Small Change of Plans

Anne sat on the bench outside the park. The air smelled cold and sweet, it would start snowing soon.

She looked at a picture on her datapad. It was her parents holding her tight in her graduation outfit. She had graduated with honors, top of her class. Only a week ago but now, sitting here it felt like ages ago. Shortly after this photo she had sat them down to tell them that she wanted to take some time for herself, not go straight into the corporation they had picked for her. They were livid.

She thought her mom might cry, but she didn't. Her father's face had never been so red. Finally her father stopped yelling and looked like he was waiting on Anne.

"What?" asked Anne. "This swindler has little to offer you - a life beneath you. He has to go. You have a bright future that your mother and I have taken great care to groom for you.  His world and our world are not the same, Anne. He will not be welcome here or at any corporate function. You've had your fun, now cut your ties and get your head on straight. You start your job in a week."

Just as snow began to fall, Tech pulled up in front of her on a speeder. She threw her bag over her shoulder and hopped on behind him. She checked the time. In a few hours her parents would realize that she wasn't going to make it to her first day of work tomorrow. Anne had programmed the house protocol droid to display her letter to her parents that evening.  Tech drove towards the shipyard.

The Beginning

Anne was standing in the hall going through a datapad, checking all of her test answers to make sure they were correct. As she lifted her eyes after confirming which relay the probe droid's broadcast antennae connected through she noticed an odd man at the end of the hall.  He seemed to know where he was going, but his clothing was too ragged to be a student or teacher at this school. He carried a large black case. Anne quickly pretended to read her datapad as she realized she was standing there staring with her mouth open. Hopefully he didn't notice.  He walked right past her into the classroom she had just exited.

" Mr. Jones I have everything you asked for as long as you have what I required."   " I told you to wait for me outside. This is most unsettling. However, lucky for you I have your payment here."   Anne could hear the case being loudly placed on a desk and the cold snap of metal unlocking.   " Please inspect the cargo at your leisure. If there's anything else you or your friends need, don't hesitate to COM me."

Anne wondered what a teacher would need such a rough man like this to buy for him. She heard footsteps coming back out of the classroom and Anne held her gaze on her datapad. 

All of a sudden, she realized the man was in front of her and not moving. She raised her gaze to see him staring at her with a wide smile.
"Hey girl, is there a good cantina on this rock?"

Anne studied his face. That smile. 
"I'm no girl."

"Alright, woman, where should we go spend these hard earned chips?"

Another Life

"Anne! Don't forget your backpack!"
She always forgot something. As she ran back up the stairs she went over her mental checklist again. Today was her final in droid mechanics and she was going to be late. It was her favorite class and she was sure to ace the test, but not if she didn't show up.

As she ran down the hall her mind replayed the dinner discussion from the night before. Her parents pushing her to finish her applications to the corporations they had picked out. She was about to graduate from the best university on this side of the planet and her future was wide open. She could climb the corporate ladder and be making more than her father before she knew it.

Recuperating

Running. They were all running. They all ran aboard the antique vessel.
They all looked at her. GET US OUTTA HERE!
Her mind scrambled. She didn't know anything about the Outer Rim planets. No idea where they would be safe. Tech would know but he was busy getting this bird in the air.
Ummm... Let's just go back to the last planet we were safe. Back to the Hutt.
She did the calculations and a flash of stars whizzed by.
They land and are standing by the ship. She sees each of their faces.
They are all smiling at her, grateful to have their feet on the ground.
She blinks and now everyone is in a fire-fight with a bounty hunter.
His clothing looks familiar, but she can't place him. Everyone is shooting.
She sees each of their faces concentrating on the fight.
The huntsman runs and they pursue.
All except her and Dorge.
She thinks about how good they are with computers but how they are not as handy in a blaster fight as she walks to the bar to get a room.  It hadn't been very long since they were last here.  She sits at the bar and looks at the droid bartender.
He seems to have a look of pity on his droid face.
The neck band clicks into place.

Womanne awakes with a scream, her own hands around her neck trying to pull an imaginary slave collar off.

Getting Through the Day

Womanne lay on the cot in the Captain's Quarters. So far they had not been able to get a response from the rebel ship. She lay there hoping that when they did respond it would help show her what path lay before her. She lay there happy to be where she was - not on an Imperial slave ship, not on her home planet, not anywhere worse. Happy to be alive and traveling the Outer Rim.

She exited her room and overheard one of the boys telling Dorge that he could probably boost the COM's with the right power source. Yes! Perfect.  She could tell it was going to be a great day.  A group of them headed out and ran into a kid Dorge could lean on for info. Yes! A great deal on renting a power unit. Shaping into a fantastic day.  Womanne smiled as they walked back through the entrance of the ship yard, estimating they should have word from the rebels within the day.

Looking ahead they saw a couple of big guys on speeder bikes as they hear the J-9 droid's warning over their COM. Hmm. A slight damper to the day.  They tried to flank the guys but the kid's scared looks to them both only helped to point them out. These guys were waiting on them. One look at Dorge and you could tell what they were here for.

Looking them over Womanne could tell one was human, the one holding a blaster and yelling towards Dorge. The other a trandoshan, no blaster, but they didn't need one to cause a lot of hurt. Womanne flashed back to the gambling fights back at the Hutt's.

Shots were fired, Womanne drew her weapon and shot towards the Trandoshan as he seemed the scarier target.  Chaos ensued as the space port erupted into screams and running. The trandoshan scrambled off his bike and towards Dorge. Womanne kept an eye on him as she dodge bolts from the human.  She dodged most of them, taking a couple in the shoulder. Finally the reptile slumped to the ground but the human jumped on his bike and tried to escape.

Quickly Womanne evaluated her options. If this guy brought reinforcments they would be done for. If they took off now they would void the rental of the power supply and probably end up fried in space. The only option left was to grab the other bike and run this guy down. The boys in the ship took off trying to back her up and keep this guy from getting away.

He stopped in a blind alley. Womanne was very hesitant to follow him in, knowing he was trying to get the upper hand. She rode to the other end and tried to walk in behind him but this place was full of trash and every step seemed to crunch. Then she saw him right as she caught another bolt in her chest. She pulled her blaster but it hurt to hold it up. Her shot hit the wall above him and he looked up to make sure nothing was going to fall on him. When he looked back all he would see was her back as she got outta there.  She could hear the ship hovering ahead and only hoped they would stay and finish this. She was in no shape to stick around.

She jumped on the speeder and headed back to the space port. It was pretty much the only place to land a ship near here so this is where they would come back. She drove slow trying to not draw much attention. The ship was back as she pulled into the port. Dorge waited outside the landing ramp and told her that they got him and were bringing him back, alive. She gave the speeder to him and walked in and collapsed on her bed.

She was still alive. Yep, today was a great day.

Unexpected Reactions

Womanne felt like she was moving in slow motion, everything around her sped up.  A human had walked out of the rodian room with a hostage. Womanne had no idea what that hostage was suppose to accomplish. She guessed the human must have thought they were someone else. He kept edging towards them but his hostage was stumbling.

Womanne leveled her blaster, still set on stun, and shot his hostage point blank. "Shavit!" the human screamed as he quickly readjusted to keep the hostage in front of his body. He wouldn't be making it to the turbolift.

Womanne looked on as the others took their opportunity to shoot the human with multiple stun bolts. She looked to J-9. "Drag these bodies into our room."   "I am a free droid. I take orders from no one."  "...please."

As the boys dragged the bodies into their room, Womanne went into the rodian room.  She quietly surveyed the place. It looked almost untouched save a depression in one of the beds where the human likely sat listening to the fire-fight. As she looked through the room for anything of value she realized that it was suddenly quiet. So quiet she could hear the blaster shot as if it were firing beside her.

She peered out the door and saw Dorge standing in the doorway of their room looking disappointed. The turbolift dinged, it had reached the 2nd floor on it's way down. Womanne could feel her stomach in her throat. It would all be over. She fought with herself trying to decide if she could hide under the rodian bed and avoid the oncoming slaughter. None of them had seen her face.

Dorge turned towards the turbolift ready to greet whatever comes through those doors. Womanne hustled into their room. As she entered, the others were throwing dead bodies out the door and a stunned rodian into the refresher. Vin's face looked a little darker, shadows around his eyes. It was probably just the hotel lighting.

They closed the doors. Ding. The turbolift opened with armed guards. They looked at Dorge and spoke stern but not violent. Dorge turned to their room and the guard knocked.  Womanne opened the door and showed them the unconscious rodian. They took him and entered the turbolift. There was no use staying here now. Everyone boarded the lift and descended back to the ground floor.

Womanne found herself disappointed. Her first rebel mission - a bust. Then, she remembered all the imperial data they had discovered in the cave. She decided it was time to com the rebel ship and see what happens next.

Relentless Dinging

You know that sound a turbolift makes when the doors are closing and you stick your hand out to keep it open for just a few seconds?

Womanne wasn't sure exactly what happened. She was relaxing in the refresher unit trying to make up for years of filth. She scrubbed again wondering if her neck would ever feel clean.  She faintly heard running and slamming and blasts. Then, Vin's voice thundered and she knew this was as clean as she was going to get.

Quickly she dressed and ran towards the door. She pulled it open slowly and saw rodians in the hallway. Dorge was somewhere between amused and frustrated and stun bolts were flying. That's when she heard the first ding. There was a dead rodian laying in the floor bridging the hallway and open turbolift. ding

Womanne switched her heavy blaster to stun and whipped out the door. ding The remaining rodian dodged a couple more shots before finally taking one square in the chest. ding Looking around puzzled, she could see that everyone else was also caught by surprise at the sudden firefight. Everyone's eyes settled on Dorge, ding. still smirking. He cast a strange look at Womanne ding as if he had something to tell her but not in front of Vin. Whatever it was ding Womanne knew she probably didn't want to hear it. ding

Vin screamed. "One rodian  made it down the lift and now we'll be lucky to get out of this frackin place alive." Great. It's never easy is it?  ding

The door opened to the rodian room. ding

Elevator Music

As Wom'anne rode up the lift tube to her room on the 2nd floor listening to the electroharp melody playing she thought about how they were going to get out of this. Brannigan was more than likely either in a pile of dust or that crater left by the detonator. They would not get their money from him, nor would they get their easy transportation to somewhere safe. Safe. She laughed to herself as she exited the lift tube.

She collapsed on her cot, fully clothed, almost exhausted. In the dark she saw his face in every shadow.
Just as she began to dream a wonderful dream there was a knock at the door.
Wom'anne leapt from her cot, touched her blaster, surveyed the room. They were all here.
She walked to the peephole and saw a hotel boy with the J-9 droid. There would be questions.
How could they have thought posting a droid at the lift tube wouldn't raise suspicions.
She must handle this quickly. She smashed that open button as hard as she could.

Even though she still looked starved, she made herself sound as strong and large as a trandoshan. The poor boy was almost crying when she was done with him. He almost ran back to the lift tube. As it opened, Wom'anne noted that the music playing now was a Kloo horn.

Everyone was awake now. She sat on her cot and tried to think but it was hard with Dorge jumping on his bed hitting the ceiling. She heard the lift tube ding and walked to the door. Looking thru the peephole she could see the ... same hotel boy. He looked nervous. Good.

She waited for him to knock and repeated the show. This time, she insisted that he move them to a better room. It worked.  Now they could check out the rodians upstairs. They are a violent people and if ever you needed a good mercenary, they were probably your best bet. Perhaps they were the ones that took out Brannigan before we got here.

Riding the lift tube to the 3rd floor they listened to some more electroharp.  As they approached their suite, Wom'anne thought about just marching up to the rodian's door. But, she decided a hot shower would probably be the better idea for now. They may not always have the luxury.

Trust Issues

Wom'anne thought she should care more as the dealer scooped up the creds she had laid on the table. But they were a dead man's creds and she was only disappointed that she was that much further from being able to afford....
Well, what she really wanted was just a little bit of normal back. Could buying things that made her more comfortable or useful buy back normal? As she stood and walked back to the Jubilee Wheel she realized that normal was not an option anymore.

She made her way to the elevator. Passing the protocol droid J-9 she almost flashed a smile. She felt as empty and cold as a droid. They had stripped her of her identity, her freedom, her dreams.  She had lost her love - her moon and stars. She was adrift with no points to navigate herself.

She had lost so much.

All she had left was revenge.

Unanswered Questions

As the morning sun rose in the sky, Fe'male's heart sank. The scout had not returned.
As unwise as it was to venture forward into the unknown dangers ahead, maybe they could sneak in and figure out what happened. The human seemed especially opposed to the idea, but he followed along as the only alternative was to be left alone in the woods.

They slowly crept through the forest as quiet as possible. The human jumping as each branch cracked under Fe'male's foot. Finally they heard the sounds of a camp. Carefully they approached and tried to flank the area, looking for any sign of Lume the scout.

As they scanned the camp, she saw a familiar face. Fe'male's face must have looked ablaze, the bronze scales shining with anger. The tiefling was sitting on a bench with his hand on the back of their companion, Lume.  He was laughing.

Fe'male stood tall and entered the camp, taking the hobgoblin guards slightly by surprise. She bounded towards the tiefling. Luckily, the paladin spoke first with remarks of relief for Lume's sake. Fe'male stood by his side and did not take her eyes off of the tiefling. She heard little of the explanation of how Lume came to be so drunk or how the tiefling had arrived before them. Her head swam with rage.

She forced her emotions to subside just in time to hear the paladin agree to the hobgoblin's generous offer of staying the night, but just a single night. They were given directions towards the nearest town, only 2 days walk from here. If the innkeepers family had been in trouble out this way, it is likely that they would head for that town to seek aid.

Fe'male found time before they retired to sleep to make mention of her distrust for the tiefling. During the day the party was witness to mourners who lamented over a lost boy. Fe'male could only assume it was the same boy that the tiefling was 'nursing' to health. Why would he come and not mention the boy? What plans did he have for the hobgoblins? for themselves?

Second-Guessing

They sit in the woods in silence, waiting for any sound. It had only been hobgoblin youngling splashing in the river, but where there are youngling ...
Fe'male suggested they send a scout. Lume, the half-elf, was the lightest on his feet so he took off into the forest as the sun began to set. Fe'male watched him weave through the trees until she lost sight of him.
In battle Fe'male would have sent a scout without hesitation. She was not these men's commander. Instead, she was an equal and did not feel that ordering a man into the forest to face a war party was her command to make.
The paladin took the first watch.


Fe'male saw her brother. He was right in front of her. 
He was yelling orders, but she could not hear his voice. All was silent. 
She was on the shoreline, surrounded by dragonborn soldiers. 
She turned to her brother again. He was clad in battle-ready armor, weapon raised.
He faced ahead and made the call to charge.  Something was wrong.
He ran ahead. Fe'male tried to keep up. 
She struggled to run but everything around her moved forward faster.
Fear and anxiety washed over her as the army began to enter the mountain pass ahead.
The entire army had entered the pass and she was still struggling to run.
Finally she entered the pass but to her horror all she saw was slain dragonborn.
She ran past them searching for her brother.
In the distance, she saw his armor leaning against a tree. His back was to her.

"It's your watch" the paladin woke Fe'male.
It was not hard to stay awake. Her heart was pounding.
The scout had not returned during the paladin's watch. Surely the camp had not been very far. The youngling group would not venture out too far from camp. Fe'male tried to decide if the anxiety she felt now was truly about the scout's well-being.

Wasting Time

Perhaps it was fate that these four were at the inn when it became obvious that the lady innkeeper was in a bit of trouble. The paladin, Roland, would say it was Avandra looking over them.  The human, Merghast, would say he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Fe'male believed that while this was a diversion from her main task of returning to her own family, that reuniting this family in need was a worthy diversion.

Now, faced with the grim discovery before them, had the whole thing just been a waste of effort?

However, this was just one body. If it truly was the innkeeper's husband or son, where was the other? Surely the only need to separate would have been injury. The survivor should have headed back to the inn for help. After a quick but thorough search of the surrounding woods, it was decided that they would have to continue searching. Perhaps there is another close house that could know what came of these men.

As they ventured forward they could hear a strange sound on the wind. It sounded of splashing water and voices. Fe'male smelled something on the air.  She would have to stay as the rest ventured quietly ahead to scout it out. Merghast chose to stay as well, so she wouldn't have to stand alone. He was definitely not afraid of the unknown possible stampede of strange animals ahead.

Keep your enemies closer

They left the tiefling's home after a night's stay. Fe'male didn't really get any sleep.  The place was dark by the time they made it to the tiefling's house. He requested they not linger in the morning. Fe'male had already decided to leave as early as possible.

The tiefling assured that the Deeza men never made it to him. Despite his assurances, the party still believed they could be out there and were determined to move deeper into the forest in the morning.

In the light of day, a small huddled bundle was discovered in the corner of the tiefling's home.  A small hobgoblin. The tiefling claimed to have found it hurt in the forest and was restoring it before returning to its people. The party paid this little mind as it was in no condition to question about the Deezas.

Moving forward they were lucky to miss another attack as they stumbled upon a small cave. This must have been how those kobalds got around so fast. They had a network of tunnels throughout the forest.

Nearby they also found some human remains: scraps of clothing and bones.  The party looked looked at the remains and thought the same thing, but none spoke it. Could this be the end of their journey?

2012 Presidential Election - Media Blackout

The last presidential election was irritating. 

It was full of pointless topics.

It was a gender race, an ethnicity race, a race to see who used to be poorer....

a contest to see who messed up the most words or who doesn't know their history.

Let's cut all that out this year.

I want to see some real debates about real issues. 

Obama vs. McMillan 

2012

MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION

For convincing arguments for each, please see each video below.
OBAMA : http://youtu.be/ej_H8wYo2s4
MCMILLAN : http://youtu.be/Gg5SwyTvAHw

This is dedicated to my beloved great aunt judy. 

Without you i wouldn't know just how much email spam is still out there

or that people will still forward it.

Not up for discussion

How could he understand? He wasn't there. He didn't owe these people his life.

Just days ago Wom'anne had been a prisoner.  Starved, overworked, and utterly hopeless. Then, the rebels struck and she was free. Had Dorge tried to save her? No. This raised other questions. Had he tried to find the others? What had he been doing these past years?

As they were trying to figure out how to go unnoticed from the tracks, a rebel ship had come to collect any survivors. Where had these well-armed men been during the skirmish? They agreed to take us to the closest shipyard and from there we could make our separate ways. Again, the rebels had provided a way out.

Plans changed when all travel was shut down on the planet. Whether they were looking for the escaped prisoners or those from the battle or any number of other things the empire disliked was unsure. An opportunity to get off this world presented itself and Dorge & Wom'anne took it. The ship was a rebel ship, the passengers consisted of many of the prisoners that escaped with Wom'anne. Yet again, rebels to the rescue.

So, when a job was asked of Wom'anne to aid the rebels she did not hesitate. She was surprised when Dorge disagreed. Had he not also taken advantage of the rebel timing? She was so surprised by his argument as to whether they should go that she second guessed whether she wanted him to go at all. Would a smaller share make him stay?

The Best Way Out Is Always Through

They all look around, trying desperately to see through the thick woods surrounding them.
What 'herald' means, none could be for sure. Scout is what the others decided, preparing for the worst.

I can't believe I didn't smell the scoundrel on the approach. The stench of battle and my new travel companions must have masked it. The tiefling topped the hill as we prepared to move onward. He commented with an air of superiority his surprise that we even ventured in this section of forest. Pointing out the strange configurations of sticks and bones lining the treetops the tiefling pointed out the warning signs to ward off trespassers.  We had seen them, but chose to ignore them. Did the innkeepers family do the same?

If not for the tiefling's offer to assist us with information for our quest, it would have been easy to find a reason to dispatch one of his kind. It would be a disservice to the innkeeper to allow old traditions of hatred between my kind and his to cloud the mission at hand, but trust will not come easy.

We followed him back to his home.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost

Fe'male jumped into a group of the kobalds. They looked different than the kobalds she was used to seeing back home and on the docks at Devils Bay, as if the pigment had been washed off their scaly skin. These creatures seemed a little off, crazed. She swung her halberd wide and strong. 

Battle was the perfect way to get to know her fellow travel companions. It was the easiest language for Fe'male to understand. The paladin, Roland, glowed with holy light and used his hammer to smite the kobalds that ambushed him. The secretive half-elf, Loom, darted to and fro stabbing and slashing with speed and cunning. The human, Merghast,  cowered by a large rock.

The battle proceeded with a lot of hacking and slashing and a few moments of teamwork. However, Fe'male was taken by surprise when she was cornered by a couple of kobalds. She was not surprised by their strategy, but that the human stood up confidently, pointed at one while whispering and the thing just took off.  Loom quickly dispatched it and Fe'male took care of the other.

One kobald had barely survived this misguided attack.  He lay dying in a pool of his own blood. Coughing he tried to speak. He did not call out for mercy, but spoke a single word repeatedly. The others in the party looked at him in confusion. Fe'male listened carefully to this things dying words. It was speaking Draconic, an old dialect.

Fe'male spoke aloud. "Herald"

The Path Less Traveled

They all gathered outside of the inn. Looking down the path before them, they realized that it was far too treacherous to bring the horses. Fe'male looked to the young boy and paid him enough to feed her horse till they would return.  She stressed that he tend it well. She hoped that he could handle this responsibility as she still owed money on the horse and it would be a shame to loose the key to swift completion of her mission.

As they walked, Fe'male glanced behind her analyzing the party.  She took the lead as she was born for the role. The paladin took up the rear position. The shady half-elf swung out to the side to do cursory scouting. He quickly disappeared into the trees. If not for his faint trail on the air Fe'male may have questioned if he was still out there or on his way back to the Hurry. The human stayed between Fe'male and the Paladin and jumped when twigs would snap under Fe'male's heavy stride. She wondered how he could even walk straight when his hands were covering his eyes every few minutes.

After walking for quite a while, nearly half a day, the party approached a steep hill. Fe'male was instinctively wary of hills as they would give an opponent the advantage in battle. The scout returned as they eased up the hill. The forest was dense surrounding this place. As they reached the top of the hill and continued forward, Fe'male realized they were now in a bowl of earth. A most unsavory fighting position. She drew her halberd and looked around. The smell of these humans was no match for the stench of what approached.

The paladin drew a mace. The other half-elf drew a sword. The three stood looking at the circumference of the hillside as they became silently surrounded. The only sound that could be heard over your own heartbeat was a faint whimper.

Two Paths Diverged in the Woods - Part 4

The innkeeper sobbed. Her little boy tried to console her. She explained how that huge sword on the mantle belonged to her  husband, but he had been gone for so long. He and her eldest son had left to go hunting. The meat had become scarce, so she expected them to be gone for longer than usual. However, now months had passed and she feared the worst. Also, with her husband gone so long, her husband's brother who leads a band of thieves up and down the Hurry was trying to recruit her youngest son by force.

It was a sad story. All staying in the inn felt concern for the lady and probably a little proud for helping her keep her son and drive off the gang of miscreants. But all hesitated when the innkeeper continued with "Would you all help us? Would you go out and bring back the truth of my husband and son's condition?" Fe'male was on a very important personal mission of her own. She was sure that each of these other patrons were as well. This didn't seem a real tourist attraction on its own.

Fe'male quickly reflected upon the two paths that lay before her. On the one she could leave this place and head north on the road to her destination and continue her path to honor. On the other she could venture into the forest to track down half of a family and potentially save a young boy from a life of crime. Fe'male envisioned herself looking back on this decision and how there was only one truly honorable way to proceed.  She will get back to her mission soon, but chose to help make a difference now.

Two Paths Diverged in the Woods - Part 3

Fe'male surveyed these thugs with dragonborn reflexes. She had been trained to evaluate a band of warriors quickly and determine strategy for their defeat in moments. However, she was not with a team of her own.

The leader of the band of hooligans demanded the young boy. He pointed to the large sword above the mantle and spoke about family.  Fe'male could not understand most of what this man was talking about, but the face of the innkeeper spoke volumes. The bandits struck the lady. With that the shiny paladin that had been sitting beside Fe'male sprung into action. With her doubts came lost opportunity.

He pushed a couple of the weaker followers out of his way as he made for the leader. It was obvious to this thug that he was looking at his better and he made a cry for support.  Fe'male now stood, ready to ensure a fair fight for the paladin.

Fe'male wanted to strike fear into these men quickly. Her halberd sank into the first opponent deep and she let out a fierce battle-cry.  She turned to her side and inhaled deeply. She opened her mouth and expelled a piercing breath of ice that hit two other men.  Looking past their frosted faces, Fe'male smirked as she watched a man run from the inn in pure terror.

Looking around, the breakfast table was empty. The entire inn was fighting for this lady. Whether it was the honor of protecting a damsel in distress or just blood-thirst, none were sitting it out.

The battle wrapped up and the last of the band was thrown outside. Fe'male smiled as she wiped her blade clean, pleased to know that despite current setbacks her ice breath was still as strong as ever.

Two Paths Diverged in the Woods - Part 2

The stairs creaked with her weight as she descended back into the eating area.  Fe'male could smell the food being prepared. She reached the bottom of the stairs and quickly glanced around to see most of the others tenants were already sitting, ready to eat.

Fe'male entered the room and began to survey for the safest table for herself, but mid-glance the owner made her way through with a large pot and sat it on the long center table. Her young boy followed her with bowls and spoons that he placed beside the pot.  "We're all going to eat here like civilized folk" she said gesturing towards the large center table.

The tenants reluctantly grabbed their belongings and moved towards the table. Fe'male took a seat towards the end closest to the door but took up enough room that none could sit too close to her and still eat comfortably. Surveying the room she could smell human, but also a hint of elf.  A very dark figure sat at the other end of the table and was obscured by his coat and top-hat, but definitely smelled like a half-elf.  The man beside him looked almost afraid to eat and was dressed in a bright robe. Between this cowering human and Fe'male sat a large half-elf in shiny armor.  He seemed a little over-dressed for breakfast, but Fe'male commended his preparedness.

Yet again, a light meal. The innkeeper apologized for the lack of meat, but her apathetic tone was of one who had repeated this apology for many mornings. Fe'male wondered if she would ever eat a full meal again and whether these light meals would impede her mission.  She would have to test her endurance soon to make sure.

Towards the end of breakfast, but before any had finished, there was a loud ruckus outside and a band of men entered the inn. They strutted into the place like they owned it.  Fe'male glanced back towards the innkeeper and her face showed both anger and fear.  Fe'male's opportunity would come sooner than she anticipated.

Two Paths Diverged in the Woods - Part 1

Fe'male looked around the outside of the inn. Little Choice was indeed a fitting name for this place. It wouldn't have been her first pick of places to stop, but there was no other choice.  A young boy approached and Fe'male allowed him to take her horse and feed it.  She entered the establishment to get a room. It had been a long ride and now the day was growing dark. Fe'male felt more at ease in the dark over here. She felt as much an outcast here as she did at home before leaving on this mission.

She made her way to the bar and was served a stew by the lady of the inn.  This place had no meat, a great disappointment.  She was not used to such light meals.  There were very few in the inn and, like Fe'male, it seemed they wished to be ignored. She finished her meal and was showed her room. It was small but she only needed it for the night.

Fe'male saw her brother standing right in front of her. He was yelling, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. She looked around and the beach shore was packed with dragonborn. Her brother was battle ready, leading an army of dragonborn soldiers. He was in slow motion as he began to run towards the mountain pass. Something was wrong though. Fe'male felt immobilized. She tried to run, to catch up. She struggled, fear and anxiety welling in her chest. They had all made it into the pass ahead of her and she strained to see any of them now. 

Fe'male awoke in the morning heart pumping, but could not remember why. She made ready to depart. She put each piece of her dragonborn chainmail armor back on. It fit perfectly after years of wear. She pulled the bag of black shells from under the pillow and tied them back to her belt.  She readied her sack of belongings and her halberd and carried it all downstairs.

A Great Deal on a Horse

Fe'male entered the inn and spoke with one of the smaller men but it seemed all of these horses were far out of her price range. Most were too small to even carry her and she had a feeling they weren't excited to see a dragonborn ride one of their quality work horses.

Finally a larger man came through and wanted to strike a deal. The price was more reasonable even though it was almost all she had. The horse was a perfect size for her and black as the shells at her side.

The man allowed her to pay most of the cost now and to pay the rest when she returned the horse. She agreed and as she rode away she was very pleased to think that this town had at least one nice man who knew an honorable dragonborn when he saw one.


She rode up the Hurry towards Banda Cate. The Hurry was the only road that lead from Devil's Bay up to Banda Cate. That's the next stop for her journey, but it's a few days ride away. Fe'male rode hard and this horse could handle it.

As the first night approached, Fe'male slowed her pace as she saw something large in the distance. It turned out to be the remnants of a raided caravan. The bandits that frequent this road had destroyed or taken most of the cargo. Fe'male placed a couple of the statues scattered about in her bag.

The next day she had made it to Little Choice Inn, the halfway point on The Hurry. It wouldn't hurt to have a decent night's sleep and some meat in her belly before carrying on.

Seashells by the Seashore

Fe'male roams the street trying to shake off the previous night. The cot had been so small it was hard to decide which was worse: the night in jail or the nights at sea.

She heard a man peddling maps. This man proved truly knowledgeable about this town and its surrounding areas. He also suggested visiting the money exchanger as she paid for the map and information he provided.

Fe'male walked down the beach. Waves licked the shore. She stared out to sea. She knew it was impossible to see her homeland from here and she almost laughed at herself as she surveyed the horizon.

She took a knee and picked a handful of black shells out of the sand. She placed them in a small drawstring sack and tied it to her belt. The first assignment of the journey completed, she sat for a short time watching the ships but knew she must be moving on.

As Fe'male entered the heart of town she smelled something wonderful and heard the growl of her stomach.

She quickly made her way to the money changer. They negotiated and she received a handful of coin. She rubbed her finger over the last draconic coin and placed it back in her bag. This one she will keep.

Now to follow that smell. She entered the bakery. Stepping out with a fresh loaf, she tried it. It wasn't meat, but it was delicious compared to what she's been eating.

After her fill of bread Fe'male made her way to the north. Just outside of town she walked into the stables. She would be travelling far on this continent and a horse would make it quicker.

A Free Night's Stay

Looking down the dock, this place was bustling with commerce. Men running around hauling ropes & nets. Kobolds hauling crates back and forth.

Fe'Male decided to take a quick stroll down near the docks just to get a feel for this new place. She caught a few words in Draconic from the kobolds and was just a little more homesick. She did not know how long this journey would keep her from the home she loved.

She was on her way back up the dock when she heard a familiar tone of garbled gibberish. Looking ahead she saw her friend from the boat with two men. This time he had one arm in a sling. However, the other pointed at her.

Fe'male tried to ignore these men and go on her way, but he had other ideas. As these new friends approached, they drew weapons. With a sigh, Fe'male reached onto her back and drew her halberd to defend herself.

This was just a small misunderstanding, no need for bloodshed. Fe'male, skilled with her weapon, easily took these two to the ground leaving only a few bruises. Then, from behind came the one armed man's attack. Fe'male quickly dodged and grabbed the man by the forearm. He struggled, wide-eyed; Fe'male tilted her head and smiled just a little as her grip tightened. A familiar sound for them both.

Clang! The guards had been quick to take the halberd. Then, they got Fe'male into the jail cell as quickly as possible. It all felt a little unfair. The men that attacked her were left free while she spent the night in jail over a couple of broken arms. Now all she could smell was fear.

I'm on a Boat

The ship swayed closer and closer to the shore. They had made the call that signalled sighting of land minutes before. It was mid-afternoon and the sun shone through the cracks of the planks separating the decks. Fe'male had been most comfortable when it was darker. In the dark, she could see her fellow travellers better than they could see her. It was during afternoons like this one that they took turns surveying her while passing the time on such a long time at sea.

It was during afternoons like this that some passed the time by drinking too much and did more than survey from afar. Fe'male tried to keep her head down, but she stood a head taller than anyone else aboard. She reminded herself of the reason she was in this situation, the mission at hand. But the smell was almost blinding. These humans smelled and the ones that drank smelled the strongest.

This human was all Fe'male could smell. The stench filled her long snout. She could taste it the length of her tongue. She worried the stench may stick to her scales.

He garbled, but she only caught a few words: can never tell. She stood unwavering as he reached towards her. But, as he grabbed the chest plate of her dragonborn  chainmail armor, he had gone too far. With trained reflexes, her talons had grasped both his arms, pulling him off. She had dealt with this particularly odorous man the entire trip, but he had not been so bold to attempt an assault before now. Even still, if they had not been ready to disembark or if her gentle defense had persuaded him to end this, she wouldn't have tightened her grip.

A snap and a scream were the next sounds Fe'male heard. She was able to quickly slide past the man as he was preoccupied with his broken arm. As her eyes quickly adjusted she walked down the ramp onto the dock of Devil's Bay.

Everything's gonna change

Wom-anne looked down at the Imperial Captain.



The body & spirit crushing trauma of the past years of enslavement had changed her. What used to be a mousy droid mechanic who was at peace by the side of her Tech was nowhere to be seen.



As the shots rang out, Dorge turned to see a confident face with a hint of a smirk. The Captain lay motionless, now a mess. "They really messed you up huh?" Calmly she replied "Yea, it was pretty bad"

As she answered, Dorge saw a flicker of that mousy girl, gone in a blink.



They quickly surveyed the massacre surrounding them. Both sides were gone. They had barely survived along with a droid and a twi'lek. Rebels lay dead inside and surrounding the monorail. Stormtroopers lay in formation, having been unwaivering in their devotion to their Captain.



With some quick glances, they all begin to make their way out of this bloody clearing, into the city. They hope to avoid any further surprises while here, but lately life has not been easy for Dorge or Wom-anne

in the beginning

It had been a trap. Female slapped the whore that had played bait. Her talons scraped across the flesh, leaving a momento of the harlot's failure.

The first time I saw a bunch of guys sitting around talking through playing a game I was a little bored at first. There was no gameboard or deck of cards, just paperwork and dice. But as I watched them play and tried my hardest to understand their jokes, I analyzed their story and couldn't understand why they kept doing it wrong.

Why couldn't their characters see the clues right in front of them? I started to point it out a few times, but in the end I was forced to allow their story to unfold without my bits of wisdom as I had not created a character & joined them in playing.

I learned a very important lesson those days: watching people play D&D is boring and irritating. It is so much worse that going out with your boyfriend to his friends' house to hangout while they all play video games for hours.

I made an unspoken vow to never again allow that to happen. I would never again be that girl sitting there for four hours watching the guys play.

I began to craft my own characters, to join them on these adventures. I would be the barbarian half-orc with a crowbar or the dragonborn warlord with ice breath.

Steps were taken to become less sappy and be taken more serious by gaming geeks. It's still a work in progress.

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Understanding why

After a quick glimpse of the rider ahead Fema'le spoke confidently 'General, I want to detain that man.'

He hates it when I tell stories because I tell it like I think it. In my mind there are many important bits of connective information that bring meaning or emotional investment. This is one of our biggest differences.

Maybe it comes from the way we were raised. I can remember attending extended family gatherings where my mother spent the majority of the time explaining relations. For example: "Kristy Don is Kathy's daughter. Kathy (over there on the porch) is Jenny's daughter. Jenny (the one with the pink flowered shirt) is your Mamaw's sister." I hated Kristy Don. She once sang a song about me eating poo. Yes, but it does not matter that I was only 6 and she was only 7.

Maybe it's just because I want him to understand why I care. However, it doesn't really matter to him and all I ever really accomplish is a sigh, an eyeroll, mumbles of the word 'tangent', and a hand motion of something rolling along.

It all works out in the end though. I get my point across. He gets to make jokes. We get to kiss and go on with our lives together.

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