#heh shades of the Quinncident revisited upon someone else here

[riajade01]

30 Day SWTOR OC Challenge, Day 21: Coda

How do they change after their story? What is their “epilogue” like? Is it different from canon?

The Outlander: Are they the “Outlander” or do they have another part in the Alliance? Do they leave the Alliance or stay? Do they still consider themselves a member of the Sith or the Republic?

(Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20) 

So, immediately post-chapter 3, Mara is a mess, thanks to the Quinncident. By the time we finish Shadow of Revan, though, she’s... well, still kind of a mess thanks to the Hand. However, she’s more able to deal with the emotional trauma thanks to lessons she learned in the aftermath of Quinn’s betrayal, and she’s just... more well-rounded, I suppose. More able to ask for help, less fearful of appearing vulnerable in front of her crew. She’s still convinced of the Empire’s superiority, but less convinced that perpetual war with the Republic is the answer. In Theron and my knight, Czessara, she sees people who could potentially form the basis of a diplomatic relationship with the Republic. (I’m thinking Mara is in fairly steady contact with Theron and Czess after Ziost, pushing for a coup or SOMETHING against Saresh, for the good of the galaxy.)

Mara is the Commander on Yavin IV - she’s the person both Lana and Theron make contact with - and she leads the coalition forces there. She also, unintentionally, mentors Czessara during that operation, a fact that ultimately contributes to Czess leaving the Jedi Order. 

**everything below is assuming Kotfe/Kotet are a (fixed) thing in the Maraverse; I haven’t decided yet**

Originally I had Mara as my canonical Outlander, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that makes very little sense. Mara is consummately Imperial; in the aftermath of being awakened on Zakuul she would do everything in her power to get home to Dromund Kaas. That may not be the best tactical decision, but her duty so far as she is concerned is to her people first. Czessara is the one with the one-galaxy vision of peace. Mara, and possibly Marr, make it off the Terminus but are unable to save Czess.

Instead, Mara (as a plain ol’ Darth Something now; I’m thinking she fought against Zakuul as the Wrath and had to make the Wrath disappear as part of the peace forced by Arcann) and Major Quinn (and possibly Jaesa and Vette; no reason I can’t screw with canon completely) bring their children and join the Alliance during Kotfe as combined military advisors/fact finding delegation for Acina. Mara acts as an executive officer to Czess; she’s the internal bad cop when necessary, and she handles most of the auxiliary missions (i.e., recruitment, star fortresses) and some of the more dangerous forays to Zakuul. At least, the ones she can talk Czess out of. She also reports back to Acina on the Alliance’s activities and her assessment of Czess’s ability to bring stability to Zakuul once Valkorian’s children are removed from power. Ultimately both Arcann and Vaylin abdicate the throne. 

I’m still toying with this idea, but I’m thinking that Mara, in light of Czessara’s stubborn refusal to take the throne and deal with the power vacuum left by Valkorian et al., might take the Eternal Throne from Czess at the end of Kotet. She joins Arcann, Vaylin, et al. in defending Czess’s body in the last chapter, and then suggests that Czess return to a ship for medical attention. And then opens a holo channel introducing herself and her connection to Valkorian/Vitiate, announces her rule and politely requests that all Alliance ships leave Zakuulan space immediately or face the wrath of the Eternal Fleet. (The extent to which Arcann and/or Vaylin knew about this in advance is TBD.) A day later Zakuul and the Empire have entered into a very close-knit alliance, with the two empires exchanging ambassadors and several Zakuulan politicians gaining seats on the Council, which has become a large body governing both political entities. 

Mara ends the policy of stripping raw material from both the Empire and the Republic and  removes any remaining star fortresses as a sign of good faith. She then opens diplomatic talks with the Alliance. I haven’t decided how well that goes. (Probably not very.)