#vibro-sword

[aqueousablution]

(September 2023) Vibro-swords

Original post body under the cut:

"Finished" this a while ago, but never posted it because I subsequently made a design change to sorXa's sword that will require me to go back and redo all the digital parts of this. Oops

Edit: Turns out I didn't have to redo anything, because the chalk 01 brush in GNU IMP is actually pretty decent at imitating pencil! I wouldn't use it for anything complex, but for adding a few straight lines it's good enough.

#(The arming sword is sorXa's and the saber is Alex's for the record)

[skellymom]

Ok...I might have to watch TBB Ep 10&11 again...but...SPOILERS:

But I DO BELIEVE this man snuck onto Clone-X's ship and is hiding out...even Omega doesn't know he's there.

Maybe I missed him showing up somewhere on the island after that ship took off? Someone please let me know.

In the beginning of the episode Hunter looked in the direction of where the ship landed, seeing the island birds flying away and definitely telling someone he sensed something was off.

He also knows since Ventress landed in that beach cave that it's the ideal place to infiltrate the island.

When he swam to shore, Batcher didn't just seem to be happy he was ok...she MIGHT have alerted on a presence down at the beach...just like she did when Ventress landed.

And, he was RIGHT there (unless he was dumped on the OTHER side of the island) that he might check out to see if anyone landed a ship there. Is he on board? Is Batcher with him? Or did he plant a tracking device himself? Am I assuming too much? Maybe he can radio Rex and Echo for help? Emerie may help break out the children and clone prisoners? Maybe I'm wearing clown shoes...

Lastly...If he didn't make it on the ship, REALLY don't think Hunter is going to ride Crosshair's ass for his mistake with letting Omega go. He could have really raked Cross over the coals back on Barton IV, but he didn't. Now that Crosshair recognizes the stakes, I seriously doubt it's going to happen.

Honestly, with 4 episodes left, we don't have time for more squabbling.

I still feel it's hard to tell if Clone-X is Tech or Cody. The voice sounded like both at different times. If it was Tech HOW could he forget the coordinates to Pabu when Phee put her hand on his shoulder in S2 and gave them to him while he was going all goggle eyed over her touch?

Nala Se getting Emerie to question her motivations to head Project Necromancer. I feel that Emerie is gonna turn on the Empire. Will she survive?

Terrifying that it's children involved in the project...and now they have a baby to experiment on. Hope that force sensitive babeh force throws some bad guys in later episodes like that freakin' vase.

Hemlock and Tarkin passive-aggressively arguing over project funding. lol

Luckily Batcher wasn't shot. I was a bit scared there.

Hopefully Wrecker is going to be all right. He has to be since we see him in the trailer in the Juggernaut and there is an episode named Juggernaut.

The Marauder is gone, so they need another ship. Is that what Phee helps them with in the trailer?

Glad Cad Bane was used ONLY momentarily in the episode instead of using up the whole episode. He seemed to fit in the story and the episode did indeed further the plot. Sorry, but I don't thing Ventress and Fennec's arc really did much of that for two whole episodes. We missed out on a lot of relevant storytelling.

LASTLY: PHEE'S BADASS VIBRO SWORD, YA'LL!!!

[for-the-sake-of-color]

Indulge me, this Once. Maybe Twice? Maybe the Rest of Our Lives?

This [Pic] Lit my brain on fire and I had no choice but to tie up a beautiful man. You know how it is. Kix, immediately before being bound: You turned it off, right? You're not strapping a live Vibro-Sword to my back? you turned it off? The battery pack is off? You made sure you turned it off? I'm not losing my fingers? It's off? Don't worry about it king, you look dashing in red either way 🤭

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

I headcanon that the way Krakua's sword works is that he hits it on a thing and then the resonance makes it vibrate. Basically like the whole "vibro-sword" concept you see in things sometimes.

(the only one I can think of off the top of my head is a random Gmod prop I downloaded ages ago)

[jedi-hawkins]

The Bad Batch Season 3 Ep. 10 & 11 Watch Thoughts

Spoilers (duh)

Ep. 10 "Identity Crisis"

Cursed child? Jedi child? Jedi child.

Oh Emerie… you job snatching-

Difference between the vault and the stasis chambers?

I saw a theory the vault has the corpses of the Jedi killed in Order 66? Nope. It's worse. Younglings, high m-count (no adults because all the Jedi were KILLED)

Hopefully a child will be the one to “save” Emorie from the Empire

Class 1 bounty hunter. Has to be Bane. Spurs? Definitely Bane

A crate?? You mother fu- oh it’s a bassinet

Kidnapping children now Bane? That’s chill

THREE troopers??? It’s a child.

“They don’t belong here.” SHE SAID IT!

The dilemma of ‘do I quit because this is wrong, or do I stay and contribute but help as much as I can’

Ah she’s staying

Man the VA for Hemlock does so well at the calm cool restrained voice that just makes your skin crawl

CID?!?! That weaselly lil- she sold Phee out

Emerie sobered up real quick with Project Necromancer, not that bright eyed and bushy tailed anymore. Yeah now you know the cost of all this bitc- oh. “Identity Crisis”

Aw she kept the straw Lula

And giving it to Eva?!?!

Ep. 11 "Point of No Return"

Phee!

Oh this episode is going to hurt.

Oh she’s good. Love the vibro sword

Oh he’s gonna find Pabu 😭

Aw poor Wecker

Aw the clones from ep 2

OH MY GOD PAIN

PAIN AND MORE PAIN

the symbolism of her leaving Lula behind 😭 like she’s ‘no longer a child’

The cave…

Oh Hunter is so good. I’m calling he’s sensing Tech’s EM signature

Ugh noooooo

No we are losing the Marauder 😭😭

He tried to save Gonky 😭

Ugh seeing the drop ships makes me reminisce TCW

Ugh Batcher 😭

CROSSDAD CROSSDAD

Ugh Hunter is so hot

“Crosshair is that Hunter” “Eh huh”

I love that they’re a SQUAD here

Omega is all grown up 😭 she’s making the calls

“Focus on the bigger mission” oh she’s so good

Hunter’s gonna be pissed

LOOK WHOSE HAND ISN'T SHAKING

WET HUNTER!!!!!!!!

Come on Crosshair 😭

Noooo ugh that’s gonna sting. The guilt he's going to feel...

We don’t even see Hunter or Wrecker’s reaction 😭 oh they’re going to hate Crosshair for this 😭

My brain is literally so discombobulated. I woke up to watch at the drop and now I don't know if I'll be able to get back to sleep. My notes are so choppy and disconnected I can't even. Just PAIN. We got wet Hunter... but at what cost. We didn't even get the reveal we all hoped was coming. Jen, Brad, and Filoni are watching us and they know all the ways to play us like a fiddle.

And don't think I didn't miss the "Plan 99" theme there, Kiner bros. That was so not chill

11/10 OUCHIE

[lunarsilkscreen]

TW: Lightsabers

Are they metaphors?

Martial Artists; especially swords experts: can see when a person is using a weapon correctly, and with the full weight of their actions. You can see the feeling of the weapon, and if the wielder is using it correctly.

Here's the thing; a lightsaber has no weight on the blade. Only the hilt. On some level; there's inherently a difference between a lightsaber and the classical weapon it is based on.

At least to those who are used to wielding the heavier weapon.

<aside>I wonder if this judgement exists of those in Europe wielding savers and rapier.</aside>

What this demonstrates, what the stories and movies depict; are a class of warrior who do not feel the full weight of their actions. Especially, when they're inflicting harm on somebody else.

Metaphorically; this means that when they chose to act, when they use their abilities, when they use their weapon; they don't fully understand the pain that they inflict, or are capable of inflicting.

This is especially present in the Jedi capable of doing "mind tricks". Imagine getting somebody fired from their job after performing a little manipulation.

<aside>This is the real reason why Watto and Jabba are immune to Jedi "Mind Tricks". They've been burned before. A mob boss and a junk salesman would know better than to take somebody at their word.

Not their race as many inept fans assume.</aside>

In the extended universe and non-canon media; this is further added upon by giving sith trainees what are known as "vibro-blades" before they're allowed to wield lightsabers.

And in some circumstances; [x]ing their fellow trainees and friends (and even trainers) just to drill in the feeling, so that they know the *full weight* that their actions have.

If that doesn't drive you crazy; it serves two purposes: Knowing the feeling so that you don't misuse it, and being able to use it when necessary despite how it feels.

As we've seen in many sith however; it can numb you to feeling anything except your own grandeur in overcoming any and all adversity.

[pickleslice]

long forgotten vibro shock sword power my beloved

[enkisstories]

Connor: "Close season is over - it's on now!"

Roshell: "Bold words from a spoiled little daddy-brat! Do you think I didn't hear the news, Connor? Your grip on the Force is loosening. You are no match... huh?"

Connor: "The rumours ARE true. And because that is so, because every time I reach into the Force, a side effect occurs, I focused on honing my dueling skills instead - with a common vibro blade."

Roshell: "Not the same!"

Connor: "As my brother wasn't the same as me. But even though he was below me, he was still sufficient. His suggestion to practise with swords was sound."

Connor: "And now I'm going to gut you like the animal you are!"

Hank: "Connor?! You won't really...? Oh, shit, he's out for blood for real... and he meant that literally..."

[aqueousablution]

(July 2023) Armored sorXa WIP

Original post body under the cut:

I still need to figure out what she's hanging off of, but I'm mostly pretty happy with how this is coming along! This is technically me debuting her new sword design, as well as an idea I've had for a while now regarding how her armor works (since a lot of her armored design technically has exposed artificial skin), with a sort of energy shield coating her. I like the idea that this energy can also supply some power to her weapons, letting her use them without plugging them into her abdomen (though she can still do that for further power; for example, the sword is only a vibro-sword unless it's plugged in, in which case she can use its beam blade).

This was actually originally meant to be a rather different pose (basically based on Zero's aerial slash sprite from the MMZ series), but I was running into difficulty getting that to look right, so I opted for this instead.

(Post-hoc addendum: I never finished this but I still like how it looks, which is why the WIP is being posted)

[swedebeast]

Solle Campaign 5: A Game of Mutants & Misfits

The Finale.

I realize that I never actually posted and detailed the resolution to this post-apoc game I ran awhile back. I have it tagged as the "Solle Campaign" for those curious to read - but summarized - post-post apoc scenario in Swedish outback where gunpowder is the top technological achievement, and a Hannibal Barca sort of mutated Wolf has lead 200 barbarian tribals to burn down the re-settled ruined city of "Solle".

And the players united the fighting clans of humans, mutants, and psionics. They spoke to the daughter of the clan Reggár leader, she had jumped in to stop kids bullying her mutant friend, and after a brief convo she had talked to her father about how they all should come together. The players mended bridges, made everyone promise to work together.

And also found an Aliens-like Sentry Gun. And thwarted a bombing attempts, and got hold of several kilos of military-grade plastic explosives. And two droves. And forced the tribals to only come into down through two tight paths.

Yes, they had a salvaged APC.... but an explosion with a 80 meter radios range, uh... it bypassed the armor. And 150 tribals walking on a serpentine road down from a hill were, uh. Yeah. The hours I spent preparing for the final battle? Very much circumvented. But I have it to the players! I was not going to deny them using the resources they had, nor the consequences of their actions.

So, they just had to deal with the cavalry charge, backed by 50 "elite" tribal warriors armed with guns and body armor. Downtown wars fierce. Grenades lobbed from windows, people jumping for cover from Clydesdale sized-carnivorous mounts, and Hate-Johnny himself barging into the building which had the 25 psionic and hardy farmer Goose men...

And left only 3 alive.

And once he was out, surrounded by several of the party members and NPC allies, he was covered in blood. This black furred mutated wolf, gasmask torn from his face, covered in an old knife vest, and a vibro-sword in his hand, covered in blood. He lunged... and 30 meters away, off to the side, the melee focused 4-amed cockroach-designed mutant PC shot him in the head with an assault rifle. Dead before he hit the ground.

Victory.

And now, half a year later after running a horror campaign... I do believe it is time to revisit this.

[untilteddocument]

After-Action Archive Caves of Qud - Grave Thoughts

Welcome again, one and all, to the After-Action Archive! I've got another tale from Caves of Qud this time, much more pertinent to the overarching plot. Due to the involved nature of describing the situation, this is going to be a two-parter, matching the two rapid-succession quests that it encompasses.

Note: This and the subsequent after-action report will concern a pivotal surprise moment in the main story quest line. For those who want to avoid spoilers, please do not continue.

Bear in mind, these will be nowhere near plentiful enough to count as a full LP, but consider it a sort of highlight reel. With that in mind, it's time to wake the sleeping bear.

This, dear reader, is Grit Gate, an underground haven for the Barathrumites, who are a group of mostly urshiib (bear-porcupines) with scientific, artistic, and philosophical inclinations. They're reclusive folk, preferring to stay in their cave and minimize contact with the outside world. However, it would be erroneous to mistake their withdrawal from the world for evidence of xenophobia. To a one, they're good folk, and while mysterious, my status as a fellow tinker makes their ideas far less so (though many of them operate in far headier spaces than I've traversed).

They do have irons in fires, however, given that, at the eve of this incident, I had just returned from securing their access to the Spindle, an unfathomably-tall structure rising from the jungles of Qud, dating back to the days of our precursors, the Eaters themselves. Their plans for this are currently unknown to me, but whatever it is, it's likely something momentous.

For now, though, we-

...might be in trouble.

....oh...oh dear.

Their move at the Spindle seems to have made the Barathrumites a target.

The Putus Templar, who I mentioned in my previous report, are no joke. I'd tangled with them once or twice more since then, and it quickly convinced me that my victory against Cytor Hadicte, Warmonger Amongst the True was an upset against a mere scouting party. Even their squires are kitted in heavy enough armor that I found it difficult to take them on in groups at the time, to say nothing of their willingness to use grenades. Worse, I had no doubt that they would attack us in earnest this time around, with far more than scouting drones and their just-indoctrinated striplings. Even with the tech and home field advantage that the Barathrumites had at their disposal, I had a suspicion a fight with the Putus Templar would not be in their favor.

Good thing I brought along some friends.

Roll Call

Whenever possible, I've made it a point to build ties with the Fellowship of Wardens. Protectors of every village that would have them (notable exception: the Barathrumites have refused their services in the past, something of a point of contention), they have done much to ensure the safety of Qud's people. This, of course, means that the lot of them are as tough as nails dipped in armor-plated 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel, and even then, few are as tough as Ualraig.

The protector of the village of Joppa, Ualraig is a seasoned warrior with speed, defense, and strength on his side. His Multiple Legs and Freezing Ray mutations make him hard to escape; his Regeneration, high-level Horns, and all the armor I was able to get him make him hard to kill; and his vibro blade and the flawless crysteel long sword I got for him make him hard to survive. I have little doubt that he could tangle with anything short of a berserk madpole and walk away.

-----------------------------------------

Next is local Would Do Numbers If They Showed Up In A FromSoft Game, the Wardens Esther. While nonbinary genders and pronouns are common in Qud, Esther's use of both she and they is due to something else.

In contrast to Ualraig being a foursquare tank, Esther's assets are speed and numbers. The latter is thanks to her signature mutation, Temporal Fugue, meaning that the "they" is because they are literally five motherfuckers. They also possess Teleportation, meaning that each of them can get into position immediately and chase down even the fastest enemy. Once there, Heightened Quickness gives them a plain old speed boost, letting them do more in less time.

Even as one, Esther is a beast of a warrior. Her skill with cudgels is fine, but her true weapon is the shield, and I had taken the time to replace her initial carbide number with a tricked-out eyeless crab shell, just as strong but immune to magnetism and rust. The spikes on it also mean that their shield bashes are that much more effective. Coupled with their upgraded armor, the Wardens Esther are poised to be the last flash of red any given Templar would see.

-----------------------------------------

I wouldn't be standing on the sidelines either. I'm not an eager fighter, but Qud is a rough place, and my preference for peace includes being ready for war.

In contrast to Ualraig's blades and Esther's shield and club, I prefer the shield paired with the axe. With their ability to remove enemy limbs (only added to by my ability to tinker the serrated weapon mod onto them), axes have proved an eminently practical tool when disassembling hostile robots for tinkering components and helpful for reducing the capabilities of other heavily-armored enemies, whether through cleaving through their armor or cutting weapon-holding limbs off.

Most axe-users tend towards all-out offense, overwhelming enemies and eviscerating them in just a turn or two. Being a tinker by trade, however, I don't have the strength or number of arms to really lean into that. When all is said and done, my true strengths lie in enhanced technology.

This force bracelet offers me more effective defense than any of the armor I wear. It generates a tough shield that also gives me the ability to tinker, repair, and even recoil to a town mid-battle, due to technically surrounding me with walls and rendering me inaccessible to enemies. What's more, I can fire through the field, meaning that I can attack at range while safer than otherwise. The Jacked item mod makes it synergize perfectly with my high-level Electrical Generation mutation, drawing less than I'm able to generate per turn despite its comparatively heavy power requirements. In terms of defense for itself, electromagnetic shielding lets it weather EMP and getting physically pulled off of me by powerful magnets.

It's not impervious, of course. Enough sustained damage can brute-force sections of it down, forcing a quick deactivation and reactivation to refresh the field. More definitively, it is vulnerable to normality-imposing effects, ranging from ontological anchors to normality gas grenades. Pertinently, the Putus Templar are known to rely on those, so it's not guaranteed to carry the day.

Good thing it's not my only option!

Offering a different kind of defense, the hologram bracelet (fittingly, a gift from the Barathrumites for proving my skills to them) provides an impervious distraction for enemies to target. With electromagnetic shielding, it's I think actually impossible to disrupt other than physically damaging the bracelet itself. The distraction isn't perfect (there is an Intelligence-based check for enemies to see if they get distracted or not), but another target for at least some enemies means less heat on anyone else.

Coupled with my armor, I had some confidence that I could survive and meaningfully contribute to the fight.

Confidence, however, was in short supply in general. The Barathrumites, having lived in isolation and beneath the serious attention of the Putus Templar, were not unschooled in self-defense, but their lack of practical experience meant that their reactions ranged from ice-in-the stomach resolve...

...to worry...

...to abject terror.

Out of them, though, perhaps the general shopkeep Mafeo summed it up best.

The Barathrumites need my power and strategic acumen, and I needed to apply it well if we were to make it out of this alive and well.

To see how that turned out, the second part of this after-action report is here.

[eorzeashan]

Here's a dumb question. Is Eight played by two characters? I'm sure it's probably obvious--hence the dumb question. I've seen most things with him wielding a vibro-blade, but I could swear I've seen him with a blaster rifle too.

It's no dumb question! You're exactly right in that, I made an Inquisitor copy of him just so he could wield a vibro-blade like in my headcanon (since there's no current Tech class that allows swords). Overall, he's an imperial agent, he just has clones with different weapons.

[yuecoocoo]

it has a giant sword made of drones. the sword is also a gun. it has a glowing vibro sword INSIDE that sword. THEN the sword turns into a one winged angel thing that shoots laser what the fuck

the schwarzette has instantly become one of my favorite mecha designs of all time

[wrestlingcheese]

02/12 Mess hall [O]

The mess hall is a wide, low ceilinged room, and can mostly be characterised by how loud it is; from several rooms away it makes its presence known, and is filled with at least 1d10+2 insurgency members at all hours.

2-in-6 chance of a squad of elite insurgents, led by Washington Evans, the Insurgent leader on-site. As with the other insurgency Elite, he is heavily armoured and bears a special vibe-sword built from the remains of the chain-blade brought with him on the fateful submarine expedition that brought ruin to the colony.

There is plentiful food and supplies available for allies of the insurgency, but it is impossible to sneak through the room without being spotted, for allies or enemies alike.

Elite Insurgent:

C: 65 I: 70 W: 3(50) Ar: 6 DMG: 4d10 Silenced SMG

Washington Evans:

C: 70 I: 75 W: 4(50) Ar: 6 DMG: 4d12 (Gore) Vibro-Sword

[violetjedisylveon]

Amnesia Chapter 6 - Early

Summary: Freyu encounters trouble on her way back home, Omega worries about her *guardian's safety.

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: Animal pregnancy, pregnancy stuff, birth, violence, injury, mention of blood, mention of birth related things.

A/N: *Omega has been with Freyu for more than two weeks, by Massii standards and law, Freyu is her legal guardian. After two weeks the new guardian's scent is on the kid strongly enough and tells Massii that this kid is under this person's protection and care, return to that guardian and no one else, unless given obvious reasons.

Amnesia AU link here.

Unrelated to this chapter but Freyu and Iri drawing.

________________________________________________________________________________

Something's wrong.

Freyu glanced around quickly. There wasn't any immediate threat, but she swore she had felt something. There was something going on.

Meg'ika! She tapped into the connection she had formed with the girl, relieved when she wasn't in any distress, it actually seemed like she was sleeping.

She glanced behind her at the foothills far in the distance and tall grasses all around her. There was no disturbance.

Probably a false alarm. She thought.

They were almost back at her home, less than two hours away, they had regrouped with minimal complications. Mayar had refused to go any further and stubbornly waited for them, Xillyn had stayed with her, so the pair were coming with them to her house.

She glanced up at Xillyn, who was sitting on Asichi's back. Mayar was too pregnant to be ridden; she had offered to let Xillyn ride her horse. The child had a look of worried confusion on xir face. Xe was looking at xir horse.

"Mayar will be fine. She's not hurt, she probably just got uncomfortable." Freyu told xim.

"It's not just that, there's something wrong, Mayar wouldn't tell me why she stopped." Xe said.

"It's probably nothing." Freyu smiled up at xim.

Xe smiled back at her, xir nerves easing.

"Yeah, I guess." Xe said.

Freyu picked up their pace, she had stopped to talk and they had fallen behind, Mayar had slowed with them. The mare had been sticking unusually close to her, maybe she knew she was near labor and wanted to be by her because of that.

Mayar suddenly stopped and her head shot up, ears forward and alert. Freyu knew that posture, she clicked her tongue and Asichi broke into a run.

Bolts fired at their previous position, Xillyn screamed. Freyu let Asichi run ahead of her to get Xillyn to safety and pulled out her blaster. The fields were silent again.

Mayar was still here, most animals would've bolted. The mare knew something she didn't.

"Where are they?" She whispered, scanning the fields visually while feeling for lifeforms.

Mayar neighed and gestured a tentacle to her left. She checked, there wasn't anyone there, anymore. Someone was here.

Up ahead, the others were heading back towards her, she spotted the trap moments before they could step into it.

"Stop!" She shouted.

The other froze in place. Asichi whinnied at her and stomped a hoof in irritation.

Freyu closed her eyes and searched for her would-be attackers. Mayar rested a tentacle on her shoulder, aiding her search. She raised her blaster, let the Force guide her direction and pulled the trigger.

She didn't miss.

She whirled around and shot the two people that had been sneaking up behind her. She got a look at them. The surviving slavers, of course.

"Oisk(Mando'a, shit)." She muttered under her breath.

She was glad she still had the helmet on.

Mayar shoved her out of the way of what would be a glancing blaster shot. She fired back but didn't hear the sound of blaster bolts on flesh.

Osik! I missed.

She sensed another shot and she had just enough time to jump out of its way. Mayar jumped too, the bolt passing too close for comfort. The attacker charged at her, Mayar let out a guttural growl and lept forwards to intercept the attacker.

Freyu drew her vibro sword and struck the slaver's arm. They cursed and tried to shoot her, she landed a kick to their chest and knocked them to the ground. She heard a crunch from the impact, the slaver's body was twisted unnaturally.

They're dead. Freyu sighed.

She sensed no other beings around her, none with malicious intent. It was safe.

"That was annoying." She complained to Mayar.

The mare whinnied in agreement. Freyu took her fallen lead and tied it back up around the saddle horn. She turned around and was sent back by a blaster bolt hitting her, the energy blast passing through her protective vest and hitting the armor plate she always had under her clothes.

She hit the grass with a thump. Mayar roared and stomping followed. Dazed, she slowly sat up.

How long has Mayar's leg been like that? She cocked her head, the mare's hind leg was bent in slightly, she could see it clearly at this angle.

Something fell from the mare and landed with a plop. Liquid started to trickle down her legs.

"Fuck." Freyu cursed, jumping up to attend to the still mauling mare.

She ran her fingers along the irregularity in Mayar's hip. It was a rigid dip, a break. Fuck.

"Freyu! Is something wrong?!" Cai shouted.

"Get me a cart, Mayar's water just broke, we need to get her to shelter as fast as we can!" Freyu shouted back.

"On it!"

Narvae brought the feed trailer, a large, flat platform with something to cushion the foaling mare against any impact from a bumpy ride.

"Valen, tell the other's we're heading to my house, Mayar's in labor with a broken hip, I'm gonna need all the help I can get." She ordered, leading the now limping mare up the ramp.

She settled Mayar down and got her secured. Xillyn jumped off Asichi into the cart beside xir horse.

"Mayar! Is she gonna be okay? Is she gonna die?!" Xe shrieked.

Mayar neighed and started fidgeting anxiously. Xillyn's reaction was influencing her. Freyu grabbed the Massii by the shoulders and made xir look at her.

"Xillyn. You need to calm down. You are panicking, that is making Mayar panic when she's already stressed. I know it's hard but you need to make yourself calm down and keep Mayar calm. She will be fine. I won't let anything happen. Just help me by staying calm." Freyu instructed calmly.

Xillyn sniffled, wiped xir eyes and nodded. Freyu gave xir shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"It's going to be just fine, we'll be at my home soon and she'll be safe there." Freyu promised.

She sat Xillyn down next to Mayar and let the kid and xir horse curl up together. Xillyn whispered reassurance and encouragement to Mayar. Freyu turned to Cai, his eyes were on her side.

"I'm fine, didn't get past the underplate." She said, brushing off his concerns before he could voice them.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yep, c'mon, we've got bigger things to worry about." She said.

She got on Asichi with only a little pain, her adrenaline rush was dulling most of it. Asichi whinnied at her.

"I'm fine." She said again.

Asichi shot her a disbelieving look, but luckily didn't press the issue.

XXX

Omega stared out the window, watching, waiting. Freyu should be back by now. She said she'd be back. It was late and she was supposed to be asleep, but she couldn't, she was too worried. She had a feeling something was wrong.

A flash of color in the dark and Iri was swooping towards the door. Omega jumped up and ran downstairs to get the door. Alask was already there, Iri perched on her arm.

"Meggie?! What are you doing up?" The Twi'lek asked.

"I couldn't sleep." Omega mumbled nervously.

"I guess it's good you're up, I need your help." Alask sighed.

She tossed a jacket to her and she got her rain boots on.

"We've gotta get a stable ready and heating, Freyu's bringing a horse in labor here and it needs to be warm and dry for the babies." Alask instructed her.

Omega nodded.

Alask got a cart full of soft, grassy bedding and they both began to spread it out over a stall in the barn. Alask also turned the heater on so the room was toasty quickly. It's supposed to rain tonight. Omega remembered.

I hope she gets home before that. She didn't want anything to happen to Freyu.

In no time, the stall was set up to Freyu's instructions, thickly covered in bedding with the troff full of warm water. Now all they had to do was wait.

Freyu arrived shortly, leading a group of people and a big cart into the barn. She slid off Asichi's back, hissing in pain. Alask rushed out to meet her.

"What the fuck did you do now?" Alask asked, bending over to get a look at the wound.

Freyu covered the blaster burn and shoved Alask back.

"Got shot, t's fine, we've got something more important to deal with." Freyu pointed towards the cart.

Cai jumped off the cart and pulled the ramp down, revealing the very much in labor, panicking Mayar sitting there. Her sides were shaking, her body was straining with effort to push her young out, but there was a complication.

"Fuck." Alask muttered.

"Yeah, help me get her in?" Freyu asked.

Alask nodded and opened the stable doors for her. Narvae coaxed Mayar up, taking Xillyn's place since xe had gotten too worked up, Valen was with xir, keeping xir calm. Carefully, the Massii guided the several hundred pound animal into the stable.

Mayar practically collapsed onto the soft bedding.

"I need you to keep her standing for a little bit." Freyu instructed.

Narvae nodded and together he and Cai got Mayar to stand. The mare definitely wasn't happy about it.

Freyu grabbed her stethoscope from the kit that Alask had the foresight to bring in and ran it over the mare's swollen stomach. She could hear Mayar's panicked heart beat, and the softer ones of the twins inside. Freyu let out a sigh of relief.

"They're still alive." She said.

She had worried the foals had died due to their oxygen running out from the difficulties Mayar was having. Freyu moved to check the hind leg, she knew the hip was broken, maybe the pelvis too, and that was causing the problem, she needed to know how bad it was.

Mayar snorted and kicked at her, the large hoof hit her thigh. Freyu winced and took a half step back, holding in a grunt as she put weight in her injured leg.

That'll bruise.

She glared at Mayar, the mare snarled at her, baring her teeth.

Freyu had to take several deep breaths to keep herself from swearing at the horse. It won't help. She went to Mayar's head and patted between her ears. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the mare's. She matched her breathing and opened herself to Mayar, making connections was risky business when something was panicking, a lot could go wrong.

"Mayar, I'm trying to help you, you need to let me. It's going to hurt but you'll live." She said calmly.

She waited until she felt serenity fill the mare. Mayar understood. Freyu let out a sigh of relief.

"Her hip is broken, it's putting pressure on her pelvis and making it harder for her to give birth. We need to intervene or the foals will die." She said.

That got a mixed response. Outside, Xillyn shouted at the news, Freyu could hear Valen's hushed voice calming xir down.

Freyu clapped her hands, gaining everyone's attention.

"You've all done this before, what are you waiting for?" She prompted.

That got Narvae and Cai into action. Mayar was given pain relief and the area around her break was numbed. Freyu pulled on a pair of thick, shoulder length gloves.

"I'm sorry, this is going to feel very weird." Freyu apologized to Mayar once she was in the right position.

Cai held Mayar's tail out of the way.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yep, let's do this."

XXX

Freyu wiped her sweaty forehead and sat back against the wall. The freshly birthed placenta sat at her feet. It was finally over.

She glanced over at the pair of sticky little foals curled up next to their mother. Mayar was currently licking the afterbirth, and birthing smell, off her new foals.

She smiled when one made a face at its ears being cleaned. Freyu leaned over and rested her hands on Mayar's hip, the birthing hormones had numbed most of her pain so she didn't feel it. She closed her eyes and willed the bones to mend themselves. Mayar wouldn't notice until the foals stood and thus, could feed for the first time. She could always pass it off as her medicine.

She glanced out of the stall, it was dark out, but she couldn't tell what time it was, it was raining. The stable was very cozy and warm, even if it stunk a little now. Alask had done a good job.

Speaking of Alask, the Twi'lek was sitting next to her now. Freyu frowned, she was usually hard to sneak up on, she must be tired. She closed her eyes.

"You okay?" Alask asked.

Freyu grunted. She was sticky and sweaty and exhausted and her stomach hurt and her leg hurt. She wanted to pass out right there, she had a raging headache too.

"Did good, with the stall." Freyu mumbled.

"Meggie was a big help."

"Mmm." Freyu hummed.

Course Meg'ika's helpful.

"Speaking of which, Omega's here." Alask admitted.

Freyu opened her eyes and glared at her friend.

"What?" She asked.

"Omega has been here, the whole time, I didn't notice her for a while and I didn't want her to be alone so I just let her stay. She stayed out of the way." Alask said, putting her hands up defensively.

Freyu found Omega sitting by the water barrel, the girl offered her a shy wave.

"Meg'ika, you know what sex is?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Omega sounded confused.

"You understand what just happened?" Freyu prompted.

"Yes."

"Good, I don have to explain it." Freyu mumbled, resting her head back.

She could hear the rain outside. She liked the rain, playing in it was always fun. She felt dizzy.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep, 'm fine, just got shot, no problem." She mumbled.

"You got shot!"

Omega's shrill scream pierced her ears, she shot up and made eye contact with the very distressed girl.

"It's fine! I'm fine Meg'ika! It's not anything bad, I've been fine this whole time and-" Freyu broke off at a sudden surge of dizziness.

She had to sit back against the wall to ground herself.

"Freyu!" Omega cried out.

Freyu barely heard her running to her side over the roaring in her ears.

"It's fine, I'm… just really tired… been up for a while and doing a lot." Freyu said, trying to calm Omega down.

Omega was starting to cry. She reached out to the girl and was hit with an overwhelming surge of panic and fear. She saw something emerge from the dark spot in Omega's memory. Someone standing in front of her, protecting her, getting shot down.

Freyu ripped herself from the memory and cleansed herself from Omega's panic.

"Meg'ika, look at me, I'm fine." She insisted through her spinning head.

"You've got blood all over you!" Omega pointed out.

"It's not my blood Meg'ika, it's just Mayar's birthing fluid. My blood isn't red." She explained.

"What?" Omega asked, her small voice cracking.

"My blood isn't red, so this can't be my blood. There's nothing wrong, I am fine." Freyu insisted again.

"But you got shot?" Omega looked up at her with worried, honey brown eyes.

"My vest protected me, it didn't hurt me, just knocked me down." Freyu said.

The stable was starting to spin, her headache was getting worse by the second.

"Uh, you might've spoken too soon on the bleeding part." Alask whispered in her ear.

Freyu glanced at her side, a small trickle of magenta red blood was oozing out from under her vest. Omega saw it too and cried.

"Are... Are you going to die? I... I..." She asked in the smallest voice Freyu had heard from her. 

Freyu pulled the young girl into a hug, she latched on tightly.

"It's just a scratch Meg'ika, nothing serious, I'm not going anywhere." She whispered.

Omega sobbed into her shoulder, Freyu patted her back gently.

"Udesiir Meg'ika, udesiir(calm down little Omega, relax)." Freyu whispered.

"Udesiir." She rested her head against Omega's.

The world kept spinning around her. She slowly registered the pain in her side, she did her best to ignore it. An overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed through her.

"Meg'ika, I needa sleep, k? 'm fine but… i gotta sleep… really tired." She slowly stumbled through her words.

Her head spun and pulsed with pain as she let herself lay back against the wall. She could see Omega's worried face through her drooping eyelids, but her vision found focus beyond the girl, the sun was rising, making the clouds glow golden yellow with its light. Sunrise is always pretty here.

The dawn light faded, replaced by a warm, cozy darkness. She dimly heard Omega shouting at her and crying but that soon faded to nothing. Then all she could hear was a fire crackling and rain on the rooftop.

XXX

Rain poured down on her. The wind shoved her battered body around like a predator playing with its prey.

She was soaking wet. She was hurt. Bleeding. Her head, her side, they burned.

She could hardly hear out one side.

Her body was screaming in pain, she was screaming, and crying, and cursing.

She was cold, so very cold. She had never been cold like this before, it was something entirely different.

The cold came from within her and made her sticky skin cold to the touch.

An oily, cold stickiness pulled at her, beckoning for her to give into its dark depths. She didn't want to, she didn't want to be anywhere near it, her mind, the planet around her, screamed that it was poison, evil.

She screamed, clutching her bloody head and covering her ears.

Everything was so loud and confusing and she just wanted silence!

She wanted everything to go away and leave her alone with the growing shocked numbness that sat in her chest.

She curled into herself and cried more. Hot tears ran down her sticky cheeks. No matter how much rain fell on her, the blood seemed like it would never wash away.

There was no one to help her. She couldn't sense anyone or anything, the recently severed connections were painfully empty, void of any response no matter how much she tried calling out to them.

She was alone.

For the first time in her life, she was completely alone with absolutely no one.

Her face burned, the pain caused a growing rage towards who had caused this. She had betrayed them all, she took advantage of her when she was panicked and terrified and she walked away unscathed.

Ori'vod weren't supposed to do that. She should have been able to trust her big sister, but she got stabbed in the back.

Her blood boiled with the memory of the fresh betrayal. She clenched her fists tightly and screamed, she flattened the tall blood stained grasses around her without so much as a thought.

She was angry and sad and confused and hurt and it was all her ori'vod's fault!

Freyu woke up with a start. Her hands instantly went to the right side of her head and she felt around for blood. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt none. Her scars hadn't opened again.

It was just a dream. Just a bad, bad dream. She sank back down onto the bed. Her bed. She must've been brought inside.

I haven't had a nightmare like that in years though… it's probably nothing, just the stress. She took in a deep breath and cleared her mind.

Something, somewhere on Massanii, still felt wrong.

Empire, got to be that. She decided.

She shoved the feeling aside and focused on what she could hear from other parts of the house. She didn't remember much after telling Omega to calm down, she must've really knocked out. She could hear faint talking, but she couldn't make out any words.

What she could make out was the soft sound of breathing.

She glanced in it's direction and found Omega sleeping in a chair next to her bed. She had puffy eyebags and an irritated, red nose. Freyu chuckled and reached over, patting Omega's head.

To her surprise, Omega stirred. She blinked a few times, then gasped and turned towards her.

"Freyu!" She cried.

"I'm still here, Meg'ika, just like I promised." Freyu said in a much softer voice.

She patted the spot next to her on her bed, Omega excitedly jumped onto the bed next to her and gave her a big hug.

"I was so worried about you. I didn't wanna leave you." Omega whispered.

"Thanks for sticking around." Freyu said.

"Should I let everyone know you're awake?" Omega asked.

"Nah, might as well get some peace and quiet while I can." Freyu shrugged.

Her side wasn't hurting at the moment, she knew the effects of her own pain relievers, and knew she had a good couple of hours before they wore off. Omega yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Lay down, you can't have gotten a good rest on the chair." Freyu patted the unused pillow next to her.

Omega accepted the offer and snuggled in beside her under her blankets. Omega hummed contentedly when she was fully settled in. Freyu pulled the covers over her shoulders and laid down next to her.

"I'm glad you stayed, I don't like it when people leave." Omega whispered.

Freyu felt a twinge of pity for Omega, the kid had lost people before, but she couldn't remember the details of how and why and who they were to her. Maybe it's better if she can't remember. Freyu thought. No. Meg'ika's got a right to know. She told herself.

She gave Omega a gentle squeeze and pressed her forehead against Omega's.

"I promise I won't leave you, not ever." She said.

It wasn't very realistic, but she didn't care when she saw Omega's eyes lit up.

"Thanks Freyu, I won't leave you either." Omega swore wholeheartedly and snuggled closer to her.

Freyu sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't dream of anything other than peaceful fields.

________________________________________________________________________________

Ya like that? I liked writing it.

I originally had a bit more detail but then I was like "not everybody watched vets pulling babies out of animals or isn't grossed out by that" so much less detailed birth for you.

I am that animal person who knows lots about animals and isn't grossed out by much of it.

I am consumed by a crippling fear that the bad batch will end with Omega alone and something absolutely tragic, so I give her some happier moments here!

Happy mother's day if it's mother's day for your country!

Alright, I hope you all have a good day, whatever that is for you!

VJS Out!

[whumpster-fire]

Star Wars fans be like:

"Umm ackshually these guards of the Glupp Squad were painstakingly handpicked and trained for decades to tactically twirl at thin air."

"Allow me to objectively and intellectually DESTROY your argument piece by piece. If they were so carefully trained why were they using Magnetic Vibrator Swords instead of Shittonium armor?"

It is a space FANTASY. Not science fiction.

...And? Are you saying regular fantasy films don't get criticized for fight choreography? Like, if that fight scene were in Game of Thrones or something it'd still be getting roasted.

They are paired fighters, they don’t just hack and slash and keep going, they come at their opponents in waves and come at them from different angles in order to throw them off.

This may be just me, but to my untrained eye, if I wanted to avoid accidentally stabbing my buddy with my Vibro-Voulge (actual canonical weapon name, apparently) while surrounding somebody, one of my primary tactics to avoid making my team's superior numbers a liability to us would be to keep the sharp / hot / charged end of my weapon pointed somewhere vaguely in the direction of my opponent, and also not grip it right in the middle and totally lose the reach advantage of my longer weapon, thus allowing me and my buddies to stand a little further away and have more room to not stab each other.

I would also not do fancy spinning maneuvers when I had the enemy surrounded and therefore did not need to deal with attackers coming from multiple directions, but it's like whatever man.

Rian Johnson: heres my idea, the best fight scene in star wars. Because it has

Guards twirling to nowhere.