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When I included Hawkgirl in my GOTG concept that went nowhere in the last Absolute I was planning on completely dropping the reincarnation angle

Beetle Base. Kord Mansion. Westchester. New York State


"Okay, you can do this," Ted Kord murmured to himself as he powered up the airship. He felt the low rumble of the high density battery packs sprung to life through the floor. His eyes swept over the instrumentation panels around his field of view, and everything read as it should. No power spikes like the last time, which almost resulted in the damn ship exploding here in the lab...which of course would have lead to his death. Which wouldn't have been ideal.

He took another deep breath in and flipped a switch on the console next to him, and through the long, almost 180 degree view port, he saw the hanger doors he had installed begin to open. Thanks to the Bug's, as he called the airship thanks to its beetle-like shape, slim profile, he had managed to make the hangar doors fairly inconspicuous in the small cliff-side of his father's old house.

"Welp, here goes nothing," he winced as he pushed the throttle forward. The ship zipped in that direction almost whisper quiet, and Ted let out a triumphant yell that he was immediately ashamed of afterwards. The anti-gravity tech he had managed to gleam from the Scarab worked beautifully in small scale applications, that much he knew. Kord Sciences was already rolling out new anti-collision technology for cars that featured it, allowing passengers to be encased with a bubble of protective antigrav energy. But the idea that it could allow something as big as the airship to move almost silently through the air was nothing more than theory.

At least it was nothing more than theory before tonight.

Bringing the Bug to a higher altitude, he put the craft on autopilot towards the city and flipped on the police scanner. He had little hope that it would turn up anything useful. The police seemed more intent on keeping the outward appearance that the city was under control more than dealing with the actual problems of the city lately. But it was somewhere to start.

Ted rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the armrest of the Bug's pilot chair, and peered out the window as he went. Not long ago, the traffic he saw bellow would have been a rare sight after the pandemic brought the world to a grinding halt for a short time, especially here in New York. The city had been one of the initial epicenters, and while other cities across the country had the time to prepare, they didn't. More people died here than almost anywhere else. The unrest that followed had brought the city, once the crown jewel in the country, to a level of crime more like Gotham or Hub. That wasn't good. Ted had to admit he was happy to see people getting about their lives again, even if the world they came back to seemed awfully different.

Once the pandemic had really shown itself, Kord Sciences had went into overdrive to support mitigation efforts. Their self-disinfecting mask technology and miro UV air purifiers supposedly save the city from even more pain. He had been hailed as a hero, though he passed along most of the credit to his team. He didn't feel like a hero. Not yet. He felt like he could have done more. Maybe that was why he cooked up this harebrained scheme to start fixing the crime problem in the city. Maybe that was why he was flying in the most advanced aircraft in the world dressed like something out of a comic book. He wasn't sure, but he was going to go through with this one way or another.

He could hear Dan Garrett's voice, like an echo of the past, filter through his head. "That's what you said when you barnstormed the world with me." Was Ted just too much of a thrill seeker to sit behind a desk and help the world? He didn't know. Maybe.

The radio crackled, drawing his attention away from his inner thoughts, "All units, we have a report of a break in at STAR Labs up in Harlem. Requesting someone go check it out."

"Harlem?" a voice on the other end scoffed. "You think we're going up there any time soon? After last week's protest. They can bite me."

"Well, girl," Ted shrugged and spoke to the airship, "they're calling our number."

He piloted towards Harlem, realizing this was the first time that he'd really be testing out the stealth capabilities of the Bug. Kord had some smaller drones he used to test some of the other potential capabilities of the Scarab tech, and they had passed through the city completely undetected. Of course, they were about 1/100th the size of the Bug, so this was a big gamble he was taking.

Luckily, as the Bug floated silently over the city, no air traffic bulletins came over the police scanner. He exhaled and smiled, obviously pleased with his own work. Well, mostly his work. Cribbing the basics from some alien technology didn't hurt, either. The Scarab had shown him so much and allowed him to push his inventions further than he could have ever dreamed of before.

The Bug came to a stop above STAR Labs, and Ted started a scan of the building as he double checked his gear. His suit was made of a titanium nano-weave, with thicker pieces of plate on the major joints. Overall it was lightweight and protective. It would stop a knife and resist some small caliber arms fire, but it was far from impenetrable. Its tones of blue were reminiscent of the way the light shone off the Scarab when he first saw it. Pulling the cowl over his face, he felt the nano-weave fiber tighten across his face and lock on. Once it did, the subtle heads up display activated in his goggles, showing him the progress of the Bug's scan.

"Scan complete," a computerized voice came through the cowl's communication system.

"Thanks, Kha," the Blue Beetle responded to the simple AI he had integrated into his systems. "Display it in the HUD."

A small, 3D display of the building appeared on the lenses of his goggles. It was rudimentary, just showing walls and stairs, but he also saw eight heat signatures strewn across the building. Two were on the roof access, and six were further down in the building, all in the same room. He assumed they were rummaging through, trying to find anything of value.

"Eight. Okay, eight. I can do eight. Right?" he murmured to himself.

"I am unable to perform that calculation, sir," the AI responded dryly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ted sighed.

"You are welcome, sir."

Ted, or as he fashioned himself now, "The Blue Beetle", shook his head and smiled wryly to himself. For an emotionless, simple algorithm, Kha certainly had some good dry wit.

Making his way to the center of the Bug, he took a hold of the ripcord quick drop system he had designed for quick insertion or extraction from an area. His boot snapped into the t-bar at the bottom, and took a hold of the strong metal cable.

"Well, here goes nothing."

He pressed a button next to him, and the floor of the Bug opened up to the night sky, and the Blue Beetle dropped into action for the first time.

Black Spire Outpost, Batuu


As soon as the Dawn's boarding ramp cracked open, the sounds and smells of Black Spire Outpost began to filter towards Huc. He breathed deep, allowing each scent to bring back a memory. Ever since they had come to the more remote reaches of the Outer Rim to fulfill their mission, Black Spire had become Huc's favorite place in the galaxy. A true frontier town, it was one an important port of call for fuel before the invention of hyperspace travel allowed ships to pass it by. Now it was nothing more than a place people came to get lost, or make a quick credit on dangerous frontier work.

The landing ramp finished its cycle, and standing there waiting for them was Oga Garra, the Blutopian and defacto leader of the outpost. She wasn't as tall as Gar, but she was as wide. The pale pink tentacles on her face twitched as she saw the crew of the Dawn, "Well, if it isn't my favorite crew."

"Oga," Huc put his arms out and flung one around her broad shoulders, "we brought your wine. I know you've been itching for a shipment."

Her eyes shifted over to him as they walked down the ramp, "Uh, yea, sure. Wine. I'll have my guys come take it out of the hold."

"A fine year, you're going to love it," Yu'li winked as they passed out of the docking bay and into the main stretch of the Black Spire marketplace.

"Hey, Duck," Huc called back to the droid, "help the guys when they come for the shipment."

"Fine, fine," the droid responded. "Make the contraband move the-"

"Shut up, Duck!" Gor shushed the droid as he made his way gingerly down the ramp.

"One day you're going to sell that droid to me," Oga elbowed Huc in the ribs.

"You already have a Star Tours model," he shook his head in return.

"Yea, but Duck would be way more dynamic of an entertainer," she shrugged.

The mud buildings that lined the long, narrow street of the marketplace were older than almost anything on Corellia, but their ancient architects were clearly skilled as they still stood strong. The centuries of inhabitants had worn on them of course. While they were almost certainly sparkling and pristine when they were first built, now there was laundry hanging between wires strung between upper windows and the faint din of music floating from terraces. Along the streets, merchants hawked their wears. Everything from toys to blasters were on display. If there was something you wanted, you could get it in Black Spire...for a price.

Huc's fist clenched as he saw how many Stormtroopers were patrolling the marketplace, looking at products and seemingly questioning the locals. They were looking for something, that much was certain. What it was, he didn't know, but they shouldn't be here.

Yu'Li must have sensed his anger, and took his hand, squeezing it softly. He looked over to her, and she gave him a reassuring smile. He nodded back, understanding what it meant.

Not now.

Yu was his rock. The best friend he had ever had, she was the cool, calm, collected one between them. Even though she had been split from her family and enslaved by the Empire, she could still hold her head when she was around them. Meanwhile, Huc was almost always ready to take down a squad of troopers. Maybe her cool demeanor was why she was such a good shot. All he knew, though, was that she was loyal and would do anything for him, and he for her.

"Want to grab a drink?" Oga asked as they approached her cantina. "It's on the house."

"How could we pass that up?" Gor-Nada laughed haughtily and stepped through the door to the bar. Immediately, the sound of music and the din of conversation burst forth.

The group move into the bar, and a smile came over Huc's face. The diverse, large crowd that filled the cantina was so much different than Corellia, it always brought a thrill to him. The dim lighting that came from each of the tables helped hide some of the faces of each being inside, but it couldn't mute the colors of their skin, their drinks, or the smiles as they enjoyed themselves.

Tanks of varying size, shape, and orientation containing liquors, ales, and wines bubbled and churned above the bar. Taps made from starship parts and droid arms were pulled by the Aqualish bartender, Dud. He nodded when he spotted the crew walk in, just as he slid a drink down the bar towards a Quarren.

One of the clay-built walls of the cantina, right across from the bar, had part of it hollowed out. Inside, a makeshift stage was set up. Inside, an RX series pilot droid, which Duck's AC series replaced, turned on its attached base, flipping switches and playing the beats that reverberated off the cantina walls. Rex, as he was known, bobbed his head like a Takodonan chicken.

Oga led the crew of the Corellian Dawn into her office, and the assembled group took seats on the plush couches. The Blutopian poured drinks from a private tap, and Huc took a big swig. The sour brew with notes of berry was a welcome and calming respite after a mission.

"Trandoshan ale!" Gor's satisfaction was palpable. "My favorite."

"I'll put a keg on the Dawn as part of your payment," Oga nodded before looking at Huc. "What did you bring me?"

"Blasters," he shrugged. "Lots of 'em. By the looks of things, you might need them."

"Why is the Empire here, Oga?" Yu asked. "We've never seen a presence like this on Batuu. A small group here or there, but nothing like this."

The large, aquatic alien shifted uncomfortable on her seat. She looked down at her feet before turning back to them, "They showed two days ago. Been searching for something. Mostly around Doc's store. Don't know what they want, but some pale looking guy seems to be leading them. Think the extent of their power is the Star Destroyer."

"Another two bit Moff who wants some glory then," Huc rolled his eyes. When the Rebellion shattered the Empire, it broken into a million different pieces like shards of glass. And every one of those shards seemed to be sheering its way through the galaxy, ripping its own painful hole as it went. Even in defeat the Empire was hurting people. It made Huc's blood boil.

"Why Doc?" Gor asked.

Doc Ondar, an Ithorian, ran an antiques shop in the square. It was one of the bigger shops in Black Spire, and was filled with some of the most wonderful junk Huc had ever seen. But it wasn't anything he'd ever expect the Empire to be interested in.

"No clue," Oga shook her head. "He doesn't seem to want to tell me. I think he thinks I might rat him out to get the Empire off Batuu."

"To be fair, I don't blame him for that," Huc winked at their contact.

She tipped her glass towards him and continued, "Maybe he'll talk to you. Always seemed to like you for some reason. Dunno why."

"Yea that doesn't make sense," Yu looked at Huc over the rim of her drink with squinted eyes, her pink skin catching the dim light like a sunset.

"Very funny," he shook his head and downed the rest of the ale. "You guys hang out here. I'll see what the crazy old Ithorian's got that the Imps want so bad."
I have three posts done so whenever is good for me
<Snipped quote by Morden Man>

*Hides in Golden Age pulp hero*


Realistically you were the only one I really had to worry about contesting the character I applied for, and you went with Sandman. lol
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L
B L U E B E E T L E


T E D K O R D ♦ I N V E N T O R ♦ N E W Y O R K ♦ K O R D S C I E N C E S
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:


"Back off, man. I'm a scientist."

Theodore "Ted" Kord was the son of famed industrialist Thomas Kord. At a young age, Ted showed the aptitude for invention he would become famous for later in life, creating a GPS system for the family lawnmower and vacuums in order to cut down on his chore time and give himself more time to practice his gymnastics and listen to stories from his father's best friend, Dan Garrett. Garrett was a globe trotting archaeologist, and always returned from trips with a new story or trinket for young Ted, and Ted dreamed of a life of adventure like Dan's for himself someday.

Still, his father pushed him towards a life of science and industry instead, seeing untapped economic potential in Ted's innate genius. Thomas's pressure eventually led to a heavy falling out with Ted, who left for college studying engineering, anthropology, and archaeology in a rare and seemingly-impossible triple major. After graduation, he convinced a reluctant Garrett to take him on as a partner. While Dan was reluctant to side against his friend Thomas, he also realized Ted was going to emulate him no matter what and it was safer to mentor him.

The two traveled the world, and Ted experienced the adventure he had always dreamed of. They studied and discovered new ancient sites said to be touched by the gods, encountered lost civilizations deep in the jungles of the Southern Hemisphere, studied martial arts the world over, and even believed they had found the first clues to the fabled city of Atlantis.

This all came to an end when during an excursion into the Middle East, Dan was killed in a clash between militants and the US armed forces. Heartbroken, Ted returned home, and found to his dismay his father had also died shortly after Dan, leaving Kord Industries to Ted. Losing both his father and his surrogate father left the younger Kord in a state of shellshock, and the company suffered for it. The only profitable sector left was the military arms sector, which Ted wanted nothing to do with after witnessing the horrors of war first hand.

His demeanor changed at the reading of Dan's will, however. His mentor had left Ted only one thing, a mysterious artifact Dan kept locked away in the vault of his house. There, alone, sat what appeared to be a carved Egyptian scarab beetle made of a strange blue metal. Taking the scarab to his personal lab, Ted quickly realized it was an advanced piece of technology, which he speculated was alien in origin.

Reverse engineering the scarab's technology, Ted was able to set off a wave of brilliant inventions. Seeing a new avenue for his talents, he dissolved the military branches of Kord Industries, which were sold to tycoon Maxwell Lord. Ted consolidated the remaining parts of the company, now far smaller but more inline with Ted's vision. He renamed the company "Kord Sciences" and set out in hopes of a better future.

Now, after a pandemic crippled the world, Ted sees that his inventions can do more than help people live easier lives. He can help make a difference in the new fight for justice. Using his private lab built in his father's old garage, he begins adapting his patents in ways to help protect the innocent people of New York.

Meanwhile, the dark underbelly of the city is beginning to emerge, and a criminal genius known only as "The Brain" is whispered to be behind it all...

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

My goal was to go with a fun, colorful character. While I initially was leaning towards Aquaman, I realized Ted was more what I was looking for. That way I can be more street level where I feel more comfortable writing, and don't have to have the entire lore of the oceans on my back. Ted will be a mix of classic Ted, a little MCU Tony Stark, and a little bit of Peter Parker thrown in as well. (Shut up, I'm more of a Marvel fan, deal with it). I want to build out a strong Rogues Gallery for BB, something I feel like is largely absent from his canon.

I'd also love for him to be involved with supplying tech to other heroes that may need it. Being a bit more of a benefactor to the hero movement at large.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

The Beetle Base
-Once the massive underground garage in Thomas Kord's Westchester mansion where the he kept his car collection, Ted has transformed the cavernous space into his own private lab. It's here that he experiments with the technology he has reverse engineered from the alien tech. Dubbed by him the "Beetle Base", it is where he stores most of the larger items he has created, including the small airship he nicknamed "The Bug".

Allies

  • David Garrett - Dan's son, and Ted's best friend. Head of Kord Sciences' security.
  • Joan Garrett - Dan's widow
  • Jarvis Kord - Ted's uncle, who is CFO of Kord Sciences
  • Tora Olafsdotter - A researcher at Kord working on environmental sciences.
  • Beatriz da Costa - Kord Sciences' public relations and marketing liaison.
  • Kha - Rudimentary AI system Ted named after the Pharaoh whose tomb was the finding place of the scarab.


Enemies

  • Maxwell Lord - CEO of Lord Aerospace. Max bought out Kord's military wing, and now is one of the largest military contractors in the world.
  • The Madmen - An colorful, anarchistic group of criminals terrorizing New York in the wake of the pandemic.
  • Farley Fleeter - Leader of the Madmen
  • Black Spider - A master thief with spider-like abilities.
  • "The Brain" - Allegedly the criminal mastermind behind the recent New York crime wave.

S A M P L E P O S T:

"Okay, you can do this," Ted Kord murmured to himself as he powered up the airship. He felt the low rumble of the high density battery packs sprung to life through the floor. His eyes swept over the instrumentation panels around his field of view, and everything read as it should. No power spikes like the last time, which almost resulted in the damn ship exploding here in the lab...which of course would have lead to his death. Which wouldn't have been ideal.

He took another deep breath in and flipped a switch on the console next to him, and through the long, almost 180 degree view port, he saw the hanger doors he had installed begin to open. Thanks to the Bug's, as he called the airship thanks to its beetle-like shape, slim profile, he had managed to make the hangar doors fairly inconspicuous in the small cliff-side of his father's old house.

"Welp, here goes nothing," he winced as he pushed the throttle forward. The ship zipped in that direction almost whisper quiet, and Ted let out a triumphant yell that he was immediately ashamed of afterwards. The anti-gravity tech he had managed to gleam from the Scarab worked beautifully in small scale applications, that much he knew. Kord Sciences was already rolling out new anti-collision technology for cars that featured it, allowing passengers to be encased with a bubble of protective antigrav energy. But the idea that it could allow something as big as the airship to move almost silently through the air was nothing more than theory.

At least it was nothing more than theory before tonight.

Bringing the Bug to a higher altitude, he put the craft on autopilot towards the city and flipped on the police scanner. He had little hope that it would turn up anything useful. The police seemed more intent on keeping the outward appearance that the city was under control more than dealing with the actual problems of the city lately. But it was somewhere to start.

Ted rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the armrest of the Bug's pilot chair, and peered out the window as he went. Not long ago, the traffic he saw bellow would have been a rare sight after the pandemic brought the world to a grinding halt. His company had done all it could to help with the mitigation efforts, but even they had trouble with the pathogen. Ted had to admit he was happy to see people getting about their lives again, even if the world they came back to seemed awfully different.

The radio crackled, drawing his attention, "All units, we have a report of a break in at STAR Labs up in Harlem. Requesting someone go check it out."

"Harlem?" a voice on the other end scoffed. "You think we're going up there any time soon? After last week's protest. They can bite me."

"Well, girl," Ted shrugged and spoke to the airship, "they're calling our number."

P O S T C A T A L O G:

Coming soon

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L
B L U E B E E T L E


T E D K O R D ♦ I N V E N T O R ♦ N E W Y O R K ♦ K O R D S C I E N C E S
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:


"Back off, man. I'm a scientist."

Theodore "Ted" Kord was the son of famed industrialist Thomas Kord. At a young age, Ted showed the aptitude for invention he would become famous for later in life, creating a GPS system for the family lawnmower and vacuums in order to cut down on his chore time and give himself more time to practice his gymnastics and listen to stories from his father's best friend, Dan Garrett. Garrett was a globe trotting archaeologist, and always returned from trips with a new story or trinket for young Ted, and Ted dreamed of a life of adventure like Dan's for himself someday.

Still, his father pushed him towards a life of science and industry instead, seeing untapped economic potential in Ted's innate genius. Thomas's pressure eventually led to a heavy falling out with Ted, who left for college studying engineering, anthropology, and archaeology in a rare and seemingly-impossible triple major. After graduation, he convinced a reluctant Garrett to take him on as a partner. While Dan was reluctant to side against his friend Thomas, he also realized Ted was going to emulate him no matter what and it was safer to mentor him.

The two traveled the world, and Ted experienced the adventure he had always dreamed of. They studied and discovered new ancient sites said to be touched by the gods, encountered lost civilizations deep in the jungles of the Southern Hemisphere, studied martial arts the world over, and even believed they had found the first clues to the fabled city of Atlantis.

This all came to an end when during an excursion into the Middle East, Dan was killed in a clash between militants and the US armed forces. Heartbroken, Ted returned home, and found to his dismay his father had also died shortly after Dan, leaving Kord Industries to Ted. Losing both his father and his surrogate father left the younger Kord in a state of shellshock, and the company suffered for it. The only profitable sector left was the military arms sector, which Ted wanted nothing to do with after witnessing the horrors of war first hand.

His demeanor changed at the reading of Dan's will, however. His mentor had left Ted only one thing, a mysterious artifact Dan kept locked away in the vault of his house. There, alone, sat what appeared to be a carved Egyptian scarab beetle made of a strange blue metal. Taking the scarab to his personal lab, Ted quickly realized it was an advanced piece of technology, which he speculated was alien in origin.

Reverse engineering the scarab's technology, Ted was able to set off a wave of brilliant inventions. Seeing a new avenue for his talents, he dissolved the military branches of Kord Industries, which were sold to tycoon Maxwell Lord. Ted consolidated the remaining parts of the company, now far smaller but more inline with Ted's vision. He renamed the company "Kord Sciences" and set out in hopes of a better future.

Now, after a pandemic crippled the world, Ted sees that his inventions can do more than help people live easier lives. He can help make a difference in the new fight for justice. Using his private lab built in his father's old garage, he begins adapting his patents in ways to help protect the innocent people of New York.

Meanwhile, the dark underbelly of the city is beginning to emerge, and a criminal genius known only as "The Brain" is whispered to be behind it all...

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

My goal was to go with a fun, colorful character. While I initially was leaning towards Aquaman, I realized Ted was more what I was looking for. That way I can be more street level where I feel more comfortable writing, and don't have to have the entire lore of the oceans on my back. Ted will be a mix of classic Ted, a little MCU Tony Stark, and a little bit of Peter Parker thrown in as well. (Shut up, I'm more of a Marvel fan, deal with it). I want to build out a strong Rogues Gallery for BB, something I feel like is largely absent from his canon.

I'd also love for him to be involved with supplying tech to other heroes that may need it. Being a bit more of a benefactor to the hero movement at large.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

The Beetle Base
-Once the massive underground garage in Thomas Kord's Westchester mansion where the he kept his car collection, Ted has transformed the cavernous space into his own private lab. It's here that he experiments with the technology he has reverse engineered from the alien tech. Dubbed by him the "Beetle Base", it is where he stores most of the larger items he has created, including the small airship he nicknamed "The Bug".

Allies
  • David Garrett - Dan's son, and Ted's best friend. Head of Kord Sciences' security.
  • Joan Garrett - Dan's widow
  • Jarvis Kord - Ted's uncle, who is CFO of Kord Sciences
  • Tora Olafsdotter - A researcher at Kord working on environmental sciences.
  • Beatriz da Costa - Kord Sciences' public relations and marketing liaison.
  • Kha - Rudimentary AI system Ted named after the Pharaoh whose tomb was the finding place of the scarab.


Enemies
  • Maxwell Lord - CEO of Lord Aerospace. Max bought out Kord's military wing, and now is one of the largest military contractors in the world.
  • The Madmen - An colorful, anarchistic group of criminals terrorizing New York in the wake of the pandemic.
  • Farley Fleeter - Leader of the Madmen
  • Black Spider - A master thief with spider-like abilities.
  • "The Brain" - Allegedly the criminal mastermind behind the recent New York crime wave.

S A M P L E P O S T:

"Okay, you can do this," Ted Kord murmured to himself as he powered up the airship. He felt the low rumble of the high density battery packs sprung to life through the floor. His eyes swept over the instrumentation panels around his field of view, and everything read as it should. No power spikes like the last time, which almost resulted in the damn ship exploding here in the lab...which of course would have lead to his death. Which wouldn't have been ideal.

He took another deep breath in and flipped a switch on the console next to him, and through the long, almost 180 degree view port, he saw the hanger doors he had installed begin to open. Thanks to the Bug's, as he called the airship thanks to its beetle-like shape, slim profile, he had managed to make the hangar doors fairly inconspicuous in the small cliff-side of his father's old house.

"Welp, here goes nothing," he winced as he pushed the throttle forward. The ship zipped in that direction almost whisper quiet, and Ted let out a triumphant yell that he was immediately ashamed of afterwards. The anti-gravity tech he had managed to gleam from the Scarab worked beautifully in small scale applications, that much he knew. Kord Sciences was already rolling out new anti-collision technology for cars that featured it, allowing passengers to be encased with a bubble of protective antigrav energy. But the idea that it could allow something as big as the airship to move almost silently through the air was nothing more than theory.

At least it was nothing more than theory before tonight.

Bringing the Bug to a higher altitude, he put the craft on autopilot towards the city and flipped on the police scanner. He had little hope that it would turn up anything useful. The police seemed more intent on keeping the outward appearance that the city was under control more than dealing with the actual problems of the city lately. But it was somewhere to start.

Ted rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the armrest of the Bug's pilot chair, and peered out the window as he went. Not long ago, the traffic he saw bellow would have been a rare sight after the pandemic brought the world to a grinding halt. His company had done all it could to help with the mitigation efforts, but even they had trouble with the pathogen. Ted had to admit he was happy to see people getting about their lives again, even if the world they came back to seemed awfully different.

The radio crackled, drawing his attention, "All units, we have a report of a break in at STAR Labs up in Harlem. Requesting someone go check it out."

"Harlem?" a voice on the other end scoffed. "You think we're going up there any time soon? After last week's protest. They can bite me."

"Well, girl," Ted shrugged and spoke to the airship, "they're calling our number."

P O S T C A T A L O G:

Coming soon



En route to Batuu


The hum of the hyperdrive filled Huc Vondar's ears as the intercom alert buzzed in his quarters aboard the Corellian Dawn, rousing him from a deep sleep. He smiled as he listened to his baby purr as it hurtled through hyperspace. The drive had never run better. That capacitor Gor-Nada had picked up on Ord Mantell was as good as he said it would be. Fuel consumption on the ship was down almost ten percent, and that meant everything out here near Wild Space.

Huc liked it out this far from the core, at least when it came to the worlds. Sparsely inhabited and far more interesting from an ecological standpoint. Seeing worlds untouched by the industry that had both ravaged Corellia and made it such a successful economy was freeing. The jungles of his home planet had their own kind of beauty, but it was hard to find vast stretches untouched by mining or the shipyards. But out here the crew of the Dawn could have been the first people to see some of these places.

Back during the days of Imperial rule on Corellia, he had always dreamed of exploring the galaxy like this. He had already seen so much, and had barely scratched the surface of the vast worlds that filled known space.

Once again the buzzer of the intercom went off, and he pressed it to respond, "What is it, Duck?"

"We will be coming out of hyperspace shortly," AC-DK, the commercial pilot droid who now acted as the Dawn's copilot, announced from the cockpit, which he rarely ever left. He had been programmed to constantly be flying Starspeeder 3000s for Star Tours, one of the galaxy's main commercial space travel corporations. Huc had won the droid on a miracle bet during a podrace on Tattooine. He'd never forget the look on the Zabrak's face he won Duck from. His horns seemed to turn upside down to match the frown on his face. Huc still chuckled sometimes when he thought about it. But Duck was an invaluable as a co-pilot, especially since he didn't need to sleep. What he lacked in style, he made up for in dependability.

"Will be right up," he responded to his co-pilot groggily. "I'll grab some caf and meet you in the cockpit."

He stretched out and put his feet on the bantha skin rug he had picked up for his modest quarters aboard the YT-2000 Freighter. There was only about a meter and a half of space between the bed and the door. On the walls were small holo frames that displayed images he had taken on his travels. These sprung to life as he got out of bed. He smiled to see the memories of him and the crew. None of them had ever thought a few years ago that they'd ever be this free.

Huc dressed quickly and stepped out into the main hall of the Corellian Dawn. To his left was the Holonet Terminal and the cockpit, and across the hall was Yu'li's room. He hoped the beast she had picked up recently was in there with her. He didn't need another Fuzzball ambush. He turned to the right and walked past Gor-Nada's room, the rumble of the huge Herglic snoring away emanating out to here. which they had to make by knocking down a wall, sealing off a door, and combining two rooms. Still, the big old guy deserved to be comfortable.

The door to the crew lounge opened, and he made his way eagerly towards the caf machine. He had managed to score some Felucian Roast at their last stop, which was a godsend. Before that he had to make do with the stuff the Republic and the Ewoks were growing on Endor. It just didn't have the same kind of kick.

Once his mug was filled with the steaming liquid, he made his way back to the cockpit and took the pilot's chair next to Duck. The gleaming silver that covered most of the droid's body was almost as good of a pick me up. He still bore the trademark blue and orange detailing and the Star Tours logo on his breast. It was something Huc kept meaning to rectify, but there never seemed to be time to get him a paint job. He stood at about four feet, and was built like a brawler. Star Tours had built a good looking droid with the AC series, that much was certain.

"Sleep well?" the droid asked, taking a quick glance over to him.

"I'll sleep better when we unload this cargo. Moving weapons always makes me nervous," Huc responded, taking a sip of his caf, enjoying the smooth, rich nuttiness. "At least Oga is a reliable fence for this kind of stuff."

"Have you found a suitable fence for me? Since I am stolen property after all," Duck responded without looking over.

"You seriously need to stop saying that," Huc sighed and rubbed his temples. The droid had never been properly reprogrammed, as the skilled needed was over his skill level. He had done enough to ensure that the droid would not run and would perform his job admirably, but the commercial pilot programming in him was stubbornly ingrained. "I won you fair and square."

"I was not property to be wagered!" he protested.

"Well, that's on that Zabrak, not me, pal," Huc smiled mischievously as the Dawn's navicomputer alerted him that they were approaching their final destination of Batuu.

"Shall I wake Yu'li and Gor-Nada?" Duck asked.

"Nah, let them get some more sleep," the pilot shook his head and began running the Dawn through the paces of coming out of hyperspace. "I think the two of us can bring our girl into Black Spire Outpost alone. We've done it enough."

Suddenly, the white blur of hyperspace peeled away from around the cockpit of the Corellian Dawn and the blue-green marble that was Batuu filled their gaze. But that wasn't the only thing that met them. Hovering in orbit above the planet was an Imperial Star Destroyer.

"Uh, Duck?"

"Wake the others?"

"Yea that'd be great."

After a few presses of the comm buttons, Yu'li Tavir and Gor-Nada appeared in the cockpit. Yu'li, Huc's best friend and closest confidant, moved with the grace of a dancer. The Togrutan had always been graceful, even on the battlefield. It didn't hurt that she could shoot the ears of a gundark at fifty meters. Gor-Nada, a hulking Herglic, merely stood in the cockpit, unable to fit comfortably through the door without effort. Gor was the closest thing either Yu'li or Huc had to a parent at this point, with Huc's dead and Yu'li's in parts unknown. Slow to anger and quick to dispense advice, his calm demeanor betrayed his muscular, whale-like appearance.

"Oh crap," was all the Herglic was able to mutter when he saw the enemy craft.

"They can't have known where we were going," Yu shook her head in disbelief, her head tails swaying with a slight delay to match. "We attacked that convoy three systems ago."

She wasn't wrong. If the Empire knew that Batuu was one of the places the Dawn, an officially sanctioned Republic privateer vessel, liked to offload the merch that they took, they'd be in bigger trouble across the galaxy. They had fake transponder codes running for the ship whenever they were outside New Republic space, so they wouldn't be recognized right away. Still, there always was a slight danger.

But Batuu was remote, and little used in these days. At one time it was an important refueling station in the more remote bands of the Outer Rim, but hyperspace lanes had passed it by. It was more likely that whatever the reason was for a Star Destroyer to be here, it was secret.

"I doubt they're here for us," Huc assured them, though not fully sure of that himself. "Probably some two bit Imp captain who ran off with his Destroyer to play war lord. But if there was any wind about us out there, at least we have good fake IDs and a shipping manifest. Still, jump in one of the gun wells, Yu'li. Just in case."

"And what happens if they want to board us?" she asked, cocking an eye at him.

"I'll talk them out of it?"

"How?"

"I can be very persuasive," he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"We're doomed," she sighed and headed for the guns.

"Gor, just check that our manifest looks legit. And maybe hide."

"Why?"

"Because if we do get boarded a charging Herglic is bound to scare off a few bucket heads," Huc smiled broadly.

Gor-Nada grumbled something as he turned and headed for the cargo hold.

"Duck, take the stick," he nodded to the droid.

"Why is that?" the co-pilot was surprised. Huc rarely if ever gave up control of the Dawn when he was in the cockpit.

"Because you love to fly boring," the captain shrugged. "Will arouse less suspicion."

"Boring!? I will have you know that my programming allows me to fly any craft at peak galactic regulation-specified levels!"

"Yea," Huc nodded and patted him on his metallic shoulder. "That constitutes boring, buddy."

"You're impossible," Duck shook his head, the slight whir of his neck servos buzzing in the cockpit.

Before long, a hail from the planet came to the Dawn. Huc sighed with relief as he saw that it came from no other than the defacto mayor of Black Spire Outpost, the Blutopian Oga Garra. Black Spire was the planet's largest settlement, and Oga had been the proprietor of the cantina there for longer than anyone could remember. That alone gave her sway over the town, not to mention the black market contacts needed to move the Corellian Dawn's merchandise.

"Oga," Huc smiled and accepted the transmission, "it's been too long."

"You're damn right it'sh been too long!" the slurping of the Blutopian's tentacles marred her speech slightly. "I've been waiting on that Trandossshan ale for far too long!"

"Well, give us a docking berth and we'll break into the first cask together!"

"Docking Bay 9," she transmitted the berthing codes. "Will meet you there."

"Oga coming personally to the docking bay means trouble. She almost never does that," Huc shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about this."
H U C V O N D A R


P R I V A T E E R ~ C O R E L L I A N D A W N ~ N E W R E P U B L I C



Character Alignment: Chaotic Good

Character Background: Huc was born on Corellia in the year 15BBY, years after the formation of the Empire and their stranglehold over the galaxy. His parents were laborers in the Corellia Shipyards, and led a simple, yet safe, life under the eye of the Empire. Neither were fans of the totalitarian state, but held their opinions to themselves in order to protect their young son. Huc's earliest memories were his father sitting with him as they watched the ships come and go from the shipyards. Sal, his father, would explain the capabilities of each ship and Huc would dream of flying away on one. Like all Corellians, he had a wanderlust that the Empire would no longer allow, especially for someone of his class.

As he grew, his parents' treatment at the hands of the Empire as well as being stuck on a planet he was beginning to see as a prison began to form his hatred of the Empire. This was all crystallized when his mother died in a shipyard accident caused by the Empire overworking the shipyard employees. The loss devastated Huc and Sal, sending the latter into a state of full on radicalization. He began meeting with a group that called itself the Corellian Resistance. The group began as nothing more than a secret forum for people to vent their frustrations. Huc was allowed to attend the meetings, setting him down the path that would consume his destiny.

Everything changed after the Battle of Yavin. As news of the Death Star's destruction spread, the Resistance on Corellia became emboldened. Outright sabotage of Imperial efforts in the shipyards became the norm, and some radical members of the group began outright attacking Imperial installations.

Seeing that true insurrection was impossible without support from the upstart Rebel Alliance, Sal devised a drastic plan. He would steal a YT-2000 light freighter from the shipyards and use it as a blockade runner to supply the rebel band. Huc was adamant he join his father, arguing that he was now at an age where he could no longer be protected. So the father and son infiltrated the shipyards and stole the freighter from under the nose of the Empire, and made contact with a Rebel cell.

For the next few years the two of them were the critical supply link between the Rebellion and the Corellian Resistance. They ran blockades, smuggled contraband, and even performed prison breaks using the ship, which Sal named the Corellian Dawn.

Huc began training with the fighters of the Resistance, becoming an able commando in his own right. While not proficient in the skills, he could slice into simpler systems when needed. But his true calling was flying the Dawn, which his father taught him how to do. He was a natural, and could adeptly fill in for his father when needed.

The Resistance was successful in disrupting the shipyards, buying the Rebellion time and infuriating the local governor. This eventually led to a more sizable garrison on the planet, as well as the nefarious replacement of local workers with slave labor to ensure compliance. This made life for the Resistance harder, and the fighting became more desperate across Corellia.

Eventually, they were given word that the Rebellion was going to make a decisive strike on the Empire soon. To coincide with this, the Corellian Resistance planned to cripple the Imperial presence on the planet. Using a major guerrilla-style attack throughout Coronet City, the Resistance systematically wiped out Stormtroopers en mass while the ships they had assaulted the shipyards and freed the slaves held there.

It was during this mission that tragedy once again struck Huc's life. Sal was covering a group of slaves as they boarded the Dawn, and was shot down by a Stormtrooper. Unable to retrieve his father's body, Huc escaped with the liberated workers and was never able to bury his father properly. But the mission was a success, the Empire on Corellia was greatly weakened, and Huc knew that's all Sal would have cared about in the end. Now he and his wife were joined in the Force.

From this tragedy came opportunity. In the group of slaves he rescued were Yu'li Tavir, a Togrutan that was about his age, as well as the Herglic named Gor-Nada, who fancied himself Yu'li's surrogate father. Yu and Huc bonded quickly, as neither had many peers in their same age group inside the Resistance ranks. It turned out Yu'li was a crack shot with nearly any weapon handed to her, and she could man the guns of the Corellian Dawn like a pro. Her mischievous ways partnered with Huc's easygoing attitude led to the pair getting in more trouble than they should have in Resistance headquarters. It was usually Gor that had to reprimand them. He had become a mechanic for the Resistance, and was a whiz when it came to repairing the Dawn. The two became the permanent crew for the ship, and Huc was happy to have a family again.

When the fledgling New Republic decided to fully liberate Corellia, Huc, the Corellian Dawn, and her new crew took part in the Battle of Corellia, helping the New Republic fleet to drive the Empire out of the important ship yard. After the battle, they were offered official commission to join the Fleet, but Huc had other ideas. He had waited too long to explore the galaxy, and thought that being tied to orders from the New Republic Navy would hinder those opportunities. Instead, he proposed that the Dawn and her crew would be privateers in the service of the New Republic. They would raid Remnant shipping lines and merchant vessels, taking some of the profits while delivering the rest to the nearest Republic base. The proposal was accepted, and the Dawn set out across the galaxy to do just that.

Along their travels, Huc "acquired" an AC series pilot droid to act as his co-pilot aboard the Dawn, and Yu purchased a domesticated Loth-cat known as Fuzzball as a pet.

The crew is currently in the Outer Rim, on the planet Batuu, hunting rumors of Imperial expeditions into the Unknown regions...

Character Personality: Huc is driven by his desire to see the Empire wiped out for their crimes against the galaxy. He believes fully in the promise of the New Republic, and has hope the new Jedi Order can keep the peace in the galaxy. He is dedicated to helping those that need it, some times to the point of folly or endangering his mission. This can lead to friction with his crewmates, who are more focused on profit and moving onto the next job, but his easygoing and fun-loving attitude often leads to quick forgiveness. He is a smooth talked, and even though he bares scars from his freedom fighter days, he uses his handsomeness to his advantage. His swashbuckling demeanor is used to paint over the deep seeded pain he still carries from losing his family, however, something only Yu'li truly knows about him.

He's never happier than when he is behind the helm of his ship, the Corellian Dawn. Flying is the thing he truly is best at, and he never passes up an opportunity to show off. His co-pilot, the reprogrammed Star Tour pilot droid AC-DK known as "Duck", often reprimands his flying style.

During missions, Huc never kills those that don't deserve it. Only military targets such as Stormtroopers, TIE pilots, or Imperial Remnant Officers are liable to be killed. This can sometimes lead to trouble, as raided merchants often send the authorities after the Dawn, and sometimes Huc's crew believe he enjoys being chased.

Huc loathes the leftover racism that still lingers after the Empire's rule, and is fiercely protective of Yu'li and Gor, even though they don't need him to be.

Character's Physical description: Seen above. About 5'10", and 200lbs

Character Class: Force-Sensitive Scoundrel (Privateer)

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