Summary: The conclusion of Far Past the Ring, ending with the journal entry of an officer on Medina Station.
I rewrote this scene 3-4 times. I thought this was the corniest way it could have ended. But I was wrong. It may be one of my favorites.
Also, although Tech doesn't really look like himself in this art, it is still one of my favorite pieces. 3 years old, and I still love it.
(Read the link here, or below: Far Past the Ring: Epilogue)
Thanks again @clonexocweek
I have often been unsure about how to feel about change. It is a fundamental part of life.
But what happens when one chooses that change? Make their own course? And runs into something else completely?
Do you fight for it? Against it? What do you do?
Previously, in another life, I would have said otherwise. I would have simply done as needed, as what was expected of me as a soldier in an endless army, all created from the same man.
But I am no longer that soldier.
And no day was that made clearer than today.
It was small–only my squad, Sjael’s family, and the crew of the Rocinante . The ceremony was short–per Belter custom, and per my own request. Sjael thought it was admirable, that even in one of the most crucial moments of a human’s life, that I was still logical, but that I still wanted to show what I felt, in the way that I felt most comfortable.
A human’s life. That is what I truly am.
My hands were the same as hers as we held them, in front of Camina, who laughed at being the one to officiate. Sjael’s smile was like my smile, and her expression of joy was like mine as well, as we stood in the middle of one of the prairies in Medina Station. Her skin and body were like mine, but she was wrapped in a white dress that folded in ways that both covered and showed her beauty, and I wore vest, shirt, and trousers I borrowed from Holden. My wife’s dark hair was woven with wildflowers from the station’s prairies, the same as the ones she carried, the same that I tucked into my breast pocket…along with one of the blossoms from her vanilla orchids. I will always treasure those wonderful plants.
We spoke with human voices as we declared to be faithful to each other, to cherish each other’s friendship, to be there in both sickness and health, to love each other until the end of days. It was almost the exact same words we spoke in that terrifying call from her ship, where I ordered her to turn around.
But she does not follow orders, and neither do I.
Others have called my people nonhuman. They have called her people nonhuman as well. We have been called machines, animals, slaves, equipment, every title that can rip your humanity away from you.
But this fact is untrue, because machines and animals do not get married.
They do not kiss in front of their family and friends as they are announced as pexa unte pexa by the president, a member of your family who has loved you her whole life, who is your friend in peace, and your ally in war.
They do not hold their beautiful little daughter and hug their emotional sisters when the ceremony is concluded.
They do not dodge cheerful slugs from their brothers, or shake the hands of their proud friends, people who love you, who will risk their lives for you.
They do not walk back to their home hand in hand with their spouse, where the roof is lit with a thousand endless lights, waiting for them to enjoy dinner together.
They do not spend hours bantering, laughing, and crying over a joyful meal celebrating love and family.
They do not make love in the dark of their bed, the only world consisting of them and the one that they cherish with every fiber of their being.
They do not softly whisper into each other’s ears and close their eyes with their arms wrapped tightly around their spouse, knowing that their family–their brothers and sisters, children, cousins, nieces and nephews–are all safe and secure. That what you fought for has brought them peace.
Humans do those things.
I am human. I am me.
As are my brothers and sister, as is my wife and child, as are my friends, as are all of those I hold dear.
We have blood in our veins, hearts that beat within us, eyes that see and arms that hold.
We are not equipment, we are not animals, we are humans alone in this vast expanse, building our future together.
My name is Captain Teki Drummer, and I am one of the chief engineers of Medina Station. I hold rank as an officer within the Transport Union under the command of President Camina Drummer. I am a veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic, of Clone Force 99, and am an ally of the warship Rocinante .
I am a husband, a father, a brother, a friend, a colleague, and a survivor of countless battles. I was born a clone of the Mandalorian, Jango Fett, on a planet called Kamino. But, I am now a member of the Belter nation, a people born in an endless sea of darkness. But they will always find the light, and I am proud to help them on that journey.
May I always be held high in their esteem and their regards.
May I always have the strength of Bobbie, the brilliance of Naomi, the focus of Jim, the kindness of Amos, the innovation of Clarissa, and, most importantly, the honor and courage of Camina, whom I am more than proud to call both commander and family.
This is my story, and I am happy to have lived it. To keep living it.
My siblings are many, and my people are countless across the stars.
I am theirs, and they are mine, until the end of days.
Xiya depelésh mi wanya bi…wit milowda.*
*= I am where I want to be...with my people. (in Lang Belta)
Finally made a fanart of my Jedi Padawan OC Seren Myral with Tech (kind of like a movie poster) to celebrate the last chapter of Force and Sensitivity. I hope if you haven't read it, you will give it a try. And to all those that have read it, thank you! ❤️
I don't describe her appearance in the story since it's a reader, so maybe she doesn't actually appear this way. If you read it and would rather see a different rendition, I'm happy to oblige with more versions. :)
Title: Showxa mi dem Setera ("Show me the Stars" in Lang Belta)
Pairing: Tech x Dr. Sjael Drummer (OC)
Word count: 4,460
Prompts: Star gazing
Rating: E (Explicit! Minors DNI)
Content warning: Sex and all that entails. Plus extreme nerd talk.
Summary: While on Station 47 (Book 1 of Far Past the Ring), Tech has grown close to Belter scientist, Dr. Sjael Drummer. Here, they watch the stars and talk together.
(Fic below. Link to AO3 here)
Thanks for the inspiration to repost this, @clonexocweek !
It was a quiet night on the Marauder, on Station 47. It had been a week since the remains of Clone Force 99 had landed on the remote planet, and the quiet of the forested planet had been a welcome distraction for everyone. This was especially so for Tech, who was sitting in front of the camped Marauder, looking at his data pad, chewing on a ration bar. Omega, Hunter, and Wrecker were inside of the ship, asleep already.
Tech, meanwhile, was struggling. After all, it was quiet moments like these where his mind would wander. He wondered where Echo was with Rex, sometimes, and other times, thought about Crosshair, and what he was doing with the Empire.
His thoughts were interrupted by a noise on his comms device. Tech looked down at it, and found a massive smile inching across his face. It was the Belter engineer and scientist, Sjael Drummer, who he had met days ago….and, shortly afterwards, had gotten very intimate with him. The next day, as well.
Tech had thought about messaging her throughout the morning and afternoon, though he did not know what to say–every time he began typing up a message, he began to erase it. But she reached out to him now, with a simple request.
“Teki, come join me in the meadow, by my ship. I know it’s late, but I’d like to see you.”
The clone grabbed his backpack, and looked over the perimeter of the Marauder. Seeing nothing to be concerned about, the clone took off into the night.
Sure enough, in front of her ship, Sjael was perched quietly, a lantern propped next to her. She sat on a blanket, wearing her purple jumpsuit and boots, her long arms wrapped around her equally statuesque legs. A combination of the starlight and glow of the lamp made her cool skin seem to be made of marble, her near-black eyes and hair almost reflective as well. Tech sat down next to her.
“What are you planning on doing out here?” asked Tech. Sjael twirled her long dark braid in her fingers as she smiled at him. Her data pad sat next to her, a series of notes in Lang Belta already typed up.
“Doing what Earthers used to do, what inspired them to explore the skies…watch the stars above. Did you ever do that, on the planet where you came from?”
“Not particularly,” admitted Tech as he touched his goggles, “Kamino was almost always stormy, and besides, we already have mapped the stars out. No need for new discoveries.”
“You sound disappointed, Teki.”
“To be perfectly candid, I am,” said Tech with a gentle sigh, looking over at Sjael’s data pad, “It is delightful to find new things in nature, never seen or found before. It is one of the things I love doing when I am on missions with my squad.”
“Well, would you like to help me?” Sjael chirped, crossing one long leg over the other. Tech adjusted his goggles with a smile.
“But of course!”
They both laid on their backs, staring at the stars above them, in a gentle silence.
“What constellations are there?” asked Sjael aloud. Tech looked at her, arching a thick brow.
“What do you mean exactly?”
“It’s something we used for years, in our system,” the engineer explained, motioning with her hands towards the sky, “Shapes made by the stars, to help guide us.”
“It depends on what system we are in, I suppose,” Tech mused, rubbing his chin, looking back up at the stars. He heard Sjael purse her lips next to him.
“How many systems are in your galaxy, Teki?”
“Countless, but of the current ones that I have been to, well over two hundred.”
He rolled over, and admired Sjael’s profile, her large lips, pert nose, and long, slender neck. Tech wondered what her skin felt like in the coolness of the station’s night.
“Sjael…may I touch you?”
It never ceased to amaze him how large and dark Sjael’s eyes were as she looked at him, her black, sculpted brows arching over them.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she purred, her Belter accent making her words seem to dance as she spoke them. He gently touched her cheeks, as Sjael grabbed his other hand, smiling at him as she pulled herself closer to him.
Tech nuzzled her face before both of them began kissing each other, gently letting their lips and tongues play, Sjael’s long fingers tracing down his back, grabbing and gripping his shoulders, his spine, his rear. Tech then leaned over to Sjael, and looked at her jumpsuit. He began unzipping it, gently. She smiled up at him, her teeth reflecting the light of the stars and the distant moons of the station.
“Feeling like exploring beyond the night sky, eh, bosmang ?” Sjael asked, her Belter lilt especially saucy. Tech chuckled and shook his head.
“You are always fascinating to me,” Tech said softly back to her as he gently pushed the sides of her jumpsuit away, exposing her small, freckled breasts to the night air. He looked up at Sjael, a smile gently tugging on the side of his mouth.
“You normally wear a shirt underneath your jumpsuit,” Tech noted as he began gently stroking one of her dark pink nipples, which began to harden gently under his finger. Sjael arched a brow at him as he smiled.
“You were planning on getting intimate with me, weren’t you? Is that the real reason you called me out here?” Tech asked curiously, moving his fingers to toy with her other nipple, now that the first one was completely erect in the night air, “Did you even want to look at the stars? I thought you wanted to know what I knew about them.”
“I did, I do, and you have an exceptional mind,” Sjael whispered huskily as Tech cupped her breasts, massaging them, “You can do both, sasa-ke ? Play with me, while telling me all about the night sky here. You are so very capable, bosmang .”
Why do I love it when she calls me bosmang, Tech wondered as he began nosing her chest. Sjael stroked his hair as he gently began sucking on one of her breasts. She began to moan as he moved his hand down between her legs, deep into her jumpsuit.
She really isn’t wearing anything under this, Tech realized as he moved his hands between her heat, quietly amazed at how incredibly slick she had become. Sticking his fingers deep within her, Tech realized the more his mouth and tongue played with Sjael’s nipples, the wetter she became, her body bucking against his hand. Her skin was deliciously salty, but soft. I could have her nipples in my mouth all day , thought Tech.
His erection was almost painfully hard at this point, his skin practically screaming to get naked, his body wanting to become completely one with hers. Tech pulled himself back, and began taking off his clothes, as Sjael yanked off her jumpsuit. Before he knew it, Tech and Sjael were both nude under the stars. The Belter engineer shoved him back onto the blanket, much to his surprise.
“Get on your back, Teki,” said Sjael, her voice husky, as she hungrily began sucking on Tech’s neck, “Lean back and relax.”
“And do what, exactly?”
“Tell me everything you know about the current star system we are looking at. I want to learn about it, and I know you can tell me everything.”
“There are 7,100,000,000 stars in our known galaxy,” said Tech as he looked at the night sky, laying on his back, his erection gently being rubbed up and down by Sjael, as she gently licked, then nibbled, both of his own nipples. He moaned, feeling precum gently edge out of him. Meanwhile, Sjael then gently moved down towards his crotch, kissing his stomach the whole time. Tech closed his eyes, and enjoyed the soft feeling of her lips on his skin.
He gasped as she took all of his cock in her mouth, softly massaging his testicles at the same time, her long, thin finger gently pressing the muscles underneath them. Groaning, he could not help but marvel as he hit the back of the Belter’s warm throat, almost making her gag. Sjael suddenly pulled her mouth off of his shaft, the cool air contrasting the warm heat of her spit on him. His skin prickled with goosebumps over the feeling.
“Keep talking as I blow you,” she whispered, rubbing his now wet erection with her free hand, soaked with her spit, “I have an exceptional mind as well. I can listen and work your cock at the exact same time.”
“There are 3,200,000,000 habitable star systems out of the stars, here,” Tech said, closing his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the engineer’s hot mouth working his sex, her fingers pressing the bottom of the shaft, massaging them. He ran his hand through her hair, and opened his eyes to look at the stars, which twinkled around two small moons above them, “Only one billion of these systems have life. That makes it roughly one in three, not exactly in our odds for sentient lifeforms to live.”
“Mmmm,” moaned Sjael, the humming of her mouth making a wonderful vibration on Tech’s erection. Her tongue gently encircled the tip and shaft as she pulled up again. Tech bit his lower lip, holding back a gasp.
“ Tenye du wedzha ?” Sjael asked quickly, before putting Tech’s erection back in her mouth. He gasped, the sensation between the cool night air and her soft wet tongue once again shocking him, this time making his eyes roll back.
“What was that?” He gasped as Sjael pulled herself off his cock once again.
“ Me du sensa, Teki ,” Sjael laughed as she began stroking his erection hard, the warm spit from her mouth feeling wonderful around her grip, “I asked if you want to make a wager.”
“Oh, of course,” Tech moaned, not looking at her, “And what is that?”
“That you can not finish telling me a fact about the star systems before you come.”
“I can do both,” the clone uttered as he put both of his hands on Sjael’s head, as she went back to sucking his cock.
He closed his eyes again, and tried his best not to ejaculate down the Belter’s hot throat. Think of all the facts you know about space, and tell her. But do not ejaculate. Tech, do not finish just yet. You can do this.
“There’s the Wild Space , where Kamino is, where I am from–mmmh!” Tech grunted before he could end his sentence, coming inside of Sjael’s mouth. The engineer kept sucking as he finished, forcing Tech to breathe deeply, leaning fully into the blanket. The clone was now staring at the stars above him, his fingers deep into Sjael’s dark hair. He bucked his hips into her face, forcing her to swallow everything that he had, hard. Though he was somewhat disappointed that he finished so soon, Tech could not help but smile softly at the night sky.
I did not want to finish just yet but oh, my word…if I died right now, with her lips around me while I was talking about star systems and statistics in this quiet night…I would die a very, very happy man.
Sjael now crawled up to him, placing her head on his shoulder. Tech pulled off his goggles as he put his arms around her. Tracing the tattoo around her neck, he smiled.
“Why did you take your goggles off?” asked Sjael, as Tech traced around the symbol for ethyl vanillin on her throat. He leaned over and began kissing it, imagining it tasted, smelled , like the vanilla bean that she had shared with him earlier. It made her giggle.
“I want to see you–the winner of the bet–without them, that is why,” he said, gently moving her on her back, slowly working his way down her body. He stopped at her breasts, and gently nibbled and sucked both of them again, before moving down between her legs, repeating the path she had done before for him. Tech smiled as Sjael moved and moaned under his mouth.
“If your mouth is busy down there, how are you supposed to tell me more facts about the stars in your galaxy?” panted Sjael as Tech spread her thighs. He raised his brows at her.
“I would prefer to hear about the chemicals on your neck,” he said calmly to her, “You were very withholding the last time we talked about them. Start with ethyl vanillin, please.”
She is so wet , he realized as he flicked his tongue across her clit as she gasped, I wonder if that was me. Why am I asking this, of course it was.
“Ethyl vanillin is…mmm, it is a synthetic flavoring compound that tastes like vanilla and…hhmm, is often used to make things taste sweeter.”
Just like you , thought Tech saucily as he dug his tongue deeper in Sjael’s warm folds. Like her breasts, she tasted of salt, savory. I wonder what she ate before she called me over, wondered Tech. She grunted with pleasure before she continued.
“The, umm, starting material for its synthesis is guaiacol, which is a substance derived from lignin, a natural polymer found…oh, ah, Tech, Teki, I’m about to come.”
Then do it, he thought, suddenly sucking on her clitoris hard, come for me, know that I worked your body perfectly to make you feel so good . And it is nice to know that we both finish so quickly. If only I placed the bet now, ha!
Sjael’s body shook as she orgasmed. Tech held onto her thighs hard, still sucking on her sex, which seemed to drip with excitement. He stuck two of his fingers into her while continuing to work with his mouth. So very similar to a computer system, he almost laughed to himself, just press the right buttons and she’s completely open. Ha!
“Please go back to discussing the chemical solution,” Tech asked, quickly wiping his mouth on his shoulder and going right back into Sjael, who arched her back.
“Then, you will need to begin the etherification of guaiacol…ah, Teki, you’re going to make me come again!” she wailed, grabbing his hair and smashing his entire face into the source of her pleasure. He dug into the jungle scented heat of her, allowing her to completely surround his face.
He wiped his mouth again, this time on his wrist, and gently crawled up to Sjael. She smiled at him, panting. The starlight made her pale skin glow. He laid next to her, and looked up at the sky.
“You orgasm exceptionally quick and hard,” he noted. Sjael raised a sculpted eyebrow at him.
“It takes one to know one,” she quipped back. Tech gently laughed as he put a hand behind his head.
“What technically makes a collection of stars a constellation?” asked Tech. Sjael cuddled closer to Tech, and laid her head on his shoulder, her lips frowning as she thought aloud. Tech gently traced her spine, admiring the small bumps through her soft skin.
“According to one of my professors,” Sjael explained, her Belter lilt making the words almost musical, “It was Inners, many thousands of years ago, who saw patterns in the sky. They made up stories about them.”
“What kind of stories would one make up from patterns?” Tech asked aloud as Sjael gently began tracing his pectoral muscles with her long fingers.
“Stories about heroes, for one,” she replied, circling her fingers around his right nipple, “A man who defeated a many-headed monster, a beautiful princess chained to a rock, a great hunter who loved an even greater huntress. Animals too—a big bear and her baby, a swan, a male cow ... .things most of my people have never, will never see.”
“Strange,” Tech stated with a frown as Sjael moved her fingers to his collarbones, “Why those things? I do not see them in the sky, or even suggestions of a pattern resembling those objects. Just lines, dots, subjects of that nature.”
“I couldn’t tell you, Teki!” Sjael exclaimed with a light laugh, gently stroking the muscles on his neck, moving her fingers up to his ears, softly touching them, making him close his eyes, “I don’t see those objects, either. Silly Earthers must have been so bored where they were, only seeing the stars far away. Besides, it is hard to see the constellations when you yourself are living in the stars, far away from the planet that those patterns were invented from.”
“That’s an excellent point,” replied Tech with a knowing nod. Sjael gently traced his nose, then his eyebrows, with a long finger.
“Why are you doing that?” he asked, turning to look at her as she gently smiled.
“You have exceptionally lovely features, so expressive and smart,” she replied, tapping the very tip of his nose, where it dipped slightly, “Did you know that?”
Tech frowned, gently touching the Belter’s long fingers.
“Really? Well, I never thought of my face as anything different from the other clones. Perhaps, somewhat differently, I am a deviant member of the army I came from, remember.”
“Right,” noted Sjael, sighing as she rolled onto her back, putting her arms behind her head, away from the clone. Tech turned on his side, looking at her.
“What is it? You are frowning, and not touching me any more. Did I say something?”
“Yes, by me,” said Sjael, avoiding his eyes, “I’m still embarrassed, Teki. From what I said the other day.”
“About how you thought my squad and I were not clones?”
“That, and how easy it would be to kill you all off with a single strain of a biological weapon. That was so gross and awful of me to suggest that, how to wipe out thousands of humans like myself, and you as well. I am still sorry.”
“How many times do you need to apologize to me?” asked Tech, his voice curious, but not offended, “You do not need to, any more.”
“I know, but I can still feel terrible that I said that,” responded Sjael, folding her long legs across each other. Tech leaned over, and decided to start tracing Sjael’s body, the way she had his. He began under her breasts, delicately feeling the silklike curves of her skin in the night air. The clone smiled at the incredible softness of her body.
“You were merely curious, and voiced it out loud. There is nothing wrong with that,” Tech said as he kept circling Sjael’s breasts, moving his fingers up to her nipples. She giggled softly as he began softly flicking them again with his thumb.
“You really love them, don't you, bosmang ? A regular matnamang , if ever I met one.”
“It’s not like I got to play with breasts on a regular basis, growing up in isolated military barracks on Kamino,” replied Tech with a soft smile at Sjael, gently cupping an entire one with his hand, for Sjael’s breasts were not large at all, “They are quite soft, and I daresay fun.”
“Couldn’t you, I don’t know,” Sjael motioned with her hands as Tech flicked his thumb across one, “Find a chubbier clone and get frisky with them in the showers? Give their matnas a bit of a squeeze?”
“Sjael, you are vile !” Tech exclaimed, wrinkling his nose at her as he pushed himself back from her. The Belter laughed loudly and wickedly, covering her eyes with a long hand. Tech couldn’t help but chuckle along with the ridiculousness of it all. He grabbed Sjael by her wrists, and pulled her on top of his midsection. Sjael’s dark hair fell around her slender shoulders, and her soft skin seemed to reflect the starlight, making her glow. Moreso, the heat radiating from between her legs onto Tech’s naked torso made him immediately get erect again.
“Let me sit up, and you sit up as well,” he suggested. His erection pressed anxiously against her behind, begging to go inside of her. Sjael grinned, putting her hands on his shoulders, pressing her body against his. He hummed gently, for she was so very warm against the cool night air.
“And do what?”
“Tell me what celestial phenomena you see in the stars, and I will tell you what I see in the stars as well.”
“While I ride you, Tekimang ?”
“While you ride me.”
Without hesitating, Sjael grabbed his now hard cock, and quickly mounted herself onto it, sighing with pleasure. Tech, meanwhile, moaned with relief as she put her hands back on his shoulders. She was wonderfully wet, but whether it was from him or her this time, he could not say. They both looked up at the stars.
“What patterns do you see?” whispered Sjael, wrapping her legs around his torso, making him sit up and completely meld into her. Tech thought to himself as he thrust himself deep into Sjael, making her grunt with pleasure.
I do not know what is better , Tech thought, the feeling of myself inside of her, or the fact that I am making her feel so good. All while we discuss astronomical locations above us. Just wonderful.
Why we never were encouraged to seek out other humans and love them, touch them, know them, feel them like this, I would never understand. A tragedy for so many clones, for this is amazing.
Tech’s face rubbed against Sjael’s neck as he looked into the night sky, holding her tight against his body.
“I see a cluster of smaller stars,” replied Tech, looking up at the dark sky, “Near a bright yellow light, it must be a gas planet.”
“Like a flower?” Sjael moaned, riding him harder, her eyebrows twisting with pleasure, grabbing his hair, “We call those daisies, back in my universe.”
“Yes, yes, a flower,” grunted Tech as he continued to shove himself as deep as he could into the Belter, making her yelp in pleasure, “Let’s call it the flower constellation. You see it, as do I. What else do you see?”
“I see a wave, a gorgeous wave of water,” said Sjael as she gasped again, her fingers digging into Tech’s shoulders. He grabbed her rear, and pressed it deep into his cock. He felt her sex tighten around him, which made him grunt in pleasure.
“Let’s call that the wave constellation. Keep riding me, keep talking, keep going!”
“Another collection of stars together, near the north, oh, it looks like a ladder!”
I am going to ejaculate again, thought Tech, his eyebrows knitting together, burying his nose into Sjael’s soft skin, then back up at the night sky, focus on the stars, focus on her voice, do not fall into this. Keep going with her. Oh her skin is so warm and velvety, I want to lick every part of her skin, I want to mold myself into her, I just want to finish in her right now, oh she feels so incredibly good inside and out.
“I bet that’s a new star cluster,” moaned Tech as he thrust himself deeper into Sjael, using his knees to balance, “Wild space has many. A ladder constellation–so practical, so Belter! Do you see any black holes? We are in wild space!”
“Are we–mmm–technically in wild space? Isn’t all of this wild space? Tech–Teki! I’m about to come again!”
Sjael dug her fingers deep into Tech’s shoulders, gripping him tightly as she came, hard, onto his cock, riding him fiercely, her face towards the sky.
“Technically, no,” snarled Tech as he laid down onto his back, grabbing Sjael’s firm rear, thrilled that he managed not to come just yet in the Belter engineer. He dug his long fingers into her skin. “Wild space is beyond the Outer Rim, where many planets and stars are still undiscovered. Like the constellations–uhm–that you’re telling me about. How many stars are in the ladder that you pointed out? Can you count them? I can!”
If I can count them and focus on them, I will not come as quickly, thought Tech smugly, biting his lower lip again, but I bet I can make Sjael come again. I am getting quite good at that.
Sure enough, Sjael flung her head back, gripped Tech’s shoulders, and began loudly moaning his name, tightening around his cock as she came again. Then she began screaming as she fully orgasmed, riding him so hard, Tech wondered if she would bruise him. He also briefly wondered if his squad could hear the Belter’s wails of pleasure in the night, but then he decided that he didn’t care if they did.
He came right after, grinding his teeth into each other, his fingers digging into the Belter so hard, he briefly wondered if he was going to draw blood.
Sjael flung herself off of Tech, onto her blanket, gasping, as if she had just completed a swift jog. Tech leaned over to her.
“You are practical,” Tech stated, tracing Sjael’s breasts, again, “And I like that.”
“And you’re quite creative,” noted Sjael as she tapped the tip of his nose, “I like that, too. Should you head back?”
Meanwhile, Sjael sat up, and began tying her hair back into a braid. Once her hair was fixed, she grabbed her jumpsuit, and started getting dressed. Tech could not help but watch her, slightly disappointed that she was so quickly putting her clothes back on. He sighed and shook his head.
“No, let us stay for a bit,” Tech said, as he picked up his clothes as well, putting on his blacks first, then his pants, shirt, and vest.
“ I want to make my own patterns in the stars, with your help,” he mentioned as he gently put on his goggles, looking at Sjael, who was putting her boots on, “Seriously, this time. Let me get my data pad, it is in my backpack. What do you think the name of that star is?”
“Is it still the ladder constellation?” Sjael asked, taking out her own data pad. She gasped as she felt Tech’s arm around her. The Belter engineer grinned at him.
“Bosmang, you trying to get close? Haven’t you had enough?”
“It is nice to stay next to you, you are so very warm,” he said sweetly, kissing her shoulder. Sjael nuzzled his cheek, making him chuckle.
“Get too close to a star, and they will burn you,”
“I can handle that. Now, back to the ladder constellation. Which stars make the first rung?”
Summary: After escaping Cid's grasp, Clone Force 99 end up on a deserted forested planet in Wild Space. While scoping out the area, Tech meets a potential ally.
The most wonderful thing about the themes of this year's @clonexocweek is that they all tie into the first longfic I ever wrote, a few years ago.
Some are Tech x OC, and there are others too. Some OC Clone x OC!
It brought me so much joy to write, especially since I had gone years writing fiction.
Thank you all.
The evening was cool, the scent of pine everywhere in the night. Tech checked his visor, and frowned. Roughly six hundred meters away was a figure deep within the woods, solitary, setting up a fence.
Perhaps I should tell Hunter to check it out, he thought. He scanned further to see what the figure was doing.
"Is she gathering samples?" He asked himself out loud.
Packing his guns and grabbing his backpack, Tech took off running into the night.
He stalked up to the cruiser, a space shuttle type that Tech had never seen before. The cruiser was tall and gray, with spray painted decals that read 'TRANSPORT UNION RESEARCH' on the side. In front of it was a small fire, and by that fire, was the figure, setting up what looked to be a small perimeter fence around the ship and the fire. Tech stepped on a branch, causing the figure to drop her fencing and jump. He immediately pointed his blaster at the figure.
The figure turned around, and loudly gasped. She held up her hands, as if to immediately surrender to Tech. He narrowed his eyes to get a better glimpse of her.
The woman was very tall for a human female-right at Tech's height-and slender, though her arms seemed less frail, more sinewy, as if she was used to hard work. Her dark brown hair was almost black in color, buzzed on the sides, the rest a long series of braids and waves down her back. Some of the braids looked as if, once upon a time, they had been dyed red at the root. Small black tattoos crept up her neck, from the azure-colored jumpsuit she wore, which bore various patches on the arms. Her oval face was devoid of makeup, outside of the heavy black liner around her large, coal-colored eyes.
"Hello!" Tech announced, not letting go of his guns. The woman raised her eyebrows, which were wonderfully sculpted. They are so expressive, thought Tech, I won't have to look her in the eye if I get too tired.
"Are you...human?" She asked, her voice neither deep nor high, struck with a strange, lilting accent.
"Yes!" said Tech. The woman cocked her head to the side.
"Are you...friendly?"
"Yes, I am very friendly, if the situation calls for it. I mean, yes, I have no intention of hurting you."
She gulped, her voice shaking, "Can you put your guns down, at least?"
"Oh," Tech nodded, gently holstering both of his handguns, then holding his own hands out. She straightened her back, and put her hands down as well.
"Where are you from? Laconia?" The woman asked, backing towards the fire, "How did you get here?"
Now it was Tech who cocked his head to the side. Does she not recognize my armor? Oh well. Good if she doesn't know what I am.
"No, I'm not from Laconia, and I came here on my cruiser, as well," Look up Laconia later, he thought to himself.
"So, where are you from?"
"Why is that important?"
"Well, I have to make notes of it for the research I'm conducting. And it's...good conversation?"
"I'm from a planet called Kamino, if you must know," Tech announced, the woman still staring at him.
"Um, your hair is unusual," Tech commented, stumbling on what to say. The woman smiled at him. He adjusted his goggles, trying to figure out if there were freckles on her pale face or if his lenses needed to be cleaned.
"It used to be longer," she said as she picked up her drink from next to the fire, and took a sip of it, "But I hate it getting stuck in my helmet, so I buzzed the sides down. Many of my fellow Beltalowda have hair like mine."
Beltalowda, that's a word I haven't heard before, thought Tech. He made a note in his head to look up the term later. Must be a newer star system. I wonder if they're part of the Empire? I will ask her later. Not now.
"I can empathize," Tech nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself, "I keep my hair short for the same reason. So do most of my team."
"So you do have hair under that helmet," she said with a small laugh, her long fingers grasping her cup gently. Tech quickly took it off.
"I was about to ask if you were alone, as well. I haven't seen anyone else on this planet, which is part of the reason I got sent here," the woman responded, raising her eyebrows again, which seemed to make them dance on her pale face.
"Why? Does my gear give it away?" He asked. The woman smiled. Her front teeth were wide and white, while many of her back teeth capped in silver.
Her star system must have had low gravity for her to have teeth like that, thought Tech, How brittle are her bones?
"No," she said, "You look like you're part of a commando squad, from your guns to your armor, but I do not know from where."
How does she not recognize Republic armor? Where is this woman from? Tech was mildly frustrated, though also secretly thrilled that someone had never seen someone like him before. He could tell her more when he had the chance.
"I am not alone on this planet, you are correct. I am part of a decommissioned unit from...elsewhere. Most are gone, scattered themselves. We aren't as usual a sight these days in this galaxy too. The map calls this place, Station 47."
"Station 47, I got it," the woman said as she nodded empathetically. Moving back towards her fire, she picked up another cup, just like the one she was holding. Opening up a thermos nearby, she filled it with a hot brown liquid, and handed it to Tech.
"It's okay. I have been missing my team from my university. This is not what I'm used to, by the way. Being alone, and no one to help me out in the bush. But I was one of the few Belter scientists who could handle the effects of a planet's gravity, so we separated off to different planets for our research."
Tech thought for a moment, "You're from an asteroid belt then. Your people are all in orbit, all the time?"
"Yes!" The Belter said emphatically, waving her hand, as if to draw out the actual physical design of the belt, "Multiple generations of us have been born and raised there, which can affect our bodies. Long bones and fragile organs, for one."
"But I assume you can handle higher amounts of force when a ship is accelerating," Tech said. The woman frowned, but her eyebrows were raised, as if impressed. Keep staring at her eyebrows, it will be easier to talk to her, thought Tech.
"Quite correct, you certainly know your physics. Many of my fellow Belters can not even step onto a planet without the feel of gravity crushing them. It's why they can not even make it down to any planet, even for a short while."
"That sounds unpleasant, why do you stay up there?" Tech asked, taking the cup to his mouth. He took a deep sniff, and sipped it. It tastes tarte and, yet, vaguely sweet. The woman shrugged, and sighed deeply.
"We haven't had much of a choice-our original home planet hasn't been our home for many generations. It's become too crowded, too polluted, and for many Belters, our bodies can not handle the gravity, as I mentioned before. Generations of us have lived in space, mining the asteroids and working in transporting goods across our system. But that's why I'm doing what I'm doing-helping research not only the food science of the Belt and the greater Transport Union now that the war's over, but maybe even finding a place for us beyond the stars."
"So you're looking out for different planets to colonize, then?" asked Tech, looking over her campsite, "Excellent perimeter fence, by the way. And this drink is quite pleasant-what is it?"
"Yes, potentially. Oh, and you are drinking red bush tea," she chirped back at him, before taking a sip of the tea herself, "We've been growing it in our labs on Ganymede and Ceres for quite some time. I usually drink it at the end of the night when I'm writing up a report."
Tech nodded as he took another sip, "Thank you. I do not believe I got your name."
"Oh! My apologies. Dr. Sjael-it's pronounced 'shale' by most-Drummer, Ph.D, at your service," she said, holding out her hand. Tech clasped it.
Sjael's palm was muscular, but her fingers were long, almost dainty, as if they were made of glass. Her knuckle bones especially felt delicate as Tech shook her hand, gently. Tech looked down, and saw that the tattoos on her fingers matched the ones on her neck. Small lines, connected to hexagons. He instinctively reached for his goggles.
"Is something wrong?" Sjael asked, her full lips coming into a frown. Tech gulped. She has such a pretty mouth, he suddenly realized. Stop looking at it. Look at her eyebrows, instead.
"Nothing is wrong," he responded crisply, standing up straight, "I'm just used to immediately looking up at something on my frame. It can do so quickly, it has been wonderful in so many situations that have required it."
"Like what?"
"For my current and previous lines of work?" Another small grin edged on Sjael's face.
"Are you a scientist as well?"
"You could say that. I've also worked within analytics, engineering, and aviation, as well as combat mechanics and survival."
"That's incredible!" Her dark eyes lit up, "You might as well be a Belter with your skill set! Still, I wish I had one of those goggles for my research! Can you analyze soil samples?"
"Of course, what do you need?"
"Ph balance, for one. Water quality, percentage of clay. Are you familiar with the mechanics behind it?"
"I am, actually," Tech nodded, a rush of excitement coming through him, "What type of plants are you hoping to grow?"
Sjael reached out to a small monitor in the dirt behind the fire, clicking it on with a swift thumb movement. "The biggest thing my people want to grow when we inhabit a new planet are cereal crops, but starches are the first thing we need to make sure we can grow on new systems. Namely, potatoes. Are you...familiar with them?"
"I am not," said Tech, "Can you describe them to me?"
Sjael giggled, her hands motioning through the air quickly, while holding her cup of tea.
"You truly are from another planet! Potatoes are a starchy root vegetable, they flower quickly, and because of their high caloric intake, are usually the first vegetable that we try to grow in any new star system. They also are non-invasive, and easy to take care of, as long as you have a good water supply. The biggest problem is that they can rot fairly quickly, so they need to be eaten sooner rather than later. But that isn't hard, as they're quite delicious."
"Fascinating," said Tech as the Belter bent down to another bag next to the fire. She lifted out a couple of tubers, sliced and written with marker to signify different portions needed to be planted.
"I'll be planting these shortly throughout this region. I am going to be here a few weeks, potentially months, and will be growing them, to see if they take to this. If they do, I will be letting my advisors know, and we will be looking at this planet a little more closely for colonization."
"Advisors? Like, government advisors?"
"No," she gently laughed again, "I'm not that important. My advisors are my postdoctoral committee, they supported my research through a Transport Union sponsored grant regarding crops and chemistry for expansion beyond the outer planets. The challenge is, I haven't been able to get my communicator to work at all, which has me a little nervous about getting out of here. Or even letting my team know where I am. We were supposed to travel together, but there wasn't enough funding for all of us on one planet together. And as I mentioned before, most of the scientists aren't strong enough for gravity yet."
"That isn't a hard repair," Tech said confidently, "If you know how to work a computer system. I can take a look at it, if you'd allow me to."
"Oh my, that would be wonderful! Please? Can you come inside my ship to look at my communications system?"
"I will need to radio my squad on our plane, so they know where I am, if that is all right."
"Of course!" Sjael responded with a nod, "You have a squad! Let me know if you need me to say anything to them. By the way-I don't believe I got your name."
"Tech."
"Just Tech?"
"You are correct."
"No last name?"
"That is also correct."
Sjael raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Tech turned towards the pine trees.
"Hunter, Omega, Wrecker, do you copy over?" Tech spoke into the comms device on his wrist.
"Hunter here, everything okay?"
"Perfectly fine, I found someone, a human, who needs some help regarding her computer systems within her ship. Her ship is quite primitive, in fact." Tech did not notice the dirty look that Sjael gave him as they walked up her ship.
"Well, she's definitely not Empire, then," responded Hunter, "What's she doing here?"
"Gathering soil samples, it would seem. She's also analyzing potential crop sources."
"Be careful," growled Hunter, "Radio us for help, if you need it. Over."
Tech turned off his radio, and climbed up into her ship. It was clean, neat, organized, with a small bridge and command center, a lab area filled with cupboards, and what looked to be a small kitchenette filled with various plants hanging from the ceiling and walls.
"By all means, I don't know what this Empire is," Sjael said as she walked towards her bridge, "Sounds like some inyalowda nonsense back where I came from."
Inyalowda, that's another word I don't know, Tech thought as he put his helmet back on, and turned on the screen. Sjael stared at him.
"Now that is some pashang gut machine!" Sjael exclaimed, smiling again, "It's the second time you've used it to look something up. How does it work, exactly? Is it an arduino?"
Tech looked over to her, impressed, with a rush of excitement rising in his cheeks.
"Yes, it does have a breadboard, similar to an arduino. It's a recorder, can analyze any image and sound for the most part, and it can translate millions of languages...except yours. "
He stared at her as he slowly took the screen back to the helmet.
"Speaking-ironically-of which, I can't find your language. At all. You really, really aren't from this system, or even this galaxy, are you? Where is your Asteroid belt located?"
Sjael took a deep breath, pursing her lips. Her mouth is so pretty, thought Tech again, but where is she from? And why are my thoughts so scrambled right now?
"It's in the Sol system," Sjael explained, "The main settled planets are Earth and Mars, as well as dwarf planets like Ceres and moons like Ganymede, where my family is from. The dwarf planets and moons compose the Belt."
Tech frowned as he scrolled through the list of planet's names in his database. Unsuccessful, he changed his search, now scrolling through the various names of star systems. After a minute, he turned up his frame to look at Sjael, who was busy typing into one of the computers on her bridge.
"None of those names are recognized in my mainframe. That is fascinating!"
"I figured. I came through the Ring, through Medina station, from my university-the University of the Outer Planets, or UOP as we call it-based on the Jovian moon, Ganymede. It's where I was also born and raised. I left late...Medina Station's processing system has become insane lately, thanks to all of the traffic going to the different systems."
"Ah," Tech tried processing it all, "The Ring? What is Medina Station?"
"The Ring is how I got here," Sjael said, walking over to the wall of plants. Taking out a small bottle, she began gently spraying a few of them, "Because my people are looking for new places to possibly move to. But my comms are completely jammed, and I have no way of connecting back to my people back on Medina. Or any of the other scientists or engineers that went through the Ring, thanks to my computer malfunctioning."
"Let me take a look," said Tech, walking towards her computer. He began typing. Various codes came up on the computer mainframe, facing both Sjael and Tech.
Fascinating, he thought, never seen binary code in action like this before, much less on a starship. But an easy fix. Tech added necessary code to the mainframe before hitting a button. The computer lit up, messages suddenly filling the screen. Even though he couldn't see her, Tech could hear Sjael gasped with joy.
"Oh Tech, this is wonderful! Look at all the messages-from my advisor and the other scientists that are out! This is great! Thank you!"
Tech nodded politely.
"Listen, I must go back to my ship. Will you be at this spot for the next few weeks?"
Sjael nodded, an eager grin spreading across her face.
"I will, thank you so much."
"It was nothing, but you are most welcome. And we will be here as well."
"Here, take this," she ran to the kitchenette, where a series of doors were opened and shut. Walking back toward the tiny bridge, she handed him a plastic sack filled with what looked to be white powder, flecked with small green spots. He stared at it.
"I assume this is edible?"
"You are correct-it's instant mashed potatoes. You know the starches I mentioned earlier that I am testing? This is them in their dried out, nonperishable form. All you need to do is add hot water in a pot, plus some sodium or spices if you'd like. But I've eaten so much of it, just looking at it makes me queasy. Please take it. Think of it as a thank you, a gift from the Sol system."
"‘My family’,” mocked Hemlock back at him, his nose curled into a sneer, as the commandos held their guns at Tech, the beams all aiming towards his chest, “How delightfully elegant. Equipment, that’s all you are."
A Saint's Fire, Part 6, To Guard Against Titans
------------------------------
Whelp, it's here. The climax of this monster. It's extremely violent and brutal. Some nasty things are said. Tread carefully.
One of the biggest themes of both longfics (and even Into the Techiverse) is the dehumanization of both clones and Belters. That they do not deserve normal lives. liberties, or anything else that most of us take for granted.
It's not a big secret that this is a common theme in our current society, especially for Americans. It's part of the inspiration to include as much indigeneity in these pieces as I can, the biggest one being the Siberian shaman, the Singer, followed by the mixed-Ojibwe Drummer family, and Metis descendent, Timon Chapelle.
I also consider the clones themselves as biological family of indigenous Mandalorian, Jango Fett, though it is up to other fans to interpret is as they will.
And then there's Polynesian Martian Bobbie Draper, who might as well be one of them.
I have also included references to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study through the character of Dr. Key, who is named after one of the victims.
Finally, although we're coming to a conclusion, the effects and scars this has had on multiple characters will resonate.
Thank you all if you've read this far. To quote Dr. Aki Drummer/The Kind Man: Gidinawendimin.
“Look at this baby, not a tear on her face as she runs through fire and danger. You are every inch your handsome papa’s girl. ”
Meg said nothing, but held out her hand. Phee gently shook it.
- A Saint’s Fire: Part 7, To Guard Against Titans
————————-
Happy Tech Tuesday!
Good lord, how I struggled with this piece! WHY ARE BACKGROUNDS SO HARD OMG
Eventually I just gave up on the background and here we are.
An exhausted but extremely relieved Tech introducing his rescued daughter, Meg, to Phee, who is rocking some trooper armor here. Read the link above for the whole thing.
As I’ve previously mentioned, Tech and Phee aren’t romantic in this longfic. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t say they were wonderful to write as friends and fellow combatants.
Also, once again, MCRN light armor is so COOL but it’s such a PAIN IN THE BUTT to draw.
This is just a very small snippet with Tech and my own OC, Tay'la. As someone who has always struggled with shutting my brain off to fall asleep, I imagine Tech to struggle with this as well.
I wanted to write a soft scene of My OC helping Tech to fall asleep.
No warnings or ratings - SFW and mostly just fluff.
Tay’s eyes opened, thick with sleep, to the blinding light of Tech’s datapad. She blinked rapidly to clear her bleary eyes, and let out a soft sigh. The blue light from the data pad highlighted Tech’s profile and Tay noted his brow pinched in concentration. Her lips curled up slightly at the sight and she reached a hand over to rest lightly on his arm.
"Tech.” Her voice came out rough and scratchy from sleep, “Datapad. Down. Sleep now."
Tech adjusted his goggles and sighed, "I cannot sleep." His free hand covered hers and squeezed lightly.
Tay sighed, shifting upright onto her side, and resting her head on her hand, "The datapad isn't going to help, you know."
He raise an eyebrow, but chose not to address that particular comment, "I did not mean to wake you. Standard sleep requirement are least 6-8 hours of sleep."
She huffed out a laugh and shifted to sitting upward, leaning back onto the headboard, "I'm not sure either of us could ever claim to be standard." Tech regarded her with a faint smile, but the datapad remained securely in his hand. Time to switch strategies, then. “Even a busy brain like yours requires rest, come here, let me try something." She wiggled her fingers at him and smiled widely.
Tech cocked his head, regarding her curiously, eyes bright with affection, but he shook his head. "You need sleep more than I do currently. Try to go back to sleep.”
She rolled her eyes, reaching out to lightly tug on his arm.“So just return the favor when it's my turn. Come here…"
"Alright-" The datapad was set to the side, forgotten, and Tech allowed himself to be pulled down gently, head resting on her lap. Tay's hands gently removed his goggles and set them aside, followed by a gentle kiss pressed to his forehead. He let out a relieved sigh as Tay gently massaged his temples, forehead, and down his neck. She watched as his face softened and relaxed and his breathing slowed. Tayla ran her fingers gently over Tech’s line one last time, pressed a final kiss to his temple, before adjusting to where she could curl into Tech’s sleeping form. “Good night, my starman.”
*IDK why, but I've taken to thinking of this song in relation to Tech.*
*I promise there's more, I just struggle with putting it all together.*
