#xev'heng lumere

[crqstalite]

without you. [kotfe letters]

So I felt sad last night and decided I didn’t want to finish my original thought for Tri and Malavai, so I wrote this monster of a piece, all letters, from my toons to their love interests. Now of course, I’m more sad than I was before and accomplished next to nothing. Is Ronnie canon for the Heritage universe? Bruh who knows at this point?

Written: 10.12.19. Words: 3,799.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

TO: Kira Delux

FROM: Kiveqil Delux

SUBJECT: About Satele

-

I guess we finally found our answers. That child you assumed Satele had? Finally met him. That's right, Satele Shan, a hero of the Republic and devout Jedi had a son with none other than a commander. Crazy, right? His name is Theron, I'm sure you would've liked him if you were here. Just a tad annoying sometimes, but friendly enough.

Please, Please let me find you,

Kiveqil

-

He sends it, but isn't sure it'll reach it's intended recipient. Guzzling down another glass of wine, he slams his hand down on the bar to get the droid's attention for another. Usually a Jedi doesn't drink, if at all. This one, is in pain and his aura radiates as such. A singular tear slips down his pale cheek as he rubs a hand against his eyes.

-

TO: Archiban Kimble

FROM: Una'vi Havelzy-Kimble

SUBJECT: Ronnie.

-

It's been so long, but I would never forget a face. Especially not yours. Not someone who loved me like no one else would. Someone, who even though I fell from the light, never stopped caring about me. Thought I was still the best thing to ever happen to you, right down to every little freckle on my face.

You haven't met Ronnie yet. That's our son's name, but it can't be too hard to change once I find you again, if you want. He was as much a surprise to me as he was to Kiv. Obviously at first he was pissed, but he treats Ronnie like a son himself. I think it's rather endearing, but make no mistake. My heart belongs to you first and foremost, and as soon as I find you, you're getting the longest kiss in the history of kisses, got it?

Updated: I visited Ralltiir with Ronnie today. I...I searched for you high and low, but no one could give me an answer to where you were. I can't find you, Archie. It's been five years, this galaxy is only so big. Where are you?

-

She shuts off the terminal, rubbing at her eyes as she shifts her grasp on the young, dark haired child in her arms. She chuckles, should her son get any bigger, they'd have to work out the fact that mommy can't pick him up as much anymore. She frowns as she lays him down next to him, the boy curling up on his side against her. Everyday, he looks more and more like her husband, and something about that unsettles her.

-

TO: Felix Iresso

FROM: Naji Iresso

SUBJECT: Anniversary.

-

Today's our anniversary, Felix. I'm sure you remember, you always did. How sweet you'd be to me, how you'd beg for me to return to bed with you. Sleep is scarce these days in the Alliance, and most of my time is spent with the Commanders, trying to get things done. But once all the blaster fire has passed overhead, I come back to my quarters every day and pray I see you one last time before I take my final breath.

There is no death, there is the Force. I just wish that the Force would bring you back to me.

With Love,

Naji

-

Delicate singing fills the air as lays on the grass, hair pooling out beneath her as the stars twinkle down at her. Tears well up in her eyes as she prays Felix hasn't become one of them. Simpler times would've allowed her to spend the night with him, more than enough time in the galaxy together. Now all there is, is blaster fire, lightsabers igniting, fighting. So much discord in the galaxy, and not one signature cries out like his does.

-

TO: Corso Riggs

FROM: Ghenkl Riggs

SUBJECT: My Last Run.

-

Think I'm gearing up for my last run around the galaxy searching for you, Corso. As dismal as it sounds, I think this is finally the end. I'm not a teenager anymore, I'm not twenty anymore. I'm already forty, and as much as I love you I can't keep perking up at every mention of some smuggler terrorizing the galaxy. I wish it were you, but it never is.

Bet you'd laugh if you saw me now, all run ragged with grey hairs. Drinking more than I should because I know my final days are coming. Rum, beer, the like. Stars, just come home, please.

Fun while it lasted,

Ghen

-

It's not hard to see the woman is exhausted, dark circles underneath her eyes as she clenches a blaster in her hand. It's well worn, but clearly well loved as she looks down at it fondly. Rubbing at her eyes, she stands away from the terminal and holsters it. What's running through her mind isn't clear as she walks away quickly, her head held high as she grimaces.

-

TO: Aric Jorgan

FROM: Hakiojkl Hyperion-Jorgan

SUBJECT: Home.

-

Home is where the heart is. That's what my mom says every single day, every day I come back to her. It's been a while since I've been on Coruscant.

It reminds me too much of you. What we've done, what we've accomplished. Who we've saved, who we've avenged in the name of the Republic. After officially being discharged from the military when I did get back, Garza kept a spot open for me the whole time. I never wanted back in, I couldn't handle being in a squad without you as my right hand man.

Blast it, writing things always made me jumpy. I could never get my words out right, and it just sounds back even typing this. But gods, Aric you're my husband. If you've been sending me things, I'm sorry I never found them. I don't know what you're doing out there, but I'm sure you're doing some damn fine work. I don't know whether you're alive or not, what happened to the rest of Havoc.

I haven't been home in years. My heart still lies with you, and until I find you, I'm homeless.

Love,

Hakio

-

The dark skinned woman isn't quick to rise from her seat after meetings anymore. The way she lingers, as if she's waiting for someone is unsettling. As if ghosts haunt the hall ways of the Odessen base, as she crumples on the ground without her real leg, phantom pains making her cry out for her lover. With no one to save her but her previous comrade, it's a heart shattering walk back to her cabin as she cries over and over again for him to come get her.

-

TO: Elara Dorne

FROM: Xev'heng Lumere

SUBJECT: Last Life Day.

-

Dearest,

You've always been good at treating me right. I feel like I haven't exactly provided for you since then.

It's been years, I know. I know someone like you would've found someone else, someone to support you through all of this. I know I loved you, I know you loved me. But I abandoned you, for five years. Five years of pain, five years of longing. I know it's been hard for me, but I can't imagine how hard it's been for you.

I'm searching for you as I write this. The Alliance has been searching for recruits, but as much as they need a new medic, I need you. I need you back, Elara. I've been a mess without you, and I can't last like this.

-Xev

-

It isn't hard to see how the man grieves. A portion of his lekku is missing as the other hangs limply down his back. One of his previously lavender eyes has gone grey, though he's always so quick to find his old commanding officer to help her through the pain. However, his suffering hides far beneath his smiles and sarcasm.

-

TO: Malavai Quinn

FROM: Tri'ama Amarillis-Quinn

SUBJECT: Stations.

-

It's always been a matter of station with you, hasn't it, Malavai? Statistics, reports, briefings. Rising in the Empire after hitting a ceiling. A rising star before being kept on Balmorra. Then, you met me. Things changed after that, didn't they? You met Vette, who you despised at first before you came to care for her. You met Jaesa, though you weren't ever terribly clear what you thought about her. You met Pierce, who you thoroughly hated, though you worked with him well. And Broonmark, though neither of us grew terribly close to our furry protector.

You tried to kill me. End my life there on the Transponder Station above Corellia. How it pained you so, how I had to hear some of your bones crack sickeningly against the blastdoor. How you made me jump for months afterwards. How I still didn't trust you completely when I agreed to marry you, agreed to let you back into my quarters, back into my heart.

What am I trying to say, Malavai? I'm trying to say that though I was horrible about showing what I thought about you, that I loved you. That I loved the way I could catch you off-guard by planting a sneaky kiss on your cheek. That I loved the way you could catch me off-guard by pulling me in, one arm around waist as you kissed me hard. The way we would wake up together in the morning, and go to bed together at night.

You've surely risen in your station, Malavai. I hope the last few years have treated you well, that you've finally become more than just a Captain. That you can lead an army of your own men now, instead of being in that army. I wish the best for you.

I don't know where the Alliance is taking me, but galaxy be damned if they try to keep me from my husband.

Once you told me you wished to continue being my loyal captain and dutiful husband -I kept your letters after all these years, yes- to that I respond with this: I wish to continue being your imposing Darth, and loving wife. Do you understand that, hubby?

Do you know how much I miss you? How much I still love you?

-Tri'ama.

-

The Darth is harder to read, her emotions aren't as prominent as others who have lost their lovers. She accepts, she moves on. She continues to cut down those who stand in her way, she continues to be a beacon of hope for the Empire. But something about the way she doesn't let anyone take care of her injuries, is worrying enough.

-

TO: Andronikos Revel

FROM: Mierrio Revel

SUBJECT: Wine.

-

Remember how I didn't ever like that you drank as much as you did? How I'd be annoyed when you came back wasted?

I see the appeal now. It gives me time to forget about the pain of losing you. About the pain of being alone. I feel fuzzy, like the last five years have all been a dream instead of my twisted reality. It burns me so bad, but I'm willing to endure a bit of pain just to forget how much I miss you.

Hate wondering whether you've finally kicked the bucket, with all the kriffing shit you get into. Your reckless flying, the way you'd nearly sacrifice your dumbass for me. I can't feel your presence anywhere, and that scares me somedays, Nikky. You never knew whether we were going to be together forever, and neither did I. Back then I wouldn't have cared less for you saying something like that, because whatever came up we'd kill it together.

Now you're gone, and I'm still here. I know you said that we'd be together forever, while we were in each other's orbits, and until the stars finally went cold. I'm scared, Nikky. I really think this is the end. It's been too long for you to still be out there.

Come home, you kriffing dumbass. You know where to find me.

-M

-

From first glance, you never would've guessed the woman was a Sith, capable of murdering hordes of enemies beneath her lightsaber and lightning. She looked like nothing more than a spaced out spacer, staring out into the void of her ship, throwing back yet another bottle of rum. Something snaps, as she throws the glass bottle against the wall, and it shatters into thousands of glass pieces as she roars in anger.

-

TO: Mako Li'ui

FROM: Theksevoy Li'ui

SUBJECT: Honeymoon.

-

I never got you your fairytale ending, and I'm so sorry. It was always 'tommorrow' or 'when we have the credits'. I'm so sorry Mako, you deserved better than me.

If I ever see you again, when I see you again, we're ditching this whole business and blasting off to the far, luxorious corners of the galaxy and living like royalty until the galaxy catches up to us or we die. Whatever happens, we do it together.

Someone in the Alliance (I'm betting it was one of the Ciphers, Nine and Twenty-Six always manage to mess me up) found our records and sent them to me.

I love you, Mako Li'ui.

-Thek

-

Everyone was afraid of the brute, Mandalore's Champion. Everyone knows his name, but not his story. No one wants to get close, to make him snap, to make him angry. The only people that have come back without a horror story to tell is the small, thin Intelligence agent. No one knows what she did for him, but he protects her with his life now.

-

TO: Torian Cadera

FROM: Ba'shira Cadera

SUBJECT: Get Away.

-

That hunting trip would've been nice, cyare. Should've taken you up on it earlier, before all this Alliance business happened. Had I not been there, I would still be with you. Hunting down the big game, bringing home the prizes with you. Spending every waking moment with my Torian.

Skinned myself a nice beast. Beasts, in fact. Without Bounty Hunting and since I haven't been able to find your Clan (our Clan, right? Never felt all that welcome), been collecting hides and such. Think you'll like 'em when you get back, cyare.

Everyday is my aay'han without you there with me,

-Shira

-

The woman is a clean shot, always. The target is never empty, and the holes never waver from the bright red target. It's terrifying, in fact. The way that if you bother her, she turns from the firing range but still shoots perfectly. It's enough to keep anyone in the Alliance from bothering the Mandalorian, even though somedays she wishes someone would continue bothering her. To keep her from thinking these horrible thoughts.

-

TO: Vector Hyllus

FROM: Rubiksi Delux-Hyllus

SUBJECT: Nests.

-

I've visited nests. I find them fascinating, and for the most part, they accept my presence. Some kinder nests enjoy my visits, though I had to leave most rather hurriedly, they wish for me to become part of their nests. I'm not sure they understand that I am human and don't wish to Join them, but they let me be.

Those of the Oroboro nest are harder to convince. They know me, and they love me. In a way different from the way you loved me, like siblings, like parents. I spent a majority of my time on Alderaan with them before the Alliance came to be...I had dark thoughts, Vector. I really believed it was time to end it all. The cliff where you saved me became my home for months on end, though every time I couldn't bear to slip off without knowing if you knew I was still alive.

So I didn't. I considered other ways of getting rid of my consciousness. Drinking has always made me nauseous, so I kept away from doing so. Bounty Hunting affected my conscience in a way I didn't think it would after everything Intelligence put me through.

I wanted to Join, Vector. I thought that if I let them absorb me into the colony, that I'd see you again. That everything would just fade away. I remember you once told me you didn't want me to either, because my individuality would be gone. I brushed you off, I'd already known that my individuality had been stripped away by the SIS and Intelligence. But, as the search continues I've accepted that this is who I am, and taking this away wouldn't make you happy.

The Alliance found me, told me Cipher Nine could help them with the fight against the Eternal Empire. I believed they were crazy for a moment there, what would a lowly Cipher do against a galaxy-spanning tyrannical ruler? They were quick to convince me that I could do a lot, and with my ties to Intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult to have a leg up in the war.

I thought if I helped them, they'd help me. They tried to, tried to find you. But they needed me every waking moment, leaving them as an ally of the Alliance made me a target. It isn't until now we've begun really searching for those lost during the war.

I was told Killiks lost a majority of their nests as well. I can't imagine how that feels, but those I built a connection to are in pain. Mutual pain is never something I wished to endure, and for now I've accepted I don't belong with the Empire anymore. My allegiance ended as soon as they used them for canon fodder.

I pray you were one of the lucky ones, Vector.

-Rubiksi

-

The most listless out of all the recruits to the Alliance, the lithe human female stares out the window, blonde, brittle hair over her shoulder as she leans against a pillar. It seems everything is too big for the woman these days, as she tries to hide herself among the crowds. A ghost of herself, the amber-eyed agent isn't sociable, and many are afraid to approach her. But, no one wants to admit they're afraid one day they'll wake up and she won't be there.

-

Some bonus letters from characters who didn't romance Bioware's LIs.

-

TO: Theron Shan

FROM: [Redacted]

SUBJECT: [Redacted]

-

Hmm..You've always been a tough one, Shan. Slippery, odd. Never really ever landed on how old you were, whether Theron or Shan was really your name. You're good at your job, I'll give you that.

I'm not going to say I'm sorry for being gone. After Yavin, [Redacted] and I had our differences. She didn't trust me, I didn't trust her. Lana was having her own issues keeping [Redacted] from doing something catastrophic, and didn't trust me not to switch sides again. I'm not apologetic for what I did, and I never will be. I look out for myself first, you three second.

But this? This is rather odd. [Redacted] is an interesting place to hide, especially among [Redacted]. Given, this has been my home for a while, and [Redacted] was easy to convince to let me stay here too. I have my ways, always. But I suggest you go back to pretty boy, think you've really struck a nerve now. But [Redacted] is going to throw a fit if you show that shaven head around her again.

-

The water front has been a nice home for the last few years as she giggles, baring her teeth as a woman wraps her hands around her waist, tickling her until she can't breathe. Though, the giggles are cut short as the Cathar woman's eyes widen, hearing them before the door breaks down. A shriek as silk flies, one look behind her and she's out the window, tumbling to the ground in little more than a sheer top and a skirt, she begins running, cursing the man's name under her breath.

-

TO: Aristocra Saganu

FROM: Scy'arla Tuvii

SUBJECT: Red Flame

-

I didn't understand what that meant until I looked into it among the other Chiss at headquarters. Once I did, you can't imagine the kind of warmth that sent. I'd only known you for a few weeks at best, but I wish I could've gotten to known you better. I know I'm little more than just a Twi'lek in most Chiss eyes, but I really did feel like I was more to you. I hope it wasn't misplaced.

We both have responsibilities past the other's knowledge. I know you're rather important to the Chiss, but I don't pry beyond that. I assume you know more about me, but I don't know how far that goes. I hope if you did learn anymore, it doesn't go much further past my objectives on Hoth with regards to Intelligence. I don't think you could see me in the same light if you knew more, I'm sorry.

Whether this reaches you or not, I'm not sure. You're busy, I'm busy. You're not like other men, I have a past I'm not ready to admit to. I'd like to extend an invitation to a suite on Dromound Kaas if you could ever get away for that long. It's beneath you, I'm sure, but think about it?

-Cy.

-

The Alliance doesn't seem to have taken the same toll on Scy'arla. The Cipher is rarely around, if at all, as a supplier. Still loyal, and frankly terrifyingly, to the Empire, she can't be relied on. The first assumption is that she is their traitor, that she has finally sold them out. But, when the time comes, her hands are clean, and everyone is left in surprise when the real traitor is outed among them. A chuckle here, an 'I told you so' there, is the all the agent leaves behind.

-

TO: [Redacted]

FROM: Darth Ezridivia Uvon

SUBJECT: You know what.

-

I know you have something to do with this. You always did have a hand in the cookie jar [Redacted]. As frustrating as it was to deal with you, I really do wonder whether you assisted Theron with this. You two were always a bit too close, though you argued all the time and butt heads even more than he and Lana did. You'd known each other for so much longer, worked together to get things done. You might've been gone for the last five years, but I just know you're behind this somehow. Theron wouldn't just do this to the Alliance.

I know someone like you, would.

-

The pureblood Sith woman paces back and forth, as her blonde comrade types away at a terminal. A grimace here, an angry monolouge there. The woman had no shortage of anger for the agent and his partner, even though she wasn't ready to admit that neither would do this without provocation. She fed off the raw emotions of shock and anger from those in the Alliance, but her nearly melancholy wife really kept her from snapping.

-

[crqstalite]

drabble, slow dancing in the dark (elara dorne && xev’heng)

a quick drabble for elara and xev because i’m a sucker for angst and i recently played through the gauntlet storyline for the trooper. it was supposed to be 600 words or less but i like describing things.

i lied when i said the alts weren’t present in this timeline. i may find a reason that xev is no longer on the thunderclap-

written: 8.6.19. posted to tumblr: 8.7.19. word count: 1,373

════ ⋆★⋆ ════ character song: true kinda love, estelle && zach callison

character file: captain xev'heng lumere, lieutenant elara dorne

-

they’ve never danced together before. it’s rare they spend much time alone, with the preparations for the attack on the gauntlet and all.

but somehow, she has her head on his shoulder, and they sway back and forth together to the old music. the notes flow over them, they’re horribly off time with the music, but like on the battlefield, they’re in sync. he hasn’t stepped on her toes, she hasn’t stumbled into him.

it’s far from perfect, he knows that.

but it’s good. and that’s all he can ask for.

he intertwines his verdant green hands with her pale, callused palms. they fit together beautifully as she lets him guide her around the small med bay.

xev is afraid he won’t see her again. “a man can’t go his whole life without dancing with a woman.” his sister would say, however old-fashioned it may have sounded, he believed it. the gauntlet could end both their lives, and he’d never get to take her on a proper date. out to a nice restaurant on coruscant, spending the night looking upon the stars, telling each other how much they adore the person they’ve spend the evening with.

if he died, it would be serving the republic. he knows that. he’s dedicated his life to it. but, just…one more day with elara. that’d be perfect.

vscyla would then sarcastically laugh, tossing one of her lekku over her shoulder, “not like my big, regulated brother could get a woman anyways.” before taking another swig of wine straight from the bottle. “not like either of us could find happiness anywhere in this damned galaxy.”

maybe it’s that she’s a gorgeous, human, woman worthy of adoration. that she’s so prim and proper that he was drawn to her. that while she deflected just about every advance he made, she would smile and give him some offhanded comment that would make his heart flutter. dating and flirting was never his strong suit, and never would be. why would it be? he was never the object of anyone’s affection back at the academy, he was the troublemaker, the ruffian, the alien.

“because we’re twi'leks, right? because we’re the aliens, the ones that the republic couldn’t give a shit about?” he would then take the bottle from her and sip from it. it’s bitter, but he chugs it down.

“bingo.”

but she was wrong. his dropout of a sister was wrong, and while it makes him feel horrible for thinking such a thing, his heart swells with happiness. with affection. elara loves him. she’s fond of him. every moment they spend together, whether on the firing range, sparring together, or she’s patching him up for the fifth time that week, is magic. every time he hears her laugh, hears her speak, makes him think he’s on cloud nine.

how it was so unexpected when after a particularily difficult mission, once they’d let the othesr walk ahead of them, she’d kissed him lightly on the cheek before disappearing to help aric with something. he’d frozen for a moment, before smiling to himself.

the song comes to a close, singing out it’s final notes. they come to a soft halt as she steps back from him. they’re both in their lounge clothes, sweatpants with havoc’s symbol emblanzoned on the leg and matching black tank tops. without pounds and pounds of durasteel between them, he can feel that she’s cool, not cold, but cool. cooler than him at least, and it brings him a sort of peace that he can warm her.

she lifts her head, her blue eyes meet his. their lips meet, and it feels as if…as if he’s finally loved. he’s finally found the person who respects him as he is.

xev finally has something, someone, to live for.

-

which is why, when he sees the sniper take aim for his girlfriend, he doesn’t even think before dashing in the line of fire. he knows his armor can take it, he prays his armor can take it he holds her in his arms. there’s not enough time to move, and as the shot pierces his armor anyways, her eyes widen as she screams his name.

he wants to tell her it’s going to be okay, but he can already feel the liquid pooling inside his armor. she scrambles to get them behind cover as the imperials takes shots at the crates they hide behind. his vision is getting blurry as she takes her helmet off and slips the offending armor piece off. her colbalt blue eyes are a pool of tears as she whispers something inelligible as his world fades into darkness.

-

she can’t hear anything. she keeps a firm finger against the side of his throat the whole time. the shot that was meant for her, pierced only a few inches away from his heart, an exit wound on the edge of his lungs.

damn those imperials with their armor-piercing sniper rifles!

damn her…her boyfriend for being the hero yet again.

elara can’t stop telling him she loves him, that she’s got him. that’s she’ll save him. that he’ll be okay, that he’s going to be just fine. the others won’t be done for a long while, she knows that. her commanding officer is out being a hero, but she just wishes that she’d be back soon. that they could leave this wretched place behind and get lumere- her xev'heng- on the mend and in the medbay as quickly as possible.

elara tries her best not to cry, but here and there a tear betrays her as she works. applying kolto where she can, staunching the bleeding as it spreads on the towels. it’s not the first time she’s had his blood on her hands, and it wouldn’t be the last.

stars, she prays it won’t be the last.

the shooting stops. she raises her head as the alarm starts. “pull out! the op is a success, and i want to see you all back on the thunderclap in the next ten minutes!” the imperials are pulling away as hakio’s voice rings out over the holocom.

“xev, lumere!” she’s trying her best not to jolt him, but he hasn’t regained conciousness. even she knows she won’t be able to lift on the way back. “xev, please…”

turning her holocom on, she steadies her voice. “forex, i require your assistance in getting the captain back to the ship. he’s lost conciousness.”

“understood, sir! however, lieutenant jorgan also requires medical attention! we’ve arrived near the airlock, but he’s sustained heavy injuries.”

stars above. not jorgan too. “i will head for your location, forex. i will need you to retrieve captain lumere as well.”

“roger that!”

-

she should be comfortable here. it’s a medical facility, she’s good in these places. sterile, white, smelling of antiseptic.

she should be.

but for the last two weeks, she sits in a waiting room. she does tests, she runs diagnostics. everything is relatively green across the board with not only the lieutenant but also the captain. jorgan is to be discharged in the next couple of days.

hakio is happy. she’s ecstatic, even if she tries to hide it from elara. she doesn’t blame her. she and the lieutenant are close, and she’s already prepping for his return to the thunderclap. he’ll recover quickly once he back among havoc.

xev'heng, he’s barely out of bed. among other injuries, he’s being kept for his blaster wound. there were moments elara was terrified he’d never wake up, even if they keep assuring her that he will. his slow breathing scares her, the scars that mar his face. they’re rough underneath her fingers as he weakly holds onto her.

their song plays again over the hospital speakers. slow, soft. beautiful. she leans into his weak touch as it brushes her cheek. “why did you have to go and be the hero again, xev?”

“because…” he shifts a bit to a take a deep breath in, “i love you, elara.”

she prays it won’t be the last time she holds his hand in hers as he drifts to a restless sleep.

[crqstalite]

( HAVOC SQUAD )

An elite squadron made up of Colonel Hakiojkl Hyperion-Jorgan, Major Aric Jorgan, Captain Elara Dorne, Captain Xev’heng Lumere, Lieutenants Tanno Vik, Yuun, Jaak’lo Khethak, Synntai Pakar, Ryean Wystern and Sergeant Vza’haria Atiya. Though coming from rough beginnings on Ord Mantell, the crew has slowly grown larger and more powerful. Also made up of the sub-group that operates alone at times, Mayhem Squad, the Republic is in good hands as long as this crew is active.

Hakiojkl Hyperion-Jorgan.

Rank: Colonel, Commanding Officer

Sub-Class: Vanguard

Specialist: Heavy damage dealer

Jaak’lo Khethak.

Rank: Lieutenant/Specialist

Sub-Class: Vanguard

Specialist: Covert Ops

Xev’heng Lumere.

Rank: Captain

Sub-Class: Commando

Specialist: Medic

Synntai Pakar.

Rank: Lieutenant

Sub-Class: Commando

Specialist: Demolition

Vza’haria Atiya.

Rank: Sergeant, Specialist

Sub-Class: Vanguard

Specialist: Sniper

Ryean Wystern

(not pictured)

Rank: Lieutenant

Sub-Class: Vanguard

Specialist: Technician

[crqstalite]

part 13, alone together. (elara & xev’heng)

finished off the trooper storyline for the second time and it only gets better! i know i’ve said this about other romances, but elara dorne’s romance is the best and you can fuckin’ fist fight me about it. she’s so precious and this game was meant for cowards that when (and if) i run synntai she can’t romance her.

written: 9.1.19. words: 2,864.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

character song: love you like a love song, selena gomez

character file: xev'heng lumere, major of havoc squad.

-

three years ago.

when she asked to be given some time alone, xev'heng wasn't sure exactly what she was implying. and, it seems as if elara didn't either.

seventy-three minutes. tops.

xev'heng will be the first to admit he rarely knew what to do with downtime. reasoning being? he never has any. havoc takes up so much of his time that besides his scheduled sleep (starting at 22:00 and ending at 5:00, usually.), he's always working. hakio keeps him busy, not to say she isn't always busy herself, but like her, he likes to stay that way. his days have been captured with training ryean and synntai (both more chaotic than they seemed, hence why the result outweighed the calculated risk of taking another demolition specialist and commando on to havoc) and keeping himself in tip top shape. general rakton isn't going to wait for him to finish his holovid. the faster they can take him down, the safer the republic is going to be.

that's...also to say maybe he's let his budding relationship with elara take the backseat.

hence why he's pacing back and forth in his own quarters waiting for her to return (most likely changing out of her armor), pondering on what to spend their time doing. his mind flickers for a moment before returning to more, pg themes. what does elara like to do? she's always happy to see him, sparing any moment to be with him, even for just a minute. any other time, he catches her working on something. it's not to say he assumes she doesn't relax at all, but then again...

what do aric and hakio do? he almost shakes the thought from his head, before really considering it. he and the others in havoc are all aware of their relationship, but have never been privy to any pda they may have engaged in. they're always rushing around to do some sort of mission, working alongside each other and trusting the other with their lives. his commanding officer seems so put together, he's sure their relationship is rock-hard stable.

but how? and why? both of their tempers run so high, he's curious if they've been leading the crew on that they're really together. but, he's never caught them arguing with one another. it's always compliments on the other's shot, fixing things together, going on early morning runs together when they stay on coruscant. the cathar and cyborg woman always seem so happy with each other, like nothing could go wrong and there's no possibility they could die tomorrow.

he's shaken out of his intruding thoughts when he hears a light knock on his door. "sir?"

he tries not to seem too excited when he gets up, slowing his steps when he reaches the door. it slides open after he presses a button, and he steps aside to prompt her to enter. she does so, and gives him a nervous grin in response. "the captain isn't exactly enjoying these forms. he grumbled all the way back to the weapon's locker."

"and the colonel?" he asks jokingly. how would hakio react? the hot headed woman never exactly enjoyed forms or doing things legally when she could get away with it. updating all of her forms would definitely make her a lot more irritable later.

"she gave me a knowing look and mentioned something about her distracting the captain long enough to fill it out fully." she chuckles, "i believe that means my original guess may have been incorrect."

"guess we have more time than we thought." they both stand awkwardly for a moment, unsure of their next moves. "seventy three minutes or more...we could watch a holo for a bit? it'd be over long before jorgan's finished with the forms."

"that sounds nice...xev." she fumbles with his name for a moment, rather foreign on her lips. spoken with such a beautiful articulation of an imperial accent, he smiles. elara doesn't often refer to him by anything but his title, and it sounds..pretty, even. "did you have one in mind?"

"not exactly. would you rather pick?" he asks, sitting on his bed as elara turns to the small terminal he has. "i haven't watched anything in years."

"i'd like that." she says, softly sitting next to him before he prompts her to sit back next to him against the pillows. it's a long while before the decide on one, a muted action flick neither admits to seeing before. it's been so long since xev'heng sat down to really watch one that he misses when he and vscyla used to watch them together as children. how she would shush him from time to time when he asked too many questions, when she made them snacks. when she smiled with a gap through her two front teeth, and said she'd earned the gap from a fight with a monster.

he tries not to frown at the thought as he tries to relax.

it isn't until halfway through the movie that he lets his eyes wander from the terminal to the blonde woman next to him. she's let her hair down from it's usually severely tied bun, and the curls fall around her shoulders. as typical as it is, her lounges are clean and stitched from where they may have ripped. she holds herself carefully, sitting up straight as her eyes remain glued to the blue projection. sometimes without her armor, xev'heng sees a fragile woman. he sees her scars that the durasteel hides along her arms and face. he sees the sky blue eyes that have seen the world a million times over, and the delicate but worn hands that have patched up people and simutaneously said goodbye to those who left the galaxy much too soon.

she's beautiful.

it's not like this is the first time he's been alone with her her. they've been off and on...'together', but with both of them being the medic to a less than cautious team (he can't even count on both of his hands how many times their CO has come back with some catastrophic injury and shrugs at it until she collapses, or worse.) and just being part of havoc pulls them away from each other. somedays, he forgets. somedays, he doesn't walk by the medbay just so he doesn't have to tell her he doesn't have any time left for her.

somedays, he doesn't want to tell her he's hurting, that another injury has put him on the sidelines. that someone's died he was unable to save. he wants to see her smile, he wants to see her relax.

just, something about her makes everything better.

he doesn't mean to stare, but her colbalt blue eyes catch his and her pale cheeks turn a rosy shade of red. "did you need something, xev?"

"n-no." he says (y'know, like the liar he is), as she turns back to the terminal. he tries to focus again on the holo, but every little shift, every little hair brush reminds him that she is beautiful, and smart. a warrior on the battlefield, well-versed in medical history and knowledge.

and she took time out of her day to watch some old holovid with him.

his hand moves from where it was beside him to hook into hers, lacing their fingers together. she tenses for a moment, first looking at their hands and then up at him. a shaky grin crosses his face as she leans against his shoulder. holo forgotten, she relaxes against him and tightens her grasp. xev raises her knuckle to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand before allowing it to drop back to her side in between them.

it's the small gestures that get him. he likes to feel her warm hand in between his as quiet explosions rage across the projection. her hair tickles his lekku welcomingly, and his typically cool body is warmed by her presence.

"i love you, elara." he whispers. at first, he's not sure she's heard him, but she turns to face him in answer.

"i love you too, xev." she responds. she presses a light kiss to his cheek before returning her head to his shoulder. he smiles, and leans back a bit into the pillows. "i promise you that i always will."

"and ever, and ever, and ever?" he asks, grinning as she chuckles.

"and ever, and ever, and ever." she nods, as he turns to kiss her, pressing herself into him further. there's no real intention behind it, but somehow she ends up in his lap, arms around his neck as she presses her forehead to his. he calms immediatly before she looks at him directly. "i did my research."

and somehow, he knows immediatly what she's talking about.

and he loves her for it.

-

present time.

"cipher, are you sure this was the brightest idea?" he can hear a hushed imperial accent as he begins to regain consciousness, head pulsing as he tries to keep any food down. he's nauseous and exhausted. "he is little more than a figurehead, we suppose we'll garner attention we do not wish to have."

"i don't believe that is the case, vector. research says he is a war hero. we should be cautious." another, more feminine voice answers.

"bugboy's right, cy. as much as i want to say this was a good idea to get this off your chest and all, your personal problems shouldn't come in contact with us, or me specifically." another, non imperial female answers. "rubi's gonna kick your ass if she ever leaves her room and finds out about this."

"then let's make sure she doesn't, yes, djannis? cipher nine needs to know nothing about this in her current state." another imperial accent, but this one diluted by another accent. as if they are new to imperial space.

wait.

"not to mention, i'm sure rakton will be pleased we've captured the man who took him into custody in the first place." the same voice answers as he opens his eyes, the dark light of his surroundings blurring most of his vision. trying to stay as still as possible, he finds his hands are bound behind him and feet tied together. the footsteps move in the opposite direction, and they haven't taken his armor off of him. his canon is gone, obviously, as he shifts a bit. "you're sure we weren't followed, ensign?"

"i'm quite sure, cipher." the other imperial voice answers, almost begrudingly. "no republic ships have entered the system since we've taken him aboard."

"is he bugged?" djannis asks skeptically, "don't republic soldiers have armor cams and kriff?"

"doubt it. he took a beating when he came in from the butt of my rifle. if he does, it must be glitched out by now." the main voice, the cipher's answers. "now all of you leave the room. i'm sure he's been listening. when he decides to reveal he's come around, i want to be the first person he sees."

the shuffling of boots across the ground and the closing of a blast door accompanies a finger under his chin as he tries to shrink away from the foreign touch. his eyesight is slowly returning, and a tanned yellow twi'lek stares back at him. "eoh nerra, it's been so long. it would be that we meet on opposite sides of the war, yes?" her voices is deceptively soft, deceptively soothing.

eoh nerra.

"vscyla?" her name flies out of his mouth in a panicked whisper. "what-"

"shhh, eoh nerra. i wouldn't want the others to find out the real reason you're here." his eyes clear fully now, as her yellow skin and lavender yellow eyes twinkle in the darkness of the room. she's dressed prim and proper in an imperial uniform, the black fabric stretched taut across her form as red and blue pins rest on her chest. her lekku hang around her neck, as she used to always have them when she'd been wearing a helmet for an extended period of time.

used to.

when she used to wear the republic's colors.

"why am i here?" he says darkly, struggling against his restraints as they dig into his armored wrists. "i'm a major of the republic military!"

"my, my. you've gotten so far in the galaxy since i saw you last, xevvie." she says, musing as she pulls a vibroknife from a sheath on one of her thighs. it glints in the low light as it dances between her fingers, sharp and deadly. "a major in the republic? nearly my own rank within intelligence i suppose."

"you're a defector!" he says loudly, hoping her companions will hear him, and know of her true nature. to his surprise, she only laughs.

"i am, yes." she smirks, running the blunt edge of the knife under his chin. "they know, everyone knows. and no one cares. i'm one of the most successful cipher agents of this generation, and i didn't need to be brainwashed to do it." she responds, the last sentence a whisper as she switches the way the blade is facing. the silver just barely touches his neck, but with malicious intent behind it, he fears for his life.

he doesn't know what scares him more, the fact she admits it whole heartedly and that there is no cipher among her words to be found, or that her imperial accent sounds so...so natural.

like every part of his milry numa was gone. replaced with that of an imperial soldier.

"what is it, xev? afraid of me? of what i can do to you?" she questions. "what i am?"

"what choices you've made aren't for me to judge." he says, keeping one eye on the knife and another on her. her forehead raises, if she had eyebrows they would raise as well. "these were your choices that you made, to turn on the faction you fought for!"

"you mean the faction that left me to die!" she says, a fire blazing behind her eyes, as the knife digs just a bit too far and punctures his skin. "you mean the faction that thought i didn't matter enough to send an evac for. you mean the faction that saw me as replaceable. the faction that saw me as little more than just a sergeant in the military with no life without them. the faction that was going to let me die on some backwater planet!"

xev'heng doesn't answer, grunting as the blade presses against his neck, leaving a line of a cut across his throat. "i won't forget balmorra. the imperials gave me a way out of an operation that would've gotten me killed. they saw me as much more than just expendable. they saw me as an operative. they saw me as worthy. they took me, trained me. gave me the tools to succeed."

"you're committing treason." he answer as she pulls the knife away, trying to ignore the stinging pain the cut leaves, blood dripping onto his armor as vscyla wipes the vibroknife on the shirt of her midnight black uniform. "they were coming back for you, you just ran out of patience."

"tell me, major. have you ever been stuck in a trench, wondering whether your faction was coming back for you? without rations, watching as your fellow soldiers fell like flies around you? wondering whether the last thing you said to your loved ones would be your last words to them?" she says, her voice and eyes hardening.

"every. damn. day."

"now imagine being twenty. fresh out of the academy, terrified for her life. tell me, eoh nerra. when given the chance to live, even with the chance of defecting, to fight for a faction that cared about you and what you did for them, would you switch sides?"

"no." he grits his teeth as he answers. "i fight for the republic, and always will!"

"blind obedience then. you're little more than a kath hound at heart." she answers, resheating her knife. "as always. it seems you've never changed."

"and if i haven't?"

"i suppose you could be convinced, little one. that, or i could have the likes of vector and the doctor have their way with you." she said, and a shiver ran down his spine at the thought. who was vector? he'd been in the room earlier, vscyla had mentioned his name. but a doctor? was there one? and what would they do to him? "stay there, and don't move a muscle. i'd be disappointed if my present escaped the phantom before i could gift it."

-

scy'arla's only thought was that in the time she'd gotten to know cipher nine's companions since her arrival on the phantom was that vector was too much of a sweetheart to do any real damage to her younger brother, and the doctor wouldn't know where to start with the likes of him. however, she could nearly feel the childish fear radiating off of the major, and she smirked. she still had power over him, as she always had.

and this? ran much deeper than fighting for her faction.

blood was always thicker than water.

-

translations (in ryl):

eoh merra - little brother

milry numa - older sister

and the forehead touching thing that elara researched? a bit of a headcanon i found while writing this chapter, which is here << i thought it was rather fascinating, and included it. it seems elara would research such a thing for her lover.

[crqstalite]

( ONE ENDS, AND ANOTHER BEGINS )

xev’heng’s story, while far from over, takes a pause as we head into imperial space, where sho’jka’s long-winded apprenticeship to darth baras and then to darth amarillis-quinn begins.

[crqstalite]

SHADOW OF THE SITH, Ch. 13

HAKIOJKL._THE_THUNDERCLAP.

Fuck Leontyne Saresh.

Fuck Theron Shan.

Fuck the whole damn Republic while you were at it.

Hakio and her respective squad were being pulled off a very-well deserved leave to deal with what? Yet another SIS agent's fuck-up? A whole month, the longest time they'd had off, so she had to be grateful for what they did get. It could've been two days.

She was usually much more understanding about these situations, she did sign up for this and she would lay down her life for the Republic any day of the week, no questions asked. But at the same time, there was a point that every soldier asked themselves 'what in the blazes did I get myself into this time?'

Today seemed like it was that day for her.

Hakio wasn't about to blow it off and run. Going AWOL was never the answer and would probably result in a hefty sentence if she even managed to make it out of the core worlds. Though she did have yet to see how and why Republic SpecForces needed to get involved on an Imperial planet. Saresh had sent them some very odd places after Garza had stepped down for the time being, and all of them were getting closer and closer to being in direct offense of the Treaty of Coruscant. Now traipsing all over Imperial territory with no regard for the loss of life that would surely result? That just absolutely stunk of trying to get them off the map entirely while their faction was in shambles. While it was, yes, an opportunity to weaken the Imperials further after what had occurred on Makeb and more recently their Emperor's reawakening according to intelligence reports, it seemed poorly thought out when she ran it through simulations. Ryean often concurred with this opinion. Saresh believed that it was the prime time to cripple the Empire and in turn, the Emperor himself. No one had spoken out against her, so here they were, a few hours out of orbit of the Imperial planet.

An absolutely outstanding plan theoretically, one that she'd like to shred in real life since she was the one that had to carry it out with her own squad.

However, she also wasn't such a horrible person that she'd send the newly formed Mayhem Squad off on their own just so she could sleep a couple more hours. Ziost, from Saresh's point of view, was one of the most dangerous missions they'd handle, if not the most dangerous. Going directly onto an Imperial planet without any other SpecForce teams to back them up? Hakio could very easily see where she was coming from. A lot of the new squad that had formed under Havoc were still a little too green for her to feel comfortable about just overseeing their missions from Command even though they were all rather experienced in the field, but it was Garza's suggestion she let Jaak'lo and Vza'haria be the primary leaders of the operation. It had taking some toiling with, but eventually she gave the order.

Whatever questionable things Elin Garza had done in the past, Hakio still trusted the woman with her life. Maybe thought twice about what she said, what she advised her to do with Havoc Squad while she was on military leave (after all this time the woman still hadn't given up anything about Eclipse Squad to Command, but stepping down for some time would have to do with the current state of the galaxy), but she had yet to steer her wrong too badly just yet.

It would be good to give them a chance to shine their true colors, to see if they really were capable of leading a Republic squad with the reputation it had garnered in the past few years. Not that Hakio liked to doubt her people, but this would be a training exercise with some very real consequences if things went wrong. If they did split from Havoc in the near future, as Command would surely see fit to do, it would be nice to know which pair of hands Mayhem would be in when she wasn't overseeing them anymore.

Captain Vza'haria Atiya wasn't green -- stars she was an original member of Havoc Squad. Older than Hakio herself, for stars sake. She had years of experience that Hakio would die to get her hands on, a Mirialan sniper from the heart of Coruscant who she's sure was born with a sniper rifle in her hands. Though she was often cold, yet also calculating and easy to anger, if anyone should've been leading Havoc, it should've been Vza'haria. Yet her near-betrayal landed her with a ten year sentence and on the military blacklist until she was past her prime. The talent was surely going to go to waste in a prison cell, until Garza pulled her out only a third of the way through to rejoin the squad to track down Fuse on Tatooine. She was still technically on watch, but her service fighting Rakton gave her a chance at leading again for Havoc's sister squad, Mayhem.

Her second in command, also Lieutenant Jaak'lo Khethak was green, very green -- and it wasn't a joke at his skin color either. Yet another Mirialan, Jaak'lo had been in the military for a shorter amount of time than Hakio had been part of the original Havoc Squad before he was already being shoved promotion after promotion. He was an extremely talented covert ops soldier, and often got in and out of places that even Jonas couldn't boast about. He was actually recruited at Jonas' request, because eventually his off-the-books operations (that were, yes, successful, especially for a one man team, evidently digging up some Republic secrets that would get quite a few Colonels and Commanders in some serious trouble) were gaining the attention of the SIS and the poor kid would end up getting himself into some serious trouble if the brass found out about it. Garza had her concerns at first with his 'shoot first think later' attitude that reminded her of Aric in a way, but he'd quickly shown that his stealth generator was not just for show.

They could surely handle Ziost's mission with Xev'heng, Synntai and Ryean by their sides, but it didn't still mean that Hakio wasn't going to worry about the state of her team. Something just, doesn't sit right with her about the entire operation. Landing a direct attack on an Imperial planet? Especially in a time of panic that no one even understood? Something that had the entire Imperial faction scrambling to get it together? Forget that she was pissed that Theron Shan had dragged her into to this (effectively, he'd dragged the entire Republic into his mess from her perspective, so it was totally justified), there was about zero other reports coming in from anywhere. How quick Havoc had been contacted only a day beforehand after their last mission to Belsavis to quell an uprising, it was just plain weird. Saresh hadn't checked any of her sources, all that was known (or was being released to the general public -- the military who turned a blind eye to this, and all intelligence reports were either locked to her or simply weren't being shared) was that something big was going down, and a line of Jedi was in danger. Not even a basic mission report had been forwarded to her or Aric, no briefings that held any real information to it. Only that Theron Shan had lead them there without anyone's knowledge or approval, and now he was in real danger for some reason or the other. Things were way too hush-hush for it just to be an extraction mission for a single SIS agent and a handful of Jedi and not have other factors at work.

Something just didn't add up. Hakio would never say she was the smartest out of the bunch, she rarely was and often wasn't afraid to admit it when she didn't understand something, but even Vza'haria was lost on this one. There were too many unknowns for her to be gung-ho about landing. A lot of caution was to be exercised here, yet no one lived up to that expectation.

And that was just a tad bit too terrifying, being without all the answers. Uncovering things on the field had never gone well for Hakio beforehand. The cybernetics and scars that littered her body made her living proof that one extremely brief report could be the end to a soldier as you knew them.

She had no reason to believe it would now.

Without being under someone that had history with them, it wasn't as easy to get away with things, or get out of unnecessary missions. They couldn't reject a mission from up top, which was an injustice within itself, but there also wasn't much they could do about it until they landed on Ziost. Yet again they were simply pawns in the Republic's war, and for the last few missions, they were getting way worse at chess than Hakio thought they could be.

A whole building full of people, and not one person could be bothered to stop and think, hey, this might get a lot of people unnecessarily killed! We should get more intelligence before we send our top squad onto an Imperial-occupied planet!

Stars, she fucking hated working for the brass. Since Corellia, it felt like that was all they ever did. Moral or otherwise, they followed orders and dealt with the fallout from their decisions on their own. Not like she'd have the job she did now if she didn't accept the way things were, even if it earned her a lot of questions from her parents, or from her siblings after ops that went all the way right...but still made people ask a lot of questions that legally, she couldn't answer.

With a sigh, she sits down on her bed with a huff, running a hand through her short afro. Picking up her datapad off the night table, she scrolls absentmindedly through the few reports that have been received from Command, all overridden by Saresh's new order to Ziost. The day of training she'd planned while they were en route was enough to blow off steam and get the stress of the mission out of her head for a period of time. The team was improving marginally, and it was enjoyable for most involved. Tanno and Synntai had managed to make the entire thing a competition again (though Elara reminded them both multiple times that not only were they opposite genders, that they were completely different species with different skillsets physically), but the raw power they expended was enough to let Hakio sit back and let them burn themselves out. Yuun, while often quiet, was strong in his own ways without the flashy barbells and whatnot. Elara continued to remind her that though she was a medic, that did not mean she was weak or powerless.

The crew had grown since Coruscant, when it'd just been her and Aric traipsing through government regulations and conspiracies galore for the first time. How he'd managed to make every single mission insufferable, how she would do anything to get fifteen minutes away from him, if that. All her buttons had managed to be pressed by the man in the early days, and there were a lot of times she was ready to give up the mantle of CO for just three seconds of relative peace. Then came Elara, a breath of fresh air compared to the Cathar, who she'd bonded with quicker than Aric, heritage and past with the Empire entirely forgotten for their now friendship. At that point was when the Republic sat up and took notice of Jaak'lo, and he began working covertly for Command and in turn, Havoc. Fourex had become her favorite droid in the entire galaxy after Nar Shaddaa. Vza'haria and Ryean had come in on Tatooine and Alderaan respectively. Tanno on Balmorra, Xev'heng on Hoth.

How much her family had grown since then, what she'd given up for them, and what she'd gained because of them. Yes, she'd had a family beforehand, but people she could share the military life with was simply more comforting than people she only saw once every year. With a heavy heart, Hakio fingers the ring beneath her shirt, the one that hangs on a strong golden chain around her neck, typically underneath her armor. She wasn't often able to wear it properly except for during leave, but today she'd had to forgo wearing it to keep from breaking it entirely. It was one of her most important belongings, a simple silver band that still held so much meaning all these years later. It seemed so delicate, yet it'd seen her through the Battle of Ilum without shattering in two. She smirks, her lifemate (it was still such an odd word to use, especially regarding that of her and Aric Jorgan, someone she couldn't even stand three years before hand, even if they had been married that long) had been so concerned about getting her something fancy and shiny that he hadn't even considered that maybe she didn't want anything like it until she mentioned her lack of interest in jewelry only a few months beforehand while they were camped out in the trenches of Balmorra. The look on his face, one of mild relief with that new knowledge. At the time, she hadn't even known he was thinking of marrying her, much less proposing to her.

Such an arbitrary concern now, about whether she'd have a pretty rock on her finger and an out-of-this galaxy wedding. All the things that became meaningless in the following months.

And here they were, about to face down yet another unknown evil. She shakes her head, there were always so many in this line of work. Well, this time it was known, it was the whole Emperor of the Sith bearing down on the galaxy again. It was never fun, and she never knew whether everyone would return to the Thunderclap again because of it. Whether she'd hear the laughter of the team's demolitionists in the cargo bay, or watch as Xev'heng and Elara honed their craft in the medbay, or even share the galley with the rowdy team ever again. Whether someone's bunk would have to be stripped, whether she'd have to attend a funeral in her rarely worn formal wear. Whether someone's weapon would never leave the weapon rack again, if a room remained dark because they weren't there.

Her grip tightens on the ring, before unhooking the necklace and sliding it off the chain to admire it in the dim light. Whether she'd ever see Aric again, was always the question in her mind when she left the Thunderclap. She'd pledged her love and life to him as her lifemate until the end of her life, but that 'to death do us part' line was always hanging over their heads like a dark cloud because of just how easily it could become reality. It was striking just a tad bit too close to home every time the words crossed her mind. There were plans in place for this kind of thing, who would get what, who would be promoted, who would lead. Who's family would have to be tracked down first to ask them the hard questions about what to do now.

It wouldn't make it any easier, watching as her life unraveled, either from heaven or her empty Coruscant apartment. It would leave her with less questions about what to do when he was gone, and she wouldn't be as much of a mess after it all, but she could only imagine how her mind would twist things oh so dramatically. How it would be unbearable to be anywhere that they'd been together, as she'd been by Aric's side since she could remember. To do anything without him, after finally finding the person that loved and respected her, would destroy her from the inside out.

She was still considering dropping the mission entirely. Though, she didn't know how to, they were already too close to Ziost to just drop out now. How to tell Saresh she wasn't interested in risking her life like this for a mission with little to no intel, reliable or otherwise. They were The Havoc Squad. They were one of the most important SpecForce squads in the Republic, if not the most important. If they weren't at the frontlines of most missions, the brass was afraid people would lose hope in their war against the Imperials. Since they'd continued fighting after Corellia and won while they were at it, the brass decided they were the poster children of the military now. Stepping down, for any reason, would paint the Republic in a bad light.

And Saresh simply could not have that, now could she?

Stars she hated her.

"You're overthinking again." Aric says knowingly, and she snaps her head up from her palm, clutching the ring tightly as she swivels her head around to the doorway, dropping the datapad on the mattress in surprise. Hakio had been caught yet again, and she'd been surprised by Aric many times before, and this probably wouldn't be the last time. She was notorious for having tunnel vision when she's focused (or overthinking, as she's been accused of), metaphorically, and this wasn't any different. He'd gone to shower what felt like only a few minutes before hand, but a glance at the chrono on the wall alludes her to believing that it had gotten away from her. She, in comparison, was still sticky with cooling sweat, which was a disgusting feeling now that she focused on it, "What is it about now?"

"Nothing, everything. The usual." Hakio answers, relaxing as the blast door slides shut again, leaving them in relative privacy. Something hits the ground loudly just up the stairs from their quarters, she knows the sound rather well. She winces, though it isn't muted so she assumes it's not a body (one bad argument between -of course- Synntai and Vik that ended in a scuffle that was probably better designated as a fight between subordinates), but it did sound rather expensive, durasteel against durasteel, "Debrief didn't go well with Jaak and Viz, huh?"

"Somehow, I doubt that's it for either of them." He answers, hesitating for a moment before sitting down next her. Almost instinctively she lays her head against his shoulder, feeling the tension drain out of her muscles. It's a comforting touch that she relishes in, and a quiet but obvious purr alludes her to that he isn't exactly hiding his own enjoyment. His fur is still damp, but not wet enough for her to shy away from it, "They seem as if they're in varying states of preparation though, Viz has gotten a little too quiet, and I'm sure Jaak is on the holonet where he shouldn't be. I think it went well."

"It's like watching my younger siblings before a major exam again." She says sarcastically, and he holds out his hand for her, and she takes it, intertwining their fingers together. His own ring glints against the dim light of their quarters, silver against his auburn fur. A tingle runs through her senses as he leans back against her. She sighs, eyes flickering to the datapad next to her before closing her eyes and leaning against him, "I thought I was making the right decision, letting them lead us through Ziost. Though, more and more I think about it, don't you think something smells way too fishy about this? Like...something just isn't right? Especially with us only being contacted yesterday about everything...she can't actually expect us to be okay with this, can she?"

"Hakio, I've learned questioning Command never got us anywhere good, or any closer to answers. If you're really concerned, couldn't you pull a few people from the mission? Eleven people anywhere is already pushing it, maybe it's better we only bring the people we need." Aric considers, before pushing a leg around her so that he has her a sort of hug instead, and she's beginning to melt into puddy at just the feeling of him around her. This, was why people didn't mix business with pleasure, she could never get anything done when he was all cuddly like this, "We don't really need two medics, do we?"

"With our crew? Aric that's like asking for a death sentence." Hakio rolls her eyes, looking up at him. He chuckles darkly, a grin on his face that matched the one that was slowly creeping up on her as well, "As 'classically trained' as our dear Alderaanian heir is, I doubt he even knows his way around a kolto injection. As for Viz, I'm pretty sure she sees medics as optional. You saw the injuries she came back with from her solo mission to Nar Shaddaa. She's a good leader, but absolutely horrid about asking for help when she needs it." Hakio groans, the Mirialan was toting around a few blaster wounds as well as a broken wrist before she'd returned to the Thunderclap during mid-morning reps, and claiming that she didn't need a med droid because here she was, standing on her own, right? That was honestly one of her many fears about Ziost, that Viz would get hurt and put everyone else above her health and stay fighting much longer than she needed to.

Elara had already told her there were plenty of injuries, such as Vza'haria's wrist (that according to records had been snapped plenty of times before and had an extended range of motion because of it), that wouldn't ever heal properly since she didn't take the downtime required for them to heal.

"Everyone comes back with a story from Nar Shaddaa. And that's something she'll have to work out for herself, just like you did." He responds, as she picks up her datapad again during the moment of silence. Just reaching over for it, she pauses to see if Aric would stop her or if he would become upset with her need for it (it felt like all she did was look at the stupid hunk of metal for the last couple of days, and now with their midnight holocall from Saresh hanging over their heads, she's sure he's even a tad bit frustrated that she hasn't had time for him). He shifts so his arms are around her waist instead, his head on her shoulder now as he looks over it, maybe curious about the contents. His purring grows louder as he gently nudges her neck with his chin, and it takes quite a bit of willpower not to drop her shoulder entirely. Hakio's getting a tad too warm to be comfortable, but that's what she got for marrying a Cathar -- entirely not about the way that he made her feel, "Besides Viz though, I'm sure some part of Havoc will get called out for something while we're on Ziost. If we don't make the decision, I'm sure someone up top will for us. And with the lack of information, we could get stuck down there and people could die across the galaxy because of it."

"We're not the only SpecForce squad in the galaxy, but I see where you're coming from. Elara or Xev'heng could be useful somewhere else instead of being on Ziost. Though I wouldn't want to seperate them, you know how Xev gets." Hakio deadpans, thinking of how irritable and quick to anger the Twi'lek medic became without his wife. It wasn't always immediately obvious, but it did quickly become difficult to handle at times. She would think that a medic would be more soft-spoken and understanding, but Xev'heng rarely was soft or understanding to anyone.

"If it's a matter of life or death, he'll wait a week to see Dorne." Aric advises, "Your call though."

"No, no you're right, as you always seem to be for some reason." Hakio affirms, rolling her eyes playfully, "I'll start thinking about team composition in a bit, get people where they need to be before we get to Ziost. Do we even have clearance to land yet?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned, and I highly doubt that we're going to get any sort of clearance to begin with. Think this was a split second decision by our favorite person in the Senate." He growls, scrolling down the list himself absentmindedly as the aurebesh drawls by in a dizzying array of blue, "Isn't the safest op to be screwing with rules and regulations either. Really think there could've been more planning involved, but isn't much we can do 'till we land."

"We'll have to get someone to hit Coruscant for resupply while we're gone anyways. I'd send C2, but he's down for repairs this week because Yuun is updating him and Fourex. Not to mention that we're already nearly there. I don't even have a comprehensive list of who else will be down here with us except a couple Jedi masters that she just happened to mention on the report." She sighs defeatedly, before looking up at him, "Swear this job is going to be the literal death of me. Is there anything we can't go without?"

"Not anything I can think of at the moment. Some of your lighter armor needs basic repairs, but I'm guessing we're going full commando so it shouldn't be a problem." Finishing the thought, he presses a kiss to her lips, and she sinks into the touch. It's as euphoric as the first time, as it often is. Staring into his emerald green eyes, she smiles tiredly, laying flush against him. Hakio can't name another person in the galaxy besides her parents who she's felt safer with than Aric, yet it feels like every moment is another opportunity to lose him. He presses another kiss to her temple before asking, "You ever wish we were normal sometimes? Home somewhere else than a ship? More stable jobs, maybe a litter of runts while we're at it?"

"Normal, is overrated, sorry. What would I even be doing without the military? A housewife?" Hakio asks, chuckling. It's a question that's been thrown around for years, never with a concrete answer either. The military had been sown into her from a young age, and to just leave would be an injustice to her upbringing. Not to mention this was all she knew, she wouldn't know much better to be anything better -- because there wasn't anything better. With all the death and danger and bloodshed, yes she was sure she could acquire a job less gory but it wouldn't make her happy, not the way protecting people did. While productive, being someone like her mom or like her other siblings just didn't interest her. Of course, the idea of being a mother wasn't a horrid one, just not one she wanted to put into practice. Anyone with her and Aric for parents...she wasn't sure she wanted to see the results with all of their flaws. Not to mention that she was thirty four and still lived off rations instead of just cooking 'like a sane person' (courtesy of her older sister Quinne Hyperion, who had lived with both her and Aric while she'd been down from a concussion; the woman despised the fact that neither partner knew much about 'fine cooking'). At least hungry soldiers accepted it wholeheartedly without a second question, including her lifemate, "Think I would go mad within the week."

"Maybe." He teases, sliding the datapad out of her hands and next to them on the mattress so that her attention is on him again, "Maybe not. Never knock it 'till you try it, right?"

"I tried it for nearly twenty years. I hated every single second of it, especially because you weren't in it." She murmurs softly, a genuine, if not also softer smile crossing her features. He scoffs, Aric Jorgan was never one for affection in the pure form, but it didn't mean that he didn't appreciate it, his smile mirroring her own, "To be absolutely clear, I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than on the Thunderclap fixing things, or on Coruscant with the roar of traffic around us and waiting to hear if anyone's caused a scandal lately, or without you. So I don't wish to be normal, I never would've met the people that make me who I am now. That's the answer to your question."

"I don't know where you get all this sappiness, but it looks like it is far too late to get out of it." He snickers. She gives him a look, although the intentions are kind, so she isn't particularly offended by the comment, "Don't ever change, yeah?"

"I think I can keep that promise." Though her mood has lifted considerably since he'd arrived, her expression drops again as her com beeps with an unanswered call, her eyes darting to where it sits charging on it's port. Hopefully, not anyone that would be too pissed with her not answering when they called, "Promise me you'll be careful on Ziost, please. You said it yourself, it's a dangerous op to be playing games with and--"

"And I wouldn't know what to do without you. I know." His hand tightens on her's, trying to comfort her. He isn't exactly smiling at the thought, but she knows that he would do just about anything for her. The injuries he'd sustained while under her direction still makes her heart ache. It was all for her, it was always for her, "We're mates for life, and death doesn't exactly come easy for Jorgans, I hope you know."

"Believe me, I'm sure every medic on Coruscant can vouch for that opinion." She responds, a sad smile on her face as her thumb brushes a scar running along Aric's jaw, "Doesn't mean we're immortal though, Aric. Promise me that you'll be careful, please. It might not mean much, but it'd give me peace of mind at the very least. Know your CO actually gives a shit if you come back or not, and that your wife will miss you so very much if you don't."

He looks nearly apologetic as he tries to form his words, fumbling with his thoughts before he can compose it all, "I promise I'll come back to you, Hakio. I always will. Imps can try to take me from you, but can't promise they'll be alive after it all."

"That's...such a veiled threat, Aric. But I still appreciate it nonetheless." She's less worried now, and more amused by the idea. One that she knew was entirely true and not at all a ruse to keep her from worrying. He captures her lips again, gentle at first before she nips at his bottom lip.  It was the little things that kept her going, the late nights, the brief touches disguised as bumping into each other. Coming home to him was what made it all worth it.

The comm rings incessantly again, so as disappointed as she is, she pulls away from him. Fixing her shirt and picking the blasted thing off it's charger, she waves a goodbye as she leaves their personal quarters and up the stairs to the empty cockpit.

Business before pleasure, as much as that business interrupted her pleasure, it was also the thing that lead her to the love of her life. Hell, if it lost her love, then someone would have hell to pay. She would not go quietly.

She loved him, and before she was Major Hakiojkl Hyperion, she was Hakio Jorgan.

"Major Hyperion speaking..."

-

"Twelve O'clock!" Hearing Aric's voice over her com, Hakio whips around just fast enough to leap out of the way of yet another Sith, sliding on the snowy duracrete. He swings his lightsaber around again, but a sniper shot knocks him backwards onto the ground. Blood pools from his shoulder, and she jacks his head with the butt of her rifle as he rises again. Knocked out cold, but not dead from the look of things. Still breathing, yet not all there. One and the same with the rest of the people they'd faced.

She's partially glad that it's an Imperial this time, they've already run into quite a few Republic soldiers. Thankfully, none she knew by name, rank or face. No one that had flown down with her, no one who's squad she could get into contact with now as far as she was concerned, but a lot of them went down easy enough so that she didn't have to watch them die. A pang hit her heart at the thought, how many orange and white uniforms were now stained by blood that they'd spilled over the last few hours. They'd all been attempting to kill them mercilessly yes, but under the influence of something vicious. She couldn't help but feel guilty, and was sure that it was something that Command would try to cover up in the mission debrief with the Senate. The few that they'd picked off through necessity (just as she predicted, Vza'haria had sustained quite a few injuries without ever telling anyone until they'd regrouped) had stopped glowing the odd, unnatural red that seemed to be the norm among those controlled by some odd force once they died. Hakio was no Jedi, and didn't even begin to understand the inner workings of the Force, but there was definitely something Jedi-ish about all of this, of not Sith. The Sith they'd just been fighting, like many other Force users they'd been unable to kill outright, continued glowing, but didn't move again.

It was time to move on. New Adasta, as she'd learned the name of the city that they had landed in, was littered with bodies and controlled people alike. To say the least, she was very glad that Aric had talked her into leaving the Thunderclap with Xev'heng, Tanno, Yuun, Fourex and Synntai. Leaving the ship here while they wandered around would've probably left it in the hands of some very desperate Imperials trying to get off planet.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard much from anyone lately. Of course, other than the team's coms, people kept quiet as not to be caught by Imperial forces. It was standard protocol, so she didn't suspect much just yet, but their hour check-in was coming up soon. A few squads had already dropped out of contact with the rest of the strike force, Aurek, Cresh and Resh were missing as of the last periodic check up, not to mention how many squads had reported losing squadmates to the Emperor's control. To put it simply, no one could afford to swerve from the mission entirely and track them down, so for now they were simply considered MIA. It was frustrating hearing the silence as each squad called in except for them, and she winced as Krenth's CO kept asking when they'd be back. She had half a mind to think that they were looking for their sibling or loved one on the opposite team.

Hakio didn't want to come across the squads, dead or controlled. She'd never be able to get the picture out of her head, she already knew that much.

No one had managed to find anyone from the squads as they scoured the city either. Whether they'd turned and become part of the murderous populace or simply were hiding out from Imperial forces...it was anyone's guess at this point. And no one wanted to play that game of chicken either.

Not everything had to gone to shit just yet though, the intel was plentiful and she was sure Command would appreciate it. The Imperial forces who weren't controlled just yet were being pushed back, alongside the civilians who were just trying to make it to evacuation shuttles. Saresh had yet to contact any of the squads though, and for now it was just learn and return. And fight back as much of the Imperial military as they could. Civilians were off-limits for everyone, though with the bodies that littered the ground, that they'd been killed in the crossfire, not intentionally. If anything, the few with stab wounds from vibroknives were surely civilian-civilian kills. The aching grows more potent as she averts her gaze from a child who lay motionless against a building.

It was frustrating at best, disastrous at worst.

She was going to wring Theron Shan by his neck if she didn't get out of here within the next few days, or the Emperor himself. Not only had she not heard from a single Sixth Line Jedi within the time they'd landed (no other squad had managed to either, so she took that as a bad sign), it was not to mention that not many knew just how long they were supposed to be here either. With all of the similarities in armor among the snow, this wasn't supposed to be a siege on Ziost, it was a siege on the Imperial military. One that was being lost, not because of idiocy on either army, but because of this new controlled force that was eating away at the planet's population and the opposing forces.

"Viz, three O'clock!" Jaak'lo yells, another Imperial taking a shot at her that Hakio hadn't seen previously. She'd have to hand it to the Lieutenant when this was all over, he was nothing if not extremely versatile in the field, not to mention detail-oriented and precise. Before Vza'haria can even begin to react, something pushes her out of the way, surely the Force again. She hits the ground hard, smacking onto the duracrete with her armor and groaning audibly. Hakio takes a battle stance, cocking her rifle and scanning the area. A flash of a blue lightsaber leaps out of the shadows, striking down one of soldiers in the the encroaching platoon of Imperial soldiers she hadn't seen before. She can't even begin to try and land a shot anywhere in fear of hitting them, but it's very clear that they're not controlled. Which the accuracy and battle tactics, the Emperor had yet to get his hands on them.

Double green sabers follow quickly after, and in the distraction she races over to her fallen soldier, who was already picking herself back up and brushing off her armor with little more than a gentle acknowledgement that she would be okay. Jedi then, she figures as the pair finish off the attacking force. She darts a glance to Aric, who's been perched up on an apartment balcony for a while. He nods back in acknowledgement, and she starts off towards the pair. They're in Jedi robes, dark, long and brown, as she can see from where she's standing now, but there are bits of gold on the armor plating here and there that throw her off of believing that.

No one just...stole a lightsaber and got away with it, right?

For her sake, she hopes she's not walking to her death.

With that information, she treks on across the relatively empty (other than the soldiers, who she gave a wide berth as she crossed) dim street. A sign is flickering in and out, pink and blue, blue and then dark. In the light, one of the assumed Jedi turns around, a Mirialan male with a deep scar across his face, one that was still healing faces her first, "We have a visitor." Is all she can make out from reading his lips as he whispers to his companion.

"What can I do for you, sir?" He asks once she gets close enough to hear. His purple eyes dart to the insignia on her shoulder, "Havoc Squad was called here? Here I was thinking we were the only ones here."

"Then we'll skip the pleasantries. Good eye, and yes. Thank you for what you did, though I'm not sure I appreciate having people thrown around." He looks sheepish for a moment as she calls him out on his past actions only a few minutes ago, before recomposing himself and straightening, "Major Hyperion of Havoc Squad."

"Ah, I apologize for that. It wasn't meant to be an act of violence, though the gentle push wasn't exactly what I intended." His voice is much younger than she'd originally assumed she'd get from the scarred man, yet he's apologetic all the same so she isn't about to chew into him, "Knight Whyatt Grace. My padawan, Dhyndre Djaal." He says, motioning to the woman beside him, who glances up from her now dark holocom. A few shades lighter than she is, the woman has short blonde hair beneath the hood, and piercing blue eyes that seem to glow in the shadows. She flexes a prosthetic hand in greeting, though remains silent.

"I apologize if I assume too much, but you're Sixth Line, aren't you?" Hakio asks, taking in their small outfit. She couldn't see much past them besides a classic speeder bike, one that went out of style on Coruscant ages ago. She holds up a cease fire sign on her hand to get the rest of her squad to stand down, before turning back the two Jedi, "Haven't come across many of you yet."

"I'd be surprised if you hadn't. But we've been separated from the main group for a couple of days now. I wouldn't say that's normal but from the look of things, I'm assuming the Republic's many forces are pretty scattered as well?" He questions, as the rest of her squad crosses the street, Vza'haria rounding out the back, "Have had to hide from a couple squads I think, couldn't figure if they were Republic from a distance though."

That piece of information is enough to make her think the three missing squads had been controlled, but she pushes down the pain for the time being, "We're not exactly the entire Republic army, but yes. We're scattered across the planet, trying to push back Imperial forces. Just as Saresh requested, if you can believe." The sound of clattering boots on the ground makes her shuffle further into the shadows, the Jedi following her lead. Just as they manage to get Elara into the alley way after them, more Emperor-controlled soldiers walk down the street aimlessly. The red glowing is absolutely terrifying to watch as it wafts off of them, and she doesn't turn back to the pair until they disappear around a corner. A sigh of relief settles over the eight people once they're gone, "You haven't been turned yet?"

"I'm sure we can ask you all the same question. People have been turning out of the blue for the last two days, a lot of the Sixth Line has. Master Surro...I haven't seen her since we landed." Dhyndre adds softly, lowering her hood and brushing her hair out of her face, revealing more burn scars along the left side of her face, "Theron Shan. My master and I have tried to get into contact with him for a while, yet no one has any idea where he is. He was the whole reason we were called here."

"Only the blasted Emperor knows, I'm sure." Aric growls under his breath, though she can't even make a face because of her helmet covering her features. Turning away from him, she rolls her eyes anyways, he is right. If everyone is having the same issue with the agent, then she doesn't feel nearly as angry, "Same reason we're here, though I'm sure Saresh only sent us to save his screw up."

The pair share a look, but it's one of understanding instead of one of confusion, "We can sympathize. Though we probably aren't the best example of Jedi to begin with, we are technically black ops anyway." Dhyndre admits, wringing her hands out, "We were sent to infiltrate Ziost, but clearly things kind of went sideways. Theron's a good guy though, he's never lead me astray before. Something's really wrong with all of this, I know it. None of it makes sense."

"Can definitely see where you're coming from on that one." Hakio answers, before her com rings again. Pressing the button the side of her helmet, she listens into the static before it connects, "Go for Herf and Mern."

"Havoc, Mayhem, you're the only squad that's checked in for the last few minutes. You're late by an entire five minutes." Nern's squad CO says sternly, sighing in relief though, "Onith and Jenth are the latest squads to miss their check in, and three more have reported one or two soldiers lost to the Emperor's control. Have you been able to find any of the missing squads?"

"No. We've been alone since we landed, only a couple Imperial patrols." Hakio responds, forming a fist with her left hand as she glances over her own squad. Great, two more squads missing. Out of the thirty squads that had been brought onto Ziost, that meant twenty five were still out there. Others, she was beginning to think were really KIA. MIA was a little too hopeful for this situation if she's being entirely honest, "You?"

"We lost Rwen a couple minutes ago. They started to just...lose it. Catatonic even. Finally they just went red. During that, we just had to leave before they came after us. Multiple stories of the same thing happening to other squads are coming in by the dozen." Hakio can nearly hear Nern's CO shaking his head in disappointment, or maybe frustration, "No one from Havoc or Mayhem is showing signs? Trill mentioned being attacked by one of their squad members because they stuck around too long after the change."

"Not that I know of, no. I have all six of us here." Hakio says, flashing a look over them. No one seemed particularly out of it, so she figured they were good to continue. She gives a longer look to Vza'haria, who's armor is splattered with blood and dented in a few places, but she's keeping a lookout so the concern is dimmed, "I'll keep an eye out for them, Nern squad. Got a couple Sixth Line with us, Saresh want anything from them?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned, no. Though with how many I've seen, keep them close. The Jedi Order in general has lost many today, and I doubt they'll want to lose many more. You got names on them?" He asks.

"Dhyndre Djaal and Whyatt Grace." Both Jedi perk up at the mention of their names, and she can hear the repeat of their names over the com to someone else on Nern's CO's side, "Think the Grandmaster will be happy to know that she hasn't lost them all. If you can, get them to an evac point. Intel is saying that no one is being controlled on the space station or the fleet, and most Force-users seem to be the most affected."

"Could I get that in writing? Hell could I get everything in writing?" She asks sarcastically, and Nern's CO chuckles offhandedly, "I've got you though. I'll keep an eye out for any squads, and I'm assuming Saresh hasn't allowed us to pull out yet, has she?"

"Someone will let you know if she does. Sure from her eyes, we're winning." He says frustratedly. He says something she can't make out, before she overhears a scream. Static takes over the com.

"Nern? Nern Squad? Narvon Squad! Sorin, status!" She can't hear anything, no matter how much she tries to get a response from them. Taking her hand from her ear, she looks up at the small group around her, "Safe to say Nern Squad is down, I think."

"Blazes, not them..." Elara murmurs, disraught. Ailast Sorin had been a close friend of Elara's since Belsavis, and had managed to become acquaintances with Hakio herself. Narvon was his pride and joy, and knowing the Rattattaki was down only makes the entire situation worse, "Major, what do we do next?" She asks, turning to her.

"Whyatt, Dhyndre. Would you be missed if we got you off planet?" Hakio asks quickly, Jaak'lo pulling out his holocom just as the though rise. A map of New Adasta appears in the projection, spinning gently as a red dot lands somewhere on the map that she doesn't focus on immediately. Surely an evac point, "Whether I'm weak-minded or not by your standards, I figure we gotta get you out of here."

"I doubt anyone would know we were missing, or care." Whyatt responds, a worried look in his eyes as Dhyndre turns to him, "I'd be more afraid that the Emperor would try to take hold of one of us. Evac ship or not, as far as I know as long as we're still on planet or in orbit we can still be controlled."

"What would you do with us gone? Wouldn't it be better for us to stay and help?" Dhyndre interjects, "We're Knights, not cowards. I don't stand down in the face of danger." She says firmly, crossing her arms even in the wake of her Master's disapproval.

"The face of danger is taking the form of the Emperor himself, Ms. Djaal. This not a face you should stand in, I'm afraid." Ryean insists, his softer voice attempting to convince the young woman. She's never been more glad to have a diplomat on the team, because she looks halfway convinced, if not less conflicted than a few moments ago, "No one should have to be here right now if they don't have to be. And with the rest of the Sixth Line down and Theron MIA, your safest place would be back on Coruscant."

"I'm helping with or without you, Havoc. Even if Theron's dead, I'm still going to do my best to finish the mission. I'll leave when the intel is solid." Not exactly a compromise, but it seems she's more open to leaving eventually rather than a solid never.

"Dhyndre--" Whyatt starts sternly, before cutting himself off. Something rumbles underneath their feet, the sound of electricity arcing through the air, "That's the power dampeners. Someone's turning them off."

Hakio can hear it herself, and intends to ask why someone would be doing that in the middle of an invasion, but not before something hits the ground behind her. Whipping around, her eyes widen as she can see Vza'haria on the ground nearby, head in her hands. Pausing for a moment, she rushes over, taking a knee to look at the woman. Hakio can't figure what's wrong at first, maybe she's hit her head or maybe she's been shot somewhere. There's no blood, so she attempts to do a once-over. She can barely get her head up when the Mirialan shrieks, causing her to cover her own ears. Bent over on all fours, the woman is heaving for breaths, struggling to do much other than even stay upright. She yanks her helmet off, damp strands of blonde hair hanging over her face. Hakio opens her mouth to call Elara over, she isn't sure whether Vza'haria is having a medical emergency and needs that attention or not, but something's odd...off about her quivering as she tries to pick herself back up off the ground.

Sorin's last words become evident in her mind as she considers what is happening. It only becomes more obvious as her hands first begin to glow red, then it moves up the rest of her armor. Scrambling up, she gives Vza'haria one last look over her shoulder before running the direction back towards her squad, "Go!" Is all she can get out as they follow after her. Pressing a hand to her ear, all she gets is static at first before someone picks up, "Go for Herf and Mern!"

"I hear you Havoc, what's going on?" Krenth's CO picks up, and she's glad as she rounds out the back of the group, keeping one eye on them and the other behind her in case her fallen squadmate -- her sister is following behind them, "Havoc?"

"Reporting a turning, we've lost Captain Vza'haria Atiya to the Emperor." She can barely choke out, willing the tears away, "One more lost."

[crqstalite]

OC Song Meme

because i dont have any photos of the many otps together, i decided to do a solo song meme for my toons >:)

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

THE REPUBLIC.

kiveqil delux

glad you came, the wanted.

i picked this song for kiveqil because it’s most literally his personality. he’s glad he’s found a family in his crew, including his wife, new padawan, doctor, previous wrath and soldier. he’s glad they’re here, he’s glad they’re alive and with him.

una’vi havelzy-kimble

trouble, neon jungle.

i picked this song for una because it’s (again) her entire personality. she’s trouble, and she’s proud of it. as a grey jedi, she no longer follows the jedi code or participates in the jedi order. she accepts she’s teetering on being a sith, and that’s okay. she likes to be trouble, and if people don’t like it, she’ll write them out of her story.

naji iresso

all the stars, kendrick lamar & sza.

i picked this song for naji because she accepts everyone. that they may have come from a less fortunate background, that they’re rich and have no idea what to do with it. that they’re coming back from a spice addiction, that they can’t get close with others, that they’re scared of war and it’s repercussions. as an ambassador to the rift alliance, she’s ready for whatever comes toward her, and is ready to become friends with anyone who’s willing.

ghenkl riggs

level up, ciara.

i picked this song for ghenkl because it literally means she’s leveling up. what past traumas affected her, she’s now moving past them and doing what she loves, and isn’t going to be shamed for it. she’s beautiful, strong, powerful and rich. and stars be damned if anyone’s going to hold her down from reaching the next level.

hyrenne hajak

be careful, cardi b.

i picked this song for hyrenne, because she struggles to keep real relationships (not unlike the kids at my school). she’s too free with who she loves and trusts, and gets too bored too quickly. instead of showing real emotions, she hides behind holos and acting tough. spending credits on lavish things is only to replace the person she wished she could spend them on, and acting tough in front of others is only to replace the fact she can’t protect her lover because she doesn’t have one.

hakiojkl hyperion-jorgan

juice, lizzo.

i picked this song for hakio just because of the fact it literally means she believes she’s beautiful no matter what. though i have yet to touch on it, she is a little bit thicker and more muscular than most woman, leading to a bit of off-putting bullying by men and women alike before she was drafted into havoc. through acception, hakio is a strong, beautiful woman and doesn’t apologize for it.

xev’heng lumere

starboy, the weeknd.

i picked this song for xev’heng because he is a literal starboy. as much as he isn’t innocent, he tried to protect his older sister the best he could before she ran away from the faction that raised him. living among the stars afterwards, xev lets the galaxy take him where it pleases. he doesn’t try to force fate anymore after his meeting with his sister, and what happens, happens.

synntai pakar

change, zach callison.

i picked this song for synntai, because while she has very little character development, she’s strong and never gives up in a fight. while her past has been rather difficult, and struggles get her at every turn, she never puts her head down and is always ready to make a change. synn (or tai) is always trying to make a difference in the galaxy, hence the chosen song.

ryean wystern

boys, lizzo.

i picked this song for ryean, because while it isn’t the point of the song, he believes everyone is beautiful and doesn’t always need someone to lean on. he likes to be the emotional support of havoc, and is also gay. also why i chose this song, as he’s had many lovers throughout the years, but has yet to find the one. he thinks they’re all rather handsome though, short, tall, thinner, thicker. he isn’t ever picky.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

THE EMPIRE.

tri’ama amarillis-quinn

god is a woman, ariana grande.

i picked this song for tri’ama because the song is literally referring to god as a woman. considering the way malavai sees her, i figured this was a good song for the powerful emperor’s wrath. the way she radiates pure power and isn’t afraid to flex it, makes it obvious she’s deserving of this song.

sho’jka tabari

poker face, lady gaga.

i picked this song for sho’jka (or dusk) because of his literal poker face. he doesn’t show his real emotions unless he has to, and often they’re rather out there and amoral. he doesn’t have many friends because of this, and is very cold because he can’t read a room. he is good at sabaac because of it though.

mierrio revel

shameless, camila cabello.

i picked this song for mierrio because it it mostly describes her relationship with andronikos and how freely she shows her love for him. it also shows that she doesn’t care who knows what about her. she’s powerful, and she will not apologize for it.

kavelle valhal

bodak yellow, cardi b.

i picked this song for kavelle because while she is proper, she also doesn’t give a flying fuck about anyone. given, she’s not as per se, traditional (being trained by mierrio, of all people), she’s extremely powerful. nearly on par with ashara and xalek though being years upon years younger, kavelle fights with the spirit of a lion, and happens to also like to seduce men into doing what she wants. a shock of lightning or a night alone usually gets the job done. and with pierce, a trooper and inquisitor can get a lot done together.

theksevoy li’ui

16 shots, stefflon don.

i picked this song for thek because while it is powerful as fuck, it’s also about a girl protecting her mom. as bloodthirsty as he seems, thek just wants to protect his motley crew and family, and will do anything to keep them safe. hence why i selected this song for him.

ba’shira cadera

cool for the summer, demi lovato.

i picked this song for ba’shira because it’s her whole personality. she’ll party all night long, and rarely if ever cares what others think about her. she’ll drink, she’ll drive (not in that order), she’ll definitely get down with you. but, she always returns to torian in the end, and has never cheated. she’ll party all summer long if she could, and works to make her cash in the end.

rubiksi delux

nightmare, halsey.

i picked this song for rubikisi because her life really has been a nightmare. nothing goes right for her, from being abandoned as a baby to being taken in by her siblings who eventually disappeared in a plume of flames. being taken by the empire didn’t help either, and she’s accepted that her life is a literal nightmare. as much as her crew tries to help, she knows she isn’t special, and is just waiting until the day she can go to sleep eternally, and finally be free of this nightmare.

vscyla ‘scy’arla’ lumere

other friends, sarah stiles ft. zach callison, dedee magno hall, estelle and michaela dietz.

i picked this song for vscyla because it details the fact that she got left behind. the republic didn’t care to come and get her, and of course she turned to the dark side. so absolutely angry, she fought back, becoming part of intelligence. though it’s an absolute bop, it’s rather depressing. she hates the way the story ended, and is fighting back against it with brutal force. she brings others into it, even though they had nothing to do with it, and isn’t afraid to hurt herself in the process.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

THE ALLIANCE.

pretta kachsi

i have questions, camila cabello.

i picked this song for pretta because she has so many questions. why did kal leave her? why couldn’t he just stick it out with her? why did marr pick her, of all people? why was she put in carbonite and not left to die? why was she chosen to be the outlander, when there were so many others to do that job? why doesn’t kal love her anymore?

kal malik

sunflower, post malone & swae lee.

i picked this song for kal because as dangerous as he can be, he’s a true sunflower. he’s been through hell and back not only with the imperial intelligence and sith empire, but also with an abusive family and eventually, an abusive wife that didn’t treat him right. but now, he has a loving boyfriend and good friends, while also trying to reconcile with pretta. as much as the alliance can throw at him, he’ll always be the sunflower in the darkness.