sinereal Wrote:They entered the cantina and a hush fell over the place as everyone looked up and spotted them. The waitress serving the group of three looked like she was one wrong move away from bolting and hiding in the back.

"What can I get for you?"

"Pitcher of whatever's on tap for the table," Wesin answered, as he decided to sit down at a table near the other Mandos. He looked to her and nodded towards the other table.

Bo-Katan sighed, before making her way over. She hadn't wanted to be dragged into either a recruiting pitch or a potential fight with these people, but it looked like she wasn't being given much of a choice. As she approached, the two foundlings tensed, unsubtly watching her and her group as their hands drifted out of sight—likely towards weapons. She held in a chuckle at that, an amused smile pulling at her lips.

Good instincts, she mused as she stopped at the fourth place at the table, directly across from the older Mandalorian woman. Resting her arms on the back of the chair between the two kids, she asked, "So, what's the occasion?"

Across from her, the woman in black armor shifted in her seat, making herself more comfortable. Unlike the two kids, her body language looked relaxed. A bit too relaxed, really. Either she was the most trusting idiot in the universe, or she knew she was the most dangerous person in the room. "Their first kills," the woman answered. Her voice was muffled and a bit distorted by the relay of the helmet, but it sounded young. Younger than Bo, anyway.

First kills? At that age?

First kills? At that age? That's damn good.

She chuckled. "That's one to remember. Mind if I sit?" she asked, and the woman across from her thought about it for just a moment, before gesturing towards the chair Bo was leaning on. Bo spun it around and straddled it, eyeing the woman across from her and the kids. They bore no clan markings or personal identifiers. Given the armor and the cloaks, Bo suspected they might not want anyone knowing exactly who they were. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask, so she did. "What clan are you with?"

The other woman's answer pretty much confirmed what she suspected. "Can't say. We're not actually here, if you know what I mean. As soon as we finish here, we're leaving the planet."

Bo nodded. "Ah. Black ops stuff." Wesin coughed from where he sat and she could feel the others' eyes on her.

Time to get to work, Bo sighed, then started her pitch. "Right, anyway. So listen. Things are starting to get… hairy." Bad. They were starting to get real bad. All signs pointed towards war.

"Trade Federation is making moves." If you called blockading planets on major hyperspace lanes just 'making moves.' Some of those blockades were starting to demand 'tolls' from ships they forced out of hyperspace in order to pass by safely, claiming the lanes they controlled were now 'toll lanes.'

"There's talk that a bunch of planets in the Outer Rim may secede." It wasn't just talk. She'd heard from sources inside her sister's camp that they were weeks away at most.

"We're all Mandalorians. We all follow the Code. But we're out in the shit, not sitting on our asses on Mandalore, sipping wine and going to parties or whatever they're doing now." Preparing for war. Her peace-loving, pacifist sister was building a big fuckoff fleet, had made friends with the only other legitimate Mando faction, and had joined up with a Master Jedi whose reputation alone made most sane people think twice, then decide it wasn't worth it.

"We're the real Mandalorians. We should stick together." Why were they even bothering? Death Watch was a joke now, after Tor's death in single combat at the hands of a little girl—not even a proper Jedi, just one of their younglings. Satine and Jaster Mereel had united the other clans under their banner and hitched their wagon behind Dooku. They were planning to break off and form their own faction, which would pretty much guarantee a response from the Republic—and that really should satisfy the more fight happy Mandos out there.

The waitress returned with their drinks, then hurried off, not even bothering to hide that she was pretty much expecting a blaster fight to start up at any moment. Across from her, the black-clad Mando woman took the bottle and began pouring glasses. She slid one each to the girls in her charge, then the third to Bo. "I'm listening. What did you say your name was?"

"Sorry." A quiet chuckle escaped her as Bo realized she had forgotten her manners. She pulled off her helmet and put it on the table in front of her. "Bo-Katan Kryze. And you are?" she asked, as she lifted her glass to take a sip.

Something changed then, and the hairs on the back of Bo's neck stood on end. There was a sudden charge in the air. Anticipation. Those last few moments before a big lightning storm hit. No one had said or done anything to set her off, but suddenly, it felt like she was in incredible danger. Like the worst day of her life all over again…

"Heh."

A quiet laugh escaped the woman across from her and she noticed the children tense. She could feel the other Death Watch members at the nearby table tense as well.

Reaching up, the other woman unsealed her helmet and pulled it up, white hair spilling out from the bottom, drawing Bo's eye.

Nooo!

As the skin of the other woman's neck and lower jaw was revealed, bright red, Bo's mouth went dry.

No, no, no!

The helmet came the rest of the way off, revealing a familiar pair of silver-blue eyes.

Fuuuck!

The—beautiful, sexy as fuck—young woman across from her smiled and Bo's ass puckered, as her cheek itched. The Zeltron was all grown up now. Wires crossed somewhere in Bo's brain as she couldn't decide whether the woman across from her was a waking wet dream or a living nightmare.

"That's right, we skipped the introductions last time we met, didn't we?" Those eyes flicked over to the other members of Bo's team, before returning to her. "It's Tanya."

A quiet sound she would later deny making if asked escaped Bo's lips. Finally, her hand shaking, she lifted the glass the rest of the way to her lips and hammered it back, before reaching and taking the bottle to pour herself another.

"I'm not drunk enough to deal with you," the words escaped before Bo could contain them.

(12-02-2025, 05:47 AM)Norgarth Wrote: Beware of Chicken (original)
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/beware-of-chicken-xianxia.910799/page-2485#post-117355145

(12-04-2025, 02:23 AM)Jinx999 Wrote: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/beware-of-chicken-xianxia.910799/page-2487#post-117408578

Beware of Chicken

Alpha Ricter Wrote:Then, something moved by the cot—a quick, skittering blur at the edge of Faith's vision. At first, her brain refused to process it. After all, a severed hand scuttling across the floor wasn't on her pre-morning checklist. But the truth was undeniable: a hand, crawling on its fingers like little legs, crept in front of her.

The hand halted, then cocked an invisible wrist, and waved two fingers at her.

Faith blinked. Still there and still waving.

"Faith, meet Thing." Wednesday's tone was bone-dry as she smirked at Faith's reaction, visibly impressed that she hadn't screamed yet. "He says hello," Wednesday added, nodding to the hand.

Faith slowly sat up in the cot, eyed the severed hand warily. "Ah, where's the rest of him?"

The front door thundered with a loud, joyful knock. Wednesday answered without pausing, revealing the squat, grinning figure of Uncle Fester, smile big, bald head shining in the apartment's dull light.

"Ah, good. You're both still alive," Fester boomed.

Wednesday arched a thin eyebrow. "Day is still young."

He swept into the room like he owned it, noting Thing with a delighted, "Oh, you met Thing! Don't worry, he's mostly house-trained."

The disembodied hand spun itself around, pivoting to balance on its severed wrist before jutting its middle finger at Fester, the universal gesture requiring no translation.

A snort of laughter escaped Faith before she could stop it, the absurdity of the moment hitting her all at once.

The Slayer stood, scanned the room, and glanced at her wrinkled clothes from the past 48 hours. She pointed at Thing, who had skittered near her feet, marking her boundaries.

Faith eyed the disembodied hand suspiciously. "I'm just making this crystal care, okay? Personal space. I don't need five little fingers getting fresh with me."

Thing slumped against the floor, fingers folding in on themselves like a scolded puppy tucking its tail. Faith blinked at the spectacle. She'd broken hearts before, but watching a disembodied hand sulk was definitely a first.

tealruby Wrote:Hermione’s been plotting. People say she’s rather good at it. Time to find out if that’s true. Doctor Kys, or the Vertices of Tears, or whatever she/they/it calls themself, remains as inexplicably powerful as ever, so Green Lantern’s been readying herself. It might not be enough, as only one of them will survive this battle intact!
“You talked a big game, Doc, and I figured that one ring wouldn’t be enough. So I got nine more.”

---

Notes:
AN - It’s highly encouraged to read Dead Space and The Return of Doctor Kys before this issue, if you haven’t already.

See the end of the chapter for more notes.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a kudo or a comment. I really love hearing your thoughts and suggestions! It was fun getting Parsimony off Earth and let her strut on the big stage.

Special thanks to NMaiz & Writing_Heroics for the idea of Hermione’s inclusion in a superhero-themed RPG session. It fit well here and sets up the long-awaited introduction of a fan-favourite Lantern. And beginning the revelations of Luna’s secret origin, too.

For those wondering, this isn’t at all tied to the song of the same name; it just felt good as a title. All respect and honors to Donald Fagen.

The Vertices of Tears will return, of course. After all, this is a comic book.

(12-05-2025, 11:37 PM)Norgarth Wrote: Dial: Call Resumed (MCU SI with an Omnitrix)
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/dial-call-resumed.1005694/page-76#post-117457376

(12-06-2025, 10:05 AM)Norgarth also Wrote: Beware of Chicken (original Xanxia slice of life)
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/beware-of-chicken-xianxia.910799/page-2491#post-117459752
checking in with The Lord Magistrate