-Chapter 75: Winding Down-
Location: the Jedi Temple/the Dominance
"Tomorrow comes with whispered promises of happiness."
Although he had complete faith in his doctor and his abilities, Wraith had to question Scipio's tampering with disruptor energy. A single backfire and the entire lab could be turned to ash... maybe even the whole of the Dominance too! but he had been going on about some sort of success and Wraith felt compelled to go and see his latest project... if only to deter him from doing anything stupid.
Entering the training facility, Wraith found Scipio at the shooting range, bent over his heavily-deconstructed disruptor rifle. Parts and pieces lay across the bench, wires from various pieces of tech connecting to the inner workings of the gun.
"Hey Doc," Wraith greeted as he strolled over, eyebrow raised, "Uh... what'd you do to my disruptor rifle?" the Pau'an straightened up with a proud grin.
"My boy, you're just in time to witness something revolutionary!" He announced. "I was testing the internal mechanics, experimenting with the tibanna gas relays that charge the shots... and I've made a remarkable discovery." He explained. "You know how blaster gas, when infused with a plasma additive, makes the ensuing shot far more explosive?"
"Yeah. My base pistol energy cells contain a plasma-infusion." Wraith replied with a nod.
"Well, I said to myself 'what happens if we run an electric current through it?' So I did," He trailed off, drawing out the suspense.
"And?" Wraith motioned for him to continue.
"And the result was a superheated gas with an electric charge. And the ensuing shot looked like this!" He stated, promptly pulled the trigger. The result was a large, reddish bolt that traveled slowly through the air. Bolts of electrified energy leapt to the targets on the left and right, striking them and boring holes clean through the durasteel. The bolt itself collided with the center target and exploded, turning it to ash as the remaining power was discharged through the separate bolts and fried the other targets as well.
"WOAH!" Wraith cried as he recoiled, eyes wide as all three targets turned to dust before his eyes. Standing there speechless for a few seconds, a stunned Wraith turned to a very proud-looking Scipio. "Holy kriffing sithspit, doc...!" He gasped. Wraith's gaze switched back and forth between the disintegrated targets and his proud-looking Doctor.
"Well? What do you think?" The Pau'an wondered.
"I think you just invented something worse than any plague." Wraith breathed, comprehending the potential deadly effects of this nuanced disruptor.
"And this is just three targets. Imagine what would happen if you were to fire this down a hallway full of Clones..." Scipio suggested. Wraith chuckled and shook his head, rather excited by the prospect.
"Can't wait to make that a reality." He mused. Running his hands along the length of the weapon while examining the enhanced power cell, Wraith could only marvel at this destructive wonder of engineering. "What you've got here... is a BKG." He said aloud.
"'Big Kriffing Gun'?"
"You said it."
"I'm still working out the kinks, but I believe we've got something revolutionary on our hands." Scipio stated.
"Just make sure it stays that way." Wraith responded, knowing it would be bad if anyone else got their hands on this advanced tech. "Boy, the kind of fireworks this thing could make... just in time for New Years too."
"If only it were ready. What a way to send off thirty-six thirty-two with a bang, eh?" Scipio mused with a chuckle.
"What a bang that would be." Wraith agreed with a grin.
He loved this kind of stuff.
Later that evening...
The day was drawing to a close. It was New Year's Eve Day, the end of 3632 ATC was upon the galaxy and the dawn of 3633 ATC was only a few hours off. Wraith had never really celebrated New Years before, the passage from one year to another more of a mundane experience than anything. Having a seat on his bed, Wraith pulled out a datapad entitled The Art of Laconic Phrase and settled in for a quiet night. With no impending assignments from Count Dooku and his training regimens for the day completed, it seemed like he wouldn't be doing much of anything for New Years.
But destiny had something different in mind for him...
Just as he was leaning back in his bed, a familiar voice said,
"Pretty sure this isn't going to scare you." Lowering his pad, Wraith turned and grinned as he saw Ahsoka, sitting on her own bed.
"And it didn't." He replied, sitting up. Ahsoka smiled back.
"How're you?" She wondered.
"Doing alright..." Wraith slowly answered, trailing off as he realized Ahsoka was wearing a very different, very eye-catching outfit.
Instead of her usual skirt-top, gloves, boots, belt-sash and diamond-cut leggings, Ahsoka was wearing a dark gray sports bra and full charcoal gray leggings. Not only did her current attire hug and showcase her every curve, her entire midriff was exposed to him, revealing her lightly toned abs and naval.
Wraith swallowed nervously and feigned adjusting his datapad for an excuse to look away. "Did you just, uh, finish doing something? Never seen you wear that outfit before." He wondered, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, it's just my training outfit." Ahsoka answered. She'd just finished up a rigorous full-body workout with Shaak Ti, combining aspects of the Togruta hunting prowess with her emotional range. By combing physiology with psychology, Shaak had explained, she could better understand her emotions through her body's very movements. It had worked... kind of.
"Training, huh?" Wraith repeated.
"Yep. I only wear this whenever I'm gonna work up a sweat." She responded with a smile.
"A... sweat... huh?" Wraith replied with a dry throat, his gaze glancing up before darting back down. He tried to keep his awkwardness under wraps, but Ahsoka was able to easily sense his projected emotions through the Force.
"Are you okay? You seem kinda... distracted." The Togruta asked. Wraith was caught.
"It's just..." He started, swallowing nervously, "th-that outfit is kind of... revealing, and I... d-don't want to stare." Ahsoka's gaze softened and she smiled again.
How sweet of him.
Standing up, Ahsoka strode right over to Wraith and sat down next to him. His eyes immediately shot up to connect with hers, amber meeting blue in an effort to avoid ogling her exposed skin. He gave her an awkward, embarrassed smile, his cheeks red. Ahsoka smiled at him before giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"That's really mature of you." She told him.
"Well, you deserve to be treated with respect and decency. I've only ever seen anything inappropriate accidentally." He quickly responded, rambling.
"It's okay Wraith." Ahsoka chuckled, standing up. "Here, look at me." She instructed, placing her self right in front of him. Wraith felt his whole face go flush at the invitation.
"Ahsoka-" He started to say,
"Once you get to see me it won't be so awkward." She interjected, attempting to validate her actions with what certainly sounded like a logical explanation. Wraith slowly nodded, forcing his gaze to Ahsoka's unclothed naval. She had the body of a young woman, despite being sixteen, her arms and abs lightly toned after years of Jedi training and frontline combat. wraith could only imagine what the rest of her looked like, and also questioned just how well her leggings hugged the curves of her bottom, give he could see the gentle swell of her breasts via the sports bra. He swallowed nervously, casting a glance up to see if Ahsoka was still okay with this. She was smiling, but nervously, her face a shade darker. "Still awkward?" She asked. It seemed to Wraith she had never been looked at in such a... desirable way before.
"You're so beautiful..." He quietly said in reply. "Every part of you is a work of art." Ahsoka smiled bashfully, blushing even further.
"You... mean that?" She softly wondered. Wraith nodded.
"I'd kiss you if it weren't so... intrusive." He admitted.
"...What if I gave you permission?" Ahsoka asked in a lower voice, her words heavily suggesting her intentions. Wraith took that as a sign to continue and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the skin just above her belly button. A quiet sigh escaped Ahsoka's lips and her hands reached for his head, fingers threading through his hair. A burst of heat flooded her body, fuelled by the hormones readily coursing through her brain. She wasn't supposed to be doing anything even remotely resembling physical contact of this kind.
It was forbidden... and it felt good.
She gently guided his face up to hers before stooping down and kissing him right on the lips. "No one's ever done that to me before." She whispered, her lips ghosting against his.
"Then it pleases me to be the first." Wraith whispered back, still completely taken by her beauty. A gently smiling Ahsoka slid into his lap, arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him close. She initiated another kiss, Wraith quite happy with her forwardness yet also wondering where it was coming from. His hands settled on her back, specifically on the fabric of her sports bra. It was a move Ahsoka noticed.
"Why won't you touch me?" She asked.
"Aren't I?" Wraith responded.
"You know what I mean." She continued, tracing his scars with one hand.
"Perhaps I'm... just afraid to..." He quietly mused, eyes averting hers.
"Afraid?" Ahsoka pressed.
"I've never done something so... intimate before." Wraith quietly answered. Ahsoka couldn't help but giggle at little at his nervousness. This was Wraith, the man who could be terrifying on the battlefield, swoon-worthy when in public, helpful and kind in private. Yet here he was, afraid to do something somewhat intimate or to push her boundaries.
How sweet, cute and innocent, all at once.
The Togruta guided his face back to hers, her blue eyes locking with his.
"Neither have I." She kissed him again, but Wraith stopped her short. He had a thought and wanted to act on it...
"Hold on." He reached for the hem of his shirt.
"W-What're you doing?"
"Leveling the playing field." With that, he peeled it off his muscular body before casting it aside, allowing Ahsoka to get a very good look at his muscles, something she'd only ever seen from a distance.
He may only be seventeen, but his body sure didn't look like it.
"There... now this should be less awkward." Wraith suggested. Ahsoka didn't respond, her attention somewhere else entirely.
He was powerfully built and rugged. Wicked, jagged scars crisscrossed his body, testament to the many battles he'd fought and the torturous pain he'd suffered. She could see singular lines etched into his flesh, leftovers from some impalement or slash he'd recovered from. Ahsoka reached out to touch him, her fingers drawn to a scar just above his abs. She felt the rippling muscles of his six-pack, her breath hitching as her hand came to fully rest on his body. He was firm and solid, like durasteel, but also warm and alive.
The heat was incredible, Wraith was hot like a blast furnace!
She felt each ridge where the hard muscles of his abs began and ended, forming a symmetrical pattern. She saw the defined, sloping V of his hips, biting her lip as she naughtily wondered what it pointed to. She spied small, circular wounds, telltale remnants of the slugs the Titans had hit him with. Ahsoka grew enamoured with his looks, realizing that each scar served only to improve his handsome features. She looked at him as a whole, recognizing his entire body as being colossal and perfectly sculpted.
If she wasn't feeling warm already, the heat she felt from seeing Wraith shirtless had skyrocketed immensely... and so had her arousal.
"I've never said this to you before... but I think you're the most handsome man in the galaxy." She told him.
"You do, hm?" Wraith wondered. Ahsoka nodded and brushed her lips against his again. Wraith was slowly warming to her unabashed displays of affection. Slowly. Her being so forward was very new it would take some adjusting from the normally reserved person she usually was.
Ahsoka, on the other hand, was absolutely loving this closeness. Already feeling a little worked up by the training she'd done, Ahsoka had managed to channel her physical exertion into her hormones, building up a very strong desire for some physical closeness. While she did find Wraith's sudden nervousness rather cute, she was hoping he'd warm up to her advances soon.
Releasing his lips, Ahsoka offered Wraith a happy expression. Letting him know she was enjoying this very much. "So... New Years." He began, clearing his throat.
"Yeah." Ahsoka nodded, gaze returning to his face. Wraith noted her cheeks were much more flushed now.
"Doing anything?" He asked.
"There's usually some fireworks. But I'm not too interested. I need a break from explosions." She told him. Wraith nodded, assuming her PTSD was starting to weigh on her.
"I understand." He softly responded. "You're... welcome to stay and talk as long as you like. I'm not doing anything either." He offered. Ahsoka nodded.
"Thank you." She quietly replied. Pulling her body flush against his, Ahsoka settled into a pleasant posture and hummed in satisfaction. But as her senses reached out to feel his, she made a discovery. "You're tense." She stated.
"Guess I'm... a little..." He stuttered, searching for an answer. Fortunately for him, Ahsoka was able to deduce his every feeling.
"I know. I can sense it." She whispered. Wraith's gaze fell, feeling betrayed by his shameful emotions. "It's okay. I'm okay with it." She said in encouragement. "Move your hands lower." Wraith obeyed her instructions and slowly moved his hands down until he felt the smooth texture of her skin. "That's better." Ahsoka smiled. Taking a nervous swallow, Wraith moved his hands in slow, soothing motions, rubbing her back in a manner that calmed both of them.
"You feel nice." He noted, feeling her unblemished skin. "So smooth and perfect." Ahsoka smiled, basking in his praise. Wraith looked up. "You're awfully calm about all this."
"I don't see anything wrong with it." She responded. "So neither should you." Wraith felt a slight boost in his confidence.
"Am I dreaming?" He haphazardly wondered, cupping her face with one hand. Ahsoka lightly chuckled.
"If you are, then I am too." She replied. They held each other's eyes for a moment, time slowing as they simply gazed at each other affectionately. "I promised you a New Years present on Derenath." Ahsoka then whispered.
"You did." Wraith affirmed, remembering correctly.
"Would you like it now?" She asked. Wraith gave a simple nod of acceptance and Ahsoka pressed her lips back to his.
Only this time, she put a lot more passion into it.
Fueled by her hormones, Ahsoka was not just mashing her lips against Wraith, but also subtly gyrating hips and rubbing her body against his. The super-soldier was able to feel the actions of the undoubtedly aroused Togruta and took thinks a step further by gliding his tongue against Ahsoka's lips. Her response was a muffled moan as she parted her mouth to give him better access, her own tongue rising to meet his. They met in the middle, swirling and darting as they engaged in a hot, open-mouthed kiss, passionately making out and unintentionally driving up their hormone levels. Ahsoka's rocking hips continued, desperate to feel even more of that delicious friction coming from their rubbing, grinding bodies. She pawed at Wraith's bare chest, like she was trying to feel as much of him as she could. Wraith clutched her tightly, wanting to keep her close and never let her go. feeling her soft, toned body beneath his fingers was heavenly, a sensation he wanted burned into his memory forever.
when the need to breathe became far too pressing, they parted, saliva and tongue staying connected for a moment longer before they stopped entirely. Their breathing was heavy, their face flushed, their eyes half-lidded by passion.
"That's... a helluva gift." Wraith panted. Ahsoka breathily chuckled.
"I thought you... might like that." She replied between breaths. "The... tongue-thing was... new to me."
"Same." Wraith said with a nod. "Try again?" He asked, thinking he was pushing his luck.
"Okay. But... feel free to move your hands a little... lower." She agreed with a rather sly smile. Wraith could only raise an eyebrow before her lips were back against his. As their tongues met once more, his hand sank down to the waistband of her tights. But his other rose up and held the back of her head, thumb lightly stroking her headtail. The motion caused Ahsoka to whimper into the kiss, a sudden pleasure shooting through her body. Wraith didn't let up and held her in place, passionately kissing while stoking her tail. Ahsoka was loving this. All of this sensory stimulation was so... amazing. Such forbidden sensations, feelings totally new to her... feelings she, as a Jedi, should never even experience.
But now that she had gotten a taste of them, she wanted even more.
Her hips rocked back and forth, grinding in his lap. She loved this, she needed this, she wanted even more.
But... the more she got... the more she wanted... How far would this go?
She wasn't ready for anything more. In a sudden moment of clarity, Ahsoka realized she needed to slow things down. She couldn't let her hormones control her like this anymore.
"Wraith w-wait," she stammered, pulling away. "I'm... I'm afraid we... we won't be able to stop... if we keep going, mph!" A slight stutter in her voice and the whimper at the end told Wraith that touching her headtail was too much.
"Y-Yeah," He agreed, not ready to go any further himself, "we should probably... s-slow down." They forced themselves to stop, Ahsoka dropping her head down and resting it on his chest. They both recovered, taking a moment to simply breath and let their pent up fervor fade. "Too be fair... you started this." Wraith commented.
"I did?!" Ahsoka incredulously cried.
"You're the one who told me to kiss you, you're the one who slid into my lap-" He quickly rattled off.
"Alright, alright! I admit, I was feeling... in the mood." She admitted, feigning reluctance.
"Careful about that mood now." Wraith joked.
They lay together as the night wore on, taking the time to simply talk and connect, content with being in each other's arms and being this close. Eventually, bursts of coloured light plumed outside of Wraith's viewport and outside of Ahsoka's quarters, indicating the beginning of fireworks. Wraith looked out to find a few coloured flares being discharged from nearby Separatist vessels.
"It appears even they're in the spirit to celebrate." Wraith mused.
"Hm?" Ahsoka wondered.
"Nothing important, my love." He whispered, kissing her forehead. "Just some celebrations." They were both bathed in color from their separate locations, creating a unique flashing display across both of their bodies.
The new year had come.
They had no idea what the future held for them, no idea what events and adventures destiny had in store. But both of them were silently determined to face them head on... together.
"Happy New Year Ahsoka." The super-soldier said.
"Happy New Year Wraith." His Togruta sweetheart responded.
Author's Note: I find it hard to believe that, this time last year, I was on Chapter 37 only... and now I just finished Chapter 75! To me, that's insane! That means I wrote 38 chapters this year... and I wonder if I can beat that...
I want to offer a special thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and clicked the favourite and follow buttons over the past two years. Especially those of you who tried this story on a whim and either liked it or didn't like it. Thank you all for giving me a chance and I appreciate it. Seeing your 'glowing' reviews always brings a smile to my face. It's nice to know you're making something people like.
What's next in the year ahead, you ask? Well, I'm switching jobs so until I can settle into a routine, things will get busy and I might have to take a temporary hiatus. But I'm nowhere near finished with this story, so I'll be back. Here's some things you can expect to see in the future, hopefully at some point in 2020:
-Fluffy Wraithsoka stuff, including their first date! But how far will their relationship go?
-The Titans being general jerks to everybody.
-New characters being introduced.
-Jaw-dropping reveals and breath-holding moments...
-A crossover with another story on this site?!
-The immensely anticipated Wraith vs Maul and Savage.
-The equally anticipated Zygerria arc.
That's it from me, for now. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and may the Force be with you all in 2020!
