#melusar

[stuffedeggplants]

This is from 501st after Ordo & Co. eavesdrop on Melusar inviting Darman and Niner to some lightly treasonous activities: 

Is this Ordo picking up similarities between Melusar and Skirata here? Because on the surface it looks like he’s just talking about Melusar’s hatred of force users, but it also  m i g h t  be deeper than that and some kind of recognition of similarities in their personalities and how they approach building the relationships they want with people, the force of charisma they have with their circle, etc.  

I thought about this for all of two minutes and would very much like to hear thoughts on this topic. 

[archeo-starwars]

"But it's about doing the job, Sergeant." Melusar said. "It's about being a professional. And you're still here when others aren't." Only a civvie would have thought of Order 66 in simple terms of either unflinching loyalty or cruel betrayal. It was neither. It was complicated. It was the sort of complicated you could only truly grasp if you were standing there with a rifle in your hands, if all your buddies were dead, if you understood exactly why orders weren't optional. And it was the sort of complicated you just didn't have time to debate and second-guess in the middle of a crisis. That was why you drilled. That was why you had orders. It was to make sure situations - and soldiers - didn't fall apart when things got tough.

Imperial Commando: 501st

[kungfuslipper]

All Our Demons

For Repcomm week, day 2: Casualty

Niner / Darman

angst / handjob / character death / suicide / dubcon

Mature, 18+, explicit sexual content

Niner, Darman, Rede, Ennen, (mentioned) Bry, (mentioned) Roly Melusar

Text exchange between IC-1109 Niner and IC-1136 Darman, approximately 2200 on the day of IC-4447 Ennen’s death:

IC-1109: Come back in one piece, will you?

IC-1136: fff Niner nu draar. Im leaving somethingg here.

IC-1109: are you drunk, mir’sheb?

IC-1136: I alrrady left sth here

IC-1109: what are you on about?

IC-1136: Joint op.. Quibbuus. Theres aroom I cant forget about.

IC-1109: … that’s a different place.

IC-1136: same place in my shabla heaD.

IC-1109: come back and tell me about it.

IC-1136: fevkin Ennen,,, vodd.d What a shabla dikut. I ccclda done th sAME THING.

IC-1109: you didn’t.

IC-1136: i hd you.]

...

“Sir, I apologize for what I’m about to say. IC-4447 is dead.”

Roly Melusar did not react. Niner may as well have said he’d submitted his squad’s annual performance evaluations. “How did he die?”

Melusar looked right at Niner, holding eye contact for a moment that ticked by too slowly. His tone was even, but Niner suspected the question was rhetorical.

“Suicide. We … we found him. He’s been examined by medical and taken to the morgue. You’ll have the police report in a couple of hours.” 

Niner had never had to report a squadmate’s death before, but there was a first time for everything. Blaster bolt to the temple. His own weapon. We were just outside when it happened — Dar was inside the ‘fresher. 

Yes, you can ask him. Dar, the MPs need to take your account. No, we didn’t touch anything. 

Melusar rose from where he sat behind his desk. He leaned over the polished surface, supporting his weight on his fingertips. He nodded once, then walked around the desk. “How’s Forty taking it?”

The new squad name went in one ear and out the other. Niner had gotten used to Omega, and he'd get used to Forty, too. 

But he wouldn't get used to the absence of Fi and Atin.

Darman wasn’t taking Ennen's loss well. He’d disappeared off base by himself. He'd always been the type to process things alone, but still, for a commando, isolation wasn't a good sign. 

Rede seemed shocked. Niner could only hope he'd eventually adapt to this tragedy as well as he had to everything else he'd been put through so far. 

“Hard, sir. But we’ll handle it.”

“You always do. Take the next couple of days to yourselves. Don’t worry about the details for now … we’ll find a replacement when you’re ready.”

Niner had come to expect fairness and genuine support from their commander, but all the warm words in the world didn’t make the situation any easier. He felt hollow and robotic. “Thank you, Sir. One other request – Ennen was Corellian. He would have wanted a cremation.”

“Yes of course. Once I receive the formal report we’ll proceed with those arrangements. That won’t be the end of it, unfortunately. We’ll have to endure an investigation – don’t take it personally. Investigation is routine when something like this happens."

The only thing Niner had ever taken personally was his squad’s welfare and performance. He took a breath and clenched his jaw tightly.

"I don’t have to tell you to keep your squad within recall distance.”

“No Sir.”  

“Take care of yourselves, Sergeant. I’ll contact you when I have an update."

Niner saluted, about-faced, and strode out of the office. He’d find Rede and they’d walk the base, kicking up dust and pretending to be doing something other than trying to forget about Ennen.

…

Laundry. Rede stared at Ennen’s pile of hand-me-downs — worn blacks, fatigues, a few civvie shirts and pants. “What will happen to them?” Rede asked suddenly, toeing a red T-shirt. Rede hadn’t been through this before – the coming home to a barracks room and finding nothing but items which had nowhere to belong. Or the rote solemnity of tasks performed to force the emptiness into a structure. Filling the time so you’d make it to tomorrow. Senior leadership misunderstood how soldiers worked, Niner thought. All free time ever did was remind you where you’d gone wrong. 

If they’d been a regular infantry unit, service droids would have cleaned up all evidence that Ennen had ever existed. But commando squads took care of their own – increased autonomy meant self sufficiency. Not a steep price to pay when it meant you could hold on to those you’d lost.

They divided up Ennen’s clothing between them wordlessly. Rede took the civvies and folded them, lingering reverently over his footlocker as if the precision of the folds would make things right. Maybe they wouldn’t, but Rede would have his first pair of civvies out of it. There were plenty more jarring things than seeing a vod in a dead man’s clothes, Niner told himself. That’s how things were done in the squads.

Niner took Ennen’s fatigues for himself and left the backup bodysuit on Darman’s bunk. Dar needed a new one, but superstition dictated wearing your first one until it became more of a hazard to wear it than replace it. Dar's blacks were Bry’s old pair.

Niner rubbed his forehead wearily and beckoned Rede out the door. “That’s sorted. Let’s eat.”

The sun was setting behind the spacescrapers, casting a forest of cool shadows over Core Square. It had been a hot day. The ferrocrete blacktop had begun to release its absorbed sunlight, warming their boots as they walked, like shadows themselves in dark imperial armor. The katarn, an effective insulator, kept them cool enough, and their bodysuits did an adequate job of adapting to body temperature. Niner could feel his sweat being wicked away even as his brow furrowed in worry over Darman’s radio silence. He focused on Rede’s profile as they walked. Under his bucket, Niner knew Rede’s face still looked smooth and youthful. His eyes, normally expressive, sat high and deep under his brow bone. No eye bags, no lines yet, no gray hair. Age would come for Rede, too, but Niner had somehow hoped that he would be spared just a few months longer.

The few years between Rede and the older commandos were enough that Niner noticed. Seeing Rede was like seeing himself as he thought he was, and then realizing he was not that younger man anymore. A few years did a lot to a clone – some of it visible, but most of it not. 

…

Lights out had come and gone, and Darman stumbled into the bedroom, a darker shape in a dark room, briefly illuminated by light filtering in from the hallway. He blundered into the bunk he shared with Niner and put one foot on the ladder’s middle rung. Niner, up to his chin in covers, reached out and grabbed his calf. “Hey. Down here. Rede’s up top.”

“Whaa?”

“I offered,” Niner explained in a hoarse whisper.

“‘Course,” Darman agreed, but he groaned, unstuck his foot from the ladder, and crawled heavily onto the narrow mattress next to Niner, still booted and clothed. Niner turned towards the wall, taking up as little space as possible. “Sorry.” 

He didn’t mind that Darman had to scoot in close to him, or that he rested his hot forehead between Niner’s shoulder blades, huffing as he settled down. Rede snored above them, a loud rattle that drowned out background sounds of sky traffic and the laundry room down the hall. They could have an entire conversation without him hearing.

“Oh fuu, m’ clothes,'' Dar slurred suddenly, and Niner caught a whiff of beer on his breath. Darman sat up, thunking his head on the bunk above. Rede snored on, undisturbed, and Darman continued thrashing and huffing as he tried to pull his shirt off.

“Help me, vod’ika.”

Niner reached blindly for his brother, bumping into bare skin and grabbing onto what he realized was Darman’s back. He slid his hand up, wiggling his fingers experimentally where the edge of Darman’s shirt cut into skin. It had gotten stuck around his lats. “How did you stuff yourself into this?” He asked helpfully.

Darman sighed. “It fit fine earlier. Just get it off me.”

The CSF Social Club, known for its loaded fries, had obviously bloated him on both sodium and booze. 

Niner had to roll over and straddle him from the front, edging his fingers in deeper, before he finally worked Darman’s shirt up and over his head.

“Di’kut,” Niner murmured, pushing him back down onto the bed. He rolled off Darman's lap and settled onto his side again, feeling better about everything with Darman close. He closed his eyes, intent on falling asleep. Dar's chest rose and fell against his back, but he kept moving and twitching, bumping Niner’s legs with his knees.

Niner sighed patiently and focused on the sound of Rede’s snoring. He was interrupted again a moment later by a metallic jingle right behind him. It had to be Darman’s belt buckle. Niner turned, waiting for his eyes to re-adjust to the dark again. He could just make out Darman’s hands fumbling with his belt and then with something else between his legs. “What. What are you doing?”

Dar hissed in frustration, palming himself, yanking on his pants. “Gotta take care of this.” 

This turned out to be his half-hard cock, which was nestled in his open fly. Niner watched, frozen, as his hand dipped into his pants and moved up and down a few times. Then Darman stopped, his face turned toward Niner’s in the dark. Niner swallowed. A brother taking care of himself in the same room wasn’t unusual, but Omega Squad had always given their sergeant a respectful amount of distance when it happened.

Darman seemed to have forgotten this unspoken etiquette, or maybe their relationship had evolved enough that he felt it no longer applied. “Could you … could I – I mean –” he stuttered, face tipped toward his dick, which peeked out of his fist. 

Niner’s mouth dropped open. He probably misses Etain, and I’m the best he’s got. “I don’t think –”

“Fine. Forget I asked.”

Darman sounded tired now, and resolute, and vulnerable in a way Niner had not heard since before …

“You want … me?” As soon as the words left his lips, Niner’s chest began to pound. He’d never been propositioned before. He couldn’t even say where Darman would fall on a list of possible partners, because he didn’t think he had a list. Everyone he met was more or less the same to him – just people, and they all had a job to do. 

“Your hand, maybe?” 

This wasn’t part of the job. Or at least it hadn’t been until now. 

“I don’t know, Dar,” he said, as gently as he could. “I’m probably not the best person to ask.” 

Darman growled, frustrated, and his hand snapped up and down, as if he were trying to yank the stiffness out of his erection. Then he lay down on his side behind Niner, his forehead warm and solid against his back again. Niner sighed. Darman hadn’t pulled his pants back up, which meant the door of opportunity was still open, and all he could think about now was how Dar was lying there behind him with an abandoned boner. 

Niner didn’t know what to do. “I’ll sleep on the floor,” he muttered. He grabbed a blanket, rolling onto his elbow to sit up.

“Lay down,” Darman snapped in a loud whisper. “‘M not that drunk anymore. I know what I’m doing.”

Niner wasn’t convinced. It was difficult to tell which Darman he was dealing with. Was this grieving Dar or couldn’t-care-less Dar? But Niner lay down again, for reasons beyond rationality. They breathed quietly for a minute, each with his own thoughts, and then Niner felt Darman shuffle closer and rock into his backside. He was still hard. And his hand pinned Niner’s hip firmly against his own.

“Udesi, vod,” Niner bit out, but a little shiver crawled up his spine. Something was happening. Maybe he’d never had a list before because no one had ever come quite this close. And Darman wasn’t anyone. He wasn’t just one of his brothers anymore – or even just one of his closest brothers. After Shinarcan Bridge something had changed. The playing field had leveled out in a way that made him want to respond to Dar’s insistent advances. 

Niner reached back, not knowing exactly what he meant to do, and found Darman’s head. He pulled Dar in close, turning to face him, caught by the need to keep him where he was.

“Let go of me, then,” Darman breathed, fanning Niner’s neck with warm air. 

Niner didn’t move.

“You want this, don’t you.”

Niner shuddered, and Darman felt it, because he relaxed, face buried in Niner’s neck. “Please.”

Of all the days, of all the times, Dar.

Darman’s lips on his neck made everything feel fuzzy. He didn't want to let go. So he held on, folding Darman close, breathing deeply against him. Warm little curls of desire unwound as Darman's hips arched into him again, and before he knew it he was letting Darman hump his thigh, and then his open hand; all he had to do was close his fingers.

He had his vod’s cock in his hand on the same day he’d lost another one to his own demons.

All our demons.

Dar’s gentle huffing noises turned tight and desperate as Niner worked him. Then they went ragged and wet with tears as he came, effortlessly, into Niner’s hand. 

Rede hadn’t stopped snoring. Vor entye Manda. He’d seen enough for one day.

Darman drifted off to sleep, and Niner didn’t move for the fresher until he was sure he wouldn’t wake.

@officialrepcomm

[cienie-isengardu]

My RepCom Musing HC vs. TZ [2]??

I’m still trying figure out the differences between Hard Contact and Triple Zero. This time let’s talk about Atin’s hate toward Vau.

It makes sense that in Hard Contact whatever bad stuff went between Atin and his training sergeant, he would rather keep it to himself than share with just-met commandos who were from a totally different (foreign) batch.  As Sev said in Triple Zero, “disagreements stay inside the company” and Atin most likely followed that rule too, at least during the course of the first book. Yet, the first time reading the Hard Contact - and now, rereading the passages I need - there is not much feeling of bad blood between Atin and Vau?

Like, yeah, Atin was closed off then and at first talked about safe things, like the equipment and technology, something he actually enjoyed (and according to Republic Commando Prima Guide, technology was Vau’s obsession shared with Fixer, another tech expert in his respective squad) and it took some time before he warmed up to his new squadmates to joke with them and share stories.

Atin could be just so collected and all, but let me remind that he, like all Vau’s commandos, was pretty confrontational man, even against the potentially stronger opponents (True Colors especially points that out when Omega worked with A’den and it apparently happened more times before, Triple Zero mentions that during training on Kamino having to choose fight against brother or Vau he went against the more experienced and dangerous sergeant and even during Hard Contact, Atin clashed from time to time with other squad members). Triple Zero says that Atin promised himself to kill Vau right after he got out of the bacta tank, so during Hard Contact that promise should be pretty fresh in his mind (unless it was a different beating? I’m a bit confused about that too, as it seems to be two unrelated events? Scar after Geonosis, fighting against armed with sword Vau on Kamino?), which is why it is hard for me to wrap my mind, from where comes the loyalty and calmness toward Walon in the first book when in Triple Zero, one year after Geonosis, the mere mention of the former sergeant was setting him in the wrong way.

 I understand that idea of Vau coming back could be the root of such change but in Hard Contact Atin would need to be freshly after receiving the beating (scar) that happened right away after Geonosis and he officially joined his new squad three months after said battle which time in stasis tube and apparently kept under medic observation, as he needed to argue to be let out on mission, as was mentione in the book itself:

"RC-three-two-two-two, sir," he said. "Apologies for keeping you, sir. The medics didn't want to discharge me."

    No wonder: there was a stripe of raw flesh across his face that started just under his right eye, ran clean across his mouth, and finally ended at the left side of his jaw. He certainly didn't look like any of the other clones now. Darman wondered what level of persuasion it had taken to get the medical staff to skip a course of bacta.

As was said in Imperial Commando: 501st, members of Omega Squad were put in stasis when they got back from Geonosis and revived three months into the war.

"We weren't conscious at the time, sir," Niner said.

Melusar looked up from the holochart. He was moving virtual markers around with a stylus, each green point of light representing the last known whereabouts of an escaped Jedi. The green lights were dwindling in number.

"Sorry?"

"We were put in stasis when we got back from Geonosis, then revived three months into the war," Niner said. "So we didn't see much of Camas. General Zey was our CO for most of the time." And there was something he had to add, because Melusar's observation didn't make sense unless he was stupid-which he clearly wasn't-or trying to entrap them. "Most troops had to take out their own Jedi officers, so it was no harder for us than it was for them. Easier, actually, sir. Camas was firing at us."

In Hard Contact, Darman’s POV also makes it clear he was kept in stasis (there is no information about him between the day(?) after Battle of Geonosis and this current moment, so there is no reason to doubt he was kept in that state  for the whole three months):

Secure briefing room, Fleet Support, Ord Mantell, three standard months after Geonosis 

    Fleet Support Base hadn't been built to accommodate tens of thousands of troops, and it showed. The briefing room was a cold store, and it still smelled of food and spices. Darman could see the loading rails that spanned the ceiling, but he kept his focus on the holoscreen in front of him. 

    It didn't feel so bad to be revived after stasis. He was still a commando. They hadn't reconditioned him. That meant-that meant he'd performed to expected standards at Geonosis. He'd done well. He felt positive.

(And from other sources like Republic comics series we know that ARCs were kept in stasis tubes by Kaminoans who feared the clones were too dangerous to let them walk freely. So it could also happen to commandos who still didn't belong to any squad)

If Atin was kept in a stasis tube like Darman, he would not have a proper time to process his trauma and hateful feelings toward Vau. What makes me wonder why HC!Atin does not match his TZ!version, when in the second book he already had a year to process what happened?

His mere reaction at mention of his former instructor and Fi’s additional insight:

"Yes. We'll keep you posted." Skirata glanced at Ordo as if he'd said something. "Atin, son, you know Vau's back, don't you?"

Atin paused for a second and then carried on tapping a probe on the entrails of a dismantled datapad. He nodded to himself. "Yes, Sarge. I noted that."

"You're coming back to Brigade HQ when we get you out of there, but you steer clear of him, okay? You hear me?"

Fi was riveted. Atin had never said a word about Vau, other than that he was hard, but his reactions were telling.

He didn't even look toward the holoimage. "I promise, Sarge. Don't worry."

"I'll be around to make sure, too."

Atin inhaled audibly, a sign that usually meant he was either exasperated or burying his anger. Fi thought better of asking which. [TZ]

makes me wonder how it supposedly fits HC text like this below since in fact Atin did tell the rest of Omega about Vau’s teaching without mentioning how hard was his instructor:

"Let's go with the dry rats for a change." Yes, Atin was definitely feeling better, and not just physically. "Who used to say that, then?"

"Uh?"

"The dry rations thing."

"Oh. Skirata. Our old instructor sergeant."

Atin took a bite out of the white cube and washed it down with a gulp of water from his bottle. "He never trained us. Heard a lot about him."

"Trained Fi and Darman, too. Our squads were all in the same battalion."

"We had Walon Vau."

"That explains where you get your cheery outlook."

"Sergeant Vau taught us the importance of planning for the worst scenario," Atin said, all loyalty. "And maximizing your tech. Being hard is good, being hard with superior tech is better."

Maybe it is just me, but HC!Atin doesn’t seem to have any special grudge toward Vau and is “all loyalty” and again, if he was kept in statis tubes for three months, there was little to no time to process such strong negative feelings at all and there is like zero implication of the conflict (and the scar was freshly matter) while we know Atin himself is very confrontional type of person.

Also, I still didn’t figure out how Atin’s medic records work as Vau supposedly hurt him right after the commando come back from battle, but his scar wasn’t fully healed and Atin needed to argue with medic to be allowed on first Omega mission? Like what? No one gave the man bacta treatment through the three months?? Why he needed argue with medic, if he supposedly did not suffer any injury through this period of time? Was he put in statis tube without any proper medic treatment first?

[clonecumber]

Biggest bucket of ice water moment in 501st?

Straight from my notes: oh holy fuck holy shit they did this on PURPOSE

they = The Empire, of course

this = they got themselves their own skirata

I know it was probably supposed to be SUPER obvious, but I totally fucking missed it, not gonna lie. I just figured it out, and Jez was the big kicker moment, when I connected the dots. When I realized who was really in this room. And, you know. Wow. Empire went hard, didn’t they?

They tried with Cuis and didn’t get the result they wanted, or they sent in Cuis to get a read on the situation and report back how they should proceed forward, and I am BOWLED OVER. This is absolutely the flight risk legion, but it’s a flight risk legion they’re putting effort into trying to hang on to, and aim, and someone, somewhere, got the idea to put together a psychological profile on Kal Skirata, probably from back when things were still the Republic for added creepy factor, to do that? And Melusar is either an incredibly good actor, or they hunted his ass down and he passed that interview with flying colors. Holy shit. Holy SHIT I did not realize the Empire did this deliberately.

they found kal’s eviler twin, guys

Couple red flag moments + commentary because I can’t help myself:

Yes they can, Darman.

oh really? not like that’s not a common oratorical strategy or anything no sir can someone PLEASE give these men a writing class???? Maybe debate at least????? writing to an audience as a concept, maybe?????? darman keeps doing this every time someone vaguely charismatic talks to him I am WORRIED; someone is going to try to sell this man a bridge someday and darman’s going to believe them you mark my words. 

I left out all the fear-mongering rhetoric, though I DO have it highlighted, but Melusar absolutely knows how to radicalize and it’s legit terrifying. You can see what his actual job is as soon as you clue in why they picked him and boy is he killing it.

But also...a moment, please, for my “Niner is a manipulative bastard’s worst nightmare” agenda:

he’s just not impressed. like it doesn’t even take him any effort. i love him.

[bg-11]

RepCom Headcanon

Roly Melusar dies a hilariously ignoble and humiliating death after he and some Skirata-trained ComMandos try and fail to assassinate Darth Vader. Vader kills them in the most off-hand manner possible and pays them no mind because better people than Melusar have tried to kill him. 

[flashformed]

Learn your superior officers, vod 👀 or you might be next.

[Rede raises his hands defensively.]  Is he in the 501st? Last time I checked, my chain of command goes Sergeant Niner, then Commander Melusar.

[captainofthetidesbreath]

Some quotes on Ordo and Kal over the series:

Ordo looked blank for a moment and then managed a smile, but it was the placatory gesture of a child under threat. “I know I have gaps in my knowledge.”

“Oh, son… I’m going to change that. For all of you.”

“I know, Kal’buir.” His trust was transparent and absolute. “You’re our protector and we’ll always serve you.”

—Triple Zero, Kal’s narration

“This is all about having a choice. That’s what matters, isn’t it? But even now, we’re still under a Kaminoan’s control because she’s got information she won’t give us. Well, I’d rather live fifty years on my own terms than a hundred on hers. And now she’ll know it. The information she’s withholding is worthless. I’ve taken her power away for good.”

“But I just wanted to give you a full life. You deserve that.”

“But we’re men, Kal’buir, and I know you’ve given up everything for us, but you can’t keep making decisions for us like we’re kids.”

—True Colors, Kal’s narration

Skirata had learned nothing about giving others choices. He’d kicked straight back into father-knows-best mode, despite the fight with Darman; but that blind reflex had saved Ordo and his brothers, and it was impossible to condemn it. When it went right, it was salvation.

—Order 66, Ordo’s narration

Charismatic leaders like Melusar could inspire you to do anything and feel it was a privilege to die for them. Ordo felt a little wary prickle tighten his scalp, and reminded himself that Skirata was just like that, too—pulling a knife on Kaminoan clonemasters, defying generals, instilling a sense of invincibility into any clone he trained, managing to be both uplifting and dangerous at the same time. Men like that could wield enormous power for good or ill.

—501st, Ordo’s narration

Ordo’s jaw clenched. “Drop the guilt now and concentrate on solutions, Buir. We were all willing participants in that mission. We’re not kids. We make decisions for ourselves. [...] Because if we can’t [get the Jedi to another haven], I’m going to take the decision out of your hands and do it myself. I love you, Buir, and I’d willingly give my life for you, but I won’t risk it for a Jedi.”

—501st, Ordo’s narration

[kungfuslipper]

For the drabble challenge (if you want!) : Niner + personal failure.

101 words

"... we’ll find a replacement when you’re ready.” Niner had come to expect fairness and genuine support from their captain, but it didn’t make the situation any easier. He felt hollow and robotic. “Thank you, Sir. One other request. Ennen was Corellian. He would have wanted a cremation.”

“Yes of course. Once I receive the formal report we’ll proceed with those arrangements. That won’t be the end of it, unfortunately. We’ll have to endure an investigation. Don’t take it personally; investigation is routine when something like this happens."

The only thing Niner had ever taken personally was his squad’s welfare and performance.

...

[kungfuslipper]

I’ve re-read Imperial Commando in a very short space of time, and I haz many thoughts and thots. Not sure if they’ll make their way out first via fic or * meta *.

But for now, the cliffnotes version:

Niner is the MVP of this whole story. Really, the guy deserves everything and more.

Darman is just too cute. Hiding in a janitorial closet wearing full katarn so he can talk to his son and his squaddies because he’s self conscious. Aweee. But also he’s such an idiot that I find I can’t suspend my disbelief about his mindset. Needs major overhaul via fic.

Maze just gives me a boner because he has the guts to give Kal a piece of his mind without second thought. *encore*. Solid, solid, solid human being right there.

Ordo is pretty weak in certain areas, one being his own ego (oh yeah if I wanted Zey dead I would have done it myself) sure buddy, keep telling yourself that. The other area being his rather disgusting dotage on Kal. I mean, he is clearly in charge, not Kal — he takes control and gives him orders when Kal starts acting like a melodramatic teenager — and yet he can’t stop going after him to “keep him out of trouble.”

Vau has a backbone, as per usual. Brings refreshment with every scene he enters.

Besany gives Ordo huge eyes and has turned into a wifey robot. “Oh, am I allowed an opinion”? GAG. Get away from me.

Kal: what exaclty does Ny see that’s making her want a relationship with this man? He’s clearly emotionally unstable and unable to understand right and wrong.

Ny: I don’t mind her but it’s funny because KT actually wrote her as quite skeptical of Kal (rightly so) and at odds with him at many turns. But she still thinks he’s worth her time. Whyyyy.

Jaing: you’re so hot please keep talking.

Kom’rk: sense of humor is direct from the gods. Would bang on sight. (Or site).

Jusik: where do I start. He has no sense of self, is easily persuaded, will almost martyr the persona to please the people whose good opinion he needs. Tbf he said he needed more time to figure things out. Got that right, boy. Figure out that what you care about most is fitting in somewhere. Which is not wrong to care about, but he’s going about it all wrong. He traded one morality for another and is realizing doing that doesn’t solve the problem. He takes faux responsibility. He needs to learn to take real responsibility.

Melusar: fucking dangerous. He will commit heinous crimes by winning the hearts and minds of all his men.

Uthan: Self defense is not on par with pre-meditated mass murder. Sorry. (She should have told Scout that).

Fi: *heart melts into a million pieces every time he comes on scene*. Would marry in an extravagant wedding with lots of music and dancing. Please let the man speak to his vode. For the love of all the gods. Actually someone please wait on him hand and foot. Let him have whatever he wants and spare no expense. JUSIK STOP USING HIM AS A SYMPATHY PROP YOU GIANT DICK.

Delta Squad: (didn’t even mention Sev anymore) *angry noises*. Howwwww. FIX IT NOW.

[stuffedeggplants]

Nobody uses shab in Hard Contact, but it becomes more prevalent as the series goes on. It appears in some form about 100 times in the final two books, and is a great gauge of how much stress the characters are under, especially for Niner because he doesn’t usually curse at all.

Niner almost always curses because he’s stressed. He drops a real fuck-you in with A’den in True Colors where he’s mentally/emotionally put on edge by the Sull situation, curses a lot (along with everyone else) when Omega is holding off the rebels on Haurgab, and repeatedly curses at Darman when he’s furiously urging the guy to leave him behind and go to Mandalore with his kid in the chaos of Order 66 and Darman won’t do it. Those are some notable instances.

But in 501st? Niner curses plenty. Shab pops up on a routine basis in his inner monologue, and he freely uses it and other Mando’a vulgarities when he’s with Darman much more often than he used to. The last time we got Niner’s POV was in the first book, and when we get it again, he’s cursing more than he ever really has before and in a seemingly more ‘casual’ way, only it’s not really casual at all. 

After Order 66, the governmental and societal transition to Empire hits the ground running, hard. Niner quickly picks up on the fact that men like he and Darman with deep, extraneous cultural loyalties (and an off-leash operational history too?) are no longer trusted. When Vader speaks to the commandos in 501st, he tells them that the government is fully aware of how loyal the commandos have been to some of the names on the Empire’s kill list. Niner, Darman, Bry, and Ennen immediately get their first job as Squad 40, and they’re literally briefed on who their target is and given their maps minutes before they board their transport. This means that the transport’s crew had their own brief and that everyone made sure the ship was ready to go--both mechanically speaking and that it was stuffed with the necessary equipment--before Squad 40 had been told any details about what their job was. To top it off, the guy briefing Squad 40 is a Force-sensitive spook all but said to be working in Palpatine’s direct interest, and he didn’t brief Niner and the others in some 2-3 hour before-flight format or even like 45 minutes ahead of time. It was more like 5 minutes, and it’s not an accident that Bry and Ennen speculate that this unusual last-minute timing is only because they’re being treated like potential security leaks. Niner’s like “weird but okay” about it and Darman doesn’t have a problem, saying it’s completely justified. And Darman isn’t wrong. The Empire’s kill list contains names of their friends-- being ordered to go after Camas is one thing, but what if they’d been sent to kill Ordo? (Though I think they intentionally were not sent to kill anyone they knew...)

But then it becomes a problem when the suspicion does not stop. It does not let up, and Niner becomes more and more aware that he lives in a surveillance state. He feels under siege even before he consciously realizes that he’s living “behind enemy lines,” and no longer finds a sense of comfort or belonging in the army. It becomes him and Darman against the world, so much so that he’s almost disturbed to realize that he can’t even bond with fellow RCs like Bry and Ennen anymore. Niner is stressed, and he knows it. He also won’t fully trust himself, won’t believe he isn’t just being paranoid and overly worried, until he finally gets proof of his surveillance suspicions when meeting Jaller Obrim. Then the fact that even Melusar has checked his office for bugs and is bringing Darman and Niner in on his own covert plans just underscores the extent to which nobody is trusted, everyone is being watched, and to which privacy no longer exists. 

Meanwhile Niner also has to very carefully support Darman who’s going through a hell of an awful time, coordinate desertion with the Nulls, and do right by Bry, Ennen, and then Rede (who went from single-celled to biologically 20 and ‘ready’ for war in the space of a year.) While this is all going on, Niner also consciously downplays his Mandalorian heritage/identity to reduce his radar signature as much as possible while the Empire constantly scans for anyone with unacceptable loyalties. Niner has to be focused, alert, and on guard for both himself and Darman. He has to appear to the world as though everything is normal, but it very much is not. He’s pulled taught, on edge, and cannot afford to relax, so Niner curses, and he does so in the two places he has privacy-- inside his own head, and in private conversation with Darman, the last two places he really has a home in where he doesn’t have to hide anything and there are no threats to watch for.

The only time Niner maybe uses Mando'a with Ennen (the dialogue tags are unclear and it may even be Darman's line) is when he's shouting for Ennen to open the bathroom stall door after that scene... Apart from Niner's other reasons not to use Mando'a, I think he doesn't want to use it with Bry and Ennen either because they'd just perceive it as slightly exclusionary or just a reminder of how different they are. Niner is worried it won't help everyone meld together, or that it could be isolating (especially at this time when Bry and Ennen just lost two of their brothers.) But when Niner and Darman hear the gunshot, Niner's usual concerns about Mando'a are eclipsed by a worry that just spikes out of him, and he uses Mando'a on instinct. (Actually the more I think about it, the line could definitely be Darman's, but this is a decent justification for it being Niner's?)

[stuffedeggplants]

Is Moz a clone OC I can ask for more info about? : )

Moz is one of the Covert Ops troopers sent to kill Sull in True Colors! So he might as well be an OC, lol. I have a couple pages of something written with him and Melusar and that medal I mentioned is significant.

Actually, if you have ideas about an appropriate rank and position(s) for Melusar during the Clone Wars, please let me know. 😅

[captainofthetidesbreath]

And while Ordo knew intellectually that a detached, unsentimental officer was the kind who won wars and saved the most lives, his heart said that a sergeant who was ready to die to protect his men got the very last drop of sweat and blood from them, and given gladly. —Triple Zero

Ordo hoped the commandos didn’t get too attached to the man. Charismatic leaders like Melusar could inspire you to do anything and feel it was a privilege to die for them. Ordo felt a little wary prickle tighten his scalp, and reminded himself that Skirata was just like that, too—pulling a knife on Kaminoan clonemasters, defying generals, instilling a sense of invincibility into any clone he trained, managing to be both uplifting and dangerous at the same time. Men like that could wield enormous power for good or ill. —501st

Really, like, Ordo and reflecting on what it means to lead and the different types and dangers of leadership was something that I needed a little more of, especially since Ordo finds himself in leadership position, both militarily and within the family.