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sullustangin · 4 months ago

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Fluffy February Day 8 -- Trust

SWTOR

Time: Chapter 1 of KotET, 22 ATC (3631 BYY)

Pairing: Theron Shan/Smuggler

“I’m fine.”

He always said that. And Eva knew he was full of it.

She trotted up next to him in the entryway that led out of the Shrine of Healing. “Theron, you’ve got the upper half of your implants hanging out of your head. We might have saved Voss, but it cost you something.”

Theron shook his head at her, wincing the entire time. “It can wait til we get back to Odessen. I can still log reports and use the Holo-Net. Dr. Daashi needs as much intel as she can get about Senya’s situation.” Theron motioned with his hands as they stepped out into the sun, whose light seemed even more yellow than usual. “Reminds me of Jedi healing. It taps the Force energy of the healer…but I’ve never seen a Jedi go that far.” He clenched his jaw. “Detox implants offline, mapping offline, targeting offline – glad I don’t have to try to shoot anything else today. But critical operations are still -- ”

“Relieved of duty for the rest of the day,” Eva neatly cut him off. “Bowie is hiding Virtue’s Thief around the back of the moon – saw Acina’s fleet and didn’t know how it was going to pan out. I can call him down, Guss can prep medbay, and I can fix you. Without an audience,” Eva added, pointedly.

Theron stiffly walked across the stones of the Shrine of Healing, the adrenaline fading. The heat rose upward as the sun reached its apex and the scorched earth smoldered after the razing.

“The alternative is me patching you up in front of a bunch of Mandalorians, with Lana calling out constructive criticism from the pilot’s seat.” Eva kept her eyes on him, even as they carefully tread through the piles of rubble that now punctuated the holy ground. She tugged open her tac jacket for ventilation.

Theron still resolutely didn’t answer her; he was probably already filing flimsi-work in his head.

Eva decided to press the issue. “The Mandos – they’re probably going to think we’re cuuu-uuute. They who shoot together, stay together. I think Akaavi said that to me once. Patching each other up after combat – very intimate.”

That word brought Theron out of his work. He looked at Eva. He kept his face a carefully trained SIS blank.

“But I’m sure we can trust the Mandos. Torian knows, and he hasn’t said anything. I’m sure another 20 or 30 won’t mind.”

Theron’s professionalism won out. “Fine. Explanation for why I’m on the Thief?”

“I left my slice kit in my quarters.”

“You always carry it.”

“They don’t know that.”

“Assume they do.”

“Have you already arranged for a special medical carrier for Senya?” Eva pulled up the cuff of her shirt sleeve to consult her wrist comm. “If not, the most expedient way to get her off planet and back to Odessen is to billet her on the Thief. We could even put her in the kolto tank if you think it’ll help.”

Theron cringed again as he shook his head – that hurt. “No. The type of …wound she has. It’s … Force-related. Spiritual, in a way.” Eva saw his hand start to go up toward the side of his head, but he stopped himself. “She’ll be stable in a bed.”

“Good. That frees up the kolto tank for you , in case you need it,” Eva breezily said.

Theron sighed. “You do realize I absolutely trust you, right? This isn’t -- ” He wordlessly gestured at the matter between them.

“You do realize you are the worst patient, because the galaxy is at risk.” Eva gave him a small smile. “I’ll never cure you of being a workaholic. But I can at least make sure all your parts are still attached.” Eva’s eyes darted up toward Theron’s implants. “And that’s questionable right now. Let’s get moving. Send the Voss a note to levitate Senya to the spaceport – or whatever’s left of it. I’ll tell Bowie to land sort of nearby.”

Theron gave her a casual salute with his right hand and got to work on the Voss end of things while Eva hailed Bowdaar to bring Virtue’s Thief around and to prepare for fragile cargo.

@fluffyfebruary

#swtor #swtor fan fiction #theron shan x smuggler #theron shan #oc: eva corolastor

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serenxanthe · 9 months ago

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Copero: A SWTOR Snippet

Following on from my Umbara snippet, a slightly longer one set on Copero, this time from Theron's point of view, focussing on how he's feeling months into being this deep undercover and away from everyone he cares about.

Theron leant against the cool interior wall of the townhouse as he looked out over the sun-baked streets and plazas of the seat of House Inrokini on Copero.

It was a beautiful tropical paradise, he had been staying here for months in luxury accommodations as the personal guest of Syndic Zenta and her brother Valss; and he couldn’t truly enjoy a moment of it. Theron squinted into the sunshine, feeling a bead of sweat drip down his face. Now, in the middle of the day, even the sandstone walls of the townhouse couldn’t completely mitigate the climate here.

Despite the heat, he felt cold inside, numb, frozen. The pressure of having to keep his mind shielded constantly to prevent Seren finding him through their Force bond, as well as having to keep up the pretence of his commitment to the Order of Zildrog, his hatred of the Alliance, was very much taking its toll. He’d never been undercover for this long before. Never without any backup or a support team behind him. And never without a break, private time with his own thoughts, not even at night. Valss.

The Order was perpetually suspicious of him, of his loyalty, his motives. Rightly so of course, but Theron was exhausted. After one more argument with Vinn Atrius that had nearly turned into violence after the Gemini had spent all day dripping poison in Atrius’ ear about him, Theron had made a decision. He needed more depth to his undercover persona, a more personal show of commitment that he was no longer a member of the Alliance, no longer the Commander’s devoted boyfriend.

Copero had given him the perfect opportunity. He’d flirted subtly with both Syndic Zenta and her brother; staying just the right side of respectful while judging their interest. Both had seemed like they might be receptive, but Valss had been more open, more immediately willing to share his affections with Theron. So now he had a lover. He was in a relationship with a fellow member of the Order of Zildrog, and it had helped. It really had. But now Theron had to play a part all the time, he never got a break.

Theron pressed his sweaty forehead against the cool wall and scrunched his eyes shut. He’d had enough; he wanted to go home. To Odessen, to the Alliance, his friends, Seren. Seren. Theron drew in a shuddering breath and forced his eyes open, forced himself to stop thinking about her, stop missing her. She was why he was here, why he was doing this, but he couldn’t afford to start thinking about her, or he wouldn’t be able to continue.

To distract himself, Theron looked down into the colourful bustling city from his high vantage point in the luxury townhouse. The streets were busy, lively, but relatively quiet and peaceful compared to the Republic cities he was used to. The Chiss as a people were more discreet and circumspect than many species, and the ever present House Inrokini security forces also had a dampening effect. Idly, Theron observed their patrol patterns; simple, predictable, ineffective, he thought uncharitably. Not for the first time.

Without warning, there was the sudden, familiar, sound of lightsabres igniting and cutting through the air. Theron’s head whipped round, expecting to see a body or bodies hitting the dusty city street, but there was nothing but a smoking pile of what were once appropriated Chiss Ascendancy supplies, and no sign of the assailants. A lone Chiss guard staggered nearby, his weapon dropped, his head in his hands as he struggled to stay vaguely conscious and upright.

Theron’s skin prickled. The MO was… but it couldn’t be, could it? If it was them, if it was her, the Alliance was wildly ahead of schedule. He’d have to accelerate his own plans to find and destroy the map; the Chiss’ contingency against an inevitable betrayal by the Sith Empire. He knew he should get going, fetch Valss and head to the frozen ancient temple where, as Zenta had finally admitted to Theron, in no small part because of the urging of her besotted brother, the map was kept.

Instead of moving, he kept scanning the city streets, using both his eyes and his implants, wanting, longing, to see Seren. Just for a moment, just a glimpse. That was all he needed. Just to see her, to know that she was alright. More zips as lightsabre blades sliced through the piles of supplies, more Inrokini officers left staggering and semi conscious, but alive. Theron followed her progress avidly, and was finally rewarded with a flash of bright green, a glimpse of long brown braids whipping around as their owner sliced into yet another pile of supplies, leaving them smoking.

Not giving himself time to think it through, Theron reached into his pocket for his climbing gloves, pulling them on and flexing his hands to check that the tiny needles that would allow him to almost stick to any wall were working properly. He stepped out of the window and swung sideways, slapping his hand onto the wall to engage the needle mechanism, and worked his way towards the last place he’d seen Seren.

Eventually, after following them through several streets and squares, Theron was rewarded with a proper look at her. As he crouched on a low balcony, hidden in the shade of a large potted palm tree, Theron watched as Seren and Lana shimmered into view almost directly beneath him as Seren relaxed her concentration on her shadowform to rest, hydrate, and meditate.

Lana was in her usual austere dark grey armoured robes, her only concession to the heat the fact that her bright blonde hair was up in an uncharacteristically jaunty short ponytail to keep it away from her face and neck. Seren, in contrast, was dressed for the weather in a light sleeveless robe with a deep v-neck and high side slits. Soft leather knee-high boots and a matching leather belt for her lightsabres were the only other things she was wearing.

Theron felt his stomach jink with nerves at her lack of armour; if she really was planning to chase him through Copero, he knew what she’d be up against, what the Order had left for her to face. He realised almost with surprise that some of the fluttering in his stomach was also attraction. He hadn’t exactly forgotten how beautiful he found her, how sexy, in the months since he’d last seen her; but he’d mostly been focussed on how much he loved her and missed her, which wasn’t quite the same thing.

I love you! Theron told her vehemently, keeping it silently inside his own head only through sheer willpower.

As he watched unseen from above, Theron clenched his hands into fists, trying to control his breathing. He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. The urge to speak to her, call her name, just drop down from the balcony and fall into step with her and Lana, join them for the mission, like he always did… it was overwhelming.

That’s not how that would go, Theron reminded himself. Even if Seren really did forgive him, still love him, like she’d said on Umbara and later on in her holo message, Lana certainly didn’t. She’d have her lightsabre at his throat the moment she saw him, and that’s if he was lucky. If it weren’t for Seren he wouldn’t be surprised to find it thrust through his gut instead, no questions asked.

Seren and Lana were still meditating, preparing themselves for the mission ahead, but Theron knew that they wouldn’t be for much longer.

He was continuing to battle his impulse to jump down and speak to them, throw himself on Seren’s mercy to stave off Lana’s rage. I don’t even need to do that, he realised. All he would have to do would be to relax the shields in his mind. A moment would be enough, and Seren would instantly sense him through their Force bond. She’d look up, then a simple, for her at least, Force leap later, she’d be up on the balcony with him. He could explain, she would forgive him, she’d be in his arms again, they’d be together; and this whole horrible months’ long nightmare would finally be over.

Could he? Had he done enough now to let Seren and Lana in on the plan? He’d slowed down the Order, he knew their plans, the Alliance had almost caught up, way ahead of schedule. Surely he could get to the map with Seren and Lana more quickly than Valss could get there alone?

He wouldn't be alone though, would he? Theron admitted reluctantly to himself. He was Chiss, the Syndic’s brother; he’d have all the resources of House Inrokini behind him. There’d be an army between the Alliance and the map, and if they didn’t get there first, if Valss got there before them and gave the map to the Order of Zildrog as planned… then all of this would have been for nothing. The betrayal, the pain, the sacrifices; all of it. He had to play it safe. Make sure he got the map at all costs, and the surest, the safest, way to do that was with Valss at his side not Seren and Lana.

His heart aching, Theron watched as Seren and Lana rose from their meditation and Seren shrouded them in a shadowform once more. As Seren wavered out of view Theron gritted his teeth to stifle the tears that came to his eyes. What if this was the last time he’d ever see her face? He turned away, deliberately avoiding trying to follow their invisible progress through the streets any further. He snapped his climbing gloves back into place and prepared to head back to the townhouse, to Valss, and to put the next stage of his plan into play.

Hours later, Theron stood on the sacred mountaintop, full of relief. He had the map to Zildrog’s location. With Valss’ help he’d been able to bypass the many guardians and traps set up for the unwary. Seren and Lana were hardly that, but if he’d followed his own desires and thrown himself on their mercy and tried to lead them here instead it would have taken a lot longer; Valss would almost certainly have beaten them to their goal.

When he’d finished uploading the map to his data stick, Theron set carefully placed explosives around the site. The charges were calculated minutely so that it would appear as if the map was utterly destroyed, as per Vinn Atrius’ instructions, but in actual fact the pieces would be large and legible enough to allow Alliance personnel to reconstruct it.

As they headed back to the shuttle through the biting wind and whipping snow flurries, Theron heard the sudden roar of the huge Temple Guardian challenging a trespasser. Could that be Seren and Lana already? Using his scanner, he zoomed in on the Guardian’s location below, only to see Seren stroking the huge feline as it happily crunched on the gift of a sacred apple. They’d obviously had help. Chiss help. Theron pocketed his scanner and slapped Valss on the shoulder, yelling at him to hurry over the howling mountaintop wind.

The shuttle was less than a kilometre away and he and Valss were moving mostly downhill, while Seren and Lana were having to climb the barely tamed mountainside, yet it seemed they were gaining on him impossibly quickly. Now he’d made the decision to continue with his plan through to the bitter end, he found he didn’t want to see Seren, speak to her, have the confrontation. That could wait. He pushed himself on through the snow, breath steaming in the frigid air.

The shuttle was in sight, and Theron practically ran the last few metres, then held out his hand and pulled Valss into it after him, letting out a hard breath of relief as they both made it safely inside. To his frustration, the Order pilot was still readying it for takeoff, the side door still open, the thrusters idling. “Get MOVING!” he yelled at the man. The panic he was feeling was as real as if Seren and Lana really were hated enemies, why?

I don’t want Seren to see me like this, Theron realised uncomfortably. With these Order zealots, dressed like this, behaving like this. With Valss. And he never wanted to act with coldness and contempt towards her ever again. Umbara… Hearing Seren tell him she loved him despite the fact that he’d just told her he was going to kill her had been agonising. He knew he hadn’t been able to control his expression, look uncaring, he didn’t know what he’d do if he had to do it again.

“Theron! Stop!”

It was Seren. Of course. She was almost directly below him as the shuttle rose agonisingly slowly yet also too quickly, taking him further away from her.

“Come back, Theron! Come home! Please?”

She was shouting now over the sound of the shuttle’s thrusters and as the distance between them increased, but her voice was still heartrendingly sad yet hopeful.

Next to him, Valss snorted disparagingly at the ridiculousness of her request, but then looked at Theron’s face, at his obvious anguish, the body language that revealed that he was considering it, and something in his own face changed. Theron turned away into the shuttle, both so that he wouldn’t have to see Seren’s hopeful face looking up at him, and to hide his own face from Valss.

There was a sinister crackle and a panel of temperature controls near Theron’s head was suddenly sparking and fizzing, shorted out by the Force lightning Lana had thrown into the shuttle. He looked back down and saw Seren and Lana apparently arguing, Seren holding Lana’s arm.

Theron didn’t notice Valss standing at the shuttle side-door, preparing to jump, until he shouted at him, “Go! I’ll hold them off!”

Theron grabbed for him, but he was too slow, Valss had jumped, using the Force to cushion his fall. “NO! You’ll never win!” Theron yelled. But he knew it was too late.

Watching Valss land in a flurry of snow, Theron belatedly looked at Seren again, and his heart froze, a shudder of horror running down his spine; she knew. She must have heard the distress in his voice as Valss jumped, seen it on his face, maybe even sensed it through the Force. The look of heartbroken anguish and betrayal on her face was unbearable. She’d never truly believed in his betrayal on Umbara he realised now, but she believed in this one.

Shaking, his own face white with shock, Theron slid the shuttle door shut, unwilling to look at her face any longer, and even more unwilling to watch his beloved and his best friend in an uneven fight to the death with a man he genuinely liked, even cared about. And it was all his fault. What had he done?

#swtor #theron shan #star wars the old republic #fanfic #angst #what has he done?

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