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detroitbydark · 10 hours ago

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A/N: can be read independently of my Clan Vau series but it is supposed to take place between Defect and Soul Lies. My offering for day 2 of @deltasquadweek . For my best friend @fractiouskat. I love you bitch!

Delta Squad Week | Day 2: Baby Wookie

Featuring a reluctant sniper, an overly enthusiastic demolitions expert, and a sky full of possibilities

Characters: Sev and Scorch

Rating: G

Beyond the Clouds

“Looks like your mother.”

“Fek you say?” The blaster rifle slung over his folded legs temporarily forgotten, Sev looks over at his brother. The former commando is sprawled on his back with his eyes fixed on the Northern Mandalore sky.

“See there’s her legs?” Sev watches Scorch’s finger point to a amalgous patch of blue and white sky, “there’s her ti-“

“Yeah, no. What the kriff are you seeing? You get into Docs good meds again?”

“That was one time and I thought it was- you know what? Nevermind. Look at the clouds, di’kut.”Scorch’s head turns lazily toward him. Sun glints off his recently bleached mop of curls as Sev screws the lid onto the cleaning compound he’s been methodically working over his rifle. Seeing his brother so far out of regs was still a bit of a mind fuck.

“The clouds.” Sev notes dryly. Scorch nods before his head rolls back up to the blue-grey sky and its cloud covering extending from one end of the heavens to the other.

“Now you’ve got it.”

“Really don’t think I do.” He didn’t have a whole lot of civilian things when it came down to it. hell, he wasn’t sure he had his sanity most days. Since his brother and Sargeant- Buir had scooped him off Kasshyk months ago he could count the days good days on one hand. Scorch believed in him so…that was something but now he was seeing things in clouds leaving Sev to wonder if he should really be relying on him to be the balanced one.

Scorch yanks on his shirt sleeve with a huff, “Sev’ika, put the blaster down and relax.”

There’s a moment, when his brother's hand grips him, that Sev feels the adrenaline threaten to surge. He sucks a rough breath in through his nose and pushes it out over his lips. he counts silently back from ten. When he finally looks, Scorch is grinning up at him. Nuna are clucking in their pen. Ordo and Bes’ boys are squealing up by the yaim as Mird rolls in the dirt.

It like a dream. Everything about Kyrimorut feels surreal like he’s going to wake up any second back in that hole on Kasshyk, dirty and hungry with no sky above and certainly no white fluffy clouds blowing by.

“Sev…” there’s a hint of concern lacing the way Scorch says his name. Sev takes another slow breath before laying his cleaning rag out and laying his rifle on it and lowering himself to his back.

“Alright, what’s it you’re doing?” From the corner of his eye he can see the tension that had been building in Scorch’s shoulders bleed out.

“Just look at the clouds, vod. No rules. Just- oh look that one looks like a popper!”

Sev follows his brothers pointing finger to-, “it’s just round.”

“Right?! Just like a popper!” Scorch’s enthusiasm has the corner of Sev’s mouth pulling into something like a smirk. “And that one?” He asks fingers tracing some long lines that connect.

The late autumn ground is sun warmed against the back of the snipers head as the cool wind ruffles his hair and pushes the clouds above, constantly changing and shifting, across the sky. Sev tries to follow his brothers swooping finger. He grunts quietly.

“Battle droid missing an arm.” Scorch announces proudly. Sev squints, turns his head.

“I guess.”

“Aww c’mon! Use your imagination!”

“Think mine's broke. probably need to requisition a new one.” a quick glance shows his joke didn’t hit its mark. Scorch has that look on his face. That worried one that told Sev his brother was looking at him like he had when he’d first come back, like he was about to put the kid gloves back on. Sev couldn’t handle that right now.

“Ok, yeah, maybe I do see it.”

“Yeah?” The excitement in his brother’s voice lets Sev know he’s said the right thing. “Ok, how about that one? I’m seeing a tooka with a light saber.”

The former demolitions specialist keeps pointing out different formations.

Palpatine in a ballgown.

A nuna in full bes’kargam.

By the time he gets to Kal Skirata riding an aiwha, Sev can feel a smile splitting his face and maybe he is starting to see what he’s saying. Kind of.

“So, what do you see?”

Sev rolls his head and catches the encouraging tilt of his brother’s chin. It’s on the tip of his tongue, to say that he really didn’t see anything but he can’t find it in himself to stomp on his pod mates hopeful enthusiasm. Instead, he takes a moment. His eyes scan the horizon landing on a patch of sky they haven’t yet explored. He doesn’t see osik. His finger traces a cluster of clusters of fluffy white puffs.

“A baby wookie.”

Scorch looks, squinting and assessing and then-

“Yes!” He lets out a hoot, “I knew you’d get it!”

#deltasquadweek #deltasquadweek2025 #deltasquadweek2025 day 2 #republic commando #Sev #Scorch #No beta: we go marching like Mando’ade

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arliganzey · 2 days ago

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Delta Squad Week Day 1: Dinner

For the @deltasquadweek event, I'm kicking off day 1 with a squad gossip session. Enjoy. <3

Title: What Should We Drink To? Rating/Warnings: M (alcohol consumption) Word Count: 2.5k Special Guest Appearance: Bardan Jusik Summary: Delta Squad's hunt for rogue Kaminoan scientist Ko Sai has led them to Tropix Resort, a fabricated luxury beach resort on the planet Dorumaa. General Bardan Jusik has tasked Delta with an important mission: eat dinner at the resort restaurant. Read it on AO3

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Tropix Resort, Dorumaa System, 479 Days After the Battle of Geonosis

“Real swell of General Jusik to take us out to dinner for all the trouble,” Scorch said, scrolling the holomenu. He couldn’t understand half of what was on it.

“I don’t get it,” Sev grumbled. “We didn’t do anything.”

Boss sat uncomfortably in the middle of the semi-circle booth with his arms folded, the squad seated on either side of him. Earlier that afternoon, General Jusik dropped a bag of civvy clothes in front of them and told them to get dressed and have dinner ‘on him’.

“It reeks of bribery,” Boss said.

“You’re the one that agreed to it. I’m blaming you if we get court martialed,” Scorch said, still scrolling the menu.

“By who?” Fixer asked. “Sergeant Vau? Zey? We’re trapped in some spy games we aren’t supposed to know are even happening.”

“I bet this goes straight to the Chancellor. It’ll be the gallows for us,” Sev muttered.

A lovely Twi’lek server approached the table. Every staff member at the Tropix Resort was a beautiful, Rutian Twi’lek. They were so blindingly pretty that it became difficult to notice after a while, like staring into the sun.

“Hello, gentlemen,” she said smoothly. “Are you…” Her gaze paused on Sev and Scorch whose facial scars were most obvious to a civilian. Being a fabricated luxury resort employee who dealt mostly with venture capitalists, bankers, and wealthy heiresses, she seemed momentarily thrown off from the script.

Boss, Fixer, and Sev stared back at her with equally disrupted thoughts, as this was the first time any of them had been directly addressed by one of the women working here. Scorch smiled.

“Hi,” said Scorch, looking for her nametag. “Aleena. How are you?”

“I’m doing well. Thank you for asking,” Aleena said, her bright blue eyes blinking until her thoughts reset. Four men who looked like mercenaries on “vacation” probably meant trouble. She smiled back at him, nervous.

Scorch turned on the charm, leaning on the table and grinning up at her. “Can we have a pitcher of Hurricane Punch?”

“Yes, of course. What flavor?”

“Muja fruit.”

“Frozen or on the rocks?”

Scorch did not hesitate. “Frozen. Please.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“We’d like to do the sushi boat,” Fixer announced.

“The what?” Sev asked.

“Sushi boat,” Fixer repeated for his brother, pointing to the menu holoimage in front of Scorch.

“That is a great choice,” said Aleena.

“Better make it two,” Boss said.

The whole squad looked at him. Aleena became perplexed once more. “Two… sushi boats?” she repeated.

“Yes, please. We’re pretty hungry.”

Aleena did not make a habit out of arguing with guests. Based on the advertised image alone, one sushi boat seemed to be enough for at least six people.

“Of course, sir,” she said finally. “It may take a while to prepare,” she said carefully. “Is that… all right?”

“Not a problem,” said Boss.

“Can we get an order of cheese sticks? Please,” said Sev.

The server’s lekku shivered at the sound of Sev’s voice. “Yes, an order of cheese sticks. Anything else?”

“Nuna wings,” Scorch chimed in. “‘Volcano style’,” he added in a deep, intense whisper as required by the holomenu font which was doused in flames.

“I’d like the chopped vegetables and dip sampler too, please,” said Fixer.

Aleena recorded the orders, the tips of her lekku still quivering a bit. “Very well, gentlemen. Will that be all?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes, thank you,” Boss said before Scorch could order a second plate of ‘volcano-style’ wings that nobody but him would eat.

Aleena bowed her head and left.

“We are so going to jail for taking a bribe,” Scorch said.

“Supermax for sure,” Sev said.

“At least we won’t be hungry.” Fixer took out his datapad and started tinkering.

Boss took a deep breath in an attempt to relax. Tomorrow would start the work of excavating the site of what might have been Ko Sai’s secret lab, which was now buried underwater in an apparent explosion. The squad could have started hours ago. But General Jusik didn’t seem to be in a rush, even with his boss General Zey breathing down his neck and pressure from the Chancellor himself about the urgency of recovering the Kaminoan scientist.

None of it added up.

“Do you think Omega squad makes this a regular thing?” Boss asked, thinking out loud now. “They’re tight with Jusik. I reckon he takes them out to dinner for a job well done.”

“Kal’buir takes all his boys to the drive-thru for kids meals,” Scorch said. “I bet they got the toys to prove it.”

Fixer snickered, and even Boss grinned.

“Think he takes Bard’ika too?” Sev asked. He might as well join in.

“For sure,” said Scorch. “Bard’ika’s got the most toys of them all. Who’d have thought Skirata would have a jetii favorite? Ordo must be horribly jealous.”

“Ordo likes Bard’ika too,” Fixer said.

“What’s not to like?” Sev said. “He’s smart and cunning all while looking like an innocent schoolboy. Zey doesn’t even suspect he’s practically one of Skirata’s private army.”

Boss stared at Sev. His conjecture, which was meant to be a joke, started to sink in. Even Fixer put his datapad down.

“You don’t think…” Fixer said.

“All those private com calls,” Scorch said.

“Could be a girlfriend,” Boss tried with no certainty at all.

Sev and Scorch made noises that almost resembled giggling.

“Jusik has been talking to Skirata about this mission. That has to be it,” Fixer said, lowering his voice.

“And we were specifically ordered by Zey not to tell Skirata about hunting down Ko Sai,” Scorch said.

“That’s treason,” Sev hissed.

“Shut up,” Boss snapped. “It’s none of our business.”

“What if we can’t find Ko Sai?” Sev asked, gripping the edge of the table like he was about to get up at a moment’s notice.

A droid rolled up to the table and caused the squad to snap to attention so it didn’t look like they were whispering secrets. Sitting up ramrod straight and ceasing all conversation only made them look even more conspiratorial. The droid paid no mind, dropping off four cocktail glasses and a pitcher of ombre pink-orange-yellow alcoholic slushie. It rolled away.

Scorch started pouring the drinks. “Then Sarge kills us before the Chancellor can. You think the old chakaar would let a pruny politician have us killed by firing squad? No, he’ll do it himself.”

“They wouldn’t waste the ammunition on a firing squad,” Fixer cut in.

“We’ll get sent out of an airlock,” said Sev.

“Stop,” Boss ordered. “Nobody’s getting executed. We never even had this conversation. Is that understood?”

“Yessir,” the other three chorused.

The Twi’lek server returned with the appetizers and placed them down on the table. “Can I get you gentlemen anything else right now?”

“Not right now. Thanks, Aleena,” Scorch told her, flashing another smile.

“All right.” She smiled back and left.

When Scorch looked back at the squad, they were all glaring at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” Fixer said, and went back to his datapad while nibbling at his plate of vegetables and dips.

Boss dragged a hand over his face before taking a drink of frozen punch.

Before long, a second pitcher of slushie punch was ordered, and one sushi boat arrived. The squad agreed the chef was calling their bluff — see if they can make it through one boat before they bother with another.

Well, they’d never had to feed four very hungry commandos.

Delta squad dug in. The table was silent except for a few mutterings of can I try that?, was it spicy?, pass the hot sauce, but otherwise the commandos’ mouths were occupied with sushi roll after sushi roll.

When Aleena came back to check on them, half the boat was gone. She said nothing, simply staring in awe as the spectacle of four men inhaling dozens of rolls of sushi. It captivated (and kind of disgusted?) her.

“Uhm,” she said after a moment when nobody noticed her. “How is the sushi boat?”

“Wonderful.” Boss delicately patted his mouth with a napkin and smiled at her. “We’ll need that second boat.”

“And shots,” Scorch said.

“What?” Fixer asked with audible disdain.

“A round of rum shots,” Scorch clarified with a beaming smile.

“Okay,” Aleena said, smiling back at Scorch even though Fixer was staring at him like he might hit him. “Four shots…?”

“Four shots,” Fixer grumbled, not wanting to argue while the pretty Twi’lek was watching. Aleena put in the order and left the table.

Sev hadn’t looked up from his plate throughout the exchange.

A few minutes later, the droid delivered the shots and Scorch handed them over to his brothers. “What are we drinking to?”

Boss shrugged, holding up his shot glass. “General Jusik.”

“To General Jusik, may he find manda or whatever it is he’s looking for.”

They raised their glasses and drank.

Scorch nearly choked on the burning liquid as he brought the glass down to reveal a skinny blonde man with a scraggly beard standing in front of their table. Had he heard? He definitely heard.

Jusik seemed unbothered. Well, not any more bothered than he had been all day.

“Looks like you’ve managed to find something to eat for dinner,” he said with a mild smile and indicating the picked over sushi boat.

“Want some, sir?” Sev asked.

General Jusik, weariness under his eyes, nodded and sat down. He still looked like a ticking time bomb that might break down and yell or cry.

Boss wordlessly put a few sushi rolls on a plate and handed it to Scorch to hand to Jusik. Then he looked expectantly at Scorch to do… something about the general. He looked downright morose.

“Try the punch, sir.” Scorch passed a glass to him and poured. Jusik took it and sipped. They’d all shared stories and drinks before and after the Triple Zero mission, and there was something a bit nostalgic about it, although the absence of Skirata, the Nulls, and Omega made it a lot less festive. So did the news of Fi’s injury—the last they’d heard from Omega, he was not responding to stimuli.

“It’s good,” Jusik said in an effort to perk up. “Thanks. What’s in it?”

“No idea, sir. Some kind of alcohol.” Scorch grinned.

Jusik shrugged and drank a little faster.

“It’s rum.” Fixer went back to his datapad, less casually tinkering and now looking like he needed to be working on something.

Boss ordered a third pitcher and decided to venture straight into uncharted territory. “Sir, any news of Fi?”

“No. Nothing new.” Jusik went from looking slightly stable to definitely about to cry.

“He’s in good hands.” Boss did not sound convinced. “Head injuries happen. The medics know what they’re doing.”

Sev finished his glass. “‘Nother round of shots,” he croaked at the server droid as it passed by.

Nobody expected Jusik to protest or scold them for the amount of alcohol circulating around the table, and he didn’t.

“It’s best not to think about it,” Scorch said. “There’s nothing we can do.”

That roused Jusik enough to look at him, his eyes wide and a bit wild. “That’s not true. We’ve been sent out here on a fool’s errand, when I could be helping Fi.”

The squad froze. So did Jusik.

“Say again, sir?” Boss said.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. We’ll sort it tomorrow.” Jusik shrank into the booth, looking like he regretted sitting down with them.

Scorch felt… bad for him, but more than that, annoyed that the general knew something the squad didn’t, and probably should. He could tell the synapses fired for the rest of the squad too. Jusik was lying to them, but it was hard to stay mad. The way the general cared like no one else in command did…

Jusik was, above all else, infallibly likable.

“With all due respect to General Zey,” Jusik said carefully, “you should be tasked with something more important than a man hunt. It’s a waste of your skills. But General Zey thinks you’re capable of accomplishing anything, for what that’s worth. It’s why he wanted you on the job.”

The squad went back to eating, but more like picking at their food, in an attempt to get Jusik to do the same. He seemed stretched to his limit, which said a lot for a Jedi.

They couldn’t stay mad at him. Even if Jusik was playing spy games, the squad knew Vau was aware, and Vau wouldn’t let anything happen to them if things went sideways. Jusik was trying to assure them Zey wouldn’t give them any trouble, either, but they were all less sure of that.

“Aw, the general really likes us,” Sev said cloyingly.

“Aw, shucks,” Scorch said.

“Warms the heart.” Fixer glanced over at Jusik, unsure if the banter would make him lighten up. He always seemed so eager to impress, to feel included, to do things right. Well, this was how Delta handled everything, so he could either keep up or shut it out.

“Yeah…” Jusik sensed the teasing and smiled again. “I’m not just saying that.”

“We know,” Boss said. “We don’t want to let him down. Or you.” Mostly you.

Jusik nodded, and the shots arrived, which he took upon himself to distribute. It was almost apologetic.

“What are we drinking to?” Scorch asked.

They all looked at Jusik. It was his lot as the commanding officer at the table to make the toast.

“To Fi,” Jusik said quietly.

The commandos raised their glasses, nobody looking directly at each other, afraid that they’d see their own fear reflected in their brothers’ eyes.

“To Fi,” Delta squad chorused, and everyone drank.

It became apparent that 1700 was an early hour for dinner. As the evening progressed, the restaurant filled up, and so did the bar. When the second sushi boat was demolished, and a fourth pitcher of slushie completed, Delta squad and Bardan Jusik faced the imminent next step, which was to go back to the transport to finish planning the mission.

A mission no one seemed to have any hope of completing.

“I wanted to see the aquarium by the bar,” Jusik said suddenly.

“Yeah. Looks nice,” Sev mumbled.

The commandos’ enhanced metabolisms made the copious amounts of alcohol consumed seem like nothing more than a couple of drinks. Admittedly, they managed to feel a small buzz, but not enough to impede their judgment. Only enough for them to realize the mission was a lost cause, and like Jusik said, they’d sort it in the morning.

If Vau knew, he’d kill them. But Vau wasn’t here. He was probably part of the reason why the whole thing went to osik.

Jusik paid at the control panel next to their table and motioned for them to follow him to the bar.

“Guess that’s an order,” Boss said.

Scorch slid out of the booth, followed by Boss, Fixer, and Sev. “We love following orders. Let’s go.”

#deltasquadweek #delta squad #clone commando boss #clone commando scorch #clone commando sev #clone commando fixer #republic commando #true colors #republic commando true colors #fixer #boss #sev #scorch #bardan jusik

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