#arkous

[swtorpadawan]

awkward moment-by anarmonia on DeviantArt

(The original post seems to have been tumblr-purged for some reason. Apologies for the low-res.)

#swtor art #anarmonia #anarmonia-blog #darth arkous #colonel darok #rian darok #arkous #lana beniko #theron shan #adianna-rey #rakata prime #rakata #legacy of the rakata #forged alliances #darkous

[tempestswing]

Ranking the Dark Council:

hi! I was writing some notes for a piece of SWTOR fiction I am working on, and decided to create this list as a fun way to share that information.

Dark Council Pre-Shadow of Revan:

12. Darth Aruk - we know nothing about this character, other than that they were head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. According to the Wiki, rooting out Revanites was supposed to be their job. What a failure, hopefully they still have a job after Shadow of Revan?

11. Darth Rictus - Also kind of a mystery, which is ironic since he was head of the Sphere of Mysteries. Rictus does appear in a novel called 'Annihilation', but that book is mostly about Theron Shan. All we really know about Rictus is that he's (A) old, (B) dislikes aliens, unless they're murderous enough, and (C) founded the Dread Executioners to take down the Dread Masters. Not enough information to rank any higher.

10. Darth Acharon - at least this guy appears in the game. He's kind of a nothing character though. He defended the imperial occupation of Corellia unsuccessfully. He was head of the Sphere of Biotics. Since he died on Corellia, he would presumably have been replaced by Shadow of Revan, but we don't know who by.

9. Darth Arkous - hate this guy, but he's still technically head of the Sphere of Military Offense after the Hutt Cartel plotline. God, what a bag of dicks he is though. The one good thing about this character is that he's technically Lana Beniko's master? Although she's an advisor rather than an apprentice, so he gets no credit for the existence of awesome Sith wife.

8. Darth Decimus - Also found in game on Corellia! Decimus is actually present in the imperial quests, so you get a lot more interaction with him than Acharon. Canonically, he also trained Krovos! Krovos is really cool, so decimus should get a few points by association. Not enough to bump him up the list though. For the head of Military Strategy, he's not a very good commander.

7. Darth Ravage - You can meet Ravage at the end of the Inquisitor and Warrior storylines, and for all imperials he is present during the cutscenes preceding the Emperor Malgus flashpoints (although does nothing to help?). The main reason I'm putting Ravage so low is that he's a little bit inconsistently written. He'll gladly say "good riddance" to Darth Thanaton's death in the inquisitor plotline, but if you kill Baras in the Warrior plotline, he'll show up at Nathema and be all offended that you claimed power by murdering your master... does he know what a Sith is?

6. Darth Mortis - I have a bit of a soft spot for Mortis. He's got a no-nonsense demeanour which is rare amongst Sith, and he's clearly serious enough about their philosophy to join a secret conspiracy against the alliance if you "squander" the power of the Eternal Throne - a petty move, this man is a bitch after my own heart. He also is the one who snaps Darth Thanaton's silly little neck, which definitely earns him a few points in my eyes. As a point, he's involved in the Macrobinocular missions, which I did not enjoy, but he was a highlight of the questline.

5. Darth Acina - WOMEN IN POWER!!! Empress Acina is better than Emperor Vitiate. Unfortunately Acina is kind of bland, I really don't feel strongly about her either way. I've killed her on Iokath in most of my playthroughs, even if I don't intend to defect to the republic later. I might be lesbian but I just don't like her that much. Her reforms to the Empire are interesting though, I do have to give her credit for making the Empire slightly less racist and Sith dominated.

4. Darth Vowrawn - Silly guy!! This man is genuinely quite funny. He's a blast to spend time with at the end of the Warrior story, after dealing with Baras' grumpy ass for close to fifty levels. His choice to help the Wrath with the Hand on Rishi says... something. He's genuinely an interesting character to me, especially since he maintains that joviality when he becomes Emperor. It's tempered, to be sure, but I think it does show it wasn't entirely an act. Vowrawn could be a genuine friend to the Wrath.

3. Darth Jadus - Sue me, I like unapologetically evil characters. Jadus is not just an evil clown, he's an evil circus. Schemer to the core and melodramatic as fuck. I chose to serve him without a second thought in my agent playthrough. I appreciated the name drop on Iokath and I have 1% chance 99% cope that he will return at some point in the story.

2. Darth Occlus/Nox/Imperius - OCs are fun. No further notes. I should probably drop the lore for my verison of this character, huh... maybe in another post.

Darth Marr - Everyone's favourite tired Dad just trying to keep his society from collapsing as his colleagues bicker about inane bullshit. I reckon he drinks coffee straight outta the pot in the Dark Council's break room. I really wish he hadn't died, but his force ghost shenanigans were neat and I liked seeing him find a measure of redemption. Again, I am on a high dose of copium but if Malgus can return after being killed and abandonded on an exploding space station why can't someone scrape Marr off the floor of Zakuul and rebuild him. I do also low-key ship Marr with Satele Shan?

anyway, that's my totally subjective ranking of Dark Council members.

#swtor #Dark Council #Sith #sith warrior #sith inquisitor #darth mortis #darth Marr #darth acharon #darth acina #darth decimus #darth arkous #darth jadus #darth ravage

[tearblossom]

I ship Darth Arkous and Colonel Darok and I’m not ashamed to admit it. 💕

I love what they say to each other during their boss fight.

They’re just trying to save the galaxy together! ❤️

#darth arkous #colonel darok #arkous x darok #darok x arkous #depths of manaan #legacy of the rakata #star wars: the old republic #star wars the old republic #swtor

[chaoticspacefam]

Legacy of the Rakata Flashpoint

that awkward moment when you run into your uncle’s ex and his new boyfriend and they are absolutely plotting to kill you all. /srs

#swtor #elven's swtor screenshots #swtor oc: saarai ahaszaai #sith pureblood #the outlander #LS! eternal empress #darth arkous #colonel darok #yes i ship arkous and darok no i'm not sorry 🤣 #fun fact: right as we were about to make the killing blow on darok on this run #arkous pulled me into his force-choke-stun thing and yanked me away from him #so thanks for making it canon for me bioware that was beautiful :'))) #XD #canonically for subterfugeverse it'll be *kas* that has this fight with him #since rai's still on rishii rn #but these screens came out nice so i'm posting them anyway #😛😛

[selfpossesedghost]

Rakata Prime

#swtor kotfe #swtor kotet #swtor #star wars #jedi #sith #smuggler #trooper #agent #bounty hunter #rakata #rakata prime #star forge #revan #shadow of revan #legacy of the rakata #flashpoint #theron shan #lana beniko #darth arkous #colon darok #jakarro #c2d4

[worm-gar]

Not sure exactly what these guys were but got some fun photos of these mushrooms on one of my walks.

EDIT: thanks to @/arkou for the identification for these! Galerina marginata Funeral Bells/ Deadly Galerina

#mushroom photography #nature photography #nature #forest #phone photography #mushrooms #mycology #original photography on tumblr

[greyias]

SWTOR Short Stories (and In-Universe Documents)

I know someone else has already done this work elsewhere, but for the life of me I couldn't find it. So, I've put together a comprehensive list of all of the devblog short stories and in-universe epistolary-type documents (documents, journals, dossiers, missives, personnel files, communications, etc). Short stories are bolded and marked, in case you're only looking for those.

2.0 - 7.2

SIS Intel Report: Key locations overview of the planet Makeb

Imperial Intelligence Report: Persons of Interest on Makeb

Facilities: Take a Virtual Tour

A Letter from Special Executive Rasmus Blys

WORK WITH PRIDE. WORK WITH CZERKA.

CZ-198 and the State of Czerka Corporation

CZ-198 – Meet the Staff

HoloNet News Exclusive Interview: Baron Deathmark

HoloNet News Exclusive Interview: Baron Deathmark, Part 2

A Record of the Dread Masters

The Search for Oricon

HoloNet News Exclusive Interview: Baron Deathmark

IMPERIAL EDICT GR-1NC4

Additional Personnel Files

Four More Picks for You

RE: Kuat Drive Yards

EMERGENCY ALERT: Rakghoul Plague Outbreak on Alderaan – AVOID ALDERAAN!

State of the Galaxy

Since KOTOR: Manaan

Lana Beniko’s Journal: Darth Arkous

"Surface Details" (short story)

"WANTED: DEAD AND DISMANTLED" (short story)

"Remnants" (short story)

The Revanites’ Ascendance

"Bedtime on Concordia" (short story)

Rishi: Places of Interest

Raider’s Cove: Persons of Interest

"The Price of Power" (short story)

"One Night in the Dealer’s Den" (short story)

"The Final Trial" (short story)

Go Big, Go Small, Go Nowhere

"Regrets" (short story)

"The Sixth Line: Part One" (short story)

"The Sixth Line: Part Two" (short story)

"Vacation" (short story)

"Brothers" (short story)

"A Mother's Hope" (short story)

"Trading Scars" – A Short Story on Umbara (short story)

"Copero Short Story Blog" (short story)

Jedi Under Siege: State of the Galaxy

Dantooine Tactical Report

"Quite A Story To Tell" (short story)

"Seeing Red" (short story)

Intelligence Report: Historical Analysis of Manaan

Mission Abstract: Investigate link between Darth Malgus and the planet Elom

"All That’s Left" (short story)

"Bottled Fury" (short story)

"Snare" (short story)

#swtor reference #developer blogs #devblogs #i will probably make some cleaner document later #once i've actually read all of these (because there's quite a few i missed originally) #(after i finish combining the nearly 50 epub documents together so i can just have it on my kindle for easy reading) #i feel like i want to have easy reference later of which document relates to which story nugget in game (and what characters are involved) #just because i like that kind of thing #but later #i did this instead of making lunch oops

[squirrelno2]

So if anybody's wondering what I've been writing lately. this is what ate my brain. we're not talking about how many hours steam says I've sunk into the video game this snippet is about or how many words I've written about the various ocs I created because of it. we are NOT. Spoilers of the mildest variety for the Sith Inquisitor storyline of SWTOR, and there is a thing in here that just says "cool name" in brackets because it's not at all important and right now i just need to share something of what i've been doing without worrying about making up ancient sith names or whatever. anyway enjoy the archaeological besties vibes

She must have come from a Dark Council meeting; Darth Imperius swept in in a flurry of deep purple robes, her overlarge epaulets threatening to clip a shelf of fragile artifacts before she saw Talos wincing and veered away.

“What is the point of having me in charge of research and history and ancient Sith artifacts if they are going to drag me away every five minutes because some idiot Republic soldier thinks they’ve found a new superweapon? Honestly. Marr can handle this on his own. Or even get that new Sith, Arkous, on it considering it’s his job and the bastard hasn’t even been to one Council meeting. I have work to do.”

She paused, looking at Talos with an expression a little more like a lost child than he’d ever admit.

“I do have work to do, don’t I?”

“I have been studying several possible sites for the lost tomb of [cool name], and have narrowed it down to these three locations – my Lord, are you all right?”

“Fine! Why wouldn’t I be?”

Talos weighed his options. Should he tell her she was swaying slightly? She looked exhausted, but to say that in front of their subordinates would potentially undermine her.

“Perhaps this would be best to discuss in the conference room,” he said. “We can make the projections much bigger in there.”

“Of course,” Darth Imperius said. She narrowed her eyes at him, as though she knew it was a ploy to get her to sit, but they both knew this way she saved face. Talos took another risk.

“May I offer you anything as we go over the project? A drink, perhaps?”

“You’re bordering on obsequious,” she warned him with a petulant roll of her eyes. “But do. You know what I like.”

Talos wasted no time in preparing a mug of what was more sugar than caf, an indulgence his dark lord never admitted to out loud but which was clear enough to all those who’d spent time in close quarters with her. She took the cup from him and cradled it to her chest for a moment, her stiff outer layer of clothing lying discarded on the floor behind her as she slumped in her chair.

“The Dark Council gets progressively more tedious every time I attend,” she grumbled. “Effecting change, my ass.”

Talos coughed to hide a laugh. “My Lord.”

She smiled as she sipped her caf.

“Show me what you’re working on,” she requested, leaning forward to get a better view.

They discussed the prospective dig for a while, weighing the pros and cons of sending teams to all locations versus simply scouting them out. In war, even archaeological digs could be shows of power, and sending Reclamation teams to each site would be one – but did they have the manpower to protect such efforts? And would digs at the two non-tomb sites provide enough to justify it? They were all historically important locations, likely to have much to offer, but that was an academic’s view. Sith Lords had to seek out Sith power, specifically.

“What do you think?” Darth Imperius asked finally.

“The wisest use of our resources –“

“No, Talos,” she cut him off. “What would be best, or most fun, from a historian’s perspective?”

“My Lord,” Talos said. He glanced at the projections again. Three ancient structures, where hundreds of people at some point had likely lived and worked. Yes, a Sith Lord had once taken over one of them and built their tomb underneath it – but all three sites could reveal so much of the past.

“All three?” she said when he looked back at her. She was smirking, but gently.

“It would be an opportunity on a massive scale,” Talos admitted. “Especially given the chance to compare findings across three such similar sites.”

“Well, there you are, then,” Darth Imperius said. She stretched her arms above her head. A few assistant archaeologists passing by the conference room window paused, staring obviously at her frame. Talos sighed as Darth Imperius winked at them, rolling her shoulders back to push her breasts forward.

“My Lord,” he said reproachfully.

“What? They can look,” she said. “Anyone stupid enough to try and get involved with me, it’s better to find out now while they’re still junior.”

“It takes a great deal of time to train them,” Talos said. “Especially to your standards.”

“I’ll play nicely,” she said fondly, relaxing once more and taking another drink of her caf. “I always do. Has Ashara been in today?”

“She and Xalek are working with the new holocron,” Talos said.

“Together? Alone?”

“After the Incident, I took the liberty of installing surveillance and alarms in the holocron room,” he said. That had been unpleasant. Ghostly possession wasn’t anything new, of course, and it was hardly her fault, but Ashara had still felt terribly guilty about the damage to the building. “Should something go wrong, we will be alerted immediately.”

“Lovely,” Darth Imperius said. “I’d say that maybe they’ll come out as friends, but that’s too much to hope for.”

Talos again coughed to hide his laugh. He had one more thing to tell her, but he didn’t want to bring it up. He never did.

“There is one other matter, my Lord,” he said. “The newest shipment of slaves.”

Darth Imperius sat up, her face cold.

“I told them not to send us any more,” she said.

“Unfortunately, it seems there is a legal provision for it,” he said. “It requires a change in the charter. As it stands, I took the liberty of freeing them already, claiming it was on your orders.”

It was an egregious overstep of his power. Anyone would be well within their rights to shock or even kill Talos for it. He knew what Darth Imperius’s reaction would be, yet he tensed anyway.

“I am… most grateful,” she said softly. “Have you arranged anything for them?”

“Those who wished to leave are being given a credit stipend from the stores you set aside for such purposes,” Talos said. He wondered now if Darth Imperius had given him the power to withdraw money from there for just such an occasion. He’d been flummoxed at the time, but then of course it would all be part of her long-term plan. “Many have asked to stay on with your division.”

“Talos –“

“I made no such suggestions,” he said hastily. “But you command loyalty, as always, my Lord. Why should they not choose to follow you of their own free will?”

She laughed softly, shaking her head.

“They will be undereducated in our affairs,” she said. “See to it that they’re given a proper grounding in history and archaeological techniques.”

“I have already drawn up a lesson plan which awaits your approval,” he said.

“Thank you, Talos,” she said softly.

“You are quite welcome, Exchei,” he told her.

#to be clear if it wasn't Exchei is her actual non-darth name. it's about the tenderness and intimacy of a person's real name ok #swtor #fanfic #sith inquisitor #talos drellik

[ospreyeamon]

theron, lana, and double-edged character traits

Theron and Lana have parallel double-edged character traits; different but similar, established in the same timeframe and serving the same purpose in the plot from Korriban Incursion/Assault on Tython to Ziost. Theron is bold and Lana is self-assured or, if you want to put it less charitably, Theron is reckless and Lana is arrogant.

These driving traits shaping their behaviour justifies how the plot unfolds in roughly the same way, regardless of the player character’s choices both before and during the arc. Theron would prefer to head into his unsanctioned mission with some backup, but if you tell him you’re not interested in going along with his plan during the meeting in the Carrick station cantina, he’s fully prepared to go it alone. Lana asks if the player character also smells a rat regarding Arkous and the timing of the strikes on Korriban and Tython but can’t be made to doubt her intuition if you disagree, even though the person telling her she’s wrong is probably either a higher ranked Sith or an actual intelligence agent. It’s possible to refuse the Maanan and Rakata Prime quests and still meet the pair teamed up on Rishi because if the player character doesn’t get involved they both decide they are capable of tackling the conspiracy without them.

This also plays into why they are willing to work with the other’s partner from their enemy faction, regardless of the player character’s class, past choices, or alignment. Lana is confident in her decision to trust Theron, to trust the player, to trust her feelings about both of them like she trusted her feelings about Darth Arkous. Theron is comfortable with putting his safety at risk if he and Lana turn out to be mistaken in their assumption her buddy won’t be interested in hurting him. How big a risk Theron is taking – how far Lana may be trusting her intuition in the face of contradictory evidence – varies with the player character’s history. A Jedi Knight who is buddy buddy with Scourge and Pravan is less of a stretch than a SIS-agent-hating Cipher Nine.

In the earlier part of their plot, Lana’s self-assuredness and Theron’s boldness work out for them. The player character won’t turn on Theron or Lana (if only because they have been machine-welded to the plot rails). Theron and Lana are correct in their assumption that they can take on the Manaan and Rakata Prime missions without additional help from the player character if events play out that way.

Later on, though, we see these qualities trip them up. It is most clear that they have misstepped when you’re playing as the same faction as them. Lana admits to an Imp-Side player that she and Jakarro did have the opportunity to save Theron from capture by the Revanites but decided it might be beneficial to let it happen. The risks are much higher and the benefits lower than Lana seems to think they are; Theron might have been killed instead of captured, and the Revanites know she, Theron, and Jakarro are working together so they can guess that she and Jakarro are on Rishi if they identify Theron. When you compare it to the plan Keeper makes with Cipher Nine on Corellia – actual information they are sure Hunter wants out of Cipher, consenting participant who won’t assume Keeper has betrayed them, pre-agreed false intel to give up, extraction plan – which Keeper acknowledges puts Cipher in serious danger and that she is only resorting to for lack of safer options, it shows how sloppy Lana is by comparison.

There’s nothing strange about Theron not telling an Imp-Side character about his mission on Ziost. Even if Theron wanted to give them a heads up, he can’t continue to collaborate with Imperials without being sanctioned by the SIS (at least not before the situation has gone completely to hell). Failing to keep another Pub who has already demonstrated their willingness to help him out with clandestine missions in the loop is much more questionable. Leaving the Jedi Knight or Consular locked out of the loop regarding your efforts to hunt down the Sith Emperor, especially, when the Knight and Kira have fought free of the Emperor’s possession and the Consular can break possessions affecting other people, since if you are looking for the Sith Emperor you really need a plan for if you find him.

It’s significant that the screw-ups come after the triumphs. Theron’s last secret unsanctioned mission went great, so he goes off on another one. Lana’s instincts on how to approach the Revanite conspiracy have been very much on point since the aftermath of the Tython-Korriban incursions, so she leans on them more heavily to make an impulsive unilateral decision. Even then, Lana’s belief that Theron will be able to make the most of his capture is borne out, though Theron is still justifiably furious with her. Theron’s desire to keep Supreme Chancellor Saresh in the dark is validated by her behaviour when she is informed of the situation on Ziost by Rane Kovach; attempting to hide the mission with the Sixth Line from Saresh required hiding it from everyone who would tell Saresh and everyone who would tell anyone who would tell Saresh, and even restricting the information to just the people involved in the mission turned out not to be enough to prevent a leak.

#Meanwhile in a Galaxy Far Far Away #swtor meta #Theron Shan #Lana Beniko #star wars the old republic

[magicallulu7]

“I have to be at Arkous’s side now, but I will remain in touch. I promise.” - Lana Beniko

#swtor #star wars #star wars the old republic #shadow of revan #swtor gifs #magicallulu’s gifs #swtor oc #sith inquisitor #adelaide vespertine #lana beniko #i love them

[pentacass]

thinking about ves and lana's workplace dynamics

Vestra's appointment as Dark Councilor and Lana as advisor to Arkous (then as Minister) creates an obvious power imbalance, and often puts their interests at odds with each other. Though they shed their titles behind closed doors, their official roles have driven them to hurt each other in larger political plays - ironically, to protect their secret relationship and in turn, each other.

Some background: they have a strict rule not to bring business into the personal. That is, no pulling rank when they're together (except in play ;] ), and no dragging in arguments borne of workplace clashes. Lana has little problem with this, but Ves takes more care, knowing she can be.........aggressive at times. She lets Lana hold the reins, and only steps in when she feels uncomfortable.

Officially, however, this care is a luxury they cannot afford. To other eyes, they are Sith with their own agendas and plots, ready to take each other down to further their goals, and this is the illusion they strive to maintain. Albeit, to a large extent, it is no illusion.

To mitigate this, they have a quiet arrangement of their own, where if they need something that will harm each other's Spheres, they will approach the other about what they want, and offer something in exchange. e.g. Arkous orders Lana to dig up info that will damage the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. Lana goes to Avriss, stating what she wants, and trades it for intel on a Military Offense project so that Avriss can hurt them in kind and level the field.

But this can only help them so far. If someone notices this perfect exchange of equivalent punches, suspicion of leaks or collusion will arise. More often than not, they will work in their Spheres' best interests, and trust the other remains strong. Ves and Lana have struck each other's Spheres before, dealing mutual damage in the crossfire. When the deed is done, they will give the other space and time to process their anger before getting close again.

They don't hold grudges, this being the way of life for Sith, but it is one reason why they will choose to stay with the Alliance in the future. As accustomed as they are to life in the Empire, they much prefer working in the Alliance together, for each other instead of against.

#swtor #vestra lenshe #lana beniko #yzstuff #yzswtor

[swtorpadawan]

Welcome to the Good Ship "Darkous" !

I know several people already “ship” Colonel Darok and Darth Arkous from the Forged Alliance expansion, including @chaoticspacefam​ @tearblossom​ @inkspot-fox​ @chivalin​ @transcendencism​ and @darthsiha​ .

Their interactions on Manaan and Rakata were surprisingly in-synch, far more than the other Revanites fighting alongside former enemies. Its not a stretch to read something more into their relationship.

Anarmonia of DeviantArt also made a couple of amazing pieces: This one and this one .

To that end, I am now dubbing this ship... the "Darkous!"

You're welcome. 🥳

#swtor talks #swtorpadawan talks #colonel darok #rian darok #darok #darth arkous #arkous #darkous #forged alliances #manaan #rakata prime #tearblossom #darthsiha #anarmonia #legacy of the rakata

[ipreferfiction]

Ahnder Drex

a child of the zabrak diaspora, Ahnder comes from a long line of spacers; he grew up on starships and fueling stations and enlisted in the Republic military to leave behind the chaos of his childhood. he took to the military quickly, and finished his SpecOps training just in time to be assigned to Havoc Squad. a week later, they defected, leaving Ahnder on Ord Mantell to deal with their treason.

Through hunting down the ex-Republic traitors, cleaning up the messes they left behind, and waging war against the Empire, Ahnder grew frustrated with General Garza's seeming disregard for individuals' lives, including his own squad. He was only too happy to be transferred to Colonel Rian Darok's command following Corellia; the transfer allowed him and his squad to hone their skills without Garza's harsh orders to navigate.

Ahnder grew close to Darok while training under him, and considered the man a friend as well as a mentor; Darok's defection to the Revanites left him reeling and shook his faith in the Republic in a way the first Havoc's defection hadn't. chosen for the Lehon strike team, Ahnder was one of the four people sent to hunt Darok down, but Ahnder made a different choice at the summit of the Temple of the Ancients.

he turned his fire on his squadmates, and threw in his lot with Darok and the Revanites instead. with Ahnder's help, Arkous and Darok escape Lehon unharmed, and Ahnder joins the Order of Revan immediately afterwards, making a new home on Yavin along with the Order's highest-ranking members. with the Revanites as a new galactic power, Ahnder has finally settled into someplace he calls home.

#swtor #canon: this race is a prophecy #ch: ahnder drex #swtor trooper #character bio

[tearblossom]

Darok: You have them, Arkous! 😘 Arkous: They’re yours, Darok! 😘

Just some husbands lovingly supporting one another whilst killing you. 🥰

#darth arkous #colonel darok #rian darok #arkous x darok #darok x arkous #legacy of the rakata #star wars: the old republic #star wars the old republic #swtor

[baraste-legacy]

SWTOR Companions Fan Art Collection Masterlist

A collection of SWTOR Companions art-related reblogs, and a few fully attributed reposts. Entries may contain adult themes (oh boy, might they 😊). Just in case, each post’s last tags show the artist or author of the original work. More of their art in this blog can be found by clicking on them.

These masterlists are a work in progress. If you can't find a certain character in them, try a tagged search (preceding the search term with a "#" hash symbol) such as "#darth arkous" or "#clone trooper".

Remember that, while in a custom themed blog (baraste-legacy.tumblr.com instead of tumblr.com/baraste-legacy), you can show the results of those links or any tag search in chronological order by adding "/chrono" to the end of the URL.

(Check the main Star Wars/SWTOR Fan Art Collection Masterlist, too 🙂)

——+——

SWTOR COMPANIONS ART (incomplete)

Akaavi Spar · Andronikos Revel · Arcann Tirall · Aric Jorgan · Ashara Zavros · Blizz · Bowdaar · Broonmark · Corso Riggs · Darth Marr · Darth Rivix · Doc · Eckard Lokin · Elara Dorne · Felix Iresso · Fideltin Rusk · Gault Rennow · Guss Tuno · Jaesa Willsaam · Kaliyo Djannis · Khem Val · Kira Carsen · Koth Vortena · Lana Beniko · Lieutenant Pierce · Lord Cytharat · Lord Scourge · Mako · Malavai Quinn · Nadia Grell · Nico Okarr · Qyzen Fess · Raina Temple · Risha Drayen · Scorpio · Senya Tirall · Shae Vizla · Skadge · Talos Drellik · Tanno Vik · Tharan Cedrax · Theron Shan · Thexan Tirall · Torian Cadera · Treek · Vaylin Tirall · Vector Hyllus · Vette · Xalek · Yuun · Zenith

#swtor companions #swtor art #swtor #companion #fan art #masterlist #masterpost #fanart #star wars art #star wars #malavai quinn #vette #theron shan #lana beniko #andronikos revel #arcann tirall #aric jorgan #ashara zavros #corso riggs #archiban frodrick kimble #fideltin rusk #felix iresso #gault rennow #jaesa willsaam #kaliyo djannis #khem val #kira carsen #lord scourge #lieutenant pierce #vector hyllus

[voidendron]

lie to my face

Whumptober 2023 Day 9: “Learning everything ain’t what it seems, that’s the thing about these days.” Polaroid | Mistaken Identity | "You're a liar." Star Wars: The Old Republic Warnings: None Characters: Rediaex'aere'zortiea "Xaerez" (Cipher Nine, he/they (he/him still at this point), Chiss), Ikaruv'eir'ansc "Veira" (Sith Apprentice, they/them, Chiss)

Most Sith didn’t give Cipher Nine a second glance—most didn’t even realize who he was. He was good, that way. At keeping under the radar, being unnoticed even by the Sith he was meant to work under, from time-to-time. Even Darth Arkous, all those months ago, had struggled to track him down; even Lana, and Marr, had had a hard time keeping track of him as everything started to happen with the Revanites.

He sneaked right past the noses of those meant to watch. Spoke with a silver tongue that made others none the wiser. Was oft waved off as an insignificant sniper, when not making it obvious that he was actually Intelligence.

…Usually.

Xaerez found the yes of a young apprentice—Veira was their name—on him, that day. As he stood, going over patrol routes sent to his personal datapad; the apprentice watched from afar as their master lingered near the conference table away from the camp’s center, receiving a debrief from Darth Marr and Satele Shan alongside a few other Sith and Jedi. It was something about spirits, his hearing implants picked up. Doors, switches—whatever it was, from what he caught, they’d need the Force to activate it to get into one of the temples. Hence why Xaerez, the Champion, and Havoc Squad weren’t part of the conversation.

It was during that debrief that he caught the apprentice eyeing him.

It wasn’t the first time the same one had glared at him. But it…well, it wasn’t an angry glare. It was a thoughtful one, like the kid recognized him from somewhere but couldn’t place where from.

And it was when that meeting ended, and the Barsen’thor and Wrath ended up the ones chosen to get into the temple while another group watched their backs, that the apprentice approached him—as he’d expected they might.

Lord Xandosc’s apprentice, he knew. A part of Lord Azan’s power base that she would often call on when her status as Wrath (and tendency to brute force a situation) wasn’t quite enough to get a job done. He also knew the kid was a spitfire, prone to lashing out—and was Chiss. From what Xaerez had read in their files while getting an understanding of Azan and her allies, the kid had been sent away from Csilla as an infant when their Force-sensitivity was discovered, and ended up raised by a rather prestigious Sith couple.

They’d certainly found a place for themself.

“Uh, hello?” the apprentice asked. Their voice was slightly muffled behind a cloth mask that covered the lower half of their face.

Xaerez stood at a straighter parade rest. “My lord.”

They didn’t say anything, for a while. Instead, giving the agent a once-over; Xaerez did the same. He had to wonder why the kid’s hair was gray, only a few locks of what must have been their original black remaining; they were just a teenager. Curious.

“Lord Wrath calls you Cipher Nine. Is that really your name?” They sounded credulous; he didn’t blame them.

“Yes.” What more could he say? Veira was one of Azan’s trusted allies; there was little he could do to hide that part of his identity from the kid if she’d already told them.

“Don’t you have a name name?”

To his quirked brow, the apprentice snorted and waved him off. “Right, right. Top secret spy stuff, got it.”

Maybe once upon a time, that would have pulled a laugh from the agent. Maybe in his younger days, when he was but Veira’s own age, hanging with delinquents on Csilla and slicing into systems he shouldn’t have.

Veira was quiet for another few moments, and Xaerez took that as a chance to glance back down at his datapad.

That is, until the apprentice opened their mouth again.

“I’ve seen you in a dream before.”

His hand hovered over the screen as his eyes flicked back up at them. Had he heard that right?

“...Pardon?”

And then they were laughing as they brushed a manicured hand through their grayed hair.

It was with that laugh that Xaerez’s breath caught in his throat. They sounded exactly like—

“Why did you…” They hummed, as if they were…trying to find their words. “You’re the one who killed my uh… My birth parents.” They didn’t look angry, merely curious; it didn’t put Xaerez any more at ease. “…Why?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he answered oh, so carefully. “I’ve had a very long career.” Surely it was just a coincidence. A coincidence, that they had Xaanehz’s laugh. A coincidence, that he finally noticed the look in their eyes—and that they looked just like Ullem’s did, just with the addition of artful wings and shadow.

“You’re a liar.” The apprentice had stepped close, their curiosity falling away to irritation. If it wasn’t for the mask they wore, Xaerez was certain he would have felt their breath on his face. “I can sense it. You know exactly who I’m talking about. Don’t you, Agent?”

It took everything he had not to step back. “...What did you see, in your dream?” he asked instead. He had to know, if his suspicion was right.

And as they described it, Xaerez had to swallow the anxiety rising in his throat. A type of anxiety, that he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time—he couldn’t let them sense it.

An assassin, they said. Their parents, and who they assumed were their grandparents, sniped from afar before they even knew what hit them. A beautiful manor on Alderaan. The sound of waterfalls, and Thranta, the anxious breathing of their killer as boots crunched over snow.

“I saw your face,” they ended with. “So...why?”

Lies came so easily to him, even as nausea bubbled in the pit of his stomach. “It was an order,” he said. His voice was too even for the way he felt. “I don’t remember the details—” an eidetic memory made that a blatant lie, but the kid didn’t know that, “—only that they forged various sensitive files to hide your existence. In doing so, they put an entire system at risk.” How much of that was actually the lie he fabricated, he wondered, and how much was far closer to the truth than he’d ever realized?

“They…” Their gaze cut to the side, as if they were warring with themself over how to go about the information. “They died protecting me from stupid Ascendancy laws?” Everyone knew how most Chiss viewed the Force. That made Xaerez’s job easier, if the kid figured that part out for themself. It was less time for him to have to linger on the realization that his sister’s baby—that little Unarhem—was very much alive and standing mere inches in front of him, that she’d lied so convincingly about him dying from the sickness he’d been born with. It was less time for him to have to linger on the memory of seeing her face for the last time through the scope of a rifle.

“I’m afraid so.”

Then their hand was on his jacket, shoving him into the stones behind him with enough force that he couldn’t hide his grimace, nor the way his datapad slipped from his hands to fall into the grass at their feet.

“And you just…agreed to do it?”

If he hadn’t, someone else would have. He couldn’t let another handle it, couldn’t run the risk of Xaanehz, or her husband, or their parents, suffering at the hands of another. The way he’d done it was quick, painless. He couldn’t have stomached it had it been handled any differently.

But instead, he only nodded—and was grateful for the mask that he wore. For the way it shrouded his eyes behind tinted transparisteel; shrouded, the way he bit his lip behind the sturdy metal. “I was doing my job.”

Their fist tightened against his lapel, the leather against manicured nails making an unpleasant noise for his hearing implants. If it weren’t for the fact that they both wore masks, their noses would have practically been touching.

“You’re hiding something.”

“With all due respect, my lord. You didn’t know them—”

“No, but maybe I could have figured some more shit out.” They shoved him again; Xaerez hissed between his teeth when the back of his head cracked against the stone. “I’ve had this dream over and over—why?! What are you lying to me about?!”

Resisting the urge to reach a hand up to feel for any blood on the back of his head, he instead brought his hands up non-threateningly. He knew—maybe even better than the apprentice did—that if Veira decided to attack him, he wouldn’t stand a chance in defending himself. Melee combat wasn’t exactly something he was good at, especially not with his damned foot being as bad as it was.

He racked his brain for something to smooth Veira anger, something he could offer that wouldn’t put his own hide at risk.

“I know what your name was. Before your parents took you in.”

The pause they gave was all the answer he needed; that should suffice nicely.

“Nearu’narhe’maal—Unarhem. From the Nearu and Rediaex families.” No one knew his full name, he knew. Offering his family’s name didn’t matter, not anymore, not now that anyone who might have known them knew they were all dead.

He could hear Veira take a breath—

Then they grumbled under their breath when their master called to them from across the camp.

One last shove—Xaerez barely held his head forward enough that it wouldn’t hit the stone again—and the apprentice stormed off with one last, “We’re not done,” thrown over their shoulder.

He took a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, tipping his head back against the cool rock behind him as he squeezed his eyes shut, just for a moment.

So…Unarhem was alive.

Unarhem, who he’d attended a funeral for. Who he’d known was so incredibly ill after being born. Who he’d known (or, thought he’d known) couldn’t have survived with how weak h—they, were.

And he thought he was good at keeping his identity buried.

What a damned discovery…

#whumptober2023 #no.9 #swtor #imperial agent #sith warrior #chiss #tales from the void #voids ocs #oc: rediaex'aere'zortiea #oc: veira