#357th

[nocternalrandomness]

A Warthog from the 357th FS "Dragons" flying out of Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona

[the-and-sign-anon]

357th As Dads and Uncles

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A/N: I thought this would be a few cute thoughts and it got out of hand

@icanbringyouincold wanted to be tagged, so here it is

We’ll start with Jammer

He has twin girls and a boy with Aletaa

So their names are Amelia, Maizy, and Liam Jammer

The girls are as protective of their brother as their dad is of his

They all want to be just like their mom when they grow up

Jammer gives group piggy back rides almost daily

He just loves them so much

He’s so soft for his little ad’ikas

If the girls ask for anything, he has a hard time saying no

He’s a very present father

If the kids have any sort of event, big or small, he’s there

Definitely got banned from the PTA for life

Aletaa refuses to go in his place to argue for more swing sets on the playground or whatever unimportant change he wants to have made

Never pressures his kids into anything

If they don’t want to play a sport or pursue an interest they don’t like, he won’t make them

The only things he’s stern about is their health

So no matter how much they complain, they’re eating a balanced meal three times a day and going to bed at a reasonable hour

Aletaa is super supportive of their kids too

Like, they’re the ‘at any event cheering louder than anyone’ kind of parents

No one can mess with these kids

If anyone hurts Liam, the twins will wreck them

And if anyone hurts the twins, Jammer and Aletaa will make sure they’re never heard from again

Basically, they’re the most close-knit protective family around

Thello would have a boy, then a girl, then twins

Their names are Porter, Luna, Tyson, and Natalia Thello

They are the sweetest bunch of kids you’ll ever meet

Obsessed with loth-cats and other friendly animals

He’s little bit of a helicopter parent

He just wants his babies to be safe

Tyson is such a little brother, just like his dad

Thello thinks the world of his kids and will hype them up whenever they feel insecure

He’s such an openly sensitive guy that his kids (and his nieces and nephews) never have to feel nervous telling him stuff

The twins practically idolize their Uncle Bex, which Thello is stressed about

He loves Bex too, of course, but he doesn’t really want his kids to run around grabbing things like Bex does

Or getting too close to dangerous animals

Or trying to bake before learning how and nearly burning down the house

He teaches Porter how important it is for him to look out for his siblings

It’s a responsibility Porter takes very seriously

Thello nearly cried tears of pride and joy when he saw Porter teach the twins how to safely hold Boots when they were just getting big enough to try

Very protective in the best way

He makes sure to give them space to grow on their own though

He doesn’t want them to feel smothered

Also, lots of piggy back rides and carrying the kids around

His brothers joke that all the old ‘endurance training’ was just preparing him for fatherhood

Bex has one boy he adopted

Jesper Bex is his pride and joy

Most chaotic kid

No attention span whatsoever

Very easily distracted, so at least when he starts asking questions Bex doesn’t have answers to he can quickly derail the conversation

Bex is so worried that Jesper might not get enough socialization being an only child, so he spends a lot of time with his cousins

Jesper thinks the Jedi are the coolest thing

Bex often plays with him and jokes that Jesper might be Force sensitive

High key terrified of the thought

The last thing this kid needs is the ability to wield the Force

Bex will do his best to direct Jesper’s energy into something constructive

This leads to lots of hours spent baking or learning arts and crafts

Their apartment is full of half finished projects and smells like clay and spices, but it’s worth it to Bex

Honestly, he’s a fantastic uncle

He and Jesper take Thello’s kids to parks or to their apartment to play with them and tire them out

This is what leads to the kids looking up to Bex so much and wanting to be like him

Nash doesn’t have any kids and avoids being charge of his nieces and nephews whenever possible

He likes kids, he’s just too accident prone and doesn’t want to get them hurt

If there’s a big gathering with his brothers and their families, then he’ll join in the fun

He can play around for a few hours, but he cannot be left in charge

In moments of panic, he does have Dad Reflexes and manages to pull the kids out of danger

But he doesn’t have time to think in those situations, it’s just instinct

On the day to day, he can’t imagine having his own kids

He does mentor teens after the war though

Despite his apparent knack for getting injured, he gets along well with teens and young adults

So he’s always on good terms with them

Thrash has triplet boys, then one girl

Aiden, Colby, and Ethan Thrash, and their little sister Diana Thrash

Diana is her dad’s little girl

But she also has his protective violent side

She’s more intimidating than her brothers and will fight kids twice her size and weight in their defense

Ethan is the most like his dad in demeanor

Super chill, quiet, good listener

Aiden is the oldest and acts like it

He’ll never let his brothers forget that he’s older

Definitely looks out for his siblings though

He often has to hold Diana back if she wants to defend her brothers by fighting

Colby is just so tired all the time

Has no patience, which Thrash tries to help him with

It’s not that he loses his cool and gets mad, he just gets fed up and tries to do everything himself rather than let someone help

They all get along remarkably well

Diana wrestles with her cousins because her brothers refuse to

Thrash learns from Jammer how to braid and style hair because Diana saw how all the senators do their hair and wants to match

Ethan wants braids too, but not like his sister

He wants a braid like the padawans at the temple, so he has to ask his general about it to learn what he can

He loves his kids so much and keeps tons of photos with him all the time

If anyone asks about them, he can talk for hours

That doesn’t mean he’s more outgoing, he just rambles about his aliit given the opportunity

Henley has a boy and a girl, Felix and Caroline Henley

They act like miniature copies of him

They would play medic when they’re little and ask to learn about how to take care of injuries

Caroline asks him to let her wear his old helmet sometimes and he can’t bear to say no

Their favorite uncle is Thrash because he tells them lots of stories about their time in the GAR

Only the good stuff, and sometimes exaggerates some things to make it more fun

His kids think the world of him

Felix is very quiet, which makes Henley just a little worried about him making friends

But Caroline is friendly enough for both of them and always invites her brother to play with her and her friends

When he’s not with his sister, Felix follows his dad like a shadow

At first, Henley was worried his kids would get bored, but they never really do

When they’re upset, his kids will come to him and ask if his medic training can fix it

It takes a few years for them to learn that his medic training only covers physical problems, and his slow dad learning covers emotional and mental difficulties

If they want to be rebellious or tease their dad, they’ll turn to Nash and start bragging that he’s the best uncle

Thrash encourages it because he loves his niece and nephew, but loves bugging his brother almost as much

These two are the most competent children to be left unsupervised

In the event that things go sideways, they can improvise really well and get things under control quickly

Crash and Flash don’t have kids either, but it’s just because they aren’t interested in having them

They don’t have a problem with kids, and they absolutely adore their nieces and nephews, but they don’t want to be parents

Fantastic babysitters though

Very dependable

Patient

Would actually make pretty good dads if they wanted that

Flash is the more fun one in that he will give the kids ice cream before dinner and watch movies late at night

He always gets permission to do this beforehand, but the kids don’t know that and get to feel like it’s a secret

Crash is the one that will cook for them and read them a bedtime story

Half the time, he just makes it up as he goes because the kids will laugh and tell him he’s not reading it right

Overall, wonderful uncles, but have no desire to have their own children

Laraby has what his brothers jokingly refer to as a truckload of kids

He has two sets of twins, girls then boys, then he adopted another set of twin boys, then he had two more girls

Arabella and Brooklyn, Daniel and Finn, Arlo and Emmett, Maya, and Elora Laraby

No one expected him to have that many, but he absolutely loves them

Expert child wrangler

They’re all bad with animals too, so he doesn’t have to get a pet

All of them are really sweet

Brooklyn has a lot of attitude too though, so she doesn’t always seem sweet

They seem to share two collective brain cells

Maya and Arlo share one and the others pass around the other one

It usually ends up with Arabella, so she helps with child wrangling

Elora is a very curious mind, but she’s gullible so she believes almost anything her siblings or uncles tell her

Daniel takes Arlo and Emmett as his responsibility and will do anything to protect them

Maya is Diana’s go to wrestling partner

Those two can get into some serious mischief

Arlo or Arabella keeps an eye on them to make sure no one gets hurt

Laraby tries to avoid needing his brothers to babysit because he just loves being around his kids so so much

Does everything he can to make sure none of the kiddos ever feel left behind or forgotten

He’s the ultimate dad and his brothers joke that he was going for the battalion record for most kids

Even during the war, he was the one most often finding kids and getting them back to their families on war torn planets

[the-and-sign-anon]

Cuddle Pile

Characters: Commander Jammer, Bex, Thrash, Nash, Laraby, Crash, Flash, Henley

Word count: 1,306

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Commander Jammer was known to be one of the least affectionate clones in the entire GAR. But he knew how important it was to his battalion, so he offered the idea of cuddle nights. When the troopers went through another traumatic experience; a mission gone wrong, heavy losses in battle, the unavoidable death of civilians; they would gather together and cuddle. All armor would be discarded and every available pillow or blanket was piled in the middle of the barracks to be dispersed as necessary.

More often than not, Jammer and the oldest clones like Thrash, Bex, and Nash would end up at the bottom of the pile, with the weight of three or more troopers resting on them. The feeling was a comfort to Jammer, though none of his brothers would ever call him out on it for fear of losing his participation in the cuddles.

One night, after a long and grueling mission, the troopers returned to their barracks and pulled off their armor silently. Without exchanging a word, the entire group settled on the floor to wait until Jammer was finished with the general and could come join them. When he did, he looked completely spent. Their time in the Outer Rim away from most simple comforts meant his hair had grown out, leaving half of it blond as he always died it while the rest was his natural black growing out from the roots. It gave him an odd sort of look, but even Bex wasn’t about to tease him over it. After all, the commander only ever had blond hair to begin with because of him.

In the dim light, Jammer pulled off his armor and laid it beside his brothers’ before dropping down to the floor on a pillow. Everyone took that as their cue and piled around him. After ten minutes of shuffling and repositioning, Jammer was in the center of the large pile with his head resting on Thrash’s legs and Laraby’s head on his stomach. Bex was on the edge of the group sharing a pillow with Nash. Crash and Flash were tangled together with their legs being used to support Laraby’s to better protect his twisted ankle that they all knew he’d have to visit the medbay for in the morning. Their field medic, Henley, had given him a once over and decided that what his brother needed most that night was cuddles with the others.

It took only a few minutes after settling in for most of the troopers to fall asleep. But Jammer was kept awake by thoughts of the reason for this particular cuddle pile. Most times, there would be some conversation about what brought this on and a little teasing as everyone got comfortable. But this time, no one spoke. They had all made a silent agreement that it could wait until morning. Everything could.

In the near perfect darkness of the barracks, all was calm. The only discernible sound was the soft snores from some of the clones. Jammer could just see the gentle rise and fall of Laraby’s chest in front of him, reminding him that his brother was still there. Even though he almost wasn’t. It was too close of a call for the commander. He knew losing some of his brothers was inevitable, but he wasn’t prepared to let go of anyone yet. He needed more time with them.

The night passed peacefully once Jammer dozed off. There was plenty of shuffling and repositioning. Whenever one of the boys rolled away from the edges of the pile, another one would reach out and pull him back. Thrash shuffled around at some point, but woke up just enough to keep himself from disrupting Jammer. By the time the sun rose, the boys were all more well rested than they’d been in weeks.

They woke up slowly, one by one. Bex untangled himself from three others, troopers who’d been shinies when they left and too experienced when they got back for the few weeks they’d been on duty. Nash was next, weaseling out of the pile and sorting all the armor from the mess on the floor and instead placing each set of armor on the bed assigned to its owner. He often did this for his brothers, sometimes with Laraby’s help, sometimes with Thrash, but most times alone.

Jammer was the next to blink his eyes open and reluctantly leave his brothers. He still had morning meditation with the general and he didn’t feel he could afford to miss it. The relaxing quiet with his closest friend and confidant was instrumental to his stability and everyone knew it. So, with Henley’s assistance, he pulled his too long hair back from his face, changed into a clean set of grays, and made his way to the Jedi Temple gardens.

This left the others to wake up at their leisure. When Laraby got up, Henley made him wait for a bit until he was ready. Then he dragged the injured clone down to the medbay, where he received a light scolding from the medics for not having come straight there after leaving the ship last night. No one outside of the 357th knew about their cuddles, and none of them were about to bring it up, so Henley defended his brother. He promised that he’d taken a look at it already and had allowed Laraby to rest up in the barracks first.

Back in the barracks, Crash and Flash were cleaning up their armor and trying not to bother the dozen or so clones still slowly waking up. Their efforts were ruined though when Crash’s helmet slipped out his hand and hit the floor. Thrash, easily the lightest sleeper among them, jerked awake. In his momentary confusion, he moved his foot and jostled the shiny next him. That woke him up, and proceeded to wake up the remaining clones in the pile.

Thrash gave a halfhearted glare to the twin pilots, but just didn’t seem to be awake enough to really be upset. Instead, he got to his feet and helped the others up, then started putting away the scattered bedding for the day. The shiny helped him while the rest headed for the refreshers. It took nearly an hour, but once everyone was ready, they moved as a group towards the temple gardens to find Jammer and invite him along for breakfast.

When they found him, he was on his way back already. In the daylight, his hair looked even stranger, and Bex reasoned he could only be kind for so long. The second he opened his mouth to say something, Jammers clapped a hand over it.

“Not a word, Bex. I’m cutting it tomorrow and then you get to be the only blond one for the next month. That’s your punishment for taking my pillow last night.”

“You had Thrash! And Nash was hogging our pillow. Can’t you dye it next week?”

Bex gave his older brother a pleading look, one he’d used to get his way before with decent success. This time Jammer just smirked at him.

“Nope. In fact, if anyone’s hair is getting dyed, it might have to be yours.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I? How do you think the other boys figured out how to make it blond in the first place?”

“You said you had nothing to do with that!”

Crash and Flash led the way to the mess hall, allowing their commander to keep teasing their most troublesome brother at the back of the pack. If it weren’t for the battalion established cuddle piles, they knew Jammer wouldn’t have been in a joking mood that day, so they decided not to mention that they had actually stolen his pillow to begin with or that they’d saved some holo photos of the sleeping troopers.

[the-and-sign-anon]

The Rancor

Characters: Thello, Thrash, Jedi! Reader (mentioned)

Word count: 350

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You made a habit of bringing holovids and records of different species with you depending on which planets you might end up on. Thello and Bex were nearly always found running around with the animals, often because they were chasing after Laraby and Nash. To better help his brothers, and for his own entertainment, Thello wanted to learn as much as he could about wildlife.

On one mission, while in hyperspace for a few hours, Thello settled in a corner of the ship and started up a holovid on Felucia and its flora and fauna. He was fine with most of the creatures, feeling confident enough that his brothers would be fine. Then the video changed to show a hulking figure.

The rancor looked terrifying, and definitely like something that would kill him and/or his brothers. He leaned back away from the image and sighed. He’d have to be vigilant on this mission. The last thing the 357th needed was to have half a dozen troopers stuck in medbay because they tried playing with one of those things.

“Thrash, I think I’ll need your help on this one.”

The trooper stopped on his way past and leaned closer. He narrowed his eyes at the image, already getting the feeling that he’d get stuck dragging Nash away from it.

“What is that thing?”

“A rancor.”

“The boys are gonna get themselves killed aren’t they?”

“Not if we help them.”

Thrash made a noncommittal ‘eh’ sound as he titled his head in consideration.

“Thrash, we are not going to leave our brothers alone with this. We have to help.”

“Only because you’re my favorite brother.”

Thello gave a grateful little grin and Thrash pushed his face away. The sweet trooper always got his way with Thrash. He just couldn’t disappoint him.

“Don’t tell the others, but you’re my favorite, too.”

Thrash knew he was just trying to make him less annoyed about babysitting their brothers, so he just laughed on his way out. He had preparations to make now, if he wanted to keep each of his brothers in one piece.

[the-and-sign-anon]

7

7. But not if it concerns Thello

[the-and-sign-anon]

Crash: How are ya?

Henley: On the brink of madness, thanks for asking!

[the-and-sign-anon]

Sole Survivor

Word count: 818

Bex left with twenty of his brothers. He came back alone. Jammer had been nervous about sending so many of his brothers ahead to set up a temporary base, but Bex had assured him he could handle it. They didn’t even see Ventress coming.

It took a day for you and your commander to start worrying. None of the troopers had checked in, which was unusual even for them. Thrash and Laraby offered to go looking for them in the thick forests, sure that they’d gotten distracted or some other innocent explanation.

Bex returned to your troops that night with burn marks on his armor and blood on his hands. If you hadn’t known him so well, you could have mistaken him for someone else entirely. He didn’t say a word when he arrived. He just walked up, looked at you with haunted eyes, and dropped to his knees.

Though many of the clones in other battalions might have convinced themselves they couldn’t be weak at the time, that they had to bury their grief for a later date, you’d always insisted that your boys allow themselves to feel whatever came. So Bex sat in the dirt and grass and did just that. Thello and Jammer got the others to move back a bit while you settled next to him.

“Bex. Can I look?”

He gave a slight nod, so you carefully rested a hand on his knee and looked into his memories. The pained screams of his brothers and the flash of the red saber filled your mind. Bex fought desperately to save even one of his brothers, but Ventress was too quick, too skilled. She slaughtered them all, then turned to him.

She’d left him as a warning. To guarantee that you knew to get off world. The Republic wasn’t welcome there so long as the Separatists had something to say about it. He was only alive to tell you to leave.

When your mind was clear again, you pulled Bex into your arms and let his head rest on your shoulder. His heavy sobs broke your heart as his tears soaked your robes. Jammer was quietly instructing the others to set up a small perimeter as the sun set. There was no way to leave that evening, so they’d move out in the morning.

“Bex, I don’t know what to say to help.”

“I couldn’t do a thing to save them. Why couldn’t I do anything? It was like I couldn’t control what I was doing.”

His voice was rough and tired from screaming for his brothers to no avail. He was quiet too, so much so that you could hardly hear him.

“You did the best you could. For now, you need rest.”

Bex shook his head, tried to fight off any urge to close his eyes for fear of seeing his brothers fall again. Jammer’s hand on your shoulder prompted you to stand so the commander could take your place. You went to keep an eye on things while Jammer studied his brother.

“Bex.”

“Jammer, I don’t… I’m sorry. I lost them.”

“No you didn’t. It’s not your fault, Bex.”

“I survived and none of them did. I couldn’t save them. I watched them all die in front of me. How could it not be my fault?”

“It wasn’t you holding the lightsaber. You tried and sometimes things still don’t work out. That’s just how the war goes. What matters is that we remember them and keep fighting for their sake.”

Jammer tried his best to ease Bex’s grief. He’d known the trooper since his cadet days and would give anything to take that pain away. He could understand the feeling better than almost anyone. Thello handed Jammer a blanket and a ration pack on his way to go start on a tent for the night. Jammer knew he’d make room for Bex, whenever he found his way there.

“I know it’s hard to be the one who lives to tell the tale. Believe me, I do. It won’t get easier for a long time, but you have the rest of us every step of the way.”

Bex didn’t respond. Jammer handed him the rations, but he couldn’t eat. He was sure he couldn’t sleep either, but when the sun went down and the others turned in for the night, his eyes grew heavy. Jammer and Thrash silently worked to remove his armor and carry him into Thello’s tent. The young trooper was already half asleep, having tried to stay awake long enough to see Bex.

“If he has any trouble, come wake me.”

Thello nodded to Jammer’s whisper and the commander left once Thrash had tucked the blanket around their brother. The pair had a tent of their own set up just a few feet away and neither planned on much sleep. If Bex needed them, they’d be there. Whatever it took.

[the-and-sign-anon]

Thrash and the Mandalorian

Pairing: Thrash x Madeline

Word count: 937

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He met her at the woodshop on Coruscant. He came there often, but had never seen her before. Thrash preferred to keep to himself, so that’s exactly what he did. After watching him silently come in and work for over an hour, Madeline approached him to get a better look at what he was making. Once she was close enough, she carefully spoke up. She didn’t want to startle him and risk messing up his project.

“What are you making?”

He glanced up and set down his tools, flicking off the power on the lathe and letting his wood slow to a stop.

“I’m making a staff for one of my brothers. His last one broke, so I wanted to replace it.”

“Sweet.”

She reached out her hand.

“I’m Madeline by the way.”

“Thrash.”

He took her hand and shook it once, then let go.

“I noticed you seem pretty at ease here. Are you a regular?”

“When I’m on leave, yeah. My brothers go to 79’s, I come here.”

She nodded and hopped up on the table beside the lathe. While Thrash checked his work again to be sure it was what he wanted, Madeline picked up one of the carvers and fiddled with it. She wasn’t entirely sure why she didn’t just go back to her own work, but she felt at ease here. He was quiet, and relaxed. A nice change of pace.

“You know, I’ve seen a couple troopers around before and they always seem sort of…”

“Loud and obnoxious?”

She snorted softly and looked at him again.

“I wouldn’t quite choose those words, but yeah.”

“Most of my brothers are like that. I’m definitely on the quiet side, like my commander.”

“That’s nice. I prefer the quiet myself. My clan was always so loud and crazy. But I guess that’s inevitable with seven siblings.”

“Try a few thousand. It’ll drive you nuts.”

He wasn’t harsh toward her or his brothers, the fondness in his voice on clear display.

“Do you get much alone time?”

“Only when I’m here or if I wander off base on a mission. I don’t recommend the latter unless you like risking injury by animal or tree.”

“Tree?”

“Don’t ever follow my brother Bex anywhere. He has way too much confidence for someone who barely even knows what planet we’re ever on.”

She laughed then; a sweet, soft sound like nothing he’d ever heard before.

She got him talking a little more about his brothers. He didn’t realize how much of their antics he remembered fondly until then. Once he felt confident in his work, he started putting his tools away and returned the staff to his storage space. Madeline stayed with him, following a few steps away the whole time.

“So, Madeline. You mentioned a clan?”

“Clan Racine.”

“Mandalorians?”

“Yep. But we’re pretty much on our own. Mandalore doesn’t want our ‘barbaric ways’ and Death Watch was never an option. We split from most Mandalorians a few generations ago.”

She led him over to her own space, where she had a staff of her own and a small half finished shelving unit. He watched her fiddle with the staff and leaned closer when she held it out for him to inspect.

“They called you barbaric?”

He turned it over in his hands, studying the intricate carvings and the signet of her clan on one end.

“Pretty much. We have a different definition of peace than they do. They insist that no situation ever allows for violence or even self defense. They think that claiming pacifism puts them above everyone else, even those that are just fighting for their lives.”

“What’s your definition?”

“One of my clan’s most important lessons is this: love when you can, fight when you must. If we can make friends, allies, or family, we do. If not, we’ll fight for ourselves and our loved ones.”

Thrash nodded in understanding. He’d seen his general follow a similar rule of her own. If she could resolve something peacefully, she would. When it was unavoidable, she’d fight for her boys and any innocents involved.

“And Death Watch, What is that?”

“Basically, it’s an extremist group who believes killing is the only way. Clan Racine refused to believe there could be no middle ground, so they left. I think it was better for us anyway. We’ve become a stronger family, and we’ve taken in foundlings along the way. Any Mandalorian you talk to will claim they know The Way, but I really do believe we seek it and follow it as closely as our choices allow.”

Thrash, though he knew it was getting later and that he should get back to the barracks, stayed for a few more hours. Madeline shared stories of her own, about her siblings and her ancestors. She knew so much more than the commanders had been able to pass on from Jango Fett, and he gladly took in every bit of knowledge she could offer. When he mentioned he planned to return the next day, she said she would do the same.

“Maybe you could even teach me to carve for my brother’s staff.”

“It would be an honor, Thrash. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With a last smile, she was gone. The room seemed to dim the slightest bit when she left. The knowledge that he’d at least see her again tomorrow had him distracted the whole way back to his barracks. Most of his brothers paid him no mind, but Jammer caught sight of the faint smile on his face and made a mental note to ask him about it soon.

Mandos on the Battlefield