Based on @cacodaemonia‘s art of Wooley here. Slasher is @alamogirl80‘s sweet medic oc that I adore. I hope you both like it
This is vaguely (hand-wavily) placed in The Reconstruction Corps AU but also has a sprinkling of my own au in it. Like Wooley’s backstory and his batchmates (there are 10 of them split into two squads of five).
For reference, I took Wooley’s backstory of being a POW and made it a bit hurtier and make more sense in my mind with his presence in canon. Wooley and his squad were assigned to a different battalion than the 212th under Commander Rill and General Tamor (both of whom are my ocs). Tamor was killed in the battle, and Commander Rill, along with about fifty of his men, were captured. The Separatist General used Rill’s men (including Wooley and his squad) to try to coax Rill into giving away GAR intel and then selling the survivors to Trandoshans. They believe Rill was killed. Wooley, Cyan, and six others were the only ones to be rescued by the 212th and eventually joined Ghost Company.
Also, this scene might actually end up being a part of my longfic if I end up liking it and it fits.
I wrote most of this late at night, so if it doesn’t make sense, let me know 😅
Wooley strapped on each piece of armor, making sure the mag-seals all connected correctly without any risk of coming undone. It was a ritual every clone had learned to do at a young age, only now he had more pieces to put on. ARC armor was heavier than regular infantry armor, and it showed. Especially with the kama and the shoulder guards. There was also the added weight of knowing that more lives relied on him to come up with plans on the spot and get everyone out of danger. Or as many as he possibly could. That was one of the lessons he’d learned during ARC training: you can’t save everyone, no matter how much you wish you could.
This particular armoring was different though. This one was special in the same way that armoring up in his whites for the first time was special and the way that painting his armor for the first time was special.
After failing to complete ARC training the first time and having to relive some of his worst memories the second time, Wooley knew he’d earned both his armor and the jaig eyes painted on the chest-piece.
The door opened and Cyan entered the room. The last member of Green Squad besides Wooley himself.
“If you stand around preening any more, your bucket won’t fit on your head,” Cyan sniped.
Wooley sighed. Cyan hadn’t forgiven him for accepting the promotion to ARC. He’d become overprotective from the moment that their other three squad members had been taken from them and likely sold to the Trandoshans for their awful hunting arenas. Wooley didn’t like to think of what had happened to them after that. It hurt too much.
“Cyan . . “ Wooley started, but Cyan interrupted him with a shake of his head.
“Commander Cody told me to tell you that there’s a briefing on the bridge in twenty. He wants you there a few minutes early.”
Before Wooley had even opened his mouth to acknowledge the message, Cyan was gone, the door swishing shut behind him and leaving Wooley alone to his thoughts.
He understood the reason why Cyan was upset, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. ARCs were sent on dangerous missions, usually with only a squad or another ARC as backup. He was trained for this, but that training was hard-earned.
The first time he’d gone to ARC training, Wooley had nearly made it all the way through before they’d reached the training for Protocol When Captured by Enemy Combatants.
"As ARC troopers, you will regularly be working with Generals and Commanders on highly classified missions. You will know information that the Separatists will want, no matter what. My job is to make sure you won't break if you get captured. Who can tell me what kind of methods they might use to try to get classified information from you?" Alpha-17 asked as he stood in front of Wooley’s fellow trainees.
The standard responses were immediately thrown out as well as some more bizarre ones that were technically possible but definitely unlikely in an actual situation. Starvation, dehydration, extreme temperatures, pain, isolation and more.
17 nodded as the answers began to trickle to a stop. Wooley barely noticed over the roar in his ears and the memories that flashed through his mind. None of these ARC candidates really understood what it was like to be captured by the Separatists. They didn’t understand their cruelty. Or the pain they caused.
Wooley usually asked questions and provided thoughtful, detailed answers to any questions that 17 might toss out. Today, he was silent. Until now.
Wooley took a small step forward and a deep breath.
"They'll use your brothers against you," Wooley said, clear and loud enough for everyone to hear. There was a stiff sharpness from the way he was desperately clinging to every ounce of his control. "Everything that might be done to you will be done to them but worse. Not even your death will spare them. The Separatists will use every resource available to them to pry the information out of you. They will do everything to you."
17 had called Cody to get the full story and 17, Cody, the 212th CMO, and Wooley all agreed that he would return to the 212th for a while. He had the makings of a great ARC candidate, 17 had said, but Wooley had needed to heal a bit first. He’d eventually gone back and completed the full ARC training program with a lot of support from his fellow ARC candidates and even 17 himself.
The armor was special. He’d earned it, and it was the first time he would be wearing said armor with the 212th. Wooley grabbed his spare power packs for his blasters and stared at them for a minute, thinking. Remembering.
The door slid open again, and Wooley looked up, hoping that Cyan wasn’t back to potentially start another fight. All of the tension bled out of his shoulders when he saw Slasher in the doorway, a look of concern in his eyes.
“I just passed Cyan. Are you okay?” Slasher asked.
Wooley shrugged. He knew he and Cyan needed to have a conversation at some point and work out the differences between them. Wooley knew it was all due to his brother’s overprotectiveness since he was older than Wooley and they’d already lost Talla, Kita, and Maie.
“I’m okay. I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for becoming an ARC and putting myself in danger. Although I think he’s mostly angry at Commander Cody now,” Wooley said as he slid the spare power pack into the correct pouch. He dropped his eyes away from Slasher and fiddled with his glove, even though he’d put it on a couple of minutes ago and it was perfect already.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to do some pretty great things as an ARC. You’ve survived so much already, and I know that you’re going to do amazing,” Slasher said, walking over to pull Wooley into a proper hug.
Wooley leaned gratefully into his friend’s warmth and support. His eyes slid shut and he wrapped his own arms around Slasher, sinking into the offered comfort. Slasher always gave the best hugs, and Wooley was not shy about taking advantage of that particular talent.
“And the armor is pretty badass,” Slasher added.
With a snort and a chuckle, Wooley stepped back and turned to finish putting on his armor, Slasher stepping forward to help. “Apparently I’m needed on the bridge. I’ll see you later?” he said as he tucked his bucket under his arm.
“Always,” Slasher replied and knocked his vambrace against Wooley’s. “Go show off your new armor, Wooley. I know you’ve been eager to this whole time.”
Wooley grinned and tossed a casual salute towards Slasher before striding out into the corridor. He had earned the armor twice over. He absolutely deserved to show it off.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these blurbs, and I really liked this one. It’s got some OCs of mine that I created to be Wooley’s batchmates. More information on them can be found below the cut
Wooley groaned as the Corrie tugged his arms behind him and pulled out a set of binders. He wasn't even drunk or involved this time. He just happened to be nearby when Crys set off a bunch of glitter bombs (Wooley was pretty sure he got them from Torrent) and of course the Corrie assumed he was a part of it. Or just wanted the bragging rights among their batchmates that he got to throw Wooley into the drunk tank.
"Corin, you are a slimy bastard," he groaned. "I didn't do anything."
"Hmm, that's what you say. But you see, you Ghosts rarely do stuff by yourself. Therefore, that kid Jek is arresting had an accomplice. The closest Ghost was you," Corin said smugly.
Wooley sighed.
"I actually hate you right now."
"Don't stay things you don't mean, Wooley dearest," Corin sang.
"Ratio is my favorite now."
"Blasphemy! I have always been your favorite batchmate," Corin protested.
"Ratio isn’t currently arresting me for something I didn't do and didn't know anything about."
"If you want to lie, you need to get better at hiding your tells."
"I've been working on that," another vod's voice called. Wooley sighed. He knew that voice very well. And of course Lovely just had to happen by.
Corin closed the binders on his wrists and turned Wooley towards the Guard speeder where Lovely was leaning against the side.
And then they stopped.
Wooley glanced behind and couldn't help but grin. Oh. Oh that was delightful blackmail material.
Corin stood there, his bucket clipped to his belt so his curly blue hair went in every direction as it attempted to escape its ponytail. And he stood, absolutely dumbstruck, and stared at Lovely. His brother, the most flirtatious of the lot of them, was stunned silent by a pretty face.
Discreetly, Wooley swiped the keys off of Corin's belt and walked towards the speeder, Corin's hand sliding off of his back. He fiddled with the binders for a moment and then slipped them off and tossed them into the Guard speeder. He put his bucket back on and immediately took several holos of Corin's face.
"Is there a problem?" Lovely asked, walking towards Corin as he waved Wooley away behind his back.
"Puh uh problem? No, there's no problem," Corin stammered. "I'm Corin."
"Nice to meet you, Corin," Lovely answered. "I'm Lovely."
"You definitely are."
Wooley almost gave his escape away with a snort as he listened to his normally suave brother blunder through an introduction. He couldn't wait to show this to Mal and Ama. They would absolutely never let Corin live this down. Cyan would get a kick out of it, too.
As Wooley hopped into a speeder heading to the GAR barracks, specifically for the clones, he sent the holo to the Crimson groupchat.
<Wooley: Look at him. He saw one of my squaddies and made this face!>
<Ama: NO WAY!!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!>
<Ratio: Ha! Thank you Wooley. I am definitely saving that to get back at him for the prank he pulled last week.>
<Mal: That was Ama. But it's about time Corin got a taste of his own medicine.>
<Cyan: Lovely is really nice. Corin at least has good taste. If Lovely falls for him, though, I'm gonna have to question his taste.>
<Corin: WOOLEY YOU SON OF A BANTHA WHORE!!!>
Wooley just cackled.
Wooley’s Batch (AKA Crimson Batch)
Mal: The Oldest TM. He is gentle and kind and gives the absolute best hugs. He’s the kind of person you go to for a nice long cuddle with ice cream, blanket forts, and a movie to feel better after a bad day. He’s also got great advice. He was one of the five members of Crimson Batch that were sent to Coruscant as part of the Coruscant Guard.
Kye: He can be a bit of a grump. He is also the easiest to get with a prank, which the others do quite frequently. Kye also has the most infectious laugh, if you can get him to let loose. He’s also a Coruscant Guard.
Ratio: Ratio is happiest if he has a fully-charged datapad, a hot cup of caf, and a vod’ika curled up against him (usually Ama). Force save anyone who brings him a problem to solve before he’s had his morning caf, though. He likes to tease and joke around and holds trivia nights, which can range from fun little quizzes, to him info-dumping with his batchmates. He is also a Coruscant Guard.
Corin: Corin is a notorious flirt. He will flirt with anyone that he can get away with. Charming to the extreme and with a fun sense of humor to boot, he is very popular both within the Guard and with any Battalions on leave. He is also a massive troll. Wooley and Corin were really close before they were deployed and Wooley learned how to flirt from Corin. He fell head over heels for Lovely the very first time he saw him, and spent the rest of the war trying to come up with ways to woo Lovely. (Lovely is demi, so it took a bit of time and a lot of patience, but he was wooed.) Corin is a member of the Coruscant Guard.
Talla: He is very protective. He was one of the batchmates that was assigned to Commander Rill’s Company (also an oc of mine) along with Wooley, Cyan, Kita, and Maie. When they were captured by Separatists, Talla was sold to Trandoshans along with Kita and Maie. He protected them and they managed to survive until they were later rescued (this is soft! I couldn’t kill them. I just couldn’t). He’s fairly paranoid and warms up to strangers very slowly and rarely goes anywhere without his armor and several weapons.
Cyan: Cyan was rescued by the 212th along with Wooley (and Lovely and a few others, but I’m not focusing on them now). He’s really reserved and quiet, but will absolutely swear like a sailor with the people he’s closest to. He becomes really close with Miggs (a fellow trooper in the 212th) and they eventually say the riduurok after Miggs lost his leg on Umbara. They will eventually adopt a squad of cadets and raise them together.
Kita: Kita is pretty friendly and adapts well to being around other people. At least better than Talla. He was also rescued with Talla and Maie. He likes making friends and is definitely nowhere near as paranoid as Talla.
Maie: Maie is considered “Babey TM”. He’s got the Sad Tooka Eyes (which Wooley learned from him and used to great effect on the 212th). He is a little quiet and tends to stick close with the people he knows the best but is also interested in making new friends. He really wants to open a ranch or farm and just spend time out in nature when he doesn’t have to worry about being hunted.
And finally . . .
Ama: Ama is the Youngest TM. Always. He loves practical jokes and making people laugh. He has probably perfected several comedy routines at this point and performs them every time he’s at 79′s with a new Company on leave. Loves sitting with Ratio and they like planning pranks together. Kye is their usual victim, but they also target the others as well. He was also sent to Coruscant as a Coruscant Guard.
Let me know if you want to learn any more about these guys! (I have done piccrew with them because I can’t draw) I love them a lot. If you made it all the way this far! Congratulations and thank you so much!! Crimson Batch will appear in my Long Fic (whenever I have time to actually write it).
ALSO!! FYI, Wooley falls between Kita and Maie, age-wise. He’s not the Youngest, but he is one of the youngest.
I have created a discord server where I can talk about Crimson Batch, including all of my various Wooley stories and AUs. If you’re interested, send me a dm, and I’ll send you the link to the discord server. It is a cloneshipping safe space and will contain a lot of cloneshipping.
I’ve been slowly trying to figure out how to art again, and I think my favorite thing currently, since I don’t really have any technology compatible with more advanced digital drawings, is doing designs that look like they could be tattoos.
I’ve thought about maybe opening a redbubble shop to sell these, but idk. Figured I’d toss them out into the void for people to enjoy
[Image ID: a stylized, basic lineart of a sun reflected in the water. End ID]
This is a tattoo I designed for Wooley (because I’m very very predictable) and it represents the 212th. My version of Wooley is separated from the rest of his batch (ten clones, five went to the Coruscant Guard and then three were later transferred to the Marines under Commander Bacara. Three were sold to Trandoshans and will later be found. And one was rescued with Wooley and joined the 212th). He wanted to get something to represent his new family, and this ended up being the result. I really really love how it turned out and decided to share.
[Image ID: Blue partial star with a turquoise line being blown away slowly. End ID]
I did this one today, and now looking at it, it definitely looks better further away and with a dark background instead of a white one. I did an invisible background, so if you click on it, it will probably look a little better.
