#clone trooper sterling | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zoeykallus · 7 months

Note

I humbly offer thee, Goddess of Fanfics, Queen of Clones, a wide variety of her favorite foods displayed on a carefully crafted mother of pearl dinner tray with sterling silverware, coupled with a bottle of the Gods' finest ambrosia.

May I beseech thee for a fic where Omega comes to see hunter's girlfriend as a big sister and the reader adopts her as such - just Omega fluff and happiness.

One where hunter's girlfriend!reader rescues Omega and Crosshair from the empire and reunites them with Hunter. (A tall order. I've thought about doing this one myself, but I honestly believe that you're the only one that can do it justice).

Only when/if you're comfortable, Queen, I hope you're doing well! 💞

Aloha, loyal subject! 😋 Both ideas sound great. Unfortunately, there is still a lot to work through for me and my time is limited these days, so I can pick only one. I hope that's okay.

Well then, let me see what I can do here...

Hunter x Fem!Reader One-Shot - The Savior

Warnings: Angst/Canon Typical Violence/Fluff/Hurt/Comfort/Pfff, Canon, don't know her.

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As a double agent, you work in the ranks of the Empire for the Resistance. Disguised. Your relationship with Hunter is dangerous, and any secret meeting with him, is therefore accordingly risky, and you see each other rather rarely. You are faced with a difficult decision when you realize that CF99 has taken some pretty tough losses. You are in a position where you could help, but you really have to risk everything.

________________

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

________________

>Master List<

The last time you spoke with Hunter was a little over a week ago. By now you know that Crosshair, a former member of Hunter's unit, is here on the station where you are stationed, as are so many other clones. A few days later, Tech, another member of Hunter's team, had an accident, was picked up more dead than alive by Storm Troopers and brought here as well. And today the girl was brought here, Omega. You've seen each other before, not often, and only in glimpses, but the girl recognized you right away. She's smart, didn't let on, so your cover is still intact. Until now. Omega is incredibly brave, she acts so mature for her age. Hunter has already taught her a lot. You haven't had a chance to tell Hunter that you've been transferred here, that you're okay, that Omega and his two brothers are still alive. You are plagued by an almost overwhelming inner turmoil. They have taken blood from the girl, but otherwise have no further tests scheduled yet. But you know Hemlock has more planned for her, you just don't know what yet.

Tech is lying in a baccta tank, it would take him a while to get back on his feet. You have an idea, a very dangerous idea, but for that you need help and the only one around you who is not injured at the moment and has enough combat experience is Crosshair. As you enter his cell, he sits on his cot and slowly raises his head, his eyes narrowed critically. His body language is not that of a prisoner; he does not seem rushed, or intimidated. On the contrary, his slow, confident movements are those of a hunter sizing up his prey. So they haven't broken him yet, good. He doesn't say a word, and neither do you at first. But after a while he snorts, "The next bitch with needles for me? You better get some helping hands, or I'll be jamming your needles down your throat". You frown, you sense the hatred resonating in his words, but the warning he utters tells you he's holding back. He wants to hurt you, he could, but he doesn't. Silently, you wonder why. "I don't have any needles with me," you say calmly, not moving from the spot.

Crosshair slowly stands up, and you are surprised how tall the slender clone soldier is. He strides towards you, even comes quite close to you. You don't back away, which leads him to look at you with interest. He tries to assess you, who you are, what you want, whether you might be a danger after all. "I need your help," you say calmly. He laughs humorlessly and finally hisses, "Go to hell." Unmoved, you tell him, "In case you haven't noticed, we're already in hell here." Crosshair blinks, then the corner of his mouth twitches very briefly, an implied smirk. "Maybe I misjudged you," he says thoughtfully, "It's possible I could like you after all." Crossing your arms in front of your chest, you raise your eyebrows in amusement, "You better not like me too much, I'm already dating one of your brothers" Crosshair blinks several times, then his brows move up. "You're confident, sassy, composed, not afraid of me...you must be Hunter's girl". You nod, impressed. "Not bad, a bullseye" Crosshair rolls his eyes, but then sits back down on the cot and says, "Yeah, I always hit the bull's eye, it's practically my signature. How would I be able to help you from in here?"

You smile and say, "I want you to help me help you."

The mood has reached a low that is almost unbearable. Hunter, Wrecker and Echo sit together on Pabuu, by the Marauder. Now and then, somber looks are exchanged, but no one says a word. They had failed to free Crosshair, instead they had even lost Tech, and shortly after Cid had betrayed them and Omega has been taken from them. Hunter feels adrift, his guilt eating him up from the inside out. He feels the loss physically, like a constant pain compressing his ribs. He longs for your comfort, your warm body against his, your comforting voice in his ear, your smell in his nose. Just when he needs you so badly, he can't reach you, and you haven't been in touch for a long time. The thought that he might have lost you too, keeps coming up and threatens to suffocate him, because you are the thought he clings to in his darkest moments to keep his head above water.

Even revenge was beyond reach for him. Cid immediately disappeared as soon as Hunter didn't look for a moment. The helpless rage hanging in his guts doesn't make the overall situation any better. For the first time, he has no plan, no idea what to do, no answers. Right now, he barely has enough motivation to breathe. He knows he can't give up, he still has brothers counting on him, and maybe Omega wasn't lost forever yet. But in the last mission he already lost one brother, his whole squad almost died. Now they were even fewer than before. Rex, of course, offered to help, as did Gregor and Howzer, but where should they start? How? Even with Tech's brilliant ideas, they had failed. Now Tech isn't around anymore. "I'm going to rip that bitch's head off," Wrecker growls. Hunter and Echo look at him, both a little surprised. Wrecker has never spoken like this before. Apparently there's also a point at which the kind-hearted, giant breaks. Echo finally sighs and says, "We all knew Cid wasn't a saint, but I didn't expect that." Hunter says somberly, "Neither did I, but that's the problem, I should have been prepared for this."

"Stop it," Wrecker growls, "It's not your fault, leader or not, you're still only human." Hunter doesn't want to discuss it, right now he just wants to bathe in self-pity and self-loathing, even though he knows how destructive that actually is. He walks past his two brothers into the interior of the shuttle without comment. From the cockpit, he hears a beep and realizes that they have received a message. "Guys come in, we have a message from an unknown sender". Wrecker and Echo hurriedly enter the cockpit. Echo looks at the sender's number and frowns. "I don't think the sender is really unknown to us." "You know the number?" asks Wrecker. He shakes his head and replies, "Not exactly, but take a closer look at the numbers, Hunter. Isn't that the date you met your flame. Our double agent?" For a moment, Hunter holds his breath, it takes him a small moment to regain his composure. This could be the glimmer of hope he can cling to now.

"You're right," he says a little breathlessly, and opens the message. There is no recording in the message, no video and no audio. Just a rather long string of numbers. "These are coordinates," Echo says after a moment's thought, "The first pair of numbers is the system, the second is several planets, and the third is a point in between. Maybe she wants to meet you there?" Hunter's heart beats up in his throat. His skin tingles, his pulse races. Is this really a message from you? He desperately hopes so. "You should go, at least one of us should find some comfort," Wrecker says with a wry smile. Echo frowns and says, "I don't want to be a killjoy, but she hasn't contacted you in a long time. And now she's sending a message with no picture or sound, just coordinates? This could be a trap" "Then we'll come along just in case," Wrecker grumbles, "And if it's not a trap, then we'll just have to close our eyes and ears for a while, so they can celebrate their meeting" Echo shrugs and says, "I can live with that. What do you say, Hunter?"

"I'll definitely look into it," Hunter says sternly, "but I can't ask you to come along." Wrecker unconsciously mimics one of Tech's mannerisms by jabbing his index finger vertically in the air and saying, "You can't forbid us, either!" Wistfulness spreads like a dull ache in his chest as Hunter sees the gesture, he misses Tech so much, but he smiles, and says, "You got that right, Wrecker."

It was not easy to find a trooper uniform that fits the sniper. It actually took several days to find and procure it. Omega wears handcuffs and walks in front of you, in front of Omega walks the disguised Crosshair. Next to you hovers the baccta tank you've covered up so no one can see Tech inside. Your pulse is racing, but outwardly you look absolutely calm. You are highly concentrated. This has to work, or you may all be doomed. Omega glances over her shoulder now and then, looking up at you nervously. You make sure no one hears or sees you at the moment and speak softly to her, "Look ahead, Omega, it's going to be okay." "Okay," the girl says softly and sighs. "We're almost there" you whisper to her. You're not so sure about that, but at least you try to radiate it. You make it as far as the hangar unmolested, but inside the hangar itself, a small group of Troopers consisting of four men stops you.

"What is that? A baccta tank? Where are you guys going with that thing? Who's the girl?"

You can see how Crosshair as well as Omega tense up. You have to do something, and you have to do it now, before things escalate. Adjusting your badge that clearly identifies you as a higher ranking officer, you use your full showmanship. The look you give the trooper is annoyed, angry, and condescending. You snarl, "You've got some nerve, Trooper. What's your ID number?" The Trooper pauses and looks at his fellow Troopers, he seems to be puzzled at first. When he looks back at you, you wave a finger at him. When he's finally within reach, you grab the fabric of his Blacks at his collar and pull the trooper down a bit, he leans in your direction in surprise, he definitely wasn't expecting that. "Take a good look at this ID, Trooper," you give him two breaths before continuing, "I've been personally ordered by Doctor Hemlock and Grand Admiral Tarkin to move the clone in this tank and the girl. The day started out shitty, I'm pressed for time, and you're getting on my nerves. If you don't fuck off right now and let me do my job, I'll make sure you get lined up against the nearest wall and shot, you little pipsqueak."

You push the trooper back again and nod to Crosshair, who rudely shoves the trooper back to his squad, underlining your act. "Sorry, M'am, won't happen again," says one of the other troopers. " I hope so for your sake," you grumble and resume your walk to the shuttle. Your heart races, you hardly dare to breathe, but you maintain the stony expression until you are inside the Imperial shuttle and the ramp has closed behind you. Finally, you breathe a sigh of relief. You feel sick with anxiety, on the verge of throwing up. Crosshair takes off the helmet, helps Omega secure the baccta tank in the cargo bay and says to you, "You're good, girl, almost gave me the willies". You say after a few breaths, with which you keep the nausea at bay, "I almost peed myself" The Sniper says with a wry smile, "Then you're a damn good actress, it for sure as hell didn't show" Crosshair finally makes his way to the cockpit and launches the shuttle. You strap Omega into one of the seats in the cockpit. The girl looks at you, but she doesn't protest. "We could be attacked, we're not quite safe yet, so I'm strapping you in," you explain calmly.

Omega nods in understanding. You are always surprised how brave the girl is. "Thank you," she says softly, "You risked a lot for us today. I can see why Hunter likes you so much." You laugh softly and smile. Hunter; just the thought of you seeing him again soon, should everything work out, makes your heart beat faster. "You better strap in too, they're already hailing us and I don't intend to answer them" Crosshair grumbles. You hurriedly sit down and are about to strap in when the first shots are fired at your shuttle. Crosshair makes two hard evasive maneuvers that almost throw you out of your seat again. Your fingers hastily grab the seatbelt, but each maneuver causes it to slip away from you again. You curse softly, your pulse racing. Another steep turn finally pulls you out of your seat. Everything turns for a moment, weightlessness, even your stomach seems to turn with the shuttle. Omega tries to reach for you, but you snap, "Don't!" You're afraid she might break her little fingers should the ship spin again in a moment and her fingers get tangled in your clothes. Then gravity kicks in again, and you slam into one of the other seats. Pain spreads like a wave through your ribs. Another quick spin of the ship, the back wall of the cockpit speeds towards you, the impact is violent, your world suddenly goes dark.

You slowly regain consciousness. You feel that you have been covered and are lying on soft ground. The surrounding voices are muffled, the words slowly become clearer, but they are spoken softly, as if they do not want to disturb you. Slowly, blinking, you open your eyes and hear Omega's little voice say excitedly, "She's waking up!" You hear quick footsteps. "Love, how do you feel?" Hunter's face appears above you. You breathe a sigh of relief, beaming at him. "We made it, didn't we?" you ask, a little breathlessly. Hunter's smile is warm and happy. "You did it, we're all together again," he says softly, gently stroking your cheek. You reach for his hand and hold it tightly where it touches your face. You say softly, almost in a whisper, "I missed you." Hunter sits down on the edge of the bed and leans over you, kissing your forehead, gently.

"I missed you too, Love, more than I can put into words". Crosshair briefly appears in your field of vision, "Hey Wildling, thanks, I won't forget this". Omega beams, "Me neither" and hurriedly follows the Sniper. You hear her start to pepper Crosshair with questions as the two leave the room and grin inside. "How's Tech?" you finally ask Hunter. Hunter laughs softly, "Right now he's still on crutches and has to rest a lot, but he's back to his old self, talking a lot, explaining absolutely everything he can think of to the people around him." That sounds like Tech, as you've come to know him, the thought is comforting. Hunter looks at you intensely. "I can't believe you really risked this, even gave up your cover at the Empire for this, your superiors at the resistance won't be happy. But I'm incredibly grateful, I don't even know what to say, how to thank you," Hunter suddenly says very seriously and urgently. You look at him and say, "I had to do it, it was the right thing to do, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says. I had to follow my heart."

He takes your hand in his, brings it to his lips, and kisses the back of your hand. "You're much too good for me," he says softly. "What nonsense," you say with a laugh. Hunter smirks and lies down with you, gently wrapping his arms around you. You're only too happy to snuggle up to him with a relieved, happy sigh, enjoying his warmth, his closeness. "Will you do me a favor?" you ask in a whisper. "Anything you want, you just have to say it". After a deep breath in which you take in his scent, you say, "Don't ever let me go". His arms wrap around you a little tighter. "Your wish is my command"

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

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@chxpsi

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anxiouspineapple99 · 8 months

Text

Eternal Embers

Clone Medic Kix x reader, Clone Trooper Hardcase, ARC Trooper Jesse, Captain Rex, mention of ARC Troopers Fives and Echo

Word Count: ~3k

Warnings: light swearing, monster AU, mention of war. Let me know if I missed anything.

A/N: I've been holding onto this for Pineapple's Halloween party and I'm so excited to finally share it! 💙🖤

The wind howled through Carida’s mountains, although they acted as a buffer around the Republic outpost. Troopers filtered through the camp, sleeping in shifts to give their brothers a break between Separatist attacks. The constant flow of boys in blue also had your medbay bustling, but, as the binary suns started to set, the stream of injuries started to ebb. You finished securing a bacta patch onto Sterling’s blaster burn, lightly patting his arm above the bandage with a smile.

“Thanks, Doc,” he sighed, a tired smile spreading across his face.

“Get some rest,” you urged, lightly pushing him to lay back. Sterling’s eyelids seemed to grow heavy, the veil of exhaustion weighing him down until the snap of tent flaps had him bolting upright. You spun on your heels, blinking rapidly at the two troopers that came busting into your medtent.

“Jesse! What the hell?” you scolded, sidestepping a cart as you hurried to where Jesse and Hardcase were still standing.

“Fierfek, he’s not in here,” Jesse hissed just loud enough for you to hear.

“Hey,” you snapped, grabbing Hardcase’s arm to pull him to face you, “why are you bursting in here like your asses are on fire?”

“Have you seen Kix?” Hardcase asked, completely ignoring your question. Air caught in your throat as you picked up on the way his voice ticked up in concern, a rarity for a man like Hardcase.

“No - no, I thought he was in one of the other tents,” you stammered, tightening your grip on his arm. Jesse and Hardcase turned to look at each other and even with their helmets on, you could tell there was something you were missing.

“Come on,” Jesse murmured, nudging Hardcase’s shoulder. He tried to pull out of your grip but you held on, yanking Hardcase back toward you.

“Doc, we need to go.”

“Not without telling me what the hell is going on,” you insisted, following Jesse outside and pulling Hardcase along.

“Doc,” Hardcase whined, lightly shaking his arm to get your attention, “don’t do this.”

“I know you’re setting up a search party and I’m coming,” you stated, releasing Hardcase to cross your arms. Jesse’s hand clenched at his side and you were almost sure his jaw was doing the same thing under his helmet. There were maybe three people who were aware of the tense back and forth between you and Kix, Jesse being one of them.

Ever since you had joined the 501st, you and Kix had been doing some version of this ridiculous dance. Kix would lean over your shoulder, his lips too close to your ear as he murmured instructions or praise, or him sitting close enough that his leg pressed against yours when inventory needed to be done. His feelings towards you felt just as obvious as yours but he always seemed to take a step back, putting space between you and him until the cycle started all over again. And yet, you couldn’t seem to keep him at arm’s length, falling back into his orbit without even trying. Maybe it was the longing in his eyes even when he pulled away that kept you coming back…like a moth to a flame.

Maybe it was something in your expression or Jesse’s own bleeding heart that had him letting out a somewhat dramatic sigh. “Fine, fine. We’ll need a medic anyway.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, resting a hand on his arm. Jesse nodded once before herding you and Hardcase toward the command tent.

Rex was already waiting, absently twirling one of his blasters as he scanned the rocky slopes surrounding the camp. By the time the small search party left the camp, it consisted of you, Hardcase, Jesse, Rex, Hawk, Fives, and Echo. You couldn’t hear what Hawk yelled over the drone of the gunship’s engines but based on the way the rest of the boys tensed, you assumed it was important and tightened your grip on the overhead strap you were holding. The gunship dropped into a canyon, kicking up dust as you jumped down, and you threw a grateful smile at Hardcase when he steadied you.

“Fives, Echo, head north. Hawk is flying south. Hardcase, you’re with me heading east,” Rex ordered, glancing toward you and Jesse. You took a minute to glance around, trying to figure out where you even were. From what you could tell, you were in the middle of two mountain ranges and you tried to look for any signs of a battle but there was nothing. No scorch marks, no rubble, just smooth mountain faces that made no sense. You jumped when Jesse nudged you, snapping you back to reality just in time to see Fives, Echo, Hardcase, and Rex heading off in their respective directions.

“Jesse, what are we doing out here?” you asked, hugging your rifle a little closer. The only response you got was the crunch of gravel under his boots but you continued to stare holes into the side of his head. Finally, his shoulders lifted in an exaggerated inhale and you almost smiled.

“We, uh, got intel that the Seppies are traveling through pre-drilled tunnels in the mountains. That seems like the, uh, best way to move a prisoner, don’t ya think?” You almost wanted to call him out on the lie but you had a feeling it would get you nowhere.

“Where do we start?” you asked instead, scanning the jagged rocks lining the wide passage.

“I’ll take the left side. Just look for any tunnels,” Jesse replied, almost sounding relieved that you didn’t push him. You let out a soft sigh, falling back a step but keeping Jesse in your peripheral as you trudged along. You almost didn’t realize how much farther ahead Jesse was until your com beeped, dragging you out of your mindless wandering.

“What’s up?” you huffed, searching for familiar blue armor.

“I took a left down a tunnel so be careful out there by yourself,” Jesse warned, the frequency crackling slightly.

“I’ll be fine,” you mumbled, following the gentle curve of the path. Your eyes followed the rocky slope upward, tracing the sharp peak of the mountains that stretched hundreds of feet over your head. The twin suns had almost set, making the chill in the air more prominent and you tucked your arms tighter against your side. You were so distracted by the environment around you that you almost walked right past a large opening in the mountain face.

You squinted into the darkness, searching for any bit of movement only to freeze when you heard the echo of rocks hitting the ground from deeper in the tunnel. It wouldn’t take Jesse long to get back to you but something told you to take a step forward like an invisible string reeling you in. You glanced in the direction Jesse had gone before slipping your pack off, rummaging through it to find your glowrod and securing your rifle to the side of the pack. The warm, yellowish light illuminated the entryway and you chanced one last look over your shoulder before taking a few slow steps into the tunnel.

The walls glistened faintly, drawing you closer but when your fingers brushed the rock they were dry. A thin layer of dusk stuck to your skin and you rubbed it between your fingers, mesmerized by the way it twinkled. The loud crunch of rock shifting behind you made you tense, your muscles locking up as you found the courage to turn around. At first, you didn’t see anything other than a few rocks settling, your glowrod carefully scanning the wall opposite you. The light seemed to bend around the dark boulders, casting shadows across the walls.

You looked back down at your fingers, the faint shimmer of dust still coating your skin and you froze.

The growl was faint, barely above a whisper, but the silence of the cavern made it sound deafening. Something scraped against the ground, making you jerk to your left, your mouth dropping open when the light reflected off a large, slitted eye. Then it blinked. Your gasp was almost silent as you scrambled back only to step on one of the dislodged rocks that sent you tumbling onto your ass. And all you could do was stare up at the beast as it lifted its head.

Despite the adrenaline pumping through your veins, you couldn’t look away. Brilliant blue scales shimmered in the low light as it moved, seemingly shifting from navy to sky blue every time you blinked. The creature shook its head and you watched the black-tipped spines lining its neck shift. Its massive head turned slightly giving you a full view of its face. Two horns extended from either side of its head, black tips bleeding into a powdery blue and finally blending into the scales encircling its eyes. The creature’s nose curved into a sharp point, resembling a beak and your eyes lingered there for a moment.

You jumped when it moved again but instead of a growl, this time it made a soft chirping noise as it lowered its head almost like it was…trying to look smaller. Some part of you was screaming to run, to get as far away as possible but there was something about the creature that had you shifting onto your knees. Dark eyes locked onto you, watching every move as you inched closer.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you soothed, despite your voice shaking lightly. The…dragon…warbled softly, those sharp spines bristling as you reached out. You patiently inched closer, your eyes scanning its body, noting the large wings tucked up against its back.

“Doc, you read me?” You stopped immediately, glancing down at the com on your wrist briefly before looking up at the dragon again. Although, it didn’t look frightened or even startled, no, instead it made another chirping sound, one that sounded almost…happy?

“That’s Jesse,” you said, meeting the dragon’s dark eyes. It canted its head, blinking slowly before lowering its head to gently nudge your arm, nostrils flaring with a sharp exhale. You took that as a sign to reach over, opening the channel but not looking away from the creature’s face. “I’m here.”

“Maker, you scared the hell out of me,” Jesse sighed, his voice coming out a bit grainy and far away. “Where…you?”

“I, uh, found a…friend,” you replied, a nervous smile lifting the corner of your mouth. The dragon made a slightly different chittering noise, its beak snapping together quietly as it sniffed your arm again. Even through the rough connection, you could hear Jesse’s sharp inhale.

“Oh, you asshole,” Jesse hissed, making your brows knit together. “What did I tell you?” Before you could answer, the creature looming over you opened its mouth, a low rumbling sound coming from the back of its throat. When you looked back up at it, you could’ve sworn it was glaring based on the way its dark eyes narrowed.

“What am I missing here?” you finally asked, mindlessly resting your hand on the dragon’s long snout. This time the noise that rumbled through its body was softer and if you didn’t know any better, you might’ve compared it to a purr.

“You found your partner,” Jesse grumbled and you went oddly still. It took a few seconds for your brain to comprehend what that meant as you turned your head, just watching the way the dragon pressed into your hand. It…he…seemed perfectly content but as if he could feel your stare, his eyes drifted open.

“Kix?” Of course, he couldn’t verbally respond but the soft chirp that was followed by him nudging your hand with his nose was enough of an answer. Your eyes followed the slope of his head, admiring the way the colors shifted and you decided that even in this form, he was still breathtaking. Then it clicked.

With the constant push and pull, Kix only giving so much before completely disengaging. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with what was staring back at you with dark slitted eyes and pearlescent scales. A small part of you wanted to be angry, to demand why he couldn’t just tell you, but would you have even believed him?

“Oh, Kix,” you whispered, leaning a bit closer. You jumped with a surprised laugh when he exhaled harshly, right in your face, almost like a warning about the direction your thoughts were going.

“Well, I don’t hear any screaming so that’s a good sign,” Jesse commented, his voice echoing through your com. You looked over your shoulder, offering him a smile as he moved closer and lifted his helmet off to look directly at Kix. “Told you she could’ve handled it.”

Kix huffed through his nose, ruffling your hair as he lifted his head away from your hand.

“Come on, you can either shift back for a ride to camp or fly. Your choice,” Jesse said, arching a brow that made his tattoo stretch slightly. Kix grumbled in the back of his throat, shifting into the shadows again as Jesse pulled you to your feet. “Best give him some room.”

“Why?” you murmured, letting Jesse pull you back a few steps. Although, you didn’t have to wait long. Kix rose to his feet, his scales rattling as he shook off the dust clinging to him. The ceiling of the cave was low, forcing him to keep his head down as he maneuvered around the boulders in his path. It wasn’t until you stepped into the cool evening air that you could truly admire his grandeur. Large, black wings stretched high over your head, his tail sweeping side to side, and your lips parted in awe at his sheer size.

“Alright, quite showin’ off, asshole,” Jesse teased which earned him another grumpy huff. Kix finally shifted his attention to you, his head tilting slightly and for a moment, he almost looked smug before his wings extended again. It was incredible to watch him leap into the air so effortlessly, the moon's glow making his scales twinkle. “Come on, Doc.”

The trip back to the rendezvous spot seemed like it took forever yet no time at all. Suddenly you were standing in front of Rex, Hardcase, Fives, and Echo, the faint whine of a gunship approaching filling the evening air. No one mentioned the bantha in the room, already preoccupied with other random conversations until Hawk came into view. The only acknowledgment of what you just discovered was a wink from Hardcase as he hopped into the gunship.

The small outpost was quiet, most troopers getting a few hours of sleep where they could. Which meant you hadn’t expected to see General Skywalker waiting when you made it back. You joined the small squad in saluting the general, anxiously waiting to see if Skywalker pulled you aside but he seemed to be content with Rex filling him in on what happened. There was an awkward moment when you stood next to the quietly hissing gunship, debating your next move until movement from your medtent caught your eye. Someone knocked into your shoulder, sending you stumbling forward a step before you turned a glare in Jesse’s direction. He only winked, jerking his chin toward the tent before letting Hardcase drag him away.

It took a few minutes and even more deep, calming breaths before you finally made it to the medtent, standing just outside the slightly parted flaps.

“You can come in, you know,” Kix’s disembodied voice called and for some reason, it was a shock. Hearing his voice spurred you into pulling the flap back, curiosity getting the better of you. Kix’s back was to you and he was in the bottom half of his armor, such a stark contrast to how he looked not even a standard hour earlier.

“I’m not having a crazy, vivid dream, right?” you asked, surprising yourself a bit. Kix’s shoulders jumped when he snorted, turning his head enough to see you out of the corner of his eye.

“Sadly, no,” he replied, turning to face you and crossing his arms. He would’ve looked relaxed to anyone else but you noticed the set of his jaw, the tension in the muscles of his neck as he waited for whatever came next. “It’s very real.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How was I supposed to tell the person I - I’m…falling in love with that I’m also a beast out of a fairy tale?” The bombshells seemed to keep coming and it had to be written all over your face. Kix stiffened when you closed the remaining distance, stopping within arm’s length of him but he didn’t pull away.

“You mean that?” you whispered, searching his face for any signs.

“Yes,” he mumbled, looking down at his boots, “so how was I supposed to ask you to accept that?”

“By simply asking.” You rested a hand on his arm, drawing his eyes off the floor, and your heart ached at the vulnerability in his endless brown eyes. “We’ve made it through some of the worst parts of war together and it’s not over yet. I think we can handle this if you’ll let me in.” Kix squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a harsh exhale through his nose and you tried to fight a smile at the similarities you could already see. You let your hand follow the swell of his bicep, moving across his shoulder to gently cradle his face, drawing his attention back to you.

“Together, huh?” he whispered, leaning forward until there was barely any space between you and him.

“Together,” you agreed, meeting him the rest of the way to press your forehead against his. Kix finally uncrossed his arms to cup the back of your neck and you let out a long breath, relaxing into the touch you’d experienced hints of and had craved for so long.

“If forever does exist, please let it be you,” Kix breathed, the words brushing against your lips. Words couldn’t express the way you felt or how much you hoped for the same thing, so instead you tilted your head just enough to find his lips.

You hoped Kix was what forever tasted like.

#submission #pineapple’s 2023 halloween party

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hunterscyarika · 7 months

Text

Clone Troopers with Taylor Swift songs

501st edition

Captain Rex- King of my heart

Fives- Enchanted

Echo- You are in love

Jesse- Paper Rings

Kix- Lover

Hardcase- The very first night

Tup- Holy Ground

Appo- All too well

Sterling- Crazier

Dogma- Sad Beautiful Tragic

Denal- This love

Vaughn- All of the girls

Hawk- I almost do

This is just my opinion. I may do drabbles for these in the future.

#captain rex x reader #fives x reader #echo x reader #arc trooper jesse x reader #kix x reader

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lamaenthel · 5 months

Text

Tivaevae | Chapter Ten: Bargello

Still struggling to emotionally recover from Master Obi-Wan's deception, Ahsoka discovers in the aftermath that twelve-year-old Boba Fett has been locked up among adults in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. After convincing Chancellor Palpatine to grant him a pardon, she manages to secure his release on the condition that she serve as his legal guardian. Now, with the help of Master Plo and the Wolfpack, she vows to help him track down what family he has left.

| AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |

Fandom: Star Wars Characters: Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Kanan Jarrus, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CC-1119 | Appo, Dexter Jettster, FLO | WA-7 (Star Wars), Shaak Ti, ARC Commander Blitz (Star Wars), CT-6922 | Dogma, Original Clone Trooper Character(s) (Star Wars), CC-3636 | Wolffe, Clone Trooper Sinker (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Comet (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, CT-5597 | Jesse, CT-4860 | Boost, Aurra Sing, Tobias Beckett, Null-11 | Ordo Skirata, Kal Skirata, Original Mandalorian Characters (Star Wars), Original Droid Characters (Star Wars), Original Jedi Character(s) (Star Wars) Total Word Count: 123,000 Chapter Word Count: 11,237 Chapter Summary: Ahsoka confronts Kal Skirata about his neglect of Boba, and a familiar face from Boba's past makes a shocking appearance.

Weequay Independence Week came around once a year; a year on their home planet Sriluur, that is, not a Galactic standard year, and Ahsoka was fairly certain that the holiday was actually just a massive in-joke played by Weequays that were wholeheartedly committed to the bit. Not only were there an inconsistent number of days between "years," but Sriluur had been under occupation by the Hutt Cartel for almost half a millennia and didn't have anyone to celebrate independence from. Fireworks in every color, including several she couldn't see, boomed over their heads; if she wanted to see them she had to wear the special glasses that simulated a Weequay's fourth ocular cone, and she wasn't willing to trade pretty colors for the ability to spot Kal Skirata or any of his sons creeping up on Boba.

The Cuy'val Dar sergeant had certainly told the truth when he had described the place as hopping. There had to be thousands of Coruscantis at the fairgrounds eager to forget the banality of war and lose themselves in good old-fashioned, pay-to-play fun. There was a different holoradio station blasting from every game booth, screaming constantly echoed from the nearby drop tower, the smell of a thousand different deep-fried foods battled for dominance in Ahsoka's nose, and most distractingly of all, the crowd of people meant that there were hundreds of auras for her to tune out.

If she hadn't already been struggling with her Ordo-induced headache, she might have been able to enjoy herself, but instead her skin crawled with overstimulation. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the barracks and tuck herself into a pile of her brothers with some silkworm puffs and a holoprojector. She was so behind on Princess For A Year that it wasn't even funny.

A montral-splitting victory bell started ringing from Boba's game booth. "Fucking right!" he crowed, his aura glowing soft gold with triumph. He threw his pellet gun down, raised his fists in the air, and bounced excitedly off of Jesse's side. "Three clears in a row, bitch! I'm getting that fucking bantha."

Jesse went chartreuse with annoyance and gave Ahsoka an exasperated look over Boba's shoulder. She shrugged and sent him a tendril of copper gratitude-affection. He'd somehow managed to squeeze twelve half-toasted members of the 501st into a single taxi – along with a nervous shiny from the 400th named Sterling, who was the poor soul who had been in the taxi when Jesse commandeered it and had been given no choice but to come along for the ride – and had made it to the fairgrounds ready to fight whoever had dared lain hands on his Commander before she and Anakin had even arrived. She'd spent a half hour talking him down from slaughtering Ordo where he stood cuffed at her side in his blacks, Rex and Cody had managed to pacify him by ordering him to stand guard over her and Boba, then they'd divided his entourage – including Sterling, who was very excited about his kidnapping/adoption and had already solicited Vaughn to help him transfer to the 501st – to scour the place for any sign of Skirata. Her hyper-competent boys had been scouting the place for an hour using the gridded holomap Ridge and Appo had rigged up on the way over from 79's, but so far there was no sign of the Mandalorian anywhere.

"He never used to swear that much," Ordo said hoarsely beside her, watching Boba pick up the pellet gun again and start a new game. The Zeltron gamemaster in his dark blue, crushed velvet top hat was looking increasingly disturbed by both Boba's mouth and aim. Jesse gave Ordo a silent promise of extreme violence with his eyes before turning back around to watch Boba.

Ahsoka heaved a huffy sigh. "I guess being thrown into the penitentiary at the age of eleven will do that to you," she snapped, rubbing at the bridge of her nose.

"Why'd you do it, then?" Ordo asked. His aura was still in that flat red box around him, resisting her passive Empathy and unreactive to her occasional prod in the Force. It was very annoying.

"I–" Fireworks loudly popped overhead and Ahsoka glared at him. "I didn't put him in there, I just arrested him. I had nothing to do with his sentence."

Ordo cocked his head. "Why didn't you follow up?"

Ahsoka stared at the Null. "Because I've been a little preoccupied with this thing they're calling a galaxy wide war?" she said sharply, trying to ignore the squirming worm of guilt in her stomach that enthusiastically agreed with him.

Ordo shrugged and cleared his sore throat. Despite applying a healthy glob of bacta gel to his neck after he had been stunned by Cody – because while Ahsoka wasn't in a mood to be nice to the shabuir who'd led her on a wild bantha chase so one of his brothers could steal Boba's beskar'gam, she wasn't a total jerk, either – the swelling hadn't completely gone down yet.

If Skirata cried about it, then tough. He was lucky Ordo was still breathing at all with how furious Anakin had been. Ahsoka was surprised it hadn't started thundering; storms seemed to manifest more and more whenever Anakin lost control.

Thunder cracked in the window behind her, even louder than her whine of pain at Anakin's hand tightening on her arm–

Ahsoka shook her head and breathed out her anxiety to the Force. Smelling Obi-Wan's blood and then gleaning the darkness that had been circling around Anakin had put her brain in a bad spot, but like Master Plo had said, she had to close up her wounds and not continue to linger on the pain. "Jesse!" she called. "We'll be right back. Don't let Boba out of your sight."

"Where are you going?" Jesse asked sharply, his aura roaring up like a bonfire with teal protection-wariness. He gave Ordo another death glare.

"Grabbing us a bite. We'll just be a minute." Ahsoka crossed her arms and gave him her best Commander eyes.

Jesse pursed his lips, gave her a disgruntled thumbs up, and continued to watch Boba annihilate a whole herd of blurrg holotargets. Tup stood on the other side of her vod'ika, grinning and practically bouncing on his heels in neon-blue joy-fun-delight.

"Come on," Ahsoka said, tugging on Ordo's cuffs. He shuffled after her, unable to walk properly with the second pair around his ankles. She was fairly sure that he could get out of them at any time and he was just humoring her, which only added to her annoyance.

The discordant organ music blasting from the nearby carousel of gilded varactyls felt like a bunch of razor-coated marbles bouncing around in her resonance chambers. She spotted a shaved ice stand and dragged Ordo to the front of it, then handed the Quarren behind the till her credit chit. "Five with shuura syrup, please," she said.

Ordo looked confused and surprised and maybe a little constipated, though that may have just been his face. She took her credit chit back and led him back down the midway towards Jesse, Tup, and Boba with the tray of shaved ice in hand, and handed him a cup.

"Thank you," Ordo said politely after he'd taken a bite.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Ahsoka wrinkled her nose at the sickly-sweet syrup and decided to save the rest of hers for Anakin. She didn't really like shuura, but the boys all did.

"Why'd you get me one?" Ordo asked curiously.

"Your throat hurts, right?" she asked shortly. "It'll help."

"But why would you care if my throat hurts?" Ordo asked. He was watching her curiously, like she was a zoo animal he'd never seen before. It was unnerving.

Ahsoka bit the inside of her cheek. "Because unlike you, I'm a nice person."

"I'm not not a nice person," Ordo frowned.

"Yeah, well." Ahsoka shrugged. "I don't like to see suffering when I can stop it."

"Because of your Empathy," Ordo nodded sagely.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "No, that's not why," she said sharply. "You don't know anything about me. Don't act like you do."

"You're Ahsoka of Clan Tano, granddaughter of Nita, born on Shili in the Cigonaa'agan Mountains under three moons," Ordo said. "You've been the Padawan learner of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker for almost three years. You're a natural-born Empath and have aural synesthesia. You primarily practice the Djem So variant of Shien form, wield two green lightsabers, and are trained in Fáng Shìlóng, Chambara, and Echani."

Ahsoka gaped at him. He knew her grandmother's name. He knew her moons. Even Anakin didn't know her moons.

"So is it because your buir is the reason my throat hurts, then?" he asked.

Ahsoka snorted, picturing Anakin's face at being called her father, and ducked away from a white Twi'lek in purple sequins spitting flames into the air. "You're the reason it hurts, di'kut. You're the one who decided to shoot Rex and run for it, remember?"

Ordo shrugged. "Just following orders. Nothing personal."

Ahsoka stiffened. "Why were those your orders?" she stopped and asked him, turning in the middle of the thoroughfare. "Why did Kal take the armor, why would he do that to Boba? Does he have some sort of grudge against Jango that he's taking out on him?"

Ordo looked offended. "No," he said stiffly. "He's not petty. Don't talk about him like that."

"I can't think of any other reason for him to let you beat on Boba all the time," Ahsoka snapped, barely resisting the urge to slap the shaved ice out of his hands.

"What did Boba tell you?" Ordo asked, his nose scrunched up in the universal expression of Fett annoyance. "I didn't beat on him. We fought, yes, but it wasn't any worse than what my brothers and I did to each other, and he was a spoiled brat. Everyone else was too afraid to put him in his place because he was the Prime's son. I wasn't."

"You tried to drown him in a toilet!" Ahsoka growled.

Ordo snickered. "You mean I gave him a swirly."

"I don't care what you call it, you shouldn't have picked on him!" Ahsoka crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Look, I'll admit that I have a short temper sometimes, but I eased up on him once Kal told me it wasn't fair. I was a child, too." Ordo turned away and took a big bite of his ice while Ahsoka gaped and tried not to drop her tray.

I was a child, too. Five little words that hit her like a scramball bat. Their bodies and minds may have developed twice as fast, there was no genetic tampering or flash training that could give them twenty years of social skills in only ten. Mental maturity didn't mean social maturity, they had to learn that the old-fashioned way. It had never occurred to her that someone wouldn't know that it was wrong to pick on someone so much smaller than them without being told that it was. It seemed like one of those things that a person should just… know. Rex certainly understood that.

But Rex had been raised alongside two brothers that were the same age as him and half his size. He would have been told to be careful with Boba and Cassus before he could even walk, and as both a first generation clone and a natural leader, he would have passed that on to the brothers who hadn't figured it out. It didn't make what was done to Boba acceptable or his trauma as a result of it any less valid, but Ordo treating him the exact same as his bigger brothers because he just didn't know any better did make more sense than him torturing Boba for no reason at all.

And she knew firsthand what a little brat he could be, so she couldn't even argue the point.

"Osik," she mumbled, walking again. Jesse made eye contact with her from where he stood vigilant and motioned at her to hurry up. "Why'd you go after Rex whenever he tried to stop you, then?"

Ordo shrugged. "Because he stepped up to me and I don't back down."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. She handed a cup to Jesse and Tup, then kissed Boba's stubbly head without interrupting his game. "Having fun?" she asked warmly.

"Two more games and that bantha is mine," Boba said, his aura dark blue with focus, very pointedly ignoring Ordo and doing his best to not let his hands tremble. He missed his next three shots.

She put the cup on the counter for whenever he was done and led the Null a safe distance away before Boba's streak was ruined. "When's your dad planning on showing up?" she asked Ordo irritably. She gave him a little shove towards a picnic table near the game booth then plopped down on the bench opposite of him.

Ordo shrugged. "When he wants you to see him you'll know."

"So he's already here?" Ahsoka asked sharply. "And he's what, just watching us and biding his time?"

"Probably. Like I said, you'll know." Ordo finished his cup of shaved ice and tossed it over his shoulder into a wastebasket ten meters away without looking. "You were right, that helped," he said with an appreciative nod.

Ahsoka felt a warm tingle on the back of her neck, smelled the citrus degreaser soap Anakin used on everything from his tools to his hair, then spotted him a few booths over carrying a paper bowl in one big hand and two drinks in the other. She also caught a whiff of t'bac smoke which made her frown, since as far as she knew he hadn't smoked in over a year.

"Quasar doesn't count as dinner," Anakin said, putting the bowl in front of her. It held a pile of ground bantha meat with spicy green oil and black vinegar drizzled over the top, and she could smell green tea through the drink's straw.

"I'm not hungry," she said automatically, pushing the bowl away.

Anakin's aura darkened to violet-red with hurt-guilt and his shoulders fell a little.

Ahsoka sighed and pulled the bowl back. "Thank you," she said, bumping her Master's shoulder once he sat down. She put the half-melted cup of shaved ice in front of him. "Trade you."

"Oh hey, shuura," Anakin said after taking a bite, perking up a little. He put an arm around her shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Thanks, Snips."

Ahsoka smiled and scooped up a bite of bantha with two fingers, her chest going warm and fuzzy.

"You two are very physically affectionate compared to other Jedi," Ordo quipped once both of their mouths were full.

They gave him matching glares. "She's a Togruta," Anakin said, swallowing first; he flushed pink in his cheeks and yellow in his aura. "Togrutas need physical affection or they get depressed."

"She gets depressed without forehead kisses?" Ordo's eyes flicked between them.

"Yes," Ahsoka snapped through a mouthful of bantha.

Ordo watched them curiously for a few more seconds, then shrugged. "Alright." He turned around in his seat to watch Boba.

"Thank you, by the way," Ahsoka said quietly once she'd swallowed. "For catching my saber. And me. But mostly my saber."

Anakin's eyes went soft and his aura flooded with copper and gold. "That's what I'm here for," he said with a small smile. "And thank you, too. For, well… all of it."

"That's what I'm here for," Ahsoka said fondly.

"No." Anakin looked away and went violet with guilt. "It's not, Ahsoka. That…" he glanced at the back of Ordo's head, then at her. "It wasn't the Jedi way," he continued in a low voice. "I need to be a better example for you. I will be better. I promise." He leaned his head against her montral and closed his eyes. She could both see and feel his exhaustion. If she was in a better frame of mind, she might have tried to ease it with the Force the way Barriss had shown her once, but as tired as she was she was more inclined to join him in a powernap and let Ordo shout when Sergeant Skirata finally decided to grace them with his presence.

"I'm a little offended you didn't offer to chew my meat for me," she said quietly after a few seconds, making Anakin snort. "No, really. I know I'm not as adorable as Taarak–"

"Oh, don't start–" Anakin laughed softly.

"No, I get it. He's all fresh and squishy and sweet. I'm a dried up old stick compared to him."

"You're sixteen!" Anakin laughed, flaring bright gold with humor.

"And a teen mother," Ahsoka sighed and rubbed her lek on his cheek to cover up the baby's annoying scent mark. "Taarak would never."

"Jealous, jealous, jealous," Anakin teased. He tipped his cup up and drank the melted ice. "You're gonna love him, Snips. He's from the south, like you."

"Oh yeah?" She raised a brow marking and her drink. "What's his clan name?"

"Na'Hane."

Ahsoka spat out her tea.

Anakin stared at her, his aura gone bright gold with humor-shock. "You've heard of it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ahsoka nodded with a grimace. Oh, fierfek, should she tell him or just let him live in blissful ignorance? Poor Taarak didn't deserve to be legally saddled with that clan name. Regardless of how not-miffed she felt about Anakin's clear fondness for the kid, she would have spoken up if she had known that the toddler was Na'Hane. He would never be able to go back to Shili with that–

She clapped a hand over the back of her neck as a shiver went down her spine. Ordo's head turned ever so slightly to the left, then returned to its original position. Over at the game booth, Boba raised a bantha plush that was the size of Artoo over his head and bellowed triumphantly like a Tusken Raider.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, his aura flaring with turquoise concern as she stood and started looking around. It took her a few seconds, but she spotted him; Skirata was sitting alone at a picnic table about twenty meters away, using a spoon to eat a massive, flat donut covered in powdered sugar and had blue custard oozing out of the center. She could just barely see his golden beskar'gam peeking out from underneath a brown leather jacket. His face was well-lined, shaved, and tanned from the sun, and his silver hair was cropped short in the same regulation cut shinies shipped out with.

Taarak's unfortunate clan history would have to wait. "Skirata's here," Ahsoka said softly, nodding in his direction.

Anakin followed her line of sight and his eyes hardened. "Let's go have a chat," he growled, moving to stand.

Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder. "Master, let me speak to him alone," she said quietly. She wouldn't get the answers she wanted with Anakin glowering and dominating the conversation. "I don't want to give him Ordo right away, and you're the only one capable of keeping him in custody if he actually tries to get loose."

"She's right," Ordo said with a chuckle over his shoulder.

Anakin's aura went a sickly teal with concern-affection-protection but he nodded. "All units return to Lucky's position," he said into his commlink. "Target has been located. I want all eyes on him within the next sixty seconds."

Jesse spun on his heel and stared at her, asking her – or rather begging her – with his eyes to take him with her as protection. She shook her head and looked pointedly at Boba.

A chorus of Sir, yes Sir! overlapped on Anakin's audio. He put a sticky commlink disc on her montral. "Go," he nodded. "I'll watch you from here, but just say the word and I'll come and back you up. Be careful."

Ahsoa walked slowly towards the old Mandalorian while her heart did its best to escape from her chest. She wasn't sure what exactly was making her so nervous; he was just sitting there eating a donut, but he was menacing in a way she couldn't pinpoint. His pale lavender aura was locked down tight around him in a box the same as Ordo, but despite his easy smile and casual veneer, Skirata vibrated with danger in the Force. She felt like she was about to shove her head inside of an akul's mouth.

"Commander Tano," Skirata greeted her with a wide smile and a small double take, like he'd only just noticed her. He wiped his hands on a handkerchief that he tucked into his jacket pocket then offered her a hand to shake.

Ahsoka didn't take her eyes off of his face as she squeezed his hand. His eyes were mild – kind, even – but there was a predatory shrewdness behind them masquerading as pleasantry. It made her want to smack him.

"Grab a spoon and help me out with this," Skirata offered, sitting back down. "Plenty to go around."

Ahsoka let her fangs poke out from under her lips. "I'm a carnivore," she said frostily, taking a seat and crossing her arms. "Where's Boba's beskar'gam?"

"Straight to the point, eh? I told you, it's safe," said Skirata, giving her an up-and-down. Not for the first time that night, Ahsoka wished that she'd thought to stop by the Temple and get a change of clothing before going to the fairgrounds. He dug back into his donut. "I see you brought Ordo."

"You can have him back when Boba has his armor," Ahsoka replied.

"You really think you can hold him?" he asked, smirking a little.

"My Master can," Ahsoka answered, resisting the urge to add by the throat, at least.

"I was surprised to see that Skywalker had tagged along," Skirata said.

Ahsoka cocked her head. "Why wouldn't I?"

Skirata shrugged, took a bite of custard, and pointed at her with his spoon. "Well, you're a tough cookie, no doubt about that. Leading from the front as a Padawan Commander since you were fourteen, ye Manda. We let ours join the battlefield at thirteen, once they've passed their verd'goten, but not on the front lines. Not unless there's no other choice."

"And?" Ahsoka asked. "What does that have to do with my Master?"

"Well, ad'ika, it speaks to a lack of confidence on your part," Skirata shrugged again.

Ahsoka threw her head back and laughed out loud. "Really?" she grinned. "See, Sergeant, if you actually knew me as well as you think you do, you'd realize that bringing my Master speaks to a lack of ego on my part. What I care about is walking away tonight without losing any of my men and getting Boba's armor back, not proving that I have a bigger dick than you. I already know that I do."

She could feel Anakin radiating pride at her through their Force bond. Skirata's eyes changed, something in them cracking like spring ice floating on a river. "Did some research on you after you sprang Boba," Skirata changed the subject, wiping his hands on the handkerchief again before picking up his datapad. "Your service history is one thing – very impressive, by the way – but what I was surprised to see was how extensive your media presence was." The screen was tilted towards him, Ahsoka couldn't see what he was flicking through. "A real darling, you were."

Ahsoka felt something cold start to leak into her chest.

"Ah. This one's cute." Skirata smiled at the screen and flipped it; it was an early holopic from the campaign on Nacime, if she remembered right. She sat on her haunches between Rex and Denal in front of the ruins of a bombed apartment building. She was stapling a gash on the side of Rex's head shut, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Denal had her lightsaber in hand and was using it to light a t'bac stick.

Ahsoka smiled fondly at the holopic. "Denal," she said quietly. "We got in so much trouble for that."

Skirata's smile stayed on his face without reaching his eyes. He flicked through an assortment of propaganda pics taken by the GAR's publicity department; dragging Echo through a hip-deep mud pit back on her first Felucian deployment, perched on Cody's shoulders with a pair of macrobinoculars on Dantooine, following Anakin eagerly into battle with her single saber and her brand-new baby chestplate, arm wrestling with Rex in front of a campfire while a dozen of her brothers egged them both on. "So many of these," he said softly. "Holopic after holopic of you and the boys on… hell, at least twenty different planets. You, Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi… the camera loved you. Then they just stopped. There's nothing after this one. Why's that?" Skirata stopped on the last propaganda picture she'd ever unwittingly posed for; she was wrapped in her oversized brown robe and asleep on Rex's shoulder, both of them leaning up against a munitions crate. Rex's mouth hung open in shock at a small pink songbird that had landed on her propped-up knee.

That was after extracting the royal family on Nylkoor before the Seppies could invade. The Nylkoor mission was a week before her sixteenth birthday; a week before Dol Sylen had kidnapped her and Jesse, taken them to Xior-Cal, then tried to rape her. A week before she'd beaten his face in with a set of to'bevikse until there was nothing left of his head except his teeth and a few bits of brain tissue stuck to the chained sticks.

The spicy bantha meat she'd just eaten threatened to make a second appearance. Sylen had become obsessed with her because of those pics. He'd stalked her on the holonet for months before kidnapping her on the way home from her birthday dinner with Anakin, Padmé and Jesse. After she returned to duty, Anakin had made it very, very clear to the GAR's publicity department that she would never be used for a campaign again, and if he so much as spotted her profile on the edge of a holopic he'd be breaking both the holocam and the fingers of whoever took it.

"Just say the word, Snips," Anakin said quietly through the audio disc, sensing her anxiety. The fireworks booming overhead suddenly reminded her uncomfortably of thunder, of a hurricane strong enough to shake an island like an earthquake.

There is no emotion, there is peace. Ahsoka took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "We both know why," she answered Skirata after steeling herself. "Just stop. I have no interest in playing mind games with you."

Skirata nodded and scrolled again to a paused video. Ijaan Sylen, the only member of Clan Sylen to survive Xior-Cal, stared at her through the screen with hatred burning in his eyes. His long, gray braid had been cut off and he looked like he was in spice withdrawal. The Mandalorian throne room and several royal guards were visible behind him. "Did you see his sentencing?" Skirata asked. "I had to pull some strings to get the vid, but I thought you might want to watch–"

She shuddered at the unexpected eyes of a Sylen and her montrals started ringing like a flash grenade had gone off. "I said stop," Ahsoka snarled, smacking the datapad out of his hands and sending it flying to the ground.

"Say the shabla word, Commander," Jesse snarled.

She took another deep, shaky breath and brought her energy back to heel.

"You should be proud. The Sylens were all demagolkase. They deserved everything they got." He steepled his hands and watched her for a few seconds. "You came here tonight with a very… definite opinion of me."

"You're not doing much to improve it," Ahsoka snapped. Her skin felt like it was too small for her body. Her right lek throbbed where she had crushed the slave chip that Sylen had implanted in her.

Skirata shifted in his seat. "I became aware of you after you wiped out the Sylens, but in my peripheral. I never imagined you would take on Boba as your own."

"Somebody had to," she said bitterly.

Skirata paused. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Why didn't you take him after Geonosis? Or at least break him out of prison?" she asked harshly. "We both know Ord'ika could have done it over a midmeal break, so why didn't you help him?"

Skirata laughed. "Are you suggesting I should have broken the law, jet'ika?" he asked mockingly.

Disgust punched Ahsoka in the gut with a cold fist. Her fangs came out from under her lips instinctively. "What's wrong with you?" she snapped. "I may have been the one to arrest him, but the second I found out he was in supermax I started making plans to get him out. You knew he was there the whole time and you left him. And what happened to him before that, after Geonosis… you just let him drift. Do you know what he went through before prison? Do you care?" She wanted to hit him so badly that her hands trembled with it, but if she made a move, Anakin would be on them both and she knew damn well that Skirata hadn't come here alone. She had no idea how many Nulls were out there.

Skirata shrugged. "He's tough. Jango taught him how to survive. I knew he could handle it."

Ahsoka's vision went red around the edges. "You had no right to decide what he could or couldn't handle! He is a little boy! He watched his dad die, and then the people he tried to find safety with hurt him! What's the real reason, was it too inconvenient to have a kid around who didn't have all of the special snowflake Null skills? Was it because he's Jango's son and not yours, and this was one last way of sticking it to him? Keeping him in fucking prison? You abandoned him at every turn!"

The old Mandalorian didn't flinch. "Calm down before your Master does something stupid, kid," Skirata said softly.

"Or what?" Ahsoka snarled, and slapped her hands down on the table.

Skirata smiled coldly. "You know, the great thing about a carnival is how many vantage points there are," he said, then scooped up a spoonful of custard and held it in the air above his head with his thumb extended to the side. The spoon disappeared with a tiny clink! a second later. Not a single one of the hundreds of civilians that passed by them flinched; Ahsoka glanced upwards at the fireworks and tried not to tremble. A slugthrower used ammunition with the same propellant that was used in fireworks. It was impossible to hear where the shot originated from with the colorful explosions constantly going off overhead, and a bullet would explode into shrapnel if she tried to deflect it with her lightsaber unlike bouncing like a plasma bolt. It was a deliberate choice to use a slugthrower, one that sent a very, very specific message: I'm not afraid to kill a Jedi.

Ahsoka took a very deep, slow breath. There is no emotion, there is peace. All eyes were supposedly on her, and though the boys were doing a good job of staying out of obvious line of sight – with the exception of Sterling, whose foot was sticking out from behind a balloon wall – at least one of them would see her signing to get Boba to cover. She lowered her right hand behind her and rapidly tapped out /BOBA/ in dadita.

"Copy, Commander," Rex growled. "Jesse, Tup, get Boba under a roof immediately."

"You don't think–" Appo started, sounding horrified.

"Copy that," Jesse said grimly. "Come on, kid." She heard Boba's squawking protest and something about not being a fucking baby for fuck's sake over comms as Jesse led him away.

"Why didn't you help him?" she asked again. Frustrated tears burned in the corners of her eyes. "Do you truly care that little?"

Skirata glared at her and his fingers twitched. "I did help him!" he snapped, "I'm the reason he wasn't getting mounted every night, why he wasn't beaten to death the first week he was locked up. Maybe he wasn't having fun, but he was safe in there. I could keep my eye on him and not have to worry about him jumping systems the second I looked away."

"You're a bastard," Ahsoka whispered.

"I am. I am a bastard, but I'm a bastard who can see the bigger picture." Skirata leaned back and crossed his arms, visibly irritated. "Jango and I… we have a history. Had a history. And I've known Boba almost his entire life, but there's just too much bad blood there from Jango for him to trust me. So unfortunately he had to stay in prison, yes, but trust me when I say that it would have been a whole lot worse for that boy had I left him swinging in the wind like you think I did."

"What about before that?" Ahsoka asked heatedly. "Why didn't you do anything for him after Geonosis? Did you even look for him?"

"I had a lot going on at the time, kid," Skirata nearly spat.

"So no." Ahsoka shook her head. Her jaw ached with the desire to bite him. "Unbelievable. Boba was right. You really don't give a shit about anything other than your Nulls."

"Keep telling yourself that, ad'ika," Skirata snapped. "Like I said, Boba was safe in prison because of me. So imagine my surprise when I got the word that a Jedi waltzed into the Chancellor's office, got him a full pardon, and then took custody of him all in a single afternoon. Do you know how much I had to drop to come running back here? You think I would have done that if I didn't, in fact, give a shit?"

"Thank you for rescheduling your assassinations on such short notice," Ahsoka snapped. Her mouth was going cottony with the desire to bite and her lekku were starting to twitch and swell. Every second she sat there knowing there was a slugthrower pointed at either hers or Anakin's head she felt her nerves tie themselves up a little tighter.

Skirata snorted. "You're welcome," he said, shaking his head. "But when I saw that it was the Jedi that had wiped out Clan Sylen, I was intrigued. I could have had him taken that first night you were all snuggled up in the barracks, you know, but I gave you a shot."

"How gracious," she said bitterly. "Not to mention ironic, considering we're apparently the baby-stealers."

"I've been at this a lot longer than you, little girl." He picked up the extra spoon and dug back into his donut. "Let's cut the banthashit. You didn't bring your Master to handle Ordo– well, not just to handle Ordo. We both know that you brought him to protect you. You're scared, you're outmatched, you're in over your head and you know it."

Ahsoka fought to keep her lip from trembling. She was in over her head, damn it, she had known that since the moment she'd walked into the penitentiary and she hated Skirata for saying it out loud.

It'd never stopped her before, though.

"Don't get me wrong, kid. You're no coward, but you're young. Too young to take on a foundling." Skirata's eyes softened and went sympathetic. "I'll take it from here, ad'ika. Boba leaves with me tonight. He'll get his armor back, a safe place to rest his head with three squares, and you go back to being a Jedi and fighting your war. Everyone wins."

Ahsoka knew Boba couldn't stay with her forever; even now, she knew that the 'business' Plo was attending to was dinner with an old Dorin acquaintance of his who happened to be the Headmaster of a boarding school on Coruscant, but even the thought of Boba being taken away from her by a man like Skirata made her limbs seize up in panic, and she fought the urge to hold her breath. "And where are you going to put him this time?" she bit out. "Supermax again? Or will he get a room with a window?"

Skirata shook his head, exasperated. "A two-bedroom on Corellia, actually. He'll have to share a room, but I have a feeling they'll get along."

Something about the way he said it made Ahsoka pause instead of immediately telling him to go kriff himself. "A Mandalorian family?" she asked, her voice a lot steadier than she expected.

Skirata nodded.

Ahsoka bit her lip and thought for a moment. "I need to discuss it with Boba first," she said. "And I want to meet them before he does."

Skirata's spoon paused mid air. "That… might be a problem. They're not very fond of Jedi."

"Too bad," Ahsoka said coldly. "Boba's not staying with anyone I haven't personally checked out."

Skirata chuckled. "Kid, maybe I wasn't clear. I wasn't asking. This is me informing you of what's going to happen."

A feeling smacked Ahsoka on the back of her head, something that screamed wrongwrongwrong like a siren. "Is it now?" The words dripped out of her mouth like mercury, burning her tongue along the way. "Then I hope that your sniper is aiming for my head, because that's the only way I'm letting you take him."

"Ahsoka!" Anakin barked so loud that she heard it in the air and over the comm disc.

"You're not going to kill me, Kal'buir," Ahsoka said, watching the sharp edges of his guarded aura flex like a wiggling plastic sheet. "Not only because you would have done it already, but because even if you do��take me out, your sniper isn't fast enough to take out Master Skywalker and all of my men, too. If they have to defend me, they might not kill you. But if they have to avenge me, then there's nowhere you'll be able to hide."

"I'm required to remind you that revenge is not the Jedi way," Anakin said wryly.

"Didn't think that revenge was something Jedi were much interested in," Skirata parroted softly a few moments later.

Rex stepped out from where he'd been watching over her behind the edge of a game booth. One by one, the clones showed that they'd arranged themselves in a wide circle surrounding her and Skirata, surrounding them – him – completely. "Ner vode ne'jetiise," Ahsoka said cooly.

She was pleased to see a flicker of shock dance across Skirata's eyes.

"Listen, kid–" he began.

The feeling of something very, very wrong hadn't left her, and she suddenly was afraid that it had nothing to do with Skirata. "Jesse, come in," Ahsoka spoke over him, turning her head away with a hand to her montral. Her heart began to pound.

"What's up, Commander?" Jesse answered immediately.

"Where are you? Do you see anyone suspicious?" Ahsoka glanced at Skirata, who looked genuinely puzzled. She still put one hand on her lightsaber. If he thought that he could pull the same trick on her twice…

"Drunk tent. Nobody's around, just a few–" Jesse's comms cut off, and seconds later the sound of blaster fire and screaming cut through the obnoxious organ music.

Ahsoka was already up and off the bench, with Anakin dragging a confused Ordo behind him in a sprint to the tent. Rex, Appo, Kix and Cody all converged as they pushed through the crowd streaming towards them, the scent of blood heavy in the night air. What should have been a distance covered in ten seconds took more than thirty because of the stampede; Ahsoka broke through first by pushing forward with the Force, then ripped open the tent flap. Jesse sat on the ground, blood streaming from his neck and quickly going pale, surrounded by a pile of dead Weequays and Niktos with long, ugly knives on the ground near their limp hands. Tup's cheek was gushing, sliced open from his lip to his ear, and he had his finger plugging Jesse's artery.

Ahsoka sank down next to Jesse and fluttered her hands around the gash, unsure of how to hold the sides of his neck together. Kix chucked a wad of sanicloths in her direction. "Keep pressure on it!" he barked.

She pressed down and made desperate eye contact with Jesse over Kix's frantic hands. "You're going to be fine, vod," she reassured him, wiping blood out of his eyes with a soothing smile while trying not to scream. Her heart felt like it might explode from the way it pounded. She pushed her fear away and surrounded Jesse's aura, a weak orange that throbbed in pain, with a warm copper blanket of safety-comfort.

"Stay," she heard Anakin order, then he shoved Ordo in Appo's direction and sank to his knees. He held his hands on either side of Jesse's throat and closed his eyes. "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," he murmured, sinking into a focused trance.

Ahsoka put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and let calm-focus flow like a river through their bond. Anakin needed to have a clear, centered mind if he was going to save Jesse's life. Her Master had training in basic wound healing as all Jedi did, but he would be the first to admit that his battlefield healing had room for improvement.

And as Ahsoka could attest, if he wasn't focused, his results were less than optimal.

The troopers lined up around them shoulder-to-shoulder in a worried, plastoid wall, their auras all staticky and bright white. Tup's finger was forced out of the artery as Anakin sealed it. The skin and muscles knitted together and Ahsoka finally took a breath once she could no longer see the meat on the inside of Jesse's throat. Anakin lowered his hands and sank back on his heels once the skin had completely closed over, breathing hard like he'd just sprinted the length of The Resolute.

"Well done, General," Kix barked, his hands quickly moving over Jesse to check his vitals and for any other wounds. "He still needs a transfusion as soon as possible. Tup, how're you hanging?"

"Oh, you know," Tup said feebly, like the right side of his face wasn't cut in half. Ridge frowned and pressed his own wad of sanicloths down harder over the gash.

Jesse snatched Ahsoka's bloody hand and held it. "Aurra Sing," he croaked as soon as he could, pale from blood loss and clammy with his own cooling blood and sweat. "It… it was Aurra Sing."

Ahsoka's eyes bulged out. "She's here?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Jesse nodded weakly. "She… she had eight men with her. She dragged Boba off while they jumped us. He shot two before… before she disarmed him." Jesse looked past Ahsoka at something on the ground; she nearly sobbed to see Boba's WESTAR-34 lying next to the stuffed bantha in a puddle of black Nikto blood.

"Last time I checked, Aurra Sing was an ally of his," Skirata remarked, coming up behind Ordo and putting a claiming hand on his shoulder. "Why would she attack like this?"

"I thought you knew everything," Ahsoka snapped at him bitterly. "She's also a predator, and apparently she wants her favorite toy back."

The last ounce of warmth in Skirata's eyes leaked out and was replaced by granite. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked her, quietly seething. The edges of his guarded aura were fit to burst with the rage leaking through.

"Good thing he's tough and could handle it," Ahsoka snapped, taking a very un-Jedi-like pleasure from the guilt that suddenly swamped up in his eyes. She kissed Jesse's forehead before shoving her way past Skirata and out of the tent; he was stable and Kix had moved onto Tup, there was nothing more she could do and she was losing precious time.

Aurra Sing was back, and she had Boba. The worst possible scenario had somehow come to life and she didn't know how the odds could possibly have worked, but Ahsoka would turn herself inside out before she allowed that monster to ever lay a hand on Boba again.

"Men, spread out!" Rex bellowed from behind her. "Do not let Sing leave!" He put his hand on her shoulder. "We will find him, Commander," he said with complete conviction, his aura deep blue-green with determination-focus-protection, but around him was a narrow, staticky line of fear. He was afraid for his little brother. Ahsoka's heart broke at the painful reminder that he didn't even know why.

She couldn't think about it now. She closed her eyes and focused. She tuned out the frantic crowd peering around her to see what had happened in the tent, the noise of the rides and smell of Jesse's blood all over her hands and robes, and looked for her vod'ika in the Force. She knew his aura well enough to pick it out of the terrified tangle of colors overlapping and feeding off of each other in the crowd. He was a survivor; he would be scared but not panicked, rapidly forming a plan of attack and looking for any way out he could take from Aurra.

"Ahsoka?" Anakin asked warily, having followed her. He was sweating and still breathing heavily; without either decades of experience or a natural talent for it, Force healing was as strenuous as a three-hour saber spar.

Ahsoka ignored him and climbed a balloon stand to search the panicked, running crowd for Boba's aura. "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," she murmured out loud repeatedly as she let her eyes and aura roam across the midway. She flowed between the ankles of panicking civilians, droids, and security guards, disregarding each as she passed. She turned her aura left at the corner down the thoroughfare where hundreds of people walked in complete, blissful ignorance of what was going on in their section of the fairgrounds, and rapidly caught up to a pair of gray leather boots soaked in blood scuffling their way below the beams of a roller coaster.

"Get off of me, you fucking hag!" Boba snarls, trying to wriggle free from the larval-pale hand wrapped around his arm like a vice. There are scratches and cuts all the way up to Aurra's shoulder, and Boba's fingernails are broken and jagged.

She turns and slaps him hard, the sharp crack of a slap echoes off of the beams of the roller coaster she's dragged him underneath. "Keep your fucking voice down or I'll blow it, understand?" Aurra hisses, and holds up a detonator.

Ahsoka gasped and pulled her aura back, then jumped down and turned to Anakin. "She's planted explosives," she whispered in horror. "I have no idea how many or where, but she has a detonator."

Anakin blanched to a bleach-gray unease-shock and swore under his breath. Behind him, Kal Skirata cleared his throat. "General Skywalker, I'd like to offer my boys' assistance in finding those explosives while Commander Tano secures Boba," he said.

Anakin raised his eyebrows at him, then turned to Ahsoka. "You got this?" he confirmed, and she nodded. "Then go. Be quiet, and be careful. Get that detonator away from her first. She will try to use Boba against you, so stay focused and don't let her make you angry." After a second of hesitation he looked at Rex. "Go with her," he ordered him.

Ahsoka nearly fainted with relief, and judging by Rex's vibrant blue aura, he was right there with her. "Yes, Sir," he said, snapping to attention.

Ahsoka turned and sprinted through the crowd, her Captain at her back, praying she wouldn't be too late.

"Get – off – me – bitch!" Boba dug his heels into the gravel like a stubborn orbak and pounded his fist against Aurra's wrist, trying to break the joint.

She backhanded him with a long-fingered hand and made him see stars. "Whiny little shit," she growled, and yanked him forward. "You're more trouble than you're worth."

"Then let me go!" Boba punched her in the liver. Aurra hissed and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck, then slammed his face into the support beam of the rollercoaster. He fell to the ground refusing to scream, blood streaming from his nose.

"No." Aurra crouched down, all long-limbed and long-toothed like a big white spider under a log. "I told you, Boba, you're mine." She wiped her thumb through the blood coming out of his nose and put it in her mouth with a smirk. "I carved my mark into you. You'll always belong to me, no matter how far apart we are."

Boba spat a clod of bloody spit right in her eyes, his heart pounding. The knife. He'd completely forgotten about the knife in his pocket. Her fucking knife too, the same she'd used to carve her fucking mark.

She hoisted him up by his neck and shoved him up onto a pylon. "Climb," she growled.

Boba let himself go limp. "Fuck you," he snapped again, refusing to help her.

Aurra's lip curled up and she punched him hard in the kidney. "Climb, or I blow your new girlfriend up," she hissed over his wheeze of pain, sounding like a snake.

Boba reluctantly began to climb, cursing under his breath and going as slow as possible. "The fuck we climbing a ride for?" he snapped once they were twice Aurra's height off the ground.

"Tobias is picking us up at the top," Aurra said shortly. "Keep going."

Boba's foot slipped off the cyan-painted metal. "This is ridiculous," he panted, trying not to panic.

"Shut. Up," Aurra screeched at him. "This is happening. Either climb, or I cuff you and carry you. You prefer that?"

"No," Boba said sullenly.

"Then move your ass, you ungrateful little bastard." Aurra scoffed and slapped his ankle. "After everything I did to help you… everything I'm doing right now, you have the gall to act like this. Your daddy should have traded you in for a better model like you said the longnecks wanted him to."

Boba bit down the sob before it could escape. Of course she'd use anything he'd ever confided in her about against him, why wouldn't she? "Yeah, he should've," Boba choked out. "Cause I wouldn't be stuck here with your crazy ass."

Aurra laughed meanly. "You love my crazy ass," she simpered at him from below, then reached up and squeezed his thigh. "You still do. You missed me, didn't you?"

Boba slapped her hand away and almost fell in the process. "Don't!" he said, kicking at her head.

She caught his foot and held it, violence in her eyes. "You know, you'll survive a fall from this height, but you'll never be right again," she said, grinning evilly. Her eyes shone with her need to hurt someone, him, anyone. "Think your pecker will still work if your spine's broken?"

Boba shuddered and started climbing again while Aurra cackled. A brief streak of orange dipped in the corner of his left eye and immediately disappeared. He fought the urge to look, unwilling to draw Aurra's attention if it was what he hoped it was.

"So how'd you survive the crash?" Boba asked, forcing himself to sound as normal as he could.

"Oh, you know me," Aurra purred. "I never know when to stay dead."

"Tell me about it," Boba mumbled to himself. They were almost at the top, and the knife was burning a hole in his pocket. If he thought he could get it out and open it before Aurra could take it away from from, he would have put it in her throat like Jesse–

He choked down a sob. The last thing he saw before Aurra dragged him out of the tent was the last Nikto alive, slicing Jesse's throat in half. He'd thrown himself in front of Boba even though he hated him, all because Ahsoka had asked him to. Maybe he should just go with Aurra instead of trying to fight it. She'd never forgive him for getting her favorite cl– no, her best friend killed.

Boba pulled himself over the edge and his hand hovered over his pocket. He could stab Aurra right in the eye and shove her off, and then afterwards Ahsoka would probably give him to Kal and say good riddance. He was a fuckup who got everyone killed, even when he was just trying to win a fucking stuffed animal for her. It didn't matter, why try to fight it? Aurra would at least keep him from dying, and he could probably get away from her at a pit stop without too much trouble if he let her do what she wanted on the way.

A flash of orange darted across the right side of his vision around the bend of the neon cyan-magenta rollercoaster chassis. "Are we gonna get hit?" Boba asked Aurra warily as she clawed her way over the edge.

"It's out of order," Aurra rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back of the head. "Obviously. So you finally accept it? That your little experiment on the up-and-up side of things was a colossal failure?"

It hadn't been. He hadn't done anything wrong except for fucking exist, which he already knew was a mistake from the start. "Yeah," he forced out, and let his hand drift away from his pocket. "I shouldn't… I shouldn't've been such a pain. I'm sorry, Aurra."

"Oh, Boba." He closed his eyes and tried not to shudder as her long fingers wrapped around his neck. She crouched down behind him and licked a long, wet stripe along his bloody jaw before turning his head and kissing him.

His hand drifted to his pocket again. His breathing sped up and so did his heart, and not in the good way, not the way she tried to tell him was a good thing, it wasn't fucking right and Dad would have killed her for it–

The detonator in Aurra's loose hand was yanked away, flying through the air into an orange one. "Dalgaan," Ahsoka growled in two octaves, standing upright with her fist in the air. Her lekku had swollen up and started wiggling like snakes, and the one in the rear thumped against her back like a drum. She was covered in blood, her fangs were completely bared, and she fucking roared at Aurra like a raxshir as she crushed the detonator with one hand. "I will destroy you," Ahsoka snarled, drawing her sabers.

"I had a feeling you would be here, tailhead," Aurra grinned at her, pulling a cylinder Boba didn't recognize from her belt. "I brought this, just in case. It's been a while since I had to use it, but I think the occasion calls."

Boba gasped at the orange light blade that erupted from either side of the cylinder. "A lightsaber?" he asked faintly, backing up on his hands.

Aurra threw a smirk over her shoulder. "Didn't I tell you that I was raised as a Jedi?" she cooed at him mockingly, then shrugged. "Ah well. Surprise."

Ahsoka brought her longer saber up by her face and her shorter one in a reverse grip in front of her. "You won't find any complaints from me," she said, her bloodied lip curling.

Aurra lunged. Ahsoka parried it and sliced across Aurra's waist, nearly cutting her in half. Boba kept backing up, desperate to stay out of the way, and jumped a foot in the air when his hand touched a plastoid hand. Tiarek hauled himself over the edge, breathing heavily. "You alright?" he asked Boba, raising his voice to be heard over the sound of lightsabers clashing. His eyebrows went up. "A lightsaber?" he asked in disbelief, then shook his head and drew his deeces.

The narrow track meant that any shot Tiarek missed might hit Ahsoka. He aimed for Aurra's feet, driving them both towards a sharp bend that had a dropoff right behind it. Ahsoka caught one side of Aurra's blade in a crossed guard, kicked Aurra so hard in the crotch that Boba heard something pop from where he was, then cut the double-sided laser sword in half. One side went flying off the edge, but the wheezing Aurra managed to keep hold of the other. She pushed behind her at Tiarek with an open palm and a snarl, sending him skidding backwards. He spun his hands and tipped over the edge.

"No!" Ahsoka and Boba both cried out at the same time; Ahsoka reached out with her powers to catch him but was immediately forced to block Aurra's swing. Boba lunged for Tiarek and got his fingers around his belt just as he started to fall. He yanked him forward almost too hard and pulled them both down to a heap on the track.

"You okay?" Boba wheezed, pushing his brother off of him.

"Am I–" Tiarek laughed in disbelief, already firing at Aurra again. "Yes, Bo'ika, I'm okay. Good job." He fired a volley at Aurra's lower half and finally hit her skinny leg right below the knee. Aurra collapsed, howled, then dodged Ahsoka's strike and rolled towards them with her saber above her head.

Boba pulled the knife from his pocket, unflipped the corkscrew blade, and buried it deep in her guts as she came to a kneeling stop with the mutilated laser high above her head, ready to strike. It deactivated and fell to the track with a clunk. "Boba," she whispered accusingly, falling backwards. She landed hard on her ass and looked at her abdomen, more confused than anything. "Boba, why… why would you choose her?" she asked. Bright red blood bubbled up from her lips.

"Because she's not a fucking dickhead," Boba said, then spat at Aurra.

"I… I…" Aurra looked around desperately for the getaway that was obviously not coming. "I surrender!" she said frantically, then put her hands up. Blood dripped down her chin and stained her teeth red. "I surrender. Y-You're a Jedi, you can't kill an unarmed prisoner who is surrendering to you."

"She can't," Tiarek snarled, raising his blasters.

Ahsoka put a hand up to stay Tiarek's fire. "If you shoot her from this range it'll look like an execution," she said coldly, staring down at Aurra without an atom of pity in her eyes. She slowly raised a fist in the air, then extended her thumb out to the side.

Aurra grinned with what she thought was victory and started to cackle, then the side of her head blew out in an explosion of bloody chunks like a dead aiwha that had been floating in the sun. Her corpse slumped to the side and slid off the edge of the roller coaster without a sound.

Boba leaned over and stared at her crumpled body wordlessly. That… that was it? Just like that, Aurra was gone?

Ahsoka put her sabers on her belt and slowly crossed the distance between them. She sank down across from him onto her knees. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, reaching out a hand.

Boba swallowed hard and stared at it. It was covered in dried blood. He knew there could only be one source. "I'm sorry," he whispered after what felt like an eternity of silence. "About… about Jesse, I'm… I… I'm so sorry. I promise, I didn't mean for any of this to happen–"

Ahsoka's mouth opened in a surprised little o. "Jesse's alive," she interrupted with a watery smile, "Tup too. They're okay, vod'ika, we got there in time."

Boba shuddered. "He's alive?" he whispered, his eyes burning with tears that refused to fall.

Ahsoka nodded. Her own tears fell freely and left streaks in the dried blood on her face. She rolled back to sit cross-legged and opened her arms in an invitation; Boba dove into her lap and realized for the first time why she kept doing that. She was giving him the choice. She was letting him decide if he wanted to be touched.

"They're okay?" Boba asked Ahsoka's neck, trying not to shake and failing. "They– he didn't–"

"I swear Jesse's okay." Ahsoka rubbed a firm circle on his back. "I would never, ever lie to you about that. He's okay."

Boba took a deep shuddering breath, trying not to cry again, and thought that he might actually hold it together until Tiarek's arms wrapped around the two of them and crushed them both against his plastoid chest. Ahsoka's chest vibrated so hard in a purr that he could barely hear himself bawling like a baby, but for the first time, he wasn't embarrassed about it. "I swear, it's like I never left Shili with the way you mother me," Ahsoka growled at Kix with no real venom.

"Yeah, yeah." He dabbed at a nick on her chin with an alcohol swab, then looked down his nose at Boba. "Well, the bone's fine but you're going to have a nice set of shiners," he informed him, tilting Boba's chin up with a finger. "Bacta gel won't help since it's from your nose, not your eyes. That's just where the blood pools."

Boba shrugged and rested his head against Tiarek's chest. "I don't really give a shit."

"I do," Ahsoka said wryly, looking him up and down. "I feel like I'm going to get the Bureau of Youngling Protection called on me if we go out to dinner now."

Boba snickered. The ambulance door swung open and Skywalker heaved his oversized ass into the brightly-lit vehicle, squeezed by to sit between Ahsoka and the wall, then held up a large, brown paper bag with handles. "Guess what I got," he deadpanned.

Ahsoka eyed the bag warily. "I'm afraid to, considering that you said you were meeting the coroner to take care of Sing's body," she said with a raised brow marking.

"Yeah, for like five minutes. Now guess." Skywalker gently shook the bag at her with a shifty little grin.

Ahsoka's stomach rumbled. "Please say food," she said hopefully.

"So much food." Skywalker started rifling through it. "I want you to thank me right now, because I'm the best Master ever."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and snorted, then froze. "Do I smell–" she whispered.

"Raw kybuck backstrap?" Skywalker tugged out a small polystyrene container that had something red dripping from the side. "Yes, you do."

"Master!" Ahsoka squealed happily in a pitch that could break glass; the entire ambulance winced.

"Don't worry, boys, ours is cooked. And I got some sides." Skywalker yanked a handful of fried tato rings out from the bag and shoved a handful in his mouth.

"Don't mean to keep you all from dinner, but, ah–" Boba almost knocked himself out on Tiarek's chin, jumping as he did at the sound of Kal Skirata's voice. He met the old man's eyes; they were older than he remembered. "Su'cuy gar, Bob'ika," he said to Boba quietly. "Ni ceta. Ni ru'nibra gar."

Boba swallowed hard and nodded, looking at his knees. He felt Tiarek's arms tighten around him.

"Where is his armor, Sergeant?" Ahsoka asked calmly, pushing Kix's hands away from her face. Her hand went down to her belt where her lightsaber hung.

Kal smiled and looked at Boba. "I sent it to your mother," he said gently.

Boba blinked for a few seconds, and it wasn't until Tiarek gently jostled him that he realized that he wasn't breathing. "She… she's alive?" Boba whispered. "But–"

"I expect that you have a lot of questions, and while I'd love to answer them for her, I think it's a chat the two of you need to have face-to-face," Kal continued. "But Cassus is also with her. They both made it out. They've been in hiding, and I expect you'll discover the reason why fairly quickly."

Ahsoka crossed the ambulance and went to her knees in front of Boba. "Just breathe, vod'ika," she murmured, lacing their fingers together.

Boba nodded wordlessly, his eyes burning with tears that he was afraid to let Kal see.

"You knew about Kaisa, didn't you," Kal stated more than asked, watching Ahsoka closely.

Ahsoka met his eyes without blinking. "Yes," she said calmly. "Why would you send the armor to her?"

"Well, as his widow, technically it goes to her until his children come of age," Kal said with a glance at Boba.

Children. Children. Boba clenched his fists so tight that he felt his nails cut into his palms. Cassus was the oldest of the three of them; technically, it belonged to him unless he passed on it, which Boba couldn't imagine happening.

He couldn't imagine that he was fucking alive until a few seconds ago either, though.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Ahsoka asked coldly.

Kal shrugged. "You know, my old man used to say that if you want to see what color a man's blood is, then you back him into a corner first. I needed to see who you really were. Not the jetii, the ori'vod."

Ahsoka slipped an arm protectively over Boba's shoulders. "And what color's mine?" she asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

Kal smiled. "Red as can be, ad'ika, not a trace of yellow to be found." His eyes flicked over to Tiarek. "I'll forward you her coordinates. Be prepared for a fight when you land. She really doesn't care for Jedi, and if I warn her you're coming, she'll disappear and I'll never hear from her again." Kal gave Ahsoka a final once-over before his eyes flicked to Tiarek again – and was that regret he saw in his eyes? – and finally rested on Boba. "Take care of yourself, little man," he said, quiet and sad, then turned. "You too, Reks'ika," he added over his shoulder, bridging the chasm that existed between the two names for the briefest of seconds.

Kix closed the ambulance door, and Skywalker's eyes darted between Ahsoka and Boba. "So, was anyone going to tell me that Boba had a mom and wasn't a clone, or was I supposed to just wait until I overheard it from a random Mandalorian?" he finally asked the silent cab.

Notes:

MANDO'A TRANSLATIONS Jet'ika: little Jedi/Padawan Ad/Ad'ika: Kid/Little kid (fond) Vod: brother To'bevikse: Mando nunchaku Ner vode ne'jetiise: my brothers are not Jedi Su'cuy gar: A greeting, but lit. 'You Are Alive' Ni ceta. Ni ru'nibra gar: I'm sorry (ultra grovel version). I failed you. OTHER NOTES Say it with me everybody: death sticks = space crack, they are not cigarettes. Elan Sleazebaggano is not out there risking his life every night for you to think he is slinging tobacco in the club Also Anakin (all Jedi actually) canonically knows Force healing, it's in the comics 🤪 You didn't think I was actually going to let the pedo live, right? (I officially have the hc that Tobias' story about pushing Aurra off a ledge and it being the fall that killed her is from him seeing her body fall off the coaster and him nyooming tf out of there, later taking credit for her death because he can lol)

Taglist: @starwarsficnetwork, @soliloquy-of-nemo Dividers: @saradika-graphics

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