#lots of feels over dogma and rex and echo and the similarities and differences between the three of them

[lifeofclonewars]

Watched Umbara in one sitting because I felt like it today. Remembered why I normally do this with a purpose behind it

[icouldntfinditsoiwroteit]

Clones love being petted

Clones love being petted, if it is a close brother or someone they trust like their Jedi who just starts petting them in the head, they will melt and if they start to play with their hair in case of long hair or massaging their scalp, if they could they would purr or can they?

Sooooo.......

Clones and their preferences in pets

GO!!

Group petting sessions only happen after a bad missions or after the first mission of a new batch of shinnies.

But they are very common between batchmates, couples or in the case of being the last member of their batch, another group of troopers who are the same kind of adopts them.

The 501

Would they let Anakin pet them? Some, mostly the veterans and in some cases the shinnies.

What about Ashoka? Similar to Anakin but Shinnies are actually more hesitant with her.

Rex: He doesn't let anyone pet him since he is the Captain of the 501 legion and needs to work and can't lose time with petting sessions, but when Anakin suddenly "petted" (it was more like ruffling his hair gently since he had been in the medbay after a bad mission) him he does "subtle" things to earn another pets but he mostly gets pats the in the shoulder or just a grateful smile, he doesn't dislike it but he doesn't want to receive a pat, he wants pets.

When Cody found out he teased him for weeks, since when he did get another pet it was in front of Cody, Cody and his batchmates are the only others who cant pet him.

Fives: When Domino squad wasn't on the best of terms, he would let almost any brother pet him, this was mostly to spite his batchmate since petting is something most clones only let other clones who they trust do and he knew that he had really fluffy hair that his batchmates also loved to pet.

While they are on the Rishi moon outpost he started to let them pet him again and vice versa.

When he and Echo enter the 501 legion only Echo could pet him since he could not bare the thought of letting anyone else but his last batchmate do it, after he loses Echo only Tup could pet him in the rare occasions that Fives would let him, after Tup died there wasn't any actual opportunity to receive any kind of pet, but, if there had been, he wouldn't have let anyone else pet him again.

Echo: When Domino squad wasn't on the best of terms, Echo unlike Fives wouldn't let anyone actually give him any kind of pets, but on the Rishi moon outpost he was one of the first ones of the squad to offer to pet any of them, Hevy was the second by letting Echo pet him and vice versa.

After joining the 501 legion he would also only let Fives pet him, but later he let Kix pet him from time to time after growing closer.

After being rescued from the Tech union, he didn't let anyone actually pet him or touch him in any way since he had become uncomfortable with any type of physical touch, when he was having a panic attack, Wrecker used Lula to pet him, this helped him trough the panic attack and later to become more familiar and comfortable to physical touch, he later was mostly comfortable with Wrecker petting him and later with Omega.

Tup: He didn't like being petted that much since it would tangle his hair, although he was open to pats by most brothers.

Dogma and Fives where the only ones who he would let pet him and Fives would sometimes times, help comb his hair, specially Dogma who liked to comb his hair after every mission, when Dogma is taken away Tup stopped letting Fives comb his hair, not because of resentment but because it was his way of mourning Dogma.

Dogma: He to the distress of other brothers had one of the fluffiest hairs in the galaxy but he hated when someone messed up his hair, only in the night cycle would he let Tup pet him, although this stopped completely during Umbara and obviously after it. But after Dogma killed Krell and they waited for the republic to reach them Tup snuck into his cell and offered comfort with pets.

Jesse: Due to being bald he didn't receive as many pets as other brothers, but he still loved receiving scalp massages by any brother, although he enjoyed them the most when it was Kix, Fives or Hardcase.

Kix: He likes being petted by Jesse but being the medic of the 501 legion he doesn't have as much time as others, but he will also let a sick brother pet him to comfort them or he will pet them.

Appo: This man is a big softie and one of the pickiest clones out there, he wants his pets in a exact way, if it's to harsh he'll tell the brother to do it gentler, same if it is to gentle, any brother who pets him always waits for his instruction, this is to prevent any trouble and to help him fall asleep, since Appo is a insomniac.

Ashoka and Anakin: At some point in the war they had become the designated petters for the clones, why? For some reason their pets where the best, not even the clones could explain why (good vibes=good pets). Some clones also really liked Anakin's mechanic arm since it was cool to the touch and some liked that. Ashoka being a carnivore species, naturally had long nails so many where fans of long nails. They both share the fifth place as the best petters in the GAR.

212:

Cody: He doesn't let ANYONE pet him, he is the marshal commander, he can't waste time with such childish things, he can't lose any time in such silly things............

The 212 alongside Obi Wan can pet him whenever they want, they will also pet him to make him sleep for at least four hours, his batchmates also do this since Cody is weak when it comes to pets, he will literally melt at any touch of that kind.

Waxer: He personally doesn't like being petted that much, but he loves giving pets to anyone who need them, he also likes to pet Boil out of the blue.

Boil: He LOVES pets, he doesn't know why, he just loves them. Unfortunately Waxer uses this against him by petting him out of nowhere, no matter how much he wants to take his hand away he just ends up leaning into the touch.

Obi Wan: This bastard will use the power of pets to make most of his men sleep or at least rest, being a total hypocrite at the same time, if they don't like being petted he will let them pet him since it seems his men are fans of his straight hair which is something different from the usual curly hair.

Wolfpack:

Wolffe: Over sized puppy.........that's it, he will act tough but he is like a puppy when someone pets him and god forbid they stop because he will either glare at them or use his puppy eyes, who knew he had them? May god have mercy on any brother who starts a petting session because they will be stuck in it for a good while, although Wolffe does prefer pets from Boost, Sinker, Comet, Fox, Plo Koon and Bly, he also likes petting Rex since it annoys him.

Boost: This man does NOT like pets, he will bite someone's arm off before that happens, the most he will allow is a small pat from Plo Koon, but surprisingly he gives some of the best pets in the entire GAR, he is ranked as the third best at giving pets, no one knows how, not even him.

Sinker: He is very shy about pets, he does like a good petting session but only given by either Boost, Wolffe or Plo Koon, this has a lot to do due to him feeling incredibly vulnerable during the whole thing, this is why he only lets himself be vulnerable in private, although he will gladly give a petting session to any brother who needs it.

Comet: He is basically the stressball of the whole Wolfpack, but in a good way, this way is that when any brother is stressed, they will pick him up and start petting him, this includes Plo Koon, although this has caused some sibling rivalry between him and the rest of the Wolfpack since Plo Koon give some of the best pets.

Plo Koon: He loves being able to give any sort of comfort to his men "sons", he has to admit that petting someone is very enjoyable and he is ranked as the sixth best at giving pets in the GAR.

Lighting squad:

Ponds: He is honestly the most cat like from all the clones, some days he will hiss at any kind of touch and other days he will sit besides any brother and put their hand on top of his head as a way of demanding pets, he does this with the shinnies the most, since it helps build trust and it can distract or comfort them after a bad mission.

Mace Windu: May the force bless this man, Lighting squad has the highest number of clones with long hair, this is due to him being really good at tending to long hair from his experience with Depa, he ranks as the fourth best petter in the GAR.

Coruscant Guard:

Fox: He is a sucker for pets but the only way anyone can manage to pet him is for him to be exhausted, in the medbay, to blackmail him with a shinnies feelings or to be Wolffe, Bly and Ponds, those three always force him to relax, first with Ponds asking Fox for pets, later with Bly petting him without Fox even noticing and finally with Wolffe demanding for pets, since Ponds is one of Fox's youngest vod he can't say no.

Thorn: This man surprisingly isn't a big fan of pets, he feels that his hair is always greasy so he doesn't like people touching it but he is good a pets or at pulling stubborn brothers into petting sessions.

Hound: This man has permanent ownership of the position as the best petter in the entire GAR, this is due to his experience with mastiffs.

The Bad Batch(unlike in canon I'm making it so that they had a normal relationship with the regs, because fuck canon and Filoni):

Wrecker: This soft boi, he holds second place of the best petter in the GAR, not only does his size give him a bed shape for any vod who is being petted but he is surprisingly gentle and patient when it comes to petting someone, he really like being petted by Tech and Echo since they both have trouble when it comes to physical touch, so for them to be comfortable with him giving them pets or them petting him, it makes him extremely happy.

Hunter: He does NOT like receiving pets, this is mostly because it sort of overwhelms him so he sticks to petting his brothers, especially Crosshair who acts tough but actually likes Hunter's pets, this makes Hunter a proud ori'vod.

Tech: Just like Echo he is not a fan of physical touch but when he feels comfortable he will pet himself with Lula as a way to ask Wrecker for pets and sometimes from Hunter.

Crosshair: He is one of the most stubborn asses out there, he says he hates pets, but if Hunter manages to wrangle him into a petting session he literally melts, and he may or may not have liked it when Echo also petted him for a little while during one of this petting sessions.

[sisterofleatherfrog]

Thoughts after War Mantle/predictions for the end of the season and beyond.

So, that was excellent, and I’m happy that the tradition of especially pretty clone commanders continues! 

Okay, no big intro here, now that Hunter is with Crosshair, I have a few (lots  of, actually) thoughts. I’ve organized them under different categories for the sake of convenience.

-Rescue?-

-So, small fear, what if the team comes to rescue Hunter, but they leave Crosshair?

-Ouch, not ideal, but it has the potential to be very interesting. If he stays, what will be his role in the rise of the empire (or will he be rolled over like a bug in a wheel-rut by the machine of the Empire)? Will other people's predictions of him becoming one of the first Dark Troopers come true?

-Or maybe, since we saw Scorch this episode, he’s the clone that becomes a DT in order to emphasize War Mantle as one of the Empire’s operations as a tragedy. 

-But if they rescue Crosshair... 

-I imagine for any rescue Rex (maybe now Gregor too) is gonna help them, so they should be able to get the chip out.

-I get the feeling that if this is the case, maybe we’ll get a callback to that scene in ep. 1 between Cross and Omega where she’s telling him it’s not his fault.

-I feel like that scene from ep. 13 between Hunter and Omega: ‘“You forgive him?” “Of course.”’ will also tie into this. We may get a scene where Cross feels guilty and these two scenes come together in the Batch’s actions in order to show their forgiveness and create reconciliation? Does Cross understand they couldn’t come for him?

-I feel like he may also leave though because he’s angry and hurting at the Batch and himself. Maybe he becomes a bounty hunter or does work for the early rebellion and Echo goes with him?

-Echo-

-So there’s a clear division forming between him and Hunter due to leadership.

-I love Hunter, he’s a great dad, but I don’t think he knows what he wants/ what to do.

-He’s similar to Dogma in a way that he needs to be directed to a clear mission (he is more independent in his execution though). 

-I feel like at some point he will end up splitting from the Batch like people have been saying because their goals aren’t exactly aligned. 

-Or you know, Hunter will take a note from his book and they’ll become an even more cohesive unit, possibly joining the rebellion.

-Who am I kidding, they’ll all be involved in the early rebellion somehow.

-Hunter-

-I have concerns, considering he is Omega’s primary dad™.

-Much like with the Rescue on Ryloth episode, I’m having concerns about a traumatic death happening.I know this is everybody’s thing for every one of the more intense episodes, but what if to save Crosshair it takes his life? 

-What if he’s taken? What if, HE’S the one that’s taken by the Empire and twisted into a Dark Trooper (I mean that skull tattoo is a hell of a symbol, it’s like he’s already marked for death)?

-I imagine a scene where an older Omega encounters a DT and breaks part of it’s mask and we get a moment where she sees just enough of his face to recognise him. Like that one Ahsoka and Vader scene:

-But I also feel like it’s WAY too soon for something like that to happen though, so more likely I think we’ll finally get that dad-Hunter bear hug we’ve all been waiting for.

-Closing statements-

-I feel like the ending of the very first season will not be something traumatic like the end of the Clone Wars, firstly because we’ve literally just come off of that and because we still have to see where all the disparate story lines are going. What I think it will be important for us to see as an audience are: the rising Empire, the fate of the Storm Troopers, the early rebellion especially, maybe some surviving Jedi (?), and also (I feel VERY strongly) the underworld- thieves, smugglers, spys, mercenaries; we’re going to be seeing the changes in the galaxy from the POV of the underworld and backdoor dealings. We’ll be seeing how seemingly small things end up shaping things on all levels of the reforming power structures; I feel like all the boys and Omega will end up being right in the thick of it. 

-Or you know, Filoni could do something that comes right out of left field that none of us see coming, leaving our jaws and/or our hearts on the floor.

-A place I feel like we ARE seeing again is Kamino. With all the talk of it, Hunter’s promise that Omega isn’t going back there, and with the fate of the clones, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the space equivalent of Aran. Maybe that’s where they’ll bring Hunter after this episode? Probably. Definitely. Omega’s skill will definitely come in handy for extraction here (I can image Rex looking surprised/proud at this little tactician). Whatever happens, it will be intense and we’ll be on the edge of our seats. Maybe some of the theories that were floating around after Omega was kidnapped about the Kaminoans (Nala Se in particular) removing Crosshair’s chip in order to assure Omega’s protections will happen now? 👀

-On a final, final note, I’m not as familiar with things happening in the background of the galaxy right now and I’ve seen some people talking about Maul consolidating the gangs or something? Whatever about that, I feel like it’s more likely we’ll see him than Vader if we do end up seeing one of the big bads. Do any of y’all think we might see him, even if it’s not in the first season but at some time?

Okay, that was a lot and some of it was depressing, here’s a picture of a Silvery Blue that landed on me while weeding!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think and happy waiting for the last 2 episodes!

[ct-hardcase]

Clone Friendship Headcanons

Friendships within the 501st:

Jesse/Kix/Hardcase: Best of Buddies, would ride or die for each other, have known each other since the three of them joined the 501 as shinies, ultimate bros. Jesse and Kix were both devastated when Hardcase died, and Jesse was devastated when Kix disappeared. When Kix woke up, he often found himself missing both of them.

Harcase/Tup: Hardcase saw Tup’s ambition and started to do something that would be a mix between mentoring (if it were anyone but Hardcase) and being a friend, so Tup feels pretty close to him. Hardcase likes Tup a lot as well.

Jesse & Kix/Tup: They like him because Hardcase brought them around him, but they’re not as close to him as they were to Hardcase until after Umbara, when they became better friends with him, partly out of their shared experience, but also partly because Dogma and Hardcase are both gone and they figured he needed some companionship. Tup appreciates it and gets along well with the two of them after a while.

Tup/Dogma: They made friends when they first entered the battalion, and while Tup still likes Dogma alright, he’s starting to relax a little whereas Dogma has not heard of the word “relax” in his entire life, so the two try and pull each other in different directions. It’s because they care about the other.

Rex/Dogma: While their relationship definitely focuses more on the officer and subordinate aspect than Rex’s other friendships with the lower-ranked clones, Rex sees himself in Dogma’s difficulties and tries to help him adjust better. Dogma likes how Rex handles things and respects him.

Jesse & Kix & Hardcase/Rex: They always got on with him pretty alright, but as Jesse and Kix grew older and stayed in the battalion for two years, Rex got to know and like them, treating them less as subordinates (as he treated them during the first year or so they were in the war) and more as friends, especially when Jesse makes ARC rank and Kix gains more experience as a medic. They all make a significant effort to talk if they can all meet up later on in the war and talk about their various lives. These two are some of the only people Rex will gossip with aside from Cody.

Jesse/Fives: Good friends after Umbara, personalities got on well, Fives was the one that really helped Jesse get an in to the ARC program, they train together, and have an altogether good time.

Fives/Tup: Rose mostly out of the post-Umbara bond, Tup and Fives feel safe around each other. Jesse and Fives both watched Tup grow and train and get more confident and they’re so proud. Fives eventually starts seeing Tup for training and socializing more and as Tup gets his footing in the 501st, they gain a companionship.

Fives/Kix: Though they never got on as well as the others in their #squad, there’s still an implicit trust and friendship there, and Kix’s dry wit reminds Fives of Echo. Kix is happy that he gets to bounce his jokes off of someone who’ll respond positively who isn’t Jesse.

Fives/Echo: The best bros. Absolute ride or die. Could barely imagine their worlds without the other until they had to live it. They’d felt comfortable with one another from the beginning, pretty much since they joined Domino Squad, and they trusted each other with everything.

Echo/Jesse: Their friendship didn’t form as organically as the others, but Echo and Jesse heard that they had mutual friends in Fives and Rex, so Jesse feels morally obligated to talk to Echo because both of them are a little lonely. It forms slowly, but they grow to appreciate each other and learn that they share a similar sense of humor and a love for good stories. If they both make it to the rise of the Empire, they continue their friendship after that point.

212th:

Boil/Waxer: Ride or die, trust in each other completely and pretty much tell the other anything, bond over being overachievers and their ability to calm each other’s temperaments. This is someone else’s headcanon, but they make a great good cop/bad cop routine to introduce the shinies to the 212th. GAR’s most reluctant babysitters.

Cody/Boil & Waxer: He respects and trusts them, finds them good to talk to. They do a decent job of separating business from personal in terms of friendship, nobody accused Cody of favoritism when they got promoted because everyone saw how good Waxer and Boil were. Cody eventually becomes a lot closer to Boil as the war drags on, and Boil gets more responsibility/the 212th becomes more overworked/Kenobi’s plans get dumber.

Coruscant Guard:

Fox/Thorn/Stone/Thire: The Commanders are all good friends, often meet for drinks when they can, it’s a miracle if they can get more than two of them in one place at once, Thorn and Stone are the worst enablers for acting stupid, which happens more often then you think because they finally get to let their hair down (or not, in the case of Stone) after having to be entirely presentable and polite in front of civilians. Their salt-fests are absolutely on par with Cody and Wolffe’s, and they currently have a backlog of dirt on senators and representatives that the tabloids only dream of getting.

Everyone likes Sandwich Clone

Various Command Clones:

Rex/Wolffe: They’d consider each other friends, but not good friends. Will talk if they’re in the same vicinity, and they like working with each there in a militaristic context.

Rex/Cody: Ride or die, made friends during their initial training and haven’t separated since, really only became closer when they got assigned to their respective Generals, they’ve both seen each other at their absolute worst and have remained friends anyway. Both often talk to each other about their experiences, about what in the world is going on between Skywalker and Kenobi and why are they so cryptic, they complain, they laugh. They miss each other after the Republic falls, no matter the circumstances of their separation.

Rex/Bly: Good friends, will gladly interact if they’re in the area, will go out of their way to meet up if they’re on the same planet and doing so won’t disrupt everyone in the military.

Rex/Fox: They were never on the best terms to begin with, but after the incidents with Ahsoka and Fives, their relationship is especially strained. They’re both mature and don’t seek each other out for conflict. Notably, however, they do share a bond (as well as Wolffe) over their names being animal themed, and will agree with each other that everyone needs to shut the fuck up about it.

Rex/Gree: On chill terms. Acquaintances at their truest form. Will go out with mutual friends and maybe talk then. Gree thinks that Rex needs to chill a bit and Rex thinks that Gree is a bit pretentious but neither find the other actively annoying.

Gree/Monnk: The chillest friends, far less high-strung than most of their friends, Gree can let his metaphorical hair down around Monnk and appreciates it

Wolffe/Cody: Good friends, their salt-fests are legendary, Wolffe calms down a bit around Cody.

Wolffe/Fox: Good friends, not quite ride or die, but they met in training, it was a one in two chance that they either would become friends or hate each other, and they chose the former. Very set in their opinions and said opinions are similar, so they get on okay. Will not back down—they didn’t talk for a solid month while they were training because they had an argument.

Inter-Battalion/Other/Nonclone & Clone:

Hardcase/Waxer: I wrote a fanfic a while ago about them meeting while they were shinies, and I think that while they’d not actively try to keep it up, they’d say hi whenever the 212th and the 501st worked together and they were in those groups.

Most of the Coruscant Guard that’s worked with Senator Amidala can say that they like her and that she treats them with respect, talks to them, and is overall a good human being. It’s seen as an initiation if you guard Amidala and a mission goes wrong/she escalates the situation.

Rex is actually on pretty alright terms with Padme; she’s squeaked a conversation or two out of him, and he finds her a bit idealistic, but overall well-spoken and good to talk to. Padme finds Rex to be polite and more intelligent and awkward than he makes himself out to be.

Rex/Anakin: A rocky relationship in the beginning (they had a period where they didn’t speak save for work), but overall one that they find more comfort in after Ahsoka leaves and Rex loses Fives. Especially when Anakin starts being somewhat more considerate toward everyone else’s skills and lives in his battle plans.

Rex/Ahsoka: Becomes ride or die, they grow close and strong and their relationship barely suffers after having been separated for 20 years, they both feel protective over and so proud of the other, though the trust wasn’t immediately there, especially in the Rebels era, they trusted each other with so much.

Boil & Waxer/Numa: They liked the time they spent with her and miss her a lot. Boil sends a message to the Brils telling Numa that Waxer died. She was sad but keeps up a semi-regular correspondence with Boil after the fact. He appreciates it.

Cutup/Fives: The two liked each other well enough, and Cutup, at least outwardly, was willing to accept that Echo was Fives’ best friend.

Cody/Obi-Wan: A friendship is there, and while the two aren’t best friends and don’t trust each other with everything, both of them know that they don’t, so that makes it balanced. Obi-Wan is a good listening ear for Cody and Cody sometimes yells at his General to get some damn rest. They like having tea or stronger drinks together whenever time permits.

[charity-angel]

On Buns and Ovens (16/?)

[Part 1]   [Part 15]

[Read on AO3]

The med droid had provided Clovis with a comm unit, Ahsoka revealed over drinks, which had put him into direct contact with Dooku. The files that solidified the evidence against the heads of the Banking Clan had come directly from him.

Clovis submitted them to the Senate, and promptly got himself the sanctions he needed in order to become the new head of the Banking Clan.

“Which means I get a temporary change in employment,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve got a skillset that lends itself to being a freelance bodyguard, and Clovis has had bounty hunters after him for days now. We all know it was because they wanted to get him here with his evidence, but they don’t know that. Now he’s the head of the Banking Clan, he can play the ‘important person’ card and claim a bodyguard that he trusts. And I’ve technically got no ties to the GAR, the Jedi, or the Senate.”

“Except that you keep hanging around with vod’e, jetiise, and senators,” Jesse pointed out, snickering.

“Except all that, yeah. I’m off to Scipio tomorrow, with the 104th lurking nearby as backup.” She knocked back a mouthful of her drink before adding: “I’m pretty sure that Palpatine would notice Anakin’s absence at the moment, otherwise I’d love to have you along instead. The creepy little fuck couldn’t resist turning the screws a little tighter as soon as the session was over, asking him to keep watch on Clovis because neither of them trust him. At least Skyguy knows about all the messing now.”

She didn’t sound altogether confident on that count, and Kix had to agree with her. After all, Skywalker had said it himself: knowing that there were things wrong in his head and being able to do something about it were two completely different things. The second took a lot of hard work, and generally required outside assistance.

Not something Skywalker would be lacking, but he had to accept it first…

“We know too,” Rex assured her. “We’ll keep an eye on him.”

“And,” Jesse added darkly, “if things go wrong, we’ve got experience of mutinying against crazy Jedi.”

Kix smacked him around the back of the head. Rex looked relieved, probably because his gut response was more likely to be along the lines of punching Jesse in the face.

Umbara wasn’t not talked about, because that way lay madness. But they had lost far too much for anyone to joke about it. Even Jesse.

Not when Rex or their jetiise were around anyway: they all blamed themselves. Skywalker and Ahsoka blamed themselves because they weren’t there and they had trusted Krell to look after their men; Kenobi because he felt he should have noticed that something was wrong with the 501st (despite being busy trying to direct his own forces in a communications blackout); Rex blamed himself most of all because he knew something was wrong but didn’t see the full picture until it was too late. And because Dogma had taken the shot.

Ahsoka surprised them all by chuckling, although it was very much gallows humour. “I guess you do. Be nicer with him, though? He’s still my ori’vod, and he’s not being a di’kut on purpose.”

  .oOo.

  As it turned out, Ahsoka was wrong on one count. While they clearly couldn’t overtly take a whole battalion to Scipio, Senator Amidala was permitted an escort. And, while Palpatine insisted that she take at least one member of the Senate Guard with her, she was allowed three members from the 501st – clones she was familiar with – to accompany her.

Skywalker immediately assigned Rex, Jesse, and Kix. And, somehow…

“CT-7560 reporting for duty, ma’am.”

Amidala’s eyes flickered from the newcomer and his perfect salute to Rex. Some time ago, she had asked about fraternal relationships between clones, and they had explained the concept of birth-squads to her. And it looked like she had not only remembered that, but Rex’s ID number too, because she had clearly noticed the similarity and realised that this trooper would be known to Rex.

Kix knew there was a reason they all liked her so much.

“What’s your name, trooper?” she asked kindly. “And please feel free to remove your bucket.”

He was grinning as the helmet came off. “Thank you, ma’am. My name is Lingo and, if I may, it’s nice to see you looking well again. I was worried for a while.”

She gasped. “You’re the one! Kix mentioned that you contacted him.” She shook her head. “You’re the one to blame for the fact I’ve had him hovering over me for weeks.”

Lingo looked completely unrepentant. “I’d much rather have you in good health, ma’am, and there are much worse prices to pay for that than Kix’s bedside manner.”

Kix made a mental note that next time he ever had the opportunity to be responsible for Lingo’s care, he would really experience what Kix could offer in terms of bedside manners.

Amidala merely raised her eyebrows. “Indeed? Kix, it appears your vod’e do not bring out the best in you. Perhaps you need some better patients?”

He kind of wanted to kiss her for that, not only because she was defending him, but because it completely broke any ice with Lingo and brought him firmly into the fold of their little expedition.

“Perhaps I do,” he settled on instead, keeping his expression neutral, thoughtful. “Oh, to have patients who follow my advice instead of avoiding me, or trying to sneak out before they’re fit, or interpreting ‘light duties’ and ‘light exercise’ creatively.”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “Oh, to have a medic who looks after himself as well as his patients and doesn’t need sitting on so that he rests. Come on, let’s get going.”

Lingo was left blinking at that as he stowed his kit and they all took their seats for take-off. “I can’t decide,” he said softly to Rex, “whether the innuendo was intentional or not.”

Rex shook his head. “Normally with Jesse it would be, but on this occasion, no.”

Jesse, because of course he overheard, turned and grinned from the pilot’s seat. “Don’t be so sure, Rex – sometime the whim takes us that way.”

Kix groaned. “I’m so sorry, Senator. I swear he’s not all this crass all the time – he does know how to behave.”

She smiled. “I would honestly be more concerned if Jesse was. At least by being himself, I know that Lingo is aliit to you and will probably be a good fit for this mission.”

Lingo inclined his head by way of acknowledgement. “Thank you, ma’am. And it’s nice to be with vod’e who are a little less tightly wound than the Senate Guard for a change. I swear, being on Coruscant permanently does funny things to some brothers.”

Amidala, Force bless her, didn’t react in any way other than a slight frown. “Really?”

Lingo’s mouth did a funny little twitch as he nodded. “The best thing I can come up with is that it’s because we were raised for combat and we don’t really see any of that here. But…” He hesitated, looked at his hands as if they could give him the answers (once upon a time they would have held a datapad that probably could have, if not to this particular question). “I don’t know, ma’am. That’s how I rationalise it to myself, but something tells me that’s not right.”

“That’s troubling – I certainly wouldn’t want to think that by ensuring our safety, your brothers are being caused mental anguish. Can you tell me more?”

  .oOo.

  As Republic soldiers, none of them were allowed into the banking facility, but they were met on the landing pad by Clovis and Ahsoka, so at least there was one reliable set of eyes on their senator. Rex occupied them by making sure the arsenal they had packed into the shuttle was accessible and functional, and had them all on the alert for anything that might be even a whiff of Seppie activity.

The arrival of Senator Lawise caused a little consternation, but Senator Amidala had warned them to expect him. Just as she was representing the interests and approval of the Republic senate, Lawise would be there for the Confederacy.

The broadcast that interest on the Republic’s loans would be increased was unexpected, but not necessarily surprising – Rex quickly reasoned that this would be Clovis playing along with Dooku, each trying to reel in his catch. Kix felt that was a horribly public thing to announce for something that should have been a clandestine operation.

It was Lingo who spotted it on the sensors first:

“Here come our uninvited guests.”

Jesse barely had time to key the coded comm broadcasts to Amidala, Tano, and the 104th before the droids were on them, coming in hot. Rex grabbed Lingo and pulled him into cover behind Lawise’s ship while Kix went the opposite direction, behind a set of cargo containers. He prayed they didn’t contain fuel, otherwise he could be toast. Literally.

Jesse, on the other hand, got the ship into the air to meet them head on.

The landing pad was becoming littered with droid parts as the three of them took out the first few waves with a combination of sheer firepower and droid poppers. It left Kix glad they had planned for this, because anyone else probably would have been caught unawares.

“Hey, Lingo,” Jesse said cheerfully as he chased down an airborne vulture droid, “you still missing active combat?”

“I didn’t miss it!” Lingo protested, without losing his sight on the droid he promptly took out. “I was never cut out for all this crap!” He rolled a droid popper and disabled six more. “This is for insane people like you!”

“Looks to me like you’re doing just fine, vod,” Rex said, chuckling as he made headshot after headshot at a rate that their progenitor would have been proud of. “We’ll make an ARC of you yet.”

“But I like my job,” Lingo wailed as he continued shooting droids at a respectable rate. “I get to learn things, and I’m not completely insane.”

“Wish we’d introduced you to Echo,” Jesse commented, casually shooting down a bomber. “How many languages did he speak again?”

“Nine, I think,” Kix said. “And he was working on another two or three.”

The platform shook as something in flames collided with it, close by, and Rex cursed fluently for a few seconds.

“Lingo?” There was no point in asking Rex himself – he wouldn’t tell the truth.

“Right shoulder,” Lingo reported crisply. “Maybe a dislocation? He’s up and shooting tinnies with extreme prejudice, so he’ll probably be fine.”

Kix flicked a popper at a pair of Rollies before responding to that. “Remind me to tell you about the day he tried that with a sucking chest wound.”

“Which completely proves my point about ARCs being insane.”

“Yeah, but they make life more interesting,” a new voice cut in. Kix’s HUD identified it as CT-63-8521 of the 104th. “Speaking of interesting, care to share your fight?”

“Eris, I will blow you if you get some of these droids off my shebs,” Jesse promised unreservedly.

“Is that an open invitation to any pilot offering assistance?”

Kix was lucky he had battle instinct working in his favour, because otherwise that voice could have frozen him long enough for a droid to get an easy shot at him.

“Sir, as long as Kix agrees with me playing away from home, I am willing to try absolutely anything. I’ve heard dorin gas is pretty fun to play in.”

“TIME AND A PLACE, JESSE!” Rex roared, making Kix’s comm squeal in protest before dimming its audio output.

“Come on Rex, the general offered.”

“I know I said I’d let you try things out,” Kix said, “but I have to draw the line at autoerotic asphyxiation. But I wouldn’t say no to some assistance: these droids are relentless.”

A wing of grey-accented fighters, led by a blue-and-white striped Aethersprite, flew over his head shooting down enemy craft left, right and centre. Somewhat tragically, it was the Aethersprite that took on the two that were tailing Jesse’s craft.

  .oOo.

  Things settled pretty soon after that. The 104th didn’t put any men on the ground until the Scipian authorities gave them permission, but once that was granted they swept the surrounding areas for any surviving droids.

Kix confirmed Lingo’s initial diagnosis of a dislocated right shoulder for Rex, along with some significant bruising and reddening of the skin where his armour hadn’t quite stood up to the massive impact or the heat of the flames. He popped the shoulder back in slathered bacta over the minor burns, and tied it into a sling. (Rex glared, exasperated. Kix glared back. Kix won.) The armour wasn’t going back on, though – Rex needed a lot of new panels, and his bucket was significantly worse for wear.

Wolffe joined them and General Koon, and they were finally permitted to enter the bank. Apparently the Muuns wanted to take statements.

There wasn’t an awful lot to say: they had picked up the approach of the Seppies on their scanners only a scant few seconds before they had arrived, reported it to Senator Amidala, and the four of them had done their best to hold off the invading fleet.

Wolffe reported that Count Dooku’s flagship had turned tail once the battle was going badly. He sincerely looked like he had wanted to pursue and rip it to shreds.

The Muuns thanked them for their timely assistance, and for respecting their neutrality by not landing Republic forces without their consent.

Senator Lawise then informed them that the invasion had not been sanctioned by the Confederacy senate, and that Dooku was acting on no-one’s authority but his own. The Separatist Alliance respected the neutrality of the banks, and hoped that this incident by a rogue would not be held against them as a whole.

“As a gesture of our good faith,” he continued, his yellow eyes flickering around the assembled audience, “we will honour the promise Dooku made, and begin to repay the interest on our loans. It does not seem fair that we are being held to different terms than the Republic.”

Clovis inclined his head. “Thank you, Senator Lawise. I know you are a man of your word, and I would be very glad to return both loans to their original, fair terms.

“Senator Amidala, does that meet with your approval?”

She smiled graciously. “It does. Thank you, Director Clovis.”

  .oOo.

  Ahsoka was in the middle of explaining how Lawise had known about Dooku’s discussion with Clovis, and that Clovis had been open with the Muuns about the fact they were trying to flush out a conspiracy, when the news flashed through, announced by Chancellor Palpatine himself:

“The traitor ARC-5555, has been killed on Talchios IV.”

[brothers-all]

Vod’ika 17

Alright everyone, here we are. I'd just like to say that, I probably won't be accepting any more requests, because I have three more and I think after that I'll finish up this story? I'm not 100% sure yet, but at the moment, I am leaning on that. Might change my mind yet

Alrightly, this one is more on the light side, because the next one will be on the dark side (and no, I don't mean the Force) As always, read, review and enjoy~

In war, there isn't much time for relaxation. But when it does roll around, everyone makes the most of it. Be it just sleeping in, going to the city, visiting shops or anything in between.

"Ah, back on Coruscant!" Ahsoka stretched her arms over her head as she walked down the ramp and onto the platform.

"We'll probably leave soon, so better enjoy it," Echo added, following close behind.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be such a killjoy!" Fives lightly nudged him, rolling his eyes.

"What are we supposed to do? Rex said we're free while we're here," Jesse looked around, taking in the busy city.

"Hey, why don't you go grab some of the others and we can go have a 'vode night out'?" Ahsoka grinned at them as the boys shared a look.

"You mean… shopping?"

"Well, it'd be part of it. We'd go sightseeing, get a massage and maybe a movie. I don't know, just hang out and all."

"Sure, sounds like fun! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Kix, have you seen Ahsoka, Fives, Hardcase… Any of them?" Rex asked, looking around the empty hanger. The medic stayed behind because the damned workaholic needed to make sure they had enough of everything.

"I think they got a bunch of others and went into the city. Not 79's, but the city," Kix looked up, not sounding particularly worried about any of it.

"…I got a bad feeling about this…"

"How do I look?" Oz left the changing room, a smile on his face. He wore a gray suit, fitted with a tie and shiny boots.

"Different," Ahsoka was trying hard not to laugh.

"Meh," Jesse shrugged, arms folded.

"Like a secret agent or something," Hardcase grinned, sitting next to the Padawan.

"What about me?" Fives left the other room, one hand behind his head and the other on his hip. He only had a pair of short swimming shorts on.

At that, Ahsoka snorted and covered her face, trying to contain her laughter. Hardcase gave a thumbs up and Jesse shook his head.

"This is actually pretty nice," Kano walked over, wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie.

"And these are so much more comfortable!" Tup added, having taken on a blue T-shirt, some sweatpants and a bandana for his hair.

"I have to agree on that," Dogma smiled besides the rookie. He himself had a sweater, baggy pants and flip-flops. Everyone was surprised he joined, but happily accepted him.

"You all look so casual. Never seen you like that before," the Jedi was really glad they all decided to join her. It was relaxing, for all of them. And they get to buy anything they like, since they'll be wandering all around later.

"Make way!" Echo did a little spin as he stepped forward, wearing a deep blue dress, reaching to the ground.

"You're blazing!" Tano smiled, clapping her hands.

"Aw, you chose our color!" Jesse put a hand on his chest.

"Do they have that one in my size?" Hardcase asked in awe.

"We're all the same size," Kano shook his head and laughed.

"Commander, your turn," Tup turned to the Padawan who looked boggled before the others agreed.

"Okay, okay, fine! But we're all taking a picture together then."

Ahsoka actually took a similar outfit to Oz's, only her suit was black, had a trench coat and high boots. Fives tossed her a fancy hat and Jesse gave her some sunglasses. Hardcase found a baggy, colorful shirt and short pants, putting on a sun hat. Jesse on the other hand, settled for a jacket, a T-shirt and tight jeans.

When everyone was dressed, they naturally laughed first, before settling together in a small group. They managed to get the cashier to take a group photo, each one making a stupid face. When they finished, each one decided to actually buy the outfit they had – who knows, maybe they'll have another chance to wear it. Though Hardcase, Echo and Fives each took another, more common outfit as well, since their previous one wouldn't be all that comfortable for the traveling they were about to do.

Next up was the spa. They got a few funny looks, since they were clones, but none of them cared as they readied themselves. Hardcase, Jesse and Ahsoka all went for the massage, beyond happy to have their muscles relaxed. Fives, Echo, Tup and Dogma went for the mud bath, amazed at how soft their skin could be. Kano and Oz took to the sauna, taking deep and steady breathes of the hot air. They all eventually changed places, so each one got to try all of what the spa had to offer. It was fun, relaxing and the boys said they'd love to come again. Or at least get something like this on the Resolute.

Then they went for some food. They joked about going to a restaurant, but in the end settled for some one of those fast-food stands. There was a lot to choose from and the merchant was surprisingly kind and patient. Clearly knew these men have only heard or seen this kind of food and weren't sure what it really was.

After a few minutes, they finally settled on different things. That way, they'd all get to try everything. Echo and Kano picked some of the spicy things, and though Dogma was temped he followed suit with Tup and ordered something sweet. Fives, Jesse and Hardcase were almost drooling over a really nice looking desert, and each took one. Ahsoka actually settled for one of the salty dishes, just because she hasn't tried it before.

The merchant said that, since they bought so much and knew they probably never had it before, gave them a medium bucket of ice cream as a bonus. His payment was probably the excited and delightful expressions of the clones, and later, the groans as they got brain freeze. All in all, no one could complain about it.

And for the last thing, they went to a movie. There were a few to pick from, and each one had a different idea, but in the end, they went with Dogma's. He was the only one to suggest one called 'Rising Sun'. When they saw what it was a bout – a man who survived a war and returned home to his family, but had to deal with how the war changed him – they really couldn't suggest anything else. Ahsoka, for a few seconds there, sensed a certain sadness and sorrow coming from her brothers, and went to get some snacks. She just hoped this movie wouldn't ruin their day…

By the end of the movie, Hardcase, Dogma, Oz and Tup were all crying. The man had survived so much, even with his post-traumatic stress disorder, his family loved him no matter what, but he died when he tried to stop a robbery. The thug had something which, to the man, seemed like a bomb, and while he was distracted, got shot.

"That was something alright…" Fives said as they left the theater, voice low.

"And the song at the end… 'Brave soldier boy, comes marching home…' Damn," Jesse ran a hand over his head.

"Nice pick Dogma," Kano patted the man on the shoulder, who was still distressed.

"I hope it didn't ruin the fun…"

"Don't worry about it – it didn't," Echo assured, giving a smile.

"We should probably head back to the ship… It's getting late," Ahsoka suggested as the others nodded.

"I see you're all still in one piece," Rex was the first person to greet them as they returned to the Resolute. "And you were busy," he nodded at the bags they carried.

"Need to make the most of it, right?" Fives shrugged, giving a grin.

"What did you do the whole time we were here?" Jesse asked, seeing the man was still in his armor and had all his gear on.

"…I was around. Went to visit some old friends," the Captain answered, though his tone had taken on a quieter tone.

"As long as you're not working on off duty sir," Hardcase smiled, bag over his shoulder.

"Where's Skyguy?" Ahsoka asked, not sensing her Master anywhere near.

"The General went to visit Senator Amidala," and that was all any of them needed to hear. It's common knowledge already that Skywalker and Amidala had something going on between them, they just all pretended not to know.

"There's still some time left – anyone want to play Sabaac?" Echo suggested, seeing the others shared a look. "Captain, would you like to join?"

"I don't know, you ready to lose all the stuff you bought today?" Rex smirked, arms crossed as everyone have him shocked look, yet were laughing.

"The Captain just gave a challenge," Tup mumbled, unable to stop smiling.

"Now that is something I'd love to see," even Dogma was excited.

"Rex, c'mon, go easy on us," Kano knew the man was a demon at this game.

"Honestly, I love what I got – I don't want to lose it," Oz grabbed his bag a bit tighter.

"Don't be a bunch of shinies now. It's just a friendly game. Who knows, we might even get Kix to join in."

Cut! Okay, fun and sweet, right? Because they deserve it!  Anyway, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! If you fancy, leave a review - I'd love to hear what you thought! Till next time~