Before - Legends Saga - PT Before the Saga Journeys through the Kit'verse - 2024 Kessel Run Challenge - OCs everywhere!

Title: Journeys through the Kit'verse
Author: Kit'
Characters: OCs
Timeframe: Pre-TPM
Summary: Short journeys into the lives of various Kit'verse OCs. No rhyme or reason to it at all...
Notes: This is where I'm going to post all the responses to the 12-week Kessel Run Challenge for 2024.

Responses:

Week 1: No Questions Asked - Nyx Senka, Marcellan
Week 2: Nestling - Jedi Padawan Tara Tarindae, Jedi Shadow Saelyra, Jedi Master Davin Dor
Week 3: The not-so-secret love life of Jedi Master Zahalin - Jedi Master Namia Zahalin, Jedi Master Samukay, Jedi Padawan Kithera Rinani, Jedi Padawan Kirsh'of Aleski
Week 4: Deep. Dark. Safe. Loved. - The Lady
Week 5: Run - Jedi Padawan Taeyn D'levosh, Jedi Master Indoa
Week 6: An Innocent Ship - Duke Bryer D'ladame-Ducat (Bryerntan-la'darius Montrain D'ladame-Ducat), Duke Nicco D'ladame-Ducat
Week 7: Dragon - Jedi Padawan Qui-gon Jinn
Week 8: The Nine Lives of Nyx Senka - Nyx Senka
Week 9: In Another Universe - Kirsh'of Aleski, Kithera Rinani
Week 10:


Final vignette:

 

Title: No Questions Asked
Characters: Nyx Senka, MarcellanTimeframe: Pre-TPM
Challenge/Prompt: Write a story between 100 and 1,000 words that begins with this sentence: “The rain hadn’t let up in days, and all I wanted to do was scream.”
Word Count: 834
Notes: This is kind of a prologue to The Kammris Falcon - A Jedi Noir

The rain hadn’t let up in days, and all I wanted to do was scream. Rain always made business dry up, as if somehow the water coming from the sky managed to wash away the metaphysical as well as the actual grime that permeated every level of this teaming hive of scum and villainy that was the Coruscant metropolis.

The lack of business was never a good sign for me, and this long spell of drenching rain had left my cupboards bare. I was just scrounging at the back of my pantry for long out-of-date cereal when my comms pinged.

“Marcellan,” I tried to keep the relief out of my voice. It wouldn’t do to give the impression that I was desperate. Desperation was never a good look from a P.I., and it might give him the idea that he could pay me less than he normally managed to scrounge from Coruscant Security Force’s discretionary fund.

“I’ve got a job for you,” Marcellan said, jovially. “If you’re up for it.”

“I’m not sure I can squeeze you in,” I said, juggling the comms unit and my bowl full of cereal. “I’m really busy at the moment.”

Holding the comms unit between my shoulder and my ear, I opened the door of my conservator and pulled out the milk. I opened it and immediately gagged at the smell.

“Are you alright?” Marcellan sounded concerned.

“Ye-yeah-” I managed, gagging again as I hurriedly closed the lid and tossed it into the trash chute. “Peachy. So what was this job?”

“I think it’d be better if the client explained it.”

“Client?” I said through a mouthful of dry cereal. It tasted like sweet, desiccated sand. Part of it caught in the back of my throat and I coughed, trying my hardest not to choke.

“Are you eating dry cereal again?” Despite the crackle in the comms, I could hear the amusement in Marcellan’s voice. “I don’t understand you Nyx. If you’re so hard up for cash, maybe you could take the fancy degree and that smart brain and earn some legitimate money.”

I thumped myself hard on my chest, and tried to speak but my voice sounded strangled and it wasn’t just because I’d tried to inhale long-expired cereal. “Are you saying the jobs I do for you aren’t legitimate?”

“I’m saying they don’t earn you what your fancy degree would get you,” Marcellan shot back.

“So why can’t you tell me what the job is about?” I asked, desperate to shift the focus off me. I didn’t want to have another conversation on the topic of 'I'm worried about you" right now. There was an awkward pause on the other side of the comms unit.

“It’s…complicated.”

“Fine,” I said, scraping my spoon through the cereal and wondering if I should risk my life again by eating the rest.

“I need a bunch of information before then though,” Marcellan said, and the relief in his voice was almost palpable. “I’ll send you over the request. Say a week to get that lined up, and then we’ll meet at the Drunken Nerf at 8pm on Benduday, a week from tomorrow.”

The urgency and shortened timeline made me briefly wonder what the story was with this whole request. It wasn’t like Marcellan to set such short timelines.

“Contacts cost money,” I said, biting my bottom lip.

“And you don’t have any credits.”

“Nothing that’s liquid, no.” It was technically true. I’d spent my last few credits on the bottle of alcohol that was now sitting, unfortunately empty, on my kitchen table. “And besides, you want me to meet your client in the Drunken Nerf and I can assure you that Joxcter isn’t going to be happy to see me. It could make the reception for your client quite frosty.”

There was a long drawn out pause, and I could picture Marcellan’s shoulders slumping as he realised what I was hinting at. There was a muffled noise in the background as if Marcellan had put his hand over the receiver to have a conversation with someone else. “I’ll pay out your bar tab Nyx.”

I frowned; it wasn’t like Marcellan to be so upfront about paying tabs. Normally I had to drag every cent out of him. Whoever was bank rolling this must be loaded. Whoever was bank rolling this, must be with him right now. I grinned at the sudden opportunity.

“And send me some credits now?” I ventured. “For greasing up my contacts of course.”

“Of course,” Marcellan repeated. My grin widened and the tip of my tail curled and uncurled. Whomever this client was, they were not only wealthy, but desperate.

“Any hints at all?” I asked, figuring I might as well give this mystery one last shot. “Something to wet my whistle before you send me this file?”

“I suppose it won’t hurt,” Marcellan said and then lowered his voice. “I need you to hunt down an object for me - it’s called the Kammris Falcon.”

 

What a nice set up for Nyx and Marcellan to lead to your enjoyable story the Kammris Falcon.
I will be sure following this Kitverse Kessel Run

 

Such a great opening! I really enjoyed reading this and now (well, when RL cooperates ) I definitely want to check out "The Kamriss Falcon" for more. Looking forward to the rest of your Kessel Run too!

 

Enjoyed Nyx's narration here! Interesting to have a bit more insight into what her daily life is like when she's not on a case (in a word, meager). And I like that we get a bit more of her and Marcellan and their odd couple friendship!

Really liked the incorporation of the rain as a reason why she hasn't had enough jobs to do -- it seems like the kind of thing that would happen. Nobody who doesn't have to be out there is going out in a Coruscant rainstorm; it's probably full of chemicals.

Poor Nyx! I love that Marcellan knows her well enough to realize what unfortunate culinary choice she was attempting. Interesting that she does have a "fancy degree", which was kind of implied in The Kammris Falcon too if I remember right. There definitely seems to be a story there, and not one that she discusses much.

This was a really fun start to your Run; looking forward to more!

 

Thank you. It's kind of fun to be able to fill in the blank spots with more little snippets to pad out and create the various backstory for the entirety of the Kammirs Falcon

Yay! Thank you

RL doesn't often co-operate though does it!

You should definitely do that for...uh...no reason

I keep reading ocedarium as 'oceanarium' and I'm like, but where are the fish? I love the OCedarium though, and I'm going to make sure I use it other places too!

Hmmm, all will be revealed in time...yes...totally because it's mapped in my head and not just because I'm making it up as I go along.

Ahh...yes...as soon as I discover more plot....???? (awkward grin)

Thank you so very much for reading

They definitely have an odd couple friendship, but it's nice to play them off against each other too.

Actually, the first iteration of this has Nyx complaining that she hated going out into the Coruscant rain not because she's a cat, but because of the pollution and the fact that it would then cling to her fur. It got scrapped though.

You are correct It is implied in the Kammris Falcon, and also that she can slip between the various social classes of Coruscant with more ease than she probably should.

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting It is very much appreciated!

 

Title: Nestling
Characters: Jedi Master Davin Dor, Jedi Shadow Saelyra, Jedi Padawan Tara Tarindae
Timeframe: Pre-TPM
Challenge/Prompt: Write a story between 400 and 800 words in which a character admits a secret to another character without directly speaking to them
Word Count: 800 (Thanks @Findswoman for the suggestion )
Notes: I've spent almost an hour looking for the ficlit that was written a long time ago that actually follows this and whether it exists here or not, but no luck. So I'll post it in the Scrapyard thread soon and then link it. An

***

Nestling

Tara’s fingers lightly traced the wall, feeling the tiny ripples in the paint work that surrounded Master Dor’s study. She couldn’t see her Master, but she could hear the faint whisper of regret and sadness from where he sat next to the computer.

“You alright, Master?” Tara asked. Davin had been acting strange all week, but despite her prying he would tell her what it was about.

“Fine, Padawan,” Davin said, sighing loudly. “Just thinking about the future.”

“What about the future?” Tara asked, frowning slightly.

“Just the future.” Davin said, and she heard the chair creak as he turned to face her. “Has Sae sae arrived?”

“She just came in,” Tara said, leaning her head against the doorframe. “She’s making tea.”

“Excellent.” There was the sound of the hover-chair moving across the floor. Tara shuffled sideways to make space for him to pass. As he passed her, he stopped and reached out his hand to take hers gently. “I’m proud of you Padawan.” The Force whispered a conflicting message of joy and sadness.

“What is this all about?” Tara asked, frowning. “You’re not dying, are you?”

Davin laughed. “No, padawan mine, I just don’t tell you how proud I am of what you’ve achieved, often enough.”

He let her hand go and moved off down the corridor, a second later he paused. “You coming?”

“In a minute,” Tara said, biting the inside of her lip in frustration; it was unlike Davin to be so…so… She shook her head, unable to put her unease into words. “I need to send that letter off to the editor concerning the discrepancies in Hearts in Hyperspace.”

“Alright, see you soon. Don’t take too long.”

Tara nodded, and made her way gingerly across the paper and flimsy strewn floor to where the computer sat nestled between more piles of papers, chewed styluses with their lids missing, and empty tea cups. She’d spoken to Davin on more than one occasion about his propensity to see the entire room as one giant filing cabinet, and her subsequent propensity to stub toes, knock over glasses, or accidentally kick piles of papers that she could no longer see. She ran her fingers along the edge of the keyboard and plugged in the converter that changed the words on the screen to the Miraluka touch-codes.

The code ran easily under her fingers, and Tara sighed as she realised that Davin had, once again, left random database tabs open. She scrolled through them barely paying attention as she closed them. After a few seconds she paused, her fingers hesitating over the close button. At her prompting the computer opened the just closed tab and read the title again Journeys in Solitary - a Jedi guide to Trellia. Frowning, Tara decided that the letter to the editor could wait. She stood, so deep in thought that she didn’t realise she’d bumped the table; her movement sending a susurrus of papers cascading to the ground.

Tara ignored the mess, and, stepping over the pile, left the office and headed towards their tiny kitchen. She could smell the heady scent of the tea that Saelyra had brought with her; an offering from whatever planet she’d recently visited.

“... Sometimes nestlings need a push before they realise they can fly. The paperwork is in, so stop worrying.”

“This Temple and its damn paperwork. That form doesn’t know if-.”

They stopped abruptly as Tara entered the kitchen. She carefully made her way to the table and pulled out a chair. There was the clunk as a mug was placed in front of her. No-one said anything as she blew on the drink, relishing the scent of cinnamon and roasted nuts as she listened to the soft whispers of anxiety from Master Dor and the harder-edged impatience from Saelyra.

“So when are you going to Trellia for your retreat?” Tara asked, frowning. Through the Force Davin squirmed.

“Soon. I was hoping to finish Star Crossed Sabers.”

“Oh,” Saelyra said brightly. “Doesn’t Trellia only allow retreats for Masters unburdened by padawans?”

“Well, yes, uh…” Davin’s voice trailed away. There was a moment of awkward silence. “Uh, more tea?”

“Were you going to tell me about my trials?” Tara asked. There was a long, awkward pause. Part of her was annoyed that it had taken her so long to figure out, while the rest warred between anxiety that it was happening, and irritation that Davin might think she wasn’t yet ready.

“What makes you think that?” Saelyra asked, at the same time as Davin murmured. “Only if you think you’re ready.”

“Because you wouldn’t bring new tea just because our Master declares he needs peace and quiet to write.”

“No?” Saelyra asked, and Tara could almost hear the laughter in her voice.

“No,” Tara said. “No point celebrating a daily occurrence.”

 

Superb from Tara's POV. I love how she perceives the emotive undertones and realizes there is a 'secret'. It's understandable that Davin has mixed feelings about her undergoing trials not because he doubts her ability but just because it's a gigantic step and a pivotal change for both. Saelyra is a good friend and the tea sounds delicious.

 

I love how you write Tara and Davin with the clutter and mess at the desk. Tons of archive material or not?
And now how Tara discovers the secret

 

No Questions Asked

I was so happy to see Nyx make a return for this story, and I was even happier when I understood that this was leading in to the Kammris Falcon! I love the voice you give her, and the whole idea that she's down to eating plain dry cereal when business is low just fits. Oh, and the fact that "no liquid" would mean no cash, but also none of the alcohol that she last purchased with the cash

Like other readers, I am intrigued by this "fancy degree" that she has, as I am by the character in general. You don't seem to mention that this particular aspect is something you're making up as you go along, so I'm hoping we'll get to read about it in the not-too-distant future!

Nestling

And I was equally happy to see Davin, Tara and Saelyra making a return – not that it's a rare occurrence but here we get to see them as a trio, and I love how you used the prompt to highlight the difference between Tara's two masters. Davin is such a mother avian, yet at the same time he leaves their quarters in a mess that are something of a death trap for his now-blind padawan It was a great twist that she discovers the secret he's not telling precisely because she has to keep picking up after him.

I also loved all the little details (again) of Tara's auditory perception of the Force, but also the software that converts typed text to touch codes. I find it great that you elaborate so much on what it can mean to be blind in the GFFA, even for a Jedi who can use the Force for a great many things, but not to solve every practicality of daily life.

(Oh, and those trashy romance novels? You need to give us a sample. I'd definitely read something called Hearts in Hyperspace or Star-Crossed Sabers!)

These two stories were a wonderful beginning to your Kessel Run, and I'll be sitting over here waiting patiently for more!

 

This was such a great use of the prompt! I especially liked the sensory details of how Tara navigates her world and that you don't just hand-wave it all away by having her use the Force to avoid any difficulties.

And this tea sounds delicious!

Awesome work.

 

Totally and they are really, really close even before everything else happened. Those two probably have the healthiest and closest relationship out of all of my Master/padawan pairings.

You know it does! I mean I even have two little OC characters that are just there to deal with all the red tape... Davin was probably one of the worst offenders in ignoring the paperwork too---until Anakin comes along that is.

Thank you! I went to see if Star Wars had a version of braille but I couldn't find anything which didn't make sense to me...so I figured the Miraluka would have made one.

No! That's perfect! Please don't apologise! Thank you!

Archive material, ancient artifacts that Davin will catalogue 'later', romance novels, half-edited manuscripts...just lots of piles of paper

Yep! Also the fact that Jocxter gets so grumpy with her at the beginning of the Kammris Falcon, because she's just been happily running up a huge tab!

Thank you! They are so different too, which is lots of fun to play off. Like bickering parents...

Yep! That's basically what both padawans do for Davin - pick up after him and hope that it's enough to keep him - and therefore themselves - alive.

Thank you! Although I'll give major props to Charlie Cox's Daredevil portrayal as being such a good highlight of things that you still need to deal with even when you are a blind person with superpowers...

I think I have one...I'll have to dig it out and post it in Scrapyard.

Thank you! This is going to sound pretentious, but I think I'd do Tara a bit of a disservice if I just handwaved all the other stuff she'd have to deal with because she's now blind away - it's actually a nice mental exercise to think through what she would and wouldn't be able to do and how other people would interact with that.

 

Title: The not-so-secret love life of Jedi Master Zahalin
Characters: Jedi Master Namia Zahalin, Jedi Master Samukay, Jedi Padawan Kithera Rinani, Jedi Padawan Kirsh'of Aleski
Timeframe: Pre-TPM
Challenge/Prompt: Write a set of 5 drabbles with the following prompts: midnight, endeavor, inheritance, disaster, horizon. Each drabble must be exactly 100 words, for a total of 500 words

Word Count: 500


*~*~*

Sins of the Master (Inheritance)


“What’s a paramour?”

Master Samukay paused mid kata and glanced at his charge who stared at him curiously. “Where did you hear that term, little Kit?”

“Master Pendergast. She said my Master has too many paramours to be a proper Jedi.”

“Did she?” He bit back the snide remark about Pendergast and her opinions.

“But what is a paramour?” Kithera asked, frowning. “Master Namia is a proper Jedi…so…”

Samukay sighed. The proclivities of Namia to find comfort in the Living Force was going to be her undoing. He patted Kithera on the head.

“You’ll learn about paramours when you’re older.”

*~*~*

A Noble Quest (Endeavour)


“What are you doing, padawan?” Namia asked, frowning as Kithera clumsily tried to hide her data pad and failed.

“Nothing, Master.” The bright, cheeky smile betrayed the lie.

“Really?” Namia said, sitting on the edge of the table and peering at the datapad. “You will need to get better at hiding your emotions, padawan, if you are going to lie so blatantly.”

Kithera had grace enough to blush.

“I was simply making a list of your paramours,” she said, grinning shyly.

“And how many are you up to, padawan?”

“Uh,” Kithera paused, quickly scanning the contents of her page. “Sixteen”


*~*~*

Home to Roost (Midnight)


Namia hissed in irritation as she stumbled over Kithera’s boots; a jumbled heap next to the door, their laces tangled and frayed. She’d drunk far too much, and flirted far too much, and now the Force was a muddy mix of alcohol and lingering traces of heightened emotions. A headache beat a staccato rhythm behind her eyes.

Water. She needed water.

Namia stumbled towards the kitchen. The door shushed open revealing her padawan perched on the table; bowl of ice-cream in one hand, stylus poised in the other.

“Don’t,” Namia groaned.

Kithera grinned. “By my count, we’re up to paramour twenty-three.”


*~*~*

Other considerations (Horizon)


Light lanced between buildings as the sun nudged over the horizon, bathing the distant Temple in ribbons of gold.

“Did you sleep well?” Senator Ferandi asked, caff in hand, as he joined her.

“I’m not sure we can call that sleep,” Namia said, trying to hide her grin at his rumpled state.

He smiled at her and she blushed. “Can I see you again?”

“Maybe,” she said, bluntly. As his disappointment washed through the Force, Namia reached down to pick up her hastily dropped clothes. “Although if we do, be prepared for my padawan to add you to her list.”


*~*~*

Future Proofing (Disaster)


Padawan Kirsh’of Aleski knew better than to ask his best friend to sit; Kithera always seemed to think better when she was moving.

“Thirty-four paramours so far.” Her lightsaber hummed briefly and a practice remote hit the floor with a dull thud.

“Why do you keep count?” Kirsh asked.

Kithera shrugged. “First it was to tease her. Then it was for interest. How many senators. How many Jedi. How many of each gender.”

“And?”

“There isn’t a pattern,” Kithera said. Another remote hit the floor.

“And now?”

“Morbid curiosity. One day a past paramour might be the death of her.”

 

Jedi and love. And Kithera keeping track of the paramours of her master. Funny entry to your race

 

These were fun!

I like the idea of an Order that's not as uptight as the prequel-era Jedi. Like @Findswoman said, Namia may be unconventional but they still accept her as a Jedi. And the line about Pendergast and her opinions seems to hint at that too! Or, at least, Master Samukay's POV on it does.

Busted!

Such a pretty image!

There's something so ominous about that last line.

I really enjoyed these!

 

Love Kithera's teasing comments. The progression is interesting how she kept tally for the sake of teasing and now it's for morbid curiosity. The last line is indeed ominous.

I like seeing Kirsh and Kithera as pals.

 

That she certainly does. I really should probably write more from Namia's perspective and her way of seeing the Force as purely emotions to explain exactly why she explores more of the physical part of relationships than other Jedi (keeping it TOS appropriate of course).

Namia and Kithera definitely have a more unconventional Master/Padawan relationship as Namia certainly lets Kit get away with more than she probably should do.

And disaster there will be...

Thank you

Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed them

Does Pendergast ever approve of anything though? Samukay is definitely more accepting, but he is Namia's Master after all - and the loyalty to protect your padawan despite their faults runs deep.

Uh...yeah...about that...

Yeah...

I do need to finish that story first before I post it, because I don't want to abandon it half way through like i've done to so many others...

I do love those two. If USJS had continued maybe they would have gotten their act together and finally worked out that they are really good together - but then I'd end with another AU because maybe then Kirsh could have been a calming influence and Kithera wouldn't have gone so badly off the rails....

 

Title: Deep. Dark. Safe. Loved.
Characters:
Timeframe: Pre-TPM
Challenge/Prompt: Write a story between 100 and 1,000 words from the perspective of an inanimate object
Word Count: 328

Spoiler

https://boards.theforce.net/threads/season-of-the-slave-oc-challenge-fight.50056079/#post-57402570

*~*~*
Deep. Dark. Safe. Loved.

She wended her way between the stars. Buffeted gently by the soft solar winds, she turned slowly to avoid an asteroid and listened to the soft burble of life in her belly. They were happy. Her little group of soft and squishy pods that she protected. They were so fragile, so easily broken. They could not fly like she could. They could not swoop through the vast coldness of space. They could not breathe the star dust, or feel the tingling rush of hyperspace along their bellies.

Despite their frailness she loved them.

They were hers to protect. They were hers to guide.

They were hers to love.

Once there only been one.

She’d felt his longing and love as he’d trailed his fingers against her underbelly. He had found her after she had been abandoned. He had picked her when she'd been lonely and only rain had fallen out of the sky. He had helped her pull her feet from the squelchy mud and sent her soaring into the sky.

He had given her back her wings.

Life had been good.

Then he had breathed life into her. Had given her, her name. Had loved her until she knew what it was to be loved.

They had travelled just the two of them.

Life had been wonderful.

Then he had created more squishy pods. Tiny thumping feet through corridors that had had created the echo of her heartbeat.

Life had been glorious.

She had breathed through the stars, as the pods had grown, and laughed and loved inside her.

Now there were fourteen of the little squishy pods that called her belly home. They laughed and the echoes of their joy ran through her corridors, and trickled through her pipping and circuitry.

She twisted idly through the black stillness.

Life was perfect.

They were hers. She would keep them safe. No matter what the universe brought her way.

And The Lady soared on.

 

SQUEE! I loved this, every word. This was the perfect choice for this prompt!

 

Perfect words for a Lady (ship) to describe her love for Del and in time being filled with a whole family of squishy pods

 

Catching up, catching up...

Namia is probably the one I know least about among your OCs, because I've only seen her mentioned so far in the stories I read, but this tells me that she's quite the unconventional Jedi and that, in turn, is possibly and explanation as to why Kit herself is rather outside the norm. I loved the progression through the years in the drabbles, from little Kit becoming curious, then beginning to make a list and teasing her master about it, and then revealing her various reasons for keeping that list. I know that Namia ended up being killed, even if I don't know the exact circumstances, and I suspect that Kit's final line may be a bit of gloomy foreshadowing.

And the Lady! I saw in the challenge thread that you described her as "the best known FoS OC", and while I'm still new to this series of stories I can see why you'd say that! In a sense the relationship you describe here between the Lady and her crew reminded me of the relationship between Zallie and Blu. The Lady is all about love and protection, she does for her "squishy pods" what they cannot do for themselves and keeps them safe, warm and happy – and they, in turn, give her the life and emotion that she would not have as a purely mechanical being. This was a wonderful tale about the value of having a home, and the inanimate POV made it all the more precious!