#if not galaxy-wide then at least by their sector

[gffa]

PLANET: ILUM Astronavigation Data: Ilum system, 7G sector, Unkonwn Regions Orbital Metrics: 1,078 days per year/66 hours per day Goverment: None Population: 5,200 (support crew 45%, temporary researchers 30%, military 20%, other 5%) Languages: None Terrain: Frozen lakes, mountains, ice steppes Major Cities: None Areas of Interest: Holenesh Canyon, Jedi Temple, excavation sites, various ruins Major Exports: Ilum crystals [Source: Star Wars - Force and Destiny - Nexus of Power - Force Worlds] BACKGROUND: Ilum is a small, obscure world located far out in the Unknown Regions. The fifth planet of the Ilum system, it orbits an exceedingly bright blue dwarf star called “Asar.” Surveys of the system by ancient Jedi scouts show a handful of uninhabited, inhospitable worlds that are either heavily ir­radiated, completely covered in ice, or both. The rest of the system is largely empty, with no asteroid belt and few navigation hazards. Due to its location in the Unknown Regions and its isolation from charted hyperspace lanes, nothing was known of the Ilum system until a wandering Jedi discovered it in the earliest days of the Republic.

Roughly equidistant from Asar and the system’s com­etary cloud, Ilum is the only world in the system that can support life. “Support” may be too strong a word for the relationship between Ilum and its flora and fauna, however. It is a large, terrestrial world orbited by two small moons and encircled by a wide set of rings made mostly of ice crystals. It is a land of broad continents, towering mountain ranges, and shallow seas locked in a perpetual ice age. Huge glaciers scour the planet’s face, slowly grind­ing the land flat. Where the glaciers have passed, deep snows or sheets of ice dozens of meters thick entomb the surface, making agriculture impossible. Ilum's few seas are shallow and broad, their waters choked with great floating ice mountains and thick sheets of drift ice. In addition to its frozen, snowbound landscape, Ilum has an atmosphere that is a near-constantly churning vortex of storms. High winds, sleet, thick snow, and freezing rain are to Ilum what gentle winds and soft rains are to Naboo.

Life, where it can survive, does so primarily along Ilum's equatorial region. Here, at least, the temperatures are only in the double digits below freezing, which has allowed a small number of native plants and animals to evolve. A few eke out an existence on the planet’s frozen surface, but most live either in the icy seas or deep beneath the ground in the uncounted thousands of kilometers of caverns and tunnels that worm through the planet’s crust. Savage gorgodons, cunning asharl panthers, and the terrifying razhak call Ilum home, along with hardy species of small rodents, birds, and worms. Alongside these are tough plants and fungi adapted to sub-zero temperatures, many of them completely undocumented.

LIFE ON ILUM: To date, no evidence has been found to suggest that sentient life ever evolved on Ilum. There are no ruins, nothing in the fossil record, and nothing recorded in the galaxy’s various ancient data­bases to suggest that Ilum was ever anything more than an obscure, uninhabited frozen rock. Indeed, the planet would have stayed that way until Asar burned itself out if the Jedi hadn’t come along and stumbled onto a discovery that would make it one of the most important places in the galaxy to that ancient order.

ILUM'S HISTORY: Ilum's recorded history begins tens of thousands of years ago with its discovery by a Jedi scout whose name is lost to history, performing Force-assisted hyperspace navigation. As the scout moved through the hyperspace lanes, she was drawn to the Unknown Regions by a particularly powerful resonance in the Force. Following the siren call of the Force resonance, the scout eventually discovered a lonely, hith­erto uncharted system in the far reaches of the Unknown Regions, centered around a bright, blue-white star. The Force was strong throughout the system, but there was something powerful, something special, on the fifth planet, and that's where the Jedi scout focused her attentions.

The first scout's initial reports, as well as those from sub sequent survey teams, reported a barren, windswept world of tall, jagged mountains and shallow, frozen seas locked away beneath dozens of meters of ice. No settlements or ancient ruins were discovered, and all evidence pointed to the world being devoid of sentient life. What the teams did find was a world that, despite its inhospitable environment, managed to support some plant and animal life. Packs of large felinoids stalked the planet's steppelands; huge, slow moving aquatic mammals thrived in the icy seas; powerful and aggressive humanoid reptiles haunted the many mountain chains; and plants and fungi clung to life in shel­tered spots away from the constant wind. These animals and plants didn't explain the planet's strong Force shadow, however. Its presence in the Force was enormous, a fact that the surveyors could not explain until one team was chased into a mountain cavern by dangerous creatures and discovered Ilum's real wealth.

Beneath Ilum's ice sheets and permafrost, the planet's crust is honeycombed by countless kilometers of interlock­ing cave systems. Within these caves, the escaping survey team discovered a motherlode of pontite, mephite, and other kyber crystals—the heart of a Jedi's lightsaber. The discovery of Ilum's mineral wealth quickly changed the char acter of Ilum's exploration from one of curiosity to one of grave importance to the Jedi Council. Upon receipt of the news that Ilum possessed an incredible wealth of kyber crys­tals, the Council immediately dispatched teams of scholars, artisans, and warriors to secure the world and to further study its natural wealth and importance to the Force. To pro tect the crystals, the Council made a decision to keep Ilum's existence a secret from the galaxy at large, and a number of steps were taken to ensure that it stayed that way. Hyperspace surveyors mapped out an uninterrupted, dedicated hyperspace lane from Metellos, a world in the Core region, straight to Ilum's orbit. The navigation of this route was so complex that a ship’s pilot needed to be at least sensitive to the Force, if not a fully trained Jedi Master, to even attempt it. In addition, all references to Ilum in official reports were quashed, and the world was even kept from local, sector­ wide, and galaxy star charts.

DARK LEGENDS: For thousands of years, the Jedi Order kept Ilum and its bounty secret and safe from harm. Generations of Jedi, from the greenest Padawans to the most ancient masters, traveled from all across the galaxy to search for crystals, study the planet and its connection to the Force, and enjoy the mental quiet of the uninhabited world. There is a nearly forgotten legend that speaks of a dark and violent time in the planet’s past, however. Ancient sources suggest that the Sith may have laid siege to the world, eventually taking possession of it for a time.

ENTWINED WITH THE JEDI: With Ilum secure, the exploration of the world and its con­nection to the Force was begun in earnest. Numerous settle ments were founded over the subsequent decades, typically near the sites of important scientific or Force-related dis­coveries. At places with a particularly powerful connection to the Force, the Jedi erected temples that served as train­ing centers or pilgrimage sites where members of the order could go to meditate and heal. In addition, thanks to the abundance of kyber crystals on the planet, the Jedi Council established a massive, baroque temple over the entrance to the largest and richest cavern complex the survey teams had discovered. Once it was completed, the council began sending Padawans to Ilum to harvest the crystal for their lightsaber and to undergo the important training rituals associated with lightsaber construction.

Countless Jedi over the millennia traveled there to build their first lightsaber or to find crystals to build new ones. Eventually, as other sources of kyber crystals were exhaust ed or became otherwise unavailable, Ilum became the Jedi’s sole source of these precious crystals. While the planet remained a place of great importance, the Jedi Council recalled those members who were living on Ilum and shuttered all their settlements and temples save for the main temple used for lightsaber construction. With the world’s inhabit­ants gone, its glaciers and ice sheets quickly consumed the Jedi settlements and research sites, burying them beneath dozens or hundreds of meters of ice. By the beginning of the Clone Wars, there were no permanent residents on Ilum, nor any real evidence that there ever had been, and the main temple stood empty, save for the occasional Jedi pilgrim there to find a new kyber crystal.

CRYSTAL CAVES: Home to perhaps the largest deposit of kyber crystals any­ where in the galaxy, Ilum’s crystal caves were said to be the Jedi’s most sacred place by none other than Jedi Master Yoda himself. Winding for countless kilometers through and beneath Ilum’s largest mountain range, the crystal caves were first explored in the ancient past. Within the labyrinth of corridors, shafts, tunnels, and chambers is a staggering wealth of the kyber crystals—mainly mephite and pontite— that make up the searing heart of every Jedi’s lightsaber. Within a few short years of the crystal caves’ discovery, the Jedi Order erected a temple over the entrance to protect the caverns from trespass and to provide shelter and train­ing facilities for visiting Jedi. The caves eventually became a pilgrimage destination for Jedi seeking crystals for new lightsabers and were incorporated into a Padawan coming-of-age ceremony called “the Gathering.”

The stone from which the crystal caves are carved is a smooth, black, basalt-like volcanic rock that absorbs light and is surprisingly easy to work with. The crystals themselves grow unimpeded from the walls and ceilings of the caverns and can occasionally be found littering the floors of corridors and chambers. In many places, the crystals can be removed from the surrounding stone by hand, and even the most stubborn, inaccessible crystal veins require only basic hand tools to excavate. It was this ease of excavation as much as the sheer quantity of crystal deposits that made the crystal caves so valuable to the Jedi.

Despite the millennia in which the Jedi lived and worked on Ilum and the planet’s importance to the order, surprisingly little of the crystal caves’ total area has been explored. Most of the known caverns lie within the boundaries of the temple’s training area, and those few charted areas outside of the temple’s footprint are a warren of dead-end caves, tunnels that turn in on themselves and either come to abrupt ends or plunge thousands of meters into dark cracks, and a confusion of chambers, side caves, and strange rock forma­tions. The sheer size of the cave complex is staggering, with some ancient survey records suggesting thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers of tunnels and caves stretching deep into the bowels of the planet. In addition, the Force tends to have a distressingly disorienting effect on visitors to the caverns. So powerful is the presence of the Force in the crystal caves that it causes vivid hallucinations in even the most guarded mind. This has led many an explorer astray; countless Jedi have wandered into the uncharted portions of the crystal caves in pursuit of some phantom, never to be heard from again.

JEDI RUINS: The Jedi worked and lived on Ilum for almost as long as they existed as an order. While they never established cit­ies there—it was too remote, too hard to reach, and too sacred to the Jedi for that—they did build scattered small settlements, research stations, temples, observation posts, and other structures on and beneath the planet’s surface. These abandoned sites lie scattered all across Ilum in various states of ruin.

Some are still intact, seemingly awaiting the return of their inhabitants; others are little more than rubble. Most, however, have been buried deep beneath the shifting gla­ciers and massive, slow-moving ice sheets that cover most of Ilum’s surface. Nevertheless, a number of interesting sites can still be found here and there in sheltered mountain passes, at the bottoms of valleys, or within Ilum’s labyrinthine cave systems. One such ruin is the settlement at Holenesh Canyon.

HOLENESH CANYON: Located some five hundred kilometers from the main Jedi Temple at the mouth of the crystal caves, Holenesh Canyon is a deep, sheer-sided cleft in the planet’s surface over a ki­lometer deep that runs for roughly ten kilometers through one of Ilum's vast mountain ranges. The settlement, once home to around one hundred sentients, was built near the canyon’s end in the shadow of the mountain range’s highest peaks. It was established millennia ago to study a strange fluctuation in the Force that seemed to occur only once every few hundred years. Named for the Jedi who first record­ed the anomaly, this small, isolated outpost stood for cen­turies before being destroyed in an avalanche triggered by a massive groundquake coinciding with the reappearance of the Force anomaly. Many of the settlement’s inhabitants were killed as they slept, but some managed to escape with little more than the clothes on their backs or what they could grab in their flight. Further seismic disturbances, combined with freak storms, prevented the mounting of a proper rescue mission, and by the time the Jedi were able to return to the canyon, the settlement was completely covered in snow and countless tons of fallen stone.

In the millennia since the destruction of the settlement, parts of it have been exposed through erosion and seismic activity. While the buildings are barely recognizable as such, their contents were surprisingly well preserved. Thanks to the remoteness of the ruined settlement and the difficulty of reaching it, precious little has been removed from the site. Anyone possessing the skills and courage to excavate the site might unearth any number of ancient Jedi relics.

CREATURES AND CHALLENGES: Ilum's climate is exceptionally harsh. Its land and most of its surface water are locked away beneath glaciers and permanent sheets of ice. Temperatures, even in what are usually considered temperate or tropical zones on other worlds, can sink to dozens of degrees below freezing. These temperatures are typically accompanied by howling gales and blizzards full of driving snow and ice shards. Few creatures, and even fewer plants, live on Ilum. To survive in these brutal conditions, Ilum's creatures and plants are both extremely hardy and extremely dangerous.

ASHARL PANTHER [RIVAL]: Asharl panthers are one of the more common predators on Ilum. They are large, aggressive, territorial felines that make their homes in Ilum's high northern and southern latitudes. Adult asharl panthers average between two and three meters long and stand roughly one meter high at the shoulder. Their four powerful legs end in two-toed feet equipped with nonretractable claws. The creatures’ bodies are covered in dense, smooth fur in shades of white, gray, and blue that holds their body heat in to protect them from the cold and driving wind. They have broad, earless heads with pronounced brow ridges, and their faces are remark­ ably expressive, with short, blunt snouts and golden eyes. The most noticeable feature is a pair of long, tentacle-like sensory organs that grow from their shoulders. Asharl panthers live in small family groups and typically hunt in pairs or in groups of four.

BLISMAL [MINION]: Blismal are small, furry, inoffensive rodents who live in the tunnels and caverns deep beneath Ilum's surface. About the size of a grown human’s hand, blismal have four legs; sharp featured faces with small black eyes, round ears, and long snouts; and short, hairless tails. Their bodies are covered in thick, luxurious, silvery fur that keeps them warm and sheds water and dirt. They feed mostly on cave fungus and insects, and they are happy to be left alone in the dark to live out their lives.

Like the harmless snowfeathers, which live on the surface, blismal have few natural predators. This is largely due to their speed and cautious natures, although they do have a frighteningly effective defense mechanism. When frightened, blismal make a shrill, painful, and sustained shrieking noise to ward off attackers and call for assistance from other blis­mal. When three or more blismal join in, they create a howl loud enough to shatter crystals and cause cave-ins, an ability that Jedi experienced firsthand long ago. The Jedi attributed this ability to the blismal’s close connection to the Force, and were able to counter the effects of the shrieking by manipulating the Force around the creatures. In doing so, Jedi exploring Ilum's cavern system were able to capture blismal, which turned out to be relatively easy to domesticate.

GORGODON [RIVAL]: Gorgodons are, perhaps, the most famous creatures to live on frozen Ilum. They are massive, non-sentient, thick-skinned reptilian creatures with long, powerful arms, short legs, and an axe-shaped head. A thick, shaggy coat of dark gray fur covers them from their shoulders to their feet, leaving only their head, which is a sickly orange color, bare to the elements. Gorgodons are incredibly strong and can with­ stand almost any punishment. It is said that they can even shrug off blaster bolts. They are a dangerous combination of dumb, aggressive, and brutal, and are one of the few animals that attack for no good reason. When the Jedi first arrived on Ilum, the gorgodons were the creatures that gave them the most trouble. Throughout the Jedi Order, the name of this creature was used in threats and curses, such as “thick as a gorgodon” or “as angry as a gorgodon’s mother.”

RAZHAK [NEMESIS]: Among the most fearsome predators on Ilum, these massive creatures are as agile as they are deadly. Averaging around eight meters in length, razhak-are armored, segmented, wormlike creatures that propel themselves using rippling muscle ridges. Their bodies are broad and flat, covered with thick, chitinous plates in shades of white and blue. While they have no apparent eyes, their heads are topped with long, segmented antennae that serve as sensory organs. Their huge mouths feature multiple rows of serrated teeth.

Aggressive and solitary, razhak live in the endless tunnel systems beneath Ilum's surface. They are deceptively fast and, when they attack, they rear up like a serpent and at­ tempt to swallow prey whole. Anything they can’t eat in one bite they tear into pieces by grasping it in their mouth and shaking it violently. In addition to possessing great speed and a savage de­meanor, razhak also can generate intense heat strong enough to rapidly melt solid ice and cause serious burns to exposed flesh. This ability allows them to tunnel through ice as though it were soft sand. Razhak usually build their nests inside of ice walls or densely packed snow, typically leaving the nest only to eat or mate.

Thankfully, while they are terrifying to behold and extremely dangerous, razhak are also easily distracted and creatures of minimal intelligence. Keeping this in mind, a clever opponent can easily outflank them, lead them into traps, or make them lose interest in attacking altogether.

SNOWFEATHER [MINION]: Snowfeathers are small, clever, flightless birds native to Ilum. Their bodies are covered in a dense layer of oily, white feathers that protects them from Ilum's bone-chilling cold and vicious weather. Relatively harmless creatures, they live in nesting colonies built into ice shelves or cliff faces.

Despite their inoffensive nature and inability to fly, snowfeathers have few natural predators, for two reasons. First, their meat tastes terrible and is mildly poisonous, causing painful cramps, bloating, and loosening of the bowels in those unfortunate enough to eat them. Second, they have a connection to the Force that gives them the ability to project an illusion that makes them seem larger and more formidable than they really are. These characteristics have allowed them to survive and even thrive on an inhospitable planet full of savage creatures like gorgodons and asharl panthers.

#lumi.txt #star wars #jedi order #ilum #meta #reference #planets of the gffa

[secretlyhuntokar]

(Also including the super long songs bc I love them)

((This is how I find out every album starts with the album name except dttm))

#the mechanisms #polls #ouatis #udad #hnoc #tbi #dttm #gptvtmk #frankenstein the mechanisms #alice the mechanisms

[fluffle-writes]

Twisted Wonderland - Alien Abduction AU

Alien AU where Yuu/Reader is a human who accidentally gets abducted by aliens when they land on earth. The human end up staying with the TWST cast for a while because the guys who accidentally yoinked them were barely able to make it past all of the galactic patrols keeping aliens away from earth (the death world) in the first place

The 'humans are space orcs' trope can be applied to this - aliens not having adrenaline or resistance to caffeine etc.

Some aliens are scared of the deathworlder human creature hanging around, some want to challenge them to a battle for glory, and some just wanna poke and prod at them to see what makes them tick (gestures wildly towards Jade and Rook)

Some of the guys (like Riddle, Epel, and Lilia) are species that are much shorter than others whereas some of the taller guys (Idia, Malleus) are larger species etc. which makes the height differences between characters more pronounced

Everyone can sort of be in the same space station for research work - the resident human helps with heavy lifting and small tasks around the station like cleaning etc. Whereas the twst cast all have more specialised areas of work.

There are seven main branches of the space station, along with a smaller group of general leaders, dedicated to different sectors within the station; Heartslabyul, Savannaclaw, Octavinelle, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, Diassomnia, and the Administrators.

Riddle is the head of Heartslabyul and is in charge of training newer members to investigate and explore new planets to search for useful materials and interesting flora and fauna that can be documented.

Trey and Cater are a duo who work on high-profile exploration jobs such as scouting for planets with life that can be approached.

Ace and Deuce are trainees with a penchant for trouble. They're probably the ones who accidentally landed on Earth and let a human wander onto their ship before they flew off again.

Leona is head of Savannaclaw and takes charge when it comes to defending the main space station and training the residents in his sector in both ranged combat and hand-to-hand combat. there's often at least one member of Savannaclaw accompanying Heartslabyul in excursions as protectors.

Ruggie is the most skilled marksman on the station and Leona's right hand man - he's the quickest to react to danger and man the laser cannons on the station in the event that there's a aggressive life form threatening the station.

Jack specialises in hand-to-hand combat and is higher in ranking than some of his fellow members of Savannaclaw despite being a newer recruit.

Azul is the head of Octavinelle, which acts as the main commercial face of the space station - managing the amount of cargo, where it's sold or sourced from, and managing the bookkeeping for the station. He's always precise in his work and never lets a single number out of place

Jade is Azul's right hand, standing in for him at meetings and conferences if he is unable to make it due to having other plans, or a sudden influx of work. His large stature and carnivorous ancestry makes it easy enough to intimidate business partners into working alongside the space station, preventing Azul's job from being more difficult than it needs to be.

Floyd works mostly within the station, assisting Azul in preventing any interference with the money or cargo within the station - such as investigating issues that may have revealed themselves in Azul's calculations or tracking down someone who hasn't paid back what they owe for any under-the-table 'deals' that Azul makes.

Kalim's sector, Scarabia, works closely with Octavinelle by providing a more direct face to the trade of goods - managing stores, warehouses, and stalls wherever the station decides to dock. His experience as the son of a wealthy merchant know widely across the galaxy makes him perfect for the position!

Jamil is present on the station to keep Kalim safe and on top of all of his responsibilities, meetings, and paperwork. He's the one who's kept Scarabia running so smoothly all this time - working in the background as he always does.

Vil leads the Pomefiore sector, focused on science and discovery - from learning more about newly discovered species of fauna and flora, to synthesising medicines or cosmetic products from unique properties found in resources they find. Vil manages the labs alongside an apprenticeship programme where he hand-picks promising students to train in the lab.

Rook is Vil's most trusted co-worker and the first person to have passed his rigorous training to work in the labs with him. He's particularly fascinated by creatures captured on different planets for study and re-release, with the more dangerous encounters being his favourite.

Epel is the newest recruit within the Pomefiore sector, and Vil's only current apprentice. While he dislikes being cooped up in a lab instead of being able to explore new planets or work alongside security, he is quite skilled in the sciences and thrives under Vil's tutelage.

Idia is the head of Ignihyde, the sector that manages the servers and intranet aboard the station, along with cybersecurity. His job is to make sure that the station can connect to other spacecrafts, stays safe from any hacking attempts, and keeps an eye out for potential up-fuckery in terms of digital security - protecting the money in the space station, and any sensitive information that's best kept from potentially dangerous individuals.

Ortho is an advanced robot created in Idia's likeness, who attends all in-person meetings in his stead. He is constantly connected to, and aware of, the statistic of the space station servers, intranet, and connectivity status - and will be able to not only notify his brother of any issues, but even deal with them himself if necessary.

Malleus's sector, Diassomnia, is quite odd in the sense that it has two jobs - both healing and combat. Members of the Diassomnia sector are in charge of managing the infirmary and dealing with any injuries, as well as assisting Savannaclaw against outside enemies through the use of strong fighter ships and weaponry.

Lilia is Malleus's right and and specialises in combat - often holding training sessions with any of the employees aboard the station, regardless of sector or species, on how to fight an enemy who may have infiltrated security and boarded the station.

Silver works mostly in the medical part of Diassomnia, often being found in the infirmary. While he's seen sleeping quite often, as is a quirk of his species, Silver is always quick to rouse if someone needs medical attention from him. He's also trained in rescue, able to carry injured people away from combat areas safely and swiftly.

Sebek, as the newest Diassomnia member, splits his focus evenly between both responsibilities of the sector. He's often seen training in different offensive and healing skills - aiming for mastery of both fields to try and serve Malleus as well as he possibly can.

Map of the space station from the Bottom floor (F1) to the top floor (F4) - subject to change (I'm bad at floor plans)

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland AU #twst au #twst aliens au

[maya-the-skaven]

Imperium Maledictum: A Module for Aeldari and Abhumans, Part III (Abhumans Guide!)

Part II: https://www.tumblr.com/maya-the-skaven/735704419999612928/imperium-maledictum-a-module-for-aeldari-and?source=share Part I: https://www.tumblr.com/maya-the-skaven/735704386685304832/imperium-maledictum-a-module-for-aeldari-and?source=share

Abhumans are the humans who have changed and developed an independent sustained population either through naturally occurring mutations in highly diverse environments, are results of various Imperial attempts at genetic enhancement projects or are the descendants of ancient humans who still possessed technology to change their genetics to their wanted specifications without additionally losing fertility and also in numbers that would’ve allowed them to start their own branch of humanity. These peoples are quite different from the mutants that are products or Chaos corruption or some runaway or unsanctioned biomutagenic force in that they in effect constitute fully viable human subspecies and thus are viewed differently by the Imperium. While both the former type of mutants and these mutants are often nearly equally feared and despised by the majority of “normal” Imperials and are very often victims to those fanatically obsessing over the purity of human race, the Abhumans often have a legal standing to exist within the framework of Imperium and, as such, are not relentlessly hunted by the Inquisition, and also are often considered Imperial citizens and manage to find a place of service in several departments of Imperium that are unwilling to disregard a viable source of manpower, especially if it can be specialized towards certain roles. Some Abhumans, such as Navigators are, conversely, very highly valued and respected within the Imperial society. Most Abhumans, however, are usually simply disregarded by Imperium at large, neither systematically or legally persecuted, but also not at all protected against the often extreme levels of oppression largely xenophobic regular human citizens of Imperium do upon them. 

In this section some rules will be described for creating your own unique species of Abhuman, as the Galaxy is wide and there’s plenty of space they could exist, as long as they would be generally recognized as a naturally sustained or otherwise sanctioned branch of Homo Sapiens by the higher authorities of the Inquisition. Some of the most recognizable Abhumans would be the Ogryns, the Ratlings and the Beastmen, all of whom have some changes from baseline humans described in the base rulebook. Navigators are covered within the book under Inheritor Talent and are otherwise not different from other humans. Squats are technically Abhumans, however they are members of an entire separate Votann faction with its own politics, culture, items, loyalties and while it’s not extremely rare to see a Squat in Imperial setting, they would still necessitate creation of its own module and are, thus, omitted. Also, while Beastmen are now declared outlawed by Imperial bureaucracy, for the sake of gameplay, it is assumed that the many local authorities in the Macharian Sector choose to ignore this proscription (just as they usually ignore many laws and the powers that be turn an eye on this as long as nothing explicitly heretical or seditious is happening). Otherwise, creating your own Abhuman species with some of the guidelines below is encouraged, as long as you provide appropriate lore that would make it not impossible for them to fit into the Imperial life in the Macharian Sector.

General Abhuman rules

Imperium is still an overwhelmingly xenophobic place for even other human subspecies, to represent this the standing with every Faction other than the one you belonged to and except Rogue Traders and Infractionists is decreased by 1. Additionally the GM may include Adeptus Arbites or Inquisition agents that will try at the very least annoying you and at most actively pursuing with the intent to kill, however this shouldn’t make the Abhuman character an immediate outlaw, as self-defense justification might be covered by your Patron and more pragmatic local bureaucrats and leaders might close eyes on the disappearance of their more fanatical colleagues (no one likes them). You can create your own Abhuman provided you indicate their Size, Speed, Mutations and Description. It is up to you and the GM to agree what is a balanced Mutant gameplay-wise. For example GM may increase Influence penalties or indicate certain skill/characteristic check penalties or sic certain enemies onto you based on how your mutations might be perceived by others. For example GM may arbitrarily increase Difficulty for a Fellowship test with a certain racially puritan human.

Ogryns

Size: Large

Speed: Slow

Mutations: Brutish, Tough Skin, Noisy, Primal Instincts, Enduring

Additional Notes: Recognized and variably respected members of the Abhuman family, especially in the military contexts. +1 faction influence with Astra Militarum, Imperial Navy and Inquisition.

Ratlings

Size: Small

Speed: Normal

Mutations: Sensitive (Sight), Subtle Physiology, Warp-resistant, Fragile

Additional Notes:  Recognized and variably respected members of the Abhuman family, especially in the military contexts. +1 faction influence with Astra Militarum, Imperial Navy and Inquisition.

Beastmen

Size: Medium

Speed: Normal

Mutations: Digitigrade Legs, Fur-clad, Irregular shape (lower face), Horned, Claws (small), Sharp teeth, Smelly, Primal Instincts, Inhuman

Additional Notes: Recently gained Proscribed Citizen status. While local leadership, especially that of Astra Militarum and Imperial Navy chose to ignore this change in law, you are technically illegal and this might land you into trouble with high level authorities, especially that of Adeptus Arbites, Inquisition and Adeptus Administratum. Starting Influence with Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum and Inquisition is -2 (unless a member of a faction, then penalties are halved).

Example: Homo Sapiens Rattus

Size: Small or Medium

Speed: Normal Mutations: Agoraphobic, Claws (Small), Fur-clad, Dark Vision, Irregular Speech, Irregular Shape (lower face), Irregular Shape (feet), Smelly, Sensitive (Smell), Tail (prehensile), Regrowth (Teeth), Sharp teeth, Warp-resistant, Whiskers, Fragile, Inhuman

Additional Notes: Adeptus Mechanicus and Inquisition have starting influence of -4 with characters of this subspecies since, while Adeptus Administratum are yet to see a reasonable argument to proscribing these Abhumans, enough of individuals from this subspecies wronged higher ups in Adeptus Mechanicus and subsequently the Inquisition with their constant unsanctioned tinkering that members of the entire subspecies are universally despised by members of those factions (unless they somehow gained membership, then penalties are halved).

Mutations:

Most of these mutations are made for use with the new Abhuman design, some are directly borrowed from Corruption mutations in the original rulebook, but otherwise assumed to be a result of non-Corruption related genetic modifications/mutations. Some of these mutations, however, can be used when determining Corruption mutations, upon the GM’s discretion.

Aquatic - the physiology of this character has been adapted to life underwater and as such the character has gills, somewhat extended limbs and webbed feet and hands. On the surface, unless rigged with some moisture delivery system around the gills, suffer a 1 SL penalty to all Strength and Toughness checks. This mutation is incompatible with Digitigrade Legs, Feathered and Wings, unless a result of Corruption-induced mutation. Can be gained through Corruption.

Agoraphobic - this species have an instinctual predisposition to avoid large and open spaces, preferring labyrinthine forests, underground tunnels or streets of a city. You receive 1 SL penalty to all Willpower checks unrelated to psychic abilities, while you are in a large and open area, such as a meadow or a large plaza.

Brutish - receive -10 Agility, +10 Strength and Toughness.

Claws (Small/Large) - enhance your Unarmed attacks. With small claws you can remove Ineffective from unarmed attacks. With large claws you both lose Ineffective and gain Rend (1), however you need to trim your claws if you want to wear full-body suits (such as space suit) and otherwise not suffer 0.5 lost Armor per 1 Armor (rounded up, so 1 Armour loses 0, while 2 loses 1) for any Body armor piece.

Cartilaginous - receive -5 Strength and -10 Toughness but +10 Agility and you are able to do bending and dislocating of your joints that would otherwise break them.

Colorblind - you cannot see certain color spectrums, thus reducing your Awareness (Sight) SL by 1 on objects that have similar color to their background.

Clumsy - you have a naturally poor ability to control your motorics with your movements being more susceptible to reflexive changes in direction. To others you might appear twitchy, rapid or walking as if there is no obstacle in your path. Add 1 SL penalty to Reflexes tests

Digitigrade Legs - you have animalistic and muscular legs that are fit for sprinting and hopping. You gain 1 SL to all Athletics tests involving legs.

Dark Vision - you see in Dark as if it was Poorly Lit and gain no vision penalties in Poorly Lit.

Enduring - gain +5 Toughness and +1 SL to all Fortitude (Endurance) tests.

Fur-clad/Feathered - you gain +2 SL to Fortitude (Endurance) tests to resist Cold and -1 SL to Fortitude (Endurance) to resist Heat.

Fragile - you gain -10 Toughness and -5 Strength.

Hideous - elements of your physiology make you repulsive to most humans (although some still may ignore this element partially or completely, depending on how unaccustomed they are to your appearance or similar hideousness). You gain -2 SL to all Rapport (Charm) tests and -1 SL to Rapport (Haggle) and Rapport (Inquiry) tests, if the element that causes your hideousness is seen.

Horned - you can make an Unarmed attack with your horns without the Ineffective trait. You cannot wear helmets and suits without modifications

Irregular Speech - you have certain peculiarities with your speech, perhaps you are chittery, repeat your words, have a strong lisp or it is slurred. Your Rapport (Charm) and Presence (Intimidation) tests suffer 1 SL penalty.

Irregular Shape (body part) - you have a body that is shaped significantly different from any other human in your size category, necessitating you to commission a special set of armor and clothing to be able to wear it without incurring penalties. Usually full-body protective suits like space suits are inherently incompatible (if you still want their protection bonus). The table for body parts and respective penalties can be seen below.

Inhuman - your physiology is so different from regular humans, you are sometimes not even immediately recognized as a human subspecies by the less educated and, as such, you are more susceptible to xenophobic attack by rank-and-file humans. This results in certain situations where your tests might be penalised unless you persuade the other human you’re an Abhuman, or even authorities may be called to determine if you are indeed human or not.

Primal Instincts - you always consult your instincts and deep inner feelings before you make a decision or assessment of anything, not willing to let go of your instincts even if logic dictates it. Get +1 SL to Intuition checks and -1 SL to Logic checks.

Psychically Sensitive - gain 1 in Awareness (Psyniscience), however you have a Disadvantage in any test to resist psychic powers, unless you have a Psyker talent.

Lanky - receive -5 Toughness, but +1 SL to all Reflexes checks.

Multiple Eyes - you have an additional eye or a set of eyes, most often located on your face. You gain +1 SL to all Awareness (Sight) tests.

Noisy - you are loud, either some of your body parts creak and shuffle or your weight gives you a bit of a stomp. All Stealth (Move Silently) tests have 1 SL penalty.

Oxygenated - you are adapted to high oxygen environments, you need a rebreather even in an otherwise breathable atmosphere. When using rebreathers or are in high oxygen places, you gain 1 SL to all Fortitude tests, otherwise gain 1 SL penalty.

Overactive Immunity - you have an overactive immunity that rejects implants and augmetics. Any wraithbone implants or biological implants that have your DNA are exempt. Otherwise, once per mission you have to perform a Hard (-20) Tech (Augmetics) check to do maintenance on your limb Augmetics and  for them to properly function, and a Challenging (+0) Medicae test to  suppress immunity for other implants (provided you have Chirurgeon's kit or appropriate medicine).

Regrowth (body part) - you can regrow one or more of your body parts, without ever needing an augmetic or an implant. In fact, augmetics and implants will be slowly rejected over time as the limb newly grown again will push those out or cause malfunctions. The speed of regrowth however needs to be slow for balance for most relevant body parts. For example you might regrow your teeth, claws, tail, etc pretty quickly, but it would take months if not years for an entire limb to regrow. For augmetics and implants, perform a Challenging (+0) Medicae test once a month to perform necessary medical action to stunt the regrowth of the body part that interferes with augmetic.

Restricted Speech - you really really struggle to speak in a way that humans can comprehend due to the way your vocal cords or speech patterns work. You require a voice box instrument or augmetic to be understood. Without such an instrument or an implant you must roll a Hard (-20) test of Fellowship to make yourself understood with your voice in general.

Sensitive (sense) - you can gain +1 SL in any test involving a sense of your choice: Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch.

Sharp teeth - you can make an equivalent of an Unarmed Attack without the Ineffective trait.

Subtle Physiology - receive 1 SL bonus to all Stealth (Hide) tests.

Smelly - you have a distinct odor, not necessarily unpleasant, but somewhat unsubtle. Anyone doing Awareness (Smell) tests in the same Zone as you or in the Zone you’ve just been to receives 1 SL towards detecting your presence. Those with snobbish sense of smell will not like you and you receive 1 SL penalty to Charm, Inquiry and Haggle against them.

Special Diet (Carnivore/Herbivore/Specific mineral or vitamin) - you either can’t eat certain things compared to a human diet or require some special nutrition. While not really poisoned, roll Challenging (+0) Fortitude test if you eat a significant amount of food that goes against your diet. Additionally, not eating items from your diet for more than two days gives you 1 SL penalty to all Athletics and Fortitude tests. Additionally the diet allows you to eat raw fresh meat, starchy plants and required minerals in otherwise toxic quantities without negative effects.

Tough Skin - your outer shell is really tough, whether because it’s dense and leathery or you have scales or chitin covering you. Gain 1 Armour to all body parts.

Toxic Blood (Corrosive/Poisonous) - either same to Searing Blood or applies Poisoned status instead of damage.

Tail (regular/prehensile) - you have either a tail that reflexively balances you out or a tail that you can control as an extra appendage. In the former case add 1 SL bonus to all Reflexes tests, in the latter you can use your tail to grasp and hold any Encumbrance 0 objects and with Hard (-20) Athletics test you can use it to catch onto something and hold your body weight for a little time.

Warp-resistant - you are naturally resistant to the effects of warp and Chaos on your mind and body. You gain 1 SL to all tests related to resisting psychic powers, however the Psyker talent and Psychic Mastery skill experience costs are doubled.

Wallcrawler - your body is specifically adapted for crawling on the vertical surfaces and even ceilings. You can do a Routine (+20) Athletics (Climbing) test to crawl on surfaces in normal gravity, as long as they’re not very hard and smooth, with Slow Speed. In zero gravity you can just crawl around the same surfaces with Normal Speed. However your frame had to drop some weight to be able to pull such stunts, as such you suffer from -10 Toughness.

Wings - gives you the Fly ability. However your frame must be lighter for you to be able to lift you up, so you start with -15 Toughness.

Whiskers/Antennae - you have whiskers or antennae that can feel the tiniest vibrations in the air, additionally serving as locators in the darkness. You get 1 SL bonus to Awareness tests that either try to detect the flow of air and its changes that can be introduced for example by a large unit of enemies moving into the same area, and you don’t have the Disadvantage effect for Reflexes test in Dark areas.

#warhammer 40k #abhuman #ttrpg #homebrew

[alienisticxo]

Before the Fever

{Master Chief x Reader series - TV based}

{A╱N} Hi there!

I know you guys were used to other kinds of fics from me but I had to give into impulse here with a Halo fic.

I’ve played the games for years, they’re my favorite! But this series, and any future fics I write in this fandom, will be mostly based off of the TV series. I know plenty of people had their opinions about the show, but for what it was, I absolutely loved it.

That being said, this is my first Halo fic ever, and it’s all mostly not canon compliant.. I don’t know every aspect of the lore by heart, but I’ll try to research what I don’t know as I go along to add more to the atmosphere! I appreciate your forgiveness for any mistakes or things that make no sense though, again not canon!

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, this first-person POV/reader insert is purely for fun, take it for what you will if you decide to read it! This is also on AO3, my username is simply “alienistic” ♡

I am still working on my other WIPs, thanks for being patient, but I run through hyperfixations like water so sometimes it takes a little while!

enjoy! ♡

Extra note: I used a little Sanghelli! Because the dictionary I found is kind of limited, I pieced together the word for ‘my’ and the word for ‘love’ to create a pet name. V soft, much sweet.

Chapter One - Thrill of the Chase

“It’s been three days since we’ve had any decent money. I’m hungry,” Astra complained, her blonde hair falling in her face as she dipped her head into her hands.

She looked over at me as she sat back against the wall of the small nook we’d taken cover in, her wide green eyes shining under the twinkling lights that seemed to be everywhere you turned in The Rubble’s streets and alleyways. They seemed to expose your secrets, leaving nothing to hide. The deepened purples and blues of her orbital sockets made her look far more exhausted than usual, and my heart sank in my chest at the sight of her. She wasn’t wrong, and my own stomach growled at the mere mention of being hungry.

The hustle and bustle of people made it easy to hide in plain sight despite the lighting— not that we were in need of any kind of concealment. The Rubble was home to every misfit and ne’er do well-er that happened to mosey into that sector of the galaxy, along with survivors that managed to make it out of Madrigal and other humans who belonged nowhere and to no one. Astra and I were really no different from any of the others. We had to steal what we could, sell it to eat; barter to get what we needed, and, when we had a particularly good streak, what we wanted, too.

“I’m hungry, too,” I sighed, {e/c} eyes drifting downward.

We’d been living off of scraps for years, taking food where we could without pissing off a merchant or a pirate. Life wasn’t easy anywhere anymore, especially when you had the UNSC closing in at every turn to defeat The notorious legend that was ‘The Covenant’ wherever they landed. It was claimed that both parties tended to destroy everything in their wake.

But when Astra and I found each other, it was like kismet. We were both the same age, both orphans, and both completely jaded by the system that seemed to be set in place by a corrupt technocracy. The Rubble was lawless, and we liked it that way. Though when trouble came knocking, we had nothing else to fall back on but each other. She was like a long lost sister to me and I to her, someone that I immediately knew I’d never have to go through life without the moment we spoke. I took solace in the notion, especially after having gone through so many empty, lonely years bouncing from place to place, trying to fill the void in my heart and change the hand I was dealt in life.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I scanned our surroundings for anything that looked valuable— valuable enough to fetch some money or at least a decent trade. But no matter where I looked, there was nothing to be had. Everyone who passed kept their belongings too close to the chest, and while I was adept at pickpocketing, I could only do so much when everyone else was, too.

Leaning against the wall, my back went rigid as I slid downward to sit beside Astra, eyes still trained on any unsuspecting person or item. Feeling slightly defeated, I rested my head against her shoulder, thinking about where else we could try to find some kind of currency instead. Maybe down a different alley, or in one of the bars… On another asteroid? Sneaking into a party might–  

But before I could string my thoughts together, my head instinctively popped back up, my line of sight honing in on what looked like a metal briefcase that swung at someone’s side. I clamored to lean forward as though it would help me get a better look at the object, and almost head-butted Astra in the process of my newfound hope.

“Hey!” She whined, leaning away from me with a confused expression.

But I couldn’t pull my eyes off of the item of interest, my brow furrowing as I continued to shift in my place on the ground to get a better look through the legs of the moving crowd. It wasn’t until the sea of people began to nervously part that I realized just what kind of hand held that intriguing case.

“Holy shit…” Astra drew out, obviously having chased the direction I was looking in on her own, her voice nearly a whisper. “A Spartan… ”

Slowly– very slowly, I let my gaze trail upwards, over the sturdy hand, up the alloy-plated arm, over the broad shoulder, and to the bare face that was exposed to anyone who happened to lay eyes on him. That was something very unheard of in his kind. A clear view was now the only thing to be had as I sat back in my spot, completely still and extremely intimidated.

Taking notice of the dark green, near black alloy that covered every inch of the soldier’s body, I swallowed hard. I’d never seen a Spartan before— not in person, anyway. I’d only heard the stories; been warned of what would happen if they finally had business on Rubble. They were the best of the best, trained and deadly. And there one stood, like nothing, beside a pirate I’d seen in the area quite often, chatting about while curious and fearful eyes kept steady watch as they passed. He held his helmet in his free hand and seemed a little less like the terrifying tales I’d heard as I watched him carry on the conversation— in that moment, he seemed more human than machine, the way they’d painted Spartans out to be.

“Maybe we can ask him for money!” Astra exclaimed in a whisper and tapped my shoulder excitedly, ripping me from my train of thought. “I bet they pay him pretty well!”

I could only shake my head, breathing a soft laugh through my nostrils. The inability to look away from the man that stood towering over everyone else was stirring. I wondered what he was visiting Rubble for, what sat beneath the confines of the large case he held. It could’ve been a stretch, but I knew someone of his caliber was not going to be carrying something of little worth, no matter where he was in the galaxy.

“No.. Whatever he’s holding, it looks important,” I hesitated then, pondering on my decision for just a few seconds longer. “I’m going for it, Astra. This could be what finally changes our lives. Maybe it’s something that’ll be worth everything.. And then we won’t have to live like thieves anymore.”

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and I could see her looking over at the armored man and then back to me from my peripheral vision. Still, I sized him up, uselessly, of course. I had no chance against him, and if he caught me I was as good as dead, or at least in a heap of trouble.

“Are you insane? You can’t steal from a Spartan! Do you want to die?” Astra squealed, concern written all over her features.

A real laugh escaped me then. Half of the fun of the steal was the risk; the adrenaline rush you got from the act. If there was any way to get your heart racing, it would’ve been this. And maybe it was a bit more stupid than anything else I’d pulled before, but desperate times did call for desperate measures, and I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to the challenge just a little.. No matter how it ended up.

With a deep breath, I faced Astra. Glancing back and forth between her eyes and the item of interest still firmly imprisoned in the Spartan’s grip, I held onto her shoulders tightly and spoke concisely.

“If anything happens, don’t come after me. Find a new place to be, eil monerasha. Don’t live like this forever.”

A moment of silence hung between us, and I could almost hear what she was thinking as she held my flickering stare. But in true Astra fashion, her next words were so inexplicably her.

“I think you’re being a little dramatic,” she smiled.

But her jaw was visibly clenched, and I could see the faltering in her expression, hear the worry that laced her voice. She always tried to laugh in the face of danger, but the small heist this time seemed to be pushing it, even for her electric spirit. Spartans were killing machines, human (if that) weapons for the UNSC. One wrong move around any of them, and it was lights out if they saw fit– or so we’d been told.

“Or maybe…” she began again, her own hands moving to grip my biceps.

I kept glancing between the item and her face, still focused on her words just as much as I had been on my thoughts. I knew if I continued to hear her out, she might be able to talk me out of what I was about to do.

“You shouldn’t try it this time,” she continued. “I’m not that hungry, I can probably go another day or two, easy. We’ll find someth–”

“Whatever’s in there must be important. It’s my new mission to find out,” I cut her off, shaking my head, courage coursing through my veins all at once.

I had to take advantage of the sudden bravery and run with it, or I would’ve lost the drive to do it altogether.

The tiny blonde’s lips parted to speak, but before she could manage another word, I cupped her jaw gently, giving her face a soft squeeze before darting off into the alley. In one of my glances, I’d noticed the metal case had been set down beside a young, human girl with black hair. I hadn’t noticed her prior, but assumed she was with the soldier, though he turned his back on her to speak with the pirate in a closer manner.

I wondered what secrets were being told amongst the two as I stopped in the middle of the crowd of moving people, quickly planning my next course of action. In a snap decision, I lunged forward, my feet carrying me toward the prize without my mind having much time to catch up. I held my hand out as I prayed to whatever gods the universe may have contained that I wouldn’t miss the handle that sat ungrasped atop the case. People fell out of my way, being pushed and shoved without my realizing it as I ran. Life simultaneously sped up and slowed down as I felt the handle connect with my fingers, a smile immediately touching my lips at the next step being a success.

My thought immediately after was if I really was stupid enough to think I could outrun a Spartan.

“{Y/N}!” Astra called out behind me, clearly having started to follow me despite my clear instruction. But her voice was already a faded sound that fell into the atmosphere; simply background noise.

“Hey!” I heard a girlish voice cry from who I assumed was the girl who was in charge of the case.

“Stop!” A booming voice followed from behind me as I darted through the crowd, heavy footsteps of each stride he took behind me seeming to shake the ground.

Goosebumps rose on my flesh at the sound, at the danger, at the threat that permeated his voice and presence despite the lack of any actual warning. Pure adrenaline and lack of any other thought filled my mind and body as I pushed myself harder, instinct searching for a way out of the trouble I now found myself in. It was fight or flight, and flight was definitely more predominant once I noticed a motorcycle just ahead, running and ready, its driver still seated.

“Wait!” I screamed, my voice panicked through my labored breathing, hoarse already. “Hey, wait!”

I gripped the handle of the case and sped forward, my heart pounding in my ears the only real sound I could hear. The motorcyclist noticed me first, and then the menacing alloy-covered man behind me. With a look of terror and a quick hand, he revved the engine and began to roll forward, clearly trying to get away from the scene.

“No!” I screamed, before I felt something hard and cold grasp at my back, tugging at my shirt.

I didn’t dare look behind me, I didn’t dare risk a misstep and fall to the mercy of the man chasing me. I’d always been fast, faster than anyone I knew, and I deeply began to hope that my little talent could at least carry me out of this situation -almost- unscathed. My lungs burned, my feet felt as though I was stepping on knives with every footfall. By some kind of miracle unknown to me, I managed to throw myself onto the back of the motorcycle as it sped off. Dust and dirt flew around us, and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach from the rise and fall of the endorphins I’d used up as I gripped onto the stranger in front of me for dear life.

I could barely feel the metal case against my chest, the item being securely held between myself and the back of my new getaway driver.

Trying to quickly take inventory of my limbs, I hoped they were all still there and intact through my moment of overdrive. As I attempted to calm my breathing, I remembered the cold sensation against my shoulder blade just before I reached the vehicle, taking notice then of how raw and sore it felt.

With a faint roll of my shoulders and a glance behind myself, I took slight solace in the fact that I was unable to see the Spartan any longer through the dust cloud that’d been kicked up by the motorcycle. Peeking at my back some, I could only see red streaks and the fabric of my top torn where, I realized all too quickly, his fingers must’ve grabbed me. That’s going to leave a nasty bruise, I thought, deciding I’d get a better look later if I could.

“Where am I going?” The stranger finally posed over the roaring of the engine as we found ourselves in another area entirely.

I hesitated. I couldn't go back to Astra, that much was certain. I couldn’t lead a Spartan back to her– I had to wait for the heat to die down. But it was then that I realized it may never die down. I’d stolen this mystery item in hopes that we could escape the impoverished life we’d been living since we were kids, but now it became all too real that it may have finally been the thing to separate us instead.

If what I knew about the UNSC was any sort of true, I was about to become public enemy number one regardless of what happened. I was lucky enough to outrun a Spartan once– and I wasn’t even sure I outran him so much as he decided to cut the chase short and take harsher measures to find me and the case I’d acquired instead. I held no hope that it would be possible to do it again, or to fight off a team of them when they decided to deploy on the mission of getting back whatever this thing was. Even if I sold it, traded it away, I was sure I would still be on their shit list for lifting it in the first place.

I silently damned myself for my lack of any important thought before jumping into this venture.

“Take me to the nearest airlock,” was all I could say as my mind raced with any idea of just what I was going to do next.

#master chief x reader #halo fanfic #halo paramount #master chief #cortana #fanfic #fanfiction #halo fanfiction #halo infinite #halo fandom #john 117 #halo the series #master chief fanfiction #master chief fanfic #pablo schreiber #reader fanfiction

[kenobireads]

In celebration of finishing the full draft of book 3, here’s some Bestie Thrawn action. Here’s to unashamed character cameos 🥰

Anakin’s Fortress (book 2 of 3) Wattpad and AO3

Chapter 20

Admiral Thrawn climbs out of the fancy transport and turns back to me with a hand held out. I move carefully, my dress so expensive I'm appalled. To my irritation, Anakin knew exactly what I would choose and only offered the most expensive ones in this style. I only agreed when he showed me an image of the party location—which reeks of wealth.

It's black, of course. It pours straight to the floor, soft and loose and understated. There's a thick silk hem circling my body just under my breasts, which are covered in a triangular-shaped fabric that is held up by tiny straps. My back is exposed, and my heels hidden beneath the dress are short and, quite frankly, comfortable.

Simple, not restrictive, but in Anakin's words, still 'fuckable.' I like to think he meant beautiful, but whatever.

"I don't want to do this," I mumble softly to Thrawn.

"I'm not particularly fond of these social events either," he says in an even tone. "But they can be rather enlightening if you pay attention."

"Exactly how drunk am I allowed to get?"

He gives me a tiny grin. "Not much."

"That's what I figured."

I try to breathe normally but the closer we get to the doors, the closer I get to simply bolting.

"Kat," the admiral says in a harsh snap. I look at him with wide eyes. "You have two options. Stay nervous and miss things or pull yourself together and represent Lord Vader."

I clear my throat, oddly comforted by his ultimatum. "Which one attracts the least attention?" I ask with a small snicker. Thrawn isn't one to joke, however.

"You are not here to shy away from attention. You are as much an alien to these people as I am. If you are going to flee, do it now."

I glare at him, and his eyes flick to me, revealing nothing. I straighten and purse my lips. "You're trying to tell me you don't want to turn around and claim to have a stomach bug, sir?" His lips waver ever so slightly.

"Every time," he admits.

"You are trying to get me annoyed, aren't you?"

"Your reaction is your own. I am simply trying to advise you."

I let out a little hmph. "I'm the advisor," I say with the same tone as him. Joking isn't as fun with someone so serious.

"You will tell me who people are before they speak to me, and you will tell me what is relevant." If he wants me to do this, we'll do it.

"Of course. You will introduce yourself as Darth Vader's chief of security."

"Don't you think people will find that unbelievable?"

"Yet it is the truth, and Vader's threat to the Second Sister is well known." Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.

"Am I going to be out of place because I'm not military?" I ask while eying his pristine white dress uniform. Honestly, I didn't know anything could be so white.

His lips turn up slightly. "I'm afraid you might not understand: Vader is not an official military person either." I frown. How could I not know that?

"He said he was the commander in chief."

"He is," Thrawn says cooly. "But he does what he wants and doesn't concern himself with the day-to-day running of the branches. His voice is as good as the Emperor's."

"Wait, that would mean..." I trail off.

"That under the right circumstances, an order from you could be seen as an order from our Emperor, yes."

I balk at him, my mouth open and my eyes wide. Boy, would my father be pissed.

He seems to take in my expression.

"I'm simply pointing out that, no, your official standing amidst the military sectors is not in question. Plus, this is not solely military. You will meet many politicians and people who spend time around them." We are almost to the door, so I figure I'm running out of time to ask questions.

"Am I supposed to be sly? Friendly? Stand-offish?"

"The second most powerful person in the galaxy relies on you."

I want to roll my eyes, as that is no answer at all.

"Understood," I mutter. He looks over at me wearing a sly grin and motions for me to enter before him with a slight bow. Is he reveling in my discomfort right now?

"My lady."

I take a breath. Fuck it. If these people want something to talk about, I'll give it to them.

#anakin smut #anakin and obi wan #star wars fanfiction #star wars #fanfic #anakin skywalker #ao3 #thrawn #star wars quotes #obi wan kenobi #Coruscant #fortress vader #vaders castle #lord vader #darth vader #dark romance #smut #Thrawn would be a good bestie

[the-fiction-witch]

Breed P4

Media Irl x SCfi

Character Thomas Brodie sangster

Couple Thomas x reader

rating smut

Concept Breed series

Smut full sex/ princess/ 

I unpacked the few things I had brought with me even if admittedly it made me realize just how little I had with me with I had such an ample space to fill. Luckily the room was already full of items for me, soaps and sweet towels in the bathroom, brushes and combs on the vanity, and even a few dresses in the wardrobe even if most of them were not much more than half see-through strips just enough to conceal me. I decided to change into one of the dresses left here for me, I picked out a long ankle-length purple dress that admittedly took me a moment to get on correctly. The fabric was thin but at least it wasn't sheer, it fell on my body without much space to hide with few seams or elastic to give it shape. the dress had a long circle skirt down to my ankles that sat on my waist, and nothing but two long straps of fabric to cover everything on my top half I had to do some pretty intricate work to get it all to stay but at last I made it work.

The longer I waited the more my nerves grew.

Looking out the balcony only made me feel strange...

I think it truly sank in.

I was on a planet far from my home, a place truly alien to me.

I was surrounded by a species I knew nothing about.

Held Captive by a man I didn't know.

I knew little about him, his home, his people, and his culture.

All I knew was it was not my fate to be nothing more than a breeding slave, for the good of a planet I'm sure but still that didn't exactly make me feel much better.

I heard the door open and immediately I froze up hearing it close again,

"Hello Princess" he smirked

"Hello"

"The time has come princess" he smirked

"I suppose it has" I sighed turning to see him, he smiled widely as he saw me coming close to take my hand softly

"You look beautiful" He smiled giving my forehead a kiss "Are you ready?"

"....no" I snapped moving away

"What?"

"No. I'm not"

"Excuse me! you're my breeder. you don't get much of a choice in the matter"

"then why did you ask me?"

"Curtusty"

"Well no," I said going to the balcony but he followed me grabbing my arm the moment he touched my skin I noticed something different his hand gripped me harshly his fingers now claws sharp enough to cut me open like a tallon of a Manix he pulled me close to him pressing my body against his completely

"You really think you get to choose princess." he smirked in my ear "you look so good in that dress, now finish what you've started" He demanded "and if your good I'll let you off tonight" He smirked licking a line up my cheek, I turned and forced myself out of his grip

"No"

"No?"

"No!" I demanded bolting inside but he chased after me leaving me with no choice but to jump on my bed he smirked leaning on the bedpost

"You're a breeder princess, what about that don't you get?"

"No"

"Do you know how nice I've been?" He snapped "I could have kept you like most breeders locked in the dungeons chain around your neck to be used by any man who can get it up enough to fuck you, the fact I gave you a suite, a home, clothes, is not the norm believe me you are an exception. doesn't mean I won't throw you down there if you misbehave. Now lay on your back, open your legs, and do your job" He demanded grabbing my ankles and forcing my legs open but I kicked him off me and tucked my legs under me "where's the pretty little princess who was snuggling with me all morning in the ship? where'd she go I want her back"

"You are not touching me. doing anything to me. until you explain what you are, how this place works and what the fuck that was in the ship"

he rolled his eyes going and fetching himself a drink before he sat at the end of the bed his back against the footboard his legs down the bed towards me "Fine. then you'll do your job?"

"Yes."

"Alright, ask away princess" he says sipping his drink

"Where is this place?"

"This is linley y/n"

"Where abouts in the galaxy are we?"

"Sector 9728." He answered

"What's the ship traffic like here?"

"You don't need to know. You're not going anywhere" he smirked but I glared "not much. Anyone who comes and goes has to sit through the same customs we did very strict about who comes and goes"

"Why?"

"Because of the incident"

"Incident?"

"Many years ago when we were far less prepared for the vast world's that lay beyond our own, a ship came. We welcomed them with open arms and they truly loved it here. They loved our customs, our hospitality, our beautiful home planet, and our women. One night while everyone slept they stole as many woman as they could and slaughtered any men who defied them" he explained "they stole the women away, used them as slaves and whores. Sold them across the universe we've been rather... high strung ever since when it comes to visitors"

"Understandable"

"The few women who were left did their best but... our population has never really recovered and many men and women born of the latest generations are infertile further causing issues."

"You said linly people worked with people like me?"

"Similar genetics. You don't get some of the abilities we have of course but everything else is much the same. Your kind makes such good breeders for us if you can be found fertile. The only real difference between your kind and a fertile linly girl is A the abilities and B you give birth quicker which honestly is a best case scenario" he explained

"Abilities?"

"Due to... the general make up of the planet we have some abilities when we're home"

"Such as?"

"How old would you guess I am?" He smirked

"I wouldn't"

"Don't try to flatter me, princess"

"Twenty five? Twenty seven?"

"Aren't you a sweetheart." He Cooes "I am ninety six"

"What! That's not possible"

"Very possible. We age very slowly in addition to our long lifespans. I'm not even middle age yet" he chuckled

"That thing... you did on the ship"

"I did alot of things on the ship" he smirked

"During the landing"

"Umm?"

"What was that?"

"That is another of our abilities. Though few can do it as well as me." He smirked "it's called liquification, more scientific cell liquification." He explained holding up his hand and like on the ship his skin seemed to turn like water changing into a strange flesh toned mass of moving shape "the ability to turn yourself fluid rewriting yourself cell by cell to appear as whatever you want" he smirked as he spoke his hand changing the liquid mass taking shape into the hand of a manix dark brown with matted fur and sharp claws, the hand of a relien dark blue with webbed fingers and finally the hand of a warlin bright red skin with seven fingers before returning to his normal form

"Like... transformation?"

"If you like"

"Can all of you do that?"

"Yes princess all of me can do that"

"Can everyone here do that?"

"Not everyone. Everyone has the ability to do it takes training and skill to control it be able to use it at will" he explained

"So if you wanted to you could transform into anything?"

"If I wanted too" he smirked "with a few rules"

"Like?"

"I can't change my eye colour, my voice or my hair colour"

"Okay"

"That Put you more or less at ease?"

"A little more I guess."

"Good. Any more questions?"

"How... exactly is this going to work?"

"Well you'll live up here in your luxury suite have all of your needs cared for while I attended to lordly business, and whenever I have the time or... the hard on I'll come up and fuck you. Likely very often the first few weeks, after all I need to break you in" he smirked "im sure soon enough you'll get pregnant and give birth to my child, they'll be taken to the nurseries and well return to our business" he smirked

"Until when?"

"Until I tire of you. Or you lose your fertility" he explained

"Okay"

"I meant what I said on the ship y/n. I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to." He says

"Reassuring"

"Maybe I would, but you'd be a plaything more than a breeder. If you'd prefer too think that way?"

"Not particularly no" I sighed "fine let's just get this over with" I sighed laying down but he came and cuddled me holding me close

"You were excited on the ship? You seemed like you wanted to? What changed?"

"Just all kinds sunk in the situation I'm in"

"Okay, if it helps don't think about it your my princess and I'll take very good care of you"

"You mean it?"

"I do. Come on you seemed so excited on the ship, or do I have to flash you my cock again to get you all excited?"

"You promise... not to treat me to badly?"

"I promise. I won't hurt my princess" he Cooes kissing my shoulder

"Okay"

"Okay?"

"Okay" I nodded turning to face him

"Hi"

"Hi"

"How long do you think it'll take to get pregnant?"

"I don't know. But we'll have fun finding out" he smirked

"Okay just don't rip my new dress" I smiled tugging him closer so our noses could rub together

"No promises princess" he smirked kissing me 

He smirked and tugged my dress up and away from me to expose me to him "fuck." He growled "you look beautiful princess," he said almost unable to stop looking at me but within a second his hand moved to my neck and cheek "come here princess" he smirked pulling me close and kissing my lips with so much passion and energy he pushed his shirt off throwing it to the floor he quickly took both his hands away to work at his belt and pants kicking them off with a smirk "I finally get to use my little breeder. It's been so long." he groans  he didn't waste time both hands grabbing my breast to gently fondle them harshly before turning his attention to my clit giving it a few gentle rubs taking the natural wetness their and using it to rub up and down his shaft to lubricate himself,  he happily got snug between my legs wrapping them softly around his hips "I'm going to enjoy breaking you in princess" he growled slipping inside me quickly making sure he was hilt deep, I blushed hard admittedly feeling a wave of pleasure as he did, he bit his lip as he slowly began to move, he was so slow and gentle all while cursing and groaning under his breath "Uhhh fuck!" He groans "ughh princess" He groans still keeping as his slow pace "fuck.... Uummmm princess. Y/n christ you feel so fucking good" he moans pulling almost completely out and then diving hilt deep again "You are a perfect little breeder princess." He smirked as he began to get faster and faster becoming far more merciless leaving me with little choice but to expose the pleasure he caused me which only made him smirk more and continue so much so he was barely stopping now between thrusts, "fuck! I'm gonna have to keep you under lock and key princess, your pussy is so good. any man on this planet would kill for you princess"

"umm hum" I muttered trying not to give him the satisfaction of my enjoyment

"awww? you not happy pet?" he asks "I can fix that" he smirked now mercilessly rubbing on my clit as he thrusted making me uncontrollably moan "That's better. of course I want my pet to feel good too especially given how good she is for me" he smirked now at a rapid pace enough to leave me a squealing mess each time he reached hilt deep inside me until I had no choice but

"Uuuuhhh! Uuhh ahhhhh!" I squealed feeling the waves of pleasure overwhelm me which made him smirk and chuckle at me

"You're adorable" he cooes stroking an overwhelmed tear from my cheek "you'll get use to it princess" he smirked pinning me against the bed hard getting even faster and more mercilessly still groaning and grunting "Fuck princess!" He groans moving so intensely I couldn't help my overwhelmed screams "don't scream too loud princess," he smirked "Ughhhh UUuuuhhhh-" he groans before suddenly stopping his hips bucking in odd angles until he pulled out and collapsed down beside me gasping for breath "You... are the best breeder I could have possibly picked out" he says "I am going to enjoy you princess" he smirked

#tbs #tbs au #tbs fanfic #tbs smutty #tbs sex #tbs smut #TBS Imagine #tbs imagines #thomas sangster #thomas brodie sangster #thomas #thomassangster #thomasbrodiesangster #thomas sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster i #thomas broide sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster smut #Thomas Imagine #thomas imagines #sangster

[jedi-bird]

So this idea popped into my head while watching my partner play Jedi Survivor and I had to write it down. It's also posted on AO3 as Always (I'm agent17 there). Feel free to check it out or comment. I'm currently on mobile and my phone struggles with links unfortunately.

Her cries roused him from where he knelt on the floor. Cal climbed slowly to his feet, sighing despite the smile that played across his face. "Well, BD, she's getting better." Leaning over the side of the bassinet built into the wall of the Mantis, he reached in and gently pulled aside the blankets wrapped around the tiny baby doing her best to wake everyone in this sector of the galaxy. "At least now she waits until I've started meditating."

"She's protesting," Merrin muttered, rolling over in the bunk and pulling a pillow over her head. "She's telling you that you look ridiculous when you do it. And you get to handle her this time. I got her the last time."

"Only fair." Chuckling, Cal scooped her up and headed for the lounge, BD-1 beeping at him from its perch on his back.

Settling in, he gently set her on his lap, his smile growing as she stopped crying and stared at him with eyes wide and bright. "So you just wanted some attention, huh? I see how it is."

Lifting her slowly, he held her carefully before him so he could look into her eyes. "You know, the galaxy isn't exactly a great place right now, but we're doing our best to make it better. Someday, you'll be able to walk about free and not have to worry about being hunted just for who you are." He brushed a strand of red hair away from her ashen face, an overwhelming feeling of love threatening to overtake him. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but you are one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I'll keep you safe. Always."

She reached her hands toward his face, her red hair bright against her pale skin. For a moment, her eye glowed green before she squirmed, whimpering as he pulled her close. 

"It's okay Cere. We won't ever let anything take you from us. We're a family, now and forever. You and me and you mama. Your sister Kata. Uncle Greez and of course BD-1 here," he added as BD tapped his shoulder, beeping frantically. "Don't worry buddy, I'll never forget about you."

Cal settled his daughter against his shoulder, rubbing soothingly at her back. "You can trust that I won't let you down. Someday, your mom and I will teach you all about Dathomirean magic and the ways of force. And just like you namesakes, you'll be braver and stronger than anyone I've ever known."

He felt her begin to settle in the force, drifting off. "You know, your mom might call me a sap," he whispered, resting his head against hers. "But we both love you with all our hearts. I think you know that though." He smiled as Cere twisted her first into his shirt, holding on with a strength that sometimes surprised him. 

"There will be light in the galaxy again, just you wait Cere Ilyana Kestis. The darkness can't hold out forever."

#jedi survivor fic #jedi survivor spoilers #star wars fanfic #my writing

[cienie-isengardu]

Oh no! There’s people debating that s*tine kr*ze isn’t a bad person and what she did isn’t ethn!c cleansing!

https://phoenixyfriend.tumblr.com/post/674496015659859968/okay-gonna-kick-this-off-by-saying-i-wrote-up-an

You’re the resident s*tine k*ryze truther

Not sure why anyone would think I’m the resident truther of Satine Kryze about whom I rarely talk these days, which of course flatters me a lot. But also it slightly worries me as I need to speak first about the Mandalorians and their history and by doing so probably shake hard some widely accepted “knowledge” in the process of answering this ask.

Personally I do not count Satine Kryze as a villain, especially not when compared to the vast range of characters who definitely have earned this label for themselves. However Star Wars, especially in times of Twilight of the Republic and Rise of the Empire, have tons of characters who aren’t fundamentally evil but who made wrong, sometimes outright devastating choices or whose morality was compromised due to various factors. In other words, Star Wars likes deeply flawed characters. Satine is one of them as she had good intentions toward her (pacifist) people but whose serious flaws contributed to what was happening with Mandalorian culture.

If by saying Satine Kryze is responsible for ethnic cleansing people mean that one day the Duchess woke up and decided to kick out of her planet/Mandalore system everyone who doesn’t look like her, then they are wrong, at least in the light of tie-in material. 

The change from warriors into New Mandalorians (pacifists) did not happen within days or decades but was happening for seven hundred years, as a result of Mandalorian Excision (738 BBY). Even before this, there were people who wanted the Mandalorian Sector to join the post-Ruusan reformed Republic and actually understood the old warriors' ways weren’t anymore safe for their economy and politics, but their voice was shut down. Republic, concerned about growing again Mandalorian military strength decided to solve the problem with devastating bombardment of the Mandalorian key worlds that turned them into wasteland. 

The Republic attack was mentioned in The Essential Atlas (2008, published just before “The Mandalorian Plot”) 

“After Ruusan, the Mandalorians remade themselves as a technologically adept, rigidly disciplined society. Mandalore’s growing militancy alarmed the Republic and Jedi, leading to a short, sharp war in the 730s that devastated the planet and forced another social transformation. The so-called New Mandalorians renounced the old warrior code, espousing peace, neutrality and tolerance as the only way to survive in a hostile galaxy. Mandalorian armor became a rare sight, with only a few bands of unrepentant mercs clinging to discredited clan traditions”

Then repeated in The Essential Guide to Warfare (2012), as data excerpted from [in-universe] “Industry, Honor, Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul” keynote address by Vilnau Teupt on 412th Proceedings of Galactic Anthropology and History, Brentaal Academy, 24 ABY:

“In 738 BBY the Republic created a task force made up of Judicial Forces and units drawn from Planetary Security Forces in the Expansion Region with the Jedi Order coordinating the war effort. The Mandalorian Excision was brief but overwhelming. Key Mandalorian worlds such as Fenel, Ordo, Concord Dawn and Mandalore itself were subjected to devastating bombardment with swathes of those worlds still desolate in Imperial times. Mandalorian Space was occupied and disarmed with a caretaker government created from elements of the failed peace movement.”

And then repeated again in another in-universe source called Death Watch Manifest, published in Bounty Hunter Code (2013)

“This perfect society threatened the Republic. Seven centuries ago, their craven, hut’uune warships and Jedi bombarded our worlds. They incinerated Mandalore’s farmland and forests, leaving much of our homeworld a forsaken desert of fine white sand, and then occupied our worlds. They killed, exiled, or disarmed our warriors and suppressed out ancient codes. The Republic called this dishonorable assault the Mandalorian Excision, as if we were cancerous tissue to be cut out of the galaxy. We call it the Dral’Han - the Annihilation.”

The first source didn’t dwell much into details, as it was published before the actual Mandalorian episodes of TCW were even aired (and so most likely authors didn’t have a proper data and/or did not want to contradict whatever the creative team of animated series have planned for future episodes). The keynote of the last two however is not only the fact that Jedi-led republic troopers invaded Mandalore Space and turned the planets into a wasteland but also that Republic occupation lasted for decades. And with that comes the changes forced - and logically thinking, controlled by the Republic - on Mandalorian society. 

And so we have informations like that Republic either personally or through their “puppets” in the form of New Mandlorian’s government “killed, exiled, or disarmed our warriors and suppressed out ancient codes” [BHC] 

and:

 “The occupation would last for decades, and create a new schism in Mandalorian society. From the caretaker government emerged the so-called New Mandalorians, who bitterly resented the Republic but saw no hope in fighting it, and so renounced the warrior codes in favor of peace and neutrality. The New Mandalorians held most of power, and rebuilt Mandalore’s industrial base over the next few centuries. Some unrepentant mercenaries and warriors were exiled to the moon Concordia, while others dispersed throughout the galaxy, resuming the Mandalorians’ ancient trade as blasters-for-hire. The Mandalores of the post-Excision era were drawn from their ranks, though their authority was recognized by neither the New Mandalorians nor the sector government. [Warfare]

In conclusion, those who did not give up after losing the war and in result, refused to accept Republic occupation, were either killed or exiled to ecologically devastated Concordia (possible into other places), while those who managed to escape from the manhunt, haven’t been apparently acknowledged as political and/or ethic (religious?) group forcibly removed from their own land. Even though we know or at least can assume said warriors on the run managed to rebuild their society outside Mandalore Space, apparently in the light of New Mandalorians and Republic laws, they did not have any rights to what was taken from them by force nor to come back to the Mandalore or to have a voice in the government dominated by pacifists.

The Rebels animated show clearly bet on ethical diversity when it comes to Mandalorians yet by presenting the unmasked members of (warrior) clans who accepted and supported Bo-Katan as new Mandalore as so different from the TCW!New Pacifist (and Death Watch), this source adds uncomfortable implication that the “good” non-violent Mandalorians are predominantly white people while the “bad” who did not give up their violent ways included a great if not all presented then non-white characters (Sabine and her family, leaders of Rook and Eldar clans and presumbly their blood-related part of family).

In contrast, those who accepted and worked with the Republic, apparently gained aristocratic titles like Prince or Duchess (something unheard up to this point between Mandalorians but sadly this became the norm in Disney’s canon) and were at some point left to govern the rest of the  nation.

The Clone Wars did not dwell much on that aspect, keeping all information vague as possible, which I suspect may be partially done to not drag the sins of the Republic, The Champion of the Democracy people should cheer up for, into the light too much. But even then we are told that “Mandalore's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were exiled to our moon, Concordia. They died out years ago.” (though it is hard to tell if Almac talked about warriors in general or those from the last Civil War).

I do not have an idea why the persecution, as it is implied by visual look of characters, would be aimed mainly at non-white people to be removed from TCW!New Mandalorian society, beside the blatant racism of course. But to be honest, this problem is not only about lack of ethnic diversity between humans but the lack of Aliens too. Because ancient Mandalorians were members of an alien species known as Taungs and during the Mandalorian Wars plenty of other Aliens joined their ranks. Yet neither TCW nor Rebels, not even The Mandalorians or the Legends comics about modern times gave us definitely and without doubt recognized Mandalorians of alien origin. Some source here and there will mention them, but we do not see Aliens clad in beskar’gam in the most mainstream now star wars media. What really implies a lot negative things about decades long Republic occupation and New Mandalorians’s part in erasing unwanted “units” from the supposedly peaceful society.

And this was not just about killing or kicking out those not fitting the new ideal structures. It was about erasing the warrior traditions that the Republic did not like and has no use of it. This is why Mandalorian armors were destroyed throughout the centuries, while laws were forcibly changed and those opposing, persecuted by the government. 

On the basis of the above tie-in materials, I find it unfair and even cruel to blame Satine, born seven centuries after Republic Invasion and occupation(★) for ethic purge that happened - was done - to Mandalorian society. For all we know, Satine was born into the already homogeneous, light skinned, blond-haired group presented in TCW. So in my opinion, the truly responsible for this ethic cleansing was the Republic and the earliest “collaborators” (★★) first and foremost, not the duchess herself.

However! 

As much as I don’t think Satine bore responsibility for the social segregation / ethnic cleansing that happened in the past, the problem lies in the fact that her regime benefits the most from it and as far as sources go, she did nothing to unite the shattered society or to change existing laws. In other words, she was not the originator of this problem but she upholds it. And here duchess’ flaws come into picture.

One of Satine’s major flaws is the belief that her principles are the only correct one and thus the conviction that she knows best what is good for her nation. To be fair, Padme had the same flaw, but in contrast to the duchess, sources presented her as a person willing to actually listen to others and act on it. This is how she merged the drift between human and Gungan societies on Naboo during Invasion and how inspired by Teckla’s story, managed to win debate in the Senate. Satine, as much as her intentions in theory are good, doesn’t really accept a different point of view than her, and it is not just about Mandalorian warriors but Jedi as well, as she accused Obi-Wan that by doing his duty to Republic (leading troops), he forsaken his peacemaker principles.

She claims to be pacifist and seek peaceful solutions (as was seen with providing neutral ground for Republic and CIS negotations) yet the first things she told us about Death Watch and Pre Vizsla, the Governor of Concordia goes in different direction.

Satine: There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you're looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past. There are those among us, certain officials, who are working to root out these criminals. It has been an ongoing investigation. 

Obi-Wan: How widespread is this Death Watch movement? 

Satine: It's hardly a movement. It's a small group of hooligans who choose to vandalize public places, nothing more. We shall soon have them in custody. We have tracked them down to our moon, Concordia.

Idolizing violence or warrior ways of the past is not itself a crime. I mean, in our world there is plenty people fascinated by warriors of “barbarian” societies, like Vikings or Scyths (nomads) or who in general wish to come back to pagan faiths yet they aren’t going on murdering their kinsmen nor destroying anyone property. I’m pretty sure Satine is downplaying Death Watch’s offenses here so Kenobi (a Jedi investigator) won’t get interested too much but by not acknowledging its members as political movement and calling them just hooligans with pretty minor crimes in the scale of danger to public order but then going on how “those among us, certain officials, who are working to root out these criminals” gives quite questionable picture. Even more so, when Satine introduced Pre Vizsla, her supposedly close ally:

 “Governor Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of. He has been working to find the members of the Death Watch”

Death Watch was an organization made up of warriors who did not acknowledge Kryze’s power. But between the last Civil War that happened something along two decades ago and now, just before the actual terrorist attack, the source did not provide any data about major attack of said group (and yes, Tor Vizsla’s Death Watch had is own list of crimes, but with one sole incident on Concord Dawn [killing Jango’s family and the battle between DW and True Mandalorians that followed], he did not operate in Mandalorian Space as far as we known). Satine wants Kenobi to see them as simple hooligans that devastated public space yet has allies in high political spheres hunting down those “hooligans” known mainly for opposing her rule?  

And you see, we could argue the Death Watch was a dangerous organization that needed to be stopped - but again, Tor’s DW operated far away from Mandalorian Space and were not recognized as part of New Mandalorian society (and who knows, maybe Jedi did try to track them?). Those who operated on Mandalore and Concordia Satine claimed to be just “criminals” but the first terrorist attack acknowledged by source happened in The Mandalore Plot yet the investigation was already ongoing matter. If members of the TCW!Death Watch were solely seen as criminals, then Pre Vizsla, a governor of Concordia did not need to be so personally involved for this was a case strictly for police or whatever inner security office operated on Mandalore and Concordia. This discrepancy between Satine’s story for the Jedi and what actually was happening in the secret - the ongoing investigation controlled by the highest political officials officially supporting Kryze’s government - suggests those warriors weren’t hunted down solely by their criminal/vandalistic activity. They were targeted because Death Watch opposed Satine’s pacifism and did not accept the Republic's influences / occupation and the result of it.

I understand why Satine choose pacifism over Mandalorian brutal, war-focused traditions as Mandalorian warriors, with some exception here and there, have never been the noble, shiny knights on white horses that went out of their way to save the poor, enslaved or weak around them. But the problem is that she did not allow other people to make the same decision freely. Like yes, probably a large part of society, at this point, would still put neutrality and peace over the past traditions but those who did not agree with Satine’s political and moral statement could be hunted down like members of Death Watch. This leads to another issue - Satine’s government did not try to reconcile with the exiled, shunned part of their society. Not going on to seek peace with Jaster Mereel’s True Mandalorians or Tor Vizsla’s Death Watch? Understable to some degree. Officially not acknowledging Jango Fett, a bounty hunter involved with attempts on Padme Amidala’s life? Makes absolute sense. But those who were exiled to ecologically devastated Concordia to die out and either survived the harsh years or were descendants of said warriors? A bit worrisome as those people were the closest living warriors to Mandalore (and her people’s safety).

Sure, it is hard to open a dialogue with someone who hates your guts and wants totally different things and even took part in a civil war to get the lost culture back but… remember how Satine argued with Obi-Wan what was the true role of peacekeeper?

Obi-Wan: A peacekeeper belongs on the front lines of conflict. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do his job. 

Satine: The work of a peacekeeper is to make sure that conflict does not arise. 

Obi-Wan: Yes, a noble description, but not a realistic one.

And yes, Kryze’s idea of peacekeeping is noble but we don’t exactly see her doing anything in that direction when it comes to exiled warriors and supporters of old traditions, beside hunting them down with political power she, Pre Vizsla and their allies have over the rest of society. Of course, we could argue that Pre Vizsla was her ally and it's not that any big secret that members of his clan (like Tor) were still operating as Mandalorian mercenaries somewhere out in the galaxy. But Pre pretended to be an ally, a supporter of Satine’s regime. He wasn’t a warrior whom Kryze openly negotiated or communicated how to repair the broken bond between their two factions to make sure a new conlift won’t arise in the future. Instead she trusted a man who either proved somehow to be reformed/converted to pacifism (her way) or was seen as a “good” New Mandalorian from the start and whom she somehow talked into “hunting down” warriors who could be his own family / clan members.

See, Satine and Pre Vizsla could find a solution - not an easy one for sure but a first step to repair the damage - if they were willing to compromise. Sadly, Mandalorians are terribly bad at compromises, but that does not excuse the fact we have never heard or seen Satine trying in that regard. Like, if Mandalorians still wanted to take a part in jobs requiring fighting skills, they could join or start their own Bounty Hunter Guild because this profession is legimitalized by Republic laws. Not talking here about the type of jobs Jango (and True Mandalorians) took, that was mercenary work. But about hunting down the hardest, worst criminals across the galaxy [BHC]:

Or join Mandalorian Protectors who are the first line of protection for people living in Mandalorian Space. Something that warriors with the status of “criminal” most likely couldn’t even if they wished to work for society’s benefit. I may be wrong, but it seems to me a Mandalorian can’t be a gun-for-hire and lives on Mandalore, because Satine’s is against all violence, whatever who and why is using it - except those who work for her, like her own personal guards or police upholding her regime. We don’t hear Satine offering the exiled people amnesty if they agree to proposed compromise. We don’t hear her asking for negotiations, or at least a talk on neutral ground to see what could be changed and improved. We don’t see her offering access to education or medical help to warriors’ children  who may never be capable of following in their parents footsteps or their eldery or injured, as a good will. We don’t see her acknowledging the Republic and her predecessors' role in destruction and erasing ethnic diversity that apparently forced many (including non-white) people to live far way from their original home.  

I’m pretty sure some people will think she should not negotiate with terrorists! but… not all the faithful ones to old ways were terrorists or part of Death Watch. Not all wished for her death but many could want to come back to the family they were separated from. Some may even change their mind about New Mandalorians, adapt to their laws while keeping their old faith and in result, becoming an ambassador of duchess’ goodwill to other, less radicalized warriors. 

Hell, Satine does not even need to succeed on that front. She could be rejected, but her claim to be peacekeeper actually had some solid ground. It would be different to hear “Death Watch (warriors) rejected my peaceful efforts and we are trying to deal with their criminal activity” than “oh no, they are not any movement, just hooligans who accidentally also happen to be my political enemy we, the alliance of highest political leaders, hunt down to root out the problem”.

In the really short summary:

I do not think Satine was the villain of the story who came up with the idea of exiling people and Aliens of different look than hers. I would not put that responsibility on her as it seems TCW!New Mandalorians are the final product of what happened from 738 BBY to Satine’s times. But I do think the problem lies in fact her regime:

-  upholds this situation by not seeking a peaceful solution (compromise) with warriors and their descendents living shattered across the galaxy, 

- does not change a harmful laws to faithful to old faith even if not all warriors wished to harm duchess or Mandalore’s best interest (including those non-white ones who weren’t seen at all in The Clone Wars but who apparently exist in Rebels as united to fight against Empire)

-  generally puts her idealism (pacifism) over people’s best interest and 

- does not let others choose freely.

Sorry for the wall of text but if we are gonna blame Satine for something, then let’s blame her  for things she did or was implied by sources to do, not for being a most recognizable face of changes that fans passionately hate and whose were done by the creative team’s whim because Filoni wanted add to Mandalorians  some “nordic flavor” and/or being inspired by German society just before WWII.

(★)An occupation that may officially end at some point but the Republic influences for sure did not, as during the last Civil War, Jedi were sent to save young Satine, the [potentially] future pro-Republic leader but we don’t hear anything about Republic troops or Jedi helping stop the war and save common citizens? Also, even Satine’s accusations “Clearly, your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs” seems more closer to this issue than just a cynical remark) (★★) I am simplifying a bit the situation here as from the perspective of Mandalorian warriors - and in general, those loyal to old faith and traditions, New Mandalorians are traitors; it is their acceptance that allowed the systematic erasing of their culture and coming with it ethic diversity.  However, from the perspective of New Mandalorians, especially those left in wasteland and ruins of their cities, to let their warrior roots be torn out was the means of survival. I suppose, as the more years passed, the survivors’ descendants were more and more steeped in the rhetoric of the Republic (the “correct” education) that it was the fault of barbarian warriors and the Republic came to save the situation.

#friendship #star wars #satine kryze #mandalorians #mandalorian history #my reply #sorry it took me so long to answer #and i hope the wall of text wasn't the problem #i really wanted to explain the ground my opinion is based on #i don't think satine deserves to be called racist as we don't see her interact with people of different color skin much #which is not her character flaw but creative team's problem #whose choice makes bad impression like she accepted pre's because he looks like her despite the connection to clan #tied to death watch for decades #i don't think she kicked non-white people from TCW!New Mandalorian society #but we also don't have any hints she tried made a peace with exiled mandalorians (whose in rebels are more ethnically diverse #so i don't think she is villain but she is not without a fault in regard to social segregation #i hope it does answer anon's curiousity

[eluvisen]

Morning Stars - Chapter 2

Fandom: Star Wars KOTOR

Characters: Female Revan/Bastila Shan

Rating: M

—

En route to Dantooine, Rhine had adopted a new routine. It wasn’t one that held to a particular timetable, but every task had to be checked off her list. Entering the galley, Rhine stopped in front of the state-of-the-art automatic brewer Davik had installed, backed by a solid wall of expensive caffa blends imported from across the galaxy—an exercise in futility, since it was a universal truth of spacefaring that the caf was terrible. But with the perils of substandard caffa to occupy her, she almost succeeded in not thinking about Taris.

The quiet was broken only by the soft gurgling of the automatic brewer, the near-silent hiss of the vent in the galley ceiling. The damaged luma-panels in the nearby corridor flickered, slow and uneven, allowing shadows to stretch along the countertop before they were banished in a yawning half-second of light. A distant power coupling clicked intermittently, counting the seconds they still lived.

Yesterday, Taris was a bustling ecumenopolis.

Yesterday.

A new reality was cut from the fabric of the universe: Taris was gone, and the galaxy was so marked for it. Despite its slide into obsolescence, Taris had still been one of the largest trading hubs on the Outer Rim. Its loss would have dire consequences for the surrounding systems whose economies relied on trade with Taris, and crashing stock prices would destabilise the entire sector as investors withdrew. Alternative hyperlane routes would need to be standardised to avoid the planet’s graveyard—routes that were too long or too inconvenient to be widely used before now. And that was to say nothing of the sentient loss.

Had news of Taris’s destruction even spread beyond the system? How many people knew their loved ones on Taris were dead? The only reports would come from the few survivors, currently locked in the corporeal reality of spaceflight.

The Ebon Hawk itself was nothing more than a speck of cosmic dust, free-falling in space. There was safety in silence, at least for now. Once they reached Dantooine, news of Commander Shan’s—Bastila’s—survival would no doubt be broadcast across the Republic. The Navy could not afford to lose its beacon of hope.

Rhine closed her eyes and pressed two fingers to the spot between her brows. It couldn’t do much against the claustrophobic tilt of the walls, but it was enough. Just enough.

After all, there was still work to be done.

[Read on AO3]

#writing #fanfic

[dailybusinessfacts]

The 10 Famous Quotes by Bill Gates

When we think about computers, the name William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates, comes to mind. He is widely regarded as the inventor of the computer. Microsoft, the world’s largest computer software corporation, is owned by him. Gates is an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, computer programmer, and inventor who has made a name for himself. In this article, we discuss 10 famous quotes by Bill Gates. With all of his discoveries and a creative approach to seeing the application of a computer in every sector of life, he has made the computer into a household product.

Thanks to Bill Gates, computers have become an integral part of our daily life. He has consistently ranked among the world’s wealthiest persons on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people. He is now the world’s richest individual, with a net worth of over $100 billion, which is more than Iceland’s whole GDP. This stunning figure reflects Gates’ current and past impact in the realm of computers, as well as outside of it. Everyone should know about famous quotes by Bill Gates. Gates is a fantastic motivating speaker, that people enthusiastically listen to and follow.

Mr. Gates reads for several hours each day. In a month, he reads 57 novels. The 10 famous quotes by Bill Gates, which is extremely impressive. He keeps a stack of books in his workplace, on the road, and at home, and reads them all. When administration assigned a program for scheduling pupils in class during his childhood, his school instructors noticed his proactiveness in coding. He slipped a “disproportionate amount of intriguing girls” into the code.

Bill Gates’ greatest regret is that he does not speak a foreign language, and his greatest worry is that his intellect may cease working. Mr. Gates famously said, “If Microsoft hadn’t worked out, I would have been an artificial intelligence researcher.” This faction, which includes a galaxy of intellectual luminaries like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, is concerned about superintelligence.

Here are 10 famous quotes by Bill Gates;

1.

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve”

As we all know, feedback is information or criticism regarding a person’s previous action or behavior that is transmitted to another person (or a group) who may use it to alter and improve current and future actions and behaviors. When the environment reacts to an action or behavior, it is called feedback. Feedback, both positive and negative, is quite beneficial. This is one of best quotes by Bill Gates. Feedback is really useful information that will be utilized to make critical decisions.

2.

“It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure”

Nobody enjoys failing. Most individuals, in fact, would rather die than fail. It’s an odd phenomena, to say the least. I would argue that perspective might play a role in all of this. What if it was referred to as “learning” rather than “failing?” This is one of most popular quotes by Bill Gates. He had a software firm that failed in his early years before founding Microsoft.

3.

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

Ordering priorities from most important to least essential is the first step towards completing activities on time, and perhaps in a short time limit. While it is preferable to finish everything within the specified timeframe, it is occasionally just impossible. These are best quotes by Bill Gates. Sit down and make a list of everything from the most critical to the least important tasks, emphasizing the first few that must be performed.

4.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

The odd dissatisfied customer is unavoidable in most businesses. Rather than becoming defensive or burying your head in the sand, consider these criticisms as opportunities for your company to learn and improve. As a result, converting these dissatisfied clients into profitable ones is extremely straightforward. This is one of best quotes by Bill Gates .As a result, you must prepare for dissatisfied consumers, establish how you’ll manage their complaints ahead of time, and ensure you learn from their experiences to prevent future damage to your organization.

5.

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

Automation not only saves time but also boosts productivity, allowing you to get more done in your typical working day. This is something that automation can assist you with. Workflows may be made faster, more streamlined, and more efficient by adopting automation.

6.

“Life is not fair — get used to it!”

Life is another word for battle, and it is never a pleasant ride. Potholes, like ups and downs, are a part of life. As a result, you must make it a habit. He describes the harshness of life and the effort that it entails. This is one of best quotes by Bill Gates on life.

7.

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”

We are lulled into a demand for rapid satisfaction in today’s culture, a “show me the results now” mentality. We are likely to abandon our efforts if we do not see results in a short period of time. Our entertainment, technology, news, social interactions, relationships, and education are all moving at a breakneck pace. We’ve lost all confidence in our ability to remain with the process, dig our heels in, and work without looking up. This quotation is spot on. Our expectations are impatient, and we give up much too soon.

Mr. Gates is encouraging us to persevere through the difficult moments in the beginning because, before we realize it, our efforts will have multiplied many times over in terms of outcomes.  But, in today’s fast-paced society, we can’t give up too quickly just because we want instant satisfaction. This most inspiring quotes by Bill Gates.

8.

 “To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.”

Success comes from taking significant moves and advancing quickly rather than remaining still. Simply put, the philosophy “No Risk No Gain.” This is one of the inspiring quotes by Bill Gates on risk.

9.

“If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake. But if you die poor, it’s your mistake.”

Always believe in the law of karma. Give it your all, and be the lord of your own domain while maintaining a strong sense of self-assurance. Choose your own fate. This is one of the most inspiring quotes by Bill Gates on money.

10.

“Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world… if you do so, you are insulting yourself.”

There’s a distinction to be made between success and happiness. One is subjective, while the other is a mental state. Everyone is unique and has their own personality. What you are should make you proud. This most inspiring quotes by Bill Gates.

[neon-mind-palace]

Chunk #1: Courte Nebulae

Always at the absolute forefront of technological advancement and luxurious quality of life, the CSC Courte Nebulae exists as a leisure vessel known far and wide across the Sprawl as a shining gem in the ruling crown of the Galactic Concordaat. The Courte promotes itself as a resort cruiser that offers high-class amenities and events; all your needs met, and all your requests catered to. In truth, it is a center-stone in the foundation of the “richer-than-rich” elite few. Serving as a hedonistic speakeasy of sorts in which those with heavy wallets can hide away from the prying eyes of their public lives, the Courte would come to be furbished with all manner of amoral talents and methods in which these people could indulge in their vices.

In equatorial orbit with the planet Corvo, the Courte Nebulae is a cylindrical “tube-world” design, in which the inside structure is a large simulated atmosphere that curves upward and meets with itself to create a loop. The ship’s construction breaks down into 4 main layers: the Inner Core, the Outer Core, the Mantle, and the Crust; this is a holdover from the ship’s time flying before the celestial era. With the star craft being as famous as it is, the planetary symbolism in this naming convention is not lost on the peoples, though no one seems to know truly why it is in place. Almost all accounts of the origins of the Courte Nebulae, its construction and launch, its integration into the Galactic Concordat, have been lost to the annals of time, or to the forgotten partitions of the nodeway.

At the center of the star craft is the Inner Core, which is basically the only part of the ship that anyone in the galaxy cares about. Made famous over the many revs by commercials, news reels, nodeway media, this is the resort section of the craft that houses some of the most technologically superior luxuries that the Sprawl has ever seen. With a typical clientele of people whose individual net worths would range in the top 1% of all the Peoples in the galaxy, the only chance of anyone else seeing the inside of the Inner Core is by watching an ad reel on the Nexus.

One layer out is the Outer Core, which serves as the residential area for those who work as “talent” in the Inner Core. The Courte prides itself on employing some of the most popular artists, creators, superstars, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and anyone who has a sellable export or service, and using their talents in the Inner Core to make it the pinnacle of luxury that the Courte Nebulae is famous for. These talents may be temporary or permanent, but with the Outer Core being furnished with some very nice amenities of its own - albeit not as hyper opulent as the Inner Core - and would find its own way of making people stay aboard the Courte.

The Mantle is similar to the Outer Core, as it is the residential sector for those who work the hard labor jobs in the Crust. As far as the Courte Nebulae goes, the Mantle and the Crust are the necessary evils that must exist for the beauty of the Courte to shine. However, as much as the Peoples want to believe that every surface and corner of the ship is spotless, the further out you go, the grimier it gets. This is first-and-foremost evident than with the Mantle of the ship. Labor-hardened workers clock out from their poor work conditions and come home to poor living conditions, unrest and violence amongst the residents, a strict and overbearing enforcement of law from the on-board police force known as the Courte’s Defense; all of this culminates into an uneasy society where any manner of underhanded activities are carried out

Last but not least, the Crust marks out at one of the most poverty-stricken territories to exist in the entirety of the Sprawl. It was originally constructed as a housing facility for all of the main functions of the Courte, such as life support, gravitational engines, comms beacon, etc., and would be staffed and maintained by the workers that lived in the Mantle. However, since the concordance of the craft, more and more people from around the galaxy came to apply for work, and overpopulation would force the excess workforce to form their own masses and communities. Now, the facilities have been occupied by the squatters, and shanty towns have been constructed within the facilities of each of the main functions, and even some areas in between.

Though the presence of poverty might not be common knowledge in the Sprawl, it is rather puzzling to some as to how such a slum-ridden environment can exist within the same star craft as the most famously opulent leisure resort in the Concordaat. In truth, the Courte Nebulae is a very large space ship, with the Inner Core itself being 10 kilometers in diameter and 20 kilometers in length. The size of the ship, in consideration with the amount of time it has been in flight, as well as the unknown nature of the origins of the ship; all of this culminates in a space craft that embodies the full spectrum of civilized society, from hyper-rich vacation locale, to shanty town slums.

#lore chunk #Courte Nebulae #Inner Core #Outer Core #Mantle #Crust #each of these deserve their own chunk tbh

[shatouto]

Widely known on Naboo as the child hero who participated in the Battle of Theed, affectionately nicknamed “Prince Skywalker” for his regular presence at Queen Amidala’s side during her reign as her darling adopted brother, Minister Anakin Skywalker already has an edge in his campaign for a seat in the Galactic People’s Parliament, despite being one of the youngest politicians to ever endeavor such a project. Some predict that he will fail, will even put himself in life-threatening danger, for being so vocal, so radical about the Republic’s systemic failings. After all, the boy is not a reformist, but a revolutionary...

#anakin skywalker #obi-wan kenobi #obi wan kenobi #obikintober #should i tag padme? #she’s got a tiny cameo #anyway this is a variant of senator skywalker au #except i made up a second chamber for the galactic legislative branch #because good GOD how could they ONLY have a senate?? #what kind of fucked up federal democracy is this??? #they NEED a second chamber! #senators aren’t even elected! #i say for the second chamber they need to be elected #if not galaxy-wide then at least by their sector #so yeah anakin is campaigning #and he was so loud about slavery and anti-corporation stuff that there was an assassination attempt

[beskarberry]

Dawnbreaker

Solisequious, Chapter 2

(Cyborg!Ezra x F!Reader with last name) [+18]

Mr. Green turned to face you fully, and you realize the unnatural vibes you were getting were not unwarranted, turning your guts to ice on the spot.

Cyborg.

<-Previous Next->

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 5.4k

Content warnings: Fighting, Treasure Planet physics, food mention, unintentional flirting.

A/N: Ezra time :3

Crescentia Station.

Living well up to its name, the moon-shaped spaceport glittered like a scimitar of polished ivory out the window of the ferry as you and Tillie ascended to make port. Serving as Montressor’s key trading station with the rest of the sector, the galactic shipyard teemed with activity; from long-keeled cargo ships laden down with interstellar goods, to neat and narrow clippers with their voluminous sails built to ride even the most challenging solar winds.

As you disembarked the little transport, you scanned over the myriad of species that swarmed the terminals like a hive of insects, trying not to be dissuaded by the fact that none of them were the same as you. Humans weren’t common so far from Terran on the other side of the galaxy, but you figured you’d spot at least one at such a busy port.

Ignoring your own scarcity, you and Dr. Doppler made the trek from the ferry to the ship you’ve hired for the excursion, and it doesn’t take you long at all to find. The RLS Dawnbreaker stood out like a jewel amongst the rest, hovering elegantly along her pier. Crewmates scuttled below her majestic keel, hoisting crates and barrels into her open hull to prepare for the long journey ahead.

“Wowzers… How’d you swing us such a fine ride, Til?” You asked in amazement as the ship’s towering masts briefly blotted out the sun on your approach to the gangway.

Tillie did a double take at her boarding pass to make sure you were at the right terminal before following you up the steps to the ship. “My brother Matey owed me a favor, and to be honest I’m not sure how he did it, but I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it.”

The ship’s deck was even more alive than the causeway below her, and you narrowly missed having your head removed from your body by a pallet swinging overhead. From atop the stack of lifted crates a multi-eyed alien yelled at you in an unknown language, but you got the gist of ‘get the hell out of the way’. You forgot to watch where you were going and ran face-first into something large and squishy, your surprised grunt deafened by a horrid farting noise.

“Oh, excuse me, I didn’t-” You began, but the towering pink goo creature immediately started to chew you out with a series of toots and honks that would make a finer lady faint from the obscenity of it.

Beside you, Tillie cocked her head, her pointed ears going straight up, then pinned down, followed by a face so disgusted you would have swore the creature had just given the poop deck its name. She pushed you aside gently and cleared her throat, “Allow me… pthbbt fft fttft THURRRBBB ptbthbthbthbthb toot toot toot…pieEEeent.”

The alien took one look at Dr. Doppler and the ridiculous noises she had just made and immediately started laughing, or what counted as laughing in their language, but to you it was just more fart noises. They saluted with one tentacle and moved along, still chuckling to themselves as they went. Tillie grinned at you with all the smugness of the Cheshire cat, “I’m fluent in Flatulent, don’t you know! Dad would have just loved that.”

“Flatulent… cool.” you mused, following your Felinid companion towards who you guessed was the captain. The wide-shouldered crocodyliform cut a robust figure in his blood-red doublet even from the back, his stubby green tail swishing gently from side to side as he surveyed the embarkation. You threw a haphazard salute, “Everything looking ship-shape, captain?”

His long toothy snout swiveled around to meet your greeting with a well meaning but somewhat unsettling grin. “Aye lass, but ahm no’ the captain’o this ship. The captain is aloft.” He gestured up towards the furled topsails with one scaly clawed hand, and as if on cue a figure leaped from the mizzen to the main mast and swung acrobatically from a rope to the deck, landing gracefully on their feet with barely a sound.

Before you now stood a tall and lanky bird lady dressed in a navy blue frock coat and tall, knee-high boots. Her head and neck were covered in shimmering white feathers that made the bright orange circles around her four black eyes stick out even more than the long charcoal feathers protruding off the back of her head.

“Mr. Bolt!” She clacked, marching up to the now-named lizard with majestic arrogance. “I’ve inspected this miserable tub from stem to stern and I am absolutely flummoxed to say that it’s… spot on. Well done, Mr. Bolt.” She smiled at the first mate when he tipped his hat to her, then cocked a feathery brow down at you and your companion. “Dr. Doppler I presume? And Ms. Hawkins? Welcome aboard the Dawnbreaker, I’m Captain Fiona.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Tillie started, throwing a hand out to shake, but the eagle-eyed woman disregarded it. “Ahem, anyway, we should go over the map that leads to the aurela-”

The captain slapped a white-gloved hand over Tillie’s muzzle, silencing her quickly. Around you, a couple of crewmates suddenly resumed their tasks, giving away that they may have been eavesdropping. Fiona got right in Tillie’s face and hissed: “Keep your blabbering mouth shut, Doctor. My office, now.”

Fiona locked the heavy bulkhead door behind her as you, Dr. Doppler, and Mr. Bolt filed into the captain’s cabin. It’s a stately room with a wide aft window spanning the entire back wall, giving a nearly unobstructed view of Crescentia Station. Captain Fiona paced quickly into the suite, her quadrocular expression cross. “You would do well to keep that piehole of yours shut, Doctor Doppler. I don’t trust this crew your brother hired any further than I can throw them. What was it I said about them this morning, Mr. Bolt, right before my morning cup of coffee? It was quite clever…”

“You called them a scurvy-ridden cesspool o’ degenerate, hag-born snakes, ma’am.”

“Ah, yes. That was quite good, wasn’t it?” Fiona mused with a laugh, “And I stand by it. This crew that Matey acquired for the expedition sets my teeth on edge, and you would do well to zip your flapping cockhole lest the more unsavory of the lot get some mutinous ideas.”

Tillie balked, “Flapping cockhole?! N-now see here-”

“No, you see here.” Fiona interrupted, standing up to her full height that gives her a few inches over your companion. “I only agreed to this outlandish excursion because I owed Matey Doppler a favor, but to you I owe nothing. This is my ship, Doctor, and you would do well to follow my orders. What sort of doctor are you anyway? Medical I should hope?”

“…Zoologist.”

“Phenomenal.” The captain’s four onyx eyes seemed to cut Tillie to the bone, her eagerness to endure the coming journey already beginning to wane. “Now then, the map, if you please.”

You pulled the neatly-folded parchment from your pocket, but kept the aurelac to yourself. The captain took it from you carefully, her stern expression suddenly excited as she plotted the course to the unexplored corner of the Etherium. “Very good, we can make this journey in a few months’ time.” She crossed the large room with three easy strides towards a tall cabinet and swiftly stored the map under lock and key. “Ms. Hawkins, your grandfather’s reputation precedes you, but that says nothing to me about you. Tell me, aside from regular disputes with law enforcement, what experience do you have as a spacer?”

Spacer? “Uh… I can fly a solar surfer? And I’m good at fixing things.” The combination of these admittances made you suddenly homesick, flashing the memory of grandad’s solar board back above the fireplace mantel where it belongs. That was the one condition Sarah made you agree to since she didn’t trust you to return home with it alive. You swallowed the thought down and stood as proudly as you could, awaiting the captain’s orders.

She tilted her head down at you, the muscles in her jaw setting her beak stiff with disdain. “A ‘solar surfer’ is not a ship, Ms. Hawkins, and being able to fix or fly one does not a spacer make. You’ll be assigned to the galley with the other human, Mr. Green, as his assistant. Though I don’t trust him any more than the rest of his ilk he’s at least been starborne, which is more than I can say of you, and hopefully that will keep the two of you out of trouble. Mr. Bolt, will you show her to her station?”

You choked trying to formulate an argument, but Mr. Bolt’s reptilian physique was already ushering you out the door, and you can’t do much else but fume on the way to the ship’s kitchen. Before you’ve even arrived at the stairs leading down through the deck hatch you could smell something being prepared for the after-launch meal.

It cut through the scent of jute wax and sun-warmed wood that permeated the docks with ease; a spicy aroma that made you ache for the Benbow’s house special. You followed your nose -and your stomach- regardless of Mr. Bolt’s guidance, stepping out of the breezy afternoon and down into the dark hearth-warmth of the galley. Once the hubbub of the deck’s activities was blotted out by the rising wooden walls, your ears pick up what your nose could not:

Singing.

“Yew that is old, in churchyard mould, he breedeth a mighty bow

Alder for shoes do wise men choose, and Beech for cups also

But when you have killed, and your bowl it is filled, and your shoes are clean outworn

Back you must speed for all that you need to Oak, and Ash, and Thorn.”

The sound of a human man’s rich, twangy baritone reverberated clearly over the clanging banging of the kitchen where he worked, a deep-timbred melody articulated with each cut of a knife or flip of a pan, turning the wooden walled galley into a tiny amphitheater all its own. You could see him now, past the low bench tables, circling the cooking crucible in a sort of dance, the fire’s shadows giving him an eerie, unnatural aura.

“Mr. Green.” the first mate barked, demanding the cooks attention.

“Well good afternoon, Mr. Bolt!” The man called with an educated southern drawl, wiping his hands off on his apron quickly before trying to make himself more presentable. “Had I known you were coming to grace my humble galley I would have tidied up a bit! To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced presence? Come to sample the launch-lunch?” Mr. Green turned to face you fully, and you realize the unnatural vibes you were getting were not unwarranted, turning your guts to ice on the spot.

Cyborg.

Nearly half of him seemed to have been replaced by mechanized augmentations, spanning from top to bottom of his right side. His prosthetic eye caught your own first, a red flickering light that seemed to reflect off of the rackish patch of blond hair jutting out from his temple, contrasting sharply with the rest of his otherwise dark brown curls that matched his remaining left eye’s hue. You didn’t see him smile as you took him in, your eyes locked to his cybernetic right arm as its vents hissed with steam, switching the knife attachment he was using to chop vegetables into one more resembling a skeletal metal hand.

“Ms. Hawkins ‘ere ‘as been assigned to be your assistant. She’s no’ been starborne so it’s up to you to teach her the ins-’n’-outs o’ the ship. Captain’s orders.” Mr. Bolt demanded, not giving you or the cook any room for argument before turning on his heel and marching back up the stairs. Mr. Green, aghast, stared in bewilderment as the first mate leaves, his jaw working to form a sentence that he cannot seem to find.

You filled it in for him. “Look, I don’t like it any more than you do, cyborg. If I’d know I was gonna get stuck in the kitchen I would have just stayed home.” You crossed your arms and slouched against the wall, eyeing Mr. Green with enough venomous skepticism to kill a lesser man.

“But then we would never have met, and truly that would be a crime against the stars themselves. How fortunate I am to make your acquaintance!” He laughed and stuck his mechanical arm out to you, the hand ‘accidentally’ replaced with a long knife blade. “Apologies! Has a mind of its own, it does.” he said, swapping back over to a shakeable grip, but you’d already had enough of his antics and refused.

“Mr. Green-”

“Please, call me Ezra. I won’t be forced to endure the pomp and circumstance any more’n I have to, and certainly not from such a maiden as fair and fierce as thee.” He broke out in a charming grin, and if you weren’t so deafened by the ‘beware the cyborg’ warning your father had bestowed on you blaring like a siren between your ears, you might have found him handsome. He smirked at your rough demeanor, making the crinkles around his eyes deepen. “Don’t let this hunk of hardware intimidate you, little bird. Took some gettin’ used to, but it has proven itself to be quite advantageous.”

The mechanical prosthetic whirred to life when Ezra returned to his cutting board, making short work of a pile of shellfish, then switching to another tool to dice up a handful of fat root vegetables faster and more efficiently than a mortal limb ever could. He masterfully swapped between gadgets, putting on a show just to impress your skeptical eyes. The hand became claws, then knives, then a saw, sending ingredients flying expertly around the kitchen. You managed to feign disinterest until he swapped to a literal flame thrower, charring some vegetables mid air as they were flung into the pot.

After throwing in a final dash of unknown spices, he dipped a deep-bowled ladle into the steaming gumbo and brought it to his fuzzy lips, sampling the stew with a contented sigh. “Perfection.” He purred, sauntering over to you with more pride than a peacock in heat. He held the spoons’ handle in his artificial hand, but his calloused left floated just under the bowl -and rather close to your chin- ready to catch any errant drips. “Here, try this.”

You glared at the ladle-full of soup being held so close to your face, but you couldn’t deny it did smell fantastic. Ezra caught your look of disdain and pouted; a pleading, innocent face. You supposed if it was poison he wouldn’t have taken a sample for himself, so you bucked up and took a sip.

Sweet stars above.

It’s delicious, warm and rich and just spicy enough that the heat of it burned like a wildfire from the depths of your belly to the tips of your toes, dropping the ambient temperature of the galley against your skin by several degrees. You closed your eyes and let Ezra tilt the spoon for you to take a deeper swig, savoring the rich and creamy texture and catching a chunk of some otherworldly vegetable between your teeth. It’s soft and flavorful, not mushy or over cooked like your sister sometimes did to the bonzabeast, and you were stuck by the sudden heartache of coming home.

Swallowing a mouthful of the most amazing gumbo you’d ever tasted, you slowly let Ezra pass you the ladle, ignoring the feel of his metal fingers brushing past yours, too engrossed with your own indulgence. There’s not nearly enough for you, and you downed the rest of it quickly, licking the lingering flavor of spices from off your lips with almost inappropriate leisure. When nothing remained, you let your eyes flicker back open and nearly jumped out of your own skin with how close Ezra had gotten.

“How is it?”

He was nearly in your face, his enormous brown eye watching you eagerly, eyebrows arched in anticipation. The details of his face were clearer now, or maybe you were finally able to take your gaze off of the non-human parts of him and see what remains. There’s a fine white scar across his left cheek parallel to the line of bristles hanging below his aquiline nose, the corners of which just barely brush a matching set of dimples bracketing his parted lips. You could see his hands out of your peripheral vision, the flesh-and-bone one fidgeting nervously with the tendon wires of the prosthetic, and you realized he’s waiting on you to give him an answer.

“It’s, uh… it’s good…”

Ezra beamed, a boyish smile that easily lit up the room. “Excellent! Can’t start a voyage off on a bad meal! It’s bad luck, y’know. I may be but a humble cyborg, but I always take pride in setting a voyage off on the right foot! Or, er, peg, in my case. Now, why don’t you head topside’n observe the launch, eh? There’ll be plenty’a opportunities to get to know each other better on the journey ahead!”

You agreed with Captain Fiona, Ezra and the crew probably couldn’t be trusted, but you find yourself unable to disagree with such a kind, genuine smile paired with such a delicious cup of broth. Maybe your dead-beat dad was just star-crazed about cyborgs, because this one didn’t seem like the type to cause any real harm. And, as much as you hated to admit it, the fact that he was easy on the eyes certainly helped. Nobody truly evil could make something as tasty as the gumbo and look so good doing it, so with a happy tummy you nodded and headed back up the creaky stairs.

Mr. Green watched you go until your bootheels disappeared past the steps, and the moment you were out of sight he let his charming grin dissipate, replaced with a near-snarling scowl. The red light of his optic flickered thoughtfully while he smoothed down the corners of his mustache using the rubber pads of his right hand’s claws.

“Hawkins, eh? How... convenient.”

“We’ve got the all-clear captain!”

The call from the lookout rang loud and true over the busy port, earning a nod from Captain Fiona. “Well, Mr. Bolt, are we ready to raise this creaking tub and get this expedition underway?”

“Aye, captain. All hands to stations!” Mr. Bolt bellowed, summoning a flurry of activity on the deck right as you exited the galley hatch. Spacers climbed the rigging shrouds with practiced ease up the masts, waiting on the call of “Loose all solar sails!” from the first mate. The sails splayed horizontally like enormous handheld fans, their hexagonal energy cells dull and lifeless in the shadow of Crescentia Station.

As the dozen or so halfshells unfurled above your head, the keel-jets flickered to life, gently nudging the Dawnbreaker out of her berth and into the open air. Over the taffrail you watched as the station fell away below you, obscured partially by a flurry of white-winged skyrays trailing after the ship. Mr. Bolt’s commands led the ship higher until she was no longer eclipsed by the station, the ivory sails swelling with the radiant power of Apollo’s kiss crackling to life across the canvas.

Once you’d risen into the open air, the gravity from the station began to wane, and you felt your feet leave the deck below you. Your clothes billowed around like water, and momentary panic had you flapping your arms trying to swim. The captain and first mate were unphased, though Dr. Doppler looked just as flummoxed as you floating ass-over-teakettle through the air. “Mr. Slerg!” Captain Fiona called from a few feet off the deck, addressing the pink fart blob you’d met earlier. “Engage artificial gravity!”

Mr. Slerg tooted a salute and threw a lever jutting from the nautiloid-shaped generator taking up a sizable square footage of the deck. It whirred like a tornado, radiating deep purple light that spread across the deck in lightning strikes, bringing everything aboard down with it. You and Tillie both landed gracelessly, but the crewmates were no worse off. The Avian, unimpressed by the landlubbers, ignored the both of you. “North by North West, Mr. Arbuckle, heading one-three-zero-four.” The helmsmen repeated the heading back to the captain, turning the steering wheel swiftly with their multiple arms and pointed the ship towards the Ethereal expanse. “Full speed, Mr. Bolt.”

The ship’s innards roared, her propulsion engines rumbling with anticipation the same way your solar board did, eager and wild until all the fury of the stars was released behind you. From the quarterdeck you think you hear Tillie scream, having not yet developed her space-legs, but the howl of the ship flying drowns out nearly every sound including the Felinid’s surprised yowls.

Crescentia Station dropped away sickeningly fast, and you climbed up onto the nearest shroud ropes to get a better view. Warm wind ruffled through your hair and made your eyes water, the Dawnbreaker quickly reaching a speed your solar-board only ever dreamed of.

Ahead, the Etherium flowed and pulsed, tempting you with it’s unknown treasures. The nebulous clouds glittered with far away stars, shining brightly on the backs of skyrays trailing after the ship. You heard something over the engine’s purr, a low, pleasant sound that immediately drew your eyes.

“Woah…”

A pod of enormous cetaceans coasted alongside you, their mouths alone big enough to swallow your ship whole, but the gentle giants were just as curious about you as you were of them. They sang their mournful song, wishing you the best of luck on your journey to the stars.

“Upon my word, a pod of orcus galacticus!” Tillie beamed from the floor of the quarter deck, stumbling to her feet and fishing out a handheld camera. “I’ve got to get a picture for the Archives!” The Felinid leaned carelessly over the gunrails, smushing the camera into her glasses to get the best shot.

“Doctor.. I wouldn’t get too close if I were-”

-SPLOOSH!-

The orcus Tillie had her lens trained on vented its blowhole, drenching the cat lady in sticky, foul-smelling goop. Fiona hid her laugh, but her secretive smile was quickly erased by the thump-clack-thump-clack of a cyborg’s peg-legged step.

“A beautiful day to sail Kevva’s domain, don’t you think, captain?” Ezra made a grand gesture of tipping a ratty tricorn hat from his head, and the dark green canvas coat that had replaced his galley apron swished behind him dramatically with his theatrical bow. “And you yourself are looking as fine and formidable as a frigate with new forecanons and a fresh coat of paint.”

Not a feather ruffled on the captain’s head. “That whore-caller mouth of yours might work in the spaceport brothels, but aboard my ship I’ll have none of it.” Fiona cut, glaring at the downtrodden cook from her perch by the wheel. “Mind your tongue before it’s removed from your head, Mr. Green.”

Ezra pouted nervously. “Why captain, I speak nothing but the truth’a my heart, ma’am, my heart which you have now undeniably broken…”

Already over Ezra’s flim-flammery, Fiona tilted her head like a chicken and squinted down the deck, her four eyes giving her an exceptional view of… you. “And, by the way, isn’t that your cabin girl aimlessly dicking around in the rigging?”

You weren’t so much ‘aimlessly dicking around’ as you were taking in the sight of the Etherium swallowing the ship, the vast blue and purple clouds of nebulous gas flowing in a sort of cosmic waltz. The lattice rope of the mainsail’s shroud made for a perfect stayfast for you to wrap your wrist around, and you couldn’t help but lean over the gunrails to watch the infinite pass below.

It was fucking beautiful.

A man of many, many words, Ezra fumbled for some kind of argument, but the captain was steadfast. He huffed and squashed his hat back down on his head, bullying his shoulders broad. “Hawkins!” He called, his uneven gait thump-clacking towards you. You rolled your eyes, recognizing the same ‘bad-dog’ tone your sister liked to use whenever you got brought home by the cops. “I’ve got a pair of acquaintances that I’d like you to meet!” Curious, you glanced around the deck, but aside from the busy crew hands and the cyborg, there was nobody you hadn't seen. He smiled disarmingly, and you knew right then you were fucked. “Say hello… to Mr. Mop, and Mrs. Bucket!”

The Dawnbreaker, though having not left port too long ago, was already dinged with scuffs and grime from the embarkation, and you cursed your heritage for being raised in a tavern. Mr. Mop splottered against the wood grossly, wet with already-dirty water that you were using to swab the deck. This blows you thought angrily to yourself, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn stain. This is barely any better than the Benbow! But at least it’s in space, right?

In your annoyance, you backed unwillingly into a large meaty wall, the owner of which nearly punched your lights out. “Watch it, human!” the creature roared in an octave so low you felt it in your bowels. Your first instinct was to spit back -Bite me, fuckwit!- but compared to the towering, four-armed monstrosity you were practically an insect, so you regretfully held your tongue. You’d never felt outnumbered by non-humans before now, and though you were used to the Benbow’s otherworldly patronage, something about these particular extraterrestrials made your skin crawl.

The mop squelched disgustingly against the deck again, but your eyes couldn’t stay on your work any more now that your hackles were raised. Your perked ears caught the sound of something hushed, and you stole a glance up to observe a small group of crewmates gathered around a barrel top, whispering in alien tongues to each other with seemingly juicy secrets. A pair of eyes flashed up to see you with a double-take, and hushed the group to glare at you. You pretended to keep mopping, but you’d already been spotted. The deckhand’s fat, toothy mouth curled upwards into a snarl, exposing more than one row of teeth. “What’re you lookin’ at, human?”

You bared your teeth to retort, but a venomous hissing poisoned the air above your head. Cold ice trickled down your spine, almost freezing you solid when you looked up and into a pair of gigantic yellow compound eyes situated on either side of an overly-fanged mouth. “Cabin girl…” The crab-spider creature growled, descending the shroud lines like a web to loom over you. “Keep your eyesss on your own businesssss, lessst you lose them…”

Cabin girl?! Getting cat-called at the tavern was one thing, but you’d killed bigger bugs with a rolled up newspaper, and you weren’t going to let this one bully you. Folding your fingers over the top of the mop handle, you cocked your hip and sneered. “Well, keepin’ the ship clean is my business, you overgrown lobster, and I should know if there’s something dirty going on.”

Furious, the arachnid snarled and dug a meaty claw into the collar of your shirt, hauling you up into the air, your face only inches from his gnashing mandibles. “Maybe your earsss don’t work s’good, going to have to teach you a lesssson…”

The creature’s breath was sour enough to put hair on your chest, and you nearly vomited right in his face. “Blegh, did you brush your teeth with curdled milk this morning? Smells like a whole herd of bonzabeasts asses exploded and then died. Gimme that mop’an lemme wash your mouth out!”

“Why you little-!” The mainmast nearly broke your back when you were smashed up against it, a savagely-sharp claw pinned around your neck and another one pointed at your throat. You squirmed in the monster’s clutches, but your desperate flailing went ignored by the cheering crew, demanding blood be shed. The arachnid, standing high on his many-jointed legs, grinned as wolfishly as his exoskeletal face would allow. “Any lassst wordsss, cabin girl?”

Your execution was cut short by a mechanical clamp seizing around the creature’s forearm and yanking it away from your throat, the metal pads digging into the chitin so hard you could hear it creak over your assailant’s sudden wail. On the other end of the metal arm was Ezra, nonchalantly munching away on a piece of dark purple fruit. “Mr. Skarn…” he purred, turning the monster’s arm just enough to make his point. “Do you know what the best way to get the meat out of a crab shell is? You gotta crack it open!”

Ezra’s clamp bore down with force, twisting and crushing the arachnid’s thick carapace with a sickening crunch. Mr. Skarn hissed and dropped you finally, tucking his wounded arm defensively up to his chest.

“What’s all this then?!” A roar sounded from above you, and the heavy steps of Mr. Bolt making his way down from the quarterdeck to you caught the attention of everyone aboard. He bared his serrated teeth at the nonsense parade that you were stuck in the middle of. “You know the rules! There’ll be no brawling on this ship, an’ any who disobey that order again’ll be confined to the brig.” Mr. Bolt, though shorter than Mr. Skarn, seemed to tower over the brought-down bug, his long reptilian snout just inches from the creature’s butthurt face. “Am I clear, Mr. Skarn?”

Mr. Skarn’s mandibles threatened to roll back in a sneer, but Ezra’s optic laser flashed red in a warning, shining brightly over the arachnid’s smooth exoskeleton. “Crystal, sir.” Mr. Skarn hissed, and defeated, he glared over his shoulder at you and Ezra before taking his leave.

“Thank you Mr. Bolt, sir!” Ezra flattered, shooing off the remaining crewmates. “Keeping a tight ship, that’s what I like to see, sir!” When the first mate was out of sight, Ezra pivoted back to you on his bearing-ball foot, stomping his booted one defiantly. “You’ve barely been aboard an hour and you’re already startin’ fights? You’re lucky I showed up when I did or Skarn would’ve had your guts for garters!”

“I had it under control, cyborg, that bug eyed fuckhole-”

“I’ll not hear it!” He roared, the pleasant smile you’d first encountered nowhere to be found. The furious cyborg, free of the confines of the galley, towered over you like a mountain, ready to drop an avalanche on you should you raise your voice too loud. “Now, I want this deck scrubbed spotless, and Kevva help me if it’s not done by the time I come back!” The metal of his right hand grated harshly against the mop’s handle when he thrust it back into your arms and stormed off, and you almost thought you could see the prosthetic steaming with rage. The wet mophead slapped grossly against the deck when you returned to your job, but you’d already decided that you liked mopping much more than you liked Ezra.

Below deck most of the hired crew had gathered to take supper, but the galley kitchen stood cold. Ezra sauntered slowly down the stairs, tilting the brim of his hat up with one iron finger so as not to obstruct his heterochromatic surveillance of the crew. The laser optic flickered in a bemused blink, the fleshy edges around it crinkled from his grin. “My friends, you must pardon me for speaking so plainly…” he hummed, pausing to fuss with the lapel of someone’s jacket, setting it more carefully in line with its seem. “But I must ask if you are all out of your stark raving, evER LOVING MINDS?!” His once-gentle hand -sncks- to a long-bladed cutlass, slashing recklessly within inches of his crewmates faces. “After all the work I did to get us posted as an honorable, upstanding crew, you’re set to blow the whole damned mutiny before it’s even started?!”

Mr. Skarn found himself staring down the pointy end of Ezra’s blade, and the crustacean swallowed thickly around a dry tongue. “That wench wasss sssticking her nose where it doesn’t belong… I’d hate for her to encounter sssome unfortunate… accident.”

“You just stick to the damn plan, you chitinous cretin, and keep your claws to yourself. No blood’ll be spilled on this ship until I say so. And leave the girl to me, something tells me she knows more about this little expedition than she's letting on to, and I intend to find out what.” Ezra growled, the snarl on his face twisted upwards into a villainous grin. “One way, or another.”

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[wasted-headspace-98]

Unforgiven: Part III

Summary: After Order 66, everything was destroyed. The Empire left death and destruction in its wake. But one choice could change everything forever. The question is…is it the right one? Maul x Ahsoka 18+ For Eventual Chapters Warnings: Nonexplicit sexual content, slow burn, PTSD TW, inappropriate use of the force Collab fic with @lordofthenerds97

TW FOR THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES:

Panic Attacks

PTSD Flashbacks/Nightmares

Survivor’s Guilt

Descriptions of Mental Illness

Ships flew in and out, entering and exiting the atmosphere of Dantooine. J’has had set up a base of sorts, one in the Outer Rim territories that the Empire hadn’t managed to get ahold of yet. She’d been in contact with both Ahsoka and Obi Wan. They had helped her create the base as a safe haven where people oppressed by the Empire could be left alone. While it was true Palpatine had a large and wide reach, there were still some systems that were fighting Imperial occupation. And thankfully, the Raioballo system was one of them.

Early on after the Empire had taken control of the galaxy, J’has had reached out to Ahsoka. She was a contact of Bo’Katan’s. The Togruta had been more than willing to help her. She’d been one of the clones’ targets during Order 66. She’d managed to throw them off her tail for a little bit, but she needed to lay low to continue the guise that she was gone. During that time, she’d spent several months with J’has on Dantooine.

She was surprised to find that J’has was a force-wielder as well, but it wasn’t long after that she’d learned the backstory of the bounty hunter.

Jerked out of her thoughts, J’has looked up when she heard her name called. She turned to find Paxtn, one of her closest allies and friends, approaching her. He held a datapad in one hand and his glasses in the other with a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” J’has asked.

He sighed and shook his head. “We got word from one of the Sentries on the rim of the sector. There’s Imperial Star Destroyers headed this way. We can hide beneath the cloak for a while, but it’s only a matter of time until they send scouting parties to the surface of each planet.”

The woman sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “That’s not good.”

“No,” he agreed. “But in good news, we’ve received an encrypted transmission from Ahsoka.”

J’has perked up at the sound of her friend’s name. “What did she say?”

“It took a while to decipher. She used a complex code to hide it. And it was buried deep in subspace, deeper than most of our transmissions. The woman knows how to cover her tracks.”

She chuckled. “That tends to happen when the Empire thinks you’re dead. I’m sure she wants to keep it that way.”

Paxtn nodded. He understood the want to stay under Imperial radar. “She’s interested in the message you sent her, that much was clear. She kept asking if you were sure he was alive. Not sure what that means, but she seemed spooked by it.”

J’has frowned. It took her a minute to remember exactly what it was that she’d said. The message had been sent a long time ago. Then it hit her.

Oh, she thought. Well, at least that got her attention.

“Then she asked when you got the intel and how old it was. And she said she would be here within a week.”

She blinked in surprise. She wasn’t sure what it would take to get Ahsoka back to Dantooine, but she was quite interested in the fact that it was simply the mention of the Dark sider’s name. Regardless, she would be happy to have to Togruta’s help. Their numbers had been dwindling. The Empire was sending spies to every sector in the galaxy and rooting out any seed of rebellion that they found. The Shadow squadron was quickly losing numbers. And they needed Ahsoka to keep them on their feet.

“How long ago did we receive the message?”

Paxtn scrolled through a few more lines of code with a frown as he tried to find the date of the transmission. “It was sent about three days ago.”

J’has nodded. “Good. Make some arrangements and make sure that she has a suitable place to stay. If you can, see if you can get one of the cavern apartments ready. She’s going to need time to recuperate. I know Ahsoka, and I know she probably hasn’t been taking as good of care of herself as she should.”

And little did she know, she was more right than she ever wanted to be.

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka glared at the Devaronian in front of her. “Excuse me?” she snapped.

He smirked at her, his eyes glinting devilishly in the dim light of the bar. “You heard me, he said. “If you are who you say you are, then this wouldn’t be a problem. And you’ll have as much fuel as you need.”

“Are you trying to blackmail me?”

He chuckled. “On the contrary, my dear. I’m simply trying to see if your reputation is truly deserved or not.”

Her eyes darkened as she continued to glare at him. “I’m not here to do your bidding, Kolt.”

The Devaronian raised an eyebrow at her. “It appears you are,” he said. “You’re on my planet, looking for my fuel. I don’t think you’re in a position to deny my form of payment.”

She could practically feel her montrals hum with the tension in the air. Kolt had draped himself across the chair, with one leg hooked over the arm. He lazily swirled his drink around as he stared at her.

Suddenly, the image of the Manda’lor Zabrak flashed in front of her.

His form confidently and carelessly laid across the throne as he stared at her from across the room. He tilted his head as he motioned to her with his cup, inviting her to come closer.

“Ahsoka,”

His horns practically shone under the lights of the throne room. His voice was deep and gravelly as he spoke to her.

She blinked rapidly, trying to force the image out of her mind.

“Do we have a deal, Ashla?”

Ahsoka almost paled at the name, but she kept her composure. He had referred to her as Ashla before. She figured it had been a jab at her loyalties, but it had grown to a term of respect. At least, she thought it had.

She ground her teeth and sighed. “Fine.”

Kolt grinned and raised his glass. “Wonderful.” He motioned for one of his men to step forward. “This is Darilan. He’ll make sure you have everything you need. Starting with a drink!”

The other Devaronian raised his lip sightless before handing her a glass. She took it with a skeptical look. The liquid smelled as if it could strip the paint off a speeder. It took everything she has not to gag at the smell. Kolt leaned forward, his twisted horns and crooked smile making him look even more devilish than he already appeared. He extended his cup, expecting her to toast.

Cautiously, Ahsoka tapped her glass against his before bracing herself and lifting it to her lips. She drained it in one gulp, opening her throat and allowing all of the burning liquid to scald her throat as it cascaded down.

She handed the glass back to Darilan, managing to keep a straight face and not flinch at the after effects of the alcohol that felt like it was still eating away at her throat. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was raw later. “I’ll take that information now.” she said.

Kolt chuckled. “Straight to business. I like you, Ashla. Darilan, as the Lady says.”

Darilan looked at Kolt before turning his attention to Ahsoka. “This way,” he said.

~*~*~*~

The more Ahsoka learned about what Kolt wanted her to do, the more disdain she held for the man.

She didn’t have time to be sent on wild bantha chases. It frustrated her to no end that she was being pulled down the rabbit hole of Kolt’s crime family.

If Anakin could see me now, she thought to herself.

Oh believe me, Snips. I can see you. What have you done?

She winced at the voice in her head. Ahsoka knew she should have been used to it by now, but every time she heard the scathing tone in his voice, it cut her to the core. “What I have to do…” she said aloud. “J’has asked for my help. She needs me.”

But that’s not the only thing that’s motivating you, is it?

She froze in her tracks. “Excuse me?” She hissed lowly.

You heard me. There’s another reason that you’re putting yourself in harm’s way. And it’s not just because a small group of rebels asked for your help. She promised you information.

Ahsoka shook her head and continued with a rough sigh, trying to shove Anakin’s nagging voice out of her mind.

You can’t just shut me out, Snips. I’m in your head.

“I know that,” she snapped. “But it would help considerably if you would so kindly shut up.”

He snorted. Not a chance.

She growled under her breath and stalked up the ramp to her ship. If she was going to go through with this, she needed to do her research.

Quit ignoring me, Ahsoka. You know this isn’t right. Is he really worth this?

“You’re the one always telling me that I should have listened to him!” she exclaimed as she dropped into the pilots chair. She flipped a few switches and the holonet appeared in front of her. Her slim fingers did their work precisely as she tapped in a few lines of code that she needed to hide her signal from any prying eyes.

The past is the past, Ahsoka. You can’t amend that mistake by trying to look for him now.

“Shut up,” she hissed. “You don’t know what’s going on inside my head.”

That’s where you’re wrong, Ahsoka. As much as you don’t want to admit it, we are all a part of you.

She paled at the sound of Obi Wan’s voice. It had been a long time since she heard his soothing Couriscanti accent. He was right, she knew. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.

“You’re just a figment of my imagination,” she said. Obi Wan sighed and she could picture him shaking his head.

Think, Ahsoka. You can feel our signatures. They’re a part of you.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

I beg your pardon?

“I might be able to feel yours, Obi Wan. But Anakin? He’s dead. If his Force would be with anyone, it would be Padme. And she’s dead too.”

So then that just makes me the more reasonable part of your conscience, Anakin said. And a part of you.

Ahsoka growled. “Enough,” she said. “I have a job to do and I can’t do it with you two constantly bickering with me.”

She could feel the discontent in the back of her mind, but she paid it no attention. She didn’t have the luxury of time to dwell on what they’d said to her.

“If there’s a chance I can do something to make this right, I need to take that chance.” she said to herself. She’d fingers gripped the edge of the dash in front of her, squeezing until she could feel her nails breaking beneath the pressure.

After a few intense seconds of holding her breath, she slowly let it out. She could feel the raging storm in her mind calm slightly.

“Alright. Let’s get to work.”

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka hissed as she prodded the ribs on her right. She grimaced when she saw the blackening bruise that was spreading across her side. There wasn’t a lot she could do about the discoloration of the orange skin, but she figured she could do something about the pain.

More than likely, she’d fractured a few of them. Even more likely was the fact that she probably split them in half.

She cursed as she held the hem of her battledress in her teeth and reached for the bacta cream that was dwindling in supply. She groaned with the pain as she rubbed it across her damaged bones, sighing after a moment as the cream began to work its magic and spread a pleasant cooling sensation through her body.

Ahsoka shimmied out of her leggings, checking her lower body for damage. She glowered as she thought about the events that led to her injuries.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to find a better deal anywhere else, especially considering where she was. So after a few days, she went back to them. But as expected, their price had gone up.

A tremor ran down her spine and she closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the blood still staining her hands.

Oh, Snips…

Ahsoka raised her lip in a snarl. “I thought I told you to leave me alone?”

She felt something move inside her. If she didn’t know better, she would have said it was Anakin’s Force. But, she did know better.

Ahsoka, what have you done?

Obi Wan’s voice was clear beside Anakin’s and she bristled.

“What both of you taught me. I’m surviving. Staying alive.”

Yes, but are you really living, Snips?

“Don’t patronize me, Anakin!” she snapped.

I’m not patronizing you, Ahsoka! I’m asking a legitimate question.

She slammed her fist down on the sink of the fresher, her eyes burning into the mirror. If she looked hard enough, she could practically see Anakin and Obi Wan beside her. “I’ve lived through enough goddamn shit these past years, Anakin. Every time I did it with both you and Obi Wan criticizing my every move. Now that I’m actually trying to do something about the mistakes I made in the past, you’re degrading that too!”

Ahsoka, he’s not-

“And you have no right to talk either, Obi Wan!” she snarled. She could feel the anger pulsing within her as she addressed the Force signature she could feel. She knew Obi Wan was paying attention to what she did, whether the Obi Wan in her head agreed or not. “You left me! I needed you in one of the darkest times in my life, and you left me! What the hell was I supposed to do? I don’t think you understand…either of you! I spent almost my whole life in the middle of a war zone! How was I supposed to deal with everything that happened without my closest friends?!”

Because I taught you how!

Ahsoka felt tears of anger flood her eyes as she listened to what Anakin said. “No! You taught me to push everything aside and never acknowledge my problems! Anakin, I don’t know how to do this!”

Letting out a sob, Ahsoka sank to her knees. Injuries be damned right now. Her chest heaved as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She had no idea how to make sense of the chaos that was going on inside her head. She could feel herself succumbing to the darkness once again. But in the back of her mind, there was something pulling her back towards the light.

You can do this, Ahsoka. I know you can. Fight it. Stay strong.

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to figure out who’s voice it was. It didn’t sound like Rex. The accent was wrong for it to be Obi Wan.

Stand up, Ad’ika.

Everything seemed to stand still. Her heart slowed, but she could still hear the pounding in her ears. She focused in on the voice, listening it what it said.

Good. Stand.

Taking a shaky breath, Ahsoka pulled herself to her feet.

Ignore them, Ahsoka. You are stronger than they are.

She did as the voice asked, repeating the mantra that it kept saying to her.

Whoever or whatever that voice was, it was right. She knew it was.

~*~*~*~

“Do you really think you’re better off on your own, Lady Tano?”

Ashoka ignored him and continued shoving things into the back back she’d found a week ago while scavenging on one of Couruscant’s moons. It was a dangerous task, but one that Maul had insisted on. At the time, Ahsoka hadn’t understood his desire to do something she considered so foolish. It was only later that she understood how important it was.

He didn’t offer an explanation, regardless of how many times she’d asked for one. He would simply tell her that they needed to take what they could while they still had the chance.

Just trying to keep herself alive, she followed his lead.

Later, she understood how important it was for them to get their hands on what they could while Palpatine was busy trying to keep his new Empire under his thumb.

“Talk to me, Ahsoka,” he growled quietly.

Ahsoka let out an exasperated sigh and practically threw her hands up. “Being with you is dangerous, Maul. Palpatine knows you’re alive. But as far as he’s concerned with me, I’m dead. And I would very much like to stay that way in the Empire’s eyes.”

Maul sighed and shook his head. He knew she had a point, but he also had a selfish reason for wanting her to stay with him. As long as she was there, he had the chance to try to make up for his own wrongs. But she apparently wasn’t having any of it.

“Be that as it may, you’re hardly strong enough to fend for yourself.” he said with a frown.

That gave her pause. He had a point; her wounds had just barely healed. They hadn’t even scarred over yet. She still had difficulty with her shoulder, and she knew if she wasn’t careful she would injure it even more.

If she was being honest with herself, being with Maul made her extremely uncomfortable. While it was true he was no longer a Sith, he still followed the Dark Side of the Force. Being near any darksider made her skin crawl. But Maul was a special case.

Even so, she couldn’t overlook the fact that he’d saved her life.

“Look, Maul.” she said, looking up at him. Her expression softened when she saw the genuine concern on his face. It was quickly masked when she looked at him. But Ahsoka saw it nonetheless. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I really do.”

“But?”

She sighed and hugged her middle, trying to figure out what to say so as to not offend him. “But we both have completely different morals. You’re a Sith, for Gods’ sake.”

He frowned at her. “Excuse me?”

Realizing what she’d said, Ahsoka continued, not realizing she was rambling almost incoherently. “I mean, you serve the Dark Side, Maul. I’m a Jedi. Or…at least I was. Not anymore. But the morals I learned still stand with me. They’re a part of me. I’m supposed to represent the light…everything good within the Force. You’re the exact opposite! Everything you know is anger and hate…the kindness you’ve showed me these last few months has amazed me to know end, but still-“

“Ashla, please. Stop talking.”

Ahsoka promptly shut her mouth at hearing the name he’d taken to calling her.

“As you so graciously pointed out, I follow the Dark Side. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everything I do is to cause pain and suffering. And you are hardly a Jedi now. Just because we follow different paths, that doesn’t mean we are exactly the opposite. We have more in common than you might think.”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to interject, but he held up a hand. She could tell that his demeanor had changed. Over the six months she’d spent with him, she’d come to know a different side of Maul. Everything that she saw while she was still a Jedi was what he showed everyone. And she was starting to realize that there was more to him than he let on. And while she was sure he wasn’t showing her his full self, she’d learned that he wasn’t only a warrior full of hate. He had a surprising amount of compassion for a former Sith Lord. But she decided not to dwell on it.

“Be that as it may…you have made your choice. And I will honor your right to choose. I’ll do what I can to make sure you stay alive, but I can’t guarantee to do so once we part ways.”

Ahsoka blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that. And it robbed her of words.

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka sighed and leaned her head back against the pilots chair. Her eyes closed briefly as the memory faded from her mind. She’d been feeling something lately, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But she knew it rubbed her the wrong way.

She hadn’t thought about the time she spent with Maul in a very long time. Honestly, she preferred not to. Over the past several years, she allowed both herself and the voices in her head to continually beat herself up over the fact that she hadn’t listened to him when she had the chance. It made her more angry at herself than anything. She realized now that she could have prevented so many things if she had just listened.

But she didn’t.

Her Jedi training was still ingrained in her at the time, much as she tried to ignore it. They wouldn’t admit it, but the Council was willing to do just about anything to capture Maul. And while she was working with Bo-Katan, she thought she understood why. Even being out of the Order for almost two years at that point, she was still seeing only what the Council wanted her to see.

She was still seeing Maul as the enemy.

As a Sith.

A beeping caught her attention and dragged her out of her thoughts. Ahsoka blinked a couple times, frowning at the red light that was pulsing.

“Incoming transmission.”

She rolled her eyes at the obvious statement the ship’s computer made. Her fingers tapped a few buttons that lit up the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who was staring back at her.

“Ahsoka?”

“Obi Wan,” she gasped quietly. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she stared at the shaky image in front of her.

He let out a sigh of relief. “It’s good to see you.”

She let out a laugh and a sob all in one. “That’s really the first thing you say to me in years?”

Obi Wan chuckled. “Fair point.”

“Gods, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Obi Wan.”

He smiled gently at the crying Togruta. “I’m sorry, Ahsoka.” he said softly. “I know I have a lot of explaining to do. And I’m sorry I couldn’t do it before now.”

She frowned, tears still streaming freely down her cheeks. “What?”

Obi Wan sighed. “There’s a few things I haven’t told you, Ahsoka.”

The Togruta rolled her eyes. “I gathered as much,” she said. “Let’s start with why I haven’t heard from you in two years.”

He nodded. “When I last saw Anakin on Mustafar, Padme had followed him. I found her lying unconscious on the ground and…pregnant.”

That made Ahsoka’s eyes go wide. “What?”

“I knew there was obviously a forbidden relationship between them, but I didn’t realize how intimate it was.”

“What happened to the child?” Ahsoka asked quietly. She was almost afraid to know the answer.

“You mean children. Padme was carrying twins.” She gasped, and Obi Wan nodded. He could understand her surprise. It had shocked him as well. “The children are fine. Leia has been adopted by a royal family. And Luke is taken care of as well.”

“Where are you?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could tell you, Ahsoka. I really do. But it’s for the boy’s protection that I keep our location secret.”

“Our? So you’re with him?”

Obi Wan nodded. “Yes. I trust the people that Leia is with. But Luke…I made a promise to Padme that I would keep him safe. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Ahsoka sighed. “Good. Keep him safe, Obi Wan. I wish there was something I could do to help you.”

“You’re doing it right now.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You’re keeping yourself alive, Ahsoka. You are my closest friend. I need you to make sure nothing happens to you.”

Ahsoka let out a mirthless laugh. If he only knew, she thought. “I can’t make any promises, Master.” she said quietly.

His keen eyes searched her features and examined her quietly. “I can feel your turmoil, Ahsoka. And I wish there was something I could do to take it away.”

She shook her head and felt tears spring to her eyes once again.

He’s lying. You’re just as pathetic now as you were when you were a child.

Ahsoka clenched her jaw and forced herself to look him in the eye. “With all respect, Master, you have no idea the kind of hell I’ve lived for the last several years.” Something along the lines of hurt flashed across his face, and he opened his mouth to say something. But Ahsoka cut him off. “While you were safe and hidden away on whatever world you found yourself on, I was here. I was the one trying to avoid the bloodhounds that Sidious sent after the Jedi. I watched my closest friends die, Obi Wan. I’ve spent Gods know how long trying to just stay alive. That’s hard to do when everything in the world tells you that you should be dead.”

She angrily wiped the tears from her face and glared at him. By the surprise on his face and the wince in his shoulders, she knew he could feel her energy rippling through the Force. She didn’t mask it. Instead, Ahsoka let herself feel. And she made sure Obi Wan knew exactly what it was she was feeling.

Easy, Snips. He knows you’re upset. Try not to overwhelm him.

Why shouldn’t I?! She snapped back. He doesn’t know what I’ve been through!

He might not. But he understands.

How?!

Because he knows war. He saw countless friends die. He understands your pain.

They weren’t just my friends! They were my brothers! Obi Wan might have known war. But I lived it! I was born into it and raised to fight. Anakin, I was fourteen when I became your Padawan! I was three years old when I started training as a Jedi. Normal children grow up learning language and history. I grew up learning saber techniques and how to kill a droid.

The Anakin inside her head quieted, but she could feel him wriggle with discomfort as he settled back into the darkness.

Obi Wan noticed the pain in her expression and he reached out to her. “I’m so sorry, Ahsoka. I didn’t realize how hard this was for you.”

She sighed and wiped her eyes again before righting herself. “As much as I would love to believe that you called to catch up, there’s got to be another reason, Obi Wan.”

He had the decency to look ashamed. “You’re right,” he said. “I have a few contacts on the Outer Rim. I heard you’re responding to a rebellion request for aid?”

She stiffened. So that’s what this was about. “What of it?”

“I just want you to be careful. I feel a disturbance in the Force. It’s strong.”

Ahsoka furrowed her eyebrow markings. That concerned her. She allowed herself to open to the Force, searching for whatever Obi Wan was feeling. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, her consciousness gently floating into the Force. Only when she was fully open to it did she immediately close herself off and recoil.

The inky blackness of the dark side was intertwining itself with the light of the Force. It wound itself around the light and seeped into every aspect of it. Two golden eyes flashed before her, blinking out of existence almost as quickly as they had appeared.

Her breathing came in ragged gasps as she stumbled backwards, colliding with her chair and falling to the floor.

“Ahsoka?!”

“It’s him,” she gasped quietly. “It’s him.”

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[ssigmas]

crime and punishment

so.................. i watched the mandalorian............

boba fett/reader smut, 18+

tags: afab reader, thigh riding, hair pulling, slight pain kink, face fucking, thighs as an object to be admired, boba fett is mean but u like it also on ao3

It was supposed to be simple.

An easy in-and-out job, grab the cargo and get the fuck out of dodge. You were quicker than most, deft and nimble in the ways it counted, which is why your contact hired you in the first place. Stealing from Boba Fett himself was easily the riskiest job you’d ever been offered, but the pay would be handsome -- enough that you wouldn’t have to take another one for months to come.

You wouldn’t call yourself a pro by any means, just a survivalist, but years living alone on the lawless land of Tatooine has made you one of the best at sneaking and stealing. No amount of skill would be enough to pull this off, however; you were nothing without your plans. And this one? Perfect. Every detail was accounted for down to the exact time you would enter and leave. You had contingencies upon contingencies just in case any one of your meticulous steps went wrong. In theory, it was the perfect heist.

In theory.

Instead, you find yourself bruised and beaten, stumbling after some underling who leads you to who-knows-where. Your wrists are cuffed in front of you, leaving you with no choice but to clasp them together as if in prayer.

All your careful and diligent planning….gone, just because you forgot one crucial thing: Boba Fett’s underworld crime ring wasn’t a well oiled machine like the Empire. It was filled with lugs and lowlifes from every sector in the galaxy, beings prone to disobeying rules and disrupting patterns. You couldn’t plan for the unexpected.

The underling leads you to the top of a flight of stairs. Descending them seems a daunting task -- your earlier, utterly futile attempt at escaping has left you exhausted with jelly for legs, and your fear has you running on fumes. Each step is slow, measured -- until the underling behind you prods your back with the butt of his gun. The simple action is enough to make you lose your footing and you stumble on the stairs, barely able to stabilize yourself.

“Move it,” they bark. Your heart is racing from the near-tumble. You take a few moments to center yourself in an attempt to regain your composure, but the underling is having none of it.

“I said move it.” Mercilessly, they push you down the last few steps, sending you tumbling for real. You land painfully on your knees, aggravating an earlier injury, and you yelp as sharp pain shoots through you. You only barely manage to keep from smashing your face into the ground by bracing yourself on your bound hands. 

Dizzy with pain, you can’t do anything more than stay pitifully on your hands and knees, waiting for the dark spots in your vision to subside. As soon as you convince yourself not to pass out, you raise up slowly --

-- and your heart stops.

In front of you is Boba Fett. That Boba Fett, the renowned bounty hunter, the man who fell into a sarlacc pit and survived.

He lounges comfortably in the stone throne, his legs spread wide, one arm carelessly draped over a thigh. He’s a picture-perfect example of a man unburdened with worries -- he’s powerful. Unconquerable. You pose no threat to him.

It’ll be a miracle if you make it out of here alive.

“Well, what do we have here?” The angle of his helmet implies disinterest, but you know he’s scrutinizing you behind that darkened visor. “I didn’t think our problem would be a runt.” And oh, it’s not meant kindly at all, but it’s the way he says it -- voice dropping to an almost-growl, the hard emphasis on the t, the slight mockery in his tone -- it makes some corrupted part of you squirm in delight.

You know who this man is. You know the legends, the whispered rumors of what he’s done. Before meeting him, you would joke that you could take Boba in a fight, that you could outwit and outrun the great Boba Fett. It would be hard, sure, but there would be bragging rights involved in besting this man.

But now? Now, kneeling before him, suffocating in his presence -- you wouldn’t even dare to fantasize about it. The man radiates an unquestionable authority that makes you want to submit, to give this man of insurmountable power all control over you.

Damn it all. This job was supposed to be easy.

“Come.”

You blink dumbly at him, your brain unable to understand why you haven’t been killed yet. Boba tilts his head downward and you get the impression he’s challenging you to disobey. “Come,” he repeats. “Don’t make me say it again.”

Unwilling to find out what disobedience entails, you raise yourself on unsteady legs, but pain surges up through your knees and threatens to crumple you yet again. The underling from earlier misinterprets your inability to move as reluctance instead and gives you another hard shove on your back.  You trip forward and fall yet again to your knees, unable to suppress a cry of pain as your reflexes fail you and you smash face-first into the floor.

In front of your nose is one scuffed black boot. Your eyes travel up, up, up -- until you’re gazing at Boba’s dispassionate helmet. He’s literally staring down at you, and a disgusting part of yourself tries to convince you that this is right. That this is proper, that you belong here, crumpled on the ground before him, as if he’s some sort of god to be worshipped --

The toe of his boot tucks itself underneath your chin as you stare, wide-eyed, and forces you to tilt your head upward. “Up,” he commands. “Or do I have to do it myself?”

It’s a threat, you know it, but images flash in your mind unbidden; of Boba tangling his hand in your hair and yanking you to your feet, of him leaning in close to growl orders in your ear… it’s almost enough to make you tempt fate. Almost.

Fortunately, you still have a braincell left that overrides the arousal pooling in your gut.

You stand as quickly as you can, burdened with shackled wrists and an aching body. You don’t even have a moment to ponder what Boba wants from you, because almost instantly he roughly manhandles you onto his lap. You’re arranged in such a way that one of his broad thighs sits wedged between yours, your bound hands just inches from touching the cool steel of his armor.

He’s terrifying up close.  The helmet dehumanizes him, makes him seem otherworldly, beyond your comprehension. You can’t even see past the black of his visor; you’re allowed no glimpses of his face, of what emotion he’s feeling. The hands that hold your hips have a strength in them you could never hope to fight, and any and all remaining thoughts of somehow overpowering Boba and making your escape immediately flee your mind.

You don’t breathe. You can’t breathe. This is weird and unplanned; you don’t have a contingency situation for this. What does he want? Was he planning on shooting you up close? Choking you to death? Did he just want to see how confused he could make you? What cruel and unusual punishment did he have lined up?

Boba abruptly grabs your chin and you gasp, your brain short-circuiting as it attempts to rationalize the situation. You can’t look away; he tilts his helmet ever-so-slightly as he turns your head this way and that, as if he were inspecting you. One gloved thumb pulls at your lower lip, exposing your bottom row of teeth, and for the first time you wonder if your rapid heartbeat isn’t just from fear. Unconsciously, you squeeze your legs around his thigh, your gaze trained on his helmet.

“I thought you might be fun,” he murmurs appraisingly. He doesn’t have to force his thumb between your lips -- you open your mouth willingly, lave your tongue over the soft leather of his glove. It’s like your brain is shut off except for your most basic of instincts, and somehow this is one of them. Your lips close around his thumb, eyes falling half-lidded as you swallow around it.

“Yes,” he almost purrs. “We could have fun, little one.”

You’re a survivalist. If this is how Boba wants you to make amends for your petty crime, you’re all too happy to oblige 

You suppose you should be grateful that he isn’t killing you (at least, not yet), but any gratitude you feel is mitigated by the sudden shifting of his thigh. It’s thick and wide, slotted perfectly between yours, and his flesh has the right amount of give to it that it makes the slow grind stupidly pleasurable. 

Boba pulls his thumb from your mouth and you whine, unable to help the way your mouth lolls open, as if you’re tempting him to fill it again. “Easy now,” he chides. “Or have you forgotten we’re not alone?”

You still, your eyes widening. The underling from earlier hadn’t left, and there you were, acting so debauched on Boba’s thigh? If you were any better of a person, you might’ve felt enough to be ashamed of yourself.

Boba’s helmet turns to look at something just past your shoulder. “Leave.” He pauses, head turning back toward you. “Unless,” he begins, “you want to be watched?” You must make some sort of face that he interprets as a stern no, because he makes a shooing motion with his hand. You hear the sound of footsteps retreating into the distance, and a part of you relaxes knowing that you’re truly alone with Boba Fett.

....How messed up.

His hand returns, thumb barely grazing over your mouth, before he decides differently and instead pushes his first two fingers past your lips. You accept them eagerly just as he begins to shift his thigh against your heated middle. The action encourages a moan from deep in your throat as your tongue parts his fingers, coating the leather in a generous amount of your saliva.

“That’s it,” Boba grunts. It sounds almost affectionate, almost like praise, but you know better than to interpret it as such.

Instead, you chase fulfillment in a different way, rocking your hips in small, desperate motions as Boba fills your mouth. You brace yourself on the metal of his chestplate as well as you can, palms open and pressed against the metal. You could sit here for hours, you think, grinding yourself to completion on his thigh while lazily mouthing at his fingers. This is far from what you had envisioned as a punishment from the legendary Boba Fett. You think it’s more like a pleasure-ment.

That is, until you feel his broad hand settle on your thigh. He grips you tight, the power in his hand meant to make you still, but somehow he’s managed to find the biggest bruise under your thin pants. You cry out as pain flares up from the sudden pressure; Boba takes the opportunity to shove his fingers deep in your throat, making you gag.

Tears well up in your eyes, both at the pain and the sudden intrusion. If you weren’t so helplessly bound you might’ve been able to stop him, but as it is you’re completely at his mercy. Boba grasps your face in his hand, the leather of his fingers wet with your spit, and squeezes your cheeks so hard that it forces your mouth to pucker.

He chuckles, mean and sharp. “Aww, poor thing,” he cooes. “Am I hurting you?” You nod, the tears that cloud your vision already threatening to spill onto your cheeks. “Good.” His fingertips press harder into the ugly bruise on your thigh and you hiss in pain, arching like you can get away from his grip.

But you can’t. Of course you can’t. You were stupid enough to come crawling into the wolf’s den and now you’re his next meal.

“Did you really think I’d let a runt like you steal from me?” The hand around your face slackens, moving down to hold your jaw tight. When you don’t respond, he digs his fingers deeper into your thigh. “I asked you a question.”

You gasp out a sob. “N-no!” you squeak, the first words you’d spoken since attempting this dumb heist. “No, sir.” The title comes automatically, like it was sitting in your mouth, just waiting for you to speak.

“Good.” He sounds pleased at your meager attempt of communicating, and it makes your dumb foolish heart do weird things in your chest. He’s giving you crumbs that can be misconstrued as praise and you’re licking them up off the floor.

“Get on your knees,” he orders. You blink up at him, stray tears falling down to your cheeks. Really? After all that effort to get you up here in the first place?

“Wh….why --”

“Your real punishment,” he says simply. When you fail to move, he takes it upon himself to displace you from his lap, lifting you up and off him as easily as he would a sack of potatoes. You crumple disgracefully to your knees, head barely inches away from where you sat just a moment ago.

Your gaze settles on the prominent bulge in his soft trousers, evidence that he was enjoying himself, and then drifts to his thigh; to your utter embarrassment, there’s a sizable wet patch discoloring the fabric. Were you really worked up enough for it to leak through your clothes and onto his?

“You left a mess,” he notes. “Clean it up.”

His helmet stares down at you, intense and unforgiving, and you feel heat rise to your face. Just… lick it up? His pants? You squirm.

“Well? Don’t keep me waiting.”

You glance from his helmet down to his thigh, then carefully lean in. You have to balance your bound hands against the edge of the throne between his legs to keep from tipping over. Tentatively, you stick your tongue out and just barely swipe the tip across the wet spot; you look up at Boba and find him with his helmet cocked against his fist, feigning disinterest. “Go on,” he prompts.

It’s like his fingers, you tell yourself, even though it isn’t remotely true, and you lick a broad stripe across his thigh. You can vaguely taste yourself, but it also just tastes like pant. It isn’t...bad, just weird. 

It’s easier if you pretend it’s his bare thigh. You repeat your action, tongue against fabric, again and again until the spot is slick with your saliva and you no longer taste any remnant of yourself. You take it a step further and actually suck, lips against his thigh, and Boba yanks you back, hand fisted in your hair.

“Enough.” He holds you in place so tight that your scalp burns, sending fresh tears pricking at your eyes. “You want to use your filthy little mouth so bad? Fine.” Through blurred vision you watch as he tugs himself free from his trousers. The moment he frees his cock, you whine like some bitch in heat, instinctively pressing your thighs tighter together. 

You can’t help it. You’ve never wanted to suck a cock so bad.

“Please,” you gasp, prevented from lurching forward by the hand in your hair. He’s just as wound up as you are, his cock hard and leaking precum. You’re desperate to taste him. “Please, Mr. Fett, sir, please, let me suck you off --”

“A runt and a whore.” You interpret his tone as almost impressed. “I don’t think so.”

You want to retort something, anything to convince him to let you drool on his cock, but suddenly he drags you forward by the roots of your hair and forces himself down your throat.

You gag as tears anew begin rolling down your cheeks. He isn’t fucking you so much as using you like a toy, bobbing your head back and forth by a strong grip on your hair, and it’s all you can do to sit there and take it. You realize now what he meant: he wasn’t going to give you the satisfaction of getting him off. He was going to use you to meet his own end.

And, somehow, you still like it.

You whimper around his cock, gasping breaths when you can. Boba, to your chagrin, remains mostly quiet, so the room is filled with the lewd sounds of your gagging and sputtering.

Your whole body aches. Your scalp hurts. Your throat hurts. Your lungs are burning from lack of oxygen, you’re still on edge, and yet.

And yet, easily, this is the most turned on you’ve ever been in your life.

You have no time to contemplate what that means for you morally as Boba guides your head to the base of his cock, easing you down all the way until your nose is buried in curls of hair. Reflexively, you swallow around him, and Boba curses in a language you aren’t familiar with.

“I’m gonna come down that pretty throat of yours,” he rasps, holding you in place by a strong hand at the back of your head. “You want that, hm?”

You want to nod, you want to praise him in words, but all you can do is whine desperately and hope he takes the hint.

He cants his hips shallowly against your mouth once, twice; and you swear you feel his cock pulse in your mouth before he spills down your throat. “Swallow it,” he growls, all rough edges and intimidation, but it’s too much.

Thankfully, he releases you before you begin to choke. You swallowed what you could, but some trickled down the corners of your mouth. Boba reaches down and thumbs away some of his cum, presenting you a leathered thumb to lick clean.

It’s like you’ve been fucked dumb. You stare up at him with lidded eyes blown wide with lust as you lap at his thumb. Again, he swipes away his mess, letting you repeatedly clean his thumb until every last bit is gone.

Boba tucks himself back into his trousers like nothing had happened, but the large wet spot still remains on his thigh. Distracted, you stare intently at it. You wish he’d let you back up there. You want a chance to finish what he started.

His boot presses into your chest, applying just enough force to unbalance you and send you careening onto your back. The sudden action forces your hazy mind to clear, your heart pumping once again with adrenaline.

 He regards you coolly. “You get a day’s head start.”

You have to crane your neck to look at him, feeling like a turtle on its shell.“Wh-what?”

“Like I said, we could have fun. I suggest you find a ship. If you stay planetside, I’ll find you in no time.”

Realization hits you: he intends to hunt you. You’re his prey.

You scramble to your feet, a job made more onerous by the shackles around your wrists, and you wince as pain settles in your legs again. 

He was generous, giving you a day. He wouldn’t need it to find you, but you’re certain he wishes to prolong the hunt. And, well… Who are you to deny the great Boba Fett anything?

As you make your escape, you hear his voice drift up to you.

“Go on, little one. I’ll see you again soon enough.”

#.txt #the mandalorian #boba fett #boba fett x reader #writing #what tags does this fandom use lmao #if u saw incorrect lore no you didnt <3 #also ive only known boba for like A Week so forgive me if he seems off #im working on it but the man only has like 10 minutes of screentime #and half of that is like #him being silent and murdering people #which is still hot dont get me wrong but i kinda need him to idk talk