wanderinginksplot-writes

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Eighteen

Your quiet night with Alpha is interrupted.

Word Count: 2,900

Warnings: Tension, dread, mild panic attack

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Naakla (Peaceful)

The last scene of the holofilm faded into nothingness, the player shutting off automatically as it was programmed to do (you had accidentally fallen asleep to films too often to use any other setting). You glanced at Alpha from the corner of your eye, nearly bouncing with eagerness. 

“So?” you asked, a leading tone in your voice. “What did you think of it?” 

Alpha started to answer, pausing briefly as if he needed to consider what he should say before it came out of his mouth. “It was… not what I expected.” 

“You said you’ve never seen Pantoran cinema before,” you reminded. “What expectations did you have? And where did you get them?” 

He pursed his lips. “I hear things.” 

“Well, apparently they were incorrect.” You folded your hands primly. “But that doesn’t really tell me what you thought.” 

“I think…” Alpha drummed his fingers against his thigh. “I could tell how much you loved it. You get very quiet when a part you like is about to happen. And you know all of the music. I could hear you humming along.” 

Your face heated - you hadn’t thought that he would be able to hear you. “None of that is an actual opinion, Alpha.” 

Alpha sighed, scrubbing a hand over the top of his head. “You’re putting me in a tough spot, neverd’ika.” 

“So you didn’t like it?” you asked, trying not to let too much disappointment seep into your tone. 

“I didn’t-” Alpha broke off with a frustrated sound. “Very clever. Fine. I didn’t like it.” 

You nodded, glancing away so he wouldn’t see your expression. 

A moment later, he took your hand, voice gentle. “I’m sorry, cyare. The story wasn’t my favorite, and the characters were… frustrating. I know you like it and I wanted to like it, too. Will you look at me? Please?” 

His fingers were delicate on your jaw as he turned your face back toward him. You managed to tamp down your grin into a small smile, but you knew your eyes were sparkling with scarcely-suppressed laughter. 

He frowned. “What-?” 

“Sorry!” you apologized, already laughing. “I’m sorry, Alpha. That film… is terrible. Famously so. Not on purpose, but it’s so bad that everyone watches it to make fun of it. The story makes no sense and neither do the characters, but that’s the reason everyone loves it so much.” 

“They love it…” Alpha trailed, clearly trying to figure out what you meant, “because it’s not good?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” you agreed. “People love it more because it’s so weird. There are theaters that show it regularly and even a few film festivals that have screenings at the end of the night.”

“You knew it was terrible and you still made me watch it?” Alpha asked, an edge of irritation in his voice. 

“I said that I wanted to introduce you to nat-born culture!” you reminded him defensively. “I figured this would be a good introduction - that sometimes, people like bad things because they’re so bad. People like imperfection.” 

Alpha stared at the place where the projector had been running, utterly silent. That lasted long enough that you started to worry, but he eventually shook his head. “You’re mean, little one.”

You laughed. “There are a lot of wonderful and perfect things in the galaxy, Alpha, but not many that are wonderful because they’re imperfect.”

“Mmm hmm.” The skepticism made you laugh harder while Alpha pretended to be stern. “How long have you been planning this? Maybe that’s why your report isn’t progressing as much as you want it to.” 

That cut your happiness short. “You… uh, you know about that?” 

“I overheard your last meeting with Jaiss,” he told you. “It’s not like you to miss a deadline.” 

You shifted uncomfortably. This was a subject you had been avoiding for a long time. Frankly, you had hoped that you could continue to avoid it a little longer. But now that you were actually discussing it, it seemed a little too much like lying not to be completely honest with Alpha. 

“The reason I missed that submission date,” you explained carefully, “was because I’m almost done with the report.” 

There was another moment of extended silence from Alpha’s side of the bed. 

“How close is ‘almost’?” 

You shrugged, picking at the hem of your shirt. “I haven’t given it a title yet.” 

Alpha blew out a long breath, and you could hear the heaviness behind it. You had known it was coming, but you hated it all the same.

It was rare that your schedule and Alpha’s overlapped enough for you to both be off for multiple days like you currently were. It had seemed a shameful waste for you to spend that time making him worry about something that neither of you could change. 

“What’s the plan?” 

You sighed, flopping heavily onto the mattress and staring up at the ceiling of your quarters. That question was exactly why you hadn’t wanted to tell Alpha about this. He was the epitome of a man of action. You know that he would start making a plan as soon as you presented him with the problem. It was what he had been raised to do since he was born, and he was good at it.  

“I’m not sure,” you admitted. “But the Kaminoans are going to make sure I leave. Not that there would be any justification for them to let me stay. A civilian on the planet would be seen a potential method of leaking intelligence to the Separatists. Besides, they don’t like me enough to let me stay.”

“Especially not after the reconditioning incident.” Alpha’s tone was filled with smug satisfaction at the memory. 

It had been several weeks since Riptide had left Kamino. You had gotten a short message on your comlink a few days later. He had been placed with most of his old battalion, now under command of a Jedi. You trusted the Jedi… but you still requested that he send you a message if there was another incident.

“Yes,” you agreed dryly. “Especially after that. I don’t know what to do.” 

“I could request a transfer,” Alpha suggested. “If I was part of the Coruscant Guard, we would be on the same planet, at least.” 

“Alpha,” you said in surprise, tipping your head down so you could stare at him. “You love being an ARC trainer. I wouldn’t ask you to give that up.” 

“You didn’t ask for anything, neverd’ika,” he reminded you. “I’m volunteering. I want to be with you. I don’t care about anything else.” 

“And who do you think they would choose to train the ARCs?” you asked. 

Alpha’s jaw clenched, muscles dancing with irritated tension. “I don’t know. Not my concern.” 

You let that lie hang in the air, tilting your head slightly to study him from a different angle.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I can’t think of anyone who could train the ARCs well enough to keep ‘em alive out in the field. I don’t trust anyone else to do it.” 

“Which is why you can’t request a transfer.” You shook your head. “I’m not convinced that the Kaminoans would be willing to let you go even if you did ask.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t ask.” Alpha met your gaze belligerently for a moment before he sighed. “Fine, I won’t. But if we can’t think of anything else, I’m keeping that as a last resort.”

You smiled, but didn’t try to argue with him. When he set his jaw like that, there was no argument that would make him change his mind. 

“What we should be talking about is how we’re going to spend our days off,” you said instead, neatly sidestepping the ongoing debate. 

Alpha chuckled warmly, his hand settling into the curve of your waist to pull you closer. “I have some ideas. We’ll have to see what you think of ‘em.” 

You shrieked with laughter as his stubble teased against the sensitive skin of your neck and jawline. Alpha grinned, doing it again and again until you were breathless. 

The first time your comlink buzzed, you didn’t hear it. You had set it to vibrate lightly instead of chime so it wouldn’t interrupt your time with Alpha, and the two of you were being far too noisy to hear something so minor. 

You missed a second call, then a third. But when the internal communications system in your room rang, there was no way to ignore it. 

A moment after the announcement chime, a voice announced your name. You sat up. Alpha had already stood. 

“Yes?” 

“There is a long-distance comm call waiting for you in the official communications array room,” they told you. “Would you prefer to have it dispatched to your quarters?” 

“Is it a call or a holo?” you asked. Alpha was already ducking toward the refresher. 

“A holo.” 

You waited a moment until Alpha was safely tucked inside the refresher with the door closed. “Patch it through, please.” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

The projected image flickered up an instant later, and you found yourself staring at Jaiss. Guilt surged in your gut, wondering if she had called to ask you about the report. You had been avoiding some of her more… time-based questions, but nothing that should have made her look so worried. 

“Jaiss?” you asked. “Is everything okay?” 

“I wanted to warn you and Alpha,” she said, and a stab of fear mingled with the guilt. “Keep an eye out for an official Republic communication. It’ll be real this time, so please pay attention to it.” 

“What?” you asked, rolling off the bed. You could feel the tension radiating off of Alpha from where he stood behind the ‘fresher door, and you asked what you both wanted to know: “What’s the communication? What’s happening?” 

Jaiss looked grim and - more concerningly - resigned. “You and Alpha are going to be called to Coruscant. The Republic wants your testimony about what happened on Kamino.”

“What? But I thought they-”

The hologram image of Jaiss glanced back over her shoulder. “I have to go. I'm sorry. We'll speak soon, I promise.”

You watched the empty space for a beat after the call had ended, then sprang into action. You were pulling a pair of pants out from a dresser drawer by the time Alpha's hand landed on your shoulder. 

“What are you doing, neverd’ika?”

“I need to get to my office,” you explained hurriedly. “I need to see the message for myself, then I'll need to get in touch with Nora Czajak. And after that, I need to find a transport to Coruscant-”

“Breathe, little one,” Alpha soothed. You heard him, of course you did. But with so many other things swirling around in your mind as you fought to remember them all, you couldn't spare the brainpower to answer him. 

Your hands, still holding the pants, jerked as if you were putting them on in mid-air. Your lips were moving slightly, like you were trying to mutter something without being caught, but there was no sound. It would have been a comical combination if your psyche hadn’t retreated so far inside of your own mind.  

Alpha pulled the clothing out of your hands, gently tugging it away until he could place it back on top of the still-extended dresser drawer. “Let’s take a minute before we rush into anything.” 

“Rush?” you echoed faintly. It had sounded much more emphatic inside your head, when you shrieked it in disbelief. This wasn’t a casual invitation to caf - you were being summoned. This was most certainly a situation that called for rushing. “Alpha-” 

“Would it make you feel better if I called Czajak?” he asked. 

You nodded woodenly. 

Alpha had his long-distance communicator out and ringing before you could register him moving. Dimly, you wondered why he had Nora’s frequency so readily at hand, but you knew why. Alpha had seen this coming long ago. 

The next thing you knew, Alpha was finishing his explanation of everything to Nora. You remembered that she had picked up the call with a friendly smile through the holoprojector, but you had been so distant from the present that you hadn’t really registered it. 

That, in turn, made you realize just how panicked you had allowed yourself to become. You focused intently on calming down, breathing slowly and purposefully until you were able to listen in on Nora’s response without being distracted by the screaming of your nerves. 

“The good news is that you’re probably wanted as witnesses,” Nora started. You calmed a little further. “There’s a whole different set of processes needed to summon a deponent to trial and they’re not being followed. And the Republic won’t risk a mistrial. Not for this.” 

“We'll have to take time off work,” you said inanely, struggling to rejoin the conversation in a way that seemed somewhat natural. 

Judging by Alpha's disbelieving look and Nora’s smothered grin, you hadn't succeeded. 

“You both work for the Republic,” Nora said at last, “They're going to give you the time off. If anyone implies otherwise, you know my comm frequency. You aren't the ones on trial, but witnesses failing to appear when summoned by the government for which you both work? That could very well put you on trial in the future.”

“We’ll put in official requests for time off and transport tomorrow,” Alpha said decisively. “Is there anything else we need to do?” 

Nora shook her head. “Not that springs immediately to mind. When the official communication comes in from the Republic, send it to me so I can read the actual summons. It would be highly irregular for them to ask anything else from witnesses, but I’ll make sure. Until then, don’t panic.” 

“We won’t,” Alpha assured her. 

Nora glanced at you as subtly as possible through a holoprojection, but you all knew what she was thinking: there was only one person in the room who was panicking, and it wasn’t Alpha. 

Nora wished you both a good night and severed the connection. 

You shared the uneasy silence with Alpha for a full minute before you sprang nervously to your feet once more. Dimly, you wondered when you had sat down. 

“Hey,” Alpha said, reaching out to tangle his fingers together with yours. “Where are you going?” 

“To my office,” you said, confused about why he was confused. “Remember? I need to check whether the communication came through, then I need to send it to Nora. It should have dates, so we know how urgent to make our transport request. And, if it’s soon enough, we may want to think about packing.”

Alpha used your tangled fingers to keep you close when you tried to walk away. “That communication will still be there tomorrow.” 

“Yes, but it’s also there tonight,” you countered. 

“I’m just saying that maybe you don’t need to rush off right now.” Alpha tugged lightly at your hand. “Maybe just take some time to relax before we jump into the next crisis.” 

“I thought we weren’t thinking of this as a crisis?” You shook your head stubbornly. “I don’t need time to relax.” 

“I do.” 

The quiet admission stopped you in your tracks. You wheeled around, staring intently at him. “You…  need time to relax?” 

Alpha looked away, studying his comlink like he needed to recalibrate it. “Our lives are about to get busy. Again. I want…” 

He stopped. You crossed back to the bed, sinking down beside him close enough that your thigh was pressed alongside his. “What, Alpha?” 

“Doesn’t matter,” he brushed off, standing and offering his hand. “If you need to go to your office tonight, I’ll go with you.” 

“Don’t do that,” you pleaded, looking from Alpha’s hand to his face without accepting his help up. “Please. What do you want, Alpha? What do you need?” 

“One night,” he murmured, still avoiding eye contact. “One night of peace, just you and me. Before we get too busy to focus on us.” 

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” you agreed. You did take his hand, then, using it to pull him down beside you. “I can wait until tomorrow to send that message to Nora. You’re right - it will be fine to stay on my datapad tonight.”

“Are you sure, neverd’ika?” Alpha asked, squeezing your hand. “I don’t mind.” 

“Now that you mention it, a quiet night together sounds like heaven,” you admitted, leaning against him. He hummed just as your head found a place resting on his shoulder. 

“I’m glad you agree,” Alpha said, soft amusement filling his voice. “Knew I’d be holding you back eventually.” 

“Shush,” you told him, scooting so you could lean back against the headboard. Alpha followed, settling so that his head was cradled in your lap. 

As you stroked tiny patterns across the silky roughness of his close-cropped hair, Alpha’s blinks grew longer. He fell asleep shortly after, face smoothing into the most carefree expression you ever saw him wear. 

Your eyes started to grow heavy after a while, but you fought it as long as you could. Alpha was right - there wouldn’t be many more chances for calm evenings between the two of you. You had to savor them while you could.

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Author's Note - The film in this chapter was basically a cross between The Room and Rocky Horror Picture Show, in case it sounded familiar.

My apologies that this chapter is both short and late. The week was even busier than I expected and it took me a while to get this one edited and formatted. Also, the previous chapter and the next chapter are super dense, so I figured having one lighter chapter couldn't hurt.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Seventeen

You come across a new arrival on Kamino

Word Count: 7,400

Warnings: Missing a friend, stress, lies, threats, mentions and discussions of reconditioning, investigations, conspiracy, war crime mention

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Traat'Aliit (Squad)

It was strange, the difference that one person could make in something as big as a city.

When the original ARC class had left, Tipoca City had felt empty. You hadn’t spend much time with the ARCs-in-training outside of mealtimes and the occasional training you attended, but the whole planet had felt a little colder without the boisterous troopers hanging around. 

You had expected something similar with Limit gone from the planet, but you hadn’t expected that it would hurt just as badly as the ARCs. Sheer numbers would suggest that it wouldn’t, but Limit had been such a large part of your life on Kamino. You felt his absence every moment and each one took your breath away. 

Alpha had done his best to help fill the void Limit left, but he had his hands full. The new ARC group had arrived, and they were at the stage of their training that needed the most attention. You still saw Alpha regularly, but that was largely because he always found his way to your quarters at the end of the day. 

None of that helped take your mind off the most concerning thing for you: the report was essentially complete. You had purposefully left a few sections unfinished so you would have something to work on, and you still had to proofread everything and organize it into the Republic’s desired format, but none of that would take longer than a month. Jaiss’s polite requests for updates had turned into more urgent reminders that your extended deadline was coming up quickly. 

You were, undeniably, running out of time on Kamino. 

And that was why, unable to bear the idea of staying trapped in your office for another moment, you had found your way to one of the break spaces deeper in the interior of the stilt-city. If asked, you would claim it was because the caf there was better, but you needed to be somewhere else. Somewhere you couldn’t see the datapads and report notes. 

To your surprise, you had been in the break room for less than ten minutes before you were interrupted by the arrival of Commander Colt. 

“Oh,” he said, pulling up short. It seemed that you had surprised Colt just as much as he had surprised you. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here. Everything okay?” 

You started to give a rote assurance, but something about Colt seemed… off. There were stress lines etched into his face, which was filled with an expression of weariness. Even his posture was less perfect than usual, and you started to worry. “Is everything okay with you?” 

“Avoiding the question isn’t going to do you any favors,” Colt lectured. 

You crossed your arms, unintimidated by the way he was looming ominously over you. It was easy to do, since you were sitting down. “Back at you. I’m fine. And you?” 

Colt rolled his eyes at the pointedness of your question, but relented a moment later. He pulled out another chair at the table, slumping into it and rubbing at his forehead. “We have a new arrival on Kamino.”

“You mean the new ARC trainees?” you asked, befuddled. “They arrived a few days ago. Are they making trouble?” 

“No, Alpha’s already got them in line,” Colt said, the ghost of a smile passing over his tired face. It faded quickly, leaving you concerned and watching him closer than ever. “This one is… something else.” 

You leaned forward, scarcely aware of the motion. “Something else. Can you explain how?” 

Colt eyes you in weary amusement. “You and your tionase. He was sent here by his general for disobeying an order.” 

“They sent him to Kamino for disobeying an order?” It came out as a question, but you weren’t really asking. You had understood Colt, but the reasoning behind it was a mystery. “Why wouldn’t he go to Coruscant to be held accountable by the GAR? If it was that serious, why isn’t he facing a court-martial?”

“It’s not my story to tell,” Colt told you, looking away in apparent discomfort. Before you could apologize for upsetting him, he stood, muttered a goodbye, and left. 

Maybe this was exactly what you needed, you thought with a twinge of guilt. If the Senate wanted a report about the clone troopers, surely it couldn’t hurt to include an example of a time when a trooper didn’t obey orders. 

You hopped to your feet, discarding your caf and snatching up your datapad before hurrying out of the room. You had to find the trooper before anyone could stop you. 

At last, you located him. Kamino didn’t have much cause for a jail, but one of the smaller instruction rooms had been turned into a makeshift holding cell. The single clone trooper inside looked almost comically small, a single dot of color in the blank white expanse of a Kaminoan space meant to hold dozens. 

Then you stepped in the room and he looked over at you. He looked resigned, and weary enough to give Colt a run for his credits. 

Internally, you reclassified the unfamiliar trooper from ‘almost comical’ to ‘gut-wrenchingly sad’. There was something so desolate about him in that space, something that looked like a human version of a plaintive cry. Your heart ached just looking at him, especially when he struggled to his feet and offered a salute made clumsy with bound hands. 

“Sergeant Riptide, ma’am,” he reported. 

“Please, don’t…” After a moment of hesitation, you remembered the words. “At ease, trooper.” 

Riptide’s posture moved to something less formal, but he didn’t look any more relaxed. 

“Riptide?” you mused, trying to find a way to make him feel less worried. “Are you a SCUBA trooper?” 

He blinked, looking like you had thrown him off for the first time. “No, ma’am. I wanted to be, but I wasn’t chosen for the training. The name stuck, though. I hoped to get certified eventually, but…” 

The hopeless gesture at himself made you frown. “Well, I’m going to be honest with you, Riptide: I’m not officially part of this investigation.” 

“I figured that out, ma’am,” Riptide said slowly. “If you were, you’d have read about me in my file. You’d know I’m not a SCUBA, and you’d know that this isn’t an investigation. I won’t get one of those.” 

If ever there had been a phrase designed to make you want to fight, Riptide had found it. “I’ll have to disagree with you on that. I’ll make sure you get an investigation, even if I have to conduct it myself. But I need you to start by telling me what happened.” 

Riptide’s story was hard to listen to, but it was made worse by the detached tone he used to tell it. He didn’t sound uncaring, simply numb and resigned to facing the consequences of his actions. 

And what actions they were. 

Riptide had only just finished speaking when the doors opened to admit a small group. Nala Se was at the front, head swaying gracefully as she crossed the distance between you. Kaminoan expressions were notoriously difficult to read, but you didn’t believe she was pleased to see you. 

Behind Nala Se - and partially hidden by the Kaminoan’s height - was Shaak Ti. She looked serene as ever, though her expression was serious as she glided behind the Kaminoan. 

At the back of the group was Commander Colt. His eyes were fixed on the group ahead of himself, and the weary lines of his face seemed to be etched even deeper. He was nearly halfway across the space when he glanced up to find you standing beside Riptide. He didn’t pause, but you could see the instant of confusion that flashed across his face. 

“Administrator,” Nala Se greeted when she had approached. Her voice was gentle and polite as ever, but there was a coldness to it that gave you a glimpse of her true feelings. “We were not expecting you here.” 

“Really?” you asked, pretending to be confused. “But how can I write an accurate report for the Republic if I don’t see how the clone troopers behave when they are not performing to anticipated standard?”

The skin around Nala Se’s large eyes tightened. “Like any product, the clones can contain aberrations that make them function less effectively, but such incidents are rare.” 

“I agree,” you interrupted. “Even more so since I don’t believe that there is any reason for Riptide to be here at all.” 

“Is that so?” Shaak Ti asked, watching you consideringly. “And what brings you to that conclusion?”

“Riptide refused to follow an order issued by his commanding officer,” you explained. “But that order itself goes against the laws of warfare as determined by the Republic. All soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic must recognize Chancellor Palpatine - and the Republic by extension - as the ultimate authority, superseding even their generals and others in their direct chain of command.”

“And what was the order you believe he disobeyed?” There was something pointed in Nala Se’s tone, and it was enough to put you on-edge. Maybe this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding, as you had hoped.

Still, you forged ahead with the explanation Riptide had given you. “His general ordered him to burn a village filled with Separatist sympathizers.” 

“We were given a different version of events, from a far more trusted source,” Nala Se countered. “CT-6287 refused to pass on his general’s order to retreat. His stubbornness and inaction resulted in the deaths of several clones. His general was disappointed and reluctant to send 6287 to Kamino, but he ultimately agreed that the clone’s continued presence on the battlefield was a risk to his entire battalion.” 

There was a finality to Nala Se’s tone, as if she had given a recalcitrant child such a logical explanation that the conversation could do nothing but end. 

She didn’t know you very well. 

“As admitting the truth would mean immediate jailtime for attempting to commit a war crime, I’m not surprised that Riptide’s general shifted the blame. But there are a half-dozen witnesses who saw what really happened. What have they said?”

Nala Se blinked. “They were not asked for their statements. Due to their enhanced loyalty, clones would be far too willing to lie for each other-” 

“Even if asked a direct question?” Shaak Ti asked incisively. “Because that would also constitute an unwillingness to obey orders. That is a far more serious problem, and one that may dissuade the Republic from making further orders from the Kaminoan laboratories.”

“General, I must protest.” Nala Se’s head bobbed more rapidly, her long fingers clasped together tightly. “You have seen many clones and work with one on a daily basis. Surely any true reason for concern would have been apparent far before now.” 

“I agree,” Shaak Ti said with a nod. “So I agree with the administrator: it is odd that this clone trooper would struggle with orders when so many of his brothers do not. Upon reflection, I believe it would be wise to dig into the accounts of the incident more thoroughly.”

Nala Se straightened, drawing herself up to an even more impressive height. “And who will be responsible for the investigation? You are quite busy and I certainly do not have the time.”

“I’ll investigate,” you volunteered. “I already have the names and comm frequencies of Riptide’s squadmates. That will be a good place to start.”

“I would think your focus would be on finishing your report so you may leave Kamino,” Nale Se said, sounding the closest to impatient you had ever heard from a Kaminoan. 

You lifted your chin stubbornly. “This is more important.” 

“And what about you, trooper?” Commander Colt asked, speaking for the first time since he had entered the room. “Anything to say for yourself?” 

“The only order I disobeyed was the order to kill civilians, sir,” Riptide said, voice quiet at first, but gaining strength as he spoke. “We clones only have our honor, sir. As you taught us.”

Colt nodded. 

“One more thing.” You were reluctant to snap the tension of the moment, but you needed to get started contacting Riptide’s brothers. “I want Riptide to get food and water. And a blanket. And a place to sleep.” 

“One more thing?” Nala Se asked waspishly. 

“Haven’t you had any food, trooper?” Shaak Ti asked, kneeling in front of the low cot where Riptide sat. The motion put her on his eye level.

He shook his head slowly, staring at her as if transfixed. “No, General.” 

She patted his knee kindly. “We will remedy that. Give us a few minutes to get the items you require.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

With a gentle gesture, Shaak Ti ushered everyone out of the room, closing the door behind herself. She faced the door for a long moment and you wondered if you were still supposed to be standing there. You leaned away from the door, ready to start walking back toward your office as soon as you gauged the tone of the conversation and whether you were going to be reprimanded. 

“Mistress Se,” Shaak Ti started as she turned around, fiercely glinting eyes contrasting against her otherwise peaceful expression. Nala Se straightened, seeming almost nervous… even to your human eyes. 

Suddenly, you decided against leaving. There was nowhere in the galaxy you would rather be at that moment. 

“Yes, General Ti?” Nala Se asked. 

“Why is it that clone trooper Riptide was deprived of food, water, and basic comforts?” Shaak Ti asked, going immediately for the verbal throat. “That is now how we treat detainees of any sort, and especially not those who belong to our own army.” 

“There is a perfectly reasonable explanation,” Nala Se assured her. “Riptide has been scheduled for reconditioning. The procedure is safest if there are minimal contents in the stomach. And it is far simpler if the clone’s body temperature is lower. It is customary for them to wear only their body glove in a cool chamber in the time leading up to the process.”

You had to look away from Nala Se or you were going to get violent. Instead, your eyes went to Shaak Ti - who looked more than a little capable of violence, herself - then to Commander Colt.

The sight of him made you twitch. Colt was always strong, ready to take charge and lead, especially if it meant protecting his brothers. But an unfamiliar man stood beside you. The discussion of reconditioning had made him draw into himself, as if he were creating a smaller target by instinct or design. His expression was miserable and haunted, eyes fixed on Nala Se as if she would turn her intentions to him, next. 

You took a slow step closer, subtly lifting your hand to press it against Colt’s back. He twitched hard, gaze shooting to you in shock and defensiveness. You offered an apologetic smile and lightened your touch in a silent offer to break the contact. Colt shook his head and leaned back slightly, pressing your hand against his back once more. 

“And you intended to… recondition this man without any approval from the GAR, the Senate, or the Jedi Order?” Shaak Ti asked, her voice dangerously polite.

“If our product does not perform to expected standards, we reserve the right to correct the issue,” Nala Se reminded her. “It is part of our continued contract with the Republic.” 

“It sounds as if there may be cause to believe that Riptide’s actions were correct,” Shaak Ti countered. “I propose we allow the administrator to proceed with her investigation. We may make our decision when she has found any additional information that may prove Riptide’s case against his general.” 

Nala Se silently swayed her head back and forth as she worked through that. “No, CT-6287 is a defective clone. He is our responsibility. The Republic has no say in this matter.” 

“I would argue that he is property of the GAR and the Republic.” Shaak Ti straightened even further, tucking her hands behind her back. “And as I am the liaison for both of those groups on Kamino, I am the one responsible for Riptide.” 

“Perhaps I should contact Senator Tohu,” Nala Se threatened. 

You were at a total loss on that name until something clicked in the far recesses of your brain. Lon Tohu was the new senator for Kamino, replacing the likely corrupt Klaanuc Dralnulo.

“You may certainly try.” Shaak Ti’s customary smile looked sharper than you usually saw it. “Given that it is shortly after midnight on Coruscant, I fear you may have to wait for a response.” 

Nala Se didn’t answer. Instead, she stalked away, headed toward the section of Tipoca City that housed the long-range comm system. 

“I believe you should start your investigation sooner rather than later,” Shaak Ti told you. “I cannot claim to know what hours Lon Tohu keeps, but he will answer eventually. Thank you for bringing all of this to my attention.” 

You frowned. “Your attention? I thought you were aware of whatever the Kaminoans were planning. Why else were you down here?” 

“Nala Se told us that someone had broken into the holding cells,” she said, shaking her head. “If I had known what sort of conditions they were holding Riptide in, I would have been here much sooner. Please trust that I will take a keen interest in any troopers returning to Kamino in the future.” 

You nodded and turned away, but paused at Colt’s soft voice. “Go get ‘em, ad’ika.”

Tracking down Riptide’s friends had been trickier than expected. His general clearly hadn’t expected there to be any repercussions after he sent Riptide away, so the rest of his battalion remained intact. However, no one seemed inclined to answer their comms. 

The last comm frequency you had belonged to Stick, Riptide’s second-in-command. “You’re who? No, Riptide isn’t here.” 

You patiently explained the situation to him again, hoping the connection would be stronger the second time. It would be easier to use the official long-distance comms, but you didn’t trust Nala Se not to interfere somehow. If she even allowed you to use them while she was trying to contact Lon Tohu. 

All you could do was hope that Alpha’s illegally modified long-distance wrist comm would last until this investigation was over. 

“Sarge is on Kamino?” Stick asked, sounding horrified. “The general told us that he had requested to be transferred to another unit. Did they-? Are they gonna-? Is he okay?” 

The hopelessness in Stick’s tone made your heart pang. “He’s fine, but not for long. I need some kind of proof that your general asked him to burn the Separatist sympathizer village. Because the general is saying that Riptide ignored an order to retreat. Says a bunch of troopers died.” 

Stick swore vividly, some of it in languages you didn’t even recognize. “That liar. The only men who died on that mission were the ones who listened to the general instead of the sarge.”

“Do you have any proof of that?” you pressed. “I’ve stalled them for now, but I don’t have long.” 

“I don’t,” Stick admitted. “But if anyone has some kind of proof, it’s Holo. The man records everything. Maybe he got something without the general knowing.” 

“Can you give me his comm frequency?” You hoped the urgency in your voice carried over the comms, but you could never be sure. “Or I can give you mine to pass on to him. But I need to speak with him as soon as possible.” 

“Give me two minutes,” Stick said, and the line cut a moment later. 

You were anxiously counting the seconds when your comlink rang again. “The general sent Holo out on a mission yesterday evening. He’s in hyperspace right now and I can’t get through to him. How long does the sergeant have?” 

“Not long,” you replied, biting your lip. “I’ll do everything I can, but the Kaminoans are fighting to keep him, and I don’t know how much longer Shaak Ti and I can fight them off. I guess there’s something in their contract that says they get to deal with troopers however they decide is best.” 

“Karkin’ long-necks,” Stick said grimly. “Let me keep trying. I’ll contact some of Holo’s squad-mates. Maybe he sent them something.” 

“Can you give me a frequency?” you asked. It was pushy, but there was only so long you could keep Riptide away from Nala Se and her reconditioning. Especially if Tohu got involved. “We can contact more people if we’re working together. Besides, this is my only focus for the day. I’d rather not just sit here wondering…” 

“I understand,” Stick agreed, and there was a weary understanding in his voice that said he understood all too well. You wondered how many times he had been stuck wondering about the safety of someone he couldn’t protect, but had to stop thinking about it. You didn’t have time to feel sad and hopeless. Not when there was a chance you could still save Riptide. “I’ll send you Dex’s frequency.” 

“Thank you.” The gratitude rang out over a line that had gone dead. Stick’s comm manners were a little rough, but he had other things that were more important. 

By the time you pulled the comlink away from your mouth, it was chiming with an incoming message. You called the frequency as soon as you could enter the proper commands and listened with your heart in your mouth as it rang.

“H’lo?”

The voice was rough and slurred with either sleep or alcohol. You hoped it was sleep, or Dex may not be the resource you needed. “Is this Dex?” 

“Speaking.”

“Hi, I’m an administrator on Kamino and I need-” 

A loud sigh interrupted you. “I don’t have any money. Di’kutla scam comms…”

There was a pause that made your fingers twitch - Dex was getting ready to end the connection. “Dex, wait! Please! It’s Riptide, Stick gave me your number because we can’t get in touch with Holo and I need-” 

“Hang on, hang on,” Dex ordered, sounding more awake than he had during the rest of the comm call. “Sarge? Thought you said you were on Kamino. Riptide is with his new battalion on Geonosis. Something about those bugs coming back for another round.”

“Riptide was never assigned to a new battalion,” you explained quickly. “Your general sent him back to Kamino for reconditioning.”

The silence stretched long enough that you thought Dex may have severed the connection after all. When he finally did speak, Dex’s voice was unsteady. “Is he already gone?” 

“He’s still here, for now,” you reassured him. “The Kaminoans are trying to send him for reconditioning. I’m working with Shaak Ti and Commander Colt to prove that Riptide didn’t disobey an order, but I need proof.” 

“Riptide did disobey an order, though,” Dex told you, sounding wearily resigned. “The general ordered him to do something and he refused. We aren’t allowed to do that.” 

“From what Riptide told me, the order needed to be disobeyed,” you countered. “But your general says Riptide disobeyed a retreat order, which got several troopers killed. Stick said that isn’t true, and his version of the story lines up with everything Riptide told me. I need proof, though. Otherwise, it’s Riptide’s word against the general’s. Stick seemed to think that Holo might have recorded it.” 

Dex swore. “The general must have thought the same thing. He ordered a total wipe of all HUD records and storage a week after the mission. Anything Holo might have had is gone now.” 

Your shoulders slumped and you had to bite back tears. You barely knew this trooper, but you hated to admit defeat. How could you look Riptide in the face and tell him that you had failed? That he was going to be punished for doing the right thing, and there was nothing you could do to stop it because the party who was actually in the wrong was untouchable? 

It… wasn’t fair. Few things were - and even fewer in a warzone - but that didn’t cut through the bitterness on your tongue. 

“But wait,” Dex said, perking you back up. “You said it was the sergeant’s word against the general’s. I’ll vouch for Riptide, and so would half the men in the battalion. We all heard the orders, and heard him refuse to follow them. We can tell whoever we need to that there was no retreat order.”

The hope melted away faster than an ice shard on Batuu. 

“It won’t work,” you said mournfully. “The Kaminoans have already said that they won’t believe the troopers. They think you’ll all stand up for each other, even if that means lying about what really happened.”

Dex swore again, and you half considered joining him. 

“I’ll reach out to some of the other men in our battalion,” he promised. “Maybe someone has something. And I’ll keep trying Holo, just in case.” 

“Good luck, Dex.” You grimaced. “Let me know if you find out anything. Stick is also comming everyone, so you might come across some troopers who already know what’s going on. I’ll stall the Kaminoans as long as possible.” 

“Thank you.” Dex’s voice was tight with emotion again. “He’s a good man and it isn’t right, what they’re trying to do to him. It’s a battle worth fighting, I promise.” 

“You don’t have to convince me of that.” You smiled sadly. “I knew as soon as I spoke with him that I couldn’t let this happen, not if I can help it. Just hurry, please.” 

Dex agreed and severed the connection. 

Unfortunately, that left you in a lull. Stick hadn’t give you anyone else’s comm frequency, and you didn’t want to comm him back and interrupt more productive conversations. Besides, if Dex had been anything to go by, there were good odds that the next trooper would sever the connection before you had a chance to explain yourself. It was asking a lot, to talk to a stranger and take their word on an internal event that had seemingly been handled. 

Something felt off to you, though. You managed to put your finger on it after a few minutes of soul-searching - the general had lied about where Riptide had gone. 

It could be that they weren’t very popular with their troops. Maybe it was easier to mislead everyone about where their sergeant had gone. But it could also be that the general didn’t want anyone to know where Riptide really was so they couldn’t try to interfere. With, say, some evidence that things hadn’t gone exactly how the general said they had. 

No, you refused to believe that the evidence had been fully destroyed. You refused to believe that someone so corrupt could be allowed to continue acting against everything the Republic stood for. You refused to believe that the situation was hopeless. 

You just needed to buy Stick and Dex the time they needed to follow up on leads. With nothing else to do, you started back for Riptide’s holding area. You sent a quick message to Stick on the way - written, so he could see it between calls: 

Stick, I got in touch with Dex. The general had Holo delete his files a week after the mission. Dex is following up now in case anyone had copies. I’m going back to Riptide now. Contact me with any news. 

You had signed the message with your name, though you weren’t actually sure whether you’d given it in your conversation with Stick. If nothing else, you reasoned, there were plenty of context clues for him to pick up on. 

Before you put the comlink away, you called Commander Colt. “I’m headed back down to Riptide. Have you heard or seen anything?”

“Nala Se hasn’t been back there.” 

You frowned. “Good, but did they give him a blanket and some food?” 

“He has a blanket and a ration bar,” Colt reported. “It’s not much, but he’s better off than he was earlier.” 

“Thank you, Colt.” 

You detoured on your way downstairs, picking up two more blankets and a pair of fuzzy socks you had ordered for Alpha (he had steadfastly refused to wear them). The mess hall wasn’t serving food at the moment, but you knew where the previous ARC groups stored their treats. If this group missed the handful of snacks you had taken, you would restock the stash yourself.

Riptide was asleep by the time you arrived. He was curled on the narrow cot as best he could be, huddled under a blanket that looked like it would be too small for a much younger trooper. The remains of a ration bar wrapper rested neatly under the cot. It looked as if he had all but licked it clean.

You carefully spread the blankets over Riptide, moving gently so you didn’t scare him awake. The socks and snacks ended up next to the ration bar wrapper. You sat on the floor, carefully angled so that you could see Riptide and the door, as well as block any intruders’ immediate view of the trooper and the gifts you had brought him.

And then you had nothing left to do but think. 

That was a bad thing, since you immediately fell into ruminations about your report. You weren’t going to include Riptide’s story in it. You had decided that much within minutes of meeting him. 

Which brought you right back to where you had started: the report was done. Yes, you could stretch things out for a while by working on the editing process, then making sure it was properly formatted, but Jaiss would probably offer to help you with all of that. You needed to figure out what your next steps would be. You needed to talk to Alpha.

A low groan came from behind you, followed closely by the sound of someone trying to carefully turn onto their side. 

You turned, finding yourself face-to-face with Riptide, who watched you with surprise. When he finally looked away, he glanced down at the blankets. The way he rubbed them between his thumb and forefinger bordered on reverential. 

“Thank you.” 

With a grimace, you shook your head. “You’re welcome, but I would prefer you didn’t thank me. The blanket they brought you was an embarrassment.”

Riptide snorted. It was the first time you had seen him smile, weak as it was. 

“I also brought you some food.” 

He blinked at you. “I already had a ration bar.” 

With effort, you managed not to make a rude noise in response to that. Instead, you said, “Yes, well… If you decide you want something with a bit more flavor, everything is under the cot.”

Riptide lasted all of three seconds before he glanced under the cot. “Oye! You brought the good stuff.”

“I did my best,” you agreed. 

He ate in silence for a minute while you kept an eye on the door. Eventually, Riptide asked, “Did you manage to get in touch with any of my men?” 

“Some of them,” you explained. “I spoke with Stick and Dex. Everyone is trying to reach Holo, but he’s in hyperspace right now and no one can tell me when he’s supposed to be back in range.” 

“They can’t,” Riptide answered automatically. “Confidential information. It would be a breach of Republic protocol to give away details like that.”

You didn’t answer that. It would be cruel to remind him that the current breach of Republic protocol was what had left his life hanging in the balance. 

Well, probably. If you were being honest, Nala Se had never said exactly what reconditioning was, but you had gathered that it was surgical in nature and - by her own description - ‘corrected’ the problem of troopers disobeying orders. It sounded suspiciously like they were killing troopers who they thought weren’t performing to expected standards. 

And it hadn’t escaped your notice that the troopers from Riptide’s battalion seemed to dread the idea of reconditioning. 

When the door opened again, you were on your feet quickly enough to disorient yourself slightly, but the sight of Nala Se’s cold gray eyes brought you back. 

“Well, administrator?” she asked, voice as dispassionate as her gaze. “What have you discovered about CT-6287’s mission?” 

“I have plenty of people who support Riptide’s version of events,” you told her, lifting your chin even as you wondered where Shaak Ti and Colt were. “None of them have even referenced an order to retreat, much less that Riptide refused to follow it.” 

“But do you have proof?” she pressed. 

“Not yet.” You took half a step forward. “But I will soon.” 

“It does not matter,” Nala Se said. “I have received confirmation from Senator Tohu that we have a contractual right to correct any manufacturing flaws that we discover.” 

“But the clone troopers belong to the Republic,” you argued. “The GAR and the Jedi Council are the ones who have to agree before you can make any ‘corrections’. If Tohu answered your comm, that means that the others should answer soon. Where are General Ti and Commander Colt?” 

“They have not come to find me since our earlier conversation.” Nala Se’s head bobbed thoughtfully. “You could always go discuss the topic with them personally.” 

Something in her inflection made you want to lift your arms to shield Riptide. “No. I have no guarantees that you won’t try anything if I leave.” 

“You do not,” she agreed. If Kaminoans made a habit of smiling, you thought she would have done so.

Your comlink buzzed and you glanced down long enough to see a short message: 

I always make copies of everything. 

There was a file attached. 

“Am I keeping you from something?” Nala Se asked, voice silky. 

“It was Commander Colt,” you lied, meeting her gaze. “He and General Ti are on their way.”

You forwarded the message to Colt, keying a quick request for him to remove any identifying information. You would not be responsible for any other troopers getting in trouble. 

The silence was uncomfortable, and Nala Se didn’t seem inclined to make it any less so. The air seemed thick with tension, almost difficult to breathe, and every time you or Riptide shifted, it felt like the loudest sound ever made. 

It was almost a half-hour before Commander Colt arrived, slightly breathless. “We’ve received the transmission. It shows all the proof we need. I copied it onto a data stick.” 

He handed it to Nala Se and you tensed, somehow sure she would destroy it. Colt glanced at you, a hint of a smile on his face. “And I took the liberty of creating an additional copy to display here.” 

Colt lifted his forearm, flexing his fingers to start a small holographic projector in his vambrace. A tiny pair of figures appeared, caught in mid-argument. 

“I can’t do that, sir,” the holographic Riptide said. 

“You can and you will, trooper,” the general ordered. You could see that he was humanoid and wearing a full uniform. Probably not one of the Jedi generals, then. “I gave you the order once and I do not appreciate repeating myself. Burn it down.” 

Some of the troopers around Riptide shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other. Riptide spoke again. “Sir, there are civilians inside. Only civilians. No military leaders or targets at all.”

“You think i don’t know that?” the general snapped. “Nothing but Separatist sympathizers in there. The galaxy is better off without them.” 

“No, sir,” Riptide said firmly. “That is against the Republic’s Articles of War and therefore runs counter to the orders given by Chancellor Palpatine at the start of this conflict. I won’t burn it, and neither will any of my men.” 

The general snarled, but before he could reply, shots started firing from beyond the scope of the recording. Cries of the injured rose in the air and the general heaved an irritated sigh. “Retreat to the ship!” 

“Retreat!” Riptide echoed. “Stick and Justice, grab a few men to help the wounded. Let’s move!” 

The recording cut, leaving the room quiet once more. 

“That does seem fairly conclusive,” Shaak Ti said from the doorway. 

You hadn’t heard her approach, but you were indescribably relieved that she and Colt were there. You had never trusted Nala Se, and you certainly hadn’t decided to start now. 

“Should we start an investigation, General?” Colt asked. 

“Absolutely,” Shaak Ti confirmed. “In fact, we should go now. Mistress Se, please accompany me to the long-range comms. The Jedi Council has gathered, along with several key representatives of the Grand Army of the Republic. They are waiting for our report on this incident to open the investigation. Commander, please release Riptide and arrange for his transport back to Coruscant, then join us at the comms. Thank you. And thank you for your effort on this matter, administrator.”

You returned Shaak Ti’s nod with a smile and watched as the Jedi and the Kaminoan swept out of the room. 

“Old Holo came through after all, eh?” Riptide asked as Colt unlocked the binders. Riptide’s fingers were trembling, though he tried to hide it by gathering what remained of the snacks you had brought for him. “Good man.” 

“Especially since the general ordered them to delete their HUD footage,” you added mildly. “Speaking of, did you..?” 

Colt nodded. “Tech helped me anonymize the recording before I copied it.” 

You relaxed at that. If Tech had removed any identifiers, you could be certain that there was no way to trace the recording back to Holo, not through electronic means. 

“Want to come with us to the transports?” Colt asked. 

You smiled, but shook your head. “I think I need a little time to relax. That was the most stressed I’ve been in a while.” 

Before you left, Riptide shook your hand warmly. “Thank you, truly. I don’t- I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t… Thank you.”

The immediate urge was to reject Riptide’s thanks, to insist that he didn’t need to thank you or that it had been nothing. But it hadn’t been nothing, and both of you knew it. He had almost lost his life because a general had lied about him and no one had searched for the truth. 

So you simply nodded instead, wishing him the best. 

By the time you got back to your quarters, Alpha was already there, lounging comfortably on your bed. You blinked at him, a little surprised before you realized exactly what the time was. 

Alpha looked up as you walked in. “Late night, little one?” 

“Long day,” you said. Alpha looked increasingly interested as you started stripping off your clothing, but you excused yourself to take a long shower. 

He was still awake when you came back out, and it only took a little prodding before the whole story came pouring out of you. 

To your utter shock, Alpha started to laugh. 

“What’s so funny?” you asked frostily. 

“You prevented a reconditioning,” Alpha explained. It wasn’t much of an explanation, and you gave him the evil eye until he continued. “That’s the closest thing the clones have to a horror story. Dying in battle is one thing, but reconditioning? And you just stopped one. Because you didn’t think it was fair.” 

“What… is it?” 

Alpha’s amusement didn’t fade immediately, but still faster than was typical for him. “We don’t talk about it.” 

“Why?” You silently promised yourself that you would stop asking questions the instant Alpha started to look uncomfortable, but he looked as unbothered as ever.

“Because it’s something no one wants to think about,” he said. “Much less admit happens to our vode.”

That wasn’t any better an explanation than you had before, but you tried to keep any frustration out of your voice. “So they… kill you? That’s what Nala Se implied.” 

“Did she?” Alpha leveled an arch look at you. “When have you ever known the kaminii to waste a perfectly good product?” 

You made a face at that. “She said they had full rights to control the quality of their products. That’s why she was fighting to recondition Riptide.”

“No, his body was fine,” Alpha argued, despite never having seen Riptide before. “They control for that from the growth tubes on. But if a trooper’s mind is bad, there’s no use in wasting a perfectly good body…” 

“So they… what? Brainwash troopers?” you asked with a chuckle. It disappeared entirely when Alpha didn’t join in on your amusement. “Wait, really? They brainwash you?” 

“Putting it lightly,” he muttered. “The Kaminoans built us, shaped the way our minds developed. If they don’t like how one turned out, they can tear it back down to its base components. You still look like you and sound like you, but… it’s not you. And you can never know how much of a trooper will survive the process. Some of ‘em act like they’ve been reset, but others… Well, no one wants to imagine being trapped in their own body for the rest of their life.”

You had to try a few times before you could speak. “But… But Nala Se made it sound like it was some kind of surgery?” 

Alpha tapped his temple. “Where do you think personality comes from? Remove the right part of the brain and you kill the non-spec parts of a person.” 

“That’s horrible,” you said with a shudder, climbing into the bed. You weren’t tired in the slightest, but wrapping your arms around Alpha always made you feel better. You could use that right now. “You’re lucky they’ve never done it to you.” 

Alpha snorted. “They could try.” 

“No, Alpha,” you chided quietly. “I can’t- can’t even think about that happening to you. I would never recover.” 

“Shh, neverd’ika,” Alpha soothed. “I’m in their good graces right now, and I don’t see that changing soon. Besides, if they reconditioned me, who would train their ARCs? No one else is lining up for that osik.” 

“Just be careful,” you pleaded, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. 

He squeezed you a little tighter, seeming content to cuddle you in silence for a while. You were almost asleep when he said, “You got a message on your comlink while you were in the ‘fresher.” 

You rolled out of the bed instantly, heart stuttering with cold fear that Nala Se had managed to trap Riptide after all. Instead, you found a message from a frequency you didn’t know. Your eyebrows lifted as you scanned over it.

“What is it?” Alpha asked. 

You read aloud, “You’ve been busy. If I’d known what kind of transmissions you’d be sending, I would have done more encryption. I’ll add some extra coding to it tonight. Power it off when you wake up tomorrow morning, wait five minutes, and turn it back on.”

As you read, another message came through. “Be careful.”

“I don’t recognize the frequency,” you said when you had finished reading. 

“Ordo,” Alpha supplied immediately. “He’s the one who encrypted the comlink for long-range calls. He must have seen more activity than usual from you and decided to check it out.” 

“He was listening in on my calls?” you asked, discomfited. “I don’t think I like that.” 

“I don’t like it, either,” Alpha admitted. “But Skirata keeps the Nulls busy. I doubt any of them are listening to your calls. Ordo probably just saw more activity than usual and decided to check it out.”

You grimaced. “Still.”

“Would it help if I threaten him over comms?” Alpha asked. “It wouldn’t do anything for me, but if it would help you feel better, I’ll do it.”

His tone was longsuffering, but there was a glint in his eyes that said he was teasing you. It wasn’t enough to make you forget about the stress of the day, but it did make you bite back a smile.

You rolled your eyes at him and Alpha grinned, clearly proud of his ability to get a reaction from you. When you stuck your tongue out at him, his surprised laughter made you feel warm all over. 

As Alpha recovered from the apparent shock, you crawled back into bed and cuddled into his side.

---

Author's Note - This was a really long chapter, but the next one will be fairly short. The two should even out nicely. Riptide is an OC and Alpha's definition of reconditioning is the fanon version. I'm pretty sure the canon reconditioning is just Kaminoans killing troopers, but this is somehow worse.

Thank you for reading!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Hey guys, I've been prepping for a natural disaster all week and couldn't write anything new.

I want to apologize for this account being so quiet lately. I'll do my best to get something new written soon!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Dame Maggie Smith as Muriel Donnelly The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Sixteen

You and Alpha prepare for an unexpected departure.

Word Count: 4,200

Warnings: Worrying, stress, impending goodbyes, mentions of past attack on Kamino, flirtation, nerves, tears, general references to the stress of living in a galaxy at war

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Burcyan (Friendship)

“Limit!” you greeted happily, setting your tray down on the surface of your lunch table. You continued to smile at him as you took a seat beside Alpha. “I thought you forgot about us.” 

Limit stammered half an excuse, clearly flustered by your teasing accusation. 

Alpha rolled his eyes, half-smiling to soften it. “He’s been busy.” 

“I know that.” You patted Limit’s hand where it rested on top of the table. “They’ve really had you working like crazy.” 

It was the truth, too. When Limit had finished taking inventory, rotating all supplies, and ordering new items during the lockdown, the Kaminoans had assigned him to work on a total reorganization of the medbay supplies. And when had that had been done, they had him teaching basic medic classes for the recruits and offering some advanced first aid courses to the ARCs-in-training. 

Amid all of it, Limit had truly blossomed. You had worried about how the stress would impact him, but he had risen above it all. The troopers and cadets all adored him, and they sought him out just as much as they did Alpha. More, actually, since Limit had never shouted at anyone, as far as you were aware. 

“I finally got a-away,” Limit explained with a smile, finally relaxing with your friendly touch to reassure him that you weren’t really upset. 

“And I’m glad,” you admitted, taking a bite of your lunch. “I was a little worried that the Kaminoans would keep putting you to work further and further away from the general public. Working with the troopers in the medbay is really where you shine.” 

There was a moment of quiet - an uncomfortable pause in a conversation that had been filled with the comfortable air of a long friendship. 

Limit laughed, the sound a little too quiet to be casual. “No, no mo-more work on the inventory. It shoul-sh-... It will be good for the next fe-ew years.”

You frowned, letting your fork settle on the tray as you gave Limit a hard look. “What’s going on?” 

“No-nothing,” Limit denied nervously. 

“Limit,” you warned. “Something is happening. I can tell. What is it?” 

“I don’t-” Limit started, giving a desperate look over at Alpha. 

“Is it something bad?” You frowned, drumming your fingers on the table. “You’ve been in the medbay… Is something going on in there? Is someone hurt? Worse than normal, I mean? You never get this nervous unless it’s something really bad. Was there a training accident? Or have you heard something else? Did they find out that Dengar wasn’t the only spy?” 

“Neverd’ika,” Alpha interrupted, rough fingers touching the back of your hand to draw your attention. “Udesii.” 

Between the physical contact and the soothing Mando’a, you managed to stop and take a deep breath. 

Alpha nodded at you approvingly, pulling slowly away from you. If there wasn’t so much danger in being seen, you would have held his hand to keep the comforting contact between you. “Limit, you should probably just tell her.” 

You were instantly on-edge again. “So there is something! Tell me, Limit, please.” 

Limit tried to avoid your pleading eyes, but gave in with a sigh. “The Kaminoans saw th- saw the work I did during the lo-lockdown, and they heard ab… about how I helped during the attack. They d-decided to cl- clea- They said I’ve been cleared for duty.” 

You sat in stunned silence for a few seconds, trying to process everything you felt about that, but you snapped out of it when Limit peeked up at you. “Congratulations, Limit! That’s…” 

“That’s great,” Alpha finished when you flagged. “Do they know where you’re going to end up?” 

Limit looked nearly as grateful for Alpha’s interruption as you had been. “I’ll be in the 327th, ser-serving with General Aayla Secura.” 

“Ah, you’ll be with Aftermath.” Alpha gave a satisfied sort of rumble, deep in his chest. “Good. Seems like a dependable group of vode.” 

“When do you leave?” you asked, trying not to sound as close to tears as you were feeling.

From the stricken look on Limit’s face, you hadn’t succeeded. “I’ll ship out w-with the ARCs. Makes the- makes the most sense. Fewer transports.” 

Your stomach dropped, and you took a bite of your lunch in an effort to disguise whatever expression your face had fallen into. The food tasted even more bland than usual, but you chewed slowly to give yourself time to think. 

If Limit was leaving when the ARCs left, that only gave you a few days with him. The next ARC graduation was scheduled to take place in four days. 

“Congratulations, Limit,” you offered. “It’s about time the Kaminoans recognized what a talented medic and soldier they have in you.” 

Limit’s face tightened imperceptibly, as if he was also trying to hide his expression. Alpha - never one for hiding his true feelings - snorted aloud. “Not exactly what happened, little one.” 

“What-?” you started, only to be distracted when a broad smile spread across Limit’s face. “If they didn’t, then..?” 

“It was a group effort,” Alpha said vaguely. 

You stared hard at Limit until he gave a real explanation. “Taun- Taun We received pet- peti- petitions from the captain, but also from General Ti, Commander C- Colt, and some of the ARC troopers.” 

For a strange moment, you pictured Salvo and Maw going to specifically request that Limit be sent out with a battalion, but Limit clarified, “That is, some of the ARC tr- troopers from the last group.”

“Yeah, the ones who you saved from that explosion,” Alpha added. “They haven’t forgotten about that part, and neither should you.” 

Limit shook his head. “Just did wha- what any man would do t-to save his brothers.” 

“And that’s why you belong out there, taking care of them.” 

Limit and Alpha both looked surprised at your declaration. It must have seemed like an abrupt change of your position, but you meant it. Limit was one of the best parts of Kamino, had been ever since you had met him, but there was only so much he could do in Tipoca City. He needed the chance to help more people. Who were you to be upset that he was leaving?

You smiled at them, hoping it looked natural. You were sad to see Limit go, but you never wanted him to think you weren’t happy for him. “I’m just a little sad that you won’t get your own graduation or goodbye party.” 

“It’s b- better like this,” Limit assured you. “With ev-erything that’s hap- happened on Kamino lately, I’m happier thi- this way. I d-don’t want to… want to draw too much attention.” 

You studied him, but he seemed to be telling the truth. “Fine. But I hope you know that I’ll want the three of us to spend as much time together as possible before you ship out.” 

Limit’s smile was sudden and bright, so genuinely sincere that it made your heart ache to see it. “I c-can agree to… agree to that.”

—

You and Limit did your best to do exactly that. You ate meals together, you visited him in the medbay, and he spent one peaceful evening chatting with you and Alpha. 

Through all of it, you were trying to come up with an idea for a present. Before you had left home - or even back on Coruscant - a friend leaving for an adventure like this one would be met with celebration and a gift to make sure they started their next chapter with a reminder of how deeply they were loved. 

But Limit was surprisingly hard to find a present for. As a clone trooper and a medic, he had to follow strict guidelines about personal belongings and what he could expect to bring from one duty station to the next. 

You had considered buying him some medical equipment - maybe a medscanner? - but discarded the idea just as quickly. Beyond the requirements about personal belongings and the fact that the 327th definitely had a medscanner, there simply wasn’t time to order anything for delivery to Kamino. 

Whatever you decided on, it had to be something you already owned or something that you could make. Nothing jumped out at you from either category, and you were beyond frustrated. Time had been limited from the beginning and you were quickly running out of it. Limit would leave the day after the next, and you were no closer to an idea than you had been when you first thought of it. 

Your only saving grace was that Limit did still have duties in the medbay. The Kaminoans had never been a sentimental species and they didn’t seem likely to start then. They kept Limit just as busy as he always had been, so you had time to brainstorm. 

You would rather have spent time with him, of course, but you couldn’t say it wasn’t convenient. 

You were on your way back to your office after a quick trip to a supply closet, muttering gift options to yourself, when a voice behind you made you jump. 

“What are you talking about?” 

You whirled, pressing a hand to your chest as you stared up at Alpha. “Where did you come from?” 

Alpha jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “ARC training wrapped up early. They have their final test tomorrow morning, so I give ‘em the chance to do some individual practice the day before. They know where they’re struggling. Now, what’s going on?” 

“Nothing.” 

Alpha clearly wasn’t going to let you get away with that non-explanation, folding his arms across his chest as he continued to silently watch you. 

You sighed, toying with the identification card you had taken to wearing after the Null ARC incident. “I just… I want to give Limit something when he leaves. But I can’t figure out what and I’m almost out of time.” 

“You don’t-”

“Don’t tell me I don’t have to get him anything,” you interrupted hastily. “It’s a nat-born thing, I guess. But I need to make sure he has something from his friends here when he’s out in the field.”

Alpha was silent for a moment. “You didn’t get anything for the last ARCs when they graduated and everything was fine.” 

“That’s different,” you dismissed. You lasted exactly eight steps before you asked, “Stars, should I have gotten them something? What if they were expecting me to-” 

“No,” Alpha denied, cutting you off mid-guilty question. 

Then it was his turn to be quiet. If you hadn’t known him well, you would have wondered if he wasn’t going to answer you at all, but you had spent the last few months analyzing his facial expressions and their meanings. He was thinking about something. 

“I may have an idea,” he told you. “But I’ll have to be the one who sets it up. I’ll need your help at the end, but most of it will be on me. Do you trust me?” 

“With my life.” 

Your automatic answer made Alpha smile, the expression wide enough to crinkle the corners of his eyes. “Glad to hear it. But do you trust me with Limit’s gift?” 

Part of you wanted to tease him, to wait a moment while you pretended to think about it. But you could never lie about this, even for something as minor as teasing him. “Of course I do, Alpha.” 

The playful smile faded from Alpha’s face, replaced with a warm softness in his eyes. He glanced away long enough to make sure no one was around, then pulled you into a gentle keldabe.

You held the contact between his forehead and yours, letting your eyes fall shut as you breathed in the heat and scent of Alpha that surrounded you when he was this close. His nose briefly brushed yours before he pulled away. 

“Give me six hours,” Alpha requested, disappearing the moment he saw your nod. 

—

You woke up early for the graduation. 

Alpha had been gone the night before, completing whatever set of traditions and rituals he did with each ARC group before they left, but you got a call from him as you were finishing getting dressed. 

“You awake, neverd’ika?” Alpha asked. 

“Almost ready, actually,” you replied, deciding not to tell him about the array of alarms you had set for that morning. “I wouldn’t be late for this.” 

“Good,” he answered. “Same hangar bay as last time.” 

The hangar bay in question was easy to find. You were fairly sure they used it for ARC graduations because it was on an upper level of one of the outlying stilt-cities. The location meant that the departing transport wouldn’t fly over or past anywhere else, keeping security tight and preventing any noise disturbances for the laboratories or training areas. 

In any case, it was a bit of a trek to get there and you were glad that you had left early. You needed enough time to make sure Limit got his gift before the ceremony started. 

Alpha had delivered on his promise, setting up most of the moving pieces for Limit’s gift before he got back to you. It had been perfect, and you had gladly finished your part that night. Since Alpha had been busy with the ARCs most of the previous day, everything needed to be finished even earlier than you had planned. You were still a little surprised that you and Alpha - mostly Alpha - had pulled it off at all. 

The ARCs were gathered on one side of the large space, a little closer to the door than Alpha and Limit were. When you stepped inside, they called greetings to you. 

Despite Alpha’s best efforts, the ARCs had met you and learned a little about your role on Kamino. You weren’t sure how much they knew about your relationship with Alpha, but you trusted that they all understood the stakes of secrecy. 

“No one told me we were going to have a beautiful spectator,” Fives crowed. “If I had known, I would have finished the final mission even faster.”

You smiled at his outrageous flirting, shaking your head as he flexed. “We both know you like cutting it close for dramatic effect.” 

“Don’t encourage him,” Salvo grumbled, giving an amused huff as Fives elbowed him in the side. “We barely finished under the time limit, and not for dramatic effect.”

“We would have been faster if someone hadn’t decided to try for the optional objective,” Maw interrupted. 

Aftermath scowled. “We made it, didn’t we? And it countered the civilian casualty.” 

“You guys lost a civilian?” you asked, caught between amusement and horror. It was all simulated, of course, and you knew they had passed, but that was one of the biggest point deductions a group could get.

“Not lost,” Echo clarified. “We recovered the hostage, but he was injured during exfil. Non-fatally.”

You managed to (mostly) smother your smile. “I’m glad to hear you passed. Sorry I couldn’t be there to see it.” 

“We didn’t need the distraction.” To your surprise, the flirtatious remark came from Maw. You glanced at him in surprised amusement. 

A deep, weary sigh sounded from behind you and then Alpha was stepping between you and the ARCs. “That’s enough of that. Say goodbye, men.” 

“Bye and congratulations!” you called. 

Fives ducked around Alpha’s side to shake your hand. “Nice to meet you. You’re good for him, you know.” 

Fives had just tipped his head to indicate Alpha when he was grabbed by the back of the collar and peeled away from you. 

“Fives,” Alpha said conversationally, “it would be shame to finish training and pass your final mission, but never make it to graduation, wouldn’t it?” 

“A terrible waste of potential,” Fives agreed, having to stare upward to meet Alpha’s eyes. 

“Then let’s avoid any more theatrics. It’s not worth the paperwork.” Alpha turned back to you, jerking his head toward Limit. “We need you over here.” 

You frowned, but followed behind Alpha willingly enough as he led the way to where Limit was standing. That had been a little more intense than you had expected; Alpha rarely got physical with the troopers, unless they were in a training session.

As soon as Alpha stepped out of your line of vision, you understood. 

Limit looked… scared. He was about as pale as you’d seen any of the troopers get. His face was drawn into tight lines of concern, and his fingers were trembling. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as if he couldn’t bring himself to stand still for too long. 

“Hey,” you greeted gently. “Big day, huh?” 

Limit blinked at you in confusion and even Alpha looked a little underwhelmed at your attempt to soothe your friend. 

You wracked your brain for anything that might actually help instead of sending Limit into a deeper spiral, but you doubted that talking about nerves had ever helped anyone overcome them. Instead, you decided to redirect the conversation to another course. 

“I know I’ve said this before, Limit, but I’m so proud of you,” you told him, taking one of his hands in yours and giving the back of it a little pat. “When I first met you, you wouldn’t even boss Alpha around and now I’ve seen you take charge of any situation that happens in the medbay! You’ve come so far, and I’m glad you’re going to have the chance to keep growing.” 

In an interesting reversal, Limit’s face had gone from pale to almost painfully red. Some of the effect was negated by the deep tan of his skin, but he was clearly embarrassed by your praise. But embarrassed was better than nervous, wasn’t it? 

“I d- don’t know about tha- about that,” he protested weakly. 

“It’s true, though,” you countered. “You’ve helped most people on Kamino at this point. It just makes sense that you’d need to branch out to a whole battalion.” 

“But…” Limit looked away, drawing a deep breath as he did. In a voice almost too low for you to hear, he admitted, “This will b- will be my first t-time off of- off- being away from Kamino. I’m a little w- worr- worried.” 

You softened, doing your best not to aww aloud. Thankfully, Alpha interrupted before you could.

With a hand on Limit’s shoulder, he said, “You’ll be fine, kid.” 

Limit visibly relaxed. For half a second, you were offended at how Alpha’s four words had a greater effect than your speech had, but you smiled warmly at your boyfriend a moment later. He had such an influence on these men - how could you begrudge him for connecting with them? 

“But we have something for you,” you told him, eyeing Alpha in hopes that he wouldn’t mind you being the one to reveal it. “We want to make sure you get it before you go.” 

“Some-something?” Limit repeated, brow furrowing in confusion. “For m- me?” 

You went to retrieve the gift from where Alpha had left it leaning against a nearby wall, but it was heavier than you expected. You huffed inelegantly as you lugged it back over to where Alpha and Limit were standing. 

Limit accepted the gift easily enough that you felt foolish for struggling as hard as you had. Alpha had covered it with a rough piece of fabric, but Limit unwrapped it like the cloth was something precious. When he could clearly see it, he frowned, glancing between you and Alpha with growing befuddlement. 

“A chestplate?” he asked, thumbs stroking over the white plastoid. “I w-was already issued one when I… when I got my orders. I’m sorry.” 

Alpha chuckled - a real, warm chuckle, unlike the sardonic laugh he sometimes gave in response to ARC-in-training silliness. “Turn it over, vod.” 

Limit did, and you watched his eyes go wide. You knew what he was seeing: in the greenish-yellow of his new battalion was a kar’ta beskar - a Mandalorian Iron Heart. 

Surrounding it were handprints, multicolored and multi-directional. Some of them overlapped due to the limited space on the inside of the chestplate, but all were clearly visible. Each one was painstakingly painted the exact color of the corresponding trooper’s battalion. Alpha’s handprint was near the top, painted in black. Your handprint was its mirror image, but in emerald green. 

“Who-?” Limit started, his voice breaking before he could finish the question. Limit’s eyes were bright with tears and you lost the fight against your own as he glanced from you to Alpha. 

Alpha tugged you to his side, his hand finding yours unerringly. “Ours, of course. The kids. The last ARC class. Just some of the people you’ve helped. The first of many, I’d assume.”

Limit nodded a few times, swallowing hard before he spoke. “And th- the blue?” 

You frowned, taking a step closer to look at the inside of the armor. Sure enough, there was a thin brushstroke tracing the outline of the chestplate, painted in a deep and vivid blue. 

Alpha grunted. “Learn your heritage, vod. Everything means something to the Mandos. Even colors.” 

“I’ll learn,” Limit promised. 

“Can you explain it now?” you pried. “I want to know, too. And someone hasn’t gotten to that point in Mando’a lessons yet.” 

Alpha looked exasperated and you scowled at him. “Are you seriously telling me that it was more important to teach me how to curse in Mando’a than to explain that there’s a color language?” 

“Not a language,” Alpha corrected. “Symbolism. Blue is reliable.” 

Limit’s breath caught, but you nodded. “Reliable is the perfect way to describe you, Limit. We all rely on you. And I’m not sure what we’re going to do without you.” 

“The general is coming,” Maw warned, ducking back into the room. You hadn’t realized that the ARCs were paying attention to anything other than their own conversation, but your little group had their full attention. 

Limit looked scared, and you stepped forward to wrap him in a tight hug. He melted into it, hugging you just as tightly in return. When you let go, Alpha stepped forward to offer him a handshake. 

“You’ll be amazing, Limit,” you told him. 

A hand came down on Limit’s shoulder. You glanced up to find Aftermath offering Limit a nod. Aftermath turned to you. “I’ll keep an eye out for him, ma’am.” 

“Thank you,” you managed through a throat that had gone tight. 

Shaak Ti and Commander Colt swept into the room and the ARCs fell into a neat line. Limit came to stand beside you. You put a hand on his back only to find that Alpha’s was already there, offering silent support from Limit’s other side. With a slight adjustment, you pressed your palm slightly lower. 

The ARC graduation passed in a blur. It followed much of the same format as the previous one you had attended. You weren’t sure how Shaak Ti found the time to learn so much about each man and his strengths and weaknesses, but they seemed to be true. 

When each man had been given his kama and was congratulated by their general, commander, and captain, they headed for the ship. 

“Limit,” Shaak Ti greeted, stopping in front of him. 

Limit’s spine straightened. “General.” 

“You have been a shining example of duty and brotherhood for as long as I have known you,” she told him warmly. “I look forward to seeing the wonders you work for your brothers in the outside galaxy.” 

“Yes, Gen- General,” Limit agreed, cheeks slightly reddened. 

Colt clapped him on the shoulder. “Best head for the ship, vod. And if you need anything, I’m only a comm away.” 

Limit nodded. “Thank you, Commander.” 

Colt smiled, following Shaak Ti from the room as Limit turned back to you and Alpha. “I do- don’t know how I can… how I can thank you-” 

“So don’t,” Alpha interrupted. “There are some debts too big for words. But at least these go both ways.” 

Limit nodded, giving a quick salute. Alpha returned it while you offered a sad wave, and then Limit was gone.

The ship had long since disappeared into the distance when Alpha finally spoke. 

“Are you going to be okay, neverd’ika?” 

“I think so,” you said, offering a tight smile. “It’s never going to get easier, is it? Knowing there are people out there in the galaxy who I can’t keep safe.” 

“No,” Alpha confirmed, voice not unkind. “It never does get easier, little one. All you can do is trust that they know how to look after themselves. And, if it comes down to it, that they gave their lives for something greater than themselves.” 

That made you shed a few more tears and Alpha pulled you in for a hug. When he spoke, it rumbled through you in a way that managed to be just as comforting as the hug itself. “I’m sorry. What can I do?” 

“Are you done for the day?” you asked, leaning your chin on his chest to look up at him. Alpha nodded, and you hugged him a little tighter. “Can we go back to my quarters? I just want to hold you for a while. Is that okay?” 

“That sounds perfect,” Alpha agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

---

Author's Note - I didn't want to get too deep in the weeds about how Alpha pulled it off, but I feel like it could stand to be explained: I imagine Alpha contacted the original ARCs and had them send an image of their hand. Alpha then would have brought it back to full-size, projected it onto the inside of the chestplate, traced the outlines, and painted them with the correct colors. (I can't fully explain without giving away personally identifiable information, but I can verify that this works, both with painting and woodcarving specific designs onto a surface.)

Anyway! Sorry about Limit. I've written one-shots of him with the 327th, so I knew this was going to happen eventually. Still hurts, though. Thank you for reading!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

I haven't written anything new this month since most of my writing time has been spent finishing a fic for the other account, but I hope you'll appreciate the announcement that I've updated my masterlist. Enjoy!

---

All of the works below are generally SFW, but may not necessarily be appropriate for minors. Please mind the warnings at the top of each fic. 

To keep things tidy, I have works split up by character. The links will take you to a page of everything I’ve written for that character.

The 501st:

Rex   |   Kix   |   Fives   |   Echo   |   Hardcase    |   Tup   |   Dogma     

Jesse   |   Denal   |   General 501st (No Pairing)   

The 212th:

Cody   |   Trapper

Wolfpack: 

Wolffe

The Coruscant Guard: 

Fox   |   Thorn   |   Thire   |   Hound  |  Stone 

The Bad Batch:

Hunter   |   Tech   |    Crosshair   |   Wrecker   |   Echo 

Delta Squad (Republic Commando): 

Boss   |   Fixer   |   Scorch   |   Sev  

Omega Squad (Republic Commando):

Fi 

Legends:

Alpha-17   |   Fordo   

Other Characters: 

Howzer  |  Cad Bane  |  Hondo Ohnaka 

Original Characters: 

Limit   |   Curl   |   Drift 

Series

Gar Cabur - Alpha-17 and fem!reader

Gar Cyare - Continued Alpha-17 and fem!reader

Warriors in Red Armor - Fox, Thorn, Thire, and Hound and fem!OCs

Now Boarding - Various 501st with various fem!readers

Refuge - Delta Squad and fem!reader (Eventual poly fic)

Nobody Listens to Kix - Kix’s patient files (no reader characters) 

Just for Kix - Extras from Nobody Listens to Kix

Voices Carry - Null ARC Mereel and fem!reader

Clone Trooper Rambles - Journal-esque blurbs featuring clone troopers

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Fifteen

The lockdown ends. Alpha has a serious discussion with the ARCs-in-training.

Word Count: 3,600

Warnings: References to past threats, teasing, mentions of physical training, serious conversation, discussions of war.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Jorhaa'ir (Talk)

After a total of four days on lockdown, the Kaminoans finished a full audit of their systems. The information that had been sliced and duplicated was largely limited to what General Ti had discovered before beginning the original investigation. 

The threat level was still considered to be high, but the Kaminoans started to fortify the areas that were deemed to be the most at-risk. The additional troopers were dismissed back to their previous assignments. You had been just as sad to see Neyo leave a second time, but you and Alpha had spent quite a bit of time with him in the few days he was on Kamino. 

The Null troopers were some of the last to leave, but they came to say goodbye personally. 

You hadn’t been thrilled when they came through the door of your office, but Alpha had clearly been holding himself back, simply asking, “What.” 

“Just came to get her decision about our deal,” A’den told him with a smile. 

“I’ll help you,” you told him, eyes on the datapad you were working on. There was a victorious sort of noise from one of the six men and you looked at them sharply. “With the understanding, of course, that I’m doing this of my own free will. I’m not working for you or doing anything outside of finding Ko Sai’s journals. Even then, if I need to stop, I will.” 

“You’re a bold little civvie,” Kom’rk said. “I don’t see a problem with those terms.”

“I do,” Ordo countered. “If we leave, it’ll be harder to get back on Kamino. We can’t just hope she isn’t going to change her mind.”

“Have you broken the code for the journals’ location yet?” you asked. 

Ordo gave you a hard look. “No.”

“Then unless you’re going to hide on Kamino and hope no one finds you before you can get to the journals, accepting my offer might be your only choice.” 

“We don’t have a better option,” Jaing said lowly. “It’s either this or try to find a way back on-planet later. There’s nothing to lose.” 

“We accept your offer,” Prudii told you, wearing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. 

“We’ll be in touch when we find out something about the location of the journals,” Mereel said, tapping the comlink on his vambrace. Your comlink chimed and you glanced down at it. “That’s the code we’ll reach out from. If you see anything from another code, don’t answer it.” 

“Got it,” you said, saving the code into the comlink’s directory and linking it to your datapad in case something happened to your comlink. “I’ve gotten a few more parts of the coded message translated if you want them. It looks like a rotational cipher of some kind, but it’s hard without a key.” 

Ordo gave a derisive snort, but Kom’rk stepped forward. “Let me see it. I want to see how you’ve done so far.” 

You held out the cipher, marked with theories and final decisions on what different letters were. Kom’rk studied the flimsi for a moment, nodding slowly. “We’ve got a lot of the same letters done. It looks like your work is right.” 

“Do you want me to comm you when I get the rest done?” you asked. 

“It’s not safe,” Ordo cut in. “The more transmissions that pass between us, the more likely it is that someone will notice. And since long-distance transmissions from Kamino are monitored, it’s better if you just wait for us to contact you.” 

“Have you thought about how we’ll do a data transfer, then?” Alpha made it sound like a challenge. “The kaminii are gonna notice if we start transmitting secret data.” 

“I’m glad you’re so confident, Captain,” Prudii said with a smile. “But let’s focus on one thing at a time. We’ll find a way to get the data from you when there’s data to transfer.” 

“The transport is getting ready to leave,” Mereel reported. “Let’s go.” 

“We’ll be in touch,” A’den told you, just before he left, closing the door behind him. 

You sighed. “They’re exhausting.” 

Alpha snorted. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about them. I have to wonder how Skirata managed to get all six of ‘em on Kamino at once. The kaminii never liked the Nulls, and they especially hated Skirata.” 

“Maybe the Nulls were the compromise,” you suggested. “If they weren’t allowed to come, Skirata would come instead.” 

A surprised laugh burst from Alpha as he looked down at you. “Maybe so, little one.” 

“Why don’t they like him?” you asked after a moment, curious despite yourself. 

“Asks too many questions,” Alpha answered immediately. “They don’t like anyone who does that. Reminds me of you that way. He thinks the clones are the greatest thing since the hyperdrive. Wants to protect all of ‘em, give us lives.” 

You hummed. That didn’t sound like a bad thing, but there was something in the way Alpha said Skirata’s name that told you he didn’t care for the man. “Sounds like we would get along.” 

Alpha grumbled in Mando’a for a second. “You’d either menace the entire galaxy or try to kill each other. Or both, depending on the minute. It’d be hell.”

“Flatterer,” you accused, smiling. 

He worked very hard at being grumpy for another few seconds, but an answering smile spread slowly across Alpha’s face. “You would take that as a compliment.” 

“Of course,” you agreed. “I’m sure you weren’t trying to insult me.” 

Alpha opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the chiming of his comlink. “Hold that thought, mesh’la. I have to take this.” 

You watched him step a polite distance away to answer the comlink, still smiling to yourself. The tension had eased slowly from Kamino since Tipoca City was released from lockdown. There were still more guards that usual around the laboratories, and the process of getting information for your report had grown even longer, but the departure of the troopers had been a signal that things were getting back on track. 

Alpha ended the short conversation, turning back to you with an expression of resignation. “I have to get back to the ARCs. Since Kamino’s security is going back to normal levels, training needs to pick back up. You coming?” 

“Definitely,” you decided, catching up with him easily before he left your office. 

The training for that day was relatively simple - exercises to make sure that fitness levels for the ARCs-in-training hadn’t dropped in their brief time away from training, then a group exercise meant to challenge them at all of their weak points. 

You watched Salvo defer leadership to let one of the other troopers take over, then saw Aftermath stop for one of the others who had fallen. “They’re coming along, aren’t they?” 

“Yeah, they’ll turn out okay,” Alpha agreed absently, making notes on a datapad. “They were always going to.” 

“Really?” you asked, skeptical. Alpha quirked a brow, his silent question clear even as his gaze stayed focused on his datapad. “You seemed worried earlier in their training. Something about them lacking the motivation to be ARCs.” 

Alpha finally let the datapad drop away from his face, narrowing his eyes at you. “That’s all training talk, neverd’ika. I haven’t failed a group yet. This was never going to be the ones to change that. They just needed some… motivation.” 

You shook your head. “I didn’t realize there was psychological warfare happening at the same time as the physical training.” 

“Yes you did,” Alpha argued. “I told you that at the beginning of this.” 

“You did,” you conceded after taking a moment to think about it. “I guess I didn’t think you had the patience to follow through on it.” 

“I always have patience for the important things.” Alpha glanced at the field, mouth flattening into a harsh line. “Like… Maw! Put the karkin’ datapad away or I will make you repeat this exercise as a solo mission!”

By the time you had settled your heart rate, Alpha had already turned back to you with an expectant look on his face. You shook your head slowly. “I forget how loud you are, sometimes.” 

“Thank you.” 

“How much longer does this group have?” you asked, deciding that it wasn’t worth it to follow up on the ‘compliment’ you had given him. “They’re a few weeks in, aren’t they?” 

“They’ve been here for a month, so they only have two weeks left.” Alpha’s tone had gone distant once more as he focused on the ARCs-in-training. 

“I know the last group wasn’t typical, but that seems like a really short time,” you noted, frowning. “You’re a great trainer, but it doesn’t feel like they’re going to have time to learn everything they need to.” 

“They won’t,” Alpha agreed, meeting your dismay with an understanding look of his own. “Have you wondered why the kaminii don’t just train all their troopers like ARCs? It’s because it takes a different way of thinking. ARCs have to be individuals, able to think on their feet and alter the orders they were given to achieve an objective. They already have the skills - I’m just teaching them how to think like an ARC trooper.” 

Alpha’s explanation forged a connection inside your brain. “That’s… isn’t that… That seems like the opposite of what the Kaminoans were trying to do when they altered the Fett gene.” 

“Go on.” 

You took a deep breath, hoping you weren’t about to offend him. “I don’t remember everything I read in Ko Sai’s notes, but she seemed very proud of the way they altered the troopers’ genes so they would be more loyal and group-minded.”

“Exactly,” Alpha confirmed with a nod. “That’s why they can’t train everyone to be an ARC. Individual ARC troopers and commando squads are a useful precision tool, but you need armies to fight a war. Personally, I think that the ARC candidates are the troopers whose genes are a little closer to Jango’s.” 

“I wouldn’t think that the Kaminoans would be happy enough about that to give ARCs special training and designations,” you noted, changing your stance entirely about the subject. “I would expect them to try to hide any differences in genes.” 

“Then it would look like an accident,” Alpha countered. “By separating ARC troopers as uniquely capable of difficult missions, the kaminii can act like this was all part of their plan.” 

You shook your head in amazement. “That makes a lot of sense. I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t see it myself.” 

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.” You felt the warmth of Alpha’s smile, though he was still facing the training field. “Endex, men. On me.”

The platform where you had been observing the ARCs-in-training started to lower toward the floor and you stepped toward where the door would be. “Need me to leave?” 

“No, I think you’ll like this part,” Alpha told you. “Since they only have a few weeks left, we have a meeting to discuss more personal matters. It’s a… motivational conversation.” 

You were instantly delighted, beaming at him and the troopers who were just coming into view. Alpha looked at you long enough for you to catch the warmth in his eyes, then he shook his head as if despairing your lack of a sabacc face.

“Men,” Alpha greeted, stepping off of the platform. You trailed behind him, trying to school your face into a neutral expression. It wasn’t easy, but you managed. “Let’s talk.” 

A pall fell over the group instantly, and you realized that they expected to be berated for something. You watched them shuffle after Alpha, forming a loose semi-circle around him and standing at attention. 

Alpha - cruel man that he was - let them dangle for a moment before saying, “At ease.” 

The ARCs-in-training glanced at each other as they complied, but the tension didn’t ease. 

“Tell me about your battalions.” 

That was clearly not what they had expected Alpha to say. The men hesitated as a group, as if they weren’t sure how to answer… or, more likely, because they were looking for a trap in Alpha’s invitation. 

Salvo spoke first. He had gotten better at letting the other men take the lead and caring less about his place in the chain of command, but he was older than all of the other men and they clearly looked to him for certain things. 

“I’m part of the 22nd Air Combat Wing,” Salvo explained. “Led by Jedi General Roan Shryne.”

“I know that,” Alpha explained patiently. Well, maybe he wasn’t patient, but he wasn’t actively impatient, which was nearly the same thing for him. “I have access to your assignment files. Tell me about the 22nd. Tell me about your General.” 

“The 22nd is an air combat wing,” Salvo repeated slowly, clearly trying to gather his thoughts as Alpha watched him steadily. “We’re mostly pilots, but there are plenty of support roles. Because we’re a smaller group, a lot of our support is natties who were assigned to help out. My best pilot is a trooper named Rally. He’s almost as old as I am.” 

“And your general?” Alpha prompted. 

“General Shryne is… different from most Jedi,” Salvo said carefully. “He doesn’t use the Force very often. He carries a blaster and a lightsaber, but he’s more likely to use the blaster. Wears plenty of armor, too.” 

“Good man,” Alpha said approvingly. “More jetii could stand to learn that no one is invincible on a battlefield. Who’s next?”

As if encouraged by the lack of negative reaction to Salvo’s answer, Maw began to speak. “I’m with the 104th, serving under General Plo Koon and Commander Wolffe.”

“What do you think about serving with a Jedi?” Alpha asked Maw. “Must slow you down out there, especially with a commander like Wolffe.”

“You must know the commander, then,” Maw said with a slight smile.

“Well enough,” Alpha agreed. “Enough to know how impatient he can be.” 

You struggled to keep from laughing aloud at the idea of Alpha calling someone impatient. From the looks on some of the troopers’ faces, they were thinking the same thing. 

“I’m one of the younger troopers in the Wolfpack,” Maw explained. “They brought me on because I had access to some of the updated tech modules in flash-training, plus some experience with my original battalion. They needed someone who could slice into terminals on their missions and I was looking for a change of scenery.” 

“Where were you before?” Alpha asked. 

“Parable Outpost.” Maw shrugged. “It wasn’t the worst place to be, especially for a shiny just off of Kamino, but it was quiet. I got to thinking that I could do more for the war effort, so I requested a transfer.”

“And?” Maw blinked uncomprehendingly, and Alpha expanded, “Do you feel like you’ve done more for the war effort?” 

You expected Maw to shrug off the question, to say something about how life was more exciting away from Parable Outpost or that he got to see more of the galaxy. But a sincerity seemed to have filled the air between the troopers. 

“Yeah,” Maw said with a nod. “I do.” 

Alpha gave him an understanding sort of look and turned to Fives and Echo. “The two of you can go together or separately, up to you.” 

“We’re with the 501st Battalion,” Fives said. “General Anakin Skywalker.” 

“How do you like it?” 

“The general is a little… unorthodox,” Echo said slowly, and you watched the others try not to smile too obviously. Clearly, ‘unorthodox’ meant something specific to the troopers, and it must not be entirely a good thing. “But his plans usually end up working. And he’s always front and center, so he can help fix the ones that go sideways.” 

Alpha gave a short hum. “And the other men in the 501st?” 

“Crazy, all of ‘em,” Fives said with a broad, fond grin. “But you have to be, otherwise you transfer out.” 

Echo looked a little more thoughtful. “Good men, though. No 501st man has ever left before completing the objective or getting the call to retreat. And we’ve never left a man behind, not if there’s any chance that he’s still alive.” 

The warmth and pride that had shone from both of the men when they spoke about their general only intensified when they talked about their brothers. 

“That leaves you, Aftermath,” Alpha prompted. 

“327th,” Aftermath said reflexively. “Led by Jedi General Aayla Secura.”

“And Commander Bly.” Alpha gave a rare nod of approval. “He’s a good soldier. A good brother.” 

“Good commander, too,” Aftermath agreed. “Everyone in the 327th knows he’s got our backs. Never met a battle he’d back down from.”

“He’s always been that way,” Alpha revealed, “even when he was training as an ARC. No one can fight every battle all the time. But rangir! If there was ever someone I’d believe could do it anyway, it was Bly. Not that I’d tell him.” 

“That’d be dangerous.” Aftermath looked thoughtful. “The other men are good, too. Loyal. We’ve only had one transfer out in the past two months.” 

“Impressive.”

Aftermath nodded. “Bad news is that it was our medic. But they needed him at one of the med stations.” 

“He must have been solid,” Alpha remarked. “Med station medics have to be the best at what they do.” 

“He was.” 

Alpha took a step back, centering himself in front of the group. “I want you men to think about what you just said. What each other said. Not every man has what it takes to be an ARC trooper. Odds are, most of the men you left behind will never be able to perform at the level you do. But they don’t have to.” 

“We’re troopers,” he continued. “We’re stronger together. Us ARCs take on the specialty missions, the ones that require independence and higher skill levels so the other troopers can wear down the enemy with sheer numbers. We’re a sniper rifle; they’re a battering ram. Both have their place on the battlefield, and you need both to win a war. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” 

Nods appeared around the group - some more hesitant than others. 

“Remember your brothers,” Alpha commanded them. “Remember where you came from. But you also have to remember that your skills are important for everyone’s brothers. As an ARC, you’ll occasionally work with your brothers from your original battalion. But you could be sent anywhere. When you’re working with unfamiliar troopers, they’re brothers, too. Not only because they’re troopers, but because they’re someone else’s brothers. Another ARC stood here thinking about them, speaking about their importance in his life. We watch each other’s backs, because every trooper is important to someone.”

Alpha tucked his hands behind his back. The angle was too sharp for you to see his face, but the way he leaned forward made you think that he was giving the men a look. “You’ve already made ‘em proud. Now keep ‘em safe. Dismissed.” 

“Sir,” Echo said hesitantly. Alpha paused mid-step. “Could I- could we - keep using the practice room? I have some maneuvers I need to work on.” 

“Granted,” Alpha said with a nod. “Anyone else?” 

The rest of the ARCs-in-training made noises of agreement, each one listing something they wanted to work on. 

“It’ll be unsupervised practice,” Alpha warned. “But I expect to see some improvements tomorrow. Understood?” 

“Yes, sir!” 

You couldn’t tell if that agreement had come from all of them or only a few, but all of them saluted. 

Alpha’s hand at the small of your back ushered you out of the training area. You led the way back to your office, not looking at him so you wouldn’t break. 

The cost of that, of course, was that you rounded on him the moment you were safely tucked away in your office. Alpha caught your mood instantly, a put-upon expression crossing his face the moment he saw your broad grin. 

“What?” 

“You’re so good at that!” You shrugged, still smiling. “You’re a wonderful trainer.” 

Alpha shook his head despairingly, turning to check that the door was secure behind him. That gave you the perfect vantage point to watch the back of his neck grow ruddy. Your grin only spread further. 

When he finally spoke, it was only to disagree. “Seeing as how you’ve never met another ARC trainer, I can’t get too carried away with that compliment.” 

“Exactly,” you told him. “If you weren’t doing an excellent job, the Kaminoans would have replaced you a long time ago. Or at least added another trainer. You are the best trainer anyone could imagine for the ARCs, Alpha. I’m sure of it. And your speech was wonderful.” 

“Speech,” Alpha muttered. “I just asked them a few questions.” 

“And reminded them how important their training is, even as they start wrapping it up.” You gave a satisfied sigh. “I could kiss you right now.” 

For a large man, Alpha moved unbelievably quickly. In no more time than it took you to blink, he was by your side, leaning down with his hands planted on the armrests on either side of you. 

“Well, neverd’ika?” he pressed, gaze roaming between your eyes and your lips. “That’s an offer I’ll gladly accept.” 

Alpha could hardly finish what he was saying before you pulled him close and pressed a kiss to his lips. You were both smiling, which made it taste all the sweeter.

---

Author's Note - Reminder that Salvo is a canon clone trooper (or was, in Legends). If you don't know anything about Jedi General Shryne, he's an... interesting character.

Anyway, thanks for reading! As always, comments and reblogs help share my work and make the long, frustrating, sleep-stealing hours I spend writing this story worth it!

See you soon!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Refuge Chapter Eight

It's finally time for your first mission with Delta Squad.

Continued slow-burn Delta Squad x fem!reader

Word Count: 4,300

Warnings: Anxiety, feelings of alienation, social awkwardness, teasing, minor verbal bullying, brief physical bullying, and general references to weapons and warfare

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

You would never get used to traveling this way. 

You had watched as the ship left from the hangar bay, directed by a GAR tower as you slowly rose through masses of Coruscanti traffic. Fixer had asked you to step out of the cockpit during takeoff. Well, it had actually sounded far closer to an order, but you apparently made him nervous with the intense way you watched everything.

Still, you had found another transparisteel pane to watch from as the planet fell away beneath you. You were in the air. That had always been something for other people to experience, people on distant planets. Voubosians had nowhere to go and the concept of space flight was more theoretical than something that average people expected to experience someday. 

And if your palm rose to press against the inside of the windowpane as Fixer put the ship into hyperdrive, who could blame you? Not a single person. Especially since the rest of Delta Squad were all crowded into the cockpit. 

You were going to Isiring, a small planet in the Outer Rim and very close to Separatist space. The planet was considering joining the Republic, and that consideration had put them under occupation by the Separatist Army. The GAR had driven off most of the droid army, but the Isiring people were in desperate need of supplies. The Wolfpack had brought a shipment of supplies, but there had been more refugees than expected. 

Delta Squad had brought additional supplies, enough to last until another battalion could get through the Separatist remnants with a full resupply. Additionally, Delta would help build and reinforce the refugee camp that the 104th was building. 

And, somehow, you were considered capable enough to be part of Delta Squad’s mission. You had your own doubts about that, but you had agreed to take on this assignment and you were determined to see it through. 

That didn’t stop you from jolting when someone spoke behind you. 

“It’ll be a while before we get there, even using the hyperspace lanes along the way.”

When you had recovered - trying to play off your surprise as a temporary loss of balance, you turned to nod at Sev. “Thank you for letting me know. How long do you think the journey will take?”

Sev was frowning, though. "Did you just get scared?" 

"I thought everyone was still in the cockpit," you explained, chuckling at yourself. Sev didn't laugh at all. On Toporik, a harmless fright was considered humorous, good for a shared laugh among friends. Sev didn't seem even slightly amused and you conceded internally that it could be a cultural thing. 

"You didn't hear me?" 

"No," you admitted, feeling fully awkward by that point. “I didn’t know I was supposed to be listening for you.”

Sev shook his head and returned to the cockpit, leaving you waiting uncomfortably alone in the transport's small seating area.

And you stayed alone for far too long. You couldn't hear any conversation among Delta Squad in the cockpit, but there were closed comlink channels in their HUDs. In all likelihood, they were talking about you. 

It wasn’t necessarily bad. They could be discussing how to fit you into the mission without risking themselves or you due to your inexperience. Though you knew they had already considered that, and probably had been doing so since they were first assigned to assist on Isiring. In that case, the conversation might be bad. 

You decided to convince yourself that they were all crowded in the cockpit, surrounded by pure silence. 

When everyone other than Scorch filed out of the cockpit, you were staring out of the viewport and toying with the material of your body glove. The shine of the transparisteel’s interior meant that you could watch Delta’s faces as they came into the ship’s main cabin. 

Sev glanced at you for a moment before he continued on to the back of the ship. Boss didn’t even look at you. Fixer watched you stretch and release the fabric of the garment’s shoulder a few times before he shook his head. Surprisingly, he reached out to still your fingers with his own. For all that he hadn’t seemed very easy with touch, the movement seemed utterly natural for him. 

“Don’t you remember how hard we had to work to get that glove for you?” he asked. The question could have been stern or harsh, but his tone sounded softer, almost gentle. “Try not to tear it on your first mission out, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” you echoed, releasing the fabric immediately. It snapped back into place with a sting that made you wince. You were still facing the window and thought your expressions were private, but when your gaze focused, you could see that Fixer was looking at the window as well. He was using the opposite vantage point to watch you in the reflection. When he saw that you had seen him, he offered a nod and pulled his hand away from yours. 

That touch - simple, but freely offered - sparked something in you. Suddenly, you realized how horribly, deeply lonely you were. Perhaps it was inevitable; this was the first time you’d had alone with your thoughts in some time. Without the stress of running for your life or the distraction of Jedi training, you could process it. 

Sitting still, staring out of the viewport at stars passing by too quickly to be anything other than streams of light, you were spiraling. You had no community, no place. Delta Squad had offered you a spot among them, but now that you were there, they seemed concerned about your presence. No, not concerned… inconvenienced. 

Had this all been a mistake? You were honor-bound to see things through, especially since this had been a choice, one you had made gladly. If you died, you couldn’t see that as a terrible tragedy, but what if one of the others ended up hurt or killed trying to protect you because you couldn’t protect yourself? 

“Hey.” 

You turned quickly at the greeting, desperately clinging to the interruption of your frantic thoughts. Sev was standing there with a box in his hands. 

When you didn’t say anything, he frowned. It seemed to be a common expression for him. Or maybe you just brought it out in him…

“You good?” Sev asked. “Your breathing has picked up.”

“Just… trying to meditate.”

It was an incredibly weak lie, one that hung in the air for an uncomfortably long time. Sev gave you a few seconds of incredulous silence to fess up, but you stayed quiet. 

“Yeah,” he said eventually, clearly still skeptical. He lifted the box slightly. “Brought you some food.” 

“You brought me dinner?” you asked, unreasonably touched by that. Your emotions were erratic - not a good sign before your first mission. 

Sev scowled. “I guess. You get some before Scorch gets his. We’ll be going lights-out in about an hour, so consider this your warning.” 

“Thank you,” you said, accepting the box from him. Then a thought struck you and you felt more than a little silly for not having considered it before. “Um… where am I sleeping? There are only four bunks and I don’t want to take anyone’s spot-” 

“Someone has to fly the ship,” Fixer pointed out. “We’ll rotate bunks - the new person takes the empty one. Everyone’s clean and in top health, so you don’t have to worry about hygiene.” 

“As long as Scorch remembers to wash the liquid tibanna off this time,” Sev muttered. 

“Hey!” Scorch objected from the cockpit. You jumped again. You hadn’t known he could hear the conversation outside. “That only happened once!” 

“Yeah, but I’m the one who ended up with gas burns on his-” Sev’s dark eyes slid toward you before he turned briskly away. “Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend sleeping in a bunk after Scorch has had it.” 

“At least my hair isn’t greasy!” Scorch called. 

That made you laugh despite yourself. Sev’s hair was shorn so close to his scalp that you didn’t know if you could grab one without the use of tweezers. The idea of grease being able to cling to his nearly bare head was so unlikely as to be truly entertaining. 

“Stow it, men,” Boss ordered, sitting across from you with his own box of rations. “Everyone other than Scorch needs to finish up and get some sleep.”

“I would love to, Boss, but dearest Oh-Seven hasn’t brought me my meal yet.”

Sev rolled his eyes toward the cockpit. “I don’t feel like helping you out today. Get your own food.”

Scorch said, “If you insist.” You could clearly hear the sound of a restraint being unbuckled, followed by a few footsteps. The ship gave an alarming dip, spilling some of your food and pulling an alarmed gasp from you. 

Boss was on his feet before the food had landed on the table. “Scorch, sit your shebs down before I figure out a way to keep them there permanently. Sev, get Six-Two’s food before he kills us all. Fixer, get a new ration pack for her.” 

“That’s not necessary-” you protested. 

Fixer was already speaking over you. “What should I do with this one?” 

“Give it to Scorch,” Boss ordered. “She can have the fresh one.” 

“Aw, Boss…” Scorch’s complaining tone was clear even from the cockpit. “You know flying makes me hungry.” 

You wanted to melt through the seat. The last thing you wanted to do was start off your first mission by getting one of your squadmates in trouble. “It’s fine, Sergeant, really. Only a little bit spilled.” 

“Okay,” Boss said with a nod. “Did you hear that, Scorch? Only a little bit spilled. Sounds like you’ll survive the rest of the flight without starving to death.”

As you continued to insist that everything was fine, Fixer whisked the ration pack away from you and delivered it to Scorch. You bit your lip, dread weighing heavy on your stomach. It spiked sharply when you heard a soft exclamation from Scorch. 

“Oya! You only spilled the greens, civvie. That’s the worst part. Think you did me a favor…”

Your murmured reply was unintelligible, even to you. 

The situation was uncomfortable. And it was made worse by knowing that everyone knew about it. Sev and Scorch had been there when you admitted that you may not know if you were manipulating them. Even if you didn’t mean to. 

And then you had told Boss about what had happened. He had seemed sympathetic, but he had probably mentioned it to Fixer, even if the other two hadn’t. That had to be the cause of the awkwardness among the group, you were certain of it. Conversations had been stilted and laughter was nonexistent in any of the men.

Sev slid a fresh ration pack in front of you, but you only managed a few bites before you pushed it away. “I think I’m going to get some sleep.”

“You’re not going to eat any more than that?” Sev asked, eyeing your barely-touched tray. 

“No, I just…” You trailed off, uncertain of what to say. Eventually, you decided to keep to simple sentences. “No, I’m done.” 

“You should probably get a little more down,” Fixer said skeptically. “You never know when you’re going to eat on a mission. Skipping meals before you get there means you’re going to be distracted, weak-”

“Go to bed,” Boss ordered. Dimly, you recognized that he had been watching you closely throughout the short conversation, his gaze searching. Whatever he found there seemed to make him take pity on you. He nodded at the other Deltas before he returned to cleaning and reassembling his blaster. “Get some sleep.”

You were too grateful to do anything more than nod back before you scurried toward the small bunk section at the back of the ship. If the conversation shifted after you had left, you didn’t hear it. You made a point of not hearing it. 

But, to your eternal frustration, sleep wouldn’t come.

One by one, Delta followed you to the bunks - with the obvious exception of Scorch. Each one seemed to settle easily into slumber, but it eluded you. 

Eventually, you opted to slip out of the bunk entirely. Instead of lying there helplessly, you wanted to sit in the main cabin of the ship and reread the field manual the GAR had scrounged up for you. 

It seemed like a safe bet - Scorch was flying the ship while the other three were asleep, but you had barely started reading before Boss appeared. 

His sudden and silent approach made you jump, pressing a hand to your chest in an effort to calm your racing heart. When you could breathe without feeling like you were going to vomit, you asked, "What are you doing?" 

"Funny," he said, leaning against the doorway between the bunks and the main cabin. "Pretty sure I'm supposed to ask that."

"I'm reading," you offered, lifting the datapad as if to prove it.

"What you're doing is disobeying an order," Boss countered. "I told you to get some rest."

You froze, staring at him with wide eyes. He had said that, of course, but you had assumed it wasn't a real order. He had also said that a single disobeyed order would result in him kicking you out of Delta Squad…

"Relax," he told you, pushing away from the doorway to settle in a nearby seat instead. "That was a test. For future reference, I only issue official orders in war zones. Everything else is just a… strongly worded suggestion."

You nodded, gaze dropping to your twisting fingers as you tried to calm your pulse. 

Boss gave you a few minutes to settle before he spoke again. “So, knowing that it isn’t an order… wanna tell me what’s going on?” 

“Can’t sleep,” you admitted with a slight shrug. “I think I just have too many questions.”

“Questions,” Boss repeated tonelessly. 

“Yes, but I feel like I should already know the answers, so I haven’t asked them.” You gave a mirthless laugh. “I don’t enjoy wasting your time, you know.” 

When you finally snuck a look at Boss’s face, he was frowning slightly. “Why should you know the answers to questions you haven’t asked? And think of it this way: I would rather answer your questions now and know that you have all the information you need than worry about you if things get bloody.”

“I thought blood was guaranteed?” 

“This is a relief mission,” he clarified. “We might see some action, so we need to be ready for it, but it’s not like we’re dropping into an active war zone. Not this mission, anyway. So what questions do you have?”

“Can you-?” You cleared your throat and started over, wanting to sound more like a specialist gathering information and less like a lost child. “Can you give me some idea of a timeline? For our arrival, at least?” 

“Sure,” Boss said, nodding. He didn’t seem irritated by the questions, which helped ease your nerves enough to actually listen to him. “We make sure everyone is awake and fully dressed at least two hours before arrival. An hour out, we do final weapons and equipment checks. By the time we hit atmosphere, everyone needs to be prepped for landing.” 

“Do we expect it to be a bad landing?” You hadn’t experienced too many landings - just the one, actually - but you had seen enough HoloNews footage to know that you didn’t want to experience a crash. 

A new voice made you jump again, and you turned to see Sev leaning against the doorway to the bunks. His voice was even gruffer with sleep, almost hard to understand, but you tried to listen anyway. “Landings can be rough, depending on how much fire we take. Fixer will get us through the worst of it. Even if we land hard, everyone needs to be clear within fifteen seconds.”

“And the time between breaching atmosphere and landing?” you asked, struggling to gather all of the vocabulary you had learned in the past few weeks. “Do we… wear parachutes or something? What’s the protocol?” 

“Parachutes?” Boss repeated. 

“Why would you jump out of a ship in a war zone?” Sev asked, nearly scowling by that point. 

You frowned a little yourself, but more out of confusion than irritation. “Well, you know… if it’s crash-landing or something-”

“Don’t jump out of the ship,” Boss advised. 

A groan drifted from the doorway behind Sev, followed by Fixer’s voice. “Who is jumping out of a ship?” 

“The civvie,” Sev tossed back, moving over slightly so Fixer could stand bleary-eyed in the doorway beside him. “The jetii must have taught her some strange tactics.”

“Shut it, Sev,” Boss ordered, tacking on a glare for good measure. His gaze evened out when he turned back to you. “You’re always gonna be safer inside the ship, even if it’s going down. There’s too much chance of taking a blaster bolt while you’re floating above an active battlefield.”

“Are we having a meeting?” Scorch called from the cockpit. 

“No,” Fixer told him. “Civvie’s just asking some questions. Wanted to know if we were going to wear chutes when we break atmosphere.” 

“Chutes?” Scorch echoed, bewildered. “Why would we jump out of ship in the middle of a combat zone?” 

“Okay, I’ve got it,” you hurried to say, getting to your feet. “Understood. Awake and dressed two hours out, checking weapons one hour out. Ready to go when we break atmosphere. When we land, get out of the ship within fifteen seconds. If we’re not dead from being shot down.” 

“We won’t be dead,” Fixer assured you. The confident tilt to his chin made you believe him. “I’ve landed bigger ships than this in worse areas.” 

“But everything else is right,” Boss confirmed. 

Sev shrugged. “Pretty much. Though if landing is quiet, you can miss the fifteen second mark by a few seconds without as much risk.”

“Seriously, I can come back there,” Scorch offered. 

“That’s okay; we’re done,” you told him. “Thank you all. I’m going to sleep now.” 

—

To your great relief, the landing part of the mission had been simple. 

You had been ready and armored far too early, but Scorch had been too tired to do much more than laugh. Fixer had guided the ship into a smooth landing on Isiring, and the Republic’s forces had secured the area around the relief camp. Boss had advised everyone to wear helmets anyway, and you gladly followed that advice. You were always a fan of overpreparedness, and you found yourself a little shy around the unknown troopers. 

The peace didn’t last long, though. Your first task was to operate the droid lifts, shuttling fully-loaded lifts to deposit their supply crates in the correct areas while dispatching the newly empty ones back to the ship for Delta Squad to restock. It was easy work, and you were grateful for the chance to decompress and brace yourself for anything else you might be assigned to do next. 

But what you hadn’t realized was that your position as the only one outside of the ship left you surrounded by unfamiliar troopers. 

One such trooper laughed far too loudly behind you, knuckles rapping sharply against the top of your helmet in a way that made the HUD give an irritated beep. “What is going on here? I think you could have used a little more time in that growth jar, eh, vod?”

None of that made any sense to you, so you stayed silent, shoulders hunching up toward your ears as you focused on the datapad you were using to direct the droids. 

“Hey, knock it off,” another voice said, and you relaxed slightly at the intervention. “Obviously, he hasn’t learned to talk yet!” 

Uproarious laughter, then you were jostled as someone knocked your arm. It was probably a playful gesture, you knew that. But the interaction had drawn attention, and being surrounded by strangers who were all tall and broad enough to make you feel trapped… Well, it wasn’t doing wonderful things for your peace of mind. 

The sound of your name in a crackling call made you startle. “What’s wrong? Why is your heart rate so high?”

Your HUD identified the voice as belonging to Fixer. “I’m-”

The explanation, whatever it was going to be, cut off as you were jostled again. This time, it was a hard enough hit to push you forward, and you staggered slightly as you tried to keep hold of the datapad without stepping into the path of droids whirring back and forth. 

“Back off!” a harsh voice commanded and you noted with more than a little relief that Sev was closer than any of the other Deltas. Clearly, he had left the ship. 

“Or what?” one trooper called challengingly. “We’re just having some fun.”

“Fun’s over.” You couldn’t see Sev’s face, but you knew exactly how it would look - darkness simmering behind a tightly controlled expression. 

Another trooper scoffed. “You commandos think you’re so much better than us. This one won’t even talk to us.” 

That made you freeze, overcome by a strange mixture of shame and fear. A gauntleted hand entered your frame of vision, wrapping around your wrist and giving a tug. You recognized the jagged lines of red paint and let Sev pull you toward him, stepping free of the group of troopers at the same time. 

“C’mon, vod,” a trooper jeered. With your new perspective, you could see that none of them were wearing helmets, and there was a look of derision on this man’s face. “You’d be better off letting us standard troopers into the commando force. That one’s clearly defective.”

“If you men don’t have anything more important to do than harass my people, I’ll speak to your CO and see what we can figure out,” Boss said firmly, such durasteel in his tone that the troopers straightened, looking uncertain. They didn’t walk away, however, and the reason why was apparent only a moment later when an imposing figure approached you. 

“Commander Wolffe,” Boss greeted with a salute. 

“Sergeant,” the commander returned. Like his men, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. His bare face was stern, the harshness of it accentuated by the wicked-looking scar over one eye. The helmet tucked beneath one arm was painted to look like some kind of animal and his posture was precise. 

Commander Wolffe looked like a man who had little patience, and that impression was only solidified when he asked, “Why are you giving orders to my men?” 

“Permission to speak freely, sir,” Boss requested. With a glance at the men still standing nearby, he added, “And privately.”

Wolffe gave a slow nod, eyes traveling to the men behind you. They watched him eagerly and his voice was sharp as he said, “Dis-missed.”

You had never seen a group disperse so quickly.

“Your men were harassing a member of my squad,” Boss reported, removing his helmet so the other man could see the disapproval on his face. “We can all deal with jokes, but I can’t stand by and let my people be physically pushed around.” 

The commander’s gaze moved to you, critically assessing you in a way that made you want to shift uncomfortably. “Take your helmet off.” 

With your eyes hidden behind plastoid and transparisteel, you had no idea how Boss knew that you had looked at him for confirmation, but you were grateful for his subtle nod anyway. As soon as you had your sergeant’s approval, you broke the seal on your helmet and lifted it free. 

The air on Isiring was cool at best, far from cold, but it felt frigid on your face after being confined in the helmet for so long. You took a deep breath, straightened your spine, and made eye contact with Commander Wolffe. 

“This must be your first mission,” he said cryptically. You had a moment of panic, wondering what you had done so wrong that he knew you were - as Scorch said - a shiny, but a corner of Wolffe’s mouth lifted in a wry smile. “Otherwise, I would have heard about this already.”

You looked helplessly at Boss, searching for a hint about what to do next, but he looked as amused as the commander. Without any further leads, you let your manners take over. You held a hand out toward Commander Wolffe, introducing yourself as he shook it with a firm grip. “I’m a specialist assigned to work with Delta Squad.” 

“Commander Wolffe, leader of the 104th battalion,” he offered in return. “We don’t get many females out here, especially not attached to commando squads. If the men get stupid, come find me.” 

“I- will,” you stammered. “Thank you, sir.” 

Wolffe released your hand and nodded at Boss. “Sergeant.” 

“Commander.” 

And then the commander walked away. Your embarrassment, having faded during the semi-normal conversation, flared back to life as you caught sight of the dozen wide-eyed troopers watching you from the edges of the camp. You jammed the helmet back on your head and looked down at the datapad, frantically moving to catch up with the droid workers who were waiting for additional commands. 

“Hey.” 

You glanced up, attention caught by the urgency in Boss’s tone. “Yes?” 

“We have more work to do on the ship, but we’re on the same HUD loop,” he reminded. “If you have any more problems, shout ‘em out. We’ll come take care of it.” 

“Thank you, Sergeant,” you told him, but you felt yourself slump as he walked away. Half an hour on the ground and you’d already needed a rescue and caused a tense interaction between your commanding officer and the leader of the relief camp. It wasn’t an auspicious start.

---

Author's Note - I am so sorry, guys. I knew it had been a while since I last updated, but I missed that it's been EIGHT MONTHS. I post a chapter of a fic every week across my accounts (or, at least, I try), but I don't have a firm schedule about which fics get updated when.

Thank you all for your patience, assuming that anyone is still interested in this story. I can't promise that I'll start posting it super often, but I'm sure I can do better than once a year!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

I want to KISS the person who made this display, that is AMAZING

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Clone Trooper Rambles

Real life. Real situations. Imaginary clone troopers.

Warnings: Mentions of nervous tics, mentions of nervousness, references to clone trooper culture, avoidance, emotions.

---

Tics

I was looking at the screen of my laptop. My stare was hard enough that it was starting to make my eyes ache, but I wasn’t seeing it, not really. It was just a convenient backdrop for the intensity of my thoughts. 

“What is it?” Kix asked. 

I glanced over at him, already frowning. I was pretty sure no one had spoken in at least ten minutes, and I definitely hadn’t. “What is what?” 

“Why are you biting the inside of your cheek?” he asked, pointing vaguely at my face. 

I dropped my hand down into my lap. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Liar,” Crosshair said. 

“You always bite the inside of your lips and cheeks when you’re stressed,” Hound added. “Grizzer does the same thing, except he chews on his leg.”

Grizzer was undeniably adorable, but being compared to a massiff was less than flattering. “I don’t-”

“It’s a nervous tic,” Kix interrupted. “Most people have one. Or a few. Perfectly normal.”

“Then why point it out?” I asked, feeling inexplicably flustered. 

“Because it means you’re nervous about something,” Hound explained helpfully. 

“Or feeling more stress than usual.” Kix shrugged as he delivered that addition, apparently choosing to ignore my gaping. 

“That isn’t-” 

“You always do that,” Crosshair cut in, no remorse in his expression or tone. “Enough that most of us have noticed.” 

The quote about the ‘mortifying ordeal of being known’ went through my mind as I frowned at everyone. “Okay, sure. Let’s say that is a nervous tic of mine. Why haven’t you mentioned it before?” 

“We’re supposed to talk about every weird thing you do?” Crosshair asked loftily. 

“Well… no…” I admittedly slowly. That sounded remarkably close to hell, honestly. 

“You also bite your nails.” 

“Thank you, Hound,” I told him, giving my most sarcastic smile. 

“And there’s the fake smile,” Kix summarized. When he caught the look I was giving him, he sighed. “When you share a face with most of an army, you start to pick up on expressions and behaviors to identify people instead of features. That’s my theory, anyway. It means troopers are observant to a fault, even when we’re around nat-borns instead of other troopers.” 

Irritated as I was with the conclusion, I had to admit that Kix’s theory made sense. Not out loud, though. Instead, I asked, “Was there a point to this exploration of my quirks?” 

“Yeah,” Crosshair said, jerking his chin toward the screen of my computer. “What has you so nervous?” 

“I…” Deep breath, glance at the screen to check that I hadn’t misunderstood. “I got a job offer.”

“That’s great!” Kix cheered.

“Congratulations!” Hound told me with a broad smile.

“Why are you nervous about that?” Crosshair asked. 

At the same time, Kix’s smile turned to a frown. “Have you told the captain yet?” 

“No.”

“There it is,” Hound muttered.

I was feeling defensive all of a sudden. “Hang on, I just got the email. How would I have already told him?” 

Three fingers pointing at wrist and forearm comlinks were held up almost simultaneously and I sighed. “Okay, sure. I’ll tell him, obviously, but I want to do it in my own time.”

“What are you waiting for?” Kix asked. “Are you still trying to decide if you want to accept the job?”

“No, I’m taking it,” I dismissed immediately. “I agonized over whether I was going to apply, remember? That was when I did the soul-searching and decision-making. This is what I ultimately decided on doing, and I’m not going to turn down the thing I decided to do. That doesn’t make sense.”

“Add it to the list,” Crosshair muttered.

“If you know you’re going to take the job, why are you hesitating?” Hound asked, leaning his elbow on his helmet where it rested on the floor beside him. “You already did the part that makes most people nervous.” 

“This is… the last moment before- Well, before everything changes,” I explained haltingly. It wasn’t incredibly clear as explanations went, but it was the best I could offer. “Right now, I’m balancing on the edge between life going on as it has and it changing completely. I already decided that I don’t want things to stay the same, but I… I want to exist in this moment for a little while longer. Give myself the opportunity to look back before I close the door.” 

“Take as long as you need,” Rex said kindly. 

I swore as everyone else saluted. “How much did you hear?” 

“Everything,” Rex admitted with a shrug. “I keep telling you that you should install an alarm system.” 

“No alarm system on the planet will go off when someone steps through a door!” I argued. 

“Congratulations,” he said instead of continuing the argument.

I deflated. “Thank you. I just need a little time before I get back to them. As you know from sneaking around.”

“When I said you should take your time, I meant it,” Rex told me, gaze steady. “They’re getting an excellent worker with the brains to keep up with whatever they throw your way. They’ll wait for an answer just hoping it will be a yes.”

As emotionally fragile as I was at the moment, my eyes got a little watery at that quiet encouragement. 

“Now look what you did!” Hound said, scrambling to his feet. 

Crosshair frowned harshly at me. “Stop that right now.” 

My laugh was a little shaky, but I blinked the worst of it away. 

Kix shook his head. “I think you should just let it out.” 

“No,” I refused, echoed in unison by the other three troopers. I made a face at them. “I think that was enough of a moment after all. Things are going to change, but I’m okay with that. I think I’m ready.”

---

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Author's Note: I know I talk a lot about how out-of-order these are posted, but I have been working this job for over a year. Just in case that offers some additional perspective!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Fourteen

You and Alpha explore Tipoca City under lockdown.

Word Count: 6,000

Warnings: Descriptions of a city under lockdown, mentions of the previous attack on Kamino, mentions of ambiguous threats, nightmares.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Aran (Guard)

Troopers were everywhere.

Obviously, Kamino had never suffered a lack of troopers, but they tended to be mostly cadets. Sure, there were a few adults present - personnel, Jedi, instructors, ARCs in training - but most of them were cadets. 

Now, the recalled troops filled out the ranks until the hallways and common spaces of Kamino seemed ready to burst with troopers. 

When you and Alpha had finally left your office, you found it difficult to focus on anything other than your promise to help the Null troopers. If they found a way to decipher the location of Ko Sai’s copy of her notes, you would locate and transmit them. 

Your agreement wasn’t entirely out of self-preservation, either. You were invested in this now, though you didn’t know exactly what the unusual troopers intended to do with all of that genetic research. Surely Alpha would have stopped you if they meant to do something that would actively harm the galaxy as a whole. 

It was an uneasy state of mind, made worse by the underlying tension of Tipoca City. More than a full day had passed since Dengar fled the planet, and there had been no sign of Separatist ships, but no one seemed willing to lower their guard. 

When you and Alpha reached the network of rooms surrounding the original Fett genetic sample, you found a familiar face waiting for you. 

“Captain Alpha-17, sir!” Hunter greeted, snapping a salute. The motion drew attention to the blaster at his side, counterbalanced by a sheathed vibroblade strapped to his other hip.

“Hunter,” Alpha returned with a nod. “What are you doing here?” 

“You’re not on your way to the medbay, are you?” you asked, worried.

“No, everyone is fine. We’re on patrol,” Hunter explained, sounding a little confused by it himself. “The kaminii ordered us to watch out for the sample. I guess they heard about us doing it during the last attack.” 

“Hunter, the motion sensors indicate that you have not proceeded with your patrol as planned,” a voice said, sounding very small and flat through the minuscule speaker of Hunter’s vambrace comlink. “Report.” 

“Copy,” Hunter replied, lifting his forearm to his mouth. “Found some friendlies.” 

“Slacking, then,” Crosshair said sourly, slouching through the door. He had a blaster by his side and a sniper rifle slung back to rest against his shoulder. When he saw you and Alpha, his expression eased slightly, but he didn’t smile. Instead, he offered a shallow nod in greeting. 

“Did the Kaminoans say anything about why they pulled you guys for patrol duty?” you asked. 

Hunter shook his head. “They didn’t give any kind of reason. They give orders and we’re expected to follow ‘em.” 

“Speaking of,” Crosshair said, glancing around. “I don’t want to deal with the headache if they find out we’re talking instead of guarding the sample.”

Alpha snorted. “Unless the clankers have figured out stealth, I wouldn’t count on them attacking anytime soon. We haven’t seen as much as a ship in orbit. Might as well get comfortable.” 

“Alpha,” you chided. “They just want to do a good job.” 

Alpha’s gaze softened as he looked down at you. “Sure, neverd’ika. Just remember, not everyone has your overdeveloped work ethic.” 

You pursed your lips at him, trying to look disgruntled while also stifling a laugh. “Well, I think they’re doing a wonderful job.” 

“Strictly speaking, we haven’t done anything yet,” Tech pointed out, rounding the corner. “The area has been quiet.” 

“Any hits on the motion sensors?” Hunter asked. 

“Negative.” 

“None of the grenades have gone off,” Wrecker said sadly, entering the room from the opposite direction as Tech had. “That means no intruders.” 

“You set grenades?” you asked, horrified. 

Alpha looked grave. “You boys should know better than to set those kinds of traps in a place where troopers and civilians are actively working.” 

“We did not set them recklessly,” Tech countered. “They are calibrated to pick up on the exact footstep tempo of a B-1 battle droid’s marching speed.”

“Even then, they’re set on an extended timer,” Crosshair told you. “If they’re triggered, the area’s holofeeds transmit to our comlinks and we can verify that there are enemy insurgents before they detonate.”  

Alpha gave a skeptical hum. 

“We’d better get back to our guard rotation,” Hunter said hurriedly. “Just in case the Seppie idea of stealth involves sending in another lone assassin.” 

You frowned. “This could go on for a while. If the Kaminoans don’t send anyone to relieve you, call me. Okay?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Hunter agreed with a respectful salute. 

“Did those friends of yours ever find you?” Wrecker asked before he left. 

“Friends?” you asked. 

“Who was asking you about us?” Alpha growled. 

Wrecker blinked in confusion. “There was a group of troopers. They were talking about how they were with you when you found the transmission station. Sergeant… Niner? I think?” 

Alpha’s expression relaxed, which made you relax as well. “Yes, Niner. He’s the leader of Omega Squad, who was with me on the station. Did he say what he needed?” 

“Didn’t say anything to us at all,” Crosshair said. “They were talking when they came through here. They have a patrol somewhere in the city.” 

Alpha walked away without another word. You offered a smile to the kids. “Thank you for letting us know.” 

As you hurried off behind Alpha, your smile flickered. You still thought of the Bad Batch as kids - they were still painfully young, in your eyes - but you couldn’t ignore the changes that they were undergoing. All of them had grown taller and leaner. Wrecker had put on more muscle while Hunter and Crosshair’s faces had narrowed as they lost baby fat. Tech was almost as tall as Wrecker and nearly as slender as Crosshair. You had seen the hint of stubble on their faces after a long day. 

They were growing up. It was far better than the alternative, but it still made you sad. 

“Where are we going?” you asked when you finally caught up with Alpha. 

He glanced back as if he were surprised that you were still behind him. “To find Omega Squad. If Niner is looking for me, he might have some additional information about the transmission station.” 

“How do we find them?” 

“Comms are down,” Alpha reported. You glanced down at your comlink, surprised to see that he was right. “But if I ask the right people, I’ll find out where they are.” 

“Who are the right people?” you asked. You had reached a far more populated area of Tipoca City by that point, and you rose onto your tiptoes to stare around the space. 

“Colt or the General would be a good start,” he mused. “But you don’t have to wait around. Head back to your quarters.” 

“Alpha, it’s one in the afternoon.”

He nodded. “You’re right. I’ll bring you some lunch after I talk with Niner.” 

You rested your hands on your hips. “Why are you trying to keep me out of your conversation with Niner? What’s really going on?” 

It took Alpha a moment to answer. “I thought I was the suspicious one.” 

The joke was a little comfort, but you weren’t going to let it mollify you. “I’ll stop being suspicious when you stop being weird. Talk to me.” 

Alpha sighed, glancing around the room to avoid meeting your eyes. “I’m not being-” 

“I thought we were a team,” you interrupted, even your quiet voice halting him mid-sentence. 

“Neverd’ika, we’re always a team,” Alpha assured you. “We just need to make adjustments based on who we’re playing against. And when the other team has jetiise, I want you to be safe.” 

“Not Jedi,” you told him. “Dark-siders. Sith.”

Alpha waved his hand dismissively. “Makes no difference to Mandos. A saber is a saber, and anyone carrying one is an enemy.” 

“No one here has a lightsaber other than General Ti,” you countered. “I’m not staying in my room. Didn’t we talk about this earlier? I want to help. I can help.” 

The weight of Alpha’s gaze was heavy as he studied your expression. At last, he sighed through his nose and nodded. “Come on, then.” 

Colt was in the middle of the busiest section of the city. He was personally checking the credentials of every ship that landed, then redirecting the squads to where they could best serve the defense efforts. When Alpha was finally able to talk to him, Colt directed the two of you to the perimeter of the main Tipoca City stilt. 

You glanced up at Alpha as you walked to find Colt. “How did you avoid being assigned somewhere? If every soldier is needed and you’re ARC-trainer qualified, I would have assumed they’d put you on patrol somewhere, if not doing what Colt is doing now.” 

Alpha smirked down at you. “Tryin’ to get rid of me, little one?” 

“Never,” you assured with a smile. “Just trying to figure out the logic here.” 

“Dunno if ‘logic’ is ever a term you can apply to a defense zone,” Alpha mused, “but I was assigned a job. Guarding you.” 

“Me?” If you frowned any harder, you wouldn’t be able to see past your eyebrows, but you couldn’t help it. “Why would you need to guard me? Am I under some specific threat no one has told me about? Other than the Null troopers, of course.” 

“Not guarding you against others,” Alpha clarified. “Guarding Tipoca City from you.” 

He knew that was going to create other questions. You could see the hint of a smile on his face as he relished the way you would have to ask for clarification. You only lasted a few seconds before you gave in. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

Alpha shrugged. “Means the kaminii don’t trust you. They think you had something to do with the data leak.” 

“I didn’t!” 

He gave you a look. “You know that and I know that, but the long-necks don’t want to think they’ve been wrong about you this whole time. It’s easier to believe that you’re secretly feeding information to an outside source than that their private files were sliced and altered. They’re too proud to admit the truth.”

“The general will vouch for me, and so will Colt,” you insisted. “They brought me into the investigation, not the other way around. There’s no way I could have plotted all of this out.” 

“They don’t like the general any more than they like you, maybe less. And they’ll assume you tricked Colt.” Alpha gave you a sidelong look. “Besides, it’s a good thing. I’ve been assigned to stay close to you and monitor your movements. Kaminii-sanctioned time to spend together.” 

You pouted for a moment, stung by the allegations of disloyalty that seemed to follow you everywhere. But then you realized that you could twist Alpha’s explanation to your benefit, so you did your best to let the hurt and irritation roll off of you. 

“Then it sounds like I can’t wait in my quarters while you speak with Niner.” You couldn’t help but smile at the dark expression Alpha was wearing. “You’re obliged to keep me with you at all times. You know, to keep up the ruse for the Kaminoans.” 

“Neatly done, neverd’ika,” Alpha admitted grudgingly. “But if I tell you to go inside, I need to know you’ll listen to me.” 

“Inside?” you echoed. “Does that mean we’re going outside?” 

He gave you a bemused look. “What did you think ‘perimeter’ meant?” 

You were working on a sarcastic reply to that when Alpha threw open the door you had come up to. He ushered you through and stepped out behind you as you took in the sight. 

You were on a walkway that bordered the edge of the stilt-city. It had to have been immeasurably long to have wrapped the entire way around, but that was presumably possible. Thankfully, the walkway wasn’t literally at the edge - you doubted you could have handled it if you suddenly found yourself suspended thousands of feet above the crashing waves. Instead, it lined the top of the city, placed at the edge where it was thinnest, but still firmly on the ‘ground’. 

The walkway was wide enough for three humans to walk side-by-side. If your mental estimations were correct, that meant roughly two Kaminoans could have done the same. There was a border fence along the outer wall, protecting guards from the precipitous drop, but letting them clearly see the danger they were in. 

You were staring down at that drop before you knew it, clutching the fence like you were in danger of falling over it if you let go. Alpha stepped to the fence beside you, glancing over with an expression of mingled concern and amusement. 

“Didn’t think you were afraid of heights.” 

You shook your head slowly, eyes still fixed on the waves. “I’m not. It’s just… I think there’s a certain amount of self-preservation in being wary around really high places.” 

Alpha didn’t have a response for that. 

It was a typically gray day on Kamino, but you were utterly relieved that it wasn’t raining. The clouds were high in the atmosphere, and incoming ships would be spotted long before they reached any of Kamino’s landing pads. The air was clear and free of fog, and it seemed like you could see to the very ends of the planet. The steely waves below you crashed furiously, and the winds vacillated between whipping around you and leaving you in peaceful quiet. 

“I can’t hear the ocean,” you mused to yourself. 

Since you had said it in a moment when the winds were quiet, Alpha overheard. “We’re much further up than when we’re on the lower balconies. Each of the stilt-cities is a half-dozen levels tall. And those are kaminii levels. You won’t be able to hear the waves, not unless there’s a bad storm.” 

“Stay right there!” a modulated voice barked. “Identify yourselves!” 

Alpha was in full armor other than his helmet, so that level of vigilance seemed a bit excessive, but you understood that there was a threat of internal betrayal. You carefully kept your hands on the fence and your head as still as possible, trying to glance over with just your eyes to see the trooper who had spoken. 

Alpha had no such qualms about moving. He kept his body still, but turned his head to direct a dry look at the trooper. “Captain Alpha-17.”

There was the distinct sound of a weapon being holstered. “Sorry, Captain.” 

A hand tapped your waist and you released the fence. Alpha nodded toward the trooper. “It’s okay, neverd’ika. Atin’s just a little ulyc. He knows me.” 

“Atin,” you repeated nervously, turning to face the trooper. It was a bit of a shock to see him wearing armor that was a matte black instead of the standard white plastoid, but you pushed that aside easily enough. He was fully armored, including a helmet. It was impossible to know just where he was looking, but his visor seemed to be fixed on you, so you offered a smile. “Nice to meet you, Atin. You were one of the troopers who found the transmission station with Alpha?” 

There was a short pause - nothing obvious, but enough for you to pick up on. “Yes, ma’am. I’m part of Omega Squad, the ones tasked with accompanying the captain.” 

“Thank you for bringing him back safely.” 

Alpha snorted loud enough to be heard over the wind. “Wasn’t much danger there. Especially nothing I couldn’t handle.” 

“Still, I’m glad you would have had backup if there was something,” you told him. 

Alpha didn’t smile, but his eyes were warm as he gave you a short nod. 

Atin cleared his throat. “Did you need something, sir? Has there been any news?” 

“No news,” Alpha refuted. “Unless there’s something you boys need to tell me? I heard Niner was looking for me.” 

“Sarge?” Atin shrugged. “He was wondering where you were, but I don’t think he needed anything specific. I’ll check, though.” 

Atin strode purposefully down the walkway until he was almost out of sight behind the support pillars and various antennae lining the roofs of the stilt-city. He made a complicated series of gestures to someone you couldn’t see, then came back. 

“Comms are back up if you hadn’t heard,” he told Alpha. “But they’re monitored so heavily that there’s a delay. And we’re requested to keep traffic to a minimum, so the messenger systems put in place by Commander Colt are still the primary method of communicating information.” 

Alpha nodded thoughtfully. “How many men did Colt put out here?” 

“Each stilt gets fifty troopers,” Atin listed, “plus fifty grown cadets to space out the ranks. There are a few higher-trained troopers floating between patrols to keep an eye on things, too.”

“So a hundred troopers per stilt, plus a few extras.” Alpha considered that for a moment. “What’s the assignment?” 

“Keep watch on the skies,” Atin said with a shrug. He glanced out over the water again. “Good visibility today.” 

You nodded, feeling a little awkward when both men looked at you. “I was just thinking that it’s good the cloud cover isn’t low today. More warning for incoming transports, and less chance of anyone slipping on the walkways.”

The slightest smile curved Alpha’s lips as he inclined his head. “Fair point. The atmospheric monitoring systems should warn about any unauthorized ships coming in, but… If the Seppies managed to breach Kamino’s databases, there’s a chance we can’t trust any security but ourselves.” 

Atin glanced at Alpha. “Uncomfortable thought.”

“That’s the bad part about automation.” Alpha rested his hands casually over the hilts of the blasters on his hips. “All of it can be sliced. Trustworthiness comes down to sentients whose loyalty you can trust.” 

“That’s a shorter list every day,” a new voice said. 

You all turned to find another trooper in black armor approaching, with two more following closely behind. 

“Niner,” Alpha greeted simply. “Heard you might have been looking for me.” 

“Not really,” Niner said. “Just wondering why they wouldn’t use the trooper who trains the ARCs. Now I think I see why.” 

You stiffened slightly at Niner’s nod in your direction. 

To your surprise, Alpha didn’t seem bothered by the veiled accusation. “You know how the kaminii are with outsiders. I’m surprised they’re letting Colt do anything other than trail around behind General Ti.” 

There was a beat of quiet, broken by Niner’s soft chuckle. “True. While you’re here, have you heard anything new about the transmission station? We’ve only heard rumors. Something about a beroya disguised as an instructor.” 

“I don’t know much about it myself,” Alpha admitted, stepping aside so they could all see you more clearly. “But the administrator might be able to tell us more.” 

You blinked blankly at him for a second before you collected yourself. “Yes, there was a bounty hunter here posing as an instructor. General Ti figured out that there was an information leak, but the Kaminoans said that their instructors had all been cleared. They claimed that their databases were incorruptible. Apparently, they weren’t.” 

“What kind of information do they think the beroya got?” 

“Blueprints, training schedules, numbers of cadets per class,” you listed. “Some stuff that doesn’t matter very much and some stuff that really does.” 

“All of it matters,” Alpha said darkly. “Especially blueprints. That means whoever it is plans to infiltrate this place at some point.” 

One of the troopers who hadn’t spoken yet shifted his weight slightly. “And that they don’t want to be caught when they do.” 

Alpha glanced over. “That’s a good point, Fi. You sure you don’t want to throw a joke into it to save time?” 

Fi shook his head. You couldn’t see his expression through his helmet, but you could hear the grin in his voice as he said, “A joke should always get to shine on its own, sir.” 

A deep sigh was the only response he got. 

“Do they know how much information the beroya got?” Niner asked. To your surprise, he seemed to be directing the question at you. 

“Not yet,” you told him. “The Kaminoans have locked down all data access terminals while they do a full system audit. Most passwords have been locked out.” 

“What about slicing in?” Atin asked. 

Alpha shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

“Some of the data is encrypted in a way that deletes it if an outside person tries to gain access,” you explained. “And it’s impossible to tell what is set for deletion until you’ve already activated the system. Hopefully, that’s well-known enough to cut down on anyone trying to infiltrate to slice in.” 

“I didn’t know it,” Fi pointed out. 

“Maybe anyone trying to steal kaminii secrets will be better informed than you, Fi,” the last trooper pointed out. “They probably-”

“Hold on, Darman,” Niner ordered. “Incoming.” 

You turned to look in the direction of Niner’s nod, and a beaming smile broke across your face almost immediately. “Neyo!” 

Neyo was wearing his unique helmet, but he pulled it off as he approached. He nodded at Alpha, then at you. “Captain. Administrator.” 

“How are you, Neyo?” you asked, searching his face. “How have things been since you left here?” 

“I’ve only been gone a few weeks,” he countered. 

Alpha chuckled. “You didn’t make it out of here for long, vod.”

You huffed at them both. “It’s been months!”

“Five weeks,” Neyo informed you. 

“Fine, it’s only been a few weeks,” you conceded, crossing your arms. “I still missed you. Have you been okay?” 

Neyo’s expression softened. “I’m fine. A couple good missions and one rough one. Still less stress than being around you and the captain.” 

You laughed as Alpha said something uncomplimentary in Mando’a. Neyo grinned. “How are the new ARC trainees?” 

“They’re just as hopeless as your group was,” Alpha grumbled. 

“Alpha!” you chided. “They’re interesting. Two of them are from the same batch, which is different. Fives is a troublemaker, but he’s so funny! Echo’s just as mischievous, but such a sweetheart that you can’t hold it against him.”

“I’m sure the captain does his best,” Neyo said, glancing past you. “You haven’t forgotten about us, have you? None of us have gotten many messages on our comms.” 

“I don’t want to put you in danger,” you admitted. “But I have sent a few messages.”

“I’m just giving you some osik.” Neyo smirked. “By Drift’s request.” 

“Of course,” Alpha said with a sigh. 

“How is Drift?” you asked, ignoring Alpha. “How is everyone? It seems like you might have been in contact more recently than I have.” 

“I’d be happy to catch you up on everything that’s going on, but I need to get these men back to their posts,” Neyo told you, nodding at the members of Omega Squad. “Besides, I’ve heard that Limit is looking for you. I wouldn’t want him to track me down.” 

“Fair enough,” you agreed, “but I want to catch up before you leave Kamino again!” 

“I can make that happen.” Neyo looked at you oddly for a moment. Quietly enough that Omega Squad would struggle to hear, he said, “You can hug me if you want.” 

You struggled not to laugh aloud with delight. A hug from Neyo that he had basically initiated? You accepted in an instant, wrapping him in as tight a hug as you could manage. He chuckled, patting your back a few times. 

When you pulled away, you smiled up at him. “It was so great to see you! I’m going to hold you to talking later. I want to hear everything!” 

“Deal,” Neyo agreed. 

“Let’s go find Limit,” Alpha suggested. He nodded at the others. “Neyo. Omega. Ordo.” 

You tried to turn, but Alpha’s grip was strong on your shoulder as he led you back over toward an entrance. You had walked enough with Atin and Neyo that you ended up using a different door back into the stilt-city, but you recognized the area as being only slightly further down. 

Before you stepped inside, you glanced back to call, “Nice to meet you, Omega Squad!”

When you were inside the stilt-city, you glanced up at Alpha. “How long was Ordo standing there?” 

“Long enough to see that you have friends here,” he said vaguely. 

You deflated a bit. “Is that why Neyo let me hug him? As some way of protecting me? Did you ask him to?” 

“I let a few people know to be on the lookout for you and the Nulls,” Alpha hedged. When you deflated, he hurried to add, “But the hug? I think Neyo may have just wanted to. There were other ways he could have shown closeness without it if he was uncomfortable.”

That made you smile all the way to the medbay. 

When you walked through the medbay doors, medical supplies were scattered all across the room, stacked in odd places. The cabinets where they usually sat were open and half-empty. It was a mess. You peered around the room, but Limit was nowhere to be seen. 

“Limit?” you called. Your voice rose in volume and pitch when you didn’t hear any response. “Limit?!” 

“Breathe, little one,” Alpha encouraged, squeezing your hand. “I don’t see any signs of struggle.” 

You gave him an incredulous look. “Really? How can you tell past the entire contents of the medbay lying on the ground?” 

He chuckled. “Mir’sheb.”

“No cur-cursing in my medbay,” Limit chided, emerging from a side door. 

“Limit!” you greeted in a rush. “What’s going on? Where were you? Is everything okay?” 

“Everything is- is fine,” he assured you. The deep shadows under his eyes didn’t make it overly believable. “Just reorganizing.” 

“See, neverd’ika?” Alpha asked. “He’s fine.” 

You made a skeptical noise. “And how long have you been reorganizing? Because Colt said that you were doing this yesterday. It’s been almost a full day since then. Have you left the medbay today?” 

“...Yes.” 

“Limit.”

He sighed, giving you a mournful look. “There’s a- There’s a lot to do. And the Kaminoans have agreed… They’re letting me resup- supply. I can get th-this place back on track.” 

“But that means you have to do a full inventory,” you summarized. Limit nodded. You cracked your knuckles. “Okay, what’s left to do? I’ll need a datapad or a medsupply counter, whichever you’re not using.” 

“You don’t n-need to…” 

“Give it up, Limit,” Alpha advised. “She’s on a tear today.” 

When Limit sighed, you beamed. That was the sound of someone who knew how serious you were about helping. 

“I still need some crates-” Limit started. 

You plucked the datapad from his hands, scanning over the list to get an idea of whatever inventory system he was using. “Alpha will get them.”

Alpha chuckled behind you. “So this is how natties feel about being conscripted…”

He had already turned to retrieve the crates Limit needed, so he missed the face you made at him. You felt better, anyway. 

When he was gone, Limit asked, “How are you ha-handling the lockdown?” 

You gingerly extricated yourself from the cabinet so you didn’t bump your head and blinked at him. “Colt asked the same thing last night. I’m fine! Does everyone think I’m going to start panicking?”

“You were injured la- last time there was a s-security threat,” Limit reminded, “but I’m actually more - more concerned about the captain.” 

“Alpha?” You frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“You were in bad sha- shape during the Separatist invasion, so I’m not- I’m … I’m not sure how much you rem-ember,” Limit started. 

“Bits and pieces, really,” you told him. There were theories that you would regain some memories with time, but no such luck.

“The woman who… who tor-tured Alpha w-was here.” Limit had put aside the inventory altogether, his full attention fixed on you. “She threatened him. Threatened y-you. He probably hasn’t talked… talked about it much.”

“No, he’s never said anything.” Even as the words left you, a dozen vague allusions and half-started stories sprang to mind. “Nothing direct, anyway. Is there-? Do you know if there’s any way I can help him?” 

Limit shrugged. “He hasn’t said any- anything direct to me, either. I’d s-say having you around makes hi- makes him feel a little better. Just be pa-patient if he’s more irritable or protective than usual. That w-will probably be how it prese- pre- how it manifests.”

“Ill keep an eye out for that, definitely,” you agreed. “Do you know if he’s talked to anyone?” 

“I don’t th-think so.” Limit frowned. “Not- not that he would have t-told me if he had.”

“I hope you don’t think that he doesn’t trust you-” you started, but Limit shook his head. 

“The cap- captain trusts me as much as he… as he trusts anyone. But if he told some- someone about it, it w-would have been you.”

You were touched by that, but you had to wrangle your emotions back under control quickly. Alpha came back inside and set to work on the inventory, and there wasn’t much you could do beyond help him. 

The night, the two of you retreated to the privacy of your quarters. The officers’ hall was much quieter - so much so that you suspected that the walls were literally thicker. You changed quickly, flopping onto the bed as soon as possible. You were exhausted after spending so much of your day trekking back and forth across Kamino, but it had left you feeling incredibly productive. 

Alpha was sitting at your desk, making notes in a datapad he had been carrying around. You hadn’t lasted very long before you asked what it was for. He had explained that Colt suggested the officers make notes on who they saw where throughout the lockdown. That could help narrow down who might be responsible for any unauthorized transmissions. 

When you had asked if he made notations about the Nulls, Alpha had replied with a smug confirmation. 

You watched him in the warm silence of the desk lamp. The light silhouetted him gold, as if he had been gilded into a moving piece of art. You wondered if he would blush if you told him that. Then you wondered why he had been sitting, frozen, for far long that he needed to write down who he had seen and where.

“Alpha?” you asked softly. Alpha controlled his movements well, but you still caught the edge of a flinch at the sound of your voice. “Are you okay?” 

“Of course, neverd’ika,” he assured you, a half-second too late. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“I’ve been thinking about the last attack,” you admitted. “It’s been on my mind all day.” 

Alpha stood quickly, and you almost flinched. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. No matter what- Just… go to sleep, little one.” 

And then he disappeared into the refresher, leaving you blinking in confusion. Of all the ways you expected that conversation to go, being ordered off to bed like a child hadn’t been among them. 

Despite your irritation, you must have fallen asleep, because you woke up tucked between your sheets, blinking confusedly into the darkness. An instant later, you came to full awareness of what had woken you up: Alpha was muttering and thrashing beside you. 

You had never seen him have a nightmare, though you knew he had them occasionally. He had talked you through how to handle the possibility a half-dozen times, but your hand still hovered over his shoulder for a long moment before you remembered his warnings. 

You retreated from the bed, rounding to his side. You were close, but still out of his arms’ reach when you put on your most soothing voice. “Alpha. Alpha, you’re having a nightmare. Alpha, you need to wake up.” 

The repetition of his name and the entreaties to wake up didn’t seem to affect him at all. With a grimace, you drew to your full height, took a deep breath, and snapped, “Captain Alpha-17!”

Alpha sat upright in the bed, doing his best to be at full attention even while he wasn’t standing. His chest heaved with desperate breaths and you could see beads of sweat glistening on his tan skin. 

His expression was blank at first, but slowly relaxed into one of mild confusion. The moment his personality bloomed in his eyes, Alpha looked around. You knew he was searching for you, and you carefully shifted your weight so he could hear you. “Am I okay to get closer now?” 

Alpha’s mouth opened, but all that emerged was a weak whisper. He settled for a nod. You sat on the bed, and Alpha folded his legs to make room for you. He seemed unsettled by your close study of him, but his breathing slowed and the tension slowly drained from his torso. That was enough for you, at least until he decided he wanted to talk about it. 

“How bad?” he rasped eventually. 

You shook your head slowly. “Not very. I woke up just before I got you up. You were mostly restless. A little talking, but nothing I could hear clearly. How do you feel?” 

“Fine,” he brushed off. He glanced down at the bed, smiling wryly. “Sweaty.” 

You stood, beckoning for him to do the same. “Go take a quick shower. I’ll change the sheets.” 

Alpha hesitated. “You sure, neverd’ika? I can help.” 

“It’s fine.” Alpha grabbed a new pair of pajama pants and headed for the ‘fresher, but halted the moment you spoke again: “I wish you would trust me to help you, Alpha. I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me.” 

With a ducked head, Alpha stepped into the refresher, closing the door behind him. 

By the time you had stripped the sheets from the bed and replaced them with a new set, Alpha had finished his shower. When you settled onto your pillow, Alpha was climbing into the other side of the bed. 

With the lights off, the two of you lay in the silent darkness for long enough that you wondered whether either of you would go back to sleep at all. 

Alpha turned toward you - you couldn’t see it, but you heard the sound. “I do trust you.” 

Guilt and regret twisted in your stomach. “I know.” 

You slid your hand across the surface of the bed, blindly searching for his. At the same moment, Alpha’s fingers collided with yours as he felt around for your hand. You shared a quiet chuckle as you held hands in the darkness. 

“I don’t like this,” Alpha said eventually. “I can handle… being in danger. It’s all I’ve ever known. But you- I can’t think straight when you’re at risk. Sometimes I think that’s all the galaxy could do to hurt me. You’re the only good thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t accept the idea that something could happen to you, something I couldn’t stop or kill.” 

He squeezed your hand at the end of his admission and you smiled up at the ceiling. “Thank you.” 

A breathy laugh shuddered from Alpha’s lips. “Don’t thank me, neverd’ika. I was half a step away from locking you in your quarters all day.” 

“I’m a little surprised you didn’t,” you admitted. “That’s why I left here before you this morning.” 

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” he replied, amused. “I could throw you over my shoulder and haul you back here from anywhere in the city. We both know that.” 

You snorted, squeezing his hand back. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m quick.”

The conversation faded after that. Alpha fell into sleep faster than you could remember him doing in the past, his hand carefully cradling yours until he had fully drifted off. 

You didn’t last much longer, but you did your best to commit every detail of the moment into your memory. Despite the ongoing threat of invasion, this time with Alpha was tantalizingly close to perfection.

---

Author's Note - So. I'll admit that I don't love this chapter. I wanted to show a little bit about how Kamino was handling things this time around, but I know it felt like a lot of meandering across the city. I promise, the narrative gets tighter from here. Thank you for reading anyway!

For those of you who don't read my non-fic posts, I've been sick the entire month of July. I'm getting better now, but I was sick enough that it severely impacted the amount of writing I've done. I try to write a few chapters ahead so I can go back and connect some dots before things get posted, so missing those few weeks of writing is a disappointingly big deal. I'm trying to post a chapter of this fic every month, but I may have to rotate some things around in the coming months, depending on how much recovery work I can do in the next week or two.

Tl;dr - got sick, couldn't write, posting schedule may be a little funky for the next month or two. But I promise, I'm not abandoning this story and I don't have another year-long hiatus planned.

Thank you for reading and I'll see you as soon as I can with another chapter!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Fourteen

You and Alpha explore Tipoca City under lockdown.

Word Count: 6,000

Warnings: Descriptions of a city under lockdown, mentions of the previous attack on Kamino, mentions of ambiguous threats, nightmares.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

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Aran (Guard)

Troopers were everywhere.

Obviously, Kamino had never suffered a lack of troopers, but they tended to be mostly cadets. Sure, there were a few adults present - personnel, Jedi, instructors, ARCs in training - but most of them were cadets. 

Now, the recalled troops filled out the ranks until the hallways and common spaces of Kamino seemed ready to burst with troopers. 

When you and Alpha had finally left your office, you found it difficult to focus on anything other than your promise to help the Null troopers. If they found a way to decipher the location of Ko Sai’s copy of her notes, you would locate and transmit them. 

Your agreement wasn’t entirely out of self-preservation, either. You were invested in this now, though you didn’t know exactly what the unusual troopers intended to do with all of that genetic research. Surely Alpha would have stopped you if they meant to do something that would actively harm the galaxy as a whole. 

It was an uneasy state of mind, made worse by the underlying tension of Tipoca City. More than a full day had passed since Dengar fled the planet, and there had been no sign of Separatist ships, but no one seemed willing to lower their guard. 

When you and Alpha reached the network of rooms surrounding the original Fett genetic sample, you found a familiar face waiting for you. 

“Captain Alpha-17, sir!” Hunter greeted, snapping a salute. The motion drew attention to the blaster at his side, counterbalanced by a sheathed vibroblade strapped to his other hip.

“Hunter,” Alpha returned with a nod. “What are you doing here?” 

“You’re not on your way to the medbay, are you?” you asked, worried.

“No, everyone is fine. We’re on patrol,” Hunter explained, sounding a little confused by it himself. “The kaminii ordered us to watch out for the sample. I guess they heard about us doing it during the last attack.” 

“Hunter, the motion sensors indicate that you have not proceeded with your patrol as planned,” a voice said, sounding very small and flat through the minuscule speaker of Hunter’s vambrace comlink. “Report.” 

“Copy,” Hunter replied, lifting his forearm to his mouth. “Found some friendlies.” 

“Slacking, then,” Crosshair said sourly, slouching through the door. He had a blaster by his side and a sniper rifle slung back to rest against his shoulder. When he saw you and Alpha, his expression eased slightly, but he didn’t smile. Instead, he offered a shallow nod in greeting. 

“Did the Kaminoans say anything about why they pulled you guys for patrol duty?” you asked. 

Hunter shook his head. “They didn’t give any kind of reason. They give orders and we’re expected to follow ‘em.” 

“Speaking of,” Crosshair said, glancing around. “I don’t want to deal with the headache if they find out we’re talking instead of guarding the sample.”

Alpha snorted. “Unless the clankers have figured out stealth, I wouldn’t count on them attacking anytime soon. We haven’t seen as much as a ship in orbit. Might as well get comfortable.” 

“Alpha,” you chided. “They just want to do a good job.” 

Alpha’s gaze softened as he looked down at you. “Sure, neverd’ika. Just remember, not everyone has your overdeveloped work ethic.” 

You pursed your lips at him, trying to look disgruntled while also stifling a laugh. “Well, I think they’re doing a wonderful job.” 

“Strictly speaking, we haven’t done anything yet,” Tech pointed out, rounding the corner. “The area has been quiet.” 

“Any hits on the motion sensors?” Hunter asked. 

“Negative.” 

“None of the grenades have gone off,” Wrecker said sadly, entering the room from the opposite direction as Tech had. “That means no intruders.” 

“You set grenades?” you asked, horrified. 

Alpha looked grave. “You boys should know better than to set those kinds of traps in a place where troopers and civilians are actively working.” 

“We did not set them recklessly,” Tech countered. “They are calibrated to pick up on the exact footstep tempo of a B-1 battle droid’s marching speed.”

“Even then, they’re set on an extended timer,” Crosshair told you. “If they’re triggered, the area’s holofeeds transmit to our comlinks and we can verify that there are enemy insurgents before they detonate.”  

Alpha gave a skeptical hum. 

“We’d better get back to our guard rotation,” Hunter said hurriedly. “Just in case the Seppie idea of stealth involves sending in another lone assassin.” 

You frowned. “This could go on for a while. If the Kaminoans don’t send anyone to relieve you, call me. Okay?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Hunter agreed with a respectful salute. 

“Did those friends of yours ever find you?” Wrecker asked before he left. 

“Friends?” you asked. 

“Who was asking you about us?” Alpha growled. 

Wrecker blinked in confusion. “There was a group of troopers. They were talking about how they were with you when you found the transmission station. Sergeant… Niner? I think?” 

Alpha’s expression relaxed, which made you relax as well. “Yes, Niner. He’s the leader of Omega Squad, who was with me on the station. Did he say what he needed?” 

“Didn’t say anything to us at all,” Crosshair said. “They were talking when they came through here. They have a patrol somewhere in the city.” 

Alpha walked away without another word. You offered a smile to the kids. “Thank you for letting us know.” 

As you hurried off behind Alpha, your smile flickered. You still thought of the Bad Batch as kids - they were still painfully young, in your eyes - but you couldn’t ignore the changes that they were undergoing. All of them had grown taller and leaner. Wrecker had put on more muscle while Hunter and Crosshair’s faces had narrowed as they lost baby fat. Tech was almost as tall as Wrecker and nearly as slender as Crosshair. You had seen the hint of stubble on their faces after a long day. 

They were growing up. It was far better than the alternative, but it still made you sad. 

“Where are we going?” you asked when you finally caught up with Alpha. 

He glanced back as if he were surprised that you were still behind him. “To find Omega Squad. If Niner is looking for me, he might have some additional information about the transmission station.” 

“How do we find them?” 

“Comms are down,” Alpha reported. You glanced down at your comlink, surprised to see that he was right. “But if I ask the right people, I’ll find out where they are.” 

“Who are the right people?” you asked. You had reached a far more populated area of Tipoca City by that point, and you rose onto your tiptoes to stare around the space. 

“Colt or the General would be a good start,” he mused. “But you don’t have to wait around. Head back to your quarters.” 

“Alpha, it’s one in the afternoon.”

He nodded. “You’re right. I’ll bring you some lunch after I talk with Niner.” 

You rested your hands on your hips. “Why are you trying to keep me out of your conversation with Niner? What’s really going on?” 

It took Alpha a moment to answer. “I thought I was the suspicious one.” 

The joke was a little comfort, but you weren’t going to let it mollify you. “I’ll stop being suspicious when you stop being weird. Talk to me.” 

Alpha sighed, glancing around the room to avoid meeting your eyes. “I’m not being-” 

“I thought we were a team,” you interrupted, even your quiet voice halting him mid-sentence. 

“Neverd’ika, we’re always a team,” Alpha assured you. “We just need to make adjustments based on who we’re playing against. And when the other team has jetiise, I want you to be safe.” 

“Not Jedi,” you told him. “Dark-siders. Sith.”

Alpha waved his hand dismissively. “Makes no difference to Mandos. A saber is a saber, and anyone carrying one is an enemy.” 

“No one here has a lightsaber other than General Ti,” you countered. “I’m not staying in my room. Didn’t we talk about this earlier? I want to help. I can help.” 

The weight of Alpha’s gaze was heavy as he studied your expression. At last, he sighed through his nose and nodded. “Come on, then.” 

Colt was in the middle of the busiest section of the city. He was personally checking the credentials of every ship that landed, then redirecting the squads to where they could best serve the defense efforts. When Alpha was finally able to talk to him, Colt directed the two of you to the perimeter of the main Tipoca City stilt. 

You glanced up at Alpha as you walked to find Colt. “How did you avoid being assigned somewhere? If every soldier is needed and you’re ARC-trainer qualified, I would have assumed they’d put you on patrol somewhere, if not doing what Colt is doing now.” 

Alpha smirked down at you. “Tryin’ to get rid of me, little one?” 

“Never,” you assured with a smile. “Just trying to figure out the logic here.” 

“Dunno if ‘logic’ is ever a term you can apply to a defense zone,” Alpha mused, “but I was assigned a job. Guarding you.” 

“Me?” If you frowned any harder, you wouldn’t be able to see past your eyebrows, but you couldn’t help it. “Why would you need to guard me? Am I under some specific threat no one has told me about? Other than the Null troopers, of course.” 

“Not guarding you against others,” Alpha clarified. “Guarding Tipoca City from you.” 

He knew that was going to create other questions. You could see the hint of a smile on his face as he relished the way you would have to ask for clarification. You only lasted a few seconds before you gave in. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

Alpha shrugged. “Means the kaminii don’t trust you. They think you had something to do with the data leak.” 

“I didn’t!” 

He gave you a look. “You know that and I know that, but the long-necks don’t want to think they’ve been wrong about you this whole time. It’s easier to believe that you’re secretly feeding information to an outside source than that their private files were sliced and altered. They’re too proud to admit the truth.”

“The general will vouch for me, and so will Colt,” you insisted. “They brought me into the investigation, not the other way around. There’s no way I could have plotted all of this out.” 

“They don’t like the general any more than they like you, maybe less. And they’ll assume you tricked Colt.” Alpha gave you a sidelong look. “Besides, it’s a good thing. I’ve been assigned to stay close to you and monitor your movements. Kaminii-sanctioned time to spend together.” 

You pouted for a moment, stung by the allegations of disloyalty that seemed to follow you everywhere. But then you realized that you could twist Alpha’s explanation to your benefit, so you did your best to let the hurt and irritation roll off of you. 

“Then it sounds like I can’t wait in my quarters while you speak with Niner.” You couldn’t help but smile at the dark expression Alpha was wearing. “You’re obliged to keep me with you at all times. You know, to keep up the ruse for the Kaminoans.” 

“Neatly done, neverd’ika,” Alpha admitted grudgingly. “But if I tell you to go inside, I need to know you’ll listen to me.” 

“Inside?” you echoed. “Does that mean we’re going outside?” 

He gave you a bemused look. “What did you think ‘perimeter’ meant?” 

You were working on a sarcastic reply to that when Alpha threw open the door you had come up to. He ushered you through and stepped out behind you as you took in the sight. 

You were on a walkway that bordered the edge of the stilt-city. It had to have been immeasurably long to have wrapped the entire way around, but that was presumably possible. Thankfully, the walkway wasn’t literally at the edge - you doubted you could have handled it if you suddenly found yourself suspended thousands of feet above the crashing waves. Instead, it lined the top of the city, placed at the edge where it was thinnest, but still firmly on the ‘ground’. 

The walkway was wide enough for three humans to walk side-by-side. If your mental estimations were correct, that meant roughly two Kaminoans could have done the same. There was a border fence along the outer wall, protecting guards from the precipitous drop, but letting them clearly see the danger they were in. 

You were staring down at that drop before you knew it, clutching the fence like you were in danger of falling over it if you let go. Alpha stepped to the fence beside you, glancing over with an expression of mingled concern and amusement. 

“Didn’t think you were afraid of heights.” 

You shook your head slowly, eyes still fixed on the waves. “I’m not. It’s just… I think there’s a certain amount of self-preservation in being wary around really high places.” 

Alpha didn’t have a response for that. 

It was a typically gray day on Kamino, but you were utterly relieved that it wasn’t raining. The clouds were high in the atmosphere, and incoming ships would be spotted long before they reached any of Kamino’s landing pads. The air was clear and free of fog, and it seemed like you could see to the very ends of the planet. The steely waves below you crashed furiously, and the winds vacillated between whipping around you and leaving you in peaceful quiet. 

“I can’t hear the ocean,” you mused to yourself. 

Since you had said it in a moment when the winds were quiet, Alpha overheard. “We’re much further up than when we’re on the lower balconies. Each of the stilt-cities is a half-dozen levels tall. And those are kaminii levels. You won’t be able to hear the waves, not unless there’s a bad storm.” 

“Stay right there!” a modulated voice barked. “Identify yourselves!” 

Alpha was in full armor other than his helmet, so that level of vigilance seemed a bit excessive, but you understood that there was a threat of internal betrayal. You carefully kept your hands on the fence and your head as still as possible, trying to glance over with just your eyes to see the trooper who had spoken. 

Alpha had no such qualms about moving. He kept his body still, but turned his head to direct a dry look at the trooper. “Captain Alpha-17.”

There was the distinct sound of a weapon being holstered. “Sorry, Captain.” 

A hand tapped your waist and you released the fence. Alpha nodded toward the trooper. “It’s okay, neverd’ika. Atin’s just a little ulyc. He knows me.” 

“Atin,” you repeated nervously, turning to face the trooper. It was a bit of a shock to see him wearing armor that was a matte black instead of the standard white plastoid, but you pushed that aside easily enough. He was fully armored, including a helmet. It was impossible to know just where he was looking, but his visor seemed to be fixed on you, so you offered a smile. “Nice to meet you, Atin. You were one of the troopers who found the transmission station with Alpha?” 

There was a short pause - nothing obvious, but enough for you to pick up on. “Yes, ma’am. I’m part of Omega Squad, the ones tasked with accompanying the captain.” 

“Thank you for bringing him back safely.” 

Alpha snorted loud enough to be heard over the wind. “Wasn’t much danger there. Especially nothing I couldn’t handle.” 

“Still, I’m glad you would have had backup if there was something,” you told him. 

Alpha didn’t smile, but his eyes were warm as he gave you a short nod. 

Atin cleared his throat. “Did you need something, sir? Has there been any news?” 

“No news,” Alpha refuted. “Unless there’s something you boys need to tell me? I heard Niner was looking for me.” 

“Sarge?” Atin shrugged. “He was wondering where you were, but I don’t think he needed anything specific. I’ll check, though.” 

Atin strode purposefully down the walkway until he was almost out of sight behind the support pillars and various antennae lining the roofs of the stilt-city. He made a complicated series of gestures to someone you couldn’t see, then came back. 

“Comms are back up if you hadn’t heard,” he told Alpha. “But they’re monitored so heavily that there’s a delay. And we’re requested to keep traffic to a minimum, so the messenger systems put in place by Commander Colt are still the primary method of communicating information.” 

Alpha nodded thoughtfully. “How many men did Colt put out here?” 

“Each stilt gets fifty troopers,” Atin listed, “plus fifty grown cadets to space out the ranks. There are a few higher-trained troopers floating between patrols to keep an eye on things, too.”

“So a hundred troopers per stilt, plus a few extras.” Alpha considered that for a moment. “What’s the assignment?” 

“Keep watch on the skies,” Atin said with a shrug. He glanced out over the water again. “Good visibility today.” 

You nodded, feeling a little awkward when both men looked at you. “I was just thinking that it’s good the cloud cover isn’t low today. More warning for incoming transports, and less chance of anyone slipping on the walkways.”

The slightest smile curved Alpha’s lips as he inclined his head. “Fair point. The atmospheric monitoring systems should warn about any unauthorized ships coming in, but… If the Seppies managed to breach Kamino’s databases, there’s a chance we can’t trust any security but ourselves.” 

Atin glanced at Alpha. “Uncomfortable thought.”

“That’s the bad part about automation.” Alpha rested his hands casually over the hilts of the blasters on his hips. “All of it can be sliced. Trustworthiness comes down to sentients whose loyalty you can trust.” 

“That’s a shorter list every day,” a new voice said. 

You all turned to find another trooper in black armor approaching, with two more following closely behind. 

“Niner,” Alpha greeted simply. “Heard you might have been looking for me.” 

“Not really,” Niner said. “Just wondering why they wouldn’t use the trooper who trains the ARCs. Now I think I see why.” 

You stiffened slightly at Niner’s nod in your direction. 

To your surprise, Alpha didn’t seem bothered by the veiled accusation. “You know how the kaminii are with outsiders. I’m surprised they’re letting Colt do anything other than trail around behind General Ti.” 

There was a beat of quiet, broken by Niner’s soft chuckle. “True. While you’re here, have you heard anything new about the transmission station? We’ve only heard rumors. Something about a beroya disguised as an instructor.” 

“I don’t know much about it myself,” Alpha admitted, stepping aside so they could all see you more clearly. “But the administrator might be able to tell us more.” 

You blinked blankly at him for a second before you collected yourself. “Yes, there was a bounty hunter here posing as an instructor. General Ti figured out that there was an information leak, but the Kaminoans said that their instructors had all been cleared. They claimed that their databases were incorruptible. Apparently, they weren’t.” 

“What kind of information do they think the beroya got?” 

“Blueprints, training schedules, numbers of cadets per class,” you listed. “Some stuff that doesn’t matter very much and some stuff that really does.” 

“All of it matters,” Alpha said darkly. “Especially blueprints. That means whoever it is plans to infiltrate this place at some point.” 

One of the troopers who hadn’t spoken yet shifted his weight slightly. “And that they don’t want to be caught when they do.” 

Alpha glanced over. “That’s a good point, Fi. You sure you don’t want to throw a joke into it to save time?” 

Fi shook his head. You couldn’t see his expression through his helmet, but you could hear the grin in his voice as he said, “A joke should always get to shine on its own, sir.” 

A deep sigh was the only response he got. 

“Do they know how much information the beroya got?” Niner asked. To your surprise, he seemed to be directing the question at you. 

“Not yet,” you told him. “The Kaminoans have locked down all data access terminals while they do a full system audit. Most passwords have been locked out.” 

“What about slicing in?” Atin asked. 

Alpha shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

“Some of the data is encrypted in a way that deletes it if an outside person tries to gain access,” you explained. “And it’s impossible to tell what is set for deletion until you’ve already activated the system. Hopefully, that’s well-known enough to cut down on anyone trying to infiltrate to slice in.” 

“I didn’t know it,” Fi pointed out. 

“Maybe anyone trying to steal kaminii secrets will be better informed than you, Fi,” the last trooper pointed out. “They probably-”

“Hold on, Darman,” Niner ordered. “Incoming.” 

You turned to look in the direction of Niner’s nod, and a beaming smile broke across your face almost immediately. “Neyo!” 

Neyo was wearing his unique helmet, but he pulled it off as he approached. He nodded at Alpha, then at you. “Captain. Administrator.” 

“How are you, Neyo?” you asked, searching his face. “How have things been since you left here?” 

“I’ve only been gone a few weeks,” he countered. 

Alpha chuckled. “You didn’t make it out of here for long, vod.”

You huffed at them both. “It’s been months!”

“Five weeks,” Neyo informed you. 

“Fine, it’s only been a few weeks,” you conceded, crossing your arms. “I still missed you. Have you been okay?” 

Neyo’s expression softened. “I’m fine. A couple good missions and one rough one. Still less stress than being around you and the captain.” 

You laughed as Alpha said something uncomplimentary in Mando’a. Neyo grinned. “How are the new ARC trainees?” 

“They’re just as hopeless as your group was,” Alpha grumbled. 

“Alpha!” you chided. “They’re interesting. Two of them are from the same batch, which is different. Fives is a troublemaker, but he’s so funny! Echo’s just as mischievous, but such a sweetheart that you can’t hold it against him.”

“I’m sure the captain does his best,” Neyo said, glancing past you. “You haven’t forgotten about us, have you? None of us have gotten many messages on our comms.” 

“I don’t want to put you in danger,” you admitted. “But I have sent a few messages.”

“I’m just giving you some osik.” Neyo smirked. “By Drift’s request.” 

“Of course,” Alpha said with a sigh. 

“How is Drift?” you asked, ignoring Alpha. “How is everyone? It seems like you might have been in contact more recently than I have.” 

“I’d be happy to catch you up on everything that’s going on, but I need to get these men back to their posts,” Neyo told you, nodding at the members of Omega Squad. “Besides, I’ve heard that Limit is looking for you. I wouldn’t want him to track me down.” 

“Fair enough,” you agreed, “but I want to catch up before you leave Kamino again!” 

“I can make that happen.” Neyo looked at you oddly for a moment. Quietly enough that Omega Squad would struggle to hear, he said, “You can hug me if you want.” 

You struggled not to laugh aloud with delight. A hug from Neyo that he had basically initiated? You accepted in an instant, wrapping him in as tight a hug as you could manage. He chuckled, patting your back a few times. 

When you pulled away, you smiled up at him. “It was so great to see you! I’m going to hold you to talking later. I want to hear everything!” 

“Deal,” Neyo agreed. 

“Let’s go find Limit,” Alpha suggested. He nodded at the others. “Neyo. Omega. Ordo.” 

You tried to turn, but Alpha’s grip was strong on your shoulder as he led you back over toward an entrance. You had walked enough with Atin and Neyo that you ended up using a different door back into the stilt-city, but you recognized the area as being only slightly further down. 

Before you stepped inside, you glanced back to call, “Nice to meet you, Omega Squad!”

When you were inside the stilt-city, you glanced up at Alpha. “How long was Ordo standing there?” 

“Long enough to see that you have friends here,” he said vaguely. 

You deflated a bit. “Is that why Neyo let me hug him? As some way of protecting me? Did you ask him to?” 

“I let a few people know to be on the lookout for you and the Nulls,” Alpha hedged. When you deflated, he hurried to add, “But the hug? I think Neyo may have just wanted to. There were other ways he could have shown closeness without it if he was uncomfortable.”

That made you smile all the way to the medbay. 

When you walked through the medbay doors, medical supplies were scattered all across the room, stacked in odd places. The cabinets where they usually sat were open and half-empty. It was a mess. You peered around the room, but Limit was nowhere to be seen. 

“Limit?” you called. Your voice rose in volume and pitch when you didn’t hear any response. “Limit?!” 

“Breathe, little one,” Alpha encouraged, squeezing your hand. “I don’t see any signs of struggle.” 

You gave him an incredulous look. “Really? How can you tell past the entire contents of the medbay lying on the ground?” 

He chuckled. “Mir’sheb.”

“No cur-cursing in my medbay,” Limit chided, emerging from a side door. 

“Limit!” you greeted in a rush. “What’s going on? Where were you? Is everything okay?” 

“Everything is- is fine,” he assured you. The deep shadows under his eyes didn’t make it overly believable. “Just reorganizing.” 

“See, neverd’ika?” Alpha asked. “He’s fine.” 

You made a skeptical noise. “And how long have you been reorganizing? Because Colt said that you were doing this yesterday. It’s been almost a full day since then. Have you left the medbay today?” 

“...Yes.” 

“Limit.”

He sighed, giving you a mournful look. “There’s a- There’s a lot to do. And the Kaminoans have agreed… They’re letting me resup- supply. I can get th-this place back on track.” 

“But that means you have to do a full inventory,” you summarized. Limit nodded. You cracked your knuckles. “Okay, what’s left to do? I’ll need a datapad or a medsupply counter, whichever you’re not using.” 

“You don’t n-need to…” 

“Give it up, Limit,” Alpha advised. “She’s on a tear today.” 

When Limit sighed, you beamed. That was the sound of someone who knew how serious you were about helping. 

“I still need some crates-” Limit started. 

You plucked the datapad from his hands, scanning over the list to get an idea of whatever inventory system he was using. “Alpha will get them.”

Alpha chuckled behind you. “So this is how natties feel about being conscripted…”

He had already turned to retrieve the crates Limit needed, so he missed the face you made at him. You felt better, anyway. 

When he was gone, Limit asked, “How are you ha-handling the lockdown?” 

You gingerly extricated yourself from the cabinet so you didn’t bump your head and blinked at him. “Colt asked the same thing last night. I’m fine! Does everyone think I’m going to start panicking?”

“You were injured la- last time there was a s-security threat,” Limit reminded, “but I’m actually more - more concerned about the captain.” 

“Alpha?” You frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“You were in bad sha- shape during the Separatist invasion, so I’m not- I’m … I’m not sure how much you rem-ember,” Limit started. 

“Bits and pieces, really,” you told him. There were theories that you would regain some memories with time, but no such luck.

“The woman who… who tor-tured Alpha w-was here.” Limit had put aside the inventory altogether, his full attention fixed on you. “She threatened him. Threatened y-you. He probably hasn’t talked… talked about it much.”

“No, he’s never said anything.” Even as the words left you, a dozen vague allusions and half-started stories sprang to mind. “Nothing direct, anyway. Is there-? Do you know if there’s any way I can help him?” 

Limit shrugged. “He hasn’t said any- anything direct to me, either. I’d s-say having you around makes hi- makes him feel a little better. Just be pa-patient if he’s more irritable or protective than usual. That w-will probably be how it prese- pre- how it manifests.”

“Ill keep an eye out for that, definitely,” you agreed. “Do you know if he’s talked to anyone?” 

“I don’t th-think so.” Limit frowned. “Not- not that he would have t-told me if he had.”

“I hope you don’t think that he doesn’t trust you-” you started, but Limit shook his head. 

“The cap- captain trusts me as much as he… as he trusts anyone. But if he told some- someone about it, it w-would have been you.”

You were touched by that, but you had to wrangle your emotions back under control quickly. Alpha came back inside and set to work on the inventory, and there wasn’t much you could do beyond help him. 

The night, the two of you retreated to the privacy of your quarters. The officers’ hall was much quieter - so much so that you suspected that the walls were literally thicker. You changed quickly, flopping onto the bed as soon as possible. You were exhausted after spending so much of your day trekking back and forth across Kamino, but it had left you feeling incredibly productive. 

Alpha was sitting at your desk, making notes in a datapad he had been carrying around. You hadn’t lasted very long before you asked what it was for. He had explained that Colt suggested the officers make notes on who they saw where throughout the lockdown. That could help narrow down who might be responsible for any unauthorized transmissions. 

When you had asked if he made notations about the Nulls, Alpha had replied with a smug confirmation. 

You watched him in the warm silence of the desk lamp. The light silhouetted him gold, as if he had been gilded into a moving piece of art. You wondered if he would blush if you told him that. Then you wondered why he had been sitting, frozen, for far long that he needed to write down who he had seen and where.

“Alpha?” you asked softly. Alpha controlled his movements well, but you still caught the edge of a flinch at the sound of your voice. “Are you okay?” 

“Of course, neverd’ika,” he assured you, a half-second too late. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“I’ve been thinking about the last attack,” you admitted. “It’s been on my mind all day.” 

Alpha stood quickly, and you almost flinched. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. No matter what- Just… go to sleep, little one.” 

And then he disappeared into the refresher, leaving you blinking in confusion. Of all the ways you expected that conversation to go, being ordered off to bed like a child hadn’t been among them. 

Despite your irritation, you must have fallen asleep, because you woke up tucked between your sheets, blinking confusedly into the darkness. An instant later, you came to full awareness of what had woken you up: Alpha was muttering and thrashing beside you. 

You had never seen him have a nightmare, though you knew he had them occasionally. He had talked you through how to handle the possibility a half-dozen times, but your hand still hovered over his shoulder for a long moment before you remembered his warnings. 

You retreated from the bed, rounding to his side. You were close, but still out of his arms’ reach when you put on your most soothing voice. “Alpha. Alpha, you’re having a nightmare. Alpha, you need to wake up.” 

The repetition of his name and the entreaties to wake up didn’t seem to affect him at all. With a grimace, you drew to your full height, took a deep breath, and snapped, “Captain Alpha-17!��

Alpha sat upright in the bed, doing his best to be at full attention even while he wasn’t standing. His chest heaved with desperate breaths and you could see beads of sweat glistening on his tan skin. 

His expression was blank at first, but slowly relaxed into one of mild confusion. The moment his personality bloomed in his eyes, Alpha looked around. You knew he was searching for you, and you carefully shifted your weight so he could hear you. “Am I okay to get closer now?” 

Alpha’s mouth opened, but all that emerged was a weak whisper. He settled for a nod. You sat on the bed, and Alpha folded his legs to make room for you. He seemed unsettled by your close study of him, but his breathing slowed and the tension slowly drained from his torso. That was enough for you, at least until he decided he wanted to talk about it. 

“How bad?” he rasped eventually. 

You shook your head slowly. “Not very. I woke up just before I got you up. You were mostly restless. A little talking, but nothing I could hear clearly. How do you feel?” 

“Fine,” he brushed off. He glanced down at the bed, smiling wryly. “Sweaty.” 

You stood, beckoning for him to do the same. “Go take a quick shower. I’ll change the sheets.” 

Alpha hesitated. “You sure, neverd’ika? I can help.” 

“It’s fine.” Alpha grabbed a new pair of pajama pants and headed for the ‘fresher, but halted the moment you spoke again: “I wish you would trust me to help you, Alpha. I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me.” 

With a ducked head, Alpha stepped into the refresher, closing the door behind him. 

By the time you had stripped the sheets from the bed and replaced them with a new set, Alpha had finished his shower. When you settled onto your pillow, Alpha was climbing into the other side of the bed. 

With the lights off, the two of you lay in the silent darkness for long enough that you wondered whether either of you would go back to sleep at all. 

Alpha turned toward you - you couldn’t see it, but you heard the sound. “I do trust you.” 

Guilt and regret twisted in your stomach. “I know.” 

You slid your hand across the surface of the bed, blindly searching for his. At the same moment, Alpha’s fingers collided with yours as he felt around for your hand. You shared a quiet chuckle as you held hands in the darkness. 

“I don’t like this,” Alpha said eventually. “I can handle… being in danger. It’s all I’ve ever known. But you- I can’t think straight when you’re at risk. Sometimes I think that’s all the galaxy could do to hurt me. You’re the only good thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t accept the idea that something could happen to you, something I couldn’t stop or kill.” 

He squeezed your hand at the end of his admission and you smiled up at the ceiling. “Thank you.” 

A breathy laugh shuddered from Alpha’s lips. “Don’t thank me, neverd’ika. I was half a step away from locking you in your quarters all day.” 

“I’m a little surprised you didn’t,” you admitted. “That’s why I left here before you this morning.” 

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” he replied, amused. “I could throw you over my shoulder and haul you back here from anywhere in the city. We both know that.” 

You snorted, squeezing his hand back. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m quick.”

The conversation faded after that. Alpha fell into sleep faster than you could remember him doing in the past, his hand carefully cradling yours until he had fully drifted off. 

You didn’t last much longer, but you did your best to commit every detail of the moment into your memory. Despite the ongoing threat of invasion, this time with Alpha was tantalizingly close to perfection.

---

Author's Note - So. I'll admit that I don't love this chapter. I wanted to show a little bit about how Kamino was handling things this time around, but I know it felt like a lot of meandering across the city. I promise, the narrative gets tighter from here. Thank you for reading anyway!

For those of you who don't read my non-fic posts, I've been sick the entire month of July. I'm getting better now, but I was sick enough that it severely impacted the amount of writing I've done. I try to write a few chapters ahead so I can go back and connect some dots before things get posted, so missing those few weeks of writing is a disappointingly big deal. I'm trying to post a chapter of this fic every month, but I may have to rotate some things around in the coming months, depending on how much recovery work I can do in the next week or two.

Tl;dr - got sick, couldn't write, posting schedule may be a little funky for the next month or two. But I promise, I'm not abandoning this story and I don't have another year-long hiatus planned.

Thank you for reading and I'll see you as soon as I can with another chapter!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Potential Delay in Posting

Hi, friends! As you may have noticed, I'm doing my best to post two fics every month - Gar Cabur is a staple right now while the other one rotates between one-shots and chapters of different stories.

However, I've been sick this month. (Literally, I got sick on July first.) I'm finally starting to get better, but I wasn't able to write at all this month. This is the worst non-covid sickness I've had in a decade and it took me out. It was the longest period of non-writing days I've had since I started tracking my daily word count almost three years ago.

So, tl;dr: I'm behind on my writing. I'm trying to prevent a delay in posting, but it might be unavoidable. I'm dedicated to finishing Gar Cyare, so please don't think I'm abandoning it or leaving it for another year-long hiatus!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

One-Shot: Rebels!Rex x Arachnophobic!Reader

Rebels-era Captain Rex x arachnophobic!gn!reader

Word Count: 3,600

Warnings: Arachnophobia, fear, suspicion of treason, blaster threats, spider death

---

It was shockingly easy to trade away a patrol shift. 

Granted, not everyone loved patrols. Especially when the weather was slated to be poor or if you were assigned an overnight patrol. Fortunately, you were willing to do anything else. Kitchen work, ammunitions inventory, latrine duty… you weren’t picky. 

And there was always someone willing to negotiate for a trade. 

It probably helped that Chopper Base was so small. For all you knew, it was the only permanent Rebellion base, and you saw the same faces every day. That was bad for a variety of reasons, both personally and for the sake of the Rebellion, but it meant you knew exactly where to go when you wanted to work out a trade. 

Which was why you were extra confused when Captain Rex walked up to you in the mess hall, knocked twice on the surface of your table, and jerked his chin toward the door. “C’mon, patrol time.” 

You stared at him, aghast. The mess hall was spotless, thanks to your hours of hard work the night before. All of that had been done specifically because you had traded shifts with Pynsu, who was supposed to be on patrol with the captain that night. 

“No, I had KP last night,” you countered shakily. “Pynsu is on patrol tonight. We traded.” 

Captain Rex gave you the single most unimpressed look you had ever seen a human wear. “I’ve memorized every rule, protocol, and procedure the Rebels have come up with. None of them say anything about trading away a duty you were assigned. Let’s go.” 

You would have loved to argue further, but there were two major problems. First, as a captain, Rex outranked you and almost everyone else who consistently worked on Chopper Base. Second, he had already walked away. You had no choice but to dump your tray and awkwardly trot along after him. 

The captain didn’t make it easy to catch up and you were breathing heavily by the time you were trailing at his heels. His pace was brisk, and catching your breath took forever. Still, you had the time since you were apparently starting your patrol on the far side of the base that evening. 

Despite your burning lungs, you didn’t ask Captain Rex to slow down. How could you? He was the most well-known person on Chopper Base, and easily the most highly respected these days. 

His status as a war hero from the days of the Clone Wars was a mark in his favor. He had been a captain then, just as he was now, and he had served alongside some of the most famous Jedi generals. Though the accelerated aging built into clone genes was clearly starting to affect him, Rex was still tough and strong, his tactical skills easily on par with the best Rebel strategists. He was, in short, a living legend.

And, at this particular moment, you were impressed by his cardiovascular health and the fact that he wasn’t even breathing heavy after speed-walking up a hill.

When you reached the makeshift fence of border spikes driven into the ground, you slowed and stopped, trying not to openly clutch at your side. Fortunately, Captain Rex stopped in the same place so you didn’t seem to be giving up entirely. 

The moon was bright overhead, giving excellent visibility of the hills and strange rock outcroppings that surrounded Chopper Base. It was close to the perfect spot for a base - on enough of a hill that you could easily see anyone attempting to sneak up from the surrounding area, but nestled deep enough that you weren’t immediately apparent to anyone who may fly overhead. And no one flew overhead. 

But you cursed the bright moon and the clear view of the surrounding areas for the same reason you didn’t think Chopper Base was the perfect solution many of the Rebellion had believed it to be: the spiders. 

The instant you had gotten close enough to hear the hum of the border spikes, you could see the lurking gray blobs of the spiders and feel the vibrations of their ever-shifting legs hitting the ground. The creatures bobbed back and forth outside of the fence, and you weren’t sure whether they were waiting for an opening or trying to hypnotize you into leaving the safety of the fenced-in base. 

Either way, you dropped your gaze and tried not to shudder.

“Nice night.” 

The bland, almost laughable comment was the first thing either of you had said since you left the mess hall, and you turned to stare openly at Captain Rex. 

You supposed that, if you took the night at face value and ignored the hulking arachnids lurking nearby, it was a nice night. Between the spiders and the bats that occasionally swooped past overhead, the bugs were well under control. The nighttime temperature was almost perfect, and you had already noted the brightness of the moon. If you weren’t terrified, it would have been almost serene. 

“Yeah.”

If the captain was bothered by the shortness of your answer, he didn’t say anything about it. You stood in companionable silence, Rex scanning the surrounding perimeter while you kept your eyes fixed on the ground just outside of the border spikes. 

“You know something I don’t?”

Rex’s question came as another surprise, largely due to the fact that you had been standing guard in silence for almost ten minutes. 

“Sorry?” you asked, trying to focus. By this point, Captain Rex wasn’t going to think you were a true asset to the Rebellion, but you could manage to sound like a halfway intelligent person. Probably. 

He nodded at the ground. Specifically, the section you had been watching. “Looks like you’re expecting an attack from underground. Something I should know about?” 

You forced a laugh, though it held a hint of a shudder. You could hear one of the spider’s jaws clicking even from where you were standing. But you pushed away the awareness of your crawling skin and pulled your gaze upward. And when making direct eye contact with a spider made you want to gasp, you tipped your head further back until you were staring up at the sky. 

“Closer,” Rex commented. “At least you’ll be the first to notice if the Empire launches a ship against us. Want to try one last time?” 

In fact, you didn’t want to, but you let your eyes drift down once more. You were focusing intently on the foreground, as if you were trying to count the dust particles in the air. It didn’t work as well as you’d hoped, and your attention was soon captured by one of the spiders. 

You shuddered, and it was only luck that the captain had turned to look in the other direction when you did. You weren’t ashamed of your arachnophobia, per se… except when you were being particular arachnophobic in front of a living legend and war hero. 

It didn’t help your confidence that Rex was still an extremely handsome man.

“I don’t want to believe you’re a traitor.” 

The statement was calm and quiet, enough so that you didn’t immediately react. For a strange moment, you actually thought he had been talking to himself. But there was a new, terrible tension in the air and you could sense how still he was standing behind you. 

You glanced back over your shoulder at him. He was standing as casually as he had been when you had first arrived at the location, but you noticed for the first time that he had a set of dual blaster pistols strapped to his hips. Rex’s hands weren’t quite touching the grips of those pistols, but they were within easy grabbing distance of the weapons.

Suddenly, you got the feeling they weren’t just for protection from spiders or Imperial infiltrators.

You turned around slowly to face him, easing your hands upward and out to your sides. Whatever was going on, you didn’t want to do anything that would lead to a blaster wound. Or worse.

“Why do you always trade shifts?” Rex asked. Now that you were looking directly at him, you could see the bleeding sharp focus in his dark eyes. 

“I don’t like patrol duty,” you explained.

Rex’s hands dipped lower, drifting close to his blasters. “And it’s just a coincidence that the shifts you trade for end up with you cleaning the comms room alone overnight?” 

“Yes?” 

As soon as you heard the uncertainty in your own voice, you winced. It wasn’t a lie - it really was a coincidence. You had just… never thought about that before. Yes, you were often alone in the comms room, but that was because you were usually there in the small hours of the morning. Droids were left to observe the comms systems if there wasn’t an active Imperial presence in any nearby system. 

“I don’t believe you.” Faster than you would have thought possible, the blasters were in Rex’s hands, both aimed at you. 

“Captain… Rex, please,” you started, but were interrupted by a loud chittering sound behind you. Every part of your body was within the perimeter of the base, but your back was toward the spikes of the fence. The reminder of the giant spiders scuttling around, unobserved in the dark, made you shiver and take an instinctive step forward. 

One of Rex’s hands lifted and the other lowered a fraction. “Stay still. I don’t want to put a bolt through that pretty head, but I will if you force me to.” 

If you weren’t freezing with cold terror, you would have been ridiculously flattered by him saying that you had a pretty head. 

“I’m not a traitor,” you repeated, forcing your thoughts away from the inanity of pretty heads and back to reality of making sure yours continued operating without a blaster bolt through it. “There’s an explanation for all of this. I don’t like patrol duty. Usually, the shifts people want to trade are scheduled to last overnight. And it’s easiest to clean the comms room when only droids are inside.”

“Really?” he asked skeptically. “Because here’s what it looks like from the outside: First, you trade away the only shifts where you have to work with another person. No one to question your motives. Second, you always work at night, and those shifts are all across the base. That gives you time and privacy to gather information. Third, you’re in the comms room at least twice every week. Plenty of chances to make transmissions to the Empire.” 

“That’s not- It- I’m not a spy!” you stammered, outraged, but unable to refute any of what Rex had said. Yes, you had the opportunity to spy, but that didn’t mean you had actually done it. 

“Then explain it to me,” Rex challenged. “Explain why you’ve only worked one other patrol shift and you spent the entire thing refusing to speak with your partner.”

“I’m arachnophobic!” It burst out of you, but you weren’t upset about that. Obviously, you hadn’t earned the captain’s respect. Far from it, if he was accusing you of being a traitor to the Rebellion. It didn’t actually matter if he knew you were terrified of the spiders outside of the base. 

Rex didn’t say anything. More importantly, the blasters didn’t waver from their places aimed at your head and heart. You let more of an explanation pour from you: “I hate spiders. I don’t go on patrol duty because I would be too focused on them to notice if Palpatine himself was standing outside of the fence. It’s best for everyone if I stay inside the base and away from here.”

“Arachnophobic, eh?” Rex mused. He sounded thoughtful, but you were nervous when the blasters didn’t change position at all. “We’ll see about that.” 

“Wh-?” 

Before you could finish asking the shortest question you had, Rex had holstered one blaster and motioned you closer to the border spikes. You took a single step backward, skin crawling. Rex kept you in his sights as he walked in a wide circle around you. He ended up at the border, then used his free hand to wave between the spikes. 

You watched in confusion, then in horror as one of the massive spiders scented prey and started toward you.

Rex pulled his arm back in, seemingly satisfied. He motioned at you with the blaster he was still holding. “Go on.” 

This would be a stupid way to die, you thought, verging on desperate tears. “No. If you’re going to kill me, kill me. Don’t feed me to that thing.”

“I’m not going to kill you,” he explained patiently. “I’m going to test whether you’re really that scared of the spiders. If you are, I’ll believe you. If you aren’t… well, we’ll need enough of you to have a trial and figure out what intel you’ve passed along to the Empire.”

With that ominous statement, he waved you forward again. You weren’t sure exactly how you were walking, since everything below your neck was currently numb, but you found yourself at the very edge of the base’s border. The fence spikes hummed to your left and right sides, not nearly as far in front of you as you would prefer. 

The spider eyed you sharply. Since Rex was safe again and further away from the wall, it had clearly decided on different prey. 

It moved closer in an erratic, skittering sort of movement, clearly intended to be something you couldn’t anticipate. However, you were watching it with an intense focus borne of incredible fear. It had ended up hypnotizing you after all, but not because of any innate ability it had. 

You were still inside the border fence - that was what you kept telling yourself. It was fine, the spider couldn’t actually reach you. Never mind that it towered over you as it got closer and closer. Never mind that you could see something dripping from the fangs it was baring at you. Never mind that you were making eye contact with it and found only fascination and a bone-deep hunger staring back at you…

With the fear and adrenaline flooding your system, you were hyper-aware of everything going on around you. There was a whirr and a soft beep from behind you, but it was so much less threatening than the approaching arachnid that you discarded it immediately. The spider’s steps made the ground tremble under your feet, making the weakness in your knees even more pronounced. 

You could feel its breath. Surely that was impossible… wasn’t it? It was close, far too close by then. Close enough that you could see the walls of its tall body expanding and contracting at regular intervals. You swore you could feel the air playing across your face…

“Okay, you can step back now.” 

The sound of Rex’s voice should have been a relief, but you were far too focused on the massive predator in front of you to worry about minor things like human speech. 

“Step back.” Rex’s voice was more urgent then, but it wasn’t enough to force you into motion. “Come on, get away from there.” 

The assurance was nice, but it was helpless against the icy fear that had overtaken your entire body. The chill was deep enough that you didn’t flinch in the slightest when a strong arm looped around your stomach and started applying steady pressure. 

When you were far enough from the border fence - ‘far enough’ meaning that you and spider wouldn’t touch, even if you both extended a limb - you took such a rasping breath that you realized you hadn’t done so in far too long. The moment you did, it was as if your body shifted from prey mode into a sudden awareness of how afraid you had been. 

Your lungs burned as you took in deep, shuddering breaths. Every limb was shaking, and you couldn’t have gripped anything smaller than a canteen at that moment - tested when Rex handed you his canteen. Instead of drinking from it, however, you opted to sink slowly down to the ground. Your knees simply wouldn’t hold you anymore. 

“Easy, easy,” Rex soothed, squatting beside you as you braced your elbows against your thighs and tried to collect yourself. His hand rested heavy between your shoulder blades, a warm and soothing weight that reminded you to breathe. 

You were shaking, feeling hollow with the slow recede of adrenaline. Still, you managed to pant out the most important question: "Is… it… gone?" 

Rex looked up and you followed his gaze. The spider was still just outside the fence and - as if it were infuriated by your attention - reared up and clawed for you, jaws clattering. 

You hadn't seen Rex draw his blaster, but two loud reports sounded beside you, matching the almost instant holes bored into the spider. It shrieked once, then collapsed slowly onto its side. You shuddered again as you watched its legs curl beneath it. 

"Gone now," Rex told you. "Keep breathing and you'll be just fine in a minute." 

If you kept looking at the spider, you would never be able to focus. You turned your back to the dead arachnid, scooting further away from the fence as you did. Rex gave you an inscrutable look as you did, likely because the movement put you closer to him. 

But you couldn't see anything with your face buried in your hands. Without the visual reminders of everything that had just happened, you felt yourself calming. 

"Did I pass?" 

Despite the palms in front of your lips and the way the words had been aimed at your own lap, Rex heard you. When he answered, there was a tightness in his voice that worried you until you realized that it was laughter. 

"Yeah, you passed." There was a pause, then he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to put you through that. We can't take the chance that the Empire knows about this place." 

"I understand." It felt ridiculous to say since you were still trembling like a leaf, but you did get why they would think you were suspicious. "I really am scared of spiders." 

"No kidding," Rex said, clearly trying not to laugh again. "I've never seen anyone's pulse that high when they were standing still. Between that and the adrenaline spike, I think we should get you back to base." 

"We're… on patrol…" you said slowly. You let your hands lower away from your face, carefully not looking at the spider's body. “We can’t just leave.” 

“Are you going to be able to focus on anything other than the spiders?” 

You grimaced. “They are the most immediate threat.” 

Rex stood, reaching an arm down toward you. “Doesn’t matter if we leave. This is an extra guard shift. All the normal guard shifts are filled. I wanted to make sure we didn’t leave a gap in security if you had been a traitor and decided to fight back.” 

You stared at his hand, wondering dimly if that scenario had been meant for the possibility of him killing you or you killing him. Knowing Rex and his reputation for preparedness, he had probably been covering his bases for either. 

His hand was warm and large, and you had no sooner taken it than he pulled you to your feet. Your knees trembled dangerously, but you managed to keep yourself upright. “I think I want to go back to the base. I- I’m not going to do much good out here.” 

“Let’s go back, then,” Rex agreed, turning toward the buildings of the base. He wasn’t touching you, but you could feel warmth at the small of your back, as if he were hovering in case you started to stumble. 

“I do help the Rebellion,” you told him. It was abrupt after the two of you had been walking in silence for so long, but you felt the need to tell him that. “Maybe I avoid patrols, but I help out in other ways. Cleaning, helping in the kitchen, maintaining the weapons.” 

“I know, mesh’la,” he assured you. “You touch every part of this base’s operations other than guard duties. That’s what first drew our attention.” 

“Our?” you repeated, stomach sinking again. “Who else thinks I’m a traitor?” 

“My brothers and I are responsible for the security of this base,” Rex said steadily, redirecting from outright accusations of treachery. “”We noticed that you were everywhere, but always alone. That’s a warning sign for someone who isn’t who they claim to be. It all makes sense now, but you have to admit that it looked suspicious.” 

“I know it did,” you admitted freely. A horrible thought struck you and your voice was tense as you asked, “I don’t have to do this again with Wolffe and Gregor, do I?” 

Rex chuckled lowly, shaking his head. “No, you don’t. I’ll tell them what I learned and clear any suspicion from your name. I might accompany you on your next few shifts, but everything else is fine.” 

You frowned. “So you still think there’s a possibility that I’m passing information to the Empire?” 

“No, I don’t,” Rex denied, eyes kind as he glanced over at you. “But I don’t like the idea of you being alone all the time. That isolation isn’t good for anyone, especially with the stress of fighting the Imps. If I’m around, you’re always welcome to spend time with me. I lived with Wolffe and Gregor for longer than any being should ever have to. I could use some good company for a change.”

With some effort, you kept your expression smooth and your breathing steady. You didn’t want to presume anything, but it seemed like Rex might be… flirting with you. 

You smiled at him, heart stuttering when he smiled back. “I’d like that.”

---

Author's Note - Welcome to my experience watching those episodes of Rebels as someone with arachnophobia. It was… not a good time. This is my first time writing Rebels-era Rex, so please let me know if you have thoughts or advice for next time!

Thank you for reading!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Thirteen

You and Alpha have a conversation with the Null ARCs.

Word Count: 3,700

Warnings: minor descriptions of peril, minor descriptions of threats, continued threats, descriptions of a city under lockdown

Previous (SFW) | Next | Masterlist Previous (NSFW)

---

Morut (Stronghold)

General Shaak Ti did not seem surprised to see Alpha the next morning, a sentiment that Commander Colt shared.

“Captain,” General Ti greeted with a graceful nod. “Welcome back to Kamino.”

“Knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away for long,” Colt told him, grinning. “Hope you didn’t get your fill of excitement out there.”

“Seems like there’s plenty going on here,” Alpha said. He didn’t sound entirely put out by that, either. “I’ll be glad to help any way I can. How sure are we that it wasn’t Pender?”

“Alpha!” you chided.

“That was my thought, too,” Colt admitted. “But I looked into every angle of his story. It all checks out.”

“I thought we had already decided that?” you asked.

General Ti looked thoughtful. “I was under that impression as well.”

Colt shrugged, remorseless. “I had nothing better to do on lockdown. Seemed like a good idea to recheck our work.”

“You didn’t look hard enough,” Alpha muttered.

You didn’t bother admonishing him a second time, trusting that your displeased look would do that for you.

“What is our focus for the day?” Alpha asked, and you tried not to gloat. Your face must have worked if he was trying to change the subject.

“Unfortunately, we can do nothing at all,” General Ti said, a hint of regret in her peaceful tone.

Colt nodded. “The kaminii have locked us all out of the system while they work on analyzing their data. They can track what was copied. Until they have a final tally, we’re on standby waiting for an attack.”

Alpha’s eyes slid to you, the motion so quick that it was nearly imperceptible. “How likely is it that the Separatists will attack?”

“There is no evidence that the Separatists are behind this infiltration at all,” General Ti reminded.

Alpha and Colt both gave a derisive snort at that, and in such quick succession that it could have been timed.

“Respectfully, General,” Colt said, “Who else would try to infiltrate Kamino? There’s nothing of interest here for anyone but the Seppies.”

“Cloning technology,” you countered. You paused briefly when everyone turned to look at you, but you pressed on. “Kamino is leading the galaxy where cloning is concerned, but there are others working on the same process. Yes, Kamino is the only lab with a government contract, but this could have been industrial espionage. Especially since the Kaminoans are trying to exempt themselves from fees associated with belonging to the Trade Federation.”

“How do you know all of that?” Alpha asked, frowning deeply.

“I read the news,” you told him, frowning right back. “There hasn’t been much else to do for the past two days and it’s good to know what’s going on in the galaxy. Other than the war, of course.”

“Wise,” General Ti remarked, cutting off whatever Alpha may have said. “Whether Dengar was a Separatist spy or an agent of industrial espionage, we must be prepared in case of an attack. When the Kaminoans have finished reviewing their information, we will meet to hear what they have learned. For now, we must be certain that the cadets are prepared and that all incoming troopers know where they can be of the most use.”

“Yes, General,” Alpha agreed. Colt gave a nod as well. The general smiled at all three of you and swept gracefully from the room.

When Colt moved to do the same, Alpha stopped him. “Keep an eye on the Nulls, ner vod. They’re here for a reason, and I don’t think that reason is keeping the planet safe.”

“You’ve never been their biggest fan,” Colt said, a wry smile crossing his face, “but I agree. Skirata’s never been one for having them protect Kaminoan interests. They’re here for something else. Between the three of us, I’m sure we can keep an eye on them.”

“I don’t want her around them,” Alpha argued. “They’re dangerous.”

“I can hear you,” you reminded helpfully.

“Or you’re feeling overprotective,” Colt countered, ignoring you other than the wink he directed your way. His comlink rang and he waved a quick goodbye before turning away, answering the call even as he walked off.

Alpha muttered something that sounded uncomplimentary. “Let’s get you to your office.”

“No.” Alpha’s brows shot upward, but you held firm. “I can be more useful helping with the cadets and troopers. Besides, the best way to keep the Nulls from getting to me is to make sure you and I stay in the same area.”

Alpha’s forehead creased. “I don’t-”

“I don’t want to get pushed to the side, Alpha,” you admitted quietly. “I want to help.”

“Hey.” Alpha took a step closer, close enough to take your hands in his. “Neverd’ika, I never want to make you feel like you’re not capable. I’m worried, yeah, but I want to go check out your office. Then I promise, we’ll go help with the other preparations.”

“Oh.” You relaxed as Alpha’s thumbs skimmed over your knuckles. “What do you think is happening with my office?”

He sighed. “I think there are good odds that the Nulls went there as soon as you and I had left. They probably went through your datapads to see if you had gotten any information from Ko Sai’s files.”

“I told them that her records were unduplicatable.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he told you. “They probably thought you were lying. Or, if they did believe you, they might be trying to retrieve any trace data left from when you viewed the documents. Either way, I don’t want you going to your office until I check it out, and I figured you’d rather be there when I do.”

“You figured correctly,” you agreed. “Let’s go.”

A lesser man might have said something along the lines of ‘I told you so’, but Alpha just looked grimly understanding as you slowly realized that your office had been carefully combed through.

Oh, they hadn’t left anything a mess. Your datapads and notes and personal belongings were roughly where they had been before. They just weren’t quite right.

“They’re not making a secret of their investigation,” Alpha remarked, rotating your favorite mug back to face the right direction.

You took it from him, glancing at it briefly as you wondered if you should clean it before you used it next. “Do you think they’ll be back?”

“No way to know for sure,” Alpha said. “I wouldn’t be surprised, though it seems like they got a good look at everything in here. And you’re sure you don’t have copies of anything from Ko Sai’s notes?”

“Don’t tell me you’re fascinated with her work, too.”

It came out more waspish than you meant it to, but Alpha only gave you a look. “No. But if you secretly have a copy of something, it’ll make the Nulls harder to keep away.”

You sighed, rubbing at your forehead. “No. Like I said, Ko Sai locked the records - no edits, no copies, nothing. The only reason I spent as much time reading over them as I did was because I though about adding those records in as part of the clone trooper report.”

“You actually read her notes?”

“What did you think I was doing with them?” you asked. “I didn’t understand much of it. She wrote with a lot of scientific notations and concepts I’m not familiar with. I just scanned over most of what I read.”

“Do me a favor,” Alpha suggested, folding his arms. “Don’t tell anyone else you read those notes. If anyone asks, you saw the files and exited out.”

“Having read them makes me more of a target?” Your tone was probably overly skeptical, but you couldn’t help it. “I told you, I don’t remember much of anything.”

“Still.”

There was a polite knock on the door and Alpha went to answer it. You had just the right angle to watch his face darken in thin profile. “Go on. Tell me this is a coincidence.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Komr’k replied innocently, trying to step around Alpha.

Alpha blocked him with one shoulder. “No. You can’t come in, not after everything I heard last night.”

“I’ve come to apologize,” he explained, glancing past Alpha to look at you. “We crossed a line.”

“So you brought two of your brothers to apologize?” Alpha asked, peering out into the hallway without moving away from his spot between you and Komr’k.

“We’re all sorry.”

Alpha hummed skeptically. “You want to speak with them, administrator?”

It took you a moment too long to respond. Alpha never called you ‘administrator’, and you wasted time wondering who he was talking to. “Uh…”

Komr’k snorted. “Administrator? Not neverd’ika? Yeah, we’ve heard plenty about your new little soft spot.”

“Go on,” Alpha invited, straightening as he pushed his shoulders back. “Think you see a soft spot? Ne shab’rud’ni.”

“Alpha,” you entreated, rounding your desk. “I’d like to speak to them. One of them. Preferably Jaing, if he’s out there. He seemed to be the most level-headed last night.”

Alpha gave a sharp whistle. “If you’re looking for an invitation, Jaing, that was it. Get in here. Komr’k, ba’slanar.”

Komr’k sent Alpha a dirty look, but left without further argument. A moment later, Jaing was inside your office, waiting patiently as Alpha closed the door between the three of you and the other two Nulls standing outside.

“Please, come in,” you invited when Alpha had finished, gesturing Jaing toward the chairs on the other side of your desk.

Jaing inclined his head, settling in one of the chair as Alpha loomed behind him.

“Alpha, you can sit down, too.”

Alpha shook his head and you sighed. He had that tightness in his jaw that said he wasn’t going to let you talk him down. You sent an apologetic look at Jaing, who looked mildly confused.

“What can I do for you?”

Jaing studied you for a long moment before he answered. “I want to apologize for last night.”

“Of course,” you acknowledged with a nod.

Jaing exhaled slowly. “No, really. We spoke with our sergeant last night and he explained that civilians operate on a different set of rules.”

You believed him, oddly enough. Not that the Nulls didn’t understand civilians - that was clear nonsense - but that his apology was sincere. Behind him, Alpha looked distinctly grumpy, so you decided to cut through whatever civilian comedy of manners might be happening.

“Was going through my office part of the apology?” you asked, keeping your tone and expression steady. “Or is it one of the things you’re apologizing for?”

Some of the tension eased from Jaing’s brow. “You noticed.”

Alpha snorted. “Lemme give you some advice: she notices more than you think. More than most civvies and more than some troopers I’ve trained.”

“High praise, from you,” Jaing noted. He looked back at you. “Yes, we did search your office. There was a chance we could have recovered some of Ko Sai’s notes from the device you used to access them, but none of your datapads showed signs of recent use.”

You nodded slowly, thinking about the datapad you had taken to your quarters. You felt a surge of guilt at first, but then you remembered that the Null troopers had intended to get rid of you and the guilt disappeared.

“But we did find your report,” Jaing added. You glanced at him in shock and he nodded slowly. “We read it. At first, we meant to check whether you were really sent by the Senate. We were all under the impression that the official report was submitted months ago.”

Your lips flattened into a thin line. Your voice was tight when you said, “I’ve been busy.”

Jaing nodded. “I saw why. It was much more in-depth than any of us expected to find. Are you really going to add in a ‘specifications’ section?”

“It was a concept I was developing.” Jaing was talking about the section you had outlined when you were reading Ko Sai’s notes. “I was going to display the Kaminoans’ original designs for the clone troopers, then contrast that with examples of times that troopers went above and beyond those specifications.”

“Was?” Alpha asked.

“Was,” you confirmed, gesturing at the datapads on your desk. “My source material has self-destructed.”

If you were expecting Jaing to look sheepish, you were disappointed. “That’s the other thing we wanted to talk to you about.”

“I knew it,” Alpha growled.

You exchanged looks over Jaing’s head. Both of you had known full-well that the Nulls didn’t want to apologize. Or, if they did, it was just so that you were more likely to agree to whatever else they needed from you.

“Well, I am utterly shocked,” you countered dryly. “What else did you want to ask?”

“We still haven’t managed to recover any of Ko Sai’s files,” Jaing told you. You nodded - the file deletion had been on the lines of a total purge. There would be no recovering the documents that were lost. “But we think it’s possible that someone made copies of some of the documents.”

“No,” you denied. “Like I told you, the files couldn’t be copied.”

“The data couldn’t be duplicated,” he pointed out. “But that doesn’t mean that someone couldn’t have written down pieces of the information in hard copy format to keep it from being deleted when the rest of the files were. In fact, we believe that happened at least once.”

“And what makes you believe that?” Alpha asked, sounding bored. You had never wished to share a psychic link with someone quite so desperately as you did just then.

“Because we found a partial trace indentation on the administrator’s desk,” Jaing answered, holding up a piece of flimsi. It had been carefully shaded to reveal part of the code from Ko Sai’s files. “We’ve already managed to decode some of this, but we need the rest of the message for it to make sense.”

You kept your face as expressionless as possible as you weighed your options. Alpha kept his eyes trained on Jaing, but they occasionally darted to you.

You only had one copy of the code. You had made sure to take it down on flimsi so it couldn’t be erased, but you hadn’t thought to write it down in another place. Admittedly, you had been more than a little distracted between the Nulls and Alpha, but you were still kicking yourself. Giving Jaing the code would mean losing any chance to work with it yourself.

A refusal started forming on your lips, but then you saw a flash of expression on Jaing’s face. You could have ignored disgust. Anger had long ceased to bother you. Even suspicion, wariness, disappointment… all were easily pushed aside. But the microsecond of hope on Jaing’s face was something you couldn’t brush off.

With a light sigh, you rummaged in your bag and found the piece of flimsi. Jaing’s expression was shuttered by the time you offered him the page, but his eyes were gleefully anticipatory.

When his hand reached for the paper, you paused, holding it out of his reach. Jaing’s jaw set and you understood. He probably expected you to demand something.

Instead, you gave him a firm look. “I need you to understand that you haven’t scared me into this. I’m not giving this to you because of the threats you and your brothers made or because you went through my office. You can have this because it means so much to you. I don’t know why you want Ko Sai’s notes so badly, but I’m not going to stand in your way.”

Even when you offered the flimsi again, Jaing sat still. His gaze was trained on you, intent as he analyzed you posture, your body language, and every expression on your face. Slowly, he nodded and took the flimsi.

“Anything else you can tell me?”

Alpha scoffed, but you hummed thoughtfully. “Ko Sai’s files didn’t allow for duplication, but there were vague references to physical copies that had been stored somewhere safe. I think this code is a reference to where that safe place is.”

Jaing nodded, briefly scanning the coded message and glanced up at you. “You were on the right track with your decryption. Ordo and A’den have been working on the part of the code we did have.”

It was a little offensive that he sounded so surprised, but you shrugged that off. “Thanks. Feel free to work on the rest of it. You already know my door code.”

He stood, but paused halfway to the door. When you looked at him curiously, he said, “The Kaminoans don’t like us much.”

When you didn’t answer, Alpha said, “Can’t imagine why.”

Jaing smiled ruefully. “They don’t take kindly to products that don’t die quietly when asked. But that’s not the point. If what you say is true, Ko Sai has another set of notes hidden and I’m willing to bet it’s on Kamino.”

“You could be right,” you agreed. “Ko Sai probably couldn’t imagine a future when she didn’t have a secure place here.”

“They aren’t going to let us stay, but we need those files,” Jaing reiterated, lifting the flimsi slightly. “If this is any indication, we could use someone like you helping us on the inside.”

You gave him a skeptical look. “Four translated characters and you’re willing to bring me into your super-secret mission? Either there’s something more going on here or your mission isn’t going to stay secret for long.”

Jaing laughed softly, glancing at Alpha. “You weren’t exaggerating.”

“I never do.”

“I’m not offering based on some half-finished decryption,” Jaing agreed. “But we weren’t working on that all night. We spent a lot of that time digging into everything we could learn about you.”

You stayed silent, simply tilting your head at him in mute question.

“We spoke with Sergeant Skirata.”

“I don’t know who that is,” you admitted freely.

“You will.” Jaing moved on quickly from that ominous promise, and started to tick off sources on his fingers. “He told us to dig into your records. We spoke to Omega Squad and a few brand-new ARCs. We read your report. All of it backs up what I said: We could use someone like you staying here on Kamino and helping us.”

“Alpha?” you asked, looking over at him.

His expression was disgusted. “Do you think you can trust these kyramude?”

“I trust you,” you said. “And I trust your instincts. Is this a trick or a trap of some kind?”

Alpha walked a tight circle around Jaing, ending in front of him. A slight duck of his head was all Alpha needed to stare Jaing in the face. Jaing watched him steadily.

The quiet stretched longer than you were comfortable with, but Alpha eventually shook his head. “If the Nulls wanted you dead, they'd do it themselves. Skirata didn't train them to do anything by halves.”

“Jaing, may I have some time to consider this?” you asked politely. Manners never made a situation worse.

“Yeah,” Jaing agreed, finally breaking eye contact with Alpha. “Just try not to take too much time. Like I said, the kaminii won't let us stay on their planet for long after the lockdown is over.”

“I will get you my answer as soon as possible,” you agreed.

“One last thing,” Jaing said, starting toward your desk. Alpha was in his way before he had taken his third step. Jaing held up his hands. “Udesii, Captain. I just want to make sure you both get to keep a copy of the message.”

You took the sheet of flimsi from Jaing. “You can keep the original if you want. I'll work on this as much as I have time for.”

“If you have time, that would be helpful. If we both decipher the code, we can compare to double-check the results.” Jaing tucked the flimsi into a pocket and was at the door in a moment. When he turned back a final time, there was mischief in his dark eyes. “Just be sure not to shirk your assignment with General Ti and Commander Colt.”

Alpha growled, taking a single step forward before Jaing disappeared down the hallway.

You sighed, scrubbing at your eyes. “Is there anything the Nulls don't know?”

“They got a triple helping of the trooper gene for being meddling pains in the shebs,” Alpha confirmed. “And Skirata didn’t help get them under control.”

“I feel like I’ve heard a lot about him, but I still don’t know who he is,” you admitted. “Jaing called him a sergeant. Is he the one in charge of the Nulls? Their commanding officer?”

“That was the idea at first,” Alpha told you, sounding weary. “He came here as one of the original Mandalorian bounty hunters meant to train the troopers. But one thing led to another and now, he’s their father in every way that matters.”

“Excuse me?” You were flabbergasted. Not that someone would adopt some of the clone troopers - you had considered it more than once with the Bad Batch - but that the man everyone spoke of with such great respect wasn’t another clone. “He adopted them?”

“Sure.” Alpha’s shrug was far more casual than you would have expected for the topic. “Adoption is a lot easier in Mando culture.”

You shook your head, standing from your desk. That was a lot for you to take in at once, and you needed to do something else. “Enough about the Nulls. Let’s go help with the lockdown.”

“Sure, neverd’ika,” Alpha agreed. “But you’re going to have plenty more to do with the Nulls. You’ve just agreed to work with them.”

“I only said that I’ll think about it,” you protested. “I haven’t decided anything yet.”

Alpha gave you a skeptical look. “Haven’t you?”

That was difficult to argue, so you kept your mouth closed.

---

Author's Note - I've read the Republic Commando novels, and Jaing always struck me as the most chill. Also the kindest (he offers to adopt Mird if it's owner dies in battle or otherwise can't continue to be a good pet parent.

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

One-Shot: Boss + Competence

Sergeant Boss x gn!reader (no pronouns, no use of 'y/n')

Word Count: 4,700

Warnings: Frustration, feelings of otherness, disrespect

---

“Ten o’clock, Boss,” Scorch muttered, elbowing Boss lightly in the side. 

Boss glared, but he knew it was useless. Nothing could put a damper on Scorch’s personality, especially when he thought he was helping. Besides, the head’s up was a sign that there were more important things to focus on. 

And, sure enough, there you were. 

A long-term mission with standard troopers hadn’t been a good use of Delta Squad’s time, in Boss’s opinion. The main strength of a commando squad was that they were fast and subtle, able to move in and out of an area without drawing a lot of attention. Strapping them with an entire Venator-class Star Destroyer was taking away that advantage as much as anyone could. 

But you had turned out to be an unexpected benefit. From what Boss could gather, you did something with the computational systems aboard the Resolute, though he hadn’t narrowed down exactly what your specialty was. You seemed to bounce all over the ship, working on whatever needed attention at that particular moment. 

Maybe you would have continued to be just another member of the ship’s crew - nat-borns weren’t common on ships, but they were hardly as rare as he would have thought - but you had quickly drawn Boss’s attention with your sharp temper. 

The first time someone had interrupted a vital power connection so they could charge a datapad, you had removed the offending connection and taken the datapad for good measure. The foolish owner had attempt to dress you down for confiscating the datapad, but you had pushed him aside with ease. In the end, you had threatened to tell his commanding officer that he had left sensitive information in such an easily accessible place. 

Any other stupidity had been met with an equal amount of sarcasm and impatience. It was everything Boss wanted to do when he was tired of trying to set a good example for the rest of Delta Squad. There was only so much idiocy any one person could be expected to endure, and it was clear that you had hit your limit. 

So, yes, watching you was one of Boss’s great joys. He justified it to himself that he was being respectful. He could also make sure others were being respectful, as well. From your temper, Boss assumed that you could take care of yourself, but you were in an unfamiliar place. You were outside of the typical power structure, which could put you at a disadvantage if someone decided to push your boundaries. 

Boss only realized how far his thoughts had drifted when he felt the others staring at him. Sev shook his head despairingly. “I thought you’d be able to handle yourself better than this, Sarge.” 

“Are you kidding?” Scorch asked. “This is the first time I’ve seen him look that way at something other than his Deece.” 

“Shut up, Six-Two,” Fixer ordered. “Three-Eight, if you want to make a good impression, I hear conversation is a good start. You won’t get anything out of staring from across the room.” 

“For once, I agree with Fixer,” Scorch said. 

“I do, too,” Sev said. 

Boss started to seriously consider the merits of desertion. 

“We’ll leave you to weigh your options,” Fixer said, marching away. Sev and Scorch followed after a moment. Scorch offered a broad grin as he left, nodding so determinedly toward you that he attracted a suspicious look from your direction. 

Boss turned away before you could follow Scorch’s gaze to him. That was all he needed - to be taken out by Scorch’s irritating nature before he’d even had the chance to make a good first impression. 

By the time he glanced back over, you were putting the finishing touches on some wires you had been setting up near the front of the room where this meeting was to take place. He didn’t envy you - the Negotiator was moving in and out of hyperspace to throw off chances of being tracked. It was a strong method of ensuring security, but it made connections to outside sources complex and unreliable.

You hardly seemed concerned, face unworried and hands sure as you wove together connections, typed strings of code into the terminal, and laid out the holoprojectors.

Boss tucked his helmet under one arm, inching closer to you under the guise of making room for the others who were filtering into the meeting room. You were just as stunning up close. Boss was struggling to come up with a conversational opening when you gathered some spare bundles of wires, tucked them into a bag on your shoulder, and left. 

He was still trying to manage his disappointment when General Kenobi started the meeting. 

Somehow, Boss managed to pay attention to the rest of the meeting. He chalked it up to some quirk of Jango’s genes that allowed him to remember every word with only half of his attention fixed on the proceedings. Delta Squad was a temporary attachment to the 212th. What did they care about setting long-term goals for better intelligence? Intel was intel and all of it was terrible. That was just how it went. 

“Sergeant Boss,” General Kenobi called. Boss turned his way, allocating approximately 5% more of his attention to the meeting. “Commander Cody tells me that you recently experienced trouble on a mission due to subpar intelligence. Can you tell us more about what happened and how you handled it?”

Boss fought back a snort. “You’ll have to be more specific, General. Most of the GAR’s intel is subpar, especially for the commando squads. More often than not, accuracy takes lower precedence than timeliness.”

General Kenobi’s gaze sharpened. “What percentage of your information would you estimate is accurate and useful?” 

And so it went. Kenobi wasn’t satisfied knowing about Boss’s low opinion of GAR intel - he wanted to know details. It was a special kind of hell for Boss, who wasn’t used to explaining his thought process or how his squad worked to anyone other than General Windu. Even then, the Coruscant debriefing sessions were usually kept as short and vague as they could manage without sacrificing important information. 

The meeting devolved further and further until it was little more than CTs asking for stories about commando missions. General Kenobi cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, I’m sure we all have important tasks to which we must return. If the sergeant has time, he can answer your questions. In the meantime, you are all dismissed.” 

Despite Boss’s best efforts, he was surrounded by standard troopers, stuck in the room until he had given enough vague answers and sharp reprimands that the crowd dissipated. He allowed himself a moment to silently curse Kenobi’s name before voices at the front of the room attracted his attention. 

“Excuse me, but that is not the proper way to disconnect a holoprojector.” 

There was a sigh, and Boss could recognize the sound of it without a moment of hesitation. You were back. 

“You aren’t listening to me,” the officer repeated. It was one of the nat-borns - a tall, lanky man drowning in his own self-importance. “I said, that is not the proper way to disconnect a holoprojector.” 

You dropped the cords in your hand, letting them hit the table with a weak slap. “Listen, lieutenant-” 

“Captain,” the man corrected, puffing out his chest so you would be sure to see the collection of medals there. Boss was willing to bet that none of them were earned for doing anything that could sully the captain’s perfect uniform.

“Captain, then-” You paused again, letting the silence dangle as you peered at him. “What’s my rank?” 

The captain frowned. “You… don’t have a rank.” 

“Exactly.” You started gathering the cords again, eyes dropping to your work. It was clear from your posture and the tone of your voice that you weren’t meekly looking away. No, the man had been dismissed, for all that you were still talking to him. “That’s because I’m a contractor.” 

“Yes, you are.” The captain frowned harder, like he was trying to see the trap in your statement. Boss started to grin, having already spotted it. “But-”

“If the GAR had to hire an outside contractor to handle their comms, it means that no one else knows how to do the work I do.” You finished rolling the cords into neat bundles and turned your attention to the holoprojector itself. “I’m the expert here. So you can take your opinion on how I do my job and-” 

You glanced around the room, eyes meeting Boss’s. He felt electrified by the eye contact, but you turned away just as quickly. 

“And keep it to yourself,” you finished.

“You’re a civilian serving on a military vessel,” the captain sputtered. “I am certain you signed an agreement to obey commands given by the officers-”

“My contract says I answer to General Kenobi,” you told him. “Any complaints about my performance go directly to him. He’s on the bridge if you want to report me because you don’t like the way I roll cords.” 

And then you turned to retrieve the case for the holoprojectors. It was an end to the conversation, as clearly as if you had left the room entirely. The captain stiffly walked away. Boss wondered for a moment if he really was going to the bridge, but then he put the man out of his head. You were in the same room, and he wasn’t going to waste another chance to speak with you. 

“Hey,” he started, walking over to the table where you were working.

…Only to freeze when you fixed him with an evil look. “I’m not in the mood for anyone else to tell me how I’m doing my job wrong, thanks. Since everyone is so concerned, let me explain how it works: I sign out all of the equipment I use, and it is regularly inspected by someone else. If there’s any damage from the way I set up or break down the equipment, it will be found and I’ll be held accountable. Leave me alone.” 

Boss was loathe to refuse such a direct request, especially since he could hear the weariness in it, but he was horrified at the idea of leaving you to think he was on the same level as the others who had doubted your ability to do your job. 

“Sorry, I just- wanted to tell you how much I respect the way you’ve been handling all of the osik they’re throwing your way.” An expression of bone-deep irritation had crossed your face when Boss started to speak, but it faded as you listened to the rest of his statement.

“Osik is banthashit, right?” 

Emboldened by the lack of vitriol, Boss nodded. “Basically. Any idiot with eyes can see that you know how to do your job. They’re just questioning you to make themselves feel better about not being able to do what you do.” 

“Among other things,” you agreed dryly. “I already know that’s what they’re doing.” 

An uncharacteristic self-doubt swept through Boss and he wondered if he had overstepped. That was eased when you took a deep breath, shoulders relaxing when you let it out. “But thanks. It’s nice to know that someone else sees it, too. Makes me feel less like I’m pushing a speeder uphill.”

“You’re good at your job,” Boss said firmly. “That’s not in doubt by anyone who matters.” 

“That’s-” Your comlink interrupted and you let out a frustrated groan when you looked at it. “Sorry, I have to get to another setup on the bridge.” 

Boss nodded again, but you didn’t see it. Your practiced motions had picked up in speed, working quickly to pack up the equipment from the meeting and load it onto a small cart. He helped with the last few containers, but the process would have gone just as fast without his help. Maybe faster.

You were almost to the door when you turned back. “Hey, what’s your name?” 

“Boss,” he told you reflexively. 

You grinned at that, and the sight of it made Boss’s heart stutter in his chest. “Great name. I’ll see you around, Boss.” 

All things considered, that had gone better than Boss had expected.

From that point, he really did seem to see you more often. You were fixing comms channels, checking on issues with the droids in the mess hall, or working on the data terminals in the main sections of the ship. Every time he saw you, you were too busy for another conversation - even as short as the last one had been - but you always took a moment to smile and greet him by name. 

If Boss had been half in love with you when he was watching you verbally eviscerate officers from a distance, he was fully gone now that you actually knew who he was. Any day was a little brighter when you were working nearby, and he found himself looking forward to meetings. There was always a chance that you would be responsible for the setup, especially if the required equipment was tricky or difficult. 

The downside was, he suspected, the same as it had always been: that you were given shockingly little respect by the people you helped. Boss had personally witnessed troopers and natties alike complaining about the technology and blaming you specifically. He made a point of dressing them down when he witnessed it, but it seemed to be widespread. 

“I can’t believe you found a nattie to moon over in the middle of hyperspace,” Fixer complained. At least, it was framed as a complaint, but Fixer’s tone was as close to camaraderie as Boss had ever heard it. 

“You wanna keep your voice down, Fixer?” he asked, purposefully cutting the other man off as they walked into a meeting room. “You know how regs like to talk. The wrong thing overheard by the wrong person leads to-” 

“An unhappy Three-Eight,” Fixer finished for him. “I’ll stow it, then. But you might see more of… your person of interest if Kenobi wasn’t obsessed with meetings.”

Boss snorted despite himself. None of the troopers were overly big fans of meetings - Jango’s genes made them men of action rather than words, and they didn’t get much from endless planning - but commandos seemed to have a particular loathing for them. 

Of course, it could be that the 212th had simply gotten used to them after working with Kenobi for as long as they had. 

Fortunately, this meeting was likely going to be shorter than previous ones had been. Kenobi and Cody were busy with a different meeting, so this would be attended by Delta Squad, a few officers from the 212th, and an ARC who had been attached to the battalion for their upcoming mission. 

“What do we need the long-range holos for?” one of the officers asked as Delta Squad walked into the room. 

Boss’s heart gave an exaggerated thud in his chest at the mention of equipment you might be responsible for, but it looked like this holoprojector had already been set up. 

“The ARC, Aftermath,” another answered, blissfully unaware of Boss’s sudden interest in long-range technology. “He’s finishing another assignment right now, but he’ll meet up with us as soon as we drop out of hyperspace. He requested an early briefing.”

A sergeant who Boss vaguely recognized - his name was Heft, if Boss remembered correctly - was trying to turn on the holoprojector. The first click of the button did nothing and Heft scowled. The second, third, and fourth times didn’t have any more effect, and Heft’s expression grew darker with every failed attempt. 

“This karkin’ thing is broken,” he concluded eventually. 

The holoprojector looked fine, but Boss couldn’t argue that it didn’t seem to be performing its intended function. 

“Maybe we should call the tech specialist,” one of the others suggested. 

Heft snarled. “Yeah, call back the ‘specialist’ who couldn’t set it up right the first time. Great idea.” 

Keeping a professional expression was a skill every trooper learned from a young age, but Boss suddenly found it more difficult than he had in a long time. The rest of Delta was throwing subtle glances his way, clearly trying to figure out if and how their sergeant would react.

The tricky part was that Boss couldn’t figure that out, either. Heft was a sergeant, too. Since there was no clear chain of command between the two of them, Boss had fewer options on how he could handle things. 

After a few moments of internal debate, Boss decided it would be the most helpful if he took charge of the situation. He found your GAR-issued comm channel on the directory easily enough, putting on his helmet so he could make the call in a little peace… especially since Heft was still spewing insults. 

You answered the call with your last name. No greeting, not even a first name. Boss blinked stupidly for a moment until he could shake himself. “Hey, it’s Boss. We’re in conference room 37 and the holoprojector isn’t working. Can you give us some ideas on how to fix it?” 

“37?” you checked. “For the ARC briefing?”

“That’s the one.” 

“I’ll be there in two minutes.” 

And the line went dead. Boss pulled off his helmet. “Specialist is on the way. ETA two minutes.” 

Heft grumbled while a lieutenant offered to comm Aftermath to let him know about the delay. Boss cleared his throat. “Who will be delivering the briefing to Aftermath? I’d like to wrap this up as quickly as possible.” 

“Who doesn’t?” Heft demanded, delivering a solid slap to the projector. “If this osik was set up correctly, we’d already be done.” 

“Do y’think he realizes what a shabuir he’s being?” Scorch asked, too quietly for anyone outside of Delta Squad to hear.

A single, perfunctory knock sounded through the room and then you were standing in the open doorway. Boss looked at you immediately, offering a subtle smile, but your attention had been captured by Heft. The other sergeant had stridden up to you, looming far too close. 

“This is ridiculous,” Heft ranted. “This was supposed to be set up and completed hours ago. Now we’ve had to delay a briefing for an important mission, all so you could get back here to see if you can do your job on the second try.” 

Boss bristled, but you were already studying the holoprojector - from across the room because Heft was blocking the way, but your eyes were roving over it determinedly. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I tested it myself when I set it up. Has anyone messed with the settings since I left?” 

“No,” Heft said frostily. “That’s your job.” 

“Di’kut,” Sev muttered under his breath.

You eyed Heft, clearly unimpressed. “I can do my job a lot better if I can get a look at the projector. Do you mind letting me past?” 

Rather than wait for him to let you through, you stepped around Heft, the edge of your shoulder brushing against his armor as you passed. You took quick stock of the holoprojector, studying it from every angle even as Heft took a breath in preparation for more complaining. 

Heft’s face was red with anger and Boss’s fingers worked on his vambrace. Putting his helmet on would be too obvious, but his HUD could record even if it wasn’t currently sealed to the rest of his armor. With the helmet tucked beneath his arm and facing forward, Boss was sure he had a shot of you. 

“Maybe I do mind,” Heft bit out. “I want an apology for you wasting our time. We have an ARC trooper in the field who is taking time away from his mission to be debriefed. He has been waiting five minutes past when we were supposed to start and I’m not going to be the one held responsible for that delay! I’m going to Kenobi with this, I can tell you that much.”

Because Boss was watching you so closely, he noticed exactly when your eyes stopped roving over the projector. You straightened, standing calm and proud, a stoic monument against the weight of Heft’s irrational irritation. 

You pressed two buttons and the projector flickered on, a holographic image of an ARC trooper appearing in the next instant. 

In the quiet of Heft’s sudden speechlessness, you stepped forward and faced the projector. “Can you hear me?” 

“Loud and clear,” Aftermath reported immediately. 

You gave a satisfied nod and turned back toward the door - and, coincidentally, Heft. “It helps if you turn on the console.” 

Boss wouldn’t have blamed you if you had gloated for another ten minutes. Heft would have deserved every second of it. But you left the room, letting the door quietly close behind you.

He wanted to go after you, burned with the need to make sure you were okay, but he couldn’t leave the briefing. Not without a good reason. Especially since Heft was starting to brief Aftermath on the upcoming mission.

Fixer tapped his vambrace, then jammed his helmet onto his head. A moment later, he pulled it off, glancing at Boss. “Important call for you, Three-Eight. Needs an immediate response.”

“Understood,” Boss acknowledged with a nod. There were times when Fixer could be the most devious vod… Boss glanced over at Heft, who was watching them curiously. “I assume you have it from here, Sergeant?” 

“Of course, Sergeant,” Heft replied, using Boss’s rank just as pointedly as Boss had used Heft’s. 

Boss ducked out of the room, spotting your retreating figure immediately. Following you was simple - you clearly weren’t in a hurry, and his brisk strides caught up to your meandering pace with ease.

“Hey-” 

You turned to face him with an expression of frustration and disbelief that made him freeze. “It’s working now, I tested visuals and audio myself. What else could you need?” 

Boss raised his hands, hating that you had thought he would follow you to continue Heft’s beration. “No, I- Everything is working fine. It always was - Heft is just an idiot. Are you okay?” 

You let out a breath, and Boss could hear the hint of a tremble in it. He sent out a silent plea that you weren’t going to start crying. Your eyes were bright enough that he worried he was seeing tears, but he would give anything he owned to be wrong. 

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” you confided, voice sharp. “It’s not enough for me to do my job - I have to constantly reassure everyone that I know what I’m doing. Basic tasks take me triple the time they should because I have to convince people I’m competent, which puts me behind schedule, then everyone else thinks I’m incompetent because I’m late! Everyone warned me that government contractor work was a bad idea, but this is ridiculous.”

To Boss’s utter relief, you didn’t sound sad. Upset, sure, but more angry than sad. The glint he had seen in your eyes was barely-suppressed rage. He could deal with that. 

“Then don’t let me make you late to your next job,” he told you. 

Your expression froze, taking on a shade of guilt. “Boss, I’m not- I’m just venting. None of this is directed at you-” 

“I know that,” Boss reassured you. “But we can walk while you vent. Lead on.” 

“I-” You started walking, Boss gamely keeping pace beside you. “I think I might be done, actually.” 

“You sure?” Boss didn’t mean to sound so skeptical, but you still looked tense. “It’s good for you to bleed off the frustration. Better than keeping it all inside.” 

“Yeah, I’m good.” You sighed, rubbing at your temple. “I’m just tired. Seems like everyone has a grudge against me. I’m good at my job and I know it, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swim against the current.” 

Boss gave a sympathetic hum. After a moment in which you didn’t say anything else, he asked, “Do you want to quit?” 

“Yes.” You gave a little laugh, which had the interesting effect of restarting Boss’s heart immediately after it had stopped. “But that doesn’t mean I will.” 

“I understand wanting to quit.” 

You squinted at him. “Do you? I thought you were, like, engineered to be the perfect soldier. What else would you want to do, if not this?” 

“I-” Boss hesitated. “It’s more theoretical than that for me. If I quit, it’s desertion.” 

You scoffed, and Boss liked to think it was at the institution of the GAR rather than at his confession. Judging by the warmth in your expression, he was correct. 

“Are you going to leave?” 

The question came out softer than he had meant it to, leaving the conversation with a sudden feeling of intimacy. You shrugged. “I’ll decide after this mission. We’re in hyperspace - I can’t exactly step off the ship anytime I want. Besides, I’ll get hazard pay when we actually reach the war zone.” 

“Lucky.” Boss’s pouting mutter made you laugh again. Wayii! He had just heard it for the first time few minutes before, but he already knew he would do anything to listen to you laugh. 

“If it’s any consolation,” he added. “I recorded your conversation with Heft and I’m sending it to Commander Cody. None of the men should speak to anyone the way Heft spoke to you. I couldn’t interfere, or I wouldn’t have gotten a clear recording. I’m sorry for not giving Heft what he deserved. But since he’s a sergeant, too, it’ll be better for it to come from his commanding officer-” 

“Boss, Boss,” you interrupted, lifting your hands up when he kept trying to explain. “I understand, and thank you. I don’t expect you to defend me against your brothers, though. That’s not a fair position to put you in.” 

“You haven’t asked me to do anything,” Boss rejected. “I’m following up on this because it’s not right for you to be talked down to for doing your job.”

“Be careful, Boss,” you warned. The way your eyes sparkled, he knew it wasn’t a real warning, but he was still intrigued. “If you keep being so nice to me, I’m going to insist on buying you a decent meal when we’re back on Coruscant.” 

Boss’s face went hot so quickly he wondered if they had wandered too close to the engine rooms. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“And you don’t have to do this,” you told him, gesturing at his helmet. “You’re the only one on this ship who talks to me like I’m an actual person.” 

“Sounds lonely.” Boss had experienced his share of dehumanizing experiences, both in the GAR and when they were in civilian surroundings, but he always had his brothers around. Without the rest of Delta Squad at his back, he wasn’t sure how well he would handle that kind of treatment.

“It is,” you agreed. “So I want to thank you. And I… I enjoy spending time with you.” 

You looked so sweet, so sincere… Boss was losing himself in your eyes, but he wasn’t about to stop it from happening. “Name the time and place. I’m there.” 

Your smile was just as breath-taking as every other time he had seen it. You gestured to the door that led to another set of conference rooms. “I have to go do some work for another long-distance comm this afternoon. But we could meet up later? We can debate about foods and restaurants, narrow down our options.” 

“Sounds great,” Boss agreed, finally breaking into a smile of his own. He gestured toward your comlink. “I called you from my frequency earlier. You can always reach me there, just save it to your files.” 

That smile turned undeniably to a grin as you ducked into the room. Just before the door closed between you, you winked. “I already did.” 

Boss laughed to himself as he walked back toward conference room 37. With any luck, the briefing with Aftermath was already over. If not, at least he had something to look forward to.

---

Author's Note - I'm pretty sure this is my first fic featuring Boss x reader and I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Reminder, this is a gender-neutral reader. But I'm also a woman who works in IT, so all of Heft's complaints were taken almost word-for-word from the stuff people have said to me. (Just in case you wanted some background!)

Thank you for reading and thank you to the anon who gave me this prompt! You can find other works on my masterlist here.

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Clone Trooper Rambles

Part journaling exercise, part character study, part playing imaginary friends with clone troopers.

Warnings: Arguments, Fives giving off irritating little brother vibes, threats.

---

Commando

“Ahh, finally some representation!” Fi crowed, beaming at me.

Sev glanced over, frowning when he saw the shirt I was wearing. “What are you talking about, di’kut? That’s a white commando helmet. You and the rest of Omega wear that ridiculous black armor.”

“That armor has saved our shebs more times than we can count,” Niner told him.

“Yeah?” Scorch asked, eyes dancing. “How did it work out for you on that snow planet?”

“That isn’t the point,” Fi brushed off. “Point is, it’s clearly stylized. It’s supposed to be a negative image. Black armor on a white background.”

“Just like you on that snow planet,” Boss said casually. 

“So you agree the picture on her shirt is of us.” Darman hadn’t even been in the room last time I checked, but he was suddenly there and sounding victorious. 

I shook my head at the argument and kept working my way through the dirty dishes in the sink. And yet, my shoulders felt suddenly tight with tension when Fives walked in and made a disgusted noise in my direction. 

“Ugh, a commando helmet?” he asked, not bothering to disguise his disdain. “Why? Got bored representing the better half of the GAR?” 

“Better?” various commandos demanded. 

“Half?” I repeated. That seemed like a severe overstatement from what I knew about the GAR. 

“No offense,” Fives told everyone, giving his most offensive look around the room. “It’s just… well, you know. Commandos are bred that way. ARC troopers are the ones who distinguished themselves in battle. We earn our specialties.” 

“You wouldn’t last a day as a commando,” Sev snapped. 

Fives shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve heard you can die of boredom.” 

Sev snarled and Boss didn’t look particularly motivated to hold him back from the now-smirking Fives. 

Fixer stepped slightly in front of his squad-mate. It seemed like the only concession anyone was willing to offer. “Commandos get more training than any ARC. It’s different from the ground up. ARCs are standard troopers who happened to think fast enough not to be killed. Commandos are trained to think differently all of the time.” 

“We’re Kamino’s most advanced group of troopers,” Atin expanded for Fives. “You’re basically a standard trooper with a skirt and a chip on your shoulder.”

“Skirt?” Fives demanded, finally sounding less than thrilled. 

“Hey, a commando shirt,” Wrecker commented, coming inside from his most recent guard shift. He looked utterly bewildered by the way everyone turned on him, snarling. I gestured frantically for him to stop talking or just leave, but Wrecker was busy staring around the room and trying to figure out what had happened. 

“You got something to add about commandos?” Scorch asked, his smile a bit too sharp for my comfort.

Interestingly, Wrecker and the rest of the Bad Batch were kind of commandos, I mused. They had certainly gotten less intense training than the earlier squads like Delta and Omega, but technically…

“Nope, nothin’ at all,” Wrecker demurred, holding his hands up as he walked out of the room. 

Smart man. 

“I’m just saying,” Fives started, “this argument is pretty even with just me representing the ARCs. That’s a pretty clear sign in my favor.” 

“The only sign is that the ARC training program takes troopers who are a few screws short of a gunship,” Atin muttered loudly. 

Stomping footsteps from the front door sounded their slow, ponderous way into the kitchen. I glanced over in time to watch Alpha-17 round the corner. He seemed to pick up on the tension in the air, staring around the room with displeasure written across his scarred face. “Whatever osik you’re all going on about, keep it to yourselves. I don’t have enough patience to pretend to care.” 

The commandos dispersed, throwing dark looks and muttered complaints in Fives’ direction. For his part, Fives stood beaming at Alpha as he settled into a chair across the counter from where I was washing dishes. 

“Fives, what are you staring at?” Alpha demanded. Without waiting for an answer, he added, “Kark off. I’m tired of looking at you.” 

“Yes, sir, Captain,” Fives agreed immediately, rushing off. 

Alpha and I sat in silence for a long moment before I lifted a brow at him. “It’s like you could smell the trouble.” 

Alpha snorted, lifting his arm to show you the comlink attached to his vambrace. “Echo told me what was going on. Figured I’d put a stop to it before they got too wrapped up in themselves.” 

“Ah.” I thought about that as I set a dish on the drying rack. “You may have been a few minutes too late for that.” 

“Did anyone throw a punch?” he asked. When I shook my head, Alpha said, “Then I was on time. If it happens again, kick ‘em out of the house. I know you can do that. May as well use it now and then.” 

“At least it was a good distraction from the dishes,” I said mournfully, looking at the stack I still had yet to clean. 

Alpha gave me an exasperated look. “You have access to years of music and podcasts on that phone. That has to be more entertaining than trooper drama.” 

“Depends on the drama,” I countered, grinning as Alpha rolled his eyes.

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Author's Note - This was just a silly one as I worked on characterization for the different commando groups and how they would interact with the ARCs. But it makes me smile when I read it, so here you go!