#teff'ith

[reconstructionlegacy]

Ngani Zho Coerced Custody Of Theron

[Zho] had told the Jedi Council and the leaders of the Republic military that he had sent Satele on a vital mission— something he could not speak of for fear of endangering her life. Given Master Zho’s impeccable reputation, none had questioned him. Now, however, the mission was over. It was time for her to return; the Republic had fought too long without their champion. The Sith Empire’s relentless advance had gone too far. She could no longer ignore the Republic’s need. [...] “You promised you would take him,” Satele said softly, gazing down into the child’s wide, wondering eyes. “I will,” Ngani assured her. “If that’s still what you want.” “What I want has nothing to do with it,” she muttered as she reluctantly handed the child back to her Master. [...] As he took the child from her arms, the moment of greatest joy she would ever know ended.

— Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation

BACKGROUND

Ngani Zho trained, according to Lost Suns (admittedly according to Zho the manipulator), Satele Shan, Syo Bakarn, Jaric Kaedan, and Bela Kiwiiks. Obviously, that is not possible for full Padawans, and Satele was under Kao Cen Darach's mentorship in the first trailer (and then he died), so my theory here is that Zho stepped in to "foster" mentor at least some of these promising young Jedi (and gain influence with them).

WHAT HAPPENED

Zho was somehow trusted by the Council (maybe because he partially trained a third of them). Satele became pregnant, went to Zho for advice, and rather than saying "let's talk to the Council, the normal Jedi support structure, which trusts me," he said "I will cover this up. For you." Like a favour.

He said to the Council that she was on a mission, which put a time limit on the 'plan' ("Always with the plan, aren't you?" Zho asks Theron in Lost Suns). By lying to the Council on her behalf, he made it impossible to go to them for support, or at the least heavily implied to Satele that her pregnancy was somehow wrong or shameful.

By isolating Satele from everyone but himself, and putting a time limit on her seclusion, he arranged for her to have no real choice but to give him custody of Theron. (The scion of a powerful bloodline... and possibly even blackmail material against the future Grand Master.)

Then, having secured the custody of Theron, he proceeded to isolate him as he had isolated Satele, and thoroughly abuse him. This is detailed in Lost Suns, and I will not detail it here; suffice to say it began at the earliest when Theron was five, and Theron's life was endangered by Zho, who abandoned Theron upon realizing he was not Force-sensitive.

(SOME OF) THE AFTERMATH

Years later, when Theron is an SIS officer, under convoluted plot circumstances (that is: the plot of Lost Suns), he reencounters Zho. Zho takes another young person, Teff'ith, under his wing, which Theron is unhappy about. (Teff'ith asks Theron, who has used the term 'childhood trauma' about Zho by this point, and will later elaborate with horrific detail that I, once more, decline to repeat, "Scared of him?". Theron says 'no' - you know, like a liar. Anyway -)

(My theory is that Zho was Star Cabal, Revanite, or both, and wanted complete control of the training of the Blood Of Revan... but fuck knows why he did any of this. Your guess is as good as mine.)

I do think, in the text, Zho's treatment of Theron is framed as abhorrent, especially given the cited and open trauma and abuse. There is also a line in Annihilation about him glaring at Satele in a way that reminds me of Theron's textual panic attack when Satele mentions Zho to him elsewhere in the book. Given this, I think it is an entirely reasonable conclusion, even ignoring the fact that he is baby-stealing Jedi georg, the only Jedi known to have actually stolen a baby, that he mistreated Satele, too.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

At any rate - Ngani Zho coerced Satele into giving him custody of Theron. Theron does not know this, and assumes Satele chose freely to gave him up.

We can't know what her decision would have been, because she didn't truly get to make one. She may have chosen to give Theron up. She may not have. But as it was, as it happened, she did not have a genuine choice.

TL;DR: Tie-in material makes it quite clear that Ngani Zho, the "Master Zho" in one of Theron's combat lines, coerced Satele into giving the infant Theron into his custody. This was terrible for everyone involved, except Zho.

[storyknitter]

Look, I think I'm funny and that's all that matters

[incorrectstarwarslegendsquotes]

Jace Malcom: Marcus Trant: Satele Shan: Teff'ith: Gnost-Dural: Theron Shan: It seemed like a good idea at the time.

[magnetarbeam]

I just reached the scene in Annihilation where Theron describes Teff'ith as "like a kid sister," and looking back on their various arguments I really can see a sibling dynamic.

This book is about the only TOR thing I've ever experienced, so I don't really know how close they were when Ngani Zho apparently took her in, but adopted sibling relationships in Star Wars have a special place in my heart.

[swtorpadawan]

Damn right! And what about his droid? And just one letter from Teff'ith???

What ever happened to Theron’s toxic dart thing?

[eorzeashan]

me: man I wanna play the swtor update ffxiv: we have swtor at home swtor at home:

[coryphefishh]

Let's do a deep dive on a line from the Theron x imperial character romance in Shadow of Revan.

Goes something like...

"And they said if I ever kissed an imp, I'd spontaneously explode."

So uh. First question...WHO EXACTLY does he mean by "they?"

Early Jedi training? No. Jedi say that about kissing anyone.

SIS training? No. For some agents, kissing imps is part of the job description.

Teff'ith? No. Although it's a nice headcanon that she changes pronouns to they/them.

Theory: Whoever these anti-imp-kissing people are, they're more recent acquaintances.

Next question is WHEN? How recently was Theron advised of this?

Let's zoom out shall we?

The makeout is happening in the briefing room. On Yavin. After a whole lot of Republic and Imperial forces arrived and are at this very moment, trying very very hard to get along. And I don't have any specific examples, but I remember there's bickering and banter dialogue that we overhear.

Now let's zoom out even farther and look at content before and after Yavin.

In the Umbara arc, Theron writes in The Letter that, "I loved you from the moment I saw you."

Now, this easily makes sense for a republic character. Theron's job is to make a holocall to an important person, and WOW they are--WOW very attractive.

An impside character? Running through Manaan? Dodging droids and Selkath while being increasingly on fire? Makes just as much sense if you think about it. He wouldn't necessarily know who this chaotic force of nature is at first.

Oops wait halp that's not just an imp, they're an extremely important high profile powerful imp.

Let's zoom back a notch, and we have a plausible theory.

Theron is obviously unsuccessful at putting a stop to these feelings, especially after what happened on Rishi. He is absolutely smitten and just CANNOT STOP TALKING about this magnificent person who stormed the compound to sweep him off his feet and whisk him off to safety, except he'd already escaped, and kriff, the look on their face when they saw he'd already escaped! Except alas his love is an imp! Except what if....

And every single republic soldier in earshot is all "Mr. Shan DO NOT KISS THE IMP!"

[keldae]

If you ignore the comics and the books, what would you headcanon Theron’s childhood was like?

I mean, I've read both comics and book enough times that Theron's canon childhood is pretty well ingrained into my head, but let's take a peek!

I think Master Zho was, if not the most ideal choice to raise Theron, he at least did the best he could. I fully believe that he genuinely cared about Theron's well-being and did his best to show affection and love, in a Jedi sort of way, and make sure he had a happy childhood. Theron definitely speaks of Master Zho with affection at the memories, so while he's got his quirks, I don't think our favourite spy got too mangled by how he was raised! He definitely never had a question as to who his mother was, either -- I think Zho spoke fondly of Satele to Theron.

I also will die on the hill that says Satele sent birthday and Life Day gifts for Theron every year until he was turned out of the Order -- she might have tried to deny it to herself, but she loved her son and wanted him to be safe and happy, and she knew that she couldn't give him that life she wanted for him while still maintaining her service to the Order. Theron might have been a little resentful that his mother didn't raise him herself, but he never truly hated Satele -- and I think he understood her logic in not keeping him, much though he didn't personally like it. He trusted her enough to send Teff'ith to her to talk Jace out of his plan of sacrificing Duros in Annihilation, and he seemed to have no real problems in working with her during the Revanite crisis. They'll probably never have a traditional familial bond, but they care about and respect each other.

[sullustangin]

How did Marcus Trant find out who Theron's parents were in your universe? I have ideas that range from the quick and easy to hilarity but was curious about yours.

Oh, good question! Thanks for asking!

This is just my interpretation, but I think Trant figured out Theron's full parentage by the Epilogue of the novel Annihilation. Remember that Marcus Trant is head of SIS, and as I like to say in my fic, it's not just because he's cute and does the paperwork.

Basically, Theron skipped the final debriefing to go talk to Teff'ith, and Trant was just there like "ah. ha. ha. Said he couldn't make it." Jace read this as uncomfortable, but maybe not for the obvious reason of shirking a meeting with the Supreme Commander and the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

Theron conveyed to Trant that he was not attending. As Jace himself observed, Theron could have been there if Trant had ordered him to. Trant did not order him to. I think that was a deliberate choice, because both Trant and Theron want to avoid an awkward family reunion.

As to how Trant individually found out about Satele and Jace, it got long so it's under the cut:

As Trant pointed out to Jace, when asked about Theron, that Shan is a commonish name on Coruscant; in a world of trillions, there are millions of Shans. However, when Jace pressed him, Marcus Trant explicitly said he knew that Satele is Theron's mom. That's on page 85 of Annihilation. "Only a handful of people know. Obviously, this is something we want to keep under wraps." At that time, Trant didn't know Jace is the father...but Jace's interest probably sparked something here.

But how did he know about Satele? My headcanon runs with the idea that when Master Ngani Zho abandoned Theron, there was a big, urgent flurry to get the boy somewhere with someone. He's 13, going on 14. He couldn't stay at a Jedi temple, and he didn't have any relatives listed. If Zho was gone they were supposed to contact Satele...and she was out of contact trying to find Tython. When Theron did end up at Coronet City Military Academy (my headcanon again), he gave the name Theron Shan as an act of defiance, not fully aware that Shan is a common name. He previously went by Theron Zho because that was the name of his father. From the Academy, Theron was recruited by alumnus Marcus Trant to SIS.

Trant figured out Satele as Theron's biological mother, and based on what he says to Jace in Annihilation, he's not the only one that knows; Satele had shown enough interest in Theron's well-being over the years, but never to actually talk to him directly. That's implied in several areas of canon. I interpret that as her not wanting to give Theron mixed signals. She didn't want to meet him or else he might get the impression that she'd take him home with her one day -- which couldn't happen. People around her and around the boy can see that, but the worlds never touch. They know, but they don't share it with other people.

As to how Trant figured out that Jace was the father, Jace's interest in Theron and Theron's relationship with Satele probably tripped Trant's radar. Also, Jace and Satele had been friends since the two of them escaped Korriban together; surely there was some sort of "huh, what about them?" over the course of the last 40 years, Jedi or not. Trant was married to Garza, who eventually headed up SpecForce, and Jace was once Havoc Squad Commander before his current gig; Trant and Jace probably knew each other, even just socially, prior to Theron joining SIS. With all of this swirling, just as Jace looked over his files and did some math about his time on Alderaan.... so did Trant. Given that both Satele and Jace were unusually concerned about this one SIS agent, and given that Trant already knew Satele was Theron's mom, Trant put the rest of the pieces together.

Also, this doesn't eliminate the simplest option of all: Theron told Trant. Trant already knew half the story with Satele. Why not the other? Theron knew that Trant would figure it out eventually. So let's save some steps and get it over with.

By the time the final debriefing in Annihilation rolled around, Trant had seen Theron's reaction to Zho resurfacing a few years before; Trant was well-aware that Theron had emotional issues and called him out on it a few times in the comic Lost Suns and in the novel. That said, Theron might be an internal mess but he was Trant's best agent; Trant did not want to hurt his own best asset. Having mom and dad and son in one room? Trant took this one for the SIS team; this needed to be done personally and privately, not at an official debrief. So he let Theron off the hook.

Later, in my headcanon, I can see Jace telling Trant and then Trant wearily telling him, "I know. Next problem?"

Thanks again for asking!

[i-love-books-because-reasons]

22, 35, and 45 for the book ask meme, please!:) And if you want to tack any others on there that you wanted to answer, go right ahead!

22. your favourite thriller

Either Out of Sight, Out of Time or United We Spy. These are books 5 and 6 in the Gallagher girls series by Ally Carter. The series is about these girls who go to what everyone thinks is just a normal boarding school, but it's actually a school for spies in training. The whole series is amazing, but these last two books had me at the edge of my seat and I couldn't put them down. I'm a pretty slow reader but I finished United We Spy in about three days (which is fast for me).

35. a book featuring the found family trope

Annihilation by Drew Karpyshyn. This book is the fourth book in a anthology series that ties in to the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO (which I love), but I don't think you don't need to know anything about the game in order to read it. While the found family trope isn't the main part of the story, it's defiantly still there. The main characters, Theron and Teff'ith, are the found siblings in the book.

45. a book featuring the friends to lovers trope

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter. Full Disclosure: I haven't finish this book yet, but what I've read so far I like. The main characters, Maddie and Logan, were childhood friends who basically fall out of touch but are reunited years later when his life is put in danger.

[greyias]

I can't believe I forgot to add as options:

That time he basically used Teff'ith's name as an undercover alias as a joke while investigating a cult and then she later has to go on the run from said cult

His melodramatic snit about going on a rampage inside the analytics office because he was forced to sit still at a desk job for two whole weeks

Deliberately declassifying his own name on a report so he can go on a mission, accidentally leading his long lost father to discover his existence. And then has a hilariously awkward evening where Theron thinks this old guy is trying to hit on him, but actually being a disaster is genetic and his dad is just trying to bond with him.

* there’s a character limit. Either instance will do

[reconstructionlegacy]

was tracing over a lost suns page and

[aurriearts]

(image described, check ID)

so i couldn't sleep and went back to thinking about my lost suns redraw/rewrite project, hashed out some first passes drafting designs for the trio between taking notes on the plot and dialogue.

also i realized teff'ith is supposed to be 18 in the events of the comic (at least, I think so). the original comic art certainly didn't show that lmao

[theshijlegacy]

TBT: Forged Alliances fun with Kagame! (Dec 2015-Jan 2016)

[magnetarbeam]

Yesterday I discovered that Teff'ith's character tag on AO3 only has 8 works in it, and I'm very disappointed.

[hermitmoss]

“I don’t need your approval,” Theron said, though he was careful to keep any venom from coloring his words.

“Of course not,” [Satele] said, turning away and walking back to the center of the room before turning to face him again.  “But you have it anyway.”

“No more spying on us,” [Teff’ith] said, waggling a finger in his direction.   “Don’t need you watching over our shoulder like big brother.”

Theron watched her go, not saying anything until the door had closed behind her.

“You might not need me watching over your shoulder, but I’ll be there anyway,” he vowed softly.  “That’s what family does.”

“You don’t need me to have your back, but I have it anyway,” a nonattachment-based love language with two Shans and a Teff’ith.