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sulphuryasecretcloset · 4 years ago

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Leo’s (Leave-it) backstory

It is the day after her 21st Life Day that Leo’s mother, Kesara, goes into labour and nearly does not live to see her 22nd. Anything that can go wrong goes wrong and her husband, Aslan, is a horrified witness to the screams and the terrifying amount of blood. But despite the agony and the heart-breaking message that there will be no more children after this, Kesara holds her son in her arms and her heart is bursting with love as she declares it was worth it. Leo has his daddy’s fair hair and her eyes. He’s screaming and squirming, healthy and full of life. He is absolutely perfect.

Aslan gathers them both close and kisses her lips before he leans down to place a gentle kiss on his son’s head. He’s never been happier.

Their family is tiny and poor, but rich in love. Their worn-down and modest home is filled with smiles and warm hugs and fond memories that will linger with their son for the rest of his life.

Aslan spends most of his hours below ground working in the mines and so Kesara has to bring her toddler along to her work place; the canteen next to the yawning opening in the black mountain into which her husband and over half the town disappear every morning.

The adults in the canteen are all busy working so the slightly unattended children are quick to seek each other out and Leo makes several friends there. Harro becomes his best friend. Then Meeyoahn. And then Livia. Every stranger is a potential friend to Leo. Everything new is exciting. He doesn’t have many toys but that only gives room for his imagination. Life is rich with possibilities.

Leo is six years old when play time is over and he gets to start working in the mines with his father. He’s so excited he can barely sleep the night before the big day.

His father is his hero. Aslan is tall and strong and charming and everyone swoons over his good looks, yet all he cares about is Leo’s mom and Leo.

“I got lucky when she agreed to marry me,” he tells Leo over dinner once, glancing over at his wife with a mischievous grin, “because she had her aim set on Fasa.”

“Uncle Fasa?” Leo asks, eyes wide with surprise. He barely remembers his father’s brother who died in the mining accident last year.

“That’s right.” his father says with a grin, even more amused by the huff from his wife. “It took me ages to persuade her to go out with me.” He lets out of couple of soft coughs.

“I think on some planets they call it stalking.” Kesara points out with a wry smile of her own, waving a finger their way. She doesn’t cough as much as her husband. Not yet, at least. “And don’t teach our boy to become like one of those pushy jerks who can’t take no for an answer.”

Nodding, his father turns his attention over to Leo. “Going after what you want is fine, Leo, don’t be afraid to fight for what you want, but never force it. You can’t force love, okay?”

Leo nods, even if he’s not entirely sure what they’re talking about. He figures he will understand one day. When it comes to love, his parents are the experts. He’s eager to follow in their footsteps.

And he starts by doing so quite literally.

Going into the darkness of the mines is scary at first. Leo tightens his grip on his father’s hand but when his father looks down at him with a comforting smile, he doesn’t feel afraid any more. Leo grins. He can do this. He’s a big boy now.

For some reason, his father’s eyes are sad.

The work is hard, the air is difficult to breathe and Leo can’t help but to notice how everyone is coughing down there. Still, Leo is proud to help bring more credits to their home. If he works hard enough maybe his parents won’t have to? That would be a good thing. And Leo quickly gains more friends as he gets to know the other youngsters working in the mines, which is an excellent thing!

Suppa Li becomes his new best friend.

Life is good.

Leo and Calleah have known each other for years but after his tenth Life Day, they decide to become boyfriend and girlfriend. Leo is ecstatic.

It lasts for two months before Calleah decides she want to be Mayne’s girlfriend instead. (Mayne is two years older than them and almost grown up.) Leo is heartbroken.

“What did I do wrong?” Leo asks his mother, tears in his eyes and the taste of mine-dust in his mouth.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Kesara replies, cupping his face between her hands and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Some relationships aren’t meant to last. It’s her loss, Leo. You just keep being you and someone really special will come along one day. A lucky someone, because they get to have the sweetest boy in the entire Galaxy by their side.”

Sniffling, Leo knows his mother would never lie to him and finds comfort in her words. He likes the thought of finding someone really special. Calleah wasn’t special, now that he thinks about it.

Leo is twelve years old the first time he sees Them up close. By now Leo doesn’t only know how to work in the mines but also why it is important that they do: to keep the Imperial fleet flying. The minerals they mine is necessary for the production of their war ships and occasionally the Empire will stop by to check on the status of the mines.

The sight of the men in the dark, expensive looking uniforms and the soldiers in the pristine white armour makes quite the impression on Leo. He stares with wide-eyed awe. They look amazing; strong, fearless and badass.

Leo’s father shares his admiration for these people. Aslan tells Leo about how this planet had been nothing but a half-forgotten farming outpost before the Empire brought their technology and started up the mines. They had brought industry to the planet, given them an important role to play in the Empire and rewarded them with their protection. Other planets were not as lucky.

Soldiers of the Empire, especially the stormtroopers, brings peace and prosperity wherever they go.

But not even the fancy officers or cool looking soldiers can prevent accidents from happening. Mayne and two other boys are killed when a part of the roof in the new tunnel collapses and Leo has to help dig them out. And they are just three among many who die in the mines, either due to accidents or because of the cough. Everyone fears the cough. They tried to send droids down to work the mines, but the dust eats away at their wiring and it is too expensive to replace.

His parents coughs goes from being a familiar sound that almost is a bit comforting to giving Leo a sense of dread. Especially as his father’s cough worsens drastically after Leo turns fifteen.

There is no cure. Leo knows that. Most of his friends have lost one or both parents, plus dozens of relatives, even some siblings, to the cough. But his father has always been so strong, he is the strongest man Leo knows, surely he can defeat this.

Living surrounded by death makes Leo even more determined to enjoy life, as it is becoming painfully clear to him that you should never take it for granted. Tomorrow is a hope, not a promise.

So Leo laughs and jokes with his father as they work in the darkness. He helps his mother with the chores in the house so she can have some free time for once. And he learns to ignores sleep so he can sneak out and have fun with his friends. There is a lot to learn from the other kids in the mines.

Davno appears one day with credits that he spends on buying treats in the canteen and shares with the rest of the kids. Leo is delighted but also a little confused as the guy had complained about not having a single credit only yesterday. That is when Leo learns that the Lords and the Ladies above, the ones who do not work in the mines, are sloppy and careless with their fortunes and while his parents have taught him never to steal, he figures it can’t hurt to ‘borrow’ a little from the people who don’t even notice it is gone or care when they do. He only does it when he realizes his family won’t be able to buy enough food that month or need something that is not in the budget. It’s not a nice thing to do, Leo knows that, but what his parents don’t know won’t hurt them. And they never learn the truth as he’s never caught. Leo’s light touch always goes unnoticed and his parents remain blissfully oblivious and a little less stressed as they appear to have more credits than they thought.

Partying is another thing Leo turns out to be very skilled at. That and sweet-talking girls. He means to save anything more than kissing and a little petting to that special person he’s supposed to meet, but after his sixteenth Life Day celebration; Ximma tugs him into a room and while she doesn’t love him and Leo isn’t in love with her, she is beautiful and they’ve been good friends for years. And after, as he lies panting with a dazed grin on his face, Leo decides that enjoying life is indeed important and he’d definitely be enjoying life very much by getting as much of that as possible.

Ximma welcomes him a couple of more times over the next months, but then they part ways as amiably as they’d found each other and Leo eagerly jumps into the next willing arms.

Life is good.

But it doesn’t last.

Aslan manages to battle against his fate for another year but not even the strongest man Leo knows is stronger than the curse of the cough. It’s the worst day of Leo’s life when he ends up having to watch his father die. It’s beyond horrible. Leo wakes up screaming with terror for months after. His mother cries and cries and continues to cry.

When the tears eventually do dry up, Kesara is never the same. Her eyes lose their sparkle and the only one who can make her smile is Leo. They both miss Aslan so much it hurts.

Leo takes care to make sure his mother doesn’t find out that her son has started to cough as well… He can’t add to her worries.

And because he doesn’t want to think about the way his father had died; Leo glues a smile on his face. People don’t ask questions if they think you’re happy. Once they see him smile, they assume everything is fine.

Leo is approaching his nineteenth Life Day when he pauses by the man in a military uniform talking to the crowd of people gathered in front of the mines. The Empire is recruiting again. It’s been two years since last time and he hadn’t been old enough back then. Harro had joined, though. And several others that Leo had grown up with.

“Join the army and help the Empire spread peace and prosperity to the rest of the Galaxy.” The man declares in a loud voice. His uniform doesn’t have a single wrinkle in it. There’s not even a speck of dust on it, as if even the particles in the air have too much respect to land on him. “There are still groups set on tearing down what we have all worked so hard to create. These monsters will not stop until they have taken everything away from you; your credits, your land and your life. The Empire is keeping you safe, now it is your chance to help others. And get paid handsomely while doing so.”

Tilting his head, Leo thinks about all the tales he’s heard about the other planets out there while he was working in the darkness of the mine. What better way to see new places than travelling there to help them improve their lives? Protect the weak. And get paid while doing so?

A group of stormtroopers march by and Leo watches them with keen interest. They look so cool in their pristine armour, holding their intimidating weapons and wearing the now familiar helmet. They look like heroes.

That evening, Leo prods at his dinner and works up the courage to talk to his mother.

To his relief, his mother is quick to support his idea. “If that is what you want, Leo, then do it.” She even manages to conjure up the first smile he’s seen from her in weeks.

Leo is relieved, yes, but he also finds himself hesitating. “Will… Will you be okay?” The training will take no less than three years and she will have no one but her friends to keep her company without her husband and son there.

Kesara nods with a mild expression in her eyes. “I’ll be fine, Leo.” She reaches out and cups the side of his face with her hand. Her skin feels rough. “Go save the Galaxy.”

That is how Leo finds himself standing in the building where they assess the ones wanting to sign up to join the army. The walls of the room is decorated with posters showing stormtroopers and army soldiers in all kinds of heroic poses and dramatic situations. He feels both eager and nervous.

A doctor and a stern looking nurse are waiting for him him a small room and they order him to strip down to his underwear.

“Shouldn’t we get to know each other a little first before we start taking our clothes off?” Leo jokes.

They don’t laugh.

A quick examination results in them nodding and making approval sounds at his general physique. Leo knows he’s in good shape thanks to him being set to moving rocks in the mines, but uneasy tension curls up in his belly when he sees them dwell over the results on their medical scanner.

“You have,” the doctor says some weird word that Leo doesn’t understand and upon seeing his blank face, the doctor then uses a different word, “Miner’s Lung. Early stage.”

“Does…” Leo has to clear his throat. “Does that mean I can’t join?” He’d known he’d caught the cough, but he’d hoped the army wouldn’t find out. Stupid. Of course they would find out. These people are no fools. They know everything and he’s just a stupid miner boy. Stupid!

The doctor sighs and looks over at him, his eyes trailing over Leo’s torso with a thoughtful frown. “You will need medication to keep it in check. Like most of the recruits from this place. The army will provide it but it will be deducted from your monthly pay. And you will be required to agree to… tests when available.”

Relief and apprehension both flood Leo. He’s relieved the cough won’t exclude him entirely, but… Medicine is expensive. They couldn’t afford his father’s medicine more than once. If the medicine will claim most of his paycheck, Leo can’t go. He needs to be able to send credits back to his mom. He doesn’t care about being a hero if he can’t make sure his mother has food to eat. “How much will the medicine cost...?”

To Leo’s disbelief, the doctor tells him the amount of credits he’ll earn in a month, which is what his dad earned in six months, and that the medicine will be about twenty percent of that. Stars above, Leo is going to be a hero ‘and’ rich! “Where do I sign?” Leo grins.

“You are saying you wish to join the army?” The doctor drawls.

“No.” Leo replies, still grinning. “I’m going to be a stormtrooper.” He’s not just going to be a soldier. He wants to be among the very best.

It’s horribly depressing to leave his mother behind. Leo is heartbroken when he has to say goodbye that morning, after they had spent the entire previous evening going over happy memories and planning for a bright future. He glances around at the dust-covered and colourless town he’d grown up in, sees the yawning entrance to the mine in the distance, and is sad to leave that behind as well.

When the door slides shut behind him and Leo sits down next to another recruit, he tells himself that being sad won’t help and so he smiles to the guy by his side and introduces himself.

Arless becomes Leo’s new best friend.

The Academy is an awesome place. Leo loves it. There are so many people there, he makes so many new friends every day that he’s struggling to keep up with the names, and the handful of jerks trying to make things difficult for him or others are quickly put in their place with hard punches and strategic kicks. Every evening brings a new party or some kind of social gathering and more people to meet and greet. Style is his first military girlfriend and Leo is convinced he’s in love. He changes his mind when he finds her in the arms of another guy and vows to never get into a relationship ever again.

Tersa Maya is the name of his next girlfriend and they have a pretty good ride until she decides to quit the army and go back home. Leo is disappointed in her lack of resolve.

As the months trickle by, the weaker candidates are weeded out and groups are fused together as they become smaller and smaller until they are meant to be only the highest quality of recruits.

Leo is a bit amused at how some struggle under the physical requirements. Here they train for seven or eight hours and have pretty much the rest of the day to themselves if they aren’t on some training exercise. Back home, Leo usually had twelve to sixteen hours shifts in the mine.

Once a week he goes to the medical facility and they drain his blood before deciding whether he needs medicine or if they can postpone it to next week.

Life is good.

Among his fellow recruits there are some who catches Leo’s attention more than others. One of them is a quiet guy called Kiergan. Leo notes how he always keeps his cool during the tests their instructors put them through and will come up with a plan that gets them to the finish line with as few ‘casualties’ as possible. He becomes Leo’s next best friend and seems a little puzzled by this.

Kiergan talks a bit more when it is just the two of them and Leo learns about his brothers, how the army is as much about getting away from his family as to help others, and that Leo never has to worry about his girlfriends around him. He’s awesome, tough and strong and honourable, just like Aslan, and Leo trails after him like a Corellian puppy.

Leo sends messages home as often as he can. He sends his entire paycheck, minus costs for the medicine, as the Academy feeds and houses him. And he can always find some fun that doesn’t cost anything. People here are a LOT more uptight than back home and it is downright hilarious to prod at subjects that has them squirming with embarrassment. The less they want to talk about a harmless subject, the more Leo asks about it.

“Stars above, just leave it alone!” “Can’t you just leave it?” “Are you bringing that up again? Leave it!” “For the love of… leave it, okay?!” The words ‘leave it’ are repeated so many times that one instructor jokingly asks if that is his name and all of his friends start calling him that.

It’s awesome, Leo’s never had a nickname before. He adopts his new name with relish.

At the start of their second year, Leo is surprised by how many more recruits decide to drop out. No wonder they have three years of training if they have to deal with so many quitters. But he’s delighted by two events; Livia from back home appears as a first-year grunt, having decided to join the army, plus Leo and Kiergan are placed together in the newly formed Squad 2.

“That one.” Kiergan says one day, nudging Leo and nodding towards one of their fellow recruits. “Too good to be green. Gotta be a mercenary or a street fighter or something.”

Leo looks over and takes in the sight. It’s a young woman with red hair that is shaved on one side of her head and shoulder-length on the other side. Her dark eyes are filled with angry determination as she punishes a punching bag for whatever plays inside her mind. She’s quite intimidating. Nice.

That very evening, Leo drags Kiergan along to a gathering and doesn’t hesitate when he sees the redhead there as well. “Come on. Let’s go say hello.” Ignoring Kiergan’s stuttered objections, Leo saunters over and puts on his biggest grin. “Hi, my name is-”

“I know who you are.” She cuts him off and looks at him with a drily raised eyebrow. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Leo winks at her. “Only good things, I hope?” Her neutral hum says it can’t be too bad, whatever she’s heard. He goes for it. It’s been months since he’s had a girlfriend. “How about we go out on a date and you can make up your mind about me yourself?”

The redhead almost smiles. “Sorry. You’re not my type.”

Ah, can’t win them all. Leo nods his defeat, but curiosity makes him ask: “Who is your type?”

She nods towards Kiergan. “That one.”

While Kiergan awkwardly scrambles for a polite way to get out of the situation, Leo and the redhead both start laughing.

“What’s your name?” Leo asks.

“Hauroko.” And her ‘type’ is a lot more complicated than that. She’s awesome.

Turns out that Hauroko had spent a year in the army before she decided to aim higher and go for the exciting life of a stormtrooper. She had not been pleased when they had tried to force her into becoming a medic after she showed promise in that direction, Hauroko wanted to fire blasters and get in on the action, and her refusing to simply do as told had resulted in the punishment of her having to take all three years of Academy training to be allowed into the ranks of the stormtroopers.

Turns out, she’s awesome too. Leo can’t believe his luck in finding such awesome friends.

Kiergan’s tactical mind combined with Hauroko’s combat skills makes their group far more efficient and successful than the others and soon they are, along with Leo and three other recruits, promoted to Squad 1. They are the highest ranked recruits of their year.

“To you!” Leo declares, standing by the table and holding up a cup to salute his two friends during their celebration. “Thanks to you two, we are now top dogs!”

Kiergan shakes his head with a faint smile but Hauroko gets up from her chair and grins at Leo. “You too, doofus. You helped too.”

A little drunk and very happy, Leo laughs. “To us!”

That Kiergan and Hauroko both have no trouble drinking to.

Occasionally the doctors want to try Leo on a different kind of medication as they say the one he’s currently using is too expensive and the effect will grow weaker until it won’t work at all. Leo doesn’t mind trying new stuff. Maybe one day they’ll find an actual cure and not just something to keep it at bay? Helping others on other planets will be amazing, but what if he can help cure the people back home? Now that would be something.

But it is not without risk. As Leo discovers when he has a nightmare that he’s drowning, only to wake up and realize it’s actually happening. Lying in his bed, he tries to draw air into his lungs but he can ‘hear’ the water bubbling as he tries to breathe and panics.

After being promoted to Squad 1, they had been shoved into the same bunk room and that is what saves Leo’s life. Hauroko knows what to do help him breathe and Kiergan runs to get help.

While it should be horribly painful when doctors ram the two drains into his lung in the emergency room, forcing the tubes in between his ribs, all Leo can focus on is the memory of his father dying and the intense relief when he can feel the water draining how it becomes easier to breathe. Leo passes out.

After that, it is kind of nice to open his eyes and see Kiergan asleep in a chair next to his hospital bed and feel Hauroko’s hand gently stroking his blond hair with more than a little affection.

Life is good.

He doesn’t mention these incidents to his mother. Leo suspects she worries enough and he notes that she never brings up her own cough either. They’re both excellent pretenders.

The third year is the toughest but also the most exciting. They really get to test their skills and their determination. Even Leo feels the pressure. The other three in their squad are rotated with other recruits based on their success and failure, but Leo, Kiergan and Hauroko remain permanently in Squad 1, best of the best, and that feels incredibly rewarding.

Leo is fairly certain that is why Pragona and Pigona, twin sisters, decide to be his girl friends, at the same time. It sounded awesome in theory but it doesn’t take long before he realizes that this is something that would never last and he carefully backs out of the agreement.

These years at the Academy is something Leo will always look back on with fondness. He has had some really good times there. And he gets to graduate with his two best friends who have now become more like family to him. Leo puts on the white armour and can’t stop grinning. His face aches from smiling so much but he can’t stop. He’s gone from a boy fumbling around in a dark mine to a hero about to help people in need. It’s like one of the fairytales his parents would tell him when he was just a kid. The second the official ceremony is over, the three jump into a group hug, laughing and hugging each other tight. They did it!

Leo, and everyone else, gets one week after graduation to do as they please before reporting for active duty that will last for at least a couple of years. And after the ship has landed on his home planet and opens the door to let him disembark, Leo’s heart nearly bursts with pride when he sees his mother standing there, waiting for him by the landing dock, smiling with tears in her eyes.

They hug each other for the longest time.

When Kesara finally pulls back, she reaches up and takes Leo’s face between her hands and keeps smiling through her tears. “You look so good.”

Leo knows he’s gained weight in all the right places after the nutritious army food and the strategic way they have had him train his body, plus the armour makes him look all buff. He brushes away a lock of her hair and notes with a sinking heart how much grey there is among the caramel coloured strands, as well as the exhausted lines in her face. “You too.” Leo lies. He pulls her close and hugs her again.

Leo makes sure he does what he can for his mother. She has a comfortable house, credits to spend and medicine to at least help if not cure her. It is once again pure agony to leave her when the week is up, but she walks him to where the ship is waiting and tells him once again how proud she is of him.

“Your father would be proud too.” Kesara adjusts his pauldron for a bit, dusting dust off his armour, smiling.

Leo hesitates. “Are you sure you will be okay?”

“I will be okay.” His mother reassures him for the fifth time that day. “Now, go save the Galaxy.” She says, a now familiar half-joke between them.

Walking away, Leo has to pretend he doesn’t hear her cough.

Leo is brought to a Destroyer and reunited with Kiergan, Hauroko and the others. The memory of his mother’s exhausted face makes it a little more difficult to smile, but the only one who see through his act is Hauroko and she has the decency not to mention it.

Diving into the work is a good way to stop thinking. Leo is thrumming with excitement when he puts on the armour and joins the squad in the hangar for his first mission. They are going to be on security duty for a senator attending a debate on one of the bigger Core planets and while it isn’t the action filled dream of Hauroko’s, Leo is just excited about finally contributing to the bigger cause. He doesn’t know much about big time politics, he’s not important like this senator guy, but Leo can help the good things to happen.

The crowds look at them as they march by with the same kind of awe and respect Leo had shine from his own eyes when he saw the stormtroopers on their home planet. He grins for the every second of the five hours he and his squad stand at attention while the senator and other politicians talk.

They get three hours of downtime before they have to return to the ship. Leo meets Kengee and she becomes his three-hour-girlfriend. All they do is talk and laugh over drinks and he’s giddy with joy when he saunters back to report in to his commanding officer.

Hauroko complains but Leo and Kiergan are both thrilled with the missions on the Core planets. She wants action but they love the easy work and the admirers that reach out to them.

Leo’s first brutal crash with reality is when they move away from the Core planets and instead of cheers, the stormtroopers are met with hostile glares and icy silence when they step off the ships and enter the cities. It’s a little harder to smile under those circumstances, but he does try to make the local people see that they are on the same side and spends his hours off-duty to win hearts and friends. It’s on one of these missions they see action for the first time when two vigilantes attack the prison transport they’re on. Leo realizes just how deep the training is drilled into him as he responds like a soldier and does what is needed and it’s only after it is over that he realizes how fast his heart is beating and the taste of fear on his tongue. It makes such a horrible impression on him that they can see it on his medical scan during his weekly doctor’s appointment.

It’s little over eight months after their graduation when they are sent into actual battle. Leo sees several of his squad members killed, he takes a hit to his arm and the helmet cannot muffle the explosions enough to prevent his ears from ringing for the two next days. Hauroko makes it a personal mission to avenge every fallen Trooper while Kiergan tries to keep the rest of them alive.

Stumbling back into the ship, dirty and bleeding, exhausted and grieving over his friends, Leo sits down between Hauroko and Kiergan. They put an arm each around him and that helps a little.

Whatever happens, they have each other.

An experimental drug starts off promising when they shoot it into Leo’s veins, but twenty four hours later he’s a shivering mess that can’t stop vomiting. It takes almost four days before it leaves his system and they can take him off the IV and he’s able to eat again.

Leo has just started his second year of active duty when he learns that Livia from back home got killed only a week after Harro got ripped apart by a terrorist bomb planted on the transport ship. He’s still reeling from these news when the worst possible message reaches him: his mother has passed away. This sends Leo crashing to his knees with a half-strangled sob. He can’t breathe and it is not because of the cough. Grief is choking him. Guilt too. She’s gone and she died all alone. He should have been there. He should have been there with her!

Kiergan kneels down next to him and gathers him in his arms. “I’m sorry, Leave-it. I’m so sorry.”

Leo wails.

Hauroko kneels down as well, placing her hand on his back. Her mouth tremble with emotion.

They are all the family he has now.

The life of a stormtrooper is not what Leo imagined it would be. Every combat means losing fellow Troopers that he’d come to know and care about. Every single time. And there are times when Leo fails to see the logic in the battle orders and wonders if the guys high up in charge just send them out to die during pointless missions.

Leo wouldn’t mind dying for a good cause, but it’s tough when the population of planets they visit, the ones they are supposed to protect and help, glare at them like ‘they’ are the enemy and even conspires with the rebel fractions to harm them.

He’s starting to understand why the veteran Troopers, who had startled him with their gruffness and brutality, act they way they do. Especially after he witnesses a rookie Trooper begging for mercy from some ruffian who manages to knock him down in an ambush and all he gets is a fatal blaster shot to his visor. Leo’s heart hardens. He will protect his friends. Kill or be killed, it’s as simple as that.

-Always be kind at first, his father had told him. -You can always kick ass later if they deserve it.

Leo kicks ass. And every battle he walks away from with Kiergan and Hauroko by his side feels like a reward.

The cough grows worse and Leo has his first experience where he can’t breathe at all due to his lungs being completely paralysed. The doctors are pleased that they can move on to stronger drugs.

It takes several years and countless harsh reality checks before Leo can admit to himself that the Empire is definitely not what he thought it was. Leo is left speechless when Hauroko reveals to him that the medicine he’s on, the one which can and could have helped so many people back home, is actually manufactured by the Empire and while the process costs barely anything, they still charge a fee higher than most back home can afford.

It’s a shock, but no matter how bitter it leaves him; there is nothing Leo can do about it.

And he can’t just quit the army either. His friends need him, if he’s not there to help keep them safe and they get killed; Leo would never forgive himself. Besides, they are his family now. He��s got no home to go to, his parents are gone, his other relatives are dead, and he’s going to die from the cough soon if a blaster shot doesn’t get him first. Kiergan, Hauroko and the other Troopers are all he’s got.

Leo stays and he fights. He makes new friends and mourns them when they die. He hopes every new girlfriend is The One, but they never are and either they break up or a blaster shot does it for them. It’s exhausting. His smile sometimes hurt more than the injuries he gets in the battles or the jabs from the doctor’s needles, but he keeps joking and flirting because it’s easier than feeling the pain.

It’s almost a bit funny how little he cares when the Empire is brought down and shatters into thousands of dangerous pieces. Leo is half-drowsing in a wobbly metal chair in the hangar of the chaos-ridden docking station they’re currently located in, while his squad stand around and argue about what to do next. Some want to leave, others call them cowards and are planning to stay.

“He needs meds.” Hauroko mumbles quietly to Kiergan, hoping Leo won’t hear them despite them standing right next to his chair. “It’s going to be difficult to get the credits to afford them if we…”

“Nu-uh.” Leo grins, without opening his eyes. “That is not your problem. I got it under control. You guys do what you want to do. Roger that?”

“Roger that.” Kiergan mumbles before giving a resigned sigh. “But I’m not going back home. No way.”

“I’m staying.” Hauroko declares. “The Empire will rise again. And I’ll be there when it does.”

Plus, they had all been informed early on in the Empire’s downfall by their superiors that defectors would be shot. Ironically, rumours say the rebels shoot Troopers on sight despite the war being over.

Leo frowns. Do they still qualify as ‘rebels’ after winning the war? Doesn’t that make the Troopers rebels now?

He never gets to finish the line of thinking as the doors to the hangar slide open and in marches a man surrounded by Death Troopers and other stormtroopers. The guy walks over to look at Leo’s squad with a hint of contempt and declares they all answer to him now.

Some don’t respond very well to that, the ones who wanted to leave, and Leo jumps to his feet when the Death Troopers simply shoot the two loudest objectors of his squad members. It stuns everyone.

Everyone except the stranger in the dark uniform. He smirks. And then he speaks: “My name is Moff Gideon. I have some very important work to do and you are going to help me. For the glory of the Empire. We are going to take back what they took from us and rebuild even stronger.”

There is a moment of silence, then wild cheer breaks loose. The relief in the air is euphoric. They are united again. They have a goal.

Moff Gideon is exactly what Hauroko has been dreaming about; a strong, ruthless leader. He scares the kriff out of Leo, but she is delighted and bucks even harder to succeed at every mission they’re sent out on.

The Galaxy is unstable after the fall of the Empire. A whole bunch of warlords are scrambling to pick up the pieces and gain as much power as possible to become the new Emperor, even while the New Republic sets up their government. Leo and the others find themselves fighting other Troopers following a different Moff than theirs as often as they butt heads with the New Republic.

One day Leo is surprised to find this horribly young kid milling around on the base, clutching his helmet, and looking awfully lost and confused. He wanders over. “Hey there. You lost?”

The kid gives a nervous laugh. “Y-yeah… Yeah, I think I am.” He rubs his neck. “I was told to report to… uhm… I was told to report to someone. I’m new here.”

His name is Michael and he’s adorable. It actually hurts Leo to see the boy still thinks the Empire can be saved and that they are the good guys. Just like Leo did at that age.

“Don’t worry.” Leo takes a hold of Michael’s shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. “I’ll look after you.”

He gets the boy to where he’s supposed to be, makes sure his squad leader takes him under his wing and at chow time, Leo introduces him to Kiergan and Hauroko. He even does his best to look after him in battle whenever their squads are in the same area.

Michael is awesome and he becomes the little brother Leo always wanted, something which he seems to welcome most happily. They get along like a TIE fighter on fire. It’s almost scary.

After almost a year, Leo is anything but pleased when Hauroko declares she’s been given a promotion and will be leading a squad of her own. She’s leaving them.

Okay, that means he can finally get Mikey into their squad room, but Leo is not pleased.

“Cheer up!” Hauroko laughs, sitting on her bunk and already eager to take charge. “We’ll still see each other.”

“It won’t be the same.” Leo mutters. He doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like it one bit. Them together has meant they’ve survived anything fate has thrown at them. If they split up, he dreads it might end badly.

It sucks that he’s right.

The word about Gideon’s cruelty is non-stop now. The man is unstable and incredibly dangerous. They hear he shoots Troopers for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time when he’s in a bad mood. There are whispers around children being kidnapped. Villages burned to the ground. Medical experiments. So when Mikey starts whispering to Leo about this CT-113 everyone is talking about, Leo is quick to shut him down. If Gideon hears that, he’ll shoot Mikey too.

But the boy just won’t shut up about CT-113. Especially after the traitor shoots Mikey in the leg and lets him live when he had every chance and reason to kill him. Leo orders Mikey to shut up.

The supply of food and credits have become unstable. There are times when Leo has to turn to old tricks and ease some credits out of the fancy people Gideon meets up with to discuss his ‘important work’. And create some fake requisitions for provisions. He doesn’t get caught. He never does. It’s not a nice thing to do, but it means that he, Kiergan and Mikey have something to eat, at least.

And while Hauroko keeps her promise, she eats with them during chow time at the base and hangs out with them whenever she can, she still seems too pleased with her new role for Leo’s taste. She could at least pretend that missing them would make her a little sad. He snubs her a little by telling her it’s no longer any of her business when she asks about the results of his blood tests, but that only makes him feel guilty and he offers her his dessert as an apology. She accepts.

Leo’s dread about things going wrong finally comes true when they land on Nevarro and invade the city. Gideon wants to reclaim something, something some Mando stole from him, and he’s keeping some Mandos hostage to flush the thief out. Leo and Kiergan run like crazy with the other Troopers as the Mandalorians emerge from below the city like angry beasts to kill them all. It’s insane. A Mando with a huge cannon almost shoots his head off!

Leo survives against all odds with a nervous laugh, but soon he’s not laughing any more. Shock, horror and endless grief crashes over him when he sees Mikey’s body lying on the ground.

Mikey’s dead. Moff Gideon claims that CT-113 shot him, but that’s not true. Gideon killed him. And nearly breaks Leo. He knows he’s living on borrowed time, has accepted that he’s a dead man walking, but Michael? Michael had his whole life ahead of him. Mikey was kind and funny and… Mikey deserved to live!

Leo doesn’t even get to properly grieve his friend before tragedy strikes once again, shortly after and once more it is by Gideon’s hand.

Haing Ningh comes running to their room and informs Leo and Kiergan that an injured Hauroko is being brought to the medical bay at that very moment. She had lost her entire squad on a failed mission and gotten injured herself.

They sprint down to see their friend.

Leo is still numb from losing Mikey and feels nothing but a deepening resignation when he learns that her squad had been brutally cut down by Gideon in a fit of rage and quick reflexes had saved Hauroko from joining them in the afterlife. She is left with a nasty cut running down her cheek and over the side of her mouth. An eternal reminder.

Not that she’s likely to forget. Leo and Kiergan has to persuade her to return to their old room once the doctors release her from the medical bay and they take turns in trying to comfort her when Hauroko wakes up screaming as her mind replays the sight of her squad being murdered whenever she falls asleep.

This is when they break. All three of them. They can’t take it any more. This is not what they signed up for. They have to get out before Gideon kills them all.

But how? Where can they go? They will be hunted by both sides. Who could possibly understand what they’ve been through and not judge them?

There is one. Maybe. It’s a wild shot, but at least it is better than waiting for Gideon to kill them.

And that is how they decide to go for Mikey’s crazy dream: they decide to find CT-113.

It’s not easy and they hesitate when they finally manage to track down some vague rumours about a Razor Crest currently parked near a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, but desperation drives them and they steal a ship to make a run for it. (Kiergan steals it and Leo guides the apathetic Hauroko on board. She’s a ghost of her former self.)

They, against all odds, find CT-113. He’s surprisingly pretty and extremely nervous, though he does not hesitate to draw his blaster on them to defend this little kid he’s holding, but Leo doesn’t get to study him too closely before they’d suddenly fighting for their lives against a flipping Hutt, a twi’lek and a Mandalorian. It’s the most interesting first-meeting Leo’s ever had with someone.

It had been a huge gamble to seek out CT-113, but it pays off when he agrees to help them. With a little encouragement from the Mando by his side.

Relief makes Leo feel just how exhausted he is when he sits by the camp fire late that night, Kiergan and Hauroko on either side of him, and he plays with the idea of what to do next now that he has the freedom to do whatever he wants before the cough kills him.

Leo moves his gaze over to the hammock strung up at the treeline and sees the twi'lek dangling a well-shaped leg from it. Zev’sonya, was it? From what he'd seen of her, she was hot, but unfortunately, he suspects she would rather slit his throat than go anywhere with him.

Also, her pet Hutt would probably eat his corpse.

Staring into the flames, hearing Din and Corin talking nearby, Leo thinks about Mikey. He should have been here. Maybe Michael would have been here if only Leo had listened to him from the start.

Leo shivers.

Feeling him shiver, Kiergan slides an arm around him and Hauroko silently braids her fingers with his. Michael is gone, but they are still here. They had found Corin and just like Mikey had predicted, he is going to help them find their freedom too. Yeah, Michael would have loved this.

They name their little defector squad after him.

But the Hutt does not eat Leo. Turns out Mose is awesome, actually, and he becomes Leo’s new best friend. Which is a good thing because Leo grows more and more fascinated by the defensive and incredibly gorgeous Zev’sonya.

She’s not like anyone he’s ever met before. Leo is completely enthralled. He might have been scared away by the sneers she sends Leo’s way if not for the softness he sees in her eyes when she speaks to her friend. Her anger is clearly her protecting herself from others. There is hurt under that layer of rage. He can relate to that.

Leo has had his share of girlfriends, he’s not going to deny that, but this one? Zev’sonya? She’s special. And he’s going to win her heart because she already has his.

#the mandalorian his son and the storm trooper #Leo aka Leave-it #Kiergan #Hauroko #The Ducklings #Background story time #the one shots start coming and they don't stop coming #this turned out five times longer than planned and I still edited out like thirty percent #don't look at me #T-T

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