#Corrie guard sticks together

[ofteasandherbs]

please tell me about the 804th Space Noodles couple?? ✨

Oh boy!!! So Space Noodles couple is actually not part of the 804th! Vulture is a Corrie guard (sticking with nature named for Corrie guards cause it’s funny) investigator! Siaon is a temple guard for the coruscant Jedi temple!

They met when Vulture was called in to help search for a missing group of younglings that got taken on a field trip. Si and Vulture and working together and this is Si’s first time really interacting with the clones! He is part Miralukan so he uses the force to see and at first was going to be off put due to “clones not having a force signature” (something a certain pong Krell has spread….)

But then when Si meet ls Vulture he’s like.. “wait wait wait you have are a person?” And Vulture at first is so offended lol. “Uh? Of fuckin course I am???” (Vulture is not on senate duty for a reason lol he is crassssss)

After that tho they work together so well! They eventually find the younglings and they are scared cause the captors have all been wearing masks! So vulture and Si remove their helmets and masks and the younglings run up to Si and are like “MASTER SI U SAVED US THANK U” and Si is like “alright younglings I did have some help can we say thank you to the nice coruscant guard member here?” (Vulture has not said his name yet lol) “ THANK YOU MISTER GUARD SIR”

So eventually they keep meeting up at their 3am shifts. Si gets his name eventually and asks him if he wants to go to this fantastic hole in the wall noodle stand he knows about. They make it a point to go as often as they can when their shifts line up at 3am..

Si is so weirded out that krell said Clones had no force signature.. he looks into it, finds the whole sith thing starting up with vulture and uhh. Well. Palps doesn’t like people messing with his plans let’s say. And. The commanders can’t have a member of their guard that is going off the wheels can they?

They don’t. Have much of a happy ending haha..

[petrifiedforests]

Wait, I thought of something for the title asks: 'hold me like a knife' (which is from a Hozier song)

Hi @cacodaemonia , for this title, i imagine the angstiest hurt/comfort slow burn post Order 66 that I'll never write.

Maybe that's too on the nose but the title immediately makes me think of a clone that has been dehumanized to the point they don't think of themselves as soldier anymore but as a tool. Hold me like a blaster doesn't sound as good as hold me like a knife, so knife it is.

The fic could be about Cody post Order 66, especially a version where the chips didn't suppress the clones completely but made them think they were acting out of their free will.

He is absolutely convinced that he ordered Obi-Wan shot down and distributed the order across the clones.

And because I'm a sucker for Corrie whump, the other relevant POV character is Fox, who was actually forced to do awful things before the chips were activated to keep the guard alive, like shooting Fives.

They meet somehow and need to stick together to survive and they clash a lot because Cody will only follow Fox's lead and Fox will not have that because he only led his men into their deaths or worse.

Eventually, they manage to find their way to the rebellion. And then, THEN they actually exercise their free will and leave because they will not be used as weapons again.

The end

[mystoriesmylives]

The Sister Wolf-Habits

Whina has bad habits.

First is her temper.

Whina is extremely protective of her squads (well mostly, all clones, but her squad come first.) So anyone that insults her squad is going to get a chair in the face. One shiny insulted Thunder, saying what a useless soldier he was and Whina just jumped the man. He started screaming because she bit his face.

Poor bastard needed stitches.

Mixed in with the temper was the swearing and insults. She swears like a pirate and she can come up with creative insults. She once called a senators daughter an “entitled cunt” after arguing with her over military protocols. The pack had to drag her away from that one.

Then there is the smoking.

She doesn't smoke those little death-sticks, nope.

She smokes those huge cigars that just stunk. To make it worse, Rafe and Elspeth also smoked them and the group usually all smoked together. They were made to smoke outside after some troopers complained about the smell.

But her weirdest habit was the vents.

Whina crawls into the vents of every building and ship she comes across. She states that she has to know every part of the place shes in, but Sinker told his vod he thinks she is just nosy and likes to spy on people. She had cubbyholes everywhere, stuff either with books, snacks, or weapons.

She even somehow sneaked into the Jedi temple; though she was found quickly and kicked out.

The one place she couldn't sneak in was the senate building.

The Corrie guards always manage to find her and Fox then threatened that she tried again, she was going to shoot her.

So she did it again.

And he shot at her.

When she came back to the barracks with a blaster burn on her shoulder, she only had two words.

“Worth it.”

AN: If anyone wants to know how it looked when Whina got kicked out of the Jedi temple, just think of Jazz from Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

@eyecandyeoz @justalittletomato @gran-maul-seizure @herbalinz-of-yesteryear @stardustbee @kimageddon @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @ninjigma @kotic-kryptid @a-dorin

[clonemando]

My thoughts for how they all ended up together.

Fox and Rex were close on Kamino because Fox's hair is naturally white and their shared hair mutations lead to them being stuck together for tests the Kaminoans wanted to run.

Rex started shaving his hair to hide the blond while Fox has connections and dyes his regularly.

The war caused a rift between them that grew as the Corries got accused of being betrayers and dirty cops that get to have a nice easy job and ruin off time for GAR soldiers. (I think Anakin sees Thorn make Padme laugh once and forevermore holds a grudge against all of them for being wife stealers. So he encourages the slander in the 501st. Rex trusts his Jedi and if he says the Guard are sour then maybe Fox isn't who he used to be.)

Fives and Rex get close after Fives gets back from ARC training. They just fit together and Rex trusts Fives to have his back. Things get strained a bit due to Umbara but they work it out.

Then Fox 'kills' Fives. Fives is clinically dead for all of like 2 minutes but Corries have gotten good at skirting that line and dragging brothers back. Fox can honestly say Fives was killed because he was. He just didn't stay dead. The Chancellor doesn't need to know that.

Rex is... Not well at this point. Someone he used to love killed the person he currently loved.

Meanwhile Fox and Fives are covering the wall in the break room with red yarn and documents and coming up with a plan to stick the sith with his own saber so to speak. They can't do brain surgery on the entire GAR but a little slicing and coding and every single chip gets a forced update changing around a few things.

Rex goes to confront Fox and demand an explanation on why he killed Fives and instead finds the pair cackling together over Palpatine's dead body.

Anyway once everything is cleared up Fives locks Fox and Rex in a closet and loses the key until they make up. The three get an apartment together in the same part of the temple where Echo Cody and Obi-Wan are living now.

Fives joins the Guard and starts up a rivalry with Thorn who also was part of the hair mutie squad back on Kamino as a blond.

Rex gets a job helping teach the now normally aging Cadets that are being transferred to the temple from Kamino.

Hmmm it's going on my list of things to eventually write more for.

Fluff for Fox/Fives please? Or even Fox/Fives/Rex. They deserve a happier ending to their encounter 🥲

Fox/Fives!!! Yes! With Rex too. I can do that! I love them. Fives and Fox enable each other but Rex helps keep them from going too far. A good group. Thank you for the prompt and enjoy!

Rex was frozen as he stood in the doorway, a stolen bag of Fox's favorite chocolate covered berries under one arm with a berry half way to his mouth. He was dressed in an oversized blue hoodie with his signature Jaig eyes painted in white and a pair of bright red boxers he had stolen from Fox's closet.

"What the kriff did I walk in on?" He asked and Fox growled lowly in frustration although he didn't look up from his task.

"Your ARC-" he started but Rex cut him off with a noise of complaint.

"Why is he suddenly my ARC when he pisses you off? We agreed that on Taungsday he's the Guard's idiot." He said and finally popped the berry into his mouth and finished entering the room.

Fox was sitting on the couch with Fives positioned between his legs on the floor and a hair brush to his side. Half of Fives' head was arranged in what Rex might have called a high Nabooian style if he was being kind but was honestly just a lot of rubber bands and knots. The other side was twisted into many different braids. Fives was just staring ahead looking resigned to whatever was going on.

"Fine, my idiot ARC let a bunch of cadets use him as a doll and I'm trying to undo the damage without just shaving it all off." Fox finally looked over as Rex flopped on the couch beside him and offered Fox a berry which he took distractedly and ate with a little pleased hum.

"Thorn said they were good at it! I'm going to put green dye in his shampoo." Fives whined.

"You didn't realize Thorn lies like 80% of the time after he convinced you to eat that soap bar shaped like a piece of pie?" Rex asked raising an eyebrow as he stretched out and shoved his feet into Fox's lap so his boyfriend had to lean over them to look at Fives' head.

"It honestly didn't taste that bad." Fives said holding out a hand for a berry as well and Rex rolled his eyes but gave it to him.

The peace that filled Rex as he laid there with Fox slowly unknotting Fives' hair while Fives chattered about his ongoing feud with Thorn had him melting into the worn cushions. There had been several points in the war he had almost given up. Little moments like this made him grateful he kept fighting.

[am-i-beast-or-beauty]

Foxiyo Week - Acts of Service

@foxiyoweek​    

In another world Palpatine is stopped and the clones live to see peace for the Republic. While the rest of Coruscant celebrates, Fox and Riyo go out for a drive. Thire steps up to show his brotherly love for his fellow commander, by proving to be quite literally the ultimate wingman.

[kaminocasey]

I'd like to propose something!!

I wasn't in this fandom last December but now I am and I'd like to do something fun!

So we know that they have Life Day in Star Wars, which I've assumed is the equivalent of Christmas? A lot of you guys did stuff for "Kinktober" so now I'm going to propose something if it's not already been proposed?

25 Days of Life Day! (Yes like Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas Lol)

Each Day you choose something that is in the Holiday Spirit. Here is my list that I will be sticking to if you want to go off of it. If you want to do something different, that's alright too! Especially if you don't celebrate Christmas! I just feel like it would be a lot of fun no matter what holiday you celebrate, and perhaps something neat to do for the holidays! Heck, if you wanna do the same character for all 25 days, that's fine too! PLEASE let me know what you think!

If you’re wondering what Life Day is, you can find out with this article! ALSO: If Any artists wanna participate, please feel free to do so! I would LOVEEE to see your work! <3

REBLOGS to signal boost would be really really appreciated!! &lt;3

My 25 Days of Life Day under the cut!!!!

25 Days of Life Day:

Commander Cody - Tree Decorating

Captain Rex - Hot cocoa and fireplace cuddles

Gregor - Sledding

Commander Wolffe - Decorating the House

Hunter - Taking Omega skating

Tech - Making Fudge while he gives you the history of Life Day

Echo - Going to see the Life Day Light Displays

Wrecker - Decorating Gingerbread House

Crosshair - Decorating Firepuncher as a joke

 Fives - Cookie Decorating

 Howzer - Buying Matching Holiday sweaters

 Fox - Seeing a Life Day Ballet 

 Boba Fett - Decorating the Palace

 Din Djarin - Snowball Fight

 Wolffe - NSFW part 2 to Day 4

 Sinker - Making Mulled Wine and Cider

 Thire - Wrapping Life Day Gifts for the entire Corrie Guard

 Thorn - Life Day Tree shopping

 Obi-Wan - Going to a Life Day Market

 Kix - Volunteering

 Dogma - Warm Bath together after getting stuck out in the snow

 Tup - Sucking on a Candy Cane and teasing him. (NSFW)

 Anakin Skywalker - Making snow angels

 Jesse - Life Day Eve, Watching Life Day movies

The Bad Batch - Opening Gifts on Life Day

LIFE DAY SPECIAL: "Naughty or Nice" (Gregor Part 2 to Day 3) Collab with @idlenesses

I'm going to tag some people who may be interested!

TAGS: @twistedstitcher27 @rexxdjarin @book-of-baba-fett @grievouus @dumfanting @madameminor @rain-on-kamino @sleepingsun501 @moonstrider9904 @wild-karrde @tecker @thebitchformerlyknownaskenobi @thefact0rygirl @neon-junkie @saradika @cyarbika @djarrex @literallydontlook @pinkiemme @fett-djarin @arctrooper69 @amyroswell @maulslittlemeowmeow @ladykatakuri @seriowan @zoeykallus @damerondala @space-girl-and-droids-art @kohtoyah @samrubio @obixwan @ashotofspotchka @gigilhermite @shyranno @art-of-the-twistedstitcher @cobaltbeam @amikoroyaiart @ethiobirds @lornaka @littlefeatherr

[holding-hands-and-hearts]

At the Beginning

The shinies arrive at the beginning of the rotation.

There is no pomp and circumstance to welcome them - only the bustle of the hangar, indifferent to the additions. They arrive in a tight, nervous huddle, cinching closed as if to contain themselves within themselves; they hold datapads in white-knuckled fingers with the flimsiwork already filled out, powered by anticipation.

The legion cannot decide whether it loves the shinies or hates them.

“This batch must have been kept in their growth jars too late.”

“Did this batch have bad trainers? They can’t kick for osik.” Jesse shakes his head, a grandiose display of exaggerated exasperation, but something determinedly warm colors his gaze.

“You can’t kick for osik.” Kix yawns. “Go to sleep.”

The legion watches them, almost warily, as if the new additions are too bright to be so seamlessly incorporated. They clump in the mess hall; they take bunks all together, but are too tense to share them, as if intent on keeping themselves to themselves.

“That one got a new haircut.”

“2983 picked a name. Hex, he said.”

“Make sure Aden doesn’t get a tattoo from the Corrie Guard. They don’t know what they’re doing. Coric won’t treat his infection.”

“Make sure Aden doesn’t get anything from the Corrie Guard.”

The shinies are still shiny. They walk with bounces in their step, looking up at the world like it changes with every blink. Their eyes are as bright as their armor, glowing like a candle cupped in caring hands. The legion remembers what it was like to be so bouncy and bright, a genuine kind of innocence you didn’t realize until you lost.

So it protects them, these brothers with shiny armor and shiny eyes, yet-unbroken by the galaxy’s sharp points and dark plots. It accepts them. It warns them. And it lets them be, until the wind is too strong for proverbial hands to shelter candle flames.

The shinies are not shiny anymore, and the legion is there in the aftermath of newfound darkness. Candles are blown out by smears of dirt and blood, and there are scars and scrapes left when it is wiped away. The new additions are not so new. they have lost the energy to hold themselves within themselves; instead, they swap sharp-edged pieces of newly-shattered dreams, spilling themselves out to each other as they try to rebuild.

The legion soothes nightmares. It shares bunks. It sticks together. It mourns together; it counts its dead, and soon there are new spots to be filled.

The shinies will arrive at the beginning of the rotation.

*******

oh gosh, happy clone appreciation week!! This event is being hosted by the ever-lovely @dailyrex and uses the #caw2021 tag - I highly, highly recommend you check out this event. I'll be doing my best to participate, and I'm so excited. The prompt is already making me go EEEEEEEE FUN

However, I wrote this at midnight last night when my brain felt very much like scrambled egg.

I'm indecisive and can't pick a favorite, so I picked the shinies instead :)

[emperor-palpaminty]

Clinquant

I have had Echo and Hunter and Rex fall for fancy senators or queens so why not Tech?? My lad??? My bespectacled badass nerd?? Happy Softober bitches, fluffy af, also I'm feeling unnecessarily dramatic and poetic so, enjoy!

Tech let his helmet rest under his arm as he stood at ease, back to the window, and he watched the senator speak. When he had first been told that he was supposed to be guarding a senator he has been agitated- irritated, even. He felt his brows, still sore from being so tight, knitted. Everything she was saying was met with a roar of applause or thunderous cries of protest.

He watched her hand wave with passion as she spoke. She meant every word she said- he could feel it, hear it, it pounded in his hears with the abrupt force of her voice.

Tech heard another senator rise, their pod moving central to the arena. On instinct he moved forward, tugging his helmet back down again, mind working a million miles an hour in order to fully calculate the risks, the chances.

Isn't this a job for the Corries? Tech had half-snapped, half-asked when Hunter had given him the assignment.

Hunter's words stuck with him as the senator spoke again, loud, her sounds waves that rocked the calm of the Senate. Our job is to protect who needs us. She needs us. It's what we were made for.

Tech huffed momentarily and stepped forward, hand reaching for the senator as the Chancellor, his pod roaming above, failed to quiet the noise.

Despite this, in the sea of noise, she turned back to look at him, offer him a glance. Tech remained standing at attention, but his eyes flickered to her face when he saw the movement of her. She smiled, bright despite the situation, the shouts of agitation flowing and rolling off her silken shoulders.

What was so beautiful was that she simply did not let the negative stick- she allowed it to hit her and move around her. Words tried to cut her down and she simply shrugged it off with 'no'. She was thoroughly and all around rotting his soul down, whittling it from a soldier to a man.

Tech offered a smile back even though she couldn't see it. Maybe somehow it could reach his eyes.

She turned back to the crowd as they finally settled down, watching as the Chancellor spoke. His word seemed to be law here, revered and old and it reverberated with might. "Words spoken like a true delegate, Senator." He said, looking down towards her. Looking down at everyone, actually, as his seat was currently in the highest pod up. "I will convene with my private group and reach a decision. This evolution of your law seems... Hard to accomplish."

"But possible." She said, softly.

The chancellor dismissed the meeting for recess with a simple wave, and mumbles filled the coliseum like arena as the senators and representatives filtered out. As she walked, smoothly, her robe barely brushed the ground. Tech walked beside her, quiet, helmet still on until they reached the safety of her office.

Here, she could drop her guard. Put her feet up, put away any pretenses or masks, and yet all she did was allow her shoulders to droop a little more- it was the most she could afford and the furthest she was from her strong self. She moved gracefully still, just with a looser stance, and turned and fell back in her chair, a huff escaping her and her fingers moving to pinch the bridge of her nose as if keeping her skull from exploding.

“If I may,” Tech broke the silence and removed his bucket, setting it tenderly on her desk. “You’re holding together far better than I would.”

She laughed and looked up, eyes glimmering, but brows creased with tire. "And what would you do in my situation?" Her hands clasped and she leaned her chin on them, lips quirked to the side in amusement. Was that a hint, a shadow of a dimple he spied?

With a small smile himself, Tech leaned on the desk. "To be honest ma'am, I would have strangled them all by now. Or slapped someone. Or yelled."

"You." She snorted, but her lips remained in their subtle smile as the senator leaned back in her chair. "Slapping someone."

Of course, Tech may have not actually gone berserk and started beating up representatives. His method was far more coy and just made sense to him: all facts and all numbers. But how in the world could you give and explain facts and numbers to people who turned their nose up because of a reason as stupid as self-gain? Day after day, month after month, of offering evidence and facts in support of something and representatives would still scream and shout about why he was wrong. Eventually, with this going on for long enough, he probably would have found it in his heart to strike someone.

"Perhaps." Tech waved a hand in half-dismissal. "I would do something to get myself in trouble."

She sighed and hummed, closing her eyes, chin still pulled in her hands. At peace like this, the sun through her window gently basking against her back catching the subtle shining of her skin and her robes- how utterly eye-catching she was, deeply clinquant, her own presence shining from an ivory tower that was filled to the brim with greed and monsters.

The thought had come to him before. Why shouldn't it? Tech had caught her eyes skimming a holopad, felt her hands when she pressed her palm to his forehead to feel if he had a fever, and he had, on the rarest and most cherished of occastions, her laugh replaying in his head the one time he actually did get mad and called a senator some expletive he did not care to remember now. All he knew was that she had thrown her head back, teeth bared in a grin, and laughed, and now she terried among his soul.

Not that he minded.

Her voice anchored him. "I think," She stood, grabbing a holopad. "We should do a little research before we get back in there." Her eyes glinted in their intelligent way as she held out a datapad. "Care to join?"

I trust you. The awaiting holopad sat patiently in her hand. The simple motion said calmly, I want you to help me with this, because you're wonderfully intelligent and I trust you with this large task.

Tech felt his lips curve into a smile as he reached for the holopad. Their hands touched and that glint in her eye never faulted. Tech only smiled, allowing himself to relax as well, and he felt his voice roll from his throat with honey and, to an extent, worship. "I would be delighted, senator."

How utterly brave and beautiful and all around indescribably she is.

[amikoroyaiart]

Hello! Can i ask do you have any favorite headcanons for the Corrie commanders? Love your blog and I love seeing your art!

Thank you so much!❤

Hmm let's see.

I always imagine Thorn as the most energetic and chaotic one but when job needs to be done, he is acting serious. He is one of many reasons for Fox's headaches but Fox can always count on him and they work in perfect synchronization together. Hates doing paperwork and avoid it like fire. Prefers action and heavy guns.

Thire for me is the rather calm one. The mom of the Corries. Takes care of the new shinies, is friend with Guards medic Pain. Also recently I kinda dig him as a sniper👀 just a thought, I like the four commanders fighting with different kind of weapons (I might draw this!)

Stone has a very difficult character and this is why he often argues with Fox because of their different ideas. They had one quite big fight before Fox got shot on a mission and almost died and then they reconciled in the medbay because no matter what they think they will always have each other's backs. Corries stick together.

As for Fox what can I say more. I like to think he was the youngest from CC batch (by like few seconds but the rest was always teasing him about that) and that's why he plays as big brother for Corries. He might appear as cold but he cares a lot about his brothers. He just doesn't know how to show this.

[dogmascutie]

okay dee here is my question for the corrie guard. whose love language is physical touch bc I WISH TO HUG

OKAY NOEL i love this so so much and got over-involved in my thoughts, so i’m going to talk about ALL THE CORRIES’ LOVE LANGUAGES starting with physical touch 🥰 i gotta shout out @jangofettswife for coming up with a lot of these ocs and generously allowing me to contribute to their details. we ironed out theirs and the commander personalities together, so again, a lot of credit goes to her 💞

additionally, these are not singular love language, just the ones i thought of immediately for them! i think they’re all a mix depending on the situation 💞 but some of these boys totally stick out as physical touch guys, etc etc

corrie guard and their love languages:

physical touch

thorn. he’s not the best at expressing his emotions verbally, but you know when he wraps you in a long hug, chin tucked into your shoulder, or holds your hand so tightly you can see the strain in the muscles of his arm, he needs you. alternatively, when you’re crying or shaking from panic, he gives the best fucking hugs.

stitch (oc). stitch is a medic and the best friend of patch - though they’re not batch mates, they bonded on the transport to coruscant and even gave each other their names. he suffers from severe anxiety, and so the best way to help calm him is a good, firm, long-lasting hug. he also suffers from sleep-wrestling, which developed before the anxiety and is very strange. no one really knows what it’s about, but a hug also helps put a stop to that - patch and grenade are kind of experts in this. i also pin stitch as having a hot, nautolan doctor gf named neema, who’s 6’3” and always ready to hold him. but she’ll always take volunteers to help give him love, after all, she and stitch noticed you across the bar and really love your vibe-

jek. he’s a man who likes the little things, like cozy nights in, warm mugs of caf, and the ones he loves safe in his arms, or pinky-to-pinky as you discuss difficult topics. jek is a lover forced to be a fighter, and he would much rather hold you through a stormy night than be patrolling during it. he’s one of those guys that never wants to let go of your hand, fingers entwined, stretching over barriers that come between you so that your fingers brush just so he can still touch you. it’s grounding for him.

cannon (oc). a loose cannon so to speak, cannon is rough and tumble and ready to go. he and hook have an affectionate mentor-mentee relationship. cannon’s just barely out of shiny status, and often thinks he needs to be brave and strong constantly. but hook knows sometimes his little brother just needs a bracing hand on his shoulder, or a keldabe kiss that says “i’m proud of you, vod”. if you’re with cannon, and you start playing with his hair, or squeeze his hand when he can’t seem to slow down, well, he’s not going to want to leave your side.

acts of service

fox. man, he’s the king of taking care of others’ needs, but he’ll lose his mind if you take care of his. doing basic tasks to help him through his day, like organizing files or updating his calendar, means the fucking world to him. it just takes the intense stress he has and lessens it, and that’s the greatest thing a person can do for him. thorn and stone in particular are experts at helping fox feel taken care of, though he’s loathe to admit it.

lot (oc). oh my beloved lot. he’s just a giver, man, and he’s gonna help you in any way he can. he feels most fulfilled when he’s helping others - he’s been all but forbidden from patrols bc he ends up helping out at the local community garden for four hours, just having the time of his life. for this reason, if you do something special for him, like helping to paint his armor or teaching him something important to you, he just melts for you. he can’t help it.

blast (oc). blast often gets assigned to dangerous missions because 1. he volunteers and 2. he’s really, really good at them. he’s ready with a cocky smile and a quick quip before he’s heading into the fray, locked and loaded and giving out orders as well as any commander. bc he takes on too much, acts of service mean a lot to him - so when thorn or ace take over a task that needs doing that blast hasn’t gotten to, well, let’s just say he’s really thankful. if you make his day a little easier by helping him plan it out or cleaning up his space after a busy mission, he’s sure to make it up to you tenfold. trust me, he’ll be very thankful.

fang (oc). oh, fang, our little shit, our beloved edge lord arf trooper. fang is someone who loves to project an image of badassery, of tough guy, no-nonsense - oh my god, hound, you have to kill that spider, please, please hound kill the spider please please please-. yeah, fang’s a bit of a wimp, but grows more courageous over time. still, he tends to avoid the more frightening aspects of his job, and when his brothers or hound cover for him it really means so much. when you kill the spider, however? expect him to go on a long rant about how brave and strong and deadly his partner is, right before showering you in kisses.

words of affirmation

thire. our beloved lieutenant-turned-commander is a huge fan of words of affirmation. he kinda lives on praise, and enjoys giving it - i hc that he really looks up to fox, so the occasional “you did good” from fox has thire all but teary-eyed. he regularly compliments jek and rys on areas they excel at, or have improved at, bc he thinks it’s really important that they know he’s paying attention and cares enough to give that feedback. thire will very seriously and carefully tell you all the things he loves about you, and his dream is to have you do the same for him, although he’s a little embarrassed to admit that. i have a crap ton of nsfw hcs on this very subject…another time, perhaps.

blaze (oc). blaze my beloved! twin brother of grenade and riot trooper, blaze is pretty similar to his ornery chief medic brother. he’s a gruff man of few words that he uses sparingly, but he’ll speak freely to the ones he loves. he and grenade will take time out of their busy schedules to com and catch up, always telling each other how proud they are of the other, in their own way. there’s a bit of fear of losing each other there, so they’re committed to reminding each other that they care. blaze’s boyfriend, arlo, loves to heap him with generous praise - and you can join in on the fun, too, if you want to watch blaze get all flustered and cute in a way he’d rather die than have his men see.

grenade (oc). we’ve already talked about his and blaze’s exchanges, but grenade also finds it important to dole out gentle if firm words of affirmation to his right-hand men, stitch and patch, as well as his patients. grenade believes firmly in tough love, but not cruel tough love - just honesty and criticism where necessary, and lots of praise where it’s deserved. troopers who make it through tough injuries are regarded as heroes by grenade, who sees a lot and knows how hard recovery can be. he tells them as much proudly. if you’re with grenade, and you tell him he’s a hero to you? well, expect him to deflect and point out all the amazing things about you - but it means a lot to him, really.

ace (oc). oh ace. a beloved oc guard who just. falls in love with everyone he’s ever met. he’s a hopeless romantic who can’t commit, but the sure fire way to get his attention is honeyed compliments - boy will swoon. he works under thorn, so he’s used to huge and warm handshakes, meaning flirty touches don’t work quite as well. but you look him in the eye and tell him you find him fascinating? yeah you’re going home together. ace is something of a poet, regaling his brothers with grand tales of their own bravery, exaggerating for effect, and to make them laugh. he’ll regale you with such tales, and then make you squirm with the sincere way he compliments your looks, your voice, your dreamy personality. watch out for this one; he’s a heartbreaker. but he doesn’t mean to be! honest!

quality time

hound. *quality time with him and grizzer. truly, hound just likes being around his loved ones. time is limited, especially in his life, and he wants to use that time up with the people he cares about. i see him as very much the mom friend, checking in on both the commanders and the guards, shinies especially, friendly, loving massifs in tow. he likes getting to watch his brothers relax as they play with or pet the dogs, knowing he made a difference. sitting in silence together, just reading or eating, is truly the most wonderful thing to him. runor is a great partner in the way they provide this regularly, both at work and outside of it. if you want to be with hound, he’ll fall for you the moment you suggest going to the park to watch the sunset. now that is his idea of a perfect date.

rys. my man loves experiences, and he wants to share them with you! he wants to explore every inch of coruscant, and every planet in the galaxy once he’s finished that, and he wants you at his side, marveling at every new thing to try. jek will often patiently go along with his brother, trying new things to indulge him and volunteering for interesting tasks together. it’s times like these rys gets really comfortable, and will likely teach you about himself by doing things that matter to him together. he’s a cutie, who just wants to experience all life has to offer with those he cares about.

patch (oc). similar to hound, patch enjoys sitting in silence, but for different reasons. patch’s problem is his mouth: he can never convince it to shut up, even when he wants to. oftentimes he doesn’t want to, but sometimes he wishes he wouldn’t be so stubborn. getting to just sit by stitch or grenade or even his beloved scrap metal protocol droid helps calm and ground him, and the fact that they all have the patience to let him calm himself into silence and just sit means a lot. if you have the patience for that, hand in hand as you listen to music, well, he’s gonna make the effort to be less stubborn for you, that’s for sure.

receiving gifts

stone. he wants a sugar mama/daddy, it’s absolutely the truth idc idc. stone my beloved LOVES indulging in fancy gifts, and so decadence like chocolates and jewelry is fun and means a lot to him. but small gifts, like extra food from the mess or a fresh coat of paint for his armor, absolutely warm his heart, and when his men present them to him randomly, he does get a little emo let’s be real. eventually, after the war, hound and runor give stone a massif puppy and he does in fact cry. a lot. any gifts you give him he’ll react sincerely and strongly to, and he’s a bit of a hoarder of things he’s received from other people…within reason. he loves you but he’s not keeping that ticket stub, sorry. best possible gifts include favorite snacks, good socks, and weed and a nice bowl to smoke it in

hook (oc). HOOK!!!!! god i love this captain so much. he works under stone, and learned the taste of luxury from his commander. also, he works a lot with civilians and gets a decent amount of baked goods so he sort of just…starts to love gift getting and gift giving lajskdkf. stone and hook get along famously bc of their shared sense of humor and appreciation of gifts, and try to get nice things for each other on occasion, like the aforementioned meals and paint. his boyfriend is a MASTER baker, and that is half the reason hook falls for him. he learns how to bake just to return the favor, and yes it’s very cute. if you present this man a cookie, he’s going to flirt intensely with you, and if you keep giving him sweets, you’re going to have a new boyfriend pretty soon. hook is easily swayed by good food, okay?

nomad (oc). the cynical, sarcastic arf trooper, constantly ready to end his annoying brother fang’s life. he’s hard to pick out gifts for, but if you put your heart into it, and seek out something you really feel is meaningful, he’ll be secretly very moved. he pretends otherwise but then he’ll present you with something equally meaningful, and you know you got him right in the heart. whenever he and fang have a bad fight, fang knows it’s okay again when nomad presents a thoughtful peace offering. hound, who loves his boys but wants to throttle them, tries to be attentive to both their love languages - but killing spiders is admittedly easier than finding gifts to nomad’s tastes.

dogma. my beloved honorary corrie is a sentimental man, i think. unlike stone and hook, he’s very much a “it’s the thought that counts” guy - meaning he does keep the receipt with the flower you doodled on it and gave to him. he finds gifts with thought to be wonderfully generous and loves that you think of him when he’s not around, so the scarf in corrie guard red that reminded you of him or the datapad screen protector you had an extra of to give him really do make him happy. he has a whole extra shelf made of scrap metal in his locker just for gifts you gave him. and when his brothers give him gifts? forget about it. that’s all he talks about for days. tangible shows of love mean a lot to sweet dogma.

ask me about the corries! oc or otherwise

[eyayah-oya]

At First Sight

It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these blurbs, and I really liked this one. It’s got some OCs of mine that I created to be Wooley’s batchmates. More information on them can be found below the cut

Wooley groaned as the Corrie tugged his arms behind him and pulled out a set of binders. He wasn't even drunk or involved this time. He just happened to be nearby when Crys set off a bunch of glitter bombs (Wooley was pretty sure he got them from Torrent) and of course the Corrie assumed he was a part of it. Or just wanted the bragging rights among their batchmates that he got to throw Wooley into the drunk tank.

"Corin, you are a slimy bastard," he groaned. "I didn't do anything."

"Hmm, that's what you say. But you see, you Ghosts rarely do stuff by yourself. Therefore, that kid Jek is arresting had an accomplice. The closest Ghost was you," Corin said smugly.

Wooley sighed.

"I actually hate you right now."

"Don't stay things you don't mean, Wooley dearest," Corin sang.

"Ratio is my favorite now."

"Blasphemy! I have always been your favorite batchmate," Corin protested.

"Ratio isn’t currently arresting me for something I didn't do and didn't know anything about."

"If you want to lie, you need to get better at hiding your tells."

"I've been working on that," another vod's voice called. Wooley sighed. He knew that voice very well. And of course Lovely just had to happen by.

Corin closed the binders on his wrists and turned Wooley towards the Guard speeder where Lovely was leaning against the side.

And then they stopped.

Wooley glanced behind and couldn't help but grin. Oh. Oh that was delightful blackmail material.

Corin stood there, his bucket clipped to his belt so his curly blue hair went in every direction as it attempted to escape its ponytail. And he stood, absolutely dumbstruck, and stared at Lovely. His brother, the most flirtatious of the lot of them, was stunned silent by a pretty face.

Discreetly, Wooley swiped the keys off of Corin's belt and walked towards the speeder, Corin's hand sliding off of his back. He fiddled with the binders for a moment and then slipped them off and tossed them into the Guard speeder. He put his bucket back on and immediately took several holos of Corin's face.

"Is there a problem?" Lovely asked, walking towards Corin as he waved Wooley away behind his back.

"Puh uh problem? No, there's no problem," Corin stammered. "I'm Corin."

"Nice to meet you, Corin," Lovely answered. "I'm Lovely."

"You definitely are."

Wooley almost gave his escape away with a snort as he listened to his normally suave brother blunder through an introduction. He couldn't wait to show this to Mal and Ama. They would absolutely never let Corin live this down. Cyan would get a kick out of it, too.

As Wooley hopped into a speeder heading to the GAR barracks, specifically for the clones, he sent the holo to the Crimson groupchat.

<Wooley: Look at him. He saw one of my squaddies and made this face!>

<Ama: NO WAY!!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!>

<Ratio: Ha! Thank you Wooley. I am definitely saving that to get back at him for the prank he pulled last week.>

<Mal: That was Ama. But it's about time Corin got a taste of his own medicine.>

<Cyan: Lovely is really nice. Corin at least has good taste. If Lovely falls for him, though, I'm gonna have to question his taste.>

<Corin: WOOLEY YOU SON OF A BANTHA WHORE!!!>

Wooley just cackled.

Wooley’s Batch (AKA Crimson Batch)

Mal: The Oldest TM. He is gentle and kind and gives the absolute best hugs. He’s the kind of person you go to for a nice long cuddle with ice cream, blanket forts, and a movie to feel better after a bad day. He’s also got great advice. He was one of the five members of Crimson Batch that were sent to Coruscant as part of the Coruscant Guard.

Kye: He can be a bit of a grump. He is also the easiest to get with a prank, which the others do quite frequently. Kye also has the most infectious laugh, if you can get him to let loose. He’s also a Coruscant Guard.

Ratio: Ratio is happiest if he has a fully-charged datapad, a hot cup of caf, and a vod’ika curled up against him (usually Ama). Force save anyone who brings him a problem to solve before he’s had his morning caf, though. He likes to tease and joke around and holds trivia nights, which can range from fun little quizzes, to him info-dumping with his batchmates. He is also a Coruscant Guard.

Corin: Corin is a notorious flirt. He will flirt with anyone that he can get away with. Charming to the extreme and with a fun sense of humor to boot, he is very popular both within the Guard and with any Battalions on leave. He is also a massive troll. Wooley and Corin were really close before they were deployed and Wooley learned how to flirt from Corin. He fell head over heels for Lovely the very first time he saw him, and spent the rest of the war trying to come up with ways to woo Lovely. (Lovely is demi, so it took a bit of time and a lot of patience, but he was wooed.) Corin is a member of the Coruscant Guard.

Talla: He is very protective. He was one of the batchmates that was assigned to Commander Rill’s Company (also an oc of mine) along with Wooley, Cyan, Kita, and Maie. When they were captured by Separatists, Talla was sold to Trandoshans along with Kita and Maie. He protected them and they managed to survive until they were later rescued (this is soft! I couldn’t kill them. I just couldn’t). He’s fairly paranoid and warms up to strangers very slowly and rarely goes anywhere without his armor and several weapons.

Cyan: Cyan was rescued by the 212th along with Wooley (and Lovely and a few others, but I’m not focusing on them now). He’s really reserved and quiet, but will absolutely swear like a sailor with the people he’s closest to. He becomes really close with Miggs (a fellow trooper in the 212th) and they eventually say the riduurok after Miggs lost his leg on Umbara. They will eventually adopt a squad of cadets and raise them together.

Kita: Kita is pretty friendly and adapts well to being around other people. At least better than Talla. He was also rescued with Talla and Maie. He likes making friends and is definitely nowhere near as paranoid as Talla.

Maie: Maie is considered “Babey TM”. He’s got the Sad Tooka Eyes (which Wooley learned from him and used to great effect on the 212th). He is a little quiet and tends to stick close with the people he knows the best but is also interested in making new friends. He really wants to open a ranch or farm and just spend time out in nature when he doesn’t have to worry about being hunted.

And finally . . . 

Ama: Ama is the Youngest TM. Always. He loves practical jokes and making people laugh. He has probably perfected several comedy routines at this point and performs them every time he’s at 79′s with a new Company on leave. Loves sitting with Ratio and they like planning pranks together. Kye is their usual victim, but they also target the others as well. He was also sent to Coruscant as a Coruscant Guard.

Let me know if you want to learn any more about these guys! (I have done piccrew with them because I can’t draw) I love them a lot. If you made it all the way this far! Congratulations and thank you so much!! Crimson Batch will appear in my Long Fic (whenever I have time to actually write it).

ALSO!! FYI, Wooley falls between Kita and Maie, age-wise. He’s not the Youngest, but he is one of the youngest.

[loth-wolffe]

omg aRI, you deserve all your followers <3 and i’m so haPPY TO CELEBRATE THIS WITH YOU

i wasn’t gonna ask for a ship thing because i had no idea what i’d even say about myself but i finally thought of something!!

alright so i’ve gotten hyperfixated on a lot of things: pete wentz, musicals (hamilton and in the heights especially), painting, film photography, journaling, sylvia plath (i blame year 12 literature for that), it swings between marvel and star wars nowadays, but my biggest of all, bob ross.

it got so bad that i began to stick bob ross pictures at the most unreachable heights at my high school—i even had a cult following, with people i didn’t even know doing it too. at one point a bunch of guys in my class retaliated with anti bob pictures, but i was too powerful. i once enlisted the tallest guy in school to put up a picture, and even then i had him standing ON A CHAIR ON TOP OF A TABLE. i even learned how to dismantle and reassemble the classroom clocks so i could put bob ross pictures inside. i never got caught, and now i tutor at the school and every week i see the same bob ross’ in the corridor., the top of the classroom’s, etc, 150+ pictures of bob ross had been put up by me or one of my followers. that is my legacy. do with that what you will.

love, anna ❤️❤️

A HUNDRED YEARS LATER MY LOVEEEEEEEEE. so we were talking and i got really excited for you to read this shitty thing i made for you so here it is i love you i would ship you with absolutely everyone if I could.

BUT SURPRISE HERE'S THE SNIPPET I PROMISED YOU

okay babe this is NOT just because I know how much u love wolffe but,,,,,,,,

✨ wolffe ✨

i think u and wolffe would like,,, help each other grow, come out from your comfort zones and all.

and. I mean, i feel like you're the opposite of wolffe so you would learn so much from each other. like. at first wolffe hated musicals with his life. comet watched mamma mia once and wolffe saw that scene where tanya is singing does your mother know and wolffe wanted to shoot himself (if you ask me. is one of the most iconic scenes but whatever wolffe)

he just didn't see the point in those movies, and it's more music than dialogues anyways, why would anyone wants to watch a 2 hour long music video?

but then you came around, with your pretty smile and excited eyes and Hamilton just dropped, and you are watching it together. he doesn't have it in himself to tell you he fucking despises musicals.

but hey les mis is actually good and– okay. it's not THAT bad and he thinks that's that. and before he knows it he's watching all the musicals he can.

he cried with la la land's ending. and hey the guy from moulin rouge looks a lot like general kenobi. and corpse bride is his favorite and grease is not that bad but he doesn't like sandy. and his comfort movie suddenly became the rocky horror picture show.

he likes to watch Hamilton the most, but only if it's with you, and sometimes he finds himself quietly singing along.

AND OKAY THE WHOLE BOB ROSS THINGY. wolffe would a 100% support you with your wild obsession and just like me, he would NEVER let you live that down. MUCH MORE because this one time he smuggled you into both the jedi temple AND the GAR barracks just so you could stick your 8274288428 stickers of bob ross EVERYWHERE. he actually helped you with a few in the medbay AND the clones' locker rooms in the temple.

wolffe asked fox to do this one favor for him and there's the biggest sticker of bob ross' face in the ceiling of the chancellor's office and no one knows how it got there nor how to get it out because one corrie tried to do it and he got to get the shoulder off but it broke and the glue got stuck on the ceiling so they decided to leave it there. palpatine hates it. the corrie guard loves it. the jedi loves it. everybody wins.

wolffe's favorite times are when you read to him whatever, he mostly likes the poems because they make his heart ache and most of them remind him of you anyways.

this happens a lot when you're both having some lazy days, just cuddled together and you're looking at your datapan and he's two minutes away from falling asleep, your heartbeat is his lullaby along with the fingers running down his back. you hum at some point, and he frowns because you don't say anything else, so he's forced to look up, sleepy eyes looking at your concentrated ones.

"what is it?" he asks, you shake your head.

"'s nothing." but he doesn't go back to lay on your chest, instead he just stays there, looking at you with a little softness that melts your heart. "just a poem." he hums, satisfied, his ear goes back to press against the fabric of your shirt –his blacks.

"read it to me."

"[...]

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,

And arbitrary blackness gallops in:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed.

And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

[...]"

when you finish you tilt your head just the slightest to try and see his face. he's got his eyes closed, but you know he's not asleep as his fingers gently brush the skin of your side. he hums.

this one too, reminds him of you. and funny thing, how the heart works, for it reminds you of him.

"it's nice," he says, sleepy words holding back the emotions the little poem made him feel. his heart thumping in his chest feels like it's about to spill something he doesn't want to say just yet.

you nod, nails scratching the little, freshly cut hairs at the nape.

"it is," you answer calmly. and there's more to those words that the two of you let on. "wanna hear another one?"

his nod is lazy, and you smile when he snuggles closer, his nose almost touching your neck. there's this warmth, that comes not only from wolffe's body heat, but because of the feeling that he brings, too.

(that's actually my most favorite fragment of mad girl's love song aka the only poem i know of sylvia plath aka one of my favorite poems in the whole world)

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 15

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

——————————————————————————————

Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

————————————————————————————

With the crickets humming in the background, Boil, Faven, and Hyewon continued to carry the boxes underneath the wet rainforest, their armours and inner soaked. Hyewon is no stranger to rain, but she felt her legs were wobbly and her arms and shoulders aching since she had been trekking since late afternoon.

She has never been on a scouting mission before, and being in a strange environment, Hyewon will have to get used to the purple rainforest for a few days. On one hand, she was entranced with the natural beauty around her, which could only be seen in a priceless painting in a senator’s office. But she also hated the humidity surrounding her.

Despite the dark clouds above her, Hyewon felt her skin underneath her armour was sticky and itchy. She was tempted to scratch her back, but not when she was wearing her Corrie Guard armour. Besides, she felt her bladder was full, waiting to be emptied.

“Are we there yet?” she panted.

“We’re almost there,” Boil said in a stretchy voice. “Just hang in there.”

“You got it.”

“This is taking too long,” Faven complained. “We should just sit down or something.”

“I second with Faven. I really need to use the bathroom right now.”

Boil nodded in agreement, letting them drop the box on the muddy ground. Faven breathed in relief as Hyewon gave a thumb up to Boil, leaning against a tree bark.

“Shouldn’t you be going right now?” he raised one of his eyebrows.

“I need to rest my legs first,” answered Hyewon, removing her helmet. “Then I’ll answer nature’s call.”

“Well, that sounds fancy,” Faven smirked. “Where did you learn that from?”

“The prisoner I used to guard was excellent in poetry. His poems were romantic, if you ask me. You will feel swooned after reading one of his works.”

“So why was the poet in jail in the first place?” Boil asked, taking a sip from his canteen. “What did he do?”

“He murdered his girlfriend in anger,” Hyewon told them, much to their horror. “He said that his emotions were out of control, but honestly, I don’t buy it.”

“In that case, I will never date a poet in the future, no matter how romantic he seems,” Faven reminded herself, keeping her two fingers intact. “For all I know, he could plan to kill me in my sleep. But if it’s a woman poet, then I would put on my wedding dress after the first date.”

“Okay then, I respect your taste in your future spouse,” the purple-haired clone stood up. “I’ll be peeing in that tree over there, so just don’t look at me while I’m doing it, okay?”

“You have our words, vod,” Boil showed his pinky finger to his sister, as he watched her walk past them, leaving them alone together. “I like her. Can we keep her on the 212th?”

“If Cody is okay with it,” Faven lifted her shoulders. “But I think she’s a cool person to hang out with. Plus, she had gorgeous hair. Like, what is her secret to having her hairstyle?”

“I wonder if I could get a hair dye like Hyewon. I always wanted to colour my hair blond, or maybe even blue.”

The frizzy-haired let out a bellow, slapping her thighs. “No offence, Boil, but you would look terrible in dyed hair.”

“Oh, come on,” he throws his arms in the air. “Crys had blond hair, and he looked good.”

“It matches his personality. For you, well, it’s best to stick with your natural colours.”

“Whatever, you dyed your hair orange.”

“It’s sunset orange, Boil,” Faven raised her tone. “There’s a difference between orange and sunset orange.”

Boil could only blink, trying to differentiate between orange and sunset orange. To him, orange is orange. It doesn’t matter what kind of shade it was, as long as it’s in the same colour family. I honestly can’t tell the difference between those two colours.

He does envy Faven’s orange hair, since it matched her style. She could pull off other hair colours, but she sticks with the same colour, since it matched with their official colour, yellow. Yellow and orange go well with each other.

Maybe she has a point, Boil stroked his fancy moustache. I would be better off with my natural hair colour.

After a few minutes of waiting, Hyewon returned from her personal business, grabbing her helmet. “We should go now,” she gestured towards the box they had to carry. “We don’t want to keep Commander Thire and Cody waiting.”

“You got it, Hye,” Boil gave a small salute, as the three of them continued to carry the box of weapons and rations with their combined strength. Nothing will stop them from carrying out their duties for the three of them.

Their surroundings were peaceful, with the larks singing in the trees and the rainbow-coloured flowers blooming among the leaves and shrubs. This differed from the scenery Hyewon had seen on Coruscant, which barely had any flora or fauna, except for the Grand Park. She couldn’t complain, though. She would kill to live in a place like this.

Faven is indifferent. She had been to many planets, and no matter what colour the sky was, or what animals that lived on the planet, it’s all the same for her. Either her comrades survived or they died in the battle in the end. There’s no in-between for her. That’s what she was made for by the Kaminoans. An expendable soldier that outlived its usefulness.

I wish I would have gotten killed, instead of Amala, she thought about her best friend, looking at the flowers. She would have loved this planet, since it matched her hair and her aesthetics.

Amala always loved anything related to the colour pink. Faven felt sorry that she could never experience life ahead of her. Her friend always dreamed of living in a candy store after the war ended. Faven used to have a similar dream like that until it died in Quill. She dreamed about resting on a hammock on a tropical island, but it will never come true.

“Do you think the rest of them made it on time?” Hyewon wondered, glancing at the treetop. “I don’t hear guns being fired anymore.”

“Hopefully they do,” Boil yearned. “I’m sure they succeeded with the first waves of battle droids.”

“Wait, those were only the first batch?” exclaimed Hyewon. “How many more do we have to fight?”

“A lot,” Faven spoke. “We have to fight hundreds and thousands of droids in every battle we face. It’s a lot, but you’ll get used to it.”

“Oh my goodness, I can’t imagine fighting that many droids. How do you guys still live, anyway?”

“We were lucky, though I never asked to survive every battle. Trust me, it’s much worse than death.”

Boil slowed down on his steps as he took a quick glimpse of his sister. Faven used to be cheerful, but the war hardened her, just like Commander Cody. It would be nice if he could see her smile for one last time.

As they arrived at the midpoint, the trio placed the box down and scanned their area, which was unoccupied by their troops. There were only similar-looking trees and shrubs, nothing else. Boil looked at the sky, which was darkening. “Where is everyone?”

“I’m not so sure,” Faven doubted. “General Kenobi and Commander Cody are never late.”

“I could say the same for Commander Thire and Stone,” Hyewon acknowledged their concern, turning to her brother. “Are you sure we’re in the right place? I feel we may be further away from our rendezvous point.”

“According to the map, this is the exact coordinates the commander gave,” he showed through his holographic device.

“Something is not right.”

And unfortunately, the Coruscant Guard was right. Before they could speculate among themselves, the Imperial battle droids popped out from the bushes with their weapons pointed towards them. “Freeze, Republic dogs.”

“Oh, fuck me,” Faven cussed, loading her blaster.

[redrobinhoods]

Sticks and Stones | Chapter 4, one real thing

AO3 Link | 1,900 words (approx) | Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 5

A/N: This was going to be the second to last chapter and now it isn't. A little kinder slice of life is planned for the next chapter before the end of the fic. Still have some events mentioned in other fics I want to fit in here.

Chapter Summary: Stone checks in on Fox- and Senator Chuchi- while he is recovering.

Two days, later, Fox was back. While it would take a little longer for him to be cleared for return to active duty, he was to resume his other work in the meantime. Stone could hear the slight commotion in the main offices when Fox entered, a few minutes after he himself had settled into his chair with a cup of caf, but he waited a few minutes to allow Fox to settle in as well before going to check on him.

When Stone opened the door to Fox’s office, he found Senator Chuchi already inside. He had expected that. What he hadn’t expected was for her to be signing a pile of flimsiwork with a near exact replica of Fox’s signature.

“Commander Stone!” She chirped at him as he entered.

“Senator Chuchi.” He greeted, looking past her to where Fox was slumped over, propped up on his elbow, reading through a datapad. He looked exhausted.

“Please, Commander Stone. Would you call me Riyo?”

Stone felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. She couldn’t have just asked him that. ‘Riyo’ was Fox’s name for her, not his. “Why?”

“You’ve been a dear comfort to me as of the past few months. Much too dear for you to formally address me in moments like this.” She smiled up at him before turning back to the flimsiplast before her. Stone watched over her shoulder as her fingers directed the writing instrument in her hand into another near perfect replica of Fox’s signature. “Commander?” She prodded when she didn’t get a response, and that was when it clicked for Stone.

“If I can call you Riyo, you can just call me Stone, ma’am.”

“Okay, Stone.”

“Okay, Riyo.” It felt forbidden, but so, technically, was Riyo’s love for his brother.

She looked back at him with a smile before returning to the flimsi before her.

The moment gone, Stone turned his gaze back to Fox. “Are you okay?”

“I’m great.” Fox rasped. “Why do you ask?”

“You look like some being tied you to the back of their speeder and drove circles in a swamp for a few hours with you dragging behind like a shiny in the heat.” Stone made his way around the desk to Fox’s side, taking off a glove as he did so that he could press the back of his hand to Fox’s cheek. “I’m surprised you don’t have a fever.”

“Let me guess, I’ve got more colors in my face than a varactyl feather?”

“Something like that.” Stone chuckled. “Keep your helmet on if you talk to Thire later. He doesn’t need to worry about you right now.”

“Is Commander Thire okay?” Riyo asked with worry in her voice.

“In confidence, Sen- Riyo, the Chancellor has been very demanding as of late. It’s wearing him down.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” She pressed, and Stone could understand why Fox adored her so. He couldn’t imagine most senators would so genuinely want to help a clone.

Fox solemnly shook his head. “We’ll take care of him, Ri.”

“I’ll let you know if we can’t get more lysinate.” Stone gave her what he hoped was an understanding smile. “It helps the headaches to a degree.”

“Is lysinate the strongest drug you have?”

Stone avoided a direct answer to her question. “It takes the edge off. And we need to be deployable at a moment’s notice. I think Fox is on the strongest drug I’ve ever seen at the moment.”

“His prescription isn’t classified as a strong painkiller.” Riyo protested.

“It is for clones.” Fox shrugged. “Just a flesh wound.”

“I saw your guts, Fox. We both did.” Stone scoffed. “That’s not a just flesh wound.”

“Well, both of my intestines are apparently still in one piece so I would classify this as a flesh wound. It’s my injury, Stone. I get to decide how bad it is.”

“That’s not how it works, Fox.” Riyo laughed before turning her head in Stone’s direction. “Has he always been like this?”

“As long as I’ve known him. I feel sorry for his batchmates back on Kamino, having to live with him all the time.” Though Fox began to protest, Stone continued. “The first memory I have of Fox was listening to him and Wolffe argue from halfway across the training center. I never had a good opinion of him until Geonosis. Nothing brings us clones together like almost dying. I suppose that may have been intentional.”

“Stone fought at my side on Geonosis.” Fox explained. “Our regiments were placed side by side in the battle. He helped me drag Thire out of there, actually.”

“He was hurt?” Riyo asked.

“It’s why he and Thorn ended up running security; they were the most injured of the Corrie Guard officers who survived.” Stone sighed. “It feels like it was longer than three years ago.”

Riyo nodded her agreement. “Feels like the war has been going on forever.”

“It’s going to end soon.” Fox said. “Something’s about to happen, I can feel it.”

“We can only hope it’s the end.” Stone clasped Fox’s shoulder for a moment before stepping away. “I should get back to work.”

Riyo rose from her chair and stepped towards Stone. She held out her arms, waiting for Stone to initiate the hug by stepping towards her before she wrapped her arms around him. “It was good to see you.”

“You too.” Stone murmured out of instinct. This was a new form of intimacy for him. It took the albeit short walk back to his office for him to realize what form of intimacy it was. Friendship. Stone had never had friends before, only lovers and brothers. The feeling would take some time to adjust to.

---

Stone tossed his helmet onto his bed when he returned to the barracks that evening. Fox would be spending the night with Riyo, it would just be him and Thire tonight. He could hear the water in the refresher running and decided to join Thire while there was still hot water left.

“Have you successfully melted the skin off your back yet?” Stone laughed when the wave of steam hit him as he opened the door. A hot shower after a long day was the only form of therapy they could get that didn’t come in the form of other beings or drinks. Stone didn’t think about Thire’s lack of answer until he turned around from shutting the door. “Thire?”

For a moment, the man on the floor before him was Thorn, laying in a pool of blood. Then it wasn’t. With the imagined blood gone, he ran to Thire’s side.

“Thire. Thire!” Stone pulled Thire’s head up into his arms as he looked over Thire’s body for injury. Finding none and getting no response he reached down to check for a pulse, letting out a sob of relief when he found it. “What happened to you, kid?” He murmured as he gently set Thire back on the floor so that he could turn off the tap and fetch a towel.

When Thire was wrapped up in his towel, Stone gathered him in his arms and carried him out of the refresher to lay him down on his bed. Thire didn’t stir when Stone set him down on the hard mattress, nor when Stone sat beside him and gently ran his fingers through his hair. It was only after a few minutes had passed that he stirred under Stone’s touch.

“Hey, kid.” Stone continued to run his fingers through Thire’s hair when he saw how his brother unconsciously leaned into it as he came to.

“What happened?” Thire managed.

“I found you on the ground in the ‘fresher. I thought you-.” Stone’s voice broke and he couldn’t finish the thought.

“Like Thorn.”

“Yes.”

Thire’s eyes turned away from Stone’s, up towards the ceiling. “I am so sorry. I never- I couldn’t put you and Fox through that again.”

“It’s okay, kid. I’m just glad to have you back with me.” Stone reached down with his free hand and clasped Thire’s hand in his, running his thumb in small circles on the back of Thire’s hand. “What happened to you?”

“I must’ve passed out.” Thire’s gaze turned back to Stone. “Maybe the water was too hot and my blood pressure dropped too quickly?”

“Guess you’ll have to stop taking hot showers then.”

Thire’s face broke into a tired smile. “Never.” They sat in silence for a minute before Thire spoke again. “Stone, could you grab my clothes?”

“Yeah.” Stone rose from Thire’s side to reach up for the clothes that dangled from the storage cubby above the bed. “Do you want help?”

“Stone, if I can’t get my greys on then I should probably retire.”

Stone laughed with him as he stepped back to put a fresh pair of his own blacks on. When he turned back around, Thire had managed to get the pants of his blacks on and throw the towel onto the ground. “Do you want a shirt?”

Thire shook his head. “Too constricting. Stone?”

“Thire?”

“Could you hold-.” Thire stopped, biting his lip. He didn’t want to appear weak. Even in just Stone’s presence, the pressure that the Kaminoans had placed on them to be perfect could be felt.

“Of course, Thire.” Stone crossed the room back to Thire’s bed, playfully pushing Thire over so that he could lay down beside him. “Come ‘ere.” He pulled Thire back over to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and tucking Thire’s head under his chin. “Fox thinks that the war is ending soon. When it does, we’ll have a new chancellor, maybe even one you won’t be allergic to. Everything is going to be alright, Thire.”

“I know, Stone. I know.”

---

When Stone woke the next morning, he found Thire’s head still laying on his arm as his younger brother dozed. Despite the numbness in his forearm, Stone stayed still, watching the rise and fall of Thire’s chest. Though Thire was only a month younger than him and he hadn’t been through the stressors that those made to be commanders had, he looked older than Fox did already with his brow furrowed even in sleep. The end of the war had to come soon. But sooner than the end of the war was the time they had to report in by.

“Thire.” Stone murmured.

His brother’s eyes opened on the first mention of his name and he sat up so that Stone could roll out of bed. When Stone came back from the refresher, Thire had already assembled his armor and was reading over a datapad. When he caught Stone’s gaze, Thire turned off the datapad and tossed it back into one of the drawers under his bed. “Do you mind if I borrow Jek and Rys today?”

“Go for it. They’re your batchmates.”

“They’re your men.”

Stone shrugged before bending over to pull his boots on. “I know how close you three are. Besides, I’m not going to have enough work to go around today.”

“Thanks, Stone, for everything.” When Stone couldn’t think of a response, Thire waited patiently for him to finish assembling his armor before falling into step at his side as they stepped back into the barracks.

[thebibliomancer]

Song of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 28

Song of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because after all of that, Kylan finally has a bell-bird bone to make a super-duper magical firca out of.

Last times on book: Kylan, Naia, Tavra (stuck in a spider), and new party member Amri saved the Grottan Clan from millions of angry spiders who wanted their caves back. Also, the spiders got their caves back. Good compromise. They also trapped skekLi the Skeksis Satirist on top of a mushroom and found a bell-bird bone so Kylan can make a special flute that will help warn all Gelfling about the Skeksis drinking them. Everything is coming up Kylan, really. All he has to do now is make a magical firca he has no idea how to make and come up with a warning.

Chapter 28

Kylan makes a magic firca. And gets lethally embarrassed by Amri.

As Team Kylan is leaving the corrie, they find urVa standing watch dramatically.

The Archer’s mane danced in the wind where it was not tied back in braids and topknot, and he faced the direction of the breeze to take its scent.

The most dramatic urRu? Maybe.

Naia asks urVa if they’ll see him when they come out but he tells them no.

“I traveled this far in search of my others, little Drenchen,” he replied. “I found one, but it seems he will stay here. I must move on. We will meet again. Someday.”

“Are you all right? We fought skekMal... I was worried we would harm you as well.”

urVa shook his head. When he did, the wind blew his mane from his face, and Kylan saw a wound on his cheek and eye, in the same place where he’d struck skekMal in the Dark Wood.

“What is done is done. The suns turn.”

You’re a chill guy, urVa.

urVa gets ready to head out but asks the Gelfling that if they see any of his “urRu others” to tell them to meet him in the valley.

Huh! So the urRu are all just kind of spread out and urVa is seeking them. I think in the show’s conception of things, the urRu tended to gravitate toward the Valley anyway and the Wanderer was the Wanderer because he’s the one who stood away longest.

The Gelfling find themselves in another tunnel, although a short, well-lit one and as they go Naia muses out loud about the state of things.

“The Skeksis live together in the castle... They have power there, because of the Crystal, and because they are all in one place. The Mystics are alone. We found urVa trapped in the Cradle-Tree. urLii was in the Tomb of Relics. They had power over skekLi with their song... but only because he was outnumbered. If all the Skeksis were to overtake urVa alone, or urLii... if they all came to rescue skekLi, and only urLii was here to guard him...”

“But if the Skeksis come to get skekLi, they’ll have to defeat urLii, right?” Amri asked. He held up two fingers in parallel. “But if they defeat urLii, then won’t skekLi also be defeated? Right?”

“Either way,” Kylan put in hastily, “urLii stayed behind by his own will. He seemed confident he could contain skekLi safely. We have no choice but to trust him. We have our own journey.”

So this is something I’ve been thinking about since Aughra said what she said about how Skeksis and Mystics could counter each other.

Its very unequal! The Skeksis have a bunch of societal power, the Crystal, a sweet castle, and strength in numbers! The evil that Skeksis do is therefore a lot greater than the good that the Mystics do!

Anyway, the Mystics are pretty lucky that the Skeksis just avoid them out of sheer ‘ugh that guy!’

The Gelflings finally exit the caves and tunnels in a pretty beautiful area.

The mountains here were soft and undulating, not jagged and rocky. The air was clear, blowing flurries of leaves and sometimes white and pink petals by, and Kylan thought he heard the sound of chimes. It was beautiful and gold and green, but the scene left something to be desired. Kylan frowned deeply. Their belongings were back at the entrance to Tide Pass, including the Book of Raunip, the pearl amulet, and Tavra’s sword. The others were quiet, too. No one wanted to be the first to bring up the subject, but it was too important. They couldn’t just leave their things, not with the journey they had ahead.

But Naia sees an arrow sticking out of the ground which makes her burst out laughing.

Cool guy that urVa is, at some point he found their stuff and moved it over here for them to save them a trip. Nice!

Really streamlining this part of the narrative, urVa!

Kylan retrieves the Book of Raunip, turns to the section about Gyr’s Firca, and gets really in the zone!

He forgets all the terrors and troubles of the past couple days, all the worries and wounds accumulated, and even forgets his cool friends as they give him space and quiet to work in.

All he saw were the sketches of the firca and the hope it had to offer. It was like every other firca he’d ever seen or played, with one mouthpiece, which split into a fork. The pipes on either end of the fork were carved with three finger holes, one for each finger when held properly in two hands. Firca were made out of many materials, each with a slightly different voice. Most were carved from a single piece of wood, though many were made from forced reeds. The Sifa were known to make theirs from the prongs of welhorn shells, and their firca’s voices came with the ghostly roars of ocean waves. The firca was the most common Gelfling instrument, and perhaps one of the simplest, yet the many materials used in its creation also made it one of the most varied. It could play single notes as well as harmonies, while still being small enough to dangle around one’s neck.

That’s so many firca in one segment.

I’m glad that we’re getting background on the importance of the firca to Gelfling culture but its a bit funny to me that its coming at the very end of the story after all this journeying to find a special firca. Although it makes sense for it to happen now because Kylan has the bone and he’s pondering the enormity of the task.

The bell-bird bone is already forked and a little bigger than your av-er-age wooden firca. Kylan feels lucky that Amri found the Last Bell-Bird Bone in the entire mountain and that it happened to be the correct shape and not broken.

A single bone could have been used to make a flute but Kylan decides that a single flute wouldn’t have had the same impact, remembering joining urVa and urLii’s song.

No, a pipe or flute would not have been the same. The firca was special. It could play two notes at once, leaving room for a third. What that third voice was, Kylan didn’t know, but he felt instinctively that it had to do with the legend of the bell-bird. The birds that sang and the mountains sang back. Perhaps, if the bell-birds sang with two notes, it was Thra itself that sang the third part. Perhaps the firca was so valued by the Gelfling because it left a place for the very voice of Thra.

Rule of Three: the planet.

Kylan doesn’t even have any tools to sand the bone or carve the holes but he knows that if he doesn’t make the firca now, he’ll lose his courage to even try. What with it being an irreplaceable only bone left in existence.

SO HE USES DREAM-ETCHING

My god, it just keeps getting more and more versatile a skill!

It was established that dream-etching put out a lot of heat since it basically just burns things into surfaces. So Kylan just focuses the heat of dream-etching onto the surface of his thumb and rubs the jagged edge where the bone broke and he just sands it smooth with dream-etching heat!

Amazing!

The vibration of the etching heat made the bone sing in a high, resonant key.

Also, amazing.

Kylan takes all afternoon and until Naia returns with dinner.

Naia looked over his shoulder, and he opened his hands. Lying in his lap was a white firca, sculpted and smoothed to the finest detail. He hardly remembered making it, or at least, he recalled none of the moments. As his head cleared from the focus, he realized he had gone into a kind of trance. His fingers were blistered and sore, but the product of his dedication was perfect, as if he had transformed the bell-bird bone into the instrument it had always been meant to be.

Naia declares it beautiful and Tavra agrees, adding that she wished she still had Gelfling ears so she could hear him play. Because when he played the bone, it sent her flopping to the floor.

Kylan apologizes again for turning her into a spider but she’s having nothing of it.

“If you hadn’t, I would be dead. And I would not have had the chance to see the two of you succeed as you have. For this, I am only grateful... Stop berating yourself for doing the things your heart calls you to do.”

You’re a good, Tavra.

Amri cooks dinner and puts one of his alchemical pastes on the fish Naia caught which causes Naia and Kylan a Concern but it turns out enjoyable.

Kylan hangs the bone firca around his neck because after going through this whole Song of the Dark Crystal book to get it, its his most precious possession and he’s not letting it out of his grasp.

While they eat, Naia suddenly remembers that note Kylan gave Tavra and then Amri and asks what was in it. Hey, tying up that loose end!

Kylan tries to say that hey that loose end doesn’t matter lets forget about it! but Amri saved the note and he pulls it out and dodges Kylan’s attempt to stop him from reading it.

“Dear Tavra,” he began to read. Kylan interrupted in a hurry, hoping to drown out Amri’s reading.

“I guessed that whatever was controlling Tavra couldn’t read. That it couldn’t read the note on the rock wall, so it had the spiders try to conceal the message -”

“... I write to you on behalf of Naia, and Gurjin, and those others whom you have helped since leaving Ha’rar on an errand for the All-Maudra...”

“- I had to test it, so I used -”

“I know it must be very difficult for you, having been betrayed by the Skeksis in the most painful ways. I wanted to let you know that we all care for you and that, should you need us...”

“So I used what I had on hand...”

But there was no stopping Amri, so Kylan put his face in his hands and waited for it to end. Amri stood before Tavra, Naia, and all the stars and moons above, reading for all to hear:

“... simply call on us. For especially I admire your courage and your loyalty to all that is good and right, and even if I’m unable to put these sentiments into words to say to you directly, I wanted at least to give to you this promise in words that stay. Your friend, Kylan.”

Oh my gooooooooood, the boy really did it! He wrote his feelings in a letter so he wouldn’t stumble over his words! This precious bean! This poor, mortified Gelf! Everyone’s grinning at him!

Naia is saying that she’d learn to read just so she could read it if Kylan ever wrote her anything “sticky-sweet” like that.

This poor boy!

Kylan justifies that after he saw “Tavra” talking with a Skeksis he needed to be sure whether it was Tavra or not so he gave her this letter that he’d prepared ahead of time. It’s such a personal note that if it were Tavra and she could read, she’d definitely react to it.

Tavra finally pipes up, after sitting silently as poor Kylan was mortified to death, to agree that it was a clever plan.

I’m thinking that she didn’t want to pile on so she just stuck with the narrative Kylan is trying to emphasize.

Despite his conviction that she would have reacted to his letter had she been able to decipher it at the time, the All-Maudra’s daughter showed no reaction now. Kylan wasn’t sure which he preferred.

This poor boy!

And when Kylan fished the letter out of the fire and gave it to Amri, he knew something was up because no way would a Vapran princess be illiterate.

The topic changes to Kylan’s relief, so he brings up his ideas for the Big Message that this whole quest has been about.

He’s been thinking a lot about it. They can’t just use a normal message because Skeksis can read Gelfing but not all Gelfling can read Gelfling. How vexing. But urLii reminded him of dream-stitching in the Tomb of Relics.

So his idea is to dream-stitch the message into some innocuous symbol that the Skeksis won’t notice but a Gelfling will get a dream-fast when they touch it.

And since he accidentally dream-stitched “the dream of her mind to the spider’s body” he’s prettyyyyy sure he can do it.

“I will deliver the message that begins our fight against the Skeksis.”

Heck yeah, Kylan!

So with that so declared and the final chapter of this book setup, the party sleeps under the stars. Although Kylan has trouble sleeping because there’s so much anticipation for the following day.

A blade of grass moved to the side near his cheek. It was the only sign that Tavra had joined him, silently picking her way across the tips of the grass as he might hop along the pathway stones in Sami Thicket. She said nothing, balancing on the stalk of a grassflower like a tiny, delicate acrobat.

He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. There was simply a shared quiet - an acceptance - and then she left, not one word spoken.

When I first read this bit, I got so mad. I thought Tavra was going to leave the group, just vanish in the night because spider and so Kylan could play the bone firca without worrying about the effect on her. I was like TAVRA C’MON WE KEEP LOSING PARTY MEMBERS!

But on another pass, I think this is Tavra accepting his letter and his sentiments.

Aww, friends.

[clonecest-bin-account]

Ner vod

Relationship: Fox & Tailor (OC)

Rating: G

@transwomankyloren commissioned me to write something about Fox and his OC Tailor. Thank you so much for commissioning me, it was very fun to write!

AO3 link

“Life in the Guard isn't easy, but at least the vode can count on each other's support.”

Being a Corrie isn’t easy, despite what the vode may think, but even if you try to explain it to them, most of them won’t even listen. Fox knows, he’s tried it already; at least his batch takes him seriously, even though they can’t help but to sneak in a few jokes about it from time to time. Fox always tries to take them in good jest, but sometimes their words come back haunting him during the most difficult times.

What he would like, when it comes to this matter, is for Tailor to understand it too. This is already the fifth time in that month that he has to personally drag her out of 79’s because she was about to start a fight with some random vod whom she overheard talking shit about them.

“I wasn’t going to do anything!” she exclaims once they’re far enough to stop. “I just wanted them to understand!”

“I know you, you were going to make them understand with your fists,” Fox replies, taking none of her shit.

 At least he doesn’t comment on the irony of this: she’s always the first one to scold the fools she has to patch up because of these bar scuffles, and now she almost got involved in one. He doesn’t say anything about this only because it would make her even more mad and that’s not what he wants at the moment - he’s storing this bit for the next time she’ll tell some poor shiny not to get involved in these things.

She might act all no-nonsense and stern around the shinies, but she still loves the Guard dearly, and she’d do anything to protect them, like each one of them does. After all, if not even your brothers are with you, what else can you do if not stick with each other? At least they are a pretty cohesive group.

His gaze softens and he puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s head back, ner vod, shall we?”

She doesn’t say anything but she nods, following Fox back home. Well, it’s not exactly a home per se, but it’s the closest they have - and probably will ever have - to it, so might as well call it that. The truth is that she’s not talking about the buildings, no, she’s talking about the Guard, about the rest of her vode. They are her true home, but she refuses to say it out loud to them; she has a reputation to uphold after all, she can’t allow people to see her soft side.

Fox isn’t just a random somebody, however; she trusts him enough to let her façade crumble, even for a small amount of time.

 It’s subtle at first, just a brush of their hands together, then Tailor goes to grab Fox’s, squeezing to the point that it hurts even with the gauntlets still on.

Despite this, Fox doesn’t point it out, doesn’t point out anything at all. What he does, instead, is to squeeze her hand as well.

“I’m here. I got you. I love you.” That’s what that gesture says. There’s no need for words, just silent companionship.

 Once they’ll get back, they’ll probably have to go their separate ways, but it doesn’t matter for now. They have each other’s back and they will keep things that way.

Even if they might not have the support of the rest of their brothers’ at least they have their own. They can always count on that.

  “Prison duty again, huh?” Foxtail mutters as she’s reviewing Fox’s schedule. She’s not supposed to have his datapad, but they were chilling inside Fox’s office during one of his rare moments of break and once she set her sights on it there was no stopping her.

Fox nods at her words, wordlessly, which to Tailor is most suspicious, because Fox hates guard duty and never wastes any chance to make it well known. The fact that he’s not saying anything means that he must’ve put himself there to escape from a bad situation - since nobody ever bothers with the clones stationed for prison duty - something that doesn’t happen much often to him, but it does for other officers that are a little less “polite” around the wrong people.

Knowing that she’ll have the drag the truth out of him, she asks:

“What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Fox lies, and if Tailor hadn’t known him as well as she does, she would’ve missed the way his body tenses just for a moment, before Fox hops off the desk and begins pacing, a clear sign of nervousness. “I just had a… disagreement, with a Senator.”

“How big of a disagreement?” Tailor asks. That doesn’t bode well at all.

“… I might’ve insulted him.”

Tailor’s blood goes cold in her veins as she hears those words.

“What?”

“It’s not as bad as you think!” Fox immediately says. “He’s been complaining about the ‘excessive security’, his words not mine, because he was forced to be followed by an escort and eventually I told him that this is our job so we know better than him.”

This has to be the short version of the story, but at the moment this isn’t what worries Tailor more.

“I know what you’re about to say, I know I was wrong,” Fox continues, “I just--”

He’s shaking more and more as he goes on. Tailor needs to act now. She gets up from the chair she kindly stole from Fox since the moment she set foot in there and she approaches him; only once she’s sure she’s not going to make things worse by doing this she wraps her arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

 “It’s going to be fine,” she says, trying to sound certain despite how much she too is afraid. “They’re not going to send you back to Kamino, alright?”

Fox nods, but he’s still unconvinced. This calls for a keldabe, which of course Tailor drags him into.

“The Guard would be lost without its Commander and you know it. They wouldn’t take away such a useful asset.”

What she just said is cold, very cold, but it’s also their unfortunate truth. Besides, Tailor knows this will get Fox more than any reassuring words, no matter how well-intentioned they might be. This time in fact he looks more convinced when he speaks.

“I know it’s just… Well… You know.”

“I do,” she says, unable to hold back her bitterness at that statement. It’s not easy to live with the knowledge that your life is disposable and that it takes very little for anyone to get sent back and get decommissioned. Still, they can’t let that fear overtake them.

 At least now Fox’s smiling, although sheepishly.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that, ner vod,” he says. Tailor rolls her eyes at him.

“Oh come on don’t go there now. How many times did I tell you it’s fine, you stupid di’kut?” she replies. By now Fox should know that he can count on her, but he’s still stubborn enough to always try to carry the entire weight of the Guard all on his shoulders, like Coruscant would fall if he so much decides to take a break.

It would be too easy if he just stopped with his workaholic tendencies, but it’s fine. Well, it’s not, but at least he can count on Tailor to keep him in check.

She’ll always make sure that he takes care of himself.

  Sometimes Tailor can’t help but to wonder if her brothers who are deployed in the war and not stationed in Coruscant get the same treatment they get: are they always treated as heroes by the inhabitants of the worlds they save, or are they considered freaks by them too?

Not that she thought they were ever going to be considered heroes here on Coruscant - that’s just not how things work - but still people treat them as slaves. Well, that isn’t really that far from the truth now, isn’t it?

She shakes her head, deciding to go back to work instead of letting her traitorous mind wander into dangerous territories. What was she doing before getting lost in her own head? Ah, that’s right! She needed to compile requisition forms for more hypos.

One would think they’d get plenty of those since they’re medics, but that’s unfortunately not the case and…

 She hears an explosion, then her comm begins to beep furiously.

Something must’ve happened, something very bad.

 A bombing to the Senate is something they all know to expect - one of the training scenarios for the shinies is exactly this in fact - but to think that someone would bomb the Guard precinct is…

Why? Why would they do that to them, the people who live and die for this city? They’re already bleeding them dry, and now this?

Agh, there’s no time to get lost in her thoughts like this! She needs to check on the men!

The wall that has been bombed has crumbled, leaving some brothers under the rubble. Tailor anxiously waits for the relief efforts to begin retrieving them, ready to go immediately as soon as someone comes up. The key in these kinds of emergencies is quickness and fast reflexes: if it takes too long for her to act, she might lose the vod’s life she’s trying to save.

Even with the medics ready to operate however, not everyone survives. Some are even already dead at the retrieval, others die later.

This is the second vod that Tailor keeps close in her arms, trying to give them at least a bit of company before they eventually close their eyes and march on, and while she keeps asking herself why this has happened and what they are going to do now. There’s surely going to be an investigation, but she doubts it will produce any result: if it had been any other natborn building exploding, then people would have cared, but they are just clones, not enough to warrant a proper investigation.

 The body in her hands has already gone cold when she hears a familiar voice barking orders to the rest of the troopers. Kark.

As she gets up to follow the voice, she can’t help but to be glad that he was under the rubble, but this doesn’t mean that he wasn’t involved in the explosion in any way.

When Tailor finally reaches Fox in fact, she can’t help but to curse the fact that she had to take care of the injured ones first. Even though he doesn’t look injured, the poor vod’s shaking, even though he stubbornly acts like he’s not. Nobody has had the courage to point it out, at least until Tailor got there.

She didn’t even wait for him to acknowledge her presence before grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him away, knowing that there are other CCs that will take Fox’s place.

“Where are we going?” Fox asks. The fact that he’s not even trying to resist Tailor speaks volumes.

“Your office,” is the laconic response. There’s no need to say anything else.

 Once in Fox’s office, Tailor begins to do a medical check-up just to be sure, but Fox pushes her away.

“I’m fine! I just got there…” he says, but he begins choking on his own words.

Tailor draws him immediately into a hug, holding him tightly. His shaking worsens, and Tailor can hear the sound of sniffles coming from him, but she doesn’t say anything.

She lets him cry all he wants, and maybe she cries a bit too, who knows - she’s not going to tell. The despair this job gives them pours out all at once, with Tailor and Fox unable to do anything about it if not trying to support each other at the best of their abilities. That’s how things work in the Guard.

 Eventually they both stop, pulling away after what feels like an entire day, if not even more.

“Thank you, Foxtails,” Fox says, drying what remains of his tears with one hand. Foxtails, not Tailor.

She smiles.

“Anything for you, ner vod.”

At those words, even Fox manages a small smile as he replies to her.

“Anything for you too, ner vod.”