“A Mother’s Hope” short story released for SWTOR

With The Old Republic’s next expansion, Knights of the Fallen Empire, only two weeks away, Bioware just released a tie-in short story.

Set on Ord Mantell, the story is called “A Mother’s Hope”. The story clocks in at just under 3,000 words, but it adds a bit of backstory for the relationship between Senya and her daughter Vaylin. Last month’s cinematic trailer featured both characters.

Written by Knights of the Old Republic’s senior writer, Drew Karpyshyn, you can read the story on SWTOR.com. Here’s is the opening excerpt:

Senya braced herself as she began her descent; the polluted atmosphere of Ord Mantell made turbulence common. Tightening her grip on the controls, she fought to stabilize the shuttle as it rattled and bucked.

A sharp, high pitched beep rose from the back of the ship, the various machines hooked up to Arcann’s unconscious body in the makeshift med-bay signaling in protest as they were jostled by the rough ride. She was coming in fast and steep, making the turbulence worse. But the longer she stayed airborne, the greater the chance sensors from the surface would pick her up. The people of Ord Mantell had no love for the Eternal Throne’s new Empress, but the massive reward Vaylin was offering for her mother’s capture might be enough to make some of them reconsider their loyalties.

The surface of the planet below her was virtually invisible in the night’s gloom, but Senya knew where she was going. She punched in the coordinates and brought the shuttle safely down a few kilometers away from her destination. Making the last part of her journey on foot may have been overly cautious, but the stakes were too high to take unnecessary chances. She checked on her comatose son one last time, ensuring his vitals were stable and that all the tubes and wires running to his body were still connected. Satisfied the landing hadn’t jarred anything loose, she exited the shuttle and sealed it behind her. […]