#2022swtorss

[oolathurman]

happy life day! I'm the swtor secret santa for @autisticbones :D they asked for something fun and fluffy and i went 'well what's cuter than the polycule going to an amusement park'

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[captainderyn]

Happy Life Day @sullustangin !!! Here’s your Sectet Santa gift :D

Eva and the gals from the smuggler crew rocking up to Nar Shaddaa for a girl’s night. I was absolutely endeared by your mentions and stories of them being friends and wanted to capture that. Hope you like it!

[thelealinhypehouse]

Rrrruuuurrr Rrrruu Rruuuurr! (Translation from Wookie language: Happy Life day! ) I hope i done justice for your amazing Agent Fi'nalyn! Hope you like it ;u; @vagabond-pinky

[vagabond-art]

Forget Me Not

2022 SWTOR Secret Santa for @hunnybadgerv of your beautiful jedi knight, Amaryn Rha! i really hope you like her! 💓😄

[sheyshen]

A secret santa gift for @captainderyn of their smuggler Emeldir and Risha!

I hope you have a fabulous life day and a happy and healthy new year!! <3

[walker-walker-fashion-baby]

Two Aliens Walk into the Empire [SWTOR SECRET SANTA]

By: ReneTheStan/fatheriimaginedyoutaller

SWTOR Secret Santa Gift for: @space-unicorn-dot/ @tiredassmage

Fic also avaliable on AO3

Summary: Savosta, a Chiss, The Renagade Sith Chiaros Curo, Half Human Zabrak, Darth Nessight and Dark Lord of the Sith

Two very different embodiments of what it means to be a Force user, have a tense conversation about the paths they chose to take in life.

Special thanks to: @chokit-pyrus

[Fic under cut]

Drommund Kaas looked like an old decolored corpse that had come alive again and regained all of its senses at once.

Aliens of every stripe were outside celebrating in the streets of the sacred city. Dancing and throwing out firecrackers like their lives depended on it. A clash of cultures and colors made the gray walls reflect a rainbow of living organisms that were breathing and experimenting with happiness for the first time ever.

Savosta could see them from his balcony, doing things he would never dare to do in the cities controlled by the Empire, speaking in Tongues that were forbidden until a few minutes ago and eating food from planets far away from here.

The Chiss sighed and relaxed his shoulders as he felt the warm wind coming from the jungle’s south. He let it wrapped him in an embrace and tried to ignore how the happy atmosphere of the event contrasted with his gloomy usual personality and current mood.

A thing he would rarely admit was the fact he did not understand something.

But at least he could admit it to himself, into a dark corner of his head of course, and he could then try and suppress it forever. 

But what was the thing he didn’t understand?

“I knew I would find you here…”

Suddenly the warm breeze stopped and Savosta frowned. He knew what was gonna happen next. But he foolishly believed he had more time.

Savosta sighs and rubs his temple. Of course she would know where to find me. . .I’m the only blue skinned idiot who's not out there celebrating. . .

“Shouldn’t you be out there celebrating?” Chiaros asked with a smirk as if the Force had given her the power to read minds. 

“Shouldn’t you be at a stuffy old party giving a speech?” he replied without turning back to look at his old Academy companion.

Even saying that caused an uneasy feeling inside him. Another thing to suppress forever. He told himself to not be overwhelmed by her presence. 

Because he knew the truth, even before she took out that damn metal helmet and showed her horns and tattoos to the society that would have shunned her if she hadn’t had the power of a goddess practically running through her veins, he knew who Chiaros Curo was.

And he had a feeling she knew that too..

“I was never too much of a fancy party kind of woman,” she shrugged. “My crew will take care of it. . .”

The Chiss rolled his eyes. Who was she trying to fool? Honestly he was surprised it didn’t take this much for her to start treating her own crew like that. The history holocrons would remember her as the Sith Who Ended Slavery. The Breaker of Chains. . .

“Why are you here?” he challenged as he turned around to face her “Only to gloat on your newfound power?”

“Is that what you think of me?”She pressed a hand against her chest pretending to be hurt. “That I’m some sort of madwoman blinded by lust for control?”

It seemed like even the streets knew of the unnerving tension between them as a firecracker suddenly went off and exploded in a  million red colored shards of light above them.

“What I think,” he said as the effect vanished “Is that perhaps there’s more of your father inside of you than you care to admit…”

He knew he crossed the line with that one.

“Why?” She spatted, another firecracker went off, this time blue. “Because I have a lightsaber, an attitude problem and I’ve killed? Is the bar for evil truly that low these days?

Savosta rolled his eyes again, turned around and looked at a group of twi’lek children running through the streets, “Forget it, I knew you wouldn't understand…”

“And I knew you wouldn’t care to explain…”

There was a time where they would’ve died for each other, the Chiss lamented. Because for Savosta, even thinking about it brought him a great amount of pain.

He heard the steps of the new Dark Lord getting farther and farther. At that moment however it seemed like his body and voice were possessed by a Force Ghost that he couldn’t stop from using its power to pronounce words and turn around to face his old ally.

“Is it true what you said up there?” he said.

He witnessed the cloaked figure stopping in her tracks and facing him once more 

“What?” she asked as she crossed her arms.

“That you would eliminate any Jedi who would get in your way?”

Chiaros’ expression turned inquisitive “Well I didn’t say only Jedi…”

“Don’t joke around, not now.”

“Why do you even care?” she shrugged nonchalantly “Since when are you above tormenting a few peaceful flower children of the Force?”

“I’m not like that anymore and you know it…” Savosta defended himself.

“And that’s your curse to bear,” She added and seemed about to joke again until her expression morphed into a knowing one. “You…you have acquaintanced with one of them, haven’t you?...

“You’re friends with a jedi now?”

“I would appreciate it if you stopped using your Force Intuition on me, thank you very much.”

“Don’t joke around, not now.” she parroted him. 

“So what if I did?” he shrugged as if imitating her too. “Aren’t I on my right to do so? I mean, stranger things have happened, right? Like a certain Zabrak falling in love with an Empire Capt–

Another firecracker went off at the same time his oxygen was taken away by the Force and he started levitating off the ground. He coughed as he was dragged by Chiaros’ pulse via her raising her arm. 

She used the force to drag him in front of her .

“Do.Not.Talk.About.My.Husband.Or my crew.Ever.” she warned menacingly.

He kept coughing and nodded but the new Dark Lord didn’t seem satisfied with the answer. She kept her eyes locked on Savosta. That gave him an opportunity to sneakily pull out a dagger from his pocket and shove into her ribs.

She winced as another firecracker went off and both aliens fell into the ground with their faces illuminated by a purple light.

They both laid on the ground for a while 

“Alright… then… do not talk about my… acquaintances again, how is  that for a fair deal?” he managed to say between gasps for air. Savosta looked at his former friend as she used the force to heal her wound and regained composure. 

“It’s all a contest of who can swing a sword better, you know that right?” Savosta continued. “We’ve both had our reasons to choose our side on it and we won’t apologize for it…

Another pause amongst them.

“No,” Chiaros Curo, Darth Nessight, Dark Lord of the Sith said. “I suppose we won’t…”

[sullustangin]

2022 SWTOR Secret Santa Fic

Happy Holidays to @thelealinhypehouse​ ! 

I was happily assigned to be your Santa.  One of the prompts you sent over was:  “My imperial agent Ain'res or my jedi master Sallaros. Ain in some snowball fight  with Theron or solo.”

I read into your blog a bit, noted your descriptions of Ain’res and his lovely braids, and picked up on his ‘hard-ass with a heart of gold’ attitude.  One thing did stand out to me in my research: the fact that Ain’res’s romantic pairing with Theron is an AU, given his issues and the dangers he voluntarily faces.  One of the major themes of Star Wars is hope.  So this gift fic straddles a space between your canon and your AU -- you can place in either universe.  I hope this makes you happy.

~~

…it was time to move on. He’d reached that decision less than a week before Life Day rolled around at Odessen.  

Well over a year ago, Ain'res'sabosen had helped the Alliance save the galaxy.  His bags had been packed the second the victory broadcast had finished.

No, it wasn’t because he had hated the Commander or had disapproved of the Alliance’s presence as a peacekeeping aid fleet.  Ain’res had needed to go home.  To the Empire.  

And so he had.  

Someone had to defend it against all foes, visible and invisible.  That included far too many Sith who’d let power go to their heads. Cipher Seven was to return to Ghost status, and after each mission, simply disappear.  Every mission.

Months, a year passed. Every success was met with a tingle of adrenaline and a flash of dopamine for a job well done… and yet his fingers always found the rings woven into his hair.  

But then Lana Beniko asked him to return, because Theron Shan – the Alliance’s black ops coordinator and operations manager of Odessen – had seemingly defected.

He was dangerous to the Empire, as well as the rest of the galaxy.  That was Ain’res’ rationale at the time.  

“Seemingly” was why Ain’res really needed to move on now: it had been a charade, everything had been set to right, and his former firing range partner was no longer another target on his list.

…but why was it so daunting to move his bag to the shuttle he’d reserved for transport off-world?

Maybe it was the snow. It reminded Ain’res of Csilla; even though he’d been born on urban Cioral, Csilla was much prettier to look at, much like Ain’res.

It was also far more dangerous -- much like Ain’res.  

Ain’res finally pushed himself to stand and took one last look at his quarters on Odessen, making sure he hadn’t left a charger or something behind.  

There was no need to check the drawers; he’d never really unpacked.  Laundry would be washed and replaced right back into his bag… he never intended on staying with the Alliance.

Why was this so hard?

As Ain’res marched down the hallway, one of his braids bounced right into his line of sight. Pesky thing.  Impulsively, he chomped down on the end to keep it from smacking him.  Fortunately, he managed to avoid the rings, this time.

~~

“Are you sure we can’t persuade you to stay with the Alliance?  Your talent would be used for the betterment of the galaxy,” Lana again asked him.  

Ain’res shook his head.

Both of the Alliance advisors had been loitering, deliberately, in the hallway en route to the shuttle launch area to try to catch him.  If Ain’res had wanted to avoid them, he could have…

But it was sort of nice to feel like he was someone they wanted to keep around.

“I still serve the people of the Empire.  Not every Sith Lord… is as pragmatic as you are,” Ain’res chose his words carefully. “They don’t seem to understand that without the people, there is no Empire…or tax base with which to run it.”  Lana smirked at that smart comment. “Their worst impulses…need to be checked.”

“And you’re the man to do it,” Theron said, looking straight at the blaster pistols at Ain’res’s hips.

Ain’res nodded again. “I have to be.”

Sudden, both advisors’ datapads screeched.  Theron’s hand was quick to reach for his implants, beating Lana’s attempt to draw out her datapad from her voluminous robes.  “Well, looks like you’ll be here with us a little longer, Cipher Seven – inclement weather.  Lana, the Commander is – ”

“Absolutely not going to try to land in this!”  Lana had already whirled around in a great billowing cloud of Sith tailoring as she marched toward the nearest holocomm to delay and deter the Commander arriving.

It wasn’t the first time a landing hadn’t quite gone to plan.

That left Ain’res and Theron Shan standing in the hallway.  After an awkward pause, Ain’res asked, “Any idea how long this will be?”

Theron shrugged. “Depends on how much snow it drops and whether it starts icing over – we should know within the next hour or two.” Theron jerked his head toward the docks. “Want to take a look?”

“Yes.”  The answer came out unbidden, and by the time Ain’res had a moment to feel self-conscious about his eagerness, he was already following Theron down the hallway.

Eventually the two men emerged on the military docks.   Aygo was directing traffic and ushering people to either get inside or get cold weather gear.  The two spies took the hint: they grabbed two standard-issue all-weather thermal jackets before darting out of the hangar bay.  

As the pair followed the trail out toward the shooting range, Ain’res couldn’t stop himself from feeling that little jolt of awe as he passed through Odessen’s now sleeping forest.

This planet in winter was beautiful.   Maybe even prettier than Csilla.  There was a promise of spring here.  The snow was temporary; the joy or inconvenience it brought was fleeting.  Change was possible.  That wasn’t the case with Csilla…(and maybe not Ain’res either).

“Should have brought blasters out here.  Ah well. Probably wouldn’t have fired well in this weather,” Theron mused distractedly as he scanned the terrain around them.  

Ain’res was a resourceful man.  He did not miss opportunities.  

A strangled yelp came out of Theron as Ain’res’s well-aimed snowball hit him right where his collar met his skin.  Despite himself, Ain’res giggled –

And promptly got a face full of snow in retribution.

It was on.

There was some divine comedy in two of the deadliest men in the galaxy engaging in something as juvenile as a snowball fight.

Then again, neither of them really had the chance to be juveniles in the first place, so perhaps the Divine had mercy on them, just this once.

The fresh cold snow hit Ain’res’s skin and lingered; Chiss ran cool by nature.  The flakes eventually evaporated away, but the edges of the tiny crystals were briefly felt.  The prickle again summoned a memory, a good one, as he heaved snow in Theron’s direction.

Eventually, the two juggernauts slowed as the snow continued to fall down, making their steps heavier. They staggered about, grabbing for snow, their accuracy gone, their lungs gasping for breath.

It was fun.

They never did come to an agreement as to who hit the ground first and didn’t get up again; it was too close to call.  

Exhausted, as they were both trying to catch their breath despite their laughter, Ain’res betrayed himself; he looked at Theron’s face.  …they’d become fast ...friends again after Theron had returned.  

That word came so hard for him.  

When Theron was cleared from medbay, after he returned from Nathema, they’d had a drink.  Theron had settled for ginger ale, given his condition. They had laughed then also, but over such a horrible thing:  the deadly cat-and-mouse game they’d almost gotten to play.  Thank the Stars for the Commander’s less bloody thinking (at least compared to Lana).

Most people would have been horrified to be a Cipher target, but Theron had understood.  He’d been SIS; he knew how these things were, regardless of personal feelings.

…And there was the problem…

Looking right back at Ain’res.

Ain’res had been caught.

He felt the flood of heat on his face as he tried to look away, redirect his own attention --

Yet, even in his panic at being found out, Ain’res observed a certain sadness, just before half of Theron’s mouth hitched up.  

“I thought Chiss were good with cold weather,” he said.

Ain’res blinked at him, confused.  

Theron pointed with a gloved finger, keeping his hands close to himself.  “You’re turning purple.”

Ain’res blushed even harder.

…And Theron finally figured it out.  “Oh. Sorry.”  A nervous hand went up to the back of his neck.  His soaked collar had to be pulled away from his skin. “Didn’t mean to … call you out or anything.”

The Chiss vigorously shook his head, his braids making quiet ‘thumps’ against his shoulders.  “I’m – fine.  So –

And suddenly, a very warm puff of air crossed his mouth as Theron impulsively kissed him.

Ain’res’s brain shut down entirely.  It wasn’t unpleasant, like the brainwashing.  It felt pretty amazing…

The kiss had to end sometime – and it did.  Sometime.

And then Ain’res’s heart dropped.  “I can’t.” He might have shut his mouth then, but Ain’res couldn’t stop the feelings from rampaging through his head.  After everything, the mind control, his team --  There was a reason he was alone, and it was because he deserved it. He’d failed.  

Theron watched him, trying to read him, trying to understand what was going on in his head…the master of spies knew his file.  He knew --

“I owe it to them to serve the Empire.”  

It was the slightest motion on Theron’s face, but it was enough.  “You really want to go back to the Sith Empire?”

Ain’res glared.  “I serve the people of the Empire.  Not the Sith.  You know that.”

“You can do that here with the Alliance, just as I serve the Republic… at least her ideals, anyway.” Theron cleared his throat.  “I’m probably not the guy who should be encouraging others to defect, given recent history.”

Ain’res had to laugh at that.  Then, the shame.  The urge to shake himself… “But I would harm the Republic to save the people of the Empire,” Ain’res cut right to the heart of this matter.  “We… friends.  All we are. All we can be.”

Because you wouldn’t forgive me.

Although his hair was darker from being wet due to the snow, Theron’s silver streaks at his temples still reflected the hazy light of the  sun as he shifted to sit up.  “Not … necessarily true.”

“Are you mad?” The words flew out of Ain’res.

Theron stifled a weak laugh. “No… it’s just… how do I put it?” Theron sighed.  “...it’s one thing to be alone in the galaxy, like I am.  It’s another thing to be lonely.”  He tilted his head toward the other agent.  “Not sure which one you are.  But now that a planet-eating emperor is gone and an unstoppable space fleet is no longer a threat to anyone… the galaxy might start to calm down.  It’s changing, almost as fast as Odessen, according to Dr. Oggurobb…”

Ain’res understood what he was getting at….

And he didn’t want to deal with those feelings right now.  

“…I need to prep my shuttle for departure.”   But before he could run off and abandon Theron entirely, Ain’res felt the urge and gave into it: “thank you for your time,” he said in a rush.

He was so bad at this.

~~

Been awhile since Dromund Kaas.

Been awhile since this bed. He was glad he had done the laundry before he left.  Fresh sheets always made sleep easier… though not always possible.

Ain’res hand tangled in his hair.  He felt the aurebesh letters on the rings slide by.  He explored them, as if he’d never touched them before.

Ain’ress knew the names; they were carved into his heart.  

Are you alone?  Or lonely?

On a not-so-good night – or a night where a mission was keeping him awake, Ain’res constantly toyed with the rings until they slid down the strands.  One of his nervous habits was to bite down on the braid, and sometimes, he’d knock a tooth against the rings.  As his jaw sprang back open, his first thought was to the rings…not to his own teeth.  

His friends…his partner…his team…  he’d lost them.  They weren’t here to proclaim him blameless for their deaths.  No, their names were engraved on the rings to remind him --

…He needed to be reminded that he was alone, and he thought he deserved it…

And with that came the loneliness.

Are you like Csilla? Pretty, dangerous, and always cold?

Ain’res watched the shadows of traffic on Dromund Kaas play across his bedroom ceiling.  Rain, as usual.  

No snow.  No magic.  No Theron. All these things melted away when just enough time had passed.  

But the memories were already lingering far longer than his normal mental discipline permitted.  

…or can you be like Odessen?  Pretty, dangerous… and ever-changing?

Ain’res let himself remember the cold and the hot contrast that had lingered on his mouth for glorious moments…

Can you change…?

Live a little longer than you want…?

Ain’res surprised himself that night.

For the first time since he could remember…maybe before the brainwashing? … he dreamed.

There was a message on his datapad from Theron the next morning.

Ain’res answered it.

~~

A/N:  To dream for a former Cipher is quite a hopeful sign.  How he answers -- that’s up to you.  Happy Holidays

[tiredassmage]

2022 SWTOR Secret Santa - Supply Lines

Happy holidays @oolathurman​!! It was my pleasure to be your Secret Santa! ^.^ I hope you’re having a great holiday season, and enjoy a little pet-filled fun and mischief featuring a pair of my Smugglers and the ever-lovely Azukni & Lt. Green for you! (And a mischievous akk pup named Sparks that loves to bring them all together!)

x-x-x-x-x

“KRESENKO VINCENT-!”

Kres grimaced at the roar that emitted from deeper in the halls of the freighter and stooped to scoop up the akk pup that had just been thoroughly enjoying chewing at his ankle like a toddler with a binky. “Time to go!” Akk pup under one arm, Kres grunted as he hefted a sack of supplies over his other shoulder and hauled jets for the ramp.

“I thought I told you to stay out of the Captain’s room, Sparks?” He shot an accusing glare down at the pup when his feet hit the hangar floor. The pup gave a rambunctious growl as it lept to the floor that had Kress roll his eyes. Who was he kidding? “You’re lucky I smuggled you outta Alderaan, runt,” he muttered, roughing a hand over the pup’s head. “Spoiled noble brats don’t know how to keep their credits, huh?”

But he jabbed a finger at the pup. “Don’t get underfoot, alright? Bad enough you got Mads ready to space us both. Keep it up and Hylo’ll never let us on another job, a’right?” He clapped the pup’s shoulder. “Alright, shoo, just… Maybe don’t get into another scuff with Lokin’s friends.” That man’s passions gave him… Eugh. Suppose everyone needed a hobby. Just as long as he stayed clear of R&D.

And if it wasn’t Mads that strung him up for that pup loose in her sock drawer, Bowdarr would probably have a word or three or ten for stirring her all up.

And off the hound went scurrying across the hangar floor, dodging through the legs of a wandering pack of off-duty troops and skittering under the moving crates.

Kres frowned. Alright. Maybe Mads had a point. Void take him if he ever gave her an ego boost, though. He dropped his first load of supplies down with the crates they’d already unloaded and turned back to find Mads tapping her foot away angrily at the top of the ramp.

Kres winced, but quickly flashed his (hopefully) most winning smile. “Yes, Captain?”

The Mirialan’s eyes narrowed. “I told you to keep a leash on that lil’ scoundrel if you were bringin’ him back on my ship.”

Kres rubbed at the back of his head. “I… take it I owe you a cabinet or three or…”

Mads huffed out a sigh and shook her head, planting her hands on her hip. “We can discuss what you owe me later, Kres. For now, get your ass back in here and help me unload these supplies for the medbay. I didn’t hire you just for your good looks!”

Kres shot her finger guns. “But they certainly help, don’t they?”

“Stow it, Vincent! Or I’ll have Hylo ground you for a week!”

“That won’t be necessary, Commodore!” Kres skittered back up the ramp after her.

x-x-x-x-

Military bases and starships weren’t exactly made for curious akk pups, but they sure had an overabundance of things that interested an akk pup. Stacks of supplies that ranged in smell from boring and utterly metallic, to a hint of something fragrant, spicy, juicy… and out of reach. These usually warranted rather thorough investigation just to ensure there wasn’t a Sparks-sized snack just waiting to be consumed beneath.

There had also been the day the members of Havoc Squad had fallen head over heels for chasing him around the hangar. At least three of them, at any rate. He’d possibly run headlong into Jorgan’s disapproving frown (rather, his armored legs, and then his disapproving frown) and there had been some yelling afterward, but also some elbowing and a few snickers as the pup tried very hard to hide behind the saluting legs of several Havoc soldiers and potentially complicit hangar employees.

Doctor Lokin’s “friends” were a bit too fast for the akk pup’s tastes. And very particular about chasing. And there was usually much less snacks involved than when he chased the Havoc soldiers. There may have been an incident involving a droid.

(Either Sparks made very convincing puppy eyes, or maybe the smuggler did. Maybe they both did, depending on who you asked. Curious akk pups did not appear to be on the usual Alliance recruit roster.)

(Their loss.)

There had, however, been a series of short interactions between Sparks and a particularly large and curious creature. Large compared to the akk pup, that is. Curious mayhap better described the pup’s utter fascination with the large orobird that occupied a small clearing not far from the Enclave and medical facilities.

This was often where Sparks could be found chasing the smaller wildlife that flitted through the Odessen trees. Things that were fast, small, and, as a bonus, shiny, were often fascinating subjects to the akk pup.

Sparks met Lieutenant Green in a similar fashion as he’d met Major Jorgan: careening headlong into a very large, firm leg. With a very distinctive, rather odd squawk.

And then a very giant tongue had lapped over the pup’s face.

All thoughts of little critters abandoned, Sparks returned to bound laps around the giant, colorful bird at every opportunity. Which had been maybe… three times. Several times. Several times since Kres had picked him up from that Alderannian lordling.

It wasn’t like Kres was keeping count and Sparks certainly couldn’t.

For a blessing, this blossoming friendship had not gone entirely unnoticed and (as another blessing for the rest of the Alliance) nor was it unmonitored. Azukni arriving with treats was, perhaps, one of Lt. Green’s favorite occurrences, and the curious new addition to the little gathering of Alliance animals quickly caught on.

And who was Azukni to say no to a new friend?

Sparks yipped from atop the orobird’s back, tongue lolling in excitement as Lt. Green sat staring at the wide door leading back into the Alliance base.

Azukni had been very busy since they had come to Odessen. She was always busy, maybe, and Lt. Green always waited for her. The orobird shuffled his wings and scooted a bit closer to the door.

They had been slowly inching their way closer over the last quarter of an hour or so. Sparks had tired of chasing soldiers and insects and running laps around and through Lt. Green’s legs while the orobird very determinedly tried to lick his face (it was a game of tag, or dodge, in a way - to the akk pup, at least). It should be about time.

They just had to wait.

Very patiently.

Sparks gave a disgruntled little groan from Lt. Green’s back. (Sparks was a little less patient than Lt. Green.)

Finally, the Alliance base doors opened with a woosh and a familiar Zabrak appeared with a bag of (absolutely) treats over her shoulder. Lt. Green announced this with much delighted fanfare, akk pup bouncing on his back as he trotted excitedly over with several very relieved, very pleased squawks.

Azukni giggled as Lt. Green’s tongue lapped over her hair several times vigorously. Meanwhile, the akk pup slithered off of the orobird’s back to yap excitedly at her heels, bouncing at her feet with bright orange eyes fixated on the bag of goods.

“Hello! Hello!” Azukni readily fished around in the depths of her bag to finish her greeting to two of her greatest friends. “Yes, I’m very glad to see you, too, Sparks!” One hand gave the pup a pat on the head, to which he barked, before her other offered the tasty morsel he greedily snarfed down in a bite. “Did you have another good flight? See lots of cool places?” Lt. Green snuffled at her arm with his beak. “Did you already tell Lt. Green all about it?” Sparks yipped again. “I’m late?! My goodness, I’m so sorry, friends! I’ll just have to hear all about it now.”

It was a busy life, looking out for others in a thing like the Alliance, raising kids, making time for pets and so on, but it was all those little things that made it all well worth it. Azukni made for a fairly flat rock near the edge of the clearing, Sparks bobbing excitedly around her legs as she went. She told them about her day, an update on the kids, told Sparks yet again how happy she was to see him returned - it must mean the Commodore and Captain Vincent had made it back safely as well. The Captain and his somewhat wayward acquisition were an amusing tale to track through the Alliance, colorful and bright like the streets of Nar Shadaa she had left behind to come here and look after the folks of the Alliance while they tried to look out for the galaxy.

A pretty big job when you put it like that, wasn’t it?

“No,” Azukni scolded gently as the akk pup whined with wide eyes at her once more. “No more treats, my friend. I’m sorry, but it’s really not good for you.” Another whine. She smiled fondly and scritched the pup’s chin. “I know, I know, but what will Captain Vincent say, hmm?” She playfully winked at the little pup. “He goes through a lot of trouble for you, you know? Major Jorgan is still complaining about you ‘distracting the troops.’” As if a puppy wasn’t the perfect morale booster.

And, true, also a distraction while working. Thoughtfully, she tapped her chin. Maybe she could work out a better schedule for them and the Major. R&R was just as important to a solider as maintaining weapons.

“Sparks? Sparks?!” The akk pup tilted his head back towards the Alliance base. Shortly after the muffled calls, Captain Vincent appeared out of the base doors. Lt. Green cooed at the semi-frazzled smuggler who’s hands rested on his hips as pale eyes scanned the clearing. “Where is that little rascal?”

“Ah, Captain Vincent!” Azukni waved an arm to catch the Captain’s attention with a smile. “Over here!”

“Master Azukni!” Kres trotted over, the akk pup bounding off with a yip-yip to spring at the Captain’s legs halfway over. “I am so sorry,” Kres puffed, scooping the hound into his arms. “I really oughta know to look for the little scoundrel over here by now. He wasn’t bothering you again, was he?”

“Oh, no bother!” Azukni assured with a shake of her head. “I think Lt. Green has taken quite a liking to him, actually!” She fondly patted the orobird who cooed in agreement.

Kres snorted as Sparks rasped a tongue messily across his chin. “Ohh, I’m sure, lil’ rascal,” he muttered, rubbing the hound’s head. “I owe you, Master Jedi, for keepin’ this little one out of an extra freighter’s worth of trouble!”

“He is growing rather fast,” Azukni assented with a fond smile. “How was your last trip?”

“A great run, as far as the haul. I think you’ll like some of what we brought back!” Kres’s nose wrinkled with a slight frown. “Zel uh… may be less inclined to let me tag along for a while though.”

The Jedi fixed a knowing look on the pup that squirmed in the smuggler’s arms. “Getting a wee bit restless for your freighter runs, Captain?”

“Yeah,” Kres said. “My favorite little runt isn’t quite so little anymore, is he?” He let Sparks back out of his arms. The hound snuffled around his feet for a few moments before catching the scent of something interesting and darting off with another yip. “You uh… wouldn’t happen to know anyone lookin’ for a dog, would you?”

Azukni tried and failed to completely suppress a giggle beneath a hand over her mouth. “It would be beneficial for him to have more space. You might start losing more than cargo if he keeps up like this.”

“Yeah, that’s what Mads keeps saying.” Kres shook his head. “I’ll miss the little guy, but… I didn’t fleece him off a noble for kicks. Perfectly legal, I mean. I swear.”

Azukni shook her head in amusement. “I will see about asking around for you. He’s made quite a few friends. I’m sure there is a home to be made for him that may be a bit more permanent.”

“I owe you one. So much.” Kres breathed a sigh of relief. “In other news though, Mads and I just finished unloading. Where’d you like your deliveries?”

Azukni gave a fond pat to Lt. Green. “You’ll keep an eye on our friend, I trust?” The orobird chirped pleasantly and she smiled. “I’ll show you then. And thank you again, Captain.”

x-x-x-x-x-

and, as an added bonus, one night I could not continue working on this until I made this very VERY quick and dirty meme a reality, sO

this is how this all started adknflds;nfldsaf

Happy holidays!!! <3