#good idea bad idea with theron shan

[keldae]

Fluff sentence starters :D “You have something in your hair - let me get it for you.”

There were fringe benefits to being friends with people in the theatre program, Xaja mused – like being invited along on field trips to see plays, and easily filling her volunteer hour requirements during production week. But there was a definite downside as well – and that was the day the main production's set came down after the last performance.

It was fine, she decided inwardly. It wasn't like she had two research papers and a personal reflection paper due in the next couple of days and didn't have time to be taking apart a set, right? She grunted as she crawled behind one of the main set walls, power drill in hand, and desperately hoping there were no spiders back here.

"Having fun yet?" The cast hadn't been spared the set strike chores either – but Arcann was entirely too cheerful a mood for someone who'd gotten bonked upside the head by a wardrobe rack fifteen minutes ago. He appeared to be on the same task as Xaja in taking apart the walls of the set.

"Oh, tons," Xaja responded, looking around for another screw in the bracket holding the set together. "How's the concussion?"

"Bah, I'm fine. Don't stand up." Arcann reached over, and Xaja heard the whirring of his own drill over her head. She sneezed as sawdust started to drift down in front of her eyes.

"Sorry," Arcann apologized. The drill stopped, and he fumbled with his prosthetic left hand with the screw before pocketing it. "Any more on that bracket down by you?"

"Yeah, two that I see." Xaja grunted as she shifted her weight, working to take apart the bracket. "Someone's on the other side of this, yeah?"

In response, Arcann peeked through the window built into the wall. "Hey, you might want to catch these walls," he called out, then waited a moment before nodding in satisfaction. "Yes, we're good. I think Professor Vowrawn recruited some help from outside the theatre department."

"Wonderful," Xaja grunted, inwardly wondering what the flamboyant theatre professor had done to lure in some more poor, unsuspecting souls. "Hopefully he brought 'em in from the sports teams."

Without looking up, she didn't see Arcann's mischievous grin. "They're warm bodies with muscles, they'll be fine," he said, then gave the wall a slight push. "Incoming!"

With a creak, the wall fell forward, caught by several pairs of hands. "Got it!" crowed a voice that immediately made Xaja's head jerk up. It was bad enough having a crush on the cute guy who lived across the dormitory hall from her, but if he saw her like this, in a grubby t-shirt and jeans, with dust all over her makeup-less face…

Dammit. That was Theron Shan, helping to carry the wall section away with Jonas and Koth's help. Maybe he hadn't seen Xaja in the chaos? But why did that prospect make her heart hurt just a little bit?

"You are about as subtle as an elephant," Arcann muttered, under the sound of Professor Vowrawn guiding the guys as to where he wanted the set wall placed; when Xaja glanced over, she could see him smirking, the gesture pulling at the scars over the left side of his face. "Liking checking him out?"

"I – what?" Xaja flushed as red as her hair. "I'm not checking Theron out!"

Arcann's grin widened. "I didn't say Theron…" he pointed out.

"... Fuck." Xaja groaned. "We're just friends, and I don't wanna wreck that." She glanced back over at Theron for a moment. "... Not my fault he's got a cute backside."

Arcann snorted a laugh, one that turned into a cough when Xaja glared at him. "Sorry, sorry… it's just hilarious to watch. I can put in a good word for you with him, if you want…"

"... I don't have a crush on him! And I don't need a wingman!" Xaja hissed. She firmly squashed the little voice in her head that wondered if Arcann's help might not be a bad idea. "He's not interested in me. If he was, he would have said something before now."

"... You two are perfect for each other," Arcann muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Xaja demanded, suspiciously glaring at him.

"Nothing!" Arcann coughed again, then looked over. "Next wall will be easy, should only take two of you to catch."

"I like easy!" Jonas' cheerful voice piped up. When Xaja looked over, she saw him, Theron, and Koth all standing close by, Professor Vowrawn tittering over another piece of the set being taken down.

"Yeah, we know that," Theron dryly commented – Jonas promptly glared at him as Koth and Arcann burst into laughter. The taller student then looked back at Xaja, and winked at her. "Made friends with any spiders back there yet?"

Trying to not feel self-conscious about how she looked, Xaja shook her head and grinned. "If I had, you would have heard the screaming from the dean's office."

Theron chuckled, then paused. "Hang on, you have something in your hair," he said, as the set wall to Xaja's right came down, carried off by Jonas and Koth. "Lemme get it for you." He reached forward; Xaja froze as she felt his fingers brush through her long red hair, knocking more sawdust free of the tangled strands. "There – I think that's the worst of it."

"... Thanks," Xaja murmured, feeling her cheeks go warm again at Theron's gentle touch. What she wouldn't give to feel his hand in her hair again, combing his fingers through the red locks, gripping her head and pulling it back for a kiss, like what she enjoyed reading in the Tumblr smut that Kira teased her about…

Theron grinned, then dropped his hand, looking unsure as to what to do with his arm. "Yeah, don't mention it. Figured you wouldn't wanna go around with sawdust in your hair and–"

"Aww, well wasn't that a sweet gesture!" Professor Vowrawn swooped in, beaming like a proud parent. "You two make such a lovely couple!"

"I–!" Xaja stammered, looking at Theron for a second (who appeared to be wide-eyed with panic), then back at Vowrawn. "We're not–!"

"She's not–!" Theron exclaimed in the same breath. "We're just friends!"

Vowrawn didn't seem convinced. "Oh? A pity. I shall still expect you both to audition for the leading man and lady for our next production – the chemistry you two have is what every production strives for! Now, you'll need to practice before that audition, make sure you're set in your–"

"Professor!" Theron squawked. "I'm not an actor! Xaja and I are just friends!"

Vowrawn grinned. "Nonsense, Mister Shan! You two are very good friends, I take it? Very… close to each other–?"

"Not like that!" Xaja yelped, wishing she could melt into the stage floor – or glare holes into the professor's head. She could feel the rest of the strike crew staring at her and Theron. "We're just… that would be weird!" But a good weird, she silently thought to herself.

"What she said!" Theron emphatically agreed. "Why mess up a perfectly good friendship like that?"

Tsking, Vowrawn shook his head. "Well, if you two are certain, then your next task is to clean out the green room. Chop chop!" He briskly clapped his hands, dismissing the two victims of his torment – Xaja willingly took the chance to escape with Theron. And if it meant time spent with him, without anyone teasing her about her crush on him, so much the better.

Neither she nor Theron saw Vowrawn sashay over to Arcann and tap his shoulder. "I have a bit of an extra task for you, Mister Tirall."

"Yes, Professor?" Arcann asked, looking over at the Pureblood professor curiously.

"An extra ten percent added to your overall grade for my class this semester if you can set those two idiots up somehow."

Arcann grinned. Academic credit for fulfilling what he (and the rest of the dorm) considered to be a necessity? "Done."

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 14: Heartbeat (Free Space)

Fandom: SWTOR

Pairing:  Theron Shan/Smuggler (on pause at the moment for reasons that will become obvious)

Time: Carbonite Years

Rating:  T, mostly for one Trant f-bomb at the end

Words: ~1880 (Ok, I let the feels get to me on this one)

~~

The air conditioning ducts were a tighter fit than anticipated.  ...that was true of a lot of things, these days.

Theron gagged on some dust that had escaped the filters of his respirator, but he kept pushing forward.

Trant’s voice came in. “Left at the next junction.  That should put you within range of the terminal.  From there, you can slice in.  Are you sure --?”

“The intel was good,” Theron insisted through grit teeth.  He was not going to get stuck in here, and his slice was going to be successful.   It had to be.

A nascent resistance depended upon it, and Trant didn’t even know it.

Sure, Trant was fully cognizant of the fact that he was leading Theron through the long-neglected ventilation system of some ancient Zakuul office building.  He was well-aware that Theron had received intel that there was a data package left behind on the network.  Yes, it would help the Republic black ops against Zakuul…given the fact that Marcus Trant and Theron Shan were the only members of that operational corps, the data wasn’t travelling far.  

But Trant didn’t know about Lana Beniko and her Great Idea.  Theron had an agenda beyond the one Trant knew about.

“You should be right under it.  There a vent nearby you can fit your droid through?”

“Yeah.”  Theron reached back to pull out his magnetic screwdriver set and went to work at wiggling the slats of the vent open just wide enough.

That done, Theron deployed a remote droid, one specially modified by him.  He could control it with his implants, and its sensors were so fine that it could replicate his own slice work – if he could think clearly enough. The high-quality holo cam he mounted on it (at ridiculous prices, given the Zakuulan crushing of the economy) made it possible for him to port the image to his ocular implants; it was like being right there in front of the terminal himself.  

Given the fact that this terminal was on an antenna platform that was several hundred feet in the air in the Spire, it was highly recommended that Theron not attempt to be there in person.

(Though he probably would have tried it, if he was… yikes, ten years younger)

(And…if he was physically in better condition…)

Theron pushed those intrusive thoughts away as he activated the high-quality cam on the droid to help it scurry its way up to the terminal.  Once the droid was able to activate its anchors, carefully, Theron was finally able to move in the ventilation shaft without worrying about dropping the droid off the top of the building and probably killing someone on the street.

With a grunt and few moments of strain, he managed to get all of his limbs straightened out.  Using his glove grips and his toe picks, Theron managed to get a hold on the ceiling of the shaft he was in and slide along his back toward the last air exchange he’d mapped.  He … he needed space.

As he pushed himself into the larger space of the exchange, he let himself go limp in exhaustion. Roughly he tugged at the zipper of his tac suit pulling it down.  He wasn’t as bad as he was that one time he sliced an Imperial destroyer, but he was hot and sweaty –

“Hey, Theron, your vitals –”

“I know, I.. I had to maneuver.”  Theron cringed at the sound of his voice, making excuses.

…It was Theron’s first external mission since Ziost.

He’d gone up two tac suit sizes in the intervening years.

Some of it was the alcohol.  A significant part was the fact he’d given up the fitness regiment he’d had since he was a youngling.

And some of it was grief.

What was the point, after the Republic knuckled under to Zakuul?

Rather than get Zakuul’s boot off the Republic’s throat, Saresh focused on the Sith Empire, which was suffocating just like they were.

But she had willing counterparts to play that game over on the Imperial side, so the war between the Sith Empire and the Republic had continued, even as Zakuul ruled over both.

(There was another source for the grief, something deeper than he wanted to acknowledge.  He batted it away.  Not now.)

Theron was disgusted. With Saresh.  With the Republic that let her get away with it.  With himself for giving up and just going through the motions, hoping to make it to 36 years, 10 months and 8 days so he could collect his pension and –

Do what?

Nothing good.  Nothing meaningful.  That was the story of the last two years.  

And then came Lana and her Great Idea.

Her demand for a man on Coruscant mentally and physically capable for the mission.

And with it… news. The first good news since… he didn’t know when.  

And now he was going to test that news, because he didn’t have faith in anything now.

No matter how good it seemed, Theron suspected it wasn’t true.

It was too good.  For him.  For what he’d become.  He didn’t deserve that sort of… luck.  That… whatever it had been, what could be again.   That second chance.

Trant had been all too willing to join him on this misguided crusade.  He was restless too.

Theron knew Trant would help him resist Zakuul.  They’d screw up things, thwart transports, inconvenience their conquerors.  But that was going to be a war of two against an entire Empire.  It would never be enough.

Theron wanted something more.  

And so he let the little droid do its work, slicing into the Zakuul network, bypassing the defenses that would have infected it with a virus that would have resulted in a complete bricking.   (Theron knew what to watch for now.)  Theron leaned his head back into the dust, letting it stick to his neck and hair, damp with sweat.  He closed his eyes.  Then he let his implants trigger the deep dive into the remote droid’s system.  The last part would be tricky – the data cache had been stashed in a tight space to ensure it would remain until the proper recipient found it.

Theron believed he was the man it was left for.  

Just as the data spike carefully drew the packet just so, clear off the Zakuul network, it seemed to spring to life –

“Theron, you did it. I got – stars, the data.  It’s… it’s the Spire.  It’s a map, it’s the public transport it’s – oh god, it’s everything.”

Thank you, tiny omnitool.

Theron exhaled deeply. Mission success, for the first time in so goddamn long.  

But there was one more thing.  

Theron directed the slice toward one particular physical address.  He’d demanded it from Lana for tonight.

Because he had to know.

“Theron, you read me?”

“Yeah.”

“You ok?”

“Yeah.”

“… you stuck?”

“No!” Theron said, a little too loudly.  “Gotta do something.  Going silent.”

Then he killed the comm between him in Trant.  He even took his own comms implant offline.  Now he was all about the dive, all about the place he was going in his mind…

Two levels of encryption. Easy, now.  He’d practiced for weeks before coming here.

Security.

Storage.

Med data, storage unit.

Theron sent a little signal scurrying down the line, wanting a view –

He got it.  Security holo cam, aimed right at –

Too still.  Too quiet.   The lights could lie.  Nobody would know until it was too late.

Theron felt his own pulse quicken, he could practically see the blood pressure numbers rising as the slice through continued, layer after layer until –

Cardiopulmonary.

Monitoring.

Theron opened his eyes, sightless in the darkness of the carbonite chamber.

Theron yanked his respirator off, as if that would make it harder to hear him.  

He called out for her, once.

“Eva?”

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

And then.

A beat. Two parts. Slow.

But that was an unmistakeable human heartbeat, sluggish and slow though it was.

Theron counted to five again, in his head.

There was again.

“Eva.”  Theron wanted to laugh – she was alive. 

He wanted to sob.  She was here and had been here for over two years.

He did both, and he couldn’t help the words that spilled out of him.  She couldn’t hear him – he knew that (no, he didn’t.  Maybe she could).

“I—I’m here.  I’m finally… I’m so sorry --!”  His pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes sockets, trying to hold himself together.  His knees bent, the soles of his boots on the ventilation shaft floor.  He tried to take a deep breath.  “Everything’s fallen apart since you’ve been gone.  We’re… we’re gonna put it back together again.  Fix it all.  And –”

Theron could feel vibrations on his wrist.  It was probably Trant probably trying to get through to him over his personal comm, desperately, because his vitals were all over the place.

“—and we’re going to get you out of there.  I – I still got your ship, Eva,” Theron shakily reassured her.  “You – you got everyone out of Wild Space.  They’re fine, I swear to the gods, and I’ll find them for you.”   Theron tried to swallow, his mouth and throat dry, lips now covered in a fine layer of grime.  “I’ll do anything for you.  To get you back.  I don’t deserve you, but everything seems so dark without you…”

A single thought crystalized in Theron’s head. He’d always known it in his head, he supposed.  But now he knew it in every part of his body.

“I… have so much I want to say to you.  But we’re gonna get you out, and I want you to be wide awake for this, all right?”  Theron hoarsely chuckled at himself as he dragged his tac gloves across his eyes, trying to rid himself of the tears and the dirt before he had to face Trant again.  “I’ve … I’ve got to go.  But… if you can hear me  -- I didn’t forget you.  Not for a damn second.”

He wished he had, so many times.

He never could.

Now he was pleased to confess –

Theron listened once, heard the slow beat again, and then put his tac gear pieces that he’d shed back on.

Then he reopened comms with Trant.  “Situation resolved.  I’m fine.”

There was silence and static.

And then:  “hOly FUCK Shan I swear on the Emperor’s black bones that I thought you ended up like some poor goddamn cat that got stuck in my aunt’s walls when I was a kid –”

Theron could not stop the laughter as Trant went off.   “Are you hearing this?” he asked Eva.

Another heartbeat.  Theron sighed and lay back in the filth as he let Trant vent for a few more minutes.

~

@fluffyfebruary @ayresis @ermingarden @starlightcleric @bluephoenix1347

[joiedecombat]

HOW WELL YOU KNOW ME

This one also ran out of control, which was... probably to be expected, honestly. I am sorry I took so long, I swear I will try to get my other pending prompts out faster!

25: The smell of ozone during a storm.

“Tell me you’re not thinking of going back out there,” Theron said.

Lightning forked through the sky of Yavin 4, punctuating his words with timing he couldn’t have paid for. The flash of it lit the guilty embarrassment that crossed Maia's face as she glanced toward him, before she raised her eyebrows and did her best to school her expression into one of surprise. 

Damn but the woman was easy to read.

“Of course I’m not.” The crack of a thunderclap almost drowned out her entirely predictable reply. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Theron cocked a dubious eyebrow. Sure, she’d shed her sodden and filthy outer robe, tugged off her muddy boots to wring the squelch out of her socks, and generally done a good impression of settling in to wait out the storm under the dubious shelter of the Republic backup comms tent. But he wasn’t a trained observer of people for nothing. He hadn’t missed the way her attention kept straying outward through the sheeting rain, past the encampment toward the jungle, as though her eyes were drawn to some objective a long way off.

Right now those eyes held his, wide and impossibly blue, a transparent attempt to convince him of her sincerity with eye contact alone. If he’d never met her before, it might have actually worked. As it was, Theron didn’t even have to say anything - he just waited, watching her expectantly, until she finally looked away with a lopsided smile.

Busted.

“All right,” Maia conceded, “maybe a little. But only thinking. I’m not foolhardy enough to try actually going out in--” she waved a hand toward the open mouth of the tent, “--that.” 

Outside, rain hammered down on the Coalition base camp in curtains of water, muffling all sound beneath its white noise and making visibility at any distance more like a wish. The jungle beyond the camp was barely a suggestion of shapes through the haze.

Another strobe of lightning turned it all black and silver for a fraction of a second. “Good,” said Theron, absently starting a silent count. “It’d look pretty bad for the rest of us if we lost the star of the Jedi Order in the jungle. Again.”

Maia lifted her chin, mouth opening to retort only to close again as thunder boomed with the force of a detonation. Closer this time, Theron judged - the worst of the storm had yet to hit them. By the time the reverberations faded, she’d tucked the flash of indignation away. 

“I made it back fine, didn’t I? Scourge and I just lost track of each other in the scuffle. It could happen to anyone.”

“Hmm.” It was probably some kind of character flaw that made him want to poke at that thin veneer of Jedi composure, to see the woman underneath show her face again. “‘Navigation sense of a blind mooka.’ I think that��s how Kimble put it.”

A flush of pink colored her cheeks. “Doc talks too much.”

Theron chose not to mention the rest of what Kimble had said after Scourge came out of the jungle without her, or how close he’d come to punching her medic in the face before Satele had arrived to lay down the law. He suspected Maia wouldn’t take his side, and that was a discussion he really didn’t feel like having with her right now. Or in general, to be honest.

The rational part of him knew he wasn’t being entirely fair. From Korriban to Rishi he’d heard Kimble lapse into alarmed swearing over the comms - a sure signal that Maia had yet again launched herself into danger without waiting for her backup - too many times to doubt how much the other man cared about keeping her in one piece. Theron still half wanted to punch the guy. The idea of listening to Maia patiently tell him that Doc was right, she could take care of herself and sending out a search party with a storm looming dark on the horizon would only have risked making more victims in need of rescue, prickled under his skin like an itch he couldn’t reach.

So Theron kept his mouth shut and let the drumming of rain on the tent’s durasilk canopy fill the silence. 

Silence didn’t seem to bother Maia; she wore it comfortably, never compelled to talk just to fill the void. Pretending to occupy himself with studying a readout on his datapad, Theron watched her sidelong as she undid the band holding her hair and shook it out of its half-collapsed knot. The rain-wet mass of it spilled down her back, dark and heavy and longer than he'd expected. With a strange little jolt, he realized he’d never seen her with it down before.

Why it should even matter, he had no idea, but suddenly the space inside the tent felt very close. The driving rain rendered the rest of the camp hushed and distant, creating an illusion of privacy - as though it were only the two of them on the whole jungle moon. As Maia worked at combing her hair into some kind of order with her fingers, Theron caught himself holding his breath.

She’s a Jedi, he told himself. Get a grip already.

Not that she looked like much of a Jedi at the moment, perched on the edge of an equipment trunk with her feet bare and straggling wisps of damp hair sticking to her face. The picture she made couldn’t have been further from the figure that strode out of the jungle in the midst of the downpour, covered in mud and worse than mud, her head held high. With steam hissing off her lightsabers and refracting the blades’ glow around her in a corona of blue and violet, she’d looked more mythical than real - like something sprung fully-formed from the point where lightning struck the ground, bright enough to burn anyone who dared come too close. 

Which was way too fanciful a thought for Theron Shan, and hard to reconcile with the very real flesh and blood of the woman who was currently biting her lip as she tried to worry loose a stubborn tangle with her fingertips. And just how she could be this much of a mystery when everything she felt showed on her face for the world to read, Theron wasn't sure. 

He never had been able to resist a mystery.

Maia finished bundling her hair up at the nape of her neck and secured the band back in place. From the way her shoulders dropped, he thought she might have sighed, but the sound of it was lost under the rainfall.

“To be honest…” She spoke softly, getting to her feet. “I’m not very good at waiting.” 

He put aside the datapad he hadn’t been looking at as she padded across the tent and came up alongside him. “We’re on Revan’s timetable,” she said, once more gazing out through the rain towards the jungle. “I just… can’t help feeling like I should be doing something.”

The storm wind blew spatters of rain in through the open tent flap. Maia curled her arms around herself against the chill in the wet air; this time, Theron could hear the breath chuff out of her in a self-deprecating little laugh. 

“Impatience is a bad quality for a Jedi.” She looked toward him with a hint of a smile playing over her mouth, eyes bright with the conspiratorial amusement of one sharing a private, secret joke. “I probably shouldn’t admit to it out loud.”

If either of them shifted even a little to the side, their arms would brush. The air felt charged, tingling against his skin, as though the slightest contact would send a spark jolting between them. Theron opted not to test the theory. “Maybe,” he said. “For what it’s worth, though, I know the feeling.”

Her lips curved, the hint of a smile warming as she studied his face with an expression akin to wonder, like he'd said something profound. “You do,” she murmured, voice almost lost under the rain. “Don't you?”

Theron opened his mouth to say - something, but the words didn't come. Reflected in her eyes he caught a glimpse of a silent understanding, a sense of being not just seen but known. Recognized. Your shortcomings are safe with me, it said. I won’t tell anyone.

Oh, he thought.

Lightning blazed blue-white and purple, sending a crackle of feedback through his implants; the explosion of thunder came only a heartbeat after. Theron hadn’t been aware of moving, but somehow the two of them stood face to face, unconsciously oriented toward one another and close enough to touch. 

Alarms buzzed along his nerve endings: Danger! Danger! Abort! 

Theron ignored them, distracted by a droplet of rain tracing a slow, glimmering track along the side of Maia's face. Curiosity was absolutely going to be the death of him, because this could not possibly end anywhere good and there were a million reasons he should be taking a step back, but none of that seemed as important just now as the memory of the way she’d kissed him in those last stolen moments before they’d pulled out of Rishi. He could practically still feel her mouth on his, soft and unexpected and careful of his split lip - the sigh that she’d breathed out as they parted feathering warm against his bruised skin.

If he kissed her right now, would she taste like lightning? Would her lips part against his, until the clean, sharp sweetness of the ozone-laced air after a storm raced over his tongue? If he buried his hands in the wet silk of her hair and bent his head to hers, suggested they steal away somewhere really private together to burn off their restless energy--

--most likely she’d remember who and what she was, and that would be an immediate end to that. But Theron couldn’t help wondering. 

Couldn’t resist the impulse to reach out and brush the back of his finger over the curve of her cheek, catching the raindrop that hung suspended like a tear. Her chilled skin warmed to his touch, and Maia stood very still, the trace of a blush tinting her cheekbones. She didn’t speak. He couldn’t be entirely sure she even breathed - or maybe he was the one holding his breath again. Maybe they both were, in case the wrong move, the wrong word, the wrong sound would shatter the illusion and bring reality crashing back in.

Any second, he thought, uncurling his hand to let his fingertips graze down along the line of her jaw. Any second now, she’d pull back. She’d turn away to avoid his eyes as she made some flustered apology, trying to pull composure back around herself like a robe. 

He skimmed his thumb across her chin, over the ridge of the little diagonal scar that he still hadn’t gotten the story of. Any second now one of them was going to have a sudden rush of sanity to the brain and it was almost certainly going to be Maia, because after all she was a Jedi and Jedi didn’t do attachments, and any second now she was going to remember that.

Maia’s head tipped back, tilting her face up toward him. Her lips parted as she drew in a quiet breath. 

Any second now...

“Master Jedi.” The brisk voice sent them jerking apart like they’d touched the same live wire. Sergeant Rusk stood in the downpour outside the tent, with a waterproof poncho draped over his armor and rain dripping steadily from his craggy face. 

“You’re needed at the command center,” he told Maia, stoically deadpan.

“--Ah,” said Maia, blushing hard enough to be visible from across the camp. “Of course.” She took a step in Rusk’s direction, realized she was barefoot, and hastily turned back to where she’d left her boots while Theron tried to decide who he wanted to shoot more, the Chagrian or himself. “I’m sorry. Give me just a moment.”

Under other circumstances, Theron probably would’ve enjoyed watching the truly priceless series of faces she made as she went through the unpleasant process of putting her damp socks back on so that she could shove her feet back into her boots. As it was, he occupied himself with feigning nonchalance and casually positioning himself just so at the opening of the tent, ensuring that Rusk couldn’t come under the shelter of the durasilk without physically pushing past him. By the time Maia had her boots on and was hurrying back across the tent to join the sergeant, he’d shrugged out of his jacket and had it in his hands. 

“Here,” he said, holding it out to her.

Maia looked at the jacket, then down at herself, before lifting her eyes back to his. “I’m already soaked, though.”

Huffing, Theron dropped the red leatheris unceremoniously over her head. “Just get going.”

She laughed and went, head ducked under the makeshift shield of his jacket as she darted out into the storm. Rusk nodded curtly and tromped after her. In moments the pair of them had receded into the haze of rainfall, splashing through the muck off towards the temp shelter that served as the Coalition’s command center.

Well, Theron thought. Shit.

He blew out a breath and shook himself a little in an effort to settle his jangling nerves, not that it helped much. Turning away, he moved to collect the datapad he’d set down, tapped out a quick command string.

By the time he’d satisfied himself that the tracer he’d dropped into his jacket pocket was reading properly, and that its directional signal could be routed to his ocular implant if he needed to, he had some of his equilibrium back. Another command sequence terminated the active homing program and set the tracer back into passive mode - a minor precaution, just in case.

There was, he thought, no sense in being excessive.

[commander-krios]

For the fluff prompts:

1.) “The closest thing to love at first sight I’ve ever experienced happened when I first laid eyes on you.” For Despina and Theron 😊

I needed a proper proposal from Theron so thank you for this prompt. It inspired some sappy romance for once. And Theron being Theron has to overthink everything, but simple is always best. Enjoy!

Includes art by @skullinacowboyhat

~~~~

Theron Shan couldn’t remember the last time he wore a suit. Maybe some odd SIS mission that went belly up, definitely nothing involving the Coruscant elite or the Jedi. With a sigh, he pulled at the fabric, noting that it was pinching in places that it shouldn’t be. Shifting his hips, he tried to dig it out of the spot in his nether regions where it-

“Will you sit still?”

Theron did as he was told, waiting as Jonas finished adjusting the collar of the jacket. “Is this necessary? I feel ridiculous.”

The look that Jonas aimed at him immediately shut him up. “You’re the one who volunteered to accompany our lovely Colonel to the party. You said that you wouldn’t trust her safety to just anyone.”

Theron winced at the hurt in Jonas’ voice. Did he really say it like that? No wonder Jonas was short with him. “I didn’t mean-”

“Look, I get it, Theron. But you aren’t the only one who cares about her safety.” Jonas handed him an earpiece that he immediately fixed to the inside of his ear. “She’s my friend.”

“I know.” Theron’s hand drifted to the pocket of his jacket where a small silver ring sat heavily. He’d been carrying it around for weeks now, but still didn’t have the courage to act on it. “It’s different now.”

“It’s been different since you met her, you idiot.” Jonas said, unable to stop a small smile to accompany his words. “But not in a bad-”

The distant sound of heels on steps cut off his words. When they turned to greet their newest arrival, Theron lost all ability to speak. Even Jonas had lost the sharp edges to his face, expression going slack in awe.

Despina Sloane, former Colonel of the Republic Military, was standing before them, not in the usual heavy armor she wore, but in a gown the lightest green that Theron had ever seen. It was sleeveless, showing off the lean muscle of her arms. The neckline was plunging, decorated with rhinestones or some sort of gems. Not that it mattered since that hadn’t been what had stolen his attention. 

Her hair… was curled. In the eight years since they’d become a couple, she had never once curled her hair. The reaction he had to it was sudden and unexpected, but not unwelcome. He actually… preferred it if he was honest. He couldn’t wait to run his hands through it.

“Why is everyone staring?” Flush creeped up her neck at the attention. “Does it look that bad?”

Theron crossed the distance between them, legs going suddenly numb. He was surprised that could still stand upright. He wobbled briefly and Despina reached out a hand to steady him. 

“You doing ok, Theron?” She asked, green eyes wide with worry. 

“Your hair-”

The blush along her cheeks darkened. A hand brushed the curls gently. She almost looked mortified. “It was Lana’s idea.”

“I’ll have to thank her.” He said, voice low enough so that Jonas wouldn’t be able to hear. Slipping her arm into the crook of his, Theron pressed a kiss to her temple, thrilled when her breath stuttered.

The moment was interrupted by a cough nearby. 

“Looking good, Colonel.” Jonas said with a smirk, waggling his eyebrows at her. “Come here often?”

Despina leaned into Theron, her head resting against him affectionately. “Oh, Jonas. Are you still in love with me?”

Jonas laughed when Theron grunted in response, only slightly irritated at their teasing flirtations. It still irked him that Jonas knew her years before he did. There was so much he had yet to make up for. Years that they’d been separated, both willingly and unwillingly, that he would take back in an instant if he could.

With a forced grin, he met Jonas’ curious expression. “We should probably gather the rest of the team or we’ll be late.”

~~~~

The Zakuulian manor was one of the fancier in the district, with its columns reaching the third floor. Theron had seen some overly extravagant things from the Senate on Coruscant, hell even Corellia had its wealthy elite, but something about this turned his stomach. He saw the people suffering in the Old World all the time, but this just hit harder. Fancy parties while the poor starve on the streets.

Despina squeezed his arm, pulling his attention from the sight. Her expression was solemn almost as if she could read his thoughts. “We’re going to help these people, Theron. I promise.”

“I know.” He pressed a kiss against her curls, enjoying the feel of the soft locks against his lips. With a sigh, he pulled away reluctantly. They had a mission to complete. 

“I’m glad you’re here. No matter what Jonas says.” 

The teasing tone got a small laugh out of him. 

The earpiece crackled briefly before his friend’s voice responded. “I resent that comment.”

Despina bit her lip, her eyes sparkling with the laugh she wouldn’t voice. He was so in love with this woman that it physically pained him at times.

The ring was suddenly burning a hole in his pocket.

Swallowing around a lump that had formed in his throat, Theron tried to get the words out. “Despina, I want… I need to ask you something-”

“Vik and I are in position.” 

Theron closed his eyes, trying to hide his irritation at the intrusion. The moment was over. Colonel Despina Sloane took over in that instant.

“Vette- it’s good to hear your voice. How is the opposition?”

“I’d say there are half a dozen guards that patrol outside of the vault. Not sure if there are any inside the thing. I’d have to run a thermal scan.”

“Ok, get it done. I’ll check in soon. Vik?”

“Hey, boss. I have the explosives prepped, but I still need the schematics from Vette. Don’t wanna destroy the goods. Also- this isn’t going to be quiet. Probably need a distraction once I blow it.”

“I’ve got that covered. Kaliyo is on standby.”

Theron inwardly groaned at that revelation.

“Colonel.” Aric Jorgan’s gruff voice filled the comm. “Are you sure about leaving such a critical piece of the mission to a criminal?”

Theron might have missed the tightening of her jaw at Aric’s question if he hadn’t been watching her. She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice, but he heard it as clear as day. “Kaliyo has proven herself to be a valuable asset to the Alliance, Major.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

Oh, he couldn’t wait for the after mission debrief. But they had to make it off of Zakuul with the payload first.

“Jorgan has a point.” He muttered, leading her towards the entrance to the manor, their arms linked like every other couple. “Are you sure Gault wasn’t the better choice? He’s a little more… controllable.”

“Gault is also selfish. He’ll want a cut of the payload. This money is for the people of Zakuul. I can at least appease Kaliyo with some mayhem.” Her grip tightened on his arm. “Please trust me.”

“I’ve never doubted you.”

Despina gave him a grateful smile. Once they had cleared the front door, she slipped her arm from his, focusing back on the mission. “I need to figure out the path to the vault. Can you update Jonas and get in touch with Kaliyo? She needs to stay on mission, no improvising.”

Theron nodded and watched dumbly as the love of his life swept away from him, looking every bit like a princess from some childhood holonovel. He cleared his throat, trying to will his thoughts back to the present. There was plenty of time to think about other things later. He needed to focus.

“What are you doing?!” Jonas hissed at him over their private channel before he could even speak.

“I was just-”

“We don’t need any distractions right now. I get how hot she looks in that dress-”

“Jonas.” Theron growled, eyes scanning his surroundings to make sure no one was watching the weirdo talking to himself in the middle of a party.

“Keep it together, Shan. You can’t marry the woman if we don’t survive this.”

Jonas had a point, but he wasn’t going to admit it. “Acknowledged, Balkar. Mission first.”

He switched to Kaliyo’s private channel before he could get berated again. “Kaliyo- the Commander wants to make sure you’re ready to go.”

“Oh I’m ready, pretty boy. It’s going to be some of my best work.” Kaliyo let off a little laugh and Theron felt his stomach do a nervous flip. “Catch ya on the other side.”

Those words did nothing to alleviate his worry.

~~~~~

It’d barely been ten minutes when Despina returned, the dress she wore (Theron noted that it was a few shades lighter than her eye color) trailing behind her as she rushed to his side. Then she didn’t stop. He had been pulled nearly five feet before he realized where they were headed.

The dance floor.

“Wait- what are we doing? ”

“Dancing.”

“No, I can’t do that.” Theron tried to stop but the momentum had already put them in the center of the couples, all dancing to a slow and romantic song. 

“We’re being watched.” She warned, taking his hand and placing it on her hip before returning her hand to his shoulder. He slid their free hands together without hesitation. “So we dance.”

The nervous flutter was back in his stomach, but for different reasons. Despina was close, but not close enough. With the hand on her hip, he guided her closer until she was flush against his chest. A heartbeat passed. Then a second. Until finally, with pink cheeks, she met his gaze.

Theron noticed the challenge aimed his way. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Standing on the tips of her toes, Despina brushed her lips against his ear, her voice dropping to a whisper. “We have to make it look good to throw off our tail. What do you say, Theron? Want to play a game?”

The breathless sound of her voice made his mind wander to other games they could be playing instead, but he forced himself to focus. His eyes darted around the room, catching a glimpse of whoever it was keeping tabs on them. The person kept themselves out of the light, sticking to the shadows and corners of the room.

It might’ve worked for someone not trained in spy work, but for Theron and, by extension Despina, they stuck out. With a smile curling the corners of his mouth, he turned his gaze back on the woman in his arms. The woman he didn’t deserve by a long shot, but who kept giving him everything she had because, somehow, she loved him just as much.

“With you? Always.”

A puff of air hit his cheek as she laughed silently. “Romantic.”

He wanted to say more, to tell her that she was the reason for his romantic inclinations, but his tongue felt suddenly heavy. It refused to do what he wanted so instead, he tucked her close to his body, leaning his head against hers as they swayed to the music. He knew that he should keep one eye open, but with Despina in his arms, nothing else mattered to him. The music faded to background noise, the eyes of their tail unimportant, even knowing that the mission was hovering over them… it all disappeared at the warm touch of her body, her hand curled against his, the silky feel of her dress beneath his other hand. The curls tickled his cheek and he could imagine, for just a moment, that they were dancing at their wedding, no explosions, no missions, no nosy spy friends.

A thought began to form in his mind.

His comm was still silent. Vik’s bombs hadn’t been set off and Kaliyo’s distraction was still holding for the time being. Maybe this was their moment… the one he’d been waiting for.

Theron moved away slightly, only enough so that he could meet her gaze when she lifted her head. She watched him with a curiosity that gave him the sudden urge to kiss her senseless. 

It still took his breath away when the force of his love for her hit him.

An inconvenient blush crawled up his neck and to his cheeks. Despina cocked her head slightly at the sudden flush of his skin. He was positive that she could hear the erratic beating of his heart as well.

“You don’t need to be nervous about dancing, Theron.” She told him sweetly, but he could sense the other shoe drop before she opened her mouth again. “You’ve always been bad at it.”

“Very funny.” He tried to roll his eyes playfully, but found that he couldn’t. He continued on. “You know how much I love you, right?”

Her dazzling smile was enough. “You must if you put up with me.”

“That’s not- uh…”

“Relax, Theron. It’s a joke.” Despina pressed a soft kiss to his lips, lingering briefly. “What’s up? You’re sweating.”

“I wanted to ask you-”

An explosion rocked the foundation, sending dancers and party goers in all directions. Some fell to the ground, unable to keep their balance. Others ducked beneath tables to shield themselves. Even others started to run, to where he had no idea. Instinctively, Theron pulled Despina against his chest, turning so that his back was in the direction of the explosion. 

Smoke and ash choked the air, screams breaking the relaxing atmosphere. When he glanced around, he didn’t see their tail any longer. In fact, the entire wall where they were hiding was now a pile of rubble. Fires broke out at the source of the explosion, engulfing furniture and curtains in their flames.

Despina let out a cough. “We need to get to the vault.” She reached down to retrieve the blaster that was secured to her thigh holster. The quick flash of bare skin broke his focus momentarily. She shoved the blaster into his hand, breaking his trance. “I’m going to need a rifle. I was never good with a blaster.”

Theron nodded, taking the hint and grabbing the weapon and tucking it into his jacket. “I’ll find you something. Let’s go.”

Taking her by the hand, they joined the crowd that was fleeing the ballroom, blending in easily among the other revelers. As everyone else ran for the doors, Theron pulled Despina in the opposite direction. The vault was a few rooms away, behind a barrier and those armed guards that Vette had warned them about. He had no idea what the plan was after that, but Havoc Squad was good at improvising.

A secondary explosion hit the building, farther away, and Theron didn’t know if he had Kaliyo to thank for that. The more guards that she could pull away from the vault, the easier this would be.

Major Jorgan’s voice was in his ear a moment later. “I told you bringing criminals was going to blow up in our faces.”

“I didn’t think you meant literally.” Despina quipped, waiting as a group of armed guards hurried past to where the explosion had happened. Most likely to investigate. Theron hoped Kaliyo was long gone by now.

Jorgan ignored her response.

“Two of the guards left their post, but you still have four to contend with.”

“And the vault?”

“Vette says there’s only one person in the vault. Could be our host.” 

“Got it. Tell Vette to get to the ship. I’m rendezvousing with Vik and then we break into a vault.”

~~~~

Theron was pressed against the wall opposite the vault, the blaster in his hands on the edge of overheating. Despina had secured a rifle from one of the other patrols they’d run into, but even she was starting to get desperate with her shots. They had managed to take down one of the vault guards, but the other three were still putting up a fight.

The Weequay they had picked up on the way, Tanno Vik, was fussing with something that Theron couldn’t see, but Despina had called him ‘Havoc’s explosive expert’ years back. It was probably something that was going to blow his eardrums out very soon.

Despina’s gorgeous dress was torn up the side, soot from walking through some extinguished fires coating her heels and hem. She was still beautiful.

Catching his gaze, she raised an eyebrow at the goofy look on his face. “What?”

“Reminds me of our first date.”

Despina snorted a laugh. “Which part? When that swoop gang attacked the cantina or when Jonas had to break us out of the detention block after?”

“I was going to say because you had a pretty dress on then too, but point taken.”

“Can you two focus?” Jonas snapped over the comm. Theron had to bite back a laugh. It was a nice change that his friend was the one irritated for once. “How much longer until you breach the vault?”

“Never if you keep interrupting, Balkar.” Despina peered down the scope of her stolen rifle at the remaining guards. “Jorgan, do your thing.”

There was no response over the comm. Instead, the crack of a sniper rifle filled the air, taking down one of the guards. 

Despina turned to Vik once she confirmed the kill. “Are you ready?”

The Weequay grinned or at least Theron thought he did. It was a terrifying expression and he figured he’d get some nightmares out of this night. “Best part of the job.”

A grenade whistled through the air without warning, landing among the last guards. They didn’t have time to react. The grenade went off a few seconds later, shrapnel ripping through their armor. Theron winced at the sight. Bad way to go.

Despina didn’t wait for the smoke to clear. She strode forward, rifle raised at the ready in case of any more hostiles. He hated when she did that.

Hurrying after her, Theron helped her clear the small alcove in front of the vault while Vik set up the explosives. 

“All clear.”

“One hell of a party, huh?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder at her, wishing again that they could have a moment alone.

Her responding grin was like adding fuel to a fire. It only made him want to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she was breathless. “Better than our first date?”

“The night’s not over yet, but I’m hopeful.”

~~~~

Their bedroom was quiet, blissfully so. After the evening they’d had, all Theron wanted to do was shower and fall into bed, letting sleep take him for however long it wanted. Despina was standing near the window, her comm open and Lana talking to her about what was next. They had managed to clear the vault out, subdue the ‘host’ of the party, and dropped the funds into an account until they could deliver it where it needed to go. 

The work never ended.

With a weary sigh, he slipped into the ‘fresher, pulling the jacket from his back and hanging it on the hook on the wall. There were bags under his eyes, exhaustion finally hitting him after the long hours of fighting and running they’d done. Cupping his hands under the faucet, he splashed warm water on his face. Nothing went according to plan, but during most missions, they rarely did. They were lucky that they made it out in one piece and that they had stolen the vault's contents.

Despite all of that, his thoughts kept drifting to the sight of Despina in that dress… with those curls. The way the color of the dress played with the intensity of her green eyes. How easily her body fit against his, the warmth of her lips on his skin-

“Theron?” A knock on the door broke his musings. “Can I use the sonic quick? There are smells on me that I don’t want to describe-”

“Please, don’t say anything else. I’m begging you.”

When the refresher door opened, he found her waiting there with a smirk on her face. “I can make you beg if you’d like.”

Theron loved this woman to the ends of the galaxy, but even he had his limits. “As tempting as that thought might’ve been earlier, I can smell you now and I’d have to say, it’s somewhere between a nerf herd or a Mandalorian on a long hunt.”

“Ouch, low blow, Shan.”

Theron pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before slipping past her into the room. The silence was almost jarring after the insanity of their day, but it was welcome. Especially after how badly he crashed and burned when it came to openly admitting his feelings. And his desires for the future.

For their future.

Jonas had been right about not using the mission to fulfill a personal goal and he hated admitting it to himself. There was no way he would tell Jonas that to his face. He’d never hear the end of it. 

His fingers worked the buttons of his shirt, wondering what was going to happen next. For everything, not just his relationship. The Alliance was starting to flounder, the Republic and Empire were gearing up for war again, and everything he’d tried to do to stop it didn’t matter.

He had left Despina thinking he had betrayed her and for what?

Running his hands through his hair, he sank onto the bed, feeling defeated despite everything they’d accomplished in the last few years. If war was going to be the answer to the issues between the Republic and the Empire, what hope did the Alliance have to stop it?

“Theron?” 

When he glanced up, Theron saw the small silver ring that she held between her fingers. Oh no. Why did he insist on carrying it everywhere… just in case? “Despina-”

“Were you carrying this on Zakuul?”

“I… that is, I mean-”

“Were you going to ask me to marry you?” She demanded, voice rising with something he couldn’t identify by ear. Was she panicking? Was he imagining the terror in her eyes?

“It was something I considered, but I… changed my mind.” He hadn’t but she didn’t need to know that.

“Why?”

“Jonas said-”

“When have you ever listened to advice from Jonas about anything?”

“There was the mission to think of-”

“When have I never been impulsive during a mission?”

Theron bit his lip, not wanting to smile at the way she said that, but he couldn’t help it. “It’s one of things I love about you.”

The look she shot him said she didn’t believe him. “You? Loving my impulsiveness? You’re a terrible liar.”

Her teasing helped to ease him back into their usual banter. It was always so easy with Despina Sloane, so freeing. There had never been any expectations and perhaps that was why it’d taken them this long to get this point. But it felt natural.

Theron had never wanted something more in his life. He hoped she felt the same way.

He took a few steps forward, leaving the safety of the distance between them for the certainty of her touch. Her hair was no longer curly, unfortunately, but it didn’t matter in the end. She was standing there in front of him, in nothing but an old shirt of his, her hair damp and a pout to her lips.

Gripping a lock of hair between his finger and thumb, he tugged on it gently. “You got rid of the curls.”

Despina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. For such a small woman, she certainly had the presence of … well, someone like Tanno Vik. A presence that said she’d kick your ass if you didn’t take her seriously. “You’re avoiding my question. The ring?”

Theron sighed, knowing how tenacious she was. She had an unwavering focus that was admirable and perhaps a little terrifying at times. Another reason that he loved her. “Ok, I’ve been holding onto it for a while now.”

“How long?” Her gaze told him not to dodge.

“A few… months.”

“Months?!”

Theron threw his hands up defensively at the angry response. Her entire body had stiffened, her hands balled into fists. She was decidedly not happy. “Whoa, hey, it’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal? You’re telling me that getting married is not a big deal?” 

“I- that’s not what I-”

“Then what? Theron, what do you want?”

Her eyes blazed with a green fire and he had to look away briefly. Taking a deep breath, he willed the rapid beat of his heart to slow. “The closest thing to love at first sight I’ve ever experienced happened when I first laid eyes on you.” She didn’t respond so he forged on, hoping to get it out before she could interrupt. “That first date, even with everything that happened, was the happiest I’d been in a long time. And that’s the truth.”

He met her eyes again, finding that her face was blank as she stared at him.

“I should’ve done this a long time ago. I know that.” Taking her hand gently, Theron knelt before her, not breaking eye contact. “I love you with every fiber of my being, Despina. I always have and I always will. Marry me.”

Despina’s expression softened. “All you had to do was ask.”

Theron couldn’t help it. A laugh broke from his throat, both in relief and in joy he’d never felt before. Sweeping her up in his arms, he pressed kisses over her face, each giggle he pulled from her making this moment everything he wanted.

She lifted her hand a moment later, showing her hand which still didn’t have the ring on it. “I think you’re missing something?”

Plucking the jewelry from her other hand, he brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the finger before he slid the ring on it. It fit perfectly.

Her eyes took in the sight. “Perfect.”

Despina nestled back into his arms and as he held her close, he couldn’t help but agree.

It was perfect.

[greyias]

FIC: Chance Encounters - Chapter 3

Title: Chance Encounters Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight (pre-relationship) Rating: T Genre: Canon Divergent AU. Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn Synopsis: Even the smallest change can have large, unseen ripple effects. When Theron Shan books a voyage on the Esseles, he has no idea how a chance encounter with a Jedi Knight will change the course of his life. A canon divergent alternate universe examining what happens when Theron and the Hero of Tython meet much, much sooner. Author’s Notes and Spoilers: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Crossposted to AO3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12

After his thwarted attempt at meditation, Theron stalked into the passenger lounge, his mood far from improved. He wasn’t sure what rankled more—that she had sniped his meditation spot or that her infantile nickname had rendered him so speechless that it was embarrassing.  It was a shame this ship didn’t have a gym or something similar because he’d enjoy a few rounds with a punching bag.

Lacking that, and a quiet place to collect his calm, then he would have to find something else to make good use of his downtime. If there was any spot on this ship that would fit the bill, it was probably this lounge. It had to be the most spacious room on the entire passenger deck. On one wall, a sizable viewing window provided a view of the stars flitting by in the vastness of space as soothing cantina music tinkled from the speakers. There were several couches, tables, and chairs arranged throughout the space for conversation and dining, and a bar was tucked away in the back for those who wanted to unwind with a drink. The Sabacc tables that were set up across from the bar, however, were the real attraction.

A nice game of chance would be just the thing to take his mind off that infuriating Jedi and her damn nicknames. He elbowed his way in, pulling out some credits to toss into the pot. His attempts were thwarted just as effectively as his meditation had been—and the dealer shooed him away, indicating that the high rollers and crowd meant there was no room for new players. Worse, as he turned away from the table, he noticed that damn Jedi at the far end of the lounge. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was doing it on purpose.

This was officially the worst VIP experience he'd ever had. (Even if it was technically his first.)

Next time, he might as well take the damn shuttle; at the very least, he’d get to his destination more quickly. And, as an added bonus, he wouldn’t have to put up with any of this Jedi nonsense.

He wrinkled his nose in an effort to prevent a deep glower from setting in. It was bad enough that she’d driven him off from his meditation spot, but now she didn’t even have the common courtesy to use the space for a long enough time to escape her obnoxious presence for at least an hour? 

Fortunately, Highwind didn’t seem to notice him, as she was distracted by a female Twi’lek who appeared to be upset about something. He ignored the prickling of his curiosity about what the Twi’lek was expressing with such urgency. Getting close enough to eavesdrop meant risking another run-in with the Nickname Queen — and he’d need a lot more alcohol before he was ready for that.

Speaking of.

With every other source of entertainment closed, he went to the bar and ordered a whiskey from the bartender on duty. He half-expected to be told he’d have to wait for that as well, but despite the crowd at the bar, the server was efficient. As he waited for his drink, a nudge at his side gained his attention, and he glanced down to see that M-6 had apparently finally finished talking to the most stupendous astromech in existence.

"Did you get his autograph?"

The droid expressed his disapproval of the sarcasm by emitting a flat, irate series of beeps. Theron simply rolled his eyes and placed a credit slip in the bartender’s hand who had quietly produced the whiskey glass. He was about to bring the glass to his lips when there was a violent jolt that rocked the entire ship.

His drink tipped precariously, splashing over the rim and onto the bar as the force of the impact nearly sent him tumbling to the ground. He managed to catch himself and right the glass just as another, more violent jolt rocked the ship. This one sent him sprawling to the floor, and what was left of his drink splashed in a wide arc, dousing the bar, M-6, and Theron’s shirt in the potent-smelling liquor.

Theron rolled onto his back, coughed, and inhaled a lungful of the whiskey that had been spilled as the little astromech whirred indignantly in response. He was just starting to wipe at the burning fumes in his eyes when a third, more violent tremor shook the ship, drowning out all other sounds. Red emergency lighting illuminated the room as an alarm sounded overhead.

Theron pushed himself up from the floor, his ears still ringing from the impact. Screams and cries from those around him filled the air, and there was an uncharacteristically distressing rumbling from the ship. It was obvious that this wasn’t an accident because the explosion had originated outside the ship. The ship was under attack. 

While there were many violent factions known to attack ships in the galaxy, a passenger transport vessel was not a common target for pirates, as seized cargo typically yielded greater profits than anything most passengers would carry. That either left slavers, which avoided the heavily policed traffic lanes of Republic space, or worse.

His suspicions regarding the attackers’ identities were confirmed as he stumbled toward the area where the worried Twi’lek from earlier was assisting Highwind off the ground. Although it was difficult to hear much over the blaring alarms and the cries of other passengers, he heard a clear mention of “Imperials” and something about the ship’s bridge.

He lost the thread of the conversation as a passenger let out a loud shriek in his ear, and by the time he looked back Highwind had already taken off towards the exit, her faithful astromech on her heels. Beyond the corner that she had disappeared around, the distant sounds of blaster fire the distinct hum of whirling lightsabers joined the cacophony.

Next to him, M-6 sputtered and whirred, obviously concerned. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Theron grumbled. "Let me think."

Watching the area where the Jedi had vanished, he weighed his options. The simplest and most prudent course of action would be to remain in place and wait things out. He could hole up here, help tend to the other passengers and lend his blasters in aid if any Imperials decided to storm the lounge. That was clearly a possibility based on sounds coming from the hallway. Not to mention, it would be far more sensible to let the Jedi handle the heavy hitters...

But no one had ever accused Theron of being sensible. There was no reason for him to start now.

Not to mention, the thought of sitting around, waiting for salvation from some Jedi was too much for his pride. He'd be damned if he let her do all the work. He was already striding towards the exit before he had even finished that thought, his fingers twitching towards his blasters.

M-6 whirred, beeping something that Theron assumed was an attempt at reassurance. He ignored the droid's hovering and retraced Highwind's path, dodging around injured passengers littering the floor.

Theron slipped out of the doorway, blasters now at the ready. Smoke choked the long, sleek corridors of the transport. The staccato beat of blaster fire echoed in the confined space, drowning out even the discomforting whine of the ship's engines. A familiar rush of adrenaline, somehow both sweet and invigorating at once, thrummed through his veins. 

Through the smoke clogging the corridor, he could just make out Highwind. Her twin blue lightsabers whirled and deflecting blaster bolts as she darted across the deck, only pausing long enough to carve her way through the Esseles's many power droids that were attacking her.

Theron frowned, trying to figure out why they were acting so aggressively before it dawned on him. Someone had reprogrammed the droids. Which meant...

He quickly cast a narrow-eyed glance back at the chaotic passenger lounge. If any of them were Imperial agents, they did a good job of portraying the part of the hurt passenger. With the ship under attack, he had to make a split-second decision about where to focus his attention. Trying to hunt down and interrogate them would waste time if they were about to be boarded. If they repelled this attack, he’d just have to be on his toes, and treat everyone with suspicion until they could root out any moles.

He returned his attention to the Jedi, who had cleared a path far down the corridor, almost out of sight. He watched, pursing his lips as Highwind planted a boot in the chest of one power droid, pivoting mid-air to slice the head off another with one of her lightsabers. The smart move would be to suspect even her. She had been far too curious for his tastes, constantly pressing him for details he'd made abundantly clear he wasn't willing to share.

Despite the briefness of their two encounters, he thought he'd gotten a pretty good read on her. While that kind of earnestness and innocence could be faked, something about her demeanor seemed... genuine. As much as he hated to admit that.

Still. He'd keep an eye on her.

He started back down the corridor with intent on joining the fray, but a loud whining pulled him up short. 

An Imperial boarding pod burst through the hull moments later, nearly skewering him in the process. He stumbled backward, barely maintaining his balance as the durasteel plates that formed the pod’s nose separated with a clang, blocking the entire corridor. He was unable to see beyond the bulk of the pod, but could hear several battle droids exit. A slight hiss of air escaped as a force field shimmered around the gaps in the hull the pod had created.

Theron straightened his jacket as he glared at the pod blocking his path, as if it alone were the source of all of his problems right now. The durasteel plating of the damn thing was just as strong or stronger than the hull of any starship. Even if he could cut through it, the force field was the only thing standing between him (and the rest of the passenger deck) and the vacuum of space. Since explosive decompression wasn't on his to-do list for today, he abandoned that train of thought.

With his way forward blocked, Highwind and her astromech would have to deal with the droids on their own. And now Theron was going to need find another way to the bridge.

"It always has to be complicated, doesn't it?" he muttered to himself. 

He would not ask how much more complicated this trip was going to get. He was pretty sure whatever forces (or the Force) conspiring against him would take that as a challenge.

He gave the damn pod one last glower for good measure, before back to search along the wall. Behind him, M-6 let out a confused beep.

"Find an access port and get me a schematic of this ship," he replied absently.

Another questioning beep and whistle.

"I'm finding an alternate route." Finding what he was looking for, Theron pulled out a hydrospanner and dropped to his knees as he started to work at the large vent. "I've got a feeling this ductwork wasn't built with astromechs in mind."

M-6 let out a sardonic beep as a message appeared in the HUD overlay of Theron's optical implant: Ductwork = not built for SIS agents

"You mean for humans. Some species can fit into almost any space. But I'll make it work."

The resounding beep didn't have an air of confidence in that statement. Sure, there were a million things that could go wrong with this plan, but Theron was going to do this his way, the same way he always did. It hadn't failed him up to this point, so why stop?

"I still need that access port. I'm pretty sure the ship's security system is too preoccupied with actual intruders to notice us taking a little peek ourselves."

The astromech whirred, beeping at him in annoyance once more, before starting off down the corridor, presumably in search of said port. With a little elbow grease, the vent came free, and Theron let out a sigh as he looked into the cramped darkness awaiting him.

"It'll be fine," he muttered to himself. "I've dealt with tighter fits."

He took one last look down the smoke-filled hallway before pulling himself into the air duct. The vent was cramped and smelled faintly of grease, and it was very obviously not designed as a path of travel. Theron shimmied through the duct, kicking off the metal walls with his feet as he moved forward while using his arms to pull himself along. Part of him wondered whether he appeared more like a graceful Selkath swimming through the oceans of Manaan — or more like a fish out of water.

He attempted to make as little noise as possible, but between his groans of effort and the sound of his boots clanging against the surrounding metal, this was probably not the stealthy strategy he had in mind. His forward motion was occasionally stopped as the path ascended upwards, and moving forward required considerable wriggling and contorting. He had just reached the first intersection in the ductwork when a beeping from the cybernetic implant in his ear indicated an incoming call from M-6.

"Just in time," he told the droid.

His astromech had a rebuttal to that statement, as reflected by the irritated beeping in his ear, but despite the droid’s grumbling, the HUD in his optical implant blazed to life, superimposing a map of the Esseles’ ventilation system over his field of vision.

"Good job."

An irritated beep was his only reply, but it sounded like M-6's typical exasperation when Theron went off script. Nothing that indicated any trouble on the droid's end, or any difficulties with bypassing the ship's security systems.

"Now let's see if we can't get me to the bridge, shall we?"

With the aid of a map, this would go a lot quicker. Taking the left path in the junction, he continued his crawl as the rapid pew pew of blaster fire echoed from the corridor beyond up through the vent. It was much slower going than he would have preferred, and he was less than thrilled with the grease and muck of the ship's bowels getting into all the crevices on his favorite jacket. While the sturdy red leatheris would hold up, this trip was going to be hell on his dry cleaning stipend.

As he moved forward, the map updated. M-6 was obviously using more sensors and feeds than just the ventilation system readout. Good droid. The Imperials’ movements were tracked by flashing red dots outside the lines indicating the ductwork, and two white dots in the midst of the horde marked Highwind and her astromech.

"Clever," he muttered, but M-6 just beeped back at him.

As the vent curved around the deck, the occasional grate allowed him to catch a glimpse of the corridors beyond. Despite what seemed like slow progress on his part, he still seemed to be catching up, as he could spy streaks of blaster fire broken up by the occasional blue flash of lightsabers.

The already narrow space tightened, and sweat dripped into Theron’s eyes as he was forced to slide on his belly. The only saving grace of his stupid plan was that the vents were a relatively straight shot compared to the corridors that his Jedi counterpart had to fight through. Small blessings. Maybe he would beat her somewhere this time.

He was approaching the final turn before entering the crawlspace above the lift that would lead to the bridge when he noticed a flash of golden hair from the grate that led out onto the deck. 

The initial annoyance at Highwind nearly catching up and overtaking his painstaking progress was quelled as he watched through the grate’s wide slats. As she whirled around, her ponytail whipped along with the movement, splaying out in a golden halo as she dramatically plunged her twin blades into two more battle droids. He blinked more perspiration from his eyes, barely able to make out the path of carnage she had left in her wake. If nothing else, the damn Jedi could fight.

Definitely one to keep an eye on.

A flash further down the corridor drew his attention, and from his high vantage point inside the vent, he saw a red laser dot dancing on the Jedi’s back. Theron didn't think, he just reacted. It took a precious second to fumble in the confined space of the duct to pull one of his blasters. Then an extra second to shield his face as he blasted away the grate blocking his shot.

For anyone else, the sudden pounding red in his vision, or the breath catching unexpectedly in his chest, would have thrown off his aim. Luckily, the targeting software of the implant in his left eye performed all the calculations for him and determined the sniper’s origin. He could feel his arm adjust minutely as implant adjusted his aim, and his second shot found its mark. A heavy clang rang out as the droid collapsed, a blaster bolt scorching the chest plate of the ersatz sniper.

The caught breath released just as Highwind whirled back around to the find the source of the noise, confusion across her face as she looked around the ground level, before finally glancing up at the air vent.

His exit from the shaft was less smooth and graceful than he would have liked, as he nearly face planted on the deck. But miraculously, he still managed to land on his feet and shove his blaster back in its holster, steadfastly ignoring Highwind's scrutiny. 

He made a show of straightening out his jacket, smoothing a hand through his hair as he got his pounding heart back under control, before shooting an irritated glance at her upraised brows. There was a curious warmth in her expression that he couldn’t decipher. 

"What?"

"Nice shooting, Sparky."

"My name isn't Sparky," he snapped. "And you're welcome."

He was torn between a variety of conflicting emotions warring inside his chest, but opted for anger as it was always the easiest one for him to grasp onto. Her lip twitched, upraised brows dropping into a frown, almost as if she was dealing with something similar. But he refused to indulge in that speculation any further, firmly pulling his annoyance to bear as a shield.

"So, should I bother asking why exactly were you in the ventilation shafts?"

"It was the only place that was free of annoying Jedi," he sneered.

She considered that, glancing back to the piles of battle droids that had fallen to her lightsaber, before turning to Theron with a shrug. "I suppose that is one way to get around."

"What can I say," his tone was laced with sarcasm, "I like the scenic route."

"I am surprised there is that much to see inside the vents."

"Don't knock it until you try it."

As he stepped in further, closing the gap between them, she wrinkled her nose. "Why do you smell like you bathed in a distillery?"

Theron groaned and scrubbed furiously at his shirt. "That is not relevant."

"It is if you are such a remarkable shot while inebriated."

"I'm not--" he sputtered. "The Imperial's little surprise spilled what would have been my whiskey everywhere, including my shirt."

The small smile that returned to her face was vexing. Not only was he not winning whatever this ridiculous competition that they had going, but he had the distinct impression he was being condescended to. That was more like the Jedi he was used to.

"They owe me a drink," he spat.

"I do not think they are in a habit of reimbursing alcohol expenses."

He crossed his arms. "Well, there's always a first time for everything."

He expected her to quirk a brow at him again in response, but she was looking past him now. "Where is M-6? Is he all right?"

That she remembered the name of his droid, as well as the genuine concern in her tone, threw Theron for another loop. Maybe the woman had an unusual fondness for astromechs? A peevish beeping in his ear informed Theron that M-6 had been listening to the entire exchange, and that there was also no access to the bridge from the corridor that the droid had been left in.

"He's fine," he said flatly. "He likes taking the long way."

Theron ignored the crude pictograph that replaced the map of the ventilation system. The quirked eyebrow that he’d been expecting finally appeared, although he didn't know if it was in regards to his sarcasm, or if something from his expression showed the silent conversation between spy and droid. And if he were being honest, he didn't really care.

"I am headed to the bridge. If you are headed in that direction as well, might I suggest taking this lift here? I believe it is much more direct than crawling through the elevator shaft." She stepped into the open lift before tossing a look at him over her shoulder. "YYou will have to contend with a Jedi on it, though."

Her T7 unit gave a cheerful whistle as it joined her and she gave him another one of those enigmatic half-smiles, as well as a little shrug of her shoulders. A curious feeling bubbled up in his stomach that he wasn't completely able to smother down, no matter how much annoyance he attempted to summon.

"I guess we all have to make sacrifices if we're going to get out of this alive," he muttered, and stepped on to the lift with her.

If it wasn't obvious before, now Theron was sure of it.

The Force was definitely laughing at him.

Next Chapter

[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

[depizan]

I scrounged up the old X-Wing comic books, partly because Star Wars and partly because I’m going to hit my Goodreads goal, damn it!

Alas, the art. It isn’t as bad as the terribly drawn Theron Shan comic, but in most of the arcs it isn’t good. I think I’m remembering why, despite generally liking the idea of comics/graphic novels, I never really got into them as much as some people. I’m really picky about art. (This is probably why my attempts to do more art crash and burn. I’m not good enough. And getting past my eugh to get better is really hard.)

I also forgot that Isard was in these. And that the Imperial remnants in general are pretty stupid evil. ... Wait, is that why people glommed on to Thrawn like woah? “OMG, Imperial remnant leader who isn’t stupid evil!!!!” Huh.

[dragonheart-swtor]

OC Prompt: Halloween Costumes

What do your OCs go as for Halloween? (Assume some version of Halloween exists in their universe for the sake of the prompt. :P)

Feel free to do this for your own OCs, and feel free to tag me if you do!

-----

In which the Alliance has a Halloween party

- Garen (Jedi Knight) goes as a tooka cat. It's cute. The ears don't really work with her lekku and keep trying to fall off, but it's fine.

- Eris (Imperial Agent) goes as an obscure Sith historical figure who is the Only Sith she respects (barring Lana), and she Will infodump about how good the Dark Lord in question was for the Empire and how impressive her accomplishments were for twenty minutes to anyone who asks more than two questions about her costume.

- Zashiil (Jedi Consular) goes as Space Robin Hood almost solely because she can "accidentally" whack annoying people with her fake bow and get away with it. (Over the course of the night, Reykal gets smacked three times, Theron Shan four, Duserra seven, and Tharan Cedrax holds the record at twelve.)

- Duserra (Sith Inquisitor), speaking of her, goes as a dragon and that's the day everyone learns she can do impressive things with costume makeup when she feels like it

- Reykal (Bounty Hunter) toys with the idea of going as Latsiik, the Togruta god of death, and despite not being sure exactly how much she does or doesn't believe in the gods decides she doesn't really feel like tempting literal Death, just in case. She goes as Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan instead, despite Eris's protests about potential political incidents if Satele finds out, and spends the entire party relentlessly teasing the actual Jedi present with her bad impression of Jedi behavior. (Satele does find out, and privately finds it hilarious.)

- Alivar (Smuggler) hears Reykal is fucking with the Republic by going as Satele Shan and immediately orders a cheap Darth Marr costume to fuck with the Empire right along with her. They have great fun. He makes multiple dramatic, edgy speeches at whatever actual Sith happen to be in the area. He is hilariously short for anyone who actually knows how ridiculously tall Darth Marr is.

Bonus: Stupid/funny things that happen as a result of this:

- Duserra repeatedly gets her wings stuck in doorways

- [interrupting mid-ramble] "Eris where did you even get a costume of this person" "..." "Eris." "......." "Eris did you make that mask" ".....maybe" "dear stars, you're such a fangirl. it's fantastic quality though, good job." "thank you! [launches into fresh ramble about how she made it]"

- Reykal and Alivar, in response to both the protests and the hysterical laughter raised by their costumes, promise next year to come as Sexy Satele Shan and Sexy Darth Marr. everyone loses their shit. theron is mortified

[lonewolfel]

“There is just something about them/her/him.”

Pre Theron Shan/Darth Imperius

Theron watched Darth Imperius as she spoke to Lana and her apprentice Ashara. He couldn’t help, but find the Dark Council member interesting. She wasn’t the first Dark Council member that Theron had met, but she was the oddest. 

Darth Imperius seemed to be kind. She was willing to work with the Republic. Not to mention she seemed to have no problem taking orders. She spared people without prompting and didn’t seem nearly as threatening as she should be. Darth Imperius seemed content to sit silently while Lana, Theron, and Jentinn came up with plans. Not to mention the off handed flirting she shot his way. Theron didn’t know what to do with that. 

When Theron had learned that he was going to be working with Darth Imperius he had done research on her and her crew; Khem Val, Andronikos Revel, Ashara Zavros, Talos Drellik, and Xivhkalrainik. Khem Val was a dashade that once served Tulak Hord. Andronikos Revel used to serve in the Republic military then he became a pirate. His crew then mutiny and he met up with Darth Imperius back when she was an apprentice. Ashara Zavros was a Jedi youngling that Darth Imperius manipulated and turned into her apprentice. Talos Drellik is a lieutenant in the Imperial Reclamation Service and helped Darth Imperius find ancient artifacts. Xivhkalrainik or Xalek was captured by a Sith during a battle and taken to Imperial labor camps. He was strong in the force so he was taken to Korriban where Imperius took him as one of her apprentices. Darth Imperius on the other hand there is nothing known about her past life. Even her species is a mystery, depending on the text she is either a Pureblood Sith, Human, or Chiss. 

Theron caught himself staring at the Dark Lord. He shook his head and looked back at his work. Ashara broke away from the group and walked towards Theron. She sat down in front of him. The young togruta smiled at him slightly. 

“Has the Captain responded yet?” Ashara asked and Theron shook his head. 

“No she will let us know once she finishes attacking the supply cache.” Theron said and then the terminal went off. Theron snorted at the Voidhound’s timing. Lana, Imperius, Ashara, and Theron walked over to the terminal. He answered the call and a holo of the infamous Captain Jentinn Riggs appeared in the pirate get up that she had bought for this occasion. 

“Their caches are ash. Hey that rhymed.” The Captain said 

“Nice work.” Theron said 

“We believe that one more attack should solidify our pirate feud and disguise our true goal.” Lana said 

“I heard one of the Nova Blades mention a slave camp. Is it right for me to assume that’s my next target?” The Captain said

“Slave camp?” Darth Imperius asked and she straitened in interest. Ashara had this look on her face that was a mixture of fear and horror. Theron wondered if it was the Nova Blades or the Tagruta’s master. 

“You remember me saying that the Nova Blades basically run things around here? For the most part they are pretty hands off. But if someone stands up to them or fails to pay their fees to live? The Blades grab them and ship them off to the slave camp.” Theron said 

“The slaves are a substantial part of the Nova Blades’ income, both through their labor in hazardous mines and as merchandise for offworld slave trades.” Lana said and the air seemed to get cold. It seemed to come from the Darth. 

“Not any longer. I will deal with the slave camps alone.” Imperius said 

“Master…” Ashara started but Imperius lifted her hand. This motion seemed to silence the apprentice. 

“Of course, my Lord. We don’t know the exact location so you will need to stow away in a supply crate.” Lana said and this caused Jentinn and Theron to frown. They looked at eachother. The two Pubs seemed to agree that it was a bad idea to send a Dark Council member to the slave camp. 

“Shouldn’t I be doing it. After all I am the one we are pretending is a pirate.” Jentinn said with her arms crossed. 

“I am going this is not up for discussion.” Imperius snapped and walked out of the room. Ashara smiled sympathetically and shrugged. She then followed her master.

“This isn’t going to end well.” Jentinn said 

“I have faith in Darth Imperius.” Lana said

“Well, I don’t.” Jentinn said and she hung up the holo. This left the two remaining members of the team in silence. 

“Imperius is going to kill everyone there.” Theron said 

“Do you really think she will?” Lana asked and she returned to her work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Theron had sliced into duos’ com. She may show mercy when she was watched, but that doesn’t mean he should trust her to do the right thing. They didn’t seem to talk much as most of the sound was just fighting. 

“Were you really a slave once? I just can’t imagine you in one of these cages. I can’t imagine you… helpless.” Ashara asked and Theron froze. Suddenly it made more sense why she took so much interest in the slave camp.

“I rather not talk about it.” Imperius said 

“Of course, Master.” Ashara said and the two sith went back to silence. 

“I see you're stalking a Dark Council member. Isn’t that a death wish?” Jentinn said from behind him. Theron turned around quickly to face the Crime Lord. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. 

“Only if you get caught.” Theron said and Jentinn snorted. 

“Find anything?” Jentinn asked

“Nothing.” Theron lied and Jentinn frowned. “There is something about her, but besides that I can’t say anything for certain.”

“I have a feeling that this is going to go real bad real quick and one of the Sith are going to be in on it.” Jentinn said

“I’m not going to let my guard down.” Theron said

“Good, cause I know you are sweet on the Darth.” Jentinn said 

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Theron said and Jentinn smirked.

“Sure, sure and you totally don’t have a crush on her.” Jentinn said

“Don’t you have anything better to do than bug me?” Theron asked annoyed and her smirk seemed to have grown.

“Nope you are stuck with me.” Jentinn said

[lyrishadow]

Fictober 6: Risk

Prompt 6 : “that was impressive”

Fandom: Star Wars the Old Republic

Title: Risk

Pairing: Tamarillo/ Theron Shan

Rating: G

Warnings/Tags: injuries/angst/ devolving into fluff.

The wind was whipping at his ears as he maneuvered himself to the hatch to pull her in before the star fortress exploded. Pulling her in then helping her friend Theron knew they had to move fast.

“That was impressive!” His voice felt loud in his own ears as the sound of the wind died with the closing of the door.

“Thanks.” the Jedi muttered moving forward to stare out the front window and watch as the star fortress blew to smithereens.

“Tam?’” His girlfriend gave him a weak smile.

“I’m ok.” she slumped against the wall as the ship accelerated.

“You don’t look okay… “ Theron was beside her in an instant, she was pale and sort of holding her side.

“Yeah, I think something hit me?” she said before she passed out.

“Miot! Fly faster!” Theron yelled, scooping up Tam and depositing her on the lower bunk. Her friend had returned to help Theron, well at least Theron assumed that is how the first aid kid suddenly appeared at his hand. Taking out the kolto he applied fast.

“I tried…" her friend returned, a Jedi with unruly red hair. “She would not stay back.”

“She never does. Everything she does is wholehearted.” Theron said quietly so as not to wake her.

When she was ok and resting Theron sank down to sit on the floor by the bunk..

This one had been too close.  He recalled telling her that the star fortress was a bad idea, but he had no recourse other than to trust her to make the incursion herself.

He did trust her. The cost of this particular incursion had she not had medical help would have been her life. It was not a cost he was willing to make.

“Blurgh…” Tam said as she sat up dazed.

“Oh good, you are awake!” Theron moved to sit near the bed again, they were still flying to Odessan, in terms of distance about a three-day flight. Tam had been out for half of that.

“Theron!” she went to hug him but made a face “What did I do this time?”

“This time?” his eyes widened “You managed to get some serious blaster fire on your side.”

“At least it wasn’t a lightsaber,” she said cheerfully.

Theron paled, he had seen the scars and read Lana’s report. He knew she risked her life to fight Arcann on Asylum, and that it was bad. He was not about to let her run that risk for no reason. The star fortress had to be worth it.

“Theron, don’t you give me that look!” Tam rolled over to look at him. “You know these missions are necessary.”

“But you…”

“I’m fine you idiot.” she sighed “I could have thrown a med-pack on myself had I realized I was injured.” “Tam I don’t want you to risk your own life like this…” 

“You want me to send someone to their death? Theron…”

“No... I…” he exhaled, this was not going well. 

“Let me choose what I do with my life…” Tam said almost warning him “You know I have done far worse.

Curse his memory, he could perfectly recall the file they gave him when she was the one Darrok had picked for his mission. She really had been involved in and done worse for far fewer results.

“I know.”

“So?” she challenged him, checking his first aid work on the wound on her side and agreeing with a nod. He forgot all the time that she often went as a healer in the larger groups to tend to wounds and care for people. “I forget how amazing you are.” He said softly “I also fear losing you.”

“There. That was not so hard.” she touched a hand to his face “You only had to tell me that to start with. “

“So what can we do so you are not … injured or killed..” he swallowed hard at that last thought.

“I could take one of the others? Torian maybe?”

“That could work.” 

“Theron, I need you to stay here, I know what you are thinking and no, you need to run the slicing from here and keep an eye on things.” she patted his shoulder closest to her uninjured side. “Besides, who else is going to help me up that stupid ramp?”

“That was impressive,” he repeated the praise from earlier but aimed at her attempt to jump up to the ramp before switching his tone. “Will you be okay?”

“Yes. There are risks though, you know, not everything can be prevented.” She sat up properly to look him in the eyes “I get the feeling we have not seen anything yet, these star fortress things are nothing compared with infiltrating the tower or running Vaylin.”

“I know.”

“But Theron?” 

“Hm?”

“It is worth it if it makes the galaxy so I can come back to you.” her words were sincere “I don’t want a galaxy where we take no risks, because my reward in you is so great, I would take on the entire imperial army, and entire citadel of Zakul to be in your arms.”

“I…” he nodded he understood.

“So let me fight the fights even with the risk -  let me take back up and deal with the fortresses.”

“But you must.” he punctuated it with moving to sit beside her “Come back to me.” Theron had Tam in his arms by the end of the sentence kissing her soundly. 

[reliciron]

Exploring Arcann’s Romance: Part 1

So Arcann’s romance, huh?

Kinda sucked, didn’t it?

So I’m going to throw down some ideas that might flesh it out a bit. Again, these are just some of my interpretations, and since I love thinking about his romance I would really like to hear other ideas because some of mine are getting stale from how often I’ve run through the scenarios in my head.

Strap in, it’s another long one.

Part 2 here

Like any in-game romance, there are as many different ways to introduce a romance as there are fans of that pairing. No two are going to be exactly the same, but I’ve found that fans seem to get more creative about a romance the less satisfactory the in-game scenes are. If there’s several scenes with good emotional weight that lead to a satisfying confession/kiss/sex scene then a fair number of fics will include the canon scenes in some form. I’m not saying that this is lazy fic writing, I’m saying that its a testament to how good the canon content is. If what we got is shit, then we’re more motivated to make our own; if it’s good, then then we can focus more on the unseen parts of the existing scene, like their internal dialogue, rather than creating a completely new one. Ex. Fenris from Dragon Age 2. All these years later, I still love his romance. I find the flirting and romance scenes satisfying and true to the characters. I’ve read a lot of Hawke/Fenris fanfics, and a large portion of those who addressed their getting together tend to follow the canon scenes closely. They’re not exact of course, often there’s enough of the author’s flavor to make the scenes feel new again, but I feel like this illustrates the trend.

On the other end of the spectrum are romances like Arcann’s. I understand of course, his romance is an afterthought in the game. An addition that came after the story was concluded and tacked on in a single companion alert that could easy be overlooked. Add that little scene variation before The Nathema Conspiracy flashpoint, and we’ve got two measly little scenes and one or two messages. Compare that to Theron Shan’s romance. Assuming you ran through the Prelude, Shadow of Revan, and Ziost, then you’ve been flirting with him for months if not years. (Quick note, I’ve only romanced Theron as an Imp-side character so I’m not sure how different it is Pub-side) We get to see him flustered by our interest in the Prelude. He subtly checks if we’re still interested when we first see him again on Rishi and acts more accepting of our flirtations. He’s even more confident on Yavin 4, going as far as expressing his worry and his own flirtations. We even get kisses! One on Rishi, one on Yavin. And he seems genuinely regretful that we have to part ways. We don’t get much on Ziost, which makes sense since things are happening so fast, but we get enough to know that he hasn’t forgotten us, and he still harbors interest.

In KotFE, we find that sweet, sad, nervous message waiting for us once we get to a mailbox, and once he enters the story we get plenty of opportunities for flirting, kisses, and soft emotional scenes straight through to the end of Nathema (assuming you didn’t kill him or break up).

Arcann’s content looks pretty pathetic in comparison, so it’s no surprise that the few people putting out fics for him have their work cut out for them.

The first major division we can make are: fics that assume Arcann fell for you after he joins the Alliance, and fics that assume his interest started much earlier, when he was still the villain. The second one is: fics who include the canon confession scene, and those who make their own.

Honestly, I think I speak for everyone in that the content for Arcann is so sparse that most readers don’t have a preference. Beggars can’t be choosers after all. But such categories can help us corral our ideas on his romance.

The companion alert itself is seems very heavily predisposed toward someone looking to romance him. He made you armor so you can always be protected for god’s sake! Even if you’re not looking to romance him, it still makes you think that he’s crushing on your character big time (which he actually admits in a message post-confession). Add those pre-romance messages to this scene and it makes it painfully awkward for anyone who doesn’t romance him.

But even then, the whole thing is extremely abrupt. The last we knew in the game, our character is at least on civil terms with him, but his speech is still very formal and his actions still scream nervous subservience. He still seems very unsure of his position in the Alliance, so he’s probably falling back on what he knows from his years serving Valkorian. Emphasis on serving.

I don’t think I need to tell you guys how bad that is; going into a relationship with the person you feel subservient to.

So it’s little wonder that most fics either put way more distance between the end of KotET and the confession or put more work into advancing Arcann’s headspace into a healthier place, often a little of both.

It’s important to me that I don’t fall into the trap of “love fixes everything” because I don’t personally like that kind of relationship.

Arcann’s so messed up that it would take years to get him in to a completely healthy state of mind, and most fics don’t have that sort of time, but we can at least try to get him into a more confident position before we dive into the romance.

Now, to the romance scenarios. Specifically, the ones where he started being interested in you after he joined the Alliance.

The fics I’ve read who do include the canon alert scene, tend to change it a little. It seems best to let it play out normally without picking the flirt option. That awkwardness can then be used in a more natural confession later on.

Either your character hadn’t even entertained the idea of romancing Arcann, or they had but assumed he wouldn’t return their feelings. Depending on how careful and emotionally insightful they might be, they could also worry that their interest would not be appropriate for the situation. They could worry that even if Arcann was interested he wouldn’t be ready for a relationship. At worst, if they’ve noticed his subservience, they could even worry that he wouldn’t refuse their interest out of some misguided need to appease them or because he feared for his position in the Alliance if he refused. After all, your character is the Commander and they are technically in a position of power over him. Do I think he would actually do that? No. But an overly anxious character, or one looking for any excuse not to confess, might worry about it.

Either way, Arcann gifting them armor, showing an almost desperate need to protect them, and his messages paint a pretty obvious interest. They could be too surprised or flustered to properly respond right then, but they could take the hint to start making moves on him. Whatever that means for your character, whether it’s blatant flirting looking to get a reaction out of him, or its more subtle, like little innocent touches and spending more time with him. The response is up to you.

I admit, I’m all about that pining, so I tend to assume that he has already come to the conclusion that he’s interested in your character and that there’s no way they could possibly like him back. So I figure that any flirting will be coming from your character. How long it takes for him to catch on depends on your character’s personality, what kind of flirting their doing, and how unusual it is for them to act that way.

For those who disregard the confession scene entirely, the sky’s the limit. I have a few ideas of my own but there aren’t really any guidelines here so long as you try to keep them in character (if that’s something you want to do, writing OOC characters is an option, just not one I enjoy). And if you DO need them to do something that would be out of character, then spend the time and do the work to get them to a point where it wouldn’t be. If you need Arcann to take control and push your character up against a wall you can’t go from an unsure regretful man to playful sexy man in 3.5 seconds, work on him to get him there. Throughout a reasonable amount of time and circumstances, boost his confidence, make him feel as if that action would be welcome to your character and not frightening. The actions that lead us there, however, are up to you.

As for Arcann’s falling-for-you process:

I think it was first rooted in respect and a little hero worship.

Assuming that he was honest when he said he didn’t feel anything but negative things for you pre-ritual, let’s consider what those might be.

At minimum you were an annoyance. Some little shit who didn’t have the sense to bow down, and kept foiling his plans. The longer you kept making yourself a nuisance the angrier you made him. You somehow managed to find the one ship who could stand up to the eternal fleet, effectively spitting in the face of his military might. You survived what should have been a fatal blow. You had the gall to come back to Zakuul while there was an active bounty on your head. You subverted his own subjects, showed his automated army was not immune to sabotage, stole the majority of his treasury, and came within striking distance of disabling the entire fleet. He went from being mildly amused and faintly irritated at the mention of you, letting you run around Zakuul with only an offhand warning to the people, to being so fixated that he willingly ignored that Scorpio had taken the throne just so he could attack you.

You were willful, persistent, cunning, and absolutely infuriating. A Robin Hood to his Prince John.

But now he’s on the other side. He’s part of your Merry Men. And those qualities take on another light.

With his rage pacified, his newly reemerged empathy has shown him the cost of his actions. Actions that Vaylin is now mirroring. Suddenly facing down the might of the eternal fleet with its legions of Skytroopers and Knights, the shear impossibility of the task finally hits home for him. This is what the Commander has been fighting for months. Through charisma and shear force of will, they’ve managed to convince people to band together against ridiculous odds, and through guerrilla tactics and their own considerable strength they’ve actually been able to hold their own.

If that doesn’t earn his respect nothing will.

And with their continued dogged attacks, even in the face of such adversity, I don’t know how he wouldn’t admire them.

But your character’s been through a lot by the time he joins up. They’ve been at this for months if not years, all the while toting around the ticking time bomb known as Valkorian. We don’t see it in-game, but they have to be exhausted. Mentally and physically. And now he’s in a position to see those cracks start to form. The shadows under their eyes grow darker, their movements more sluggish, and their patience thins. He watches the way their gaze goes distant or they track someone with their eyes when there’s nothing there, and knows that it’s his father haunting them. Every loss hits them harder and weighs heavier on their shoulders, and Arcann’s admiration for them grows alongside his fear.

Fear that they will break under the pressure.

But to his increasing surprise, that worry is less and less about what that would mean for the galaxy, or even the Alliance, and more what that would do to the Commander. He finds that he’s grown to actually like them. The perseverance that once enraged him now leaves him in awe. The tone he’d thought was mocking is now charming or soothing. The depths of their strength is no longer frightening, but inspiring.

There is a light in their eyes. And every day, every appearance from his father, every loss, causes it to dim a little more. And he’s become terrified that it will go out.

I agree that the scene in the throne room is the turning point for him. When admiration and fondness turned into romantic feelings.

“It was not until you defeated Valkorian and took the throne that I realized my feelings had evolved beyond admiration.” - In-game Message

Seeing his father taking control of the Commander must’ve been terrifying. I’m sure he felt it.

There must have been a surge of Valkorian’s power, and then the Commander’s presence all but disappeared.

Our character was so badly broken that they took on Valkorian’s image just to survive. [Brief side note: I loved those scenes where you have to reassemble yourself by stringing your memories together. But taking on Valkorian’s image never made sense to me. If I address this in a fanfic, I’d prefer being a formless glob of light, or maybe a walking collection of shattered glass.]

You were unconscious for so long and Arcann got so scared that we was willing to go in there after you. He even expresses his worry to Senya that he “wouldn’t be strong enough”. Whether he meant he wouldn’t be strong enough to resist falling to the dark side again, or he simply wasn’t powerful enough to defeat Valkorian is unclear, but the important thing is that he was willing to risk it for you.

I cannot emphasize this enough, he was so scared of losing you that he was willing to face down the man who abused him for decades.

And this close call made him realize how important you were to him and how deep his feelings for you actually ran.

Part 2 here

[katetheworm]

Hey, I wanna know about your first trooper! You seem to like her a lot lol

YES! I LOVE HER! Thank you for asking!!! Here she is

Name: Sivana Tano

Species: Human/Cyborg

Gender: Female

Body Type: Fit

Eye Color: Green

Hair: Light Brown

Skin Color: Pale, white

Weapon: Blaster Rifle

Age: 20 in first chapter, 25 in SoR, and 32 in Onslaught

Love Interest: Theron Shan

Alignment: Lawful Good

Favorite Companion: Aric Jorgan (Oc and me)

Favorite Chapter: Chapter 3 (Oc) Chapter 1 (me)

Completion Status: All of the expansions

Short Backstory: Sivana was born on a planet in Wild Space. Both of her parents served in the Republic military. Her mother was a soldier while her father was a SIS agent. Unfortunately, her mother was confirmed KIA, while her father was MIA, so she has no idea whether he is alive or not.

Since both of her parents were in the military, she decided to join as well at the earliest possible age (which I will head canon as 16). Her mother died when she was 14 and her father went missing when she was 17. Siv was an amazing soldier. She was strong, intelligent, and just good.

After a few years at the Academy, she spent a year as a private on the front lines where she got injured and then got her cybernetics. She was then recruited by Havoc, this leads into the story.

Character Throughout the Story: Sivana did every light sided option available to her, even if that meant disobeying orders. She was there for the Republic but in her mind that meant the people and the civilians, not the politicians. Though she, of course, protected them as well.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel was mainly used for levelling up, imo, so I'm gonna move onto Shadow of Revan.

Siv did not flirt with anyone before she met Theron. She was there for the Republic and that was it. However, something about this SIS agent changed her and she began to fall for him. She saw his brokenness and wished to help him through it, as he did for her.

Knights of the Fallen Empire and the Eternal Throne changed her. Being frozen in carbonite for 5 years, having an all powerful Sith Lord trapped in your mind, and then waking up only to be thrust straight into an even bigger war than before can take it's toll on a person. Siv got through it, with help from Lana and the friends she made along the way, but it was still hard on her. And the only person who knew that was Theron.

When Theron betrayed her, Siv was absolutely heartbroken (so was I, tbh). She didn't understand why he would do such a thing, but her love either blinded her or showed her the truth. She would not kill him, she would not stop believing in him. And even though Lana was not as optimistic, Siv was right in the end. He was doing it all to save her. And they got married.

Onslaught was not as bad as the previous ones. Siv did what she had to, she defeated Malgus while meeting the new Jedi whom she would like to call her friends.

And that is all that I have right now, bc that is all the game has given us.

Personality: Picture a soldier who would do anything for their cause, but doesn't blindly follow orders. Siv believes that a good soldier thinks about their orders before acting upon them. She respects her superiors but she does not and will not betray her beliefs for their own agenda.

Siv has a loyalty to her companions and respects each and every one of them. Aric, Elara, Theron, and Lana are probably her closest friends, and she would do anything for them.

Opinion on Character: I LOVE HER. Have I said that yet? She was my first character in this game, so I don't know if that's biased or not, and she's the only one I've done all the expansions with. I think she's so much fun to play bc she is such a good and just person. But I also love her in the expansions bc she isn't exactly force sensitive and yet she's able to do all of these amazing things. And I just think that's really cool.

Opinion on Class Story: Unpopular opinion, I really like the Trooper story. I think it's different than the others and I think it's really cool to see the dynamic bt the military and the government. My favorite character in Star Wars is probably Rex, so I like the soldier type, and the Trooper story is just about a soldier who was thrust into politics and plays for power. Power that she does not want.

So yeah, I like the Trooper story. It's not my all time favorite, but it does have a special place in my heart.

~

Thanks again for asking! This is a lot longer than the others, but whatever.

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 13:  Pride

Fandom: SWTOR

Time:  In the near future (28-29 ATC)

Pairing: Theron Shan/Smuggler

~~

“What’s it mean ‘to be proud’ of a kid?”

Eva looked up her supper to see Theron in the lounge recliner holding a parenting holobook in one hand and steadying the baby with the other.  Argento had unceremoniously passed out on his father’s chest after a four-hour squall.  Eva thought the kid had the best idea, both about sleep and the location, but she had to eat at some point.  

Retroactively, Eva mentally pat herself on the back for instituting gender-neutral parental leave for the Alliance.  

Presently, Eva shoveled in another mouthful of buttery rice with an egg stirred in.  “How do you mean?”

Theron frowned as he put the holobook down on one of the make-shift crate tables nearby,  freeing his other hand to gently rest on the baby.  Once his hand settled on his son, the frown dissolved and Theron gazed at Argo with no small amount of wonder.  “Parenting book.  Section about ‘parental pride’ and how to express it in a non-toxic way.”   Now he looked at Eva.  “I’m … unfamiliar with the concept.”

“Ah.”  Eva put her fork down for a second and grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth off.  “It’s like when I got my 1500 hours on the Thief.  All the work I’d done, all the lessons Ma had given me, everything Hadrian ever showed me about maintenance… it all came together.  They were proud because I’d achieved something, but they’d also made a functional smuggler out of me.”  

“Parents do take pride in their kids’ achievements, even when they had nothing to do with it.”

“Yeah…”  Then it took Eva a second to realize he wasn’t asking a question.  “Jace…didn’t mean it like he was taking credit.  He’s proud of you.  He – he wants to be associated with you, to be known as –”

“A father who wasn’t allowed to be there.”  A finger drifted across the top of the baby’s head, stroking at the downy fluffy.  “I know he didn’t mean anything bad by it, but that whole … thing.. .from Iokath still bugs me.  He’s proud of me for fighting in the war.  But…I’m proud of my service, because I worked for other things. For peace.  For the future.”  Theron’s brow creased again.  “Later he said he was proud of me for ‘getting my priorities straight.’  Something he hadn’t done.”

Eva propped her arm up on the table.  “Are you happier at home than he ended up being?”

Theron’s face went soft. “Yeah.  Definitely.”  

“Good parents don’t want their kids to repeat the same bad stuff they did,” Eva said, thinking  back to one stark memory of her mother.  

Her tenth birthday had been celebrated in darkness as they’d tried to sneak out of Chiss space after the Treaty of Coruscant was signed.  They ran dark and ate cold rations, and Hylo the Cat was the most valuable crew member for keeping Eva warm.

Athene had nearly cried because “it’s not supposed to be like this for her.”  It had been, for Athene, a regular occurrence throughout her childhood.

Eva had learned not to press ears to doors that weren’t hers after that.

“Satele has said stuff along the same lines, believe it or not.”  Theron leaned back in the chair a little more as Argo’s limbs moved in his sleep. “She ‘approved’ of my choices.  My career.  You.”  He gave her a smile that begged for trouble. “You really are the best con artist in the galaxy.”

“I specialized in fleecing Jedi at finishing school,” Eva teased right back, picking up her fork to finish her dinner.  

After she’d placed her dish in the galley to be cleaned, Eva came back out to the lounge to see Theron giving the holobook on the table another glance.  “I’m not sure about kid-related pride.  It … seems … conditional…”  Theron made a face. “It’s like getting marksmanship medals at SIS – do this, get that. Transactional.”

“The medals are hot, but not a dealbreaker.  The Force?” Eva crossed the room to him and their son.

“Who needs it.”  Theron watched as she carefully knelt down at the side of the recliner.  “Your parents said they loved you before you were a pilot.”

“Yeah.  Before I was anything interesting.”  She leaned her head on Theron’s shoulder to get a look at Argo.

He was a lot cuter when he was asleep.

Then Theron said, quietly, “It’s not like that with Jace and Satele…it couldn’t be back then.  I know they do, now, but…”  His shoulder rose up in a slight shrug, trying not to dislodge her.  “…it’s not something any of us talk about.  And as a kid…”  

Now he went so still and silent.  He didn’t speak for long minutes.  

“.. I’d like to think… he would be proud.  When I do something kind or push myself, I still want his approval.  …but honestly… everything depended on what I was going to become. Then when I didn’t –”  An unsteady breath escaped him.

There were few people in the universe that Eva could not forgive.  Dead or not, that man was one of them. 

Instead of any voiced venom, however, Eva gently guided Theron’s face to hers, then tipped her forehead forward to touch his, all while not disturbing Argo.  “You know what’s unconditional.”  

Eva felt the tension escape him.  “Yeah.  You love ‘just Theron.’” She felt his hand grab at hers.  “I love you.”

“I know.”  Eva kissed him, then they lingered close even after their lips parted.  

Theron turned his face slightly to look at Argo, not drawing away from her. “You think he knows we love him?” Theron whispered.

“I think he knows he’s loved, even if this whole conversation is way over his head.”

Theron nodded, eyes still red. “Even if he is an angry little wampa right now.”

“Especially since he’s our angry little wampa.”

Love is being pinned in a chair for four hours because you don’t want to wake the baby

~~

@fluffyfebruary @ayresis @starlightcleric @ermingarden @bluephoenix1347

[chubbyooo]

The Road to Redemption - A Blurred Lines Spinoff Chapter 1: Voss

hey all part 3 of my spinoff series that will focus on Kavaraa from her escape from imprisonment to the end of KOTET, it'll run alongside it showing her story where the main story stays mostly the same apart from the little moments where the stories inteact

Like the other spinoffs this aint necessary to understand the story of BL but it will add a little context for all yall who want it :D

With the Battle of Odessen finished and the Eternal Emperor missing tensions are high in a galaxy at war, Jedi Consular Kavaraa previous Basen'thor for the republic was recently broken out of jail after being locked up for five years by Arcann after an attempt to save her old sith rival Darth Nox went wrong (see part 2). After her escape she traveled to Voss and is trying to tow the line between helping the alliance and helping her old rival, but she is about to get stuck with a huge moral decision that will test her resolve and moral code. Will she redeem herself in the eyes of her old rival and will she be able to redeem others lost by the galaxies enemies

Kavaraa calmed her mind, she needed to be ready when Theron needed her, she sighed the last few weeks had been a blur after years and years of imprisonment on Belsavis he’d come and saved her. She was still surprised he’d managed it, she was positive they couldn’t be found but he’d managed it, he was the best person she knew she’d missed him so much and he’d done it out of the goodness of his heart. But she needed to collect herself on Voss and he needed to return to the alliance to help in the fight with the eternal empire, she’d have loved to have come but she expected if Nox saw her she wouldn’t last long. So for now she was treading water helping out where she could but she did feel a little directionless.

Either way she didn’t want to rock the boat and she felt right at home on Voss, she’d been anxiously waiting for a transmission from Theron with an update after the last couple weeks. There had been a big battle over Odessen and they were still collecting themselves after Emperor Arcann and his mother disappeared. She was still very new to all of this Eternal Empire stuff and a little out of the loop spending five years in prison would do that to you, still it’d helped her find center she was ready to help the alliance despite its difficult leadership. Apparently Nox was just as volatile as before having killed soldiers for insubordination, Theron had told her that despite her difficult and cruel nature she was fighting to stop the Eternal Empire so that was at least something.

Nox and her were old rivals and on many occasions had fought over an artefact or temple but that all felt so small now after the time she had to contemplate, she doubted Nox felt the same way but you never know. She hoped Nox would somewhat appreciate it when they tried to save her but getting captured may have made that ineffective, they were imprisoned quickly after that but she’d been unconscious for most of it. The prison had been anyone who could be considered a leader of Martyr for the republic or empire, the Voidhound, Cipher nine and the Commander of Havoc squad were captured with her but later the Emperor's Wrath was captured too after a failed attack on Zakuul. Kavaraa had made sure when she escaped to put an alarm on her cell just in case the Wrath ever escaped, she’d been even more dangerous than Nox so having that secure would help. There was only so long you could contain a rage machine like that, still she had to help make amends for her failure by helping the alliance take down the eternal empire.

She sensed someone come into the room and turned round to see Gaden Ko “I sensed you were troubled is everything ok Barsen'thor” she nodded at her long time friend as he stood in the doorway, when she’d arrived Ko had been more than ready to take her in as she found herself again.

She responded “no don’t worry Gaden I’m just waiting for a communication with Theron uh Agent Shan and I’m just a little tense” he nodded sitting down next to her

He gave a slight smile “do not worry things have a way of working out just follow the force and you and your partner will get through this” Kavaraa’s eyes widened as Gaden spoke what did he just say?!

She went turquoise “wha um what do you mean me and Theron aren’t together that’s ah what, I’ve never even thought about that and it’s uh ridiculous you’d even suggest that i um ah?” Gaden Ko frowned clearly misunderstanding as Kavaraa continued to stammer

Gaden Ko held up a hand “my apologies I just assumed because of the way you too act you seem like two with a very strong bond” this was not the first time someone has insinuated this and Kavaraa wouldn’t be so opposed to the idea but there had just never had the right moment

Kavaraa shook her head “don’t worry about it, just a misunderstanding” she looked away trying to hide her embarrassment the Voidwolf Gacen had been telling her she needed to give it a go but there just wasn’t the right time during this war she may have to wait til it’s over

Gaden Ko nodded “nonetheless I’m sure the force has put you where you need to be and the path will reveal itself to you soon” she smiled at Gaden Ko, he truly believed in fate and our place in the galaxy.

She patted his back “thanks buddy, I really appreciate you letting me use the temple” he nodded getting back up

He responded “since you’ve been away I have gained significant influence so it’s the least I can do” Kavaraa nodded she was glad someone had benefited from her time as Barsen’thor 

Suddenly the comm sprung to life “Kavaraa come in are you there?” Theron’s voice rung out and Kavaraa quickly answered

“Hey Theron I’m here how’s everything” last she’d heard Nox had sworn death upon Senya and Koth so she wondered how she was doing now

Theron took a second before responding “well she’s not throwing a tantrum anymore” Kavaraa let out a sigh of relief “now she’s just fueling her anger into finding them and she is on the warpath” it was good to hear his voice again she’d been getting lonely with only Voss Mystics to talk to

Kavaraa frowned “so a bit of a mixed bag then?” she had to admit sometimes she did wonder if supporting Nox would be a huge mistake but it was better than the Eternal Empire right? “And the Eternal Empire? How is it back at full potential” it was a wonder without Arcann at the helm that it hadn’t fallen apart

Theron sighed “well it seems like Arcanns sister Vaylin is now in control and using the help of one of our former robotic friends” Theron had mentioned the AI SCORPIO but it was unfortunate to learn such a complex AI now controlled the fleet, Kavaraa shuddered last time she had seen Vaylin she got her ass kicked by her.

Kavaraa’s heart sank “so the wars gonna be going a while longer?” she’d hoped the battle at Odessen had made them some real headway

Theron confirmed her question “yeah unfortunately so, we gotta build ourselves up a little more and find the best way to cripple the Eternal Empires resources” that sounded smartest Theron had always know what to do 

Kavaraa sighed “well make sure to keep Nox under control Theron you know how she can be” very murdery was an accurate description 

Theron chuckled “yeah don’t worry me and Lana have her under control we can push her anger in the right directions” strategizing around the whims of a difficult leader must be frustrating

Kavaraa responded “ok just be careful and look after yourself I don’t want anything bad happening to you ok” there was a mumbled agreement response that Kavaraa couldn’t quite make out but assumed was a reluctant yes “and any update on Koth or Senya” Kavaraa frowned as she could hear a commotion coming from the main temple

She started to walk over as Theron talked “not as of yet Koth is good at avoiding us, scrambling our systems and Senya appears to be laying low” Kavaraa nodded as she walked into the main chamber to see some mystics rushing someone by

She responded only half listening “I still can’t believe he stole the Gravestone this is the first time Nox’s anger may be justified” Kavaraa frowned as she noted an older woman wearing Zakuul like armour with the mystics hair in a bun and some stones in her forehead “um Theron what does Senya look like” she hadn’t looked her up but as she got closer the person being rushed did look familiar to her

Theron responded quickly “uh tall, grey black hair and most notably two little stones in her forehead, why?” Kavaraa’s eyes widened as she saw the broken form of Arcann as he was rushed into the healing chamber

Kavaraa stammered “uh um because they’re here, I’m gonna have to call you back” she turned off the comm and rushed over to Senya

She walked up with purpose “um what’s going on here that man is wanted by literally everyone in the galaxy, and you’re gonna heal him?” she didn’t know if she’d turn them in or if she kinda already had telling Theron

Senya’s face was frightened and Kavaraa quickly lowered her guard “I know I know but please just let me heal him then we can face our crimes, I know there’s good in him I promise but unless he’s healed he’ll be lost” she grabbed Kavaraa’s hand “I sense you’re strong in the force please do this for me just let them heal him and then I promise I’ll do whatever you want” Kavaraa’s mouth hung open what should she do Senya was clearly being genuine but this would create an even greater rift between her, the alliance, Theron and Nox

She knew what she had to do, she took a deep breath “sure ok I’ll help you, maybe we can help him together” much to her surprise Senya pulled her into a tight hug, she wasn’t quite sure what to do but Gaden Ko had said she was here for a reason maybe she was here to help heal Arcann...

[haledamage]

May I request 17 and 59 for kisses? Any pairings you like!

(I’ll be putting these in two separate posts, but I’ll link them back to each other. Other part is here)

17. Needing to kiss to hide from bad guys

(featuring Marii/Theron because it’s such a Spy Movie trope it just couldn’t be anyone else :))

“Will you walk with me?” Theron asked, and Marii looked up from the console she sat at. “I want to hide a few cameras around and it’ll be less suspicious if I’m not alone.”

She was already getting to her feet before he’d finished asking. “Of course. Lead the way.”

She fell into step beside him as they left their little control room and started to make their way toward the Manaan spaceport. She wasn’t sure how much less suspicious her presence actually made him; even though she didn’t wear the typical brown and white robes, she was still clearly a Jedi - not to mention they were the only humans visible for kilometers, surrounded on all sides by Selkath and endless ocean. Still, it was nice to get up and stretch her legs. They’d been cooped up in that room for the better part of three days, leaving only to sleep.

And, she could admit in the safety of her own head, she very much enjoyed Theron’s company. It was nice to spend time with him without a console and a pile of datapads looming over them, even if just for a moment.

“Thanks,” Theron said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence between them, “for all your help. It’s been… nice. Working with a team for a change.” He looked everywhere but at her as he spoke. “I’m sure you’d prefer to do things your own way. Jedi don’t exactly have much government oversight.”

“Relax, Theron.” She grinned at him. “You aren’t the first SIS agent I’ve worked with. At this point, I should probably ask the SIS for a paycheck.”

He finally looked her way, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Am I your favorite, at least?”

She tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. “Hmm, I don’t know. We’ll see how the rest of this mission goes.”

“Harsh.” He put his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded.”

Marii giggled. “It’ll be tough, but I think you’ll survive.”

A sudden shiver of alarm went up her spine, cold and sharp, and she froze in place. She grabbed Theron’s wrist to bring him to a stop too, trying to find the source.

Theron put a hand on her arm and stepped closer, leaning down to speak quietly. “What is it? What do you sense?”

“Someone’s coming.” Her voice was distant, as if the words were carried to her from somewhere far away. “Someone we know.”

“Friendly?”

“No.”

“Okay.” He looked around them, searching for something specific among all the cool blue and white of their surroundings. His grip tightened on her arm and he pulled her toward a stack of shipping crates. “This way, come on.”

There was a tiny gap between a few of the crates, just enough to comfortably fit one person - or to uncomfortably fit two. Marii backed up as far as she could, pressing her back against the cool plasteel of the crates, and Theron crowded in with her.

“Well, this is cozy,” he whispered. “I think I had an apartment on Coruscant once that was almost this big.”

She didn’t have room to move her arms to cover her mouth, so she pressed her face into his shoulder to muffle her laughter. “Don’t make me laugh, you’re gonna get us caught.”

“Worth it.”

Marii was thankful that he couldn’t see her face and how red it turned at those two simple, sincere words. She had no idea how to respond to that, or even if she should respond. Silence stretched to fill the miniscule spaces between them until all she could hear was her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

It was broken by the sound of approaching voices. Familiar voices, or at least one of them was. She leaned back enough to see Theron’s face again and saw the same dawning recognition. Colonel Darok.

“Do you recognize the other voice?” Theron asked, so quietly she didn’t actually know if he’d made any sound, though she could read his lips easily enough. She shook her head. He tried to lean around the edge of their hiding spot, but she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him back, shaking her head again. They hadn’t been noticed yet, but she could feel Darok’s unease; he expected spies and was watching for them.

“Wait,” she mouthed, trying to tell him all of that with only one word. He nodded and she relaxed just a little.

Then he leaned forward, closing what little space there had been between them, and she tensed again. His cheek pressed to hers, the rasp of stubble against her skin a new and not unpleasant sensation, and whispered so quietly she had to strain to hear it, “Are you getting anything from them?”

“I can try.” Marii had been actively locking down her Force senses for fear of being noticed somehow, but at his urging, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Theron was a blank wall to her senses, mentally shielded and as unreadable as some Jedi Masters she knew, and she used the familiar silence of him as an anchor and reached out. There was so much life on Manaan, the oceans teaming with it, but she blocked it out, searching for sentient life.

She found Darok easily enough, leaned against the other side of the crates they hid behind. He was still wary, but had no idea they were there, and there was a building excitement in his aura from whatever he spoke about.

The person he spoke to was mired in darkness. It pulled at her, trying to drag her under, to tempt her closer, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Theron’s jacket as if holding onto him would help her fight against it. It felt like oil or ink, viscous and dense, swirling with colors so fast she couldn’t make any of them out. It was a common shield used by Sith; it hid everything about them but their actual existence, and she had always struggled to see through this kind of shield. It required a certain level of patience and subtlety that she lacked.

She pushed against it, searching for a weak point, a shallow spot where she could get something - a face, a voice, anything that might point them in the right direction. For a moment, the blackness receded and a name surfaced in her mind as clear as if it had been spoken aloud.

The darkness closed in, shoving her out and away with such force that she stumbled, crashing back into her physical body.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Theron’s hands settled on her shoulders, holding her steady. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

It took a minute to reorient herself enough to open her eyes and she almost closed them again as the bright, pale light of Manaan assaulted her. Marii took a deep breath. The world smelled like salt water and Theron’s aftershave, warm and clean. When she exhaled, she whispered the name she’d found. “Darth Arkous.”

“It’s a start. You all right?” he asked. She nodded and he smiled a little. “You know you glow when you do that?”

“I know. Good thing you’re here for me to hide behind.” All things considered, her pale blue glow would probably be less noticable on Manaan than his red jacket, but she didn’t say it.

“That’s me,” he said dryly. “Theron Shan, human shield. Did you get anything else?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “No problem. We’ll just do this the old fashioned way.”

“Are you trying to tell me the Jedi way isn’t old fashioned?” Marii grinned.

It was Theron’s turn to have to muffle his laughter. “That’s fair. I deserved that.” He shook with the effort to keep quiet, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from joining him. Silence fell between them again. The voices beyond their hiding place faded, but they still waited, just in case. Finally, he whispered, “Are they still there?”

Marii reached out carefully, pulling back as soon as she sensed something. “I’m afraid so. Farther away, but not gone. Whatever they’re talking about must be either very interesting or very important.” Her hands were starting to ache where they still gripped his jacket, so she flattened them against his chest instead, smoothing away the wrinkles she’d left in the material. “Starting to feel crowded?”

“Never.” He smirked. “You’re better company than the usual suspects I get stuck in alcoves with.”

“Does this happen to you a lot, Agent Shan?”

“More than it should, probably.”

While she certainly wasn’t feeling crowded or claustrophobic, she was starting to become very aware of the position they were in, how close they stood. His aura was still as calm as ever, but under her palm his heart was racing. Still, she couldn’t resist asking, “Does that mean I’m your favorite?”

“Definitely,” Theron answered with no hesitation. “No contest.”

Even though he was clearly just teasing, she couldn’t help the bright smile that lit her face. His eyes dropped to her lips for just a second as she did, his own smile fading, and when he looked back up the air in the tiny alcove felt suddenly oppressive, heavy and charged where it had been clear and easy before.

One of his hands lifted from her shoulder to push her hair back from her face, and she gasped when his fingers brushed her skin. Time seemed to slow and stretch until seconds felt like hours as Theron leaned closer. Marii licked her lips nervously and his gaze dropped again to watch the motion, transfixed.

Her holocomm beeped.

Theron closed his eyes for one long moment, but that was the only sign of frustration he let show. “You should probably answer that.”

Marii sighed and pressed the answer button on her earpiece. There’s no way she could face her former padawan on holo right now. “Yes? What is it, Kira?”

“Looks like your pals in Havoc Squad just came out of hyperspace. Should be landing within the hour,” Kira said. She sounded bored. “Maybe now that they’re here we can get the party started.”

She wasn’t sure if she was more relieved or disappointed at Major Jorgan’s timing. “When they arrive, lead them to the control room. Theron and I will meet you there.”

“You okay, boss? You sound out of breath.” There was a pause, and then gleefully, Kira added, “Just what are you and spy boy up to?”

Marii groaned. She knew she must be blushing terribly. “I’m hanging up on you.” She disconnected, then leaned her head back against the plasteel crates.

“Back to work, I guess.” Theron sounded as unhappy about it as she felt. He backed out of the hideaway, looking around cautiously before motioning for her to follow.

“Sorry we didn’t get your cameras set up.” She stepped out into the walkway. No one was around but the two of them.

“We still got what we wanted.” He glanced at her, a coy, private smile curling across his face that made her blush again. “Mostly.”

“We can go back in there if you want.” She gestured at the alcove, trying to sound playful instead of just eager. “It’s not like any of them would find us.”

“Tempting,” he said, and it was. It really was. But the moment was gone, and they had work to do. “Maybe some other time.”

[greyias]

WIP Project Accountability Post

Since @the-wip-project is doing a 90-day writing project, I thought this might be a good opportunity to keep myself working towards finishing off this piece. (Actually I think I might have a good shot of finishing it if I just keep plugging away). Hopefully it’s not cheating to start in a middle of a project on this particular run 😅

After hitting a particularly bad case of writer’s block/burnout that lasted over a year, I have been slowly easing myself back into writing. Since early December I’ve been experimenting with a form of fast drafting on a canon-divergent SWTOR AU story as a way to see if it can help me finish something. (And give me the impetus to go and finish some older lingering WIPs). My goal is to get a draft done within the 90 days of the challenge, and hopefully not get too distracted by other story ideas.

Details:

Start: February 20, 2022 Finish: May 21, 2022 (90 Days)

Goal: Completed, unedited first draft

Title: Chance Encounters Pairing: F!Jedi Knight/Theron Shan Rating: Teen Summary: Even the smallest change can have large, unseen ripple effects. When Theron Shan books a voyage on the Esseles, he has no idea how a chance encounter with a Jedi Knight will change the course of his life. A canon divergent alternate universe examining what happens when Theron and the Hero of Tython meet much, much sooner.

The Math:

Estimated (Total Project) Word Count: ~20,000 words Estimated 90 Day Word Count: ~12,250 words (8705 already written)

I currently have a complete outline for this, five completed chapters, and a current word count of 8705. I’m currently projecting 12 chapters total, and while the word count has varied a bit wildly, at a rough average of 1750 words per chapter, there’s probably around 12,250 words to go. Split up over 90 days, that’s about 136 words/day.

Knowing my own schedule and energy levels, I know I can’t and won’t necessarily write every single day, but I think less than 15,000 words split up over three months is absolutely doable. Since I for the most part have the story beats mapped out (more than I usually do), this seems like doable goal, one which won’t lead to any burnout.

Slow and steady wins the race, and all that jazz.