Summary: After he's killed by Darth Vader, Commander Fox wakes up in the past, just in time to help his little brothers prepare for their lives as soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic. Fox intends to right some wrongs, and make sure his brothers are better prepared for what they'll face in the future.
Keeper: a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger.” —Nelson Mandela
A/N: The stories are being posted in timeline order, not the order they were written, so there may be some discrepancies between stories written earlier, and after I had things hammered out better.
Dividers by @stars-n-spice
32 BBY - 10 years before the Clone Wars start
Brothers’ Keeper I - Don’t Go Gently
Summary: At the moment of his death at the hands of Darth Vader, Commander Fox is thrust back in time to the beginning of the training of the clone army on Kamino.
Kenobi
Summary: Fox seeks out help at the Jedi Temple after being transported back in time.
Unmasked
Summary: Fox and Jango Fett are traveling to Kamino together. During a fight, Jango sees Fox's face for the first time.
Al’baar’ur (Doctor)
Summary: After arriving on Kamino with an injured Jango, Fox accompanies him, and Mij Gilamar, to the medbay.
Cadets
Summary: Fox's first day training his commando cadets doesn't go as planned.
Paint
Summary: Fox is struggling with life on Kamino. He decides to introduce his cadets to the concept of paint.
Jehavey'ir (Ambush)
Summary: Jango is disturbed by Fox's presence on Kamino. After a fight, they come to an understanding.
31 BBY - 9 years before the Clone Wars start
Priest
Summary: Dred Priest and Isabet Reau arrive on Kamino.
Brothers’ Keeper II - These Haunted Halls
Summary: Fox visits his little brothers in their growth tubes at night. On this night, he meets the future Rancor Commanders.
Shupur’yc (Injured)
Summary: Fox gets injured saving cadet CC-2224 from a fall.
Brothers’ Keeper III - Harbor in the Storm
Summary: Fox can't sleep during a storm. He visits the growth tower room and is joined by some little brothers.
Tracking and Evasion
Summary: Fox is teaching his cadets some Very Important Skills.
Did You Hear the One . . .
Summary: There’s a lot of gossip going around about training sergeant Fox Naasade.
30 BBY - 8 years before the Clone Wars start
Contrition
Summary: Fox stared at the designation on the screen in front of him in horror.
CT-27-5555
He’d known this day would come, but he was still unprepared.
Bob’ika
Summary: Fox’s door chime went off at oh-kark-thirty. Out in the hallway sat a hoverpram. Boba Fett, the only clone Jango had decided to claim, lay nestled in a mess of blankets, asleep.
Aay'han (Remembrance and Celebration)
Summary: Fox spends a night playing cards with his new vode.
Cabur (Guardian)
Summary: Fox spies a familiar blond cadet in the halls of Kamino.
29 BBY - 7 years before the Clone Wars start
Family Dinner
Summary: Fox is playing the long game. Tonight’s hand includes a meal, a long-suffering Alpha ARC, and an enthusiastic youngling.
Morut’yc (Safe)
Summary: There was something about Sergeant Naasade. Something 17 couldn’t quite put into words.
Open His Eyes
Summary: Sergeant Naasade has given cadet CC-2224 a special assignment.
27 BBY - 5 years before the Clone Wars start
Three Times Boba Found the Clones, and One Time They Found Him
Summary: Boba wants to hang out with his 'older' brothers.
The Dare
Summary: CC-2019, Trauma, and his vode sneak out of the CC barracks on a dare.
Planned Obsolescence
Summary: An undiagnosed heart condition sends Fox to the medbay.
A Vod by Any Other Name I - “Gra’tuar” (Avenge)
Summary: Cadet RC-5576 chooses his name.
25 BBY - 3 years before the Clone Wars start
Beskaryc (Armored) - Part I
Summary: Fox's cadets are due to get their first set of training armor.
@ladysongmaster has written this: The Dare for Clonetober 2022. And really, while reading this I was ready to jump in and pummel the trainer so hard my fists would bleed! The little cuties that are cadets are so worth the hugs and love but find themselves in trouble. Thankfully there is someone around looking out for them and the way that we get to see Fox Naasade and Jango interact is priceless.
The Brothers' Keeper AU seems so cool from the bits that I have read, and I totally agree with you on all counts. Totally wanted to pummel the trainer, but love to see the cadet camaraderie. It's endearing all the way around. Thanks for the rec!
Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)
Summary: Fox spies a familiar blond cadet in the halls of Kamino.
Words: 1768
Warnings: Kaminoans being horrible, talk of clone cadet decommissioning
Read on AO3
Divider by @stars-n-spice
**********
30 BBY - 8 years before the Clone Wars start
Fox marched behind his cadets, following as they headed for target practice at one of the many firing ranges in Saberjowl Dome. Each time they went out, he had another cadet squad lead. That way, they all got experience being in charge of a larger group.
Fox liked bringing up the rear this way. He could keep an eye on all his cadets, his keen gaze looking for any indications of injury, while also observing how the cadets were interacting with each other. And he could watch for troublemakers. Not that his boys caused much trouble for each other beyond the usual jostling for position. But sometimes he’d catch subtle threats to other training groups. Fox recalled his own rivalries with other command trainees when he was a cadet, which were usually settled by beating the other cadets’ eval scores. Not much happened in the hallways, where the kaminiise were watching.
As they came to an intersection, a Kaminoan leading a group of ten cadets entered the main hallway from a side passage. Fox almost let them pass, but then he met the eyes of one of the last cadets in line. A jolt went through him.
It was Cody’s vod’ika. The little blond cadet Cody had adopted during their fourth year.
Rex.
“Cadets, ke’mot!” Fox called to his boys.
He knew they’d pass the command up the line until all the cadets had received it. Fox strode toward the Kaminoan leading the CTs. He stepped in front of the long-neck, forcing him to stop.
“Where are you taking these cadets?” Fox asked.
“It doesn’t concern you, sergeant,” the kaminii said. “Return to your training.”
Something about the man’s tone made Fox’s gut clench. “It does concern me,” he said. “It concerns me very much that all of these boys have a mutation.”
The cadets looked up at Fox, some with blue or dual-colored eyes. A few of them had blonde or lighter-than-standard colored hair. One had patches of lighter skin on his face and arms.
“And how does that concern you?” the Kaminoan asked, clasping his hands behind his back.
Fox knew the hallway was jamming up. His cadets were edging closer, intrigued by what their sergeant was doing, and that made it nearly impossible for other cadet groups and those trying to use the hallway to get past.
“It concerns me,” Fox said, mirroring the Kaminoan’s posture, “because I know what you shabuire do with product you consider . . . defective.”
“What’er they gonna do with us?” Cody’s vod’ika asked.
“Be quiet, CT-7567,” the Kaminoan said. He fixed his silvery gaze on Fox. “You’re interfering with—”
“Yes, I am interfering,” Fox interrupted.
He grabbed Rex and one of the blue-eyed cadets and pushed them toward his own cadets. The older boys closed ranks, shuffling Rex and the other cadet amongst themselves so they weren’t readily spotted.
Fox had never been prouder of his boys.
He reached for another of the blond cadets and the boy darted forward, dragging the cadet with vitiligo along with him. The Kaminoan grabbed two more cadets before they could move away. The rest of the mutated boys rushed past the Kaminoan and Fox, disappearing into the ranks of Fox’s boys.
Murmurs broke out from the traffic around them, which had come to a complete halt.
“You’re meddling in things you shouldn’t,” the kaminii said, in as close to a snarl as Fox had ever heard from a long-neck.
Fox gave him a grin that was all teeth. “Good. Now give me those two.”
The kanimii stepped back, dragging the cadets with him.
Fox took his comlink off his belt and commed Jango.
“Fett,” came the reply.
“It’s Fox. I need you in Saberjowl Dome to settle a dispute.”
“You don’t have to involve the template,” the Kaminoan said.
Fox gave him another feral grin.
“Ka’ra, Naasade,” Jango growled. “Can’t you settle it on your own?”
“Of course,” Fox said. “Just thought you ought to know there’ll probably be a body on the floor at the end of it.”
Jango swore. “I’m on my way. Don’t kill anyone.”
“There’s no need for violence,” the Kaminoan said as Fox put his comlink away. “I’m only doing my job.”
“Give me the name of your supervisor, and leave the cadets with me,” Fox said. “Otherwise, you can tell Jango exactly where you were taking these boys.”
The Kaminoan’s eyes went half-lidded and his neck swayed sinuously. Fox wasn’t sure what the reaction was, but he thought it might be fear. The Kaminoan suddenly thrust the cadets he was holding at Fox and turned, shoving his way through the crowd. Fox let the demagolka go. He guided the cadets over to his boys.
“What are our orders, sarge?” RC-5576 asked, coming to Fox’s side. His cadet squad was leading to the day’s training.
Fox’s first instinct was to retreat to home ground, which would be the cadet barracks, since his private quarters wouldn’t hold them all. It had always been marginally safer to face angry senators in the Guard HQ, rather than in the Senate building. But he would be explaining himself to Jango, not some puffed up, holier-than-thou senator. It would still probably be better to face Jango in private, rather than a hallway full of inquisitive cadets and kaminiise.
“To the firing range, 5576,” Fox said. “Let’s teach these CTs how RCs shoot.”
5576 grinned and nodded. “Oya, Sarge.” He turned to the other cadets, and at an impressive volume for a third-cycle cadet, hollered, “Form up!”
Fox’s cadets lined up in two neat rows.
“CTs to the back,” 5576 ordered.
The younger cadets lined up behind their older counterparts, and Fox placed himself behind them.
5576 and his three squadmates jogged up the line of cadets.
“On to the firing range,” 5576 barked. “Double time! Sergeant Naasade’s unit arrives on time!”
The cadets took off at a run as 5576 and his squad took the lead.
“Think you boys can keep up?” Fox asked the younger cadets as they followed along.
“Sir, yes sir,” cadet CT-7567 said, flashing Fox a heart wrenchingly familiar cheeky grin.
Fox nodded back. “That’s what I like to hear.”
* * *
The firing range was set up with ten alleys. Each shooter took his place in a ring which activated a preset number of hovering target droids, which would ascend from a storage facility beneath the floor at the far end of the room. As the droids approached the shooter’s circle, they would fire mild electrical charges until they were hit be a bolt from the shooter’s training blaster.
Once Fox got the cadets settled into target practice, he sent Jango a comm, letting the other man know where he was.
Jango arrived, rightfully irritated, and ready to give Fox a dressing down.
Fox didn’t give him the chance.
“The kaminiise are still decommissioning defective product.” He practically spat the last words.
Jango frowned at him. “If the cadets don’t meet the qualifying evals . . .”
Fox clenched his jaw. Just because a cadet didn’t meet evals, didn’t mean he should be terminated.
“Watch,” Fox interrupted.
He directed Jango to where cadet 7567 was stepping into the shooter’s circle. Once the cadet was in position, five target droids floated up from an opening in the floor. Fox could alter the parameters of each shooting alley’s preset settings from the datapad in his hand. 7567 sighted and squeezed the trigger. Five droids went down with five shots.
“That proves nothing,” Jango started. “Any cadet past his first year—"
“CT-7567, again!” Fox called.
Cadet Rex nodded. Five more droids rose, only to be shot down with precision.
“Again!” Fox said before Jango could say anything. He typed a command into the datapad, and this time eight target droids rose.
7567 shot three down as they cleared the hole in the floor which jammed up the exit. The other five rose from two different holes, and 7567 took them out without missing one.
“Again!”
Twelve droids rose this time at Fox’s typed command.
Cadet 7567 hit six of the droids in rapid succession. Leapt out of the way of an electrical charge and took out three more droids. Hit the deck to avoid several more electrical charges and came up shooting, taking out the remaining droids.
“Fox, enough,” Jango said, grabbing the ‘pad. “I get your point.”
“The cadets aren’t being decommissioned because of their evals.” Fox yanked the ‘pad away from Prime. “Look at them, Jango. They don’t meet the ‘template standard’.”
Fox looked at Rex, who was breathing hard but smiling proudly.
Fox said, “CTs, front and center.”
The ten younger cadets came toward Jango, stopping a few feet away at attention.
Jango’s jaw clenched as he studied the boys.
“You don’t know that they’re being terminated,” Jango said quietly to Fox.
“They’re sure as haran not going to maintenance,” Fox snarled back.
He took a breath and tried to get ahold of himself. But the through of losing any of his little brothers, especially for Kaminoan ‘product standards’, made him viciously furious.
“I’ll talk to Lama Su,” Jango said.
“Didn’t you and Kal already talk to Lama Su when someone tried to decommission the Nulls? Weren’t the decommissionings supposed to stop then?”
“I’ll handle it,” Jango said.
“Good,” Fox replied. “Because if I ever see a Kaminoan leading around a group of defective cadets again, I won’t be as restrained as I was today.”
* * *
When CT-7567 and CT-7560—who had recently chosen the name Keeli—returned to their barracks, their three batchmates greeted them with worried looks and fierce hugs.
“What happened?” 7570, Ricochet, asked. He’d had his name the longest, choosing it shortly after some of the RCs and CCs had talked about choosing their own names.
“We didn’t think you were coming back,” 7568 said.
“We got to meet Sergeant Naasade!” 7567 said, bright-eyed.
“No way,” 7562, who was trying on the name Wilco, said.
Keeli nudged 7567. “You make it sound like we weren’t almost decommissioned for being defective.” Keeli turned to his batchmates. “Sergeant Naasade saved us.”
“And we got to train with his commandos!” 7567 beamed.
“Why did the Kaminoans think you two were defective?” 7568 asked.
Keeli ran a hand over his light brown hair and looked pointedly at 7567’s blond buzz cut.
“We need to make sure your evals are impeccable from now on,” Ricochet said.
7568 nodded. “The trainers can’t have any excuse to decommission you.”
Keeli nodded solemnly.
“Sergeant Naasade wouldn’t let that happen,” 7567 said.
“Sergeant Naasade isn’t our trainer,” Ricochet pointed out. “And we already know there aren’t many trainers like him.”
**********
A/N: So sorry to drop all those numbers on you.
Here’s a quick breakdown of who’s who.
Rex’s Cadet Squad
CT-7560 – Keeli
CT-7562 – Wilco
CT-7567 – Rex
CT-7568 – Howzer
CT-7570 – Ricochet (my OC, takes over Thone’s place as commander in the Coruscant Guard after Thorn is killed)
RC-5576 – Gregor
Mando’a
Vod'ika - little brother
Ke’mot - halt
Kaminii - Kaminoan; plural kaminiise – Kaminoans
Shabuire – extreme insult
Ka’ra - stars; ancient Mandalorian myth - ruling council of fallen kings; Mandalorians also use it as a curse in the vein of ‘little gods’
Demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster
Oya - Many meanings: literally “Let's hunt!” (in this case, “Hoorah!”)
Due to the fact that I'm currently trying to beat my masterlist into some semblance of order (and rereading a bunch of my older fics) , I'd like to announce . . .
New chapter of Brothers' Keeper coming soon!
There are actually two new chapters that are coming soon, but one is definitely heading for the finish line faster than the other.
Hoping to get the new chapter up this weekend. It should be up by Monday at the very latest.
Rules: In a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you like).
Thanks for the tag, @cacodaemonia ! 😊
Huddled together were the cadets. Fox remembered his own growth spurts, the aching bones, the stretching muscles.
No pressure tags: @dragonrider9905 @singswan-springswan @ghosts-and-blue-sweaters @photogirl894 @whyamismall @ladyanidala @winterinhimring @wings-and-beskar @masterjedilenawrites and anyone else who wants to play
For the WIP game, "There Are Many Benefits To Being A Time Traveller"!
Thank you for the ask!
This is from my Brothers' Keeper AU where Commander Fox gets dragged back in time to when the clones were first being made on Kamino. He, of course, decides to interfere and make sure his brothers don't have a stupidly horribly time growing up.
In this chapter, Fox uses his knowledge of the future to try and change some events for the good of his little brothers.
Here's a snippet.
Tipoca City shuddered as a huge wave broke against it.
“Kriffing hells,” Jango muttered. “How long are the kaminiise going to wait before they submerge the domes? At this rate, the city’s going to be destroyed.”
“You know how the long-necks like to test the limits of their technology,” Fox said. “Besides, this is only a category 6 or 7 storm. You don't really need to worry until it gets above a category 10."
Jango side-eyed Fox. “I thought you’d never been to Kamino.”
Fox rolled his eyes. “You didn’t read the storm emergency procedures manual, did you?”
I just read Brother’s Keeper. 😭😭😭. I absolutely loved it. I most definitely read them out of order but I don’t care. It still made sense. The last chapter I read was Planned Obsolescence. The littles in the chapter Brothers | (hug) Vodpile 🥹🥹. So cute. That one was probably my favorite chapter. I’m wondering if you will continue this AMAZING series?
Aww, thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. The series is written out if order too so any way you read it is "correct". 😊
There will definitely be more to this series. I'm working on a chapter that I worry will be a tad bit controversial, so I think I'm hesitant to post it and it's kind of put a crimp on my creativity.
Summary: Fox’s cadets are due to receive their first set of training armor.
Warnings: minor mention of blood
Words: 975
Read on AO3
**********
25 BBY – 3 years before the Clone Wars start
Fox watched his cadets as they stood in neat rows in their usual training room. Though they stood at attention, he could see the subtle tension in their frames.
“Gra’tuar,” Fox called.
“Sir!” the cadet acknowledged.
“Why is everyone so tense?”
Fox suppressed a grin. He knew why. This day was seared in his brain from his own cadet days. The anticipation had been so thick that he, Cody, Wolffe, and Doom had hardly slept the night before. But Fox couldn’t help teasing his boys a little bit.
“We’re not tense. We’re excited! Sir!” Whisk piped up.
Fox raised an eyebrow at him.
Whisk flushed and muttered, “Sorry, sir.”
“Why are you excited?” Fox asked, looking back at Gra’tuar.
Gra’tuar shot a disbelieving look at Fox before remembering himself and returning to attention. “Sir, today is our armoring day.”
“Oh, is it?” Fox asked. He pretended to study the schedule on his datapad. “I show we’re working on defusing explosives today.”
More cadets sent incredulous looks his way.
“Sir, we did that yesterday,” Data said.
Fox bit the inside of his lip in order to keep a straight face.
“I’m pretty sure we’re defusing explosives,” Fox said when he had control of himself again. “Besides, you’re all too young for armor.”
While some of the cadets looked offended, a few more were starting to grin, having caught onto the game.
“Only seventh cycle cadets are allowed to use training armor,” Fox concluded.
“We are seventh cycle,” Aran protested.
Fox scoffed. “You’re only fifth cycle.”
That brought on a general clamor as cadets all started talking at once, trying to convince him they were truly seventh cycle or suggesting maybe he should go to medical. Someone even wondered if he’d been hit too hard in the head by another trainer during sparring.
Fox finally grinned.
“Sarge!” one hundred cadets all groaned in unison.
“Happy Armoring Day, verd’ike,” Fox said.
The cadets all snapped to attention and delivered a perfect salute. “Thank you, Sergeant Naasade,” they said, grinning.
Fox’s breath suddenly caught in his throat. These boys—no, these young men—were only a little shorter than him now. They were just getting training armor today, but within a couple of years, they’d receive their Katarn armor and then . . . Geonosis.
A moment of panic hit him, and it took all of Fox’s experience as a marshal commander of the GAR, and years of dealing with Palpatine, to keep his reaction from showing. The cadets were chattering and laughing, so Fox must have pulled it off. He breathed slowly for several seconds before forcing the smile plastered on his face into something more real.
“Alright, settle down,” Fox said. “At ease.”
The cadets fell back into their neat lines. Seventeen and Boba walked into the training room pushing a hovercart draped with a cloth.
“Since you aren’t scheduled to report to the armory until this afternoon—”
The cadets all groaned again.
“—I got you something to commemorate the event,” Fox finished.
“It’s a hgmmf,” Boba said, the last bit muffled as Seventeen clapped a hand over the kid’s mouth.
“It’s a surprise,” Seventeen said, meaningfully.
Boba nodded and Seventeen released him. Together they removed the cloth, revealing several boxes. Fox walked over and opened one of the boxes and picked up an item from inside. He turned to show the cadets.
“Knives?” Tionas asked.
“Not just any knives,” Fox said, twirling the lightweight weapon between his fingers. “They’re made of plastoid. They should be undetectable to most weapons scans and they’re small, so they’re easily concealable.”
He tossed the knife to Tionas. Those around him leaned in for a look. Tionas hefted the blade then ran his thumb along it, hissing as it drew blood.
“That’s not even the best part,” Boba said. His eyes were alight with excitement.
Seventeen clamped a hand down on the boy’s shoulder. “Let the sergeant tell them.”
Boba visibly deflated, but nodded. Fox chuckled and ruffled Boba’s curls.
“The best part is,” Fox said, “you get to personalize your knife.”
He reached into another box and pulled out a tube of paint with a needle-like attachment on the cap.
“There’s paint and etching tools. Customize your knife however you see fit.”
He stepped back and gestured for the cadets to come get their knives. The cadets rushed forward calling for paint or etching tools as others handed the knives out. Those that had their supplies retreated to sit on the floor in their four-man squads, talking excitedly.
“Jate’kara!” Boba shouted.
“Oya!” the cadets answered back, grinning.
“They don’t seem old enough to be carrying concealed weapons,” Seventeen muttered.
“You were just about their age when I gave you your knife,” Fox said.
Seventeen touched his vambrace where he kept the knife Fox had given him for his armoring almost a year ago. He didn’t wear a full set of armor yet, but as an Alpha and a trainer, he was allowed vambraces, greaves, and an abbreviated chestplate along with a utility belt.
“I was much more mature than these boys are,” Seventeen said.
“If you were more mature then you wouldn’t always keep trying to steal my dessert when you come over for dinner,” Boba said.
"K’uur, vaar’ika," Seventeen growled, dropping the draping cloth over Boba's head.
“He’s right, you know,” Fox said, earning a longsuffering look from Seventeen and a toothy grin from Boba as he peeked out from under the cloth.
“Hey, sarge?” Kester said, approaching with an etching tool. “I was wondering, if you had a clan sigil, would you mind adding it to my hilt?”
He held his knife and the etching tool out to Fox.
Blinking rapidly and clearing his throat at a sudden burst of emotion, Fox nodded, taking the items from Kester.
“I’d be honored to.”
**********
Whew! Barely got this in for Commander Fox Day.
Mando’a:
Gra’tuar – avenge (Gregor)
Aran – guard
Verd’ike – little warriors
Tionas – question
Jate’kara – good luck (lit. good stars)
Oya – Hoorah! (lit. let’s hunt)
K'uur, vaar'ika - hush, runt
Taglist: @littledragonlady @flowered-bicycles @ladykatakuri
