Before - Legends Best Served Ice Cold {The Old Republic}

Title: Best Served Ice Cold
Author: SabyneAmberle
Era: The Old Republic
Characters: Kybrina (Sevrelle) Gammon, Mako, Tarro Blood
Genre: Drama, Action
Summary: Her brother's death had been a mystery that had haunted Ky since she was 14. When on the Aurora for her final challenge in the Great Hunt, she comes face-to-face with her most hated rival. Although willing to walk away and let him go down with the ship, when he mocks her with knowledge of her brother's death, she chooses to take matters -and justice- into her own hands.
Notes: Yup, another of my 'take a canon cutscene and tweak it to tell a better story' fics. I've wanted to write my own head-canon version of this confrontation, but I didn't know how to do so without being a near carbon copy of the game story. I figured giving her additional reasons to hate Blood was a good way to make this one stand out.

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As she set foot in the Aurora's brig, Ky could feel the thrumming of the ship's engines through her boots. She had always hated these large Imperial and Republic vessels, with their multitude of passages and rooms. She could easily get lost for hours trying to get from the hangar to the bridge. Luckily for her, the crew had made this trip simpler. By strategically locking down portions of the ship, they allowed her to map out a path that would take her to her destination. It was a long route, but not an impossible one. She still felt a twinge of irritation, sure that she would have an impromptu tour of the entire damned ship before she even reached her target.

Scanning the brig, she felt a smirk cross her face when she spotted the lone occupant of one of the cells. Mako had told her the crew had captured Tarro Blood, but it was still satisfying to see the truth with her own eyes. This was supposed to be an infamous bounty hunter, but he was so weak as to be captured by his target. A fitting consequence for a coward such as him. The memory of that holorecording, where his men murdered Jory and Braeden in cold blood, flitted across her thoughts, and Ky narrowed her eyes darkly. Along with all of the other ways he had tried to make her challenges in the Great Hunt even harder, that memory just further cemented her hatred for the man. Though her face and voice were disguised by her helmet, her body language likely betrayed her emotions, as even Mako took a half-step away from her in surprise.

She approached the door to the cell and stood silently. Blood was sitting on the cell's tiny cot, narrowed gaze seeming to study the floor just in front of him. After several long moments, he looked up and noticed her standing there.

“So, you're still alive, eh?” he asked, standing slowly. “You might be worth killing after all.” He approached the red-tinged force field that served as a cell door, regarding Ky and her companion with a haughty gaze. “The lowly hunter Gammon comes to gawk at the legendary Tarro Blood,” he sneered, an imperious tone to his voice. “Hurry up and let me out of here so we can settle this once and for all. Unless facing me as an equal frightens you.”

Beneath her helmet, Ky gritted her teeth. Even humiliated like this, Blood kept trying to seem the smooth hunter he thought he was. “The cell suits you, Blood,” she sneered back, her voice sounding strange and cold through its disguise. “Brings out the scumbag. And just so you know, you aren't my equal. You failed.”

“So, you're a coward. Is that it?” Blood's smirk only made her even more tempted to open the door and put a blaster bolt between his eyes. “Of course, someone like you could never dream of defeating me. All you can do is ogle like some insignificant bystander.” At this point, he stood directly in front of her, the thin barrier the only thing separating them. “Come on, surprise me. Open the door and face me like a warrior.”

Ky folded her arms. “After the way you just insulted me, Blood? Not a chance,” she replied flatly. “Besides, you got a good reason for me to let you out, no questions asked? Where's the fun in that? I want to hear you beg.”

She felt some of her anger fade as she saw Blood bristle at the idea of begging. She remembered what she had heard about him, that he was a son of a lesser Alderaanian noble before renouncing his family and becoming a hunter. It seemed some habits died hard, his arrogance and pride were perfect examples.

“Hmph, figured. You are a lowlife,” Blood spit back.

“If you're trying to get me to open that cell door, you aren't helping your case,” Ky shot back. “So, you either beg me to open it, or you can stay in there and rot. Your choice, Blood.”

Blood sighed. “Fine. I'm begging you. I can't die like this. Please.”

She had to resist the urge to laugh out loud. “Tarro Blood, you are likely the Galaxy's worst beggar,” she mocked. “That sounded less like begging and more like you trying to hit me up for credits to pay your bar tab. And even if it was begging, how many of your victims died after begging you to spare their lives?”

“You don't deserve a warrior's death, scumbag,” Mako added, a disgusted tone edging her voice. “Let's leave him. Let him die when this ship gets ripped to pieces.”

“Works for me,” Ky replied. “It would save us from his arrogant bragging, if nothing else.” She began to turn away from the cell door when his voice made her pause.

“No! You can't let me die like this!” he shouted angrily. “I'm Tarro Blood, you worthless piece of filth! I'm the future of the Mandalorians! Let me out, damn you!”

“If you're the future of the Mandalorians, Blood, then I truly feel sorry for where they go from here,” Ky sneered back in response. “Because last I checked, they aren't too fond of cowardice and dishonorable behavior.”

“That sounds familiar, coming from a Sevrelle.” Blood's use of her given last name caused her to abruptly turn back to face him. He wore his characteristic smirk, clearly happy to have scored a point. “You are a Sevrelle, aren't you? I recognize that one blaster you carry. Its twin was carried by a man I feigned cooperation with nearly a decade ago.”

“Nial...” she whispered, trying in vain to suppress her rage.

“That's right. Nial Sevrelle. He was a contender for a spot in the Great Hunt, and I suggested we join forces to take down a target. When the job was done, I turned on him. Told him only one hunter would be getting the glory from that kill. He answered with a similar line about honor and cowardice, though my blaster firing a shot through his head didn't give him the chance to finish his line.”

“You...” All of these years, Ky and her family had sought the identity of Nial's murderer. Now he stood directly in front of her, ripe for the picking. But she wouldn't stoop to his level, not by a long shot. She wouldn't kill him while he stood helpless, as he likely did with her brother. She would allow him the honorable fight he was so wishing for. And she would look him in the eye after defeating him. Then she would pull the trigger.

“Mako, open the door,” she said darkly.

“But, we need to get to Jarro...” Mako began.

“Mako, just do it. I want him to know who the better hunter is before he dies. And I want the pleasure of killing him myself.”

“Of course you do,” Blood replied mockingly. “This has always been about us.” Mako pressed a few buttons, and the door began to fade out. “Now I get my gear, suit up, and we finish this. Right here, right now.”

Ky folded her arms. “I'll give you thirty seconds,” she said. “Take the time and enjoy them. These are the last moments of your life.”

“We'll see, won't we?” Blood replied. “Trust me. I'll make this worth your while.”

 

It is something of an assumed name. In TOR, you choose a Legacy name that binds your characters, and that's the Legacy name I chose for my characters. In the confines of my stories, it's essentially a clan name. She and her siblings all inherited it from their mother, so they're all technically Gammon-Sevrelle. They just often drop the 'Gammon' in day-to-day interactions. It's similar with other characters in this Legacy whom I've written about; for instance, Mirarre's full name would be Mirarre Gammon-Darcen, though again the 'Gammon' is often omitted. The only exceptions would be adopted characters; Mirarre has an adopted Mirialan sibling named Maleshina, and she either goes by their shared last name or her given last name.

 

I enjoyed reading this. It was well-written, and I found Ky to be a honorable/ tough character. I also enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end, although 30 seconds is a really short time to put on an armor set. I suppose that again speaks to Ky's tough persona.

 

Excellent and very much in character for Kybrina. The loss of her brother was a personal devastation and naturally one that would hit home professionally as well.