#admiral-arelami

[contentment-of-cats]

For admiral-arelami - Ba’kif/Pyrondi

@admiral-arelami

I hope that you enjoy your requested fic!

~

Ba’kif - he still cannot think of himself as Patriarch Labaki - is no stranger to marriage. As one of the Blood, he has done his duty to the bloodline long ago before he was promoted to general and had to leave spouses and children behind. As Humans say, he walked the walk instead of talking the talk. All of his babes are grown, many with children of their own, some followed him into the CEDF, others to the UAG, more into the Stybla economic engine of trade and shipbuilding. He’s advised many, mentored more, and now heads the Stybla since his retirement.

So, courting a fierce Human warrior ought to be a simple matter. 

It isn’t.

Il’yana has her own family, of which she sees herself as head. There are the demands of her culture, the demands of her military rank, and her Chimaera shipkin. Labaki has been courting her steadily, carefully, and is mindful of her dignity and ferocity. In her view, she is a woman with many wyf and clanmates and she must care for them. Thrawn is mentoring her, Hammerly, Yve, and Agral for command-line, and Ba’kif approves. 

If he’s being honest, he fell in love with her the moment she shot a grenade at him, defending an injured Thrawn and facilitating her shipkins’ escape from those she thought meant Thrawn harm. The warrior fled once the vessel carrying them Thrawn launched. Il’yana fell after being shot and missing a wild leap - almost to her death. He tried to comfort her then, sending her into coldsleep with murmured words she could not understand. In her recovery and hibernation sickness, he could not stay away from her. In her delirium she would throw punches at him, hallucinate, relive events of unparalleled horror. Ba’kif would swaddle her in her bedding, then hold her fast, even rock and sing to her - easing her, calming her, purring her back to sleep.

He brings his issues to Thrawn. After all, Thrawn is not only her superior officer, but among the rank of Ilyana’s spouses and shipkin. Not all Humans have just one, though it is prevalent and enforced by Imperial law - to which lip service is given and then otherwise ignored as foolishness. Thrawn listens, and asks for time to think about this and formulate a strategy to make that last wild leap - merging the Chimaera family with the Stybla.

It is some days later that he walks with Thrawn through the building called the Chimaera Nest, prodding him for his strategy. Thrawn, in the way of such things, is unhelpful. They come to a hatchway and Thrawn speaks - finally.

“However, after consideration and discussion, I have come to the conclusion that the simplest strategy is the best one to undertake.”

Ba’kif is well aware that he’s positively testy by this point - a pusheen annoyed to his limit by a kit who needs a scruffing. “And that is-”

The door opens and several things happen at once, all of them unexpected. The first is Thrawn’s hands planting on Ba’kif’s shoulder bladed. The second is Thrawn’s foot on his ass, using main force to shove him through the hatchway. The third is the hatchway slamming shut and locking behind him.

That impudent little bastard.

Ba’kif rounds on the doorway, reaching for his comlink and rasping, “When I get out of this room, and I assure you that I will, and once I lay my hands on you, we will discuss things at length and in detail, Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

And to his ears comes the sound of a mirthful Human.

It is the sound of her laughter. He has it memorized.

The room is one of the garden rooms, populated with plants and adjusted to the climate of human homeworlds. It’s cool here, the room filled with the scents of boreal forest. When he turns, Il’yana is all he sees. Not in her uniform, or the casual clothing of home, but the clothing of her origin - an embroidered tunic and leggings, beaded ornaments, and a covered basket at her feet. 

“He said to trust his strategy. I had no idea that ‘push and run like hell’ was a strategy.”

“He cannot run fast or far enough that I cannot lay my hands upon him, Il’yana.” He has not been this struck by anyone in many years. and Ba’kif chides himself. “I take it you were not in on this.”

“I had my guesses.” Cocking her head, the dainty Human looks up at him with her strange brown eyes, a warm and sweet musk teasing his senses. “Ba’kif, you have been most chivalrous.”

“You are a warrior, a leader, a woman of Family. I would not give you less than my greatest respect.”

“I fired a grenade at you.”

“I choose to find it part of your charms.” He is not breathless at his age. Certainly not. 

“I remember what you said to me, even if I did not understand it at the time.” She is right under his nose, barely up to his collar bone. Ba’kif has held her in his arms many times through her recovery. “But as Yissa says, it is time to cut to the chase.”

And then she goes up on her toes to kiss him and the galaxy stops spinning.

Yis’sah told him that until Il’yana forms that emotional attachment, nothing else will happen. His arms go around her, lift her easily, and Il’yana melts on his tongue like ice cream. The heat of her mouth, the warmth of her even through her clothing makes his blood hot, and her mating musk blooms for him in an extravagant display. 

“Over there.” The kiss breaks and she’s breathless, cheeks pink and eyes alight. “There’s a tent.”

“I’m still going to throttle him.” Ba’kif carries her and the basket to a small clearing and indeed there is a tent, piled with warmth and softness. “After I bless him.”

He lays her down in warmth and softness, watching her hair fall loose from her hood, teasing open the fastenings of her tunic and having words for the two extra layers of clothing under it. Poor thin-skinned Humans are sensitive to the cold. A hesitation allows Il’yana to carry out an attack on his robes, and infiltrate her hands. If she’s going to be peeled, so is he. They are warriors and do not flinch from their own or each other’s scars. Yes, he has seen her bare - getting Humans over their body taboos hurt his brain - but now he can fill his eyes with her. It pleases him that Il’yana likes what she sees, too.

And then she reaches for the little basket.

“Will you be wyf with me? Lean on me and I will lean on you? Walk beside me in our lives? Let me care for you as you have cared for me with an open heart?”

“I will, Il’yana.” That she would offer him nothing less leaves a pang next to his heart. He will not be asked to leave her for his duty. 

The basket holds a small cake, and he recognizes Yis’sah’s specialty. Beside it is bottle of something green and a cup. 

“Life holds bitter and sweet.” A small bite of sweet cake, a little sip of the bitter green liquor and his body relaxes, warming even more. “Let us share both.”

“Two families made one. Two people joined through all that comes. May our hearts and minds be joined. So let it be.”

A bite of cake offered to her lips, a small sip of the wine. “So let it be.”

Ba’kif tastes the wine from her lips as he eases Yana down into their nest, peeling the last layer from her. 

~

A man who can see being in the cross-hairs of a grenade launcher as charming is charming in turn. Ba’kif was there when she went under, there when she woke up. From her hibernation-sickness delirium Ilyana remembers a deep, rumbling voice singing to her. Remembers being held in Ba’kif’s arms as sleep came and left her. 

It always takes a while for her.

The connection, the growth, the trust. If it’s not there, then no spark kindles for her. It was that way with Yissa, Vanto, Thrawn, and now Ba’kif. 

Oh, how he kindles her as she wrestles his underclothes off. Yes, she’s seen him as naked as a peeled hard-cooked egg. This is different. It always is. There is a lot of him. Big everywhere. Oh, but when he holds her close she can drown in his kiss, hold to him even as desire roars through her. Moreover, it seems that he is holding to her Pillow Princess status and as her first orgasm rings through her on his fingers, Il’yana is shamelessly loud about it. When it ebbs, she is soft, dreamy, open and oh burning for him again.

“Delicious.” He tastes her from his fingers, then moves in to feast. 

Chiss men are all about making a woman climax. It takes work to get that ova to pop. Admittedly, Ilyana is working from a small sample size and bias besides but-

“Yes Ba’kif please oh please I need i i aiiiiiiiiiiii!” 

When she’s melted across the blankets, wanting and wanton, he moves over her and into her. Ilyana’s breath hitches at the opening, the stretch of it as her back arches, taking Ba’kif’s cock into her. So much and so good she could burst from pleasure and he needs to know she’s not delicate and she won’t break and her legs barely wrap around him, pulling him in and pulling her into his thrust. Ilyana locks her legs around him, riding the crest as he starts to flare within her to find his own peak and flood her. 

Chiss men are simply flattened by orgasm. The intensity and duration leaves Ba’kif atop her, smushed into the bed as she strokes the back of his neck, pressing kisses wherever she can reach. Ba’kif rolls to his back, taking her in his arms and holding her. A deep, rumbling purr weighs her eyes closed as Bakif pulls the quilts over them both.

[anastasiiaosypova]

What if... Something went wrong over Sposia, and Thrawn indeed ended up detained by Dy’lothe, admiral of the Chiss Defense Force, who was reputed to have not a single sympathetic bone or ligament in his entire body. And Ar’alani had to improvise to get her friend and partner in crime out of this mess so they could save the Ascendancy. All is fair in love...and war. Or so they say. 🤔

@chelenovelaweek

“Ar’alani, what the hell are you doing?” a voice bellowed from the speaker.

“Just getting your attention, Admiral Dy’lothe,” Ar’alani said.

[empress-violetlight]

My Speculative Biology Library

Got talking on Discord about biology (it started with laughing about a pic of a bacteriophage my husband freaked out about) and because we're all sci-fi loving nerds, the topic of speculative biology came up. I'm no biologist (unlike two very talented other discord members), but I love science, and love reading and writing about animal life, evolution, and figuring out how to make my own aliens as "realistic" as possible (i.e. at least scientifically plausible).

One of my fellow discord members (Discordians? Discordees?) asked if I would post my collection of speculative biology "research material", so @admiral-arelami, this one's for you!

In no particular order, with some entries being more scientific than others:

Extraterrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings

by Terence Dickinson and Adolf Schaller c 1994

A kid's book, this little volume actually gives a great introduction to the idea of looking at aliens from a more scientific perspective. It starts with looking at some popular sci-fi aliens, then moves on to discussing theoretical planetary environments, and the aliens that might evolve to live there. The cutie on the cover is a creature that might live in the atmosphere of a gas giant!

Speaking of which:

Cosmos by Carl Sagan. c 1980 Both the mini-series and the book. Wish I could find my beautifully illustrated hardcover edition, but oh well.

This absolute classic features an unforgettable chapter where Carl Sagan speaks about the possibility of life in the atmosphere of Jupiter, imagining "sinkers", "floaters" and "hunters", as a small example. I was absolutely blown away and I'm not the only one! Notable sci fi writers like Robert L. Forward and Timothy Zahn (I'm a huge fan, if you couldn't tell by my blog) have both written novels about the same topic. If you're a fan of Classic Doctor Who, the Cosmos mini-series won't disappoint in the aesthetics department either!

After Man: A Zoology of the Future by Dougal Dixon c 1981

Considered one of the most influential texts of the speculative biology sub-genre, and probably one of the first to treat the topic with genuine scientific curiosity. It looks at a world 50 million years in the future, and theorizes about how modern day animals might have evolved during that time, assuming that humanity has gone extinct. Beautiful artwork accompanies intriguing looks at possible animals, all sorted by biome.

After Man is part of a loose "series" along with The New Dinosaurs (a speculative Earth where non-avian dinosaurs never went extinct)and Man After Man: An Anthropology of the Future (what might have happened to humans in the After Man universe, who aren't so extinct after all). I don't have the other two (yet), but the whole "trilogy" is available to borrow (for free, and legally!) on the Internet Archive, so I've read them. Man After Man is messed up.

The Future is Wild c 2002

Basically a spiritual successor to After Man, this 13 part mini series has the same premise -- looking at how modern day animals might evolve in the future -- though it examines different time periods: 5 million years, 100 million years, and 200 million years in the future. I love this series for its creativity, pretty decent CGI (especially for its time) and some absolutely unforgettable animals, like the giant Toratons -- tortoises the size of sauropod dinosaurs! Some of its premises are a little questionable as Science has Marched On, but it's still a really fun watch, and puts as much thought into its wildlife as its predecessor.

Future Evolution by Peter Ward c 2001

This book also looks at possible future life on Earth, but takes a much more pessimistic view of things, and the author honestly doesn't sound like he enjoys the topic at all, which makes me wonder why he wrote about it in the first place. Unlike the previous two examples, he assumes humanity will still be around in the future, and our presence alone basically prevents any cool megafauna from evolving in the first place, and he assumes we'll never make any headway into space either. Kind of a downer, actually.

HG Wells Science Fiction Treasury c circa 1895-1901

The previous entry compared his work to Wells' The Time Machine, and honestly, he shouldn't have. Wells was a visionary. In his novels, long before anyone else even considered doing so, Wells thought about the effects of lower gravity on his Martians and their susceptibility to Earth bacteria in War of the Worlds, the possible future evolution of humanity in The Time Machine, and more on alien life in The First Men in the Moon, to name a few in this collection. The Island of Doctor Moreau is a borderline case, since the "beast men" there were made and didn't evolve naturally, but is still an interesting look at humans' relationship with other animals. Basically, anyone interested in spec bio would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn't read Wells' novels.

The Resurrectionist by E.B. Hudspeth c 2013

Part guidebook, part novel, this work looks at popular creatures from mythology and actually tries to examine them from a scientific perspective, looking at how their anatomy might possibly work, and their relation to humans, if any. Definitely an interesting look at creatures that are usually brushed off as pure fiction, like mermaids, harpies, centaurs, etc.

Speaking of mythical creatures ...

The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson c 1979

The original "Dragonology", this book, which partly inspired the animated film of the same name (which was made by the same studio as The Last Unicorn). Its ideas on how dragons scientifically may fly and breathe fire have been "borrowed" by many other speculative works afterwards, and most theories seem pretty solid. However, I can't ever read this book again after it proposed wildly unfair sexual dimorphism for dragons. It said the cool, fire-breathing giant lizards we all know and love are the males, while things like Medusa or Grendel's Mother, mostly humanoid mythical monsters with barely any connection to dragons, are the females. Yeah ... that killed it for me, I'm sad to say.

The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide

by Terryl Whitlatch and Bob CVarrau c 2001

This book looks at the animal life of various on-screen Star Wars planets, with specific chapters on Tattooine, Dagobah, Yavin IV, the Forest Moon of Endor, Bespin Hoth, Coruscant (yes, Coruscant apparently has some wildlife!) and 3 separate chapters on Naboo, with a little bit at the end showing off other notable Legends animals (such as fan-favourite Ysalamiris!) Not the most scientific on in-depth book in this collection by any means, but the artwork is beautiful, and at least it tries. I'm really glad I saw it on Ebay!

To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek

by Athena Andreadis c 1998

There's a couple Star Trek biology books out there, but I enjoyed this one the most. It doesn't really talk about animal life, but instead focuses on Star Trek's sapient (mostly humanoid) alien species, and tackles some philosophical questions, such as whether artificial lifeforms like androids or holograms count as life -- a topic the shows themselves have wondered about.

The Teeming Universe: An Extraterrestrial Field Guide

By Christine Cline c 2021

The newest book in my collection, the author and illustrator really puts a lot of thought into what alien life might actually be like, using the newly-discovered planet types of reality as opposed to science fiction, like a tidally-locked planet around a red dwarf star. He also assumes humans will be able to go out and explore these worlds ourselves, and that we can make peaceful contact with sapient aliens we may encounter (who will NOT be humanoid!). A refreshingly optimistic and fun look, and very up-to-date.

The Zoologist's Guide the the Galaxy by Arik Kershenbaum c 2021

I had actually completely forgotten that I picked up this book! Once I read it, I'll give a proper review, but considering it's just as new as The Teeming Universe, I'm hoping it will be just as accurate and fun!

[thrawnalani]

Send this to ten other bloggers that you think are wonderful. Keep the game going, make someone smile!!! 💕

@manofbeskar @chaostray @anastasiiaosypova @blackmonitor @admiral-arelami @thrawns-backrest @ele-millennial-weirdo @guestiguess @getthrawnin

[aroayr-shuk]

Hi lovelies! Go ahead and take this inspiration dice for your works in progress and life 🥰

@ele-millennial-weirdo @admiral-arelami @artificial-people-ai @al-astakbar @chelseadearfromao3 @vibratingbonesbis @reythemandalor

May warrior's fortune be with you

[obbicrystaleo]

Starting up a tag game!

Favourite books of all time: All the Thrawn Books by Timothy Zahn.

Any favourite fanfics: Honestly, mostly Thrawn x Reader fanfics.

Favourite quote or quotes:

“Hey, chin up… I know the night just got darker but it won’t last forever.” (Fallout 4, Nick Valentine.)

“No one is immune to failure. All have tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment. A warrior must not dwell on that failure, but must learn from it and continue on.” ( Star Wars: Thrawn, Thrawn.)

Favourite tropes: Unlikely allies. Space travel.

Wanting to read: More horror books and science fiction.

I tag: @ele-millennial-weirdo @ysalamiri-queen @nakamopapina @alterundying @handbaskethell @mittheresabosen @admiral-arelami @systemic-dreams

[coruscantiscribbler]

Thank you for the #tag @diamonddove in the “Get to Know Me Better” game.

Well, I have one ship. Thrawn/Kallus. That beatdown that Thrawn gives Kallus felt way more personal than just “how dare you betray the Empire.” Also the humiliation of forcing Kallus to watch Thrawn destroying the rebels, so I saw an angry lover as well as an angry commander.

First ship I ever wrote was Commander Shepard and Kaidan Alenko (I haven’t ever posted that one on Ao3 yet. It’s been living else where and the reason I wrote it was because I was so angry that they failed to stick the landing on the end of Mass Effect.

Last song, Meaning the last song I listened to? Misera! Dove son by Mozart and sung by Kathleen Battle.

Last Movie: I pulled out an old favorite, Grand Prix.

Currently Reading: Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart. I’m a dressage rider so of course a book whose plot revolves around the Lippizzaner horses was going to intrigue me. Friend gave it to me for my birthday.

Watching: Andor rewatch, but also watching Interview with the Vampire on AMC.

Currently consuming: finishing off breakfast with a piece of toast and a latte.

And now I’m going to tag @beebee-76, @paintedmagpie, @admiral-arelami and @wantonwhale

[contentment-of-cats]

Ba'kif: Chronicle of the Ice Bear

For @admiral-arelami by request and with delight. I love me some Ice Bear.

~

When he was Labaki, standing on the cusp of captain and major, he went to Lamiov and had the hardest discussion of his life. He had a new baby daughter, a little blue moonfruit in a fleece cuddler. His wives were many, and his 'Kifies' at oldest were ensigns.

"I do not wish to marry again, or to father children I might have to leave behind." Colonel was next, and unless one fucked up horribly, field rank was after that. "I never want them to see the back of me, and know that I had the choice between family and Ascendancy."

Stybla'ba'kifodo was Blood-Born going nine generations back, honored and honorable, he committed young to the Ascendancy and joined the Marines right out of secondary. Lamiov tried to assure him that whatever happened should he don the white uniform, his wives and babes would be cared for.

Labaki pursed his lips and blinked hard. "But not by me, Patriarch. Not as I promised. If I must break my word to them, let it be with the least pain for them all going forward."

No warm lover next to him in bed, no nest of wives and children sleeping around him safe and warm. No hand on a rounded belly, feeling the life moving within. No sweet-smelling bundle of baby in the crook of his arm, no little one on his knee, no young adult who knew everything rolling eyes at hopelessly old ticsi. No skinned knees, no milestones to celebrate, no star days with cake and delight at toys. Despite his yearning, he would be a piss-poor example of honor and duty if he shirked, but he'd be a father who left if he upheld his duty to the Ascendancy.

Lamiov sighed. "The Universal Analysis Group would take you in a heartbeat. Labaki, it's not all or nothing, nor as binary as you see it."

Lamiov was an optimist, and Labaki loved that about him. However, after rising through the ranks of the army, Labaki had very little optimism left.

"I know my duty, cousin. The Ascendancy needs people in those white uniforms who live their vows, not just give lip service to them."

Lamikav sensed his mood when he came back home, and all his wives gave him a wide berth. He burgled Lataem from her cradle and stole out to the garden with her travel bag. Tae was a 'surprise' baby, the next youngest of his child-herd was starting the sciences junior academy this year, and soon little Tae would be the only one at home. The little moonfruit was fat and round as a baby should be, her deep blue flecked with pink and purple across her cheeks. Her mother, Mir, was a former sky-walker and merit adoptive, and some of her mother's serene demeanor was present in Tae.

Tae made a soft grunting noise and pushed at his chest with an impatient fist once freed from her swaddle.

"I know for a fact you have been fed. You are playing me for a sucker." Unimpressed, his child gave him a look that conveyed an insubordinate 'so what?' and pushed on his chest again. "Fine, fine. You'll make me get up in the middle of the night to burp you when you're so gorged you can't move, then you'll puke all over your Tati."

Labaki took out a nursing pack, broke open the heating element and allowed it to come to the proper temperature.

"I spoke to Cousin Mio. He's trying to convince me to go to the UAG. Part of me wants to, since it means I could stay and watch you grow up." Offering the nursing pack to his daughter, he settled in with her in the crook of his arm. "But that means not standing against things that ought to perish. Patronage, self-dealing, corruption, duplicity. But that doesn't mean anything to you right now. All you want is to be warm, drink milk, and be told you are the most beautiful baby to ever exist."

Her Majesty ignored the flattery and he had to break the latch to slow her down.

"I do not want to leave, but my promotion makes it likely that I will see that white uniform in the next ten to twelve years. You won't be grown by then."

-

Five years later, after the Siege of Bogo Rai, Major Labaki became Colonel Labaki. His family welcomed him home, new honor chains bright on his chest, and a long medical leave to let him heal the rest of the way. His first grandchild, Kiwu'lai'torus, was a fat little moonfruit in a cuddler and Tae was a curly-haired cyclone in the garden, always ready to claim his knee and the only one still of age to do so.

"Baba!"

He could still toss her in the air, only a little unsteady as he caught her on the way down. They could talk over the secure comms, but not see each other. The Chaos disrupted comms signals unexpectedly, and the only true secure method was by using courier ships.

"Some men came to see me after I took some tests at school and a nice lady."

It was unworthy of him not to want his own children to become sky-walkers. He knew that. "What did they want to see you about?"

"I don't know, but I didn't like them. They were all slippery and slimy when they talked. They went away."

Labaki looked at Mir, her lips thin and fists clenched in her robe. "They-?"

Mir shook her head, lashes wet. "They test all children starting at age five up to age seven on entry to primary. It was a decision of the Syndicure and the Admiralty. No exemptions for anyone."

Labaki held Tae close, his heart hammering in his chest. Only command bridge officers and flag rank were supposed to know about sky-walkers, but he had married one. He saw the bodies of two of them carried off the Saber after Bogo Rai.

"But I'm not going." Tae stomped a foot that didn't touch the ground. "The lady said I was too stubborn for induction."

Mir smiled, but it was strained, and Labaki knew the signs of a dazzle headache. He picked up Tae and slung her over one hip, then slid an arm around Mir. "Tae, Mir, come and have a lie-down with me. I'm tired from my trip."

"Will you read to us, Tati?"

"Of course."

It was not until many years later that he understood what 'induction' really meant.

~

The day came.

Ba'kif sent a prayer of thanks to his ancestors that Tae had been accepted to the Academy of Sciences on Sposia and would leave before his ceremony. By now she knew what the white uniform meant. Once he left, his family would mourn as if for his death. Even if he should die in the line of duty, he would have a memorial on Naproar.

"I don't want to go." Tae's arms held to his middle and her tears soaked his shirt. "Can't I stay until it's time for you to go?"

Ba'kif's tears fell on her head. "No, love. I'm sorry. You need to start your life, not cry over mine. When it's time for me to retire, you'll be a grown woman. I hope you'll remember me."

He'd likely end up on Sposia, but not anywhere near the academy. The UAG facilities were the most highly secured in the Ascendancy, much to the irritation of the Syndicure, the Nine, the Forty, and the CEDF.

"I will always remember you. Why do you have to go?"

His heart broke inside his chest. Yai, his oldest, was weeks away from having her first child. His wives would be treated as widows, his children as orphans.

"Because before you or any of your brothers and sisters were born, I made a promise to protect the people of the Ascendancy. When I become a general, after my ceremony, I must protect them all as I would protect you." His voice didn't break, and he could be proud of that. "I hoped that this wouldn't come until you were ready to fly on your own. Please, just remember that I am so proud of you, and love you still so much."

Mir pilots the shuttle that will take Tae and Lamiov to Sposia. When the ramp went down, he bid them farewell, and watched as the ramp went up again, and the shuttle lifted into atmosphere. He said his farewells at the homestead, where the mourning lamps were lit once he left the boundary stones. The Admiralty shuttle waited for him at the CEDF post in the secure section of the spaceport.

~

When he was Supreme General, he got a taste of what it was like to raise young ones again. Only this time the young ones had a Taharim education and were additionally too smart for their own good. He took them aboard his vessel and managed to persuade Ja'fosk to give him a free hand with both Ensign Ziara and Ensign Thrawn. Ziara stuffed Thrawn through a four-year education in three years, and essentially took him everywhere she went like a child with a favored plushie. Wags joked that the boy was the Irizi Blood-Daughter's first command, and that he had a fine future ahead of him as a trophy husband once the Mitth let him go.

After dealing with both of them at the academy, Ba'kif knew that Ziara didn't dare to let Thrawn out of eyeshot. He and Ja'fosk were quick to learn that lesson, and set to making sure that both young officers were crosstrained on every station aboard the Ferocious.

In time both moved on to their own commands, but where Ziara rose high Thrawn stuck at senior captain. Dy'lothe, also known as the Late Admiral Dy'lothe for his habit of getting there when the battle was over, stopped Thrawn's promotion to commodore with Ers'ikaro. Both men openly flaunted their connections with the Syndicure and their allegedly former families - the Clarr and the Dasklo. Both men voted to exile Thrawn, along with Af'arilk, agaainst Ar'alani and Ja'fosk.

Thrawn agreed to the intel insertion from his world of exile, and he'd be picked up in three years. But no humans came to that world for five. Thrawn could rightly believe that he's been abandoned and Ba'kif had broken his word. Indeed, Ar'alani confirmed that for him in a visit to Sposia after his return to being Labaki and elevation to Patriarch.

~

The Syndicure passed down the sentence.

Ar'alani, Ba'kif, and Thrawn would be executed at dawn. Their heads would fall under the sword. The Syndicure under Thurfian and the Admiralty under Dy'lothe had been unanimous. Now they could only wait in their cells as the hours ticked toward dawn. Ba'kif sent farewells to his family that he hoped they'd received. It was unheard of to depose a sitting Patriarch, Indeed, it was tantamount to a declaration of war, but he'd named Tae as his successor and Thurfian would kiss Dhav'uul dealing with her.

The ground shook hard and Ba'kif frowned.

That was not an icequake.

He could hear nothing from his cell, but some hours later the ground shook twice more in quick succession and the lights went out. The north glacier reservoir had been shored up ten years ago to handle excess melt. If it had breached, he wouldn't have to worry about losing his head or even drowning - the water was so cold he'd die of shock.

The door to his cell handcranked open, and a squad of guards gestured him out. One moved to put shackles on him only to be shoved back by the sergeant. He moved slowly - the questioning had been hard on him at the age he was now. He could see two more squads ahead of them, Thrawn on a stretcher and Ar'alani in a four-hand carry. Thrawn opened his eyes, smiled, and closed them again.Ba'kif vowed to peel the skin from Thurfian, Dy'lothe, and all their little brown-nosers, then roll them in salt and stake them alive over ice-roach nests.

They exited the Mitth compound into a dark so thick that Ba'kif could have spread it on toast. If memory served, they were heading toward the commercial spaceport and customs instead of the Admiralty or government center port. He was with Ar'alani and Thrawn in one transport. The guards answered no questions, only drove, through they passed over a medikit when Ba'kif asked for one. Ar'alani and Thrawn were in rough shape.

The headlights of the vehicle picked out something that made him blink.

"That's a Gozanti."

"It's one of theirs," the driver spat. "They interdicted the whole system along with the Stybla fleet. She didn't bother to open communications, but cratered the Syndicure as soon as she was in orbit. Then she did the same to the Admiralty and the Mitth reservoir - drained the whole thing into the agriculture caverns."

Thrawn was smiling and Ar'alani rolling her eyes. "Thrawn. She didn't even open negotiations first."

"You don't even know it was her, Ara."

"Shoot first and ask later. I know who it is."

"Captain Little Dragon of the Chimaera." Pyron'di. "And Commodore Old Lion." Pel'laeon.

Ba'kif shut his eyes and breathed out a long sigh of relief. "I shouldn't have worried, Thrawn. I knew they'd come boiling out after you like a nest of firewasps."

They stopped near the boarding ramp, but Ba'kif was almost bowled off his feet by Tae.

Who yelled at him. Shook him. Cried and hugged him. Yelled at him again. "Sesi's so mad at you!"

Medical crews surrounded each of them as the Gozanti lifted off, escorted by a dozen TIE-D fighters for the quick flight to the Chimaera. Ba'kif didn't fight being laid down in the medsled. He was old, tired, and hoped meanly that the Syndicure had been in session when Pyrondi cratered it.

Once they locked onto the Chimaera's docking ring, the captain came to see them. "We'll be taking the prisoners off first."

"Prisoners?" Thrawn lifted his head and Ar'alani pushed it back down to the pillow.

"Mm. The Nine have been deposed. Thurfian, Zistalmu, the Clarr, Dasklo, and Obbic patriarchs, speakers, and syndics prime have been turned over to-" Tae coughed and looked amused. "Old Lion and Little Dragon." He might have some explaining to do concerning Il'yana, but Ba'kif wasn't too worried. "Tati, the UAG is foaming at the mouth to get hands on those ships not to mention that bac'tah..."

Ba'kif closed his eyes, pain medications easing his injuries, the medics already starting work.

[anastasiiaosypova]

Just Admirals

The ship has sailed @admiral-arelami

[empress-violetlight]

For the OC ask game --

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

I'm not completely sure yet, but I know Xelarra has at least one older sibling since I did describe her as "a younger daughter of House Lexx". I did kind of imagine her with at least one older brother and sister. And, of course, she sees Ar'alani and Syal Fel as better "sisters" than her bio-siblings ever were.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Not the best.

Xelarra's mother, Lexx'evai'natash - Xevain, is the "Matriarch" of the Lexx, but the use of the non-traditional title is the only way in which the two have anything in common.

The Lexx came to power as a Ruling Family (replacing the Ufsa in my AU -- they're still around, just one of the 40 Great Families instead) fairly recently, when Xelarra was very young. They gained the status through their monopoly on Rainbow Gems, a resource found only on their stronghold world, Abrixus (a gas giant moon), which are used to greatly empower spectrum lasers on Chiss ships. Spectrum lasers *can* work without the gems, but not anywhere near as well. This resource, as well as push from their allies, the Irizi, and at the time, the Mitth, propelled them to Ruling Family status, though the alliance with the Mitth didn't last longer than Thurfian figuring out that Xevain was only using him.

(@admiral-arelami gave me the idea that Xevain and Thurfian had an affair, and it's too deliciously soap-opera-ish to not use!)

Xevain is a ruthless, cut-throat matriarch, and as the Lexx only just became a Ruling Family under her tenure, she's determined to keep it that way through any means necessary. She sees pretty much everyone around her as tools towards her own political goals - even her own children -- and her quiet, anti-social daughter irked her pretty much from her birth. She only "let" Xelarra study to be a librarian because she thought it keep her distracted until she could marry her off for political gain. She was furious when she found out Xelarra had actually found a boyfriend on her own, and refused to even consider the idea of Xelarra marrying a hated Mitth, especially a "low-born 'merit' adoptive" like Thrawn.

When Xelarra left the Ascendency to join Thrawn in the Empire, Xevain disowned her and formally kicked her out of the Family (something even the Mitth didn't do to Thrawn). By the time the Empire of the Hand formally contacts the Chiss Ascendency, the Lexx, Xevain especially, are the loudest voices against acknowledging the Empire of the Hand as an official government in its own right, instead referring to the citizens of the Hand, including her daughter, the Empress, as "aliens and traitors". Xelarra only uses the Lexx name now out of spite, and to demonstrate by example that Family drama is completely meaningless in the Empire of the Hand -- that no Chiss needs to put up with that bullshit anymore.

Xelarra's father is a Stybla. I haven't really characterized him yet, but he divorced Xevain when Xelarra still fairly young, and she didn't get to see him very often. Ba'kif is actually a distant cousin of Xelarra's through her father's side of the family (though if you look back far enough, pretty much all the Ruling Family Blood members are probably related) . If we can assume Xelarra got her own ruthless streak and stubbornness from her mother, she got her intellectualism and love of reading from her father's Family. I can see him reaching out to his daughter and grandchildren eventually.

If I created Xelarra today, I probably would have outright made her a Stybla. Unfortunately, we knew nothing about the Chiss families until Chaos Rising came out, and I started my AU during the Legends era.

The one older family member that Xelarra was actually somewhat close to as a child was her aunt, who was married off to the Chaf in a political alliance, but it actually ended up being a good match. I don't have a name for her yet, but she's married to Formbi, which is why Formbi becomes probably the Empire of the Hand's strongest behind-the-scenes ally in the Syndicure (as seen in Survivor's Quest).

[guestiguess]

Thx for the Tags @frogunderarock & @negative-speedforce

Eggs: nope

Steak: nope

Milk: oat

Alcohol: wine, beer, gin, salt licorice liqueur...😬

Warm Drink: Coffee (black)

@admiral-arelami @blackmonitor I just don't know enough people 😅

[thrawnalani]

🌺💜SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING 💜🌺

@blackmonitor @chaostray @anastasiiaosypova @admiral-arelami @aliastov @spicynectarines

[anastasiiaosypova]

Just Admirals...

Enjoying some quality time... probably after another hearing... blowing of some steam, so to say...

@admiral-arelami 🫡

[contentment-of-cats]

*boops your nose* send this to ten blogs you think are lovely and deserve a boop on the nose.

....uhm...random cute cat with a boop GIF .... seriously

May your Monday be boopiful.

@queenieschaoscorner

@jadesabre83

@shards-of-silver

@seikilos-stele

@owlpartytime

@ele-millennial-weirdo

@guestiguess

@admiral-arelami

@nimbus-cloud

@poofyphluff

[aroayr-shuk]

Awww thank you @ele-millennial-weirdo 🥰

Tagging: @artificial-people-ai @admiral-arelami @thespicypapaya @kuza-22-li

Love you all! And all of my friends 😘

This is the Nugget of Friendship.

It is not given lightly. Yet I give it to you.

Yes. I mean YOU.

Now shoo.

Pass on the Nugget of Friendship.

[contentment-of-cats]

Tagged by @queenieschaoscorner

Last Song: Du Hast (instrumental) by Rammstein from my battle music playlist.

Favorite Color: Emerald green (this week)

Last Movie / TV Show: TV Show - Loki (needed to get the taste of Ahsoka out of my mouth). No movies lately.

Sweet / Spicy / Savory: Yes. Chemo and radiation change your sense of taste, so sweet is a lot less often. Some things taste overwhelmingly sweet. Spicy's been cut down because of surgery, and I miss it. Savory is rich and herbal.

Relationship Status: Happy introvert with cats.

Last Google Search: "Why does my old surgical incision hurt?'"

Current Obsession: I'm trying to catch up on Thrantovember, and am looking forward to Merry Chissmas. The end of summer and fall has been taken up with work + gig + so much medical stuff.

No pressure tags: @actualanxiousswampwitch @admiral-arelami @nimbus-cloud @shards-of-silver and all others who want to play.