#OC Captain Volte

[clonemedickix]

Again, sorry. Coping in the medical field is one of the hardest things to quantify, explain or manage. We often develop weird coping mechanisms and lone wolf tendencies. People struggle to understand our level of weird, while we struggle to maintain our sanity. I hope this is just a small glimpse into the mind of a good medic who can’t save everyone, but still cares deeply about continuing the fight.

Rating: M

Word count: 2.9K

Pairing: OC CMO Volte x OC General Lara Lin x OC Aurelia (by permission of @freesia-writes )

Warnings: Surgically assisted birth, coping with life risk, medical coping with reality of trauma and loss, discussing the feels

Excerpt Summary - Lara and Volte are required to deliver a child surgically; Volte has a flashback to times when he couldn’t save everyone and has a moment, struggling to cope.

@anxiouspineapple99 @blueink-bluesoul @523rdrebel @mandos-mind-trick @jediknightjana @moonlightwarriorqueen @wizardofrozz @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @dystopicjumpsuit @villanousace

Excerpt beneath the line

About six months into the girl’s pregnancy, Lara had noted her fiddling with her socks and boots, complaining how tight they were, and that her ankles were swelling up daily. Sliding over near her, Lara asked her how she’d been feeling, if she was excited about the coming baby. The girl, named Rhaela, chattered on in happiness about her preparations, how they’d made clothes and furniture for the baby, how excited Falco was about becoming a father. Lara listened to her with a smile, but with rising concern, which turned to fear when she heard Rhaela complain about the frequent headaches she was getting. Hearing her complaints, Lara realized they were symptoms of a concerning pregnancy related condition - at the very least it was gestational hypertension, but was most likely preeclampsia. She would need to talk to Volte and Aurelia as soon as possible about treatment plans for Rhaela; there wasn’t much to offer really - no antihypertensives, no hospital to stash her in until delivery. She would be much like the millions of human women that had gone before her, doing their best to survive high risk pregnancies.

In the end, Lara’s fears came true. Rhaela went into labor and struggled to deliver her child. As the birth progressed, she was unable to bring the child out, not matter what techniques she and Volte used. Lara found herself looking at Volte silently, full of dread and knowledge. In a small lull, while Rhaela rested, Falco holding her hand desperately, his face full of concern, Lara and Volte consulted in the corner of the small home, Aurelia listening without a word.

“She’s not going to be able to deliver that baby, Volte,” Lara said softly.

“So what do you propose we do, General?” Volte’s tone was laced with desperation and unhappiness. He knew instinctively where this was going, and his heart hurt at the knowledge, the risks they were faced with taking.

“If we do a section, we can probably save the baby. It’s full term, and should be fine. But I’m not sure if we can save them both. The meds we have will depress the baby’s breathing and heart rate as well - we absolutely can’t go cutting on her without giving her pain meds. So, we won’t have much time to get the baby out.” Lara’s fine brows were drawn together in thought and distraction. “What do you think, Volte?”

Volte looked disturbed that she was deferring the decision to him. He gawped a little in surprise and panic. “I…I don’t know, General! You’ve done this before - I haven’t.”

Lara looked at him a little flatly. “If you’re going to be the doctor for this community, these decisions will come up. Even the best docs on Earth still struggle with this at times.” She glanced over at Rhaela, who was napping fitfully. “We have to ask Rhaela what she wants. While she sleeps, we can get stuff ready.” She looked up at Aurelia a little sharply, focused now on a task that they could accomplish. “Rely, go get the med packs and the IV equipment. The surgical packs are labeled as such. Bring those as well as the airway pack. Can you get it all?”

“I can get Howzer to help me. I’ll be right back!” Aurelia turned and ran from the home quickly, on a mission to get the equipment back as soon as possible.

Lara stepped over to Rhaela and Falco; reaching out she took the young woman’s wrist in her hand and felt her pulse, then glanced at the fetal heart rate monitor to see how the baby was doing. The signs were okay for now - both mother and child were resting for a moment. Falco stared at Lara’s face, fear hiding in the depths of his brown eyes. He could sense the General wasn’t happy with how the delivery was going. Rhaela stirred, waking groggily and looking up at Lara and her husband. Taking a breath, Lara braced herself for the conversation that had to happen now.

“Rhaela, we are having some trouble bringing the baby along. I’m not sure you’re going to be able to deliver without help.” Falco’s eyes hardened.

“What kind of help?,” he asked guardedly.

“Surgical help. We’ve reached the point where we have to make a choice. I can surgically open the womb and get the baby out, or both mother and child will likely die in the attempt to have the baby naturally.” Lara’s expression was as flat as she could make it, looking into both parent’s eyes. They both looked taken aback, slapped by the cold hand of reality and dread. “Before you make your choice, you have to know - there is a large chance that Rhaela could die. This surgery is not without risks. The bleeding associated is usually bad, and I can’t make you any guarantees, other than if we do nothing, you will certainly die. And the child.” Lara’s eyes were full of regret, that she couldn’t do more for them.

Rhaela and Falco looked at each other, seeing that the writing on the walls was dark and unhappy. Tears came to both their eyes, along with a mixture of physical pain; the contractions were starting to return. Lara reached out and took Rhaela’s hand, saying nothing, but offering her presence as support. The girl took a deep breath, leaned over into Falco’s chest and cried softly. Falco held her like he was trying to force the strength from his own body into hers. Looking up at Lara, he whispered, “There’s no other way?”

Lara shook her head sadly.

Tears fell from Falco’s eyes, and he closed them, holding Rhaela tightly. After a moment, Rhaela looked at Lara and took a breath. “Do it, General. I know you’ll do your best. You and Volte can do anything, I know it.”

The words touched Lara’s soul, and she couldn’t stop a rim of tears from filling her eyes. Squeezing Rhaela’s hand, she gave her a bracing smile, nodded and stood. Aurelia and Howzer walked into the home carrying the supply bags at that moment. Aurelia was focused, moving to place them on the table and already opening the compartments, knowing exactly what she was after. Howzer glanced over at Falco briefly, his face full of uncomfortable sadness for the couple, but unsure what his place was, or how to be of use in this situation. Lara looked up at the captain and said quickly, “Howzer, please go find Turk, Dorian and Primer - ask them to come here. I’m going to need their help. Be quick, please.” Her tone was a professional command and brooked no argument. Howzer hurried from the home to do as ordered.

Lara and Volte worked quickly to get the room set up for the procedure, laying out the items and sterile packs they would need. She and Volte would do the surgery, while Aurelia kept Rhaela medicated and sedated, and Lara planned to have Turk and Dorian help with her airway and the baby when delivered. Primer she needed to support Falco. She wouldn’t ask him to leave his wife and child, but she wasn’t going to have him there alone if the worst occurred. The men soon turned up as requested, and Lara explained their roles to them. They nodded solemnly and immediately got themselves in the proper mindset for the challenge ahead.

Aurelia got an IV started on Rhaela and the fluids hooked up without issue. Lara drew up the appropriate doses of meds to sedate the young woman, and to keep her under for the surgery. “Rely, these are good for the first few rounds of the induction, but you’ll probably have to draw up a few more doses from the vials.” Aurelia nodded succinctly. She knew her job. She helped get Rhaela settled in her bed with some protective sheeting beneath her to catch blood and fluids, and then washed up quickly, returning to the girl’s bedside to don gloves. Lara got everyone masked up and to their places, then nodded to Aurelia to push the first doses of sedation and pain medication. Looking into Rhaela’s eyes, Lara did her best to assure the brave girl as her green eyes started to get glassy with sleep and medications.

Once she was deeply under with the versed and fentanyl on board, Lara had Rely push a new medication - rocuronium - to temporarily paralyze the mother’s muscles and have her relaxed enough to allow a medical airway to be placed. Lara picked up her laryngoscope quickly, positioned herself behind Rhaela’s head, opened her mouth with her right hand, and inserted the blade of the laryngoscope to push the girl’s tongue out of the way and expose her vocal cords to Lara’s sight. She inserted the endotracheal tube with practiced ease, and removed the stylet within, attaching an AMBU bag to the end of the tube with one hand and skills long learned. Watching for chest rise, she saw Rely quickly listen with a stethoscope for breath sounds or gastric gurgling, but the girl glanced up at Lara with a confirming nod. The tube was in place correctly. Lara moved to tape it securely to Rhaela’s mouth and cheek, then handed monitoring of the airway and respiration to Turk. She and Volte washed up and opened the sterile surgical trays and equipment, Lara donning a sterile gown and gloves and setting the field up with Volte’s help. When she was done, he did the same, getting dressed for the procedure and stepping up to Rhaela’s side. The two surgeons looked at each other, took a breath and nodded.

“Okay for a quick time out, team. We are going to do this c-section on Rhaela because we’re out of options to deliver naturally. Turk, you have the airway. Dorian, for now you are waiting to catch the baby. Aurelia, you are in charge of monitoring the vitals and administering the meds. Volte - you got any questions?” Volte shook his head. “Okay, I’ll make the first incision.” Lara reached over to the table and removed a scalpel, placing her left hand on Rhaela’s abdomen, pulling the skin back slightly, and at the base of her uterus at the pubic line, made a cut about six inches long. Volte quickly dabbed at the welling blood with gauze.

Lara worked swiftly to get through the layers of tissues, avoiding important structures carefully until she could see the outer surface of the uterus. Looking up quickly at Dorian, she said, “You ready D? Two minutes to having this baby out.”

“I’m ready General,” he said quickly, poised with a couple of clean blankets, ready to accept the child from Volte, who would hand it off to Dorian.

“Okay here we go.” Lara quickly cut into the uterus, working to avoid going too deeply; she didn’t want to accidentally nick the baby. She carefully stretched the incision, trying to avoid making it too big; there was benefit to leaving the incision slightly tight so as to squeeze the infant’s lungs of amniotic fluid and mimic the passage through the birth canal. She felt for the little head and got her fingers around and under it, directing it to the incision she’d made and gently pulling it out. She and Volte paused for a moment to clean the field of all the amniotic fluid and blood present, and then Lara reached back into Rhaela’s womb to grasp the child’s shoulder. Lifting it towards the opening, she worked first one and then the other free, feeling the body slide more quickly now from its former home of nine months. Lara lifted the infant’s body free of Rhaela and placed it on the sterile field, over the gap between her legs, working with Volte to clamp and cut the umbilical cord and clean the surgical field again of blood. Free of his mother’s womb and the placenta now, Volte quickly handed the newborn over to Dorian, who enfolded the boy in the warm, clean blankets and quickly stepped over to another table to work at waking the baby up, vigorously wiping at the vernix covering his skin, stimulating him until the baby let out a breathtaking, loud squawk. Internally, both Lara and Volte sighed with relief at the sound, but were working quickly to get Rhaela’s c-section finished and her sewed back up.

Lara reached once more into her womb to deliver the placenta. She placed it on the sterile field as she had the baby, and Volte quickly assessed it for completeness, nodding to Lara when he checked it. “Complete, General.”

“Good. Good, good, good,” Lara breathed. She worked to clean Rhaela’s uterus out as best she could, irrigating and scraping it clean of any remnants of birth so there would be minimal risk of infection after. When she was satisfied, she started working to sew up the incision site, which required multiple layers of sutures. Satisfied that the uterus was no longer bleeding, Lara started working on closing Rhaela’s abdomen back up, and they finished when Volte put in the final sutures and staples. They wiped her belly clean, watching it for any last oozing, and then took deep breaths out of relief. Aurelia looked up at them with a smile that spoke volumes of her own happiness at their apparent success, and pride in what their small team had accomplished. Falco had gone over to meet and hold his new son, Dorian handing the baby off to the new father with a happy smile for his teammate. Primer had watched the whole affair with a look of silent concern and solemnity, and he only broke into a smile when he saw Lara stand to her full height, stretching her shoulders and letting out the tense breath she’d been holding the entire time.

Lara glanced over at her first in command, their eyes meeting quietly. He gave her a little one sided smile of pride and congratulations, and Lara smiled back beneath her mask. Then she looked at Volte. The medic looked strangely… distracted, even a little shattered for some reason. Like he was looking at a scene of devastation and not success. Lara’s brows knit a little in confusion and she reached over to him, touching his arm softly. “Volte? You okay?” His eyes snapped up to hers suddenly, as if his mind had been far away.

“I’m fine, General. Good work. We did good work.” He tried to make his words sound strong and sure, but Lara could hear a faint note of confusion still there, like he was lost in a memory he couldn’t shake.

“Help me get all this taken down and scrub out. Go get some air.” Lara felt concern for him, but wasn’t sure what was wrong. He did as she’d directed, getting all of the instruments back to their tray, helping her break down the sterile field and clean up from their work. Volte stripped off his gloves, gown and mask and then left the home almost as if chased by ghosts. Even Primer watched him go with a look of concern. Primer met Lara’s eyes, full of questions for Volte’s behavior. Lara shrugged and shook her head - she wasn’t sure what was wrong, but she had two patients to attend to at the moment and couldn’t do anything about Volte.

She quickly checked the baby and the mother over, assuring both herself and Falco that they were doing well. Aurelia and Turk sat with Rhaela for a while longer, monitoring her vitals and maintaining her airway. By the time Lara was finished with her work in the little home, Rhaela was breathing on her own and seemed to be stable. Lara ordered Turk to remove the breathing tube, and remained to watch the girl, making sure she continued breathing independently a bit longer. Aurelia looked up to Lara and said, “Go after Volte. I’ll stay until she wakes up.”

Lara looked at Aurelia gratefully, reached over and squeezed her shoulder, and turned to leave. Primer stepped over to her quickly, following her out the door. “Do you need me to go with you to find him?”

Lara shook her head. “I’ve got it. I don’t think this talk will follow a path you know much about. But thanks. Watch over them for me and if Rely needs something, come get me pronto, okay?”

Primer stopped walking and called to Lara’s retreating form, “Will do, General.” He watched her for a minute longer, the pride he felt in her swelling for a moment, then he turned and walked back to Falco’s home in silence.

Lara found Volte sitting on her little hill, listening to the waves. His eyes were distant and his mind was far away, tears falling softly down his cheeks. She studied him in profile for a moment; he didn’t even acknowledge that he’d noticed her, he was so distracted. Lara pursed her lips a bit and moved to sit next to him without a word. He’d come back eventually, and she would be here when he was ready to talk. It was well over an hour though, before she felt him take a deep breath, hesitate, and then reach for words.

“Sorry, General, I just kind of… lost myself there for a minute.” To be honest, he still sounded rather lost, Lara thought quietly. She looked over at him from the side, her blue eyes studying him silently. Lara waited for Volte to make the next move.

Volte saw her watching him patiently, and sighed. “You ever have those moments, when you wonder if you did everything you could for someone you didn’t manage to save?”

Oh, so many, Lara thought to herself quietly. She looked off, over the waves before them, losing herself in the question and a swell of memories. “We all have those moments, Volte. The frustration of loss, of not being able to best Death - every medical person faces that at some point, if not multiple times. It’s a sign that you’re a good one, someone who cares.” She met his eyes firmly, trying to convey the depth of her meaning.

Volte nodded as if she’d verified something to be right, that he’d been thinking. He looked down at the grass and pulled a blade, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, focusing on it as if it were the most fascinating thing he’d seen in a long time. After a long pause, he said a little haltingly, “I know we didn’t lose this time, but when we were sewing her up, I suddenly remembered the face of another person, from the war. She was a citizen on Falucia, and had taken a bad shrapnel wound to the gut. She was bleeding to death, right there in front of me, and her husband was there, begging me to save her. She was pregnant, probably close to her due date. And I just remembered his voice as he pleaded with me, to save her life. To save the child.” Volte stopped, his mind working to deal with the flooding memories. “I couldn’t save either of them. I had no idea, no training, on how to deliver a child.” It had never come up in either conversation or education. It wasn’t something the GAR thought a combat medic would ever need, nor should waste money and time on teaching. “I watched her life drain away, knowing her baby was dying too, and could do nothing, but hold her hand, while her husband grieved beside her. I felt so helpless, so useless.” He bowed his head, bringing his hands up to cover his face, breathing deeply to steady himself.

Lara listened patiently; Volte had to tell the story himself, let the grief roll through him so he could address it properly. She watched as he came to grips with the truths of his past self, and where he’d come to now. The truth was, there were no better teachers than time and experience. And he was right - why would the Kaminoans have trained him for obstetrics? They weren’t bred for community health work - the GAR medics existed to put their brothers back together and keep them fighting. But Lara knew after her long years of life, that the bitterness of helpless loss could still rise up to choke a good medic regardless of the reality of their situation. There were times when she’d watched good people die in her arms, because the technology didn’t exist yet for her to help them.

The two sat in silence for a while, letting the sounds of nature wash over them. “Sorry I let it get to me back there, General. Seems kind of silly now, since the whole operation went so well.” Volte looked over at Lara with a slightly sheepish grin.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Every medical person I’ve ever met is haunted, Volte. Our ghosts follow us around, reminding us of what might have been if we could only just take that extra step, find that miracle cure, have the right equipment. I’ll be honest - the ghosts only multiply when you start working with children.” She stole a glance at him, seeing if he was following. Volte wore a look of foreboding, hearing her say that. Lara shrugged a little. “Adults have lived their lives, made mistakes, learned, experienced, while kids have their whole future ahead of them. Losing a child is like seeing someone completely robbed of everything they might be, stealing someone from the future that might have cured cancer or solved the greatest problem known to life. Plus, there’s the parents who brought that child into the world out of their love for each other. Children are hard. But man they’re brave. Holy shit, Volte, they’re the bravest patients you will ever know.”

Lara looked hard into his eyes, and he saw for a moment that there were tears in hers. “They will fight and fight and fight, having no idea what life really is, whether it will be rewarding or continued pain for them, but they don’t give up. The struggle I’ve seen them shoulder - children carry the weight of the world and don’t even know it, but yet they do it gladly, with an excitement no adult will ever get back. Those kids on Earth that I take care of on ECMO - they push Death back every day, playing with the medical staff, doing their therapy with a giant hose in their necks, strapped to their head, or coming out of their chest, and yet - THEY STILL FIGHT!” Lara stopped, her face truly awed at the memory of some of her patients. “I’ve seen a lot of death and suffering in my time, but no warrior I’ve ever met can equal the spirit of a child fighting for their life. It’s a strength only they possess and can tap into.”

Lara shook her head, looking down at the grass. A dark look crossed her face momentarily. “But when they run out of that strength, when we lose them no matter how valiantly they fought, it’s the most soul crushing thing to experience. And once they cross that veil, Volte, when you know they’ve turned away and you can’t get them back - you would do anything, ANYTHING, if you could just reach out and grab their hand, keep them with you.” Her eyes misted over a bit, seeing a memory from another time. “I’ll never forget the sound of a mother when her little boy let go. She howled - howled - with grief, a torn sound from the bottom of her soul. She pleaded for him to come back, because she knew - he’d crossed that divide. He’d turned away, and there was no coming back.”

Lara stopped for a long moment, tears silently falling down her cheeks. “The sound of her pain and loss will never leave me. Just like that lady on Falucia will never leave you. You will face loss, Volte; it’s just the reality of being a medical officer. We cannot win every time. And for every success, it seems you pay in the blood of another. But you can’t give up - you’re invaluable to Nidhogg, to your brothers and their families. You can’t let the ghosts stop you from saving others. We take the pain and the risk, challenge Death at every turn, fight back against the darkness, so that others might live. Ut alii vivant. Fighting and sacrifice was what you and I were made for. We were given strength, determination and stamina so that we could face both loss and victory in equal measure and continue on. You are courageous enough to keep going, even in the face of failure - it’s that tenacity and flame I saw in you the first day, that made me choose you for Dragon Company. And why I know without a doubt, that you will be the best physician I’ve ever known.” Lara put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him proudly. “I won’t always be here to help. But I KNOW this colony - these people - are in the best hands.”

Her smile for him was firm and determined, sure in her words. She believed in Volte completely, and he could feel it. Volte looked down at the ground for a moment, absorbing all she’d told him. It was a daunting thing, looking to the future and knowing he would have to step up and make all the decisions himself sooner than later. Lara was right - she wouldn’t always be here to hold his hand. But knowing that she was behind him in thought and spirit, knowing she believed in him utterly - that meant so much to him. He could do his job, knowing he had her support and faith. Volte met his General’s eyes steadily and nodded, a small shy smirk forming on his face. “Thanks, General. For everything.” She gave him a small smirk back and nodded, then turned away to watch the gulls flying over the water before them. The two sat in companionable silence for a long time, two best friends bonded by mutual experience, mission and their ghosts.

[flashthescalesian-art]

Cody: I have a problem.

Volt: *very tired* If it's harder than 2+2, I can't help.

[duckapus]

WarioWare: Double Up!

One day, Wario discovers that there’s a popular new video game company called Hotcake Studios- so popular, in fact, that WarioWare Inc. is losing business to them! Even worse, when he gets his hands on one of their games he discovers that it has the same microgame formula as his games, and that the company is owned by none other than his Treasure Hunting rival Captain Syrup. And then to make matters even worse, when he goes to confront her about so obviously muscling in on his business, she reveals that she’s also got her own development team of colorful characters…and each one is a clear direct counterpart to one of the WarioWare Crew. Or in Wario’s words, “You’re not just bootlegging my games, you’re bootlegging my flunkies, too!”

After the whole thing nearly comes to blows, the two strike a deal; each company will make a game, both with the same set of themes(and with each set of counterparts working on the same theme. So for example, Ashley and whoever her counterpart is both make Fantasy-themed microgames), price, and release date, and at the end of the year they’ll see which game sold more copies. Loser has to become a subsidiary of the winner.

I’m not sure how exactly that would translate into a gameplay gimmick (I’m a story guy not a gameplay guy), but as far as story mode goes each level’s story would involve the WarioWare Host getting into some sort of competition with their Hotcake counterpart, some friendlier than others.

The actual counterparts are:

Wario: Captain Syrup, obviously

Mona: Vanessa, that one singer who had a rivalry with her in Touched

Jimmy T: Jenny K, a semi-famous breakdancer

Dribble and Spitz: A Wolf and Bird racecar-driving duo named Howler and Chirpz

Kat and Ana: A pair of Ninji Twins named Shuri and Ken

Orbulon: Tatanga, because why not

9-Volt: A fourth-grade gamer girl named M-Byte

18-Volt: M-Byte’s older brother G-Byte

5-Volt: M-Byte and G-Byte’s dad, K-Byte

13-Amp: A friend of M and G named 64-Bit

Fronk: a Wanderin’ Goom, just named Goom

Dr. Crygor: Rival inventor Professor Boreal

Penny: Boreal’s niece, Hailey

Mike: A singing Piranha Plant named Polly

Doris 1: A robot butler named Vincent

Ashley and Red: A bubbly Magical Girl named Sora and her shapeshifting rabbit friend Violet

Young Cricket: Goombario, who’s recently become a student of The Master

Master Mantis: The Master, from Paper Mario

Lulu: Leo, that one ninja kid with animal-based powers that Kat and Ana fought in their level of Get It Together

The eventual end result is a draw. Both games somehow sold an exactly equal number of units. While this news initially shocks and infuriates Wario and Syrup, they take it as a sign that this whole argument just isn't worth their time and resolve to just more-or-less ignore each-others gaming ventures. Meanwhile, most of their employees have actually made friends with each-other, not really caring about the competition or their bosses' bad history to begin with.

[tobythefanboy]

im normal about them @sw-cowgal

[clonemedickix]

oooohh some more good prompts for my OCs if anyone is curious. I’ll even give Boost a little time.

Lara

Primer

Volte

Boost

@dystopicjumpsuit @theogfulcrum22 @king-chaos-world @sunshinesdaydream @starrylothcat @anxiouspineapple99 @sev-on-kamino @mire-draws-things @the-bad-batch-baroness @cloneloverrrrr @mandos-mind-trick @padawancat97 @dukeoftheblackstar @wolffegirlsunite @isthereanechoinhere96 @jediknightjana @wackylurker @moonlightwarriorqueen @wizardofrozz @multi-fan-dom-madness @starqueensthings @dickarchivist @amorfista @villanousace @mythical-illustrator @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @523rdrebel @sinfulsalutations @vimse

oc asks: character design edition

FACE & FEATURES

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?

face: Describe your OC's face. What's their smile like? Are their orbs cerulean? What would someone notice first when looking at them?

stature: What's your OC's body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?

canvas: Does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? Do they display or cover them up at all?

CUT & CLOTHES

night: What does your OC wear to sleep? Do they have a favorite pair of PJs, or are they more the birthday suit type?

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

formal: What's your OC's formal look? Do they like dressing up? Do they have different looks for different occasions?

informal: What's your OC's lazy-day look? How do they like to dress when they're winding down?

outerwear: What's your OC's outerwear situation? Jacket, sweater, cloak? What sort of weather do they deal with most and how do they protect themselves?

footwear: What does your OC wear on their feet?

road: What does your OC wear while traveling? Do they have high-quality equipment, or are they making do? What does their gear look like?

armor: What kind of armor does your OC wear? Is it well kept? Bonus: where does it come from? Is there a story behind it?

arms: Does your OC have any weapons? What weapons do they carry, and how do they wear them when they're not fighting?

roots: Is your OC's look inspired by any specific style of clothing or fashion trend? What are the roots and/or inspiration for their look?

texture: Does your OC favor any specific kinds of cloth or textures? Is there anything they can't wear or don't like? What sort of fabrics do they prefer?

wardrobe: How big is your character's wardrobe? Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

ACCESSORIES & ACCENTS

bling: What jewelry does your OC wear? Does it have any meaning?

hair: How does your OC wear their hair? Does it have some kind of meaning?

makeup: Does your OC wear makeup? How often? What kind? Why do they wear makeup, and do they like it?

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

alternate: What would your OC's alternate universe look be? If they're a fantasy character, what's their modern look? If they're sci-fi, what's their fantasy look? What AU would you want to see your OC in, and how would they dress themself? Bonus: Prompt an AU!

[clonemedickix]

Grand Army of the Republic ID Cards, courtesy of @dystopicjumpsuit

I love these soooooo much!!! Thank you again for taking the time to make these for my blorbos 🫶🏼

If you’d like to read the epic of General Lara Lin and her two compadres, Captain Primer and CMO Volte, click here and here

@theogfulcrum22 @king-chaos-world @sunshinesdaydream @starrylothcat @anxiouspineapple99 @sev-on-kamino @mire-draws-things @the-bad-batch-baroness @cloneloverrrrr @mandos-mind-trick @padawancat97 @dukeoftheblackstar @wolffegirlsunite @isthereanechoinhere96 @jediknightjana @wackylurker @moonlightwarriorqueen @wizardofrozz @multi-fan-dom-madness @starqueensthings @dickarchivist @amorfista @villanousace @mythical-illustrator @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @523rdrebel @vimse @sinfulsalutations

Dividers by @dystopicjumpsuit as well!!

[flashthescalesian-art]

Cody: Hey, Volt? I need advice.

Volt: I'm pretty useless at giving advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment instead?

[straitjacketzz]

HAVE YOU EVER DRAWN THESE GUYS?

Sooooo idek where to begin with this. I'll start by saying that yes I contacted Rebornica/Bones/Voltergeist and bought two of their old FNAF au designs. Those being Scott/Phone Guy and Jeremy. Before I get into anything I feel like I'm obligated to address Volt's past and let it be known that I do not Care about a mentally ill teenager faking other disorders or aggressively yelling at people to stop copying them or whatever other overdramatic thing they did like a decade ago and I don't think buying from them is anywhere near comparable to "supporting problematic people" compared other designers who are like homophobic or whatever the fuck else, and I'm not here to talk about or argue about "the ethics" of me giving Volt money. So jot that down before you even start typing.

I'm here to ask if anyone here has drawn art of Scott/Phone Guy and Jeremy so that i may save it and add it to their toyhouse galleries. You'll see they both currently have like 100 pieces in their galleries right now but I know that's not even scratching the surface. Theres just so much of it It's overwhelming to look for. Theres also issues of these designs being so popular to the point of people making their Own personal redesigns of them. And it starts to muddy up which art belongs to me or not. This isnt toooo much of a big deal with Jeremy as the giant "?" on his face makes him pretty distinct and easily recognizable as The Guy That I Own. But this becomes a problem with Phone Guy specifically. He is... pretty much The design that everyone draws him as regardless of if they intend for it to be Rebornica fanart or not. People use this design in their own AUs, people use this design as their own OC. Theres so so so so so much art of people labeling their art as "heres my phone guy design!" and its just the Rebornica design. And I don't feel comfortable or really have the heart to save anything that people consider to be theirs even if its literally the design that I own x__x It's just a bit hard when you own a design that is considered canon enough to a real video game to the point where people just. Take him. and there's nothing I can do about that. And it's not something that upsets me tbh because I knew this was an issue when I Bought him. Literally all I want to know is what art I can or can't save and upload to their archives lmao. So I figured asking people to send me their art directly would help reduce the chance of me just taking someone else's art that they didn't intend to be My phone guy. Not even counting the fact that a popular FNAF fan game called Dayshift At Freddy's has their own version of phone guy that ALSO had the red rotary phone head but wears a black business suit. So, any art of That One isnt mine.

But anyway yeah! And just know i'm looking for literally anything involving these guys. Digital art, traditional art, gifs, animations, physical/irl art, doodles, comics, fanfic, cosplays you made, even weird misc stuff like ponytown designs for them, literally anything and everything!!

also because i keep getting asked about it, Vincent, shadow vincent, mike, vendetta, mahogany, faith, captain, vex, sheriff, fritz, hocus, and boss have also all been sold and multiple different people own these guys now. and for vincents owner specifically, i will not be giving out their username as they Do Not Want To Be Contacted About It.

im cross-posting this on multiple websites so feel free to reach out anywhere where its most convenient for you. reblogs are appreciated for reach

twitter: straitjacketzz discord: straitjackets toyhouse: straitjackets

[clonemedickix]

this might be a little fun. More asks for my beloveds!

Primer, Lara and Volte standing by!

THE MAJOR ARCANA

a collection of character development questions based on the arcana and their themes !! this is part of a collection of tarot-themed asks. if multi, please specify which muse(s) the question is directed toward !!

[THE FOOL] - Do they weight their options when making a decision, or do they impulsively make a choice?

[THE MAGICIAN] - Are they resourceful? What skills do they possess that help them navigate the world around them?

[THE HIGH PRIESTESS] - Do they meditate? Would they be considered "in tune" with themselves, or do they struggle with personal growth?

[THE EMPRESS] - Do they participate in or have a self-care ritual? If so, what does their routine look like?

[THE EMPEROR] - Is your muse a leader? If so, what kind of leader are they? Do they take a hands-off approach, or do they micromanage?

[THE HIEROPHANT] - What are important traditions to them, if any? Do they stay true to these traditions, or do they adapt them to fit their current situation?

[THE LOVERS] - What do they consider to be the "perfect partner", be it romantic, platonic, alterous, etc.? Is there someone like that in their life?

[THE CHARIOT] - Are they confident? If so, what makes them the most confident in themselves/their abilities?

[STRENGTH] - What are they determined to accomplish the most?

[THE HERMIT] - What does their inner voice sound like? Is it self-reflecting and introspective, or domineering and judgmental?

[WHEEL OF FORTUNE] - Do they believe in destiny/fate? If so, what do they believe their "purpose" is in this life?

[JUSTICE] - Are they a mediator, or do they prefer to step away from potential conflict?

[THE HANGED MAN] - Would they sacrifice themselves, literally or metaphorically, for those close to them? If so, what kind(s) of sacrifice would they make?

[DEATH] - What is their view on the cycle of life? Do they believe in reincarnation?

[TEMPERANCE] - Are they a patient person, or do they tend to act on impulse?

[THE DEVIL] - Which of the capital vices is your muse tempted by? (Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth)

[THE TOWER] - Are they a destructive individual (be it literally or metaphorically)? If so, how?

[THE STAR] - What is their health like? Do they consider themselves healthy, or do they feel like they could make improvements to better their health?

[THE MOON] - If they had to choose one trait to describe themselves, what would it be? Is it a genuine answer, or the illusion/persona they put on for others?

[THE SUN] - What makes them feel good? This can be happy, energized, revitalized, etc. It's all about good vibes, so what gives them to your muse?

[JUDGMENT] - What was an epiphany/awakening they recently had? Did they realize something that they've been naive to? Did they discover something about themselves? What happened?

[THE WORLD] - How would they define a utopia? What would it consist of, and do they see it as something achievable?

[rising-volteccers]

It's been like. a hot minute since I really posted anything here but work do be hitting me like a sledgehammer. I am (very slowly) writing fics based on the prompts I got in my inbox + a few self indulgent pieces inspired from the latest episodes!

Since AO3 finally has proper tags for the series, I've updated captain's logs of the rising volt tacklers on my AO3 with all the fics I've written up to this day. Feel free to check it out if you want to read my fics all in one place!

I plan on sharing more of the comms and custom merch I've gotten of Friede here soon! Also would see about finally sharing some written and commissioned art pieces of my OC haha

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a nice day!

[greatasexualattorney]

Eye of the Storm - Explorer Liko AU

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55899466/chapters/141944209

Fandom: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters, Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters: Pokemon Horizons: The Series, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon Horizons: The Series - Fandom

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Liko and Explorers, Liko and Amethio (Platonic), Freed | Friede & Rising Volteccers | Rising Volt Tacklers, Freed | Friede & Captain Pikachu, Implied Liko/Dot

Characters: Liko (Pokemon), Nyahoja | Sprigatito, Masquernya | Meowscarada, Amethio (Pokemon), Soublades | Ceruledge, Zirc (Pokemon), Conia (Pokemon), Spinel (Pokemon), Blacky | Umbreon, Master Gibeon (pokemon), Hamber (Pokemon), Airmd | Skarmory, Golduck (Pokemon), Sidon | Rhydon, Freed | Friede, Murdock (Pokemon), Mollie (Pokemon), Orio | Orla, Conia | Onia, Roy (Pokemon), Dot (Pokémon), Hogator | Fuecoco, Kaiden | Wattrel, Gurumin | Nidothing, Lucky | Chansey, Lizardon | Charizard, Captain Pikachu, Mawhip | Alcremie, Metagross (Pokemon), Kuwassu | Quaxly, Ohbem | Beheeyem, Deoxys (Pokemon)

Additional Tags: Memory Loss, Memory Alteration, Memory Erasure, Amnesia, Temporary Amnesia, Selective Mutism, Selectively Mute Liko, Liko has Amnesia, Explorer Liko, Alternate Universe, AU, Rising Volteccers | Rising Volt Tacklers - Freeform, Explorers (Pokemon), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon Horizons: The Series, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, Angst, Freed | Friede Can Understand Pokemon, Freed | Friede has psychic powers, Meowscarada was forcefully evolved, Aftermath of Violence, Blood and Violence, Minor Violence, Everyone Needs A Hug, Original Character(s), OC

Summary: When Liko and Sprigatito are hypnotized by Spinel's Beheeyem, he takes them with him instead of abandoning them and leaving with only the pendant. A new story unfolds for Liko— or rather, Opal— as she and Meowscarada navigate the life of an Explorer and many instances of Deja Vu. At the same time, there is an ongoing, frantic search for the girl named Liko. A storm is brewing directly overhead, and Amethio and Opal walked directly into it.

[starryeyes2000]

Volte-Face: Chapter 37

Read on A03 or FFN

Pairings: Christopher Pike x OFC (Aalin)

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 3.4k

Summary: On her first mission as a member of Starfleet, interpreter Aalin Matthews is stranded on a war-torn world ten days’ journey from a haven. Safe passage for Federation personnel has been revoked. Hostile forces are hunting the orphans she is protecting. As she and the children make the dangerous trek, the crews of both Enterprise and Shenzhou work behind the scenes to aid them.

Banned from intervening, from returning to the planet, from scanning for Aalin’s location, Captain PIke must decide whether to ignore the prohibitions or risk intensifying the conflict, a choice complicated by his personal feelings for Aalin. And Spock must come to terms with his decision allowing her to remain behind; should the worst occur, it will be the first time the young lieutenant has lost someone under his command. Both Pike and Spock undertake a dangerous mission among the brutal people who invaded their neighbors in order to protect Aalin and the children and end the war.

Excerpt:

Five Months Ago Enterprise Orbiting Varia

As Aalin woke the wall and overhead lights gradually illuminated. Fluttering lids scratched against eyes like sandpaper, sore muscles protested movement, repeated swallows granted no relief to a dry throat. Skin on her chest and left arm, tender to touch, itched. Her head hurt. She propped on elbows and her eyes swept the space. Its floor to ceiling windows were one-way, transparent into the room, opaque to its occupant. Medical equipment littered the walls parallel to her bed.

A vague memory surfaced, someone at her side smoothing and tucking a blanket around her.

What happened?

Conversation sounded nearby. “... Ms. Matthews … Varian language translation … no solution …” Easing up and out of the bed, feet bare rendering her footfalls inaudible, and clothed in the knee length cross-tied blue gown of Sickbay, she followed the voices.

M’Benga, Chapel, a science officer, and their captain faced a three-dimensional hologram. With more force than necessary, Pike’s hand cast the picture onto a wall-mounted screen which flattened the intertwined patterns into rows of individual images. He pinched the bridge of his nose then said, “Again, Spock, from the beginning using words with fewer syllables.”

“We have little accurate data to work with. All recordings made of Varian speech prior to Ms. Matthew’s collapse were truncated. Software interpreted the frequencies beyond what Federation science believed possible as erroneous and eliminated them.”

“Damn foolish design choice,” M’Benga muttered. “Which came too close to claiming a life.”

Pike couldn’t stifle a slight wince. He said, as if repeating another’s words, “I can’t point to a concrete example, but the recordings of their language seem off.”

“Sir?”

“An observation Ms. Matthews made. Months ago. During a briefing at the State Department. She downplayed the assessment and no one, including myself, followed up on it.”

Reaching the conference room, Aalin stopped at its threshold, behind them, silent, and unnoticed. She tuned out the Vulcan’s continuing presentation instead studying the waveforms displayed on the screen. “Are those voices?”

Continue reading on A03 or FFN

Story Masterlist | Series Masterlist

OC Masterlist | Author Masterlist

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation @ocappreciationtag @bardic-tales @themaradaniels @chickensarentcheap

[maryvioletique7708]

Made a TFA x TSSM Hc List Fanfic cuz there was no internet when I did it. And decided to share~

Ft. Oc's bc what would Spider-Man gonna do when no one helps.

Part 1

-Groundbridge starts to malfunction causing decepticons, Autobots and others to shift into the spectacular verse.

-Sari, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee got trapped in the tssm verse, making Prowl, Ratchet, and Optimus still in the tfa verse.

-Sari is somehow calm in the situation, while Bulkhead felt anxious, and Bumblebee Freaked out.

-Meanwhile for the decepticons, Seeker clones, Blackarachnia, Blitzwing, Lugnut, Soundwave, Swindle, and the Constructicons appeared there. (Lockdown is also there)

-Anyways Communication isn't cut thankfully, just to be fair cause yes.

-The SUV, aka Society of Ultimate Villainy, also appear there somehow. (has something to do with Slo-Mo's Weapon of choice)

-The other things started to appear every 5 minutes and chaos happens.

-Jameson gets pissed as always (man has issues), and George Stacy gets puzzled at the newcomer, Captain Fanzone.

-Sari calms both of them down as they try to act as normal vehicles for once.

-Meanwhile for Spider-Man he saw Slo-Mo stealing some set of cash. So he fought her.

"Now, Now Lady, Are you a new Member of the Sinister six or something?" Spidey question as he dodged her attacks

"I don't know what you're talking about, but meeting this sinister six maybe right up my alley for the SUV." Her interest piqued from that mention.

"SUV? Like the car?" Spidey quips

"Could be the vehicle, but the Society of Ultimate Villainy." She said as she threw an attack at the web head.

-Meanwhile Bumblebee caught the commotion, NOT trying his best to blend in the city.

-Sari tried to stop him, but typical Bumblebee fashion, he didn't give a sh*t.

-Bumblebee transformed and Spider-Man was bamboozled. In which Slo-Mo escaped and he tried to stop her.

-Spider-Man started to fight Bumblebee, but thankfully it ended quickly when Prowl stops him and Corundum(Oc #1)came along as well

"Cut it out you two!!" Corundum pulled Spider-Man aside. Corundum gets surprised at the two bots.

- Bulkhead came in, and the bots thought Corundum and Spider-Man is a threat (His red Monocle did resemble someone). But Corundum quickly cut that thought off.

-Corundum bring them to a large warehouse with Spider-Man along, and explanation and discussion was made. And in that process, Peter and Aster unmask their selves and greeted them.

-The bots were astonished and at the same time puzzled to why Peter and Aster looked or act strange.

"Apparently... In this world, or universe. Things get from unlikely to likely. Whether you get betrayed, get some deal with the big man, or turned into a volt of Electricity after accidentally bathing with eels." Aster said in his explained.

-The bots had to now make themselves at home in this warehouse, but in the meantime Bumblebee will be Peter and Sari's partner, and Aster with Bulkhead. Aster is also going to take care of sari for a while.

-Else where, the S6 met the SUV and a fight happened. Such like Electro electrocuted Angry Archer, Shocker stunned Nanosec, Sandman and the Vulture caught Powdered sugar and Professor Princess, and Doc Ock catching Slo-Mo with his Actuators.

-Basically S6 won the battle against them. But as a pity to their defeat they were healed in the sinister six base, and they have a discussion.

"You can stay for a while Ms. Lomow, as long as you don't mess with any of my men." Doctor Octopus or Doc Ock quietly snared to her as a warning.

-Now with the decepticons... They're Clueless as frag. Until Megatron and Shockwave came to the rescue in the coms stating that they should take shelter somewhere for a while.

And also saying there's a certain 'business' they have to do during renovation and their short stay.

-Later on it was Night, and action takes place.

-Peter is going to go out to tutor his classmate, Liz Allan, at some café for a while. And yes Bumblebee and Sari is there to pick him up.

"I never ride a car before..." Peter stated.

"Well, Make this your first time." Bumblebee whispers to him.

'Great, I have to be taken care of for a while.' Sari quietly pouts.

-Peter reminded Aunt May that he'll be back before curfew. And gets in Bumblebee, driving off. Then Bumblebee and Peter talk for a while in the car.

-Peter got anxious when Bumblebee mentions that he and his team are in a war with Decepticons.

"Hopefully, they didn't come in this universe." Sari said optimistic.

"Ye-yeah, hopefully..." Peter scratched the back of his neck.

-Meanwhile Professor Princess destroyed an arcade, and everyone in the area got terrified.

*sigh*, A Mysterious figure called the cops, and started to change themselves.

"No more Boy toys, No more violence, No more!!"

-As Professor Princess was about to destroy it more, a bonbon hit her straight in the back almost falling her over.

"Ow! Who hit me?!" She cried, when she looked back she saw a silhouette with the moon shining in the back, coming right at her.

-.Professor Princess try fighting the figure with her wand, only to be 'gently' kicked off Powdered Sugar on top of the building.

"Aren't Feminists supposed to 'respect' the actual equality of both Boys AND Girls?" The shadowed figured walked towards her, carrying their lollipop shaped mallet.

"Who are you to question me, 'Peasant'?" She roared at him.

"Well... It's nice to meet you Professor Princess." The figure revealed to be Candy Floss(Oc #2), who was once a Villain called Sugar Crash.

-An almost epic fight erupted between the 'princess' and the 'jester' (not a Spider-Man Villain reference-). However it quickly ended cause he thought that she's to petty to fight. (She is, but she isn't harmed. Only knocked out by Candy's mallipop.)

-Back to Peter, Sari, and Bumblebee, they arrived at the Cafe and as expected Liz was there, just in time apparently. Sad news, Bumblebee and Sari gets bored easily, Good News, They're still in touch in coms.

-And luckily, he was parked in the alley way cause cars talking makes it suspicious.

-Bulkhead was apparently back in the warehouse, and luckily the renovation process was smooth. They managed make the communication devices, the Groundbridge planning, and else more that they manage to get from the teleported things.

-Bee then asked of how's Ratchet and Optimus doing back in the base. Sari also tell to them to tell her dad that she miss him.

"Everything is going alright. So you manage to build the communications there huh?" Ratchet asked Bulkhead.

"Well, we got it from the things that were teleported here... But then again I feel like something wrong is about to happen." Bulkhead worried.

"You have the right to feel that way. After all, there's something off about the Groundbridge." Ratchet spoke.

"So what's more likely going to happen?" Bumblebee questioned.

"I'm afraid that the world you all are in is in constant danger. Both worlds is going to collide, and that's something we didn't want to happen."

- As Bumblebee talked in the coms, the scene switched to Peter and Liz. That's when the lights randomly turned off. Everyone were alarmed, questioning of why the electricity is stopped working.

" Now this is wrong timing. " Liz mumbled.

'Max?' Peter thought as usually this is what Electro more likely does.

-That's when a suspicious vehicle happens to drive by. Strangely Peter felt bothered by it's presence, then it rang into his skull. 'SPIDER SENSE...!'

-As Peter expected it to be the vehicle the sounds of static electricity is heard in the Distance. Everyone and Liz panicked, Peter knew that it could be Electro so he ran off to change.

-'What's that?!' Bumblebee noticed the commotion, then he saw Peter running up to him.

"It's him, It's him!" Peter quietly yelled.

"Who!??" Bumblebee whisper shout.

"Electro, formerly known as Max Dillon. He's the guy who got electrocuted by eels turning him into the Sinister Six Villain, Electro." Peter said as he webbed his bag filled with clothes to the wall.

[pavvo20]

The Spark - Chapter 13: For Shara.. - Poe Dameron/OC

Summary: When her childhood best friend recruits her during an undercover mission for the Resistance, Captain Kara Embers embraces her family legacy and joins the fight against the First Order. As the secrets of her past come to light, Kara never expects to be training with her mom’s best friend, flying her father’s ship, and falling in love with the Yavin-4 boy who always said he’d be the galaxy’s best pilot.

A/N: SO sorry for the delay on this one.. but it's 13K words so.. maybe I made up for it? LOL We finally get a little more than sexual tension in this chapter.. SMUT has arrived. so MINORS GTFO (Not to be rude but...keep your innocence)

Warnings: violence, language, sarcasm, moodiness, whump, fluff, kissing, ya know.. all that stuff. smut and well, ghosts.

Links: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4| Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10| Chapter 11

Masterlist on my blog!

Word Count - 13K

Poe’s knees slammed into the cold floor, pain shooting through his body like a ship in hyperspace. He should have kept his mouth shut. 

“Where is she, Dameron?” The Knight of Ren snapped as the pilot was forced to look at his mask. 

“I don’t know.” He hissed, feeling his wrists being shoved into a set of binders as the troopers stripped him of his blaster and commlink before leaving him alone with Ren’s associate. 

“You expect me to believe that?” The voice was cold but familiar, only slightly modified by a system in the dark mask. Poe glared hard at the emotionless face, resisting the temptation to spit at him. They were going to torture him, whether they were ordered to or not. The worst part is he didn’t actually have anything to hide from them this time. Maker, if these guys only knew that for once he was telling the truth.

“Considering it’s the truth…yea.” Poe snapped, only to feel a few thousand volts of electricity rip through his muscles for a few seconds. He groaned as the pain subsided, catching the Knight’s fingers on the tiny remote as he blinked back a few frustrated tears.  

“Hope you said your goodbyes, Dameron.” The Knight reached up, pulling his mask from his face. Poe choked on bile as he registered why the dark figure had sounded so familiar. He could only hope he didn’t actually throw up. “Especially to the pretty girl you are trying so hard to hide.” 

Alexander Pierce smirked as genuine surprise rippled across Poe’s features. Of all the people in the galaxy, the last person he’d expected to see again was him, especially after Leia had sent him to Hoth. Ren must have really trusted Pierce to take him back into his ranks. That or he had gotten close enough to Kara for Ren to get the information he desired. They had clearly underestimated just how important he was to the First Order. 

“Always knew you were a traitor.” Poe growled, shifting his wrists uncomfortably behind him as he tried his best to sit up straighter. 

“You never did like me…and well, look where that’s gotten you.” Pierce zapped him again, finding pleasure in the sound of the rebel’s anguished cries. He’d always wanted a chance to knock the bold pilot down a peg, show him that he wasn’t as special as everyone cracked him up to be. Dameron was just a cocky kid from Yavin whose parents had been friends with Leia. 

And now he was a prisoner of the First Order, writhing on his knees in front of him, only a few more shocks away from pleading for his life. He was no one again. Just like he’d been when he was born. 

Poe’s body lurched forward when the current stopped, his eyes squeezed shut and his head pounding as it hung limply over his chest. This was going to be a long afternoon, especially with the sick drive he knew Pierce had. 

“I don’t know where she is, Alex.” Dameron croaked, “It was a covert operation. Above my clearance.” 

“Nothing is above your clearance, Poe.” Pierce crouched down in front of him, pulling his head back by his curls. “There isn’t a rebel secret you don’t know about as the Resistance golden boy.” 

“Takes one to know one.” The rebel quipped, looking down his nose to see the other man blink slowly in annoyance, “Couldn’t convince Leia, so you went for her son.” 

Poe braced himself for the shock this time, groaning through it like a general irritation. He could see Pierce’s patience thinning, clearly letting himself become more and more unhinged with each verbal jab he threw at him.

Pierce’s hand let go of his hair as he walked away from him. “We’re gonna play this game until you tell me what I need to know.” 

“Then you better hope these have a full battery…” The pilot shrugged his shoulders. “Cause we’re gonna be here for a while.” 

“You’ll be a shell of yourself when I’m done with you.” 

“Pierce, I genuinely don’t know where she is. Go get your boss and have him pry my head open, I am telling you the truth.” 

Pierce glared at him, seeing that Poe wasn’t giving him the same steely stubborn stare that he had been just a few minutes ago. There was pain and vulnerability in it now, something he’d only seen from the man once before. 

It was when they’d rolled his girl down the cargo ramp of the Millenium Falcon on a stretcher, she was barely alive after a fiery crash in her X-Wing on Yavin. It was one of his fellow Knights that had knocked her out of the sky that day…in an attempt to kill the pilot he had in front of him right now. 

The door to the pod slid open to reveal an unmasked Kylo Ren. His eyes met with the captured pilot immediately, feeling Poe’s anxiety spike in the Force. “Ahh…Commander Dameron.”

“Ben Solo.” Poe’s words rumbled in his chest as he felt Ren press onto him with the Force. His body went rigid as the strong aura met his own, that was until Pierce pressed the button on his cuffs again. 

“No need for that, Captain.” Ren soothed, causing the current to stop coursing through Poe’s muscles. “At least not yet.” 

Poe glared at the Supreme Leader as he took his chin in his hand, looking down on him smugly. The commander hardened his mental defenses, knowing that it was a matter of time before the man started wearing him down. If anything, Ren would use his memories to check on Kara, get a better idea of just how strong she’d become. He wasn’t going to get a location… cuz well, he didn’t have it. 

Leia ensured that he didn’t, having tricked his mind even before he left. Just in case. 

“I figure it’s safe to assume you’ve learned nothing from our last encounter?” Ren teased, seeing the trademark stubborn stare in Dameron’s amber eyes. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Poe said through gritted teeth,”I definitely learned something, you just aren’t going to like what it is.” 

Ren’s blood started to boil. Maker, Poe was irritating. Especially when he was confident. Pierce was supposed to demoralize him…but then again, he should have known better than to leave that job up to him. 

He pushed into his head, only to be met with Poe’s reinforced skills. The pilot wasn’t kidding that he’d learned something, that was for certain. It would just make it that much more satisfying to break him. 

“Where’s our favorite girl, Dameron?” 

“As I told your lacky, I don’t know.” He was crass as his eyes rolled. “Your mother kicked me out of the meeting.” 

Ren looked amused for a second, noticing the pilot’s exasperated tone. “Kicked you out huh? Might be that bomber battalion you sacrificed earlier.” 

Poe’s confidence drained from his aura as his face remained unchanged; “I don’t know where she is, Ben. I just know she’s alive.” 

“You’ve practiced lying…cuz if I didn’t know better, I’d be inclined to believe you.” Ren smirked at Poe, and before he could say anything further, he wrapped the force around the pilot's neck, muting his next comment with a strangled breath. “I know you know where she is, Poe.” 

The rebel commander could feel his defenses slipping as his strength faded with every restricted breath. He strained and struggled, hoping he would pass out before Ren let go, only to hit the floor in a huffing heap. 

“I don’t…” he wheezed, rolling on to his back so he could look at his captor. “See for yourself.” 

Ren cocked an eyebrow as he felt the other man’s Force signature shift, allowing him access to his thoughts. Poe winced as he felt the cold aura intertwine with his, the helplessness of his predicament threatening to overcome him. He did his best to relax in an attempt to keep Ren from digging for more than just Kara’s location. 

The dark signature burned as it seeped into his head, wrapping itself around the memories of leaving the briefing room, the locator beacon around his neck, and his arms wrapped tightly around her right before she boarded the Falcon. Poe could feel Kylo Ren growing frustrated as he retreated from his thoughts. “So you weren’t lying..” 

“Told you.” Dameron murmured weakly, his soft eyes peering up at him from the floor. Ren almost felt bad for him, that was until he reminded himself that the pilot was what stood between him and the most powerful Force bond in recent history. 

“You’re scared she’s going to go dark.” Kylo sneered, pressing Poe’s shoulder down with his boot so he couldn’t lean up. “She went to find Skywalker.” 

Poe shot forward in bed, his heart racing as his eyes adjusted to the faint morning sun. It didn’t take long for him to recognize that it was all just a dream, especially when he glanced to his left to find the top of Kara’s head poking out from under his quilt. 

Thankfully, she was not disturbed — her even breaths apparent by the subtle rising and falling of her form next to him. They had trained late last night, Luke had pressed into his head to try and rattle him but didn’t get very far before he’d blocked him out, proving just how strong he could be with Kara around. 

Dameron let himself sink back down into his pillows, running a hand through his curls as he recalled a bit of his dream. It was Luke who had asked him how he would have handled being captured, especially had they snagged him during yesterday morning’s attack. He didn’t have a great answer for him last night and his imagination clearly had put more thought into it than he had. 

He let his gaze wander to the strands of brown to blonde hair that had slipped out from under the quilt as she shifted in her sleep. For the first time since she’d left, she found solace in having him right by her side again. 

“Maker, you are so beautiful.” Poe whispered as he smoothed a strand away from her face, knowing she wouldn’t hear him. Or at least she would act like she didn’t. One day, he knew she’d confess to hearing every word he said while he thought she was asleep, but he didn’t mind. He’d shout the same sentiments across a galaxy-wide comms channel if they’d let him.

Kara hummed as she felt his lips graze her forehead in a featherlight kiss. She had gotten used to waking up cold and alone, often wishing Chewy would let her cling to him for warmth while she trained on Aoch To. After their tough session with Luke and Leia last night, she had thrown herself into Poe’s arms when they’d gotten back to their room. She felt the man’s heart swell with relief as he kissed her passionately without any hesitation. Kara’s own senses were overwhelmed with the smell of his sandalwood cologne, jet fuel, and a sage from the Ajon Kloss forest almost instantly, bringing her the immediate comfort she craved from the second she landed. 

They had showered together that night, only to pass out within minutes of hitting the mattress. She had stolen one of his favorite T-shirts to wear as he tugged on a pair of sweats. He was pretty sure they’d be out of them again just as quickly as they’d put them on…but their overwhelming desire to sleep had won out. 

“Morning sweetheart.” She heard Poe coo, his nose gently nuzzling her cheek as he pulled her close to his chest. Her skin was still buttery smooth from her moisturizer. 

“Morning to you too, Flyboy.” Her voice was light and affectionate while still being laced with sleep. Her emerald green eyes sparkled in the early morning glow as they found Poe’s for a second before capturing his lips in hers. She felt him sigh, his hand running along the curve of her back. 

Kara pulled away for a moment, staying millimeters from her pilot’s lips as her fingers got tangled in the curls at the base of his neck. He had neglected getting a haircut while she was gone, but she didn’t mind. For as many times as she tugged on them in the last few hours, she couldn’t imagine it would be too much longer before Poe finally made it to the on-base barber. 

He felt his mother’s ring bump his chest as Kara rolled him to his back, hitching a leg softly over his hip. The soft white light of the sun highlighted her face in all the right places, showing him her dusty freckles as she stayed close to him. He wanted nothing more than to freeze time right then and there — knowing at any second, the war would force them both back to reality. She was always gorgeous to him when she just woke up, right before her obligations caught up to her, and he wished he could show her that just once. Just so she would believe him. 

She kissed him one more time, stealing his breath before getting out of their shared bed. They had a squadron drill that morning, one that Kara couldn’t wait to be a part of. In fact, it was the only thing she wanted more than a few more hours with Poe — and given her beautiful T-70 X-Wing had been sitting in the hanger waiting for a reason to get off the ground for the last week — he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to get in her way. 

He bit back a whimper as her warmth left him for the fresher. “It’s my drill, you know? We could just be late.” 

Kara poked her head out to smile at him, hearing the playful undertone to his voice. “Pretty sure we took care of any obvious reason for tardiness last night.” 

Poe slipped out of bed and walked slowly over to her, tossing the washcloth she had in her hand into the empty sink while softly bumping her against the vanity countertop with his body. His eyes were already blown out with lust, “That’s not what my t-shirt is saying…” 

Before she could protest, he had his lips on hers again, his hands roaming from the edge of the vanity to the swell of her backside. He let a groan escape him as he lifted her up onto the counter, her legs wrapping around his hips as they pulled him flush to her core. 

Poe’s breath hitched as his body started to react, feeling that she was already damp for him. It became obvious that while he had been dreaming about telling Ren the truth, she’d been lost in a completely separate fantasy — one she’d never admit to sober but seemed perfectly ok with fulfilling right that second. Kara softly moaned as she felt him twitch from under his sweatpants, his hands ghosting over the edge of her shirt as he led a trail of kisses down her neck. 

“Poe…” She whined, her hands running routes down the muscles in his back as he teased her a little more. Her body betrayed her as she tried her best to temper Poe’s advances. The man knew her better than she knew herself, and he could tell she wanted this just as bad as he did. 

“Don’t tell me we can’t..” He growled, his breath hot on her skin as his own arousal started to really build. Kara had cut him off before, but that wasn’t about to happen again. Not today. Not if he had anything to say about it. 

She dryly laughed, her own lips finding the soft skin under his ear as she shoved at the waistband of his pants. It was too late to turn back now. “Then quit playing games.” 

She felt him smirk against her as he turned his attention back to her swollen lips, yanking his shirt clean over her head in the process. His arms cradled her now naked form back to their bed, his kisses becoming more and more fervent. Kara matched his pace, her hand drifting down his chest and into his sweats to palm his throbbing cock. 

Kara’s own arousal twisted in her gut as Poe’s primal grunt set her on fire. He was already rock hard in her hand, precum smearing across its head and the soft fleece of his pants as she dragged the fabric over his overstimulated member. He looked as if he could explode at any second, but she knew better. 

Poe was undeniably good at delaying his own pleasure. Especially when it was a tease for whomever he had in bed. There was nothing that turned Kara on more than the sounds he’d make as he rapidly approached his climax — the groans, grunts, moans, and murmurs could get her off all on their own — and that was before his cock ever got close to her primed pussy. 

Least that’s what she thought. 

Every female on that base had a story about him, especially the ones who had gotten lucky enough to steal his attention for a night. Poe had quite the bedroom reputation, one that Kara could confirm was mostly false. He wasn’t anything special size wise and he was far from a deviant or anything like that. Sure, he liked to experiment from time to time but it was his attention to detail that usually bought him some bonus points when he did get someone to bed. Poe was careful and calculated, just like he was in the cockpit of his X-wing…remembering exactly what made his partners tick from the second their night started to the moment it all came to an end. 

Kara would never forget the first time she’d slept with Poe. He had actually almost died that day, his X-wing bouncing off the tarmac like a toy as he came in a little too fast and hard from lightspeed. Miraculously, most of the squadron had been there to yank him out of the wreckage and salvage most of his ship as Leia dragged his butt to the med bay for an evaluation. He’d snuck out later that night, his concussed brain taking him to her door… 

“Hey…I don’t usually do this but I can’t actually remember my room number right now” Poe stuttered nervously as Kara leaned in her doorframe, seemingly unamused. Jess had just left for her overnight mission and she’d changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top to binge a holodrama for the night when he’d knocked at her door. She had literally just texted him back, knowing he was being kept for observation…and well, he clearly had other ideas. 

“Poe, how did you -” She started, only to see the shadow of what looked like their general coming around the corner. “Get in here.” 

She tugged him through the door by his shirt, the door whooshing shut as his chest bumped hers and his rattled brain struggled to make sense of what was happening. Poe had kissed her for the first time only a few days before, on his father’s front porch, he could remember that. They were officially but unofficially dating at this point - only a handful of people knew about it. He hadn’t been that close to her since their kiss and Maker, she was beautiful that night… 

Kara paused as she surveyed Poe’s wandering eyes, his hands coming to rest on her arms as he kept himself from falling on top of her. He was lucid, mostly himself from what she could see in his gaze, but clearly a little shaken up. 

So, typical Poe. Depending on who you asked. 

“It was the blonde who let you out wasn’t it?” Kara asked coyly, catching her friend’s guilty smile as she gently released the cotton of his shirt. “Told her you’d buy her a drink?” 

“Maybe.” 

“Guess old habits die hard.” She said, brushing a loose curl from his brow as he blushed. 

“I owe you one too.” He replied, his eyes drifting to her lips as she laughed. “Though I may owe you dinner, since harboring a fugitive is a lot harder than assisting in an escape.” 

“Finn would beg to differ.” His hands fell to hers, playing with her fingers a second before she went to turn away. Poe tugged on her right hand, twirling her back into his arms as if he’d planned it. His heart skipped a beat when he caught the surprised look on her face just before she gave him her trademark inquisitive stare. “What? He would?”

“Can I kiss you again?” Poe whispered, feeling her arms come to rest on his shoulders. He caught her glance down at his lips as she maintained her composure quite well, considering he could feel her heart pounding against his chest.

Her glittering green eyes met his soft chocolate stare, the dim lights of the dorm twinkling in their reflection. “Yes.” 

Poe dipped his head down fitting his lips between hers in a soft yet needy interaction. It started rather innocently until Kara had tangled her fingers in his hair and deepened the kiss with some soft pressure from her tongue. Poe guided them softly to her bed, feeling a bit weightless as he settled over her, pausing only for a second to admire her as she reached for him once more. He stiffened for a second as his logical brain reminded him that it was his best friend and future second in command that he had just straddled. This would definitely change their relationship — no, it could change their entire dynamic. Kara felt him hesitate, sensing him starting to resist. His mind getting the better of him.

“Poe.” She said, her hand guiding his lust-blown eyes back up to her own. “It’s ok.” 

Her chest was heaving as her heart raced with anticipation. Each of his advances had been so careful from the way he’d gotten his fingers through her hair or the slight pressure he’d pressed against her back to ease her down onto her bed. His kisses were desperate but methodical, carefully encouraging her to give him a little more or a little less at just the right moments. She had followed his lead willingly and whole-heartedly, knowing damn well that they may end up going further than they had planned. She had accepted that when he had shown up at her door. 

She saw a bit of anxiety cross his brow, “I’m serious Poe, I want this. I want you.” 

Not much had changed since that first night, other than now they often battled for dominance early on rather than simply following one’s lead. It was a consequence of knowing entirely too much about each other while also trusting each other enough to go entirely with the flow of the moment. 

“Maker, you feel so good.” He huffed, burying himself to the hilt only moments after losing his sweats. Kara had told him to cut the chase and he knew better than to disobey such a direct order. She was close, he could feel it, and she wanted to reach her end right as he did. 

Poe found a rhythm in his thrusts seamlessly as Kara’s cries of ecstasy rang in his ears. Only a few minutes passed when her orgasm broke a half beat before his own, her core clenching around him as her body worked through its own paces. She had muffled her blissful cry in his shoulder as he kept himself from collapsing directly on top of her. Mission accomplished. 

“So, how late are we?” Kara murmured as she felt Poe’s curls brush her cheek as he shifted his gaze back to her. She definitely still looked absolutely cockdrunk, as evident by the adorably amused grin that was plastered on his face. 

“Not sure what you’re talking about. We’re right on time.” He winked as Kara’s eyes rolled. It didn’t matter how many soldiers Poe led into battle, he would still always be a bit of a goofball. Her goofball. 

She looked at the clock as she eased herself up off the mattress, guiding herself back to the fresher to rinse off. “Oh,” she laughed, “you actually weren’t kidding.” 

Poe’s eyes darted to the clock, only for his surprise to shift to a bit of overconfidence when he noticed that they had twenty minutes before they were needed in the hangar. Kara knew he had no idea what time it was when he’d hijacked their morning, but was going to let him have this one. 

The pilot sat up in bed, listening to the running water and the light humming of his girlfriend in the shower. Gods, he had underestimated how much he missed that sound the last week and a half. Kara almost always had a song stuck in her head. It was something she used to calm her always racing mind…and he only ever heard her humming out loud when she was truly at peace. 

According to Jess and  Snap, there were only two places one could be lucky enough to catch her in the act — in the shower or underneath a ship alone in the hangar. 

Poe had caught her humming during take-off too…but he kept that to himself. 

Kara emerged from the shower, still humming away as she braided her damp hair back and popped her favorite sports bra on under a dark tank top. He immediately noticed his mother’s ring sparkle against the fabric as she emerged for her flight suit. It was hard to imagine her without it. For all intents and purposes, it truly was hers now. He would just have to find a creative way to tell her that. 

He also knew that if he asked Kara to marry him right now, she’d probably slap him harder than Leia had. It was a bad time… not that there ever was a good time to ask someone that when you both dedicated yourselves to fighting a seemingly endless war. 

He was only a few steps from the shower when Kara stopped him with a light touch to his chest. She didn’t say a word as she flipped the chain from her neck back to his. She suddenly looked sadder than she had all morning. 

“Kara..what’s..” His voice trailed off. Poe stopped in the fogged up mirror when it finally dawned on him what day it was. He immediately felt like a child again, remembering his dad handing him the necklace that gleamed up at him in his reflection. It was the day they’d found her ship - and changed his life forever.

Poe took the memento in his hand, holding back the urge to break down right then and there. He glanced out to the bedroom to see Kara at her desk, the solemn look still on her face as she paged through her technical manual. She was trying to distract herself…until he remembered the pictures she had nestled between the pages. 

The pilot rinsed out his hair and dried off before approaching his girl, careful to not scare her as she shuffled through the stack of memories. She carefully slipped one out of the back of the manual as she leaned into his body from her seated position. The crinkled photo showed both Kara and Poe, barely four or five years old, giggling away with Shara Bey on the porch swing of the Dameron Ranch. It had been a shot Kes had captured for sure, but Poe had never seen it before. Not even in the personal album his dad hid from him for years. 

“Where did you get that one?” He asked, his voice even as he could make it. Her desk was littered with memories of Yavin. Many of them wrinkled and faded like the one he took in his hands.  Kara sensed his overwhelming grief almost immediately as his mind flipped back to the fuzzy memory. They were together for a quiet Saturday of bonfires and casual conversation. He and Kara would romp through the fields and the small forest clusters for hours on end, making up adventures as they went, while their parents would sit and talk until the sun went down.  

“Your dad gave it to me when she passed.” She said, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. “I only look at it on her day.” 

Poe’s heart swelled as they both spoke: “because it was taken on her day.” 

Two years after the photograph they admired was taken, the woman laughing with them on the swing, died protecting her only son from the very forces he would grow up to fight decades later. 

He set the photo back in Kara’s technical manual as he took a deep breath. He was determined to get through the morning without crying. He had to be stronger about this. He had his own little family to protect now. It’s what his mother would want – hell, it would be what she would expect from her own son. 

They had drills to run. The perimeter wasn’t going to protect itself. And if he was ever going to get his rank back, he needed to fall in line. He usually never flew on the day of his mother’s passing. He always felt it may bring bad luck…but with the war raging on, it was getting harder and harder to avoid it. Typically, he would have taken the day off and went to see his dad but given the last few weeks, he figured it was a bad time. 

There was never a good time for anything – but leaving the base when there were bounties on his head would be incredibly stupid. Especially when he had a feeling that Ren was keeping a watchful eye on the ranch. 

Kara wiped her tears away and stood up, pulling the necklace out from under his jacket. “She’d want us to fly today, babe.” 

Poe’s voice got stuck in his throat as he struggled to keep himself together. Kara was right. If anything, his mother would want him in his cockpit - no matter how bad of an idea that he thought it was. She would want them both doing what they could to get the galaxy she knew and loved back from the First Order. 

The man closed his eyes as Kara’s arms snaked around his waist and her head came to rest against his chest. He’d need her more than he’d ever admit that day. People expected him to be strong, fearless, and confident — laughing in the face of weakness like he did any other day — but this was a loss that weighed heavier on him than most. 

“Then we better get going.” He said, sneaking a little bravado into his tone. Kara was right. They needed to continue the fight – for everyone that believed in them and all those lost recently – but especially for Shara Bey.  

*********

Leia had experienced her own debilitating losses over her lifetime, but Shara’s would always be a tough one to bear. Similar to Han’s, the suddenness and shock would never wear off…even almost two decades later. 

She would never forget how distraught Kes had been. The seasoned combat veteran was reduced to a shell of himself for weeks, trudging through his own debilitating grief to best care for his son. His sole mission in life at that point was to keep little Poe out of harm’s way… and give him the peaceful life that he and Shara fought so hard to provide for him on Yavin. 

Kes was grieving more than his wife that day… as he knew, right as he caught his young son leaving his hiding spot in their living room after receiving the news, that there would be nothing peaceful about their son’s life from that day on. 

Luke was in a deep meditation when she brought herself out of the fresher that morning. Least that was how he appeared before he spoke. “Still feels like yesterday that we lost Shara.” 

She softly smiled, grief still evident in her stare. “This is going to be a tough day for a lot of us. Always is.” 

From Leia’s window, they could see many of the squadrons prepping for their morning drills. Mechanics were tinkering away as droids hustled to their positions. The only ships that remained dormant were the most menacing of the bunch…Kara Embers’ and Poe Dameron’s T-70s. 

That was until she noticed his loyal BB unit weaving between fellow pilots toward the dark ship. BB-8 had R2 in tow…both pausing briefly next to the dark fighters, taking initial logistics scans. 

Leia picked up her data pad, scrolling to the morning call sheet to see all of Black Squadron had been changed to active per a briefing that happened earlier that morning. She knew better than anyone that their Commander - well, Captain - never piloted his own ship on the anniversary of his mother’s death. Not unless the very galaxy depended on it. 

And last time she checked, threats were currently at a relatively low level. Even in their usual hot spots. 

Luke joined her at the window, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder as she messaged Connix for more information only to get no response. 

“You’re tense.” He said.

“Something’s up.” She replied.

“Leia, they’re running drills.” 

“It’s not that.” She snapped, setting her pad down and heading toward the door. There was no way her top two pilots and their support staff were not looking at their data pads — and she was not about to be ignored. 

“Wait.” Luke said, motioning his sister to join him back at her view of the bustling tarmac. “I found them.” 

Poe had waited for most of the hangar to clear to head to his ship. Even more surprising was that he was alone. He was dressed to fly, his helmet hanging loose from his fingertips as he headed toward his fighter. 

Leia’s heart shattered when she saw him reach up to place his hand on the Resistance logo emblazoned on the hull of Black One, his eyes closed in a silent prayer. While not religious by any means, Poe had a habit of always asking his mother to keep an eye on him in the sky… he paused a little longer than usual today, his resolve crumbling a bit as he brushed a few tears from his cheeks. He was doing his best to remain as strong as possible. 

Luke noticed Leia had left him seconds later, seeing her emerge from the hangar doors in a hurry. 

“Poe.” She called, getting the young man’s attention before he took to the ladder next to his starfighter. He froze in place, cocking an eyebrow at his general as she quickly closed the gap between them, her arms wrapping him in a tight hug. 

The young man didn’t move at first, simply trying to figure out how she had gotten to him so fast. It was early for Leia. Especially on a morning where they were running routine drills. “General..” 

“Shhh..” Leia hushed, feeling him start to relax in her embrace. “You don’t need to explain anything, commander.” 

Poe’s emotions broke free at that moment as his arms wrapped around the general. He choked back a sob as he clutched Leia just as tightly as she held him. She could feel him allowing himself to show just how vulnerable he really was, and given he’d always just done his best to push past the trauma that life threw at him…it was a matter of time before it all came to head. 

“She would be so proud of you, Poe.” Leia whispered, “so incredibly proud.” 

Leia didn’t expect him to reply, but smiled as he squeezed her a bit tighter to acknowledge he’d heard her. 

The hangar door squeaked slightly, announcing Kara’s arrival as she smiled softly at the sight of Poe and Leia. If there was anyone she was hoping he would see before they finally took off, it was her. She could already feel his anxiety subsiding and confidence surging, even if he was still emotionally all over the place. 

The general would never say it outloud, but Kara in her flight suit, hair braided back with a few loose strands framing her face, confidence gracing her features and her helmet hanging loose at her fingertips, heavily resembled a young Shara Bey. She let her eyes wander up to wink at the girl as she walked toward them, seeing Poe’s necklace still hanging proudly from her neck. 

Poe pulled away from the general just in time to see her, a genuine smile tugging at his lips as she set her own helmet next to his to wrap Leia in a hug of her own. 

“Take care of him up there today, will you?” Leia whispered.

“Always.” Kara replied as Leia took the silver ring on the chain in between her fingers. She looked just past Kara’s shoulder, seeing Poe’s eyes get misty again. Shara had asked Leia in a dream to talk to her son before he ever thought about marrying someone and Leia honestly never thought she’d get the chance. For years, Poe hadn't been with anyone long enough for it to matter. 

Seeing Shara’s ring around Kara’s neck on easily the most difficult day in Poe’s year made her think that maybe it was time to see exactly where his head was at.

Poe’s eyes caught the sparkle of R2’s blue chrome detailing in his peripheral vision. He was loaded into Kara’s X-wing, replacing her usual BB-6 unit for the morning. It wasn’t a complete surprise to him, given Luke’s presence; he just hoped the older droid could keep up with her. 

“You both better get moving. I’m sure Snap, Kare, and Jess are waiting.” Leia said, smiling as she could see the flicker of childlike excitement in both their eyes. It was almost hard to believe that they’d both born on Yavin and not in the medbay of a freighter or a cruiser. “I’ll see you both when you get back.” 

Kara smirked at Poe, winking as he took his helmet in his hands. She noticed that trademark Dameron grin creeping onto his face. “Let’s do this, Flyboy.” 

Luke was right where Leia had left him when she returned, watching both ships take to the sky in a blinding twinkle of light. A mother’s love was hanging distinctly in the aura that followed his sister back into her quarters. She may have missed Ben, but you’d almost never know it when Kara and Poe were around. 

“Athena really has doubts about him.” Luke said, seeing Leia pull the radar for Black Squadron on her comms panel. The fact that Poe got off the ground at all was monumental, she just wanted to make sure he didn’t lose his confidence. Part of her felt like she owed Shara that much. 

“Dr. Embers knows a very different Poe Dameron than the one you’ve seen over the last few days.” Leia remarked, glancing up from the screen. “And her daughter is the primary reason for that.” 

“Enlighten me.” 

“He reunited with Kara about a year or so ago, after going 10 years without really any contact with her. She left Yavin at 17 and never looked back. He obviously had heard stories about her through New Republic intel streams but figured he’d lost her for good.” 

She sipped lightly on a cup of tea Luke brought her, seeing the information turn in her brother’s mind. 

“He was always rebellious, having spent several years trading spice after he defected from the New Republic. Han pulled him out before he managed to get in too deep, dropping him on my base, as an angsty, stubborn, mess. Athena remembers that because I spent many nights talking to her about him…as I was worried that I was letting Shara down.” 

Luke nodded. That sounded like his sister, always a mother first. 

“Poe has unconsciously been balanced by Kara his entire life. Losing her at such a sensitive time in his life really set him off his axis. He had just started to find himself as a leader when the galaxy put her in that bar with him on Tatooine. He came back from that mission a different person. The young man I sent on a freighter that day was frustrated, lonely, and tired. You would have thought he had gotten some spice in his system when he got back… until she followed him down the ramp.” 

“You think they’ve been bonded since well before he was captured.” 

“I think they were bonded when they were infants…and if not that early, then immediately after Kara’s mother had passed. Kes thinks the same thing.” 

“There are a few ways to find out, but I have a hard time believing he’s going to let me go through his mind far enough to see it.” Luke replied, scratching his beard. “Kara is a better option, but given her recent exposure to Snoke, I’m concerned that Ren may feel my presence.” 

Leia smiled, gently reminding herself of the time Poe had unconsciously blocked Kara’s signature from leaving the room. “We may have a way to prevent that too.” 

“Well, aren’t you all just full of surprises.”  Luke smiled. 

*****************************

She was barely in her hut on Acoh Too when she felt him. He froze her in place with the Force, just like he had so many years ago. 

“If you promise me you won’t scream, I’ll let you go.” His voice was low as she felt his breath tickle her ear in the darkness. “He can’t know that I’m here.” 

Kara shivered, her exhausted body trying its hardest to find the strength to break free all on her own. She couldn’t call to Luke telepathically, couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She was helpless, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself. 

Her captor lit a small fire, quickly casting the entire hut in a faint glow. Her eyes widened immediately in shock as a maskless, injured, Kylo Ren sat on the small bed in front of her. 

Ren felt her stiffness, “I don’t want to fight you Kara, I want to talk… if you’ll let me.” 

It took her a minute to comprehend his words as she could see his pain in his grief stricken dark eyes. He was serious. She slowly blinked as she felt the Force loosen from around her a bit. 

“Why should I trust you?” Kara growled, “You’ve given me no reason to before.” 

“Because I’m at more risk here than you are. Especially if Luke senses that I’m here.” 

He wasn’t wrong, Kara mused as she sat down across the small dwelling from him. He was heavily outnumbered considering that Chewy was also on the Falcon only a mere stone’s throw away, not that the combined power of her and the Master Jedi up the hill wasn’t enough to take him on their own. 

“Fair enough.” 

“What happened to us?” He muttered, his eyes locked with hers as he still sensed the tension in his old friend. 

“You threatened me when we were kids, Ben.” She said, matter of factly. “Then you killed a bunch of younglings, countless innocent people, and destroyed several planets…” 

He didn’t speak as she watched him absorb her words. “And that was all before you tortured our mutual friend within inches of his life and killed your father.” 

Kara could see him at war with himself, as the power of the dark side raged to try and stifle the good that was currently driving his decisions. 

“I should have never threatened you like that, I was hurt.” He said as he ran a gloved hand through his hair. “Broken hearted really.” 

“We were ten.” 

“I know, but you were special alright?” Ren’s tone was a bit desperate. “You still are.” 

Kara felt guilt creep up her neck. “Ben.” 

“You don’t have to apologize. You don’t need to say anything actually. I knew it was a long shot.” 

The man that once looked so menacing, had beared down on her with all the malice of a truly vengeful foe was suddenly soft, sorry, and sad. “You didn’t become a doctor either.” 

“I got accepted to the Academy and your dad taught me how to fly.” She muttered as her gaze flicked to the flames in the middle of the room. “I didn’t want to end up like my mother.”  

“You would have never turned out like her.” Ren said, suddenly appearing more and more like the young man that Kara remembered from her childhood. “You were always more like your dad.” 

She softly smiled as the memory of the man wandered through her thoughts. “Thanks.” 

He nodded, listening to the crackling of the fire between them as they both fell silent. He could feel the girl’s apprehension and anxiety coursing through her aura. The anger she had originally met him with, melting away. 

“I didn’t intend on killing my father.” He confessed into empty air. Kara’s gaze immediately jumped back to him. “He offered to help me and.. when I went to hand him my saber, the dark side of me resisted.” 

Kara moved to sit next to him as tears welled up in his eyes. His bravado, shrouded in the darkness of his First Order identity, slipped away. 

“I wasn’t strong enough to fight it and it killed him. Just like it killed all those younglings.” 

Her arms wrapped around him as he openly sobbed, grief overtaking any darkness that lingered as she tried her best to comfort him. For an instant, Kara pushed out all her negative memories of him…choosing to only see the long haired future Jedi padawan she used to spar with when Poe was busy with farm chores. “Ben, you can fight it.” 

“No, I can’t.”

“The only reason Luke hasn’t beaten down this door is because you are doing your best to hide your signature. You are fighting to keep the dark side of it at bay. We were born fighters, Solo.” She whispered, “...remember?” 

Ben Solo pulled back to get a better look at her, nodding ever so slightly as his mind raced with memories of the time before he left for Temple. Sure, he’d been conflicted a few times but Kara had always been there to remind him of the good in his heart and bring him back from the darkness that lurked inside his head. He remembered the soft look in her eyes, the same one she wore now several decades later. It brought him more peace than he could have ever imagined, plus Kara was even prettier than he remembered. Ben allowed himself to commit her slight dusting of freckles and emerald green eyes to memory as she surveyed his own softening features. He felt her muscles relax against his fingertips as they smoothed along the curves in her back. Maker, it took all he had not to pull her in like he did when he was a kid.

Kara felt her entire system freeze up as their eyes met. Her mind only saw him as the Supreme Leader of the First Order, the head of the Knights of Ren, and a ruthless killer…but her heart saw the soft spoken boy who lived in the house on the other side of the grove. 

“You still think I’m a monster.” He said, his voice low and soft. “I can feel it.” 

“That’s going to take a lot more than a few minutes of vulnerability to mend, Ben.” She smiled, “but it’s a start.” 

He repressed his initial feeling of rejection. He had prepared himself for that answer…even if he didn’t like it much. “I guess you’re right.” 

“And convincing me is likely the easy part… it’s going to be convincing the Resistance that you should really be worried about.” 

Ben scoffed, “Poe will want me killed I’m sure.” 

Kara didn’t say anything at first, her heart aching with the memories of how badly Kylo Ren had beaten Poe in their last two meetings. It wasn’t that long ago that she wanted him dead too… and while her immediate perception of Leia’s lost son had shifted, she wasn’t completely convinced he was free of his own demons. 

“He might, but you know how he is. Stubborn until proven otherwise. You were the closest thing he had to a brother… I’m sure he could find a little grace if given a good reason.” 

Kara stood up and set her saber on her makeshift nightstand. It had her blaster and datapad alongside a journal that Ben saw was bookmarked with a relatively recent picture of her and Dameron. He had a scar from where his troopers had gotten him in the face but otherwise appeared just as he had when he bore a hole in his rotator cuff. 

His eyes flicked back to Kara as she switched her training tunic for a warmer one lined with fleece. She had her own scars from battles he had only heard briefings about from his most incompetent commanders. She made them all look like the fools that they were, even if it did come at the cost of a non-lethal stab wound or scratch. 

She turned to face him before she popped the garment over her head, asking if he'd like any tea, and that's when he caught the sparkle of an heirloom he recognized all too well. 

Poe’s necklace. 

Ben stifled his anger again, he wasn’t going to mend any fences by being jealous of his former best friend. At least not right now. He had plenty of time to get even with him… after he convinced Kara that she was better suited as his counterweight in the Force. 

“I haven’t seen that ring since well…” His voice trailed off as he glanced to the fire. He could still hear Poe’s snarky comebacks in his ears. “...it lay against someone else’s chest in the brig of my ship.” 

Kara’s heart skipped a nervous beat. “You didn’t have to torture him.” 

“You don’t understand.” 

“Oh but I do, Ben.” She snapped. “Your uncle acted on a feeling and should not have targeted you the way he did but you should not have just surrendered to your rage. What if those younglings had included me and Poe? Would you have killed us too?” 

Kara caught herself for a second, seeing the pain ripple across the man’s face. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” Ben said, doing his best to avoid the emotion in her stare. “You are entitled to your own feelings about it. I have hurt a lot of people…killed a lot more. You are allowed to be angry.” 

“You didn’t have to rip through his head like you did. I’ll let the physical abuse slide…cuz he’s trained for that. He can handle the gut punches and electric shocks but a Force probe is too damn far.” 

“Kara, you know he wasn’t just going to tell me what I wanted to know.” He ran a hand through his hair. 

“Doesn’t matter.” She quipped, sipping on her tea as she sat back down across the hut. “He was defenseless to that.” 

“Not as defenseless as you think. Most non-Force users don’t make it through the probe… Poe took two of them in less than 24 hours.” 

Kara’s blood boiled, “Why do you sound proud of yourself?” 

“I’m not proud of myself, I’m proud of him.” He snapped, starting to shift back to his more powerful and confident persona. “He’s finally as strong as he always thought he was.” 

Ben could see the tension returning to Kara’s frame as he spoke; her eyes occasionally darted to her saber that she left it a bit too far out of her reach. He could sense her fear returning to her in waves just as his own dark tendencies fought through his barriers. In a few minutes, his uncle would know he was here…

“Worried about something, Stargirl?” 

“You aren’t allowed to call me that anymore.” She growled, sensing the change in him almost immediately. 

“All because I tortured your friend?” Ben asked, “Or is it because one of my knights almost killed you too?” 

Kara reached through the Force for her saber catching it just as Ben rose with his own. She heard Luke’s thunderous voice carry in the distance as she glared at the young Solo, “I knew this was too good to be true.” 

“I have to kill Luke, Kara. I know you know that.” As Ben’s eyes flashed Sith yellow, Kara felt Luke’s power blast apart her hut revealing both of the young Jedi to him. Luke put up a wall around her as he strode almost effortlessly to his nephew, his green saber piecing through the air as he stood ready for him. 

“Kara, Run!” The master Jedi barked as he swung his blade down on the red saber headed right for him. “I’ll take care of this.” 

Her legs locked up in an instant, the Force holding her in place as the man who she wished was still Ben Solo smirked at her. “Not so fast, Skywalker. Someone will need to report your death to the rest of the galaxy and it might as well be her.” 

Kara closed her eyes and focused the Force holding her in place away from her as she tried her best to remember Luke’s earlier lesson about keeping her emotions at bay. There was no question that she was infuriated with Ben Solo but she had to keep her center…if not, she could unleash enough power to kill all of them in a single movement. 

As Luke and Kylo Ren parried, Kara concentrated on the tendrils of Force that seemed to wrap themselves around her limbs. She slowly and carefully unwound each one, taking her saber back into her hand and noticing Chewy readying the Falcon. He knew the drill… Luke would get the fight right to where he wanted it and retreat. 

The real question was.. To where? 

Kara went straight to the ship, working with Chewy to prepare for take off as the two family members squared off. Luke had sensed his nephew’s ship earlier in the evening and had warned his current padawan that he’d target her first. They needed him to believe he was getting ahead in order to keep him away from the Resistance evacuations and Poe’s dreadnought strike. So, that’s exactly what they did.

As long as Luke could get the better of his powerful nephew, they could go home… Well, at least for a little while. 

“You can’t win any wars with that kind of anger, Ben.” Luke snarked as he dodged yet another powerful attempt to maim him by his former padawan. “You know that.” 

“Don’t talk to me about anger.” The dark man hissed, shoving a rock toward the older man. Luke pressed it away. “It was your anger that created ME.” 

The engines on the Falcon roared as Kara jumped into the pilot’s seat, her eyes occasionally looking to the two figures locked in a saber duel just up the ridge. “She ready big guy?” 

Chewy confirmed with a roar, clicking on a few more switches as something in the afterburners creaked. Kara winced with the sound and glanced at the wookie. “We’ll have Poe look at it when we get back, we don’t have a lot of time.” 

The wookie pulled up on the yoke, spinning the ship around as Luke flipped onto the closing cargo ramp. “Punch it!” 

Kara slammed down on the thrusters as Ben’s rageful signature faded away. Luke slumped into the engineer’s seat behind them as they zipped through the Galaxy. She locked in the coordinates inscribed on the back side of her locator beacon. “He’s pissed.” She said candidly, knowing that the Jedi likely felt the same thing she did. 

Luke huffed. “Yea, well so is my sister so… this should be fun.” 

*****************************

After a successful round of morning drills, Kara climbed down from her ship in a relaxed huff and set her helmet on a toolbox nearby. She could have sworn that her S-Foils were sticking again…something she hated bringing up to her maintenance team, because she knew she complained about it a lot…even when she was often the last person to touch her fighter. 

Dani Flick, Black Squadron’s head mechanic took a quick peek at the foils as she noticed her pilot starting to fester on it. She twisted the end of her copper ponytail as Kara fought back the urge to pick up a wrench. “Commander, it’s really ok. This is a pretty standard problem on the T-70’s.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Dani, I’ll take a look at them later tonight. I’m sure it’s just me.” Kara said, playing with the end of her braid as she surveyed the wings again, running her fingertips over the scuffed up paint.

“I’ll still take a look at them, Commander. It’s no problem, seriously.” Dani nodded with confidence. “My notes will be in their usual spot.” 

“You are the best.” Kara smiled, seeing mechanic wink as Poe hopped down from his own fighter to greet Snap before glancing in her direction. “There will be a drink with our favorite bartender for you…cuz I know I’m a pain.” 

“Thank you Commander.” The redhead smirked, “but you are not nearly as bad as your favorite flyboy.”  

Poe and Snap no sooner joined her as she watched Dani and her team begin work on the T-70. They were already laughing about something when they stopped to look at her ship, seeing that Kara was fixated on the damaged aesthetics.   

“The paint’s a little scuffed..” Snap quipped, nudging Kara’s shoulder playfully as Poe snorted. 

“Yea well, if someone would listen to his droid about clearances that may not be an issue.” Kara smirked as Jess broke into a fit of laughter. “It’s a tight pass, Snap but it’s not THAT tight.” 

Snap blushed; “Oh come on, it was an honest mistake.” 

Poe smiled as they continued to playfully banter into the common area. He had watched Snap brush Kara’s X-Wing as they worked their way through a canyon just a few clicks north of the base. The close-quarters maneuvers almost never came without a few scratches and dents, but made them better prepared for the high-speed chases that the TIE fighters too often drew them into. 

“R2 didn’t seem too phased by it all.” Jess commented, taking a seat on one of the few soft couches scattered throughout the atrium. “Then again, he’s seen the Death Star so…” 

“Oh he knew you were gonna get too close well before it even happened.” Kara remarked, glancing at her squadmate as he sat next to Jess. She remembered R2’s informative chirp as Snap’s fighter approached with a bit too much speed. “Needless to say you learn quite a bit after you’ve flown with as many Skywalkers’ as he has. It’s just paint… no big deal.” 

Snap’s expression softened as he noticed Kara’s soft apologetic smile sneak into the conversation. “I’ll touch it up later, promise.” 

Kara waved to her friends as she noticed Poe continue on to their quarters without a word. She felt him get uneasy but figured it was just due to the fact they’d skipped breakfast before the drill. He had worked past his grief. Least that’s what she thought. 

“Poe?” He winced as he heard his name, a sharp pain rippling through his head as he stopped just short of their door. He didn’t remember having a headache when he landed. 

Maybe he was just dehydrated. “Yea?” 

“You ok?” If she didn’t see his pain, he knew she could feel it. Just like he could feel her growing concern. 

“It’s just a headache. I’m gonna lay down.” Least, he hoped it was just a headache. 

“Ok.” Kara said, her aura returning to normal. She trusted that what he said was the truth. “We’ll save you a spot at dinner.” 

“Sounds good.” Poe said, glancing at her briefly before he entered their room, hoping that he didn’t look too uncomfortable. She smiled, a bit of compassion floating through their bond. “See ya later.” 

The cool, dark room was a welcome escape from the heat of the Ajan Kloss atmosphere as he allowed his body to collapse on his bed. It was rare that he was plagued with a migraine, especially one this bad. He could hear his heart beating in his ears as he buried his head with a pillow. Something had to give… 

He could feel his anxiety ramping up. What if it wasn’t a migraine? What if someone was already in his head? What if Snoke had managed to get to him? 

Poe rolled to his back, letting the pillow fall to the floor as his eyes traced the stream of sunlight that beamed across the ceiling from in between the shutters on the window. His heart raced. 

“It’s just a headache.” He whispered, trying his best to walk himself back from an anxiety attack. “A pounding, but completely normal headache.” 

The deafening silence ate away at his resolve as he squeezed his eyes closed and tried his damndest to relax.. It disgusted him deep down – he was better than this. Poe Dameron could be alone with his thoughts. Hell, he could take some of the most intense psychological torture the galaxy had come up with. He was stubborn, steadfast, and proud of it. He was notoriously strong willed… and right now, he couldn’t even muster the strength to ward off the nightmares that had fought to become daydreams. 

“Breathe, Sparkplug.” The voice was soothing and familiar as he exhaled slowly out his nose. “You aren’t going to get anywhere if you don’t breathe.” 

He had been unintentionally holding his breath – and then it hit him. No one had called him Sparkplug since he was 8 years old. 

The pilot opened his eyes and saw the glowing woman’s soft features leaning over him. She hadn’t aged a day from when he saw her last. And he’d never forget seeing her jump back into her A-wing to throw a bunch of pirates off her trail. 

Kara and Leia had told him about Force Ghosts and he’d always thought it was a connection reserved for special souls like theirs. Kara hadeven told him about a few conversations she had with her mother. 

But, he wasn’t sensitive enough for that… at least that’s what he had been told. 

“Damn, you look just like your dad.” She laughed as Poe shifted up on his elbows, trying to get his bearings. “You aren’t hallucinating kiddo. It’s really me.” 

“How…” 

“There’s a few things at play here but let’s just say that your call got through this time, with a little help from Uncle Luke.” Shara Bey smiled as her son ran a hand through his tousled curls. “You can thank him later.” 

Her glowing form leaned back in his desk chair as he sat up, still struggling to find words. 

“You really look like your dad.” She mused once more as she took in his grown up from. “His hair, broad shoulders, perfectly average height.” 

“We’re both a little above average.” 

“He’s got you conditioned too…” Shara’s laugh scared off Poe’s remaining anxiety as she locked him in her gaze. She was confident and strong, spunky and resilient even in her phantasmal form. Her copper stare was a mirror image of his, right down to the flecks of green he had near his pupils. “But you really do have my eyes…probably more now than you did as a kid.” 

“Leia says that too.” Poe said, remembering the general’s sentiment before he’d climbed into his own cockpit this morning. “They have told me a ton about you.” 

“I’m sure they have.” She replied, a bit of grief creeping into her soft, content gaze. “They've helped me watch you grow up…from the rambunctious little boy you were to the brave and brazen commander you are today.” 

His cheeks flushed a bit of pink as Poe let a smile tug at his lips. “Pretty sure the word you’re looking for is reckless.” 

“Eh, Luke is just being a hard ass.” Shara quipped, sounding very much like Han as she caught a glimpse of Kara’s photos and paused as the memories flickered in her mind’s eye. The Embers’ daughter had shattered all expectations set out for her and followed her rebel heart into a life as a gifted strategist and daring pilot. It was a path that Shara knew frustrated her parents – well, her mother – to no end. 

Poe felt his mother’s heart swell when her fingers passed through a shot he’d taken of his best friend, deep in thought as they both worked on a star chart.  His necklace – the one that held her ring – sparkled in the faint blue glow of the holopad even in the print. 

“She’s grown up quite a bit too…” Shara whispered, noticing her son's smile as she studied a few more shots from back on Yavin. He loved her just as much as he loved the skies. She could feel it just like she could when they were children. “So, that’s why Luke is here…” 

“He’s training her.” Poe answered, “To face Leia’s son.” 

Shara paused, waiting to see if Poe would say anything else but he stopped. “You’ve all fought a half dozen times. It’s not just that, Sparkplug. It’s the fact that you’re bonded and have been since you were born.” 

Poe was puzzled. “How do you know that?” 

“I’m the one who called it out over 25 years ago, when you both were just days old.” She said, matter-of-factly for someone who wasn’t supposed to be force-sensitive. “Turns out I’m a little sensitive myself and I had no idea.” 

“Wait —“ 

“You were always sensitive, Poe. You get that from me… the strength you’ve built up now comes from right here.” Her finger passed right through his chest, right over his heart. 

“But—“ 

“Poe, we lied to you because we didn’t want you to become a target. It was the same reason Athena and Jamie lied to Kara. They would have come for you both as infants. Luke couldn’t stand the idea of losing any more children to the Old Jedi Order or even anyone who still stood for the Empire.”

She could see the gears turning as Poe worked through his emotions. 

“Ben’s power was harder to hide so Luke promised to train him and Kara but Athena resisted. Leia promised me and your dad that if you ever showed enough promise that she’d send you too… but after her own son defected…well, you know the rest.” 

Shara felt her son’s doubt, not that she blamed him. “You don’t believe me.” 

“It’s not that.” He replied, but she knew better. He was her son after all. 

“Poe, look at me.” Shara scolded, seeing shock ripple across his stubborn features. He hadn’t heard that tone since he was a child, and considering he’d spent the last twenty years practicing just how defiant he could be, his mother was surprised it registered at all. “The little boy I knew always believed in the Force…even when it wasn’t available to him.” 

Shara reached out, tracing her fingers carefully down his jaw to tip his face toward hers. Any signs of obstinance faded from his face as he watched her tear up at the feeling of his five o’clock shadow under her glowing fingertips; “There you are.” 

Poe crumbled into her arms in an instant, feeling them wrap around his shoulders in a hug that he had only ever dreamed of receiving…and she felt just like he remembered. She was warm, strong, and smelled of worn leather and caf. Her glow back then had been from the Yavin sun while in that moment, it was the essence of the energy that had reunited them. Poe didn’t care either way. He allowed himself to take in as much of her physical presence as he could - the heat of her breath, the tickle of her dark wavy hair against his skin, and the way she embraced him with everything she had. 

“I miss you so much.” He whispered as tears streamed down his face, silently praying that she would never let him go. 

“I’m with you all the time, Poe.” Shara soothed as her fingers got lost in the curls on the back of his head. “I’m in your cockpit, at your briefings, or even making sure you don’t have one beer too many at the cantina.” 

She chuckled a bit and pulled back, taking Poe’s face softly in her hands for a minute as she thumbed away a few more escaped tears. “And for the record, you drink like your father.” 

Poe laughed as Shara winked. 

“I watched you get promoted and demoted, run away and fall in love… Poe, I’ve been alongside you since the day you were born, that’s never changed and never will. No matter how hard they try…” 

“You’ve never met Kylo Ren.” 

“Maybe not, but his grandfather was just as terrifying and supposedly just as gifted.” Shara’s attention drifted momentarily to Kara’s saber, which lay just under a leather wrap on her desk behind Poe. “It may have been his sympathizers that physically took me away from you and our little family back on Yavin, but they could never take what lives right here.” 

She pressed two fingers right into his chest and Poe locked eyes with her once more. 

“Our spark.” 

There was something in her words that made the young man’s heart skip a beat. Our spark. He knew what she meant. It was the reason he had gotten into this fight in the first place. It was why he flew like he’d never fly again and fought like every battle may be his last. It was that shared feeling that everyone should be free to live in a safe and peaceful galaxy… just as his parents, grandparents, and friends all believed. 

It was the very reason that the Resistance, no matter how many lives they lost or bases they evacuated, would hang on. Even if the First Order temporarily gained the upper hand. 

“Now you sound like Leia.” 

“There are days where you do too there, Flyboy.” Shara smirked, seeing her son blush as he recognized that she had heard about his confrontation with Leia the other day. “Don’t let her fool you, she would have gone after that dreadnought too back in the day.” 

“I would have loved to see that.” 

“I’m sure you would…  You get a little bit of a similar experience with Kara.” 

Poe unconsciously smiled as her name hit his ears. “Han used to say that she reminded him of Leia when she was her age.” 

“Luke has some really good stories about her too.” She smiled, seeing the tension returning to his shoulders. “You’ve gotta open up to him, Sparkplug. He’s trying to help.” 

Poe scoffed, trying his best to not come off like a complete jerk. “He’s also the reason that Ben Solo goes by a totally different name.” 

He knew his mother could see just how much the jedi got under his skin. Luke was also the one who informed him and his father that she wasn’t coming back. In his mind, it was a matter of time before Skywalker delivered more bad news or seemingly took yet another person that he cared about away from him. 

“Poe. I understand you are scared, but he is the only one who can tell you how to best support Kara in this fight.” 

“We’ve been supporting each other just fine without him since we were barely old enough to walk.” Poe snapped, his eyes flashing anger. “How is this suddenly so different?” 

Shara suddenly saw more of herself in the frustrated pilot than she’d ever seen before. His fear of losing everything on full display. He’d figured out how to become a hero all on his own before and felt that he didn’t need anyone to show him exactly how to win a war he was born to fight in. 

She knew better than to answer his question. Sure, it was what he wanted…but it was a silent challenge. One he was already prepared to defend. Like mother, like son.. 

“Do you remember when you and Ben would gather up all the kids in the settlement to play a big game of capture the flag?” 

“Of course I do.” Poe looked confused, “We did a lot of stuff together.” 

“He was the closest thing you had to a brother…which is why you were so hurt when he told you he had a crush on Kara.” 

The memory hit Poe like a freight train. They were barely 12 years old at the time when Ben had admitted to him while camping out in one of the pastures on the ranch that he had feelings for their shared best friend. He recalled being shocked at first, before realizing that it had explained why he had suddenly become so awkward around her at school or during their usual weekend hangouts. 

Poe didn’t know that he’d already kissed her a few years before, and he certainly didn’t know that he had threatened her into keeping it a secret at the time either. He just thought maybe Ben and Kara were simply drifting apart as some people did. That was all turned on its head when he had just blurted out that he had feelings for her. 

“So, I think I might be in love with Kara.” Ben confessed completely out of the blue as he watched Poe tend to their little campfire. “At least I think it’s love. I don’t know.” 

Poe didn’t immediately reply, he simply just looked at his friend’s glowing features and listened to his words bounce around in his head for a little bit longer. In love? Kara? The two of them could barely be in the same room together for longer than a half hour recently. 

“I mean, she’s a great girl.” His own heart ached as his words left his mouth. “She’s funny and really smart. Han seems to think she’ll be just like Leia one day.” 

“Yeah, he told me that the other night.” Ben shifted in his spot in the grass, his long dark hair falling in his eyes. “She’s really pretty too.” 

Poe had never consciously thought about Kara that way until that moment. Even he found himself drawn in by the way her green eyes sparkled when they locked on you or the way her freckles seemed to disappear when she wrinkled her nose as she laughed. 

“Yea.” He said simply, keeping his eyes trained on the small flames in front of him. 

“I’m afraid to tell her.” Ben said, noticing Poe trying to distract himself a bit. He could sense his slight discomfort, but he figured it was simply because they were all friends. 

“I don’t know that I would tell her yet.” Poe suggested, tossing another small twig into the fire. “Maybe wait until you are about to leave.. Then if it’s bad, you don’t have to worry about it?” 

Ben hummed as he thought, it was a good idea. Plus, it avoided the embarrassment of all the other kids eventually finding out too. 

“Yea.. that’s a good idea.” 

Han had caught him in the hanger later, lost in his own thoughts. Poe loved her first but didn’t know it. That was because no one had ever brought it up and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. So, he kept his mouth shut. 

Shara could feel Poe calming down a bit as he remembered, “Ben never told her anything, Poe. Luke told him it would be better to wait until after he finished his training, just to decrease his distractions.” 

“Yea well, he kissed her when we were ten…and threatened Kara that if she told anyone that he’d ensure she’d be alone forever so.. Not sure who exactly did me more of a service at this point.” 

He laid the sarcasm on thick as he did his best to block out the memories of Ben taunting him in the interrogation pod. The phantom pain nestled itself in his temples. 

“Luke can help you get rid of the headaches, Poe.” Shara said, brushing a loose curl from her son’s forehead, feeling his pain start to rattle their connection in the Force. “At least let him do that much for you.” 

“He asked you to talk to me, didn’t he?” Poe said through an exasperated sigh. “See if you couldn’t soften me up a little bit so he can get a better idea of how much power I might have?” 

Shara simply smiled at her son, “Would it make you feel better if I told you yes?” 

“Maybe.” He wouldn’t look at her. 

“You really are a shit liar. He didn’t specifically ask me, but his presence has allowed me to take matters into my own hands a bit.” 

“For the record,” Poe quipped in another attempt to avoid the topic at hand, “I lie just fine.” 

“Cassian would be appalled that you’ve gotten this far with all your tells.” 

“All things considered, I think I give Han’s opinion a little more weight.” 

Shara faked a gasp and then smirked, “Too bad he also was a terrible liar.” 

She found herself relieved at the sound of Poe’s laughter as she reached out to cup his cheek once more. She was running out of time and could feel it. “Promise me you’ll give Luke a chance?” 

“I promise.” He conceded as the woman closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. Her intentions were good, and well, he knew she’d find ways to sneak up on him if he decided to be stubborn.

Both of them sat in silence, relishing in the last few minutes they had of the strong Force pocket before Poe found his way back into his routine. He had responsibilities to uphold and meetings to attend… no matter how badly he wanted to stay right where he was.  “Can we do this again?” 

“Absolutely.” She murmured, “I miss you terribly, Sparkplug.” 

Tears escaped his eyes again, his heart aching as he tried to avoid saying goodbye, “I love you, Mom.” 

Shara’s heart shattered into a million pieces. 

“Love you too, Poe… give Kara a big hug for me ok?” She said softly, thumbing away his tears as she looked deeply into his grief filled eyes. “Keep her close, sweetheart…she needs you too.” 

Shara Bey kissed her son’s forehead before disappearing into a faint blue mist. The bedroom suddenly felt more empty than it ever had. Poe stared at the space for a moment as he tried like hell to engrain the feeling of his mother’s embrace in his memory.

[clonemedickix]

More questions for the day!!

Primer, Lara and Volte are more than happy to explore their characters.

Dark OC Asks

Excluding murder, what is the worst thing your OC has ever done?

Has your OC ever killed someone?

Has your OC killed a friend/family member/loved one?

What appears in your OC's darkest nightmares?

What is your OC's moral code?

Would your OC make a deal with the devil?

How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Would your OC consider themself evil?

Would you consider your OC evil?

Does your OC enjoy watching others suffer?

Has your OC ever tortured someone?

If your OC was arrested, what would the charges be?

Who does your OC hate the most?

What is your OC's "villain song"?

If you draw: draw your OC's darkest moment or reimagine your OC as a demon. If you don't draw: find a picrew or write a description instead!

[sharky857]

Space Monkeys as… Tenno?

No, this is not going to be about some funky cross over. 😂

Since my latest hyperfixation is still set on CSATSM, and considering that Warframe has become my top addiction for what concerns gaming since the last 5-ish years or so, my brain came up with its own One Million Dollar Question™:

"Which monkey/ape would use which warframe?"

Without further ado, here's my takes. This list has been typed by keeping in mind only 'frames released until this point (so, there won't be any Jade and later 'frame).

Moreover, even though it won't be mentioned anywhere, each 'frame is to be considered as their "Prime" variant, when already available.

Captain Simian Starter Warframe: Excalibur Later on: Mesa, no ifs no buts. At least until he'll learn the existence of the so-called "nukers", either a Saryn or a Volt, for clearing tilesets even more quickly. Might also go absolutely banana with the Railjack missions.

Shao Lin Starter Warframe: Excalibur Later on: Would stick to Baruuk, being drawn in by his in-game description. However, if peeved enough, she might give a shot at other 'frames, especially those that revolve around the use of melee weapons (Kullervo, Styanax, Excalibur Umbra… you name them). If she's still unfamiliar with some tilesets and/or that new to the game/new areas, Shao Lin will also sift through them inch by inch to acquire familiarity and every single resource she may grab. She's also the one figuring out how to solve puzzles to unlock hidden rooms. Her favourite mission would be on Pavlov (Lua, spy mission). Would also give some "Conclave" a shot, if she could find anyone willing to play those PVP modes.

Spydor Starter Warframe: "Meh, whatever" (twas a spider monkey picking one at random) Later on: He's that one player lurking in trade chat and/or at Maroo's bazaar, trying to convince "rookie mooks" to buy an unranked pressure point mod for 100 plats or something. Assuming he is not getting perma-banned in the process, he might stick to those 'frames who would allow him to go safely AFK while letting the rest of the team deal with whatever "mook" and objective. Might put some actual effort in the Index and against Exploiter Orb (credits galore, babey!) If actually banned, Spydor won't hesitate to come back with as many new accounts as possible.

Gor Starter Warframe: He would blindly trust the in game description and choose Excalibur. Might also take him a while to get through that very first quest, because too busy reading/listening to directions, instructions and tips, in fear of missing something Very Important™. Later on: Would stick to either Rhino and/or Revenant, finding them the easiest to play with. As long as he remembers to recast "Iron Skin" and "Mesmer Skin" respectively, all is good. He might also struggle a bit to let go of that "Excalibaby", even after obtaining the "Umbra" variant, due to developing some sentimental attachment to it. Simian and the others may try to convince Gor in this sense, but it would be all to no avail. He wouldn't dare to feed them to a Helminth either, preferring to craft unranked ones from scratch and feed those to that thing instead. Later on they all would gift him some inventory slots, so that he can keep all his warframes.

Doc. Splitz Starter: Mag Later on: Lavos, Protea or even Vauban would be his go-to 'frames. Additionally, both himself and Splitzy would develop a small liking/fascination for Otak and Loid. For… No real reason. Honest.

Splitzy Starter: Mag (doc. Splitz beat him to the selection screen) Later on: Octavia. He would spend hours trying to fit the best bits of country line dances on her Mandachord. One might or might not also spot his Octavia constantly emote-dancing while the "bluetooth of doom" commits a slaughter all around.

Orbitron Starter Warframe: "Why is there no cheese? :(" (going to pick whatever at random) Later on: Wukong and Limbo, aka: those 'frames known for being effin' trolls.

BONUS ROUND WITH OCs (under "keep reading" so those uninterested can move along)

Brenda Starter: Mag (bubbling enemies and watching them hit themselves feels somewhat cathartic) Later on: Miss "I can do this I don't need no stinkin' help" would stick to either Oberon or Wisp. Would also adore Railjack missions with a squad, and you'll have to pry the pilot seat off of her cold, dead hands.

Jordan Starter: Volt (a clean tileset is a happy tileset~) Later on: Still sticking to a Volt, but also not disregarding other 'frames. All would depends on whether he'll go solo or nah, and what type of mission it's gonna be.

Deneb Starter: "Meh :/" (would pick one at random; he's definitely been dragged into this against his own will) Later on: "Last seen online: it's been 84 years"

Mintaka Starter: Excalibur Later on: Watch her go on a slaughterfest with Garuda. Might switch over to Valkyr when feeling slightly less murder-y. Might switch over to Ash when a mission requires some stealth. Would enter anything Duviri only if "Stalker" is in the current roster.

Maxine Starter: Mag ("SHE CUTE! :3" she said) Later on: Still sticking to a Mag. But also to a Nova, Octavia, Yareli, Nezha, Volt, Gauss, Grendel, Nidus… Anything she might deem as "cute :3" for one reason or another. She would also make "meme builds" that actually wipe entire tilesets in seconds. Won't hesitate to go for level capping Steel Path endless missions.

Captain Orion Starter: Excalibur Later on: Would play exclusively in a squad, and would pick only warframes that could offer any kind of support and buff to others, from Trinity to Wisp. He's also the one instantly onto the other players when they are downed. Would also not mind in the slightest to be always the one with the least damage dealt and/or kills, preferring to let others go ham in their carnage (being bloodthirsty is just not his style).