#coruscant is hell

[thestarwarslesbian]

Fox: Can we stay with you tonight? Bail: All of the guard? What happened? Fox: Someone was playing with an ouija board and cursed our barracks. Thire: Thorn wasn’t any help. He doesn’t know how to banish spirits, so he’s just throwing salt at them yelling “does this look like a hotel to you!?”

[vodika-vibes]

Coruscant is Hell - Part 2

Lieutenant 80 comes to terms with the fact that he’s not like the rest of his vod’e anymore. 

I had an idea, and it turned into this. It’s short, but that’s because I have a fever and it’s hard to make the words do word things.

“What’s wrong, vod? Getting tired?” Dusk had a wide grin on his face as he caught Thire’s leg, which was aimed for his face.

“Tired of your mouth, maybe.” Thire shot back, as he hopped back on one foot.

“Hey! If you can talk, you can work harder!” Fox shouted from the sidelines, before he focused his attention back on 80, “Lower your shoulder, Lieutenant, you’re going to pull a muscle.”

“Yes Commander,” 80 gasped out.

“Good. Start from the beginning.” Fox ordered, before he turned to where Stone and Thorn were sparring with fake knives.

“Fuck,” 80 groaned, his head falling back, but, ever the obedient soldier, he slipped back into his starting form, and started moving again.

“Ah, don’t take it so hard, vod.” Hound said from where he was sitting on the floor, “Fox is only being hard on you because you’ve proven yourself in the last couple of weeks.”

“No one fucking told me that the Corries fought actual monsters,” 80 grumbled, as he gasped for breath.

“That’s because the majority of our vod’e don’t know. And you can’t tell them.” Hound pointed out, turning his attention towards Grizzer, who was changing a little more day by day with every monster he fought.

“We can prove it, you know.” 80 pointed out.

Hound sighed, “Would you want any of our vod’e fighting the things we do? Day in and out?” 

80 opened his mouth to respond, and then he hesitated. Because no. He couldn’t picture any of the brothers he used to serve with doing well with what he was doing. Hell, he was barely holding it together. And he shot a fucking demon earlier that morning.

Hound’s smile was sympathetic, “You’re doing well with us, vod.” He reassured, “Just...” He hesitated, “Just don’t be too surprised if others, outside of the Corries, don’t want anything to do with you.”

“How do you mean?” 80 asked.

Hound stared at him, and then he exhaled slowly, “Take a break, LT, and watch the Cap and Commander spar.”

80 did as he was asked, lowering his fists and straightening his spine, as he turned to watch Dusk and Thire spar. At first, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be seeing. But then-

“There,” Hound murmured.

And 80 saw it. Dusk’s eyes were just a smidge too golden to be natural, and, if he wasn’t mistaken, Thire’s smile revealing teeth that were just a little too sharp. “What the-”

“You’ve started changing too, 80.” Hound said, “Just like the rest of us.”

“I...how?”

Hound hummed thoughtfully, “Dunno yet. We all change in different ways. Dusk can see further, and darkness no longer bothers him. Which is a good thing, since he’s been hunting shadow demons for the last three weeks. Fox,” He nodded to their Commander, “I saw him punch a hole in a brick wall the other day.”

80 felt a chill, “This is normal?”

“Aa.” Hound smiled, “I’m getting more and more in-tune with Grizzer every day. My sense of smell and hearing is easily on par with his now.”

“Hound, are you distracting 80?” Fox snapped, from the other side of the room.

“Yes, sir! I am, sir!” Hound called back.

“Laps, Hound!” Fox shouted, “80, back to your sets!”

“Yes Commander!” The two men shouted. Hound and Grizzer scrambled to their feet and darted over to the track, while 80 resumed his stance. At least the constant movement would allow him to think.

******

Later, much later, 80 approached Dusk.

“Captain,” He said slowly, “I was wondering if we could talk?”

Dusk looked up from his flimsiwork, “Something bothering you, LT?”

“Yes. No. I...maybe?”

“Well, it does have to be one of those options, yes.” Dusk said blandly, before he kicked a seat over to him, “Have a seat. Talk it out.”

80 sat down, and took a moment to gather his thoughts, “I was talking to Hound,” He said slowly, “And...” He paused and shook his head, “When you were decanted, sir, what color were your eyes?”

Dusk rose a single brow at the strange question, “Brown. Just like the majority of our vod’e. Why?”

“Did you know that they’re golden now?” 80 asked.

Dusk blinked, and he slowly set his pen on the table, “I was aware, yes. Hound told you about the Change, then.”

“There’s a name for it?!”

“Of course there is.” Dusk leaned back in his seat, “A Jedi coined the term, but the Jedi who studied this effect never exposed themselves to Coruscant as often as we do.”

“So...so what? We’re just going to change and hope that it’s not terminal?” 80 asked.

“We’re not going to die because of the Change, 80. In fact, it’s even beneficial in some ways.” Dusk pointed out, “Within 6 months of joining the Guard, our enhanced aging slowed. For vod’e like Fox, he ages like a natborn, now.”

“What.”

“Yeah, the medics are keeping an eye on it, just incase we start aging backwards. Or stop aging all together.” Dusk said with a laugh, as though it was the funniest thing he’s ever heard, and not horrifying.

“Right. Right. How am I changing?” 80 asked.

Dusk blinked at him, and then leaned forward, “You walked through a solid door yesterday, vod. You were exhausted, so I don’t blame you for not noticing, but you had to have noticed Stone cursing at you.”

80 stared at Dusk, “I did what now?”

“Walked through a door.”

“...you’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

80 stood, “That’s impossible. Look.” He walked over to the wall and pressed his hand against it, “See. I’m not-” He trailed off as his hand phased through the wall. There was muffled cursing on the other side, and a door slammed open.

“Damn it, 80! Stop doing that without warning a guy!” Thorn shouted from the hallway.

“Sorry, Thorn.” Dusk shouted back, “80′s having a crisis, so maybe be less of a bitch!”

There was silent for a moment, until the door to Dusk’s office burst open and Thorn glowered at his younger brother. Electricity sparked around his arms. Dusk got to his feet, an almost feral grin crossing his face as his eyes glittered a little more gold.

“Hey!” Thire poked his head in the room, “Be a little quieter! If Fox has to come in here, he’s gonna throw you both off the roof.”

Thorn sniffed and Dusk fell back into his seat, both of them looking a little more like themselves. “You alright, LT?”

“My hand is in the wall.” 80 said blankly, still staring at his arm.

The three, slightly, older men shared a look, “Well, yeah.” Thire said slowly.

“Why are you all acting like this is normal?” 80 asked, faintly.

“Okay then.” Dusk stood and carefully tugging 80′s arm out of the wall, “I think you need a break.”

80 was staring at his hand like it personally betrayed him, “I can walk through solid objects. I...”

He was startled out of his shock by the sound of loud clapping next to his ear, “Alright! If you’re going to have a freak out, do it someplace else.” Thorn ordered, “It’s what we did.”

“Right. Right...I’m going to bed, I think.” 80 mumbled, as he slowly meandered out of the room.

********

“Is everything alright?” Kanna Rae was sitting on the edge of Fox’s desk, her feet propped in his lap.

“We had to explain the Change to Lieutenant 80 today.” Fox explained, “He’s not handling it well.”

“Neither did you, Fox.” Kanna pointed out.

Fox sighed, “Yeah, but I didn’t walk through walls, Kanna. If he can get through this, he’ll be an asset to Dusk’s team. And if he can’t...well...”

The fact was that, now that 80 has begun to change, he could no longer go with any other battalion. Even if he wanted to. And they both knew it. “He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders, I think he’ll be alright.”

“I hope so.” he tilted his head back for a moment, and then he smiled, and he lightly tugged her onto his lap, and he rested his chin on the top of her head, “How have things been at the temple?”

“Quiet.” Kanna snuggled against him, “Master Nu thinks that something is going to happen. Something big.”

“What do you think?”

“The Force on Coruscant has always felt...bad.” Kanna admitted, “But I agree with her. It feels like somethings waiting. Something old, and dark. Master Nu wants to come in and build some additional wards around your barracks. “

Fox shook his head, “If that’s what she thinks is best, but, honestly, I thought Jedi and Witches were two different things.”

Kanna shrugged, “I have no idea. I can only do the stuff Master Nu can because I was trapped on the lower levels for over a week when I was young. I think Master Nu had something similar happen to her.”

“I hate this fucking planet,” Fox admitted, as he shifted and pressed his face against her neck, “The only good thing that came from this is that the Senators are now too unsettled by the Guard to look at us. Or talk to us.”

Kanna smiled slightly, “Silver linings?”

“Something like that.”

She tilted her head, and regarded him thoughtfully, “You’re still wearing the contacts, Fox. You haven’t told your brothers-?”

“Red eyes are scary, cyar’ika. I don’t want them to get spooked.” Fox said, even as he removed the color contacts that Kanna had procured for him months earlier. 

“I think they’re lovely.”

“Says the person who cannot see color.” Fox replied, as he lightly pinched her side, “You’re also biased, little miss tells me she loves me every day.”

“I do and you deserve to know it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He kissed her temple and turned to his flimsiwork, “I have a squad down by Exchange territory, there was some kind of lizard creature causing trouble down there, so I’d like you to hang out until they return.”

“Can do.”

********

80 sat in a booth with the rest of his vod’e from the Guard. He was nursing something alcoholic, and was largely ignoring what his brothers were joking about. 

He had accepted that he wasn’t like the rest of his vod’e anymore. He had. It was an easy thing to accept, all things considered, especially when other people kept popping in and telling him about their changes and how things had gotten better for them when the Changes began.

But it was harder to accept that the vod’e now viewed them as other.

He wondered if it bothered the other members of the Guard. 

A vod wearing gray walked over to them, took a look at the color armor they were wearing, and veered off to go and chat with some of the vod’e from the 501st, and 80 felt a pang of disappointment. 

Was this how it was always going to be from now on?

Dusk nudged him with his shoulder, “Don’t look so glum, chum.”

“But they-”

“I know. And being ignored is better than the alternative.”

“What’s the alternative?” 80 asked, not sure he wanted to know.

“Attacking us.” Thire said.

“They wouldn’t do that.”

“They have before.” Stone said tiredly as he nursed something that 80 was pretty sure was just rubbing alcohol. “We aren’t like them. Not anymore.”

“Is it always going to be like this?” 80 asked, his shoulders slumping.

his brothers didn’t answer, likely because they couldn’t. And also because 80 accidentally phased the table, and all of their drinks, and Stone, fell through the table and onto the floor.

“...sorry.”

“It’s fine, vod. You didn’t do it on purpose.” Dusk said cheerfully, his golden eyes glittering. 

The table devolved into good natured jokes and conversation. If Fox needed them he would call them, but for now they could just be brothers spending time together. 

[ollyrewind]

jedi knight merlin on a diplomatic mission?

[engagemythrusters]

makeup stores on coruscant have to be the size of an american outlet mall or something. the amount of species it has to offer product to is like. just the tip of the iceberg. beyond that it has to offer every sort of product every species needs ('skin' (or similar) care, 'hair' (or whatever) products, shadows and mascaras, perfumes, etc), it also has to have a variety within the products (like how humans need stuff for oily skin, stuff for dry skin, stuff for 'average skin') AND a variety of shades and tones within each variety (red foundations and pink foundations and mauve concealers and chartruese correctors). NOT TO MENTION ALL OF THE BRANDS.

you think a trip to your local makeup store takes forever? imagine going with your twi'lek, togruta, mikkian, etc girlfriends. you all need SUCH different products. it'd be a fucking DAY TRIP just to get EYESHADOW AND FOUNDATION.

[chichapalabok]

SUMMER WEEEEE-ING!!! MAKE A WISH! ATSUI KEDOOO! PLEASE FEEL YOUR SUMMER DREAM!! SUMMER DAAAAAY

how to counter insane heat index: listen to summer idol songs

[antianakin]

You know what's something I wished fanon/fanfic/etc explored? The idea of clones, basically traveling the galaxy because of the war not only having their own traditions, but also picking up stuff and being taught things by various people they encounter. Not even necessarily like a culture/tradition. A planet's local militia taught a trooper how to weave grass during a long night waiting for orders.

Of course he brought this to his friends and now the whole battalion makes things from grass or leaves or thread. It's calming, it's fun, they experiment with materials.

The clones who've developed their own culture (not Mandalorian) but also enjoying learning and participating. Let them be happy and want to explore things beyond their DNA donors world. (I also enjoy the idea of them getting to relax and join in on fun, normal activities).

And the idea of different units having different traditions while also sharing them when they're deployed together is fun.

The idea of mindfulness being picked up from Jedi general's and everyone having a unique spin, either copying meditation or meditating while cleaning equipment.

Also I want people to appreciate the clones as their own people.

Yeah, I hardly EVER see the clones depicted as this really interesting mish mash of cultures due to potentially picking up a bunch of shit from civilian populations they meet and then just passing it around their own battalion which could then make it out to the GAR as a whole.

Weaving baskets is a cute one, it could also be something as simple as picking up new spices every time they land somewhere and so their food is this wild fusion cuisine of spices and maybe fruits/dried meats/nuts from all over the galaxy because they just pick up stuff that goes to the kitchens and the clones doing the cooking in the kitchens use whatever they've got available to try to make new dishes. And they end up perhaps getting really good at figuring out how to combine these different ingredients that, on paper, seem like they absolutely should NOT go well together and yet somehow they make it work. And so clone cuisine becomes its own completely unique thing. You could even compare it to Jedi cuisine where they probably end up combining things a lot themselves, but the Jedi would theoretically often have had more access to resources and time to learn whole dishes than the clones do so it's more that the Jedi prepare different specific dishes from a lot of cultures as opposed to the more fusion-style cuisine the clones have come up with.

Or games, it'd be so cute to have the clones picking up all these different sort-of idle games from different civilian children they meet, like gffa versions of hopscotch or hackey sack, maybe card games that aren't sabacc or board games that aren't dejarik but are more specific to this one planet or culture. Maybe the clones start coming up with their OWN card games as they go because they start getting bored of the few that they know and start getting creative from there.

And of course things like different styles of visual art like painting and tattooing and hair styles that they might pick up on and incorporate into their own style that either becomes very popular among the clones on its own or ends up sort-of hybridized and become its own unique clone specific spin on the artform rather than a direct imitation. Writing would be really cool, too, that they pick up things like novels or journals from different cultures and some of the clones start writing creatively and become really prolific among the GAR (and maybe the Jedi too) for their stories. Similar to before, they might start off sort-of imitating styles they see from other cultures, specific kinds of poetry or tropes, but then branch out and put their own spin on it or start combining different things they've learned from various cultures.

Some clones might end up sticking closer to one specific culture they've connected or that just matches their personal taste really well, while others embrace the fusion more, and everything in-between.

And of course we can bring the Jedi into it more, too, and have the Jedi constantly working to introduce the clones to more things, maybe things THEY know and love from various cultures that they think the clones would find fun or interesting. And not just that person's "birth culture" like Ahsoka teaching people about Togruta culture, but things from OTHER CULTURES that they themselves have experimented with and liked. Maybe Ahsoka has a Mon Cal skincare routine she fucking swears by, or a Zabrak meat dish that's her absolute favorite hands down because of how tender they cook it, or her favorite book is actually Rodian because she particularly loves Rodian romance novels. And she introduces the clones to THESE things as well because why wouldn't she? The Jedi have a smorgasbord of options available to them and their culture encourages learning and connecting as much as possible, something I imagine they'd do their best to pass on to the clones in any way available to them.

And of course the Jedi, as some of the only people really out there with the clones and interacting with them regularly, get to be the first to BENEFIT from the hybridization that the clones utilize and get to see more about how these different cultures they've learned and appreciated for so long can be combined in such new and different ways to create something entirely unique and beautiful, so they get to enjoy these things all over again and it's AWESOME! New favorite noodle dish that combined fish from Glee Anselm and spices from Pantora and noodles from Chandrila, new favorite poem that has elements of Naboo and Ryloth in it, new knitted scarf that combined a knitting style from Lothal and a pattern from Shili.

And I've been going more for physical material things so far like food and stuff, but you can include things like slang they pick up from other cultures or maybe rituals of some kind they saw someone do that they asked about and got permission to participate in that they continue to practice afterwards because it's nice and calming.

The interesting part about the clones is that they don't have a "birth" culture to go back to. They were raised in a very sterile environment where everything they were exposed to was something very specific and aimed towards a certain goal. So they might have a favorite fighting move from the ones they were taught on Kamino or a favorite ship to fly of the ones they were taught to use for war, but it would be SO incredibly limited to what the Kaminoans wanted them to learn and not intended to become something the clones really connected to culturally. The Kaminoans themselves clearly HAVE a culture of sorts, they seem to share a style of fashion at least and probably an architectural style, but this isn't something that was passed on to the clones or that they would've been allowed to ever really participate in (beyond maintenance to the buildings, but they wouldn't have gotten a say in things like paint colors or additions to the building for cosmetic reasons, etc). And of course I don't think canon supports the idea that the clones really had a lot of connection to Mando culture and certainly nothing that supports the concept that they would consider it their "birth" culture. Jango barely seems to have passed any sort of Mando heritage on to BOBA, so it seems INCREDIBLY unlikely he'd have passed anything significant on to the clones he DIDN'T consider his son. And the Mando trainers are a legends thing these days, and were never canon anyway, so their exposure to Mando culture would be even more limited than their exposure to Kaminoan culture quite honestly.

All of which means the clones don't really have a firm basis of a birth culture from which to start on and then sort-of experiment out from. They're almost entirely open to whatever they discover or are introduced to in terms of culture. They're not Mando, they're not Kaminoan, they're their OWN THING and they can literally incorporate just about anything and everything into the culture they choose to build and that's SUCH a cool thing to look at and to explore and I don't know if I've really seen that much of it in fics. Especially via the Jedi who are their own massively multi-cultural society and can take the opportunity to really widen the clones' horizons in so many ways.

[wantonlywindswept]

so i won’t write it because...well, because why would i write about jedi when clone troopers and mandalorians are right there

but i often see quinlan vos (shoutout to QV, who i only know through fic but you seem like a delightful character) assigned to the Guard in a ‘the guard FINALLY gets their own jedi’ story, and those (or with other jedi) stories are Extremely Rad but i don’t think i’ve seen one yet

where anakin is the one assigned to the Guard?

like it makes so much sense, palpatine would be able to keep his future apprentice close in his creepy way, and nobody can bitch about the Guard not having jedi oversight (including the Guard themselves) bc look, there is one! nevermind that he’s off with his super-secret wife most of the time or anything

and that could go a couple interesting ways, including veering straight into the deep end of despair and the guard knowing there’s no way out and no one to save them

or maybe anakin notices and tries to stop it because he knows what slavery looks like

or maybe the guard notice how creepy palpatine is toward anakin and try to stop that

maybe obi-wan comes to visit his padawan in the guard offices and goes ‘wow the vibes in here are RANCID’ and does shit about that

idk i just think it’s an interesting dynamic that could be explored, particularly in the aspect of anakin and fox both having palpatine’s attention but for very different reasons and for very different purposes with very, very different consequences.

...someone else should explore that, ftr. i’ma be over here playing with space marines

[somestorythoughts]

Radioactive Eldritch Jedi

Okay so when I say radioactive. The Force is primordial and eldritch and the jedi (and any other force users of a comparable level) resonate with the echoes of this primoridal of-the-world-and-yet-not-the-world energy like your body when you’re so close to a marching bacd you can feel the drums in your bones and they’re not the music or the instruments, they’re only the echo thereof, but the echo of something from the depths that bore the universe is still A Lot.

And when you look at them. There’s teeth that aren’t there the next minute, you could count them again and again for half an hour and never get the same number twice in a row. And that’s not mentioning when their teeth don’t fit in their mouth, don’t match each other, when there aren’t teeth in their mouths but claws...

That’s just one element of their face which is one element of their body.

You can smell them, even the species that don’t have particularly good senses of smell though it is far more distracting for them. Something fresh with light or rotting with dark, herby or sea salty or citrusy or floral and threaded with sweat or blood or sex to suit whatever they’ve been doing and it wouldn’t be remarkable except they smell simultaneously like their species and like something else entirely in a way that is clearly but indescribably not caused by soap or perfume or oil.

There’s a resonance in their voices. Something like there’s a drumbeat in their throat, like they’re speaking with the vibrations of a song you’ve always heard without knowing it, but always perfectly understandable. The sound of jedi singing in harmony with feeling has reduced cities to tears of joy or tears of pain, blood dripping from their ears in mirror of their tears.

Don’t get me started on their shadows, on the way they move in the dark

And they’d be leaking this strangeness 24/7 except they keep themselves so tightly shielded, not only hiding themselves so that they appear uncanny and not terrifyingly Other (they’ve been there time and time again and it is a problem. There are Consequences) but also keeping any of this force-energy-resonance leaking out into the world. Places where force sensitives have lived a long time thrum like a pulse, are touches with the energy of generations of force users relaxing enough to let their shields lower and their selves to leak and brush the walls and tables, etching their presences into the place like fire into wood, and when this touches people it changes them.

Not immediately. Not quickly. It can take months for anything to change and this is why jedi keep their shields maintained, because if you’re fully shielded nothing will happen, and this is part of why attachments are risky, because the emotion can affect the shields can change the one you love, because to say you love a jedi is not the same as accepting all that they are and being willing to change along with them because you can’t dodge that forever, and saying you’re willing to do this isn’t the same as being willing.

The changes aren’t quick, and not as Eldritch as the jedi, but they are permanent and definitely Other.

When shields crack or break, when a jedi lashes out with the force, it brushes an imprint on everything around them (those with any kind of vision skills can find this difficult or comforting to deal with, like a too-large gulp of hot tea) and a few times on the same thing doesn’t matter. Genuinely. Repeition is an entirely different matter.

War is hell. 

War is hell, and the jedi are holding on to each other for support, clinging interlocking arms, but they’re scattered around the galaxy and it’s so hard to actually reach each other.

Sometimes to know you’re supported isn’t enough. Not when you can’t reach their shoulder to lean on, for just a moment.

And the clones are going through hell with them, are dying around them, and they reach out to support the jedi who are doing their best not only to help them survive but to help them live in a war that wants them dead for a senate that doesn’t care and the jedi recognizes them as people so they reach out and the jedi can’t help but reach back.

The clones catch them when they fall, love them in different ways each as sure as the tides, and the jedi relax into it without realizing. Their shields crack over and over again because war is hell, but they also find them relaxing them, instinctively and unconsciously, because so little is certain but the clones’ willingness to go to hell and back for them is one of them and they feel safe.

And the echoes of the force that resonate in the heartbeats-nervepulses-bloodflows of the jedi leaves imprints on the clones that rises like paint added layer by layer and it changes them.

The clones don’t have a childhood of familiarity to fall back on, much less the shielding techniques to keep them looking “normal.” What they have is legions of brothers willing to support each other come hell or high water or unending clankers and jedi who at first beg their forgiveness for changing them (because it wasn’t supposed to happen and because they like how they are but everyone already sees them as strange and to beg forgiveness for making them like them is many jedi’s first instinct) then teach them how to hide it when they need to and the comfort of singing together, their voices ringing through their ships in tune with the thrumming in their blood, bone-deep.

[mysunshine-youremoonlight]

I invested too much into the engstars version to delete it.. and jpnstars too since tomoya head in hands but still.... they better watch out

nodding.... thats how i feel abt jpnstars....

[meatbag-status]

Overall, I can say Christmas was a success for me

[vodika-vibes]

Coruscant is Hell pt 3

Alright, so I finally sat down and typed out part three of this AU! Go Me!

Jedi Master Nu makes an appearance! Kanna is a badass medic! Supernatural Corries! Cody, Wolffe, and Bly make a mistake!

Please let me know what you think! I’m also going to need to do some research on various types of supernatural creatures. Less enthused about that. Oh well!

Tagging: @tazmbc1

It was starting to get normal, 80 realized one day almost 6 months after he had been reassigned to the Guard. The…running and fighting and constant fear. Apparently you could get used to anything. Even demons.

He phased through a wall, and then jumped down through the ground, landing one floor down, next to Dusk and Fox. They were on Jedi Babysitting Duty, the three of them. Of course, he had seen Master Nu cut an imp in twine without so much as a second look, so 80 was beginning to think that the Jedi were on Guard Babysitting duty.

Although…speaking of Jedi-

“Where’s Padawan Rae?” 80 asked, as he realized that the little jedi was missing.

“Kanna sensed something, so she went to go check it out,” Fox said absently, his blood red gaze locked on something in the distance. 80 halfway suspected that the Change was making his Commander force sensitive, since he was pretty sure Fox always knew where Kanna was. Or maybe it was something else.

“She sensed something?” 80 asked instead.

“She’ll be fine, she’s tougher than she looks.” Master Nu interrupted as she stepped over to the three taller men. She focused her attention on Fox, “You said that you’ve gotten reports of a higher number of imps in this area specifically?”

“Yes ma’am,” Fox nodded once, his arms folding over his chest, “We’ve started seeing them further and further out, but they all seem to be originating from this area.”

“What does it mean?” Dusk asked as he focused his eerie golden gaze on the older woman, “Imps are annoying, but they’re not exactly dangerous.���

“They can be, in large enough numbers, but you’re correct.” Master Nu closed her eyes and tapped her chin with her knuckles as she gathered her thoughts, “Generally speaking, an increase of imps means that there’s been a shift of some sort.”

“A shift?” 80 asked.

“Like filling a power vacuum,” Dusk explained, “It’s why we haven’t wiped out the Exchange, because whatever replaces it could be worse.”

“Yes, exactly like that.” Master Nu agreed as she nodded at Dusk, “It’s strange though. There hasn’t been a shift of any importance on Coruscant since I was a child.”

“Kanna’s back,” Fox said as his gaze flickered towards a corridor, and Kanna appeared on silent footsteps. She moved to the group, and settled herself between Fox and Dusk, a frown on her lips. “What did you find, cyare?” Fox asked.

Kanna’s frown deepened, “I traveled 2 miles in every direction I could possibly go in,” She explained, sounding troubled, “And all of the Dens were empty.”

80 jerked in surprise. “Empty? Like they’re hunting?” That would be bad if it was true. 

But Kanna was shaking her head, “Empty as in abandoned. I think something big and nasty moved in, and scared the other demons away.” She folded her arms and leaned slightly against Fox, “It would explain the imps.”

Fox lightly gripped Kanna’s shoulder, “Do you have any idea what moved in?”

“Hm. There’s something but…” Master Nu was frowning, her eyes were closed. “It’s like trying to catch smoke, it’s there but I can’t quite get a lock on it.”

Dusk frowned, “Maybe it’s not hostile?”

“No, it’s very hostile.” Kanna said quietly, “It really doesn’t like us.”

“You have a lock on it?” Master Nu asked.

“Mm. Nothing quite so solid, no. But I did catch hints of it in the various dens…it’s old and angry.” Kanna paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts, “I got the feeling that it believes that Coruscant belongs to them and that we’re interlopers.”

Master Nu frowned, her eyes were still closed, and then she exhaled slowly, “Yes. I think you might be right.” She opened her eyes finally, and 80 caught a glimpse of something wild in the older woman’s gaze, “Kanna, stay with the Guard tonight, I’m returning to the temple to do research.”

“Master Vokara won’t like that.” Kanna pointed out.

“I’ll take care of it.” Jocasta smiled then and flicked a finger at Fox, “No multiplication.” She warned the Commander.

Fox looked offended, “I’m not stupid, Master Nu.”

80 leaned over to his Captain, “I don’t get it.”

Dusk leaned in, “She’s telling him that he better not get Kanna preggo.”

“...are they sleeping together?” 80 asked, curious in spite of himself.

“That’s none of our damned business, 80.” Dusk warned, with an arched brow. And then he turned to Fox, “Your orders, sir?”

Fox ran his hand down his face, and then pulled his bucket back on, “We return to the barracks, there’s nothing we can do here right now anyway. Right?” He asked, tilting his head towards Kanna.

She nodded, “Yeah, whatever it is doesn’t want to be found just yet, so-” Kanna shrugged.

“Then we go back to the barracks.” Fox said, turning his gaze back towards Dusk and 80.

“...Master Nu wants Kanna to stay with us, but where is she going to sleep?” 80 asked.

80 was glad that Fox had already put on his helmet, since he was pretty sure the glare that his commander was shooting him would cause him to burst into flames, “Don’t worry about it.” Fox ground out, “It’s taken care of.”

Oh. Oh.

“Yes Commander.”

*********

Later that evening, in Fox’s room, Kanna was sprawled across Fox’s bed, absently folding a piece of flimsy into a flower. Fox was sitting at his desk finishing up some paperwork.

“None of the squads that went out tonight were badly hurt,” Kanna reported to him, “Though Drake’s squad is about to start the Change, so you’re going to want to keep an eye on them.”

“You can detect that with the force?” Fox asked, looking up at her. 

“Roughly, Drake’s going to have a hard time, I think. Based on what his cell structure has started to look like.” Kanna said lightly, “Kind of like how 80 had a hard time at first.”

“80’s ability is fucking useful though.”

“Super strength is useful too.” Kanna said loyally. 

“Yeah, so is my ability to find you no matter where you are.” Fox teased.

Kanna pouted at him, though she was clearly amused, “That’s a stupid super-power, Foxy.”

He quirked a single brow, “You can find me wherever I am.”

“Yeah, but that’s just because I’m a jedi and I love you.”

Fox leaned back in his seat, a fond smile crossing his face, “Yeah, yeah. I know.” He pushed away from his desk and walked over to flop on the bed next to her, “I’m fucking exhausted, Kan.”

His smile broadened when he felt her light fingers against his jaw, “Then get some sleep, you know, that thing that people need to do for about 8 hours a day to stay healthy?”

“Never heard of it.” Fox teased.

Kanna sighed and trailed her fingers up to his cheek, “I worry about you, Fox.”

“I know.” 

Kanna was silent for a moment, before a small grin crossed her lips, “80 was really concerned about where I was going to-”

Fox groaned and rolled so that she was pinned to the bed under him, and he resolutely ignored her delighted giggles. “No. We’re not talking about 80.”

“I bet he’d be more than happy to share his bed with me,” Kanna continued, through her giggles.

Fox scowled at her, “You’re a pain in the ass, but you’re my pain in the ass and we both know it.”

She grinned at him, “How romantic,”

“Brat,” there was nothing by fondness in his words, “If I wasn’t such a greedy and jealous man, I’d let him have you.”

Kanna laughed, “No you wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Fox agreed. He bumped his forehead against hers and his eyes closed as he relaxed. He relaxed even more when he felt her warm hands against his back.

******

“Padawan Rae, where do you want him?” 80 called as he stumbled into the infirmary with yet another badly injured vod through over his shoulder.

Kanna, covered in the blood of other people, pointed at an empty bed, as she continued cauterizing the wound of the man on the table under her. “You’re going to be fine. You’ll have a wicked scar that will definitely catch all the chicks.”

The vod let out a weak laugh, “I’m gay, Kanna.”

“Even better! I’ve never known a guy to be able to look away from neat looking scars.” Kanna replied.

He laughed again, and groaned in pain, “What was that thing, Kanna? I’ve never seen anything like it on Coruscant-”

“I’m sure Fox is dealing with it, Skye. You just focus on resting. The medication should kick in soon.” Kanna replied gently, watching as he slowly slipped into slumber.

She passed him off to one of the clone medics, and hurried to the bed that 80 was standing next to, “How many are left?” She asked distractedly.

80 frowned at the unconscious vod, “He’s the last survivor.” He admitted, “The others were ripped to shreds. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Damn, okay.” She focused her attention on the severely wounded man under her hands, “Get out of my med-bay, 80. I’m sure Fox has work for you.”

“Yes ma’am,” 80 saluted her, though she wasn’t focused on him, and he hurried out of the room.

He phased through some of his brothers, which they hated, and jogged over to Dusk, who was fully armored, “Sir. The last of the wounded are in Kanna’s care.”

“Good,” Dusk replied distractedly, “The Commander wants us to find this thing and contain it under Master Nu figures out what it is.”

“Just us, sir?”

“No. Thorn, Thire, Stone, and Hound are coming with us. Fox is staying here to coordinate with us, as well as be the point of contact for the Jedi.” Dusk explained, he focused his blazing golden eyes on 80, “Are you able to do this?”

For a moment, 80’s breath caught in his throat. Could he do this? He wasn’t sure. He was used to the bullshit that was Coruscant now, but this was…this…

His gaze wandered to the side, where the others were strapping weapons to their bodies and making sure that they were completely covered. Thorn was sparking, he was so angry.

80 turned his gaze back towards Dusk, “Yes, Cap. I can do this.”

Dusk smiled, and clapped 80 on the shoulder, “Good man.”

80 pulled his helmet on, and made sure his enchanted knife was secure in his boot, and then he followed his brothers out of the Corrie barracks. The entire world became razor sharp as he stepped out of the building.

In spite of that, he didn’t notice the group of vod’e entering the barracks as he ran after his brothers.

********

“Seems like there’s some sort of emergency,” Bly noted as he side-stepped the group of red-clad vod’e sprinting out of the barracks. “I bet Fox won’t be able to come out with us.”

“I’m sure it’s not that serious,” Wolffe replied dismissively as he stepped into the barracks. 

“That’s not nice, Wolffe. Fox and his Guard work hard to keep Coruscant safe.” Cody pointed out as he followed Bly and Wolffe into the building. Only to pause at the sight of blood on the walls. “Okay…”

“Maybe someone got into a fight?” Bly asked, as he eyed the fresh blood on the floor that was getting cleaned up by a horde of mouse droids.

“Makes the most sense,” Wolffe agreed, carefully stepping around the droids and down the hallway. He had to side-step more than one vod’e who turned corners at a dead sprint.

But they finally made it to Fox’s office, and Cody didn’t bother to knock as he pushed the door open, “Hey, vod!”

Fox spared them a glance, but kept his attention focused on the holo in front of him, where Master Nu was standing, “-you’re sure that a Jedi needs to be there?” he asked.

Master Nu didn’t take her eyes off of Fox, “Quite positive, Commander. Is Kanna available?”

“I had two whole squads wiped out by this thing, she’s in the med-bay, with the survivors.” Fox said grimly, “I sent some of the others to contain it until you, or Kanna, can go.”

“I can’t leave the temple right now. It’ll have to be Kanna.”

“Fuck.”

“She’s capable, Commander.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Fox snapped, “I can still hate having to put her in danger in spite of knowing how capable she is.”

Master Nu paused, and then she smiled, “Apologies Commander. I mistook your concern for a lack of faith in her abilities. It won’t happen again.” She shook her head, “I sent all the information I have to you. I sent a copy that Kanna will be able to listen to when she’s free. I’ll keep in touch if I learn anything new.”

“Thank you Master Nu.”

She shook her head, “No, you and yours are putting your lives on the line, so thank you.”

The Holo cut out and Fox’s gaze snapped to his brothers, “I’m busy, this better be important.”

“...vod. When did your eyes turn red?” Wolffe asked, frowning deeply.

“A couple of months ago. Is there anything else?” Fox asked, pulling her attention away from his brothers, to focus on a map of Coruscant.

“We were wondering if you wanted to go bar hopping with us,” Bly offered, when neither Cody nor Wolffe said anything.

“I’m fucking busy, Bly.” Fox said sharply, before he listened to something over the comm in his ear, and he adjusted some things on the map.

“Okay…maybe we can help.” Cody offered, “What’s the problem? A riot? A train derailment?”

Fox stilled and his gaze snapped to Cody, “No. You can’t help. No, I don’t want your help.”

“Come on, vod. We’re not trying to step on your toes, but you look exhausted!” Wolffe snapped.

“I am fucking exhausted! And you still can’t help! I will not send you to your deaths!” Fox snapped, his gaze shot to the door of his office when it slid open, “What.”

Kanna stepped into the room, looking totally unbothered by his temper. She sidestepped the Commanders, and walked over to Fox’s side, “Master Nu set a comm saying I was needed elsewhere.” She focused all of her attention on Fox, “Where am I going, love?”

Fox relaxed slightly, and pressed a small comm into her hands, which she immediately slipped into her ear, “Master Nu sent information to you, hold on-” He sent the audio file over to Kanna, and waited a moment while she listened to it.

“Annoying, but not impossible. Loop me in the comms?” Kanna waited a moment, “Thorn, Master Nu says you need a Jedi, where are you?” She listened, “Alright. Alright, I’ll be there in a bit. Can you keep it contained until I get there?” She listened for a moment longer, “Alright. I’ll be there soon, I promise.” She cut the comm and turned her head towards Fox, “Can I borrow a speeder?”

“Yeah, It’s yours.” Fox replied, “Be careful, cyare.”

“Always am~” Kanna replied as she favored him with a warm smile, and then turned and left the office.

“...Fox?” Cody stared at the place Kanna had once been standing, “What’s going on?”

Fox was quiet for a moment, a very long moment, “Your war is outside of Coruscant, our war is with Coruscant.” He finally said, “I need you three to leave. Stay off the lower levels for now.”

“Fox-”

“I’ll explain later.” Fox just sounded so very tired. “I need to focus.”

Cody ushered Wolffe and Bly out of Fox’s office, and the three of them shared a look, “Something’s wrong with the Guard,” Wolffe said quietly.

“I want to know what’s happening on the lower level,” Bly added, his gaze sharp.

“Agreed.” Cody nodded, “Come on, I think I saw where the little Jedi is going.”

***********

80 thought he was going to cry when he heard the familiar crackle of a lightsaber coming to life and he saw Kanna run up to him. “Padawan Rae, you made it!”

There was the familiar sensation of Kanna looking at him through the force, and even more of the tension drained from 80’s body, “Are you alright?” She asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Just exhausted. Commander Thorn sent me back to wait for you.” 80 explained, “Are you ready to go?”

“Absolutely,” 

“Good,” 80 led her further down the street, until they came to the creature. It was human sized, the color of freshly fallen snow, and was able to contort itself like it didn’t have bones. In fact, 80 was fairly sure it didn’t have bones, based on how it made a hole in its abdomen to avoid a burst of electricity. “What do you think, ma’am?”

Kanna wasn’t listening to him, or it seemed like she wasn’t. “Face Stealer.” She grumbled, “We’re lucky we caught it before it could steal an identity.”

“Ma’am?”

“You remember how Master Nu said that imps were a sign of a power shift?” Kanna asked as she dug some flimsy out of her pockets, “Face Stealers are another sign of a power shift. There hasn’t been a face stealer on Coruscant in…fuck…since before Master Nu was born.”

“You’re telling us that this thing isn’t the thing causing the shift?” Thorn shouted.

“Nope. They’re still dangerous, but-” Kanna moved suddenly as the face stealer flung itself at her, “But only because of how quick they are.” She continued. 

She pressed the flimsy into 80’s hands, “Take these and place them around the area while I distract it. We need to contain it in one spot. Before we can get rid of it.”

“Understood. Are you sure you can distract it?” 80 asked, worried.

“Yeah, it’s quick, but so am I.” She smiled reassuringly at him, and then flung herself at the face stealer while 80 hurried over to his brothers. 

80 just barely managed to finish setting up his set of the barriers, when he heard something strange. It sounded like a noise of surprise. He turned his head, and his heart fell into his stomach.

Commanders Cody, Wolffe, and Bly were standing there, opposite of Padawan Rae. With the Face Stealer between them.

“What the actual fuck is that?” Bly asked, his eyes wide.

The Face Stealer grinned, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, and also fueling 80’s nightmares for the next year. And it launched itself at Bly.

“Move!” Kanna moved at the same time as the demon, and, somehow, she was faster.

80 wasn’t sure what happened, but he could guess. It looked like Kanna had used the force to make sure she was between the Commanders and the demon, and it looked like she used the force to fling the Commanders outside of the barrier.

But that didn’t matter, because she had become so intent on protecting the Commanders that she made a mistake.

Kanna screamed in pain as the demon's foot long nails pierced her shoulders, and slammed her into the ground. It lowered it’s head until it looked like it was going to devour Kanna whole.

And 80 moved.

He wasn’t the only one. Dusk flung himself from the roof he had perched himself on. Hound and Grizzer sprinted from their hiding spot in a nearby alley. The air was filled with lightning as Thorn started running towards the demon, with Stone and Thire on his heels.

But the truth was obvious. They weren’t going to make it. There was too much distance between any of the vod’e and Kanna.

They were going to have to watch her die.

And then, miraculously, Fox was there.

Standing over Kanna as though he had always been there, and just waiting for his time to move.

“Let. Go.” 80 felt his stomach drop again. He had never seen a look of such fury on his older brother’s face, he slowed to a jog…and then a walk…and then he just stopped.

And. Fox. Moved.

The creature released a noise that could only be a wail, as Fox’s fist slammed into its head, and flung him away from Kanna. “Can you activate the seals from here?” Fox asked, kneeling next to the Jedi.

“Y-yeah.” Kanna shakily pulled another piece of flimsy out of her pocket, and slowly, painfully, activated the seals around the area. Creating a bubble with the demon in the center.

“And now anyone can kill it?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

Fox turned to the creature and pulled his pistols out of their holsters. He walked over. Calmly. As though rage wasn’t written across his face. As though he hadn’t just punched a demon hard enough that it was wailing like an infant.

Commander Fox fired 6 rounds. Three from each gun.

And when he finished, the Face Stealer was dead.

Fox stared at the eerie looking corpse, his face blank, “Dispose of the body.”

“Yes Commander,”

And then Fox turned back to Kanna, and helped her to her feet, before swinging her up into his arms, “Temple or Guard medics?”

“Guard.” Kanna murmured, allowing her head to thump against Fox’s chest plate, “Master won’t understand.” She paused, and tapped his cheek, “Don’t be too mad.”

“Oh, I’m fucking furious. But I’m also smart enough to know that if I try and talk to them now, I’ll fucking kill them.” Fox admitted, “80, make sure my brothers make it to my office.”

80 jolted, and then hung his head, “Yes Commander.” He waited until Commander Fox and Kanna were on the speeder Kanna used, and then he walked over to the three Commanders.

“So…” He said awkwardly, “Commander Fox wants you in his office. Immediately.” 

“What the fuck was that?” Wolffe snapped.

“And,” 80 continued, as if Wolffe hadn’t spoken, “to be completely honest, I like Fox a lot more than I like you, so we’re going to Fox’s office and you’re going to comply, because it’s been a really long day and I don’t want to force you, but I will if I have to.”

“First of all,” Cody said shortly, “There are three of us, and one of you. And secondly of all, what the fuck was that thing.”

“Riiight.” 80 turned his head, “Commander Thorn, sir! The Commanders are being non-compliant.”

Thorn scoffed, “So make them fucking compliant, 80. You have permission.”

80 grinned under his helmet, “Don’t worry Commanders,” He said reassuringly, “This won’t hurt a bit!” And then he reached out, and in. And with a simple touch, Commander Wolffe collapsed. And then Cody and Bly joined him.

Hound and Grizzer joined him standing over the sleeping Commanders, “You’ve gotten pretty solid at that.” He said cheerfully.

“Yeah…Fox is going to kill them.”

“Not if we take our time with clean-up here.” Hound replied, as he hoisted Commander Wolffe over his shoulder, “We’ll toss them in the back of the ship, and then help Thorn, Thire, Stone, and Dusk with clean up here.”

“And hopefully by the time we finish, Fox will be feeling less murderous.” 80 continued, “Clever.” He reached down and carefully draped Commander Cody over Grizzer’s back, before picking up Bly.

“That’s the plan. And, hopefully, the Commander will have a believable explanation for them.” Hound added.

“Eh, worse case scenario, we get Master Nu to make them forget this ever happened.”

Hound snorted out a laugh and led the way back to the speeded. Now that the danger had passed, they were back to just being brothers, rather than being Coruscant’s prime demon hunters.

Anything else bad could just be pushed to the side, for now.

[holocaustmofftarkin]

VEERS MOFF TARKIN

[fantome-sans-opera]

Fox and all my fellow college and grad students disagree. Not a nightmare by a long margin 😂

I saw a post (I can’t find it!!) of clones bodies and Fox was showering with his armor and it made me think of Spider-Man showering with his suit so I did this

[corrie-guarded]

guy who definitely counts paperclips to cope

[stealthetrees]

I think the Coruscant Guard would have a much better understanding of modern slang than any other battalion simply because they’re around it more and hear it all the time while everyone else is in a trench in the middle of nowhere.

Rex, crying: Ashoka just said ‘that’s lit fam’ I’m scared what does it mean

Fox: that’s so sad. Alexa play despacito

Rex, crying harder: who the hell is alexa