#but you DO get to keep a speeder you pick up in the endless swamp in one of the earlier chapters

[hurricanek8art]

YES SWTOR BOUNTY CONTRACT WEEK IS COMING BACK IN TWO WEEKS.

MUST GRIND REPUTATION.

My Knight was CHEATED out of keeping the sleen she tamed in KotFE Chapter 12. She NEEDS the Desert Sleen mount. I don't care if it doesn't make sense for her to have it, she needs it. I have spoken. 😠

[shiningso1o]

Reborn § Cal Kestis x Reader [1]

Summary: You are a Bounty Hunter, tasked with catching Cal Kestis for your boss, Sorc Tormo. However, plans change, and it's up to you and Cal to fight alongside one another. On a quest to find the sacred Jedi texts, you and the Mantis crew run into trouble—trouble by the name of the Empire.

Warnings: Mild violence, mild threat, injury

Some things that you will find in nature are quite remarkable. There are certain plants, for example, that have the ability to grow—or even thrive—in conditions that definitely don't seem habitable. You will occasionally see brightly coloured petals blooming amidst murky, muddy swamp lakes, their pinks and reds standing out against the dull brown water. It is quite a rare sight, but striking nevertheless, and you will find yourself staring at that particular flower for ages. You hoped that one day, you would be able to be reborn from the worst possible conditions too, just like those flowers.

As it turned out, the waters you resided in were far too polluted for even the strongest, most beautiful flowers to emerge from. Namely, the Grand Arena, where Bounty Hunters provided the hunted and gamblers would flock to in order to place bets or simply enjoy a battle between two or more creatures. It wasn't the most dignified place in the galaxy.

You reviewed this fact in your mind as you stood, waiting, with your back pressed against a sturdy brick wall and your arms crossed tightly over your chest. This wasn't an unusual position for you to be in—in fact, it was a common occurrence—but you still felt, in that moment, as though you were sinking further into those swamp waters. Maybe it was the steadily loosening grip you had on your morals; maybe it was because you were doing so well in the place. You didn't know, but you couldn't decide whether you wanted to or not.

A door to your right opened, causing you to look up. Behind it stood a droid; tall with long, metallic limbs and a cylindrical head. "Hey ON-4," you greeted the ON-unit.

The droid stood back, pulling the door wide open. "Sorc Tormo requests you now."

You shuffled past ON-4, patting him on the shoulder as you did so. Stepping into the room, you marvelled, as you had done many times before, at the spaciousness of the place. In comparison to the rest of the building's grey, rock walls, dim lighting and compact cells, this room was lavish. Lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating ever corner and allowing no shadows to hide there. Every piece of furniture was made from a rich fabric or lustrous metal, colours varying from deep crimsons to navy blues and shiny golds. Everything about the place reeked of power and money.

In the centre was a sleek white desk, where an Umbaran man sat in silver robes. He rose, outstretching his arms as you approached. "(Y/N)(L/N), one of my favourite Hunters," he began. You leaned over and shook his hand before taking a seat across from him. "Did you see that fight yesterday? The poor Espirion didn't stand a chance against that Wookie."

You nodded in response, but honestly had no idea what Tormo was referring to. "What did you need me for?" You figured that cutting to the chase would be your best bet.

Tormo sat up in his seat. "Well," he said, resting his elbows on the desk. "There's someone I want. The Brood were successful last time, but the target outwitted and outfought us. Now, the bounty on his head is even larger, and get this-" He moved closer and lowered his voice. "-the Empire are the ones after him."

"The Empire," you echoed. You watched as Tormo relaxed in his seat. "I thought bringing people in for the Empire is what Troopers and Inquisitors are for."

Tormo shrugged. "They're desperate. The pay depends on his condition, and if you bring him in with his crew too."

"Wait, this guy has a whole-"

You were silenced by Tormo raising his hand. "Relax, (Y/N). I'll recruit some others to keep their ship busy, whilst you go and get him yourself."

"Sounds like a plan." It seemed relatively simple—just one guy was a walk in the park for you. He had beaten the Haxion brood, but you were sure you'd be able to do a better job than them.

"Good. We can split the money, seventy-thirty," Tormo continued. It wasn't a great deal in your eyes, but you knew that it was guaranteed with him, and hoped that maybe it'd be enough to get you out of the business for good; you sighed internally and stood to shake Tormo's hand once more.

"I won't let you down," you promised. You retracted your hand to see a tracker slipped in by Tormo, with it's soft red light blinking slowly.

"I know." His words were kind, but you knew him well enough to recognise the malice and warning behind them. "It's not a long journey, I've been given the word that he's headed here already."

"Easy."

"That's right. Easy," Tormo repeated. "Be careful, though—he's a persistent one." You backed out of the room as Tormo spoke. Shooting him one last grin, you slipped out, patting ON-4 on the shoulder as you did so. The door was promptly slammed shut behind you, and you found yourself alone.

You spared no time in making your way through the maze of hallways. Almost like reflex, you turned corners, swung on ropes and shuffled through thin passages. It was as if a map was stored in your brain; you didn't even have to think to climb onto one ledge here or press a button to open a door there. After all, you had spent over a year working for Sorc Tormo, hunting down the unfortunate and bringing them to his ship. You joined his team after leaving the Nevarro Guild, believing that it would provide you with stable pay, as well as guaranteed loyalty. Tormo had a reputation for always staying true to his word, no matter what, and only punishing those who didn't reciprocate this honesty. He was a lot of things, but at least he wasn't a liar or a cheat.

It wasn't long before you arrived at the landing port. It was a relatively large area, where visitors, gamblers and Hunters left their vehicles. You made your way over to your speeder, which you had recently acquired off of a trader when the ship had first arrived on Tatooine (Tormo's vast ship usually floated around between the stars, but he had recently taken a liking to the planet and decided to stay there). You climbed on, then tugged your mask above your nose and your goggles down so your face was protected from the scorching heat and blinding sand of Tatooine. It wasn't your favourite place to be—you were more used to the balanced weather of a city, not extreme conditions such as this, but it was better than having to stare out into the endless blackness of space all the time. You switched your engine on and set off into the desert.

  As you steered the speeder with one hand, you clutched onto the charm that hung from your neck with the other. It was a simple, translucent crystal attached to a thing string. You had been gifted it by your younger sister before she died. You couldn't risk losing it.

The nearest village (and one of the only) wasn't too far away, and it had a more accessible landing station, so you figured that if the target really was headed towards Tatooine, he would go there. The rest of Tatooine was mainly flat, stretched out pieces of dry land or rolling sand dunes anyway. As you approached, the tracker began to emit a high-pitched beeping sound. You glanced at it briefly, and observed it flashing on and off frequently. That must mean he's here already, you thought. This'll have to be a quick job.

Soon after, you entered the village and slowed your speeder to a halt. It was busy, not only with villagers trading food and spare parts, but with stormtroopers roaming every corner. You guided your speeder to a wall and shut it off. As you stared up at the building opposite, you scaled it with your mind. Then, you grabbed onto two bumps in the rock, digging your boots into crevices lower down and began to climb up. The building was only small, so you easily reached the top. You knelt down on the flat roof, feeling the heat seep out of the rock, through your pants and burn your skin. Ignoring the discomfort, you surveyed the area. You could see almost the entire village from where you perched, but witnessed nothing unusual.

Having been a Bounty Hunter for a few years, you could usually tell who your target was without knowing their appearance. The majority of them shared commonalities, most of which were nervousness, suspiciousness or the tendency to jump at anything remotely unexpected. Most of them knew of the bounties on their heads, so were particularly cautious with every move they made.

But everything looked perfectly calm to you, beside the small groups of stormtroopers here and there. You checked the tracker once again. The beeping was consistent, not rising or falling in speed as anyone approached or moved away from your position. You frowned, then peered closer. Maybe the orientation is wrong? Or maybe it's the direction, you thought as you span around. The frequency picked up, and the flashes became faster as you faced away from the village. You took a step closer to the direction and the sound sped up. Then a step backwards—it slowed. Where could this guy possibly be? you wondered. And then you saw it. In the distance, stood the ruins of a temple.