#Theron's totally going to accidentally start a war

[keldae]

Drastic Measures (Chapter Four)

Carbonite had not been a dreamless sleep, nor had it involved the regular, mundane dreams of a normal person. Xaja had spent the entire nightmare sequence running, and fighting… watching her crew be cut down by Skytroopers while she stood by, helpless to interfere; seeing the life fade out of Master Satele’s eyes as her twin blades pierced the Grand Master through the stomach; striking down Darth Imperius and watching Cipher Nine and the Voidhound both draw blasters on her- that one had made her scream in the nightmare as she’d fallen back from her baby brother’s robe-clad body, his eyes staring up at her accusingly. Master Satele’s execution at her hand could be chalked up as a nightmare that Valkorion- Vitiate- whateverthehellhisnamewas’s lingering voice in her mind seemed to bring about. But the murder of her little brother? Her father and other brother drawing weapons on her? That was a step too far.

The dream shifted, and Xaja stood in a dark chamber, adorned with red banners. A blonde-haired woman bent over a desk piled high with reports, golden eyes looking drained of the will to fight. Lana? Another shift- she was in a narrow alley, and a dark-haired man was walking past her, pausing long enough to set a charge on the wall. He lingered long enough to pull a detonator out of his pocket and turn it over in his hands contemplatively, and Xaja screamed Theron’s name. Don’t do this, Theron, please don’t!

Theron stubbornly shook his head and moved his thumb over the trigger button, and the nightmare shifted. She stood on Ziost’s ashes, and Vitiate’s spectre loomed ahead of her. He opened his mouth to say something, then suddenly looked up as the planet started to crumble around them, fury darkening his expression. Xaja whirled as Ziost fell into darkness, dragging her down with it, down down down-

Her eyes flashed open, and she had to fight to not throw up. Just a dream… just a dream… carbonite makes you dream weird things. You’d never kill Sorand or Master Satele. Theron would never do… that. She couldn’t bring herself to name what she suspected the Theron in her dream had been doing. And that dream ended when you fell into Theron’s arms- literally. The Emperor’s dead, he can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe, you’re with Theron, you’re okay… She craned her neck to take a look down at her rebellious body and frowned. Mostly okay. Maybe.

It was their third day in hyperspace, fleeing as far from Zakuul as Theron could push his shuttle’s fuel supply. Xaja had come to the conclusion during the second day that something was wrong; when the dizziness hadn’t gone away even after eating and resting, when her muscles kept seizing painfully, when her head ached if she tried to meditate for longer than a few minutes. Her connection to the Force felt fuzzy and weak, and she was pretty sure that wasn’t due to being in hyperspace.

If she was worried, Theron was terrified and valiantly trying to hide it. He’d spent the time pacing between the navicomputer, the pilot’s console, and Xaja’s side, apparently afraid to take his eyes off of her. His original plan had been to help her vanish somewhere in Hutt Space where he was reasonably sure there were a few exiled Jedi survivors hiding out; now he was considering detouring somewhere along the way to find a medic or a healer who wouldn’t ask too many questions. “Most people coming out of carbonite don’t have symptoms like this days after being thawed,” he’d said while she’d been fending off another muscle spasm in her shoulder. “Any side effects should have gone away within the first forty-eight hours. These are just getting worse.” Xaja didn’t want to know how Theron knew so much about carbonite sickness. It was probably something he’d come across during his career as a spy, but she really didn’t want to think about it.

She very carefully stood up from the chair she’d been sitting in and held onto the headrest until the wave of dizziness had past. Maybe if I can get some sunlight and fresh air, it’ll help with at least the vertigo? The Jedi carefully made her way through the shuttle to the pilot’s chair and wrapped her arms around Theron’s shoulders from behind. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Theron looked up and smiled, although there was tension in his mouth and eyes that Xaja couldn’t loosen from him. He reached up and took her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. “How are you feeling?”

“Nothing’s twitching and my head’s not exploding, so better.” Xaja brushed a kiss over Theron’s temple, just above his implants. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Some.” The bags under Theron’s eyes indicated that he was probably lying. He looked away from Xaja’s skeptically-raised eyebrow and back to the hyperspace tunnel that they’d been flying through for three days. “We’re well into the distant Outer Rim. Zakuul does have a reach out here, but it’s less than in other regions. With any luck, we’ll be able to stay off of Arcann’s radar.”

“Do you think he’ll put up a public notice about us?” Xaja asked with a worried frown.

“On the one hand, he’s never said anything about keeping you as a prisoner, so most of the galaxy thinks you’re already dead. On the other side, I get the feeling he’d do just about anything to recapture you and save face.” Theron frowned in contemplation. “Even if there’s no public bounty postings or arrest warrants, he’ll have agents hidden throughout the galaxy. He’s not just gonna let this slide, Xaja- you’re going to be hunted, one way or another.”

“Hmmph.” Xaja rested her cheek against Theron’s hair and twitched her nose as his fauxhawk tickled her skin. “And the only way I’m getting out of that will be to work out a truce or take Arcann down myself.”

“I don’t think he’ll be keen on negotiating.” Theron sighed and squeezed her hands again. “Well, you’ve already killed his father twice, and Revan once, plus a few other particularly-powerful Sith and a handful of giant rancors, survived bickering with two members of the Dark Council at the same time, and yelled at Saresh to her face. Wiping the floor with one half-metal tyrant shouldn’t be a problem for you.” He looked back at her for that and grinned.

Xaja laughed, although the laugh suddenly turned into a wheeze as another spasm tore through her slim frame. Her diaphragm contracted painfully, making her double over and struggle to breathe. Theron’s grin fell off his face as he lurched out of his seat and grabbed her arms. “Xaja, breathe. Where is it hitting now?”

The redhead pressed her hand against her ribcage and tried to not panic as her lungs refused to cooperate with her. “Can’t…” she gasped out. “Breathe…”

Theron loudly swore as Xaja felt herself fall to her knees, and dropped with her. “No, don’t you do this to me, not now!” He held his hand against her abdomen where Xaja had indicated and tried to ease the painful spasm that had frozen her chest entirely. “Stay with me, I’m not losing you! Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe…”

How could she breathe when it felt like her lungs were being encased in carbonite again? Xaja clung to Theron’s shoulders and tried to gasp in another bit of air. It hurt, and her lungs refused to budge enough for her to breathe properly, and she could see blackness growing at the edges of her vision. Theron swore again, and Xaja could hear the panic in his voice as she felt herself being laid on her back. “No, no, no, don’t do this! I can’t lose you now!” She could see his eyes, wide with fear, but it was through a rapidly narrowing tunnel as his hands gave up on her abdomen and tilted her head back, and she felt his mouth cover hers…

Pain flashed through her lungs as air was forced into her chest and her body remembered how to breathe. Xaja gasped as her lungs finally kicked in, gratefully gulping in precious air and only coughing some of it back out. Her head pounded, and not from the persistent vertigo. Theron stared down at her for a few seconds, as though to make sure she was actually breathing on her own and not dying on him, before he all but snatched her up and held her tightly against his chest. “You’re okay, you’re okay, I’ve got you. Oh, don’t do that to me again…” he mumbled into her hair, his words turning into a nonsensical stream of relieved sounds.

Xaja finally reached up and clung to his arms, burying her head against his neck. “Sorry,” she finally whispered when her breath finally stabilized. She could feel herself shaking like a leaf- or was that Theron shaking as he held her?

“Don’t be.” Theron stubbornly shook his head. “Just… don’t ever do that to me again.” He pulled back to look at her, and his face was ashen when he kissed her and stood up, moving over to the navicomputer. “This just changed our plans…”

“Force, I hope that was just a one-time freak occurrence.” Xaja leaned against the side of the chair and shakily focused on breathing while she watched Theron typing into the console.

“And if it’s not? What if the next one hits your heart instead? What if you don’t recover from the next one?” Theron looked back at Xaja, the fear in his eyes painfully obvious. “You need a doctor, now. Rishi’s the closest inhabited planet to us- we might find someone there.”

“You really think we’ll find someone on Rishi?”

“Hey, even pirates get sick too, right? There’s gotta be somebody.”

Raider’s Cove was still the hopping little outpost it had been when Xaja had last seen it years ago. If anything, she mused as she stepped off the shuttle, it was even busier. Apparently Rishi was becoming a haven for those seeking to stay the hell off Zakuul’s radar. “If all else fails, maybe we can hide in one of the Revanite bases,” she said with a cheeky smirk.

Theron just rolled his eyes at that. “Very funny.”

“What? Remember how hard it was to find their base the last time?”

“No, because I was in the base itself while you were looking for it. First class priority transport and everything. I think they threw me in a crate…”

“… Sorry.”

“’S okay.” Theron wrapped an arm around Xaja’s shoulders and kissed her hair. Anyone watching closely might have noticed that the gesture was as much to keep her upright and against him as it was affectionate. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah. The sunlight feels good.” Xaja tilted her head back to let the sunshine warm her fair skin, feeling a small smile creep over her face. She could barely remember the last time she’d simply been able to stand still and revel in the feeling of sunlight on her skin and warming her hair, or breathe in a gentle, warm breeze (okay, the breeze on Rishi was constantly humid and was already making her hair frizz, but that was beside the point). When was that- when I was back on Tython before getting the summons from Marr? Or that one quick stop we had to make on Coruscant- that sunlight totally counted. Or even the last time I was on Rishi full stop?… how could that have been almost three years ago? The reminder of her two lost years in carbonite sent a pang through her chest.

Theron gave her shoulders a squeeze. “I’ll try to make sure you have every opportunity to enjoy it. You’ve missed out on more than your fair share.” He started walking down the wooden plank-built pedestrian ramps, and Xaja followed along. “Rishi’s turning into the Nar Shaddaa of this section of space. There’s always traffic of the legal and not-so-legal varieties here, and with that comes information and refugees. Odds are there’s bound to be at least one decent medic around here.”

“And if there’s not?” Xaja asked, trying to hide the worry she felt at the idea. She hadn’t had another bad muscle seizure that had nearly killed her (although the lightheadedness and comparatively-minor cramping wouldn’t ease up), but the memory of suffocating as her body rebelled and feeling herself fading out as Theron fought to save her still made her fearful of another attack.

Theron’s mouth tightened grimly. “Then we keep moving until we find someone. I don’t care if that means sneaking onto Dromund Kaas, there has to be someone who knows how to fix whatever this is. Are you sure you don’t remember the Knights injecting you with something before freezing you or making you breathe something or anything like that?”

“I think I would have remembered that if it had happened.” Then again, her memory was proving fuzzy- small details were escaping her recollection more than she wanted to admit. “Maybe I’m just allergic to carbonite?”

“Is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. I’m just throwing out guesses here.” Xaja slipped her arm around Theron’s waist as they started walking through the marketplace. There were several hawkers out selling their wares, and Xaja couldn’t help but give some of the clothing items a longing look. Her clothes were clean and she was wearing them again, but she desperately wanted a change of clothing that would fit her more than Theron’s oversized tee-shirts would.

Theron followed her gaze and nodded. “We’ll get you set up with some new things- sooner than later. Having a different outfit might throw any pursuit off you, at least for a bit.” He let go of her shoulders and slipped a cred stick into her pocket. “Are you gonna be okay by yourself?”

“I should be.” Xaja absently patted the cred stick’s location and made a mental vow to repay Theron somehow for everything. The Zakuulans certainly hadn’t left her with her own credits when they’d frozen her… if nothing else, she’d find a way to mysteriously make a large number of credits appear in Theron’s accounts someday. “I’ll let you know if I’m in trouble.”

“With what comm?” Theron asked, his brow furrowing.

Xaja nearly kicked herself for forgetting she didn’t have her comm anymore, then lightly tapped at her forehead. “If this is okay?” A Jedi could use the Force to contact another, and Xaja was skilled enough with telepathy to be able to reach a Force-blind mind, but Theron had spent his entire life learning how to block that skill. And she wasn’t about to go forcing her way into his mind to get his attention, not when he’d risked everything for her and they had that trust built between them.

The spy hesitated, then slowly nodded. “That’s okay when it’s coming from you. I won’t be far in any case- I’ll poke around and see what I can pull up on a doctor. Yell if you need me.”

“Will do.” Xaja stretched up and kissed Theron’s cheek, earning a smile from him, then headed in the direction of the vendors, leaving Theron to go talk to some of the other locals. Twenty minutes later, she had swapped out her old clothing for a new outfit, sporting a lightly-armoured nondescript jacket that covered her lightsaber hilts, and was walking back out to the causeway. She didn’t see Theron’s bright red jacket anywhere, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything- the colours of the crowd meant that even that jacket could blend in here. She called the Force to herself, grit her teeth against the pressure in her brain that spawned with that, and cast out, seeking the familiar point of light that was him.

There, a few dozen metres away, near to another few lights that were other sentient beings Xaja was unfamiliar with. She barely had time to get the general direction of Theron’s Force-signature before the pain overrode her senses and her connection to the Force fumbled. Oww. Oh, that’s not good. Being in a carbonite coma for two years shouldn’t have… oh, that hurt… what’s a Jedi without the Force? She had the presence of mind to slip behind a stack of crates and out of sight before sinking to her knees as the pain throbbed through her head and all the way down her spine. Breathe. Breathe…

The sharp, stabbing pain in the back of Theron’s head made him flinch, interrupting the conversation he’d been having with a couple of the locals. One, a Korun smuggler who’d decided to set up shop as a bartender, frowned. “Y’ a’right thar? Thought it was your wife ‘s what’s sick.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Theron grunted as he rubbed the back of his head. “Haven’t been sleepin’ well with takin’ care of her an’ all.” Maybe that’s all that was, sleep deprivation. Hopefully once they’d found someone, he’d be able to rest without being terrified of Xaja ceasing to breathe again while he slept. “You sayin’ there’s a medic around what fixes almost everything?”

“Yeh. Th’ doc, he’s good people.” The Korun’s buddy, a curvy, attractive Twi’lek woman, nodded affirmation. “He don’t charge folks what can’t pay for a normal doctor, or gives ‘em a deal, an’ don’t let himself get pushed around none by the gangs out here. An’ I ain’t seen a case yet he ain’t fixed. Whatever’s wrong with yer wife, he’ll fix ‘er up.”

“Thanks.” Theron stepped away from the pair, thinking. They were the third and fourth people to recommend a particular doctor who lived up near the beach, down the way a bit from the Blaster’s Path. There’d been mention of a couple of other passable medics around, but nobody who’d borne as much positive reputation as this doctor. It’s worth a shot. If he takes charity cases, maybe we can convince him to stay silent if he finds out who Xaja is. Blast, it was hard to think around this headache piercing his brain; he focused his mind with an old Jedi meditation trick, trying to accept the pain and let it fade.

It didn’t budge. When Theron frowned and focused on the pain, it felt foreign and yet familiar, like he knew it and yet… it was not his own. What- Xaja? Feeling his heart leap into his throat, he walked back in the direction he’d left Xaja in, focusing. The pain shifted, started to feel like a tug in a particular direction; he dodged around a couple of lazily strolling Rishii natives and rounded a corner, then saw the bright hair behind a pile of crates. “Xaja?” he quietly asked as he crouched in front of her and gently touched her shoulder. Yes, this was the source of the pain he’d felt- what the hell did you do? “What happened?”

Xaja looked up at Theron for a second before looking back down. “So, bad news,” she whispered as she tried to push herself back upright- Theron caught her shoulders before she could move and gently started stroking her hair. “Apparently using the Force isn’t an option anymore.” She winced and leaned into Theron’s touch, pain twisting her features. “Oww.”

“… Oh, kriffing hell, sweetheart.” Theron gently kissed her forehead and frowned, wishing he could do something to make her pain ease. “Just breathe, okay? I’m right here. I might’ve found a good doctor, too- at least he’s got a good reputation around here. We’ll go find him when you think you can stand up.”

“Give me a minute?” Xaja reached up and clung to Theron’s shoulders for a long moment. “I’m trying to not throw up on you.”

“That’s very appreciated,” Theron tried to tease around his worry. “Breathe. Don’t worry about the Force, we’ll see if the doctor can fix your connection to it. If he can’t, we’ll figure something out.” It took several long minutes more before he finally felt Xaja shift to stand up, and made it upright with only a little bit of swaying and leaning on him for support. “Any better at all?”

Xaja started to nod, then thought better of moving her head more than strictly necessary. “No? Yes? It’s hard to tell. I’m upright?”

“That’s a start,” Theron agreed, and tried to hide his concern as he slid his arm back around Xaja’s shoulders and pulled her close against him. “It’s a bit of a walk, but no rush. We’ll take as long as you need to get there.” And I’ll carry you if I have to.

“Okay.” Xaja managed a little smile up at Theron as she leaned into his side and started slowly walking with him. She’d managed to put up enough of a mental shield to spare Theron the brunt of her pain, but he could still sense it radiating from her, and was just impressed she was walking at all. But that mental bond he seemed to have with her, where he could feel her presence in his head as clearly as he could with his body… that gave him questions. How did she form a bond like that with me when I can’t feel the Force at all and she can barely touch it right now?…

“Heh, that one’s a pretty little thing,” mused a burly Zabrak as he and his Togruta buddy skulked in the shadows, comparing notes on the appealing-looking targets they saw in the marketplace. “You don’t see hair like that much at all.”

“Mmm, yeah, an’ her face ain’t bad either.” The Togruta nodded in agreement. “She’d get us a good price on Hutta or Nar Shaddaa.”

“Almost a pity, really,” the Zabrak said. “I’d wanna keep a piece that sweet.”

“No one said we can’t test-ride the new ones first,” the Togruta slaver agreed with a wolfish grin. They watched the pretty redhead slip behind some crates and out of sight. “I gotta see what the Hutts’ll pay for a girl like that.”

“Yeah, you do that. I’m gonna sit here an’ think of how to train this one.” The Zabrak grinned in anticipation as he thought about the pretty redhaired human, and almost missed the human man slipping around the crate to follow her like he knew where she’d gone. “Hmm. We might have t’ kill her boy to get at her-”

“We ain’t sellin’ her to the Hutts,” the Togruta suddenly interrupted, his eyes bulging.

“That mean we’re keepin’ her for us?” The Zabrak’s teeth flashed in a predatory grin.

“No, lookit here.” The Togruta passed over his datapad. “See?”

“Ugh, ‘s from Zakuul, what’re you-”

“Read it, idiot!”

The Zabrak scowled, but the frown turned into a dropped jaw. “The hell’d that girl do t’ make His Royal Assholeness so mad at her? Ain’t no way a pretty little thing like her could be some assassin.”

“Dunno, not our problem.” The Togruta squinted intently as the two humans came out onto the causeway and headed up toward the town proper, the man with his arm protectively around the girl. “An’ lookit the guy with her!”

The Zabrak looked at the images of the two fugitives from Zakuul, then at the couple they were eyeballing. “A hun’red million credits is a nice, tidy sum… an’ two hun’red million credits is even sweeter.”

“An’ there weren’t no condition made of ‘em bein’ in good shape when we sell ‘em to the Zaks. She’ll still gets lots a’ playtime.”

“This is the best day I’ve had in years.” The Zabrak cruelly grinned and stepped out of the shadows. “Go get the boss an’ tell ‘im we just got the payday of our lives. I’ll follow ‘em.”

Xaja was trying so hard to act like she was all right and not draw attention to herself or Theron by visibly betraying her illness. But Theron could feel her grip on his jacket tightening and see her jaw clenching against pain, or feel her leaning into him for support, or trembling under his arm. “Need to stop again?” he murmured as they walked past a large, shady palm tree.

“You said the doctor’s close?” Xaja sounded almost normal, if Theron ignored the tense tone to her voice or how weak she sounded. That migraine was still pounding through her head, and he could sense it. “Let’s just get there. I can make it.”

“Okay.” Theron was dubious that his stubborn little Jedi could actually stay upright and functional for the two hundred more metres the medic was supposed to be found at, but it would draw a lot of attention if he simply picked her up and carried her. It’ll also get attention if she faints or has another spasm, he inwardly mused. It’s still morning, too early for what looks like socially acceptable intoxication.

Then again, this was Rishi, and he suspected people here drank more alcohol than they did water or caf. Maybe he could pass Xaja off as being drunk or high off some classified stimulant if questioned.

The pair slowly made their way to the door that had been identified already as the doctor’s lodgings. Theron walked up, noting Xaja barely staying upright beside him. “Almost there,” he murmured as he squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. “Almost there.”

“I still owe you,” Xaja mumbled as she let Theron tug her into the alcove protecting the door from the elements. “For everything.”

“No, you don’t.” Theron shook his head and guided her to lean against the wall of the alcove. “Hang tight for a sec, I’ll check this guy out before he gets at you.” He raised a hand and knocked at the door, watching Xaja out of the corner of his eye as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. The tug in his mind that felt like her indicated she was dizzy and still fending off that killer headache, and standing purely on willpower and the support of the wall. I wish I could make this better for you right now…

The door opened, and Theron’s eyes started bulging with the first words he heard in a voice he’d never expected to hear again. “The doctor is in! What can I do for- you!” The other man’s jaw clenched, mustache all but bristling. “You’ve got a hell of a nerve, Shan.”

“Nice to see you too,” Theron growled out. “Miss me?”

Archiban Frodrick Kimble glared at the spy, his hand twitching to where he still carried a blaster pistol on his hip. “It’s not bad enough that you decided to drag Xa- Master Tae- her into your family argument-”

“Hey, the Revanite incident was not my fault! I didn’t ask for a batshit psycho ancestor to-”

“- Then you dragged her to Ziost- and you know how badly that karked her up mentally? She didn’t smile ever after that!”

“Listen, I know I kriffed up there, but-”

“And then she went off on that stars-damned chase and died with the Imps she’d spent her entire life fighting, and where were you to talk her out of it or to back her up?”

“That’s not-! Listen, Kimble, she’s-”

“It’s taken me this long to get over her dying, Shan, and seeing you…”

“Is this about how she turned you down for the fourth time after meeting me?”

“This is not about that, don’t change the subject!”

“Then let me get back to why I’m here, dammit!”

“I do not care if you’re dying of some slow and incurable disease, or if you’ve got a flimsi cut.” Kimble made to slam the door shut. “Go kriff yourself.”

“I’m not the one who needs help!” Theron got his foot and hand in the way of the door, and before the medic could draw his blaster, the spy had reached out for Xaja, and tried to swallow his fear when she struggled to lift her head. She’d been a bit more focused on not passing out than on listening to the argument. “She is!”

Kimble opened his mouth to snarl something else at Theron, then took a look at the tiny redhead in the spy’s company and went white. “No… you’re dead. She’s dead. Not possible.” He whipped around to glare at Theron again. “The hell type of a sick joke are you trying to pull, Shan? I saw that ship go down, there’s no way-”

Xaja finally managed to raise her head and make eye contact with her former crewmember, and Theron lightly shifted his weight to give her a more sturdy support to lean on. “Doc?” she whispered, her eyes widening. “You’re alive?”

Kimble numbly shook his head, grief and denial and maybe a little bit of hope flashing through his eyes. “You can’t be. We looked for you for an entire kriffing year before we gave up…”

“I was in carbonite until less than a week ago.” Xaja offered a weak smile. “I’m not dead- not yet anyway.”

“You’re…” Kimble took a step forward, then froze. “Prove it. How do I know you aren’t-”

“Archiban Frodrick Kimble!” Xaja managed to give him a scowl as Kimble’s eyes widened. “What reason would Theron have to show you an imposter? If that logic’s not enough, I know you take your caf black and intravenously, you secretly love romance holo-flicks, and spent longer in the ‘fresher in the mornings than Kira and I did. Combined.” She was almost standing upright on her own by the time she’d finished telling him off.

“… The mustache takes work, you know.”

“I never understood how one mustache requires more effort than detangling long hair.”

“Neither did Kira.” Kimble finally broke down and lunged forward to catch Xaja in a tight hug. “For kriff’s sake...” He sounded like he was trying to hold back tears.

Xaja clung back to Kimble, and Theron tried to not feel a little possessive- or a little worried when he saw her trembling. “I missed you, Doc.”

“We thought you were gone,” Kimble whispered. “Even Scourge, and we… the invasion… and we didn’t have you to keep us together…”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to not die on-” As though waiting for a perfectly ironic moment, Xaja’s right leg gave out; Theron could almost see the muscle spasm through her pant leg. The Jedi yelped in pain and would have fallen had Theron not jumped in to grab her from behind and Kimble not adjusted to hold her up from the front. “Ow…”

“She’s sick, Kimble,” Theron confessed as the doctor as the other man’s face went pale behind the mustache. “She’s been sick as hell since I rescued her off Zakuul, and I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Kimble looked up at Theron’s words, then back down at Xaja. His brow furrowed in thought, but his lips were twitching in the old charismatic, cocky smirk that Theron remembered from the entire Revanite incident years ago. “Come inside… both of you,” he finally added the last part to Theron when Xaja raised her head to give him a pointed look. “Ol’ Doc will get you fixed up, Red. Just like old times, right?”

#drastic measures #alternate universe #KOTFE AU #Theron/Xaja #Theron Shan x Jedi Knight #ANGST! #Near death experiences! #carbonite poisoning is a bitch #poor Theron is going to have a heart attack #if Xaja doesn't die from carbonite poisoning first #Doc is gonna be the awkward jealous third-wheel #Theron's totally going to accidentally start a war #whooops #Back to Rishi! #random npc bad guys be up to no good #will take all the excuses for drama #mwahahahaha #I wouldn't actually kill my own baby OC... or would I? #Foreshadowing #dun dun duuuuuuuun #Oh Xaja if only you knew what Theron was up to... #not just a nightmare sweetie!

[suaine]

Yuletide letter 2017

*cracks knuckles* Alright, let's get this party started. At first, there are a few things to know about me, none of them very important:

I will read almost anything if you write it with passion and kindness. That doesn't mean it has to be fluffy and happy all the time, though I do prefer a general trajectory toward happiness. If you can, I would like you to write this story because you believe in it, not because you want to please me. I'm usually easily pleased, and there aren't a lot of things that will turn me off.

That said, please avoid writing about death or rape, graphically or just their impact and aftermath. Both things are hard for me to deal with and even if it's canon I'd rather not have to be exposed to it during the already super emotionally taxing holiday season.

Generally I love all self-indulgent tropes. There is nothing too cliché, no path too well-trodden. I love adcenture stories and cracky fun slices of life and everything in between. I'm equally into swords and sorcery as well as space ships. There isn't a well-crafted AU I don't love if the characters stay true to themselves. Feel free to go a little bit wild.

Fandom: Star Wars: Aftermath - Chuck Wendig

I didn't expect to be able to sign up so I couldn't nominate everyone else on the team, but feel free to include them all or any of them in combination. I just want to hear more stories about these idiots, Sinjir most of all. After Rogue One, I'm full up on tragic heroes, so if you can find hopeful, loving paths to put them on, please do.

Oh, my relationship with this canon is a difficult one. I still haven't dared to read the last book and I'm trying to get to a place where I can forgive fate and Chuck Wendig for personally giving me hope for my fave pairing (Jom/Sinjir) and crushing it under the bootheels of miscommunication. (Basically, we tweeted, he was vague, I misunderstood, I thought Jom/Sinjir was gonna happen, and it really hurt when it didn't) But! I'm absolutely 100% in favor of Sinjir getting a happy ending EVERY WHICH WAY possible, including but not limited to any pairings you might enjoy, and I'm more than happy for you to sell me on them.

I love the team so much, every single damn one of them. I love the snarky bits and the hopeless bits and the resilient bits. I love that this is not the happy ending we expected from Return of the Jedi and I love Rae Sloane.

I honestly don't know what kind of prompt I should give you. I've enjoyed stories of Sinjir showing up in TFA times, I love alternate universes where things played out differently, I love introspective pieces and action-y bits. I love the humor that is always inherent in Wendig's writing.

Fandom: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

I absolutely love and adore this game and I found my perfect route only to realize that in the scope of the game it couldn't happen - Robert needs to take care of himself for a while, a year isn't nearly enough to put him back together. But we can try. The player character can absolutely try. In many, many ways. Also, I love any and all iterations of Amanda and Val interacting and maybe more.

I absolutely enjoy every route in this game, though some characters resonate more with me than others. Robert is the one that I feel closest to, maybe because he's quite damaged in very specific ways. Maybe it's because if you play your cards right you get to fix his relationship with his daughter and I actually have two fathers who will never be as big a person as that.

The core aspect of the game for me is giving Amanda every happiness she desires, she deserves to be loved and appreciated and she deserves to grow into exactly the woman she wants to be. Val and her interaction were my favorite amazing surprise.

I'm actually quite invested in a future where Robert gets better and realizes that the player character (let's call him Jake) has always been there. I'd like to see that recovery, soft, playful, unassuming friend dates, supportive moments, nighttime monster-hunting adventures.

Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) RPF

The last few months I've fallen into an awesome hole: catching up on a 100+ episode webseries that has 4+ hours of footage per. It. Was. Ridiculous. And amazing. And I accidentally once read a comment (on youtube) about how Matt separated Marisha and Taliesin because jealousy. I adore Marisha and Taliesin's friendship but also I can't help but go extra defensive when I read stupid stuff like this: so, tell me about the many ways that Matt and Taliesin love each other, all the bonding, whether bromance or romance. The three of them once went to party in the desert together for a few days. Also, I loved the team playing themselves but d&d style during Liam's one shot - why not put them all into Exandria, but as themselves (and adult)? Adventures!

I mean, what is there to say? I'm really invested in the entire group's happiness and love. It's pretty obvious that they're close and I love that so very, very much. I've been crying like a baby at the latest episode (114) and how much they care about each other and their characters, and the last few minutes of ep 113 were really intense after Laura realized what was happening. I love how sometimes the lines between character and actor get a little bit blurred.

I don't really have a lot to add to the optional details, maybe all I need to say is this: feel free to go anywhere your heart takes you.

Fandom: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic  

I adore Theron Shan and his ridiculous squib/secret agent/mama issue plot. He's everything I ever wanted from a Republic character - pragmatic and still idealistic, hopeful and sarcastic, complex as the force itself. I love stories about his tech abilities, about his smarts and his work ethic, and how deep down he is much more like his mother - and Revan - then he would ever admit. (OMG the Revan connection is such a narrative kink for me. Revan (girl Revan for me, incidentally) is such an influence on how I see the character - grey, but still undeniably good.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that means more to me in TOR than Theron in love with my lightside male Sith Warrior. Obviously, you're in no way obligated to include my player character, but whatever you want to write I would ask you to consider that fact your canon for the story - please don't break them up or write him with other people. You don't have to include this in particular, but please don't negate it.

I haven't played the newest chapters because of time constraints and I don't know a whole lot of spoilers except that... something happens... with betrayal and Theron? I honestly didn't want to read up on it because often experiencing it makes it very different to whatever might show up on a twitter rant. Here's the thing: betrayal and the sith warrior. Theron being a double agent to save the love of his life by breaking his heart. Just saying. That makes one hell of a story.

If you want to write something romance free, how about the early days of Lana and Theron's partnership? The minituae of running the alliance? Theron doing his job because he's a competent, sarcastic assholes. Theron making peace with his mom. Theron making peace with the force.

Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery

I love everything Star Trek and this new thing feels very much in line with everything before even where it's completely out of left field (I mean, the hairless klingons take some getting used to for sure). Michael Burnham is the best, but I would literally love any story about any of the characters, as long as it feels like Star Trek. I missed this world and this universe and this SPACE so much. Tell me everything, anything, DISCOVER.

Okay so obviously this is a developing fandom that's going to fucking explode. This is an amazing thing to be at the start of. I love everything Star Trek and as of today which is just a few days after ep 4, I love everyone on that boat except Lorca who I very much love to loathe.

Michael is amazing. My gay mushroom man is amazing. Tall gangly alien is amazing. Twitchy redhead is amazing. The klingons are super weird cannibals. I want to see exactly where Discovery is going – all the weird alien planets they can explore. There's a war, sure, but that's not a warship, it's a science vessel. Let it do science.

I personally love all the tropes Trek ever gave us and there's basically so many to choose from that it would be too hard to list them all. You want to give an old episode plot a new coat? Go for it! You want to explore some cute character moments? Be my guest! You want to write cute ship fic about mushroom man and doctor snarkadoodle? Please, please do.

Fandom: Folgers "Home for the Holidays" Commercial

Folgers is a yuletide fandom if I've ever seen one. Pretty much all the stories are yuletide stories and I've read them all. I think it's obvious why we're both here and neither of us can pretend that this is wholesome and pure. But here's the thing: just because something is problematic doesn't mean it can't be fun and happy. I mentioned in another request that I'm full up on tragedy, so here's the deal: a Folgers story where they get what they so obviously want and figure out a way to be happy.

Two things: yes, porn is totally acceptable though obviously not required. You can, but you don't gotta. And AUs are also a perfectly lovely way to explore this kinky as hell prompt. I think we're both here for the kink – if not, I'm not sure why you offered this fandom at all and this is your get out of jail free card: just dump this request in a dark hole and never think about it again. Some of my other requests have quite accessible canons and I won't be offended if I show up on the pinch hit list. I've been there, it's not a terrible place to be ;)

If you want to go AU, please keep the delicious and terrible fact that they're siblings who so very obviously want to bone. I'm with you, friend. We're both in this kinky hole together. I'm not into this fandom for realism – angst, sure, that's what makes it great, but that doesn't mean we can't have a totally unrealistic romantic comedy style happy ending. Think Do Começo ao Fim.