#21st nova corps

[veny-many]

Everyone has the true home of the heart in their memory right?

Caution: vibrating Clones are very strong.

[david-talks-sw]

"Bring in the flamethrowers!"

The above moment from The Clone Wars gets brought up a lot to illustrate Ki-Adi Mundi or the Jedi's moral decadence, a fall from grace caused by the war.

Figured I'd point out a couple of things in support of Ki-Adi!

1) Simple answer: the situation called for it.

The Geonosians attacking Ki-Adi were:

enemy fighters

with the element of surprise

who could fly and were thus harder to hit with the clones' blasters, hence why more wide-ranging weapons like flamethrowers were called for, as the clones were getting picked off one-by-one.

Time was of the essence, men were dying, Ki-Adi made a choice.

Wanna know what Jedi choose when a Geonosian isn't actively trying to kill them? They save its life (and get praised for it by their peers).

2) In-universe, the Geonosians are assholes.

From Attack of the Clones - The Illustrated Companion, 2002:

"Geonosians are a physically intimidating race conditioned to live and work in caste-segregated hives. The vast majority of Geonosians are subservient to the ruling caste, and throughout Geonosian society, there is evidence of a biologically engineered class system. Some Geonosians have wings, while drones do not. [...] The blind obedience of menial Geonosians makes them an easily exploitable workforce for the upper classes, who have built a highly profitable business manufacturing Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, and Droideka Droids for the Trade Federation and its allies."

"For unusually intelligent Geonosians unlucky enough to be born into the lower castes, participating in the games provides the only chance they will ever get to escape the misery of their downtrodden lifestyles and the rigid social expectations of the upper classes. Triumph in the arena is often a hollow victory, however; while lower- and middle-class Geonosians may win the right to talk to their superiors, they can never earn their respect."

Okay, so the winged upper class are obviously elitist bastards, but how is that even remotely relevant--

-- oh. But hey, two of them don't have wings! Those are members of the drone caste, and they're all begotten underdogs, so--

"If there is one thing that unites Geonosians of all classes, it is their xenophobia. A traditionally isolationist species, they fear espionage attempts by rivals eager to learn the secrets behind their latest droids."

-- oh. Huh.

Bottom line: yes, they're sentient... but they're xenophobic, have an elitist caste system, and earn their living by forging weapons that melt your insides or blow up planets.

Now sure, this notion has been explored and deconstructed in Star Wars: Rebels...

... and I'm not entirely sure if the quoted info still holds true in current Disney canon (the lore is from 2002, after all), but if you ask me?

On a normal day, ol' Klik-Klak would be actively trying to murder the entirety of the Ghost crew for daring to even step their dirty non-Geonosian feet on his pure red planet.

3) Out-of-universe, the Geonosians are just "bug aliens". Nothing more.

The production team of Attack of the Clones referred to them as the "termite people". The script describes them as "winged creatures" who are heard "chuckling" once Anakin and Padmé are sentenced to a gruesome death. At some point, the storyboard artists considered introducing the Geonosian workers like you would a horror monster.

Hell, the whole Lucas decided to base them on termites is because his house was besieged by them.

They're not people, which is why they're not designed to look like people. They're purposefully dehumanized so that when one of them gets killed by our heroes, it's ethically "okay" and the audience doesn't need to stop and think "oh my God, that's murder!" or "hey! that's racist" whenever a clone calls one of them a "bug."

A similar logic is applied to the stormtroopers, who have face-covering helmets that dehumanizes them.

Functionally, a stormtrooper is a fascist goon, nothing more.

Same goes for the Geonosian. It's a bug alien, that's about it.

4) The flamethrowers were probably just added because they're cool.

Dave Filoni described how the decision to add flamethrowers came up, and it doesn't sound like George had deeper storytelling motives:

"You know, we're going through the tunnel with the Geonosians and George is like: “Yeah, well, here, we'll have the-- the tunnel and the flamethrowers. Yeah. How about that? ‘Bring in the flamethrowers!’ have Ki-Adi Mundi say ‘bring in the flame throwers!’” And it's like “flame—- What? Flamethrowers?!”" - Dave Filoni, “Return to Geonosis” Featurette, 2010

It sounds like he came up with it on the spot.

The flamethrowers aren't indicative of "the moral degradation of Ki-Adi and the Jedi Order." They're likely just in there 'cause they're cool (and if you've played Team Fortress 2, you know that's true)!

At the end of the day, when it comes to the Geonosians, I think that there's a certain irony to how their story ends.

They gleefully created the battle droids that tore the galaxy asunder and the Death Star, a weapon that enables the Empire to commit genocide... but fell victim to genocide themselves, at the hands of an even bigger monster.

They reaped what they sowed. They're not meant to be mourned.

And it's nice to see this aspect of the narrative doesn't get ignored as much as I would've expected.

I came across this video that basically rips into Ki-Adi for using flamethrowers, and I was ready to roll my eyes when I scrolled down to the comments section...

... but then, a happy surprise!

Most of the comments disagree with the video's stance! For once, logic prevails over anti-Jedi bias.

So yeah, that put a smile on my face.

[masterjedilenawrites]

On this here February 1st, I'll be showing some love for the 21st Nova Corps, a unit lead by Marshal Commander Bacara and Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi. I couldn't find any other named clones from this unit outside of Bacara, and I haven't written for this guy before, so I'll do some headcanons just for him :)

The 21st Nova Corps

I did a quick dive on Wookiepedia first, and here were some things that stood out to me from what's apparently already been canonized:

The 21st Nova Corps has a reputation for being relentless and exceptionally conditioned/disciplined.

This is in large part due to Bacara having super high expectations, he will kick anyone who doesn't meet them out of the squad, even without Ki-Adi-Mundi's approval.

Actually described as being "at odds with" Mundi, though in another section was said to have a grudging respect for him.

Bacara utilizes aggressive tactics and is extremely strict. He ignores the recommended GAR practice for commanders to remain inconspicuous in battle, and instead chooses to lead his troops from the front.

He's described as a loner and stern. I saw somewhere he was besties with Neyo, too, and they developed combat techniques together.

With that foundation, here are some headcanons I have for him:

Doesn't talk much, but not because he's shy or emotionally constipated. He really only cares about war and rarely meets people who are interested in discussing the topic with as much passion.

Like seriously, he has no other hobbies or interests. Music? Never heard of it. Sports? Boring. Holo-films? Food? Knitting? Yeah no, he's already walking away from this conversation.

If he is comfortable with someone though, he can talk about battle strategies for daaaays.

Fucking hates milk.

Has a mind for improvement. Not quite a perfectionist, he just won't ever settle for "good enough" when something better is still achievable.

Thus, he's constantly working angles in his head, coming up with possible solutions, thinking outside the box. Even for common, everyday situations like getting out of traffic or folding the laundry.

Jason Bourne vibes.

Has one small tattoo on his foot, will never say what it is.

Natural at picking up languages. Fluent in Mando'a but can carry simple conversations in plenty of others. 

Spends his R&Rs pouring over wartime history/strategy books in the archives, with a beer.

If someone asked him on a date, he would straight-up say "why?" So confused.

He would be a pretty good partner, though, if he ever opened himself up romantically.

And if he could ever find someone who meets his high standards...

I also read that he was featured on a GAR campaign poster, and I firmly believe he secretly has a massive print of it taped to the back of his closet door.

Can not roll his tongue. Every other clone can and it pisses him off.

Has the best laugh you've ever heard in your life. He does use it occasionally, but very randomly. Not even his squad has been able to work out what exactly his sense of humor is.

His squad... All are just as intense and passionate as their commander. When they're not fighting, they're training to fight. There's no room for shenanigans or relaxing.

Other clones keep a respectful distance. They know the Nova Corps get sent to some pretty hardcore places.

Most of them have never set foot in 79s, or any bar for that matter.

Bacara goes every once in a while, because he does like a good beer, but he's very out of place. Just... kinda sits there... not doing anything...

He gets hit on a lot because he's smoking hot but has never taken anyone home. Not opposed to the idea of getting laid, but it would take a lot to catch his eye.

Eeeevery once in a while, when life gets a little too still and his thoughts wander past all the combat tactics and weapon factoids that are usually in the way, a deep and vulnerable feeling makes its way to the surface and almost cripples him: loneliness.

He has no idea what to do about it, so rather than face it like he would a charging battalion of droids, he instead pushes it right back down and moves on.

Okay but now I'm imagining Queer Eye showing up to help Bacara find some hobbies and a girlfriend 😂

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🌟 2024 Clone Battalion Series Master List | 🌙 Master List of Master Lists

[tesalicious2]

Was thinking about CCs train and shit when it hit me. There are a few commanders, such as Monnk, Jet, Blackout, and Hound (he’s a cc to me) who would have to be trained alone or with CT’s, since their specialty requires so much work.

So, I have come with an idea. Since the standard week is 5 days, 3 of the 5 are spent in specialized classes. They’d do their flash training and then be taken by other trainers. They would train with a squad of others, and put in charge.

For Hound, since it’s a special case of having a Massiff buddy. Those three days are set together and Grizzer would stick with him all day, and night. To strengthen their bond, they would spend off time together and Hound would have his official trainer (an Mandalorian) set Grizzer in the bunk with him. This was a not great idea for some massiffs but Grizzer loved the pod and would wiggle like hell when the Alpha picked him up.

I can just imagine, Monnk coming back to his squad from specialized training soaking wet and cold. Having his Alpha help him peel off the dry suit before he goes to bed. Talking all about the fun things he learned and saw with his Mandalorian trainer. Actually, I headcanon that Monnk and his trainer got along incredibly well is basically adopted by the Mandalorian. Monnk got his name and the sea dragon across his armor from the Mandalorian. (I also headcanon that Dred Priest hated the Mandalorian and reconditioned Monnk to get at him. Dred ended up in a bacta tank and the Mandalorian retaught Monnk everything from scratch. (Monnk was about 3 standard at the time.))

Jet scared the shit out of his trainer with how well he was able to control the flame. He was also taught what alternate fuels could be used on different planets and Jet got so interested he found all the options he could on Kamino (only 2) and he switched out the fuel, Pyro (my OC) was all to happy to help. They both were found sitting on the floor with the flamethrower between them, quietly watching the flames. Turns out, all of the flame troopers either had or developed pyromania to *some* degree. The trainer in charge was quite happy to find out about this as he had a severe case himself and was all to happy to indulge his troopers under the excuse of teaching the troopers.

Blackout is a special operations clone trooper, trained for stealth operations and piloting. While he did not have a super close bond with his trainer, they both still enjoyed each others company and considered each other friends. Blackout is one of the few who was already good at lying, but his training made him the best (better than even Fox, which he is very proud of). He wasn't as close with as many of his troopers due to their numbers being quite large, but he (like the rest of the spec ops troops) does his best to instruct and learn about his troopers in their short time together.

Bacara, though not recieving any special training, caught the eye of a Concord Dawn Mandalorian who took him for special Marine training for one day a week. It would be till later when they decided to have a Marine Corps that he would become the specialist.

[uppyr-blog]

clonetober in january 7: commander bacara

im starting school again next week!!! wish me luck

[tcwmatchmakingau]

Because I can’t party until I make a playlist 😎

-Please send songs you’d like added, and I’ll get ‘em on here!

[canuckianhawkbi]

somehow I’m still not done making polls about clones yet, so

[kitsunebattleboxer]

WHO was going to tell me that Ki-Adi-Mundi was granted special rights to have a POLYAMOROUS MARRIAGE to FIVE WIVES????

[fynsh]

The Galactic marines are on shore leave and Bacara pays the Guard an unannounced visit

Stone had always been the worst of their batch when it came to keeping in contact. Being the only one assigned to the guard instead of the front lines. His excellent scores in diplomatic security and defense strategy combined with his unflappable character as well as a steadfast sense of duty had scored him the posting on Coruscant. Overall this did not help overcoming the pre-existing small walls between brothers who all liked to keep to themselves, in fact it contributed to building them up higher.

Bacara however was determined to see his youngest batcher when the rare occasion of returning from to he Heart of the Republic from the Outer Rim occured. He even reached out to their whole batch to check if any of them had received as much as a single message from Stone in the last three or so month. But neither Gree, by far the most sociable amongst them, nor Faie or Neyo could send a positive.

The Marshall Commander of the 21st Nova Corps didn't opt to wear his greys like many of his marines did when leaving the Venator to step foot on Coruscant. His bucket was cliped to his belt though, exposing his face, which was enough proof to how safe he deemed the planet his brother was assigned to protect. He didn't hesitate to immediately walk to the guard barrack in long strides. The obvious Shiny on desk duty at the entrance of the rather inconspicuous building just nodded after inquiring about the reason for his visit and note his presence down in the system. But Bacara didn't miss how the trooper discreetly pushed a button on his wrist comm when putting notes in the official databank. He was sure that this button was not a part of the standard model the reg armor provided every clone with.

Knowing his way around the corridors of the Guard's barracks since the floorplan mirrored the one of the GAR equibaz just a few levels up, Bacara went straight to the commanders' shared office. He didn't expect anyone to be in after having been informed about all commanders being on duty. So surprise colored his usually stoic expression when he noticed Stone's bucket on his assigned desk. Contrary to the two other desks squeezed into the room littered with data pads and empty mugs the bucket was the only thing present on it. And a thin barely noticable layer of dust. Bacara stepped closer and swept his gloved thumb over the visor. How could Stone have been so careless with his armor when he clearly was the only one keeping up with his flimsiwork? His enhanced hearing was the only reason he picked up quick and secure steps in the corridor before the door to the room opened silently.

Turning towards the newcomer Bacara felt an uneasy tension straightening his already picture perfect pose. Since it wasn't Stone coming to see him the strange feeling of foreboding intensified.

"Fox, it's good to see you."

His voice was even and a bit gruff. He always sounded like he hadn't spoken for some time - another quality their batch seemed to share.

Fox reached up to unseal his helmet and took it off. His curls were a bit longer than reg cut and a lot more messy. The greying streaks that had developed since taking up the assignment of the Marshall Commander of the Guard were more noticable than the last time they had met. Bacara couldn't actually remember when that had been. Thinking about it now, he hadn't seen Fox or any of his men in the holo calls lately. But at least Thorn was a famous for being a social butterfly so wasn't that odd?

"Bacara. I didn't expect your first stop touching planetside would be us. I'd have brought a drink for you."

A tight smile that didn't reach his eyes formed on Fox lips. The man radiated exhaustion, but it was visible only in his face. Had he not taken off his bucket Bacara would've probably taken a long time to notice the tension in the other's shoulders. The red armor looked meticulously polished, there wasn't a single dent or scratch revealed in the bright artificial lights of the office.

Fox gaze wandered to Stone's helmet propped on the desk behind Bacara, who in turn crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"That's nice of you but where's my tat?"

Straight to the point. He thought Fox would appreciate not wasting any time. But an unexpected short hesitation in the other's gestures added to his feeling of wrongness in his chest.

"Stone is not in the barracks. I'll take you to see him if you want."

"I can wait for his shift to end, we will be planetside for at least three rotations and my only plan is to talk to him because apparently that idiot forgot how to answer a comm."

A flicker of honest confusion followed by the tiniest hint or pain travelled across Fox face. Wow, he must really trust Bacara to feel safe enough to display more emotions than ever back on Kamino. Their batches had never been close back then, but always competing for the top marks and forcing each other to improve even more than the trainers had been able to with their cruel minds.

"He wouldn't want to make you wait. Let's go."

Following the corries example of putting his bucket on and keeping up with his brisk pace reminded Bacara that Fox had always been the one to snatch the first place when it came to exercises that requird speed or plotting routes in urban environments. Cause how in the haran had they reached the Jedi temple grounds in less than 18 minutes without taking a speeder or was the chronometer in his HUD malfunctioning? And wasn't this area one of the few spots on Triple Zero outside of the guard's jurisdiction? What was Stone doing here? Still Bacara just kept silent and followed the red blur in his visor. When had his heart rate started to speed up?

Fox abruptly stopped in front of a nondescript door inside the Temple and turned to face Bacara. There was no hesitation this time when he put his hand on the marine's shoulders, the firm grip and warmth palpable even though his armor.

"Stone will be happy to hear your voice, vod."

With that Fox stepped next to Bacara and guided him through the door ibto a small but airy and well lit room. He was thankful for the firmness in Fox touch as he felt his knees wobble for a fraction of a second before composing himself.

Stone lay still in a bed between white linen, contrasting the warm skin tone of his exposed arm on top of the fluffy blanket. His breathing seemed steady but the whole situation just screamed wrong wrong wrong.

"He got caught up in a prison riot. His squad made it out alive only thanks to his defense strategy."

The was a short pause where Dox audibly took a deep breath.

"I checked his comm for your contact when he was predicted to survive but you blocked him on all channels except officials.."

Bacara let out a small noise not comprehending and not caring to think more about that implication. Instead he took his brother's hand and rested it against his forehead.

"You better wake up, tat."

The steady weight of the hand on his shoulder left when Fox stepped back to give them some privacy.

"I'll go see Ponds, but I have to be back at the Rotunda in an hour. You can stay with him as long as you like, no curfews. Maybe tell him a bit about what stunts his badass ori'vod pulled in the outer rim, if you like. I'm sure he'd enjoy hearing from you instead of reading mission reports."

Bacara just nodded mutely expecting Fox to leave through the door. Instead the commander in red turned to another bed Bacara had failed to notice when zeroing in on his batchmate.

Hello thanxx for reading. I just wrote this instead of sleeping. Ponds and Stone both survive and wake up from a healing coma and everyone except the shriveled raisin makes it to a happy ending because my mental health needs that

[veny-many]

My favorite Bacara headcanon be like:

Bacara: They said I can't have friends because I use Concord, so my boys used Concord.

Neyo: wait what

[moriaarts]

ARC Trooper Corporal Jaig

Blorbo the second, Jaig the ARC of the 343rd. In house mother and bleeding heart in disguise. With the text under the cut.

CT - 8407 “Jaig” has proven herself to be a survivor. Calm, collected and aloof, Jaig comes across as a cold and unapproachable soldier. But its a mask of a hunter observing the world for signs of danger.

The name “Jaig” was given to her early in the war when a B1 droid got in close and disarmed her. It’s not in Jaig nature to go down without a fight. It’s not in her nature to go down at all. All clones are trained in hand to hand combat, made stronger and more agile than base humans. But these are necessary against unyielding mechanical fists. Knocked off her feet by a metal backhand, she remember the raw of the wind across the sands, of the LAAT’s, of blaster fire.

She registers the B1s flooding in and going for her batchmates, her squadron, helmet forgotten she goes for the nearest one and shreds out the wires in its neck. It’s a valiant effort. It’s luck. The droid reaches back, grabbing her by the face to pull her off. It’s joints seize and all thats left as it turns on her is the command prompt to shoot and keep shooting. The fucker took her eye. Tore the skin off around it.

The scar that it left was triangular shaded, the skin too smooth for the rest of her face. A jaig eye, Jai’galaar’la sur’haii’se, a shreik-hawk eye, they said. Said her quick thinking took out a platoon of clankers when the droid she hardwired mindlessly shot a downed LAAT, blowing it, sending it crashing on top of the ones storming their trench. She just remembers being pissed because they knocked her bucket off and didn't finish the job. So she gets to trained as an ARC. It’s an honour. And she agrees but it doesn't feel real. Even assigned to the 21st Nova Corps, under the command of Commander Jet, Clone Marshal Commander Bacara, and General Ki Adi Mundi.

She never really like red. Liked the long kama though. She also had not like General Mundi. The rumour was that he had ten wives. The number changed depending on the battalion they were bunking with. It was more like four. But knowing the jedi’s no string policy she's even less of a fan. Even less in the coming months before. Jaig would be with the nova corps for few campaigns. Used to smile when Block chased her around with hair shears. How Duke would always grumbled getting dirt off his armour, and asked how she kept hers so clean and not smelling of wet bantha. But besides that she hadn't known much about herself until they had met them. Two of General Mundi’s wives met them at a medical station one a doctor the other visiting from a relief mission. Pamania. She was lovely. Covered in simple jedi cream robes all except for her eyes. Eyes of deep pools of dark purple, nebulas set in russet skin. They creased when she smiled. Lashes fluttered when she cried. They visited the medical base often. Pamania was gentle with them. Patient and kind, and fierce as a forests fire when they came back in a state. Jaig thinks she liked her. The first one to call her sister. The first to run fingers through her hair rather than playfully pull it when she gave her some self sacrificing crap. The first person to kiss her on the cheek and tell her she had a right to live in this world. War or no war.

Jaig had been younger then, Naive and unsure what to do with such gentle treatment. Who knew an innocent kiss to a clothed cheek would do such damage? Jet had scolded her and within a week she was decommissioned for improper behaviour, officially. Unofficially reassigned in shiny armour to the 343rd.  

Bonus:

Jaig loves the twins like her own. Especially Lash, whose quiet sarcasm is a family brand of deflection. She wants more with Ro, but Ro has a whole host of issues to make up with before Jaig is next in line. Doesn’t stop her having the ARF troopers back though. They both got on best, both being recon troops and with her 3rd in command and Ro in 2nd, they often share looks of exasperation and concern at the expense of Kiss.  

Here is Captain Kiss x and the rest of the company.

WIP Playlist

[masterjedilenawrites]

🌟 2024 Clone Battalion Series Master List

The fun thing about clone battalions having assigned numbers is that there's (usually) a calendar date to match them. I've decided to shower some attention on our favorite clone battalions this year by writing a little something-something for them on their corresponding dates 💜

Here's the schedule I'm planning for so far. Please let me know if I'm missing any!

1/16 - My OC Battalion, the 116th

2/1 - 21st Nova Corp/Commander Bacara

2/12 - The 212th

3/27 - The 327th

4/4 - Delta Squad (Delta is the 4th letter and there are 4 members)

5/1 - The 501st

8/7 - The 187th

9/9 - Clone Force 99

10/4 - The 104th

I'll update this master list with links as stuff gets posted throughout the year.

[hastalavistabyebye]

The Keychain, Part 1

Ao3 version

The 21st Nova Corps were rarely deployed in inhabited regions. It was even less frequent for them to be able to stop in any city they would pass by. This campaign in the Ringlite system hadn’t been an exception until now. 

It had started three months ago. Three months during which they had been fighting against the Separatists, planet after planet, without a break. It has been one of their longest campaigns yet. 

But they were slowly getting to the end of it. One more month and the System should be back under the Republic’s control. It was a good thing, every trooper was starting to tire at this point. 

The 21st was known to be one of the most disciplined and no-nonsense battalions. Even then, the troops were getting especially calm and quiet, these days. The only noticeable incidents were from oversight mistakes born from too repetitive tasks, at worst. No rousing each other, no lighthearted antics during intermittent respites. No jabs nor laughter could be heard in the campement. All of them were saving their energy for fighting, they didn't have the force for not much of anything else, anymore.

In the face of this growing durasteel wall of exhaustion, Ki-Adi Mundi chose to take a break in a small shopping town their basement was close to, before setting off for the next planet and the next fights. It won't replace a proper leave break, but it would still get his men’s mind out of the conflict for just a little bit of time. After all, a handful of days of rest was still much better than none at all. The droids will wait.

Tellingly, Bacara didn't even protest his express interdiction to do any kind of work, physical or mental, for the entirety of those few rotations. It really was time for this campaign to end if even his Commander was seizing the occasion to rest. 

With the help of the Force, they might even be able to finally pull out of the Outer Rim for a proper leave, when they’d be over, here. They most likely wouldn't make it to the Core, but the Middle Rim would already be a welcomed change of air. The Jedi surely hoped for this much, and he knew all his troops were feeling the same. 

-

Bacara had found himself wandering into the city’s market. He had agreed to take these few days of complete rest because he knew it would help make his mind clearer for the end of this campaign. 

A few hours ago, he finally had been able to send a check-in on the CCs chat and browse the comms he had received since he had last been able to check. Mostly his training batch being their insufferable selfs. They had already planned to make a comm call in the evening, now that he had a small respite. Ponds had also sent him a holo recording of one of his Shinies having a staring contest with a big, bright pink toad for a few minutes before the toad jumped at the kid’s face, who in turn fell backwards with a yelp. Bacara hadn’t been able to hold back a smile at the sight. 

The market was lively. This city wasn’t much bigger than a simple village really, but there were still a lot of people milling around. Merchants were selling all kinds of things, jewelry, everyday ustensiles, textiles. A few were hassling the crowd, loudly promoting the quality of their articles. He had passed a few of his troops tasting the local’s food with various levels of success, a few stands away. On one side of the market’s square, a woman was twisting colorful strings of wool in a young boy’s hair. Bacara knew he would find a few of his siblings with similar hairdressing at the end of the day. 

Next to him, three persons were enthusiastically showing each other little handmade trinkets, trying to find the perfect one for each other. It drew his attention to the display, full of pendants, keychains, lockets, earrings and other ornaments, in various materials, all looking like little animals’ heads. 

His attention was catched on one corner of the stand. Without thinking about it, he reached lightly for the little keychain adorned with some sort of reptile or amphibian’s pendant, he wasn't sure. It was made of a simple braided leather rope to which hung a small, triangular head with two big black pearls for the eyes, carved in a deep purple-blue shaded crystal dotted with vivid yellow inclusions that mimicked scales. 

“It’s a salamander. An amphibian common to our forests.” The voice of the seller surprised him, making him retract his hand from where he was brushing the crystal with the tip of his fingers. Good thing none of his brothers was there to make fun of his lack of attention. “Our myths often depict them as protective spirits, even if they always like a little bit of mischief.”

The graying woman smiled at him, knowingly, before reaching for the keychain. 

“The stone comes from the next System over. We call it fincree, the best translation would be “changing precious” I believe. It’s a sort of obsidian you see, it has the same translucent colors that change with the light, even if it’s not exactly glass,” she explained while lightly moving the crystal from side to side, to make the bluer reflections hide the more purplish ones. “The yellow inclusions is what makes it precious. It’s both crystal and stone because of them, see ? It’s a strong stone, one that anchors its owner, keeps them whole and guides them where their soul calls.”

Before Bacara could react, still a bit too focused on the charm, she took his hand and placed the keychain in it, closing his fingers around it and keeping them in place with both of her hands. 

“It’s for you, young soldier. Take it.”

He didn't have the heart to refuse, the stone cool and heavy in his fist, grounding. He was resigning himself to dig a few credits from his belt pouch when she stopped him again with a laugh. 

“None of that, soldier. It’s already yours. It’s a gift isn't it ? Let's keep it that way, then.” She smiled with that knowing glint in her brown eyes shining even brighter than before. She patted his fist sympathetically and then noticeably turned away to her next clients. 

Bacara observed the little trinket in his hand for a few instants more, brushing his thumb lightly over the surface to feel the smooth glassy surface alternate with the rougher spots of yellow. He safely stored it in one of his pouches before going back to his exploration of the market. 

The keychain would stay safe there until he could give it to its rightful owner. 

Part 2

[tcwmatchmakingau]

Clone Matchmaking AU Masterlist

The post that started it all

One standard year has passed since Chancellor Palpatine's sudden death in a freak accident involving Representative Jar Jar Binks, a crate of Mandalorian Reaper peppers, and one extremely overworked Marshal Commander of the Coruscant Guard.

Six standard months have passed since the Galactic Senate overwhelmingly approved the Clone Rights and Personhood Act, co-sponsored by Senators Amidala and Chuchi and endorsed by Chancellor Organa himself.

The Clone Wars have ended, and with their legal status secured, the clone troopers look to the future, to the things they never thought they would be able to have. Homes. Families. Love.

But without the support systems and social structures available to natborns, many troopers have difficulty finding meaningful connections.

Enter Right to Love Matchmaking Service: a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping clone troopers find the loves of their lives.

Find your match today!

Submit a fic | Submission Guidelines | AO3 Collection | FAQ

Masterlist will be updated as submissions are received. Be sure to check our official AO3 collection for fics that aren't cross-posted to Tumblr!

🍋 denotes mature content

501st Legion

ARC Trooper Fives

"An Awkward Kind of Charm," by @secondaryrealm AKA @deejadabbles

"Old Flames," by @banksys-rat

Captain Rex

"Date Night Pt 1," by @littlemissmanga

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart Part 1" by @sunshinesdaydream

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart Part 2," by @sunshinesdaydream

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart Part 3," by @sunshinesdaydream

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart Part 4," by @sunshinesdaydream

"Third Time's the Charm," by @starrylothcat

Clone Veteran Tai (from Kenobi series)

"For the Heart," by @imarvelatthestars

Clone Trooper Tup

"Seeking Something Simpler," by @arcsimper5

"My Beautiful Rose," by @cloneloverrrrr 🍋

Clone Trooper Hardcase

"The Power of Love," by @sunshinesdaydream

"The Power of Love Part 2," by @sunshinesdaydream

"Blood Moon Rising," by @sunshinesdaydream

"Of Frogs and Clones," by @the-bad-batch-baroness

Clone Trooper Dogma

"Date Night Pt 3," by @littlemissmanga

212th Attack Battalion

Marshal Commander Cody

"Date night Pt. 2," by @littlemissmanga 🍋

Lieutenant Waxer

"The Sixth Language (part 1)," by @dystopicjumpsuit

"The Sixth Language (part 2)," by @dystopicjumpsuit

"The Sixth Language (part 3)," by @dystopicjumpsuit 🍋

"The Sixth Language (part 4)," by @dystopicjumpsuit 🍋

"The Sixth Language (epilogue)," by @dystopicjumpsuit

The Wolfpack/104th Battalion

Commander Wolffe

"the two of us (against the world)," by @wolffegirlsunite

"As Sweet As Sugar," by @wings-and-beskar

"As Sweet As Sugar, Part 2," by @wings-and-beskar

"You're Mine, Mesh'la," by @cloneloverrrrr 🍋

41st Elite Corps

91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps

Marshal Commander Neyo

"The Blacklist," by @blueink-bluesoul

"Everybody Hates Neyo Round 2: Matchmaking Boogaloo," by @dystopicjumpsuit 🍋

21st Nova Corps

327th Star Corps

The Bad Batch

Echo

"The Beauty In All, Part One," by @secondaryrealm AKA @deejadabbles

"The Beauty In All, Part Two," by @secondaryrealm AKA @deejadabbles

Crosshair

"Don't Say 'I Told You So,'" by @ghostofskywalker

"Take a Chance (Part 1)," by @multi-fan-dom-madness

"Take a Chance (Part 2)," by @multi-fan-dom-madness

Wrecker

"Happy Together," by @sunshinesdaydream

"Happy Together part 2," by @sunshinesdaydream

The Coruscant Guard

Commander Thorn

"The Long Way Home, Part 1," by @blueink-bluesoul

Marshal Commander Fox

"One Call Away - pt. 1," by @blueink-bluesoul

Republic Commandos

Other Clones

"I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends," by @sunshinesdaydream

Commander Mayday

"A Match for Mayday, Chapter 1," art by @nika6q; fic by @dystopicjumpsuit

"A Match for Mayday, Chapter 2," art by @nika6q; fic by @dystopicjumpsuit

"A Match for Mayday, Chapter 3," art by @nika6q; fic by @dystopicjumpsuit 🍋

"A Match for Mayday, Chapter 4," art by @nika6q; fic by @dystopicjumpsuit 🍋

Original Clone Characters

[pandorademos]

Commanders Bacara and Neyo for Day 25 of Honnid's 2024 Clonetober over on Instagram Clone knight designs belong to Jake Bartok

I was super stoked for this day since joining this event! I eventually had to roll a dice to decide on what battalion to do in this incredible style/au. And even then, after getting the 21st Nova Corps I couldn't help but add in a little Neyo hanging around. Honestly, this was such a fun piece and there are some things I'm not satisfied with, but that just means I may have to revisit more of this style in this universe in the future! Finally, my obsession with the clone wars, the medieval eras, and fantasy have finally all met. Muahahaha!

[wizardofrozz]

Tell Me

CT-2697 "Sawbones", CT-2525 "Quarter", CT-6116 "Kix", CT-9181 "Aiden", CT-7007 "Jax", Commander Wolffe, Captain Rex, and mention of Commander Fox

Word Count: ~4.6k

Warnings: war, swearing, traumatic injury, angst, verbal argument

Summary: Sawbones makes it back to Triple Zero only to have his batchmates drop a bombshell in his lap.

A/N: Okay I finally decided to post this and give a bit more information about Sawbones and his relationships with his batchmates. Aiden, the Coruscant Guard's medic, belongs to me and Quarter, the medic for the 21st Nova Corps, and Jax, the medic for the 41st Elite Corps, belong to @hetalianskywalker ❤️

Saw stepped off the hovering gunship, grunting when his boots hit the ground. Coruscant glistened in the morning sun and Saw wrinkled his nose, even the filters in his helmet couldn’t lessen the smog hanging over the capital world. Another set of boots hit the ground beside him and he turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of Wolffe standing at his side. 

“You headin’ to the barracks?” Wolffe asked, staring out at the bustling city. 

“I guess,” Saw huffed, crossing his arms, “should probably go pay my pain in the ass little brother a visit.” Wolffe laughed under his breath, shifting his weight to bump their shoulders together, making the corner of Saw’s mouth lift in the ghost of a smile that was hidden behind his helmet. 

“I was thinking the same thing,” Wolffe sighed, his speech sounding slightly slurred with exhaustion.

“Thought Fox was older.”

“He is,” Wolffe replied, leaning more of his weight into Saw’s side, “but the 501st just landed for shore leave too.” Saw perked up at the mention of Kix’s battalion; it had been far too long since he’d seen his little brother. “If you wait a few more minutes I’ll walk with you.”

“Fine,” Saw mumbled, although he already planned on waiting. Wolffe snorted, the sound muffled by his helmet and Saw was close enough to hear the inhale that meant he was going to say something else before his comlink started to chirp. Wolffe blindly hit the button on his vambrace and Saw could hear his muffled greeting but the rest of the conversation was lost to the confines of the commander’s helmet. 

The buzz of the surrounding hangar filled the silence, allowing Saw’s mind to wander as he waited for Wolffe to finish the call. Then Wolffe suddenly stiffened, ending the call a few seconds later yet they continued to stand in silence. 

“We need to get to the barracks,” Wolffe managed through clenched teeth. 

“Why?” Instead of answering, Wolffe grabbed his arm, yanking him out into the warm sunlight and Saw had to fight the urge to pull away. “I want an answer.”

“And you’ll get one,” Wolffe snapped, finally releasing his arm. Saw ground his teeth together but kept pace with his commander, closing the distance between the hangar and the barracks in record time. They nearly ran over a group of Rex’s shinies, the five troopers stopping in their tracks to salute the higher-ranking officers but Wolffe never broke stride, barely acknowledging the troopers. The main barracks were humming with life, 501st, 104th, and Corries mingles in the halls as they went but Saw was too focused on their destination. While he never worked on Coruscant, he had spent enough time navigating the building to find Aiden that he recognized the pathway. 

Saw picked up the pace, shoving past groups of troopers with Wolffe on his heels. The medbay’s door slid open, cutting off the conversation taking place a few feet inside. Kix, Aiden, and Rex all turned at the same time but Aiden looked away first, shifting his weight anxiously as Saw stalked closer.

“Someone start talking. Now.” His voice came out harsh, cold almost, and Saw hated himself a little more when Aiden flinched. Kix leveled him with a narrow-eyed look before turning to their youngest brother, resting a hand on Aiden’s bright red shoulder bell. 

“Go finish your shift, okay?” Kix urged, offering Aiden a small smile. Aiden squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before nodding; he glanced in Saw’s direction but he wouldn’t let their eyes meet before he hurried off. Kix shifted his attention back to Saw, jerking his head toward Aiden’s office. Saw ground his teeth together but followed quietly, glancing at the medbay door when it slid open again, catching a glimpse of Rex, Wolffe, and now Fox greeting each other. When the door to Aiden’s office finally shut, Saw pulled his helmet off, sucking in a clean lungful of air. 

“Kix,” he hissed, tossing his helmet onto the nearby desk, “what the fuck is going on?” Saw turned to face his younger brother, squinting when Kix refused to meet his eyes, which only made his irritaition grow. 

“It - It’s Quarter,” Kix whispered, looking down at the floor. The anger dissipated so suddenly that it left Saw a little dizzy, his face falling until he was just staring at Kix with a wide-eyed expression. Kix didn’t meet his eyes when he spoke again. “It’s bad, Saw. He - there was an explosion.” 

“He’s dead,” Saw stated, squeezing his eyes shut. There was a deep, hollow ache building in his chest as he pictured his brother’s face. 

“He’s alive but it was close,” Kix explained, making Saw’s eyes pop open. “He’s alive but  - but he lost both legs.” 

“What? How - how did you find out?” 

“Quarter, he uh, called me,” Kix mumbled, looking up through his lashes. Saw’s nostrils flared but he managed to keep his voice steady.

“And he expected you to relay the message,” Saw growled, clenching his hands at his side. Kix flinched, looking away and Saw felt like he was missing something. 

“No, he called Aiden right after.” Saw blinked at his brother for a few seconds until the realization dawned on him. There was a good chance Jax, who was in the middle of a campaign, had received a call as well and based on Kix’s reaction, this wasn’t a brand-new development. Meaning, Saw was the last to find out, and it wasn’t even from Quarter himself. “Saw -”

“Don’t,” he barked, pointing a finger at Kix, “don’t you defend him. He didn’t even have the fucking decency to call me!” 

“Do you blame him!” Kix shouted, stepping into Saw’s personal space. The close proximity was nothing new but the venom in his brother’s voice made Saw jerk back in surprise. “When’s the last time you even spoke to him?” 

“The last time the five of us had a com call,” Saw replied immediately, his expression twisting into its usual scowl. 

“When’s the last time you spoke to him alone, jackass,” Kix corrected, stabbing a finger into his armored chest. Saw opened his mouth to answer only for it to hang open because…when was the last time he just talked to Quarter. Saw met his brother’s gaze, blinking rapidly a few times; after a few seconds, Kix’s face softened and he let out a long breath. “Not saying he was right but you two haven’t been on the best of terms for a long time, Saw.” 

Kix was right but still. Something like this was important. How could Quarter not tell him? It felt like all of the air was ripped from his lungs, forcing him to take a few shaky steps back and drop into Aiden’s chair. He rested his elbows on his knees to cradle his head, massaging his temples in a futile attempt to ward off the headache he could feel building behind his eyes. 

“That still doesn’t explain why he didn’t call me,” Saw forced out between his teeth, scrubbing at his face. “I don’t give a fuck if we’re on good terms or not, that’s something you fucking tell your brother.” The thump of boots covered up the soft sigh Kix let out and Saw’s stomach dropped when he heard tapping on the keypad beside the door, assuming Kix was leaving him with his own anger. His head snapped up when he heard the lock engage followed by the soft clink of plastoid knocking against durasteel. 

“Go on,” Kix urged, crossing his arms. 

“What?” Kix rolled his eyes as he pushed off the door, making his way across the room. Saw sat up slightly, giving Kix room to climb onto the edge of Aiden’s desk, watching his brother shift around, shoving a few styluses out from under his ass before turning his attention back to Saw.

“You get it all out now. Scream, cuss, rage until you’re blue in the face,” Kix started, his expression hardening the longer he spoke. “But it starts and ends here, we clear? You are not going to go into his hospital room and start a fight. So take it out on me, right now, and then you fucking leave it here. Got it?” Saw couldn’t help the little smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth; maybe he was rubbing off on Kix after all these years.

“Yes, sir,” Saw sassed and no matter how hard he tried, Kix had to fight the smile threatening to spread across his face. The lighthearted atmosphere didn’t last long though as Saw’s thought drifted back to Quarter and his anger came back with a vengeance.

“Talk to me,” Kix whispered, lightly tapping the toe of his boot against Saw’s shin. 

“I don’t understand him,” Saw grumbled, roughly rubbing a fist into his eye. 

“To be fair, you never really have,” Kix noted, his legs swinging slowly. 

“I can’t fucking believe him. The fucking nerve of him to leave it up to you to tell me,” Saw said, his voice low and cold. “Didn’t even have the balls to tell me himself.” 

“I know you’re pissed -”

“Fuck you,” Saw cut in, sitting up straighter. “Pissed off doesn’t even cover it. I’m fucking furious.” Kix tilted his head in that calculating way he always did and Saw felt like he was being flayed alive, a skill Kix had mastered early in their childhood.

“No,” Kix hummed, shaking his head. “You’re terrified.” Saw jerked back, arching a dark brown, attempting to act like Kix was a mile off when in reality he was hitting a little too close to home. “We were all scared, Saw, but this is different.”

“Oh yeah,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

“You almost lost him without ever getting the chance to fix whatever broke between you two.” It would’ve been less painful if Kix would’ve just punched him in the face. He’d never admit it out loud and it was almost too raw to even admit to himself but if he didn’t look at it too closely, he could acknowledge that Kix wasn’t wrong. “So no, you’re not furious. You’re scared and hurt.”

“Why?” 

“Why what?” Kix asked.

“Why didn’t he call me?” Saw hated how small he sounded, the ache in his chest bleeding into his voice. He looked up at Kix, his expression more open than it had been in a long time and he saw the wide-eyed shock on his brother’s face. “Does he truly think so little of me?” 

Coruscant could be very boring when confined to a hospital bed. Quarter had tried to busy himself with reading or watching holofilms but nothing seemed to hold his attention for long. The Paladin was just barely visible in the atmosphere but even without being able to see the Venator from his room, Aiden had already warned him that the 104th were planetside. On the bright side, the anxiety sitting in his stomach like a rock allowed him to ignore the phantom pain wreaking havoc on his lower body. 

Quarter mindlessly scrolled through his datapad, eventually finding a few medical journals that caught his attention. He spent the next few hours skimming medical jargon until there was a soft knock at his door, a nurse with a bright smile and a tray of food waiting to be invited in. He eyed the food, poking curiously at the variety of options; staying at Coruscant General had its upsides, one being no ration bars and he made a point of at least trying the things the nurses brought him. 

He was about halfway through his meal, mindlessly feeding himself while he continued reading about a prototype upgrade for neural links to prosthetics when he heard the familiar thump of boots coming down the hall. He glanced out the window, noting that Coruscant’s sun had started to dip below the horizon, throwing breathtaking golds, pinks, and oranges across the room. A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth as the boots grew closer; Kix and Aiden had promised to stop by after he got some rest. The familiar sense of home lingered as the boots stopped just outside his door and Quarter turned his head. 

His jaw dropped, eyes widening when the door slid open revealing gray and white armor, the chilling wolf skull helmet scanning the room before dropping to his seat form. This was the absolute last person he expected to see and once the reality that Saw was standing in his doorway set in, Quarter stiffened. He did not have a good feeling about what his brother had to say. 

“Saw?” he whispered. Quarter didn’t miss the way Saw’s shoulders lifted slightly. An easily recognizable blue vambrace shoved Saw forward, allowing the door to glide shut behind him. 

“Who else would it be?” Saw grumbled, awkwardly shifting his weight before finally reaching up to tug his helmet off. He looked everywhere but at Quarter and it made his heart ache. The fear and guilt battling in his chest made him want to fidget but he tried to keep still, not wanting to draw Saw’s attention. It felt like trying to hide from a predator, staying hidden long enough until the threat passed. 

However, Saw looked oddly calm, his head turned toward the window. The setting sun threw golden light over his brother’s features, highlighting the weariness in his mostly blank expression. They continued on in silence and Quarter could feel the anxiety vibrating through his bones. Couldn’t Saw just yell at him and get it over with? The chilly atmosphere was worse than his brother ripping him to shreds. 

“You know, I hate Coruscant,” Saw eventually mumbled, one of his hands absently tracing the lines of the armor covering his stomach. Quarter could only blink in confusion, the emotional whiplash making his head hurt. 

“Why?” Quarter asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Saw’s eyes flickered to him for the first time, raking over Quarter before looking back out the window. He was starting to wonder why his brother was trying to make small talk before concluding he never wanted to see Quarter again. 

“Smells like shit,” Saw grunted, his eyes narrowing slightly like he was straining to see something. “Too much life on one planet.”

“I - yeah I guess so,” Quarter replied, still feeling very lost. What the hell was Saw getting at? Was he trying to make Quarter squirm? “Saw, look I -”

“Why?” Saw cut him off, his eyes never leaving the darkening horizon. 

“Why what?” Although, the question was pointless; Quarter knew exactly what Saw was talking about. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The inflection in Saw’s voice made Quarter stop short, squinting at his brother. Saw had a fairly low speaking voice, his words rumbling through the air like the thunder that plagued Kamino but there was something different about it now. An odd tone that Quarter couldn’t remember ever hearing from his slightly younger brother. 

“I’m - I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Quarter sighed, dropping his gaze. He tried not to focus on the way the sheet fell flatter sooner than it should. His fingers started twisting the sheet around his waist and he had to force himself to still them. “Everything happened so fast and…and I thought I’d be bothering you. You - you barely seem to tolerate me nowadays.” He lost some of his steam until his voice was barely a whisper in the silent room. It took all of his courage to look through his lashes and he almost wished he hadn’t when he found Saw staring at him, his face surprisingly slack. 

“Are you fucking dense?” Quarter bristled, his brows pinching together; he had tried to prepare for Saw’s ire but that was just nasty. Sawbones could be cruel, he’d heard the stories, but it was never aimed at their batch.

“No,” Quarter snapped, turning his head. He did his best to steel himself, waiting for what came next but the soft, defeated sigh wasn’t what he was expecting. 

“Did…” Saw paused, quietly clearing his throat, “did you really think I’d be happy to hear secondhand from Kix?” Quarter swallowed, his throat clicking as he looked down at his hands where they rested in his lap. A stray lock of hair fell into his face and he watched it sway for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“I…I wasn’t sure you’d care.” There was a pregnant pause that made his anxiety spike and he flinched when he heard Saw move but he couldn’t face his brother. A warm, familiar hand gripped his jaw, forcing him to look up at Saw’s bent form. There was a haunted look in his brother’s eyes and he could only imagine what was running through Saw’s head as they locked eyes. 

“Get outta your head and listen to me,” Saw hissed and Quarter watched his jaw flex. “You fucking scared me, do you get that? I thought you were dead and I found out from Kix. Do you understand what a kick to the face that was?” Quarter must’ve been a sight, his lips parted, eyes comically wide as he blinked at Saw’s tense expression. If Saw hadn’t had a firm grip on his face, his jaw probably would’ve dropped. 

“I - I didn’t think…” Quarter trailed off because what did he think at the time? Now, faced with the hurt he’d unintentionally inflicted on his brother, Quarter acknowledged that it was a shitty thing to do. “I - we haven’t talked in…months, Saw, I just thought…" He hated the way Saw’s eyes squeezed shut, the way his face turned away as he released Quarter’s jaw and took a step back. Saw just stared at the floor for a beat, his jaw working, chewing on his next sentence.

“You should know I give a damn about what happens to you. Period,” Saw stated but it sounded more like he was talking to himself than Quarter. “It’s my fault that you don’t.”

“It…I should take some of the blame too,” Quarter whispered. There hadn’t been some big, explosive reason behind their strained relationship. Things had just gotten harder: Quarter started to doubt himself and his place in their batch more and Saw was changing, growing bitter and angry. Then they had been shipped off, spread across the galaxy and they never found that rhythm that they had as kids. 

Saw and Quarter became strangers with a past. 

Saw huffed, bringing Quarter back to reality, and reached up to massage above his left eyebrow. Despite the tension in the air, Quarter smiled a little at the gesture, it was something Saw had done since they were kids when he got stressed. 

“Never broke that habit it seems,” Quarter noted, nodding at Saw’s raised hand when he turned at the sound of Quarter’s voice. 

“Heh, guess not.” Saw let his hand drop back to his side, glancing at Quarter out of the side of his eye. “You remember it?”

“Course,” Quarter scoffed lightheartedly, “that’s how I knew Jax was about 2 seconds away from getting punched.” Saw let out a quiet huff of laughter, the corner of his mouth twitching in his bastardized version of a smirk. And Quarter was hit with just how much he missed Saw. Yes, they spoke here and there but one of their batchmates was always around too. “I’m sorry, vod.”

“Yeah…me too,” Saw mumbled, scratching at his cheek. Quarter surprised himself with the laugh that burst from his lips but the way Saw’s smirk grew told him that his brother was hoping for that reaction.

“I see you’re still allergic to apologizing,” Quarter chuckled.

“You got the gist,” Saw grumbled but his expression was a little softer.

“One day I'll get the word sorry out of you,” Quarter teased tentatively. He was rewarded with a dark little smile from his brother that made him almost giddy.

“Maybe they’ll write on my headstone,” Saw said, his voice wavering like he was fighting laughter.

“Only if they add a disclaimer,” Quarter countered. Saw’s laugh had gotten deeper and a bit softer over the years but it still had the same lilt to it that made it so uniquely Sawbones. Their laughter tapered off and the room fell quiet again but it didn’t feel as heavy as before. “Come on, sit. Kix and Aiden will be stopping by soon.”

“Great,” Saw grumbled but he still moved around the end of Quarter’s bed, dropping into the chair at his bedside with a grunt. He kicked his feet up on the edge, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms, looking just as relaxed as he would in his own bunk. Quarter noted the way his eyes paused on the empty section of the bed for a split second.

“Comfortable?” Quarter huffed with a fond eye roll. 

“Mm thanks for asking,” Saw sighed, shuffling down in the chair a little more. “When do you get the new legs?” Quarter did his best not to wince but the question wasn’t really a surprise. Saw had always been about as subtle as a detonator going off. 

“Another day or two,” Quarter answered, searching for the remote to the little holoprojector on the opposite wall. 

“Maybe I’ll get to see you upright before I head out again," Saw mused, shifting his attention to the holo playing in the background. 

“I guess we’ll find out," Quarter sighed. He looked down at the remote in his hand before letting out a long sigh and holding it out toward Saw; his brother snatched the remote with a pleased sound in the back of his throat. “Asshole.”

“Dumbass.” 

It felt odd to walk again. His body was going through the motions but there wasn’t the sensation of his feet on the ground. Quarter tried to ignore Aiden hovering at his side, even if he did appreciate his little brother’s concern. They had been working on his movement for almost three rotations and while he was still a little unsteady, Quarter could at least move around on his own. He glanced up when the medbay door opened, smiling when Kix stepped inside.

“You better not get any height advantage from those,” Kix teased, pulling his helmet off to smile at his brothers. 

“Right,” Aiden exclaimed, throwing his arms out. “He can’t be the oldest and the tallest.” Quarter rolled his eyes but a bright smile spread across his face. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Quarter huffed, half-heartedly swatting at Aiden before turning his attention to Kix again. “You heading out again?”

“Soon,” Kix answered, running a hand over the top of his shaved head. “Thought you might want to come to see Saw off.”

“I don’t know if you should walk that far,” Aiden cut in before Quarter could answer. 

“Let’s find out,” he countered, throwing an arm around his youngest brother’s shoulders to keep himself steady. Quarter didn’t need to look at Aiden to know he was rolling his eyes, especially when Kix chuckled under his breath before following them into the hallway. 

With Aiden’s help, the trip to the hangar wasn’t difficult, although it was a bit slower. He was a little taken aback by the rainbow of colors scattered around the hangar. Blue and gray armored men, with a bit of red sprinkled in, moved about, loading supplies into gunships that were heading back to their respective Venators while green and yellow-clad troopers just started to unload.

“Looks like the 327th and the 41st are back too,” Kix noted, his eyes darting around the groups of green they could see. Aiden let out a quick breath before he spoke again. 

“3, 2, -”

“Quarter!” 

“He found us,” Aiden chuckled, steadying Quarter when he dropped his arm. Jax broke into a light jog, weaving around crates and troopers. He was maybe ten feet from them when an arm wrapped around his neck, forcing him to scramble to keep his feet under him. Quarter tried to hide his smirk when he realized that the arm was connected to familiar gray armor. Saw proceeded to half-drag Jax along with a hilariously deadpan expression. 

“Let go, Saw,” Jax growled, wildly flailing in the general direction of Saw’s head. When he finally released him, Jax stumbled, whipping his head around to glare at Saw even if it was hidden behind his helmet. 

“Scary,” Saw stated flatly, arching a dark brow. “But your threats to put me on my ass will have to wait. I’m loadin’ up.” Jax finally took his helmet off and the five of them just stood there for a moment, soaking up the presence of their entire batch being together in person, even if it was only for a few minutes. Jax was the first to break the silence, letting out a soft huff before throwing his arms around Saw’s shoulders. 

“Stay safe,” Jax mumbled.

“Get off me,” Saw grumbled even as he tentatively wrapped his arms around Jax’s torso. Kix stepped up next, smiling at his older brother, and Quarter couldn’t help but join in when Saw’s expression softened the tiniest bit. He did always have a soft spot for Kix.

“Talk to you soon,” Kix murmured, tilting his head forward. Saw’s jaw flexed, the muscle jumping under his skin as he leaned forward to gently bump his forehead against Kix’s. Aiden was next, standing ramrod straight in front of Saw, looking like he was going to salute him, and Quarter shook his head. 

“Cut it out, shithead,” Saw chided, roughly dragging Aiden into a hug. Quarter could hear the faint wheeze of all the air leaving Saw’s lungs and could see the little smirk on Aiden’s lips before they separated. 

And that just left Quarter. 

“Be careful,” he warned gently with a half-smile. Saw just stared at him for a moment before taking a cautious step closer. Things were starting to look up between them and they were going to put forth an effort to talk more regularly but things were still a little awkward. There was a beat of silence between them before Saw moved to cup the back of his neck, squeezing gently. Quarter relaxed under his brother’s hand and watched the way Saw’s eyes flickered around his face before resting their foreheads together.

“I’m proud of you.” It was so simple, something that would’ve been nice to hear from anyone but it held so much more weight coming from Sawbones. The brother he always seemed to be out of sync with. Quarter may be the oldest but he’d always looked up to Saw. 

Wolffe’s gruff voice cut through the hangar, yelling for Saw. Quarter lingered for a second longer even if his legs were starting to feel fatigued. Saw pulled away first, squeezing the back of his neck one last time before taking a step back. He grabbed his helmet from a nearby crate, offering the ghost of a smile at his batch of brothers.

“Behave, boys,” Saw called, offering a two-finger salute before slipping his helmet on.

“Move your ass, Bones,” Wolffe yelled from a gunship hovering nearby. 

“I’ll walk even slower now!” Saw shouted in reply, striding across the hangar. Aiden, Jax, Kix, and Quarter watched him go, laughing to themselves as they listened to the commander and his medic exchange jabs. Quarter smiled softly, his eyes following Saw’s retreating form until the gunship doors closed.

Quarter continued to watch as the gunship exited the hangar and eventually became a dot amongst others in the skylanes over Coruscant. The war and his current predicament slipped to the back of his mind for a few minutes.

Quarter had his brother back and that was all that mattered. They’d figure out whatever came next.

Ragu list:

@a-single-tulip @wings-and-beskar @anxiouspineapple99 @secondaryrealm @dystopicjumpsuit @sunshinesdaydream @moonlightwarriorqueen @starrylothcat @starqueensthings @multi-fan-dom-madness @trixie2023 @wolffegirlsunite @clonemedickix @sev-on-kamino @dukeoftheblackstar @mythical-illustrator @commander-sunshine