#and they were a chiss smuggler

[zhakyria]

What if....

[swtorpadawan]

Code Breakers

Author’s Notes: The following story serves as “Part Three” and the conclusion of my In the Shadow of the Hero Trilogy, a storyline that I began with Training Day and Incomplete and featuring my original character in Tyzen Pyne. As with those previous entries, it is part of my expanded Halcyon Legacy, and takes place on Odessen sometime between the Knights of the Fallen Empire and the Knights of the Eternal Throne expansions.

Tyzen Pyne hurried up the hill overlooking the Alliance base on Odessen, joining the many who had already made the trek.

Despite all the bustle and activity – and Tyzen’s lingering anxiety from running late to this gathering – it felt peaceful here.

The Force felt peaceful here.

Looking around, he was awed to see so many people having already assembled.

More than forty individuals were now gathered around the hilltop. Most of them were wearing brown robes of varying styles. Others wore the adaptable armor plating that had become popular during the various conflicts over the years. Others still wore more nondescript garb, clothing that - aside perhaps from the presence of a lightsaber clipped to their belts – would not give away their identities or allegiance.

Jedi. Tyzen marveled.

This was by far the most Jedi that he had seen in one place in years. Not since early in the Zakuulan Invasion, when he and other Padawans had been Knighted on Tython before being sent off to fight.

And to die.

Back before the Republic had given up any hope for victory against the Eternal Empire and before the Jedi Order had been shattered.

As had Tyzen.

And now he was here. On Odessen. Ready to take the fight back to the Zakuulans. Standing amongst the last group of Jedi in the galaxy who could make that claim.

Not for the first time that day, Tyzen thought of Liam Dentiri, his old Master, dead at the hands of some bounty hunter in the pay of Imperials on Tython years ago when the Sith Empire had attacked, prior to the Revanite Crisis.

What would he have thought of his former padawan now?

He was lucky to have learned about this gathering at all, given that his transport – actually a freighter piloted by a friendly smuggler – had only arrived on Odessen late last night, and he’d met only a handful of people in that time.

Fortunately for him, Sana-Rae, the Voss Mystic and leader of the Alliance’s Force Enclave, had kindly informed him of this meeting of all the Jedi who had joined the Alliance when he’d gone to meet her.   

Tyzen regarded the crowd, trying to see if he could recognize anyone in all the small clusters of Jedi congregating amongst themselves.

Although a diverse group by nature, one Jedi stood out to him immediately, her blue skin and red eyes giving her a distinct appearance.

He had never met Master Dazh Ranos, one of the exceedingly rare Chiss who had left their Ascendency to serve with the Jedi Order. But Tyzen had heard rumors about her back on Tython. Despite her achieving the rank of Master, it was said that the Chiss Jedi had never agreed with the Council’s policies and had eventually withdrawn to make her own place in the galaxy, journeying through the Outer Rim Territories and helping people wherever she could. Tyzen imagined that she had seen parts of the galaxy that had never seen a Jedi, especially at times when so many had been needed closer to the galaxy’s core.

He didn’t recognize the towering Ithorian Jedi standing at her side, but he’d already been told that his name was Choza Raabat. Serving as a Jedi Knight during the Cold War, Raabat had crashed on a distant planet in the Unknown Regions while leading a Republic patrol. Marooned for a decade, the Jedi had eventually returned to a galaxy turned upside down with the Order all but wiped out the Republic suffering through another defeat, this time at the hands of the ascendant Eternal Empire.  

Tyzen had heard that the Alliance Commander himself had personally recruited Choza to his cause while on a mission to destroy the Zakuulan Star Fortress above Alderaan some weeks ago. Since then, he – alongside Master Ranos – had taken up a de facto position of leadership among the Alliance Jedi.

That story hadn’t surprised him; Tyzen already had the impression that a great many people had joined the Alliance based on prior meetings with the famous Outlander.

Case in point was the next Jedi he recognized.

Mennaus was a Zabrak Jedi Knight just like Tyzen. The stoic man was only in his mid-thirties but he carried himself like a wizened Jedi Master with decades of experience, seeming to speak only when he had something to say, but doing so with an impressive gravity.

Tyzen had met Mennaus two years ago on Coruscant. Well beneath the surface, of course. Places like the Works were one of the few places left on the Republic capital where they could avoid detection from Zakuul and their dreaded Fortresses. Mennaus had impressed Tyzen with his bearing and resolve; the man seemed to have endured the difficult years in the Coruscanti underground surprisingly well. They had exchanged information, then spoken briefly about easier days back on Tython. Mennaus revealed that, years before on Tython, he had once been saved by a fellow Padawan during the Flesh Raider Uprising.

That same Padawan, nearly thirteen years later, now commanded the Alliance.     

As he recognized more individuals from the crowd, Tyzen looked around, trying to pick out the Alliance Commander. Sana-Rae had told him that it had been the Outlander himself who had called this meeting. Perhaps he was still making his way from the base.

Tyzen deeply regretted not being able to meet with the Commander since his arrival on Odessen the day before. There were things he wanted to say to him. And to ask him.

After all, he hadn’t seen Corellan Halcyon in seven years.   

Tyzen had only met Master Corellan twice before, but both encounters had left a profound impression on his life. He very much would have liked the chance to reintroduce himself to the man once known to the galaxy as the Hero of Tython.

He probably won’t even remember me. Tyzen reminded himself, regretfully.

To many Jedi of Tyzen’s generation, the last class of Jedi Knights to have come of age on Tython before ‘The Fall’, Corellan Halcyon, the venerated Hero of Tython, was the reason the words ‘I am a Jedi’ meant something.

Before Master Corellan had disappeared, presumed killed in action. Just before the Zakuulan Invasion had begun.

Tyzen hoped he had grown up somewhat since those earlier encounters with the famed Hero of Tython. Perhaps not that much taller; his body has stopped growing vertically around seventeen. He’d filled out a bit; his muscles developing and his shoulders growing wider and more confident. Still, overall his build had remained relatively lean and agile, as it had been when he’d been a Padawan.

But his eyes had seen more of the galaxy.

Perhaps too much.

True, Tyzen had not been present for The Fall when – despite a heroic effort and countless sacrifices – the Jedi and their Republic allies on Tython had broken. When Master Satele, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, had gone missing, apparently on some unsanctioned personal mission. The only members of the Council still active, Masters Ulannium and Gnost-Dural, had evacuated the Temple and the fabled Jedi home world, taking with them all the Jedi they could save and leading them into exile.

Denielle had gone with them.   

Denielle.

He’d tried not to think about her over the years. He’d also tried not to think about her smile. Her laugh. Her kindness. Her touch.

Above all, he’d tried not to think about the sensation of her soft lips pressed against his.

It had all been a mistake. He’d told himself after they’d ended it. The Masters had always preached against such “connections”. 

But Tyzen couldn’t deny their all too brief relationship had left a mark upon his soul. He still felt her absence from his life keenly, even after all this time.

It had been more than five years since he had seen her.

Not since that night on Tatooine when she’d departed off-world with the other Jedi from their combat group, fully understanding that her next battle would be on Tython.

Where the Order would either make good on their escape or face annihilation.

Their parting – he knew other people would have called it a breakup – had been somber. There had been no harsh words; just a regret and acceptance that both of them now felt compelled to follow different paths.

Tyzen understood that Denielle felt that the Jedi on Tython – already preparing to evacuate – needed her aid the most. After all, the fate of the Jedi Order would be decided there.

But there had been people on Tatooine – and countless other worlds – who would need the Jedi’s help. Who needed Tyzen’s help.

And he told himself that Corellan Halcyon wouldn’t have abandoned all those people.

So they had kissed one final time, before Denielle, tears in her eyes, had turned her back to him and left.

Tyzen’s plan to keep fighting on Tatooine had been futile, of course. Within a month, Algrunar, the only other Jedi who had stayed behind, had been killed and what counted for the local government on Tatooine had capitulated. When he’d realized that the people of Tatooine had only suffered more for his presence, Tyzen had finally been forced to flee as well, a local farmer named Galen Besk providing him with a way off-world.

By then, Denielle and the other Jedi had left Tyzen and the rest of the galaxy behind.

He could only hope that she was alright.

Not much later, he’d received a short message from Master Bela Kiwiiks. The encrypted communique had been routed through a secure relay and into his private drop account, no doubt to avoid detection by the Eternal Empire. The Togrutan Jedi had served on the Council for as long as Tyzen could remember, and he’d once helped her evacuate younglings from the Temple during the same battle where Liam Dentiri had met his end.

Master Kiwiiks confirmed to him that most of the surviving Jedi had successfully escaped off Tython and into exile, but that the Force had called on a different path.

Tyzen found that he wasn’t surprised. Master Kiwiiks was still highly regarded for her wisdom and compassion, but she’d be the first to admit that her days as a warrior were long past. He did not fault her for her for making such a choice.

She and her unnamed companions – he suspected they were again younglings, representing the future of the Jedi – were safe for the moment, and she was now caring for those who most needed it.

Tyzen again found that he wasn’t surprised. Master Kiwiiks was a natural caregiver. The council had selected her to oversee the well-being of the Order’s younglings in the first place for a good reason.

She’d somehow known that Tyzen hadn’t been with the Jedi who’d fled Tython and told him that if he needed sanctuary from the Zakuulans, she could offer it.

The offer did not surprise him. She’d always shown him such compassion. That she’d take a risk, however small, to offer him a safe-haven actually seemed natural for her.

When he had declined her offer, Tyzen’s own choice had surprised him a bit.

Fighting the Zakuulans on his own? Without the support of the Jedi? For a Republic that had all but surrendered?

Tyzen had been terrified.

But he knew he couldn’t give up. He had to keep fighting for those who couldn’t flee or protect themselves. If not on Tatooine, then on a hundred other worlds.

Because he knew that the Hero of Tython wouldn’t have given up.

In the dark days that followed, Tyzen helped whomever he could, whenever he could, however he could, while finding food and shelter wherever he could, all the while never staying in the same place for long.

The Eternal Empire’s pogrom against the Jedi had been vicious and even more devastating than what the Order of the Sith had faced. Clearly, Emperor Arcann had determined that if there was a threat of resistance against their rule, the Jedi would have been the most likely source for such a spark of hope for the galaxy.

Now on Odessen, as part of an Alliance led by a Jedi, Tyzen supposed that history had proven that assertion correct.

The so-called ‘Shadow Temple’ network, those Jedi who hadn’t withdrawn from the galaxy and who were now operating in an informal underground, had determined that the few Jedi still active and opposing Zakuul would live longer when they didn’t stay together for longer than was strictly necessary. Occasionally, he’d get word about another Jedi. Sometimes he would hear a bit of gossip that some other Jedi or another was still active and something of their activities.

More often, he’d hear that someone had been caught and killed.

Still, he’d worked with a few other Jedi off and on over the years. Unaw Aharo. Shigar Konshi. Attros Finn. A handful of others. He’d realized one day that most of these individuals were only a few years older than Tyzen himself.

There seemed to be so few of the old Masters still left.

It had been a hard life. And a lonely life.

But he had kept at it. Again, because he knew the Hero of Tython wouldn’t have given up.

Even his cousin, Karache, had eventually reached out to him. He hadn’t seen the Republic Special Forces soldier-turn-independent bounty hunter in more than a decade, but the older Zabrak had nevertheless offered him a place in his crew.

“The Jedi are long gone, Tyzen.” Karache Pyne had declared in his holo-message. “It’s everyone for themselves, out here. Why don’t you come with me? You’d be good in a fight. We can use you.”

By then, Tyzen desperately wanted to say yes. The years had taken a toll on him. Too many cold and hungry nights. Too many allies lost.

Too many friends lost.

Even worse, Tyzen had started to lose hope.

He turned his cousin down, again choosing to follow his own path. The path of the hero.

Because the Hero of Tython wouldn’t have given up.

And now, after nearly five years of fighting, running and hiding, Tyzen found himself here on Odessen. Ready to fight alongside the Hero of Tython.

As if on cue, Tyzen felt a sudden surge in the Force.

The light side of the Force had already felt strong atop this hill, in the presence of so many Jedi. It was peaceful and calming and soothed his wounded soul.

Now it was as if a blinding spotlight were being shown down on them all, even though it was late morning, and the sun was already high in the sky.

It was powerful and invigorating and inspirational.

Had Master Corellan Halcyon been concealing himself, somehow? Hiding behind some nearby bushes, or perhaps a tree a short distance away? Maybe he’d somehow hidden himself through the Force?

It didn’t matter. Tyzen decided. Regardless of where he’d been, he was suddenly there, standing at ease amidst the Jedi. From his confident stance and smile, he’d obviously been watching for some time now, choosing the moment to make his entrance.

Tyzen noted immediately that Corellan wasn’t wearing the distinctive brown Jedi robes or the adaptive body armor he had made famous during his years as the Hero of Tython. Instead he was clad in a new garment; this uniform was elaborate, predominantly white plating with black sleeves and trousers. The accoutrements had a distinctly… Zakuulan flavor, much to Tyzen’s surprise.

But even so, this was who Master Corellan Halcyon, the Hero of Tython, the Battlemaster of the Jedi Order and the champion of the known galaxy, had become.

And if anything, he had become an even greater hero. Just a few weeks ago, Master Corellan had defeated Emperor Arcann in orbit over Odessen, effectively toppling that tyrant from the Eternal Throne. Zakuul was now ruled by Arcann’s sister, Vaylin, who if anything was even more cruel and insane than her brother.

Everyone on Odessen seemed convinced that the Commander and his Alliance would now defeat Empress Vaylin and end the Eternal Empire that had plagued the galaxy for so many years.

Master Corellan himself looked to be in excellent health, despite the countless challenges he had faced. Tyzen had heard, of course, about the five years that he had spent imprisoned in carbonite, isolated from the rest of the galaxy. The reason why he’d been missing for so long. The reason why he’d missed the war. Why he hadn’t been there to save the Jedi, the Republic and the galaxy.

As difficult as the last few years had been for Tyzen, the younger Jedi couldn’t imagine losing so much time off his life.

Still, Corellan looked older. Not physically, exactly. But there was a look in his pale blue eyes that was somehow more… something.

“Thank you all for coming.” Corellan Halcyon formally began the gathering with a welcoming smile. It was the same expression Tyzen had once seen on countless Republic military recruitment posters during the war against the Sith Empire.

The ‘Hero of Tython’ smile.

Looking around, Tyzen could see that the other Jedi had been as startled by Corellan’s sudden appearance as he had been. After a moment of bustle, however, the gathered Jedi settled down to listen.

“I have three matters I wanted to speak with you all about today. Things you all have a right to hear directly from me. I wanted to do so in a place where we had relative privacy.”

His arms opened wide, as if taking in the scenery around them on the hilltop.

“I assure you all, I have seen to it that we may all speak freely here.”

The implication of his declaration was not lost on Tyzen. He recalled hearing that the Alliance’s Chief of Staff, Lana Beniko, was a Sith as well as having once served as the Empire’s Director of Sith Intelligence. Likewise, it was said that there were many other former spies in the Alliance from both the Republic and the Empire, as well as others who would have – until recently at least – had more than enough reason to ‘observe’ the Jedi.

Corellan Halcyon was staking his word that none of these elements would be a concern for them today.

“For the first matter, I’d like to formally thank all of you for making it to Odessen and joining the Alliance. Regardless of whether you were here on the day we laid ground on the base or if you’re only just now arriving, the fact that you were willing to endure such challenges and dangers just to reach this point is remarkable. I know full well that there are many we all would have wished to have with us today who did not make.”

He paused, a somber expression across his face.

Tyzen momentarily thought about the many Jedi had known who’d been killed over the years. He urgently suppressed the emotion as Corellan continued to speak.

“I also know the last several years must have been incredibly difficult for most of you. Both as Jedi and as people.”  

Corellan’s eyes drifted among the crowd, turning from Jedi to Jedi, catching several of them in his gaze before continuing on to the next. He finally caught Tyzen himself, and the young Zabrak felt a rush of excitement course through him.

“Likewise, that you would show such trust in me by coming here under such conditions honors me more than I can ever tell you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express my gratitude for that, and I hope to prove myself worthy of it.”

Many of the assembled Jedi gave murmurs of assent and affirmation while others waited patiently. Tyzen distinctly picked up the words “We’re with you, Master Corellan.” from one of the younger Jedi.

Not trusting himself to speak, Tyzen found himself simply nodding. He could not think of anyone better suited to lead this fight against Zakuul than the Hero of Tython. Corellan Halcyon was surely the leader who would lead the Jedi back to glory. He would shatter the Eternal Empire’s grip on power and would usher in a new era of peace to the galaxy.

Nevertheless, Tyzen kept his peace, eager to hear more. Through the eddies of the Force around him, he noted that the words had been well-received and appreciated by the Jedi of the Alliance.

But everyone seemed to understand that this was all prelude to something much more important.

Tyzen hoped he knew what that was. Whether he knew it or not, Corellan Halcyon was now leading the largest active contingent of Jedi in the known galaxy.

Why shouldn’t he declare himself Grandmaster of the Order? Tyzen asked himself, speculating.

The Alliance Commander, after a moment’s pause, pressed on.

“The second matter I wanted to share with you was that we have two new additions to the Alliance who are arriving within in a few days: Leeha Narezz and Jomar Chul. For those who are unfamiliar with them, I can personally attest that both are veteran Jedi Knights of great ability and experience. I have no doubt that their arrival will greatly benefit the Alliance.”

Tyzen recognized the names. He had never met either of those Jedi, but they had been active during the last war against the Sith Empire. If he recalled correctly, Leeha was a famed droid engineer while Jomar had been one of the finest reconnaissance scouts and infiltration experts in the Order before the Eternal Empire’s invasion. Both were just a few years older than Master Corellan. 

More recently, he’d heard a rumor that they had served off and on with the Shadow Temple since the invasion these last few years, as had Tyzen.

Corellan paused again, letting another murmur pass through the assembled group before continuing. At some point, this Jedi hero, considered by many the greatest warrior in the galaxy, had learned the art of public speaking. Clearly, he was carefully weighing the mood of his audience.

“With their consent, I am informing you all ahead of their arrival that the two of them have been living openly in a romantic relationship and they have been for several years.”

Tyzen blinked as the resurgence of urgent murmuring resumed, with several of the Jedi present beginning to call out questions for the Alliance Commander. Inevitably, Tyzen himself could only think of his relationship with Denielle with regret.

She had made the choice she’d had to make, and so had he.

That didn’t mean it hurt less.

But for Leeha and Jomar, acknowledging such public breakings from the Jedi code would usually result in their dismissal from the Order.   

Corellan calmly waited for the assembled Jedi to digest his words, then held up a forestalling hand. He had clearly expected such a reaction.

Slowly, the crowd became calm.

“For the record, speaking strictly as the Alliance Commander, I meant what I said before. I have no concerns whatsoever about Leeha or Jomar’s ability to reliably serve as members of the Alliance.” He paused. “However, I know that many of you would have concerns about Jedi openly embracing such a… connection. I assure you, Leeha and Jomar are not oblivious to the implications of their relationship for the rest of you.”

There was another pause as the gathered Jedi seemed to collectively nod in understanding.

“As you know, the council is currently absent, and there is no other legitimate authority to govern such matters. Therefore, I leave it to you to decide whether or not they should be considered Jedi. Both Leeha and Jomar have assured me that they will accept whatever judgement you reach without complaint or appeal.”

“For my own part, I would not presume to interfere in your decision. I ask only that you accept them as fellow members of the Alliance, and to treat them with the respect and courtesy that entails. Whether they are Jedi or not is a matter for the Jedi alone to decide.”

These words, perhaps more from their phrasing than their sentiment, caused a stirring of confusion and unease amongst the gathered Jedi. Plainly, this was not what anyone had anticipated.

Tyzen couldn’t help himself. Boldly he stepped forward, raising his hand before calling out.

“Master Corellan! Can’t you just claim the authority to decide the issue?”

Corellan smiled at the questioner, a warm look of recognition catching his eyes.

“Tyzen. It’s been a long time.”

The young Zabrak suddenly felt his face flush, put on the spot amongst the assembled Jedi.

“I’m sorry.” Tyzen looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling younger than his years. It felt like he was a padawan again. “I didn’t think you’d remember me.”

He overheard a handful of chuckles as a ripple of amusement passed through the gathering.

Corellan’s calming smile just widened.

“Of course I remember you, Tyzen. I never forget anyone I’ve called a friend.”

He looked around.

“For the record, that same sentiment applies for all of you. Whether I knew you before you came to Odessen or if I’ve only met you today, as of now, I regard each one of you as a friend. With the trust you’ve offered me, I could do no less.”

Corellan’s hand pressed against his own chest.

“Regardless of what is decided today or how the war goes, each of you has done more than enough to lay claim to my friendship just by being here.”

“But Tyzen’s question actually leads me directly to the third subject I wanted to speak to you about.”

Corellan composed himself somberly. He clearly had their full attention.

“I have long believed that people should be judged not by what they call themselves, but rather their actions; for those are a reflection of who they are.” He began.

“In my mind, this is a simple creed. One that has served me well over the years and that has allowed me to achieve many accomplishments.”

“Since I returned to the galaxy, I have made many difficult decisions, and those have led me to this point. I do not regret most of these, but I have given many hours of reflection to my choices. And I’ve come to acknowledge the implications of those choices, both for myself and for my role as a Jedi.”

Tyzen felt a growing sense of anxiety in his belly.

“To that point, concerning own my path as the Commander of the Alliance, there are things that I realize that I must do.” Corellan glanced downward for a moment, then turned back up. “Things that, in good conscience, I’ve realized that I couldn’t perform as a Jedi.”

A faint breeze swept through the gathering.

“For this reason, and before all of you as witnesses, I formally resign as a member of the Jedi Order.”

If Corellan’s earlier statements had drawn a murmur of a response, this one built up a firestorm. Almost everyone started speaking all at once.

The Alliance Commander patiently waited out the storm. Whatever he called himself, however he saw himself, he was more than capable of facing such adversity with a calmness that would have shamed any Jedi Master.

After about a minute, Corellan again raised a forestalling hand, deftly cutting off further questions.

“I understand your concerns. Let me assure you that I have every hope that the Order will reform itself in time. Indeed, I expect that it will. Whatever mistakes may have been made over its history it remains my belief that the Jedi have – on balance – been a force for good. For order and justice, yes, but also for peace.”

That seemed to calm the emotions of the assembled Jedi. Still, they listened on tensely.

“However, it is clear to me that I am not the one to lead such a reformation, even if I possessed the wisdom to perform such a feat. The Alliance, the galaxy and perhaps the Force itself… well, as I have said, they require me to be someone else. Someone I’m already well on my way to becoming.”

“I can promise you all that I will do everything in my power not to pressure any of you into doing anything to compromise your own values.” Corellan paused. “It is the same promise I make to everyone who will join us. But I’ve seen far too many leaders – including more than one Jedi – attempt to force their own beliefs on those who followed them. In my experience, that’s led to hypocrisy at best, disaster at worst.”

Corellan’s hands spread wide again, emphasizing the gathering.

“I will not force my beliefs on anyone else, least of all any of you.” He concluded. “I will ask that people follow me, and the Alliance will have a set a procedures and protocols, but that will be as far as it goes. While I lead it, this Alliance will reflect my values, not be a reflection of any dogma I may follow.”

Master Dazh Ranos stepped forward.

“Master Corellan… Commander… forgive me, but I must ask. Is it possible that… someone else is influencing this decision?”

Tyzen blinked in alarm. He had heard the rumor that some remnant of the Sith Emperor – that evil called Valkorion by the Zakuulans – now resided within the consciousness of his greatest enemy in Corellan Halcyon.

He’d rejected the rumor at the time he’d heard it out of hand, but now he wondered if there wasn’t some truth in it.

Rather than rebuking the suggestion out of hand, Corellan simply smiled patiently.

“I understand your question, Master Ranos. In point of fact, yes. It is certainly possible that that is the case.” He paused. “But no. I assure you that I have meditated on this matter for some time, and I can confidently tell you that this is my choice, alone.”

A green-skinned Twi’lek Jedi Knight named Shiri’ah stepped forward, drawing the commander’s attention.

“Then… you don’t think you’re becoming a Sith?” she asked.

“No.” Corellan shook his head sharply, letting out a slight chuckle. “I can claim more experience in dealing with the Sith than nearly any Jedi living and I can confidently tell you that my own path does not involve embracing the dark side.”

Tyzen remembered watching the Commander fight those Imperial Commandoes on Tython years before, when they had been about to slaughter Tyzen and a room full of young Padawans. The Hero of Tython had fought with an intensity that might have shamed any Sith.

But… it hadn’t been passionate. In hindsight, it had felt almost detached. As if it had been someone else doing it all.

Somehow, Tyzen sensed that Corellan Halcyon might have spoken more but had thought better of it.

Corellan paused, looking around at any of the faces that still met his.

“As I imagine that some of you may have doubts to that, I would be willing to be examined by any or all of you to confirm it.”

A long moment of silence fell over the gathering as no one volunteered. The crowd of Jedi seemed mollified by his words. Tyzen remembered that surge in the Force when Corellan had first made his presence known; he could not reconcile that with the feeling he had experienced from any Dark-Sider – Sith or Zakuulan – he had encountered.

After a few seconds, the Alliance Commander seemed to accept their reaction as tacit assent.

“So to properly answer Tyzen’s question, this is why I cannot weigh in on the subject of Leeha Narezz and Jomar Chul remaining as part of the Order. As I have, in effect, broken with the Order and the Code, it would be a terrible conflict of interest for me to interfere.”

Choza Raabat steepled his fingers together.

“I must ask, Commander, what if one or more of our number breaks from the order as a branch breaks away from a tree?”

Corellan nodded gravely.

“I understand the concern of a potential schism within the Order, Choza. For the record, I sincerely hope it does not come to that. But if a Jedi serving in the Alliance chooses to leave the Order or is dismissed by whatever leadership structure you form amongst yourselves, then that is the business of the Jedi, and not myself or the Alliance leadership.”

“Likewise, if anyone here believes that remaining with the Alliance would compromise their own values, they are free to leave. I would not begrudge them their beliefs.”

He paused, letting the implications sink in.

“As I said before, the Alliance has its own rules that I ask all its members to follow. So long as an individual is willing to abide by those rules, they will have a place here, regardless of what the call themselves.”

Choza Raabat said nothing to this but bowed his head in acknowledgement after a moment.

So it went.

The Alliance Commander spent another thirty minutes patiently answering questions. Some were quite heated. Others were insightful. Regardless, Corellan answered all of them calmly. Gradually, the questions grew less philosophical and more technical. He had clearly been prepared for this as well.

Tyzen could not have imagined Satele Shan or one of the other Masters on Tython giving the ‘rank and file’ that amount of latitude to challenge them. Yet Corellan Halcyon had withstood it all at his own insistence, holding up stoically.

Finally, after seemingly everyone had had their fill, he adjourned the meeting.

“Thank you all again. I hope my answers have brought a sense of purpose, but barring that, I hope I have brought clarity. The purpose of the Alliance is to defeat the Eternal Empire and bring peace to the galaxy, and as far as I am concerned, it always will be.”  

“I hope you will choose to stay. More than that, though, I hope you will understand and respect my choices. If not today, then in time.”

He crossed his arm across his chest and bowed at the waist.

“Thank you.”

With that, the meeting ended.

As the Jedi began to make their way down the hill and back towards the base, Corellan remained behind, exchanging a few parting words with individuals, most of whom seemed surprisingly optimistic. Despite the difficulties ahead of the Jedi of the Alliance, not to mention the challenge of facing the Eternal Empire, Tyzen somehow didn’t think any of the Jedi would be leaving the Alliance.

The young Zabrak hoped that he would be joining them, soon.

Both in returning to the base and in embracing their apparent sense of optimism.

But first, there was something he had to do.

Finally, he and Corellan were the last two individuals on the hill.

Corellan turned to Tyzen and smiled.

“Somehow, I knew it would be you.”

Tyzen swallowed, approaching the former Jedi Master.

“I was just wondering if I should quit the Jedi, too.”

The older human blinked down at him in confusion.

“Why would you want to do that?”

Tyzen took a deep breath and then he told Corellan everything.

Everything he’d experienced since they’d last met on Tython. About Denielle. About receiving his Knighthood. About the war against Zakuul. About staying behind and continuing to fight in the shadows while most of the surviving Jedi went into exile. About the dark years that followed.

About his fear that the darkness of the war had changed something inside of him.

About fighting for so long and so hard that Tyzen had started to question whether he was still fit to call himself a Jedi.

Corellan merely listened patiently, letting Tyzen get it all off his chest.

“… so now I don’t know if I should leave the Jedi, too.” He concluded.

Having finished, the young Zabrak was surprised to realize that he’d only been talking for about five minutes.

He’d been certain it would have taken hours to relay all his troubles. That they could be summed up so briefly was startling.

Now finished, the young Jedi Knight looked up at the Alliance Commander, hoping for wisdom and guidance. Corellan Halcyon was quietly going over what the younger Zabrak had told him.

After all, he’d been so helpful to him before, back on Tython.

After a long moment, the former Jedi Master exhaled, then spoke.

“That was an awful lot, Tyzen.” Corellan admitted. “I don’t blame you for having doubts, and I doubt anyone else could either.”

He paused, carefully regarding his younger companion.

“You do understand that I can’t tell you what you should do?” Corellan finally said.

Tyzen felt his shoulders drop in disappointment.

“Are you sure? I was hoping you could tell me what I should do next.”

Corellan chuckled, then padded his shoulder affectionately.

“For me, it was different. I had to break from the Jedi. If I hadn’t… well, I’ve seen what happened to Jedi who didn’t know the difference between following the Jedi path and following their own.”

“I couldn’t let that happen with myself.”

The Commander looked up at the sky.

“If I hadn’t made this choice, I think that the conflict within me, the same conflict that lies within all of us… it would have consumed me. Like it did Revan.”

Tyzen blinked, startled at this revelation. He’d heard stories about Yavin from before the invasion. He couldn’t imagine what that had been like for Corellan, and he certainly didn’t want to ask.

“You think you would have fallen to the dark side?”

Corellan tilted his head in assent, giving a sort of half-nod.

“Or worse.”

He then reached out, grasping the Zabrak’s shoulder again and turning him away from the base. Both the uncertain young Jedi and the older Alliance Commander looked out at the horizon.

“Tyzen, during the war against the Sith, I saw so many Jedi doing terrible things in the name of victory, or of the Order, or of the Republic, or in the name of the Force, itself. All while still claiming to be acting as Jedi.”

He stopped and exhaled, his arm dropping back to his side.

“I can’t do that. I had to break free of it, even knowing how badly that’s gone for so many other Jedi. I need to succeed where they failed, and trust that the people around me will help me stay the course.”

Corellan turned towards him again and regarded Tyzen somberly.

“Truly, I do not expect anyone to follow me down such a path. And I certainly have no intention of asking anyone. As a concept, the ‘Grey Jedi’ seem perfectly reasonable. Even admirable.”

He exhaled.

“As a collective group with a collective belief system? Every iteration has ended in disaster. That’s why so many incarnations of it fail, either due to internal or external pressures.”

“So with the Force as my witness, I assure you I have no intention of starting a schism. The Alliance is already too close to being a cult of personality without me making it any worse.”

Tyzen made a face at that observation uncertainly as Corellan just chuckled at his puzzlement.

“Anyway, you’re too young for these kinds of philosophical conversations.”

The Zabrak bristled.

“I’m almost the same age you were when you beat the Emperor’s Voice on Dromund Kaas.”

Corellan stopped himself and looked downward at the grass, letting out a slow exhale, plainly having realized the truth in Tyzen’s statement.

“Well. So that’s what growing old feels like.” The Alliance Commander smiled wryly to himself.

Tyzen felt his face flush, embarrassed to think he might have offended Corellan.

“I’m sorry. I meant – “

“I know what you meant.” He reached out again and patted Tyzen’s shoulder, calmly. “That’s just something everyone has to get used to, I think.”

He turned back to his young companion.

“So. After all that metaphysical discussion, what is it you’re really asking me?” Corellan pressed. “You can say ‘I am a Jedi’ or ‘I am not a Jedi’, and I won’t try to stop you either way.”

The Zabrak bit his lip.

“I guess I’m asking you… who am I?” Tyzen asked.

Corellan smiled at that.

“Who do you want to be?”

The young Zabrak paused. He knew the answer, he’d known the answer for years, but it was still hard to say. Swallowing, he forced the words out.

“I wanted to be you.” Tyzen finally murmured. “For the longest time, more than anything else in the galaxy. I wanted to be just like you.”

Corellan’s eyes widened, truly startled for the first time that Tyzen could remember.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize that you felt that way back then. If I had, I would have said…” he exhaled then spread his arms apart, as if lost. “Something.”

Tyzen bit his tongue and looked away, not trusting himself to speak. He felt himself start to breathe heavily.

Corellan placed a hand on his shoulder.

“For whatever its worth, I looked up to my heroes, too, Tyzen.” he offered. “Sagottoh Panaka. Nowan Ko Detizu. Orgus Din. Satele Shan.” He paused. “Revan.”

A comfortable silence settled in between them. In the distance, some native bird let out a caw, possibly to signal to its fellows that it had found some fresh kill to scavenge and feed upon.  

“Each of my mentors, my heroes… well, they all disappointed me in different ways.” Corellan gazed down at the ground. “It wasn’t their fault, mind you. It’s just that the reality of who they were didn’t quite match my impressions of who they were.”

He shrugged.

“Impressions that might have been fantasies.”

“But I don’t blame them for any of that now. Not anymore, anyway. Our mentors, our heroes, are people, with merits and flaws the same as anyone else.”

“But what’s important was that in the end, I learned from each of them. And with time, I learned to become myself.”

“Now it’s easier in that regard. I’ve learned to respect and appreciate them in a new light. Not as my role-models, but as actual people.”

He stretched his neck. It was a strangely normal thing to do coming from a man who Tyzen regarded as anything but normal.

“Like them, I’m a person. A simple man trying to make his way in the universe. That is all.”

He turned back to Tyzen.

“Did you really think that I would think any less of you? For either going with the others who fled Tython, or finding sanctuary someplace else?”

“I… no.” Tyzen swallowed. He was ashamed. Ashamed for feeling weak. Ashamed for feeling uncertain. “I guess not.”

He looked Corellan Halcyon in the eyes.

“I guess… I was worried that I would think less of myself.”  

Corellan nodded in understanding.

“That’s the first lesson. Now here’s the second: After everything you’ve been through, now that you have a chance to breath, have you been true to yourself, Tyzen?” Corellan asked the young Zabrak. “Have you been true to who you want to be?”

Tyzen opened his mouth to answer, then stopped himself. His old Jedi training started to kick in as he chewed over the Alliance Commander’s query, looking within himself for a sense of peace.

He thought about Denielle, and their painful parting.

He thought about every time he’d had to fight his way out of a dangerous situation in the last six years.

He thought about every night he’d spent on a cold street or cave, with a hunger in his belly.

Finally, he thought about the choice of coming to Odessen to join the Alliance.

“I think I have… in the end.” Tyzen finally answered. “It took me awhile, though.”

“Good.” Corellan smiled. “In the long run, you need to be the kind of person you’d respect, even while recognizing your mistakes. Recognizing the good and the bad.”

He looked down towards the base.

“They come from all over.” He mused. “Republic. Empire. Jedi. Sith. Voss. Independents of every stripe. Even Knights of Zakuul, believe it or not. So many differences! And yet… they keep coming.”

Corellan Halcyon smiled faintly. It was a simple gesture that, to Tyzen, radiated hope.

“With the Alliance, I hope to build a place where everyone who joins us can contribute while still being true to themselves.”

He turned his smile onto Tyzen, a look of hope in his pale blue eyes.

“I look forward to meeting the person you are becoming.”

With that, he turned and began his walk back down to the base.

Tyzen watched him depart in silence.

Tyzen could remember that time – in what felt like a lifetime ago – when he had all but worshipped Corellan Halcyon. When he had wanted nothing more than to be the Hero of Tython.

Now, a little older and a little wiser, he didn’t look at this man that way anymore.

But he respected him, perhaps now more than ever. He realized that here was a man who had made his choices and then accepted the consequences.

Tyzen no longer wanted Corellan’s life.

But he could still continue to learn from that life.

He had learned much from being in the shadow of the Hero of Tython.

As he started walking down the hill, he realized that it was now time for Tyzen Pyne to learn how to be himself.

END

Author’s Notes: Parts of this story probably fall under the ‘Unreliable Narrator’ trope. Tyzen isn’t dishonest, but he doesn’t necessarily see everything clearly. I’ll let you judge what parts those might be.

Tyzen, Corellan, Denielle, Karache, Sagottoh, Nowan Ko, Shiri’ah and Ulannium Kaarz are all original characters of mine. All other characters named in this story are actual NPCs from the game, some of whom are rather obscure. (As is my way.) Feel free to ask me about them or look them up yourself on Wookiepedia, if you like. Shiri’ah was previously introduced in my Adas Legacy, but she now gets a supporting role in my Halcyon Legacy.

There are a number of references in the game story to a Jedi purge of sorts carried out by the Eternal Empire during the five-year jump in Knights of the Fallen Empire. It’s a fascinating subject that hasn’t been fully explored.

Any similarities between Tyzen and a certain red-headed Jedi purge survivor from a recent video game franchise are… purely unintentional.  

The Corellan Halcyon that appears here is one who saw Jaric Kaedan, Nomen Karr and Jun Seros make terrible, tone-deaf decisions during the Second Great Galactic War.

For the record, spoilers here, Ranos and the other Alliance Jedi decide that it is not their place to expel Leeha and Jomar from the Order. By the time the Alliance makes contact with the Jedi on Ossus, no one thinks it’s worth the trouble.

Liam Dentiri, a quest-giver on Tython and a boss in the Assault on Tython Flashpoint, was killed in my canon by Xadya, my bounty hunter in the Halcyon Legacy. Since Xadya would also go on to join the Eternal Alliance, Tyzen may find himself challenged in ways he couldn’t have imagined.   

I’d like to incorporate Tyzen into some future stories, though maybe not as a featured character.

I watched a lot of history documentaries during the pandemic and a few of them involved religious schisms throughout history. I found them both fascinating and somewhat depressing. (Spoilers: When it comes to religion, there are no “good guys”. Just times when one group might be worse than another.) But it got me thinking about the “Grey Jedi” in Star Wars, who are incredibly popular in the fandom, but always seem to come up short.  

I still like the character of Bela Kiwiiks from the Jedi Knight story. I don’t know how many of you ever read the Star Wars: Dark Times comic series from Dark Horse, but her situation in my story is rather similar to Master K'Kruhk’s in that tale. It is well established that the Jedi don’t put all their eggs “in one basket” when it comes to their Padawans and younglings, as they have many enclaves all over the galaxy. Kiwiiks was returning a group of younglings from such an enclave to Tython when she was cutoff by the Eternal Fleet. Deciding that the younglings needed her more than the Ossus Jedi would, she took her charges into hiding, much as K’kruhk does during the time of the Galactic Empire.

Karache’s line to Tyzen is a reference Han’s line on Yavin to Luke in Episode IV. Naturally, Corellan later delivers a line to Tyzen that was directly pulled from Jango Fett in Episode II. I love my little Easter Eggs.

Corellan’s outfit during the events of this chapter is known as the “Ruthless Scion Armor Set” from the Cartel Market. He would later change it again, but this is what he wore for most of Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne expansions.

I was originally going to mention Ashara Zavros in this piece, but the tangent that summoned got out of hand.

Although I wasn’t reading the Expanded Universe novels at the time, Luke’s speech to the Jedi Order in Dark Nest III: The Swarm War always resonated with me. It’s important for one’s followers to know where their leader stands, and Corellan is attempting to do the same here. (Though obviously, Corellan takes a very different approach.)

Thank you for reading, and may the Force be with you.

Tagging!

@distressed-gizka @rikki-roses @eorzeashan @grandninjamasterren @space-unicorn-dot @mysterious-cuchulainn-x @iacyper9 @sullustangin @stars-ephemeral @taina-eny @brainmonkeyscartwheeling-blog @nebulis-ceartais @raven-of-domain-kwaadthe-raven-of-highever @nekorinnie @fandomfangirl23 @abbee-normal

[darth-bagel]

*holds Sylvas, the Crime Lord bastard, up*

Someone throw me their SWTOR oc. I need something to draw.

[xivu-arath]

Tell me about your Star Wars OCs?

this is a tall order... watch me forget someone

mains

rkorya, sith warrior - proud, self-assured, bloodthirsty and far more loyal than she is ambitious, she's extremely powerful and a talented warrior, but lacks fine control in the force due to her training being deliberately sabotaged. she was her family's only hope to maintain their precarious status as minor nobility, and succeeded in this role... and just happened to be isolated, pressured, and used as a pawn for nearly every step of the way. despite that, she's endured and survived and made herself too implacable to really be challenged. she loves the empire (and what she thinks it can become) and is blind to all the damage it's done to her, but she's also someone all the darths have to step very lightly around. My Favourite, has the bulk of my fic and several adjacent timelines of what happens with her (in one she sacrifices herself and becomes a sword ghost slowly moving through history)

shenrihn, jedi knight - quiet, distant and superficially calm - but judgmental, fiercely aggressive in battle, and driven by fear and resentment, they're rather infamous as a jedi for having emerged from the prison planet of belsavis, where they had been in stasis for 20,000 years. once a slave of the infinite empire of the rakata, they navigated the stars and found life-rich planets for conquest, but were put into stasis for study when the rakata's force sensitivity began to wane. the jedi order took custody of them after their discovery, and they eventually became a padawan... but finding the peace promised to them proved very difficult. their story is in limbo after finishing the class story because they would rather avoid all plot forever, but I'm cultivating a very mean au where they end up in the sith inquisitor story instead

significant ocs

vitnako, twi'lek smuggler - witty, laidback, radiates Just A Guy energy, but has a ruthless streak when cornered. an expert on reinventing himself and cutting and running due to a tough past on hutta and being the only one who managed to get out of there. only loosely connected to the class story because it's either sexist or ridiculous, but he's out there dodging the law and having a good time

netethei, chiss agent - Officially The Worst. cheerful, amiable and easily entertained, she's difficult to read due to how genuine her amusement is - but it can easily come at the cost of those around her. she was recruited by the empire after selling a diplomat's scandals and secrets out, and she's currently keeping herself from stepping out of line... but all of her fellow agents hate her anyways

meyrikh, pureblood sith apprentice - secretive, jealous, an insecure mess. child of a family found to be plotting treason, she and her older siblings were sold into slavery, and all of the adults killed. she eventually managed to become an apprentice, but any advantage her lineage might have granted her is outweighed by how uncomfortable her existence makes every traditional sith. her sole talent is in going unseen, but still not as often as she would like. kept in limbo because I want to think of a good master for her still

tashram, togruta sith lord - weary, vengeful, bitter, and stubborn. an attempt on her life by an upstart rival has her crash onto an agrarian planet in the middle of nowhere. laying low slowly turns to actually making a life for herself here rather than risk returning to sith politics. has an extremely wip fic project about how she becomes a farmer, and the connections she makes

the twi'lek pirate crew - barely represented on my blog, but a collection of twi'leks (and one zabrak) created by one of my friends handing me a bunch of adoptables. I don't have much of substance on them but I think they're cool

characters in name only

kymet, mirialan trooper - a republic trooper for the class story

chotal, miraluka jedi consular - a consular for the class story! I actually really enjoy the story but cannot think of a good oc for it yet so here we are

yskra, rattataki bounty hunter - an oc I made in tandem with a friend, but he's not playing currently so she's in limbo. a survivor of rattatak's fighting arenas, trying to make a future through bounty hunting with her partner

[cryo-lily]

For the swtor ask game 3, 17, 26 & 34 for Issie!

Thank you Thank you for the ask! [ask prompt]

(Adding a read more because I got carried away with some of the answers)

3. Do they fit in with their faction or were they sort of born into it?

Honestly? Not really. Isadola was born to an exiled/former sith lord and rouge cipher agent, in neutral space. Only to be eventually found by the republic after the latter tried (and succeeded) to kill the former due to some old grudges. So Issie is almost literally a daughter of Imperials found by the republic and taken in by the republic by sheer chance they found her first after her mother's death. She survived and lived in the republic for decades but never really felt she belonged anywhere amongst the republic anywhere she went.

For Issie's Sith AU; it's not too much different for Issie (or Atteia as she took on a different name) where the Empire found her first instead of the republic. Different timelines, same result more or less. Except Issie tried to make herself belong even if it meant suppressing a lot of herself to do so and losing parts of herself along the way that took her a long time to regain when she eventually left the empire. Like mother like daughter on that account huh?

17. Do they have family? Silbings, parents, children?

Yes she does! Her mother is Tilera Colet Shir (said former sith lord), and Donovan Teiner (The former cipher agent gone rouge due to his own ambitions). That dynamic is a whole other rabbithole, but to sum it up, Donovan views Issie as a mistake that needs to rectified (for the mere crime of existing outside of his sphere of control). And Tilera viewed her as more or less a blessing after everything she's done, "A light born from my darkness" as she used to say in confidence to her droid R3-M1.

No siblings, maybe a few half-siblings that share their father's distaste of their half-sister (haven't too far in writing Issie's personal arc that starts when the Nul plot ends to name them or flesh them out more beyond their existence).

She does have (or eventually has) children, at least when this whole Nul plot ends anyway, with her wife Lana. They eventually have 3 biological daughters (little human/miraluka hybrids), and adopted another. First born was/is Kelsa Tilera (named after both of her grandmothers), then a month or two after she was born Issie & Lana ended up adopting an orphaned (force sensitive) chiss girl, Orla Cevrus, that had stowed away on an Alliance supply ship and ended up more or less on their doorstep to only then quickly steal their hearts. A few years after that they later rounded out their chaotic brood with Katarina Lina and Anira Candora

So their order, by age at least, would be Orla, then Kelsa, then Katarina, then Anira being the baby of her sisters. They were all given Lana's surname, as Issie didn't want them to bear the stigma that came with her surname.

26. Do they have any vices?

Oh boy does she! I mean... Yes she does. Issie is hot mess before she slowly starts to clean up her act. One that hasn't changed is she 100% drinks. She used to use some illicit substances and smoke, which she slowly began to give up as her personal life began to stabilize, which now is a once in a blue moon kinda thing.

Before when meditation wasn't really working for her she would turn to such in a heartbeat for some stress relief or to take her mind off of things. Now during her Alliance days, she's picked up some healthier habits, but when her old childhood friend turned smuggler throws some wild parties... well... she still likes to enjoy herself. That's not crime right?

34. Any major flaws?

To be honest? Only one comes to mind. Which is the attachments Issie develops with those closest to her. It's one of the reasons she started to drift away from the Jedi order the closer KOTFE rolled around, and she eventually left the order. Issie lost almost everything in her life before the Jedi found her, she doesn't want to repeat that past of hers again. She watched her family droid, R3-M1, fatally throwing his self at the pirates attacking their village to allow Tilera & her to escape, only to then watch her mother die at her father's hands (if by proxy) after rescuing and protecting her in their escape attempt from the same pirates a few days later.

Issie can't handle going through that loss again, especially not with those that have managed to get past the walls, masks, and facades she's built up over the years. So it's one of the reasons she throws herself into danger to even at least try to protect the ones she loves. Whether she's learned the right lessons from it all is still very much in the air before she gets closure on that chapter of her early life.

Heck it's probably one of the reasons Issie sustained the latest major injury that she has. Just before the Nul plot starts during a mission that went to hell, Issie, in probably an desperate act of protection or reflex, pushed Lana out of the way of an attack that led to Issie breaking her spine. Issie had for a couple of months lost the ability to walk before her new spinal implant was able to take, and recovery was tough as some of the very same of those closest to her had to help her out of her own head to begin to recover properly. Now she partially wears the new outfit she does to hide the spinal implant and back brace she wears.

She's still yet to confront the very issue that causes her to throw herself aimlessly in harms way for everyone close to her.

[fakegingerrights]

Hold Your Tongue

[sequel to Kiss and Tell, can be read as a stand alone. Fives x Smuggler!reader, Enemies and lovers. No real warnings needed, just some fluff and hurt/comfort.]

You were flopped on the cheap bed on the seedy inn you had managed to find on the edge of the small town on Nar Shada. Fresh bandages wrapped your shoulder, a near miss with a blaster bolt.

You tensed at the knock at the door, counting out the rhythm that meant your cyare was home.

“It’s unlocked.” You called, pushing yourself up off the bed with a wince. Fives pushed the door open, making sure to lock it behind him.

“For a smuggler, you’re awfully bad at personal security.” He chided softly. There’s a hoarseness in his voice that instantly had you on edge. He looked even worse than he had a few weeks ago, the poor lighting of your rented room highlighting the dark circles and stubble. Carbon scoring dusted the nooks and crannies of his armor, like he had tried to hurriedly scrub it and missed half the grime.

“You’ve been in a firefight.” You noted, coming up to pull him into a hug. “Hope it wasn’t you shooting at me earlier.”

“No. Would’ve made sure to get you properly if I was, Troublemaker.” He huffed, relaxing into your touch.

“Nah, you like me alive too much to do that.” You grinned lazily, fiddling with the catch of his breastplate before undoing it. Fives stood stock still while you took off each and every plate, carefully turning it over and stacking it neatly by the door. His helmet, which had been tucked under his arm, was the last to go.

“Do I get to unwrap you too, Mesh’la?” He asked, tugging at your jacket. You didn’t have the same amount of pieces in your outer layer, but he took the same time and care with your jacket, overshirt, utility belt and shoes until you were just in the tank top and shorts you wore under your jumpsuit.

“Shower now or later.” You asked, pulling him back into an embrace. Fives made a small wounded noise in the back of his throat.

“Later. Need you.”

You nodded in understanding, pulling him back to the bed, still lightyears better than a military bunk despite it’s cheapness.

Fives groaned softly as he sank into the lumpy mattress, reaching for you and pulling you close to tangle his legs with yours and set you up on his chest, unable to relax until your weight had fully settled down on him.

Kisses were traded, heartbreakingly soft as you two readjusted to each other’s presence. Fingertips trace every swell and dip, every new knotted line of scar tissue.

You thread your fingers through his hair, pulling yourself up for another kiss before resting your forehead against his, breathing the same air and reminding the anxious knot that always settled in your stomach that he was alive. He was here. Maybe not safe, maybe never safe, but here all the same.

“Lysatra?” He whispered after both an eternity and a single second. “You were going out there?”

“Mhm…” you hum softly. “They’ve been in a civil war for the last who knows how long. And there are rumors… a new species human-adjacent that waits on the edge of the galaxy.”

“Waits for what?” Fives murmures, dipping his head to press a kiss to your collarbone.

“Nobody knows. The chiss are little more than legends, mostly.” You sigh, tipping your head for better access. “And you? Where have you been?”

“Classified.”

“Fives…” You squeeze him softly.

“I know. I know. We lost our commander. Somebody framed her for a terrorist act and she left the jedi. Left all of us.” There’s a note of bitter acceptance in his voice.

“Tano?” You ask, trying to remember the name of the togruta Fives had described. He grunted an affirmation.

“It was a nightmare, trying to track down the person who fought for us so many times.” He sighed, mouthing at the skin beneath your jaw and biting softly, leaving a mark. A reminder that would last days after he was gone.

Your hands tightened in his hair, pulling his head up to look at you. Rough stubble scrapped your lips and cheeks as you kissed him, hard and fast as you can, teeth clicking together in your fervor to know, to ingrain every part of him into your mind. From the taste of stale caf and dry rations on his tongue to the smell of sweat and ozone that clung to him to the feel of his pulse under your skin.

“Mesh’la.” The word is mumbled against your lips, a plea and a prayer all the same.

“Fives.” You answer right back, pulling away after a moment before it became a sob. He let you distance yourself for a moment, hands coming up to trace your hips and thighs, fingers digging into perpetually sore muscle from sleeping in a pilot’s seat.

“We’ll both feel better after a hot water shower and you shave.” You say after taking a few deep breaths. Fives just watches you, golden eyes glittering in the dull light before he nods.

“You what to join me?” He asks into the space between you two. You give him a lopsided smile.

“Depends, what do you need from me tonight?” You ask, sliding off of him and reaching down with your good arm to haul him up. His lips thin, the haunted look flitting through his eyes again.

“A good night’s sleep.” He whispered.

“Nightmares?” You ask, reaching up to cup the side of his face and tilt his chin up to look at you. He closes his eyes and leans into your touch.

“They’re not as bad with you here.” Fives admits. You kiss his forehead.

“Go get in the shower, my love. I’ll take the next one.”

He slips reluctantly from your hold, leaving you with your thoughts as he takes advantage of a real water shower. When he emerges, skin reddened from the heat and freshly shaven, a towel around his waist, you grin. Fives winks at you, fidgeting with the top of his towel?

“Like what you see? I am Kamino’s finest after all.”

You can’t help a laugh at his antics.

“I won’t argue that. Get dressed, or at least put a robe on while I wash our clothes.” You said, collecting his blacks and wrapping yourself in a towel before removing your own undersuit and dumping them in the small washunit under the reheater in the corner of the room.

You showered fast, mindful of your injuries before stepping out in one of the inn’s provided robes.

Fives was in the bottom half of his blacks when you reemerged.

“Wash is done.”

You nodded, slipping on your underclothes and shorts before crawling onto the bed next to Fives, who instantly pulled you in and snuggled into you, kissing the back of your neck.

Skin hunger, he had called it once. After days or even weeks of being in their armor clones craved skin to skin contact like a choking man does air.

You let him take what he needs, enjoying the proximity.

“You still owe me… intel…” His sleepy voice rumbled from behind you.

“Datachip. I left it with your armor.” You replied. Fives only gave a sleepy hum in response, pulling you in close. You chuckle slightly, relaxing into him.

“Good night, ner’cyare.” You whisper.

[a-master-procrastinator]

Which of your SWTOR Companions are NOT with the Alliance?

I was inspired by this post by @swtorpadawan.

It's a good question, and it got me thinking (slowly, as always). For now, I've come up with fates of companions in Lette Legacy (Jett as the Outlander), and will work on others later.

Warning - Mentions of established character deaths below. And lots of spoilers for KotFE and everything after it.

In my headcanon the events of KotFE and onwards are different from in-game version, which impacts the fate of some companions. The most relevant differences are the fates of class characters (Bounty Hunter, Jedi Consular, Smuggler and Agent are in the Alliance; Jedi Knight, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor and Trooper are not with the Alliance for different reasons) and the fact that the Alliance does not participate in the renewed war between the Republic and Sith Empire, choosing to stay neutral.

Also, the state of companions changes with time, so this is for the time around the events of 7.0 in SWTOR.

Jedi Knight crew:

Fideltin Rusk - continues his military service in the Republic.

Doc - after Ossus stays to help the Jedi in the renewed war.

Jedi Consular crew:

Zenith - continues anti-Imperial activities.

Tharan Cedrax - survives the Imperial attack on Meridian Complex and continues to work for the Republic.

Nadia Grell - after Ossus stays with the Jedi.

Trooper crew:

Elara Dorne - continues her military service in the Republic as a part of the Havoc Squad, takes Jorgan's place as second in command after he joined the Alliance.

M1-4X - stays with the Republic as part of the Havoc Squad.

Tanno Vik - does whatever he was doing in chapter 6.

Sith Warrior crew:

Malavai Quinn - stays with the Empire as one of Acina's officers.

Major Pierce - continues his military service in the Empire.

Jaesa Wilsaam - disappears after Emperor's Wrath's death, current whereabouts unknown.

Broonmark - killed while trying to assassinate a Wookiee senator on Alderaan.

Vette - killed by Vaylin on Odessen.

Sith Inquisitor crew:

Khem Val, Andronikos Revel, Talos Drellik and Xalek - all stay in the Sith Empire and work for Darth Nox.

Ashara Zavros - killed by apprentices of Darth Nox.

Bounty Hunter crew:

Skadge - just does his thing, if nobody shot him yet. (I don't even count him as companion, but since he is a companion in the game, I guess I had to add him). Jett never met him again after dropping him somewhere shortly after Belsavis.

Imperial Agent crew:

Vector Hyllus - continues his duties as Dawn Herald.

SCORPIO - merged with Iokath.

Kaliyo - dropped out of the Alliance after Vaylin is dealt with. I just don't think she would stick for much of what comes next.

So 22 out of 40 companions from class stories are not with the Alliance (obviously Kaliyo, SCORPIO and Vette were a part of the Alliance).

Honorable mention: Raina Temple - officially is not with the Alliance, but working with them to maintain communication between the Alliance and the Chiss Ascendancy.

[rinskiroo]

my squishable star wars friends

Jasati - JK. My main girl. Theron x Jas OTP forever and ever. The reluctant Commander who went through a real depressive out of her mind phase during the whole losing five years and getting possessed (again) by the Emperor time period. Probably retired and living somewhere on Odessen.

Aqilah - Barsen'thor; I go back and forth if she exists in the same universe as Jas. She romanced Arcann, but I really miss Felix. She's a bookish nerd who, if she were Commander, would take the throne because no one else can be trusted to just chill the fuck out and be peaceful. She's got those healy hands so when Arcann wanted to spar with swords for their date she was kind of weirded out tbh.

Ruest - Baby boy Ru-Ru, my love. Poor, sad, little Cipher Nine. He loves Watcher 2, like, probably was a little out of pocket, workplace harassment, slightly stalker in love with Watcher 2. He lives in the same universe as Jas and was recruited into the Alliance by Lana. I think eventually he found Watcher 2 and they got married and had babies, at least that's how he thinks it's going to go.

Te'Jal - TJ is Ruest's sister. She's Pirate Queen of Port Nowhere. She'll help out the Alliance, for a price, though she's quite content to sit on her mountains of credits. TJ and Jas are buddies! Don't know how they met or why they're so close, but they're lovely together.

Sao'la - My sweet little Sith. Precious mouse. She exists in her own universe because she's just occupies too much space in my brain right now to share it with anyone. She's not the Commander. She did her thing in the sith warrior story and then kind of fucked off until Arcann showed up. She never made Darth. She's just too good and everyone kind of realizes she's not really Sith material! But she's a fucking badass and fights for the Empire and her family is super rich so whatever she's the main character. She loved Quinn fiercely, but I dunno, I don't things ever really recovered after The Incident and then after Another Incident. She found Theron (or Theron found her) and they had a thing that wasn't supposed to be serious, but then it kind of was?

Hat Yai - He's a Chiss bounty hunter named after food. There wasn't a whole lot going on but then I bought him a cool Mando outfit and he and Mako are just so adorable together. He tries really hard to be a good guy for her, but man the bounty hunting thing is a rough business. He's still chugging through the main story, but I don't think he's Commander material. Probably like TJ, he just sits on his piles of credits and does jobs for whoever pays.

Pekk - Ok so Pekk is still in the molding phase. She started out as a Cathar named after my cat to romance Jorgen, but then I got so many amazing flirts and conversations with Jonas that now I have this whole Cadet on temporary duty with the SIS and a little summer love affair with Jonas and then they meet again after she's in Havoc story rotating in my brain. I also really love how every conversation with Jorgan about the Deadeyes is "oh, we could ask Jonas!" and he's just like "UUGGGGHHH You and your stupid spy boyfriend." Pekk literally only exists in this very small time frame lol.

Jebamee - Darth Noxxxxx the wretched. Cruel squid head. She's just there to pick the absolute worst option. I skipped as far as I could with her after the main inquisitor story was over so she's not the Commander. She was probably hanging out on DK and Nar Shaddaaa subjugating people and running her little cult. She had the romance with the pirate, but Darth Rivix has piqued her interest now! (Sao'la HATES Rivix. She's so annoyed by him just being around.)

Oscasito - Man slut smuggler. He will always pick the easy way out, especially if it ends up with more dollary doos. Does he love Risha? Maybe? He REALLY loves that she's a Princess. Really doesn't understand why she just doesn't marry the guy that wants to make her Queen, they can still be fuck buddies. Hell, King guy can join in! My man is not picky.

[ainyan]

Flirting

“You know, before we head off of Coruscant, maybe you should go see a doctor.” Ciprys ignored Risha for a moment, flicking switches and toggling buttons as she ran through the pre-flight check. The smuggler girl crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently while she waited for the Captain to finish. 

Finally, Ciprys sighed and leaned back in the captain’s chair. “Alright. I’ll bite. Why do I need to see a doctor?”

The smuggler stared at her boss. “Because that spacer was absolutely delicious, and you didn’t even bother to laugh him off. Make plans for later. Tell me you’d meet me back here. I’ve never seen you turn down a willing man before - not like that, not without even so much as a flirt.”

The Chiss looked annoyed as she gazed at the galaxy map, studying the systems as if trying to decide where they were headed next. “So I wasn’t down for a tumble, so what? I don’t sleep with every man I see, you know.” 

“Damn near,” Risha muttered, and held up her hand as Ciprys swung around in her chair, scarlet eyes hot. “I’m not insulting you, I’m worried. You haven’t been yourself since everything went down on Yavin. I know there’s some big bad shit out there…”

Snarling softly, Ciprys sprang from her chair, fingers caressing her blaster as she paced across the cockpit. “Do you? Do you even understand what happened? The Sith Emperor is out there somewhere, trying to come back. And while I’m not inclined to take anything a Sith says at face value, Darth Marr’s running scared of his old boss, and that’s got me scared. The head of the Dark Council isn’t exactly a coward.”

Risha took a deep breath as her captain stalked in ragged circles. “I get that, but things weren’t exactly cloud nine before, and that didn’t stop you from taking your fun as you found it. I’m just saying, Cip,” she added cajolingly, “I’m worried for you. About you. You’re damn near the only family I got in this galaxy; I don’t wanna see anything happen to you.”

The fight drained from the Chiss, her eyes closing as she drew her hand from her blaster, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Damn it, Risha. I’m fine,” she sighed, lowering her hand and opening her eyes to gaze at the other smuggler. “I just - between this whole Revan and Emperor thing, and everything else on our plate, I’ve had little interest in bedsports.”

Risha shook her head. “And of course, it has nothing to do with what else happened on Yavin, right?”

Immediately, the shutters dropped, Ciprys’s expression closing to wooden blankness. “Nothing else of import happened on Yavin,” she replied blandly. “Still no word from Command on that next shipment we’re supposed to be taking for them; I’m going to my quarters. Message me when we get our manifest.”

Risha watched Ciprys go, sighing, and studied the galaxy map, wondering where their next adventure would lead them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door slid shut behind Ciprys and she engaged the locks, rubbing her forehead as she sighed. “Damn it, Risha,” she muttered as she shrugged out of her jacket, tossing the leather coat carelessly on her bed. She began to unbuckle her holster, then paused, eyes narrowing. “Oh for the love of - how the hell did you get onto my ship?”

“Will you really insult me by asking that?” Stretched out in her desk chair, Theron Shan raised one eyebrow at the Chiss. “I mean, you’ve got great security, but we’re talking me here. C’mon Ciprys,” he added in a wheedling tone, “don’t tell me you’re not happy to see me.”

She didn’t want to be. The spy who sat before her with that charming smile and those sly hazel eyes was a complication she neither needed nor wanted in her life. Risha might make light of her habits, but her lightskirt reputation had been quite calculated. “Yeah, sure, Shan, I’m always happy to see a handsome face.” Her smile was coy as she swept past him, ruffling a hand over his hair. “Just stop by for a reprise of our farewells on Yavin? I might have time to oblige.”

He reached up to snag her wrist, holding her fast, and felt her tension immediately ratchet up. “I didn’t say that,” he replied mildly, watching her as she stared at the far wall. “I saw you were on planet and thought we could talk.”

“I already told you once,” she replied shortly, “I’m not interested in being an SIS mole. I have a lot of good, valuable clients that might be put off by the idea. If you want to tangle up my sheets, Shan, let’s go. Otherwise, I’ve got stuff to do before the manifest comes in.”

He didn’t release her wrist, even though she tugged experimentally, testing his grip. “Almost perfect. I’d have bought it on Rishi - I did buy it on Rishi,” he corrected, feeling her stiffen. “But you slipped up on Yavin. You almost had me completely fooled.”

When she yanked her wrist again, he let her go and she jerked backwards, rubbing at her hand. “What you see is what you get, Shan. I’m about as deep as Corso.”

The spy steepled his fingers before him as he met her bland scarlet gaze. “Having looked into your white knight, I’m pretty sure that’s far more insulting to you than to him,” he replied, and she bit back a bark of laughter. “You are definitely more than you appear,” he added, more soberly, and her mirth fled. “I get why you pretend otherwise - but you can’t fool me again, Ciprys. No backwater bumpkin is going to manipulate the head of the Dark Council with such precision.”

She turned away from him, still rubbing her wrist. “Everyone has moments, Shan,” she muttered. “Mine are few and far between. I’m exactly as I appear. A hotshot smuggler from beyond the Outer Rim whose big goal is to get rich and retire young, preferably with a bevy of pretty young men. And if you’re looking to be one of those,” she shot over her shoulder, “alienating me ain’t gonna get you there.”

“Bullshit,” he countered pleasantly, and her eyes went hot. “I’ve seen your accounts - all of them,” he added before she could retort. “I know your contacts. You could retire today and never lift another finger for the rest of your life and never want for anything - even with the funds you sink into some schools out in the Outer Rim.” She could hear the puzzlement in his voice.

Ciprys grunted. “Kids gotta learn, and they don’t always have options out in the back of beyond. What does the SIS care what I do with my money?” He noticed, curiously, that she didn’t seem particularly upset by the intrusion into her privacy - or even surprised.

Theron closed his eyes, sighing. “For the SIS, they care because you’re Chiss,” he replied flatly. “Any Chiss in Republic space is suspect - don’t tell me you didn’t know that. For me, I just want to know you better.”

She made a disgruntled noise. “Look, Shan,” she snapped, whirling around and stabbing a finger towards his chest, “you and me, we’re from different galaxies, but we got a few things in common. One of those things is that we’re both players, not stayers. We had fun - and it was some great fun - but that’s all it was.”

His hazel eyes held a glint that she found disconcerting. “Then it shouldn’t be any problem for you to join me for a caf while you wait on your manifest,” he replied with a slow smile. “Just between friends. Nothing to worry about.”

“Theron Shan, I am absolutely certain that that phrase and you shouldn’t be within shouting distance of each other,” came the captain’s exasperated retort. His grin only increased her irritation - and her wariness. “Seriously? You want to have a cup of caf? You don’t have to seduce me, spyboy. You already did that,” she added dryly.

Theron watched her with infuriating patience. “Caf and conversation. That’s all I want.”

Ciprys was at a loss. She was no stranger to clingy males; the cost of playing around meant that occasionally one ran across a man who didn’t understand the concept of a one-night stand. But she knew she hadn’t misread the spy - he was as likely as she to have ‘one in every port’ as the old saw went. 

So why the hell was he so insistent on dragging this out? Some SIS operation? Concern from up top about the carte blanche they’d given her after Yavin?

No, too heavy handed.

Did he really just want caf? “Fine,” she finally replied shortly, eyes narrowing at the triumphant glint in his gaze. “Some caf, some conversation. We can just nip into the kitchen…”

“Nope. Know a nice little place in the Galactic Market sector. Quiet, out of the way, most of the clientele are people like you and me.”

She blinked. “You want to go out?” she asked flatly, then, “and there is no you and me. There is no one like you and me, because you and me are antithetical to each other.”

Theron’s lips quirked. “Do you even know what it sounds like when you say words like ‘antithetical’ in that country bumpkin’s voice? Is it just me that breaks your cover, or does it crack every time you get frustrated?” Before she could reply, he shook his head. “No, I’ve seen you stay perfect under pressure. I’m flattered.”

The heat in her eyes would have seared a lesser man to cinders. “You’re about to be flattened,” she growled, and when he grinned, she snapped her teeth at him. “By the Flame, Theron Shan, what the hell is your malfunction? I know I’m good, but I’m not that damn good.” She paused. “Well, okay, I am that damn good.” She caught sight of the laughter in his eyes. “Disagree?”

Theron spread his hands. “How about that caf?” he deflected, levering himself up from the chair and coming to his feet. “Ciprys,” he added softly as she hesitated, “I really just want to talk. No grand conspiracies here. No convoluted plans. I’m not trying to recruit you, and I know you’re loyal to us. I just want to talk to you - as friends.”

Friends. What a strange concept. Ciprys sighed, rubbing her neck. “Fine,” she muttered. “Fine, you win, Shan. Let’s go get some caf.” She snagged her jacket from the bed. “Dunno what you expect me to tell you that you don’t already know.”

“Well,” he replied as he followed her out of her cabin, past the gaping Risha and spluttering Corso, “for one thing, what’s the story behind the akk dog?”

Ciprys glanced towards where the spiky crimson creature lay beneath the table, watching her with huge dark eyes. “What, Mongo? Some idiot Houk was teasing him as a puppy. Put a stop to it and he wouldn’t stop following me. I’ll be back,” she told Risha, biting back a grin at the smuggler’s dumbfounded expression. “Patch that manifest through as soon as you get it.”

Brown eyes blinked rapidly. “I - uh - yes… yes, captain,” she sputtered. “Captain, I…”

Ciprys lifted a hand, waving at her crew as the door cycled open and she led Theron from the freighter.

As the door slid shut behind her, Risha turned to stare at Corso and Akavi, who had come out at the commotion and was peering curiously after her boss. “Who the hell was that? What the hell was that?”

The Zabraki Mandalorian rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “That was Shan,” she pointed out. “The one she worked with on Rishi and Yavin. I did not know he was on board.”

“Neither did I,” Corso and Risha replied together, exchanging a bewildered glance. The Mantellian sighed and scrubbed at his jaw. “Knew she could smuggle damn near anything,” he muttered, then turned and walked away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was not, thankfully, the cantina where Ciprys had met Darmus Pollus at. Even now, a year later, the smuggler still felt the sting of embarrassment whenever she considered the traitor and how easily he’d played her.

No, Theron had chosen an actual caf shop, small and out of the way, occupied by men and women whose professions made them more frequent visitors to Coruscant rather than actual citizens. Some of them were legitimate. Some, Ciprys recognized from past business dealings.

I’ll be damned. There is a place for people like him and me. The captain didn’t know whether to be amused or disconcerted. The spy took a table along the wall, tugging out a chair for her before sliding into the one across. She slipped into the seat, stretching her legs out and leaning back as he spoke to the server. At his glance, she nodded, and he ordered for both of them, then leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table as they were left alone. “Still think we’re antithetical?”

She gave him a cool red stare. “You’re a lawman,” she pointed out, and at his look of distaste, laughed. “Spyboy, agent, whatever you call it, you work for the government, and you find bad guys and deal with ‘em. Me? I’m one of those bad guys, Shan. Shouldn’t you be trying to lock me away?”

He spread his hands. “Wouldn’t do any good. Immune to prosecution, remember? Anywhere you could get into trouble, I’d have no jurisdiction. Anyway,” he added thoughtfully, gaze tracking up towards the ceiling, “you’re not really bad. Not like the kind of people I deal with. You’re a Republic loyalist.”

Ciprys frowned, tracing her fingertip over the table as she gazed at its smudged surface. “I’m not sure how I feel about not being bad,” she muttered. “Protestations aside,” and his grin echoed hers, light and mocking, “I’m not exactly an upstanding citizen and I like it that way.”

“Don’t worry,” Theron soothed, “you’ll always be my favorite criminal.” At her hot-eyed glare, he grinned unrepentantly, then straightened as the server returned with their orders. Closing his fingers around his mug, he canted his head to one side. “So, you rescued an akk dog from a Houk and named it Mongo. Any other pets?”

She lifted her mug, inhaling the rich scent of caf as she studied him, considering her answers. “Quite a few, actually, although Mongo’s my only big one, and the only one that’s really permanent.” She shrugged, and he was amused to see a faint flush turn her turquoise skin purple. “I, uh… rehabilitate small animals I… rescue… from abusive owners. Once they’re better, I send ‘em on to people who can get ‘em back where they belong.”

“Schools in the Outer Rim. Animal rehabilitation. Not exactly the hobbies of a master criminal,” the spy pointed out gently, and bit back his grin at her glare. “You know, I’ve heard you laugh. I’ve seen you smile. I know you have a wicked sense of humor - what is it about me that brings out so much anger?”

The question gave her pause, and she frowned, lifting her mug to sip as she bit back her instinctive retort and instead considered the question carefully. “I’m not angry,” she finally replied. “I’m… confused. I just can’t pin you down, Shan. You’re a Republic spy, son of some famous Jedi, some big shot now in the SIS. You probably had the best schools, lived the best life. Couldn’t follow in mom’s footsteps, but you made somethin’ of yourself. Why you slummin’ it with some alien from beyond the back of beyond with no past, no future, nothin’ to her but a ship and a rap sheet a kilometer long?”

His face closed up at the mention of his mother. “My childhood wasn’t what you’d expect,” he finally replied, his voice dropping low, below the general level of conversation. Leaning forward, he cupped his hands around his mug. “Let’s just say, it wasn’t typical, and it wasn’t grand. But I learned a lot, about myself and the galaxy and the people who live here, and that’s why I became a spy.” He tapped his fingers along the curving walls of the mug, then shrugged. “And I don’t see this as slumming it. I know nothing about your past - whatever you were before you appeared in Republic space eight years ago, you hid it damn well,” and he didn’t miss the flash of relief in her eyes, “but what you’ve been since then? You’re not a common criminal, Ciprys, and you’re not just ‘some alien from beyond’, either. You’ve done things other smugglers only dream of, and you barely broke a sweat.”

“Yeah, well, I am pretty great, but still.” She smirked at him, a brief flash before she sobered once more. “I dunno what game you’re playin’, Shan, but I gotta warn you - I seem the affable type, and I’m pretty easy goin’ most of the time - but you cross me,” and her eyes hardened, her expression sending a chill down Theron’s spine, “you’ll find I don’t shake easy. You wanna be friends? I ain’t gonna say no.” She sighed, shoulders slumping. “Wouldn’t say no even if you were another nobody like me,” she finally admitted. “The connections don’t hurt, but…”

“But?” he asked, when she trailed off into silence.

She sighed again. “Sometimes I’m just a bit too contrary even for myself. I have a feelin’ I’d enjoy your company, if I’d stop bein’ a bitch about it.” She looked up into his smug grin and wrinkled her nose. “Still don’t get what you’re after. But I guess someone like me shouldn’t look a gift friend in the mouth.”

Theron traced the rim of his mug. “‘Someone like you’? You mean, a highly skilled pilot with copious contacts among both the elite of the underworld and the higher echelons of the Republic - and even some Imperial connections, with carte blanche to act in Republic space.” His hazel eyes rose to meet hers and she stilled, caught by the expression on his face. “‘Someone like you’? A beautiful woman, a passionate lover, exciting in bed and out? Yeah, I can’t imagine why I’d want to spend time with you, Ciprys. Can’t imagine it at all.”

She leaned back in her chair, a deliberately distancing move, and smirked. “Well, when you put it that way, I can’t blame you for stalkin’ me. I am pretty awesome in all regards.”

The spy leaned back as well, stretching long legs before him as he tapped lightly against the handle of his mug. “You jest, but I can’t disagree. You don’t like compliments, do you?”

Ciprys pursed her lips. “I don’t trust a compliment that doesn’t come with a string attached,” she corrected finally, shrugging. “I’m used to everyone wanting something from me. Just because I can’t see your angle yet doesn’t mean I don’t know you’re after something as well.”

The irritation that flashed across his face surprised her. So did the flash of shame she felt. “Are you sure of that?” he asked, his tone measured, and she felt the weight of a crossroads upon her shoulders.

Meeting his dark eyes, she was silent for a moment, then lowered her own gaze, her shoulders rounding. “It would make it easier if I was,” she muttered, and felt the tension between them lessen. “Then I’d understand a bit more what’s going on.”

He sighed. “Does it help if I tell you I’m just as confused as you?” When she glanced up, shocked, he gave her a twisted smile. “Right now, I’m cruising on instinct. I want to know you better, so that’s what I’m doing. I can’t tell you why, though.”

She let out a puff of breath. “Same goes,” she admitted, shrugging. “I… might have been thinking about you lately. A little bit,” she added, sneering at his grin. “Now and then, when I’m especially bored.”

Theron tapped his empty mug. “Then let’s just take it as it goes, Ciprys. See where it goes. Neither of us has ever been big on planning. Why start now?”

Huffing out another breath, Ciprys finally shrugged. “Fair enough.” She smirked at him. “If nothing else, history says it should be an exciting ride.”

Hazel eyes glinted as he stood, holding out a hand to her. “Oh, I can guarantee that,” he murmured, and she grinned as she slid her fingers into his, letting him help her to her feet. “In fact,” he added, tugging her forward until her toes brushed his, “we could head back to your ship…”

Her communicator sounded, and he cut off as she reached into her pocket with the hand not held in his, pulling it out and toggling it on. “Talk to me, Risha,” the captain replied, her eyes not on the holo of her friend, but on Theron’s eyes.

“Hey Captain, manifest just came in. We’re all loaded up and ready to go when you are. Is that a problem?” 

Ciprys realized she was scowling and carefully smoothed her expression. “No, of course not. I’ll be back shortly; have the engines warmed up and prep the hyperdrive. We’ll take off as soon as I’m on board.” When Risha acknowledged her orders, she toggled the com off, pocketing it. “Theron, I -”

“Have a job to do.” His thumb slid over her knuckles, then he dropped her hand, shoving his own in his pockets. “I get it, believe me. There’ll be other times, other places. I can promise that.”

Ciprys hesitated, then went up on tiptoe to press a light kiss to his lips. She felt him stiffen against her for a split second before he leaned in, returning it. “I’ll hold you to it, spyboy.”

“Fly safe, flygirl,” the spy murmured, and clenched his fists to keep himself from reaching up to trace the smile that curved her lips. “See you around, Ciprys.”

“See ya, Shan.”

He watched her walk off, hands still shoved into his pockets. He still had no idea what the hell was going on - but he had a feeling he would enjoy finding out. Exhaling, he tossed the credits for their caf on the table and strode out after her.

She wasn’t the only one with a job to do.

[ciphernull]

Rhoen and Alesko

23 even if it's cheating and *I* know the answer, 1, and 9.

[25 Character Questions for the Writer]

Alesko

Does your character have any pets?

The closest thing Alesko has to a domestic pet is his ship's mouse droid, Otto. (yes, he adopted that mouse droid from the starting missions. somehow. shh.) There's also his tauntaun Luci, but she lives on a ranch on Alderaan, which he sponsors with some of his spare income. He is very fond of them both.

What is your character’s favourite food and why?

He prefers spicy food, the hotter the better. His favorite is probably some kind of curry made back on Csilla, served with warm flatbread. (side note, i tried to look up any mentions of Chiss cuisine and the only notable entry was "meat striped fruit squares" :/)

If asked, would your character say they were happy as a child?

He was raised as the first and only son of a prominent but retired Chiss naval officer. If asked about it, he'd say his childhood was typical of his family's rank within the Ascendancy, and not elaborate further. (In other words, absolutely not happy.)

Rhoen

Does your character have any pets?

Though I only have the one in game, Rhoen actually owns two (2!) nexu siblings, a male and a female, whom he "acquired" as cubs from a negligent smuggler on Tattooine. They're named Duke and Duchess, and he spoils them as if they were royalty and genuinely takes very good care of them. Duke is a big affectionate baby and kind of a pushover, while Duchess is highly protective and temperamental with strangers.

What is your character’s favourite food and why?

Very much a carnivore. You can't go wrong with a nice piece of grilled meat or a good burger. Just leave 'em rare.

If asked, would your character say they were happy as a child?

Young Rhoen was a homeless delinquent, roughing it on the streets of Nar Shadda with others like him and doing grunt work for local gangsters. He'd… honestly probably say it was happy enough? It wasn't easy, but there was community. Young punks stick together.

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 16: Glow

Fandom: SWTOR

Time:  25 ATC/26 ATC (early days of their post-nathema marriage)

Pairing:  Theron Shan/Smuggler

Rating:  T+....it’s a little spicy

Words: 872

~~

The tingles of euphoria were still flowing through her as Eva got out of bed.  Her bare feet didn’t take her far.  She grabbed the taper off the table and extended up to the nearest lamp. Eva tossed her loose hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way.  She heard a pleased hum from the bed she’d just left.  

Once the taper had kindled, she used it to light fresh incense, keeping the heady atmosphere going.  In the dark, the gentle glow of the festival lamps and fireflies barely lit the balcony, but it was enough.  Eva looked over at Theron, sprawled out.  “You look utterly debauched.”

“Says the one wearing a dancing girl’s belt.”  Theron stretched his arms over his head and then flexed for her.  “And only that.”

A well-timed clinking from the belt as Eva finished her task made both of them laugh.  She felt the heat of his gaze on her as her body moved.  Eva dunked the taper in a flask of water, set purposefully there for the task.  “Still more than you.  Shouldn’t you be suffering from some sort of spy panic about being… so exposed?” she teased him.

“If half of what you’ve said tonight is true, then they’re not looking at my face,” Theron shot back, sharp and sweet in the same breath.  Eva giggled.  He smirked as he continued, “Let’s just say the Chiss Ascendancy got some rather nice counter-surveillance equipment in exchange for my silence and confidence on a number of matters.  I still owe them… but they really owe me.”  He ran a hand through hair, the shots of silver in it catching the light.  “And I’ve made sure we’ll be... undisturbed this evening.” 

Eva made a stop at the low table that was laden with foodstuff and alcohol.  “Told you that Copero wasn’t a bad idea.”

“Didn’t pay much attention to the scenery or culture the first time through,” Theron admitted, briskly. “But… yeah, this little weekend away from Odessen is nice.  And we are getting work done.  Otherwise, I’d be a real killjoy.”

Eva turned to give him a chiding look, and he responded with that lopsided smile of his.  “Breath of Heaven?” she asked as she held up the bottle.

“Fits the occasion. And the company,” Theron replied lightly as he sat up.  

When Eva approached the edge of the bed and extended her arm to offer a cup to Theron, he took an inordinately long time to ogle her before taking his cup from her.  Then his free fingers reached to trace the skin just below the pretty belt about her waist.  “You’re certainly something beyond what this mortal deserves.”

By the time their cups were empty, the still-burning incense had made a cloud about their balcony, the glow of lanterns casting unworldly shadows across them.  The fireflies lazily bobbed around the perimeter.  “Copero has redeemed itself, I think,” Eva said as she put her cup to the side and laid back in bed.  

Theron’s lips curved upward. “Is this the start of some redemptive tour of the galaxy?  Every awful place we’ve visited, we ‘do over’?”

“Well, some place are objectively just awful – “

Then in unison, “Tatooine,” and they laughed, low in the night.

“Taris,” she said.

“Balmorra.”

“Ord Mantell, no matter what Corso says.”

“Umbara,” he added, then he wore some wounded expression at his own mention of it.

“Ziost” was whispered. “But…other places would have been beautiful or at least fun if… we weren’t fighting a war across them.”

“Like Katalla.  You should get that casino win you deserve out there.”

“And then you can ravish me in the conservatory.  Rishi – I technically still own it.”

“Manaan.  I haven’t run the swoop track there in years.”

A long pause.

“I’d… like to take you to Corellia,” Theron finally said.  “I grew up there.  Or at least, I made the transition from Jedi to … me.”  Then he added, “They’ve been rebuilding – going there to support the reconstruction wouldn’t be the worst way to spend credits.”

Eva shifted slightly to let her skin touch his.  “Your father did extend an invitation out to Alderaan.  And … I had a decent enough time there the first time, with Lenn and learning to dance… and falling out of a tree with Bowie.”   She paused.  “Your call though.”

“…we can make it work.” His fingers found her dark hair. “Have you ever been to Tython? Like, really been to Tython?  Not just a drop off-or a flyover?”

“Is there something other than a bunch of little kids going on their class trips these days?” Eva asked honestly.

Theron chuckled.  “It’s… not as busy as it used to be,” he conceded. “But I think a lot of the things worth seeing are still there, if you’re not afraid of a few nights of camping – no light pollution out there.”  

Eva made a face. “…are you going to get… uptight? Because it’s Tython?”  She tried to phrase her question as diplomatically as possible.

Theron’s expression turned mischievous, and then he muttered into her neck as he pressed up against her, “I thought that would be a selling point for you – because it’s Tython.”

Then they both laughed, as fingers got to tickling and teasing, and the conversation was discontinued entirely.

The lanterns burned out eventually, but the fireflies danced til dawn.

~~

@fluffyfebruary @ayresis @starlightcleric @ermingarden @bluephoenix1347

[chaoticstrata]

🖊 + Aketho

Oh my goodness, there's sooo much headcanon I can talk about for him. Aketho is the youngest of three. He has an older brother (5 years older) and sister (3 years older). Kthira'orm'omi (Raormo) and Kthira'risu'omi (Arisuom) respectively. For the short time that his older brother was around, he had a close relationship with Raormo- Aketho called him' Ormi.' When it was discovered that Raormo was Force-sensitive at age nine, he used the Force to protect his younger siblings from bullies and was found out in a public space. Aketho was devastated that his brother was being sent away, refusing to let him go as people took him away, not understanding what his brother had done wrong. Things were explained to him when he was older, but he never held the same belief of force users as the rest of the Ascendancy. He resented his Father and Grandfather--the latter the most--for sending his brother away and not fighting for him.

He was ordered not to look for Raormo...which he promptly ignored. Of course, being trained as a spy from a young age, he knew how to be discreet when he started looking into where Raoromo was sent. He planned to find where his older brother was and meet him during his Wandering Year. However, what he learned surprised him. Their Mother had arranged for a pair of smugglers to take her eldest to the Core worlds and to the Jedi--their secret status with the Ruling Houses allowed them some leniency instead of outright banishment or worse. When he questioned his Mother on the choice she simply said she wanted her son to have the best chance at living a full life--she had heard the stories of Sith Academy and didn't want to take the chance.

His dreams of meeting his brother during his Wandering Year were dashed, knowing he would not be able to step foot on the Core worlds. Instead, he made it a personal mission to inquire about any Chiss Jedi when possible. When he joined Imperial Intelligence, he was able to hear some rumors of a Chiss Jedi killing Darth Angral's son and working to stop various Republic secret weapons from falling into the Sith's hands. He hoped that it was his brother, but he was never able to get the name or image of the Jedi--how Watcher One and the agents under his commander never got that information was frustrating. When he started working for the SIS, he still couldn't access information on that Jedi--he didn't have the necessary clearance. (Insert several unflattering curse words in Cheunh here.) Despite the setbacks, he swore he would find his bother one day. Maybe, just maybe, a certain spy boyfriend is able to do what Aketho couldn't...-wink wink- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, Raormo is the Jedi Knight in Aketho's canon. =3 Much to Valkorion's chagrin.

[owlpartytime]

Days of Thranto Past Appreciation Post Day 21

Rather than writing new this Thrantovember, I am featuring the works of others that I love. Most of these are probably well known already, but it's always someone's first time seeing a fic! Rules were: 1. Story must be completed, and 2. Thranto must be the primary focus of the story. I'm featuring 3 a day (because I couldn't cut the list down) at random - I'd love to hear your thoughts on the selections (and please give the authors some love, too!)

Today's featured stories:

(late because I'm super sick, sorry - i don't love these any less than the others)

this is where (we all) came from by Cosmik debris (Moggio), pushkins

“I thought we were past these escape attempts.” Thrawn said, words ghosting over Eli’s mouth causing him to lean closer and seek a kiss. Instead, Thrawn cradled Eli’s face in his hands, thumbs pressing down.

“I think if I stopped trying I’d go mad.” Eli replied, expression wry. Being too smart, once limits were tested it was only natural to push further, and Eli would never settle for ordinary now that he had this. Whateverthiswas.

Thrawn gave a hum, his eyes traced a path from silver bracelets to Eli’s shoulders, the curve of his jaw, his mouth — all those minute details. Eli watched Thrawn’s sharp smile with fondness.

“I will gift you my name.” Thrawn lifted Eli’s wrist and placed a reverent kiss between metal and skin, “Then, even if you run away you will still belong to me.”

First in a series of brief AU fics where the Chiss are conquerors and Eli is a captured slave. A good mix of story and smut, with obvious passion and connection between the two.

--

The Lotus-Eaters by @13th-blackbird

“The Nalumbe are a very…open people,” Thrawn said, seeming to collect himself. He sat back up to his usual regal posture. “In many ways. But chiefly sexually. As one who is unpartnered, I would — we would both be open to sexual advances from others. And I am given to understand that these advances are frequent and…overt. This is…not the Chiss way. Nor is it the Empire’s.”

Eli nodded.

“If we were to…feign that our professional partnership was a monogamous sexual relationship, we would…not be subject to those overtures. Which I would much prefer. Personally.”

Top-notch pretend relationship to real relationship fic with just a touch of smut, plus the delightful benefit of seeing Thrawn slowly lose his mind with irritation at the people around him.

--

Failover by @13th-blackbird, anthean

“Kriffing hells, I think he’s a Chiss,” a voice said. Not in Cheunh, but in one of the trade languages. Not his people, then. Another failure.

“Are you sure? I didn’t think they were real,” a second voice asked.

“Doesn’t matter right now, okay? I think he’s sick.” The first voice. “He looks really bad.”

He managed to open one eye for a moment, saw a human face swimming above him before his eye dragged itself shut again. Traders or smugglers, most likely. Perhaps he could convince them to boost his distress signal before they left, give him some chance of reaching the Ascendency before the fever took him.

AU where Thrawn is rescued from his planet by Eli, and the course of both their lives change wildly as a result. A fantastic story, full of clever details and a great slow burn.

[sassheliosazuras]

9. What would their reaction be if their teen daughter confessed to them that she’s pregnant? Or if their son had left some girl pregnant? 17. Would they spoil their child much? 25. How would they console their child who just broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend in bad terms and was wrecked?

Probably this for the first few moments in all scenarios

Just stunned silence before taking his kid somewhere private to talk.

Out of all three parents, Lana, Theron and Sass for any of these questions I feel their kids would come to Sass first because blueberry dad is much more chill and can help ease their mother and other father into the situation.

9? If his teen daughter came to Sass saying she's pregnant?

Considering his own mom was a teen mom, and he and my smuggler Santixes had an unplanned ( albeit when adults) pregnancy that resulted in his firstborn Zho, Sass would be sympathetic.

Offering to whichever daughter if she wanted to keep it, go to doctor Oggurobb's and cease the pregnancy altogether, or have her parents raise it while she went to live her life.

After comforting his daughter and giving her a week to think things over, he probably would go drink himself silly, knowing this is payback for his own wild youth, and perhaps he should have better prepared his children, particularly ones with his zeltron blood.

Now if he found out his son had left a girl pregnant?

He wouldn't be happy. But would talk to his son first, maybe it's not his, maybe he didn't know she was pregnant.

If Sass found out a son of his knowingly left a pregnant partner and knew it was thiers....well he would be pissed.

If they were a teenager and his son panicked he'd be..somewhat understanding, he panicked too the first time he was told his firstborn Zho was on the way.

Most likely would spend a night berating his son, but end it with a hug and a promise to help and making his son invite the girl over to dinner.

17.( would they spoil their child much?)

It sure won't be our dear pragmatic Lana😄, Theron I have a feeling would be both the anxious parent and the one they go to to pull off pranks.

Sass is an emperor and so his children would be princes and princesses. So plenty of people would try to suck up to them.

Sass is the youngest of the trio, and definitely the fun parent. Sass got into plenty of trouble growing up and as a Jedi wandering around the galaxy, so he knows the need for fun and the occasional small prank.

He definitely would be against any training for them before ten, and would want them to spend their teen years at home and attend university on Odessan or in a nearby system. Lana I believe would talk him down from that and talk him into their children being eased into force training.

Sass was raised for war and battle, and that took a toil, he would never want that for his own children. Combined with guilt for frequently having to travel the galaxy Sass would overcompensate when home.

So as yes they would be spoiled, but Lana and Theron would tamper the worst of it.

25.)How would they console their child who just broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend in bad terms and was wrecked?

Sass would take them somewhere secret he goes and visits in the deep woods when he is in a foul mood, far away from any curious eyes and surrounded by greenery where one is free to shout and rage. Which is precisely what Sass encourages his heart-sore offspring to do. Perhaps Sass would share tales of his own past romances that ended in ruin and flames. But mostly the normally cheery and outgoing Chiss would stay quiet only encouraging them to cry, rage, laugh and scream as they needed to begin healing.

Thankyou for the asks! sorry it took so long

[theoreticalconstruct]

OC list.

This was once on my sidebar but editing it from there is a pain, so I'm going to see if I can pin this on my regular journal instead.

Linking to the tag for their screenshots (if they exist) on my gaming screenshot blog, or to any art I’ve done/had done of them.

In progress because I'm moving it and updating links, disambiguating the few characters who have similar names across fandoms, et cetera.

Fandoms: FFXIV (once I add them,) SWTOR, Fallen London, City of Heroes.

Permissions:

SFW art/headcanons - OK NSFW art/headcanons - Ask me first Fic/RP/interactions with other OCs - Ask me first

FFXIV

Baroouse Ironeye: Male Sea Wolf WoL, large friendly man who's really good at hugs and punching things, but not at the same time. Poly and aromantic, very close to lots of people. (Short list: Ran'aa Mihgo, Leih Ariapoh, Ysayle, Haurchefant, Cirina, Hien... I'll make a long list later.)

Quizzie Slagheart: Female Highlander WoL, a short pirate with a minor chip on her shoulder and a big heart. Has a soft spot for Ishgard thanks to a man who took care of her after she and her father fell out. Very close to her fellow Scions.

Mirek Ajerenii: Male Helion WoL who escaped the fall of Bozja because his mother saw trouble starting and sent him away with his Lost uncle. Generally very confused; things go over his head a lot. Still figuring out his relationships (he's probably bi, I'm fairly sure he misses a lot of advances because he just doesn't understand social cues, but he definitely had a fling with G'raha Tia and another with Jannequinard de Durendaire.)

SWTOR - Republic - Ge-ming: Sith Pureblood, exiled Sith heir turned Jedi knight. SF - Captain Zvedza: Twi'lek, smuggler and pilot, has taken over her mentor’s Republic business while he tries to diversify. SF

SWTOR - Empire - Lord Fupan: Zabrak, Lord of the Sith, Marauder, hunter of traitors and generally not great at this Sith thing. SF - Darth Molutsk: Sith Pureblood, Lord of the Sith, Expansion and Diplomacy (but mostly Expansion,) old gay ritualist and loving dad. SF - Bexamushu: Rattattaki, Sith apprentice and scientist, head of research for the Expansion Institute. SF - Drogo Rist: Human, Former Alderaanian statesman in self-imposed exile, Lieutenant in the Imperial Navy. SF - Jonna Wolfe: Human/Cyborg, Defected Republic Spec Ops operative, current Imperial Specialist. Doesn’t like relationships but loved her parents and siblings/nieces/nephews, to the point that she defected after they were killed by Republic inaction. SF - Ja'ghar: Chiss, Ascendency-born and exiled at a young age, eventually adopted into Clan Kelborn. SF - Fixer 42 AKA Baroouse: Mirialan, former Fixer for Imperial Intelligence who got brainwashed by a Sith. The brainwashing failed thanks to a convenient shipwreck. Has reached a point where he has two fairly stable personalities that are aware of each other - one his fixer personality and another a "civilian" personality who's basically a handyman.

SWTOR - Cross-faction/Underworld - Captain Lay'zor: Human. Ace pilot (in several respects,) smuggler and underworld boss. SS/SF - Koushonbe Phopee: Nautolan. Skilled mechanic and quick fighter who can't seem to sit still. SF - Hargath Desop: Mirialan. Adoptive father of Phopee and skilled doctor, he is hiding from a dark past that took the lives of his family and his husband. SF.

Fallen London - The Pliable Operative: Profile. A Rubbery Man and former companion of Markov (see below.) After Markov's disappearance under mysterious circumstances, they were dreadfully worried about their good friend and decided that they were going to do what they could to search for them, and to that end worked to integrate themselves into the Great Game. Despite the prejudice against them as a Rubbery Man, they are doing surprisingly well. - Lt. Bogdan Leonidovitch Markov: Profile. Little is known about him so far, save that he was certainly some sort of officer in the Russian Imperial Army, and that he came to London to keep a promise to one of his superiors. Has a long-standing fear of falling upwards into the sky, which is partially why he gets along so well in the Neath. A generally decent sort who believes in helping the common man and shows kindness to the marginalized - the Rubbery Men, the Urchins, the Clay Men - whenever he can. - Nikole Dupuis: Profile. A dangerous lady and former privateer, who came down to the Neath to avenge her brother. In doing so she lost her soul and, for a while, her reason for living - but she has found another, with her new dedication to the anarchist cause.

City of Heroes

Ranger Bruno Jones: Old man whose powers manifested late in life. Lived most of his life as a park ranger, but gained the power to speak to and command both plants and animals, as well as becoming very large and strong and near-indestructible. This happened after he retired and years after his wife had died, and he decided to embrace his powers and become a hero. His adult children are nervous about this, but so far he's doing fairly well.

[cryo-lily]

Behold! The newest members of the Shir Legacy!

Since I finally got Legendary Status this past week I figured it was time to update the OC list for the Shir Legacy with some of the newest OCs to come out of my grind of getting all the class stories done.

First up we have Orla Cevrus.

She was/is the character I made for my trooper run but quickly ran with the concept for her as a whole.

She is Isadola & Lana’s second child but their oldest. As a force-sensitive Chiss Orla was orphaned and shunned at a young age. She was a runaway stowing away on ships until she eventually ended up on Odessen before she was even 5 years old. She was formally adopted by Issie & Lana before their own firstborn daughter could even sleep through the night.

Despite being the oldest of Isadola & Lana’s daughters she is also the tallest, and doesn’t let her younger sisters forget it. Not as graceful on her feet as the rest of her sisters, but can still hold her own when a fight amongst them eventually breaks out.

Orla or Ori as her sisters call her, was trained just like the rest of her sisters to at least control their force abilities and trained with lightsabers. But was given the freedom to choose her own path in that regard by her mothers. Given the choice they didn’t get when in regards to using her force talents. Now she chooses to fight using assault cannons and lots and lots of plasma cell caused fires.

Orla eventually went on to command Havoc Squad later down the line under the command of General Elara Dorne. It took Orla a good bit of time to earn Elara’s trust after she learned who her parents were. Elara certainly didn’t forget what happened on Iokath after Isadola sided with the empire during that moment in time.

Next up we have Kelsa Tilera.

The character I made for my Smuggler class story, Which I also decided to run with for her own story.

She is Isadola & Lana’s firstborn daughter and their second oldest child. Half-human/half-Miraluka. Named after both of her grandmothers.

She has pale green eyes (if the game let me have that option) but is physically blind; bright side though she inherited Isadola’s miraluka ability to see with the force.

Strong with the force like her mothers, but chose to use her abilities differently than her sisters. Kelsa had a talent for disappearing at a young age which she managed to turn into a career down the line thanks to the encouragement of her Uncle Taskar, who later took her under his wing as a protege. Under his guidance she managed to make a decent name for herself as a smuggler.

Unlike her younger sisters, Kelsa wasn’t born on Odessen, but was raised there for most of her life along with her 3 sisters. Chances are if some trouble went down when they were younger, Kelsa was the mastermind of it all between the 4 Beniko children.

And (for now) finally we have Anira Candora.

The character I made for my Bounty Hunter playthrough but decided to run with that story for as well.

Anira is the youngest of Isadola & Lana’s 3 biological children. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her but like her 2 older sisters she is also half-human/half-miraluka. Anira was a tad luckier than Kelsa as she wasn’t born physically blind, but still inherited Isadola’s Miraluka ability to also see with the force if she focuses enough or is briefly blinded. Anira like her one older sister (sadly not in this bunch as I still yet to make her) doesn’t need to rely on that ability to see. Anira got her red hair from her grandmother Tilera, and like the rest of her sisters got her green eyes from Lana.

Anira fell into the bounty hunter profession after she learned to apply her own force talents in her own way. Deadly with a blaster and lightsaber, but also armed with enough fire to set a planet a blaze. Anira was mentored for a time by Shae Vizla at Isadola’s request when Anira became set on becoming a Bounty Hunter.

Anira may be the youngest of Isadola & Lana’s 4 children, but is easily the fiercest, and the one to start most of the physical fights between the 4 sisters. Underneath the surface though she is also the most empathetic, a trait she got from Isadola.

Lana would never outright admit it, as she loves all her daughters equally, but Anira is her favorite.

I have so many ideas for the 4 Beniko children. Yes despite the legacy name, they were all given Lana’s last name to avoid the stigma that still follows the Shir name around.

The 4 girls were the rowdiest bunch of kids on Odessen, but also ironically the most disciplined. The girls could go from causing utter chaos to “Yes Ma’am” standing properly at attention and working like a well oiled machine with one one word or stern glance from Lana. Theron still isn’t sure how Lana & Isadola managed that.

I could go on about them, even the missing sister not pictured here yet. But I still have so much to write about before even any of them came into the picture (so to speak). I love them all your honor.