#and bardan had somewhere to go

[bardan-jusik]

Arligan 👁️👄👁️

listen ok... it's about how he tries so hard to play by the rules and do the right thing, and he knows skirata and his gang aren't playing by the rules at all, and how maybe he wishes he could go rogue like that too, but he can't, right

and as the war drags on he gets more and more beaten down and disillusioned but what the hell can he do about it? everybody knows it's all wrong but there's no way out

[nocturius8015ficore]

Fanfiction #10: Duty, sir!

Nocturius: 10th Republic Commando fanfiction! I know, it looked like you have skipped a few, it's just that one is fresh from the oven and I though you folks would want to read a comforting one today. All my ficts readable independently anyway.

Enjoy!

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Title: Duty, sir!

Fandom: Star Wars Republic Commando books by Karen Traviss

Characters: Null ARC trooper Captain Ordo and RC-8015 ''Fi''

Rating: Family-friendly ** better if you know the book or are familiar with the characters**

Topic: Solidarity, Hope.

Pitch: Omega squad are on a off-duty break on Coruscant. Ordo called Fi in his office for a private talk.

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Duty, sir!

by Fi-Core/Nocturius

Somewhere between Triple Zero and True Colors

Arca Company Barracks, Triple Zero (Coruscant)

After the black op on Coruscant where they pretended to be on leave, Omega Squad didn’t have a lot of proper days off. Getting back on Triple Zero mostly meant for them, getting quick fixes with bacta, updating their HUDs with new perks and replacing damaged equipment. Sometimes they had a proper debriefing with General Zey and his aid, Alpha ARC trooper Captain Maze, but it was usually Ordo’s who collected Niner’s reports. By the same occasion, they could exchange some very off-grid intel. Love letters for Darman and Atin, snacks from Kal Skirata and Bardan Jusik.

Niner usually kept himself busy with familiarizing himself with updating procedures and getting ready for the next mission, Fi, on the other hand, didn’t have much to do. No girlfriends to wait for him, or care, he felt pretty lonely during those times. Which was also a perfect occasion to annoy Ordo with his endless blathering.

Fi never fully understood why the Null ARC trooper tolerated him. That’s true, Ordo saw Fi saving a bunch of police officers on Coruscant a couple months ago but that didn’t explain why he let the vein on his forehead pulsate with irritation. The commando’s intuition was usually good about guessing when to stop pushing buttons  but with the Null, it was hard to predict.

That’s why when Fi received a direct message on his ‘pad from his brother, he didn’t know what to think about. The Null asked him to talk…privately. 

‘’ Wanna see me alone Captain? Should I have brought flowers and chocolate for this secret date? ’’ Fi said, joking his way into the private quarter and testing the water. 

‘’ ‘Wouldn't mind the snacks, ner vod. Want some caf? ‘’

‘’ Sure! Can you draw a cute tooka-cat in the milk? I love when people make fun patterns in their drinks! ’’

‘’ No snacks, no fun patterns.’’ Ordo answered, deadpan.

‘’ ‘Will remember that for next time! So… How can I help? ’’

‘‘Sit. Please.’’

‘’Okay… ’’

Ordo poured a very hot and high quality smelling jug of caf, gave one mug to his brother and took a sip in his before developing.

‘’ I would like to ask you how do you cope. ‘’

Fi looked at the Null ARC with wide eyes. Clearly, he didn’t expect that question.

‘’ What do you mean? ’’

‘’ I’m not asking, how are you today, I’m asking you how you manage to stay cheery and smiling all the time. I see how you are with your squad. Always lifting them up.‘’

The commando stopped playing with the spoon in his mug and looked at the wall, slightly unfocused. 

‘’ I just do, Captain. I have to keep going.’’ he said with a tone of voice that was not entirely convincing.’’

‘’ I wish I could learn to be more carefree. ‘’

‘’ Oh.’’ Fi said,  tasting his drink appreciatively. ‘’ ‘Telling you the truth sir, I am not. Quite the opposite. I care a lot. ‘’ 

‘’ So. How do you cope then? ’’

The trooper stood up and walked a few steps in the room, his face showing a very neutral expression. 

‘’ I don’t. ‘’

‘’ Vod.’’

Not knowing what to do, the Null also stood up and joined the commando on his side of the office. 

‘’ I know I have some gaps in understanding social cues, but I had no idea… ‘’ he said softly.

‘’ Because I’m good at masking it. Remember Kamino? I couldn't afford looking all sad and moody, what would have happened to me? Depressed clones are not fit for duty. ‘’

‘’ I know that.’’

‘’ What I truly feel doesn’t matter to anyone. ‘’

‘’ It matters to me and to Kal’buir. ’’ 

‘’ And to my squad I suppose. That’s why I don’t want to be a burden for them. If I can make them smile, at least I can help them in a way. We all lost our pod squad. We are a patchwork one, as Delta would say.’’ 

‘’ Delta are di’kute. They don’t understand what you lads have been through.’’

‘’ I still don’t wish any of them to go missing. It feels like… I’ve lost a part of myself in Geonosis.’’ 

‘’ I don’t know how I would react if I was to lose one of my five close brothers, Kal… or you. Please stop calling me sir and Captain between us, just call me Ordo or vod.’’

‘’ Thanks then… I didn’t know I was counting this much for you.’’ 

They both stayed in silence for a while, drinking awkwardly till Fi finished his caf.

‘’ It’s not that I lie or pretend to be cheery you know… I just want you to know that. I do it because it’s who I am. My duty sort of speaks. Who will make the squad smile in the darkest hour if not me? How can I expect to have something to look forward to if not the next joke popping in my mind to have a laugh? Without those funny bits in our lives, we have nothing left as a being. ‘’

Ordo took a deep breath and looked his brother in the eyes for a long moment. 

‘’I think I have some leftover biscuits. Want me to share with you? Want more caf? ‘’

‘’ Certainly! Let me draw a fun pattern in the milk then! I’m not a super barista artist, but I can manage to make my ideas understandable. ‘’

‘’ Help yourself. ‘’ said the Captain. Fi drew something with the spoon and put some extra spices tactically. Then he turned to his bigger brother with a sparkle in the eyes. ‘’ That’s no cute tooka-cats… That’s a fierfek d* …’’

‘’ … And fit for duty, sir! I mean, Ordo! ‘’ He interrupted him and smiled mischievously.

End

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[thesummerstorms]

Rev Recaps: Hard Contact (Chapter 2)

CW: None except some mentions of series-typical past violence.  LONG ASS POST beneath the cut.

TL;DR Recap:  Darman meets Jedi General Arligan Zey, Jedi Commander Bardan Jusik, and his new squad members. This blogger loves Zey entirely too much. The gurlanin are introduced and exposition happens. Jinart is vague. 

So this is the chapter where we first meet Zey, who is honestly one of my favorite characters, and Jusik... who is not. That said, Jusik is actually pretty likeable in this first introduction, probably because he’s not on screen long enough to be vaguely perfect and lecture people.

We actually hear from Zey before we see him. The quote itself is before he technically takes command of the RCs (they’re still in stasis) but is otherwise pretty standard fare for a Traviss novel. The one thing that got me to highlight it is that the attribution lists Zey not as a General but as “Jedi Master Arligan Zey, intelligence officer.” Raise your hand if you really want to know what Zey was doing before the war. 🙋‍♀️

Anyway, we’re back in Darman’s point of view again. The commandos are being briefed for their mission in a glorified fridge as “Fleet support”. 

Yeah, you kind of understand why the Nulls flipped out about going into stasis if not waking up because you were reconditioned in your sleep is apparently on the table. (I still have questions about how the Kaminoans could AFFORD to deliberately kill as many soldiers as this book seems to imply, but I’ll save it for later.)

I don’t know why this description of Zey tickles me so much, but I enjoy it. Zey, sit down and stop pacing, you’re making the commandos nervous. Also, he was probably actually better suited to taking Etain as a Padawan than people thought...

Anyway, Darman watches Zey’s Gurlanin contact for a while and then.Atin shows up and everyone is very focused on his scarring (which is still fresh at this point.) We know in retrospect that he got the scar when Vau cut him open, but the hell if I know how that timeline works out. It’s three months post Geonosis, the squad has been chilled down and then just woke up on Ord Mantell, and apparently Vau stuck his nose in there somewhere before this meeting.

Zey: “Padawan, stop. You’re embarrassing me.”  I don’t know, I just really love Zey, okay? But also, again, it’s been three months since war broke out, but for all that Darman’s thrown off by the terms of address, Zey feels fairly... comfortable/practiced at this?

Zey gives all the needed exposition on Qiilura, which I never spell right on the first try, and on Ghez Hokan. 

I think “Death Squad” is meant to be “Death Watch” here, especially given Hokan’s characterization and the mention  of being so violent that it’s a surprise this other violent group kicked him out. If it was clarified somewhere else that something else was meant, I’ll accept it, but in the mean time I just need everyone to reflect on how embarrassing and cruel you have to be to be kicked out of Death Watch. Because Hokan lives up to it,

I... I am pretty sure the commandos speak Basic. Just saying. Jusik is awkward as fuck, so I choose to willfully misinterpret this as “Jusik has another emotional outburst which leads Zey to have to pause in embarrassment, again. Dar misinterprets this as emphasis.” Darman already has some really weird, Kaminoan-taught ideas about Jedi so-

Zey briefs them about the military base, which Etain knows about on planet, and also the very specific anti-clone bioweapon being developed there, which she does not, and lets them know Fulier has been out of contact for “some weeks”. (Etain also doesn’t know there IS a war or a clone army, and the weird ass timeline here is a whole rabbit hole so I’m just gonna move on.)

We get to one of my favorite moments in the chapter:

“The situation is Nemoidians.” *is confused when Omega does not immediately understand his pithy comment* Zey also stares at Niner expecting discussion, which Darman finally provides because he’s worried Zey will feel embarrassed otherwise. Nemodian stereotypes baked into the setting aside, it’s a pretty great little piece of characterization.

Seriously, what the hell did Zey and Jusik DO before the war???

I don’t know, again, I just like the characterization here. Anyway, the commandos talk shop a bit, Dar notes that Atin’s wound is still “weeping” and has to hurt “like fire”. :( 

“Darman was embarrassed for him”. Dar then does some tech talk which leads Niner to decide he’s the demolitions guy. He notes that he “was happy to have the demolitions role”. Which I guess makes sense since commandos are cross trained for all the potential roles, but I wonder if he did that with Theta Squad too.

Okay, but again, I have so many questions about back story here. Jusik is a maverick or intended to be one from the get go, but ... why is he so protective of Fulier’s reputation as to become defensive when the Gurlanin starts talking shit? Is it just because he sees Fulier from afar as a kind of kindred spirit? Or have he and Etain and Fulier and Zey run missions before? 

Jusik’s line to Etain in Triple Zero about “I know you well enough now” [to sense her pregnancy] makes me think they probably weren’t close friends, and Zey’s reunion with Etain at the end of the book is “remarkably formal” from Dar’s pov, including calling each other “Master” and “Padawan”, not by names. But she also doesn’t ask who he is, so it’s possible they have worked together, I guess?

Anyway, Jusik breaks the news that they only have eight hours until the hit Qiilura. I’m resisting the urge to check my copy of Essential Atlas on this one, because KT has a history of not thinking about hyperspace travel times and that prior knowledge bugs me. Then we cut to Etain, who is hiding in Birhan’s barn, being vagued at by Jinart.

I’m super biased of course, but I’m interested in Etain’s relationship with Kast Fulier, so this passage just feels like a weirdly... dispassionate description to me, coming from Etain, Kast’s likely orphaned Padawan, who is alone and afraid with out him, and as we’ll later find out regards Kast as the “only person who’d shown her kindness” other than Darman. (Paraphrasing).

From a Watsonian perspective, you can probably make the argument that Etain is, if not in shock, still dealing with a lot of mental trauma and stress in a short time, and responding accordingly. But it bugs me a little that Etain’s thoughts about this person who would have been her whole lifeline in the order are so neutral to even slightly negative, especially when you compare it to Jusik’s slight line the chapter before. 

And  especially when you consider that these faults are also Etain’s exact faults that are also sometimes her strengths. Reckless compassion, a bit of self-righteousness, impatience, and an inability to walk away when she could do something about an injustice.

And especially when you compare it to Niner (and Dar and Fi)’s never ending praise and affection for and memories of Kal Skirata later in the book. And you can’t even make the case that it was purposeful/Etain’s relationship is more strained than theirs, because again, it gets so little development/mention (plus paired with the “kindness” comment.)

You know I’m biased if you’ve been on this blog long at all, but it bugs me.

Again, this is just to say... people give Etain a lot of shit but “ ...or get a data transmission out in her stead. She still had a mission to complete, if only to justify Master Fulier’s sacrifice.”

I still don’t 100% understand how this scene actually played out, practically speaking, especially as everyone addresses Kast Fulier as a Jedi MASTER, not even a Knight with the courtesy title of Master, but a Master in his own right.

We get some more info about Hokan, which still tracks with what you’d expect of a Death Watch drop out, and also again shows that Etain was pretty fucking exhausted/traumatized before Omega even gets there.

Again, people give her some shit about her break down or moments of inner turmoil at various places in the book, but if she’s been there since before the war was declared, she’s been dealing with all of this, largely alone, for at least 3 months now. And this in addition to the attempted assault last chapter.

Anyway, the chapter ends with Jinart vaguing, but it’s just ~foreshadowing~ so it’s not super important to anything.

My big take aways for this chapter are that I love Zey and I really need a prequel to this novel, to be honest.