#oztalk: the losing game

[bitebackbaby]

hey everybody!! so delighted to announce that i will be participating in @clonebang as the writer of team 6!!

this fic, “the losing game”, is the deep dive on krell’s battalion that i’ve been hinting at for so long. It has drama, it has heartache, it has the inevitable loss of the clone wars — and the undeniable love that comes with it.

im working with the lovely @whatislifewithoutangst who has even gone to the trouble of making a bonus (!!) piece of art just for this promo! check it out along with the fic preview, and give them some love!! full fic will be released january 27th, 2024 <3

"You’re not on your own,” they assured him. “That’s the good part of this whole thing. We’ve always got each other's backs. Look to your fellow officers for guidance if you need it. That’s what we’re all here for.”

CT-8118 huffed, his posture loosening, the Commander’s calming presence easing some of the anxiety chewing through him.

“Shouldn’t that include me, sir?” he quipped, and Osha laughed.

“True, true,” they snickered, and used their grip on CT-8118’s shoulder to pull him closer, slinging their arm around him. “I get the feeling you’re going to be the nice one, though.”

CT-8118 smiled, a little unsure. “And that’s… a good thing?”

He sure hoped so, anyway.

Osha gave him a friendly shake. “Sure it is. You need one in every battalion, that’s just procedure.”

“Oh, good,” CT-8118 relaxed.

Osha seemed to find that funny, chuckling as they shook their head.

“Yeah, you’ll be good for them,” they said, eyes crinkling with the force of their smile. “I can tell them what to do, Stereo can drag them into medbay by the hair, and all the rest of us can yell and dish out punishment and act tough. You? You can be the nice one. The safe harbor. It really is necessary, you know. Despite what the Kaminoans would say, we do perform better with a bit of positive reinforcement. You get me?”

The Captain blinked. It was like a fog had lifted, giving him a glimpse of a world he had only seen through a dark veil, hiding the true vastness of its expanse from view.

“Yessir,” Harbor said. “I understand.”