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Sending out Ripples
@ladysongmaster
Fanfic author, word artist. SFW blog. Mostly Star Wars/The Clone Wars, with a smattering of other fandoms. I do a lot of reblogs, but post my writing and art too. Check out my sideblog @ladysongmaster-library for all my collected writing with no reblogs.
Cold ComfortĀ (Wolffe)
Stranger in the Fog (Gregor)
Febuwhump 2023 -Ā AO3
Day 1 - (Hit Me) One More TimeĀ (OC Dune)
Day 2 - See You AgainĀ (OC Wraith)
Day 10 - Planned Obsolescence (part of the Brothersā Keeper AU)
25 Days of Life Day
1- Precious MemoriesĀ (Cody)
2- The Deep FreezeĀ (Rex)
3- Soup, Sandwiches, and SnowĀ (Gregor)
4- The Light of the SeasonĀ (Wolffe)
9- On a Cold Winterās NightĀ (Crosshair)
Clonetober 2022
Day 1 - The Dare - (Fox, part of the Brothersā Keeper AU)
Day 2 - A Warm WelcomeĀ (Omega)
Day 3 - Were . . . Wolffe?Ā (Rex)
Day 4 - To BelongĀ (OC Dune)
Day 5 - There, But for GraceĀ (Cody)
Day 6 - Mercy MissionĀ (Thorn)
Day 9 - Late Night SnackĀ (Rex)
Call of the Sea - AO3
1-Ā The Acquisition
2-Ā Trust
3-Ā The Scale
4-Ā Brothers
5-Ā Revelations
6-Ā Planning
7- Clouds on the Horizon
Hunter x Reader
Wooley x Reader
Coruscant Guard Commanders x Reader
Fox x Reader
Colt x Reader
Wrecker x Reader
Warthog x Reader
Cody x Reader (Part 1)
Echo x Reader (Part 1)
Bacara x Reader
Quicksilver xĀ Reader
Kix x Reader
Doctorās Orders (Domino Squad)
Commander Fox Week 2021 - AO3Ā (part of Brothersā Keeper)
Day 3 - Time Travel
Day 5 -Ā Recovery | Vode An
Day 7 -Ā Brothers | (Hug)Vodpile
Clonetober 2021
Day 1 - A Family AffairĀ (Fives, Mandalorian bounty hunter AU)
Day 3 - FlawedĀ (Alpha 17)
Day 5 - Itās a Twin ThingĀ (Fives)
Day 5 - Never Have I EverĀ (Fives, Echo, and readers)
Day 9 - Wreckerās New DoĀ (Tech)
Day 10 - Decorous (Fox)
Day 11 - Terrible TaungsdayĀ (Wolffe, Rex, and a kitten)
Day 16 - The Only Home He KnowsĀ (Boba Fett)
Day 19 - Sitrep: KUBARĀ (Jek & Rys)
Day 20 -Ā Mhi Oyacyi (We Live)Ā (Rex)
Day 21 -Ā Aliit Ori'shya Tal'din (Family is More than Blood) (Rex)
Day 24 - A Family TraditionĀ (Domino Squad)
Day 25 - Rookies ReimaginedĀ (Domino Squad & the Bad Batch)
Howzer Week 2021
Day 2 - The Rescue
Day 3 - New Orders
Day 5 - Skillset Update
A Day of Rest, A Time of PeaceĀ (Jedi!Maul AU)
Seashells and ChocolateĀ (Hunter x reader)
On the Shores of Our New HorizonĀ (Din, Grogu, and Tatooine Gang)
Family is HomeĀ (Mandalorian modern AU with a twist)
Growing Into Love (Hunter x reader)
The Way to a Manās Heart (Fox x reader)
Other Fandoms
TMNT/Gargoyles xover - Squirrel Formation
Star Wars/The Others xover
To Save the Ruins of Tomorrow
Vampire in the Senate
Hunted
Send me a DM or an ask if youād like to be added to the taglist. Or you can check out my writing only blog @ladysongmaster-library.
My Tags
ladysongmaster writes - my writing
ladysongmaster art - my art
ladysongmaster answers - answers to asks
ladysongmaster rambles - yelling into the void
Guess whoās back once again for our 3rd year! Crazy how fast weāve gotten here and we are so excited to host it again! I know Iāve said this before, but it is truly wonderful how so many people participated in last yearās Corrie week. There is so much talent and skill out in the world and we hope you can join us once againā¤ļø
Weāre starting a bit earlier than last year and we now have prompt submissions open! With this we would love to poll your ideas in sooner, and if youāll be joining us, allow for any preparations, clarifications, and questions to be cleared up well before the event week. (Our Ask box should be open and working now!)ā¤ļø
The dates for this year will be October 4th to October 10th
As always- we know October is a busy season for creatives so please if you can join in during the week we would love to have you! If you canāt though donāt be discouraged, we always take submissions past the eventās end. Just make sure to tag this blog and use our yearly tags!
#corrieweek2026 #coruscantguardweek2026
I wonāt keep you for much longer so if you have any ideas please send them in! We would love to hear all the wonderful thoughts going around in that head of yoursš
It's that time again, friends! Coruscant Guard Appreciation Week (Corrie Week) will soon be upon us - Oct 3rd to Oct 10th!!
This is the pr
P.s. Hmmmā¦I do wonder who Sweet Cheeks is talking to?
Interest Poll
I would love to join this mission!
Ahā¦I might not be able to join. Let me see how it works out!
youāre going to love again, find a job again, create art again, do what you love again, feel powerful again. youāre going to be back on track. i donāt know when, but you are going to feel like yourself again, eventually. this isnāt the end. hang in there.
There are going to be days (or weeks, or months) where you sit down to write and feel... disconnected. From your voice, from your characters, from your ideas. Like the person who used to write your stories just packed up and left.
They didn't. They're just tired. Here's how to keep writing anyway:
Lower the bar (Until it's on the floor)
You are not here to write something brilliant. You are here to write something. A paragraph. A sentence. A single line of dialogue. Movement matters way more than quality.
Write around the story
Don't force it. If you can't write the scene, try:
ā A character ramble / journal entry
ā A conversation that won't be included in the final draft
ā A list of things the character would never admit out loud
ā A messy summary of what should happen
Engage with the story from a different angle.
Borrow a voice until yours comes back
No, not with AI. Read something that feels close to what you want to write, or watch a scene that captures the tone, then write immediately after. Not to copy, to reignite your instincts.
Write the emotion, not the plot.
What is your character feeling in this moment? What are they afraid of? What do they want but won't say? What's being kept from them? The emotion leads, the plot catches up later.
Stop trying to "feel like a writer" first.
You don't write when you feel like a writer. You feel like a writer because you write.
You are still a writer, even on the days it feels distant. Especially then.
Summary: Rexās heart started hammering in his chest. General Tiās scouts had found Princess Ahsoka.
Words: 1826
Warnings: none
Read on AO3
**********
Rex swam through the halls of the of the grand army command caves. Heād heard that Blackout and Spark, two special ops mers whoād been gone for nearly a month, had returned. Theyād been ushered directly to High General Shaak Tiās office. Rex could think of only one thing that would have sent them straight to the General, instead of debriefing with their marshal commander first.
Blackout and Spark had found Princess Ahsoka.
There was no way Rex was waiting around to hear the news through official channels. He was only a captain in the grand army, and probably wouldnāt hear anything āofficialā until they held the welcome home celebration for the princess.
As Rex approached the corridor that led to General Tiās office, he ducked behind a rockfall and squeezed himself into the little tunnel that was hidden there.
When they were younger, Cody had taken Rex along this secret passage where they could observe the General as she listened to reports and gave orders.
āIām going to be a marshal commander when I get older,ā Cody had told Rex when heād asked why they were spying. āI intend to know everything I can so I will be the best marshal commander the Generalās ever had.ā He grinned at Rex. āAnd youāll be the best of my captains, so you should know these things too.ā
It hadnāt made much sense to Rex then. Heād rather have been playing with Ahsoka in the coral gardens. But now he was grateful Cody had dragged him along.
As Rex approached the place where he knew General Tiās office was, he stopped all movement and just drifted. General Tiās elegant montrals allowed her to echolocate as well as, if not better than, any dolphin or whale, and he couldnāt chance that sheād sense him if he disturbed the water around him too much.
Rex came to rest on the floor of the tunnel. When he cocked his head to the side, he could peer through a slim cleft into General Tiās office.
Commander Colt floated in the entrance to General Tiās office grotto, the red fins along his dark blue tail flaring in excitement.
Blackout and Spark floated at attention in front of the Generalās desk.
āWhat have you found?ā the General asked.
Rex sighed internally with relief. He hadnāt missed the debrief.
āSir,ā Blackout started. āWe believe weāve found Princess Ahsoka on the western coast of the continent. Spark was able to capture an image of her for verification.ā
Spark drifted forward, his white tipped fins fluttering nervously. He offered a clam shell to the General, which she took and flicked open with a sharp nail.
A bubble rose from the shell. Inside was the image of a young woman with light hair and big blue eyes. Rexās breath caught in his gills. Though she was older than the last time heād seen her, Rex would know Ahsokaās face anywhere.
āTides and currents be blessed,ā the General said. āIt is her.ā
Rexās heart started hammering in his chest.
General Tiās scouts had found Princess Ahsoka.
Rex could barely force himself to lie still while Blackout and Spark finished giving their report.
Theyād found Ahsoka!
When the special ops mers were finally dismissed, Rex used their movements to cover his own as he backed out of the hidden tunnel. He was supposed to be training with the other captains under Codyās command, but heād begged off, telling Cody he felt unwell. When Rex reached the barracks he shared with the other captains, the large cave was empty. He swam to his sleeping nook and gathered the few items heād decided to take.
Rex would travel light. He wouldnāt take his armor or spear. He tied on a kept-fiber belt and attached his favorite knife. The knife would be enough for him to hunt with if his claws and sharp teeth failed him. And he didnāt plan on running into trouble. What he planned was a stealthy retrieval mission. He needed to see Ahsoka with his own eyes. It had been almost seventeen years, and for too much of that time, Rex had thought she was dead. He wouldnāt wait a moment longer to go to his friend.
Rex swam toward the door of the barracks, then hesitated. He drifted back to his sleeping nook and opened the chest next to it. At the bottom of the chest, beneath his few possessions was a small bag of woven kelp. He opened the bag and dumped its contents into his palm; two identical beaded bracelets with little shells attached to them.
He remembered vividly the day Ahsoka had dragged him out into the old lava fields. Theyād searched for hours, gathering little lava beads that the princess had then scrutinized to make sure were all the same size. Under Tutor Fistoās careful gaze Ahsoka and Rex bored holes in the beads so they could be strung on kelp-fiber strings. Advisor Koon had shown up with two luminous pearls that Ahsoka had eagerly accepted to add to the creations she and Rex were making.
After all the beads and pearls were strung, Ahsoka had stated the bracelets werenāt finished yet.
Rex smiled as he fingered the small spiral shells attached to each bracelet. Ahsoka had spent weeks examining hundreds of shells until sheād finally found the two she proclaimed were āperfectā. After the bracelets were complete, Ahsoka had presented Rex with the one she made. Rex had given her the bracelet heād made in return.
āNow weāll be bestest friends forever!ā the little princess had declared.
Rex slipped one bracelet around his wrist and returned the other to the bag, which he tied to his belt. Rex stuck his head out of the barracks, checking to make sure no one was around, then made his way across the training grounds, keeping to shadows and hiding behind rocks and in the fronds of large sea plants whenever possible.
Once he was away from the palace grounds, Rex positioned his arms above his head, becoming as streamlined as possible, and shot off through the water. He was one of the fastest swimmers in the grand army, matched only by Cody. Rex couldnāt maintain this speed indefinitely, but he didnāt need to. He only needed to get across the old lava fields where the seaweed forest would hide him from prying eyes.
He was so sure that no one had seen him leave, that Rex didnāt bother to check for traps. As he arrowed into the thick fronds of the forest, he slammed into something yielding and sticky. The feel of a catchweed net was unmistakable and Rex didnāt struggle, so as not to become so tangled he couldnāt move.
āPitiful,ā a familiar voice said. āA cadet could have avoided that trap.ā
āCody!ā Rex growled. āLet me go!ā
His hand inched toward the knife on his belt, though he didnāt unsheathe it. Catchweed could be cut through, but it produced a sticky gel that took hours to dissolve without the help of fire slug slime. Even just brushing against catchweed would cause it to release its gel, and Rex had slammed into this net at top speed. It would be easier to talk Cody into letting him go, but Rex wasnāt sure Cody would listen.
āI went to check on you in the infirmary,ā Cody said. āKix said he hadnāt seen you.ā
āCody,ā Rex growled again.
āWhen I heard Blackout and Spark were back, I knew theyād found news of the princess. And I guessed, correctly it seems, what youād do.ā
āI have to go to her,ā Rex said. āThereās no way the General will let me go with an official rescue party. Not with Count Dooku amassing allies to invade the palace again. But I need to go, Cody. I was supposed to protect her.ā
āYou were seven,ā Cody reminded him.
āDoesnāt matter,ā Rex snapped. āWe clones are stronger, faster, than regular mers. I should have been able to fight off her attackers. Instead . . .ā
āYou were a kid, and there were a dozen of them.ā Codyās voice rang with sympathy. āYou nearly died that night too.ā
Rex touched the scar on his chest. āI didnāt die. And neither did she. And now that I know it for sure, Iām going to be the one to bring her home.ā
āWhat if she doesnāt want to come?ā Cody asked softly.
Rexās gills fluttered erratically and his heart thudded painfully in his chest. āI need to hear it from her,ā he said just a softly.
Heād been put into service to protect the princess by her father. With the king and queen dead, Rex knew in his heart of hearts, that no one but the princess could release him from that service.
Rex and Cody stared at each other.
With a dramatic sigh, Cody flicked his white and gold tail and moved closer to Rex. Cody reached through the catchweed fronds and scruffed Rexās short blond hair, drawing a whiny protest from Rex.
Rex felt something drop onto his chest. It was a palm-sized shell, hopefully filled with fire slug slime. He managed to get a hand on the shell and pried it open enough to shake some slime out. He grinned at Cody.
āYouāre the best!ā
āDo you even know where youāre going?ā Cody asked.
āBlackout and Spark said the princess had been spotted on the western coast of the continent,ā Rex said, rubbing the slime into the catchweed tangled around his tail.
Cody huffed out a stream of bubbles. āYouāre an idiot, you know that? The continent is huge.ā He gestured to a whalehide knapsack at the base of one of the seaweed fronds. āGeneral Ti had me help her check in on some of the scouts a while back. I made you a map of the locations Blackout and Spark looked into. If youāre gone for more than two weeks, Iām sending Waxer and Boil after you. Maybe Jesse and Kix too.ā
Rex finally freed himself from the catchweed and tucked the shell with the remaining fire slug slime into the knapsack, which he slung over his shoulder. Then he swam to where Cody floated and tapped their foreheads together.
āIāll be back in a week and a half,ā Rex said with a cheeky grin.
Rex arrowed off into the forest so quickly he didnāt hear Cody say, āYouād better be, little brother.ā
*Ā Ā *Ā Ā *
Tup stayed still until he was sure Rex and Cody were both gone. Then he swam up to float amongst the seaweed fronds. He looked toward the palace, then in the direction Rex had gone, then back toward the palace again.
Swiftly, Tup headed back toward the palace.
A mer shouldnāt be out in the wide ocean on his own. It wasnāt safe. Which meant Tup couldnāt go after Rex by himself. Heād find Fives, and Echo, and let them know what heād witnessed. Then they could make a plan together.
**********
AN: I think I planned to post this for MerMay a couple of years ago, but never got it done. So here it is.
Here's a commission I did a while back for @julijuli77 (thank you again for the commission!) Smiles are hard to draw, but these lads deserve to have some fun <3
Warnings: Alpha being a tough trainer, insubordination, themes of being watched, discussions of genetically-controlled populations, references to scientific experimentation on children, references to cheating (as in a competition, not romantically/sexually)
The ARC-in-training groaned, dropping to the ground and starting on his punishment.
You leaned down toward your datapad, taking notes so that none of them would notice the look that was surely on your face. Web had given the wrong answer on how long it took a heavily-modified blaster power pack to explode if it had two meters of detonation tape wrapped around it. As far as you could tell from the answer another ARC-in-training gave, Web had been incorrect by roughly three-eights of a second.
"Drexl, what is the best formation to attack a tinnie base with and a four-man commando squad?" When Drexl didn't answer immediately, Alpha also provided, "Assume no organics on the base and a semi-arid environment with clear conditions and minimal ground cover."
Drexl considered that for a moment before giving a nod almost as if to reassure himself. "I would advise sending one of the commandos ahead to scout-"
As Drexl started on his pushups, Alpha looked at the three trainees still standing upright. "When would it be appropriate to send one commando to complete a task?"
"Never?" Crisis ventured.
"Five laps," Alpha instructed. "If you don't know an answer, admit you don't know. Trying to guess is a waste of everyone's time. Commandos work best as a unit, but their survival instincts are strong. Remember, most of them were trained by a bunch of old Mandos. The only time you should send a single commando is if the rest of his squad is dead or captured. Otherwise, split them into two-man teams."
When he finished speaking, Alpha stared expectantly at the ARCs-in-training. They didn't speak. Alpha sighed and made an impatient gesture. "Full-kit sparring for the next hour, then drills until it's time to go. Parjii, you were the least disappointing today. You'll lead the drills."
Parjii nodded and the ARCs-in-training paired off to spar. You followed Alpha out of the immediate training area, where he was making notes on his training datapad.
You waited until he had finished typing before you moved a little closer. "Alpha, isā¦ everything okay?"
He nodded without looking away from the screen. "Yeah, everything is fine."
"Are your cybernetics hurting you?"
Alpha lowered the datapad to peer at you. "No, my cybernetics are fine. Why are you asking about this, neverd'ika?"
You shrugged. "You were, uhā¦ pretty harsh with the trainees back there. I was just thinking there might be another reason for it."
His expression went carefully blank. As far as sabaac faces went, Alpha's was one of the best. Even having known him as long as you had, you weren't sure you would have noticed the change if you hadn't watched it happen.
"I'm working with this group the same way I've worked with all of the others."
His tone made it clear that he wasn't open to more conversation, so you let it go without calling out the obvious lie. With everything he had been through, he deserved some peace to come to terms with things.
Alpha's stint in the medical facilities of Coruscant had stolen a lot of training time. He had missed the second half of his time with the ARCs-in-training he had been working with before he left, then an entire training group while he was having and recovering from cybernetics surgeries. Even this group wouldn't have a full six weeks with Alpha - you had gotten back on-planet halfway through their second week.
Baqin-Khaa, the bounty hunter assigned to take over for Alpha during his absence, had been thrilled to relinquish the responsibility as soon as Alpha was back on Kamino. Come to think of it, you weren't sure how the Codru-Ji bounty hunter had managed to communicate with the troopers he was training. He must have some kind of translation software that could relay his hypersonic communications into something that could be heard by humanoidsā¦
Your comlink rang, pulling you from the mental trail you had been wandering down. You glanced at Alpha questioningly and he signaled for you to accept the call, turning his attention back to the sparring troopers.
"Hello?"
"Are you somewhere private?"
You frowned at the comlink, eyes flying to check the incoming transmission code. It was one of the Nulls, you recognized that much, but you didn't know which one.
"Should I be?" you ventured.
"Probably, privacy pucks or not. The kaminii are always watching."
There hadn't been a scoff, an insult to your intelligence, or a backhanded flirtation attempt, so you could rule out A'den, Ordo, and Mereel. Your caller knew about the privacy pucks, so it wasn't Kom'rk or Prudii. This had to be Jaing, then.
"Give me a moment and I'll get somewhere more private," you offered, starting back toward the ARC training area. The exit closest to the office you shared with Colt was across the large room. Plus, leaving in this direction meant that you could say goodbye to Alpha.
You offered a little wave to him as you passed, gesturing subtly to your comlink and turning your fingers into a zero at your side. Alpha nodded once in silent understanding. He had been paranoid enough about his continued position on Kamino that your return flight from Coruscant had been spent planning for a variety of possible situations.
One of the ARC trainees gave a sharp shout and you all turned to look at him. Stett was standing over Drexl, clearly having just knocked the other trooper to the ground.
"Very good, Stett," Alpha congratulated, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You got a point. No need to get the attention of the entire training room. This isn't a stealth mission, but you should save your air for when Drexl gets back up."
"You're just mad because you can't fight anymore."
You stopped short at that, staring wide-eyed at Alpha, whose expression had turned to durasteel. "One more time, trooper?"
Stett hesitated for a long moment, then seemed to regain his cockiness. "I think you were injured too badly to train us, Captain. I need to know I'll be an ARC who can fight his way out of a situation, not get beaten by the enemy and patched up by a sympathetic senator."
You physically took a step forward. Since Stett was barely shorter than Alpha and broad enough to need custom armor, you weren't sure what you were going to do. All you knew was that you were going to make him pay for saying that.
Alpha's voice came low and dangerous. "New plan, men. First, Stett and I are going to spar. Then we'll do a series of to-failure exercises. I'll participate alongside you. If anyone has doubts about my qualifications after that, we'll have a conversation."
"Alpha," you murmured, too softly to be heard by the room at large.
He heard you anyway, turning to send a tight smile your way. "You can keep your appointment, Liaison. This won't take long."
You straightened, playing the role of both the prior Republic administrator and Sentient Rights liaison in hopes that it would disguise your outright fury as a concerned partner.
In your most official-sounding voice, you glanced from him to the ARCs-in-training. Your narrowed eyes ended up firmly focused on Stett. "I'm sure, Captain, but I must express my disappointment in your trainees. Questioning your qualifications means they're doubting the GAR for appointing you as the only ARC trainer for the entire army. And expressing those doubts as a frankly insubordinate challenge to their training officer forces me to wonder if these men are legitimate candidates to become ARC troopers."
The others frowned or protested under their breath, but Stett only grinned wider. "Well, as far as I understand, ma'amā¦ you don't work for the GAR anymore. You don't work for the Republic at all. Your opinion doesn't mean much."
Alpha's expression darkened as he turned back to face Stett. You stepped around Alpha so you could see the smug trooper. With a sweet smile, you said, "True, but I made many friends during my years of service in the Republic's government and in the GAR. I hope you have friends in equally high places, Stett. Something tells me you'll need them."
Stett opened his mouth, but Alpha interrupted before he could even start to speak. "Enough. We have a schedule to keep."
You gave them both a hard look, but eventually nodded. As you turned away, you said, "I'll leave you to it, Captain."
And then you walked away, certain that - if you stayed - you would start a fight with Stett yourself. But Alpha would be able to handle him. He had put so many cocky trainees in their place, there really was no need for concern. Even so, you weren't able to push the worry away entirely.
Alpha's cybernetic implants had finished healing about halfway through your trip back Kamino. You hadn't believed Alpha when he claimed that he was fully healed, but he met every marker Ransom had told you to watch for.
Since then, Alpha had been going without his cane for ever-increasing distances. He hadn't used the crutches since you both boarded the transport (Alpha complaining all the while about a droid carrying your luggage). Other than occasional twinges when a major lightning storm was about to hit the planet, he hadn't experienced any problems.
You still didn't love it that he was physically challenging ARCs-in-training. Stett didn't seem like the type to pull punches if beating Alpha meant he could save face. Admittedly, you didn't know the ARC trainee very well, but you didn't like him. Not when he had gone out of his way to be cruel.
Abruptly, you remembered the call you were on. "Jaing, are you still there?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "What was all of that about?"
You blew out a sigh. "I'm not sure. This group of ARC trainees is giving him more trouble than the others. I don't know if it's the injury and the cybernetics, but it's never been this bad before."
"Alpha sounds like he's being more of a shabuir than usual," Jaing reasoned.
"Yeah, he's being extra tough on this group." You nodded politely to a group of cadets you passed in the hall before replying, "I'm not sure if the cybernetics are bothering him or if it's something else, but he can't back down now."
"No, he needs to teach Stett to watch himself." Jaing was quiet for a moment. "Do you really think Alpha would have challenged Stett to a competition if the cybernetics were bothering him?"
"Alpha's a stubborn man."
Jaing snorted. "Understatement, verging on a lie."
"You asked the question, I just answered it," you defended. "Speaking of questions, why did you comm me?"
"Have you gotten somewhere private?"
"Almost, hang on." You punched in the code to you and Colt's shared office, relieved that he wasn't inside. He hadn't lied to you all those weeks ago - he really wasn't in the office often. This just happened to be an incredibly convenient time for him to be gone. "Okay, now I'm somewhere no one will overhear us."
"I've been working through Ko Sai's notes and I've hit a snag."
"A snag?" you repeated. "I thought you already figured out her code. That's how we got the instructions to find the notes, isn't it?"
"No, she used a different code for the notes." Jaing blew out a heavy sigh. "And another one for the raw data set in the notes, apparently. I deciphered some of the main notes, but most of the information about the Fett gene is in another style of code. Ko Sai's a paranoid chakaar."
You mused over that for a moment. "Do you think it's a code inside of a code?"
"I hope not. That would be much harder to crack. It may just be another style of code, one more suited to hiding large sets of raw data. At least, that's what I'm hoping it is." Then it was Jaing's turn to be quiet for a moment. "Was there anything suspicious in Ko Sai's private lab? Anything that stood out as strange?"
Unbidden, memories of the clone troopers of various ages floating in green-lit bacta tanks appeared in your mind. Suppressing a shudder, you said, "There was a lot of strangeness in Ko Sai's lab. Would there be something specific?"
"Something written," Jaing determined, relaxing your frayed nerves. Other than the ages of the experimental clone troopers, there hadn't been anything written out in Basic or Kaminoan in Ko Sai's lab.
"No, nothing that I remember." You went over as many details as you could in your mind's eye, but too much had happened since you stood in that lab. "Want me to go back and get Alpha? He can remember details better than I can."
"No, if he's going to be a shab, I'd rather not ask him for any favors."
You chuckled briefly, but grew serious a moment later. "Alpha hasn't been doing too well after Fives's death. I'm not sure if it's grief or guilt."
"Sorry I missed the aay'han." The apology was more sincere than you would have expected from any other of the Nulls, but Jaing was a little better socialized than his brothers. "I might actually look into Fives and everything that happened before he got to Coruscant. Everything I know about it seems strange. Maybe it'll give me an idea of where to start with deciphering these notes."
"I doubt that incident has anything to do with Ko Sai."
"Worth checking out anyway. I've found leads in stranger places," Jaing reasoned. "I'll let you know what I find out."
"Thank you," you replied reflexively. "Good luck."
"While I've got a good connection, you and Alpha need to be careful." Jaing's voice dropped a little lower - still audible, but barely. It was as if he was worried he would be overheard. "I'm seeing signs of big things moving in the background all through the Republic. There are major forces at play here, and the longer the war goes on, the more it looks like it's someone high up in the Republic power structure."
"A senator?" you asked. "Maybe one that benefits from the war. Kamino definitely does, but there are a dozen planets who have made new and lucrative supply deals with the GAR since the war started."
"Yeah," Jaing agreed absently.
You frowned at the desk in front of you. He sounded like the was doing something, only listening to you absently. If Jaing didn't really want to talk, you could go back to the ARC training area and keep an eye on things.
"You sound busy," you said, trying to keep the hope from being audible in your voice. "Do you need to go?"
"No." As you deflated, Jaing let out a soft snort. "Any reason the kaminii think you're yaihadla?"
You didn't recognize the word, per se, but you knew enough that your face burned with heat. Belly-full. Pregnant. Besides, the tone of Jaing's voice made it clear what he was reading. Somewhere, Tohu must made a note of his suspicions. The Nulls crawled through everyone's personal encrypted data the way you scrolled through a HoloNet article, so you couldn't be surprised that Jaing had found it.
"Baseless speculation, I would guess."
Jaing positively chortled. "You can't tell me you and Seventeen aren't getting the practice in."
You didn't think it was funny in the slightest. Even if you had, the memory of the cold terror you and Nora had shared on the turbolift down from Tohu's office would have made it far more serious. "We both know that evidence of a relationship with a civilian would be a death sentence for Alpha. I would never risk his safety like that - I just got him back. So, yes, I can guarantee that we're not trying for anything like that."
"Make sure you don't," Jaing agreed, all traces of the good humor that had filled his voice now disappeared. "I've been a variable in Kaminoan experiments before and I don't recommend it. An ik'aad would be bad for Alpha, but its life would be worse than the worst death."
"I know." You scrubbed a hand down your face, realizing abruptly how tired you were of all the subterfuge. "Trust me, I know how serious of a mistake that would be."
"As it happens, I've seen worse," Jaing remarked dryly.
You thought about asking, you really did, but eventually you decided that you didn't want to know. That seemed to be the safest option where the Nulls were concerned.
"Honestly, I'm a little worried that we're on their radar in the first place," you admitted. "Alpha and I have been careful, but if a senator who isn't even on-planet is supicious of us, we aren't being careful enough."
"Maybe, but maybe not." Jaing's explanation was slow in coming, as if he were thinking over the implications himself. "The Kaminoans have a genetically-managed society. They don't necessarily see procreation as something shared between two people for any reason other than passing on beneficial genes."
Sounding far less doom-and-gloom, Jaing continued, "I'd guess that they see you and Alpha together - even innocently - and start thinking about how his genes would combine with yours. His strength and that brain of yours? No wonder they're thinking about it."
"Thanks?" You shook your head, partially in amazement at where the conversation had led, but mostly because you didn't think that was correct. "I'm not so sure, though. If you had seen the way Tohu looked at me when he askedā¦"
"He asked you directly?" Jaing checked. When you confirmed, he sounded wary again. "That's not a good sign. I'll keep an eye on his personal datapad files. If he records something that's more than speculation or that shows the kaminii are taking an unhealthy interest in you and Alpha's 'friendship', I'll let you know."
"Really? That's-" You paused to collect yourself before you said something that was a little too honest to be considered polite. "Thank you, Jaing. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome." Before the moment could get too sincere, Jaing snorted. "Not like it's hard to slice into Tohu's files. You'd think the Kaminoans would have learned secure data storage by now."
You laughed, letting him deflect. Jaing was uncomfortable with sincere thanks. You couldn't blame him for it - you had learned horrible things about the way that clone troopers had been raised in the Tipoca City training facility, but everyone had told you that the Nulls had been treated even worse.
To keep Jaing from feeling uncomfortable, you said, "I should go check on Alpha. Do you need anything else from me before I go?"
Despite your best efforts, there was a pause and you heard an odd sound. You waited, worried that you had offended hiim with your abrupt signoff. When he spoke, Jaing's voice held such a strong note of amusement that you knew he must have been trying not to laugh. "Sometimes I forget you're like this. No, I don't need anything else. If you do, you know how to get in contact."
And then he severed the connection before you could ask exactly what you were like sometimes. It was probably for the best - even as one of the more tactful Nulls, Jaing still could be uncomfortably direct.
It didn't take long to get back to the ARC training area, but training had already ended by the time you arrived. The troopers seemed more deferential as they left, each one offering Alpha a salute before they left. You cast a suspicious glance at Stett, but his salute was no less crisp than the other ARCs-in-training. He even gave you a brief smile on his way past. You didn't smile back, but you appreciated the gesture.
Alpha accepted their respect with stoicism, but he relaxed almost immediately when you were the only two left in the ARC area.
You smiled at him. "Looks like you won them over."
"Popularity is my most important goal," Alpha agreed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "They need to be respectful. Beyond that, I don't care what they think of me."
"Still, they're treating you like a brother, like someone they can learn from," you pointed out. "That has to feel nice. Even if you are tougher on them than you have been on any of the other ARC groups."
Alpha grunted.
"But why?" you pressed. "Did you hear something about these ones from their COs? Are there new requirements? What changed?"
Alpha gave you a look, explaining slowly, "I've lost another ARC. That's two in the past year. I'm not willing to take any chances that this group will end up the same way."
Your stomach lurched at the reminder of everything both of you had lost. With how upset Alpha had been about Echo - lost in a random explosion - you could hardly be surprised that he would take Fives's death just as hard. After all, the two of you had been working with Rex to save Fives. You would never know how close you had come, but the tantalizing possibility of saving him had been real enough to hurt when it didn't happen.
"Oh," you said with a pang in your chest. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I wasn't thinking."
He shook his head, glancing away. "Let's go to the mess."
You slipped your hand into his, giving it a little squeeze as you bumped your shoulder against him. Doing anything more overt would be too risky, especially with the Kaminoans potentially watching you both, but he gave you the shadow of a smile anyway.
You were almost to the mess hall when you finally picked up something strange. Alpha always drew attention from the cadets - he was an experienced soldier who had completed missions with a Jedi. He had faced down one of the major players in the Separatist army multiple times and had just survived an assault from their most famous general. In every sense, he was someone the cadets looked up to.
But this was different, somehow. They were pointing and whispering in groups, some of the younger ones staring obviously when he walked past.
You planned to ask him about it when you had sat down with your food, but when you stepped into the mess, a cadet who looked almost fully grown stopped you.
"Captain Alpha-17, sir," he said, snapping immediately into a salute. "I want to congratulate you on the new record. Very impressive, sir."
You gave Alpha a befuddled look, but he simply stared down at the cadet in silence for a moment. "Heard about that already, did you?"
"Yes, sir! We all did." The cadet shook his head admiringly. "We could hardly believe it."
"It's a record, trooper," Alpha reminded him. "It's made to be broken. Your job is to try to be the next one to break it."
The cadet saluted again and walked away, joining a group of awestruck troopers roughly his own age group.
"So," you started, looking over at him, "a new record?"
"After Stett couldn't knock me down in sparring, I joined their to-failure exercises. They got the idea to make it some kind of competition." He gave a little shrug. "I won."
You beamed. "The cybernetics aren't slowing you down, then. Not as much as you thought they would."
Alpha blew out a breath, scrubbing a hand over his hair. "If I'm being honest, I was fading. I've gotten back in shape for the most part, but I still spent months in a medcenter bed. That muscle mass takes a while to get back."
"But you won," you said slowly.
"The cybernetics kicked in," Alpha admitted. "They didn't do all the work, butā¦ it's hard to describe. What Ransom said, thoughā¦ that's close enough. They work with my muscles, kick in some extra juice when I'm wearing down. I was almost to my failure point, but then it was like starting fresh again. I set a record, butā¦ I'm not sure I should have. It wasn't all me."
You nodded slowly, trying to look past your bias toward Alpha to see both sides. "I understand, but it was you. This is your baseline now. Doesn't it make sense to see what your current to-failure rate is?"
"Of course, but that doesn't mean it should be the new record." Alpha frowned as the droid deposited a pile of nutrient mush onto his tray. "It's not something a standard trooper could achieve."
"You could say the same thing about your build, though," you pointed out. "You were 'engineered' to be bigger, taller, and stronger than the standard trooper. So any records set by the Alpha class aren't ones that a standard trooper can effectively compete with."
Alpha looked unconvinced. As you slid into a seat and he settled beside you, you grinned. "Or you could go tell Stett that your record shouldn't count because your cybernetics helped you."
"Kark that," Alpha said promptly. "I'll keep the record, cybernetics be damned."
When you burst out laughing at his disgusted look, Alpha simply cracked a smile. Still, you caught his hand under the table and his kama, giving it a squeeze.
You were so lucky to have him.
---
Author's Note - The character of Stett is lovingly dedicated to everyone who has ever complained in my asks about how I make all the clone troopers "too nice". You're right - statistically, some of them would be assholes. And not in the funny or commanding way we see canon troopers, like Wolffe, Colt, etc. I just hate writing characters that are truly assholes!
Anyway! This is coming to you with absolute minimal editing because it was supposed to be posted weeks ago and I couldn't get past the proofreading. Rather than make endless adjustments or rethink the plot a thousand (more) times, I'm just going to post it.
Now, probably unwelcome news: I'm not going to make up for the missed posting since there's a spicy chapter coming out immediately after this one. (I'll post it sometime in June 2026). The next SFW chapter will come out in July. I also still have to write the July chapter, which is why I'm not going to push it and try to post three times this month.
Thank you for reading! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts - keysmashes and complaints encouraged! Either way, I'll see you later this month with some spice or next month with another SFW chapter.
BEAUTIFUL PERSON AWARD! Once you are given this award you're supposed to paste it in the asks of 8 (or more) people who deserve it. If you break the chain nothing happens, but it's sweet to know someone thinks you're beautiful inside and out <3
Thanks to @unconsciousxreality, @tobyig, and @greatcrestednewt for tagging me :D
Last song(s): Her - Jvke ft. Annika Wells / Neon Odyssey - The Midnight & Avantris / Never Love an Anchor - Crane Wives
Currently watching: Tornado/Storm Event studies on Youtube and various Star Wars things (Animated, Live Action, just whatever tbh)
Current obsession: At this EXACT moment? That'd be Fi and Jesse lol But also Kes and the Batch/the long fic I'm writing of them, as well as the DnD AU of them.
Currently reading: Fics. All the fics. Been on a ObiMaul kick tbh
Currently working on: The Kes/Batch long fic (Working title is Blur of Consequences), a one shot of when Kes and Echo met before the events of Blur, and I'm currently in the planning stages for Fi/Jesse fic (įµ Ć³ į“ Ć²)
Last Google search: How to un-fold our electric lawnmower lol
Last song: Not by Big Theif
Currently watching: Rainworld lore videos on YT, specifically on the Watcher DLC
Current obsession: Star wars,,, specifically Mandalorian culture + my ocs
Currently Reading: Started the Republic Commando novels, halfway through Triple Zero
Currently working on: Tattoo 'map'/showcase for my oc Roscoe Arazu, as well as worldbuilding for mandalorian culture again
Last google search: "raptor tail dinosaur" - I was doing some creature design and needed a good ref aha
Tagging (no pressure !!):
@ladyknight33 @whoops-junk-drawer @dick-djarin
Last songs: I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner, Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears, Time - Pink Floyd
Currently Watching: nothing in particular. Mostly tornado videos on the ol ātube
Current Obsession: STAR WAR!!!! TAR WARS!!!! CLONES!!!
Currently Reading: my own writing! Iāve passed the āwriting spreeā stage and entered the āreread your own fics and then kick yourself for not finishing themā stage.
Currently Working On: Various outfit/set design pieces for my ocs! Iāve finally pushed myself to flesh out the places these people are visiting/living. Iāve had them for almost three years and Iāve only just gotten around to it. But hey! Iāve gotten round to it! Yay!
Last Google Search: Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (I may have it, I was googling symptoms, lmao). And the one before that was ānormal blood pressure by age groupā. So I guess Iām more of a hypochondriac than I thought i was?
Tagging (first time, kinda nervous šš)
@t9909-gk @qalanthe @mistycatt (can I tag people who arenāt my mutuals?? What is etiquette) @eobe (oh no I donāt have ten. Send me to the plinko or something)
Currently Watching: Frieren ā Beyond Journey's End āļø
Current Obsession: Active life architecture and selfhacking š±š§¬
Currently Reading: fellow artist's Star Wars writing & art about our OCs to make a neat art & writing reaction āØ
Currently Working On: ... *drowns pathetically in wip* š«
Last Google Search: Hollerkiacherl! (Bavarian recipe for elder blossom dipped in dough and fried dank farrik it's so delicious asrfxnejxljskdfjjlflllmmm š¤¤)
10 People I'd like to know better ā no pressure of course š«¶:
Thanks for the tag @cyber54prime!
Last Song: I don't know if it counts, but i'm listening to freezeezy peaks from the n64 game, Banjo Kazooie as I type this!
Currently watching: I'm rewatching Maul: Shadow Lord with my brother, who I finally got to start watching it hehehe
Current Obssession: Star wars and Batman, my two hyperfixations since childhood lmao
Currently reading: Uhrmmmm, book wise... nothing? (I think) But i'm making an effort to read through my backlog of fics, my current one is called The Collection by Ruposa on AO3.
Currently working on: I don't have anything planned besides putting the finishing touches on a RM project. Maybe if I return from retirement, I might write one of the Kal/Walon ideas that linger in my brain š
Last Google Search: Mcdonalds menu and types of lavender and where they grow š
NPT tags: @ladylucksrogue @loulines @ahsokathegray @tealmist55 @ladysongmaster @julijuli77
Last Song: I don't think I've listened to a song today š¬ That's so unlike me.
Currently Watching: The West Wing
Current Obsession: Star Wars
Currently Reading: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold (second book in the Curse of Chalion series)
Currently Working On: a Clone Wars/Lockwood and Co. crossover. It's more of a spiritual crossover, since the characters and setting are The Clone Wars with a Lockwood and Co. twist.
Last Google Search: uh . . . I think I Googled the definition of a word (writer problems).
me, whispering to the ao3 page of an author who wrote one life altering banger and nothing else: I hope your pillow is cool and your skin is clear and you find money in a forgotten jeans pocket
