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Description

“Janie's got a gun…

Her dog day's just begun

Now everybody is on the run

What did her daddy do?

It's Janie's last I.O.U.

She had to take him down easy and put a bullet in his brain

She said 'cause nobody believes me'

The man was such a sleaze

He ain't never gonna be the same -

Run away, run away from the pain…”

Aerosmith, ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’

Last of the commissions coming in from the talented Thanks for all your hard work, worth the wait!

This is Tess Aurora in her signature Corellian longcoat, the ‘Unfettered Trenchcoat’ outfit from Knights of the Old Republic.

Aurora (who goes by her last name) has a very narrow but effective skillset – she convinces people to do as crime-lord Savan Sizhran wishes, politely and convincingly explaining all the ways it would be best for them. And if that fails, she shoots them. From the front, and after they attack her first, so everything is nice and legal. It’s a set of talents that Savan has come to rely on, and – even more peculiarly – Aurora is perhaps one of the few individuals the enigmatic Falleen considers a friend. While Aurora serves Savan because of the perigen she supplies her with, the drug that keeps her from dying of Quannot’s Syndrome, she is loyal beyond that, and feels a personal commitment to Savan’s schemes and well-being. She has risen high in Black Sun’s ranks from a block captain to Savan’s personal agent and confidante, and she is perhaps the only person Savan actually trusts.

In the gloom of her personal chambers, the most powerful and influential Black Sun vigo watched the flickering scene on the HoloVid. A casino, an expensive private club in Treasure Ship Row on Coronet City, capital of Corellia. Patrons and guards alike stood as the slender figure stepped up to a well-dressed man, a powerful and influential crime-lord who was not used to being disrespected, especially here in his private lounge, the seat of his power. The slightly-built woman in black – barefoot and barely-dressed under her slick vinyl coat – stepped in and smiled, murmuring something in his ear. Her words were too quiet, but his were not, his face flushing crimson.

“… you kriffing whore…! I’ll sell your corpse to horny Gamorreans to use as a sex toy!” He glanced at his thugs, fingering their weapons beneath their sharp suits. “Kill her.”

What happened next occurred so swiftly that Savan had to freeze the Holo, rewind it to better see what transpired. Before the thugs even drew their weapons, the woman’s twin blasters were free of their quick-release holsters, and she twisted and dived, quick-silver fast while firing at the ones in front of her. A barrage of blaster fire slammed into five men – the crime-lord fell with holes torn in his guts, while his guards died with burn marks through their eyes. Even as the remaining hoods started to aim and fire, she had twisted around in a nexu-like roll and came up shooting – each pull of the hair-trigger registering too fast for even the freeze-frame to follow. The other dozen guards staggered back, smoke pouring from holes blown in their bodies.

She stood over the casino boss, who was a spitting blood and groping for his sidearm.

“Go on. See if you can die with a gun in your hand…” she taunted. His fingers were just closing on the hilt when she shot him repeatedly in the head, his body twitching as each burst of fire splashed his blood and brains over the expensive carpet. She looked up at the Holo-cameras and smiled, walking across to the device and sliding out the disk. The Holo froze for eternity.

“Carn Truuvik won’t be bothering us any longer,” Aurora said unnecessarily. “It was a good offer. He should have taken it.”

She paused. “When he wouldn’t, I had to provoke him with some cheap shots to get him angry. Luckily I’d done my homework.”

As the gunslinger poured herself a whiskey – Whyren’s reserve, fresh from the Suns of Fortune, naturally – Savan nodded slowly.

“I have had many agents, Tess… As many lackeys as there are stars in the sky. Very few ever meet my expectations, and fewer still surpass them. Your capabilities continue to impress me. I have none as faithful or competent.”

Aurora bowed at the compliment, and sipped her liquor.

“You serve because otherwise, you will die slowly and painfully, eaten from within by the cancer…” she mused. “But you are loyal beyond that, I know. Yet again, you went in without back-up. You risk your life, risk my business. The others say you have a death wish…”

“It’s not the same thing as a death-wish,” Aurora smiled. “I knew how many were there. I only play when the cards are loaded in my favour.”

Savan raised an elegant eyebrow, liquid eyes glittering in her green, scaled face. So close to the Dragon Queen, in the flesh, Aurora felt the musk of her natural perfume was overwhelming, like a thousand exotic blooms making your eyes water. It filled her with ecstasy, like a drug.

The Falleen nodded softly.

“Well done. You never disappoint me.”

“A job well done – and the chance to serve you – is all I ask for,” Aurora nodded.

“I believe you. Your words are not empty flattery. I know full well when others lie to me.”

She raised an arched eyebrow and smiled.

“But who is Tess Aurora really? Does even she know any more?”

“Tess died long ago,” Aurora said, a little guardedly. “She lived, badly, for a while. And died, also badly. It all feels like it happened long ago, to somebody else. Now it’s just me. And I only look ahead.”

Savan nodded simply. “I can understand that. I could compel you to tell me… but I respect you more than that. Who you were matters to me not at all. It is who you are that matters. And I feel like I can trust you alone, Tess. The nights draw longer. This game of war draws to a close…”

Her fingers flew over her personal computer, punching up the star-map that hung in the air, a shimmering electronic pane, showing the mighty fleets of the various factions.

“The End Game approaches,” Savan muttered. “Aika is making her move… and all we can do is be pulled along in her wake. When she is ready, she will walk onto Coruscant like a conquering Empress. The cries for her rule will become deafening – humanity’s bluest blood and finest leader, setting foot upon the birthplace of her species. We are making history, Tess. And when my uncle is dead, I shall inherit all he owns. A galaxy of enterprise and illegal activity, united under one banner. It is so close now, I can taste it. It is fortunate that Lady Ulnar is as skilled as she believes. And that we backed the right pod-racer.”

She looked over at Aurora.

“Rest assured I shall not forget those who assisted me in my rise to prominence. Providing you can keep them in line.”

“I’m all over that,” Aurora smiled wanly.

“See that you are. There are dangerous steps in these last moments of the dance. Everyone holds back their trump cards, waiting to spring a surprise. Aika is up to something; she always stays one step ahead of enemies and allies alike. Lars is intrigued at what she plans next…”

Savan steepled her fingers thoughtfully.

“She plans to form a small elite team, her ‘Rogue Squadron’. I am not certain yet what she seeks, but it must be the final piece of her puzzle. Lars wants in, as do I. I need an agent in her inner circle, someone who can keep an eye on what she plans.”

“Won’t she realise if one of her people is a spy?” Aurora offered.

“Of course she will,” Savan assured her loyal agent. “Aika keeps her friends close, and her enemies closer. Lars, the Jedi, the Shadow Collective… they will all send agents, and she will accept them all. She fancies herself a magician, conjuring her illusions with a flourish and inviting us to bask in her cleverness. She would be disappointed if I didn’t try to get involved…”

“Do you want me to go?” Aurora asked her.

“No. You’re too well-known as my right hand. I want to keep her guessing; I shan’t make it easy for her. We need fruit plucked ripe from the tree, Tess.”

She beckoned the gunslinger in closer.

“The Game enters its final stages. So let us lay our final plans…!”

Description

“Janie's got a gun…

Her dog day's just begun

Now everybody is on the run

What did her daddy do?

It's Janie's last I.O.U.

She had to take him down easy and put a bullet in his brain

She said 'cause nobody believes me'

The man was such a sleaze

He ain't never gonna be the same -

Run away, run away from the pain…”

Aerosmith, ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’

Last of the commissions coming in from the talented Thanks for all your hard work, worth the wait!

This is Tess Aurora in her signature Corellian longcoat, the ‘Unfettered Trenchcoat’ outfit from Knights of the Old Republic.

Aurora (who goes by her last name) has a very narrow but effective skillset – she convinces people to do as crime-lord Savan Sizhran wishes, politely and convincingly explaining all the ways it would be best for them. And if that fails, she shoots them. From the front, and after they attack her first, so everything is nice and legal. It’s a set of talents that Savan has come to rely on, and – even more peculiarly – Aurora is perhaps one of the few individuals the enigmatic Falleen considers a friend. While Aurora serves Savan because of the perigen she supplies her with, the drug that keeps her from dying of Quannot’s Syndrome, she is loyal beyond that, and feels a personal commitment to Savan’s schemes and well-being. She has risen high in Black Sun’s ranks from a block captain to Savan’s personal agent and confidante, and she is perhaps the only person Savan actually trusts.

In the gloom of her personal chambers, the most powerful and influential Black Sun vigo watched the flickering scene on the HoloVid. A casino, an expensive private club in Treasure Ship Row on Coronet City, capital of Corellia. Patrons and guards alike stood as the slender figure stepped up to a well-dressed man, a powerful and influential crime-lord who was not used to being disrespected, especially here in his private lounge, the seat of his power. The slightly-built woman in black – barefoot and barely-dressed under her slick vinyl coat – stepped in and smiled, murmuring something in his ear. Her words were too quiet, but his were not, his face flushing crimson.

“… you kriffing whore…! I’ll sell your corpse to horny Gamorreans to use as a sex toy!” He glanced at his thugs, fingering their weapons beneath their sharp suits. “Kill her.”

What happened next occurred so swiftly that Savan had to freeze the Holo, rewind it to better see what transpired. Before the thugs even drew their weapons, the woman’s twin blasters were free of their quick-release holsters, and she twisted and dived, quick-silver fast while firing at the ones in front of her. A barrage of blaster fire slammed into five men – the crime-lord fell with holes torn in his guts, while his guards died with burn marks through their eyes. Even as the remaining hoods started to aim and fire, she had twisted around in a nexu-like roll and came up shooting – each pull of the hair-trigger registering too fast for even the freeze-frame to follow. The other dozen guards staggered back, smoke pouring from holes blown in their bodies.

She stood over the casino boss, who was a spitting blood and groping for his sidearm.

“Go on. See if you can die with a gun in your hand…” she taunted. His fingers were just closing on the hilt when she shot him repeatedly in the head, his body twitching as each burst of fire splashed his blood and brains over the expensive carpet. She looked up at the Holo-cameras and smiled, walking across to the device and sliding out the disk. The Holo froze for eternity.

“Carn Truuvik won’t be bothering us any longer,” Aurora said unnecessarily. “It was a good offer. He should have taken it.”

She paused. “When he wouldn’t, I had to provoke him with some cheap shots to get him angry. Luckily I’d done my homework.”

As the gunslinger poured herself a whiskey – Whyren’s reserve, fresh from the Suns of Fortune, naturally – Savan nodded slowly.

“I have had many agents, Tess… As many lackeys as there are stars in the sky. Very few ever meet my expectations, and fewer still surpass them. Your capabilities continue to impress me. I have none as faithful or competent.”

Aurora bowed at the compliment, and sipped her liquor.

“You serve because otherwise, you will die slowly and painfully, eaten from within by the cancer…” she mused. “But you are loyal beyond that, I know. Yet again, you went in without back-up. You risk your life, risk my business. The others say you have a death wish…”

“It’s not the same thing as a death-wish,” Aurora smiled. “I knew how many were there. I only play when the cards are loaded in my favour.”

Savan raised an elegant eyebrow, liquid eyes glittering in her green, scaled face. So close to the Dragon Queen, in the flesh, Aurora felt the musk of her natural perfume was overwhelming, like a thousand exotic blooms making your eyes water. It filled her with ecstasy, like a drug.

The Falleen nodded softly.

“Well done. You never disappoint me.”

“A job well done – and the chance to serve you – is all I ask for,” Aurora nodded.

“I believe you. Your words are not empty flattery. I know full well when others lie to me.”

She raised an arched eyebrow and smiled.

“But who is Tess Aurora really? Does even she know any more?”

“Tess died long ago,” Aurora said, a little guardedly. “She lived, badly, for a while. And died, also badly. It all feels like it happened long ago, to somebody else. Now it’s just me. And I only look ahead.”

Savan nodded simply. “I can understand that. I could compel you to tell me… but I respect you more than that. Who you were matters to me not at all. It is who you are that matters. And I feel like I can trust you alone, Tess. The nights draw longer. This game of war draws to a close…”

Her fingers flew over her personal computer, punching up the star-map that hung in the air, a shimmering electronic pane, showing the mighty fleets of the various factions.

“The End Game approaches,” Savan muttered. “Aika is making her move… and all we can do is be pulled along in her wake. When she is ready, she will walk onto Coruscant like a conquering Empress. The cries for her rule will become deafening – humanity’s bluest blood and finest leader, setting foot upon the birthplace of her species. We are making history, Tess. And when my uncle is dead, I shall inherit all he owns. A galaxy of enterprise and illegal activity, united under one banner. It is so close now, I can taste it. It is fortunate that Lady Ulnar is as skilled as she believes. And that we backed the right pod-racer.”

She looked over at Aurora.

“Rest assured I shall not forget those who assisted me in my rise to prominence. Providing you can keep them in line.”

“I’m all over that,” Aurora smiled wanly.

“See that you are. There are dangerous steps in these last moments of the dance. Everyone holds back their trump cards, waiting to spring a surprise. Aika is up to something; she always stays one step ahead of enemies and allies alike. Lars is intrigued at what she plans next…”

Savan steepled her fingers thoughtfully.

“She plans to form a small elite team, her ‘Rogue Squadron’. I am not certain yet what she seeks, but it must be the final piece of her puzzle. Lars wants in, as do I. I need an agent in her inner circle, someone who can keep an eye on what she plans.”

“Won’t she realise if one of her people is a spy?” Aurora offered.

“Of course she will,” Savan assured her loyal agent. “Aika keeps her friends close, and her enemies closer. Lars, the Jedi, the Shadow Collective… they will all send agents, and she will accept them all. She fancies herself a magician, conjuring her illusions with a flourish and inviting us to bask in her cleverness. She would be disappointed if I didn’t try to get involved…”

“Do you want me to go?” Aurora asked her.

“No. You’re too well-known as my right hand. I want to keep her guessing; I shan’t make it easy for her. We need fruit plucked ripe from the tree, Tess.”

She beckoned the gunslinger in closer.

“The Game enters its final stages. So let us lay our final plans…!”