NPlaysMC

This feature goes out to rainbow-zebra-art, who I had commissioned to draw the cover for my future Rebels Project. She's got an incredibly adorable art style, and her gallery is full of expressive and beautiful characters. I've commissioned her twice so far myself. Here are some samples:

If you haven't already, I urge you to give her a watch and your support.

Thank you to those who posted questions. Here are the answers:

From JoeBlue:

To Halna: How did you lose your arm? And what special features are built into it?

Halna: "I lost my arm in the Allanteen System, when my small detachment of ships came under attack from a Republic convoy. They were led by a Jedi, who conducted a boarding operation on my frigate. I met the Jedi in battle personally as I oversaw the ship's defense; got a good opportunity to put Sev'rance Tann's training to use. My droids and I were almost about to drive them off, when he sliced my arm off at the shoulder with his lightsaber. The pain was nothing like I had ever felt; probably like the nine Corellian Hells. I don't remember much of what happened, but I saw the Jedi parry some blaster bolts from the droids. I just pulled my pistol out and fired, landing a hit in his chest. I blacked out almost immediately after. Next thing I knew, I was in a medical bay on Admiral Ningo's battlecruiser, receiving a promotion to commodore; my strategy had worked, and the Jedi's death had caused the clones to break ranks, allowing the droids to force them to retreat. My replacement arm is of a personal design, based off the arm of a B2-model Super Battle Droid; it comes equipped with wrist blasters, a cable with a grappling hook, powerful hydraulics for heavy lifting and heavy hitting, an integrated datapad, and even a buzzsaw for cutting through restraints. While I underwent physical therapy, I took to studying ancient Mandalorian texts more closely, and I based the arm's designs off of the Mandalorian Vambrace, a gauntlet equipped with all manner of weapons designed for combat against Jedi."

To Halna: Was there any point where you began to question fighting for the Separatists?

Halna: "My greatest moment of doubt happened in the Siege of Dathomir. I had been called to report directly to the First Fleet staging ground in the Serenno System, where Count Dooku personally assigned me to serve as General Grievous's right-hand. In the briefing, I learned that our target was a coven of witches called the Nightsisters. Count Dooku said that they posed a great threat, and they needed to be eradicated in order to protect countless innocents. Since I was well aware of what the Jedi were like, I thought these witches were no better; I eagerly stepped up to the task. As we secured the orbital space of Dathomir, I accompanied Grievous to the surface, and I saw the General's true side for myself; he was a sadist, gleefully cutting through these people with his stolen lightsabers. I did my fair share of fighting as well, fighting off those witches armed for combat. Their energy bows were crude, but they had these uniquely strong bladed weapons; I received numerous cuts. As we secured multiple villages and strongholds, I saw oblivious civilians gunned down by battle droids; children, and old women, slaughtered. I'd only see such brutality from the Galactic Empire in the future. Grievous's approach was needlessly savage, and I pointed it out to him, ordering the droids to cease fire; he held a lightsaber to my throat. I reminded him of Count Dooku's orders not to kill me, which saved my life. The General pushed on to the Nightsisters' main stronghold, giving me permission to oversee the cleanup. I still remember those frightened faces of the survivors as I told them to run, promising that the droids wouldn't follow. That's the great thing about droids; in the right hands, they can be exceedingly merciful and protective. But it didn't change the hateful glares that came my way, and frankly I deserved them. Seeing my leaders' true colors did not change my views on the war however; the Republic still needed to be torn down and replaced with something better. It just needed to be better than the Confederacy as well."

From JR-Imperator:

To Halna: You have fought most of your adult life. Did you ever think about stepping down to find a peaceful life, maybe even with a family?

Halna: "The thought has occurred to me, but I chose not to act on it. Fighting for peoples' freedoms is where I feel at home."

To Halna: What did you think of your superiors like Grievous and Trench? And did you ever hear of the war crimes they committed in the name of the Confederacy?

Halna: "Grievous is a sadistic murderer, who's also a loose cannon. But he was incredibly effective at running the Separatist war machine, and had it not been for his coordination, we would be in a very tough spot, and the Empire would have risen that much sooner. Compared to the General, Admiral Trench is more honorable, and a brilliant tactician and teacher; it was an honor to serve with him in the early war. The Separatist Alliance's greatest hero was easily Admiral Ningo, the head of the Bulwark Fleet. We almost achieved our independence in that campaign, and he remains to this day the most noble and valiant hero to fight for the cause of freedom."

To Ubon: You have killed a lot of clones. Did your ever think of them as free minded Humans? Did you ever feel bad for killing them or non-clone personnel?

Ubon: "That almost sounds like an accusatory question. I killed only legitimate targets on the battlefield; it was a war, after all. Clone troopers qualify as legitimate. Regardless if they have free will or not, they are still supporting the enemy's attempts to take control of the galaxy."

To Proddo: What is your relationship with your brother, Pors Tonith?

Proddo: "Pors and I got along very well, as well as any two brothers could. Since our family was a member of the Banking Clan's most elite staff, we did face certain expectations from father, and from our society. While Pors has a greater grasp on military matters than I do, we both emerged from our youth trials fully knowledgable about finance; the best any Muun could achieve."

To Callista: What was your relation with fellow senator Mina Bonteri, and what did you think when she proposed a peace talk with the Republic, and of her murder?

Callista: "Mina's a very dear friend and colleague of mine. The day she came forward with a report that Republic senators wanted to put forward a serious negotiation for peace, I of course voted in her favor. I don't want to see the Republic as the sole arbiter of power in the universe, but I'll always support any decision that avoids war. When I heard the news of Mina's death, I was devastated. And Count Dooku's speech on the matter rubbed off me the wrong way; it had to be some corporate plot to keep the war going, so they can continue lining their pockets with kickbacks."

To Darth Incubus: Is your plan overthrow both the New Empire and the Order of Bogan and rule the galaxy as a supreme overlord like other Sith lords before you, or just to create chaos?

Darth Incubus: "My precise plans are no concern of yours. That said, my predecessors were flawed in their approach. The force is meant to be broken; to bend to your will and grant you power. And through power, comes victory, which leads to true, personal freedom. And everyone has the freedom to follow the same path."

To Felix: How did you feel when Kallus left the Empire and Yularen went down with the Death Star? And did you ever feel that what the Empire did was wrong?

Felix: "The Empire was supposed to be a force for good; a chance for the galaxy to heal the wounds inflicted by greedy private interests. I learned far too late that Palpatine was far from the ideal liberator. Wulff Yularen was one of the Republic's greatest heroes, and he continued a noble career for the Empire. It was his recommendation that led me to the ISB, and hearing of his death was regrettable, despite my personal disapproval of the Death Star project. All those credits and personnel could have gone to humanitarian projects, and probably would have if the Old Republic continued to exist. Kallus was another respected officer, and I heard many stories surrounding his departure from Imperial service. Wherever he is, I hope he's able to do some good."

End Questionnaire.

Thank you all again for participating in the 100 Watchers Celebration! The next celebration will take place when I reach 200 Watchers. And I've got a few ideas for things I could do. If I ever get Core again, I'll post a poll to find out what I should do when I hit 200.

Thanks to you all, I've now hit 100 watchers! And that means a new watcher celebration. For those of you more or less new to my content, I'll be hosting another OC questionnaire; you ask my original Star Wars characters some questions, and they'll give you some answers. My most prominent characters are as follows:

- Halna Gowen, Separatist Commander

- Ubon Chah, Separatist Special Forces

- Syra Tzayndor, Separatist Special Forces

- Proddo Tonith, Separatist Tactician

- Argo and Callista Gowen, Businessman and Senator, and parents to Halna

- Darth Incubus, Dark Lord of the Sith in the New Force Wars Era

- Felix Caine, ISB Agent

Questions will be open through next week, and the questionnaire answers will be posted August 31st.

Now in the future, I'd like to try and come up with more events for future watcher celebrations, so you can leave suggestions in the comments (I'd post a poll, but I don't have Core).

Thank you all again for your interest in my Star Wars writings!

UPDATE

The questionnaire is now closed. I'll be posting the answers tonight; thank you for your questions!

Hi everyone! As the title says, it's been quite a while since I've been active here on DA. To those of you who are now watching me, I thank you with all my heart. I'm almost at 100 watchers thanks to you, and I figure it's time to get back in the saddle. I've got a few writing projects in the works, but I'm not entirely sure where to begin.

Separatist Commander, the rebooted series following Halna Gowen's service in the Clone Wars, is 3 chapters in so far. I'm now working on Chapter 4, and I hope to get it wrapped up and posted soon.

My secondary series, Tales of the Separatists, is currently on pause for now, but I'll get around to that too. If you have any OCs or OC ideas, be sure to comment and/or send a note if you'd like help creating anything, or if you'd like me to feature your characters in Tales of the Separatists.

Now for upcoming completely new projects, I'm considering drafting up a larger endeavor called the Star Wars: Rebels Project. For those of you familiar with the Clone Wars Project by SlingBlade87, the Rebels Project is my own take on the Star Wars: Rebels animated series, set within the same continuity of the Clone Wars Project, and featuring characters and stories from both Disney Canon and the Star Wars Expanded Universe. It will feature all the main characters, with some adjustments here or there, plus a new OC; a Duros veteran of the Clone Wars named Cadan Stazi (points to those who get the reference). I like Rebels enough, but I honestly feel it's lacking in some departments. I'll be planning a big commission piece to announce the start of the Rebels Project, so keep an eye out for that.

Another major project I'm thinking about is a completely new take on the Star Wars Sequels, set in an era called the New Force Wars, 400+ years after the Original Trilogy. The episodes of this revised trilogy will be titled as follows; Episode VII: The Last Jedi, Episode VIII: The Prisoner of Mortis, and Episode IX: The Duel of the Fates. I've already done some minor exposition and world-building, so you can expect to see more in the future.

Thank you all again for your interest and help! May the force be with you.