#i really wanted the assassin clone's helmet to be off as he crawled from the water

[fagdyk]

Im rapidly losing my patience with the TBB. Im not against slowburn threads, but at this point we have had three plot point where somebody is looking at someone but they dont show us who/what they're looking at

[wizardofrozz]

Commander Fox x Senator!reader, Commander Thorn, Padme Amidala, Riyo Chuchi, Original Clone Troopers

Word Count: ~1.8k

Warnings: swearing, smut 18+ (it’s only memories but still explicit), PiV, oral sex

A/N: This takes place in the same universe as Thorn’s fic but you don’t need to read that one for this to make sense (basically I just mention his partner from that fic)

Fox hated Thorn. 

Well, okay, not really, but at the moment he really disliked his brother. It was Thorn’s fault he was on guard duty for the senate’s Life Day party. Fox wasn’t even sure how he’d managed it but Thorn had done it. Which meant Fox was forced to stand guard, protecting the guests from possible assassins along with their own drunken stupidity. Because that’s exactly how he wanted to spend his night. Although, there was a bright side to his shitty post and it was standing a few feet off to his left. 

You were laughing with Senator Chuchi and Senator Amidala, a rarity when you were in the public eye. Fox quickly continued his scan of the room, reminding himself not to linger on you for too long. He caught of glimpse of Thorn at the opposite side of the room talking to one of your aids and he tapped the button on his wrist, activating a private com channel. 

         “Cut it short, Commander,” Fox ordered. He definitely didn’t get a sick kind of pleasure when Thorn stiffened. He watched the aid’s mouth twitch, their eyes darting toward him briefly before they stepped away, leaving Thorn alone again.

         “You’re mean,” Thorn grumbled. Even from across the room Fox saw him struggling not to cross his arms. 

         “I can’t enjoy being around mine, you can’t enjoy being around yours,” he stated, tilting his head, daring Thorn to challenge him. 

         “Spiteful,” Thorn huffed, shifting his weight.

         “Thanks,” Fox chirped happily, relishing in the eye roll he knew was hidden behind Thorn’s helmet. He continued his scan and checked in with Zero and Cayde who were standing out in the hall. Fox tried to tell himself it was his job but even he didn’t buy it when his eyes immediately locked onto where you were standing again. He supposed it was better than sitting around his office while you were at the party but having to watch you from afar was more irritating. You had moved to a table in his line of view, far enough that he couldn’t hear your conversation but close enough that he could see your face perfectly.

Fox had a bad feeling about this. 

Chuchi and Amidala were leaning in on either side of you to be heard over the din of the get-together but you didn’t seem terribly interested. Fox stiffened when your eyes slowly lifted, staring holes into his visor and a stifling heat bloomed under his skin at the look in your eyes. The subdued, professional smile you wore in public was still in place but your eyes seemed darker, hungry almost and it made Fox’s skin feel too tight. Amidala grabbed your attention, breaking the spell holding him hostage and for a split second, Fox thought his knees might buckle. 

         “You alright, Commander?” Thorn asked but there was something off about his voice. 

         “Fine,” Fox grumbled, shuffling his feet and twisting his head from side to side. He went back to checking the weak points in the room but the feeling of eyes on him made his skin crawl. The next time he looked back at your table, you weren’t the only one watching him. Chuchi and Amidala’s eyes were trained on him too, flashing him uncharacteristically mischievous smiles before they looked away again. Fox didn’t like the attention to begin with but now he felt like the butt of a joke at the hands of the woman he loved. 

His eyes darted back to your face and that’s when he noticed your hands moving, drawing his attention. You were carefully unwrapping what you had told him the other day was a candy cane, specifically a regular red and white one. It immediately reminded him of his armor and he had the feeling that was intentional, especially when he knew there was a variety of colors available. The conversation between you and the other two senators had picked up again and Fox exhaled slowly now that he wasn’t being watched anymore.

Fox wanted to look away, hells he needed to look away but it was like a tractor beam was holding him in place. He could only watch as you mindlessly slid the candy cane between your lips, your cheeks hollowing as you sucked on the minty treat. Fox bit his tongue when your eyes flickered toward him, holding him hostage as you slowly pulled the glistening candy out of your mouth. He held his breath for a moment, his mind desperately trying to keep his thoughts on his objective but you seemed hellbent on making that impossible.

You gestured with the candy cane as you spoke and Fox watched your lips move, the overhead light catching on the sheen left behind by the piece of candy. He hated himself a little more for not looking away when he had the chance because it only got worse. This time your eyes were trained on Chuchi, listening intently to whatever she was saying as you stuck your tongue out, dragging it along the red and white striped treat. 

Fox’s train of thought drifted to the night before, his mind supplying him with flashes of you kneeling between his armored legs, performing a similar act to his cock. 

Yeah, a red and white candy cane was not an accident. 

Fox chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning, his eyes following the slow drag of your tongue, entrapped by the way it curled around the striped length. The pressure behind his codpiece was starting to get uncomfortable, turning his usually coherent thoughts to mush. All he wanted was to lick the minty taste from your mouth as he buried his throbbing cock inside you until you were screaming his name. 

A bitten-off laugh echoed through his helmet, snapping him back to reality and his lashes fluttered. Fox lifted his head (when had it drooped down?) and found Thorn staring at him. Not a good sign. 

         “You look a little…distracted, Commander,” Thorn choked out, obviously struggling not to laugh. Fox took stock of his body and realized he’d slumped out of parade rest and was nearly leaning on the wall behind him. Somewhere in the back of his lust-heavy brain, Fox picked up on Thorn’s impeccable timing. 

         “You planned this.” Fox was thankful his bucket hid the mortified look on his face when he registered that his vocal cords sounded like they’d been dragged across hot coals. Thorn’s barely contained laughter mocked him from inside the safety of his helmet and Fox decided that yeah, he did hate Thorn. 

         “It was her idea,” Thorn chuckled, although from an outside point of view he looked like the poster boy for professional soldiers. 

         “You’ll pay for this,” Fox snarled, flexing his hands behind his back. He really needed his dick to stop pulsing so he could think straight. 

         “Don’t hurt yourself, Foxy,” Thorn teased, his voice pitching up in a pisspoor attempt to stop his laughter. He could easily reprimand Thorn as his superior but as irritated as he was with Thorn at the moment, it was meant to be a jab at Fox, his brother, not Marshal Commander CC-1010, his superior. 

         “I’m going to make you wish you were dead, brother,” Fox warned lowly. 

         “Shit.” At least Fox could still put the fear of the Maker into his brother and he smiled to himself. Little victories. 

         “Get back to your job,” Fox ordered, tilting his helmet to put an intimidating edge to the order.

         “Yes, sir,” Thorn sighed, turning his head to completely look away. Now it was time to deal with the heartbeat pounding below his belt and the little shit that caused it. He hailed Cayde, calling him inside to cover for him for a few minutes. 

         “You’re doing the same thing in here as you were out there,” Fox explained, patting the trooper’s shoulder.

         “No problem, sir,” Cayde replied with a sharp nod. You must’ve noticed the commotion because when Fox found you again, you had an inquisitive brow raised, that fucking candy cane hanging out of the side of your mouth. It wasn’t that he was against being at your mercy, he quite enjoyed you taking control from time to time, but at the moment it was clashing with his job. Fox felt off-kilter and unsteady. He made a point to hold your gaze as well as he could with a helmet on, attempting to wrestle back some kind of control. 

         “Commander Fox,” you greeted with a polite, restrained smile. Chuchi and Amidala echoed the greeting, suddenly looking as prim and regal as ever.

         “May I speak with you for a moment, Senator?” The minute twitch at the corner of your mouth told him that you knew exactly what he wanted to talk about and he simultaneously wanted to scream in frustration and beg you to touch him.

         “Of course, Commander,” you answered calmly, resting a hand on each of your friends’ arms before following him. Thorn tilted his head as Fox passed, the equivalent to a raised brow that he ignored as he led you into the hallway and around the corner away from prying eyes. 

         “What in the fucking Sithhells are you doing?” Fox hissed, stepping into your personal space, nearly bumping his chest against yours. The round, wide-eyed look you aimed at him made his cock throb painfully and he almost whimpered. 

         “What do you mean, dear?” you asked coyly. Fox felt his control slipping, his focus zeroed in on the arousal pumping through his veins and your red-tinted lips. 

         “You’re killing me,” Fox whined quietly, turning his head away from you.

         “Aw, honey,” you chuckled, gently cupping one of the filters at the bottom of his helmet. “You’re desperate for it, aren’t you?” Fox wanted to deny, deny, deny. He was on duty, he was Marshal Commander Fox at the moment but holy Maker above were you right. All Fox managed was a stiff nod that made you smile, the smile you only gave him.

         “Please, just…wait,” Fox pleaded softly, grinding his teeth when he shifted and his codpiece rubbed. Your face softened in sympathy and after a second you nodded, taking pity on him.

         “Anything for you, my love,” you murmured. 

         “Thank the Maker,” he breathed. Fox immediately stiffened when you leaned closer, blinking rapidly as he waited to see what you were planning. Despite his brain feeling foggy, he still smiled softly at the light kiss you placed on the white of his helmet, his stomach fluttering. The sentiment only lasted a second when he saw the glint in your eyes.

         “Now, get back to your post like a good boy and maybe I won’t make you beg for it later,” you purred before turning on your heels and disappearing around the corner. Fox just stood there like an idiot, trying his hardest to keep himself from blowing his load without being touched. 

You were going to be the death of him and fuck he couldn’t wait. 

A/N: I’m all for Fox being a switch (when he’s comfortable and trusts his partner) and I’ll die on this hill. 

25 days of Life Day Masterlist

Taglist: @sleepingsun501​ 

[ryder-s-block]

Jaig Eyes (Ch 24)

Jaig Eyes (24/?)

Always available here.

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Chapter Twenty-Four: Senator’s Betrayal

The droid let out a high pitched whir, throwing Redeye’s body at us. I ducked below it, hearing him crash into the boxes behind us. The droid crawled down the walling, its various spider-like legs helping it move quickly.

“Assassin probe,” I growled, drawing my second pistol. It raced towards us, a few of my blaster shots hitting it to no avail. I rolled away while Anakin swiped at its legs with his blade, taking out two of them. It didn’t slow the droid down, the probe lifting two crates and whipping them at us.

I rolled below the projectiles again, Anakin falling with a grunt behind me. I stood between the assassin probe and the jedi, firing my weapons into its optical sights. My own blasts were joined with those of the approaching clones, the droid finally falling with a defeated hiss.

“The lift!” Anakin yelled as he got to his feet, all of us turning to see a second probe wrenching open the elevator doors and running up the shaft. “Obi-wan,” Anakin called into his wrist comm as we watched the droid escape up the elevator. “There’s assassin probes down here. One made it up the lift. I’ll try to hold the others here.”

The comms beeped in acknowledgement from Kenobi’s side as we turned to the men. “There might be one left,” Anakin said, my eyes still on the downed droid. Something felt wrong. “Let’s spread out and find it.”

Tiny droids began to pour from the probe’s head, Cody’s head lights illuminating them. “Watch it!” the clone commander yelled.

We moved into a circle as the tiny droids only seemed to multiply in masses as we shot them down. Rex let out a grunt of exasperation. “They’re everywhere!”

“Get behind me,” Anakin commanded, easily slicing through the tiny droids with his saber. 

“Get ‘em off!” a clone behind me cried as they droids leapt onto him. He screamed, falling beneath their deadly pincers. I dodged a horde of leaping droids, seeing R2 zapping the assassin probes.

I snatched a droid popper from Rex’s belt, throwing the detonator in the direction opposite the mechadroid. Aiming quickly with my pistol, I detonated it in the air to deactivate the leaping assassin droids before they could reach us. 

Taking yet another from Rex’s belt, earning a frustrated grunt from him while doing so, I rolled beneath the next wave of leaping assassin droids. My thumb pressed down on the pin as I rolled, the popper going off in my grip. It was a weird sensation, but didn’t hurt. My wrist gauntlet and comms was certainly going to need a recharge, though.

After taking out a few last stragglers, our group relaxed, looking to Anakin as he casually sliced through the last of the crawling creatures.

“Good work, men,” he said, giving me a small smirk before looking to his droid. “You too, buddy.”

Rex grunted in thought. “Assassin droid. How did that monster end up in the hold?”

“Question is,” Anakin rectified. “Who smuggled him on board?”

“A manifest would answer that,” I offered, looking around at the endless stacks of crates. The jedi hummed in acknowledgement before leading the way through the dark maze. I glanced around in the darkness, the hairs on my neck standing on edge.

“You alright?” Rex’s quiet words drew my gaze to my side. He was looking forward, rather than at me. Discretion, of course.

“There’s more of them.”

“How can you tell?”

I shrugged, glancing around at the other clones as we came to a stop, Anakin approaching a protocol droid. “I don’t know. Don’t you feel like we’re being watched?”

Rex only hummed as Anakin leaned over the droid that was sitting casually in the light. “I’m looking for the droid that services the cargo bay,” he said, eyebrow raised at the silver machine.

“Uh, yes sir,” it responded, it’s voice deep and automated. I’d become so used to C-3PO’s higher, accented voice, that I almost laughed as it spoke. “Are all those creatures dead?”

It walked over to a crate, lifting a holopad and scrolling through it. I lifted my eyebrow while Anakin replied, frustrated.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out! You’re in charge of the cargo manifest, right?”

“Uh, yes,” it replied, its mechanical finger dragging across the touch screen. “I have it right here.”

“Why do you seem so nervous?” I asked, arms crossed beside the jedi. 

“Nervous?” it repeated, walking over with the manifest. “Those creatures,” it tried to explain.

“Well, where did they come from?” Anakin interrupted, obviously pissed off with the droid’s slow behavior.

“It is right here,” the protocol droid said, making sure to sound more confident. “On the manifest.”

Anakin snatched it, looking through the manifest quickly. “For immediate delivery to Coruscant,” he mumbled, reading aloud. “With container marked medical supplies… there’s no name on this chart! There is no indication of who shipped it!”

“No sir,” the droid replied steadily. “Just the Senate stamp. Always accepted for transport here aboard the Coronet.”

Anakin frowned, but accepted the answer, nodding his head at me. “Come on. We should talk to Obi-wan.” 

“With all due respect, Anakin,” I surprised the room with both my disagreement and my use of his first name. “But we don’t know how many more assassin probes are down here. I need to get my comms back up with your droid and help the men look.”

Anakin gave me a small smile as I walked him to the elevator, manifest still in his hand. “You just don’t want to have to face the duchess again.”

I chuckled. “Or that slimy senator of hers, Merrik.” I thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t even be surprised if all of this was his doing.”

He paused at the door, lifting his brow. “Why do you say that?”

I shrugged. “It had to have been a senator, due to the seal on the crate. But who else would benefit from Satine’s death? Maybe he wants power. Or is with the Death Watch.” I lifted my arms in exasperation. “I mean, they had Vizsla as a governor. He’s the damned leader of the group!” 

Anakin chuckled at me as the doors hissed closed between us. 

“Kida.” I turned to the sound of Rex’s voice again. He was standing alone, having already sent the other clones out looking for the assassin probes. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Just a second.” I knelt down to the astromech that was waiting patiently by the elevator. “Hey bud. Do you want to wait for Anakin?” He beeped at me. “Okay, that’s fine. Keep your scanners up for us, in case anyone goes missing, alright?” R2 beeped again as I pulled a wire from my wrist gauntlet, offering it to him. “Care to help?”

With a few sassy whistles and whirs, the droid let me connect my gauntlet, sending an electrical pulse to recharge and reset it. I patted his head as I disconnected after a moment, standing. “Thanks, buddy.”

“You can...understand that thing?”

I chuckled as I moved to walk beside the captain, patrolling the cargo hangar. “I’ve been around all sorts of droids over my years, Rex.”

“So have I,” he defended. “But it’s not like I learned how to speak droid.”

I smirked. “Then I think that says more about you than it does me.” Despite his face being covered by his helmet, I knew he was grinning at my teasing.

He hummed, his helmet lights flickering on as we left the lighting of the main area and entered the dark maze. “Maybe it does.”

I hadn’t been with the GAR long, but Jesse, Hardcase, and Fives had been ecstatic when Rex informed them of my joining. Even Kix grinned widely at me. They all seemed to wiggle their eyebrows at me when Rex was around. I had worried for a while that they knew more than they let on. 

Or maybe they knew about Rex’s feelings, rather than my own, since I always played dumb. Maybe clones had a deeper connection…like twins so often did.

Still, even the rather uptight Echo had shown his own version of excitement when I joined. He was the one who brought a can of blue paint to my shuttle I’d docked in the hangar, after all.

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“My armor has stripes along the leg, like this,” Fives explained, drawing in the air with his finger.

“And mine just has a single stripe down,” Echo cut in. “With an illustration for our brother.”

I hummed in acknowledgment, looking over my Mandalorian steel armor. It had been painted a few times in the past, most of it wearing off with use...and blaster shots. “Hevy, right?” I asked, looking up at the two brothers.

I was sitting with them amongst the crates in the hangar, the boys in their casual blacks, sipping on what they claimed to be caf. It smelled a bit too strong for that. 

“Yeah,” Fives said with a grim smile.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

The clones seemed shocked, but Echo spoke up nonetheless. “He was a cadet with us. In the same squadron...We all struggled to work together in the beginning, but we figured it out.” I nodded for him to continue, knowing the tests the clones had to pass on Kamino. They were intense. Then again, how else would the Kaminoans create an incredible army?

Fives cut in now. “After graduating, we were stationed on a moon outpost that was a defense for Kamino. We were attacked by droids, all of us shinies and not really sure what to do.”

“Captain Rex and Commander Cody were scheduled for an inspection, thank the stars,” Echo butt in again. “And they ended up helping us destroy the outpost, cutting off the all-clear signal to the Republic and warning them of the attack.”

“And Hevy?”

“He sacrificed himself to blow up the outpost manually when the remote detonator didn’t work.” We all looked up at the new voice, seeing Rex clad in armor, his helmet under his arm. His face was grim, his voice low. “He was a good man. A good soldier.”

Fives cleared his throat, shifting his drink to his side. “Captain,” he greeted.

Rex waved his hand at him. “Relax,” he said, surprising our group. “Just don’t let me catch you doing it when you’re on duty. And if you get intoxicated before duty again, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Care for some, Captain?” Fives tested.

“Don’t push your luck.”

I let out a surprised laugh at the captain’s casual demeanor. Part of it was real, another part was just that he was too tired to actually reprimand the boys.

“He sounds very brave,” I commented when I sobered up, looking back at the two brothers as Rex set down his helmet.

“He was,” Fives responded before chuckling. “And a total or’dinii.” I smiled as the two laughed, beginning to share stories of stupid things their deceased brother had done. After a while, they fell into talking to each other more so than me.

I glanced at Rex, giving him a smile. “How do you suggest I paint my armor?”

“Aren’t you technically in Kenobi’s battalion?” I could tell he meant to tease, but it came out as more of a bark. I lifted my eyebrow at him. “Sorry,” he sighed. 

I looked away from him and back at my armor, not particularly upset, but not entirely peachy either. “You know,” I said slowly, my eyes still scanning over my armor. “Even though the Good Captain won’t have any.” I finally looked up, my eyes flickering to Fives and Echo’s cups. “I think I’d like some.”

The grumpy Rex practically seethed above me, making me look up at him. I gave him an innocent look. “What? I’m part of Kenobi’s battalion, remember?”

The other two clones shifted uncomfortably as Rex’s jaw flexed in frustration. Fives cleared his throat. “Echo, didn’t we have some… some...uhhhh…”

“Chores?” Echo tried, shaking his head. “Drills. Yes. We have...drills to run.”

I fought off my smile, pressing my lips into a thin line as they lifted themselves to their feet. Fives downed the rest of his drink in front of us, almost breaking my Sabacc face. Echo, however, shifted uncomfortably before quickly setting the half-drank cup down beside me.

“You can have the rest of mine, Kida.” He gave me a tense smile before practically dragging Fives away.

“Hey, before you go,” I called after them, making the pair pause awkwardly. “Rex used a Mando’a word the other day that I didn’t recognize.” Beside me, the captain tensed. “Could you translate for--”

“Do not ask,” Rex cut in curtly, his jaw tense. I lifted my eyebrow at him, opening my mouth to continue anyways. “That’s an order.”

I was shocked, to say the least, but decided my teasing was pushing the stressed clone a bit too far. “Right,” I mumbled, looking back to Fives and Echo. “Nevermind, guys.”

The pair’s gazes darted between us in curiosity before they finally left, desperate to remove themselves from their Captain’s clearly shit mood. I smirked when they were out of sight, leaving Rex and I hidden between the crates and my shuttle. I shifted quickly to snatch up Echo’s drink, taking a long sip.

I coughed in surprise, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “This tastes like shit.”

“Serves you right.” While Rex’s voice was still harsh, I sensed that he was at least attempting another joke.

I leaned back against the crate, holding the nasty liquor defiantly. “It sounds like you need it more than I do.” I patted the space next to me on the ground. “Come on,” I sighed when he hesitated. “You don’t have to drink. At least sit down and help me decide how to paint my armor.”

Finally, with a grunt, Rex sat beside me, careful to not let our legs touch. I rolled my eyes, lifting my shoulder guard that had the red kyr’bes. I went about painting over it with the paint and brush Echo had given me. The captain was silent, watching me work, his face tired.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked suddenly. I was expecting that question, my brush still moving smoothly over the Mandalorian steel. 

“Do you think I’d be doing it if I wasn’t?” 

The clone hesitated. “N-no. But...a life of war?”

“So? You can choose this life, but I can’t?” I lifted my brow at him, earning another scowl. I sighed finally, returning my attention to the paint, ignoring Rex.

“Why would you want a life like this?”

“You seem to like it just fine.” My tone was steady, but a bit cold, I’d admit.

The captain breathed slowly through his nose. “It’s all I’ve ever known, Kida.”

I took the chance to stop painting and look him in his golden eyes. “You know that my life has been the same. I’ve always been fighting.”

“But you have your club now. A family.”

“Don’t assume, Rex,” I warned, painting angrily now. I didn’t care about design, instead choosing to accent my armor however I wished.

He was silent for a moment while he thought. “Do you believe in the cause of the Republic?”

I smiled gently as I worked. “Maybe? But I also can see where the Separatist Alliance is coming from.” Rex seemed startled, but I only chuckled at him with a shrug. “I mean, think about it. You can’t deny that the Senate is corrupt.”

Rex grunted in response, examining his gloves. “I can’t really comment on that. It’s not my place.”

“Fine,” I growled lowly. “Then I will. Even Padme admits that it’s corrupt. So instead of fighting like Padme does, the Separatists had enough and wanted to be out of the Republic control.”

“Isn’t it more honorable to fight from within?”

“Maybe,” I shrugged. “I couldn’t say. But as much as I admire Padme, she can only do so  much. You can’t put a fire out from inside the house.”

“What?”

“It’s a saying.”

He hummed, doing his best to piece everything together. “I suppose,” he allowed, finally. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the Separatists are bad.”

“From your perspective,” I corrected, giving him a gentle smile. “They see themselves in the right, just as you do. Admittedly,” I sighed. “They are guided by a dark force that they don’t understand. Still…” My teeth teased my lips. “I can’t shake the feeling that there is something missing in this war. A driving force that is keeping itself hidden.”

“The jedi call it the dark side.”

I chuckled. “I know what it’s called.” Rex didn’t respond, giving me a wondering look before looking back at his gloves. “What’s wrong?” I sighed at him, returning to painting.

“I just...I don’t get how you can be so understanding of the Separatists, but still side with the Republic.”

I hummed to myself, smiling gently. “My family is with the Republic.”

“The club?”

“No, Rex. I told you not to assume.”

The clone thought for a moment. “Boba hasn’t sided with anyone. He’s been seen running around with bounty hunters. If anything, he’d more likely lean towards-”

“I’m not talking about Boba,” I bit, before regaining my composure with a long breath. “I love Boba. But right now, my little brother wants nothing to do with me. When he needs me,” I sighed. “I’ll be here for him. But for now, I want to protect what’s left of Jango. What’s left of my family.”

He thought for a moment, regarding me with his golden gaze, before it dawned on him. If I dared to think it, it almost seemed like the captain flushed a slightly darker shade than his usual tan skin. I let it go, giving him a gently smile while brushing my paintbrush across the Mandalorian steel.

“As flattering as that is,” he started, his voice strained. Despite the steps that we’d taken on Saleucami, Rex was still hesitating. Especially now that we were back in the environment of the GAR. Cut’s home had been an escape for us both. Sure, the war had followed us, even there, but amongst all of the discourse and fighting, there was the promise of possibility. Seeing Cut and Suu...it was the definition of hope for a clone...especially one who was in love with a bounty hunter. “We’re just clones,” Rex continued, pulling me out of my thoughts. “We’re made to be expendable.”

I paused in my painting, only halfway through my first piece. Slowly setting the materials down, I looked at the captain straight in the eyes, my gaze hard. “Never let them convince you that that’s true,” I said harshly. “None of you are expendable. Not you. Not your brothers.”

Rex smiled at me gently, his eyes soft. “I appreciate that sentiment, Kida,” he whispered, his gloved hand reaching out to touch my cheek before pulling away a moment later. He was like a child that touched a hot stove and got burned, only to continuously forget and keep touching it. Like an addict knowing that indulging was wrong. “But we are a product. Trained to fight, and to die, if need be.”

I set my jaw, pulling away from him and standing, leaving my armor on the ground. “You’re a man,” I argued firmly, glaring at Rex now. “Maybe a clone, but a man, nonetheless. You’re not just numbers. Even if others see you that way, don’t see yourselves that way, because it isn’t true.”

“Kida,” he sighed. He was flattered, but I could feel that his heart wasn’t moving. He was just as prepared to die as any of his brothers. I wasn’t having that.

“Stop,” I growled, stomping my foot like a toddler. “You’re not expendable. Not to me.” I handed my cup of liquor to him harshly as my voice dropped. “Drink until you start relaxing enough to realize that’s true.”

I turned on my heel, storming away from my own shuttle and leaving the captain to stew in his grumpy, albeit surprised, thoughts.

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I smiled gently to myself as Rex and I moved through the dark halls of crates. I’d gone back to my shuttle the next morning to find my armor laid out neatly, all of it accented beautifully with 501st blue. A note was beside my chest piece in sloppy handwriting.

Thank you - R

“What has you smiling?” the clone in question asked, drawing me from my memories.

“I was just thinking about your impeccable design skills,” I teased, rounding the next corner with him, pistols held out before me.

He chuckled, his mind likely debating between a deflection and a snarky comment. Finally, with a sigh, he said, “I’m glad you like it.”

I thought for a moment. “How did painting your armor start?”

Rex shrugged. “It’s tradition, I suppose. Maybe stemming back the Jango’s roots?” I hummed. Mandalorians were known for creating matching armor in a family or tribe. “But we’ve always separated battalions and groups by color. Like how Skywalker’s is blue, Kenobi’s being yellow.”

“Sure,” I agreed as we rounded another corner still finding nothing. “But what about individual designs? You all paint them yourselves. Why?”

“Individuality, I suppose,” he sighed, knowing where I’d go with it.

“So Cut was right?”

“Don’t start.”

I chuckled, knowing that with each passing day, he was understanding what Cut had talked about more and more. While he still may not agree with deserting, he did understand an underlying urge for individuality, choice, and something more. My chuckle was cut short as something wavered in the force, my steps slowing.

Rex stopped ahead of me, his visor turning to watch my stilled movements. “What’s wrong?” he asked, already starting to read my tells for my force sensitivity. 

“I’m not sure. Kenobi’s distressed. Something’s happening upstairs.”

Just as I finished talking, Cody turned into our strip of stacked crates, greeting us with a nod. “What’s happening?” he asked at our still stances.

“Kida thought she heard something,” Rex lied smoothly, surprising even me with the ease in which he told it.

The commander nodded, falling into line with us as we walked through the darkening halls. Our comms beeped.

“Cody. Rex. Kida,” Anakin said through the signal, his presence emanating from somewhere nearby. “Have you found anything?”

“All quiet over here, sir,” Rex said, his back turning as he walked beside Cody, myself following their search lamps. 

We heard a skitter, all of us turning abruptly. “Wait a minute,” Cody mumbled, the light on his visor dipping to reveal a clone’s helmet. He picked it up slowly, Rex and him looking inside. Cody let off two shots into the air as he fell backwards, a miniature assassin droid attacking his helmet.

Rex immediately ran to his brother’s side, pulling the droid off only to have it race across his own armor. More began to sprout around us, my pistols aiming as they leapt from the crates above. I took out the ones raining down, away of one crawling its way of my leg, jabbing at the gaps in my armor painfully.

The hum of Anakin’s lightsaber sounded as he raced around the crates, slicing the droids on his men’s visors before taking out the one on my leg. I finished off the remaining ones as they fell through the air, turning to see R2 zap a droid off of Rex’s arm.

“Thanks, little guy,” the captain panted, nodding at the astromech.

“Well, we found the little ones,” Anakin mused, sheathing his lightsaber and watching his men find their feet. “What about the mother?”

“Haven’t seen it,” Rex said easily, my senses flaring up as he spoke. A mechanical screech sounded, all of us barely having time to turn before it lunged at Rex, throwing him across the room.

“Rex!” I cried, running with Anakin and Cody to see the droid try to drive its sharp appendages down into the captain. He caught them, shoving the droid off him with his foot. He turned over to shoot at it as it ran at him again, my own pistols raising to fire at its red ocular sights. It reeled backwards under our fire, rushing to crawl up the wall.

Anakin’s lightsaber flew past me, taking out the droid’s legs and sending it crashing to the ground. Rex, having found his feet and determined to get back at the thing that downed him, hurried to the droid, planted its foot on the top, and let off several rounds of shots into its head.

He looked back and nodded at us, a smirk rising to my face. Admittedly, he was attractive when he was like that. I shook the thought away, both out of internalized embarrassment and the pressing urgency I felt from upstairs through the force.

“Alright,” Anakin said, his commanding voice back. “That should be all of them. Rex, Cody,” he turned to his commanding officers. “Station men at every escape pod and get scouting parties upstairs to search for the duchess.”

“Search for the-” I stopped myself, shaking my head. “Where did she go?”

“Merrik is the traitor,” the jedi explained to me as we hurried towards the lift, Cody and Rex calling their men. “He took Satine hostage.”

I thought as we all rose in the lift towards the higher floors. Despite the situation, I chuckled. “I should have placed a bet on Merrik being the one.”

To everyone’s surprise, Anakin chuckled. “You called it.” When the doors opened, Rex and Cody rushed out to station their men, Anakin starting off in another direction. He stopped when I hesitated. “Are you coming? We need to find Obi-wan.”

“No,” I thought aloud. “I’m going to the bridge. If an attack is coming, they need to be warned and guarded.” Anakin nodded, letting me race my way through the elaborately decorated halls of the Coronet. 

The ship shifted, only slightly. And to anyone else, there was no change at all. But I’d been on many jobs on many ships. I knew when one felt like it had dropped out of hyperspace.

And we were scheduled for arrival for some time.

I knew even before I approached the long hall, the closed door at the end, that the bridge was already compromised. I was prepared for it, my pistols raised. What I wasn’t ready for was the voice I heard behind the door.

“Senator Merrik,” I heard a voice say. It was automated, but more so than a normal hologram. The man was wearing a helmet. Even with all the modulation, I’d know the voice anywhere. “Have you completed your mission?”

“Yes sir,” I heard Merrik responded, coupled by the struggling grunts of Duchess Satine. “I have the duchess, but I’ll need help getting her away.”

“Very good,” the voice said with glee as I approached the door slowly, my nerves aflame with apprehension. The scar along my cheekbone practically ached from the sound of the man’s voice. “Reinforcements are on their way.”

“Kenobi,” I whispered into my comms. “Bridge. Now.”

As my comms beeped in acknowledgement from Obi-wan, I burst through the door, pistols aimed at Merrik. The traitorous senator whirled, holding his pistol to Satine’s head. Behind the two, floated the large blue hologram of Vizsla himself, clad in his Death Watch armor.

“Let the duchess go,” I growled, ignoring the hologram as well as I could under his examining gaze. The bridge crew was dead and I could tell that some tampering had gone on under one of the consoles. Wonderful.

Merrik smirked at me. “You have no leverage,” he taunted.

“I could always shoot you,” I growled in response, fighting against my own urges to cry, vomit, and kill everyone in the room. I hadn’t been that rattled in some time. Then again, Vizsla was on the higher end of the spectrum of ‘people who scarred me.’

Speaking of, the hologram of Vizsla let out a low him, his dark visor lowering to regard me closer. He spoke, my blood turning to ice in my veins at his words.

“Don’t I know you?”

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MANDO’A

Or’dinii-- moron, fool