[AN: Only one chapter this week, but it's a long one. And hopefully a good one. Enjoy :]
— Ani Skywalker —
In Ani's mind, Coruscant always had been, and likely would always be, the most unique place in the galaxy. So, so, so different from damnable Tatooine. No sand in sight, other than crushed rockcrete. There was heat, but not the Force-damned heat of a desert. Just the heat of civilization, of so many miles upon miles that showed just how far the galaxy's sentients could come.
Coruscant was just about as opposite to Tatooine as a planet could get. They weren't even comparable. But then, none of the other worlds she'd walked during her Padawan years could compare, either.
From the most remote backwater to even peer ecumenopolises, Coruscant stood apart. It was in an entire tier of its own, and no matter how hard other Core World city-planets like Alsakan or Empress Teta tried to match it, they always fell well short of the Republic's constantly beating heart.
Civilization, as far as the eye could see, and then even farther still. More sentient souls than could ever truly be counted. A landscape of glass, steel, 'crete, and artificial angles — some smooth, some sharp. Anyone could get themselves lost in the seemingly infinite urban labyrinth, and equally, anything could be found.
No matter how old she got, no matter how much she'd seen in her and Obi-Wan's travels, Ani was always initially overwhelmed upon returning to Coruscant. Physically, mentally, and Forcefully — all three.
There was always something new she noticed looking out over the skyline of constructed peaks and busy skylanes and constant, all-encompassing bustle that was considered Coruscant business as usual. Sometimes, a ship type she'd never seen would catch her eye. Other times, a dozen new buildings would've sprung up as if appearing overnight, already full and busy as if they'd been a part of the skyline for millennia.
Or her interest would fall to the goings on at the center of the galaxy: the always-moving organized chaos of the Senate, new businesses and industries competing for the most valuable space in the Republic, or the less savory elements below that were just as much part of Coruscant as all that went on in the upper levels.
And always, the sense of Coruscant in the Force hit her like a runaway speeder. It was a roiling, boiling, moiling mass of a few trillion sentient souls, akin to an eternal storm of presence and emotion and soul. An infinite tapestry of the highest highs and lowest lows; great, terrible, unpredictable, and often absurd. An axis upon which the galaxy revolved; for good, for bad, and for everything in between.
The urban environment of the world seemed so paradoxically natural in the Force; a churning, living order that mimicked the living orders of the most wild worlds she'd visited. It was surviving and thriving, every emotion on the spectrum and then some, and carried so much weight that the whole galaxy seemed to be watching every little event in Galactic City. For a world of 'crete, steel, and glass, Coruscant felt so very alive…
Ani liked to think she'd tasted a bit of each major strata making up Coruscant. The uppermost levels mostly, of course, for that was where the Jedi Temple and the Senate Complex stood proud. But she was no stranger to dipping below the surface and getting a taste of the real Coruscant, especially when Obi-Wan wasn't watching…
She'd gone as far down as the infamous Level 1313! It was as low as she could reasonably go before the undercity started to become the underworld…
That'd been an experience that was equal parts thrilling and honestly terrifying. Not that Ani actually feared for her safety. She was a Jedi, and a damn powerful one. None of those underworlders could've touched her if they tried. But just the chance of something happening had gotten her blood pumping and a wicked grin rising to her face.
Still, where else was she supposed to get her fix for speed? In the Jedi Temple and its simulators? They weren't nearly real enough. No, Ani had snuck out to the lower levels, not to be the Queen of Speed she'd been in her younger years, but at least a princess — close second. Swoopbike racing still had nothing on actual podracing, but it was a suitable substitute, she supposed.
Ani, of course, won every swoopbike race she entered and collected on every bet against her. The bump to her Jedi allowance had been nice, but she'd been there for the speed more than anything else. It'd been something new, something dangerous, something she wasn't supposed to be doing, and Ani was excited to go back for another round now that she was back on Coruscant.
Obi-Wan wouldn't understand. She wished he would, but knew he wouldn't. If he had his way, she'd never leave his sight (or maybe never enter it, a dark thought stung the back of Ani's mind…).
"We're Jedi," He'd say. "There's no reason to lower ourselves to petty thrill seeking when our duties to the galaxy offer all the 'thrill' one could ask for."
… Yeah, their duties to the galaxy… The ones that never seemed to change anything… The ones where they meditated and mediated, mingled with senators and 'important' sentients, and just… kept everything the way it always had been.
Ani was all for keeping the peace, but at a certain point, it was more a status quo than actual peace. She so longed to fight the evils of the galaxy, as a Jedi was supposed to, yet she found that desire 'corrected' at every turn.
Obi-Wan would let out a sigh of barely concealed exasperation, "How many missions have we been on together, Ani? How much good have we done for the galaxy? You may not see it, but it's always there. Just by Living with the Force, we change every life we touch. Don't let your desire to do more still blind you to all we've already done, my Padawan."
That, at least, Ani could accept. She grumbled, of course, but Obi-Wan's reminding advice did make a certain sort of sense that she was reluctant to acknowledge. They were doing good for the galaxy, even if Ani always felt that they could be doing more.
Advice from the Order's other Masters, however…
"Patience, one must have. Peace, the end goal, it always is," Yoda would say.
So many other Masters simply echoed Yoda, as if his way was the only way they could comprehend, "Peace is/Peace should/Peace must… Patience/Patience/Patience…"
"We are servants of the Republic, do not forget. Never put your interests before the whole. It is our solemn and heavy duty to keep the galaxy peaceful and content under the only guiding hand worth the position. Without the Jedi, the Republic is lost, and without the Republic, the galaxy is as well," Ki Adi Mundi would lecture (hypocritically, given that Ani knew about the Cerean Master's exceptions from the Code. The alien man had a harem, for Force's sake!).
"Do what you can, everywhere you can. We must work within the boundaries we're given. This is true. But within those boundaries, we can still work. Accept the limitations on all of us, Skywalker. Don't rage against them. Do what you can despite them," Mace Windu had told her in one of the rare moments he had to spare for her.
His advice was the one that resonated with Ani the most, perhaps even more than Obi-Wan's, but still…
Mighty Leia, it was frustrating. All of this power in their hands, all of this responsibility, and all of these rules they had to play by in everything they did. Often, Ani felt like she couldn't do anything right, like the 'Jedi Way' wasn't nearly as 'given' as the Masters seemed to think it was, but something she was constantly striving and struggling to uphold.
Ani felt like she was thrashing to keep her head above water while every Jedi she knew swam with ease, swam as if they were born to it. Obi-Wan made it seem so easy, other than for the trouble she caused him, and the Masters made it seem easier still.
If anyone else had trouble keeping up with the Jedi Code, Ani never saw it. Logically, she knew they must… But it never felt like they did, especially not when she was held to an even more impossibly high standard than some Masters as the 'Chosen One'.
Stuck flying in the usual deadlocked traffic of Coruscant's skylanes, Ani looked off to her left and caught her reflection in a mile-high wall of glimmering glass. The Jedi Order's Chosen One… To anyone else, anyone who didn't know, Ani imagined she might've looked like… any other girl.
Blonde hair that she kept shoulder-length at most. Her mother once said it was the color of golden sand, swirling in the desert wind — a gentle breeze or a sandstorm waiting to happen. And her eyes were the clear blue of the desert sky above, ready to darken with the coming sandstorm at any moment. While Ani disliked the comparison to sand of all things, she treasured any compliment Mom gave her.
A pointed and slightly upturned nose, a chiseled chin that shaped her face like a rising teardrop, and high, sculpted cheekbones. Her features were angular. Sharp and striking. As fierce as they were beautiful, Mom said. Ani thought they looked best in a frown that was almost a scowl… or alternatively, a wicked, wicked grin.
Ani kept herself fit, even by Jedi standards. Trim, tight, toned, and terribly ready to spring into action as the Force demanded it. Her usual Jedi robes covered most of that muscle, but she did enjoy the times she could shed them and flex, both her fitness and the ink on her arms that had nearly given Obi-Wan a heart attack when he first saw it.
Ani still counted sneaking off to get tattoos (and refusing to get them removed after they were discovered) as the greatest victory of her Padawan years. It wasn't like the Jedi Order had any rules against body art, after all. They just weren't usually done except for cultural reasons, as some meaningless precaution against personal vanity.
The Masters had hemmed and hawed, of course, claiming it 'wasn't proper' of her — Force forbid their Chosen One's skin wasn't pure and pristine… But Ani hadn't backed down from reclaiming her history on her body — both tattoo sleeves being tapestries of the stories of Mighty Leia and her chained starry siblings that Mom would share with Ani in her earliest years. Her own star may have been returned to Mighty Leia's embracing sky, but she would never — never — forget what it meant to be chained.
Her tattoos were cultural, and she refused to let that culture be dismissed by old Jedi (Masters, even if the context was different…) who'd never known chains.
Staring at herself in that fleeting reflection in the midst of traffic, Ani did imagine — hoped, even — that she could be mistaken for any other girl. She wasn't, though. She'd never been 'any other girl'. First a slave on a barren desert world, then a 'Chosen One', and now, a real Jedi, ready to become a Knight all her own.
"You know, it's a rare and strange thing that I'm thankful for deadlocked traffic," Obi-Wan commented from the passenger seat beside her. "But if it keeps you from flying as you usually do, perhaps we should make getting stuck in it something of a routine."
Ani rolled her eyes and proceeded to judge the skylane in front of them with a performative flair, "I think I see a gap between the red speeder and the white. Should I try to thread it and speed up our journey, Master?"
"No!" Obi-Wan was hilariously quick to exclaim. "That-! Ahem… That won't be necessary, Ani-IIIIII?!"
Ani heard his refusal… and had discarded it before he even finished talking. She punched the speeder's throttle on and weaved through the traffic in a way that had Obi-Wan desperately reaching for anything to hold on to. Up and over here, a twist of the stick with the speeder following halfway upside down there, and suddenly, they were flying through open air, slipping out of the deadlock with more than a few broken skylane regulations left behind them.
"Easy as that, Master," Ani said in the purposefully casual way she knew drove Obi-Wan insane. "We'll be at Senate Tower in no time, now. Honestly, if you wanted us to get there quicker, you should've said something earlier. A Master of your advancing age might come to regret wasting so much time in traffic, you know?"
Obi-Wan let out a sigh of draining tension, "Yes… I'm regretting… many things, right about now."
Ani huffed a little laugh. She knew her Master didn't mean it. He was just putting on a show of weariness. He knew her way too well to be surprised that she'd taken the opening he'd given her. And she could feel amusement and affection in all of that exasperation he was expressing in the Force.
"You still haven't told me what the Senate wants us for this time around, Master," Ani commented, the unspoken request for more information obvious in her curious tone.
Obi-Wan chuckled, "Ah, yes. I wanted to keep it as a pleasant surprise for you, but after the stunt you just pulled, perhaps you deserve to have that surprise spoiled."
"Whatever," Ani rolled her eyes. "Just tell me what our mission is, Master."
"We've been called upon to escort a pair of Senators in a particularly volatile area of space," Obi-Wan explained with a purposefully understated smirk.
Ani cocked her head slightly as she flew, showing her interest while keeping her eyes on the skylane, "That was supposed to be a pleasant surprise for me?"
"When one of those Senators is an old mutual friend of ours, it may just be," Obi-Wan said.
"Old mutual friend…?" Ani wondered aloud. "It can't be the Chancellor, can it? No, you would've worded it differently if it were… Which other Senators do we truly know?"
"Shall I give you a hint?" Asked Obi-Wan, rhetorically. "She does share a certain… similarity of origin with our illustrious and overworked Chancellor."
"Similarity of origin-…?" Ani's breath caught in her throat as realization caught up to her. "Padme?! Master-! Master, you should've said something! I'm not nearly ready to meet Padme again like this!"
Obi-Wan laughed, "You're as prepared as you're ever going to be, Ani. This is a personal reunion, yes, but please do try to remain mostly professional. Senator Amidala is a busy woman, and an even more important figure than she was when we met her. I won't tell you to completely discard your prior relationship with her as some other Masters might, but at the very least, try to remember the boundaries all Jedi must have in place."
Still almost breathless, Ani nodded, "As you say, Master."
She kept them flying straight and steady, but internally, her mind had been thrown into sudden chaos. Padme… After 10 years, Padme… Ani had dreamed of meeting her again, of reuniting and reconnecting.
To her, this was no small thing. Her Master must've known that. It wasn't like Ani thought she was all that good at hiding it. It explained why he kept their new mission as a 'pleasant surprise'.
Ani wished he hadn't, so she might've had more time to prepare her heart, mind, and appearance… She was half-tempted to turn their speeder around and make them late to the meeting in the Senate Complex if it allowed her to take a second shower that she… probably didn't need. Probably…
It wasn't that she'd been any more lax about her hygiene than usual… But this was Padme! Her childhood's angelic queen! Half of the reason she was free of chains! Ani didn't even want to think about stinking up the air around her.
And-! And-! Should she have dressed up? She just wore her usual Jedi robes. They were official enough. But a panicking part of Ani still thought she should've done more!
Padme Amidala… In her Padawan years, Ani had killed and defied death, averted genocide, gave battle against Dark Siders, stood against the corrupting evils of the galaxy, constructed her own lightsaber on pilgrimage, and so much more. She'd had so many adventures and missions, and done so much (she recognized that, even if it didn't always feel like it).
But in front of Padme Amidala… she thought she might always be that lonely slave girl on a desert world who saw an angel for the first time.
Padme had been there when everythingchanged for Ani. She'd been Ani's first taste of the wider galaxy, the beauty of the stars beyond her sandy and chained corner. She was an untouchable figure in Ani's mind, the mere memories filling her with awe and confusing feelings even after all she'd done. Queen or Senator, past or present, Padme occupied a pivotal position in Ani's life, and always would. That would never change, if Ani could help it.
She… didn't want it to, if she was honest with herself…
But now, it was different to be confronted by the prospect of their reunion within the hour. So much had changed for both of them. They'd grown. They'd lived and thrived in their own ways. Ani had kept track of her angel from a distance, the only way she could… She very much doubted that Padme had done the same for her. Would she even recognize Ani? Would she even… remember her…?
Her angel had ruled as a queen, and now, gone on to become a galactic Senator. She must've rubbed shoulders with the highest levels of the Republic. She must've gained important friends and interesting rivals. She must've grown so far beyond a simple slave girl turned Jedi Padawan…
The nerves were quick to set in for Ani, and not at all quick to leave. She went through the motions of flying automatically, making their final approach to the Senate Complex and contacting Skylane Control to secure permission to land. Her mind was almost entirely elsewhere, though.
Obi-Wan must've sensed that, but thankfully, he didn't say anything. He just remained a solid presence in the Force beside her, something to lean on as her thoughts raced. They landed as directed, dismounted the speeder, and Obi-Wan was still there. Her Master, her rock, her steady guiding hand, her brother…
Ani didn't know what she would do without him, and really, she gave him much more trouble than he deserved.
Making their way through security, even the security of perhaps the most secure location in the Republic, was always simple for Jedi. Just like flying, Ani went through the expected motions on autopilot. Her nerves were still there, but now, closing in on the moment of reunion, they were joined by an undeniable excitement.
For all her anxious worries, this was still Padme, and Ani had been dreaming of this moment.
"Why don't we split up to find our assigned charges?" Obi-Wan suggested. "I'll take Bail Organa, the Senator for Alderaan and another important figure of the current Senatorial Peace Party. Not that you've so much as asked after the rest of our new mission, of course."
"As you say, Master," Distantly, Ani nodded.
She vaguely registered a chiding amusement in her Master's voice for some reason, but her mind was occupied with much more important things.
"Very well, I won't keep you," Obi-Wan chuckled. "Feel free to take your time to catch up with our mutual friend. This mission isn't on any sort of time limit. When the two of you are ready, meet me and Senator Organa here in the atrium, okay?"
"Won't-keep, free-time-limit, ready-here-atrium, got it," Ani rattled off in a distracted hurry.
Obi-Wan sighed, "You didn't get a single full sentence, Ani…"
But Ani was already leaving him behind. She couldn't stand to wait a moment more! Not when an angel might be expecting her! Technically, she didn't know the way to Padme's senatorial office here, but through the Force, all things were possible! Ani found her way by following that insistent pull in her mind, heart, and very soul.
All the while, Ani hoped the Force was just as eager to see her and Padme reunite as she was.
Minutes of walking through busy corridors of maze-like bureaucracy only served to heighten the rising tension in Ani's fluttering stomach. These were some of the most important halls in the Republic, filled with some of the most important people, and Ani only had room in her mind for one. Thankfully, people tended to get out of the way of what looked like a Jedi on a mission.
Upon reaching the offices for the Senator of the Chommell Sector that Padme occupied, Ani stopped in front of the door to take a fortifying breath. She told herself she was prepared for any result that might come from their reunion. Even… if Padme didn't remember her… She didn't let that terrible thought linger, though, pushing straight forward through it.
Padme's office was preceded by a small but well-appointed welcome room, with a secretary's desk guarding the door farther in. The woman at the desk looked up at her entrance, a routine spiel spilling from her lips.
"Welcome to the senatorial office for the Chommell sector. Senator Amidala is currently busy, and I would ask that you wait if you wish to see her-…"
The secretary stopped slightly short as she saw Ani, her eyes going wide with a surprised blink. Something about her was familiar, but Ani couldn't pin down the resemblance in her preoccupied mind.
"Ani? Ani Skywalker?" She asked.
Then, it was Ani's turn to blink, "Yes…? I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"You do!" The woman happily laughed. "But I won't blame you for not recognizing me. I wouldn't have looked half this normal the last time you saw me. I'm Sabe, Ani. I was one of Padme's handmaidens during her time as queen, the one who served as her body double. You likely saw me acting as queen more than her!"
Somewhat awkwardly, Ani smiled, "Nice… to meet you again…?"
"It's fine, it's fine," Sabe waved off her awkwardness. "I know you probably aren't here to see me. Go on, now, Padme's right through there."
"She isn't busy, like you said?" Ani asked.
Sabe flashed her a mischievous smirk, "Oh, she is, in a way. But not with anything so vital that you can't interrupt her."
She continued with playfully rolled eyes, "I swear, she's watched that holo-vid more times than I can count. With any hope, your arrival will help pull her out of her new obsession."
"New obsession…?" Ani repeated in confusion.
Sabe didn't answer, just waving her through, "Go on, go on, it wouldn't be any fun to spoil the surprise now!"
"Another surprise…" Ani muttered under her breath as she followed Sabe's directions. "Can't a girl's reunion with her angel just be straightforward?"
The office she entered matched the welcome room in style — luxury and class over minimalist design. There were art holos projected onto the walls, and even a few physical paintings depicting Naboo in all of the glory Ani remembered. The furnishings were well-crafted wood, not metal, and a wall-sized window to her left gave a great view over the Senate Complex's Avenue of Core Founders.
Strangely, Ani heard a man's voice as she passed the threshold, and she realized Padme was watching the holo-vid of some speech she hadn't heard before.
"'Guess I brought this onto myself," The speech opened with more of a grumble than an oratory bang. "Responsible conquest or liberation or whatever… Right."
The rest faded into the background for Ani, though, as she immediately caught sight of Padme sitting behind her desk and watching the holo-vid with beautifully obsessive focus.
Even Ani's treasured memories of Padme didn't do her justice. She was just… so much more in person. Instantly, Ani was reminded why she'd named the then-queen an angel. She was a vision of noble beauty. Perfect features without any rival in Ani's eyes — delicate, graceful, yet still so strong and stately. There was a lively warmth to everything she did, everything she was, and it showed even in the simple act of watching a holo-vid.
And in the Force, oh how she shone. As if silhouetted by a star of destiny in its purest form, every-colored light shining through masterwork stained glass. Ani knew she wasn't Force-sensitive, but she could've mistaken Padme for a Light Side nexus more powerful than even Master Yoda at first glance. She was bright and brilliant. She was unique, unrivaled. She was perfect.
None of those qualities had changed from when Ani first met her. If anything, they'd only been enhanced with time. Padme had matured into an absolutely gorgeous woman from the already beautiful young queen she'd been then. She could've started wars over her beauty and stopped them through the goodness of her heart. Ani would've fought for her. Always. Without having to be asked.
She wore white silks, draped gracefully over her perfect figure. Slim and slender, but boasting curves that Ani could barely tear her eyes away from. That cleavage should've been illegal, and the sight of that mid-riff to those flaring hips should've been declared outright illicit material, forbidden (from any eyes but Ani's…).
And still, Ani's already awe-stricken mind couldn't help but conjure up even more tantalizing visions of Padme. Dressed in black high-fashion, a dress of straps and cut-out panels to set trends that the galaxy would try and fail to imitate half as well as Padme would wear it. Even more illegal cleavage, even more illicit mid-riff…
Just imagining, dreaming, fantasizing about it… Ani had to stop and check her nose to make sure it wasn't bleeding.
She even prayed, 'Mighty Leia, please let that be a Force vision and not just a fantasy…'
Then, the man in the holo-vid said something that even Ani's praying, angel-envisioning mind caught. The words penetrated straight to the core of her being, to the part of her that would never forget. In an instant, her whole world stuttered to a stop and snapped to attention.
"-Run into the streets and shout freedom to the stars. Break your chains, and do so loudly and openly. This is your chance to let loose everything you've been made to keep locked up inside. And as you do, know that this won't be the only one. From today onward, I promise, Nar Shaddaa stands free."
'Break your chains'… the words echoed over and over through Ani's mind, resonating with a raging fire within her that'd never been put out. 'Break your chains'… 'Nar Shaddaa stands free'…
Suddenly, just like Padme, Ani was watching the holo-vid speech with her full focus. She listened as the unknown man shown in it took his revolutionary statement further and further still.
"I started this whole business with a single Hutt," He said. "It's become so much more. And it doesn't stop here. It can't. The Hutts won't ever leave us alone. So the Gonks will hold the line. We'll strike back. Expand. Liberate more. Break chains and prop up others to stand free as Nar Shaddaa now does.
"The Hutts are a plague, a scourge, an aberration on the galaxy. They corrupt everything they touch, and have been left to do so for too fucking long. I saw it's about time someone stood up and punched them in their slimy-ass mouths.
He spoke the impossible like it was fact. He spoke of standing against Hutts, and winning, like it could and had already happened. He spoke of resistance and fighting against the galaxy's worst evils like it was all he knew how to do.
"The Republic won't? The Jedi claim they can't? That their noble hands are tied? Fine. If I have to be the one to suckerpunch a slug, so be it. It's a responsibility I'll gladly accept. And one I'll take great pleasure in fulfilling to its fullest extent."
He put harsh truths and criticisms right out there in the open. Things that Ani had known and internally raged about since she'd joined the Order. He declared his responsibility and rose to the occasion without any hesitation at all.
"Freedom from Hutts is a freedom that's always worth fighting for.And it is freedom. I've got no plans to lord over you all. I've got my hands full enough with my Gonks and Night City. I'm not usurping the slugs. I'm throwing off their fucking chains. And any other chain that falls on someone against their will. If I catch anyone else trying to push their slavery on Free Nar Shaddaa, they're dead as a slug, neh?"
He continued, and something within Ani burned. It was old pain, a knot of carefully suppressed and ignored feelings that she knew all too well. And now, it was put into words. Now, it was vindication, inthe fires of liberation, broadcast for the whole galaxy to see.
Then came a familiar line, forever branded into her memory, that took Ani's breath away as if she'd been punched in the gut… Or hugged by a sibling she'd never known.
"There exists no chain that cannot be broken. It hasn't been forged now, and it never will be."
The man in the holo-vid raged and glared, "Slavers be-fucking-ware. You have no place on Free Nar Shaddaa, no place anywhere my Gonks and Freest Legion can reach. Mighty Leia's siblings persist. They will shine free."
Whoever this man was, however he was standing up to the Hutts… he knew. He recognized Mighty Leia's siblings and spoke directly to them — to her. Ani suddenly found herself struggling to breathe. Struck by overwhelming shock as the galaxy as she knew it was so utterly shifted from its painfully expected course.
"And for the Hutts… Listen close, listen well. Your wealth, your chains, and all of your power; I'm coming for everything you hoard so dear."
The holo had stopped on a freeze frame of the man, glaring and openly declaring himself an unforgivable enemy of the Hutts, but in Ani's mind, it was still playing live. It looped and looped away as if memories rising from a dream. Even reeling in shock and sheer awe, Ani knew nothing would ever be the same.
'Break your chains.'
'If I have to be the one to suckerpunch a slug, so be it.'
'Mighty Leia's siblings persist. They will shine free.'
And that unforgettable line found itself looped the most, burned into Ani's psyche and the psyches of every other sibling of Mighty Leia, and now, practically shouted out into the galaxy by a spiteful and doggedly determined man…
'There exists no chain that cannot be broken. It hasn't been forged now, and it never will be.'
Ani felt like she was floating free from a fugue. Like she was waking up to a whole new day. A new day where the impossible was being done for the whole galaxy to see, and Mighty Leia's siblings had someone willing to fight for them, someone willing to take on the hate of enraged masters for them. Ani — mind racing and stuttering and racing again — was still struggling to process it, the whole galaxy as she'd always known it shifting so completely with a single holo-vid…
"Ani?! What are you/How did you/When did you get in here?!"
Ah. Padme had finally noticed her. And she said three things at once. That was a neat trick, Ani thought. Like spinning. Or… maybe her mind was going a bit with the shock. Just like… the rest of the room… turning strangely, strangely… vertical…
"Ani? Oh my stars, Ani!" Now, Padme was screaming for some reason.
Hurried arms clutched her and kept her from falling to the floor (She was falling…?). Those worried hands led her to the couch in the office, and she was laid out upon it. Her head was placed upon pillows, and silk embraced her. Ani looked up at the face of a fretting angel.
For a moment, everything was right in her world. The shock of the speech faded into the background, the upheaval of her very worldview. Removed from it now, her mind could process. But mostly it found something more pressing to latch onto, as Ani realized she was being blessed with a lap pillow from Padme…
"Ani, oh, Ani…" Padme worried aloud. "What's happening here? Are you okay?"
"I-… I'm fine…!" Ani managed to squeak out. "Just a bit… shocked. Yeah, shocked… I'll be better in just a moment. Don't, uh… Don't worry about me."
Padme sighed in relief, "That's good to hear at least. Now, what are you even doing here?"
"I'm… your Jedi escort…? The one you requested? Me and Obi-Wan are, at least," Ani said.
Some of her earlier worries and anxieties were returning now. Padme had recognized and remembered her, at least. But… hadn't she been expecting her? Was she… not welcome, for some reason? Ani couldn't help but start to panic slightly.
Thankfully, Padme put those worries back to rest; first with a surprised blink, and then, with a bright smile, "Oh, that's wonderful news! I didn't know you were available for a mission like this! If I had, you can be sure that I would've requested you specifically, of course, but I'm glad I got you and Obi-Wan anyway!"
Ani chuckled awkwardly, "Heh, must be the Will of the Force."
"You would know, Miss Jedi," Padme teased (teased!). "Look at you! All grown up, beautiful, and strong! It's a shame we haven't had the time to reunite before this. But I suppose we've both become rather busy and important these days."
"I'll say," Ani nodded. "You're as amazing as ever, Padme. A galactic senator… That's something special."
"Oh, please," Padme blushed slightly, and it was the most beautiful sight Ani had ever seen. "I just strive to do the best that I can for the galaxy we all share."
"As I said," Ani reluctantly pushed herself up off Padme's lap. "Special. Amazing. During times like these, we're lucky to have someone like you working for the good of everyone, Padme."
"These are 'interesting' times, aren't they?" Padme agreed with a sigh. "All of the business with the Separatist faction in the Senate, and the Trade Federation and other corporate mega-entities have only grown more and more bold since Naboo. As well, now, there's all of this business in Hutt Space to address… The galaxy has rarely ever been so fraught before."
"Hutt Space?" Ani asked with a tilt of her head.
Padme blinked, "You haven't heard? I can't help but find that surprising, especially considering you and Obi-Wan will be coming along on this envoy mission with me and Bail."
Ani focused in a snap, "We're escorting you into Hutt Space…?"
Slightly amused, Padme just nodded, "You are."
"Absolutely not," Ani shook her head. "Even with two Jedi like me and Obi-Wan, Hutt Space is nowhere near safe enough for you, Padme."
"Oh, Ani," Padme chuckled. "When have you ever known me to back down from danger? This mission will continue. It must. I cannot sit idly by while such violence rages."
"Padme, it's the Hutts," Ani stressed. "There will always be violence surrounding them. They're… awful. Always. Just… like that. But that's just more reason you shouldn't step foot on worlds that aren't just influenced by the Hutts, but controlled. The slugs will always be a fact of life in the galaxy, and the best way to deal with them is to avoid them completely."
"My, my, you really are out of the loop, Ani," Padme said. "You haven't heard any of the events that have recently come to pass? Nothing from Nar Shaddaa? No Gonks or Hutts or… Atom…?"
Ani just shook her head. The weight Padme gave that last word was… odd. A name? She said it like one. But she almost shuddered as she said it. For good or for bad, Ani couldn't tell. Yet just by hearing Padme say it, she already had… mixed feelings.
"That just won't do, especially if you'll be accompanying me on this mission," Padme tutted. "You simply have to join me now. In research. Yes, research. We must be familiar with the parties we'll be treating with. Yes, we simply must."
She was nodding to herself with each 'yes'. Ani stared as Padme completely convinced herself of… some course of action. She had the strangest feeling that Padme was about to show her something… special.
"You caught some of his speech, didn't you?" Padme continued with a question.
"The holo-vid you were watching?" Ani clarified. "Yeah, I guess I did…"
Padme nodded, "That makes things simpler, then. That was Atom, leader of the Gonks. They're a new… movement coming out of the heart of Hutt Space. But here, perhaps I should just show you everything I've been keeping up with for the past month. For, err… research. Yes, research."
She stood and practically hurried back to her desk and the holo-comm on it. Confused, Ani followed. Padme sat and gestured an invitation for Ani to perch herself on the arm of her chair. Ani didn't have much time to linger in the tantalizingly close proximity, though.
The frozen, glaring visage still projected on the holo caught Ani's attention first, piercing to her core even then. The piercing was sharp, but not painful. Heavy, but not crushing, not for her… 'Atom'… Ani didn't hate the name. It carried a certain weight in the Force that she couldn't quite place — Fate, Change, Spite, and deeper still… The man's speech rose back to the forefront of her mind, and remained there, utterly unable to be shaken or dismissed in the slightest.
A second holo projection was brought up beside the piercing freeze frame as Padme operated her holo-comm. Ani immediately recognized it as a browser tab for the hypernet, but remained confused as Padme pulled up Hyper-Comm Online of all sites. The galaxy's forum was… not the source Ani thought Padme would be using for her research.
Still, her curiosity had certainly been piqued. Ani gave Padme all of her focus as her angel began to guide her through the truly impossible, galaxy-shaking sequence of events surrounding Atom and coming straight from Nar Shaddaa in the heart of Hutt Space.
Ani's earlier shock quickly returned. And then, it somehow deepened as she came to know the whole story. And deepened still, for the story was far from over. She found herself gripped. Enthralled. Eyes blasted wide open. Nothing she knew would — or could — ever go back to normal after this. Not after being introduced to Atom and his Gonks.
Through most of her and Padme's 'research' session, Ani was left with only three words, repeated over and over and over again…
"What… The… Kriff…?"
IIIII
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♦ Topic: Official Gonk Updates - FREE GONKS!
In: Boards ► Nar Shaddaa ► Night City ► FREE GONKS
CyberkittySash (Original Poster) (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Posted On Jan 1st 0029:
Hiya all-nya! (=^·ω·^=)
It's ya girl, CyberkittySash! Atom put me in charge of the PR and community management sitch. I'm the one who chopped together and released all of those preem Gonk-a-ganda holo-vids! You're welcome, nya-haha~! And now, I'm here with something a bit more official for a change!
New year, new Gonks, neh? We're still goin' strong, you know, so I thought it would be best to put up a thread to make official Gonk statements, post progress updates, and get the chatter flowing! This is a place for all things Gonk, and everyone's welcome, even slugs, so we can flame their fat tails!
As of posting this thread, the Gonk war effort is slammin' it on in full effect. Can't get into all the sensitive detes, of course, and the Hutt Hit List will be posted and updated in a separate thread...
(See: Hyper-CommOnline.hypernet/Nar-Shaddaa/Night-City/FREE-GONKS/Hutt-Hit-List)
-But anyone with eyes can see we're bangin' hard! Just check the thread, chooms! I did, and I saw as many 'flatlined' statuses as 'active' statuses. We love to see it, don't we~?
Nar Shaddaa knows our names! We're all Legends in the making here! And we haven't just been zeroing slugs, us Gonks. Nah, we're netrunning like our neural ports are burnin' up, seizing assets, and breaking chains wherever we can, too.
Make no mistake, Gonks and not-Gonks, the Hutts are feeling the fire we're putting to their tails. We're at war. And in that war, we're ready, willing, and very able to get violent to the last. The Gonks won't back down. 'Cause Night City doesn't even know the meaning of the words, do we, Gonks?
Atom certainly doesn't...
Edit (1/3/0029): So! I'm sure a lot of you have heard of our new Freest Legion by now, or even been lucky enough to see them in action. Not our idea or anything, but that boy Podry has the Gonk spirit in him. He came straight out of the fighting pits and was willing to keep slammin' it on against his former masters. Nova kid. I'll try and get him in this thread to introduce himself at some point, don't worry, neh?
2nd Edit (1/7/0029): Closer and closer, Gonks... That Hutt Hit List is looking real thin right about now, isn't it? The slugs are either fleeing or flatlining, and we've got no intention to stop pushing. Stay plugged in, Atom's got a nice little steel surprise coming for the Hutts...
3rd Edit (1/11/0029): /ᐠ.ꞈ.ᐟ\ You see that, chooms? Steel, an empty Hit List, and... victory. Nar Shaddaa, by our very thorough reckoning, is now slug-free. Slug-fraggin-free!
I'll be making Atom give a proper victory speech in a few hours here, so stay chipped, chooms. If you need official confirmation, though, take this as the first word of Gonk victory!
(Showing page 2242 of 2271)
►YT-Enthusiast (Corellia)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
I still can't believe it. I've watched that victory speech, like, five times now, and I still can't believe I lived to see Hutts fall, even from a distance. My congratulations go out to Nar Shaddaa and the Gonks! The parties there must be absolutely wizard right about now.
►LekkuLover (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
@YT-Enthusiast - Oh, they're going wild. Everyone is, the whole moon. I visited the Red Light Sector earlier, and the celebrations were spilling straight out onto the streets.
►Pitstop
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
@LekkuLover - Why were you visiting the Red Light Sector?
►LekkuLover (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
@Pitstop - Take a wild karking guess, genius.
►MadamBlue (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
@Pitstop - LekkuLover is well known by me and my girls. A man of very specific, if refined, tastes. He's good to us, though, and always welcome if he has the credits to spend. In fact, everyone celebrating the fall of the Hutts on Nar Shaddaa is welcome at Blue Blossom. We knew the demanding weight of Hutts better than most, and we're more than happy to spread the love now that their demands on us have disappeared.
►Crik-Coruscant (Alsakan)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
... Right, brothel advertising aside (not that I don't respect the hustle), what's next for Nar Shaddaa? Or should that be Free Nar Shaddaa, now? I think I speak for a whole lot of Core Worlders when I say I'm watching everything out there from the edge of my seat.
►c-k3999 (Coruscant) (Level 3999)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
I don't think even Nar Shaddaa natives know what'll happen next. But it's gotta be better than the Hutts, right?
Some of the things that the Gonks leaked about them... Stars, I don't even have the words.
►SlamBamDamn (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City) (FREE GONKS)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
We know what's up next. It's Gonks. It's Gonks and Freedom and Legend and not a single slug to crush us ever again! Nar Shaddaa stands free! FREE GONKS!
►HunterWalkingTheNight (Shili) (Freest Legion)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
The Gonks' Freest Legion broke my sister's Hutt chains. I had not heard from her since the slave raid. Our tribe thought her dead, or worse. Now, she is free, just like the rest of Nar Shaddaa. She called me. I came and pledged myself to fight for the Freest Legion in her name.
I am Togruta. A proud hunter, once relegated to despair and loss. The Gonks and their Freest Legion gave me a spear and a purpose. Now, I hunt the most terrible, slithering game.
I am one hunter among many. But even as an outsider to this new tribe, I have been welcomed. All who take up the slug hunt are. Our hunt will be hard, our prey elusive and powerful, but the Gonks have proven that they can bleed all the same.
►BoongaYipfallow (Bothawui)
Replied On Jan 11th 0029:
... Damn. You ever get the feeling that you're watching history as it's being written? And that it doesn't look anything like you ever expected it to? The galaxy is watching, Gonks, and you all certainly haven't disappointed so far.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 2240, 2241, 2242, 2243, 2244 ... 2269, 2270, 2271
IIIII
"Mighty Leia…" Ani exclaimed breathlessly.
"Indeed," Padme nodded. "The thread hasn't paused for a single hour, Ani. The Gonks are similarly active. They're relentless, in perhaps the best and worst of ways. And their public relations policy seems to be to leave the goings-on of Nar Shaddaa open for all to see. Gonks, natives, and outsiders, it feels like everyone's visited the 'official' Gonk thread at least once. Myself included."
"How… did it come to this?" Ani slowly asked. "The Hutts — impossibly — defeated, and Nar Shaddaa — impossibly — standing free…?"
"Oh, I know the perfect place for you to get the full story!" Padme chimed.
"Another thread?"
"Yes, quite! An 'AMA' — or 'Ask Me Anything' — put on by two Core Gonk members. Let me just find the bookmark I made…"
IIIII
♦ Topic: Gonk AMA
In: Boards ► Nar Shaddaa
Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (Nar Shaddaa) (FREE GONKS)
Posted On Jan 12th 0029:
Hello, Nar Shaddaa and beyond. My name is Suunri, and my co-operator for this account is De'vi. In celebration of a Free Nar Shaddaa, as the title of this thread says, we're willing to answer any questions you might have about the Gonks.
The two of us are in a unique position to do so, having been part of Atom's movement since before it was even officially named. We've continued to be included in the 'Core' Gonks since, and still play important roles in the organizational side of things. While that does mean we aren't nearly as involved in the action, so to speak, we'll still endeavor to answer your questions as best we can.
(Showing page 51 of 151)
►Pat-Head-Girl (Zeltros)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Hi @Suunri&De'viAMA, new here. I've been fascinated by everything happening on Nar Shaddaa since I heard about it a few days ago! All 'whoosh!' and 'weee!' and 'WOW!', it's just, like, so, so, so much! Wizard, but I can hardly keep track of it all!
You've almost certainly answered this in the thread already, but I thought I'd ask anyway. How did all of this even start? Can we get a timeline or something? The whole story as you know it?
►Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (Nar Shaddaa) (FREE GONKS)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
De'vi - We can do that! Especially as a timeline. Never done one before but that should be fun! Hold on, I'll hand the comm over to Suunri while I piece it all together!
Suunri - Everyone, say 'thank you' to our hardworking ray of sunshine. This is not a request. It's a demand. A necessity. She deserves all the appreciation we can give her.
►Pat-Head-Girl (Zeltros)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Thank you, De'vi, for all of your hard work and, like, for answering my question!
►LostBetweenLevels (Coruscant)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Thank you, De'vi! We love you!
►Manticore (Mandalore)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
I've only known De'vi for 50 pages, but if anything happened to her, I'd kill everyone in this thread and then myself.
►Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (FREE GONKS) (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
De'vi - Aww, thank you, everyone!
Alright, I have the timeline as I know it worked out here!
First, we'll establish a '0-hour' to work from. That would be... about four months ago (WOW, so much has happened in that short time!) So, to simplify things, we'll start approximately around 10/1/0028.
10/1/0028: Atom wakes up in the gutter of Night City and sets about surviving. He spent six weeks in those gutters, fighting for every scrap. If you know the undercity — any undercity, really — you'll know what he was struggling against.
11/14/0028: Atom rescues Sasha from a job gone bad. After healing her up, he's inducted into Maine's Edgerunning crew. I'm pretty sure David and Gloria also join up around here.
11/17/0028: Maine's crew takes up a job with the late Zorba the Hutt, coming to commute to his court (Where Suunri and I were from the start!). Atom grows... dissatisfied... with Zorba's rule and (very poor) decision making. Here, he gathers other important figures in Zorba's court (Me, Suunri, Linth, Coyate, Shank, and a Hutt named Ave Wonn) and sweeps us up in his wave. Quoting him: 'A new era is coming. Welcome onto the ground floor.'
11/18/0028: Atom starts putting his coup into action. Everything happens quickly in the coming days, but the result is Zorba's court and tower being put to siege and taken. I personally witnessed Atom kill Zorba. It's still the most amazing thing I've ever seen, because it was the first time I saw how serious and unstoppable he was. He breaks his first chains here, both mine and my girls, and those in a particularly heinous factory Zorba was running.
11/24/0028: The late Zorba's court is consolidated, and the Gonks are officially dubbed as such by Becca. Sstala joins us here as well. But by the end of that week, betrayal strikes. Atom is ambushed and kidnapped by Ave and a double-cross within Maine's crew. This is when his first viral holo-vid was released, centered around killing Ave for all to see and declaring all-out war against the Hutts that would try to suppress him (And looking good doing it!).
11/28/0028: Atom wages the start of his war against the Hutts (Those strikes seem so small-scale now...). The fledgling Gonks see so much success that we attracted outside attention. I won't name that Master and those Knights here, though... By the end of the week, as those guests arrive, the Hutts strike back in force, bombarding the tower we were using as a base from orbit. It was obliterated. The Gonks only survived due to those aforementioned guests and Atom's efforts. Hundreds of thousands of lives were caught up in collateral damage. The Gonks made our Great Escape, flocking back to Night City to regroup and return.
11/30/0028: The rebuilding begins immediately and continues into the coming weeks as the Gonk movement finds a new home in the heart of Night City. A new HQ is established. Gonk recruiting surges, taking in Night City natives, mostly the bolder gangs and Nomads for now. The wave rides higher and higher. Acting on sensitive information, Atom leads a raid against a Militech corporate facility.
12/10/0028: Atom challenges Adam Smasher, Arasaka's Chrome Rancor (terrifying, terrifying monster-man-thing...), to a duel for... personal reasons. I don't know if I'm allowed to-... Okay, Sasha just commed me permission. Those 'personal reasons' are that Atom is a dumped Arasaka clone of Adam Smasher. That's how he originally ended up in Night City's gutter, and why he likely felt a duel against the 'original' was inevitable. I'm sure everyone's seen that holo-vid to know how it turned out...
12/10/0028: The very same day, following the duel and Atom's victory, though, the Gonks entered negotiations with Arasaka. They go well enough, I understand, but the turning point was the Battle of Arasaka Tower and Invasion of Night City kicking off while the negotiations were still ongoing. So, the Gonks, Arasaka, and all of Night City, really, joined forces to push back the invasion from the allied Hutts and Militech.
From then til now is all documented in much more detail here on the forums. The Gonk-Hutt War escalated even further, with Night City and Arasaka joining in full force. Atom was elected as Night City's mayor. Many, many, many chains were broken. Podry founded the Freest Legion, and I couldn't be more proud of him. And so on, the war raged, until Atom revealed his Steel project and we struck the decisive blows leading to Free Nar Shaddaa.
Goodness! That's a lot, isn't it? That's about the whole story, though. The main events, at least. I hope my recounting goes down in the Gonk history books, hehe~!
►HyperWaves (Spacer)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Stars and Void...
►WompHawk (Mandalore)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
... That's it. I've gotta get myself to Nar Shaddaa. There's proper fighting going on there. I'd be a shit Mando if I let it continue without me.
►Baptized (Dac)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
That's... insane, to see it laid out like that. All in just a few months? Atom's movement is truly a force of nature.
►PrettyPreemPuss (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City) (FREE GONKS) (MOX)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Hold up, Atom is Smasher's clone?! That... actually explains so much. Legend begets Legend, and all. Preem.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 ... 149, 150, 151
(Showing page 52 of 151)
►CyberkittySash (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Yeeeaaaah~! That's my girl, De'vi! Write that history book! Shout Atom's Legend to the stars!
►SlimeOfTheGods (Sleheyron) (Banned)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Lies! Such blatant lies! The exaggeration is as obvious as it is impossible! Venerable Hutt rule would never fall so quickly!
►TruthYonder (Onderon)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
It did, though, slug. Hard to deny that much.
►SlimeOfTheGods (Sleheyron) (Banned)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
I should crush you for believing this inconceivable JUNK, Swallow-Fodder!
►T-I-K-A (Kashyyyk)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Flaming Hutts aside, I have an actual question, @Suunri&De'viAMA. What is the 'Steel' that the Gonks now operate? I've never seen anything like them.
►Shadowcat (Mandalore)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@T-I-K-A - Seconded. That's what I'm most interested in about the Gonks. Massive metal war-suits? It's enough to make me and my brothers drool and blush like fledglings.
►Must-I-Ask? (Bothawui)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Yes, how did those come to be? I've looked into every historical record of war-suits and I've found nothing like them. How is it that such a new faction has access to the industry necessary for something like THAT? It beggars belief.
►Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (FREE GONKS) (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Suunri - Gonk and Arasaka secret, I'm afraid. I'll say that they're just as fearsome as they seem, but nothing more. I welcome anyone to try themselves against Gonk Steel, especially Smasher's new steel. They will have gloriously awful times of it if they do.
►MyHeartForNaboo (Verified Senator)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Let's not descend into discussing abhorrently awesome war material. I have a question as well, one that can actually be answered.
What is Atom like in person?
►LostBetweenLevels (Coruscant)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Woah! A Senator! An actual Senator! Senator Amidala, if I'm not mistaken! I mean, I get that important people have to be watching all of this, but I would've thought you'd stay lurking, Miss Amidala.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 ... 151, 152, 153
(Showing page 53 of 153)
►MyHeartForNaboo (Verified Senator)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@LostBetweenLevels - This whole situation is much too important and grievous for me to turn a blind eye to. And I prefer to interact with the people of the galaxy directly whenever I can.
►Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (FREE GONKS) (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Suunri - Welcome, Senator. If you wish to speak of the Gonks in private, my DMs are open to you.
De'vi - To answer your question, though, Atom is... heavy.
►MyHeartForNaboo (Verified Senator)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@Suunri&De'viAMA - Heavy? That's it?
►CyberkittySash (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Yeah, that's about it, Miss Bigtime Senator. BTW, welcome-nya! (^≗ω≗^)
That's just the best word to describe Atom. Everything he does has got that WEIGHT to it, ya know? He's heavy. He moves heavy. He fights heavy. He talks heavy. He even fucks heavy!
►MyHeartForNaboo (Verified Senator)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@CyberkittySash - FUCKS?! That-! That wasn't what I asked! I didn't say anything about his-! His sexual prowess, no matter how heavy or Legendary or whatnot! I want it on the record that I said nothing about fucking or breeding or handholding or anything of the sort, not even after I saw that first holo-vid where he bared it all to the galaxy!
►CyberkittySash (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
... Sure, all of that can go on the record. I don't know what record, but it'll be in there lol!
►Pat-Head-Girl (Zeltros)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Wooo~! Heavy fucking! I expected nothing less, really! A man like that HAS to know how to work what he's got (and it's a lot! I just checked his first holo-vid to remind myself!)
Does he give headpats?
►SilkandSin (Ryloth)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@Pat-Head-Girl - A very important question. Is Atom... properly cultured...? I would hate for such a Human stud to be ignorant of the... exotic variety open to him...
►Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (FREE GONKS) (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@SilkandSin - De'vi - Yes, Atom is cultured in the traditionally Twi'lek meaning of the word.
►CyberkittySash (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Personally, Becca and I can guarantee it. And if you want a third and fourth and fifth opinion, I'm pretty sure Lucy, Fay, and Aayla will be getting 'em soon enough!
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 ... 151, 152, 153
(Showing page 54 of 153)
►MyHeartForNaboo (Verified Senator)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@CyberkittySash - That's entirely too many opinions! I struggle to imagine anyone keeping up with that much data!
►CyberkittySash (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
@MyHeartForNaboo - lololol! I can get into all the delicious detes if you want me to, Miss Bigtime Senator!
►Suunri&De'viAMA (Original Poster) (FREE GONKS) (Nar Shaddaa)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Suunri - ... Please don't devolve my perfectly civilized AMA into a goon thread. There are other places specifically for that already.
►CyberkittySash (FREE GONKS) (Netrunner) (Nar Shaddaa) (Night City)
Replied On Jan 12th 0029:
Sorry, Suunri~!
@MyHeartForNaboo - My DMs are open and my lips are sealed (^・x ˂ ^)
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 ... 151, 152, 153
IIIII
"Huh," Ani muttered. "I'm surprised to see you contributing to the thread, Padme."
"Research, Ani, research," Padme tittered. "It's an effective, if unprofessional, source of information. I could hardly ignore it completely."
Nodding at that, Ani followed up with an honest question, "Makes sense, makes sense. You would take this mission as seriously as possible. So… What's gooning?"
For some reason, Padme squeaked out a noise at that, flushing bright red, "G-Gooning?!"
"Yeah," Ani continued. "That Suunri lady asked you not to turn her AMA into a 'goon thread' at the end there. Even said there were other places for it. So what's gooning?"
Strangely panicked (flustered…?), Padme hurried to close out the forum tab, saying, "Nothing you should worry about if you don't already know, Ani! And certainly not something I would ever dream of participating in! Now-! Shall we go meet Bail and Obi-Wan? I'm sure they must be sick of waiting for us by now!"
She quickly got Ani moving, all but pushing her out of the office. But as the forum tab closed, Ani caught sight of another tab below it, this one for direct messages. 'To CyberkittySash' was displayed across the top of the holo, and there seemed to be an extensive conversation below that.
But unfortunately, Ani didn't have time to process much more than the handle of the DM's recipient before Padme ushered her out of the room. She was left with the strangest feeling that she was missing something so, so much more there…
IIIII
[AN: This chapter took on much more life than I thought it would. I was aiming for, like, 6-7k words. It ended up as 10. PHO interludes tend to do that for me, and that's with me trying to keep this one limited lol.
Ani's appearance was partially decided by a poll on my Patreon. They chose a blonde Ani that I think still fits her character, and I found a way to add tattoos, too. They were the most interesting part of another of the options anyway, and I think I implemented them here in a way that still fits Ani's character. They're a form of teenage rebellion, yes, but also something more — a reclamation of her past and culture so that she never forgets the chains she was born to or the stories her mother told her within them. I could honestly see canon Anakin doing something similar.
So yeah, that's Ani in all her blonde, fit, and tatted glory. Next chapter should be back to Atom, with the Republic delegation arriving to try (and absolutely fail) to negotiate peace. I expect Padme and Atom's meeting to be very… hot-hot. She's passionate about peace, he's passionate about war, and there will be quite a lot of chemistry between them despite their disagreements. Honestly, I think I'm looking forward to writing Padme the most, but Ani is a close second :]