[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

@Antonine

I love the way you write Gault; I feel like I can hear his voice with your lines.

 

Yet again, I am a week behind, lol.

 

Prompt: Allies

Characters: Male Zabrak Bounty Hunter named Burzek and his crew

Setting: Mantis Ship

Synopsis: Burzek looks to spend the night relaxing with a nice drink, but who will he choose to join him?

SPOILERS: This story takes place shortly after the Belsavis arc for the Bounty Hunter.

 

 

Burzek hesitated for a moment. He knew that he wanted a drink-heck, he knew that he deserved a drink, but he was always reluctant to take the first sip. Being a bounty hunter, the Zabrak never wanted to do anything that could hinder his ability to function in the field. Not again. When he was younger, he had made the mistake of being under the influence on multiple occasions when something big would go down. He suffered the consequences each time whether they be the loss of a bounty or the loss of a partner. He had tried to stay mostly sober for the past few years and had made great strides in his career ever since. He had become the champion of the Great Hunt, and he had even been welcomed into the Mandalorian culture by Mandalore himself. But things were getting worse each day. The targets were getting more elusive, and his enemies were beginning to attack him and his crew personally. It was becoming a life full of caution and deception. Burzek needed a break.

 

There was no time to escape, though. Mako had mentioned on several occasions wanting to vacation on some tropical planet and leave everything behind for a moment. Burzek had always shot down the idea. He and his crew had a job to do. There was no time for a break, and there was no time to stop. They would keep moving from target to target until they were in the clear. They had too many enemies that were a lot bigger and a lot tougher than they were. The hunter would need to be on his toes if he and his allies were going to stop them. But, a vacation would have been nice before everything fell into the fire.

 

Burzek finally reached for the bottle that he had tucked away in the galley. He grabbed a glass then found his hand hovering over a second glass. Drinking alone was not an alien concept to the alien, but he realized that he would feel miserable if it were just him drinking. The others onboard the ship felt more like business associates to Burzek than drinking buddies. They all had their unique purposes, but none of them quite fit the job title of “friend”.

 

Mako had been with Burzek the longest. She was a genius when it came to slicing, information retrieval, and was one of the most important members on the crew. She was also incredibly kind, sweet, and Burzek even found himself drawn to the human during multiple personal moments. But, she was also incredibly naive, immature, and worrisome. Burzek felt more like an evil uncle to her rather than a friend as he had tried to turn her more into a ruthless bounty hunter instead of a reclusive slicer. He had helped further her blaster training, compile a set of armor, and taught her countless survival and hunting skills. But, when it was time to do the unpleasant tasks that so often beset them, she would go kicking and screaming all the way through the job. There were times where violence, brutality, murder, and things even worse than murder were necessary in the job. Mako was too kind of a person to accept that. Burzek respected that about her, but it would always cause a chasm to be between the two of them. She never fully understood him, and Burzek could live with that.

 

Gault was the exact opposite of Mako. He was a double crosser, a manipulator, a viper in the grass, and downright scum. Burzek found himself constantly regretting the decision to not blast his body full of bolts rather than the body double that Gault had conveniently held onto. The Devaronian was a lowlife and did acts that Burzek found too dishonorable to support. Gault had been given safe haven on the ship in order to help fund the crew with his schemes and jobs, but Burzek despised him. There was something that felt wrong about manipulating beings as openly as Gault did. Sure, the Zabrak did terrible things as well, but he didn’t hide in the shadows or take advantage of the weak. He was always meetings his prey face to face when he dealt the final blow. He did not cower, and he did not scheme against his enemies. He faced them head on with honor and respect (as long as they treated him the same way). Even the vile low lifes that Burzek had hunted from time to time, he faced them head on, too. Just not always with honor and respect.

 

Gault would not do either. The two had little in common as well. Burzek would probably die of alcohol poisoning if he had to listen to yet another tale of betrayal or subterfuge. The tales that Torian told, on the other hand, were far more interesting to Burzek. The Mandalorian human had become a sort of brother to Burzek throughout their journeys. He had helped the kid with some family business back on Taris which lead Torian to join up with the crew. He was bold, brave, and an honorable warrior. Burzek held great respect for the man. But, even the impressive Torian felt a bit too distant. There was still a divide that the two had not yet crossed. Maybe a drink would help them to overcome that.

 

Burzek grabbed the bottle and headed toward the port side crew quarters. He pressed the button to open the door and walked in. Surprisingly, Torian was the only member in the cabin. The beds on the port side had been assigned to all but Mako as she was given her own room on the starboard side. Seeing just the one crew member was a surprise. What was even more surprising was seeing him breathing heavily as he was sitting perfectly still in bed.

 

“Uh, hey, Burzek,” the human called out through his panting, a single light near his bed illuminating his face and bare upper torso. “What are you, uh, doing here?”

 

“I thought I would see if you wanted a drink,” Burzek explained while lightly shaking the bottle in his hand. The Zabrak looked over the human suspiciously before eyeing the blanket covering Torian. Beside the Mandalorian, Burzek could see that something was being concealed by the blanket. “But, I see you’re busy with something with a little more kick to it than alcohol. I won’t keep you two,” Burzek said, a sly smile gracing his lips. Even with the minimal lighting, he could tell that Torian’s cheeks were beginning to turn red. A second pair of arms pushed back the sheets just enough to reveal a face.

 

“We, uh, meant to tell you, but we’ve been so busy lately,” Mako explained, her face looking like a floating head as everything below her chin was hidden by the blanket.

 

“How long has this been going on?” Burzek asked.

 

“Since you all rescued me,” Torian explained. Burzek had taken the crew down to Hoth in order to free Torian from a group of hunters who had captured him. Burzek could tell back then that Mako felt strongly for him, but he didn’t realize how close they had become.

 

“You know I have a problem with us mixing business and pleasure,” Burzek stated before his eyes drifted to the bottle in his hand. “But, I guess we all need a bit more pleasure these days.”

 

“Thanks, Burzek,” Mako said with a smile.

 

“You’re not out of the Sarlacc yet,” Burzek said a bit more firmly. “But, I can’t stay mad at you kids. You’re both just so darn cute.” The Zabrak grinned before turning toward the door. He rested his free hand on the controls for a moment. “We will discuss this in the morning, though. The relationship and you not locking the door. That needs to change,” Burzek added before closing the door and setting the two way lock.

 

Torian and Mako. Burzek had thought the two seemed closer lately. Torian was fairly composed and didn’t show too much emotion, but Mako was more like a flooded river when it came to emoting. He realized now that she was almost gushing when she talked about Torian.

 

The Zabrak was happy for the two, though. They had both been through a lot. Burzek wasn’t able to be a companion for Mako or the best friend to Torian; so he was glad that they could find a deeper and closer relationship with each other. Hopefully their union would help push each other forward rather than hold them back. Burzek would make sure to talk with them about it in the morning to make sure that what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom.

 

Burzek looked back down at the bottle in his hand.

 

Am I really considering Blizz?

 

The Jawa had showed up on the ship recently, and he had actually been a valuable addition to the team. He was the best craftsman, mechanic, and tinkerer that Burzek had ever seen. If he had a problem with any of his gear, Blizz was there to help. On top of that, he had a childlike quality to him that somehow managed to melt away Burzek’s burly attitude. Blizz was the cutest little thing that the hunter had ever seen. He couldn’t help but feel like he now had a small son with Blizz’s addition to the crew.

 

He was great, but Burzek wasn’t sure how Blizz would be drunk. Or if Blizz should be drinking. The hunter decided that he didn’t want to find out what would a drunk Jawa was like.

 

That left Skadge as the last available member of the crew. Burzek knew the least about him as he was the latest addition to the team. What little he did knew seemed to be more than enough, however. The Houk was a cold hearted killer. Burzek was not opposed to killing, but Skadge seemed to revel in it like some sort of psychopath. The stories of the Sith that Burzek had studied up on reminded him an awful lot of Skadge. He was unhinged and seemed to view murder as Burzek used to view spice or the bottle. He was addicted to it and was always craving bloodshed. He had even threatened Burzek on several occasions, and the threats would surely keep coming as the hunter tried to keep the massive creature in line.

 

Burzek walked back toward the glasses, lost in thought.

 

Mako, Gault, Torian, Blizz, or Skadge. Hmm...

 

 

 

“So...” Burzek took a large gulp of the alcohol and leaned back on his bed-his right hand firmly grasping the bottle. “What’s been going on with you, lately?”

 

“Oh, just the usual, master,” 2V-R8 stated. He looked awkward sitting across from Burzek in a chair that was definitely not intended for protocol droids. “I’ve just been trying my best to serve you, master.”

 

“That’s just great.” Burzek took another sip. “Why don’t you tell me more about what that’s like?”

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I feel that my bounty hunter doesn't really have much in common with any of the companions. I wanted to show that with this story as he has a hard time trying to relate to any of his crew and hesitates to share an intimate moment with anyone.

 

[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

Sorry, this is a bit late, but here is a story for the Good Intentions prompt.

 

Prompt: Good Intentions

Character: Bounty Hunter male Zabrak named Burzek

Location: Bounty Hunter Ship

SPOILERS: This story takes place shortly after leaving Dromund Kaas

 

 

“Beep beep. Beep beep.”

 

Burzek slowly reentered consciousness at the sound of the ship’s hyperspace exit alarm. The alarm was simply alerting him that they were about to reach their destination: Balmorra. The tone of the alarm was a tad too high pitched for Burzek’s taste, though. He added that to his mental lists of chores for 2V-R8 to take care of.

 

The Mantis vessel was a new type of craft for Burzek. The Zabrak bounty hunter had just stolen the ship after wrapping up some business on Dromund Kaas. After the melee and hunting down his targets on the planet, he was too tired to immediately fix up his new ship. After the tour given by 2V-R8, he had immediately found the captain’s quarters and lied down on the mattress. The water mattress. Apparently the previous owner (who was now dead in a Dromund Kaas spaceport alongside about a dozen imperials and dock hands) favored sleeping on water than on a more traditional kod'yok mattress. That was one of the other things that Burzek would make sure to acquire once they returned to the Imperial fleet. Maybe the base on Balmorra sold quality supplies, but Burzek doubted that any mattress from a military installation was any more comfortable than the water mattress.

 

Burzek rubbed his eyes and rose out of bed-careful to not fall over as the mattress moved around as if it were alive. He sighed, annoyed at the bed. He was able to sleep almost anywhere, but there was something about sleeping on a moving surface that he wasn’t quite comfortable with.

 

“Good morning, master; I hope you slept well!” came the disingenuous greeting from the ship’s protocol droid. “It would be my pleasure to serve you in whatever capacity you need me to.” Burzek knew that droids were programmed to have simulated feelings, but 2V-R8 was the first droid that Burzek knew who had an unhealthy amount of fear. The hunter could only guess as to what he had been through with his previous owner.

 

“Grab a bucket, I need to relieve myself,” Burzek said a tad too seriously.

 

“Y-yes, sir. Right away, master,” the droid managed to respond before turning to leave.

 

“I’m just joking, droid. Get me and Mako something to eat it. Make it light and nutritious. We’ll need something to energize us before we set out today.”

 

“Oh, thank you, master. I can do that,” the droid sounded as if a planet had been lifted off of his chassis. 2V-R8 walked toward the galley to begin preparing their meals.

 

“And grab my armor,” Burzek called out. “I want to suit up before we land planetside.”

 

“I have it right here, actually.” Burzek turned to the bridge to see Mako holding a knee pad and what appeared to be a-

 

“Is that a rag?” Burzek could feel his orange skin turning red.

 

“Yes, it is. I thought that I would clean up your armor before we land-”

 

“You didn’t polish it, did you?” Burzek plodded toward the bridge. He couldn’t see the rest of his armor from his position near the holoterminal, but the knee pad looked different from when he last saw it.

 

“Um, I did. I wanted to make sure it was ready for-”

 

“-Stupid, stupid,” Burzek muttered. He quickly reached Mako and looked down at the deck. Near her feet was his remaining pieces of armor, glistening brightly under the ship lights. “You idiot. Do you understand what you did to me?”

 

Mako’s smile faded as she tried to understand what was happening. “I...protected your armor from rust so that it wouldn't break apart in the field?” she said as a question.

 

“No, I cleaned my armor before I laid down. You painted a target on me by polishing it. I’m not some kind of soldier or fancy Hutt guard. I’m a hunter. I can’t hunt if my target can see me coming from a mile away!” Burzek snatched the knee pad from Mako and looked it over before throwing it on the ground.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Burzek. I was just trying to-”

 

“-Breakfast is served!” Burzek turned to see 2V-R8 walking up the staircase with a tray covered with different meats and grains as well as two cups of blue milk. Burzek sighed again.

 

“I hate blue milk.” The hunter pushed past Mako and sat down at the controls of the ship, desperate to get away from his newfound partners. Everything seemed to be inferior in some way to Burzek whether it was his sidekick, his droid, his equipment, his ship, or even his meal. Everything had a long way to go before Burzek would be satisfied.

 

 

[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

@Lady_Thorne I wouldn't want to get in Maioni's way, lol.

 

Hello, everyone, by the way! I used to post on here probably around 2013 or 2014. I have been getting back into SWTOR and have wanted to write some fan fic around the characters that I have been playing. Hope you all enjoy it!

 

SPOILER WARNING:

The ENTIRETY of the Smuggler storyline. This story takes place literally before the final two missions of the storyline in Chapter 3. I also mention side quests on the Republic side of Corellia.

 

Challenge: Friends to Lovers

Location: Corellia

Characters: Risha (Human Female) and Nayvallen (Mirialan Male)

 

 

 

“Now boarding for Blastfield Shipyards. Now boarding for Blastfield Shipyards.”

 

Risha looked around at the empty platform as she approached the rocket tram. Corellia had impressed her by its towering skyscrapers, large space vessels, and its many architectural and technological wonders. The rocket tram was one of the many inventions that she had the opportunity to encounter firsthand. It was definitely better than any of the other modes of transportation she had used on her numerous journeys across the galaxy. The open speeder bikes which were used by a majority of taxi hubs she had been to were unpleasant to say the least. Not having dirt and bugs flying into her face and hair as she traveled across the shipyard planet was definitely a breath of fresh air.

 

There were some downsides to this new method of transit, however. It was called the rocket tram for a reason as it was able to reach incredibly fast speeds. The feeling of the transportation vehicle lurching forward reminded her of going into hyperspace. But, the tram somehow managed to feel more dangerous than space travel. This felt like something tested far less than the now standard methods of intergalactic vessels.

 

The open conflict that she encountered on the streets and saw in the skies above didn’t help the ride to feel any safer. She had helped the captain get rid of neutron emitters that were in use by the Imperials only a day ago.. These devices were capable of penetrating the tram’s outer shell and were used to eliminate any living being on the inside. There was always the thought that one of these emitters was still around or that an Imperial ship would swoop down for a strafing run on the taxi or that a soldier’s rocket would manage to take out one of the rail systems thus sending her to her demise. She would probably avoid the rocket tram altogether if she could, but it was the only way to get in and out of a majority of the areas that her and her group were frequenting. It was not ideal, but the rocket tram would have to do for now.

 

At least we will be off of this planet soon.

 

Risha was about to step into the tram but stopped as she noticed the sound of someone quickly approaching her. The engines of the tram had managed to mask the sound of the stranger, but he was close enough now for the heavy footfalls to compete with the hum of the engines. Risha cursed herself for being so careless. She spun around to face her would be assailant; hands reaching for the rifle strapped to her back. It wouldn’t be ideal in close quarters, but she was confident that she could draw her weapon before he could-.

 

“Woah, what did I do this time?” The smug grin of the captain defused her attempt at reaching for her weapon.

 

“You lied for starters,” she began as she moved her hands from the stock of her rifle to her hips. “I thought you said you and the others were going to scout out the mansion while I sold our junk.”

 

“Well, I changed my mind. Corso and the others don’t need me for that.” Nayvallen continued to close the gap between them as he massaged the back of his neck habitually. It was a nervous habit that he employed-usually before a stressful situation. “I, uh, thought I would join you.”

 

“Join me? You don’t trust me to handle this myself? I have done this numerous times before-”

 

“-That’s not why. I, uh-”

 

“-Now departing for Blastfield Shipyards. Now departing for Blastfield Shipyards.”

 

“Blast!” Risha cursed as she spun back to face the tram. She darted past the closing doors right before they managed to seal shut. Nayvallen was right on her heels, but was not so lucky as the door managed to hit his shoulder.

 

“Smooth as always,” Risha jabbed with a grin of her own.

 

“What can I say; I’m light on my feet,” Nayvallen replied as he pushed the door away from him. He crossed into the tram, allowing the door to finally close.

 

“Now departing for Blastfield Shipyards. Please be seated and fasten all safety harnesses.”

 

Risha did exactly as the automated voice instructed. She had risked forgoing the harness on her first ride. She had paid the price by sliding straight into Akaavi’s armored elbow before falling to the dirty floor below. Since then, the durasteel harness had been a necessity for her.

 

“So why are you joining me on this grand adventure?” Risha asked as the harness clicked into place around her trench coat.

 

“Well, I just thought that we could talk for a bit,” Nayvallen began as he opted for standing-his hand clutching one of the safety grips hanging from the ceiling of the tram as he prepared for the inevitable locomotion.

 

“About what?”

 

“About-”

 

“-As we begin our journey, Czerka Corporation would like to remind you that-”

 

“-Blast it!” Nayvallen cursed. Another automated message managed to interrupt yet again. This time the culprit was a holographic projection of a protocol droid being displayed in front of the door. The Mirialan smuggler reached out with his left hand to punch the projector. The hologram quickly flickered out and disappeared entirely as the tram lurched forward.

 

“I want to talk about us,” Nayvallen finally blurted out as he carefully maneuvered his way to a seat next to Risha.

 

“About us? What about us?” Risha wanted to talk as well, but there never seemed to be enough time as her focus was primarily diverted between the political state of her homeworld or with the numerous missions that the group had taken on. Running a criminal empire as well as gaining power over a planet was no easy task.

 

“Recent events have got me thinking. Our friends are disappearing rapidly. I never fully trusted Darmas, but I never assumed that he would go to such extremes. Completely betraying us didn’t seem to be in his cards.” The sabacc playing swindler had been an old acquaintance of Corso and was introduced to Nayvallen shortly after being betrayed by Skavak and one of Skavak’s many girlfriends from Ord Mantell. Risha had the chance to meet Darmas a few times, but she wasn’t as familiar with him as the other two were. She had never fully trusted him, but had gone along with Nayvallen’s interactions with the man. From giving him full custody over Port Nowhere to shooting him straight through the chest, Risha had been there to support Nayvallen. The latter of the two decisions was one of the best decisions that the captain could make, in Risha’s opinion.

 

“And you’re afraid that I am going to betray you. Is that it?” Risha was never really sure how the captain felt. He always acted like everything was a big game to him-especially when it came to romance. Risha had witnessed firsthand how the captain would win the affection of a woman before leaving her high and dry as they blasted away from the planet. It was one of the many reasons why Risha was reluctant to initiate anything serious between the two of them. Even though she noticed herself finding deeper feelings for the alien.

 

“Of course that’s not it. Of all the people to not betray me, you would be on the top of the list. Well, after Zalbaar of course. And probably Corso. And Guss probably couldn’t betray me even if he tried to.” Risha gave the captain one of her signature glares which always achieved her goal: getting him to shut up for at least a couple of glorious, peaceful seconds. “You would be in the top five,” Nayvallen added while holding up his five fingered hand. Risha rolled her eyes and turned away from Nayvallen.

 

The captain quickly reached out to grab Risha’s hand. It was a more forward move that he was not know for doing. It definitely had an impact as it drew Risha’s attention back toward him. “I want to know if we are going to be together or not. Don’t tell me that Mr. Goodypants back home is actually someone you can see yourself with. I have tried to give you time to think about it, but we are about to attempt the biggest thing that we have ever done, and I need to know before we go down a path that we can’t turn back from. I need to know what is going to happen to us on the other side?”

 

It was Risha’s turn to be at a loss for words. She had to admit that she had kept him hanging on whether or not she would accept the marriage proposal from Count Merritt Rineld. He was handsome, held incredible power, and even managed to have the additional quality of being a great person. He was the definition of perfection. She knew that if her dad were still alive that he would have urged her to marry him, and she knew that doing so would be the wisest choice. But she found herself thinking more of the captain than the count and definitely more on what she felt rather than what her father would have wanted.

 

“We’ll have time to figure this out after we take down the Voidwolf. It’ll be another massive success, and then we can-”

 

“-No,” he interrupted again. “I know that I may not be the best person for you when it comes to winning the throne or even the best person in general. But blast it, Risha, I love you.”

 

Back to being at a loss for words. Risha had never seen this particular encounter coming. As far as she could tell, the only thing that Nayvallen ever loved was his credits and his power. Their little flings had been fun, but she doubted that they were anything more than distractions from the turbulent galaxy around them. Risha had certainly thought of them as just distractions. Or, she at least thought that she had thought of them like that. She found it hard to know what she was thinking exactly anymore.

 

“You’re right. You’re not the best for me. You’re cocky, you’re arrogant, you’re reckless, you’re not the brightest light on the ship,” Risha felt as if she could go on listing all of the ways that he didn’t fulfill the equation of a perfect mate. She had tried to view love like an equation just like she viewed everything else in life. If there was a specific problem there would be a specific answer for it. If she needed to break into a vault, she would find the data slicer needed to do so. If she needed to regain control of her homeworld, she would marry the right man who would help her achieve her goals and desires. Risha found equations to be easy enough to understand and could usually help her out of trouble.

 

“You are anything but the best for me. But you’re the only one for me.” Risha found the words surprisingly easy to say. Maybe because she had always found herself saying them in her head as she tried to deny there being anything between them. When she visited the count, they were the words she tried to leave behind. When she thought of her father and all that he had done for her, they were the words that his memory would try to drown out. But they were her own words, and she knew them better than anyone or anything.

 

She also knew her actions better than anyone else and found herself unfastening the harness in order to freely place her hands on either side of Nayvallen’s face and her lips on his. Fear of being thrown by the train was nowhere in her brain now. This moment was all she could think about. The two of them together. She knew how she felt and couldn’t pretend to not realize it anymore.

 

“Nay, I-”

 

“-this tram ride was made possible by the new and exciting technological wonders created in their own Czerka laboratories right here on Corellia.” The hologram managed to appear yet again. Risha quickly reached for Nayvallen’s pistol just as he did the same. Their hands both locked around the pistol as they drew and fired directly into the holographic projector causing it to explode and fizzle out. A small fire began to form and a loud alarm sounded shortly after as the smoke from the blaster and holographic projector filled the air.

 

“Please remain calm. Fire has been detected within the tram. Help is on the way.” The automated voice stated as the tram came to a screeching halt. With Risha unfastened alongside Nayvallen, the two flew across the bench before falling to the ground and landing in a small clump with Nayvallen breaking the fall for Risha.

 

The fire wouldn’t get in the way. The alarm wouldn’t get in the way. The automated voice wouldn’t get in the way. The bruised arm wouldn’t get in the way. Whoever was supposedly coming to the “rescue” wasn’t going to get in the way. Not this time. Risha pulled herself closer toward Nayvallen’s lips as she finally stated, ”I love you.”

 

 

[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

Hello, everyone! You may or may not remember me (I completely understand if you do not), but I was here a few months ago posting a few short stories for the Bounty Hunter class (Burzek was his name). Since then, though, I took a break from SWTOR, so I have not been writing much for the game.

 

But, a few days ago, I have picked SWTOR back up and I have started brainstorming a bit more. So, I am going to try to start posting more stories. The story I'm posting now is one I wrote a few months back, but never did post.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

Prompt: Confessions (possibly Family as well)

Class: Sith Inquisitor

Spoliers: Not really any other than the Female Sith Inquisitor's romance partner

Setting: Aboard the Fury class starfighter (possibly after the Chapter 3 storyline; doesn't necessarily matter with this story)

 

Warning: It's a bit long...

 

 

Anaria usually tried to stay away from water. The Sith inquisitor never knew when her mind would wander toward thoughts of the dark side, usually causing a decent amount of electricity to flow through her body and out from her fingertips. This was why washing was not common for the young woman. Having water flowing over your entire body was a detriment to a Sith and it was especially harmful to Anaria as she was quick to anger and slow to control. An entire line of cleaning materials had been made just for the Sith which would not involve water, but these never quite did get all of the sweat and blood off of a person.

 

But after meeting Andronikus, the Sith could not help but try to look her best for him. The showering had to occur more often.

 

As the water struck her horned skull, Anaria closes her eyes and tries to lose herself in the music of the Sith opera which she had blaring through the speakers inside of the bathroom. "Passion" was the name of the performance. It was a story of the two Sith Lord composer's romance which was used to fuel a Sith's passion of love as they listened to it. Anaria, however, occasionally used it to calm herself as the high notes of Darth Zervany matched and yet conflicted with the low tones of Darth Gerval. It helped her focus on love, lust and relaxing moments and not on anger, hatred, and all of the other emotions she needed for the more "trying" times in her life. The song also reminded her of Andronikus. She had played the song at different points in their relationship and she could not help but grin slightly as the memories of her husband and her filled her mind.

 

Anaria's head rocks slowly back and forth; the Sith Inquisitor having lost herself in the music. The music began to build as the opera began to reach its climax. The female Zabrak recalled seeing the opera in person. At this point, the two would be nearing each other. She could nearly see Darth Gerval's hand reach toward Darth Zervany's as they-

 

Anaria inhales quickly; her eyes closing even tighter. A great pain began to culminate from her abdomen and seemed to spread throughout most of her torso as the symphony's cymbalists hit their instruments with their entire might. The Sith had to bite her lip to keep from yelling as the pain began to grow. It felt as if someone was kicking her repeatedly from the inside of her body and not relenting (the description was spot on, in fact).

 

Anaria was five months pregnant.

 

The Zabrak bends down in a kneeling position as she waits for the pain to subside; her hand reaching for the controls of the water as she does so. Using the Force at this point could cost her her life; she had to physically drag herself to the controls in order to disable the shower heads.

 

Most mothers felt the kicking as a nice, happy feeling, but for Anaria, the baby seemed to wear spiked boots as he slammed his toes against the walls of her womb. Anaria could sense the hatred and anger from inside of her as the dark side of the Force manifested itself inside of her unborn child. Each blow was fueled by the Force, causing an almost unbearable pain inside of her.

 

Anaria hated him just as much as he hated her, though, so she could not blame him as he relentlessly assaulted her from within. The Sith also hated the unborn child's father. The memories of the back-stabbing Twi-lek from Ryloth flowed throughout the Zabrak's mind and her hatred for him grew as well. The power of the Force swelled up inside of her and she forced herself to contain it; drawing on the controlling techniques she had researched from a stolen Jedi holocron on Korriban to keep her rage at bay.

 

Anaria forces herself to stand. The attack was beginning to cease as the young child quickly ran out of energy. The Force enhanced kicks were beginning to turn into harmless pats against her womb. The Zabrak stands still as if leaving herself open for another attack, but she knew that her provocations would have no effect on the exhausted child. Anaria grins to herself, knowing that her passions would always outlive her son's. The female glances down at her belly before viewing herself in the refresher's mirror.

 

She could no longer hide her pregnancy. The morning sickness was easy to excuse and, after finding Force techniques archived on Korriban, her extended abdomen was easy to depress. The luxurious robes she tended to wear when she went outside of her vessel were thick enough to hide her extra weight as well. But, now, her abdominal region was beginning to extend into a small half sphere. Around the others-around Andronikus-it would be impossible to hide. The Zabrak knew that the truth would have to come out.

 

Thoughts of exterminating the miserable creature inside of her crossed her mind numerous times, but she knew that in life the child would be able to serve her better than in death. Every time she would think of him or feel his passions, she knew that her own passions would grow stronger. Anaria knew that a considerable fraction of her power was contributed to the memory of the father and the curse of the son. The child would have to live, there was do denying that, but it did not have to be a happy family relationship. The thing would have his purposes, though.

 

The Zabrak female walks back into the shower, this time setting the different faucets to the "Air" setting. Instead of water, a steady stream of the ship's air supply strikes Anaria's body. It only took a few moments and the woman was rid of any excess moisture and able to slip into her hand sewn silk pair of pajamas.

 

The ship was empty, just as Anaria had requested. She needed the privacy to think and to meditate, but she had requested Andronikus's prescence. The young Zabrak needed to confess what she had been going through for the past half year's length.

 

"Have something you wanted to 'discuss,' babe?" The husky, near-scratching voice of Andronikus reached the ears of Anaria, causing her to immediatly feel relief. The human male had apparently been waiting for her the entire time. Anaria had been too occupied to sense his presence in the Force, but now she wished she had come out earlier-the impression he left in the Force always sent a spike of excitement through the Zabrak woman.

 

"Yes," Anaria starts, stopping immediatly after opening her mouth. She had rehearsed how she would break the news to him, but now (after seeing him in person) her plans seemed to fall through the cracks.

 

You've slain Jedi, Sith, and thousands of the Sith's largest enemies, but you can't break the news of your pregnancy to your husband?

 

"I'm pregnant," Anaria blurts out, keeping a calm and almost bored emotion on her face. The Zabrak could feel the comfort, the easiness, the peace drain out of Andronikus and the emotions of shock and fear rush in to fill the empty void.

 

"We're...pregnant? Already?" the human male asks in disbelief. "The Force really can be manipulated to do-"

 

"It's not our child, And. It's my child," explains Anaria. "I'm about five months pregnant." Now Anaria could sense the shock and fear be replaced by anger, a feeling of being betrayed, jealousy, and even a small amount of hatred for the father.

 

"Who is he and how many parsecs away is he?" Andronikus snaps quickly. The human was on his feet in no time, hand habitually resting next to his blaster.

 

"I would love to kill him as much as you would," begins Anaria. "But I'm still biding my time until I can find the right oppurtunity to draw him out and gut him like the insignificant worm he is," the Zabrak explains, her rage returning to her. "And, before you ask, I had nothing to do with being pregnant. So, how about you sit back down and I'll explain, yeah?" Anaria gently presses against Andronikus's chest with her pointer finger, forcing him to sit back down on the bed. She begins to explain how she had been betrayed back on Ryloth by a Twi'lek by the name of Din Arrod. As a reward for his treachery, he got to keep her as a prize. Anaria went into the specifics as she talked, enjoying the different passions which swelled up inside of not only herself but Andronikus as well.

 

"So...you didn't have anything to do with it?" Andronikus asks, still visibly shaken by the news.

 

"Of course not. I would rather kiss a Wookie then to had been with that son of a Hutt," she points out, edging closer toward the human. "You're the only man I've ever really cared about," she adds in a quieter voice. The statement was partially true, but sometimes a partial truth was better then a flat out lie when you dealt with someone as close as your husband.

 

Andronikus rubs one of Anaria's horns with his thumb and pointer finger, saying,"Sure I am, babe," in a disbelieving tone. He leans forward and kisses the woman, but Anaria could sense that several thoughts were running wild in his head. Anaria could only guess what was going through his head at this point (she had already explained her plans for the child as well as everything she could think of about the father and the details in between). Slowly, Andronikus pulls away from Anaria, and asks in a near mumble, "Since I'm being so forgivable here, promise me you'll forgive me as well, okay?"

 

"No promises," Anaria quickly states, not even thinking twice about her response. She leans closer to Andronikus and kisses his ear before making her way to his lips.

 

"I have a child as well."

 

[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

@DarthSillyMonkey: I really enjoyed your story as well! The writing style is a lot different from what I've seen and it still works very well! Thanks for the great read!

 

And, thanks for the kind reviews, guys! Sorry the story was only a hundred words or so.

 

-RGC

[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

Thank you all for all of the kind comments on my short story. I've had a couple more ideas lately, so I thought I would write up this really short story. It's not much, but I think it describes how the bounty hunter class would be feeling after a while.

 

Prompt: Culture Shock

Title: Our Little Family

Date: At the end of the Belsalvis Bounty Hunter class quest.

Spoilers: Minor companion spoilers (just listing the five companions) as well as minor Belsalvis spoilers.

 

 

Burzek walks the deck of the D-5 Mantis, listening to the chatter coming from all sections of the ship. Blizz could be heard tinkering with a weapon of some sort in one area, Gault was busy talking to himself about the ideas for his biography on Tyresius Lokai. Lastly, Torian and Skadge were having a heated discussion on Mandalorians. Skadge was busy putting down the Mandalorians, not favoring the honorable warriors, whereas Torian was busy defending his clans.

 

"It's as noisy as ever, I guess," Mako states, making her way toward Burzek. "With Skadge joining us, it's going to get even worse,"she adds with a hidden dose of uncertainty in her voice.

 

"Our little family is growing," points out Burzek. "How much do you want to bet that we are the only crew with a Jawa, a Devaronian, two humans, a Zabrak, and, now, a Houk?" asks the Zabrak hunter, a playful grin gracing his face.

 

"I'll let you know after I run a search on all known crew members for the five hundred ships that were last docked on Belsalvis," points out the slicer.

 

"That would be cheating and you know it."

 

"I don't see you trying to stop me." Mako smiles at the hunter, turning around and making her way back upstairs. Burzek thought about stopping the girl, but he enjoyed their push-and-pull.

 

Yes, their little family was growing. Force knew who would be added next.

 

 

-RGC

[The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!]

As a first, I just want to say that it has been a while since I have written any type of story, so I hope everyone can be helpful and supportive as I'm trying my hand at this writing business once again. I have written up a short story that I hope everyone will enjoy. Constructive criticism is more then welcome!

 

Title: An Old Blood

Prompt: Catching Up

Location: D-5 Mantis

Spoilers: Major Chapter 1 Bounty Hunter spoilers and possibly several Bounty Hunter companion spoilers.

 

 

"You have no right to take part in such a glorious hunt, you alien filth." The words made their way from the center of the D-5 Mantis and into the ears of the drowsy bounty hunter named Burzek. The Zabrak's eyes opened wide at the sound of the familar voice. Burzek had thought-had known-that he would never hear the sound of Tarro Blood's voice again, but there it was. At first, the half awake hunter was at a loss of actions, words, even thoughts for that matter, then the memories of Tarro Blood filled the empty hole which was (at this time) his mind. The deaths of Braden and Jory, the constant back-stabbing and betrayels, and countless wrong doings by the supposedly dead Mandalorian came to mind. Burzek began to put the pieces together, starting with grabbing the worn blaster pistol lying a few feet away from him. As he did so, he checked to make sure Mako was still in bed beside him.

 

She wasn't.

 

The hunter runs out of his room, dressed in nothing more than boxers and with nothing else to defend himself other than the small pistol. With the safety off, Burzek takes aim and almost fires at the being crouched next to the holoterminal. If it was not for the dim blue glow of the holo, Burzek might have put a hole straight through the only girl that he loved.

 

"Mako!" Burzek calls out in a loud whisper. The hunter had no idea what time it was, but the absence of light was a dead giveaway that everyone else was sleeping soundly. "What in blazes are you doing?" asks the hunter. The young woman slowly rises to her feet, her face displaying pure fear and confusion mixed into one expression. Burzek couldn't help but be reminded of countless targets having the same face before he put a blaster bolt through them. Thankfully the same incident did not happen here.

 

"Woah there, sweetie," Mako whispers back, hands raised at chest level. "I accidentally replayed an old conversation with Tarro Blood while I was looking through some old files." The slicer walks toward Burzek, placing her two small hands around the hunter's large one. Mako gently guides the hunter's gun hand away from her face and to the ground.

 

"What are you even doing up at this hour?" Burzek asks, a better response not coming to mind. The hunter was obviously shaken up by the sound of his old nemesis as well as almost killing his girl.

 

"Couldn't sleep," Mako simply replies. "Thought I'd organize some of the different data and bounty offers so you would be surprised when you woke up."

 

"Well, you sure did 'surprise' me," Burzek notes, pulling Mako into a firm embrace. Mako's arms made their way around the hunter's torso, her head resting against his chest.

 

"Sorry, big guy, I didn't even know Tarro's message was even saved in the holoterminal. I'll delete it right now," Mako adds, quickly letting go of Burzek. The hunter was not about to let go of her, though. He continues to embrace her while his eyes drift up toward the image on the holoterminal.

 

Tarro Blood in his full beskar'gam armor was projected above the holoterminal in a transparent blue image. His know-it-all expression, his tattoo, and every square inch of Tarro disgusted the bounty hunter. Just seeing the hologram again made Burzek as furious as a Gundark with both of his ears chopped off.

 

"No. Save the image," Burzek states coldly. "Tarro'll remind me of what it took to get me here in the first place," the hunter adds. Tarro was not just an old nemesis and rival, but an object which Burzek could use to remember his past and a trophy to show off his victory over not only Tarro but the entire Great Hunt. Of course the hunter would save the image of the di'kut, just like he had saved the boots, gloves, and other trophies from the dead Mandalorian's corpse.

 

Burzek finally releases the small slicer, but he still kept her close to his side. "Come on, let's go back to-" The morning alarm cut off the rest of Burzek's words. Moans from Skadge and Gault as well as the excited "babbling" tongue of Blizz followed soon afterward.

 

"So much for that, I guess," Mako points out, a small grin on her face. "Come on, let's forget about Tarro and pretend like this morning never happened, okay? Okay," Mako adds without waiting for an answer from the hunter. All Burzek could do was return the grin. "Come on, I'll take you out for breakfast." The young slicer walks back to their room, leaving Burzek alone with the hologram of Tarro.

 

"I wish I had killed you earlier, creep," Burzek says under his breath before bringing his hand down on the terminal's power button. Hard.

 

 

 

And, a question, are we allowed to write from any prompt that has been stated on the forum?

 

Thank you!

-RGC

[Supreme Mogul’s Contraband Pack]

I like the speeders and companions (the Sarlacc pit and female Mira's armor set are cool too) , but the rest is pretty so-so for me. And, most of these items have already been released in other packs with different names or colors.

 

It's an okay pack, but I feel like it isn't as great as older packs.

 

Thanks, Bioware, but I think I'll pass on this one.

 

-RGC