#Will add ME and SWTOR to the list eventually.

[theoreticalconstruct]

OC list.

This was once on my sidebar but editing it from there is a pain, so I'm going to see if I can pin this on my regular journal instead.

Linking to the tag for their screenshots (if they exist) on my gaming screenshot blog, or to any art I’ve done/had done of them.

In progress because I'm moving it and updating links, disambiguating the few characters who have similar names across fandoms, et cetera.

Fandoms: FFXIV (once I add them,) SWTOR, Fallen London, City of Heroes.

Permissions:

SFW art/headcanons - OK NSFW art/headcanons - Ask me first Fic/RP/interactions with other OCs - Ask me first

FFXIV

Baroouse Ironeye: Male Sea Wolf WoL, large friendly man who's really good at hugs and punching things, but not at the same time. Poly and aromantic, very close to lots of people. (Short list: Ran'aa Mihgo, Leih Ariapoh, Ysayle, Haurchefant, Cirina, Hien... I'll make a long list later.)

Quizzie Slagheart: Female Highlander WoL, a short pirate with a minor chip on her shoulder and a big heart. Has a soft spot for Ishgard thanks to a man who took care of her after she and her father fell out. Very close to her fellow Scions.

Mirek Ajerenii: Male Helion WoL who escaped the fall of Bozja because his mother saw trouble starting and sent him away with his Lost uncle. Generally very confused; things go over his head a lot. Still figuring out his relationships (he's probably bi, I'm fairly sure he misses a lot of advances because he just doesn't understand social cues, but he definitely had a fling with G'raha Tia and another with Jannequinard de Durendaire.)

SWTOR - Republic - Ge-ming: Sith Pureblood, exiled Sith heir turned Jedi knight. SF - Captain Zvedza: Twi'lek, smuggler and pilot, has taken over her mentor’s Republic business while he tries to diversify. SF

SWTOR - Empire - Lord Fupan: Zabrak, Lord of the Sith, Marauder, hunter of traitors and generally not great at this Sith thing. SF - Darth Molutsk: Sith Pureblood, Lord of the Sith, Expansion and Diplomacy (but mostly Expansion,) old gay ritualist and loving dad. SF - Bexamushu: Rattattaki, Sith apprentice and scientist, head of research for the Expansion Institute. SF - Drogo Rist: Human, Former Alderaanian statesman in self-imposed exile, Lieutenant in the Imperial Navy. SF - Jonna Wolfe: Human/Cyborg, Defected Republic Spec Ops operative, current Imperial Specialist. Doesn’t like relationships but loved her parents and siblings/nieces/nephews, to the point that she defected after they were killed by Republic inaction. SF - Ja'ghar: Chiss, Ascendency-born and exiled at a young age, eventually adopted into Clan Kelborn. SF - Fixer 42 AKA Baroouse: Mirialan, former Fixer for Imperial Intelligence who got brainwashed by a Sith. The brainwashing failed thanks to a convenient shipwreck. Has reached a point where he has two fairly stable personalities that are aware of each other - one his fixer personality and another a "civilian" personality who's basically a handyman.

SWTOR - Cross-faction/Underworld - Captain Lay'zor: Human. Ace pilot (in several respects,) smuggler and underworld boss. SS/SF - Koushonbe Phopee: Nautolan. Skilled mechanic and quick fighter who can't seem to sit still. SF - Hargath Desop: Mirialan. Adoptive father of Phopee and skilled doctor, he is hiding from a dark past that took the lives of his family and his husband. SF.

Fallen London - The Pliable Operative: Profile. A Rubbery Man and former companion of Markov (see below.) After Markov's disappearance under mysterious circumstances, they were dreadfully worried about their good friend and decided that they were going to do what they could to search for them, and to that end worked to integrate themselves into the Great Game. Despite the prejudice against them as a Rubbery Man, they are doing surprisingly well. - Lt. Bogdan Leonidovitch Markov: Profile. Little is known about him so far, save that he was certainly some sort of officer in the Russian Imperial Army, and that he came to London to keep a promise to one of his superiors. Has a long-standing fear of falling upwards into the sky, which is partially why he gets along so well in the Neath. A generally decent sort who believes in helping the common man and shows kindness to the marginalized - the Rubbery Men, the Urchins, the Clay Men - whenever he can. - Nikole Dupuis: Profile. A dangerous lady and former privateer, who came down to the Neath to avenge her brother. In doing so she lost her soul and, for a while, her reason for living - but she has found another, with her new dedication to the anarchist cause.

City of Heroes

Ranger Bruno Jones: Old man whose powers manifested late in life. Lived most of his life as a park ranger, but gained the power to speak to and command both plants and animals, as well as becoming very large and strong and near-indestructible. This happened after he retired and years after his wife had died, and he decided to embrace his powers and become a hero. His adult children are nervous about this, but so far he's doing fairly well.

[aly-the-writer]

Dragon Age Character List

Wardens

Evander Tabris – None (Currently) – Bard

Eveline Cousland – Alistair – Duelist

Falcon Surana – Zevran Arainai – Lightning & Frost and Arcane Warrior

Fen Mahariel – Morrigan – Ranger

Serena Tabris – None (Probably Leliana but need to playthru) – Assassin

Solona Amell – None – Creation and Spirit Healing

 Champions – I usually play a generic purple Garrett (LI Anders) or a blue Marian (LI Fenris).

 Inquisitors

Aban Adaar – Cassandra (play through not complete) – Tempest

Haleir Lavellan – The Iron Bull – Fire + Rift Mage

Lark Trevelyan – Cullen – Fire + Necromancy

Leopold Trevelyan – Josephine – Assassin

Taralyn Lavellan – Dorian - Various (emphasis on lightning) + Knight-Enchantment

 Other Characters

Amelie DuPont – Irina Priestley – Warrior: Champion

Irina Priestley – Amelie DuPont – None: Alchemist, herbalist, healer (not magical), tavern keeper

Issala Adaar – None – Mage

Kallias Floros – Luke Trevelyan – Mage: Spirit Healer

Laurencio Altimari – Linea Kingsworthy – Rogue: Assassin

Lorianne Trevelyan – None - None, Heiress and manages the Trevelyan trade deals and properties

Lowell Trevelyan – None – None, Scholar & Academic

Luke Trevelyan – Kallias Floros – Warrior: Templar

Michaela Cadash – None - Warrior

Siona Lavellan – None –Mage: Keeper + Healing

[sheyshen]

My FanFic compilation

I figured I have written quite a lot over the years and especially this year, that putting together something like this, that has everything I’ve written so far in one place all organized would be a good idea! So please! Enjoy!

There’s quite a lot so they’ll all be listed under the read more, They’re all organized by series (fairy tail, swtor, mass effect, dragon age, greedfall, anthem, and smut fics) as well as by pair with a short description, starting with the first fic I wrote (fairy tail) and the latest (fictober 2020 prompts)  :D

Fairy Tail: (Leading off with this because it’s my first ever fic) -Shall We Dance, Pair: Laxus/Lucy: 38 chapters, Finished https://archiveofourown.org/works/4351550/chapters/9870611

Swtor: Main fic: -Breaking the Bad News (aka BTBN), multi-pair, main focus is shan trio: currently 70 chapters, Ongoing. https://archiveofourown.org/works/9340892/chapters/21164699

Side Fics: Kara Hawke’s Backstory(s):

Pre-Class story: -A Smuggler’s Tyr, no pairing, intro to Kara’s first crew: Currently 1 chapter, Complete (Might add more eventually)

During Class Story: -Adventure of a Lifetime, no pairing focus but will mention Darmas, meant to build on what we have of the in game class story: Currently 1 chapter, hiatus (plan to work on more with 2021)

Post Class Story: -Hawke Legacy: While Kara Sleeps, mentioned Theron/Kara, focus’s on Koro delivering the news of Marr’s ship being attacked to Theron. 1 chapter, Complete -Downtime, Theron/Kara, Post arrival on Odessen but prior to chapter 9 on kotfe, 1 chapter, complete -Desert Reunion, Theron/Kara, Introducing Kara’s dad and bringing him into the Alliance, 3 chapters, complete -A Moment, Theron/Kara, but starting to poke at the idea of Arcann being involved, 1 chapter, complete

Prompts: -Fictober 2018, day 1: Can you feel this?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-umbara/pre-copero so theron’s only mentioned -Fictober 2018, day 3: How can I trust you?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-Nathema, and a bit on the trio +kids, dealing with Theron’s return -Fictober 2018, day 5: Take what you need, mentioned Kara/Caleb (her first husband from her original crew), takes place before the class stories, short story about a job she had done -Fictober 2018, day 6: I’ve heard enough, this ends now. Kara/Arcann (sometime pre-nathema so sorry Theron’s not really in this one), bit of covering a reoccuring nightmare Kara had for a few months -Fictober 2018, day 7: No Worries, we still have time, Kara/Arcann/Theron (Arcann’s not present tho, just mentioned), little bit of the pair of workaholics +kids taking a break -Fictober 2018, day 12/13: Who could do this/Try harder next time, Kara/Arcann/Theron & Koren/Trey (Will have this in both pairs), sometime post-nathema probably, little adventure with Kara involving having to save her sons -Prompt: I Care about You, Theron/Kara, little bit of a rebuild of their kotfe reuinion -Prompt: Come Cuddle, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Short fluff story of one of their movie nights with some bad jokes -Promptless idea: Arcann Singing, Kara/Arcann/Theron, I’ve always had this idea that Arcann can sing at least as well as Senya does, so here’s a bit of him singing to kara’s boys, and also kara. -Fictober 2019, day 2: Just Follow me, I know the area, Kara/Arcann mainly, post onslaught so Theron’s involved but just not featured in this prompt. Little bit of a romantic night out. -Fictober 2019, day 3: Now? Now you listen to me?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, follow-up to the fictober 2018 day 6 prompt, and resolution to the chronic nightmares Kara was having -Fictober 2020, day 7: Yes I did, what about it?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-nathema, small bit of theron and kara heart to heart about a choice she made (involving Valss because I’m still bitter we didn’t get a save option for him) and both prosthetic users in the trio are sore (maybe there’s a storm moving in) -Fictober 2020, day 15: Not interested, thank you, Kara/Arcann/Theron (Arcann isn’t present for this), one of a handful of reminders that Kara and Theron are parents, connor just really wants to make his lightsaber -Fictober 2020, day 18: You don’t see it?, Kara/Arcann/Theron (post umbara pre Nathema so theron is only mentioned), something of a pep-talk from arcann.

Nora Hawke/Mikael Hawke: -That Time Back When We First Met, backstory on how my sith warrior and pub trooper met before they started their relationship: currently 2 chapters, hiatus (plan to work on more with 2021) -Fictober 2018, day 4: Will that be all?, little bit after they first met, can be considered a continuation chapter... technically

Koren Gates/Trey Hawke: -Fictober 2018, day 2: People Like you have no imagination, Koren/Trey & Shey/Torian (will put it for both pairs), little adventure of my bounty hunter squad +sith BF -Fictober 2018, day 12/13: Who could do this/Try harder next time, Kara/Arcann/Theron & Koren/Trey (Will have this in both pairs), sometime post-nathema probably, little adventure with Kara involving having to save her sons -Fictober 2020, day 13: I missed this, Koren/Trey, bit of fluff between my overly caring hunter who could use a day off and his grump of a sith boyfriend. -Fictober 2020, day 28: Do I have to do everything here?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Arcann and Koth decide to play a co-op holonet game, with only minor arguing. -Fictober 2020, day 30: Just say it, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Kara gets a little time to herself and the trio’s weekly movie night ends up being a bit more than just the three of them.

Shey Shen/Torian Cadera: -Fictober 2018, day 2: People Like you have no imagination, Koren/Trey & Shey/Torian (will put it for both pairs), little adventure of my bounty hunter squad +sith BF -Prompt: I’m Right Where I Belong, Shey/Torian sometime post kotet, a rare time that I bring up the fact that she has amnesia and still can’t remember anything prior to about 2 years prior to the class stories starting. -Prompt: ... out of habit (kiss), former Shey/Koro mention as well as Shey/Torian, because Koro is a mess and while him and Shey have been divorced for years habits die hard. -Fictober 2020, day 8: I’m not doing that again, Shey/Torian & Kurana/Andronikos (will be under both pairs), Little bit of a fun idea of who would win in a fight, our dear pirate or mando

Kurana Knight/Andronikos Revel: -Prompt: One Falling Asleep with their head in the other’s lap, Kurana/Andronikos, I keep thinking of this prompt now and then because writing Niko being soft for his wife is a lot of fun. -Fictober 2020, day 8: I’m not doing that again, Shey/Torian & Kurana/Andronikos (will be under both pairs), Little bit of a fun idea of who would win in a fight, our dear pirate or mando

Lyra Hawke/Doc: -Fictober 2020, day 1: No, Come Back!, Lyra/Doc, little adventure on an unnamed planet that I honestly love the idea of -Fictober 2020, day 6: That was Impressive, Lyra/Doc, Another little adventure of information gathering featuring Kara’s youngest son, Connor. -Fictober 2020, day 22: And neither should you, Lyra/Doc, little bit of fluff and doc trying to get his wife to take a day off

Ren Hawke/Vinn Atrius: -Fictober 2020, day 9: Will you Look at this?, Ren/Vinn, I need to write more of them outside of btbn so this was a start to hopefully more building on my didn’t plan to ship this as strongly as I ended up doing pair.

Ava Reiner/Jonas Balkar: -Fictober 2020, day 20: Did I ask?, Ava/Jonas, Small job featuring a couple of SIS agents, and including a bounty hunter I got attached to in a hurry.

Kyri Dennan/Arn Peralun: -Fictober 2020, day 21: This, this makes it all worth it, Kyri/Arn, little build up for another pair that I didn’t expect to get attached to, featuring some implant maintanence.

Airi/Theron (one off because disaster spy/spy pairing I had to write at least once): -Admittance, 1 chapter, complete

WoW: Aulara Stormdawn/Kieran Grimmarrow: -Lunar Eclipse, (Technically my first fic but I didn’t post it until after Shall We Dance), A story involving Aulara (an orphaned night elf priestess), Koren Haven (her brother from the orphanage, a human paladin), Kieran (a blood elf noble, hunter who doesn’t have much people skills), and the friends they meet including Rokar an old orc shaman and Sen a orc huntress, that navigates through the warcraft story starting with vanilla wow. Currently 7 chapters, on hiatus but planning on picking it up again in 2021! -Fictober 2020, day 4: That didn’t stop you before, Aulara/Kieran, A quest during Legion and a bit of a flashback from one of their first quests together around when they first started fighting side by side during BC -Fictober 2020, day 25: Sometimes you can even see, Aulara/Kieran, The burning of Teldrassil and Kieran deciding he’s willing to risk everything he’s ever known to be with his wife. Koren is there to give him a hand. -Fictober 2020, day 26: How about you trust me for once?, Aulara/Kieran, early BC before they became a couple, Kieran and Aulara get a moment to talk alone in Nagrand, involves something close to an awkward confession. >:3

Shey Wrynn/Varian Wrynn: -Prompt: Are you testing me?, Shey/Varian, post WoD but pre-Legion, little walk through elwynn turning into an adventure between the king and his wife, Shey is not amused when he charges in head first. -Fictober 2020, day 2: That’s the easy part, Shey/Varian, mid to late WoD, bit of fluff while planning the push towards hellfire citadel, bit of fluff and bit of proposal.  >:3 -Fictober 2020, day 10: All I ever wanted, Shey/Varian, post-BFA Pre-Shadowlands, proof I can write at least a little bit angsty, some platonic Shey & Anduin. -Fictober 2020, day 16: I never wanted anything else, Shey/Varian, something short around late Cata early MoP involving Shey having a birthday. -Fictober 2020, day 27: Give me that, Shey/Varian, probably what I consider the most ooc i’ve written him but honestly i had a lot of fun writing them being dorks. -Fictober 2020, day 31: I trust you, Shey/Varian, sometime early Cata soon after they started a relationship. The one and probably only time I’ll ever mention Shey’s old house, and a touch on the fact that i’m 100% certain that Varian would try and sneak out of the city time to time.

Shey & Anduin (platonic, it’s always platonic/familial between them) -Fictober 2020, day 19: I can’t do this anymore, Shey & Anduin, because sometimes a girl just needs to sneak her son out of the city to give him a break and maybe check out a ruin or something.

Shey Wrynn/Aethas Sunreaver: -Prompt: By your side, Shey/Aethas. Post legion, a bit of a moment between them early BFA. I started writing them as a potential pair before settling as friends with benefits that might form into more, so this is a possible hinting at them becoming “more”

Mass Effect: John Shepard/Kaidan Alenko: -Prompt: War’s End Kiss, Shenko, Post ME3 when they’re just a couple of retired old soldiers and John’s slowly recovering from his injuries from the final push. -Fictober 2019, day 4: I know you didn’t ask for this, Shenko, Post ME3, a bit of a heart to heart between them and tending to slowly healing injuries. -Fictober 2020, day 3: You did this?, Shenko, Post ME3, Kaidan runs across some old footage of John over the years from before they met to the reaper war. -Fictober 2020, day 14: You better leave now, Shenko, during ME3, short mission against a hold out of mercs, featuring James. -Fictober 2020, day 24: Are you kidding me?, Shenko, during ME3 probably, featuring Kaidan “my headache doesn’t hurt that bad” Alenko and John “please just take a nap” Shepard. -Fictober 2020, day 29: Back up!, Shenko, during ME3, mission to clear out a cerberus warehouse including some battle flirting and James lending a gun.

Scott Ryder/Gil Brodie: -Fictober 2020, day 12: Watch me, Ryder/Gil, Post main MEA story, something short of Scott looking forward to getting out and exploring while Gil (and eventually Sara) work on the Nomad. (Sara is my pathfinder)

Dragon Age: Garrett Hawke/Fenris: -Dawning, Fenhawke, Short bit of fluff and my firt step into writing dragon age. Late or post DA2.

Lia Hawke/Fenris (a one off when I was debating on canon hawkes & romances for them): -Fictober 2020 day 5: Unacceptable, try again. Fenhawke, little bit of teasing and bad taste in books.

Rana Cousland/Alistair Theirin: -Promptless ramble, Rana/Alistair, Set during DAO with Rana reflecting on those she’s lost, worrying for her brother and realizing just how in love she’s fallen with Alistair. -Fictober 2020, day 23: Do we have to?, Rana/Alistair, set post DAO, pre-DAI, little romantic picnic between the king and queen of ferelden before she heads off on her next mission. (hints at Nathaniel being involved with the both of them.)

Greedfall: Lydia de Sardet/Kurt -Fictober 2020, day 11: I told you so, Lydia/Kurt, short bit trying to get my footing writing these two, Lydia thinks she can still climb trees like she used to as a kid. -Fictober 2020, day 17: Give me a minute or an hour, Lydia/Kurt, short bit, and Kurt not being as subtle about his feelings about Lydia as he probably thinks he has.

Anthem: Raya Auren/Matti (1 of the 3 Matthias Sumner) -Fictober 2019 day 1: It’ll be fun, trust me, Raya/Matti, Bit of an adventure involving Raya taking her favorite arcanist out of fort tarsis to see something very special. (also involving me having no clue how they transport people when there’s only one javelin and winging it)

Smut: (all of them are swtor so far) -A Moment Reprised, Kara/Arcann, takes place post-umbara and pre-nathema, and sometime late in BtBN, no plot. -Moving on, Koren/Trey, takes place right before chap 35 of BtBN, featuring my dorks of a hunter and sith setting in stone they’re serious about each other. no plot -Just a short vacation, Kara/Theron, takes place post-nathema pre-onslaught, A moment in Kara and Theron’s honeymoon at a lovely resort and the closest to taking a day off Theron will ever probably take. No plot -Welcome Home, Kara/Arcann/Theron, unlike the other 3 doesn’t have a specific time that it takes place other than post nathema. No plot

[talesfantastic]

Multimuse: 6, 10, 11, 18, 19 (eek, that's a big one for you! do a selection if you'd prefer!)

-eyes list- Well then... let’s see what I can do.

6. which one of your muses have you been playing the longest?

The longest consistently is Angeal, who has about 10 years behind him. Who I’ve played the longest off-and-on is Vegeta, however, who... probably has another 5-10 years on him.

10. which muse is the most fun to write for?

Not gonna lie, at this point in my life I think I have the most fun as Genesis, for just plain writing. He’s just so bold and confident and over the top. In some ways, he’s a lot like I was way back before things happened and I can relate. In other ways (the temper, the overinflated ego, the violent streak...) he’s very different, but still fascinating.

Honorable mention to Lazard, too, though. I’ve had such a good time as Laz on Tumblr and that can’t be overstated. He’s just not quite as versatile as Gen can be.

11. is there another muse you’ve been thinking of adding or writing for? who?

Curse of the multimuse, we’re always thinking of adding people. My current list is long but I’ll break it down a little:

Who do I think I really will add, sometime in the near(ish) future:

Ann/Ran (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Canderous Ordo (Star Wars: KOTOR)

Carth Onasi (Star Wars: KOTOR)

Mistel (Story of Seasons)

Shad (Twilight Princess)

Who would I like to add but am unsure I will because of my grasp on their canons, or lack thereof:

Bardock (DBZ)

Ignis Scientia (FF15)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Zarbon (DBZ)

18. would you ship any of your muses together? who?

Oh yeah. There’s only a few, but yeah.

Angeal x Genesis, Genesis x Reeve and Kunzite x Minako

19. for each muse, is there a character you wish had a blog so you could interact with them? (this is long so... under a cut it is!)

Let me preface this with most of these blogs exist, I just am shy and haven’t approached yet. Or have approached and it hasn’t worked out, which doesn’t help with the shy.

Vegeta (DBZ) - there are Goku’s out there, I just haven’t had the guts to approach one. Same for Bulma’s, and his kids. Nothing into Super, because I don’t know Super and therefore don’t count it in my canon but man... I’d love those. OH! And Piccolo would be really neat, too.

Angeal (FF7) - ZACK. Please please please let Angeal find a puppy of his own. I desperately need some catharsis from what a mess canon made of what could have been a great friendship. And Sephiroth, for that matter! (I have been blessed with a Genesis, but I mean, I do welcome more Genesis’ if they want)

Chaos (FF7) - there’s plenty of Vincent’s just not a whole lot who want to deal with Chaos. Which is a shame, because I think I write a... somewhat different Chaos. It could be a good experience.

Genesis (FF7) - an Angeal who fits my Genesis would just... be amazing. Seriously. I would also greatly appreciate a Sephiroth, and would kill for a thread where they work through that ridiculous rivalry and become friends.

Lazard (FF7) - would love, love, love a Rufus, particularly one who would like an “eventual allies” thread because you know that canon divergence is my jam. Also a Heidegger who plays in the pre-CC/BC era.

Reeve/Cait (FF7) - lumping these two together; basically, I’d really like to throw them against each other, a Cait for Reeve and a Reeve for Cait. I think it could really be cool to reach out to a Rufus, or AVALANCHE 2.0 too? idk, it would be neat

Iris (Story of Seasons) - my kingdom for a Mistel! Seriously, even in the dedicated Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons/Stardew Valley rp group I’m in we can’t keep a Mistel. Just let Iris have her baby brother. ;-;

Trent (SOS:FOMT/FOMT/DS/CUTE) - honestly just all the Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not-Valley peeps. I have so much muse for this man I’m down for crossovers and everything.

Midna (Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) - absolutely Link, but I’m also intrigued by Zelda, Ganondorf, and Zant

Sheik (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) - I’d actually really like to toss Sheik up or down the timeline at another incarnation of Zelda. And Link. And any of the Sages. Oh, and Ganondorf.

Ami Mizuno (Sailor Moon) - Zoicite! (Be still my shipper heart) But also, I’d really just like the other Senshi too?

Kunzite (Sailor Moon) - I’ve been blessed with a Minako (though I’m open for more!) but I would also really love Mamoru and the rest of the Shitennou.

Mamoru Chiba (Sailor Moon) - I have been blessed with some lovely Usagi’s but I’d love to see him with his Shitennou, his darling daughter, Helios and the Senshi.

Minako Aino (Sailor Moon) - Kunzite, not just because I happen to ship it but because they’re both the leaders of their Prince(ss)’ inner guard and have a lot in common that would make things Interesting. Also, Usagi and the Senshi of course, and Artemis, who I haven’t seen around at all actually.

HK-47 (Star Wars: KOTOR) - any of the Ebon Hawk crew, either set. I just want to see HK being his ~charming~ self, bonus if it’s with a Jedi or other pacifist calling the shots. Actually, even though I hate what they did with Revan in SWTOR I’d be game for tossing him up the timestream too. Or even further into the movie eras, or crossovers. C’mon, someone needs an assassin droid!

Liana Raine (Star Wars:TOR) - if we’re making a dream list, I’d love a Yuon Par, tbh. And a Hero of Tython. And any of her crew, really.

Revan (Star Wars: KOTOR) - again any of the Ebon Hawk crew (esp Carth or a Bastila that’s better rounded than canon >_>) but really any of them would be amazing. And definitely fast forwarding her to the movie eras. What a difference might have been made if they had known ahead of time how to deal with Sith. Or, for that matter, just if Anakin had had a different sort of mentor. I die for the thought of Revan as a mentor to Anakin or Obi-Wan, Force Ghost, holocron or whatever.

Tharan Cedrax (Star Wars: TOR) - a Jedi Consular (player character) would be amazing, but I’d also love Holiday or the what-if he’d gotten hooked up with a smuggler or bounty hunter crew instead. Seriously.

Duke (Threads of Fate) - I’d really love to see a Belle, because there’s a lot to explore there. Really I’d be grateful for any of the Threads of Fate cast though.

Fancy Mel (Threads of Fate) - other Threads of Fate people aside (and I’d especially love the dolls, fellow Aeons/mages, or Klaus) I’d be really interested on her talking with like, spirits or other magical beings?

---the few muses I left out I have no specific blog interactions in mind for. And again, I’m very well aware that most of these blogs exist I just... am shy. So here’s the wishlist I’ve been sitting on, lol.

[honekitteh]

FIC: Countdown - Chapter 1

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.   Author's Notes: First installment of an actual chaptered fic in this fandom. Hopefully there will be more in the future.   Warnings: Future chapters will raise the rating to M/E.

Crossposted to AO3

How did I get to this point?  That is an excellent question.  One would expect the so-called Hero of Tython to have a far more heroic introduction.  Jump in to save the day.  Say something suave or clever.  Jyana Kai, the “famous” Jedi Battlemaster who was reported to have killed the Sith Emperor would be able to jump into the fray and defeat anything.

Sure, you would think that.

Instead I was standing underneath a domed barrier with SIS Agent Theron Shan, just waiting.  My bruises had bruises; my mental defenses were on high guard.  He didn’t look too much better but calling down Archiban Frodrick “Doc” Kimble, the most humble doctor I’ve ever known, from the orbital station was out of the question.  

He straightened up after ensuring the shield was properly set and looked to me.  “Okay.  We should wait until they’re good and close.”   

I closed my eyes briefly, allowing my senses to reach out to get a good feel for how much time we had.  It wasn’t much.  I moved slightly closer to Theron and said softly, “I wasn’t sure when I’d run into you again.  Not the greatest circumstances, but still.”  I very nearly reached to him but halted myself with a small glance behind me.  It wasn’t my fellow Jedi and closest friend Kira Carsen though that I sensed when I could feel we weren’t alone.

He offered a weak but knowing smile.  “Maybe next time the lives of an entire world won’t be in danger – but, yeah, feeling’s mutual.”  

I felt my heart flip flop a bit at his smile and met his with my own.  Soon though, I could feel them.  His amber eyes shifted from mine to behind me.  Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I took a deep breath, then reopened them to follow his gaze.  Kira had already drawn her dual-saber, its green light reflecting against the metallic floor.

Theron pulled out his data pad and started tapping. “Okay, here comes the puppet brigade.  Fingers crossed…”

It was a fairly sizeable group, Imperials, Republic troops, and even some Jedi.  I silently cursed the Chancellor and added it to the growing list of matters I will add to a report, should I bother to file one.  At this particular moment, the choice words I had planning were significantly less Jedi than they had been the beginning of this entire fiasco.  The horde moved closer and Theron triggered the device.

That Theron even had to modify it to be non-lethal was not lost on me.  As I saw the soldiers all be stunned and fall to the ground, I could not help but wonder what the result would have been had that modification not been made.  The Empire, putting a weapon in one of its capital cities with the capability to kill a vast amount of their own citizens?  If they had one of these in New Adasta, they could have it on Kass City, or in a number of other cities.  But why?  Because of riots?  Gee, I wonder why anyone would riot against a ruling body that had no regard for their lives.

My eyes glanced over to a Republic soldier that had collapsed.  Were we even better?  The Republic should be better than this.  Theron followed my eyes and let the shield dome collapse.  He approached the soldier and knelt.  “This one was closet, took the biggest hit.”  He reached for his neck, checking his pulse as I walked up beside him.  I looked out towards the door and across the landscape of unconscious bodies.  “Still alive,” Theron confirmed, relief in his voice, “We did it!  Let’s just hope we got all of them.”

“Let’s hope,” I murmured, still scanning the surroundings.  Something still felt off.  This moment was far from over, I could feel it.

“We should call Lana now, see if she has a plan for what’s next.”

The bodies began to float in the air.  “I have a better idea,” a booming male imperial voice spoke through a woman sauntering onto the platform.  With a small flick of a hand motion, the bodies crashed back away from her, clearing a path.  Her eyes yellow and wild, she smirked as she drew her lightsaber.

“Master Surro.”  Theron’s entire stance sunk and he moved to stand between me and the unconscious puppet army and the approaching Jedi Master.  “No...”  I lightly reached an arm to his shoulder, trying to pull him back and shift him behind me, but he stood his ground.

“Watching you believe you had a chance; it’s amused me.”   Master Surro raised her hand sluggishly as if it were pulled by string, the Force lifting a dazed Imperial lieutenant into a sitting position. “Now this whole charade is pathetic.”

I shifted my own position, trying to assess the situation and moved in front of Theron.  Not soon enough, as Master Surro summarily executed the dazed man she’d just set up.  The range of emotions in the man beside me went from shock, to horror, to anger.  It took a great deal of my own willpower and Force meditation to not absorb Theron’s pain and have it fuel me and complement the dread that I felt; the very dread I’ve been feeling rising since the moment I’d received his distress holo.

Master Surro’s lips turned in a cruel sneer.  “Now, how do you wish to die?  In combat or on your knees?”

Lana Beniko, Sith Lord and Director of Sith Intelligence, raced from within the building, lightsaber drawn and poised to attack.

“Go away, little Sith.”  Master Surro easily shoved the approaching Sith Lord with a shove.  Theron moved in front of me again and drew his weapon but was immediately lifted in the air.  He gave me a wincing glance before he was unceremoniously thrown against the wall and crashed the ground.  I looked between Lana and Theron and took the last reserves of my energy to take a deep breath. 

Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.

Glancing back to Master Surro, I furrowed my brow and drew both my shoto.  The Emperor controlled puppet smirked.  “This has nothing to do with your friends.  This is you and I.”

Igniting my sabers, I leaped into the air.

So how did I get to this point?  I guess I could start from the beginning…

At some point in my early life, I was brought to Hasshimut to take up training to be a Jedi.  I have no recollection of much before this point, no memory of a mother or a father.  The Jedi didn’t see a need to enlighten me and eventually I never truly thought to ask.  Perhaps that was a mistake looking back.

But I digress.  While that may be the beginning of my story, it is not the beginning of this particular story.

Approximately a year or so ago I became more than what was called the Hero of Tython.  I was now the Battlemaster, a reward for helping bring together both Empire and Republic to defeat Revan and to attempt to stop Vitiate from regaining power.  The latter failed however, and a team had been put together to continue trying to find out where he’d gone. 

 “I’ll get the shuttle started,” Kira stated and walked towards the shuttles at the edge of the camp.

Not a second later, I felt another hand brush mine, startling me out of my thoughts and I turned around.  “Theron?”

Theron Shan smiled a bit awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. “Jedi Battlemaster, huh?”

I shuffled my feet and looked down.  “Yeah, that surprised me too.”

“I suppose we’re both going to be pretty busy.”

“Guess so…” I looked back over the ridge across the lush green jungle moonscape of Yavin IV.  I took a deep breath as the wind blew through my hair.

“So Jy… I guess this is...”

I spun quickly and grabbed his neck and pulled him down into a kiss.  He startled, but then opened his mouth and met my tongue with his own. He wrapped his arms around me, one of his hands lowering to my waist, palm spread out slightly as one of his fingers slightly hooked underneath my belt.  A flash of memory of this morning where a very similar kiss led into a shuttle caused my cheeks to heat up slightly.  Slowly easing myself out of the thought, on how much I wanted to get lost in his arms again, I lowered my hands to rest on his chest and pulled out of the kiss, both of us breathless.  I attempted to play it cool as I said, “Don’t be a stranger, Agent Shan.”

He smiled softly and his eyes seemed to twinkle as he leaned his head against mine.  He traced his fingers against my cheek and whispered softly, “I won’t.”

I slowly opened my eyes and wondered when I’d drifted off.  The pilot chair wasn’t the most comfortable place to nap, but I supposed I was tired.  Pinching the bridge of my nose I leaned back in the seat and sorted through my thoughts.  The Defender was quiet as it usually was when I opted to take the night shift.  No bickering over space or Doc being a bit confused why he was suddenly thinking of all his old ex-girlfriends.  I usually used this time to meditate.

Or accidentally fall asleep and dream about...

It’d been months without a holo.  Just a small message about actually having caf with his mother.  That’s progress though, so I don’t begrudge him that.  It’s not like I’d entirely made a lot of time to reach out either, so I couldn’t pin it all on him.  Flying from planet to planet, seeing where I can lend my hand with the war effort or even some of the little things like Master Orgus reminded me, didn’t always lend me a lot of time to go to Carrick Station or Coruscant just to see what a good-looking SIS Agent was up to.

The planet I was in orbit of wasn’t extremely remarkable, though that was from the eyes of someone who had been staring at it for the last five days.  It was an unnamed Jovian type gas giant, swirling with green and teal colors of gas.  It had two ringed belts, one full of asteroids and the other vibrant and as colorful as the world surrounding it.  The two rings intersected in an X shape. 

There has been a mine there within the asteroid belt, though it had been long abandoned many years ago.  There were some fairly rare minerals that had been mined from within the asteroids and within the gas giant itself.  There were numerous reports of a space whale like creature called Purrgils that frequented this system as well.  Those creatures were apparently fairly notorious for knocking spacers out of hyperspace so I had to fly carefully in this region.  I vaguely recalled images of them, which reminded me of something I used to dream of as a child.  The dreams didn’t make them out to be a menace, but no one ever said spacers told accurate tales.

The Council wanted me to send a few probes within the system to assess its strategic worth.  An odd task for the Jedi Battlemaster I thought.  I’m a Jedi, not a Scientist.  I solved problems easier with a lightsaber.  But I could sense there was definitely more within this system than just a simple mineral assessment.  Though this seemed it would have been better to just send an actual expert in this field.  Everything I found I just forwarded to Barsen’thor Sheridan to show to her scientist companion, Tharan Cedrix.

I thought I caught a blip of a lifesign flying into the gas giant when suddenly, a holo comm started breaking through.  Staticky at first, I fiddled with the settings.

“--repeat: Repubic call sign Aurek Nen—hey! Finally!”

It felt like time stopped.  I was walking through a desolated world: buildings, ground, even the sun all washed out in shades of brown and grey.  My own bright white clothing, faded with the terrain.  As soon as the vision hit, it was over, and I heard Theron’s voice trying to get my attention.

Snapping out of it, I took a quick breath and quickly responded, “Theron. Are you all right?”

His voice came across frantic.  “That would be a negative, Master Jedi! I’m in Imperial space, over Ziost.  Tried to slip in, help out my ground team, but I used the wrong set of clearance codes and shields are low!”

I furrowed my brow slightly but tried to keep mostly calm. “Focus on getting yourself to safety, then we’ll talk. “

“No, you really need to hear what I have to say. I was getting reports: demented soldiers; slave and civilian populations under fire. Had suspicions of what it meant, but I wasn’t sure.”  My heart sunk even lower as he continued speaking.  “I sent a team in dark to investigate, maybe handle it, but it’s all gone out of control now. I think it’s him. The Emperor.”

“I’m supposed to be the first one you contact when it comes to him, not your last resort,” I snapped.

“I should have said something—I know.”

I closed my eyes briefly to try to settle my own racing heartbeat.

He continued, “Sending through the right set of clearance codes along with the coordinates to meet my-- “ There was a loud explosion and he lost balance as his ship rattled.  “I’m hit! Going to try to land this thing! Don’t come looking for me, I’ll—”

“Theron? Theron, come in!”  I frantically tried to get the signal back.  When that didn’t work, I just mashed the buttons on console and the Defender quickly jumped into hyperspace.

[greyias]

FIC: By the Guidance of Stars - Chapter 7

Title: By the Guidance of Stars Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight Rating: T (this chapter) Genre: Angst, H/C, Romance, Humor Synopsis: The Coalition tries to heal in the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin 4, but not every wound is physical. A series of missing scenes set during the end of Shadow of Revan. Warnings: See Chapter 1. Author’s Note: This is the chapter that I nicknamed “The Jakarro Sutra”. I am so, so sorry.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Crossposted to AO3

The crackle of the campfire provided a counterpoint to the distant buzz and chirp of the jungle nightlife. A soft murmur of conversation had gone up around camp as the coalition settled into what was likely the last evening meal before they all went their separate ways. The mood was decidedly less celebratory than earlier in the day, likely due to the fact that those they were breaking bread with today they might be exchanging blaster fire with the next time they met.

The Coalition’s two leaders were taking their evening meal over at the operations center, in clear view of the whole camp. A token contingency of troopers from both factions ringed the platforms, but Satele and Marr were seated close enough so they could talk in relative privacy. Making a show of solidarity for the troops, but probably discussing the difficult road that would lie ahead, both politically and otherwise.

Lana was not gathered around this campfire, but instead Theron had spotted her in a tent with several people that he could tell had once been with Imperial Intelligence. It had piqued his interest, but he hadn’t thought of an easy way to listen in without being caught and risking fracturing the Coalition’s trust. So he’d grudgingly marched on, and had wound up taking a seat next to Jakarro in the large group that had gathered together.

If nothing else, it was a clear indication that the intelligence community within the Empire would be experiencing a resurgence in the wake of the Revanite Crisis. They were going to need to get someone on the inside, which would be easier if the structure was being rebuilt from the ground up. Just another thing for Theron to add to the laundry list of discussion items with Marcus when he got back to Coruscant.

Apparently the somber mood of their gathering was too much for Doc, who had started to tell a ribald tale of some daring heist he’d pulled off with a lady Rattataki of a dubious nature. Something about the Rattataki’s description was familiar, but Theron really wasn’t in the mood to listen closely enough to whatever yarn was being spun to try and pinpoint exactly what. He pushed the rations around on his plate, trying to work up the will to force more of it down. He couldn’t tell if the fact that it had little to no taste was a good or a bad thing, and eventually he set it down having only consumed maybe half of it. 

“No wonder you’re so puny, Theron,” Jakarro rumbled next to him in Shyriiwook, “if you don’t even finish these measly rations.”

“Some of us just have more refined palates.”

“A Wookiee never leaves a plate unfinished.”

“If you’re still hungry help yourself.” He waved a hand at the half-finished plate. “I’ve had all I can stomach.”

Jakarro immediately scooped up the plate and began to shove large forkfuls in his mouth. Theron shook his head, but wasn’t surprised at this point. The large Wookie had a stomach of steel, and the only thing the spy had seen match his appetite was his capacity to put away drinks. He pitied the next person stupid enough to engage the smuggler in a drinking contest.

Meal finished, Theron let his gaze wander the camp and take in everyone gathered here near the mess. Doc was apparently getting to the particularly racy part of his tale if the raucous laughter indicated anything. He thought he spotted Rusk in the crowd, glaring at his crewmate with clear disdain for the improper decorum. Kira had settled in on the other side of Jakarro, and had struck up a conversation with a private about the same time Doc had decided to break the ice. She’d probably heard this story a few times before, if her exasperated eye roll was any indication. A smattering of both Imperial and Republic forces ringed the campfire, but the remaining three members of The Defender’s crew were absent, including its commander.

He pursed his lips, and tried to decide if he should stick around. He probably should have tried to tackle the mountain of paperwork still waiting for him, courtesy of his reinstatement. His eyes crossed at the mere thought of having to fill in the same information on the fifteen different forms just from the SIS alone. He was looking forward to getting back home, but he was pretty sure he was never going to miss the Republic’s endless bureaucracy and mind numbing busywork.

It was a long enough flight back to Coruscant, the forms could wait another day.

“Kira,” Jakarro growled, “your medic friend is far too boastful. He could use some humility.”

“Really?” Theron asked dubiously. “You’re going to tell someone else that?”

“The Mighty Jakarro only speak the truth!“

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Kira snickered, “he’s had a very trying day.”

“I’ve had a long day,” Theron corrected, “and a very loud day.”

“He’s probably just frustrated,” Jakarro said sagely, although those not versed in the Wookie tongue would have just thought the tone was more of a guttural sigh. “He and my little friend have had no time alone together.”

“I don’t need to spend any time alone with Deefour, thank you very much.”

“Theron, I do not believe my master was referring to me,” the droid corrected oh-so-helpfully, “I believe he was talking about Jedi Master—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Theron cut him off quickly before the droid shouted her name loud enough for the whole camp to hear. Kira burst into laughter, and he speared all three of them with a glare. “Okay, did you guys have a meeting or something about this when I wasn’t looking?”

“Why would we need a meeting?” Jakarro asked. “This is obviously a private matter.”

“Well, thank you, you’re the first to—“

“And as a matter between friends—“

“What is your definition of private?”

“—I know just what’s needed.”

“I really doubt that.”

“Fear not my friend!” Jakarro slung an arm around Theron’s shoulders. “The Mighty Jakarro is a master lover and can help you through this difficult time in your life!”

“Oh no. No, no, no, no!” Theron’s wails of agony were drowned out by Kira’s high-pitched giggles. “My life is fine, just dandy in fact, and for the love of the Force please don’t finish whatever you’re about to say!”

Jakarro, ever the good friend, promptly ignored him. “Now, I know that you are much punier than the Mighty Jakarro, and as such, you won’t be able to match my girth, but you can make up for what you lack in size with stamina!”

Theron could feel his soul trying to leave his body, but unfortunately he stayed tethered to his mortal coil. At the other half of the campfire, the epic tale of Doc and his Rattataki sidekick was still going strong and had the others so enraptured they didn’t notice the spy’s futile attempts to escape his plight. Jakarro still had him trapped in a giant, sweaty Wookie hug, that effectively prevented Theron from digging a hole to the other side of Yavin and avoiding hearing in graphic detail about the more risqué versions of Kashyyyk mating rituals. He’d never known there were so many inventive and lewd uses for trees. Or Kthysh for that matter. And how was that last one Jakarro describing even anatomically possible? And why could Theron not stop picturing it?

“Why are you laughing?” he demanded of Kira. “You’re a Jedi, save me.”

She managed to halt her honking laughter long enough to lay a hand on the Wookiee’s shoulder. “Thank you, Jakarro, that was enlightening. I never knew your people were so… creative.”

“They’re not! I invented half of the techniques I just described,” he clarified, finally releasing Theron so he could cross his arms in triumph.

“Of course,” Kira said.

“Theron,” Deefour chimed in, “I think I see Master Highwind and Lord Scourge over near the guard station. As you're a beginner and there's a lack of sturdy trees around, might I suggest you try The Mighty Jakarro Technique #4, the Motesta Driller—“

“Deefour,” Kira said the droid’s name almost a little too loudly, “you never did finish telling me  how Queen Lina of Onderon handled the negotiation of the Duke’s release after he was captured by the saboteurs.”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful story!” Deefour exclaimed.

Jakarro’s eyebrows drew together in an exaggerated expression of pain, and Theron couldn’t help but also flash Kira a look of pure betrayal as well. She returned his look with a significant head tilt to the guard station that had been mentioned. He flicked a quick glance to see the silhouette of Scourge towering over the smaller Jedi Master, and pressed his lips together in a fine line. He gave Kira a quick nod of thanks before he silently slipped away from the campfire.

He wove a slightly circuitous path, taking a few extra moments to reach his quarry. As a whole, not a lot of people were fluent enough in Shyriiwook that anyone listening in had probably even understood half of what Jakarro had said (the lucky bastards), but he decided not to make his destination too obvious just as a matter of precaution. He didn’t really have a set plan in mind of what he was going to do when he got there, like most of his ideas he was more or less just winging it.

“I grow weary with this pointless self-pity you’ve been indulging in,” the Sith growled. “If you continue to wallow in your Jedi failings and tarry here, at this rate the galaxy will be consumed of all life before we even get off this miserable planet.”

“It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. I think even incorporeal beings have to account for travel time. We can take a moment or two to recover.”

“Or wallow as the case may be.”

“As always, Scourge,” Grey ground out, patience audibly tested, “I will take your warnings under consideration.”

“I wouldn’t,” Theron called out, “then again, I’m just contrary like that.”

“Ah, one of our reasons to tarry.”

“Lord Scourge,” Theron greeted, exuding fake civility.

“Agent Shan,” the Sith returned, tone equally polite but somehow also dripping with menace.

Grey glanced between the two of them, eyebrows raised high. “Well, you two are certainly feeling very formal tonight.”

Scourge ignored her. “What brings you out this evening, Agent?”

“Felt like taking a walk,” Theron tossed back, “seeing as it’s so sweltering here in the jungle.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” He looked over at the Jedi, clearly directing the next statement at her. “I heard there’s a nice breeze on edge of the plateau at night. Figured it might be worth a look, and help to escape some of the smothering heat for a while.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, corners of her mouth quirking up in the hints of a smile. “I wouldn’t mind getting a bit of air — if you’re not opposed to having a little company.”

“Not at all. I might get bored if I go alone,” he quipped, “but I wouldn’t want to interrupt you two.”

Scourge made a sound of disbelief, and Grey shot him a stern look. Her next statement was definitely directed at the Sith. “You can’t interrupt a conversation that was already finished.”

“Oh, well in that case…” Theron motioned the winding path through camp that led up to the large platform he had visited earlier.

“Seeing as you’re busy,” Scourge’s voice dripped with disdain, “I’ll head back to the ship and help the droid finish his preflight check. If we’re having visitors this evening, I suppose we should also pick up any clutter.”

She gazed at him placidly. “There’s no clutter on the ship. Seetoo would have a fit if one thing was out of place.”

“Silly me, how could I forget that irritating metal monstrosity?” Scourge muttered as he began to stalk off.

“I would not let him hear you say that,” she warned, “unless you want bland meals for the rest of the month.”

“I wouldn’t know the difference anyway,” Scourge’s snarl was nearly lost to the distance, “seeing as I can’t taste anything.”

“Oh… right.”

She still had a deep set frown in place as she watched her crew mate stride away, although it was unclear if it was due to the Sith’s comments on the protocol droid or the entire conversation in general. If it had anything to do with what Theron had accidentally overheard up on the platform, he really couldn’t fault her for it. However, it was also clear from her conversation with Scourge that she was not in the mood to discuss what was bothering her. 

Perhaps the thing a good friend would do in this instance would be to change the subject, try and take her mind off of things. If their positions were reversed, he would have much preferred distraction to talking. And if the end result was that it chased away that brooding expression and brought back the hints of that sunny smile she’d sometime grace him with, then all the better.

“Cheery fellow,” Theron remarked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“He has a different outlook than most on the world.”

It was possible that mastering the understatement was a common Jedi trait, Theron mused to himself as he led the way down the path towards the platform. “And exactly how do you maintain being such an optimist when exposed to that sunny disposition of his day after day?”

“Optimist?”

“Come on,” he said lightly, “I’ve never met someone so willing to look on the bright side of things as you are.”

“I am just me,” she said with hints of a frown. “I don’t try to see anything but as they are.”

“Of course you don’t,” he shook his head with a wry laugh. “There is no try, huh?”

“Heard that one, have you?”

“Ngani Zho may have mentioned it… a lot.”

She cracked a smile. “Somehow I can see that.”

“Hey,” he said lightly, “some of us were a little more precocious as children.”

She arched a brow. “That statement implies you grew out of it.”

He mock glowered at her, exaggerating the expression so she could tell it was meant as a joke, and the hints of a smile blossomed into a quiet huff of laughter. Theron followed it up by lightly jostling her with his elbow, and the huff turned into a snort.

“Theron Shan! It is not polite to elbow others in the ribs.”

“Hm, I think Master Zho might have mentioned that once or twice too.”

“He sounds like a very wise man. You should listen to him.”

“He was,” Theron corrected gently, and her smile fell a little as she realized the implication. “And I probably should have done a little better job at listening.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugged a shoulder lightly. “It’s been a while.”

“Time can heal many things,” she said with a little more understanding than he was prepared for, “but it doesn’t erase it all the hurt.”

“That’s true.” Theron said, scuffing the ground with his boot on the next few steps. “He was a good man. I try to remember that, do what would make him proud. Not sure I always get there.”

“Was he the one that raised you?”

Theron nodded. “I think you two would have gotten along. He wasn’t always the most traditional of Jedi, but he taught me a lot.”

“He did a good job,” she said warmly.

“How do you figure?”

“You helped the Republic from a conspiracy that would have torn it apart,” she said, “regardless of the personal cost. He would have been proud of you for all of this. I’m sure of it.”

He gave her a small smile. “Well, at least one of us is.”

She frowned at that. “You don’t agree?”

“You and I butted heads a lot over the course of all of this,” Theron pointed out, “and I’m pretty sure that were he here, he would have sided with you.”

“We may not see eye to eye on every decision, Theron,” she said softly, “but I don’t doubt that your heart is in the right place.”

“No?”

“Well, you did just save me from at least another ten minutes of lecturing, and I am very grateful for that.”

“I aim to please.”

“I feel like Scourge would not agree with that. He seemed quite displeased with your arrival.”

“Have you ever seen the man happy?” he asked dubiously.

“Not in the way most people are, no,” she said, “but there are reasons. He’s very… focused on his goal.”

“I noticed.”

“And he thinks I’m preoccupied.”

“People need to mind their own business,” Theron spat. “Hopefully you told him to take a walk.”

“I have. Several times. It’s been a recurring subject.”

“Sounds like my day,” Theron muttered.

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind,” he said quickly.

“Has Scourge been bothering you?”

“Scourge? No.” Well, at least not today.

“But others have.” She pursed her lips. “About what?”

The many conversations over the course of the day surfaced in his mind. Doc. Satele. Kira. Hell, even Jakarro. The memory of the Wookiee’s vivid, salacious descriptions made Theron wince. “You don’t want to know. Trust me.”

A blond eyebrow arched quizzically. “You make it sound so dramatic.”

“You weren’t there,” he said lightly. “Feel lucky.”

“I would first have to know what you’re talking about to begin with.”

“Let’s just say I know more about Jakarro than I ever wanted to or asked for.”

“Then I will let the subject drop since it’s obviously so painful.” He was pretty sure that was her sarcastic tone.

“Your chivalry is noted.”

“Officially?”

“Unofficially. I decided to leave some of the finer details out of my reports. Professional discretion and all that.”

“I can appreciate the need for some…” she bit her lower lip as if she was trying to hold back a smile, “discretion.”

Theron decided to exercise some at that moment as a rush of heat washed over him. He tucked his hands into his pockets to keep them occupied, and kicked at the weathered pavers at their feet. As they left the main portion of the camp, the thick vegetation thinned as they approached the large landing platform and the crumbling ruins above. The light from the main part of the camp was dim here, and the path was lit with a few lanterns and several glowrods in the weathered torch holders. A few flickers of light from above indicated that the watchtowers posted at the edges of the camp were occupied, but they didn’t do much to illuminate the way.

Grey’s gaze wandered upward, taking in the unobstructed view of the night sky. Wisps of clouds streaked across the darkened sky, illuminated by the twinkling stars just visible around the dark looming red specter of the gas giant of Yavin Prime. The frown lines eased as she traced the visible constellations, and her shoulders relaxed. It almost seemed like a private moment, and Theron felt like he was intruding just by watching, but he couldn’t quite tear his gaze away. Her features looked just a little softer in the starlight, almost ethereal. As he tried to swallow the feeling bubbling up inside of him, she glanced back down at him with the same intensity she had directed to the skies above. Almost as if she were looking at one of her stars that had fallen from its proper place in the night.

It took a extra few moments for his breath to catch back up with him.

“They’re different on every planet, yet somehow still part of the same whole,” she said quietly.

He had to swallow a few times before he found his voice. “Is that so?”

“No matter where we go, they continue to watch us in their ever-changing patterns,” she added, still looking at him with that same starstruck expression. “They’re a bit like the Force in that way. You can use their light to guide you through the night. Or through the black of space.”

“I don’t usually slow down enough to stop and look,” Theron whispered.

“If you have time, you should try, Let the moment breathe into you.” Her face lit up in a bright smile. “It can be very grounding.”

“Says the woman who lives on a spaceship.”

“That’s why I stop to look.”

A few guards were stationed near the landing platform, even though no shuttles were running at this point. They wandered on the edges of the path, and carefully picked their ways up the dark steps leading to the overlook that Theron had found earlier. His eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, but he still had to be careful of the pits and cracks so he didn’t fall and embarrass himself.

The fabled breeze greeted them up on the platform, gently teasing its fingers through the Jedi’s ponytail. He resisted his urge to run his own hands through it, and continued to guide the way around the massive stone archway, until their view was nothing but the jungle and temple dotted junglescape below. The bright flickers of flame identified the locations of the Massasai villages, but the temples were dark, only illuminated by the stars and reflected light from the gas giant above.

The wind was a little stronger here, almost enough to break the oppressive swelter of the night. He heaved in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. It almost felt like the first real breath he had taken in a long time.

It was strange. He never had really wanted to make any one moment stretch out, but right now he felt the need to try and etch everything into memory. He didn’t want to forget the coolness of the breeze caressing his face, the twilit landscape stretching below, or the warm presence fitting comfortably at his side.

Theron didn’t know when she had gotten that close, how his arm had draped itself across her shoulders without him consciously thinking about it, or at what point her fingers had reached up to intertwine with those curling around her shoulder. Just as he started to look down to comment, he felt her other hand gently cup his chin and guide it upwards to the night sky.

The soft hair of her ponytail tickled his neck as she leaned into him, her head resting right over his heart. He felt a deep twinge in his chest, like a vibroblade being plunged past his ribcage and straight into the deepest part of him. Her weight pressed into him as he inhaled, and something hard and brittle inside of him broke.

He could have said something, but he was enjoying hearing the distant chirps of the nocturnal Ginx. He could have moved, but then he’d have to untangle the fingers barely holding on to his. He could have glanced around to see if there were any observers, but that would mean he would have to look away from the stars.

So instead of doing anything, he just leaned in further, and let the moment breathe into him.

Art by @lumielles (who you should definitely go commission)

[tauntaun-rider]

I found this and thought it would be fun to fill out. If you’re reading this, consider yourself ‘tagged’ and tag me in your answers! I’m curious how my opinions differ from others in the fandom.

GENERAL

Your main(s) name: I know I’m supposed to have a “main”, but I don’t really know that I do. The character I play new content with first is my never-made-a-dark-decision Consular, who is also the first character with whom I finished a class story. Her name is Maralla. However, I would say I have a “main” for each class that I focus on to do post-vanilla game content. (Except Smuggler, Trooper, and Knight, which I haven’t taken through any kind of expansion. I’ll get around to it eventually. I do have characters that I would specifically use for those classes, though. Does any of my ridiculousness make sense?)

Your main(s) level: All of them are level 60+ at this point.

Your main(s) class: I’m gonna say that I have multiple “main” OC, all of whom have completed at least some post-vanilla content. So.. 2 Consulars, 2 Warriors, 1 Inquisitor, 1 Bounty Hunter, 1 Agent.

Your server: Star Forge! I do have two on Satele Shan, though. I didn’t have any character slots left, so I transferred one to Satele Shan and deleted a few unused ones.

How long have you been playing SWtOR: Since either May or June of 2016.

Why did you start: My boyfriend suggested that we play together as a bonding thing when we can’t physically be together. (It’s funny. He rarely plays anymore because he gets bored with things and has to shuffle through what he’s playing at a given time.)

FAVORITE

Planet(s): Rishi! If you want me to pick from the base game, then definitely Voss. Honorable Mentions: Yavin 4, Dromund Kaas, Imperial Balmorra, Alderaan, and Korriban.

NPC(s): How long do you have? Jonas Balkar, Hunter, Grandpa Kallig, Darth Zash, Keeper, Watcher Two, Darth Marr, Darth Vowrawn, Aristocra Saganu, Sanju Pyne, Darmas Pollaran, Master Orgus, Tai Cordan, Tobas Grell, Attros Finn, Ardun Kothe, Sergeant Jaxo, Lokir-Ka, Tora... Okay, I need to stop.

Companion(s): Oh geez. How am I supposed to choose? The first ones to come to mind are Vector, Theron, Quinn, Light Jaesa, Vette, Zenith, Jorgan, Kira, Doc, Andronikos, Talos, Khem, and Torian.

Class: Agent! (Followed by Consular and Inquisitor.)

Discipline (madness, combat, carnage…): Infiltration for a Jedi Shadow (Consular) and Concealment for an Operative (Agent).

Moment: I have so many! The female Warrior flirting with Quinn during the Balmorran Arms Factory debriefing, the female Bounty Hunter distracting Torian with a flirt to flip him and point a gun at his face, the female Imperial OC Force choking or Force lightning-ing or punching the sexist asshole on Quesh, the Consular getting an Esh-ka name, the Agent’s final battle with Hunter, the Warrior’s final battle with Baras, the Inquisitor’s final ghostly battle with Thanaton, the Doc proposal/marriage conversation, the Moff Broysc saga with Quinn, KhemZash, the end of the Agent story... Okay, that’s way too many examples.

LEAST FAVORITE

Planet(s): Corellia, Ord Mantell, Hutta, Belsavis (even though it’s pretty), and Taris.

NPC(s): Darth Baras, Darth Zhorrid, General var Suthra, Tarro Blood, Skavak, Falner Oeth, Duke Kendoh, Senior Agent Zane, Nomen Karr, Master Kaedan, Darth Ravage, and Thana Vesh. I guess you can include Darth Jadus, too, because he scares the shit out of me. I’m sure that I’m missing some..

Companion(s): I tag all of the companions by their actual names.. Except for “Fucking Skadge” and “That Asshole Pierce”. Tanno Vik, Sergeant Rusk, Dark Jaesa, SCORPIO, Corso, Guss, Broonmark, Koth, and Kaliyo are at the bottom of my list, also.

Class: Trooper. Without a doubt.

Discipline: I don’t really know off the top of my head. I only knew the ones I put as my favorites because I had them in my phone for some reason.

Moment: KOTET Chapter 8, Iokath/Umbara, the decision after the second boss fight on Copero, the Quinncident, the seemingly endless appearances of Draahg, the death of Master Orgus, the Jaxo thing, Falner Oeth’s bullshit, Vette’s final companion quest, the end of the Knight story (as a result of the expansions released after), etc.

GUILD

Currently in guild(s): Yeah. I don’t think any two of my characters are in the same guild. Whoops. I did have a guild full of kind people that taught me about crew skills and crafting, but there was some kind of break-up that happened at some point. Now I’m a drifter.

Currently GM: Does GM stand for guildmaster? (I always associate it with the baseball acronym for general manager.) If so, no. If not, I have no idea what I’m being asked.

Have you been in a PvP, RP, Social, PvE, Conquest oriented guild: The aforementioned guild did regular raids and stuff.. But I don’t have a set guild at this point.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Are you Legendary: Yes! It makes Heroic Moment very useful.

Do you PvP: Nope.

Do you do Galactic Starfighter: I’ve never done it before. I feel like I would need to do it with an actual mouse and not the one built into my laptop, and I can’t find my old mouse. It always looked fun, though.

Completed Chapters: For the vanilla game? All.

EXPANSIONS COMPLETED

Rise of the Hutt Cartel: Yes.

Shadow of Revan: Yes.

Knights of the Fallen Empire: Yes.

Knights of the Eternal Empire: Yes.

QUESTIONS

Have you ever tried to fight a world boss solo? Yeah. That was a complete accident. I was very new to SWTOR and gaming in general, and I knew that starred bosses gave bigger rewards, so I had a mid-teens leved character on Coruscant try to beat the world boss. Whoops.

Most hilarious/embarrassing death(s)? I have a propensity to fall off of things. Especially elevators. I have poor depth perception, apparently.

What do you miss from the old SWtOR? I don’t think I've been around long enough to know how to answer this.

What do you like from the new updates? The newest one? I guess the fact that three companions came back at all, even though I would have loved for everyone to get Andronikos as a companion, not just Inquisitors.

Most hilarious/embarrassing PvP moment? I’ve never done it.

Anything else you’d like to add? I wish the Voss were available as a playable race. I know that would never happen, but it’s nice to dream.

[inyri]

Equivalent Exchange (an SWTOR story): Chapter Fifteen- Legacies

Equivalent Exchange by inyri

Fandom: Star Wars: The Old Republic Characters: Female Imperial Agent (Cipher Nine)/Theron Shan Rating: E Summary: If one wishes to gain something, one must offer something of equal value. In spycraft, it’s easy. Applying it to a relationship is another matter entirely. F!Agent/Theron Shan. (Spoilers for Shadow of Revan and Knights of the Fallen Empire.)

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Legacies

15 ATC. Rakata Prime.

If it was uninhabited, this would be a beautiful planet. The view from the landing zone, white sand beach and pristine water as far as she can see, makes her wish for a bathing suit and a drink with a little umbrella in it. The pieces of wreckage do rather spoil the scenery, though, and if her experience on Tatooine is anything to go by she’s guessing the natives aren’t friendly.

Still, Nine strips down to her undershirt while she waits to review the mission parameters, letting the sun shine on her shoulders. It’s hot, after all, the warmth a pleasant change from the chill breeze of Manaan; maybe she’ll even manage a hint of a tan. (Probably not. Probably sunburn and more damned freckles, but one can hope.)

She’s also pretty sure, as she bends to lay her jacket on the Nightshrike’s steps, that that ‘pub agent’s staring. When she looks back over her shoulder his sightline flicks upward about two degrees, settling on her back holster.

Definitely staring. Hm.

“My eyes are up here, Republic.”

He blinks, then gestures toward the small of his own back. “Just looking at your holdout.”

“My holdout. Really.” She turns fully around, drawling out the words in amusement. “Assessing my weaknesses?”

Theron- she should use his name, since the four of them seem to be stuck together for the time being (a Sith Lord, a Cipher, an SIS agent and a Wookiee- a list that ought to end with “walk into a bar,” really)- shrugs. “Let’s call them limitations, if we’re pretending to be friendly. Don’t you worry you can’t draw it left-handed?”

“Very diplomatic of you. But,” she says, lifts her right hand and waves at him as she twists her left behind her back, drawing the little blaster and bringing it forward for him to see, “limitations are for amateurs. Modified release. And a centered holster gets in the way of my rifle.”

That might have been a nod of approval; not exactly a chatterbox, him. “Fair. I’m ready when you are, by the way.”

She crosses back over to where he’s standing, looks over the planned route on the map projected onto the side of Jakarro’s ship. “I didn’t realize there were still this many Rakata alive.”

“Outside of this planet, there aren’t. There were more a few hundred years ago, from what I’ve read, when Revan was here. But ever since the Star Forge was destroyed this place has been pretty much off limits.” Theron gestures toward one of the larger pieces, a colossal shard of twisted metal at least a quarter-kilometer long. Three whole sentences in a row- that’s the most he’s said since they all left Manaan. She might actually be winning him over. “They’re dying off, little by little.”

“Normally I’d call that hypocrisy,” she says, “but given the first Rakata I met tried to turn an entire research base into cybernetic slaves, I’d call it good riddance. And didn’t Revan want to use the Star Forge? It looks an awful lot like he blew it up.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t know the story, clearly.”

“Not really, no. I know Revan was a Jedi and then a Sith and then a Jedi again, and then he tried to kill the Emperor and ended up imprisoned for three hundred years.” Until you idiots let him out and he tried to build another army, she doesn’t say. She’d read some of the Revan dossier, years ago, but they were focused on weaknesses then, not deep details of the man’s biography. “We don’t focus on Jedi history much.“

“That’s-” he clearly wants to add something more, but bites his lip- “that’s the very short version, yeah. You’re missing a pretty big chunk out of the middle. But no, he tried to use it the first time. The second time he came back to- he destroyed it, that time, so it wouldn’t be used.”

She waves a hand dismissively. “Like I said, Jedi history’s not my thing.”

He shrugs and turns back to the map as Lana comes striding down the exit ramp.

“Are you ready, Cipher?” Lana, too, looks to the map. “Feel free to bring whichever of your crew you prefer. Jakarro’s agreed to be our distraction, so he’ll be heading out momentarily. I’ve tracked Darth Arkous and Colonel Darok to the temple complex here-” she points- “which is your destination. On arrival, confirm target presence and activity.”

“Wait. I thought we were all moving on the temple together. If they engage I’m going to need more than a two-man team, especially with a Darth in play.”

“Avoid direct engagement unless absolutely necessary. Jakarro will be nearby, and we’ll be monitoring you from the shuttle here and providing remote support. We need to figure out what they’re doing before we decide on a plan of attack.” Lana continues marking points of interest with careful swipes of her finger along the projection: the temple and an adjacent courtyard; a few villages along the shoreline; further inland, a stone circle with-

She eyes the map dubiously. “Is that a rancor?”

“Yup.” Theron reaches across and adds sharp claws and pointed teeth to the drawing. “Also recommend not engaging the rancor. Take the long way around.”

“Noted.” She flips him off and turns back to the Sith Lord. “Seriously, though, I’d be happier with a four-person team. I can only cover two with my generator, but can’t Theron-”

He shakes his head. “I don’t have stealth equipment with me. If you’re going in cloaked, you’re better off letting me slice from here.”

She arches an eyebrow at that. If he was involved in the Republic’s strike on Korriban in anywhere near the same capacity Lana had been for Tython he must be fairly high up the food chain, but he’s not dressed like it; as far as she can tell he’s got two pistols and probably a holdout but no longer-range guns, no decent melee weaponry, no poison, minimal armor and now no stealth. She’d pulled his dossier on the way from Manaan, though it didn’t tell her much- he’s been active a few years longer than her so he’s probably a few years older, but no codenames, a few vague links to old missions but nothing concrete which means either he’s never gotten caught or, if he did, he killed his captors. If that’s how the SIS supply their elites, no wonder she’s run circles around every ‘pub agent she’s ever met.

(Hunter didn’t count.

Hunter wasn’t SIS. And in the end, when she slipped her collar, broke free of the leash Hunter used to drag her by, she put a round straight through that bitch’s head.)

“Your people don’t give you much in the way of kit, do they?” Glancing in his direction again, she gives his gear another once-over. “You- oh, dear. You are a field agent, aren’t you? Not that there’s anything wrong with data analysis, of course, but-”

“I am not,” he narrows his eyes at her, lip curling in irritation, “a desk jockey. I can handle myself just fine.”

“Oh, I bet you can.” She grins. The expression on his face is somehow familiar- she’s sure they’ve never met before, but he reminds her of someone that she can’t quite place. It’ll come to her eventually, she’s sure.

(Lana giggles.

Oh, shut up, you.)

She ends up bringing Temple; she can still use more practice with stealth and Lana and Theron keep promising, even as they finalize the route and Jakarro takes off along the path toward the first village, that it’s just a scouting mission. She hooks the little camera over her ear, connecting the cable to her transmitter so they’ll have visual. Get in, report, hold position. Easy.

So of course it goes to complete shit less than an hour in.

The attack on the village should have drawn the Rakata guards off the shoreline path. They should have all been chasing Jakarro by now, but instead they’re fortifying the watchposts with more guards and trained beasts, fleeing the villages like cowards but running straight into her path at the same time. She and Raina get past the first two by skirting along the water’s edge but the third’s a problem- they’ll either have to wade and risk being heard, or try to get up over a rock outcropping that takes them dangerously close to the beasts.

She signals; Temple nods, and she draws her pistol and her knife, just in case, as they head up over the rocks.

They would have made it. Halfway past the guards a little sliver of loose stone goes sliding down the cliff face, though, and hearing the noise one of the creatures turns its head, takes a deep sniff- and looks straight at Temple, growling. The Rakata beside it huffs and raises a hand.

They freeze, too late.

She shoves her down as an arc of lightning takes a chunk out of the ledge above their heads and the debris breaks their stealth field. After that it’s messy, six Rakata and four warbeasts between the two of them, and even as she gets her generator up again and they wade into the sea to try to purge the scent of blood from their armor she can hear alarm klaxons sounding all the way up the coast.

“The coast route’s a no-go.” She hisses into her transmitter. “We’re blown. Requesting extraction plan from Watchpost Gamma.”

“I’m not so sure. The main complex is still quiet.” Lana answers back, her tone less confident than her words. “The alarm doesn’t appear to have reached them yet. Keep going.”

She pulls Temple into an alcove as a patrol team moves past their position. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this op. Reroute me, but I’d be ready to move in if I were you.”

“Take the right-hand path from your position,” Theron chimes in. “It’ll take you inland.”

“Past the rancor.”

“Right through it.” He sounds entirely too smug. “Unless you don’t think you can handle it?”

He’s trying to goad her, of course- it’s the favorite pastime of rival agencies since the dawn of the modern age, when they’re not actively trying to kill each other- and she isn’t going to fall for it that easily. Beside her, Temple rolls her eyes. Cocky bastard, she mouths, and she grins and nods agreement. “Watch and learn, Republic. Watch and learn.”

One can’t sneak past a rancor, not really. It’s got far too keen a sense of smell and even after their quick salt-water bath there’s still enough blood and enough sweat in their armor for a hunting species to pick up. The best she can hope for, then, is to turn the surroundings to her advantage; she gives Raina and her sniper rifle a boost up onto one of the standing stones around the ring where the creature prowls.

Still hidden, she creeps from the shadow of one stone to the next, gets back behind and downwind of the rancor and raises her knife, signaling up for the first shot as the field around her flickers out and-

She catches sight of the Rakata chief out of the corner of her right eye just before he closes on her and has just enough time to duck; his staff whips through the air above her head and she dodges, rolling forward through the rancor’s legs. A rifle shot takes it between the eyes and it roars, stomping, as she dives forward again.

“You could have mentioned the clan chief.” She has to shout to be heard over the bellowing as she peers around a pillar, launches a shock dart straight at the charging figure.

“Hold on-” Theron again, accompanied by a very loud metallic bang- “Lana’s meditating again, and I lost visual for a sec there. What are you- oh. Well, you’ve got him contained now, right?”

“For the next ten seconds, at least.” She gets around the Rakata as his limbs twitch. Her knife can’t cut through the ceremonial collar at his neck so she slashes at the backs of both legs before he can turn. “Are you two trying to get me killed?”

(Of course we weren’t, Lana huffs indignantly. It wasn’t well-scouted, yes, but-

I realize that now, she grins. But I didn’t have the best track record with SIS or the Dark Council at that point, remember. For all I knew, someone had put both of you up to taking me out.

I suppose you have a point.

She shoves another biscuit into Lana’s mouth. Of course I do. Now stop interrupting.)

“Don’t be-” he sighs. “Look, we’ll have better intel when you get to the temple. I’ve got about three-quarters of their the surveillance system sliced and I’m working on the last few now.”

The chief’s slower now, at least, staggering around and toward her as a flash off Temple’s rifle sight warns her out of the line of fire. “You’d better. I don’t do suicide missions.”

The shot, unlike her blade, gets through the collar just fine, and with no further distractions the rancor, too, goes down in relatively short order. It’s a shame they haven’t got time to take the teeth and claws- the last time she fought a rancor she’d had Vector and Doctor Lokin go over the corpse; Lokin had needed rancor bile for his research, for whatever reason, and they’d sold the sharp bits at the Mandalorian Enclave for a pretty sum- but the noise of its death has drawn a crowd, a tight phalanx of guards approaching over the rise of the hill.

Just in time, her generator recharges, and they sneak carefully away toward the temple complex.

The building itself is massive in a way that reminds her more of Korriban than Dromund Kaas. The courtyard fans out around the temple in all directions, great stone steps drawing one’s eye up to the high spire in the center, flanked by rough-hewn statues of a masked and hooded figure.

Revan. Fucking Revan, again.

When they’d raided the Foundry the rest of the strike team swore up and down that Revan had died. (Herself, she’d gotten thrown head-first into a pillar and spent the last moments of that desperate fight in stunned semi-consciousness. Not her finest moment.) He couldn’t have survived it, they said, all that lightning, even though he hadn’t left a body behind- that sometimes happened, apparently, with particularly powerful Force-users. His dream of a droid army, at least, had been quite thoroughly quashed.

They’re trying to build an army too, this group of conspirators, so she supposes it makes sense they’d end up here. Their plans on Manaan had failed- Rakata technology there, as well- and there must be some functionality left in that ancient temple. Was that what they’d been looking for in the archives on Korriban and Tython? Maps to ancient places, long lost to living memory. Places like the Foundry, like the Star Forge that used to fill the sky here…

But why?

Theron’s voice in her ear derails her train of thought. “Hey. I’ve got visual on the temple and… um. Did you bring any ion grenades with you?”

“Only two.” She pauses. “It’s cyborgs again, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Augmented soldiers in a cordon around the entrance. Human, this time, but the tech looks a lot like what you described from the underwater facility.”

“How many?”

Silence for a moment, then- “Four? No. Six, and one in heavier armor.”

She sighs.

“Too many?”

“I’ll manage. Where’s Jakarro?”

“Close,” Theron says. “But loud. You get backup or surprise, not both.”

That’s an easy choice. “Surprise, always. Keep him clear.” He knows the protocols, she hopes, or they’re all in trouble. “Requesting radio silence.”

“Copy that. Await your all-clear.” The channel clicks off. Not entirely useless, then. Good.

The heads-up did help. She gives Raina the second grenade and they split off a hundred meters out, the range on their synchronized generators just enough to let them flank the cordon from each side of the wide staircase; the grenades drop all the soldiers, their augmentations overloaded and sparking, leaving just the commander- who, of fucking course, has a rocket pack and another six cyborgs-

No. Another dozen cyborgs, in two separate waves.

Still, she manages. She always manages, though there’s a long scorch mark across her chest where she got too close to the commander’s downdraft by the time they’re done and Raina’s got a graze along her left thigh that’s left her limping. As the other woman presses a kolto autoinjector against her leg, the needle triggering with a soft hiss, her earpiece chimes, then chimes again.

“I thought I called silence, Theron.” Now that they’ve a moment to rest her left shoulder’s hurting, too, a dull wrenching ache, and she rolls it backward and forward. “And it was eighteen Void-damned cyborgs, not six, so you’d better have good news for me or I am really going to be very cross.”

“I’m afraid it’s more bad news, Cipher.” Lana sounds strange, distracted, her words slurring together. (I remember that. I had a terrible headache, Lana says. I was hearing Revan even then, but I didn’t know it… it was just a roar. Like sticking your head in a turbine.) “Arkous knows you’re coming, and they’ve got a shuttle on the roof. You may have to engage after all- we can’t afford to let them escape again.”

“You’re on your way, I hope.”

“Yes, but-”

She flicks the tip of the transmitter with her fingernail and gets twin yelps in reply, which serves them right because they’re going to get her killed and she is not going to die here, not today. “Let me guess- but you’re not sure you can get here in time.”

“No. We can get there, but Darok just fired up the turrets and I can’t get into that part of the security grid remotely. Going to need a distraction to be able to land near the tower.” Theron’s still trying to slice in, probably, given the amount of clicking in the background.

“How lethal of a distraction?”

“The goal is still live capture, if at all possible,” Lana says, her voice a little clearer.  

She grumbles under her breath. She can hear Jakarro across the courtyard, so it’ll be three on two (the droid doesn’t count); those still aren’t ideal odds, though if she can foist Darth Arkous off on the Wookiee… well. It’s something. “Oh, all right. Shall I do it without armor, too? It’ll be an extra challenge, if you’re going to handicap me anyway.”

That earns an unamused huff from Lana, and, over the continued terminal noise, a muttered I’ve got cameras on top of the tower, right?

“You’re still transmitting, Theron. Moving to intercept.”

She imagines him blushing as she and Raina and now Jakarro, too, bounding up the steps four at a time behind them, fight their way through the entrance to the main temple, through the halls and up the turbolift to the shuttle platform.

In the end it didn’t matter.

Darok and Arkous were never going to surrender, never going to let themselves be taken alive, and she kicks herself for not suspecting the Revanite connection sooner; it explains so easily how they’d ended up here, following in the footsteps of a dead fool, though the Revanites had deeper roots than she’d imagined. She thought they’d stomped out the last of that heresy years ago, when she’d exposed the leader of their cell on Dromund Kaas- but she’d never followed that through, distracted as she was by the destruction of Jadus’ Dominator. Clearly, at least a few of the rats had dodged the trap.

She’d left her transmitter wide open while they’d fought, and as Jakarro gives Darok’s body one last ferocious kick she slumps against the rooftop console to nurse her bruised ribs and get the perimeter guns powered down. Opening the holoterminal and a slicing channel, she catches her breath as Theron and Lana flicker into view, side by side.

“You heard all that, I hope?”

“Heard and felt- the colonel is dead, too? I sensed Darth Arkous’ passing.” Her expression dour, Lana shakes her head. “It’s a shame they wouldn’t say any more.”

Theron’s shifting from foot to foot, fidgeting with his datapad. “I’m pulling data now, but there’s not much here. Damn it, we may never figure out what they were really up to. They were building an army for someone, but-”

“We’ll- oh-” Lana flinches, eyes scrunching shut as her face contorts in pain, and she staggers for a moment. “Something’s coming.”

(And to think I used to envy you that mind-reading thing, she says, nudging Lana teasingly. It seemed so useful.

It is, sometimes. But it’s hard to control. One ends up- she nudges her back, two fingers prodding at the side of her neck- seeing things one wishes one hadn’t.)

The ship’s already darkening the sky when she looks up, the figure projecting from it nearly half again the height of the tower and looming high overhead like something out of a nightmare, all cape and hood and mask and-

Raina ducks out of sight; Lana’s staring, eyes wide, up at the figure, and Theron’s gone pale and quiet and his lips move, silent- she told me he wasn’t dead, she knew-

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She rests her hands on her hips, scowling upward in the general direction of its face, if it can see her at all. “Revan. I’m pretty sure I killed you.”

***

I don’t remember Theron saying that. Lana turns her head, eyebrow a perfect arching question mark. Who did he mean, she?

She shrugs. I assume he meant his mother… I’m not sure, actually. But you remember the rest of what happened after that, don’t you?

Lana nods. We should have waited for you on the beach, but Revan’s flagship was firing on us, too. Splitting up seemed the safest option. Then by the time I made it back to Vaiken, the death warrant was already active. Arkous’ failsafe must have kicked in the moment he died, and the word of a Darth, a Dark Council member, even posthumous, against mine-   She shrugs. I ran, and hoped you’d get my message.

And Theron did the same, and Jakarro. I only slipped the net by virtue of not technically actually existing, I think- it wouldn’t work now, not with the old Minister gone, but he used to wipe my dossier once a month. It made it rather difficult to pin me down.

Lana grins at that. A trick I wished I could have replicated, but no such luck. So it was quite a relief, really, when you showed up on Manaan again, though I’m not sure Theron felt quite the same.

He said he was glad to see me. The pillow beneath her head’s gone flat; she fluffs it carefully, and settles back down. Although asking for a mutual debriefing may have been pushing it just a little too far.

(Stuttering out a denial, he’d blushed so hard his scalp turned pink. Oh, Force, he was cute when he blushed.)

***

Up next: Best-Laid Plans, in which the rest of what was supposed to happen in this chapter actually happens (they got chatty and we’ve got a schedule to stick to, here), we spend New Year’s Eve on Port Nowhere, and a rescue on Rishi brings two truths to light.