#ngl I kind of want her to play a one-off companion now... of Five's of course 😉

[thisisaheist]

[riajade01]

30 Day SWTOR OC Challenge, Day 18: Companions

Who is their first friend among their companions? Who ends up being their best friend? Who do they hate the most (or like the least)? Is there anyone they wouldn’t have recruited by the game gives you?

Bonus: Rate your class’s five ‘original’ companions from least favorite to most favorite. Explain why.

(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)

Unsurprisingly, Mara's first friend among her companions is Vette. I mean... VETTE. She is amazing and wonderful and how can you NOT love her? During their time on Dromund Kaas they really started to feel like friends (taking Vette's collar off, and suggesting they find a way forward was obviously huge for this). Vette's also the first of Mara's companions to see her home - they visit and spend some time there while Mara constructs the lightsaber she uses for the rest of the game. By the time they get to Balmorra, they're basically sisters and partners in crime. Quinn is... a bit overwhelmed by this when he first joins the ship. I mean, in  his slight defense, having both Vette and Mara needling you at the same time is probably not fun. (That having been said, Mara lays into Quinn fiercely when he utters that "there's no filter on that twi'lek mouth" line early on.)

The three of them do settle in to an oddly comfortable, if dysfunctional, family, though, by the time they get to Alderaan. Even then, with Quinn playing hard to get, there's an "adult sister + BF and little sister" dynamic going on.

In terms of best friends, that's a tie between Vette and Quinn. The relationships are vastly different, of course, and Vette might edge Quinn out a little, given that she becomes a source of strength for Mara when she's dealing with the fallout from the Quinncident. But Mara would seriously lose her shit if she didn't have both Vette and Quinn in her life (which is why Outlander!Mara is such a mess, oh my god).

Let's face it: there's no way Mara would have recruited Broonmark. He's not any more useful than the rest of her crew, and frankly, he just slaughtered a bunch of his own people for not following his bloodlust. Mara's not mourning the loss of those Talz, at all (she IS a speciest asshole, after all), but that is not the kind of wildcard she wants on her ship. Honestly, when that Voss warned her about betrayal from within, she thought it was Broonmark.

Companion ranks to follow. It’s... unsurprising.

Ranking the companions, least favorite to most favorite:

Broonmark: Nope; return to Hoth, go slaughter people on your own time, thank you.

Jaesa: Sigh. I still have trouble writing Jaesa because I have no idea what she's like. But to Mara she's less a friend and more a ward, given the apprentice relationship. Mara wasn't really looking for an apprentice but figured this was better than killing Jaesa outright. She's... not the best master at first. I mean, she's perfectly genial with Jaesa and works to convince her the dark side isn’t evil, but she's not so much with... the teaching... until after the second trip to Voss. At that point Mara realizes Jaesa is the least prepared to deal with Baras and begins taking her responsibility as a mentor far more seriously.

Pierce: Okay, it's not that Mara dislikes Pierce, precisely. But the fact that he got on board her ship and IMMEDIATELY pulled her aside to say, "I hate your XO and want to only take orders from you" did NOT do him any favors. The thing with Larent also squicked her out something fierce. Over time, though, she figured out how to handle him, and he figured out how to work within the structure she's put together for her ship. They get along well now, respect one another, and have even developed a friendship. Pierce is nearly as devoted to Mara as Quinn, although in a very different way, of course.

Vette: As covered, she's Mara's sister and confidante.

Quinn: I'm putting him first largely because, of the people on her crew, he's the only one she wouldn't murder after two days of being locked in a room with them. Mara loves Vette and needs her in her life, but they can drive one another crazy. Quinn and Mara, on the other hand, are... extremely well matched, both romantically and professionally. Their command and fighting styles work well together, and frankly, Mara thinks he's one of the most brilliant people she's ever met. NGL, his pretty face and barely-repressed fury are what initially attracted her to him during their first conversation on Balmorra, when she thought he'd be a nice way to pass some time. Realizing his tactical brilliance and hypercompetence just... unf. Intense eyes, perfect ass, and amazing brain? Girl stood no chance.