#and leikael and both of hers

[shabre-legacy]

Stolen Home Chapter Ten

Leikael

The next day started far too early for Leikael’s taste. It wasn’t as bad as back on Ord where the cannons and shit had been loud or the starship where she was sharing a bed with that farmboy who was too kriffing perky in the mornings. All loud greetings and bright eyes and asking her if she slept well, even though he knew the answer because he’d been right kriffing next to her and… She was stopping that line of memory right there and not thinking about it. It was still too early and she could hear Corso doing something in the next room. 

It wasn’t going to be easy, they’d be diving back into the depths of the Coruscant underworld, going deeper then they already were and they were already deep. Normally, she’d say it was fun. But she couldn’t seem to think anything was all that fun right now. There’d been no comforting weight of a Manka Lynx on her feet as she slept, no peaceful hum of a starship engine reminding her she was home and safe and free. The only thing she had was a mercenary she was paying to help her out until he got his own revenge. 

Not particularly fun, but she’d find her mischief here. She always did.

She drags herself out of bed and all too soon, the two of them got word that Darmas had arrived and they headed down to his room for an update on what he’d learned and where to go next to hunt down that scumsucker and her precious ship.

It should have surprised her to see Darmas with a drink in his hands at this early of an hour. But it didn’t. He was a broker covering as a professional card player. He had to keep up appearances and get to work early when work was to be done. She’s been around enough to tell though, that the drink he had as the remains of breakfast were cleared away, wasn’t alcoholic. It was mostly for show. He invites them both in as a droid pours out a few mugs of caff. She takes one, sighing in relief at the heat as she sips the drink and feels it hit her system, helping to shake off the drowsiness that her troubled sleep had left,

“Well, my dear, I hope you slept well. My contacts were hard at work through the night, so I’m sure you’ll have plenty to stay busy with today.”

She smiles, full of false charm. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m not made for the ground and the sooner I get my ship back and a blaster through the thief, the better.” “Oh I can tell. A woman beautiful as you belongs with the other wonders of the galaxy.” His smooth tone, sounding just as sincere as the day before, yet there was something… He was just too smooth.

“So what have these mysterious contacts of yours dug up?”

“My sources reveal Skavak is doing business with the Black Sun Gang. A dangerous friendships for all sorts of reasons. Black Sun is notorious for keeping holorecordings of all their meetings. No doubt they’ve preserved the highlights of Skavak’s visit.”

Leikael tilts her head as she leans against the large projector near Darmas’s couch. “I doubt Black Sun lets just anyone peek at their holos. Bad business.”

“Black Sun fragments its recordings over several computers to prevent unauthorized viewing. You’ll have to assemble the relevant footage by accessing each computer.” Leikael groans internally, of course Skavak couldn’t have normal, boring friends who’d make things fast and easy. The sooner she got to shoot him, the better.

She spends another few minutes trading banter with Darmas before she heads out, Corso on her heels. “Stop for Caff on the way?”

“Please. The room doesn’t have a caff machine and we’re going to need it down there.”

It was for her. He was agreeing for her. She’s seen that he didn’t need caff in the mornings. He preferred it, but didn’t need it if it would slow them down. Stupid farm boy and his up early in the morning ass. She still stops at one of the small carts on the way into the sector. She spends the extra credits to get herself a fancy caff that made her feel a bit better about the whole situation as she made her way along the roads into trash-strewn streets of the black sun controlled territory. This place had been abandoned by the republic. There seemed to be no efforts to police the streets, to clean anything, to take care of the people here. It was just another abandoned sector of Coruscant.

The streets of Coruscant are full of people desperate for something, anything to get through the day. Some food, some spice and some searching for sick forms of entertainment. The announcement that the gang was playing games of chance with bombs and lives was frustrating and filled her with anger and pity. She agrees when the security officer asks her to help.

Corso smiles slightly as she agrees. Why was he smiling? This is not ok, she isn’t ok with him showing any positive feelings that isn’t work related. That will just make it harder to kick him off when he stops being useful. And she will be kicking him off her ship when she gets it back, regardless of what Nuri thought about it. She doesn’t do things like her friend suggests anymore.

Disarming bombs though, that was great. It was a thrill and she got something useful out of it. Sure, carrying bombs was a delicate task, but she was sure they’d find a use for them eventually, There was always a use for explosives in their line of work.

Piecing together the recordings was rage inducing. The two fought for every meter and every scrap of recording.

Corso

Corso frowns as the recording plays. It still stung to see the traitor’s face. He’d never been close to Skavak, but they’d talked and he wouldn’t have thought him capable of stabbing them in the back the way that he had. Stealing his blaster was lower than low and he couldn’t wait to deck him in the face for it. And after all that, he’s negotiating hits on lawmen. The man was looking to get killed, how he wasn’t already serving multiple life sentences didn’t make any sense. “Might be this lawman knows how to find Skavak, Captain. Best go bust up that party at the spaceport.”

The whirlwind that things had become since he’d left with the captain for the volcano seemed to not be slowing down anytime soon. It was making his head spin and he wasn’t struggling to keep up, but he was finding the mental toll of the whiplash from Ord Mantell to Coruscant to be more tiring then he’d like. The Captain sure made up for it though. Shoot-outs in the streets, a bit of dancing and gambling, listening to her hum through her morning. It was turning into a fun trip. If they could just get the breaks to go a bit longer between fights or he could get a good blaster with some punch to it, then they’d be having a lot of fun. His cheap one still needed work, it wasn’t holding up to this level of action as well as he’d like and his antiques aren’t really something he wants to risk in this environment unless he ends up needing to.

The trip back to the spaceport near the Senate is a rush. Their feet pounding across the durasteel and concrete as they try to get back to beat the Black Sun. By the time they get there, the tall Cathar gangster already had his men in the hanger and the Sullustan lawman at gunpoint. Leikael had a ready quip already, like she always did. Corso was sure it was some kind of gift from the galaxy. “You see those ears? Sullustans have excellent hearing.”

The Cathar, Urbax, growls to his men. “I thought I told you idiots to watch that door?” Do I have to do everything myself?” His growl turns to Leikael and Corso hefts his blaster. “You don’t belong here little girlie. Better leave before you break a nail.” Corso couldn’t help but laugh. Sure, the captain ran around in that crop top jacket and little bra that left her waist exposed and those tight pants that left nothing to the imagination and was far too tempting all of the time, but that didn’t mean she cared about petty things like her nails. This guy was too stupid to see the pit he was digging; but Corso could, he could see the small shift in tension, the way her fingers flexed and he wondered when he’d become familiar enough to notice that?

The Sullustan interrupted before Leikael snapped back, requesting that they assist him and deputizing Leikael. Admittedly, the captain being a law obeying person of any kind was another funny thought. She puts a hand of her hip as she shifts her weight. “Do I look like a deputy to you?”

The continued reference to her as an upstanding citizen has the smuggler and her mercenary chuckling, “You heard the man, lawbreakers. Surrender now, or else.” He liked this side of Leikael, the side that wasn’t trying to pick a fight, but was willing to join one to help someone out. If this kind of thing was what he’d be in for long-term on her crew, he could easily live with this.

Leikael

“You really are as dumb as you look, aren’t you? Kill them both.”

He would have been dead anyways for that. Leikael was pissed, if there’s one thing she cannot stand about the criminal underworld, it’s the comments and the dismissal of her just because she’s a woman. They never did this to any of the men she’d traveled with and it got under her skin. But she got to kill these ones and that did make her feel a bit better.

The Sullustan lawman was something else though. Miel Muwn, tracking Skavak for jewel theif, seemed like a nice enough guy, except that he couldn’t seem to get the hint that she wasn’t an ‘upstanding citizen’ and calling her that would tank her rep here. Then again, maybe he was intentionally ignoring it so there wouldn’t be any legal complications with helping her. If that was the case, well, all the more reason to help out. The fact that he was willing to not mention her to republic security, leaned towards the later.

Just as she’s about to suggest they leave, she hears Corso from off to her right. “Let’s not be here when local security shows up. We don’t have time to answer questions. Maybe we should go see if Darmas has anything new about Skavak?” It seems as good an idea as any other so she swiftly agrees and they sweep out of the hanger, leaving Miel to handle cleanup.

The republic security are too busy rushing past to notice them as they enter the main areas of the spaceport and start to make their way to the exit, but she notices the tension, the way Corso glances around and keeps his hands close to his holsters. “Expecting someone?”

“Skavak's proven to like his dirty tricks. An ambush set up elsewhere, just in case, seems like his style. This is the most likely place to accidentally run into any other bounty hunters sent by Rogun. A starship captain is expected to stay close to spaceports when they can. It’s pretty common.”

Leikael shrugs. “You’re not wrong. But relax, this is Coruscant. Everyone here has to maintain at least the appearance of civility when in public on these upper levels. We’ll be fine until we get back down to the lower levels.”

Corso nods, but doesn’t seem all that convinced. “We should still be careful.”

Leikael nods with a smile, “Of course we’ll be careful. I’m always careful.”

Corso rolls his eyes with an answering smile. “I’m not convinced you and careful are acquainted.”

That makes her laugh outright as they make their way back to the speeders and start back towards the cantina. “I guess that’s why I get the good jobs.”

They continue their light banter through the streets and into the cantina, both agreeing it would be best to check in before they stopped to eat, just in case they’d need to run again. The little hall they passed through to get to Darmas’s room was rarely empty, but this time it seemed to have something different then the usual assortment. Instead three kids, barely twenty if that, were hanging around. The girl was the one to notice them and speak first.

“See, what did I tell you? It’s the captain from Rogun the Butcher’s bounty posting. Are we lucky or what?”

Leikael rolls her eyes internally as she came to a stop, Corso standing next to her. The young man that the girl had spoken to was clearly besotted over her and it wouldn’t have surprised Leikael if bounty hunting was her idea and he went with it to stay close. The one who was more focused on the job was the blond who stepped into their path. The hair covering his face had to be one of the worst cuts she’d ever seen. “You two make me sick. Hold it right there, captain.”

She openly rolls her eyes at that. They were really going to try this? With that hair? “Is that a hairstyle or did a womp rat die on your head?”

Corso laughs next to her as the blond kid stutters. “Come on, you two. Let’s cremate this fool and get rich!”

Oh the naivety, these three hadn’t learned the most vital skill of bounty hunting according to Nat, how to evaluate your opponent and know their strength vs your own before you fought. “You kids run home to your mommas before I spank you.” They were too young and stupid for this line of work.

She seemed to touch a nerve with the kid with stupid hair. “All right, that’s it. Let’s roast this stupid nerfherder.”

The darkhaired one seemed to have more sense, studying the way Leikael stood, the way she stared them down, almost bored. “Hold it Scorch. There’s something about this captain. She might be more trouble than she’s worth.”

Scorch was too arrogant, lanuching into a spiel towards the girl, it was enough to make both the criminals facing them roll their eyes. Well, if they were only after credits, she could use that to make them go away and make Skavak’s day a bit worse. “If you want credits, I know a better way to earn them. This is a fight you can’t win, save your blasters for a better target.”

At this point, most of what the blond says isn’t even sinking in, it’s all boast and bluster after all.

“Ever heard of a Starship thief named Skavak?” That seemed to catch their attention. “I just saw Skavak in the Black Sun hideout.” They argued for a moment before leaving. “Don’t forget. Shoot to kill.” Corso joins her in chuckling at them as soon as they’re out of sight. They end up leaning on each other.

“What ya think, 2 hours till they get knocked out?” Corso laughs.

“If that, they’re not cut out for this line of work. Black Sun should knock some sense into them.” They eventually straighten and catch their breath

Corso

Corso isn’t sure how it happens, but by the time they enter Darmas’s room, he already knew what had happened. As soon as Leikael approaches, he starts speaking. “Trouble with bounty hunters, Captain?”

Leikael flops gracefully onto a nearby couch, kicking her feet up and folding her arms behind her head as Corso leans against the couch next to her. “I can’t help it if I’m popular with all the wrong people.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, my dear. All the right people find you charming too.” Corso grumbles under his breath at the flirting. At this point, it seemed like Darmas couldn’t get out a complete sentence without a flirt towards the captain. He knew at least part of his frustration was due to his attraction to her, but a large part was how it seemed to delay them finding Skavak and playing catch up. He hates playing catch-up. It makes him feel stupid, and he gets that enough from the people around him when they decide to talk fancy and make a lot of noise about their fancy educations.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though the flirting would be ending any time soon as Darmas continues. “I hear Black Sun is on an emergency recruitment drive and you had an altercation at the spaceport. I take it my lead was worthwhile.”

His captain smirks in response, before her expression turns nasty and vengeful. Corso knows he should NOT find that as attractive as he does. His mother would be ashamed. She’s his employer, and maybe his friend and that was all. He was supposed to be helping her, not falling for her. “Skavak will be writhing on the floor before this is over.”

Despite having dealt with her two days now, Darmas still looks a bit nervous at that. “That’s quite the vicious streak. It seems he brings out the worst in people.” Darmas leans forward, a small smile cutting the lines of his face. “While we wait for Skavak to make his next move, perhaps we could play a little Sabbac.”

Now, Corso has learned to read faces. He may not be good at cards, but he’s good at faces, it’s part of his job. He knows Darmas is messing with his captain, testing her, it’s a open proposition, she can take him up on the blatant inuendo or on the cards where Darmas expects to win. But what Darmas doesn’t know is just how good the captain is. Corso though, he got to watch her a handful of games. He knows how good she is. Wouldn’t do to let Darmas know too soon, he can have some fun with this. He drops his head into one hand as he shakes it. “Should have seen that one coming.”

“Corso, don’t be such a spoilsport. What do you say, captain?” The way he purrs that title sets Corso on edge, but he has no place interfering here. “First game’s on me.” Oh, he knew Darmas would regret that one when Leikael took everything he put on the table.

The devilish smirk on the captain’s lips confirmed it. Darmas was in for it now. “What’s the harm in a friendly game of cards.”

‘What’s so friendly? She’s gonna eat you alive Darmas.’ He chuckles to himself. ‘Hope you’re ready to lose all your credits’ He plays along with her little scheme though. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you captain.” He can’t keep the laugh out of his voice, Darmas cutting his eyes over to him like the professional card player he is.

“Get us a round of drinks, won’t you Corso? There’s a good man. Let’s deal some cards.” Darmas stands and gestures to the large sabbac table. Corso waits until his back is to them before he grins and places their drink orders as the crowd of admirers and contacts around Darmas gathered around the table along with various individuals who caught sight of the game as they passed. He has the serving droid take Darmas and Leikael’s drinks to them, holding his own as he slips in among the crowd. This would be a good chance to make some fast credits. He makes his way close to the front to where he can see and takes note of the captain’s face. He could be wrong, but if he had to guess how she’d play this, lose one hand to bait him in and then win the rest. Darmas likely wouldn’t be able to resist a few more rounds after that, and he’d build up the pot, and get thrashed.

“Twenty credits Darmas wins this one.” He mutters to a group of watchers, a few taking him up on it.

It played out just as he thought, with Leikael just narrowly losing and baiting Darmas into another hand. He places another bet on Darmas, smaller this time, enough to comfortably lose as Leikael scrapes a win and Darmas offers ‘just a few more rounds while they wait.” Another two rounds pass with narrow wins before Leikael leans forward, crossing a leg and resting her chin on her fist. “200 credits the spacer wipes the floor with him.” He smirks at the crowd that had formed around the table, eagerly betting on the outcome, a known bookiee in the crowd starting to keep track of the bets.

The game was about as intense as a round of Sabbac could get, both Darmas and Leikael studying the other and looking for the smallest tells, but as Leikael tosses down her winning hand, she drops her ‘rookie’ sabbac face and smirks and Darmas slouches back in his chair, sounding mildly distressed.

“You win again Leikael.” He doesn’t like how familiar that sounds in Darmas’s drawl, but between the two they made quite the profit and he can’t be mad about that. “That was… Very impressive.”

Corso chuckles as he collects his winnings and steps to his captain’s side, handing her a fresh drink. “Impressive? The captain just cleaned your chrono, Darmas.”

Darmas stands and gestures back to his lounges as the crowd disperses, sensing the show was over. “Hmm, I’d say you’ve played this game before.” He settles back into his couch as Leikael sits in hers.

She grins over at him, almost as predatory as her earlier smirk had been, but with additional smugness. “I never said I was a beginner.”

Darmas acknowledges that with a soft incline of his head. “Then I am a victim of my assumptions. Well played, my friend.” He leans back. “Some lunch? We should be hearing from my network any moment now.”

Leikael shrugs and tilts her head for Corso to join her on the couch. “I’d like that Darmas.” They’d be on the road again soon enough.

[shabre-legacy]

When Leikael and Corso get married, they get married first there on the bridge of the Siren under Leikael's authority as the Captain of a ship.

But Leikael loves all her family and Corso has Jettison and a few friends so they decide to have a 'second wedding' mostly a big fancy party with traditions from both their people to allow their friends and family to celebrate with them.

#the only question is #do they have it on Ord mantell #or port nowhere #or somewhere else entirely #potential for shenanigans on ord #or random violence elsewhere

[shabre-legacy]

Corso’s first Flare run

The pounding of feet echoed through the Siren as leikael raced through the hall and slid into the galley. Bowdarr and Corso were there playing cards and eating something. She didn’t bother to pay attention to what. It hadn’t been more than a few weeks since Bowdarr had joined the crew and she still didn’t feel great about taking him into potential combat. He was still underweight, she knew that from the frequent meddroid scans she made him get. She kept telling him once she was sure he’d recovered fully, they’d only happen if he got seriously hurt, and she meant it. But Drooga wasn’t kind and she could see that he still carried some of the physical damage that the poisons and starvation had caused. He wasn’t at his full strength yet, but for this, it didn’t matter. There wasn’t time to wait for him to get better, they’d just have to hope that they were able to handle whatever was coming. They wouldn’t be alone though. At least she didn’t think so. “Hey boys, gear up and hit the bridge. We got us a Flare run and it sounds like it’s gonna be a rough one. Move it!” She didn’t wait for a reply before grabbing her own gear and heading up to the bridge just as they prepared to drop out of hyperspace. 

As she reached the bridge, she was pleased to see that both of them were there, even if Corso was still buckling the last pieces of his heavy armor. She stepped close and swatted his hands away as she did the buckles herself. She had enough practice helping her father and some of the other members of the old crew. “So, not to sound too ignorant of the galaxy, but what exactly is a Flare run. Like to know what we’re running into.” 

She grins and is about to answer when Bowdarr rumbles. They’d had a conversation his first night on the ship. She’d told him her own history and they bonded over terrible memories. Though their exact paths and timelines had differed, they’d found some overlap and it set a good place to begin. 

She turned that grin to him “Karking right it’s a Solar Flare run!” she answered “got a call just before I jumped us. We’ll be hitting an imp ship, 2 pirate crews should already be taking it by the time we arrive.”

“Solar Flare? From the context, I’m assuming you’re not referring to actual solar flares.”

The ship dropped out of hyperspace and Leikael slid into the pilots seat. “Corso, you did that whole mercenary soldier thing, still remember communications and procedure approaching a space battle?”

The tone in his voice, he sounded almost insulted, “Of course” 

“Good, You’re on comms.” 

Corso slid into the comms chair as Bowdarr took the guns, they didn’t need them. The pirates they were helping had already taken down the ships defenses and were starting to board. They approached and Leikael slid the ship smoothly into one of the hangers. Her boys barely a step behind as they ran to the door and she stopped them, raising her hand, she opened one of the hidden hides and pulled out three small flareguns and extra flare packs and handed them to Corso and Bowdarr. 

“Alright, I’m assuming that neither of you have been on one of these before, so these fire a green short range flare. The crews have their own colors. Watch for the flares and fire your own whenever you go around a corner. It lets us know who we are when we don’t share a uniform or know everyone involved. Friendly fire is expected, but we try to avoid it. Shoot imps, not pirates and stay close.” 

“Ya gonna bother tellin’ us what’s goin’ on yet.”

Leikael laughs as she loads them up with the short flares and rushes them out of the ship. “Risha, anybody I send up gets tucked into the cargo hold for now, and be ready to go on my cue.” She calls out as she hits the door controls for the ship and answering Corso. “If you haven’t figured it out, by the time we get back, I’ll explain it pretty boy.” She fires off a green flare over the heads of the slavers, followed quickly by several shots as she comes out shooting. The three hit the ship and head in running, Leikael laughs as she gives Flashy a twirl and fires off several more quick shots, clearing the way deeper into the ship and sending a flare ahead as they turn the corner. 

They move in an erratic pattern across the ship. Not seeking control of it, but the systematic death or surrender of every crew member, hired gun and imperial overseer in the place. As they move, Leikael makes calls and despite Corso and to a lesser extent Bowdarr’s confusion, they follow without question. She long since earned the trust of the two men and their loyalty. Occasionally another flare flies in front of them, and if there’s time Leikael answers with a flare from their group.  Pirates run past them on the tail of those flares and if it weren’t for Leikael’s timely orders, they probably would have fired on the angry crews charging in their direction, weapons drawn. The ship is chaos and the crew doesn’t stand a chance. Before long, they hear an announcement over the ship’s system that the ship is under control of the pirates. It’s followed up by an announcement to begin searching and that the transport is aboard. 

Corso frowns as soon as the Siren is mentioned. “Captain, should we retreat to protect the ship.”

Leikael laughs, “nope, no need. We just gotta make sure that we search this section find any spaces where the crew is hiding slaves.”

“Captain?”

“I’ll explain later. This ship isn’t safe enough for that.” 

Leikael blasts open a door and softens immediately. “Bowdarr, I’ll let you lead here buddy.” She steps aside as Corso and Bowdarr look in to see a cage with three young wookiees crammed inside. Bowdarr makes a quiet sound of distress before rushing forward and ripping the cage open, his greater strength making it easy for him.

The baby wookies rush to him as soon as he starts speaking to them and he keeps them close. 

“It’s ok, Bowie, take them back to the ship. Me and Corso will finish searching the ship and meet you back there.” 

She turns and leads Corso back through the ship. “This is a slavers ship. We’re transporting the captured slaves to a location where they’ll be safe and get help to restart their lives. Get back to family and home, or start over new. Depends on what they need.” 

Corso nods and keeps his blaster up. It’s a much better idea than he was afraid of and he’s glad to help with this. 

It takes a while for the various crews to communicate and verify that the ship had been searched entirely. It seems like a low count for this trip, only ten had been found, they had probably just made a sale and the pirates seemed determined to bring everything together and find where that had been, but they would call another transport when they did. For now, Leikael has her job and leads Corso back to her ship, she sends him to the bridge while she goes and talks to the rescued people and explains what was going on. Eventually, she drags herself back to the bridge and collapses into her chair as Corso swings around to face her. 

“So…Solar Flare?”

Leikael leans back and kicks her feet up. “Loose association of pirates, smugglers and paper pushers who don’t like the slave trade. There’s only so much that can legally be done and most of us, the pirates and smugglers anyways, are already outside the law. So we take down the ships, we kill the crews, we take the slaves, make sure they know they’re free and help them to safe houses and refugee camps where we have people who can help them. It’s not a perfect system. But it helps. For this run, there’s a camp on one of the few parts of Kyshyyyk that’s relatively safe and close to the ground. It’s only transitional, most everyone will stay there a night or two before a ship arrives to take them somewhere better and with more ability to help them get their lives back. But the baby wookiees will go back to their families right away.”

She smiles at the thought, usually things were so messed up, that she didn’t get to see the families brought back together. This was a rare treat. 

“Doing good work then. I can deal with that. Something worth fighting for.” Corso nods to himself. A good reason to lift his blaster, something more than just because the Captain said so, though that’s a good enough reason itself. “Wish you had told me sooner, but thanks for taking me along.”

“Anytime pretty boy. That aim of yours is great to have around when blasters are everywhere.” 

She looks away from his kind, but intense look quickly, a faint spot of pink appearing on her green cheeks. 

Corso grins at her comment. It’s not much, but he’ll take it. “Let’s get these people to Kashyyyk then, so they can start enjoying their freedom and the small wookiees can get back where they belong.”

Leikael nods, “Hit it, pretty boy.”

Corso laughs as he punches the coordinates into the navicomputer from the copilot's chair and sends the ship into hyperspace, away from the remains of the larger ship and towards the green planet.

[shabre-legacy]

Fluffy prompts one-shot

@jbnonsense, I’m so sorry this one took so long, I wrote most of it, then lost the notebook. But it’s finally done. I hope you like it. As requested Fluffy prompts #2 “Are you jealous?” “No…maybe.” for Leikael and Corso

     Leikael sighed as she entered the cantina. Usually she loved places like this, but usually they were a bit more beat-up and smoke-filled, with Sabbac tables and occasional gunfire and plenty of shady deals. Places like this where fancy cocktails were served in fancy glasses, suits and dresses were a must and no weapons were allowed; these types of places were strange to her. She could barely tell Bowdarr was still a step behind her due to the crowd around the lower bar. The long skirt swished around her ankles as she made her way across the floor to the more exclusive, less crowded and unfortunately even fancier part of the cantina where live music was playing and the night’s job was taking place. 

     Bowdarr stayed right behind her as they made their way over to the bar and ordered a round of drinks; playing his role as her bodyguard perfectly. They both knew she didn’t actually need one. The thigh holster and the vibroblade along her back made sure of that, but tonight they had to maintain their covers. Hers was a wealthy socialite, living off daddy’s money, therefore she’d obviously have a bodyguard for a night out in lower Coruscant.   

     She took a sip of her cocktail, too sweet, too weak, too fancy for her tastes; and scanned the room for her crew.  Akaavi was right where she expected her to be, sitting at a table off to the side, nursing a drink of something dark (and strong if Leikael knew her tastes.) The unmistakable gleam of her Mandalorian armor keeping the area immediately around her clear.

     Risha was out on the dance floor nearby, twirling around in her soft, shimmery silvery gown. She looked far more at ease in a dress then Leikael felt. Akaavi caught her eye, tipping her glass slightly in Kael’s direction before returning her gaze to Risha. A silent signal that she was still in her role and was keeping an eye on her. They both watched the other woman twirl around with her partner, stepping smoothly in her 4 inch heels. Honestly, Leikael wasn’t sure how she did it. Risha was a spacer, a freighter bum, a ship rat, just like her. They both preferred blasters on their belts, sturdy boots on their feet and engine grease on their hands to this fancy shit. Risha understood how it worked though, and usually made sure they looked right for these sorts of jobs, and she somehow managed to move smoothly and handle the dress and the makeup and make it all look effortless; while Leikael ended up looking more like a bumbling Bantha.

     She quickly scanned the rest of the upper level for the last member of her crew. Corso was also following their plan and was right where he was supposed to be; in the middle of the dance floor. Tonight’s target, the pretty blonde currently twirling around and giggling in his arms. 

     It had taken a lot of effort to persuade Corso to be the frontman on this one. They’d had a buyer lined up for some valuable and expensive merchandise. The kind that wasn’t illegal, but was highly taxed, a pain to get legally and the Exchange wanted a monopoly on the black market. Unfortunately, the pressure from the Exchange and Black Sun had sent the seller underground and the only one who knew where was his daughter; the girl Corso was dancing with. 

     Corso had been reluctant to be the face of a con that required seducing the sellers daughter, so that she’d hand over the location she’d so far been unwilling to share. Even when both Kael and Risha explained that all he’d be doing is spending a few hours drinking and dancing with a pretty girl, he still didn’t like it. Felt wrong to mess with a lady’s heart like that, he’d said. Also he was courting Leikael, that was serious to him, didn’t matter that Kael knew and was ok with it, such behavior, for any reason, felt wrong. Akaavi seemed to agree with him. Risha had found that odd, but Kael wasn’t surprised. Mandalorians took things like courting and relationships real serious. Though a large part of that was probably due to their focus on raising kids. What had Cradu called it again? ‘The Mandalorian parent instinct?’ whatever it was, it was probably the most downright adorable thing about them. 

     It had taken half an hour of discussion, failed bribes and more than one promise from her that if he was really that uncomfortable with the plan, they’d try and find another way of finding their seller, before Corso agreed. Risha had immediately dragged him out to get suited up for his cover. 

      From what they could tell, their target liked rich, handsome and dumb men that she could manipulate. They could make Corso look rich, that was easy. He already looked so damn good that sometimes Kael just had to stare for a few minutes. And he could play dumb. He was smart, very smart and he learned quick, but he didn’t have much of a formal education. While he was ok with that, he knew how others sometimes looked at him. So he was often content to play the part of the dumb farmboy and let others underestimate him until he was ready to change that perception. And he could be so charming when he wanted to be. He could handle this job. 

      He could handle it, but Leikael suddenly wasn’t sure if she could. A strong desire to go out and grab their target by her hair and throw her across the room had jumped into her mind. 

      As she stood at the bar, false smile plastered on, sipping at yet another weak cocktail (she really needed to get something stronger), yet another one of the men wandering around the room made his way over and asked her to dance. 

      Even the effort to form a polite, in-character rejection felt irritating. She loved dancing, adored it. It had been the part of this job she’d been looking forward to most. She may have to wear a stupid dress with a useless skirt and pretend to be just another vapid waste of a socialite and wear these awful, awful heels and only one vibroblade and a single holdout blaster, but at least she’d get to dance. Now though, watching Corso just owning the dance floor with that insipid blonde viper, she wasn’t in any mood to dance. 

      ‘It’s just a job’, she muttered silently to herself, turning back to the bar and getting herself a shot of whiskey, needing something stronger with some bite. “It’s just a job, no need to be making it personal.’ The woman didn’t know Corso had someone else in his life. Siths hells, she didn’t even know his real name. As far as she was concerned, Corso was the son of some fancypants Kriffar merchant on Coruscant to strike some deals with some senators. She didn’t know who he really was. It was a role, a job, something she’d asked him to do, so there wasn’t a reason for her to be getting this upset. 

      But she still couldn’t help the stab in her heart as she watched him dance. She’d never had the chance to see him like this. Risha had told her he was good, but usually when they were at a cantina with room to dance, they were working, or it was a dangerous area, both scenarios meaning Corso was wearing that heavy armor he always worse, or they were exhausted, in which case they didn’t move from their table. She’d missed out. She simply watched as he confidently led the girl across the floor in a complex series of steps. His muscles flexed as he spun her around, his whole body moving in time with the music, hips swaying with the beat. He looked almost at home out there. She’d always admired, not only how strong he was, but how well he knew how to use his strength, usually in combat, but also just around the ship. 

       She wanted to slam him up against a wall, show him how much she liked the sight of his dancing, she wanted the target away from him, she… She wanted to be the one he was dancing with. To have him hold her, and spin her around, she wanted to be the one feeling all those hard-earned muscles flex under her hands as he dipped her or pulled her in close. She wanted all his attention focused on her. 

       As she silently watched as casually as she could, the song came to an end and the band started up with a faster one. Corso leaned down and said something to the girl before placing his hand on her back and walking together over to the bar. They stood there, drinks in hand, talking for a few minutes. Then she saw Corso lean over and say something as he signaled that he got what they needed. Akaavi pushed a button on her gauntlet and just as planned and programmed, the target pulled out her commpad and looked at it for a moment before leaning in to flirt with Corso for another moment. Leikael couldn’t stand watching another moment. She turned and ordered another drink. The job was done, she could now get drunk and forget the whole night. The bartender looked at her like she was crazy when she ordered a Starshine Surprise, but didn’t argue. They probably weren’t common here, but she needed the punch.  

      She didn’t see the woman walk out of the club, or Corso walk over to her. She didn’t notice until Corso leaned on the bar next to her and placed his hand on hers as she grabbed for her drink. 

       “I think that went well, got what we needed, and faster then planned too.” 

       She didn’t even look at him. “Yep.” 

       He squeezed her hand as she used the other to take a swig of her drink. “Is everything ok? You’re usually happy when a job goes right. Did something happen?” 

      She sighed, how like him to be concerned when she was in a mood. “Nope. Everything is just fine.”

      Kael stared at the cup in her hand, wondering if she could make it catch fire if she stared hard enough, until Corso gently reached over and turned her face to his. He studied her for a minute before he almost smiled. “Are you.. Are you actually jealous?” He asked just a hint of laughter in his tone. 

       “No. Of course not.” She snapped back as she yanked her head away and returned her stare to her cup. Corso just leaned on the bar more and watched her for a moment. Finally, she sighed and forced out a grumbled “Maybe” just loud enough for him to hear. That made Corso start laughing, that stupid grin across his face. It only lasted a moment, but it made the heat in her cheeks rise. Jealousy wasn’t a familiar emotion to her. She didn’t know why she’d gotten so jealous over Corso working a job, and she didn’t like it at all. And she also didn’t like the fact that Corso somehow found it funny. 

      The band had gotten through several more songs by this point, and were striking up another good dancing song as Corso’s laughter eased off and he looked at Kael for a moment before holding out a hand where she would see it. “Dance with me?”

      She glanced up, “what?” 

      “Dance with me. I know for a fact I haven’t had the chance to take you dancin’ yet, and we’re already here” He smiled that stupid grin with those soft eyes that always made her melt.

       She sighed, downed the rest of her drink and took his hand. He led her out to the floor and pulled her close to him, keeping the steps simple and sweet. After a few moments, he leaned down enough to speak almost directly in her ear, making sure she could hear him. “You know I’ve only got eyes for you, darlin’. Doesn’t matter what we gotta do for work. You’re the one I’m courting. Nobody else could ever get my attention. I’m yours, long as you’ll have me.” She looked at him and smiled softly, she understood, she finally got how he must feel every time she flirted with someone to make the job easier. They’d do what they needed to, but she had his heart, and he had hers. They were ok. 

      She stretched up and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek as the band changed songs again. This one was faster, heavier, a bit more sensuous. She only had a moment as Corso grinned down at her and pulled her even closer as they fell into the dance. The rest of the crew slipped out of the cantina, leaving the two of them out on the floor, sorting everything out and enjoying the rest of the night.

#swtor #prompts #my writing #my ocs #leikael/corso #jbnonsense #otp: starmates

[shabre-legacy]

The first time Leikael and Corso met, she was a few days past 6 and he was 5. The Shabre’s had traveled a few villages over for a big market festival they were having. Nezva had a booth there where she repaired what equipment was brought in from local farms and made new connections while her children darted among the market stalls and animal pens and played with children from all the surrounding villages. the Riggs family came into town for the Ronto auctions. The parents were there to buy and sell. The kids got to play when they weren’t learning the ropes or helping out with moving Rontos. Along the way, Leikael and Corso ran into each other. Corso was a little shy, Leikael was loud, and her sisters and their new friends were loud and he wasn’t used to this kind of crowds. But leikael looks at him for a few minutes before she grabs his hand and drags him along into their games. They were inseparable after that. 

The children played and had a good time, complaining, but going along when their parents took them home or to their rooms for the three days of the festival. The last day though, that went a little different. As things started shutting down, Nezva and the Riggs started gathering their children to go their separate ways. Mama Riggs made the mistake of mentioning the festival was over and everyone had to go back home. At which little Kael and Cor grabbed each other and Kael started screaming the minute any parent tried to separate them. Eventually, with promises of future visits and holocalls, they were able to get the kids apart and ready to leave, or so they thought. The parents turned their backs for only a moment and that was all it took. Cor grabbed Kaels hand and they took off running. It was only a couple seconds but by the time Nezva glanced back from rounding up Nat and Nya, they’re gone. 

Within minutes most of the market is searching for them. Two missing kids is a big deal. But they have no luck, the search continues into the night and until the next day. The parents are worried sick, the siblings can’t stop crying because their sister/brother is lost and they’re scared. Cor and Kael though, they’re fine. There is still a few hours left until sunset and Cor knows the area. They run out of the village to a little meadow nearby where they play in a creek and fill their arms with flowers. Kael makes a big flower crown that she plops on Cor’s head with the biggest grin. Cor doesn’t know how to make flower crowns as good as Kael’s so he just sticks lots and lots of flowers in her braids. They aren’t aware of how much they are scaring everyone. They’re just little and don’t want to be separated yet and are having fun. Eventually it starts to get dark and Kael starts to get scared, but they don’t want to go back, Mama will make them go home and they won’t get to see each other anymore. So they don’t.

Instead the two of them find an old crumbling building on the edge of the village and in the last light, Kael helps Cor build a nest full of soft grasses and flowers and pretty rocks on broken boards that passed as shelves. Kael snatched a few pastries that were abandoned in the middle of loading as the baker joined the search for her. By this point the search had moved out of the village and into the surrounding area. The little ones ate and giggled as they curled together in their little fort, being mischievous brats who had no idea how scared the adults and their siblings had become. They were found early in the Morning just after dawn. Tyrenic got their first, still holding the new holocam that his sisters had gotten him for his birthday in a few days. The two of them were still curled together, just blinking awake, Cor still wearing his flower crown and Kael still had flowers all over her head stuck in her braids. Nic was very relieved to see them ok, and as his mom and the Riggs rushed over, he snapped a quick holopic of the two of them. Their parents were very upset and after reassuring themselves their babies were ok, they dragged them away, promising punishments for running off. They intended to let them meet again though they refused to tell the kids that after their stunt. That never happened though. And eventually the day faded from both their memories. 

#lyra rambles #character details #leikael shabre #corso riggs #idk what i'm doing

[shabre-legacy]

After finding out about Riqr and that Nezva is still alive, leikael goes through a rough patch. She wants to connect with them. To have that normal family, to pretend that everything that happened to her, to their family never happened, that they, that she could have a simple life without the shitshow, without the nightmares, or being stuck between the two sides of the war. A life where her siblings were together and didn’t have to go out and get themselves killled. But at the same time, she can’t connect with Riqr, can’t bring herself to really even try, and Nezva didn’t seem to remember her or at least doesn’t  want to, and she has her fathers and the crew of the Lady Luck, and her crew and they’re her family and she doesn’t want to lose them. And she can’t seem to find a way to get both. Eventually, she’s able to figure things out and find her place again. There’s never quite the close connection Riqr had hoped for, but it was enough for Leikael.

[shabre-legacy]

💕 for tyrenic

I appreciate how much you love my sweet boy. He deserves all the love

💞 What do their respective families think of their relationship?

Nyaisa approves of his relationship with Theron. She sees him as slightly unconventional, but someone who will understand Tyrenic's responsibilities to the Order and to the Republic. Someone that she can trust to watch his back.

When it comes to Savri, she's more hesitant. Savri has proven himself on the battlefield and shown himself loyal to his friends and those he considers family. And she's come to be a bit accepting of the Mandalorians considering that she fights with them frequently and Natamai is one. But she's still worried that Tyrenic and Theron bringing him into their relationship will mess it up and cause problems and she just wants her brother to be happy.

Leikael is very suspicious of Theron's interest in her brother. She can't read if he's genuinely interested or if he wants something from Tyrenic. She's worried about her brother. Once she meets Tyrenic again and realizes that he never moved on from her brother, she warms up to him and encourages Tyrenic to pursue a seriously relationship

Leikael knows Savri a lot better then she knew Theron, so when Tyrenic mentions that him and Theron are considering starting a relationship with Savri, she's accepting of it. She is concerned because Savri was with Mako and Mandos take their marriages seriously. But after she discusses it with him and makes sure that everything is ok there. She supports the relationship and occasionally helps cover for them so Savri can drag the others away from work.

Natamai is much more supportive of Tyrenics relationship with Savri then with Theron. She isn't as close to Tyrenic as her sisters are. Like she'll help him when he needs it as long as it isn't against her people, and they get closer during their time at the alliance, but she doesn't like spies. Theron has to go a long way to prove to her that he's reliable before she trusts him as her brothers partner. She has no problems with him as a friend or with information for her missions, but when it comes to her family's personal life, she doesn't trust spies, thinks they're shady and untrustworthy. Once he does prove himself, she accepts him as part of the family. Though it takes her a long time to forgive him for his stunt running off like he does and encourages Tyrenic to break up with him and also threatens to kill him herself for hurting Renic and Savri.

When she finds out that Tyrenic and Theron are starting a relationship with Savri. She's very happy for them. She'd been supporting Savri and helping him work through losing Mako and the changes that happen to him as a person during the years. She likes seeing both her brothers happy. It's not weird to her due to the differences in family between her and Tyrenic. She's just glad that they have someone to watch their backs on the battlefield and someone steady to help them rebuild their lives. She wants them happy.

His mother is deteriorating a lot by the time Tyrenic actually gets into a serious relationship and because of the war, he isn't able to travel to introduce her to Theron or to Savri in person. But she seems happy for him over the holo.

His father is told he doesn't really get to have an opinion. That despite rebuilding his relationship with Tyrenic and Nyaisa and getting on speaking terms with Leikael, that his disapproval would mean nothing. Riqr didn't disapprove of either relationship. In fact, when Tyrenic told him that he was with Savri as well, Riqr just laughed and said that this was becoming a habit of the Jedi in their family. He did encourage Tyrenic to do things properly, to not hide and make sure to get permission from Satele and the rest of the council so that he didn't repeat the mistakes Riqr made.

[shabre-legacy]

for OC interaction: How do your OCs feel about Rin and Tesni?

So Nyaisa would insist on getting along with them, purely because they all love their versions of Aric. 

If she ever found out that Rin escaped from slavery in the Empire, she would insist on attempting to adopt her as a sister. 

Leikael and Natamai would both relate to Rin on that same note. Leikael would probably not want to be friends because of the legal thing, but she would probably still help out if called, provided that she was given enough assurance that Rin was not going to attempt to arrest her or search her ship. Natamai would probably not like her for the sole reason of being an Ordo and not being with her clan. She is kind of overly proud about being a Mando and tries to overcompensate a bit at times. 

Tesni, Tama and Leikael would all be members of the Clothes suck, let’s wear as few as possible club. However, Her and Tama would probably fight. Tama is pretty dismissive and a bit cold/aggressive to anyone who isn’t family/crew/Corso. However, if they ended up arrested together, Tesni may or may not get a friend in the realms of underworld royalty or a rival for the criminal throne. Ikhirr would probably get along with her really well especially when she gets together with Aric. He considers the other Cathar one of his closest friends and a brother and would care deeply for anyone who made him happy. He would also try to pull her into a big cuddlepile for naps when he’s around and off-duty. Those who are around him often get used to it. 

Tisna would attempt to bond over name similarities and then try to use her to find out from Aric where the Republic is looking for her so she can avoid those areas. She has a toddler to look out for. She might offer to take out some of Tesni’s rival/enemies/irritants if she offers Aric for babysitting occasionally. (she wants the sniping skills for Acasha. Whether Aric agrees to do so, that’s a different story.

[shabre-legacy]

🍺how many 4th graders do you think you could fight before you are overwhelmed

Leikael has finished her drinks, ordered a few more shots of whiskey and is debating between a breathe of heaven and a starshine surprise. Risha and COrso have both ordered her waters and are trying to get her todrink them. Bowdarr and Akaavi are relaxing with their drinks. Risha is about to give up and let Leikael suffer the consequences of drinking too much on her own. 

15, i could fight 15, unless I get to shoot the fourth graders then I can take a lot more.

*listens to Risha for a moment* 

Risha says I could take 5. Risha is mean and pretty. I could take more then 5. They’re babies. It’s easy to fight babies. *pouts*

[shabre-legacy]

🍺what if we thought with our tongues and talked with our minds

Leikael has finally been persuaded by many kisses to drink both her waters.

Don’t Jedi do that already?

[shabre-legacy]

For the recent ask game - 🥊, 💥, and 🔮 for Leikael? ~@dragonheart-swtor

🥊 Does your OC prefer to take the lead or follow orders? With everyone or just with certain people? Is there a reason for this?

Leikael doesn’t take orders well. Due to a combination of her past and her personality, she’s really bad at it. She’ll usually either deliberately disobey the order or attempt to kill/fight the person who tried to order her around. The exception to this are if it’s her dads, if you’re paying her and she’s accepted the job, or very very occasionally with Corso under specific circumstances ;) Even then, she’ll usually mouth off the entire time and be a bit of a sarcastic annoyance/bitch/brat depending on the situation and viewpoint 

💥 Are there any emotions your OC doesn’t know how to deal with, doesn’t understand or hates having to feel? Any reason behind this?

Fear is probably the worst. She hates it, it makes her feel helpless and reminds her of her worst experiences. She’s usually so fearless and can tackle or handle most things she faces so fear is something she is used to in her past but not used to in her present and it’s an emotion she loathes. 

🔮What does your OC think is their best trait. What is actually their best trait? What about their flaws? Are they one to admit these flaws or do they like to pretend they’re perfect?

her appearance and her wit.

her willingness and desire to help, her care for others

she’s stubborn and greedy and occasionally vindictive.  

She’ll openly admit to both. In fact she plays up her greed a lot more then it is

[shabre-legacy]

Chase to the Capitol -Stolen Home chapter 8

The last part of the trip to Coruscant passed quietly. Everyone was rather differential and even the crew and security didn’t really bother her. All her drinks were free, and her and Corso found that they got invited to games of Sabbac and whatever else was being played, or to go dancing or whatever anytime they appeared. She’d even gotten a message from some senator thanking her for saving the ambassador who’d put them in that situation to begin with. 

The passengers were nervous around them though. Corso brought it up when they once again took their drinks back to the room. Too many men approaching her ‘to dance’ practically drooling on the floor because they never stepped outside their tiny little circles and thought the criminal hero would be easy. Too many women approaching Corso. They made him uncomfortable, the man just wasn’t used to the attention and the socialites weren’t used to having a man who knew how to use his strength. The poor girls were both scared of them and very interested and that combination led to uncomfortable situations and overly pushy behavior. Between the two groups, both of them just wanted away from the situation. 

The ‘guests’ were grateful for being saved, and trying to show that, but her and Corso, they scared the passengers. They’d done what trained soldiers hadn’t been able to do, somehow word had gotten out that she’d killed that damn Sith, and without the uniform to suggest some kind of rule that she was bound to, her success made her a bit scary to the pampered socialites on this ship. They didn’t know her, they didn’t know what she wanted and they didn’t know exactly what she was planning or what she was really capable of and it frightened them. Noch’h ria nus’a, as Nuri would have said; amazement and interest and fear and curiosity, it was so very obnoxious. 

Finally though, they made it to the Coruscant spaceport and everyone went their own ways. At last, she could breathe without someone looking over her shoulder, or at least she’d be able to once she got through customs. Unfortunately, an T series security droid approached as soon as they stepped into the arrivals terminal. She stepped over to the customs terminal, hoping the droid wouldn’t notice. A few ill-planned smuggling runs had landed her on certain watch lists with the Republic and that meant every spaceport she entered under her own name ended up with a delay as she was searched and interrogated and there was never enough time to put up with that shit. Lucky for her, or unlucky for customs, she had a cover. 

She glanced at Corso as the droid rolled up and greeted her. Like a team that had been together longer than they had, he smoothly moved between her and the droid and started chatting with the it. She used the moment to slice the terminal. The droid accepted the input from the terminal and wandered off. As they moved towards the elevators, Corso leaned down and quietly whispered, with a hint of a laugh, “Admiral Numinn? Interesting choice.” 

She giggled and gently elbowed him, “nobody messes with an admiral, plus ya know, circumstance. Long story, better not told here.” Giggling, seriously, how long had it been since she’d done that. This was really getting out of hand, the sooner she could get him his blaster and drop him off again the better. Plus Tika would hate having another person aboard, perfect excuse. 

He smiled down at her, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Point taken.” They reached the elevator and caught sight of the scenery out the massive viewports. “Everything in Coruscant is huge. You see those city towers as we flew in? How many people you figure live in those? Millions?” 

Sometimes, she could forget how much of a farmboy he was, the mercenary took center stage. Other times, it was so damn obvious. It was a bit sad though, the state of Coruscant, almost ten years and some things still hadn’t been rebuilt. “Looks like some of those city towers are still short a few levels, thought they’d have fixed that since I was last here.” 

“You been here before, Captain?”

 again with the Captain. He wasn’t gonna stop anytime soon, kinda liked it though.  She shook her head, “another time” 

He shrugged and moved on, he seemed good at that, another question Leikael had about him. “...Even knocked the Jedi Temple off its pedestal.” 

And there it was, the comment always made about Coruscant and the war. “I know, my brother died there.”

That got a real pause from him. “That’s… That’s rough. I’m sorry for bringing it up Captain.” 

Taking a moment to breathe, she quickly waved him off. “I hadn’t seen him in like 7 years anyway. Let’s talk about something else like that banthashit who took my ship and my fracking Cat.”

Corso stared for a moment, “alright Captain, if you say so.” He took a breath, and she could see him shrugging aside the memories of his own loss. Her ability to read people had saved her life a few times, but now it was just obnoxious. “Wanna find Skavak before we’re too old to shoot straight? We’re gonna need local help.”

Help? She’d gotten help and it hadn’t worked. “We’ll just rattle some skulls until Skavak falls out.” Scumbag like that, he’d leave a big ass trail through the underworld. And that was a population she could work with, mostly, well, sometimes. 

“I know a faster way.” That sigh was one of resignation. Almost like his idea exhausted him. “There’s a gambler named Darmas Pollaran who keeps tabs on everything worth knowing about Coruscant. Friend of Viidu’s, good man. You’ll like him.”

Information broker. She’d worked with a few, not a bad resource if you could afford it. “Worth a visit, I guess. Where do I find this Darmas?” Let Corso run off and do whatever, she had no expectations of men anymore. 

“Well, Viidu always said if you look for a Sabbac table surrounded by beautiful women, you’ll find Darmas. But I can narrow that down. I still have Viidu’s holofrequency contacts. Give me a minute…” He pulled out a comm and started tapping at it. 

“Viidu had you keep his contacts?” 

He shrugged, “head of security and bodyguard. Traveled with the old man pretty much everywhere, had to keep the secure frequencies list in case his comm went down. Part of the job.” 

He held up the comm between them and it flickered to life, showing a slim middle aged man.  “Corso, is that you? It’s been too long, you rascal.” His tone implied familiarity, must have had more than a few conversations in the past. 

“A friend and I are on Coruscant and in a real bind. Is there a place we could meet you?”

This Darmas had one of those smooth voices, a slow soft drawl that made it sound like he was trying to charm everyone who could hear him. “Of course, come to my private cantina booth.” something about the game he was playing. Kael was really only half paying attention, she was mostly watching the customs agents standing aways off. She slipped closer to Corso, into the view of the Comm, hoping to look as though they were simply arranging a pickup. “Hope you don’t mind the occasional blaster fire; the cantina’s in a rowdy part of Coruscant.” 

“Sounds like my kind of place.” She could see the moment he saw her. If the holo were more detailed, he’d probably be glancing between her and Corso trying to figure them out. She’d keep him on his toes until she knew more about him. Or at least she’d try to. 

“I hope that’s only the first of many affinities we share.” Of course he was a flirt. She’d expected as much, but he was smooth. Could be fun. 

Corso interrupted before she could respond. “Keep your comm link open. I’ve got some bad news about Viidu.” He tucked the comm away and turned to look down at her. “I’ll bring Darmas up to speed while we travel. He’ll have the cantina coordinates sent by the time we find a Taxi, or shuttle rental or whatever they got for transport here.”

The customs agents were talking to that damn droid and looking at her. “Keep an eye out for that scum-sucker that stole my ship.” She quickly pulled Corso into the elevator and sent it to the main floor. She glanced over as it dropped a few levels and spoke low and careful. “Customs sniffing around, follow my lead.” She didn’t miss the slight shiver when she spoke. 

“You got it, Captain.” she didn’t even have a ship and he still called her captain. It was quickly becoming something she could get very used to.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Leikael leaned into him a bit, threading her arm through his. It was fine. She’d shared a bed with the man and he hadn’t done anything. It was fine and she could handle this. She kept her pace to  a mid speed saunter and started chattering about all the random facts about Coruscant. Trying to appear like a couple of tourists here for a holiday. Each customs agent, each soldier, each guard who passed by without stopping her was one closer to the entrance and making a clean getaway. 

As they finally reached the front of the spaceport and stepped out into the artificial sunlight of Corsucant, Corso stopped, just staring. Up ahead, the galactic senate building loomed tall over everything. All around them, filling in the horizon were hundreds of towers. It was an impressive sight, especially so on your first visit. Leikael grinned and dropped his arm, walking forward a bit. She let a bit of a skip into her step as she moved several steps in front of him. Spinning dramatically, she lifted her arms creating a frame for the view behind her. “Welcome to Coruscant, farmboy. The heart of the republic where half your dreams might come true.”  She spun around and made her way across the walkway towards the building in the middle, still a bit more bounce in her pace than normal. If her memory was correct, there was a public taxi running out of there. They were finally on track to catch the bastard. Now all she had to do was keep enough momentum and Skavak’s head would be hers.

#swtor #fanfiction #my writing #stolen home #leikael shabre #corso riggs #my ocs

[shabre-legacy]

Looking Back

Tyrenic stepped away from the SIS agent and stared out at the Mantellian skyline. He hadn’t been here in so  long. The memories were crashing against the feelings of the planet. The pain, and fear and hate and suffering that were part of the landscape for any Jedi in a war zone was everywhere. It hadn’t always been this way. That was part of what made it so painful, he could remember when this planet had felt warm and safe. When he couldn’t sense everything the people suffered here. 

Shelerik and T7 were next to him, Shelerik had been waiting when he’d returned from the imperial stronghold. The agent said he’d been waiting there for awhile, led a few rattled soldiers through a meditation and sent them to their missions calmed and focused. Hopefully, it would help them. 

He felt a strong hand land on his shoulder as he stared, lost in his memories. He needed to do this. It had haunted him for too long and Force knows how long it would be until he could make it back to the planet. He heard T7 chirp next to him. The droid had become a trusted member of his team, maybe even a friend.  “Head back to the ship, get Kira and prepare to head out. I’m sure the general has more that we need to accomplish urgently. I have some things to take care of, I’ll be there soon.” 

T7 let out a quick and quiet stream of binary. “Jedi sure? Jedi - T7=safe?”

 Nic looked down at him. “I’m sure T7. I’ll be fine, I just have some personal business to take care of.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shelerik kneel down and place a hand on T7 “Please go on ahead. Find Kira. I need to talk to Knight Shabre for a moment. I’ll be along soon. Wait at the ship please.” Shelerik smoothly rose to his feet as the astromech chirped his agreement and rolled away toward the spaceport. Nic was always impressed by how easily Shel could move his bulk. He was tall and broad and seemed like he shouldn’t be able to move with the grace he did and it was always interesting to see how he interacted with much smaller beings like T7 or like Kira.

 He hadn’t missed the way Shelerik seemed to look a bit longer than necessary or spend a bit more time than he might normally talking to her. He was careful though, they were Jedi and though there were few years between them in age, Shelerik was a Knight and Kira still a padawan. Shel seemed aware of that and was keeping a proper distance, though a little chat between them couldn’t hurt.

 It was also interesting how around T7 and Kira and others, they were still so formal. often referring to each other as Knight Shabre or Knight Coro, occasionally shifting to Knight Tyrenic and Knight Shelerik instead. It helped to differentiate between on duty and off duty time. Not that there was much of an off duty time. You were always a Jedi, whether actively engaged in the duties and business of the order or not. And, ok, maybe they were still kind of proud of finally passing their trials.

Another set of fighters streaking across the sky drew his attention back to the present. 

“You’re going back there, aren’t you?” Shel had stepped next to him barely noticed and spoken in Mirialan. It was a bit of a surprise. Both were fluent in it, but like many of the order they spoke either pure basic, or basic mixed with what remnants of Dai Bendu they still had, the majority of the time. It was rare for them to speak Mirialan unless they were with other Mirialans. It wasn’t their first language after all. Tyrenic learned basic first and Shel had told him that his first few words had been in High Sith, before learning basic at the temple. Mirialan did give them at least slightly more privacy then they otherwise might have had though, and that was appreciated, if a bit more awkward. No one would stare though. Their people were known to be a bit private and Jedi were as well. He could speak freely.

He sighed again. “I have to, Shel. I need to face it.”

Shel gently pulled at his arm ‘til he faced him. “It was not your fault. You were a child. You were not there. It is not a failure of yours. You need to let go. Remember our code.” 

Tyrenic nodded “There is no emotion, there is peace. I know Shel. But I can’t let it go. I’ve been trying. It’s the only part of my past I haven’t faced. My sisters died there, my mother almost died there. The only reason I didn’t was because Knight Riqr took me away three days before the attack. I have to go to Krosstoen. I need to face it as much as I needed to face the Coruscant Temple.” 

This time Shel sighed. “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”

He shook his head. He needed this closure. 

“Alright then Nic, lead the way.”

“Wait, what, you’re not coming. I didn’t ask you to..?”

“Tyrenic, you are not only my brother in the order, but one of my oldest friends. You don’t have to face this alone. Also it’s not safe to travel alone, even for a Jedi as good as you and I know you don’t want Kira seeing you break down and sob and scream... AGAIN. You’re supposed to being a good example after all.”

That almost got a laugh. “And I want you to see that?”

“I saw you after Coruscant and Leshlaa got reassigned. I know how ugly your crying is, you can’t impress me anymore.”

“Alright my friend, alright.” Tyrenic was not surprised that his friend chose to visit his childhood home with him, but he was grateful. He stepped over to the speeder droid and arranged for them to head to the mainland. Krosstoen wasn’t a sight of much fighting anymore, so they shouldn’t have too many issues. 

The journey was quick. Krosstoen wasn’t that far from the coast. And the shuttle they were using was very fast. Almost too soon they saw the ruins and, parking the shuttle near the ashes of the front gate, the men climbed out and walked into the small village. 

The buildings were in shambles, doors ripped off hinges, collapsed roofs, some burned completely. There were still bloodstains on some of the stone, even almost 2 decades later. Tyrenic wandered silently, the fear and the pain that was still held in the force here a twisted symphony that he couldn’t block out. The screams so loud, he could almost hear them. The village was small, it had only a few dozen houses, so it didn’t take long to reach the remains of his old house. He stood there staring. Only the door frame and one wall remained standing. A few broken pieces of furniture. The chest that his mother had never allowed them to touch sat open and broken. “This is it. I lived here for years. I think we moved from somewhere else before my sisters were born. I don’t have any memories, only a feeling that we lived somewhere else once.” 

Shelerik nodded “I don’t remember life before the order. I guess there’s a certain age that you start to remember things. The only impression I have of the time before is pain and yelling. You have your mother and your sisters. That sounds like a good start.”

Nic had to smile. They’d compared memories before, but he rarely went into detail. “There were the four of us. I was always trying to help everyone play, Nya would usually follow the rules, if she didn’t then she either stayed so close to them she couldn’t get in trouble or she’d have a good reason. Nat and Kael though. The youngest two were trouble makers. Nat was a bit closer to Nya though, protective and always ready to fight. Leikael, the youngest, was chaos. Always finding something to do that would send the rest of us into a panic, usually dragging Nat with her. I remember one time when some of the bigger kids were picking on one of her friends, she somehow rallied the rest of us and we all got in this massive fight. Half the kids on the street got in on it. We won though. Mom was upset, but also seemed proud. Told us we were risking our place, and everything she’d risked for us. We never did that again that I can remember. “ 

He’d moved over and placed a hand on the doorframe. 

Shelerik laughed at his story and continued watching his back. Shel was the best friend he could ask for, giving him this time. He noticed a small broken frame and picked it up. There behind the broken transparisteel was a flimsiplast portrait of him, his mother and sisters. Taken a few days before he’d gone to train as a Jedi. That was the last fragment of pain he could take and he broke screaming into the mantellian wind as he sobbed. 

Just as in the Jedi Temple, Shelerik stepped to his side and rested a hand on his shoulder and the other on his saber, facing away and letting Tyrenic cry while he kept watch for anyone trying to attack them. 

After a few minutes, Nic started to come to himself. He pulled back and shifting began his meditations. “There is no emotion, there is peace.” He repeated the mantra, the first line of his code over and over slowly. Letting it’s meaning sink into him. This emotion was powerful, but understood. He had an attachment to those he loved, and their lose hurt. ‘There is no death, there is the force.” His sisters were part of the Force now. His mother injured for life. And it was all his fault. 

“There is no emotion. There is peace.” It wasn’t his fault. He’d been seven years old. He’d been in transit to Coruscant. He’d had no training. Even if he’d been here, how could he have helped? He could have done something. Riqr or another Jedi could have done something. They had to have sensed it coming. 

“There is no emotion, there is peace.” Riqr would have believed any prompting of the Force as referring to the war, which would have gone to the bigger cities or the forts. Not a small village in the middle of nowhere. He was not at the time able to do anything. The response had been the best it could be. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t his orders fault. His sisters were at peace and his mother had care. Nyaisa was as safe as a soldier could be with her training. 

And as those thoughts settled into his bones. As the repetition revealed no new information and he began to believe himself, he was able to find peace. The pain was still there, he would likely always feel it. And it would always be amplified by being here where the pain of others was so loud. And he still felt some guilt, but he understood it to be nothing more than uncontrolled pain and fear. But he could handle it. The pain and guilt and grief no longer overwhelmed him. It could no longer control him. The teachings he held so tightly too had again served him well. He reached up and squeezed Shel’s hand in thanks before rising to his feet. Folding the flimsiplast, he tucked it into his robes and stepped away from the place that was no longer any kind of home. 

As they moved through the ashes, Tyrenic noticed something gleaming slightly under a broken beam. He stepped over and fished it out, staring at it in confusion. A Mandalorian helmet? What was that doing here? The reports hadn't mentioned any mandalorians, not one. It wasn't a Mandalorian or Imperial attack. And based on what he knew, they'd never leave their helmets behind. If one had been arrested or killed, the reports would have said so. He heard his name and turned to see Shel holding a pauldron, he turned it and there etched into the metal and lingering in traces of paint was the mythasaur skull. Another piece of Mandalorian armor where it was not supposed to be. He took the pauldron and dropped both pieces into the small pack he'd brought with him. "I'll look into this later. Let's get back."

The Jedi took in the ruined town one last time before starting back. They still had a mission, and a Padawan to train, because they were totally ready for that responsibility. It wasn’t like they’d been Padawans themselves very recently. The Sith wouldn’t stop until they destroyed the galaxy, so there wasn’t room for second guessing or delaying a Padawan’s training for a Master’s mission. There was still work to be done and duties to fulfill. They would be ready, no matter what was thrown at them next.

#feedback is always appreciated #swtor #fanfiction #Jedi knight #tyrenic shabre #shelerik coro #my ocs

[shabre-legacy]

Part of chapter 7 of stolen home that I’m currently working on

The last part of the trip to Coruscant passed quietly. Everyone was rather differential and even the crew and security didn’t really bother her. All her drinks were free, and her and Corso found that they got invited to games of Sabbac and whatever else was being played, or to go dancing or whatever anytime they appeared. She’d even gotten a message from some senator thanking her for saving the ambassador who’d put them in that situation to begin with. 

The passengers were nervous around them though. Corso brought it up when they once again took their drinks back to the room. Too many men approaching her ‘to dance’ practically drooling on the floor because they never stepped outside their tiny little circles and thought the criminal hero would be easy. Too many women approaching Corso, made him uncomfortable, the man just wasn’t used to the attention and the socialites weren’t used to having a man who knew how to use his strength. The poor girls were both scared of both of them and very interested in the young man who differed from the others around them and that combination led to uncomfortable situations and overly pushy behavior. Between the two groups, both of them just wanted away from the situation. 

The ‘guests’ were grateful for being saved, and trying to show that, but her and Corso, they scared the passengers. They’d done what trained soldiers hadn’t been able to do, somehow word had gotten out that she’d killed that damn Sith, and without the uniform to suggest some kind of rule that she was bound to, her success made her a bit scary to the pampered socialites on this ship. They didn’t know her, they didn’t know what she wanted and they didn’t know exactly what she was planning or what she was really capable of and it frightened them. 

Finally though, they made it to the Coruscant spaceport and everyone went their own ways. At last, she could breathe without someone looking over her shoulder, or at least she’d be able to once she got through customs. Unfortunately, an T series security droid approached as soon as they stepped into the arrivals terminal. She stepped over to the customs terminal, hoping the droid wouldn’t notice. A few ill-planned smuggling runs had landed her on certain watch lists with the Republic and that meant every spaceport she entered under her own name ended up with a delay as she was searched and interrogated and there was never enough time to put up with that shit. Lucky for her, or unlucky for customs, she had a cover. She glanced at Corso as the droid rolled up and greeted her. Like a team that had been together longer than they had, he smoothly moved between them and started chatting with the droid. She used the moment to slice the terminal. The droid accepted the input from the terminal and wandered off. As they moved towards the elevators, Corso leaned down and quietly whispered, with a hint of a laugh, “Admiral Numinn? Interesting choice.” 

She giggled and gently elbowed him, “nobody messes with an admiral, plus ya know, circumstance. Long story, better not told here.” Giggling, seriously, how long had it been since she’d done that. This was really getting out of hand, the sooner she could get him his blaster and drop him off again the better. Plus Tika would hate having another person aboard, perfect excuse. 

He smiled down at her, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Point taken.” They reached the elevator and caught sight of the scenery out the massive viewports. “Everything in Coruscant is huge. You see those city towers as we flew in? How many people you figure live in those? Millions?” 

Sometimes, she could forget how much of a farmboy he was, the mercenary took center stage. Other times, it was so damn obvious. It was a bit sad though, the state of Coruscant, almost ten years and some things still hadn’t been rebuilt. “Looks like some of those city towers are still short a few levels, thought they’d have fixed that since I was last here.” 

“You been here before, Captain?”

 again with the Captain. He wasn’t gonna stop anytime soon, kinda liked it though.  She shook her head, “another time” 

He shrugged and moved on, he seemed good at that, another question Leikael had about him. “...Even knocked the Jedi Temple off it’s pedestal.” 

And there it was, the comment always made about Coruscant and the war. “I know, my brother died there.”

That got a real pause from him. “That’s… That’s rough. I’m sorry for bringing it up Captain.” 

Taking a moment to breathe, she quickly waved him off. “I hadn’t seen him in like 7 years anyway. Let’s talk about something else like that banthashit who took my ship and my fracking Cat.”

Corso stared for a moment, “alright Captain, if you say so.” He took a breath, and she could see him shrugging aside the memories of his own loss. Her ability to read people had saved her life a few times, but now it was just obnoxious. “Wanna find Skavak before we’re too old to shoot straight? We’re gonna need local help.”

Help? She’d gotten help and it hadn’t worked. “We’ll just rattle some skulls until Skavak falls out.” Scumbag like that, he’d leave a big ass trail through the underworld. And that was a population she could work with, mostly, well, sometimes. 

“I know a faster way.” That sigh was one of resignation. Almost like his idea exhausted him. “There’s a gambler named Darmas Pollaran who keeps tabs on everything worth knowing about Coruscant. Friend of Viidus’s, good man. You’ll like him.”

Information broker. She’d worked with a few, not a bad resource if you could afford it. “Worth a visit, I guess. Where do I find this Darmas?” Let Corso run off and do whatever, she had no expectations of men anymore. 

“Well, Viidu always said if you look for a Sabbac table surrounded by beautiful women, you’ll find Darmas. But I can narrow that down. I still have Viidu’s holofrequency contacts. Give me a minute…” He pulled out a comm and started tapping at it. 

“Viidu had you keep his contacts?” 

He shrugged, “head of security and bodyguard. Traveled with the old man pretty much everywhere, had to keep the secure frequencies list in case his comm went down. Part of the job.” 

He held up the comm between them and it flickered to life, showing a slim middle aged man.  “Corso, is that you? It’s been too long, you rascal.” His tone implied familiarity, must have had more than a few conversations in the past.

#feel free to give feedback #good or bad #I just want to know how i'm doing #but no pressure #my writing #stolen home #leikael shabre #corso riggs

[shabre-legacy]

A few of my darlings finally hit chapter two

To celebrate their achievement I bought them new stuff, outfits, dye pacs or new weapon crystals

Captain Leikael Shabre

She’s now a very wealthy starship captain, exceptional smuggler, and mildly reluctant republic privateer with her own crew, a proper first mate, a cute mantellian courting her, and a 100,000 credit bounty on her head. I got her the underworld boss dye pac which looks super cute.

Lord Elazari Kallig

She’s officially a Lord of the Sith and proud of that. She’s got her own ship, a few followers, a cult and apprentices. She’s survived 3 attempts on her life, restored her family name, and learned an ancient ritual that will potentially let her become immensely powerful. I got her new robes with a cape for drama and a new black-red lightsaber crystal. 

Lord Shaialis Coro

She’s a Sith Lord now and taking on responsibities that are supposed to be for the good of the empire. Her captain is warming up to her and starting to see her as more than just a powerful Sith, Her crew feels like family, she has her own ship and an apprentice of her own. Her family is finally off her back and her hadzuska is back at her side. I got her a medium red and dark red dye pac and a black-red lightsaber crystal for both of her sabers.

Captain Nyaisa Shabre

She just got promoted to Captain and assigned another priority mission. Her squad is at half strength and she loves them. They’re becoming her best friends and family. She knows her sisters are alive and finally found out who her father is. Her ship is fast and their missions with the navy have all been successes. Her armor is perfect for her job so I got her a turquoise crystal for her cannon. It looks really cool. 

Jedi Knight Tyrenic Shabre 

He’s now known as a hero, even if he believes the cost for that respect was too high. he’s found out his sisters are alive and who his bio father is. He gets to serve with his best friend. he has a ship and his crew keeps growing. He’s been asked to take part in a secret mission. Turned a Sith to the light and watched his Padawan become a Jedi Knight.  I bought him a more toned down and mature dark blue dye pac then his old light purple. I also bought him a blue-black lightsaber crystal.

Master Leshlaa Phizaas, Barsen’thor of the Jedi Order

In only a  few days she was given the rank and responsibilities of being Barsen’thor and then being named a Master before being sent out on another incredibly important mission. She has a ship and is building a crew slowly. She has learned secrets of the force and grown in power. Her best friend gets to travel with her. I bought her the jedi strategist robe set, a light brown and tan dye pac, update the jewelry on her lekku and gave her a white-blue-purple lightsaber crystal. 

#swtor #smuggler #trooper #sith warrior #sith inquisitor #jedi knight #jedi consular #leshlaa phizaas #shaialis coro #leikael shabre #elazari kallig #nyaisa shabre #elazari taregs #tyrenic shabre #gffa #my ocs #my pretty darlings

[shabre-legacy]

Ooooops! #11 is I almost lost you for Leikael and Corso

@starknstarwars thanks for the ask

 It wasn’t supposed to happen like this, Leikael hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. It was supposed to be a simple run. Moving black market silk and the worms that made it to a buyer, past imperial customs and an Exchange blockade on the stuff. It was supposed to be quick, quiet and easy. Nothing from their contact or their own sources said that it was supposed to be complicated. No one had told them that the Black Sun had already moved into the area, that they knew they were coming, that they’d set up an ambush to steal the stuff. They’d managed to make the delivery despite the obstacles. But they got it done with only a few injuries. Bowdarr, Akaavi and Corso proving their combat skill once again; the three of them running some kind of bet between them as they ran across the planet, dropped the cargo with the buyers and started their fight back to the ship against gangsters from 2 different organizations, each after the buyers location or the credits they’d made or both. But Corso, stupid Corso. Why’d he have to be so force-damned protective, he’d have been fine if he’d just stayed out of the way and let her deal with her own mistakes. 

Leikael stared at her hand, bright, vibrant green holding so tightly to his dusky brown hand. LIke young, green grasses and the soil they grew in around the farms and farm villages that they’d both called home once. Not that it mattered, seemed like nothing would ever matter again if the idiot didn’t wake up. Taking a direct hit from a kriffing assualt cannon, diving directly in front of the blast, it was such a stupid thing to do. Even if he’d done it to protect her from the damn cannon aimed directly at her and fairly close too.

He should have stayed back, let her handle the hit on her own, like she should have, letting them get that close, instead he’d dived between the cannon blast and her, using himself as a shield. It wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing. He was always trying to protect her, keep her happy, whatever it took. Things were different now, he hadn’t been this hurt before, this close to dying for this long, she hadn’t realized just how much he meant to her or how lost she’d be without him. He’d been lying in this damned bed three days now. Her crew had already tried to pull her away more than once, even calling up her siblings. Nat had even holo’d to try and get her to rest. But he was so hurt, she couldn’t leave her Corso alone. Not now, not when he needed her to watch over him for a change. 

She collapsed forward, burying her head on her hands, if she had tears left, she’d probably start crying again. ‘Please’, she begged the stars, ‘if there is anything good in the galaxy, please don’t take him.’ She stayed like that for awhile, head tucked down over her hands, clasping Corso’s work-rough hand in her smaller ones as though it was a lifeline or the only thing anchoring her to the planet. A small squeeze brought her attention up. Her head snapping to lock eyes with his. Still weak, but finally awake, he managed a small smile, “Hey Darlin” He whispered, voice hoarse but warm and full of love in that tone he only ever used for her. 

She stood and leaned over him, careful not to put any weight that could hurt him, but stars, she’d been so worried. They’d only just started to figure out what they were beyond Captain and hired gun. He’d only just started ‘courting’ her, to use his words. She couldn’t bear to lose him and she almost had. She crushed her lips to his, trying to be gentle, but she’d been far too worried, so instead she just poured all of her fear and worry and love into that kiss. “Don’t you ‘hey’ me farmboy.” She murmured as she rested her forehead against his when they finally had to break for air. “I almost lost you. Don’t do that to me again”

Corso slowly brought his hand up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ears with a slight wince and rested his hand on her face. “Ya know I don’t make promises I can’t keep. I’ll always protect you, even when you’d rather I didn’t. I’m here now Darlin’, I’m right here.” he tilted his head slightly and Leikael decided to leave the argument for another day as she dipped her head and pressed her lips to his again. He’d made it and she could breathe again. 

#asks #prompt memes #swtor #my writing #corso riggs #leikael/corso #leikael shabre #space husband #otp;starmates #fanfics #my ocs