“Especially my sister,” Emma joined the discussion, shaking her head.

“You'd think he'd get the hint after betting against me five times.” Elena shot a withering glare at Ruluf.

“...wait,” Emma began.

“Yep!” Reno added brightly, finishing off Ruluf's drink. “He finally made the right choice the sixth time!”

Ruluf lifted his head, forehead and nose red from where they'd pressed against the counter. “Again, how was I supposed to know?!” he demanded, irritated.

“Tseng wasn't the only one looking out for her,” Rude said.

“She had our undivided attention after you all went dark.” Reno puffed out his chest, looking proud.

“Hey, I aced all my intro and advanced training, and all my exams but one, and that was without your help!” Elena reminded, flushing at the attention despite her best efforts.

“Yeah, well— I don't think anyone'll question yer commitment to seeing the mission through t'the end these days,” Reno said. His voice sounded strange, but every member of the Turks—retired and active—knew what he meant.

A thick silence settled upon the group.

Concerned stares glanced their way. Hushed voices began to brew between the patrons. They didn't need to hear the conversations to know what was being said— 'Hellhounds of Shinra. Death dealers. Murderers.'

Some people had begun to forgive them.

...but it was all too soon to forget.

“Alright Em,” Freyra spoke up at last, pushing past the heaviness that had pulled them each into their own familiar hell. “Who's the one Turk you wouldn't want to go up against?”

Emma didn't hesitate.

“Tseng,” she said.

“Aw, c'mon Em!” Reno groaned.

“What!” she said, raising her voice slightly to be heard above the sudden influx of bar patrons coming in after the dinner hour. “Would any of you want to fight him?”

“It's no fun choosing the immortal,” Ruluf said, nodding his thanks to Barret's daughter as she brought him a refill on his drink while Tifa was busy with the new crowd.

“Immortal?” Marlene asked, brown eyes sparkling with curiosity as she paused in the middle of taking away the Turks' empty glasses.

“Don't tease Marlene like that,” Elena chastised.

“It's not that much of a stretch,” Reno said, shrugging. “He should've been dead how many times?”

“For all we knew... he was dead—dead more times than any person has the right to come back from,” Ruluf stated, ire lost from his voice.

“Maybe it's true then,” Freyra confided, eyes shining.

“Oh boy,” Elena sighed.

“Not this again, Frey,” Maur protested gently.

The hunter folded her arms and leaned across the bar counter, a mischievous curve to her lips as she beckoned Marlene into her confidence.

“There's an old, old rumor that Tseng made a deal with Death—a deal Death couldn't refuse,” Freyra whispered ominously.

“Yeah, the same one Veld did,” Reno scoffed.

“I heard it happened before he joined Shinra,” Emma remarked. “That he swore an oath to one of Wutai's deities so he could cross the ocean to get to Midgar.”

“And that's why he can't die?” Marlene inquired, brows furrowed as she puzzled over each suggestion, empty glasses forgotten.

“It's all just rumors and supposition,” Maur assured the young girl, but even he sounded doubtful.

“Isn't he able to pull that shit off 'cause of the Full Cure materia Veld gave him back when he was a rookie?” Ruluf questioned.

“Nah, there were times he didn't get the chance to use it and still survived,” Reno dismissed.

“The Temple,” Rude clarified, tone solemn.

“Shit,” Ruluf cursed under his breath. “Forgot about that.”

Elena bit her lip and suddenly grew very interested in her drink.

“It's not all that unusual for the Turks to have those experiences though,” Emma noted, trying to steer the conversation away from the sensitive topic. “Remember when Alvis fell into a coma only to wake up three years later?”

“Yeah, and Freyra almost put him back into it when she nearly hugged him to death,” Reno taunted.

“You're just mad 'cause I got to mess with him before you did,” she retorted, sticking out her tongue at him.

“I think it was the one-two punch of Cissnei and then you right afterwards that really got him,” Emma observed, trying to suppress a smile.

“What about Vincent?” Marlene suggested, catching the group's attention. “He used to be a Turk. My dad told me when they found him he had been asleep for decades. And Cloud says because of the experiments that were done to him that he might never grow old or die.”

“Shit,” Ruluf laughed, more out of surprise than humor.

Rude cracked a small smile. “Someone's got us all figured out.”

Marlene wasn't deterred.

“Did they do experiments on Tseng, too?” she asked. “Is that why you guys keep coming up with stories to cover up the truth?”

“S'far as I know, he's a hundred percent real human being, untampered,” Reno said.

“Tseng was out for a while too after what happened in the Temple,” Elena said, finally finding her voice again.

“That wouldn't explain everything that he'd miraculously survived before then,” Maur said.

“A'ight, Rude,” Reno interrupted, turning to his partner. “This might be a long shot, but d'ya think it might be his other materia that's gotten him through all that shit?”

“What materia?” Maur asked, confused but curious.

“Ohhh we're getting into those goodies now?!” Freyra exclaimed. “I thought that was just talk!”

“Nah, it's real,” Reno confirmed. “At least, the materia is. I dunno if what they say about it and Tseng's true though.”

“What materia?” Maur repeated. “This is the first I've heard of it.”

“Tseng wields an Enemy Skill materia,” Rude said.

“Mastered,” Reno revealed.

“Holy...!” Maur uttered.

“Yep, there it is!” Freyra exclaimed.

“What the shit?” Ruluf scoffed. “First of all, how is that possible? Don't some of the enemy abilities you need to learn to master that materia kill the person upon casting?”

“Yep,” Reno said.

“Then it's not possible,” Ruluf decided.

“...unless he's ~immortal~,” Freyra sang from her end of the bar, grinning.

“Actually, there is an enemy skill that can be gained through use of the Manipulate materia that prevents Death magic from having any effect on the user,” Maur informed. “Perhaps this is how he's been able to master the materia and escape from so many fatal situations?”

“Maur!” Freyra shouted. “You are seriously the worst! Stop ruining my fun with your facts!”

“A mastered Enemy Skill would go a long way in helping someone to stay alive,” Emma considered.

“Maybe the bastard's just lucky,” Ruluf declared and took a long swig from his glass.

“Is this someone I should know about?” a new voice suddenly broke through the group's discussion.

Turning, they found the devil himself had arrived, amusement warming his grey gaze as he joined them. But before anyone could respond, Marlene planted a hand on the counter and stared the Turk down.

“Are you an immortal?” she asked him matter-of-factly.

Tseng raised a brow as his Turks looked between him and his interrogator.

“Not that I'm aware of,” he answered, approaching the bar.

“So you didn't make any blood oaths to any demons or gods?” Marlene pressed.

The warmth in his eyes flickered. The beginnings of a smile edged across the corner of his lips, but there was no joy in it.

“No, though sometimes it feels that way,” he confessed.

Marlene nodded, considering his answers. She lifted a finger.

“One more question,” she said.

The gathered Turks held their breaths, waiting.

“Do you guys wanna join our Halloween movie marathon night tomorrow?”

The disappointment was explosive.

Tseng laughed as his coworkers fell into grumbled and mirthful exclamations.

Marlene threw them a look, and then continued as though nothing had interrupted her. “We're hosting one all day tomorrow here in 7th Heaven, and I think you guys should come. It'll be fun!”

Tseng inclined his head in gratitude, a true smile crossing his features.

“I have a few things to handle for work tomorrow, but I will try to be there,” he said.

“I'm sure you'll make it,” Marlene said and promptly headed into the kitchen.

Tseng looked after her before turning away, shaking his head softly.

“Yo, bossman! You're late so you're buying the next round!” Reno shouted.

“Whoohoo! Drinks on Tseng!” Freyra cheered.

“To the immortal, lying bastard!” Ruluf joined in.

“Cheers!” the Turks toasted him.

[End]

[honekitteh]

FIC: Countdown - Chapter 2

Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight Rating: T (this chapter) Genre: Angst, H/C, Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Humor Synopsis: A distress call leads the Jedi Battlemaster to Ziost, but time is running out.  Follows the storyline of The Rise of the Emperor and inserts missing scenes.   Warnings: See Chapter 1 

Chapter 1 | Crossposted to AO3

“I sensed our course has changed. What’s going on?” Kira walked onto the bridge and stood behind me. I gave her a simple nod as I watched the colors of hyperspace on the screen.

“Pandemonium is a better name, it’s at least somewhat pronounceable,” I heard Doc’s voice behind me.

“Phelgethon fits better,” the deep imperial cadence retorted. Lord Scourge, the former Emperor’s Wrath, didn’t hold any emotion in his voice, so it was difficult to tell if he was teasing the human doctor or not.

“Ph.. Phel… That sounds like something is stuck in your throat or you’re coming down with a cold.”

“That would be impossible.”

“Just saying…”

Kira laughed looking back at the two men who entered the bridge, “You have a hard enough time saying Barsen’thor when we’re meeting with the Council.”

“What is it with Jedi and Sith with their impossible titles?”

Kira rolled her eyes and took the seat opposite me and looked at the controls. “Ziost?”

Lord Scourge tilted his head. “We’re headed to Ziost?”

I took a deep breath. “Theron called for backup.”

Doc quickly responded, “Think he will need medical attention?”

“It’s Theron, so likely,” Kira stated with a small chuckle. The small laugh she shared with Doc stopped though as she looked over at me. “Jyana? What’s…” Her words stopped as soon as we left hyperspace and started to enter orbit over the blue world of Ziost.

Suddenly all that was let out was a simple, “Oh…”

My heart sunk as well. The presence was unmistakable, the darkness within the force encircled the blue globe in front of us. I kept getting flashes of images: blue turning to grey, green turning to grey, everything living turning to ash. My hands balled into fists on the controls.

It was Scourge who broke the silence. “We’re too late… his plan is already in motion…”

I closed my eyes. “We have to try.”

“The odds of his survival are…”

“Screw the odds, we have to save this world, whatever it takes.”

Kira started softly, “Jyana…”

“This isn’t about Theron… this is about the Emperor.”

Scourge and Kira shared a brief look and nodded. I moved to stand up and started walking back to my quarters to grab my shoto and cold weather gear. The others followed me. As I walked, Scourge spoke, “Teeseven and Kira should accompany you. The rest of us could come easily under his influence if my sense is correct.”

I nodded my agreement, but Doc spoke up, “I’m sure they would need medical…”

“No. The risk is too great.”

The medic opened his mouth, but Lord Scourge quickly ushered him away as I began to get my kit together and throw on my hooded coat.

Kira put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m with you, Jyana. As always.”

Without looking back at her, I put my hand over top her hand. “I know.”

She sighed softly, “What if we can’t stop him?”

“We’ll sort that out when it comes.”

“And Theron?”

I closed my eyes, trying to reach out my senses. There was a part of me that was certain I’d know if he lived or died, but I wasn’t entirely sure if we were connected in that way. I mean, we were connected somehow, but…

“Jyana?”

“I… We’ll sort that out later too. Right now, the Emperor.”

“Guess we’ll sort out the lack of holoing ‘til he’s in trouble when we get there?”

I made a small chuckle.

“See, got a laugh. I’m sure he’s fine.”

I nodded and looked back at her and smiled. “Let’s get to work.”

Imperial military forces on Ziost have ceased responding to orbital comm signals. Reports indicate the military has turned on the civilian populace. An Imperial military outpost may yield more information. A transport is available for departure.

I pulled my hood over my head, shivering slightly from the cold as it hit my skin, as I stepped out of the shuttle. I could feel the waves of chaos surrounding me. The Dark Side of the Force, ever present on Ziost as Lord Scourge had warned us, was present. It took a bit of willpower to put it to the back of my mind and then I realized my eyes were frozen shut and I looked out.

Soldiers were firing their blasters at civilians; civilians were firing back. None of them were in control of their actions. I could feel the power of their puppet master. I looked over at Kira who stepped out of the shuttle after me. Her face was white, clearly sensing what I was. She adjusted a fairly sizable bag around her belt awkwardly.

“What is with that bag?” I asked, deciding to ignore the other bantha in the room.

She sighed with great exasperation. “Doc insisted. If he wasn’t going to be able to come down, we had to take these.”

“How many kolto injections are there?”

“I lost count at 5 if I’m completely honest. Could be 20 or so?”

“Why would we even need that many?”

Kira gave me a blank stare. “Have you met yourself? That doesn’t even include the chance we find Theron...”

I pursed my lips. “I cannot deny your point, even as much as I want to.”

The astromech T7-01, the first friend I made when I came to Tython to complete my training, rolled out of the shuttle and beeped his intent to head towards the outpost. Kira and I nodded to each other and followed him, attempting to not draw too much attention to our movements. I pulled my hood closer around my face, shielding myself from the chill wind. Kira pulled up her scarf around her nose and put the goggles on over her eyes. I frowned and looked in my pack. To this she handed me mine and I worked on getting those on.

Somedays, I wondered who took care of who when it came to Kira and I.

I pulled out my scanner to follow the signal that T7 was very clearly following. We ducked against the building, watching the soldiers as they shambled. They looked like they were looking for prey and weren’t very picky as to what kind to have. I took a few deep breaths as we pushed on forward. I slipped slightly, barely managing falling into a snow drift by probably two inches. Another glance at Kira was met by a slight point toward her kolto pouch.

Sighing I took another look at the signal. I couldn’t get a sense on much of anything beyond the cacophony of blaster fire, dying men, screaming children, and a complete feeling of helplessness. T7 beeped a warning as we rounded a corner. Speeders and shuttles were crashed outside the vehicle bay that the signal was coming from. We moved inside, the droid moving quickly to investigate any potential console.

“Seems like we made some friends,” Kira spoke up.

“We need to reevaluate our standards,” I sighed as the soldiers started shooting at us.

Kira and I made quick work with a few flicks of our lightsabers. The soldiers came in waves of three. I frowned looking down at the last one I had to pierce through the heart.

No one deserved this fate. Sure, they were Imperials and would have attacked me anyway, but I would have preferred they’d had a choice to do so. These did not.

T7 beeped down to us from over a balcony. I nodded to Kira who remained behind as I followed T7 up the ramp and took a look at the holoconsole. It was busted, T7 beeped his frustration. There was no way for him to access any of the data that could have been held here. This bay was a complete wreck. I took a sigh and made a quick call to the ship.

“Scourge, come in.”

“Reading.”

“You were right, they’re all possessed.”

“Slaves to his will. He is attempting the ritual again. When he is done, there will be nothing left.”

Suddenly I knew what I felt in the back of my head and cut the comms. The presence was unmistakable and it was overpowering. For a moment I wondered how long I’d need to keep him out of my own head, but then that slow build up behind my eyes moved away.

Like this was something we’d rehearsed, but we obviously hadn’t, both Kira and I said in unison, “I can feel your presence Vitiate.”

Three people entered the Vehicle Bay one at a time, their voice theirs, but not under their own control. Their eyes glowed silver and I could feel the aura radiating off of them, flowing off of them in red waves in my Force sight. The first that spoke was a male Imperial Commando. “My little insect, no doubt here to drone and flutter once more.”

A female soldier followed him. “Dromund Kass, the Yavin moon... It must not be clear to you yet. There is nothing you can do to stop me.”

Seriously, Vitiate, a monologue? I ignited my shoto but slightly startled as I noticed the last one who moved in.

A Jedi. The way he carried himself suggested one who specialized in Form III, Soresu.

“That’s all right though. Seeing you, it’s like visiting with a forgotten friend. I’m oddly pleased you’re here. You’ll bear witness to a world’s end if you survive long enough.”

As the group moved to attack Kira, I leaped off the balcony.

The jedi focused his attention on me, while Kira made fairly quick work of the Imperials. He swung his yellow blade vertically at my head which I parried with my purple shoto. The shoto were much shorter than his longer normal bladed lightsaber, but I’d found their mobility gave me a slight edge when I dual-wielded. Since the first lightsaber I made on Tython had fallen on hard times… okay I honestly can’t remember what happened to it. I just remembered the Masters sighing heavily at me and pointing me where I could find more materials to make a new one. At the time I thought it had been a punishment, to not have enough material for one, but after time, I instead found it a blessing. It wasn’t the size that mattered to a weapon, after all. It was how you used it.

With a motion of his hands, the he used the Force to knock me back. I smacked into corner of the ramp. With a grunt I tossed my shoto at him. He parried one of them, but the other struck true. As they returned to my hands, I leaped back into the air and met his blade with mine.

It was a whirl of blades. Purple and yellow reflecting off the damaged walls of the vehicle bay. He fought more aggressive than I would have expected. Had he been under his own power, I would have expected far more defensive maneuvers. If it had been, we might have been a bit more evenly matched. One slight miscalculation proved fatal, and I cut his lightsaber in two, and he fell. His eyes looked up at the ceiling, unfocused, exhausted, and they changed from silver to brown. As he took his last breaths, he gasped out, “He’s gone... I can... I can finally...”

I felt the life force leave the man. I looked down at my shoto, which had fallen to the floor at some point. I removed my goggles and lowered the scarf from around my mouth. Frowning, I reached my hand towards the Jedi’s eyes, but the back of my mind sent a warning through me. Instead of getting a chance to pay my respects to a man who fought well despite his circumstance, I stood, taking my sabers back in my hands. “More of you already?” I stated, “I suppose I should be flattered.”

I ignited my shoto but before Kira or I even moved, an orangish red lightsaber made quick work of the enemies just outside the Vehicle Bay. Then the blonde Sith Lord made her way towards the entrance, her green cape flicking behind her. Her yellow eyes looked tired as they fell on me.

“So my senses haven’t betrayed me. It really is you.”

“Lana Beniko.”

Lana pinched the bridge of her nose for a few seconds before stating, “You don’t belong here, Jedi. You shouldn’t have come.”

Before I could retort, Kira approached Lana and I could tell that the redhead sensed the Sith Lord’s exhaustion. “It’s nice to see a friendly face. I’ve missed you.”

I simply blinked.

Lana exasperatedly responded, “I’m trying to avert a mass catastrophe while keeping the most powerful mind in the galaxy out of my head. I… I can’t think about that.”

Kira let out a breath of air. “You don’t gotta tell me twice,” she muttered.

I blinked between the two, then looked back to Lana. “What do you mean, we don’t belong here?”

Lana’s expression was somewhere between exhaustion and exasperation and gave me a non-committal response and put her hand up to her temple, as if she was listening to incoming communications and status updates. She then looked back to me. Before she said anything further, I cut in, “In case you might have forgotten, standing up to the Emperor is kind of my job. And I’m not about to start backing down from him now.” I raised an eyebrow and looked Lana over. “And I’m thinking you could use the help.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that. As you can see, things are already out of hand.”

“Seems we’re not the only Jedi here,” Kira pointed out, looking back at Master Garault’s body behind us.

“His mind was not his own.” Lana sighed heavily. “He belonged to the Sixth Line.”

“Sixth line… I’ve never heard of it.”

Lana raised an eyebrow. “They’re a team of Jedi commandos working in secret for the SIS. They follow their own addendum to the Jedi Code, hence the name.”

“There is no contemplation, there is only duty,” A bald man in a crisp imperial uniform with a tech brace around his head approached. I pursed my lips, trying to hide my on distaste for the “there is no” version of the Jedi Code while he continued, “A great point of view—so long as they’re working for you.” He looked around the room and then addressed Lana. “Pardon the interruption. I sent a probe droid to look into that crashed shuttle, Minister Beniko. It’s empty.”

I looked back at Kira and shared a raised eyebrow with her before looking back to the imperials.

“Agent Kovach, this is the former ally I’ve mentioned,” Lana stated, “Right now, we all want the same thing, so I suggest we work together.”

I lowered my hood and tilted my head. “He called you ‘minister.’”

With a dismissive wave, Lana replied, “Yes, he did.”

Agent Kovach continued, “We know Theron Shan was on that shuttle. And we know he’s responsible for the Sixth Line being on Ziost in the first place”

I gave Kira a slight glance. A tightness in my chest that had been forming since I’d landed on the planet only seemed to increase its pressure.

Lana rubbed her temples. “So far, Theron has only added to our troubles. He’d better not be here to cause any more.”

“Theron’s here to stop the Emperor, same as me,” I replied quickly.

“Vitiate is not our Emperor. Not anymore.” Lana gave a glance around the vehicle bay and motioned to the numerous bodies. “As you’ve witnessed, Vitiate is taking hold of an increasing number of soldiers and Sith. His goal continues to be the accumulation of power. Agent?”

Kira and I glanced at each other and then back to the Agent.

“The dark side is strong on Ziost. Using the outpost’s resources, our former Emperor can massacre the defenseless to fuel him. The more powerful he becomes, the more people he can control. He will keep on killing until nothing’s left.”

Kira whispered to me, “Isn’t that exactly what Scourge said happened before?”

I simply nodded and moved to speak, but Lana was having a short conversation on a call. “Yes, I’m on my way,” she spoke into her communicator. “I’m needed everywhere, all at once. I’ve already lingered too long. Agent Kovach has a plan to help stem the bloodshed.” She gave a kurt nod and turned on her heel as she left the vehicle bay.

Agent Kovach watched Lana as she left, a little too closely. I raised an eyebrow and looked back at Kira. T7 beeped a question as well.

“Agent?”

As soon as he seemed sure she was gone, he began speaking quickly, “After the Yavin event, I was sent here to infiltrate Sith Intelligence. I work for Theron Shan. In fact, we were supposed to meet up here.”

“If you know where he is, now would be the time to say so,” I snapped. After the words were out of my mouth I felt a small presence in the Force, Kira. Mostly just telling me to relax subtly. I took a deep breath and tried to offer an apologetic smile to my response.

Either Agent Kovach didn’t notice, or didn’t care, because he just responded, “I haven’t been able to reach him. Not since the crash. Best not to think about that now, I guess.” I frowned and looked down.

Kira stepped forward and spoke up. “Lana might seem like the nicest Sith Lord ever, but don’t thinks he won’t eviscerate you if she finds you out. Or worse.”

I looked at Kira and blinked slowly, then looked back to the agent, who simply shrugged. “I know all the risks that come with my line of work. It helps not to think about them either.”

I looked back towards the Jedi laying lifeless behind me. “What was his name?”

“Master Garault.”

I moved back towards Master Garault’s body and took a knee. He was free of Vitiate, but at what cost. Sighing I finally reached to his forehead, meditated on his memory in the Force for a few seconds. Then I took the tips of my fingers and lowered his eyelids over his eyes.

“The outpost armory, it’s wide open right now,” Agent Kovach continued, “Anyone can get in there. We need to lock it down.”

T7 beeped an agreement and I stood up and pulled my hood back over my head. “Then point the way.”

“I’m on it.”

I hadn’t been watching where my feet were going as we worked our way through the outpost towards where Agent Kovach indicated the armory would be. It was miraculous that I was only in a snow drift and not somewhere more unfortunate. A hand reached down and took mine. Before allowing myself to be lifted up, I reached out with my senses to be certain that it was Kira and not someone who was just going to pull me out and make me dead. With some grumbling, I allowed myself to be pulled up.

“Kolto?”she asked after I straightened up.

I muttered, “I’m not hurt. Just embarrassed.”

“You should be, that was completely hilarious.”

“Ha ha. If this world wasn’t utter chaos…”

“Yes I know. This way.” Kira and I quickly worked our way to the armory, T7 beeping locations and parameter warnings along the way.

By the time we got there, Imperial officers were already in the armory. At least, it’s more possible that these officers had been originally stationed here, long before this whole mess started. Now, they just no longer had wills of their own. I could sense Vitiate’s hold on each one of them. They could sense us as well. Upon our entrance, we were immediately under fire and T7 very quickly attempted to evade attention. If they had been normal imperial troops, operating under their own free will, they would not have ignored the droid. They seemed more interested in humanoid lifeforms. I assume Vitiate can’t really accumulate more power from the deaths of droids.

One, two, they fell to Kira’s dual-bladed lightsaber. Three, four, my twin shoto ended more. Now it was the Quartermaster who stood between us and our goal, someone who probably just simply wanted to put in an honest days work, go home, see family, friends, have a nice drink, have a great meal, and then repeat the pattern over again.

The poor soul didn’t stand a chance against Vitiate’s control. Nor did he stand a chance against Kira and my blades. After the haze of battle was lifted, I slowly made a point to close every one of their eyes.

No one deserved this. Not even Imperials.

Agent Kovach had made it into the armory while I had paid my respects to the deceased. He quickly moved to a console to lock the building down. “You sure cleared a path out there. That’s good… but it’s bad, too.” I raised an eyebrow at him and made a motion for him to explain, which he figured out without me needing to say anything, thankfully. “Each time a pawn’s killed, Vitiate gets a little bit stronger. Not as much as when they kill, but… That’s what Minister Beniko says, anyway.”

Pulling off my hood and cold weather protection again so I could cool down from the exertion, I studied the Agent, tilting my head. “So we have to stop them without killing them.”

“Or we destroy Vitiate. Not that anyone seems to know how to do that…”

A pressure built up in the back of my head. “Agent, we’ve got company.”

“Almost there…” he worked quickly at the console. The door opened and the force-field was just pulled up just in time for a dark skinned, armored jedi to waltz in to meet. “Master Surro,” Agent Kovach stated, looking downcast, “The Sixth Line commander.”

“This one’s my favorite so far,” Vitiate poke through her voice, “Even now, she struggles. You know, she’s done some terrible things in the Republic’s name.”

I wrinkled my nose and let out a breath. “I’m the one you want. Release Master Surro and the others. Take me instead.”

“Again?” I flinched slightly but held my ground, waiting. “No. I don’t think so. When this world turns to red and you choke on torrents of blood, remember that this was your chance to flee.”

[skywalkersapprentice]

Day 16- Duel

“Alright,” Anakin said, gaze critical as he considered Ahsoka's form, “the first thing we have to do is fix that reverse grip.”

rating: g

pairings: none 

word count: 3035

(read on ao3)

I know I’m behind, I’m sorry!! My need for sleep is interfering with my writing.

1.

The first time Anakin brought it up was during a practise duel, early on in her apprenticeship.

After returning Jabba's son to him on Tatooine, the Jedi headed immediately to Coruscant. As Anakin explained to Ahsoka, this was their opportunity to eat hot food and get a good night's sleep before they were given a new mission. Ahsoka thought she was too wired to sleep, but once the mission reports were filled and she was back in her room, she slept for almost twelve hours.

She awoke feeling well rested and ready to face whatever her new Master had for her next. Being a Padawan had been exciting so far. A Jedi didn't seek thrills, but Ahsoka was eager for the next challenge.

That challenge turned out to be a practise duel.

Ahsoka bowed to her Master in the center of the training room, attempting to release her nerves into the Force and stay focused. It was difficult. She'd already fought several battles beside her new Master, but those had all been chaotic firefights.

This would just be the two of them.

Anakin had told her he just wanted to see where her skill level was at, but the second Ahsoka settled into her reverse grip ready position, he was already frowning.

“Alright,” Anakin said, gaze critical as he considered Ahsoka's form, “the first thing we have to do is fix that reverse grip.”

Ahsoka straightened up in indignation. “What's wrong with it?”

“Well, for starters, it's leaving you way too exposed,” Anakin told her. “I saw it happen on both Teth and Christophsis. You're constantly giving the enemy an opportunity to attack you from the front- like this.”

One second his saber was hanging on his belt, the next it was pointed at her heart. Ahsoka had no time to bring her own lightsaber up to block it. She put her free hand on her hip, glaring. “That's not fair! I wasn't ready.”

Anakin nodded. “See, that's the problem. If your ready stance was that of Djem So, not reverse Shien, your blade would have been raised to defend yourself. Shien might be good for deflecting blasterfire, but against a one on one opponent, you're going to have some trouble.”

“It's never been a problem before,” Ahsoka said defensively. She was consistently at the top of her classes in lightsaber duelling. Sure, some of her instructors might have frowned at her choice of form, but she couldn't imagine using primarily Djem So or Soresu. They seemed far too limiting for her. Shien was what she knew- she was comfortable using the usual front facing method, but she usually preferred the reverse grip.

“Yeah, but you've never faced opponents like Ventress before,” Anakin said. “The separatists aren't going to go easy on you, Snips- one wrong move and you're dead.”

“I know, Master,” Ahsoka said, irritated. “But I've been using this form for years. I already know it's what I'm best at.”

“Ah, and now you're getting cocky,” Anakin said lightly. “Ready position. Let's see how good you really are.”

Ahsoka settled back into her ready stance. Now she had a point to prove.

Djem So and Shien were two variants of the same lightsaber form, but they were both very different. Shien was created as a defensive form, where as Djem So was more attack oriented.  Anakin made the first move, a low strike. Ahsoka easily blocked it, shifting her weight to her leading foot. She then followed with a low swipe at her Master's knees, which he parried with a smooth, steady movement. Their lightsabers tangled briefly before Ahsoka retreated again. She kept her center of balance low- Anakin's strikes were powerful and they could easily knock her off guard if she wasn't careful. Taking a breath, she leaped forward again.

Anakin's technique, she noted, involved a lot of quick, sharp movements that didn't expand too much energy. He used his height and weight to his advantage, pressing her back her back with a series of fast, heavy strikes. Ahsoka sprang away with quick, light steps, alternating between dodging and blocking, now focusing only on defending herself.

“How long do you think you can keep this up for?” Anakin asked, sounding as if they were simply out for a stroll.

“Why,” Ahsoka countered, leaping to the side to avoid a blow, “are you tired already?”

“You wish,” Anakin scoffed. “But you're using up a lot of energy. That could be costly in a real battle.”

Ahsoka frowned inwardly. Why didn't he believe that she knew what she was doing? His ability to make her feel eight years old again was almost as impressive as his lightsaber skills. “I can handle it, Master.”

He moved quickly then, taking his opportunity while her blade was raised in front of her to aim a kick at her stomach. There was the brief, sickening sensation of flying through the air, and then Ahsoka hit the mats with a groan, watching out of the corner of her eye as her lightsaber skidded away from her.

Blast it.

She sat up quickly, not wanting to seem weak in front of her Master. He didn't look judgmental, or even disappointed. He just offered her a hand up.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes in determination. She would show him. One day, she would show him that she was capable of mastering this form.

2.

Ahsoka received a lecture from her Master for facing Grievous alone on the separatist listening outpost. She sat quietly, in the copilot seat of the Twilight, knowing she deserved it. She had gotten ahead of herself and no, she hadn't been thinking of the consequences of her actions, and yes, she knew that Grievous could have killed her, but what was she supposed to do? Run away? Let Rex die? That wasn't an option.

She knew Anakin's lectures came from a place of concern, and it made it easier to accept what he was saying.

Not to mention, Anakin rarely ended a lecture on a bad note.

“However,” he said, when he'd finished pointing out all the things she'd done wrong, “you did hold your own against General Grievous. There aren't many Padawans your age who could have managed that, so- well done.”

Ahsoka sat taller, the praise soothing the sting of his previous words. “Thank you, Master.” She didn't tell him that she'd been terrified, or that she'd nearly been killed several times. She wasn't dead, so that had to mean her skills were improving, right?

She hoped they were improving, anyway. She'd been spending long hours in the training rooms in the Temple when they were home, honing her form and improving her technique. She had to admit, Anakin was a good teacher. Her footwork had definitely gotten better over the last few months, as had her strength, from regularly fighting someone much bigger than her.

She knew Anakin still disproved of her form though, which was why she couldn't resist throwing in, “Maybe reverse Shien isn't so useless against a single opponent after all.”

Anakin shot her a sideways glance. “You used reverse Shien against General Grievous?”

Well... sort of. It was a blur now, but she'd been so focused on trying to stay alive that she'd slipped into a mixture of both reverse and regular Shien. “Grievous is so fast that it's easier to block his strikes just like I would with blasterfire.” She crossed her arms as Anakin stared at her. “It worked, didn't it?”

Anakin shook his head. “And they call me reckless,” he muttered, half to himself.

“I learned from the best.”

“Nice try, Snips, but I definitely didn't teach you that.”

“Admit it,” Ahsoka told him. “Reverse Shien isn't as terrible as you think it is.”

Anakin stayed stubbornly silent and Ahsoka rolled her eyes, turning back to face the hypnotizing blues and whites of hyperspace in front of them. She was quickly learning that once her Master got an idea in his head, it was very difficult to change his mind.

“Who taught you about that form in the first place?” Anakin asked her after a while. “There aren't a lot of Jedi who even practise it right now. Most instructors at the Temple are pretty divided about whether it should be considered a form or not.”

He didn't have to tell her that. Ahsoka had encountered all of those instructors at one point or another.

“I was learning Ataru at the time, but it didn't feel right to me,” Ahsoka said. “Serra Keto noticed me struggling. She taught me reverse Shien, thinking it would suit me better- and she was right.”

“Serra Keto... Cin Drallig's former Padawan?” Anakin looked interested. “I thought her form was Jar'Kai.” Jar'Kai was the style of dual wielding. It was another uncommon form among the Jedi and Serra was renowned for being one of it's best practitioners.

“It is,” Ahsoka said. “But she started with reverse Shien, too.” Not to mention, as the Padawan of the best duellist in the Temple, Serra was adept at multiple forms.

Anakin didn't say anything else. Ahsoka stood up to go check on Artoo, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he looked thoughtful.

3.

Ahsoka kept training.

She studied hard, put in long hours in the Temple training rooms, and even unused storage rooms on the Resolute. She fought her Master often, never winning, but embarassing defeats were becoming less and less common. When they were on Coruscant, she sought out other opponents, just to keep herself from growing too used to Anakin's fighting style. Barriss was a good opponent, as was Serra Keto. A few times, she managed to convinced Master Obi-Wan to spar with her. He was just as good as Anakin, if not better, and it was always a challenge to try and combat his mastery of Form III.

He also seemed to enjoy her unique fighting style, which was more than she could say for other Jedi.

The dinner hour was when the outside training grounds were the quietest, and so when they were on Coruscant, Anakin and Ahsoka often ate quickly so they could escape and spar in peace. Both of them preferred the temple courtyard to the indoor training rooms- there was more room outside, for one, and the Great Tree at the heart of the courtyard provided welcome shade on a warm evening.

Their lightsabers flashed in the dusky courtyard as Ahsoka flipped over her Master's head, attempting to strike a hit as she did so. Anakin merely raised his lightsaber to deflect, unmovable as ever. In the same breath, he attempted a counterstrike at her knees, which Ahsoka easily leaped over. Both of them still breathed easily, even as sweat began to darken Anakin's hair.

Ahsoka decided to try something different. She flipped her lightsaber upright, crossed blades with her Master, then ducked low and spun around, resuming her reverse grip as she did so. She had manoeuvred herself an opening and even Anakin couldn't lower his blade in time to stop the glancing blow to his thigh. Their lightsabers were set to training mode, so it wouldn't hurt too badly, but he still grimaced all the same.

“Nice work,” he allowed, falling back into the Djem So ready position. The fight wasn't over until one of them landed a 'killing' blow or gave up. It was also game over if one of them was knocked down.

So far, Ahsoka had never won a match. But it wasn't about winning. It was about gaining experience.

They kept going.

After a while, there were footsteps on the stairs, and Ahsoka knew dinner was over. Several Jedi, looking for a quiet place to meditate after the meal had appeared. Some of them knelt under the tree, some of them sat on the stairs to watch the duel.

Their whispers carried. She heard what they said about her lightsaber form- what is she thinking? Reverse Shien? Against Skywalker?

Occasionally, Ahsoka wondered the same thing. What was she thinking? Could she truly ever beat her Master with the reverse grip? Was she making a mistake?

“Keep your focus here,” Anakin warned her, quiet enough that the spectators wouldn't hear.

Ahsoka nodded, then threw herself back into the fight.

Things were different, after that, though. Before, where their fight had been fluid and graceful,  it was now stilted and off. It had turned from a dance into routine. Was it the spectators? No, they'd had people watch them fight before. Not to mention, Ahsoka had grown very used to fighting under pressure.

So then... what?

Frustration slowed her reaction times. Embarrassment fed her hesitation. She was making mistakes she hadn't made in ages, and by the time she jumped back to regroup, neither of them were having fun anymore.

Ahsoka brought her lightsaber up to the ready position, and it was then that she knew what was wrong.

Without realizing it, she had switched from reverse Shien to forward Shien. She had unknowingly let the whispers affect her, and it had changed things for the worse.

No wonder their fight had been thrown off. Ahsoka wondered if her Master had even noticed she'd stopped using the grip he disliked so much.

Ahsoka could fight using the original style of Shien. She was proficient at Ataru and had a decent grasp on Djem So. But none of those forms fit who she was. None of them had ever clicked for her.

Ahsoka realized then, that she didn't need to prove herself to Anakin. Her lightsaber form had helped her survive against Grievous. She'd been able to hold her own against Ventress. Maybe it wasn't the best for one-on-one combat, but she made it work for her.

Reverse Shien was what Ahsoka Tano was best at. Her fellow Jedi could whisper, her Master could frown and shake his head. It didn't change that simple fact- reverse Shien was hers.

She felt lighter with the knowledge. She sank into the familiar ready stance and it was with a smile that she leaped forward once more.

Anakin met her halfway with his own blade, an eyebrow raised in a silent question, but she didn't know what kind of answer to respond with besides the best fight she could give him.

Ahsoka struck out with a low slash at his feet. She knew most of Anakin's moves by now, and knew that after blocking that, he would attempt a swing at her side. Her blade was already up to parry when he moved his, and their lightsabers met with a hiss. She ducked and weaved and flipped around him while he moved in solid, graceful steps to counterattack her swings, and suddenly, it was a dance again.

Reverse Shien versus Djem So. Offence versus defence. A simple spar, yet it felt like more.

And then, she saw an opening.

It was a split second of a thing, a sliver of a mistake because that's all Anakin would ever make, but perhaps, tonight it would be enough. Ahsoka didn't think about it. She just moved.

The spectators faded from Ahsoka's mind. Their quiet murmurs ceased to exist. All she saw were the blue and green blades flashing in the evening light and Anakin's startled face as her foot connected with his side.

He stumbled back, attempting to recover, but Ahsoka was already charging forward, . Anakin raised his lightsaber, grimly blocking slash after slash. He couldn't keep it up forever though- reverse Shien had one great advantage.

Ahsoka could move her lightsaber a lot faster than Anakin could.

The sun had just disappeared behind Coruscant's skyline when a single strike broke through Anakin's defences, painting a scorch mark across his tunic.

And just like that, it was over.

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber, breathing hard. His head was lowered, face hidden in shadow, and for a moment, Ahsoka was nervous. Was he angry, that she had beaten him in front of a crowd?

Then Anakin raised his head, and Ahsoka saw that he was grinning. Not only that, but he looked- proud.

He didn't say anything. He closed his hands together in front of him and bowed and Ahsoka, feeling ten feet tall, followed suit. She only faintly registered the sound of polite applause before the onlookers began to go their separate ways.

It didn't matter. What did matter was Anakin straightening up, putting a hand on her shoulder and telling her, “You heard what they were saying and you stayed focused anyway. I'm proud of you, Snips. Well done.”

Ahsoka looked away, smiling. “Thank you, Master.”

“Though, something changed in the middle there,” Anakin continued. “What was it?”

“I realized that... it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about my lightsaber form,” Ahsoka said slowly. “It's what works best for me, and that's what's most important. Once I saw that, I was able to clear my head.”

“You're right,” Anakin said as they reached the doors, “It does work best for you. I see that now.”

“What are you saying?”

It looked like it was a struggle for her Master to get the words out. “I... think it's time for me to admit I was wrong about the reverse grip.”

“What was that?” Ahsoka raised an eyemarking. “You were wrong about something?”

Anakin shot her an exasperated look. “It does happen from time to time.”

“Well this time, I'm glad you were wrong,” Ahsoka said. She hadn't needed Anakin's approval, but it was nice to have it all the same.“Even if it did take you over a year to admit it.”

Anakin just shook his head and kept walking.

Ahsoka jogged to catch up with his long strides. “I don't suppose I could convince you to try reverse Shien now, huh?”

Anakin snorted. “Not a chance, Snips.” He gave her a considering look. “Although... how would you feel about learning Jar'Kai?”

Ahsoka could only stare at him. He'd gone from hating the idea of her reverse-wielding her lightsaber to wanting her to use to of them at once. Never let it be said that Anakin Skywalker did anything halfway.

Ahsoka didn't think she would ever fully understand her Master.

But... the idea wasn't half bad.