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swtorpadawan · 3 years

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Secret Messages

Author’s Note: The following story takes place sometime between chapters 13 and 16 of “Knights of the Fallen Empire”.

“That will be all everyone. Thank you.” Corellan Halcyon, the Alliance Commander concluded the meeting with the assembled command staff in the main conference room in the operations wing.

Vette gathered up her data pads. In less than two weeks, she’d made a place for herself here on Odessen. The skills she’d developed years ago as part of Kael’s old crew had netted her the position of communications specialist, which meant she had the chance to see the inner workings of the Alliance’s command structure first-hand. Indeed, Vette was one of only two aides present – the other being the Commander’s little AstroMech droid, Teeseven. Given that the Alliance was only a few months old, and that it was essentially a “motley” collection of defectors from the Republic, the Sith Empire, Zakuul and various other factions throughout the galaxy, she found it very impressive. The people here were motivated; despite their differences, everyone wanted to take down the Eternal Throne, and incredibly, everyone seemed to trust that the ‘infamous Outlander’, this former Jedi Master, would be the one to do it.

After seeing him in action on Vandin, Vette found that she was starting to believe it, too.

As people made their way towards the exit – led by Doctor Oggurobb (how the heck could any Hutt possibly move that fast?) – the Commander looked over at her.

“Oh, Vette. Do you have a minute?”

Vette blinked, surprised that the Commander – Corellan, he’d asked to be called while in private – would call on her. She nodded over to him in acknowledgement, feeling a brief upswell of anxiety as she waited for the others to clear out. She knew perfectly well that the feeling was a legacy of having been enslaved twice in her life but knowing that didn’t ease her nerves.

Which was funny. The Commander was entirely different than anyone else she’d worked with. He was barely older than she was, but she looked up to him. Honestly, Corellan Halcyon was one of the nicest people she’d ever met. He never got angry or even raised his voice with anyone and whatever frustration he experienced only seemed to manifest as steely resolve. She’d have thought – having watched Kael in action years ago – that all this would have made for a weak leader.

It didn’t. If anything, it just made people not want to disappoint him.

So for a moment, Vette felt nervous that she’d somehow disappointed him.

Weird that I thought he’d be like Quinn. she mused to herself. The stick-up-his-ass Imperial officer had been the most repressed man Vette had ever met. More than once, she’d speculated aloud that Quinn could have made a good Jedi had he been a Force-sensitive born in the Republic. This had proven an excellent way to antagonize him, which, of course, only encouraged Vette.

Good times.

As the room emptied save for herself, Corellan and Teeseven, Vette made her way over to him, clutching her datapads. He’d been standing at the middle of the table during the meeting while Lana Beniko and Theron Shan sat at his right, with Teeseven at his left. Come to think of it, he was the only person in the room who’d remained standing during the entire meeting. His place at the table didn’t even have a chair.

Weird.

“Uhm. Is there a problem with the communiques, Commander?”

Corellan, who had been looking down at his own datapad, turned towards her.

“Hmm? Oh, no. Not at all, Vette. You’ve been doing excellent work.” He smiled at her reassuringly. “I’m glad you chose to stay with us.”

Vette exhaled in relief, not realizing she’d been holding her breath.

“Great. Great. Thanks. So… uhm. You wanted to talk?”

“Right. Its rather awkward.” Corellan turned to look down at Teeseven. “Tee, can you load that message from yesterday?”

Teeseven beeped his approval, apparently requiring no more clarification than that. A second later, the Commander’s data pad chimed. He pressed a button.

“So I received this direct message in error. It’s probably related to the new directory security system Theron just setup. But it was apparently intended for you.”

He handed the pad over to Vette who looked down at the text.

From: Avus Dayne

Subject: My blue flower

Vette,

You don’t know me, but I’m a pilot with the Alliance fleet. I noticed you the second you stepped on Odessen, and I've been watching you from afar ever since.

Sorry, that's creepy, isn't it?

Anyway, I wrote a poem:

‘My flower of blue,

I pine for you.

Your laugh is so cute,

And your head tentacle things are also cute.’

It needs work. But the point is, I think you're pretty and I was wondering if you want to get a drink together.

If you don't, tell me and I'll leave you alone forever.

Avus (that's my name)

“Uhm. Wow.” Vette felt her cheeks turn faintly purple with a blush.

She was embarrassed. Part of her wondered if she should be offended. It was just a little creepy, sending someone a message – much less a poem! – out of the blue like that. Then again, Vette had met more than her share of real creeps over the course of her life. She didn’t get that sort of vibe from this letter.

The Commander waited a beat before continuing.

“Now this is none of my business, you understand.” Corellan added, his voice amicable. “I’m only talking to you now because the message was addressed to you, so I felt you deserved to see it.” He paused. “He did send me a follow-up message, that I’m willing to share with you, but only if you’re interested.” Corellan glanced down at the pad. “Just click the ‘Next Message’ button.”

Vette pursed her lips for a second, chewing that over, then overcome by curiosity she finally tapped the pad.

From: Avus Dayne

Subject: DO NOT READ PREVIOUS MESSAGE

My sincerest apologies, Commander. That message was not intended for you. Please delete it without opening.

But if you did read it... Do you think I have a shot?

Vette chuckled at the words, taken with the awkwardness of this guy. The messages were ridiculous, but at the same time, they were so earnest, too.

“Huh.” She finally said.

Corellan regarded her for another second, giving her a moment to think about things before pressing on.

“Like I said, its none of my business. I was just passing these on to you. I haven’t responded to him. Nor do I plan to do so unless you ask me to.”

“Uhm. Well. Thank you.” she exhaled, relieved that this situation hadn’t become more complicated.

Vette was feeling disconcerted by the whole thing. Until a few years ago, Vette hadn’t been used to people expressing an ‘interest’ in her. She’d spent most of her life in the shadow of more conventionally attractive women like Tivva, Risha and Taunt. All three had been sisters and like-sisters to Vette, but she’d always envied their confidence and their looks, and the attention they’d drawn. Then later there was Jaesa – never a friend, but another young woman who’d made her feel insecure. Vette had had a crush on Kael; she could admit that to herself now. But she’d eventually stifled it. He’d been nice to her, or at least nicer to her than most of her employers over the years, but she had no illusion about who he was what he could do. He had not been a nice guy. Jaesa was welcome to him, for all the good it had done either of them in the end. That had been years ago, though, and most of the people she and Gault had dealt with since then weren’t the type she wanted to be involved with. Not in that way.

Still, she had felt more comfortable about life in general in the weeks since she’d joined the Alliance…

She looked back down at the datapad.

“So. Uhm. What do you think?” she asked aloud.

“I’m sorry, what do I think regarding what?” Corellan raised an eyebrow.

Vette nibbled her lower lip. She’d never imagined having a conversation like this with a Jedi. Or ex-Jedi, even.

“I mean, do you think I should meet him? For a drink, or whatever?”

The Commander blinked.

“Well. I was a Jedi, Vette.” He explained himself. “Even if I’ve left that life behind, I’m probably one of the least qualified people to ask about things like that.” He looked down wistfully. “With the exception of my association with one rather philandering field medic, I have little experience with… uhm, courtship.” Corellan stammered a bit near the end, as if he had been trying to find the words, awkwardly.

It was funny to think of the Commander, who she’d personally seen storm through legions of Sky Troopers, as awkward about anything. He normally exuded confidence and poised.

“Yeah.” Vette swallowed. “Me neither, actually.”

Vette winced. That was way too personal a thing to say. She and the Commander hardly knew each other.

“But uhm. What are your… impressions of him, I guess?”

“Well.” Corellan took the datapad again and clicking back to the original message and considering. “I must say he sounds sincere to me. And he seemed a reputable individual from his personnel file, for whatever that’s worth. There was nothing to suggest he would do anything unpleasant to someone he was working with.”

Vette started to nod in appreciation, then stopped herself, noting what he’d said.

“You, uhm, read his file?”

“I did.”

“Because his message went to you and not me?”

“No, not at all. I look over everyone’s file.”

Vette blinked. The Alliance was still small compared to the other galactic powers, but all told, they still had hundreds of members by now, with more signing up every day.

“Everyone’s? I mean, that must take you forever.”

Corellan frowned a bit, gathering his thoughts.

“Well, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I haven’t been able to meet everyone in person, yet. We send so many of our people out on missions at any given point and there just isn’t enough time. But learning their face and their name, that at least is a start. For me, anyway. So every evening when I head back to my quarters, I have Teeseven load up some personnel files.” He smiled affectionately, patting the chassis of the AstroMech droid’s top. “It takes some time but it’s worth it and it makes for good bedtime reading.”

His expression had softened, his light blue eyes dwelling on a less complicated time.

“The idea that there are people working for me, even fighting for me, who I don’t even know is… well that’s a new one for me. It’s one more thing I’ll have to get used to, I suppose.”

Vette found herself charmed by this sentiment, though it also concerned her just a bit. In her experience, people in positions of power rarely did things like personally checking on every who worked for them. If he was losing sleep over minutiae, that could be bad for everyone.

For the moment, she kept on track.

“And you remembered Avus, just from skimming his file?”

He shrugged, indifferently.

“Actually, I don’t forget anything.”

Vette’s eyes widened.

“That’s a neat trick.” She whistled. “Is that from being a Jedi?” she hadn’t recalled Jaesa ever demonstrating instant recall like that.

“Thank you. And no. Its just something I’ve always been able to do.” Corellan shrugged again.

“Well, I wish I could do that.” Realization came to Vette, as she attempted to digest all of this. She eyed the Commander worriedly.

“So… you’ve probably read my file, too.”

“Well, yes.” He’d obviously picked up on her concern but seemed non-plussed about it, not comprehending the bantha in the room Vette had been hinting at.

“Uhm.” She paused but couldn’t leave it alone. “You must know I used to work for Kael.”

Corellan nodded with understanding, his face growing somber.

“I do.”

She looked up and regarded him.

“You still trust me with… your communications? And the field work, and everything?”

Corellan Halcyon’s face finally relaxed. This seemed familiar ground for him.

“You’ve given me no reason to think I shouldn’t. And the quality of your work speaks for itself. We couldn’t have raided the Gilded Star without you.” He spoke confidently, then gave her a reassuring look. “Vette, what happened between myself and Kael was never personal for me. Yes, he did things I considered monstrous, but so did nearly every other Sith Lord I’ve fought. He had his reasons for fighting Revan after Vitiate rejected him. When we finally fought on Yavin, I felt his rage and the pain behind it. And I exploited those weaknesses to beat him.”

He sighed in regret.

“I truly regret that I couldn’t find another way. But there were countless lives on the line and I still had to deal with Revan. And the Emperor. So it went the way that it did.”

Corellan’s light blue eyes re-focused on Vette.

“For what its worth, I’m sorry. I know you weren’t working for him at the time, but that had to have been difficult when you heard what happened.”

Vette looked down at the table. Those were old wounds. She didn’t want to get into all that right now.

“Someday I’ll tell you about my time with Kael and his crew.” She swallowed. “But for what it’s worth, I don’t hold any of that against you.”

It was Corellan’s turn to nod in relief.

“I appreciate that.”

Vette awkwardly looked down at the datapad again.

“I think… I’ll send him a message. Just to see how it goes.”

The Commander smiled slightly.

“Sounds good.” Then he paused, an idea popping up in his mind. “Oh, but if you do wind up telling him you’re not interested and then he bothers you again, then absolutely come to me. I’ll take care of it if there’s a problem.”

Vette found herself grinning at the offer.

“I wouldn’t think you had much experience in scaring off creeps.” She mused.

A small grin formed across Corellan’s lips.

“I don’t, really. But as it so happens, my personnel resources director is a Sith Lord.” He offered, his eyes sparkling a bit. “She’s very… persuasive when it comes to conflict resolution.”

Vette laughed at that, breaking up what had become a heavy mood. Lana Beniko was the model of professionalism, but she was scary.

“Okay. Well… thanks for talking to me about this. And for being okay about everything.”

“Not at all. Thank you for being here.” His chrono pinged. “Ah. I have to go meet with Hylo to discuss the logistical situation.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” Vette smiled. “I should get back to the war room.”

“Sounds good. I’ll talk to Theron about the bugs in the directory system.”

With that, they parted company.

Vette smiled to herself as she left the conference chamber. She’d meet with this ‘Avus’ guy. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe it wouldn’t. But Vette felt that she’d be okay either way.

It was a good feeling.

Author’s Notes: The mis-sent letter has always been one of my favorite moments in KOTFE.

For the record, in this continuity, Vette does meet with Avus for a drink. He’s nice enough, but she decides he’s not for her. He’s okay with that. They remain friends to this day.

Corellan rarely sits down, except for the pilot seat of his ship. The reason for this will come up some day.

I’ve made references to Corellan’s eidetic memory in the past, but it rarely comes up so directly in a story.

I do kind of ship Vette with someone in this continuity. But that comes much later in my story.

I don’t know how Avus didn’t know that they are called “lekkus”.

Kael was not a nice Sith Warrior. More on him another time. @swtor-writers-guild , @swtorshipping

#swtor #swtor fanfiction #secret messages #swtor fanfic #tales from the eternal alliance #oc: corellan halcyon #vette #vette swtor #avus dayne #the halcyon legacy

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badsithnocookie · 4 years

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i know i’ve said similar things in the past but, as much of some of my ocs are more suited for it, i wish that instead of this saboteur nonsense, a player could declare allegiance to the republic/empire regardless of their home faction, and have that determine the overall story thread from there on

for a lot of reasons, but rans’s ‘everyone on odessen gets republic citizenship if they want it, even people whose sis files have frowny faces on them’ would hit a lot different on an originally imperial toon

#shitposting

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thevehszlegacy · 4 years

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Xaerez

Basics

Full Name: Rediaex’aere’zortiea

Pronunciation: red-ee-AHZ-ehr-ah-ZOH-tay-ah

Core Name: Xaerez (XEHR-ez)

Gender: Nonbinary (he/him, they/them)

Faction: Chiss Ascendency -> Sith Empire -> Republic -> Alliance

Rank: Freelance Hacker/Blackmailer -> Csilla Secret Police -> Imperial Intelligence Agent -> Republic SIS Agent -> Alliance Intelligence Agent

Aliases: Cipher Nine, Agent, Legate, many other aliases/disguises - some shown in Toyhouse file (the outfit references) if you click his full name

In-Game Class: Imperial Agent - Virulence Sniper/Lethality Operative

Playlist: Personal playlist / ship playlist

Physical + Mental

Species: Chiss

Height: 6 ft (183 cm)

Hair Color: Black, graying

Eye Color: Bright red

Notable Features:

-Hearing implants in both ears.

-Three cybernetic fingers, right hand.

-Walks with a limp - can hide it if done consciously, though it’s uncomfortable.

-Crooked smiles.

Scars: Notable ones across right side of face from botched surgery. Many others scattered across body, many from torture.

Personality: Cautious, distrusting, liar, stoic, empathetic, caring, loner, coolheaded

Type: ISTJ (“Logistician”)

Strengths:

-Good memory (nearly considered eidetic).

-Good actor/easily becomes someone else for a disguise.

-Fluent in many languages.

-Keeps calm under pressure.

-Can use a variety of weapons.

-Has an implant in his throat - can program it to make him sound like anyone.

Weaknesses:

-Bad foot makes for an easy target.

-Still flinches if old code word is said - leaves him momentarily vulnerable.

-Hearing implants can and have been used for sound torture.

-Doesn’t like to get help from others.

-Technically still has brainwashing programming - he just has to hope no one figures out the new code word.

Fears: Mind control/brainwashing, losing loved ones

Disabilities/Disorders: PTSD. Autism. Right foot/ankle damaged - requires a brace. Hard of hearing (started mild, became severe).

Relationships

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Gay

Status: Engaged

Fiancé: Theron Shan

Parents: Deceased

Siblings: 1 older sister, deceased. Views Vector almost like a brother

Children: None

Other Relatives: Ar’eonis’terrinxx (cousin), Atten Cadera (Terrin’s kid, so...cousin??), Ytila’vena (niece) - he doesn’t know Avena even exists, nor that he’s related to Terrin

Miscellaneous

Usual Attire: Either his basic field attire or Alliance uniform. Field attire: black leatheris trench coat, pants, boots, & gloves with a protective vest. Alliance uniform: black armor/poncho combination, still fairly lightweight but provides better protection/less maneuverability from field attire. Always covers his face in some way - pictured mask most common method.

Weapon of Choice: Sniper rifle

Home: Wraith (X-70B Phantom), Alliance Base on Odessen

Place of Birth: Csilla

Favorite Color: Blue

Pets: None - jokingly, one of Lokin’s Rakghouls is considered his pet since it follows him around. Theron calls it “Shadow”

History

(Warning: there will be Imperial Agent story spoilers below)

Xaerez was born on the Chiss world of Csilla. He had a pretty normal childhood growing up, though as a teenager he started to hang around the wrong crowd. From them, he learned to hack and as he got better at it, he took to blackmailing public figures and the authorities--sometimes for the hell of it, and sometimes because he was hired to do so. After he hacked what was supposed to be a secure government code, he was taken into custody--though instead of being arrested or “dealt with,” his skills were put to use and he was trained for Csilla’s secret police; he was later made a low-ranking member of the Chiss Ascendency. He had his face minorly reconstructed for the first time to distance himself from his criminal past so his former allies wouldn’t recognize him.

When the Ascendency made first contact with the Sith Empire, Xaerez took immediate interest as he’d never been off Csilla nor seen any sentient species but his own. With the skills listed in his file, Imperial Intelligence requested him, promising him safety for his home planet and a long-term partnership between the Empire and Ascendency if everything worked out, in return. He was put through extensive training to become an Intelligence Agent. He became a master of disguise--be it by dressing up and pretending to be someone he wasn’t, or going to the extreme with a disguise projector. And through discipline, was also an effective spy and assassin.

When he was named Cipher Nine, he had his face surgically reconstructed for the second time to hide his previous identity--and also aided in the assassination of his own parents and sister. He spent a long time alone, simply following orders and dealing out whatever tasks he was given, and was actually initially annoyed by the prospect of having a team. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was afraid of getting attached and then his partner(s) having to be killed later down the line.

The class story progresses with him loyal to the Empire, though come the Eradicators and taking Watcher Two’s suggestion of activating them and the ensuing destruction, he started losing faith in the empire. The events of that day still haunt him, and the cover story of a “scarred agent wanting to switch sides” started to become closer to the truth than he’d admit. Before going to meet Kothe’s team, he attempted for his third and final facial reconstruction--though this time, the droids he used had been hacked and attempted to kill him (he thinks it may have been the Star Cabal’s doing, or maybe a Sith who felt threatened by his actions against Jadus). Only his team being on-scene stopped it from happening, and the event resulted in the heavy scarring to one side of his face.

While working undercover with the SIS, Xaerez quickly grew bitter with Kothe and his team for use of the conditioning he didn’t know had been planted in his head by Intelligence. That, paired with becoming disillusioned with the Empire to begin with, left him becoming rebellious and doing things for what he believed the greater good--rather than what may be helpful to either faction.

In the end, he accepted Kothe’s offer to join the SIS as a spy, but only because he viewed the Republic as the lesser of two evils--and only if he never had to speak to Kothe again, no exceptions. From then on, his contact was Jonas Balker and his priority became to end the war with as little bloodshed as possible.

Into the early expansions, Xaerez worked in the background--gathering information, striking when it wasn’t expected, and just being the nameless shadow he acted as. He’s not sure how Lana and Arkous managed to get into contact with him, but from there started his unintentional partnership with Darth Nox, the Wrath, and the Grand Champion--and by extension come the threat of the Revanites, the Barsen’thor, Hero of Tython, Havoc commander, and Voidhound.

Come the threat of the Eternal Empire, he joined up with Theron to help him with contacts, finding out where the “Outlander” had disappeared to, and so on. He was split up from some of his team over that time--though Vector stuck around and Raina remained in contact. He becomes one of the Alliance’s top spies (refusing the Commander’s offer to make him head of Alliance Intelligence), and in the events of Onslaught is tasked with sabotaging the Empire from within.

#swtor #imperial agent #chiss #swtor oc #rediaex'aere'zortiea #canon eight

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rainofaugustsith · 4 years

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KOTFE/ET Headcanons

Thank you so much for the tag @thehighground! This was such a fun and interesting one! Tagging, um, @tishinada @soulparticle @dreamy04 @verbose-vespertine @levelofdepth and anyone else who wants to do this. NO PRESSURE! Spoilers for KOTFE and KOTET, as well as the traitor arc and Onslaught.

1. Starting with basics. Who is your Outlander (which class, what their aligment)? How did they end up being frozen in carbonite for 5 years? Why did you make them the Outlander?: My Sith Warrior, Viridana Dragoi (Vengeance Juggernaut) is my Outlander. That was a simple choice for me - Viri is my main, my alter ego in the game, and she seemed to fit so well. Viri's alignment is a tough one. She absolutely embraces the Dark Side and absolutely will kill her enemies. She makes LS decisions a lot too, though, and she has a moral code of her own. For example Viri killed Senya and Arcann without thinking twice, but she would not allow Kaliyo to blow up the Spire and kill civilians and she talked Broonmark into letting the senator live (he lived too, which is a special thing for SWs). Viri has a very strong aversion to killing civilians, rank and file soldiers, and animals, and would really rather negotiate with you than kill you, unless you have crossed her in a way she can't excuse. Viri landed in carbonite exactly as the game describes - she was part of Marr's coalition. When Marr's ship broke up, it was swallowed by an Eternal Fleet ship. Viri and Marr were gassed, and later woke up in prison wearing Force-suppressing cuffs. They were taken to Valkorion, where Marr was killed, Viri killed Valkorion, and Arcann framed her and threw her into carbonite. One difference from the game is that Viri refused to speak the entire time. She did not say a word to Arcann or Valkorion from the time she woke up to the time she was frozen in carbonite. She just screamed once when she was being frozen.

2. Now, to the rest of classes. What happens to them during KotFE/ET? Did they know the Outlander? Were they allies, enemies, family? Do they join the Alliance or have something else to do? Do they play a major or a minor role in the story? Spare no detail (if you wish, of course): Sith Inquisitor: My canon SI, Suvia (Darth Nox) was also part of Darth Marr's coalition. Her ships were destroyed by the Eternal Fleet and she was placed into carbonite. She was a trophy on the wall in the Zakuulan palace for seven years. Only the presence of her remaining ghost kept her alive. Viri and her Alliance searched desperately for Suvia, but only found her by accident, after the fall of Zakuul. Once they found her, they traveled to several planets to gather ingredients for an antidote to carbonite poisoning and gave her medical assistance and care after she was thawed. Suvia is now the head of Force Lore and the Odessen Force libraries and archives. She is a very good friend to Viri and Lana, and she was thrilled to be reunited with other good friends: Talos Drellik and Xalek. Suvia plays a major part in Viri's story and is a close, unshakable ally. She is currently romantically involved with Jaesa Wilsaam. Suvia did know Viri before KOTFE - they were Dark Council allies, and they also worked closely on both the Yavin 4 coalition and the fight against Vitiate on Ziost. My Darth Imperius, Jia, did not know Viri and did not follow the SI story. She worked as a saber trainer on Korriban. When Zakuul attacked, she was there. She and Darth Hexid helped each other dig out of the rubble and became allies, fighting and surviving together. They joined the Alliance after KOTET and now work with Viri as friends. My Darth Occlus, Shasi, is much younger. She did not follow the SI story either. She was still on Korriban while Viri was the Wrath. Viri meets her during the attack on Ossus, and Shasi asks to return to Odessen with her and join the Alliance. Bounty Hunter: Taran Walrez continued her work as a bounty hunter up through KOTET. She was an ally of Lana's during the carbonite years. Her wife saved Lana's hand after she was injured in a very bad fight with a Zakuulan walker, and they pointed Lana toward Asylum. Taran remained in contact afterward. When Theron Shan betrayed the Alliance, Viri took out a bounty on him, and she hired the very best- Taran - to take it. Taran and Viri tracked Theron to Copero, but Taran was badly injured in the battle. She has retired from bounty hunting and now lives on Odessen, serving in an advisor capacity. Her wife, Lucinda, is a genius microsurgeon who works in the Alliance Hospital. Her colleagues Mako and Akaavi now run the Alliance's slicing and intelligence wing. Viri did not know Taran until the Alliance years. My second BH, Auyrini, did not follow the BH story but is part of the Underworld network at the Alliance. Imperial Agent: My canon agent, Brynn, chose to keep the Black Codex and erase her information. She thus became a ghost after the class story, wanted nothing more to do with the Empire, Sith or Republic, and vanished into Wild Space with Vector, her husband. She is in Lana's intelligence network, and tipped Lana off to a few clues to Viri's whereabouts, but she has no desire to join the Alliance. She and Vector just want to be left alone and live in peace. Viri has never met or spoken to Brynn. Jedi Knight: Ror was about one step away from being sent to Belsavis after the class story, so she vanished, taking only T7-O1. She later surfaced as a member of Somminick Timmns' sanctuary for ex-Jedi on Nar Shaddaa and joined the Alliance. Ror is very much a Sith now. She is slated to play a major part in the Tenebrae Plague storyline. Viri does not trust Scourge and Kira and will not merge her minds with them - but Ror will. Ror also feels that she owes it to Satele Shan to try to save her; Satele was the only person who kept her out of prison. Viri meets Ror when she joins the Alliance. They're not friends yet, but they have a mutual respect. Jedi Consular: Jenari also left the Jedi and joined Somminick Timmns' ex-Jedi sanctuary. She has found her way to Odessen, where she works with Suvia Kallig on Force lore. She is later joined there by Nadia and Felix. Jenari's sister is Shasi, my Darth Occlus mentioned above. The siblings have never met, but on Odessen, they are slated to finally find each other. Viri meets Jenari when she joins the Alliance.

Smuggler: My canon smuggler, Marlena, is still out there smuggling, and is one of Hylo's underworld contacts - but she isn't part of the Alliance and prefers to just keep running her empire. Viri does not know Marlena. My second non-canon smuggler, Amedria, is also out there smuggling and is in Hylo's Rolodex, but has no other contact with the Alliance. Trooper: After seeing all of the things Garza did, including the Eclipse Squad, my trooper Keilla was done. She testified against Garza in front of the Galactic Senate, and then she peaced out. She and her friend Paxton Rall moved to the Tion Hegemony. She also helped her ex-girlfriend, Jaxo, move to the Hegemony to try to heal from her trauma. Keilla works in security there, but she is determined never to return to Imperial, Hutt OR Republic space and never to fight in another war. When the Alliance started, Bey'wan Aygo, Aric Jorgan and Rusk all tried to get her to reconsider. She would not. Keilla occasionally provides advice from afar, but she will not even set foot outside the Hegemony.

Viri does know Keilla and has spoken to her via holo many times to coordinate THORN activity, but they only met during the Alliance years. When Viri's Alliance sends help with THORN to fight the rakghoul plague on Kaon, Keilla helps orchestrate it. She also helps take in ex-Jedi who are fleeing from Task Force Nova, so she is slated to have a large part in the story eventually. 3. What about companions? Do you follow their in-game story or have headcanons for them? Did they stay with your non-Outlander characters or not? Why?:

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Viri: Vette, Pierce and Broonmark were recovered as per the game story. Jaesa - who is neither the LS nor the DS but something in the middle - was discovered in an ancient Sith trap on Yavin 4 after KOTET. She rejoined the Alliance at that time. Malavai Quinn was exiled and thrown in jail after the Quinncident in the class story, and he was smart enough to know that he should not go anywhere around Viri ever again. He did NOT serve as Acina's emissary on Iokath. Instead, Rezinal Orzik from the Black Talon flashpoint did. For my non-Outlanders: Jedi Knight: Ror ran away from all her companions, except T7-O1, after the class story. And T7 eventually needed to go fight Zakuul. So she lost contact with them, and T7-O1, Kira, Scourge and Rusk joined the Alliance as per the in-game story. Doc was never part of my Jedi Knight's crew, as Ror, Kira and T7-O1 took a united front and insisted that they would not let him on the ship. He was left on Balmorra and had nothing else to do with my Jedi Knight or her crew. So he's not there at all, and whatever happened to him, Ror neither knows nor cares. Jedi Consular: Jenari also ended up parting ways from her crew due to the war with Zakuul. She has been reunited with three of them on Odessen. Qyzen joined the Alliance Commander as per the game. Felix and Nadia were both rescued during various missions and brought back to Odessen. Zenith declined to join Jenari’s crew on Balmorra. He worked with her but was angry she would not alter the governor’s brain to place the new government in power, and is also angry that she shows sympathy to Sith, so he didn’t feel he belonged in her crew. Trooper: Keilla left all her companions after the class story and never came back. Viri has Aric Jorgan and Yuun in her Alliance, and they joined as the story dictated. Smuggler: Marlena is out in space with her crew. She's married to Risha. Bowdaar also remained with her. They never left her and thus have never been part of Viri's Alliance. Guss decided to eventually try being a Jedi again, in part because he was worried that the Eternal Empire would sense his Force sensitivity and kill him, and he wanted to be able to defend himself. Corso left Marlena’s crew during the class story after they had taken down with Skavak. He wanted to return to protect Ord Mantell and Marlena let him go. Akaavi also left the crew after she met Mako and fell ln love. She joined my bounty hunter’s crew to work with her and Mako. Sith Inquistor: Suvia was frozen in carbonite, so all of her companions dispersed. Ashara looked for her for years, hiring a slicer named Ikina to help her. It was unsuccessful - Suvia was a trophy in the Zakuulan palace and there was no way to track or find her. Ashara and Ikina finally fell in love, married and settled down on Voss, where they run a tea house and raise their daughter. Andronikos was picked up raiding Alliance ships, as the game story says, and was brought back to Odessen. Talos joined the Alliance as the game story dictates. So did Xalek. Khem Val is slated to be rediscovered on Ossus, as he is in the game, and return to Suvia on Odessen. Bounty Hunter: Mako has never left her crew and remains her right-hand help. Skadge has never been a part of her crew, as Mako and Taran killed him on Belsavis. Torian left early on after the death of Mandalore to help the Mandalorians and joined the Alliance as per the game. Blizz left temporarily to fight in the Alliance, and he's gone back and forth between Odessen and Taran's ship. Gault left, as per the game story, to hook up with Hylo. Imperial Agent: My Imperial Agent Brynn became a ghost at the end of her class story. She and Vector erased their tracks and vanished together. They also did their companions the courtesy of erasing their tracks, too. Kaliyo went off to grift from others; Scorpio became the Lady of Sorrows, Lokin went to his safehouse and Raina Temple returned to the Chiss. Kaliyo, Lokin, Raina and SCORPIO all joined the Alliance (and in SCORPIO's case, betrayed it) as described in the game. 4. If applicable: how your characters react if the Alliance joins the opposite faction on Iokath and after that? For example: how do Sith characters feel about joining the Republic? Will they stay or leave (if it’s too spoiler-ish, then feel free to skip this): Viri has chosen to keep her Alliance independent while allying with the Empire. The Republic characters who are with her (Ror and Jenari, my Jedi Knight and Consular) are both ex-Jedi so they're totally fine with that. My two smugglers, Marlena and Amedria, don't particularly care about the Republic and just want to be paid, so they will work with the Alliance regardless of who they support.

However, a few of the Republic companions, such as Rusk and Aric Jorgan, are eventually going to bow out and retire, just like Bey'wan Aygo, because they can't fight the Republic and they can't fight Viri either. 5. If applicable: if your Commander decides to be a saboteur, would they tell anyone (PC or companions)? Why/why not?: This doesn't apply to Viri. In AU, all of my Imperials are loyalists and all my Republic toons are saboteurs. They have chosen to only tell Lana with one exception - Jenari, my JC, would tell Nadia and Felix. 6. How would your characters react if one of their companions is exiled or dead because of Outlander’s choices? For example: sith warrior’s reaction if Commander doesn’t save Vette?: The three that this applies to are Skadge, SCORPIO and Torian. Viri killed SCORPIO because after all that betrayal and subterfuge, there was no way in the galaxy that she would have sat back and let SCORPIO merge with a super-powerful deadly droid planet. SCORPIO's assertion that she wouldn't bother them again meant nothing because she could not be trusted. Brynn, my IA, has no idea what went on, but she would have been indifferent to SCORPIO's death. She surely knew what SCORPIO was capable of, and would have killed her too under the same circumstances. Viri tried desperately to reach Torian, and sent Pierce and a team to try to save him. They couldn't reach Torian. Taran was saddened to learn of his death, but she also knew that Viri did not just shrug and walk away from him. She also knows that Vette is Viri's adopted sister. She can't fault Viri even a little for saving her sister first. Viri killed Skadge in the game but headcanonically, she never even met him. Taran killed him on Belsavis during the class story- she sure as hell wasn't going to let him on her crew or her ship. But if Viri had killed him, Taran's reaction would have been a big thumbs-up.

7. If you have something written about anything from the above (bc I know some people do), share the links to your works (again, if you feel like it)!: Oh, here we go! A lot of the companion returns/etc. are addressed in the post-KOTET fanfic The Eternal Wrath: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14255019 Stories set during KOTFE: https://archiveofourown.org/series/999348 Stories set during KOTET: https://archiveofourown.org/series/999342

#asks #rain plays swtor #Viridana Dragoi #Suvia Kallig #OC: Keilla #OC: Shasotukun Ashaa #OC: Rorjhana #OC: Jenari Ashaa #OC: Marlana #OC: Amedria #OC: Auyrini #Taran Walrez #Jiani Jiaasjen #kotfe spoilers #kotfe #kotet spoilers #kotet #onslaught spoilers #6.0 spoilers

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anchanted-one · 5 years

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Eternal War Chapter 33 Horrors of War

Read on AO3

Hours later…

Kaliyo took a long sip from the bottle in her hands, then passed it to Kanner, who didn’t bother looking to Jorgan for permission before taking a swig herself. She tossed it to the gruff Cathar veteran, who caught it without looking. You knew it was bad when Soldiers like these broke protocol.

“So… pretty bad day…” Kaliyo drawled.

“Yep,” Jorgan said heavily.

He looked at the city beyond the building they were currently taking shelter in. A lot of it was on fire. When the Security Forces had failed to pick up their trail in the maintenance tunnels after hours of searching, an infuriated Arcann had ordered them to open fire on the sector. Even the civilians. The carnage had put a damper on even Kaliyo’s spirits.

“Did I thank you guys for coming back for me?”

“Nope.”

“Well then… thanks, Maje. Thanks Havoc. Really. I didn’t think you��d come back for someone like me. I’m… feeling quite touched here. Thanks.”

“We don’t leave anyone behind.” Jorgan said tonelessly. “The moment we were both on the same team, you became a comrade-in-arms. And you’re not the worst one we’re working with out of necessity, believe me. But so long as we are, we got your back.”

“Copy that, sir!” the cybernetically enhanced trooper, Dengril, approved fervently. “We there for each other. Separates us from them .”

“That bottle, sir…?” Xabaan asked. Jorgan quietly passed it to the Twi’lek. Once Xabaan was finished, Dengril took a drink, but of course it would be poisonous for the Kel Dor Abeth. Korg, like the rest of his Kaleesh people, only drank to victory or to the celebrated dead. Once he was done, Kaliyo was satisfied that so little of the booze was remaining. She emptied it in one go.

“So what’s the plan now?” She asked. “I normally use this kind of chaos to make my getaway, but for you guys…”

“If we turn up to help them,” Jorgan sighed. “It becomes worse. For them, for us. If we have to do anything for these guys, it has to be covert.”

“But you don’t want to leave.” It wasn’t a question.

“I signed up to stop this kind of thing.” Jorgan said, a tortured expression on his feline face. “Turning away… it feels wrong.”

Kaliyo remained silent. She was an unabashed anarchist. She was a survivor through and through, only ever looking out for herself. But once someone had her loyalty she would die a thousand times for them. As she would have for Cipher Nine. Well, her Cipher Nine, not the half-trained faker who took that title after Corellia.

They watched in silence as a group of citizens cleared some rubble away to free trapped survivors. They worked well together. Perhaps they had been given some rudimentary training in search and rescue? Hard to believe on this pampered world.

“Oh no!” Kanner muttered. “Sir!”

“I see it! Havoc, if those Skytroopers attack those civvies, we break cover and protect them.”

A chorus of “Roger that, sir,” all around them. Kaliyo wanted to shake him hard and remind him of his own words minutes ago. What happened to being covert? But there was just no convincing some people. She tensed, waiting for the order.

The Skytroopers swooped in on the civilians, and Jorgan called “Take em!”

He fired twice, nailing two Skytroopers mid-dive. His squad broke out of their hiding place and attacked the Droid soldiers with a surgeon’s precision. All twenty droids were scrap before they even knew what hit them.

The people they had saved screamed in shock. Several tripped and fell as they staggered back. They began whispering among themselves: “The Outlander’s people…” “The Outlander’s soldiers!” “The Outlander’s …” “They saved us!” “They saved us!”

“Alright, everybody, time to move—” “No, please, wait!”

Jorgan stopped as a trio of citizens stepped forward. These were among those who had been searching for survivors. “We are part of the local Resistance,” a middle-aged man explained. “We work for Caradha.”

“Caradha is that Zakuulan who called for an end to Arcann’s tyrannical reign, right?”

“The same, good Soldier.” The man confirmed. “She has been trying to stop this carnage, but her only plan was discarded because we have no professional soldiers among us.”

Oh? How perfect! Kaliyo grinned wide, a feral expression that was mirrored by Jorgan.

“Well sir, now you have Havoc Squad.”

Odessen, War Room

The Holoprojector chimed and the holo of an ageing dark-skinned human materialized.

“Alliance Base, this is Colonel Vakkes of the Onderon strike force.”

“This is Alliance Base,” Lana responded. “We read you Colonel.”

“We have finished scouring the Fortresses, and there was some horrifying stuff going on in there.”

Lana’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

“A Research Lab, by some definition of the term. From what we can tell, they’re dedicated to ‘cutting-edge’ epidemiology experimentation. Hundreds of Onderon and Dxun’s fauna specimens. Dozens of sentients from all walks of life. Some of these guys have been missing for years. We assumed they were dead, but…” the veteran Soldier shivered visibly. “They’ve been used as test subjects. What logs we recovered describe how they were subject to numerous toxins and exotic diseases and kept under observation as their symptoms progressed. Some had organs removed while still alive. Shot repeatedly while hooked up to kolto tanks. It was like they wanted to see how many ways they could discover, of death by torture. Or how long they could endure before it became too much.”

Lana unclenched her jaw, and ran a hand through her hair. She looked around at her comrades; their expressions ranged from disgust to anger to horror. The Zakuulans among them were the most affected, Doctor Oggurobb looked outraged, probably more about the fact that someone would call such terrible methods “Science”. He had his many good points, but empathy wasn’t among them. Theron, like Lana herself, had already seen such setups—both Imperial and Republic—and both of them had braced for such atrocities. But to see them confirmed was something else entirely.

Lana looked at Theron, then Oggurobb. “We will need to alert all teams across the galaxy, have them look for labs immediately. Secure as much data as possible.” She looked back at the Colonel as something occurred to her. “Any survivors?”

“None, not even wildlife. From the looks of it, the scientists killed them before surrendering. They set charges on the computers, but the Ion Prison cloud deactivated the detonators. So even though there were no witnesses, we’ll know exactly what these psychos were up to when we decrypt these files.”

“Good.” Lana said. “Send over everything you can find for us to analyze. You and your people must be feeling quite disturbed by all this. Please get some rest. If you need therapy, we can have you brought here to Odessen. We have set up a well-equipped Mental Health facility for our people, and it should be enough to cope with at least a third of the Strike teams.”

“Appreciate the offer, Alliance Control. We’ll have our people undergo a thorough checkup, then let you know if we need your facilities.”

“Very well then, thank you Colonel. See you soon.” The holo flickered out.

“This— this isn’t Zakuul!” Koth looked like someone had ripped his heart out, Senya was in tears. All the Zakuulans were trembling. “I swear, this isn’t what we are...”

“We know,” Aygo said soothingly. “This isn’t on you. Just your Emperor.”

“But… such a horrifying turn of events!” Senya was stammering, barely coherent. “I can’t believe that this is what my children have become. That they have sanctioned such experiments despite what Valkorion did to Vaylin…”

“It is good we stopped the Fortresses,” Jettarn rumbled. “But we need to stop this. This is a stain on our people. It is suddenly more urgent that we—”

Wodar spoke up. “I’ll see about broadcasting that info across Zakuul. Once our people see it…”

“No, wait,” Theron said. “We need to know exactly what has happened, and who’s involved. I’ve seen Black ops like this, sometimes leadership doesn’t know. They may have drastically overstepped mission boundaries and Arcann might not know about it. It’s possible that this was an isolated incident. Or at least, a limited one.”

Lana nodded. “Yes, I think that’s best. We don’t want to saddle your people with guilty consciences if this was an unsanctioned operation.”

The Zakuulans looked relieved. Senya reached for a glass of water, then changed her mind and picked up the brandy instead. But Lem still had some venting he needed. Roaring loudly, he picked up a tool shelf and tossed it hard over his shoulder.

When the expected loud crash never came, they all turned to look in that direction.

Arro stood there, looking mildly annoyed. The shelf and everything that had spilled out of it hung suspended in the air in front of him. “I only just woke up, so go easy on me please? You don’t want me right back in bed, do you?”

The whole room stood frozen for a moment. Lana was stumped; how had she not sensed him wake up? Had she been so engrossed in operations?

It was Doctor Oggurobb’s delighted greeting broke the spell. “Commander! So good to see you awake again!”

“So much has happened?” Arro looked embarrassed. “How long was I out this time?”

“It’s only been a week,” Theron said. “Hey, given what you’re suffering we’re kinda asking too much of you.”

“In fact,” Senya said gently. “We were discussing taking more of the load off your shoulders so that you could rest. We can handle operations well enough by ourselves, there’s no need to burden you with even more stressors.”

“It’s enough that you be seen enough for morale to remain up,” Koth put in. “It’s your name and your legend that’s keeping everyone inspired.”

Arro bit into the sandwich he was holding. Taking his time to chew, he swallowed and placed it back in his plate. Something seemed different about him, but what? His stance? His bearing? The bright gold glint in his right eye, maybe?

“Before we discuss how aged and infirm I’ve become, I have a story of my own to tell you guys. You’re not going to believe the weird nonsense that can happen when you’re asleep.”

#star wars #swtor #Eternal War #Anchanted-one #OC: Arro #OC: Akahte #lana beniko #Koth Vortena #Theron Shan #Vaylin #senya tirall #Arcann

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inyri · 6 years

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Equivalent Exchange (a SWTOR story): Chapter 36- The Best Policy

Equivalent Exchange by inyri Fandom: Star Wars: The Old Republic Characters: Female Imperial Agent (Cipher Nine)/Theron Shan Rating: E (this chapter: M)

Summary: If one wishes to gain something, one must offer something of equal value. In spycraft, it’s easy. Applying it to a relationship is another matter entirely. F!Agent/Theron Shan. (Spoilers for Shadow of Revan and Knights of the Fallen Empire/Knights of the Eternal Throne.)

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***

The Best Policy

Theron exhales.

“Probably too much to hope it’d stay a secret for long,” he mutters, straightening up. He doesn’t let go of her, though, fingers working along her neck- after this long in kolto she ought to be a limp mess but it’d probably take years to get all the tension out of her muscles. Her shoulder’s better for the time spent soaking, at least. “I just- Force, I’m never going to hear the end of it. You’re sure Lana doesn’t already know? My dossier-”

Nine does shake her head then, immediately regrets it, and makes a muffled mmph noise instead that’s half-negation and half trying not to throw up on the War Room table. “She doesn’t. And that was never in your dossier- say what you like about the state of the Republic now, whoever knew that secret kept their cards close. None of us knew.”

“But my mother was, wasn’t she? After Rishi-”

“No. We kept that out deliberately, even after we knew.”

(It hadn’t even been her idea; Lana had been the one to suggest the omission. “It will make him far too much of a target. Anyone trying to lure out the Grand Master-”

Guilty conscience or not, Lana had been right. That was a method she’d used herself when there was no other way to a target: take a friend or lover or spouse instead, living collateral to be dangled as bait. (Never children. She drew the line at children. Ruthlessness was all well and good, but that kind of sociopathy was a one way ticket to a padded cell- or Shadow Town, which was just a padded cell with better locks.) With his parentage on his dossier Theron would have had every Sith with access to the mainframe- which was nearly all of them back then, puppet to the Council that Sith Intelligence was in its resurrected form- hunting him within a week. He’d have been dead, or worse, within two. And for what? By the rules of negotiation he’d have been doomed, a marginally valuable hostage that the Republic would never in a hundred years have bartered for one of its most celebrated heroes. Satele might have come for him herself, of course. But would she have?

Lana had looked to her, questioning, and she heard Theron in her head: my agent, the words bitter on his tongue. Like it’s a coincidence we share a name.

“It wouldn’t be fair, would it?” She’d nodded, locking down the file. There was very little fair about their line of work and nothing given for free, but this seemed somehow right after the awfulness of Rishi. It wasn’t a question of judgment. Her judgment was fine. It was- “I agree. We leave it out.” )

He has to clear his throat before he continues, whatever he meant to say first catching on his tongue. “I didn’t... I didn’t know that. Thank you.”

“Thank Lana,” she says. Theron’s hands go still. “She approved the addendum.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask. Did she think you’d go too easy on me?”

She turns her head just enough that he can see her wink. “Or put too much in. Theron Shan, Republic SIS. Caf addict. Terrible taste in music-”

“You used to let me pick the music, if I remember correctly.” Hands slipping beneath the knot of her hair, he cups the base of her skull, leans down to kiss the top of her head and then her forehead and then further still, curling over her to nip at the tip of her nose. “I must have missed the complaints trying to block out your off-key singing.”

“I like you-” she closes her eyes, a slow blink; he’s not wrong. She was never any good at singing- “so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Let’s see. Easily identified due to prominent cybernetics and appears to own exactly one jacket, or possibly twelve copies of the same jacket. Marginal slicer. Does this absolutely delightful thing with his tongue-”

When Theron grins she can feel it, his breath huffing against her face. He’s trying not to laugh but can’t quite hold it back and he has to let go of her to brace himself against the table. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

“Of course I’m not.” Oh, it sounds good to hear him laugh. He’s so good at distracting her from the stress of everything and she’s been so bad at reciprocating; she brings him caf and the best of what she can sneak from the mess hall, pulls him into bed to work the day’s tension off in pleasanter ways, but it’s not nearly enough. He deserves so much better than her fumbling attempts at comfort. “Someone else might have gotten ideas-” she rests her hand on his, clumsy in its heavy brace- “and I wouldn’t want them trying to edge in on my territory.”

“Your?”

A loaded question for all of its brevity.

She shrugs in reply, forcing a smile in place of words she doesn’t know how to say, and Theron overlaps her little finger with his thumb. She can’t quite feel it properly- what ought to be the friction of his skin on hers just registers as pressure- but it’s better than nothing. Better than it should be. A gift. (Or not, but the idea of the alternative is far less pleasant.)

“It wouldn’t have been much,” she says softly, “in the long run. But if the war had kept going it might have kept you out of the crosshairs for a little while. We just- I just-”

The corners of his mouth quirk upward. “Not ‘compromised objectivity’?”

“Certainly not. I’m a professional, after all.” He’s still standing just beside her chair; she leans on him, rests her aching head against his side. “And we did say no strings.”

“We did. No strings, no sides, intact judgment et cetera.” Theron glances down at her and then turns, just enough that she can rest against his stomach instead. When he exhales she moves along with him, gently to-and-fro with the in and out of his breath. “So I probably shouldn’t mention that I put a DNE on your file after Ziost, then.”

She blinks. Lies by omission were one thing, the usual selective recordkeeping that let one spare allies and target enemies as the situation required, but- “Trant let you? Forgive me when I say that seems unlikely.”

“Let is a strong word. He asked me how to put together a team that’d survive you and I gave him my honest opinion: we couldn’t. Do Not Engage.” He scrawls the words in the air with his finger. “You were taking us apart- no, no, I know you didn’t have a choice-” she’d gone tense against his body, not wanting to argue; they were all following their orders and they both know that but she must have killed a dozen or more of his friends in those last few months of war before the Zakuulans came. But he strokes her hair until she calms. “We all did what we had to back then and despite what my… what Jace said, my loyalty to the Republic was never a question. But when it came to you-”

“I told you I was bad for you.”

“Stop that. I told you-” his voice is gentle and he almost taps her forehead before he mercifully thinks better of it- that would have hurt, today- and just presses his fingertip against it instead- “that you weren’t. Aren’t. You saved me. I had to- I had to return the favor.”

Stars, she doesn’t deserve him. “He didn’t listen, you know.”

“I know. But I tried.” Theron sighs. “Anyway, you’re sure Lana doesn’t-?”

Three knocks.

Lana’s silhouetted in the doorway when it slides open, caf pot in one hand and three mugs dangling from the other. “I take you’ve finished your calls? You mentioned before that we three needed to talk.”

“Yes. Hold on.” She presses the intercom, opening a line to the bridge. “Kaliyo, we’ll be in the War Room. Ring through if we’re needed.”

“Got it.” The speaker crackles as the reply comes through. “Ears off?”

Nine sighs. “What do you think?”

“Secrets, secrets are no fun,” Kaliyo drawls. “Locking you down. Have fun.”

She straightens in her seat, beckoning Lana into the room; Theron takes a step back and then settles into the chair beside hers. “Two quick things before we start- I’ve got Ioana Rist working on a countermeasure to the Exarchs’ new little trick.”

“How much is that going to cost us? Their work doesn’t come cheaply.” Setting the caf and cups down on the table between them, Lana slips around to the far side.

“Only a case or two of brandy. I’ll talk to Hylo about sourcing it, but that’ll be strictly out of my pocket. We’re on fragile enough ground with our Jedi as it is without word getting around that I’m using a Force-breaker.”

Lana wrinkles her nose. “Not just the Jedi. The Council banned them for a reason.”

“The Council banned Force-breaker toxins-” she rolls her eyes and even that small motion makes the world spin- “because they’re afraid of what people like me would do if we had them. But that’s beside the point. Second, I’ve finally got a lead on the Alderaan staging site we discussed last week. It won’t be actionable for a month, though, and I need to-” she pauses. She needs to figure out what the fuck she’s going to do. Research first, she supposes: she thought Galen had retired after that business with Malgus but his new rank certainly suggests otherwise- had he gone back voluntarily? That might be something she could use. “I can’t delegate that, either. So if we hear anything more from Voss before-”

“I was going to save that news until we got back to Odessen, but I did hear from our Gormak friends. Apparently their visions have coalesced.” Lana says the last word like she wants to spit it out- for all her Sithness she always was a skeptic, with little faith in the prophecies and mysticism that drove some of her peers, and she seemed to find the Voss- and Gormak, by proxy- particularly maddening. “We have a timeline.”

Theron’s already poured himself a mug of caf and pauses mid-sip with it still raised to his mouth. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“It’s... not an ideal timeline.”

“Nine needs to rest, Lana. How not ideal?” He frowns.

She reaches out for her own mug; Theron fills it unprompted and she curls her fingers around it. The warmth, at least, she can feel.

Lana slumps into her seat. “Twelve days. I tried to argue it, but the-”

“She has a broken wrist. There’s no way she’s going to-”

The headache hits her like an icepick to the temple- ah, concussions- and she winces, closing her eyes as they bicker back and forth. “Would both of you,” she snaps, “please shut up and let me speak?”

They actually do.

“Twelve days. We’re- what, four days from Odessen now?”

“Three and a half,” Lana says quietly. “And I’ve mapped a route back to Voss that uses some of the Imperial hyperspace lanes. We could get there in six days, I think. Possibly faster, with Theron piloting.”

Theron hums idly under his breath, the way he always did when he was doing calculations in his head. “Giving us two days’ turnaround- maybe three. Not enough.”

“I’ll manage.” The moment the words leave her mouth she hears them both sigh; she makes a face at them, tongue sticking out. “Hush. I’ll spend the rest of the trip home in the tank, and I’ll check in with Doctor Lokin once we’re there. I’ve gone back into the field sooner after worse.”

“We can still refuse. Visions notwithstanding, if you aren’t ready-”

“I’ll be ready, Lana.” Does she really have a choice? “Tell the Gormak to expect us.”

(There are many ways to hasten the healing process. She sees his outline on the backs of her eyelids, brilliant white against the darkness. Good as new in hours, rather than days or weeks- better than new. Stronger. Quicker. I could-

Pass. Go away.

Valkorion chuckles and something’s hiding beneath the laughter, dark and creeping and ugly for all his sleekness and his gleaming armor. Look at you. Broken by a mere exarch. My children are going to kill you, little Cipher. And I may very well let them.)

“Nine?” When she blinks back to herself Lana’s biting her lip, eyes narrowed. “Was that-”

“It’s nothing- more color commentary as per usual. I’m fine.”

They look at each other across the table, Lana and Theron with matching expressions- she’s not fine, of course she isn’t fine and they all know that but no one wants to be the first to say it. Saying it out loud makes it real. Instead, they turn to each other.

“Send me the route.” Theron finishes off his cup and pours himself another. “I’ll look at it tonight and see if I can shave a little more time off.”

“Of course.” Lana’s datapad rings metallic against the tabletop as she pulls it from its pocket in her tunic. “Transmitting now. But- oh, Force, never mind. The rest of it can wait until later. What was it that you wanted to discuss?”

“I- um.” Clearing his throat, Theron fidgets in his chair until the seat creaks beneath his restless weight.

Poor Theron.

“Several days ago,” she begins so he doesn’t have to, “Theron became aware of a complication of his recent trip to Coruscant that we- and by we I mean I- are going to have to deal with.”

Lana nods. “I assume you’re referring to Agent Balkar?”

“Only indirectly. That he was there at all was a particularly bizarre coincidence, true, but that wasn’t the complication.” If only it were that simple. ��To be frank, we probably owe him a favor. He was the one who told Theron about the death mark.”

“The what.” It isn’t a question. Hands folded, Lana’s holding on to herself so tightly that her knuckles blanch. “How did we get from a failed recruiting trip to a- and who in the Void placed the mark? With whom?”

Theron glances at her out of the corner of his eye; she rests her hand on his. “Do you want me to-?”

“No. I was the one who fucked it up,” he says. “You shouldn’t have to make excuses for me. We lied to you, Lana, but Nine did it because I asked her to. It wasn’t a recruiting trip. I went to Coruscant to ask my father for a favor.”

Lana’s expression barely changes, just the faintest hint of hurt in the set of her mouth and the line of her shoulders. “You told me you didn’t know who Theron’s father was, Nine. Or was that a lie as well?” Oh, hells. They should have told her sooner. If they can’t trust each other-

Theron shakes his head vehemently. “She didn’t. I promise she didn’t. Not until it went bad.”

“An understatement, I think,” Lana snaps. “But even so, why would your own father-”

“Jace Malcom is my father.”

(Is this the first time he’s said those words out loud? She wonders. She thinks so.)

Theron slouches lower into his chair, staring at the tabletop and carefully avoiding returning either of their gazes- her own cast sideways in quasi-apology, Lana’s an open-mouthed stare- until she taps one of his fingers with hers; his focus shifts toward the motion and she traces out a clumsy message. It’s okay. He doesn’t look at her, doesn’t move, but the frown lines across his forehead soften.

Clearing her throat, Lana finally breaks the silence hanging over the room. “Somehow I feel as though I ought to say I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am.” He sighs. “Maybe I should start at the beginning.”

***

The caf pot’s empty by the time he finishes, an uneven split: three cups to Lana instead of her usual tea, more than enough that a fine tremor settles into her hands by the middle of the second, and two for Theron plus half of her own. (She managed a few scant sips before her stomach started to turn; she’d pushed it away with a grimace and Theron paused in his storytelling long enough to fetch her a glass of water instead. She always knew when she was really hurting, she’d used to say, when she couldn’t keep her caf down.)

“So.” Lana licks her lips. “Jace Malcom, your father, believes you’re a traitor to the Republic, Marcus Trant wants you dead, and both of them think Nine somehow brainwashed you into defecting.”

“That’s it in a nutshell, yeah. I probably should have expected it, but… y’know. Family, right?” Rubbing his eyes and then pushing his hair back from his face- it’s a mess, flopping across his forehead; then again her own’s a mess of knots from floating and Lana’s got circles beneath her eyes so dark they look like bruises- Theron smiles wryly.

“I can’t say I do. It would figure, though- all those years spent making sure my work couldn’t be traced back to me, and I end up taking the blame for something I didn’t even do.”

That gets a laugh out of both of them, at least, if only a small one, before Lana opens a new window on her datapad. “We’ll need to put new security measures in place, of course. I have a few suggestions, I think, if you haven’t already-”

“Not so many. Theron knows how to watch himself, though we’ll need a hard lockdown,” she says, “the day after our retun- no one outbound without proof of orders. If any of Trant’s people have made it to Odessen he’s going to need to call them back, and they’ll do one of three things.” She counts off each one on her fingers. “Least likely, they’ll stay undercover. That’s a long game and the SIS is spread thin enough that he can’t afford to keep too many eyes on us. Marginally more probably someone will make an attempt against orders. Suicidal, but if they hate us that much… but they’re probably going to try to slip the net, and we’ll need to be ready.”

Eyebrow raised, Lana stops taking notes. “Why would he call them back? He doesn’t know that we know, correct?”

“No. But he’s going to.”

“And you think that’s enough to make him cancel the mark? When I was Minister I had the misfortune of having to negotiate with that man more than once, Nine, and I’ll tell you from from experience: he isn’t going to back down because you ask him nicely.”

She bares her teeth in a slow smile. “You ought to know me better than that by now. I’m not planning on asking nicely.”

“Then what-”

“I’m going to blackmail him.”

Lana blinks. Pushing back out of her chair, she walks wordlessly around the table and taps the access panel beside the door and when it slides open she simply leaves the room.

Theron raises one hand, opening his mouth to speak. She shushes him and listens instead to Lana’s quiet footsteps in the corridor, a cabinet opening- the middle one in the shared mess by the way it squeaks- and the clink of glass and then more footsteps, louder, returning. When Lana enters the room once more she’s got a half-full bottle of whiskey clutched in one hand and a particularly disgruntled expression on her face; she retakes her seat, pulls the stopper free of the bottle, and pours a generous portion into her coffee cup before draining the whole thing at a go.

“All right.” Lana coughs. “Now I’m ready. Say that one more time.”

***

It’s not a good plan. She knows that. It’s probably a terrible plan.

It’s all they’ve got.

She wobbles when she tries to get up. They’ve sat talking too long and her head hurts and her wrist hurts and she could probably sleep for a month and it wouldn’t be enough (even if she just spent five years in stasis- but she wasn’t sleeping then, she was dying.) When she has to stop to brace herself against the wall for the third time in a dozen steps, Theron lifts her up, her arm around his neck.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get you back to medbay.”

She wrinkles her nose. He’s right, of course, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. “Are you sure you two don’t need me to-?”

“Believe it or not, we can occasionally plan things on our own.” Lana- slightly more relaxed now thanks to the whiskey- points toward the door. “Theron and I will start work on this in the morning. For now, you need to recover and the rest of us need to rest.”

Theron nods, steadying his grip on her. “I’ll put a few things together once I’ve got Nine set up the tank. We can talk after-”

“You will not.” She rests her head on his shoulder. “Lana, make sure he sleeps. If he doesn’t, shock him and throw his jacket out the airlock.”

“She wouldn’t dare.”

Lana wiggles her fingers in Theron’s direction. “Don’t be so certain. Now go.”

Careful not to jostle her, he carries her down the hall and around the corner to the medbay, sets her down on the examining table while he gets the kolto tank set up for her next round. For better or for worse he’s an expert at running it now and after a few keystrokes it chimes softly, soft blue light illuminating the base.

“Tank’s ready if you are.” He turns back toward her but she’s only half-listening, attention drifting over to the scanner and the readout still scrolling across its screen.

“I’m not. But I know that doesn’t matter.“ Pulling off the wrist splint, she sets it down beside her. “Will you download a copy of that scan to my datapad? I want to show it to Lokin.”

He nods. “He’s already got it. We needed to make sure we hadn’t made things worse while we were trying to set your wrist- Force knows I’m a lousy medic when it comes to anything beyond medpacks and suturing. But if you want a hard copy I can-”

“No,” she yawns. “Never mind.” She slips her shirt off next, one-handed. There’s no rule against clothing in a kolto tank but no point in dirtying what she’s wearing, either, and she’s used to it this way; in the infirmary at school and in Intelligence training and even in the clinic at headquarters it was always the same with any major injuries. Kit off, my girl. Let’s get a look at you.

It wasn’t a bad thing in retrospect, not for her. It was only a body, after all, not something shameful to be covered up, and by her teens she could have- and did, once, thanks to a senior class prank that left the whole lower sixth with nothing but their identification badges and a single hand towel each with twenty minutes before the midyear examination began- walked naked through the Academy halls with her head held high. (She’d brought the towel, but only because she drew the line at sitting bare-assed in a hard plastic chair for the entire exam. Two-thirds of the class refused to leave the dormitories; the maestra failed them all.

She had the top mark.)

Theron helps her down. “Pants off too?”

“You know me too well.” His fingers hook into her waistband and she wriggles just a bit to help ease the fabric down over her hipbones. Ungraceful, still off-balance, she lifts one foot and then the other clear. “Though I’m afraid it’s all tease and no payoff tonight.”

His hands rest carefully on her waist as he straightens up, a kiss pressed feather-light to her forehead. “I don’t mind a rain check,” he murmurs. “The best things are worth waiting for.”

“Flatterer.”

“Not flattery when it’s true.” And then he helps her up into the tank, up over the lip of the base until she’s standing securely within it, and keys in the final sequence. The glass surround slides shut, closing her in as the seals engage; the kolto starts to bubble up through the ports, covering her feet, her ankles, up to her knees and then her waist and then her chest-

She hates this part.

In and out. In and out. She slows her breathing. The kolto reaches her chin.

Theron presses his hand to the glass. Just breathe- she can’t hear him but she can read the words on his mouth- I’ll be here when you wake up.

She nods, lifting her hand to match his. I know. Now go to sleep-

The last syllable cuts off when she inhales and the kolto fills her mouth, covers her head and she can’t breathe, oh Void (every single time she should be used to it by now but she’s choking and she’s going to die in here and-)

It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. He pauses a moment. The kolto’s kicking in; her vision goes hazy. I l-

Her eyes close as the sedatives take her.

***

Another three days gone.

By some miracle- Theron could be impressively persuasive when he set his mind to it- Lana seems almost convinced of the plan by the time they land. More than that, between the two of them they’ve drafted a security protocol that might actually work and that they probably ought to have had in place all along: while their ragtag rebellion needs all the help it can get, they all admit they haven’t been screening newcomers with any particular scrutiny.

They can’t afford to scare recruits away. For so many of them Odessen is hope despite the war, despite the threat of Arcann and his fleet arriving any day, hope that maybe they can win this after all and the galaxy can go back to being what it was or maybe something even better. They need that hope.

But she’s not a general, not a Lord or a chancellor or a queen. She’s a spy.

If they’re going to make her be the former, she can keep them all safe as the latter, too.

***

Doctor Lokin’s sitting at his workbench when she reaches his little room at the back of the lab.

Though he was officially assigned to Military Strategy (much as Aygo would prefer it they can’t stay entirely aboveboard all the time, and Eckard was as sly as they came, half of his record a black box of redacted text even to her) he spent much of his time in the science wing; he’d only partially recovered from his near-permanent transformation, his cancers stabilized but still more than enough to keep him out of the field for good. In between strategy sessions it was one experiment after another, one more chance at a cure.

She owes him that, after everything he did for her.

He looks her over quickly, glancing at the splint still on her wrist and the almost-faded bruises beneath her eyes that had been such a shock when she finally made it to a mirror. “Cipher. How are you feeling?”

“Like I had a console dropped on me a week ago? I’ve had worse.” A timer on the benchtop beeps. “I need you to check a few things, but if now isn’t convenient-“

“The wheel of research turns ever over,” he says, and smacks the timer until it quiets. “One moment.” Raising an autopipette over a row of racked test tubes, he adds a single drop of liquid to each one and they start to glow a violent shade of neon green. “There we are. You have my attention.”

Is the rack vibrating? Oh, dear. “You saw my initial scan, yes? I need you to look at my wrist again.”

Lokin nods, rolling back from the bench. “Not healing as expected? Remember, the neuropathy might take weeks-“

“That’s the problem. It’s healed- bone and nerve. I could use another day or two to knit the fracture a little more before I starting training on it, but it feels perfectly normal.” He raises an eyebrow as she hands him a datacard. “This is from this morning. 144 tank-hours since injury.”

The casters of his chair rattle across the floor tiles as he moves to a console tucked into one corner. The card slots into an empty port with a click, the first images of the scan loading one by one until a cross-section of her left hand and wrist fill the screen.

“Good callus formation,” Lokin murmurs. “Appropriate to tank-hours. The compression on the neurovascular bundle’s been reduced, of course, so I would expect to- hm. Let me cross-reference.” He opens another file- her previous scan, the one they’d sent from Nightshrike - and lays the sections atop each other. He squints.

He squints again.

“Stay here.”

She does. It never did do well to ignore doctor’s orders. A few minutes later he wheels a small cart into the lab, a screen mounted on its top and a tangle of wires dangling beneath. Lokin gestures to her wrist, to the splint hidden beneath her shirtsleeve.

“Brace off, sleeve up, and bring that extra chair with you.” He taps a clean corner of the workbench. “Hand here, please. Don’t move.”

Staying still for the cleansing swab’s easy. Staying still for the needles is slightly harder but she exhales (her tattoo was far worse- this is just a few little pokes, sharp stings before the pain eases) as he connects the leads to the taped-down electrodes, testing, testing, testing and then looking to the screen and testing again.

“It’s normal,” she says, “isn’t it?”

“Very nearly. Ninety-five percent of your baseline-” he unclips the wires- “which is remarkable in and of itself given what I would have expected from your scans, and even more remarkable given that your best measurement since the incident on Corellia was eighty-eight percent. Pre- and post-carbonite.”

Pulling the needles out one by one, beads of blood well up in their places as she sets them on the countertop. Odd that the sight of her own blood is reassuring, that’s there’s still something of herself in her own body to go with the ghost in her brain and the spirit- AI, projection, whatever the fuck he is- in her spine-

She looks up. “Eckard, I need to ask you something and it’s very important that you’re honest with me. My spinal implant, the one that Watcher X installed- you told me a long time ago that it was inactive. Are you absolutely certain?”

He sighs.

Oh, Void.

“I suppose that would depend,” he begins carefully, “on one’s definition of inactive."

***

He only meant to keep her safe.

If she’d known it, at her lowest when she was afraid of losing control again more than she was afraid of anything else, she might have done something foolish. She would have done something foolish. She would have-

(My job was- is- to keep you alive, Cipher. Alive and fighting. And if I had to lie to accomplish that then so be it.)

She knows. She-

***

She locks herself inside the sub-basement storage room and screams herself hoarse.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK-

***

If they hear it in her voice at dinner that night neither Lana nor Theron say anything at all.

But Theron brings her honey-sweetened tea instead of her usual caf that night and the tea is one of Lana’s blends; she knows it by its scent. Curling up on the couch, she holds the cup between her hands and sips at it slowly. The splint has to stay another few days- she promised Lokin at least four hours in the tank tomorrow and the day after, before they leave again- but the heat’s pleasant on her fingertips and the tea’s heavily spiced, pleasantly tingly on her tongue.

“Everything’s ready for tomorrow.” Theron sits down on the bed, his duffel at his feet. They’ve only been back on Odessen for twelve hours and it feels like years with all the work already done; they’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone see to mundanities like unpacking or laundry or operational reports. “Hylo had a lot of questions I couldn’t answer but she’s on board. We’re going to need a half-dozen barrels of Alderaanian ale, though.”

“Do what you need to, and forward me the invoice. I’ll take care of it.”

He flops back, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t even want to move. Wake me up next year?”

She doesn’t want him to move, either. His quarters might not be safe despite the extra hallway cameras, for one thing. They wouldn’t have stopped her, once upon a time, and she knows he thinks she’s being paranoid but she can’t shake the feeling that something’s moving around them in a pattern she can’t quite see yet. “Go to sleep, then. I don’t mind.”

“I know, but I’ll probably go straight through until morning at the rate I’m fading here. Plus, I still need to haul this thing back downstairs.” His foot connects with the bag as he kicks at it blindly. “Gotta hang up that fancy jacket you bought me before it gets wrinkly.”

“Just hang it up here, Theron,” she rasps- ugh. Another sip; she clears her throat. “There’s more than enough room. And it’s leather. It doesn’t wrinkle.”

“Semant-” Theron rolls onto his side, angling his body so he can look down the stairs to see her. “Wait. Now I have a toothbrush and closet space?”

She makes a face at him. “You know what I mean. If you don’t want to stay-”

“Of course I want to stay. I just-” He sits up. “Is this just for now, until we get this thing with the mark worked out, or-?”

A very good question.

She wants him to stay. Stars, she wants him to stay. Her dreams are better with him close, still restless but somehow bearable, and that alone might be enough to keep her sanity in all this mess. But if what they are- another good question she only knows how to answer as she did a week ago, a ferocious mine through gritted teeth- still needs to be kept secret-

Curling in tight, she tucks her knees up to her chest. “That’s up to you. I don’t want to make things more difficult for you than they already are.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

(She doesn’t know how to do this, not when it’s true. But it can’t be that hard, can it?) “Yes,” she says. “I do.”

Theron gets up, a yawn barely hidden behind his smile, and comes back down to her; he settles in beside her on the couch, arm around her shoulders, until she’s nestled in against him. “Then I’m not going anywhere.”

*** Author’s Note: this wasn’t where this chapter was supposed to end. But seeing how that part’s still fighting me six weeks on (and three 50+ hour workweeks in there didn’t help), we’ll wrap up here and deal with a certain SIS director next time…

#equivalent exchange #inyri writes #swtor fanfiction #imperial agent/theron shan #theron shan #nine #lana beniko #doctor lokin #i've had lots of medical tests done in the last few weeks #can you tell?#the awkwardest people alive #they can talk circles around people on ops #and yet

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reallystellacadente · 6 years

Text

You Should Have Seen It

Fictober Day 18

[Takes place in my AU timeline between KotFE and KotET. I also wrote about Quinn & Xhareen in their favorite place on Odessen here.]

On Odessen

Just when Malavai Quinn felt he was settling into his new role in the Alliance, and into his new environment here on Odessen, he could sense Xhareen was not doing well.

She would toss about in her sleep and get up several times a night. Most mornings, she was up and dressed and gone from their quarters before Quinn even woke up – the most alarming sign, as this was never the case with Xhareen before they’d been separated by her incarceration in carbonite.

He had discreetly spoken with Dr. Lokin to make sure there were no physical reasons – the doctor offering only that she had been coping poorly with her anxiety, but then who here wasn’t?

Surprisingly, Quinn thought, he himself. He enjoyed what he was doing, how he was able to contribute. But that was of little comfort when the woman he loved was hurting.

He had thought perhaps to get her to talk about her experiences on Zakuul. He’d reviewed every file he’d been granted access to (and, thanks to Vette, a few he hadn’t). But he wanted to see it for himself: not just because he needed to know everything about the enemy, but because it sounded fantastic.

He caught her leaving the command center and begged her to come with him. They went to their favorite spot on the base, inside the main hangar where the large, natural opening overlooked a wooded valley below.

They sat side by side on the cool stones, taking in the breeze for a few moments.

“OK, Malavai, what are your ulterior motives for bringing me here?” she asked playfully.

“Tell me about Zakuul. Everything, anything. Just sit here and talk to me.” He tried to keep the begging from his voice but was also certain he’d failed.

“It’s beautiful. Frightening and tragic,” she said, instinctively bringing her knees up close to her chest. “It’s like what Kaas City could have been with better weather. And I’ve only seen it while running or sneaking about tunnels it seems.”

She went on to describe some of what she’d seen on her adventures: SCORPIO’s lair, the Heralds’ stronghold, Kaliyo’s apartment. The beautiful and the grotesque. She left out the Spire where she’d confronted Valkorion and then been punished for it, but Quinn figured that was a story for a later time.

He could feel her spirit lightening and she even laughed a few times. But then she got quiet for a few moments before continuing.

“You should have seen it. All of it. You should have been with me.” She stiffened her shoulders and pulled away from him. She stared off into the distance, then put her head down on her arms and said no more.

The way she said it, it was more of a mandate, a reproof, than just an expression. She was angry with … he couldn’t say … the Force? The universe? Certainly the Eternal Throne for the crime of keeping the two of them apart. But he knew she wasn’t angry with him. She had been the one who prevented him from joining her on Darth Marr’s ship; she had been adamant: If you come with me, you will die.

Quinn put his arm around her, and she relaxed a bit. “I was there with you the whole time, my love. Our bond is stronger than any distance separating us, than any tyrant opposing us.”

And I’m certain, he thought to himself, there will be so much more for us to see. Together.

#swtor #fictober18 #swtor fanfiction #malavai quinn #sith warrior #kotfe au

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scionprotector · 6 years

Note

Angst/fluff prompts, 4. “You shouldn’t have gone by yourself.”

“You shouldn’t have gone by yourself.”

“I wasn’t alone, I had T7!”

“You brought a droid to the same location where the last droid was overridden and had missing memory, making Lana pitch a fit as she looked for you? Yes, don’t give me that look. I read the files.”

Vayllaa hesitated at that, her drink at her lips for a few moments before finishing the action. That was a damn good point, and one she had considered then, or now. But that’s why she kept Theron around, wasn’t it? To point out the flaws in her plans. Not that he was at Asylum, at the time. Or even around.

The conversation had started simply, really. They both wanted to be caught up on what they had missed, so they had slipped into a booth at the cantina on Odessen. In her case, it was the explanation of the fight against Valkorian and the tale of being released from her carbonite prison. He’d been curious about Asylum, and she was pleased to indulge his curiosity. Well, until he started nitpicking her judgment. She was less amused, now.

“Right, well, it’s not like I expected Arcann, of all people, to be there. No one detected him in the slightest.”

“Something to keep in mind for later,” he muttered. If he had gotten the sneak on them once, he could do it again.

“Yea. In the meantime, you owe me five years of stories. So time to ‘fess up, my Orobird. What’ve you been up to?”

Theron nearly snorted out his drink. “What did you just call me?”

“Orobird. Is that not the breed? With the plumage at the top?” She raised her head, mimicking the feathers that the bird mount had. Almost immediately, she made the twirring sound that escaped them, and it sent him into a burst of laughter. Something that she shortly joined in on, realizing the absurdity of it. “That’s why you wear the jacket, isn’t it? Showing off your plumage. Those broad shoulders. Gotta be consistent!”

“It was less the ‘Orobird’, and more the ‘my’ part that got my attention, admittedly,” he replied out finally, grinning over at her.

With that, she matched his smile, tipping her glass at him. “Get me another one, and maybe I’ll explain the definition of ‘my’ to you.”

“That is damn well not what I meant,” he protested, but his grin remained squarely in place, and he motioned for the bartender to bring them both another drink.

Theron never did get around to telling her what happened.

Not on that evening, anyway.

#my SWTOR #Vayllaa Chronicles #storyknitter

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cinlat · 5 years

Photo

Fictober19: Day 19

Prompt: “Yes, I admit it, you were right.” Word Count: 512 Characters: Theron Shan/Zolah Holran Story/series: Odessen Files Fandom: swtor OMG, I can’t believe that I don’t have a single screenshot of Theron and Zolah together....I should fix that.

Odessen Main Base Residential Wing

Theron strode into the room with datapad in one hand and a cup of caf in the other. He missed the stuff that Vector made, but was forced to settle for mess hall swill while the man was on Alderaan. A flash of blue out of the corner of Theron’s eye made him pause inside the threshold of his room and take two steps back. “Zolah?”

The Chiss hissed from where she huddled beneath a blanket, one eye closed while the other focused on the screen of her datapad. “You...okay?” Theron clicked off his device and walked to the sofa when her datapad flopped into her lap.

Theron settled on the edge of the sofa to rub Zolah’s leg. “What’s wrong?” Blue fingertips pressed into her eyelids in that tell tale way that he recognized. “Come on.”

Zolah only grumbled a little when Theron slid the device off her lap and set it on the table. “You need a massage and hot shower.” It was a little known fact that Zolah’s implants triggered migraines when overworked. She wouldn’t tell Theron the details, but hers did a lot more than they were meant to.

“I’ll be fine, Theron,” Zolah complained as he hauled her upright and pulled her shirt up. “You shouldn’t fuss.”

Theron noted that Zolah didn’t try to stop him, despite her assurances that she didn’t need his help. “While Vector is gone, it’s my job to take care of you.” He unclasped Zolah’s bra and tossed it to the side before starting on her trousers. “Don’t argue.”

Zolah sighed, then winced. Theron finished undressing his lover, wondering when doing so had become an act of care instead of for more carnal reasons. Pulling her into the fresher, he started the water, turning it higher than a human would find comfortable, before retrieving the still squinting Chiss to drag her in. “You get in, and I’ll find some pain tabs.”

Theron left the light off, cracking the door to let in just enough light for her to see by. It took him ten minutes to talk one of the physicians into released the medication without a legitimate reason. Theron supposed he could have said that he was fetching them for Fynta, but then she’d want to know why and Zolah was adamant that no one should know.

When he returned, the water was still on and steam rolled out of the shower. “Hey, got the goods,” Theron called. “Want them in there, or when you get out?”

The water switched off, and Zolah stepped out with a towel wrapped around her. “I’ll take them now, thanks.”

“Feeling any better?” Theron asked, offering her a cup of water to go with them. “Did the shower help?”

Zolah tipped her head back to down the tabs, then sighed. “Alright, yes, I admit it.” Theron grinned, waving a hand for her to continue with the ‘you were right’ part, as she pulled on her pajamas.

With a pat to his chest, Zolah offered a weak smile while climbing into bed. “Goodnight, lover.”

#cinlat drabbles #fictober19 #swtor fanfiction #theron shan #zolah holran #19 #series: meet me on the battlefield #story: odessen files

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sullustangin · 3 years

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Socrates and the Echoes of Oblivion

After re-playing Echoes of Oblivion, I’m thinking that this part of the patch is a massive Socratic Problem.

Disclaimer: I think the Flashpoint was under-written (not enough time/money/vocal talent due to COVID) which led to no major new revelations about any of the characters. If we had found out new stuff, then I think I would be more inclined to say it is what the game says it is: an adventure in Satele’s mind. But since we didn’t, it wasn’t. This is me going off on a lark again, so enjoy the theorycrafting.

What is the Socratic Problem?

So, when Socrates was condemned for 'impiety’ and ‘corrupting the young’ -- aka, stirring sedition and civil unrest against a corrupt government - not only was he put to death but all of his works were destroyed as well. Essentially, all we know today about Socrates and his philosophy come through his students. Plato is a biggie. He claims many times throughout his works that a certain opinion was Socrates, and he also used him as the ‘hero’ or main character in his philosophical dialogues - Socrates almost always wins.

Here’s the Socratic Problem: is this a true representation of Socrates, as he was? Or is this the fond memory of a dear student of a lost master? Is Plato telling the facts, telling the truth, or making Socrates fan fiction?

....what the hell does that have to do with Echoes of Oblivion?

I think we’re dealing with the same problem here when we supposedly go into Satele’s mind. I don’t think we do. I think this is just another exploration of the mind of the player character and their trauma from the last 10 years.

Is Satele sick with a virus? Yes. Is the Emperor trying to grow a collective being that he can manifest in? Yes, preferably Satele-shaped and powered by her students’ life force.

But the second that the player goes into that trance with Kira and Scourge, everything is only happening in the player’s mind. Nobody else is in there. Darth Marr suggests as much. When the player chooses “You seem very insightful,” he replies, “I know only what you know.”

It’s like writing your own fan fic -- your characters know what you know, as the author. If they make a mistake about their own biography, it’s because you lacked the knowledge. In turn, if they are aware of something other characters are not, it’s because of you. To me, that line says that everything we see happen is the Alliance Commander’s ‘mental fan fic’ about killing the Emperor.

There is no revelation of information about the characters that the player works with. We learn nothing new about Scourge, Kira, the Emperor’s family, Revan -- we’ve met all of them, but there’s no ‘secret past’ uncovered....

Not even for Satele... whose mind we’re supposedly in.

And indeed, the only things the character sees are their own memories. Remember that little padawan on Tython? That’s not Satele; Satele re-discovered Tython -- she was never a student there.

Why do all of the possible player character classes have memories of Tython? Because of the Tython/Korriban incursions. (I know mechanically, this is skippable in game, but work with me here.) The Outlander becomes the Outlander because they caught the eye of the Emperor at Ziost, which only happens because of Yavin 4, which only happens because of Rishi, which only happens because of the conspiracy discovered at Tython and Korriban.

This makes me want to conclude that we’re never in Satele’s head, actually; there is nothing revealed about her that we don’t already know. So who is the padawan? Maybe the player saw one of the little kids cowering after the incursion -- maybe that stuck in their minds for good or bad. But historically speaking, that is absolutely not Satele.

And Marr let us in on that secret... but that’s not Marr. That is our memory of Marr. Marr the realist. Marr, who confronted the truth that his approach to the Force had been wrong in life -- and admitted it. Marr, the truth teller. Marr the Socratic Problem.

In fact, all the people we see in that dream/vision/mind adventure are our Socratic images of people we’ve encountered before. That includes Revan, who the player met during the Yavin 4 op and appears as a Force ghost before they go into a trance.

...ok. So what was the whole flashpoint, by that logic?

The flashpoint isn’t Satele’s mind. It’s the playable character’s mind. Everything that happens? Essentially the player’s fan fic about how they really killed the Emperor. Everything is representative and completely controlled by the memory of the player. Remember, “My mind, my rules” in the finale of KotET.

That is, until the very end when Satele ‘wakes up’ and reveals that she and her students have been playing dead, essentially; they let the Emperor think he had consumed and dominated them. They let his arrogance think they had toppled easy, with Satele barely hanging on by a thread. While she dangled, the Emperor turned his attention to the player character. The second that the player entered the trance, Satele, the students, and the Emperor all ‘changed instances’ to the player’s mind, not Satele’s mind. The only things there are things that that the player knew.

What purpose does the Commander serve?

Remember that the door swung two ways on the whole Emperor’s occupation of the Outlander’s mind. Not only could the Outlander not get rid of Valkorion, but Valkorion could not get out. He never does regain the power to use the Outlander as a meat puppet; the Outlander fights too hard for Valkorion to get up off that throne and kill Lana/Theron/Senya/Arcann.

Basically, Scourge and Kira are using the Commander as a cage. Remember that the imprint of Tenebrae (the so-called virus) doesn’t know anyone. Valkorion, Vitiate -- they’re manifestations of a personality that is currently running on a backup file that was made once and not updated. Valkorion ‘knows’ thanks to Kira’s memories that he lived in the Outlander. Vitiate ‘knows’ he controlled Kira and the Jedi Knight in the past... but neither of them remember how that worked. They have the facts, gleaned from sources after the fact, but they have no active memory of doing these things.

That means Valkorion doesn’t necessarily ‘know’ or ‘remember’ how trapped he was in the Outlander’s mind. He sees this powerful person, he wants that powerful person to control... and can’t remember what happened last time.

The Emperor is all too keen to run into the trap that is the Commander’s head. Another big powerful creature like Satele Shan he can dominate and control -- and off he went to try to consume the player’s mind. But he forgot what happened at the end of that story!

But Satele says it’s her mind and her trap.

And so it is. I do think Satele was containing the Emperor until Scourge and Kira arrived with the player character. As I say above, I think there’s a moment where everyone ‘changed instances’ into the player’s mind, which is the cage of Valkorion. Otherwise, I think we would have seen things and done things that would reveal more about Satele. We only see and hear things that the player knew before they went into a trance.

Ultimately, the spirit/essence/soul/whatever of the Emperor is defeated by the Jedi Force plan thing that Scourge and Kira and Satele cooked up. They just use the player as a holding pen, essentially; worked before, so why not now?

Also, the end scene of the the flashpoint (the one with Satele) can be very self-indulgent. Want to kill Satele? Oh, if only you could. You want to confess how you regret your decision regarding exiling/killing Theron? Forgive me, Mother, for I have sinned. Want your mother-in-law’s approval, if you romanced Theron? Here you go. Want a Grand Master to say what a great and powerful Jedi/Sith you are? You get a compliment, you get a compliment... It’s whatever the player wants Satele to say to them. So again, this is all a happy coda to the flashpoint that the player in their own mind dreams up. (Granted, is that not the function of video games? Us being the hero? Us getting a little wish fulfillment?)

Can that still be real, if we 'change instances’ back into Satele’s mind once the Emperor is defeated? Sure. If you believe Dream!Satele is real (and reusing her campground on Odessen), go for it.

As I said at the top, I have a feeling this is more of a product of under-developed writing than a deliberate deep dive in to Socrates. I wish we did find out more about Satele; Theron indicated he didn’t want to go in because he didn’t want to dig deep into her psyche. He didn’t know what we would find -- turned out to be nothing, but... there could have been something.

#swtor #swtor 6.2 #echoes of oblivion #socrates #satele shan #darth marr

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swtorpadawan · 6 years

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Awakenings - Part 2

“So.” she finally said, questioningly.

“I know.” He replied, by way of an answer.

The two reunited lovers regarded the holo-display while sitting in the main medical lab of the Eternal Alliance base on Odessen, their discarded clothes strewn about the floor. They were entwined, having wrapped themselves together in a single bed sheet pulled from a nearby gurney. They certainly weren’t going to be breaking physical contact with each other any time soon. The room was empty aside from the two of them and given what they had spent most of the last hour doing, that was probably a good thing.

Matters now turned to explanations.

Kira Carsen idly ran her fingertips through his hair, not looking away from the holo-display. In front of her was the complete Table of Organization for the Eternal Alliance. Every species and faction. Every unit and ship. Every individual. At the very top – just above the ‘Senior Advisors’ (Theron Shan and Lana Beniko???) – was his name, and the title.

Commander of the Eternal Alliance.

She regarded it carefully, then turned back to the whole table.

“Beniko.” Her tone was still questioning.

“Yeah.” He answered. “Everyone here plays by the same rules. Sith. Jedi. Republic. Empire. Zakuulan. I didn’t ask anyone to change what they believed in. Just that they follow the Alliance. Mostly… that involved asking people not to kill each other. Its worked out so far.” He nuzzled at her neck. “And for the record, it was Lana who found me on Zakuul. Her and Tee.”

Kira just nodded almost absent-mindedly, closing her eyes with a sigh as she felt him against her. For a long moment they just sat there, listening to each other’s breathing.

She finally looked up at the display again. “You’re in command of the Eternal Fleet.” Again, her voice was questioning.

“I know.” He said quietly. “I have the ships delivering supplies and transporting refugees. Peacekeeping. To be honest, it’s probably the only thing keeping the Republic and Empire from restarting their war.”

Again, she just nodded. A sense of detachment had come over her where that made about as much sense as anything else. Her eyes looked back at the display, finally locking on to one name.

“Arcann.” Her voice dripped with bitterness.

He paused for a long moment. He wasn’t going to give her the answers he’d given to everyone else. She deserved better.

“Suri.” He finally said, voice just above a whisper.

Suri. Her old friend from her childhood. A Child of the Emperor. She had wanted to save her friend from his influence, but… they had failed. Later she learned that Suri had been killed serving the Emperor’s will. That had hurt her. Hearing him say Suri’s name now…. she didn’t like it, but she understood.

He was telling her he wanted to save Arcann for Suri and all the other people they failed to save from Vitiate’s influence.

“And you… don’t call yourself a Jedi anymore.” She caressed his cheek, looking into his eyes.

He let out a slow exhale. “I needed to change how I approached the Force to win against the Eternal Throne. And I think the decisions I’ve made… this role I’ve taken on… well, I don’t think it’s a suitable job for a Jedi. So rather than wait for the order to reform itself and declare me an exile, I just… left the robes behind. It wasn’t easy, but it felt… right.”

She gave him a small smile, as if she understood. Once upon a time, becoming a Jedi was the most important thing in the galaxy to her. After she had achieved that, though, all she could think about was reforming the Order. Getting it to take charge of the Republic more, not to mention getting it to be more accepting of attachments.

“And people know about… us.”

“Teeseven’s doing. But it was my fault.” He sighed with an apologetic look. “When I got the call from Enaq, I was going to go after you with just Tee and Rusk. Frankly, I made an ass of myself with the others. So… he played the recording of us from Drommund Kaas. At that point, everyone insisted they be allowed to come with me. By now, the rumors have probably reached the rank and file.”

He gave her a comforting smile. “I believe a lot of them want to meet you.”

She swallowed, nodding her head again. Her hand slid down to his bare chest. Some of the scars – including the one that looked like a lightsaber thrust in the middle – were new. It made her cringe a little; she remembered when she knew the story of every scar on his body. And he, hers.

They would need many more examinations and explanations.

She looked up into his eyes, with a searching look.

“And you?” she asked quietly. “What is it you want?”

“I want everything.” He murmured reassuringly. “Everything we ever talked about. All of those plans we made. I still want all of it.” He picked up the precious jewel at the end of her necklace chain and gently squeezed it in his hand.

“But - only when you’re ready.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, inhaling the scent of her hair.

“When you’re truly comfortable here, and only when this place, the Alliance, I mean – and these people – become as much a home to you as they have to me.”

“And I know that will take a while. Maybe a long while.” He pulled her in close again. “But I can wait. I waited a year to have you back in my arms. I can wait forever for everything else.”

Kira’s eyes pressed together. This was all overwhelming.

“Say something to convince me that this isn’t a dream.” She whispered, reaching up and caressing her fingertips along his jaw line.

The man who now called himself the Alliance Commander closed his eyes at her touch. After a moment, a smile came to his lips as he reached up and touched her cheek softly. His pale-blue eyes opened, meeting Kira’s own deep blues.

“They’ll take you over my dead body.” He replied, eyes sparkling.

They were the same words he had said to her ten years before, when Kira’s history as a Child of the Emperor had come out. After they had teamed up to beat Valis, she had told him everything about her past back on their ship. She had been distraught. Devastated, honestly. The knowledge that the Emperor and his lackeys – her ‘brothers and sisters’ – were after her and would never stop scared her more than anything.

Then he had said those words to her and it had filled her with a warmth that had never totally faded.

She grinned and kissed him again.

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

#swtor #kira carsen #knights of the fallen empire #knights of the eternal throne #fanfic #long post #male jedi knight #hero of tython

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badsithnocookie · 5 years

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i guess i’ve come to terms with the defection au being basically canon for eirn (or at least, in the outlander!eirn fork of the appoverse), but i’m going to leave its tag as defection au/general reference name for continuity’s/ease of reference’s sake

but anyway prompted i guess by dani’s musings on ana maite, this is a post about where eirn is, relationship wise (on several levels)

quinn leaving for the empire was what prompted eirn to go to the republic, rather than the other way around. up until that point, she knew that leaving the empire would mean having to find allies who could protect her, but had ruled the republic out because she knew quinn would never, ever be fine with that. his leaving, though, meant it was back on the table as an option (and the one most able to protect her, at that)

obviously losing the relationship with him (losing him) hurt, a lot - not just because he’d left her, but because in doing so, he’d rejected the healing and peace she’d found for herself on odessen and gone straight back to the place that had wounded her so badly to begin with (to say nothing of the way the empire had treated him). it dragged all of her old doubts and insecurities back up to the surface - that she was just weak if she couldn’t stomach life in the empire, that she was barely sith at all, and hardly worthy of being tsis, that if she’d embraced the sith lifestyle properly maybe she wouldn’t have suffered the way she did.

but in leaving the empire she has also lost her relationship with it,and that hurts on some level, too. because she is tsis - she is sith, truly sith. she has sith skin and sith hair and sith blood, she speaks and thinks in the sith language, she has a sith name and a sith lightsaber. and the empire, for a long time, was her home. it was where she grew up, where she has her happy childhood memories, where she fell in love, the place she always fought to protect, even once she knew she could never bring herself to go back. her relationship with the empire was always complicated, but now it’s over, and that's painful on a very intimate, personal level.

so, right now, at the minute, whether we’re talking in the stalled timeline of defection or the vague unwritten one of wherever swtor’s content drops are up to, eirn is... grieving (her relationship with quinn, her relationship with the empire), and lonely, and trying her best to heal and to find herself for, really, the first time in her life. she doesn’t have the inquisition breathing down her neck, doesn’t have to worry about the judgement of other sith (even if she does have to worry about the judgement of republic immigration). sis custody is decidedly less free than odessen was, but that was one reason she agreed to go to ossus; fresh air and open skies and the possibility she might be able to breathe on her own terms.

massive republic and or plot fuckups notwithstanding, she will probably stay in the republic and do her best to slink out of the war and public eye, both. she’ll never have a ‘normal’ life, but she can at the very least have one that’s hers. chances are high she will get dragged into Some level of plot (i’d been musing on her settling on corellia for a while, if only because it’s where her parents went in the factionswap au and i like the symmetry of it, and the final chunk of onslaught story is there so she’d probably end up caught up in that somehow)

(if nothing else, i can give her the closure of actually killing malgus this time)

eventually she would seek out a relationship again, though. eirn has a goopy romantic side, and wants a family and a picket fence and a dog and all the rest of that shite. i don’t have any firm plans or ships for her, though.

canon love interests-wise,

quinn is going to be okay with leaving the empire for the republic approximately never. also he like. recused himself from meeting her because he assumed that she’d go leaping back into the arms of the sith/empire, after she failed to do that then went over a year continuing to let her exist in closure-less misery, when he finally showed up he didn’t make any effort to contact her until after the dust was starting to settle (and he’d been taken prisoner by her faction), ummed and ahhed over whether he was going to join her, and then having done that, immediately leapt back in with the empire leaving her in the process as soon as he got the promise they might not execute him for treason because they’re so desperate to fight a war they’re probably going to lose anyway because the empire has the collective tactical knowhow of the kind of person who fights a land war in russia during the winter. so, like. no. he’s very much never ever going to be an option again.

like. if canon provides a convincing ic reason that he might defect to the republic i might indulge in an au where a chunk of the above does not come to pass but honestly? i don’t see it being the case.

lana is off the table for obvious reasons (lana’s a ds sith, manipulative, etc. eirn does not trust lana further than she could spit a rat). plus in the appoverse, lana is still on odessen running her alliance (or what’s left of it, now that most of the major players have gone)

theron is a big no, both because of his jedi ties but also that whole zildrog mess. (i haven’t decided exactly how that goes down in the appoverse but i do want to keep the speech where he tells the outlander they’re a tyrant because that would crit eirn right in the insecurities and delicious angst).

koth would definitely be a possibility if i didn’t have him with anya (though i guess i could change that? it’s not like i’ve written a ton with them). they both want to do right by their people, by all people, and have been treated badly for it. plus common ground on getting fucked over by valkoriate. and he’s a good bean all round.

tau would be a definite possibility if not for both the monologue she gives about corellia on ossus, and her general attitude towards imperial troops as monsters (granted, she’s not wrong, but if she displayed that attitude around eirn, eirn would absolutely take it personally and both be offended and internally go ‘yup, i’m a monster’ and file it away for things to berate herself with later). that and the whole ‘jedi’ thing put her in the ‘no’ column.

oc wise,

the best any eirn-awenyth relationship will ever be in ‘canon’ and its derivative aus is a mutual ‘okay-i-guess-i-no-longer-hate-you-but-please-stay-the-fuck-away-from-me’.

my hellbrain has also suggested croslan, who only has one post in his tag but was the jk in jk hell volume 1. he’s a miraluka goofball with an incredibly corny sense of humour who basically existed for kiramancing and getting legendary on progenitor (can i get an f for the old servers). i think if i was going to do that though i’d rework him to not be a jedi. the luka sene would remind eirn too much of the inquisition for her to ever be comfortable around one, but he could just be... a miraluka who is not a member of any particular religious order. existing outside of rigid religious structures is a thing that would be super common in the gffa, outside of societies like the sith empire.

aemilia is Just Good Friends. i love them both as friends, their weird jedi+sith friendship is built on years of slowly building trust and understanding (even though i. know i’ve barely posted any of it. but they met during sor; aemilia was on manaan following up a lead on the thefts from tython during an imperial incursion at the same time that eirn was there following a tip about the truth regarding the sacking of the academy on korriban. aemilia taught eirn how to use various Force techniques during late sleepless nights on rishi, and eirn would teach amy about the sith structures and statuary on yavin iv, and there were reasons eirn selected aemilia to be her ambassador to the iokath intelligence). amy has never had the end goal of getting eirn to do any particular thing - in sharp contrast to almost every other jedi, sith, and miscellaneous Force user eirn has encountered.

i don’t really have any other ocs that i have strong onions on? most of them are either in relationships/unsuitable or super minor.

that was uh. longer than i expected it would be. oops

#oc: eirnhaya #defection au #long post #quinn critical

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