#kotfeet

[eorzeashan]

Conspiracy, Pt. 1

How he managed to discover his stint as a traitor early on, Theron didn’t know. 

Leave it up to the ex-Cipher to have skills far beyond his ken or the perception needed to see past his motives as only another Intelligence agent of his caliber could.

Disappointing as it was, Theron remained fully prepared to force his way out of the Alliance if needed; it would only serve his case as a traitor, and he was in too deep to back out now. He might’ve expected this, even. 

“Take me with you.”

What he did not expect Eight to have was the gall to ask him to come with. 

Theron had no intention of endangering someone else on such a risky mission, already excluding the glaring issues of how in Force’s name he’d swing it to the rest of the Order. The Alliance could live without Theron Shan, washed up spy, traitor to the cause, but its Outlander? Absolutely not. 

He flatly refused.

Eight hadn’t so much as budged. Take me with you, he’d repeated with not an ounce of doubt or uncertainty, I need to leave the Alliance. 

Now that had raised Theron’s brows past his hairline. 

They’d argued about it, if one could call quiet tenacity a type of arguing, until Eight interrupted his tirade about how he wasn’t going to smuggle him off Odessen no matter how bad this looked with a stern glance and tilt of his snow capped head towards Theron’s holocom buzzing in his pocket. 

“This is an SIS matter now,” He declared, and the statement knocked the wind out of Theron’s stomach. Their Eight, ever-so Imperial, loyal Eight, …was a double-agent for the Republic. Not that he had any right to call him out for it, being caught red-handed in the middle of traitorous activities.

“By whose authorization?” Theron asked testily.

-/-/-/-/-/-

ODESSEN, PRIVATE ROOM

“This is a surprise,” Theron said, schooling his features back into impenetrable stoicism. “Ardun Kothe.”

“In the flesh,” The former spymaster gave a professional smile- one that didn't reach past the crow’s feet of his wizened eyes. “Or not quite.” He chuckled, the flickering blue holo-figure of his form pacing back and forth in the palm of Theron’s hand. 

Theron observed him with thinly veiled wariness. 

SIS spymaster. Former Jedi. Failed leader of a resistance cell whose movements went mysteriously unchecked and wiped from the system. Theron had been well on his way to joining him in a similar fashion– then Ziost happened. 

All the less to trust the man before him. “So what's this about? I thought the SIS cut ties with me by now, but clearly-” He gesticulated around the bare room, shifting uncomfortably. “-that's not the case.”

Ardun nodded curtly to Eight in the background, who mirrored the same gesture to his former cell leader. He turned back to Theron. “Not a pleasure call, that's for certain.” He gave pause. “I take it you're familiar with the Empire's experiments in brainwashing– says here you've done a bit of work in attaining samples– and you've met our Cipher.”

A knot of unease formed above Theron’s brow. He glanced askance at Eight, who still masked his expression with the same unflappable look he always wore. “...Where are you going with this?” 

“I’m contacting you now because Director Trant believes in you.” Ardun continued, words rolling off the timbre of his steady voice. “Between the two of us, Agent Shan, all this talk of traitors and who’s betraying who- that's all a cover.” 

Theron’s jaw tightened. “It's really not.” The reply came out shorter than intended.

Kothe shrugged. “Maybe so. But can you say you're not acting in the best interests of the Republic even now? That you’ve left your old home behind for good? You're short of allies, and you’ve cut yourself loose. Don’t be afraid to know where help is– where it always was. You'll need it in the coming days. I’m offering you a way back in. Saresh is gone, and Marcus needs your skills back where they belong.”

The help doesn't usually punish me for trying to save lives, but sure, he mused bitterly, recalling Saresh’s interference and grounding of his work. 

So. The SIS was trying to make a back deal now that he’d exonerated himself from Alliance services officially. He couldn't say he didn't miss the Republic or the feeling of being on familiar ground, and he’d be lying if the prospect of returning to his old job and undoing all of the damage Saresh had done during her career didn't spark more than interest in him, but…

Theron fell silent. “No. This is something I have to do on my own.”

Ardun didn't seem surprised. “I understand. The SIS will respect whatever decision you choose, Agent. But this isn't just from the SIS; it comes from inside the house. Whatever you plan to do…we want you to succeed.” 

The old ex-Jedi winked over his shoulder at him. “We’re leaving you with a little favor, off the books and off-record; use it wisely.” Ardun clasped his hands behind his back, gaze flinty and uncompromising. “Keyword: Onomatophobia. Thesh protocol, phase one.”

Behind Theron, Eight fell to one knee. His expression looked like he’d been struck.

Theron whirled around. “Eight–? Whoa, what's wrong?” 

Eight failed to answer him. “Thesh protocol engaged. Shutting down.” He repeated robotically. The light faded from the other agent’s eyes– then nothing. 

“Eight?”

No answer. 

“Hey. Wake up.” He grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. Eight didn't respond, limp in his arms like a lifeless doll. No. This was wrong. He needed to get Lana, Eight was–

Horror dawned on Theron’s features as he took a furtive step back, expression quickly morphing from confusion, to open shock, then finally to white hot anger. 

Eight had repeated Ardun’s words like a pre-programmed droid. Eight wasn't waking up. There was a keyword–

Brainwashing. Brainwashing. That was what he meant. That was what he’d been alluding to this entire time. The cold pit of his stomach opened up to icy bone-cutting dread, and he turned on Ardun with a blazing fury. 

“What have you done, Kothe?!” He shouted, voice echoing off the walls. 

The spymaster only smiled, wan and thin. “He’ll be susceptible to commands after he awakens. Use them wisely,” Ardun reminded him, his holo-figure warping as it lost connection.

“No,” He enunciated, hard and low and angry, “No! Don't you dare hang up- Kothe! KOTHE!” The holocall cut out. Theron yelled, slamming his fist where the holo had been. Crunch. 

His hand came back covered in broken communicator parts. He stared at it, then hung his head. Theron punched the table again, this time much weaker, all the fight having left his body with no one to direct it at it. 

Eight was still asleep, and he was alone, with no help coming and an ever-growing list of betrayals that he’d signed off on. 

“Dammit,” He covered his face with his hands. A slight tremor ran through them. “Damn it all to hell.”

-/-/-/-/-/-

The flight after was filled with stony silence. 

The first words Eight had uttered upon awakening had been “awaiting orders”. 

Theron promptly shut the pilot’s door on him. 

He felt bad about it, sure, but his head felt fit to burst with the conflicting emotions and sheer range of thoughts all coalescing into one throbbing headache that made him want to scream. He thanked the stars he still kept a spare bottle of n’etra gal around, a gift from his father around the time of the Ascendancy Spear, yet he never dreamed he’d be popping it open for reasons like this. 

It took about half of the bottle and their flight time for Theron to feel ready to address the bantha in the room again, and even then he wanted to avoid it like the rakghoul plague. 

Sure enough, on the other side of the cabin door was Eight, a deeply apologetic look on his face, hands fisted in the comforter as he meekly muttered “awaiting orders,” as if that were the only phrase in his vocabulary. 

The spy eyed him with condolences. “So,” Theron sighed, plopping down on the other side of the bed next to him, “How does this work? You can’t do anything until I tell you to, or…” He waved dismissively, letting his hands fall back down to his thighs. 

Eight considered this in deep thought. He shrugged. “Awaiting orders,” Eight said.

“Yeah… I got that part.”

Kothe hadn’t been lying about his instructions at the very least, but Theron wished he had. Gift my ass, he inwardly swore. You stuck both of us with a ticking time bomb and no way to defuse it except to take it far, far away. 

Who knew if Kothe had already pre-programmed Eight all this time to act as an unwilling mole? 

Either way, Theron couldn’t leave him behind in the Alliance. As long as Eight was compromised, he needed to be extracted. Any number of their enemies could take advantage of his fragile mental state, and Theron was not going to hand their best fighter to them on a silver platter… nor would he subject a long-time ally to something so heinous. 

He slid a hand down his unshaved face, half-expecting to feel stress wrinkles forming beneath his fingertips. Eight looked at him with worry across the bed.

This was the SIS’ game: saddle Theron with a liability he couldn’t get rid of so easily, and if he did, completely undermine the Alliance from within with it. Not a bad play, ruining their Outlander like that. 

But Theron wasn’t so easily done in; as far as he was concerned, nothing had changed save for a slight wrinkle in the plan. Vinn Atrius still needed to be stopped, and the Alliance was still in danger. Eight being his unintended and unwilling partner-in-crime didn’t steer them off course, although he had to make some serious adjustments.

He’d just have to wing the part about both of them joining the Order of Zildrog.

“Well, if I have to give you orders…”

-/-/-/-/-/-

NATHEMA

“We had a deal, Theron.” Vinn Atrius’ voice took on an edge– the man himself glared daggers at Theron, as if imagining crushing the other into a flattened pancake beneath his heel. 

“I know, I know, just–” Theron put his hands up placatingly. “Hear me out. He’s on our side. We both didn’t like how the Alliance was being run–”

“What sort of fool do you take me for, Shan?” Vinn hissed, the air around him crackling with suppressed fury. The hairs on Theron’s arm stood on end. “Did you really think I would believe two of the Alliance’s top founders would defect, much less their hunting dog?” He threw a disgusted glare at Eight, who feigned ignorance in the corner of the barren base.

Vinn crowded further into Theron’s space, a hulking mass of boiling rage. “Your arrogance knows no bounds; I should kill the both of you right here and now!” He shouted into the spy’s face, finger stabbing into his chest with each spat syllable. 

“Whoa, whoa, easy there, big guy,” Theron fought to maintain his composure, even as he backed up until his spine met the wall. Vinn’s massive frame loomed over him. “That hunting dog is tired of being under the Alliance’s yoke. You don’t know this, but it wasn’t his decision to fight for them. He owes them his life. Just as he owes me.” 

“And? Am I supposed to be convinced that he won’t slaughter us all in our sleep?” Vinn scowled. “You speak of disillusion, yet this man murdered our Emperor– our entire royal lineage without a second thought.” The knight slammed his fist into the moss-covered wall beside Theron’s head. “He is responsible for all of it!”

“If you want someone to blame, blame Arcann!” Theron rebutted, eyes flashing. He balled his fists. “He’s the one who started all this. The rest of us were caught in the crossfire of your family conflict, remember?” Theron straightened to his full height in the face of Vinn’s rage, unwilling to be cowed. “The Outlander was framed for everything Arcann did, including the assassination of your beloved Emperor. Arcann and the Alliance used him to eliminate their enemies. He has more reason than any of us to be here–!”

“Know your place, fool!” Vinn roared, igniting his polesaber. 

Theron fell silent, realizing he’d gone a step too far. 

“If you remain so intent on proving his innocence…” 

Vinn suddenly faced Eight, who reacted with alarm; the knight formed a claw with his dominant hand and pulled. Eight dug his heels into the ground and resisted, but he was no match for the Force without a shield. He zipped to the knight unceremoniously. 

As soon as he was in reach, Vinn caught him by the wrist and violently yanked it upward. Surprise morphed into one of pain as Vinn hyperextended his arm well above his head, gripping hard enough to bruise. His feet dangled; Atrius was a much larger opponent in both width and height. Even in such a position, Eight withheld a cry of pain, unwilling to give Vinn the satisfaction of sadism. He bared his teeth at the knight. 

Vinn decided he didn’t like the look, and tightened his grip on Eight’s wrist, hard enough to purple the skin. His polesaber ignited beside them with a hum, bathing Eight’s pained expression in a militant blue. Theron’s eyes widened to saucers as Vinn raised his saber hand to strike.

“WAIT!”

Theron hadn’t realized the shout came from his own throat, desperate as it was. 

Vinn’s saber stopped inches away from contact. Eight didn’t move.

“Wait,” He repeated, this time, far hoarser, “You don’t have to hurt him. There’s collateral.” A trickle of sweat rolled down his cheek. 

“Speak,” Vinn said imperiously.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. His eyes met with Eight’s, who appeared as unsteady as he felt. And yet, the other operative must have read his intentions, for the light of understanding entered the void of his gaze. Hesitant, yet barely noticeable, he nodded to Theron.

He wet his parched and cracked lips.

Vinn’s lightsaber still hovered, pulsing with blue light.

“We took...countermeasures. Insurance. There’s…a codeword that ensures obedience.” Vinn frowned, but Theron noticed the gleam of ambition in his gaze. He quickened the pace. “If I tell him not to betray us, he has to obey. He’s not a threat. I promise.” 

Sure enough, Eight hung uselessly in Vinn’s hold, not a hint of hostility to be found. Were this any other situation, the ex-Cipher would have attacked him by now– had Theron not taken that into account.

Perfectly aware of his record for lethality, Theron had briefed him prior to the meeting to let him handle the Order at all costs. Granted, it left the other unable to defend himself, but Eight understood that the matter was too delicate to do it the usual asskicking way, and Theron had been working this case for months. It had sounded like common sense at the time.

Now he slightly regretted that decision, knowing what it sowed.

The fact that he trusted him still even at the current threat of injury…Theron had to spare him any amount of suffering. Yet sharing the secret of Eight’s susceptibility was playing exactly into their hands, and he didn’t know how to stop the sinking feeling that he was trading one evil for another, staining his tarnished record black– except it would be Eight paying the price, not him. His skin turned clammy.

“A codeword,” Vinn echoed, almost reverent. He de-ignited his polesaber.  “How very like you outlanders, to be as backstabbing and manipulative as you claim.”

“Yeah.” Theron pressed his lips together into a thin, bloodless line. “So let go of him.”

The Zakuulan arched an unimpressed brow.

“Please.” He added, quieter.

Vinn examined Eight with a newfound curiosity, then released him from his grasp. 

Eight rubbed his wrist and glanced upwards at Vinn with a mixed expression. Theron didn’t let him entertain any vengeful thoughts of violence, as much as he himself wanted to blast Vinn to bits. He lunged forward and yanked the other spy to his side well out of Vinn’s reach. The knight’s eyes tracked him all the way behind Theron.

“If we’re done chopping arms off, can we get back to business?” Theron asked tentatively, hiding the sheer discomfort he felt lingering in the air like a caustic smog. His fingers tapped nervously on Eight’s wrist, still holding onto where Vinn had squeezed dark bruising into his skin. 

Eight peered warily over his shoulder at the Zakuulan knight, though Theron could feel his eyes boring a questioning look into his back every few glances. 

Vinn Atrius folded his impressive arms over his chestplate. “...Very well.” He turned with a dramatic swish of his cape. “The Adegan crystals. You know what to do.” 

“They’re yours,” Theron answered all-too quickly, wanting nothing more than to put a close to this disastrous meeting. 

“One last thing, Shan.”

“One last–?” 

“Leave the Outlander here.”

Theron tensed. “No.”

“I am not so foolish as to allow both of you in the field. He will be monitored.” Vinn stared at him with disdain through his nose. Theron glared back. 

Vinn scoffed. “It’s that or the codeword. Unlike you savage outlanders, I can spare your friend the humiliation of what Lady Vaylin suffered–” He looked balefully upon Eight. “--though he deserves it. Make your priorities clear, Theron, or I’ll make all your decisions for you and him.”

Theron floundered for a mental foothold. A thousand bad scenarios raced through his mind. Neither of these were options, they were ultimatums. Ones he had no control over, no guarantee of safety. Leaving Eight alone with the enemy was tantamount to killing him with his own hands. Giving him the codeword even moreso. 

Atrius tapped his foot impatiently.

He doubted his intentions enough as it was, but Theron couldn’t give him leverage. A hostage, of all things. Who was playing who? Now Theron was caught by the tail in both the Order and the SIS. There was no winning if he agreed. Yet the longer he let hesitation take hold, the more he could sense the suspicion growing from the former Horizon Guard, who looked ready to take Eight away from him by force any second now. 

A sharp tug on his sleeve pulled him out of his anxiety-riddled thoughts. Eight wore a non-expression that gave little away, irises as dark as the black sand beaches of Rishi. 

Theron’s brows steepled quizzically. He felt his heart rate lowering looking at the serene canvas that Eight’s countenance was. Always unflappable, calm, strong. How many times had they come to rely on his detachedness? His ability to face any threat with nigh a hint of fear in him? His eternal resilience, with the scars to prove it?

Theron gripped his chest. The fabric crumpled between his fingers. He’d promised him he wouldn’t have to bear their burdens anymore, and he was already failing.

Eight let the silence hang between them until the panic in Theron’s chest subsided to a dull ache. Then, like a gust of fresh wind clearing the unbreathable miasma from the air, he spoke. 

“It’s alright.” He released his sleeve. “I can stay.”

Theron blinked at him, not comprehending. He shook his head vigorously. “I can’t let you-”

“He’s made his decision,” Vinn brusquely interrupted, muscling between them. Theron was shoved aside, tripping backwards on his heels as Vinn obscured Eight behind the curtain of his humongous cape.  “Now make yours.” He glowered. “I have no time for dogs who come to lick the scraps from my heels.” 

Theron grit his teeth. They ground against each other. He felt like a wounded hound who’d just been thrown out of the ring after a knockout. Screw you, asshole. 

“Wait. Just… let me say goodbye, at least.” He said quickly, clinging to the last chance they’d have at communication. 

The corner of Vinn’s lip curled upwards. Theron took his lack of objection as a yes. 

He scrambled to remove his jacket, internally apologizing to Eight for not washing it sooner and praying that it didn’t smell too bad. Eight’s gaze was bright and curious as Theron draped the classic red jacket over his shoulders.

“Keep it with you,” Theron ordered, hand stopping to rest over the familiar worn leather that now rested on Eight’s smaller frame, “Whatever you do, don’t lose it. Okay?”

Eight seemed to get the memo. He nodded, short and sharp.

Theron gave him a small pat, hand hovering for a moment before falling to his side. He stepped back. 

He was sure Eight was lost on why Theron was fawning over him like a lover– they were never what one could call “close” in the first place, and anything between them was more business than personal. Even the few moments they shared as partners in crime were distant at best, and Theron wasn’t going to lie about the emotional unavailability of their relationship. 

But staring at Eight now, he mostly felt regret. He knew next to nothing still about the ex-Imperial. Even yelled at him a couple times for actions he didn’t approve of (which he wished he could rescind, as Eight no longer ambushed his quieter moments out of mischief and had taken to interacting with him purely out of necessity after). But that didn’t mean he wanted the last time he ever saw him alive to be…like this. Theron drooped. 

No one had ever asked Eight’s reasons for fighting for them as their Outlander, him included. Turned out it wasn’t fair of them to ask everything of one person and give nothing in return but scathing remarks and more demands for the sake of their own lofty ideals.

When Eight killed the royal family of Zakuul, finally did the dirty deed and shed blood in their name, no one had been there. They’d turned their backs on him. A little bit of darkness, and the Alliance abandoned him completely in order to keep their shiny coats clean.

He had been their scapegoat, their hero, their alibi, and their sacrificial lamb all in one. 

Theron couldn’t even call him a friend. 

“We will contact you as soon as you have the crystals. Be ready by sundown.” Vinn carelessly tossed him a burner holocomm. “But know this: make one wrong move, and you forfeit your friend’s freedom. Betray us, and it will be his life. Is that clear?” Vinn’s voice was low, simmering with the threat. Eight, still in his grasp, flicked his uncertain gaze to the SIS agent. 

“...I understand.” He flexed his hands reflexively, wanting to act, do more than gawk like a moron while Vinn had his way. 

Vinn hauled Eight away by the bicep, the other forced to stumble awkwardly along due to the sheer height difference. He stopped just outside the entryway to the temporary hideout. “See that you do, Shan.” Eight’s pitying look followed him all the way until he and Atrius disappeared around the corner. Yet Vinn’s arrogant voice floated to him until they were out of earshot, ringing hollowly in his ears. “...See that you do.”

-/-/-/-/-/-

UMBARA

“The traitor’s just beyond that door.” 

Lana doggedly marched ahead of Theron, anticipation and eagerness rolling off her demeanor. 

Theron performed a simple sweep, carefully stalking behind the vulnerability of her open back. He had a wider area to cover today given the noticeable absence of their mutual friend, who ordinarily would be taking point adjacent to him. At the thought of Eight, a wrinkle formed in Theron’s brow.

Lana had chalked his missing status up to wanderlust, though it sparked no end to muttered threats about what an earful she would give him on his return. 

Theron knew better; Eight’s eccentric habits made it easy to spin a white lie about his whereabouts. The ex-Cipher had a tendency to avoid the Alliance and its “menial” tasks on his off-days, but as a result, made it difficult to locate him in order to avoid being saddled with the bureaucratic duties he and Lana shared simply because he had “no talent” for it, and only came into the base to head missions more relevant to his skills.

Ones that involved gratuitous amounts of violence, mostly. Any work past the bare listed minimum had Eight disappearing the moment their back was turned. Theron wished he could do that with his paperwork, but alas, he was not afforded such special treatment. 

“It’s as if he’s purposefully making our lives difficult,” Lana had thrown up her hands in frustration, paperwork scattering in the air as she slumped backwards in her chair when he gave her the news. “Just… tell me when he gets back. And no more of his excuses, do you hear me?”

It was almost cruel to obfuscate the truth from her.

The opening hiss of a pneumatic door signaled to him the trap was laid; Lana stepped inside, aghast. She lowered her lightsaber, glancing around the empty car with a muddled look on her ordinarily composed face. Not a soul inside. Her confident bloodlust dissipated into thin air, and with it, her only lead. The quarry was…gone?

“What-?” She asked aloud, failing to notice the traitor inching forward at her back.

It took a split-second. The Force screamed at her. She reacted, drawing her lightsaber in an instant. The blaster bolt deflected off the crimson edge and back at her attacker–

“Theron?!” She cried out, disbelieving. Yet she could only confirm the sordid truth as rayshielded walls fell around her, the blaster bolt dissipating uselessly against it. Theron Shan, her trusted ally turned traitor. Her golden eyes fell to the smoking blaster in his hand, pointed straight ahead. Her face fell. He’d attempted to shoot her. In the back. 

She forced down the humiliation that welled up in her for falling for something so obvious, even as he stared at her from the other side of the rayshield with a grim expression, his aura tainted with a nebulous feeling that twisted and roiled in the Force. 

How could he–? After all they’d been through…no, no– this made no sense. Lana controlled her breathing. She knew Theron. 

She needed an explanation, and she needed one now. 

“What in the blazes are you doing?” Lana hissed at him, saber thrumming with the anger that pulsed in her chest like a fractured kyber heart. Her tone bordered on electric, dancing with the imminent danger of her withheld wrath. 

Theron sighed and lowered his blaster. “Stalling you,” He explained, as if faced with an unsavory chore. “I’m sorry, Lana. I should’ve done this long ago. It’s past time we ended this.” He set his wrist comp’s internal clock. “In a few minutes, this train will collide with the side of the mountain, and I’ll be gone. For what it’s worth…” His expression grew sympathetic. “It's been an honor to fight by your side.” 

Lana stuttered. “I don’t– I don’t understand.” Hurt colored her pallid cheeks. “Theron, tell me what’s going on. We can talk about this.” 

Theron appeared pained at her words. He looked away, shifting uncomfortably. When he lifted his eyes to meet hers again, they were filled with an uncountable tiredness to them that Lana had not seen before. “...The Alliance, Lana. We can’t do this anymore. It has to end. That starts,” He narrowed his embittered eyes, “with you.”

Theron took Lana’s speechlessness as a cue to continue, a sudden zeal replacing the deep melancholy that had previously dominated his features. His tone picked up. 

“Our goal was Zakuul, but now that the real threat is gone, we’ve lost sight of who we are–and that isn’t the next galactic superpower.” He paced in front of her, the angry red of the rayshield casting him in a harsher light than Lana had ever seen before. “I won’t stand by and watch it turn into the next Empire, Lana. We’ve sacrificed too much to go on like this, and if the Alliance is another tool for grinding good men and women into dust…then it needs to be torn down.” 

“That’s not-”

“And with the way things are going, we’re destined to return to the status quo by the next cycle.” Theron pierced her with his steely gaze. “Am I wrong?”

Lana froze, grip tightening on the hilt of her uselessly hanging blade. Theron’s eyes bore into hers. She could sense no regret, no point of return from his words. Yet the longer he spoke, the colder the tendrils of despair seemed to become, winding themselves around her veins, chilling her to the bone with this sinking feeling. Betrayal. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lana tried, failing to understand. For all her eloquence, in this moment she was truly at a loss for words. It was as if her tongue weighed duracrete, locked down by an invisible force that choked her very lungs. 

Lana Beniko had never been trusting in the traditional sense, but it was Theron whom she shared more than one battle with. More than one war with. She’d thought…

Theron’s eyes widened, then lowered. “I…” He turned away, facing his back to her. Lana could see the visible slump in his broad shoulders, the way they hung like he carried the weight of the world. 

She’d seen that same back working tirelessly on those nights when they burned the midnight oil together monitoring operations, Lana’s other bastion within the Alliance besides Koth and their errant swordsman, the one who had brought them together in the first place. The irony was almost laughable. 

Theron a traitor, Eight a distant specter in their Alliance, and herself, saddled with the immeasurable burden of leadership…their little group was falling apart by the seams. 

Perhaps that was her own fault, for trusting them through shared history alone. How could she have been so foolish to assume they were anything but enemies waiting for their chance to strike once the specter of Zakuul had been removed? 

It was then Lana realized she’d overlooked a vital detail. A huge, glaring mistake, that she should have noticed sooner. 

“Theron,” She spoke slowly, hesitantly, yet impossible to ignore with its underlying edge,  “Where is Eight?”

[drakenguh]

Main Post

A blog for SWTOR fanfiction rb'ed from my main. Read main's SWTOR post for in-depth list of ships and OCs. Features mature themes unsuitable for minors.

Intelligence/Cipher-centric.

Main Blog

Ao3

[avame]

an assortment of agents

[vespertine-legacy]

brb gonna put the “Koth’s Kindred” title on all of my toons

[kissingwookiees]

taking rp so seriously in swtor that i have to hit the escape key in the middle of an ongoing conversation bc ‘THEY WOULDNT SAY THAT’

[voidendron]

1, 10, 18, 21 for the swtor ask? --darth-bagel says hi, i saw your ask, sadly at 2 am so ill get it it now✨

[SWTOR Player Asks]

haha, thanks Bagel! 💚💜

1. How many characters do you have?

On just Star Forge, my main server, I've got 34. The others have anything from like 2, to 22 is my second-largest server. I don't play my non-SF ones much, though.

10. Favorite love interest?

Hmm... For vanilla, I think I have to say... Maybe Felix. I enjoyed his romance, but kinda bummed you don't get him til so late into the story. I also love Torian, but I think Felix wins for that cheek-kiss on Corellia I about died when he did that it was so sweet. However, I haven't done/finished many of the vanilla romances, so my pool to pick from is pretty small.

Expansions... I think I've gotta say Theron.

Of any of my OC/Canon ships, Lina/Felix and Xaerez/Theron are easily my favorites.

18. Which achievement(s) are you most proud of?

Soloing master mode KOTFE/ET on a sniper is still one of my proudest achievements, and it was over a year ago, now akdl;jskl. Some of the fights were horrible without a 60sec stun, easy kiting, or good self-heals, which just makes me even prouder of it.

and Run for the Shadows final boss? Over four hours. I was running on sheer anger and stubbornness by the end of it and wanted to cry when the cutscene triggered to tell me I'd finally finally won. Like legit, I think I gasped out loud when I realized I'd finished the fight, alive, and could finally move on. imo that was the hardest fight in ALL of KOTFE/ET, and managing it by myself?

...never again, though. Probably.

21. Which player ship is your favorite?

Agent's, hands-down. It's such a beautiful ship, and definitely fits the vibe.

Bounty Hunter's comes in second, though. It looks lived in, and it's such a bizarre layout I love it haha. My main BH lovingly named hers the Rust Bucket and it's her baby.

[anchanted-one]

Koth Vortena Theories

I think it's well-known by now that I'm a massive Lana Beniko fan. But one character I don't talk much about as much, though I like him a lot as well, is Koth Vortena, arguably one of the biggest missed opportunities of SWTOR.

This is going to be a big post about Koth Vortena, unsung hero of Zakuul.

Apologies for the bad drawing.

So here's what little we know about Koth.

He's against harming civilians. To the point he'll walk away from leaders he finds too cruel and/or tyrannical. Sort of resolved in the game. His loyalty increases over time if you're Light, and evaporates if Dark.

Like most Zakuulans not in the know, he is a devotee of Valkorion. This is never resolved.

He has a conflict with Senya that goes nowhere. She cryptically tells you to keep an eye on him, as he has already betrayed one master. But this warning is only relevant in the most obvious way (see point 1). A Lightsider wouldn't have to worry at all. Not to mention, Senya is also a defector. So we don't know where her venom comes from. Her accusation that Koth abandoned his post flies in the face of her later statement that the Knights of Zakuul should've rebelled once Arcann slaughtered the Scions (who are way more legitimate targets than the civilians of Denon)

He is still loyal to Zakuul itself. If you are Lightsided (i.e. he stays with you past KOTFE) he is the only one who advocates for Zakuul. Even Arcann and Senya don't.

All of these paint a rather incomplete story.

I know KOTFEET got more rushed as time went on, but Koth's story is the one that stands as the most obviously abandoned.

The biggest nonresolution is his devotion to Valky. And by extension, the Eternal Empire's adherence to Valkorionism. The citizens of Zakuul still believe in Valk by the end of KOTET, and we have no reason to believe that they're any closer to figuring out the truth.

I recall that in cut content, there was a discarded accusation from Senya about his ambitions. We also know that KOTFEET was supposed to be a three-parter, with Arcann being the big bad for KOTFE, Vaylin for KOTET, and Valk for Part III (KOTIE? KOT Immortal Emperor?).

One theory I had was that Koth might have become a new host for Valkorion at the end of KOTET. Willingly or otherwise, perhaps depending on player choices. And that perhaps his eyes would be opened at the end of III, which would end in an Echoes of Oblivion-esque way.

The second theory is related to another piece of cut dialogue, this one from Vaylin. She tells Arcann "Thexan isn't our only sibling," or something similar. Now, the obvious implication is that the Player Character is this mysterious missing sibling, but after a quick look at this reddit post's summary, I had a different theory. A very tinfoily theory.

(Quick summary: this post compares the Imperial family to the Zakuulan pantheon. Valk is Izax, Senya is Scyva, Arcann is Esne, Vaylin is Tyth, and Thexan is Aivela. Which leaves Nahut, the god of apathy or the hated son)

Maybe that other sibling--or half-sibling, per my tinfoil hat theory--was Koth Vortena. I don't know if it was confirmed that it was the Outlander for sure, but this kinda clashes with the roleplaying aspect of the game. And the species. Our player character is definitely not a hybrid.

Maybe at some point, Valkorion had another mistress who bore him another son, but who got exiled with him for some unknown offense. Possibly, before the twins were born, as Koth appears to be a bit older than Arcann.

Reasons why I was thinking about this now.

He is the only other major Zakuulan we frequently interact with. While it still makes sense that he's an ordinary guy, it could've also meant that he was going to play a significant role in the future of Zakuul.

Senya's dislike of Koth would be a little more understandable if she always saw him as a threat to her own children's legitimacy, and couldn't let go of it even after all this time. It also goes with her accusation about his ambition. Koth might not know about his parentage, as his in-game reason for hating Senya totally makes sense. She was Arcann's loyal Knight who hunted him and his crew, and nearly killed them on at least a few occasions. But then, he might just as easily resent her for believing that she was the reason why his mother was cast aside, even if she had nothing to do with it.

Again, his unflinching loyalty to Zakuul no matter its inner darkness. His continued mission to keep it safe, even after KOTFEET. He is an excellent candidate for the new leader (emperor/king) of Zakuul, had it not been instead given to... who's that other guy? Doesn't matter.

This theory actually goes well with the 'Maybe Koth was meant to be Valkorion's new vessel' angle.

Combining both theories, here's what Koth's originally intended story might have been like, but got cut because it was seen as racist.

Despite the obvious problems in this story, I feel like this would've had a more complete arc for Koth, and allowed him to have a story of his own that wasn't relegated to the background.

Koth would become a contender for the Eternal Throne after proving his lineage.

He helps the Alliance overthrow Arcann and Vaylin, but perhaps in a more prominent leadership role. Zakuulans disaffected with Arcann would flock to his banner.

He is approached by Valkorion, who manages to escape the Outlander's body.

Koth accepts--perhaps reluctantly--to serve as his vessel. He is still loyal, after all. Perhaps he might request Valkorion not to destroy an Outlander he's grown fond of (and Lana.)

Inside Valkorion's psyche, he gets horrified, finally seeing the man for what he really is. The revitalized Immortal Emperor may be openly harsh and cruel, even to the people of Zakuul, which might be the reason why they also lose their faith in him. Or the Alliance could find proof revealing his true nature.

Inside his own head, Koth helps the Alliance (who at this time might include OL, Lana, Theron, Scourge, Kira, Satele, Marr, Revan, the Exile, the Tiralls, and maybe even others like Dramath) fight and slay Tenebrae/Vitiate/Valkorion. He might survive, or not. If he does, he's the new Emperor of Zakuul, but with only a small portion its once endless fleet. (Perhaps the Alliance was forced to sacrifice the Gravestone to bring it to this state. But there are enough ships left that the Pub and Imp decide not to tangle with them)

I would like you guys' opinions on this!

[ospreyeamon]

lana, theron, and prescience

One of Lana’s letters says Arkous felt a connection form between her and the player upon the moment of their meeting. Lana confirms it in the optional Rishi romance scene; “It’s like when we first met. I knew our fates were going to be intertwined completely”. It is implied that a similar bond springs into being when Lana encounters a Pub-side player – though Lana is less candid about it as they are loyal to opposing factions – but also that the same thing happened to her with Theron, offscreen on Maanan.

It’s not like the Force says 💛One True Work Husband💛 upon meeting Theron any more than it says ❤️Great Love Of Your Life❤️ or 💙Captain My Captain💙 or 💚Tea Buddy💚 about the player character. It’s just … this one. This one is important, pay attention. A whisper of future knowing without whys or whens or hows.

Nothing that Lana couldn’t ignore, if she chose to, but Lana trusts in the feelings she gets from the Force. She’s the one who reaches out to Theron initially, on Maanan. (Theron tells a Pub-side player that he’s received a message; Lana says that she senses the presence of a potential ally.)

On Ziost, after their original alliance has ended and while Theron is still nursing sore feelings about being trustfall dropped on Rishi, Lana seeks him out again. When the Republic and Empire have both surrendered to Zakuul and everything has gone to hell, Lana calls Theron up to join her seedling rebellion.

Much later, during the mess with the Order of Zildrog, we get to see Lana in murderous overcorrection mode. Theron was maybe the only person other than the Commander and herself who she didn’t suspect of being the mole. Even after he shoots her, Lana’s traitorous instincts are still telling her that traitorous Theron isn’t a traitor and Lana is so angry about that.

(Theron’s optional death on Nathema is something I’m inclined to write off as an unrealistic product of KotFEET’s delusion that “meaningful player choice” is providing endless opportunities to kill companion characters. Lana is stubborn and self-assured and has repeatedly blown past the player character’s objections to take what she believes is the best course of action; investigating Arkous even if you tell her not to, continuing to work with Theron even if you say it’s a bad idea, putting you in charge of the Alliance even if you don’t want it. Dragging Theron back to the shuttle with her regardless of the Commander’s objections would have been more in keeping with her character than abandoning him to die solely on their say-so.)

From my understanding, a Force bond is the manifestation within the Force of a connection that exists independently of it. Even artificially constructed bonds rather than spontaneous natural ones; after all, you wouldn’t make the decision to intentionally tie yourself to a person you had no connection with. Where things get weird is when Force precognition is added into the mix. You’re not tied to this person yet but in the kaleidoscope of the future there are a thousand possibilities where you will be. When you meet, the presence of what might be is so overwhelming that in the Force it can almost feel like what is.

Which is kind of awkward when one of your destined people turns out to be from the Republic. And also Force-blind so he has no idea what’s happened. And you let him get captured by Revanites and he takes it as a betrayal even though you didn’t mean it as one because you were certain he would survive.

Force bonds and precinct awareness aren’t necessarily markers of a positive relationship. If a person is liable to become your great nemesis whose life you will destroy as you destroy theirs before you die together with your hands around each other’s throats on a crashing ship like you’re the deuteragonists of an opera, obviously they will ping as someone of significant future import.

Theron registers to Lana as an ally, though, before they’ve even met. How could that not influence her behaviour? Lana doesn’t tell him because not being able to feel their connection means that he’s not affected by it in the way she is and because the knowing is an edge she has over him. Even though they have their little personal alliance, they still try to score over each other when the opportunity to aid the Empire at the expense of the Republic or vice versa presents itself. It’s just jostling though. Lana knows that Theron is Special and Important (and Hers). Imperial values hold that you must never hesitate to sacrifice people for the greater good of the Empire but Theron is much too Special and Important to justify loosing for any short-term gain. Theron is Lana’s Force-marked ally which makes him more useful to the Empire alive than dead.

But holding back to allow the Revanite’s to capture Theron isn’t sacrificing him because Theron will survive. Lana knows he’s been trained to resist integration, knows he’s been caught before and managed to turn the tables on those holding him. Either Theron will escape or Lana and their other allies will come for him. Lana would never truly abandon Theron unless forced to choose between him and the Empire; this is just her seizing the opportunity that has presented itself to them.

Theron doesn’t understand that though. Theron can’t feel the connection that marks him as Special and Important. He doesn’t know about the bond because Lana very intentionally failed to tell him, so he assumes that Lana was fully prepared to let him die. That Lana would be prepared to allow someone who was Special and Important (and Hers) to be tortured on short notice isn’t something that occurs to him. And that realisation is distressing for Lana because, even though she’s too proud and wary to admit it to Theron, she misjudged the consequences of her actions. She didn’t intend to break his trust in her. It’s important to Lana that Theron trust her because she trusts Theron.

(She doesn’t want them to die together as enemies on a ship crashing into an ocean moon. It may be terribly romantic in operas but in real life it’s just straight up terrible.)

[alackofghosts]

feeling strangely melodramatic about it but the realisation that i'm really kinda done with swtor hit me like a truck this morning. not just in a oh i've got this on the backburner for now, i'll get back to it some day :) way, but really Done. even after years of trying, i'm clearly incapable of getting past kotfeet (because i hate the story so much) and between having finished all the base game storylines and being Unable to get into group content to spice up my game experience, there's... nothing left for me to do

[geno-haradan]

What are your Top 3 controversial Swtor opinions?

sorry I didn't mean to forget about this for so long!!

I don't think any of these are all that controversial but here you go:

Bounty Hunter story is the best!

(yes it's my favorite, and yes it's the first story I completed, and yes it's the only story I've completed multiple times)

For everyone who complains about how non-force-users are weird in later expansions, you are right about that at some points, but I also like poking at the idea of someone who is put in charge mostly as a right place right time kind of thing, and continues going on with it because they feel like the owe it to others. (Though depending on how you look at it, it could easily be "wrong time wrong place"!)

2. The force-user stories are kind of boring.

This is probably a me thing, I just struggle to get into the stories. I'll pick them up for a bit and then put them back down and forget about it. I think it's mostly due to how much I really focused on the Bounty Hunter story, and I just don't get the others as much. I've seen people do really interesting things with the force user stories and I like all their little guys so much, but I just haven't created a Jedi/Sith character that really scratches my brain the way I want.

(I struggle especially with creating an interesting Jedi Knight character, sorry to all those Knight characters that never made it past level 10, that's my bad)

3. The little mouse droid portions of whatever KOTFEET expansion are actually kind of fun, even if they do piss me off whenever I have to play through them and keep fucking it up. I like how it switches things up a little bit. Mouse droids are also just funny little guys so they get a pass.

[plotbunny-bundle]

When valkorion/viaite not ghost “talks” (Arcann, Senya,) do they see the ghost or is he talking with your month?

[eorzeashan]

k I get to talk about traitor fic pt 1 now cuz enough time has passed (admin it's been like a day) but anyways.

Theron being unwillingly complicit in giving Eight to the Order of Zildrog as a hostage is a parallel to how Lana let him get captured in SoR, but reversed bc I like situational irony, and Theron's weird status as a spy who can't compromise his ideals makes it so he lands in hot water when he makes his weaknesses to obvious, and in this case he can't choose between the life of an ally and maintaining his cover. Eight, however is used to being a pawn, so he makes it for him. Not that there was a choice in the first place, and Theron experiences the anxiety of being thrust into a decision-making role that affects people other than him, as the narrative of KOTXX originally doesn't let him or Lana experience since they're relegated to advisors who rely on the Commander to decide everything and the Commander to experience all those consequences while they have no agency besides expressing agreement or disagreement.

In this case, both he and Lana now are leaders, but Theron is not used to having to bargain with lives and makes the wrong calls repeatedly, as well as being manipulated by other factions who are ahead of him in the spy game. Both he and Eight re-experience being pulled in multiple directions and used by intelligence agencies as mere stepping stones again the minute they leave the safety of the Alliance, but Eight never stopped being used even by the Alliance itself and Theron only starts to come to terms with that knowledge when they're on their own. Then, there's Lana who is the acting Commander here since Eight is unable to fill a leadership role of any kind who is betrayed by Theron and realizes she has misunderstood their relationships entirely, as she was blindsided by the need to be "saved", as she put it in Eight's KOTXX playthrough. Not only that, her role as a leader made it so she now viewed her close companions as resources (again) though she was largely unaware of the rift that formed. But just because someone suffers the same history and works under you doesn't mean you're close in any personal way, and that's a fact she horribly awakens to. Also, Rishi callbacks again.

Vinn Atrius has always been a point of interest to me though he doesn't show much in the actual game's Traitor Arc besides being pissed for shallow reasons, so I'm trying to both keep his character while expanding on it. I also keep thinking he's way bigger than he actually is because of the way his armor makes his beefy rippling biceps look massive, so that entered my writing of him as well. Arms... He strikes me as somewhere between honorable and so disgusted by outlanders that he circles back to that occasionally, but he was Vaylin's personal guard and I like to imagine he had a strong loyalty for her.

I meant to write an extra scene at the end of the chapter where he and Eight have a stiff talk where he stashes him behind a rayshield cell, but the framing makes it look like he's the one imprisoned which reflects how he's trapped in his insular and petty revenge plot that-- *is dragged offstage* buuuuuut I'll get to that next time. Also even MORE parallels to Eight's trapped status and Lana confronting Theron in a similar place but also "only one who can under me is my enemy" Malgus talk and- ok that's it thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.

[oakstar519]

i promised y'all i'd show you her new outfit and then i forgot

[gr-74]

half my problem with ffxiv outside of being turbo stressed every time i play is probably the fact that i make a new toon every time i pick it up again but like.  i cant remember the story or anything.  i could just watch a recap but i hate doing that, its a video game, i want to play the game.  so i must continue making alts in one of the most alt-unfriendly games ive ever played.  which is fine bc i like the story and its fun.  but my god

[kissingwookiees]

anyways the swoop bike event started and i gotta go do that with cavalry since thats his thing now that ive gotten most of what i want from the nightlife event

[voidendron]

After seeing Ro and Rhekke's experiences with master mode KOTFE/ET, I've decided to try it myself! I started...I think around the beginning of last month? Somewhere around there, and I've been doing a few chapters here and there since (three left, then I'm done! Not looking forward to Vaylin or Valkie final fights tho)

I've noticed KOTET seems to have the much harder fights - my repair bills have probably added up to a mil+ just from ET

Some fights have been terrible, others were pretty disappointing

I'll probably make a separate post when I have internet again with tips for handling some of the fights, but for now I'll leave it at this:

On virulence sniper, 306 established foothold gear with all-gold periodic intensity amps, defense mods, influence 50 companions for most of the forced comps, and UV blast tactical for most encounters because of kiting...

Hardest fights imo were both GenoHaradan fights in Run for the Shadows (final fight so far is top spot for worst MM one), the purifier droid ambush in the """"safe"""" room on Iokath after meeting back up with all your comps, Horizon Guard fight with Arcann after Vaylin's party, the Voss temple ambush in the first KOTET chapter, the two Overwatch Hunter adds in Kaliyo's chapter, and the Hescal fight on Asylum

The disappointing fights? Overwatch security chief dude whatever his name is, the big droid on Iokath that you pilot after defeating it, Arcann fight on his being-destroyed ship (still a challenge, but felt more like it should've been vet mode), and ARIES on Iokath

Some of the hard fights would've gone a lot better with a 60 sec stun, so being on a turret class with no stuns and limited self heals has been rough. Still need Nathema, Battle of Odessen, and Valkie fight chapters, so we'll see how those go when I've got internet back

Some of the fights I was reallllly tempted to ask for help, but stubbornness prevails! Sjdjfhf