#SpecOps Star

[oceom]

Signalis OC posting: SpecOps Starling

A special Starling unit in charge of security for a secret project... She has cool armor, and an interest in a certain engineering replika. Will get around to writing more stuff with her and the other backstory characters as I develop the story~

[tesalicious2]

Command Clone Currency

The clones are unpaid and therefore broke. They can’t really pay each other to do things since they have no money so they go for a new currency: favors

Now, the CTs don’t really do it the same as the Commanders because they have to be specific. They can’t return a favor between battalions quickly, due to fighting/locations/schedule. They’re at the whim of the war and pick and choose their repayment time.

The Comanders are different. They trade and barter like crazy. It’s favors with a few cases of alcohol. They can trade favors they are owed to others all the time, so anyone can cash it. They can pull the strings to get their payment quick.

For example, Cody needed a save from a small squad. He knew Delta was on planet doing some mission and he needed a detour but he had no connection or favor. However, Fox (for some reason) did. Cody offered a case of spotchka and a favor Monnk owed in return for having Delta do the detour. Delta owed fox one less favor, Cody owed no favors (which is the best outcome, since Fox WILL cash it) and Fox got something on Monnk and free (very expensive) spotchka.

Few CTs knew they did it this way, and the CT captains such as Rex and Keeli had to quickly adapt to this way of thinking. Rex made the mistake of owing Bacara before anyone told him. Keeli was lucky enough to meet the SpecOps CC Blackout, who clued him in on the difference but left him high and dry when it came to implementing his knowledge. (Keeli ended up owing Blackout two mini guns for his ‘friendly advice’)

Though, when times are tough and there is little time to barter, it is common to put off the payment until after the act is completed. Though many hate doing this as the trading can become unfair. What often happens is the party in need already has a deal prepared and states their need and their payment, it is hardly ever contested (however the helper may tack on another fee which is accepted or denied).

For example, Doom needed backup from Jet’s flame troopers. He quickly called, stated his need, and his payment of a case of charges. Jet had found the payment (though correct in price, unpractical for his squad) and changed it to half a case of fuel (easier for Doom to get a hold of and just as useful as charges to a Demolition team). Doom accepted the terms and Jet’s squad arrived right on time.

Though the bartering is mostly physical, many deal in the intangible. Perfect examples are all of the Coruscant Guard and the Special Operations teams. These are the only two groups who has everyone (including CT shinies) in on this system. They have the least to offer when it comes to normal ops, after all what GAR commander needs to know where a random Senator is going to be at what time or who slept with who. However, this trading info is perfect for the Guard who constantly works with/against (yay embezzlement and blackmail) these same Senators and for the SpecOps who need to know political climates and interpersonal relationships for recon and assassinations.

Most trading goes on between those two, and their prices are often higher since the missions are higher stake. Often Commando Squads are up for bids (who doesn’t want a four man 100% mission completion rate squad in their pocket), blackmail on natborn officers, republic secrets, senators schedules, crime syndicates favor and areas of interest, etc.

For the Guard, their trading goes further. They work with crime syndicates to keep it off the streets while keeping profit up. Those who do not work with them, go down. They’ve gain control of the lower 2000 levels through this and those who do not conform are forced to by the Guard or the citizens of the lower levels who don’t want to deal with the Guard, (peer pressure and bullying at its finest.)

The commanders learned this from watching the Cuy’val Dar, who would often trade on Kamino. The Alphas picked it up and used it but the CCs truly made it valuable beyond belief. The trainers traded for free shifts and booze, the CCs traded for mission successes and heavy artillery.

Many CTs attempt to learn how this system works. However, as few know it’s different, even fewer see the affects; those that do, know well enough to leave it be.

Despite there being no real difference in intelligence between the CCs and CTs, witnessing the speed and weight of the trades, makes even the Jedi’s head spin.

The Padawans are one of the few outsiders to see it in action. They do not really like it, but many pick it up for lesser trades (help with this paper or answers for this homework). Cal Kestis surprisingly picks it up the best. He’s the youngest so very impressionable, eager to learn, his CC Commander Steel, is very good at it, and Steel is possibly the only one to teach their General’s Padawan.

Steel sees that Cal isn’t going to be on the field much (Steel agrees with this and makes sure he stays on the Venator). So, if Cal ever needs help, he knows how to get it. Steel has made him be present for several trades and even made him come up with theoretical ones. Cal becomes very good at it, but is unable to flex his skills much due to the other Padawans unable to match his speed or skill. They are several years older, see it as in-Jedi like or are bad at it (or their Captains are bad at it and can’t teach them well), their concept of value is off (Jedi don’t often put a price on things and those that do have a habit of underselling due to being nice), and/or they do not know the range of what can be traded.

It’s very personal, with different Commanders wanting different things. Knowing who wants what can often make the payment cheaper for the offering party.

For example, the Marines often need heavy snow gear and blankets. So, offering a box of heating blankets in return for a case of bacta and blaster packs. This is a much better deal than offering a case of mini guns for the bacta and blaster packs. In the second case, Bacara may say no the mini guns or want a case of something else along with the mini guns.

[b2-ar19]

Dragon squad's uniform. It was made using Clonecreator on mandocreator.com. It's pretty simple.

[merge-conflict]

interview with a thief

tagged by @ghostoffuturespast thank you! I also decided to play with the framing of this one because it seemed like it'd be fun. please note that 'Hellman' within the text of this piece is actually Johnny in disguise, which hopefully becomes obvious after a bit of the interview. The number of line breaks means it's long under the cut, fair warning.

<>

Kerry Eurodyne has refused all media interviews since he moved into the penthouse suite at Maximus Turrim, but we were lucky enough to catch two of his associates: Dr. Anders Hellman and Valentina Myśliwiec, both former employees of Arasaka, at the Regis bar. They agreed to an interview on the condition that they would not answer any questions about their current legal entanglement, Rogue Amendiares, or Eurodyne himself. They have also chosen the questions for this interview. Due to technical issues, no video or photos are available.

Dr. Hellman has been reclusive since his widely publicized break from Arasaka, and looks very little like the tall, polished doctor who once presented at prestigious conferences around the globe. Myśliwiec is a dark horse, but with the kind of studied intensity one would expect from Arasaka SpecOps. They seem to be old friends, spending the first few minutes of our time arguing about the contents of the questionnaire.

Thanks for agreeing to the interview, I really appreciate it.

Hellman: Sure, although just to be clear I’m only a bystander.

Myśliwiec: You’re never only a bystander. Magnanimous of you to share the spotlight with me, though.

Well, you’re something of an unknown to our audience, so it’s great to get a chance to know more about you.

Myśliwiec: Oh, well that is exciting.

Let’s start with the basics. Name? Nickname?

Myśliwiec: Valentina Myśliwiec. You need me to spell that? No? People usually call me V.

How should I address you?

Myśliwiec: Thief. Any pronouns is fine.

Thief?

Myśliwiec: Is that a problem?

No, just unexpected, given your background. Is that from your days as a mercenary?

Hellman: Mercenary? (laughs) Two-bit gonk at best.

Myśliwiec: Takes one to know one. And to answer the question: yes. It was a very transitory period of my life.

Hellman: (scoffing) Really?

You could change it to fugitive now, I suppose.

Myśliwiec: (laughing) Maybe I should.

So, what’s your star sign?

Myśliwiec: I knew you were going to ask me this but I’ve just forgotten.

Hellman: Libra.

Myśliwiec: How do you know that?

Hellman: I looked it up, right here. Not sure you’re very diplomatic.

Myśliwiec: If I was undiplomatic you’d know.

How tall are you?

Myśliwiec: Six two.

Where are you from?

Myśliwiec: Born and raised in NC. This is actually the furthest I’ve been from home.

Hellman: Damn, V. Now that’s a sad story.

Favorite fruit? Do they have fruit in Night City?

Myśliwiec: …Kerry Eurodyne?

Is that a question?

Hellman: Alright, wise guy, Kerry isn’t an option on the list.

Myśliwiec: Tough crowd.

Hellman: Mango isn’t on here either. There, strawberries. What’s with this list, anyway? Where are the bananas?

Myśliwiec: (laughing) What?

Bananas?

Hellman: What?

Myśliwiec: Bananas have been extinct for thirty years.

Hellman: I knew that.

OK. Moving on. What’s your favorite season?

Myśliwiec: Spring.

Hellman: And how long have those been extinct?

Fifty, at least.

Myśliwiec: At least.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

Myśliwiec, Hellman: Coffee.

How many hours of sleep do you get on average?

Myśliwiec: Ten. Twice as much as I used to.

Even with Arasaka gunning for you?

Hellman: (waving his finger) That one’s not on the list.

Sorry. Can’t blame me for trying. Are you a dog or a cat person?

Hellman: She loves dogs.

Myśliwiec: Cat person. (peering over Hellman’s shoulder) You’d better have selected cat.

What’s your dream trip?

Myśliwiec: The moon. I’d love to see the Earth from up there.

Hellman: Ah, you are a romantic.

Myśliwiec: Don’t tell anyone. Can we strike that from the record?

Sorry, no.

Hellman: I’m going to select ‘outer space’. There’s no option for moon.

Who’s your favorite fictional character?

Myśliwiec: Hackerman.

Hellman: Who the hell is Hackerman?

Myśliwiec: The most powerful hacker of all time?

Hellman: Alright, better question: who the hell are all these people?

Myśliwiec: Let me see. Oh, definitely Maria the Destroyer.

Hellman: Hard to argue with a name like that.

Number of blankets that you sleep with?

Myśliwiec: Just one.

Hellman: Depends on how you define blanket. (Myśliwiec elbows him in the ribs.) Alright, alright, “one”.

What’s a fun fact?

Myśliwiec: Did you know there’s a kind of butterfly that preys on ants? The caterpillars pretend to be ant larvae and get taken back to the nest, where they use additional mimicry to act like an ant queen. They eat all the ant larvae, get big and fat, and then pupate right there in the nest.

Hellman: You and your disgusting bug facts. I’m not typing all that.

Myśliwiec: Well, what’s my result?

Hellman: It says Purple Force.

Myśliwiec: Absolutely not. Purple Force? I’m obviously Red Menace. You picked dog, didn’t you?

Hellman: What, you think I’d lie to you?

Myśliwiec: Uhuh. I guess that’s the end of our time.

Hellman: Your first interview. Not so bad, huh?

Not bad at all. Thank you for your time.

Tagging @corpocyborg, @corphoe, @gamerkitten, @dani-the-goblin The original questions for the interview are:

Name Nickname Gender Star Sign Height Nationality/Ethnicity Favorite Fruit? Favorite Season? Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? Average hours of sleep? Dog or Cat person? Dream Trip? Favorite Fictional Character? Number of Blankets you sleep with? Fun fact?

[casbooks]

Book Review: Tough Rugged Bastards

Just finished Tough Rugged Bastards by John A. Dailey and I have mixed emotions. There were some parts of this book that were written incredibly, but taken as a whole… overall, it wasn't. While the title states that this is the memoir of a life in USMC SpecOps.

The overwhelming fact is that you don't really realize WHAT the book is about until you're almost done, and you're left asking… that's it? It's not a memoir of a life, though there are elements of that. It's really just the story of how Det 1 came to be and their single deployment to Iraq. Which is fine! I love that as a topic! Except… it does such an uneven job covering that, that you literally learn almost as much, if not more, by a quick glance at the Wikipedia article about it.

The author is a GOOD writer, very deft with prose and storytelling, which comes across page after page. The problem is that he has a tendency to constantly digress away from the point of the story and wander all over time and thought without any sense of cohesion. He has the tendency to play loose and fast with time, ex: you're talking about his first days in the marines, and the next you're getting a lecture on ultramarathon running after his retirement, and it's such a jarring left turn that you're scratching your head wondering WHY, why is that here and not at the end? It starts off with a tale of Afghanistan and you're like GREAT! Let's hear more about that, but don't expect to because he'll only reference Afghanistan here and there, but not really discuss it. Same with his Embassy duties.

But the worst part is that he has a tendency to be hyper specific about things that could be talked about less, and tends to wax poetic and barely glance at things that should have been the crux of the book! You'll learn a lot about Stoicism and how to be a good instructor but when he talks about the battle of Najaf where "proceeded to demoralize the militiaman by "wiping out" dozens of enemy combatants, confusing them as to the point of origin of the unrelenting lethal fire… kept their marksman on their SR-25s around the clock" (per wiki) you really only get detail about the first shot fired, and then… nothing else really. You get some good detail about looking for 3 bombers, but it's really just a small part of the book when compared to how deep he goes into selecting gear and training and whatever else is on his mind at that moment. Especially about what it means to be a warrior. He goes deep into that multiple times, and what it takes to be a good Operator and a good this and that and that's fine, but when that is such a huge part of the book, and being in Iraq, Afghanistan, a scout sniper, a member of force recon, and the rest isn't, well there's a jarring imbalance. It's not his memoir, it's a good overview of how Det One/Raiders started, the schools, and his thoughts… with a couple of stories about the rest.

3 stars

[a-rebellious-waffle]

Had a very silly idea for a Star Wars: Rebels AU

Sabine, serving as an Alliance Special Forces Infiltrator, is attached to Alliance Special Operations for a series of missions. Why is this silly? Because Alliance SpecOps and SpecForce do not get along—SpecOps thinks SpecForce plans too much, SpecForce thinks SpecOps plans too little.

This has led to me writing the following sequence:

"What? That's it? Just walk in and hope nothing goes wrong?!" Sabine exclaimed.

"...yes?"

"Oh my god." Sabine buried her face in her hands. This is it. I died on a mission, and I'm in Hell.

[baronneutron]

Baron Portrait Commission, Episode 2

Art by jedi-art-trick; concept and commission by me

This was my second commission of my first Star Wars RPG character, created in 1990. It is mind blowing to me to see such an amazing illustration after over 30 years!

His name is Baron Darklighter, here as a Lieutenant in the Rebel Alliance, a pilot and SpecOps Team Leader. I know some of you don't think the name is original, but he was created before the EU really took off, so the only ones who knew the name Darklighter were the serious fans who had read the Novelization of A New Hope…..so there. Originally it was a test to see how much the GM, who I had just met, really knew about Star Wars, which he passed with flying colors.

[ariesgamesandminis]

Restocks are up from Iron Wind Metals for BattleTech!

10-043 Support Lance 20-331 Mad Cat III 20-351 Targe TRG-1N 20-396 Avatar AV1-O Prime 20-410 Malak C-MK-O Invictus 20-412 Grigori C-GRG-O Invictus 20-413 Archangel C-ANG-O Invictus 20-420 Behemoth II Tank 20-425 Shiro SH-P 20-5018 Karhu KHU-R1 20-5019 Kestrel VTOL 20-5022 Blade BLD-XL 20-5122 Tenshi TN-10-O Prime 20-5127 Flashman FLS-8K Resculpt 20-5153 Uziel UZL-2S 20-5181 Jupiter 3 20-600RE Vulture "Mad Dog" Prime 20-710 Transgressor Fighter TR-13 20-753 Schrek PPC Carrier (2) 20-800 Hex Bases (4) 20-804 Crab CRB-27 20-809 Mauler MAL-1R 20-816 Vedette Tank (2) 20-895 Exterminator EXT-4D 20-935 Axman AXM-2N 20-938 Mars Assault Vehicle (Standard) 20-994 Marauder MAD-5L 99-201 Large Flat Top Hex Base #1 AC-003 Hover Base BT-004 Afreet Battle Armor BT-005 Grenadier Battle Armor BT-008 Void Battle Armor BT-066 Scout ATV BT-125 Star Lord Jumpship BT-239 Jump Support Infantry BT-240 SpecOps Paratrooper BT-244 Heavy Infantry - Standing BT-245 Heavy Infantry - Firing BT-292 Shiro SH-2P BT-293 Hitotsume Kozo HKZ-1P BT-366 Hover Scout Drones BT-371 Davion Infantry (3) BT-372 Savannah Master Hovercraft BT-427 Balac Strike VTOL (Standard) & (LRM) BT-436 Buraq (Standard) Battle Armor CE-003 No-Dachi 3X OP-026 Loki H LRM 15 OP-044 Black Hawk C / Ryoken D Right Arm OP-118 Marauder MAD-3D, 5S, and 5T Gun Sprue 20-373D Dasher "Fire Moth" Prime Missile Launcher and Skirt Sprue 20-5189C Catapult CPLT-C3 / C5 Arm Sprue 20-741A J-27 Tow Vehicle Tractor Body 20-741B J-27 Tow Vehicle Trailer Body 20-959LTA Templar Left Arm 20-959RTA Templar Right Arm

[delkios]

For those of you RepComm fans that also like game dev talk, here's a podcast done by Brett Douville and Tim Longo (lead programmer and director, respectively) in 2020, playing through the game and also bringing in some of the other devs to interview. I'll put links and a brief synopsis of each one.

Part One (no guest/playthrough) Discussion notes: giving context around the time via other released games and consoles, what squad based gaming was like at the time, developing the idea for RepComm, discussing the opening sequence and lightly touching in Geonosis

Part Two (no guest/playthrough) Discussion notes: the lack of information re: clone organization/GAR structure, playing through Geonosis, discussions about weapons, the Prosecutor, details on scav droids, trandoshians and AI communication and scattered talk about difficulty levels

Part Three (no guest/playthrough) Discussion notes: George Lucas's input on differentiating between clones and lack of humor, talking about voice acting/recording process, going through Kashyyk, technology limitations, level flaws and working with a small dev team, difficulty level (particularly the bridge), using level design to make the AI seem smarter, some info on the books, toys/the game's surprise success, minor talk about plans for a sequel, Delta's cameo in the Clone Wars

David Collins and Jesse Harlin (voice director and composer) Discussion notes: the state of game music/composers/audio at the time, RepComm devs working with audio from the beginning, music changes depending on how you enter a room, sounds from the game being reused in other Star Wars media, Jesse and his girlfriend/now wife developing 'ancient Mandalorian'/Mando'a, 'kote' confirmed to be Cody (specifically Jesse's sister), battle sounds on Geonosis, questioning the use of Ash/no guitars in Star Wars, multiplayer a late addition

Harley Baldwin (level designer) Discussion notes: the unique culture of the RepComm dev team, a stealth level intended in Kashyyk, Prosecutor's atmosphere, difficulty spikes designed to emphasis squad importance/level designers are not good measures for difficulty, Kashyyk designed to be a culmination of the player's experience and knowledge, squad moving ahead of the player due to playtest concerns, easter egg in the texture editor

Greg Knight and Paul Pierce (concept artist and UI artist) Discussion notes: devoted concept artists weren't common at the time but proven to save development time, the entire team contributed to ideas for concept art, influences for the design of the HUD, decision to make the game entirely first person/immersion driving UI design, weapons as a 'character', differences in RepComm's design notes vs movies' games, enemies mean different things between Jedi and clone troopers, noting similarities between RepComm and Rogue One, RepComm's low profile allowed them to get away with more, hangars in Prosecutor meant to progressively make the player more desperate and AT-TE a reward for surviving, Kashyyk's bridge was meant to be the 'boss battle', the concept of 'the squad is your weapon/the squad is your health'

Dave Bogan (lead animator) Discussion notes: working title 1138, 'what is the enemy doing when they don't know you're there', aiming to compete with Halo, every enemy had to act and move differently, expanding on the SpecOps special feature video, game mechanics/logic vs how things are actually done, the wookie-kill animation that got cut, RepComm influencing the tone of Star Wars games/more non-Jedi games, book recommendation based on RepComm, a bug in multiplayer that didn't get fixed apparently allowed co-op???

Tim Longo and Brett Douville (director and lead programmer) Discussion notes: no real talk directly about RepComm that hasn't already been covered but some good conversations about communication and team work

Jeremie Talbot (character lead) Discussion notes: nobody knew what they were doing, just wanted to make it as cool as they could, the use of tiger teams who fixed various problems, all the devs wanted to make the game fun to play and shared ideas, BABY ARMS, raindrops on the HUD for a dollar, having people with knowledge between programmers and artists to communicate, talking about trailers, not being too devoted to following storyboards, talking about the opening sequence, fans often bring up the opening, despite LucasArts's shake up RepComm team felt distant from it, there for the team and the game first and the company second, needing a mix of veteran and new devs

Honestly I'd been trying to listen to these for, like, two years but I kept going through cycles of remembering it when I didn't have the time to listen how I wanted to and keeping it in the back of my mind until I'd forget and then re-finding it in my bookmarks. I don't really remember how I came upon it- rabbit hole falling, I'd guess -and thought I'd share it around to other fans that likely hadn't come across it, either.

For add fun, here's a RepComm stream Brett Douville did around 2015 where he also interviewed people that worked on it. Unfortunately I can't find the first part on either his youtube or twitch pages but there's still three others. Note that there's some repeated information so I'll only mention anything new

Part 2 w/ Daron Stinnett and Jesse Harlin (executive producer and composer) Discussion notes: (Daron's audio is pretty quiet in comparison to Brett's) talking about how and why RepComm came about, deliberately tucked the team away so execs wouldn't bother them, when prequels came out it seemed like LucasArts wanted a game in each genre, 'not Star Wars enough', pointing out a couple name drops in the Prosecutor briefing, originally had no John Williams music, setting music cues in levels/'here comes stinky', the thought process behind developing Mando'a, didn't have an AI to deal with non-commando clones which is why they're scripted to die, even though you love the game while making it you're sick of it by the time it's finished, original voices were sound-alikes, Fixer/Advisor's VA was the only one that didn't get recast, a cut level was a Geonosian church, talking of different instrumentation between levels,

Part 3 w/ Nathan Martz (enemy AI programmer) Discussion notes: (Nathan's audio is ESPECIALLY quiet) talking about how Geonosian enemies 'choose' points to jump to, good AI is about cheats/build the world so the characters can be smart, scav droids were originally more lethal and were nerfed to not do certain behaviors if you're not looking at them, it's very easy to make a difficult AI, it's harder to make an AI that's challenging and fun, setting up common AI behaviors to work modularly and wanting to make finishing moves for the wookies equals the squad being able to do finishing moves, 'the most important thing an enemy does is die'/making interesting deaths, talk about lighting challenges, LucasArts got a new president halfway through RepComm's production, didn't understand the game but allowed it to continue, sequel talk, devs wanted to have co-op but was unable to

Part 4 w/ David Collins (voice director) Discussion notes: (I am very jealous of the shirt Brett is wearing in this video) David did the all the Trandoshian vocalizations and the radio chatter, a lot of ideas behind RepComm went into the Clone Wars series, originally the squad didn't have names only numbers, talk about casting VAs and working with Temuera, squad banter/'if you want your AI to be smart you need to make them sound smart', special features existed in order to have unlockables, George Lucas was apparently quite fond of the game

[halos-top-alien-model]

Sangheili Bracket Round 1 Match 15

More info below:

N'tho 'Sraom:

Debuted in Halo 3

Born Oct. 18th, 2522, he would be put on an accelerated promotion path after beginning his compulsory military service. In the 2540s, he would engage a soldier named Frank Kodiak, cutting off his arm but being unable to kill him. Before the end of the war, he would join the SpecOps branch as his unit's youngest member. At the onset of the Great Schism, he joined Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Rtas 'Vadum in their Fleet of Retribution, under the Special Warfare Group. He would go on to join the Arbiter at Earth, alongside Usze 'Taham, and help humanity in the defense of their homeworld. Later, he would take part in the Battle of Installation 00, even being present when the Master Chief deactivated the Halo Array and the Arbiter killed the Prophet of Truth.

Following the end of the war, he would continue to serve under the Arbiter's command and gained a respect for humanity. In 2555, he would be sent to take part in Operation: STAR STORM - an operation to return to the Ark to turn off the Halos that seemingly were ticking down to activation for unknown reasons - in which he acted as the shipmaster for the Mayhem. While waiting for the portal to the Ark to be activated, a Spartan would approach him for a spar, which soon turned into a true fight where the Spartan revealed his true identity as Kodiak. However, Kodiak would ultimately decide against taking revenge. Just then, an earthquake would be caused by the portal activating, causing a tree to fall on N'tho and Kodiak to rescue him by cutting it with an energy sword. A meeting would then be organized following an attack by a Forerunner Retriever that was stopped. N'tho wished to continue on with the operation immediately, but Captain Annabelle Richards claimed they needed to wait for consent due to the unknown threat to Earth. Yet N'tho had foreseen this as a possibility, revealing he had tricked the humans necessary for the operation to be on board Mayhem and that he had already decided he would be heading into that portal with or without approval. Another Retriever would attack just then, but Mayhem took care of it before entering the portal. To their surprise, they found the journey took a matter of hours rather than the usual two weeks. Multiple Retrievers were waiting for them, causing Mayhem to crash on the Ark. N'tho would then lead an expedition on foot, only for a pack of Blind wolves and a group of Chaefka to attack and Olympia Vale to become separated from the group. The team would split up, with N'tho joining Kodiak, Luther Mann, Zon 'Vadum, and Kola 'Baoth to the Citdel to continue the mission. On the way, a mammoth-like creature would be found, which surprisingly allowed them to ride it to the Citadel. Once there, N'tho told of the day he was there and witnessed the fall of the Covenant. As Luther deactivated the Halo Array, Forerunner armigers suddenly attacked the group. Fighting them off, the rest of the group would be cut off from Luther due to being teleported into a dark corridor. It was there that they reunited with Vale, as well as met the Ark's monitor - 000 Tragic Solitude. Separated by an energy barrier, the group had to watch as a cyborg created from Kodiak's MIA brother attacked Vale, until they managed to find the monitor's data stores and fired upon them. This caused the barrier to fall and Tragic Solitude to beg them that he'd recall the retrievers currently attacking Earth, only for him to attack them once they stopped shooting. The Bobby cyborg would then take out Tragic Solitude for good, dying in the process. With the galaxy now safe, everyone returned to the Mayhem and waited for reinforcements to arrive and bring them back to Earth. On the way back through the portal, N'tho would have a heart-to-heart with Kodiak over the death of Bobby and for the maiming of his arm back in the war, leading the Spartan to forgive him and the two to thank each other for the times they saved one another. N'tho offered Kodiak a visit to Sanghelios, which would be turned down.

By 2559, N'tho continued to assist the Arbiter. Notably, he helped escort the Arbiter to and from a meeting shortly after the destruction of the Jiralhanae homeworld Doisac, only to be stopped by Created armigers and forced to give up his weapons whilst they searched their vehicle for the perpetrators of a recent conflict. Later, when they returned to Vadam keep, N'tho would escort the Arbiter to his residence for a meeting with a sudden visitor.

Usze 'Taham:

Debuted in Halo 3

Born Oct. 31st, 2519, Usze was fathered by the famous swordsman Toha 'Sumai (although only knew him as an uncle that would act as a trainer) and born into a respected merchant family in Sumai keep. He would graduated with honors from a top war college, being posted on the Fleet of Faithful Ardor afterwards. After only a single tour within the fleet, he would be offered a place in the Covenant Honor Guard, but declined out of the desire to start away from ceremonial positions. He continued to refuse offers, which could have put him in danger of accusations of apostasy; but, either due to luck or superiors protecting him, Usze would not be targeted, save for some assassination attempts. His actions during the Human-Covenant war would ultimately cause those wishing him in the Honor Guard to finally back off. Still prior to the Great Schism, Usze would join the Ascetics and serve as a liaison for the Covenant, while also serving under SpecOps Commander Rtas 'Vadumee. Once the Great Schism broke out, he would join the Separatists' Fleet of Retribution, specifically the Special Warfare Group. He would then head to Earth alongside the Arbiter and N'tho 'Sraom. Later, he would take part in the Battle of Installation 00, even being present when the Master Chief deactivated the Halo Array and the Arbiter killed the Prophet of Truth.

At the end of the war, he would become a liaison to the UNSC and an emissary within the Ascetics' naval forces. He also liaisoned between feuding Sangheili keeps and factions, while also helping to resurrect the Ascetic Guard. Upon joining the Swords of Sanghelios, he helped establish the Riftborn: a SpecOps division fully committed to joint operations with the UNSC. In 2555, he learned of an assassination plot against the Arbiter and confronted the would-be assassin, Otar 'Bemet, refusing his attempts to get Usze on his side and killing the rebel. Once that was finished, the Arbiter informed him that the UNSC discovered the Halo Array was suddenly ticking down to activation, so he would be sending him alongside N'tho and the Mayhem to help stop it in Operation: FAR STORM. While waiting for the portal at Voi to be reactivated, he watched over the Huragok Drifts Randomly. When Drifts finally activated the portal, a Forerunner Retriever suddenly appeared and attacked. A meeting would then be organized on Mayhem. The Sangheili wished to continue on with the operation immediately, but Captain Annabelle Richards claimed they needed to wait for consent due to the unknown threat to Earth. Yet N'tho had foreseen this as a possibility, revealing he had tricked the humans necessary for the operation to be on board Mayhem and that he had already decided he would be heading into that portal with or without approval. Another Retriever would attack just then, but Mayhem took care of it before entering the portal. To their surprise, they found the journey took a matter of hours rather than the usual two weeks. Multiple Retrievers were waiting for them, causing Mayhem to crash on the Ark. Usze would then join an expedition on foot, only for a pack of Blind wolves and a group of Chaefka to attack and Olympia Vale to become separated from the group. The team would split up, with Usze, Spartan Elias Holt, and Henry Lamb following Vale's footsteps in the snow. Communications with the other team would then be lost, with increased snowfall sabotaging efforts to follow Vale. Therefore, they decided to head to the Citadel in the hopes they'd regroup with anyone. Forerunner armigers and a giant carnivorous planet would be among the obstacles the trio faced on the way. Once the whole team - barring the still missing Vale - regrouped at the Citadel, the Halo Array was shut down only for more armigers to attack. Usze, Luther Mann, Henry Lamb, Drifts Randomly, and Kola 'Baoth would retreat down the same elevator shaft Usze used as an escape route the first time he was at the Ark, while the rest of the team were teleported elsewhere by the Ark's monitor, 000 Tragic Solitude. In the inner tunnels of the Citadel, they would discover the central power station, where Drifts would start repairs while Lamb was killed by a Sentinel. They would continue to search for an exit, finding a heavy, locked door blocking their path. Usze and Kola would lift the door enough for Luther and Drift to enter, but would be forced to wait on the other side, becoming open to an armiger ambush. As they fought off the armigers, Drifts would finally take control of the Ark from Tragic Solitude, who would be destroyed shortly afterwards. With the galaxy now safe, everyone - including the recovered Vale - returned to the Mayhem and waited for reinforcements to arrive and bring them back to Earth. Following the end of the mission, Usze would have a heart-to-heart with Vale regarding her failure to negotiate with the rampant monitor.

By 2559, N'tho continued to assist the Arbiter. Notably, he helped escort the Arbiter to and from a meeting shortly after the destruction of the Jiralhanae homeworld Doisac, only to be stopped by Created armigers and forced to give up his weapons whilst they searched their vehicle for the perpetrators of a recent conflict. Later, when they returned to Vadam keep, Usze would be present - along with Kola - in hearing out the Oath Warden Crei 'Ayomuu regarding the existence of a weapon that could defeat Cortana.

[kiwikipedia]

This is gonna get me thrown into the void but:

Muunilinst 10 > The Bad Batch

[pep-no]

"We don't call it 'The Ghost' for nothing!"

... and with that sentence, my friends, the Rebel Alliance realized that they need a Special Operations group.

A clandestine, 'black ops' group able to go in, hit, and go out in a blink.

Or maybe stay for awhile and cause total disruption.

And no one, NO ONE is more suitable to be the group's leader than a Twi'lek who once infiltrated and ultimately destroyed Grand Moff Tarkin's Star Destroyer just to rescue her lover.

------

On Scarif, the Special Ops team -- also known as the spectres -- stood by ready to sweep in if necessary. But the ground team were successful in their objectives, so they leave again quietly and immediately.

That was why "General Syndulla" must be paged to come to the briefing room: The Spectres already had a clandestine mission to carry out, but due to developing situation, that mission was postponed briefly. By direct orders from the Leaders of the Rebel Alliance.

After the plans was received by Princess Leia, The Spectres immediately resumed their postponed mission.

[azems-familiar]

Character Masterlist

so this is an updated version of my last oc masterlist post; it's going to be a work in progress with links being updated as i create bios and whatnot. the end goal is it's going to have all three of my swtor canons and my kotor canon listed here, each character will have a small blurb, and i'll link a bio about each character that has images and a little more in depth description of them and their plot!

under a readmore because it's going to be long.

EDIT: decided to add my mass effect and dragon age blorbos as well, though the dragon age ones are going to be a massive WIP until i finish some playthroughs.

SWTOR/KOTOR

how does a man change the universe?

(kotor fics, solo, connects to swtor canon "like a moth to you, sunlight")

Revan Adarii: a mostly-light-side, incredibly powerful young Jedi with an unprecedented gift for psychometry and a skill with strategy and tactics not often seen, Revan drags herself back to a difficult and painful redemption after falling hard during the Mandalorian Wars and briefly having her memories stripped from her. After the destruction of the Star Forge, she slipped off and started a family with Bastila Shan and Alek, only to vanish into the Unknown Regions for a second time four years later, leaving behind her partners and two children.

Qatya Petheir: young and barely knighted at the start of the Mandalorian Wars, Qatya's gift for strategy and her tireless determination and commitment vaulted her into the position of Revan's third-in-command. after ten years of exile, punishment for activating the Mass Shadow Generator, she returned to the galaxy at large to defeat another Sith threat, finally settling in and rebuilding the Jedi Order as its Grand Master.

canon: start a war

(combined canon with @ipreferfiction)

Lia Vhoss: Lia is a nautolan Jedi knight who served as Satele Shan's padawan during her teenage years. she's one half of a dyad in the Force with her best friend, J'lima Akarr. current Eternal Commander of the Alliance.

Vreila Lanar: Vreila is a miraluka Jedi master and was Syo Bakarn's padawan. a master on the Jedi High Council, she serves as the Republic's and Jedi Order's liaison with the Eternal Alliance and the Master of the Odessen Jedi Enclave.

Kal'vaela Corrin: a cathar soldier who was the youngest and last member of Havoc Squad before it defected to the Empire, Kal is responsible for several of the Republic's top military and intelligence forces defecting and is the CO of Imperial SpecOps unit Blackout Squad.

Vyl Kivan: Vyl is a former twi'lek slave who was freed and sent to Korriban to be trained as a Sith. he had a brief career as Baras' tool, and then as Vitiate's Wrath, before defecting to the Jedi after being pushed to invade Tython. he currently serves as a Jedi master in the Odessen enclave.

Avaanla Ki: known as Darth Aedis, Avaanla is a togruta former pleasure slave, Darth Thanaton's apprentice, the former Dark Councilor for the Sphere of Mysteries, and now serves as one of two co-empresses of the Sith Empire. she also remains the Master of the Revanite cult, though it has much less galactic presence than it used to.

Araala Ki: Araala is a former Jedi knight who fell and turned to the Sith on Corellia. she's the direct apprentice of Darth Nox, the other co-empress of the Sith Empire.

Averr'iis'aloh: known titles for the chiss spy Riisa include Cipher Eight, Legate, and Keeper of Imperial/Sith Intelligence. she currently serves under Theron Shan, Alliance spymaster.

Sa'ziri: Sa'ziri is a twi'lek ex-slave recruited by Darth Arkous into both the Sith and the Revanites. she's a part of the small Sith Academy on Odessen, mostly because she has nowhere else to go.

canon: like a moth to you, sunlight

(shared canon with @sith-shenanigans)

Arielle Tanith: a togruta Jedi knight with the rare power of battle meditation, Arielle spends several years as the Jedi Battlemaster before being captured by Zakuul. she is one of two co-commanders of the Eternal Alliance, leads the Eternal Fleet, and maintains peace in a galaxy unused to anything but war.

Chril'lith'anasin: formerly the Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order, Illitha is a chiss ex-Jedi who walked the tightrope between Jedi and Sith for several years before eventually establishing themself as a Republic-aligned Sith. they are the Rift Alliance's liaison with the Eternal Alliance prior to the two becoming one entity, and often liaise with the Republic on the Eternal Commanders' behalf.

Ktis Kressh: current Empress of the Sith Empire, Ktis is a pureblood Sith and the heir to the disgraced but ancient Kressh bloodline. former pirate captain and occasionally Republic privateer. even-more-former titled apprentice to Darth Thanaton. also a Child of the Emperor.

Callien Ordo: daughter of Jekiah Ordo, champion of the Great Hunt, Callien is clanborn human and spends several years collecting bounties and working with pirates and smugglers. after Zakuul invades and her father is killed, she's drawn back to Mandalore the Avenger's side to become her second in command and frequent liaison with the Eternal Alliance.

Chril'lam'inar: the twin sister of Illitha, Illami is also known as Darth K'imsi, former Councilor for the Sphere of Imperial Intelligence and double agent of the Republic. she now serves the Eternal Alliance's intelligence network.

Niveha Veshari / Niwûihû Wûshaari: Niveha is a pureblood Sith who spends several years serving as Darth Arkous' apprentice before being betrayed and left for dead. she's now a Jedi knight, though she still struggles with the cultural disconnect she feels.

Sozik Veshari: a Sith Lord who formerly served under Darth Serevin, Sozik is a former member of the sphere of Expansion and Diplomacy who served as a diplomat on Voss for several years during the Cold War. after his daughter was betrayed and fled to the Jedi, he left the Empire behind to follow her, eventually finding his way to the Alliance.

canon: hold the hand of the god-child

(shared canon with @ipreferfiction)

Inrokini'kat'rath: Ikatra is a chiss ex-Jedi knight and the current Eternal Commander of the Eternal Alliance. though she once was considered one of the greatest Jedi of her time, she now considers herself a reluctant Sith and is officially affiliated with neither Order.

Aalira Dhey: sister to Mirjal, Aalira is a togruta Cinnagar native and member of the Krath. she's a runaway Jedi padawan and was considered king of the underworld for several years. serves as Vaylin's High Justice on Zakuul.

Vasmi na'Dreshdae: Vasmi is the pureblood Sith former Emperor's Wrath. she knelt to Neyri during the Sith Civil War and now serves as the Wrath of the Sith, Neyri's non-sphere-affiliated right hand.

Akada Szorn: a Ziosti miraluka, Akada is known as Cipher Nine in the Empire and Legate in the Republic. she served under Darth Marr for several years after the dissolution of Imperial Intelligence before fleeing the Empire and becoming an information broker on Zakuul. she serves the Eternal Alliance.

Neyri Qel-Droma: biologically human but culturally Sith, Neyri is the descendant of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma and is the Jen'ari of the Sith Empire, following a bloody civil war.

canon: the righteous hand of god, the devil you forgot

(shared canon with @ipreferfiction and @sith-shenanigans)

Iaris Kuro: a mirialan man in his early 50s, Iaris is a smuggler of some renown. along with his pirate crew - most of whom he recruited on Rishi, all of them known for their morality, a somewhat rare feature in pirates - he runs supplies for the Jedi Order, maintaining supply lines between Tython and Ossus.

Yatali Kuro: known as Darth Nox in the Empire, head of the sphere of Ancient Knowledge, Yatali is the youngest-ever Dark Councilor in recorded Imperial history. though her past as a Cartel slave and her meteoric rise to power is well-known, her relation to the former Emperor's Wrath and current Alliance Commander is kept quiet.

Qyâsik Dzwokai: Qyasik is the pureblood Sith daughter and heir of Darth Marr. exiled by an Imperial decree the Dark Council couldn't override, she snuck her way back into Sith society as a bounty hunter before becoming the new Empress' political advisor.

canon: this is the road to ruin

Kehree Adull:

Vonyra Dozai:

Zakri Tave: Zakri is a self-admitted heretic Sith Pureblood who, along with zir entire family, was enslaved when zie was a child for that crime. after getting out of slavery and into Sith training due to zir strength in the Force, zie proves zir heresy correct by first taking a seat on the Dark Council, and then becoming the new Emperor.

Kolasei Niket: Kolasei is a cathar bounty hunter who just wanted to prove themself and find a way to survive. instead, when they win the Great Hunt, they find themself forced into joining the culture that genocided their people three centuries ago.

a few final notes: start a war follows the swtor game plots fairly closely in a lot of ways. there's a lot of minor canon divergences, and some characters play different roles than they do in canon, as well as the occasional swapping around of an expansion in the timeline, but it's fairly canon-accurate.

sunlight is fairly canon-compliant through the early expansions and the Zakuul arcs, in terms of broad arcs, but from onslaught and on is heavily canon-divergent, and post-class stories it has quire a few moderate canon divergences.

god-child's canon starts out with an entirely different worldstate in which the Republic fully didn't exist in the majority of the galaxy for a solid fifty years around the kotor era, and that echoes forward into swtor in multiple ways. the biggest story arcs - the class stories, zakuul - remain the same, but everything else is heavily canon divergent, although most of the canon expansions exist in some form or another.

MASS EFFECT

solo mass effect content

Lyrida Shepard: a fully paragon colonist/sole survivor who romances Kaidan, brokers peace between the geth and the quarians, and destroys the Reapers without losing the geth. she survives and builds a family on the Citadel.

unnamed verse shared with @ipreferfiction

Mikka Shepard: the very renegade younger sister of paragon Taryn Shepard, Mikka is earthborn/ruthless and is the Spectre out of the two of them, though she's not the one to sacrifice herself on the Citadel at the end. she romances Javik and is a full biotic.

DRAGON AGE

Desri Surana: a half-elven mage raised in the Denerim alienage before she was discovered to be an apostate and sent to the Circle. Duncan's daughter, though she doesn't know this. probably going to romance a hardened Leliana.

Vivian Hawke: a mostly blue, slightly red mage who romances Anders and campaigns heavily for mage rights both within and without Kirkwall. she supports Anders' decision to destroy the Kirkwall chantry and remains with him after it. her brother Carver is a templar.

Vythral'a Lavellan: First of her clan before she was sent to spy on the conclave, Vythral'a is a very unwilling Herald and a slightly-more-willing Inquisitor, determined to defeat Corypheus and protect her clan. very much loves her people and her culture and would do anything for them. her curiosity and love of unique magic endeared her to Solas, and she falls into a romance with him.

[mr-system-of-a-downer]

You got that OG manly man vibe with your hair, i mean that sincerely. Like those old SpecOps dudes or movie stars where they'd have bad hair and teeth but their personality and charisma and muscles made you go "oh shit they're cool BECAUSE they don't care." Like Jason Statham I guess

Well thank you

[monocytogenes]

Alrighhhht @nirikeehan​ let's goooo (full sith warrior and imperial agent class story spoilers below)

Pravin:

2. What is your muse’s kill count?

This is a really interesting question, actually, because I see it as considerably less than ingame. Pravin's ex-navy but I don't think he killed anyone during his naval service (he wasn't a fighter pilot; he flew recon and transport missions) and while I actually think he does more years of service in Imperial Intelligence than the class story represents, he spent most of that time on covert/undercover work--more social engineering, less murder. There's a line Keeper says about the Hutta mission that's like "you used violence as a tool, not a crutch" and yeah--Pravin can and will kill when he feels he needs to, but he usually has better, less drastic methods at his disposal.

(I have a headcanon as well that ImpInt would poach a lot of military SpecOps folks to handle wetwork; Pravin went with some on the mission to the Star Cabal's headquarters. These partnerships worked fine for the most part, but there was also a fair amount of jurisdictional bullshittery on the part of the military COs who'd see it as overriding their chain of command.)

Anyway, here's some people who I do see Pravin having killed in his class story (and why):

The Red Blade (self-defense)

Three or four terrorists on Nar Shaddaa (self-defense when his cover was blown, then he killed the one that was a young recruit to keep news of his movements from getting out and felt bad about that)

Watcher X (Pravin tried to arrest him, they had a 'I'm not going back to jail' confrontation, he killed him in self-defense)

Kaliyo (executed her after he found out she'd sold information to criminals and endangered him; he'd clocked her type pretty much immediately and was more disappointed that she was stupid enough to try and get that over on him than anything. Standard punishment for treason in the Empire is death, so...)

Two assassins on Tattooine (self-defense; I see him as having snuck/manipulated his way through most of this assignment)

Kothe, Saber and Wheel on Quesh (pure fucking vengeance and the reason why he's on the SIS' most wanted list; he actually saved Chance to try and stay on the SIS' good side since he hadn't broken out of the restraints yet at that point)

Three or four folks Hunter sent after him (self-defense)

Two or three Cabal members (following orders while with a group of infiltrators)

Hunter (VEGENANCE. My headcanon of how this scene went was Hunter doing the 'let me show you one last thing' line, Pravin shooting him in the head, and then going "no" to his corpse. He was so fucking done at that point, oh man.)

Post-class story and before the start of my fic, Pravin also assassinates a few former Cabal members for personal vengeance/vigilantism reasons.

So yeah, his kill count is probably in the 20-30 range. He's not like, proud of that total; most of it was just a matter of survival. (He's a little proud of getting the better of Hunter and the Cabal members, though, not gonna lie.)

5. What is your muse’s biggest regret?

His life was so shaped by his time in ImpInt that it's difficult for him to imagine it taking another course, but he regrets not having the courage to see if he could've made it as an actor. He shelved that idea because his parents found it disreputable--the only performing art they might've been okay with would've been opera, and he didn't have the voice for that. It certainly would've been far less traumatic than what he wound up doing for a living, and it's a path that's closed to him now that he has to keep a low profile.

9. What is one thing that would break your muse?

Gonna pick something he's worried about in my fic: Shara telling him she's disgusted by the life he's leading now and not wanting anything to do with him.

Pravin has some serious baggage in general around the prospect of people seeing him as a disappointment--as a kid growing up in a wealthy family, he was simultaneously emotionally neglected and given the whole 'don't you dare embarrass us' treatment. He's spent much of his life putting up faces and swallowing feelings others might find unpleasant, seeking validation while avoiding the mortifying ordeal of being known, and while the mind control thing gave him the courage to pull a 'yes I'm angry, fuck you, and I deserve to live life on my own terms', he still isn't actually...dealing with the trauma that left behind. He's kind of having a midlife crisis and refusing to acknowledge it for what it is.

He's in love with Shara and she's always been good at seeing through his bullshit, so he's afraid that she'll pick up on all the messiness of his drug addiction, loneliness and lack of a real career plan and find him too changed, too unlikeable, too pathetic. If this brilliant woman who's been to hell and back with him sees him that way, well--maybe he is objectively unlikeable and pathetic.

So yeah, that would wreck him.

Isra:

3. What is your muse’s biggest fear?

The people she cares about dying because of her--because she's not strong enough or quick enough or smart enough, because she makes a mistake that puts them in danger. Much like Marr, Isra is very much a proponent of 'with strength comes responsibility'--she believes her job in the natural order of things is to protect and defend her country and its citizens. Failing to do that would thus not just be a personal tragedy, but her own failure to be worthy of her titles and fame, which she's worked for years to earn. In spite of all her apparent confidence, she still deals with that nagging fear that she's not quite as strong and talented as she needs to be, as well as the deep-seated dread of an orphan who always felt a bit out of place--that the family she's chosen for herself isn't something she'll be able to keep.

Because of this, I headcanon that when Draahg attacked her crew, she brutally murdered him outright in the spaceport, ending their duel by bashing his face in with the hilt of her saber. (The scene's depicted in this fic, and it's one of the few times Quinn sees her go absolutely apeshit on an opponent.)

14. What was the most traumatic moment in your muse’s life?

Baras trying to crush her to death in that mine.

It was legitimately an instance where she thought she was going to die--not on a battlefield taking out enemies of the Empire, but at the hands of her piece of shit master who didn't even have the courtesy to face her. Not after reaching the peak of her career and powers, but while still stuck doing the dirty work of said Piece of Shit, all because she was too good at her job. Isra, who'd done her utmost to prove herself in a society that hadn't even admitted her species to their academies for years, who had cut her way through swaths of soldiers while male officers questioned the idea of her even having a place in combat--this was how she was bound to go out?

She saved herself--and Pierce, who jumped on her to try and shield her--by holding the tunnel's walls and roof in place with the Force but went into her wound points strained herself so badly in the process that she lost consciousness and wound up bedridden for days. While most of the relatively horrible stuff she'd see in battle didn't mess with her mental health because the euphoria of the dark side kept her brain from processing it as traumatic, she does have some PTSD from this incident. Explosive blasts can trigger her a bit (though she usually encounters them in the context of using dark side powers and can kind of channel the fear off that way) and she struggles with claustrophobia, both in legitimately cramped spaces or very dark rooms where she can't get an easy sense of scale.

16. If your muse could talk to one person they’ve lost, who would it be?

Her mother.

Isra lost her mom when she was around five or six years old--old enough that she can kind of remember her. She was a zabrak woman who had been a merchant crewman and wound up stuck on Bothawui when the war interrupted trade; she turned to sex work to make a living and conceived Isra as a result.

Isra wound up spending much of her life in the care of adoptive sith parents who genuinely loved her but also strove to dissuade her from looking too alien--an impulse that came from a place of valid concern in a speciesist empire, but that also made her feel ashamed and unworthy. She started deconstructing that after bonding with a zabrak teacher at the boarding school she attended as a teen and eventually took steps to reclaim her heritage, getting traditional tattoos, building on the zabraki that she'd barely spoken since childhood, and no longer hiding her horns in her hair. She also began going by her mother's surname, Taluwe, in social settings, rather than her legal surname Hyrak (the name of her adoptive parents.)

She doesn't know that much about her mother beyond her general circumstances, but she knows she was loved--she's always been able to sense emotions, after all, and aside from the intangible, there's documentation related to her adoption where other refugees attested to how she was raised and protected. Given the choice, she'd want to talk to her, to tell her that her unapologetically zabrak daughter got the name Taluwe lauded by the Dark Council. To tell her that her husband, brought up in a venerable old Imperial family, asked to take her name as his own. To tell her that her life is good and full, even though it came about out of hardship.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 18 of 2023

Title: Meeting Steve Canyon: ...And Flying With the CIA in Laos Authors: Karl L. Polifka ISBN: 9781490979854 Tags: A-1 Skyraider, A-37 Dragonfly, AC-119K Stinger, AUS Australia, AUS RAAF No 35 Sqd - Wallaby, AUS RAAF Royal Australian Air Force, AUS Sydney, B-57 Canberra, Boeing 707, C-7 Caribou, CHN China, CHN Hong Kong, CHN Kowloon, EC-121 Warning Star, EC-130 Commando Solo, F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief, F-4 Phantom II, FAC, Fast-FAC, FRA France, FRA SDECE GCMA Mixed Airborne Commando Group, FRA SDECE Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage, HH-53 Jolly Greens, HKG Hong Kong, LAO Ban Ban Valley, LAO Ban Moung Ngan, LAO Boung Lam, LAO Fishes Mouth Region, LAO Forward Air Guide RAINBOW (Laotian Civil War), LAO Hmong Meo Tribesmen, LAO Houi Hok, LAO ICC Internationl Control Commission, LAO Khang Khai, LAO Lima Site 108 - Moung Soui (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 15 - Phong Saly (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 184 - Houei Tong Kho (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 198 - Houi Hok (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 20 - Sam Thong (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 20A - Long Tieng (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 236 - Ban Moung Ngan (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 32 - Boung Lam (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 36 - Na Khang (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 46 - Seno (Laotian Civil War), LAO Lima Site 54 - Luang Prabang (Laotian Civil War), LAO Long Tieng, LAO Luang Prabang, LAO Moung Soi, LAO MR Military Region (Laotian Civil War), LAO MR2 (Laotian Civil War), LAO Na Khang, LAO Nong Het, LAO Operation About Face / Kou Kiet (1969) (Laotian Civil War), LAO Operation Barrel Roll (1964-1973) (Laotian Civil War) (Vietnam War), LAO Operation Palace Dog (1966-1973) (Laotian Civil War), LAO Operation Shining Brass / Prairie Fire / Phu Dong (1965-1975) (Laotian Civil War) (Vietnam War), LAO Operation Snare Drum (1969) (Laotian Civil War), LAO Operation Stranglehold (1969) (Laotian Civil War), LAO Phnom Nam Lyr, LAO Phong Saly, LAO Phu Na Kok, LAO Plain of Jars / Plaine des Jarres, LAO RLA General Vang Pao, LAO RLA RT Hotplate (Laotian Civil War), LAO RLA SGU Special Guerrilla Units, LAO RLAF Lt Colonel Lee Lue, LAO RLAF Royal Lao Air Force, LAO Route 13, LAO Route 4, LAO Route 7, LAO Sam Nuea, LAO Sam Thong, LAO Seno, LAO USAF Project 404 (Laotian Civil War), LAO USAF Steve Canyon Program - Ravens FAC (Laotian Civil War), LAO Vientiane, LAO Xieng Khoung, O-1 Bird Dog, O-2 Skymaster, PsyOps, SpecOps, T-28 Trojan, THA RTAFB Korat Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Nakon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, THA Thailand, THA USAF ISC Infiltration Surveillance Center - Nakhon Phanom, THA USN NGSD Camp Ramasun Station, U-17 Skywagon, UK Force 136 (SOE), UK Special Operations Executive (SOE), US COA CASI Continental Air Services International, US COA Continental Airlines, US Father Lucien Bouchard (Catholic Priest), US PAA Pan American World Airlines, US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, US USA General Creighton Abrams, US USA Green Berets, US USA United States Army, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USAF 12th Air Commando Sqd - Hades, US USAF 12th Special Operations Sqd - Hades, US USAF 20th TASS - Covey, US USAF 21st TASS - Walt FAC, US USAF 22nd Special Operations Sqd - Zorro, US USAF 23rd TASS - NAIL, US USAF 34th TFS - Hatchet, US USAF 354th TFS - Newark, US USAF 355th TFW - Vegas, US USAF 388th TFW - Scuba, US USAF 388th TFW - Tiger, US USAF 416th TFW, US USAF 416th TFW - Det 1 - Misty, US USAF 432nd TRW - Laredo, US USAF 433rd TFS - Machete, US USAF 497th TFSq - Agile, US USAF 504th TASG, US USAF 505th Tactical Control Group, US USAF 555th TFS, US USAF 557th TFS - Sharkbait, US USAF 56th Special Operations Wing, US USAF 56th Special Operations Wing - Det 1, US USAF 602nd Special Operations Sqd - Firefly, US USAF 609th Air Commando Sqd - Nimrod, US USAF 609th Special Operations Sqd - Nimrod, US USAF 612th TFS - Tide, US USAF 7th ABCCC Airborne Command and Control Sqd - Alley Cat, US USAF 7th ABCCC Airborne Command and Control Sqd - Cricket, US USAF 7th/13th Air Force, US USAF ANG Air National Guard, US USAF General George S. Brown, US USAF TACP Tactical Air Control party, US USN NSGD Naval Security Group Detachment, US USN United States Navy, VNM AUS RAAF RTFV Royal Transport Flight Vietnam - Wallaby (Vietnam War), VNM Ban Me Thout, VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM CIA Air America (1950-1976) (Vietnam War), VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Dak Lak, VNM DRV NVA 312th Division, VNM DRV NVA 316th Division, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Duc Lap, VNM Duc Xuyen, VNM Gia Nghia, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Montagnard, VNM Operation Banana Ditch (1969), VNM Operation Combat Skyspot (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Igloo White (1968-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM Phan Rang, VNM Pleiku, VNM Quang Duc Province, VNM Route 13, VNM Route 8, VNM RVN ARVN 22th ID, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN RVNP CSDB PRU Provincial Reconnaissance Units (Vietnam War), VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force - Jackpot, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base - Camp Alpha (Vietnam War), VNM US Agent Orange (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Team 32 (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG (1964-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM US USN NAF Naval Air Facility Cam Ranh (Vietnam War), VNM US USSF Mobile Strike Force (MIKE) (Vietnam War), VNM USAF DASC Direct Air Support Center (Vietnam War), VNM USAF II Corps DASC / 505th TCG - Carbon Outlaw (Vietnam War), VNM USAF TACC Tactical Air Control Center - BLUE CHIP (Vietnam War) Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.USAF.FAC, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Laotian Civil War, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Laotian Civil War.Ravens

Description: A personal account of a USAF Forward Air Controller in a remote highland province in South Vietnam in 1969 and how he met "Steve Canyon" and transitioned to the "secret" war in Laos, living with the CIA and the Hmong clans and having near-complete control over the use of US airpower. This account has many illustrations of the grinding stress of intense combat in Laos, and the periodic clashes with the distant headquarters that had little knowledge of an extremely complex combat environment and was more focused on control rather than results.

Review: This book is one of the rare 5 stars for me. There were parts of the book that were absolutely incredible and make this book a must read! While it’s not a perfect book, those parts really showcase how this genre should be written. Instead of just saying “I flew here... I did this” ... he actually walks you through the mission, the steps, where he put his hands, how he got into the aircraft, what he saw, what he thought, what he felt. There is always more to the story than just what someone did... it’s important to make the tale multidimensional and also explain why in a big and small picture way. This author really did that well. At times the book slogs and gets more into the I flew 10 sorties that day, went to the bar, woke up the next day. He also talks a lot about the failures of the whole war and how it was run, which occupied too much space of the book. And yet, even with those criticisms, the book is really excellent! 

You get to see a side of the vietnam war in II corps, as well as the Laotian civil war, and the command and control issues with both, and the success and failure in both. 

Definitely a great read about a forward air controller during that time!